Deep within the woods of German tundra stood the castle of the Einzbern. The Einzbern were an old family of magi who had, long ago, possessed one of the True Magics, those blessed miracles that neither the modern world or hidden world of magi could make us of. For centuries they had toiled, seeking to once again claim their old power, the might of Heaven's Feel, before finally despairing and reaching outside their snowy domain, seeking aid of two families from the far eastern nation of Japan, the Makiri and the Tohsaka. Together with the Wizard Marshall Zelretch, the heads of each family created a certain ritual called the Holy Grail War. The war was a blood ritual, where 7 magi would gather to summon 7 Heroic Spirits, the best of mankind throughout history, and the gathered would slaughter one another until only one team remained. To the victors would go the Holy Grail, a great fountain of magic power which could grant nearly any wish imaginable, from the Einzbern's lost magic to the Tohsaka's lofty dreams of reaching the root of all things, Akasha.
But the Einzbern failed time and again. For 3 wars, their nature as magi who cannot fight saw them knocked out laughably easily. With the approach of the 4th War, they did something nobody would expect. Casting aside their long held purity of blood, they reached out and welcomed in a certain man into their family. That man was none other than the infamous Emiya Kiritsugu, a Japanese mage who, in a different life, would be known at most as the 5th heir to a strange hermit family. The reality of his life however, led him to be feared and reviled as the demon known as the "Magus Killer." Possessing no pride in the ways of magic, Emiya Kiritsugu never fought honorable duels or did research to further the understanding of Magecraft, but rather used his magical talents in combination with what magi mostly considered the "vulgar" weapons of the modern era. Blowing up planes, bombing buildings, sniping from great distances, no tactic was out of the question for the mysterous assassin/soldier. What drove him to do what he did nobody was sure, as he would vanish and reappear all across the world in zones of conflicting, slaughtering leaders on every side, taking jobs from random clients who matched no pattern. And yet, to achieve their ancient dream, the prideful Einzbern would throw away everything and recruit this man. They would give him a wife, a home, riches, even the Grail itself, just so long as he completed the ritual in their name.
It is deep in the castle that three figures now converse, discussing the last gift the Einzbern's shall give Kiritsugu: his weapon in the Grail War, a Servant. The eldest of the three and head of the Einzbern clan, Jubstacheit von Einzbern (also known as "Acht") towered over the room's other two occupants, Kiritsugu himself and the homunculus wife he'd been given, Irisviel von Einzbern. The old man spoke, holding out a brown sack which Kiritsugu took, "the artifact we sought overseas has finally arrived. It took much effort to acquire, his tomb is highly guarded after all." The old man's face took on a slightly disgusted look, "But given your madness we thought a Heroic Spirit of the modern era might suit your methods best."
Kiritsugu resisted the urge to laugh at Acht's blatant insults, preferring instead to remove the contents of the sack. Discarding the cover, he turned over the catalyst in his hands. A few decades ago, the item would have been just a toy, but of course that changed forever in the year 1962 of the European calender. In the present day it could be considered the very symbol of Kiritsugu's own ideals. "I have to hand it to you Acht, getting this must have been risky. Surely this could turn into an international incident?"
The old wizard waved off such worldly concerns, "Hmph, a few bones thrown at the wolves of the Clock Tower and any such troubles will not be our concern anyway. Even if that weren't the case, you know well the importance of this matter to us. Even should our castle be destroyed and our family scattered, if we could hold that power again even for a moment..." the old man trailed off, his mind disappearing briefly into battles once lost. Then, clearing his mind with a shake, he dismissed Kiritsugu and Irisviel. "Go now to the summoning chamber."
Nodding, the two slipped from the room, the summoning catalyst grasped tightly in Kiritsugu's hands. With this, I can win, though the Magus Killer to himself. With this mask, surely I can save the world.
For the foolish man who still held his idealistic dreams of justice, to hold the mask of Zero the Miracle Bringer was of no small significance.
---
Index
Part 2
Part 3
Part 3.5
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Originally Posted by Bridgeburner90
