Chapter 100 : Being nothing

Alessandro had just heard Friedrich claim to be nothing, it was a very strange statement especially from a magus who had to fight the Holy Grail War of Yggdrasil. Friedrich had said those words with such honesty as to make the blood run cold.
« What do you mean? » Alessandro asked, worried.
«Well, since I was a child I have had the feeling that I'm just an intruder in this life. Parents who forget my birthday or sometimes my name, friends who forget my face and my brother who could hardly accept me as a family member. These are things that have left a mark on my soul. I met a girl, not long ago, who said that all this has already happened, that this world is nothing more than an imperfect repetition of a previous one that has been destroyed. Perhaps she know the answer to this doubt that has been plaguing me since I came into the world. »
A destroyed world that repeats itself. Alessandro shivered when he heard those words. He remembered the nightmares he had recently begun to have, nightmares so real that they didn't seem to be the fruit of the imagination, perhaps the girl who spoke with Friedrich could have helped him to understand the origin of those strange dreams.
« Friedrich ... I need your help. »
« Why? »
« I need to talk to that girl you met, I want to know some very important things about the dreams I've been having for some time, dreams so detailed that they seem real. I'm sure I've already lived some moments that I dream of but I don't know where and I don't know when ... and I don't know if in this world or in another. I want to meet that girl. »
« And what about the Coven? Will they be okay with this choice of yours? »
« They won't know anything. This is a personal matter. »
« You still have to get the Grail for them. »
« I know perfectly well, I will find a way to do that too. Treat this as a request for a truce. I need your help, Friedrich. »
« Do you just want to meet that girl? Doesn't it seem silly to pursue such a goal during a war? »
« I know. But I also know that for now our goals seem to coincide. We both want to meet that girl, why not help each other? »
« All right. »
Friedrich and Alessandro shook hands in alliance. The battle was over. The two Masters returned to their respective Servants and told her to stop fighting, both were alive and well, luckily. With the alliance of the two Masters the Holy Grail War of Yggdrasil radically changed its course and the fate of all the Masters involved.

Friedrich Wolff and Alessandro Serpi by Bikowolf