"Strange ceiling."
This is the first sentence that the protagonist of many anime works says when they wake up after falling into a coma. Now, Shinji also said it once.
It’s not that he is obsessed with a certain sentiment or a meme, it’s simply because this is the fact.
Under the control of "Gem Man", he left the parallel world and returned to his own world line. The first thing he saw when he regained consciousness was the ceiling, a ceiling he had never seen before.
Turning his head to look around, he found everything as unfamiliar as the ceiling. Shinji was sure he had never been here before.
"Did something unexpected happen when the soul returned?"
Shinji felt a chill in his heart. This was the most likely explanation. His body was preserved in a container specially made by "Jewel Man". If he returned successfully, he should wake up in the container, and the first thing he saw should be a jelly-like gelatinous substance.
But he quickly ruled out this speculation.
He looked down—arms and legs that were several sizes smaller than the Servant's body.
Reach out and touch it—the hair has not yet fully recovered.
There was no doubt that this was indeed his own body, a body that had only grown for twelve years.
"It seems that the soul has successfully returned, but why is it here?"
Following Scathach's instruction, Shinji let the magic power spread throughout his body, awakening his body functions that had been dormant for who knows how long. He then got up from the ground, the dizziness brought on by the time travel gone.
"Could it be that the old man is doing something again?"
Shinji already had a psychological trauma. Although he gained a lot from this parallel world trip, he was also tormented a lot. He really didn't want to be tormented by the old man again.
"Are you there, old man? If you are, please reply."
No response.
"Just tell me what you want me to do. How can I know what you want to do if you don't tell me?"
Still no response.
"Old man? Mr. Gem Master? The second magician? Kaleidoscope? Gem Old Man?"
Still no response.
"Well, it seems that there will be no reply. I can only rely on myself."
After the trial in the parallel world, Shinji's mentality has become more and more mature. He is decisive after confirming the current situation, but also remembers to be cautious in unfamiliar environments.
The first thing he did was check his body.
The physical fitness of a twelve-year-old is obviously not as good as that of a Servant with the maximum settings. After getting used to that body and then switching back, there will inevitably be some discomfort, so he must adjust his state so that he can better protect himself.
The magic circuit is intact and the magic power is flowing smoothly.
The relics and cursed crystals have no abnormal reactions and can be used at any time.
All parts are normal.
It seems that the "Gem Man" did not deceive himself in this regard, and he did take good care of his body.
So, next, let’s try to get in touch with the outside world.
Cell phone - dead. Come to think of it, more than ten days have passed, even if it is on standby, it can't last that long. Although I don't know how the old man Bao Shi uses to keep his body and belongings, as long as time is not stopped, it is impossible to prevent the loss of power.
If technology doesn't work, try mystery. Separate a wisp of consciousness and follow the call of the contract engraved on the soul.
"Yustisa, Yustisa, can you hear me?"
In the past, their telepathic communication was limited by distance, but now, Shinji has entered the realm of the third magic. As long as they think of each other, they can hear each other's voices even if they are separated by the two ends of the earth.
As expected, Yustisa responded. Although her voice was a little weak, it could not hide her concern.
"Shinji!!! Great, you finally contacted me, where are you?"
"I'm not sure either. I just woke up and found myself in a completely unfamiliar place. I don't know what happened. Do you have any clues?"
"Kishua said there was a problem on his way back, and he's investigating the cause. Try to determine your location first. Once we have the approximate coordinates, we'll come pick you up."
"Okay. Please help me report to my family that I'm safe. They must be worried after being out of touch for so long."
"Well, I'll go right away, be careful."
"The same to you."
"One more thing..."
"What?"
"I haven't responded to you yet - I, Matou Shinji, like you, Yustisa Rizleich von Einzbern!"
"ah!!!"
Yusitisa seemed to have received a huge fright, and the thoughts she received became intermittent.
"Well, shouldn't you say this to someone's face?"
"I can't wait, so I'll warm up first - I'll give you a formal response when we meet."
"Well, then, I'll wait for you. You must come."
This voice was completely different from his usual one, delicate and gentle, and gave Shinji endless motivation.
"Sure. Next, let's start exploring a new map."
The young man in love stretched and looked around carefully.
The place where he was seemed to be a hall, with bluestone floors and walls, and simple and majestic pillars. It looked not like a modern building but rather like an ancient castle somewhere.
But it is too well preserved to be called an ancient castle. The floors and walls are smooth and clean, with neither the marks of time nor traces of human life. It looks like it was newly built.
"Could it be a movie studio under construction?"
Shinji muttered to himself that this was the only information he could get through his eyes. If he wanted to make further discoveries, he would have to look somewhere else.
But before that, Shinji has to make some preparations - repair Hades' cloak.
In an unfamiliar environment, it is obviously not advisable to act blatantly. With the cover of a cloak, safety will be greatly improved.
According to the previous experience, the lower the level of the Noble Phantasm, the easier it is to repair and the less magic power is consumed - the real body is not like the super body created by Yustisa, and magic power cannot be consumed wantonly. Every bit saved is a bit saved. This is why Shinji only repaired the cloak instead of repairing all the Noble Phantasms at once.
He skillfully opened the magic circuit and drew magic power, but before the magic could be fully activated, his expression suddenly changed.
"No! The conversion rate of magic power is wrong!"
It is the instinct of every qualified modern magician to draw magic power from the "Great Source" through his own magic circuits, and Shinji is no exception. Because it is drawn from the outside, it is naturally impossible to transform it perfectly. The more powerful the magician, the higher the efficiency of transformation. The more active the "Great Source", the higher the efficiency of transformation.
The reason why "Child of Fuhailin" is difficult to deal with is because of its own "other world"; it will suppress the activity of "Dayuan" and affect the continuation of magic. But here it is just the opposite, the activity of "Dayuan" is abnormally high, as soon as the magic circuit is opened, the ubiquitous life energy swept in, almost making Shinji vomit, and he was so scared that he quickly closed his magic circuit.
"... "
"... "
"... "
"Ahem, I finally recovered. I didn't expect that there would be a day when I would be supported by magic. What kind of place is this? The 'Dayuan' of the Age of Elves, no, the Age of Gods, is no more than this."