At dawn, the residents of Fuyuki City woke from their long night's sleep, their bodies exhausted as a jumble of thoughts flooded their minds.
Gymnasium... gluttony contest... cats... Holy Grail... magecraft... Heroic Spirits...
It was as though they had experienced an extraordinary adventure, a memory both illusory and real quietly taking root and sprouting amid their bizarre old dreams.
Everything seemed so incompatible with reality, yet somehow also perfectly natural.
But before long, the people who woke one after another shook off the hazy thoughts in their minds and got up to work, attend school, handle housework, or simply relax in leisure.
For most ordinary people, no matter how the world changed, everyone's lives would eventually remain the same.
A small stone cast upon the water raised a few ripples before sinking back into silence.
It seemed that nothing had changed.
Meanwhile, within the Tohsaka residence.
Samael woke leisurely, rose from his bed, and stood before the window, gazing out over the city. A meaningful curve formed at the corner of his lips.
When everyone believed a lie, the lie became the truth.
When everyone blurred the boundary between a dream and reality, the dream became reality.
"Eeya..."
Just as the ancient serpent stood by the window in thought, the half-open door behind him was gently pushed open. Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had unusually changed into a loose, casual kimono, leaned half his body through the doorway. Even his usually stern face carried a trace of warmth.
"You're awake? How did you sleep last night?"
"Pretty well."
"Then, shall we have some tea together?"
"Sure."
Samael nodded with a smile, then followed his Master downstairs and into the tea room in the courtyard.
Since the Tohsaka family had been in cahoots with the Holy Church a century ago and had some