Ritsuka went down the stairs, his small feet pat-pat-patting against the wooden floor, each step echoing a rhythm of disbelief. He rubbed his temple with his tiny hand, muttering in his head,
'So… I really did go back in time. Great. Just great.'
The smell of miso soup and grilled fish drifted from the kitchen — something he hadn't smelled in what felt like centuries. He turned the corner, and there she was — his mother.
Her soft smile hadn't changed. Her hair tied back, apron dusted with flour, quietly humming a tune she used to sing when he was sick.
For a moment, the weight of everything — the Lostbelts, the Servants, the pain, the laughter — all melted away.
Then his eyes drifted to the other presence in the room.
His father.
If you could even call that a normal man. The guy looked like someone sculpted by the gods after a few drinks — tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a plain white shirt that did absolutely nothing to hide the fact he looked like he'd wrestled lions for breakfast.
[Insert image here]
Ritsuka blinked twice.
'…Yup. Built like a Greek statue. Just like before. Some things never change.'
The man turned, smiling with that effortlessly bright grin that could blind Apollo himself.
"Morning, champ! You're up early today!"
Ritsuka almost choked on air. That voice — the same deep, warm tone that used to scold him for skipping meals before class, the same one that told him to keep fighting even when he couldn't anymore.
"Morning… Dad," he said carefully, trying not to sound like a grown man trapped in a child's body.
His father laughed heartily. "Still sleepy, huh? You've got that dazed look again — like you fought a dragon in your dreams!"
Ritsuka blinked. Oh, if only you knew.
His mother turned from the stove, smiling gently. "Sweetheart, wash your face before breakfast, alright? You'll feel better."
He nodded, shuffling toward the sink, though his mind was anything but calm.
2004. My house. My parents alive. The world still whole. And I'm five years old again.
As the cold water hit his face, his reflection wavered.
For a heartbeat, he didn't see a child. He saw the weathered face of the man who had faced down gods, beasts, and cosmic horrors — a tired hero who just wanted a normal morning.
Then he blinked, and the five-year-old stared back.
"…My life is odd," he muttered under his breath.
Meanwhile in the Void, Yang Guifie was strangling Oei for not locking Ritsuka memory's probably because they heard the mental taught.
Yang Guifei (voice trembling with rage in the void): "You forgot to LOCK his memories, Oei?! Do you realize what this means?!"
Oei flailed her arms as Yang's hands tightened around her neck. "I—I thought I did! I swear I hit the seal rune twice! Maybe the system lagged!"
Hokusai (dryly painting in the background): "Lagged? What, is memory locking running on Windows XP now?"
Yang: "He remembers everything! His childhood, Chaldea, the Lostbelts—everything!"
Oei: "At least he's calm about it!"
Yang: "For now!"
Back on Earth, the air in the Fujimaru household felt still. Ritsuka rubbed his temple as he processed the situation. He had already accepted being in his childhood home—somehow—but this next event was testing the limits of his sanity.
The crash came from the living room. He turned and froze.
There, standing amid a toppled bookshelf, was a little girl with bright orange hair, golden eyes wide with confusion and… mischief.
[Insert image of Gudako]
Her small voice rang out. "Ow… okay, that landing was not what I planned."
Ritsuka just blinked once, then twice.
'And there she is,' he thought wryly, watching the little girl dust herself off and grin at him like a tiny gremlin. 'My twin sister… Gudako Fujimaru.'
Gudako tilted her head, eyes narrowing as recognition sparked. "Ritsuka?"
"…Yeah," he sighed, already feeling a headache forming.
Gudako tilted her head, her little orange ponytail bouncing as she beamed up at him. "Morning, brother!"
Ritsuka froze, his body going rigid for a moment.
Her voice — innocent, bright, filled with the same carefree warmth she always had — felt so painfully nostalgic that it almost hurt.
'…Okay,' he thought, trying to steady his breathing. 'So she's just acting like her five-year-old self. Which means…'
He blinked, his mind catching up with reality.
'Wait. That means I'm the only one who remembers everything. Chaldea, the Singularities, the Lostbelts… all of it.'
Gudako tilted her head again, noticing his distant look. "Brother? You okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."
Ritsuka forced a small smile, patting her head. "Yeah, I'm fine… just, uh, thinking."
Gudako puffed her cheeks, crossing her arms. "Thinking? You sound like a grandpa already!"
He sweatdropped at that.
'Great… not even five minutes into this timeline, and I'm already getting roasted by my own twin again.'
But deep down, as he watched her giggle and run toward the toy box, he couldn't help but feel something warm stirring in his chest.
'Still… it's good to see you again, Gudako.'
There father still in the dining Table as he spoke. "Kids, come and eat already".
Both kids then spoke together. "Yes dad".
They both rushed at the table, as they got up, ready to eat breakfast, as there Mom placed plate, as they started to eat.
Mr Fujimaru looked at his kids as he spoke. "Eat up, you have your mage Craft training later".
Ritsuka choked his sausage, as Gudako smacked his back to fix to. 'Mage craft training, my family was not involve in Mage craft, what is this!'.
Ritsuka coughed hard, nearly spitting out his breakfast, eyes wide in disbelief.
Gudako immediately smacked his back, concerned. "You okay, dummy? Don't die before breakfast's over!"
He waved his hand weakly, forcing down the bite. "Y-Yeah… I'm fine," he managed to say, though his thoughts were racing a mile a second.
'Magecraft training? Did I just hear that right?!'
His gaze darted between his parents — his father calmly sipping tea, and his mother humming as she prepared more food like this was normal.
'No, no, no, this doesn't make sense. My family wasn't involved in magecraft — not even a hint of it! So why the hell are they talking like it's part of a morning routine?!'
Gudako, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered in the slightest. She nodded eagerly. "Got it, Dad! I'm totally ready to make fire again today!"
Ritsuka's head snapped toward her. "Wait, what—"
Their father chuckled. "Now, now, don't burn down the training yard again, Gudako. I just repaired the wards."
"Oops," she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.
Ritsuka just sat there, mouth agape, fork hanging loosely in his hand.
'Wards? Training yard? Fire magic?! What kind of alternate timeline did I just land in?!'
Meanwhile, from the void, Yang Guifei pinched the bridge of her nose. "You forgot to adjust reality's baseline before dropping him there?"
Oei: "Okay, look, I may have missed a few details—"
Yang: "A few?! His family went from normal humans to mages! Oei!!"
Oei: "...He'll be fine?"
Yang: "HE'S FIVE!"
Then they both where split by floating white keys, as they heard a yawn and a voice.
"Why, are you two figting this time".
The voice was childess and innocent as they turned there head.
A 12-year-old girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, stepped up, she is wearing a simple, old-fashioned dress with ribbons, a hat, and she carries a teddy bear.
[Insert image of Abigail]
Abigail rubbed her eyes, still half asleep, clutching her teddy bear as the floating white keys circled lazily around her. Her soft voice echoed through the void like a dream.
"Mm… you two are being noisy again… I was having such a nice nap with the stars…"
Yang Guifei crossed her arms, glaring at Oei, who was doing her best I'm totally innocent face.
"Oh, you wanna know, Abi? Let me tell you exactly what she did."
Abigail tilted her head, blinking curiously. "Did Oei accidentally summon another dream monster again?"
Oei immediately waved her hands. "No! This time it's not that bad!"
Yang jabbed a finger toward her. "She forgot to properly lock Ritsuka's memories—so now he's five years old, remembers everything, and just discovered his family are mages!"
Abigail blinked once. Twice. Then smiled sweetly. "Oh… that sounds like a very interesting nightmare~."
Oei groaned. "It's not supposed to be one!"
Yang: "It will be when he realizes his twin sister is flinging fireballs at breakfast!"
Abigail giggled softly, hugging her teddy bear closer. "Hehe… I think I'll watch this one. Maybe it'll be fun~."
The void shimmered faintly as her white keys hummed in amusement, and Yang sighed heavily.
"Of course you would…"
Oei muttered under her breath. "At least someone's enjoying this mess."
Abigail smiled dreamily, eyes glowing faintly blue.
"Reality or dream… either way, he's awake where he shouldn't be. That makes it… fun."
Ritsuka sat stiffly at the table, fork frozen halfway to his mouth as his dad spoke casually—like this was the most normal thing in the world.
"So, as you know," his father began between sips of coffee, "our family's Magecraft originates from the lineage of the Hero Karna. Sun Magecraft, passed down for generations—though, for a time, it went dormant."
Generations? Karna?! Ritsuka's brain practically screeched as he kept a polite smile. Inside, however, he was losing it.
'What the hell do you mean "lineage of Karna"!?' he screamed internally. 'My family was supposed to be normal! Like, no-Magecraft, taxes-and-lunch-money normal!'
His mother, cheerfully oblivious to the inner meltdown, added, "It's a good thing it reawakened in both of you! You'll be starting formal training today with the family's tutor."
Gudako, happily munching on pancakes, raised her hand with crumbs on her cheek. "Can I shoot laser beams like Karna-san!?"
Their dad chuckled, patting her head. "Someday, maybe. For now, focus on controlling your sunlight flow."
Ritsuka smiled nervously. "Y-Yeah, sunlight flow… totally know what that is."
Internally, his mind was a storm.
'Okay, calm down, me. So my family's secretly related to Karna, one of the strongest Servants ever. That's fine. That's… totally fine. Not like this makes my regression even weirder or anything.'
Then his dad leaned closer, smiling proudly. "You'll meet the tutor after breakfast, Ritsuka. Aozaki-sensei says she's very strict, but she's the best in the Association."
The fork fell from Ritsuka's hand with a clink.
'Wait… Aozaki?'
He froze. The smile on his dad's face widened.
"Yes, Touko Aozaki."
Ritsuka's inner voice screamed in despair.
'Oh for the love of—WHY HER!?!'
Ritsuka blinked, the panic in his brain grinding to a halt mid-scream.
'…Wait. Aozaki. That Aozaki. The same one Da Vinci mentioned—the "mad genius who scares even Atlas."'
His thoughts shifted from panic to cautious excitement.
'Hold up… she's one of the best when it comes to conceptual magecraft, artificial life, and puppet theory. If she's really here in this timeline…'
A small grin tugged at his lips as his mind clicked into gear.
'Then I can use this. If I play dumb and act like a normal beginner, I can learn from her without raising suspicion. And maybe—just maybe—I can rebuild my magecraft foundation faster this time.'
Across the table, Gudako tilted her head. "Onii-chan, why are you smiling like a villain in a soap opera?"
Ritsuka instantly straightened up, face innocent. "No reason! Just… appreciating the sunlight!"
Their dad laughed, thinking nothing of it. But inside, Ritsuka's thoughts were already racing a mile a minute.
'Okay, focus. Step one: survive Touko's lectures. Step two: learn everything I can. Step three: get strong enough before the weirdness starts again. Because if Karna's bloodline is real this time… things are going to get very complicated.'
He exhaled, eyes narrowing slightly.
'Time to make this reset work for me.'
Mr. Fujimaru's voice was warm as he said, "Why don't you two watch some TV until she comes?"
"Yay!" Gudako cheered, grabbing Ritsuka's hand and dragging him toward the living room. She plopped down on the couch, remote in hand, and flicked on the TV.
The familiar "That's all, folks!" jingle played, and the next thing on screen was a bright orange background with a familiar rabbit munching a carrot.
"Eh, what's up, doc?"
Gudako froze. Her small hand trembled as her smile vanished. Then, to Ritsuka's horror—
Tears welled in her eyes. "N-No… not Looney Tunes..."
She quickly changed the channel, sniffling.
Ritsuka blinked, utterly confused, until a long-forgotten memory slammed into him like a truck.
Flashback
Young Gudako was sitting on the floor, crying uncontrollably while Looney Tunes played in the background. Their mom was at a loss. "Sweetie, what's wrong? You like Bugs Bunny!"
Little Ritsuka, clutching a juice box, looked guilty. "It's my fault…"
Their dad frowned. "What do you mean, son?"
Ritsuka stared at the screen, voice trembling but earnest. "When Bugs Bunny and Daffy get squished or fall off cliffs... I think they're people in suits. They must get hurt really bad every time. And when they're gone, they just… put another person in the suit."
He sniffled. "So that means… they're probably old people who didn't have time to live anymore… right?"
Their parents froze. Gudako bawled even louder.
And in his mind, Ritsuka could still hear a gentle voice from the past—one that wasn't from his childhood.
"Senpai, you discovered empathy before you discovered logic. How very you."
That soft laugh—Mash's laugh—echoed faintly in his head, as the flashback faded away.
Back in the present, Ritsuka stared blankly at the TV, his soul quietly leaving his body.
'...I traumatized my sister with my childhood theory. I'm a monster.'
Gudako sniffled, wiping her tears. "I just don't wanna watch it. Let's find something else, okay, Onii-chan?"
"Y-Yeah, sure," he said quickly, patting her head, hoping to calm her down.
As she scrolled through the channels, Ritsuka's mind spiraled.
'Sun Magecraft lineage, Aozaki training, and now emotional childhood trauma caused by cartoons.'
He slumped into the couch, staring at the ceiling.
'My life is a cosmic joke, and the universe is laughing.'
Gudako's voice broke his thoughts. "Oh! Magical Girl Illya's on!"
Ritsuka flinched.
'Of course it is. Of course fate would do that.'
And somewhere in the void, Yang Guifei giggled as Oei tried to pry her hands off Abigail's teddy bear.
"Look, Abi," Yang said, smirking, "he's realizing what it means to be human again."
Oei, gasping for air, muttered, "At least he's not crying over Bugs Bunny this time!"
Abigail blinked innocently. "What's a Bugs Bunny?"
Yang froze mid-strangle. "...Don't ask, Abi. That way lies madness."
To be continued
Hope people like this Ch and give me power stones and enjoy