Fate/Britain: Dragon's Divergence

Location: ???

Timeline: ???

…
[MC’s POV]

Welcome to my TED talk, everyone.

I am Leonardo, a former engineering student and I will be your host. Today, I will talk about reincarnation.

As per the costume, I will start with the positive side.

Congratulations, I am alive again! And luckily, my little brother reincarnated with me in this life too!

However the downside was that you don’t know the settings you are brought into, namely background, location, time, era, etc, will be all randomized.

Why am I saying this? It is because I fucking woke up in a gigantic cave in a body of a kid!

“Dammit! When is this going to end!?” I cursed out loud as I climbed through the rocks.

Fortunately, I wasn’t sent here with empty hands. I could see clear as day even if this whole space was completely dark. Not only that, my physical capabilities are far beyond what such a small body of mine should have and I think even higher than my previous body.

I wasn’t fat nor bulky in my previous life, I would consider myself average and went to gym regularly to maintain a healthy life. But now, I feel so energetic that I could run a 30km marathon with my short legs without taking a break or punching through a wall of concrete.

I didn’t know my exact limits, but I didn’t want to test it, at least not in this dark and ominous cave.

Putting the mysteries surrounding me aside, right now my priority was to find an exit from this place.

After I reached the top, there was another large corridor that would lead me somewhere else.

*Sigh*

“Honestly, I was never a fan of mazes.” I shook my head and walked forward. “Whoever brought me here must have some grudges against me.”

Well, at least the entity that sent me had the decency to give me some clothes to wear.

…
“Hello? Hellloooo? Heeeeeeeeeelllllllooooooooooooooooo?” I shouted out of boredom, while carrying a huge stick with me for no specific reason.

It has been a few hours (I think?) since I started walking this labyrinth and boy, let me tell you, I didn’t enjoy it at all. At some point of time, there were two paths I had to choose and trusted my instinct to guide me or huge cliffs that I had to climb to proceed.

*Sniff* *Sniff*

‘This smell…’ I halted and tensed after recognizing the scent of iron in the air, there was blood spilled somewhere near me and probably it was recently.

As any sane person would do, I turned around and started walking from where I came from.

*Grrrrrrr!*
‘Don’t look back! Don’t look back! Don’t look back!’ Sweat ran down from my forehead as I walked faster.

*Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!*

*Gulp*

I looked back.

I comically turned my head around and saw a pair of yellow eyes glaring at me at the end of the corridor.

“Oh shit! Run!” I ran with all my might without looking at whatever that was chasing me.

*Howl!*

‘Shit! Shit! Shit!’ I could hear its steps echoing and from the sounds of it, it will catch me in no time. ‘What do I do? What do I do?’

I looked back in the corner of my eye and saw a gray wolf covered in blood dashing at me.

‘Is it only me or he is bigger than the wolves I have met in the past!?’ I thought while gripping tightly on the stick.

“Dammit!”

*Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!*

‘I can’t outrun it!’ No matter how long I have been running, the wolf would keep chasing after me. ‘I have no other choice but to face it ahead! Better to die while trying than doing nothing!’

I stopped and turned around, gripping tightly on the stick and entered in a stance.

*Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!*

Second by second, the giant wolf was getting closer and closer.

*Howl!*

Its giant body was already near enough for me to see it clearly, which posed some sort of intimidation.

‘Here it comes!’

When it was a few meters away from me, it jumped and lunged on me with its mouth wide open to bite me in half.

I used the stick as a spear and raised its end towards its head.

However, in this instant the world seemed to slow down.

The wolf was slowly falling towards me and I could see some of its drool getting dragged by the force of wind.

I, too, was moving slowly, but there was something else happening at the same time.

A warm feeling was washing over me-no, it was coming from inside me.

*Ba-dump!* *Ba-dump!* *Ba-dump!*

The bumpings of my own heart reached my ears and I let my instinct guide me.

A bluish energy came out from his chest and traveled all the way from there to his hand and then transferred it to the stick, covering it like an armor with a pointy end aimed towards the gray wolf.

And finally, the world started moving normally again.

*Howl!* *Booooom!*

When the stick made contact with the wolf, an explosion occurred that blasted both of us away.

I was sent flying to the rocky wall and strangely, I felt no pain at all.

*Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!*

“Dust…” I waved my hand to get off from the cloud of dust. I raised my head and looked around in search of the beast.

I relaxed my shoulders once I found its corpse on the opposite side of me and let out a sigh in relief.

‘But what was that? What happened at that moment?’ Questions lingered in my head which I didn’t have answers for (yet).

“Was that magic?” I muttered with raised eyebrows. It was the only explanation I had for the current situation. “I need to test this out later.”

I approached where the corpse was and immediately grunted in pain. The smell of rotten egg reached my nose and I immediately covered it.

“Damn, the smell!” I pinched my nose with my hand and slowly approached the corpse, I could see its gut spread on the ground and connected to its body. In fact, it was a bloody mess with organs and muscles splattered on the ground.

“I…I don’t think it’s edible.” I didn’t want to approach it and the smell got stronger the more I got closer. “Better going now before the scent of blood attracts other animals.”

If there was a wolf, then it would be bound to be more, so…

I gritted my teeth and walked closer and took its intact fangs and claws, I felt I could make something with them.

…

*Sigh*

“How I miss the internet, half of my problems would be solved with just that, or even more.” I said with clear boredom and disappointment.

After the incident with the giant wolf, I was more cautious and didn’t want to commit the same mistake again, so I have been exploring more silently.

However, as I kept walking, the scenery started to gradually change to green. The rocky walls that had nothing beside rocks were slowly covered by moss and other small plants until it was all green.

Not only that, the humidity started to noticeably increase as well, almost as if I was in…

‘Something is amiss.’ I thought as I raised my guard just in case. I squinted my eyes as I looked ahead at the end of this long corridor. ‘Wait, is that–’

“Light!?” I exclaimed in surprise. ‘Here? In this place?’

Remember this, if there is something that wasn’t supposed to be there, then it must be a trap or something is wrong.

So I cautiously walked towards the source of light and was ready for anything that came at me.

*Step* *Step*

As I was coming closer, the light became stronger and wider and when I reached the end, I saw something that I never thought would be here.

“How the hell is there a jungle here? And with its own ecosystem on top of that!” I looked up and discovered the source of the light of this place, which consisted in an agglomeration of crystals that illuminated this whole section of the cave. ‘This is truly a magical world, I never heard of anything like that in my past life!’

There was also an aquifer in the middle, acting as a river for this place and a limit that divided this place in half. Not only that, I saw several beasts roaming around, all with similar size to the wolf I faced earlier.

‘This is almost exactly like on the surface, although on a much smaller scale with big animals.’

Beside the one I was in, there were three holes that would lead to somewhere unknown.

‘Dammit, this thing will only get more complicated.’ I said while ruffing my own hair. This is one of the reasons why I hate mazes so much.


Luckily, there was a downhill that would go to the ground, saving me trouble for climbing all the way down.

‘Putting the danger level aside, this was a good place to rest and gather resources.’

Food, clean water, and other materials.

All those essential things that I lack could be found here in this jungle. Logically, it would be best to stay here for a while and gather enough items to continue my journey to the surface.

But there was danger lurking inside the forest. God knows how many beasts or poisonous animals are hiding there.

“Why am I even hesitating? There isn’t any other option besides going there.” I shook my head and went forward to the jungle.

Suddenly, I had an uncomfortable feeling someone was watching me. ‘Weird, I feel someone is peeping on me, but there is no one nearby.’ I rubbed my head before shrugging my shoulders.

…
[3rd POV]

On the surface, several kilometers away from Leonardo’s location, there was a lone tower that stood out from the scenery around it.

It was a tower that many wouldn’t dare to approach even if they don’t bear any ill will, all because of the person who resides in it, which is also the owner.

And on the highest floor, two people could be seen.

A man in a white robe that covered a great amount of his body, only letting people see his long white hair with pink ends.

In front of him, there was a young girl scribing diligently in her notes. She had pale blond hair and blue eyes like the ocean.

Abruptly, the man stopped talking and turned his head towards the horizon.

‘Something has changed. A new variable appeared and I had never thought I had to count ‘It’ for the ‘prophecy’.’ The man thought as he retracted his ‘gaze’ and looked back at the young girl in front of him. ‘To think that ‘It’ of all things would–’

“Is there something wrong, Mentor Merlin?” The young girl asked in confusion, seeing that Merlin suddenly stopped the lecture.

Upon being interrupted in his monologue, Merlin gazed into her innocent eyes, fully knowing that innocence wouldn’t last long and soon would be fully replaced by rage, hatred and vengeance.

‘Maybe her future will change, or even more, the fate of Britain itself will shift from the calculations.’ Merlin thought as he briefly closed his eyes.

“No, it’s nothing, Student Morgan.” Merlin shook his head and resumed his private tutoring. “I was just thinking of the trip we will be going to soon in a few days.”

“Hmmn?” Morgan tilted her head in confusion at her mentor’s spontaneous decision.

“Now, where were we…” Merlin ignored her and proceeded with his lecture.

‘The winds of change will surely come to Britain, but I wonder what future will you bring, Albion?’

 

Location: Island of Britain

Timeline: 5th Century

…

[Leonardo’s POV]

I ventured into the dense jungle and I realized how much I had underestimated the difficulty of this task.

Since there was no human activity here, every corner was filled with vegetation no matter where I went. Shrubs almost as tall as I was or trees that looked almost like skyscrapers were in abundance, so I could easily get lost if I wasn't being careful or marking the trees I passed with the wolf's claws. The fact that I didn't know where or when something might jump out at me didn't help either.

‘If I am going in the right direction, the river should be just ahead.’ I thought as I made my forward and cleared my path from the vegetation. ‘I can already hear the water!’

I quickened my pace and finally made my way to the river.

“Amazing…” The scenery was breathtaking. Crystal clean water flowing down with a sea of green trees complementing the view. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was accompanied by an unwanted ‘friend’.

There was a tiger who drank water calmly until I came, its ears twitched, and it turned to me. It was much bigger than me and could pounce on me at any moment.

Sweat trickled down my forehead as I slowly took a step back, crouched down, and picked up a stone without breaking eye contact. Despite the tension, I tried not to show any fear or nervousness toward her.

We stared at each other for a few more seconds before the tiger let out a grunt and walked away.

Once it was far away from my sight, I let out a breath that I didn’t realize I was holding.

*Sigh*

“Fuck this, I seriously need to get stronger.” I gritted my teeth in frustration and clenched my fists. “I need more power!”

Quoting Vergil’s iconic line aside, I was serious about wanting to get stronger. I didn’t have the wish to court death so soon.

I arrived at the riverside and saw my own reflection for the first time. A boy with short white hair and a pair of golden eyes was looking at me on the surface of the water.

‘Damn, I really look like an isekai protagonist right now.’ I thought and cringed at the memory of the days in my ‘chuunibyou’ phase.

‘Purge the unholy memories. begone!’ I quickly thought of something else to distract me from my dark past.

‘What was I talking about again? Ah, right, about needing power.’

The only clue I had was the strange energy I used against the wolf earlier. I think I should call it 'Mana' until proven otherwise. I didn't know how to use it again or control it yet, and for that I need a safe place to test it. A place where there are no beasts to threaten me.

'Come to think about it, the only place that fits that description is where I come from! I thought and contemplated. From where I had awakened, I had not encountered any being, and it did not appear until I approached this jungle. However, it was still hours away from here, and I felt that I was only getting further away from my destination.

“What should I do?.” I scratched my head as I looked at my reflection on the river…

…It was in the sprout of the moment, but I suddenly remembered something, something trivial and useless in this situation, but I couldn’t take it off from my head.

A meme, no…

THE MEME.

An image of Artoria in the pool flashed in my mind. She, who supposedly had the protection of the Lady of the Lake, was underwater.

“Oh lady of the lake, please help me solve this situation!” I jokingly said and then got up from my position. However, a strange phenomena occurred. The water started bubbling unnaturally until it shot upwards.

“What the fuck!” I cursed and jumped back in surprise.

The water moved itself in the air and formed a silhouette of a… person!?

“For what hath thou summon me, Albion? Didst thou granted up on thy way to the Reverse Side of the World and degrade into the form of what thou bid ‘inferior creatures’? (Why did you summon me, Albion? Did you give up making your way to the Reverse Side of the World and degrade into the form of what you call ‘inferior creatures’?)” A woman’s voice came out from the water spirit(?).

‘What the hell is happening?’ I may understand only half of what she said, but I had a feeling she just insulted me or I was just imagining it. Nevertheless, I tried to assess the situation.

“Excuse me, miss? But I think you got the wrong person. I don’t know who Albion is, but it’s definitely not me.” I said and looked at her in wariness. “I am Leonardo and definitely a human.”

The water spirit furrowed her eyebrows and I had a bad feeling from the way she ‘looked’ at me.

“...Are thou mocking me, Albion? (Are you mocking me, Albion?)” She raised her voice and the ground started shaking. “To regard an arrogant dragon like thou would resolve to lie to 'lesser beings'. Look at how high thou fell from. (To think an arrogant dragon like you would resolve to lie to ‘lesser beings’. Look at how high you fell from.)”

“Wait wait wait, you are seriously confusing me with someone else! I already told you I am not this Albion!” I started to panic. I didn’t expect her to get mad so suddenly!

The ground shook for a few more seconds before it returned to normal. I slowly raised my eyes and looked at the—What the fuck (x2)!

Similar to what happened earlier, the water has risen from its natural course and formed a cocoon around the projection.

*Splash!*

The outer layer exploded, and unlike what I thought earlier, it was not a woman or a monster that came out, but a young girl. She had pale blue hair and cyan eyes and wore a dark blue dress. There was a supernatural air about her that caught my attention.

With every step she took, a splash was heard on the floor, and she stopped as soon as she was in front of me. Surprisingly, we were about the same height.

She squinted her eyes as she looked at me.

“Thou hast the like draconic qualities as Albion, yet thou do not exclude the aura of that dragon. Haply thou art not lying after all. (You have the same draconic qualities as Albion, yet you don't exclude the aura of that dragon. Maybe you aren't lying after all.)” She said in a curious tone and relaxed her facial expressions.

I sighed in relief once I noticed that she wasn’t mad anymore, which translated into a slight increase of my chance of survival. But there was something that she said bothered me.

“Wait, so you are implying that I am not human anymore? And please use less complex words.” I said, making her pause.

“...Perhaps you really aren’t lying after all. Proud that dragon may be, he has the wisdom and strength of a dragon, something you lack off.” She sighed in…disappointment? Before I could protest, she placed her hand on my chest and glowed. “You have no need to thank me. Consider this as an apology for my earlier actions.”

“Wait–!” I grasped my chest where my heart should be. My eyes widened as I felt an enormous energy coming out of me to the point I could see it clearly. I knew what it was.
It was Mana.

I could only see Mana from living beings and atmosphere too, but it was minuscule compared to my amount. If I could describe it, I would be a nuclear central midst of generators powered by a bike. Curiously, I looked at the girl to see her mana, but strangely I couldn’t see any.

“You should learn to contain your Magical Energy in yourself if you want to go to the surface, unless you are wishing to pick a fight or crush others with your Mana.” That is what she said.

I nodded and started putting my mind on it. I tried to command my Mana to move and store inside me. Immediately, my Mana immediately retracted and entered my body.

“It was easier than I’d expected.” I muttered as I began checking myself. Even if I’d contained my Mana, I could still see it around me.

“That should be obvious. Dragons such as yourself are creatures that generate Magical Energy just by existing, so controlling it should be as natural as breathing for you.” The girl said.

Speaking of her, I think I might have an idea of who she was.

“I know this is a bit late, but are you…the Lady of Lake, Vivian, right?” I hesitated a little. Given how she appeared when I quoted the meme and how easily she manipulated the water in the river.

I saw her frown which made me panic a little for being wrong, but I guess it wasn’t necessary.

“Don’t you already know? You were the one who called me after all.” She said and I shrugged. “But regardless, I think a proper introduction should be made. I am Vivian, the fairy known as Lady of the Lake and Nimue.”

“I am Leonardo, a simple hum–dragon.” I quickly corrected myself and extended my hand for a handshake. She stared at my hand for a good seconds before awkwardly shaking it.

“Then I bid farewell, young dragon. If by fate, then you will see my other self." Vivian said before walking into the river and melting(?) in it.

It was still strange for me to see a little girl talking like some noble in the medieval era.

'Wait, what? I stopped waving my hand and widened my eyes in horror.

'Vivian, speaking like a nobleman in the Middle Ages, Vivian, speaking...' I repeated in my mind and finally came to my senses. "There's no way I am in the Arthurian era...is there?" My face paled in horror.

And if my guess is correct, plus the fact that I only knew one Arthurian myth the most was from the anime Fate, then…

“Yeah…I am fucked aren’t I?”

Maybe I wasn’t in Fate at all and it was just my paranoia, but…I should’ve at least asked her for a ride to the surface.
_____________________

A/N: So Vivian appears, if you want to know what she looks like, just imagine a young Morgan but more bluish. Also what Vivian did was something like giving a push and let Leonardo feel Mana with more familiarity.