I handed the mirror back to Medea, cataloguing their observations alongside my recent experience and every similar event. A preliminary conclusion was already forming in my mind.
However, something more pressing demanded my attention.
"Medea, you said the runic circle was ready?" I asked, rising to my feet. Artoria and Medusa tilted their heads back, tracking my movement.
"Yes, Master. You can use it at any time." Medea replied, a faint smile playing on her lips.
I rolled my shoulders, one after the other.
"Very well then... Dismantle it."
Her eyes widened at my command, while Artoria and Medusa flinched almost imperceptibly.
"What about your magic circuits, Master?" Artoria asked, her brow furrowing with palpable concern.
"Have you conceived of an alternative, Master?" Medea asked, her expression shifting into one of serious scrutiny.
I turned on my heel and walked away.
All three Servants rose from the grass and fell into step behind me without a word.
Artoria flanked me on the right, Medea on the left, while Medusa followed behind.
"I've changed my mind. Initially, I only intended to heal my circuits. However, if some of you intend to remain after the Grail War, I will require superior circuits to sustain multiple Servants indefinitely."
We reached the back entrance, and I pushed the door open, leading them inside.
"Could you not simply wish for it from the Grail, Master?" Artoria asked, tilting her head.
"I only believe in something created by my own hands rather than something given to me by someone or something else." I gave them my usual answer. All three nodded along without surprise.
"Then... Master, what have you devised this time?" Medea asked, eagerness creeping into her voice. With a flash of a magic circle, a notebook materialized in her hands.
I settled onto a sofa. Medea took the chair to my left, while Artoria and Medusa sat together on the opposite sofa.
"We will create a Mystic Code."
Artoria leaned forward, her heel tapping the floor with curiosity, while Medusa observed in silence, her fingers tracing the leather beneath her.
"A unique one. An external organ that functions identically to a natural magus's magic circuits." Artoria leaned in closer; Medea's pen began to scratch against paper.
"Think of magic circuits as an engine or a pacemaker. Just as a motor converts electricity into kinetic energy, a magus's circuits convert their own vitality into internal mana—Od."
I let the silence linger for a moment.
"This internal mana fuels spells once the circuits connect to a Thaumaturgical Foundation—essentially reenacting a Mystery already engraved upon the world's Texture."
I slipped a hand into my coat pocket and withdrew my phone.
"Magic circuits are the hardware." I placed it on the low table between us and tapped its casing.
"Spells are the software." With a flick of my wrist, its screen illuminated, and I began swiping through applications.
"And the Thaumaturgical Foundation? It is the underlying source code that constitutes the software—basically, the logic underneath every spell."
Artoria watched as icons flashed across the screen. After a moment, she found her voice.
"Master, are you saying... you intend to create your own magic circuits? Personally?" Her mouth parted slightly in disbelief.
The frantic scratching of Medea's pen intensified beside me as she scrambled to transcribe everything.
"No. We will create a Mystic Code that acts as pseudo-circuits. It will possess both superior quality and greater quantity than my natural ones." I looked at my scrolling hand.
Medusa glanced at Artoria before returning her gaze to me.
Medea, however, looked less convinced.
"Master, the hurdles in creating such an item are immense. With the war reaching its conclusion, is it wise to undertake such a monumental task right now?" She asked, her brow furrowed as she flipped rapidly through page after page of her notebook.
"We do it now. As it happens, we already possess everything necessary to create it. We could craft something even greater given more time, but unfortunately, time is a luxury we lack."
All three of them straightened at the firmness in my voice.
"Master, what form do you envision for this Mystic Code?" Medea inquired.
I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I held out my hand, gesturing for her notebook and pen.
She leaned forward and handed it to me. I placed the notebook on the low table and turned to a fresh page.
Pen in hand, I began to sketch a bare upper torso—my torso. Under their watchful eyes, a face, neck, arms, and chest took shape in seconds, my illustration eerily identical to my own body.
Then, with longer, deliberate strokes, I added black markings. Intricate lines wound up from my face, down my neck, and across my chest. Double black circles wrapped around my wrists and biceps. More markings followed, layering over the form until everything was complete.
Medea stared at the drawing, her hand unconsciously drifting to her chest as a faint blush dusted her cheeks. Artoria fell completely silent, though my acute hearing easily picked up the sudden acceleration of her heartbeat.
Medusa reached out, running her fingertips over the sketch, tracing the lines I had drawn. A soft, involuntary gulp escaped her as she processed the image through touch.
"Master... where did you get the idea to use tattoos or markings as a Mystic Code?" Artoria asked, clearly attempting to anchor her focus back.
"In Japanese folklore, there exists a legendary figure—a two-faced, four-armed warrior." I paused for a moment.
"The King of Curses... Ryomen Sukuna."
Three pairs of eyes snapped to me.
"In myth, he bore markings exactly like these, which he used to manipulate and control his own energy."
"...Master, so you borrowed this concept from him?" Medea deduced.
I gave a slight nod.
"Even so, Master, there are numerous obstacles to creating something of this magnitude." She began counting on her fingers.
"Materials. Reagents. Special ink. The engraving process." She paused, raising a single finger to emphasize her final point.
"And the greatest hurdle of all: how will you connect this Mystic Code to the wider Thaumaturgical Foundation?"
I looked at her, then at Artoria, who was glancing between us, and finally at Medusa, who was still studying my sketch.
"Do you think it's impossible?"
"No, Master! Not at all..." Medea waved her hand dismissively. Then, a smile graced her lips.
"As long as we are with you... nothing is impossible."
...
..
.
***
[200 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[5 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]
...
[Authors Thoughts]
I had scrapped this idea before, but then said fuck it we doing it anyway. I'll try to make it as easy as possible for even a normal person to follow in the next chapter.
Watch how Izuru uses his [Ultimate] talents alongside Medea to create something that is broken, even in Type-Moon world. It will be his first step to becoming the strongest. Till now, he has been cobbling up things from here and there, this will be his first time creating something new on his own.
I've been doing research on this for some time and have come up with a viable way for Izuru to do it without it looking like bs, we'll started this project from the next chapter.
You all can ask me about anything you don't understand from above explanations.
Anyway... Have a marvelous day, everyone!