memoryborn | [Video]

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[Video]

--ah! I still know how to turn it on!

[ Pop goes the feed, and the face of a young girl with short black hair and blue eyes appears on the screen. There's a Skarmory also peering down at the screen with wonder and squawks at what Xion's doing with the PokeGear. ]

I, uh... [ Oh, now that she's gotten it back on, she... really didn't think about what she should say. Instead, she gives a brief wave with a shy smile before that hand goes to rub at her neck in slight embarrassment. She recovers quickly, though, after her new steely companion bumps her beak against Xion's cheek. ]

It's been a long time, it seems. At least I think it should be for here. It didn't even feel like I was gone, and yet... I remember this time.

It's good to be back.

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Well, we could ask her if they're around...

Or you could tell me about them and I'll tell you if I've seen them!

Well, I had quite a few and it might be easier to list their names.

[ Takes a breath, but here she goes! ]

I had a particularly large Garchomp named Bahamut. He was 7', but a very friendly dragon. Axel was my Typhlosion, and Bell was my Togekiss. My Gyarados' name was Lancer and I had a Hydreigon whose name was Tiamat. Blitz was my Scizor's name and I had a Metang named Meta. My Meganium's name was Cura and my Milotic was called Blizzara. Oh, I also had a Zorua named Shadow, an Umbreon named Arturia, and an Excadrill named Aubade.

Whew! I think that was all of them. Um, did you get all that?

[To her credit, Ilya listens quite intently to all of that. When Xion's finished, she leans back a bit and brings a finger to her chin to ponder this. After a moment, though, she shakes her head and gives an apologetic look.]

Hmmm... A lot of those are species that I've seen around the center, but none of the names are familiar to me, I'm sorry. But... I don't know all the names of the Pokemon here, so you should still check with Saber, to make sure! And maybe your friends here too... I know they sometimes go to them when people leave. That's how I got my Froslass.

[ Xion smiles at the fact that Illya listened to all of that. No need to be apologetic! ]

I'll be sure to do that. Still, thank you for listening. This is apparently my third time arriving here, though I don't remember the first. Have you settled in well?

Saber told me I was here once too, a long time ago, but I don't remember that. Still, it's a good world. A lot better than the one we came from, I think. Mostly it's the Pokemon that make me happy. They make such wonderful Servants.

That's... another term that's connected to that Holy Grail War Saber and Lancer were talking about, right? Another way of calling them "Heroic Spirits"?

Ahhh, so you already know about the War too? Saber must really trust you to tell you about things like that. You know there's supposed to be a rule that ordinary people aren't allowed to know about it, right?

[ Startles. ] R-Really? I'm sorry, then, I didn't mean to pry too much into--

[ Well, wait. They're not a part of Illya's and Saber's world, so why is she apologizing? Other than Xion being Xion. She tries to clear her throat. ]

Um, why is that?

[She waves it off though, clearly amused rather than angry.]

It's fine, it's fine! It's just that normal people aren't supposed to know about magic in the first place where we come from, and the Grail War... well, there are stronger magics out there, but not very many of them.

But it's not like it matters while we're here. I can't even use magic and there are a lot of other people who don't even bother to hide that they were magi or something similar in this world, so really, there's no harm. I can tell you more about it if you're really curious.

That would be nice. I used to be able to use magic before coming here, too. I kind of wish they allowed curative spells, at least.

So you were a Magus too! Or... whatever they call it where you come from. Then it's definitely fine, no one would have a problem with you knowing. They'd probably want you to join the Magus Society though. Where should I start?

There were a lot of people I knew that could use magic with a little training. It sounds like it wasn't as common with the people in your world than it is for mine. What was the Magus Society?

It's just what it sounds like! The Society that Magi made to combine their efforts and police themselves. Since normal people can't know anything about magic, it pretty much had to be made. Some call it the Magus Association, too... the names are basically interchangeable.

Although, not all Magi are part of the Society, for various reasons. I'm not, since the Einzberns are such an old family that they're kind of a law unto themselves.

What do you mean by when your family is "old family"? Are you guys special on your own, or know a special type of magic that others aren't aware of?

A little bit of both. Magic in my world becomes stronger in a family the longer the line of Magi in it, since they tend to pass their knowledge and power on to the next generation. Since the Einzbern line stretches so far back, it makes them incredibly powerful, particularly in their specialties. So much so that they don't usually need to cooperate with other Magi, and since they don't need to, they usually don't. Most Magi are like that where I come from.

That's really incredible. I can see why it has to be kept in such secrecy. Though Saber and Lancer only told me about their sides as Heroic Spirits, it's really interesting to hear the side of the people who... summon them, I think.

Summon is the right word, yes. Of course, we wouldn't be able to pull it off if not for the Grail.

... Well, that's not quite true. I summoned Berserker over a month before the Grail appeared. But I'm a bit of a special case, and it was extremely painful to keep him in the world, besides.

What? Why was it painful for you?

Well, magic goes against the laws of the world. That's pretty much the definition of it where I come from. So when you use it, the world fights back. Usually that just means you have to put in the effort to overcome the world trying to enforce its laws, but if you're doing something really, really big, the world fights so hard to stop it that it's nearly impossible to pull it off.

I'm very powerful magically, easily the strongest Master in my war in terms of sheer magic capacity, but calling a Heroic Spirit strained even me to the breaking point without the Grail to make it easier. The only reason I did it was because... well, I had to.

[ Xion goes quiet for a significant while. Her eyes stray to the side as she thinks about this. Magic is something the world rejects because magic goes against its own laws.

She lets out a sigh that seems too heavy, but turns back to Illya. ] Why did you have to?

[Well, it was quite a bit to take in. Ilya's not too surprised that she might need to consider it for a bit. As the silence drags on, she starts wondering just how different her own version of magic is from Xion's.

Before she can ask, though, her thoughts are interrupted by that sigh, and Xion's question. She ponders a bit over which reason to give her.]

Because I summoned Berserker. They're much harder to control than your average servant, so I had to have extra time to make sure our bond was unshakeable.

[That's a very, very tiny part of the whole truth, but Ilya sees no reason to tell Xion about the sort of things her family tended to do to her in the name of "training".]

A Berserker... [ The term reminds her of the Nobodies that Saix had control over. Their use of a hammer was fierce and their movements unpredictable despite their large frame. Almost perfect for Saix, really.

She lets out a huff, knowing she shouldn't linger on thoughts of that man for long and tries to put on a blank face once more. ]

He was a hero in your world's history, right?

[It's pretty hard to miss Xion's reaction to the name, though once again Ilya has no idea what caused it. For all she knows, Xion could just have a problem with the idea of a person who goes into that sort of battle rage. She'd hardly be the only one.]

That's right. The strongest hero of ancient Greece, Hercules. Though I guess you've never heard of Greece.

Not Greece, but, I've heard of Hercules.

[ She rubs the side of her head for a moment. Static images flicker in her head, but she has memories of Hercules from Sora's POV. Her head aches a little in her attempt and the fact that her mind is still going through the processes of recalling her previous stay in Johto, but she sees it. Granted, she only knows the Disney version of him... ]

He was... a really strong man, right?

[Well, that certainly throws her for a loop.]

Wait, really? How can you know one without the other?

... I mean, unless it was a different Hercules. But you're right. He was the world's strongest man. So strong that men and monster alike were no challenge to him. So having him beside me as Berserker was pretty comforting.