Fate/Eclipsed Stars (Project Moon/Fate Grand Order)

The plains of France stretched endlessly around them, the once-lush fields now cloaked in an eerie silence. The wind carried the faint scent of smoke, mingled with an oppressive stillness that made every step feel heavier than the last. Above, the broken sky cast an unsettling glow, the ring of light looming as a constant reminder of the unnatural events they were about to face.

Ritsuka walked at the front of the group, his steps uneven as he took in the eerie tranquility of the landscape. Mash kept close to him, her shield on her back, and Fou perched on her shoulder, occasionally letting out a curious "Fou, fou." Angela followed a few paces behind, her cold, calculating gaze sweeping the horizon, her book clutched in her hands. Medusa and Cu Chulainn flanked the group, their weapons ready, while Der Freischütz moved in silent strides, her eyes scanning for any signs of danger.

Bringing up the rear was Hong Lu, his carefree demeanor contrasting with the group's solemn mood. He whistled softly as he walked, his hands tucked into his coat pockets. "The fields here are so peaceful. A shame about that thing in the sky, though," he remarked, glancing at the glowing ring of light above them.

"Peaceful?" Cu scoffed, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon. "That's one way to describe a battlefield waiting to happen."

Ritsuka glanced over his shoulder. "Hong Lu, do you ever take anything seriously?"

"Oh, I do!" Hong Lu replied cheerfully, gesturing to the landscape. "But isn't it important to enjoy the calm before the storm? No sense worrying until there's something to worry about."

"It's too quiet," Cu Chulainn muttered. His spear rested casually on his shoulder, but his sharp gaze betrayed his unease. "I don't like it."

"Better than it being too loud," Medusa said softly, her voice measured. She glanced around cautiously, her blindfolded eyes hiding her thoughts.

Ritsuka glanced over his shoulder at the others. "I thought France during the Hundred Years' War would be… different. More people, more activity."

Hong Lu tilted his head, his usual cheerful demeanor slightly subdued. "Well, it's not every day you see a ring of light in the sky. That might have scared them off—or worse."

Angela's cold voice cut through. "The timeline here is broken. Whatever you expected no longer applies. Adjust your expectations."

Ritsuka winced but nodded, realizing Angela's bluntness came from experience. "Right. Still… it feels wrong."

"Welcome to fixing singularities," Cu said with a wry grin. "It's not supposed to feel right. That's how you know you're in the thick of it."

Fou let out a sharp bark. "Fou! Kyu!"

Mash patted the small creature's head. "It's okay, Fou. We'll figure this out."

As they continued walking, the scent of smoke grew stronger. Angela stopped, narrowing her eyes toward the horizon. "Do you smell that?"

Ritsuka sniffed the air, his face tightening. "Yeah. Something's burning."

Mash frowned. "Should we check it out? There might be survivors."

"Always the optimist," Medusa said softly, her tone unreadable.

Ritsuka's gaze remained fixed ahead. "We move forward. Quickly."

---

The air was tense as the group entered the remnants of the smoldering village, the acrid stench of charred wood and flesh hanging heavy. The once-thriving hamlet was now a wasteland, buildings reduced to skeletal frames, and the ground scorched black.

Ritsuka swallowed hard as he glanced around, his grip on Mash's arm tightening. "This place… it's horrifying."

Mash nodded solemnly, her shield held at the ready. "It seems like there's no sign of life left here, Senpai. Whatever did this… it's monstrous."

Hong Lu chuckled as he adjusted his coat, walking behind Angela. "This place reminds me of some bad jobs I've taken. Burned-out villages, desperate people… all that's missing because of some Bloodfiends."

Der Freischütz frowned slightly while smoking from her pipe. "This isn't the work of Bloodfiends, but it reeks of death all the same. Be ready for anything."

"Looks like it's been razed," Cu muttered, his grip tightening on his spear. "And not by anything natural."

Angela's sharp gaze swept over the destruction. "The devastation is methodical," she noted coldly, crouching to inspect a set of deep gouges in the ground. "These marks—something large passed through here. And it wasn't just fire; look at these claws."

Hong Lu whistled softly, his tone almost too casual. "Reminds me of a syndicate purge back home. Only this one's a lot messier."

Ritsuka turned to him, startled. "That… doesn't sound like something to joke about."

"It's not a joke," Hong Lu replied with a shrug. "Just an observation." His gaze swept over the ruins, his usual grin slipping. "Still, it's a shame. Whatever did this wasn't subtle."

Angela moved past them, her boots crunching against the blackened ground. She knelt beside a charred skeleton, her gloved hand hovering over the remains. "Burned completely. Whatever caused this was precise. Too precise for an accident."

Mash took a cautious step forward. "Do you think it was an attack?"

Medusa knelt beside another skeleton, her fingers brushing a scorched piece of fabric. "It's possible. The pattern of destruction is too focused. Whoever—or whatever—did this wanted nothing left."

Ritsuka glanced around desperately. "There has to be someone left. Survivors, maybe."

Angela stood, brushing ash from her gloves. "Unlikely. The heat of the fire consumed everything. There's nothing here but ash and bone."

Medusa remained silent, her blindfold-covered eyes turning toward the distant hills. "We're not alone." Her voice was low, but it carried an unmistakable edge.

Before anyone could respond, a scream pierced the air—a cry of raw terror and pain that echoed through the empty streets.

"Someone's alive!" Ritsuka shouted, breaking into a sprint toward the sound. Mash was right behind him, her shield glinting in the faint sunlight filtering through the smoke.

The group broke into a run, weaving through the charred remains of the village. The scream grew louder, desperate and terrified, cutting through the oppressive silence like a knife.

They rounded a corner and froze.

An injured French soldier lay sprawled on the ground, his armor scorched and his leg twisted at an unnatural angle. Blood seeped from a gash on his side as he swung a broken sword wildly, his wide eyes filled with terror and took almost all his willpower not to faint.

Above him, shadowy shapes circled in the sky.

"What the…?" Cu muttered, his grip tightening on his spear.

The creatures descended into view, their leathery wings flapping noisily. Glowing eyes pierced through the haze as the creatures snarled, their sharp claws gleaming in the dim light.

"Are those… dragons?" Ritsuka asked, his voice low and tense.

"They're too small to be dragons, maybe a wyvern" Cu corrected, his gaze narrowing. "But they're not natural."

Ritsuka stepped back, his heart pounding. "What are they?"

Mash stepped forward, her shield raised protectively. "We have to help him!"

Medusa's chains slithered into her hands like living serpents. "They haven't noticed us yet. We should act quickly."

"Hold on," Ritsuka interjected, his eyes darting between the wyverns and the soldier. "We don't know how strong they are. Angela, do you think—"

Before he could finish, one of the wyverns snapped its head toward them, its glowing eyes locking onto the group. With a screech that rattled their bones, it launched into the air, its wings propelling it toward them with terrifying speed.

"Guess that answers that!" Cu shouted, stepping in front of Ritsuka. "Stay back, kid!"

The wyvern descended with a deafening roar, its claws outstretched to rend flesh. Cu lunged forward, his spear flashing as it met the beast's talons midair. The impact sent a shockwave through the ground, and Cu grinned. "You're fast, but not fast enough!"

Angela opened her book with a flick of her wrist, the skeletal club of One Sin and Hundred Good Deeds materializing in her hands. Without hesitation, she stepped forward, swinging the thorned weapon upward. The wyvern recoiled as the spiked head grazed its side, leaving a trail of black ichor.

Mash moved to cover the injured soldier, her shield raised high as another wyvern swooped low. "Stay behind me!" she ordered, planting her feet firmly.

The wyvern's claws raked against her shield, sparks flying as the impact drove her back a step. Gritting her teeth, Mash held her ground, forcing the creature to retreat momentarily.

Hong Lu, standing off to the side, watched the chaos with a bemused expression. "Looks like I'll have to work after all," he muttered, pulling his hammer from its sling. "Let's see if these things bleed."

He charged at the second wyvern, his hammer smashing into its side with a sickening crunch. The creature roared in pain, its tail whipping around to strike him, but Hong Lu ducked under the blow with a dancer's grace.

Der Freischütz remained at the rear, her gun still slung across her back. She watched the battlefield intently, her expression unreadable. "Wasteful," she muttered, gripping her weapon by the barrel and stepping forward. With a sudden burst of speed, she swung the heavy gun like a club, smashing it into the wyvern attacking Mash.

The creature screeched, staggering under the force of the blow. "Fight smarter, not harder," she said coolly, stepping back and smoking from her pipe.

"Angela, can you slow it down?" Ritsuka shouted, dodging a stray tail swipe as he moved closer to the injured soldier.

Angela didn't respond immediately, her focus on the third wyvern circling overhead. "Perhaps," she said finally, raising her club. The skeletal head of the weapon glowed faintly as she swung it in a wide arc, sending a wave of shimmering light toward the creature.

The light struck the wyvern mid-flight, its wings faltering as it crashed to the ground. Angela advanced, her movements precise and unhurried as she swung her club down onto its exposed neck. The creature thrashed violently, but Angela's strikes were relentless, each one leaving deep, glowing wounds.

Mash, meanwhile, had managed to push the second wyvern back, her shield now dented and scorched. "Senpai the soldier, he's still alive!"

"I'll get him!" Ritsuka shouted, darting toward the unconscious man.

Medusa's chains wrapped around the third wyvern's legs, dragging it down as it tried to take flight again. "You're not going anywhere," she hissed, her strength forcing the creature to the ground.

Cu leapt over her, his spear driving into the wyvern's chest with a sickening crunch. "One down," he said, pulling his weapon free. "Let's finish the rest!"

As the battle raged, the group's coordination began to show. Angela and Cu took on the wyverns head-on, their relentless attacks keeping the beasts off-balance. Medusa's chains ensnared their wings, preventing them from escaping, while Mash shielded Ritsuka and the soldier from harm.

Hong Lu's hammer struck true with every swing, each blow a calculated strike to the wyverns' weaker points. "These things aren't so tough," he said with a grin, dodging another tail swipe.

Der Freischütz, though restrained in her attacks, moved with lethal precision. Her gun-turned-club smashed into the wyverns with bone-crushing force, her calm demeanor contrasting with the chaos around her.

Finally, as the last wyvern fell, Angela stepped forward, her club dripping with ichor. She looked down at the injured soldier, her expression unreadable. "He's alive but barely."

Ritsuka frowning while checking the man condition said. "Alright everyone, we rest and wait for the soldier to wake up. Then we can question him".

----

A/N: Hey everyone, just a quick announcement. After posting two more chapters, I'll be taking a week-long break, or maybe a bit shorter, depending on my family. If you don't know, Chinese New Year is coming up, so my family and I will be visiting many of our relatives and collecting red envelopes (lots of money coming my way!). If my family doesn't take too many detours, I'll be able to get back to writing sooner. I promise there will be an extra chapter as compensation.

Thanks for waiting and feel free to let me know what you think of how the stories are going and where it should go. I'm always eager to hear from you. Leave a powerstone or a comment to support me ;)

Our goal is 100 Powerstones if reach I promise you an extra chapter and a fan request servant summon from project moon I will randomly choose ;)