Fate: Beyond the Gate

14

Confirming the goal ahead of him and the new path he had to tread forward to obtain it, Shirou calmed his nerves and thought of the future while in the midst of his dreamscape. The clouds that reached only to his ankles beneath him blew softly and revealed a flurry of dancing rose petals leading to the other two Gates he could see in the distance.
N

ow knowing the meaning behind the Gates and the looming threat of the distant future, now was the time to try and ease any tension between the Gates, and the residents of the new world.
Already, friendly relations had been established with the elves, the Warrior Bunnies, and members of the Beastmen Alliance. The only matter left that he thought to consider were the people of the Empire in this world. Considering that they'd already come to blows, pulling the rug over their conflicts was going to be a rough road.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Merlin's voice echoed, the pink flower swaying in a laid back manner. "Better yet, perhaps some assistance?"
Shirou considered it. In the shared memories he'd seen from Saber, Merlin was a brilliant advisor and tactician of the Arthurian court. Often, it was his means that granted Saber the ability to lead her knights through the most perilous of situations, and was vital in the conflict against King Vortigern. To have the aid of someone as accomplished as Merlin would be more reassuring than going in blind.
"What did you have in mind?" Shirou inquired expectantly.
The flower's limp stem straightened, as if proud.
"I am the Wizard of Flowers, but I'm also a creature of dreams. This is what allows your arrival into this space, and what will enable me to be of more aid. Through a scrying spell, I should be able to provide you with a means of surveillance outside your own senses both for practical and personal...uses. Hehe."
Strange as it was, Shirou felt as if the pink flower was winking suggestively at him. For his part, it didn't click. Instead, the more Shirou thought about it, the more useful it sounded in his mind. It was impossible to be everywhere at once, and if he could know things in advance by surveilling over a large distance, he wouldn't be caught off guard.
"How do I…obtain this power?" Shirou asked in all seriousness.
"Shirou!" For a moment, the flower inexplicably turned blue, Saber's sharp voice cutting into him.
"W-What?" Shirou stammered out, as if he'd been wronged. He knit his features, pensive. "Don't you think it would be useful for reconnaissance?"
"..."
Silence.
There was no response from the blue flower.
It was abundantly clear that what Shirou was thinking was vastly different from what Merlin was insinuating.
"Hear that Arturia. You need to lighten up! Why do you always have to be so violent? Where did you learn it from, or do you think it's okay to push around your teacher all the time?" The flower turned pink again, a series of distant ramblings echoing. "Now see here, Arturia, what's a peek here and there for your special man to satisfy certain needs and accrue skills to satisfy you beyond a mere org-"
"Merlin." Saber's tone was dangerously low, the flower turning from blue to deathly black tinged with red. "You corrupt him, I kill you."
The flower shuddered, a few petals falling off before the black returned to a smilingly sunny and regal blue. "Know that you've been warned. Now hurry on with it." It almost sounded like Saber was smiling now.
Merlin obviously wasn't laughing.
"H-How do you even do that?" The pink flower shuddered before floating level with Shirou's face to adopt a lecturing tone. "Anyways, listen closely. No matter how useful my Dream Scrying can be, it's not without its limitations. First and foremost, you must be in a deep sleep, it cannot be performed while awake. The images shown and voices heard are vague unless you know what you're looking for and where. The best analogy is a screen that shows a map of the whole world. Unless you know what you're looking for, how can you narrow in on it enough to be able to see and hear? This brings us to another limitation. I can only reveal to you what you are aware of. Unless you've visited a place before, it's hard to recreate that space in your dreamworld to show the present happenings in that area, as it requires too much energy. Alas, not everyone can be me."
In short, what Merlin was basically saying was that his Dream Scrying had limitations because Shirou wasn't Merlin. It was only natural though. The method that this scrying utilized was Merlin recreating what he could perceive through his limited precognition in Shirou's dreamscape. Merlin had to build up the entire setting with the memories that comprise Shirou's dreams. Hence the reason Shirou had to have been to a specific location beforehand. All Merlin did afterwards was insert the new variables he'd seen into the setting.
"Of course this means that the events have already transpired," Merlin gave due warning. It wasn't a 'real-time' observation spell. "In your dreams, I can recreate the important events that have already occured. You may believe such a flaw is lacking, but being ignorant is worse than knowing."
Shirou paused while listening, the implication in the words setting. "It sounds like you're alluding to something?" Heinquired tentatively.
The flower's stem swayed back and forth in imitation of a nod. "See for yourself."
Pollen sprayed from the flower's center, shooting over Shirou's finger in a dispersing cloud.
In the next second, the scenery around Shirou all changed.
The clouds beneath his ankles were replaced by earthy grass and gravel, and the sky above had taken on the dim hue of the moon overhead. Further observation revealed a familiar forest, vegetation, and a massive Gate on the top of a hill.
This was the very Gate he, Reines, and Waver had arrived at in this new world.
It was here and now that Shirou realized how convenient this all was when he saw various other magi soon appear from the Gate through his inner world. Along with the magi was a hooded figure who felt vaguely familiar to him. In any case, what was important was what came after.
Shirou's eyes narrowed as Merlin continued to cast his magic.
The magi were separating.
The knowledge that these events had already happened was not a comforting one.
In the end, he could only watch on.