As my body dissolved into golden particles, I felt the weight of the world slip away from me—like a heavy cloak shrugged off after a long journey.
The desert of swords…
The echoing clash of steel…
The wrathful roar of Heracles…
All of it vanished—swallowed by silence.
And then…
There was nothing.
No wind.
No pain.
No warmth.
Just stillness.
An empty, quiet void where even thought began to drift like dust.
Yet amid that void, I felt it—a gentle pull. Not violent, not sudden.
It was soft… like a current beneath deep waters.
Not something that dragged me, but something that invited me forward.
And then—
I opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw… was a star.
No, not just one.
Thousands.
Millions.
Countless stars scattered across the endless blackness—above, below, all around me.
Some shimmered brightly like diamonds in the sky, while others flickered softly, distant but warm. The sky was not the sky I knew. It was space itself—wide and boundless. And yet, it did not feel cold.
The ground beneath my feet… was starlight.
Soft, radiant, and shifting like a reflection on the surface of still water. It glowed with the light of dreams long passed.
I looked around.
This wasn't the Throne of Heroes I remembered.
The last time I was called there, I remembered a chamber—vast and hollow. A room with one throne, where souls waited in stillness. A hall where names echoed like legends and silence reigned like a king.
But this… this place was different.
It was more alive.
More… surreal.
It felt like a dream that remembered it was once real.
And the strangest part of all?
I had a body.
Not just a vague sense of self or a formless soul, but a full, complete body—solid and tangible.
I lifted my hands, saw the faint glow of stardust trailing from my fingertips. My clothes fluttered gently in a wind that didn't exist.
"When I first came to the Throne of Heroes… I didn't have this."
Back then, I had been a whisper—an echo, a memory of a warrior waiting to be summoned.
But now… I stood here as me.
Whole. Awake. Present.
"Why?" I murmured to the stars. "Why do I still have form?"
Was this truly the Throne of Heroes? Or was it something… beyond?
There were no other voices.
No other presences.
Just me… and the stars.
And yet, in the silence between starlight, I felt it—
A pulse.
A rhythm.
Like the memory of a heartbeat long forgotten, echoing deep within my soul.
Something… or someone… was waiting.
Then, like a whisper carried on the windless void, a voice emerged behind me.
–Welcome back
Soft. Gentle.
Almost maternal… but layered with something deeper.
Something far older.
I turned.
Standing behind me was a girl.
No… not just any girl.
Her appearance mirrored mine—a reflection made manifest.
Short, raven-black hair gently swayed, despite the stillness.
Golden-yellow eyes gleamed like twin suns, piercing yet calm.
She wore a flowing white dress, simple yet impossibly pristine, as if untouched by the world.
At first glance, she looked exactly like me.
But I knew—instinctively, undeniably—that she was not me.
Not truly.
She was something else entirely.
Her smile was subtle, serene, with the faintest touch of amusement curling her lips—as though she'd been watching me for some time, enjoying the moment I'd finally turned to face her.
"…Alaya," I said quietly.
The word Alaya still lingered on my tongue like stardust—mysterious and heavy with meaning.
She watched me in silence, her golden eyes glowing faintly in the star-filled void. That strange, knowing smile never left her lips.
And yet I couldn't stop myself. The questions poured out.
"Why are you here? Why do you use my appearance? And… where is this place, really?"
For a heartbeat, the silence returned—calm, expansive, eternal.
Then, she spoke.
Her voice was soft, calm, and weightless, as if it drifted through the stars themselves.
–This place is the Throne of Heroes. But not just any throne. This is yours.
–A realm shaped by the accumulation of your will, your experiences, your potential. Unlike the common Throne, this one is... personalized. It's rare. Exceptionally rare.
Her words left me stunned. My Throne of Heroes…? How? Why?
–You've deviated, she continued, walking a slow circle around me.
–The moment you started imitating other Servants, you stepped onto a path no one else could follow. A path not of one identity, but many. And yet, you remained whole.
I glanced around.
The stars above shimmered faintly, and I noticed—reflections of swords, shadows of different Servants, flickering in and out of sight like echoes of lives I had borrowed. It all made sense.
"But… why do you look like me?" I asked, more cautious now. "Why appear this way?"
Alaya gave a soft laugh. It wasn't mocking—more like… affectionate amusement.
–I took the form most familiar to you. The one you've anchored yourself to. Your own self, unmasked by borrowed names.
–It is also a courtesy. So that you do not feel like you're speaking to some distant, unknowable force.
She stopped in front of me, her hands clasped behind her back.
–As for why I'm here…
She paused, her expression growing more serious.
–I came to make you an offer.
Her voice was as calm as ever, but in that moment, it felt like the entire universe stood still.
My breath caught.
"...An offer?"
–Indeed, she nodded slowly, the stars behind her shimmering as though responding to her will.
–Your actions have created possibilities that were not accounted for. You've impressed the Root, challenged fate, and refused to become merely another pawn of history.
–You've survived battles you shouldn't have, defied roles forced upon you, and walked paths meant for others… yet remained yourself.
She stepped closer, and the light around her grew warmer, but somehow heavier.
–So I offer you a place among the Counter Guardians.
–In exchange… I shall grant one wish of yours. Any wish. Be it glory, memory, salvation, or even a second chance.
Her golden eyes stared deep into mine—so deep I felt like she was peering into the depths of my soul.
But the moment those words left her mouth, I clenched my fists.
"...No."
Her eyes narrowed slightly—surprised, but not offended. As if my defiance was expected… even welcomed.
"I don't want to become your pawn," I said, more firmly this time, grounding myself. "I've fought too hard to find myself—to carve a path that's truly mine. I won't give that up just to become a tool for someone else's will."
The silence that followed was vast.
The stars seemed to dim.
Time itself held its breath.
Then, slowly… Alaya smiled.
–Oh… is that so?
She turned slightly, as if pacing across the void of space. Her footsteps left ripples in the stars beneath her feet.
–Then allow me to… rephrase the offer.
She raised a hand, and reality shimmered. Images—memories—flashed around us. Scenes from the singularities I had passed through. The people I'd met. The battles I'd endured. The choices I'd made.
–You've completed two singularities under our agreement. Just one more remains.
–But… what if we make it four?
I tensed, narrowing my eyes.
"Four?"
–Yes, she nodded with a soft glint in her gaze.
–What's one more step, when you've already come so far? One more journey… and I shall uphold my side of the promise.
–You will still be free. No contracts of guardianship. No shackles to the Counter Force. Only an extension—a chance.
"...And what exactly do I get for going along with this?" I asked cautiously.
She turned to me again, her expression serene, yet powerful.
–As I said… I will grant you one wish.
–Anything your heart desires.
–The past, undone. The future, rewritten. A soul restored. A truth revealed. Life, death, memory, form… Even that which lies beyond the reach of man.
She stepped closer, and this time her presence pressed against me like the weight of a thousand fates.
–This is not coercion. It is choice.
–You may walk away now, and fade.
–Or… you may continue. One last time.
–And perhaps... find the answer you've always sought.
I remained silent, my heart pounding.
Was it truly that simple?
Or was this just another trick of Alaya?
But still... something within me stirred. Not doubt. Not fear.
Curiosity.
And the faintest spark… of hope.
"But before that," I said, my voice low but steady, "can I ask you something?"
Alaya tilted her head slightly, her golden eyes never leaving mine. The stars around us flickered, as if leaning in to listen.
"Why?" I asked. "Why go this far for me? Why offer this much—freedom, a wish, an extension of our contract? You're Alaya… the collective unconscious of mankind. You're supposed to be impartial, logical. So why show me… favor?"
For a moment, she simply gazed at me. Then, softly—almost like a whisper drifting through time—she answered.
–Why…?
–Perhaps it's because I like you.
My eyes narrowed.
–Not in the way humans mean it, she added with a faint smirk.
–But there's something about you. You're unpredictable. You don't always make the most efficient decisions. You follow your heart, even when logic demands otherwise.
She paused, then turned her gaze to the infinite stars beyond us.
–And yet… you succeed. Again and again. Not because of overwhelming power, or divine right. But because you choose. Because you try.
–That kind of will… is rare. And in all honesty? It's refreshing.
She turned back to me, her eyes no longer distant, but focused—piercing.
–With your existence, I've found myself worrying less.
–The singularities continue to emerge, threats to humanity spiral beyond control—but then there's you. A single anomaly. A human who shouldn't be able to stand against such odds… and yet does.
–Your mere presence has shifted the balance. Given me—us—breathing room. And for the first time in… perhaps ever, I feel as though I can watch rather than intervene.
She stepped closer, and her expression softened.
–That's why I'm giving you this offer.
–Because you've earned it.
–Because I trust you'll use it well.
A pause.
–And… maybe, just maybe, because I want to see where your path will lead next.
Her words hung in the air like stardust, suspended between thought and eternity.
And in that moment… the choice felt heavier than ever.
But it also felt real.
Alive.
Like destiny wasn't something written for me anymore—but something I could write myself.
The silence stretched long after her words faded.
They echoed in my chest—soft, profound, and terrifyingly honest.
I looked at my own hands. Faint traces of golden particles still flickered at the edges of my form, like dying embers.
A part of me wanted to reject her again. To turn away, just to prove I still could.
But another part—the part that remembered the faces of those I fought beside, the lives I swore to protect—knew better.
This wasn't surrender.
It was a path forward.
"...Alright," I said quietly, then raised my voice with resolve. "I'll take your offer. I'll accept the fourth singularity."
Alaya's expression didn't change much—just the faintest upturn of her lips, like the slow curl of dawn.
–I expected as much.
–You always did have a knack for taking the harder road.
I gave a small, dry laugh. "Yeah… I guess I did."
–Then it's settled.
–The Fourth Singularity will begin when the third is over. You'll know when it's time to act. Until then… rest. Dream. Let your soul be whole.
She stepped back, and for a moment, the stars behind her seemed to ripple.
But just before her form began to fade into the light, she looked at me one last time.
–And one more thing...
–When the time comes to make your wish…
–Make sure it's something only you could ask for.
I blinked. "What does that mean—?"
But by the time I finished the sentence, she was gone.
No swirl of magic. No sound. Just… absence.
I was alone again.
And yet… not empty.
I could still feel it—that promise of another story yet to be written.
The stars shimmered above me.
This all was strange and yet…
I was smiled.
I don't know why, but I can't help but looking forward to the next journey.
***
Author's Note:
Okay, so… I'm honestly not entirely sure if I captured Alaya's personality correctly. I tried to give her that calm, mysterious, and slightly playful vibe—like she knows far more than she lets on, but isn't in a rush to explain everything. If she came off a bit different than usual, well… I guess that's my personal take on her.
Also, I decided to change the concept of the Throne of Heroes for this scene. I wanted something that felt more personal, more symbolic. The vast starry space represents something deeper—the countless stars are a reflection of the heroes she's imitated, the legends she's walked alongside, even if only in borrowed form. It's her throne, shaped by her journey.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think.