Unknownfate
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Chapter 1
🕑 Added 2025-03-28 23:54:57 +0000 UTCUpon death, a great white void greeted me—an expanse of pure nothingness… or perhaps everything all at once.
It was honestly impossible to judge.
Did I even still have eyes? A body? I couldn’t check. I couldn’t move, yet I still felt like I were drifting. Not stationary, but gently shifting, carried by an unseen current.
I had no idea how long I was there, forever? Or but a single instant?
Whatever happened here, it was beyond human understanding, Yet, thankfully, I wasn’t trapped here for the rest of time; something came to me.
A light.
Strangely, instead of illuminating, it brought darkness. The white void was slowly consumed, replaced by blackness, not of the void, but the black of the night sky, shimmering with countless stars.
And the light itself—it streaked across the sky like a shooting star, rushing toward me. I couldn't move, couldn't evade it, but I felt no fear. Instead, I felt anticipation. No, more than that. It felt right—like this moment had been destined, like I had been waiting for it my entire existence.
Almost as if that light, that star hurling towards me was the answer to my prayers, the answer to every wish I ever had and didn’t have.
It grew brighter, filling my vision completely, until at last, it reached me. A blinding explosion of light—and suddenly, I understood.
Knowledge, wisdom, and something even deeper, something pure and untouched, flooded into me all at once. It was overwhelming, terrifying, exhilarating. And in that singular moment, I was reborn.
…
I had always wondered about the afterlife.
I mean who hadn’t?
There were as many theories as there were people, as many hopes as there were fears. Countless stories had been told, written, imagined.
A common theme in them was someone dying, and then meeting a god, who for one reason or another would grant them wishes and reincarnation.
But it just seemed stupid to me… why would a god do that? And why meet with you? Why ask for what you wished? Surely a god would know the answer, right?
I didn’t know what I would ask for, so many different things… so it just didn’t seem worth asking me when a god should know what would be the best wish to grant me.
Even now, I didn’t know what was happening. Well, I knew, but I was struggling to understand.
I was reborn, and a being of great power had indeed granted me my wish… without asking me, was that because it was the way things were done… or merely because the god had known I would have preferred it like this?
I was all so terribly confusing… much like the wish itself.
Reborn in a new world, with great power, check.
Reborn as a woman? Well, honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was a woman or not in my last life… but stories seemed to always have been about men.
Still… why this woman? Why these powers?
More importantly, how much was me, and how much was her?
For with her power and looks came her knowledge, memories, personality—all of it, and so much more—all mixed with me, making something new, something better? I sure hoped so.
Finally, I opened my eyes, and I saw the world anew, and it was… strange, beautiful, but also… strange; my eyes saw so much; everything was laid bare before my gaze… all the good and all the bad.
“So… this is what it feels like to be a god?” I whispered, hearing my own voice for the first time.
It was smooth, strong, and regal. A voice that could simultaneously melt the hearts of men and demand respect or even worship.
I inhaled deeply and immediately grimaced. The air was tainted. It was a different kind of foul than I remembered, but the pollution was impossible to miss; the air felt wrong, filthy.
No sooner had I thought that before the smell disappeared, my helm, part of my divine armor, filtering it out for me.
Still, I did not wish to shield myself from the truth.
I reached up and removed my helm, letting my golden hair cascade down my back. The sun kissed my face, warm and welcoming, and despite everything, I found myself smiling.
Had anyone been watching, they would have seen a breathtaking sight—a woman standing alone in the first light of dawn. A goddess in gleaming silver armor, a flowing fur-lined cloak draped over her shoulders, a regal blue surcoat trailing behind her.
They would have witnessed the rare sight of the Lion King, the Goddess Rhongmniad smiling.[picture here]
For that was who I was now. Arthuria Pendragon, Britain’s once and future king.
…
Not just any old King Arthur, but the Fate universe one, the very female one, and the aged-up goddess version at that.
Which explained why I had quite a bit of weight on my chest.
Beyond the fullness of my chest, I felt myself brimming with power; I felt so different from a normal human, that honestly, I felt removed from them.
Which wasn’t too strange.
I had played Fate Grand Order, and I knew that the Goddess Rhongmniad had lost the ability to see things from a human perspective. Heck, even Saber herself had failed.
I had failed to understand the human heart, leading my knights to turn against me, against her.
I understood that now.
I flexed my hands, moved my body and shifted my weight. Although my armor was heavy, restricting my movement, I knew I could swing my arms fast enough to break the sound barrier and strike with enough force to shatter stone.
It was no wonder Arthuria had distanced herself from mortals. With this power, one mistake could end lives.
After flexing my body, I turned to my mind.
The memories of my past, Arthuria’s past, were there, and faintly I could feel she had felt the same.
“So, I guess this is my new life…”
I didn’t know why I was here or why I had become her. What was the purpose of all this?
With a sigh, I reached out, my hand steady but heart nervous… and with a thought, a whisper, and the sacred blade for which I was famous appeared before me.
“Excalibur.”
The weight was perfect, and the golden glow felt like home. The moment my fingers wrapped around the hilt, all doubt vanished.
With this sword, I could overcome anything.
Finally, after calming my heart and mind, I looked around to truly appreciate my surroundings for the first time.
It seemed like I found myself in one of the most famous places in the world, because surrounding me this very moment was a ring of massive stones.
“The most magical place in the land… or so they say.”
Yet, I felt no great magic here. Not like the lake, not like Camelot. Still, I knew this place had been important.
“Merlin did something here, didn’t he? Or did he say something about it?” I honestly couldn’t remember. I had been so busy back then, and so much had been going on.
“Now… I can’t stay here.” I knew that a knight standing in here would draw attention. I didn’t have long, either. People from the entire world would soon come to see these stones.
“Honestly, a waste of time.” I was tempted to give them something truly worthy of looking at, but better not.
I was all of Arthuria, the kind yet naive Saber, the even more kind Saber Lily. I was the dark Saber Alter, the Lion King, and the Ruler, who enjoyed a summer of fun. The Rider who had a bike…
And the rider who also dressed in a maid outfit.
The king of the beach who wielded a water gun version of Excalibur.
I was kind, evil, ruler, king, and goddess, all mixed together with a normal human.
A normal human heart.
All their treasures, all their skills, their memories, everything in one big package: a new, better, and greater king of knights.
I exhaled sharply, rolling my shoulders. “Alright. North.”
And so I walked, leaving the sacred site behind, my thoughts a whirlwind.
I might know where I was, but not when I was; for all I knew, I could be in the year 3000, or the fourth Holy Grail war could happen at this very moment.
I didn’t know, yet I didn’t feel the need to know.
I was a Goddess, a king returned home, the once and future king, and clearly, being summoned at this moment meant that I was needed, that my kingdom needed me.
Walking across the open fields, the sun shining, my armor gleaming, I suddenly turned around, yep… Stonehenge was right there. I might be a super powerful goddess, but if I walked, I did so at the same speed as everyone else.
“Dun Stallion!” I called, sending the Sword of Promised Victory back into the depths of my soul. Instead, I reached for my steed.
With a shimmering glow, he materialized before me—a magnificent white stallion clad in war armor that matched my own. His black eyes met my emerald ones, intelligence gleaming within them.
With a smile, I jumped up; as easily as a leaf, I left the ground and landed on his back with a soft thud. I could move as easily as if I wore no weight at all, even with this armor.
“Let’s go, my friend. We ride north!”
With a mighty neigh, Dun Stallion surged forward, his hooves barely seeming to touch the ground as the scenery blurred past us.
He was no ordinary horse; he was mine—the steed of King Arthur. Though I had known other mounts, he was special. A horse worthy to bear a goddess.
He was no divine or phantasmal beast, he was but a horse, yet a mighty horse from the twilight of the age of gods, so compared to horses today, he might as well be a magic horse.
…
The feeling of riding a horse came to me naturally, like I had done it countless times before, and I had, as Arthuria at least.
Not to mention, I did have Riding A, the ability to ride on any mount or machine; I could sit myself inside the most advanced jet in the world and master it instantly.
Soon, the wild plains gave way to signs of civilization. The modern world came into focus, with distant buildings and roads that cut across the land. I noted the lack of futuristic elements—no flying cars, no towering holograms—so I reasoned I was in the period of the Holy Grail Wars.
Upon reaching a road, I started following it, still aiming to go North, but even Dun Stallion would get tired if he had to jump over buildings the entire way, so the road was just easier.
It was still early in the morning, and the roads were small dirt ones, so there weren’t many people about. Even still, I soon enough found another person. A car, likely someone going to work, came into sight up ahead.
“Go, catch up to them.” I urged Dun Stallion, and he sped up, moving far faster than any horse had any right to. And soon enough, I caught up to the car, running alongside it.
“Hail citizen,” I spoke, my voice loud and clear, easily catching the attention of the lone driver.
The poor man nearly drove off the road in shock, hearing the voice of an armored knight running beside him.
I would feel bad about it if it wasn’t his own fault for not paying attention to the road. A single look in his mirror would have alerted him before I got close.
In my time, people paid more attention to their surroundings.
It likely didn’t help that I wore my helm once again, the Lion King outfit was as majestic as it was intimidating.
The man rolled down his window, his hands trembling slightly. “C-Can I help you?”
I nodded. “Tell me—what year is it?”
His brows furrowed. He must have thought me mad, and given my attire, I couldn't blame him. An armored knight asking for the year? It was absurd.
“… It’s 2008. Are you alright?”
2008.
I let the number settle in my mind. The Third Holy Grail War had happened in 1944. The Fourth in 1994. The Fifth in 2004… just four years prior.
Why now?
I slowed Dun Stallion, allowing the car to pass ahead as I contemplated. Never answering the diver’s question.
My summoning had to mean something. The Once and Future King did not simply return without cause. Britain needed me.
But for what?
The Apocrypha War had passed. The normal grail wars passed. That left only two possibilities.
“… Strange Fake.” I muttered. The False Grail War.
That was a troubling thought. Many powerful and dangerous servants were around at that time, the king of heroes most of all.
Or worse… Grand Order.
I shivered slightly at the thought. That would be another matter entirely.
I had wanted to get to my home, to Camelot, but clearly, I needed to learn which of the two it was.
“Dun Stallion, we ride for Londinium. To the Clock Tower!”
With a new sense of purpose, I shifted course, heading toward the heart of magecraft in the modern era. But even with all my power, I was no omniscient goddess. The landscape had changed greatly since my reign.
I got lost almost immediately.
Still, I pressed on. Soon, I found a larger road—one bustling with vehicles. But there was a problem.
A knight in full armor, riding a mighty warhorse, galloping down the highway? That was far too conspicuous.
“Slow down boy.” I brought Dun Stallion to a standstill at the side of the road and dismounted.
“I’m afraid I have to go on alone, once we move North again, I will find a path for you.” With a smile, I patted him, and he neighed at me as he, too, turned into motes of light, returning to a spiritual state.
“Alright, Bike it is.” I was Arthuria, including Rider, so I had all her skills and objects bound to her, including her weapons and gear, but I didn’t need her maid uniform. Instead, I just brought out her bike.
Keeping my armor, I jumped on the black bike; it felt just as natural as horse riding. And damn, what a fucking bike.
This was… exhilarating.
I didn’t think I had been a fan of motorcycles before, but Rider Arthuria certainly had been. And now, so was I.
With a twist of the accelerator, I merged with the traffic. My enhanced vision allowed me to scan the road ahead, spotting signs long before they came into view.
I wasn’t entirely certain of the route, but I knew Londinium’s general direction. And so, I rode.
…
Still, clearly a knight in shining armor and a black bike drew attention, and since this bike didn’t have plates, that quickly included attention from local law enforcement.
So, with a sigh, I could only pull over and stop once the binks came up behind me.
“Sorry, sir. I have to ask you to take your helm off… I have a few questions for you.” The cop, a young man said, slight confusion in his voice.
Yet, I could also tell he was impressed, both with my armor, the bike, and my aura itself. I was the King of Knights, and standing in my presence wasn’t easy. I demanded respect, and people gave it freely.
Reaching up, I lifted my helm, allowing my golden hair to fall freely, the sun glinting off the crown resting atop my head. A perk of magic—perfect hair, even after wearing a helmet.
The officer blinked. Clearly, he had not expected that.
“There’s no need to worry, good sir, because there’s no problem here.” I said, my voice infused with my Charisma B.
“For I am the king of these lands, and there’s no road or path I can’t tread upon, for all of England belongs to me.” My speech left him utterly speechless.
Yet, Charisma B, combined with my divine nature, wasn’t merely for show. He simply nodded his head in silence. “Alright… I suppose.”
“To Londinium then!” I exclaimed, placing my helm back on and resuming my journey.
I had no idea what the cop did after that. But whatever it was, it kept people away from me, allowing me to drive the rest of the way without being stopped, even if the curious eyes didn’t disappear.
Londinium itself was a nightmare. With so many cars and a multitude of streets and roads, it was worse than a maze. I was half tempted to just wield my Holy Lance and clear a straight path forward.
I had to stop and ask for directions numerous times, more than I cared to count, but finally, I reached the British Museum. I knew there was a path leading to the Clock Tower here, at least in the Grand Order world.
That was all I knew, but still, if it existed, I was sure to attract some attention soon, even if I didn’t feel any bounded fields around.
Returning the bike to my soul space, I walked up to the front, standing still while letting my dragon core unleash its might. A wind picked up around me, and my cloak billowed behind me.
The amount of divine mana I unleashed was enough to draw attention; any half-baked magus in the city should be sensing it.
And so, I stood there.
Waiting.
