[Caster, Backyard, Ryuudouji Temple]

The end of a thousand years is approaching, and certainly humanity will lose "something". Of course this is true. It's a kaleidoscopic of possibilities to the untrained observer, but in reality, time is linear.

Humans aren't. Origins aren't. Indeed, the cycle of life is circular, reincarnate, be reborn an infinite number of times. But only the "intent" is preserved. That's right. Only the origin remains after death. The soul scatters into a thousand beautiful petals and disperses across the world. Only the origin is eternal- not the soul. In a way it's less romantic than the idea of an eternal soul, but in other ways it's more than romantic. It's an infinite cycle of life, rather than death. Even if humanities "bad ends" are numerous, certainly it will one day stumble upon perfection...-

But while life is circular and beautiful, time is not. From the highest dimension, from a branch far away from human perception, above it, it's all linear. "Fate" and "the future" already exist. Even the "Gods", even "Heroes" are subject to that. Indeed, even the observers are subject to this. But these worlds are not absolute. Nothing is eternal. Anything can be killed by "those eyes". If that's the case, they can be destroyed normally. That means fate can be changed. That means there is no absolute.

Yes. While Casters body formed, she thought. 

No, she didn't think, she read "that book" and scanned through it. Nothing is certain. It isn't like one is at a "higher level". It isn't like looking down from a birds eye view. No, Caster is an outsider. So while the information is there, "that book" makes no sense to her. In the end, it's a useless thing that's only relevant after it would've been useful. Things like that are the most despicable in Casters opinion. Yes, if one looks forward, there is only one "absolute". -The Red Moon at the end of one thousand years. A wish almost two thousand years old certainly carries a lot of weight.

Arms, legs, torso, head, and so on. The "presence" that existed in that space became an actual being, no longer merely a half formed spirit. So this is what it was like to "live" again after nearly two thousand years of imprisonment. 

The information of the Grail flowed into her. So she was in a land within the far east, huh? How disappointing but exciting at all the same time. Certainly the lands of Midgard were much larger then when she had "lived". -However, the lands didn't matter. It was the people who inhabited them. The world is a large game with an infinite number of choices and constant gambits and bets and risks. Not only between humans, of course, but between humans and luck, humans and fate, humans and nature, and humans and the world. The world, even in this day and age, still requires a struggle to live in. There's nothing wrong with such a system, of course.

-But why is there a system? Everything has become so complicated. Rather than real difficulty, there is false difficulty made by a false system. It's real, of course. But any lie is "real" if everyone believes it, right? History is fought in wars, but won by bards, historians, and books. In the end, heroes are nothing without the former and cannot exist without the later. In the end, even a villain with no good traits can become a "Heroic Spirit" if an ancient historian decides their psuedo fanfiction should be put in their historical library or something. But the struggle to live and die- from those few humans with the makings of "Greatness" that inspire and uplift humanity always become eternal. No name is forgotten in humanities quest for survival. 

However, this system is dying. "The end of one thousand years", the Moon that will kill humanity is approaching. Times change. This is natural. But extras and their producers are crying for "stagnation" to occur. In other words, while the fate of humanity certainly looks grim, the reasons for it reaching this stage, no matter the outcome, are the same. Stagnation has caused humanities lifeblood to stop. Yes. It's humanities fate to keep going further up and further in. That is the nature of life, but "Alaya" has denied the earnest wish of humanity and its mother. Humanity is at war with itself, and the result will be grim.

My, my. To the world that humanity is destroying in the game of "life", it must seem like a fair game lost. The world doesn't hate its sons and daughters, of course. It's not a sore loser in that regard- but in the first place that "game" humanity is playing with the world isn't a game.

The result, after the year AD 1353 is when things began to fray. But the march of progress led to the final result of the year 2005 AD. There is nothing inherently wrong with technology, or the AD calendar. One doesn't have to be on the front line against the demonic beasts and giants to have "value'. But there must be a game, a struggle, and a will, right?

So in the end-

"The game was set from the very beginning." Humanity has reached "stability" and it doesn't want to change anything to push forward. To stagnate is to die. To stagnate is to lose value. To stagnate is to make a play with nothing but extras, to constantly play a game you cannot lose.

Isn't it sad?

In an instant of time not even lasting a moment, Caster processed this. After all, she's a servant, and a Caster at that. The light and booming wind fades as quickly as that instant lasts. A small girl with a queen like gaze is the only thing remaining in that circle. 

Ew, bird guts. Everywhere. Ew. Ew. Ew. Her master had to be some sort of weird sadist.

"Christian girl- I presume you are my master, little Roman?" Ah, being a little girl was tough. Talking big felt awkward in this small form. Perhaps she should change her form, but her master may be into this sort of thing. Still, something wasn't right-

Her hidden right elven ear twitched. For Caster, "detection of the enemy" was a trivial affair. Right behind her was an enemy master without a servant.

Then there was no need to pay attention. Such a man was not a threat, and it would be rude to disengage a conversation with the girl who had summoned her. The boy could be talked to when that was over.

Taking in her surroundings, Caster somewhat appreciated the layout of this temple. Certainly there would be many useful things here, and it would be interesting investigating the magecraft and religion of this far eastern land first hand. In the end, having a grail flood you with knowledge wasn't the same thing as experiencing it yourself.