The Prince Of Magic

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[… Early Dawn …]

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The first light of the sun has not appeared, and yet Hadrian was already awake.

It was quiet and dark in his room, comfortably so. The gentle breeze coming from his half-opened windows moved the white curtains that surrounded his bed, cooling the bodies of his sleeping companions and Hadrian himself.

The silence in his room and the comfort of being at home was a sign of a peaceful start of his day.

But unlike in the past, Hadrian felt anything but at ease.

He only had an hour and a half of sleep, and when he opened his eyes earlier, he was bombarded with thoughts of fear and self-doubt.

Fear of failing, not just the mission but to meet his grandfather's expectations, along with the self-doubt swelling inside him, questioning his own capabilities to accomplish the mission.

It was not as if it was his first time to undertake such a task before.

But, it would be his first time to do so in an unknown environment and without the automaton's most advantageous feature.

The Moon Cell's excellent surveillance feature was one of the things that greatly assisted Hadrian in his previous assignments.

However, in the next assignment, he would need to make do without it and improvise with the hands he was dealt with. The idea of risking a world that doesn't have the automaton's presence was something that Hadrian would rather avoid.

His own world was already in danger due to Velber's impending descent in the future; there was no need for him to drag the other one that was free of its awareness.

His mind was muddled as he went through so many plans, checking their authenticity and revising each of them for any possible signs of weakness and failure.

Going over his plans right now can only do so much. His imagination can only do so much.

Thus, unless he had seen the alternate world itself, his strategies would have to be on pause.

When he turned to his side, Hadrian's thoughts slowed into a halt as he took in Arturia's peaceful expression as she slept beside him.

The blonde swordswoman slept quietly, so much so that Hadrian would forget she was there beside him sometimes.

It was fortunate that Arturia was not the type to snore, even when she was tired.

The young magus had the unfortunate experience to sleep in the same room as Kieran and Charles before, and boy oh boy, the two troublemakers would cause quite a duet of snores whenever they slept deeply, much to his and the others consternation.

Silently, Hadrian observed his blonde companion, memorizing the contours of her beautiful, elegant face.

Even without trying, Arturia was there to help him.

Hadrian doesn't know whether that was simply her presence or because of his moments with her.

Perhaps it was both.

Either way, watching her rest peacefully beside him was enough lull him back to sleep.

One thing was for sure, he would miss his moments with her, especially now.

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[… Sometime later …]

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*SLASH*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

"Gruaaah!"

The dying scream of an enemy AI echoed through the silent arena as Hadrian ended his target with three phantom swords.

He infused the astral weapons with enough magical energy that can rival the kinetic power of a grenade, triggering them in a chain-like reaction once at point blank.

The result ended with the unfortunate AI, who took on the form of a chimera, getting blown off its feet, up and well away from Hadrian.

Quietly, the young mage watched the last of his targets disappear in a display of digital particles before it could hit the translucent ground.

Hadrian inhaled deeply, closing his eyes to let them return to normal as he placed his spectacles back on before opening them again.

He was currently inside an arena that the automaton had created for him.

It was a simple arena with a translucent structure, similar to the ones he had explored in the past during the Holy Grail war. But instead of an underwater view, it was above a large river with rushing waters that cascaded deep below the endless abyss. The water below glowed in a blue light, almost mystical as the skies above the arena was a deep blue color that was clear of clouds.

If Hadrian hadn't known that everything he was seeing was all digitalized data, he would have thought that he was somewhere in Valhalla.

Then again, even if the location was not real, it was still a beautiful sight to behold.

"Geez, boss, you wanna leave some for us?" A familiar voice cut in, breaking Hadrian out of focus.

Turning, Hadrian saw Kieran in his combat gear, gun and knife in hand as he stared at him with a raised brow.

Looking past the tanned skin retainer, he located Charles, Yan Qing and the others sparring in the distance since there were no more enemy AIs respawning in the vicinity. The three female retainers, on the other hand, were nowhere to be seen, considering as the trio in question had been invited to accompany his mother somewhere else.

Probably the mall, if Hadrian had to guess.

Arturia and Medusa had been reluctant to leave his side, but after some encouragement from Hadrian himself, they went with his mother and Scáthach.

Hadrian shook his head, running a hand through his hair with a sigh.

"You're just slow, Kieran. Those AIs are literally scattered around the Arena. It's a free-for-all." Hadrian countered without much energy.

"Yeah, not going to fall for that one. As if I'll join you and those knuckleheads in hunting AIs around for fun." Kieran deadpanned, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at where his colleagues were.

Hadrian was surprised when, instead of walking over to where the other retainers were sparring a few feet behind them, Kieran turned his gaze to him.

"So, what's up with you?" Kieran asked, nodding his chin at his way.

Rather than answering, Hadrian merely raised a brow in silent inquiry.

In response, Kieran scoffed and rolled his eyes at him.

"C'mon, I may not be the sharpest in the group, but even I can see something has got your p.a.n.t.i.e.s in a twist." The tan skinned retainer returned, holstering his weapons away.

"… I would prefer if you don't use that metaphor to guys, preferably me." Hadrian said in a bland tone.

"Eh, an analogy is an analogy. The f.u.c.k makes it a difference, anyways." Kieran shrugged, waving a hand as if it was no concern of his.

Hadrian sighed.

He was used to the servant's crassness, but sometimes, it doesn't make it less annoying.

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