Fate/Identity Reborn

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 21: A Meal with Family

Illyasviel felt lightheaded as she stared at the Einzbern Castle, its shadow a carpet over the land that was so deep in its darkness that one’s mind could sink into it like an abyss. It wasn’t the castle Illyasviel grew up in, but it was similar in aesthetic and that was enough to create a sickening nostalgia and sense of foreboding. Memories of that unforgiving cold that acted as an enclosure around the castle of Illyasviel’s childhood still flickered in her mind on occasion and she hated it. The castle before Illyasviel in this moment was a place that daddy spent much of the Fourth Holy Grail War. There were so few objects or places where Kiritsugu Emiya left any kind of tangible trace and it was for that reason that this particular castle was hallowed ground for Illyasviel, but it was also the place where Illyasviel’s ‘twin’ resided as she nursed a lifelong grudge that made the castle feel cursed. A swamp of different interpretations of this one castle mired Illyasviel’s heart.

Mama was wobbling back and forth as her own nerves must have been several times worse than Illyasviel’s. She actually had memories of that castle, memories of spending time with daddy in it. She was probably remembering the conversations she had with daddy, arguments maybe, the times they just enjoyed each other’s presence. Mama didn’t bring up daddy much, probably because she didn’t want mom to feel jealous or like she’s just a replacement. Mama once said that it was in the forest surrounding this castle that she was impaled by Kirei Kotomine. She knew what it was like to endure a lethal wound and lived to tell about it. It wasn’t among the traumas mama usually brought up, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t still have the occasional nightmare about it which caused her to awaken in a cold sweat with a face full of tears. No wonder she didn’t trust the overseer and didn’t like to talk about the Holy Grail War.

Meanwhile, mom just looked somber. She didn’t have the best relationship with daddy, but they respected each other and Illyasviel knew that mom regretted not being able to save him. She had gone over what she could have done differently millions of times, pointing out every mistake she made during the previous war and every time she had an opportunity to make a different choice that could have led to daddy’s survival.

Even Gray felt the weight of this land. Her body quivered as it often did in stressful situations, but not as much as she usually did. Gray had been getting more and more confident as time had gone on. It was weirdly fast. That fight against Archer must have had a profound effect on Gray. Maybe it left her with feelings she was still working through. She kept oscillating between her usual timid self and this new stoic persona.

Add was in Gray’s bag and would stay there in order to keep attention off of him. Chloe didn’t need to have any reasons to investigate Gray’s weapon and learn he’s the container for Rhongomyniad and not just Mystic Code with multiple forms.

While most of the family was drinking in the moment and reminiscing about the past, Mordred just walked ahead towards the entrance of the castle. Mom sighed before following after her son, everyone else doing the same a half-second later.

No time was wasted as Mordred began banging on the large doors of the Einzbern Castle. The response was almost immediate as the doors slowly opened to unveil three Einzbern homunculi. One was Chloe and the sight of her made Illyasviel become stiff as a steel pole. Chloe did not look happy. In fact, she looked about as angry as someone who just saw their dog get thrown into a furnace.

One of the homunculi next to her was a woman with short wavy hair and a…let’s say a casual outfit that did a very good job of showing off her nice figure. The other woman was dressed far more normally and had her hair in a ponytail that hung over her shoulder. Chloe had mentioned that there were two others in her group, but this was still a surprise. Why was Chloe staying with two Einzbern homunculi when she absolutely loathed the Einzberns more than Illyasviel and mama ever could?

“Welcome.” Chloe sounded as hospitable as an active volcano. “Come in.”

Mom took point in case this was a trap. Crossing the threshold, the grand entrance hall of the castle created an uneasy feeling in Illyasviel. It was so open, the furthest thing from cozy. The opulence of the decorations showed the arrogance and hypocrisy of the Einzberns who believed themselves to be beyond emotions and any desire beyond the Third Magic’s reacquisition. It was weird how, despite how much free space and few visual obstructions there were in the hall, it still felt like there could be something or someone hiding somewhere despite all logic. An Assassin’s Presence Concealment could achieve that, but Archer was the furthest thing from an Assassin. Illyasviel could feel Archer in the room despite him being in Spirit Form. He emitted so much raw magical energy that it was impossible for anyone with even the most paltry sensitivity to Mystics to ignore.

The doors closed and there was a moment where nobody really did anything. There was so much tension that nobody really wanted to take action for the risk of creating an awkward moment or offending somebody. It was for that reason that Illyasviel hadn’t asked what the deal was with the two homunculi Chloe was staying with.

Once again taking initiative, mom slowly approached Chloe and extended a hand. “Thank you, Chloe. This alliance is a great boon for us and we deeply appreciate it. I hope this alliance bears fruit for all of us.”

“Yeah.” Chloe lifted her arm and hesitated a bit before letting her hand approach mom’s to shake it, but then she stopped. Chloe’s nostrils flared a few times as her chest heaved and her throat made weird motions. Was she going to throw up?

Chloe covered her mouth and nose before backing away from mom like she was a monster.

“Chloe, what’s wrong?” The ponytailed homunculi ran over and took hold of Chloe while the other homunculi stepped in front of them and kept her eyes on mom, likely assuming the Servant did something nefarious.

The tension became so thick that a plasma cutter couldn’t sever it. This was really bad. What was wrong with Chloe? Was she just sick? If they suspect Illyasviel and her family of having done something, then the alliance was off and this was going to turn into a brawl.

“They smell like fucking shit!”

Chloe’s statement melted the tension away as it was revealed that her revulsion was merely caused by the disgusting stink that Illyasviel and her family had been radiating. They had just spent several hours in a sewer full of shit and piss so they not only stank, they didn’t even notice how much they stank. The car they used to get here probably smelled like sewage too now. That was going to be a pain in the ass to clean.

“Holy crap.” Chloe’s repeated gags echoed throughout the room. “Okay, all of you need to take fucking baths. Long ones. We’ll exchange info and shit later. Liz, Sella, take them to the bathrooms.” Chloe stumbled away while mumbling, “I need to take a shower too now.”

“I’m sorry.” mom said softly.

“It’s, uh, not your fault.” The ponytail homunculus was as surprised as Illyasviel and her family. Chloe’s extreme reaction had simultaneously increased and decreased the tension. Awkwardness from past aggression was replaced with awkwardness over the castle’s guests all having their malodor pointed out. “You can just follow me. I’ll…I’ll show you to some of the bathrooms. We have enough baths that you don’t have to take turns…so you don’t have to worry about taking turns or anything, so…follow me.”

Everyone did as they were told and were guided through the castle’s corridors which shared the grandiosity of the entrance hall. Normally a tour of such a building would focus on the fine dining rooms and the fancy furniture, but instead the destinations were the bizarrely abundant bathrooms the building possessed. Illyasviel’s family broke off and went into different baths to clean off while the homunculi went to procure clean clothes that would fit their guests. All the luggage and clothes that Illyasviel’s family brought with them also reeked of the sewers so they needed to be cleaned at some point. Thankfully, the castle housed a bunch of fancy clothes that the Einzberns prepared just in case.

Mom asked mama if she wanted to bathe with her, but surprisingly, she said she wanted to wash up by herself. Normally, mama would take any excuse to have an intimate moment with mama, but she seemed like she didn’t want to be near mom if she didn’t have to. Was she having dark thoughts? Either way, mom and mama each ended up in their own bathrooms to clean up. It could be that she was thinking about Kiritsugu and was feeling conflicted about her relationship with mom because of it. But, that didn’t explain her curtness.

Mordred and Gray also both wanted to be alone, though Gray had Add with her so she wouldn’t really be by herself. Thus, every member of the family went into their own bathroom. It wasn’t as if the family was known for bathing together for the sake of bonding or anything, but it still felt unusual for Illyasviel’s family to be so blatantly distant with each other. The fact that they had just spent so long together in the sewer right after fighting for their lives probably meant they all just wanted some alone time.

When Illyasviel closed the door to the bathroom and was all alone, she just sat on the ground, though it was closer to dropping onto it. The fact that she was actually alone and in as mundane a scenario as needing to take a bath made the exhaustion she was suppressing smack into her. She could have just flopped onto the floor and fell asleep right there. She hadn’t slept at all because the night before consisted of a big fight followed by almost non-stop running. She took a nap in the car on the way to the castle, but that hadn’t lasted nearly long enough to count as legitimate rest.

Crawling around the room as she made her bath, Illyasviel took the liberty of making it a bubble bath since the area around the tub was stocked with every soap and bath bomb you could ever want and Illyasviel was too tired to bother asking permission. A strawberry scent wafted through the air and fought away the nauseating odor of the sewers. The Master immersed herself in the hot and foamy water that massaged her taut muscles and made her aches dissolve away. It was like a warm blanket had swaddled the young woman. She could fall asleep right then and there, it was hard not to.

She had to stay awake. She had to keep her mind moving. She had to think about something. But not anything stressful, she was trying to destress. The problem was that no matter what Illyasviel tried to think of, it was always something related to the war, or the weird stuff going on with her family, or about Chloe.

If she couldn’t just relax, then she should at least try to think about something productive. In that case, she would think about how she’d try to make amends with Chloe. It’d be difficult since Chloe wanted Illyasviel to stay away from her which made sense; Illyasviel nearly murdered her.

Illyasviel had to find some point where she could speak privately to Chloe and apologize. How though? Chloe was probably going to actively keep away from Illyasviel. If Illyasviel was too pushy, Chloe might even break off this whole truce due to not upholding their agreement.

It would be better in that case for Illyasviel to just apologize to Chloe when the rest of her family was with her. It would make things awkward for the rest of the Pendragon family, but it was better than Illyasviel getting Chloe alone and making her freak out. The important thing was just making it clear that she was sorry.

Alright, so what would happen after that? Best case scenario, Chloe actually accepts the apology and it serves as a bridge for Illyasviel and Chloe to get to know each other. From there, Chloe would see that Illyasviel and her mama were actually alright people. Worst case scenario was that Chloe wouldn’t accept the apology and would construe things in a way that would make her even angrier.

If that were to happen, then what should Illyasviel do? Was there anything she could do? It might have been best to call it quits and accept that Chloe wasn’t going to change if she was that volatile in her reaction. But that would leave Illyasviel unsatisfied. Was that what this was really all about? Did Illyasviel just feel guilty and that was her only true motivator? Did she just want a chance to wash the guilt away? Did Chloe’s feelings on the matter even factor into Illyasviel’s decision making? It was possible that Illyasviel was just selfishly trying to achieve some sort of validation to clear her own conscience, in which case, perhaps this whole endeavor to make peace with Chloe wasn’t really worth it and would really do more harm to Chloe than if Illyasviel let things stay as they were. What really mattered was convincing Chloe that she and Illyasviel’s family were on her side and that they should continue working together until the Grail was dismantled.

Illyasviel’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

“New clothes are ready.” The awkward diction came from an unfamiliar voice that Illyasviel could only assume was the homunculus with the short hair that didn’t talk before.

“Thank you. I have the screen closed so you can just put the clothes by the sink.”

Illyasviel could hear the door open as the woman did exactly as was suggested before leaving without a single word more. Deciding that she had relaxed enough, Illyasviel shifted from her bath to a shower as she properly washed herself from head to toe with the various body products available.

Back to her thoughts, Illyasviel considered how she and her family could convince Chloe that the Grail was definitely corrupted and they should continue working together. The problem was that there really wasn’t any more evidence than they could provide. It wasn’t like they actually knew the origin of the Grail’s corruption. If they did, then they’d just have to find evidence of that origin.

Chloe was open to believing that the Grail was corrupted which was a start. At least their conversation in the sewers implied she was open to believing the Grail was corrupted, though she might not actually think teaming up with Illyasviel and her family would be necessary considering the confidence she has in Archer’s strength being able to beat anyone when he’s at full power.

The real thing that Chloe had to be convinced of was that destroying the Grail, whether it was corrupted or not, along with defeating anyone who would try to stop the Grail’s dismantling would require assistance. In short, Chloe’s confidence had to be broken. That sounded really messed up when it was put that way. It was better to think of it as increasing her caution regarding Archer’s fallibility. Making Chloe doubt Archer’s strength would be extremely challenging and would require finesse. Chloe would get offended and angry if anyone just outright stated that Archer could be defeated. Chloe had to be guided to that conclusion herself; she had to think it was her own idea. That was easier said than done, but it was still the best option available.

It wasn’t too long until Illyasviel finished washing her body and turned off the shower. She started feeling a little self-conscious about how long she had spent in the bathroom so she dried off as fast as she could and began dressing. The outfit provided ended up being a purple blouse with a white skirt. There was also some kind of ascot or ruffle or whatever that sat at the front of her collar. It definitely wasn’t her style, but she wasn’t about to complain about being given clothes that smelled clean and felt velvety soft.

Upon exiting the bathroom, Illyasviel was met by the short haired homunculus who said, “Follow me” before immediately taking off down the corridor. Illyasviel tagged behind as she was led to a dining room that fit with the rest of the house’s overly sumptuous style. There were place settings prepared for nine people at a long table and at two of those settings sat mom and Gray. Mom was in a fancy blue and black dress that was far more feminine than anything she normally wore. She looked a little uncomfortable, but it wasn’t clear whether that was because she disliked feminine outfits or just because she was so used to wearing masculine clothes to suit mama’s tastes. Gray was in an outfit that mimicked mama’s except it was gold and white and seemed to be a little smaller considering how it hugged the young girl’s form. Gray was a whole new level of uncomfortable in comparison to mom. Add was probably hidden somewhere on Gray’s person, but Illyasviel didn’t have the slightest inkling as to where.

“You two look like you're in your element.” Illyasviel said.

“I don't think this attire fits a woman as unmaidenly as me.” Mom pinched the hem of her dress with caution like it was some kind of hazardous substance she needed to dispose of.

“You’re plenty maidenly.” Illyasviel refuted as she went to take her own seat. Mom and Gray both sat on the same side of the table with one free space at the edge of the table next to mom, probably intended for mama, and Gray at mom’s other side. Illyasviel smoothed out her skirt as she sat down next to Gray.

“I was raised to be a king. Any effeminate qualities I had were trained out of me long ago.”

“This life is supposed to be your fresh start, though. Try new things. Wear dresses. Let someone hold a door open for you.”

“Normally, I’m the one holding doors open for others.”

“And that’s why you gotta mix things up. You have to constantly be broadening your horizons.”

“I suppose you’re correct.” Mom didn’t want to concede to her daughter, but she did so anyway.

“Besides, mama might like it.” That comment made mom perk up a bit. She’d do anything to please mama.

Speaking of mama, she was the next to arrive. She was wearing a long pink gown that looked fit for a princess, but the gloomy atmosphere about her contrasted heavily with the outfit. She really wasn’t doing well.

“You look beautiful.” Mom said as she stood up with a smile.

“Thank you.” There was a venomous quality to mama’s words that really made it clear that something was seriously up, all the more so when she sat down next to Illyasviel and not mom who just looked confused before sitting back down. Normally, it would be safe to assume that mama just wanted to sit next to her daughter. That was definitely not the case with how she was clearly upset with mom for some reason. Did it have to do with the discussion in the sewers? Mom and mama did argue a bit, but it didn’t seem like that bad of an argument, it wasn’t like they were at each other's throats or anything.

It was more awkward than when the family first entered the castle. It wasn’t helped that the one person who would have been willing to break the silence and change the mood was Mordred who was taking forever to arrive. He didn’t come off as the type to take a long time in the bathroom so it was confusing and aggravating to wait for him.

Finally, Mordred arrived in a pinstripe three-piece suit, looking just as annoyed as Illyasviel was.

“What took you so long?”

“What took so long was that they originally left me a dress to put on and I’m not wearing a dress, so then I had to wait for one of the homunculi to come back so I could tell them to bring me some men’s clothing since I couldn’t leave the bathroom to look for them because I was naked and so it took forever for anyone to pass by and then it took them forever to get me a new outfit and the whole thing pissed me the fuck off.” Mordred plopped into the free seat next to mom as he ranted.

The one who brought Mordred to the dining room, the pony tail homunculus, looked ready to punch a wall. Considering Mordred’s attitude, Illyasviel could imagine that Mordred was acting like quite the pain in the ass himself throughout the little debacle that was just described.

“I thank you all for listening to Chloe’s demand that you bathe. I apologize for her rudeness.” The homunculus had composed herself quite quickly.

“Not to worry, it was no trouble at all.” Mom said. “We were more than happy to have the opportunity to clean ourselves after the previous night.”

“We thought it prudent that we have lunch together before we start exchanging information, is that okay?”

“That’s more than fine.”

“I’ll be in the kitchen then. The food should be right out.” The polite homunculus left.

“This better be damn good food.” Mordred leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head.

“If this meal will match the decor, then it should be more than refined enough to suit our pallets.” Mom had an undertone of eagerness to her words.

“It’d be funny though if they just dropped a bunch of McDonald’s hamburgers in front of us or something.” Illyasviel snickered a bit as she spoke. Mom’s entire face drooped down at the thought as if it were melting. She hated any and all kinds of fast food. “I still don’t get why you’ve got such picky taste buds, mom. You came from a time where most food consisted of taking some meat and boiling it to Hell and that’s it. Any modern food should taste orgasmic in comparison.”

“She’s always had fancy-shmancy taste buds. She hated the food back in Camelot no matter what was made for her.” Mordred said.

“You act like I was ungrateful for the food I was presented with.” Mom was offended. “I acted politely and graciously accepted every dish made for me.”

“You may have acted all appreciative and shit, but we knew you still thought the food tasted like horse piss.”

“How could you have known that? I perfectly concealed my true feelings.”

“No, you didn’t. Your face was easier to read than a book meant for preschoolers.”

Mom was both angry and embarrassed, but lacked any kind of comeback.

It turned out that the homunculus wasn’t lying when they said the food would be right out. She returned with a trolley covered in dishes of rouladen, bratwurst, sauerkraut, potato salad, kartoffelknödel, reibekuchen, applesauce, and more. Any doubts about the refinement of this meal were forgotten after seeing the blatant precision that had gone into preparing each dish.

“This looks fantastic.” Mom was trying not to drool.

“Thank you.” the homunculus said as she began placing the smorgasbord of food on the table whilst Chloe and the other homunculus entered the dining room.

Chloe sat across from mom while the two homunculi sat at each of her sides, leaving only one place setting left across from mama. That place was soon filled by Archer who materialized and took a seat which looked very silly considering his giant size that made him look like an adult sitting at the kids table.

“Welp, we’re all here.” Chloe sounded like she had resigned herself to this situation rather than it being something she wanted to happen. “We should probably all introduce ourselves properly or whatevs before we eat, yeah?”

A dropped fork linked onto a plate as Mordred realized he wasn’t supposed to have started eating yet. He currently had a mouth full of dumplings as everyone stared at him.

“Whatever.” Chloe couldn’t even bring herself to sigh. “I’m Chloe, the one with the short hair is Leysritt, the one with the ponytail is Sella, and Archer is Heracles. Just say what your names are and we’ll eat.” Mordred swallowed to try and say his name, but he started choking a bit and had to chug his glass of water. “Christ.”

“I’m Mordred.” The man coughed out.

“Good for you. We already know Illyasviel and Irisviel, so who are the other two? I mean, one of you is King Arthur, but I can't tell which?”

“I am Artoria Pendragon, more commonly known as King Arthur.” mom declared with a kingly countenance.

“Neat. And the other one.”

“Gray.”

“Aight, let’s eat.” That was all that needed to be said. Everyone began to dig in with differing levels of abandon.

Mordred went back to shoving as much food as he could into his mouth which made Illyasviel wonder if he was actually tasting anything with the way he inhaled his food. Illyasviel didn’t have much room to talk since she was also scarfing down food to fill her empty belly. Mom and Gray were both eating up a storm, but with a refined air to them that persisted despite their gluttony. Mama was eating, but with nowhere near the passion as the rest of her family.

Chloe was eating with a very casual pace and a lack of elegance. She certainly wasn’t eating in the stiff and controlled way Illyasviel remembered the Einzberns teaching her. It appeared that Chloe was actively trying to be unrefined and failing. She would shove food in her mouth, but it was so awkward looking that it could only have been performative. She was trying to not act the way the Einzberns taught her to, assumedly because of Chloe’s hatred of them.

Sella was eating with the grace expected of a member of the Einzbern family while Leysritt was eating the fine cuisine like junk food as she casually tossed it off her utensils and past her lips. It was actually pretty impressive that she could do that without getting even a drop of anything on her face. Archer looked funny as he held the tiny silverware between his tremendous fingers. He still managed to cut up and consume his food with precision that only the likes of a Heroic Spirit could have. The giant was kinda cute the way he was eating so politely with a relatively tiny fork and knife.

The food itself was just fantastic, like, it was so fucking good. Everything was perfect and the different tastes all managed to enhance each other, leading to this sort of feedback loop of flavor that made each bite better than the last. Shit was straight up addictive.

“All this food is fantastic.” Illyasviel said. “Can I ask who made all this?”

“It was me.” Sella raised her hand.

“You made all of this by yourself?”

“That’s correct.”

“You’re amazing. Everything’s spot on and there’s so much of it. You must have been cooking all day.”

Sella’s cheeks became flushed. “It didn’t take that long. I’m glad you like it.”

“This stuff’s great.” Mordred said despite his mouth being stuffed with food.

“Mordred, swallow before you talk, it’s rude to speak with your mouth full.” mom chided.

“I don’t see what the problem is.” Chloe also spoke with food in her mouth and purposely had some spittle out.

“Chloe, she’s right.” Sella chimed in. “It’s unbecoming to talk while you're eating.”

Both Mordred and Chloe swallowed and murmured something or other to each other. They were united in their dislike for being told what to do.

Illyasviel was looking at Chloe and, for a brief instant, the twins’ eyes met. Chloe immediately looked away like a nervous child. She really did hate and fear Illyasviel. The memory of holding a gun to Chloe’s head returned. Those feelings of wanting to just pull the trigger and watch her brain spread out across the pavement below darted about in Illyasviel’s mind and made her fear nothing more than her own reflection for fear of seeing the monster she had become. Was that bloodlust still in her somewhere, ready to bubble up and scald those that got to close?

Such wrath had manifested inside Illyasviel and all over the loss of a single memento of her daddy, a man that became hazier in her mind every day. But that was no excuse. The man named Kiritsugu Emiya had left plenty of momentos, they were simply immaterial. The fact that Ilyasviel was born at all, the fact that mama had been saved from her apparent fate to become the Grail’s vessel, the Magic Crest that has been etched into Illyasviel’s back, they were the ripples in the water which proved that Kiritsugu had lived.

And so there was no excuse for Illyasviel’s wrath in those dark moments during the previous night, especially when the target of that vitriol was Chloe, a girl who never had the chance to really live before and who was haunted by traumas beyond Illyasviel’s comprehension. The hate in Chloe’s heart was all too understandable and did not damn her. She needed help which Illyasviel was desperate to provide as penance, and if she didn’t have the right to help Chloe that way, then she was at least obligated to apologize earnestly and directly.

“Chloe.” The words crawled their way out of Illyasviel’s throat so quietly that nobody but the Servants heard them. “Chloe.” Illyasviel said again. Chloe looked over this time. “Chloe, I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For what I did last night. For when I tried to kill you.” All noise died as everyone halted in their consumption. Illyasviel feared that she would lose her nerve if she looked Chloe in the eye or could see everyone staring at her, so she kept her eyes on her plate of sausage. “I got angry and tried to kill you. I’m sorry.”

Illyasviel wasn't sure if her blood was still flowing. Everything, even time itself regressed to a crawl as Illyasviel awaited a response, any kind of response so the tension in her muscles like that of a compressed spring could be released and she could make her next choice, her next action rather than continue to wait as all things stagnated. She started this and yet she wanted nothing more than for the moment to end already so she could hide herself away somewhere by herself. She didn’t just want this moment to end, she wanted it to fucking die and stay dead. Why didn't she just let sleeping dogs lie? Chloe didn’t want anything to do with her, couldn’t she just leave things at that rather than make things uncomfortable like this? Chloe was just going to get mad and she had every right to. After what Illyasviel did, how dare she think that just saying she was sorry was going to mean anything. It was insulting.

Illyasviel was going to throw up. She had been thinking that a lot lately, but this time she was serious. She was going to throw up and right when everyone's eating and everyone’s going to be disgusted and upset. Illyasviel’s family was going to try and console her afterward and that would just make her feel even worse and it was going to be an unmitigated nightmare. The food in front of Illyasviel became blurry and multiplied. Everything began tilting back and forth like a boat on rough seas and the nausea Illyasviel felt intensified. Her hands were shaking and she couldn’t stop them so she had to hide them under the table. The vertigo was so intense that Illyasviel would hit the floor if she tried to get out of her chair. Her heart punched her ribs as it expanded so rapidly and with such power that it was bound to burst at any moment. If something didn’t happen soon, then Illyasviel was going to scream.

“Fine, I forgive you or whatever.”

“Wh-” Illyasviel’s breathing hitched, yet her muscles softened and her body regained some sense of a healthy equilibrium. Were her ears working?

“I mean, I tried to kill you, too. So sorry for that, but it was war and stuff so I was just trying to win. We were both just fighting like we were supposed to, so it’s whatever.” Chloe looked at the wall as she spoke dismissively, but with just enough of a tinge of genuine emotion as to imply sincerity.

“So you aren’t mad anymore?”

“I just don’t wanna think about last night anymore so let’s just pretend it didn’t happen. A fresh start or some shit like that.”

“Okay.” Illyasviel felt like she was going to turn to liquid. She was so at ease. Her eyes moistened, but she managed to stop herself from outright crying. Fresh start. They’d have a fresh start. That sounded really nice.

“We appreciate your forgiveness.” Mom was smiling.

“Yeah, sure, whatever.” Chloe shoveled food into her mouth. Illyasviel wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw Archer smile for a moment.

The dinner continued on with more awkwardness and small talk. Never did the two families really click, but the hostility faded and by the time the last morsel was ingested, everyone was able to sit together relatively comfortably with the thought of betrayal safely buried.

“Would anyone like coffee? Tea?” Sella was cleaning up the plates with mama, Gray, and Illyasviel’s help.

“Coffee.” Chloe raised a finger, as did Leysritt.

“Same here.” Illyasviel followed.

“I’d like black tea if you have it.” Mama spoke up for the first time in a while.

“I’d like green tea.” Mom looked at Mordred. “Do you want anything?”

“Coffee. Make sure it’s got lots of milk and sugar.”

“What are you, a little kid?” Chloe spoke with the cadence of a high school bully.

“Shut it.”

“I’ll just have water.” Gray said.

“As will I.” Archer seconded.

“All right, I’ll be back in a bit.” Sella went to get everyone’s after meal beverages.

“Okay, now that we’re done eating, how about we get down to business.” Chloe was stretching as she spoke.

“You mean exchanging information?”

“Exactamundo.” Chloe did double finger guns towards mom. “Everything about ourselves, our pasts, abilities, all that crap, and also all the info we’ve got on the Grail, the other Masters and Servants, the overseer. All the shit.”

Mom’s body straightened. It was time to be honest, though they’d still have to be careful about oversharing. They didn’t want to give away everything about them in case this alliance went poorly.

“As you wish. Where shall we start?”

And thus everyone's drinks arrived and the awaited moment of information exchange began, going on for many hours due to there being so much to be said by pretty much everyone.

Illyasviel’s family revealed most of their secrets, their abilities, and their history. Chloe’s facade of disinterest and selfishness was chipped away as the trials of the Pendragon family clearly captivated her. When she heard of the agony of Kiritsugu’s death and the aftermath, of Gray’s early childhood and struggle with self-actualization, of mama’s mental corruption and lashing out, of mom’s tragic life as King Arthur, of Mordred’s abandonment and rebellion, Chloe could only listen attentively with empathy abounding as she too knew what it was like to live through great pain.

When Chloe started to tell her own story and share the information she had to provide, Illyasviel couldn’t help but silently cry. The horrors she faced in that frigid castle at the unfeeling hands of the Einzberns were beyond belief. Even mama was shocked at the disturbing depths that the Einzberns went to prepare Chloe to be the ultimate Master. Survivor’s guilt plagued Illyasviel’s heart as she thought of how that suffering should have been hers, even as she understood that Chloe also wouldn’t have been born in that case.

At least Sella and Leysritt were there to help Chloe through that wretched life. They were like her guardian angels, the scaffolding that propped her up and kept her from collapsing from the weight of the Einzberns’ expectations. It was no wonder why Chloe considered Sella and Leysritt exceptions to her belief that all Einzberns were pure scum. It went to show how there would always be good people, even in lands and households that had gone mad.

And then there was Archer, the mighty Heracles. He was Chloe’s savior. His strength which was nigh-absolute was able to break the fetters on Chloe’s being with a casual ease that made it obvious as to why so much faith was put in him. There was no way that Chloe would ever doubt his ability, Illyasviel’s plan to plant the seeds of such doubt being abandoned on the spot upon learning the special place the hero had in Chloe’s heart.

Illyasviel wasn’t sure what to think upon learning that Lancer was Scáthach, queen of the Land of Shadows. Scáthach had a relatively minor role in the Ulster Cycle. She was the mentor of Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad and the one who gave Cú Chulainn his spear, Gáe Bolg, but that was it really. It could be argued that Scáthach’s twin sister Aífe had a more notable part to play in the tale of Cú Chulainn since she bore his son, Connla. There certainly weren’t any famous weaknesses that Scáthach had, and from what Archer said, Scáthach had a near endless arsenal of abilities that made her capable of standing toe-to-toe with nearly anyone. Even Archer's Nine Lives couldn’t kill Scáthach. Pair Lancer with her Master who was on the level of a Servant when boosted by Primordial Runes, and they were a team that could not be underestimated in the slightest.

“And you have no idea where Lancer and her Master went after they went through that gate?” Mom wanted to make sure if there were any leads to follow or not as to their location.

“I mean, the Noble Phantasm they used to escape was called Gate of Skye, and the Land of Shadows that Scáthach rules is on the Isle of Skye, so maybe it leads there, but I dunno.” Chloe shrugged.

“When the gate opened, I sensed a great feeling of death on the other side.” Heracles recalled. “It certainly did not lead to a realm in our World. If I was taken through it, I would have lost at least a life or two, and I would have been stranded on the other side, possibly dying over and over until I had no lives left. I suspect that the only reason they were able to survive using it as an escape route was thanks to Scáthach’s own power over the land within.”

“So it isn’t somewhere we could just go to attack them.” Mordred said.

“We would perish upon entering such a realm. They are outside our grasp as long as they stay there. The only chance we could best them while they recuperate in that other world is if we opened some kind of portal there, which is likely beyond what any of us are capable of, and proceeded to unleash all our offensive long-range Noble Phantasms at once and attack through the portal from the outside to try and completely destroy the entire alternate reality. I don’t know how well that would work considering we don’t know the dimensions of this realm and Artoria, Mordred, and I are stuck at less than full strength.”

“So we’ll just have to wait and be ready for when Lancer and her Master return.” Illyasviel really didn’t like that idea since that left complete control in Lancer’s hands, but there was nothing that could be done. They couldn’t even spy on Lancer and her Master using Transference of Consciousness due to not knowing where this alternate reality was. “Is there anything else left to cover at this point?”

“There’s one last thing.” Chloe adjusted in her seat and finished off her coffee. “It’s about the corruption of the Grail. I think there might be some evidence to help prove you aren’t lying, assuming you aren’t lying.”

The entire Pendragon family leaned forward. If there really was solid evidence of the Grail’s corruption, then they could finally convince the overseer that the Greater Grail needed to be disposed of.

“What’s the evidence?”

“It’s not anything absolute, but I learned from the Einzberns when they were training me about how they fucked around with the Servant summoning ritual during the Third Holy Grail War to summon an extra class Servant.”

“What’s an extra class?” Gray didn’t know what that was, but Illyasviel did.

“It’s a Servant that isn’t one of the knight classes, Saber, Lancer and Archer, or the cavalry classes, Caster, Rider, Berserker, and Assassin.” Illyasviel explained to her sister. “There are actually many other classes called extra classes that aren’t summoned in traditional Holy Grail Wars.”

“The Einzberns figured out how to alter the ritual to summon two different extra classes that would take the place of one of the normal classes, which ended up being Berserker. They wanted to summon an overpowered Servant and get an easy win. They were sick and tired of getting their asses kicked.”

“Which two extra classes were their options, and which did they go with?”

“Their first option, the one they didn’t go with, was Ruler. The Ruler class is primarily made up of saints, though any Heroic Spirit capable of impartiality can be a Ruler, too. The Ruler class isn’t meant to be summoned by a Master, but by the Grail itself to enforce the rules of the Holy Grail War when necessary, like when a war has an unusually large number of Servants that could lead to things getting too chaotic without some kind of judge present. Rulers get Command Spells that they can use on any of the other servants in a Grail War to force them to behave. The Einzberns considered summoning a Ruler so they could use their Command Spells to get all the other Servants to kill themselves and make the war a cakewalk.”

“That seems like it would have been a perfect plan, so why didn’t they do that?”

“Rulers don’t always get Command Spells when summoned, only when they are acting as overseers over Grail Wars. They weren’t sure if their cheaty method of summoning a Ruler would come with Command Spells or not, so they went with their other option.”

“And that was?”

“Avenger, a class made up of vengeful Heroic Spirits that have immense raw power when summoned. They’re kind of like Berserkers, but they’re relatively easier to control, emphasis on relatively, and are generally much stronger. The Einzberns decided to just brute force their way through the war, but they ended up having the shittiest luck ever.”

“What happened?”

“The Avenger they summoned was supremely weak, like so weak that they were borderline useless. The Einzberns got wrecked.”

“And what does any of this shit got to do with the Grail’s corruption?” Mordred’s foot was tapping on the ground.

“The Avenger summoned was filled with a Hell of a lot of hate, like, even for an Avenger. They were like manifested rage and darkness. They didn’t even have a proper physical form, they just looked like a black silhouette.”

“Are you implying that this Avenger was what corrupted the Grail?” Mama was really in the conversation for the first time.

“Possibly. The Avenger’s identity was Angra Mainyu, not the Zoroastrian god, but related. They were a normal person who became a scapegoat for all their community’s sins, everything bad that ever happened being blamed on them and they were punished accordingly. This Angra Mainyu came to be a living bundle of hate and curses that just wanted revenge on all mankind for their unfair persecution.”

What came next felt like it was from out of nowhere. Mama’s teeth chattered and the weight of all mankind sat upon her chest. “That hate. That unyielding hate at the World. That sounds just like what I felt from the Greater Grail, what went inside me!” Mamas’ breathing became completely irregular and her eyes glazed over as she was having a panic attack.

Mom was out of her seat and at mama’s side in a flash, whispering serene words of concern and encouragement. Everyone froze in place to not increase mama’s stimulation and agitate her any further. In hindsight, it was surprising that mama didn’t have an attack sooner after all she had recently been through. She must have been holding her feelings back so as to not worry anyone. Mama may have disparaged herself more than once over her belief that she was a tainted person due to the Grail’s pollution, but her overly self-sacrificing nature proved that she was pure where it truly mattered.

“I’m sorry, but can Irisviel and I excuse ourselves for a moment?” Mom asked a slack jawed Chloe.

“S-Sure, it’s cool.”

Mom nodded. “Come on, Iri. Let’s go for a walk.” With help from mom, mama got out of her seat and the couple slowly left the room.

“Does that happen often?” Chloe spoke with concern in her voice.

“Not too often, but maybe that’s just from our perspective because we’re used to it.” Illyasviel had long since lost count of how many times such incidents had occured since the Fourth Holy Grail War. They had become mundane, near unnoteworthy if it weren’t for the turmoil the attacks caused mama.

Chloe looked to the door that mom and mama had just exited through and her face wrinkled as it shifted several times. A million different emotions danced across her lips, cheeks, and eyes as she processed things whilst everyone uttered not a word as to not do anything to offend or make things even more uncomfortable. The tongue in Chloe’s mouth was gnawed on by her teeth as if to stop her from speaking, as if she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to say what she was about to say, because she wasn’t sure yet if it was what she truly felt, what she truly wanted. Chloe’s head turned until Archer’s tremendous figure was in her periphery. The tongue was freed from the shackles of Chloe’s teeth and the young woman spoke.

“I believe you about the Grail’s corruption.” Chloe rushed the words out and it was perhaps for that reason that there wasn't as big of a reaction as one might expect. Everyone just looked at Chloe with barely more than neutral expressions.

“Really?” Illyasviel asked with surprise that was so great that it couldn’t be properly expressed.

“After seeing Irisviel react like that from hearing about Angra Mainyu and the Grail’s corruption, I doubt she wants the Grail for any selfish reasons, and you all care about each other from what I can tell, so you probably don’t want the Grail for anything, either. I’ll trust you guys that the Grail is corrupted.”

“Does that mean our alliance won’t just be temporary?”

“It won’t be temporary, I suppose.” Chloe was blushing through her tan.

The sides of Illyasviel’s mouth rose up as she became absolutely elated at this fantabulous turn of events. Chloe was going to keep working with Illyasviel and her family to destroy the Grail, which nearly guaranteed their success and meant that Illyasviel would have plenty of chances to get closer to Chloe so she could free her of her lingering fury. Illyasviel was so giddy that she was bouncing up and down in her seat like she would when she was little.

“Thank you for trusting us, Chloe. This means the world to us.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Chloe got out of her chair. “Since we’re all still pretty tired from yesterday, it would probably be best to relax tonight and just observe the city with our familiars. Anyone got a problem with that?” A series of nos and shaking heads. “Then let’s all relax. I’m gonna be in my room for a bit. The rest of you can do whatever you want.”

As Chloe left, Illyasviel wanted to follow her and ask if they could hang out or something, but a wave of exhaustion hit Illyasviel again, this one making it clear that the young woman needed to sleep or she was just going to pass out. She’d have to save spending quality time with Chloe for another day.

“Hey, I’m going to turn in early. I really need to sleep.” Illyasviel said to her siblings. “Can one of you tell mom and mama what they missed?”

“I will, don’t worry.” Gray didn’t look tired in the slightest.

“Thanks.”

“I’ll show you to your room.” Sella said and Illyasviel didn’t spare an extra word as she followed the homunculus to her room. She entered, thanked Sella, and fell into the bed so poofy it was like a cloud without giving a second thought to the luxuriousness of the bedroom. The sandman blessed Illyasviel with sleep before she could even get under the covers and she dreamt of living a peaceful life back home in Denmark with her family and Chloe’s family.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 22: A Memory Best Left Forgotten

“So there are two other Sabers besides me, a human girl with power on the level of a Servant, a Lancer who managed to hack into your familiar so she can track your location but she’s since disappeared, and three different Einzbern homunculi, one of which started spewing materialized curses? Is there anything I missed?” Saber couldn’t believe the insanity she had missed from the previous night. How were there two other Sabers?

“You also missed that Lancer’s Master can fight on a Servant level thanks to the Primordial Runes she received from her Servant and that even though Lancer appears to be gone, I’m staying on the move just in case.” The voice of Henriikka came from a gem shaped like a bird that hovered in the living room of the Tohsaka household.

“So many mysteries and we don’t have any idea where to start.” Sakura was just as absolutely astounded by all the information she had just been blasted with, to the point that she hunched forward a bit and made the old couch she and Saber sat on creak. Her hair was down to a buzz cut thanks to it getting shaved for her surgery, but at least Sakura’s injuries had been healed thanks to the magical energy she got from one of the Command Spells Kirei gave her. With her Book of False Attendant, Sakura was now Saber’s stand-in Master and she had a plethora of Command Spells she could use to give Saber a power boost whenever necessary. “At least we know where one of the homunculi is staying.”

“And how do you know that again? And how was it that again that you acquired spare Command Spells?” Henriikka sounded as suspicious as can be. Saber knew Sakura didn’t want to reveal that her adoptive father was the overseer and was helping her by giving her Command Spells and info on the other Masters.

“The Tohsakas managed to hide away some of our unused Command Spells from previous wars from the overseers, and I just got lucky enough to stumble onto the homunculi’s castle with one of my familiars.” Sakura kept it cool, not a single stutter, not too eager or hesitant.

“And how did you have a familiar roaming around while unconscious in the hospital?”

“It was an automated familiar just wandering around recording whatever it saw.” Sakura spoke clearly, but the slight twitching of her cheeks gave away that she was uneasy.

“And you expect me to believe something so obviously untrue?”

“Do you have any proof we’re lying?” Saber interjected and put an arm around Sakura’s shoulders.

“No, I don’t.”

“Then why are you distrusting us so blatantly? You act like the idea of us keeping things secret is offensive or unfair, yet you aren’t willing to share much of anything about yourself. I feel like you should get off your high horse before you fall and get hurt.” The condescension in Saber’s voice made Sakura shiver.

“I’ll drop this for now since this gives us a starting point for when we attack the Einzberns. We will talk about this another day, though, be sure of that. Now, I’d like to throw out a theory as to why there are so many Sabers in this war.”

“You have an idea?” Sakura said.

“Just a pet theory, but one I feel is harmless to share. Saber, you mentioned that your summoning was unusual and that you are a Counter Guardian without complete memories.”

“That’s right. I think the Counter Force hijacked my Master’s summoning ritual to bring me into this war as its agent, but it didn’t work out well.”

“Well I think that interference may have had ripple effects that altered the ritual as a whole.”

“You think that’s why there are other Sabers? This whole Grail War is glitching out or something?”

“I have reason to believe that other summonings may have been altered in certain ways, Caster for example is far from a normal Servant.” It was rare for a Servant to have multiple bodies, but it was even rarer for what came across as some kind of alternate timeline Servant to be summoned in a Holy Grail War that wasn’t taking place in their own World. Saber assumed that Caster was a Heroic Spirit from another timeline given that her story so vastly differs from the history of the Gorgon Sisters in this history. There’s no evidence of the Gorgon Sisters being some kind of hivemind or the tale of Perseus slaying Medusa would have brought it up.

“You’re only guessing, but it’s better than nothing.” Saber crossed her arms. “Is there anything else to discuss?”

“No. For now we stick to the plan and go along with Assassin’s demands. You and Caster will go to where you were told to meet up with him.”

“That was the Center Building, but it’s gone now. We’ll hang around the area and Assassin will sense us.”

“Good, and make sure you do nothing that gives away that I exist or that Sakura isn’t still in critical condition and is acting as your Master.”

“You must not think highly of me if you think I’d make such simple mistakes.” Saber traced a finger across her lower lip while she looked down her nose at the familiar Henriikka was using as a communicator. “You should only look down on those who are below you.”

Henriikka didn’t respond as the floating gem deactivated and shifted from its avian shape to a normal rock. Saber caught it as it fell from the air and handed it to Sakura who pocketed it.

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way,” Saber looked out the window and saw that the Sun had only just begun its descent from the sky. “Why don’t we have some fun before I have to head out. It’s sisterly bonding time.”

“Is now really the time?” Sakura’s hands clasped gently. “Rin’s still in danger.”

“Do you think Rin would want you to be moping all the time right now?”

“No.”

“So stop moping and tell me what you want to do?” Saber shot to her feet.

“What?” Sakura jumped in her seat. “I’m deciding what we’re gonna do?”

“Yes, you are. What do you wanna do?”

“I don’t really know.” Sakura hid her hands behind her back and waggled her body as she expressed her discomfort. “What do you want to do?”

“I want to do what you want to do.”

“But I really don’t have anything I want to do.”

“What do you normally like to do?”

“Spend time with Rin.”

“What else?”

“Um…do whatever Rin wants to do.”

“Hoo, boy.” Saber sat back down. “I keep forgetting how attached at the hip you and Rin are.”

“Sorry.” Sakura crumpled forward in her seat so Saber put a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s not your fault. Let me change the question again. What things do you never do because Rin doesn’t want to do them?”

Sakura raised up and thought for a moment, accidentally leaving her jaw hanging open as if she was half-asleep. It was cute. “Rin hates technology, so anything like video games or using computers or watching movies on a DVD player have always been out of the question.”

“Then let’s do one of those things. Is there an arcade in this city?”

“There is, but are you sure? If you really are Rin, then won’t you hate technology, too?”

“Sakura, you’re really sweet.” Saber wrapped an arm around her stand-in Master again. “I’m doing this because I want to see you happy. If I have to be annoyed at a video game for a bit to see you smile, then that’s a price I’ll pay a thousand times over.”

Sakura smiled and blushed at Saber’s kindness. “Okay. Let’s go to the arcade.”

“Perfect.” Saber stood up. “I’m gonna need to change into some more normal clothes. Is it fine if I borrow Rin’s?”

“That’s fine. I’m sure she won’t mind.”

“Good. I’ll be back in a flash.” Saber entered Spirit Form and phased through the ceiling and went into Rin’s room. She materialized and went straight for the closet, letting instinct guide her as she put together an outfit that felt right. She ended up in a red sweater with a white cross on it, a black skirt, and black stockings. Atop that was a red jacket and orange scarf to fend off the cold, though Saber didn’t actually need to worry about the weather due to being a Servant, but it would be weird for her to be going around in the cold without being properly bundled up. She could attract unwanted attention.

Saber adjusted her glasses as she skipped down the stairs and appeared before Sakura who had just finished putting on her winter coat. “How do I look?” Saber did an exaggeratedly cutesy pose.

Sakura’s eyes went wide. “You look exactly like Rin. The hair and glasses are different, but now I see that you really are the same.”

“But I’m prettier, right?”

“Uh…”

“I’m just messing around.” Saber headed for the door. “Let’s go.”

“R-Right!” Sakura jogged over to Saber and off the duo went.

It didn’t take too long for Saber and her Master to get to Shinto, small talk keeping the two occupied all the way. Once in Shinto, it was only a short walk before the destination had been reached. The arcade wasn’t especially big or small and was packed full of different machines. Many students who had just come from school were playing a variety of games. All the strobing lights and obnoxious sounds were giving Saber a bit of a headache.

Sakura was just looking around in awe. She probably wasn’t used to seeing so much modern technology collected into one place since Rin was a borderline luddite.

“Any ideas on what you want to play first, Sakura?”

The purple haired girl hummed as she glazed around more slowly, carefully considering her options until she shrugged and said, “How about that one?” She pointed to an arcade machine labeled, Guilty Gear XX #Reload. The Hell kinda name was that?

“Sure. Nobody else is playing it right now so let’s give it a try.”

Saber instantly regretted her decision to go with Sakura to an arcade. She had no idea what she was looking at. There were so many buttons. Why’d there have to be so many? Couldn’t one, maybe two be enough? And the weird sticks with balls on the end of them, what were those? They looked weird and kinda phallic. Was this secretly a sex thing? It better not have been a sex thing.

“I think we’re supposed to stand here, and these buttons and this stick are yours, and these are mine.” Sakura gradually put two and two together on how the game was supposed to be played while Saber nodded her head and pretended to know what she was talking about.

Next thing Saber knew, they were picking the characters they would play as. Sakura gravitated towards a girl named Dizzy who had an outfit that was hard to describe beyond ‘revealing’(Saber was sure this was a sex thing now) and had these big wings that were different colors. Saber just chose the character she liked the design of the most, which was Jam Kuradoberi who had this whole Chinese martial arts aesthetic going on.

When the two characters the pair had chosen were placed across from each other and these odd bars appeared on the screen, it became clear that they were supposed to fight. Sakura started testing what the different buttons did and got a feel for how the joystick moved her character around while Saber tried and failed to do the same. Saber wanted to ask Sakura what she had figured out, but the look of determination on the girl’s face made it clear she wasn’t in the mood to talk; she only wanted to play.

Sakura went on the attack and the bar on Saber’s side of the screen began to drain away with each hit Jam took. The Servant panicked and just started to mash buttons and wiggle the stick around in hopes that she could brute force her way to victory, but Sakura took to the game well and easily maneuvered around most of the mindless attacks that came her way. Sakura’s dark intensity seeped into her gaming as she controlled her character with an Assassin-like preciseness. Every button press and turn of the stick was in service of defeating Saber. There wasn't a single motion wasted.

Saber wasn’t defeated, she was dismantled. She didn’t stand a chance against the gaming skills that Sakura had from her brain to her bones.

“You’re really good at this Sakura. Do you wanna try another game?” Saber was desperate to get away from this game and try something else that she might have had a chance at being good at.

“Actually, can we play this one again?” Those words contained a mix of the bashfulness Saber had come to expect from Sakura and a sort of passion that made the Servant get chills.

“If that’s what you want, then sure.”

And so they played again, and Saber lost again. And again. And again. And again. It just kept happening. Sakura kept getting better and better to the point that Saber was completely helpless, not even acting as a paltry challenge to the Tohsaka girl.

The Servant was so thoroughly destroyed by this rapid fire series of losses that she sunk to the ground and sat on her buttox after her thirty-seventh defeat. Sakura was so in the zone that she didn’t even realize Saber wasn’t playing anymore. The Master had picked out her character for the next match and waited for Saber to pick hers.

“Sakura, can we maybe play a different game.” Saber would have preferred running a week long marathon with her legs tied together than keep playing this game.

“Oh!” Sakura just noticed that the Servant was on the carpet. “Sorry, I guess I got really into this game. Let’s try a different one.”

And so they moved to a different machine to try a different game, and it went much the same. Sakura was like a fish in water as she immediately mastered the game while Saber was like a fish in the air as she tried and failed to survive. Sakura pummeled Saber into submission without even realizing the brutality she was putting her Servant through.

They moved on to a cooperative game, and Sakura carried them through the whole thing while Saber was a liability. If it weren’t for Sakura’s talent, Saber’s incompetence would have meant certain defeat for the both of them. Saber let her mind go blank as she just mindlessly played about with the controls while Sakura did all the heavy lifting.

Another game. Another game. Another. Another. More games. More technology Saber couldn’t comprehend. More outstanding performances from Sakura. The purple haired girl had found her calling in life and that was playing video games. Meanwhile, Saber learned what Hell was like and it turned out it was full of arcade cabinets.

“Sakura, could we perchance go somewhere else?” Saber whimpered out as she no longer wanted to partake in the Sisyphean task of trying to keep up with Sakura and her gaming lust.

“That’s fine, I was starting to get tired of these games.” Thank the Lord. “Where should we go next?”

“Wherever you want.” As long as it wasn’t a place with more machines.

Sakura held her chin as she took some time to think. “I haven’t been to the aquarium in a long time.”

“Then let’s go to the aquarium.” Saber grabbed Sakura by the wrist and ran the both of them out of that arcade as soon as she heard Sakura’s new request. Never again. Never again would Saber be sent to the infernal land of arcade games.

The aquarium wasn’t too far and it was delightful inside, tanks of all shapes and sizes abounding. Some were cylinders built into support pillars while others were more traditional ones built into the walls. All of them housed pretty or eye-catching sea life. There was an open tank that you could put your hand into to pet some small rays. Sakura traced her fingers across the backs of the creatures and got a chill, a nice one as she smiled afterward and let out a giggle. She bounced around the room as Saber followed, reading the various plaques explaining the names of the different aquatic creatures and their traits.

The anxieties that had formed a gloom around Sakura from her worries about her sister had completely disappeared as far as Saber could tell. Sakura was engrossed in the moment, watching the fishes and letting herself be at ease. She had an energy that she lacked even when she was with Rin. Being with Rin all the time probably induced a lot of stress in Sakura since she felt like she had to watch over her older sister at all times like a parent. Though it may have been cruel to say, Rin’s incarceration may have been the best thing for letting Sakura just relax and let herself be at peace for at least a little while.

Saber and Sakura entered the shark tunnel, the cylindrical hall of glass revealing the surrounding waters and the predators inhabiting them. Despite their menacing appearance, the sharks didn't act aggressive in any way as they just swam about aimlessly. The entire tunnel was drenched in a deep blue from the light passing through the water. The color made the peaceful mood even greater, but also added a melancholic tinge. It was odd for Saber to feel melancholic from the color blue, since it was usually red that made her feel that way.

That crimson cave revealed itself to Saber’s mind again, that place where she committed that action, the one she would eternally regret. Saber killed that girl, but who was that girl? There was only that vague silhouette whenever she tried to remember back. That mess of disconnected attributes that failed to form an actual image, a name, anything concrete.

The current theory was that Saber was Rin since most evidence pointed to that. Then who could that girl have been, what person in Rin’s life was the best candidate to hold that spot in that dreadful scenario? There was really only one possibility that Saber could think of.

Sakura.

Like a fog being blown away by great and terrible winds, the block that prevented Saber from discerning the true form of her victim was removed. Sakura. It was Sakura that Saber killed. Her hair was white, her eyes were red, and she was wearing a bizarre dress that prompted Saber to feel an odd sensation like vertigo, but it was Sakura without a shadow of a doubt. Saber killed her little sister. Rin killed Sakura.

How could such a series of events occur? Why would Rin want to kill her precious sister? Why did Sakura look so different? Something fundamental must have been different in that history, one that drastically changed the course of events that Rin’s life followed.

Whatever the reasoning, Rin killed Sakura. Saber looked at her hands and she could see blood on them, the blood from her memory of stabbing her little sister in the chest, of watching her, feeling her die. Rin was a murderer.

Saber looked at Sakura and had to immediately look away or she wouldn’t be able to control her emotions. She might cry or scream or run away, something undignified certainly.

The blue tint to the tunnel felt oppressive now. It was too much, everything was.

Saber looked at the sharks to try and focus on something else, but in the rays of light from above the water’s surface, vivid images of Rin murdering Sakura appeared. Saber could remember plunging her knife into Sakura’s chest, of the weapon scraping across bone as it touched the girl’s heart. That heart had a feeling of elasticity to it for those few moments before the blade finished puncturing the organ. The heart beat one last time, pushing into Rin’s knife and causing the organ to rupture, practically popping like a grape betwixt one’s fingers. The way Sakura’s eyes looked in that moment was the most horrific image Rin had ever come to know. So much heartache and pain and desperation and sadness, all conveyed in a single look could never be fabricated or replicated. It was a once in a lifetime sight that no sane person would ever wish to see.

There were no two ways about it, Saber had to leave and contemplate somewhere private. The Servant slowed and quieted her breathing to make sure her next words would sound even and unfiltered through the turmoil she was enduring. With her face slightly turned away, Saber said to her Master, “Sakura, I’m sorry, but I think I should start heading over to meet with Caster and Assassin. It’s best to be early just in case.”

“Oh, okay.” Sakura had a cheery tone, but that fizzled out when she remembered the dire circumstances her sister was in now that her thoughts were back on the war. “Be careful.”

“I will. You’ll be fine going home on your own?”

“I’ll be okay. If anything happens, I’ll summon you with a Command Spell. Speaking of, don’t be afraid to ask me to use a Command Spell if you’re in danger. I have plenty of them thanks to Kirei.”

“But that would reveal to Assassin that Rin is no longer my sole Master. It’s that or he’ll believe Rin has used a Command Spell. Either way, Rin would be put in danger.”

“That…makes…sense.” Sakura’s hands curled in front of her body. “Let’s not use them then.”

“If you’re in life threatening danger, don’t be afraid to use them, however. Rin wouldn’t want her freedom at the cost of your life. Understand?”

“Yes.” Saber could tell that Sakura probably wouldn’t use a Command Spell no matter what now. Perhaps she should have kept her mouth shut. Saber wanted to make sure Sakura wasn’t going to let herself die if things got bad, Saber wanted to say something more, but the memories of killing Sakura in another timeline kept on appearing and with increasing frequency. She had to leave right now.

“I’ll be back.” was all the Servant said before she power walked out of the aquarium and entered Spirit Form as she headed for the area surrounding where the Center Building once stood.

If it weren’t for the fact that Saber didn’t have a physical body, she would be bawling her eyes out from the sheer horror she felt towards herself. Why could she possibly have killed Sakura? Her instinctual understanding of the situation told her that it was the right thing to do, that it was for the greater good, but the details still refused to reveal themselves.

Saber wanted to scream as her supernatural amnesia was so deeply frustrating in its pickiness. It cherry picked what pieces of information it would allow her to remember.

It didn’t really matter what the reason why was, what mattered was that Sakura was killed by Rin. Saber could remember that the Sakura in her memories had experienced the same horrendous life of living with the Matous that the Sakura of this timeline had. It may have even been worse, longer, more absolutely soul crushing.

Why didn’t Rin save her sister? Why did she kill her?

It didn’t take Saber very long to arrive at the city block where the Center Building once was thanks to her C rank agility. It didn’t sound impressive, but she could still exceed the speed of sound with ease.

The entire area was full of various public service vehicles and yellow tape, outside of which stood plenty of curious onlookers of which many were those from outside Fuyuki who wanted to investigate the mysterious and paranormal events of last night. It was amazing how quickly these people arrived and there were certainly only more to come.

Perching atop the tallest building still standing, Saber waited for Caster and Assassin to arrive as the Sun began to set.

All Saber could really do in this moment was prepare for the night to come and keep on contemplating her piecemeal memory. The same questions that were filling Saber’s mind before came circling back around and making her contained panic continue to thrive. Saber felt like a serial killer coming to realize her own amorality despite having only killed one person and for reasons that she instinctively knew to be logically correct and righteous. It was all so strange and miserable.

After the Sun had long since left and the night was here, Saber felt a Servant approaching. They left Spirit Form to reveal themself as Caster, the trio of bodies landing on the same roof as the one where Saber waited. Responding in kind, Saber returned to her physical form and donned her Servant attire.

“Hello, Caster. How are you?”

“Fine.” One of the Gorgon Sisters said. “How are you? You appear to be vexed by something. Is it the status of your Master?”

“It’s something else that’s a bit more complicated.”

“I see.”

“You don’t see, because you have blindfolds.” The longest, most awkward of pauses followed that stupid joke. “I thought it was funny.”

“That was a joke?”

“And now I feel like a spear just went through my heart.”

“My apologies.”

“Don’t apologize, it’s alright.” Saber exhaled and flapped her lips. It was an inelegant action, but Saber wasn’t in the mood to care. “How long do you think until Assassin gets here?”

“I would assume somebody as cautious as him would already be here long before either of us.”

“And you’d be right about that.” Like a bolt from the blue, Assassin appeared between the two other Servants, his body still bound up in that red cloak and wrappings like some kind of edgy mummy. “I was here long before either of you. I was even lucky enough to hear Saber’s stand up routine.”

“It was one joke, relax.” Assassin’s tone immediately made Saber wanna stab him. “Also, if you were here the whole time, why didn’t you reveal yourself earlier when it was just me here?”

“Because I feel like being stuck alone with you would be a very annoying experience.”

“Wanna repeat that?” Saber was about ready to summon her Azoth Sword and use it to slice Assassin into seventeen pieces.

“I’d rather not if it's going to make you act irrationally and force me to kill your Master.” Assassin’s threat made an electric sensation zip through Saber’s spine. She wanted to say something, but she decided to keep her mouth shut if Assassin was this gung-ho about reminding her of the power he had over her. “That’s better. Y'know, you’d be a lot more appealing to men if you kept quiet like that all the time. Why waste a pretty face with a ugly mouth?” The teeth in Saber’s mouth ground against each other. “Do you have any backtalk for me Caster, or can we just move along to business?” Caster just shook her heads. “Good. then let’s talk about what we’ll be doing tonight.”

“Aren’t we just going to survey the city as a group?” Saber said.

“In essence, yes. We will eliminate any other teams we come across with Saber acting as the main assault force, Caster providing ranged assistance, and me sneaking up on them for the killing blow.”

“Simple enough.”

“You also mentioned a personal goal of yours you wanted our assistance with.” Caster said.

“I was getting to that.” Assassin became more serious. “Separate from my Master’s goal of winning the Holy Grail War, I have a special objective which was the true reason that I was summoned.”

“True reason? If your Master wants the Grail, then I assume this true reason doesn’t relate to them at all.”

“That’s correct. Let me ask you, do you know the rule with Assassin Servants summoned by the Holy Grail?”

“Yes. At least in Fuyuki, all Assassins are supposed to be one of the nineteen individuals that held the title of Old Man of the Mountain, Hassan-i-Sabbah.”

“Gold Star. Now, all the Hassans were Muslims from around Persia and Syria, yes?”

“That’s right.”

“Do I look Persian or Syrian to you?”

“You're wrapped up, how could we possibly tell that?”

“You can see my eyes, can’t you?”

It only took leaning in and looking a little more closely for Saber to immediately understand what Assassin was getting at. “You’re Japanese.”

“Right. Not only am I not a Hassan, I’m East Asian when that’s not supposed to be possible in the Fuyuki Holy Grail War. Of course, I’m not the only one breaking some rules with their existence considering Saber over there is also very clearly Japanese, but at least in my case, that’s because I was summoned for a special duty in the place of a proper Assassin.”

“And what summoned you?”

“The Counter Force.”

Hold on, what?

“You’re a Counter Force Servant?”

“Indeed. I’ve been summoned to deal with a Threat to Humanity.”

“I see. I see. Hey, so, random question, but would that Threat to Humanity happen to be a Einzbern homunculus with long hair.”

“Yes, how did you know?”

“Because I’m also a Servant of the Counter Force summoned to eliminate an Einzbern homunculus.”

Assassin’s head tilted. “Really? I figured the Counter Force would have told me about you so we could work together.”

“Seems like there was some trouble with my summoning that caused me to come out a little weird. That might be why.”

“Weird how?” Assassin crossed his arms under his cloak.

“I don’t have memories of when I was alive or of my True Name, and my understanding of my mission is only fragmentary, I don’t know all the details.”

“Interesting. Considering there are two other Sabers, perhaps there was some kind of domino effect where one unusual summoning disturbed all the others. I can say that my understanding of our goal is also incomplete so you’re not alone.”

“Do you at least know which homunculus is the target?”

“Yes, but not why she’s the target other than that she’s a Threat to Humanity.”

“Well, who is it?”

“Irisviel von Einzbern.”

Finally, a name, now they knew which of the homunculi to go after. It was unfortunate that it wasn’t Chloe since Sakura was informed by the overseer about the location of Chloe’s base. Nonetheless, it was information and information was key to victory in a Holy Grail War. From what the overseer said, Irisviel was the Lesser Grail of the Fourth War who survived and was now helping Illyasviel, her daughter who was a Master in this war. They also claimed the Greater Grail was corrupted without any real evidence, which was suspicious. From what Henriikka’s familiars observed, Irisviel began regurgitating a strange substance that consisted of coagulated curses. That strange matter quickly destroyed an entire park so it may have been the vector through which she could destroy humanity.

“As it so happens, I know the base of one of the other homunculi. It isn’t Irisviel, but she might be able to provide a lead, and if not, we could still take out an enemy Master and their Servant.”

“You know her location.” Assassin was impressed and deeply curious in an untrusting way. “How’d you find that out?”

“I just tracked her with automated familiars my Master had set up.”

It was hard to read Assassin’s expression due to those stupid wrappings covering his face. “Chloe was the Master of Archer, yes?”

“And how do you know that?” Now it was Saber’s turn to be suspicious as she put her hands on her hips.

“Lookouts. Normal ones in this case, not familiars.” He must have had yakuza stationed around the city who reported anything suspicious they saw or heard. “Archer’s powerful, enough so that all three of us might not be able to best him.”

“That’s true normally, but he’s been weakened. From what the familiars gathered, he and the two Sabers received wounds from Lancer that couldn’t be healed. If he’s not at his best, then we’ve got a shot as long as we come up with a plan.”

Assassin closed his eyes. “That’s true, but to strategize, I’m going to need to know all your abilities and your True Names.”

“And will you be sharing yours?” Saber already knew the answer, but she figured she'd give it a shot.

“Of course not. I’m the one who will be making the strategy so you have no need to know anything about me, you just need to do what I tell you.”

“And if we say we won’t tell you our True Names and abilities?”

“Then your Masters are dead.” Assassin’s eyes opened and made it clear that he was willing not only to kill Rin and Luviagelita, but he was willing to fight both Saber and Caster right then and there.

Saber leaned her head back. “Fine. I’ll tell you what you want to know. My lost memories mean I barely remember most of my abilities anyway and I’ve got no idea as to my True Name.” They were lies and half-truths, but believable ones. “I wield an Azoth Sword and that's about it. I do know some magecraft, but nothing combat applicable.” Saber left out that she had actually remembered a few of her other abilities since the previous night.

“Thank you. You’re pretty useless from the sounds of it, but you’ll at least make a good distraction.” Assassin definitely knew that something was up, but he didn’t have enough to go off of to push anything. “Caster.”

“I have Mystic Eyes of Petrification that are hidden behind these blindfolds that are a Noble Phantasm called Breaker Gorgon.” one of Caster’s bodies said. “Breaker Gorgon can also be used to seal away magecraft or Noble Phantasms, and it can even trap people in a nightmare. I also have Tri-Blood Fort Andromeda, which was the Bounded Field you saw last night. I doubt that needs to be explained. My last Noble Phantasm is Tri-Pandemonium Cetus which produces a beam that is like my Bloodfort if focused into an attack that can dissolve any organic matter and turn it into magical energy for my own consumption. Beyond that, I can control my blood to make constructs and create weak familiars, as well as suck the blood of my enemies for sustenance. Any other abilities I possess are those one would expect of a Caster with a penchant for combat.”

“Quite the intimidating set of abilities you have there.” Assassin was right. With the right preparation, she could take on almost anyone. Even Archer would have a hard time if she went all out with every trick she had from the beginning, though that would require a lot of magical energy, which meant it wasn’t viable and she’d lose as the fight went on if she didn’t get lucky. “I think I can come up with a solid strategy with abilities like those. That said, I’d like more information. We won’t attack tonight. We’ll wait until tomorrow when I can gather together a little army for us and I’ve finished our plan.” That army was probably going to consist of most of the Fujimura Group’s members. How helpful would they really be, though? Maybe the Fujimura’s were secretly mages, but how could that many mages gather and Rin not know about it? “I do want to scope out the base tonight. Saber, take us to the homunculus’ base and I’ll sneak in and take a look around. You and Caster can investigate the surrounding area while I do.”

“Yes, sir.” Saber said as vitriolically as possible while she did a limp salute. As she lead the way, Saber thought over the situation and how this was actually to her benefit since it meant she’d be able to deal with Irisviel much more easily with help than by herself since Irisviel had two powerful Sabers on her side and some other girl who apparently looked like the other two Sabers but wasn’t a Servant yet had Servant level combat abilities. God, this Holy Grail War was a mess and a half.

The only consolation this war came with was that she got to meet Sakura and spend time with her. That little diamond in the rough was now complicated, however, by the fact that Saber just remembered she killed Sakura in another timeline and that thought wouldn’t stop stabbing into the Servant’s brain and making her feel like shit. Saber just wanted this war to be over so she could stop existing already.

The problem was that she was a Counter Guardian so she’d remember this unlike other Heroic Spirits. That also meant she’d be summoned again at some point, in some timeline that was full of chaos and had people who needed to be slaughtered. ‘Needed.’ Needed like Sakura. This was Saber’s existence, Rin Tohsaka’s existence. An endless stream of numbness occasionally punctuated by moments of sheer horrificness.

If Saber did manage to get a wish from the Grail, she would wish for her to have never killed Sakura, and if that wasn’t possible, then she’d want her Saint Graph and very Origin to be erased from the Counter Force, Throne of Heroes, and everywhere else. She just wanted her nightmare of a life to be over.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 23: Voyeur

The moonlight lit up the forest overflowing with spirits and magical energy as Assassin avoided trap after trap with footwork befitting the best of boxers. He had become like a bullet train as he headed for the castle that served as the base of operations for a homunculus by the name of Chloe. At the same time, Saber and Caster stayed back and explored the perimeter of the Bounded Field that defended the castle. That barrier was easy for Assassin to pass through undetected thanks to a certain Noble Phantasm he created using projection magecraft. It was nameless and took the form of the red wrappings and cloak Assassin always wore. During his life, Assassin encountered many Noble Phantasms and Mystic Codes, two of which being No Face May King and Hades’ Cap of Invisibility. Assassin traced them and, using his knowledge in modifying the weapons he’s memorized the structures of, became able to project a Noble Phantasm that combined the properties of both. The result was a red fabric that concealed Assassin’s scent, any sounds he produced, his magical energy, and made him unable to be detected by sight or magecraft. Combine such a Noble Phantasm with Assassin’s A+ rank Presence Concealment, and only EX rank Presence Concealment could be considered superior for stealth and assassinations.

The imperceptible Assassin was like an arrow rushing through the air without creating a sound or a stampeding bull that nobody could notice. When he stopped on a dime, he stood before the castle, Einzbern Castle, the place that was his destination and a place he had seen before. So much of his original life was just a haze after being summoned so many times. Some things still stood out clearly like that golden haired girl he failed to bring salvation to despite the strength of his ideals. The palace in the forest was less clear in his mind, but he still knew with certainty that this building was somewhere he had been before even as its significance was lost to him. Assassin could feel multiple presences in the castle, several of which created a sense of nostalgia in the Servant, likely due to them having some part in the past he had long since abandoned. Assassin was just a solider now, a murderer, a hero, a slave, a guardian. The person he once was existed so far in the past that he may as well have been a different person entirely. But he was still a person who inevitably became who he was today, because of who he was, and because of the beliefs he held in justice and heroism. If only that boy hadn't been such a fool, if only he hadn’t decided to walk down the path his father had rightfully abandoned.

Letting his self-hatred pass away, Assassin entered the castle by phasing through its walls while in Spirit Form. The inside of the building was bathed in light that made it clear just how much empty space there was in every hall that Assassin snuck through and in every room that remained unoccupied.

Assassin did eventually come across an occupied room and in it slept a girl who hadn’t even bothered to get under the covers. She looked almost exactly like Irisviel, but there were subtle differences in their facial structures that implied that they weren’t different individuals. The yakuza that Assassin had stand lookout around the city mentioned seeing three different homunculi with two looking very similar. Why was she here? The yakuza mentioned that the two similar looking homunculi were fighting the third one, Chloe. Something must have happened since then that caused them to form some sort of alliance, or the fight before was actually just due to a temporary falling out. In any case, this implied that Irisviel was here, but it also meant that it was likely that the two Saber Servants in red and blue were here as well. Assassin had sensed multiple Servants present and it looks like he was right. If the other Sabers were here, then that meant that all three Servants that had received wounds that couldn’t heal because of Lancer were present in the castle. That might have been why they were working together, they were weakened and so they decided to team up to be safe. Even if they weren’t at full strength, an Archer as strong as the one in this war and two Sabers are a threat that Assassin would prefer not to face head on.

Since this homunculus was alone, Assassin could just kill her, but he could also kidnap her and use her as a bargaining chip. If he captured her and revealed himself now in front of the rest of the occupants of this castle, then he could try to force them to let him kill Irisviel in exchange for this homunculus, but they’d likely be smart enough to know that he’d never actually kill this homunculus in that case since he’d lose his bargaining chip and they could just swarm him. It would be better to take this homunculus and leave now, and then come back and tell them he has her in his clutches to force them to do what he says like he’s doing with Saber and Caster. There was still the question of if they would be willing to let him kill Irisviel in that case. It might have been safer to just tell them to do whatever he said and to help him like with Saber and Caster, and then secretly kill Irisviel when he eventually got the chance. He could also continue surveying the mansion and see if he could just kill Irisviel and escape, but if he left this homunculus here and it turned out there was no way for him to assassinate Irisviel and get out, he’d want to come back and return to the hostage plan, but this homunculus might not be alone anymore by that point. She might even wake up.

It was a hard call to make. Archer closed his eyes and focused on his sense of hearing. The homunculus’ breathing was heavy and her body barely moved at all. She was in a deep sleep that she wouldn’t be waking from any time soon. If the other occupants of the building were aware of this homunculus’ state, they were unlikely to try and wake her if they didn’t have to. It was safe then to leave her and to come back to kidnap her if killing Irisviel wasn’t possible.

Assassin continued making his way through every hall and room of the mansion, memorizing the layout to make a map of later. There was no doubt that this was a location that Assassin had been to in life due to how easily he predicted where certain halls led and what the interiors of specific rooms were like.

In another bedroom, Assassin found his mark. Irisviel was sitting alone, crying. Why was she crying? Assassin didn’t care. This was perfect. He could lop Irisviel’s head off with a single swing of Kanshou while he sliced through her heart and lungs with Bakuya all in one swift attack. It was best to be thorough in her execution due to the threat she posed towards mankind. You never knew who had the ability to revive or regenerate or who had a body made of insects. That said, Assassin didn’t want to waste time making sure she was dead; he increased his chances of getting caught that way. He’d take just enough time making sure the embers of her soul were suffocated and then he’d be gone before anyone realized a thing. Black and white short swords projected into Assassin’s hands and he was about to do his duty.

A knock on the door. A Servant was on the other side. Assassin was so distracted being pleased at the fact that he found his target that he let his focus waver. A rookie mistake that made him bite his lip.

Irisviel frantically wiped the tears from her face and looked into a mirror to check herself, likely to see if it was obvious she was just weeping. She went to the door and opened it to reveal a face that was both familiar and new to the eyes of Assassin.

“Mordred, did you need something?”

Mordred, the treacherous son of King Arthur. Small wonder why he looked so familiar. This Servant was likely one of the Sabers, the one described as having wild behavior. If Assassin tried to take out Irisviel right now, he’d probably succeed, but this Mordred would likely lash out in reaction upon realizing what happened. He might just destroy everything in the area and kill Assassin by pure luck. It was unlikely given Assassin’s speed, but he could get stalled long enough for the other Servants to arrive and then Assassin would be dead for sure. He would normally be willing to die to take out his target, but he still had a mission to make his Master’s wish come true. What did he care about his Master’s wish? The mission to save the World should have come first and yet he couldn’t help but sympathize with that poor soul. Perhaps they too were a figure from his past. If so, they were barely recognizable. That was how harsh the hand they were dealt was in this timeline. Whatever the justification, the point was that it would have been irresponsible to go for some sort of kamikaze attack.

“Mom just got off the phone with the airport. Apparently there are no flights available right now and there aren’t going to be for a long ass time.” They planned to leave Fuyuki? Now that was news that piqued Assassin’s interest and wet the palette of his more devious side.

“There aren’t any flights at all? How can that be possible?”

“There’s too much air traffic and all the seats that were available were all taken long ago. The airport said it was a mix of people scared as shit of what happened last night trying to get out of Fuyuki ASAP and crazy conspiracy theorists coming to Fuyuki because they want to investigate the commotion.” It looks like their incompetence the precious night was coming back to bite them. It didn’t take an Assassin to be ‘stealthy’ enough to avoid shooting a bunch of lasers and arrows all across the city and demolishing multiple buildings and a major bridge.

“We should’ve been more careful.” Irisviel backed into the bed and sat down.

“We’ll just have to leave by car to the next city over and book a flight from their airport.” Mordred entered the room proper and closed the door behind him. “We can still leave early tomorrow morning like we planned. It still sucks ass, but we just gotta deal.” Early tomorrow morning. It might require some rushing, but Assassin could prepare his Master’s forces by then if he needed to. Arming them that rapidly would drain him of a lot of his magical energy and he wouldn't have a whole lot of time to recover. It was a good thing that working for the yakuza meant Assassin’s Master could easily provide some captured enemy gang members and wayward humans purchased on the black market for Assassin to consume the souls of.

“Fine. If that’s what we have to do, it’s what we have to do.” Irisviel sounded bitter.

“So, Irisviel, I, uh, I, uhhh, I don’t know how to say this.” It would be stating the obvious to say that Mordred was unconfident at that moment. The only reason it was noteworthy to point out was because Mordred had earlier shown a sense of confidence, blind confidence from what Assassin suspected, about himself that he now lacked. He was trying to broach a subject he wasn’t comfortable with, or maybe he was just unused to these kinds of situations. “I…I know you were just crying. It makes sense considering all the shit you’ve got to put up with. But it also feels like you’re upset about something that the rest of us don’t know about.” Irisviel kept shifting in place. “What I’m saying is that if you want to talk to someone about it, then you can talk to me.”

“I’m fine. I vent to your mom when I need to.”

“I totally get that, but I have a feeling that it’s mom you have some kind of problem with.” Mordred pulled up a chair and sat face-to-face with Irisviel. “If you want to share, it’s fine. I won’t tell mom anything. I won’t force you, but I think it’d be a good idea for you to let off some frustration.” So Irisviel wasn’t in the best mental state. That might be a contributing factor as to why she’s perceived as a threat by the World. The instability of her mind made whatever unique capabilities she had more dangerous. If she got some help from a psychiatrist then maybe she’d be able to reach a degree of mental peace and she’d stop being a threat, but it wasn’t Assassin’s job to think of alternative solutions. His job was to kill all that threatened the wellbeing of Proper Human History.

A shaky breath from Irisviel as she rubbed her forehead. “Alright. You’re right, my problem is with your mom. Remember when we were voting on whether to work with Chloe or not?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you remember what your mom voted for?”

“She…abstained, right?

“Exactly. That’s why I’m upset.”

“Do you mind explaining in a bit more detail? I’m not great at picking up subtle stuff.”

“Choosing to work with Chloe was a gamble, one that, thankfully, went as well as it reasonably could. But it also could have gone horribly. Chloe could have ambushed and killed us or something like that. It was a risk.”

“Okay.”

“And your mom didn’t even bother to vote.” Irisviel spoke through her teeth.

“I, uh, can you explain the connection for me here? I’m still a little lost. Sorry.”

“It was a decision that could have meant life or death if we chose wrong and your mom didn’t even pick a side. It’s like she didn’t care what happened to us-and I know that’s unreasonable, and that she probably thought that both saying yes to Chloe and no to her were reasonable options. I get that I’m being really bratty.”

“There’s something more to it still, right?”

“It’s been pretty obvious that I’ve been more rude and reclusive lately. It’s how I get when the bad thoughts start getting overwhelming, and this time it’s worse than ever. But your mom isn’t acting like it’s a big deal. I’ve been rude to her and she doesn’t care, I’ve been avoiding everyone and she doesn't care. To her, this is just my dark thoughts acting up like usual. It’s become routine to her. My internal suffering isn’t anything special to her, it’s just part of the deal of being with me.”

“I think I get it now. You feel like, because mom isn’t visibly upset at your pain and isn’t treating this as anything too different from usual, that she doesn’t care.”

“That’s right.”

“You want her attention.”

“Exactly.”

“I know that feeling.”

Irisviel laid back onto the bed and turned away from Mordred. “I know I’m just being a needy bitch right now. I know that your mom does care about me and that she’s just acting calmly to be a pillar of strength for the rest of us, to not make us scared by seeing her scared. She’s doing the right thing. I’m just a bitch.”

“You’re not a bitch. Morgan was a bitch. I know bitches, and you’re not a bitch.” Mordred reached over and grasped Irisviel’s forearm. “You need to talk to mom about all this stuff you’re feeling. I really think you should, before we leave Fuyuki.”

“How will that help? I’ll just make her feel like garbage right before I leave.”

“Me and mom needed to talk to get through our problems. In life, after mom initially rejected me, that was it, the only time we tried talking to each other about our situation, and that was what caused me to do what I did. It was only after we came back and we managed to have a proper talk that we finally made peace and stuff.”

“You’re saying that talking things out is a good thing and if we don’t it could end up like what happened to Camelot.”

“Basically. Talking shit out is hard as balls, but it works. It worked for me and mom before, so that means that mom is open to that kind of conversation. Plus, it’s not like she’ll ever understand what you’re going through if you keep refusing to tell her what the problem is. You don’t want to leave this shit sitting on your chest until it’s too late.” Mordred spoke quietly, each word gentle. It was the complete opposite of what Assassin assumed he would be like from hearing what the yakuza told him.

“I can’t.” Irisviel’s voice cracked. “I’m not-” She took a breath. “I’m not strong enough. I’ll just burst into tears and make a big scene.”

“Then that’s what you’ll do. The point here is to get all your feelings and shit out. You’re all clogged up with emotions and you need to get them out. That’s what you normally do with mom.”

“But this isn’t the time for that kind of thing. We’re all under stress here, not just me. I can’t make everyone waste energy worrying about me when there’s a bunch of people trying to kill us.”

“Yeah, instead they’ll just waste energy wondering what’s got you upset.”

“That’s not true.”

“Really? You think that everyone hasn’t noticed how you’ve been? You think they aren’t worried about you? That they wouldn’t give an arm and a leg to help you? I mean, fuck, I noticed and I’m not the most emotionally mature person around.”

“…”

“If you tell mom what you’re feeling, you and her can at least put that energy that would be wasted on worrying and instead use it to resolve things at least a little. I don’t know how, but I’m sure you and mom can do it.”

“How would you know? You only just met me. You and Artoria didn’t even have a real relationship back in Camelot so you basically just met her too. You don’t know anything.” Irisviel’s cruel words made even Assassin feel bad for Mordred.

“I know mom can do it because she’s finally learned to open up to others. She spent her whole life as King Arthur rejecting everyone, even her own child. She made standing alone as an icon a part of her identity. It was practically her only defining feature. And then you came into her life and she gave up that philosophy. Her love for you was so strong that she changed, and for the better. She learned to be honest with her feelings and to actually tell other people about them, tell you. She loves you so much it's crazy. You make her happy in a way I’ve never seen. It makes me wish she had met someone like you when she was King Arthur. If you were around back then, then everything wouldn’t have gone to shit. My point is that mom would do anything for you. She gave up everything for people she didn’t really even know when she became king, there’s no way she wouldn’t do the same a million times over to help you.” Wistful. That was how Assassin would describe Mordred at that moment. Assassin felt like he was listening to the nostalgic musings of a rustic poet, not due to Mordred’s diction, but due to his passion.

“I know.” Irisviel was barely able to speak. “I know. Artoria is wonderful. She’d kill for me if she had to. But I’m not the same. I’m weak. I’m mean. I’m-”

“No you’re not.”

“Yes I am.”

“No you’re not. The worst you do is say catty things and that’s only because of some metaphysical depression caused by the Grail fucking with you. That isn’t that big a deal. I mean fuck, Chloe tried to kill you and Illya and you decided to let bygones be bygones. That’s so forgiving it’s kinda nuts. You even accepted me as a part of your family when I just popped into your life! Same with Gray! You’re gonna tell me you’re a bad person or too weak to do the right thing?”

“I’m too weak to change. I can’t get better. I can’t endure the pain.”

“You got through your husband dying and having to move on while living mostly like a normal person when you used to have servants and shit, right? That’s a pretty big change if I’ve ever heard of one.”

“This is different. This is about changing who I am. It's about not being a horrible person.”

“First off, you’re not a horrible person. We’ve been over this. Being catty doesn’t make you the devil, it makes you…most people. These bad thoughts are something you’ve always had, it's just that this time they’re worse and you have some problems with how mom’s been reacting to your bad thoughts lately. You’ve dealt with this kinda crap for ten or so years. You’re strong. Fuck, you’re a badass bitch to deal with all the shit you have! That’s why I know you can overcome this new shit too!” Mordred had a big grin on his face.

Irisviel flipped over with a face wet with tears and mucus. “Okay. I’ll talk to Artoria.” The homunculus sat up and hugged Mordred. The young man was unsure of what to do by the looks of it, but eventually let instinct guide him as he hugged Irisviel back and rubbed her back. They stayed like that for a while. Assassin thought about how this would be a perfect opportunity to take them both out, but some part of him he thought he had buried and forgotten stopped him. The image of a red haired young man held the Counter Guardian in place.

“Mordred.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re my son. We may not be related by blood, but you’re my son.”

Mordred’s face went from peaceful to shocked. He just heard something he never expected to hear. Assassin didn’t know why, but the idea of Irisviel being Mordred’s mother, or perhaps having a loving mother figure at all, made the former Knight of Treachery’s eyes glisten with a sheen of held back tears. “I know. I know, mama.”

Assassin left. He wasn’t going to kill Irisviel yet. He’d wait until tomorrow. He already had the skeleton of a plan forming in his head that was progressively being fleshed out.

He continued and encountered three more homunculi, one with short hair, one with a ponytail, and one with a tan who was Chloe. There wasn’t much that Assassin successfully gleaned from them as they went about doing pretty mundane daily activities.

Then Assassin saw two people who were very familiar, and very similar. That face that still appeared in Assassin’s waking dreams and never left him no matter how many tragedies he caused and stopped, it was worn by two women who were nearly identical. That beautiful warrior, that King of Knights, wielder of the most resplendent holy sword. She was sitting there on that lounge with perfect posture, her dress gorgeous yet still sitting unworthily upon that body. It was no question as to which of the two doppelgangers was the one that Assassin had known, his King Arthur.

He wished that he could have saved her. He tried, oh how he tried to bring Artoria salvation of some kind as she continued to march ahead towards a self-denying goal. That pure heart of hers was meant for better things than revulsion of the self and fighting for an impossible goal of changing the past. Assassin did all he could to help her see the error of her ways, but that also seemed to be an impossible goal which he failed to achieve. They saved the World from an evil that Assassin couldn’t remember, but Artoria still died with sadness in her heart and a wish for one more chance. She’d never get that chance for she simply returned to that hill of corpses one last time. Such was the futility of heroism.

Was it fate that Assassin met the woman he loved again? It didn’t matter. They were enemies this time and Assassin had long since abandoned any desire of his own beyond the dream that he could someday stop existing. He would kill Artoria along with all the other Servants. He would prefer not to face her personally if he didn’t have to. His plan would take that vestige of his individuality into consideration and make sure he and Artoria were on separate battlefields when the next day came.

This lookalike of Artoria that minced about the sitting room was someone Assassin definitely never encountered in his original life. She lacked the King of Knights’ confidence, though there was a simulacrum of it inside her which colored the way she walked. It was like there were two incompatible substances inside this copy, like oil and water. There were little golden specks of light in the pupils of this mimic that displayed her Divinity and made Assassin even more perplexed. Why was this other Artoria divine? Why did she give off this weird sensation that was like a Servant’s, yet not? Was she a Pseudo-Servant or Demi-Servant? She was certainly housing a Divine Spirit, but then why did she look like Artoria?

There were four Servant level fighters in this castle. This was going to be a pain to deal with, but considering the capabilities of Caster’s Noble Phantasms and the fact that Irisviel and Mordred were going to be leaving tomorrow, Assassin had an idea of how to handle this.

“Mom, have I been different today?” The copy said as she kept pacing about. So she was Artoria’s daughter?

“You’ve certainly been more confident and much calmer than normal.”

“I know, but have you noticed anything else?”

“I’m not sure.”

“I’ve been eating a lot more lately.”

“That might just be because you used up a lot of magical energy last night. You felt the natural instinct to eat to replenish your reserves faster.”

“But that also makes me more like you.”

“I see.” Artoria gripped her knee. “You’re concerned about your identity again?”

“Yes, but more than usual. I just had a random thought about this a few minutes ago, but I’m eating a lot like you, I’m calm like you, confident like you.” The copy hugged herself.

“Are you concerned you’re becoming more like me? Beyond the body?” Artoria broke her usual poker face to display visible concern.

“Yes, but even more than that. Lately my clothes have been feeling tight.” Artoria raised an eyebrow. “It’s like I’m getting older.”

“Your body is changing.” Artoria whispered before smiling. “Perhaps this means that the effect of being around me is weakening. You might be developing your own appearance finally.”

“I thought about that before when I first noticed me changing, then I remembered something. Y’know how I almost got possessed by that Divine Spirit version of you.”

“Yes.” Artoria sank down into the couch a bit.

“And you remember how we talked about how that version of you was…curvier.” Artoria stood up as if she was just smacked in the face with a revelation. “And you know how that encounter left a little Divinity in me.”

“You think that the Divine Spirit version of me is still inside you, like some kind of Pseudo-Servant?”

“Maybe?” The copy shrugged as she stopped walking around.

“But that shouldn’t alter your physiology.”

“Yeah, but I’m also supposed to be a vessel for your mind and soul. That might mean I’m a bit more malleable when it comes to version of you…entering me. I mean I already lost my face. It makes sense I’d lose everything else eventually.”

Artoria clenched a fist. “We still don’t know for certain that you’re right, but…” Artoria walked over to her lookalike who stopped her pacing about. “I’m going to try something that should be able to confirm whether there’s a Divine Spirit version of me within you.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I can connect to certain things associated with me. Avalon is an example of that. When I tried and failed to take Avalon out of Illya, I managed to connect to her deeply enough to see her Origin. I can remember what that felt like to enter another person conceptually. If there is another version of me inside you, I should be able to connect to them. I can do that to check to see if your theory is correct and, if it is, to take this Spirit out of you.”

“You could take it out of me?”

“Yes, but only through my connection to it, which would cause it to enter me to act as its new host.”

“But then you’ll be the one getting possessed!”

“No, I’ll be fine. I think the reason the Divine Spirit is, if it really is inside you, rewriting your personality is because of your unique capacity to be a vessel for the existence known as King Arthur. This means the Divine Spirit is trying to assimilate you. In my case, I am a complete being with no such capacity to act as a vessel. Also, due to the fact that this Divine Spirit and I are two versions of the same person, we’ll likely fuse together into one person with the memories and abilities of both of us. We’ll fuse equally.”

“But won’t that still mean you won’t be you anymore? You’ll be a new you.”

“No, it won’t. If this Divine Spirit version of me really is a version of me created by Rhongomyniad as we talked about after summoning Mordred, then this version of me has very little in the way of emotions. No emotion means no meaningful personality. As long as this alternate me doesn’t have beliefs that are too alien as compared to mine, my personality should remain in control due to there being nothing to push against it.”

“I think I get it. Okay. Let’s do this.”

Artoria nodded. “This may end up hurting, so brace yourself.” The copy tensed up as Artoria put a hand to her chest. Both were focused on their ritual while Assassin just watched with no way of perceiving what was going on within them. The only things he could use as signals to tell how things were going were the occasional twitches of the twins’ facial features. If the context for the situation wasn’t so intriguing, then Assassin would have left due to the lack of interesting stimuli.

“I see it. You were right.” Artoria said. “It’s so large. It’s everywhere. This is bad, it really is trying to assimilate you.” The mimic flinched. “Don’t worry. I’ll get it out.” Artoria’s jaw clenched and forehead wrinkled. Some light groans came from both women as the operation proceeded.

Light sparked from the copy’s body, the flickers of an aura. Something was getting dragged out and it was causing the daughter to grunt and whimper as she was definitely in pain. The thing inside her didn’t have any plans to come out.

Artoria was also grunting as if she was participating in a tug of war with a strong opponent and she was slowly losing. The copy’s breathing was quickening as she was all but crying from the suffering this procedure was causing. The mother kept mouthing, “Please work.”

“I c-I ca-mom, I can’t.” That was the signal that made Artoria stop, both women were out of breath as they stepped apart. The operation was a failure.

“There really is a Divine Spirit version of me inside you. Are you okay?”

“I-” The copy took in a breath. “I think so.”

The lookalikes just recovered for a moment as they absorbed what just happened and thought about what to do next. If this copy really was under threat of losing herself, then they would have to be thoughtful about how they proceeded, but also efficient since the copy would be lost to the Divine Spirit if they wasted time.

Artoria sighed and closed her eyes. “We need to be careful about this. Do you think that there’s been anything that’s influenced these changes, to make them faster or slower?”

“I think so.” The copy’s hands rose to her cheeks and her arms folded in front of her chest. “When I had to defend you from Archer, I started feeling more like a Servant and I was getting stronger really fast. I was fighting as if I was used to it, like I had more experience than I really did.”

“You tapped into my experience, or the experience of the me inside you.”

“Yeah. I think fighting is a catalyst for me to change faster. My body didn’t start feeling different until after that fight with Archer.”

“So we can’t allow you to fight anymore. We especially can’t allow you to unleash Rhongomyniad from Add. The influence of a weapon directly tied to me would definitely speed up the transformation.” Rhongomyniad? The spear of King Arthur? This lookalike has it? She suddenly became a far greater threat, but considering this turn of events, perhaps not.

The fake Artoria began to shake. “I thought I was finally becoming myself. But I’m really just becoming a different you. Not just my body, but my mind too. I’m-I’m-I’m going t-to disappear.” The girl was on the brink of a breakdown as tears were coming from her eyes like waterfalls.

Artoria sprung towards her doppelganger and held her tight. “You’ll be okay. We’ll find a way to fix this. You aren’t going to disappear. I won’t let that happen.”

“But how? You couldn't fix my face before, and this is even-”

“It will be okay!” Artoria told the girl in her arms, as well as herself. “Every problem has a logical solution. We can figure this out. We just need to find a way to separate the Divine Spirit from you.”

“But how do we do that?”

“The Divine Spirit inside you has to be a Spiritual Core and Saint Graph, just like any Servant. We just have to think of something that can separate those from bodies. The Spiritual Core is essentially the heart of a Heroic Spirit, its equivalent to the Mind, and Saint Graph is the blueprint of the Heroic Spirit’s form, like the Soul.” Artoria looked her daughter in the eyes. “That’s it. We just need something that can separate the Mind and Soul from the Body.”

“And what does that?”

“Remember what your birth mother gave to me when I took you away from your old village.”

The girl realized what was being implied. “Erosion!”

“Right. The dagger Morgan Le Fay possessed. It can separate Minds and Souls from their Bodies. We might be able to exorcize the Divine Spirit from you that way.” The daughter tried to smile, but she was so overcome with emotion that all she could do was bury her head in her mother’s shoulder. “We need to go, Gray. Let’s get Erosion and perform the procedure right now.” The girl named Gray nodded her head and the pair ran out of the room. Assassin followed in order to sate his curiosity.

As the twins ran through the castle, they bumped into Irisviel and Mordred who had left the bedroom and were confused by the commotion. The energized Artoria didn’t even give them a chance to ask a question before she began explaining the situation in great detail.

“So we need to get Erosion, like, right now!” Mordred said upon processing what was going on.

“Exactly!” And the duo now turned quartet was off with Assassin following behind in secret.

The group ended up at a dark storage room full of luggage that smelled vile. The scent mixed with the fact that this was one of the only rooms in the building that wasn’t heavily ornamented made the space stick out like a black blotch on a white canvas. Artoria dug through one bag and pulled out something wrapped up that she unveiled as an old golden dagger covered in faded writing. Assassin instantly traced it and added it to his arsenal. He understood exactly how it worked, and why this plan of theirs was a dangerous one.

Assassin wasn’t the only one as Irisviel spoke up.

“Hold on. How will we control which…person gets removed from Gray’s body?”

“What do you mean?” Mordred said.

The King of Knights looked at Irisviel, then back at the dagger, then she just closed her eyes and growled so lightly it was nearly inaudible. “That’s right.” Artoria sounded defeated. “We don’t know whether the Mind and Soul removed from Gray will be the Divine Spirit’s or Gray’s own.” They could end up killing the very girl they were trying to save if they acted recklessly. “In fact, since Erosion is primarily meant to cut out the Minds and Souls of humans, it’s more likely those will get removed than the components that make up a Heroic Spirit.”

The adrenaline that was powering the group just blinked out of their bodies and left them all deflated. They were suddenly hit with dread at Gray’s apparent fate, then elation at the prospect of solving the problem, and then frustration at realizing their hopes were unfounded. Artoria’s shaking fist was ready to hit something, but the knight’s restraint won out and prevented her from causing undue destruction.

“Fuck!” Mordred lacked the elegant self-discipline of his mother.

“Hold on. Can’t you do the same ritual you just did before to detect the Divine Spirit inside me to make it so you can aim accurately with Erosion?” Gray made a logical deduction.

“The Divine Spirit inside you is too intertwined with your Origin at this point. Aiming for it, even when I connect to the Spirit inside you, is like trying to aim for the eye of a needle from a kilometer away.”

The pragmatic bluntness added an extra sting to the answer, more than Artoria probably realized it would as the copy fell to her knees and just hunched forward into something resembling the fetal position and cried like a small child. Artoria shot to the ground and tried to embrace Gray, only to be met with the girl shying away from the King of Knights’ touch. This copy probably wanted nothing less than to feel the touch of the same existence that was stealing away her identity. Artoria stayed crouched, hand on her face as she was probably just as trapped in her own mind as Gray was. They both were feeling the unadulterated despair of the moment. Irisviel was silently in tears for the third time today, or at least the third time Assassin had seen, and Mordred was interlocking his fingers as he looked ready to murder someone. What an utterly hopeless scenario.

“You could find Touko Aozaki to fix this.” The third homunculus, Chloe, stood in the room’s doorway. Assassin noticed her listening in and following the group as far back as when Artoria frantically explained the situation to Irisviel and Mordred. Assassin hadn’t expected her to reveal herself considering how careful she was being to stay unnoticed.

“What do you mean?” Artoria said. All eyes except Gray’s were on Chloe. “Who’s Touko Aozaki?”

“She’s a magus who specializes in, among many things, puppet magecraft. She can replace limbs with fake ones that look real or even use a puppet as a vessel for a person’s Mind and Soul.” Chloe walked into the room with her arms crossed.

“I’ve heard about her. She’s under Sealing Designation.” Irisviel said.

“Yeah, but she’s hiding out in Japan. I don’t know exactly where, but Japan isn’t exactly a big country. I’m sure you could track her down, especially if I help you guys by sharing some of the resources and information the Einzberns left behind.”

“If we get her help, she could provide a puppet body for us?” Artoria stood up.

“Yup. That way, even if you cut out Gray’s Mind and Soul with your weird dagger and not the Divine Spirit, you can just have Gray transfer into the puppet body. I hear that Touko Aozaki’s puppets are actually able to have their appearance molded based on the blueprint of the Soul. Since you guys said that Gray’s body is meant to be a vessel or whatever and that’s why she looks like Artoria, then this puppet body wouldn’t have that problem and would end up looking like what Gray ‘really’ looks like, as in what she’d look like if she wasn’t affected by the concept of King Arthur.”

That got the copy’s head to rise. “So this could really save me? And it would give me my own unique face?” Gray’s words slurred together as she was still crying.

“Pretty sure.” Chloe shrugged. “I’m no expert on puppets, I’m an alchemist, but it should work if the rumors are true.”

“And you’ll really help us?”

“We’re allies, right?”

The doppelganger of King Arthur looked like she was going to throw up, or maybe scream. Whatever she was feeling, it was intense. The girl got off the ground and latched onto Chloe in a embrace so tight that it made Assassin wince. He imagined how much that vise of a hug must have hurt as Chloe was suffocating.

“Thank you so much.” That was the only decipherable thing Gray said as everything else that came from her mouth was incoherent babble.

“Let go.” Hissed Chloe as all the air in her body was squeezed out.

Gray did as she was told and Chloe gasped for air, only for her to get pulled into a gentler hug by Artoria this time.

“Thank you so much, Chloe. This is something that…you just solved a problem for us that was so great it was near unfathomable. Not just the invasion of this Divine Spirit, but of Gray’s identity. This is the best gift we’ve ever received.” Artoria couldn’t keep her own tears from flowing. It was a strange sight for Assassin. To see this mighty king so vulnerable. To see the shell he failed to crack just burst like a bubble, it made Assassin feel inadequate and yet happy to know that there was at least one timeline where Artoria Pendragon managed to be free.

“You're welcome.” Chloe pushed Artoria off of her and stood like she got a stick shoved up her ass. “Like with Irisviel, Gray should probably get out of Fuyuki ASAP, right?”

“You’re right.” Artoria composed herself. “Irisviel. Do you mind if Gray goes with you and Mordred? I know you were originally planning to leave the country, but instead you could spend your time outside Fuyuki searching for Touko Aozaki throughout Japan.”

“That’s fine with me.” Irisviel said. “It’s better than waiting around anxious about how the war is going with us gone. It’s better to have something to do and there’s nothing more worth doing than helping one of my children.” Irisviel hugged Gray who buried her face into her mother’s chest. These people just loved hugging each other and crying, huh?

“Y’know, Chloe,” Mordred leaned on Chloe’s shoulder. “I thought you were just a bitch when we first met, but you’re actually kinda alright when you’re not trying to kill us for dumbass reasons.”

Chloe shrugged Mordred off her. “That’s about as backhanded a compliment as I've ever received, but that’s still more than I expected to ever get from you so thanks. That said, don’t touch me ever again.”

“Sure, whatever.” Assassin had the distinct impression Mordred was now going to go out of her way to touch Chloe whenever possible to annoy her.

The whole moment turned all wholesome and Assassin knew he wasn’t going to learn much else that was useful. Assassin left as he came, swiftly and completely undetected. He didn’t bother going back to the sleeping homunculus to kidnap or kill her since he had a new plan that was a safer bet to go with. With all that he had learned, he already had a perfect two-pronged attack in mind that would lead to the elimination of multiple threats, including Irisviel. As the trees of the forest whizzed by and Assassin thought of how he would explain his strategy to Saber and Caster, he also thought about the lingering melancholy of having reunited with more than a few people from his original life, even if he couldn’t properly recognize all but one of them. Ah well, melancholy was far better than the much more depressing feelings brought about by most of Assassin’s missions. Those usually involved killing far more people.

The fact that killing his former loved ones was something he considered not that bad was the ultimate signifier of just how tragic Assassin’s existence really was. He was a machine, a mind of steel that would forever work without rest to save humanity from itself. How pretentious a thought, but it was an apt description of the situation. Humans would always be under threat from other humans, and it was Assassin’s job to eliminate those dangerous humans. This endless cycle of suffering born from the very act of being, like that which the Buddha described, would never be stopped. No rod would get between the spokes and stop the wheel from turning. It would just keep on going ad infinitum.

And so Shirou Emiya would keep on killing for the sake of an ideal he had long since forsaken.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 24: Interlude: Like a Fiddle

“So the overseer’s cracking down since those other Masters don’t know how to keep their Servants on their leashes.” Atrum Galliasta grunted as the woman on his crotch continued to bob her head. “If all the opposition is this incompetent, then we really have nothing to worry about. That said, we should be careful or I’ll end up like Archibald.” Atrum turned his head and began wrestling tongues with a woman wrapped around his arm.

Atrum Galliasta had just received a report from one of his assistants letting him know of the overseer’s warning, all while he was in the middle of an orgy with his many concubines in his giant bedroom. It was the night of the second day of the Holy Grail War and originally Atrum was cautiously surveying the city with his familiars while he stayed in the bedroom of his penthouse in Shinto. As the hours passed and it became clear that everyone was going to be staying in that night after the madness of the previous day, Atrum got bored and decided to have some fun. His many sluts were women he had brainwashed with his curse magecraft which meant they were always raring to go when he was.

The bird made of mercury that served as the overseer's messenger familiar twitched and cheeped as it sat on the shoulder of the assistant who conveyed its warning. Kirei Kotomine had no history of using metal based magecraft from what Atrum’s research had told him, but every magus has their secrets so he paid it no mind.

It was when Atrum jerked his head back as he climaxed that he also felt his Servant enter the room. The man had dark skin contrasted by long silver hair. He wore a bodysuit of black with a few bits of armor on certain places. On the Servant’s chest was a glowing green tattoo that reached up to one of his cheeks. He had horns on his head, draconic wings on his back, and a black scaled tail. Anyone who saw this man would understand he was a legendary knight whether he wore his Servant attire or not. Such was the nobility and strength that he radiated with his mere presence. He was a living legend who slew the most famous dragon in all of western lore, Fafnir. He was a Rider who tamed that dragon for his mount, a hero Atrum went to great trouble to acquire the catalyst for. Siegfried. A powerful Servant and one who was loyal. His only attempt at rebellion was when he saw Atrum’s workshop due to his objection to sacrificing human lives to produce magical energy. That forced Atrum to use a Command Spell so he’d behave, but he’d been docile since then. That was good since Atrum would have had to bribe the overseer to let him swap Servants with another Master if Rider stayed impudent.

“What is it, Rider?” Atrum said while basking in the afterglow.

“A Servant is coming.”

Atrum sat up straight. “Right now? Right here?”

“Yes.”

“Why would they be so stupid as to attack us so directly? And how did they find us?”

“I don’t know. They will be here in less than a minute.”

“That soon? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Atrum pushed multiple of his harem members out of the way as he got off the bed and went to a dresser to prepare.

“I didn’t notice them earlier. They just started heading for us at top speed.”

“You’re useless!” Atrum managed to quickly put on some pants and a button up. “Someone get me my Primeval Batteries! And get the mana crystals from the workshop!” The harem of women filed out of the bedroom.

“How much longer until-” Atrum didn’t get to finish that sentence as he saw Rider move between him and the window before there was a crashing sound. The noise was deafening and Atrum’s vision became a blur, not from any kind of injury, but because two Servants began to duel at speeds beyond what Atrum could ever achieve.

In the fog of debris that was moving through the air like a whirlwind, Atrum managed to get glimpses of the assailant who was combating Rider. He was a giant with hair so dark it just barely looked red and his eyes were golden. Sheathed at his side was a kopis and in his hand he held a sarissa spear that was twenty feet long. His armor was black and composed of a series of metal plate segments, allowing for flexibility. Everything but his head was covered in the armor and he had a rather simply designed black cloak that came over it and fluttered with every motion. The massive Servant thrust his spear with enough force to bore a hole straight through a mountain and each twirl and swing of the pole sliced apart the room. Atrum couldn’t stand anymore as the floor kept shifting, getting cut up into a series of islands that moved up and down. The giant was fierce as he held nothing back and went for the kill with every attack. This was not a warrior who enjoyed combat. If he enjoyed anything, it would only be victory, or perhaps seeing his enemy’s defeat.

Rider dodged around the absurdly long spear using his superior speed and used a short sword to try and fight back. He zipped around the room and left nothing in his wake but shockwaves and crevices in the floor. His sword was a silver blur at its slowest and completely invisible at its swiftest with the only indications that the blade even existed at that point being the diced up surroundings it left in its wake. The knight’s slashes would sadly get deflected by the pure might of the giant Servant, or would hit but not do enough damage to be significant. This enemy Servant’s physical capabilities were high, excluding his speed. He was a humanoid tank while Rider was like an anti-tank rifle that was quick and precise, but lacked the piercing power necessary for damaging a modern armored weapons platform. This enemy Servant was likely a Berserker based on their fighting style and appearance. He would be an easy foe for Siegfried to slice to bits if he had Balmung, but he didn’t have it while he was a Rider and the speed boost granted in compensation wasn’t a good enough trade off.

Even getting in close was a trial due to the sarissa’s absurd length. Rider grabbed the spear in an attempt to stop Berserker’s thrusts and disarm him, but that was a poor decision as lightning trialed through the polearm and shocked Siegfried. He let go and got smacked away by a swipe of the sarissa that continued to conduct electricity from the giant’s hand, or rather hands as Berserker began using both arms to thrust his weapon forward with even greater velocity and force. Rider quickly recovered and began evading again. The speed advantage that Seigfried had wasn't enough to keep a step ahead while the floor was such a mess that it made keeping his footing difficult. The giant spear in Berserker’s hand began to actually hit Siegfried. Most of the shots only grazed Rider, though some hit dead on and would have killed the knight if it weren't his Armor of Fafnir making all the stabs only the equivalent of E rank attacks.

Blue-green flames swirled around in Siegfried’s mouth as he called upon the power of Fafnir. The power of his dragon blood was more potent while Siegfried was a Rider as compared to other classes. A wave of dragon fire was released from between Rider’s lips and raced towards Berserker. This could have been the technique that overcame the range advantage the giant held, but it wasn’t. Berserker held his sarissa above himself and twirled it like a propeller which sent out waves of lighting in all directions that acted as a shield against the Rider’s dragon breath. The temperature in the room was rising from the fire and lightning to the point that it caused Atrum vertigo and made various objects in the room spontaneously combust. Even Atrum’s clothes began to catch fire which forced him to pat them down with mana cloaked hands to put them out. Meanwhile, Rider and Berserker went back to their original game of the giant attacking relentlessly while the knight looked for an opening.

This fight could go on like this for hours since neither Servant was able to do any severe damage to the other. There was no choice but to start using Noble Phantasms. Atrum would have preferred to avoid doing so since Siegfried’s mount was far from discreet and they just received a warning from the overseer, but there was nothing to be done in this case.

“Siegfried, summon Fafnir!”

Right when those words reverberated throughout the air, a trap was sprung. The metal bird from before was still in the room and it began to melt and morph into a big blob of silvery liquid. Mercury. This was the Supreme Mystic Code of the El-Melloi family. Volumen Hydrargyrum. That bird wasn’t the real messenger from the overseer, it was an imposter sent to infiltrate Atrum’s base. Atrium agreed with the overseer on a signal they would use to prove their familiars were legitimate so the real familiar must have been intercepted by the fake and had its memory probed to learn the signal and the message that the overseer wanted to send. It was all so Atrum would accidentally let his enemy right into his base.

The mass of mercury spread out across the ground and coated it like a carpet before walls of more liquid metal rose upward. A roof of silver finished off the construction of a small room, a cage with no gaps that had sealed Atrum, Rider, and Berserker within. Rider’s Noble Phantasm, Akafiloga All-Grið, summoned Fafnir from Siegfried’s blood to act as his mount. It was an unrivaled weapon that could overcome almost any foe, but summoning the dragon in such a small place wouldn’t be possible without accidentally crushing Atrum between the beast and the metal room.

Was this also part of the plan? Did whoever was attacking know about Rider’s capabilities? How? Perhaps they heard about Atrum acquiring the blood soaked linden leaf that could be used as a catalyst to summon Siegfried, but they shouldn’t have known which class Siegfried would be summoned into or the abilities he would have. That was unless Berserker’s Master had been spying on Atrum since before the war, listening in on every conversation. Volumen Hydrargyrum was supposedly capable of surveillance thanks to its sensitivity to sound, and it had apparently been upgraded since Archibald used it to have more complex functions. If this really was Volumen Hydrargyrum, then Berserker’s Master had to be the current Lord El-Melloi. Atrum had heard rumors about him being a participant in the previous Holy Grail War. He has experience and he must have been cautiously gathering information on the other Master candidates put forth by the Clock Tower. That was how he knew Atrum was going to be a Master and that he should keep an eye on him. That was probably how El-Melloi found where Atrum was staying; he had been tracking him since before the war began.

This wasn’t over. This mercury room likely couldn’t morph to attack while being used to seal Atrum and the Servants inside, that would require too much magical energy. Also, this space was small enough that Berserker’s giant spear had no room to be properly maneuvered. El-Melloi was a fool! He had hampered his own Servant due to his lack of foresight!

The sarissa vanished and Berserker unsheathed his kopis which was charged with lightning.

Oh.

“Conquer. I must conquer. Conquer it all.” The gravelly voice of the Servant before resumed his offensive with a series of skillful swings of his fulgurant sword. He may not have been a Saber, but his skill with a blade was nearly on par with one. Siegfried was still more skilled as his blade almost felt as if it had transcended the physical to become the very concept of cutting, but his speed advantage was less useful than ever thanks to the small room leaving little space to evade. In fact, the metal room was shrinking to force the fight to become even closer quarters which made it impossible for Rider to dodge. The knight tried to deflect the attacks, but the force was too great to offset without more room or a tougher sword. The Armor of Fafnir was being put to the test as it was hit with hundreds of sword swings that carved tiny cuts into Rider’s flesh while his short sword was getting chipped away at until it was brittle and chipped. Siegfried could use his dragon breath and it would definitely hit Berserker in such a confined space, but it would also fill up the area and incinerate Atrum. He might have been able to focus the fire into a beam that would just hit Berserker, but that would require a moment to concentrate and Berserker wasn’t so generous as to provide that much leeway. While Rider’s flames had been handily neutered, every attack the giant made unleashed deluges of lightning that Rider had to purposefully take head on so he could act as a shield that stopped the electricity from reaching his Master.

The room kept on shrinking which pushed Atrum towards the battling Servants. If he got too close, there was no way that Berserker wouldn’t take Atrum’s head off.

“Rider, what are you doing? Stop playing around and kill him!”

Rider stepped forward and evaded a kopis swing before grabbing at Berserker. He was going to turn this into a grappling match where he could take away Berserker’s leverage and make his physical strength null. It looked like Rider was going to grapple from the front so Berserker slashed forward, but this was a trick as the draconic knight swerved behind the giant and hit the back of his knees to make him topple to the ground chest first. Rider stood on the backs of Berserker's knees as the giant was splayed out on the metal ground. Siegfried wrapped Berserker’s legs around his own while still having his feet atop the backs of the giant’s knees and then Rider grabbed both of Berserker’s arms by the wrists and pulled them back. Flipping onto his own back and suspending Berserker in the air by all his limbs, Rider completed the technique. In the world of pro wrestling, this was called La Tapatia or the Mexican Surfboard. With all of the giant’s limbs trapped and his body stuck in the air with nothing to push off of, he was helpless.

Lightning raced through Berserker’s body and into Rider’s to try and fry him or make him release his hold, but he refused and just began filling his mouth with an inferno. The blaze condensed into a small sphere that would soon turn into a focused jet that would burn a hole right through Berserker’s Spirit Core while leaving Atrum unharmed. The desperate giant released an electrical storm from his body in a vain attempt to zap and kill Atrum. It was unfortunate for him that he wasn’t able to project his electricity as far when not channeled through some kind of physical movement. Pathetic. This Servant was pathetic! They may have gotten Atrum a little anxious, but now he had won! He was about to take out Berserker and he knew the identity of Berserker’s Master. Atrum was going to hunt down El-Melloi after this and make him pay!

The jet flame was fired from Siegfried’s mouth and headed right for Berserker’s heart. In that moment, the mercury room lost its shape as it all headed for Berserker. It wrapped around the giant and became armor like that of a medieval knight. The jet hit the enemy, but the blaze couldn't penetrate the silvery defense. How? Even a Supreme Mystic Code shouldn’t be able to withstand a Servant’s power. Wait, mercury was a poor conductor of heat and was noncombustible! All it did was release toxic fumes when heated! No wonder it could stop Rider’s fire! This was magic mercury!

The Mercury shell around Berserker created a tendril that the giant’s lighting channeled through. The new appendage whipped at Atrum. There was no way for the magus to react in time so there was no other choice other than for Rider to release Berserker and get in the way of the tentacle. The mercury tendril lashed across Rider’s armored body but he endured. Mercury conducted the electricity well, arguably even better than Berserker’s own weapons. This Mystic Code must have been altered to be the perfect ‘partner’ for this blasted Servant.

Oh well, at least that mercury room trick was done and there was no way that Atrum and his Servant would get caught in it again.

“Rider! Dragon! Now!”

Magical energy swallowed Rider’s form as he was about to summon Fafnir. A Phantasmal of such legendary status would dispose of the giant as easily as an ant.

“Conquest!” Berserker charged at Siegfried as his own magical energy skyrocketed in preparation for a Noble Phantasm of his own. It mattered not what it was, there was no way it would be able to kill Rider fast enough to stop Fafnir’s summoning. The Armor of Fafnir was infallible.

Rider’s sword sliced across his own arm and blood spurted out of the wound at unnatural speed and formed a large pool around him. The blood bubbled and it glowed greenish blue.

Berserker reared his kopis back in preparation for a big slash. It didn’t matter what it was, it wouldn’t be enough to end this.

The building rumbled as Fafnir was about to rise from the blood and be reborn into the new era.

“Akafiloga All-Gri-”

“Gordian Cutter!”

It looked like just a big sword swing. Nothing special, not in its power nor its artfulness. It should have been no better than any of Berserker’s previous attacks based on appearance alone.

But that name told it all. Gordian Cutter. Gordian, like the Gordian Knot, the tangled knot that couldn’t be untied. And then came Alexander the Great, Iskandar. He simply sliced the knot in two with his sword. A famous case of solving a complex problem with a simple solution.

If this enemy Servant was Iskandar, then that Noble Phantasm was the embodiment of that legend of ignoring complexities by using a simple solution. A slash that ignored everything to solve Berserker’s problems. In other words, a slash that ignored all defenses, all abilities for the sake of a thoughtless and facile victory. A slash that could cut through anything.

The Armor of Fafnir was useless.

Left shoulder to right hip. The blade went right across Rider’s torso and split his Spirit Core clean in twain. The blade he tried to block with was in pieces, as was Rider himself. The kopis went clean through Siegfried and his weapon as if they weren’t even there. The luminescent blood on the ground evaporated and was replaced by far more mundane blood that gushed from Rider’s dismembered corpse.

Siegfried’s body disintegrated into particles of magical energy so quickly that it was hard for Atrum to process. His Servant was gone and so was his dream of winning the Holy Grail War. It was only the second night of the war and Atrum had already lost his Servant. This was his first fight in the war and he lost his Servant before he could reveal his full capabilities. It wasn’t due to a tactical faux pas on Atrum’s part, but due to circumstances he couldn’t control. It was pathetic. Lord El-Melloi had played Atrum so thoroughly and completely that he had won the battle long before it had begun. It was humiliating and enraging. Atrum wanted to scream at the spot where Rider’s body once sat about how incompetent his Servant was and then run up to Berserker and punch his head off. Every muscle in Atrum’s body tensed so much it hurt and his breathing had turned into a series of growls. This wasn’t fair. Atrum was being cautious. He was doing everything right!

“Fuck you! This isn’t fair! You cheated! I should have won! I would have won if it weren’t for you fighting dirty! This is all bullshit! I would hav-” Atrum’s rant towards Berserker abruptly halted when the Servant murmured ‘Conquer’ before crouching low as if about to sprint, blade at the ready. “Wait, hold on! Don’t! Please! I’ll drop out! Don’t kill me!” The Servant dashed. “Please!”

“Berserker, stop.”

The tip of the kopis was mere millimeters away from Atrum’s eye. The magus’ vision was filled with that sword which had nearly stripped away his life. Drool slipped out of Atrum’s hanging jaw and his whole body shook, all except his head that stayed stone-still so as to not accidentally oscillate into the sword that hung so closely.

A new individual was now in the room. His hair was long and dark and his face was a constant grimace. He held a cigar in his hand which he put between his lips to breathe in the smoke as he stepped closer. This was Lord El-Melloi, Archibald’s replacement.

“Hello, Mr. Galliasta.” The lord removed the cigar from his mouth. “You’ve lost.” Atrum wanted to spout out more vulgarities and denials of this turn of events, but it was only Lord El-Melloi’s word that was keeping Berserker from killing Atrum, so he kept his mouth shut and teeth clenched. “I see you aren’t very happy about this fact. I would suggest against trying to put up a fight and just go to the overseer for protection. You might think you could make a contract with the Servant of a deceased Master, but that is very unlikely to happen and wouldn’t be worth the risk you would be putting yourself in. An associate of mine just finished destroying your workshop and has confiscated all of your tangible resources. As for your assistants, they’ve all been incapacitated while your captives, including the women you mind controlled, have been freed and will be in the care of the Clock Tower until we can return them to their homes or find homes for them. You will face punishment for your inhumane treatment of those innocents. To be honest, I don’t even know why you bothered with such a method of magical energy production. It was too inefficient to be meaningfully worth it.” The Lord lectured Atrum as if he were just a student of his who had misbehaved. This fledgling Lord wasn’t even deserving of the title. He was from a weak family with no history. He had no accomplishments to his name beyond fostering some prodigies who probably would have become stars in their fields anyway.

“Just shut up.” Atrum’s indignation couldn’t be withheld any longer. “You only won because you had experience from the last war. You didn’t earn this.” Atrum braced himself for the consequences of his outburst while the Lord just put his cigar back in his mouth and breathed more smoke in and out for a bit. After he had his fill, El-Melloi took the cigar out of his mouth once more.

“I certainly do have an unfair advantage in one sense. I know what it’s like in a Grail War, all the little eccentricities you need to watch out for. That said, all I did to find out about you being a participant in this war and what you were capable of was simple research that you could have performed in advance as well. You knew there would be more than one representative from the Clock Tower, yes?”

“I did.” Atrum admitted.

“Then you could have studied up on my entire history if you wished. I know Ms. McRemitz, the third Clock Tower mage in this war, did some research on us. She didn’t do as much as I did, but that’s because she’s a more straightforward person with a direct style of combat and problem solving. That works for her, because she’s strong. You and I are weak and thus need to rely on duplicity, and yet you were negligent in the preparations necessary for that kind of strategic approach. Your only methods of preparation were gathering funding to purchase relics like the Primeval Batteries and creating a workshop powered by human lives that barely produced any magical energy. Your loss was first and foremost due to your own arrogance and indolence.”

The absolute disrespect that El-Melloi was spouting was intolerable. Atrum worked plenty hard! He wasn’t lazy! He wasn’t conceited! This bastard was! How dare he! He was a shitty teacher who was regularly surpassed by his own students! Atrum had amassed vast wealth and spent much of it creating his workshop and buying his sacrifices! Atrum earned a victory! He deserved to win the Holy Grail War! But this bastard stole that victory away! He was a dirty thief, just like how he stole the title of El-Melloi from Archibald! He was a dirty little worm who sneaked his way into success!

“You aren’t the real El-Melloi.”

“You’re correct. I’m El-Melloi II.”

“You’re just an imposter. You’re a-”

Atrum tried to stand, forgetting the situation he was in due to his anger. He was about to defy the one who had conquered him. Berserker took the liberty of swinging his blade and ending Atrum’s life.

And that was it.

- - - Updated - - -

True Name: Siegfried
Class: Rider
Alternative Classes: Saber, Berserker
Species: Servant, human, dragon
Type: Heroic Spirit
Gender: man
Height: 6’2(190cm)
Place of Origin: Germany
Likes: Fulfilling wishes
Dislikes: Reading the atmosphere
Talents: Automatic wish fulfillment
Natural Enemy: Fafnir
Source: Nibelungenlied
Region: Germany
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Hidden Attribute: Earth
Armaments: Sword
Summoning Catalyst: Bloody linden leaf
Strength: C+
Endurance: A
Agility: A
Mana: C
Luck: E
NP: EX
Class Skills: Riding(EX), Magic Resistance(-)
Personal Skills: Dragon Breath(A), Disengage(A), Dragon-Slayer(A)
Noble Phantasms: Armor of Fafnir(Anti-Unit, B+, -, 1 person), Akafiloga All-Grið(Anti-Army, EX, 0~50, 300 people)

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 25: Just Talk

“Is that the best you’ve got? If you don’t improve soon, your arm’s gonna break off!”

Scáthach’s barks made Bazett both nervous and motivated as she kept punching forward in an attempt to hit her mentor’s face. The issue was that Scáthach was twirling her spear in front of her so fast it was releasing a constant windstorm right in Bazett’s face and the magus was meant to punch through that makeshift fan, hit the queen, and pull her arm back before the rotating pole hit her extended arm. It was like a child trying to quickly slip their hand past the spinning blades of an electric fan and pull it back before getting hit, only to obviously fail and hurt themselves. Bazett’s arm was covered in welts and bruises, the bones within cracked and splintered from colliding into the red spear too many times to count. This was the brutal and probably somewhat inefficient training regime that Scáthach was putting Bazett through to learn the Flashing Fist skill which would let the mage punch at faster-than-light speed. It was one of the many skills that the queen of the Land of Shadows planned to teach Bazett along with the Primordial Runes.

“Come on! You think you can beat a Servant with punches that slow?” The other Scáthach, the one still regrowing her limbs while watching from the sidelines, the one sitting on a parapet at the edge of the castle tower, was also heckling Bazett to try and push her.

There were two Scáthach’s now and it made Bazett’s already conflicted feelings about the woman become even more complicated. It was the night of the second day of the war and Bazett and Lancer were still recovering and preparing to rejoin the fight. They had retreated to the Land of Shadows and were now under the care of the still living Scáthach. It was kind of her to take care of the duo and she was even generous enough to help with training Bazett while the Servant version of her recovered. The Land of Shadows wasn’t the most attractive landscape given it consisted of a gray castle on a gray mountain in a gray mountain range under a gray cloudy sky, but Bazett had no right to complain. The living Scáthach had been as hospitable as can be. The two Scáthachs really were exactly the same, barring Lancer Scáthach lacking limbs beyond the half-finished versions she currently had. They were both powerful and skilled. They were both kind, even if they tried to hide it. They were both calm and quirky. They were both drop dead gorgeous with their velvety hair and stunning red eyes that paired perfectly with her subtle yet plush lips and-aaaaaaaahhhhhhh, Bazett was having the thoughts again!

Bazett’s embarrassment wasn’t helped by the red bodysuit she was wearing that was quite similar to Scáthach’s own. This was the type of outfit Scáthach made all her students wear, even Cú Chulainn, and Bazett wasn’t going to be an exception. She said flexible bodysuits like this one allowed the body optimal flexibility and the magus believed her, The thing was that the form fitting nature of the outfit that made it fit across every curve and emphasize them made it difficult not to think that there wasn’t at least a part of Scáthach’s preference for the outfit that was motivated by more lascivious interests. Bazett wasn’t as comfortable with the outfit as her mentor was due to her own lack of confidence in her body, so she had a permanent blush on her face for as long as the bodysuit graced her skin. Bazett didn’t have the gentle curves and perfect proportions that Scáthach had, the shapely legs that led into a thin, but fit waist which continued up to her immaculate breasts-aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh, no, stop, none of that!

Bazett didn't have time for thoughts like that! She had to train and Scáthach wasn’t interested in having any kind of a relationship anyway. Scáthach wanted to die.

She wanted to die.

Both Scáthachs did. It was so sad.

“Da!” Bazett’s hand was hit by the spear as it failed to get past its rotation. That was worse than ever. She hadn’t managed to extend her arm enough to touch Scáthach yet, but she’d at least been able to get her hand through before her forearm got hit. She was getting tired and regressing rather than improving which was wasting Scáthach’s precious time.

A huff from the limbed Scáthach. “Let’s take a break.”

“Wait, really?” Scáthach never let Bazett have a break unless she absolutely had to. Relentlessness was the core of the queen’s teaching methodology.

“You’ve stopped progressing and we’ve been at this for a while. Take a break. You’ve already learned a few skills and some of the Primordial Runes so it isn’t like you haven’t been learning or working hard. You just need some time to regain your energy.” The queen drew a Primordial Rune on Bazett’s arm which completely healed it. Normally, Scáthach saw Bazett tiring as a sign that she had to push her harder, at least that’s what Bazett had determined based on Scáthach’s actions up until now, but perhaps her assessment was imperfect. It wouldn’t be the only imperfect thing about her. “Rest for now. I’ll start the preparations for our next meal in the meantime.”

Bazett watched the living Scáthach leave down a stairway, all while admiring her physical perfection. Such an amazing teacher who raised some of the greatest heroes in Irish history, and yet even she couldn’t turn Bazett into a competent fighter. The magus was a whole new level of hopeless.

“You’re not hopeless.” The other Scáthach said. Bazett would have asked how the Lancer knew what she was thinking, but the queen’s intuition and analytical ability was unparalleled so the answer was obvious.

“I know, but…I don’t know. I know I’ve made progress, but it's been barely anything and I feel like I’m wasting your time, both of you.”

“I wouldn’t be trying to teach you if it wasn’t a worthwhile endeavor. You have potential beyond what you realize. You just need to be patient and less self-deprecating.”

“I understand.”

“No, you don’t. You still haven’t accepted yourself.”

“I don’t know how to accept myself.”

“You need to understand that you are worth accepting.”

“And how do I understand that? Everything in my life has told me I’m not worthy of acceptance. When I decided to join the Clock Tower, my parents disowned me. The Clock Tower didn’t want me and since then, the only people who ever treated me as valuable are Kirei Kotomine, and that’s just a level of mutual respect, and you, and that’s just because I'm your Master and I have some skill at fighting.” Bazett sat on the parapet opposite of Scáthach who closed her eyes.

There was silence. Bazett looked at Scáthach as her face remained as emotionless as ever. She just sat there with only her thoughts for company. Bazett was thus stuck with only her self-denial to keep her company which made her view herself with disdain. She was truly a waste of space who had gotten way in over her head when she joined this Holy Grail War. It was only thanks to Kirei that she was even invited to take part in it and it was only because of Scáthach that she had survived for as long as she had.

Twitch. Scáthach’s face began to twitch in various ways. This was unprecedented given the monarch’s usual poise. She was clearly pondering things that she was struggling with, coming to a decision that was difficult. What could it have possibly been? One of the queen’s stumps began to waggle a bit in a fidgety manner that really made Bazett deathly curious as to what the woman was contemplating. At the same time, Bazett considered walking away to give Scáthach time to be alone with her thoughts rather than needing to be conscious of Bazett’s presence.

Bazett got up and began to walk away to leave her mentor alone.

“I don’t just see value in you as my Master and student.” Freeze. Bazett couldn’t take another step as Scáthach’s words pinned her in place with surprise and confusion. “You are more than that. That is to say, you are more than that to me.”

Bazett whipped around to face Scáthach who was looking away with her face hidden by her hair like a curtain. What did she mean by that? Was she implying that Bazett held some special place in the queen’s mind? Her heart? Impossible. These had to be empty platitudes for the queen herself had made it clear that their relationship was purely business and nothing more. But Scáthach wasn’t one to lie, at least Bazett didn’t believe she was. The queen had too much integrity to lie. So what was this? Could she actually have been speaking genuinely? Had she changed her previous stance and was now admitting that? But then what could Bazett have possibly become to Scáthach now that things had changed?

“What do you mean?”

Scáthach took her time before she spoke again. “To me, you are special. You are more than my student and more than my Master. Spending time with you has been enjoyable and not in a way that is merely acceptable. Being with you has been fun. Your presence has made my time here a positive experience and you are someone I’m glad to have met. You are an exceptional individual who is more than worthy of my time and you should never question that.”

“Really? You're not just saying that to motivate me, right?”

“I’m not. I just realized that being obtuse at this point is only going to be harmful for the both of us. I like you as a person. You make me happy. If you need proof of how much you mean to me, then let me tell you about a certain part of last night’s events.” Scáthach rushed out that last sentence as if to make it so she couldn't stop herself.

This was making Bazett’s heart pound like she was being told the most riveting tale ever told and Scáthach had yet to even begin relaying her story. The queen said she liked Bazett and that Bazett made Scáthach happy. It was just so much to hear from a person so reticent about everything to the point that the monarch’s inner workings were a near enigma to Bazett.

“What happened?”

“Whilst in the midst of combat with Archer, I was eventually struck by his Noble Phantasm and was left without my limbs and drained of most of my energy. I was left on the ground with Archer standing above and about to end my life with his arrow. In that moment, I was given all I had ever wanted. I got to face and be defeated by a warrior of the highest conceivable caliber and was about to have my assuredly long life ended by him. It was the very thing I would have asked the Holy Grail for. I had given in with happiness in my heart, but there was something gnawing at me. It was ripping away at my desire to perish and made me uncomfortable in a way I was unfamiliar with. I had received everything I had wanted, and yet it wasn’t satisfying, or rather, it wasn’t satisfying enough to justify itself. And so I evaded Archer’s arrow and kept on fighting with the resolve to survive.”

“You really gave up on your wish?”

“I suppose so. I wasn’t sure if that was merely for that moment, or if I had completely abandoned that dream. I think that the answer is the latter, at least for now.”

“But what was that thing that was gnawing at you? Just the feeling that you wouldn’t be completely happy to die?”

“It was you. I remembered you and I realized that I didn’t want to leave you alone.”

The words that reached Bazett’s ears were hard to believe. They had to be some sort of illusion. Perhaps this whole moment was a dream, or maybe some simulation created by Descartes’ demon. There was no way that Scáthach actually just admitted that she abandoned her desire for death purely for Bazett’s sake.

“Can you repeat that? I think I misheard.”

“I said that I chose not to die, because I like spending time with you. You make me enjoy living.” Scáthach turned her head to face Bazett and…was she blushing? Her face was just a little redder than normal. It was really cute. Adorable, actually. The cool and collected Scáthach who was always in control was flustered with her eyes a little wider than normal and her lips pursed just a touch. Most people probably wouldn’t have noticed any difference in Scáthach’s expression, but it was easy to spot the difference when you’ve stared at the queen’s immaculate face as much as Bazett. This had to be some kind of hallucination that was tricking Bazett into believing that Scáthach had special feelings for her. But there was no reason to deny this reality. Everything told Bazett that this world was real, that this moment was true, and that Scáthach really did care about Bazett.

Bazett was important to Scáthach in a special way beyond the ways that were most obvious. The magus was so important to Scáthach that the queen decided to keep on living despite desiring death for centuries. A wish that had endured for longer than most humans lived suddenly crumbled from just a few days of Scáthach and Bazett enjoying each other’s company. Bazett didn’t know what she could have possibly have done to become so important to the queen, but she felt pride mixed with a sense of unworthiness. Did she deserve such a special honor? Was she being given a privilege that should have gone to a different individual who was stronger and more kind, someone who was a true hero like Scáthach wanted?

There was no point asking such questions, as doing so would imply Scáthach had made a mistake in her analysis and that she did not understand her own emotions. That would be an insult to Scáthach and would be a rejection of the queen’s emotions. Bazett was worthy in Scáthach’s eyes and the magus had to accept that and be appreciative, and she was very appreciative. To mean so much to such a legend made Bazett feel like she was on cloud nine for the first time in her life. This was a million steps beyond the true acceptance that Bazett had always craved since she left her home in Ireland and was rejected by almost everyone in her life. Bazett had to hold back her tears out of fear of embarrassing herself in front of what may have become the most important person in her life.

Did this mean Scáthach would stay after the war? They could spend the rest of their lives together and never be alone again, or at least until Bazett died from something or other. That was right, Bazett would still die someday and then Scáthach would be all alone again. She’d probably just choose to run out of magical energy and disappear at that point. The version of Scáthach in the Throne of Heroes wouldn’t remember anything they did together, so it would be like they had never met in the first place. Their happiness would be temporary and Bazett would fail to truly make Scáthach’s existence eternally fulfilled.

Unless Bazett wished on the Grail to be immortal, too. Then everything would be fine and they would keep each other company for the rest of eternity. That sounded nice. Bazett hadn’t been sure of what she was fighting for, but now she was completely sure of why she needed to win the Holy Grail War. She would do it for Scáthach to make sure that the queen never had to suffer in silence the way she had for far too long. For the first time in a long time, Bazett had found a purpose beyond just doing a job. She would make Scáthach happy.

“Thank you, Scáthach. That means more to me than-than anything I think anyone’s ever told me before.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you understood what I was trying to say.”

Bazett smiled and just stared up at the gray sky that loomed above. It suddenly didn’t look so oppressive anymore. The whole world was so much more vibrant now. All the different shades of gray were like a rainbow when they had previously blended together into a muddled mess. This place still wasn’t the most visually appealing. It wasn’t a place Bazett would want to stay so it was a good thing that Bazett and Scáthach would be leaving soon enough.

But the living Scáthach wouldn’t. She was stuck here-wait, was she stuck here? Thanks to the Servant Scáthach, the living Scáthach could leave the Land of Shadows with Lancer and Bazett if she wanted. But she was probably like how Servant Scáthach was in that she felt like she didn’t belong in the modern world and just wanted to die. Maybe she could convince the living Scáthach to come with them to get the Grail and wish for someone to kill her, only for Bazett to gradually change the living Scáthach’s mind about wanting to die like Bazett did by spending time with the Servant Scáthach. That could work, right? It was worth a shot.

“If you want to try and convince the other me to come with us, we can try.” the servant Scáthach said. Bazett really liked Scáthach, but the way she always knew what other people were thinking was getting a little unsettling.

“You think we could?”

“The other Scáthach is functionally the same as me. If I could be swayed by you, the other me can as well.”

“But she doesn't know me yet, and she won’t want to interfere with the modern world like you. The only reason you showed up and we interacted so much was because of the Holy Grail War. She has no excuse to leave this kingdom.”

“The fact that I have found happiness is all that is necessary to sway her. She will see the possibilities she has refused and will be convinced to come with us to the modern world. She’ll probably refuse at first and will then come up with some roundabout reason to justify coming along with us.”

“Like what you do.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Whenever you do something that upsets me or there’s something you want to do that would go against your stated principles, you always come up with a reason afterward to retroactively justify a change in your behavior. Like when we went around town after I first summoned you, you originally said we were just working together in a professional sense, but you noticed that upset me and so you contrived a reason for us to bond. You act like you’re more distant than you really are.”

“And when did you suddenly become so savvy when it comes to my emotions?”

“I don’t know.” Even Bazett herself hadn’t realized when she came to comprehend how Scáthach operated. “I guess it was just something I started to pick up on.”

“That’s assuming you’re right in your analysis.”

“Am I?”

“Who knows? It’s up to you to prove your hypothesis is accurate.”

“So I need evidence?”

“Yes.”

“Does you saying you’re the same as the other Scáthach and you also saying she acts the way I just described count?”

“You’ve grown rather cheeky since we first met.” Scáthach was smirking.

“I suppose my confidence has grown, and all thanks to you.”

“You flatter me. The potential was within you all along.”

“But that potential only came out thanks to you. If I never entered into this war and met you, I would have probably continued doing as I had always done, following the orders of the Clock Tower day-in and day-out.”

“So that isn’t the life you want to live anymore?”

“No.” Bazett’s finger interlocked. “I originally left my home in Ireland in order to become something more. I realized thanks to you that I don’t need to become something greater or more special than what I am now to be happy. To be honest, nothing is more appealing to me now than the idea of living a normal life with no more magecraft and Mystics involved.”

“Do you imagine yourself living in some simple town? Do you see yourself as a housewife or a working woman?”

“I’d definitely need to get a job. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I didn’t.”

“You could spend your free time rearing some children with whoever you choose as a husband.”

“I don't know if I want kids or not. And I can’t imagine myself in a romantic relationship with anyone except…” Say it. Say it. She had to say it. She had to give it a shot. “you.” Bazett wanted to shut her eyes and just wait for a response, but she knew that if she was going to propose something so serious to Scáthach, she owed her the respect of looking the queen in the eye. Scáthach eyes were full in a way that Bazett had yet to see before. Bazett’s words really had hit the queen hard, but it wasn’t clear if it was in a good way, a bad way, or some way in between. “I know that you said our relationship isn't going to be romantic, but that was also when you said we were just working together for the sake of the Grail War. I just want to know how you feel now because, well, I like you. I like you in a way that I’ve never really felt before. We’ve only just met and I know this is definitely rushing into a relationship, but we don’t have to get into some big thing right now. I just want to know if you feel the same way I do, and if we can give it a try. By a try, I mean give us a try, a relationship between us. A romantic relationship. If you say no that’s okay, I’ll accept that, but I want to know what you really feel. I won’t be able to focus if I don’t know.”

Scáthach gradually lessened her surprise and was about to look away before stopping herself and maintaining eye contact with Bazett.

“I appreciate your forwardness.” Scáthach smiled, but it was more forced this time. “I should also be forward with you. I’ve continued to be inconsistent with you and that must have been jarring. I’ve put you in an emotional abattoir and that isn’t right. As for your desire for us to be together, I can’t say it’s a terrible idea. I know you are very dedicated to this possibility and are planning to wish for immortality so I won’t be left alone someday. You really are kind.” The smile on the queen’s face became more natural. “I myself have a complex relationship with the romantic. I’ve had sexual relationships with other people, mostly men. I even had a child with one of those men and thus, my daughter Uathach was born. I even felt an attraction to Setanta when he grew into a man, but it would have been inappropriate to enter a relationship with someone I basically raised so I restrained myself. Despite my sexual knowledge, I never became wise to romance beyond the antediluvian techniques involved in traditional courtship. To truly enter a romantic relationship requires emotional vulnerability and that is something I’ve avoided for most of my life upon my realization about my eventual isolation in the Land of Shadows. My point is that it is questionable as to my competence when it comes to being in a romantic relationship.”

“It’s still hard to imagine you being bad at anything.”

“Perhaps that’s because my greatest skill is appearing to be more special than I am. My point is that I am not sure a relationship between us would work out due to my own ineptitude.”

“But I still think we should try!” Bazett took a few steps forward without realizing she had. “You say you aren’t sure you can be emotionally open, but you’re opening up right now.” Bazett was right in front of Scáthach.

“But I am not sure this is something I can maintain.”

“And you don’t know if you can’t maintain it either. We can at least try.”

“You might get hurt, emotionally at least.”

“I can handle that. I still want to try making this work. This is one of the first times I’ve ever known what I’ve wanted to do without it being something someone else told me to do. I won’t force you to say yes, but if you do say yes, I will give my all to this relationship. I know I’m not great with emotions or relationships, but that’s all the more reason why you shouldn’t feel bad that you aren’t good with romance. We both don’t know what we’re doing, so we’ll figure it out together.” Bazett’s blush due to her outfit became even deeper as she realized how overeager she looked. “I’m sorry if I’m being pushy. I don’t want to force you into anything so don’t agree to us being in a relationship if it’s just for my sake. I want you to be happy more than anything else.” Bazett braced herself for the worst, but was met with chuckles which soon turned to outright laughter.

“You really are one of a kind.” The queen said between gasps for air. Scáthach was laughing so uproariously that it was unsettling in how uncharacteristic it was. “You’re so awkward in the most adorable way.” Bazett wondered how red she must have been at this point as her body temperature continued to skyrocket. “You really do have me smitten. Alright, I have a little proposal for you.”

“P-Pro-Proposal?” Hearing Scáthach say she was smitten had made Bazett’s heart aflutter.

“We’re going to continue your training, and if you meet or surpass my expectations, we’ll have sex.”

“Se-s-what? What? We haven’t even kissed yet, or done anything? Are we going to be a couple then?”

“The sex will be to see if our feelings are more than just sexual, and to see if we really are compatible with each other. Whether we become a couple or not will depend on how things go and how we’re feeling afterwards.”

“O-Okay.”

“But you have to complete my training first. You need to do what I know you can and learn all the Primordial Runes and the Skills I want to teach you. Also, we’ll need to wait for my limbs to finish growing back. Deal?”

“Deal!” Bazett was more motivated than ever. She no longer doubted if she could meet Scáthach’s expectations, she was going to do what she had to. There were no more questions. She was going to master every Skill and learn every Primordial Rune and then she and Scáthach would have sex! Bazett had never had sex before and would have no idea what she was doing, but those were worries for later!

“I missed quite an interesting conversation.” The living Scáthach had returned and Bazett almost let her boldness waver from embarrassment, but then she steeled herself and became full of temerity. No questioning herself, Bazett had to act. “Are you ready to continue your training?”

“Yes!” Bazett raised her fists and the living Scáthach wasted no time in beginning to twirl Gáe Bolg again.

As the wind blew and Bazett focused, the rotation of the polearm looked like it was slowing, but it was actually that Bazett’s senses and thought processing speed were heightening. She was pushing her limits as she was filled with vim and vigor. Some muscles in the magus’ body tightened and became rock-solid while other muscles were so soft they were like rubber.

Bazett got ready to punch and for the first time, every motion was perfect. Every part of her body rotated in the most optimal fashion and the energy inside Bazett was all focused and channeled with no strength wasted. The magus’ fist moved so fast that it became invisible due to it transcending light speed. The physics-defying punch traveled at the perfect trajectory and with the necessary timing to avoid the spinning spear and head right for Scáthach’s face. The queen didn’t even have time to realize what was happening before Bazett’s fist rammed into her face.

The arm pulled back just as quickly as it extended and it took a second before there was a ripple in the air and Scáthach rocketed away, her heels digging through the stone of the castle roof as she forced herself to a stop before she got launched a kilometer away. The queen’s face was unharmed, but her hair was a mess and she stumbled when she tried to take a step before she righted herself.

Bazett’s hyper-focused state dissipated and she realized what she had just done.

She hit Scáthach. She actually managed to hit her. Bazett would have considered it a fluke if it weren’t for the fact that Scáthach wouldn’t get hit by a lucky punch. Did Bazett master the Flashing Fist Skill that quickly thanks to getting just a little bit of extra motivation? Motivation in the form of sex? Was Bazett a pervert or Sexually repressed? Sexually repressed.

Also, Bazett just hit Scáthach, oh God, Bazett felt really bad. She just punched her mentor in the nose which was probably a social faux pas of some kind, the worst kind, the absolute worst kind. It didn’t help that the face Bazett just punched was the same face as the woman she had become completely infatuated with.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you like that out of nowhere, well, that isn’t true I guess since the whole point of this exercise was to do what I just did, but I didn’t want to hurt you, not to say that I did hurt you since there’s no way I’m strong enough to do so-”

“Calm yourself. You did nothing wrong.” The living Scáthach started straightening out her hair with her hand. “That was perfect. Keep doing that and this training will be a breeze for you.”

Bazett really had improved in a flash with just a little encouragement from Scáthach. All that was necessary was an attempt to be more honest and direct and things had made a sudden upturn all around for Bazett.

“Don’t think we’re done yet. We’re going to keep doing this until you can hit me consistently” The limbed Scáthach twirled her Gáe Bolg again and this time it was nowhere near as intimidating as it used to be. This trial that previously appeared insurmountable now looked feasible. She could actually do this.

Bazett snuck a glance at the Scáthach she had fallen for and saw that the queen was pleased. That was all that was necessary to reinforce Bazett’s new confidence and ready her for the rest of her training. Bazett finally knew what she wanted in life and she was going to get it no matter what she had to do.

The passion for life Bazett felt when she was a little girl reading the Ulster Cycle and getting sucked into Cú Chulainn’s story while dreaming of going on adventures of her own had returned. Bazett had found her way out of the tunnel she had found herself in upon entering the employ of the Clock Tower that left her numb and emotionless and now she was looking upon a sprawling vista of possibilities. The possibility Bazett decided to take a chance on was the one where she might live a simple life full of love with Scáthach. Bazett could get burned, but it was worth a shot.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 26: Interlude: Counterattack

“We'll arrive at the next location and switch cars in fifteen minutes, Ms. Henriikka.” Clown drove through the alleys of Shinto, taking obscure paths on the way to a lot where they’d switch cars and then head to a boat they would take to Miyama Town. Since the bridge connecting the two halves of the city was obliterated, multiple ferries were set up to transport people across the river.

Henriikka sat in the back seat looking at a dozen thin floating screens of crystal displaying all that the Edelfelt mage’s familiars saw. While Henriikka monitored the city, Clown kept them moving. They couldn’t risk staying stationary in case Lancer was still tracking them.

The images on most of the screens were of various members of the Fujimura Group. Henriikka wanted to gather as much intel as possible on the yakuza who had captured Luvia. Henriikka couldn’t believe her sister had been so reckless that she actually got captured by an enemy Master, and of course it was one with a makeshift army on their side. It was hard to believe Henriikka and Luvia were sisters with how different they acted, and how different they looked for that matter. Henriikka was Luvia’s identical twin, but that didn’t mean the sisters looked exactly the same. To start off, Henriikka’s sedentary lifestyle made her plumper than her sibling and instead of Luvia’s penchant for fancy dresses, Henriikka wore comfy sweatpants and hoodies. Henriikka’s hair was a long tangle of blonde hair unlike the precisely styled ringlets that Luvia had. Unlike her sister, Henriikka didn’t waste time on appearances that only gathered unwanted attention.

Luvia was so boisterous and show-offy and so it was obvious that her personality would get her into trouble when the Holy Grail War began. It was supposed to be a battle of stealth and deception and Luvia decided it would be a good idea to create a giant Bounded Field in the city that pulsed magical energy which would alert everyone of where she was. She also thought it was a good idea to take on the head of the Tohsaka family in a direct one-on-one confrontation when she could have easily set things up so she and Clown ganged up on and killed her and then moved on to doing the same with Sakura. It would have been easy, but Luvia’s stupid Edelfelt pride or whatever got in the way. This was why Henriikka knew she was right to always stay at home all the time rather than let herself get dragged along by her sister into whatever nonsense she would get into next. It was better to stay in the castle and relax all day reading.

A spike in magical energy. Henriikka pulled out an amethyst and tossed it into the air where it turned into yet another screen. The image presented was of Sakura Tohsaka who had something she wanted to talk about, likely something related to the events of the night. It was nearly morning and Caster had reported in saying they were done working with Assassin for the night and that they would share details once they returned. It looks like Sakura’s Servant was a bit more impatient and already told her Master the details telepathically.

“Hello, Sakura Tohsaka.”

“Hello. How are you?”

“Fine, how are you?”

“I’m doing okay. Have you spoken with Caster yet?”

“No. I assume you wish to discuss tonight’s events?”

“That’s correct, but if you haven’t been updated yet, I can wait.”

“Just inform me yourself.”

“Oh, duh, sorry.” Sakura then proceeded to explain what had happened when Caster, Saber, and Assassin convened, about how they discussed Assassin’s nature as a Counter Guardian and the bizarre nature of this Holy Grail War. Sakura also spoke of how they found the Einzbern Castle which currently housed multiple Servants and Masters. Sakura even spoke of the plan Assassin had concocted that would eliminate the many threats present in the Einzbern group. The night had ended up being more eventful than anticipated.

“This could work out well for us. Assassin’s plan is solid, though I feel he may be rushing into things when it would be better to spend more time preparing.” Henriikka blew out of the side of her mouth to push a lock of hair out of her face. “But there’s nothing we can do as long as we’re at the whims of Assassin and his Master so we’ll go along with it for now and hope the fight goes in our favor.”

“And this actually provides us with an opportunity.”

“What do you mean?”

“Assassin’s plan will force him and ninety-nine percent of the yakuza to be far away from the Fujimura Mansion. Assassin’s Master will probably still be there along with a few yakuza, but not much else.”

“And what does that matter?”

“This is the perfect time to sneak in and rescue Rin and Luviagelita! While Saber and Caster are with Assassin and he thinks we won’t do anything, we sneak into the mansion and save our sisters!”

“What?” That was an idea so asinine that even Luvia wouldn’t have suggested it. The risks involved with infiltrating an enemy Master’s base without a Servant of their own was astronomical. Well, they weren’t technically without a Servant, but that was still a backup and they hadn’t done nearly enough intel gathering. They still didn’t even know if Assassin’s Master was a magus or not. This plan of Assassin’s may have appeared like a perfect opportunity to turn the tables, but that was only if one disregarded the greater complexities of the situation. “Out of the question. We aren’t going to try and bust into the Fujimura Mansion without a real plan and without much more information on our enemy.”

“But we might not get another chance like this. The longer we wait around and waste time, the more we risk Rin and Luvia getting killed before we can save them.”

“We aren’t wasting time. We’re preparing.”

“But for how long?”

“I told Saber when we first became partners, at least a week.”

“It’s just about to be day three!” Sakura arms shot out in different directions. “So much has happened in just two days, who knows what could go wrong if we don’t act right now!”

“And what will you do if you come face to face with Assassin’s Master and they’re stronger than you? What if you end up in a situation where you have to carry both Rin and Luvia out of the mansion on your own while getting attacked?”

“That could end up happening even if we do make plans and have extra information, and we can’t plan for literally everything, that’s ridiculous!”

“Of course we can’t plan for everything, but we can take action to mitigate the amount of unknown variables to make as informed a decision as possible.” Henriikka scratched at the seat next to her with her fingernail. What was so difficult for this girl to understand about not rushing into things without proper precautions?

“But we don’t have the time to make those precautions!” Sakura balled up her hands into fists. “Our sister could get killed whenever Assassin or his Master decide they aren’t useful anymore! Assassin might kill them after tomorrow's plan! He might think he got all the use out of Caster and Saber that he could and so it’s best to kill them by getting rid of their mana supplies! Archer and the other Sabers are the biggest threats in this war, so once they’re gone, it’ll be smooth sailing for someone as skilled at assassination as Assassin!”

“There’s still Lancer. He may want to wait to take her out.”

“If she’s still alive, she might not be, Hell, she probably isn’t!”

“Assassin is cautious, he won’t get rid of any tenuous advantages he has until he knows for sure they aren’t necessary. Until Lancer’s confirmed dead, he won’t kill Rin and Luvia.”

“But the Einzberns are the ones who provide the vessels for the Greater Grail during the Holy Grail War and Assassin plans to capture one of the Einzbern homunculi rather than kill them so the Grail is still usable!”

“And?”

“He’s going to interrogate the homunculi as to how many Heroic Spirits they've absorbed into them so far and which classes those Heroic Spirits were. It isn’t definite that they’ll know the classes, but if they do know and one of them is Lancer, then that’ll be it! If we don’t act tomorrow then it could be too late!” That theory was a worst case scenario, but Sakura had actually made a decent point. If it turns out all the key player Servants are dead, then Assassin can just kill Luvia and Rin under the assumption that it’ll kill Caster and Saber. From there, he could just track and assassinate all the remaining servants one by one. Assassin is pragmatic enough to do such a thing, though he’d be making a mistake since Saber is currently contracted with Sakura, not just Rin. Should they tell Assassin about Saber’s new contract--wait, no, then he’d know Rin was a useless bargaining chip and maybe kill her. Sakura wouldn’t go for that. Perhaps they could convince Assassin not to risk getting rid of his strongest allies when he doesn’t know the strength of the remaining Servants. There was always the chance that Rider and Berserker were also exceptionally powerful, but that ran off the assumption that they were both still alive. It could turn out Assassin, Caster and Saber will be the only classes still in play after today.

Henriikka thought Sakura was being impatient, but she was actually reasonably concerned. The Edelfelt magus scratched at the seat more as she tried to think of a safe solution that wouldn’t involve fighting so soon. She wracked her brain like she hadn’t in a long time, but she couldn’t think of anything reasonable.

The mage’s mind shifted to what the consequences would be for inaction, the answer being the loss of Luvia and Rin. Henriikka didn’t care about Rin, but losing Luvia was a different matter. Sure, Luvia was annoying, pretentious, greedy, obnoxious, petulant, violent, rude, and whole bunch of other things that made Henriikka feel the veins in her head pulse, but those things didn’t change the fact that Henriikka still cared about her sister.

Luvia had always been the one to push Henriikka to be more open, and though Henriikka found it annoying and rarely heeded her sister's advice and requests, she still appreciated that her sister was trying to help her. Luvia truly cared about Henriikka. She was the one who would defend Henriikka when others tried to bully her when they were little kids and it was Luvia who would always praise Henriikka for all her strengths that would get overlooked by others due to her introverted nature.

Henriikka loved her sister. She didn’t want Luvia to die and it seemed that now was the time to prove it. That meant telling Sakura about what she had been hiding from her.

“You’re right. We need to infiltrate the Einzbern Mansion.”

“Wait, really? You agree?”

“Yes. You convinced me.”

“Great! Now we just need to start planning for it! We don’t have a lot of time!”

“First, there is something I have to tell you about. I have my own Servant.”

Sakura’s whole body went a bit limp as she took a second to process the new information. “What?”

“I have my own Servant. I’m a Master.” Henriikka looked at the Command Spells on the back of her hand.

“You’ve been a Master this whole time? I thought you were in Fuyuki just to help your sister win the war.”

“That isn’t wrong. Luvia was the one who wanted to join the war and win it for the Edelfelt name. I just got dragged into it due to us having the Sisters Sorcery Trait. It lets both my sister and I act as Masters taking up the same ‘Master slot’ in the war. We both get a Servant, but they’re both in the same class and are two versions of the same Heroic Spirit.”

“So you’ve secretly had another Caster with you? Another version of the Gorgon Sisters? Then why didn’t you help your sister fight us?”

“My sister wanted to start confronting other Masters immediately while I wanted to wait and gather information. Neither of us was going to budge so we decided to work separately from each other, but still on the same side. Considering how things went, I’d say I was right and my sister was wrong.” Henriikka said smugly. “Anyway things have forced my hand so I’m going to have to show my hidden trump card. My Caster and Clown will go with you to infiltrate the Fujimura Group’s compound. I’ll also provide you with plenty of gems you can use for your magecraft. Caster will be able to sneak you all through the Bounded Field undetected and locate Luvia and Rin. When you find them, Clown will be able to teleport you all out of there with his spatial swapping Bounded Fields. If all goes well, you’ll be in and out in a flash with nary a wound and our sisters in tow.”

“That sounds perfect! The only thing we’ll have to worry about is any yakuza we run into along the way. How good is your Caster in a fight?”

“Better than most Casters, so we should be fine against random yakuza or magi.”

“They’re more than that.” Sakura’s shoulder moved up and down and bit as her countenance became more grim. “Assassin uses projection magecraft to counterfeit Noble Phantasms which he plans to arm all the yakuza with for when we attack tomorrow. He’ll probably give all the yakuza at their base Noble Phantasms too just in case they get attacked while he’s gone.”

“That’s bad. Depending on the competency of these yakuza and what Noble Phantasms they’re given, they could kill Caster. You’ll need to be careful and kill everyone you have to if you can’t sneak around the guards. Any hesitation or mercy could lead to those thugs killing all of you.”

“I understand.” Sakura didn’t appear all that bothered with potentially needing to kill people. She may not have looked like it, but she could be cold-hearted when she wanted to.

“Good. Now, tell me more of the details of Assassin’s plan so we can work around it.”

“Right.”

The two Masters strategized for their assault that would only take place a few hours later. So much was riding on it and so much could go wrong. They needed to be prepared for anything and everything, but the time necessary for such preparations was a luxury these magi lacked. They had to simply have faith that things would work out. It was in Henriikka’s experience that things rarely worked out, so she felt her heart grow heavy as she prepared for the eventuality that she alone would be returning to Finland and would have to take up the mantle of family head.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 27: Emotional Honesty is the Best Policy

A great weight had formed inside Irisviel.

In a realm that she knew was a dreamland, Irisviel was standing on a murky sea. It should have been a crystal clear body of water that was motionless and mirror-like. Instead it was a dirty bog of arcing waves that splashed rancid droplets onto Irisviel, turning her white dress an ugly brown that continued to darken and make her heave. She coughed repeatedly as she felt something slowly working its way through her organs and up her throat. It felt like there was some lump covered in broken glass that she needed to get out of her or she’d lose her mind from the pain. Her head was swimming and there was this overwhelming sharp ache that she wanted to make stop, but it just wouldn’t. The thing in Irisviel crawled out of her throat and into her mouth. It was sour, bitter, spoiled, and it burned like fire while possessing a texture that was both ashy and tar-like. It stuck to the inside of Irisviel’s mouth like moss on a rock so she tried to peel it off with her tongue. It still just stayed stuck so Irisviel dug her fingers into her mouth to try and drag out the ‘thing.’ Irisviel’s digits burned as if they were melting as they peeled the ‘thing’ off the sides and top of her mouth and pulled it out of her mouth.

Finally the ‘thing’ was wrenched free from Irisviel’s mouth and it slipped from her fingers and plopped into the swamp before she could get a look at it. The ‘thing’ sank out of sight and Irisviel just inhaled and exhaled as she was finally free of the horrible intruder in her body. Waves crested high and slapped Irisviel, soaking her. The waters were becoming more untamed as if there were a storm overhead, but the cause was not the fictitious clouds above, it was the ‘thing’ that had dove into the sea below. There was a prodigious shadow in the water and it was only getting larger as it took on a clear shape. It had arms, legs, wings, a long neck and an even longer tail. The ‘thing’ had become a dragon. Irisviel shook as she saw the voracious predator looming under the water’s surface that continued to lap higher at the sky every second. Irisviel couldn't stand on the berserk sea any longer and fell forward. She dropped into the tainted water and the poisoned liquid rushed to fill her body. The avaricious dragon looked at Irisviel with its green-blue eyes that glowed in the dark water and it lunged for her. Irisviel flailed as she tried to get away to no avail. The dragon’s maw opened and moved around Irisviel before clamping shut with a loud boom.

Irisviel awakened and she groaned from a familiar pain. She felt the great mass of a Heroic Spirit inside her. A Servant had finally fallen and it had chosen Irisviel as its new home. But this didn’t feel right. This pain, this overwhelming feeling was far greater than it should have been, far greater than it had been in the Fourth War. The Greater Grail was interfering to make the struggle greater so Irisviel would finally break and give in to the false wish granter’s will. Irisviel rolled around in her bed as she tried to acclimate to the pain. She was drenched in sweat and her breathing was ragged and quick.

Gravity felt like it had been multiplied tenfold as Irisviel sat up and inched her way to the bed’s edge. She pushed off the bed with arms that felt like twigs on the border of snapping as she tried to stand. Right as all her weight was on her legs, Irisviel’s body gave out and she fell into a nightstand, grasping at it to try to not plummet to the carpet. Holding onto the bedside table, Irisviel slowly put her body weight into her legs again and gradually managed to stand up. Her legs were reminiscent of plucked guitar strings as they quivered. Irisviel took a step towards the door and though she almost fell again, she stayed up. Another step and this time she managed to stand firm.

At this rate, she’d manage to walk normally by the time she met up with her family. Irisviel didn’t want to worry them.

The door to the bedroom swung open as Artoria ran in.

“Iri, are you okay? I heard a loud sound earlier.”

Well there went not worrying anyone.

“I’m okay, I just trip-” Irisviel’s focus broke and she fell when she attempted to take another step forward.

Kind arms scooped Irisviel up and saved her from her fall. Artoria held Irisviel close and tight, but not so much that it hurt or made Irisviel feel trapped. Every act Artoria took was so calculated, genuine, and thoughtful. She was a woman who deserved to be a king, a hero, a legend. Artoria was fantastic in every way that mattered and yet Irisviel dared to get mad at her over stupid things.

“What’s wrong?” Artoria’s heart was on her sleeve and it was clear that Irisviel had to do the same if their relationship was going to withstand the coming trials.

“There’s a lot. We need to sit down and talk for a bit.”

“Alright.” Artoria carried Irisviel to the bed like a princess and sat her down, making sure that she was comfortable and wouldn’t fall over before she sat herself down right next to her beloved and put an arm around her shoulders. Once again there was that firm and kind grip that held Irisviel and made her feel like nothing in the world could hurt her. “You can start whenever you feel ready.”

Irisviel swallowed and took a long deep breath.

“Firstly, I just absorbed a Heroic Spirit. It looks like the first Servant has been defeated, assuming that Illya and Chloe haven’t taken in any Saint Graphs.”

“They didn’t mention anything, so it’s probably just the one inside you. Are you feeling your human functionality fading?”

“Yes, but it’s far more intense than it’s supposed to. I think the Greater Grail is amplifying the negative effects of absorbing Heroic Spirits to try and break my will.”

“Do you think you’ll turn into the Lesser Grail earlier than you normally should?”

“I think the Grail will take control of me long before I can lose my human form.” Irisviel put a hand on her stomach.

“Do you think you can endure the pain until you leave Fuyuki? Will you still be in pain after you leave?”

“I’ll probably still be in pain until the war is over. I can handle it. It isn’t much different than when I had multiple Heroic Spirits inside me at the end of the Fourth War. It just feels more aggressive by comparison. The pain will likely tone down once I’m outside the city since the Grail’s connection to me should weaken.”

“That's good at least.”

“Small victories, right?”

“Indeed. Do you know the class of the Heroic Spirit inside you?”

“It’s Rider. From what I can tell, they have a draconian element to them, kind of like you.”

“Really? If the situation weren’t so dire, I’d be disappointed I didn’t get to face such a foe in battle. In this case, it’s for the best that what was surely a dangerous foe was taken out early.”

“Why do you assume they were dangerous? Do all dragon related Servants have to be strong?”

“Not necessarily, but dragons are the pinnacle of Phantasmal Species. If this Rider could summon one or had the power of one, they could win this whole Grail War easily under the right circumstances.”

“I feel like you’re just saying that because you’re part dragon.”

“I have no idea what you could be implying.”

“That you might have a bias.”

“I have no such thing.” Artoria blushed and Irisviel giggled, but then the pain she felt intensified and she was forced to stop. Artoria held her beloved tighter and looked her over as if there was something on her she could find to make her feel better. “Just in case, how many more Heroic Spirits will you think it will take before it’s too much?”

“Probably only one. My mind will break with just a little more weight than I’m dealing with right now.”

The alarm bells in Artoria’s mind went off so loudly that Irisviel swore she could hear them herself.

“You need to leave. We can’t waste any time.” Artoria stood up and grabbed Irisviel’s arm.

“I agree, but first we need to talk about some other things.” Irisviel resisted Artoria’s grasp.

“Is it more important than making sure that you don’t get possessed by the Grail?”

“I suppose not.” Irisviel pulled her head back timidly.

“Then it can wait until the war is over.” Artoria yanked Irisviel onto her feet.

“Hold on, I know it may not be very important, but there are some things I think we need to talk about.” Irisviel tried to pull out of Artoria’s hold, but her condition curtailed her strength, not that she would have been strong enough to overpower a Servant anyway.

“I’m sorry, but we need to get you out of Fuyuki as soon as possible. This is for your own good.”

“Just hold on a second! It won’t take that long!” Irisviel wanted to talk to Artoria about her insecurities like she promised Mordred, but Artoria wasn’t listening. Irisviel could feel her frustration bubble up and seep into every corner of her Body, Mind, and Soul

“Every second we waste could be one second too many.”

“Please, just listen to me for a second!” Why wouldn’t Artoria just listen? Why did she have to be so stubborn? Why was she always like this? It was like trying to get a donkey to do something which was fitting for what an ass Artoria was being.

“Iri, please just do what I say.”

“Arrggghhhh, no wonder Camelot fell!” Artoria became like a statue before slowly turning to look Irisviel in the eye. “You never listen to anyone else, you just do whatever you think is best without bothering to even hear other people out! Do you think you know everything? Do you even care about what happens to everyone else or do you just protect us for the sake of your own stupid ego? You haven’t changed at all!”

Regret, self-hatred, humiliation, sadness, guilt, confusion, despair. All these emotions took their turns dancing across Artoria’s face. By the time Irisviel realized the ramifications of her words, it was too late to dismiss them. She had just stabbed Artoria in her most sensitive place, right in the wound in her heart that was still healing. The undying strength that the King of Knights had disappeared and she became just like any other person who had been hurt by someone they loved.

“I’m sorry, Irisviel.”

“No, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have said that! I’m-I’m so sorry, I was just angry and I wanted to hurt you!”

“You’re right though. I was ignoring your feelings and making the same mistakes I did before.”

“No! You were just trying to help me! I’m so sorry!” Irisviel was crying. “You did nothing wrong. I’m just a bad person.”

“No you’re not.” Artoria lightly touched Irisviel’s shoulder. “You’re amazing. You’re a beautiful jewel that deserves to be protected and polished. That’s why I’m so overprotective of you, but that isn't right. You shouldn’t be kept in a glass box. I should protect you, not imprison you. I’m sorry.”

“Please, don’t say you're sorry.” The tears flowed even more forcefully from Irisviel’s eyes as she was reminded of the boundless depths of Artoria's kindness. “This is all my fault. I keep getting mad at you for things that aren’t your fault.”

“That's just because of the Grail’s corruption and the pain you're in.”

“That isn’t an excuse. I-” Irisviel remembered her talk with Mordred the other day. “Can we sit down and continue talking? There are some other things I need to say.”

“That’s more than fine.” Artoria guided Irisviel back to the bed and they both sat down with locked eyes. “What’s been bothering you?”

“To start, well, there are things that have been making me mad, things related to you.”

“And what are they?” Artoria didn’t show the slightest hint of being offended.

“Remember how in the sewers we had our vote over whether to work with Chloe or not?”

“Yes.”

“You abstained from voting and that fact upset me. Working with Chloe could have been dangerous, so the fact that you didn’t vote made it seem like you didn’t care whether we worked with Chloe or not, meaning you didn’t care whether we were put in danger or not. I know it’s stupid-”

“It’s not stupid. It’s a completely valid way to feel. I didn’t vote because I saw the benefits and risks to both options in that situation, so I abstained, but that may have been irresponsible of me. It worked out, but it could have ended very poorly. I have a duty to our family to be an active participant in the determining of its fate.”

“It’s unreasonable how reasonable you are sometimes.” Irisviel smirked.

“Should I take that as a compliment?”

“Yes, you should.” Irisviel leaned her head into Artoria’s shoulder. “My other issue has to do with how I’ve been acting lately. You’ve obviously realized that I’ve been more abrasive lately, right?”

“I have.”

“Did you plan on ever confronting me about that fact?”

“I did, but I wasn’t sure when to do so, or how. I’m not very skilled at handling situations requiring emotional finesse, so I was afraid that directly confronting you would just make things worse.”

“So that’s what it was. I was afraid you didn’t care, or that you were being dismissive of my behavior, that you thought it was just me acting up from my bad thoughts again.”

“I would never dismiss your feelings.” Artoria’s fingers wrapped around Irisviel’s hand. “Your every action, your every emotion shifts my whole world. That’s why I was so hesitant to act; I was afraid of the consequences. I was a coward.”

“No, you were considerate. I just overreacted. I’m sorry.”

“And I’m sorry for not acting sooner.”

Artoria and Irisviel’s faces got close and they kissed. It wasn’t a long kiss, nor was it sexual or intense. It was just a brief moment of passion, a reassurance that their love was still there and it was strong.

“Artoria.” Irisviel said after their kiss ended. “Please don’t agree with what I said before, about you not having changed. I really was just lashing out.”

“But I was doing the exact same thing I had in Camelot. I was ignoring the hearts of others for the sake of what I thought was best.”

“You just momentarily lapsed into a bad habit. You’ve changed for the better. The fact that you listened to me just now is proof of how much you’ve grown as a person. Don’t ever doubt that. Consider that an order.”

“From my queen?”

“Absolutely.”

The lovers softly laughed before kissing again.

“I love you, Artoria.”

“And I love you, Iri.”

“Let’s be direct with each other when we have problems, okay?”

“Definitely.”

Irisviel stood with Artoria’s assistance.

“We already got your things ready. We just need to wait for Mordred to finish cleaning the car since it still smells of the sewer. Do you want some breakfast? Sella made us another feast.”

“I would.” Irisviel, with Artoria's assistance, changed into casual clothes before they left the bedroom and slowly headed for the dining room. “You said Mordred was cleaning the car? Did you have to force him?”

“No. Originally I was going to do it. Actually it was Sella and Leysritt who were going to initially, but then I said that they didn’t have to after cleaning our luggage and clothing, and so I was going to clean the car. Then Mordred surprised me by saying he would do it.”

“That really is surprising.”

“I don’t think he actually wanted to do it, but he said that he would do it if I made sure to speak with you later. I guess he knew you had some things you wanted to talk about.”

“He was the one who told me I should talk to you about what I was feeling.”

“Really?”

“Yes. He let me vent for a bit like I normally do with you and he said we should talk things out.”

“That’s uncharacteristic of him. He normally isn’t so wise.”

“He’s a lot more capable than we think.”

“I guess he is.” Artoria had a look of realization as she sighed in a way that made her seem pleased. “I’ll have to thank him.”

“I’m sure he’d appreciate that.”

Before even reaching the dining room, Irisviel was entranced by the wafting smells of various breakfast foods that made any of her lingering grogginess vanish. Once actually reaching the feast, Irisviel felt her stomach twist into knots from hunger as she stared at french toast, pancakes, bacon, eggs, fresh fruit, oatmeal, croissants, coffee, and tea. Illya and Chloe were sitting together at the table while talking about their apparent shared interest in maids. It turned out that the fetish was genetic. It was nice to know that Chloe and Illya were getting along. Next to them was Sella and Leysritt while Gray sat apart at another part of the table, picking at her food while looking deceptively unflappable. She was probably still thinking about her potential loss of self.

As good mornings were exchanged and everyone was updated as to Irisviel’s current condition and the defeat of Rider, Irisviel and Artoria sat next to Gray.

“Gray, how are you?” Irisviel said.

“I’m fine.” Gray said so neutrally that it was almost robotic. Her emotions were becoming more veiled as time was passing.

“Are you sure? It’s okay to talk about it if you aren’t feeling good.”

“I know.”

“Gray, we know you’re dealing with a lot right now, so maybe it would help to try and express your emotions outwardly rather than letting them stay sealed inside.” Artoria’s hand loitered in the air as she wanted to touch her daughter in reassurance, whilst also being hesitant to actually make contact.

“I’m fine.”

“Gray, I know what you’re feeling.” Irisviel did what Artoria couldn’t bring herself to do and put a hand on Gray’s back.

“How could you know?”

“Gray, I’m currently losing myself to the Greater Grail’s control, just like you’re losing control to the Divine Spirit.”

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense. I forgot.”

“Not only that, ever since I was born I was told I had to eventually die and turn into an inanimate vessel for the Greater Grail. I have always felt like I was just a stand-in for something else people cared about more and that I was eventually going to become something that wasn’t me. That’s exactly what you’re going through.” Gray was silent, face still like a statue. “You aren’t alone. You aren’t facing this problem alone, the same way I’m not. We’re going to beat both the Greater Grail and the Divine Spirit inside you together.”

“Thank you, mama.” The tiniest of smiles came on Gray’s face. “That makes me feel better.”

Irisviel smiled back, but then her smile shrank away when she saw Artoria looking ashamed in the background, likely feeling impotent in the face of her daughter’s plight.

“Aight, car’s-well it still smells, but it isn’t as bad now and that’s as close to clean as we’re probably gonna get it unless we go to a car wash.” The doors to the dining room swung open hard enough to make a loud bang as Mordred power walked into the room. “By the way, I smell now.” Mordred ran over and hugged Chloe from behind.

“Oh, God!” Chloe lashed her limbs all over the place as she tried in vain to free herself of Mordred’s savage prison of stink to no avail. “Let go of me you bitch! You smell like horsepiss!”

“No, I smell like a sewer.”

“Fuck off!”

“Let her go, Mordred.” Artoria said sternly.

“Why? I’m just being friendly.”

Illya reached over and tickled Mordred’s armpit, his body jerking as he laughed which caused him to let go of Chloe.

“Thanks.” Chloe said.

“No problem.” Illya’s goofy grin showed she was more than happy to help Chloe.

After that, Mordred was updated on Irisviel’s current condition due to Rider having entered her.

“That fucking sucks! Can you take the Servant out of mama and put it in Illya or Chloe?”

“No, unfortunately.”

“Fuck!” Mordred dragged her hands down her face and groaned. “We gotta finish this war fast. Well, you guys do since I’m going to be outta here with Irisviel and Gray. What are you guys planning anyway?”

“We haven’t decided yet.” Sella said. “Perhaps we should tell the overseer about our theory that the Avenger from the Third War is what corrupted the Grail. If two Masters bring up this idea, we might be able to convince the overseer that the war needs to at least be postponed.”

“It might work, but the fact that we’re both Einzberns might make it look like we’ve been working together the whole time and are scheming or something” Illya put her head in her hands. “It would be better if we didn’t have any clear connections between us.”

“The overseer definitely knows about our fight last night, so that would make it surprising that we’re working together.” Chloe smelled herself and heaved at her new stink courtesy of Mordred. “That might show that we wouldn’t be working together like this unless we had a good reason to unify.”

“That’s unless Kotomine assumes our fight on the first night was just a facade to bury the lead of our relationship.” Irisviel said.

“It’s a bit outlandish that a fight like the one we had was anything but legitimate.” Artoria made a good point. “I think that telling the overseer is an idea worth trying. It’s the best option we have.” Artoria looked at Chloe. “Are there any physical records of the Einzberns having summoned Avenger and what he was like?”

“There would definitely be some kind of physical evidence of Avenger being summoned. As for what he was like, I’m not sure. The problem is that such evidence would be in the Einzbern Castle back in Germany. Finding it would also require parsing through, like, thousands of different papers and books in the archives. The point is that getting any solid evidence would take forever and might not even be substantial enough to convince the overseer if our word doesn’t.”

“So we’ll have to just try being genuine and speak to him together.” Artoria sounded tired.

“Fuck, by the way, I forgot to tell you guys something.” Chloe said as she rubbed her forehead and winced. “The overseer actually contacted me last night.”

“What? How could you forget that?”

“It wasn’t that big a deal. The overseer just sent a familiar telling us to be more covert about our fighting from now on. He was pissed that we made that big ass show in the middle of Shinto on the first night.”

“We did cause a lot of chaos.” Irisviel looked down like a child getting reprimanded by their parents.

“It’s not like we tried to go crazy like we did. It just turned out that way. Anywho, he said we need to behave from now on or the war’s canceled.”

“Wouldn't that be good?” Leysritt said.

A long pause.

Leysritt’s question caused Chloe, along with everyone else, to instantaneously understand what she meant.

“If we cause another commotion intentionally, the overseer will cancel the Holy Grail War and the risk of the Grail destroying the world will go down, like, a fuckton!” Chloe burst to her feet hard enough to cause her chair to fall back. “The war will be over and we’ll have sixty years to figure out how to destroy the Greater Grail!”

“That would be perfect.” Artoria was revitalized, but then deflated. “The problem is…”

“If we make another display like last night, we’ll make ourselves targets for the Mage’s Association and Holy Church’s ire. They care most about keeping Mystery in the World alive. If we make another big display of Mystics, they’ll see us as a threat and will hunt us down for the rest of our days.” Gray rattled off the risks of goading the overseer to end the Grail War in a deadpan voice.

“There’s no way we could hide it was us if we made another commotion like last time.” Chloe scratched at her head and began pacing. “If we claim it was an accident, that wouldn’t change the Mage’s Association and Holy Church’s reaction. Could we instigate one or more of the other Masters or their Servants into causing chaos instead of us?”

“I have no idea how we could achieve that.” Illya said.

“We wouldn’t be able to manipulate Lancer and her Master due to Lancer probably being able to access some kind of skill that sees through lies or deception. The Rider team’s gone and we know nothing about the Berserker, Assassin, or Caster teams.”

“How exactly would the overseer cancel the Grail War?” Gray asked.

“What do you mean?”

“The overseer acts as a judge and referee of sorts, but by what authority can he forcibly cancel the Holy Grail War? What if all the Masters just ignore him when he says the Grail War is over. In a literal and practical sense, how does he definitively terminate the Grail War?”

That was a fantastic question. Was Kirei bluffing, or did he possess some sort of control over the Grail? Could the Grail be deactivated in some sense?

“He might know how to activate a backup system of the Greater Grail.” Sella said.

“The Grail has backup systems?” Artoria asked.

“Yes. The Greater Grail has numerous protocols that can be activated when one has the right knowledge. For example, the Greater Grail can be made to summon an extra seven Servants and give them to seven more Masters while also summoning a Ruler to officiate a special war where the Servants and Masters form teams. The overseer may know how to use such a function of the Grail to end the Grail War. He might be able to forcibly desummon the Servant summoned by the Grail or he could possibly summon a Ruler who would use their Command Spells to make all the other Servants self-homicide.”

“How would Kirei initiate one of these protocols? Can he initiate them at will from any location or does it require a terminal like a Lesser Grail?”

“He would either need a Lesser Grail, which he shouldn’t have, or he would need to get close enough to the Greater Grail. Actually, he’d probably need to go wherever the Grail has been hidden.”

“Then if we cause havoc and he decides to end the war, he’ll have to go to the Grail and he’ll see it’s been corrupted.” Illya pointed out.

“He’ll see we’ve been telling the truth and he’ll let us destroy the Grail!” Mordred pumped his fist. “Fuck yeah!”

“Would the Mage’s Association and Holy Church pardon our displaying Mystics publicly if it turns out to be for a good cause?” Artoria asked.

“The Holy Church might.” Chloe plopped into a chair. “The Mage’s Associate definitely won’t. If anything, the shithead Lords from the Clock Tower wouldn’t be deterred by the Grail’s corruption and would still want its power. They may even want to use the Grail’s corruption as an excuse to confiscate it for their own goals.”

“For fuck’s sake!” Mordred was definitely sick of how complicated things had been.

“It would be best if the Greater Grail was destroyed before the Mage’s Association or Holy Church learned anything about its true nature.” Irisviel said. “As long as we get the overseer on our side, he’d likely let us destroy the Greater Grail as soon as possible.” Irisviel hated Kirei, but she couldn’t deny he had been reasonable so far. The issue was that the commotion would still attract the attention of the Mage’s Association and Holy Church. “Maybe we shouldn’t actually cause a commotion. Instead we can confront Kirei and let him know that, if he doesn’t go visit the Grail himself, we’ll display Mystics in the city. We’ll have at least one of us already in the city ready to go wild when we confront him so there’s no way he could stop us.”

“His hand will be forced and he’ll see the true nature of the Greater Grail.” Chloe leaned her cheek against her thumb. “It would be best if we tell him about our Avenger theory first and only force him to reveal the Grail’s location if that doesn’t convince him.”

“What if he prioritizes keeping the Greater Grail out of unworthy hands over keeping Mystics secret?” Sella said.

“He’s already willing to physically go to the Grail if another big display of the supernatural occurs, so he’d likely prefer going the the Grail and all the risks that comes with without a chaotic display of Mystic rather than be forced to go to the Grail anyway after we’ve caused the display of Mystics. He’d be picking between one evil and two evils. The point is that if we give him the ultimatum, he’ll do what we want and things should work out.”

“This could work.” Artoria rubbed her chin. “We should speak to the overseer as soon as possible.”

“I’d like to do some more preparations first. There are some archives in this castle, so I wanna do a quick check to see if there’s anything on Avenger and the Third War. It ain’t likely, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“Okay. We should still visit the overseer before nightfall.”

This plan could actually work as long as Kirei didn’t react in an unexpected way. He seemed to be the type to prioritize following rules so he’d do anything to avoid having Mystics revealed to the common populace. As long as that assumption was true, the plan would work and the Grail would be destroyed.

“Great, the Fuyuki team’s got a plan. I’m gonna hit the shower before my team leaves to look for that puppet lady.” Mordred left with his hands behind his head. Artoria watched him intently as everyone else continued talking about the plan to get the overseer on their side.

“Irisviel, I’m going to go talk to Mordred.” Artoria stood up and left the room.

She was probably going to thank Mordred for convincing Irisviel to talk about her feelings. That was good. Artoria needed to be honest with her feelings, especially with Mordred. He had earned honest praise and acknowledgement more than anyone.

Things were looking up. If all went according to plan, Kirei would be convinced and would let them blow up the Greater Grail with Excalibur and then Irisviel would be free of its pollution. From there, they’d find Touko Aozaki who’d make Gray a new body and Erosion would free Gray of the Divine Spirit’s influence.

Things were going to be okay. Irisviel kept telling herself that. She needed to fight back against the dark thoughts the Grail seeped into her and hold her head high. The pain and despair couldn’t stop her, she wouldn’t let it, for her children, for her wife, for humanity.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 28: A Transient Dream

“Thank you, Mordred.”

Mordred had just finished showering and putting on clean clothes when, while making his way through the halls of the Einzbern Castle, he encountered his mom.

“Thanks for what?”

“For talking to Iri.”

“Oh, right.” Apparently mama told mom about the talk they had the other day. Mordred could feel his face heating up. He was hoping mama wouldn’t mention that since it was embarrassing. “No problem. Mama just needed some help, so I helped her.”

“Mama? You’ve started calling Iri mama?”

“Uh.” Mordred’s face was on fire. “I mean, she’s basically my mama at this point.” Mordred stopped looking at his mom and instead at the wall as if the cracks in it were the most interesting things in the world.

“You’re cute, Mordred.” Mom was definitely forcing herself to say that, but not in a way that sounded like a lie. It was more like she was making herself state her inner thoughts. Mordred’s face felt like lava now as he was complemented by the parent he was so unused to being praised by. The catharsis was only matched by the awkwardness it was paired with. “A-Anyway, thank you for talking to your mama. She needed someone to talk to and I wasn’t up to the task.”

“You’re welcome.” Mordred murmured out.

“Mordred, I just want to let you know that I’m proud of you. I feel like I and everyone else treats you like you aren’t that smart, but you are smart. Intellectually and emotionally.”

“Thanks.” Mordred squeaked as his skin was as hot as the Sun’s core. “It’s nice to hear that.” Even if Mordred usually wasn’t called stupid, except by Kay(or Add in this case), it was clear that almost everyone thought Mordred wasn’t very smart in any sense except as a combatant. It wasn’t hard to see why everyone had this impression of Mordred given his habits such as speaking vulgarities constantly and always taking the brashest option available to him. Hearing his mom tell him he was smart was so nice that it made Mordred feel as if he was getting lighter. It felt weird.

“You’re a good boy, Mordred. You’re smart and you’re strong and I’m proud of you. I trust you and that’s why I’m okay with you accompanying your mama, Gray, and Add. Gray isn't allowed to fight right now, so it’s up to you to protect everyone from enemy Servants or anything else that comes your way. It’s your job to be the guardian. I know you can do it.” Mordred felt a responsibility put upon him that he had never previously known. It didn’t make him feel afraid or nervous, it made him happy to know that his mom had finally seen him as worthy of his trust and respect. “You’ll also be the one who’ll have to make tough decisions if necessary. Neither your mama or Gray are in a healthy headspace and Add, or rather Kay, has always been a better advisor than a leader. You are the one everyone will have to lean on. Do you think you can handle that?”

“Yes.” Mordred didn’t even hesitate for a second. He would make his mom proud and protect his new family no matter what Servants, magi, or whatever tried to hurt them. “I’ll protect mama, Gray, and Add.” Mom smiled at Mordred’s resolve.

“I’m glad to hear it. I’m sorry for stopping you. You need to get going with the others.”

“Right.” Mordred continued on his way with his mom accompanying him. The former knight of treachery walked quicker than he had before, not because he was eager to leave, but because he had been vivified by his conversation with his mom and wanted to meet her expectations.

Mordred and his mom exited the castle and went over to the family car where Sella, Leysritt, Gray, and Illya were packing luggage in the trunk. Mama was watching from the side with Chloe while they talked about cars. Chloe was holding her nose to safeguard herself against the sour stench of the car that refused to stop smelling of the sewer.

“Is everything ready to go?” Mordred said.

“Yup.” Illya slammed the car’s trunk closed

“Then let’s get going and find that puppet chick!” Mordred skipped over towards the car and stood by it as everyone started saying their goodbyes. Mom and mama held each other and kissed while Gray thanked Chloe for all her help. Mordred was never the type to really get into saying goodbyes so he just stayed back and gave a wave towards Illya and mom who reciprocated, as well as a obligatory nod towards Chloe and her maids. It looked like Archer wasn’t going to show his face. He had been scarce to see in the castle the whole time they had been there. Was he shy or just too serious to hang out?

Once everyone had said their piece, Mordred, mama, and Gray shuffled into the car. Mordred was driving since mama wasn’t in the condition to take the wheel and Mordred had the Riding skill. Despite Mordred having a skill that guaranteed he would be a good driver, Illya still felt the need to tell Mordred to be careful and to drive safely a good dozen times. Mordred really came off as reckless to everyone, except mom who said nothing who really did have faith in Mordred. Mama sat in the passenger seat in case Mordred needed to quickly reach her if something bad happened. She was a sweaty mess and was leaning into the back of her seat in a daze. Gray took a seat in the back and was so stiff it looked like she had a metal rod shoved up her ass like a mannequin. This probably wasn’t going to be a fun drive. Mordred’s discomfort didn’t matter, saving mama and Gray did.

“Is everybody ready to go?” Both Gray and mama nodded. “Then we’re off!” Mordred started the car and they got moving. Mama looked back to everyone staying at the castle with trembling shoulders. Gray just stared ahead while not really looking at anything just like how a camera doesn’t look at anything, only captures images through automated processes. Gray really was becoming more like a robot, or rather a god.

“Hey, let me out!” A voice came from Gray’s purse so she opened it and let Add out. “Finally! I hate having to lay low for so long!”

“And I was finally getting used to not having to deal with you.” Mordred hummed.

“And I was getting used to not getting verbally abused by you, so I guess we’re all disappointed.”

“Get along, you two.” Mama leaned her head against the window of her door. “This is going to be a long trip.” Both Mordred and Add held their tongues for the sake of not forcing mama to listen to them while she was exhausted both physically and mentally. Any strain while she was in such a fragile state would make her suffering more cruel and inch her closer to breaking.

And so the car ride remained quiet. Dreadfully so. There was no banter or play. It was just a sterile and by the numbers car ride. The family ended up in traffic on the expressway out of Fuyuki where the buildings faded while waves of trees and craters where mountains once stood became the new landscape. Thanks to people being eager to both enter and exit Fuyuki due to the first night of the war’s chaos, the roads were all congested and inching along at the speed of a dying snail. It created the sensation that the whole planet and even time itself was slowing, freezing, dying. The silence that nobody had the courage or interest to break was heavy and made Mordred want to jump out of the car and run around to let the energy inside him be released. The only stimulus that Mordred was blessed with was the ache of his unhealing wounds which was all he could focus on besides the awkwardness. Mordred was a hyperactive person when you got right down to it and so trying to keep calm and just wait something out was a Sisyphean request. The sting of his injuries, the beating of his own heart, the rising and falling of his chest as he breathed, all these little things became so hard for him to ignore. He even noticed every time he blinked and suddenly felt the need to consciously think about every time he wanted to shut and open his eyelids to keep his eyes moist. Focusing was becoming harder with every second that passed, every new thing that Mordred couldn’t ignore and was slowly driving him nuts. Mordred began tapping his free foot and twisting his tongue around in his mouth. He was going from stir crazy to exhausted. His body was accepting that it wasn’t going to be moving around and was trying to just shut down. This car ride was torture and Mordred didnt even have the luxury of being allowed to take a nap since he was driving.

Christ, Mordred had to get a grip already. He just had to let his Riding skill make him drive on autopilot while he daydreamed about something to keep himself entertained. What to daydream about? Food? Thinking about food would just make him hungry so that was a no go. Fighting? Fighting who? Lancer? Mordred imagined facing that spearwoman by the name of Scáthach again and even in his imaginings he was getting his ass kicked. He imagined those spear thrusts that pierced through his body so easily and he tried to picture himself diverting them with Clarent, but every time he still got hit. Even in his mind he couldn't imagine himself overcoming that monster of a woman. Only mom or Archer could beat her. Mordred couldn’t imagine beating any of the Servants that he had seen in the war so far, which wasn’t that many to be fair, but it still made him feel inadequate and emasculated. This wasn’t fun to imagine. How about someone easy to take down, like Dinadan or Bedivere? No, they’d be no fun to fight.

Minutes passed and Mordred was getting frustrated at how hard it was to entertain himself. Mordred decided to imagine something that used to make him feel bitter. He thought about what it would have been like if mom had accepted him as her son back in Camelot, if mom had opened her arms and embraced him as a being worthy of her love and who deserved to be her successor. Mordred would have been taught personally by her in how to fight and how to rule over others as a wise monarch. Merlin, Kay, and Dinadan would make jokes and Mordred would get mad and yell with mom scolding him afterward like parents were supposed to. Gawain, Gaheris, and Gareth would have become like real siblings to Mordred and they would spend time together. Tristan, Palamedes, Ywain, Galehaut, and Lancelot would have become mentors to Mordred while Bedivere, Percival, and Galahad would be like his friends. Mordred would tell mom of Morgan’s plans and they would foil them. Lancelot and Guinevere would never have their affair and maybe Galehaut would finally admit his feelings for Lancelot and they would get together. When it came to the issue of Mordred’s shortened lifespan due to the nature of his creation, they could use Avalon the same way it was being used to preserve Illya’s life in the real world. Mordred would grow and meet all his mom’s expectations and they would have become an inseparable pair. Mordred would eventually take the throne and mom would be free to live a simple and happy life free from the burdens of being king.

What could have been.

Mordred wiped away a tear. The past was the past, no use dwelling. Mordred’s present was what mattered and he had been gifted one that was better than he could have ever reasonably hoped for. He had finally been accepted by his mom and also had a mama that was one of the nicest people ever. He had Illya who was a caring and fun person while Gray incited Mordred’s protective instincts in a way that made him feel needed. Add was annoying, but he wasn’t that bad and arguing with him was enjoyable in its own way. Mordred had been accepted into a loving family that made everyday pleasant and caused the past to fade away for the first time in Mordred’s existence. This was a life Mordred was satisfied with and one he never wanted to end. That was why Mordred cared so much about protecting it. Nobody was going to hurt his family.

Mordred took an exit and the car ended up going down a long turning road that was tightly bordered by trees. Due to the big turn creating space between the Pendragon family’s car and the other vehicles along with the foliage getting in the way, Mordred couldn’t directly see any of the cars in front of or behind them and the other drivers likely couldn’t see them. That meant that if anything happened to their car, nobody would see it. Mordred’s Instinct kicked in and he knew that he and his family were about to be ambushed. He had no time to tell the others. It was about to happen so he had to follow his intuition and just act.

Mordred let go of the wheel and moved his arms towards mama. It all happened so quickly, but he knew mama was about to be attacked. His Instincts told him that there was an unseen enemy that had just phased into the car who was, right at that moment, unleashing two lethal blows towards mama. Mordred felt blades dig into his arms as he covered mama’s neck and chest. Both of the knight's arms were barely able to avoid getting completely cut through and that was only because he used Mana Burst to release a shockwave of red lighting. The crimson wave repelled the unseen blades and their wielder which caused them to crash through the car’s windshield. They weren’t leaving without a parting gift as an invisible strike hit the side of the vehicle and launched it off the road and into the forest next to it, Mordred and his family getting knocked around within the airborne automobile.

The car was ripped apart as it crashed through tree after tree. Mordred materialized his armor and grabbed mama while Gray got hold of Add and they both punched their way out of the vehicle and landed on the ground. There was no time to relax as Mordred gave mama a piggy back ride while summoning Clarent to block slash after slash from the invisible assailant who had already recovered from the Mana Burst they got hit with. They were definitely using two swords and were absolutely gunning to kill mama in particular. Mordred didn’t care what the reason was, he promised mom he’d keep everyone safe and he was going to do just that no matter what.

“Are you okay?” Mordred heard mama say through a telepathic link.

“I’m fine. Are you good?”

“I’ll be fine. Gray, Add, are you okay?”

“We’re fine.”

As he continued to black and counterattack, Mordred saw Gray holding Add and standing a distance away. She couldn’t help with the fight due to the potential risk of accelerating her loss of self, but that was fine. Mordred had things under control.

Instinct told Mordred that his opponent just changed their weapon to a polearm. They were probably trying to take advantage of their invisibility to disguise that they had multiple weapons that could attack from different angles. The enemy Servant tried to catch Mordred by surprise after making him confident he was fighting someone with two swords so he wouldn’t be ready for a different kind of attack. That wasn’t going to work on Mordred as he parried the new armament as easily as the swords. This was an Assassin that they were dealing with based on their strength and fighting style, but their specific identity was anyone’s guess since it was unlikely that they were going to show their face and potentially give away hints as to who they were.

This Assassin wasn’t too fast, thankfully. Due to the boost Mordred was getting from having Illya as his second Master, Mordred should have been able to outspeed this invisible Servant, but his wounds were holding him back. He had to power through the pain that certain movements caused in order to not hesitate or give away where his weak spots were.

“I am the bone of my sword”

Projected into the air above the obscured Assassin was a series of swords, each a Noble Phantasm with their own properties. Mordred had no idea how this Servant was just cranking out Noble Phantasms, but that didn’t matter. The swords shot at the knight who knocked each of them away easily and shifted to be more aggressive in his offensive. With Mana Burst powering him up, Mordred swung his sword repeatedly to unleash short range bursts of magical energy that carved craters into the earth and disintegrated trees. Assassin began to run rather than face the waves of energy head on, but they weren’t fast enough to avoid them completely. Mordred couldn’t see them, but he knew he had at least grazed the invisible fighter a few times.

Mordred was about to pursue the Assassin until he sensed people approaching who had unusually high magical energy. No, it wasn’t the people who had a lot of magical energy, it was the things they were holding. From deeper in the forest appeared men in suits wielding blades, spears, and other weapons that were all Noble Phantasms. They were cheap mass productions and certainly weaker than proper Noble Phantasms, but they were still dangerous. The wielders were human, so how did they have Noble Phantasms and so many at that? This was really bad. They all rushed towards Gray who couldn’t protect herself right now. These guys must have been working for Assassin and were trying to split Mordred’s focus and overwhelm him.

As they got close, Mordred ran over to Gray to keep her safe. The suits charged with their weapons, the one taking point wielding a weapon resembling a sword, but with a spiraling ‘blade.’ The man thrust it and Mordred saw that the weapon twisted space around it and rent it asunder which meant trying to block was a dumb idea. Mordred sidestepped the attack easily and sliced the man’s head off in a single motion. Based on the way these thugs were moving, they weren’t magi. They were having their physical capabilities boosted, but it seemed to be caused by magical energy funneling into them like with reinforcement magecraft that was coming from things they were wearing under their suits. They must have been given Mystic Codes to supplement that fact that they were really just normal people.

More mooks ran in and tried to overwhelm Mordred with numbers, but despite having Noble Phantasms, they lacked the technique necessary to match a real Heroic Spirit. A single swing of Clarent and the men were split in half at their waists with their upper bodies spinning in the air from the force of the impact. More of the suits walked over the corpses of their allies and continued their blitz. The cold heartedness of these men at seeing their own compatriots be slaughtered meant they were likely used to seeing people die and were able to steel their resolve. Mordred continued hacking away at the thugs with slashes that made the ground shake and caused blood to splatter all over Mordred, mama, and Gray. Mama was shaking in fear and disgust at the scene which was the appropriate response to a horror show such as this, while Gray just stood ready to run if necessary with her face still neutral.

The constant waves of thugs in suits made Mordred forget for a moment about Assassin who took advantage of that lapse in attention to attack Mordred and mama again. Mordred blocked the swing of a greatsword, but the force of the blow while he was taken off guard ended up knocking him away. When he landed on his feet, he saw that he was now a great distance away from Gray who stood stone faced while surrounded by the suited men. A punch charged with crimson lightning created a shockwave that flew at the crowd around Gray and turned a good half of the men to a mist of atoms. The other guys couldn’t help but flinch at what had just happened to their comrades which left them open. Mordred smiled as he readied another Mana Burst enhanced fist to obliterate the rest of the suits, but then his Instinct alerted him to incoming projectiles. Spears and arrows from more suited men hiding in distant trees forced Mordred to counter them to avoid the entire area getting torn to shreds and Gray getting caught up in it. With a backhanded swing of his arm, Mordred created an arcing steam of magical energy that served as a shield that crumbled the volley of Noble Phantasms that flew into it and caused shrapnel to shoot out in various directions. Fragments of Noble Phantasms shot clean through trees and dirt which made a fog of dust swaddle the battlefield.

While Mordred was forced to handle the projectiles, he couldn’t protect Gray who was forced to maneuver around the slashes and stabs of the numerous suits. That meant Gray was using magical energy which risked her losing control to the Divine Spirit. Mordred sensed another salvo of ranged Noble Phantasms were on the way, as well as the Assassin who was aiming for mama again. Mordred thrust his blade to the heavens and used his Crimson Lightning technique, a high power Mana Burst that unleashed lightning in all directions that eradicated the cloud of dust along with all other nearby objects in a great shockwave that repelled Assassin and sent them flying away. If they hadn't blocked and jumped back as the burst of magical energy reached them, they’d have certainly died. The second barrage of Noble Phantasms were left as less than dust and the explosion of red made the suits attacking Gray become nothing.

The explosion caused the entire area from horizon to horizon to be cleared of all vegetation. Considering there wasn’t a road in sight, Assassin had kicked the car deeper into the forest than Mordred had realized. Mama and Gray had been spared by the explosion thanks to Mordred maneuvering the energy around them. Such precision put strain on Mordred, especially while using such a powerful technique that could be considered just a step below a Noble Phantasms’s True Name release. The fact that he just used such a technique after using Mana Burst multiple times and while in a wounded state, it was lucky he had two Masters providing magical energy or Mordred would be running on fumes by now. Speaking of that other Master…

“Gray, mama, can either of you contact everybody at the castle? I don’t think this is over yet.”

“We tried, but there’s something stopping the signal. I think some kind of Bounded field has been erected that’s stopping telepathic signals.” Mama said.

There wasn’t any Bounded Field around that Mordred could sense, meaning that the barrier interfering with communication was probably around wherever mom, Illya, and Chloe were. That meant they were probably also under attack. This was a two pronged assault.

Mordred wanted to just give mama to Gray and tell her to run while he held Assassin off, but Assassin would just focus on targeting mama while she wasn’t with someone who would fight back. There was no way for Mordred to stop both Assassin and any of his forces that might remain from pursuing Gray and mama if they ran away together. Mordred needed to have mama with him so he could keep her safe. The only option was for Mordred to keep doing as he had been until he finally dealt a killing blow to Assassin. That was fine. Mordred could handle this, he had to, for mama and Gray’s sakes.

“Gray, stick close to me, even when I’m fighting. Don’t worry, I won’t hit you and I won’t let anyone else hit you. Just stay by my side and everything will be fine.” Mordred said while giving a smile of reassurance which he forgot Gray couldn’t see due to the helmet he was wearing.

Gray did as she was told and stood close to Mordred while continuing to be as unperturbed as ever. She looked taller, her hoodie and undershirt pulled up and exposing her midriff thanks to her boost in height and bust size. Her facial features were sharper, more refined. She held a kingly dignity that reminded Mordred of mom and made him worried that Gray had already crossed the point of no return. Gray was a good kid, she didn’t deserve all this heartache. They had to find that puppet chick and fast.

There was movement at the horizon and Assassin appeared in view, casually walking towards Mordred and company. He was finally visible and he was covered in red tatters of something he was once wearing that Crimson Lightning ate away. The tall man was tan of skin and white of hair with a serious face while wearing a sleeveless black top and pants. In his hands were two curved short swords, one black, one white. He was bloody and burned from Mordred’s last attack, but his wounds were healing. He didn’t look or feel like anything Mordred couldn’t handle by himself.

Mordred crouched and made sure Gray was behind him and that mama was still holding onto him tightly. Assassin bolted towards Mordred with hypersonic speed that made the air explode and rip apart the land. The Assassin crossed the distance between himself and Mordred in the time it takes sound to move an inch. White and black met silver as Mordred and Assassin dueled again, with Assassin putting his all into his swordsmanship this time rather than trying to be deceptive. The movements of the black and white swords flowed into each other immaculately which allowed for an unpausing sequence of slashes that meant Assassin was always ready to act and never let up on the pressure he put on his enemies. Though his technique was admittedly masterful by the standards of modern humanity, it couldn’t compare to that of a Saber such as Mordred. The knight’s unorthodox and freeform style that focused on raw might was more than capable of outdoing Assassin not only in terms of power, but it was even far more capable of adapting to enemy styles. There were no two ways about it, Mordred was simply superior in all ways that mattered. Assassin’s swords were smashed and then were replaced a moment later thanks to projection magecraft. This happened repeatedly with it appearing that Assassin could create as many blades as he needed as long as he had magical energy. This was going nowhere so Mordred changed a slash using Mana Burst which created a giant crater in front of the knight. Assassin narrowly avoided getting caught up in the red blast by sidestepping before jumping back a bit.

“Spirit and technique, flawless and firm”

The twin swords Assassin held were thrown at Mordred. The weapons spun like saw blades and moved down curved paths towards the knight in silver and red. Mordred had no clue what Assassin was trying to achieve with an attack like that, but it didn’t really matter so he swung Clarent and knocked the two blades away. The twirling weapons flew behind Mordred and Assassin created two more swords while running forward.

“Our strength rips the mountains”

Assassin slashed with one sword and Mordred’s Instinct informed him that one of the blades he deflected was curving back to attack the knight from behind. The weapon being swung and the returning blade were being attracted to each other. If Mordred wasn’t careful, mama would get hit. Mordred swung wide and destroyed both blades with a single slice. Mordred knew what was coming next as Assassin swung his remaining weapon and the other deflected blade curved back.

“Our swords split the water”

The two remaining swords turned to pieces and Mordred’s guard was left completely open due to being forced to make two wide slashes in quick succession. Two new swords blades appeared in Assassin’s hands that looked like longsword versions of the black and white swords he was using before. There was little distance between Mordred and Assassin and the dual wielding man was reeling his arms back for a downward X-shaped slash that would kill both Mordred and mama. This was terrible and there was no time for Mordred to do anything about it while in his current position. He couldn’t pull in his arms in time to block as Assassin began his killing slash that would cut right through Mordred’s Spirit Core.

“Our names reach the imperial villa”

Mordred and mama were dead, and Gray was next.

“The two of us cannot hold the heavens together.”

Mordred had failed.

Arms wrapped around Mordred from behind and the knight was pulled back. Gray tried to pull Mordred out of range of Assassin’s blades and partially succeeded in that the blades still cut into his chest, but not deep enough to hit his Spirit Core. He still took serious damage and the swords sliced right through one of Gray’s arms that held Mordred, the one that possessed her Command Spells. The limb severed as Gray continued jumping back with mama and Mordred and landed a good distance away.

“Gray, your arm!” Add said.

“I’m fine. Mordred, can you still fight?”

“Y-Yeah!” Mordred closed his wound with magical energy, but now he was finally feeling tired. It shouldn’t have been too big a problem as Assassin was probably far more exhausted by this point.

Mama was in a daze at this point. She wasn’t fully cognizant of the world around her which was probably for the best since she’d freak out if she saw her daughter lose an arm.

“You’re a surprisingly good fighter, I have to give you that.” Assassin stood tall with his spiky longswords. “I figured you were the type to just run in and swing your sword left and right like a Berserker. I guess I should have known not to trust my men’s assessments of you. Only a warrior can judge a warrior, not that I’m much of a real warrior.”

“Thanks for the compliment. As for you, you’re a sneaky little shit, but you’re at least good at what you do. You’re better than those thugs you sent after us.”

“They were meant to distract you. I wasn't expecting you to just flatten the area like that. I’d normally mock you for using such a thoughtless method of handling the situation, but it worked out rather well. Sometimes simplicity is best.”

“Hey, can I ask why you’ve been targeting her so specifically?” Mordred pointed towards mama on her back.

“She’s a threat to humanity.”

“So you know about her connection to the Grail.”

“She isn’t just connected to it. She’s primed and ready to be the host of an Evil of Humanity representing the sin of Retribution. I’m a Counter Guardian that was summoned to execute her before she fuses with the Greater Grail and becomes a Beast.”

Well, fuck. Turns out shit was a lot more dire than it already seemed. Mordred knew that the Greater Grail flooding the Earth with its mud would kill humanity and yet it never dawned on her that basically meant that thing was an egg for an Evil of Humanity.

“Thanks for making it clearer than ever how much we gotta blow that Grail the fuck up. You’re still not gonna kill mama.”

“Mama?”

“Yeah, she’s my mama.”

“Wow.” Assassin snickered. “I’ve never heard of an adult Servant seeing a human as their ‘mama.’ It won’t end well.”

“And why is that?” Mordred sneered at the implication that things were gonna go south.

“That’s how it always goes between humans and Servants. Heroic Spirits don’t belong in this time. They are outsiders who aren’t meant to stay beyond their time as soldiers in the Holy Grail War. To try, as a Heroic Spirit, to latch onto a time period and culture that is not your own, to find new love and bridge all the gaps in your way will only end in tragedy.”

“And how do you know that?”

“First hand experience.”

“Just because you fucked up doesn’t mean we will.”

“I’d be happy to be proven wrong, not that it’s my job to find out. My job is to kill you all right here and now.”

“And you’re gonna fail at that too.”

Assassin shrugged before looking melancholic with glazed over eyes. A bitter past played before him and he placed a hand onto his chest.

Mordred’s Instinct was screaming at the top of its lungs that Mordred needed to kill Assassin now. He had to stop Assassin from doing whatever he was about to do.

“I am the bone of my sword”

Mordred didn’t want to leave Gray’s side so he used Mana Burst to unleash a wave of destruction Assassin’s way. The chanting Servant dodged as magical energy slowly grew and the space of the battlefield began to shift.

“Steel is my body and fire is my blood”

Deciding to just go ballistic, Mordred swung his sword like madman and sent wave after wave of red lightning, of raw magical energy towards Assassin who kept dodging around and continuing his incantation.

“I have created over a thousand blades”

More Mana Bursts one after another failed to hit Assassin who was running around faster than ever before. He was in some kind of trance to push his limits and improve his evasion while he incanted.

“Unknown to Death,”

Mordred was questioning whether it would have been better to leave Gray and attack Assassin up close. It would make it easier to hit the bastard, but that would put Gray at risk so that was a no go.

“Nor known to Life.”

Mordred was sweating and his throat was dry. Should he leave Gray and attack?

“Have withstood pain to create many weapons”

Mordred felt himself getting tugged in two directions. He had to do something.

“Yet, those hands will never hold anything”

It was too late.

“So as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works.”

A flame spread out as magical energy peaked and space was overwritten. A burning boundary line etched itself through reality and trapped Mordred and his family. He should have left Gray to go on a fiercer offensive. Now his entire family was getting sucked into a Reality Marble, the apex of magecraft. Light spread out and part of the World itself was temporarily rewritten. The battlefield became a gloomy desert with a heat haze that warped the image of the thousands of swords stabbed into the sand standing like gravestones. The colossal gears above slowly turned and the deep clacking sounds they made resembled the ticks of a clock counting down to the end of time. It was a lifeless land embodying Assassin’s mentality and the fact that such a dead place was what embodied him was genuinely chilling. Assassin stood alone.

Assassin’s hands extended and swords tore themselves from the sand and flew into his hands. They weren’t the only weapons to move, the functionally endless armory before Mordred began to rise from the land and into the sky. This was the absolute worst. Mordred just drained himself using his Mana Burst like a madman and he had to defend not only himself from all these blades, but mama and Gray too. The weapons rained down and all of them targeted Mordred and her family. There was nowhere to dodge. Mordred used Mana Burst and unleashed a tsunami of magical energy that destroyed numerous blades, but not all of them. Mordred kept on slashing and using Mana Burst, yet it wasn’t enough to stop all the weapons that continued to fire at him and his family. Mordred was impaled by multiple swords and one spear managed to go straight through Mordred and into mama’s gut. She screamed and Mordred’s heart sank. Gray was forced to use Add to defend herself. She used Add’s halberd form with her one remaining arm to deflect as many of the armaments as possible, but she still got stabbed and lacerated in a few spots. Gray was going to lose even more of herself to the Divine Spirit. More swords kept flying into the sky above and striking back down like bolts of lightning. Assassin was putting his all into ending things now and that meant he was probably running low on magical energy. He was on the brink. If Mordred could just think of a way out of this, they could finish off Assassin.

Clarent was held in front of Mordred as he retracted his helmet to reveal his face and use his strongest Noble Phantasm, only to get interrupted. Assassin ran in while his deluge of blades curved around him and he swung his two swords which Mordred was forced to clash with while dodging the sword rain as best he could. He continued to use Mana Burst combined with wide swings to destroy the swords from above and the ones Assassin held in single swings, but more were projected to replace every arm shattered. Weapons started appearing in a dome shaped formation around Mordred and his family. The arms fired at them from all angles now while Assassin kept up his direct offensive. Mordred had no time to use his ultimate Noble Phantasm or do anything other than constantly unload waves of magical energy every which way through his sword while trying to protect his family. He barely cared about protecting himself at this point. He was just going to let his Battle Continuation do all the legwork of keeping him moving while he tried to destroy every weapon aiming for his family. Both mama and Gray had taken more impalements despite Mordred’s best efforts. Mama was crying from the pain as she healed herself and Gray with healing magecraft. Gray was just focused on protecting herself. The pressure kept on building as Mordred continued to fail in his mission of protecting his precious family. They were the people who saved Mordred from his hatred and gave him a second chance, who forgave him of his sins and let him know what it meant to truly be happy for the first time. Mordred had a responsibility to do anything and everything to keep them safe.

Anything.

“Gray.” Mordred spoke to Gray through their telepathic connection. “I need you to give some people some messages for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just listen. Tell mama that she’s strong enough to beat the Greater Grail and that she’ll come out of this okay. Tell Illya that she’s a good person for trying to make peace with Chloe. Lastly, tell mom that I’m sorry for all the heartache I’ve caused her and that no matter what she may think, she’s a good mom.”

“Okay.” Gray understood where Mordred was going with this.

“Take mama off my back. Don’t worry about the blades. I’ve got this.”

Gray did as she was told and took mama off Mordred’s back and held her. As for the blades she was no longer deflecting, Mordred unleashed a Mana Burst that destroyed them. While she destroyed the swords that were going to hit Gray and mama, the ones heading for Mordred, including the ones in Assassin’s hands, all hit their mark. Mordred’s body was riddled with swords and spears that decimated his Spirit Core.

Since he wasn’t held up with defending himself, Mordred could finally use his ultimate Noble Phantasm. Battle Continuation let Mordred use one last attack before he perished and so he held out Clarent which was filled with Mordred’s magical energy and the hatred he once held for his mom. Perhaps this could be said to be Mordred's chance to release the remnants of his grudge against King Arthur and finally move on. The pain coursing through Mordred’s body thanks to the weapons stabbed into him and by his own Noble Phantasm was excruciating and yet he didn’t pay it any mind. He had a job to do and he was going to get it done. Clarent opened up and Assassin knew what was happening. His frustration and fear was evident by how he jumped back and began running away while building walls of giant blades to protect himself from what was to come. They wouldn’t help. A great pillar of red came from Mordred’ sword as he held it aloft. The beam destroyed the weapons raining from above and unleashed a shockwave that destroyed the rest of the dome of blades and the arms piercing Mordred’s body. The dreary desert lit up crimson from Clarent’s light.

“Gray, I have a message for you too. That Divine Spirit can’t beat you. Not because you’re related to mom or anything like that, but because you’re you and you alone. Never forget that.”

Gray’s mind was silent for a moment.

“Thank you.”

Mordred smiled and took a step forward as he put his heart and soul into this one final slash. Unlike Mordred’s final attack on his mom, he was conscious this time and this attack was being used for good. He was going to protect his family. Every ounce of magical energy in Mordred’s body was infused into his Noble Phantasm as he swung his arms down and called out the last words he would ever say.

“Clarent Blood Arthur!”

The red beam from Clarent charged forward and utterly eradicated the numerous walls made of swords that tried in vain to bar its path.

Assassin stood with his arm held out.

“Rho Aias!”

Seven petals bloomed and formed a seven-fold shield. The crimson ray struck the shield and the air rampaged while the ground melted and everything was put on the line, everything was set to be decided by this one final exchange. The Reality Marble began to shake as the space itself struggled to hold in the majesty of this clash and Mordred poured his entire soul into his attack. This crimson beam contained all his hatred and all his love. This beam was all that was Mordred Pendragon, son of Artoria Pendragon and Illyasviel Pendragon, brother to Illyasviel Pendragon and Gray Pendragon, and friend of Add. This was the very essence of Mordred and nothing would stand in his way when it came to those he loved. The desert began splitting apart and the petals of Rho Aias shattered one after another before all that was Mordred. No more anger. No more hate. No more spite. This was who Mordred truly was. A knight and a hero. No mere seven layered shield could stop him. No mere downpour of unlimited blades could get past him. He was no longer an icon of treachery. He was a champion of loyalty to all that deserved his love and protection. That was how he would be remembered in the hearts of all who mattered to him.

Clarent Blood Arthur destroyed Rho Aias and exploded into a tower of crimson that shot upward and destroyed the gears above. The pieces fell from their perch in the dead sky before vanishing as the entire Reality Marble vanished. The cleared away forest returned and Mordred stayed on his feet as he felt his body begin to dissipate.

After the chaos of that battle, the sudden peace was refreshing and made Mordred just revel in it for a moment while he had the chance. The cool wind made her mangled skin feel nice and caused her to forget the pain she was in. The birds above flapped their wings as if today were just a normal day.

Mordred turned his head back to look at Gray who had mama on his back who was looking at Mordred with tears wetting her face. Gray began to run away since he had to get as far away from Mordred as possible before he died so wouldn’t get absorbed into mama rather than Illya or Chloe. She moved with speed befitting a Servant and Mordred hoped that he could keep himself from dying long enough for them to get a safe distance away.

Assassin was nowhere to be seen, but it didn’t look like mama had absorbed him so he probably escaped somehow. It didn’t matter since he had to have been so drained of energy that he’d die if he tried to fight Gray to get to mama.

Things were going to be okay for Mordred’s family. Mama and Gray would both be free from the entities that tormented them and Illya would become friends with Chloe. Mom would definitely be fine, she was too strong to let a Holy Grail War beat her down. Would mom be sad that Mordred was dead? Mordred hated to admit that he hoped she would be sad. That would mean she really did love him.

Man, Mordred’s new family was fun to be with. Every day was so interesting, but also peaceful. It was like heaven. It was everything Mordred had ever wanted and more.

And it was over now. Mordred would disappear and the main Mordred in the Throne of Heroes wouldn’t remember any of this. That Mordred still felt so much hatred in his heart.

But at least these happy days happened at all. Even if this Mordred was gone, this Mordred had nonetheless existed at one time.

This dream had been temporary, but it was nice.

Tears plopped onto the dirt. Mordred felt himself fading more. He was going to disappear and be nothing. It was scary.

The dream was going to end, but nobody could say it hadn’t happened.

Mordred had made up with his mom and lived a brief, yet happy life. Nobody could take that away.

It was getting darker.

It was getting quieter.

Memories were fading.

Thoughts were fading.

The dream was over.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 29: Irisviel

Irisviel was in a tundra polluted by a blizzard of black snow that turned the land into a shadowy abyss. There was near zero visibility as Irisviel tried to make her way with her body unclothed and exposed to the cold that made her flesh darken and crack. Blood seeped out of the fissures and it was as black as the snow.

Trudging forward through the darkness that coated everything and absorbed all color and life, Irisviel felt her body growing heavier. She already had the weight of a dragon inside her and it only increased as the snow touched her flesh and stabbed into it as if Irisivel were in a windstorm full of needles.

Irisviel kept going despite the pain that wouldn’t be numbed for the sake of her family. Despite the temptation to just let the frigid darkness wash over her and take control of her being, she knew the consequences of such an action would be irreversible. She had to keep going, she had to keep thinking of all the people who mattered to her. She thought of Gray and how sweet she was and how much she was already dealing with. She didn't deserve any more difficulty in her life. Irisviel thought of Illya and how she had become such a wonderful young woman, so full of life and altruism. She had already lost one parent and there was no way she could be allowed to lose anything more. Irisviel thought of Artoria and how kind, beautiful, and gallant she was no matter the situation like a true knight of legend. She couldn’t be forced to carry any more burdens and regrets than she already had. Irisviel thought of Mordred.

Mordred.

Mordred was gone. He sacrificed himself to save Irisviel and Gray from Assassin. Mordred had probably endured more suffering than anyone, having been rejected by one parent and manipulated by another. He was killed by the one person he cared about most and then was remembered by the annals of human history as a malicious traitor. He had finally been given the opportunity for a happier life, he was given a taste of it, only for it to be ripped away. He was gone and his memories of these happier days were erased. He might as well have not been summoned at all. He was gone and it was all because of Assassin and his Master who wanted to kill Irisviel. All because of Irisviel.

No, it wasn’t Irisviel’s fault, it was Assassin and his Master’s fault. They refused to give Irisviel a chance and were going to kill her out of paranoia. They didn't know Irisviel, they didn’t know what she was like and if she would really succumb to the Grail’s influence. They just blindly trusted the word of the Counter Force and that was it. They were sheep, all humans were. They were a species that would only need to be given the slightest of reasons in order to hate and persecute others en masse like a bunch of savages. That was what humans were, savages who had barely left their caves and given up their loincloths and yet they thought of themselves as enlightened. It was pathetic and vile. Humans would be better off gone.

Wait, that was the Grail talking, not Irisviel. She was letting it get to her again. She had to keep fighting.

Irisviel kept dragging her feet through the black snow, and when her feet froze to the ground and broke off, Irisviel crawled forward on her hands and knees as black sludge poured out of her ankles and left a trail behind her. More of the mud dribbled out of Irisviel’s mouth as she huffed and puffed in a desperate attempt to pull air into her lungs.

Irisviel’s very being was being torn apart and yet she kept on moving ahead for her family. Irisviel was constantly being protected by others and so it was the least that she could do to endure the torture she was facing.

A figure in the blizzard appeared, a silhouette barely distinguishable in the blackness. Irisviel focused and she could barely make out who they were. It was Gray and she was crying.

“Gray. Gray.” Irisviel said between gargles of the Grail’s coagulated curses.

“Mama, I want my own face! I want my own body! Why don’t I have them yet!” Gray shrieked. It was uncharacteristic of her, but that made sense since this was a dream. Irisviel just had to roll with things until she woke up.

“We’ll get you them, but first we need to get out of here.”

“I want my own body! I want it!” Gray stamped her feet.

“Gray, we need-”

“I want it!”

“Gr-” Irisviel couldn’t speak as her tongue dissolved into the mud which began filling her mouth and throat so much she couldn’t breathe or even make so much as a peep.

“Mama! Give me my body!” Gray just kept on whining like a brat with no concern for Irisviel. This was how she always was, moping about her own troubles and making them everyone else’s problem instead of appreciating what she had. She didn’t have a unique face? What’s the big deal? People usually resemble their parents and you don’t hear everyone else complaining about how they aren’t the most unique little snowflakes ever. Illya looked like Irisviel and she didn’t complain. Gray was a spoiled brat who needed to learn what real suffering was.

Stop. The Grail was just messing with Irisviel in an attempt to stoke her hatred and give in. She had to remember what the real Gray was like: gentle, patient, sweet.

A person appeared to Irisviel’s left. It was Illya.

“We need to save Chloe! She’s full of hatred!” Illya screamed. “She feels bad, we need to drop everything and help her!” So this was the next vision. While Gray kept on whinging, the fake Illya was going nuts over Chloe. “I know she tried to kill us, but that’s okay, because she was actually really sad!” It was funny how well this fake nailed how stupid Illya’s desire to help Chloe is-wait, no, that’s what the Grail wanted her to think. Irisviel needed to stay cool and remember this was all fake. “We should trust Chloe even though we have no reason to, because she’s sad! She’s really really sad! Do you get that? She’s sad!”

Christ, what was Illya’s obsession with helping Chloe? Was it just because she looked like her, because she was her clone? Chloe was partly Irisivel’s clone too and she wasn’t getting obsessed with her. Why did they even need to help her at all? She tried to kill them all because they were Einzberns. Chloe was completely unreasonable and was just a bitch. She deserved whatever she got and they should have killed her. Illya wasn’t much better, she was always so snarky and annoying. They should have just left her with the Einzberns.

Another new arrival at Irisviel’s right. Artoria.

“I am King Arthur, the greatest knight and king to ever live and that means I know everything. Everyone has to do what I say if things will work out. I care about and trust all of you, but I’m also going to constantly disregard your ideas and feelings and act emotionally while making what I’m feeling or planning really vague and annoying to decipher, but you just have to trust me that I know what I’m doing. I have endured great pain and so I’m constantly going to mope about it and repeat the same mistakes I’m upset over making.”

That was so Artoria. She was the worst of them all. Everything she did was an absolute nightmare to deal with. She was supposed to be the one taking charge and yet she was completely incompetent. She was like a child. Maybe pulling out Caliburn didn’t just freeze her aging, but made her stop maturing mentally too. Getting seduced by Artoria was the worst thing that ever happened to Irisviel. Her life became utter Hell thanks to her. The only person who Irisviel ever truly connected with was Kiritsugu. He went out of his way to turn Irisviel from a doll with no emotions to a real person. He was perfect and he was dead now. He wanted to free humanity from their evils, but it was their evils that killed him. Humans were beyond salvation. They could not be helped or taught, only culled.

Irisviel thought it and meant it. She was done. She was done fighting against the truth. She embraced the vastness of her hatred and the truth of humanity’s worthlessness and it made her feel good. It was orgasmic to just let her hatred free and stop suppressing her urges. It was like she was finally wearing clothing that fit, like she was let out of a cage she put herself in because everyone told her to.

The darkness around gathered and took new form before Irisviel. It grew and molded into armor that covered a blonde haired individual who had recently passed away. He was ready to be absorbed and once he was, the current Irisviel was over, the past would be discarded and the path to the end could finally come into view.

Irisviel would become the hand of the Greater Grail and would consume enough of the Heroic Spirits still on Earth that she could fully give birth to Angra Mainyu and become their body. They would become a Beast and flood the planet with the mud of the Grail. By the time any Grand Servants showed up, half the World would be destroyed and in the case that Irisviel defeated them, the rest of the World would be wiped away as well. The planet would become covered in the Chaos Tide that gave birth to humanity and a new race would rise from the Primordial Sea, a second chance at creating a species that wouldn't be utter dreck.

All Irisviel had to do was accept. Irisviel wasn’t gagging on the mud anymore. Instead it formed a new black tongue made of curses for her. The fate of the World and humanity was now in Irisviel’s hands. She had her chance to bite back against the species that had made her life Hell, a species she was never truly a part of. She was a homunculus made to fulfill the asinine dreams of long dead humans. She was just like Mordred, a homunculus born and made to suffer by human evil. Irisviel wouldn't just be avenging herself, she’d be avenging Mordred and all the other nonhumans that mankind has mistreated. To be that Avenger, Irisviel would become All the World’s Evils upon uttering two words.

Just a couple words and everything would change.

But did she really want to say those words? Did she really want this?

Gray wasn’t really that annoying was she? She was just scared, and she really was losing herself. Illya just wanted to help someone in need and who could fault her for that? Artoria was so wonderful and her flaws were things she was working past and weren’t that big of a deal. They were a great family. What was Irisviel thinking?

The Grail almost got to her, but Irisviel was too strong to be defeated so easily. She’d been fighting against the corruption inside her for years, Irisviel was an expert at refocusing herself and remembering her true feelings when nihilism blinded her. Irisviel’s will was that of diamond now and the Greater Grail wouldn’t make her give in and align with its desires. There were things Irisviel loved that far outshined what she hated. She loved cars and sweets and talking to nice people and spending time with her kids and Artoria and reminiscing about her time with Kirtsugu and thinking about the future and there was nothing that would tear all that away as long as Irisviel had something to say about it. Irisviel would give her life to protect everyone she loved, even if it meant staring down an Evil of Humanity in the face all by herself. Irisviel may have lost a lot, suffered a lot, but she was also happy, ecstatic to be able to do all that she now could. She can drive and eat good food and spend time with her family. She was blessed with so much and despite all the darkness inside her, she appreciated all that she had and wouldn't trade the life she had with anyone else. Heaven was all around Irisviel and so she would never destroy the World. Irisviel wouldn’t accept what Avenger wanted no matter what.

“I accept.”

Irisviel’s mouth spoke on its own. This was never her choice to make. She was just a vessel after all.

The dead knight’s form returned to mud and lunged at Irisviel. Her body was covered in the curses, filled with them. Her thoughts were drowned out and overwritten. Her identity was nullified and she had only one thought left in her mind.

Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 30: Drowning in the Light

Gray ran as fast as her legs would move as she carried mama on her back to get away from Mordred before he disappeared. It was vital that Irisviel and Mordred were as far away from each other as possible when the Saber Servant perished to lower the chances that Irisivel would absorb Mordred rather than going to a potentially closer Lesser Grail in the form of Illya or Chloe. The trees of the forest became a blur of green from the superhuman speeds Gray was moving at thanks to being essentially a Pseudo-Servant of a Divine Spirit. It was unfortunate that Gray could not control when Mordred died, but she could at least control her own actions.

Why didn’t Mordred’s death bother Gray more? The answer was obvious at this point. Her emotions were all but entirely gone thanks to her fusion with the Divine Spirit. At their rate, it was only a matter of time until Gray was completely gone and the entity inside her supplanted her existence. Gray would have been panicking over this fact if it weren’t for the fact that the very entity Gray feared was the same one taking that fear away, along with all else that made her who she was. The transformation was replacing Gray’s concerns and personal desires with a sense of clarity that let her view everything with a degree of genuine objectivity in terms of the greater good of humanity as a species. She was able to evaluate her situation as to what actions she should take to make sure the greater good is achieved and that analysis led to a single conclusion that Gray was struggling to find a counterargument for.

Gray should just kill mama.

That thought was interrupted by a sudden pain and an acknowledgement that Gray was under attack. A burning sensation that tried to consume and dissolve Gray’s entire being as she felt herself be covered in a viscous substance like napalm. The mud of the Grail was covering Gray and its source was the passenger on Gray’s back who quietly laughed.

Without a second thought, Gray summoned a Noble Phantasm of the Divine Spirit she was becoming. Invisible Air became an intangible aura surrounding Gray that whipped up into a localized tornado and blew away all the mud on the girl’s body as well as her mama. Despite having just been covered in curses, Gray only had some burns due to not possessing a body made of magical energy that can be easily dissolved by the mud, and because she had divine power coursing through her that rejected the Grail’s impurity.

Mama landed on the ground limply like a fresh corpse and yet her smile didn’t fade. Mud formed around her body and pushed her onto her feet while draping around her form like clothing. The power of alchemy boosted by the Greater Grail allowed the mud to be transmuted into a gothic black dress that radiated a sense of danger around mama as she continued softly chuckling. All her wounds had closed up completely despite her having been impaled multiple times earlier. The Greater Grail’s power had boosted mama’s ability to heal to being below only that of Avalon.

“Fuck! God fucking damn it!” Add swore. “We were too Goddamn slow! Irisviel, come on, don’t tell me you’re really gone! You’re still in there! Fight!”

Mama didn’t respond. She was too lost in her own little world.

“Mama, are you gone?” Gray turned Add into his halberd form that imitated Rhongomyniad and got into a low stance. She already knew the answer to her question. She only said it because of the little piece of Gray’s emotions that still persisted inside herself despite everything.

“So now you care about other people.” Mama’s head tilted to the side while her arms dangled like a doll’s. “You sure you have enough time in your schedule to be worrying about others? You’re usually so busy pitying yourself and making other people feel bad about your face.” The vindictiveness in mama’s words made it clear that she wasn’t mama anymore. She was the vessel of the Greater Grail now, the Black Grail.

“Listen, Irisviel! You aren’t beating Gray in a fight so just back down! One hit from Rhongomyniad and you’re gone! You know Gray’s willing to do it with how she is now!”

“Oh, Add, I forgot you existed. You’re so forgettable.”

“Even now, people’ve got to get their jabs in at me.” Add was getting sick of the mockery.

“Mama, I really will kill you for the greater good of humanity.” Gray’s voice turned completely emotionless and the whirlwind around her body surged.

“I wonder if you’d still be saying that if the Divine Spirit wasn’t influencing you. Would you really have the guts to kill your own mother? Probably. You only care about yourself in the end.”

“I do love you, mama. I love you, mom, Illya, Mordred.”

“Talk all you want, I know the truth. You and the rest of humanity are cruel and selfish monsters who are like a plague. You’re all full of arrogance and selfishness, thinking you know best and failing to see beyond yourselves.”

“Listen, Irisviel.” Add said. “I know that you’re being messed up by the Grail right now and that this isn’t your fault. That said, you definitely have some actual grievances and stuff that the Grail is just making more intense. Irisviel, you aren’t wrong to be pissed about most of the things you’re pissed about, you’re totally valid. I know I’m probably wasting my time, but if there’s some tiny part of you that’ll still listen to reason, know that we’ll address whatever problems you have and work to fix things.”

Irisviel rolled her eyes and didn’t bother giving a response.

“Mom, your mud will be outmatched against Rhongomyniad’s light. Just surrender yourself.” Gray spoke as if she wasn’t planning to still kill the Black Grail. She just wanted her to lower her guard enough to make the kill quick and easy.

“You underestimate what I can do when I have a functionally endless supply of magical energy and Grail mud to enhance my alchemy.” The Black Grail pulled out a wire for her magecraft, the kind she usually used to create homunculi for combat. The thread weaved into a humanoid shape and Grail mud covered that shape and filled it up to create a sort of mud man. It was an unimpressive sight by all accounts and would be easily splattered with a single thrust of Add. “Now to do a little soul transferring, or rather Saint Graph transferring.” Transferring Saint Graphs? The Black Grail must have been using the Grail to amplify her limited ability as an Einzbern homunculus to control souls. She was going to move one of the Heroic Spirits inside herself into that mud doll. Gray knew what the Black Grail was doing and immediately thrust Add at the humanoid mass of curses before it could be completed.

Gray was too slow once more.

Mud turned to silver and blue full body armor that was smooth and elegantly slim. A royal blue cape fluttered behind the newly summoned Servant. In their hand was a very special holy sword that was half-corrupt, yet half-pure. The weapon was split down the middle, one side a gold and blue Divine Construct with a blade emitting splendid light, the other side black with red marking befitting a tainted armament. The sword was Excalibur, there were no two ways about it. This Servant had to be some mutated version of either Mordred or Rider, but then why did they have Excalibur? And even more confusingly, looking at this knight made Gray feel like they were King Arthur. They weren’t King Arthur, Gray knew her mom too well to be fooled by any imposter, but something about the being before her made the thought that they were King Arthur be implanted into her subconscious. It had to have been some kind of skill or Noble Phantasm.

“What is this?”

“Consider it a science experiment. I made a zombie.”

The knight clenched a fist before gripping their blade with two hands and saying only one word.

“Imposter.”

The altered Servant charged their blade with lightning of light and lightning of darkness. The two Mana Bursts mingled while never melding and the sword whipped through the air with practiced exactness to create a dual colored crescent in the air. Gray's reaction was just as masterful as she parried the slash towards the sky which didn’t manage to stop the attack’s magical energy from blowing Gray away and melting the whole area from the sheer heat given off. The land became a mess of melted dirt, burning trees, and clouds of ash. Invisible Air protected Gray from the wildfire and even then, the heat of the initial slash left the Pseudo-Servant further burned and actually cauterized her stump. Lucky for her.

Another Mana Burst flowed through the sword of purity and corruption which was swung again. The new Servant was getting magical energy directly from the Greater Grail which meant he could just use his Mana Burst as much as he wanted without worry. He kept attacking without restraint or pause while Gray used the spearmanship skill of the Divine Spirit inside her to redirect each slash while still getting hit with the heat of the attacks. The imposter King Arthur wielded their blade with two hands, imitating the real Artoria Pendragon’s style in a way that was imperfect, but arguably no less effective in terms of sheer technique.

A trail of burning chaos was made through the forest as the two fighters kept on the move with Gray trying to escape while the alter Servant refused to relent in their pursuit. Endless Mana Bursts wore away at Gray who was breathing heavily. The lack of an arm was hampering her ability to fight back or even fully redirect the oncoming blows. Gold and black lightning grazed Gray whose body was getting scorched further and whose technique was getting sloppy. The previous fight against Assassin had left her weak and in desperate need of rest.

Add shifted to his scythe form which was the best at absorbing magical energy. As Gray continued parrying Mana Bursts, she now began to suck up some of the energy of the slashes to begin rejuvenating herself. To make up for the strength she lacked from having one arm, Gray began performing many twirls and took advantage of the uneven weight of the scythe to build momentum. Each uninterrupted rotation built up more kinetic energy which made each hit harder as Gray switched to the offensive to meet the imposter King Arthur’s attacks head on. There was no way she could match them in her condition, but she could power through the damage as she absorbed as much of each Mana Burst as possible.

Gray refused to pull back and let the momentum she was constantly building up with her rotations be lost. She kept moving forward, as did the knight. The two’s weapons kept crashing into each other and causing the entire forest to jump. Blazing trees flew towards the sky as the land became a tremendous divot that glowed yellowish white. Gold and black lightning kept flowing into Add with every collision of weapons which made Gray feel revitalized. That didn’t mean the knight was getting tired at all, they seemed as energized as ever as they kept meeting Gray head on.

Another shift in form changed Add from a scythe to a large hammer that began releasing flames made of magical energy out of the back of it. This was an imitation of Mana Burst, but Gray could also use a real Mana Burst thanks to the Divine Spirit inside her. Gray unleashed a Mana Burst to make the hammer’s propulsion doubly powerful and allowed it to move so fast it was a blur to even Gray herself as it slammed into the knight who barely blocked in time. The alter Servant was launched away and the shockwave left in his body’s wake destroyed everything he moved past and caused the burning dirt to launch into the air in an image resembling the parting of the Red Sea by Moses.

This wasn’t the time to let up on the pressure so Gray ran after the knight while he was still airborne and transformed Add again. This time he became a grappling hook and Gray twirled him so fast he created a windstorm before throwing him at the knight. Add wrapped around the Servant’s leg and Gray violently tugged on the line, yanking the knight back towards herself and hitting him with serious whiplash. Add released the Servant’s leg and changed into a halberd again. Gray thrust Add forward and charged him with another Mana Burst.

The knight used a Mana Burst of his own, but instead of using it to attack, he struck at the ground which destroyed it and creamed a smokescreen of vaporized dirt while propelling himself up and out of the way of Gray’s thrust.

Add changed to bow form this time and Gray began rapidly firing arrows of magical energy with her teeth that the Servant easily deflected. The diverted arrows flew in random directions and impacted with the ground, creating eruptions of displaced earth.

The bow became a boomerang and to give the next attack an extra layer to it, Gray cloaked the weapon in Invisible Air to make it invisible. While the knight touched down, Gray threw the translucent boomerang while the wind around it made it spin faster than normal to increase its cutting power.

It should have been difficult to figure out what angle Add would come from due to his invisibility, but the knight just stomped on the ground and created another fog of dust in the air. As Add entered the smokescreen, he displaced the airborne dirt around him which made it clear where he was.

The Servant swung his sword and powered it with a Mana Burst again. Excalibur met the boomerang which kept spinning like a buzzsaw before getting overwhelmed by the dual-colored lightning. As the weapon stopped its rotation and hung in the air for an instant, the knight reached out and grabbed Add to leave Gray disarmed.

“I’m taking this back. Rhongomyniad doesn’t belong in the hands of an imposter like you.” The knight said. The hypocrisy was staggering.

“Strike Air.”

The wind around the boomerang sped up and spread out in all directions. The knight grunted as he threw the weapon away before he could take the full brunt of the wind blast. Like a bolt from the blue, Gray ran over and grabbed Add.

She was armed again, but she wasn’t in a very good place at the moment. She was absolutely exhausted to the point that she likely wouldn’t be able to even scratch the enemy Servant at all. Even if she could, the knight was getting a direct stream of magical energy from the Greater Grail that meant he could heal endlessly as long as he didn’t take a lethal or near lethal blow. There was no way Gray could beat both this fake King Arthur and the Black Grail. Gray needed more magical energy, magical energy that Gray wasn’t currently tapping into. If Gray accessed the full power of the Divine Spirit inside herself, she’d be able to use Rhongomyniad to defeat both her opponents.

But that meant giving up who she was. She would die, functionally speaking. Her identity would be erased.

Now was the time to decide what Gray cared about most.

It was obvious that Gray didn’t want to lose her identity and especially didn’t want to die. She spent her life desperate to attain her own appearance and figure out who she was as an individual. To always look like someone else and be expected to give your life for them was something that ate away at Gray and made her feel like she didn’t matter. To die by being supplanted by an alternate version of her mom was the worst way to go in Gray’s eyes.

But she’d happily meet that fate head on if it meant saving her family. Gray had already failed to protect Mordred and mama and she didn’t want to lose anyone else. If she was going to save mom and Illya, Gray had to kill the two monsters in front of her and the only way to do that was with the power of Rhongomyniad. It was either unleash the Spear of the End or run away to live another day while the Black Grail and their Servant would hunt down all the other Servants, including mom.

Mom had saved Gray from the accursed village in which she was born and gave her all she wanted to make her feel better about her lack of her own appearance. She had made Gray’s life a dream and so had Illya who was the best big sister she could ask for. Despite all the identity issues Gray had, she truly had a great life full of great people and she was thankful beyond belief for it. To run away now would be a betrayal of all of Gray’s blessings.

And then there was the World and the rest of humanity. Gray had an obligation as a member of the human race to preserve her species, even at the cost of her individual life. The spear Rhongomyniad was a weapon that existed for the preservation of mankind and Gray was that spear’s wielder. There was a World ending threat in Gray’s presence and so she had a responsibility to use Rhongomyniad here and now. If not now, then when?

There were no doubts left in Gray’s heart. Now was the time to sacrifice it all for the greater good.

Add returned to a cube and was lifted up above Gray.

“Gray, don't tell me…” Add said.

“I am.”

“Wait, Gray, think about this! If you take the spear out, you’ll go away! The god will take over!” Add spoke with desperation for his closest companion.

“I know.”

“There’s no way to convince you to stop?”

“No. I’m sorry.”

“I see.”

“I’ll miss you, Add. You were always there for me when nobody else was. You’re my best friend.”

“You’re my best friend, Gray. I’ll miss you.”

“Make sure the Divine Spirit doesn’t do anything crazy, and tell mom and Illya I love them.”

“I will.”

Add was consumed by the color of gold as magical energy became like a vortex around Gray.

“Gray, Rave, Crave, Deprave. Grave me. Grave for you.”

A pillar of light shot up towards the sky and the white hot dirt around Gray was blown away. The knight tried to attack and stop Gray, but the power of the light pushed him away and he was forced to merely watch as an axis of the World was unleashed. The light of the spear was power and perfection made manifest. Gray’s mind started getting hazy as it shrunk away to give space for something else. It was hard to think or do anything as a new will took over her Body and Soul.

“Pseudo-personality suspended. Magical energy yield exceeds regulation. Second stage restraint rescinded.” Add said as he lost his sense of self and became just a weapon.

The very Texture of the world shivered just a bit as a pillar that held the planet together was about to be unveiled. Gray’s body grew to full maturity that superseded her true biological age while her eyes turned gold. Armor of silver mixed with blue cloth and a white cape, along with a helmet with a white mane covered Gray’s entire body and made her look like a hero, a king. Gray became lost in the dazzling light of her own weapon and felt herself fading further into the background.

“Sacred lance, removing restraints.” the Divine Spirit said.

Add gave way for the holy lance Rhongomyniad, a golden mass of energy in the shape of a lance that had swirls of light revolving around it. The armament from the World’s end outshined the Sun and radiated power beyond what any proper Servant should have been capable of. This wasn’t some normal Pseudo-Servant, but a Divine Spirit inhabiting a vessel designed to house them and so the goddess King Arthur was able to use close to their full power as a Divine Spirit. The only reason 100% couldn’t be achieved was because the vessel was technically meant for a different version of King Arthur, and the Mind that was meant to inhabit the vessel was still absent. To compensate, Gray’s mind was being rewritten to act as a substitute.

The light was getting brighter and it was drowning out Gray. Her existence was getting painted over and a goddess was being left in her wake. Gray’s emotions were already gone except for a sense of peace that made her want to simply submit to the void of gold that she was being sucked into. It was getting brighter, quieter, warmer. It was like sleeping in a warm bed or being in the embrace of a loving parent. It was nice and Gray had no complaints about giving in as she was about to enter the dreamless sleep of nonexistence. Why had she rejected this conclusion for so long? It was so nice to just fade away and let another entity take control.

A bittersweet sting hit the remnants of Gray. She remembered all she was about to lose, the family she would never see again. Gray had one last thought before she disappeared: “I hope my family will be okay.”

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 31: Pretender

The twilight made the hill of Camlann sanguine red which disguised the blood of Mordred’s victim. The battle was over and the Knight of Treachery had won. Surrounded by a sea of corpses, Mordred had impaled his father in the chest with Clarent and it was in that moment that Mordred finally realized he didn’t want this. He didn’t want the throne, nor did he want revenge against the parent that had scorned him. He just wanted his father’s attention, his love, and he wished to free his father from the fetters of her role as the king that stands above and apart from all others.

A cough scattered blood across Mordred’s face. King Arthur was clinging to the last remnants of her life with clenched teeth. Her expression as she looked at Mordred wasn’t filled with anger as would be expected. Mordred assumed that his father’s fury would be directed at him for destroying her kingdom and stealing her life away, but instead she just looked sad and scared more than anything. She was desperate to live and protect all she loved. She refused to just give in despite the futility of her struggling. It was a pitiful sight to see the immaculate king brought down to a bloodied squirming human, and all because Mordred managed to hit with a lucky thrust.

Mordred didn’t try to hold back his own tears as he watched his father gradually go limp and slump onto the ground. Her fingers stopped twitching, her chest stopped rising and falling, and her life ceased. King Arthur was dead, Mordred’s father was dead. Vomit rose up the treacherous knight's throat and he had to choke it down to not accidentally get any on the corpse he just created. Mordred had gone too far and there was nothing he could do to fix what he had done. Mordred could only stare at his handiwork and bathe in his sins.

The blood on Clarent dried and dusk turned to night as Mordred just kept staring at the corpse of his father. Mordred’s soldiers could be heard in the distance, sieging what remained of Camelot with little resistance. Those fools who Mordred rallied to his side made the knight sick to the deepest depths of his being. They were swayed with vapid rhetoric and unfocused passion to conquer an entire kingdom in Mordred’s name. It was hard to judge them too harshly without acknowledging that they were just like Mordred in that they were traitors swayed by the manipulations of others. The only difference was that Mordred realized he was being manipulated and pretended not to care.

It was then, under the star spackled ceiling of night, that Morgan le Fay appeared to Mordred. She was monologuing about something or other, but Mordred wasn’t listening as he felt the emptiness within him be filled with anger. Words about Morgan’s birthright and some such were muffled by Mordred’s hatred. Morgan was the one who used Mordred as her instrument of revenge to carve a path to the throne of Britain.

The witch turned to look down at King Arthur and Mordred took the opportunity to cleave his mother in two in a single downward swing. She never saw it coming and likely died before she knew what happened. Getting that simple revenge did not make Mordred feel any better about his betrayal.

It was after that point that Mordred seeked atonement for his action, and more importantly, a way to preserve the legacy of King Arthur. The question was how to do it. How would Mordred make sure that the generations of the future saw King Arthur as a faultless hero who could not be defeated by some swine like himself?

The answer was to make sure everyone believed King Arthur had not fallen. Mordred hid away the body of his father and got to work taking his place. He used the fact that he was a clone of King Arthur to be able to wield Excalibur and Avalon, the latter of which cured him of his shortened lifespan as a homunculus. He began studying his memories of his father’s fighting style and personality quirks to imitate her while having a suit of armor called Replica of Pedigree made with magecraft that would make any who weren’t already personally familiar with King Arthur instinctually believe Mordred to be her. The last thing Mordred had to do was to eliminate all the remaining members of the Round Table as well as all others who knew the true King Arthur such as Guinevere. And so that was what Mordred did. With each life Mordred ended with Excalibur, the more the holy sword became corrupted while never fully turning impure.

Thus was born the reign of the pretender King Arthur. His rule lasted for many years, only to be quashed by the Pruning Theoretical Phenomenon that said Mordred’s history was an incorrect one that didn’t deserve to exist.

And so that was the end of the one called Mordred Alter, at least until another Mordred was corrupted by the mud of the Grail. Mordred Alter was given new life with the memories of the Mordred he was replacing. This unaltered Mordred still managed to destroy King Arthur, but then went on to reconcile with him in their second chance at life.

But he didn’t deserve it. Mordred’s sins were unforgivable and the only reason King Arthur forgave him was she simply had too much love in her heart to enact proper punishment. It wasn’t just Mordred who deserved punishment, but all of humanity. The human race and their imperfections were the reason they betrayed the perfect King Arthur. They were a race not even a transcendent monarch could bring salvation to. They needed to be wiped out for their sins against King Arthur. Only then will justice have been served. That was why Mordred Alter served the Black Grail.

At least, that was until Mordred Alter laid eyes upon King Arthur, and not just any King Arthur, but the most amazing one of all, one that wielded the Holy Lance and who shone brighter than any star and was truly divine. They were perfection beyond perfection and an existence for which the entirety of reality existed for. Humanity was validated merely by having birthed this king of kings. This is what the King Arthur that Mordred Alter knew could have become if it weren’t for his betrayal, the god she could have metamorphosed into. This was not a being that Mordred could raise Excalibur against for the sake of humanity’s punishment. This was a being that Mordred needed to serve under in eternal penance for his transgressions.

Among the burning wasteland created by his holy and corrupt lightning, Mordred dropped to his knees instead of preparing for his opponent’s attack. This caused the goddess before him to lower their spear out of curiosity for Mordred’s submission.

“What are you doing?” It was not the goddess who spoke, nor Mordred, but the Black Grail who appeared behind the kneeling knight. “We need to leave. This Divine Spirit is too much for us to handle at the moment.”

“I do not serve you.” Mordred looked at the feet of the goddess as his helmet disassembled and revealed his true face and the fact that he was an imposter. “I serve them.”

“You are a Servant born from the Greater Grail’s mud. My every word is a Command Spell to you, now move.” The Black Grail tried to force Mordred’s will to bend to her, and normally such a demand would be more than any Servant could resist, but this was a special case. Mordred Alter was a being whose entire existence was born out of obsession for a single entity and that entity was now before him. It wasn’t just the entity who was his whole world, but it was the greatest version of that entity that he had ever encountered. This led to a need to serve this entity that was able to overpower the will of the Greater Grail. Such a perfect scenario was a nigh-impossibility due to all the necessary factors that had to coincide, and yet this scenario had occurred nonetheless.

A click of the tongue. The Black Grail left in a spurt of mud without another word while severing her connection to Mordred, leaving him without a Master or a source of magical energy.

The deity wasn’t going to stand idly by while the Black Grail rode away on a wave of Grail mud. The Holy Spear was pointed towards the homunculus and a beam of golden light was fired at blinding speed.

A giant mass of Grail curses formed between the Black Grail and the oncoming beam. The black hill exploded in a conflagration that blew away hunks of the land. Out of the smoke appeared multiple giant humanoids made of Grail mud. They didn’t possess Saint Graphs, but they were created from alchemy to have enough power to match a Noble Phantasm.

The giants numbered six in total and they all charged towards the goddess who leapt into the air and held Rhongomyniad high. The weapon shined bright and the deity descended like a living missile wrapped in light. Like an embodiment of divine judgment, the goddess shot right through one of the giants and hit the ground behind it. A pillar of light erupted and eradicated the giant while knocking away the other five with the resulting shockwave.

The goddess stood in the crater she created and two of the giants ran for her and jabbed their arms forward in giant jets of mud. Another pillar of light burst from the deity’s body and acted as a shield that the mud slid off like water off a raincoat. The spearwoman dashed towards the two giant homunculi while leaving a trail of blue magical energy in her wake. The Holy Spear was thrust as the goddess ran past the monsters and turned them into an incoherent slop before the trail of magical energy behind the deity destroyed the mud on a particle level.

The remaining three mud giants made a pointless attempt to dogpile the goddess who responded by firing a beam of light from Rhongomyniad that pierced into one of the giants and vaporized it. The beam didn’t disappear as the deity swung the spear and the beam with it which acted like a blade that cut the remaining two giants in half before the light’s divine power destroyed the severed pieces entirely. The laser cut through not only the giants, but also some distant clouds and even the atmosphere itself which created a vacuum that quickly filled with surrounding air. All the giants were gone and the goddess stood tall amongst a flattened forest.

Mordred just watched one of the most magnificent fights he had ever had the pleasure of witnessing. The goddess just destroyed the equivalent of six Noble Phantasms without even needing a fraction of their full power. Odds that would be considered impossible to overcome by most were unworthy of even making the deity sweat a single bead. She did it all in a mere ten seconds. That was enough time for the Greater Grail to escape and hide away somewhere unknown. The Greater Grails’ power was radiating throughout and beyond Fuyuki, dulling the goddess’ divine senses and preventing them from finding the vessel. The goddess would have to hunt for the Greater Grail and its vessel.

Now Mordred was alone with his deity and he was filled with feelings upon feelings. Admiration, joy, love, fear, curiosity, and awe were all directed towards the goddess, while hate, disgust, loathing, sorrow, pity, and despair were all directed towards Mordred himself.

Powerful steps tramped through the melted dirt as the goddess got closer to Mordred until they were standing right in front of him, looking down upon him.

Mordred was crying as he couldn’t bring himself to look up and meet his deity’s gaze. His jaw hung open for a moment before all Mordred had done spilled out. He spoke on while rarely stopping for a breath as he confessed all his sins for the first time since he had committed them. He spoke of his uprising, of killing King Arthur and taking his place out of guilt. He spoke of killing the remaining members of the Round Table and Guinevere to silence them.

As Mordred told his entire life’s story, the goddess stayed quiet and listened without so much as moving an inch or taking an audible breath. Mordred was praying that the deity was judging him, looking at him with disgust for all his horrid actions and would make him face punishment finally after all this time. He needed to be punished, he wouldn’t be able to believe that justice was real if he wasn’t punished. Even if he was simply sentenced to death, he could accept that. Mordred’s armored fingers grasped the dirt as it gradually cooled and he waited for word from his goddess. Would he finally face retribution and feel peace. Anxiety and guilt intertwined as he kept on waiting for the deity to say something.

“You really never change, Mordred, no matter the history. You’ll always be a violent, boorish traitor. You even managed to dirty Excalibur with your impurity. You truly ruin everything you touch.” The deep and serene words of the goddess were like law made manifest and they pierced Mordred’s heart like the Holy Spear itself. It was the derision that Mordred had long desired as punishment and it brought with it its own sort of catharsis. “And yet I can’t help but feel something other than hatred for you.” Hold on, what? How? Why? What did the goddess mean? Mordred looked up as his deity had taken off their helmet. They were enrapturing in their elegant maturity that was an optimal fusion of masculine and feminine. Their expression was almost emotionless, except for the slightest movements of their brow and cheeks that most wouldn’t even be able to detect. “I used to hate you, or as close to hate as I could feel while lacking true emotions, and saw you as nothing but a self-destructive weapon at best. Then my emotions returned to me and now I remember the pity and regret I felt when I thrust Rhongomyniad through your stomach. I was able to see from your perspective and understand the myriad factors that turned you into the betrayer you were.” This wasn’t right. Mordred was scum who needed to face retribution. Why was the goddess sympathizing with him? “And now I’ve been reborn in a vessel, and with that vessel, new memories. I have the memories of a girl named Gray who felt many emotions. She felt great love and sadness, and for you, she felt respect for your strength of both body and will, and she wished she could act as proudly as you did. She admired your reconciliation with another version of me and your willingness to move on from your past mistakes. Thanks to the girl named Gray, I can’t help but look upon you in a more complex light than I had previously. I see your many positive aspects, and yet I can’t ignore your sins.” Yes, don’t forgive him, punish him! Mordred needed to be punished! “And so I shall give you a chance at atonement.”

“Atonement?” Mordred sounded like a child.

“You have no Master and will disappear if you don’t acquire a source of magical energy. If you swear loyalty to me and assist me in destroying the Threat to Humanity that is the Greater Grail, I will provide you with magical energy in a method similar to a Master. I have plenty of energy to spare due to my unique method of manifestation.”

“But I need to be punished! I killed you, and the Knights of the Round Table, and Guinevere, and the Lady of the Lake, and hundreds of other people! I destroyed Camelot and impersonated you! I ruined the World so badly that my timeline got pruned from Proper Human History for being so fundamentally wrong! I don’t deserve to atone, I deserve to be tortured and killed! If I’m to serve you, it’s as a dog, a slave!”

“Punishing you will not help me, nor anyone else. The only reason you want to be punished is for your own sake. You wish for your own suffering only to make yourself feel better. Your desire borders on masochism and is not something I will waste my time on.” Mordred was dumbstruck and yet he couldn’t deny anything the goddess said. He wanted to be punished so he could feel a sense of release after having gotten away with so many sins for so long. He wanted to satiate his own guilt and that should not have been his goal. His goal should have been to make up for what he had done, to bring so much good into the World that it overshadowed the evils he created. “Once again, I offer you a chance at atonement.” The goddess held Rhongmyniad aloft and it glowed brighter. “Accept my Gift and become a Knight of the Lion King.”

How could anyone say no? It was time for Mordred to really make things right. There was evil to be combated.

“I will serve you until the end of days, my king.”

Mordred got on one knee and bowed his head. The Lion King brought down their spear and touched each of the former traitor’s shoulders before Mordred kissed the weapon’s tip. Divine power infused into the kneeling knight as he received his king’s Gift.

“Your Gift is called Loyalty. You will be able to absorb magical energy from the environment to amplify your abilities whenever you follow my orders, especially your defense which will make you able to endure all but the strongest assaults. It is essentially a Command Spell that is constantly making you stronger as long as you don't disobey me.”

“Thank you, my king.”

“Stand. We must move.”

“Where are we going?” Mordred got to his feet.

“The easiest way to handle this situation would be to destroy all of Fuyuki and the Greater Grail along with it. The issue is that my humanity is preventing me from going through with such a tactic like I normally would. The next option is to go to the overseer and force him to show us the Grail’s location. We will use the same tactic our…family was going to use. You will go into the middle of the city where a lot of people are gathered. I will confront the priest and tell him to show us where the Greater Grail is or you’ll use Mystics in public.”

“Understood.”

The Lion King parted her lips to say something, only for her to stop herself and look at Rhongomyniad. She looked sad for a second before steeling her expression. The Holy Spear’s light dissipated as it returned to its seal. The blue box named Add returned and sat on the Lion King’s palm. It regained its consciousness and looked at the king.

“Hey.” Add said. “Is Gray still in there at all? Even a little?”

“Not that I can sense. I’m sorry.”

“Did you take over Gray on purpose? Did you intentionally do this?”

“No. My Saint Graph was summoned into her and everything that followed happened on its own.”

“I get it. Apology accepted in that case. Is this permanent?”

“As far as I’m aware.”

“Fuck.”

“Indeed. Will you serve as my armament and allow me to access Rhongomyniad? I understand if you don't, considering it’s because of me that Gray is gone.”

“You can use me, don’t worry. You’re trying to stop the Greater Grail and you’ll need Rhongomyniad to do that.”

“Thank you for being so reasonable.”

“No problem. I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“When the Greater Grail’s destroyed, what will you do? You don’t have a kingdom to rule and you don’t have a family to live with, unless you plan to live with Gray’s family.”

“I doubt that would go well. I would be an eternal reminder of all Gray’s family has lost. Once I am done here, I will leave to find a place that needs to be saved.”

“So you’ll be some kinda superhero?”

“I suppose.”

“Take me with you when you do. If I stay with the other Artoria and Illya, I’ll just remind them that Gray’s gone like you would if you stayed with them.”

“You can stay with me. I’ll need your help to defend people after all.” A sigh escaped the goddess’ nose. “Let’s be off.” Dun Stallion, the loyal steed of King Arthur, materialized and the Lion King mounted him while putting his helmet back on. In contrast to the white horse, the goddess also summoned the black horse Llamrei who Mordred got atop.

A crack of the reins and both steeds ran at hypersonic speed towards Fuyuki. Mordred followed behind his goddess with resolve in his heart to destroy the Greater Grail and make amends for his past actions. From there, he would follow the Lion King wherever they went as their eternal knight. It was supposed to be atonement, but it sounded more like heaven.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 32: It All Happened so Quickly

Content Warning: Suicide imagery

Let’s look back to just before Assassin attacked Irisviel and company on the morning of the third day of the Holy Grail War.
---
“So it’s basically about people fighting angels by piloting giant robots, but it isn’t fun?” Chloe said.

“It’s fun! It just isn’t happy-go-lucky. It’s about the psychologies of the characters and stuff, it’s really cool.” Illya said to her twin while they walked around the inner courtyard of the Einzbern Castle with Archer invisibly following behind them. They were waiting for mom, Sella, and Leyrsitt to finish getting ready before they left to go to the Fuyuki church. Sella was readying the cars they would use, Leysritt was using the bathroom, and mom was having a snack.

“What was this show called again?”

“Neon Genesis Evangelion.”

“That sounds super pretentious.”

“No, it’s great! It’s an analysis and deconstruction of other mecha anime!”

“Why do they need to be deconstructed?”

“It’s to evolve the genre, to take it in new directions!”

“It really just seems like a show that’s up its own ass.”

“You just don’t get it! You need to watch it with me!”

“I guess I’ll give it a try, but if I think it’s shit then we’re turning it off and watching Pulp Fiction.”

“And you're calling Evangelion pretentious?”

“Pulp Fiction isn’t pretentious!”

“Oh come on, it’s doing that out of order storytelling thing to make itself seem smart.”

“No, it does it with purpose!”

“And Evangelion does what it does with purpose!”

Illya and Chloe were arguing, but they were having fun, or at least Illya was. She hoped Chloe was also enjoying their bantering and wasn’t really upset. Illya wanted to be close to Chloe, to make her happy after all the pain she suffered throughout her life. It seemed like she was succeeding in that goal since Chloe had done a one-eighty on her desire for Illya to stay as far away from her as possible at all times. They were talking about their interests and even making plans to watch some shows and movies after the war. If all went well, Chloe’s family and Illya’s would stay in touch and get together sometimes for holidays and birthdays and stuff.

That was contingent on this Holy Grail War ending well. It should since mama was getting away from Fuyuki and Gray was going to be getting a new body. Touko Aozaki couldn’t have been that difficult to find. Thank goodness they were told she could help them. It was all thanks to Chloe.

“Hey, Chloe.”

“What? Got any more bad opinions about media. You gonna tell me that, like, Plan 9 from Outer Space is secretly a masterpiece?”

“No, I just wanted to thank you again for all your help, especially for giving us the idea to find Touko Aozaki. I know we all said thank you a bunch yesterday, but I still wanna let you know how much it means to us that you did that. Gray is gonna live thanks to you.”

“It was no problem. I just had a passing thought and figured I’d bring it up. It couldn’t hurt.” Chloe craned her head away from Illya.

“Thank you still. You could have just as easily decided to not say anything.”

“Listen, you can quit saying thanks, it makes me feel uncomfortable.”

“Then is there anything I could do to thank you?”

“Like what?”

“I dunno, that’s why I asked. Is there anything you want that I could do for you? Anything you’d like to have done or that you’d like to get?”

“I just want this war to be over so I can relax.”

“Do you have any plans for after the war? You have free range now to do anything and so much money that you don’t really have limits.”

“I don’t have any specific ideas right now. Maybe I’ll use my money to become a philanthropist or something. I might as well do some good since I have the ability to and I know what it’s like to have it rough.”

“That’s a really good idea. You’re a good person.”

“It was just an idea.” Chloe blushed.

“How about I help you with your philanthropy in that case to thank you for saving Gray.”

“Fine, I guess.”

Chloe liked to act all aloof and self-centered, but she was a big softy on the inside. Most people when they got a lot of money didn’t think about helping others, they thought about what crazy things they could buy. Chloe had a good heart.

Things were going to work out. They were going to visit the overseer in a little bit and he’d see reason and show them to the Greater Grail. It’d be destroyed and everything would be gucci.

Hold on.

A Bounded Field, massive one was just put up around the entire forest, Illya could feel it. She immediately tried to contact her mom telepathically, only to find she couldn’t. Illya tried connecting to Mordred, only for the same result; nothing. The field was scrambling all forms of mental communication magecraft.

This could only mean one thing. They were under attack.

Something cold was touching Illya’s neck. She felt it press into her skin tightly. Her breathing stopped and she realized that she was about to lose her head.

Illya was yanked back and the invisible blade only grazed her throat. There was a trickle of blood, but nothing important was slit. The one who pulled Illya back and saved her life was Archer who had materialized ready for battle. He lacked anything like Instinct which would let him sense where the invisible enemy was, but he did possess Mind’s Eye(True) which would let him analyze the situation and get at least a general idea as to the enemy’s location.

“Stay by me.” Archer said as he jumped back with both Illya and Chloe in his arms before he put them down and summoned his bow. He nocked multiple arrows to release in a single wave that would leave nowhere for the unseen threat to run.

This was foreseen by the enemy who began incanting for some kind of spell as soon as their slash on Illya failed to kill.

"Brennender Himmel
Ich kenne den Kreis; Die Blumen beschützen mich;
Der Wächter des alten Schlosses ist unerschütterlich.
Eine Blume blüht in meinen Händen; Aias der Telamonier!"

Magical energy gathered and formed around the unseen Servant. The magical energy reached levels rivaling a Noble Phantasm and took the shape of five large sakura petals that were bright pink. The petals curved down and formed a canopy around the invisible assailant to function as a shield against the dense stream of poisoned arrows. The bolts impacted the shield with enough force that each shot alone would be enough to shake the castle down to its deepest foundations. With the innumerable number of arrows that were being shot, the entire forest constantly quaked. The bolts were each destroyed as they impacted with the pink canopy despite the power of the shots. Fragments of arrows scattered through the air before disappearing while cracks slowly formed in the petals due to the unending series of impacts.

One petal broke like glass and so did another. Another. Another. Only one petal remained to defend the invisible assailant from the full brunt of Heracles’ might. Archer summoned an extra long arrow that he nocked before firing it. The shot moved so fast that Illya only saw the aftermath. She heard a sound like a bomb going off that made her temporarily lose her hearing. The wind became like that of a hurricane and both the arrow and the final petal were in pieces. There was nothing left to protect the enemy Servant now. Another extra long arrow was readied. As the bowstring was pulled back with a soft touch and the enemy’s future appeared to be curtailed, magical energy wafted through the air so thickly it was almost nauseating. The multitude of arrows and the canopy of sakura petals were full of so much power that the remnants left after their destruction had dispersed into the atmosphere. It was so overpowering that there was no way to sense any other magical energy signals.

That was probably all a part of the enemy's plan and was the reason why Illya nor Chloe nor even Archer saw the next attack coming.

Archer, Chloe, and Illya all spotted something on the roof of the castle above where the unseen enemy was, something red. It was a magic circle floating mid air and made of blood that gave Illya a headache just looking at it.

“Breaker Gorgon.”

The next thing they knew, there was a flicker of red and the circle was gone. At first it appeared that nothing had happened. Illya, Chloe, and Archer were still present and standing with nothing appearing out of the ordinary.

“What was that?” Illya said.

“I don’t know and I don’t care. Archer, send another wave of arrows and destroy everything in the direction that circle was. I don’t care if the castle gets damaged.” Chloe said and waited for her Servant to follow her commands, only for there to be no response from the giant. “Archer, did you hear me?” No response, the giant just stood in place. “Archer! Wakey wakey!” Chloe slapped the Servant’s side. No response. Chloe looked Archer in the eye and then went slack jawed. Illya noticed it too.

Archer’s eyes were glazed over and red, the same red as the bloody circle that was floating earlier. The giant was under the effect of some kind of Noble Phantasm. He had Valor which protected against mental interference, but it wasn’t absolute and a Noble Phantasm level mental attack could have been enough to incapacitate him.

“Oh, fuck.”

“Time alter - square accel!” Illya couldn’t let them sit around like sitting ducks while Archer was in whatever trance he was under. Illya warped time to move at speeds comparable to a Servant as she pulled a hair from her head and used alchemy to make it stronger before lengthening it and wrapping around her own waist and the motionless giant’s. Chloe was scooped into Illya’s arms and Illya ran at full speed while using reinforcement magecraft to boost her strength. The giant was dragged across the ground behind Illya as she ran since leaving him behind would mean he’d be defenseless, the invisible enemies being able to kill him with ease even if it would take a while due to his God Hand. The sound of projectiles whizzing through the air was heard behind Illya but she couldn’t look back. Even the slightest hesitation and she along with Chloe and Archer would die. Thankfully, the giant’s absurd durability meant he’d make a nice shield against the projectiles as Illya kept running.

Illya ran at a wall and kicked a hole in it before running though. Illya entered the mansion and sensed for her mom’s magical energy. She and Leysritt were the only people who had a chance of handling these invisible Servants. Locking on to her mom’s magical energy, Illya ran towards her through the mansion’s corridors. Leysritt and Sella were with mom from what Illya could tell and considering the sounds of things breaking and explosions, they were fighting somebody over there. Like the invisible foes, whoever they were fighting had their magical energy hidden. More projectiles Illya didn’t turn back to see shot for her. Illya manipulated the string holding Archer to lift him up a bit so he’d act as a better shield. The shots failed to penetrate the giant’s skin so they weren’t A rank attacks, not that they were any less deadly for Illya and Chloe. The weight of Archer’s body was great and yet Illya kept moving forward despite the strain pulling it forward caused her. Her whole body was in pain from both the giant’s mass and the strain of using time alter for so long.

As Illya ran, she tore out a good chunk of her hair and let those strands pierce into the floor and spread out into an underground net that would sense vibrations and thus allow Illya to know where people were standing throughout the mansion, even when they were invisible. It was through that that she understood how many intruders were currently in the mansion. There were four, with two pursuing Illya and company while the other two were engaging mom, Sella, and Leysritt. Three of the enemies would periodically leave the ground for extended periods of time meaning they could probably fly or at least hover. The fourth who was one of the two following Illya had a different weight and cadence of steps compared to the other three who were identical. The other three must have been clones of each other of something in that vein. The scent of blood was filling the air as Illya entered the lobby where her mom was.

Leysritt was a homunculus who was built to have physical capabilities on par with a Servant. She was far from a slouch in combat from what Illya understood and so she would not be defeated easily. The exception would be if she was facing enemies she could not detect due to her straightforward combat style or if she was attacked unprepared without her halberd. It was for those reasons that Leysritt was currently a bloody and mangled mess who was barely still standing.

Blood spears were fired by an invisible assailant and Leysritt dodged them, only for another unseen fighter to strike at her side while she was evading and launch her into the staircase. Leysritt was embedded into the steps, but she quickly pulled herself out and ran as fast as her super strength would allow and punched at where the invisible enemy struck her from. Leysritt failed to hit anything and instead was hit herself by another invisible blow that knocked her into the air before multiple blood spears fired at her. Plucking yet another hair from her head, Illya extended it and had it wrap around Leysritt. The airborne woman was pulled out of the way of the blood projectiles and over to Illya and Chloe.

“Liz!” Chloe said while panicking over her friend's state.

“Okay. Are you?” Leysritt said.

“We’re fi-”

More blood spears came from the invisible enemies in the lobby while Illya could hear more projectiles being fired by the other assailants who had been chasing Illya and company and who had just caught up. Illya used time alter again, scooped Leysritt into her arms with Chloe, and pulled Chloe, Archer, and Leysritt out of the way of all the projectiles.

Illya looked around for her mom and Sella and when she spotted them, her heart skipped a beat. Sella was dragging mom towards the exit. Mom was limp, her eyes just like Archer’s. They got her too and now there was nobody who was strong enough to beat the invisible Servants. This situation was beyond dire.

Pulling Sella and mom to her with another hair, Illya kept on using time alter despite the agony it was causing her as she dragged mom, Chloe, Leysritt, Sella, and Archer towards the exit. The four invisible foes were about to give chase, but the web of hair Illya made underground pierced up through the floor and wrapped around the pursuers. The fetters pulled the unseen quartet through the ground and into the wine cellar below. They would only be delayed for a second or two, but that was enough to get a decent head start. Ilya’s body reinforced itself to the limit and she tackled through the doors to the outside. She had to just take everyone and run. As long as Avalon kept healing her, she could just keep pulling everyone away. This all banked on the invisible Servants not being fast enough to catch up and that they didn’t have any powerful ranged attacks, but it was worth a shot.

That shot was hampered by the fact that standing right outside the door was a crowd of suited men wielding weapons of varying kinds that were at least Mystic Codes and may have even been Noble Phantasms.

The surprise made Illya stumble and an arrow shot by one of the suits stabbed into her leg and nearly blew it off entirely. She hit the ground and she couldn’t move as the recoil of her overuse of time alter hit her all at once and outpaced the healing power of Avalon. The invisible Servants were coming and so were the suits. They were all ready to kill and there was nothing Illya could do as her whole body was now paralyzed. She tried to move with all her will and yet nothing happened. Illya needed to protect her family, Chloe’s family, and yet she couldn’t due to her own weakness. The helplessness of needing to do something more than anything and being entirely powerless to do that thing was a horrifying sensation. To be destined to fail and having to just sit there and let fate wash over you, it was haunting. Illya had finally felt like things were going to work out and it was then that her life began crumbling down so quickly she couldn’t keep up.

“Don’t move or the Lesser Grail dies!” Chloe said as she held a knife to her own throat. It was Illya’s combat knife, she must have pilfered it from Illya during all the chaos.

Everyone stopped.

“I’m the Lesser Grail, if I die, the war is over and nobody gets their wish! If you try to touch any of us, I’ll kill myself! I really will! These are the most important people in my life, without them, I don’t wanna live anyway!” Chloe’s voice was ragged and honest. She really meant every word. She not only cared about Sella, Leysritt, and Archer, she even had a deep connection to Illya and mom.

This was a serious threat and a bluff at the same time. Chloe was a Lesser Grail, but both Illya and her mama were too. This was all predicated on the assailants believing Chloe was a Lesser Grail, that they understood what the Lesser Grail was, and that they didn’t know there was more than a single Lesser Grail.

The suited men all stood still while Illya and her companions all lied on the dirt and the invisible assailants stayed quiet, their current actions hidden from everyone. Were they preparing to attack? Discussing whether they believed Chloe? If they had a telepathic connection with each other that functioned within the Bounded Field, then there was no way for Illya and company to know.

Illya could only wait helplessly to see what happened.

Seconds gave way to minutes and Illya was getting more afraid as time went on that the assailants wouldn’t comply with Chloe’s demands. She began grinding her teeth just to have something to do, something to focus on besides the danger of the moment.

One of the suited men took a step for some reason. Maybe they were preparing to pounce, or maybe they were just repositioning their feet to be more comfortable. Either way, Chloe didn’t take kindly to the man’s step. She pushed the blade of the knife harder into her throat and pierced it slightly. A line of blood slid out of the wound and everyone stopped making even the slightest movements. Chloe had a hair trigger and would end her own life with the slightest provocation at this point.

“I am one of the Servants who has been attacking you. I’d like to appear so we can negotiate, is that okay?” A voice came from one of the invisible individuals.

“Fine, but don’t move.”

“As you wish.”

Appearing from nowhere was a woman wearing a red cloak and wrappings. Under that they were wearing some kind of red dress. Their blue eyes were serious and calm.

“What do we have to do to make sure you don’t end your own life?” the Servant asked.

“Leave. All of you leave.”

“I sadly can’t do that.”

“Then I’ll die.”

“That isn’t an option for us. To put it briefly, some of us are actually being blackmailed into this. Our allies will be killed if we don’t at least capture you.” They weren't acting of their own volition? What could their situation be?

“I don’t give a shit about your friends, leave or this war will have no winner.”

“How about we take just you in and we leave the rest of your companions alone, even your Servants. If they stay here and agree to not pursue us when we leave with you, we won’t hurt them or you.”

“And how do I know you won’t go back on your word once you’ve restrained me?”

“We can establish a geis. I have the knowledge necessary to make that kind of contract. We will promise to not harm you or any of your companions and in exchange, you will not end your own life, you will willingly become our prisoner, and your allies won’t track, follow, or attack us. Your Servants will also be restored to normal. The terms of the contract will last for twenty-four hours. That’s enough time for your allies to find a new base and relocate. We’ll also be using a spell to make it so your servant can’t find you through your connection to him as his Master. This is the best deal I can offer.”

Chloe’s hands shook which caused her neck wound to widen. She bit bottom lip so hard it bled and she made some quiet grunting noises as she struggled to think of a better option than the one the red Servant was offering. Illya didn’t want Chloe to be taken away, but she also couldn’t think of any way out of this situation.

“Fine. I accept your offer. Make the fucking contract.”

“Alright.”

The Servant slowly readied the spell. It took some time given everyone present was a part of the geis and during that time Illya seethed. She hated how helpless she was and how unfair this whole situation was, especially for Chloe. She had to use her own life as a bargaining chip in a rigged game just to protect the people she loved.

The geis was completed and Illya could feel the contract seep into her magic circuits and intertwine with them. A second heart of magical energy formed next to her existing one and she was now bound to the terms of the geis with her life as collateral.

Chloe sighed and pulled the knife away from her neck and dropped it.

“You guys gonna tie me up or knock me out?”

“No need for either since you have to follow the geis’ terms. I’ll just carry you.”

“Alright.” Chloe stood up and as she did, both Archer and mom regained their senses from the Noble Phantasm that had trapped their minds.

“Chloe?” Archer looked at his Master as she approached the unfamiliar figure in red.

“What happened?” Mom asked.

“Long story short, you guys got paralyzed or something, we’re under a geis now, and I have to go with these guys or we’ll all die.” Chloe was pulled into the red Servants arms who bridal carried her. Both mom and Archer didn’t have a response due to the lack of information. They just understood that Chloe’s words were serious and that they couldn’t interfere with her capture. “See you guys. I gotta admit it’s been fun. Hopefully we’ll make it through this. If we do, Illya,” Illya raised her head. “I want us to watch Evangelion together.”

With those words, Chloe was taken away as everyone could only watch. Nobody said anything.

Illya cried as she continued to feel useless despite all her efforts. Her ability to cry was the only thing Illya still felt control over, and even that might be lost to her if things kept spiraling down.

Everything was happening so fast.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 33: Fujimura Group Raid

Nestled amongst the houses of Miyama was a mansion in traditional Japanese style; the horizontally focused compound composed of wood, stone, and rice paper. It was large enough to cover a fourth of the city block and it, according to the blueprints of the building Henriikka acquired, had an intricate basement system of various floors. Said blueprints were likely outdated as they were from years ago, but it still gave a general idea as to the fortress’ structure which was pertinent to Sakura and her allies’ plans.

It had been a while since most of the yakuza who called the residence their home had left on their missions and Sakura was waiting in a nearby alley for Clown and the other Caster to arrive so they could infiltrate the compound and save Rin and Luviagelita. They were likely casing the area one last time before they revealed themselves to Sakura. Henriikka’s paranoia was frustrating, but she wasn’t necessarily wrong to be so cautious. Sakura ran her hand across her head and the fuzz that was all that remained of her hair. She could feel the scar from her head wound that the hair wasn’t long enough to completely hide. The magus clutched the Book of False Attendant in her hand, feeling the power of the Command Spells within. No mistakes this time. Sakura was going to save her sister.

A flash of green as Clown’s Bounded Field activated, the same one they would use to escape after securing Rin and Luviagelita. Clown appeared along with a woman who resembled the Gorgon Sisters. She was tall with long purple hair that nearly touched the floor and her eyes were covered by a pink blindfold. She wore a black leotard with wide sleeves that were long enough that her hands could not be seen. Her legs were on full display and she had a hood up with a hole in the back of it for her hair to go through. This was Henriikka’s Caster, an alternate version of the Gorgon Sisters or, considering there was just one body instead of three, it was actually that this Caster wasn’t the whole trio and was instead just one. The Gorgon Sisters were the anomaly from an alternate universe while this was a proper Servant from normal history. Based on the blindfold, this Caster was probably Medusa since she was the sister known to have a glare that turned others to stone.

“Apologies for the wait.” Clown said.

“It’s no problem.” Sakura turned to the Servant and bowed. “It’s nice to meet you. I hope we can work together.” The hooded Caster nodded in return. “Are you both ready?”

“We are. Are you?” Clown responded.

“Yes.”

“Good.” Clown reached into his suit jacket. “This is a gift from Lady Henriikka.” He handed Sakura a bag full of jewels. “Infuse some spells into them and then we’ll go.”

“Thank you.” Sakura began taking out gems and infusing them with different spells. After she had prepared a satisfactory amount, she put them in her pockets along with the bag of more gemstones. “I’m done.”

“Then let us begin.” Clown and Caster left the alley with Sakura following behind. They all stood before the gate that blocked entry to the estate and Caster wordlessly used a spell that opened a hole in the Bounded Field surrounding the area without setting off any alarms. The three mages jumped through the gap and over the wall as Caster used another spell which made the trio invisible to the human eye. It was a very basic technique that anyone with even a basic level of magecraft knowledge or the ability to sense magical energy would easily see through. The spell was more than enough for the situation given the yakuza, according to Caster’s observations on Henriikkka’s orders, were definitely not magi. They were normal humans and the Bounded Field likely had been created by Assassin.

Caster bit her index finger and the blood that dripped from it transformed into multiple small garden snakes as invisible as their creator and her companions. The newborn familiars snuck into the mansion through cracks or the like to scout out the estate.

Sakura and Clown stood by Caster in the estate’s yard and waited for the Servant’s search for Rin and Luviagelita to bear fruit. Considering the mansion had multiple basement levels and a plethora of secret passages, it took a while.

“I found them. Follow me and be as quiet as possible.” Caster spoke telepathically.

Sakura wanted to cheer, but instead she simply smiled and felt her determination strengthen. She and Clown followed Caster as she walked onto the deck and up to a sliding door. She couldn’t open it herself without risking getting seen on the security cameras that were everywhere. She had to prompt the door to be opened by someone within so they could enter.

Another spell was cast by the Servant that was weak enough that only a normal human would be affected by it. A moment later, a hypnotized yakuza thug opened the door and stepped out into the yard, leaving an open path for Sakura, Caster, and Clown to enter.

The group stalked through the mansion with soundless steps while occasionally weaving around a patrolling yakuza. They arrived at a wall that was a secret door. Caster hypnotized another thug who opened the passage for the invisible team to pass through. Going down a tight corridor and down some steps, they arrived at a hidden floor in the building. Caster kept on leading the two magi through more secret passages and rooms. Sakura was conscious of every step she took to make sure she didn’t make the slightest creak. Each of her breaths was measured and intense as the purple haired girl kept imagining herself accidentally exhaling too loudly and getting the group caught.

“It’s there. Rin’s room.”

Caster stopped and so did Sakura and Clown. They looked at the entrance to the room Rin was imprisoned in.

From Caster’s sleeve came multiple snakes born from her blood that all shot through the shoji and into the room. The door was destroyed and Sakura could see the five guards inside being ripped apart by the serpents. The cameras will have seen that, there was no more being stealthy. It didn’t matter, there was no way they could take Rin out of the room without arousing suspicion. They just had to get to Luviagelita and teleport out before the yakuza could retaliate. According to the plan, Caster’s snakes that had been patrolling would be gathering in Luviagelita’s room at that moment. They would grow larger before killing the yakuza watching over Luviagelita and then they would protect the woman until the group arrived to rescue her.

The invisibility hiding the trio vanished and Sakura ran into the room and over to Rin.

Sakura covered her mouth as she shrieked.

Rin was missing an arm, that was something she was told about, but seeing it up close was still horrifying. She was roughly bandaged up with the wrappings around her stump being a dirty red. The yakuza weren’t taking good care of Rin and that made Sakura’s eyes water and her blood boil. Sakura peeked into Rin’s open mouth to see that her teeth and tongue were also gone to make sure she couldn’t say any incantations. Sakura was going to kill Assassin’s Master.

“Rin.” Sakura removed Rin's restraints and blindfold. The elder sister squinted her eyes as they were finally hit with light after so long.

Rin made a sound that vaguely resembled her saying ‘Sakura,’ but her lack of a tongue or teeth made it come out as just noise. Sakura wanted to pull her sister into an embrace, but they lacked the time and Rin’s barely treated injuries meant that doing so might just hurt her more.

“Just hang on for a bit. We just need to get to Luviagelita and then we’re gonna get out of here. I’m gonna pick you up, okay?” Rin nodded and Sakura carefully lifted her sister onto her back. “Are you okay like that?” Rin nodded again. “Let’s move.”

Caster took the lead and Sakura and Clown followed once again as they traveled through more tight corridors. Yakuza began to filter into the halls armed with mass produced katanas and pistols and Caster simply slaughtered all the thugs with more snakes from her sleeves. The serpents constricted and squeezed some men to death while others felt poison enter their veins from venomous bites. The most unlucky would find snakes burrowing into their bodies to blend up their organs and leave no chance for their survival. A squadron of reptiles was now causing chaos all throughout the compound. The wood and tatami mats dyed red with blood and everything reeked of iron.

Sakura had no sympathy for the bastards that had captured her sister, so she felt nothing as she walked across their wrecked corpses towards the room where Luviagelita was being kept. Caster batted at the door to destroy it and the group entered Luviagelita’s prison. The blonde was surrounded by snakes that defended her and a pile of what was once multiple humans, but was now an unrecongnizable mound of red. Luviagelita’s bonds were already cut up thanks to the snakes. She said something, but her lack of a tongue and teeth made it incomprehensible.

“Lady Luviagelita!” Clown took his master into his arms with a bit too much vigor and she groaned in pain as Clown accidentally touched one of her wounds. “I’m sorry!”

“Teleport us out.” Caster said and Clown took a moment to process the comment after he was distracted by his mistake.

“Right, of course.” Clown began to activate his Bounded Field which would warp everyone out of the building and into the nearby alley, but then the green barrier faded.

Clown’s head hit the ground. He had been decapitated. Behind him stood a woman who had tackled through the wall and killed him.

She held in her hand a katana with a tiger charm hanging from the guard. She wore a pantsuit and had a black coat hanging off her shoulders that was trimmed with white fur. Her short hair was orange-brown and her eyes were those of a killer. On the back of her hand was a full set of Command Spells.

Snakes from one of Caster’s sleeves wrapped around Luviagelita and pulled her out of the swordswoman’s range while serpents from the other sleeve attacked the enemy. The familairs were all diced up in mere moments as the suited woman swung her sword at speeds far too fast for any human or normal magus. Assassin must have outfitted his Master with projected Noble Phantasms which had boosted her abilities like he had with the yakuza. She was definitely given higher quality ones than the normal thugs that Saber and the Gorgon Sisters were forced to work with as she actually appeared capable of fighting on par with a Servant, though that may have also been because of her masterful swordsmanship. She wielded her sword with a degree of skill that was beyond normal humans and delved into a realm only the likes of Heroic Spirits could surpass. She wasn’t on the level of a Saber in terms of sword skill, but that wasn’t to put down her ability. She sliced through Caster’s snakes with clean swings, her every action honed into an automatic response to certain stimuli. Her motions were robotic in their exactness and yet fluid in how they shifted one to the other. Even as snakes dug through the ground and into the walls and burst out all around the swordswoman to surprise attack the Master from all angles, every serpent was sliced into tiny chunks. A technique-type fighter such as this woman was the worst match for a Caster only somewhat suited to combat such as Medusa. Caster had to overpower or overwhelm the swordswoman to win.

While attacking with more snakes and adding in offensive spells from the Age of Gods, Caster removed her blindfold and her eyes were revealed. Beautiful square pupils stared at the enemy Master and she should have begun turning to stone, but she didn’t. Some petrification creeped upon her, but it was barely anything when its effect should have near-instantly turned the Master into a sculpture. Considering Assassin knew about the abilities of Saber and the Gorgon Sisters, including the Mystic Eyes the Caster trio owned, he likely prepared certain Noble Phantasms and Mystic Codes to equip his Master with that would give her Advantage against Saber and the Gorgon Sisters if they ever betrayed them. One of the Master’s Noble Phantasms was weakening the effect of the Mystic Eyes of Petrification. While Caster put her blindfold back on to conserve magical energy, one of the snakes that wrapped around Luviagelita hung over her and opened its maw. Blood, the healing blood of Medusa, poured out of its mouth and into Luviagelita’s. The blonde’s wounds began healing, though the likes of her lost tongue and teeth could not be repaired so easily. Another snake slithered over to Rin and gave her the same treatment, healing her injuries excluding her lost arm and mutilated mouth. Both women got to their feet, though Sakura was hesitant to let her sister stand on her own in her condition. Sakura pulled out the bag full of jewels and both Rin and Luviagelita took multiple handfuls. They started charging the stones with magical energy while Caster continued to occupy the swordswoman with her snakes and spells of various elements.

The enemy Master dodged spells and diced up serpents while she closed the distance between herself and Caster until the Servant was in range. A series of slashes were dodged by Caster while she tried to retaliate with punches boosted by Monstrous Strength, but they failed to hit as well. As the close-ranged exchange continued, the Master got the upper hand and cuts began to appear on Caster’s body. Medusa would probably have done better if she weren’t forced to be a Caster over a more combat focused class.

“We gotta jump in or that Servant is dead.” Rin said telepathically.

“Luviagelita and I will help, you stay back.” Sakura said.

“Sakura, I ca-”

“You don’t have an arm, Rin. You can’t fight.”

“Kirei trained us to adapt, I’ll be alright.”

“Your balance will be off, your whole fighting style will be thrown out of whack.”

“Sakura, I’ll be fine. You have to trust me.”

The word trust broke something in Sakura’s mind and she remembered her previous conversations with Saber and her musings on her life with Rin.

“Okay, but be careful.” Sakura smiled at her sister and Rin smiled back.

“Get ready to move.” Luviagelita crouched low into a grappling stance. “You two take the swordswoman’s attention and I’ll get a hold of her to keep her in place, then you can take her out with some powerful spells along with Caster.”

The sisters nodded and when there was an opening to jump in, the three magi attacked. Right when the enemy Master was going to swing their sword at Caster, both Rin and Sakura used their moving stance to close the distance with the swordswoman in a blink and with no tells. The enemy Master had solid instincts and quickly began turning and diverting her slash to bisect the sisters along with Caster in a single swipe. Sakura used the locking stance of Bajiquan where she hooked her front leg around the swordswoman’s. Sakura grabbed the enemy’s leg with her own and yanked it to the side. The surprise pseudo-sweep ruined the yakuza’s balance and threw off her slash so it wouldn’t even reach Sakura or Rin while Caster easily dodged it.

Rin acted simultaneously with her sister's leg lock and used Eight Postures of the Buddha Guards to punch with the fullest power she was capable of. Her foot dug into the tatami to draw force from the ground through leverage and her upper body twisted as she focused her entire body weight into her fist. The blow struck true and dug into the yakuza’s chest with enough force to make the air behind the swordswoman get fired back and blow a hole in the wall behind her. The technique should have made the swordswoman’s heart burst, but that failed to occur due to the durability of the Noble Phantasms she wore and the fact that the strike was imperfect from Rin’s own imbalanced body born from her lost arm. To add a little something to the hit to make up for the dampened power of it, Rin used her magecraft martial arts to infuse the strike with a lightning spell that coursed through the yakuza’s body and made her muscles freeze.

The enemy Master flew through several walls and into a hall. She wasn’t given a chance to land before Luviagelita loped towards the yakuza and grabbed her head. The swordsman's head was pulled to Luviagelita’s shoulder from behind and they dropped. Luvigelita hit the ground in a sitting position while the yakuza’s neck was slammed into Luviagelita’s shoulder in a technique referred to as a stunner. The enemy Master reeled from the hit to her throat, even if it didn’t do any real damage and Luviagelita pushed her target onto her stomach. The blonde put her back onto the yakuza’s and grabbed the swordsman's arm and pulled it behind her. This was a Fujiwara armbar and the arm being restrained was the one that the enemy Master held her blade which meant she was no longer able to swing it. Sakura, Rin, and Caster all readied offensive spells aimed for the yakuza’s head to blow it to chunks. Unfortunately, the yakuza’s boosted strength allowed her to easily overpower Luviagelita’s hold, yanking her arm free and pulling the blonde with the limb which made her slam face first into the floor. The swordswoman jumped out of the way of the spells which incinerated the spot where her head one sat. The enemy Master was back on her feet and ready to keep fighting.

Both Sakura and Rin used their moving stance simultaneously again which meant they’d be able to perform more synchronized attacks. It also meant that the swordswoman could attack both of them at once. The yakuza had predicted the sisters would use the same high speed movement technique and attack in combination and preemptively slashed horizontally. The blade would hit Sakura first. Rin might have been able to parry the slash with her bare hands. She could use her magecraft martial arts to armor herself while ‘hearing the move.’ Rin had mastered the art of detecting attacks before they happened to react to opponents that were too fast to see. Sakura had learned the basics of the technique, but she hadn’t mastered it. She could barely perceive the oncoming blade. She had no chance of dodging or deflecting or anything. She could jump into Imaginary Number Space to avoid it, but then the edge would head right for Rin. Could Rin handle avoiding the sword while in her condition? Was one arm enough? Sakura didn’t know. Rin said Sakura needed to trust her. Would this be a moment to trust her?

“Move!” The telepathic word was spoken by Rin and Sakura responded by shifting into Imaginary Number Space. She felt the alternate reality assaulting her body and making every pain receptor in her body activate. She didn’t care, she was focused on Rin.

Rin pushed off the ground and jumped into the same direction the blade was going so she’d move with the force of the blade when it made impact rather than against it. Rin’s one hand was reinforced and infused with defense magecraft. The hand connected with the sword and the spells enhancing the limb were broken through. Four fingers and the upper half of Rin’s hand were cut off. This delayed the slash a bit as Rin’s body kept moving further away from the blade. The edge reached Rin’s gut and cut across it. Rin managed to avoid getting cut in half, but her belly was cut open. Rin’s arm covered her gut to prevent her organs from spilling out as she was flung back from the force of the slash. She crashed through multiple rooms and Sakura chased after her through Imaginary Number Space.

“Rin!” Sakura left the alternate space while Luviagelita and Caster engaged with the swordswoman. Dropping to her knees next to her sister, Sakura began using healing magecraft fueled by a Command Spell from the Book of False Attendant on Rin.

“Keep fighting the sword bitch.” Rin said telepathically while she clenched her teeth and began funneling magical energy from one of her jewels into healing herself. “I’ll be alright.”

“I can see your guts, you’re not fine!” Sakura was crying hysterically.

“I can keep myself stable. You need to deal with the sword bitch.”

“I can’t leave you! God, what’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing’s wrong with you. You were protecting yourself.”

“But you got hurt! You're bleeding everywhere! Why’d I dodge? I should have taken the hit to protect you!”

“Don’t say that. You would have died.”

“That’s fine!”

A soft impact to Sakura’s cheek. The bloody remains of Rin’s hand punched Sakura to no significant physical effect.

“Don’t ever say it would be okay for you to die.”

“But,” Sakura gripped the damaged hand. “I don’t want you to die.”

“And I don’t want you to die. One of us dying for the other isn’t a solution here.”

“I want to protect you.”

“I protected myself. I’m hurt, but we’re both alive. It’s okay to watch out for each other, but we also have to trust each other to survive on our own.”

“Trusting you got you hurt like this!”

“And I’m alive! If you didn’t trust me, you’d be dead! Is that better? It’s better for you to be dead and for me to have to suffer knowing you died for me for the rest of my life?”

Sakura couldn’t think of anything to say. She had failed to realize that in their manufactured codependency, Sakura and Rin had developed not only the same desire to protect each other, but the same willingness to give up their very lives for each other, and would be equally distraught at being the only one of them to survive into the future.

“Sakura, I love you and you love me. We need to both survive and that means protecting not only each other, but ourselves.”

“You’re right. You’re right.”

“I’ll be okay for now.” Rin craned her head to look where Caster and Luviagelita were fighting the swordswoman. Sakura looked as well and saw that the fight had long since moved to an entirely different floor of the underground mansion. “You can leave me here for now. I’m not in any immediate danger as long as I keep healing myself and Caster can feed me her blood later to fix me up. Go fight. They’ll need you to finish that yakuza bitch.” Rin smiled and Sakura forced one of her own.

“I’ll go. Don’t be afraid to call for me.” Sakura stood up and felt the blood on her cheek from her sister’s punch.

“Don’t die.”

“I won’t.”

Sakura ran to a hole which her allies and the swordswoman made during their fighting. Sakura could hear sounds from the ongoing brawl through it so Sakura jumped down and sensed for where everyone’s magical energy was. She followed the signal and thought about what method she would use to get the jump on the yakuza woman. The most obvious tactic would be to combine her ability to enter Imaginary Number Space with the moving stance for a surprise attack. The swordswoman had already seen both those techniques and had shown the ability to adapt to her opponents capabilities after a single showing. Whether she understood enough about Sakura’s Imaginary Number Space jumping to counter it was unclear. Sakura would have to get creative.

In an area where many rooms had been destroyed leaving only an empty space covered in wood chips and paper scraps, the swordswoman was continuing to fight with Caster and her Master. The yakuza was clearly struggling to deal with the constant combos of Luviagelita’s wrestling and Caster’s various spells.

Before the yakuza had the chance to notice Sakura, she entered Imaginary Number Space. The pain caused by existing in the alternate realm was becoming more tolerable to Sakura, though it was still so intense that she would be reeling from the recoil it caused her body later without a doubt. Sakura readied ten gems infused with an offensive spell and she threw them into a sphere shaped array around where everyone was fighting, the jewels freezing in place until needed. The distance between Sakura and the enemy Master was made nothing thanks to the moving stance.

Sakura surfaced into normal space right as she reached for the unprepared swordswoman's arm in order to use Six Grand Opening - Elbow Thrust. Despite being caught off guard, the yakuza still pulled her arm out of reach before adjusting her position in preparation to stab Sakura. The katana’s tip thrust for Sakura's heart and in that moment she telepathically told Caster and her Master to jump away. Both complied and got out of the range of the frozen jewels and right before she could get impaled, Sakura entered Imaginary Number Space while having the sphere of jewels exit the overlapping realm. The gems completely surrounded the yakuza and thus left her no direction to escape to when all the stones exploded into a combined mystical conflagration.

“Ein Körper ist ein Körper!”

Blinding light flooded the entire floor of the building and destructive power great enough to harm a Servant assaulted the yakuza. Sadly, the woman seemed to possess a charm or the like that granted some weak form of Magic Resistance as she was hurt, but not as severely as she should have been. Her clothes did get a bit tattered and her skin was reddened at the least so she was definitely feeling that last blast.

Sakura re-entered regular space and immediately grabbed the yakuza’s arm and lifted it above herself while pushing herself up close to the enemy Master. Pulling the swordswoman in, Sakura struck her elbow into her target’s chest right at the heart while she hit her opponent’s supporting leg with her own for a two pronged offense known as Six Grand Opening - Elbow Thrust. The attack focused on internal damage that could somewhat bypass the external protections of the swordswoman’s Noble Phantasms. As she executed the attack, Sakura held the Book of False Attendant in the hand she elbowed with and used one of the Command Spells to add extra power to the attack. The yakuza grunted and spit up blood and Sakura didn’t let go of her opponent’s arm as she prepared to hit her again.

“Assassin! Get over here!” The yakuza spoke for the first time and Sakura preemptively let go of her enemy and jumped away.

Spacetime began to distort as a Command Spell on the swordswoman’s hand lit up before fading. A man with dark skin and white hair appeared. It was Assassin.

And he was a mess. Bloody and beaten, his right arm in particular barely even resembled a human limb. It looked more like a torn up sausage. His fight with the group leaving Fuyuki hadn’t gone well.

“Thank you Master, my shield broke right when you saved me. I would have died.”

“Listening to your cries for help made me distracted. I got hit in the chest because of it.” She only got hit with Sakura’s elbow thrust because she was distracted by Assassin’s cry for help? Was that true of just an attempt to demoralize her enemy?

“I see we’ve been betrayed.” Assassin clicked his tongue. “I saw this coming, but I didn’t think it’d be so soon.”

“Stop whining. We need to leave.”

The purple haired Tohsaka didn’t plan on letting Assassin and his Master escape when they were both weakened. Sakura used the combination of the moving stance and entering Imaginary Number Space again while Luivagelita and Caster fired off multiple projectiles of magical energy.

“I am the bone of my sword.” A sword with a spiral blade appeared in the functioning hand of Assassin. “Caladbolg.” The weapon was thrust and whatever scraps of Assassin’s magical energy that persisted after his previous fight funneled into the Noble Phantasm and overloaded it to make it a Broken Phantasm. Space distorted and spiraled from the mystical drill. It bored a hole through normal reality and into Imaginary Number Space. The spinning wall of warped space created acted as a barrier against Caster and Luviagelita’s spells while also serving as an attack towards Sakura since the sword penetrated into two overlapping spacetimes.

Sakura had already gotten in close using the moving stance so she was nearly within the grasp of the twisting space. She needed to get away. The thrust was slow due to Assassin’s enervation. Sakura dodged back and to the side, out of the range of the Broken Phantasm. The whorling space shot forward like a lance towards Caster and Luviagelita who also dodged. They were lucky this wasn’t Caladbolg at full capability or they would have gotten sucked in and mutilated. The ceiling, walls, and floor collapsed from the destruction and the entire area was covered in a cloud of debris. Sakura fell to the floor below and landed on her feet. She tucked and rolled around the falling bits of ceiling. When things calmed down she tried to sense for Assassin and his Master’s magical energy, but she couldn’t find them. They had hidden themselves and escaped.

While coughing up a lung from the dust, Sakura looked around for Luviagelita and Caster. She quickly found them with the Servant having created a canopy of snakes to shield the duo from the collapse of the roof.

Instead of asking if they were okay, Sakura immediately had a harrowing thought. What if Assassin and his Master were going to find and kidnap Rin again?

The legs of the Tohsaka girl reinforced and she jumped up two floors and began to sprint. She felt Rin’s magical energy and there were no other energy signatures around her, but that didn’t mean she was safe. Assassin and his Master were hidden from detection so they could have been right next to Rin, ready to strike. Sakura kept swallowing spit until her throat was raw as she ran. She kept stumbling which only delayed her more; made her limbs more twitchy and imprecise. Memories of waking up in the hospital and learning that Rin had been captured looped in Sakura’s head.

“Rin!”

Rin was right where Sakura had left her and was in the exact same condition. Sakura looked left and right, up and down, forward and back. She observed every angle a dozen times. She was waiting for the moment that Assassin would appear. She felt each drop of sweat that slid down her skin as her every sense was in overdrive. She had to be ready for when Assassin arrived.

He never did. He and his Master had really left. The fight was over. Sakura’s body went limp and she dropped to the ground.

“Sakura?”

Rin was wrapped up by Sakura’s arms as the younger Tohsaka cried her eyes out. The embrace was gentle in order to make sure that Rin didn’t feel even the slightest bit of pain. It had been so long since Sakura last felt her sister’s warmth, or smelt his sister’s scent. Sakura nuzzled into her sister’s collar and imagined they were children again. Rin wordlessly accepted the hug and the two sisters just had a moment together. No fighting. No fear. Just an instance of happiness and relief between two siblings.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

Steps. Sakura turned and saw that Luviagelita and Caster were there. Caster held the corpse of Clown in her arms. Sakura had forgotten about Clown.

“I’m sorry.” Sakura said.

“What are you apologizing for?” Luviagelita seemed angry.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Don’t be sorry, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s our job and right to mourn, not yours. Moving on, Caster, heal Rin.”

“Rin?” Sakura tilted her head. “You're on a first name basis?”

“Never you mind that. Caster, do the thing.”

A serpent slithered out of Caster’s sleeve and dripped blood from its fangs into Rin’s mouth. The hole in Sakura’s sister’s gut gradually closed and the bleeding of Rin’s hand ceased, though the upper half of the hand was still gone. That made Sakura bite her tongue.

“Thank you.” Rin said.

“As long as we are allies, I intend to treat you both well. It is only appropriate.” Luviagelita turned around and began to walk off. “Let us recover our stolen things. I need to find my gems and you, Rin, need to get your Azoth Sword and pendant. Come on, haste makes waste.” Luviagelita reminded Sakura of Rin. They were both a lot sweeter than they came off and were easily flustered.

Sakura helped her sister to her feet and the group headed off to search for their pilfered goods. The fight had not been without losses, but Rin had been recovered and that was what mattered most to Sakura. She hoped Saber would survive her mission. She was technically Sakura’s sister too. Considering how wrong Assassin’s mission appeared to have gone, Sakura was worried, but she decided to put her trust in Saber.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 34: Sword of Hope

“Mordred’s dead.” Illyasviel said to her mom as they stood in a parlor of the Einzbern Castle. It had been a few hours since Chloe had been kidnapped. Sella was in another room oscillating between desperately trying to figure out a rescue plan and going into full blown hysterics while Leysritt was recovering from the fight. Archer was brooding alone. The group had tried to visit Kirei as they had planned, but he wasn’t at the church when they went there so they returned to the castle.

Illyasviel no longer felt her connection to Mordred. She hadn’t felt it for a while and could only bring herself to mention it now. Mordred was probably dead. Once again, Illyasviel had failed to be useful and failed to protect the people she cared about due to her own powerlessness. She was weak.

First they lost Chloe, now this. Their attempts to connect to mama, Mordred, and Gray had failed and Illyasviel felt that her Servant was gone. Mom mentioned that she still sensed she had a connection to something like a Master, but it didn’t feel like mama. Gray and mama could have been dead for all they knew, though mama had probably lost herself to the Greater Grail. Illyasviel had already lost her daddy when she was young, and now she had lost her mama too. The person who gave birth to Illyasviel and raised her was gone and would never come back. Gray had likely died without ever getting to have her own face. She lived a life of body dysmorphia without any kind of relief. Mordred had his dream life dangled before him and he was even allowed to have a taste of it, but that likely only lowered his guard so his tragic end was all the more painful. It was as if it was planned by some cruel deity for their own entertainment. Illyasviel was so beaten down by these realizations that she couldn’t even cry anymore. She was just tired.

Mom, on the other hand, had a face of horror and despair at Illyasviel’s statement. It was clear that mom had extrapolated the worst case scenario that only she and Illyasviel were still alive at this point. Mordred, the son she had just reconciled with. Gray, the daughter who was finally given a glimpse at a future where she could be herself. Mama, the woman who had stayed by her side through thick and thin. Mom had just lost all three of them. All she had wished to protect was lost, just like Camelot. She had failed once more and now she had nearly nothing left. Mom’s arms wrapped around Illyasviel and held her tight. She let her tears flow freely in a way she normally never did.

“I’ll protect you. We’re going to get through this and then we’re going to live in peace for the rest of our lives. I promise.” Mom’s voice was full of cracks and stutters. Illyasviel didn’t have faith in her mom’s promise and she was pretty sure her mom didn’t either. At this rate, the world really was going to end, or at least their world was going to. Everything just kept spiraling out of control.

Mordred was dead. Mama was probably dead. Gray was probably dead. Everything just kept getting worse so quickly that Illyasviel had no time to properly process everything and grieve. Illyasviel was just waiting for one more disaster to claim her and her mom’s lives as the pièce de résistance of the nightmare they found themselves in. She had become detached and almost uninterested in everything around her.

“I’m going to protect you. I will.” Mom kept saying that and Illyasviel believed it less and less each time. It was not that she didn’t think her mom would try, she just knew she’d fail. That was how it always went. Nobody could really protect anyone from anything. The whims of a malicious fate was the only thing that held any power in the universe and said fate had an unfaltering desire to make everyone suffer for daring to exist.

It wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t things just be fair? Why couldn’t the world be one where people who try to do good are rewarded or are at least left alone rather than punished?

No, Illyasviel wouldn’t accept that the world was so unjust. Illyasviel just wasn’t strong enough. Mom was strong, but she was just one person so there was only so much she could do. Illyasviel needed more power. She needed to be capable of fighting Servants on equal ground. If Illyasviel had been capable of that, then she would have been able to fight against the Servants that took Chloe away.

Power. How could Illyasviel get more power? What did she have? She had Avalon and her time magecraft which allowed her to move as fast as Servants and survive their attacks. Illyasviel’s deficit was in terms of her offensive capabilities. Her absolute strongest spells could damage a Servant, but they were far from enough to deal a lethal blow unless she got lucky. She needed a secret weapon. She used to have one in her daddy’s Thompson Contender and Origin Bullets, but the Contender got destroyed by Chloe during their first meeting. The bullets still existed though. Illyasviel needed to figure out another way to use them since they were still capable of destroying magecraft and mangling the Magic Circuits of a target; a perfect way of defeating Servants. She could make another gun that was compatible with the bullets using alchemy, but the new gun could get destroyed like the old one. The bullets themselves needed to be the focus of their own usage, no external mechanisms required.

It was then that the lightbulb finally lit up in Illyasviel’s mind.

Illyasviel yanked herself out of her mom’s hug and ran towards her bedroom while mom followed out of concern. Entering her room, Illyasviel found the case where she kept all her Origin Bullets and dumped them onto the bed in one pile. Mom watched as Illyasviel began using her alchemy on the bullets to fuse them together and reshape them. Normally the Origin Bullets would be immune to magecraft based transformation, but the fact that the bullets were made from her daddy’s body made Illyasviel an exception to the rule. The image in Illyasviel’s mind that acted as the blueprint of what she was making was so clear it was as if she was already holding her new weapon. Illyasviel recently learned that, because of Avalon, her Origin had become ‘sword.’ Illyasviel had an affinity for swords and so she would channel that affinity into a weapon that would be even more fitting for her than firearms. This was the first time Illyasviel was actively utilizing her Origin and yet it felt so natural. Her mind was clear in a way it never had been before. For the first time, Illyasviel would walk towards achieving her full potential as magus.

As the bullets all blended into a single amorphous mass, Illyasvile poured her soul into this creation. She was taking the ultimate gift her daddy left for her after his death, the Origin Bullets, and using them to create something new, something she could use to protect herself and her mom against the darkness of the Grail. A hilt was formed and Illyasviel grabbed it with both hands. It felt right in her hands. It was hot as if it came right out of a forge and yet it did not hurt to hold. A straight double edged blade extended from the handle. The sword was thin and all silver. It was designed to be effective and without unnecessary flourishes. It almost resembled a rapier, but with a guard that was circular like a katana’s. The weapon as a whole looked like an overly long sewing needle due to its thinness and argent coloration. Illya moved the weapon around, swinging it carefully. She felt the weight in her hands and got used to it. She now held the power to cut and tie, destroy magecraft, and maul the Magic Circuits of anyone unlucky enough to be given even the smallest cut. The legacy of Kiritsugu Emiya and the potential of Illyasviel von Einzbern had come together to create the Origin Sword. Now all Illyasviel needed was training in swordsmanship.

“Illya.” Mom said as she looked on at her daughter’s invention.

“Mom, you’ve spent your whole life trying to protect our family. It’s time someone tried to protect you.”

Mom’s eyes leaked tears again as she pressed her lips together tightly.

“But, I’m your mother. It’s my job to protect you.”

“We can protect each other. You don’t have to do everything yourself. You aren’t perfect and neither am I. That's okay.”

“I see.” Mom sniffled and smiled bittersweetly. “Thank you, Illya. I’m glad you're my daughter.”

“I will need you to teach me how to wield a sword. I’ve got no idea how.” Illyasviel smirked a bit. She couldn’t bring herself to smile properly given all they had lost recently.

“We can begin right now if you’d like.” Mom wiped her tears away with her gloved hand.

“I would.”

Illyasviel felt a twinge of hope be birthed in her heart as she tried to be optimistic about the future.

They moved to the destroyed courtyard of the castle. Most of the walls had collapsed while the flowers and shrubbery looked like they had been thrown into a wood chipper three times over. Illyasviel heard the clattering of shaking metal and saw that the hand she held her Origin Sword in was shaking.

“Are you thinking about Chloe?” Mom put her hand on her daughter’s.

“Yeah.”

“She’ll be okay. They won’t hurt her because they need her alive.”

“I know. I just feel bad.”

“We’ll save her. The war’s far from over. Holy Grail Wars usually last two weeks.”

“They better be treating her as a princess.”

“From what you told me, the Servant you spoke with was polite and reasonable. She should treat Chloe right.”

“I hope so. Anyway, let’s get practicing.”

“First we should wrap the blade of your new sword up with something. It would be bad if I accidentally got cut while we trained and had my Magic Circuits ruined.”

“Good idea.” Illyasviel spotted the tattered remains of a white curtain and turned it into a fabric sheath for her sword so there’d be no unfortunate accidents while training. “Chloe probably won’t mind. Alright, let’s do this.”

“Okay. To start, try to copy my stance.” Mom summoned her invisible blade and took her usual sword stance next to Illyasviel. The homunculus imitated her mother’s pose as best she could, though it was a little difficult considering her mom’s weapon was transparent and thus Illyasviel couldn’t line up her weapon with her mother’s. “Keep that pose.” Mom got out of her stance and began inspecting Illyasviel’s posture. The knight adjusted her daughter's body in several ways. “Your sword is relatively light so you can’t hold it the way I do. Hold it like this. Make sure to always be aware of your wrists, they’re the core to keeping control of your blade. Actually, I don’t think your sword can be used two-handed. It’s a one handed sword in the same family as the rapier. It makes sense since weight isn’t that important when your blade can incapacitate the target with a small injury. You can’t use this sword like I use Excalibur. Can you hand me your sword for a moment.” Illyasviel complied and saw her mother take a stance where she stood almost completely sideways with her sword wielding arm in front. “Copy me.” Illyasviel did. “Hold that stance.” Ilyasviel did. Mom put the Origin Sword into her daughter’s hand and once again began adjusting the girl’s positioning while giving more explanations as to the logic behind each adjustment. Every piece of advice her mother gave her was burned into Illyasviel’s memory as if by a branding iron. “That’s your stance. Do you think you can fight like this?”

“I think so.”

“Get out of the stance and stand normally.” Illyasviel stood up straight. “Now get back into it. I want to see that you remember it and can enter it quickly.” Illyasviel did so and with only some slight adjustments by her mother. Mom had Illyasviel get in and out of her swordsmanship stance over and over until she could enter it as fast as was physically possible and without any part of her body out of place. “Excellent. Now let’s go over the different ways you can use your sword.”

Illyasviel let her worries wash away as she learned and practiced dozens of different kinds of thrusts, slashes, deflections, feints, counters, and blocks, as well as how to move, evade, and react quickly while in her swordsmanship stance. It was a lot to take in so quickly, but mom provided positive reinforcement and solid directing which allowed Illyasviel to stay motivated and avoid being overwhelmed.

“Do you think you’re ready to try sparring?” Mom asked.

“I’m as ready as I can be.” Illyasviel was sweating.

“I’ll hold back, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be gentle.” Picking up a vaguely sword shaped stick as her weapon, mom got into her usual combat stance. “On three.” Illyasviel nodded. “One. Two. Three!”

Illyasviel used time alter and reinforcement magecraft before proceeding to move first. She thrust her sword for her mother’s torso, only for the Servant to dodge to the side before taking a step forward and slashing. It was by a hair’s breadth that Illyasviel pulled her sword back and blocked the branch. Mom pressed the side of her stick into the sword and engaged Illyasviel in a ‘bind.’ The stick kept pushing against the wrapped blade and Illyasivel began getting forced back, almost falling onto her buttocks. Illyasviel had no chance at overpowering her mother so she tried to push her mom’s stick to the side and open her guard. She succeeded in this and stabbed forward now that her mom’s chest was open. Mom began leaning back, the strength of her abdominals allowing her to bend back far enough that her upper body was parallel with the ground without falling. The sword missed because of this and mom jerked her body back up and around Illyasviel’s weapon. The branch swung diagonally up as she ascended and the next thing Illyasviel knew, she was in the air. The mana burst powered hit had knocked her skyward and a moment later, she felt pain in her side from the impact she failed to see. Illyasviel saw her mother leap above her and swing down with another Mana Burst attack. The homunculus blocked mom’s strike, but the force sent her careening into the ground. Illyasviel’s body bounced upon impact. Her bones and organs were struggling to stay intact. Mom needed to hold back a bit more if Illyasviel was to survive.

“I won that round. Are you okay?” Mom landed and crouched down to see if Illyasviel was okay.

“It’s a little telling that you had to state that you won before asking if I was okay.” Illyasviel sat up.

“It doesn’t tell anything.” Mom turned her head in embarrassment.

Illyasviel was helped onto her feet by mom and they continued sparring. As it turned out, mom may not have been the best teacher. Even if she did give advice after each match on how to improve that was very thorough, and she provided a plethora of positive reinforcement, her primary method of education was beating the shit out of Illyasviel over and over. Mom wasn’t giving her daughter much of a chance to practice her different techniques, because Illyasviel was too preoccupied with doing whatever she could to not get smacked onto her ass. It wasn’t that mom’s teaching style wasn’t allowing Illyasviel to improve. The homunculus was getting better at adapting and understanding how to deal with certain attacks, but that didn’t mean Illyasviel was thriving. She would have learned better from a teaching method that spent more time on swordsmanship theory and not just the praxis.

The training continued for hours. They didn’t take any kind of breaks and just kept training, Illyasviel relying on Avalon to allow her to just keep practicing while ignoring fatigue. The sky turned from blue to orange as Illyasviel gained more control over the Origin Sword, memorizing its weight and how every possible motion of her body affected her hold on the weapon. The blade felt like an extension of her arm with her wrist as an extra elbow. She learned how to maneuver the blade however she wanted. It felt so comfortable in Illyasviel’s hand that she didn’t want to ever let it go. She hadn’t mastered it yet, but this was the one sword that she ever could master. She was fundamentally not a swordsman like her mom, but the sword she held was born from the power of her Origin, her magecraft, and the bones of her daddy and his Origin. The Origin Sword wasn’t just a weapon, it was a part of Illyasviel.

As the fight went on, Illyasviel felt something she never had before. She had heard from both her mom and Gray that there’s a unique feeling one gets when they face a strong opponent in close quarters combat. Illyasviel always used firearms, so she always took their word for it. Now she knew what they were talking about. Every time she responded to her mom’s attacks and she attacked back in kind, she felt like she could read her mom’s thoughts. Mother and daughter were analyzing each other’s habits and strategies. They were gaining a new understanding of each other through their mutual analysis of each other in an attempt to claim victory. Illyasviel felt closer to her mom than she ever had before, peering beyond the veil of the physical and into the emotional depths within her mortal mind. Illyasviel saw her mom’s pain from losing her family, her regret over her every action, her desire to just give up and die so she could be at peace. Illyasviel also saw the determination in her mom’s heart to protect Illyasviel and make sure she lived a life of bliss.

Illyasviel was crying in her mom’s place. Mom didn’t stop the match or even verbally acknowledge Illyasviel’s weeping. She understood what was happening. The emotional release of crying on her mother's behalf also allowed Illyasviel to expel the despair she was already feeling at losing her mama and her siblings. As all her emotions began being worn on her sleeve, Illyasviel felt herself ascend to a higher level of skill with her weapon. Her mind flowed without any inhibition and she simply acted through instinct rather than having to think about every action she took. Illyasviel felt the hope inside her build and she drew out reserves of strength she didn’t know she had within her. Just as she had begun reaching towards her true potential as a magus, she was also beginning down the path of a warrior. Alchemy from her mama, Avalon and swordsmanship from her mom, the Origin Sword and a Magic Crest from her daddy. Illyasviel’s three parents had all blessed her with things that she would now use in tandem to become strong.

The night came and the area lacked light from the house due to the walls surrounding the courtyard all having crumbled and their lights with them. The only illumination was from the stars above.

“I think that’s enough for today.” As soon as mom said that, Illyasviel fell back onto the ground. She laid on her back with her limbs stretched out as she stared at the sky. Eyes were still puffy, but her tears had dried and so her view of the heavens was unhindered. There were so many lights in the sky and they were all so pretty. Despite everything that had gone wrong, the jewel adorned sky would always be there. Mom sat down next to her daughter. “You did great. Your progress has been swift.”

“Thanks. I’m gonna protect you.”

“And I'll protect you.”

“The sky is really pretty.”

“It is.”

“Even if humanity dies because of Avenger, the sky won’t change. It’ll keep being beautiful.”

“It will.”

“But we won’t be there to appreciate it. If there are any other lifeforms who will be left to stare up at this sky, they might not appreciate the sky. They might not find it captivating like we do.”

“That is possible.”

“So we need to make sure humanity survives. Not just for humanity, but for the sky.”

“Was saving humanity not enough of a reason in and of itself to fight the Grail?”

“I just want to come up with as many reasons as necessary to make sure we don’t give up.”

“Smart. You’re a good girl, Illya.”

“I’m an adult, mom. I don’t think I’m a ‘girl’ anymore.”

“You’ll always be my little girl. I didn’t give birth to you and I’ve only known you for ten years, but I love you from the depths of my soul.”

“I love you too, mom. Like you said, you didn’t give birth to me, but you’re my mom.”

Illyasviel and her mom enjoyed the beauty of the starry night together.

They were there for at least an hour when Sella appeared in the courtyard.

“Hey, Sella.” Illyasviel said.

“Hello. We just got contacted by the overseer.”

“What did he say?” Mom stood up.

“He said that the Holy Grail War is hereby canceled and that all Masters and their Servants are to appear in person at the Fuyuki church.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“What?”

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 35: Revival of Heroes

“Finally here.” Add said. The Lion King had arrived at Fuyuki Church. In order to avoid drawing attention, the goddess had summoned her armor and was now wearing the too-small remnants of Gray’s hoodie and jeans. Mordred, meanwhile, was in position at the center of Shinto which was currently inundated with commuting people. He would start causing chaos if he got the signal from his king.

It had only been a couple hours since the Lion King had taken over Gray’s body and the goddess felt off. On the way to the church, the goddess had glanced at a window and saw her reflection in it. The sight made her uncomfortable. At first she thought she was just feeling guilty over having stolen Gray’s body, but she realized her dislike was something more instinctual, a reflexive response. It was a leftover instinct from Gray’s loathing of her appearance.

The Lion King assumed it was a leftover instinct, but she wasn’t actually confident in that assumption. The deity imagined watching the cartoons Gray enjoyed watching, and she felt good. It was the same when the king pondered cooking the fudge Gray knew how to make. The fact that the Lion King wondered if she should make fudge in the first place implied that Gray’s interests had persisted within the monarch. Some part of Gray’s personality was still alive within the king’s psyche.

The question was whether anything else of Gray remained or could be salvaged.

The Lion King opened the church doors and entered the building. There was nobody among the pews or at the front so the goddess called out and it only took a minute for a man to arrive. He had long brown hair and wore a priest’s cassock.

“Greetings to Fuyuki Church. I-” the priest stopped and stared silently at the king upon seeing her.

“Are you the overseer?”

“Indeed I am. My name is Kirei Kotomine. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you appear to be the Saber class Servant of the Fourth War. I didn’t know you survived. Well you definitely appear to be older than the Saber I remember so you may not be the same Servant.”

“I am another version of her summoned as a Pseudo-Servant. I am not the same as the Servant you know.”

“Fascinating.” The overseer rubbed his chin. “Either way, Servants aren’t allowed to enter this church. It is neutral ground.”

“Apologies, but there is an urgent matter we must discuss.” The Lion King didn’t move from where she stood.

“In that case, I will give you a chance to speak. But you must leave afterward.” The priest walked to the front of the room.

“You are aware of the allegations that the Greater Grail has been corrupted. That corruption was caused by an Avenger class Servant that was summoned in the Third Holy Grail War instead of a Berserker by the Einzberns. They used their knowledge of the Grail to summon a Servant that wasn’t one of the normal classes, only for it to turn the Grail into a tool of destruction upon the Servant’s defeat and absorption into the wish granter.”

“Lofty claims. I did some research into past Holy Grail Wars and there is evidence of some unusual occurrences during the third.” Kirei paced around the room’s perimeter. “I didn’t find anything concrete so I can’t trust you with complete confidence. Do you have any proof of your claims?” The overseer seemed receptive.

“None that’s definitive. You already have the word of Irisviel and Illyasviel von Einzbern that the Grail’s corruption is real, but Chloe von Einzbern would also corroborate that fact. Sadly, we don’t have time to bring her here. Time is of the essence.”

“And why is that?”

“Because Irisviel von Einzbern has been possessed by the Greater Grail. When the Greater Grail has absorbed enough magical energy from Servants being defeated, Avenger will incarnate in Irisviel’s body and flood the world with curses to kill all life.”

“Once again I must ask, do you have any proof?”

“None beyond my word that can be produced with sufficient speed.”

Kirei sighed.

“You’ve put me in a difficult position. On the off chance that what you're saying is true, it would be irresponsible not to investigate. The problem is that the best way to do so would be to visit the Greater Grail’s physical location, but doing so means giving away where it is hidden. You or someone else could circumvent the rules of the Holy Grail War and steal the Greater Grail. No matter what choice I make, there will be risks.”

“In that case, I must make the choice for you.” The king spoke sharply and the overseer stopped his pacing right as he was next to the church’s exit. “I won’t be physically forcing you.”

“Then what do you mean?”

“It is simple. I have a Servant stationed in the most crowded area of Shinto. If I give the signal, they will begin making large displays of their powers. They won’t hurt anyone, but Mystics will be presented in the open for hundreds of normal people to see. I know you don’t want that.”

“You are correct, I don’t.” The overseer put his arms behind his back. “You are very dedicated to finding the Grail.”

“Only to destroy it. Will you comply?”

“If I don’t comply then I’ll have to cancel the Holy Grail War and visit the Greater Grail anyway.” Kirei closed his eyes. “You’re very devious.”

“I do what I must for the sake of mankind.”

“You say that like it’s your profession.”

“It is in a way.” The goddess clenched a fist. “Back to the topic at hand, will you comply?”

“I will take you to the Greater Grail.”

The goddess extended a hand and Kirei shook it.

“I thank you for being so cooperative.”

“Let us be swift.” Kirei opened the door and led the way out of the church. “Let us also be covert so as to minimize the number of observers who track us.”

“That will slow us down. We will need to meet up with the Servant I stationed in Shinto which will already delay us.”

“Is it better that we are followed?” Kirei stopped and faced the king.

“I will simply destroy the Greater Grail with one blast so it is unlikely that any pursuers would have the chance to do anything. It is also unlikely that any such individuals would be able to best me in combat.”

“Do not let pride cloud your judgment.”

“You misunderstand. I am not a normal Servant.” The king put a hand on her chest. “I am a Divine Spirit summoned into a body specifically made to house me and thus I can use close to my full power as divinity. A majority of even powerful Servants would not be able to harm me with anything other than their Noble Phantasms.”

“How exactly were you summoned?’ The priest grimaced. A bead of sweat traced down his face.

“It is a complex tale. I can tell you as we travel.”

“Fine, but at least cede to my wish to move covertly.”

“As you wish.” The king and priest moved through dark alleys, the goddess explaining her story all the while. Except it wasn’t her story, it was Gray’s. “This body was owned by a girl named Gray who was born in a village in Europe that served as a cult to King Arthur. Her face turned into one that mirrored mine when I was young and that caused the people of the village to worship her. But they were also planning to use her as a vessel for my Mind and Soul. they wanted to bring about the return of their savior. This caused Gray to be isolated and depressed. She was destined to give up the entirety of her being and that would be traumatizing for anyone, let alone a child.” It stopped being an explanation and turned into a dissertation on the story of the Pendragon family. “Irisviel would rant to Artoria about whatever was bothering her, with the understanding that Irisviel didn’t truly believe the hateful things she said and was just letting out the Grail’s hatred.” Even after Mordred joined the group and they headed for Mt. Enzo, the Lion King just kept on talking about the intricate lives of Gray and her family. The goddess was unsure why she felt compelled to do this. It wasn’t because Kirei was egging her on. The priest only provided occasional comments as he let the king tell him her tale as if they were in a confessional. Mordred didn’t say anything as he kept his helmet on. “When Gray found out that she was being possessed by me, it was a breaking point for her. It was her worst nightmare made reality.” For some reason the king felt a compulsion to keep on talking about Gray’s life. It was as if Gray’s life would be removed from history if the king didn’t continually confirm that it happened. The Lion King was desperate to convince the priest that the girl named Gray was real. “In the end, I took over and Gray was erased with only her memories and a few other elements of herself remaining within me.”

It was dusk when the group finally reached Mount Enzo. Thanks to Kirei’s paranoia, they went through the most complex route possible to get to their destination. Traveling took hours thanks to that.

“This is the entrance.” Kirei stepped up to what looked like a slope of rock. The king could feel the magecraft obscuring the entrance to the Greater Grail’s resting place. Even without entering the chamber, magical energy was wafting so thickly it was sickening. There was no way the Greater Grail normally created such a strong magical signal. It would make finding it too easy. The Greater Grail was in some sort of altered state beyond being corrupted. It was preparing for its manifestation. It shouldn’t have developed to this stage yet so the Black Grail was doing something nefarious to speed up the process.

“You feel this toxic magical energy, overseer?”

“I do.” Kirei spoke solemnly.

“Do you need to see the Grail with your own eyes?”

“No. Just the touch of these magical vapors is all I need to know that the Grail must be destroyed.” The priest was trembling, though the goddess could not place what emotion Kirei was trembling with.

“In that case, I’ll use my spear to destroy the Grail and the entire cave in a single blast from the outside. Add.”

“Got it.” Add’s personality was suspended and he transformed to release Rhongomyniad.

“That is the holy spear of King Arthur. Its radiance reminds me of Excalibur.”

“It is similar, yet different. Stand back. I will be hollowing out a large portion of this mountain.” Kirei and Mordred both stepped a few paces back.

The tip of the holy spear charged with golden energy so bright that the priest averted his eyes. This blast would be a form of the goddess’ Light of Judgment attack that could overpower most Noble Phantasms.

Right before the light was unleashed, the goddess’ arm was yanked up and the wave of destruction soared towards the clouds. The area was lit up gold thanks to the Lion King’s missed shot. She looked to see what had caused her to miss and saw that it was a chain that had wrapped around her arm that held her spear. It came out of golden ripples in the air above the goddess. More chains came from portals and fettered all of the goddess’ limbs. She pulled against the chains and felt their toughness endure her casual strength.

“My how you’ve grown since I last saw you, my King of Knights. I thought you couldn’t grow any more radiant, but apparently I made a rare miscalculation. I jest of course. I have already been informed about you. You aren’t my Saber. You’re a version of her who turned into a dullard deity. How disappointing.” It was a voice that the Lion King didn’t recognize, but Kirei did.

“Archer.” Kirei uttered like the word was a blasphemy in and of itself.

“Kirei, I see you still cling to your boring morals. Yet another disappointment.” A cross armed man in golden armor walked through the invisible wall that hid the cave. His eyes, hair, and attire all fit the descriptions Gray’s mothers gave of the Archer Servant of the Fourth Holy Grail War. The way he spoke implied he wasn’t a separate summoning of the golden man, but the same one from the last war who was revived.

Mordred, as soon as the golden Archer appeared, dashed with his sword emitting lightning to kill the enemy. More ripples appeared between the golden man and Mordred, a variety of weapons firing out. Dual colored lightning and a series of sword swings deflected all the Noble Phantasms, though Mordred only barely succeeded in doing so and was pushed back a dozen meters in the process.

“I have no interest in the King of Knights’ bastard.” The Archer didn’t even look Mordred’s way.

“How are you alive?” The goddess asked.

“I can answer that.” Out from the cave came the Black Grail who was smirking. “Hello, sweetie.”

“Answer my question.”

“It’s simple. Last war, I ejected all the Saint Graphs inside me thanks to Avalon. Those lumps of magical energy were absorbed into the Greater Grail which was why the Fifth War came so early. I can access those Saint Graphs and, using my alchemy and the Grail’s mud, give them new life like I did Mordred.”

The cool head of the Lion King began to heat up. If the Black Grail had resurrected all the Servants of the previous war, then even the goddess might have difficulty facing them if they attacked in tandem.

“Archer, you know what her plan is, don’t you? She plans to destroy the world.”

“Her desires align with mine. We both want to get rid of the vermin that have infested the planet. Whatever humans prove strong enough to survive will be worthy of being ruled by me.”

“I see. The Grail’s mud has maddened you as well.”

“Maddened?” Gilgamesh looked down his nose at the goddess in chains. “As if some muck could taint my perfection. I am in full control of my faculties. I am simply thinking on a level far above the likes of mere gods.”

“Then there’s no reasoning with you.” Instead of wasting time trying to break the chains, the goddess summoned her armor which pushed the chains outward slightly. The Lion King then desummoned her armor which created a gap between her body and the chains which let her slip her limbs free. Chains grabbed the holy spear, but controlling the weapon’s immaterial form to make it slightly smaller allowed it to slip free. The goddess resummoned her armor and swiped with her spear. Both Archer and the Black Grail retreated into the cave to avoid the attack.

“Overseer. I’d like to tell you to run, but they probably have more revived Servants patrolling the area who would hunt you down.” The king crouched. “Follow Mordred and I so we can protect you, but don’t stay too close or you’ll get in the way.”

“Understood.”

The Lion King, Mordred, and Kirei Kotomine all ran into the cave which was filled with even denser amounts of disgusting magical energy. There was so much that it made it impossible to sense how many Servants were present inside the mountain. Going deeper and deeper into the cavern in search of the enemies that had retreated deeper inside, the group found a large chamber and in that chamber stood one man. In one hand was a red blade and there was a red spear in the other. His pants were green and his shirt was nonexistent. His face was the most notable thing about him. His visage was one of supernatural beauty marred by his own hatred as his teeth were always gnashing. The whites of his eyes had turned red, his irises were dirty gold, and his pupils were slits. Tears of blood ran down his cheeks as he hunched forward with palpable bloodlust.

The group stopped running.

“Saber!” the enemy Servant’s disturbing eyes fell on the Lion King. “Saber! You betrayed me and besmirched my honor! You don’t deserve the title of King of Knights!” He was slobbering.

“I am not the King Arthur you know.”

“Saber!”

“Can you not see this spear?” The goddess held out Rhongomyniad. “I am not the King Arthur who wields Excalibur.”

“You are King Arthur! You are a despicable wretch who spits upon knightly honor!”

“A Berserker it seems.” The Lion King got ready to fight, as did Mordred and Kirei.

“We must fight one-on-one! I will defeat you with honor! I’ll kill you with the honor you shirked!” It looked like the Berserker was going to run forward, but then he stopped. “But I can’t! I can’t beat you! I know! I know! I know! The one I will face is your son!” He pointed his spear at Mordred. The Black Grail had informed her new Servants of much it seemed. “Face me, son of the scum king!”

“You dare call King Arthur scum?” Mordred stepped forward. “I will cut your jaw off so you never blaspheme again. My king, please go on ahead. I will deal with this lout. Priest, you can stay here with me. Be witness to justice.”

“It is I who will be enacting justice!” The Berserker jumped high and came down towards Mordred who used a Mana Burst slash. The red spear clashed with the tainted Excalibur and as soon as they connected, the gold and black lightning was nullified. A spear with the power to nullify magecraft meant this Berserker was the Lancer of the last war, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. The Berserker attacked with a constant sequence of slashes and stabs, his spear and sword perfectly synchronized to dominate both the close and mid ranges. The man crying blood was wild in his style without losing the cohesion necessary for his attacks to be effective. Mordred was forced to constantly defend as he couldn’t utilize his Mana Burst to force a change in the fight’s pace. One thrust of the red spear managed to get past Excalibur and it reached Mordred’s thigh. The magecraft made armor was useless as the spear phased through it. A gash was made across the side of Mordred’s leg. Mordred stepped forward despite the injury and used a rising slash that the Berserker blocked with his sword. The wild man was knocked up towards the ceiling and he maneuvered his legs so his feet would touch the ceiling before the rest of his body. As soon as his feet touched the stalactite riddled ceiling, the Berserker jumped with legs charged with magical energy. His body shot down like a missile and his two weapons were swung down at once. Mordred blocked and his lower half was pushed down into the ground that couldn’t withstand the Berserker’s power. The Knight of the Round Table punched up and belted the wild man square in the nose. The Berserker was hit upward again, but he did a backflip and landed back on the ground before rushing at his enemy again. Mordred stepped out of the ground as if climbing a stair and met the Berserker head on. The two began clashing up close again, but Mordred stomped on the ground occasionally to make it shake and break apart to mess with the Berserker’s footing. The enemy Servant adapted rather easily by continually jumping around the walls and ceiling which allowed him to attack from more angles, but it made him unable to attack with the same rapidity he used before to pressure Mordred.

Trusting her son, the Lion King left Mordred and Kirei to deal with Diarmuid. She continued through the tunnels within the mountain as she went to where the accursed magical energy was coming from.

The Lion King arrived in a massive space with a raised platform of stone in it which was connected by a bridge to an ever higher plateau. On that higher protrusion of rock sat a giant womb. The thing inside the womb had four eyes and was surrounded by an impure light that made the goddess want to retch. The grotesquerie twitched and pulsed as it continued developing. The Black Grail had fed it the magical energy of the Servants of the last war to speed up the Beast’s development. That said, the process would still take time to reach completion. A week would be needed before that Evil of Humanity could reach full maturity and be born into the World. Above the womb was a giant sphere of black, a gap which swallowed all light like a black hole, a wound in the universe which bled curses. That was the Greater Grail.

Lumbering around the space were a dozen large humanoids made of mud like the ones the Black Grail conjured earlier. The ground below the raised platforms was covered in monstrosities made of tentacles around toothy mouths. They were not made of mud, but instead of flesh and blood.

“False God! You have arrived into the Hell of our God’s creation where you shall be punished! Let your cruel purity be painted black with dried blood and the mud of our divine cup!” The proselytizing came from a tall man in robes who stood on the taller of the plateaus. His eyes were bulging from his head and he was always gesticulating in one way or another. He held a grimoire in his hand that was bound with human flesh. This was Gilles de Rais based on the descriptions Gray had heard. He was the source of these tentacle monsters. How many humans had he gathered and sacrificed to make them? The fact that he did so in such a short amount of time was disheartening.

“Disgusting.” The golden Archer refused to look at the squirming horrors littering the cavern's bottom. He stood on the same platform as Gilles, the two of them flanking the sides of the Black Grail who was looking at the goddess while giggling.

There was a fourth man on the highest platform who was next to the Archer. He was a man of tremendous size with a dark beard. He wore a purple cloak with a white and purple tunic and a black kausia on his head. The only Servant who was of such size in the last war was Iskandar. He stood with an impassive expression.

On the lower platform were two Servants. These two were the most bizarre. One was a giant even larger than Iskandar who had skin covered in dark scales and horns poking out from his long silver hair. He had a long tail and a blue-green marking on his chest. This was likely the Servant that had been taken out first in this war and was absorbed into Irisviel.

The other Servant was the one that made the Lion King pause. They wore black armor that covered all but their head. In their hand was a former Holy Sword that had turned into a demonic dragon slaying blade. It was Arondight. This was Lancelot, or at least that would be the logical reaction given their armament and the fact that Lancelot was summoned in the Fourth War. The issue was the Servant’s head. Long brown hair so smooth it made one want to feel it against their skin. A face that was the ideal of the traditionally feminine which could hasten the heartbeat of even a chaste man. Glasses that made her emerald eyes glitter even more than they normally did.

“Guinevere?”

“Hello, my king.” It was Gunivere’s voice. She looked angry. It was a cold anger without fury.

“How are you here?”

“Your voice didn’t even tremble. You really are the inevitable conclusion of King Arthur’s ideals. You abandoned everything to become the ultimate ruler.”

“At least she has good taste in women.” The Black Grail put a hand to her cheek. “Oh, wait, no she doesn't. You were given Guinevere like an object and you never loved her. As for me, the other Artoria only loved me when she wasn’t busy feeling sorry for herself.”

“How easily replaced I was.” The Servant with Guinevere’s face said. “You learned how to love, but only after you had ruined my life and the lives of everyone in Camelot. Even then, you ruined your new family too. You really are astonishing.”

“I would prefer it if you stopped insulting my-” The Lion King was going to say mother. The goddess was thinking of Gray’s mom as her own. “counterpart.”

“Was that a twinge of emotion?” The woman who looked like Guinevere said.

“It’s a Christmas miracle.” The Black Grail raised a hand. “Let’s get to the point. Everyone, kill that goddess.”

The giants of mud all ran at the Lion King and so did the tentacle demons. The woman who looked like Guinevere ran for the goddess with Arondight at the ready. The dragon man declared “Akafiloga All-Grið!” and he began to metamorphose into a dark dragon that exhaled blue-green flames that could destroy a country. The golden Archer unloaded a salvo of Noble Phantasms and Iskandar released lightning bolts from his hands.

The bombardment of attacks was met with a pillar of light from Rhongomyniad that shielded the Lion King.

The fight had begun and it was one that made even the Goddess Rhongomyniad unsure of her capability to win. Despite the odds, the Lion King had to fight. She had to destroy the Greater Grail in order to save the world.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 36: The Goddess VS The Demigod

Goddess Rhongomyniad jumped into the air and towards a stream of dragon breath. The Divine Spirit thrust her holy spear forward and her body was dressed in light. She became an arrowhead of gold that drilled through the flames and towards the dragon’s maw. The Phantasmal jerked its head out of the way and the Lion King flew past it. The light around the goddess faded as she headed for a wall. She kicked off the wall as soon as it was in range and shot back towards the dragon. The beast turned just in time for Rhongomyniad to be stabbed into its neck. The Lion King pushed the dragon into a wall which crumbled under the beast’s weight. The light of the holy spear intensified and a blast of divine magical energy was created inside the dragon’s throat, tearing the neck of the creature apart. It was barely still hanging on when the goddess leapt off the creature to dodge multiple Noble Phantasms fired by the golden Archer. The Lion King successfully evaded, but Iskandar predicted that and preemptively fired a ray of electricity that hit the Divine Spirit dead on. The shock did next to nothing to the goddess, but it pushed her backward into the body of one of the mud giants. Rhongomyniad was thrust to the sky and a pillar of light surrounded the Lion King and destroyed the giant. The Lion King’s feet hit the ground and dozens of tentacled monsters swarmed the deity, only to be evaporated by a single swing of the spear of light. Golden ripples formed around the Lion King and fired Noble Phantasms that were destroyed by another pillar of light. Right as that resplendent tower dissipated, the Servant with Guinevere’s face ran in with Arondight’s edge radiating blue light.

“Arondight Overload!” The sword clashed with Rhongomyniad. The area of the holy spear where Arondight hit had a gash form on it. Unbreakable Lake Light exploded out, but the spear was undamaged. The Servant resembling Guinevere attacked more with their sword and it became clear that this individual was using Lancelot’s style of swordsmanship. This warrior carried all of Lancelot’s idiosyncrasies in combat. Each slash was blocked and the Lion King punched the knight in the solar plexus. They coughed up blood and went flying into a wall. The goddess wasn’t sure why she didn’t use her spear to just kill the Servant, but she felt compelled not to.

The Lion King ran towards the plateau that the Black Grail, the Golden Archer, Gilles, and Iskandar were all standing on. The goddess’ main concerns were the Black Grail who obviously needed to be slain as soon as possible, and the Archer due to their immense power. The deity ran over to the platform and ran up its side in a flash. She stood on the edge, right in front of the quartet of enemies, and swung her spear to kill them all, but the Archer summoned a dome shaped shield that endured the attack without so much as a scratch. A giant flaming sword shaped like a dragon’s wing appeared from a portal above the goddess and it swung down like a guillotine. The Lion King leapt backward into the air to dodge and the weapon cut into the platform which made it begin to melt. More portals opened up by the shield to reveal a giant bow and a variety of other weapons. While the rest of the weapons fired off as normal, the giant bow launched an arrow that split into nine beams of energy. The Lion King released a ray of light from her holy spear to propel herself out of the way, but the beams and many other weapons curved through the air to follow the goddess. The deity quickly fired her light wave in the opposite direction to fly towards the oncoming projectiles. The Lion King twisted her weapon right as the arrows and weapons got close to her which let her swerve between them at the very last moment. Many of the weapons tried to do u-turns back toward the Lion King, only to accidentally crash into each other.

It was then that the dragon flew at the Lion King and snapped its jaws down upon her. Its neck was wounded and thus it couldn’t exhale anymore fire, but it could still try to crush the goddess. An armored hand held up the upper jaw while two boots pressed into the lower. The Lion King was keeping the dragon from clamping its mouth down on her, but she was left with just her spear wielding arm free. The Lion King was about to thrust Rhongomyniad into the dragon for a killing blow when chains appeared from golden ripples and wrapped around the goddess. A bolt of lightning and a blast of energy from Iskandar and Gilles respectively hit the Lion King and made her hand slip from holding the upper jaw. The dragon’s mouth slammed down on the deity and put immense pressure on her entire body. A mud giant wrapped itself around the dragon’s head and flooded its mouth with its curses. The dark substance ate away at the Lion King’s magical energy. She had a physical body and was immensely powerful so the curses couldn’t instantly dissolve her, but she would be lying if she said she was doing okay. The chains, the dragon’s mouth, and the mud all restricted the Lion King’s movement capability and so her only recourse was releasing another pillar of magical energy from Rhongomyniad. When she did so, it managed to destroy the chains and it pushed away both the dragon’s jaws and the mud. Broken dragon fangs crossed the goddess’ vision as she saw another bolt of lighting come at her. She was hit and was paralyzed long enough for a mud giant to punch her into the ground where tentacled grotesqueries dogpiled her. Fanged orifices bit into the Lion King’s flesh. Mud was dribbled onto the pile of monsters which seeped onto the goddess and burned her. The Lion King was starting to feel exhausted from the constant attacks from all sides.

Both the mud and the demons atop the goddess suddenly froze over and shattered.

“Gilgamesh, what are you doing?” The Black Grail wasn’t the one who ordered that attack it seemed.

“I was disgusted at the idea of having a version of King Arthur defeated by such revolting creatures.” The golden Archer said. So he was Gilgamesh, the oldest hero. He certainly held strength befitting such a title. “I find this whole situation deeply unpleasant. It was only on a whim that I agreed to work as part of a group to take down this goddess, and I now retract my agreement.” Gilgamesh used some sort of artifact to float off the platform and hover high above everyone else. “I find no pleasure in defeating this foolish deity by wearing them away with superior numbers. It is the pathetic method of the weak and common. I want both a challenge and the opportunity to slay a god, a form of being I find most loathsome. This is an opportunity to achieve both, and yet that satisfaction will forever elude me if I don’t claim victory by myself so I can display my objective superiority.” Enough golden portals opened up at the ceiling of the cavern that Gilgamesh could carpet bomb the entire room. “I will finish King Arthur by myself.”

“Gilgamesh…” The Black Grail looked at the Lion King for a moment. “Fine. You can handle this. Everyone else, get back.” The mud giants disappeared and the remaining tentacle demons hid away in cracks in the walls. Gilles and Iskandar stepped back on the platform while the dragon returned to humanoid form and jumped onto the same plateau. The Servant that resembled Guinevere didn’t move initially, staring at the Lion King as she got onto her feet. As soon as the goddess looked directly at the knight, they turned around and jumped up to where their allies were.

“I appreciate your gentility, King Gilgamesh.” The Lion King stood back up. “I would not have expected such propriety from you.”

“I simply find that defeating you with any assistance would besmirch my name.”

“It is appreciated nonetheless.”

“You won’t in a moment. You will see what I’m capable of when I don’t have anyone getting in my way.”

The ceiling of portals fired an unending torrent of Noble Phantasms downward. The entire room, excluding the platform where the Black Grail and her Servants stood, was targeted by the weapons. The Lion King created another column of light around herself to defend, but this time she formed a more powerful one that could withstand continuous attacks. It was the Tower of the Farthest End, the ‘sheath’ of Rhongomyniad and a barrier that could withstand all but the most powerful techniques. Gilgamesh increased the amount of open gates until the walls and floor of the cavern were covered like the ceiling. A++ rank Noble Phantasms came from all angles and yet they could not penetrate the tower of light.

Particles of light rose up from the ground like fireflies all throughout the room. Magical energy focused on the spear in the Lion King’s hand as she lifted it above herself. It grew larger and gravity began to warp, spacetime bending by extension.

Add’s voice spoke robotically.

“Seal Thirteen. Decision, start.
One's comrades-in-arms must be courageous. Approved.
The battle must not be against one pure of heart. Approved.
The battle must be an honorable one. Approved.
The enemy must be more powerful than oneself. Approved.
The enemy must not be an elemental. Approved.
The battle must be one against evil. Approved.
The battle must not involve personal gain. Approved.
The battle must not be against Humanity. Approved.
The battle must not be inhumane. Approved.
The battle must be to live. Approved.
The battle must be to defend human order. Approved.
Third stage restraint rescinded.”

Eleven restraints that held back Rhongomynaid’s full power were released. Nearly the total might of a pillar meant to hold a Texture of the World in place was unveiled. The entire mountain and even the entirety of Fuyuki began to quake. Gravity was failing within the cave to the point that everyone began to float in the air. The Noble Phantasms Gilgamesh was firing off were no longer capable of reaching the Lion King or even the golden tower, as they vaporized from the heat as soon as they got too close due to the power of the holy spear. The temperature exceeded four million degrees Celsius as the spear’s might ascended to the point that even fully fledged Gods could be slain by it. The tower of light around the goddess dispersed into raw magical energy which was absorbed into the spear. Everyone in the room was admiring the beauty of the Lion King’s weapon. There was no way to avoid the oncoming attack and so they could only wait to see what would happen. If it weren’t for the power of the Greater Grail fueling them with near endless magical energy, the Servants of the Black Grail would have had their Saint Graphs deconstructed from the holy spear’s pressure. A light that could shave off a layer of the planet was lighting up the room and yet nobody could look away. Before everyone was the might of a king and a Divine Spirit. It was a level of power that wasn’t meant to exist in the modern world. This was the kind of sight that could move hearts and minds, that could inspire magi to dedicate their lives to recreating the Mystery they were blessed with witnessing, that could return the planet to the Age of Gods.

Goddess Rhongomyniad planned to erase as much of Mt. Enzo’s insides as she could without causing it to collapse. Rhongomyniad would destroy the Greater Grail, the Black Grail, the many Servants in the room, and the mountain’s leyline in the process. There was the chance that Mordred and the overseer would get caught up in the blast, but that was a necessary risk when considering all that was at stake and the odds the Lion King was up against.

“Excellent.” Gilgamesh uncrossed his arms and smirked. “This shall be truly entertaining.” A portal opened up and Gilgamesh reached into it. He pulled out an unusual armament. It had a handle and guard vaguely reminiscent of those belonging to swords, and yet it had no blade. It was closer to some kind of bludgeon composed of three stacked cylinders covered in red markings. Despite not knowing what it was, the Lion King understood with just a glance that the weapon Gilgamesh now held was on the absolute highest level. It had to be his ultimate weapon. “You are worthy of the full power of Ea.”

“If you clash Ea with Rhongomyniad, the entire planet and all its Textures will be completely annihilated.” The Black Grail said. “I thought you wanted some humans to survive? If you were willing to just destroy everything, then why even bother with the Greater Grail?”

“Bite your tongue. You think I’d accidentally destroy the World? You are lucky that I am in a good mood, or I’d sever your head from your shoulders for that comment.”

The cylinders of Divine Construct began to rotate and air spiraled around it. A vortex formed with Ea at its center. Red energy filled the storm around the ‘blade’ and the goddess felt everything shift. Spacetime began to warp and dislocate from the pressure the Noble Phantasm created. The laws of physics were rejected and obliterated as reality was broken apart so thoroughly that even Rhongomyniad couldn’t compete. This weapon was destroying all substance to reveal the most primal form of existence, the Truth of all things. It was a state where no life can survive because it predated life as a concept. Ea was a tool meant to stir up all that composed the World to either create or destroy it. While Rhongomyniad caused the cavern to begin melting, Ea getting pointed towards the floor caused the ground to vanish entirely. Extending from the Divine Construct’s tip was a series of spirals resembling galaxies which were lifted up when Ea was. Ea was pointed towards the ceiling, with air, red energy, and the fabric of spacetime all revolving around it. The ‘galaxies’ hung above as focused singularities of the Truth that wiped away the ceiling the same way the floor had. The room faded away and was replaced by a void of black dotted with specks of light, the new scape looking like the vacuum of space. All that remained were Gilgamesh, the Lion King, the Black Grail, the Greater Grail, the womb, and the other Servants. This was not a Reality Marble, but a mere byproduct of the sheer energy that Ea was giving off as it charged up.

The Lion King knew she could not overcome that weapon. She had to focus on surviving. She could figure out what to do after that when the time came. She couldn’t hesitate or let her focus waver now or she would definitely die. There was a high likelihood that she’d die even if she had all thirteen restraints of the spear released, so the actual chances of the goddess surviving this were slim to less than none.

She still had to try nonetheless.

The goddess took a slow, deep breath and let her mind become clear and focused. No distractions, no worries, nothing but robotic focus on what she had to do. The power inside the spear was focused to its absolute limit before it was thrust forward with the full might of the Lion King.

“Rhongomyniad!”

The ‘galaxies’ absorbed into Ea as it was swung down and a sanguine vortex was released towards the oncoming wave of light.

“Enuma Elish!”

People across the entire planet and even those in other Textures of the World such as the Reverse Side felt everything shake. It was a low rumble so gentle that most probably wouldn’t think anything of it. Those with keen senses and who weren’t distracted by anything sensed something deeper than just a quake. They felt the seams of existence being stretched to their limits. Two great powers that could have devastated the World were clashing and, in a way, restraining each other. While either individually would have caused uncontrolled destruction, the two forces, one dedicated to sustaining the state of the World and the other meant to strip away that state to unveil the Truth, held each other in check and prevented a worst case scenario.

The spectacle inside the cave was a once in a lifetime experience. A storm of distorted spacetime was eating away at an expanse of light. Two godly artifacts were vying for supremacy, though it was clear which was going to win. The great red wave was unstoppable. The radiance of the spear concentrated into a chisel shape around the goddess to serve as a bulwark against the flood of spacetime. The spike cut through as much of the red destruction as possible, but it wasn’t enough to leave the goddess unharmed. Armor shattered from the pressure while bones broke and skin ripped open. Blood poured out of the Lion King’s mouth as she endured the vortex. The goddess’ light still persisted as her will remained strong. Every spark of electricity in the Lion King’s brain was dedicated to bringing out as much strength as she could and surviving Gilgamesh’s Noble Phantasm. She was a light within a sea of red that intended to drown her existence.

Right as both attacks were concluding, Goddess Rhongomyniad was overcome by Enuma Elish. The red force snuffed out the light of the holy spear and the Lion King’s body struggled to remain intact as her very essence as a being was assaulted.

Enuma Elish finally ended and the environment returned to normal. The cavern was still melted from Rhongomyniad being released from its restraints. The Lion King hit the ground as a bloody mess. Her armor was gone and so was most of her skin. Muscle fibers across her body had partially unraveled and her bones were all at least cracked. The Lion King could survive and heal all her wounds if she had time, even regrowing limbs was something relatively simple for a deity, but she was still trapped in combat and she didn’t possess a Disengage skill.

“An admirable attempt, goddess.” Gilgamesh’s words were soaked in braggadocio. “I must admit that you provided me with an enjoyable challenge. I rarely find one worthy of retrieving Ea for, and even fewer who can incentivize me to use it to its fullest capacity. Your strength outstrips even your beauty. If only you weren’t a deity, I would paint you over with the Grail’s curses and make you my concubine. It’s a good thing the other you is still around for me to conquer.” While Gilgamesh continued his rodomontade, the Lion King managed to force herself to her feet. She had to stab Rhongomyniad into the ground to use as a crutch, a sacrilegious use of such a powerful armament. “You still struggle? On one hand I find that admirable, on the other it annoys me that you intend to waste my time when you’ve already lost.”

“I’ll finish her.” The Black Grail gestured towards her former daughter and mud spurted from the Greater Grail and crawled across the floor. “If the Grail imbibes a Divine Spirit, then the week of gestation it still needs will be reduced to near nothing. We’ll be able to flood the World by day’s end.”

“Fine. I’m satisfied, so do as you wish.” Gilgamesh floated over to the womb while summoning a golden throne from a portal and he sat down, his head leaning on the back of his hand.

“Finally. This garbage World full of garbage people can end and a new one can take its place. I even get to kill a version of my dumb wife too. It’s a Christmas miracle.” The Black Grail looked down at her former daughter. “Bye bye, honey.” The Black Grail winked and snapped her fingers. The mud raced to the Lion King.

The Lion King lacked the strength to defend herself. She couldn’t run or dodge. She couldn’t do anything.

The river of mud crested and became a wave that was going to swallow the goddess.

The ceiling above suddenly cracked and broke apart. A man swathed in lightning burst from the roof of the cavern and stabbed down with the sarissa they held. He had burrowed down through the mountain and created a new entrance to the chamber. The spear hit the ground in front of the goddess and blew away the mud of the Grail.

The stature and dark red hair of the man made it clear who their identity was. The Caster Iskandar raised an eyebrow as they saw their doppelganger growl like an animal. The Lion King didn’t know why there was another Iskandar Alter and why they were defending her, but she was in no position to turn her nose at any assistance.

“What the Hell? Whatever. All of you just dogpile them. Kill them both.” At the Black Grail’s command, all but Gilgamesh attacked. The dragon man exhaled fire while the Caster Iskandar threw lightning and Gilles shot a ball of magical energy. The woman resembling Guinevere ran forward to follow up with close quarters swordsmanship while the spear wielding Iskandar would be dealing with the projectiles.

“Ionioi Doúlos!” The voice of the Iskandar defending the Lion King boomed. A flash of light expanded outwards and consumed the cavern. Images of warriors in chains, thousands of them, filled the room. Their eyes all landed on the Servant who summoned them and their expressions told tales of hatred and despair. A mirage of a grandiose expanse of desert overlaid with the current world. It was a Reality Marble, but not a standard one as it suddenly shrunk. The new reality and the army of enslaved who occupied it were both getting sucked into the spearman Iskandar’s body as he roared. He absorbed an entire Reality Marble into his body as his muscles expanded to the point that the plates of his armor broke apart. He became a hulking mass that was twice as large as he originally was and he wore only a loincloth born of the torn remains of his old outfit. Electricity formed into a simulacrum of chains that came from his back while his sarissa was replaced by a sustained bolt of lighting with many branches like a tree. To some, Iskandar was a hero, but to others he was a cruel conqueror. This Noble Phantasm was sublimating the latter interpretation by manifesting his army as slaves to his will, men forced out of fear to follow a single tyrant. They didn’t not serve him willingly and their power existed only for Iskandar, so they manifested just to be infused into their ruler. Iskandar now possessed the combined physical strength, endurance, and agility of his entire army. The way his body continually spasmed made it obvious that the amount of power he was containing was too much for him to hold inside for long without his eventual self-destruction. He was standing at the peak of what a normal Servant could be.

The projectiles hit the giant dead on and yet they couldn’t even make him budge. The woman who looked like Guinevere did a u-turn before she got in striking range of the monster. The titan charged at the group of enemy Servants while the Rider once more became a dragon. The two beasts tackled into each other. The dragon bit into Iskandar’s arm, the latter unperturbed as focused on swinging his lightning bolt around at the Guinevere lookalike who had to dodge around to avoid getting turned to mist.

“Gilgamesh, kill that thing!” The Black Grail said.

“I refuse. That perversion of Iskandar is even worse than the one on our side. I have no intention of engaging that thing and spoiling my good mood from my duel with the goddess.”

The Black Grail clicked her tongue.

“All of you except Gilgamesh, kill that giant!”

“And what about the goddess?” Gilgamesh said.

“Don’t worry, that will be handled.”

The dragon got impaled on the lightning bolt’s many branches while the Guinevere lookalike slashed at the giant’s flesh. Arondight failed to pierce the skin and neither did the Caster Iskandar’s lightning. Gilles’ tentacle monsters came out of their hiding places and flocked to the titan only to get squashed underfoot.

While the colossal Iskandar caused chaos, another individual jumped down from the entrance he had made and landed right next to the Lion King. They were made of liquid metal in the shape of a maid.

“Please come with me. My masters were observing you and thus know everything that is going on. We must get you out of here as quickly as possible.”

“And my allies?” The Lion King stumbled a bit as she took a step forward.

“Worry not. We will help them retreat once you have been rescued.”

“Very well. Will you carry m-”

The maid’s pupil-less eyes widened as she saw something behind the Lion King.

“Behind you!”

The maid spoke too late. The Black Grail smiled. The point of a red spear was coming out of the goddess’ chest. She had been run through from her back. Her heart and Spirit Core were impaled on the weapon. From behind the Lion King came the voice of the perpetrator.

“You like fighting without honor, King of Knights? Well how do you like it?”

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 37: An Inevitable Question

Mordred ran through the cave, following the trail of the Berserker he had been fighting mere moments ago. The man crying blood had been so fervent as he fought Mordred earlier, but then he suddenly ran deeper into the cavern. Mordred pursued the coward into the deeper parts of the mountain where the magical energy was thick and sickening. There was clearly a fight going on considering just how violent the magical energy was flowing. The coward was so far down the cave that Mordred couldn’t actually see him, only sense him. The chamber where all the magic energy was concentrated got closer and closer, the Berserker having already reached it.

When Mordred arrived, he froze in place. The coward had stabbed through King Arthur’s heart from behind with his spear. The metal maid, the lightning giant, the dark womb, the various Servants, they all didn’t matter as Mordred ran as fast as he possibly could with legs powered by a Mana Burst. A lifetime’s worth of fury fueled Mordred as he roared and swung Excalibur at the coward who dared harm the great Lion King. The Berserker jumped with a Mana Burst of his own and was lucky enough to avoid getting bisected, instead only losing a foot.

The Lion King dropped to his knees. Mordred pulled out Excalibur’s scabbard and infused it into his king’s body.

“Avalon!”

The wounds of the brutalized king’s wounds began to heal, though Mordred was unsure of how well Avalon could heal damage done to a Spirit Core. The king’s nature as a Divine Spirit would also help her heal, but there was still a limit.

Kicking off with his remaining foot, the coward shot towards King Arthur again. Mordred got between them and slashed at the Berserker, their weapons crashing into each other. The coward was pushed away and into the range of the rampaging giant who stomped down at him. The coward sidestepped out of the way and was forced to join the battle royal with the titan of lightning.

Mordred turned to help his king escape only to see the metal woman carrying the Lion King in her arms.

“Get away from her!” Mordred’s fist turned the maid into a silvery splotch on a nearby wall. He grabbed his king before she could hit the ground and proceeded to run out of the chamber and back through the cavern from whence they came. He dashed out of the invisible wall that hid the cave and sprinted down the mountain. The knight left the overseer behind since he mattered as much as a microbe in comparison to making sure the Lion King was safe. Black and gold lightning propelled the knight forward as he kept running away from the resting place of the Greater Grail. It was shameful to give up on a fight when one was losing, this was a clear besmirchment of King Arthur’s name, but it was better than letting the goddess die. Mordred took the king’s life once, now he had to preserve it. Mordred began jumping across rooftops when they reached the city and only stopped when they arrived at Fuyuki Church and only at his king’s urging.

They entered the church and Mordred put his King down on a pew.

“My king, are you okay?” Mordred kneeled down next to the Lion King. “I’m so sorry! The coward got away from me! This is all my fault!”

“My body will heal in time, but I’m not sure how my Saint Graph will fare.” The Lion King was sweating, her eyes squinting on an otherwise black face. “The combination of my and Avalon’s healing capabilities seems to be preventing my Spirit Core from falling further apart, but such a wound may be beyond regeneration. If I were not a Divine Spirit, I would have perished by now.”

Mordred’s fist slammed on his knees. His frustration was boundless at his failure to defeat but a single foe and protect his king. He had finally been granted a chance at redemption and yet he screwed it up immediately. Mordred truly was unworthy of being the son of King Arthur. He wasn’t worthy of being a knight. The traitorous boy was only worthy of suffering under the yoke of his own sins and the justice of King Arthur.

“I’m sorry, my king. I have failed you. Please, once you are able, punish me.”

“There is nothing for which you must be punished.”

“There is. I failed to hold that coward at bay. I could have used Avalon to guarantee my victory, but I kept it in reserve to use as a surprise trump card. You are in this state because of my ineptitude.”

“We all make mistakes.” The Lion King looked at the armored head of her knight. “I was already in a weakened state due to my overestimation of my abilities. I thought I could handle several Servants at once and I ended up badly wounded because of that arrogance. I would not have been taken by surprise if I was in better condition. This was just as much, if not more my fault than it was yours.”

“Impossible, my king. You are infallible.”

“If that were true, then I would never have rejected you, nor would Camelot have been devastated by Lancelot’s betrayal and your rebellion.” The Lion King placed a hand on her son’s head. “Neither of us is perfect, nor is anyone else. If you truly wish to make up for your mistakes, then take this to heart: I am not perfect and you are not irredeemable.”

“Yes, my king.” Mordred wanted to accept his king’s words, but he couldn't. There was nothing good within himself.

The Lion King raised Rhongomyniad as high as she could, which wasn’t much, and it returned to being sealed within Add.

“Well that didn’t go well.” The cube’s statement made a vein bulge on Mordred’s head. “What’s the plan now? We can’t beat all those Servants alone.”

“We need allies. I hope that the other Masters can be rallied together.” The Lion King stared at the ceiling. “There may be misgivings due to the previous fighting, but if Illyasviel and Chloe managed to put aside their differences, then everyone else should be able to. If everyone fights as one, then the Greater Grail may yet be defeated.”

“We can’t be too optimistic though.” Add bounced onto the pew. “We haven’t exactly had good luck so far.”

“Pessimism will get us nowhere. We need to stay hopeful.” The Lion King gestured towards Mordred. "Kirei is still on the mountain, yes?”

“I didn’t have time to grab him while we escaped.”

“Find him and bring him here. I’m sure he was saved by the Master of the Berserker who saved us. That Master is on our side. Don’t worry about me. It is doubtful that any enemies will attack me here and now.”

“There is no need.” The doors of the church opened and the metal maid entered. Turning her to liquid had been a mere inconvenience it seemed.

Mordred tried to stand, but his arm was grabbed by his mother.

“Don’t. She’s an ally. She’s the familiar of the Master whose Servant saved me.”

Though he ceased his attempt to attack first, Mordred was still tense.

“My master and the overseer will be here soon.” The maid said. “I was able to arrive ahead of them due to tailing you. The overseer is currently in the process of sending familiars to all the remaining Masters to alert them of the Grail War’s cancellation and to have them convene here.”

“How is your master’s Servant?” The Lion King said. “Was he able to escape?”

“He was. He is currently recovering from the fight due to sustaining numerous injuries and using up a majority of his reserves of magical energy.”

“It’s good that he’s alive. He’ll be an invaluable asset in the fight to come. How long until your master and the overseer arrive?”

“Approximately two hours.”

“Then two hours we shall wait.”

And so Mordred, his king, and Add waited while the maid surveyed the surrounding area to make sure that there were no threats lying in wait to strike while the iron was hot. Mordred stayed by King Arthur’s side the entire time to funnel as much magical energy into Avalon as possible to speed up the healing process. It was looking like the Lion King would survive, but not without permanent damage to her Saint Graph that would limit her power for the remainder of her manifestation. During the healing process, King Arthur slipped into sleep to conserve energy and hopefully build up more.

“Mo-” A soft sound came from the sleeping goddess’ lips. “Mordred.” That caught the knight’s attention. His king was dreaming of him. “Stop fighting with Add. Mama’s in a bad mood right now. We can’t bother her.” The sleep talk lacked the natural authority of the Lion King and instead befit a child.

“Sounds like she’s dreaming of Gray's memories.” Add bounced over to the king’s face.

“Don’t bother her while she is resting.”

“I’m not. I just wanna listen.”

“I’m sorry, Mordred.” A tear slid out from the Lion King’s closed eyelid. “I couldn’t save you.” Mordred crouched down to listen closer. He felt ashamed that he was as curious as Add was. “Mom, are you there? Mom. I miss you, mom. Mama? Illya? I’ll give you my face. I don’t care. Take it. Just take it. I don’t want it. Take it so you can come back.”

“Gray’s still alive in her.” Add sounded oddly melancholic given his usual tone. “Maybe we could still save her.”

‘They’re only memories.” Mordred said. “And even if you could, that would mean sacrificing the Lion King.”

“Hey, you’ve got Mordred’s memories right? Our Mordred’s?”

“Yes.”

“Do you feel our Mordred inside you? Are you really a different Mordred, or are you the same one and you’ve just been painted over?”

“I am technically made with the same Saint Graph as the original, it’s just been modified. This is a situation comparable to the Ship of Theseus. How many parts of the original have to be replaced until they no longer count as the same entity?”

“Quit with the philosophy and just answer me. Do you feel our Mordred inside you?”

Mordred sneered and tried to say that he felt nothing of the other Mordred within himself, but he stopped himself. He couldn’t answer that honestly for he really didn’t know what the truth was, nor could he even hazard a guess.

“I don’t know. I really don’t.”

“I appreciate the honesty.” Add hopped away from King Arthur’s head. “I’ve got a hypothetical for ya. If it turns out that Gray can be saved and it would require the Lion King to be banished from Gray’s body and thus ‘killed,’ I know Artoria and Illya would fight to the death to get the Lion King out of her. In that case, would you try to stop them for the sake of your king?” Add put emphasis on the word ‘your.’

“The answer is obvious.” Mordred swallowed and stood up. “As long as the Greater Grail exists, we need the Lion King’s power.”

“And what about after the Greater Grail’s been destroyed?” Add said as Mordred turned away.

“That’s something to be considered once the Grail is gone. We shouldn’t be wasting time thinking about anything beyond the current threat.” The flawed logic of Mordred’s deflection was obvious and yet Add didn’t push the point. Mordred felt aimless in the face of Add’s question. Part of him wanted to preserve his king’s life no matter what, but the Lion King probably wouldn’t want to keep existing if it meant Gray couldn’t be saved when she otherwise could. There was also the fact that protecting Mordred’s king would involve facing the other King Arthur in combat. That Arthur was far closer to the one Mordred knew and betrayed. Mordred felt a need to serve that king as well and he certainly didn’t want to fight them.

The doors of the church opened and a group entered consisting of the metal maid, the overseer, and two unfamiliar individuals. One was a tall man with a sour face and long black hair. A single look into his eyes was all that was necessary to see he was analyzing everything he saw like a master detective on the case. The other new face was a young girl with blonde hair and fashionable outfit. She was putting eyedrops in and despite that apparent moment of vulnerability, she still had the aura of a self-satisfied sadist. Mordred could also sense a Servant, assumedly the giant that was in the cave, that was in Spirit Form.

“It’s good to see you’re both alive.” The priest walked over to the resting Lion King. “How is she?”

“Her physical damage has nearly completely healed. Her Spirit Core is a different matter. It was impaled and though it’s stabilizing, it won’t be able to actually repair itself which means her power will be permanently limited.”

“That is unfortunate.” The overseer pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll use my Spiritual Healing to do what I can, but I doubt I’ll achieve much. Hopefully one of the other Masters or Servants has healing capabilities. Speaking of other Masters…” The priest pointed his arm towards the unfamiliar pair.

“Hello.” The long haired man walked forward and extended a hand. “I am Waver Velvet, better known as Lord El-Melloi II. I am one of the Masters of this war.” Mordred reluctantly shook the man’s hand.

“Greetings.” The blonde curtsied. “My name is Reines El-Melloi Archisorte. Lord El-Melloi is my brother. I’m here to help him. The maid is Trimmau.” The maid curtsied as well.

“I’m Lord El-Melloi II.” The man named Waver sounded whiney. “Not just Lord El-Melloi.”

“Of course.” Reines rolled her eyes.

“How long until the other Masters and Servants get here?” Mordred said.

“It will probably be sunrise by the time they all convene here.” The priest put his arms behind his back. “Mordred, please take your king and follow me into my study. I’ll begin operating on her. Lord El-Melloi II, Lady Archisorte, you can join us so we can strategize as I work.”

“I’ll have to pass.” Reines held up a hand. “Your procedure is bound to produce a large amount of magical energy. My eyes are quite sensitive to magical energy so it would be best that I stay away. Do you have a kitchen or dining room here?”

“Both.”

“Excellent. Do you mind if Trimmau brews me some tea?”

“Not at all. Help yourself.”

“Wonderful.” Archisorte clapped her hands. “Have fun with your surgery.” The girl and her maid left despite not knowing where the kitchen or dining room were. She probably just wanted to snoop around the church.

“Apologies for Reines’ imposition.” The Lord said.

“It is perfectly alright. Let us move to my study.” The priest led the way and Waver followed. Mordred lifted his king into his arms and trailed behind.

“I'll give it away.” More sleep talk slipped out from the Lion King. “I’ll give it away, I swear. Come back. I didn’t mean it. Please come back.” Mordred wasn’t even sure of who was talking anymore, Gray or King Arthur. The line between them was blurry as it was and it just kept on getting hazier as time went on. It was unclear if that was a good thing or not, but there was nothing that could be done at the moment. After the Greater Grail was destroyed and the world was saved, that would be the time to be concerned with the state of the Lion King and Gray. That time would eventually come no matter how much Mordred wanted to just indulge in his dream, the dream of forever serving his perfect King Arthur.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 38: Gathering

“And so in short, the reason why the war is canceled is probably because Irisviel got possessed and we need to work together to destroy the Grail.” Chloe said. Rin, Sakura, Luvia, and Henriikka, along with Saber and the two Casters(or would technically be four) that were in Spirit Form had all just heard the very complex story Chloe had to tell on the Grail’s corruption. That was assuming she wasn’t lying, but given what Assassin had told Saber, everything lined up.

After Rin and Luvia had been saved, Saber and Caster dealt with the yakuza thugs Assassin made come with them to the Einzbern Castle. The Tohsaka and Edelfelt factions were free from the Fujimura Group’s grasp and met back up. Then there was still the matter of the homunculus they had kidnapped, Chloe von Einzbern. It was useful to have a Lesser Grail available to them if they won the Holy Grail War so they decided not to let the homunculus go. Chloe just stayed quiet and didn’t make any moves to escape. Rin felt bad keeping Chloe confined considering she herself knew what it was like to be imprisoned.

The Tohsaka-Edelfelt alliance decided to spend the rest of the day and night recuperating from the previous battle. It was nice to just relax for a bit, but it didn’t last.

The group got the call from Kirei about the war’s cancellation and how everyone needed to meet up at the church. Henriikka was upset that she'd have to reveal herself to all the other Masters and Servants after working so hard to stay hidden. She tried to argue that this was a trap, but Rin knew Kirei well enough to know he was serious and in control of his faculties.

Now that the war was over, there was no reason to imprison Chloe any longer and so she was freed. Chloe decided to accompany the group to the church since she could meet up with her allies there and she had to go anyway since she was a Master. Along the way, Chloe regaled Rin and her allies on why the war was probably being canceled due to the corruption of the Greater Grail and how Irisviel was acting as the Grail’s vessel. It was a lot of information and was pretty convoluted, but it was consistent and made sense. Kirei had already told Rin about how two of the Einzbern homunculi claimed the Grail was corrupted, so the information wasn’t technically new, it was just that Rin and her allies were learning more details that made such claims more credible.

Rin and Sakura’s connection to Kirei also came to light as they traveled to the church. There was no way they could hide it long term at this point so it was better to just admit it and downplay how much help Kirei had given. Luvia accepted the information neutrally while Henriikka was off put by it given her paranoia.

Upon opening the doors to the church, the only person among the pews was Kirei. It had been a few days since Rin last saw him and she had to admit that he was a sight for sore eyes. He provided a kind of comfort and stability with his mere presence that made Rin feel safe after multiple days of constant anxiety.

“Kirei!” Sakura ran over and hugged the priest.

“It’s good to see you, Sakura.” Kirei put a hand on the purple haired girl’s head. “I’m happy to see you too, Rin. I see you’ve…lost some things.”

“It’s good to see you too.” Rin said telepathically. “As you can see, I’m down an arm and most of my other hand, and I’ve also lost my teeth and tongue.”

“That is quite unfortunate.” Kirei’s eyes were actually wide. Getting any change in expression out of Kirei was crazy. “We’ll have to see about getting you replacements. Dentures will fix the teeth problem. The arm, hand, and tongue will be more difficult. We’ll talk later. I see you are accompanied by other Masters. It is good to see you Ms. Edelfelt, Ms. Einzbern. May I ask who you are?” Kirei looked at Henriikka.

“I am Henriikka Edelfelt. I am Luviagelita’s sister.” Henriikka was forcing every word out through several walls of anger and annoyance. “Due to the unique traits my sister and I possess, we are both considered Master of Caster and we each summoned a different version of the same Heroic Spirit.”

“I assumed as much. Would you mind showing your Servants to me? I want a headcount of all active Servants. We will also need to discuss their abilities, but that can be done later.”

Saber and both Casters(or would it be all four?) physically materialized.

“Thank you. I can tell they will be excellent allies for the coming fight. Chloe, where is your Servant?”

“He’ll be here later. It’s complicated.” Chloe crossed her arms.

“As long as they arrive soon. We mustn't waste time. You may go anywhere in the church while we wait for the other Masters and Servants to arrive.”

“How many others have shown up so far?” Luvia said telepathically.

“The Berserker team is already here. There’s also a pair of Servants who will be difficult to explain so I’ll wait until everyone is here. Rider and his Master are already dead so we are waiting on the Lancer, and Assassin teams. There is actually an eighth Master-Servant pair, but I don’t know what Servant they have.”

“We know. I talked with Chloe and, to make a long story short, we think my Saber is an extra Servant who was summoned due to a glitch in the Grail’s summoning system that was taken advantage of by the Counter Force. That ‘eighth team’ is probably the real Saber team.” Rin raised a finger as she explained. “Also, my Saber is me from an alternate future timeline.”

Rin saw an emotion on Kirei’s face that she had never seen before. His eyebrows were high and his mouth hung open. He was well and truly befuddled to learn that there was a version of Rin who was a Servant summoned in this very Holy Grail War. It was so out of left field that it would have been weirder if Kirei wasn’t stunned by that information. The only reason Rin and Sakura hadn’t been so surprised is because they slowly realized the truth over time.

“Well, Rin, that is good information to know.” Kirei was actually struggling to come up with something to say. Rin had to stifle a laugh, as did Sakura at seeing their father figure so taken aback.

“So you’re Rin?” Kirei asked Saber who waved back while giving her usual smug smile.

“Nice to meet you.” Saber said.

“It’s good to meet you as well.” Kirei scratched at his nose with his thumb. “I’m proud to know that a student of mine is worthy of serving the Counter Force.”

“I don’t actually know if you were my mentor in my timeline.” Saber stepped closer to Kirei and walked around him, inspecting every inch of his body. “I definitely knew you, but my mind only conjures feelings of annoyance at best and hatred at worst.”

“Well that’s disconcerting.” Kirei said. “I dread to imagine what paths I could have walked in other histories.”

“I honestly can’t imagine you being any worse than Caren.” Sakura bobbing back and forth with excitement. She was so happy to be back home.

A man with long hair entered the room. He probably heard the commotion.

“Professor?” Luvia knew this man. “I didn’t realize you were participating.”

“Hello, Ms. Luviagelita. You are speaking telepathically. May I ask why?” Luvia opened her mouth to reveal her missing teeth and tongue. “The Holy Grail War has been unkind to you. That is regrettable. I might be able to contact Touko Aozaki for you, though I can’t guarantee anything. I see your sister is here too. Greetings, Ms. Henriikka.”

“It’s good to see you, Lord El-Melloi II.” Henriika said.

“El-Melloi? You’re Lord El-Melloi II?” Rin said. The man nodded and Rin realized she was in the presence of not only one of the Lords of the Clock Tower, but a veteran of the Fourth Holy Grail War. “It is an honor to meet you.” Rin bowed and Sakura followed her lead. They needed to make a good impression for when they would eventually study under him at the Clock Tower. “I am Rin Tohsaka, head of the Tohsaka family.”

“I am Sakura Tohsaka, her younger sister.” Sakura added.

“It is good to meet you both. How much do you know about the present situation?”

“According to Chloe, that’s Chloe by the way, she’s an Einzbern homunculus and a Lesser Grail,” Rin pointed at Chloe. “there is a mass of curses in the Greater Grail because it absorbed an Avenger class Servant in the Third War. Avenger wants to incarnate in Irisviel von Einzbern’s body and flood the World with curses.”

“You know the gist in that case.” Waver said. “It is good to meet you by the way, Ms. Einzbern.”

“Chloe. Don’t call me Einzbern.” Chloe’s fingers formed a claw shape as if she was planning on disemboweling someone with her bare hands.

“Duly noted. My apologies. I know what it’s like to be called the wrong name.”

“It appears that everyone is acquainted, so as I said before, you may roam the church as you wish.” Kirei put his hands behind his back. “Just stay out of my daughter Caren’s bedroom; she prefers her privacy.”

And so the crowd of magi and Servants passed the time while waiting for the other Masters and Servants to arrive. Rin decided to discuss both the events of the war so far and the upcoming threat with Lord El-Melloi II. The conversation took place in the sparse dining room of the church where Luvia and her sister joined the conversation. While Henriikka tried to keep the conversation focused on the war and the present danger, Luviagelita was more willing to bring up any topic that caught her fancy. Kirei talked with Saber in his office, the Servant probing various bits of information out of him while Sakura napped in her bedroom. Rin briefly met Reines, Lord El-Melloi II’s sister, but it was brief and didn’t go beyond simple introductions. After Sakura woke up she met Reines and apparently they got along rather well. The two 'difficult to explain Servants’ didn’t show themselves. One of them was sleeping according to Lord El-Melloi II, but that just raised more questions given that sleeping is not normally one of a Servant’s pastimes. They only slept because they enjoyed it or because they needed to recover energy at a faster than normal rate.

After a couple hours had passed, Rin heard a commotion in the entrance area of the church. The next arrivals were here so Rin excused herself from the table and went to go see the new group.

Rin entered the main church area and saw a group of four enter. Three were Einzbern homunculi and one was a blonde woman wearing a black suit. The latter figure was most certainly a Servant and one whose bearing was noble in a way that made her feel in command of all within her reach. Her existence overshadowed those of the three homunculi around her who would have otherwise been an attention grabbing and question raising sight.

Those homunculi became the center of attention when Rin heard Chloe enter the room and yell, “Sella! Liz!” Chloe ran over to two of the homunculi and embraced them.

“We’re so happy you're safe.” One of the homunculi said.

“Chloe okay?” the other said.

“I’m fine. Are you two alright?”

“We’re perfect now that you’re here.”

“Chloe.” A voice said followed by the appearance of another Servant. They were a dark giant with an intense presence like the blonde woman’s, but the difference was that while the woman felt radiant and breathtaking, this man’s aura was heavy and ineffable. Chloe swapped from hugging the two homunculi to wrapping her arms around the giant. Well, it wasn’t really around the giant since her arms couldn’t even reach the other side of his torso.

“I missed you Archer.”

“Chloe.” The homunculus that looked like she could be Chloe’s twin spoke up with tears in her eyes “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Chloe’s head tilted.

“I couldn’t protect you from getting kidnapped.”

“That’s no big deal.”

“But you could have died!” The woman's yell made Chloe lean back uncomfortably.

“It’s not like anyone else was able to save me either. Don’t put all the blame on yourself.” Chloe gripped the distressed woman’s hand.

“I promise that I’ll get stronger.” Determination flickered across the face of Chloe's twin. “I’m gonna get strong enough to make sure we don’t lose anyone ever again.”

“I’m sure you will.” The blonde Servant put a hand on the crying woman’s head.

Saber and Caster kidnapping Chloe had been a trying experience for the homunculi’s allies and loved ones. Even though it wasn’t under her order, Rin felt guilty about her involvement in the abduction. It wasn’t like Rin decided to give Chloe back once Assassin was no longer in charge. Instead she decided to keep Chloe confined for her own use as a Lesser Grail. Rin was just doing what she had to in order to win the Holy Grail, every other Master would have done the same thing in her shoes and yet she still felt remorseful. Rin wanted to be as cunning and collected as her father, but she was too soft.

“Excuse me.” Rin telepathically spoke up and everyone stared at her. She realized she just interrupted a private moment and became very self-conscious to the point that her face turned red. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’m Rin Tohsaka, a Master in this war.”

“Hello.” The blonde Servant said. “My name is Artoria Pendragon. I am a Servant from the Fourth Holy Grail War.” So she was the third Saber. She had survived the last war, that explained a lot. “I hope we can get along.”

“I do as well, though that may not be possible.”

“And why is that?”

“I am the Master of one of the Servants that kidnapped Chloe. I’m sorry.” Chloe was clutched tight by the homunculi with a ponytail and she along with the other two homunculi had death glares directed at Rin. The giant was unreadable and Artoria looked like a mama bear ready to protect its cubs. “I wasn’t the one who ordered the abduction. To put it briefly, myself and another Master were captured by Assassin and his Master. Our servants were forced to help Assassin kidnap Chloe. I just wanted to apologize given we will be working together soon.” Rin bowed.

“We’ll have to work together?” Chloe’s twin said.

“Yes. To put briefly, your ally, Irisviel von Einzbern, has been possessed by the corrupted Greater Grail. The overseer has gathered us together to destroy the Grail and save the world.”

“I knew it.” Artoria wasn’t surprised like Rin expected. She didn’t look ready to cry either, just drained and depressed. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about a Saber Servant named Mordred would you?”

“No, I’m sorry. I do know that while Chloe was being captured, Assassin planned to attack Irisviel and her group while they were leaving the city.”

“So it was him who initiated Irisviel’s transformation?”

“Most likely.”

“I see.” Artoria wasn’t releasing any magical energy and yet Rin still felt the raw might of the blonde Servant radiating from her. The Servant’s anger was barely being contained.

“I’m sorry.” Rin repeated.

“It’s alright. I am willing to leave any grievances in the past since our conflict was merely a byproduct of a war we all chose to participate in.” Artoria’s tone softened. “It is also transparent that you’ve come face to face with plenty of your own hardships and so I have sympathy for you. We have a great enemy to face so we lack the luxury of holding grudges. That all said, there are those who were more affected by Chloe’s abduction who I have no right to speak for.”

The huddle of homunculi still had their guard up sans Chloe.

“It's fine guys.” Chloe squirmed her way out of the ponytail toting woman’s grasp. “They’re alright people. The whole time I was with them it was clear that they were just trying to survive.”

“Are you sure?” The ponytail homunculus was a half-step away from pulling Chloe into another embrace.

“It’s cool. I was their captive, but they treated me alright. They didn’t hurt a single hair on my head. It’s like Artoria said, we don’t have time to waste on grudges when humanity’s in danger.” The giant returned to Spirit Form. “See, Archer trusts her.”

“Alright.” The ponytail homunculus relented, as did the other two. Chloe’s twin seemed the most reluctant given her death glare towards Rin persisted.

Artoria offered a hand and Rin shook it.

“Let us work together and save the world.”

“Let’s.”

The front doors opened and interrupted the moment. A single individual walked in, though their Servant was certainly with them in Spirit Form. Rin inhaled sharply and felt the immediate urge to punch the person who just entered the church.

The Master of Assassin, the boss of the Fujimura Group, silently eyed everyone in the room. Everyone else was quiet, feeling the tension thicken the atmosphere.

“Rin, do you know this person?” Artoria had noticed Rin’s rage.

“That’s Assassin’s Master.” Rin’s words sunk into everyone and all the ire that was being contained by Artoria and Chloe’s group was directed at the yakuza boss. One wrong move and things would devolve into a brawl. The only thing keeping everyone in check was the fact that nobody was willing to make the first move.

The yakuza took a step forward followed by another. She began to slowly walk deeper into the room. Chloe’s twin was about to move, but Chloe put a hand on her shoulder which made her stop. Each of the swordswoman’s steps echoed loudly. Everyone just stared as the yakuza progressively got closer to the door at the back of the room which led into the rest of the building. She went through the door and thus was gone, though the tension was still as intense as ever.

“That bitch is responsible for everything.” Chloe’s twin nearly yelled. “There’s no way we can work with her.”

“Illya, we have no choice. We need every asset we can acquire.” Artoria was frustrated but reasonable.

“We don’t need her.”

“If we really are up against the power of a Holy Grail then every piece we have on our side has the power to make the difference between victory and defeat.”

Illya punched one of the pews. Rin knew how she felt. Rin wanted to strangle that yakuza bitch to death, but there were more important things to worry about at the moment. Once the Greater Grail was defeated, then everyone could get their revenge on the swordswoman. She would face justice in time.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 39: Strategy Meeting

The last team unaccounted for was Lancer and their Master, a woman named Bazett, who just never showed up to the church for some reason. Given what Chloe described about Archer’s encounter with the spearwoman, she and her Mater were likely still in the alternate realm they escaped to. There was no way to contact them so Kirei decided to start the briefing without them. Everything that had happened in the war and the full situation surrounding the Grail was explained as everyone sat among the pews.

Artoria’s hands gripped each other tightly as she learned of exactly what happened to Mordred, Iri, and Gray. Mordred fought like a true hero to protect his family and Artoria couldn’t be more proud. He was such a wonderful son and Artoria didn’t deserve him. She rejected her own son out of paranoia and fear, and yet Mordred was still willing to bury past grievances and start again with Artoria. Poor Mordred didn’t deserve to have his second chance at life stolen from him by Assassin, but there was nothing that could be done.

Iri lost herself to the Grail’s influence, exactly as Artoria expected. She just couldn’t bear the burden of having curses injected into her anymore. She had endured for tens years when most would have broken after just a few hours or days. Iri was stronger than she was given credit for in life. Artoria would forever miss the first woman she had ever truly loved, and she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to withstand encountering the atrocity that had possessed her beloved’s body. The King of Knights would have to steel her will and return to her old pragmatic self to do so.

Learning Gray’s fate was heart-rending. She was embraced by the one fate she feared more than anything else, losing herself and becoming just a proxy for King Arthur. It was like a cruel joke enacted by God or some other cosmic being. It was too perfectly cruel to have happened by mere chance. Artoria never felt so much like an incompetent than when she learned of how she completely failed to protect Gray from the one specific future that she dreaded most. Artoria had failed her wife, her son, and her daughter. At the rate things were going, she was going to lose everything she had.

Neither the Lion King nor Mordred Alter were present for the meeting, the former still resting in another room while being protected by the latter. That was best. Artoria was already crying, but at least she kept her sorrow silent. If she was blindsided by seeing the current versions of her two children then she’d just start wailing.

Illya was crying too. She was less successful at holding in her hiccups and sobs. Artoria was happy to know that Illya still had the ability to cry at the constant tragedies, that her heart hadn’t become cold and hardened as a defense mechanism.

“So that should be everything.” Kirei said now that everyone had been caught up to speed. “The next order of business is determining how we should handle the situation.”

“Can’t we ask the Mage’s Association or the Holy Church for help?” Sakura raised her hand.

“That’s a bad idea.” Rin said. “They’d still want to use the Greater Grail for themselves despite the dangers it poses. They’d use our call for help as an excuse to strongarm their way into the situation and confiscate the Grail while barring us from attempting to destroy it.”

“They’d just be another enemy.” Sakura hunched forward.

“So we’re on our own.” the yakuza leader, Taiga Fujimura as she called herself, said. Of course a criminal like her would summon a wretch like Assassin. She was the culprit behind so much of the suffering Artoria’s family had been dealing with. The King of Knights felt compelled to lop her head off, but she knew better than to be starting fights with her allies.

“We are.” Kirei at the front of the church. “That is why we must work together to destroy the Grail, but we need to come up with a plan first. We have to determine methods of destroying all of the enemy Servants, the Black Grail, and the Greater Grail.”

“Gilgamesh will be the biggest issue.” Henrikka said. “His power is immense, especially when it comes to that cylindrical weapon you mentioned. We will need to exploit any weaknesses he possesses.”

“His main weaknesses are arrogance and a lack of personal skill in close quarters combat when compared to other Heroic Spirits. A perfect counter to him would be someone who could force the fight into close range and who is a master of combat in such tight quarters. They also need to be someone Gilgamesh would be willing to engage in combat while also being someone he looks down on enough to avoid using his full arsenal and strength. His moodiness will make that difficult, but it is possible.” Kirei explained.

“In terms of fighting up close, you’d want a Saber probably, though a good Lancer could also get the job done.” Illya wiped her tears away. “The problem is getting close enough. Gilgamesh can just keep shooting off Noble Phantasms from a distance to keep everyone away. Archer might be able to fire enough arrows to keep Gilgamesh’s Gate of Babylon at bay, but Archer’s strength and skill, along with the fact that he’s the legendary Heracles, means Gilgamesh might become excited enough to go all out, which would be bad.”

“I am the best match for Gilgamesh.” Assassin took physical form with his arms crossed and his back against a wall.

“And why is that?” Illya spat out. “You’re an Assassin. You have nowhere near enough power.”

“I have enough to do the job. Your Saber learned that the hard way.” Illya was about to stand up but Artoria grabbed her arm to stop her. “I specialize in projection magecraft. I can trace and project copies of Gilgamesh’s Noble Phantasms. They’re weaker than the originals, but they’re enough to hold off the Gate of Babylon. They’ll let me get in close and overwhelm Gilgamesh and he won’t think to use his best options until it’s too late due to his pride. It's unlikely he’d dare go anywhere near all out against a mere Assassin who fights using fakes.”

“If you are assessing yourself accurately, then you might actually be able to at least give Gilgamesh a hard time.” Kirei said.

“The only issue is that to really match up to him, I’ll need to use my Noble Phantasm, but that requires a long incantation. Someone will have to hold Gilgamesh off while I get ready.”

“If that’s the case then you and Archer should team up.” Chloe reclined in her seat. “Archer can hold off Gilgamesh while you get ready. Once you’re set, you two can take him on at once. You’ll counter his Noble Phantasms with your copies and Archer will deal the kill shot.” Chloe made a finger gun and pretended to shoot with it.

“I think that’s a good idea.” Assassin nodded. “Any objections?” There was silence.

“Moving on then to the other enemies, how do we deal with the mysterious Guinevere Servant?” Kirei’s words sent a chill down Artoria’s spine. A Servant who looked like Guinevere and had the abilities of Lancelot. The very idea of it was like something out of a nightmare, a specter of Artoria’s failings in her first life.

“I should face this mysterious knight.” Artoria stood up.

“Are you sure? Lancelot was supposed to be on your level and you're not in good shape because of your wounds that won’t heal. You can’t even use Excalibur right now. Plus, Arondight has dragon slaying properties.” Illya looked up at her mom.

“I know the idiosyncrasies of Lancelot’s fighting style better than anyone excluding the Lion King who needs to focus on the Black Grail and the Greater Grail. She’s the only one besides Heracles with enough power to definitely be able to destroy the Grail for good.”

“Are you sure you aren’t letting your emotions get in the way?” Henriikka said. “Letting you fight Guinevere sounds like a terrible idea.” Artoria couldn’t say she was wrong.

“Let’s table this for now and move on to another Servant.” Kirei said.

“I’d like for my Iskandar to face the enemy Iskandar.” Lord El-Melloi II raised his arm. “Like Artoria and the Guinevere lookalike, I know the peculiarities of Iskandar’s fighting style and my Iskandar’s Noble Phantasm is great enough to hold several Servants at bay. It’s for that reason that if there are any enemy Servants left without someone on our side to face them, that I would suggest my Berserker to be the one to handle them as well.”

“That sounds fine.” Kirei stopped his pacing. “A Servant that we must seriously address is the Caster Gilles de Rais. He already has an army of tentacled monsters that could easily overwhelm multiple Servants. Also, in the previous war, he summoned a gigantic creature in the Fuyuki river that required all the other Servants to gang up on it to overcome. If he does that again, it would be a disaster.”

“I believe that Gilles de Rais’ summoning of that massive creature requires a large body of water. The only one of sufficient size in Fuyuki is the river used in the last war.” Lord El-Melloi II spoke up again. “If we keep at least one Servant patrolling the Fuyuki river at all times, then we should be able to prevent Gilles from repeating what he did in the last war.”

“I agree. We should send a Servant right now in that case.” Kirei looked around. “Any volunteers.”

“My Caster would be the best suited given they have three bodies.” Luviagelita telepathically said. “They can watch over multiple spots at once.”

“Then please send them.”

Luviagelita didn’t even need to say anything for her Caster to leave for the river.

“We still need some way to deal with the army of smaller demons.” Artoria sat back down. “Even when I was at my best, I needed help to deal with a small platoon of those creatures. This time Gilles is being much more cavalier in killing people to create these monsters. It’s likely due to this Gilles being less concerned with ‘artfully’ killing his victims and instead just wants an army to help his ‘god.’ He may even be killing more people to bolster his forces as we speak.”

“The Lion King may be able to clear away all the monsters with her raw power.” Illya said.

“That would distract her from dealing with the Grail. She needs to destroy the Greater Grail as fast as possible, because that would mean all the Servants powered directly by the Grail would disappear and we’ll have won.” Artoria explained.

“But then what do we do about the tentacle monsters?”

“Mordred Alter has a lot of raw power thanks to being the Lion King’s Servant along with having high endurance.” Kirei pinched his chin. “He’d be suited to holding off the monsters, but he’s also one of the few fighters on our side who we can confidently say could beat one of the enemy Servants. Iskandar would also be good for dealing with the tentacle demons, but he’s also too useful to have not fight against the enemy Servants. We need someone who’s capable of holding off the demon horde who also isn’t so useful that they would be better used to fight the Servants.”

“I can fight the tentacle demons.” Rin Tohsaka’s Saber Servant, who was apparently a future version of her, volunteered. “I'll die but I can hold them off for a good while if I pull out all the stops. I might even be able to destroy Gilles de Rais’ grimoire which would get rid of all his monsters.”

“You can’t just sacrifice yourself.” Sakura Tohsaka clutched at the Saber Servant’s shoulder.

“Why not? I still haven’t regained enough of my memories to use my Noble Phantasms. I’d be all but useless against the Greater Grail’s Servants. The best I can do is handle the jobs nobody else can be wasted on.”

“Th-Then I’ll fight against those monsters with you!” Sakura’s audacious claim made both the human and Servant Rins jump in their seats.

“There’s no way that’s happening. You’ll get killed!” The human Rin stood up.

“Sakura, I won’t be able to protect you effectively when we’ll be surrounded by those creatures.” Saber Rin spoke like a parent to their child. “I’m sorry but how much help could you even provide me?”

“I still have the Command Spells!” Sakura pulled out the Book of False Attendant. “I can boost my power with the Command Spells!”

“Wouldn’t it be better to redistribute the Command Spells to all the Masters to help their Servants fight?” Artoria said.

“Oh.” Sakura shrunk in her seat. “I can still use jewel magecraft to help.”

“Sakura, I don’t even know if you should be participating in this fight.” the human Rin said. “We Masters need to be present to support our Servants, but you’re not really a Master, you were just a temporary one for Saber while I was incapacitated. There’s no reason for you to risk your life.”

“I can’t just sit by and do nothing. The World is at stake, and so is your life.” Sakura’s voice regained its strength. “I can’t wait around while my sister is fighting for everyone’s lives!”

“Sakura-”

“I’m not a little kid anymore! I can take care of myself!”

Sakura, please-”

“I can help too.” Taiga Fujimura interrupted the argument. “I’m not gonna be much help to Assassin against that Gilgamesh guy or any of the enemy Servants. I can fight on a Servant level thanks to the Noble Phantasms Assassin’s given me, but I don’t have the skill necessary to be a real threat. Those tentacle things though, they sound like the kind of enemies I can at least hold off from troubling the rest of you.”

The Tohsaka sisters and the Servant Rin all stared at the yakuza boss like she was scum. Artoria knew what they were thinking. They wanted to reject Fujimura’s offer of assistance due to their hatred of her, but they also knew that they needed all the help they could get.

“You can fight with me.” the crimson Saber Servant said. “Thank you for the help.”

“Sakura,” The human Rin took a deep breath. “you can help fight against the tentacle demons, but I’ll also be helping fight them. I need to stay with Saber anyway. You need to stay with me so I can protect you. I’ll give you father’s pendant, you can use it to save yourself if things go south.”

“You still don’t trust me?” Sakura looked downward.

“I trust you, but I still need to protect you. It’s my prerogative as your older sister.”

“Fine.” The word was like a growl as it came from Sakura’s throat.

“I can help.” Leysritt said. “I’m strong, but probably not enough to beat the bad Servants.”

“So Rin, her Saber, Sakura, Ms. Fujimura, and Ms. Leysritt will be the ones to handle Gilles and his army.” Kirei summarized. “Next we must address Siegfried. His ability to become the legendary Fafnir makes him one of the most dangerous of the Grail’s forces, but I believe Mordred should be able to handle him as long as he fights with all his Noble Phantasms.”

This new Mordred was powerful enough to take down the ultimate dragon on his own? Artoria’s anticipation to meet this reborn Mordred increased, though so did her apprehension and dread.

“Next is Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. His magecraft negating spear and maneuverability along with being a deadly fighter overall means he will be difficult to deal with. Artoria, you have experience fighting him so perhaps you would be best suited to be his opponent.” Kirei said.

“I’m not sure.” Artoria disliked remembering her relationship with Diarmuid in the last war. It ended so bitterly. The fact that this was the same Diarmuid and that he was solely motivated by revenge made him even more unappealing to face. “This version of Diarmuid is desperate to kill me specifically so he will fight with all he has. He also has experience fighting me and is more maneuverable than he was in the previous war. If I didn’t have my unhealing wounds, I’d be more confident, but as I am now, I don’t know if I could win.”

Illya almost said something but stopped herself. She knew that any loss of Artoria’s strength from her wounds was canceled out right now since Illya being her Master gave her a significant power boost. In truth, Artoria just didn’t want to face Diarmuid again, in stark contrast to her desire to confront Guinevere, and Illya understood that.

“I think both my and my sister’s Casters working together might be suited to facing Diarmuid.” Luviagelita said. “Their Mystic Eyes can petrify Diarmuid as long as his mana parameter isn’t above A+.”

“He can cancel out the petrification with his spear. He can also nullify their offensive spells with it.” Chloe said.

“Only what the tip of his spear touches.” Lord El-Melloi II interjected. “If he wants to protect himself from Mystic Eyes of Petrification, then he’ll have to constantly be touching his spear’s tip to himself. He won’t be able to use it to fight or destroy oncoming spells while keeping himself from turning to stone.”

“Not only that, but he’ll have his attention split between a total of four enemies.” Luviagelita continued. “His unstable mental state means he’ll have trouble fighting multiple well coordinated opponents. He’ll get too distracted dealing with one or two. With any luck, one of the sisters who his attention isn’t on will be able to take the spear from him and he’ll immediately turn into a statue.”

“This all hinges on him not having a high mana parameter.” Henriikka was the next to speak. “Also, he can keep moving at full speed as long as he keeps his spear’s tip against his skin, plus he can still use his sword freely. We still don’t even know what his sword is capable of.”

“We might be able to end the fight immediately if our Casters use all four of their Breaker Gorgons at once. It will be extremely difficult to dodge them all, especially if Assassin arms our Servants with projections of his wrappings that make them undetectable.”

“Not for someone as maneuverable as Diarmuid, if the overseer has been accurate in his assessment of him.”

“Perhaps Artoria could also join the fight. They would definitely be able to win if they all worked together.”

“Can we afford to have three Servants all working to handle one enemy?” Taiga said.

“Indeed. We still have to figure out who will face Guinevere.” Kirei grimaced. “It is also likely that the Grail summoned the Assassin of the last war as well, though we have yet to see them.”

“What was the Assassin of the last war like? What’s their True Name?” Chloe asked.

“They were one of many who held the name of Hassan-i-Sabbah. They manifested as a collective of one hundred individuals that each had their own unique abilities. If they fought all together, then they could take down almost any Servant who lacked an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm or the like. They are an unusual Servant who could manifest in myriad possible ways once corrupted by the Grail. There’s no way to know what their current capabilities are.”

“If they manifest in the way they did last war then we’re fucked.” Chloe pressed her forehead into the pew in front of her. “We don’t have enough manpower. If Lancer and her Master were here then we could have them deal with Guinevere. We’d still have nobody to deal with Assassin unless we had Artoria do that, but then the two Casters are on their own with Diarmuid.”

“I might be able to take down a Servant.” Illya said and Artoria hated that she knew where she was going with this. “I have a sword that can permanently mangle the Magic Circuits of a target, magecraft that lets me move at the speed of a Servant, and inside me is Avalon which can prevent me from being harmed. As long as I’m fighting a target with little armor, then all I need is to give them a little cut and they’re done.”

“Illya, Diarmuid is too fast for you and the Hassans have multiple bodies so taking out one or two won’t matter.” Artoria was having none of this.

“I can take your place in helping the Casters fight Diarmuid. As long as I keep using Avalon then I’ll be safe. Not even his spear can hurt me when I’m within the land of the fairies. I’ll wait while hiding with one of Assassin’s invisibility cloaks and cut Diarmuid with the Origin Sword when there’s an opening. Meanwhile, you can handle Guinevere.” It was then that Artoria knew why Illya was suggesting this. Illya wanted to grant Artoria’s wish to confront the Servant who bore Guinevere’s face. Why did Illya have to be so thoughtful? It made it so hard to chide her when necessary.

“Illya, you’ll be putting yourself in unnecessary danger.”

“It’s not unnecessary, the World’s in trouble. How could I sit around doing nothing when everyone’s fighting a Threat to Humanity?”

“If I may interject.” Lord El-Melloi spoke up. “I understand your concern, Ms. Artoria. That said, our effort would be greatly buoyed by Ms. Illyasviel’s assistance. Her sword could legitimately incapacitate Servants with a single wound. If she can take out even just one of the enemy Servants with a surprise attack, then that could tilt the power balance in our favor.”

“I understand that.” Artoria kept imagining Illya dead. That couldn’t happen, Artoria couldn’t lose the last of her family. “I think it would be best to have some of us in reserve in case the fight goes poorly.”

“Dividing our forces like that would only guarantee our failure.” Luviagelita crossed her arms. “Not using all our trump cards is not a luxury we can afford.”

“Ms. Artoria, I know this may sound cold hearted of me, but you can’t let your emotions hamper your ability to think pragmatically.” Kirei’s words were frustrating because he was right.

“I apologize.”

“So we’ll go with what I suggested? I’ll help against Diarmuid and mom will fight Guinevere?”

“Unless anyone objects.” Kirei was met with silence. “Then that’s what we shall do. As for Assassin, we will just have to be ready for anything. Let us pray that God’s on our side and Assassin is weaker in their corrupted manifestation.”

“We should act quickly, but without rushing into the fray.” Lord El-Melloi looked out the window where the Sun was rising. “We should attack when the Sun sets. We would have time to prepare while minimizing the amount of casualties Gilles would create in the meantime. The more we wait, the more he bolsters his forces.”

“I think that is best. Any objections?” The response to Kirei was silence once again. “Then the plan, or at least the outline, is set. We still need to work out the details of things like how we’ll effectively separate the enemy forces, but we should take a break first. We’ve been conversing for a while and I’m sure we’d all like some time to process everything. I’ll distribute the extra Command Spells and then everyone can rest.”

And so Kirei took the Command Spells from Sakura’s grimoire and passed them out evenly to the gathered Masters. Then everyone began to filter out of the room to recuperate from the stressful conversation. The plan was far from copacetic, but there was at least a strategy of some kind for the upcoming assault. Artoria wasn’t happy about it given Illya was going to be involved. If Illya ended up at risk of dying, then Artoria would go against the plan and save her. The King of Knights refused to allow Illya to die. It would be heartbreaking and would take away the last thing Artoria had to live for.

“I’m going to be okay, mom.” Illya saw Artoria’s expression and knew what she was thinking.

“I know.” Artoria wanted to believe in her daughter, but this war had taught the king that staying hopeful only ended up making her suffer more.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 40: Interlude: Mourning

“My king.”

The Lion King opened her eyes to see Mordred standing over her. The goddess had awakened on a cot in a sparsely decorated room in the Fuyuki Church. She had rested about as much as she could and was as close to full health as she could get. Her Divine Core was still irreparably damaged and her power was thus dampened, but it was what it was. The Lion King focused on adapting to the present rather than complaining about the past.

“Mordred, what did I miss? Have the other Masters arrived yet?”

“They have.” Mordred got on one knee and bowed his head. “They have already come up with a strategy for facing the Greater Grail.”

“Tell me everything with as much detail as you can.”

“Yes, my king.”

Mordred elaborated on everything that had happened since the Lion King went to sleep. He described the plan of action that their allies came up with and their roles in it. He even gave descriptions of all the Masters, Servants, and their allied magi, including their abilities and whatever could be determined about their histories.

“Thank you.” The Lion King sat up. “Have you met with the other me and Illya yet?”

“No. I haven't left your side since you went to sleep. I received all this information from the overseer when he visited us post-meeting.”

“I wanted to avoid them originally so as to not compound their grief, but now we’re going to be working together. We are eventually going to face each other, we should get it out of the way now so they have time to sort through their emotions.”

“As you wish.”

The Lion King and her knight got up and searched for their former family. Said family was found training in the church courtyard. A stick enveloped in magical energy deflected the thrusts of a thin blade before riposting. Illya fell onto her bottom while Artoria stood tall.

The entirety of Gray’s life sped across the goddess’ vision upon seeing her vessel’s family. Melancholy abounded in the deity’s soul as she now had to confront those most harmed by Gray’s menticide, besides Gray herself. There was no intentionality on the goddess’ part when she stole Gray’s body, and yet her guilt was relentless.

There was a second impact for the Lion King upon recognizing her alternate self, one who did not live beyond Camlann. It was nostalgic as hazy memories flickered in the goddess’ head. She was so different before she achieved godhood and remorselessly engaged in sordid deeds for the sake of a biased idea of the greater good. She was always stoic, always distant, but never truly inhuman until Rhongomyniad changed her.

Both Artoria and Illya turned to face their visitors and they froze. The stick in Artoria’s hands hit the ground.

“Ah.” Artoria realized she lost her composure and straightened herself out. Her eyes darted back and forth between the goddess and Mordred. Her breathing became ragged like she was about to hyperventilate. “It’s nice to meet you. I presume you are the Lion King and Mordred.”

Illya was just crying with no attempt to hide her pain for the sake of courtesy.

“You are correct.” the goddess said. “I am the Lion King, also known as Goddess Rhongomyniad or Artoria Pendragon. We already know who you both are for reasons I assume you know.”

“We do. The overseer explained everything.” Artoria’s voice cracked.

“That’s good. I want to apologize.” The Lion King bowed her head. “I never intended to possess Gray, but I am still responsible and so you have my deepest apologies.”

“There’s no need. If it wasn’t your decision, then you have no responsibility. That said, if you still feel the need to repent, then would you mind telling me what Gray’s last thoughts were?”

“In her last moments, Gray thought of you both, as well as the rest of her family. She hoped that you would all be okay. Gray actually left a message for you both, though it’s not mine to share.” The Lion King pulled out Add.

“Hey, Artoria. Hey, Illya.”

“Add, it’s good to see you’re okay.” Artoria sighed.

“I’m happy you’re both okay too.” Add went quiet for a moment. “Gray’s message was just to tell you both that she loved you. I guess she was worried you’d think she blamed you for…something.”

“That sounds like her.” Illya tried to speak, but her words were a garbled mess due to her crying. She even attempted to laugh, but the attempt fell apart instantly. She just began weeping with greater intensity than ever.

Artoria wrapped one arm around her daughter’s shoulders while gently moving some hairs out of the girl’s face with the other. The mother was also crying, though her tears came silently and slowly.

The Lion King’s heart hurt from watching the pain Gray’s family was going through. It wasn’t just empathy for one’s fellow humans that caused the goddess to feel bad in that moment, nor was it because of her and Artoria being two versions of the same person. The disquiet that the Lion King felt was that which one feels when one’s family is in distress. The Lion King was viewing Artoria and Illya as her family due to the specks of Gray’s being that persisted despite everything. It was these flickers of Gray that made the Lion King ask herself a question: should she tell Artoria and Illya about these remnants of Gray? On the one hand, telling them could uplift their spirits, but it could also give them false hope that Gray could be saved. To be fair, Gray might have been able to be restored. It was currently up in the air as to what was or wasn’t possible in such an unprecedented situation. The goddess lacked emotional tact, and so she didn't know how revealing the fact that Gray may still exist would affect Artoria and Illya’s mental health.

Metallic footsteps accompanied Mordred as he stepped forward and dropped to one knee before Artoria.

“My king, I wish to apologize for my actions in life.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I’ve already long since forgiven you.” Artoria crouched so she was eye level with her son. “I’m sorry for rejecting you. I was afraid of so many different things and that made me think that avoiding you was the best solution.”

“Please, don’t apologize!” Mordred shifted from kneeling to full on kowtowing. “I deserved to be rejected by you. I am unworthy of being alive, let alone being your son. I tried to destroy or steal all you cherished and, in my timeline, I was successful. My malfeasances must be appropriately punished and they certainly cannot be forgiven in any capacity.”

“Mordred, you shouldn’t torture yourself over your past failings.” Artoria looked scared more than anything as she saw what her actions had wrought in another history. “It’s okay to repent and atone, but self-loathing is unproductive. Also, as I said before, I am not blameless in this. You were hewn into who you are due to my negligence as a parent and so I also had a hand in the fall of Camelot, though it truly didn’t fall in the case of your timeline.”

The Lion King appreciated that her human self agreed that Mordred shouldn’t be so obsessed with his sins. Mordred didn’t respond in any noticeable way to Artoria’s words, continuing to prostrate himself.

“Mordred, stand.” The knight stood at the behest of his goddess and it made his expression clear. His facial features quivered as if he was suppressing his emotions. “Mordred, what are you feeling right now?”

“I am feeling nothing other than a desire to serve you faithfully and to repent for my mistakes, my king.”

“Do not lie to me, Mordred. I order you to tell me the truth.”

“I-” Mordred’s arms hung pendulously. “I feel sad.”

“About what?”

“I don’t know, but this sensation arose when I first laid eyes upon the other you and the homunculus.” Mordred put a hand on his chest.

“We’re making you upset?” Illya said.

“I feel an emptiness not dissimilar to that which I feel when I think about my past mistakes.”

“Are we causing you to feel this way, or are you feeling this way on our behalf out of empathy?” Artoria asked.

“Both in a way. I feel like I lost something, but also that I have hurt you, and also that I regret not being able to assuage your current pain.” Mordred’s eyes went foggy before regaining their clarity. “I’m in a daze right now. My apologies.”

“You said you feel like you hurt them, but your phrasing was vague.” The Lion King said. “Were you just referring to Artoria, or to both her and Illya.”

“Both for some reason.” Mordred’s hand rose to touch his forehead. “I feel like I failed both of them. It’s like I left them which hurt their hearts. It’s as if-”

“You are their Mordred.” The Lion King’s interjection made Illya gasp. “You have not only the memories of the Mordred that Artoria and Illya came to see as family, but also his feelings. His regrets upon death are lingering inside you.”

“How is that possible?”

“Certain experiences that have a strong enough impact on a Servant can be etched into their Saint Graph. This can allow them to retain memories from previous summonings, though this is rare. They usually only possess echoing thoughts and vague emotions rather than complete recollections of such formative events.”

“So Mordred’s time with us may have been so important to him that his Saint Graph was expanded?” Illya clasped her hands together.

“It’s the only explanation I can come up with that has any precedent.”

“That’s great.” Illya smiled through the tears. “I’m happy that we were so important to Mordred. We really did mean something to him.”

“Mordred.” Artoria’s voice was barely audible.

“Yes?”

“Can you tell me something about how our Mordred felt?”

“Maybe.”

“Can you tell us if Mordred truly loved us?”

“He did, that is without question.” Mordred Alter spoke with confidence. “His short time with your family made him happier than ever before. It was so amazing that he often wondered if he was dreaming. He loved you all from the bottom of his heart.”

“Thank you.” Artoria covered her mouth as she lost her composure and began to whimper and moan. Her crying was no longer silent as she let her pain out. The Lion King knew herself well enough to know that Artoria had probably been repressing her sorrow and refusing to grieve. It was only upon reaching this breaking point that she could finally mourn properly.

The Lion King decided that it would be best not to tell Artoria and Illya about the embers of Gray’s being within her, at least not right now. They needed time to finish accepting what they had lost before they could be given any hope that could lead to more heartache.

The sound of armor clattering grabbed the Lion King’s attention. Mordred was shaking. His eyes were cloudy and red. He was just a step away from crying. The Lion King wanted to say something, but she knew that calling attention to him would make his tears flow.

It was when the goddess’ own eyes grew moist that she smiled. She looked away to hide the welling up of Gray’s residual sorrow. It was yet another sign that perhaps the girl could be restored.

The goddess mouthed, “What a sturdy heart you have, Gray.”