Agent Coulson POV
The hum of the mobile command center wasn't soothing.
Despite keeping myself calm, I wasn't unaffected by the pools of blood or the corpses that were quite literally ripped apart that littered the warehouse.
Three channels buzzed in my ear. Medical chatter on one. Logistics on another. The last was someone throwing up while trying to log body counts. I made a mental note to request further training regimes for dealing with certain…hazardous scenes.
"Tell Parker to stop cataloging organs without a bio-seal," I said, just loud enough to cut through the noise.
I glanced at the video feeds from outside that had been temporarily set up. Wilhelm and the two now named—Salem and Thorum—were sitting calmly not far away, opting to leave the building and let us deal with it.
The nearest analyst blanched and relayed the order without question.
My tablet vibrated again. Another forensics update. Entry twelve—no intact torso. Entry thirteen—incinerated. Entry fourteen—missing everything below the ribs.
I didn't blink. Just tapped the screen and kept walking.
I mulled over the advice given by Wilhelm and confirmed by the woman, Salem, before pressing on my earpiece. "Cease bagging and identification of hazardous materials. We're going scorched earth after we retrieve everything of value."
"Copy that. Do you want us to abandon what we've already bagged and tagged?"
"No need to waste the effort, but triple secure it—level four contaminates." I informed them.
"Roger." The voice echoed back in my ear.
An agent—a young one too. Was it his first field mission? Unfortunate, but at least we'll know if he's cut out for the job. He came running over as I left the mobile command vehicle.
"Sir," he started, then hesitated. "I—" He paused, looking like he was going to be sick.
"Deep breaths, agent." I gently pat his back.
The others didn't mock him; frankly, all of us were like him when we started. He got thrown right into the deep end.
"Gather yourself, and report." I said.
I didn't want to be mean, but this wasn't the worst thing he was going to experience in this line of work. Though, this certainly made the top ten of most…gruesome.
"Upstairs, they're calling for you; it's…bad." He was forced out.
I nodded, not commenting on his lack of professionalism. We would have a proper debrief and review when things were over and he had the chance to calm down.
Thankfully, we didn't have to go through the main floor of the warehouse; the side door led up to the second story.
"Sir," one of my agents muttered, "how is there that much blood? Some of those bodies look like they exploded."
"Ask our guests," I said casually.
There was already someone standing at the door, guarding it. He saluted and opened it up for us as we climbed.
The smell hit immediately—cleaner than the massacre floor. Some of the smell seeped up from below, but the…smell of medical supplies was clear. Almost like a hospital in a sense.
Rows of machines, lots of tubes, and a few dozen infants.
Ah, this must be what Wilhelm told me about.
Infants, hooked up to IVs, monitors, and devices I didn't recognize. My eyes trailed up to where the machines connected.
I turned to the field medic already on-site. Her face was tight behind the mask, but her voice was steady.
"Talk to me."
"They're alive," she said, "but only in the clinical sense. Minimal brain activity. Severe hypoxia. They've been bled repeatedly, possibly since birth. Machines are compensating for basic functions—heart, lungs, etc. If we disconnect, their bodies won't even have the strength to operate."
I nodded once. "Can they recover?"
She hesitated. "No sir, for all intents and purposes, they're already deceased, simply forced to keep living to act as…." She didn't finish.
"Blood bags." I finished for her, keeping my expression from frowning.
Behind me, someone whispered a curse under their breath.
Unprofessional, but no one scolded him.
"I assume this device is hooked up to the sprinkler system?" I asked.
"Yes, sir." She nodded. "It was specially modified to…distribute the blood through the systems down below."
Suddenly, it felt like a tonal shift for my men. They probably had certain thoughts about Wilhelm and his company after seeing what happened below, but I'd bet money that their opinions changed significantly now.
Shield isn't in the job of routing everything non-human, but when rabid animals appear, putting them down shouldn't elicit any remorse.
"Sir," a voice called from across the lab. One of the techs that was working on one of the computers called out to me. "We pulled video from the internal feed. Cleaned up interference."
I joined him at the terminal, and the others gathered around.
He played the footage.
The sound came first. Screaming. Then crunching—organic and wet. The feed stabilized in time to catch Wilhelm stepping through the front like he owned the place. I made a mental note to add a mention of theatrics to his file.
Different than the start. Stark just likes being the center of attention; it looks like Wilhelm just wanted to twist the proverbial knife a bit deeper.
Then came the woman, Salem.
Right from the shadows. Could she teleport? Could she walk through any shadows? I would have to be careful about what I added to my reports before talking to the director.
It wasn't a fight. Seeing the smug and arrogant looks of those vampires change was rather cathartic.
Salem seems to be able to either create or summon the monsters at will. Were they stored, or was there something making them within the shadows?
It's unfortunate that I had no knowledge of magic and couldn't make a credible deduction.
It was very messy.
The combat ability of her…monsters, what about what one would expect if given a simple look? Claws and fangs tearing apart the vampires with relative ease. Though, when the big one appeared, I didn't quite know what to think. It vaguely looked like a mimicry of someone riding a horse, but its arms could stretch, and its size was worth noting.
They continued to rip and tear their way through the group of several hundred vampires. I could hear some of my men squirm, but none of them said a word in protest to her actions.
How terrifying.
"Make copies and send them up the chain." I spoke, breaking the silence.
I would normally ask Fury if he wanted something like this being available in the files, but sometimes it's also good to have certain deterrents for the ones involved.
Don't want anyone getting ideas that it may be a good idea to try and force either side by kidnapping the other.
That has happened a handful of times and has always blown up spectacularly.
"On it, sir." My agent inserted the equipment into the computer and started to copy everything over.
I nodded and looked back at the infant. "We're going to have to unplug them. Make it as gentle as possible."
My field medic nodded solemnly. "Do we bury them?"
I let out a sigh. "We need to see if we can find any living relatives first. Make sure they're…presentable, if possible."
It was all we could do. Sometimes, it's not about saving the day but mitigating how bad the day actually is. Maybe there's a mother somewhere that can find some peace or move on after they know their missing child isn't coming home.
"Sir." My youngest agent spoke up. "Permission to help burn the place down."
I looked at him and the other agents that seemed to share the same thoughts. "Permission granted. Scorched Earth, gentlemen." I reminded them, and they nodded. "And salt it when you're done for good measure."
Vampires.
I can't even say this is the strangest thing I've dealt with this year. But who would have thought I'd be dealing with vampires of all things when I first signed on?
I walked out, going to find Wilhelm.
I made another mental note to escalate the danger level of these vampires.
They hadn't left yet, good. I found them in the same spot before.
"Mr. Schweinorg, Miss Salem." I greeted them. "Where is your last friend?"
"Thorum had to go home, so I gave him a lift." Wilhelm replied.
By that, he means he used his magical portal.
Very well.
"Miss Salem, have you given consideration to our offer?" I asked her, the scene of her using her monsters to tear apart vampires was still…vivid. Terrifying, but effective. "I assure you that we would do our best to meet any requests you have."
A magical talant was…needed, frankly.
I would have asked Wilhelm, but he seemed not the type to be tied down. Salem, however, looked more…mature? Perhaps willing to assist, someone who takes things slower and more methodically.
For some reason, she looked at me rather strangely, like she was trying to guess if I was real or not.
Maybe she didn't have positive interactions with people considering her 'looks'? It was odd, but not the oddest I've seen. Considering we've dealt with literal aliens before, it's a minor oddity at most.
I'll need to make sure there's a note in her file not to draw attention to that fact, however.
I watched as Wilhelm wrapped his arms around her. "And what duties does this 'consulting' job entail? And what are the benefits?"
I raised an eyebrow because they were closer than I thought. Not that I particularly cared, but I could have sworn he was romantically involved with Miss Arc.
Though, I was thankful he chimed in. It was clear he was playing the middleman here, as Salem looked completely confused by my offer.
"Just simply consulting. I thought if you would lend help every now and then, it would be greatly appreciated. We have started sorting some things in our vaults that may be of a magical nature. If you could provide insights, that would help greatly as well. Not to mention, we have a lot of unknown items, even some texts or books that gave off a previously unknown energy signature that we simply cataloged and locked up."
Salem's interest looked piqued. "Unknown magical texts, you say?"
"I can't confirm it for sure; frankly, we have no idea, but there's a good possibility." I said honestly.
She looked interested.
That's good; it means we may have something valuable to her. I doubted money meant anything, considering Wilhelm here almost caused a financial crisis with the amount of gold he threw around.
And I'll certainly need to talk to him about the incidents with Wakanda, considering we now know he was somehow involved.
Fury is still over there with the Helicarrier trying to figure out what the heck is going on. Finding out that Wakanda is apparently a very advanced society was…an eye-opener.
Just when you think the world is getting small, it manages to surprise you.
Seeing as I managed to get her attention, I continued. "Of course, being our lead consultant would put you in the position to inspect everything with first priority." I smiled.
I couldn't just outright say I would give her everything that blipped on our radar from the magical side of things.
She crossed her arms, frowning slightly. "I'm beholden to no one. I refuse to followany orders."
Ah, one of those types. Well, with how terrifying she is and the power she presumably has, I could understand where she was coming from.
"No orders, only requests." I assured her. "You would not be a subordinate nor employee; you would be a consultant that can leave whenever you want."
"What do you think?" Wilhelm looked at her, asking.
"I'm…curious." She replied to him.
Wilhelm looked surprised. "Hypothetically speaking, she would need proper credentials, identification, and all that. You won't find her in any systems."
"You don't have to worry; I already suspected as much." I wasn't even sure she was human, but we are rather desperate. Enough that we aren't going to ask too many questions.
"What do you think?" Salem asked him.
"I think, if it interests you, I fully support it. I would love to see you get out more. Your biggest hobby is playing around with magic, learning or creating new things; it's not a bad opportunity." Wilhelm replied. "And Jeanne is around; you know how I worry about her. Knowing you're here would help. But that's my own selfish motivation."
"Hmph. Talking about other women to my face." She scoffed. "Very well, considering this one is a friend you claim, I will offer my 'consultation.' However, if it becomes tiring or annoying, I will cease assistance."
I suppose that's the best I could get.
"If you're interested, I was on my way back to the New York headquarters. In fact, we had several interviews scheduled with supposed magical users. If you would be inclined, you could evaluate them." I offered.
However, I am not confident.
Fortune tellers, stage magicians—we put out any feelers we could, and I doubt we reeled in any big fish.
At the very least, we would have someone competent to pick out anyone worthwhile.
I hope she says yes.
As soon as I'm done dealing with that group, I can go through my mandatory medical checkup, and then I'm off to vacation.
"You don't say?" She smiled slightly.
Or perhaps I have made a terrible mistake.
Who knows?
[Line Break]
Wilhelm POV
We were in a helicopter.
I don't think I've ever flown on a helicopter before!
How neat.
I want one.
Damn, should have had Thorum stick around for a bit longer; he would have loved this too! But he already came over abruptly to hang out; he needed to go back for his own things. I'll head over to Skyrim soon to check in on what's going on there and help him with anything he needs help with.
I'm surprised that Salem agreed to this.
Though the offer of first pick of anything magical that comes in through their doors was no doubt extremely enticing to her. Her…well, her only real hobby was magic in a broad sense. Learning magic, experimenting with magic, and investigating magic. Hell, she'd probably be interested in magical creatures just by association.
A world I hadn't even fully explored magically, I could see the desire even if she kept herself neutral.
She wasn't like Jinn, who had to methodically catalogue and learn every little bit before moving on. Salem was…oddly whimsical in her methods; she just wanted to find things, explore them a bit, and basically just be led by her own interests.
But it made me happy to see her branching out!
Happy to see her interacting with other people, living her life.
Salem being happy makes me happy.
Coulson just sat across from us with a polite smile the entire time.
He already knew about me, but now he was sitting across from one of two people responsible for ripping apart hundreds of vampires, literally creating a river of blood and body parts. And yet, he didn't even bat an eye.
"I'm curious about something, Son of Coul." I said, repeating how both Thor and Thorum referred to him. "Are you not put off by what happened back at the warehouse?"
"I've seen worse." He said simply.
"Really?"
"My job is not all sunshine and rainbows, Mr. Schweinorg." He said simply. "And I won't lose any sleep considering what they had been up to."
Ah, he must have seen the infants.
"Was everything settled?"
"My agents should be getting ready to burn it down as you instructed."
I nodded.
The helicopter began its descent, and for a moment, I pressed my face to the window like an eager child.
Below us, the SHIELD headquarters, I assumed. Though it was rather…sterile in appearance, if that made sense. Like a cross between a nondescript building and someone trying hard to hide a military compound.
Just from this view, I could see a lot of people running around.
A few agents were already waiting in neat rows near the far end of the pad, dressed in black tactical gear, weapons ready but not drawn. I assume it's just standard protocol for this sort of thing.
As we touched down, the wind from the rotors whipped against the rooftop. Coats flared. Papers tried to escape. No one flinched. Very professional.
I turned to Salem. Her hair fluttered around her face like it was reaching for something. Her expression was unreadable—curious, maybe? Or mildly annoyed by the noise. She looked elegant in the chaos, like a queen disembarking into enemy territory with full confidence in her ability to level the place.
Coulson calmly unbuckled and adjusted his suit like this was just Tuesday.
The hatch opened, and the scent of New York hit me—concrete, smog, and damp air with a hint of pretzel cart. Somehow both nostalgic and insulting.
"Welcome to our New York HQ," Coulson said over the noise, voice flat.
"Charming," I said, stepping out into the crosswind.
I, of course, offered her a hand that she happily took as I helped her step off.
Salem looked around, her face unreadable. "Surprisingly well trained, they hardly even stared."
That was just about the closest to a glowing compliment that Salem would give.
They saluted Coulson, who gave them a nod, barely even stopping as he led them into the building.
"So, question." I spoke up. "It's about three in the morning. The building being active with a bunch of people is one thing, but you were on your way to interview people at this time?"
Coulson shot me a dry look. "Three different people told me that their 'mystic powers' only appear after midnight."
I blinked. "I feel bad for you now."
His lips twitched slightly. "Oddly, several others also requested late-night schedules, and most of the ones left didn't care either way. So here we are."
I gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
If I knew how bad they had it, I would have volunteered earlier. But Salem decided she wants to see what's worth it for her, so I won't really interfere much.
"We'll get right into it, unless you want a moment?" Coulson asked.
"Do you have files or something?" I asked.
"They're already there waiting." He nodded.
"Let us get this over with then." Salem said simply.
Coulson led us through the corridors of the building. It was just what you would expect, the decorations minimal, people coming and going with their own busy work, barely sparing us a glance.
We turned a few corners before he found a door with a couple of guards at it. He looked at them and nodded; they opened the door. One of them also handed him a folder as we walked inside.
The room was spacious, like an oversized conference room that overlooked the back picnic area where they probably take their lunches.
There were people here too, quite a few.
About equal numbers of men and women, but they were certainly a colorful array. Some were wearing normal clothes, and some were dressed up like they were going to an anime convention.
I held my tongue.
I really wanted to delve into this mess myself, but out of respect for Coulson and the fact that it was Salem's show, I didn't say anything.
Everyone in the room turned to us; Salem was unmoved by their stares.
"Good morning, everyone. Thank you all for coming in at this odd hour." Coulson started. "I'm Agent Phil Coulson; I'm the one currently assigned your potential contracts. I've also brought with me an expert to interview each of you." He gestured to Salem. "Would you like to say anything, Miss Salem?"
Salem crossed her arms. "Leave if you're just pretending; save me the trouble."
"Thank you, Salem." Coulson didn't bat an eye. "How would you like to begin? Maybe take them to separate rooms to—"
"No need." Salem stepped forward to a woman wearing the stereotypical attire of a palm reader you would find in a run-down building. "A charlatan."
"I am an esteemed mystic!" She retorted. "I can peer into fate and destiny!"
"Then tell me something noteworthy." Salem drawled, looking down on her.
The woman's nostrils flared. "Cursed, you are cursed!"
".....and?"
"T-that… and you are doomed to die!"
"Humorous." Salem barely spared her a glance and kept going. "This one has some meager talent." She barely spared a man in a top hat a glance and kept going. "This one isn't even human." She pointed at a man in a baseball cap with a coat with the collar pulled up.
He looked genuinely startled and glanced everywhere back and forth in the room.
"This one is intentionally hiding their ability through a few means." Salem pointed at a man wearing…basic regular clothes.
He too looked utterly startled by her words.
Salem did a double take at a man dressed as a stage magician. Now my interest was actually piqued. Not because I thought he was some fearsome magician, but because we shared interests!
"This one is actually cursed and mistakes it for talent." She said, Moving on, before the man could argue.
Then she landed on a man dressed to the extreme in a certain…snake motif. He was wearing robes and a cape with a staff with a serpent head that coiled around the shaft. And he was also wearing a serpent ring and serpent earrings, even with a serpent tattoo peeking out from his chest.
Credit where it was due, he went all in on the image.
"This one hides behind genuine magical items." Salem revealed.
The man's eyes widened. "How dare you insult the great Warlock, Zatom! I am feared and respected far and wide! You—" He looked her up and down. "--a wench of utter revulsion, dare to insult me?"
He's lucky I had sobered up. Those were bricking words, but I held myself back.
I could see it. Even if Salem wasn't one for expressing herself visibly, I've known her long enough to pick up certain things.
She was having fun.
Should I be concerned that she finds it fun to bully charlatans and idiots?
"In that case, set your staff and earrings to the side and cast a single spell for me." Salem looked at him.
The man stared back, his face turning red. "The Great Warlock Zatom does not need to stand here and take these insults. I bid you good day!" He slammed his staff onto the ground and disappeared in a burst of flames.
I raised an eyebrow, feeling space vibrate in a similar way to how those wizards and witches teleport back to where Kunou is in school.
Well, similar in that it's utterly horrific. It was like….he jumped through the proverbial window to get outside of a house while witches and wizards force themselves through the doggy door.
As if giving a single, suddenly, the 'non-human' that Salem identified turned into a werewolf and literally leapt for the window, bursting through it and trying to run away.
The one Salem identified as 'hiding his talents' had flicked his wrist and produced a portal that was exactly the same as those from Kamar-Taj and also attempted to run away.
Salem looked at them and smiled faintly. "How long has it been since I've had someone try to run from me?"
The Sorcerer ran into a spell circle that covered his 'portal,' sending him flying backwards. The shadows around the room gathered together into a mass and shot out the window. There was a loud yelp as the werewolf was dragged back inside through the broken window and bound.
Lastly, Salem walked up to where the 'Great Warlock' had flamed away, or whatever he did. She pressed her hand against the spot, and about a dozen spell circles overlaid on top of each other in a beautiful synergy. She reached through the thinned space and grabbed hold of a familiar cape, pulling said warlock back into the room.
He hit the ground, and Salem casually kicked his staff out of his hand, much to his panic.
The room was silent; Salem's expression did not once change. She handled it all with the casualness that one would swat a mosquito.
I would freely admit that seeing Salem like this did things for me.
"Who's next?" She spoke, not sparing her 'victims' another glance, and continued with her 'interviews.'
I kind of wanted to raise my hand.
[Line Break]
Non-Canon Omake: The Little Dragons, Part 1
"I did it!" A girl with two blond pigtails came running into the room.
A boy, looking about seventeen, nearly identical to her, looked up. His pale yellow eyes met her vivid green eyes. "Did you finally manage to get into Aunt Rias's skirt like you've been whining about?"
"Well, no. I'm still working on that." The girl huffed.
"...right."
"Listen, she's a Devil, and she's like thirty years old and still a virgin! That's a crime against those huge tits of hers!" The girl flailed her arms around. "I'm willing to sacrifice myself to correct this great injustice!"
"...."
"Anyways, stop distracting me!"
"So this isn't another scheme to get into someone's skirt?" He eyed her.
"...technically—"
"Gwyneth, no." The boy said firmly. "I'm not helping you get laid."
She narrowed her eyes. "You owe me."
"I don't owe—"
"I took the fall when Mom found your porn stash." She put her hands on her hips.
"...."
"Big Ass Milfs." She punctuated.
"...you can't prove that was mine."
She stared at him; he stared at her. He was the first to look away. "Fine….what did you do?" He finally spoke with mock enthusiasm.
"I found a World-Line where the Fourth Grail War is taking place! I even calculated everything properly; we can go right now."
"That's…." The boy blinked. "How does that equate to you getting laid?"
"I'm going to summon a Servant."
"Gwyneth, seriously? You're going to force a servant?"
She scoffed. "Don't be an idiot, Gwydre." She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to summon my own Medea."
Gwydre opened his mouth, and he had trouble saying the word before finally forcing it out. "She's your teacher."
"And I want her to sit her elf-eared ass on my face." She returned without an ounce of shame.
"What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me?" She grabbed his shirt and pushed her face to his. "What's wrong with me is that I don't have my own Medea milf pulling on my hair as I call her mommy."
"You're making me uncomfortable." He said quietly.
"Listen, I've been in a perpetual state of horny for the past three weeks as I worked this out. Do you have any idea how hard it is to do calculations for the Kaleidoscope without Ruby just so we could sneak out without anyone knowing!?" She let him go, nearly tossing him back.
"Why do you need me?" He asked.
Her expression softened. "Come on, bro, if I'm sneaking out to go on an adventure, I can't leave you behind." She smiled softly.
Gwydre sighed because he knew that he relented as she said that. "I can't believe I'm going on a quest to get you laid."
Her eyes lit up. "Don't worry, I got everything prepared!"
"Don't you need a catalyst?"
She pulled out a pair of panties, stretching them out for him to see. "Stole them from Aunt Medea yesterday."
Gwydre facepalmed. "I can't believe we're related."
She shrugged. "Mom says I inherited Dad's libido."
"She also says you didn't inherit any of his self-control." He pointed out. "And you also inherited all his bad decision-making."
She scoffed. "I don't make bad decisions."
"Three months ago, you were waiting for Aunt Rias to come home, lying naked on the couch with rose petals scattered everywhere."
"It was romantic!"
"She had her entire peerage come with her."
"It was a miscalculation." She waved it off.
"And then you said, and I quote, 'Shit, I'm still down for it' when you saw them all." He added. "Mom had to come pick you up. You were still naked when she got there."
"You miss all the shots you don't take."
Gwydre sighed; he was used to his sister's antics at this point. "Should we call Big Sis Arachne? Or maybe Mordred? Kunou?"
Gwyneth. "Ugh, no way. You know they'll secretly let our parents know if we sneak out. You remember how Big Sis Arachne told us that they hid Uncle Ddraig in her spear when she went away from home for the first time? Besides, you have Avalon, don't you?"
Gwydre frowned but relented again. "Fine, I'll come with you. But if it gets too dangerous, then I'm calling for help."
"Deal!"
Gwydre got up and walked to a display case, opening it up. There was a sword inside, decorated and beautiful. However, it was also covered in cracks, as if shattered and pieced back together.
One might think that it would break at the slightest touch, but it was a weapon that could contend with even Divine Constructs and not be damaged despite its looks.
There was also an inscription on the blade, weathered, cracks running through it, but still visible and readable.
'Whosoe'er pulleth out this sword of this stone is rightwise king of all England'
"Oooh, you're taking Caliburn with you? You're being serious, huh?" \
"You said it's a Holy Grail War; it's prudent to be cautious." He said righteously. "You've heard all the stories too."
"I still don't know why you keep it in a case like that. Just store it in your ring like a normal person."
"I'm being respectful to it and its history." He huffed indignantly. "It's a symbol of –"
"Blah blah, kingship, blah blah honor." She interrupted him, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I get it; I don't need to hear this speech again."
"Just…get on with it." He gestured for her.
[Line break]
Both boy and girl were unceremoniously spat out of a flickering rainbow portal. It crackled and shattered as they both were thrown onto the pavement.
As if barely having been held together, it then unraveled, disappearing from the world.
"I thought you said you could manage a proper portal?" Gwydre stood up, brushing himself off.
"I said I could manage to get us here. "We're here," I say. "I did a good job." His sister stood up, brushing herself off too. "I never said the road wouldn't be bumpy. I'm still learning to use the Kaleidoscope, okay? Do you know how long it took Aunt Rin to learn how to use it without Ruby? I'm doing good already!"
"As long as it's safe enough to return home." He grunted, though he then noticed the look on his sister's face. "It should be safe to go home, right?"
"....."
His eyes then widened in realization. "Did…you not prepare for a return trip?"
"...In my defense, I'm super distracted by the thought of having my own Medea. Frankly, it's a miracle I got this far in any kind of plan."
"Dammit, Gyneth." Her brother groaned. "I can't believe we're related."
It was rather funny, in a way.
Gwydre Pendragon-Schweinorg and his sister, Gyneth Pendragon-Schweinorg. They were nearly identical twins, if not for Gwydre inheriting their father's striking red hair. That, and the fact that he inherited his mother's pale skin and yellow eyes compared to his sister's green eyes and normal skin tone.
That is to say, his sister was born of Artoria Pendragon, and he was born of Artoria Pendragon Alter.
They may as well be siblings of the same mother. And while it was awkward and confusing in the first months of pregnancy and subsequent birth of the siblings, the two mirrored Artorias had just decided to treat them as siblings.
That and they were basically both moms to the 'twins.'
Though, just to differentiate, Gyneth calls Alter 'Momma Alter,' and Gwydre calls regular Artoria 'Momma Saber,' while they call their respective mothers just 'mom' most of the time.
Gwyneth, to Gwydre's misfortune, was about three months older, and she never let him forget it. Both siblings nearing their adulthood, sitting at seventeen years of age.
However, despite their many differences and the uniqueness of their parentage, they never felt it particularly odd or distasteful. They loved both their moms and their dad all equally.
Both Artorias also had their own difficulties in their upbringing. Both had to learn how to be a parent but also navigate the fact that they had another version of themselves present with their own child as well.
Eventually, they settled on their own normalcy.
Alter was the primary parent for her son; Artoria was the primary parent for her daughter. They didn't overstep with the parenting roles there, letting the other be the 'true mom' in a sense.
Despite this, the siblings turned out… different from what one would think.
Alter's son was a Knight.
It was what he wanted since he could barely talk. He was honorable, righteous, kind, and courageous. That was contradictory to his almost menacing yellow eyes and pale skin to accompany it. Not to mention his scowl that seemed to default on his face, just like his mother.
Contrary to his sister, born to Artoria.
His sister was…the wild one. She disdained the whole concept of honor and 'fair play.' Not only that, but she took after their father and went the route of magic. She could handle a bladed weapon well enough, but she preferred to sling spells.
She took after her mom, with fair skin, bright green eyes, and nearly identical features to both her and Mordred in appearance. Though she wore robes similar to Medea's, a gift from the witch, and her long hair was tied into two long ponytails.
By happenstance, she was even born with a talent for the kaleidoscope, so she's been learning that for a few years.
Likewise, both of the kids were…strange in other ways. Not in personality, but in metaphysical makeup.
Due to their father's amalgamation of different things, no one could really guess what would pop out of his wives when they gave birth.
His two kids were dragons.
Like their mothers, they were basically Dragon Incarnates. It should have been diluted, or lessened with subsequent generations. However, the fact that their father had a Dragon's Heart and had Ddraig in his soul for so many years meant they inherited dragon blood and a dragon concept from him as well.
And that Dragon Aspect seemed to just eat away any Devil nature on conception.
While technically devils by the strictest definition, they had no devil traits at all. It's not that they were so minuscule that they were unperceivable; they simply didn't exist. They were devils in name only, not even negatively affected by Holy Power.
In fact, the dragons of the world recognized them as their own.
"Do you know where we are, Gyneth?" Gwyrde? she asked, looking around.
"Duh, we're in Fuyuki."
"No, I mean where in Fuyuki. You said we need to summon a Servant, right? We have no command seals, so I assume we're going to hijack a summoning?" He furrowed his brow slightly. "I will not partake in dishonorable acts. You're not allowed to steal a spot from someone who worked hard to acquire it."
"Don't worry, the guy we're going to mug is a serial killer and was going to summon Aunt Jeanne's insane friend, and they were going to make eldritch monsters or something." She said casually.
Gwyrde furrowed his brow again, only vaguely recalling the details of this war, as it was only mentioned in passing. He seemed to recall that their Aunt Jeanne had a friend summoned here, and their mother fought him. He confused her for Aunt Jeanne, in fact. Though that wasn't strange, Aunt Jeanne looked a lot like their mother.
In fact, Gwyneth often got mistaken for Aunt Jeanne's daughter.
"Wait, did you say 'mug'?"
"He's over there, get him!" She quickly pointed to a guy crossing the street, two blocks down. Apparently loud enough for the person to hear. He looked at them confused, then panicked and began to run.
Gwyrde turned to look at his sister and admonish her for being an idiot, but he realized she was now gone.
"Dammit, Gyneth!" He hissed under his breath. "This is exactly why I keep telling Mom that it was a horrible idea to give you Carnwennan!" He began to run after them.
It took him a bit to catch up, and by the time he arrived, his sister was punching the unconscious man repeatedly. "Oh hey, I caught him!"
"I noticed." He drawled. "Did you at least manage to get the location of his workshop before you beat him into unconsciousness?"
"Workshop?" She tilted his head before laughing. "Oh, he's just a regular person. We just needed his body. You know, he was going to kidnap a bunch of kids and use a blood ritual to accidentally become a master. We can just use him as a sacrifice since he has a tentative link to the Grail already."
Gwyrde shrugged.
He was an honorable Knight, but that didn't extend to child killers. Death would be the quick and easy response, but if they were useful, he wouldn't say anything about using them for a bit before killing them.
Gwyneth dragged the unconscious serial killer into a nearby abandoned building. By the smell of blood, they both noticed, they could assume that he was just about to enter his own hideout, presumably this building.
"I'm impressed, sister. You did manage to time it perfectly so we ran right into our target and even found his hideout." He said in a rare breath of praise.
".....yeah, I totally meant to do this."
Gwyrde's twitched slightly.
"Anyhow—" She tossed the serial killer onto the concrete floor of the fifth story they had decided on. " -- Just need to draw the ritual circle, and we can bullshit this. Aunt Medea taught me a few tricks on how to cheat it already."
Gwyrde turned away as his sister began drawing copious amounts of blood from the serial killer and then began to use it to draw the ritual circle.
Gwyrde had no mind for magical things. Beyond the most basic of spells, he had a desire for it.
"Awesome, now we just need to do the right chant, I think."
"You think?" He looked at her.
"Hey, it's not like I've done this before. Or even researched it well, if I'm being honest. Actually, I'm pretty much flying by the seat of my pants." She admitted it fully.
"...do you even know the proper chant?"
"Nope!"
"Great." He said dryly.
"It's fine, give me a moment; I can come up with something."
An awkward beat passed, the silence rather deafening amidst the smell of blood on the ground.
Suddenly, the air around Gyneth changed; her eyes turned serious as she held her hand out. Her magical energy flared to life, practically vibrating around her. In one fluid motion, she threw Medea's panties into the center of the circle.
Gwyrde leaned forward; it was rare for him to see his sister utilize magic so seriously.
"Let silver and steel shape the arcane law,
Let my will forge a binding pact with awe—
Medea, oh queen of ancient might…
Step on me, mommy witch, I'm ready tonight!"
"I hate you so much." Gwyrde said. "In what world do you think that would—"
The spell circle lit up, and a burst of wind nearly knocked them off their feet as the world's mana began to swirl around the summoning circle.
Gyneth began to laugh maniacally. "Mommy Witch, I'm ready!" She held her hands out, and since she wasn't bracing herself anymore, the intense winds swept her away, but her laughing never stopped even as she was flung to the other side of the room.
Gwyrde held his arm up, shielding his eyes, vaguely able to see the silhouette that was now appearing.
Without warning, as if commanded, the intense winds stopped all at once and settled disquietly as if they weren't just running rampant a moment ago.
They both saw the figure standing there now.
Gyneth, who was lying on the ground, looked up, eyes widened.
Gwyrde peeked between his arms as his focus returned now that he wasn't getting blasted in the face with wind and mana.
It most certainly wasn't Medea.
A blond-haired woman stood there now, wearing a veil, but her familiar green eyes shined brightly.
"...fuck." Gyneth! he blurted out as he looked down at his hand, seeing the command seals on the back of it.
"You cock-blocking asshole!" He heard his sister shout from the other side of the room.
Though that took a back seat to Gyneth as the woman opened her mouth.
"Servant Caster." She spoke, both melodic in tone and oddly chilling. "Morgan Le Fay, are you my Master?"
@***@
A/N
Thank Kilokilop in Discord for basically outlining this Omake idea. Introducing two more of Wilhelm's potential future kids. Gyneth, Artoria's daughter, and Gwyrde, Alter's son.
Gwyrde is the dutiful knight, born to the Tyrant Knight. Gwyneth is the gremlin that treats rules as suggestions and thinks honor is for idiots, born to Artoria.
You could probably imagine the chaotic dynamic in the family.
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
I also have a boosty if you can't use the above under the same name
There's also one chapter ahead of this omake up over here if you're interested.