Multiversal: The Shop

-Flashback-

About half an hour before entering the shop.

On the Reverse Side of the world, in a certain imaginary number space, lies a prison, not just any prison, but a place where the primordial mother Tiamat was banished for all eternity.

Once in a while, in this dark, isolated place, Tiamat would cry herself out of grief, pain, and betrayal.

Her last moment with her children keeps repeating in her mind.

Why would they do this to her?

Why did they betray their mother?

Was it because she did not love them enough?

Or maybe some of them felt neglected?

No! It can’t be true! She never neglected any of them! She loved them all equally!

Yet why? Why would they kill her?

She had asked this question countless times, yet she could never find the answer.

Tiamat cried, which sounded more like a monster’s roar in the ears of her ‘neighbors’, not that they cared about her, nor could she see or interact with them.

Her prison was special; it prevented her from truly getting out; she heard no one, saw no one other than herself.

An utterly isolated space, a punishment so cruel to this mother who seeks nothing but company, to be with her children.

While she continued her cries, she was in her true form, thinking that this would forever go on, like an endless repeat for eternity.

A miracle appeared, what was supposed to be an eternity of isolation until her destined death.

In a place where light never reached, a bright thing appeared at the very corner of her prison.

At this point, she knew every inch of this godforsaken place, so it was no surprise that Tiamat immediately noticed this anomaly.

An anomaly she had never witnessed after her banishment into this place, which made her cries completely halt.

For other than grief, misery and pain. There was almost no emotion she felt.

But at this very moment, she expressed shock!

Confusion?

Bewilderment!

And most importantly, hope!

In the single moment this anomaly appeared, the primordial mother, who had only expressed her pain, was now simultaneously expressing emotions other than pain and grief!

A change that had never happened since the beginning of her banishment.

Her massive eyes stared directly at the bright light inside this dark prison; it was filled with childish curiosity.

Unlike her scary appearance, her innocence was truly an unexpected contrast.

Realizing that the light was smaller than her form, she immediately shrank in size, which she had never done after being imprisoned.

Compared to her original height, this form was too small when compared side by side, but it was the last thing on Tiamat’s mind.

Unlike her true form, which looks like something out of a dark horror fantasy.

Her current form was pleasingly beautiful to the eyes, if only one would ignore her large horns, scales across four limbs and those unnatural star-like pupils.

She could pass as an extremely attractive lady, which fits the aesthetic of every other human race; it doesn’t matter who, as long as they take one look, they would never think of her as anything but beautiful.

Unless, of course, a certain country from the west political agenda thinks her beauty is ugly because a group of minorities says so.

Upon a closer look, she realized that this was a door, a bright colored door.

(A/N: I know damn well back in those days, doors didn’t exist; please ignore this detail, it’s merely for convenience.)

Because it’s completely new to her, she didn’t immediately open the door; instead, she circled around it, looking at it with great interest.

Considering the scenario has always been the same for thousands of years, anything new was simply a feast to the eyes.

When you’re sufficiently bored, anything could be interesting.

And after filling her curiosity, she finally decided to check what was inside this door.

Tiamat cared not for what was behind the door; whether it was a trap or not, it wouldn’t matter because the concept of ‘death’ is foreign to her.

She is a true immortal being; whether it was in lifespan or physical injury, she is completely immune.

Whatever was waiting behind that door couldn’t possibly be worse than this forsaken place.

And so once she entered, what she noticed wasn’t the things around, which were basically all new to someone who has been in isolation.

But rather, her eyes were looking directly at those children at the front; she could feel it.

They were her children!

All of them!

Just like that, her priority shifted; all she could think of was being with them, although she knew that they weren’t her original children.

But it remains true that they were her blood; they all originated from her.

And that was all that mattered to her.

They were her precious children.

Although there’s something odd about her male offspring, it was a minor inconvenience; it won’t stop her from taking care of him.

Like she did to her children.

‘They won’t betray her again, right?’

‘She won’t fail them again.’

She had a quite pleasant conversation with the male offspring; he didn’t fear or shun her.

And that makes her happy, this time surely.

I will always be with them, forever.

—

As I expected, Tiamat has no intention of going back to her prison, which was quite understandable; if it were me, I would come back either.

So she devoted her attention to us, her supposed children.

While I was calm dealing with Tiamat, as I know her nature very well, the other two weren’t as accepting or at ease with her.

Especially when they realized who she is, to Morgan she is a primordial being, an extremely dangerous entity that needed to be guarded at any time.

To Emiya, Tiamat is a threat to the entire human civilization; he knows her thanks to his former job as a counter guardian.

Although what he knows is merely secondhand information, he knows how dangerous Tiamat is.

One of the evils of humanity, Beast II.

The Beast of Regression.

That’s why every time she gets closer to him, he would instinctively twitch, despite her harmless appearance.

She was truly incomprehensible, inhuman.

He could feel it in his bones, even though her authority was suppressed; it’s still dangerous.

An absolute dominance over humanity.

He knows that she’s relatively tame because her abilities are suppressed, which is why they tolerated her, and he never tried to attack her.

But if she gets out of here?

That would be the end of the world, while his boss also represents that kind of danger; however, it would be the result of humanity’s general stupidity and something indirect.

But with Tiamat?

Everything she represents is anti-human; her very existence is wrong and dangerous to everyone else.

Her authority doesn’t discriminate.

Once it gets you, it will get you.

No one can stop it.

That’s why he wanted her to remain in this place as long as possible, ideally forever, because this establishment served as a prison for her.

So he will watch her, so that he won’t stray from her sight.

I was looking at Emiya’s tense reaction toward Tiamat; I could guess a thing or two based on what I could see.

But his fear won’t happen; if I did let Tiamat out, it would mean she wouldn’t be a danger to anyone else.

I’m not stupid enough to release a beast into the real world for no reason.

Still…

Despite receiving equal affection from Tiamat, I think she might be a bit clingy toward me.

Like she’s paying special attention because something caught her eye about me.

I’m not delusional enough to think that it’s because of my charm; Tiamat is incapable of feeling attraction, especially to her supposed children.

It would always remain maternal affection.

The reason why she’s paying more attention to me is probably because of my nature as an aeon.

She probably finds the imaginary energy alien, because it’s something that doesn’t exist back on Earth.

Tiamat wanted to check on me to see if this source of alien energy is harmful, and only when she thinks I’m completely safe would she let go and give me space.

Personally, I don’t mind being cared for like this, because my biological mother and I aren’t close at all.

I won’t admit it verbally, but I do like the attention.

With that, the shop made an additional tenant.

—

A/N: Emiya can’t take a break even after his retirement from being a counter guardian!