001 - What Makes it Hard to Go Home ?

After that conversation, Rei immediately changed the basement from just a wide, white open area without much in it to layouts with multiple bedrooms so the others could sleep here.

"Saber, follow me. There is something we need to do," he said to Saber before walking away.

"What are you planning this time?" Rin immediately asked, her face clearly showing that she knew he wanted to do something absurd.

"Nothing much, there is something we should do before the grand finale," he said with a smirk.

"...." Rin could only deadpan at his expression.

Every time he was left alone, something bad definitely happened...

"Just be careful, Rei. Also, there's something Nee-chan wants to say to you, so don't disappear for too long," Sakura said with a smile while pulling Rin.

"Hah?? I'm still not agreeing with that??" Rin's scream could be heard as she was dragged away.

After saying goodnight to Illya, both Rei and Saber walked away to another room.

"Is there something you want me to do?" Saber immediately asked with curiosity.

It was pretty rare for both of them to be alone together because every time they met, it was either for training or just hanging out and there is always Shirou, Bazett, or even the two Tohsaka sisters with them during that.

He didn't say anything and just stared at her body.

Saber Alter stood before him, her pale skin glowing faintly in the dim light, her golden eyes sharp yet serene. Her black dress clung elegantly to her slender frame, and her pale blonde hair shimmered faintly with every subtle movement.

She was basically the same as Saber Alter from the visual novel, except her weapon.

She still carried his Excalibur at her waist because she couldn't make it disappear like her own Excalibur Morgan.

"Seeing you like this makes me can't believe you're the same person who got mad when I made fun of the Holy Grail," he finally said with a chuckle.

"Please stop reminding me of that…" Saber said with a sigh, but her face was slightly red from embarrassment.

She remembered those times—her foolish wish to obtain the Grail so another could pull Calibur from the stone.

Only to discover the Grail was corrupted, and any wish made would end with the entire town consumed in burning mud.

And then… the nightmares. Seeing countless timelines filled with her failures, every misstep, every regret piling on top of each other.

Sometimes, she really wished she could punch her past self.

"You know, Saber…" Rei's sudden voice broke the silence.

"Since I started traveling through dimensions, you're the only person who asked to fight me at my full power. I mean, you still died in the end, but still."

"Only Djeeta's mother ever made me go all out in a training. Even then, sometimes it wasn't enough, so Djeeta and I usually had to fight her together."

"Djeeta's… mother?" Saber asked, her golden eyes narrowing slightly at the unfamiliar name. "Is Djeeta one of your companions from your world?"

"She's more like one of my fiancées—and wife, technically. We didn't have a ceremony yet because our other friends are still pretty busy," Rei said with a casual shrug.

"Wife, huh…" Saber murmured, her expression thoughtful.

Love and romance weren't things she truly understood. Her entire life had been dedicated to becoming a king—to ruling and protecting her people.

The only faint glimpse she had of love was through the memories of her alternate selves from other timelines. Specifically, during that one moment when Rei showed her his book filled with countless possibilities.

But those feelings weren't her own—they belonged to other versions of herself.

"Well, you'll understand it sooner or later. For now, we should focus on what we're supposed to do," Rei said, his tone shifting back to seriousness.

Saber tilted her head slightly, her pale blonde hair catching the faint light as she looked at him with confusion, waiting for him to continue.

"But before that," Rei suddenly added, walking toward the door of the room and opening it without hesitation.

Standing just outside was Echidna, her long blonde hair flowing elegantly. She was clad in a luxurious, opulent dress with a corset-like design, accentuating her regal presence. Her red eyes met Rei's as she froze in place, clearly caught eavesdropping.

"What are you doing?" Rei asked flatly, his tone sharp with suspicion.

"I'm doing my job," Echidna replied without hesitation.

"We're not doing anything that endangers the world, so you don't need to eavesdrop like that."

Of course, Echidna didn't believe him. From her experience, every time Rei claimed he wasn't doing anything suspicious, it was always the opposite.

Her sharp gaze shifted toward Saber, searching for any hints, but Saber simply tilted her head in confusion, clearly unaware of Rei's intentions.

After a brief silence, Echidna spoke again. "This time, I'm doing my job properly, so I'll follow you."

"Your job properly? Didn't you always complain about how much you hate this job and just want to go back to sleep?" Rei said, raising an eyebrow.

"...I'm just bored of sitting around," Echidna admitted with a sigh, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

Truthfully, nothing about this town—or even this world—interested her. Her role as an Archetype was to protect the Earth, and Gaia had awakened her specifically to keep an eye on Rei.

But so far, Rei hadn't done anything that truly threatened the world. Even when he caused problems, he always managed to fix them before they spiraled out of control.

Alaya's Servants had also chosen to remain passive, simply watching Rei without interfering.

If nothing serious happened—and if the other Archetype sleeping deep within the forest remained undisturbed—Echidna could finally return to her slumber.

"Well, get inside then," Rei said, stepping aside. "If you're bored, you can just ask me about it."

With Echidna now joining them, the trio stood together in the quiet room.

"Do you know what happened to your real body, Saber?" Rei began.

"My real body?"

"Yes, your real body. Right now, your body is just a vessel of a Servant while your real body is frozen in time along with the world in the past."

"The reason I didn't make you my Servant is because your body can't handle my Mana, and your Saint Graph would explode from being overloaded," Rei explained to her.

"And I can't change your body yet because, technically, you're still alive in the past. If I let your real body remain frozen with the world, a paradox will happen, and this timeline will be erased."

Saber's eyes widened after hearing his explanation, especially at the mention of erasing the timeline.

"Impossible… Isn't that too extreme?" she asked curiously.

"No, that will happen. Don't you remember the one I showed you with my book before?" he answered.

Of course, Saber remembered. She had been trapped in that nightmare for hundreds, even thousands of years, trying to find a way to save her kingdom and her people.

And all of it ended in failure. Her kingdom was destined to be destroyed so the Age of Magic could finally end.

"Until your contract with the world is completed, your body will remain frozen in time along with the world. So we need to fix that first," he added.

"I see… It's because of my wish," Saber murmured, recalling her contract with the world.

The contract that stated Artoria Pendragon must obtain the Holy Grail to complete the agreement, leading her to participate in the Holy Grail Wars repeatedly.

"Are you serious?? Because of your wish, this timeline could be erased? I mean, I know I said this world is boring for me, but that doesn't mean I want it to be erased," Echidna said after hearing all of it.

"This timeline won't be erased. Calm down, Echidna," Rei said, noticing her irritation.

"It better not," she replied with a shrug.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm going to fix it so the paradox doesn't happen. We'll go back to the past at the moment of your death, Saber," he said to both of them.

"...What?? You can go back to the past?" Saber said, looking truly surprised.

"I can go to the past or the future, but so far, there hasn't been anything important enough for me to use that ability."

"Well, whatever. Let's go. Before the final battle tomorrow, before we take the Greater Grail, we should make you alive again, Saber," he said while turning around.

"Wait, what's your plan for going back to the past?" Echidna asked, grabbing his right arm.

"We're just going to trick the world into believing you're dead, Saber," Rei said with a smile.

After that, Rei raised his left arm, using his power to open a gateway in front of him.

Cracks started appearing in the air in front of them, growing wider and wider until they finally shattered.

"Let's go," Rei said before walking inside, with Echidna still holding onto his right arm.

Saber remained silent, clearly surprised by just how much ability Rei possessed.

"What kind of place is the Sky Realm…" she muttered before following the two of them through the gateway.