Fate/False Order

Slumping on my throne, I glanced at my scrying orb, displaying a priest performing the last rites over four pristine white caskets.

Agravaine had bitten off more than he could chew. If only he hadn't stopped correspondence with me, he and his siblings would still be alive, and would have had the chance to join me under my banner.

He was the only smart child out of all his siblings, far smarter than his father and probably whatever maid he had slept with.

Yet he had been so stupid.

Lancelot, fool as he may be, was comparable, if not superior to Arthur in some scenarios. Yet Agravaine had tried to execute his lover in front of him, causing him, Gawain, Gaheris and Gareth to die.

Such wasted potential.

If he had only informed me of his idea, I'd have thrown that half-baked plan into the deepest darkest dungeon where it belonged.

Sighing, I focused on the depicted scene.

The church was filled with nobles, knights and the odd peasant that the four were close to.

But among them, the one person who didn't deserve to be there sat in the front row of pews.

Arthur.

The same person who had 'pardoned' the one who had slept with her wife, and killed the four people who were handing out justice to the undeserving.

Arthur sat there, stone faced as always, and seemingly pretended that she was sad.

Everyone could see it, the knights' and nobles' whispers weren't silent, and they all agreed on one thing.

The King did not care.

The King had no emotions.

The King was not human.

I could feel my anger at Arthur slightly lessen, as a smile tugged its way onto my face.

I could work with this.

The people, nobles and knights were in distress… Merlin was currently gallivanting about, probably seducing some woman, meaning that Arthur was alone…

I could pull this off.

Mordred was returning from hunting a group of bandits, so she did not know of her 'siblings' deaths.

I might have been missing a few pieces, but with the current political climate of Camelot, the people, nobles and knights might just be coaxed to revolt…

As long as I acted swiftly, Camelot would be mine.

Which meant that I needed to get Merlin off the board, before he could drag Arthur out of the fire.

Pushing myself up from the throne, I disregarded the funeral.

While I wished to give them a proper sendoff, it was for the best that I took advantage of this situation. I'm sure that the four would forgive me, after all, I'd be punishing the one who disregarded their sacrifice for a criminal and his whore.

Walking out of my makeshift throne room, I sank into the room's shadows.

I had a foolish fairy I needed to convince.

~~Fate/False Order~~

Vivian had been easy to convince.

Her once fixed smile had vanished when I had shown her an image of what Merlin was doing 'behind her back'.

The incubus had only made my job easier when he had waved at my familiar with his usual 'charming' smile.

That had more than done the trick for Vivian to help me.

It had taken the better part of the day to create the Bounded Field around the Workshop Vivian had gifted Merlin. 

It had only taken so long due to Vivian herself needing to be the one to set up the Bounded Field, so as to not raise any suspicion with the incubus when he entered the tower.

With my trap set up, I could finally enact the plan.

I had felt Mordred entering Camelot, meaning that I had very little time left, as I wished for her to meet with Arthur, before she learnt of her fellow knight's demise.

Not bothering to say farewell to Vivian, I started walking down to the shores of Avalon.

As I reached the beach, I continued forwards, not breaking my stride, I started to wade into the deep.

Despite the water almost covering me head to toe, I was bone dry.

And as I fully submerged myself, I felt the waters churn, as it turned murky. Continuing forwards, I broke through the surface of the water with ease, revealing a totally different scene.

I was standing neck-deep in a lake, surrounded by forest. Not bothering to walk out, I teleported into my cave's throne room.

Snapping my fingers, my clothes dries themselves instantly, as the lake water expelled itself out from my clothing.

Picking up the scrying orb I had discarded yesterday, I peered into it and focused on Mordred.

Slowly, an image of a knight wearing heavy armor with a horned helmet, was displayed on the screen.

She had apparently just entered the castle.

Widening the scope of my scrying spell, I checked her surroundings for people, finding none.

While Merlin was a genius, an infuriating genius, creating a way to lock me out of the castle, and most of Camelot, I still had my ways around his spell.

Closing my eyes, I focused on creating a very convincing illusion of myself, while linking my senses with it.

Feeling myself reform, I opened my eyes, revealing the arches of the castle's courtyard. Stepping out from the shadow, I leaned a hand on the wall.

"For how long do you intend to keep playing knight?" I asked in a harsh voice.

Mordred instantly clamped up, stiffening momentarily, before retracting her helmet while turning to face me.

A face identical to Arthur turned to look at me, her unkempt ponytail swaying, as she slightly tilted her head.

"Mother?" She asked in a confused voice, her eyes subtly scanning me from head to toe.

Just looking at Arthur's face caused my anger to grow, she should have kept that helmet on.

"You are the heir to King Arthur," I explained harshly while taking a step towards her, causing Mordred to take a startled step back at my words.

Extending my arms, I glared at her. "Your life is proof of his existence," I spat, feeling disgusted at the words I was spouting. "You are the child of the King!"

"Me?" She asked, almost as if taken aback. The girl had clearly inherited more of her 'father's' genes, as anyone else would draw those conclusions when comparing their looks.

Mordred turned away from me, and looked up at the castle's spires. "I am King Arthur's…" there was a slight pause, before she spoke up in an overjoyed tone of voice. "…son?!"

Before I could speak up, Mordred's helmet snapped on, covering her face, and she bolted off.

Seeing her retreating form, I gave a low chuckle.

Tread carefully, Mordred, for when your 'father' denounces you, I shall watch you smear Arthur's name, sway his people, claim his knights and crush his kingdom.

You'll make your mother so proud.

Closing my eyes, and dissolving the illusion, I reopened them, causing me to find myself back in my throne room.

But for Mordred to complete her task to my specifications, I'd need to rid this world of the incubus…

~~Fate/False Order~~

Walking through the city of Sorbiodunum, I watched as men and women ran into their houses, dragging their children inside and shutting the blinds. Vendors scrambled to close their stalls, and the more well-off shops locked their doors.

A few people could be seen peering through the slight gaps of their shut windows, with a few people pointing fingers in my direction.

Arthur had ruined my reputation to the degree that anyone who saw me would flee in fear, and to the point where the local guards wouldn't dare to get in my way.

Their whispers, their fear, they were all laid bare to me, as I glided through the city.

My destination was clear, causing me to smoothly make my way towards the only place Merlin would be, a high end brothel.

Reaching the building, the doors opened automatically, without my input, meaning one thing. Merlin knew I was here.

It was not surprising, as the teleportation lock I had setup upon arrival was not discrete, but the fact that he hadn't fled immediately spoke volumes to the confidence he had in his ability to run away.

Taking a step inside, I was greeted by the sight of a room not all too dissimilar to a cheap restaurant, albeit there was a fancy stairway leading up, causing me to conclude that the first floor was a cover for the main business.

Though the place still reeked of alcohol, food, sex… and flowers…

The people still inside were all either hiding behind tables and counters, or pressing themselves up against a wall, as if they'd be safe from me if they had a little distance.

No one dared to speak, causing the room to fall into a silence… one that was quickly broken by the sound of a woman moaning loudly.

…

Filthy incubus…

Raising a hand, I swiped it in the direction of the walls, causing them to rip off, as if a storm had pulled them away, revealing the outside.

All of those trapped in the brothel glanced at their only way out of this situation, and paired with the sound of the wood beams creaking, all of them ran for the newly made exit.

As they ran, and screamed while making their escape, I noticed that the sound of moaning had vanished, replaced by the sound of footsteps and the rhythmic tapping of a staff.

Turning to look at the staircase, I was met with purple eyes.

The disheveled man smiled upon seeing me, and quickly adjusted his unkempt robes. "Ah, Morgan," he said in a pleasant tone. "I didn't know you had the night shift [Lies]."

I did not dignify his greeting with a reply, instead focusing on the little animal relentlessly scratching his legs.

Cath Palug.

I had no idea where he found it, nor what it exactly was, but it was clear that even in this juvenile state, that it was in the highest echelon of Phantasmal Beasts.

He had had it for a while, but I could see that the familiar bond was more like a leash held by Merlin, something that it seemed to dislike very much.

"Fou! [Die Merlin!]"

Its vocal hatred for Merlin was a welcomed thing, but in its current state, it was unable to hurt him, and was more likely to hurt me.

Though it being here was a blessing, as I needed something to act as a distraction to catch him off guard.

Bending down, Merlin grabbed it by the little cap he had dressed him in, causing the little beast to flail with its paws as it glared at Merlin.

"FU! [LET GO! SMELLY INCUBUS!]" It screeched.

… Somehow it did not surprise me that Merlin was so incapable of caring for something, that even his familiar hated him.

As he was about to place the beast on his shoulder, I pointed a hand towards him, causing a spike made of shadows to lunge for him.

As it was about to make contact, Merlin tapped his staff on the wooden staircase, causing a small circle of grass to grow on the floor around him, and as the shadow entered the circle, it dissipated into flower petals.

Smiling, the infuriating mage placed the beast on his shoulder, before turning to look at me. "That wasn't very nice, Morgan," he said in a chiding tone, before giving a theatrical sigh. "Alas, I am not one to keep a woman waiting."

With that, he pulled out the sword sheathed in his staff, and dashed towards me, cracking the floorboards under his foot.

Frowning, I formed a ball of energy at the end of my fingertip, and fired it at him.

Merlin tried slashing through it, only for him to burst into petals of flowers.

I narrowed my eyes as the petals drifted to the floor, knowing full well that I had been deceived by one of Merlin's illusions.

Extending my senses outward, I probed the surrounding area for traces of his Mana. A faint signature trailed toward the city's outskirts—he was making a run for the forest.

Without wasting another moment, I melded into the shadows, the darkness embracing me as I pursued him through the winding streets.

The city's old Roman walls loomed ahead, their stone surfaces showing signs of cracks and decay.

Just as Merlin reached the gate, I emerged from the shadows before him, blocking his path.

He halted abruptly, a flicker of surprise crossing his features before he masked it with a sly grin. "You're faster than I remembered," he remarked, adjusting his grip on his staff.

Cath Palug clung to his shoulder, its sharp claws digging into his robes.

As the creature's eyes met mine, it gave a small cry. "Kyu? [Kill Merlin?]"

I wish, but I'll assume that trapping him for eternity would be a decent alternative.

"Hand over the beast," I demanded in a cold tone, while extending an arm, as if expecting him to hand it over.

Merlin chuckled softly. "Now, now, Morgan. I'm rather attached to Cath."

The beast showed his displeasure, and gave Merlin's face a slap at his statement.

Squinting my eyes at him, I lowered my arm. "I wasn't asking."

He sighed, tapping his staff lightly on the ground. A shimmering circle of light expanded around him, turning the green grass below him into a more vibrant shade of lime.

As infuriating as he was, it was downright frustrating that he could call upon Avalon in such a way. Cloaking his surroundings with it, making him close to untouchable within its confines.

 "If you insist on being hostile, I suppose I have no choice."

Without warning, he conjured a flurry of pink petal blades that soared toward me.

Raising the earth around me, it formed into a wall, which blocked all of the blades, as they broke on contact.

Focusing on the wall, it crumbled apart, only for the debris to float in air.

With the snap of my fingers, the earth compressed, and shaped itself into lances that quickly spiraled towards Merlin.

But as expected, they disintegrated upon entering Avalon, transforming into harmless petals.

Merlin took a step forward, the circle moving with him. "You can't breach my sanctuary. Why not stand down?"

I ignored his taunt, focusing instead on the magic that powered his shield.

It wasn't truly Avalon, merely an incredibly convincing illusion of it, imprinting itself onto our reality, similar to a Marble Phantasm.

Meaning that it could be breached, if not outright broken if done correctly, it was only a question on how to maneuver around it.

With a swift motion, I summoned a swarm of raven familiars that descended upon him from all directions, blocking his sight.

Falling into my own shadow, I dashed for his location.

He waved his hand, causing a burst of light to emanate from the circle, dispelling the creatures instantly.

But in that brief moment of distraction, I had slipped behind him, leaping out from his shadow, I pulled out Erosion and aimed for his back.

Sensing my approach, Merlin spun around, his eyes meeting mine. "Clever," he admitted, before bursting into petals of flowers.

Another illusion...

Frustration simmered within me.

I extended my senses further, detecting his presence scaling the wall to my left. He was attempting to escape over the city walls.

Raising a hand, I pointed it towards the section of the wall Merlin was climbing.

"Crush," I said in an icy tone, causing giant green cracks to form over the wall, before it started to crumble.

As the ground under Merlin collapsed, he gracefully leaped from the falling rubble, landing atop a nearby rooftop.

He glanced back at me, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Now now, Morgan, it should be the man chasing the woman, not the other way around. Trust me on this, I am quite the expert on the topic."

I responded by lifting my hand, causing the shadows around the building to surge upward like serpents.

They tried attacking Merlin, but each time they neared him, they were repelled by the protective aura of Avalon, turning them into petals.

Realizing the futility of my efforts, I decided on a different approach.

The wind picked up, carrying a dense fog that enveloped the surroundings. Visibility dropped to nothing, blocking out the sun and hopefully warping Merlin's perception.

"Trying to blind me?" Merlin's voice echoed, seemingly from all directions. "You forget—I thrive in obscurity."

I smirked, knowing he couldn't see it. "It's not your sight I'm targeting."

Within the fog, I manipulated the shadows to mask my presence entirely. Moving silently, I closed the distance between us.

I could hear the faint rustle of his robes, the subtle sound of Cath Palug clawing at Merlin's clothing.

Just as I was within reach, the fog abruptly lifted.

Startled, I found myself staring at multiple versions of Merlin surrounding me, each one identical down to the last detail.

"Which one am I?" they all chimed in unison.

Annoyed, I summoned a ring of dark fire that expanded outward, incinerating the illusions as it passed through them. The real Merlin revealed himself above me, hovering in the air with the aid of a levitation spell.

"Huh, that was fast," he mused.

Before I could react, he gestured toward the ground.

A giant rose bush erupted from the earth beneath me, it's thorny vines wrapping around my ankles and wrists, attempting to immobilize me. The thorns bit into my skin, but I refused to be held.

Channeling a surge of power, I shattered the vines, dark energy rippling outward and causing the ground to quake.

In the chaos, Merlin descended beyond the city walls, sprinting toward the dense forest.

Not willing to let him escape so easily, I dissolved into shadows once more, reappearing ahead of him on the forest path.

He halted, breathing lightly despite the exertion. "You're making this rather difficult," he said.

"You could make this easy, by handing it over."

He glanced at Cath Palug, then back at me. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Then you leave me no choice."

Drawing upon my connection with the isle of Britain, I began to manipulate the very forest around us.

Trees groaned as their shapes distorted, branches twisting to form a cage that encircled him. The ground beneath his feet softened, threatening to swallow him whole.

Merlin raised his staff, and a pulse of light surged outward, momentarily severing my connection with them. The trees reverted to their natural forms, and the earth solidified once more.

He took this moment to dash toward a nearby lake, and as he got closer, it started to shine, and the water turned clear.

Letting him escape immediately would make him suspicious, so I could not allow him to leave so soon.

As he reached the water's edge, I thrust my hands forward, focusing heavily on my connection to the isles. "[Dry.]" I said in the language of the Fae. 

An invisible force gripped the lake, and the waters began to recede rapidly. Within moments, the basin was dry, only leaving gaping fish to flounder on the cracked earth in its wake.

The surrounding foliage wilted, the vibrancy sucked out of the landscape as if a drought had swept through.

As the lakebed lay exposed, Merlin began to act swiftly. He lifted his staff high, and a swirl of petals materialized above him—roses, lilies, and blossoms unfamiliar even to me.

Each petal glistened with dewdrops that shimmered like tiny stars. They cascaded downward, and as they touched the parched earth, droplets coalesced into small streams, trickling toward the center of the basin.

I arched an eyebrow. "Conjuring flowers to fill a lake? Even for you, that's imaginative."

He glanced back with a cheeky grin. "Beauty and utility aren't mutually exclusive, Morgan."

Glancing at the lake, I furrowed my brows.

The dew from the flowe's was too slow in adding water to the lake, as it was only about deep enough to reach my ankle, and with the pace it was going, it would take ten minutes for him to use it.

Meaning that it would be worthless, and a waste of time for me to do anything to it, meaning that something was wrong. As Merlin never did anything that could be considered as worthless.

Activating my Fairy Eyes while focusing on the lake, I was met with the sight of it being a quarter full already.

Quickly deactivating my eyes, I gave a slight grimace at the pain, as this body was not tuned well enough to my Fairy side, and refocused on the sly incubus. 

Merlin raised his staff, causing a pink glow to emit from its tip.

Not having enough time to move around, I conjured a ball of water in front of me, just as the staff emitted a beam of energy.

As the pink beam made contact, the light refracted, causing tens of smaller beams to spread out, slicing cleanly through trees, stones and the ground.

As he released his hold on the spell, Merlin knelt down and picked up a flower from his circle of Avalon.

Raising it to his face, he gave a slight whiff, causing his expression to soften, before throwing it up into the air.

As it glided through the air, it morphed, twisted and grew, turning into the shape of a dragon made of flowers.

Glaring up at it, four shadow spikes burst out from the ground, instantly skewering it, causing it and my shadows to burst into petals.

This was getting sloppy… too sloppy for me not to notice if I was serious.

Glaring back at the mage, I loudly clicked my tongue.

"You're stalling," I noted, while reactivating my Fairy Eyes. I ignored the pain as I glanced at the lake, which was more than half full, meaning that it was more than deep enough for Merlin to use.

He smirked. "Perhaps I am."

It was time to end this.

Melding into the shadows, I disappeared from sight.

At my sudden disappearance, Merlin glanced around cautiously, staff at the ready.

Smiling, I felt the odd sensation of his fake Avalon wash over me.

It was the perfect defense, not allowing anyone in without permission, and negating any damage, however... I am recognized as a native, like Vivian.

I reappeared behind him, within his Avalon circle. Merlin felt the intrusion instantly, causing him to turn, and look at me with wide eyes.

"How—"

Before he could finish, I reached out and snatched Cath Palug from his shoulder. The creature let out a startled "Fou! [Kill Merlin?]" as I cradled it securely.

Merlin's momentary shock gave way to a resigned smile. "I seem to have miscalculated."

While I wouldn't be able to hurt him in this fake Avalon, I could still fulfill my purpose.

Using my free hand, I placed a firm palm against his chest. "Goodbye, Merlin."

A blast of wind erupted out from my palm, causing Merlin to go flying. His fake Avalon followed him, as he fell towards the lake.

The illusion around it shattered as he got close, revealing see-through water, at a similar level as before.

As Merlin fell into the water, his form vanished as his body fully submerged itself into it.

Vivian had pulled him back into Avalon.

I gazed at the tranquil lake for a moment before looking down at Cath Palug. It stared back with wide eyes, its tiny claws gripping my arm.

"Fou? [Is he dead?]"

Sighing, I placed it on the dirt, and it merely gazed up at me. "No, but I'll be imprisoning him for all eternity," I explained, causing the beast to slightly tilt his head.

"Fou? [Will it hurt?]" It asked curiously.

Shaking my head, I looked at the beast with pity. "No, but he will hate his life from now on, and hopefully be drowned in misery and regret," I explained, only for the cute beast to tilt its head the other way.

Clearly it wasn't all that smart. Cute, but dumb, very fitting for Merlin's pseudo familiar.

Seeing that it kept looking at me, I gave it a shooing motion. "You may leave, you're free," I said dryly.

The beast blinked, then its tail started to furiously wiggle, before it ran up to me, and started rubbing up on my leg.

It did so for a while, before looking up at me. "Kyu! [Thank you!]" It squeaked, before rushing off into the foliage.

Not seeing him anymore, I quickly checked over my 'body'.

My fingers were slightly bony, my skin was as pale as a corpse and I could feel that I was dangerously low on Mana.

It had held up better than I thought it would, though I'd need to improve the avatar-type homunculus soon, as the energy efficiency was clearly in need of revision.

Closing my eyes, I spread my Mana throughout my body, and stimulated it.

Before I could feel any pain, I felt my link to the body being severed after blowing it up.

Opening my eyes, I saw the flawless sky of Avalon.

Pushing myself up from the grass, I turned to look around, only to see that incubus's tower staining the far-off horizon.

Walking towards it, it only took a second for me to arrive in front of the building, as the concept of distance here was rather warped.

In front of the tower stood a shivering woman with floor-length blonde hair, giant rainbow-colored butterfly wings, wearing a one-piece snow-white dress.

Vivian…

Walking up to her, I placed my hands on her shoulder, the contact making my mind hurt, and the voices intensified.

Ignoring the pain, I gave her shoulders a soothing massage. "Be decisive, if you don't take matters into your own hands, he'll slip away into some other woman's arms," I whispered into her ear.

The fairy's consistent shivering vanished, and she straightened up. "You're right, Morgan…" she said airily.

She no longer hesitated, and moved forwards, causing my grip on her shoulders to vanish, as she reached the door of the tower.

Placing a palm on it, she gave a shaky sigh. "Garden of Avalon!" She yelled, causing hundreds of Fae runes to light up across the tower, and in the ground surrounding it.

The space around the tower seemed to shimmer, as a translucent barrier erected itself around it.

A sign grew behind Vivian, displaying the words. 'Only those free of sin may pass.'

In an instant, the door Vivian had been touching burst open, revealing Merlin, who looked shocked.

"Vivian?" Before turning to look at me. "Morgan?!" He asked in surprise.

Turning to look back at the fairy, he looked confused. "What have you done?"

Vivian stepped forwards, her hands on her chest. "We can now stay together!" She said in a dreamy tone, only for Merlin's expression to fall.

"What have you done…" he asked in a far more subdued tone, and I couldn't help myself, and took a step forward, stepping just outside the barrier.

"Nothing much, my dear Merlin," I said in a silky tone. "But I do hope married life suits you well, as here, not even death would dare keep you two apart," I said smugly, causing the incubus to pale.

Turning around, I threw a hand up as a gesture of farewell. "Do enjoy your honeymoon, as I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to enjoy it in your gilded cage," I said with amusement, before turning my head, just enough to see him.

"I shall leave the two of you to yourselves, after all, I have to check in on my little sister," I said with a smile.

I could see his expression distort, and before he could speak, I sank into my shadow, and headed for the beach.

After all, I needed to lend my darling 'son' a helping hand in 'his' little coup.

----

A/N

Welcome back, my reader Overlords, please add this to your library and give me some comments, stones and Reviews, as it would be much appreciated.

Ass-kissing done, now I can move on to more important stuff.

I am done with my exams, and only have a few assigments to hand in, and then I am done! Woop woop!

So, sorry for the delay, but I was having some conflicting schedule issues, but here the chapter is!

Now, what did you all think? Happy for Cath's release? Anything you'd like to have seen in this flashback, and if so, what is it?

Btw, I have made a Discord server for the fic, come on and chat with me!

https://discord.gg/KakqQPyb

Now I'm tired and have a cold to duke it out with, so have a nice day, and send me some stones or some shit, as I need motivation, since I am losing this battle!