A Fate/Grand Order
and Fate/Stay Night
crossover AU.

ᡣ𐭩 WELCOME to . . . .ᐟ
                     ANHEDONIA | BOOK II
                     of DAISY DREAMS and
                    SUNFLOWER SERENADES

ᯓ available at AO3 & Wattpad @/mxtsuro ᡣ𐭩

𖦹₊﹒ in this meaningless life of mine , i have seen both of these ; the righteous perishing in their righteousness , and the wicked living long in their wickedness ₊✶
ecclesiastes 7:15

ᡣ𐭩. MEET the . . . .ᐟ

୭ ˚. The enigmatic prodigy known as 'Galateya', with a past shrouded in mystery, bore eyes once filled with innocence but now dulled, stripped of their former warmth. ᵎᵎ

She had endured it all---the deep scars of pain and the relentless churn of life’s quiet suffering. Through her blood, cursed and twisted with the weight of a thousand lifetimes, she had seen the fleeting beauty and bitter vanity of existence, the strange theater orchestrated by forces far beyond mortal reach. Shadows of her ancestors haunted her, their memories carved into her very being, flashing like remnants of faded dreams she barely remembered yet could never shake. It was as though she was trapped within herself, a stranger adrift in a life she knew, but somehow did not own. Every step felt like a half-formed echo, a silent plea hanging in the air, begging for someone to reach through the fog of her disconnection, to find her before she vanished entirely into the endless churn of this fleeting, ephemeral life.

୭ ˚. The ever-cheerful doctor, whose lighthearted grin rarely faded, held a glimmer of something hidden behind his seemingly carefree gaze---a man with secrets woven deep into his warmth, who introduced himself simply as 'Romani'. ᵎᵎ

Once a being of untouchable wisdom and remote clarity, he now walked the world reborn, given a second life by the wish that reshaped his very soul. This time, he saw the world not with the piercing amber gaze of his past, but through a pair of new emerald eyes that softened in ways they never could before, absorbing the quiet beauty and anguish of the human condition with something he had never truly known: Empathy. Each step he took revealed to him the fragile nuances of mortal life---the raw emotions, the fears and small joys that made each moment meaningful, and the inevitable pangs of loss that haunted every victory. This newfound humanity, once an abstract puzzle, became an undeniable truth woven into his being, grounding him to a world he had once seen as fleeting and vain. Yet, now he grasped it all, seeing that even in its imperfection, life held a purpose; it was this understanding, this fragile but fierce connection, that he knew he must honor. He, who carried the weight of his legacy like an invisible itch, promised to  bear the heart of a man who had seen the rise and fall of all. And with a quiet resolve, he vowed to be the one who would save them from an imminent downfall, walking the path of both savior and witness, for the people whose struggles he could finally, and completely, understand.

ᡣ𐭩 IN WHICH a . . . .ᐟ

          Romani, a young man reborn with a new name and a new face, found himself drifting through the modern world, piecing together a new life in the wake of his transformation. For nearly a decade, he traveled from one corner of the earth to another, studying medicine and immersing himself in the nuance of humanity---its fragile beauty, its flaws, its profound sorrows and its fleeting joys. He found himself humbled by the strength and resilience of people: The smiles of parents cradling their newborns, the grief etched into those who held the hands of loved ones as they took their final breaths. All this time, he carried with him an echo of a memory, a fragile but persistent image of a young girl who, with a spark of kindness, had once given him a glimmer of hope in a world otherwise colored by loneliness. That child, his little companion, had ignited in him a purpose beyond his preordained path---a purpose he now clung to with a quiet, resolute passion, even as the specter of a greater threat to humanity loomed over them all.

          Years later, fate brought him to Chaldea Security Organization, hidden away in the remote icy expanse of Antarctica. Here, in this fortress of hope and despair, he was shocked and overjoyed to hear that one of the 48 Master Candidates preparing for the Grand Order mission was a young adult by the name of Galateya von Historia. Memories surged through him, alongside questions that crowded his mind: Did she remember the brief but meaningful connection they shared years ago? Had she grown and thrived? Would she look at him with the same warmth, and most of all, would she be proud of the man he had become? A bittersweet hope bloomed in his chest, and he found himself eager, maybe too eager, to reconnect with the one person who had unknowingly shaped his second life.

           But the Galateya who stood before him was a stranger, a shadow of the girl he remembered. She had grown into a poised young woman, but her spirit had hardened---her cerulean eyes, once bright, now held a chill that cut deeper than any cold he had felt in the Antarctic winds. Her gaze was filled with resentment, her words sharp, her demeanor distant and closed off. For reasons he could not grasp, she seemed to harbor an unyielding animosity toward him, which stung more than he cared to admit. But for all the pain, Romani found himself unable to turn away. The connection they once shared, brief as it was, had left a mark on him, and he resolved to bridge the chasm between them, piece by fragile piece. Through their shared journey and the trials that awaited, he clung to the hope of rebuilding something that could give her the peace she needed and that he, deep down, still craved.

          As they embarked on the penultimate order to restore Proper Human History, Romani and Galateya found themselves in the thick of humanity's most legendary battles and timeless stories. In France, they fought beside Jeanne d'Arc, bearing witness to the resolve of a saint. In England, they joined forces with the Knights of the Round Table, facing down the legacies of ancient heroes and discovering new allies among their fellow Master Candidates---the young lass' mysterious confidantes Gabriel de la Cour, a soft-spoken teenage French priest, Kirschtaria Wodime, a quiet British noble, and Michael la Vecchia, a hardened Italian military strategist. Alongside them stood Emiya Shirou and Tohsaka Rin, figures well-known from the familiar streets of Fuyuki City, now united in this grand endeavor. Their presence was bolstered by their past Heroic Spirit allegiances: Archer EMIYA, the stoic and skilled archer, Lancer Cu Chulainn, the valiant warrior of legend, and Saber Artoria Pendragon, the noble and unwavering king.  This formidable force was further solidified by the inclusion of Mash Kyrielight, the compassionate heroine of Chaldea Security Organization, and her unwavering partner in crime, Fujimaru Ritsuka. Their combined strength and unwavering determination formed a bulwark against the unknown, a testament to their shared resolve to confront the future, no matter how perilous it might be. Their path was marked by singularities, moments in history disrupted by unknown forces, and as they fought to restore humanity, each encounter deepened the bonds between them, fleeting but powerful in a world teetering on the edge of chaos.

           Yet, for all the lives they saved and allies they gained, Romani’s focus remained on the enigmatic woman beside him, whose gaze, even now, seemed to hold a darkness he could not dispel. Her coldness was like a veil he was desperate to part, her mistrust an open wound that he could not heal. Bound by duty, and driven by a past he himself could scarcely bear to remember, he found himself both protector and prisoner of the promise he had made to her years before, hoping to bring her back from the brink of her own hatred. In this tangled web of fate and purpose, where past wounds and future hopes collided, he held tightly to the vow he had made: No matter how much Galateya tried to push him away, he would stay by her side, guiding her as she had once guided him, until, together, they could both find peace.

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✎ gif by @shelomoh-ibn-dawud ᝰ.
✎ moodboard by @mxtsuro ᝰ.