The Holy Grail.  

A holy artifact from the Judeo-Christian religion, thought to be the cup the messiah drank from at the last supper. In legends, an ancient container that could bestow eternal youth.

There are various depictions of the artifact out there in the world, that are more or less cut from the same belief, but who would actually believe that such a device exists?  

It does, and it’s situated in the city of Fuyuki, passed down at the hands of its prominent houses across untold generations, bearing the same miracle, if not, greater than that of the above mentioned. An omnipotent wish-granting device said to able to grant any desire that one have set their will upon. A cup that could make dreams come true.  

However, to the initiated, they would quickly retort that it is not as powerful as people make it out to be. It has its limitations, so something as vague “to purge the world of evil” or “save the world” of a wish would be beyond the scope of its power to fulfill. Though perhaps if the person knew of a way to carry out said wish would it be possible for the grail to grant.  

In other words, the artifact’s actual ability is to realize a particular goal based on the instructions it was provided with rather than actualizing a true miracle. But even then, that fact alone is sufficient enough to entice a Magi.  

They are typically above those mundane wishes after all. They have far grander ambitions and research to think about, namely to solve an age-old dilemma–the way to establish a connection to the “Root”. And while the grail is indeed far from being omnipotent, it could accomplish just that. In fact, the device was built with the express purpose to serve as a “gate” and drill a pathway which would in turn lead to the Root. Everything else that came after was second to that.

But this is one thing, as to what happens next? Who knows. While Magus have prided themselves in the amount of ways they’ve conjured to accomplish this lifelong goal, no one has clearly thought of a scenario after they succeed. Understandably so.  

How many do you think have laid eyes to the Root?  

Granted a select few managed to do the feat, but the number are even lesser for those who came out intact.  

Yes, people died once they reached out their hands. To be more exact, their consciousness was incorporated into the "truth” that they so desperately craved, ceasing to exist. No one knows the details for certain, it could only be assumed that once they returned from whence they came, they became akin to a god, which could account for the reason why they chose not to come back. That, or something far more sinister is hidden beneath the façade.  

In the end, it all boils down to speculation, so there’s no use trying to ascertain its true nature this way other than seeing it for oneself.   

Anyway, the gist of it is that despite the consequence, Magus are willing to gamble the chance to reach the Root–to comprehend its secrets and overturn impossibility, granting them true omnipotence that any quantity of grail can't provide. Or it could be philosophical and that they simply vie for a greater purpose–or to satiate their morbid curiosity.  

...And maybe it is one of these reasons how you ended up here.  

Maybe you were too scared to gamble your life away and opted for the closest thing at your disposal. Yet to go as far as to awaken a malevolent deity... Oh my, perhaps you’ve found yourself deeper into this quagmire more than you’re willing to admit.  

However, was this really the better choice?  

Before you cross over this juncture, remember this moment, because there’s no turning back now.