Fate/Identity Reborn

[nick_of_fire]

Kirei Kotomine, at the temptations of Gilgamesh, gave in to his dark desires and caused a flood of death and tragedy. But, what if he didn't give in and remained true to his ideals? A cavalcade of changes would follow. The birth of the makeshift family of Kirei, Rin, Sakura, and Caren. Another makeshift family of Artoria, Irisviel, Illyasviel, and Gray. This is a new Fate.

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Chapter 1: Righteous Emptiness
Chapter 2: Saber the Guardian
Chapter 3: More than a Grail
Chapter 4: _ the Faceless
Chapter 5: Saber the Son
Chapter 6: Your Sister and Yourself
Chapter 7: Dual and Abduction
Chapter 8: Negotiations
Chapter 9: Beneath the Surface
Chapter 10: Her First Battle of Life and Death
Chapter 11: Hatred
Chapter 12: Saber, Lancer, Archer, Lancer
Chapter 13: Lancer the Mentor
Chapter 14: Live
Chapter 15: Interlude: Human Morality
Chapter 16: Interlude: Human Emotion
Chapter 17: Weak
Chapter 18: II
Chapter 19: An Enduring Grudge
Chapter 20: Interlude: Patience
Chapter 21: A Meal with Family
Chapter 22: A Memory Best Left Forgotten
Chapter 23: Voyeur
Chapter 24: Interlude: Like a Fiddle
Chapter 25: Just Talk
Chapter 26: Interlude: Counterattack
Chapter 27: Emotional Honesty is the Best Policy
Chapter 28: A Transient Dream
Chapter 29: Irisviel
Chapter 30: Drowning in the Light
Chapter 31: Pretender
Chapter 32: It All Happened so Quickly
Chapter 33: Fujimura Group Raid
Chapter 34: Sword of Hope
Chapter 35: Revival of Heroes
Chapter 36: The Goddess VS The Demigod
Chapter 37: An Inevitable Question
Chapter 38: Gathering
Chapter 39: Strategy Meeting
Chapter 40: Interlude: Mourning
Chapter 41: The Final Tests
Chapter 42: Strong Paper Tiger
Chapter 43: GTT(Great Teacher Taiga)
Chapter 44: Telling the Truth
Chapter 45: Trade Offer
Chapter 46: No More Sacrifices
Chapter 47: Family Reunion
Chapter 48: Retreat
Chapter 49: Dinner Date
Chapter 50: Chaos
Chapter 51: Rin and Sakura
Chapter 52: Interlude: Assent
Chapter 53: Stupid Love
Chapter 54: Everyone’s Moment
Chapter 55: Arthur or Artoria
Chapter 56: The Pieces are in Place
Chapter 57: Chrysaor
Chapter 58: The Confidence Necessary to Love Another
Chapter 59: Bittersweet Rendezvous
Chapter 60: Goodbye Nostalgia
Chapter 61: Icon
Chapter 62: Hold the Sky
Chapter 63: Identity Reborn
Bonus: Old Chapter 63: Student vs Teacher
Epilogue 0: Goodbye 2004
Epilogue 1: The Magician and the Magi
Epilogue 2: The Teachers and the Artist(and the Box)
Epilogue 3: The Family
Final Epilogue: The Priest, the Apprentice, and the Next Generation
Fate/Identity Reborn: A Reflection

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Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 1: Righteous Emptiness

“After all of that self-reflection, why in the world do you still hesitate?”

Kirei felt Gilgamesh’s words scratching at him, digging towards his core, trying to find the truth of his ideology. Gilgamesh sat comfortably in his chair, eyes only on the priest that stood in the dark study, packing away his belongings to leave the country so his mentor’s alliance with the Einzberns could exist.

Those snake-like slits Gilgamesh had for pupils made Kirei angry every time he saw them. It made it so obvious what kind of being Gilgamesh was. He was a tempter in the same category as Samael. He would rip Kirei from his faith and make him a monster for the sake of his own amusement. Kirei was a toy to him. That was why it was all the more soul rending that Kirei still stood mere micrometers away from being swayed to the golden man’s path. Such was the allure of Gilgamesh’s dark hedonism.

“Because I fear that when I’ve learned all the answers it will result in my utter destruction.”

Putting a hand on his face, Kirei felt his mind at war. He feared the pits of Hell, and more so, he feared the loss of what made him human. Could he even be called a human in the first place if he could be so greatly tempted by the appalling idea of living a life dedicated to causing suffering?

Not long ago, he had lost his father to the gun of an unknown assailant, and he was mourning. But it was not for normal reasons. Like his wife who killed herself to prove to Kirei that he knew love, his only regret was not killing his father with his own two hands. Even now he played the scenario in his mind over and over. He imagined he held the gun in his hand. He could draw every detail of his father’s distraught expression upon seeing his son pull a firearm out and take aim at him. How delicious that mere second would have been.

He knew at that moment what he was. He enjoyed suffering in others. He was beyond a sadist, he was a being whose mentality was antithetical to the rest of humanity.

He was alone.

The phone that was sitting on the desk before Kirei rang and he picked it up.

The voice on the other side told Kirei of the location of where the Einzbern faction was hiding.

“Understood, well done.”

It was a part of his plan, but it was a plan he didn’t know if he wanted to follow through with. The last bit of hesitation within him lingered.

“Ah, you’ve just received an exciting bit of news, I take it?” Gilgamesh had materialized so close to the priest that Kirei could feel his breath. The King of Heroes truly had no sense of personal space. To be fair what rights did others have to their own area when all things belonged to him. That was what Kirei imagined Gilgamesh would say as an excuse.

Kill Tokiomi and make Gilgamesh his own Servant. Then, trick Kriya Matou into kidnapping the Lesser Grail for him. Then, Kirei could finally face Kiritsugu Emiya. That man, his twin, born of the same archetype. Then, he would know who he was, and he would make his wish upon the Grail.

All Kirei had to do was tell Gilgamesh the truth. Tell Gilgamesh his plan and all would be put into motion down the path he devised, one that would bring more agony than he could even predict.

It would bring a euphoria he had never previously known.

But, it required betraying his master, slaying him.

It would require breaking off of God’s path and onto one that would make the devil himself retch.

Kirei had accepted his nature as a lover of other people’s suffering. He’d have to have truly been a fool to not have realized that yet. He wasn’t even a beast, or a monster. He was just a shell. He was a vacuum sucking in other things to fill itself. He hungered for human agony and he would never be full. He was like the preta. He couldn’t be satisfied, but he would continue trying to feast nonetheless. The only difference was that the preta hurt themselves in their endless cycle, while Kirei hurt others. The priest had accepted that beyond that cruel desire to see humans in pain, he was empty, not the slightest amount of love in his heart.

But, despite that self-actualization, he questioned the need to act on those desires.

He understood his desires as wrong. He understood what was good for others and considered it correct. Now, it was a question of his morals versus his own happiness.

The fact that he still felt there was a meaningful distinction between that which is right and wrong, that he considered his own wishes as immoral, it made clear that empathy, in its broadest form, still lived within the void that was his heart.

But, there was still that question. The question of what that unknown pleasure would be like. The pleasure born from walking down the path Gilgamesh offered was tempting. If he didn’t search for that question's answer now, if he didn’t face Kiritsugu Emiya, the man who seemed to be his mirror image, it would eat away at him for the rest of his days.

But, was that a bad thing?

God teaches that there is righteousness in suffering for the sake of one’s fellows.

Could he live that life, rejecting his own being and live an upstanding life with nothing within himself?

His desires were sinful, and one must not let their sinful urges cloud their mind. They must not give in to temptation, or temptors.

“It’s nothing.”

The fiendish grin that Gilgamesh kept throughout the conversation dropped into a frown filled with frustration and boredom.

“If that was an attempt at breaking your humorless facade to tell a joke, it was a failure. It must have been an attempt at a joke, for there is no way you honestly thought such an obvious lie would be successful.”

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

“We both know you’re one step away from the question’s answer, and yet you choose to turn back now?”

Kirei turned back towards his suitcase and began packing more things deep inside. “You were correct, King of Heroes, I am one who finds the misery of others as my own pleasure. But, I need not indulge in such a vice. I think back to the teaching of my father, the love of my late wife, and I realize that to follow your temptations would be to betray them.”

“But, with your predilections, knowing that besmirching their memories would make them writhe in sorrow if they were here, wouldn’t that provide only further joy to you?” Gilgamesh smiled again. He was right. Kirei knew so well that he was right. It felt like the king had just latched his fingers around the priest’s brain. His nails stabbed into Kirei’s mind and injected him with a lust for human pain. It stirred something within him. But, whatever it was that quivered within, Kirei managed to make it still.

“It would, and that is why I know it’s wrong.”

Rematerializing on the other side of the desk, Gilgamesh’s eyes pierced into Kirei, who raised his gaze from his packed away belongings to meet the Servant’s serpentine eyes.

“You really plan to leave the country? You’ll give up the Grail, your own happiness, all for the sake of a moral code that provides you nothing?”

It was Kirei’s last chance to turn back towards depravity, and he felt his newborn determination waver. What was the point? Why did he care? If he didn’t love anyone, why did he care about their own happiness? These were the new questions before him, and because he was who he was, he had to find the answers.

“Yes.”

Disappointment. That was what Gilgamesh’s new face conveyed. He was like a man who realized his investments were misplaced.

“Congratulations, Kirei Kotomine, you are and forevermore will be an utterly boring man.”

Gilgamesh entered Spirit Form and left the room.

Shutting his suitcase, Kirei was now ready to say his final goodbye to Tokiomi.

The priest’s mind wandered to the fact that Gilgamesh would likely not find out that, even if he was victorious, he would be made to kill himself through the power of the Command Spells. The prideful King of Heroes was a puppet of another’s desires. The solace gained by this cruel thought, this small indulgence, made the man named Kirei Kotomine smile.

***

Kirei only found out the results of the war after returning to Fuyuki and doing some research into what clues he could find.

Beyond the atrocities of Caster, there were no large-scale disasters resulting from the Holy Grail War. It stayed the small scale ritual it was meant to be.

Tokiomi was assassinated by Kiritsugu Emiya who broke the truce between the Einzbern and Tohsaka factions. Kirei knew something like that would end up happening, but he also knew he wouldn’t be able to convince Tokiomi to let him stay so he could protect him. Kirei’s mentor was a man who was a polymath in theory, but was a bit of a dullard when it came to practicality. He knew not how the hearts of men worked. He could conceive of deceptions he could use as part of his own arsenal, but seemed blind to the obvious deceptions of others. Tokiomi Tohsaka was a man with eyes only on the Grail, or rather, the Root. Even the things right in his periphery were not worthy of his attention. At least he could take pride in being the image of a proper magus, for whatever that was truly worth.

Gilgamesh was able to keep fighting without a Master thanks to his Independant Action skill, though the lack of a source of magical energy left him weakened. He was able to supplement his loss in power by absorbing the souls of Fuyuki citizens. Kirei imagined it must have been humiliating for the King of Heroes to be forced to rely on absorbing the lifeforce of the modern masses to survive. It was a thought Kirei enjoyed.

Gilgamesh slayed Rider when they had their final confrontation, though Rider’s Master lived. Rider was a larger than life man, but his ambitions exceeded his means. Rider’s Master, Waver Velvet, was one Kirei had little interest in. That said, he at least seemed like a good person deep down. That’s more than could be said of most magi.

Berserker was killed by Saber, Kariya Matou’s deteriorated mind sending him into a rage that led him to attack Aoi Tohsaka. Whether it was out of spite for his love being unrequited, or an attempt to make her love him gone wrong, the result was the same. Aoi Tohsaka was killed, and Kariya Matou perished from his body’s deterioration soon after. Kirei did all he could to restrain himself from thinking upon the tragedy of the situation any further so as to not risk falling into depravity as he so nearly did before.

The final battle was between Gilgamesh and Saber. As far as Kirei could determine, both Servants died in the conflict, as did Kiritsugu Emiya, cementing the priest’s fated emptiness. That man who caught Kirei’s eye was gone. He knew had given up his one chance, but the realization of his expectations still stung. Would Kirei have fully embraced his cruel instincts? Would he have reached some further realization that he couldn’t even conceive of? It was best not to dwell on possibilities that would never be realized.

As for the Einzbern homunculus, Kirei saw no evidence of her death, but he assumed that her body had evaporated upon turning into the Lesser Grail.

In the end, there was no victor, as was the case with all the previous Holy Grail Wars. The Fourth Fuyuki Holy Grail War was over, and it was time for Kirei to move on, but he wasn’t alone.

To reaffirm his chosen path, the path of a proper human, he decided to retrieve the one he had abandoned, the child he thought he lacked the capability to raise.

His daughter, Caren Kotomine.

And she would not be the only daughter he would rear.

***

“I know that my redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand upon the Earth. And though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. I myself shall see him with mine own eyes-I and not another. How my heart yearns within me. Amen.”

Kirei closed his Bible as the rain continued to pour and the burial went on.

The funeral for Tokiomi and Aoi Tohsaka did naught but reaffirm that Kirei still felt one thing for those close to him when they died, regret for not killing them himself. Yet, as with all his dark desires, he pushed them down, and let them suffocate in the void within him.

After the funeral, Kirei stopped outside the entrance to the graveyard and met with the young Rin Tohsaka.

She was getting soaked as she stood without an umbrella. Did she forget to bring one? Maybe she just wanted to let the rain wash over her. Perhaps it would help her feel clean as it washed away her regrets. Kirei attempted to hand her his own, but she turned her head at the gesture, so the priest opted to simply hold it above her instead.

“You have my condolences, Rin. Your father was my closest friend, but merely a friend. My pain is great, but yours must be far greater. The fact you remain so strong is commendable. You will make a great new head of the Tohsaka family.” Kirei spoke of pain as if he was actually feeling heartache, but he simply wanted to say what he thought was best for the young Tohsaka heir. It was the right thing to do.

Rin stayed quiet as she clutched her arm.

“You're not accustomed to your Magic Crest yet, but don’t worry, you will get used to it.”

“I’m fine.” Difficult as always. It was what made Rin who she was.

“Your father was flawless in his preparations. The Tohsaka magecraft will be passed to you without incident. You don’t need to worry.”

“I wasn’t worried.” Rin snapped.

Kirei knelt down, his pant leg getting wet from the rain-covered ground. He tried to look the girl in the eye, but she refused to meet his gaze.

“Rin, I’m going to be your legal guardian from now on, and as your guardian, I feel it would be best if you moved into the church with me. I can watch over and take care of you that way. Also, it will be the easiest way for me to proceed with teaching you magecraft.”

“No way! I’m not staying with you and I’m never leaving my house! It’s where mom and dad and Sakura used to live! I can’t leave it!”

“Rin, I’m trying to do what’s best for you.” Even if he’d have loved to do anything but. “I’m sorry, but this is my decision to make. I’ll let you take anything from your home with you, as long as we can find a place for it in the church. That can include any mementos you want to keep. We’ll also take everything from your father’s workshop so you can continue studying the Tohsaka magecraft beyond what I can teach. You can create your own workshop. I’m doing this for your own good. I can’t leave you alone in that house and I can’t move in without abandoning the church. I ask you for this one concession. You will still keep the Tohsaka name, and I will give you as much autonomy as I can. I’m sorry, but this is the best I can offer.”

“I-I don’t want to.” Rin said with a hiccup.

“I’m sorry, but you must.” Kirei gently pulled out a dagger with a wrapped up blade. “This is for you. Your father gave this to me when I last saw him, but I feel you deserve this more. It’s an Azoth Dagger, a gift given when one is acknowledged as master of magecraft. Normally it would be early to give this to you, but I feel this is a worthy exception.”

Rin looked at the object. She was processing the fact that it once belonged to her father. She must have been awestruck at what would be the last gift she would ever receive from her father. She hesitantly took the Mystic Code from Kirei and unwrapped the blade, inspecting it with foggy eyes. “This was my father’s?” Sobs came from the new head of the Tohsaka family as she wept. In many ways, that dagger was a symbol of the will of Tokiomi. It was a tool given as a gift as a tradition. Tokiomi loved few things more than tradition and orthodoxy.

Rin continued to cry and Kirei considered pulling her into a hug, but he decided against it as he determined that doing so would just make Rin feel humiliated. She wouldn’t want to be consoled by a man she disliked, not when she was at such a low point.

Kirei began feeling an instinctual delight at Rin’s sadness. He pushed it down.

***

“That’s Caren.”

Kirei and Rin had begun moving the Tohsaka heir’s belongings into her new room in the church. It was a rather cramped room of bricks with a vaulted ceiling and a single tiny window. The priest noticed Rin was staring at his four-year-old daughter, who herself was staring at Rin from the entrance to the room with the same taciturn expression as her father.

“She is my daughter. I apologize for not mentioning her before, it slipped my mind.”

“I thought priests weren’t supposed to have kids.” Rin said. Even in such a dark time in her life, she still needed to push Kirei’s buttons.

“We're not, but I fall short in many ways in terms of my faith. I guess I’m just a fake priest. Caren, do you want to say hello?”

There was only silence.

“She’s a shy child. I hope she doesn’t end up taking after me when it comes to awkwardness in social situations.”

Rin stepped closer to Caren, who moved to hide behind the doorway.

“My name is Rin. It’s nice to meet you. I hope we can get along.” The Tohsaka heir put on a smile.

Caren made the tiniest of acknowledging nods.

“Since you will be living with us, I guess it would be best if you viewed her like a younger sister.”

“Younger sister.” Rin’s eyes vacantly stared at the floor.

“Rin, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Then why are you responding this way to what I said? You are clearly affected.”

Rin bit her lower lip. Kirei realized she probably didn’t appreciate his prodding. “I miss Sakura.”

Such an obvious fact that had previously flown over his head. Perhaps it would be better to say that he understood that this would be how Rin would feel, but he hadn’t focused on it. Her only remaining family, her sister, was alive but out of her reach. Sakura was a prisoner of the Matous, and Rin could do nothing to change that fact if she were to honor her father’s wishes. The rigidity of the magus lifestyle was claustrophobia inducing.

Seeing the girl’s turmoil made Kirei feel good, thus he knew it was wrong. It was something that he had to assuage.

The problem would be the method. The only way would be to reunite the Tohsaka daughters, but that would require the cooperation of the Matous, Zouken Matou in particular. He had never had an interaction with the old man, but if what Tokiomi had told Kirei was accurate, Zouken was cruel and manipulative. He was also a man of ambition. He would never give Sakura away now that he had her, not unless it would benefit him. Zouken also enjoyed tormenting others, the sorry last days of Kariya Matou made that self-evident.

Tokiomi had to have understood that too. Kirei, if he hadn’t known better, might have wondered if his late mentor also drew happiness from people’s suffering. Perhaps that was why he would leave his youngest daughter in the hands of a man who was likely torturing her at all times.

But, the real reason was that Tokiomi valued the search for the Root and the continuation of the Tohsaka bloodline as magi more important than anything. He probably perceived any torture as preferable to being one of the ‘common masses.’ Did Tokiomi actually think Sakura would be happier as a magus of the Matous or did he think her prospects as a magus mattered more than her happiness? Did he even take Sakura’s happiness into consideration?

If Sakura was to be saved, Kirei would have to go to great lengths. Was he willing to go that far? The only reason he had to do so was because it was the right thing to do. He knew it was morally correct to save Sakura from the Matous and return her to Rin’s side.

Maybe saving Sakura would be Kirei’s final act of self-affirmation, the last thing needed to cement him onto his new path, the path of the righteous. He needed to prove to himself that he would walk the path of one who fights for justice.

“Rin, do you want to live with Sakura again?”

“What?” Rin spun to face Kirei, a childlike wonder returning to her.

“I can take her back from the Matous. She can live with us in the church.”

The young Rin’s chest puffed up and she seemed overwhelmed for a moment, but then she deflated and had a guilty expression. “But, father gave her to the Matous. If we take her back, wouldn’t we be going against his wishes? I want to honor him now that he’s gone.”

Kirei got on his knees and put a hand on Rin’s shoulder. “The Matous aren’t treating Sakura well. They’re hurting her.” Rin was clearly shocked, as to be expected. “Tokiomi wanted them to treat her nicely. If he knew what was going on he would have gone to save her himself. Don’t worry, I’m going to be carrying out his wishes.”

“So, Sakura’s gonna come back? She’ll be okay?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll bring her back, I just need to make some preparations first.”

Rin smiled wider than she had in a long time and began giggling.

Kirei would save Sakura, because it was the right thing to do. Kirei frowned.

***

“So, you want to take my precious new granddaughter away from me.” Zouken Matou spoke in his disgusting voice.

The Sun had set as Kirei and Zouken stood across from each other in the Matou head’s study.

Zouken had a vile grin. Anyone with even the slightest bit of sense could tell that Zouken Matou cared nothing for Sakura beyond her use as a tool. How could such a being exist? Such a wretched individual?

The truth was that it was believable if Kirei also existed. Zokuen was what Kirei could have become had he not learned restraint. One might think that Kirei would see the old man as a kindred spirit considering their shared enjoyment in human agony. Instead it just made the priest hate Zouken more than anyone else. Zouken was all that Kirei refused to be, and yet all he wished he could be.

“I am here to make a deal with you, Zouken Matou. I don’t expect you to give up your artificial heir without proper compensation.”

“And what, I ask, could you possibly offer me that would hold more value than an heir when I’d otherwise have none. Without Sakura, the Matous would be destined to perish as Magi. Shinji’s magic circuits are few and of such a low quality that they lay dormant. Even if they were activated, they’re so weak that he wouldn’t be able to perform anything but the most worthless of spells.”

“I realize your household’s predicament, but I also know you have a more personal goal, Zouken Matou, one that supersedes the wellbeing of the Matous as a whole.”

“Is that so? Enlighten me then, what is it I want and how could you possibly provide it.”

“You wish for immortality, true eternal life, not the simulacrum of deathlessness you have now. You plan to achieve this through the Holy Grail’s power. I can’t provide immortality, but I can give you an edge in the next Grail War. I am quite confident you’ll live to see it and could participate in it yourself if you wish, regardless of whether you possess an heir or not.”

Zouken leaned forward. He was scratching his chin, bemused. “You have caught my attention. What is your offer?”

Pulling back his sleeve, Kirei revealed a series of red tattoos on his arm. Command Spells. “When my father died, he secretly left me all the Command Spells from the previous wars. As far as anyone knows, these Command Spells are lost. If I gave them all to you, you could power up your Servant in every one of their fights and they could easily claim victory. Immortality would be yours.”

“I see, clever, clever. You aren’t just some fool, Kirei Kotomine. I must say, that is a tempting offer.”

“But, will you accept it?”

Zouken tapped his cane against the ground a few times, humming with his eyes closed. Kirei couldn’t tell if he was actually taking the moment to ponder what he wanted to do, or if he was just putting on an act to be annoying.

“I quite appreciate you coming here and presenting me with such an appealing exchange, but I have to decline.”

“Why?”

The old man began making his way closer to Kirei. “Well, you see, I’ve gotten so fond of Sakura’s suffering, I don’t know if I could live without it anymore. I guess I'm a bit of an addict now. You would think that at my age I’d know better than to get myself hooked on things.” Stopping right in front of Kirei, mere inches away, Zouken looked up at the priest with a toothy grin. “I’m not the only one who made a mistake, however. You shouldn't have revealed to me that you’ve been storing the Command Spells on your person. It was the Matous who invented the Command Spells. It’s only sensible that I would know how to forcibly take Command Spells from others, such as yourself.”

Insects swarmed from every direction, even from Zouken’s own maw. He intended to kill Kirei and take the Command Spells afterward.

The old man left nowhere to run, but Kirei had no plans of running. This was what he expected to happen.

Kirei’s hand latched onto Zouken’s face. The priest lifted the sack of worms into the air before slamming him to the ground. The insects had just gotten close enough to begin biting into Kirei’s flesh, but they were too late.

“I will kill. I will let live. I will harm and heal. None will escape me. None will escape my sight.” A pure white light, an aura of purity wrapped around Kirei and the repulsive thing shaped like a man. The insects that were vectors of Zouken’s will burnt away from the light of God’s touch.

“You intend to send my soul to the great beyond?” Zouken’s body began breaking apart, the worms inside him shriveling to nothing as his flesh flaked away.

“Be crushed. I welcome those who have grown old and those who have lost. Devote yourself to me, learn from me, and obey me. Rest. Do not forget song, do not forget prayer, and do not forget me. I am light and relieve you of all your burdens.” The light got brighter and brighter, shining through the window and drawing the eyes of any passers by.

“How clever of you! You really did figure out the nature of my longevity! I commend you!” Zouken was a wraith using insects as tools to interact with the world. The Baptism Rite Kirei was speaking forced wandering souls to move on to the next world.

“Do not pretend. Retribution for forgiveness, betrayal for trust, despair for hope, darkness for light, dark death for the living. Relief is in my hands. I will add oil to your sins and leave a mark.”

Bursting into the room upon hearing his father’s yelling and sensing magical energy, Byakuya Matou arrived only to see Zouken’s head and only his head in the hand of Kirei. He was about to interfere, only for a single side eye glance from the priest to instill a fear into the blue haired man so deep it paralyzed him.

“Eternal life is given through death.— Ask for forgiveness here. I, the incarnation, will swear.”

“Do you think you can be forgiven?” Zouken cried. “I can tell just by looking into your eyes that you’re the same as me! You love the suffering of others! It’s sweet music to you! Your very being is a sin that can’t be forgiven! If you're doing this for salvation, then give up now!” Those were the last words that left the meat puppet’s mouth before it disappeared, the rest the head swiftly following suit.

“— Kyrie eleison.”

With one last flash and gust, the ritual ended, only two men remaining in the study.

“I don’t care about being forgiven for who I am, I just want to do what’s right.”

Kirei walked towards the doorway, acting as if Byakuya wasn’t even there. The Matou stepped out of the way when he got close, but Kirei stopped.

“Where is Sakura?”

“W-W-Why should I tell you?” The blue haired man managed to drum up the tiniest shred of defiance.

“It will make this faster. Don’t interfere, and don’t try anything like calling the police to tell them I killed Zouken. I will indulge myself and make you suffer if you do.”

Stepping backward into a wall. “She’s in the basement.”

“Thank you. We’ll handle the adoption papers another time.”

Kirei went on his way while Byakuya continued to tremble in place.

Upon arriving in the underground chamber of the Matou household, Kirei was hit with a sensation like that of looking upon a work of art.

A pit of worms, the young Sakura being violated by them in every way imaginable. It was such a thorough form of torture that Kirei struggled to not let himself enjoy such a horrible misery. The little girl didn’t even struggle. She just bathed in the pests. A scent of filth Kirei couldn’t place was prevalent. It was a stench that could never be washed out of the room, for it had seeped into the depths of the very stone that formed the walls and pillars. Like a former smoker being offered the finest cigar, Kirei couldn’t just take Sakura from this place, he needed to destroy it. Otherwise it would be an ever present temptation. He would always think of the pit of worms that he could appropriate and use to make others suffer.

Kirei pulled Sakura from the pit. The girl was in a sort of half-aware state, likely a defense mechanism born from adapting to the torture. Pointing a hand towards the lake of worms, Kirei gathered magic energy in his hand for what would normally be a basic blast that almost any magus would be capable of. The priest poured the magical energy from one of his Command Spells into the magecraft.

The blast was fired, creating an explosion that consumed every single insect. Nothing but atoms remained.

Carrying the half-conscious girl in his arms, the priest left the Matou estate and made his way to the church. There was one last thing he needed to do. Kirei knew that Zouken had implanted worms within Sakura’s body. He needed to remove them.

Returning to the church and entering a private room, he began to operate. Combining normal medical techniques and his Spiritual Healing abilities, Kirei was able to remove the worms. If he had waited too long, the worms would have eventually grown so large and integrated so fundamentally into Sakura’s body that they would have fused to her heart and would have essentially become her magic circuits. Thankfully, the worms were still relatively nascent, so he was able to effectively excise every last one.

When removing one particular worm, Kirei found it could talk.

“Wait! Stop! Please!” It was Zouken’s true form. He had hid his true body inside his adoptive daughter, a hiding place nobody would have thought to look. How revolting, yet clever.

For the first time, Kirei laughed. He felt his lungs rapidly contract and expand in a way he never had before. This was laughing. It felt great. He just couldn’t help but be so supremely amused at how Zouken, a man as old as the Grail War itself, a phantom of malice and greed who endured for so long and sacrificed so much, was now a helpless bug. “This is your true form. A pathetic little worm. No wonder you were so confident when I exercised you before.”

“Please, let me live! Let me live!”

“You tried so hard to achieve true immortality, but all your choices led you here, a little insect in my hand, about to be squashed. How does it feel?”

“Please, I don’t want to die!”

“I’ve been trying to suppress my urges, but I think it is excusable, just this once, to indulge.”

“Please!”

Kirei’s fist wrapped tightly around Zouken’s wriggling form, squeezing. Tighter. Tighter. Tighter. Cracks and pops could be heard as Zouken was slowly crushed.

Zouken was left as a red slime on Kirei’s hand that the priest whipped away on a rag that he threw into a trash bin.

It was a euphoric moment for Kirei that made his toes curl and his breathing halt, and it was one he didn’t need to feel guilty over.

If he could find small moments of acceptable cruelty like this, his days ahead wouldn’t be so empty.

But, what if these small tastes of human agony tempted him. What if they dragged him closer towards utter depravity? He remembered how close he was to allying himself with Gilgamesh just from his silver tongue and getting to watch Kariya Matou suffer to reach an impossible goal.

He couldn’t indulge, not even slightly. He couldn’t risk it. His own misery was the only misery acceptable.

He had to be empty.

***

“Sakura?”

Her hair and eyes may have turned purple, but Rin would never mistake that face.

It was the next morning and after serving Rin and Caren breakfast, Kirei woke up Sakura from her slumber after her magical surgery, serving her her own breakfast while explaining the situation to her.

Sakura honestly seemed disbelieving of the priest’s words. It seemed too good to be true. The grip of Zouken and the Matous was still tight on her heart, or it was until she was led by Kirei to the church courtyard where Rin and Caren were playing together.

Both sisters were crying. Kirei imagined they were wondering if this was a dream.

Sakura looked afraid to move, as if it might have been a trick. Zouken probably performed many such tricks to break Sakura’s spirit. Partly so he could rebuild her as his loyal slave, and partly for his own entertainment.

Rin ran at her sister and wrapped her arms around her as tight as she could.

“You’re back! You’re really back!”

The purple haired girl wasn’t reciprocating. But, she was feeling the arms hold her. She wasn’t seeing any veil pulled back. She wasn’t getting assiled by more worms.

Sakura let herself believe, hugging her sister back, wailing with all the emotion she stored away. All the pain she kept quiet to cope with the reality of living in the Matou household was released out into the world.

The sisters were reunited.

Kirei and Caren watched the duo embrace and cry for many minutes before they calmed down enough to speak.

“Sakura, I’m never letting you leave again! We’re gonna be together forever!”

“I won’t go! I wanna be with you forever!”

If Kirei was a normal man, he would have been moved by the touching moment. When he looked at Caren, he saw she was blank faced as ever. Kirei worried his daughter might be like him.

“Kirei.” The priest’s momentary distraction ended when Rin walked up to him and bowed. “Thank you for saving Sakura. Thank you so much. I’m sorry for always being mean to you. I’ll never do it again.”

Sakura followed her sister’s lead. “Thank you for saving me.”

Kirei stifled the desire to chuckle upon realizing that Kariya would have given everything he had to be in his shoes. “You’re welcome.”

***

“Kirei, let’s go out to eat.”

Three years after bringing the Tohsaka siblings back together, Kirei was faced with Rin, Sakura close behind as usual, demanding they go eat at a restaurant.

“I’ll give you some money and you can go eat where you want. You’re mature enough that I trust you can take care of yourselves. Bring Caren with you.”

“No, you’re coming too. This is gonna be a family outing.”

Such a small child yet she was a twin-tail toting tyrant with her demands. Kirei wondered if he had spoiled her, or if this was her natural predisposition.

“When I first took you in, you wanted nothing to do with me, but every day you become more affectionate. Is the Tohsaka heir so indecisive with her feelings?”

“Shut it, Kirei. I just realized you’re nice sometimes, so you’re gonna take us out to eat, whether you like it or not.”

“You act like you have any power here. Fine, we’ll have a ‘family outing.’”

In the makeshift family of Kirei, Rin, Sakura, and Caren went out for dinner. They decided upon the tiny Chinese restaurant named Koushuuensaikan Taizan.

“Welcome.” A short woman said as they entered. She had a cheery attitude that gave the restaurant a light atmosphere.

“You’re really small. Your life must be terrible.” Caren said without tact.

“Caren, that’s rude. Apologize.” Kirei scolded. This wasn’t the first time she had been so bluntly rude and it was happening more frequently.

“I don’t want to.”

“It’s fine sir, I’m small and I’m proud.” The woman said with a chipper smile. “By the way, I’m Batsu, the manager of this restaurant. Please, take a seat.”

The makeshift family sat at one of the tables, Rin and Sakura next to each other as always, leaving Kirei and Caren on the other side. They were handed their menus and Batsu left to give them time to think.

“Why did you say that to the manager?” Kirei’s eyes were on the menu, but he wasn’t really looking at it.

“Because I wanted her to get upset. It didn’t work though.” Caren responded.

Kirei gazed at his daughter, but the only thing she looked at was the menu. She didn’t seem to process what was wrong, or maybe she didn’t care to try.

This was worrying. It was clear that Caren had inherited Kirei’s love of only the pain of others. There had been plenty of signs, plenty of incidents. This was just the last bit of necessary confirmation. The problem was how to handle this. He couldn’t get Caren to curb her desires unless he confronted her directly. He would have to tell her of his similar predilection to convince her he was speaking with knowledge, not guesses. She would likely end up telling Rin and Sakura, but he had kept his true nature a secret for so long, it seemed easier that way. If they found out about what he’s really like from a source other than himself, it might damage the trust they have in him.

He'd have to speak to them all together, a ‘family meeting’ where he would come clean, and they could address the issue of Caren’s desires together.

“What would you like sir?”

Kirei was jolted back to reality. He was so lost in thought he hadn’t even bothered to actually read the menu. He decided to just pick whatever his eyes landed on first. It’s not like he was a picky eater. For the priest, food was fuel and nothing more.

“Mapo tofu, please.”

“Alright, and you miss?” Batsu turned to Caren.

“Mapo tofu.” Kirei could tell Caren was just repeating his choice. She cared as little for food as he did.

Soon enough, the quartet found their orders before them. All of the dishes were so spicy that just smelling them made everyone’s nostrils burn.

Absent-mindedly, Kirei scooped up some mapo tofu with his spoon and put it into his mouth, and when he did, the priest learned of a new kind of joy.

The spice came like a tidal wave upon his tongue. The red peppers that seemed haphazardly put into the dish created an intensity that was like a cage for one’s attention. The flavor was multiplied from the powerful burning. It was as if the dish was infusing the very concept of ‘this is delicious’ into the mind through the tongue, bypassing preference, or even if one normally enjoyed how things taste. This was an experience, not a mere meal.

Before he knew it, Kirei was shoveling the tofu into his mouth. He needed more, there was no acceptable alternative. For once in his life, Kirei knew what normal happiness was. It was a happiness he didn’t feel even the most miniscule amount of guilt over. He was free to rejoice in the flavour that scorched his tongue and made the roof of his mouth feel sore.

The mapo tofu was gone, and Kirei panted heavily, not having taken a single breath since putting the first mouthful inside himself.

“Kirei, are you and Caren okay?”

The priest looked toward a horrified looking Rin and Sakura, then towards Caren who was panting similarly to him. She possessed a smile so wide it looked like the skin in her face would rip from being pulled so far. Was that what he looked like?

In the end, both Kirei and Caren ordered two more dishes of mapo tofu while Rin and Sakura struggled to finish a single serving of their overspiced meals.

Upon returning home from their revelatory dinner, Kirei asked the trio of girls to come with him to his study to have an important talk.

In the dimly lit study, Sakura and Rin sat so close to each other on the couch they might as well have been conjoined twins. Caren sat alone in one chair. Kirei sat across from Caren in the other chair. The three girls were all waiting for Kirei to say whatever he needed to. Kirei was struggling to figure out how to broach the subject. His difficulty with fully relating to other humans due to his nature always got in the way at times like this.

“I will put this simply. I do not feel joy like how normal people do. I don’t feel pleasure from spending time with certain people, or with family. I don’t have any hobbies that make me feel genuinely entertained. I cannot love anyone no matter how hard I try. There is only one thing I feel any kind of positive feelings towards, and that is the pain of others. When I see someone in tears over losing a loved one, I feel a lightness to my body in the same way you do when you spend time with someone you love. When I see someone squirm desperately for life, it makes me feel like I’ve been told the funniest joke ever conceived. I feel an ever present tapping at the back of my mind, a scratching that is etching words telling me to hurt others, to kill others, to draw out the greatest cries from them possible, cries that would be like an enrapturing melody to me. My nature is evil. In the past I tried to deny it. Now I just suppress it. It is something I can never change.” Kirei's eyes had been closed as he spoke. When he opened them, he saw Caren’s usual taciturnity, and Rin and Sakura looking taken aback, processing what they’ve been told. “Your thoughts?”

There was silence. Kirei wasn’t sure what he was expecting. He was telling children that he was evil. What were they supposed to think?

“You don’t do bad things, right? Even though you want to, you don’t hurt good people, right?” Sakura was the one to comment first.

“I don’t hurt anyone, no matter how much I wish to. I once came very close to giving into temptation and committing an unforgivable sin, but I managed to steer myself away from that path at the very last moment. I’ve done all I can to never walk down that road again.”

“So that makes you a good person.”

“Could you explain how I’m a good person?”

“You want to do bad things, but you're choosing not to because you know they're bad. What matters is what you do, right? And, I mean, it’s easy to do good things when that’s what you want to do, but it's hard to do good things when you want to do bad things, so I think that’s, that’s, um…”

“Admirable?” Rin said.

“Yeah, and impressive, I think.”

His mouth hanging open slightly, the priest was faced with a reaction he never expected. He was assuming that any positive impression he had made on the Tohsaka sisters would have been broken upon pulling away the veil to present his true identity. Instead, at least for Sakura, she seemed to find new respect for Kirei.

Upon analyzing Sakura’s reasoning, he remembered a scripture that extolled humanity’s superiority over the angels because angels only know good. Because angels are pure beings, they only do good, but since they don’t know evil, their actions are not difficult for them. They aren’t making a decision. Humanity, however, knows both good and evil, so it is more impressive and worthy of being commended when they choose to act in the name of good, because they are resisting their evil desires in doing so.

If this logic was sound, then Kirei would be the most commendable man of all. This thought made him silently laugh, though he hid his mouth behind his hand so the girls wouldn’t see.

“I…I think I agree with Sakura.” Rin seemed hesitant, but convinced by her sister’s reasoning. “Honestly, now I get why you’re so creepy and annoying, but as long as you aren’t lying then I guess you aren’t too bad.”

This was going so well Kirei found it unrealistic. Suspicious. He suspected some kind of ulterior motive, but then realized that only someone like him would try such an obtuse form of trickery.

“I’m surprised by your optimistic interpretations of my nature. Caren, do you have any thoughts?”

“This is about me, isn’t it?”

Caren got right to the point. It was frustrating, yet worthy of praise. At the very least, it makes them waste less time.

“What does she mean?” Rin said.

With a deep exhale, Kirei moved on to the next topic. “Caren is my daughter by blood and as such it makes sense she would inherit certain traits from me. Not all of course. For example, she lacks my magic circuits. One thing I believe she has inherited is my sole love of pain in others. I suspect this is why she insults others so freely. Caren, does my assessment sound accurate?”

“Yes.”

“Okay then, the next step is how to handle it.”

“Why do we have to do anything about it?”

“What do you mean?”

“You kept talking about suppressing your urges because they're wrong, but who gets to decide that? Other people? That’s just for their own self interest. Does God decide what’s right and wrong? But why are his words about right and wrong any more valuable than anyone else’s? Is it because he made us? By that logic, a parent could do whatever they want with their child and it would be okay because their child is their creation. Is it because God is more powerful than us? Does that mean that a person committing a public shooting is righteous because they hold more power than the unarmed innocents they slaughter? I don’t see how any set of morals hold any value. We all just do what’s best for ourselves. I want to hurt people, but I also know the law would stop me if I took it too far, so I limit myself to being rude. I don’t see why that’s such a problem.”

Everyone was stunned into absolute silence. The normally terse Caren had just gone on an emotionless rant advocating for why her desire to be cruel should be accepted. She didn’t talk like a child but an adult.

The worst part was that Kirei struggled to find any holes in her arguments that didn’t come from a moral standpoint rather than a pragmatic one. He might have found himself convinced if it weren’t for his refusal to even consider any aspect of Caren’s, and by extension his, desires sanctionable.

“You can’t feed into your desires, no matter whether you believe in subjective morality or not. Once you begin down that path of temptation, it will lead you to committing atrocities as you become willing to cross further and further lines.”

“That’s the slippery slope fallacy.”

Where was she learning these terms? Was she learning them in school? On the one hand, she was receiving a solid education, on the other, it was making Caren difficult.

Kirei rose from his seat and looked down at his daughter. “I am your father, and you will listen to me.”

“So you do believe that a parent is superior to their child?”

“Enough. I am doing this for your sake as much as anyone else's.”

Rin and Sakura watched the argument uncomfortably. This appeared to be an irreconcilable situation.

Sitting back down and putting his head in his hands, Kirei tried to find a solution. There had to be something he wasn’t thinking of, a way of convincing Caren she needed to reject her cruel proclivities like he did. Maybe he was looking at the situation wrong. Maybe he needed to change the base of his argument. Don’t focus on why her desire to hurt others is bad, try to find an enticing alternative option.

But, what alternative was there? The whole issue was that the priest and his daughter only derived pleasure from other people’s agony. Was there anything else that had brought them happiness?

Wait, there was one from earlier that day. There was that one incident. Kirei was happy, and he was sure Caren was, too. Was that really the solution? It had to be. It was the only thing that had a chance to succeed.

“Caren, did you like the mapo tofu?”

“…What?” All three girls said in unison.

“Caren, the mapo tofu we had today, did you enjoy it? Did it taste good?”

It was obvious that Rin and Sakura didn’t understand what Kirei was trying to do. When they saw that Caren was staring wistfully into the distance, they decided they probably weren’t going to gain any further comprehension.

“Caren, I know you felt it, too. The power of spice that felt as if the flavor was your whole world. It made me happy, and I know it made you happy, right?”

Caren faced away. “Maybe.”

Kirei rose from his seat again. “Then, let us explore this. You don’t need to be cruel to others. You can find joy from this new world of spicy cuisine like no other.”

Karen felt herself jolt out of her seat as her father just had. She forced her body to turn towards him. “I…will explore this new horizon.”

“What is going on?” Rin asked.

Kirei took Caren back to the restaurant and requested that Miss Batsu take his daughter on as a protege. She accepted. Perfect.

Now Caren could learn to love something besides the pain of others. It also came with the perk that Caren could start cooking that rapturously spicy food for Kirei to practice her skills.

Kirei wanted to add more to Caren’s regiment besides cooking lessons, so he would begin teaching her Bajiquan. The priest’s father Risei used the martial art for meditative purposes, to focus his mind and keep himself disciplined. Caren could use it for those same purposes. The priest would also teach Bajiquan to Rin and Sakura while he was at it, mainly for self-defense purposes.

Kirei thought everything might work out, that this was a life he could be satisfied with. He was empty, but satisfied.

***

Nearly ten years after the Fourth Holy Grail War, in the courtyard of Fuyuki Church. Caren deflected an oncoming punch from Kirei before grabbing the priest’s wrist and pulling him in to elbow his solar plexus. Kirei grabbed his daughter’s elbow before it hit while sweeping her legs, twisting the arm he grasped, causing Caren’s entire body to spin in the air.

Instead of panicking, Caren utilized the momentum gained from her forced spin. She put all the kinetic energy into a kick that followed the path of her rotation before colliding into the arm her father raised to protect his head.

The priest wrapped the arm he just used to block around Caren’s outstretched leg, grabbing her side with his other hand. He planned to slam her into the ground, but she managed to strike out with her free leg for a front kick faster than Kirei anticipated. The bottom of his daughter’s foot crashed into his face.

As the world grew into a haze and blood trickled out of Kirei’s nose, the priest let go of his daughter, unable to maintain his grip after taking a direct hit to the head. Once he was able to process that state of his surroundings again, his daughter had returned her feet to the ground, her elbow driving itself into his core.

Kirei fell backward and hit the ground, the wind knocked out of him. He saw Caren’s foot about to come down upon his throat before stopping.

“I win.”

“You have indeed.” Caren extended a hand which Kirei accepted, pulling himself up. “You would make your grandfather proud. You’re already on his level in terms of pure hand-to-hand combat skill.” Caren was only fourteen and yet she had such a well trained body that her muscles looked clearly defined even when she wasn’t flexing them. “That said, you didn’t need to kick me so hard.” Kirei wiped away the blood that dribbled from his nostrils, though it was quickly replaced by more. He needed to get some tissues.

“When we’re training is one of the only times I can hurt somebody and not get reprimanded for it, not that it stops me from causing people pain the rest of the time.”

“Caren, the point of you dedicating yourself to Bajiquan and the joys of mapo tofu was to act as a substitute for being cruel.”

“They do help keep me satisfied when I’m not slinging verbal abuse, but it’ll never stop me completely.”

With a near inaudible sigh, Kirei felt frustration at his daughter’s obstinate refusal to give up on her dark desire’s entirely, but at least progress had been made. That said, he wouldn’t stop trying to reign her in until she was completely rehabilitated.

“Speaking of mapo tofu, I need to get started on dinner for tonight.” Caren began walking away so she could change out of her workout gear and shower. She was fiddling with a bit of her ear length hair. It was better to keep it short due to how much time she spends cooking and sparring with Kirei.

Caren stopped her exit when Sakura suddenly ran in with a big smile, Rin sauntering in after her with a haughty grin.

What new form of condescension did Rin feel like assailing Kirei with now?

“Kirei, Rin was cho-are you okay?” Sakura went from excited cries to scared ones when she spotted the waterfall of blood coming from Kirei’s face.

“It’s nothing, I was sparring with Caren a-”

“Oh, I know what happened then, nevermind.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Kirei saw Caren smile. Kirei thought he was an empty person, yet annoyance always seemed in ample supply.

“Anyway, what are you two so happy about?”

Sakura hopped next to Rin, who slowly raised her hand, revealing a red tattoo on the back of it.

Command Spells.

Kirei had already been informed of the Fifth War’s announcement and that he would act as overseer. Even before he was told, Kirei theorized that the half-finished state of the last Grail War would lead to the next one happening early, though he didn’t think it would be as soon as ten years later.

“Impressed Kirei?”

“Not particularly. The Grail favors those of the Three Founding Families, and you are the head of the Tohsakas. It was obvious you’d be picked.”

Sakura seemed to deflate at the priest’s non-reaction, while Rin looked ready to punch him. He honestly didn’t know what they were expecting.

“Can’t you act just a little surprised? Widen your eyes a bit at least!”

“I don’t want you getting conceited, well, more conceited.”

Rin huffed. “Whatever. Anyway, it’s time for me to act like a proper Tohsaka and carry on our legacy, with Sakura’s help.”

“Sakura will be assisting you?”

“Even if I’m not a Master, I wanna help Rin win and keep her safe!”

“We’ll avenge our father together.” Beyond Rin’s notice, her words caused her sister to be enervated. The pigtail girl somehow didn’t realize Sakura would have feelings of resentment towards Tokiomi for giving her away. “Once we win, I’ll wish for Sakura to live a life full of happiness and free from pain.” Sakura’s fouled mood was restored upon hearing such loving words from her sister. Sakura truly was the world to Rin, and Rin was the world to Sakura.

Rin did a double take upon spotting Caren, not having even noticed her yet. “Oh, Caren, uh, do you wanna help us, too?”

“No.” Caren tersely responded.

Caren, Rin, and Sakura were raised as sisters, but Caren always kept a distance from the Tohsaka daughters, though they created some distance of their own between Caren and themselves. After being reunited, Rin and Sakura were inseparable, but they also left little room for anyone else, especially not a girl with such fundamentally different values from most of humanity. The only reason they were as open with Kirei as they were was because he saved Sakura. Caren seemed to prefer being alone, but Kirei worried her isolation could cause her to feel more detached from humans than she already does. It could make it easier for her to fall into depravity.

The priest himself held much of the blame. He spends most of his time with Caren scolding or instructing her rather than trying to form a bond she could find comfort in, not that he actually knew how to form one.

“Rin, Sakura, I will be the overseer of this war, which means I won’t be allowed to give you any assistance. As always, this church will be neutral ground to house Masters whose Servants have given up. Since you will be an active Master, you will not be allowed to stay here for the war’s duration.”

“We know. We already decided we would relocate our shared workshop to the Tohsaka mansion and make it our base of operations. We already own it and it’s a site where the Grail can be invoked.”

“Technically, I own it until you turn eighteen.”

“You have to ruin everything.”

“Rejoice Rin Tohsaka, for you have been chosen by the Grail. I wish you luck in your extirpation of the enemy Servants, and Masters if it becomes necessary.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rin spun around and began walking away. “We’re gonna start packing. Let’s go Sakura.”

“Coming!” Sakura followed after her sister, leaving Kirei with Caren.

Despite his concerns, Kirei was confident that Rin and Sakura would come out of the war okay. Rin had inherited her father’s habit of being near perfect at most times, but making crucial mistakes when it really counted. But, Sakura was like Rin’s second brain, always ready to remind her of what she would otherwise forget or give her carefully thought out advice. Rin often considered herself Sakura’s protector after they were reunited. But, Sakura was also Rin’s guardian from the dangers she was sometimes naive to.

As for the priest’s third child. “Caren, I will be renting out a hotel in Shinto for you to stay for the war’s duration.”

“Why?”

“As overseer, I am likely to be constantly surveilled by the Masters and servants of the war and may even be attacked for my Command Spells or to stop me from enforcing the war’s rules. It happened to my father, and it could happen again. That’s why I want you far away from here, for your own safety.”

“Do Rin and Sakura realize the danger you’re in?” Caren asked.

“No. They’d probably get some silly idea in their heads that they need to protect me.”

“Probably. They’d be all over you the way they are with each other.”

“Indeed, so don’t tell them anything. If they ask, you’re staying in Shinto because you’d find it annoying to run into any of the Master or Servants and have to interact with them or having to deal with me while I’m busy watching over the war. Say you pestered me until I let you leave.”

“Fine. The hotel better have a kitchen.”

“It does and you can bring all the ingredients you need to make mapo tofu.”

“Perfect. I’ll start packing.” Caren left and Kirei was alone in the courtyard.

The Fifth Holy Grail War was about to begin. The last war was a massive turning point in the life of Kirei Kotomine. It was the point where he reaffirmed his dedication to living a proper life and rejecting the deprived desires he held deep inside that had almost consumed him. This war may be another turning point in his life, and in the lives of the three girls he raised.

Kirei prayed that he would stay a man who did not live for evil, but for justice.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 2: Saber the Guardian

Noise.

Rin heard noise. The little girl, less than a few days since she moved into the Fuyuki Church, heard noises that roused her from her sleep. Her eyes peeled open to be met with the darkness of the late night.

That noise. It was moaning. Not just moaning, crying. There was only one other person in the room.

“Sakura.”

Rin shot out of her bed and across to Sakura’s on the other side. Her little sister was quaking. She clutched at her own body. Her breathing was uneven. In and in. Out. In. Out and out and out. She was hyperventilating.

“Sakura, what’s wrong?” Rin touched her sister. A shriek came from Sakura that echoed throughout the house.

It took an instant for Kirei to charge into the room. He silently scanned the area and when Sakura entered his sights, he dashed over. “She’s having a panic attack. She must have had a nightmare. Sakura, can you hear me? You’re okay Sakura.” He tried to get hold of her but she flailed wildly.

“The worms! The worms! They’re supposed to be gone! I can still feel them!”

Were the worms still inside her? That didn’t make sense. Kirei was too thorough a person to miss any. No, she must have had a nightmare about the Matous torturing her. Kirei had only spoken briefly of any details of what Sakura went through, but it sounded horrible. Worms entering the body and doing terrible things, Rin couldn’t even properly imagine it. But, it was so terrible Sakura was reacting this way upon just having a dream about those days that weren’t so long ago.

Kirei kept trying to help Sakura. He tried to get her to slow her breathing by following his lead, but she was barely receptive to what was actually going on around her. She was still halfway in the nightmare.

Kirei stepped away. “I don’t know if there’s anything I can actually do. It might be best to just let her go through this until it naturally passes. Either that or I could try using my Spiritual Healing, but I’m better with more esoteric mental deterioration than regular panic attacks. I might have some medication somewhere, but I doubt I could get her to imbibe it.”

Did Sakura go through this all the time back with the Matous? Not just the torture, but thse horrible nightmares? Did she not even get to be free in her dreams?

This wasn’t fair. After everything, how could Sakura still be forced to suffer?

Rin needed to help her. She was Sakura’s sister. She left her at the Matous for too long. She had to take responsibility.

Rin walked over to Sakura.

“Rin, what’re you doing?”

Rin grasped Sakura’s hand. The purple haired girl whipped her limbs out at Rin who was hit multiple times. “Sakura, it’s okay. You can get through this.” Rin kept getting pummeled. Kirei grabbed her but before he pulled her away, Sakura stopped striking out, instead shifting to trembling, as if ready to be hit herself. “Sakura, it’s your big sister. Concentrate on breathing. You can do this.” Sakura responded. Her breathing gradually, over the course of minutes as everyone stayed in place, returned to an even rate. “You’re okay Sakura. I’m proud of you.”


“R-Rin?” Sakura was coming to her senses. “Rin, what happened? You’re all red.”

“I’m okay. Do you need anything?” Rin smiled. She’d take however many blows she had to in order to help her little sister.

“I-I-I’m scared. The w-worms. They keep appearing.”

“The worms are gone, Sakura. You’re okay. Do you want me to sleep in your bed with you tonight? I’ll make sure you're safe.”

“Yes please.”

Rin turned to Kirei. “We’ll be okay. I’ll stay with her.”

Kirei was genuinely shocked. It was so rare to see him in such a state. Rin was proud to know she could faze the likes of him. “You’re hurt.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m a Tohsaka. A Tohsaka can endure anything.”

A pause as Kirei thought before silently relenting. He left the room as Rin crawled into Sakura’s bed. The purple haired girl buried her face into her sister’s chest. Petting her little sister’s hair, Rin watched as Sakura slowly closed her eyes, her breathing slowing to a gentle rhythm.

This would be far from the last night that Sakura would have a panic attack such as this, and these breakdowns were far from limited to the hours of sleep. But, no matter what, Rin was always there to comfort her sister and return her to a state of calm. With a vow born from as deep inside herself as she could reach, Rin decided she would never abandon her sister again and would forever be her protector. Sakura needed to be protected. There were people like the Matous out there that loved to hurt others. Rin couldn’t let them take advantage of Sakura. The two sisters would always be together so Rin could watch over Sakura and make sure nobody she didn’t approve of went near her.

Rin’s duty was to Sakura first and foremost. That was how older sisters should act, and it was what Sakura deserved. After all the horrible things she experienced, Sakura was owed whatever she wanted.

Rin had failed her sister before, and she never would again.

***

Rin walked through the halls of Homurahara Academy, flicking her still damp hands. The air hand dryer failed to completely dry them; she should have used paper towels. Rin’s mind wasn’t completely in the present. She was thinking of the Holy Grail War as she looked to the back of her hand and her Command Spells which were hidden from sight by magecraft. Classes had finally ended, so she just wanted to go home with Sakura already and prepare to summon her Servant. If all went well, Saber would be hers and the war would be a breeze.

Returning to where she left Sakura, Rin saw someone talking to her sister.

Minori Mitsuzuri. A boy who had an obvious crush on Sakura. He blushed as he was saying something, probably some attempt at cajoling her into a date. Sakura was attentively listening with a smile. She was always so nice. The boy was reserved, shy. His mannerisms screamed social awkwardness. Minori wasn’t a bad person as far as Rin was aware, but she had yet to confirm for sure that he wasn’t, which meant Rin couldn’t let him anywhere near her sister. Only those Rin had thoroughly looked into and approved got the green light to spend time with Sakura.

“Mitsuzuri, so nice to see you. What business did you have with my sister?” The boy tensed. Rin spoke with such a kind tone that it went all the way around to being threatening. Such remarks of multilayered feeling were a specialty of Rin’s.

“I was, uh, I was just asking her how she was. We’re classmates and all, so, y’know, just being polite. I thought maybe she and I could go out somewhere now that school’s over.”

“I’m sorry but my sister and I have somewhere we need to be. Apologies.”

“Ah, sorry, I didn’t know. I’ll, uh, maybe we’ll go somewhere another day.”

“Maybe.” It was clear Rin meant never.

Mitsuzuri shrunk as he skittered away. The boy was gutless, he could never take care of Sakura. Though, if he tried to fight back, that would show he was impulsive and that was also unacceptable. Either way, he would never be good enough for Sakura.

“Have a nice day, Minori.” Sakura said, receiving a bashful nod from the boy in return.

“You don’t like him, do you?”

“No. He’s nice though.” Thank goodness, she had taste. “If I had to pick any boy in the school, it’d probably be Shirou from class 2-C.” Or maybe she didn’t.

“Why would you possibly like him? He’s as unremarkable as a tree in a forest.”

“Well, he’s nice, and I saw him doing the high jump one time and it was really impressive.”

“Was he that good?”

“No, he was terrible. But, he kept trying despite failing every time. It was inspiring.”

“You need better standards than ‘is incompetent but tries really hard.’”

“If you had been there you would understand.”

“I doubt that.” This was why Rin felt the need to protect Sakura. If she was this cavalier with whom she liked, then it was inevitable she’d end up getting mistreated again like with the Matous.

“We should get going. We have to make sure everything is perfect for tonight.”

“Rin Tohsaka!” Why must the world conspire to make her life harder? It was Kaede Makidera. Yukika Saegusa and Kane Himuro followed, sort of just going along with whatever Makidera was doing. “Today is the day you hang out with us!”

“Why?”

“Because I said so! You never hang out with us, but today is the day that changes!”

“No.”

“But, why?” Makidera whined. Did she really think her just declaring they would hang out would make it happen? That would go far beyond the capabilities of mind over matter.

“I have important things I have to do today, so I need to get home.”

“That’s just a lie so you can leave!” Makidera was wrong, but the funny part was that on most days she’d be right. “I won’t let you escape! Today is the day I defeat you and make you my friend!” Was this a shonen anime, now? You just have to defeat someone and suddenly they're your bestie?

“Makidera.” Sakura spoke in a voice as sweet as hydrogen cyanide. “My big sister and I have things to do today. I’m sorry, but please understand.” The perfectly reasonable words made even Rin feel her blood run cold. How could niceness be so scary?

“Y-y-you don’t scare me, but I need to prepare! I need to properly train and arm myself before I can overcome you, Sakura Tohsaka! Prepare yourself, for I’ll be back!” Kaede dashed off as she gave her excuses.

“Sorry about her. She thinks with, well, nothing really.” Himuro said before turning to follow Makidera. Saegusa bowed deeply before leaving mousily as well.

They were finally gone, but Rin had a new thing grabbing her attention. “Sakura, you seemed even more adamant than me to get them to leave. Is there a reason?”

“Oh, I was just trying to speed things along and give you less of a headache. I’ll always be here to help and protect you.” She really was pure as-wait, protect? Sakura felt the need to protect Rin? But, Rin was supposed to protect Sakura. “Anyway, let’s head home before we get sidetracked again.”

“Okay.” Rin was learning new things about her sister.

***

“Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone.
The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.”

10 jewels were spent on the summoning circle, but she trusted it would be worth it. She almost used some of the energy from the pendant she received from her father, but Sakura talked her out of it. It was better to save it. Instead, Rin held out her Azoth Sword to amplify the ritual. Sakura had also reminded Rin that the clocks in the house were off and to readjust them. If it weren’t for Sakura, Rin may have summoned her Servant at a time where her power wasn’t at its peak. That would have been a disaster. Sakura really was Rin’s second head.

Rin wished they had a catalyst, but even without one, that just meant the Servant summoned would be someone with a similar personality she could work with. As long as they summoned Saber, things would be fine.

As if the air was alive, it pranced around the room. It was an indoor hurricane. The magic circle lit up into a pale glow that gradually intensified.

“Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.”

The room was saturated with magical energy. It was like a dense fog. The Heroic Spirit was materializing and the invisible cloud was all the power that was coagulating to create such a legendary entity. It was nearly suffocating. The Azoth Sword Rin held was vibrating, humming. It shined like the summoning circle was. That wasn’t normal for invoking a Heroic Spirit into the container of a Servant, was it?

It didn’t matter. She couldn’t stop now, she had to keep going. Otherwise, she might botch the summoning.

“I announce.
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!”

Rin finished her chant. The long flash and waves of wind reached a peak before swiftly calming down. Both Rin and Sakura behind her were waiting in the basement turned workshop of the Tohsaka residence. They were dying to find out which Heroic Spirit they would be working with.

“My my, not a very grandiose place for me to be summoned.” A melodious older voice said.

The Servant that appeared was a woman with ear length solid red hair and red glasses. A red dress that was slightly revealing and distinctly elegant made her seem experienced, confident, in control. She was Japanese, or at least Asian, which is odd as the Holy Grail was only supposed to summon western Servants in Fuyuki. The Servant had a constant smirk and playful look in her eye, like she was ready to evaluate anything she saw to see whether it would serve as entertainment. Rin was circumspect as to what this Servant found entertaining.

Rin understood she had to be firm right off the bat. She had to show that she was in charge, otherwise a woman like this would happily take control.

“My name is Rin Tohsaka, and I am your Master. Tell me, what is your class and your true name?”

The Servant looked at Rin like an adult does a child who’s trying to seem tough. “I am Saber.” Her tone made it clear she was just playing along with Rin’s attempt at taking command.

But, Rin felt the sides of her mouth rise. They did it. They summoned Saber. This war was in the bag.

Sakura ran up to Rin and grabbed her arm. “We did it! We summoned the strongest Servant!”

“This is perfect. If Saber takes the lead in combat while we provide support, this war is a shoe-in.” Things were going right. They were actually going right. A lifetime of disquiet over this war, this moment, had been assuaged. Thanks to Sakura, Rin hadn’t screwed up. She had been so close to a misstep, but Rin’s sister saved her. Sakura really was amazing.

“I must admit, I much enjoy knowing my presence is so deeply appreciated. It’s nice receiving the respect I deserve.” Saber’s words burrowed under Rin’s skin. She really had a condescending cadence that was perfect for pissing the Tohsaka heir off. Rin hated haughty, belittling, obnoxious women.

Wait, Saber hadn’t answered fully yet.

“Saber, what is your True Name?”

The Servant crossed her arms and looked down her nose at Rin. “I don't remember.”

“What?” That’s absurd. Heroic Spirits are Heroic Spirits because of their identities. Their fame makes them who they are. If she didn’t know her identity, then she couldn’t use her Noble Phantasm. That’s like a master swordsman not owning a sword. “That’s impossible. Don’t play around with me.”

“I’m not playing around, I’m being as serious as possible.” Saber kept using that annoying tone.

“Quit trying to be cute and listen to me. I am your Master.”

“I’m not trying to be cute, I just am cute.”

“Listen, bitch!” Rin raised her hand and showed her Command Spells. “Tell me who you are right now or I’ll use a Command Spell and force you to tell me!” Rin was done with this bitch’s shit.

Saber uncrossed her arms, her previously ever present smirk falling away. “I told you, I don’t remember who I am. I was being cheeky, but I wasn’t lying. Don’t waste a Command Spell on this.”

“You really think I’m that stupid? Tell me your True Name or else!” The Command Spells lit up.

“I really don’t know, I think something went wrong with the summoning.”

“Last chance!”

“You’d really waste a Command Spell on this?”

“Time's up! I Co-”

“Rin, wait!” Sakura grabbed her sister’s raised hand. “Think about it? Why would she be this resistant to telling us to the point of letting you waste Command Spells? Plus, she seems surprised you’d actually use one on her for this. That makes me think she isn’t pretending, she really doesn’t know her True Name.”

That…made sense. That made a lot of sense. Saber’s look wasn’t one of condescension anymore, but actually worry. Maybe she just really wanted to hide her identity and that was what she was worried about. But, if that was the case, she would still be able to use her Noble Phantasms so it wouldn’t be too much of a problem. Definitely not enough to warrant the use of a Command Spell. Rin realised that she was about to make a very silly mistake and lowered her arm, the glow of the Command Spells fading. All three tattoos remained and Rin was red in the face.

Sakura sighed with relief and Saber put her hands on her hips.

“What a Master I’ve found myself stuck with. A girl so immature that she’d fly off the handle from some light teasing.”

Rin was about to grind her teeth but she was distracted by Sakura stomping over to Saber.

“Listen, I get that my sister was about to make a bad decision, but that was only because you egged her on. You share blame here. We need to work together if we’re going to win this war, but if you keep acting needlessly self-important, then this is going to be a disaster and it’ll be your fault.” Sakura spoke so calmly but each word was like a spear that always hit the heart. She somehow knew the perfect way to say words in order to make people squirm and shiver.

Saber had raised her hands in front of herself as if to hide behind them. Rin understood how she felt. Being on the receiving end of Sakura’s wrath was an eldritch experience.

“You’re right.” Saber admitted. “I have a habit of teasing others for fun, and I sometimes go too far with it. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to my sister.” Sakura swiveled around to face Rin. A burning chill shot through the Tohsaka heir. Rin was having flashbacks to other times she saw that calm yet haunting expression her sister was wearing. “And you need to apologize for almost wasting a Command Spell and calling Saber a bitch.”

Sakura stepped out from between the Master and Servant who looked at each other. As their fear of Sakura dissipated, they both felt guilt over their previous actions.

Rin bowed. “I’m sorry for what I said and acting rashly. You are my Servant and I need to respect you.”

Saber reciprocated the bow. “I am just as much to blame. I wasn’t showing you the respect you deserve as my Master and for that I’m sorry.”

Both rose back up. Saber walked closer and offered a hand. Rin decided to let her previous grievances be pushed away for the sake of a fresh start with her Servant. She grabbed the hand presented to her and shook it.

“Good.” Sakura stepped closer. “Now, let’s all get along. My name is Sakura Tohsaka. It’s nice to meet you, Saber.”

“And you as well.” A bead of sweat trailed down Saber’s face. It made sense given her introduction to Sakura. But, Saber’s expression seemed to soften as she stared at Sakura’s smiling face. The Servant was looking as if at a beloved individual, someone close to her heart. It was unusual given the circumstances. Saber clapped her hands together. “Now then, is this building going to be our base of operations?”

“Yes. This is our mansion, though we haven’t actually lived in it since ten or so years ago.”

“Interesting. Well, show me around. It’s important that I have an understanding of the mansion’s layout just in case anything happens. Oh, also, I’d like a map of the city so I can familiarize myself with the area as well.” Saber was already up the staircase to the main floor. Despite saying she wanted to be shown around, she had taken the lead. Rin rubbed her temple at Saber acting like she was in charge.

“Rin, why don’t you make some tea while I guide her around the house?” Sakura suggested. Rin could use a moment alone to clear her head.

“That sounds like a good idea. Thank you.” Sakura just smiled before she skipped up the steps after Saber.


Rin went up the stairs as well and headed to the kitchen. While she pulled out everything she’d need to make the tea, she thought about how badly she’d botched her first interaction with her Servant. If Sakura hadn’t been there, Rin would have wasted a precious Command Spell. All because Rin couldn’t take some condescension from a Heroic Spirit, a legendary figure from history who has plenty of reason to be a little prideful. To be fair, Saber apparently didn’t remember who she was. Still, Rin should have acted with elegance, not like a child.

Speaking of Saber’s loss of memory, that was a problem. If it was true and Saber lacked her Noble Phantasms by extension, then this war wouldn’t be as easily won as Rin expected upon summoning the Saber Servant.

Could Saber’s memories be restored? Forms of magecraft related to manipulating memories weren’t beyond Rin, but she was far from a specialist at them. She definitely couldn't retrieve bygone memories. But, memories were a part of a Servant’s Saint Graph. The Saint Graph was the metaphysical record of a Heroic Spirit’s entire being that extended from their Spirit Core. As long as Saber’s Saint Graph remained intact, the memories existed and could be unleashed. The question was how. Kirei’s Spiritual Healing might work, but Kirei wasn’t supposed to help her since he's the overseer. Why hadn’t Rin or Sakura bothered to learn Spiritual Healing?

No time for regrets. Focus on the present.

Rin finished the tea. She brought the teapot and three cups with saucers on a tray as she searched for her sister and Servant. She followed their voices, finding them in the bedroom Rin and Sakura were using. It was originally Rin’s when she was young, but Sakura insisted they sleep in the same bed in case anything happened during the night.

“Tea is ready.”

Saber put down the jewel she was admiring. “Lovely.” The Servant took a cup and sat in a chair. She sipped and hummed happily. “You make a satisfying cup of tea, Master. Exactly to my tastes.”

“I made my favorite green tea. I’m glad to know we have similar preferences.” Rin gave Sakura her cup before sitting down as well, Sakura adjusting her own seat to be right next to her sister. “Saber, you said that you don’t remember your True Name. I’m guessing you don’t possess any memories of your life either, do you?”

“Only fragments so vague they’d be of no help. I don’t even remember my own abilities. They sit at the tip of my tongue. I’m sure once we’re thrust into a fight, I’ll remember enough to be able to contend against the enemy. But, I definitely won’t be at my full power, even then.”

Rin bit her thumbnail. This was about as bad as it could be. Even if she summoned a servant who was weak normally, it wouldn’t be as bad. In that case, that Servant would likely have some kind of unique specialization in exchange for low parameters.

“Even if you think they don’t matter, tell us your memories anyway. We may notice something you haven’t.” Sakura said.

“That’s true. I only have my own perspective to work with. One memory I have is of a man patting my head before leaving. I never saw him again after that.”

“What else do you remember?”

“The most vivid memory of mine is of me looking down at a dead young woman. I can’t make out her details, but I know I was her killer. Thinking about it makes me feel horrible. It’s something I regret. At the same time, it feels like something I had a good reason to do. Yet, it also feels like it was avoidable, that I could have prevented that situation from ever happening. I was fixing my mistake, and that girl paid for it.”

Saber was crying. It wasn’t like she was weepingly loudly or anything, but she was wearing the pain of someone who was. This was a pain so deeply etched into her that it was a part of her identity. Her reaction was so restrained only because it was one she had experienced an uncountable number of times and thus had learned to restrain most of her emotion to the confines of her mind.

“Saber, are you okay? Do you need anything?” Rin was feeling her own emotions flare upon seeing her servant in pain. It was as if she was able to get a taste of what Saber was experiencing. Was it due to their connection as Master and Servant?

Saber removed her glasses and whipped her eyes. “I’ll be okay. So inelegant of me to cry in front of people I’ve just met. I should be ashamed.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Sakura said. “We all get overwhelmed sometimes.”

A smile returned to Saber’s face. “I appreciate your understanding.”

“If you don’t feel comfortable, we can stop going through your memories for now. Honestly, your memories really are so vague that we probably won’t figure anything out anyway.”

“Normally, I’d insist on continuing since we just started, but I agree that there really isn’t much to be found in my memoires. The two I told you are probably the most vivid excluding a couple more. If they weren’t helpful, none of them would be.” Saber put her glasses back on.

“In that case, we should probably call it for the night. It’s late. We can start strategizing in the morning. Does that sound good?”

“I’m fine with that. I’ll continue exploring the house while you both rest. I must admit, this house is very pretty.”

Rin stood up and stretched. “Alright then. Time for bed. Sakura, do you want to take a bath first?”

“You go first. You’re more tired than I am after the summoning.”

“If you insist, then how can I say no?” Rin headed for the bath while Saber entered Spirit Form and Sakura returned the tea to the kitchen, probably to put it in the fridge. They didn’t end up talking for long so most of the tea remained. Rin wasn’t exactly expecting to bring up Saber’s trauma. Maybe they’d make iced tea tomorrow with the leftovers.

Rin made her bath. She entered the warm water with a pleasurable groan. Her muscles loosened. Her body had been so tense it ached. The stress of summoning Saber and everything that followed was like heavy armor she was forced to wear. But, now she could take that armor off as comforting waters reprieved Rin of her anxieties. Such was the power of the mundane after an extraordinary night. Now she could take a few moments to think of something other than the Holy Grail War, normal things.

Breakfast. What would she and Sakura make for breakfast? What did they have in the house? They had pork. They could make steamed buns. That would be good. It’d be something simple and filling. They’d need to make some for Saber, too. That’s assuming she wants to eat. She doesn’t actually have to.

Exhaustion that Rin had been ignoring started taking hold. As she thought about the mundanities of life, her consciousness muddled and she slipped into the land of dreams.

***

The crimson cavity was filled with vile magical energy. That horrid pillar stood tall. It was like The Tower of the tarot, a sign of disaster. Above it hung the dark gate to the Root. It was like the eye of Balor, ready to destroy all it gazed upon. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. That was supposedly inscribed upon the gate of Hell. Seeing that Lovecraftian structure certainly made the magus want to give up hope. But, as she saw the thing inside the pillar squirm, saw its eyes stare at her, she knew she had to destroy it. And she would.

But, what had it cost? She stood before the precious girl she should have saved. The girl was the would-be avatar of the dark eye. The magus had to kill the girl. It was her duty. But, the girl never would have become the corruption’s puppet if it weren’t for the magus’ indifference. She was supposed to protect the girl, but instead she abandoned her. And why? For convenience? Because it was easier than having to confront the one she left behind? Because she was simply so selfish as to never think of reaching out to the girl?

The reasons no longer mattered. It was too late.

The girl was dead. The magus could never take it back. All because of her negligence. All because of her selfishness.

The boy came in. He had survived his battle. He fell to his knees before the girl. That poor boy. He had lost the one he sacrificed his ideals for. He was too late. Despite all he sacrificed, he was too late.

He shambled to his feet and approached the tower. In his hand formed a dark blade. The corrupted weapon raised into the air. Swinging that sword down would kill the boy, but he no longer cared. He lost what he was fighting for.

The priest appeared. He still lived. He wanted to protect the dark womb. The magus had to stop the priest. She lacked any more magical energy, so all she had were her fists, as did the priest. The two dueled as the boy readied his final strike. The priest spoke cruel words that opened the magus’ traumas. Every immaterial injury reopened. She couldn’t focus and the priest took advantage of that. The magus unravelled as her mind, body, and soul were torn apart by the priest’s words and fists. She barely fought back. It didn’t matter, the boy was ready.

Dark power stormed forth from the weapon. The boy’s body bled and broke. He swung his weapon and the corrupted power became a beam that engorged itself on the accursed tower. The evil was eliminated with nary a fragment remaining. The boy also vanished as the power of his own weapon, copied from another, overtook him.

Why didn’t she stop him? What would she do if she had? Could she have possibly eradicated that evil device? Not as she was. The one weapon she had that could was broken. She was helpless, all due to her own folly.

Only she could be blamed. It was all on her shoulders that the tragedy occured.

The priest turned to watch the womb die, and that was the last motion he made. He was on borrowed time, and that time had just been used up.

Everyone in the cavern was dead except for the magus. All but her, and it was all her fault.

All her fault.

***

“Rin, wake up.”

Rin opened her eyes, the light stabbing at them. She was in the bath. She must have fallen asleep. She could have drowned. She couldn’t keep being so careless.

Turning her head, Rin saw her sister.

“Rin, are you okay? You’re crying.”

Rin was crying? A slurry of incomprehensible noises came from the half-asleep Tohsaka heir.

“I guess you had a nightmare. Rin, you should get out of the bath. You’re exhausted, you need to go to bed now.”

Wordlessly complying, Rin let Sakura help her out of the bath, dry her off, and get her into her kitty pajamas.

It was all a blur to Rin as she went from the bathroom to her bed. Sakura tucked her in tight. It was only a few seconds before Rin was pulled to the kingdom of Morpheus once more. She didn’t even have a chance to tell her sister what she saw in her dreams.

***

The magus became the apprentice of the marshal. She followed in his footsteps in a way no other had successfully done before. She inherited his knowledge, his skills, even his title.

The magus became legendary. She took on apprentices of her own and had a rivalry with an obnoxious woman with blonde curls. It was a rivalry that was more than rivalry, reaching a more intimate space.

It should have been a satisfying life.

But, the magus could never forget that night in the cave. She could not forget the girl she sacrificed due to her own incompetence. No matter how many titles and achievements the magus acquired, she still felt empty. No matter how many loving students and lovely rivals she spent her time with, she still felt the shadow of the girl she sacrificed crawling on her back.

Shame, regret, self-loathing. These became the mantra of the magus’ life.

She wanted more than anything to fix her mistakes, but she couldn’t.

Well, there was a way.

The collective unconsciousness of mankind saw potential in the magus. It wanted the magus to act as a warrior of its will to protect the human race. But, it knew that it would need to offer something of value to the magus in order to ensure her compliance.

It offered the magus the opportunity to alter the current timeline she was in, to go back and fix the mistake that she could never forget. It would allow the magus to go back in time and save the girl who deserved to be saved more than any other. In exchange, the magus would serve as a protector of mankind forever, an eternal hero outside of spacetime who would never be allowed to rest.

The magus didn’t even hesitate in her acceptance.

She went back to the past in the vessel of a Servant. By the time she arrived, the girl was already in the grips of her torturers. The girl was already scared, but nonetheless, the magus eliminated the girl’s captors and returned her to the family she belonged with.

The girl’s father seemed conflicted upon accepting her youngest daughter back, but nonetheless, the girl was home.

The magus had changed her timeline. She had undone her greatest sin.

But, she didn’t feel any better. The girl’s suffering in the original timeline still occurred, and the girl wasn’t freed from the pain of her captors entirely.

It wasn’t good enough. The girl deserved better.

The magus went back in time again. And again. She kept jumping to different Grail wars to try and make a timeline where the girl could be unabashedly and absolutely happy.

The futility of her efforts eventually became evident. The magus could never make the girl as happy as she wanted her to be, and the original timeline, even if undone, still survived in the magus’ mind as memories.

The magus, after hundreds of cycles, gave up. She became a shell of what she was, forever bound to humanity as a timeless defender.

Such was the magus’ tragedy.

***

Rin’s breathing upon waking was labored. She could feel the tears coming from her eyes, mucus dripping out of her nose. The Tohsaka heir didn’t need to look in a mirror to know she looked like an inelegant mess. Rin already wasn’t a morning person, so having a whirlpool of emotions in her mind and a mess of a face along with the usual pounding of her brain and crust sealed eyelids made things worse than ever.

Looking around once her eyes adjusted to the morning light, Rn found Sakura was nowhere to be seen. She was probably working on breakfast. Good. Rin didn’t want Sakura seeing her in such a state.

It was all because of those dreams. They were so vivid that even upon repeating them in her mind, they felt as if they were real events that she had just experienced mere moments ago. Rin’s breath was still shaking from the intensity. Yet, they were also supremely vague. People’s appearances and identities were muddled, as were locations and the details of events. It was as if the truth needed to fill all the gaps was right on the tip of her tongue, but something was stopping her from making the necessary realization.

As for the origin of the dreams, Rin had a solid guess.

Masters are prone to have dreams of the pasts of their Servants, usually noteworthy events from their lives. If then dreams were Saber’s memories, then it made sense why they’re foggy since Saber’s memories were fragmented.

Next issue was whether to bring up these dreams to Sakura and Saber. The benefits would be that they may help Saber remember more, though it wasn't likely since these were likely memories she already possessed. The downside was that it could make Saber upset again like the previous night. Rin didn’t want to see her cry again.

She’d keep these dreams secret for now. She might bring them up at some point, but she’d avoid getting into specifics as to not trigger any trauma in Saber.

At least Saber achieved many great things in her life, according to her dreams. That’s nice at least. Rin’s Servant was worthy of being called a Heroic Spirit, even if she wasn’t one in the traditional sense.

She was a Counter Guardian. A being summoned periodically by the Counter Force to save humanity. It’s insane that Rin could even summon such a being.

Rin dragged herself out of bed with the invisible hands of her will. She managed, with herculean effort, to wash up and get dressed for the day.

Finishing putting her hair into twin-tails, Rin walked into the dining room.

“Good morning, Rin. Are you feeling better?” Sakura had just finished putting out all the plates for breakfast. Even trying to describe the breakfast wouldn’t be worth the effort. The number of different foods Sakura had prepared was rather extreme.

“Good morning, Master. I can see you're not a morning person.” Saber was sitting in one of the seats, ready to eat. She could turn the food she ate into magical energy so she’d be able to slightly make up for her lowered parameters.

“Good morning. Sakura, what do you mean by feeling better?” Rin sat down.

“I found you crying while asleep in the bathtub. Even when I put you to bed, you kept crying and moaning. I assumed you were having a nightmare.”

“Yeah, I was. Don’t worry, I’m okay. It was probably due to stress.”

Saber’s usual smile faltered for a moment. She must have known the truth of Rin’s dreams. It was definitely best not to bring it up if she already understood. Letting Sakura know would just make her more anxious than she already probably was about this Holy Grail War.

The breakfast ended up being quiet. Rin and Saber gave some compliments to Sakura on the meal’s splendid quality. Sakura talked about some of the details of how she made the dishes. She always seemed to start beaming when she talked about cooking.

Small talk continued until Saber decided to speak of a more serious topic.

“I feel that now is as good a time as any to bring this up. My memories still haven't been restored, but I have discovered something else in my mind.”

If Saber’s remembered something, then they might be able to determine her identity. But, she must have remembered it after Rin stopped dreaming if it was something she didn’t see last night.

“Something else?”

“Yes. I guess it’s some kind of directive. I know I’m a Counter Guardian, a soldier that fights for mankind across space and time in defense of Proper Human History. The directive in my mind is likely from the Counter Force I am contracted with. In fact, part of the reason I was summoned was likely to act out the Counter Force’s will, more so than to actually win the Grail War.”

Rin summoning Saber was just a means to the Counter Force’s ends. Rin wasn’t fond of being used as a pawn, but there wasn’t much she could do. It wasn’t like she could give the Counter Force a complaint letter. But, did that mean Rin had no control over who she would summon, or did her actions at least determine the specific Counter Guardian she invoked.

“I didn’t even know it was possible to summon a Counter Guardian as a Servant.” Sakura said.

“We’re still a sort of Heroic Spirit so it’s perfectly possible. As for what the directive actually is, it’s still a little imprecise due to my memory loss. What I do have is a face in my mind and a command to kill the person that owns that face. Don’t be surprised. Being a Counter Guardian really just means erasing anyone or anything that threatens human prosperity. We’re hitmen. Whoever the person in my mind is, they’re a threat to all mankind who can’t be left alone.”

If killing this person in her mind was her true goal, then the person Saber was after was likely either participating in the Grail War, or was related to it in some way. The stakes of this war suddenly shot up far higher than Rin was mentally prepared for. But, there was no use complaining. She’d just have to adapt. “What does the person in your mind look like?”

“They’re an adult woman. Their hair is long and snow white, their skin matching in paleness. Her eyes are ruby red.” Saber covered her mouth as she took a moment to think. “She’s pretty, but I can’t think of much else to say about her.”

“White skin and hair along with red eyes. That sounds like a homunculus of the Einzbern family. I can’t think of anyone else that has those traits. Sakura, do you have any ideas?”

“I can’t think of anybody but the Einzberns, either.”

“That means their vessel for the Lesser Grail is likely the threat Saber’s seeing in her mind. It makes sense considering they may be able to access and manipulate the Grail’s power in ways nobody else can. If they use it recklessly, they could cause serious harm. We have to watch out for the Einzberns in this war, more so than any other faction.”

“That seems like a safe option. We may benefit from contacting the overseer about this.” Saber said.

“Let’s do that right now. I can call him. Wait here while I talk to Kirei.” Rin stood up.

Saber grimaced. “I have no idea who this Kirei is, but just hearing his name irritates me.”

Kirei does have that effect on people.

Rin left the room and picked up the phone in the hallway. After dialing the number for the church, it took only a couple seconds before Rin received an answer.

“Hello?”

“Kirei, it’s me. I summoned Saber.”

“Really? Rejoi-”

“Rejoice young Rin, yeah, yeah, I know.”

“I don’t even know why I bother. By the way, I have something important to tell you.”

“Wait, you too? The reason I called you was to tell you something important besides me summoning Saber.”

“Interesting. Would you like to go first, or shall I?”

“I will. My Servant is a Counter Guardian she claims to have been summoned to kill someone who’s a threat to humanity. To keep things brief, the actual details of her goal are muddled right now, but from what she can describe to us, the person she has to kill is a female Einzbern homunculus.”

“An Einzbern homunculus, you said? Are you sure?”

“Well, Saber couldn’t provide a specific name, but she had the face of her target in her mind, and what she described seemed like a dead ringer for a female Einzbern homunculus. Long white hair, white skin, red eyes. Your reaction makes me think this somehow connects with what you have to say.”

“You’d be correct. You see, I have encountered no less than three female Einzbern homunculi related to this war, though only two were Masters and among those two, only one fit the description you gave. The Master who fits the description was accompanied by her mother who looks identical. That mother was actually the Lesser Grail of the last war who apparently survived. It was quite a surprise to see her again. It was also rather awkward since I had attempted to kill her once.”

Three Einzbern homunculi. That’s strange. Even if the homunculus from the last war still lived, there should only be two. Also, shouldn’t the homunculus from the last war have transformed into the Lesser Grail? The war kept getting more complicated. Rin would need to go over everything multiple times in her head just to keep it all straight.

“So the two candidates for Saber’s target are working together. That makes things simpler. Did they seem dangerous? Also, what about the third homunculus? What’s their situation?”

“The third homunculus isn’t working with the other two and seems actively hostile towards them. I'd rather wait to talk about her. As for the pair, they seemed perfectly amicable. I’d even call them good people. But, they told me some things that carried strong implications.”

“Such as?”

“Well, the mother who was the Lesser Grail of the last war, her name is Irisviel von Einzbern by the way, said she nearly turned fully into the Lesser Grail but managed to wrench back control and remain herself.” That was possible? Rin doubted that the Einzberns intended their vessels to be capable of resisting the transformation. “Because of that experience, she was able to see inside the Greater Grail. What she found was that the Grail was polluted.”

“What do you mean by polluted?”

“Normally, the Greater Grail is ‘colorless.’ It is merely a device meant for granting wishes and reaching the Root. But, if the homunculi are to be believed, some sort of accursed existence has entered the Grail and now acts as its will. This corruption has no desire beyond the eradication of life. Any wish made on the Grail will be perverted into a vector for causing destruction. What’s worse, the thing inside the Grail wants to be born into this world, which would undoubtedly lead to humanity’s extinction. Of course, all of this can not be proven beyond Irisviel von Einzbern’s words.”

The Grail was corrupted by some evil force of destruction? That sounded almost cartoonish. “That's absurd. How could the Grail be corrupted and you not know about it? You’re the overseer.”

“Well, the only way to know for sure would be to visit where the Greater Grail physically rests, but I’m not allowed to do so. Since the Masters would correctly suspect that I know where the Greater Grail is, I’m constantly being surveilled, even outside of the Holy Grail Wars. They want me to go to the Greater Grail so they can follow me and steal the Grail after I leave. So, I can never actually visit the Greater Grail outside of emergencies.”

“I see. All you have to go off of is that one homunculus’ word, right? They had no other proof?” If they’re right, that means the world is in genuine danger. But, there’s so little evidence.

“You are correct. I didn’t completely believe them, but it was also such an outlandish claim that it seemed too bizarre to be a lie. If they wanted to deceive me, I believed they would have gone with something more grounded and easy to accept. So, I decided I would do some investigating and to alert the Masters of the potential threat. But, if your Saber is correct and one of the Einzbern homunculi are a threat, then it’s possible their claims really are some sort of deception. They said they wanted to know the Grail’s location so they could destroy it because it was dangerous, but they may just want to gain control of it.”

“That sounds most likely. It can’t be a coincidence that a Counter Guardian has been summoned to kill an Einbern homunculus while two of them are trying to dismantle the Holy Grail War.”

“Indeed. That said, I still plan to investigate if it’s possible for the Grail to be corrupted. I’ve been researching the events of the past Holy Grail Wars and contacting anyone within the Holy Church who’d have any information about this. I’ve also tried using some contacts I have in the Mage’s Association to gather info for me as well. The homunculi lack substantiation for their claims and you’ve made me call them into further question, but we can’t be too careful.”

It was extremely unlikely, but on the off chance the Grail really is corrupted, then it needed to be dismantled and the Holy Grail War cancelled. Rin really hoped that wouldn’t happen. She had been preparing for this war for the last ten years. She wanted to avenge her father and complete the task he passed on to her. It was essentially her life’s goal. Actually, even if Rin won the war, what would she do afterward? She hadn’t thought that far ahead. She’d probably just focus on completing the Second Magic and protecting Sakura. Would Rin be satisfied with that?

“That’s fair. Can you tell us where they’re residing?”

“The location of the homunculus pair is something I don’t know. The third homunculus I have suspicions as to where she is staying, but she seems to be no threat so I can’t tell you where. The fact that I’ve alerted you to the fact that two Master’s are Einzbern homunculi is technically breaking the rules already.”

Why couldn’t Kirei be a cheater? Having the help of an overseer would make this war a shoe-in. Then again, it wouldn’t be very gratifying to win that way. Rin would probably have rejected Kirei’s offer in the first place because of that.

“Can you tell me anything about her? It’s strange that there are three homunculi involved in this war.”

“Well, I’ll tell you a little of what I know about both groups. The Lesser Grail from the last war had a daughter who is the homunculus she is with. They were rejected by the Einzberns due to Irisviel’s failure to acquire the Grail for them last war. The third homunculus is the new homunculi the Einzberns created for this war. But, even that situation is complicated.” It really just is an ocean of complications. “You see, this third homunculus killed the rest of the Einzbern family.”

“What?” Rin said that louder than she intended. The Einzberns were dead? How was that possible? “Why did she do that?”

“Apparently this particular homunculi did not enjoy the more brutal methods the Einzberns used to raise her.”

“Well, if they’re anything like the Matous, I can understand.”

“At this point, all three of the Founding Families are but shadows of what they once were.” Kirei definitely found joy in saying that.

“But, the Tohsakas survived, they will survive.” Rin said, more to strengthen her resolve than anything else. The Matous and Einzberns had crumbled. Who’s to say the same couldn’t happen to the Tohsakas. Rin couldn’t let that happen.

“Of course.”

So, to recap, Saber has no memories and is a Counter Guardian summoned to kill an Einzbern homunculus who’s a threat to humanity. There are three Einzbern homunculi related to this war, two of them being Masters. One that’s a Master and one that isn’t are working together and claim the Grail is polluted and want to destroy it. Also, the third homunculus who’s the other Master killed the majority of the Einzbern family. This was madness. Did Rin’s father have to go through this kind of insanity?

“Thank you, Kirei, for telling me about the Einzberns and for everything else you’re doing.”

“It’s simply my duty. I still have to tell some of the other Masters about what the homunculi told me, so let’s end this here. Good luck, and be safe.”

“I will, thank you. Talk to you later.”

After she hung up the phone, Rin took a moment to absorb everything she had learned. She was on the brink of information overload. Rin needed to figure out how to present all this information to Sakura and Saber in a diegetic way.

Upon organizing her thoughts and recentering herself, Rin entered the dining room where her sister and Servant waited.

“Rin, what did Kirei say?”

Starting with a sigh, Rin told Sakura and Saber everything she had learned from her conversation with Kirei. Sakura had many of the same reactions Rin did. Saber stayed quiet with a neutral expression.

“That was a lot.” Sakura wasn’t wrong. “I mean, for now at least, I guess we should continue as normal for now and keep an eye out for the Einzberns.”

“That’s all we can do.” Saber said. “As such, we should probably start strategizing for the Grail War.”

“I agree. We’ve put off deciding on our approach to the Grail War for too long. So, let’s start discussing.”

The Grail War hadn’t properly started yet and there had already been numerous complications, but it was fine. Everything would be fine. As long as Rin and Sakura were together, they could handle anything thrown their way, even some humanity annihilating evil. Together, they were invincible, and they would always be together. Rin swore to never leave Sakura’s side and that was a promise she would never break.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 3: More than a Grail

Irisviel von Einzbern stared at a great mound of corpses, ones that had dead expressions. Well, calling them truly deceased seemed inappropriate, since they can hardly be said to have ever lived. All those bodies, strewn atop each other without even the dignity of any clothing, were identical to Irisviel.

They were what she could have been. They were her sisters, her predecessors, her prototypes.

Tears welled up in her eyes, tears born from horror at the surreal sight of her own image dead and in droves, but also pity for their sorry state. Most of all, she was experiencing a feeling of understanding, understanding that she was as disposable as they were, a mere vessel, a tool that could only be used once before getting thrown away.

“Are you crying? Are you mother?” Illyasviel was looking up at her. Her daughter, Her precious daughter. They were in her bedroom. “Hey, mother, I had a scary dream.” Her daughter hugged her. “I had a dream where I turned into a cup, and then I dreamed that these seven gigantic lumps started to come into my body.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Irisviel barely got the words out as she held her daughter, tears gently falling down her face. “I would never let that happen. I promise that will never happen to you, Illya.” Dark snow fell from the ceiling as the room started getting covered in black. “I know in my heart that you will be released from the shackles of fate.”

The black snow fell as Irisvile looked upon the pile of her predecessors, all their eyes fixed on her. Their bodies were getting covered in the darkness. Irisviel saw one of them smile.

The mud was rising towards her, surrounding her in a dome shape. “Am I inside the Holy Grail? Why is this happening?” The ground below her was now a corrupt mud. From that mud came small arms like those of infants. They grabbed at her, pulling her into the manifested impurity. There were too many to fight back against. She was fully submerged in the filth.

“Who am I?”

Inside her seeped the corruption, and she knew what the Holy Grail truly was. The omnipotent wish granting device was infected. No possessed. No it was supplanted. Its will was replaced, or rather it was given one. It was once just an esoteric machine, but now it housed the hatred of a being so great that it became a vector for destruction.

It wanted to be born into the world, and when it did, it would kill all of humanity. That was what it desired, what it existed to do.

Irisviel was dissolving. Her individuality was being wiped away. She sunk deeper and deeper into the mud, five of seven lumps weighing her down.

Irisviel felt the hatred be injected into her mind. She felt angry. She wanted to destroy everything. All that she once deemed beautiful was now seen through a nihilistic lens that made only the imperfections stand out. She knew all the reasons why humanity would be better off not existing.

She thought of Kiritsugu Emiya, and all she saw was the horrible things he had done to achieve his childish, unrealistic dream.

She thought of Artoria Pendragon, and all she saw was another fool who wasted her time hating herself and being disconnecting from all around her for the sake of more idiotic ideas of what’s best for the world.

She thought of Illyasviel von Einzbern.

Illyasviel.

Illya.

Her daughter.

The daughter she had to protect, the one she couldn’t let go through the horrible experience of being a weapon for the Einzberns only to be dissolved into a bottomless cauldron of hate.

Irisviel fought against the Greater Grail’s attempted distillation and filtering of her personality. If she had been killed at this point, killed at the hands of a priest as she was in another timeline, she would lack the energy to fight back, but she was still alive. Her will persisted, and so she swam up against the great weight of the ever increasing mud above her. As the limbs of her willpower became ragged and weak, as the corruption made he feel that there was no point, that Illya couldn’t be saved, that she should just die, rest, and fade away, Irisviel remembered the husband she loved who wanted to save the world, the kind and gallant knight who made her last few days a joy, and the daughter she would give anything to protect.

Irisviel von Einzbern would not be consumed by the Grail, not when she had so much to live for.

The woman breached the surface of the mud. Light came that should have stung her eyes, but instead invigorated her and made her mind clear.

Irisviel felt her body again. She still had her humanoid form. She had absorbed five Heroic Spirits at this point. The Grail should be activated in a limited capacity. She should have been nothing but the Lesser Grail, but her will was strong enough to resist the transformation. If she had been killed, she wouldn’t have the willpower necessary to keep on existing at this point, but she was still alive. This may have been a malfunction in her design. She wasn’t created to have emotions. They were something she learned from being with Kiritsugu. The Lesser Grail inside her wasn’t built to overcome emotions that could get in the way of its programming.

Irisviel awakened to see she was atop a table. That table was on a stage in a great hall. She must have been in the Fuyuki Civic Center since it was one of the places the Grail could be invoked. She wasn’t sure because the area was almost completely decimated. Fragments of chairs and walls all over the place while hanging seating areas had crashed to the ground.

There were also loud bangs resonating through the air. Sounds like metal against metal, like objects crashing into things.

Irisviel propped herself up onto her elbow to get a better look at the area. Standing with his back to her was Archer. The golden man stood with a conceited calm as he fired Noble Phantasms at two individuals.

They were Saber and Kiritsugu, the knight having to put her all into deflecting the oncoming projectiles while Kiritsugu dodged them by pushing his time dilation magecraft to the limit. Both were covered in wounds. Saber in particular had multiple weapons sticking out of her. The kniught winced with every movement but kept going nonetheless. Kiritsugu was better off thanks to having Avalon inside him, but it was a losing battle at this rate.

Irisviel didn’t know the details of how this situation came about. The last thing she remembered was Maiya getting killed while trying and failing to save the homunculus from getting kidnapped by Archer. The golden Servant knocked Irisviel out, but that didn’t matter. She needed to tell everyone the truth of the Grail.

“Stop fighting! The Holy Grail is corrupted!”

The fighting paused as everyone faced Irisviel, surprised to see she was conscious.

“Irisviel!”

“Iri!”

“What do you mean the Holy Grail is corrupted?” Gilgamesh did not find this amusing.

“My mind was absorbed into the Grail, I was nearly destroyed, but I managed to free myself. The Grail has been corrupted! There’s something inside it that has turned it into a device that only destroys! If you were to have it grant you a wish, it would do it through the most destructive means possible!”

Both Kiritsugu and Saber had a similar reaction, shock at what Irisviels was telling them. Her awakening was already sudden. To be told that the thing they had been fighting for was evil was even more staggering. This was followed by a pained struggle to accept this new truth. Both of them had dedicated themselves to their dreams, ones they were willing to sacrifice much for, that they had already sacrificed much for, but now it was made clear to them that it was all for naught.

“Destroy me!” Irisviel yelled. “The corruption inside the Grail wants to enter the world, we can’t let that happen. Destroy my entire body before the Greater Grail is properly invoked!” Irisviel winced as she felt a pang as the five weights inside her became heavier. “I don’t know how long I can last!”

“Irisviel, there has to be another way!” Saber was too kind, she had lost so much.

Kiritsugu’s reaction was more internal. He was at war within himself over his desire to save Irisviel, and his desire to save the world.

Gilgamesh had been quiet, but finally decided to speak. “The Grail is corrupted you say? Well, now I am more intrigued. As a mere tool for wish granting, I only held interest in it as much as it is something valuable, and thus inherently mine. If it truly has the potential you say it does then it has become far more interesting.”

“Archer, you don’t understand! The Grail could destroy all life on Earth and you with it!”

“You dare claim the Grail’s power could overcome me? You don’t understand your role. You are a mere vessel.” Gilgamesh opened a golden portal behind him. A spear floated through with its tip pointed at Irisviel. “From what I understand, you don’t need to be alive to continue your duty as a vessel. I’ll kill you and get rid of that superfluous personality of yours.”

Kiristugu sharply inhaled and, in a moment of desperate emotion, put a hand in front of his torso. A golden light shined from his body’s trunk as a scabbard floated out. “Saber!” He tossed it at his Servant.

“Avalon?” Saber caught it. “Why-”

“Just use it, save Iri!”

Saber nodded, her expression becoming one of determination.

Archer glanced back at the commotion behind him. “What’s that? I can tell it is an implement of great quality, as befitting my Saber. But, do not think it will change anything, mongrel.”

The golden man turned to face his opponents once more. He opened many more portals. Between Archer and Irisviel was a wall of golden ripples from which hundreds of Noble Phantasm peaked out towards Kiristugu and Saber.

Irisviel couldn’t see what was happening, but she heard Saber yell out “Master!” before all the weapons fired off and everything in front of Archer was covered in a cloud of dust.

“As if a single Noble Phantasm could allow one to stand up to my treasury.”

Bursting from the fog came Saber. Her body was missing the weapons that were once impaled into it. She was now dressed in a bounded field of golden light that cut her off from the world. She swung Excalibur’s glittering blade at Archer as the field vanished.

The armored man dodged to the side with a jump and reached into his treasury. He pulled out a key that transformed into a sword with a cylindrical ‘blade.’ As the weapon rotated and red energy that warped space itself gathered around it, chains shot out from ripples in the air around Saber.

“Avalon!” The chains tried to hold her yet the golden light returned and they failed to affect Saber. She ran at Archer and severed the arm that held the bizarre weapon.

The golden man’s composure broke. He looked genuinely distressed. Archer wrapped chains around himself and pulled himself out of Saber’s range while having one chain grab his dropped weapon. Artoria charged Excalibur all the while. Little particles of light rose up from all over the hall. There was a sense of peace about Artoria as time seemed to slow down. “This is your true Noble Phantasm! The land of the fairies, cut off from the rest of the world!” Archer unleashed a storm of Noble Phantasms while a pillar of radiance rose from Artoria’s blade, piercing through the ceiling. The wind whipped about as debris was blown away and Irisviel nearly got flung off the table she sat on.

As Avalon’s light left, Excalibur’s replaced it. “Ex-” Gilgamesh grabbed the cylinder sword, but it was too late. “-calibur!”

The blade of light swung down, destroying all of the oncoming Noble Phantasms and consuming Archer’s body. The golden man was wiped away by an even more brilliant gold color that destroyed him in his entirety. The light, despite its brightness, was too brilliant to look away from, even more so than when Irisviel first saw it.

The legendary slash cut a massive gape into the building and reached the clouds, parting them and leaving a wide enough space in the sky you could fit a country’s width in it.

Archer was gone.

Before any words could be said, Irisviel felt the sixth lump enter her and she groaned in pain. She felt herself being pulled back towards the mud.

“Irisviel!” Saber ran to her. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t fight it anymore. My personality is going to dissolve and the Greater Grail will be summoned. You have to destroy me before that happens.”

The mud was creeping back in and dripping all over Irisviel’s mind. It’s disgusting touch was polluting her being.

“No! There has to be another way!”

“Saber, there’s no time! As long as I’m connected to the Greater Grail, it will eventually consume me and be summoned!”

“Can you break the connection?”

“No!”

The mud was piling higher. It felt like it was about to overflow. Irisviel’s body began to be consumed in ethereal fire.

“Irisviel!”

Soon, the homunculus known as Irisviel von Einzbern would be burned away and all that would be left would be the Grail.

Saber’s look of fear and frustration turned to resolution again. Avalon materialized in her hand.

“Saber, Avalon’s healing won’t be enough.”

“It’s not its healing ability that we need.” The scabbard was pushed into Irisviel’s body. As it entered her, the homunculus could feel it vainly try to heal her, to fight back against the pollution. But, there was no effect.

The flames grew larger. Irisviel would be gone soon.

Saber put a hand on Irisviel’s chest. “Avalon!”

Avalon’s light, the light that was the garden where the fairies dwelled. Avalon was a conceptual weapon that cut its user off from the rest of the world, and that ability could theoretically be used to cut off unwanted connections.

The lumps inside Irisviel seemed to get pushed out, as was the mud that was about to paint over her existence. Irisviel felt a sense of peace, cleanliness. The hateful hand of the Greater Grail lost its grasp on her and retreated to wait for a new vessel, failing to be fully invoked this Holy Grail War.

The light faded, as did the flames, and Irisviel panted heavily. Those brief moments where her body was freed from the Grail’s hold felt like days merely due to the intensity of the moment.

Looking herself over, the homunculus found it hard to accept her reality as truth. Irisviel began to cry tears of joy. She was allowed to live. Years before the Fourth Holy Grail War even began, she had accepted she would not live past it. Since birth, she knew she existed merely to be a vessel and die, lacking the self-awareness to even question that fact. Upon meeting Kiritsugu, she learned to truly be a person, but she still knew and accepted the fate that she would die to be the Grail’s vessel for the sake of Kiritsugu’s dream.

Now, here she sat, presented with a future she never truly considered, one where she lives.

Wrapping her arms around Saber she wailed, an unexpected happiness washing over her.

Saber reciprocated silently.

But, she didn’t let it last long.

While Irisviel was still sobbing, Saber gently pushed her away. “Irisviel, I’m sorry, but he doesn’t have much time.” Irisviel was scooped up into Saber’s arms. She jumped off the crumbling stage and over to a spot where many bloody pieces sat.

“Kiritsugu!” Irisviel got out of Saber’s grasp and fell to her palms and knees as she stared at what remained of her husband. He was alive, but he wouldn’t be for much longer. The only parts of him that weren’t completely liquified were his upper torso and his head. Even those parts weren’t in good shape. “No, this can’t be happening!” She put her hands before her chest as a light came from it.

“Avalon can’t heal me. Not at this point. Not fast enough.” A raspy whisper came from Kiritsugu.

“Kiritsugu! Please, we need to try!”

“Iri, please, I don’t want my final moments to be watching you struggle in vain.”

“Kiritsugu, I can’t live without you! You made me who I am! If it weren’t for you, I’d just be another emotionless homunculus! I need you! Illya needs you!”

“You’ll both be okay. You’re strong.”

“Why did this have to happen! I was the one who was supposed to die, not you! Saber should have saved you, not me!”

“Don’t say that. You deserve to live far more than me. Unlike me, you didn’t kill so many, commit so many atrocities for a pipe dream.”

“You were just doing your best, no one can blame you!”

“You’re kind Iri. Illya needs a mother like you, not a father like me.”

Irisviel was moaning as she put her hands on Kiritsugu's face and gently kissed him one final time.

He smiled. “Thank you.” He painfully turned his head towards a somber looking Saber. “Saber, no, Artoria Pendragon. I know I don’t deserve to request anything from you, but-”

“There is no need to apologize. We may have had our differences, but in the end you showed you are not a machine, but a human. You’re a man who was willing to sacrifice himself for the woman he loves. I am honoured to have been your Servant, and I’ll fulfill your last request no matter what.”

“You’re also kind. I ask that you stay with Iri. It will cost more mana from Iri than normal, but if we transfer my Command Spells to Iri, she can be your Master and you can stay in this world. I want you to protect and take care of her. She still doesn’t know so many things about the world and I don’t know what the Einzberns will do at this point. Please protect her, and Illya too. I want to make sure Illya can live a happy, peaceful life. Can you do that for me?”

“Absolutely, my Master. As a knight, Irisviel will be my lady, and both her and your daughter will forever be in my care.”

“Thank you. Find my arm. I saw it intact somewhere nearby. We’ll transfer the Command Spells.”

They did just that, or rather Saber did while Irisviel continued to mourn. A sting hit her hand once the Spells transferred.

“Another request. Collect my body and turn all my bones into Origin Bullets. Give them to Illya and teach her to use firearms. It’ll be the best weapon to protect herself, even against those stronger than her. Also, I think my Magic Crest is intact. When she’s ready, transfer it to her.”

“Okay.” Irisviel said between hiccups.

“Good.” Kiritsugu laughed lightly. “I finally did something good that didn’t hurt anyone. I just took being killed for me to do it. Maybe it's karma or some-” Kiritsugu’s eyes lost any light they had left. He was dead.

Irisviel cried and cried as Saber held her tight.

The Fourth Holy Grail War had reached an end.

***

Despite the heating of the car, Irisviel still felt cold as she stared out the lightly frosted window. The outside was a blizzard, as it always was around the Einzbern castle.

Irisviel was returning home. Saber was driving through the forest. Irisviel wasn’t in the mood to take the wheel herself. The gloom of Kiritsugu’s passing was still draped over her like a veil. She half expected she’d end up losing focus and crashing if she was allowed to drive.

She just needed to reunite with Illya. Irisviel may have lost Kiritsugu, but she still had Illya. She had to get back to her. That’s all she needed.

“Irisviel, do you wish to talk?” Saber seemed hesitant to speak. She was unconfident in a way that didn’t befit her.

“Talk about what?”

“Anything you want to. You seem…trapped in your own thoughts right now. If you want to talk about them, I’ll listen, though I don’t know how helpful I could be beyond that.” Irisviel didn’t say anything. Saber was trying to make sure Irisviel was okay and the homunculus appreciated that, but she really didn’t understand what she was even feeling. All her attention was stuck on Kiritsugu and Illya. “We could also talk about other things. Normal things.”

“Do you even know what things are normal for people to talk about?”

Saber looked away to hide her blushing. “Of course I do.”

“Name some then.”

“…Food. Weather…and family things. Games. Music.”

“When you say games, what do you actually mean?”

“Games like…running around and…pretending to fight. Also playing with toys, like wooden swords.”

“Swords you run around with pretending to fight?”

“Potentially.”

“Was that what most of your childhood was?”

“Potentially.”

Saber’s ears were getting redder and redder. Irisviel couldn’t suppress her giggles. Her knight sometimes seemed like she could do anything. Then the next moment, she was adorably awkward. “I’m sorry for laughing. Thank you, Saber. I respect your attempt at trying to make me feel better.”

“You say attempt, but your laughing implies I succeeded.” Saber regained some composure and even looked pleased with herself for a job well done. There was a competitive instinct in her, and making Irisviel laugh was a marker of her victory over her.

Irisviel began adjusting in her seat as she felt the magical energy of the Einzbern estate’s main Bounded Field. “Stop the car. We’re approaching the Bounded Field. I need to open a path or it’ll try to repel us and the Einzberns will think we’re intruders.”

Without a word, Saber slowled the car to a gentle stop. Irisviel made sure she was bundled up well before getting out of the car and walking in front of it. She faced the invisible barrier and began reciting the incantation necessary to ‘unlock’ it.

But, it didn’t work.

Irisviel felt a bead of sweat slide down her face despite the cold. She tried the incantation again, making doubly sure she spoke every word perfectly. It still failed. She tried a third time. Still nothing. It was as if the ‘lock’ had been changed so her ‘key’ no longer fit.

Irisviel stepped closer to the Bounded Field. “Hello? It’s me, Irisviel! I’ve returned from the Holy Grail War.” There were definitely familiars acting as surveillance, listening and reporting to Grandfather Acht. “It’s me, Irisviel von Einzbern! I can’t get through the Bounded Field! Can someone open it for me?”

“Irisviel, what’s wrong?” Saber had exited the car.

“I can’t open a path through the Bounded Field for some reason.”

“Irisviel.” That voice. Grandfather Acht. Some snow rose up and piled together. As if clay in a master sculptor’s hands, the snow took shape. The snow sculpture looked like Grandfather Acht. It was a weak instant homunculus that Grandfather could speak through.

Irisviel got on one knee, ignoring the frigid touch of snow. “Hello, Grandfather. I’ve returned from the Holy Grail War. I’m sorry, but I failed to seize victory and complete the Heaven’s Feel, but I have good reason.”

“I have no interest in your excuses.”

Irisviel’s head raised up. “Wait, it isn’t an excuse. The Grail was polluted by a dark presence. It makes it a weapon of destruction.”

“Do you have any proof?”

“Well, n-”

“Of course you don’t. You really expect me to believe the Grail is evil or some such nonsense. If that was so, why are you still here and not destroyed by it? Why didn’t Fuyuki become devastated in the war’s aftermath?”

“It’s because I was able to maintain my individuality even after having enough Heroic Spirits absorbed to become the Grail.”

“That isn’t possible. Once you absorb five or more spirits, you transform into the Lesser Grail.”

“I swear it’s-”

“Your word has no worth to me. From where I stand, it seems convenient that the end result of the war was one where you get to live, almost as if you actively shirked your duty to the Einzberns and abandoned the Grail.”

“That’s not what happened!”

“I’m done listening. You are no longer a part of the Einzbern household, Irisviel. Now leave.”

“Wait, what about Illya?” Irisviel sprung to her feet.

“We anticipated you might fail so we began the proper surgeries and rituals necessary to make Illyasviel our next vessel and Master, our greatest one yet.”

“No, you can’t do that! You can’t take her from me!” Illya was all Irisviel had left. If she couldn’t be with her, IIrisviel may not be able to bring herself to live anymore.

“She isn’t yours. You don’t have anything. You were a tool, and you weren’t sufficient, so we’ve gotten a new one.”

“She’s my daughter, you can’t take her!” This couldn't be happening. This absolutely couldn’t be happening.

“And what will you do if I don’t? Sick your Servant on me? King Arthur may be powerful, but the defenses of the Einzbern Castle are more than enough to repel even her.”

“You must be quite arrogant to think so little of King Arthur.” Irisviel felt a hand on her shoulder, turning to see Saber. “If you really possessed such power, why haven’t you won a Holy Grail War yet?”

“We have prepared a myriad of defense mechanisms that are specifically designed to send Servant’s such as yourself back to the Throne of Heroes. We have automated traps that perform amplified versions of the church’s Baptism Rite that will evaporate you at the slightest touch. You may be a hero, but you’re just a ghost of one.”

Saber smiled. “It's unfortunate for you that the nature of my contract with the Grail makes it so I was summoned from before my death. I am a Living Spirit, and thus the rites you use are far weaker than normal when inflicted upon me.”

“What?”

Summoning her Invisible Air, Saber sliced the snow homunculus in twain, the wind dispersing the white powder.

“Saber.” As the knight summoned her armor, Irisviel felt entranced.

“Irisviel, wait here. Actually, get the car ready so we can make a quick getaway once I’ve retrieved Illyasviel.”

“Wait, Saber, that’s dangerous! The castle is full of evil spirits and golems and other things that could overwhelm you! They’re expecting you so they’re probably readying even more traps and weapons!”

Saber looked Irisviel in the eye. “I promised Kiristsugu that I would take care of both you and Illyasviel, and I intend to keep that promise. Even if I didn’t make such a vow, I want you to be happy, Irisviel. You and Illya deserve that much, and far more. Irisviel, you are a lovely person, one with kindness overflowing. You’re a woman who adores the act of living itself, who makes the mundane an exciting experience, such is your enthusiasm for even the slightest freedoms. Your spark doesn’t deserve to die. And, if Illyasviel is anything like you, she is a child who’s just as immaculate and deserving of the best the world has to offer.”

The snowflakes seemed to stop in the air. Irisviel felt the charisma of Artoria Pendragon and her heart thumped faster than before. Such kindness and bravery. It reminded Irisviel of Kiritsugu. It reminded her of why she loved Kiritsugu.

Tackling through the Bounded Field and dashing towards the castle at speeds so great that Irisviel couldn’t see what happened, the homunculus still knew what Saber’s enchanting visage looked like as she ran through the blizzard. She was like a missile, yet also like an elegant hero. The snowflakes got caught in her golden hair, but melted soon after from the intense heat born from Saber’s speed and magical energy. She kept the unbearable cold away with the warmth of her being.

Shaking her head, Irisviel started up the car again and turned it around so she could immediately drive off with Saber and Illya when they got back.

They would come back, right?

Saber had been gone a while.

How long had Irisviel been waiting?

They were going to come back.

But, what if they didn’t?

Would Irisviel just sit there, forever waiting until she perished?

Maybe she’d actually build the will to try and start a new life.

No, that wouldn’t happen.

But, Saber was going to come back, with Illya in tow. She would. She would. Irisviel was going to be reunited with her daughter and they’d escape the Einzberns and they’d make a new life somewhere and Irisviel would tell Saber how she feels and everything would be great. That was going to happen. It was.

No it wasn’t

Saber was going to die. Illya was going to become a tool of the Einzberns and live a life of suffering. It was all pointless. It wasn’t fair. Why was this happening? Why couldn’t the Einzberns just be reasonable? Why was everyone so terrible, so selfish? Irisviel wished everyone would just die.

No. Why was she thinking that? Was it stress? It was probably stress.

How long had Irisviel been waiting?

Irisviel was beginning to feel cold. The heating of the car didn’t stop the cold feeling that was overtaking Irisviel.

All Irisviel knew was despair. That’s all life was, despair.

That sound.

Irisviel looked outside the car and saw a cloud of kicked up snow. The wind blew the white mist away and revealed Saber, and in her arms, struggling to break free was-

“Illya!”

“Mother?” Illya stopped trying to free herself when she spotted Irisviel who was out of the car before she knew it. She pulled Illya out of Saber’s hold and held her tight. The little girl made a pained hiss upon her body being constricted by her mother. Irisviel loosened her hold and inspected her daughter’s form. Illya was covered in bandages, spots of red bleeding through the white.

The Einzberns said they had altered Illya’s body to make her the ultimate Master. These wounds must be the result. How many times had they performed surgery on her? How many times had they made her the center of inhumane rituals?

Irisviel wanted to destroy something. The rage inside her was boiling over. How dare they do this to Illya. The Einzberns had to pay. Saber should have used her Excalibur to obliterate the whole castle and everyone in it. Why didn’t Saber do that?

“Irisviel!” Saber had gotten behind the steering wheel. “Get inside, we need to go, now!”

The darkness in Irisviel’s mind pulled back and she complied. She got in the car with Illya and the car sped off. It seems whatever pursuers the Einzberns sent couldn’t keep up. Thank goodness.

Illya was looking around as she sat in Irisviel’s arms. She was confused about what was happening. But, she was safe now. Irisviel was warm again.

For a long while, the only sounds were the whooshing of the blizzard and the hum of the car’s heating.

“Mother, where’s daddy?”

A chill ran through Irisiviel before her body froze, as if she was just turned to stone. Irisviel had to tell Illya the truth. She had to. But, it would break Illya’s heart. She was still just a child. Plus, it would require Irisviel to think about what happened to Kiritsugu. Couldn’t she wait to tell Illya the truth? Just for a little while?

Irisviel was crying. She looked at the concerned face of her daughter and knew she couldn’t hide the truth. Illya deserved to know. The longer she waited, the more it would hurt them both when the truth came out.

They couldn’t run or hide. They had to confront reality.

“Illya, I’m sorry, but your daddy is gone. He’s dead.”

Illya just stared at Irisviel for a few moments. She was anticipating some clarification that would make it clear that Kiritsugu was alive, that what Irisviel said didn’t have the meaning it appeared to have.

But, no clarification came.

Illya clutched Irisviel’s body and began to cry. She wailed and Irisviel silently sobbed. Together they mourned the loss of Kiritsugu, the man who made their lives what they were.

Kiritsugu was gone, but they had each other. And, they had Saber.

***

“Are you ready Illya?” Irisviel asked her daughter.

After taking Illya from the Einzberns, Irisviel and Saber realised they’d need to go into hiding to avoid the Einzberns hunting them down to take Illya back. Taking up aliases, they moved to Denmark, buying a row house in Copenhagen using the large savings Kiritsugu had stored up. They also bought a wardrobe for Saber. Since Irisviel picked it out, it mostly consisted of more suits. Irisviel knew her preferences and Saber was comfortable with the homunculus’ tastes.

“Y-Yes. I’m ready.”

In their new home, the trio was about to perform a simple procedure that may be able to save Illya from her apparent fate.

Irisviel analyzed Illya’s body to figure out how she had been altered by the Einzberns, and she found that, in order to make her a more powerful Master for the next Holy Grail War, she now has to sleep twelve hours a day and her lifespan has shortened to the point that she won’t live to see adulthood. On top of all that, her physiology was already altered so she physically aged at an extremely slow rate.

Irisviel was heartbroken, despair seeming to come over her at the seemingly inevitable end of her daughter’s life before she even had a chance to really live. It wasn’t right. Why was the world so cruel to them? Was it because they were homunculi? Were they not loved by God the way normal humans were?

And that was when Saber had the idea to use Avalon to undo the negative effects Illysviel was afflicted with. By putting the sheath inside her, its healing abilities, powered by Saber’s continued existence, would counteract the afflictions and allow Illya to live as a normal girl.

As Illyal lied on the couch. Avalon floated above her, beginning to descend towards her. Irisviel clasped her hands and prayed to whoever would listen that this would succeed.

Avalon began entering into Illya and she made a squeaking sound. It did feel odd having an object enter your body and transfer to an entirely conceptual existence housed within one’s being.

“Tell me if anything starts feeling wrong.” Saber said.

“Okay.”

The sheath fully entered Illya and at first there was no discernable reaction.

“Illyasviel, do you feel anything?”

“Not yet. Is-” Illya began screaming and writhing out of nowhere.

“Illya!” Irisviel grabbed her daughter and turned to Saber. “Take it out of her!”

“Okay!” Saber was about to comply, but then noticed something. “Wait, Irisviel, look, her body!”

Illya’s body was growing. Avalon was working, it was countering the negative effects of her alterations. Saber and Irisviel watched as Illya slowly began physically shifting to her true age, around eight years old, all while Irisviel cradled her pained daughter and whispered in her ear about how it would be okay. She was suffering, but it would be okay. It would only be temporary, and then Illya would be okay.

The girl’s pain died down soon enough, her body completing its transformation to its true age. Irisviel continued to hold her daughter, rocking her back and forth until she fell asleep. It was best that she rested after such an intense experience.

Saber carried the sleeping Illya to her room, tucked her into her bed, and gently closed the door.

As soon as Saber turned around, she was dragged into a hug by Irisviel.

“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, Illya would be, wou-, I-, thank you. Just, thank you.”

Saber was Irisviel’s hero. When Kiritsugu passed away, Saber comforted Irisviel. When it seemed like Irisviel would lose her daughter, Saber reunited them. When Illya was ravaged by the experiments of the Einzberns, Saber found a cure for Illya’s afflictions. Saber was miraculous. She could do anything.

The legendary King Arthur could have been arrogant, cruel, selfish, believing she was above the problems of a mere homunculus. But, instead she was empathetic, giving, loving.

She truly deserved to be called a Heroic Spirit. She was enchanting. She made Irisviel’s heart beat faster, harder. Irisviel knew why.

Irisviel looked up at Saber’s face and noticed something.

“Saber, you’re blushing.”

Irisviel was looking Saber right in the face. Those big green eyes. Emeralds. No, emeralds were cloudy and dull in comparison to those eyes. Her hair was like gold, the little hair sticking up atop her head being absolutely adorable. Saber’s features were feminie yet masculine, possessing the best of both worlds. She had monopolized all forms of beauty and she didn't even know it.

The King of Knights’ eyes darted around. “Uh, I am feeling very uncomfortable right now. I mean, it’s not that I am unhappy, rather I am overcome with…something. I don’t know what to say.”

Irisviel narrowed her eyes in observation before breaking into a fit of giggles.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s just funny seeing the King of Knights get flustered from her first crush.”

Saber’s face was a blank canvas for a moment as an obvious realisation dawned upon her. “Oh. That’s what it is. That makes sense. I, I mean it feels like I should be denying it, but also that any of the reasons I’d have had to say your wrong are long gone. I don’t know, but I’ve felt strange lately. After I learned what the Grail really was, I felt strange. I think I’m going through some sort of change right now. This is a transition in my existence. This infatuation is part of it, I think. I’ve never fallen for anyone before, be they man or woman, not even Guinevere. Then again, I’ve never met a woman so…fetching? Arresting? Delightful?”

Irisveil’s guffawing died down. She felt her face warm up. She was blushing too now. Saber’s words were so powerful. King Arthur thought Irisviel was attractive. Quite the notch to have on her belt. “I like you, too. You’re so inspiring. So generous. So handsome, yet beautiful.”

“Irisviel.”

“I’m not against having some kind of relationship with you. The only reason I hesitate is, well, Kiritsugu passed so recently. I’m still mourning, and I feel like moving on so soon would be some kind of betrayal.”

“Irisviel, I honestly never knew Kiritsugu well enough to really judge whether or not he’d want you to move on, so there’s little I can say. What do you truly think he would feel about the possibility of there being something between us?”

“He would laugh. He was a stoic man, but he could find humor in silly things. He’d also say he’d want me to move on as soon as possible. He’d want what would bring me and Illya the most happiness. He was always thinking of others.” Irisviel’s nose was runny.

Pulling out a handkerchief, Saber handed it to Irisviel, who gratefully accepted it to dab at her nose and eyes.

“Such a gentleman.” They both chuckled and Irisviel hugged into Saber again. “I want to try. I want to see if we could be happy together, as more than friends.”

“I would as well.” Saber smiled back in a way Irisviel had never seen before.

***

“This is quite surreal.”

Two years after the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War and the beginning of their new lives, Irisviel, Illya, and Saber decided to take a vacation. They went to the United Kingdom to let Saber see what had become of her land.

They were visiting Glastonbury Abbey, standing before the supposed tomb of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. It wasn’t true, but it was still interesting for Saber to see a monument to her own life that attracted so many. Despite her perceived failings, she got to see how she had earned the respect of many in the modern era.

“I must admit I still hold regrets over Camelot’s fate and my part in its downfall, But, I’m happy to see with my own eyes that the land of Britain had prospered in the long run. I’m less pleased with some of its actions between my death and the present. Forming an empire and enslaving many people is one of the things that are rather objectionable, but that empire is gone for the most part at least.”

“Does it give you some closure, y’know, seeing that Britain’s survived so long?”

“Yes, I think it has. During the Fourth Holy Grail War, I was obsessed with acquiring the Grail and undoing my own reign. I placed all the blame on myself and thought that changing the past would make things better. After the Holy Grail proved tainted, a stake of despair pierced my heart. The reality hit me that I couldn’t undo my mistakes and I had to live with them. But, I’m more than my mistakes, the world is more than my mistakes. My duty isn’t to change the past and save Camelot. My duty is to protect you and Illyasviel, and I’m happy to dedicate my existence to that cause.” Irisviel saw the smile on Saber’s face. She was finally making some peace with herself.

Saber turned to see Irisviel staring at her. “What is it, Irisviel?”

“You just seemed happy. I like watching you when you're happy.”

“I feel the same way about you.” Their fingers intertwined as they held hands. They were in love. They couldn’t deny it. “I feel smitten like the maidens of chivalric romances, yet I’m supposed to be the one taking the role of knight.” Irisviel chuckled at that.

“Well, I can take the role of knight every once in a while, if you’d like.”

“That may be interesting, though I don’t know how good of a fair maiden I make.”

“You just don’t realise how fair a maiden you really are.”

“Maybe. Going from a king to a maiden, quite the shift. Though I’m not really a king anymore, anyway. This life may be simpler than my last one, but it may be the life I’ve always needed to truly be happy.”

“I’m happy you're happy.”

“Are you happy?”

“Of course. I’m with you right now, how could I not?”

As long as she was with Saber and Illya, Irisviel would be okay. Speaking of Illya, Irisviel turned to check on her daughter who was on a distant bench, tired from how much walking they had done that day. Irisviel noticed her daughter was looking at her and Saber. She was upset. It wasn’t like she was going to start crying or have a fit, but she was sad. Irisviel immediately keyed in on what the problem was.

Saber was looking at Illya, too. “I think she knows about our relationship, not that we’ve been especially secretive. Neither of us have actually talked to her about it. We can’t keep ignoring her feelings.”

“You’re right.” Irisviel and Saber walked over to Illyasviel. The King of Knights got down on one knee. “Illyasviel, how are you?”

“Fine.” The girl was staring at her hands. Her fingers wrapped around and pressed into each other as she fidgeted. She was nervous.

“You know me and your mother have been…in a relationship for a long time now, haven’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“How does that make you feel?”

“I don’t know.”

“Does it upset you?”

“I don’t know.”

Irisviel crouched down. “Are you mad at me? Do you think I’m trying to forget your father?”

“I don’t know.” Despite her words, it was clear Irisviel’s assessment was accurate.

“Listen, no one could replace your father. Kiritsugu will always hold a special place in my heart. I could never forget him, he’s the reason I have you after all.” Illyasviel slowly shifted her vision to look her mother in the face. “I’m just trying to find new happiness, okay?”

Illyasviel still seemed hesitant. Saber spoke up again. “Illyasviel, I have no intention of replacing Kiritsugu. I would never do such a thing, especially due to my respect for him as my former Master. I do love your mother, and I would never do anything to hurt her. I am a knight and she is my lady. It is my duty to put her best interest before my own. I also care about your feelings before my own. Illyasviel, if you really don’t want me to be with your mother, I will comply.”

The little girl shifted in her seat before speaking. “I want mom to be happy. If you make mom happy, then I want you to be with her.”

Saber smiled. “That’s very mature of you. Thank you.”

“Thank you Illya.” Irisviel hugged her daughter who reciprocated.

***

Irisviel was driving through the Welsh countryside, Saber holding her seat tight in the passenger side and Illya laughing happily in the back seat.

So much open space. Perfect for drifting. Irisviel rarely had a good excuse to really go all out behind the wheel. A nice flat area with nobody around was a paradise for Irisviel. She could go full throttle like she was a racecar driver.

“Irisviel, I trust your driving ability, but I still think this might be a little much when Illyasviel’s with us.”

“It’s fine.” Irisviel said breathily. “I know what I’m doing. Besides, if anything happens, Illya will be fine, you’re here to protect her, right?”

“I trust in your driving ability. You’re skilled enough that I’d believe you possessed the Riding skill. My issue is that I think this may be a bad influence on Illyasviel.”

“Do a drift, do a drift!” Illya said.

“You see what I mean?”

“It’s fine. We can deal with that later.” As the wild yet controlled driving continued, Saber became quiet. “Are you upset?” Irisviel began driving normally, feeling she had made Saber mad for what was probably a good reason in hindsight.

“No, it’s not that. I feel a connection. My magical energy is flowing out of me and into something else not too far from here. It feels similar to my connection with you as my Master.”

“Wait, what? Is it some kind of attack?” This was bad. They needed to get Illya somewhere safe. Should Saber grab Illya and run? Irisviel could catch up later, it was most important that Illya was safe.

“I don’t think so. It doesn’t feel like my magical energy is being pulled out of me as much as the magical energy I naturally expunge is travelling somewhere rather than dispersing into the environment like normal. I don’t think the culprit of this is doing so intentionally.”

“But, it’s still stealing your energy.”

“No more than I would release anyway. I’m not in any danger, I think. Can you stop the car, please?”

Irisviel compiled. She knew what Saber was going to do and she wasn’t fond of the idea. Saber opened the door and stepped out.

“I’m going to follow this link to its source. It would be unwise to ignore it in case it is a threat. Irisviel, take Illyasviel back to the hotel. Set up an extra Bounded Field. If anything happens, you can call me back with a Command Spell.”

“But, what if you end up in trouble?”

“If I’m not able to handle it on my own, I doubt there would be much you could do to help other than boost me with a Command Spell. If worst comes to worst, I’ll contact you telepathically to warp me to you with a Command Spell. I doubt that will be necessary, though. The top priority is making sure you and Illyasviel are safe.”

She was still thinking of others before herself. She never changes, but that’s also what caused her biggest failures. No, not the time for those thoughts.

“Okay, but be careful.”

“I will.”

“Be safe.” Illya said from the backseat.

Saber had a warm expression. “I will. Thank you, Illyasviel.”

With a grand kick off, Saber sprinted off so quickly the sound barrier broke. Irisviel drove back to the hotel with Illya. The whole drive there, Irisviel only thought of every possible thing that could go wrong. Maybe Saber’s magical energy would get completely siphoned off and she’d disappear. Maybe she’d face a Servant-level fighter and lose. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe whatever. Irisviel couldn’t keep thinking of everything that could go wrong. She’d give herself an anxiety attack at the rate she was going.

But, even when Irisviel and Illya were back in their hotel room and Illya was in her private room, Irisviel just kept pacing about, hands clasped. She pressed them into her chest so hard she half expected to hear her ribs crack. The sensation helped keep her mind off things. Actually, it really didn’t, but Irisviel wished it did.

This was the worst. Why did Saber have to be so reckless? She may have thought she was being altruistic, but what would happen if she got herself killed. Irisviel would be left all alone to raise Illya. Saber was her rock, her emotional support. Saber’s life wasn’t just her own anymore, but she was still willing to throw it away. She was so stupid.

Irisviel was going to be left to raise Illya all alone. Would she even be able to afford that? Kiritsugu had made a small fortune, but it wasn’t endless. She’d need to get a high paying job, but those all required college degrees. She barely had the equivalent of a highschool education because her stupid family was a bunch of hermits. She should have had Saber kill them all. They ruined her life. They gave her a life, one she never asked for, a life that’s just pain.

No, wait, stop. The dark thoughts. The dark thoughts kept coming back. Irisviel knew the cause. She’d been having them ever since that day, that event.

Could she tell anyone? Would they look at her the same? Would they be disgusted by how she had been tainted, at how she was dirty?

The Bounded Field. It detected someone. Saber. Saber and someone else. A child?

The front door opened. It was Saber, and she was holding the hand of a little girl in ragged clothing. She-she looked just like Saber, but her hair was silver. Her face was Saber’s, but younger. She was scared.

In the girl’s hand was a…cube? Did it have a face?

“Hey, this place ain’t half-bad. If we get to live in a place like this, we might actually get to feel like people of something. Wouldn’t that be the day?” The box spoke with an obnoxious voice.

“Hello, Irisviel. Uh, this is Gray, that’s her name, the little girl’s. Her name is Gray. She’s, well, she’s from a village I happened upon. She’s the one I felt-feel a connection with. The box is called Add. What happened was, I, Gray, how about you sit down on the couch over there. Irisviel, let’s talk privately in the other room.”

The timid child did as Saber suggested, sitting stiff on the cushions as if she wasn’t used to such soft seating. Wordlessly, Irisviel and Saber entered another room so they could speak privately.

“Who is she?” Irisviel spoke with a tone of annoyance that made Saber reel back slightly. The King of Knights was confused, off put, but continued.

“The village I happened upon was a cult. They were a cult dedicated to me.” Saber’s voice cracked when she said “me.” “They had a plan to try and resurrect me, their god. From what I figured out, the ritual they were planning was born from the machinations of my sister, Morgan le Fay. Gray, who I think is a descendant of mine, was meant to be my vessel upon rebirth. Around the time The Fourth Holy Grail War occured, her face morphed to mirror mine. I don’t know if that was intended or not, but either way, it set in stone what the plans of the villagers were.” Saber pulled out a wrapped up blade, peeling some cloth back to reveal it was a gold dagger. “This is Erosion. It was a weapon my sister used. It can sever the mind and soul from the body. They were going to remove Gray’s mind and soul so I could enter her, killing Gray in the process.” Saber was furious.

“What about Add?”

“As for Add, he’s a Mystic Code that actually contains my spear, Rhongomyniad. It preserves Rhongomyniad’s mystery so it is as strong as it was during my lifetime. It was meant to be my weapon upon my return.”

“I’m guessing you decided to foil the cult’s plans.”

“Yes, that’s why I took her away. Actually, the woman I presume was her mother wanted her to leave, as well. She seemed to understand what was best for Gray.”

“So, now what? You rescued her, what next?”

Saber was looking away, but managed to force herself to look Irisviel in the eye and speak with confidence. “I want her to live with us.”

“You want her to live with us?”

“Yes. Gray couldn’t stay there. One way or another, they would end up killing her.”

“I’m not disagreeing with you on that. I’m just wondering why you want us to take care of her. Why not put her up for adoption?”

“We can’t ensure she will go to a good home if we give her away. Also, I feel responsible for her. She wouldn’t have gone through what she had as that cult’s planned sacrifice if it weren’t for me.”

“Saber, you had no way of knowing a cult would form around you. You can’t blame yourself for this.”

“You’re right, I understand that, but I still want to take her in. I’m sorry, but please allow me to be selfish this one time.”

Irisviel sneered. “Selfish this one time? We came to the UK just for you. I would have rather gone somewhere else. This whole trip is for you and now you suddenly want to adopt a child when we already have Illya to deal with.”

Artoria was taken aback. “Irisviel, this trip was your idea, I never suggested we come here. Also, why are you talking about Illyasviel like she’s a burden? You’re not acting like yourself. Is something the matter?”

The spiteful anger that had possessed Irisviel vanished and the next thing she knew, she was crying.

“Irisviel, what’s wrong?” Saber was desperate to know what was happening with Irisviel.

“I’m so sorry.” Irisviel’s emotions were raw. “I’ve been trying to keep it a secret, I didn’t want you to leave, for you to take Illya away to keep her safe!”

“Please, Irisviel, take a deep breath and stop for a second.”

Irisviel cooperated, slowing her breathing and stopping her near hyperventilation. “Okay. Okay. Thank you. It’s just so much.”

“Take your time.” Saber put her hands on Irisviel’s shoulders. The homunculus held one of the hands offered to her and leaned her cheek against it.

“When I was absorbed and nearly killed by the Grail, its mud consumed my mind and soul. I managed to dig my way out, but I came out…warped. The rage and nihilism of the corruption got into me, molding me. Even after my body was cleansed, I was still changed. It made me closer to what the Grail is, closer to its ideology in its attempt to devour me. Now, everything has this lens over it, making it seem worthless. Everything that happens I end up perceiving in the worst way possible, the worst assumption being my instinctual reaction to everything. Every time I try to enjoy something, I hear my own voice telling me it’s worthless, that we all die in the end, that all the bad things in the world outnumber the good. I have to actively fight these instincts all the time just to be happy, just to not be hateful towards everyone around me. But, it just becomes too much sometimes. I’m…dirty.” Irisviel barely managed to get that last word out before breaking into dry sobs.

“Irisviel, you’re so strong.” Artoria cupped Irisviel’s cheek.

“What do you mean?”

“The Grail has made your life so hard, and yet despite its wounds trying to force you to hate the world, you manage to keep fighting. You’re a greater warrior than I could ever be.”

“But, I’m dirty. You and Illya shouldn’t be around me.”

“Irisviel, I’ll never abandon you. I’ll help you. Anytime you feel these urges become too strong, you can scream your hatred at me. You can purge yourself whenever the darkness overflows by slinging cruel words my way when we have a private moment, because I know that isn’t you, and when that isn’t enough, I’ll be there to help however I have to.”

“But, you deserve better! Kiritsugu didn’t tell you to stay by my side to endure something like this!”

“I’m not doing this because Kiritsugu asked me to. I’m doing this because I love you, Iri.”

Illyasviel’s mind became blank before she formed a smile that pierced through the anger, nihilism, and guilt, such was its strength. Tears that seemed to reflect the light and form rainbows of color poured down her face.

“I love you, too, Artoria.”

Neither had to say anything more as they pulled each other close and kissed.

***

“You’re such a bitch, you know that? You just go around acting better than everyone else, because you’re a knight but really you’re just so annoying and pretentious. God, I decided to live with you, I have to spend the rest of my life with you and I’m just passing the time away, day by day, and then I’m gonna die and nothing will have mattered and you’ll still be here because you don’t age. God, it’s so unfair.”

“Feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you.” Irisviel kissed Artoria on the cheek and they left their bedroom. Irisviel complaining to her beloved king was routine at this point as a way of releasing the built up anger and melancholy that she felt every so often as a result of having touched the Grail’s mud.

It has been five years since the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki. Irisviel and Artoria managed to get a civil union thanks to being residents of Denmark and they lived happily with their two children.

“Were you two having a good time in there? Honestly, in the middle of the day, and with your kids in the house? You couldn’t have waited until nighttime?”

Also, Add was there.

“Weren’t doing anything perverse, Add.” Artoria scolded.

“Perverse? I never said anything implying you were doing that. I just said you were having a good time. You’re the one with a dirty mind. Ihihihihihihihih!”

“You really are just like Kay. One the one had, you make me nostalgic for my youth, on the other, you remind me of why I found my brother so difficult to deal with.” Irisviel knew Artoria liked having Add around, even if she wouldn’t admit it.

“Add, stop bothering mom and mama.” Gray was timid, but she was able to be more assertive with Add. The seal for Rhongomyniad was kept in a purse that Gray always had on her when they were public, a purse Gray shoved Add into as punishment.

“Hey, let me out! The only time I get to be free is when we’re home, come on!”

“That doesn’t mean you get to talk about dirty things with mom and mama.”

Irisviel was mama and Artoria was mom by the way.

Said mama noticed mom was looking at Gray with the expression she usually had when the little girl wasn’t looking her way. Guilt.

Gray’s silver hair was nearly completely golden at this point, and her physique kept resembling Artoria’s more and more. Gray began changing almost immediately after she was adopted into the family. Upon some research, Irisviel and Artoria put together that the link between Artoria and Gray was due to Gray being an extremely distant relative of Artoria’s that was imprinted with the essence of the physical form of King Arthur. Due to the connection born by these two being alive at the same time, magical energy from Artoria kept flowing into Gray, causing Gray to slowly physically metamorphose into a copy of Artoria.

Irisviel and Artoria had been desperately researching magecraft that might be able to undo her transformation, but nothing has worked so far. One might think Avalon could use its ability to heal things or sever connections would be perfect to help Gray, but due to it being an artifact infused with the power of King Arthur, it would just accelerate the changes.

Gray noticed Artoria was looking at her and the child pinched a few of her golden locks, looking at them and a dour mood seemed to envelope her.

Their adopted child hated her changes. She left the village where she was born to forge her own identity, yet it seemed like she was losing more and more of what defined her as an individual. Her personality was still her own, but her body was not hers.

Artoria felt deep guilt due to this. She had told Irisviel so many times about how she felt like she was taking Gray’s identity away herself, like she had pried off Gray’s face and plastered on her own. She wanted to save Gray, but nothing they tried worked.

This led to a rift forming between Artoria and Gray. They didn’t hate each other, they weren’t rude to each other. Functionally, they were just a little bit distant at times, but they still got along. They still cared for each other and could have moments of closeness. But, Irisviel could see that there was always an understanding whenever they were together that due to Artoria’s existence, Gray was losing her own identity, and they both hated it.

They were on the same wavelength, yet they subconsciously refused to resonate.

“Gray, do you want to make some of that fudge you know how to make? It’s so good. I’ll make dinner, so you focus on that!” Breaking the awkward tension, likely intentionally, was Illya. Thanks to Avalon she was aging like a normal girl, looking like the thirteen year old she was.

“Oh, okay.” Gray perked up, happy to have an excuse to make her birth mother’s fudge.

Illyasviel always took care of Gray like a good big sister. She was Gray’s opposite, being very outgoing.

Gray and Illyasviel made their way towards the kitchen. Since Irisviel and Artoria both lacked any skill in cooking, it was up to their children to cook most meals, much to the couple’s embarrassment.

“Mom, don’t you have to get to work?”

“Right, sorry.” Artoria jogged over to grab her keys. She worked as a chauffeur, taking advantage of her riding skill and elegant charisma. She originally wanted to be a food taste tester, but that didn’t work out due to Artoria being better at the act of eating than describing flavours. It has since become an inside joke within the family.

Irisviel, for her part, worked at an inbound call center where she’s one of their best workers due to her pleasant personality.

“Mom, by the way.” Illya peaked out of the kitchen as Artoria kissed Irisviel on the cheek and was about to leave.

“If it's about making extra servings for me when I get back, the answer is always yes.”

“No, not that. I just wanted to remind you not to get too frisky with your clients.” Illya had a cheeky grin. “I know you like making the ladies swoon but mama’s still your wife.”

Artoria used to get flustered by Illya’s mischievous remarks, but now they just made her roll her eyes. Irisviel wondered if Illya was being influenced by Add or if it was just her nature.

“I’m heading out.”

“Bye, honey.” Irisviel watched her lovely Artoria leave, and despite the different struggles their family faced, she knew they were happy.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 4: _ the Faceless

The dark room. The room Gray spent most of her time in.

Gray was the idol of her village. She was the statue one prayed to. She was no different from the town’s Black Madonna statue.

Gray wasn’t Gray. Gray was the vessel for King Arthur. Her face wasn’t her face. She had King Arthur’s face. She was nobody. She was a placeholder. She was going to disappear. She was going to be ripped from her body to make way for King Arthur.

Why couldn't she have kept her old face? What if her old face never vanished to make way for King Arthur’s visage? What life would she have lived? Normal one. A meager one. A satisfying one. As long as she was herself and herself alone, she could find peace with whatever sort of life she lived. As long as she chose the path and made her own decision to walk down it, she wouldn’t regret anything.

But, that didn’t matter. Her face was lost in favor of King Arthur’s. She was the canvas that King Arthur’s existence would be painted on. Would King Arthur make the world a better place? Would it be worth it to lose it all for the sake of humanity? Was King Arthur anything like what the villagers said they were like?

It didn’t really matter to Gray. She wouldn’t live to see the results of King Arthur’s return. She would become nothing, mind and soul ripped out of her body. Would she go to heaven? Hell? Become a ghost? Just disappear?

Gray didn’t want to disappear.

If she disappeared, she would definitely be forgotten.

She was going to be forgotten.

Who would care if she disappeared? She was just the placeholder for King Arthur.

She didn’t matter.

The door opened.

It was mother. Wait, there was someone behind her.

A woman in a suit.

That face. It was Gray’s face. No, Gray had her face. It was King Arthur.

How? Gray was supposed to be the vessel of King Arthur. But, King Arthur was here. Her hair was like threads of gold and her eyes were as green as a grassy plain. She looked like a goddess.

Wait, did Gray not need to die? Could she keep her body? Would her face go back to normal?

“Is this her?” King Arthur’s voice was so strong, but not deep or harsh. It was just strong.

“Yes.” mother said.

King Arthur approached Gray and got on one knee. King Arthur was kneeling before Gray. This was actually happening.

“Hello. My name is Artoria Pendragon. I know this is sudden, but I’m here to take you away, to take you somewhere nicer.”

Somewhere nicer? Does she mean forever? What about mother? Is this when King Arthur would steal her body? Gray looked at her mother who smiled melancholically.

King Arthur extended a hand for Gray to take.

Gray didn’t know what to do. Would she be happier with King Arthur? If she went with them, would Gray just be following another path made for her rather than her own? Was King Arthur going to continue being the one who determined every aspect of Gray’s life? What would happen if Gray said no? Could she say no? Would she be punished?

Gray only knew one option she had, to take that hand. So, as always, she did as was expected of her, and she grasped that hand. King Arthur held Gray’s hand firmly, but not so much it hurt, though it was a little uncomfortable.

King Arthur took Gray away. Gray never returned to her village, not that she wanted to.

Gray began a new path, but did she choose it?

***

It had been two years since Gray had been adopted into her new family.

Mama was great. The greatest. She was nice and funny and always seemed to see the bright side of things. She was like sunshine in the form of a person. Plus, she was so pretty. Her white hair and red eyes stood out in the best way.

Illya was the best big sister Gray could have asked for. She was also really funny and nice, but in different ways. She was better at kid stuff, dealing with kid problems. If Mama couldn’t solve it, Illya could.

Neither of them were home at the moment. They were busy that day. Add was bored so they took him with them.

Meanwhile, mom was off that day, so Gray and mom were currently sitting on the couch, watching cartoons together.

Well, it was more like they happened to be in the same room and just so happened to be watching the same cartoon on the same tv. There was a distance between Gray and her mom, primarily because of a certain sticking point between them. It wasn’t a disagreement, yet it felt like just as much of a road block as one.

Gray looked like her mom, and as of late, she’s been looking more and more like her mom. Strands of her hair have started turning blonde and her body keeps shifting in ways that made her better match her mom’s body. Gray was transforming into her mom, physically at least. It wasn’t intentional, but a side effect of both of them existing at the same time.

The point of Gray leaving her village was to avoid being made into King Arthur, but it was happening anyway. Gray was still losing herself. Mom was trying to stop it, both her and mama. But, nothing they tried had worked so far. It wasn’t that mom was a bad person, but it still felt uneasy between them. Not volatile, but they both couldn’t avoid thinking about Gray’s changing appearance when they were around each other. They served as each other’s reminders of the encroaching substitution of Gray’s appearance. There was even the worry that the changes wouldn’t stop at the body, but creep into and warp Gray’s mind too.

So that was why the two were watching tv together and avoiding direct interaction. The awkwardness was so loud it could burst someone’s eardrums. Gray felt like she should say something, but she didn’t know what to actually talk about. Mom clearly felt the same kind of inner conflict.

“So, how has school been treating you?” Mom said. Her words broke the barrier between them so suddenly it made Gray jump in her seat. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay.” Gray said. “And school’s okay.”

“Just okay? Is there anything wrong?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“So why is it only okay and not good?”

“It is good. I said okay because it was just the word that I thought of first.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“Do you…do you have anything you want to talk about?”

“Not that I can think of.”

“I see. I’m sorry for bothering you while you're watching cartoons.”

“It’s fine. It doesn’t bother me.”

“…”

“…”

It was suffocating how uncomfortable things were.

Mom was trying to break through their anxiousness, Gray knew she was, but she wasn’t succeeding.

It was Gray’s turn to try. Gray decided to be more direct. It would waste less time.

“Mom, I’m turning into you.”

“I know.”

“I don’t like that I’m turning into you.”

“I know.”

“You don’t like that I’m turning into you, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Do…”

“…”

“Do you actually think I can be fixed? Do you really think I can get my old face back and I’ll stop turning into you?”

“Yes, I know we can restore your body.”

“But, how do you know?”

“I know because I refuse to let you be forced to look like me. I won’t let any future happen other than one where you can be in a body you're comfortable with.”

She didn’t actually know. She was trying to make Gray feel better. It wasn’t working because there was no actual logic behind mom’s confidence that Gray doubted was even genuine. Mom was convincing herself more than anyone.

“You don’t believe me?”

“No, I do.”

“You can tell me if you don’t.”

“I believe you.”

Mom scooched closer and wrapped her arms around Gray. “Listen, I know it seems hopeless, but I promise I will figure something out. Me and your mama will figure something out. Your mama’s a brilliant woman and if there’s anything I’m good at, it’s not giving up. We’ll figure something out.”

“I believe you.”

“…”

“…”

When did tears start falling from mom’s eyes?

When did tears start falling from Gray’s eyes?

***

Six years since Gray became a part of her new family. Her hair was now blonde with a few silver locks. She usually got confused for her mom’s sister when meeting new people.

Gray was home, sitting in front of a canvas. She trailed her brush across the white, granting it color. She turned her head to see her subject. Illya. She was posing on a stool, hands behind her head.

Illya was so different from Gray. So confident, so outgoing, so alive. Many people assume the opposite when they first meet the sisters. Illya has an appearance that leads many to assume she has albinism. She looks frail, and so people imagine her as frail. Of course, those people couldn’t be more wrong. Gray’s golden hair and bright eyes make people assume she’s bright, not the introvert she really is.

All because of how they look.

“Illya.”

“I am, in fact, Illya.”

“You look like mama.”

“And grass is green. And water’s wet.” Add was sitting on a nearby table, snarky as ever. “Oh, and get this, stuff exists! Can you believe it?”

“Add, did you know I often fantasize about running you over with our car?” Illya said.

“The worst part is I can imagine you actually doing that to me.”

“Anyway, I look like mama. What was your point, Gray?”

Gray stopped her painting. “How does looking like mama make you feel?”

“Feel how?”

“As in, like, how do you feel knowing you look like someone else and that you aren’t the first person to look the way you do and that you are constantly compared to someone else?”

“I mean, mama’s really pretty, so I think being compared to her is a compliment. Other than that, I don’t really feel much about it. I’m guessing you wanted to know if I feel the way you do, y’know, with you looking like mom.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to vent? I’ll listen.”

“I don’t, I mean, I can’t think of, like, I don’t have anything to say that you don’t already know. I wish I looked like my own person, not a clone of mom. I feel like I’m not me. I don’t know who I am and this whole situation makes things weird between me and mom. I feel guilty about that because mom really wants to connect to me but she doesn’t know how and I just raise my walls up more when she tries and I don’t know why.”

“For someone who says they have nothing to vent about, you said plenty. I can’t really say much that wouldn’t belittle your situation, but I do think you’re your own person. You may not know who you are, but nobody really does. I don’t think so at least.”

“You don’t know who you are?”

“Not beyond that I’m me and nobody can take that from me. No matter how I look, how people treat me, or what they tell me I am, I’m me and that’s all that matters.”

“I wish I could be that confident.”

“You can.”

“How?”

“I wish I had an answer. I’ve never consciously thought about it, but if I can do it, you can too. You're strong. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to endure what you did in your old village.”

A low noise came from Gray’s throat. She wanted to believe her sister, but she couldn’t. She didn’t endure life in her old village because she was strong, but because she was weak. She just followed the path her village made for her. If she really were strong, she would have fought back against them. She would have denied them, refused to be the vessel of their messiah.

Instead, she bent before the pressure they placed upon her. Her shoulders just weren’t broad enough, and they still weren’t.

A bang. Something hit something. It came from the family workshop.

Illya and Gray met eyes before both of them stood up and headed towards the workshop. Gray snatched Add along the way just in case.

They reached the door to the workshop, but when they did, they heard mama and mom talking to each other. They didn’t sound like they were in danger. The sisters listened in.

“How! How can nothing work! How can there not be a single spell that can fix her face! Just her face at least!”

“Artoria, calm down.”

“I can’t! This doesn’t make sense! Why! Why can’t I just do one thing for Gray! This one thing!”

“Please, just sit down for a second. You’re just stressing yourself out.”

“I know. I know. I’m sorry, Iri. It’s just unbelievable. I just want our child to have her own body. I took away her face. Because of me, she feels like she’s not her own person. That’s one of the worst things a parent can do. I’m a failure as a parent, a king, a Servant. I’m just a failure and you’re all paying for it.”

“Artoria, you know what you always tell me when I’m having dark thoughts.”

“Let them pass, don’t get attached to them. I know. I’m trying.”

“This isn’t your fault. It’s that cult’s. And don’t try and say they wouldn’t have formed if you didn’t exist. You have no responsibility for their fanaticism. You didn’t ask for it.”

“You’re right, I know you are. But, I, I just, I don’t know. It’s just so frustrating. We keep trying and trying, but nothing’s able to fix Gray’s face. The best we could do is temporarily shift people’s perceptions of her, but even that would only be in short bursts. Any other more advanced shapeshifting doesn’t affect her because of the influence of my magical energy actively forcing her to look a certain way. Gray doesn’t deserve this.”

“Of course she doesn’t, but you can’t blame yourself. I know you’re doing all you can and I am, too. Don’t worry, we’ll find something eventually that’ll help Gray.”

“The more I try, the more it seems like there’s nothing we can do. But, I can’t give up. I can’t, for Gray.”

Gray chewed on her lips. It was her fault. Her mom was feeling so much pain, so much unnecessary guilt, all for Gray. Why couldn’t Gray have just accepted her face, her body. If she had, her mothers wouldn’t be forced to try and search for a nonexistent solution. She might as well have been torturing her mom for a crime she didn’t commit. No, that was what she was doing.

Why couldn’t she have let her pain just stay inside? Why did she have to drag everyone else into it?

Touching a hand to the workshop door, Gray saw her sister look at her.

The door opened.

Mom was in a chair, head in her hands. Mama was standing next to her, a hand on mom’s shoulder. There was a crack in a table.

They both shifted to look at Gray. Mom stood up, her body rigid.

Mom was going to say something, but Gray rushed out her own words before mom got out the first syllable.

“I don’t care about how I look anymore. I’m happy looking like mom. You don’t need to try and fix me anymore.”

They both were silent. They were surprised, but then their expressions shifted. They looked like they were sad. But, they were also happy? No, not happy, something else. Proud?

Mom’s body loosened and she released a chuckle. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but we aren’t going to stop. We know you aren’t happy looking like me.”

“No, I don’t care. You don’t need to keep trying.”

“Gray, I know you too well to believe that. You’re a sweet girl for trying to let us give up, but we’re not going to. We will give you your own appearance. I know I just said I didn’t think we could find a solution, but that was just a dark moment for me. My will wavered, but it was just for an instant. Don’t worry, okay.”

Gray wanted to insist her mom was wrong, that she really was happy with her body. But, if she did, and they really believed her, Gray would be stuck being in a body that made her miserable every time she looked in the mirror or took a shower or did anything that made her remember what body she was in. She wouldn’t be able to endure it silently. She just couldn’t.

The arms of her mom wrapped around Gray. Once again, Gray had begun to cry without realising it. Mom’s hand brushed the back of Gray’s head, fingers becoming intertwined with the hairs.

“It’ll be okay Gray. We’re okay, and you’re going to be okay.”

***

Blades clashed and clanged in a secluded area of a forest outside Copenhagen. The ground shook and shockwaves were released with each impact. Animals ran away from the hypersonic duel. It was eight years since Gray was adopted by her new family and ten since her two mothers participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War. Currently, Gray was training with her mom.

Her mom wanted to make sure Gray could wield all of Add’s forms with the utmost efficiency and skill. Her mom was best at teaching Gray to use Add’s halberd and greatsword forms due to being based on Rhongomyniad and Excalibur respectively. Despite being the forms Gray was the best at wielding thanks to this, they were the ones she liked using the least since they were more things that made her mirror her mom.

Currently, Gray was using Add’s scythe form, her favoured form. Each time the scythe connected with her mom’s Invisible Air, some of the Noble Phansasm’s magical energy got absorbed and was infused into Gray, enhancing her body. The fifteen year old girl went on the offensive as she got continually stronger, trying to push her mom back and make her slip up.

What was unexpected was that her mother would do the same. She moved forward and put her full weight into a strike that knocked Gray’s scythe to the side, following up by getting in close and throwing a fist forward towards the girl’s face.

The punch stopped right before impact as Gray flinched.

“You shouldn’t just rely on brute strength and assume your opponent will be overwhelmed. A smart opponent can always find a way out. Also, never flinch or stop looking at your opponent in any way. You need to always know what your enemy is doing. You did good, though. Beyond that slip up at the end, you were fighting immaculately.”

“Thank you. Are we going to go another round?”

“No, we should head home or we’ll be late for dinner.” Mom was always thinking of food.

Add shrunk back into a cube. “Finally, I hate changing shape. Let’s head home.”

And head home they did, mom driving Gray and Add back towards the house.

Gray leaned her head against the window, watching buildings go by. It was awkward as always, but the training went well. She imagined Illya and mama’s magecraft training in the family workshop probably went well, too.

Gray and Illya’s training had been extensive. They both were being taught magecraft by their mama, mainly alchemy due to it being her specialty. Illya was especially good at it, though she was modified by the Einzberns so that she would. It would have been weirder if she was anything less than the prodigy she was. Illya received her father’s Magic Crest, which granted her time magecraft as well. Illya was also being tutored in marksmanship, partly due to Kiritsugu’s request, and partly due to her own interest. She now can wield a variety of firearms, her Thompson Contender and Origin Bullets being her trump card, not that she ever needed to use them before. Also of note, Illya was eighteen and she looked like it, Avalon still working its healing power inside of her. She got to achieve the body that she wouldn’t have lived long enough to have if it weren’t for mom. Gray got training from her mom in using Add in close combat, which she took very well to. Mom said Gray was around the level of a weak Servant, though she was probably just exaggerating.

Though Gray and her mom could bond somewhat as they trained, the wall that was Gray’s appearance was thicker than ever. At this point, Gray looked identical to her mother, to the point that they legitimately get mistaken for identical twins. The only way to easily tell them apart was their wardrobes, mom always wearing suits and Gray wearing casual clothes that usually included a hoodie she would hide her face with.

Gray just wanted to be her own person, and she knew her mom did, too. The entire family has kept trying to find a way to restore Gray's appearance, but everything seemed futile. It was like the world was trying to take away who she was. But, Gray wasn’t sure who she was. She didn’t know what she wanted to even do with her life. The only hobbies she had were painting and watching cartoons, not that she’d admit the latter to anyone.

The young girl named Gray didn’t have anything to grasp onto. She didn’t have anything that was uniquely her’s besides her name. Even her name was something given to her by her birth mother. It wasn’t something she chose, so she didn’t even feel in control of that.

She wanted to choose something for herself, to be herself, to find out who she even was.

Gray yelped as she felt a sting on the back of her hand. Did a bug bite her? No, it was closer to touching something hot. But, that didn’t make sense. Even the nerves deep in her hand burned, as did the magic circuits.

“Hey, is that what I think it is?” Gray and Artoria looked at what Add was referring to.

Red tattoos on the back of Gray’s hand. It was an upside-down cross. Unconnected to the cross on opposite sides of it were two complex series of lines that mirrored each other.

Wait. Red tattoos. Three component sections. Burning feeling on the back of the hand.

Command Spells. Command Spells were on the back of Gray’s hand. They looked like the ones mama had. Actually, the cross looked identical to mama’s except the sections were connected. Everyone stared at them, mom barely noticing in time that she was at a red light to stop and avoid crashing.

“Mom.”

“I know. We’ll…we’ll talk when we get home, with everyone.”

The remaining drive felt long. Gray had Command Spells. Was a Holy Grail War going on? How? It’s supposed to be every sixty years. It had only been ten. But, the Command Spells were there. Gray was a Master. Was she supposed to fight in the Holy Grail War? Was she going to summon a Servant? Would Masters try to kill her? Was she going to have to fight for her life?

Back at the house, mama and Illya were as shocked as expected to see the Command Spells on the back of Gray’s hand. Mama had been sweeping and dropped her broom upon seeing the Command Spells. Illya, who just finished making dinner, was a little more in control, probably since she hadn’t been in a Grail War before and thus hadn’t seen the horrors they facilitated like mom and mama had. For them, seeing those Command Spells might have caused a sort of PTSD. Just hearing stories made the Holy Grail War seem like a nightmare. Gray felt a chill upon thinking about the prospect of her participating in one.

“Iri, do you have any idea why this might be happening? The next Grail War shouldn’t be for another fifty years.”

“My, um, my guess would be, yeah, that’s it. Because the Greater Grail was nearly summoned but wasn't in the last war, it might have residual magical energy that was unused, especially if it managed to absorb the Heroic Spirits that were ejected from my body by Avalon. This means the Grail didn’t need as much time to recharge between Grail Wars.”

“What do we do?” Illya said.

“The Grail is corrupted. We can’t do nothing.” Mom spoke firmly. “If a Master acquires the Grail and makes a wish, the destruction could be massive.”

“And if the corruption of the Grail gets born into the world, it could be the end of humanity.” mama said.

“We need to end this Grail War.” mom said. “We need to destroy the Greater Grail. Excalibur has the power to do that. I’ll go to Fuyuki and try to convince the Masters participating of the Grail’s corruption. Hopefully, they’ll believe me and we can work together to find and destroy it. More likely, they’ll think I'm lying to get them to give up on the Grail so I can take it for myself. I’ll have to win the War and destroy the Greater Grail afterward.”

“I’m coming with you.” Irisviel spoke with confidence.

“You can’t. You’re a Lesser Grail vessel. If you go, you might end up having your body dissolve if you take in too many Heroic Spirits.”

“We can take Avalon out of Illya for the time being and bring it with us to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Iri, please, there’s no need for you to be put in danger.”

“My healing magecraft will be a big help to you and I’ve been training for combat since the last war. You can’t do this by yourself. You need at least one person to watch your back, and besides that, I’m always going to be by your side. I’m not budging on this.”

Mom sighed and smiled. “You’re so stubborn.”

“Kettle, meet pot.” Mama responded with her own smile.

The Holy Grail War. A small, yet legendary ritual. It allowed Masters to meet heroes from all across human history. It was an event where lives changed and were lost. It completely changed mom and mama’s lives. It was because of that war that mom finally gave up on her futile quest to save Camelot and ended up finding a modicum of inner peace. It was thanks to that war that mama met and lost the man she loved. It was the reason Illya was born and it was the reason mama managed to resolve herself to live on when she had previously accepted death. When they were lost, the Grail War was their baptism of fire that forged them into new people. It made them better people. Most importantly, they figured out what they truly wanted, or needed. They realised who they really were as people. Now that she thought about it, this was what Gray needed. Gray was lost in a fog. She had no identity. She had no path. She was just melancholically living out her days in the shadow of her mom. These were all problems the Holy Grail War solved for mom and mama. In a crisis, people show their true selves. This Grail War was certainly a crisis, more so than most of the participants even knew. If this war couldn’t grant Gray some revelation as to what she wants to do with her life, about who she is, what could?

Gray looked at her Command Spells. “I want to help, too.”

“Absolutely not.” Mom didn’t even hesitate in her response. “I don’t know why you want to participate all of a sudden, but you won’t be.”

“But, I can summon a Servant. We’ll have two Servants on our side!”

“I’m not putting you in danger.”

“But-”

“Gray! This isn’t under discussion!”

The blonde haired Gray flinched and shrank in response to her mom’s yell. She never felt so intimidated by her. Gray was about to murmur words of compliance, but then she remembered why she wanted to participate in the first place, and she was filled with strength.

“I’m going to Fuyuki, you can’t stop me!”

“What?”

“For once I found something I want to do! For once, I’m making a major choice in my life myself!”

“I’m not letting you get yourself killed!”

“I won’t die! I just want to do the right thing! I want to do it! This is my choice! You took my face, you took everything but you're not taking this from me!”

Those last words made mom stumble back and look guilty. Gray felt she had gone too far.

“I want to help, too.” Illya said.

“Illya, you too?” Mama was anxious.

“I want to help stop the Grail. Plus, if both me and mama participate, we can split the amount of defeated Heroic Spirits between us so neither of us takes so many in that we would lose our human functions and turn into the Lesser Grail. Also, it's clear that Gray is gonna help whether you try to stop her or not, even if she’s gotta sneak into Fuyuki somehow. She’s never been this determined before. When someone feels this kind of passion for the first time, they aren’t going to let anything stop them from following it. She’s gonna end up in Fuyuki, so it's better that we go together and watch each other’s backs. I’ll personally watch over Gray and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”

Mama and mom looked at each other, clearly trying to feel out their partners’ current thoughts.

“I’ve been quiet, but I’m gonna get my two cents in here.” Add said. “After how the last war went based on how you described it, extra resources can only help you. Having a second Servant would be a big help, let alone Gray and Illya who are both strong enough to do damage to Servants even if they’re weaker overall. Honestly, things will probably be safer if we all just work together. Don’t think you can do everything yourself, Artoria.”

Gray saw her mom look at Add with nostalgia and an expression befitting a scolded child.

“I can’t do everything myself. I have to rely on others. This is my second chance at life, and I’m making the same mistakes as my first.” There was a pause for a minute. Mom turned to mama. “Iri, I think we should bring them with us. Add and Illya have good points.”

“They do. I still don’t want them to go, but we have the best odds of all of us surviving past the war if we work as a team. We’ll bring them with us, but they have to listen to us.” Mama turned to Gray and Illya with a stern expression. “We are in charge, you listen to us, got it?”

“Got it.” Gray and Illya spoke in unison.

“Good.”

Mom grabbed mama’s hand. “I’m sorry, Iri.”

“It’s okay. Anyway, let’s have dinner. It’s probably cold, but it should still be good. We can start planning for the war tomorrow.”

“Right, let’s eat.” Mom perked up. Food always made things better, at least for her.

As the family made their way to the dining room, Gray felt excited at her opportunity to find herself, and scared as it sunk in that she was putting herself and her family in life threatening danger. They were really going to fight for their lives. Gray had trained for years, but she had never been in a real fight.

That said, she was confident they would all get through the war alive, because they always had each other's backs. They were a family, a strong one. And now, Gray would learn who she really is. She was going to be her own person after the war. She was. But, if she didn’t, what then? If this war couldn’t help her, nothing would. In that case, Gray would have nothing left to wait for, to hope for. She would be trapped as she was, forever, both inside than out.

***

The air was still. The workshop of the makeshift family of Gray, Illya, their two mothers, and Add was hosting the moment where Gray would summon her Servant. Gray was going to recite the incantation she spent many hours memorizing, more hours than she wanted to admit. The girl had to focus on nothing but her words just to say them properly due to her anxiety, excitement, and overstimulation. The moment of her Servant summoning had finally come. She was so desperate to focus that she left Add with Illya for the moment. Her family was watching as quietly as possible.

Illya was connected to Gray with magecraft, providing Gray with extra magical energy. The family decided to make Illya a sort of second Master for the Servant they would summon, providing more magical energy than normal to boost their parameters. This was why Illya was altered by the Einzberns in the first place, to be the ultimate Master. Illya would even be able to use her Command Spells on the Servant if necessary. It was because of her built-in Command Spells that Illya could connect to Gray’s Command Spells and act as a second Master for their Servant in the first place.

Gray was going to summon a Servant. She was going to enter a life or death battle, her whole family was. Gray was afraid she would fumble her words due to her mind nearly being taken by her second wave of astonishment at what she and her family were about to do.

“Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone.
The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.”

The wind was raging and the summoning circle was blinding in it’s brightness. A tingle trailed across Gray’s skin. Was that supposed to happen? She didn’t know, but she didn’t want to stop now and risk messing up the summoning somehow. She didn’t know if interrupting the ritual would summon a weak Servant, but it was too late to ask. She really should have asked mama more questions.

“Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
I announce.
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.”

The tingling wasn’t going away. Actually, she was really feeling numb. Her magic circuits were burning more than normal. It was as if molten metal was travelling through her body. Her chanting became more breathy as she felt like she was about to pass out.

“In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!”

Gray was getting dizzy. She couldn’t tell up from down. She had to close her eyes just to not vomit.

Her whole body hurt. Pain was all that could come through the numbness.

She was about to panic.

Then, it was as if she was no longer in her own body. She was travelling across a forest of magic circuits that went in impossible directions. It was a pattern leading to a core that Gray was being dragged towards. So fast. A blur. Everything was a blur.

As she got closer, originally feeling as if she was going faster than light itself, now she felt things begin to slow. It slowed more. It slowed further still. The light of the magic circuits dimmed, dimmed, then disappeared.

Gray felt motionless in a pit of darkness. Was she motionless? There was nothing to use as a marker. It was a void in all directions. As she was in the abyss, Gray begged for stimulation.

A glimmer. It began to grow. There was something and she was getting closer to it. Gray wanted to fly towards it faster, just so she wouldn’t be trapped in the dark, but she had no control over her movement.

A red light lit Gray’s way as she found herself in a tunnel of some sort. Gray was moving, but it was agonizingly slow. Now that she had the relief of stimulation, dread permeated Gray’s being as she headed towards the unidentified destination.

Through the cave, the spirit core was there. A sea of magma, a flaring star, a cauldron containing the big bang itself. The ever flowing lake of burning substance was dotted only with the occasional rock formation peaking through. It was magical energy, dormant. Gray felt like an intruder, even though she had an instinctual understanding that this esoteric plane was actually intruding upon her.

A mighty eruption from the eye of fire, and what surfaced was a dragon. A red scaled beast that was power incarnated. It was the will that would ignite the magical energy like gasoline. All things bowed to this existence. It was not just a dragon. It was a king, no, a god. This was a god. Divinity shone from between its spear-like scales. A roar from the beast made everything quake yet also be paralysed in place. It was a sound that reminded Gray of a volcanic eruption mixed with a deep, calm word from a great authority.

It was terrifying. Gray wanted to leave. She wanted to go home. She wanted to return to the arms of her parents and sister. She wanted to be anywhere but where she was.

Lunging from the crucible and creating waves that were infinitely high, the red dragon brought its fangs down on Gray.

Pain like she had never known. Her every sense was dedicated to maximising the pain Gray experienced. The dragon’s teeth were spikes, implements of impalement that would make Vlad III envious. They came together to form a dungeon of anguish, a fortress dedicated to breaking down and eradicating Gray’s very identity.

It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. Oh God. Pain. The pain. Why? Why? Make it stop. Why wouldn’t it stop? This was the worst pain. Make it stop. Let her die. She wanted to die. No life was worth this pain. What did she have to do? She would do whatever it took to make the pain stop, to just die.

It was getting harder to think. The pain was everything. She just wanted to stop thinking, then the pain would stop. Let the pain stop. She would give up everything to make it finally cease. She would even let her very personhood be wiped clean.

The dragon howled and so did Gray. As its teeth ground together and ripped apart her flesh, her skin split to reveal scales. Her eyes burst to be replaced with serpentine slits. Her lungs filled with great flame so she may breathe an inferno upon her enemies.

She was a ruler over humans. A being that existed to preserve the ideal of humans. The method didn’t matter, only the result of greater human salvation. Her mind was a computer. Emotionless. Efficient. She would protect humanity for that was what she was programmed to do.

She was a dragon. She was a god. The king of Britain. The King of Knights. The Lion King.

But, she was not a king. She was just a little girl.

Gray. Her name was Gray.

She was a girl named Gray who loved her mom and mama and sister and liked fudge and watching cartoons and painting and watching people talk and get along.

She wasn’t a dragon, and yet she now found herself a second head for the Phantasmal
Beast, an unnatural growth that would soon be subsumed.

She didn’t want to disappear. She didn’t want to be replaced. She couldn’t let herself be erased.

The new head brought its jaws down upon the throat of the original. The two had begun to wrestle and tear at each other. They both moaned out and the burning star began to deform and shoot out great rivers of burning magical energy that looked like coronal mass ejections. As their scales broke away, light beamed out from the openings.

The dragon dissolved and the endless burning world shined. The beast became a pillar of light, and within that light, two women faced each other. The younger, the girl who clung to the name Gray, being assailed by the older.

Gray fought back as fingers stabbed into her. The younger woman struck at the invader who treated her as if she were the one to cross the boundary, who acted like she had not just tried to devour Gray to take her place in the world.

The strike pushed the two apart, Gray rushing up the shining pillar, while the other woman began to sink back towards the core. The holes in Gray’s body left by the woman’s fingers refused to heal.

Soon, Gray felt the pain begin to fade, the numbness being the next layer to be peeled away. Balance came to her as the esoteric landscape became a memory, though not a distant one.

The girl had returned from wherever she had spirited away to. She was back in the workshop. The dust was settling on the ritual.

Gray was on the floor. She must have fallen during that vision she just had. Was it a vision?

Propping herself up on her palms, Gray looked towards the summoning circle as the mist dispersed.

The servant stood atop the circle, large sword in hand. It was an armored individual. The suit was bulky and silver with red cloth. Two large horns came from the helmet’s sides. The air was thick from their magical energy. It was as if she had so much power that her body couldn’t contain it. Gray imagined the entire room getting crushed under the weight of this being’s existence.

The helmet split into multiple pieces and mechanically lowered down and combined with the torso of the armor.

That face. It was Gray’s face. No, it was mom’s face.

The Servant spoke.

“I am Saber, na-Why are there two fathers?”

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 5: Saber the Son

Okay, this was weird. Mordred just got summoned, and the first thing she got to see was a group of people that included two King Arthurs. Did two of them get summoned? Could two of him be summoned into the same war? Why were they together? Why were they here for Mordred’s summoning? Was this a Great Holy Grail War? So many questions.

One father was one the ground, looking up at Mordred. They looked surprised, but they didn’t appear to know exactly who Mordred was so they couldn’t have been the real King Arthur. Their expression said they were about as confused as Mordred as to what was going on. Were they the one that summoned Mordred? Could Servants summon Servants? Maybe a Caster, but father wasn’t able to be a Caster. Then again, this wasn’t father.

The other father was at the back of the room. They definitely recognized Mordred. They looked uncomfortable. That look. It wasn’t father’s normal look when Mordred was around. It wasn’t as cold. That wasn’t the detached and focused gaze of King Arthur. It was the look of someone who was guilty. But, somehow, Mordred knew that was the real father.

“Okay, someone explain to me why there are two fathers, stat.”

The father on the ground didn’t move. They were stunned by Mordred’s appearance. That definitely wasn’t the father Mordred knew. Father was always so composed, to the point that it pissed Mordred off.

“Mordred.” The father at the back of the room finally decided to say something. “I am the father you know. The girl in front of you who looks like me is my descendant. She’s a living person of this era. To make a long story short, she’s the result of your mother’s machinations.”

Honestly, that’s all Mordred needed to hear to accept such a weird scenario. Mother was always coming up with plans that were way over complicated.

“That sounds about right. Next question, is she my Master?”

“Yes. Her name is Gray.”

Father’s descendant got up and nervously extended a hand. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Gray, It’s nice to meet you-wait, I already said that. Sorry. I hope we can get along.”

This was father’s descendant? She could barely talk. Morded got in close to get a good look at the girl’s face. Her hood was in the way so Mordred yanked it down, making the girl yip. The kid wanted to say something, but she just awkwardly stood there, eyes darting around.

Wow, she really was the spitting image of father, even more so than Mordred. Actually, her pupils were different. They were these golden little pinpricks. Tiny lights instead of circles of black. They looked sort of divine. Weird.

God, this kid was nervous. But, she seemed alright.

“You’ll do. Nice to be working with you, Master.” Mordred slapped the hand offered to her in a makeshift high-five. Master whimpered a bit. She was a wuss. How could someone descended from father be such a baby? “Anyway, next question. Father, why are you here, why are you with a descendant of yours, who are those other two chicks, and, well, just explain everything. This is annoyingly complicated.”

Father was getting even more uncomfortable. He looked to the woman to his right. They were pretty. Was father seeking comfort in her or something? No, he didn’t find comfort in anyone. He kept everything bottled up inside, never even letting it explode outward. He just let it fester. Wait, there was another woman that looked like the one father was looking at, with the red eyes and the white hair and everything. Is everyone in the place a clone?

“I’ll start from the beginning. Mordred, I was summoned in the Holy Grail War before this one. In that war, I found out that the Holy Grail was corrupted and evil. It can only cause destruction.”

“Then why fight for it?”

“Nobody knew it was corrupted. This woman next to me is Irisviel von Einzbern. She was the vessel for the Grail. It’s thanks to her that we figured out the truth. We stopped the ritual from completing, but now it’s starting up again and nobody but us knows the true nature of the Grail. We plan on winning the war to destroy the Grail permanently.”

“So the Grail’s worthless. Well I can’t get my wish, then. That sucks.”

“What was your wish?”

“I was going to challenge Caliburn. I wanted to try pulling it from the stone to prove I was worthy of being king, that you were wrong.”

“Oh. I see. I’m…anyway, between the last war and this one, Irisviel and I have been living together. The other girl is Irisviel’s daughter. Her name is Illysviel.”

“Can nobody have a normal-ass name?”

“Says the chick named Mordred.” Illy-whatever said.

Mordred pointed his blade at the bitch. “Guy! I’m a guy. Don’t get it mixed up again or I’ll cut your head off.”

“I didn’t realize. Sorry.”

The blade lowered. “Father, continue with whatever you were saying.”

“Right, so, I’ve been staying with Irisviel and Illyasviel, and we eventually found Gray and took her into our…family.”

“Family?”

“Yes. Yes. Irisviel and I fell in love, and Illyasviel and Gray are like my children. We’re a family.”

Family. They’re a family? Not a real family. No, definitely not. Not father. He can’t have a real family. He doesn’t know how. A family isn’t really a family to him. It was something he needed to have as a king. It was an aesthetic thing, something to keep the people satisfied. That’s why father never loved Mordred, because he didn’t fit into his little family unit the way he wanted. Father loved that white haired woman? No, not possible. Why didn’t father love Guinevere then? Why didn’t father get angry from Lancelot cuckolding him. No, something’s up.

“What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you need this family? What do you get out of it? Is it going to help you save Camelot or something? Are you gonna start a new kingdom? What's the plan here?”

Sad. Father was sad. “Mordred, no. I’m just living a normal life. I love Irisviel. I love Illyasviel and Gray. We’re a real family.” He looked away. He was chewing the inside of her cheek. “Mordred, I’m sorry that I didn’t let you have that kind of family.”

What? No. Father was lying. He had to be. He couldn’t love them. It wasn’t possible. If he could, why didn’t he love Mordred? Why couldn’t he accept Mordred? Why couldn’t they have been a family? Why, only now, after Mordred was gone, did father finally decide to open his heart? Why only now did he decide to connect to others, to try and understand them, to be a genuine human being?

But, father said he was sorry. He said he was sorry he didn’t let Mordred have the kind of family he had now. Was he serious? He really had a normal family? A happy one? A real one? If that was true, father had the capacity to be a parent. Father could be a parent. Were his kids happy? If so, Mordred could have been happy. Mordred and father could have been a real family, with Guinevere, too. They could have been happy. But, they didn’t get the chance, because father wouldn’t let them.

“So you just happened to change after I was gone?”

“Mordred.”

“It just had to be while I was gone.”

“Please, Mordred, listen-”

“My entire life was suffering because you wouldn’t accept me and it led me to rebelling and causing Camelot to fall and I ended up with me being remembered as a villain forever and you get to come back and have a loving family! I wanted to be a family with you and I got rejected and screwed over by you, but once you decide you feel like having a family, you get one big happy one straight out of a painting! How great for you! Man, God loves you so much!”

Magical energy like red lightning crackled and trailed across Mordred’s body, streams snapping out and destroying nearby objects. Chairs, beakers, and grimoires got zapped and turned to vapor. Master jumped back to avoid getting hit while father ran in front of her. He was so willing to protect his new kids.

Mordred launched towards father. His fist became consumed by red lightning as Mordred used Mana Burst. The strike impacted with the arms father raised to block. The collision made a sound so loud it drowned out all others. The air was vibrating. Mordred could feel his father’s skin warp and the bones underneath begin to bend. Blue magical energy manifested as an aura around father’s arms. He activated his own Mana Burst, the magical energy acting like a shield for his arms. The raw power Mordred was releasing pierced through father’s Mana Burst, though a large portion of Mordred’s lighting was still blocked. Father winced in pain. This power was greater than Mordred’s usual output. For some reason, Mordred’s parameters had been boosted.

As Mordred’s own hand felt slightly numb from her own strength, father skidded back, his feet trailing long divots in the floor. The arms of his jacket and undershirt had disintegrated. The flesh that was now revealed was reddened, covered in gashes. Father regenerated immediately, though that didn’t diminish just how powerful Mordred currently was.

Now was the time to show father was wrong, to make him pay for all his bullshit. It was time to make sure father understood the kind of pain Mordred had felt all his life.

Mordred was ready to attack again, but he suddenly couldn’t move. Programming entered his mind. He was ordered not to fight. A Command Spell? Mordred looked to Master, but she wasn’t doing anything, just trembling in her boots. Wait, the bitchy girl from before. Her whole body was glowing with Command Spells. Why did she have them? Why were they all over her? Why did they work on Mordred? Was that Gray girl really not Mordred’s Master?

This wasn’t like a normal Command Spell. It could easily keep a Berserker with high Madness Enhancement in complete check. It wasn’t just that Mordred felt compelled to stop fighting, it felt like not fighting was his own idea. It was as if the Command Spell was rewriting his own will.

“What’s going on?” Mordred sneered.

“I’m your second Master.” The bitch said. “You don’t need to know how that works. All you need to know is that you aren’t doing anything without my say-so. Don’t think you can just do anything you want just because you got a power boost, which is thanks to me, by the way. So, don’t get conceited.”

“Conceited? I’m the conceited one? Not the bastard who thought he was too good for me? Too good for everyone? Please, enlighten me on how I’m the real conceited one here!”

“Mordred, I never thought I was too good for you, or anyone else!” father said.

“Well then why did you reject me? Why’d you push everyone away?”

“I thought that was what I had to do! I thought I had to bear the burden of being king alone! I’m sorry!”

“We never asked for that!”

“I know that!”

“Well, too little too late!”

“Listen, this isn’t the time for this! We have to get ready for the war!”

“Don’t run away from this!”

“I’m not! I just, I-”

“Maybe you should go into our bedroom, have a moment alone.” the bitch’s mother said. She grabbed father’s hand and he instinctively squeezed it. He really did love her.

“That’s-” Father took a deep breath. “I’ll do that. I’ll be in the bedroom for a…while. I’m sorry.”

Father shut the door behind him as he left the room.

“Coward.” Mordred spat out.

Father’s new wife was angry. “Mordred. I understand your anger. You have plenty of reasons to be. But, that doesn’t make it okay to be so rude to Artoria. She feels awful and she’s sorry. I’m not saying you shouldn't talk to Artoria about why you're angry, but you should do so to try and reach some reconciliation. You shouldn’t just point out the failings she already beats herself up over without your help.”

“Who’s Artoria?”

“Wha? Wha-y-I’m talking about your mother, the person you were just talking to, the one who just left.”

“He’s a man. His name’s Arthur. He has a female body, but he’s a man, like me.”

“No, she’s not. She told me she just pretended to be a man in life since there would have been people who wouldn’t have accepted a woman as their ruler.”

“Wait, father told you that?”

“Yes.”

“Father considered themself a woman?”

“Yes.”

“I…didn’t know that.” Mordred felt heavy. He had been misgendering his fa-er-mother for as long as he could remember. Thinking about how Mordred would feel in his mother’s situation, he thought that he should probably apologize.

As his head cooled, Mordred considered the other things mother’s wife said. Mordred yelling at mother wasn’t exactly productive, that was true. Mother really did seem sorry. She definitely was. But, Mordred still didn’t understand why mother did what she did. Why didn't she accept Mordred? Why? Mother said she felt she had to push everyone away to be a good king, but she pushed Mordred away more firmly than anyone else. She was more accepting of Lancelot and Guinevere who had an affair. Yet, Mordred just got ignored, treated like he wasn’t connected to mother at all, even before his rebellion.

Mordred needed to know the truth. Why did mother really reject him?

But, mother probably didn’t want to talk about it right now, especially after the way Mordred blew up at her. Mordred wanted to apologize, for being so cruel to her, for misgendering her, and especially for causing the fall of Camelot.

“What are your names again?”

“You forgot already?” the bitch-uh, the daughter of mother’s wife said.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“I’m Illyasvile, but you can call me Illya. My mama is Irisviel. My sister is Gray.”

“Illya, Irisfiel, no, Irisviel, sorry, and Gray. Illya, Irisviel, and Gray. Got it. By the way…I’m sorry for how I was acting before.”

“I appreciate your apology, but it isn’t us that you should be apologizing to.”

“I know. I’m going to apologize to mother, just not right now. She obviously wants to be alone for a bit.”

“That’s good.” Irisviel stretched. “That was a lot. How about we leave the workshop, which I’ll need to clean later,”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Let’s go into the living room and chat a bit. I’d like to get to know you, Mordred. If we’re going to be working together, we should try to understand each other and get along. Plus, I want you to tell me what Artoria was like in your time. She still won’t tell me so much about her previous life. She won’t even talk about Guinevere because she’s afraid I’ll get jealous or upset.”

“I can tell you Guinevere was hot.”

“I knew it!”

“She also wore glasses.”

“I knew it!”

“Mama, you're going into gossip mode again.”

“Let me have this.”

Leaving the workshop, Mordred was led by mother’s family into a rather simple living room.

As everyone was entering, Illya handed Master something. A box?

“What’s that?”

“This is Add.”

“Sup, meathead.” The cube said.

“It talked? And don’t call me a meathead!”

“I mean your first instinct when angry was to punch someone, so I don’t think there’s a better word for you. Unless you think breaking stuff is the height of intellectualism.”

“You’ll regret making fun of me! Also, what’s intellectualism?”

“Ihihihihihihihihihihihihi!”

Mordred’s fist charged with red magical energy.

“Mordred, wait, don’t break him! He’s actually important! He’s the seal for Rhongomyniad!”

“Wait, what, really?”

“It’s another thing Morgan did.”

“I’m getting real tired of that explanation.”

“Add’s personality was based on Sir Kay’s apparently.”

“Oh, goodie. More of Kay. Totally missed that dick.” Why, out of all the Knights of the Round Table, did Morgan go with Kay? Why not Gareth? Gareth was nice. What if Morgan gave the seal Mordred’s personality, or her own? Too many what-ifs to waste on an annoying box.

The couch catching his eye, Mordred helped himself to a seat. The armor he woore vanished. Master blushed. The outfit Mordred wore without armor was revealing by most people’s standards. He guessed Master was a prude. Either that or Master thought Mordred was hot.

Everyone else sat down as Illya asked, “Mordred, I’m curious. How were you born? The legends say mom and her sister had sex to produce you, but since they’re both women, that isn’t exactly possible.”

“It’s possible, and it’s what happened, sorta.”

“Really? How?”

“Merlin gave mother a dick to impregnate Guinevere and mother, Morgan I mean, used magecraft to steal mother, uh, Artoria is who I was-y’know what I mean. Morgan stole your mom’s sperm and impregnated herself with it. She did some weird alchemy during the pregnancy to make me a clone of King Arthur. It was all to enact a plan to tear down Camelot. I was a freak homunculus born from Morgan’s…sexual assualt. The legends are true. I’m a bastard born of incest.”

“That…”

“Don’t say you're sorry or pity me. You didn’t do anything and it pisses me off when I’m belittled.”

“I wasn’t going to belittle you. Mama and I are homunculi.”

“That so? No wonder you two are like twins.”

“Yeah. We were created to be vessels of the Holy Grail.”

“I was born to be a clone of another, like you.” Irisviel said. “I’m a clone of Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, the homunculus created to be the core of the Holy Grail. I was born to just be a shell for the Lesser Grail, always meant to die. Illya isn’t a clone of me, but due to alterations to her, her lifespan was shortened. We managed to fix that, but, well, my point is that you shouldn’t consider yourself a freak or anything. We may not be natural, but we’re still people.”

“I can actually relate to the shortened lifespan thing. I had the same problem. That didn't get solved as much as, well, the whole Battle of Camlann happened. I was so spiteful.”

“Was spite why you rebelled?”

“That wasn’t what I meant. I was spiteful against humans, normal ones with normal lifespans. I was also spiteful towards mother. She was immortal thanks to Avalon. She didn’t age, while I aged rapidly. But, I could overlook that with her when I couldn't with humans. I hated humans. It wasn’t just for the lifespan thing. I just found them-actually I still find them hard to understand which pisses me off.”

“What about humans don’t you understand?”

“They’re the kind of people who’d reject a king for being inhuman despite them being kind and self-sacrificing. At the same time, they’ll praise a rebel who is just using them, calling their selfishness noble somehow.”

“Didn't you criticize mom before for being too inhuman and self-sacrificing?”

“I did. I never said I didn’t also hate myself. I’m an idiot and a hypocrite. I fell for Morgan’s crap and did everything she wanted me to. I was made to be a tool and I ended up really being one. You two were supposed to be vessels for the Grail or whatever, but you managed to break away from that. You’re better rebels than I am.”

“You’re a lot more introspective than I thought.” Illya leaned forward and held her head in her hand. “If you’re this sharp, why were you so volatile before?”

“I’m in a special kind of mood right now. Savor it, it won’t last.”

“At least you’re self aware.”

“Mordred, you really are Artoria’s son.” Irisviel was pleased about something.

“What does that mean?”

“I’m smiling, but it’s sad. Both you and Artoria are so self-deprecating. You’re just less honest about it. It isn’t a good thing, but it shows me you're like your mother, which also means you’re probably a good person.”

“You do remember how I sacrificed a bunch of innocent people for my revenge on my mother, right? The Battle of Camlann, we just talked about it.”

“Well, okay, you made some very big mistakes. But, part of that was due to Morgan’s manipulations, right?”

“A little.”

“I have a feeling it was a lot more than you even realise. You’re a good person at your core, but your circumstances put you down the wrong path. But, now you're free from that.”

“Then why did fath-mother reject me? Was it just because I’m an abomination?”

“You're not an abomination. Artoria would never see you that way.”

“Then why?”

“I don’t know. I honestly don’t. But, Your mother isn't a hateful person. If she rejected you, even if she was wrong to do so, she definitely had reasons that were compassionate towards you, if misguided.”

Mordred found it hard to believe his mother felt any empathy towards him. Well, it looked like mother did now, or at least she didn’t hate him. The emotional way she acted before proved that. The issue was whether mother cared about Mordred back when they were both alive, back in Camelot. If mother really did care about him, that made Mordred even angrier than he already was. If mother did love him, or at least cared about him, why did she push him away?

Mordred shot his limbs out, stretching them to their limits. “Why can’t things just be simple!” Falling to his side, Mordred’s body splayed out across the couch as if he were a cat.

Master was gripping her knees. Did she need to take a shit? Nah, she was bothered by something.

“Master, what’s up?”

“Nothing. I’m just anxious about everything…actually, it’s more than that. Mordred, you’re a clone of mom. How does that make you feel?”

“That’s a big question. I used to feel proud of it. I idolized King Arthur, so learning I was her child made me feel anxious and excited and hopeful and a bunch of other stuff. I thought that maybe I could be just like mother. After I was rejected, I felt ashamed to look like her, that I was a gross imitation. Not only that, I was angry. I felt betrayed. I felt like I had every right to be with mother since I was her perfect copy. I felt so many different things at once. I still don’t know how I feel.”

Master clutched at her own body. She was reacting intensely from what Mordred said. She was definitely relating to Mordred. Master was conflicted about her feelings on mother, too. Mordred could feel that kinship in frustration. It really just made sense. They were both copies of a person who was just…so much. King Arthur was so much and to be the shadow of such a person was an onslaught.

“Do you regret when you rebelled and destroyed Camelot?”

“No matter how much I hate to say it, yeah.” Mordred felt the need to be honest and open. Master needed it.

Master stood up. “I’m gonna use the bathroom.” It was definitely an excuse to leave discreetly.

While Master left, Mordred kept an ear out for her. His superhuman Servant hearing meant that as long as Mordred focused he could listen to things extremely far away with great detail.

“I’m gonna take a nap.” Mordred lied. It was his own excuse to be able to listen to Master without interruption. He wanted to know what was going on with him.

“I figured you were more of the hyperactive type. It’s not like you need to sleep, so-” Illya said.

“I like napping.”

“Whatever.”

Closing his eyes, Mordred focused on the sounds on the other side of the house. He could hear the mincing of Master’s feet on the floor. Master’s footsteps stopped. She was in front of something. A door, probably.

Wow, she was shaking like there was an earthquake. She was trying to build up her nerve for whatever she was about to do.

“C’mon, Gray, just do it. The longer you wait, the harder it’s gonna be.” The annoying box said.

“I know.”

A few more seconds of shaking and Master knocked. It was so light you’d have to be a servant to hear it.

“Come in.” Well, whoever was inside heard it. Wait, that voice was mother’s. The person inside was mother. She sounded tired.

The door creaked open and Master entered.

“Hi.”

“Hello, Gray. How are you?”

“Good.”

“That’s good. How is Mordred?”

“I’m…I’m not sure.”

“…”

“…”

Wow, Mordred had never felt more uncomfortable. These were two people who lived together, right?

“Gray, your eyes.”

“What about them?”

“Your pupils are gold.”

“Really?”

Wait, was that not normal for Master?

“Your eyes have shining lights instead of pupils. They feel like divine light. I think you have Divinity right now.”

“Really? Why?”

“I don’t know. You didn’t have them before the ritual. Did anything feel strange when you summoned Mordred?”

“Actually, I’ve been kind of waiting for a moment to bring this up, though this wasn’t why I came in here, but I had a vision. I think it was a vision, but it may have been an out of body experience or something.”

“Tell me what happened.” mother said with a worried tone.

“I had a vision of this expanse full of Magic Circuits, and after that I ended up at this big burning ball of magical energy. I think it was a Magic Core. Out of it came this big red dragon, and it ate me. It hurt a lot. All I felt was pain, to the point that I-I wanted to die. It was like anything was better than feeling the pain anymore, a-and I just wanted it to stop, but I couldn’t. I was helpless, and so I just had to let the pain keep going and going and I just felt so scared and in pain and-”

“Gray, you're panicking. Stop for a second. Take a deep breath. It’s okay. It’s okay.”

Mother was holding Master and petting her head. Mordred was envious.

“I’m okay, I think. After the pain, I felt myself slowly becoming not myself.” Master was already getting choked up again. “I was forgetting who I was, and I was becoming the dragon. The dragon was you. I thought I was you. But, I also thought I was something called the Lion King and that I was a goddess. I don’t get it.”

“What happened next?”

“I managed to remember who I was, and I fought back. Everything got really bright, and I was attacked by this woman. She looked like you, but she was more…she had bigger breasts and stuff. Like she was you if you were more developed.” A groan came from mother. She was embarrassed. Mother with bigger boobs. How would Irisviel react to that? Probably well, very well. “The lady attacked me, but I hit her away. Then, I was awake in front of Mordred. That’s it.”

“I see. I think that confirms my suspicions.”

“Suspicions?”

“Sit down. I have a theory of mine to explain.”

“O-Okay.”

This was getting really interesting for Mordred.

“Gray, I think when you connected to the Throne of Heroes to summon Mordred, something else tried to summon itself, too. I think the spirit summoned was me, an alternate version of me.”

“Why?”

“What you saw in your vision was definitely my Magic Core. I have no doubts about that. As for the goddess part, this is where my theory comes in. It is possible that, if I used Rhongomyniad as my main armament instead of Excalibur, its divine power would have slowly turned me into a goddess. You are a carrier of my blood, which could have acted as a catalyst to summon a version of me. My own presence in the room likely contributed. Add, or rather Rhongomyniad, also acted as a catalyst, summoning a version of me from another timeline who was deeply connected to the spear. Why it specifically bonded with you may be because you were being prepped by your old village to be a vessel for me. Your body may have accidentally sucked in the Divine Spirit version of me because that was what your body was raised to do. The Throne of Heroes essentially saw an empty slot and automatically sent something to fill it.”

That was a lot of coincidences.

“Okay. I think I followed all that. But, why do I have glowing eyes now? Is it possible for you to have gained Mystic Eyes?”

“It isn’t impossible, but that’s not what’s going on with your eyes. Though you pushed away my Divine Spirit counterpart, I think it still affected you somewhat. You’ve gained some of its power. You have a level of Divinity, and you’re likely stronger as well. You may have even gained some of my skills like Mana Burst. If you couldn’t fight evenly with a Servant before, now you will definitely be able to.”

“That’s good, though I don’t know if it’s worth the new pupils. It’s going to be hard explaining what’s going on with my eyes at school.”

“Minor magecraft will be all you need to make them look normal.”

“That’s true. I have another question. Why did this version of you seem so much more…big.”

“When I pulled out Caliburn, it halted my aging when I was fourteen. I was fine with that since I had physically matured early compared to most girls. I already looked like an adult, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to pass as a grown man my whole life. I wouldn’t have changed much more if I hadn't pulled out Caliburn. But, Rhongomyniad, if I were to wield it as my weapon, would slowly convert me into a Divine Spirit. In that process, it would likely alter my body. It could potentially cause a second growth spurt that would make my body develop to be more voluptuous so I’d fit the more commonly accepted ideal of what a goddess should look like.”

“Wow. I didn’t know Rhongomniad could do all that. You could’ve become a goddess.”

“I can’t say I didn’t consider it during my lifetime. It would have made me even stronger. But, I would have truly lost my humanity in the process. Even though I thought a king needed to reject many of their human traits, I decided that I could never go too far. If I did, I truly wouldn’t be able to be a king of humans. I’d have been a king for humans. I don’t know if I’m making sense.”

“You are.”

“Good. I’m proud of you, by the way.”

“Why?”

“You were nearly overtaken by a version of me that was a Divine Spirit, yet you managed to push it away. That isn’t something anyone can do. It takes a strong will, and a distinct sense of self. You nearly became me, but you managed to prove that you're only you, and so you stayed you. You didn’t let yourself change. You’re Gray, not even a god could take that away. That's how much you’re you and no one else. You’re strong. I’m proud of you, Gray.”

Silence. Then sniffles. Sobs. Master was crying. Mother’s words hit her hard. Mordred didn’t know why. But, Mordred felt the love in the room. Mother was a good parent to Master. Had mother always been capable of this kind of affection, or had she changed? Master and mother were hugging. Master was crying with joy, but mother sniffed enough times to prove that her own heart had been moved.

“Mom, I’m sorry.” Master said.

“Sorry for what?”

“The other day, when I said I wanted to fight in the Holy Grail War and you said no, I yelled at you. I said you were trying to take everything away! I’m sorry! I know you’d never hurt me on purpose! You only wanted to protect me! I want to participate because I have a feeling it’ll help me find myself. When you said I couldn’t participate, I got mad. I felt like you were trying to prevent me from being myself, but I know that’s not true! I yelled at you and said you were ruining my life when you saved me from my old village and did so much for me! I’m sorry!” Master’s words were muffled from burying her face into mother’s body.

“It’s okay, Gray. You were just frustrated and you have every right to be. If it weren’t for me, you would never have had to go through so much agony. If I wasn’t selfishly living in an era that wasn’t my own, you’d be free.”

“But, you never did any of that on purpose! You didn’t know! And I am free! I get to live a happy life with you and mama and Illya and I get to go to a normal school and do whatever I want because I’m not stuck in my old village!”

“But, you still don’t have your own face.”

“I know. I still want my own face. But, I want to try appreciating what I do have. Maybe it’s because I saw how much Mordred suffered. He went through so much pain, why do I get to complain for something so much less?”

“Mordred…Gray, listen. It isn’t a competition to see who’s suffered more. Your personal problems are still valid. If you're upset about your face, don’t hide it. Tell me. I want to know, to connect with you. That way, I can help you better. I’ve always struggled to open up to you. It's my fault. My guilt makes me want to avoid confronting you, but I’m not running anymore. When we have problems, even with each other, we’ll work them out together? No more self-hatred, no more suffering alone. Okay?”

Master barely got out a “Yes” before she returned to bawling. But, that yes had power behind it. It was a yes that could move continents, a yes that could change the path of one's life. It was also a yes that made mother begin to quietly weep along with her daughter.

Mordred didn’t know the full context of the situation, but he didn’t need to. Through just sound alone, he could feel the intensity and meaning behind the exchange. This was what a happy family was like. Mordred yearned for such a life even more as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

Sitting up, Mordred decided to stop listening in to mother and Master’s private moment.

“Mordred, are you okay? Your eyes are red and puffy.” Illya asked.

“I just had a good dream.”

“Why cry from a good dream?”

“Get off my ass. It’s none of your business. Where’s Irisviel?”

“Cleaning up the mess you made.”

“Oh, yeah. Again, I’m sorry.”

“I’d say it’s fine, but that’d just be me being polite. It’s actually a huge pain and you destroyed some grimoires that were really important and expensive.”

“Sorry.” Mordred stood up. “I’ll help clean.”

“Don’t bother. Mama would insist she can handle it by herself. If you want to make up for your outburst before, I suggest you just try and restrain yourself better. Don’t fly off the handle so quickly.”

“Fine.” Mordred hated that he knew Illya was right. The worst part was that it was the same critique Mordred heard from mother all throughout his life.

Speaking of mother, she had returned from the bedroom. That was quick.

She was probably going to apologize again.

“Mordred, I challenge you to a duel.”

What?

“What?”

Mother’s feet were planted firmly. “I, Artoria Pendragon, challenge you, Mordred, to a duel. Not a duel to the death, but a duel nonetheless.”

“…Why?”

“I am not going to run away anymore. I am going to confront you in the most intimate way possible, through combat.”

“So therapy but with more punching. I can get behind that.”

“Wait, mom, really? You're gonna fight? What if something goes wrong and one of you kills the other?”

“We’ll be fine. Mordred, we’re going to a forest outside the city for our duel. Since your outfit will attract attention you’ll have to travel in Spirit Form.”

“I hate being in Spirit Form. Unless my feet are on the ground, I feel antsy.”

“If you want to stay materialised, you’ll have to wear normal clothes. You can borrow one of my suits.”

“I can deal with that.”

Mordred went into another room and got changed while mother explained the situation to her wife. The suit was more constricting than Mordred normally preferred, but it also felt kinda nice.

By the time he was ready, mother was ready to go at the door. Excitement tingled through Mordred. This was a chance to show off and let off some steam. With the power boost he’s got, he’d easily beat mother this time.

“Let’s go.”

Mother nodded and said her goodbyes to her watching family. They were definitely concerned for her. They better have been after seeing what Mordred could do earlier.

Before getting through the door, Master said, “Mordred.”

“Yeah?”

“Good luck.”

It took a moment for the words to register with Mordred. “Thanks.” he said with a smile before exiting the building.

The town mother’s family lived in was so quaint. Their house was amongst rows of identical others. Nothing stood out. It was the opposite of the days when King Arthur ruled from a castle.

Mother got into the driver’s seat of a vehicle. The knowledge the Grail provided referred to it as a car.

“Can I drive?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because you'll break something.”

“I’ve got the Riding skill, I can drive that thing easily.”

“My concern is how roughly you’d drive, though I guess it wouldn’t be much different from Irsiviel, or Illyasviel for that matter.”

“So I can drive it?”

“No.”

With a huff, Mordred got into the passenger seat.

The drive began and it was quiet. The high energy the challenge created petered out and the atmosphere became awkward, especially as Mordred remembered the events of right after he was summoned.

He had to apologize. But, that was easier said than done, and just saying it took the same effort it would to move a mountain. Mordred kept wriggling in his seat as he let his mind wander to anything that could distract him. He wanted an excuse not to have to apologize yet. He wasn’t having any luck, though.

He had to just do it. Just get it done and move on. He’s the great Mordred, he couldn’t be defeated by a trial as simple as this.

Unlatching his pursed lips, a sound so small, something less than a murmur came out. It was incomprehensible. Mother didn’t even move her head in reaction. Mordred needed to be clear, confident.

“Mother, I’m sorry for how I acted earlier. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”

The eyes in mother’s head were so wide they nearly fell out of their sockets. She really wasn’t expecting that. What kind of impression did she have of Mordred that would make her think he wouldn’t apologize? Probably an accurate one.

“Thank you Mordred. I’m sorry for reacting poorly, too.”

“Yeah. It’s alright. I’m sorry for other stuff, too. I’m sorry for always calling you father and ‘he’ and stuff. I didn’t realise you weren’t like me. Y’know, I thought you were a boy in a female body, too.”

“It’s okay. It never bothered me and I’m used to being referred to as a man.”

“Yeah, but it’s still shitty, so I’m sorry.”

There was one last apology to be made, the big one. Mordred needed to apologize for his biggest sin. But, he couldn’t gather the energy to get even a single word out of his throat. His vocal cords wouldn’t even vibrate. He just couldn’t do it. There was still too much shame and regret and anger and spite whirling inside Mordred.

More silence for the rest of the trip until they reached the edge of the snowy forest. The pair got out.

“We’ll need to go very deep into the forest to avoid catching attention. Try to avoid damaging the environment too much when we fight, by the way.”

“Got it.”

They ran into the forest at speeds so fast that the human eye wouldn’t be able to see even a blur.

By the time they found a secluded area of the forest, the night had taken the area and the moon was high. The trees were narrow but dense in quantity. Snow crunched under shoes which turned to metal boots as Mordred and mother forged their magical energy into armor.

Mother’s invisible blade was summoned. She held it with two hands. It was at her side, parallel with the ground. A solid stance for dashing right towards the enemy and going on the offensive, but she could easily shift to a defensive stance with just a slight adjustment of her feet.

Mordred brought out Clarent and held it one-handed so his other hand was free for whatever he wanted. His style wasn’t orthodox, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t effective, though mother would say otherwise. The helmet of Mordred’s armor shut around his head. He was ready to fight.

“You ready to get your ass kicked by your son?”

“Don’t think that you can beat me just because you have an advantage in raw power for once.”

Both fighters were staring each other down. The frigid air blew through and made a cloud of snow cover the area.

The fighters clashed. They had made a beeline for each other at the exact same time. Their swords slammed into each other, the resulting windstorm dispersing the cloud and clearing the ground of snow. Trees whipped about as if in a hurricane.

Grip tight on his weapon, Mordred reared Clarent back and swung again. It crashed into Invisible Air, blocked but the force made the wind rage again and pushed mother back.

Not wanting to let mother have a moment to breathe. Modred continued with swing after swing. Mother deflected each slash, angling her weapon so Mordred’s sword would slide down the length of her blade upon impact. This dispersed much of the energy behind each of the strikes and made it easier to defend without getting knocked back.

The ground was like an endless earthquake, unable to rest as each collision between weapons sent vibrations throughout much of the forest and deep into the land. The clanging of metal against metal was so loud it sounded like a series of explosions. A normal person would go deaf if they were in the vicinity of the duel.

Mother’s feet were getting buried in the ground as she endured much of the weight of Mordred’s blows, even though they were getting deflected. But, she was just waiting for her chance to counter. Mordred made the mistake of going for a horizontal swing, so mother ducked under it and spun her body, going for a sweeping kick that knocked Mordred’s feet from the dirt. While he was still airborne, mother thrust her blade at Mordred for a stab that he barely blocked in time. Most fighters didn’t know the length of mother’s blade due to its invisibility, but Mordred was one of the few that knew the true length of mother’s sword.

Because he was in the air, Mordred went flying from the force behind mother’s thrust. He crashed through dozens of trees but that was nothing but a tickle to him thanks to his high endurance and armor. She was the one who said to protect the environment earlier but she was too caught up in the fight to practice what she preached. How human of her.

Once his feet were touching the ground again, Mordred was ready to run back at his mother, but she was already a step ahead, having closed the distance near instantly. Mordred swung his sword, but mother swerved out of the way and swung her own blade. With barely enough time, Mordred blocked again. He was tough enough to take the hit and immediately attack back with a punch.

Juking around the attack again, mother got in close and was about to swing her sword at point blank range. There was nowhere to dodge.

In that case, Mordred lunged at her mother, wrapping his arms around her in a bear hug. Accompanying the grapple was a headbut from Mordred with his helmet still on. His armored skull smashed into her mother’s face. Her nose broke and blood gushed and got all over both of their armors.

Falling down, Mordred took both of them to the ground. With himself on top, Mordred pinned his mother.

“How d’you like that? I’m smarter than you thought!”

“That was a good maneuver.” Mother’s voice was nasally and filled with gurgles of blood. “But, you let your guard down too quickly. Strike Air!”

The compressed air around mother’s sword released and raged like an invisible spear aimed at the sky. Because of the weapon’s position in mother’s pinned arm, Strike Air couldn't directly hit Mordred, but it was able to graze him. Just that was enough to launch him into the air and pull him into the attack’s vortex. Wind buffeted Mordred’s armor, leaving small scratches but the armor held strong. If it was a direct hit, it would have been a different story.

As the vortex ended, the vacuum created pulled in nearby air and the ungrounded Mordred along with it. Stuck high in the sky, Mordred watched as mother, whose nose healed with magical energy, was still on the ground and standing right where Mordred was going to fall. She had her sword ready to swing right when Mordred dropped low enough to get in range.

Mordred was pissed. He had managed to pin his mother and she got out of it so quickly. It was frustrating. “Don’t think this is over yet!” As Mordred’s body descended, he activated Mana Burst. Red lightning engulfed Clarent and the air itself quaked.

Mother looked shocked before returning to her usual determined gaze and activating Mana Burst, too. Her Invisible Air was coated in blue magical energy. It was powerful, but Mordred’s was definitely stronger.

Mordred fell in range and he swung his blade, the red energy flashing brightly.

But, mother didn’t swing, she deflected again. The two swords connected and magical energy from both their weapons went wild. It was like two wildfires trying to devour each other. From a distance, a person would see two massive explosions turn hundreds of nearby trees to nothing but atoms. The red detonation was easily twice as large as the blue, but that didn’t matter. Mother’s sword used the magical energy around it like armor as it once again let Clarent slide down the length of its blade and miss its target. The averted swing still released the red magical energy in a grand crimson arc that sliced through the earth and across the forest, leaving a canyon in its wake as everything that got in its way was erased. The crevice was several kilometers long, wide, and deep. Any surrounding trees were ripped from the earth and sent flying at best, or turned to wood chips at worst, such was the power of the raging winds created by the energy wave. There was no snow left to be seen in the area as it had all vaporized.

The power of his own slash caused Mordred to go soaring through the air. As he crossed over a hundred meters, he looked at the destruction his attack caused and was stunned. With a full power Mana Burst, he could attack with the force of a C or C+ rank Noble Phantasm, and with the reserves of magical energy he had, he could spam that shit if he wanted.

Impressed with himself, he also felt bad. He just destroyed a big chunk of the forest. A lot of animals just died or lost their homes. Mordred wondered if he really was good at nothing but destroying things.

Falling into a pile of shattered trees, Mordred quickly stumbled back onto her feet.

“What were you thinking?” mother said. She followed Mordred’s flight through the air on foot. Her body was shaking, still reeling from the impact she knocked away. “I told you not to damage the forest too much.”

“Says the woman who started throwing me through trees earlier.”

“That was a mistake on my part but nothing compared to how you just made a mess of this ecosystem.”

“I’m sorry! Alright? I already feel shitty about it, you don’t need to hammer it in. Can we go back to fighting?”

“Why must you be so reckless? Can’t you stop and think about the consequences of your actions for once?”

Mordred growled. “I said I’m sorry! Why is it that the only time you ever talk to me is to complain!”

“If you didn’t always do things that were objectionable, I wouldn’t have to! But, you keep making poor decisions that hurt others.”

“Is this why you rejected me? Because you think I’m just bad at everything? Is that why you didn’t want me as your heir? Did you think I’d destroy Camelot with my bad decision making? Well, maybe if I had a proper parent to guide me, I might’ve become a better decision maker!”

Mother looked like she was going to yell, but then her body drooped down. You’re right.”

“Hell yeah I’m right-wait, did you just admit I’m right?”

“Yes. You’re my child, and I denied taking any responsibility for you. I should have tried to help you, raise you, make you my whole world, and instead I just ignored you. I thought it was better to just not deal with you at all, as if things would just work themselves out. I talk so much about diligence, but I have no footing to stand on. I’m sorry.”

Mordred’s helmet disassembled. “Really? But, but, why only now? Why only now, after everything? If you realized all this now, why didn’t you before?”

“It was a lot of reasons. It was so many different anxieties coalescing into one mountain of doubt.”

“Like what? What anxieties?” Mordred just wanted to understand, to have the catharsis of a reason why.

“Part of it is, well, what you think it is. I was disconcerted by your existence. You were a clone of me born through incest and my sister’s scheming. I couldn’t trust you weren’t a part of some plan of Morgan’s to ruin my life and take the throne, which ended up being the truth. I feared me getting close to you was what she wanted, though the opposite ended up being true. And, if I’m being honest, the nature of your birth did make me feel uncomfortable. You were like the embodiment of a sin of mine, even if it was unintentional.”

Mordred’s teeth gnashed. Of course. It always came down to this. “My life really is just a stand in, huh?”

“Mordred?”

“To Morgan, I was her tool. To you, I was a threat and a monster. To history, I’m a villain. No matter what I do, all that matters is everyone around me, who I’m related to, what they assume I am. My actions don’t matter. I don’t matter! What I represent matters! I’m not my own person! I’m whatever everyone else wants me to be! Well, now I’m choosing things for myself!”

Like a human lighting bolt, Mordred ran at mother and swung his sword in an uppercut slash. Mother blocked with her sword at the last second, getting launched high into the sky in an arc.

With a leap that made the ground below him pulverize, Mordred followed his mother. Mana Burst activated and Mordred’s sword was once again a conduit for his raging magical energy. Since they were at cloud level, there was no need to fear damaging the environment if he went all out.

Right when he got in range, Mordred swung Clarent, releasing all the built up energy at point blank range.

The Invisible Air’s wind whipped up again. Mother didn’t use up all the compressed air before in her earlier Strike Air. She knew it wouldn’t directly hit anyway since it was a grazing blow so there was no point to waste all the air.

“Strike Air!” Releasing the remaining compressed wind, the miniature tornado propelled mother at high speed out of the way of the Mana Burst blast. The gust fired mother’s body through the air, her body just barely avoiding the edge of the massive wave of red and getting in even closer to Mordred. They were so close their faces were inches away. The obscuring wind was gone so mother’s sword, Excalibur, was revealed in all its glory. The glittering blade was blindingly bright yet didn’t make one wish to avert their gaze. It was a gentle light, but powerful nonetheless.

In a panic, Mordred shot his knee forward, but mother’s higher agility allowed her to react in time by thrusting Excalibur straight through the knee, impaling Mordred’s leg. A blazing hot pain hit Mordred. He felt the bones in his knee crumble and muscles split apart. A cry of suffering came from Mordred which made mother wince.

Mordred’s free hand formed a fist and slammed into mother’s face. Blood and teeth flew out of mother’s mouth as her skin rippled like water. Her cheek split open but mother endured it and yanked her blade out of Mordred’s knee, making him groan from the sudden sharp pain.

Both fighters actuated their Mana Bursts again and their blade’s clashed once more. Another explosion of red and blue. Mordred’s attack was far stronger, but since they were both airborne, they were hurled away before either of them took the full brunt of the mystical eruptions.

After each of them flew for a good kilometer, they hit the ground. Mordred immediately started healing his damaged leg since he wouldn’t be able to stand otherwise. He could hear his mother running for him, her feet ripping apart the ground with each step. She was lucky her messed up face and teeth weren't something that limited her movement.

By the time Mordred’s leg was healed, mother was in sight. She was running in ready to make a big slash.

Mordred dashed towards his mother, ready for his own swing. This was going to be the deciding exchange.

When they got within swinging range, Mordred swung first. Mother raised her sword in a defensive manner. She was gonna try deflecting again. Mordred was expecting that. With as few tells as possible, Mordred shot her free arm forward, his hand latching onto his mother’s hands which held Excalibur. Holding mother’s hands, and thus her weapon, in place, Mordred continued his swing with Clarent.

But, mother lunged forward. Mordred’s sword began cutting into her right shoulder as mother headbutted Mordred like he had done to her before. Mordred wasn’t prepared for this and was pushed back by the hit to the head. Clarent stopped digging into mother’s shoulder and even pulled out as Mordred stumbled back. Mother ripped her hands free from Mordred’s grasp, allowing her to use Excalibur again.

By the time he had regained his footing, Mordred felt the tip of Excalibur pierce into his stomach.

“Don’t move. If this was a real fight, I’d just have to activate Mana Burst and your torso would be destroyed and your Magic Core along with it.”

Mordred lost. Even now that he was stronger than ever, he still lost. It wasn't fair. It never was. Mordred’s entire life was completely and utterly unfair.

Everything was worthless. Everyone acted like they cared about each other, but it was all a load of shit. That was especially true of mother. She didn’t care about Mordred. She didn’t feel bad about his fate. She didn’t care at all.

Now was the time to prove it.

Defying his mother’s order, Mordred raised Clarent high.

“I’m gonna kill you!”

Mother didn’t do anything. Why didn’t she activate Mana Burst and kill him?

“What’s wrong, are you too much of a coward to kill me now?”

She still didn’t do anything. If Mordred brought his blade down on her, she’d be dead, her new family would lose her. All she had to do was activate Mana Burst and Mordred would be dead. He was just a thorn in her side anyway. This was the perfect excuse, she would be completely justified. She would have just been defending herself.

“I swear I’ll split your skull in half!”

Mother’s expression stayed the same. She was sad, and guilty, and concerned. She really wasn’t going to kill Mordred. She really wouldn’t do it.

Mordred felt his arm slowly lower. Clarent fell out of his hand and dematerialized.

Why couldn’t mother just be cruel, be horrible, be someone Mordred could hate without remorse?

“This isn’t fair!” The ground cracked under Mordred’s foot as she stomped. “I loved you! I watched you from afar! You were the most amazing thing in the world to me! I didn’t even want to be like you, I just wanted to be near you! I worked so hard, became knight in your court! But, I was doomed to die because I’m a homunculus! I wouldn’t have lived to be an adult! So, I revealed who I really was, so I could spend what little time I had left with you! And instead I got ignored! I got treated like I’m not even there! I’m just an abomination born from incest! I disgust you! I didn’t know what to do to get your attention! I didn't even know what I wanted anymore!” Mordred began to cough from talking so fast without a break. “The next thing I knew, I had torn down your kingdom, and you stabbed me in the gut. I lived for you. I was even willing to die for you. Why couldn’t you love me?” Mordred was crying.

With his vision blurry with tears, Mordred couldn’t see his mother’s expression. But, he could feel it when mother pulled Excalibur out of Mordred’s stomach, allowing him to heal the wound.

Getting pulled into a hug, Mordred felt his mother’s careful touch. For the first time, he knew a parent’s genuine embrace. He desummoned his armor just so he could feel it more vividly. He wanted to burn this experience into his Saint Graph, so he wouldn’t forget it when he was summoned again.

“You did your best, Mordred. You were always trying your best. You were manipulated by Morgan, and rejected by me. You didn’t deserve the life you lived. You deserved my love. You deserved everything I could have given you. I pushed you away, but it wasn’t just because of how you were born. It was more than that. I was worried that you, of your own will, wanted to just take my throne. I worried you’d make a poor king. I judged you when I should have been guiding you. But, I think the biggest reason I pushed you away was simply because I didn’t know how to embrace you. I thought a king had to stand as a lone, unshaking pillar. I forgot how to connect to others, to love them as individuals, not as citizens of my kingdom. There was part of me that wanted to accept you, but I just didn’t know how to.”

Both of them were crying. They finally bridged the gap between them, or they were starting to, at least.

“I've thought so many times about how I failed you. So many nights, I’ve stayed up thinking about what I should have done. I should have accepted you as my son. I should have made you my heir and trained you to be a better king than I was. I could have used Avalon’s healing properties to counter your shortened lifespan, like I did with Illya. If only I wasn’t so stupid and paranoid and afraid. I wanted to love you. I want to love you. But, I don’t have the right to.”

Mordred finally understood. He finally had a real explanation, a full one. It was complicated, with facets upon facets, but so were Mordred’s own motivations. He could hear the pain in his mother’s voice. There wasn’t a single lie coming from her lips. She was being brutally honest. That’s all Mordred wanted. She wanted to see the true face of the mother she despised and idolized.

“I’m sorry, mother.”

“For what?”

“I’m sorry about starting the rebellion and destroying Camelot. I was mad at you, but that wasn’t the only reason I did it. I wanted to prove I was worthy of the throne, but that was even less of a real reason for me. I did it because, well, when I look back on the men who joined my rebellion, they hated you for being inhuman in their eyes. That made me mad, makes me mad, but I still thought you shouldn’t have been ruler, and I might finally understand why now. I didn’t like you living as this distant king because of the burden it put on you. You didn’t get to live a normal, happy life. You didn’t get to feel anything. You were just a king doing whatever was best for your people. I wanted to free you from that. I wanted to take your place so you could be free to be a normal human being.”

“…You really are my son. We’re both fools who go to such extreme lengths for goals we don’t even understand. Thank you, both for your apology, and your kind intentions.”

“You said you don’t deserve to love me, but I don’t care. I want you to love me. I want us to be a family. But, once this Grail War is over, I’ll go away. I might not even remember this.”

“But, you can stay, the same way I did. As long as Gray and Illyasviel are willing to keep providing you with magical energy, then you can stay.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You can join our family. It’s already a little crazy, but there’s plenty of room for you. I’m going to give you the life you always deserved to have.”

Mordred couldn’t even speak. All he could do was cry like a child. The years and years of suffering, of loneliness, of rejection and spite. All of it could be washed away. The sorrow would never truly vanish, the scars were too deep. But, that didn’t mean all of Mordred’s life had to be those scars.

Clutching his mother’s body, Mordred felt like a child again, or maybe for the first time. He could live a full life now, one where he was loved, one where he wasn’t alone.

It was like a dream. Mordred expected this moment to be revealed as some sort of illusion. But, it wasn’t. It was real.

“Can we really be a normal family? This is so fast and sudden.”

“I know, Mordred, but we can be a family. We just need to be willing to give each other a second chance. We need to let the past rest and move on.”

“I love you, mom.”

“I love you, Mordred, my son.”

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 6: Your Sister and Yourself

Sakura pulled up her scarf to protect her face from the nighttime chill. Her upper lip curled to touch her nose, feeling its coolness. It was especially cold out as Sakura, Rin, and the invisible Saber were jumping from rooftop to rooftop across Shinto.

It had been a few days since Saber was summoned and the Holy Grail War had officially begun. The last Master had summoned their Servant earlier that morning.

Tonight was their first patrol for enemy Servants and Masters. It made Sakura anxious, but she at least had the distraction of being chilly, but that really just replaced one unpleasantness with another.

As Sakura jumped to the top of another skyscraper with legs enhanced by reinforcement magecraft, she thought of how hectic the Holy Grail War was proving to be. They hadn’t even encountered any enemy Servants or Masters yet, but they already faced numerous walls to overcome.

Saber didn’t have her memories so she was weaker than normal. There were two Einzbern homunculi who were making the outrageous claim that the Grail was evil. There’s another Einzbern homunculus who was strong enough to eradicate the rest of the Einzbern family. Saber was actually a Counter Guardian who was tasked with killing an Einzbern homunculi. Keeping everything straight was mentally taxing. Navigating this war would be like trying to travel through a forest while blindfolded.

Rin was definitely hiding her own exasperation, Sakura could feel it. She had to carry so much weight as it was, all thanks to their idiotic Tohsaka legacy that father forced on them. Now, Rin had all this extra nonsense to deal with. Sakura wanted to help carry her load, but at this point, she didn’t know how. She could watch her sister’s back in the war and fight with her, but that wasn’t enough. Sakura felt as helpless as she did during her days with the Matous. She decided not to follow that line of thinking anymore. It would be a surefire way to make herself have a panic attack.

“Sakura, what’s wrong?” Rin asked.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Sakura, it’s obvious you're worried about something.”

“How can you tell?”

“I’m your sister, I know these things.” Rin was smug as she said that.

“Actually, you just look worried. It’s obvious to anyone.” Saber chimed in as she went from incorporeal to her physical form. Rin pouted a bit at her attempted cool moment getting ruined by Saber.

Sakura held one of the ends of her scarf in her hand, running her thumb across it back and forth. “I’m just thinking about everything going on. The Holy Grail War, the Einzberns, everything.”

“There’s no need to worry. When you and I work together, we’re invincible.”

She knew it was just talk, but Sakura still felt herself getting a little swept up in her sister’s faux confidence. But, it was that same facade that made Sakura feel the need to protect Rin. She was like a pillar trying to hold up the whole sky.

“Sakura.” Saber whispered as she got closer to Sakura. “You’re worried about helping Rin, aren’t you?”

Saber somehow knew exactly what Sakura was thinking. It wasn’t as if Saber didn’t seem like she had good insight, but she was amazing at reading people.

“Yes.” Sakura whispered back. “I want to protect Rin, but I don’t know how beyond just helping her fight and making sure she doesn’t make any mistakes.”

“Why isn’t that enough?”

“Because, there’ll be enemies in this war that are so strong and smart, I can’t see how I would be useful.”

“You lack confidence. I have an eye for competency, and you’re more competent than most people.”

“Really?”

“I’m a Heroic Spirit, I know these things.” Saber imitated her Master’s earlier attempt at being cool and winked. Sakura giggled.

“Hey, what are you two laughing about back there.” Rin said.

“Nothing, Master.”

Rin turned her head away. She definitely knew she was being made fun of.

“By the way, Sakura. I feel you don’t give Rin enough credit. You naturally assume Rin will be helpless without you.”

“I don’t think that. Rin’s amazing at everything. It’s just that she makes mistakes…a lot.”

“Having you around is a great boon for Rin, there’s no doubt about that. But, I think both you and Rin don’t trust each other’s competency enough. You each think the other is unable to take care of themselves when alone. I think this might stem from your unusual connection.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“How often are you and Rin together every day? How much time do you spend apart?”

“I don’t know about exact times, but we’re together pretty much all day, every day. The only times we aren’t are when it's literally not possible for us to be together.”

“And you don’t see why that’s odd?”

“No, why?”

“People normally don’t spend every waking moment together, not even with people they really love and care about.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I think you and Rin have reached a point where you act as if you have one shared identity. You’re incomplete without each other. That isn’t a good thing.”

“I think you might be exaggerating, a-and even if you're not, what’s the problem if we have a shared identity like you said?”

“It isn’t just a shared identity. It’s an inseparable identity. You can’t even imagine your sister being able to function without you. You live for each other and that’s it. Do either of you have any friends?”

“Well, no.”

“Do you have anyone you're close to besides each other?”

“We have Kirei. He’s our adoptive father, basically.”

“That's it, one person?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“That’s not healthy. Honestly, it feels as if your relationship is bordering on becoming incestuous. As you are now, you’re so reliant on each that it’ll lead to disaster. You need to have your own separate lives. You are individual people and there will be times where you’re separated from each other and you’ll need to be self-sufficient. Otherwise, you’ll both just crumble when a serious crisis happens when you're apart.”

That made sense. It did. But, it couldn’t be right. Sakura and Rin just really cared about each other. It wasn’t a problem. Saber just didn’t understand. Then again, she had enough intuition to immediately tell what Sakura was concerned about. Maybe Saber had a point.

“Saber, that’s enough.” Rin said. She was listening?

“I’m just trying to help you. You have serious issues that you aren’t recognizing.”

“Saber, I don’t like you barging into our personal lives. It’s none of your business. Sakura, we’re fine.”

“You’re not protecting Sakura by-”

“Saber, be quiet! You don’t know anything about us! Quit acting like you’re so much smarter than us and that you know best and…whatever! Just be quiet!”

In response to Rin’s eruption, Saber closed her eyes, deciding to let things lie for the moment. She returned to Spirit Form and Rin and Sakura continued traveling in silence.

In Sakura’s mind, she kept thinking of Saber’s criticism. Sakura and Rin did rely on each other a lot. There wasn’t anyone else Sakura knew who had a similar relationship to the Tohsaka sisters. Every time Sakura had a panic attack, Rin always helped her through it. Without Rin, what would happen if Sakura’s anxiety flared up? Would she be able to handle it? She might not be able to. She might just break.

Rin was prone to making mistakes, but was that only because she relied on Sakura to make up for those mistakes? If it weren’t for Sakura’s doting behavior, would Rin be more diligent? Was Sakura actually hurting Rin more than she was helping her? A pang of guilt hit Sakura in the chest.

If Sakura and Rin’s connection was harmful, should they try to stand apart more? But, Sakura didn’t even know how. Should she try and make friends to spend time with? How do you make friends? How does it work? Sakura had zero experience with befriending others. She knew how to scare others away, but not how to attract them.

One of the most disconcerting parts was Saber mentioning the ‘incestuous’ feel of Sakura and Rin’s bond. Did people think they were in a sexual relationship? The thought made Sakura’s stomach churn. The idea that the Tohsaka sisters would be intimate with each other in that way was gross. But, it wasn’t hard for those kinds of rumors to form considering how they monopolized each other’s time. Sakura’s expanded perspective was allowing her to see her and Rin’s interactions the way other people could.

“Master, I sense a Servant nearby.”

Breaking out of her thoughts, Sakura’s focus sharpened.

“Where are they?” Rin said.

“A little to the west of here. From what I can see, they’re within a tight cluster of buildings. I assume they’re somewhere among the alleys.”

“Does it seem like they’re trying to attract attention?”

“They may or may not. They aren’t actively sending out a signal, but they aren’t trying to hide either.”

“It could be a trap, but it might just also be that the Servant is doing something they have to be manifested for.” Sakura said.

“Considering they’re likely in a place without much free space, they may plan on using it to their advantage. If they have good speed and agility, are able to attack rapidly, or have attacks that can cover large areas, we’d be cornered.” Saber said.

“We’ll stick to the rooftops as we approach for now. If they're in the alleys, we’ll attack from above. Sakura, get your jewels ready. Saber, materialize so you can act fast but try to suppress your power so you don’t attract too much attention. We’ll all communicate only through telepathy from here on.”

Following orders, Saber manifested and took the lead, Sakura readied four jewels which sat between the fingers of one hand, and the group made their way towards the enemy.

“There’s the block where the Servant is.” Saber telepathically said while pointing. The block was full of nothing but abandoned buildings and a maze of alleyways. A perfect battlefield. “Wait, something’s wrong.” Saber landed on a rooftop that gave a full view of the abandoned city block.

Sakura and Rin dropped next to the Servant. “What’s wrong?”

“I sense the equivalent of a single Servant’s magical energy, but it’s split between three spots. It’s as if it’s a single Servant with three bodies.”

“Is that possible?”

“It isn’t unheard of for multiple individuals to share a Saint Graph and be summoned together as a single Servant. It’s rare, but not impossible. Each individual body is likely not as strong as a normal Servant of the same class and level, but they'll likely be deadly efficient when working together. I’d want to take time to strategize, but they definitely know we’re here and are probably preparing to attack.”

“In that case, let’s-”

A green light encased the area. A rectangular barrier surrounded the building they were on. A Bounded Field had been activated. The potency of it made it clear it was High-Thaumaturgy. This must have been pre-prepared. But, how did they know which building they would stop on? No, they didn’t know. The barrier was likely prepared so it could be created anywhere within a certain zone.

Wait, another rectangular Bounded Field formed at the center of the abandoned city block. The two barriers were likely connected.

“Sakura, we need to go!” Rin grabbed Sakura’s wrist and began to run to get out of the barrier. It didn’t seem solid, so it likely wasn’t fully activated yet.

Sakura felt herself get grabbed again. It wasn’t just her, but Rin too. They both were pulled into the arms of Saber who jumped back. The area they were about to pass through became the target of a projectile, a jewel. Jewel magecraft? The gemstone exploded into flames that left a hole where a third of the rooftop once was.

A tingle gave Sakura goosebumps. The Bounded Field was activating. The greenness grew brighter until it flashed.

The green faded and suddenly Sakura, Rin, and Saber were somewhere else. They were in the middle of a dark alley full of trash. Saber’s back hit a wall before she fell and landed on her feet, still holding on to the Tohsaka siblings. Sakura remembered the second barrier and realized that the two Bounded Fields were meant to teleport Sakura and co into the middle of the abandoned block. It did so by teleporting things in the space demarcated by one barrier to the other. The main purpose of such a tactic was obvious, so they’d be stuck in the middle of a pre-planned ambush.

Magical energy flared at three points surrounding the block. It must have been the three bodies of the Servant. The power was massive, greater than anything that Sakura had ever felt before. It was almost enough to make Sakura have an anxiety attack all on its own. It was like watching the buildings around you collapse while being unable to do anything to escape the debris. This must have been a Noble Phantasm that was about to activate. For the first time, Sakura was going to see the awe-inspiring power of a Noble Phantasm.

Streams of electricity-esk red energy arced through the sky from the three surrounding points. They connected above the block and a dark orb formed from the coagulating mana. It grew and grew as the area was dyed in red. The sphere opened up to reveal a giant eye looking down upon the area, its pupil shaped like a square. The harrowing transformation of the area made Sakura tremble, she barely managed to stay on her feet when she was released from Saber’s grasp.

Sakura’s eyes stung. Her skin burned. Breathing was like inhaling glass. Dizziness hit her in waves. Her mouth tasted of blood. It felt like wax was building up in her joints. Even after reinforcing herself with magical energy, the redness continued to assault her. The Od within her was getting ripped from her body. Her flesh was going to melt away into blood and magical energy. This was a Bounded Field meant to dissolve all life. They needed to leave, fast. They’d be lucky to survive ten minutes in this place. Even Saber wouldn’t last forever.

“Sakura, stay by me!” Rin said.

“Right!”

Flying in the sky above, coming from the three points the Bounded Field originated from, was three figures. They were the enemy Servant.

All the bodies were all identical in appearance. They were women and their eyes were covered by purple blindfolds, or were they masks? They had pink-purple hair nearly as long as their whole bodies were, even as they were styled into twintails. They wore white mini-dresses that showed off their tall, voluptuous forms. Their outfits fit into the goth lolita aesthetic, especially with the lace bonnets they had. It was hard to get any idea about their identities based on their odd appearances.

Their eyes may have been obscured, but they could clearly detect Sakura and co.

The fight was about to begin. They were going to fight being beyond humanity. It was really time. It really was. Sakura’s breathing was accelerating. No, not now. She couldn’t freak out now.

A hand on her shoulder. It was Rin. Just her touch made Sakura’s nerves lessen just a bit. She was okay. Rin was with her, so she’d be okay.

It was time. The first battle of the war was now.

All three of the flying women clenched their hands, fingers digging into their palms. The sight made Sakura wince. Upon unclenching, blood flowed freely from the wounds the trio created. That sanguine liquid shaped into red spears that flew down towards Saber and the Tohsaka sisters. Each of the flying women unleashed several dozen crimson pikes.

This was bad. The alley was so congested that there was nowhere they could quickly dodge.

Both Sakura and Rin were ready to throw the gems they held to counter the first wave of spears, but Saber reacted before they had the chance. In her hand, magical energy gathered and formed into a weapon. Was it her Noble Phantasm, or just a normal Mystic Code?

The armament invoked was an Azoth Sword. It was just like Rin’s. Did Rin’s Azoth Sword act as a catalyst? It would explain some things. But, the Azoth Sword was shorter than the average, just like Rin’s. Why would they have the same modifications to their weapons? Could it just be a coincidence?

Saber broke the sound barrier. She was like a one woman army. She danced around Sakura and Rin, slicing apart each blood pike that got within range. Even as the red weapons blended in with the bloody coloration of the world the Bounded Field created, Saber didn’t miss a single one. Despite the spears numbering over five hundred and continually increasing with each consecutive wave, they still got eradicated by Saber’s swordsmanship.

This didn’t make sense. Saber was moving so fast that her agility had to have gone up a whole rank. She must have had a skill that could augment her parameters. Saber probably wasn’t even aware of it. She was moving on instinct, relearning her own capabilities as she fought.

The style of swordsmanship saber used certainly wasn’t any kind of old style. Actually, it lacked any sort of particular style. It was focused on efficiency above all. It wasn’t the swordsmanship of a swordsman, it was the swordsmanship of someone who owned a sword. The art of the blade was not Saber’s passion. She definitely wasn’t meant to be in the Saber class. She only possessed the class through some technicality. She just so happened to have some trait or armament that qualified her for the class.

Either way, she was effective. Her whole body was less than a blur. After a point, Sakura could only catch occasional glimpses of Saber’s form. The wind was getting kicked up so much that it was like a hurricane had condensed into the alley. Saber was marvelous. Even if she couldn’t see her anymore, Sakura was captivated by Saber’s display of skill.

But, this wasn’t a good environment for her to slowly grow back to her full strength. Her magical energy was getting sapped by the trio above’s Noble Phantasm. She’d tire out in not too long. To top it all off, considering that the enemy Servant(s) were using projectiles, they might have been an Archer. Archers have a class advantage against Sabers.

Sakura had to help.

As her eyes locked with Rin, Sakura knew they had the same idea.

The sisters tossed some obsidians upward toward the three-bodied Servant.

The Bounded Field may have been draining magical energy from living things, but it didn’t seem to be very good at absorbing it from objects. This meant that the Tohsaka family jewel magecraft which focused on pre-charging gems with magical energy was perfect for this.

“Gewicht, um zu Verdoppelung!” the sisters incanted in unison.

The obsidians became iridescent with silver light. A couple red spears destroyed the stones, but that was okay. They were merely a beacon. The true attack would come from above.

What looked like distant stars in the red sky twinkled. A downpour of silver bullets made of magical energy came down towards the three flying women.

All three women in the air shifted one of their hands towards the falling lights, firing half of their flow of red spears up at them. As they countered the attack from above, they were only sending half as many pikes towards the Tohsaka sisters and Saber as before.

If they could just destroy the remaining spears heading for them, Saber would have the chance to counterattack.

Sakura and Rin readied and threw more jewels. Rin’s released a wave of ice and Sakura’s provided extra magical energy to enhance Rin’s spell. “Neun, Acht, Sieben. Stil, schießt Beschießen, Erschießung!” The spell formed icicles that fired at the next wave of blood spears. The masses of ice couldn’t destroy all the spears themselves, but as they slowly whittled away and shattered, they created a wave of cold that froze all the blood projectiles currently fired. The frozen spears all crumbled into powder, leaving a clear path for Saber to attack.

Not a micro-instant was wasted. Saber shot upwards like a rocket, creating a shockwave that toppled Sakura over into the arms of her sister. Targeting one of the flying trio, Saber made a mighty swing as she soared past her. Saber’s prey managed to sway out of the way of getting sliced clean in half, but she was still cut two-thirds of the way through at the waist. Organs spilled out of the split created as Saber continued her ascent. Before she continued too far upwards, Saber grabbed one of the injured woman’s twintails.

“Stheno!” The other two identical women cried out. They thrust their hands towards Saber, ready to launch more blood attacks.

Pulling the woman she grabbed closer, Saber held her Azoth Sword to her throat.

“Don’t move or she dies.” The other two members of the trio became still, unwilling to risk their third. Saber fell back to the ground and landed safely. The woman in her grasp didn’t squirm. She knew not to agitate Saber and risk getting her head cut off.

They were in an advantageous position now. It wasn’t only because they had a hostage, but because they also knew their identity now. The other two women screamed Stheno, who was one of the Gorgon Sisters. It didn’t take genius to notice their covered eyes, which likely hid Mystic Eyes of Petrification, their blood abilities, with enchanted blood being a quality of Medusa, and the fact one of them was named Stheno. They were the Gorgon Sisters. Their class was still a mystery. Sakura’s current best guess was Archer, but it wasn’t definitive. Either way, they were in a good spot at the moment. The question was how to proceed.

A hiss of pain. Snakes. Saber was suddenly wrapped up in snakes. They were biting into Saber’s body, probably injecting her with poison while sucking out her blood and magical energy. The snakes were coming out of the bloody palms of Stheno. No, they were coming out of the blood itself. Sakura just remembered that Medusa’ mythical blood was supposed to be able to create living things. How could she forget something so obvious? She was useless.

Sakura was about to try and do something, but she stumbled again. She was really losing magical energy fast. The Bounded Field was wearing on her. She ended up leaning into her sister again. Was she really helpless without Rin?

“Läßt!” Magical energy in Saber’s dagger burst out. In a rising slash, Saber’s energy cloaked blade sliced apart most of the snakes assailing her, though Stheno jumped out of the way before she could get caught in the slash. Another swing and the remaining snakes were cut apart.

Läßt was the activation word Rin used for her Azoth Sword. Sakura was getting an idea of Saber’s identity and it was confusing.

Stheno returned to the sky, her sisters flying to her side. They were speaking but Sakura couldn’t hear them. The other two Gorgon Sisters, Medusa and Euryale, were clearly showing their concern for Stheno.

The three sisters reached to the back of their heads and removed the masks covering their eyes. When their eyelids raised, there was a low boom. Their eyes were like the one staring down from above. Their pupils were square and the eyes had a jewel-like quality to the way the light refracted off them.

Six Mystic Eyes all focused on Saber and the effect was immediate. Parts of Saber’s body began petrifying. Skin, muscle, tendons, cartilage, bone, and blood all turned to stone. Mystic Eyes of Petrification were of such a high caliber that they were considered among the strongest Mystic Eyes. They were lost to the modern world so if they sold them on the Rail Zeppelin, their family would be wealthy for generations.

Not wasting time, Saber shot off the ground again towards the sisters. Saber wouldn’t become a statue immediately, so if she could defeat the Gorgon Sisters fast enough, she’d be okay. The trio began firing blood spears again, but Saber diced them up before they became too numerous like before. Saber was getting slowed by her petrification but she still managed to defend against every crimson lance.

Saber and the Gorgon Sisters ended up in another mid-air exchange, and with so little space to jump in that the Tohsakas couldn’t intervene without the risk of hitting Rin’s Servant.

But, Sakura once again noticed something.

From their vantage point, the Gorgon Sisters should have been able to spot Sakura and Rin while keeping Saber their main focus so they’d all be turned to stone. So why weren’t they trying to petrify the Tohsakas along with Saber? Unless they didn’t want to risk certain people getting caught up in their look of stone.

People like their Master.

Sakura saw her sister raise an arm, Magic Crest glowing. A series of Gandr were fired with the rapidity of a machine gun. Those dark bullets collided with another series of Gandr. Rin must have sensed the incoming assault before Sakura. It was a good thing she did, or Sakura wouldn’t have reacted in time. As the shots canceled each other out, Sakura spotted the one who fired the opposing Gandr salvo.

“You use Gandr as well? Don’t tell me, you must be the Tohsaka Master. Oh, this is perfect! I will be able to properly avenge the Edelfelt family on the first night of the war! Ohohohohohohohoho!”

The woman’s blonde hair was in curls and she wore a blue dress that screamed aristocracy. Behind her was a giant man in a suit with a short mohawk and sunglasses. Sunglasses at night, really? He was really dedicated to his look. The woman said she would avenge the Edelfelts. The Edelfelts were basically the Tohsaka family’s rivals, excluding the other Founding Families but they weren’t around anymore. They participated in the Third Holy Grail War and were defeated. They apparently hated the Japanese because of it. They especially despised the Tohsakas, probably because they were the ones to defeat them in the Third War.

The Edelfelts wanted revenge on the Tohsakas. Of course, more headaches they were going to have to deal with because they were Tohsakas. Sakura hated her and Rin’s lineage more and more every time it came up. The Tohsaka name wasn’t something honorable, it was just a curse.

“I’m surprised you’d so openly state the name of your family.” Rin said. “You do realize that secrecy is supposed to be key in the Grail War, yes?”

“How could I defeat my family’s greatest enemy without letting them know it was a member of the magnificent Edelfelt family who brought them to their knees?” The blonde woman had a level of smugness on par with Rin. Impressive. And it was also related to her family. Of course. Magi cared so much about their stupid families.

“So you're in this to avenge your family’s dishonor. Sorry, but if they lost the Third War, I don’t see how you’ll be any more of a threat now. The Edelfelts are just a bunch of delinquents who get into fights and steal from other families. There’s no elegance to a family like yours.”

The blond’s smile turned into a furious sneer. “You talk like your family isn’t a shambling corpse trying to drag itself forward. Your representative in the last war got assassinated and his Servant had to keep fighting without him. If you want to talk about unimpressive showings, let’s talk about that.”

Rin’s teeth grit. “What did you say, bitch?” Oh no. Rin hated it when anyone badmouthed their father.

“Do you not understand me? Have you Tohsakas fallen so low that you've regressed and forgotten human speech? Truly a tragedy! Ohohohohohohohohoho!”

“That’s it! I’m gonna rip your head off!” Rin let go of Sakura and rushed forward.

Green light. A rectangular barrier, one like the Bounded Field that was used to teleport Sakura and co earlier, but smaller. It encompassed the entire area Sakura, Rin, the Edelfelt woman, and the large man were in.

A flash.

Sakura was somewhere else. She was inside a building. It looked like an empty office building. Abandoned cubicles were everywhere. Rin was gone. The blond and the giant man were gone, too.

This was likely another building in the abandoned block. There must have been space warping Bounded Fields prepared all over the area as part of the trap the Edelfelt woman and her Servant(s) set. Sakura assumed they must have decided to separate her from Rin so they could pick them off one by one. After seeing how the Tohsaka sisters were so effective when they worked together against the Gorgon Sisters, that was a smart call on their part.

Also, that Edelfelt woman probably wanted to personally bash Rin’s face in for insulting her family.

The question was whether Sakura was alone and the blond and the large man were fighting Rin together, or if Sakura and Rin would each have their own opponent to face.

Another rectangular Bounded Field, this one small enough that it barely fit the man who appeared from it. The large man with the mohawk. Was he the one who created the teleportation barriers? If so, then he probably set up dozens of those Bounded Fields throughout the room.

Rin was alone with the other woman in that case. Would she be okay? Sakura needed to get to her and fast to back her up.

But, Sakura was also alone. She was about to fight a life or death battle alone. The Gorgon Sisters’ Noble Phantasm still covered the area and was draining the life out of Sakura. She wasn’t anywhere near top condition. The large man didn’t look to be affected by it. He and the blond must have been immune thanks to their Servant’s ability to discern who was and wasn’t a target.

The cards were all stacked in the enemy’s favor. Both Sakura and Rin were alone and helpless. They didn’t have each other’s support. They were already running out of steam due to the red Bounded Field that had devoured the block. How were they supposed to pull off a win? Were they even going to survive?

No, Sakura needed to focus. She couldn’t have a panic attack right now. She had to just focus.

A finger pointed forward, Sakura fired off a few bundles of magical energy. They were basic and unlikely to do much damage if they hit, but Sakura just wanted to test the waters.

Another small Bounded Field appeared around the bullets and warped them away. Sensing an increase in mana behind herself, Sakura rolled out of the way of her own bullets as they teleported behind her from another green Bounded Field.

The man was the one that created the Bounded Fields and they were all over the room. He’d be able to warp anything he wanted to whatever position was most advantageous to him.

Bounded Fields all around Sakura activated. What appeared in them were boulders. The man put a hand forward which lit up magical energy and the masses of rock all darted towards Sakura to crush her. He had the element of earth and he used his Bounded Fields to grant himself an infinite supply of ‘ammo.’

Dodging would be pointless. She or the boulders would just be teleported around so she’d be in danger again.

“Fixierung, Eile Salve!” Sakura extended her finger and spun around, firing a barrage of Gandr shots all around her. The runic projectiles perforated all the boulders with such force that they pulverized. Gandr wasn’t Sakura’s specialty, nor was offensive magecraft in general. She specialized in support abilities so the kind of gatling attack she just performed wasn’t something she could do many more times, especially as she continued to feel the red veil over the area try and dissolve her. That’s why she needed to fight smart. Sakura tossed a jewel into the air as the mohawk man summoned more boulders. “Stark Groß zwei!”

The gemstone shined with a bright light that blinded the man despite his sunglasses. Sakura immediately started running from the spot she was. The massive stones all crashed into each other as the large man made them charged for where Sakura once was in response to being blinded. The light didn’t just block vision, it blanketed the area in magical energy to obscure Sakura’s position from being sensed. This was Sakura’s opportunity to counterattack. Another jewel magecraft spell would release too much magical energy to be hidden by the light, so the man would sense it and escape through his Bounded Fields. Instead of doing that, Sakura used a subtler spell that the man wouldn’t detect.

Throwing multiple jewels all over the area but not activating them, Sakura tapped into her element, Hollow. The Hollow affinity allowed Sakura to access Imaginary Number Space, an alternative space outside of normal reality. Using it as a pocket dimension, Sakura made it so the scattered jewels all entered Imaginary Number Space midair. This caused them to become completely undetectable and untouchable to humans, magi, or even Servants and put them in a sort of stasis. They all sat in the spatial position they were at when they entered Imaginary Number Space and would only come out when Sakura wanted them to. They were an undetectable trap.

Sakura hid inside one of the cubicles as the magecraft flash bang ended. The mohawk man could see again and immediately sensed Sakura’s magical energy. Sakura wanted the man to assume that she was just making a desperate attempt to hide and that was what the obscuring light was for, keeping her true plan secret. More boulders appeared and were directed to collide with Sakura.

Unveiling another deluge of Gandr, Sakura eliminated the boulders and left the nearby cubicles, including the one she was in, a mess of fragments. Sakura readied her legs and put a large amount of magical energy into reinforcing them, so much so that it felt like her muscles were being cooked.

As her legs were decorated with lines of green, Sakura used the special Bajiquan stance she had learned from Kirei. With only the slightest step aided by reinforcement magecraft, it made it look like Sakura was teleporting as she closed the distance between herself and the large man. He jumped in surprise. He was so unprepared for Sakura’s sudden movement that he wasn’t able to activate any of the Bounded Fields between himself and Sakura to warp her away before she got in close.

Sakura was about to punch but a Bounded Field appeared around the man and he teleported away.

He reappeared from another Bounded Field and-no! He decided to reappear at the one spot that wasn’t close enough to any of the jewels in Imaginary Number Space. If Sakura tried to use any of them, he’d be able to react fast enough to evade them. Did the man know what Sakura’s plan was? No, there was no way he could have. It was just horrible luck.

The same trick wouldn’t work twice. Sakura had to think of another way to get the man to teleport again.

But, she couldn’t think of anything. Any spells she used would get warped back at her by the Bounded Fields. The only kind of magecraft she had that couldn’t be affected by the barriers would be those involving her Hollow element. She could channel it into blasts of magical energy, but the Hollow element isn’t very effective on living humans, it was better for spiritual bodies. She’d be able to hit the mohawk man, but it wouldn’t do much most likely and he probably wouldn’t even bother to teleport away. Things Sakura put into Imaginary Number Space couldn’t be affected by Bounded Fields, but nothing she put into the pocket dimension could move. They always entered a static state.

Theoretically, if she were to enter Imaginary Number Space, she could use her control over it to allow herself to move. But, that was crazy. Imaginary Number Space was hostile to life. Putting a person in it would kill them.

Well, she could use the same control she had over the Hollow element that would allow her to move in the alternate reality to also protect herself from its harmful effects. But, the amount of focus it would require was immense and the strain it would put on her was more than anything Sakura had ever endured before. This wasn’t even considering the fact that Sakura was being slowly killed by the Noble Phantasm that had covered the block. Sakura was nowhere near the condition she’d need to be in to pull off a crazy stunt like moving through Imaginary Number Space.

But, what other choice did she have? It was either try it and maybe die, or don’t and definitely die. Then Rin would be all alone. That wasn’t acceptable. Sakura would take any risk for Rin.

Another set of Boulders encircled Sakura and fired.

Clearing her mind, Sakura stepped forward. Her body seemed to vanish into the air. She was entering Imaginary Number Space. As soon as the smallest tip of her forehead crossed the boundary between realities, Sakura felt pain. She was enveloped in pure suffering. It wasn’t like the worms of the Matou house. That felt invasive, disturbingly intimate. This was a form of agony that made Sakura feel like an intruder. She was entering a space that wasn’t constructed for entities of her kind. She was a fish trying to fly. She was going against the very laws of nature and she was being punished for it.

Her whole body finally entered Imaginary Number space and all Sakura could feel was a torturous sensation as her very being was getting assailed by the entire universe she had entered. There was nothing else.

She had to focus. She had to try and disregard the pain to allow herself to move. She accessed her element to start pushing back at the reality that was trying to squash her. Her body began to move slightly. It was like trying to move when your body is encased in solid concrete.

Sakura moved a nanometer. All her pain and effort, and she had made it one nanometer.

How much time had passed? It didn’t matter. Sakura’s sense of time was long dead.

She just had to focus. She had to cling to what she was fighting for. Rin. She was fighting for Rin.

She had to go help Rin. Once she crossed over to her enemy and defeated them, she would be able to go to her sister. She just wanted to see her sister. To feel her kind hand stroke her head and tell her it would be okay.

The pain. The pain was everything. Sakura was suffering and it was because of Rin and her desire to win this stupid Holy Grail War. She was only participating to honor her family. The Tohsakas.

Fuck the Tohsakas.

This stupid family name was ruining Sakura and Rin’s lives and Rin dared to say it was a good thing.

Was she stupid?

Definitely.

Everything was stupid. The Holy Grail War was stupid. The Tohsakas were stupid. Rin was stupid.

Sakura was stupid.

Sakura was the dumbest of all. She knew how stupid Rin’s goal was, and yet she still agreed to help her. She knew it was dangerous, asinine, pointless. But, she still agreed to help.

Because, Sakura wanted to see her sister happy. Sakura just wanted Rin to be happy.

The same things that made Sakura mad were the things that made Rin’s life difficult, and yet she didn’t become bitter or complain. She took it all on the chin and embraced it. Sakura wished she could do that.

Rin was light. That wasn’t her element, but it should have been. Rin possessed a purity that was like a work of art. It made Sakura want to cry. Something so unsullied needed to be protected. Rin deserved to get everything she wanted.

And that was why Sakura was fighting.

Wait, Sakura had done it. She had crossed the distance and bypassed all the Bounded Fields. It felt like years, but Sakura did it. She was where she needed to be.

Breaching out of Imaginary Number Space with a gasp, Sakura reentered the normal world. Not even a second had passed since she entered the alternate dimension. Blood leaked from every orifice on Sakura’s head. The blood evaporated from the enemy Servant’s Bounded Field, causing Sakura’s head to be cloaked in a red mist.

The large man was surprised again by Sakura’s sudden appearance.

On autopilot, Sakura swung her leg in a side kick that hit the large man’s torso. Ribs audibly cracked from the strike's power.

The man warped away once more. This time, he reappeared in a spot that was perfect.

Out of Imaginary Number Space, a jewel pooped out right next to the mohawk man. The did a double take as Sakura spoke out the incantation.

“Ein Körper ist ein Körper!”

An explosion of destructive light came from the gem. Nearby cubicles disintegrated. A third of the spacious room was engulfed by the detonation. It was so bright that Sakura had to wait for it to finish to be able to see the results. As Sakura waited, she could feel the entire building shake. She needed to focus just to not fall to her knees.

The light receded. The man was nowhere to be seen, but the nearby walls and ceiling were charred black. There must have been nothing left of the man’s body after taking that kind of spell at point blank range.

Sakura had just killed someone. It was a first time experience that would normally scar a person, but the enervation of Sakura’s stamina made it too trying of a task to contemplate the ramifications of her actions. She was sure she’d have some kind of mental breakdown about it later when it sunk in as to what she had done, but that didn’t matter for the moment. She just needed to get to Rin.

Wait. Why did Sakura sense magical energy behind her?

Sakura couldn’t finish turning around as she was hit in the head by a punch that sent her skidding across the ground. When she stopped, her body was sprawled across the floor. Blood drained from a gash in her skull before evaporating from the red Bounded Field.

Sakura’s blurry vision caught a look at the one who hit her. It was the mohawk man. He was alive. Sakura had difficulty discerning details, but he looked really injured. His suit was just some strips of cloth and his sunglasses were gone. He was painted red by his blood. He must have teleported away from the explosion in time to survive, but not before getting hit by a little bit of it.

He was weakened. This would normally be Sakura’s chance to finish him off, but she wasn’t even sure she’d be able to stand up. She twitched a finger and a scorching pain shot through her nervous system. Doing anything hurt. Even breathing caused the sensation that Sakura’s lungs would burst at any moment.

The Noble Phantasms effects were getting more difficult to resist. Sakura’s skin felt like wax. The outer layers were melting away. Foam was coming from her mouth and getting stuck in her throat. It was becoming difficult just to take in air.

A boulder appeared above Sakura. It fell down at the large man's command. The rock pounded into Sakura. She reinforced her body, but it didn't stop her skin from ripping open in various places. Sakura’s eyes began bulging out of her head. The boulder kept pressing harder into her. The giant man was using his earth magecraft to actively press the rock into the Sakura. The floor beneath her began to crack, as did her bones. The pain began to fade, as did most sensation she felt.

Sakura was dying. Despite her desire to help her sister, she was going to die. Her will to stand by Rin’s side wasn’t strong enough.

This was it. Rin was going to have to live without a sister. Hopefully, Rin would make peace with that.

But, Sakura wasn’t okay with that.

Sakura didn’t want to die. Not because she wanted to be with her sister. She just didn’t want to die. Who cares if Rin could live without Sakura? Sakura wanted to live. Her whole life, Sakura’s self-preservation instinct was neglected for the sake of Rin. But, how could Sakura take care of Rin if she couldn’t care for herself? No more fighting for Rin. Now, Sakura would fight for her own survival.

The will inside Sakura sparked alive again. The Magic Circuits inside Sakura all overflowed with magical energy as Sakura pushed herself to the limit.

She had one last idea, but it was dangerous, and not just for her, but for Rin and Saber, too. To use such a strategy was selfish. But, Sakura decided that for once, she was going to be selfish.

All the remaining jewels in Imaginary Number Space phased back into normal reality. They all lit up as they charged up the same spell. It would be a simple series of magical energy detonations. There were five gems so the spell would have the power to even kill a Servant. It would be completely unfocused, too. That meant that the detonations would simply spread out. For a spell of this potency, that meant it would raze the entire city block at a minimum. Not only Sakura and her opponent, but Rin, Saber, the Gorgon Sisters, and the Edelfelt woman would all be consumed by it too. They’d likely all die if they didn’t escape in time.

“Fünf, Drei, Vier. Riesig und brennend, das ist ein Ende.”

All the jewels exploded.

The large man acted fast. He needed to stop the blasts to save both himself and the Edelfelt woman. He activated all the Bounded Fields in the room. The entire room was filled with green rectangles. As the explosions passed through the Bounded Fields, the magical energy from them got teleported away. He likely had more of these Bounded Fields in areas of Fuyuki that were secluded in case he needed to do something in secret. That likely included places he could safely discharge the magical energy like the forest. He was essentially sucking up the explosions as soon as they were created to neutralize them. He was straining himself, especially in his wounded state.

It was now or never.

Sakura reinforced her body to the point that the Magic Circuits that lit up against her skin were releasing tiny bolts of leaked energy. She pushed the boulder on top of her, causing it to break apart from her strength.

With a forward flip, Sakura got onto her feet. The large man just finished warping away the explosions and he was wobbly on his feet. For at least a moment, he’d be too tired to activate any more Bounded Fields.

Her body still reinforced Sakura, ran towards the man with such might that the floor she tread upon was destroyed, leaving holes with every step. The distance was closed and Sakura just had to deal the knockout blow.

Sakura remembered all the years she spent learning Bajiquan from Kirei. She needed to pull out a move that would be sure to end things. Her feet planted firmly, her body twisted to put all her weight and magecraft boosted strength into one punch. She unloaded Eight Grand Openings – The Standing Upward Cannon.

Her fist was drenched in a green glow from her circuits as it rose in an uppercut. It crashed into the large man’s chin and Sakura could feel his jawbone crumble. His mouth nearly blew apart and most of his teeth turned to powder. The strike sent the man skyward and he flew through the ceiling headfirst. He was lucky that Sakura wasn’t at full strength or that punch would have made his head pop like a water balloon.

The man fell back down through the hole his body made in the ceiling and hit the ground. He was nearly motionless, but a few twitches revealed he was unconscious, not dead.

Sakura looked down at her defeated enemy. She considered whether it would be safer to kill him. The answer was that it would, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to take a life, and she was too tired to contemplate the idea.

She just needed to leave the Gorgon Sisters’ Bounded Field. Sakura wasn’t planning to go help Rin anymore. For one thing, she was too drained to be of any assistance. Second, she was going to be dissolved completely if she didn’t get out of the Noble Phantasm, stat.

On shaky steps, Sakura went up to the nearest door and opened it. The new room she found had a window. Sakura opened and jumped through it, landing on her side and definitely breaking another couple bones, but she didn’t care. She needed to leave as fast as possible.

Reinforcing her legs again, Sakura got up and dashed through the maze of alleys. Her mind was in a haze. She was running on fumes and as soon as she stopped to rest, she wouldn’t be able to get moving again. She finally found her way to the outer sidewalk around the block and the edge of the red barrier.

Touching the barrier, Sakura’s hand was repelled and burned. The Bounded FIeld was meant to prevent escape. But, Sakura still had one ability that could let her get through it.

Sakura grit her teeth, stepped as close to the Bounded Field’s edge as she could, and entered Imaginary Number Space again.

The pain was worse this time. Sakura was barely able to fend off the hostile reaction the alternative space had towards her. The only reason Sakura was able to get through it was due to the distance she needed to cross being much shorter this time and her consciousness being so dulled that she barely felt any sensory input at this point.

The journey through Imaginary Number Space ended and Sakura was one the other side of the red Bounded Field. The relief of everything not being tinted red was mixed with the sense of release Sakura felt at not having her entire body be under constant assault from something or other.

But, as her blood no longer vaporized and gushed from all over her, Sakura smacked into the ground. She couldn’t move. Even attempting to actuate her Magic Circuits would kill her. She had no way to heal herself. She was seriously going to die. She finally got out of the barrier, but she was going to die anyway.

It wasn’t likely that there was anyone around. The other blocks around here were all pretty much abandoned, too. If there were any other people here, they were probably only in an area like this to buy drugs or the like. If those types of people were to find Sakura, she’d be lucky if they just left her to die. They might just kidnap her to sell her as a sex slave or something. Getting violated daily wouldn’t be anything new to her thanks to the Matous.

Sakura really did have the worst luck. Who else would be given by their father to another family who tortured them relentlessly then someone with the absolute worst luck?

“How lucky for you that I like taking walks in secluded places. We’re both really lucky. You don’t get left to die and I get to see you in such a miserable state.”

That emotionless voice. It was familiar. Sakura knew who it was, but she wasn’t able to make the connection. She was too tired.

Hopefully they’d save Sakura. That was Sakura’s last thought as she went into unconsciousness.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 7: Duel and Abduction

A flash of green.

Rin was just running at the Edelfelt bitch and the giant guy behind her one moment, the next, she was running just at the Edelfelt.

Stumbling to a stop, Rin’s first priority was looking to see if Sakura was still behind her. She wasn’t. Rin and the blond weren’t even in the alley anymore. They were inside a large meeting room of an abandoned office building. The area was still tinted red so they were within the enemy Servant’s Bounded Field. Rin and the blond stood at opposite ends of a long rotted wood table.

Rin tried to telepathically contact Sakura, but she couldn’t reach her. The Bounded Field the Gorgon Sisters created must have been able to jam telepathic communication.

“Where’s Sakura? Where'd you take her?” Rin’s composure broke.

“I’m guessing Sakura is the girl you were with. She’s with my butler, Clown. He’ll deal with her promptly while I settle the score between our families.”

Shit. Sakura was alone. How could Rin screw up so badly? She promised to always be by Sakura’s side and protect her. Now, they were in the most dangerous situation of their lives and they got separated. Rin had led them into the most obvious trap in the world.

If Rin didn’t finish this fast, Sakura was going to die.

“Now, then.” The blond jumped atop the long table. “Let us end this feud onc-”

Rin pulled out multiple jewels and threw them so hard her joints ached from the motion. “Neun, Acht, Sieben. Stil, schießt Beschießen, Erschießung!” Multiple large icicles manifested and fired like missiles at the Edelfelt. Rin wasn’t going to waste time bantering.

With a grimace, the Edelfelt threw her own jewels that created a barrier the icicles crashed into. The half of the table behind the barrier was unscathed, but the other half was less than dust. The freezing waves that came from the icicles caused the walls, floor, and ceiling that were on Rin’s side of the room to get a coating of frozen air. Even the air in front of the barrier the Edelfelt erected froze, creating a wall of ice between the two magi.

This was actually the perfect chance for Rin to escape. It should take a bit for the blond bitch to break through that ice wall.

Rin was wrong.

The icy partition shattered as a massive blast of magical energy smashed through it. Said blast was a rainbow of colors and was powerful enough to cause Rin to freeze in place like a deer in headlights. It was about to hit Rin dead on.

“Sieben!” Regathering herself, Rin threw multiple more jewels to create her own barrier. The rainbow blast smashed into the shield and made the building rumble, but it failed to tear down Rin’s safeguard.

“I have to admit, I’m impressed. You managed to stop The Edelfelt's Kaleidoscope. You may not compare to me, but you're at least someone who’s somewhat worthy of defeating.”

“You dare name that tiny little spell after Zelretch’s epithet? That’s truly an insult.”

“You Tohsakas are the ones who insult Zelretch. He entrusted your family with the task of recreating the Jewel Sword and you’ve made no progress worth mentioning.”

“At least Zelretch tasked us with something. He didn’t see anything special in Edelfelts.”

A snarl came from the blond. “Well, I’ll prove he needed a more discerning eye.” She took out more jewels.

This was bad. Rin was nearly out of jewels at this point. This Edelfelt woman was using high level jewel magecraft spells like it was nothing special. She must have had an absurd number of gems to burn through. The Edelfelts were supposed to be obscenely wealthy, so that made sense.

Rin needed to get in close. If she could, she could turn the fight to one of martial arts. Rin was confident she could beat any magus in a contest of hand-to-hand combat short of a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy. If she used the last of her gems, excluding her pendant, to create an opening, Rin could give herself a chance to close the distance. But, she’d only get one shot and if she screwed up, she was dead. It didn’t help that the Bounded Field was still saping Rin’s strength. Her head was swimming like she was on a roller coaster.

But, she had to stay sharp. She just needed to deal with the Edelfelt bitch, and then she could go save Sakura.

Rin grabbed and threw all her remaining jewels in one clean motion. At the same time she began to run with reinforced legs at full speed using footwork she learned from Kirei. Less than a second after Rin threw her gems, the blond threw her own. That minor delay was all Rin needed. As Rin’s jewels and the Edelfelt’s got close to each other, Rin activated her spell first. A spherical purple barrier formed around the blond’s jewels. The orb created a strong gravity that forced all the gems to collide with each other at its center.

The blond activated her gems, but as they erupted into a variety of spells, the objects and effects those spells created all got pushed towards the barrier’s center as well. It weakened the force of the Edelfelt’s spells which, along with the barrier’s durability, allowed the sphere to contain blond’s attack.

Rin kept on running, jumped on the table, and got right in her enemy’s face. She had done it. Now the battle was going to turn in her favor.

The Edelfelt grinned as she tore off her removable sleeves. It looked like she was a practitioner of bare knuckle combat, but she’d never seen a martial artist like Rin.

Rin raised a leg for a kick. The bitch responded by getting low and lunging forward. She was a wrestler, apparently. She was gonna try and grab Rin by the waist while she didn’t have both legs firmly planted. As she did, she put out a hand to block Rin’s kick by grabbing it at the knee.

Perfect.

When the blond grabbed Rin’s knee, the entire leg dressed itself in fire. No, it was infused with fire. The bitch pulled her arm back as her glove burned away and her hand was covered in third degree burns.

The kick continued and the blond had no choice but to take the flaming leg head on. Her arms raised and reinforced and she took the kick, her arms burning as she was flung into the air.

Rin’s legs were surrounded by whirlwinds. She jumped, the gusts propelling her at super speed as she headed for the Edelfelt. While they were both midair, Rin punched at the blond. Right before it hit, Rin’s fist became a dark purple color as it was infused with a spell that increased its mass. The fist smashed into the arms the bitch used to block and sent her flying through multiple walls.

As Rin learned Bajiquan from Kirei, Rin considered the idea of combining martial arts and magecraft. Rin studied a variety of Chinese martial arts. She never became as skilled as Caren, but she wasn’t far behind. Rin then figured out how to infuse magical energy into the body quickly and precisely. This allowed her to enhance her body parts with different spells while fighting hand-to-hand. It sounded simple, but initiating spells into specific body parts rapidly and while performing physical maneuvers required great concentration and practice. It was also very powerful. Thus, a new martial art was born that Rin named Madō(魔道). This was Rin’s personal project that she would present to the Clock Tower to get an instant jump in rank once they accepted her.

Rin hit the ground running as she followed her opponent through the many holes she created in the building. Ending up in a dirty bathroom, Rin found the Edelfelt right as she got back to her feet. She was bleeding from multiple places, especially her burnt arms, and she was pissed.

Since Rin could infuse her body parts with spells, the bitch couldn’t touch her. That meant her wrestling was useless. As long as Rin kept things short range, she had this fight in the bag.

The dumb bitch tried to punch Rin. Apparently she was too stupid to realize that was a bad idea. Rin raised an arm and began infusing it with electricity.

The blond’s fist stopped and opened. She wasn’t really punching, she was throwing. A jewel was released from her hand. She was going to use jewel magecraft at close range.

Reflexes activating, Rin swung her arm and knocked the gem away. It flew into a bathroom stall where it exploded into a deafening sound that made Rin’s already dizzy head even more muddled.

Before she had a chance to recompose herself, Rin felt arms wrap around her waist from behind. She was lifted into the air and German suplexed into the floor so hard she went straight through it and into the hallway downstairs.

She got to her feet, but when she looked up, a foot stomped into her face. The bitch took a page from Rin’s book and used a gem to create a gust to propel herself. Rin could feel multiple teeth loosen from the Edelfelt’s heel digging into her mouth.

Rin grabbed the bitch’s leg, electricity infusing into her hands and surging into the Edelfelt’s body. The blond stiffened as all her muscles were stimulated. Rin spun around over and over with the bitch still in her hands before releasing her and sending her flying through multiple rooms so hard that the entire floor they were on began to collapse.

As the Edelfelt was still flying, Rin dashed at her with both wind and fire roaring from her feet to shoot her forward faster than ever. Rin caught up to the bitch while powering up her elbow with freezing energy while her hand had fire and wind swirling around it Rin raised her arm to drive her elbow down into the bitch. The wind and fire fired from Rin’s hand which pointed towards the ceiling, propelling her elbow straight downward into the bitch’s torso with greater force than a shot from a battleship gun. The elbow strike created a sound like thunder upon impact due to the power. All the glass in the building shattered and the walls filled with cracks. The blond’s body began to freeze from the icy power in Rin’s elbow before she was sent careening downward through all the building's floors before smashing into the basement. The freezing of her body made the bitch extra brittle so she took even more damage from the collision.

Rin jumped down the pit she created and landed in the basement. She immediately took an armbar to the neck. She wasn’t prepared so by the time she could think to infuse herself with a spell, she had already been sent flying into a wall.

The Edelfelt was already up. The basement was dark, but Rin could see her opponent wasn’t in a good way. She had thawed, but her body was covered in bleeding cracks from her earlier impact. Her breathing was wheezy but she was still ready to fight.

She began pulling out more gems so Rin took off. She couldn’t let her use the jewels at range or she wouldn’t be able to deflect them in time to avoid the spells going off properly.

The jewels were thrown but it was close enough that Rin was able to knock them upward before they could go off. When they exploded above, they produced a rain stone spikes. Rin danced around them with precise footwork, though some did hit her, leaving her with cuts and a few sticking out of her shoulders.

Rin was right in the Edelfelt’s face, shooting off punches and kicks that the blond did her best to bob and weave around. She was mostly successful excluding a few grazing blows and some direct hits from occasional wind and fire accelerated strikes.

The blond pulled out more jewels, but every time she tossed them out, Rin knocked them away and dodged around whatever the spells created.

One time, when the blond’s hand began to open and Rin prepared to knock away another jewel, nothing appeared. The blond didn’t actually throw out anything, she just opened her hand. Actually, that opened hand was right in Rin’s face, blocking her view. It was a fake out.

A fist crashed into Rin’s lower torso, right at the liver area. Rin felt vomit enter her mouth as she sensed magical energy. The fist that was still digging into her gut was holding a cluster of jewels that were about to fire off a spell. If she took that attack at point blank range, Rin was dead no matter what spell she infused herself with to defend.

Deciding to fight dirty, Rin spat out the vomit in her mouth right in the blond bitch’s eyes. The Edelfelt reeled back instinctively right as her spell was about to go off. Shooting wind and fire from her foot, Rin launched her knee into the hand holding the jewels, knocking it upwards.

The jewels in the blond’s hand fired off the spell they had charged towards the rest of the building above rather than Rin, releasing a massive blast of rainbow colored energy like the one from early in the fight. The wave of energy rose through the building above, destroying everything in its path. Rin didn’t see exactly what was destroyed, but she assumed that multiple support pillars or the like had been annihilated. She believed this had been the case since the building had begun to collapse in on itself. Neither Rin nor the Edelfelt had time to try and escape before the entire office building above would try to squash them.

The blond still had bile in her eyes as she threw multiple jewels above her that began forming a barrier around her. Rin, the frugal opportunist that she was, dashed within the bounds of the shield her enemy created before it finished forming so it would protect her, too. It was either that or use her pendant and she wasn’t going to waste it now if she didn’t have to.

The barrier held strong as the rubble of the building finished collapsing and formed a giant pile atop the dome shaped shield. The Masters were now forced into close quarters thanks to the barrier’s small size, perfect for Rin. If the bitch tried to use her jewels, she risked getting caught up in her own spell when there’s so little free space.

The Edelfelt finished clearing her eyes of the former contents of Rin’s stomach and gave a look that could only be described as ‘murdery.’ Despite her disadvantage she ran at Rin to punch her. As the fist headed for Rin’s face, the Tohsaka head’s arm raised to block the strike while infusing it with an ice spell.

When the blond’s fist hit Rin’s forearm and began to freeze over, instead of pulling back or stopping, the blond kept going. Her fist kept pushing harder and actually broke apart the ice around it.

Rin was flung into the barrier behind her as the Edelfelt continued her assault. She threw punches and kicks without fear. As Rin infused her body with fire and electricity, the blond just powered through the damage as she kept thrashing Rin. The Edelfelt forced her body to move by reinforcing it as the electricity tried to paralyze her. She ignored the burns from every burst of fire her limbs were hit with.

Rin’s body was getting bruised and her bones creaked. She was beginning to feel tired. She was really low on magical energy thanks to the Noble Phantasm that covered the block and her own rapid usage of spells.

The Edelfelt threw a jewel behind her that created a mighty windstorm that threw her at Rin. The blond’s fist plowed right into Rin’s solar plexus as the barrier around them deactivated. The storm-propelled blond continued to push Rin, forcing Rin’s body to burrow through the debris around them, back first. They tunneled upward through the collapsed building. Rin’s back was getting torn up, making it bleed like a waterfall that turned to mist due to the Bounded Field.

Erupting out of the collapsed building and to the outdoors, Rin and the Edelfelt appeared. They weren’t outside for long because a furious Rin kicked with a foot turned purple as its mass increased. The bitch was slammed away and into another abandoned building. Rin jumped after her. When Rin entered, she was face to face with the bitch who was already going for a counterattack.

The fight was a wild brawl at this point. The duo kept throwing and hitting each other through walls, ceilings, floors, and even through to other buildings. Rooms crumbled with every strike and entire buildings collapsed in the wake of their battle. The two were jumping around so much that the only purpose the environment had was to provide footholds for every time they leapt at each other for another clash.

Now that the blond was willing to just power through the pain, she was able to put her wrestling to good use. Rin found herself in chokeholds, leg locks, suplexes, izuna drops, and every other kind of grapple that Rin could name.

Rin would get stuck on a submission hold, but she’d smack the ground so hard that she and the Edelfelt would bounce in the air and give Rin the opportunity to palm strike the bitch away.

Rin would go for a flaming punch only for the blond to duck down, sweep her legs, grab said legs, and toss Rin through a wall and into another building.

The fight had long since given up on the idea of elegance. It was bordering on no longer being considered a fight. It was becoming violence and violence alone.

Rin grabbed the blond’s head and scraped her face across a wall before shoving her head in a toilet.

The bitch spat in Rin’s eyes multiple times as revenge for Rin puking in her face.

But, Rin and the Edelfelt still used strategy. The Edelfelt took advantage of her deadly jewels to keep an edge as Rin had to always deflect them when she threw them out, which created plenty of openings. If just one jewel spell hit Rin dead on, she was dead. The jewels also required little magical energy to activate since they’re pre-charged ahead of time. Rin’s Madō wasn’t so efficient, eating up chunks of her magical energy every time she infused a spell into her body.

That wasn’t the only advantage the Edelfelt had. The red Bounded Field the enemy Servant made was slowly killing Rin and sucking up her magical energy. Bits of her skin kept melting off. Her eyes were a few steps away from liquifying. She had constant vertigo. Rin’s whole body would have been in nigh-insufferable agony if it weren’t from the combat high she was under.

Rin was going to lose soon if she didn’t figure out a way to put down the Edelfelt bitch and keep her down.

She had to think of something quick. Sakura was waiting for her. Who knew what kind of trouble she was in? She might have lost consciousness. She might have lost a limb. She might have been dying.

After getting hit through the wall of one building and into the wall of another, Rin got to her feet and ran up to the hole her body just made. She looked across to see the blond standing at the other hole in the adjacent building. She was tired and it was clear that she couldn’t keep going much longer. Their next exchange was going to be the last.

Both women looked each other in the eye and time seemed to freeze completely, even the frigid wind no longer blowing. A mutual respect had formed between the two. They didn't like each other, but they couldn’t help but admire each other’s ingenuity and skill. The intimacy of combat told them much about each other. The end of this battle wouldn’t be between two women who reviled each other, and it wouldn’t be between representatives of two rival families. This battle was going to end between two fellow magi, marital artists, and warriors who considered each other worthy rivals.

Both fighters lept towards each other. The Rin’s rival acted first, tossing out multiple gems that all flew towards Rin. Cupping her hands at her side and infusing them with wind magecraft, air began to gather and condense between them. Thrusting her hands forward, the condensed air released as a large horizontal tornado heading for the incoming gems. The vortex wouldn’t be strong enough to overpower the jewel spells, but it didn’t need to. The wind’s strength caused the airborne gems to have their courses altered. They all flew in unintended directions far away from Rin.

The wind spiral continued towards Rin's rival. Clever as ever, she tossed a jewel to her side that released a wave of wind that pushed her out of the way of the tornado. As soon as it was clear the direction she was moving, Rin shot wind and fire from her feet to shoot towards her rival. Rin’s rival pulled out more gems, but those were Rin’s target. Grabbing at her rival’s hand, Rin snatched her opponent's gems so she could use them herself.

Her rival still had more, but as she took them out, Rin front kicked her in the stomach and sent her into the wall of a building, embedding her into it. She was stuck. Pulling her arm back, Rin was about to throw her pilfered gems when she sensed magical energy approaching her from behind.

Turning, Rin saw that the jewels she redirected had done a u-turn. They must have been programmed with a spell to make them track Rin. Her rival must have prepared for when Rin would redirect her attacks again considering how many times she did it before. Rin didn’t have time to infuse her feet with another spell to fly away. She was forced to throw the gems she had just stolen.

“Acht!” Rin said as the jewels shattered and created a barrier that blocked the incoming gems that exploded against it.

Rin spun back towards her rival only to see one more jewel heading for her. Rin’s rival had pulled her arm out of the wall and threw another jewel. Rin still didn’t have time to fly away. This gem was even closer than the other ones were. She had only one option. She had to use the pendant she inherited from her father. It was either that or die. Reaching into pocket, Rin came to a grim realization. One that sounded silly, and it was. Rin didn’t remember where on her body her pendant was. Sakura always remembered where she kept things, so Rin didn’t put much effort into committing where she put things to memory. Rin sensed for the pendant’s magical energy. She found it. But, she didn’t have time to pull it out. The incoming jewel was about to activate. Rin put every single ounce of her magical energy into her legs and infused them with a wind spell. The gem cracked apart and released an omnidirectional explosion. Rin began to propel herself backwards with wind, but the blast was catching up. One of her hands was in the pocket where her pendant was, still not fast enough to pull it out. The other hand extended towards the blast to make a barrier against it. The blast caught up right when the barrier formed and the explosion ate right through it. It reached Rin’s extended hand and disintegrated it. Rin’s entire arm was being blown apart by the blast. There was no pain, only shock. Rin was lucky as the rest of her body only got hit by the edge of the explosion, a shockwave blowing her away and through the wall of the building behind her.

Rin skipped across the floor of a hall like a stone across the surface of water. As her body jumped and spun, her blood splattered all over. The walls, floor, and ceiling looked like a picasso painting from all her blood. She eventually stopped and she couldn’t move at all. Rin was missing an arm and her flesh had been mangled by just grazing the blast. She was going into shock.

Rin lost. It was all because of such a stupid mistake. Such a long, arduous fight, ended by a simple screw up. Maybe Saber was right. Maybe Rin did rely on Sakura too much.

Sakura. Was Sakura going to die? No. This was the worst. Rin not only got herself killed, but Sakura, too. Poor Sakura didn’t deserve to die. Sakura was so kind. She was perfect. Sakura endured so much. The Matous made her life Hell. Sakura deserved nothing but happiness. But, Rin was selfish and dragged her into a Grail War. Now, thanks to Rin’s stupidity, they were both going to die.

Rin was a failure. She didn’t deserve to be head of the Tohsaka family. She didn’t deserve anything.

Hold on. Rin’s blood was on the walls. It wasn’t evaporating. Actually, everything wasn’t red. The Bounded Field was gone. Did Saber defeat the Gorgon Sisters? If so, she can go save Sakura.

Either way, Rin was going to die. It looked like Sakura was gonna have to live without a sister. That was probably for the best. Rin was just a screw up. Sakura would be better off on her own.

Rin’s vision was filled with blue. The Edelfelt was kneeling next to her. A jewel was in the woman’s hand. She held it up to the wound on Rin’s side where an arm once sat. The jewel released healing light that seeped into Rin’s wound. Blood stopped flowing as rapidly as the injury began to seal. The Edelfelt was saving Rin.

“Why are you healing me?” Rin slurred out.

“I don’t like killing if I don’t have to. Plus, you were a worthy opponent for a Tohsaka. It would be a shame to let you perish. My name is Luviagelita Edelfelt, though many call me Luvia. What’s your name?”

“Rin Tohsaka.”

“Just Rin Tohsaka?”

“Yeah.”

“Not as extravagant as I prefer, but it’s a fine name I guess.”

Rin had earned Luvia’s respect and her life along with it. Luvia must have ordered her Servant to take down the Bounded Field for that reason.

“What about my sister?”

“I don’t plan on killing her either, though I don’t actually know her current status. I tried contacting Clown, but he didn’t answer. Considering his diligence, that likely means he’s unconscious. I assume he was knocked out by your sister, but I don’t know for sure.”

So even Luvia didn’t know if Sakura was okay. Hopefully she was fine. All Rin could do was hope.

Rin’s wounds continued to heal. She was still in bad shape and wouldn’t be moving anytime soon, but at least she wasn’t in critical condition anymore.

Flying in from the hole in the wall, one of the Gorgon Sisters appeared. She had some cuts that were decently deep, but was otherwise fine.

“Master, I have defeated the enemy Servant. I've petrified most of their body but have refrained from taking their life. Considering you ordered us to take down the Blood Fort to spare the enemy Master, we were wondering if you wanted to spare their Servant as well.”

Luvia paused. “You can finish the Servant off, Caster. My apologies, Rin Tohsaka, but my mercy only extends so far. I will be winning this Holy Grail War and your Servant is an obstacle to that.”

Poor Saber. She was going to die thanks to Rin’s screw up. She wouldn't be able to eliminate her target and protect the World. Maybe Rin could tell Luvia so she could take up Saber’s task. That way, at least the World could still be protected.

“As you wish, Master. The other mes will kill the Servant now.”

“Belay that order or your Master dies.”

A man’s voice. Someone had appeared behind Luvia. A short sword with a curved black blade was held to Luvia’s neck. The man had a red poncho draped across his upper body and his head was swaddled by red wrappings like a mummy in an old horror film. The slit where the man’s eyes came through revealed dark skin and a little bit of white hair. His arms were also tightly bound by the red wrappings. The man’s pants and what little of his shirt that Rin could see were black with bits of silver.

How did the man appear from nowhere like that? Was he an Assassin class Servant? That was possible, but his stealth was beyond the bounds of normal Presence Concealment. The most surprising thing was that he didn’t want Saber to die.

Luvia and Caster had become still as statues. With a blade to Luvia’s neck, they couldn’t be too careful.

“I’m guessing your Assassin.” Luvia said.

“As if it weren’t obvious.”

“You say that, but any good Servant should be able to misdirect their enemies as to what their true class is.”

“My apologies for not meeting your expectations in that case.”

“You could make it up to me by removing your sword from my throat.”

“You didn’t really think that would work, did you?”

“No, I was making a joke.”

“Sorry, it’s just that you were caught by me so easily that I assumed it was due to you being unintelligent. I guess it was actually just your general incompetence.”

Luvia’s fists clenched and teeth bared. “Just tell us what you want.”

“I have some demands to make. From now on, these two Masters are my hostages.” Assassin formed a white blade that mirrored his black one and put it to Rin’s throat to show that she was also a part of this transaction. “As an Assassin, I'm not one for direct combat. As such, winning a Grail War would be difficult. But, winning a Grail War with some begrudging allies would be easier. To get to the point, these two Masters will be in my custody.” He looked to Caster. “You and the other Servant will be fighting for me and my Master for the rest of this Grail War. You’ll help us win the Grail and assist me in a personal mission of mine. Refuse or try to defy us in any way at any point, and your Masters are dead on the spot.”

So that is why he wanted Caster to spare Saber. He wanted to have Saber and Caster be his and his Master’s lackeys to make winning the war easier. He must have been waiting for Rin and Luvia’s fight to end and so they’d be weak and easy to capture. He may have been even using the fight as an opportunity to study and see if Saber and Caster would make valuable allies or not.

But, all that would require Assassin to be within the Bounded Field since the barrier likely hid everything happening within from any outside view. In that case Assassin was likely drained from being in the Bounded Field. That meant that if Caster was careful, she might be able to take Assassin by surprise and snatch Rin and Luvia away from him.

“That’s ridiculous! Do you really think you can-”

Luvia stopped talking when Assassin pressed his blade so tightly to her neck that it started to cut into her. Blood trickled down and it was made clear that Assassin wouldn’t hesitate to kill Rin and Luvia for the slightest of infractions.

Rin was wrong. There was no space for Caster to jump in. She had to follow Assassin’s demands.

“So, are you going to do what I say, or are these two young ladies going to die?”

In response to the ultimatum presented, Caster could only say, “I’ll do what you want.”

Luvia’s face screamed frustration and a feeling of defeat. She had just taken down someone she perceived as her rival in the name of restoring her family’s honor, and now she was in the lowly position of a damsel in distress.

“Good. I’m glad we can all be reasonable. Caster, have your other ‘yous’ fill in Saber on the situation. I’m going to be taking these two Masters somewhere for safekeeping. If you try to follow or track me in any way, trust me when I say that I’ll know, and there will be consequences.”

Caster’s lips pressed tightly together. She must have felt helpless. Rin knew that feeling really well.

Rin and Luvia had their limbs tied up and blindfolds covered their eyes. They were hoisted over Assassin’s shoulders, the blades in his hands pointing their tips to the two girls’ backs for a quick impalement if necessary. Assassin was really methodical. He wasn’t letting there be even the slightest opening that could be exploited.

“Once again, don’t try to follow me or send familiars to tail me or anything else. I’ve got the awareness necessary to notice those kinds of simple tricks. For now, rest up and de-petrify Saber. You’ll meet me tomorrow at 10pm atop the Center Building. If you aren’t there or if you try to attack me when we meet, I’ll give a telepathic signal to my Master to kill these two.” Assassin shook the girls on his shoulders. It made Rin’s wounds hurt.

“You’ll pay for this.” Luvia said.

“Don’t get your hopes up.”

Rin couldn’t see, but she could feel Assassin begin to move. He was going so fast that Rin’s body kept flopping about on his shoulder. The cold touch of the wind gave Rin goosebumps. Saber’s magical energy was getting farther and farther away.

This was better than being dead, but not by much. Rin had lost an arm, was separated from Saber and Sakura, and was now the hostage of an enemy Master. If the Master was smart, they’d finish patching up Rin’s wounds so she wouldn’t risk dying. Rin could only hope she'd find a way to escape. Maybe if she worked with Luvia. But, Assassin was pretty meticulous so far. He’d likely account for almost every possible way Rin and Luvia could try and escape.

Sakura’s status was completely up in the air. She could be completely fine, dead, captured, or anything else Rin could think of. Rin’s poor sister. Poor Sakura. She didn’t deserve to suffer. But, she did. She kept suffering. Rin wanted nothing more than for Sakura to be okay. She'd give her own life if it guaranteed Sakura’s survival and safety. But, Rin couldn’t do anything for Sakura. Rin’s anxiety was at a peak. Her breathing was getting ragged. Her head was light. Her heart felt like it was banging against her ribs from how hard it was beating. Rin was having an anxiety attack.

Everything was foggy. Thinking was getting difficult. Rin was passing out. Having myriad wounds including losing an arm whilst having a panic attack exhausted Rin’s consciousness. She wasn’t going to be awake for much longer.

Rin felt despair seep into the deepest depths of her existence. Rin was a failure. She failed her father, her sister, everyone.

“I’m sorry.” Rin murmured as her tears soaked into her blindfold and she finally fell unconscious.

***

The magus had become an agent of the World’s will, killing and killing to protect humanity. She enslaved herself for the sake of saving the girl she abandoned and murdered.

But, that girl could never truly be saved. The ideal reality the magus desired to make for the girl was just a pipe dream. The magus’ efforts were all for naught. Nihilistic despair crystalized in her mind and became a lens through which they viewed all things.

Hatred for the self became the only consistent emotion the magus felt as they continued traveling to an endless slew of times and places to slaughter more beings deemed a threat to mankind. Her failures played over in her mind every time she had a free moment.

The magus’ afterlife became a monotony of the same murder and self-loathing. It was a tortuous state of being that whittled away at what remained of the magus’ humanity. Morals shaved away. Personal desire eroded to nothingness. The magus’ mind turned to steel. She was a mechanism of the World’s functioning, a gear in the system of preserving Greater Human History.

The machine-minded magus gave up their sense of self so they could be nothing but a tool. She’d arrive where she needed to, hunt down and slay her targets, and then disappear. That was it. Nothing else mattered in the magus’ endless task.

Appear, kill, Disappear. Appear, kill, Disappear. Appear, kill, Disappear. Appear, kill, Disappear. Appear, kill, Disappear. Appear, kill, Disappear. Appear, kill, Disappear. Appear, kill, Disappear. Appear, kill, Disappear. Appear, kill, Disappear.

The magus was like a line of code in a computer. She existed to cause a specific result and nothing more. She had no will, no emotions. She was just software in the hardware of the World.

Then, the magus forgot their memories, their self-loathing, their despair, their loss of self, and their sins. Now, the magus was a warrior for another’s cause, but also still a soldier for the World. The magus returned to a simpler state, though they were not free. The horrors of their life still crawled across their back and in the corners of their mind. But, for now, the magus was free. The magus, for a while, was allowed to be happy.

***

Rin’s eyes were damp. She reached the realm of consciousness with a pounding head and a blindfold absorbing the moisture of her tears. Rin wasn’t a morning person, but she felt more exhausted than usual. She tried to pull off the blindfold, but she couldn't move her arms, or rather arm. Rin felt a phantom pain, the sensation of a limb that wasn’t there. She couldn’t move her legs either but they were both present and accounted for at least. Her body was wrapped tight by ropes.

Rin squirmed, her body feeling cloth under her shift. She was on a bed.

“Hey, quit moving!” an unfamiliar voice said. “You try any of that magecraft shit or anything else we think’s suspicious and we’ll blow your brains out on the spot.”

It started coming back. Rin remembered how she had been defeated and lost an arm before getting kidnapped by Assassin along with Luvia. Saber was defeated. Sakura was, well, who knew? Rin tried telepathically contacting both Sakura and Saber, but she couldn’t connect to them. Her signal was getting jammed, likely by a Bounded Field.

This sucked. Rin had supremely screwed up to the point that she lost an arm, hopefully she could get a puppet replacement, and Sakura might have been dead or worse. Unlike Rin's arm, Sakura was irreplaceable. Rin might have burst into tears but she was too tired at the moment. Rin not being a morning person was actually handy in this case as she didn’t have the energy to waste getting emotional.

Since Rin was calm, she could evaluate the situation with a clear head and figure out how to escape. Though there was the distraction that was the constant pain that coursed through Rin's whole body. She was bandaged up from what she could tell. Her captors had provided her with medical attention, but it was the normal kind. No healing magecraft. Weird. Did Assassin’s Master not know it? It was a pretty basic kind of magecraft all magi learned at least a little of. Did they think it was better to keep Rin at less than 100%? She would be easier to restrain that way. Maybe they just didn’t want to bother. That was also a reasonable explanation.

Rin also lacked her Azoth Sword and pendant. They must have been recognized as tools for magecraft and were confiscated.

The question was who the person that just spoke to Rin was. Were they Assassin’s Master? They said we, so there were likely multiple people in the room with Rin. Assassin didn’t seem like the gun-toting type, so the statement ‘we’ll blow your brains out’ probably didn’t include him. Also, if he was in the room, he’d be all that was needed to swiftly execute Rin. That meant that Assassin probably wasn’t in the room at all. The fact that they used a statement that implied firearms was also peculiar. They might have had magecraft like Gandr that could be conceptualized as a mystical firearm, but most magi wouldn’t use that language. If they were implying they had guns, then that almost definitely meant that they were either a spellcaster, or a nonstandard magus. No traditional magus would be caught dead with a gun. Firearms were the result of the ‘barbaric science’ of the common masses. The weirdest possible option was that the person and whoever they were with weren’t users of magecraft at all and were normal humans. It wasn’t an impossibility for a normal human to become a Master, but it was extremely unlikely. Then again, Kirei did tell Rin that the last Master or two that the Grail picks are usually just there to fill out the lineup so they can be outliers compared to the other Masters.

Rin needed more information. She had to be careful though. She had just been warned that anything suspicious would get her instantly killed. She’d need to use very weak magecraft that wasn’t detectable. Funneling magical energy into her sensory organs, Rin cleared her mind and took notice of anything her senses found noteworthy.

The room was quiet, but she could hear chairs creek and light objects being placed and removed from a surface. The objects sounded like paper. Cards. Money, too. The people guarding Rin were playing cards at a table to pass the time. They were being quiet about it though, not saying a word. Either they weren’t supposed to be doing anything besides watching over Rin or they didn’t want to accidentally say anything that would give Rin useful information.

Sniffing, Rin caught multiple scents. The cologne, deodorant, and natural body odor of the guards all mixed together. It made it impossible for Rin to parse them and tell how many people were in the room. The only info Rin got out of it was that there was a low likelihood any of them were women as they all smelled of men’s body products. That said, it still wasn’t definitive. There was one other scent that just barely reached Rin’s nose. It was the smell of new tatami mats. Once again, that didn’t lead to any definitive conclusions, but it implied that wherever Rin was being kept was in north Miyama where the traditional Japanese houses were.

Rin was blindfolded so sight wasn’t going to give Rin anything and the only thing her sense of touch told her was that she was in a lot of pain.

Lastly was taste. Rin couldn’t taste anything. Not because she had nothing in her mouth to taste, but because she was incapable of tasting. Rin tried to move her tongue, only for there to be no motion. Rin shifted around her jaw, but her teeth hit nothing. Actually, Rin’s teeth couldn't even hit each other. What did touch each other were Rin's upper and lower gums. Sucking her lips as far into her mouth as she could, Rin made a terrible discovery.

Rin’s tongue and all her teeth were gone. Rin’s captors had removed them. It was a smart tactic. It made it so Rin couldn’t use her Command Spells as they required a verbalization to activate. Rin couldn’t teleport Saber to her this way. Actually, Rin couldn’t use any of her incantations now so all her spells were either unavailable or severely weakened excluding ones she used through her Magic Crest.

There’s a saying that goes, ‘when it rains, it pours.’ Rin had just realized that idiom was incomplete, as if forgot to mention that what poured wasn’t water, but shit. Shit was just flooding Rin’s whole life.

Events so far did not portend a bright future.

“Rin Tohsaka, can you hear me?” A telepathic voice spoke to Rin’s mind. “It’s Luviagelita Edelfelt. Rin Tohsaka, are you there?”

“I can hear you.” Rin mentally answered. “How did you establish a telepathic link? The Bounded Field should have stopped you.”

“The Bounded Field is amateurish work that only stops telepathic signals that try to go through it to the outside. I was able to form a connection with you without being detected.” Luvia was honestly impressive. “I’m guessing you're also bound up and blindfolded.”

“Yes. Are you also missing your teeth and tongue?”

“Yes, unfortunately. Hopefully I can find someone who can make good replacements. I also had all my jewels taken from me. They’re keeping us in separate rooms with multiple guards posted.”

“I know. Assassin really is thorough, or maybe his Master is. I’ve determined that we’re likely in the northern part of Miyama. Do you know anything else? I passed out not long after Assassin took us and I just woke up.”

“I'll fill you in on what you missed. When we arrived wherever we are, Assassin began giving orders to multiple men and we were taken to different rooms. They patched up our wounds and I was sedated. When I woke up, my teeth and tongue were gone and I was tied up in the room I’m in now.”

“Could you figure out anything from what Assassin and the men he commanded talked about?”

“The only thing I gathered is that the one who is Assassin’s Master was not present for his arrival. They seem to prefer staying hidden.”

“They used vague language, right?”

“Yes. They were really careful about every word they said. There was one thing that stood out to me.”

“What’s that?”

“At one point while I was being taken through the halls, I heard someone in another room mention they hadn’t gotten their back tattoo yet.”

“Back tattoo? You're sure?”

“I’m absolutely sure.”

“In Japan, back tattoos mean only one thing. Yakuza.”

“As in the Japanese mafia?”

“Yes. If we really are in Miyama, then there’s only one yakuza clan it could be. The Fujimura Group. They’re the ones in charge of organized crime around here. They’re actually the top yakuza group in all of Fuyuki.”

“That would explain who the henchmen Assassin is ordering are. Are the Fujimura’s a family of magi?’

“No, they’re not. At least, not that I’m aware. It isn’t impossible for them to have acquired knowledge of magecraft with their connections. They could have hired a freelance spellcaster to act as a Master for them.”

“Do you know who the head of the Fujimura Group is?”

“No. I know the previous boss retired relatively recently, but nobody knows who their successor is. I assume it was a family member, but there’s no explicit proof. The new boss likes to keep everything about them and everything the Fujimura Group does especially secretive. If they’re the Master, then that matches up with the fact that the Master has been staying hidden.”

“Assuming our deductions are accurate, we’ve made startling quick progress towards understanding our situation.”

“It won’t help much though. We’re still trapped.”

“Don’t worry, We’ll be rescued.”

“How do you know?”

“I activated a pre-prepared distress signal that is subtle enough that the Bounded Field won’t stop it.”

“Who will the signal alert?”

“My sister.”

Rin was suddenly hit with a realization. The Edelfelts were usually headed by pairs of women, sisters. Said sisters had the Sisters attribute that allowed for the siblings to both inherit their family’s Magic Crest. From what Rin had read, in the Third Holy Grail War, the sisters heading the Edelfelts at the time were able to both act as a single Master and summon two versions of the same Servant, both within the same class. Luvia likely also had a sister who had her own version of the Gorgon Sisters. That might have meant the Edelfelts had six Servants, essentially. Terrifying.

“So, your sister will come save us?”

“Yes, but it will probably take a while. She is far from the outgoing type and is so cautious she makes Assassin and his Master seem reckless. She’ll come save us and when she does she’ll succeed with flying colors, but it’ll take forever.”

Rin felt the urge to squirm but she didn’t want to risk getting a bullet in the head. She couldn’t wait so long to be saved. She needed to confirm if Sakura was okay. Rin had promised to always be by Sakura’s side to protect her. Guilt was washing over Rin’s body. She was failing Sakura so terribly. She wasn’t with Sakura to help her. Sakura needed her.

But, Rin remembered what Saber had said about Rin and Sakura being overly reliant on each other. If it weren’t for Rin always having Sakura help her, she wouldn’t have forgotten where she kept her pendant and she might have been able to defeat Luvia. If Sakura was also being harmed by her connection to Rin, then what if Sakura died because of a mistake like the one Rin made? Sakura would have died all because of Rin. More guilt injected into Rin’s veins.

“Oh, how the Tohsakas and Edelfelts have fallen.” Rin telepathically said.

“The Edelfelts haven’t fallen. This is just a bump in the road.”

“Getting captured and having your tongue and teeth cut out is a bump in the road?”

“The Edelfelts can endure such inconveniences as easily as a breeze blowing across our skin.”

It was admirable how strong Luvia’s confidence was, how sure she was about everything. Then again, she had to have her own insecurities.

“Luvia, what is your sister like?”

“She’s an introvert among introverts. She’s quiet and likes staying home and reading and such. Getting her out of the castle is like pulling teeth. I didn’t mean to make a pun about us lacking teeth right now.”

“I assumed. How do you two get along?”

“We get along as sisters do. We argue and annoy each other, but we still care for each other, too. I’m constantly trying to get her to be more outgoing, but she just won’t have any of it. I really worry how she’ll get on as we get older.”

Is that what normal sisters were like? They argue but still love each other. Luvia cared about her sister, but she also didn’t feel the need to coddle her. Was that a better relationship between sisters? A healthier one?

“‘Are you worried for your sister?” Luvia asked.

Rin was going to protest, but decided it was a futile effort. “How did you know?”

“The way you asked about my sister tipped me off.”

“I’m just worried if she’s okay, or alive. I’ve failed her and all because I let us get separated and then I got captured. I’m a terrible sister.”

“I can’t say anything about your quality as a sister since I don’t know you that well, but if your sister is half as strong as you are, she’ll be fine.”

“Thank you. I wasn’t expecting such a genuine compliment from you.”

“After you gave me so much trouble, I’d be insulting myself if I downplayed your capability.”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly a close fight. You were still standing while I lost an arm.”

“All it would have taken is one slip up from me for the roles to be reversed. You were a worthy opponent, Rin Tohsaka. I suppose the Tohsakas aren’t so terrible.”

“I must have fallen asleep again because I just heard something an Edelfelt would never say.”

“Watch your tongue…I think the rivalry between our families is a little childish at this point. Perhaps we should bury the hatchet.”

“Of course you’d say that after you defeated me and avenged your loss in the Third War.”

“Don’t try my patience.”

“I’m just joking. I do think it would be better to end our rivalry here. As head of the Tohsakas, I, Rin Tohsaka, declare that I and all other Tohsakas from now to time immemorial won’t try to end your family or cause you undue harm.”

“Alright then. As head of the Edelfelts, I, Luviagelita Edelfelt, promise the same to you and your family. Also, I’m sorry about vaporizing your arm.”

“It’s fine. It was weighing me down, holding me back. I’m stronger than ever now.”

“In that case, I should cut off both my arms. Then I’ll reach a whole new level of power.”

“I’ll just have to cut off my remaining arm, and my legs, and I’ll even throw in my spleen for good measure.”

“You think you can mutilate yourself better than me? I’ll have my body turned into mincemeat before I let myself lose to you!”

“I’ll disassemble myself atom-by-atom and achieve power that would make even Servants bow! Then what will you do?”

“You think that’s special? I’ll have every one of my atoms shattered to unleash my body’s hidden energy. I'll transcend the confines of matter to become a godlike being!”

Rin wanted to laugh but she couldn’t without garnering unwanted attention. Rin’s mood was lightening by the second. Having such a silly conversation was therapeutic. Luvia was surprisingly charming. That was weird for Rin to think about someone who, not too long ago, hit her in the gut so hard she needed to vomit. But, it was the truth of how Rin felt. Luvia was obnoxious, but also had a confidence that made Rin get wrapped up in her pace.

Rin was at the lowest point in her life, but at least she had a stimulating conversation partner to pass the time.

But, there was still Sakura to worry about. Poor Sakura.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 8: Negotiations

Saber was on the ground of the alley. She had put up a good fight and left all three of the Gorgon Sisters with plenty of gashes, but she ended up losing quite definitively. She was unable to move. Sixty to seventy percent of her body had turned to stone. Her heart and head were still fine, but she was just one attack to the Spirit Core away from death.

The three sisters floated over Saber with sadistic grins, but they didn’t deal a killing blow. The red Bounded Field faded away. Saber’s Magic Circuits sighed with relief from no longer getting leeched off of by the Gorgon Sisters’ Noble Phantasm. One sister flew off and left the other two to watch Saber. They put their masks back on with disappointed huffs. They didn’t need their Mystic Eyes anymore considering Saber was helpless. That said, they really wanted to hurt Saber. They were eyeing all the flesh on Saber’s body that was free real estate to play with. Sadists to the core the sisters were.

Since the Bounded Field was taken down, the fight was over. Rin and Sakura were likely both incapacitated. Saber still felt connected to Rin, so she wasn’t dead at least. Was the Gorgon Sisters’ Master willing to show mercy? Saber only got a side eye glimpse of the enemy Master when she first showed up. Saber was in the middle of fighting, so she couldn’t take the time to try and get a read on the Master. She did overhear the conversation she had with Rin, so Saber knew she was an Edelfelt and was rather haughty. She also felt familiar. Either way, Saber could only hope the Edelfelt had enough benevolence in her heart to let Rin and Sakura live.

Saber regretted her failure as a Servant, but she at least had the excuse that she wasn’t at full power. She didn’t even know who she was. A little anticlimactic to die before regaining her memories, but c'est la vie.

A Servant. A new Servant just appeared and they were right where Saber sensed Rin. The Servant appeared from nowhere. They must have been Assassin. Saber tried to move, to go save her Master, but she couldn’t. Her body was still petrified.

Saber’s connection to Rin still remained. She was alive. Why didn’t Assassin kill her? One of the Gorgon Sisters was there, too. Why weren’t they doing anything? Maybe it was some kind of stalemate?

The two sisters watching over Saber had clenched jaws. Their minds were connected to their sister. They knew what was happening, and it wasn’t anything good.

One sister spoke. “Saber, both your Master and mine have been captured by Assassin. He is going to keep them as hostages. In exchange for their safety, we have to fight alongside Assassin to help him and his Master win the Holy Grail War.”

Wow. This was the worst. Well, no it wasn’t. Rin and Sakura dying would be the worst. This wasn’t too much better, though.

Assassin was leaving, and they had Rin. The Gorgon Sister with them was doing nothing, she just let Assassin leave. She had no choice. Saber stopped being able to sense Rin or Assassin. It must have been due to some Noble Phantasm Assassin possessed that focused on stealth. There was still magical energy flowing into Saber from Rin, but Saber couldn’t feel the specific direction it was coming from.

Rin was gone.

“Assassin has escaped with our Masters. He’s commanded us to meet him atop the Center Building tomorrow at 10pm.”

The petrification of Saber’s body began to fade. Flesh became flesh once more. Saber got to her feet, bits of stone flaking off of her.

“What about the other girl that was with my Master and I? I saw her get teleported.”

“I don’t know. She was sent to fight Clown, my Master’s butler.” The third Gorgon Sister had returned. “I haven’t received any messages from him.”

“I understand. We’re in the same boat then. We've both got missing team members and kidnapped Masters.” Saber extended a hand. “Let’s work together until we are reunited with our Masters. We have the same goal and we’ll be more effective as a team. Plus, Assassin probably doesn’t want us killing each other anyway. That’s reasonable, right?”

“It is.” One of the Gorgon Sisters shook Saber’s hand. That was easy, but the Gorgon Sisters were clearly the agreeable type. They’re cool headed and affable. “Let us look for Clown and the girl you seek. What is her name?”

“Sakura.”

“Let us find Clown and Sakura.”

Saber and the sisters began searching all over the block. Snaking through halls, Saber focused all her senses to the maximum. She was like a bullet train as she hunted for Sakura, as well as Clown. She was the eye of a high speed hurricane born from the wake of her rapid movements. Saber shouldn’t have been strong enough to move with such speed and force. Even beyond her lack of memories, she was almost out of the magical energy that was her fuel due to her battle with the Gorgon Sisters. Yet, reserves of power continued to emerge. No, they weren’t hidden reserves. It was like her power was being multiplied. It must have been due to some skill Saber had. But, she had no idea what it was.

Saber skid to a stop in an abandoned office building, tearing apart the ground below her. In a decimated room, one that had a large portion of it blackened by heat, was a man on the ground. It was the large man with the Edelfelt woman. His clothes were all but gone and he was bloody and beaten. His jaw was a couple steps away from falling apart. Saber stepped over to him and checked his vitals. He was alive, but too deep in unconsciousness to be awoken. This must have been Clown.

Carefully lifting the man into her arms, Saber exited the building and jumped on its roof.

“I found Clown!”

The Gorgon Sisters flew over at Saber’s call and one of them took Clown from Saber. The trio had fully healed from the battle despite so short a time having passed. “Thank you.” One of the sisters who wasn’t holding Clown dug her thumbnail into her index finger. The pointer began to bleed and was held above Clown, multiple threads of blood traveling down and entering Clown’s mouth. As blood continued to flow, Clown’s wounds began healing. Legends said Medusa’s blood had healing properties and it turned out that was true.

“Did you find Sakura?”

“No. I’m sorry. She was meant to fight Clown, so he’s probably in this mangled state due to her. The question is what condition she was in by the battle’s end. She might have run away when I took down my Bounded Field.”

“I doubt she would have. She would have come running to her sister’s side if she could. If she isn’t here, then she was taken away by someone. Assassin never said anything implying he had any extra hostages, did he?”

“He made no implication that he had anyone in his clutches besides our Masters.”

“It might have been another faction then. I can’t contact Sakura telepathically, but unlike my connection to my Master, it isn’t inherent. It could have been broken by something as simple as passing through a Bounded Field that blocks telepathy. Since we don’t know where each other are, we can’t reestablish a link to speak telepathically again. Sakura really could be anywhere.”

“I’m sorry. Since we will be working together, we can assist you in looking for Sakura throughout the city if we have time.”

“I appreciate it.”

The large man in the arms of the Gorgon Sister began to fidget. His jaw and most of his other serious wounds were at least partially healed. We awakened with blinking eyes. His gaze fell on the trio of women around him. He was surprised. His head shifted and he spotted Saber. He was even more surprised.

“The fact that you aren’t attacking Saber means the situation is complicated. What happened?” He caught on quickly.

The Gorgon Sisters exposited to Clown about what he missed as he got back to his feet.

“Lady Luviagelita has been kidnapped? This is awful! I’ve failed as her butler! No, don’t panic. Remember what you learned from Auguste. I’m sorry, Caster.”

So, the Gorgon Sisters were Caster. Considering their usage of their blood, they must have utilized blood based magecraft from the Age of Gods. The fact that they had multiple bodies also meant they could use complex rituals usually requiring multiple people by themselves. They’re far more combat focused than most Casters, though they mainly fought by taking advantage of their numbers. If they were a Caster of the same skill level but with only one body, they wouldn’t have been able to fight so directly.

“Do you know what happened to the girl with purple hair and blue eyes? Her name is Sakura.”

Clown looked away. “She and I fought. It ended up getting rather brutal. She won in the end, but she wasn’t in great shape. The last thing I remember is her uppercutting me, and then everything went black. I don’t know what happened to her afterward.”

Saber put a hand on her head. “It can never be easy, can it?” For some reason, Saber was especially worried for Sakura. Maybe it was because Saber knew Rin’s status while Sakura’s was unknown. It was to the point that Saber risked losing her composure. It was so unlike her. Well, Saber didn’t actually know if it was unlike her or not due to her lack of memories, but she instinctively understood that her distinct concern for Sakura belied some greater than normal connection. “It can’t be helped. For now, we need to do what we can to save Rin and Luviagelita. Any ideas on how we can do that?”

“I know how.” Clown said. “Lady Luviagelita didn’t come here alone. She came with her sister. Lady Luviagelita set up a distress signal she could activate at any time that’s essentially undetectable. If she hasn’t used it yet, she will soon. It will allow Lady Luviagelita’s sister to track her location, even through Bounded Fields and the like. If we go to her sister, we can work with her to find and save Lady Luviagelita and your Master, Saber.”

“That’s actually pretty good to hear. We won’t have to use more complicated methods to find our Masters.”

“Indeed. Caster and I will return to our base of operations to discuss with Lady Luviagelita’s sister and come up with a plan. We’ll play along with Assassin’s demands for now until we’re ready to strike. Since you and Caster will be meeting up tomorrow along with Assassin, Caster will tell you our plans tomorrow after you’re done following Assassin’s demands for that night.”

“I don’t get to be part of the strategy making process?”

“I’m sorry, but there is no way Lady Luviagelita’s sister would allow you anywhere near our base of operations, even during these special circumstances.”

“Can’t we speak through familiars? I don’t mean to be conceited, but I’m an intelligent individual. I want to be a part of forming the plan to save our Masters.”

“I suppose speaking through familiars should work. You stay here. Caster and I will return to our base and we’ll send a familiar your way. Also, don’t try to track us. If you attempt to determine the location of our base, we will consider that a betrayal. You will be considered an enemy and we won’t bother trying to save your Master.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t follow you as long as I’m allowed to stay in the loop about the plan and say what I want to say.”

“It’s a deal.” Clown crouched down. He whispered an incantation and began drawing magic circles on the ground. There were four circles that formed the corners of a square that Clown and Caster’s bodies stood within. They were going to teleport back to base using one of those green Bounded Fields from earlier.

“Wait, don’t leave yet. There’s something I want to tell you about since we’re working together.” Saber figured she might as well inform Caster’s faction about her nature as a Counter Guardian and about her target. It was unlikely that the overseer told anyone to not risk alerting the Einzbern homunculi participating in the Grail War. Saber explained everything relating to her mission, including that there are three homunculi in Fuyuki and any of them could be Saber’s target.

“I see.” Clown said. “That’s a lot to take in. A homunculus could really be a threat to humanity?”

“Apparently.”

“Well, it may be in our best interest then to extend our time working together to beyond when we save our Masters and until your target has been dealt with. But, I am not in any position to have the final word on that. It’s up to Lady Luviagelita and her sister how long we keep our truce going.”

“I understand. At least let me know if you ever encounter any homunculi with white hair and red eyes, or even any homunculi in general.”

“We will.”

“One last thing.” Rin touched her bottom lip. “I just gave you a very valuable piece of information. It’s only fair that you provide information of your own.”

Clown’s upper lip curled. “You gave us that information completely unsolicited. We have no obligation to provide anything in exchange.”

“I understand that, but what I want to know isn’t anything very useful to me. I desire to have a curiosity answered. You see, I know that Caster’s true identity is the Gorgon Sisters. It wasn’t hard to figure out. But, I was just curious as to Casters nature. All three sisters have displayed abilities associated with only Medusa. Also, I don’t remember legends saying all three sisters were identical. I’d like to know the story behind the Gorgon Sisters. That’s all.”

“Even that much information could be weaponized. I’m sorry, but that isn’t possible.”

“It’s fine.” one of the bodies of Caster said.

“What? But, you’ll be giving them information.”

“There’s not much they could glean from my history that would be useful to them that Saber wouldn’t have determined on her own when she fought me. If it will appease her, I’ll tell Saber what she wants to know.” Clown didn’t agree with Caster, but he stayed quiet. He wasn’t her Master so he had no authority. “I was born as three sisters, Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale. I was a trio of Divine Spirits that were born from mankind’s desire for perfect idols to be pursued. I was meant to never age and I was supposed to be weak, so much so as to be helpless. I was a triad of goddesses united by one mind. But, Medusa, the youngest sister, was born improperly. She aged, but gained numerous supernatural abilities in return. This would have caused a breakdown in the united identity I possessed as the Gorgon Sisters. Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale would have become unique individuals with separate personalities. Medusa in particular would have become especially unique. She would become a resented monster with nobody she could relate to. In order to maintain a unified existence and not let Medusa be alone in her monstrous nature, Stheno and Euryale decided to give up their divinity and immortality to become monsters who could age, too. They stayed unified with Medusa and they gained the same abilities she did due to their connection to their youngest sister being maintained. Thus I, the hive mind, remained.” The three bodies got close, holding each other in a loving embrace. “I am the Gorgon Sisters, and I am the embodiment of the love of my three parts.” the trio said in unison.

Saber’s mind instantly went to Rin and Sakura. The Gorgon Sisters were like a potential future image of what the Tohsaka sisters could end up becoming if their sisterly bond kept tightening. The triad was a gestalt of minds with one identity; born from overwhelming love the sisters had for each other. It was unlikely that could literally happen to Rin and Sakura, but it was emblematic of the kind of relationship they could end up achieving.

“Thank you for explaining. I’m satiated now. You’re free to go, not that I really could have stopped you.”

“You’re welcome.” Caster said.

“We’ll send a familiar back through my Bounded Field. It shouldn’t take more than an hour before you’ll be contacted. Wait here.” Clown activated the green barrier. He and the sisters blinked away to wherever their base was.

With that, Saber was all alone. She felt the urge to hunt for Sakura, but she had to wait to speak with Luviagelita’s sister.

Since she had free time, Saber focused her magical energy on recovery. Wounds closed and the Servant could feel her aches and pains subside. She entered Spirit Form to conserve power.

“A moment of peace, finally. Some tea would be nice right about now.”

Saber was still concerned about Sakura and Rin, but she wasn’t going to waste time dwelling on things she couldn’t currently influence.

One thing she could influence was her memories. During the fight she remembered she wielded an Azoth Sword. She could tell it was a Noble Phantasm, but she didn’t remember its True Name. So, all it was was a tough blade until she remembered. Saber also remembered her swordsmanship. She remembered all her techniques and the like. The issue was that Saber also remembered that she wasn’t truly a swordsman. She was only a Saber because she owned swords that were exceptional enough to be noteworthy and she just barely had enough skill in wielding blades.

If Saber kept fighting then she’d remember more. She might be able to use more of her skills. Saber knew she had Mana Burst, but she couldn’t remember what kind so it was useless. There was also whatever skill she had that was boosting her parameters in certain circumstances. Saber couldn’t pin down the common denominator in all the situations her stats jumped up.

At least she was making progress.

Speaking of progress, both Sakura and Rin would need to learn to adapt to survive being apart. Saber didn’t know what was going on with Sakura, but Rin was trapped and was definitely beating herself up over it. Rin was obsessed with her little sister and now she had no idea where said sister was. She might go crazy from wanting to go find Sakura if she doesn’t acquire some inner peace. But, it’s doubtful she’d be able to in such a stressful situation. It was hard to blame her. But, no matter how understandable, it was still an issue.

What was strange was how Saber simultaneously felt like Rin was in the wrong for defining herself through her sister, but was also envious of Rin’s bond with Sakura. Saber projected herself into Rin’s position. The idea of being so close to Sakura and protecting her made Saber really happy. Like, strangely happy. It was as if all her dreams were coming true. She was on cloud nine just from imagining living Rin’s life. This must have been a symptom of Saber’s forgotten past, some trauma that made Saber want to have a sisterly bond like Rin and Sakura’s. Yet, Saber also understood that such a relationship wasn’t healthy. She still wanted to make Rin and Sakura become well-rounded, fully formed individuals.

The green light of the Bounded Field. Saber hadn’t realized how much time flew when she sat around thinking. The Servant rematerialized as a crystal vaguely shaped like a bird appeared.

“Hello. You must be Saber.” The voice that came from the familiar was the same as Luviagelita’s, but the cadence was as different as could be. It was phlegmatic, barely a warble of emotion to be found.

“Yes. You are Luviagelita’s sister, yes?”

“That’s right. I’m sorry, but I won’t be giving you my name. The fewer things you can use to track our base, the better.”

Saber smiled. “By saying that, it implies that your name would produce a paper trail. You likely flew here on a commercial airline then, and you might be staying at a public hotel. I already know your sister’s name, so I could just use that if I wanted.”

“Clever. Though, you telling me that was all the signal I needed to change our base of operations. I was already planning on relocating in case Luvia’s captors interrogated information out of her, but you just redoubled my confidence in that decision.”

“How methodical. But, if you're so smart, I must ask why you didn’t use aliases when you came here.”

“My sister is annoyingly proud of our family name. She obstinately refused to go by an alias and strong-armed me into using my real name as well. I will be using an alias from now on, though.”

“Then, since I already know your sister’s name and you’ll be using an alias now, can I know your real name? Call it a sign of solidarity. You already know the name of my Master and her sister.”

“And you know the name of my sister’s Servant.”

“True.”

“If you tell me your True Name, I’ll tell you my name.”

Saber could tell them that she didn’t know who she was, but that would reveal she couldn’t use her Noble Phantasms. Revealing such a weak point wasn’t worth the risk, especially because Luviagelita’s sister could claim that since she didn’t technically find out Saber’s identity, that she was under no obligation to state her own name. Honestly, Saber was curious, but she wasn’t going to take any big risks over learning what the name of Luviagelita’s sister was. That said, she couldn’t back down now. That would be ceding power while they were still building a dynamic. Saber needed to keep control.

“Sorry, can’t say. But, I should mention that, even if you don’t know my True Name, I gave you some serious information about the Einzberns and my nature as a Counter Guardian. You wouldn’t know to be wary about homunculi from now on if it weren’t for me. I’d say that’s worth a name that probably won’t be useful to me and my Master at all.”

“…”

“Listen, I just want an easy way to refer to you. It’s either that or I’ll have to call you Luviagelita’s sister. Like I said, consider this a way of building goodwill.”

“…Alright. I’ll tell you my name, but get closer so I can whisper it to you. Others might be listening in.” Saber had done it. She had grabbed the reins and was the one in control. She sauntered closer to the crystalline familiar with a hand on her hip. She put her head up close to the bird. “My name is Henriikka Edelfelt. Don’t go saying my name frivolously. Only use it when absolutely necessary.”

“Thank you and don’t worry. I know to be careful with such a pretty name.” Saber took a few steps back, nose pointing high. “We’ve wasted enough time, so let’s get to the serious discussion. What are we going to do about our captured comrades?”

“Clown told you about the distress signal. It’s currently coming from the northern part of Miyama, in a residential area. Most of the buildings in the area are traditional Japanese mansions so it's likely one of them where the enemy is hiding. We could go there right now, but that’d be risky. We don’t know anything about our enemy. We'll need to prepare first. I want to case the area from a distance and see if we can get hold of the building's blueprints. I want to sneak in and get Luvia and our Master out of there without even needing to fight, and if we have to fight, I want to be able to do so efficiently and with an ineffable advantage. I also want time to prepare any resources that may make the rescue and potential combat easier. Things like Mystic Codes.”

“What’s most important is getting through any Bounded Fields they may have set up and getting to Rin and Luviagelita before getting detected. Otherwise, they'll kill Rin and Luviagelita as soon as we’re spotted.”

“Correct. Again, we’ll need to prepare. For now, we’ll have to play along with Assassin’s demands. All he wants is for you and Caster to help him take down the other Servants, which can actually be to our benefit. You may be able to easily take out some heavy-hitting Servants like the other knight classes that way.”

“We might as well make lemonade from lemons with this. How long until you think you’ll be ready to infiltrate the enemy base?”

“Surveying the area, finding out who lives there, getting blueprints, finding out what defenses are set up, preparing resources, planning out our method of assault, making back up plans for multiple scenarios, doing simulations, doing what we can to power up our Servants, all along with relocating our current base since it may be compromised will take some time. At least a week.”

“A week?” Saber leaned back a bit. “That seems a little long to be waiting. The Holy Grail War could be over by then.”

“I don’t do anything unless success is nearly 100% guaranteed. I’m not budging on this. And remember, it’s your Master and my sister who will die if we fail. We can’t rush into this.”

“You make a good point. But, can I simply request that we don’t stick so hard to your estimation of a week and just take action whenever you feel ready, even if it's earlier than seven days.”

“That’s perfectly fine.”

Saber clapped her hands. “Okay. Next order of business is the homunculi. If you find any homunculi or any individual who is female, has red eyes, and white hair, you tell me. Even if you find someone with only some of the traits, let me know. We can work together to take them out.”

“I must ask, do you have any proof of your claims? You could be lying about being a Counter Guardian.”

“If you want, you can ask the overseer. He won’t be allowed to tell you anything like where the homunculi are based, but if you mention you're working with Rin, he will at least confirm he has his own suspicions about the homunculi. I mean, you were informed about their bizarre claims of the Grail being corrupted, right? Are you going to tell me that doesn’t set off any red flags?”

“I believe you, but only because you just outed that your faction has some special connection to the overseer.”

“It was the best way of convincing you, even if I had to give some more info away. Don’t worry, the overseer isn’t giving us special treatment. He’s a stickler for rules from what I hear.”

“I’ll take your word.” Saber knew that Henriikka didn’t believe her. She was probably going to waste time spying on the overseer now. Well, more than she definitely already was. “We’ll work as a team to deal with the homunculi. Whether they’re a threat to mankind or not, their behavior and mere existence in this war is too suspicious to be ignored.” Saber put her hands behind her back and smiled. She gave up some more valuable information, but now she had allies for her own personal mission. Considering it was one with humanity’s survival on the line, it was worth the loss.

“Last point I want to bring up. Sakura. I helped you find Clown, so I request Caster’s help in finding Sakura.”

“Clown was within the area where we fought. Caster would have found him eventually even without your help. Sakura could be anywhere or even dead. Locating her would be a far greater undertaking than is worth the effort for us. We’re already really busy with everything else. Finding Sakura is your own problem.”

Saber crossed her arms and pouted. She expected that reaction and was actually fine with it. On the one hand, Saber wasn’t going to have any help finding Sakura. On the other hand, Henriikka seemed pragmatic enough that she’d make Sakura her own hostage if she found her first just like Assassin had with Rin and Sakura. Saber figured she should bring it up since it would be weird if she didn’t. Also, it made it look like Henriikka had unabashedly ‘won’ one part of the negotiations, which would make her feel like she had more control than she really did. It would be easier to manipulate her from now on that way.

“Alright.” Saber pretended she was more upset than she really was. “For now, there’s not much more to say, is there?”

“I’ve said all I need to.”

“Then let’s decide on how we’ll keep in contact. We’ll need to give each other status updates.”

“I’ll let you keep this familiar. You can call me through it by pouring a little magical energy into it.”

“But, how do I know you’re not going to use it to spy on me?”

The bird shaped crystal began to morph and compress. It was regressing from its status as a familiar to just a jewel. It hit the ground with a ‘tink’ sound.

“It’s a simple jewel that can only be used for communication. If you keep it on you at all times, your Magic Resistance as a Saber should nullify any possible attempt to listen in on you. Any spell powerful enough to ignore your resistance would be easy for you to detect so it wouldn’t work as a method of covert surveillance.”

Saber rubbed her chin. Henriikka thought many steps ahead. Saber scooped the jewel off the ground. “That works for me. We’ll talk tomorrow. Good luck.”

“Good luck.” The gem lost its glow.

The conversation was over and Saber was rather satisfied with the results. She put the jewel away in her dress and smiled devilishly. Henriikka hadn’t noticed how she slipped up. When talking about what they’d need to do to prepare for rescuing Rin and Luviagelita, Henriikka said, ‘doing what we can to power up our Servants’ which couldn’t have included Saber since she was speaking to her. It would be an awkward way to refer to the person you're directly speaking to. Thus, it makes the plurality of ‘Servants’ noteworthy. It could be that Henriikka considered Caster multiple Servants since they had multiple bodies, but that was unlikely given the way the Gorgon Sisters referred to themself as a single individual. Saber suspected it meant that Luviagelita wasn’t the only Edelfelt in this war with a Servant. Henriikka also had one. She avoided mentioning them to keep them as a hidden ace that Saber wouldn’t know about.

“That was a productive conversation.” Saber snickered. She had managed to make some allies and gather valuable information. If it weren’t for Sakura and Rin disappearing, this would have been a good day. “Now, I should go back to searching for Sakura. I’ll check around here first. After that, I’ll see if Sakura managed to get back to her and Rin’s mansion. Since she was hurt, I’ll also check some hospitals and clinics. From what the maps showed, there’s a lot of medical facilities in Fuyuki. I can’t check them all quickly without rushing and potentially missing Sakura so I might actually need the week’s time proposed by Hen-” Saber put a hand over her mouth, pretending to stop herself from slipping up. “Oop, almost said it. And after I promised I’d be careful with her name and everything.” Saber was being cheeky despite being alone.

The Servant returned to Spirit Form and leapt into the night to hunt for Sakura.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 9: Beneath the Surface

Everything hurt. Sakura’s body hurt. Thinking hurt. The very act of being hurt. It was all encompassing. It wasn’t an unbearable pain. It was a low, droning pain. A constant ache that made it impossible to focus without wincing.

Sakura’s brain felt like liquid. Her thoughts were a jumble of images. She tried to solidify a cohesive thought. She took the image of Rin in her mind, put it with the one of Saber, and the large man with a mohawk, and the destroyed office building. Then she added the pain of her fist hitting the man’s chin, the pain of traveling through Imaginary Number Space, of getting squashed under a boulder, of nearly dying.

It all came together and froze like ice, becoming a solid and complete memory. Sakura remembered her fight last night, her getting separated from her sister, of her running away. She ran away to save herself. She cared about her own safety first and foremost at that moment. Now she didn’t know what had happened to Rin. She could have been fine, or dead. Either way, Sakura hadn’t helped her. She left her sister to die. Well, how much help could Sakura have been if she stayed? She was on the brink of death itself when she decided to leave. She wouldn’t have been any help at all. But, she didn’t know that for sure.

Rin. Sakura needed to know what had happened to Rin.

Sakura peeled her eyes open just the slightest crack and the light that passed through the opening in her eyelids was a barrage of spears. Sakura slammed her eyelids closed again from the sting. Building up her courage, she opened them again. The javelins of light impaled her eyes again, but she forced herself to keep looking. The light’s power lessened as Sakura’s vision adjusted. The fuzzy world hardened, shapes becoming defined. The ceiling was the first thing that was clear to Sakura’s eyes. It was white and sterile, not a ceiling Sakura knew. Sakura shifted her eyes down. She got a look at her body. It was under a sheet. She was in a bed and she was wearing a hospital gown. She also had bandages on almost all of her exposed skin. There were likely more under her robe. After having a bunch of her bones broken, that made sense. Her legs were in casts and hanging from the ceiling. She damaged her legs especially badly last night from how hard she had reinforced them. Sakura didn’t even want to see what her head looked like. Tubes were entering her body, filling her with nutrients. Sakura tried to turn her head, but she found she couldn’t. All she got from her attempt is a stabbing pain in her neck. She had a neck brace on.

“You woke up fast. Well, after the childhood you had, you’ve gained a lot of endurance.”

Sakura shifted her eyes as far to the left as she could. She could just barely see the girl who spoke to her.

“Caren, is that you?” Sakura rasped.

“How many other girls do you know with white hair?”

“Are you the one who saved me?”

“Yes, I am. If dad found out I saw you and didn’t save you, he would have lectured me, so I brought you to a hospital. You owe me a favor now.” So Caren only helped because she had to, not because she cared. Well, it was better than if she didn’t help.

“Thank you.”

“Mm.”

“What about Rin?”

“What about her?”

“Is she okay?”

“I don’t know. I just found you in a puddle of your own blood on a sidewalk. If I wasted time trying to find Rin, you would have bled out.”

Caren didn’t know where Rin was either. Sakura wanted to get up and go searching, but she couldn’t even move. She was too weak to heal herself with magecraft. She couldn't get Kirei to heal her since she was working with Rin in the Holy Grail War and Kirei needed to remain a neutral party. Sakura was stuck sitting around in a hospital bed until she healed up enough naturally that she could use her magecraft to finish restoring herself. Considering the extent of her injuries, that could be a while.

“By the way, Sakura, how much did you like your hair?”

“My hair? Well, I liked it fine. I kept it long since Rin said it looked prettier that way.”

“Did you put in a lot of effort into taking care of it?”

“Yes. I had to if I was going to keep it long.”

“Then I have the great pleasure of informing you that your hair is all but gone. The doctors had to perform emergency surgery on you. Your skull was severely damaged and your brain was bleeding. To do the surgery, they had to shave your head. All you have left is a purple fuzz.”

Sakura could hear the joy in Caren’s monotone words as she told Sakura the state of her hair. Caren was still the same as ever, a sociopathic sadist. It was almost comforting to see that she hadn’t changed. With the madness of last night, it was a reprieve to see someone so familiar. But, Sakura would have preferred kinder treatment even more.

“Caren, can I ask a favor of you?”

“No. I already dragged you all the way here and told Kirei about your condition. He’s not coming to visit by the way. He can’t risk revealing his connection to you while he’s being watched by all the Masters.”

“I’ll owe you another favor if you do it. I just want you to go to Tohsaka mansion to check if Rin’s there.”

Caren’s jaw waggled from side to side as she thought. “You better keep your promise. When I ask for favors, they’ll be big ones.”

“I’ll do whatever you ask, as long as it isn’t amoral.”

Caren clicked her tongue. “I guess I could never get you to do anything to cause suffering. Well, anything you’d know would cause suffering. I’ll check for Rin at your mansion, but only when I feel like it.”

“Thank you.”

“Whatever.” Caren pulled out a book and began to read.

The conversation had ended. There was nothing for Sakura to preoccupy herself with. Sakura was lying in bed. The air felt still, dead. Rin still filled Sakura's mind. She was anxious. There was nothing to distract her. Seconds began feeling longer. The first second felt like a minute, the next an hour, then a day, a week, a month, a year, a lifetime. How long had she been lying there? Was Rin okay? Why hadn’t Caren left to look for her yet? She had been sitting there forever, doing nothing. Right? Or had less than a minute passed? Being stuck in bed was going to make Sakura snap. Why didn’t Sakura go help Rin? If she got to her sister, then she could have been healed. Rin wasn’t a genius at healing magecraft, but she’d still be able to fix up Sakura well enough. Then they could have fought together. They’d have taken out the Gorgon Sisters, the Edelfelt woman, and then they’d have gone home with Saber to rest and prepare for the next stage of the war. But, Sakura had to be selfish. She thought that caring for herself over Rin would be okay once in a while. Now everything was ruined. Rin was probably dead and it was all Sakura’s fault. Sakura killed Rin.

Sakura was struggling to breathe. She was having a panic attack. She didn’t have Rin around to help her through it. Where were her pills? She had them for times like this. They were missing, just like Rin. Rin wasn't around. She wasn’t around because Sakura killed her. Sakura had ruined her whole life. She had ruined Rin’s life. Everything was getting blurry again. Sakura’s head felt like it was going to explode. She couldn’t breathe. Sakura kept jerking around. Her injuries were getting aggravated. She began to feel damp. She was sweating. Her wounds were opening, bleeding. It had been so long since Sakura had an attack this violent, not since she was a little girl. Sakura looked for Caren. She wasn’t there. She had run away. Of course. Only Rin cared about Sakura. Caren just cared about herself. Not that she should have wasted her time worrying about Sakura. Sakura was garbage. She should have been left in the pit of worms. She belonged with parasites.

Caren was back. She actually came back and she brought a doctor. They looked at Sakura. They were saying something, but Sakura couldn’t hear them. The doctor took out and filled a syringe with something they injected into the tube in Sakura’s arm.

The drugs entered Sakura’s bloodstream and she began to calm down. Her mind wasn’t becoming less anxious, it was getting slow. It was like her thoughts were a mountain range that was getting flattened into a featureless plain.

Sakura was just breathing. She was doing nothing but intaking oxygen and other gasses to fill her lungs before exhaling carbon dioxide. Sakura was only performing the most vital and basic processes to preserve her life. She thought of nothing else. She wasn’t really even thinking of breathing. She was just doing it while her cranium was filled with white noise.

With a numb brain, Sakura lied still.

Numb.

Numb.

Numb.

There was a ceiling. Sakura noticed the ceiling.

She noticed the walls, her body, her pain.

Her mind was moving again. The drugs continued to pacify her anxiety, but she was thinking.

How much time had passed? Why wasn’t there a clock in view? Did the hospital want Sakura to lose her sanity?

Caren was still sitting in a chair next to Sakura. Why did she stay? There was no pain to enjoy while Sakura was sedated. She might as well have left to check the mansion. Maybe she wanted to savor the pain of the other patients.

Actually, Caren went out of her way to alleviate Sakura’s suffering. Instead of letting Sakura writhe in panic, Caren went out of her way to fetch a doctor to calm Sakura. Perhaps she felt she’d get in trouble if she didn’t do something.

“Caren.”

“Your brain is working? Finally, it’s boring sitting around watching someone drool all over themselves. I want you to be conscious when I mock you. That way, I can watch you get upset.”

“You’ve been sitting there the whole time? You didn’t go around watching the other patients suffer with their illnesses and stuff? You had to have thought of it.”

“Kirei told me I had to stay with you while I’m here.”

“That does sound like him.” But, it was the kind of order Caren usually wouldn’t follow. Caren was choosing to be by Sakura’s side. “Caren, do you want to be with me right now?”

“Why would I?”

“I don’t know. Because you’re worried about me?”

“Why would I worry about you?”

“Because you care about me?”

“Why would I care about you?”

“Because we’re sisters-listen, you know what I’m trying to say, or ask, or imply or whatever. Caren. I think you care about me like normal people care about their loved ones. Like, you actually consider me a loved one.”

“You’re making some big leaps in logic from next to nothing. Did you forget I’m like dad? I can’t love others. And unlike dad, I don’t have a moral compass.”

“You’re not Kirei, you’re his daughter. Maybe you inherited his love for pain and his difficulty connecting with others, but you might be able to still love others with some effort. Your mother could love, so it’s not impossible.”

“I suppose you’re not wrong when it comes to theoreticals, but I know for a fact that I don’t love you, or anyone.”

“How can you be sure? Have you actually tried loving another person?”

“No, I haven’t, and my disinterest is proof of my inability to love.”

“Not really. It just means you’re sticking to the familiar. You know how to live your life not actively trying to love people, so you aren’t trying to explore the act of loving others.”

“Once again, you’re making some big leaps right now.”

“That’s pretty impressive considering my legs are broken.”

“You’re so clever.” Caren said sarcastically. “You’re a bastion of intellectual comedy. Anyway, I’m going to get the doctor again so he can tell you all the stuff wrong with your body in detail. It’s important and I want to see your face as he tells you how much of a mess your organs are.” Caren got up and left before Sakura could continue their discussion. She was running away. Sakura thought she might have actually hit the nail on the head. Caren does care, though she doesn’t like that she cares. She might not even believe she does.

It had been a tumultuous time, but at least she was breaking Caren out of her shell.

Sakura blinked. She was trying to connect with Caren. She was trying to get close to someone besides Rin and Kirei. She wasn’t actively trying to do so, she was just doing it on instinct. Was she looking for a replacement for Rin? Did she want Caren to be the new sister she could cling to instead of Rin in case she was dead? If she wasn’t still high on the drugs in her system, Sakura would have probably had a panic attack again. She was disgusted at herself at how quick she was to discard Rin for another.

Could it be that Sakura didn’t want to replace Rin? It wasn’t impossible for her to want to be close to both Rin and Caren, right? That was normal. Sakura forgot that she could have room in her heart for more than just Rin and Kirei, that people usually had many they cared about. That was such an obvious fact. Sakura had failed to internalize it despite knowing it as logic.

For the first time in a while, Sakura remembered how broken she was. It had been a decade since she bathed with worms, but she still could not properly function as a human.

When you’re broken, you can never be fixed.

She was like a piece of pottery repaired with kintsugi. Even if she seemed whole, the cracks were always visible to see. The only difference here was that Sakura’s cracks weren’t filled with glittering gold, but putrid mud.

Sakura felt gross. She wanted to take a shower. The blood from her earlier attack had been cleaned up by nurses while Sakura was drugged up, but she was still disgusting. She would always be disgusting, even if she set herself on fire to try and burn the impurity away.

Caren brought the doctor again. He rattled off everything wrong with Sakura. She just nodded along. She was only half-listening. Once a few more days passed, she’d be able to heal herself, so the specifics of how she’d normally have to recover didn’t really matter.

She had zoned out so hard that she didn’t notice for a good while that the doctor had left.

“You really have dedicated yourself to ruining my fun.” Caren said. “You didn’t react at all to what the doctor said. You’re acting like a zombie.”

“Don’t worry. I’m very miserable right now, so you can enjoy that.”

“I am enjoying that, but for some reason I’m also feeling annoyed.”

“You probably feel bad for me.”

“I ca-”

“You can’t feel bad, I know. Whatever.”

“You’re snippy all of a sudden.”

“I’m upset.”

“About what?”

“I’m upset that I’m the worst.”

“That’s a bit overdramatic, and nonspecific.”

“Before you found me, Rin and I were fighting an enemy Master and their Servant. We got separated and I got really hurt, obviously. I decided to run away. That’s when you found me. I abandoned Rin to save myself. Rin. The person I care about more than anyone else. If that’s how I treat her, imagine how quickly I’d sacrifice other people. You're my sister and I barely talk to you. I’ve never tried to make friends, and I scared anyone away that tried to be friends with Rin, on purpose. I wanted to keep her all to myself, even though I clearly don’t even love her that much if I abandoned her as quickly as I did. I'm just the worst.”


Caren rolled her eyes. “You’re not the worst. You’re not a serial killer or a tyrant. You haven’t even committed a genocide yet. Don’t be so arrogant as to call yourself the worst.”

“I’m still shit.”

“You’re only shit in the ways that everyone is shit. You ran from the fight out of self-preservation. Besides, in the condition you were in, you would have gotten in the way, not be helpful.”

“But, Rin could have healed me and then we could have worked together.”

“And she was gonna heal you while the enemy was trying to kill you both? Were your enemies just going to sit and watch? They must have been really nice.”

“That, uh, they probably would have kept attacking us.”

“You made the right choice when you ran. Plus, do you really think Rin would have preferred you stayed while in your condition and risked getting killed? Or, do you think Rin would want you to get medical attention?”

“The latter.”

“Exactly. Stop being stupid.”

Caren’s logic was airtight. Sakura still felt bad. Her loathing could not be so easily quelled, but it was weakened. All thanks to Caren.

“You definitely care about me. Unless you believe that making me less miserable will somehow make me more miserable.”

“I’m just doing it because dad would get angry-”

“Angry if you didn’t? How would he find out? Do you think I’m gonna tell on you like we’re little kids? And what would I say? ‘Caren didn’t help me through my deep seated trauma!’ as if it’s your moral obligation to help me because you're my little sister?”

“You’re really snippy today.”

“But, am I wrong?”

Caren went quiet. She turned away. She couldn’t answer. Sakura was right. They both knew it and it was kind of crazy. Caren appeared to be heartless for her entire life. The hidden depths of her heart and the empathy within only unveiled themselves when needed. Sakura could always lean on Rin before, but now that wasn’t an option. Thus, it was Caren’s time to shine.

But, Sakura was still leaning on somebody. She was still a parasite.

Caren just said Sakura wasn’t that bad, though. Sakura couldn’t forget that. She had to cling to that. It was the only way she could stay sane.

The chair under Caren squeaked as she stood up. “I’m gonna go to your mansion to see if Rin’s there. Don’t expect me to go searching all over the city for her if she isn’t.”

“I know. Thanks again for helping me.”

“Mm.” Caren left without a goodbye.

Thus, Sakura was by herself. She tried not to think about her anxieties, nor her physical ailments. The issue was that left her with nothing to really ponder. So, Sakura was bored. It was better than hating herself or freaking out at least. There was a television nearby, but it was off and she was in no condition to go and turn it on.

To preoccupy her mind, Sakura thought about the Gorgon Sisters and Saber. She had long heard about the workings of the Holy Grail War and the legendary power of Servants. But, seeing it in action was something else entirely. Even as weakened as Saber was, she was still far beyond the bounds of normal human capability. It was like the air was alive when the Servants fought. The world seemed to turn to glass under their power. Something surprising about the Heroic Spirits was their appearances. You’d think they’d be wearing armor and wielding ornate weapons. That’s what you expect when you hear about heroes. You wouldn’t think of goth lolita triplets and a lady wearing a red dress.

Speaking of said lady, Sakura had begun to theorize as to Saber’s identity. She wielded a visually identical Azoth Sword to Rin’s. That was odd to say the least. Saber also didn't seem to actually be a swordsman by trade. Saber also liked the same kind of tea as Rin. She also has the same confidence and teasing personality as Rin. She also took some time looking at Rin’s jewels. Rin herself likes to just admire gemstones as a pastime. They both liked wearing red. They both had glasses, though Rin only wore them when reading. They both had a soft spot for Sakura. To say they had some commonalities would be the understatement of the era.

This would all lead to the assumption that Saber was Rin as a Heroic Spirit. The problem with that is that Rin was a modern day person and a magus. She couldn’t be famous due to needing to keep the existence of magecraft and Mystics secret, and even if she did become seen as a hero, modern day heroes couldn’t become Heroic Spirits due to the lack of mystery around them.

There might have been a way to circumvent this issue. Saber said she was a Counter Guardian. When making a contract with the World, you didn’t need to be famous or have a lot of mystery around your existence. Thus, if Rin made a deal with the Counter Force, she could have become a Heroic Spirit. Rin's own presence would act as a catalyst for summoning herself and the Azoth Dagger she used to enhance the ritual would also act as a catalyst which would make herself be summoned as a Saber instead of something like a Caster which she’d fit better.

The one thing that still made Sakura doubt was that she couldn’t understand why Rin would work for the World. She didn’t hate it, but to give up her personhood seemed a bit much. Saber wouldn’t be Sakura’s Rin, though. It couldn’t be the Rin of this timeline that was summoned. Otherwise, it would lead to a time paradox of altering one’s own past, unless this was a closed time loop. It was safer to assume that if Saber was Rin, it was a version of Rin from another timeline. That Rin would have had a different life, one that might make her want to become an agent of the Counter Force. Either that or the World could grant her something in exchange for becoming a soldier in its fight for the preservation of Proper Human History that would persuade her.

Sakura wondered what became of herself in Saber’s timeline, assuming she really was Rin. Saber’s past was still a mystery. If Rin summoned herself, that could cause a glitch that would explain Saber’s amnesia.

What Saber did remember was a man patting her head and leaving, which was how Rin had described her last moments with their father, Tokiomi. That was yet another piece of evidence towards Sakura’s theory. Saber also talked about killing a woman for a good reason, but still regretting it. What happened in Saber’s life? Could Rin have really ended up in such a soul splitting situation? Who could that woman have been?

“Sakura.”

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Turning to material form, Saber had arrived. She traced her gaze across Sakura’s body. She was hurt upon seeing the state of Sakura after the previous night.

“Hi, Saber.”

“Are you okay-no, that’s a really stupid question. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”

“It’s okay. You were stuck fighting the Gorgon Sisters. I got attacked by a guy with a mohawk and ended up like this, but I won. But, that doesn’t matter now. How’s Rin?” The tension in Sakura’s body from not knowing her sister’s fate could now be released.

It was as if Sakura’s question was a fist to Saber’s cheek. She didn’t want to say what she had to. “Rin is alive, but injured. She lost to the Edelfelt woman and I lost to Caster, the Gorgon Sisters. After that, there was a bit of a surprise. Assassin showed up. He…” Saber took a deep breath. “Assassin kidnapped both Rin and the Edelfelt Master, her name was Luviagelita. Assassin isn’t planning to kill them, but it’s on the condition that Caster and I fight with Assassin to win the Holy Grail for his Master.”

If Sakura’s words before were a punch to the cheek, Saber’s were a kick to the throat.

“Are you serious?”

“I am, but we can save Rin. I managed to forge an alliance with the Edelfelts. We’ll work together to save our Masters and we’ve already located Assassin’s base. We just have to prepare. We can’t rush in without risking Rin and Luviagelita’s lives. We’re going to go along with Assassin’s demands until we’re ready to strike. I also convinced the Edelfelts to help us with eliminating the homunculus. We need to be patient for now.”

Rin was captured. She was in the hands of someone who could be doing anything to Rin. They could be torturing her, having their way with her, or something else. Sakura had left her sister to be captured by Assassin. But, Sakura couldn’t have helped, Caren said so. She couldn’t have protected Rin. But, there was someone there who should have been there for Rin.

“Saber, why didn’t you protect Rin?”

“I was preoccupied with the Gorgon Sisters. I wanted to help, but I couldn’t. Plus, Assassin had already gotten to Rin and Luviagelita by the time anyone noticed. There was nothing I could do.”

“So you’re just incompetent. You’re a Servant that can’t win a fight against a Caster, a class that isn’t even supposed to be good at direct fights, and you had to go crawl to our enemies to get help. If Luvi-whatever didn’t get captured too, we’d be helpless. You’re useless.” Saber didn’t say anything. “You don’t even have your memories. You’re Noble Phantasms might as well not exist. You’re below the baseline of what a Heroic Spirit is supposed to be capable of. The only thing you did well was make me paranoid about my relationship with Rin. I ran away because of the doubts you put in my head. I might have saved Rin if you didn’t try to break us apart. Rin deserves a better Servant.”

Sakura’s words came out with casual ease. She didn’t ponder them. They just drained out like water exiting a hole in a dam. Sakura wasn’t truly mad at Saber. The hate in the words weren’t meant for the Servant in truth, but for Sakura herself. But, she had resolved herself not to keep self-loathing, but that meant her disquietude had to be directed elsewhere. Thus, Sakura lashed out. She wasn’t even looking at Saber. As her frustration released and she reacquired her awareness, Sakura realized the effect her words would have on Saber and how unfair she was being.

Sakura faced Saber. The Counter Guardian looked more brokenhearted than ever.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean all that. I was just upset at everything that’s going on.”

“I know. I wasn’t upset at what you said, but why you said it.”

“What?”

“I’m upset at the pain I can see in your eyes. You’re being ripped apart by emotions that have nowhere to go. You don’t deserve this, not after the childhood you had.”

Saber’s intuition was only matched by her empathy. She saw past the unkindness Sakura released to see the truth. This love from Saber felt like Rin. It was unconditional and undeterred by the superficial.

“Wait, childhood? What do you know about my childhood? We never talked about it before.”

Saber realized the strangeness of her words. “I don’t know. I just know that your childhood was full of pain.”

“You might be accessing your memories.” Sakura was confident she knew who Saber was now. “Saber, I did some thinking, and I’m pretty sure your True Name is Rin Tohsaka. You’re a version of Rin from another timeline. You just have too many similarities to Rin to not be her.”

Sakura expected Saber would either have some sudden revelation that would restore her memories, or she would deny the possibility. Instead, she looked at her own hand. “That makes sense.”

“Really?” The minimal reaction from Saber made things feel a bit anticlimactic.

“I’ve felt a connection to you and Rin from the moment I was summoned. Your theory explains too much not to be true.”

“Your memories still haven’t come back, though?”

“That’s correct. I guess that my memories still need more time to return.” Saber laughed. “I just realized we’re sisters and I’ve met an alternate version of myself.”

“This situation is so surreal it hasn't fully sunk in yet.”

“Yeah, same here.”

“Saber, since you’re Rin, you should know magecraft, right?”

“I do remember a little, though it's only simple spells right now.”

“Do you remember healing magecraft?”

“Not yet. I can’t heal you, sorry.”

“It’s alright. I’ll just have to heal the old fashioned way, like a normal human. I have to do something normally. The horror.” Sakura joked. “I’m more than fine living like a normal person.”

“Would you prefer not to be a magus?”

“I guess I can tell you the truth. I hate magecraft and mage society and everything related to it. I just want to live a normal life. But, then I’d be leaving Rin on her own. You’d probably say that’s for the better.”

“Well, if you're unhappy being a magus, then yes. Your sister needs to learn to take care of herself. I think she already can.”

“Probably. Though, last night could be used as a pretty good counter argument.”

“I’m sorry I failed to protect Rin, but I promise we’ll save her.”

“I know you will, and I’m going to help once I’ve healed up.”

“Are you sure that’s a good-”

“I’m helping.”

“Fine. You’re very stubborn.”

“I prefer the word determined.”

They both chuckled.

Sakura was going to save Rin. Then, they were going to win the Holy Grail War, or at least survive it. Afterwards, Sakura was going to move forward. She was sitting stagnant at Rin’s side for so long. The Tohsaka sisters would always be there for each other, but they didn’t need to be fused to each other. Sakura was going to figure out who she was as an individual. She knew who Sakura Tohsaka was, but not who just Sakura was.

“I think that this war will be the last time I’ll act as a magus. I’m going to live a normal life after this. I just need to build up the courage to tell Rin. I know she wouldn’t be mad or anything. She’d probably be super supportive, but that might be worse. I’d feel guilty.”

“There’s no reason to feel guilty. It would probably make Rin happier knowing you’re living a safer life than that of a magus.”

“You’re right. Saber, I think you’re right when you say Rin and I are too close. We can still have a strong bond, but it can’t be the only one. Thank you for helping me realize that.”

“I’m just helping my little sister.” Saber winked.

“I wonder what the me from your timeline was like.”

That statement made Saber’s perkiness die down again. “I do too. I hope our relationship was as nice as yours is with Rin.”

“I’m sure it was.”

“Yeah.” Saber didn’t agree. “Anyway, I still need to tell you the specific details of what you missed. I learned a lot, including some info on the Edelfelts.”

“That’s good. I have a lot of free time right now anyway, so tell me everything.”

Things were bleak, but not hopeless.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 10: Her First Battle of Life and Death

Illya watched as mother and son dueled in the batting cages.

Baseballs shook the fence behind mom every time she missed her swing. She wielded her bat like a sword, but without understanding how to best swing a bat and lacking a physical boost from magical energy, she couldn’t hit a single ball.

Mordred was killing it. He was more fit than mom when magical energy wasn’t a factor. He was also more flexible mentally. He never stuck to strict swordsmanship forms, so he was more able to adapt to newer weapons and tools, such as a baseball bat.

They were both burning with the fires of competition. They were definitely parent and child.

Illya and her family had arrived in Fuyuki and were currently living in an abandoned warehouse. It was discreet, if lacking comfort. It lacked so much comfort that Mordred complained a bunch. Like a real lot. Like so much it was really annoying and God she could whine with the best of them. The point is that Mordred was really bored. He kept talking about wanting to go somewhere interesting. Mom eventually relented and, despite wanting to be as careful and under the radar as possible, decided that having a family outing in Fuyuki would be okay.

Now Illya, Gray, and mama were watching mom and Mordred go nuts as they tried to see who could hit more baseballs. Suffice to say, Mordred was winning.

Mom was wearing a suit like always while Mordred was wearing a tube top and shorts. He was a transman, but he clearly didn’t feel any dysphoria severe enough that it prevented him from showing off his body. His outfit was especially attention grabbing since it was winter in Fuyuki and he was barely covered at all. Servants really didn’t care about the cold.

“What’s wrong mommy?” Mordred said with a mocking tone imitating that of a surprised child. “I’ve hit every ball, but you look like you couldn’t hit the ground under your feet.” He began snickering.

Mom’s swings were getting less precise. Her shoulders twitched.

“Oh, mommy! You're not using proper sword form! Why? You always lecture me about needing to use proper technique. Hold on a minute. I’m doing way better than you. Maybe not fighting like you’ve got a stick up your ass is a good thing!”

“Don’t swear.” Mom muttered as she missed another ball.

Mordred hit another home run. “Huh, what was that? I didn’t hear you. Every time I hit the ball it makes a loud sound and everything and it drowns you out.”

Mom missed yet another ball.

“Mom, your eyes are open right?”

Another miss.

“I can give you some pointers if you’d like.”

Another miss.

“No wonder Excalibur makes a huge laser, it’s the only way you could hit anything.”

Mom’s patience died. It was murder. Mordred killed it by stabbing it in the face seventy times with a rusty knife. Magical energy surged. Mom’s body was infused with so much power that she had a visible aura around her. She swung the bat and hit the newest ball coming her way. The baseball wasn’t sent flying nor did it turn to dust. It was gone. Not even leptons, quarks, or boson’s remained. The land shook and caused everyone to bounce off the ground before falling back down. Anything that wasn’t nailed down jumped before hitting the deck. It was like an earthquake. No, mom actually caused an earthquake. With the effect it caused, it would be rated magnitude ten.

Everyone was quiet as the land and air calmed while mom stood in place with the cold wrath of a judgemental god. As the fury born from her competitive soul subsided, mom realized how overboard she just went. She looked at Mordred who was dumbfounded by the reaction he got out of his mother. After that she noticed the cracks and deformations in the handle of her bat from her gripping it so hard. A blush painted across mom’s face.

Without a word, mom quietly and with mincing steps, left the batting area and sat next to mama on a bench. Mom slowly leaned into mama’s side and felt her wife’s arm wrap around her. She buried her face into mama’s shoulder.

“It’s okay. Baseball’s hard.” Mama kissed the top of mom’s head.

“Ihihihihihihihihihihihihihihi!” Add laughed at mom until Gray removed him from her purse and elbow dropped him into the ground. “When did you learn wrestling moves?” Add cried before the silence returned.

Mordred walked up to mom. He was rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have made fun of you like that.”

“It’s okay. Just don’t do it again.” mom said without the slightest authoritativeness in her voice.

“We may have drawn attention from enemy Masters with that quake so we should probably go.” Illya said.

“Should we talk to the overseer now?” Gray said.

“Yes.” Mom’s composure returned as the topic returned to the war. “Illya, you, your mother, and Mordred will go to the church to tell the overseer about the Grail’s corruption. Remember, as far as anyone is concerned, Illya is the Master. There could be returning Masters from the last war like Iri and they’d recognize Gray as me. That could cause problems since I’m an above average Servant. They’d target Gray to take her out. We also want to keep both Gray and I as hidden trump cards since we’re both extra Servant level fighters in this war. We can get the drop on our enemies with the power of three Servants if we fight smart. Normally I wouldn’t want to fight so dishonorably, but we don’t have the luxury of honor when it’s the fate of our family and all of humanity on the line.”

“You and I are going to head back to the warehouse, right?” Gray stood up.

“Correct. We need to stay hidden so the other Masters don’t learn about us until it's time to ambush them. I allowed this little family outing, but we need to be more discreet from now on.” Mom wrapped her arm around mama. “Be careful.”

“I will.” Mama smiled.

“Mordred, stay in Spirit Form.”

“But, I hate not being physical. It makes me anxious.”

“Mordred, we need to be discreet.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Whatever, I’ll do it.”

The Pendragon family left the batting cages and split up. Gray, Add, and mom headed back to the warehouse. They took a snaking path that went through labyrinthine alleys and even through some abandoned buildings. They had to obscure the way to their base of operations as much as possible.

Illya went with her mama and a miffed Mordred to the Fuyuki church. The early morning walk was peaceful.

“Do you think the overseer will be surprised to see us?” Illya said.

“Why would he?” Mordred wouldn’t know why.

“We’re clearly Einzbern homunculi and the Einzbern family will send in their own homunculus as their Master this time since Kiritsugu failed to get the Grail for them last war. They took a risk on hiring an outsider and in their minds it was a huge mistake.”

“Makes sense.”

“The Einzberns can also cheat and summon their Servant way earlier than everyone else. They’ve definitely met up with the overseer already. Thus, the overseer won’t be expecting to see two more homunculi on their doorstep.

“Do you think the overseer will snitch on us to the Einzberns?”

“Not if they plan to be impartial like they’re supposed to. But, there's always the chance that they’re in the pocket of the Einzberns.”

“It’s a risk, but one we have to take if we’re going to tell the overseer about the Grail’s corruption.” Mama said.

“Will they even believe us?”

“Probably not, but it’s important to try.”

“Man this is all such a pain in the ass. All this subterfuge and planning and shit. Why do Holy Grail Wars have to be so complicated? It’d be so much simpler if we could just have a big battle royale for the Grail.”

“That was what the Fuyuki Holy Grail War originally was.” Mama spoke like a teacher. “But, it ended up as a chaotic bloodbath with no winner. The Second War added some rules to try and reign things in, but they weren’t enough and it got crazy again. It was only by the Third War that the Grail War we know now came to be.”

“And yet nobody’s won yet anyway.” Mordred had a point.

“All the better if the Grail’s corrupted.”

“I guess so. This whole war is still really dumb.”

“Trust me when I say I wholeheartedly agree.” Mama was weary of everything related to the Holy Grail.

Illya and co ended up at the church. It wasn’t an extravagant building, yet it stood out. Illya and her mama entered the church grounds. The doors to the building were heavy, slowly creaking open. Inside was a priest kneeling at one of the pews. He finished his silent prayer and stood up. Mama’s body jerked suddenly upon seeing the priest’s face.

“Kirei Kotomine.” Mama said with a distrusting and rancorous glare. Illya had heard her mama mention Kirei Kotomine before. He was a participant of the last war. She negotiated to have him leave the country. Apparently, she saw him as a threat to Illya’s daddy.

“You are the homunculus from the last war. Irisviel, yes?” The priest seemed vaguely bemused.

“I am Irisviel von Einzbern, and this is my daughter, Illyasviel von Einzbern. I am not a Master in this war, but she is.” Mama avoided stating the class of their Servant. She didn’t want to give out any more information than what was absolutely necessary.

“This must be fate, meeting again after ten years. I figured you died in the last war. That’s good to hear. I guess the Einzberns will live on to some extent. My apologies for trying to kill you by the way.” The Einzberns would live on? What did the overseer mean? Wasn’t it obvious they were still around? Unless something happened to them. Was there no official Einzbern representative in this war?

“How are you the overseer?” mama asked.

“Just because I was a participant in the last war doesn’t mean I can’t act as an impartial mediator of this one.”

Mama wanted to retort, but Illya figured she was unable to actually come up with anything while she was so on guard. Illya noticed her mama was hiding her Command Spells. She didn’t trust Kirei with the knowledge that she had a Servant of her own. She would have hid them if the overseer wasn’t Kirei, but she was being especially careful.

“I don’t mean to open old wounds, but I heard Kiritsugu Emiya lost his life in the last war.”

“That is correct.”

“My condolences. Have you been doing well since then?”

“I’ve managed to move on and I have a new family now. We’re happy.” Mama spoke with a defiant tone.

“I’m glad to hear that. Also, it is nice to meet you, Illyasviel von Einzbern. I failed to formally address you until now due to my shock at seeing your mother again. I apologize.”

“It’s fine.” Illya didn’t necessarily think her mama was wrong for distrusting the priest, but he honestly seemed completely amicable. “Father Kotomine, we have something we have to tell you about the Grail.”

The priest’s head tilted. “Something about the Grail?”

“Yes.” mama said. “The Grail is poisoned essentially. There’s an evil existence inside the Grail, painting it with its hatred. It exists to destroy, and not only that, but it desires to be incarnated into the world.” That actually broke the overseer’s stagnant countenance. He went wide eyed before becoming contemplative. He was thinking about how plausible mama’s statement was.

“That is a dire claim, but one that certainly requires evidence of some degree to justify taking great action.”

“When I was connected to the Greater Grail and about to turn into its vessel, I saw what was inside it, and it was full of mud. Coagulated curses. I managed to break my connection to the Greater Grail which is why I’m here now and no victor emerged out of the last war. Any wish made on a device such as the Fuyuki Grail will be interpreted in a way that causes destruction. We need to dismantle it. The problem is that we don't know the physical location of the Grail. As overseer, you should know where it’s hidden. Please, let’s destroy it before it kills us all.”

“You don’t know the Grail’s location? Were you not in contact with the rest of the Einzbern family? ‘Did they not tell you?”

“I was never told and they won’t now. We were excommunicated from the family.” Mama didn’t like thinking about the way she was thrown away by the Einzberns. “They considered me a failure for not completing the Heaven’s Feel. We’ve had no contact with them since.”

“My condolences again. You have clearly suffered much due to the Holy Grail War. You don’t appear aware of the fate of the Einzberns, so I feel I should mention they are all but gone.”

“Gone?”

“The Einzberns have been killed. They’re all dead. Unfortunately, I am incapable of telling you who the assailant was.”

The Einzbern family that was, in many ways, the core of the Holy Grail War was gone. The family that created Illya and her mama. The family that used Illya and her mama as tools to be discarded when they failed to meet impossible expectations. Illya didn’t feel bad that the Einzberns were all dead. They had it coming. She was concerned about who killed them. Kirei’s phrasing implied it to be an individual. Could a single person take out such a powerful family of magi? Only a Servant or Magician could. Actually, a Servant could be the culprit. The priest said he couldn’t admit who the culprit was. He can’t reveal the identities of all the Masters and Servants due to being the overseer. The culprit might be one of the Servants either on the order of their Master or because they rebelled. They also had to have been a high tier Servant with the power to overwhelm the Einzberns’ forces or an Assassin that could stealthily eliminate all the members of the family. Either way, they were a dire threat, especially if their bone to pick with the Einzberns extended to Illya and her mother.

“Does that mean that the Einzberns couldn’t provide a vessel for the Grail?” Mama seemed less affected by the news of her family’s death than Illya. She also asked a good question. If so, that implied that the only Lesser Grails would be Illya and her mama which meant they could make sure the Greater Grail never gets invoked.

“I am not at liberty to say, but that probably tells you all you need to know.”

He was right. The fact Kirei couldn’t answer implied that there was a vessel, and they were one of the Masters. Assumedly it was an Einzbern who was still alive in the same vein as Illya and her mama. It could also be that one of the other Masters had great knowledge of the Grail, one such as a member of one of the other Founding Families, fabricated their own vessel. Either way, at least three Lesser Grails were at play in this war.

“Thank you for being so forthcoming.” Illya said.

“You're welcome. Let us return to the matter of the Grail’s supposed corruption. If you’re being honest, then I’d be happy to comply, but do you have any evidence that is more tangible other than your word? This could easily be a ploy to learn where the Grail is so you could take it for yourselves.”

Mama sighed. “My word is all I have.” There was also mom’s word, but that would have added only the slightest increase in credibility. It would also expose that there was an extra Servant in play.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you the Greater Grail’s location based on mere claims alone. That said, it isn’t impossible that you are being honest, and in that case it would be foolish to be unprepared. I shall inform all the other Masters of what you have told me and will begin investigating on my own to see if I can find any evidence to bolster your words. I can’t travel to the Grail’s location myself to check its status since I could be followed. That would give away the Greater Grail’s location to those who’d be included to pilfer it. This is all I can do.”

“Thank you, that’s more than we were even expecting.” Illya was glad Kirei was being reasonable.

“It is merely my duty as overseer. Is that all you have to inform me about?”

“Yes. Thank you for listening to us.”

“Do you have anything else to tell me? Any questions?”

“I don’t”

“Neither do I.” mama said. “We’ll be going.”

“I wish you luck.” Kirei said as Illya and her mama left the church.

Mama rubbed her face as they exited through the church gate. “As if this couldn’t be more complicated. Kirei Kotomine is here and a Servant so strong they slaughtered the Einzberns is around.”

“Don’t worry. With the power boost I’ve got, any Servant’s as good as dead.” Mordred’s braggadociousness did little to ease mama’s tension.

“Maybe we can trust Kirei.” Illya said. “He did agree to your demands last war and he seems to be taking his job seriously.”

“We still have no guarantees. He might not tell any of the Masters about the corruption or he might secretly be a Master in the war or any number of other things.”

“Mama, we can’t keep thinking about what-ifs or we’ll be stuck in our heads forever. We can only act cautiously with the information we have.”

“I know you're right but that doesn’t make it easier. Let’s head to the warehouse. I need to talk to your mom.” Mama needed to vent.

“I’ll call mom and let her know what happened. You just relax for now. Talk to Mordred about what secrets he knows about mom.” Illya said.

Mordred clicked her tongue a few times as she thought. “Did I talk about when mom took care of a baby lion? I wasn’t alive when it happened, but Kay told me about it.”

“She did what?” Mama immediately forgot what she was just thinking about. She always felt better when it came to gossiping about mom’s past. “She did something that adorable and never told me!”

“She used to cuddle with it apparently so Kay started calling her the king of cuddles and the Lion King. I hated Kay but me and him used to make fun of mom all the time when he told me. She’d get all blushy and shit.”

“Oh. My. God. I am going to tease her about it as soon as we get back.” Mama bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.

“Get this. She even secretly requested a tailor to make a lion doll to snuggle with, but then Guinevere found it in their room and told Lancelot and he couldn’t keep a secret for shit and so everyone found out.”

“She actually has a stuffed lion plushie now. I knew she liked lions but this is the most adorable thing ever. What did she do when everyone found out?”

“Mom panicked and tried to convince everyone it was for Ywain cause he has this whole thing with lions but the doll was made of of a fabric she knew he was allergic to and everyone knew she knew he was allergic and she ended up yelling when she couldn’t think of another excuse and everyone laughed and it was a fucking riot.”

“When we get back we should casually call her the king of cuddles.”

“She’ll get this dumb expression on her face I bet.”

“Oh, I should get the camera first so I can take a picture of her reaction!”

“You better let me in on the action. I always love teasing mom.”

“You like teasing everyone.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Illya plucked a hair from her head and poured magical energy into it. It floated out of her hand and shaped into a wireframe simulacrum of a bird. The instant homunculus connected to one she made ahead of time that was back at the warehouse, allowing Illya to call the base using the familiars like phones. The bird perched on Illya’s shoulder and turned invisible so the group could head back to base and talk without attracting attention.

“Hello?” Gray answered the call.

“It’s Illya. Is mom there?”

“No, she’s patrolling the area. She’s anxious about you guys since you’re alone and all that. You know how she gets.”

“I swear she’d put trackers in our heads if she could. Anyway, I’ll let you know what happened. Get a notepad because it’s a lot.”

Using another complex and discreet route to head home, Illya got Gray up to speed on the situation whilst mama and Mordred gossiped and prepared to turn mom into an embarrassed mess.

Making good time, the group returned to the warehouse. It was spacious and without many rooms beyond the main storage area where who knows what was once kept. It was dirty and full of broken pieces of crates, pallates, and the like, even after being cleaned. It lacked comfort, but it was an effective hiding place far from the main city.

Apparently, it was mom’s idea to hide in a warehouse. She was inspired by where the Master of Lancer stayed last war. Mom didn’t talk much about the previous Holy Grail War, but she especially avoided talking about Lancer and his Master. She had an especially bad experience with them.

Knowing that the Holy Grail War could be so traumatizing to someone as long lived and strong willed as mom was not a comforting thought. More so than herself or her parents or Mordred, Illya worried for Gray. She may have gotten more than she bargained for when she insisted on getting involved in this war. Add was with her and he could be a calming influence for Gray when necessary despite his rudeness most of the time, but he could only do so much. Gray was strong of body but not of will. She really was just a fifteen year old. She wasn’t wise beyond her years or anything like that. She acted her age, as abnormal as that is in mage families. She even acted younger than her age sometimes. This was in part due to mom and mama coddling her. Due to Gray’s identity issues, mom and mama did all they could to make Gray’s life easier. Illya couldn’t really talk since she coddled Gray too.

At the folding table and makeshift cooking area that served as the family’s dining room and kitchen for the moment, Gray and mom were preparing lunch. That was dishonest actually. Gray was preparing lunch. Mom was sitting at the table since she couldn’t cook anything more complicated than toast and even then she usually burnt it black. Mom calls the toaster ‘vexing in its mechanics’ as an explanation.

Mom stood up. “Did you encounter any trouble?”

“Nope.” Mama said as she skipped up to and kissed mom. This was a distraction. Illya snuck over to where they kept the camera.

Mordred materialized with his arms behind his head. “Finally! I hate being all ghosty. I don’t see the need since it’s not like I'm that much easier to sense when physical.”

“We need to take all possible precautions.” Mom said.

“Can’t you lighten up? I get this is serious shit, but you gotta get loose and have some fun.”

“We can’t when we’re in a war zone.”

Mama stepped behind mom and put her hands on her wife’s shoulders. “I think you can take some risks if they make you happy. You can’t just be anxious all day.”

“I’m sorry Iri but that’s foolish. You can’t take any danger lightly.”

Mama smiled like a cat. “Even if it were a baby animal?”

“If it were a predator, yes.”

“Even a lion cub, king of cuddles?” mama whispered into mom’s ear.

Mom’s jaw dropped and eyes were wide. Illya snapped a picture to capture the moment forever. Mom’s limbs were all straight as can be. She was as stiff as a steel pole and her face was so red she looked like was going to melt.

“Do you want me to get your lion plushie?”

The ground shook when mom stomped her foot. “Mordred!”

“You can’t prove anything!”

“Why’d you tell them?”

“I’m not Mordred, I’m a ghost.” Mordred turned to Spirit Form and ran away.

“I can still sense you, Mordred! Get back here! Don’t make me get out Excalibur! You know I’ll actually do it!”

Mama hugged mom tight. “There’s no reason to be embarrassed. You should embrace your cute side. I’m here whenever you wanna snuggle, my king of cuddles.”

“Iri!” mom whined like a little girl.

Illya walked up to her mom with her arms behind her back. “Sorry mom. That was mean. Here, this will make you feel better.” Illya revealed mom’s stuffed lion. Everyone began laughing. Even Gray was trying to suppress her rising guffaws.

Realizing the futility in her efforts to keep face, mom just stood still like a statue and basked in the embarrassment.

“I’m sorry Artoria.” Mama put her hands on mom’s face and mushed her cheeks around. “I was a little down so we decided to have some fun.”

The anger mom was trying to restrain blinked out of her mind. “Do you need to vent?”

“A little. Not as much now, but I’ve still got the bad thoughts.”

Taking mama’s hands in her own, mom was no longer bothered by the previous mockery. “Let’s go somewhere private so you can let your feelings out. We can also go over everything that’s happened again. Get everything straight.”

“Alright. You kids behave.” Mama and mom went into another room and left their children by themselves.

“We’re unsupervised. Let’s do crimes.” Mordred plopped into a chair.

“We can’t break the law.” Illya said. “What we can do is play soccer with Add.”

“Why am I the punching bag in this family?”

“Because you’re constantly being a shit.” Illya was blunt.

“Plus, Kay was a dick back in the day and now I can get payback.”

“I’m not actually Kay!”

“You’re close enough.”

“This is bullying. I’m a victim of bullying right now.”

“Don’t worry Add, I’ll protect you.” Gray caressed Add.

“At least someone’s nice to me. Relatively nice. You elbow dropped me earlier.”

“You were being mean to mom.”

“Everyone was being mean to Artoria just now!”

“Yeah, but they can defend themselves.”

“This is abuse.”

“You don’t even feel pain. You’re a cube.”

“Yeah, but it still hurts my heart.”

Gray petted Add. She actually felt bad. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t treat you differently than Illya or Mordred.” Gray was so sweet. But, that sweetness was part of why Illya worried for her. Would Gray be able to kill someone if she had to? Gray wasn’t ready for a Grail War. Illya wasn’t even sure she herself was ready. Hopefully Mordred would be enough to handle the fighting…and the killing.

Whatever. There was no use getting hung up on their deficiencies. Illya decided to relieve stress, but in a different way from her mama. Said way involved going into another room with her maid fetish magazines and enjoying them to the fullest.

***

The first night of the Holy Grail War had come. It was time to fight.

The Pendragon family thought it best to scout out the city the first night using familiars. Instead of jumping right into the fray, they would try to locate some enemy Servants and track them. They could find their bases or they might see Servants fighting and learn their abilities. It was best to be cautious and play the long game.

As Illya sat in a chair and saw what her familiars saw, felt what they felt, a massive signal hit her. She sensed a mass of magical energy that was Servant class. This Servant wasn’t suppressing their power, they were actively radiating it outward as a beacon. They were calling all challengers. This was reckless of them. They could end up swarmed by all the other Servants. They must have been confident.

Illya’s familiar followed the signal to its source. Standing in the middle of Fuyuki Bridge was a Servant and presumably their Master.

The Servant held two crimson spears and wore a purple bodysuit that was skin tight. She was beautiful to be sure, but also terrifying. One look was all that was needed to know the Servant was a master of combat. Experience was the word that defined this Servant’s existence. She had more experience than most Heroic Spirits. The confidence of the Servant was feeling more and more justified. The fact she had two spears meant she was probably a Lancer. Mordred and mom would have a class advantage in that case. Her parameters were unimpressive. Her strength was C, her endurance was C, her agility was B+, her mana was D, her luck was E, and her NP was C++.

The likely Master was a red haired woman in a pantsuit. Slung over her shoulder was a cylindrical case of some kind. Just the way she stood showed she was ready to fight at a moment’s notice. She wasn’t anxious as far as Illya could tell. She was a professional. It was unclear how much power she had, but she was definitely more knowledgeable about how to fight than Illya, Gray, or mama.

This was a dangerous pair. Not the type to be trifled with. But, their overconfidence could be their undoing. It was doubtless that almost every Master had familiars watching them. The only question was if anyone would actually take them up on their offer to fight. Any who did would also be under the eyes of the familiars. They’d be analyzed for every strength and weakness and could be tracked back to their base. Trying to fight wasn’t worth the risk. Observation was the way to go.

Illya told her family about what she was watching and her thoughts on what they should do.

“You’re correct. We can’t try to fight them. There’s little to gain from doing so. Lancer tried this very same thing last war and it turned into chaos.” mom said before she continued snacking on sandwiches.

“The craziest part is we actually took Lancer up on his offer.” Mama wrapped herself around her wife.

“I was more prideful then. The events of the Fourth War humbled me.”

“So we’re really not gonna fight?” Mordred said. “I’m bored and this Lancer seems like they’d be fun to fight, even if their parameters are shitty.”

“This isn’t a game. Plus, if this Lancer is as experienced as Illya’s intuition is telling her she is, then she may be out of your league.”

“Okay, first, why should we trust Illya’s intuition. She’s never even been in a real fight before.”

“Well fuck you, too.”

“Second, I’m plenty experienced. I don’t see how this Servant could be so much more skilled or whatever that she’d actually be dangerous. My Mana Bursts are so strong they’re Noble Phantasm tier! This Servant doesn’t even have a single A rank parameter! I’ve got this shit in the bag!”

“Your arrogance is blinding you and your immaturity hampers your ability to make use of the experience you’ve accumulated.”

“Christ, you still only know how to whinge.”

“Mordred, I’m trying to-just…listen to me. You are strong, and you are skilled. But, those things won’t matter if you don’t fight intelligently. I know you can, but your pride gets in the way. You can get even stronger if you learn to temper your ego. This isn’t some problem unique to you. I also struggle with my pride. It’s something you inherited from me.”

“It’s not like we don’t have good reasons to be prideful and stuff.” Mordred’s lips pursed. “But, you’re right.” He leaned back in his seat. “We should play it safe. You never know what traps and shit they’ve got or what the other Masters will do.”

“I’m glad you’re so understanding.”

“You better let me let loose at some point.”

“You’ll get your chance, I’m sure.”

Mordred was becoming more cooperative. He was still bullheaded and had his head so far up his own ass it came out of his mouth, but he was getting better.

Illya returned her focus to what her familiars were seeing. Lancer was staring right at Illya’s familiar. Despite being hidden, she spotted it as if it were right in the open. Lancer shifted her head and looked at a few other spots. They must have been where the other familiars watching Lancer and her Master were hiding.

Lancer used her finger to draw in the air. Magical energy formed runes. A Lancer that knew rune magecraft. Perhaps they weren’t a Lancer but a Caster that also used spears.

The runes flew off. One was heading for Illya’s familiar. So fast. The familiar got hit. A pang hit Illya’s mind. A connection just formed. Lancer just ‘hacked into’ Illya’s familiar with rune magecraft. The Servant was using the connection between Illya and her familiar to track her location. Lancer knew where Illya’s family was. She could head for the warehouse right now if she wanted.

“Lancer hijacked my familiar! She knows where I am!”

“What? Really? She’s a Lancer, how could she do that?” Mordred said.

“I dunno, but we have to relocate right now!”

“Everyone, start packing!” Mom took charge. “Illya, use Avalon to break your connection to your familiar. That way Lancer won’t be able to track us when we leave.”

Avalon, the sheath for Excalibur that could cut off its user from the rest of the World. It resided inside Illya, being the thing that allowed her to take on a form befitting her age. As long as mom was on Earth, the sheath could function. Illya may not be its proper wielder, but mom had taught her how to activate it. She could only do so for a single second but that was more than enough in most cases.

“Avalon!” Illya poured her magical energy into the sheath inside her to act as a lit fuse to ignite the magical energy of King Arthur within it. The energy flared up but not in a burning detonation. As if a membrane around her body, a ’sheath’ even, Illya was armored in a conceptual light that created the land of the fairies. Armored in Avalon, the thread that connected Illya and her familiar split. Lancer would no longer be able to sense Illya’s presence.

Exhaling and releasing the tension across her body and soul, Illya deactivated Avalon. Her body lost its conceptual shield and she felt tired. Avalon was a Divine Construct and Illya was just a powerful homunculus of the modern age. Her using such a Mystic at all was impressive, but unless she dedicated herself almost solely to mastering Avalon, the sheath could never be used at full power.

“Did it work?” Mama was scrambling to pack things into suitcases.

“Yes, it-”

An esoteric hand latched onto Illya’s magical energy. The connection between Illya and her familiar was recreated. It was Lancer’s doing, it had to be. But, how? Recreating such a connection would normally require being near Illya or knowing her exact location. Lancer couldn’t track her anymore when Avalon activated, so how did she remake the link?

Fuck! Wait, fuck! Illya’s familiars were homunculi she created using her own hair. If Lancer was skilled enough in magecraft, she could use the hair as a catalyst of sorts to connect to Illya instantly. That meant that Lancer could recreate the link as many times as she wanted.

“She can remake the link and track me wherever I go!”

“Fuck! There’s no point in running then!” Mordred dropped the folding chairs in his arms.

Mom grasped her face. “We’ll have to confront Lancer head on and kill them. Otherwise, they’ll be able to ambush us at any time.”

“Lancer’s probably done the same thing with the others who were watching her. They might decide to join the fight, too.”

“Things will turn to chaos. We might all have to fight together.”

“We don’t have to do that.” Mordred said. “My Mana Burst is so powerful that I can attack a bunch of enemies at once if I gotta. All of you might actually get in my way. Plus, Mom and Gray are supposed to be our secret weapon.”

“That’s a fair point. What do you suggest?”

“Me and Illya will go in first. Irisviel should come with so she can heal us. Mom, Gray, and Add can hang back and stay hidden. If you stay just barely far enough that you can’t be sensed, then you can jump in if shit goes south and it won’t take too long.”

“That’s actually a good plan.” Mom wasn’t expecting such a well thought out strategy from Mordred.

“You say that like I’m stupid.”

“No, I’m sorry. I forget how smart you can be. I’m proud of you.”

“Y-Yeah, thanks.” Mordred blushed. “Let’s get going already.”

Illya changed into a black suit not unlike her mom’s and a black trench coat that her daddy once owned. Hidden inside the coat were the many firearms Illya has mastered using.

Illya and her family set off to face Lancer. Just as Mordred suggested, he, Illya, and mama took point to face Lancer directly while mom, Gray, and Add stayed hidden a distance away in Shinto.

Illya and company reached Fuyuki Bridge and so far nothing had changed. Lancer was still standing with her Master. Nobody took her up on her offer to fight, until now.

The bridge was vacant of any vehicles. It was quiet except for the gentle undulations of the river below. No distractions. No possible interruptions. It was as if the World was actively trying to turn the location into a battlefield for Servants to cross weapons. Illya sensed a Bounded Field. It was a simple one that had a hypnotic effect. Normal people who got close were compelled to not drive onto the bridge or pay attention to what happened on it. Illya didn’t know why Lancer and her Master didn’t just choose a more secluded spot. Maybe they figured they could more easily escape into the city if they had to.

“Welcome. It’s nice to know I won’t just be standing here all night.” Lancer said.

“I was getting pretty bored, too.” Mordred was fully armored with Clarent in hand as he sauntered forward. “It’s unfortunate you won’t entertain me for long.”

“Don’t put yourself down like that. I was planning to go easy on you, so you’ll last a few minutes.”

“Fuck you.” Mordred bared his teeth at having his insult reflected back at him by Lancer.

“Since almost every Master and Servant is probably listening to this, let’s address this right now.” mama said. “We were the ones who warned the overseer about the Grail’s corruption.”

“I see.” Lancer’s Master said. “The overseer explained your claims but do you have any further proof you could give? So far the only reason to believe the Grail is evil is because you said so.”

“I was the vessel for the Grail in the last war. I survived but I saw the inside of the Greater Grail.”

“But that’s still just your word.”

“Yes, it is. That's all I have.”

“So you have no way of proving you aren’t lying?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m sorry, but it's too suspicious a claim to believe.” The enemy Master wasn’t spiteful. She was business-like in her rejection.

“We understand. No hard feelings about what comes next then.”

“No hard feelings.”

“If the Grail is corrupted, then it may prove an enjoyable opponent in its own right.” Lancer smiled.

“You’re acting like you’ve already won.” Mordred gripped the handle of his sword tighter. “You have no idea who you’re messing with.”

“That’s true. Your armor is obscuring any attempts to gather info on you right now.” Lancer had information gathering skills? All the more reason she had to be taken out ASAP. “Master, you can handle the other two, yes?”

“Yes.” The red-head said.

“Good. I'll be watching you as we fight to see how you handle multiple opponents. Be careful of the girl on the left, she’s the one I’m linked to and I can tell she’s abnormally strong. Take advantage of your strengths and be ready for anything.” Lancer talked like she was her Master’s teacher.

The enemy Master raised her fists and got into a martial arts stance. Lancer readied both her spears, but her stance was somewhat casual, one knee cocked forward and the other straight. She wasn’t planning on fighting at full power.

Illya was about to pull out some of her hairs to make more instant homunculi, but remembered that Lancer could hijack them. She couldn’t use her familiars. Instead, Illya pulled out two guns. In her left hand hand, her Calico M950 submachine gun. In her right, the Thompson Contender Illya inherited from her daddy. If Illya used her square accel from the get go, she would likely take out the Master in one shot.

Mama was in a tough spot. Her main method of combat was through making familiars or constructs with alchemy, but Lancer could take them over with her runes. Illya would have to protect mama so she could focus on using healing magecraft. She was capable of using it from a distance, so she could end up being the group’s lifeline.

Mordred walked forward. “You better not get scared and run away. I’ve been waiting to kick some ass for way too long.”

“No worries. I enjoy a good fight.” Lancer smiled.

“Good. Now watch this!”

The entire bridge let out a loud creak as Mordred ran at Lancer. Clarent was swung with enough force that the air displaced by the swing became an invisible cutter that extended beyond the sword’s blade and increased the attack’s range. Lancer sidestepped the slash and the air pressure blade it created. With no wasted movements, Lancer charged her spear with red energy and slammed the butt of into the side of Mordred’s head. If that had been the blade, Mordred’s head would have been split in half. Instead, half of Mordred’s helmet turned to shrapnel and the side of his head bled profusely. He was knocked off his feet. The shaft of Lancer’s second spear struck Mordred in the gut and sent him flying.

Mordred stabbed his sword into the road to slow his flight down and land on his feet.

Lancer was already in Mordred’s face as soon as he hit the ground. Could Lancer teleport? Mordred was pelted with blunt strikes from Lancer’s spears. He attempted to block the hits but he was always a step behind. Lancer used feints and strikes from unexpected angles with a near euphoric smile on her face. Mordred entered a frenzy from frustration. He didn’t care about defense anymore so he whipped his sword around. Lancer’s body was snake-like as she maneuvered around the blows while keeping up her inexhaustible salvo of attacks. The way Lancer constantly evaded so perfectly made Illya feel like Lancer didn’t actually need to think to dodge. She must have had a skill that allowed her to automatically dodge attacks so she could focus her thoughts on her offensive.

This wasn’t right. Lancer’s parameters were way too low for her to immediately outclass Mordred this much. Even if she was a more skilled fighter, Lancer shouldn’t have been able to bridge the gap in power so vastly. Her parameters had to have been higher than what Illya could see. Lancer had some kind of skill that hid her true strength. Essentially a lesser version of Mordred’s armor. She went into the open with lowered parameters and issued a challenge to the other Servants in order to make herself look foolish. Then she took over everyone’s familiars and learned their locations to force them to fight.

The entire bridge and the surrounding city blocks began thrumming. Mordred’s magical energy spiked and focused into Clarent. Crimson lightning danced across the blade and struck out at the asphalt, causing it to begin melting. As the power of Mordred’s Mana Burst was about to be released, Lancer’s smile grew even wider.

“Splendid.” Lancer drew a rune on her spear that made it jump a rank in power. Then, flames lined the polearm that furiously lapped at the air. It was a fire element Mana Burst. Lightning joined the flames. Another Mana Burst but a different element. Could Servants have Mana Bursts in different elements? Next, Lancer’s arm was getting amplified with magical energy. It wasn’t a Mana Burst, but a skill dedicated to strength enhancement.

Both Servants unleashed their attacks. Mordred’s sword powered by a tsunami of sanguine lightning was met by a spear thrust arrayed in fire and lightning that looked like a laser from its speed. The beam of plasma Lancer’s stab unleashed bored through Mordred’s wave of red and dispersed it. The ray knocked Clarent out of the way and went right through the armor on Mordred’s chest. The spear that trailed behind the beam went through the hole that was just created in Mordred. The polearm kept Mordred in place as Lancer’s second spear was enveloped in red energy and pierced clean through Mordred’s gut.

A scream was ripped out of Mordred’s throat from the pain which only intensified as both spears were torn back out of his body.

A rune magecraft skill. A teleportation-esk skill. A parameter obscuring skill. An automatic dodging skill. Two Mana Bursts that were in different elements. A strength boosting skill. How could Lancer have so many skills? Perhaps she had a skill that let her use any skill she wanted? Could a skill that overpowered exist?

Mama tried to use her healing magecraft to restore Mordred. It wasn’t doing anything beyond getting rid of the burns the lightning and fire caused and making the stab wounds and bruises shrink a bit. Mama kept dumping more magical energy into Mordred, but he wasn’t healing any further. Illya helped too, but the result wasn’t changing. Did Lancer’s spears have the ability to create wounds that couldn’t completely heal. That sounded like the power of one of the spears the Lancer of the last war had, at least from what Illya had been told. As if Lancer wasn’t overpowered already, she just had to keep pulling out more abilities.

This was a hopeless battle. Mordred had more raw power, durability, and mana than Lancer and he had the class advantage. But, Lancer’s greater speed, technique, experience, runes, spears that created wounds that couldn’t completely heal, and absurd number of skills gave her a distinct and strong edge overall. Mordred lacked the raw technique and strategic ability necessary to win this. Someone like mom could potentially overcome the odds but even she’d have a tough time.

The spearwoman pulled back her arm. The spear in that hand flared with red energy. With a mighty toss the javelin sped through the air with the speed of a laser. Mordred, mind still bleary, barely deflected the spear in time to avoid getting impaled again.

But, the spear shifted its trajectory middair. It turned at sharp angles to redirect and target Mordred once more. Mordred knocked it away again, but it homed in on him in turn. Mordred just kept diverting the spear while making no progress.

Lancer made her next move while Mordred was preoccupied. A series of spears were summoned behind the spearwoman. They floated in the air and were all identical to the two she had already been wielding. They fired off towards Mordred all at once.

Right as Mordred finished deflecting the spear he was already dealing with again, the cascade of new ones came for him. He barely managed to block them, though some managed to get past his guard and impale him in his extremities. The force flung into a support beam of the bridge. Mordred’s body plowed through the metal pillar and began falling towards the water below. Moving so fast Illya couldn’t perceive it and could only intuit what happened, Lancer leapt off the bridge after Mordred.

“Saber, I command you to come here right now and save your son!” Mama declared. One of the three Command Spells she had preserved since the last war shined bright before fading away. Space warped and became like a windstorm. Bursting out of nothing at all, mom appeared fully mailed. Without a word she jumped off the bridge after Mordred and Lancer. If mom, who was empowered by a Command Spell, helped Mordred fight then even Lancer wouldn’t be able to keep up.

Sounds of explosions and crashing waves came from below the bridge. The river went wild like a turbulent ocean as Mordred, mom, and Lancer fought below. Walls of water flooded the areas around the river. Mordred and Lancer’s attacks made the river slowly evaporate and leave the bridge hidden by steam. Illya struggled to see anything ahead of her. There were moments where the area would be lit up with red and lighting would rise to the clouds from Mordred using his Mana Burst in the water. Illya’s skin was scalded by the fog’s heat so Avalon had to constantly heal her. Mama had to focus her magecraft on defending herself against the vapor, meaning she’d struggle to help with healing anyone else’s wounds.

Illya regretted letting herself get distracted when her torso was subjected to a punch that knocked the wind out of her and made her spine nearly snap. Her organs were tearing. Images of a hole being made in her gut flashed in Illya’s mind. Lancer’s Master struck with force enough to leave Illya comatose.

“Time alter-square accel.” Illya wheezed. Avalon went into overdrive as it both healed the damage from the suited woman’s punch and the recoil caused by Illya’s time magecraft. As a pseudo-Reality Marble formed around Illya, her personal time accelerated four-fold in comparison to the rest of the World.

Illya took a step back to get off of the enemy Master’s fist. As everything moved so slowly it was like time had frozen, Illya put her Contender’s barrel point blank to the suited woman’s head. The image of the Master’s skull breaking open and her brains splattering made Illya dizzier than she already was. Bile filled her mouth and she realized she wasn’t ready to kill someone. She changed her target to the redhead’s thigh. The shot would incapacitate the woman before she could react thanks to time alter. She might be able to heal, but Illya would knock her out before she had the chance.

The trigger was pulled and the bullet fired. It began digging into the redhead’s leg. Suddenly the limb moved at absurd speed. It pulled out of the bullet’s path before it had finished entering the limb. The enemy Master leapt back. How did she do that? Illya was so fast she was comparable to a Servant when using square accel. Even if the bullet moved at a normal velocity, the suited woman only had the smallest possible amount of time to avoid getting a hole in her thigh.

A healing rune appeared on the red divot that Illya gouged out of the redhead’s leg. As the wound healed, Illya noticed the suited woman’s body was infused with magical energy equivalent to a spell from the Age of Gods.

Runes. The Master used runes. So did her Servant. Lancer could have given her Master some runes from the Age of Gods ahead of time to use to boost her abilities. The Master didn’t start the fight using the runes to enhance herself. Why? Lancer talked earlier about wanting to see how her Master would do against multiple opponents and talked like a mentor would. It’s possible that this was a test of sorts for the redhead. She might have been trying to see how far she could go without needing Lancer’s runes to power up. Illya could take pride in knowing she made the suited woman use the rune immediately, but it didn’t change the situation. Illya and her mama would have to defeat a Servant level magus without Mordred or mom’s help. It might have been time to call Gray for help. But, it would take a bit for her to get there. They could hold Lancer’s Master off for a little bit, but even that might have been wishful thinking. Illya’s time alter could let her keep up, but mama wouldn’t be so lucky. Maybe Illya could bridle carry her mama as she dodged, but then Illya wouldn't have her hands free to defend with.

Stalling and running away weren’t options.

It was time to bring out the Origin Bullets.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 11: Hatred

Irisviel felt helpless. She could only watch Illya and Lancer’s Master battle. Hell, she could barely even watch due to the burning fog and the speed at which the fight was occuring. Currently, Illya was using square accel near constantly to be able to keep up with and even outspeed the suit-wearing woman. Illya’s time was dilated in relation to her surroundings so she wasn’t actually moving fast, it was just that she was in a quicker stream of time. Her body was getting pushed to the limit as she used a spell that neared the realm of True Magic. Avalon healing her as she moved was the only reason she was able to use time alter so continuously.

Sadly, the enemy Master was smart, staying close and keeping track of Illya’s arms. That way, she could predict when Illya would try to fire her gun. She’d knock Illya’s arms away or jump out of the way before the trigger was pulled almost every time. She did take some shots, but only from Illya’s machine gun. The bullets couldn’t do any damage to the Master’s enhanced body. The runes making her stronger had to have been primordial ones. That was the only way Lancer’s Master could reach such a level.

What Lancer’s Master did make sure to avoid were the shots from Illya’s Thompson Contender. The enemy Master could tell it was the real threat. Illya hadn’t fired any Origin Bullets yet. She was waiting for a moment where’d definitely hit the woman. She had a limited number after all.

Illya herself had managed to avoid most of the punches and kicks Lancer’s Master threw. There were some that hit the mark and they managed to do serious damage when they did, but Avalon always healed Illya back up. Avalon didn’t make her invincible though. Losing her head or taking some other injury of the same level would be the end.

If Illya was able to use her familiars, then she’d definitely win this, Irisviel was sure. But, without them while Lancer’s Master was boosted to the level of a Servant, Irisviel couldn’t be confident. The suited woman was a master of hand-to-hand combat. She was closer to a spellcaster than a magus. Magecraft was a tool. It was used to amplify her skills rather than serving as a method of combat in and of itself. Each punch was too fast to see even a blur of and were shot with the precision of a brain surgeon at the operating table. The power behind her movements made the mist swirl and become a vortex. The street was pockmarked by tiny craters from every step the suited woman took. She was like the concept of force embodied.

Irisviel needed to intervene. If she didn’t create an opening for Illya, the only thing that would determine the winner would be who made a mistake first. Irisviel couldn’t leave her daughter’s fate to luck.

Without anyone noticing, Irisviel pulled out multiple lengths of metallic wire infused with her magical energy. Her familiars could be taken over due to being autonomous. If she made wire constructs she directly controlled then she’d be able to keep command over them, or at least fight back against any attempted theft of them. Keeping their magical energy low to avoid detection, Irisviel ordered the wires to burrow through the asphalt and travel under the road. The threads formed a web within the bridge that was sensitive to vibrations. It could detect motion on the road above due to this vibration awareness and would alert Irisviel to everything it found. This meant that Irisviel could better keep track of where Illya and Lancer's Master were at any given moment. She could even differentiate which of them was which thanks to the wire web also detecting the unique weights of those it sensed. It wasn’t easy due to the speed being so great, but Irisviel could keep up with the fight now. That meant she could give her daughter a hand.

Irisviel waited until she felt she was sure she could react in time and had a sense of the cadence of Lancer's Master steps. The vibrations of the suited woman’s steps resonated with Irisviel’s wires and became a rhythm. It was a song that Irisviel memorized the melody of. Now Irisviel just had to interrupt that tune.

Right when the suited woman’s foot hit the ground again, the wires dug out of the ground and wrapped around her foot and ankle. She was stuck in place for a moment.

Illya knew what to do. While moving at four times normal speed she reloaded her Contender with an Origin Bullet.

Bang.

The Origin Bullet rocketed out of the barrel and smacked right into the outer part of the suited woman’s thigh.

The bullet flattened and didn’t pierce through. The magical energy that was enhancing Lancer’s Master vanished.

Origin Bullets targeted Magic Circuits by cutting them apart and then retying into an incoherent mess. Runes were similar to Magic Crests, which are composed of Magic Circuits. Instead of mangling the suited woman’s actual circuits, the bullet targeted the rune she was using.

The Master could keep fighting, but she was weakened at the moment. Illya just had to defeat the suited woman before she could use any more runes, especially another Primordial Rune if she had one.

Illya pushed her square accel just a little more as she fired non-Origin Bullets into each of Lancer’s Master arms and legs. The suited woman quietly whined. With her limbs damaged, the suited woman was helpless to fight back as Irisviel’s wires continued wrapping around her until she was so tightly bound she couldn’t even inch like a worm as she hit the street. Even her fingers were tied together so she couldn’t write any new runes.

This wouldn’t be enough to hold the Master for long but Illya holding her Contender to the suited woman’s head would keep her from fighting back.

“Stay still, or else.” Illya avoided actually saying she’d kill the Master if she moved. Curious. The suited woman didn’t do anything. She was following Illya’s rules.

While Illya made sure the Master stayed docile, Irisviel sensed and found where all the runes written on the suited woman’s clothes were. The wires restraining the woman moved over and sliced across each of the spots. The runes were destroyed along with the areas of clothing. Now Lancer’s Master had the physical ability of a normal human.

They actually took Lancer’s Master down. They didn’t even need Artoria’s or Mordred’s or Gray’s help.

Illya dropped onto her butt. She was panting and drenched in sweat. She had never used time alter that much and it was a very taxing technique. She would have died trying to use it that much if it weren’t for Avalon’s healing power.

“Are you okay? You don’t have any injuries, do you?” Irisviel got on her knees and began inspecting her daughter’s body.

“I’m okay. Everything’s healed. I’m just tired. I don’t have a whole lot of magical energy left to burn.”

There was no way Illya could go help with the fight against Lancer and Irisviel wouldn’t be of much help either. Staying out in the open also wouldn’t be smart. Leaving for now to rest and regroup with Gray was the best option.

Actually, they could use Lancer’s Master as a hostage to force Lancer to surrender. Why didn’t Irisviel immediately think of that? Maybe Artoria’s honorable nature had rubbed off on her.

“Master of Lancer.” Irisviel stood and looked down at the suit wearing woman. “Use your Command Spell to make Lancer kill themselves. Otherwise, we’ll kill you. If that happens, your Servant will eventually die anyway. It’s best you just cooperate.”

“I refuse both choices.” the Master said.

Crash. Something burst through the bridge from right below Irisviel and Illya. They were both launched into the air. Irisviel was battered by chunks of asphalt and steel sent careening her way from the thing that rose through the bridge. As she began healing herself before her limbs finished breaking, Irisviel saw what the cause of this was.

The answer was Lancer. She had jumped up from below the bridge and tackled through the structure. Flames like the ones she armored her spear with before shot from her heels. She jetted through the air and right next to her restrained Master. Irisviel couldn’t even see it as Lancer swung her weapons and diced the wires binding her Master without even making the slightest cut on the suited woman’s clothes or body. Lancer’s finger was a blur as she drew runes all over her Master. The bullet holes in the redhead’s limbs began shrinking and she was infused with power on the level of a Servant again.

It took less than a second to undo everything Illya and Irisviel had done.

Irisviel felt arms wrap around her gently but firmly. Artoria had leapt through the hole Lancer made, as did Mordred who grabbed Illya. Both Servants landed with their Masters in their grasp.

Artoria was still unwounded. That was good. Mordred was very wounded. That wasn’t good.

The ideal situation would have been Artoria and Mordred teaming up against Lancer. But, with Mordred in his current state and with Lancer’s Master to deal with, it might have been better to leave Lancer to Artoria and let Mordred handle the suited woman.

Lancer and her Master faced Irisviel’s family, ready to engage once more.

“This has been wonderful. I haven’t had a fight like this in a long time.” She wasn’t unhinged in any way, but Lancer was clearly teeming with battle lust. “I never expected I’d get to fight two powerful Sabers at once. I am curious as to how you broke the rules to do that. And one of you is King Arthur at that.” She really did have an information gathering skill. How much did she know? “Let’s start round two.”

Lancer’s eyes widened. Her smile disappeared. She drew runes around herself and her Master with the tips of her spears. The runes created a cube shaped barrier around Lancer and her Master. It was powerful enough that it could block high ranked Noble Phantasms.

As magical energy surged behind Irisviel’s family, they all turned to see what Lancer had seen, or perhaps foreseen.

Arrows. Millions of them. They were coming from somewhere in Shinto. It was hard to tell where specifically because the torrent of projectiles obscured the city with their numbers. There were so many. This was a Noble Phantasm. No, it wasn’t. It lacked the feeling of one. It was just an attack on the level of a Noble Phantasm. The arrows were poisoned. Irisviel only knew that because the massive collection of bolts had a mist of toxicity around them. A poison like that would make a human decay from the inside out with a single breath. Actually touching it would make a powerful magus instantly dissolve. Even Servants wouldn’t be unaffected.

Both Artoria and Mordred activated their Mana Bursts. Their swords swung and two mighty swells of magical energy were released. The Mana Bursts acted as ramparts that eradicated the arrows that made contact with them. Even the poison was broken down atom by atom.

But, there were too many arrows for the waves of magical energy to reach. Those that were destroyed got replaced immediately afterward by more arrows. The source of this arrow rain wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon. They could and would keep firing arrows until everyone on Fuyuki Bridge was dead and in pieces.

Mother and son kept using Mana Burst after Mana Burst to keep the closest arrows at bay, but the massive amount of bolts that slipped past began ripping apart the bridge. Irisviel clung to her wife and Illya clung to Mordred as the bridge that the group once stood on was gone and everyone fell towards the water. Thanks to her blessing from the Lady of the Lake, Artoria stood on the water even as it moved in wild waves. Mordred lacked his mother’s blessing, but he was able to coat the bottoms of his feet with magical energy to stand atop the water as well.

The two knights kept unleashing gushes of magical energy as arrows whizzed past and hit the river. The water moved like it was a flailing beast. Poison from the projectiles spread through the liquid. The river was a bed of poison now. If they fell in, the fight was over.

The cube shaped barrier that Lancer and her Master took refuge in floated atop the malignant river.
It endured the arrow storm, only occasionally getting pushed under the water by the constant hits but never getting breached.

Lancer created a gap in her barrier that she jumped through. The hole closed and Lancer began deflecting the unlimited salvo of arrows that came for her while shooting more fire from her heels. She soared through the air while leaving a trail of flames like a rocket. She was heading for the source of the assault. Lancer just kept deflecting any projectiles that got in her way. Her movements were perfect. She was robotic in her exactness. It must have been due to another skill.

Lancer had the right idea. The only way out of this was to take on the Servant doing this. It was probably an Archer Servant. It only made sense given the arrows and everything. But, the issue was that nobody in Irisviel’s family had a way to bridge the physical gap between themselves and Archer without getting riddled with holes. It was taking everything Mordred and Artoria had just to keep the bolts at bay.

“Iri!” Artoria said over the near deafening sounds of the darting arrows and swelling river. “Use a Command Spell! Order me to fly! I can get to Archer in one leap!”

“You know where they are?”

“They’re at the Center Building! That’s where the arrows are coming from!” It was amazing that Artoria had kinetic vision accurate enough to tell where the arrows were originating from. Yet, there was still a big issue with the plan.

“What about the arrows that are still heading for us? They’d hit you!”

“I can endure and deflect them until I get to Archer!”

“But, the poison!”

“It won’t kill me instantly!”

“Artoria, you can’t do this! It barely has a chance of working!”

“It’s either that or we all die here! I can’t let that happen! Please, Iri! Command me to fly!”

The mesmerizing gallantry Artoria was showing reminded Irisviel why she fell in love with the King of Knights. That self-sacrificing nature. That self-destructive nature. Irisviel felt melancholy.

“Fine! But, you’re not allowed to die!”

“I promise to come back! I won’t leave you alone! Mordred! Take Irisviel! You’re going to have to hold off the arrows by yourself! Do you think you can?”

“I didn’t need your help in the first place!” Mordred got close to Artoria and Irisviel leapt from one knight to the other. Mordred grunted now that he had to carry both Irisviel and Illya on his back, but he didn’t complain.

One of Irisviel’s two remaining Command Spells began to glow. This was a big order so it would require every last drop of magical energy the tattoo contained. Before even speaking the actual command, Artoria was swept with power. Ripples came from her and overpowered the existing waves in the river. It was like Artoria was the center of the world. Even the clouds above formed a spiral, the center of which hung above the venerable King Arthur like a crown for her made from the very atmosphere.

Mordred unleashed an especially powerful Mana Burst slash that carved a path through the closest arrows.

Now was the time.

“Saber, I command you as your Master! Fly!”

Artoria turned into a shooting star that shot off the river with a blast that made the water spread out. The space where Artoria once was now held a pit in the water that went all the way to the bottom Droplets of poisoned water splashed towards Irisviel and Illya before evaporating by the crackling aura Mordred dressed himself in.

The light that was Artoria pierced through the sea of venomous arrows. Her translucent sword sliced apart projectile after projectile. Many of the bolts, due to their sheer quantity, got past Artoria’s blade and pierced her form. But, she kept going. King Arthur was a mobile fortress of power. A living star that would not be stopped.

Except that the arrows riddling her gradually slowed her flight. Each pushed back on her, slowing her upon impact. This became especially true as the once widespread arrow rain turned to a focused barrage. The projectiles all targeted Artoria and Lancer to shoot them out of the sky. The woman in purple was managing to fend the arrows off with waves of flame and her spears.

Artoria was less successful. More arrows kept hitting her. More got closer to impaling her brain or heart. The star streaking across the sky was slowing. It was going to get shot out of the heavens and fall to the land.

Until Saber directed her sword behind herself and unleashed the sealed winds of her Invisible Air. It was Strike Air, a blast of wind that shot Artoria at full speed again towards the Center Building. The true form of Excalibur, a glittering blade of gold was unveiled and began slicing through arrows. The bolts still kept stabbing into Artoria, but she didn’t care. She just had to get close. She just had to get to Archer.

Artoria reached the roof of the Center Building and there was a crash. The arrows stopped and the top of the building was encased in a cloud of dust.

There was no telepathic response from Artoria. Irisviel wanted to try to call her, but she risked distracting Artoria while she was in the middle of a fight with Archer.

There was a moment of peace for Irisviel, Illya, and Mordred. The knight walked across the water and jumped over to Riverside Park. The area was covered in a thin layer of poisoned water. It was thin enough that it just took one more Mana Burst shockwave from Mordred to sub-atomize the malignant fluid.

Irisviel and Illya got off of Mordred’s back and they both nearly fell over. They were both exhausted mentally and physically. They had little room to gripe considering the state Mordred was in. He was full of holes, covered in lacerations, welts, and blood. His wounds still wouldn’t heal. Lancer had to die. Otherwise, Mordred was stuck in this half-dead state and Illya would always be on Lancer’s radar.

It was all up to Artoria now. Her and Gray who had given the tiniest of signals when the arrows began to fly. She said that she was heading towards the source to stop it. Considering the insane power Archer just displayed, Irisviel could only hope Artoria handled things before Gray got there. Both Archer and Lancer were far beyond her level. Plus, Gray might not have the courage necessary to keep her cool against such terrifying foes.

But, Irisviel wasn’t sure Artoria could take on both Lancer and Archer by herself. She just got filled with poisoned arrows so she wasn’t even at full strength.

Poor Artoria. She worked so hard, harder than she should have needed to. She was always suffering. And now she was facing two of the strongest Servants they had ever met sans the Archer of the last war.

Artoria was going to die.

After all her suffering and fighting, she was going to die.

Irisviel was going to lose Artoria. She was going to be alone again.

Archer and Lancer were going to kill Artoria and then they were going to kill the rest of Irisviel’s family. This was all pointless. Of course it was pointless, Irisviel always knew it was. There was no way they were going to dismantle the Grail. The very idea they could was stupid. This was all going to end with the Grail’s mud flooding the Earth and humanity going extinct. That was for the best, humanity was garbage anyway.

No! Bad thoughts! Stop!

The bad thoughts have been coming on more often lately. Maybe it was due to Irisviel being under more stress than usual. Maybe it was because she was more closely connected to the Greater Grail and could act as a vessel for it again.

This Holy Grail War needed to end ASAP. Otherwise, Irisviel wasn’t going to be okay.

Something white hurdled through the air and hit Mordred in the chest. It was a wireframe sword made of hair. It was Degen. A construct that Illya and Irisviel could create. But, neither of them did. The homunculus blade skewered Mordred through the chest. He saw the attack coming and managed to move just enough to avoid the destruction of his Spirit Core. But, he was too weak to have done anything more. He was so weak that the sword knocked him off his feet and threw him into the poisoned river.

Mordred was already barely hanging on. Getting impaled in the chest and poisoned might be too much. He still had his Battle Continuation skill, but it didn’t make him immortal. They had to save him.

“Like, wow. I can’t believe I actually found you two. Jubstacheit told me about you guys, but I figured you would’ve stayed hidden forever. I guess you’re as stupid as the rest of the Einzberns.”

Irisviel and Illya turned and were faced with a sight that was startling and confusing on multiple levels.

A woman. One whose face and figure were one-to-one perfect copies of Irisviel and Illya’s. She had the red eyes of an Einzbern homunculus even though there weren’t supposed to be any Einzberns left. The rest of her appearance was far from something a proper member of the Einzbern family would wear. Her skin was deeply tanned, her hair was dyed a pinkish-white, and her outfit was befitting a fashionista. Platform stiletto heels, a minidress, and a long fluffy fur coat. Her smile was a mix of smugness and spite.

A splashing sound. Mordred burst out of the river like a dragon rising towards the heavens. The sword of hair was still goring the knight, but didn’t care. He just wanted to rip the fashionista’s spine out.

The fashionista clicked her tongue and wagged her finger. Before Mordred could hit the ground, the blade inside him unraveled and wrapped around his body and slithered into his insides. In his weakened state, he couldn’t resist as his body was fettered inside and out. He plopped onto the ground, squirming.

“Fucking bitch. Let me go so I can shove my boot up your ass!”

“Nah, I’m good.”

“W-Who are you?” Irisviel said. “Are you Archer’s Master?”

“Yeppers. Call me Chloe. I picked the name myself. Which of you is Illyasviel?”

“Why do you want to know?” Irisviel should have tried to deny that either of them were. Now, she just confirmed that one of them was Illya. She was too taken aback by this woman’s appearance to be more practical.

“Because, I’m a clone of her.”

“Of her specifically? You’re not a general Justeaze-type homunculus?”

“Nope-nope.” Another wag of the finger. “When you two left, the Einzberns didn’t just sit around with their thumbs up their asses. They used what they learned upgrading Illyasviel to make me, an even stronger version of her.” Chloe looked at Illya. “Since the other one said ‘her’ not ‘me,’ that means your Illyasviel,” Chloe looked at Irisviel. “and you’re Irisviel.”

It made sense that the Einzberns would make a new homunculus to act as their Master after they lost Illya. Cloning was easy for the Einzberns considering Irisviel herself was a clone of Justeaze. The Einzberns were good at reusing the old. They’d freak out if you asked them to come up with something half-original, though. It was hard to believe they could make a homunculus stronger than Illya. Illya was meant to be the best Master possible. Though, even if she was just an equal to Illya, she was still far too powerful to take lightly.

“You survived the slaughter of the Einzberns, I guess.”

“Survived it? Bitch, I’m the one who killed them all.”

“Excuse me?”

“The Einzberns treated me like shit so after I summoned my Servant I axed them all. The old castle isn’t even there anymore thanks to my Servant, just a crater. God, that was a cathartic day.”

So the Einzberns were taken out by one of their own. Not just any of their own. A clone of Illya. Would Illya have killed the Einzberns if Artoria failed to rescue her?

“Why are you participating in the war? I doubt you want to make the Einzberns’ dream come true.”

“You got that right. Fuck the Einzberns.”

“Amen.” Illya agreed.

“I want to destroy the Grail. It turns people into obsessed shitheads like the Einzberns. Plus, I want to make everything the Einzberns worked for worthless. All their thousand-plus years of effort to try and get that dumb cup will be made pointless once I turn it to dust.”

“If that’s your plan then we should work together.” Illya said. “The Grail’s a hazard to the world. We’re the ones who told the overseer about the Grail’s corruption. It is literally evil and we need to destroy it.”

“You’re the crazy ones that said the Grail’s corrupted? Considering you’re Einzberns, that’s definitely a lie to get your hands on the Holy Grail.”

“No, we’re being honest!”

“Yeah, sure. Once an Einzbern, always an Einzbern. I don’t plan on working with you two. I’m gonna slaughter you bitches to finally finish off my revenge against the Einzbern house.”

“But, we don’t consider ourselves Einzberns anymore. We ran away from them!” Illya explained.

“Exactly!” Irisviel added. “The Einzberns tried to keep Illya from me! I hate them!”

“And because you did that, I was born.” Chloe became grim in demeanor. “I lived a life of constant training, constant abuse. No matter how strong I got, the Einzberns were never happy. Every mistake was met with torture you couldn’t even conceptualize. It was so horrible that I wish I was never born. If Illya never left, I would have kept the bliss of nonexistence. You are just as guilty for what happened to me as anyone else. You’re Einzberns and Einzberns are all bile that needs to be cleaned away.”

Such hate. It rivaled the vitriol that flourished in Irisviel when her dark thoughts boiled over. But, not just hate. Melancholy. Depression. Chloe hated that she ever even existed and wanted to destroy everything she could push some degree of blame onto. How horribly did the Einzberns treat her? What did Irisviel and Artoria save Illya from?

“I’m feeling shitty now. Thanks. You had to make me remember the old days.” Chloe grasped a few locks of her hair and tore them out her head without flinching. “I’m gonna cut your heads off and keep them alive with magecraft. You’ll become my toys to torture whenever I need to relieve stress.”

Chloe tossed the bundle of hairs into the air and an entire flock of avian homunculi took shape. Illya could only maintain four instant homunculi without having any issues. Yet, there were eight that Chloe just created and she didn’t look tired in the slightest. Maybe she was stronger than Illya. Lancer wasn’t around so there was no chance of the familiars getting hijacked either. Mordred tried to get up, but he was still too weak to break the restraints and he’d rip his body apart if he did. This was dire to put it lightly.

Illya’s clone stared at her original. Her vitriol was focused on Illya more than anyone. There was something more to her hatred. Something that made Chloe despise Illya more than Irisviel. Something that made Illya’s very being an offense to her.

“Time to make the world a better place.”

Magic shots fired from the avian homunculi towards Illya in particular. Irisviel’s daughter dodged while plucking four hairs from her head, creating four of her own Storch Ritter as they were called.

Magic bullets met magic bullets, Chloe’s clearly being stronger, but the shots destroyed each other nonetheless.

“Is four your limit? If so, you’re gonna have a bad time.”

There was no way Illya could match the number of blasts Chloe’s eight familiars were firing. Illya jerked her body out of the way of shots that her own homunculi missed. She was hopping around like a frightened rabbit as she was forced on the defensive. Chloe’s bullets blew apart hunks of the ground every time Illya evaded.

Illya was waiting for the right timing, and though it took a while, her chance eventually arrived. From her trench coat, Illya pulled out a smoke grenade and pulled the pin with her teeth. She tossed it over towards Chloe. Smoke covered the area. Illya turned one of her homunculi to Degen, shaping from an ibis to a sword which fired forward at speeds far faster than sound.

The blade pierced through the smoke and right for Chloe, but the clone reacted fast enough to form one of her birds into a sword as well and send it to intercept Illya’s. Right when they would have collided, Illya’s sword unraveled. The resulting loose string flew around Chloe’s blade. The hairs wrapped around Chloe’s body, tying her up and making her fall to the ground. She couldn’t even move a finger from how tightly constricted she was.

Chloe’s own Degen had not stopped. It was about to stab through Illya.

“Time alter-double accel.” The Magic Crest on Illya’s back lit up. Illya was drained so even the basic level of time alter was a trial to activate. Yet, she used it anyway and ran out of the wireframe sword’s way. The blade continued down its path until it splashed into the river.

“Chloe, please, I don’t wanna fight, I just want to talk!” That was strange. Illya sounded upset. Not serious, or panicked. Upset. Like she felt guilty.

That just made Chloe angry. “Shut up! I’m gonna kill you and your mom!” She had half her birds fly down to her and begin pulling apart the hairs restraining her with their beaks while the others turned to Degen and launched towards Illya, who had to turn her birds into blades as well to match the oncoming salvo.

As the swords collided and ripped each other apart, Illya’s Magic Crest on her back lit up. “Time alter - triple accel!” Illya bolted towards Chloe.

Pulling out her Thompson Contender, she loaded a 30-06 Springfield bullet and fired, the shot powerful enough that it blew right through and obliterated one of the homunculi that are normally too flexible to be pierced. Loading and firing three more times as she ran, all the birds were destroyed.

Chloe hadn’t even realized her twin had moved until Illya had gotten on top of her, a Calico M950 shoved into her face. “Please, don’t move. I just want to talk.”

There was a new look in Chloe’s eye. It was analytical. She was studying Illya’s face. Irisviel couldn’t see her daughter’s expression, but given what Illya was saying and the fact that Chloe began cackling, it probably wasn’t a face full of confidence.

“Wow, bitch! Really? You thought it was a good idea to fight in a Grail War if you’re like this?”

Chloe snapped the hairs binding her with mana boosted strength. A reinforcement enhanced shove from Chloe was all it took to toss Illya across the park and right in front of Irisviel. Illya didn’t even attempt to pull the trigger of her gun. Now that Irisviel could see her daughter’s face, she knew why. She was scared. Illya had no will to kill. If anything, it was an absolute revulsion at the idea of taking a life. At taking Chloe’s life. Illya already didn’t want to kill, but there was something special about Chloe that negatively affected Illya’s willpower.

Already on her feet, Chloe created another eight bird-shaped familiars with casual ease.

In retaliation, Illya plucked hairs from her head to make homunculi of her own. But, they were shot down by Chloe before they could even finish taking shape.

More mana blasts were coming and this time at both Illya and Irisviel. Illya pulled her mother into her arms.

“Time alter-triple accel.” Illya groaned. Pushing her time magecraft as much as she currently could despite her enervation, Illya began moving at super speed. As Irisviel was wrapped in the field of warped time, Chloe and everything else moved in slow motion. The duo ran out of the path of the magical energy shots long before they got anywhere close to them.

But, Illya jerked to a stop. Hairs wormed out of the ground and bound Illya’s legs. It was the same technique Irisviel used to track and capture Lancer’s Master.

Illya pulled out her Thompson Contender but she found it had been wrapped in hair as well. The threads squeezed and the pistol was sliced to pieces. That gun was a remnant of Kiritsugu, an item that was immensely important to Illya. It was Kiritsugu’s favorite gun. It was used to fire bullets made from his very body and Origin. It was arguably the greatest token of Kiritsugu’s life. Now it was just refuse on the ground. Irisviel’s eyes welled with tears. They had so little to remember Kiritsugu by. Every broken token of his life made the fact that Kiritsugu was dead and gone bolt through Irisviel and Illya’s hearts and minds.

A snarl came from Illya that reminded Irisviel of Mordred when he was mad. She was far from a recalcitrant individual, but she had never displayed such fury and dismay. The hesitation she was struggling with was gone.

Chloe looked at Illya’s face of anger like one would a delicious treat being put in front of them. The suffering of any who possessed the name Einzbern gave her happiness. Her familiars surrounded Irisviel and Illya before firing more blasts. Illya tossed Irisviel high into the air. Irisviel watched as her daughter was left to take on the incoming barrage alone.

With triple accel still in effect, Illya weaved her body around as many of the shots as she could, but they were so dense in number that she still got hit by many of them. Bits of her flesh were blown off before being replaced by Avalon. The hairs restraining her continued coiling upwards until she couldn’t move her body at all anymore. She was helpless to avoid the squal of mystical bullets.

Irisviel finally hit the ground and immediately began getting up to go help her daughter. But, she didn’t know how. Her precious daughter was undergoing so much pain and fighting so hard. She wanted to help. She wanted to be the one to endure in her daughter’s place, but she couldn’t. She was too weak. She was too weak to fight even after all her training. She was too weak to save Illya all those years ago so Artoria had to do it. Irisviel was just a burden on her family. She was a woman tainted by the Grail’s pollution who existed to make the lives of those she loved harder.

“Avalon!” Illya entered the realm of the fairies. She was no longer restricted by Chloe’s hairs and the blasts did nothing to her. Chloe gasped as Illya sprinted towards her.

Illya couldn’t keep up both Avalon and time alter at the same time, so she had to move at her normal speed. She was pushing herself to keep Avalon activated far longer than she ever had before. Despite being blessed with the protection of the fairies, Illya was bleeding from her eyes from the strain on her system.

All the avian homunculi turned to swords and shot at Illya, but she just ran through them like they weren’t there. Gunfire rang out as Illya used her machine gun to create suppressing fire. Chloe was forced to focus on the bullets. The clone of Illya reinforced her body and ran away from the bullets and Illya.

When Chloe started running, Illya plucked a hair and used alchemy to extend its length. The strand was like a tendril that jutted towards Chloe's ankle and grabbed it. Chloe tripped and fell on her face. When she flipped over to face her assailant, Illya dropped on top of her with a combat knife in hand.

“Wait!” Chloe screamed in genuine terror.

The protection of Avalon faded as Illya prepared to stab her clone.

But, that was when the adrenaline rush ended.

Illya was ignoring the damage to her body caused by overusing Avalon, but as soon as she was released from the Divine Construct’s pressure, Illya’s body instinctively relaxed. She folded atop Chloe. Her energy drained and she lost consciousness.

Illya was helpless to defend herself. It would take a single motion for Chloe to end Illya’s life. Thankfully, Chloe was trembling on the ground. This was probably the closest she had ever been to being killed. It made sense she was shaken up by what just happened. It did reveal that, despite supposedly wishing she didn’t exist, she had a definite attachment to her life.

Irisviel unraveled a strand of wire that she whipped at her daughter. The thread coiled around Illya’s waist and all it took was a single pull to haul her through the air and right next to Mordred. Irisviel did it. She had a hold on her daughter. Now what? Run. She had to take Illya and Mordred and escape. Chloe was still freaked out, there was a chance they could get away before Chloe could straighten her thoughts.

A roar came from Chloe as she floundered to her feet.

Well there went that chance at things working out.

“Just die already!” Her hair shaped into more Degen swords. Irisviel had no chance of dodging those wireframe blades even if she was at full strength.

So many swords. They were aimed at Irisviel, Illya, and Mordred, too. Irisviel was going to die. So were Illya and Mordred.

This was how they died. This wasn’t fair. It was stupid. They would die from some bitch who was pissed at the Einzberns. It wasn’t Irisviel or Illya’s fault the Einzberns were shitheads. People were just shitheads. That’s life. Humanity was shit to you until you died. That also meant Irisviel was shit. She knew she was. She was a plague on her family. She couldn’t even cook, or fight, and she took out her unfounded anger on Artoria all the time.

Artoria wasn’t bad. She was a hero who was so kind-hearted that she took in Gray and gave her a better life when she could have just ignored her existence. She even reconciled with her estranged son. The estranged son who was about to get sliced apart because Irisviel was too weak. The boy named Mordred. A boy who was torn apart by his emotions and the manipulations of Morgan in life. Now he had a chance to have a better life, and it was going to be taken away. Mordred was going to die and so was Illya.

Illya. Irisviel’s daughter Illya. Illya the girl who was so caring and brave and wise beyond her years. She was a marvel of an individual. Irisviel was honored to know Illya was her daughter.

And Irisviel couldn’t even protect that daughter.

All because, despite her training, her effort, her love, the World was unfair. Humanity was unfair. Positive actions weren’t rewarded, but punished. The modality would change, but cruel karma would beat down those that were good. Beat them like a fist. A human fist. Because humans were cruel. Humans like the Einzberns. Humans like Chloe. She may have been a homunculus, but she was still a dirty human.

Humanity was an ostentatious, indolent, and feckless race that repopulated en masse just so it could self-harm without risk of true death. Humanity was a masochist that acted without meaning. Yet, humanity relished the idea that it was special. That it was one of a kind. But, it wasn’t. This was disregarding the variegated population of nonhuman sapient species that lived during the Age of Gods and have since migrated to the Reverse Side of the World, probably to escape mankind’s lapses in morality. Humanity was no different from normal wild animals. Stupid. Weak. Instinct driven. At least the ‘lower’ lifeforms knew to live among the dirt and muck where they belonged. Humans dared to try and be more.

How vile humanity was. Its very existence was sacrilege.

Humanity had to die.

The swords. They were still coming. Irisviel wasn’t afraid. No. There was a different sentiment that Irisviel felt towards her current reality.

Wrath.

Something began rising up Irisviel’s throat and into her mouth. She was going to throw up? But, it wasn’t half-digested food or stomach acid. Whatever it was, it was the most disgusting thing Irisviel ever tasted.

The substance forced its way out of Irisviel’s mouth.

What came out was evil.

A fountain of dark ichor.

A slurry of curses so potent they incarnated as pure darkness.

Mud.

The mud of the Holy Grail.

The pollution that Irisviel and her family were trying to eradicate. It was coming out of her mouth. It was like a firehose. The wireframe swords were digested by the slop.

The stream of sludge blasted at Chloe who dodged out of the way. The curses were constantly coming out of Irisviel’s mouth, but now like a waterfall. It was pooling in front of Irisviel. The evil kept spreading. Illya was grabbed by Mordred who broke out of the hairs that bound him. Said hairs gored his flesh and blended her organs in the process.

He was saying something. Irisviel couldn’t hear him. She didn’t need to. She had to focus on killing Chloe. On killing the human. She had to kill all humans.

The growing pool of mud birthed multiple tentacles made of the embodied curses.

Kill.

The tendrils lashed at the humans.

Lashed again.

Again.

Faster.

More tentacles.

More mud.

Faster.

More.

Kill.

Must kill.

Must end humanity.

Must make them extinct.

Hate them.

Hate.

Hate.

Hate.

Flood the World. Dissolve the Texture. Create a blank slate. That was what she had to do?

She? Who was she? She was All the World’s Evils.

She was the Beast.

“Mama!”

The dome around Irisviel’s mind shattered.

Mama. She was mama. She was a mother. Her name was Irisviel. She was the mother of Illya, Gray, and Mordred. She was the wife of Artoria and Kiritsugu. She was a homunculus. She was a Master. She was a magus. She was a woman. She was so many things.

She wasn’t All the World’s Evils.

Irisviel could see the world around her again. Illya was shaking her shoulders and yelling.

“Illya.”

“Mama!” Illya’s body was wearing the protection of Avalon. She was crying, but the strain of King Arthur’s sheath wasn’t the cause. It was the state Irisviel was in. She was covered in the black mud. It wasn’t just her. The park was drowning in it.

Irisviel created this.

She created Grail mud. That meant she wasn’t just connected to the Greater Grail as a Lesser Grail, she was becoming its limbs. The Greater Grail was trying to turn her into a Black Grail. It was probably due to having been tainted before. She was polluted in an irreparable way when she nearly became the Lesser Grail last war. Now, Irisviel had a special link that allowed the Greater Grail to force its way into her. This was like how Lancer was able to track Illya. Irisviel never even thought this could happen. This was all her fault.

But, she regained control. She had to focus on that. Stay positive. Negativity is what fed the Grail. It was what let the Grail take control.

The mud was the main issue at the moment. There was so much. But, Irisviel could control it.

Irisviel barely touched the surface of the Greater Grail and accessed its control over its coagulated curses. She pushed away the mud on her body and in the immediate area. The slop flew off Irisviel’s body and left an area where she and Illya wouldn’t have to worry about the touch of the curses.

With a pleased sigh, Illya deactivated Avalon. She had regained consciousness during Irisviel’s rampage, but she was still fatigued. How long had Irisviel been rampaging. Illya fell into her mother’s arms.

“It’s okay Illya. Rest. Where’s Mordred and Chloe? And what about Lancer’s Master? She hasn’t shown up since the arrows were raining.”

“Lancer’s Master probably ran when she saw the curse slime you were making. Before then she probably planned to attack whoever won between us and Chloe. Speaking of Chloe, she bailed when you started making that goo, too. I didn’t mean to rhyme there. Mordred’s at the edge of the park. That’s part two of this. We need to erase this mud stuff. Mordred’s ready to use his Noble Phantasm to destroy all this gunk, but we have to leave first so we don’t get caught up in the blast.”

“There’s no need.” Irisviel forced a smile. She focused on controlling the mud and ordered it to destroy itself. Sending the message out nearly made a blood vessel pop in her brain, but it worked. As if evaporating, the mud fizzled away. The park was cleaned out of the vile substance. The park also lacked anything else thanks to the mud digesting all the trees and structures that once filled the space. It was a wasteland. Irisviel did this. The Grail did this. The Grail needed to be destroyed, and it had to be destroyed fast.

Irisviel leaned into her daughter. They were both on the brink of fainting. Mordred wasn’t present, but he was in even worse shape. Thank God for his Battle Continuation and stubbornness.

“We aren’t fighting anymore tonight.” Irisviel said.

“Fuck yeah we’re not.”

“Don’t fucking swear.”

Mother and daughter laughed. It was closer to wheezing to real laughter, but it didn’t matter.

So, Illya had a clone that wanted to kill her and Irisviel, and Irisviel was under siege by the embodiment of human sin. Great. Fantastic. Marvelous.

Artoria was going to have a heart attack when she heard what happened while she was away.

Were Artoria and Gray still fighting Archer and Lancer? Were they okay?

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 12: Saber, Lancer, Archer, Lancer

There were no clouds above Fuyuki for they were all blown away from the typhoon that had its eye above the Center Building.

The sounds of weapons clashing echoed throughout Shinto and Gray knew that every resident was wondering if the sounds were from a building collapsing because of this freak storm.

They didn’t know the true origin of this chaos but Gray did. She knew that three titans were at war atop the roof of Fuyuki’s tallest skyscraper to determine who would acquire the Holy Grail.

Gray wanted to run away. She stood at the base of the Center Building and even from there she could feel the power of those who fought atop it. Mom, Lancer, and Archer were all up there and the collective aura of magical energy they generated was like a layer of concrete around Gray’s body. It was suffocating her as her blood ran ice cold, her skin burned, and her stomach had become a Gordian Knot. She couldn’t help but feel like the entire city would be decimated at any moment which made all of her instincts beg her to run away to the other side of the planet and never look back.

In a failed attempt to step forward, Gray found that her legs were paralyzed. Her body wouldn’t let her move and neither would the waves of power that were coming from the building’s peak.

Gray wanted to run so bad but she knew that if she ran away now then she’d never be able to turn back. She’d abandon her family all for her own sake despite her previous enthusiasm to participate in this war. She had no right to run so she had to fight and keep fighting until this battle royale reached its conclusion.

She knew she couldn’t give herself a chance to question herself and lose her nerve again so Gray just got moving. She jumped and when her feet touched the skyscraper’s side she sprinted. She was moving faster than a bullet train as she ran up the building’s side with a blank mind. She couldn’t focus on anything but getting to the roof so she could help her mom. She had to be zen. Don’t think, just act. That wasn’t really how the human brain worked but that didn’t matter because she just had to do what she knew she had to.

The magical energy got thicker as Gray got closer to the source. Keeping up her pace became a battle in and of itself as she was doing the equivalent of trying to dash up through a waterfall of honey. It was too late to give up though because she’d plummet to the pavement if she stopped running.

The fear the magical energy continued to instill in Gray was also ever-growing. Her heart was beating so fast it hurt and she could no longer tell if she was breathing. Gray began to question if she was dying but she killed that thought before it could cause her to hesitate and fall to the sidewalk. Zen. She had to be zen.

Gray reached the top and as soon as her feet touched the roof she got slammed with so much raw magical energy that she had to pierce her fingers into the ground to not get blown away. The mana shifted and became a weight on Gray that pinned her to the floor and weighed on her soul. All the resolve she acquired on her way up was murdered in an instant as she fianlly saw the three Servants duking it out at a level beyond her comprehension. It was like trying to understand the face of God when your own mind was only that of a gnat’s. All you could do was let your consciousness recede into the comforting darkness of being in awe.

The one who generated the most horrifying wonderment was the Servant presumed to be Archer. His body was dark and statuesque in its physical perfection with divine light was clear to see as it flowed through his veins and glowed through his skin. His black hair was long and wild which contrasted the hero’s calm expression and piercing eyes. He wore little clothing which let everyone see how flawless of a specimen he was in all meaningful respects. He was a being beyond the world of humanity that made all that were around him fear for their lives and do all they could to placate the two and a half meters tall giant. The wind eternally galloped around him as a constant aftereffect of his mere existence thanks to power that leaked out of him. Even if mom and Lancer weren’t present, the uncanny magical energy that pressed Gray into the floor would still be present. Despite the animated gusts he was accompanied by, the giant was of reserved countenance. His face gave away that he was focused only on the fight and not on anything such as vanity or pleasure. He was doing his duty for it was a duty that had to be done as far as he knew. Slung around his torso was a black bow as long as he was tall and designed to look like two snakes connected by their tails while in one of his hands was a weapon that fused design elements of axes and swords and appeared carved from stone. It appeared unwieldy but being in the hands of the giant made it one of the finest tools ever made as it turned the atmosphere into a hurricane with every swing. Raw might melded with acrobatic movements and precise swordsmanship to cause each slash to leave a vacuum in its wake that pulled enemies in. There was no running from this god on Earth.

How were mom and Lancer fighting this giant when his mere presence was making Gray struggle not to go mad? The answer was because they were also monsters of power and heroism but not of the same sort.

Lancer was a remarkable woman who had transcended humanity to become a war deity merely due to how skilled she was. Every tactic, every technique, every method of combat. All of them were familiar to her and she nearly used them all as a part of her boundless arsenal so as to extend the battles she loved. And oh how clear it was that she loved battle as a serene but unerring smile formed from her lips while she used her spears like extensions of her own limbs. Combat was the thing that brought her happiness in the same way most people indulged in simple pleasures to get through each day. It couldn’t just be any battle, though. It had to be a grandiose and evenly matched mortal combat between consenting warriors where one mistake meant the end. She needed to fight someone that plucked her heartstrings with the skills they forged over a lifetime. Now she had found such warriors as she made fire, water, and lighting her weapons and constantly enhanced her body to be faster, stronger, and tougher than it was the second before. Her physiology shifted in subtle ways to be able to handle whatever threat presented itself and she looked with a metaphorical third eye born from myriad skills and nigh-unparalleled experience to see an unbelievable number of steps ahead of everyone else. She was one with her surroundings, one with her opponents, and one with the fight itself.

Mom was like a fusion of these two heroes of heroes. She had the determination towards a goal of great worth that Archer had whilst also having the oneness with combat as a concept that Lancer possessed. Mom was a force of the World that was aiming to save that World from a supreme evil and would do all it took to do so. She did it for the sake of justice as well as for the family she had constructed from the ruins of her past and the pasts of so many other wayward souls. That is why she fought with the golden sword Excalibur in her hands. All knew who Artoria Pendragon was with a single glance at that peerless holy sword, but that didn’t discourage her. She was a woman on a mission to save all she held dear and so she wielded her blade with a sort of swordsmanship that could only be called the embodiment of fate. Every one of her movements was born from experience like Lancer and might like Archer yet still stood out due to the underlying instincts that fueled the actions of Artoria Pendragon. She was the one fated to be king and as such it is her destiny to be a warrior of the highest caliber feasible. And so she let her sword be guided by the same fate that made her the Once and Future King who caused entire armies to fall to their knees and a court full of knights of the highest quality serve her unquestioningly. This was how the almighty King Arthur wielded her Excalibur.

That king thrust her sword towards Archer and used a small-scale activation of Excalibur to fire a thin laser at the Heroic Spirit. The giant swerved out of the path of the line of light which left him open which both mom and Lancer took advantage of. Both women dashed at Archer whose toes clutched the floor and kept himself balanced despite his upper body being near parallel with the roof.

Lancer got their first in a flash with a series of twirling slashes with her two spears that Archer managed to jump away from. He had avoided getting completely diced though he did end up with multiple lesions on one of his arms. More red spears appeared in the air and shot towards both Archer and mom but they both managed to knock them away.

Mom decided to follow up on the assault on the giant as she continued her charge towards Archer’s new location. A swing of Archer’s giant blade came for mom but she ducked it and sliced Archer’s stomach open with Excalibur. Sadly this success was followed by a front kick from Archer that hit mom square in the chest which pushed her away and towards Lancer. Mom spun around to face the woman in purple as she sensed the spearman’s magical energy spike.

Lancer changed her spears with red energy and rapidly thrusted them both in a barrage. Each lunge of the spears was paired with beams of fire and lightning coming from the tips and a detonation of red energy upon the polearms touching anything. Mom guarded against each attack with enough accuracy and fortitude to stop each thrust, endure each explosion of red, and avoid each elemental ray.

When she found an opening mom tried to counter with a golden slash empowered by a Mana Burst that sadly failed to hit its mark because Lancer impaled mom in her solar plexus. Mom improvised as she grabbed Lancer’s arm while she was close to make sure she couldn’t get away. Excalibur swung for Lancer’s neck and the other red spear Lancer held rose to block the iridescent sword. Meanwhile, a water element Mana Burst activated to form a liquid barrier to bolster Lancer’s defense. The heat of Excalibur evaporated the water shield but it couldn’t breach the defense of the red spear Lancer held up. Mom released Lancer’s arm with her hand wearing a mitt of metal and punched Lancer in the face with it with enough force to make the air visibly vibrate and send the purple woman flying back. The spear in mom’s torso was ripped out which did extra damage but it was better than it being left in and making it so all Lancer would have to do is activate Mana Burst to kill mom.

Archer jumped at Mom and their blade’s clashed with mom getting pushed back before facing the giant in a one-on-one duel of swordsmanship. It was a spectacle of power and skill in equal measure as both warriors displayed such widely different styles of swordsmanship from different cultures. The giant blade of Archer was like a natural disaster made manifest yet still used with a truly human understanding like that of a sniper coolly taking out their target. Excalibur felt like a shield in how brilliantly it was used defensively by mom. It refused the unbridled and meteoric strength of Archer’s slashes and carved a path to attack back whenever possible. The battle escalated in the brief instant that it occurred to the point that it appeared to be a clash not between humans but between a storm of wind and a flash of light.

That briefest of duels was a masterpiece that Gray would never forget but it had to end and it did when Lancer returned to the engagement. Yet her return just resulted in a new kind of beauty as the three-way brawl from earlier was reborn and with even greater ferocity. Lancer was a one-woman-army whose spears appeared capable of any kind of offense or defense which forced both mom and Archer to be ready to adapt to anything.

The sight of her mom fighting made Gray feel nostalgic for some reason she couldn’t understand. It was like she could see herself in her mom’s shoes doing exactly what she was. Memories that weren’t Gray’s own took root in the back of her mind but she lacked the luxury of dwelling on them.

Gray was far more preoccupied with the state of the three-way melee so far. Despite her immaculate technique, mom was the Servant closest to losing. The poison from Archer’s arrows was still in mom’s veins. The toxins caused her pain and made her worn out plus she had spent much of her mana of healing the puncture wounds she got on her way to the Center Building. That wasn’t even considering how many times she used Mana Burst to halt the deluge of arrows from Archer earlier. Mom was far from top shape while Lancer and Archer were ready to fight for hours or even days if they had to.

It was an open secret as to mom’s condition as she became more and more defensive in her swordsmanship. She deflected blows more often than she tried blocking them. She only attempted to counter attack when it appeared like it was guaranteed to lead to a direct hit and even then she never managed to wound either of her opponents deeply. Not only that but Lancer began using some kind of curse that caused wounds she acquired to be mirrored in her opponents several-fold so Artoria’s occasional hits would leave her with large wounds on her own she’d have to regenerate. Lancer was such a cheater with all these powers. At least it was a spell Lancer had to constantly reactivate after each hit she took so she couldn’t reuse it if she was too preoccupied fighting. Add the curse on top of the hits from Lancer’s spears that couldn’t be healed and the great ravages that Archer’s blows would cause and mom would likely run out of mana soon.

Meanwhile, Lancer seemed to have endless stamina to pair with her inexhaustible series of different techniques and powers. She never used the same method of attack or defense twice. She charged her body with a defensive Mana Burst to block a slash from Archer before countering with a salvo of summoned spears that tracked both her enemies and left them distracted defending. She took advantage of the moment by drawing runes in the air that flew at and marked mom and Archer’s bodies. As soon as they tried to respond, the ground beneath them both cracked and they tripped. It had been a rune that induced misfortune which led to the roof cracking and both mom and Archer failing to react to Lancer’s newest spell in the form of a rune that could induce death in the living mixed with curse magecraft. A wave of ghastly magical energy covered and injected into mom and Archer’s bodies and even reached their Spirit Cores to try and slay them. They were able to endure but only in so much as they didn’t just instantly die like how most Servants would from such a blow thanks to their high Magic Resistance.

Mom had to prop herself up on her sword for a moment to keep from dropping while Archer was still able to keep on fighting without showing any sign of weakness beyond the few unhealing cuts Lancer gave him. Making an unexpected play, Archer chucked his axe-sword at Lancer that turned the weapon into a spinning saw that she had to use both her spears to block. Sparks were flying as Lancer’s polearms held back the rotating weapon that had no intention of stopping anytime soon. That was why Lancer forced the blade to stop with a strong push with her spears that ended the twirling of Archer’s blade and sent it across the Shinto skyline.

While Lancer was dealing with the axe-sword, Archer got his bow ready and loaded an arrow he summoned that could have been used as a javelin by the giant thanks to its ridiculous length. The shot was far stronger than any of the ones from Archer’s previous barrage. The verity of that idea could not be questioned when the bolt moved so swiftly that even Lancer was caught off guard when it nearly hit her. She still managed to deflect the shot in time but Archer followed up with another gatling stream of more arrows than Gray could perceive. The bombardment was so wide in its range that it was coming for both Lancer and mom. Lancer once again deflected every arrow that drove towards her while mom used a large swing enhanced by Mana Burst that drilled a path through the projectiles. Both mom and Lancer ran for Archer to stop him from unloading another volley but they both detected that the previous arrows hadn’t all been dealt with. Many of the projectiles that had been avoided or knocked away had curved through the air and were now coming back to the Center Building’s roof.

The shower came and while both mom and Lancer had successfully used mana and flame to create a roof over the skyscraper that disintegrated most of the bolts, some still got through. Those projectiles hit the rooftop and splintered it. Mom dove to Gray and grabbed her so she wouldn’t fall while incapacitated.

Archer rushed at Lancer at the very last instant that the rooftop remained in one piece. Lancer saw it coming so even though she lacked any footing, she knew to deploy jets of flame from her heels to fly out of the way from a punch. The giant swung his bow like a sword and he created another vacuum which pulled Lancer back to him and sucked away the oxygen from her flames to try and prevent her from rocketing away. Lancer used her mana to force her flames to stay alive but the brief lull in the jets was all the time necessary for Lancer to get dragged back to Archer by the vacuum. Another punch came and was dodged by Lancer though she failed to avoid the following kick. It got her right in the torso and the sounds of her bones getting pulverized were easy to hear. It was revealed that Lancer wasn’t the only one that was multi-talented as Archer showed he wasn’t only a master of marksmanship and swordsmanship but also martial arts. Strikes of all sorts set upon Lancer who blocked, deflected, or dodged most. Yet, even as she used multiple defensive abilities she still ended up taking a few blows that made her body deform in various ways.

Traditional defense wasn’t going to work so Lancer shifted to offense. Thrusts and swings of Lancer's spears were paired with waves of different elements that peeled away slabs of Archer’s skin and left him with even more lesions and puncture wounds that couldn’t be fully repaired. Archer kept fighting back with his hand-to-hand combat knowledge. It was a close quarters brawl whilst they were still falling to the floor below.

When they hit the next floor, Archer and Lancer continued their duel. They stopped focusing much on mom since she was so weakened she wasn’t really a threat anymore. In their eyes, they could take her out whenever they wanted or needed to, even if she tried to run. This gave mom the chance to jump away to a distant roof with Gray in tow. Gray became able to breathe again as the distance from Lancer and Archer increased. Gray hadn’t even realized she had stopped taking in air until the sweet taste of oxygen glided across her tongue. Mom put Gray down and the young woman tried to stand only to immediately fail as her body was still recovering from the pressure of three top tier Servants.

“You’re not hurt are you? Did the magical energy do any serious damage to you?”

“N-N-Nah-N-No. I’m just a bit shaken up.” Gray would have died from even a grazing blow, a stay arrow, anything. She was so close to dying and she couldn’t stop thinking about that fact no matter how hard she tried to forget.

“Okay. I’m going to return to the fight. As soon as you can, you need to run away. This is far too dangerous for you.”

That desire to endure the harshness of the Holy Grail War inflated within Gray once more as she remembered why she wanted to come to Fuyuki. She wanted to be reforged in a furnace filled with the flames of life and death combat. She could finally understand who she was if she could push herself to the brink and break the wall in her mind. But, she couldn’t. She was scared. She remembered that she was just a little girl who was way in over her head. She should have never insisted she come to Fuyuki. When her mom told her it was too dangerous she was right and so Gray responded to her mom’s order the way she should have all those days ago.

“Yes, mom.”

Mom smiled and patted Gray on the head. “Be safe. I’ll be back.” She turned and jumped back to the Center Building.

Gray’s eyes leaked tears and her throat released tiny sounds like those of a frightened animal. She was terrified of the death that nearly came for her and humiliated at her idiocy that put her in this situation. She was so stupid that even as she cried on the roof she still felt an urge to jump back into the fight to help her mom. That would just make things harder for mom again. She was so stupid and selfish and a complete piece of garbage that should have been left at her old village. She made everything worse for those around her. She made mom feel wracked with guilt constantly for no good reason. Her selfish desire to join the Holy Grail War was the only reason that Illya even decided to help so if anything happened to her it would be all Gray’s fault. How dare she cry like she’s the victim. Gray wiped the tears from her face but new droplets kept on coming.

“Gray. Why’re you crying?” Add asked as he was held tight in Gray’s hand. He spoke without the usual mocking tone he always had and instead with genuine love and care in his voice.

“I’m a stupid idiot.”

“I thought we all knew that. Did it finally sink in? It’s a little early for a quarter life crisis.”

“Add, this isn’t funny! I’m serious!”

“Tell me why this is so serious.”

Gray touched her chest with her free hand. She clutched the front of her hoodie but she couldn’t build up the strength to do so very hard. “I-I-I wanted to get into this war and now I can’t do anything because I’m weak and scared and now mom’s fighting and I c-can’t help and Illya is here because of me and she could die because of me. It-It’s just so frustrating.”

“Mm. Mm. Welp, I can’t say you made a smart decision in coming here. You were about as brash as Mordred is and that ain’t great.”

“Because I’m an idiot.”

“But, you joining the war is why Mordred was summoned. He and Artoria never would have reconciled if it weren’t for you. You saw them before having that cute moment and bantering and shit and they never would’ve had that without you.”

“That’s true.” Gray sniffled.

“And you don’t know how things would have gone if you, Illya, and Mordred weren’t here. Things could have gone way worse. Irisviel may have gotten separated from Artoria and killed and then Artoria would have died and that would be that.”

“You’re right.”

“So stop beating yourself up. You aren’t helping anything.”

“I know but it’s easier said than done.” Gray grumbled, but she was able to understand Add’s point and hearing him be so genuinely nice was powerful. Gray still felt annoyed at herself for being a liability to her mom instead of an asset. There was no way Gray could have ever imagined that the enemy Servants in this Grail War would be so powerful. Mordred had been strong but Lancer and Archer were an order of magnitude greater in all respects worth mentioning. If all the other Servants were on such a level then there was little chance that Gray and her family could win the Grail War and dismantle the Greater Grail.

“Gray, you wanna be helpful?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why don’t you go try and help Irisviel and Illya and Mordred and stuff. They might be dealing with Lancer’s Master. You’d be a big help considering Mordred wasn’t looking too hot.”

“You’re right!” Gray’s paralysis perished as she zoomed to her feet upon realizing the rest of her family could be in danger. “We need to help them.”

“Then get going. You can leave Archer and Lancer to your mom and we could bring Mordred back here to help Artoria if he’s free.”

“That’s true and she could use the assist since she was pretty beat up.”

“Yeah, but she’ll be okay. She’s King Arthur. There’s basically nobody that can beat her in a fight.”

“But with her injuries and the poison.”

“Okay, she wasn’t in good shape. But, you can’t help anyway and if things go bad for her then we can get Iri to warp her away with a Command Spell.”

“That depends on mom lasting until we get to mama.”

“She can call Irisviel telepathically! Quit nitpicking already, Christ! Your mom will be fine!”

The sound of concrete and steel breaking apart was accompanied by the sight of mom’s limp body careening through the air. Her armor was in pieces and the bits that remained were decorated with cracks and painted with mom’s blood. Her body traveled from the Center Building to the side of a nearby skyscraper. Mom crashed through a window and into the structure.

“I was wrong. Call Irisviel right now!”

Gray sent out a telepathic signal to her mama but she couldn’t connect for some reason. Mama’s mind was sealed off by something that repelled all attempts at communication like a pebble pinging off a shield. There was no time to waste trying to decipher the cause of this block so Gray just moved on to calling Illya. There was no response but specifically because the telepathic link between Gray and her sister had been severed, likely because of her using Avalon.

Time to try Mordred.

“Mordred are you there?”

“Kinda busy right now! Irisviel is vomiting death slime and going nuts and Illya just used Avalon and went into the slime and the slime is covering the whole park by the way and I’m dodging slime tentacles!”

“What? Wait, so what's happening to mama?”

“I don’t know but we’ll deal with it, you just keep fighting the Archer and Lancer and shit!”

“Can you come a-”

“No!”

“But, mom is in gonna die y-”

“YougottasaveherItrustyouIneedtofendoffthesetentac lessotheydon’treachtherestofthecityyou’llbefineyou gotthisbye!”

Well things were apparently even worse than they seemed. What was wrong with mama?

“Are they gonna do something or are they sitting around with their thumbs up their asses?” Add said. “We need their help or Artoria’s gonna die at this rate!”

“They’re busy because mama’s gone crazy or something like that and they need to stop her from destroying the city.”

“Fan-fucking-tastic.”

“What do we do now?”

Arrows were firing from the Center Building to the skyscraper mom just rammed into.

Imaginings of mom appearing and knocking away all the arrows before using Excalibur to blast away both Archer and Lancer manifested in Gray’s mind. She at least wanted something grand to happen like her mom actually being okay and showing deeper reserves of strength. It would make things so much easier. It would mean Gray didn’t have to jump into the fight and make contact with that gravity-like aura again or risk her body getting run through by arrows or spears. Gray didn’t have that luxury. She had to do something or her mom would die and that was something completely unacceptable. Everything became clear and calm in Gray’s mind as she accepted the irrefusible reality she was faced with and took action.

On instinct alone, Gray used Mana Burst for the first time to jump and cross the distance between the building she was on and the one her mom got knocked into which was thankfully nearby. Gray’s body reached the space in the air between the building her mom was in and the arrows. She was directly in the path of the projectiles and would have to defend against them using her own power or both she and her mom were dead.

“We’re doing this, apparently!” Add’s eyes lit up pink and parts of him began to open up, shift, grow, and mold to become something entirely new. He became the scythe that was Gray’s favored armament and was twirled to build momentum. Gray used Mana Burst again to power up Add before swinging him at the nearest arrow.

As the trajectile made contact with the scythe, Gray could feel a shock wave travel through her body. The bolt had force great enough to pulverize several mountains behind it and that power coursed through Gray and made her cry out. She hadn’t even taken the full brunt of the shot yet and she still felt enough despair from the pain that she wanted to give up and die. She couldn’t die yet though because her mom’s life was on the line. Gray grit her teeth and began absorbing the magical energy infused in the arrow her scythe was clashing with. Archer was such a sensational Servant that even his individual arrows were fountains of mana for the taking. There was so much energy in just this single arrow that Gray’s whole body screamed at her to stop taking it in because it was too much for her to bear with such a normal body. Her blood vessels began to pop from the strain of trying to house such vast swaths of energy and yet Gray kept on drinking it in and overclocking her Magic Circuits. This was the only way she had any chance of deflecting the arrow. Not even a nanosecond had passed since Add had made contact with the projectile and Gray was already being pushed beyond her limits. There were a few dozen more to go so this boded poorly. Gray had to step up her game.

Gray screamed with indignation towards her reality and enhanced her body with the ocean of mana she just absorbed. More force was put behind Gray’s scythe swing to the point that Archer’s arrow was not only deflected but sent in a u-turn towards another one of the arrows. The two hit and destroyed each other just as Gray had planned. There was no way Gray would be fast enough to stop all the projectiles so she would have to redirect them into each other to lessen the number she had to directly deal with.

Blood oozed from Gray’s orrifices as she was flung backwards from the power of the arrow she just knocked away which sent her through the hole in the building behind her. Gray’s feet skidded across the marble floor of the fancy restaurant she just entered and rent it asunder as the young girl tried to stop her momentum. She couldn’t use Add since she needed him free to deal with the next arrow that just got in range.

There was still plenty of absorbed mana in Gray’s system which made deflecting the next bolt far easier than the previous. Easier didn’t mean Gray still didn’t get pushed back even faster, have her veins continue popping from the amount of magical energy subsumed, and have her muscles shredded from the shockwaves of the impact. Gray did manage to deflect the arrow and it collided with and destroyed two others which was great. That wasn’t the only good thing that was happening to be honest. Gray’s veins were regenerating for some reason and she was acclimatizing to the amount of mana she had stocked up inside her from the two arrows. Her biology currently wasn’t like that of a human even though that was ostensibly her species since birth. With regeneration and Magic Circuits like she currently had, one might think she was a Servant. Considering the incident that happened when Gray summoned Mordred where Gray almost got possessed by a version of her mom, it was possible that it may have altered her physiology to be more Servant-esk.

This wasn’t the time to be pondering the implications of Gray maybe being part servant as she still had plenty of arrows to deal with. And deal with them Gray did as she knocked away one after another and consumed their magical energy to become stronger each time. Gray funneled some of the stolen mana into Add to slowly expand his size until he was big enough that he barely fit in the spacious dining hall they were currently in. That room housed not only Gray and Add, but also mom who was lying on her side and was struggling to try and get up to no more avail than when Gray tried to earlier whilst still shaken up.

The arrows just kept on coming but with Add being as huge as he was, hitting a bunch of the arrows at a time was easy though the room was toppling in the process.

Gray wouldn’t be able to keep up for long however as the amount of arrows being fired was increasing to the point that it was like when Archer unloaded his cavalcade of projectiles at the bridge. The skyscraper wasn’t even collapsing from the innumerable arrows, it was just getting pulverized into a cloud which left Gray and her mom trapped midair.

With the choice to shift strategies, Gray changed Add’s form to a more explicitly defensive one. Add’s colossal shape condensed and reconfigured until it had shrunk into a great shield. Gray grabbed her mom with one arm and used her other to hold up Add to protect them as the swell of arrows impacted the shield. Add did a better job of absorbing the shock in this form but Gray could feel her body pulse like her whole body was going to explode after each arrow hit.

Don’t think Gray was just defending as she was actually pouring as much of the magical energy she was imbibing as possible into Add. The great shield form wasn’t just meant to guard but was actually designed to be used for countering. Gray just needed to wait for the right timing to unleash her surprise trump card.

This plan of Gray’s looked to be foiled when the arrows decreased in number slightly but began to move in curving trajectories. Their vectors were almost unnatural in how they arced through the air. They would be able to go around Add and hit Gray and her mom and even if Gray tried to move her shield to stop the new arrows, they were all curving in unique directions. Gray could block low to stop some arrows but others would come from above, the left, the right, and every angle in-between.

This wasn’t the opening Gray was hoping for, but she had to counterattack now or she and her mom would be turned to a red mist. Add released the magical energy that had been poured into him in the form of a burst of flame that made the air become a blurry haze. It was a focused beam of fire like a jet flame yet it was so wide that it easily encompassed all the incoming projectiles and turned them to nothing. Lighting up the night over the city, the conflagration burned through the arrow rain and devoured the upper half of the Center Building and turned it to vapor while the lower half began melting into slag. Gray saw that there was nowhere near the Center Building’s base when she did so she didn’t have to worry about anybody getting caught in a tsunami of melted steel and concrete. What Gray didn't consider was that liquid debris was flowing towards nearby city blocks which could be a big issue. A blaze that didn’t come from Add fell down from above before wrapping the slag and evaporating it. The area had been saved by what was revealed to be Lancer flying above. She hadn’t been caught in the blast Gray just used which put into question if Archer had either. This was why Gray wanted to wait for a moment where Archer and Lancer had no way of dodging.

The jet flame Gray had just unleashed propelled Gray backward and past dozens of buildings. She slowly descended and eventually hit the ground feet first and carved divots through the street as she continued skidding. When she stopped she lowered her mom to the ground.

“Mom, are you conscious?”

“Yes.” Mom sat up but she didn’t seem capable of much more. “We need to run but I can’t move yet. Do you think you can carry me?”

“Are you sure running’s the right idea? Archer and Lancer are so fast and Archer can attack us from halfway across the city plus I think Lancer can teleport of something.”

“The other option is fighting and I can’t win that fight nor can you.”

“But, I’m actually feeling really strong right now, like, it’s really weird and I think I might be turning into a Servant from when I almost got possessed by you or something.”

There was only a brief moment of processing before mom responded. “We’re going to discuss that later but even if that’s true that doesn’t mean you can handle both Lancer and Archer without my assistance while I possess my full strength. Even just one of them is too great a foe for you to slay. We can’t keep wasting time, we have to go.”

The street quaked from someone landing behind Gray and her mom. A profound aura washed over Gray and she almost passed out from the sudden and intense atmosphere change. Gray’s knee hit the asphalt and dug into it and she forced her head to slowly but surely swivel to look behind herself. Right behind her was Archer, his towering form looming like an infallible pillar that could hold up the sky and keep the world intact when all else fails. In his hand was the axe-sword he had used as a surprise missile earlier. He had retrieved it and seeing the prodigious armament up close made Gray imagine the implement slicing her body in half so violently that she would be unrecognizable as a human.

It came to Gray what the True Name of this living legend who was sealed into the container of the Archer class was. His marksmanship was of the highest caliber, his arrows were coated in virulent poison, and he was a living mass of brawn and prowess. Archer’s True Name was Heracles, the most famous of all heroes and the man who set the standard for what it even means to be a hero. There was no doubt that none of the tales of his achievements weren’t mere hagiography but genuine feats born of his greatness that downplayed how incredible he was, if anything.

Absolute submission became Gray’s emotional mantra as she thought she could do nothing more than yield to the colossus that was Archer. She didn’t want to fight back and risk the touch of Archer’s blade or the malignant tip of his arrows. Gray wanted to just let Archer do as he wished and pray that he had mercy in his heart for his enemies when they remained passive.

She couldn’t actually do that because if her fighting spirit waned for the briefest instant then she would be unable to protect her mom who was so tightly pinned to the street that she might as well have been fused to it. Archer’s goal was eliminating all enemy Servants and that included mom and so there was no chance he would spare her life. Gray had to fight back and face Archer then and there.

Gray lifted one leg which felt like it was on fire as it resisted the gravity-like pressure Archer emitted. Gray’s foot was planted and used to keep her stable as she began raising up the rest of her body. It felt like the hand of God was trying to push her down and prevent her from standing. Groans turned to passionate yells as Gray kept rising against all the odds and straightened her body out to the point that she could raise her other leg and perch herself on both her feet. With clenched fists and teeth, Gray stood tall and looked Archer in the eye. The dark giant remained taciturn but Gray could feel something akin to respect forming in the titan’s mind.

Add shifted form again and entered his halberd form that resembled the original sealed form of Rhongomyniad. Gray held Add with both hands and prepared to fight as she acclimated to Archer’s aura.

The giant’s lips began to part and he spoke in a voice so deep and strong it felt like he could kill with a word. “If we keep fighting here, we’ll destroy the city. Let us move to the surrounding mountains so we don’t risk killing innocents.”

Archer made a perfectly reasonable request which displayed the truly heroic nature of Heracles. The question now was how to respond since Gray could use this to end the fight now. She could have said she refused to leave the city center which might make Archer leave since he doesn’t want to put normal people in danger. There’s also the chance that saying she wouldn’t leave would imply she didn’t care for innocent people’s lives which could enrage Archer and make him kill her right then and there. Lancer was also a wild card in this since she had yet to reappear and after destroying the melted Center Building.

“The woman behind me is my mom.” Gray decided to be honest. “If I go with you to fight in the mountains and leave her here then she could get picked off by another Servant. If I take my mom with me to fight you then I’ll have to protect her as we fight and she and I will definitely die. I refuse to leave here but not because I don’t put value on the lives of innocents around us. I refuse because agreeing to your request is a death sentence for my mom and there’s a chance you’ll leave us be if we stay here. I have to protect my mom.”

The completely candid response elicited a moment of thought from Archer. “How is your mother a Servant?” A perfectly reasonable question.

“I’m her living descendant technically but she adopted me. My mom is a Servant from the last war who survived until now which is why there are two Saber Servants. Killing me won’t fill the Grail and you don’t need to kill my mom to do so either. I don’t know what you want from the Grail but it can be invoked in a limited form with just five so you might not need to kill my mom. Actually, the Grail is corrupt, you heard about that, right? We’re the ones who told the overseer about that and we aren’t lying. Killing my mom won’t get your wish granted so please let her live. Please don’t kill my mom. I don’t want to lose her.” Gray was rambling and her voice kept cracking as she was on the brink of tears again. She just let everything out and hoped that Archer would sympathize with her plight or think she was too pitiful to be worth killing.

There was another moment of thought from Archer. “My goal and the goal of my Master is also to destroy the Grail due to its ability to be misused and its allure drawing out the evils in people’s hearts. Whether you tell the truth or not does not change our overarching goal. That does not mean you are wrong that we don’t need to kill all the Servants who oppose us and I am remiss to separate a child from her mother. I have known the loss of one's family more times than most and it never gets any less unbearable. I don’t wish to inflict that suffering on you.”

“Wait, you’re letting us go? Really?” Holy shit this was the best possible way this could have gone and it was unbelievable. Gray was compelled to question the legitimacy of Archer’s words but she didn’t want to jinx things.

“Yes. Your mother is afflicted with numerous permanent wounds from Lancer’s spears so there’s little threat she poses to my Master. I suggest you leave this city and abandon the Holy Grail War. Assuming you spoke the truth earlier, worry not about the Grail’s destruction. I have been tasked with its destruction and I never fail to complete a labor given to me. What about you, Lancer?”

Gray spun to see Lancer who arrived from nowhere and had regenerated all of her wounds already. She must have used her runes to do so which really showed how dangerous she was. Archer decided to let Gray and her mom go but Lancer might not be so merciful. Gray’s whole body was focused only on what Lancer’s response would be and getting ready to fight if necessary.

“I must say that this is a unique choice to make from my perspective.” Lancer’s posture was casual. “My Master and I do not have wishes worth killing the people of this era for so I don’t want to risk innocents by fighting in the city if I can avoid it. On the other hand, I am confident in my ability to minimize collateral damage. The next point I need to consider is that my current main motivation in this fight is the fight itself. I wish to face powerful opponents and you Archer are definitely the greatest of opponents available to me at the moment. This connects to the third point which is that I appreciate courage and those with potential. Saber’s daughter embodies both in large quantities. I feel it would be a shame to attack her mother and risk killing this girl when she tries to stop me. If I am to fight her, I want it to be when she’s gotten stronger.”

“So your determination is to let Saber and her daughter go.” Archer said.

“Yes, but I will take you up on your offer to fight in the mountains.”

Gray dropped to her knees and exhaled every molecule of oxygen in her lungs as she gave up all illusion of sangfroid she had put up. Relief hit her so hard she accidentally drooled a bit and embarrassedly wiped her mouth clean when she noticed.

It took Gray a while to realize that she was feeling completely at ease while within the bounds of Archer and Lancer’s auras that previously pinned her to the floor. The aura didn’t feel as sharp at the moment to be fair but Gray still wouldn’t have been able to move if this had been the version of her before she evolved. Facing the arrows of Archer and being forced to defend her mom had caused Gray to transform and become a far stronger version of herself. It had only been a single exchange that had been relatively brief but it had been a life changing experience just like what Gray had wanted. Gray hadn’t found out what she wanted to do with her life or who she was but she had grown and become stronger both physically and mentally.

Gray’s mouth became a wide smile that hurt her face from its size. It hadn’t been pointless for Gray to come to Fuyuki. She had become a stronger person who was on her way to becoming her true self as an individual separate from her mom and everyone else.

The smile shrank as Gray saw Lancer staring at her. “W-What’s wrong?”

“Don’t confuse losing who you are for growth.”

“What do you mean? Hold on, how did you know what I was thinking?”

Lancer’s face scrunched up as she realized something and didn’t like it as far as Gray could tell. “It’s nothing. I just fell into an old habit. Archer, let’s get going.”

Archer nodded and both he and Lancer went from standing still to a full sprint at speeds that Gray could actually perceive ever so slightly. They were headed to the mountains to finish their fight which no longer involved Gray or her mom. Gray put her odds on Archer winning just because of his ludicrous parameters and overall ability, though Lancer had a chance of pulling out a win if she fought smart and took advantage of her variability.

That didn’t matter for the moment because Gray had just avoided a death so close that the blade of the reaper’s scythe was right up to her neck. She actually saved her mom from two Servants that were so ridiculously powerful that just being near them could kill a person.

A hand on Gray's shoulder made her nearly go back into fight mode but she relaxed when she realized it was her mom’s hand. Her mom had sat up again and she was happy. “You did amazing, Gray. You were brilliant as you defended me and your honesty saved us both. Thank you. I don’t think I could have done what you just did. We’re alive because you are you and nobody else.”

“Thank you.” Gray was happy to hear her mom’s praise though she found her mom’s emphasis on Gray succeeding by being herself a little too calculated in its phrasing. Mom knew what Gray cared about and was trying to reach her through that understanding. Gray appreciated the effort and what her mom was trying to say.

“That was nuts, Gray.” Add shrunk back down into a tiny box. “You had no plan going in to that but it worked out so screw it!”

“Have you contacted the others?” mom said. “Are they fighting Lancer’s Master?”

“Oh!” Gray just remembered the dire situation the rest of her family was in. “Mordred said something about mama going crazy and creating evil goo apparently!”

“Evil goo?” Mom went wide eyed. “The mud of the Grail. Iri’s been possessed by the Greater Grail! We need to go to their aid! This could destroy the city! Call Mordred again while we move!”

“Right!” Gray lifted her mom into her arms and telepathically called Mordred again. “Mordred! Are you okay? Is mama still creating Grail mud?”

“Sup, Gray. Things have calmed down. Illya got to Irisviel and managed to shake her out of whatever the fuck the Grail was doing to her. The goo’s all gone but the park we were at was flattened.”

“But, you’re all okay?”

“Yeah, we’re good.”

“Thank God.” Gray spoke to her mom. “They’re okay. The mud’s gone and everything’s normal.”

“Thank goodness.” Mom closed her eyes.

“Where are you?” Gray questioned Mordred.

“We’re currently on the move since Illya can still feel herself connected to Lancer. I’m guessing you couldn’t beat her.”

“Both her and Archer were too much for us. Long story short, we escaped and Lancer and Archer went to fight in the mountains.”

“Fuck. So Lancer can still track us and I’ll be stuck with these wounds.”

“You and mom. That’s assuming Archer doesn’t kill Lancer and there’s a good chance that’ll happen.”

“Lancer could still win so that ain’t very comforting. This sucks ass. We’re stuck having to pray things go our way.”

“Let’s just focus on regrouping for now. Where are you headed?”

“We’re gonna go to the sewers since we can use it as a discreet way to go anywhere in the city fast. Even if Lancer can track us then we can at least stay on the move to make sure she can never catch us.”

“Got it. We’ll meet you in the sewers. Stay safe.”

“You, too.”

Gray relayed her conversation with Mordred to mom and Add as she began making her way towards the sewage system of Fuyuki.

“Hoooo boy.” Add was done with today. “Irisviel went crazy from evil Grail slime and could again at any moment. Anything else bad gonna happen today or are we gonna finally catch a break? I’m waiting for the meteor to come down for the punchline.”

“Iri should be stable for now. It was probably her emotions that prompted her possession and she will have realized that if it’s true. She’ll focus on controlling her mood even more than usual though I do worry she’ll try taking more of her usual medication than normal to keep herself emotionally vacant.”

“Maybe she should leave Fuyuki so the Grail can’t reach her. Illya might have all the Heroic Spirits enter her but she won’t stop being human after five enter her like with mom. As long as we destroy the Greater Grail then it will be okay in the end and Illya could return to normal. She even has Avalon in her so she’ll be extra resilient.”

“Avalon can only do so much but I admit that’s a fine plan. We need to talk things out with your mama first.”

The conversation ended there as Gray and company searched for a manhole or some other entrance to the sewers. As they hunted, Gray had a gradually increasing sensation that something was off but not in a way that was readily apparent.

Everything looked lower to the ground at first but it quickly became evident that it was just that Gray had increased in height. Had she gone through a growth spurt? Her clothes seemed a little small, sleeves a tad short, so probably. Her bra was also a bit tight. Gray nearly stopped walking when she remembered that she shouldn’t be able to have a growth spurt due to the magical energy that she was absorbing from her mom that physically molded her into a doppelganger of King Arthur. How could she grow in that case unless she wasn’t actually bigger than normal? Then why did everything look shorter and why did her clothes feel uncomfortable? She had to have grown because there was no logical explanation otherwise.

Gray hoped that whatever was happening to her wasn’t anything bad. Actually, if it made her different from her mom then she might like it. Perhaps her boost in strength just now had caused Gray to develop some immunity to her mom’s magical energy. She could be developing her own unique appearance which would be Gray’s greatest dream, one she had long given up on.

As long as it made her unique, she wasn’t going to complain.

As long as she was unique.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 13: Lancer the Mentor

“Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone.
The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
I announce.
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!”

In the mansion that once belonged to the Edelfelts, a spacious room had been reworked into a basic workshop by Bazett Fraga McRemitz. She was sent by the Clock Tower to procure the Grail for them and their own purposes. Bazett had her own wish, but having it come to fruition wasn’t her main goal. Her own desires were never her main goal.

The summoning circle had just finished its purpose in summoning the Sealing Designation Enforcer’s Servant. She had wished to summon the hero Cú Chulainn even though she lacked a catalyst since he was the man she wished to save with her wish. She followed a lead on the Child of Light’s earrings, but things went south and the relics got destroyed. She hoped her desire to summon him along with marking the walls of the room with runes to strengthen the ritual would make her dream a reality but that didn’t happen.

“I have arrived from the Land of Shadows. My name is Scáthach, my class is Lancer. I guess I should call you, ‘Master?’”

Bazett had summoned a darkly radiant woman in a form fitting purple bodysuit instead of Cú Chulainn. In her hands were a pair of crimson spears that matched her eyes which popped thanks to her long dark hair. Her presence was light yet strong like the subtle and ever present sky that hung above all mankind.

She said her name was Scáthach, the queen of the Land of Shadows and the mentor of Cú Chulainn who he never actually surpassed. It wasn’t the Child of Light she admired and instead was someone related to him which still made Bazett feel strong emotion upon seeing her. The Enforcer felt a connection to the story of Cú Chulainn ever since she was young. She read every word over and over so she could memorize every event of the hero’s life. Cú Chulainn was a larger than life man who completed amazing feats that enraptured Bazett when she was just a little girl. It was Cú Chulainn’s wondrous adventures that inspired Bazett to join the Mage’s Association. Her family had left the Association long ago to live peacefully in the shadows and Bazett abandoned that life to become a legend just like Cú Chulainn. It hadn’t gone well since the Mage’s Association determined her to be near useless and Bazett had lived a life that was less that of a hero and more akin to that of a gun that shoots whoever her owner points her at. Bazett still did her duty the best she could just like how Cú Chulainn did. It was all thanks to Cú Chulainn that Bazett was who she was and now the Master of that man she so admired was before her eyes.

“Are you alright?” Scáthach asked as she walked closer.

“Yes, I’m fine. I was just overtaken for a moment by your presence.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment since I’m in a good mood. It’s nice to be in a normal Grail War.” A small smile formed on the queen’s face.

“You’ve been in Grail Wars before?”

“Not in this timeline. Normally, I wouldn't be able to be summoned since I’m still alive as an immortal alone in the Land of Shadows, but after an event that incinerated human history I technically died and was recorded into the Throne of Heroes.”

“What do you mean the incineration of humanity? How is humanity here in that case?”

“It is a long story that I wasn’t present for most of. It’s not important.”

“O-Okay.” Bazett could not comprehend how humanity getting annihilated wasn’t important, but it apparently didn’t matter so she decided to let things lie for the moment. “Can I ask about you still being alive?”

“What about it?” Scáthach’s words came out much more harshly than what Bazett expected.

“You said you’re still alive but how? You only said how you got recorded into the Throne of Heroes and not how you could live for centuries.”

“There’s not much to say. I slaughtered many in battle including Divine Spirits and became so strong that I slowly transmuted into an immortal who’s on the border of becoming a Divine Spirit herself. My kingdom separated from the World and I was left a queen of a silent land full of ghosts.” Every word was spoken so bluntly that it was somehow more upsetting to hear than if Scáthach was screaming in anguish.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to open up old wounds.” Bazett didn’t know that Scáthach possessed such a sad and unusual history. Scáthach was only briefly spoken of in Cú Chulainn’s legend so she’s a bit of an enigma compared to many other heroes.

“Don’t be sorry for you did nothing wrong.”

“I see. A-Anyway, you said that you’ve been in Grail Wars before.”

“I’ve appeared in a few Grail Wars and none of them have been normal nor have they involved a chance for me to have a wish granted.” Scáthach slowly stepped around the room while inspecting things. Her attention was mostly on the runes Bazett put on the walls.

“You must have a wish you really want granted.” Bazett said.

“I just want to die. I plan to wish for someone capable of killing me to appear so we can duel to the death.”

“You want to die?”

“I have lived a very long time in the Land of Shadows all alone and unable to pass. I’m tired I suppose. I wanted my stupid student to do it, but he ended up being unable to meet the task.”

“By stupid student, do you mean Cú Chulainn?”

“Setanta, yes. I never truly considered that plausible, though. He lacked the strength or the personality necessary.”

“That’s unfortunate, that you want to die, I mean.” It was tragic to hear that an individual Bazett had admired longed only for a permanent end. It made sense if she was stuck alone in another reality for hundreds of years. She just wanted release though Bazett didn’t necessarily think it was the correct way of dealing with her loneliness so Bazett was hoping she could convince Scáthach to wish for something else.

“It’s nothing. What is your wish?”

“Well, my wish is to save Cú Chulainn, Setanta.”

“Save him?”

“His life ended so tragically that I felt he deserved a better ending. The whole story had so much sorrow that it didn’t seem fair. He was so brave, strong, kind.”

“Don’t tell him that in person; you’ll give him a swelled head. There’s no need to save him from anything. If there was anything he was good at, it was rolling with the punches. He has already made peace with his life and trying to change it for him would just be unnecessary meddling.”

“Oh, I see.” The only personal motivator Bazett had to participate in the Fifth Holy Grail War was swiftly slain by the spear that was Scáthach’s analysis.

“Do you have anything else you wish for?” The queen asked, though Bazett knew that she had already figured out the answer.

“No. Saving Cú Chulainn was the only thing I could think of and it wasn’t something that came quickly. I’ve never really had any long term goals in life beyond some vague ideas that were more based on sudden emotion rather than anything clear and grounded. I usually just do whatever I’ve been tasked with. I’m not even sure what the point of my life is.” Bazett crossed her arms as she felt upset at herself. Did she even deserve a spot in this Holy Grail War? Was there someone somewhere else with an actual wish who should be here?

“Don’t feel sorry for yourself.”

“Huh?”

“Not everyone needs some great goal in life. Not everyone’s life needs to be an epic tale. You should find satisfaction in what you have achieved just by living day to day. Have you ever helped someone with something minor?”

“I guess.”

“Give me an example.”

“Ah…once I helped an old woman carry her shopping bags to her car.”

“Be proud of that. You made that woman’s day a whole lot easier.”

“That’s just a small thing, something anyone would have done.”

“Does that old woman’s happiness not matter? If making her day easier was pointless then you shouldn’t have bothered and just left her to struggle.”

“That’s not true.”

“It was a good thing that you helped that woman?”

“Yes.”

“Then that is all that matters. Be proud of the little things, not everyone needs to save the world.”

Bazett felt Scáthach’s wisdom hit her hard because her point was simple but clear. She was the ideal teacher after all. Was it possible for Bazett to just be happy with her small accomplishments? Did she not need a goal? Was simply living enough? But, why did Scáthach want to die? If she could be satisfied with living itself then why did she yearn for death? The answer was obvious. Scáthach was alone. She didn’t have anyone in her life, just ghosts. She lacked friends or family. She was a queen of the dead who could not die herself. She was like Hades who yearned for Persephone so he would have someone beside him.

Bazett understood that loneliness though she doubted her solitude could ever compare to Scáthach’s. The Enforcer desired someone to be close to and be open with, but she never managed to form such a connection. She lacked the emotional strength to bridge the gap between herself and other people and there seemed to be very few who wanted to reach her.

The only one who ever had, if only a little, was the man she met on some of her missions named Kirei Kotomine. Bazett met the priest on a mission and though they never became friends, Kirei became the closest thing Bazett ever had to a pleasant acquaintance. The priest had a sullen countenance and a kind heart which showed with the kind remarks he would make. He was the only person that provided Bazett with validation and made her feel accepted. Bazett’s family rejected her when she decided to join the Clock Tower and the Clock Tower had no interest in her. Kirei was the only source of direct positive reinforcement in her life. Well, Scáthach had been nice to Bazett just now so there were two people now.

Bazett stopped contemplating her life when she realized she was just standing quietly while Scáthach stared at her.

“I’m sorry for going quiet. I got lost in thought for a bit. We should go into the living room to discuss our plans for the war.”

“Master, where are we right now?”

“We’re in a forest outside the city the Grail War will take place in.”

“Are we relatively secluded?”

“Yes.” Bazett wasn’t sure where Scáthach was going with this but she knew her Servant always acted with intention.

“Can you follow me outside for a moment?”

“Okay, but why?”

“Be patient.”

Bazett led her Servant out the front door and her Scáthach suddenly took the lead as they went behind the mansion. The forest was quiet and a little ominous as many ghosts wandered the woods and weaved through the trees, but they weren’t any more of an issue than your average animal for a magus like Bazett. The Lancer looked around and analyzed the environment.

“This should work.”

Before Bazett could even ask for clarification, Scáthach had materialized both her spears and thrust one at her Master. “Ehwaz!” Bazett didn’t have time to dodge so instead she grabbed the spear right below the blade as her hands and feet glowed green from being empowered by rune magecraft. It took her full strength to stop the strike but she succeeded even as her feet dug into the ground and her muscles flexed so hard they burned like molten metal.

Bazett didn’t know why her Servant was attacking her, but there was no time to ponder that because she had to get away. Survival was the main priority and stopping that one thrust was enough for Bazett to realize that she could never defeat Lancer. Escape was the only way and thankfully Bazett could also tell that Scáthach was holding back tremendously for some reason so Bazett actually had a chance of getting away.

Jumping back while releasing the spear, Bazett began dashing backward while keeping her eyes on the Lancer. Bazett couldn’t let the Servant out of her sight or she’d get taken off guard and killed before she could even realize what happened. Scáthach had a speed stat of A, so even if she was holding back she was still far faster than Bazett could perceive. Bazett needed to analyze every facet of what was occurring around her to predict what Lancer would do ahead of time because the Servant would be impossible to track in real time. Lancer was just that fast.

So fast that Lancer got in Bazett’s face nigh-instantaneously and it took the Master a second to respond by sending a side kick towards the Servant’s leg. The Servant jumped as her own kick came for Bazett who crossed her arms and blocked the strike. Her body skid backward across the grass as her shoes made long divots in the dirt. The bones in Bazett’s arms ached but a healing rune was all that was necessary to restore them to top condition.

Lancer was right next to the Master again and it was evident that Bazett couldn’t just run away unless she stunned the Servant in some way. The best way would be to get in a hit that could discombobulate Lancer like a blow to the head that would shake around her brain and give her vertigo. Since Lancer was getting in close, Bazett got closer too to the point that there was so little distance between the two that it would be awkward for the spearwoman to use her polearms while Bazett would easily be able to send flurry after flurry of strikes. And Bazett did send off an avalanche of punches and kicks which Lancer blocked and dodged so casually it was like she was smacking away the hands of a newborn. But, Bazett didn’t let up and every time Lancer tried to step back, Bazett would step forward and keep on the pressure to make sure the Servant didn’t have a chance to counterattack. There was no way for Bazett to hit Lancer this way but it gave the magus time to think of the next step of her plan. This sadly hinged on Lancer not deciding to use more of her strength.

Or more of her arsenal.

Half-a-dozen red spears that were perfect imitations of the ones Lancer held appeared all around Bazett with their tips pointed towards the enforcer’s vitals. The lances all thrust at Bazett and she had to stop her barrage on Lancer to carefully and quickly step between the pikes. As she danced her way to apparent safety, Bazett made the mistake of letting her eyes off Lancer. The butt of one of the spears Lancer held was driven into Bazett’s stomach which pushed the Master away and towards the trees around the mansion.

The wind was knocked out of the enforcer and she had to force her knees not to buckle as she endured the pain in her gut. Bazett’s eyes landed back on Lancer and they weren’t going to leave her this time even as the magus drew a rune in the air.

“Ansuz.” A ball of flame the size of an adult human roared towards Lancer who only needed a single jab of her spear to dissipate the blaze. It had barely done anything beyond slow down Lancer a moment but that was all Bazett needed as she readied her next attack.

Without taking her eyes off Scáthach, Bazett reached back with one arm and grabbed onto a thick tree behind her before uprooting it entirely. The soil was sent everywhere when Bazett removed the tree from the dirt with a single tug before tossing it at Lancer. The Servant was about to swing one of her spears to destroy the incoming tree while Bazett leapt into the air as she did. Her body was hiding behind the arboreal projectile so she could have the element of surprise.

“Ansuz-Eihwaz.” Bazett quietly chanted as her foot was strengthened further. She dive kicked through the tree, sending wood chips in the Lancer’s face to blind her as the foot continued to fly towards the Servant. Hopefully, the kick would knock Lancer away and leave Bazett with enough time to make greater distance between them.

Unfortunately, Lancer easily grabbed Bazett’s leg even without being able to rely on her sight and tossed her Master back towards the house. Bazett landed on her feet with her back against the wall of the building only to see the Servant create a rune in the air.

“Ansuz.”

A massive fireball bigger than the mansion flew at the Master. It was too large for Bazett to dodge to the side or above to avoid. But, the grass below the fireball wasn’t igniting. The fireball wasn’t touching the ground and its heat was condensed enough that even things very close to it wouldn’t immediately catch fire. If Bazett could get low enough to the ground and make a small pit with a strong enough strike then she could go under the fireball. It would still destroy the mansion but it was better than dying. The chances of pulling off such a maneuver were low without perfect precision. The fact that it would involve staying in place and making a divot in the ground over trying to dodge was a terrifying prospect. Bazett gathered together all the bravery she could muster as she stomped the ground which was destroyed. What was left was a small pit large enough that Bazett was able to dive down into it as the flames flew above her at the very last second. A moment later and she would have been vaporized.

Or maybe not, as the inferno dissipated completely right before hitting the mansion.

“You have great courage, a sharp mind, and fine instincts, but there is much potential within you that you have yet to access.” Scáthach stood at the divot’s edge and extended a hand towards Bazett. Bazett hesitantly took it and stood herself up.

“Was that some kind of test?”

“I wanted to see what you were capable of when under pressure. You didn’t disappoint.”

“I was no match for you even though you were holding back.” Bazett didn’t see what impressed Scáthach as her performance seemed quite underwhelming.

“You say that like it’s common for modern mages to fight equally with Heroic Spirits. Trust me when I say that there are few in this world that could have lasted as long as you did against me just now. The fact that you had the analytical ability and instincts to understand that you couldn’t have dodged my first thrust and had to grab it, as well as the courage to actually follow through speaks volumes about you.”

“Really?” Bazett felt moved.

“You need to be more confident in yourself. I’m not one to flatter so when I say you have amazing potential, I mean it. By the way Master, what actually is your name? I forgot to ask before and you’ve impressed me enough that I feel compelled to know it.” Scáthach spoke with a smile that made Bazett emotional though he tried to hide it. Very few had ever acknowledged her and for the mentor of her biggest hero to praise her was intense.

“My name is Bazett Fraga McRemitz.”

“A fine name. I won’t forget it.”

Bazett was scared she was about to get teary eyed from such basic praise. “Thank you. By the way, are you sure you’re a Lancer? One rune was all that you needed to create a massive fireball, it makes you seem more like a Caster.”

“I can promise you I’m a Lancer, it’s just that my skill in magecraft equals my skill in spearmanship. Your magecraft is also impressive for the standards of this era. It’s where the majority of your untapped potential lies.”

“How so?”

“You have a greater affinity for rune magecraft than you know because you’re limited by using only modern runes. It’s not your fault. The runes of my era have been forgotten and all you have left are pale imitations. I use the Primordial Runes, the original runes Odin himself forged separate from the rest of the World.”

“So you're saying I’d be a lot stronger if I could use Primordial Runes?”

“Absolutely. When combined with your existing skills, you could fight on par with Servants.”

“Is that really true?” Even if Scáthach’s previous compliments were true, this one seemed outlandish.

“You still doubt my honesty?”

“I’m just struggling to imagine myself being that strong.”

“Properly imagining your goal in a realistically attainable form is one of the first steps towards achieving anything. Many times people have unrealistic expectations, they think too arrogantly or optimistically but you're the opposite. You're too self-deprecating to accurately appraise yourself. I suggest you focus on fixing that first and foremost and then we’ll move on to Primordial Runes.”

“You’re gonna teach me Primordial Runes?”

Scáthach possessed an expression of clear realization and disappointment like she noticed she was giving in to a bad habit and was internally reprimanding herself.

The queen of the Land of Shadows turned around and took a few steps away. “Of course not, we don’t have time to waste on that. I’m your Servant not your teacher. We’re here to get the Grail and then our partnership is over. This is all temporary.”

“Oh.” Scáthach’s words stung. They seemed to be getting along so well, but now she was being cold. “Sorry, I was getting carried away.”

“I’m not your teacher, mother, sister, or lover. This is just business.” Scáthach continued facing away.

Bazett felt stupid for getting so worked up just because she received the smallest morsel of acknowledgement. She was like a child begging their parents for attention. It was pathetic.

“Sorry, I was being childish. We’re here to fight, not for you to teach me how to do my job.”

Scáthach peered back at Bazett before turning away again. “Master, would you describe yourself as a lonely person?”

“Well, if I’m being honest then yes. It’s my own fault. I’m not appealing enough to make people want to be with me and I don’t make the effort to attract others.”

Scáthach did nothing for a moment before running a hand through her hair and turning ninety degrees and looking at Bazett from the corner of her eye. “I wish to go around the city so I know the layout for the war.”

“It might be safer if we have you memorize a map of Fuyuki rather than go around the city. Even if it’s during the day so there’s no risk of getting attacked and you stay in Spirit Form, we could still be found and tracked by another Master or Servant.”

“I don’t plan on staying in Spirit Form. We are going to have some fun.” What? That was unexpected considering Scáthach’ turn to coldness mere moments prior. Why was Scáthach continually oscillating in mood? And what did she mean by having fun when they’re about to begin a life or death battle where one slip up could mean the end.

“Why? Didn’t you just say we need to keep things businesslike?”

“Yes, but we still need to build a bond of trust. We need to like each other to work well together and having fun is the easiest way to do that. As for danger, we are certainly one of if not the strongest pair in this war. Besides, do you fight using more stealthy methods or are you more comfortable with direct confrontation?”

“The latter.”

“I also prefer it though I am fully capable of being more covert if I wish. If we’re just going to have a direct confrontation in the end anyway, we might as well not waste time and just let our enemies try to ambush us and face them head on. I can also predict the future to a degree thanks to my Wisdom of Dún Scáith skill so it is unlikely we’ll be taken by surprise even if they have things like high ranking Presence Concealment.”

“Okay, I guess we can go out into the city then. You’ll need to stay in Spirit Form until we can stop by a clothing store and buy you some normal outfits.”

“Fair enough. Let’s not waste time then.” Scáthach went into Spirit Form.

Though she lacked perceptiveness on Scáthach’s level, Bazett could tell that the queen was being weirdly moody. At first she implied she might want to mentor Bazett in magecraft, then she wanted to keep their partnership purely professional, and now she wanted them to bond. Sadly, Bazett lacked the intuition to figure out what Scáthach was thinking.

Bazett went inside, grabbed her wallet, locked the front door of the mansion, and left for the city.

***

This wasn’t what Bazett was expecting.

While buying Scáthach some clothes, the Servant noticed the swimsuits and she asked if there was somewhere to swim in the city. Bazett told her that there was an indoor waterpark called Exciting Splash and the next thing she knew, Scáthach was buying swimsuits for herself and Bazett. She hadn’t actually insisted on going swimming and they could do something else if Bazett was too uncomfortable, but Bazett said it was fine because she wanted to make Scáthach happy.

Now the pair was in the wave pool with Scáthach in a rather revealing pink bikini while Bazett was in a more conservative red one piece swimsuit.

“This kind of thing is nice every once in a while.” Scáthach was leisurely swimming up the waves while Bazett just stood in place with her arms wrapped around herself. “Do you want to leave?”

“No, I’m fine, just a little awkward.”

“Are you embarrassed?”

“A little.”

“Why?”

“I just don’t like being stared at and people are staring.” Every time Bazett’s eyes darted around they landed on another person looking at her and Scáthach.

“It comes with being a beautiful woman.” Bazett blushed at the compliment. Scáthach was able to be so kind so casually to the point that it always took Bazett off guard. “Plus, we’re two foreigners in a racially homogeneous country so we’re bound to stand out wherever we go.”

“I know but it was easier to tune out the stares when I was wearing my suit and coat.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to leave?”

“I’ll be okay. It’s just that I’ve never been the most secure in my femininity so having everyone stare at my…manish body is embarrassing.”

“What do you mean by manish?”

“I mean I’m more muscular and broad bodied instead of being curvaceous and smooth bodied like you.” Bazett pawed at her biceps and abdominals to feel their hardness and confirm to herself how unappealing she was.

“Don’t be absurd. You’re plenty feminine and don’t let any preconceptions born from society color your view of what you must be. You decide what is feminine and be comfortable in embracing that femininity.” Scáthach had surprisingly progressive views for someone who lived in an era so distant in the past. Bazett poked at one of her abs and wondered if she really could still be considered feminine despite not being shapely and petite. “Besides, being traditionally feminine isn’t all it's cracked up to be.”

“What do you mean?”

“The shape of my body may be visually appealing to many but it makes it difficult to do certain things. A big example is that my body is not suited to unarmed martial arts at all so I could never truly master them.” Scáthach sighed.

“Really?”

“It’s very disheartening for a warrior such as myself to know there’s a style of combat that is out of my reach. It makes me wish I had your figure since it has helped you become an expert at hand-to-hand combat.”

“You’re not implying I’m better at martial arts than you, right?”

“You are superior to me. To be fair, I could use my Wisdom of Dún Scaith to use skills that can alter my body and begin training in unarmed martial arts, but those changes to my body would be temporary so I’d still be limited. My point is that you should appreciate what makes you unique rather than interpret them as shortcomings.”

Things were put into a new perspective for Bazett upon learning that she was good at something Scáthach wasn’t. It seemed like Scáthach could do anything but she was as imperfect as everyone else, apparently. Maybe Scáthach was just lying or being modest to make Bazett feel better but the Master decided to believe her Servant.

Bazett looked around again and she still felt embarrassed by people’s gazes being on her. Her self-confidence may have gotten a brief boost but the attention still disconcerted her.

“Let’s get your mind off of everybody else. How about we play a game? What’s a game people play in the pool?”

Bazett thought for a moment. “We could play Marco Polo.”

“I know who Marco Polo was thanks to the Grail giving me knowledge, but I didn’t know there was a game named after him.”

“One person who is ‘it’ closes their eyes and tries to tag the other players while saying the word Marco repeatedly. The others try to stay away from the person who’s ‘it’ and every time Marco is said, the other players have to say Polo which acts as a hint to who’s ‘it’ as to where everyone else is located.”

“Seems a little easy for the person who’s it.”

“To be fair, most people don’t have Clairvoyance and superhuman senses like you.”

“I can’t deny that. Alright, let’s play. I’ll be ‘it’ first and I’ll limit myself to only trying to find you with sound. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine with me.”

“Then let’s begin.” Scáthach closed her eyes. “Marco.”

“Polo.” Bazett immediately moved from her starting spot after responding to try and proactively avoid Scáthach. This didn’t work because the sounds of the water being displaced and splashing around from her moving gave away Bazett’s location. Scáthach made a beeline towards Bazett’s true position with the diligence and ferocity of a hungry predator.

Scáthach thrust her hand ahead and Bazett barely managed to avoid getting grazed as she dove down into the water. She was taking what she learned from their earlier spar and applying it. While under the water, Bazett swam between Scáthach’s legs and got behind her.

Before Scáthach finished revolving to face Bazett, the Master pounded her fists into the pool’s surface to create a big wave in all directions. Lancer wasn’t moved by the splash but it was loud enough to drown out the sounds of Bazett stealthily relocating herself. Bazett held her breath and slowed the beating of her heart when the undulations of the water became less violent. Despite Bazett’s efforts at hiding her presence, Scáthach’s ears were so powerful they could hear the flowing of her Master’s blood in her veins even with the splashing of the wave pool making the water loudly lap at itself. The queen was like a torpedo as she came at Bazett again and it was only through luck that the human avoided her Servant’s touch and got behind her again.

Scáthach spun around and swung her arm to try and grab Bazett, but the motion was so powerful it caused the water around her to be blown away from her in a wave far larger and stronger than those the wave pool was already generating. The wave was so strong that Bazett took advantage of it by riding it to let herself be pushed out of range of Scáthach’s arm. The mistake Bazett made was not keeping a foot on the pool’s floor so she had the leverage to quickly redirect herself if necessary.

Scáthach pursued her Master while she was still riding the wave. The distance shrank and left the Servant mere millimeters away from her Master.

“Marco.” Scáthch smiled.

“Polo.” Bazett whimpered.

A slender finger booped Bazett on the nose and Scáthach won the game.

Then Scáthach’s momentum caused her to fall into her Master and make the pair crash under the water. Bazett accidentally opened her eyelids as she and her Servant were fully submerged. The chlorinated liquid burned the magus’ eyes, but she forgot her pain when she saw Scáthach under the water. The queen’s hair was floating and flowing as time seemed to slow which allowed Bazett to see Scáthach’s beauty more clearly than before. Bazett noticed the little details of Scáthach’s face, figure, slender fingers, entrancing lips, flawless skin, everything.

They were so close that they were practically hugging because they slammed together when they fell below the water’s surface. Bazett could feel Scáthach’s smooth skin that wrapped around her solid muscles. The Servant’s lips were subtle but seeing them up close revealed just how soft they looked to the point that they had the hypnotic pull a bed had when one was exhausted. The rest of the queen’s face matched her lips in their enchanting form. Even when Bazett tried to rip her eyes from Scáthach’s lips, the Master would get stuck staring at her Servant’s eyes or cheeks or nose. The queen’s breasts were pressing into Bazett and that realization made the Master freeze up.

Thankfully, the woman who made Bazett feel so enraptured grabbed her Master and pulled them both up through the surface. Bazett didn’t gulp down air despite being deprived of it for so long. She was too busy wondering if she had actually summoned Helen of Troy as her Servant.

“Sorry, I got a little overeager it seems.” Scáthach said.

“It’s fine.” Bazett half slurred as her mind was still on Scáthach’s body. The Master was watching as droplets traced down her Servant’s figure.

“For someone who doesn’t like people staring at her figure, you seem to be very okay with staring at mine.”


“Sorry!” Bazett turned away, upset at herself for her lack of self-control.

“It’s alright. I’m not upset by being looked at by lustful eyes. I wouldn’t wear a bodysuit in combat if I was.”

“It was still wrong of me.” How disrespectful could Bazett possibly be towards not only a Servant but her queen and the mentor of her hero.

“How about we play something else?” Scáthach looked around. “Is that a volleyball court? How about that?”

“Alright.”

The pair got out of the pool and dried off a bit before moving to the vacant volleyball area. Scáthach bent over and picked up a ball from the ground which made Bazett have to look away to avoid staring at her Servant’s buttox. Bazett was worried because she was so aware of Scáthach’s body now. If they started playing a game that involved her Servant jumping around in her bikini then Bazett wasn’t sure she’d be able to focus.

But, she was wrong.

Scáthach wasn’t playing around as she jumped up and spiked the ball so hard that Bazett had to put all her focus into the game in order to hit the ball in time. This wasn’t just a game.

It was war.

The Master and Servant went all out, or as all out as they could without making the building crowd of spectators suspicious of their superhuman physicality. The ball was struck back and forth and each strike that hit the ball made a loud bang echo throughout the park. The duo danced around their sides of the field with precise footwork to always be able to reach the ball wherever it flew. Every time they jumped in the air they positioned their bodies in a way that allowed them to put their full body weight behind their spikes while being perfectly ready to begin moving again once they touched the ground. An uninformed viewer would assume Bazett and Scáthach were pro volleyball players due to their skill. It didn’t take long for a large crowd to form around the women as they played. People picked sides as they cheered and it suddenly looked like this was an actual sporting event.

Zeal filled Bazett as she duked it out with her Servant. Every time she hit the ball Scáthach’s way she felt pride and a cathartic feeling from knowing she hadn’t yet fallen to her opponent. Each time Scáthach hit the ball back a pleasurable tension formed in Bazett like she was a compressed spring ready to push back and unload all her built up energy. Despite ostensibly being in opposition to each other, Bazett felt perfectly in sync with Scáthach. It was like they were dancing in perfect step with each other and the volleyball court was their dance floor. That thought caused Bazett to imagine herself and Scáthach actually dancing together in an ornately decorated ballroom. Bazett would be wearing a fancy suit and Scáthach would be in a gorgeous ball gown. It was a pleasant image but Bazett needed to focus on the fight or she’d lose.

Neither Bazett nor Scáthach had acquired a point yet and it was time for that to change. Bazett knocked the ball into the air and she decided to gamble on one last spike. She leapt up and struck the ball with such force that multiple large ripples traveled across the sphere before it had even left the Enforcer's palm. The ball broke the sound barrier as it traveled towards the ground. Scáthach got in the way and put her fists together to bump the ball. The volleyball hit her wrists and she pushed against it to send it back into the air. The Lancer’s feet dug into the sand from the force pushing into her, but her near godly might would not buckle.

Right as the ball was about to return to the air, it popped from being unable to withstand the stress of Bazett and Scáthach’s strength.

The audience cried out in disappointment after getting so into the match only for it to suddenly stop. They hoped for the two women to continue their match, but the duo left the volleyball area satisfied with their bout.

Bazett was smiling and it took her a second to really think about the fact that there was an entire crowd around them. She knew they were there but she hadn’t cared. She was just having so much fun facing her Servant in a volleyball match that had no real consequence. Scáthach had her own small smile and it was gentle in its form and was more beautiful than any jewel. Bazett still felt a little hot in the face looking at her Servant but it wasn’t as bad as before.

“That was fun, right?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Then how about we head somewhere else. The fun’s only just started.”

“Let’s.”

Bazett was having fun and she knew now that that was what Scáthach wanted. The queen saw how down Bazett was before and was trying to cheer her up despite saying their relationship was purely business. Bazett knew Scáthach was more empathetic than she portrayed herself to be. Bazett also figured Scáthach was sympathizing with her because of their shared loneliness. They could curb each others’ loneliness for the brief time they were together as long as they ignored the inevitability of their parting.

The inevitability of that parting was only because of Scáthach’s wish for death when she’d otherwise be able to live past the Grail War theoretically. That wish for death confused Bazett as she thought more about it considering its motivation.

“Can I ask you a question?” Bazett said.

“What is it?”

“You said you want to die because of your isolation but you’re not alone anymore. You aren’t trapped in the Land of Shadows and can go wherever you want so why don’t you just keep on living on Earth instead of dying?”

“This isn’t my Earth and I have no right to make it my Earth. I am from a bygone era and so I don’t belong in this reality and I certainly have no right in interfering with it. If I may be honest, I actually find the whole idea of Heroic Spirits being summoned to this realm wrong. If you Masters are to battle for a wish, it is you yourselves that should fight for it so you can earn your prize and grow from the experience. We Servants are ghosts that should stay dead. I never tried to leave the Land of Shadows for that reason.”

“You never actually tried to leave the Land of Shadows? You just stayed there and let yourself be imprisoned?”

“Beyond some tacit efforts at escape early on, yes.”

“So you refuse to live on not only because of your loneliness but because of philosophical reasons.”

“That’s correct.”

“But, I don’t think you have to interfere with this era, I mean you obviously affect things by being here but that doesn’t mean you have to do anything too influential. You could just live as a normal person after the Grail War is over. You could meet new people and curb your loneliness.”

“I’d still be immortal and so I’d watch my loved ones perish as time passes.”

“You could find new loved ones and you could even find someone else immortal to spend eternity with.”

“And do you know such an immortal?”

“Well the Grail could provide such a person or even…” Bazett was going to say that she could wish to be immortal so they could be together forever. Bazett had only just met Scáthach and yet the Servant had made Bazett feel better about herself and about life itself than anyone else ever had. It wasn’t as if there was anyone else in Bazett’s life she was attached to beyond Kirei. Yet Bazett couldn’t get the words out because of her fear of how Scáthach would react.

“I’m not changing my mind about my wish. I don’t belong here and I’m only participating on a whim so please don’t waste time trying in vain to change my mind.” The queen had become cold again.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t try to supersede your will but I can’t help but want to stop you from ending your own life.”

“I appreciate your kindness but your efforts are wasted.”

Bazett’s good mood had died away again as she remembered that there would always be this insurmountable distance between herself and Scáthach. It wasn’t Bazett’s job to get close to her Servant or to do anything beyond acquiring the Holy Grail for the Clock Tower. The issue was that Bazett was acting in her own interest instead of just doing as she was told like the gun she was. She just had to do as she was told like she always did and everything would be fine, even if she wasn’t happy.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 14: Live

The mountains around Fuyuki rumbled and hosted landslide after landslide as two beings who were on the precipice of godhood fought. Scáthach thrust her spears with passion from the exhilarating battle and appreciation for her titanic opponent and his strength. The giant named Heracles was cool in his attitude in contrast to the barely contained ecstasy that Scáthach possessed.

The air was blowing down stone and eroding away the land as each movement the two Servants made stirred the atmosphere. The pressure was like the red spot on Jupiter to the point that a normal person would be reduced to paste if they go too close to the warring legends. It was a barrier preventing any interference so nobody could infringe on this honorable clash between consenting warriors.

The Archer had realized Scáthach had the Protection From Arrows skill which made his attempts at using projectiles all but worthless without proper preparation and thus he had resorted to swordsmanship using his slab of a sword. Each of his swings cleaved apart the mountains that the duo were running and jumping around. Each time Scáthach blocked she would end up getting launched across several of the earthen peaks, but she never felt anything but joy in response. Scáthach used a variety of elemental Mana Bursts to send floods of fire, lightning, and water that eroded and evaporated mountains into canyons. Each deluge failed to erase the flesh of Heracles as he vaulted across great distances with sheer power and straight through the raging elements as if they weren’t there.

Avenger, Mana Burst(Flame), Mana Burst(Lighting), Mana Burst(Courage), Mana Burst(Water), Clairvoyance, Revelation, Mind’s Eye(True), Mind’s Eye(False), Instinct, Monstrous Strength, Self-Evolution, Accel Turn, Battle Continuation, Independent Action, True Name Discernment, Pioneer of the Stars, Protection from Arrows, Valor, Counter Hero, Determination of Steel, Poisonproof, Reduced Earth, Furthest Earth, Shapeshift, Eternal Arms Mastery, Independent Action, Self-Replenishment(Mana), Galvanism, Beast Enhancement. Skill after skill after skill was used in order to keep up with the engine of destruction that was Archer.

Scáthach’s heart raced faster than it had in many years and many summonings. She was having her greatest desire become reality without needing the Grail or any other wish granter. Thanks to using True Name Discernment, Scáthach knew she was fighting Heracles the most legendary and revered of all heroes and he more than matched his reputation. His every movement was calculated and precise yet his power was like a raging typhoon that made Scáthach feel like a speck of dust while in his presence. The thrill of fighting such a combatant was a dream for a combat loving woman like Scáthach. She desired little more than the tingle she got when she was forced to fight with all she had and push her limits; her body screaming at her to give up and images of her own demise flickering in her mind so rapidly it could give someone a seizure. Each choice she made, every tactic conjured, every prediction she made, they all made her feel light like a child prancing about to a cheery tune. Heracles was one of the strongest opponents the queen had ever encountered and was more than capable of killing her if she wasn’t careful. He could be the courageous hero that would take Scáthach’s life and finally bring her the end she yearned for.

But she wasn’t going to go down until she had the fight of her life. She hadn’t heard enough of the melodious clangs of weapon against weapon; the rapturous sensation of narrowly evading an attack that would guarantee certain death if she had dodged a second too late. She wanted to go down in a blaze of glory that would eclipse all previous battles in her entire life and would become the perfect resolution to her story.

Building sized hunks of stone were cast at the queen by the giant which she dealt with using simple slashes and stabs. Hercules dug into the land as she did and reappeared under Scáthach, destroying most of the mountain he erupted from in the process. Clairvoyance, Instinct, Revelation, and both Mind’s Eye(True) and Mind’s Eye(Fake) allowed Scáthach to see through the attempt at surprise and avoid Heracles’ slash that gouged a chunk out of the air. The vacuum created pulled the queen back at the giant but his next slashed was avoided once more thanks to the Accel Turn skill. Scáthach just got sucked back in afterward and so Scáthach used a tactic she remembered Bazett using against her when they first sparred. Instead of trying to escape, the queen flew towards Heracles to get in so close that the Archer wouldn’t be able to properly fight back in time to avoid the spear that stabbed right through his chest and only barely missed his heart. Heracles grabbed Scáthach by the head before she could activate a Mana Burst and end things. The queen felt the grip of the giant nearly shatter her skull entirely and when she tried to slice off the limb that held her, she had already been thrown down towards the land below. Her body was a drill that displaced hundreds if not thousands of tons of earth as it burrowed into the ground and created a gargantuan pit.

“Ansuz!” Scáthach used a rune to create a blast of fire that she amplified with Mana Burst(Flame) to generate an infernal stream that looked like a volcanic discharge when it rose out of the pit. In what must have been less than one-one thousandth of a nanosecond, Heracles readied his bow and fired an arrow powerful enough to bore right through the flames and utterly annihilate them before reaching Scáthach and forcing her to use all her strength to deflect the bolt. The shot slammed into the side of the pit the queen was in and caused the entire chasm to collapse in on itself. Scáthach summoned multiple spears that were all roaring with red magical energy. The series of spears all flew upwards and eradicated the incoming debris before all targeting the still airborne Heracles.

It wasn’t a surprise when the giant knocked away every spear with just a couple of swings but the red weapons just shifted vectors and headed back for Heracles again and would continue to do so without rest. The Archer finally began falling down as he continued knocking away the replica Gáe Bolgs with with his axe-sword. As Heracles descended, Scáthach ascended while drawing as many death runes as she could which all infused themselves into her two main spears.

The two fighters reached the same plane right at the entrance to the pit and both attacked at the exact same time. Red spears smashed against a sword of stone and the air became so wild that multiple tornadoes formed all across the mountain range. Scáthach angled her spears so they slid across the edge of the giant blade with the tips heading for Heracles. As sparks flew from the weapons grinding against each other, the two spears managed to slightly penetrate the dark flesh of the demigod and inject the deathly power the runes held into Heracles and his Spirit Core.

The spiritual base of Heracles’ being fluctuated as it was assaulted by the concept of death. The Core had already been hit with this curse before and so it was weakened and primed for getting destroyed by a second assault.

That’s what happened. Heracles’ Spirit Core fractured and the giant became motionless.

Heracles was dead. The vacant body of Archer class Servant dropped into the pit while Scáthach shot fire from her heels to fly over to and land at the hole’s edge.

“Marvelous. That battle made this whole summoning more than worth it.” Scáthach ran a hand through her hair. Her breathing was heavy from both exertion and exhilaration. Her muscles all throbbed as the queen understood that if she tried to sit down, she probably wouldn’t be able to stand back up. There was not a single part of Scáthach’s body that didn’t ache which brought her pleasure as if she were a masochist. “A little disappointing that it ended so quickly, but I can’t be greedy when I was lucky enough to face Heracles himself. I do wish I got to see more of what he was capable of.” The true disappointment was that Scáthach had won instead of receiving her life’s finale at the hand of the ultimate hero. If even Heracles himself wasn’t capable of bringing down the queen of the Land of Shadows, then who else in the war possibly could? King Arthur might have been able to at full strength which was no longer possible unless Scáthach destroyed all the spears that gave her unhealing wounds. It had to have been Heracles, there was nobody else up to the task.

Scáthach realized she still might get her wish when her various foresight granting skills revealed a future where Heracles jumped out of the hole and cleaved her in two. Accel Turn was activated as the giant did as was predicted, the queen avoiding the hulking axe-sword by a hair’s breadth. Sadly, Heracles had caught on to Scáthach’s future sight and so he figured out the simple countermeasure of predicting how the queen would dodge to know where to preemptively target next.

A fist tore apart the right side of Scáthach’s face. Bits of skin and bone scattered as the queen's right eye had exploded into a gush of scarlet. It became difficult to think as Scáthach’s mind failed to process the amount of pain the punch had induced. Everything had gone white but Scáthach still knew what was happening as Heracles grabbed the woman by the head and swung his sword at her again to break her body into chunks.

Self-Modification and Shapeshift allowed Scáthach to shrink her head a little so it could slip out of the giant’s hand. The queen drew a rune on her face to begin healing it while avoiding the newest slash by releasing more flames from her feet. As she rocket off, Heracles’ slash created another vacuum to suck the queen back in but this was to Scáthach’s advantage. Like before, Scáthach moved in to the pull and even used Reduced Earth to immediately get so close to Archer that he had no space to act before she drew a death rune and fire rune on his chest. The death curse damaged the hero’s Spirit Core again while the fire rune shot flames that propelled the giant away from Scáthach so she had a microsecond to think.

The most pressing issue was how Heracles had come back to life after having his Spirit Core completely destroyed. It wasn’t as if he was still fighting without a Spirit Core like with Battle Continuation and Scáthach knew for certain that the giant’s Core was eradicated earlier.

The only explanation was that Heracles had a skill or Noble Phantasm that allowed him to revive. The limits of the ability still weren’t clear, though it was likely a Noble Phantasm if it allowed for resurrection after Archer’s Spirit Core was gone.

The next question was where to go from here. The death rune tactic wouldn’t work again since it required directly injecting the curse to achieve the full effect on a demigod beyond demigods like Heracles and Scáthach’s spears couldn’t do any more than barely piece the hero’s skin at this point. The dark titan had become resistant to every material attack Scáthach used to the point of being functionally immune to them. Heracles was unmoved by the various elements Scáthach created and every kind of rune Scáthach had that didn’t target the Spirit Core failed to induce any significant effect on the giant. He possessed a Noble Phantasm that not only allowed him to resurrect but also amplified his regeneration and granted him extremely potent resistance to anything that harmed him. It even seemed to be giving his defense a boost overall as Scáthach constantly had to magnify her attacks with runes in order to do any damage.

But the wounds from Gáe Bolg Alternative weren’t healing despite Heracles’ Noble Phantasm reviving him and it took him far longer to become immune to the red spears’ stabs and slices as compared to Scáthach’s other attacks. Gáe Bolg Alternative’s creation of non-healing wounds was actively interfering with Heracles’ Noble Phantasm which meant the crimson polearms were Scáthach’s key to victory. If Heracles was killed by the queen’s spears, he would stay dead.

Scáthach’s face had regenerated for the most part and Heracles was soaring through the air towards the Lancer once more. Scáthach was about to charge at the Archer and use one of her Noble Phantasms but then her Clairvoyance told her how that would work out. The answer was poorly as her spear would plink off of Heracles’ skin and the queen would get turned to liquid from an axe-sword slash.

Why? Gáe Bolg Alternative was a B rank Noble Phantasm which was far stronger than any of Scáthach’s previous attacks, including the ones that successfully harmed Heracles. That meant that the attack failed for reasons irrelevant to raw power and likely related to how the giant’s defensive Noble Phantasm worked. Perhaps the kind of attack Gáe Bolg happened to be was a type of technique that the hero was immune to. The other possibility was that Heracles’ defense was related to the official rank of the attack. Any attack below A rank that Scáthach had used failed to harm Heracles which Scáthach originally perceived as being because the hero was just really tough. But if it was based on rank then that would explain Gáe Bolg Alternative’s failure since it is officially listed as B which means it doesn’t meet the standard of being at least A rank.

Runes were drawn and infused into the two spears that made up Gáe Bolg Alternative. This ascended the polearms to A rank while Scáthach looked into the future to see if the attack would work now. The smile on the queen’s face should have been all that was needed to know the foreseen result was satisfactory.

The jets coming Scáthach’s heels flared up and the queen shot towards the dark giant to meet him head on. Her grip on the two crimson spears tightened as they both flared with magical energy and she prepared to activate their true power.

The distance became zero in a nano-instant as both fighters readied their weapons to strike but it was Heracles who struck first. The giant blade crashed into one of Scáthach’s spears but failed to breach the defense it provided. The other implement of impalement thrust forward and reached the abdomen of the giant. The collision was so grand that the shockwave produced caused the ground below to move in waves like a raging sea as any meaning in solidity was abandoned. The spear fired from Scáthach’s hand as it ran through Heracles’ gut and buried itself in his organs. The demigod was sent flying away from Scáthach in a flash as the spear remained firmly nestled in his torso. Then the hero’s flight stopped suddenly as the very space around him was sewn to him by the red pike’s power. His entire body was paralyzed as his entire form was one with the fundamental structure of the existence surrounding him.

Scáthach descended from the sky and firmly planted her feet into the ground as she took a wide stance. Her remaining spear was reared back to be thrown and it was encased in more of the sanguine magical power than ever before to the point that it looked as if it was twice its normal length. The atmosphere around the queen rippled and distorted while stones rose up from the ground before breaking down at the subatomic level. The arm that held the spear bulged and became more muscular as it flexed to the extreme. Every fiber of the woman’s body became simultaneously dense with power yet also loose and ready to move at top speed at a moment’s notice. The mountains quaked down to the bedrock and red lighting which turned anything shocked to nothing shot out in random directions from the energized spear.

The monarch of the Land of Shadows felt her hair whip about and her soul scream in elation as she was about to unload her signature technique. Her aim was as perfect as any Archer’s and the magical energy her spear contained was great enough to slay a Divine Spirit with one touch. The high Scáthach was overcome which made her feel like she could break the Earth in half if she wanted. She experienced a sense of power that was different from that of when she taught her students or fought against most enemies. Those occasions made her feel like an invincible individual in a world made of glass living a life of minor delights at most, but to fight against one such Heracles and be forced to use all she had made her feel every ounce of her own strength and somehow be able create more where there previously was none. She was an engine that generated energy that was dedicated purely to this fight, for the sake of its existence because such a spectacular event deserved no less than the best-the most.

The arms of the stoic giant began to move despite his entire body having been welded to space itself. His strength was so great that he could keep moving though he was still suspended in the air which meant he couldn’t avoid the next spear. Heracles released his axe-sword and reached for his Bow of the Hydra for a counter attack. He was definitely going to use a Noble Phantasm of his own so Scáthach’s smartest option would be to throw her spear immediately before the giant could strike back. He was getting slowed by the space that was fused to him so Scáthach had plenty of time but she couldn’t help but stay her hand until Heracles was ready. Scáthach’s lust for a challenge demanded she see what this Archer of Archers was capable of when his back was against the wall. She would either overcome a legendary technique from someone who was certainly a candidate for Grand Archer or she would have the honor of dying in a glorious manner.

As Heracles pulled his bowstring back with nine arrows that were each as long as Gáe Bolg, it was undeniable that this was a Noble Phantasm that was a sublimation of the hero’s skill as a warrior. Scáthach had among the most discerning of eyes when it came to both character and capability. She knew potential when she saw it and that was why she became a teacher of others and it was why Scáthach was one of the few who could fully appreciate Heracles’ skill. Just viewing how that demigod nocked those nine arrows was enough for the queen to understand just how amazing what would come next would be. If she were a more emotive person then a tear may have come to her eye from the excellence of Heracles’ every movement. A feat of archery that was worthy of being called godly was mere moments away as Scáthach readied herself to launch her energy coated spear.

With a peal like a thunderclap, Scáthach’s upper body twisted while her arm whipped forward with her full strength and and her fingers released their hold on the mighty spear. “Gáe Bolg Alternative!” The queen’s arm was nearly turned into mincemeat from the force of her own javelin toss so she had to use a rune to begin healing it as soon as Gáe Bolg left her hand. The sound barrier was broken immediately and the crimson spear looked like a beam as it drew a blood colored line through the sky and carried destructive power enough to eliminate almost anything unfortunate enough to be in its path. Once again space was warped by the spear and it moved so fast that it was impossible for any but the fastest of beings to avoid it and any attempt to block the cursed warhead was an absurd demonstration of futility. Gáe Bolg Alternative promised death not because it altered causality like how Setanta did with his Gáe Bolg, but simply because the parameters of this attack were too absurd to overcome.

Though maybe not too absurd for the likes of the legendary Heracles. “Nine Lives.” The Archer’s fingers pulled back and the nine arrows stopped being mere arrows as they began traveling through the air. They became lasers that were shaped like serpentine dragons like the many heads of the Lernean Hydra that Heracles slew. Each draconian trajectile moved with its own unique path at speeds matching the cursed spear. All nine of the lasers were shot with an exactness that could only be born from a lifetime of tireless training along with a unique talent for combat. They all served a purpose without any thoughtlessness or waste put into their use. At first it appeared that the nine arrows would hit Gáe Bolg Alternative head on even though that wouldn’t be enough to completely stop the cursed spear but then the dragons all swerved and grazed the spear at its side. They didn’t hit it directly but they all scraped past it at the same spot simultaneously which was just enough to knock the crimson warhead slightly off its path. As the two Noble Phantasms finished passing each other and towards their targets, it was clear that Gáe Bolg Alternative hadn’t been diverted too much and so it would still hit and kill Heracles if nothing was done. Heracles anticipated this as four of the arrows did a u-turn and headed for where Gáe Bolg was about to be, which was right in front of Archer. Before the cursed spear hit its mark the four arrows hit it directly at the side again. Gáe Bolg Alternative is meant to be an infallible offensive but this Nine Lives technique Heracles used was meant to be a counter able to handle any situation. Two contradictory absolutes were forced to encounter each other and thus a paradox was born. What happens when a spear that can pierce any shield hits a shield that can’t be pierced? The answer is that one or both items are proved to be less immutable than they are claimed to be.

Gáe Bolg Alternative was torn from its proper course from the four dragons pressing into it. It missed Heracles but it was right before it could soar far away when the energy inside the cursed armament was released in a spherical explosion. The land below began cracking apart and an earthquake was generated. The blast was akin to an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm despite being officially labeled as Anti-Unit. Countries the likes of Japan could be wiped off the map if the magical energy expanded into a wider conflagration rather than being as focused as it was. The crimson spear was right next to the Archer when it unleashed its detonation so there was no way for the hero to dodge. His whole body was caught in it so he would definitely die but there was the issue of him not getting hit by Gáe Bolg Alternative itself. The curse that created wounds that couldn’t fully heal was in the physical spear so if this explosion didn’t kill Heracles for good with raw power, then he’d be able to revive and regenerate like normal.

Whilst the Archer was enduring the great explosion, Scáthach had to deal with the remaining five dragon lasers that were each aimed at a different one of the queen’s bodily areas. Head, torso, right arm, left arm, and legs. Scáthach couldn’t suppress a giggle as she saw the shadow of death looming in the corner of her eye. Starting with analysis, Clairvoyance, Instinct, Mind’s Eye(True), Mind’s Eye(False), and Revelation were all used in tandem to predict the exact paths which these draconian arrows were following. Next was defense as a cubical barrier was formed from runic magecraft that was capable of blocking Noble Phantasms. Not enough, she needed more. Multiple copies of Gáe Bolg Alternative appeared and lined up to form a palisade within the rune shield. Next a sphere of water formed around the queen thanks to Mana Burst(Water) which was followed by two other spheres of fire and electricity courtesy of Mana Burst(Flame) and Mana Burst(Lightning). Each layer of protection was formed so their power would be focused right where the lasers would hit them to maximize the defensive potential. But not a single one could stop the dragons as they just plowed right through every line of defense as if they were made of paper and glass. The Gáe Bolgs were the only things that stayed intact and even then they were knocked away by the five projectiles. The lasers were slowed a bit though-weakened just a touch. Scáthach used every strength enhancement skill and every Mana Burst available to her to amplify her strength and wreathe two newly summoned crimson spears in a rainbow of substances. Protection from Arrows activated as Scáthach struck at the sides of the dragons aiming to decimate her with all the might she could muster to try and throw them off course. Each of her strikes was akin to a Noble Phantasm in power but they only served to barely throw off the paths of the lasers, but it was still better than nothing. There was increased space between the arrows thanks to Scáthach’s attempt at deflecting which the queen might just have been able to fit through to avoid certain death. Accel Turn and Furthest Earth partnered together to allow Scáthach to reposition her body with maximum efficiency to try and avoid the five dragons, but she was still in their paths and they were mere micrometers away from touching her. Self-Evolution and Shapeshift kicked in to allow Scáthach to reshape her body to be thin enough that she would avoid touching two of the beams by virtue of having less surface area. As for the last three, it was time for simple defense once again. Mana Burst(Courage) and some more restructuring with Self-Evolution and Shapeshift amplified the queen’s physical durability, as did a collage of other defense oriented skills. It was time to take the arrows to her flesh and when she did she immediately activated Pioneer of the Stars and every other probability altering skill she had on instinct because she would have been ripped to pieces otherwise. One beam ate through Scáthach’s left arm so quickly that the queen didn’t actually feel anything. It was like she never had a left arm in the first palace thanks to how thoroughly it had been broken down to its most fundamental level. The second arrow did the same to Scáthach’s left leg while the third arrow grazed the side of the queen’s right hip, mangling it and most of the queen’s pelvis while breaking off her right leg. The damage was severe and would likely take a long while to heal even with runes which was acceptable considering Scáthach was still alive, partly thanks to her status as an immortal. Most Servants probably would have died from this level of damage even if their Spirit Core was intact.

The sudden loss of so much of her body was still a staggering experience to undergo. The queen felt like she was resting atop a cloud, probably from having survived such a dangerous assault. Scáthach was in the afterglow of such a pleasurable and intense exchange, but she was awoken from her haze when she felt a coolness tracing across her skin.

She focused her vision and found she was being pulled through the air by the movement of the atmosphere itself. The explosion Gáe Bolg Alternative generated had finished and a vacuum was left in its place. The surrounding air was rushing in to fill the gap and it pulled Scáthach and much of the rubble in the area along with it.

At the center of the vacuum was a corpse that was coming back to life. Heracles had survived and was slowly regrowing his body from his sludge-like upper body that remained after the blast. He wasn’t fully restored yet so this was Scáthach’s chance to land the finishing blow with her spear. The Gáe Bolg Alternative she threw darted through the air at unnatural angles and returned to her hand as she kept being pulled towards the Archer. To speed up the process, the queen shot flames from her back to propel her and combined Furthest Earth and Reduced Earth to move so fast it was like she was teleporting while having no surface to run across-or legs to run with for that matter. Scáthach’s body became a burning arrow with her spear as the tip as she aimed for the heart of the dark giant.

But a vision from Clairvoyance told Scáthach that the two lasers she completely evaded earlier were circling back for her. Heracles must have predicted that the queen would make a beeline for him to finish him off if she survived and fired the arrows with the curve necessary to double back and hit her on her way to him. He had also led the shot as the dragons were going to enter her path and cut her off which forced her to shift her vector using her fire to suddenly turn out of the way. Whiplash hit the queen like a dump truck and nearly broke her in two, but she managed to avoid getting shot again.

There was no way that Scáthach would reach the demigod in time before he finished regenerating. This wasn’t helped by the fact that she was running on fumes which was demonstrated by the rough landing she made after she dodged, her body skidding and rolling across the ground before stopping when she hit a large rock.

Scáthach’s body sat against the boulder as she felt the pain from her wounds finally reach her brain. Her will prevented her from submitting to the pain and screaming or passing out, but she did struggle to focus on her surroundings or anything at all. Sharp breaths passed through the Lancer’s teeth as she regained awareness of what was nearby just in time to see Heracles standing in front of her with his axe-sword in hand. It looked like death was near.

“You managed to take away seven lives from me with that attack despite it not hitting me directly. I commend your strength, Lancer. I can think of few who are anywhere near you in terms of skill and I can’t help but admit that I felt twinges of joy within me as I fought you. You made battle seem like an art form. Perhaps it is.”

“You were also a worthy foe; the worthiest.” Scáthach rasped. “You are the ideal of heroism that I’ve always sought throughout my life. Even now I fantasize about what it would have been like to have been your mentor. My skills would have been in good hands if I passed them on to you. Then again, making you any stronger than you already are could be considered egregious.”

“I’m sure you would have been a teacher on par with Chiron.”

“How sweet of you to say.”

“I am merely being honest.”

“I appreciate your candor. If you are being so open at the moment, then I have a question. You said I took away seven of your lives? I assume that is due to your Noble Phantasm, but how many lives do you have in total? I’d like to know how far I got.”

“I have twelve lives as a reward for the twelve labors I completed. You took out eight with the death curses and your spear’s explosion.”

“Only four lives left then. If only I had a bit more strength somewhere inside me.” Scáthach leaned her head back in resignation. I’m surprised that you actually told me the mechanics of your Noble Phantasm despite the potential risk doing so creates.”

“You will die in a few moments so there is no reason to be insincere. I want to honor a great warrior.”

“What a gentleman.”

“Do you have any last words, any final requests?”

“Last words? None in particular. I can’t think of any requests either besides wanting to die by your blade rather than anyone else's. It’s an honor to die by a worthy hero’s weapon.”

“In that case, I shall use my bow for it is my greatest armament.” The kind giant grabbed his Bow of the Hydra and readied an arrow aimed directly for the queen’s heart. “May I know your name before I end this? I’d like to have a name to put to your face and your skills.”

“Scáthach, queen of the Land of Shadows and mentor of Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad among many others.”

“It was an honor to face you, Queen Scáthach.”

“And it was an honor facing you, Heracles.”

Finally, the end she so desired. Scáthach would die by the arrow of the most legendary of all heroes who she managed to steal away eight lives from. That was a feat that few could claim to have achieved and the fight itself was a joy among joys. Now Scáthach could rest after a lifetime that had gone on for far too long and without proper companionship of any kind since Setanta lost his life. So many years alone just ruling a land of the dead for no real reason other than because it was what she had to do and because she had nothing else to pass the time doing. Her very existence was a meandering malaise occasionally dotted by bemusing moments that passed as quickly as one’s eyes drifted past punctuation marks in a sentence. It was torture of its own kind, but one so mellow that she could never complain about it without seeming selfish and unappreciative of all she had and how little she had lost when compared to others including her own students. She was a ghost that needed to be exercised and now Heracles would be the holy man to do so after all this time. Death’s sweet kiss would finally be Scáthach’s. Finally and after a wondrous duel the likes of which she had never had the pleasure of knowing previously. Scáthach had nothing to complain about as this was all she could ever ask for.

Then why didn’t she feel satisfied? Why was there this nagging discomfort that sat at the backside of her brain like an uncomfortable itch she couldn’t scratch no matter what she did. This should have been the beautiful finale of her life that would eclipse all that came before, but instead Scáthach could only try and ignore the thing at the back of her mind. What was it and why wouldn’t it go away or be ignored? Every time she tried to focus on the moment she kept getting sucked away as if she had a poor attention span and all because of that itch. It had to have been some kind of regret, but Scáthach couldn’t figure out what she could be regretting. She was never the type to get hung up on the past so it couldn’t have been something like Setanta or Ferdiad’s passing. It had to have been something recent, a new inner conflict that she hadn’t had the time yet to ponder and resolve on her own. If that was the case then it was likely about something that happened after she was summoned to this Holy Grail War.

It was obvious what it was in that case. This itch was because of Bazett Fraga McRemitz, her Master who disagreed with Scáthach’s desire for death and would likely be disheartened upon her passing. Bazett was hard in exterior but as soft as they came on the inside. She had come to be so attached to Scáthach after only knowing each other for a short time which likely stemmed from feelings of neglect that had festered throughout her life. She was such a poor young woman who needed to learn to love herself, but she likely never would without some help. If that help didn’t come from Scáthach, then where? Bazett truly was helpless it seemed. Plus, if Scáthach died, then Bazett would be defenseless as other Masters and their Servants tried to kill her to remove her from the complex equation that was the Holy Grail War. All this considered, it was Scáthach’s moral obligation to survive so she could help her Master until the war’s climax. And maybe there was another reason for why Scáthach needed to live that related to Bazett. Perhaps something about the young Master appealed to the queen. Her courage? Her strength? Her kindness? Who’s to say? Maybe Scáthach just liked her because she was cute. Maybe Scáthach wanted to help her on a whim. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. How did Scáthach have such a skill at reading the emotions of others but not her own? It was truly vexing.

No matter the reason, it was time to live.

Flames roared around the entirety of Scáthach’s body as she shot away like a rocket and left Heracles’ arrow to stab into the earth and cause the ground to move like water again. The queen wanted to apologize to the hero for essentially lying, but she had to focus on surviving at the moment. Sphere Boundary(Extreme), Presence Concealment, and Disengage all activated to make Scáthach as hidden as she could be despite flying around with flames. Even the intuition of Heracles wouldn’t be able to find the queen, yet he was undeterred.

Heracles began a new flood of arrows that rose high into the night sky before raining back down all over the mountain range surrounding Fuyuki. Such an attack was akin to a meteor shower that would leave no place for Scáthach to hide and if she used Protection from Arrows to defend, the arrows getting knocked around by an invisible individual would give her position away. It may have seemed like a brute force method, but this tactic was actually spectacularly well thought out. Thankfully, there was enough space that the Lancer could snake her way through the forest of projectiles despite moving at hypersonic speeds. The bolts pockmarked the land and turned it into a trypophobic’s nightmare as it began to resemble a beehive due to all the holes.

Scáthach used most of her brain to dodge while she used the rest to plan her next move. In a bit of painful hindsight, Scáthach remembered she could use a spell called Ochd Deug Odin that would have been the perfect counter to Archer’s abilities. It rained down destruction and nullified any continuously active abilities which would have made Heracles’ extra lives null and void. It was perfect in theory, but it was too late to use. It was a Noble Phantasm tier spell that would actually be one of Scáthach’s Noble Phantasms if she was a Caster, but she could still cast it as a Lancer. The caveat was that casting Ochd Deug Odin while as a Lancer cost more magical energy than even a Noble Phantasm and the queen was too drained to pay the cost, even as she used mana gathering skills to replenish her reserves. If Scáthach was more focused on winning than having a good time, then she would have realized the utility of this spell for taking out Heracles and would have used it before it was too late.

No use dwelling on the past, she needed a solution. There was a way to solve this in the form of Scáthach’s other Noble Phantasm, but it took too long to cast for her to use it while the arrows were striking down like lightning bolts from God. She needed to halt Archer’s attack briefly-just an instant-and she could activate her Gate of Skye and potentially get rid of Heracles. She could make a barrier which would alert Heracles to her position and he’d head straight for her. She’d have to pray that her shield held strong for long enough for her Noble Phantasm to fully initiate.

Drawing some runes, Scáthach made a cube shaped shield appear around herself as she then cried out “Gate of Skye!”

Clouds gathered from beyond the horizon and formed a rotating mass from which a tremendous gate slowly descended. Its image gave off a grim sensation as its surface was stained with death, not as in blood or viscera, but as in the very idea of death itself. It looked so cold that one might imagine their entire body freezing to absolute zero and disintegrating just by touching the structure. It was something that felt eldritch in how much it didn’t belong in the realm of mankind or any land where the living still roamed. If this worked out, the doorway would suck in Heracles and trap him in the Land of Shadows with no way to return and even if that didn’t happen, the queen could escape through the door and live to fight another day. She could leave anytime she wanted since she could summon the gate again since she was a Servant.

The queen was stuck in place while Heracles made a mad dash at her with his blade ready to slice through the barrier. He wasn’t playing around as his grip tightened around his weapon and readied himself to use his Nine Lives once more but as a swordsmanship technique this time. Both the shield and Scáthach would be ruined if they got hit by a single one of the giant’s swings.

The giant doorway fully appeared and its doors began to open and give a glimpse into the Land of Shadows that Scáthach ruled.

Heracles was right next to the box that Scáthach hid within. This was going to be close.

The doors kept spreading wider apart and a suction began to develop.

The demigod moved his arms into a proper swordsmanship position as he readied himself to use the apex of his swordsmanship.

The pull of the Land of Shadows grew stronger. Rubble was beginning to be drawn into the gravity of the kingdom where the dead roamed freely.

The giant’s body twisted and his arm swung and the first slash of Nine Lives was born and it was beautiful. Not a single wasted movement and it sliced through any matter around it like how a normal human moves through the air. There was no resistance as it cut through the barrier and continued its smooth march towards Scáthach’s torso.

Heracles missed her. The weapon of stone whizzed above the queen’s head and completely, utterly, and undeniably missed the demigod’s intended target. The suction that the Gate of Skye was creating pulled Heracles upward and caused him to miss at the very last moment.

Only the slightest glance at the other side of the doorway was enough to alert Heracles to the danger of getting pulled in. He stabbed his axe-sword into the ground and gripped the dirt with his toes. He felt himself still getting pulled in and so he grasped the ground with his free hand as well. His strength was great enough that he could theoretically overpower the suction, but the land that he grasped was not so unyielding. The soil and rock broke apart and got dragged past the gate’s doors but Heracles always grasped onto something else and kept on resisting.

The Gate of Skye did a check on either the target’s Luck or Mana to determine if they would successfully avoid getting dragged through the doorway and Heracles had the parameters to survive. That didn’t mean that the Gate of Skye didn’t have a ‘consolation prize’ for those that stayed outside the Land of Shadows until the end. Heracles’ magical energy was getting sapped in truly gargantuan amounts and the giant's flesh was getting torn apart by the vacuum the doorway created. Heracles wouldn’t get out of this unscathed and that was if Scáthach did nothing further for the moment.

Scáthach was right next to the Archer who was preoccupied with staying planted in the ground and was having his mana gulped down by the Land of Shadows. He was getting weaker by the second and he was a perfect target for a spear thrust through the heart.

An inferno sprayed from the back end of the crimson spear Scáthach held to push it forward as fast as possible as the queen stabbed right for Heracles with the precision of a sniper. She screamed out with a passion uncommon for her to feel as she wanted nothing more at the moment than to kill the hero who was an obstacle to her survival.

The head of the giant turned to look right at Scáthach, yet the rest of his body remained focused only on clutching the earth below him. Surely he couldn’t stop the queen’s attack with his cranium alone, could he? Such a maneuver might be possible against a weaker foe, but Scáthach was a warrior of the highest caliber who heroes came to in order to become stronger. However, Scáthach had been weakened far more than the demigod and Heracles was a hero so great he defined heroism as a concept. He was a man so splendorous that just a word could split the land if he so wished it as if commanding reality to bend itself to his will.

Air was sucked into the lungs of the Archer before he released it in a roar infused with magical energy that resembled a beam attack. The queen of the Land of Shadows used Galvanism to absorb the attack, yet the bellow was so loud and so intense that it still blew her away while making her ears ring and the fluids in her body boil.

Scáthach’s body dragged across the ground before coming to a stop while the inhalation of the Gate of Skye ended with the dark giant still in the land of the living. He did have a wounded body and a deficit of mana; however that was not enough to fell the hero. He rose to his feet while the Lancer was splayed across the dirt with nary an ounce of strength to keep fighting left nor to run. She had the will to go on but not the fuel.

This was really how it ended even after Scáthach’s final push to try and live for the sake of her Master. Her burst of resolve didn’t gift her a success like it would have in a story. She should have at least been proud to know she truly gave it her all to win, but that wasn’t how she saw things. To the keen eyes of the queen, her actions were a failure that had no more value than no attempt at all as long as her failure was the result. This wasn’t an experience she’d learn from. This was a mistake that would cause her demise and the demise of Bazett. It was pathetic.

The axe-sword in Heracles’ hand was raised again as he was about to charge at Scáthach with no intent to give her another chance to escape. He had no more words to share or any interest in anything but killing the queen of the Land of Shadows.

A line of silver cut across the air parallel with the horizon and went through one of the giant's temples and came out the other. Something just shot through the demigod’s brain which made him drop like a log and hit the ground with a loud thud.

Scáthach turned to see the source of the attack only to see a panting Bazett. She had managed to arrive to support her Servant which meant she had to have been running for a while considering she was all the way at the Fuyuki Bridge the last time the two were together. She used Fragarach, the non-counter version, to kill Heracles while he was weakened and save Scáthach from certain doom. If the queen hadn’t kept fighting and just gave in as she initially intended, Bazett would have been too late.

Bazett ran towards Scáthach with no concern for the devastated area around her. She truly was the model of courage. She had a pure heart hidden behind walls of insecurity and self-loathing that kept her from her true, immaculate potential. She was a diamond that was begging to be polished by a master jeweler and that jeweler could have been Scáthach if only she allowed herself to be. Why didn’t she let herself train Bazett, open up to her, be close to her like she hadn’t been with anyone in a long time? Because this wasn’t her era? Because she was going to disappear anyway? Because she didn’t know how to connect to others anymore? Because she was afraid of things ending in tragedy? Like with Ferdiad? With Setanta? With everyone in her life? Was she really just scared despite all her power and experience? Perhaps her solitude had broken her down more than she realized.

The body of Heracles twitched as it began to regenerate once again. Scáthach and her Master had to get out of there as soon as possible or they’d get slaughtered. Even if the giant was down to three lives, he was still lightyears beyond what a near-dead Scáthach and a Primordial Rune boosted Bazett could handle together. As for actual methods of escape, there was only one left that would be fast enough.

Bazett was shocked when she got close enough to see just how decimated Scáthach’s physical form had been. “Lancer, are yo-”

“No time!” Scáthach looked at the Gate of Skye that still hung above with its doors agape. “Take me and jump through the doors! We’re escaping to the Land of Shadows!”

“What, but we can’t come back if we do!”

“Normally, but I’m a Servant and can summon and open the gates anytime as long as I’ve got the mana! Just do what I say!”

Bazett did as she was commanded and grabbed her Servant without sparing a glance to look at Archer reviving before jumping high into the air and through the giant doorway which closed behind them with a deep rumble.

The duo was met with the familiar gray world that had become nostalgic and painful for Scáthach to look at. Sharp rock formations were occasionally broken up by rough paths to tread across or forests of trees that were either dead or giving off an ominous gloom. There was the castle that Scáthach lived in sitting atop a precarious cliff and the everpresent clouds that held steadfast against the light from above.

“This is the Land of Shadows?” Bazett looked shocked. She couldn’t imagine that Scáthach could live in such a dour realm without going mad. Her mistake was in thinking that Scáthach wasn’t mad. To be fair, she might have been mad long before her solitude in this reality.

“After being cut off from the World I never expected to have guests and I certainly didn’t expect one of them to be myself.”

Scáthach and Bazett saw a woman who looked just like the queen of the Land of Shadows, because she was. The Lancer Servant known as Scáthach was a recording of the original from when history was incinerated. Now that Proper Human History had been restored, the still living Scáthach was back, too. And so the Servant Scáthach was presented with her living self.

All the while, Bazett was dumbfounded. It was cute, Scáthach supposed. Bazett was pleasant all around and was more than worthy of becoming the queen’s student. Perhaps she would begin teaching her Master a thing or two while she healed. Perhaps with the help of the living Scáthach. Perhaps.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 15: Interlude: Human Morality

“To conclude, last night there were city wide earthquakes, a sudden hurricane that dispersed the clouds across multiple provinces, the Fuyuki River has been contaminated with an unknown toxin, multiple buildings across the city, including the iconic Center Building, have been destroyed or have disappeared completely for unknown reasons, the Fuyuki Bridge collapsed, numerous civilians have reported flashes of light across the sky, many of the mountains surrounding Fuyuki have crumbled, the Riverside Park has been replaced with a wasteland, and sounds of metal clanging and explosions could be heard for kilometers. All these bizarre occurrences are yet to be explained and city officials are still investigating, but they suspect some kind of natural disaster is the cause. Much speculation on the internet has made comparisons to the Tunguska Event due to the similar inexplicability. Many are worried over how the city will recover from this and whether more of these strange events will occur tonight as well. Relief efforts are underway while many conspiracy theorists and ufologists have come to Fuyuki to do their own investigations. Not just the eyes of Japan, but of everyone in the world are on Fuyuki right now.”

Kirei pinched his nose at the staggering amount of stress he was under. He shut off the television in his office and leaned back in his chair as far as he could. There was one rule more important than any other in a Holy Grail War and that was to keep the war a secret from the general populace. It couldn’t have been that hard of a rule to follow considering magi kept mystics secret for their entire lives and the Holy Grail War, for all its pomp and circumstance, was just a single battle royale that occurred over a brief period.

Instead of being stealthy, the Masters and Servants of the Fifth Holy Grail War have generated the most blatant display of mystics in the modern era. The Holy Church and Mage’s Association must have been deeply chagrined about this so it wouldn’t take long before Kirei would start to get complaints. Certain cadres may have been planning to use this as their way to muscle into the war and confiscate the Greater Grail, so Kirei had to take immediate action.

First thing would be to send a message to all the Masters that Kirei could contact letting them know that this behavior would not be acceptable. If any Master or Servant continued making blatant displays of the supernatural, then all other Masters and Servants would be ordered to eliminate the offending faction with a Command Spell being gifted to whoever takes out the target as an incentive. It was the same tactic used to deal with Caster in the Fourth War when he became blight and while it ended poorly for Kirei’s father, Kirei himself would be far more cautious when it came to handing off the Command Spell.

As an extra incentive to remain secretive, Kirei would threaten that if the war didn’t become less noticeable to the general public, then the entire ritual would have to be scrapped with no Master receiving the Grail. That would scare everyone into behaving for the time being while Kirei dealt with the onrushing lividity and scheming of the Holy Church and Mage’s Association. That assumed that one or more of the Master-Servant teams weren’t rudderlessly doing as they pleased without interest in actually winning the war.

If only the chaos of the previous night was the only issue that had to be addressed, then perhaps Kirei would have been able to maintain a level of inner peace. One sticking point that Kirei had been keeping to himself was that there wasn’t the normal number of Master-Servant teams in this Holy Grail War. Kirei knew that the Edelfelt team likely had a second Master and Servant given they did the same thing in the Third War, but that wasn’t what Kirei was concerned about. There was another faction entirely. Eight individuals reported to Kirei that they were Masters who had summoned Servants. There was an invader in this war and they either had the audacity to not try and keep their existence secret, or they didn’t even realize they weren’t supposed to be participating. The obvious way of narrowing down suspects would have been to see which two Masters had summoned Servants of the same class, but not all the Masters had reported the class of the Servants they summoned.

Rin summoned Saber, Bazett summoned Lancer, Chloe summoned Archer, and Luviagelita Edelfelt summoned Caster while her sister likely summoned a second Caster. None of the other Masters actually said which Servant they summoned and Kirei never felt the need to insist. A foolish error in hindsight. That said, it was also possible that the false Master’s Servant was summoned as one of the Extra Classes instead of the standard Knight or Cavalry classes so this method of deduction wasn’t foolproof anyway.

But there was more than one way to skin a cat and there was more than one way to find an invader. The simplest way was to use Occam’s Razor and assume that entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity. It was likely that whoever was intruding upon the war was also the one that was taking other suspicious actions. It wasn’t a definite method of deduction but it was the best lead Kirei had at the moment.

The most suspicious party who were likely the invaders were the Einzbern group with Illyasviel as the Master. They were already the ones claiming that the Grail was corrupted with no clear evidence and stated they wanted to know its location to dismantle it. They may have barged into the Holy Grail War to try and steal the Grail, though Illyasviel did possess genuine Command Spell which corroborated their legitimacy. They may have simply ‘hacked’ into the Grail somehow using their knowledge as former members of the Einzbern family to grant themselves Command Spells. Command Spells were the specialty of the Matous, not the Einzberns though. They might have also acquired unused Command Spells from previous Holy Grail Wars that previous overseers failed to reacquire. The Command Spells that Kiritsugu Emiya possessed in the Fourth War were never recovered so they could have been using those.

Researching to see if Illyasviel and Irisviel had any validity behind their claims hadn’t borne much fruit. There’s nothing that clearly proved the Grail was corrupted and the only time anything strange happened with the previous Grail Wars on record was that an Avenger class Servant was summoned instead of a Berserker during the Third Holy Grail War. That doesn’t mean much other than there is evidence that the Grail can be manipulated which bolsters the idea that one Master forced their way into the war since Avenger was summoned by altering the Servant summoning ritual. The fact that the one who summoned Avenger in the Third War was the Einzbern Master only put more suspicion on Illyasviel and her mother.

This didn’t mean there was any hard proof that the former Einzberns were doing anything nefarious. It did necessitate an investigation along with the continued investigation into the Grail’s history and if it could really have been polluted.

As the coup de grâce to the sea of stress Kirei was under, Rin had been kidnapped and Sakura was in the hospital. The worst part was that Kirei couldn’t do anything to help unless he wanted to risk his position as overseer which was already tenuous thanks to the madness of last night. Christ, Rin and Sakura didn’t even last a day before they screwed up. Rin was as accident prone as…well…Rin.

As Kirei avoided finding pleasure in imagining the pain Sakura was in or Rin being tortured by an enemy Master, he pondered whether or not there was anything he could do to help Rin and Sakura with their current plight without breaking his oath to be impartial as an overseer. The priest wanted to do the right thing, but the rub was that it was unclear what the right thing was in such a complicated scenario. Kirei always tried to do what was good and not evil, which had the difficulty of being based on a binary view of human behavior. His methodology revolved around doing whatever was the right thing to do and right now what was right wasn’t clear since Kirei had a duty to both his adoptive children to keep them safe and to preserve the rules of the Holy Grail war which multiple Masters were risking their lives to participate in. This situation was morally gray and so the simplistic philosophy that the priest defined himself with was insufficient. The way Kirei typically decided what actions were good and which were evil when he struggled was by thinking about which option in a situation brought him more joy. Since he was made happy by the depraved alone, the option that made him feel better was the wrong choice. Using his typical metric, the wrong choice would be to not help Rin and Sakura since that meant they would potentially suffer which would make him happy. Kirei knew that such a method of determining morality didn’t really fit the current situation, because if the laws of the Holy Grail War were ignored without getting punished, the ritual could descend into chaos and innocents could perish in the crossfire. Kirei was at a loss.

All of this philosophizing was flawed in its premise. Kirei had an epiphany when he thought about how mechanical he was in trying to determine right and wrong. He was trying to use a preset list of rules which wasn’t how humans really acted, only governments and systems of law. Humans were inconsistent and hypocritical and often acted on impulse or out of spite or passion. Kirei needed to live a virtuous life, but true pragmatic morality was for angels. He needed to be ethical in the human sense of the word and that meant being a hypocrite; forsaking the wellbeing of some for the sake of others who were personally favored.

Kirei was a foster father to Rin and Sakura and a father had to do all they could to protect their children. Could anyone blame Kirei for trying to help his daughters survive? Even God couldn’t have been so judgemental.

Kirei stood from his seat as he steeled his resolve to help his daughters. Now he just had to think of how he could without alerting the other Masters to his bias, since he was certainly being watched by familiars at all times. He was safe from sight within the Bounded Field of the church, but he wouldn’t be able to act feely outside without getting noticed. At the very least Kirei could call Sakura and tell her everything he knew about the other Masters and Servants. Information was power in a Holy Grail War and though he knew little about the Assassin team, he knew the identity of Assassin’s Master which would be helpful.

He could try giving Sakura Command Spells using Caren as an intermediary, but that would still require Caren entering the church to retrieve the Command Spells and she’d likely get tailed afterward by Masters who were on the suspicious side. He could do a secret hand off of the Command Spells in public actually if he isolated the Command Spells from himself which he knew how to do. He could make a Book of False Attendant to safely seal the spells so he can covertly leave them somewhere in public and have Caren pick them up. Kirei was able to create such a tome thanks to having studied the magecraft of the Matous after their dissolution. Though the Matou family had devolved over the years into scum, their magecraft could find good use someday so Kirei decided to learn as much of it as he could to preserve it. Just one Command Spell would be enough for Sakura to heal herself back up to top condition since they had so much magical energy packed into them. She could use the rest to act as Saber’s Master in place of Rin and strengthen the Servant when necessary since Saber wasn't at full capacity from what Kirei had heard.

The last gift that Kirei could give Sakura would be the location of the Greater Grail just in case it became necessary to get to the Grail. She could even try visiting it to confirm whether it was corrupted or not. Since Kirei was going to physically give Sakura a Book of False Attendant, he should write down the information he was going to relay and encode it so Sakura could have it on hand. She wasn’t in a good mental state currently so she might not have been able to remember everything if Kirei relayed the information verbally.

If felt like so little, like there had to be more that Kirei could do to help. There wasn’t in actuality, because he was still burdened with the position of overseer and if he got caught being impartial then that would paint a target on his back as well as on Rin’s, Sakura’s, and even Caren’s. He was already taking a risk in helping his daughters at all so he should have been satisfied with the small bits of assistance he could give.

The phone on Kirei’s desk made soft sounds as he picked up the receiver and tapped the buttons to call Caren. It was getting late so she had likely returned to the Hyatt to relax after spending all day with Sakura.

“Hello?” A quick response, unusually prompt since Caren usually let the phone ring for a while to annoy the caller.

“It’s me. I need to ask another favor of you.”

“No.”

“I’ll let you say cruel things to me.”

“I’m cruel to you with or without your permission.”

“Listen, this is something really important and it’s best that we do this quickly. I need you to give Sakura some things that I can’t give her myself.”

“Such as?”

“Things to help her rescue Rin and win the war.”

“My my. The ever moral and impartial father of mine has become a selfish sinner like the rest of us. What led to this change of heart? Did you finally reach that stick you had shoved a mile up your ass and pulled it out or perhaps it fell out while you were in the bathroom.”

“Enough with the vulgar parlance, young lady. I have my reasons for acting as I am at the moment and they are complex and potentially fleeting so I need your help right now. I need you to come to the tea shop in Verde. I’m going to secretly leave a package there and I need you to come pick it up and bring it to Sakura. It should contain two books. One will contain a lot of sensitive information that I’ll have encoded and the other will house Command Spells.”

“You’re giving Sakura that much help?”

“Rin is in danger and Sakura is seriously injured.” Kirei cupped his forehead. “I need to help them.”

“You’re sounding like an actual human for once and it’s weird. Did the Tinman get a heart from Oz?”

“Just head to Verde, please.”

“I can’t, I’m hanging out with a friend tonight.”

“Cancel a-wait, what?” Kirei just heard the impossible. The receiver in his hand almost slipped out of his grasp as his body nearly folded from the astronomical astonishment of Caren’s absurd statement.

“Please don’t make jokes right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“You just said you were going to spend time with a friend.”

“I did.”

“You said that.”

“Yes.”

“That statement implies you have a friend.”

“It does.”

“You don’t have friends. You tolerate other people at best, you’re not the type to make friends and you would certainly not call them such if you had them.”

“That’s the sticking point, yes, that makes sense. I made a friend while staying here at the Hyatt who I relate to. We have similar interests.”

“In cooking? Martial arts?”

“In enjoying the suffering of others. To be fair, she enjoys seeing people flustered or upset while I prefer utter turmoil and misfortune, but we’re still rather close in wavelength.”

“Of course.” On the one hand, this friend was not a good influence on Caren if they also possessed a thirst for pain in other people, but this was also the first friend Caren’s ever made and could help her learn to relate to others. “These constant surprises are bad for my heart.”

“Good.”

Kirei groaned. “Who is this friend of yours by the way? Are they a boy or a girl?”

“They’re a girl named Reiko. They’re here on vacation from another part of Japan with their brother.” Not a Master or anything. Good. She was from outside Fuyuki so they still could have been related to the war so it was best to be cautious.

“Be careful around this Reiko girl, she might be related to one of the Masters or could even be a Servant in disguise.”

“She’s normal, trust me.”

“Just be careful.”

“I will.” Kirei could practically hear Caren roll her eyes.

“Back to the salient point, I still need you to head to Verde for me.”

“Can’t we do it tomorrow?”

“It’s almost night, Servants are going to be coming out again and there’s always the chance Sakura could get attacked. I want her to at least have the extra Command Spells.”

Caren went quiet for a moment.

“Caren?”

“I’ll do it, just stop pestering me.”

“That was quick. You usually put up more of a fight.”

“I’m not in the mood for an argument. I’ll go to Verde and pick up the books and I’ll give them to Sakura. I should be able to get it done before I was planning to go visit Reiko so it shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.”

“You’d still fight me on this out of principle normally so there’s some other reason you’re being so compliant, well, relatively compliant.” Caren’s turn to amiability was sudden and it occurred right when Kirei brought up the danger Sakura would be in. Was Caren actually worried about Sakura and Rin and she just didn’t want to admit it. Perhaps she already possessed the ability to empathize with others and she just didn’t display it normally. Kirei considered asking Caren about his theory, but she would staunchly deny it no matter whether it was accurate or not. She’d also tell Kirei to quit gibbering and put his lips to good use by kissing an oncoming train. “It doesn’t matter. Thank you for being so helpful, I’ll make sure to reward you for this somehow.”

“You better. Anyway, I’m heading to Verde now so get going so I don’t have to wait forever to pick up your books.”

“I will. Be safe.”

Caren didn’t reply as she hung up.

And thus Kirei had more things to occupy his mind with, because he was destined to live with stress weighing upon him like armor made of lead. At least he could take solace in Caren appearing to have made the smallest modicum of progress towards becoming a more decent and healthy minded human being.

Hope that things may have started to take a turn for the better filled Kirei’s heart.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 16: Interlude: Human Emotion

Caren was finally done with her father’s annoying requests and she could go back to the hotel to have a good time. ‘Spend time with Sakura.’ ‘Bring these books to Sakura.’ ‘Don’t make people miserable.’ Father really did like to bark orders at Caren and make her traipse about doing his dirty work, didn’t he? Lecture after lecture about following the rules and then he goes and breaks the rules himself without a hint of awareness of his hypocrisy.

At least he had a reason for his change of heart. Rin and Sakura were in dire straits after they messed up and they were at risk of getting killed if they didn’t get a helping hand. Caren supposed that was worthy of father’s urgent tone.

Not that Caren actually cared about Rin or Sakura. She just understood her father’s reasoning. What happened to her adoptive sisters was none of her concern, because she only cared about herself. She’d certainly never ceed to her father’s demands so easily due to her actually wanting to help Rin and Sakura. That was as absurd as King Arthur actually being a woman or if father decided to indulge in his desires. Simply impossible.

Caren walked the elegantly ornamented and frustratingly maze-like halls of the Hyatt where she was staying for the duration of the Holy Grail War. The young girl was heading to meet with the friend she had recently made who happened to be staying in the same hotel. Caren had told her father that it was a girl named Reiko, but that was a lie. She didn’t want to tell her father what her friend’s true name was because he would likely disapprove.

Why? Because Caren was 99% sure her friend not only had a name father would recognize, but she was also almost definitely involved in the Holy Grail War.

Caren reached her destination, the door to another of the hotel rooms in the Hyatt, a rather expensive and solitary room. A few knocks was all that was necessary before the door was opened in response. In the doorway stood a blonde girl around Caren’s age wearing fashionable attire and a smug expression that Caren could only dream of making.

“Hello, Reines.”

“Hi, Caren. Ready to bully my brother?”

“Absolutely.”

Reines led Caren into the lavish hotel room that reeked of magecraft. Caren lacked the capability to detect magical energy due to not inheriting her father’s Magic Circuits, but she had been raised around Bounded Fields and workshops so she was familiar with the special tingle that accompanied entering a magi’s domain. Reines and/or her brother were magi and that meant they were here in Fuyuki for one reason only. If father found out then he’d do everything he could to keep Caren away from Reines and so Caren decided to lie about who she was spending time with.

Caren and Reines halted before a door that led to the room of a certain man. The man, the target, was Reines’ older brother who they would assault with their superlative depredations.

Gently, quietly, Reines opened the door. Inside was a man with long black hair who was sitting at a computer creating clicks and clacks with the controller in his hands. His ears were protected from outside noise by headphones so he was vulnerable to a surprise attack.

Tip-toeing forward, Caren and Reines moved in closer to their prey, stalking him. Closer, closer, closer still. Just a little closer. A little more.

Reines’ brother was playing a real-time strategy RPG, vying for victory against a computer opponent. He needed absolute focus and no interruptions in order to keep up with the constant changes on the digital battlefield. A single misstep would be an absolute and immediate defeat so a surprise from outside the digital world would ruin the man’s entire game. What a shame that would be…

“What are you doing?” Both Caren and Reines said as they shoved their faces between the long-haired man and the computer monitor.

A mess of sounds came from the man’s mouth as he fell backward in surprise. He and his chair hit the ground while his headphones flew off his head and dangled off the desk’s edge by a cord. Reines’ brother winced and peeled open an eye to check the status of the game he was playing only to find that he had died.

“Dammit, Reines!” The man floundered to his feet. “Can’t you let me relax for one day! We have so much we have to do later!”

“It was just a little joke, brother.” Reines didn’t bother trying to hide her cruel enjoyment of her sibling’s anguish, nor did Caren.

“Should you really be playing games at your age anyway? You’re in your forties, right? You really should get some more mature hobbies.”

“I’m only 29!”

“Apologies. You just have so many lines on your face that I assumed you were older. How unfortunate for you.”

“It was enough dealing with Reines, but now you’ve multiplied.”

“You sounded a little happy when you said that, brother. Is that your thing? You don’t only have a sister thing, but you need more than one? How lascivious. You would give Fergus mac Róich a run for his money.”

“I’m not into either of you, your children and I’m related to one of you! I’m not even into women.”

“Oh, right! You’re into guys, big ones, ones with beards and muscles and stuff. How is your boyfriend?”

“He’s into big guys? Is he a bottom?”

“Definitely.”

“Well, it’s not as if he could ever be a top.”

“Can we not have this conversation!” Reines’ brother went over to a drawer and pulled out some clothes.

“You’re going to change clothes right in front of us and you still claim you aren’t a pervert?”

“I'm gonna change in the bathroom!” The eternal bottom went into the bathroom and slammed the door closed.

Ah, the pleasures of making a person miserable. So potent yet so fleeting. Meeting Reines was the best thing that had ever happened to Caren.

“By the way, your brother said that you two have something to do tonight.”

“Right, I forgot to tell you. He and I have places to be, so we’ll have to keep this insult session short tonight.”

“What are you two doing?”

“Can’t say, personal stuff, you know how it is.”

“I understand.” She and her brother were definitely participating in the Holy Grail War. Both wore gloves so there was no way to see which had Command Spells and neither seemed like a Servant so determining their particular roles was difficult. Caren could potentially tell Sakura about Reines and her brother and where they were staying so they’d have an advantage, but then that risked Reines getting killed. But if Caren did nothing, Reines could kill Sakura.

Wait, why did Caren care if Sakura died? Caren didn’t care about Sakura, or Rin, or anybody. The only reason Caren didn’t want Reines to get hurt was because she could be herself around her. Reines was the first person who she could relate to and who accepted her for who she was without criticizing her. It felt nice to have a friend, not that Caren really cared about her or anything and she definitely wouldn’t feel that bad if she died. Caren only cared about herself no matter what.

Why did Caren’s chest hurt when she thought about Rin and Sakura dying in that case? A discomfort reminiscent of a tightness in the stomach area paired with a sinking feeling assailed Caren whenever she thought about what could happen to her adoptive sisters. Thinking about something bad happening to Reines also made Caren’s body feel heavy and created a compulsion inside her to do something. Do what though? And why did she care?

This was annoying. These feelings were nothing but a pain in the ass and Caren wanted to exterminate them at their source. The best way to do that would have been to cease all contact with Reines, as well as Rin and Sakura. It would have also been wise to break contact with father and just leave Fuyuki all together. She could become a nomad who spread misery wherever she went like some sort of reverse-messiah.

But the idea of never seeing her family or Reines again also made her feel bad! This was the worst!

“Would you like some tea, Caren?” Reines asked.

“Yes.” Caren said while hiding her inner turmoil.

“Alright, my maid’s already on it.”

“Is she listening from another room?”

“Yes. She’s shy but diligent. I’ll go pick the tea up from her when it’s done.”

“She won’t even enter the room to give us our tea? She should put her hangups aside and do her job properly.”

“She does her job more than properly, she just prefers not to appear before guests.” Reines sat down in a cushy black chair and Caren followed suit. It was likely that this maid of Reines’ was actually a familiar of some kind if they were this adamant about keeping her out of sight. “You know what it’s like to want to avoid attention, right?”

“I can’t deny that. Being the center of attention is like being at the center of a bonfire. People are watching you and the whole experience is painful.”

“If we’re talking about analogies involving attention and fire, I’d assume a witch burning allegory would have come to your mind first.”

“The witch hunts burned the innocent, but I’m not an innocent individual. It’s accurate and undeniable when I’m called cruel and heartless and whatever other synonyms apply.”

“You exaggerate too much.”

“What do you mean?”

“You keep talking yourself up as this cruel monster, but you really aren’t that bad. In a world full of serial killers, genocidal despots, and selfish manipulators, you’re practically a kitten.”

“You’ve set the bar so low it’s on the floor. Those kinds of evil individuals are a rarity and shouldn’t be the standard to exceed.”

“You say that, but my personal experiences would say otherwise when it comes to the frequency of human evil.” Reines couldn’t veil the anguish of her past with her smile. She was most certainly a magus and many magi had hard lives, often due to the efforts of other magi. The world of mystics was a dog eat dog-or perhaps a dragon eat dog world. Caren lacked even an inkling of genuine understanding of the woe that Reines had experienced growing up, but Caren could intuit that it was disturbingly great. “The fact that I associate with you shows your purity. You’re an earnestly good individual at heart, even if you try to hide it to convince yourself of…something, I dunno.”

“I didn’t ask you to play therapist.”

“I know, I wanted to.” Reines stood up. “The tea should be about ready. I’ll be back.”

Reines left so Caren was alone with her thoughts and she was stuck with more inner conflict than before. Was she a good person? How could a person who loves human suffering ever be good? Caren was intrinsically broken as a person so how could she be good? Could a broken person be good? Was she broken? Can a person be broken and were all people a little broken in their own ways?

Reines returned with the tea and it was quite good, though Caren was more of a coffee person. Caren and Reines continued to pass time conversing about this or that, all while Caren continued to feel uneasy about everything relating to herself, her family, and their future. Eventually, Caren decided she needed some direction.

“Reines, I have a question.”

“Ask away.”

“You enjoy people being in pain.”

“That’s correct.”

“But, you also feel pleasure from more traditionally accepted means, ones that don’t repulse human common sense.”

“Correct again.”

“Suppose you couldn’t feel happiness from anything beyond other people’s suffering, like me, what would you do?”

“Hm.” Reines’ repose didn’t falter from Caren’s question. “You want my advice, essentially.”

“I guess.”

“You guess?”

“Yes. I want your advice.” Caren was feeling strange about her nature. It wasn’t a question of her morality as she accepted that she was an amoral and inhuman individual. Her problem was how to cope with her existence in society while being who she was. She felt helpless to the point of impotence when it came to dealing with her unique condition. That was her problem, well, it was one among many of her problems, but one thing at a time.

Reines pinched her chin. “If I were in your situation, I would probably be acting the same way I do now. I don’t hide my enjoyment of people’s pain right now, I mean, I restrain myself a bit when in serious situations to be cautious of people’s reactions, but everybody holds certain things back in certain situations. I’m also not cruel to random people on the street or anything since you never know who you might be pissing off.”

“And how do people react to your behavior? Do they accept you despite the way you treat them?”

“It’s a bit complicated since it’s actually pretty rare for me to actively be cruel to others. I usually find my pleasure in the incidental pain people experience from day to day life so I don’t have to actually do anything and can just be a spectator. I only really go out of my way to make people upset when it comes to certain people in my life that I’m close to, like my brother.”

“That’s like me and my father.”

“That might not be a sufficient answer, considering you can’t supplement the pleasure you get from people’s pain with normal forms of pleasure. Your situation really is difficult, huh? My condolences.”

“It’s not a big deal.” It actually was, but Caren didn’t want to burden Reines with her issues. Wait, that would make Reines worried and upset which would make Caren happy. Wouldn’t that mean that Caren should deliberately dump her problems on Reines? The only reason not to would be if Caren cared about Reines which was getting harder to deny by the second.

The conversation about Caren’s misbegotten existence ended when Reines’ brother entered the room, now dressed to go outside and possessing a serious demeanor.

“I’m sorry, Reines. We have to get going.”

“Right. Sorry to cut things short, Caren.”

“It’s no problem. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Caren got up and made her way to the door to let herself out. “Have fun doing whatever you’re doing.”

“We will. Have a good night.”

Caren left the apartment and was left with only her conflicted feelings which could not be cured. This lapse into greater human emotion was the worst thing to ever happen to Caren. Being cold was easy; being uncaring was an absolute breeze! Now she was acting like an actual human and it was so annoying and painful and-and-shitty!

Now that Caren thought of it, father was also displaying human emotions lately, sort of. Was this the result of the both of them being exposed to other people for long enough? Did father jump the gun in assuming he and Caren couldn’t find happiness the normal way? Perhaps it was something specific to Caren herself due to her mother being a normal woman. The cause didn’t matter much at this point, the result was the issue.

Mapo tofu. Caren needed to make a bunch of mapo tofu and feast as much as she could to bathe in pleasure that would’t piss other people or herself off. She could stop thinking about her emotions, or her place in the universe; of her worries over her sisters’ wellbeing or Reines’ wellbeing. Caren would just drown her sorrows in spice.

She’d return to her struggles afterward, but that was a future problem for her future self.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 17: Weak

A repugnant odor of unpleasant origin wafted through the spacious sewers to churn the stomachs of any so unfortunate as to be traveling the man made maze. In a room full of pillars and not much else, Artoria and her family were recuperating after having run around the sewage system of Fuyuki for hours.

It hadn’t taken long for Artoria and Gray to rendezvous with Iri, Illya, and Mordred. They’ve been staying on the move since then to make sure Lancer couldn’t catch up with them. They hadn’t taken the time to talk about the many revelations of last night other than giving each other brief summaries so everyone was in the loop. Upon finally ending their constant running to rest, it was early morning on the second day of the Holy Grail War.

Artoria’s wounds had been bandaged up with her clothes hiding anything was amiss, but the damage wouldn’t completely heal no matter how much magical energy the king used. Every time she moved, her whole body burned and stung like she was being swarmed by venomous insects. There was no way for Artoria to release Excalibur’s True Name while in this condition.

The King of Knights refrained from complaining as she looked to her son who was in even worse condition. He grimaced and uttered words of dissatisfaction rather frequently, but Artoria knew he was actually holding back considering how marred his body was. Lancer truly was a formidable foe, especially with those spears. Artoria had to destroy them if they were going to recover, assuming they worked like the cursed spear Diarmuid wielded in the Fourth War. The fact that the spears shared such a resemblance could have meant that they were related to each other, or at least used similar abilities. If that was the case, then the Lancer of this war may have been Irish like Diarmuid.

Both Lancer and Archer were warriors of the highest caliber that had earned Artoria’s respect. If this wasn’t a situation with such dire stakes, Artoria would have wanted to face them again, but now she wanted to do everything she could to avoid facing them because of the danger they posed to her family. Artoria had changed now that she had a family of her own to take care of. Well, a family that was like a real family. The point was that trying to face either Lancer or Archer in a straightforward duel was unwise and had to be circumvented.

Artoria finished the meager rations that counted as her morning meal and stood up from the ground where she had been resting. Iri had been meditating, but she immediately sprung to a stand too out of concern when Artoria did. Considering the condition the king was in, it was reasonable to be wary of her standing and walking around. Illya continued to stay on the ground while clutching her legs and Morded, Gray, and Add continued to banter about what animal was the cutest. Mordred argued it was cats, Gray believed it was lions(which was odd considering her answer would normally be dogs), and Add said it was humans because the fact they did stupid stuff all the time while thinking they were smart was adorable, at least according to him.

“Everyone,” Artoria immediately grabbed everyone’s attention. “I feel we need to have a deeper discussion about the events of last night and what we shall do moving forward.”

“One thing we gotta discuss is our plan to kill the shit out of that Lancer bitch so we aren’t stuck with these wounds forever, not to mention that we gotta stay on the run because of her, too. God, I hate that bitch and her dumb spears.” Mordred was lying down on her back as she brought up the first topic of conversation.

“I don’t think it would be wise to try and face Lancer again in our condition.”

“And we’ll be stuck all screwed up like this until Lancer’s dead!” Mordred sat up. “We gotta fight her! Or what? You wanna try and blow up the Grail without Excalibur?”

“I…” Artoria sighed. “You’re right, but we’ll need a plan that has as few potential points of error as possible. A single wrong move and Lancer will kill us all with disquieting efficiency.”

“Geez, mom. Take Lancer to dinner before you start sucking her dick.”

“Mordred, don’t talk like that.” Iri said which brought out a scoff from the blonde boy.

“I, uh, I guess I should mention something important that I noticed.” Illya’s words snatched everyone’s attention. “I can’t feel that connection to Lancer through my familiar anymore, like at all. I haven’t for a while now.”

“Wait, is Lancer dead? Does that mean that we’re stuck with these wounds even though she’s dead? Fuck!” Mordred flailed in a manner not dissimilar to an apoplectic infant.

“I dunno if Lancer’s dead or if she left Fuyuki or what. All I know is she isn’t watching us, for now at least.”

“That is good news. Mordred’s concern is reasonable, however. If we really must live with these wounds forever…” Artoria was about to think of all the difficulties her and Mordred’s wounds would cause, but stopped herself as it wasn’t the time to think so far ahead. She couldn’t let herself be swamped by anxiety while she still had more immediate concerns to think about. “We should still conceive of a plan that could defeat Lancer just in case, as well as one for Archer in case he still lives and we encounter him. He is similarly dangerous to Lancer if not more so.”

“And there’s his Master.” The mood couldn’t have gotten more dour and yet it still managed to do so despite all logic. Illya was gnawing on the inside of her cheek as she spoke. “Chloe, my clone, sister, whatever. She’s strong and she hates us.” Illya had shared earlier about Chloe and her regrettable past that gave birth to a harrowing grudge. “I almost killed her.”

“She isn’t that tough if you nearly took her out.” Mordred rolled onto his side. “You’ll get her next time.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better.” Illya was quivering which caused Iri to pace over and hug her biological daughter.

“What’s wrong? Something’s eating at you.”

“Chloe is basically me.” Illya’s voice wavered in a way that it hadn’t since she was just a child and her near inexorable confidence hadn't had the chance to grow in. “I would have been like her if I had gone through what she did. I almost went through so many horrible things. If it weren’t for you and mom, I’d be Chloe.”

“It’s okay.” Iri stroked Illya’s side. “We saved you from that. You’re okay.”

“I know, but Chloe isn't. She went through so much horrible shit in my place. She suffered because of me.” Survivor's guilt. Artoria knew it well. She met many a knight who was wracked by it during her time as king. The King of Knights herself was not completely free from such feelings when she thought about her kingdom and all who had died for her or because of her, all while she was afforded a second chance at life; a lovely second chance at that.

“Illya, you did nothing wrong.” Artoria dropped to a knee before her shuddering daughter. “You did not choose to have Chloe undergo her traumas. You didn’t know your freedom would result in her birth, let alone her pain. You didn’t even choose to be taken from the Einzbern Castle. It was your mama and I who made that decision, so if there is any blame to be dispersed among us, it would be to her and I, not you. You did nothing that hurt Chloe.”

“I was going to.” Illya bowed her head to hide her face. “When I was fighting Chloe, I was all shaken up like I am now for most of it so I wasn’t really fighting at my best. Then Chloe destroyed daddy’s gun.” The Thompson Contender, the favored firearm of Kiritsugu back when he still walked the Earth. It was a precious memento of a man who left few treasures. Every little remnant of his being was priceless beyond priceless. The gun was severed into fragments by Chloe’s wires and those remains were dissolved by the mud Iri spewed out so that relic was gone forever. “When Chloe destroyed it, I got mad like I never had before. It was like I was possessed, but I was still me which doesn’t make sense, I know, but that’s the only way I can describe it. I wanted to kill Chloe, I nearly did. If I didn’t pass out, I would have killed Chloe despite everything I knew about her and how much I empathize with her and wanted to help her.”

“Help her?” Mordred said.

“Yeah. I wanted to help her get over her pain. We needed to defeat her first, but I wanted to try and get to know her and help her through her anger. I wanted to save her.”

“Considering she wanted to murder you, I doubt she would have been willing to take your offer.” Add said.

“I know, but I just empathize with her so much and feel so bad and now I want to help her even more after I nearly killed her. I need to make up for that.”

“You were just defending yourself.” Artoria said.

“I don’t even know if I was at that point. When daddy’s gun got destroyed, I wasn’t thinking about saving mama and Mordred, or myself, I just wanted Chloe to die. I just felt so much anger. I don’t know how I could feel that much of any emotion. I’m not an angry person, or a spiteful one. At least, I don’t think I am.”

“You lost something precious and it upset you. Everyone would get mad in that situation.” Iri’s words were full of maternal compassion.

“Mad enough to kill someone?”

“It was a life or death scenario and those situations make you stressed, everything you feel is heightened. Also, the thought that you must murder your opponent or escape them will always be on your mind with the slightest details tipping the scales back and forth on what option you should pick. When Kiritsugu’s gun broke, you felt a spike of anger and the scales tipped towards the more violent option.” Artoria put a hand on her daughter’s head. “You’re a good person, Illya. One of the best I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.”

Illya’s face stayed hidden and her own hand slowly rose to grasp the one that rested upon her head. The girl’s hand was shaking even as she tried to grip Artoria’s fingers tightly. There was such a deficit of strength within Illya that her grasp was light enough to be barely noticeable. Artoria hadn’t seen this degree of disquiet from Illya since she found out about Kiritsugu’s death and had to cope with it. Artoria tried to think of something she could do for Illya, but nothing came to mind that could deal with the girl's trauma due to its specificity and intensity.

Flailing steps against the concrete floor accompanied Gray as stumbled over to her sister and latched onto her from behind. “Illya, you’re not a bad person for getting angry and the fact you want to help Chloe shows how nice and giving you are and how strong you are and stuff. Chloe wants to kill you and you still want to help her and that shows how tough and cool you are and how you're the nicest person ever.” Illya’s head lifted a bit, just enough that her lips were visible to the King of Knights. “When I was fighting, I was terrified at first, too. Then I realized I needed to protect mom so I fought and I was even willing to kill Archer or Lancer or anyone else I had to so mom would be safe. It’s scary to think I was willing to kill someone, but that doesn’t make me a bad person, at least I don’t think so. So you’re not a bad person either. Even if you killed Chloe out of anger, nobody would blame you after the stress and the danger and everything else you were dealing with. You’re a good person and the best sister ever!”

Tears from both Illya’s and Gray’s eyes dripped onto the floor. Gray’s outburst was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Perhaps she simply couldn’t stand to see Illya disparage herself when she normally functioned as a rock for others to steady themselves upon. This time Gray was Illya’s rock and she did a splendid job at being that rock.

“Thank you, Gray. That makes me feel better.” Illya said. The bond the sisters shared was powerful enough to break through the wall that prevented more standard or circuitous methods of helping the girl from succeeding. Gray was a girl of reserve and passivity, so a vociferous declaration such as the one she just gave could not be taken lightly and was far more potent than if the same words were spoken by most any other.

Iri’s arms wrapped around both her daughters to comfort them. A simple silence filled the sewers and the normally dank and wretched atmosphere was turned to one of tranquility for the moment. After the host of failures and losses up to that point in the Grail War, small victories, even ones that were purely emotional, had great meaning for Artoria and her family. Those kinds of successes were the fuel that kept their family going during the rough times in life and the Holy Grail War was no exception, even if it was on a larger scale than most tribulations.

Artoria smiled and simply enjoyed watching the love of her family endure the odds. Her smile faded when her eyes wandered to Mordred who was watching with a displeased expression. It wasn’t clear if it was the moment currently occurring that was disagreeable to him, or if it was something else that had yet to be addressed.

“Mordred, is there something bothering you?”

“Yeah, a lot. The thing that really annoys me though is that we’re avoiding the elephant in the room like it’s the fucking plague right now.” Everyone knew what he was referring to and the dark atmosphere returned with greater intensity than ever. “Irisviel got possessed by the Greater Grail and it could happen again at any time.”

The heart inside Artoria's chest skipped a few beats as she thought about the horrifying event that had been described to her earlier. The image of Iri regurgitating accursed mud from the Grail and nearly losing herself and all while Artoria was gone; unable to help, it made the King sick to her deepest depths of her essence. She felt useless as she wasn't even successful in the battle that had been preoccupying her at the time. Artoria was supposed to be the defender of her family and yet she had been absent when needed while being a helpless damsel that Gray had to rescue. Now the so-called knight was weaker than ever. How could she possibly help her beloved if the Grail took hold of her being again?

“I think Iri needs to leave Fuyuki so the connection she has with the Greater Grail will break. If she stays here, she will be a threat to herself and others.”

“That’s for the best.” Mordred sat up.

Gray crawled over to where she was before and grabbed Add. She was anxious, squirming as she fiddled about with the sapient Mystic Code in her hands. She probably felt conflicted about this whole situation, because she wanted Iri to stay, but also wanted her to stay safe and knew it was best if she left the city.

As for Add, Artoria had no idea what he was thinking, just like Kay.

Iri hunched forward, her body as tense as a marble statue. She wanted to stay and help, but she was also smart enough to know that she was a tactical liability so she kept quiet.

“What if we used Avalon?” Illya’s query made everyone perk up for a moment. “It worked ten years ago, it should work again.”

“But, we’d have to take it out of you.” Iri said.

“I’m fine with that.”

“But, it’s been fighting back against the side effects of the Einzberns’ experiments for so long. We don’t know what it would do to you if we removed the sheath.”

“It’s worth a try at least.” Illya became determined. “It’s to protect you and everyone else so it’s worth the risk. Besides, it’ll probably just make me look like a little girl again at worst.” Illya smirked. “I can get cheaper meals at restaurants that way. After the war’s done we’ll put Avalon back in me and, bim-bam-boom, I’m all grown up again.”

Iri’s mouth wobbled as she yanked her daughter into another hug. “You’re such a good girl. Don’t ever think you’re a bad person ever again, understand?”

“Yes, mama.” Illya reciprocated the hug and once again a warmth came over Artoria at the unyielding love her family was capable of.

“You’re a genius, Illya.” Artoria meant every word as she got close to her daughter while Iri scooted back a few inches to allow them some room. “This might end up hurting so tell me when you're ready before we begin.”

“If it’s gonna hurt, just do it. Go. Get it over with, I’m ready.”

A small nod of understanding and Artoria put her hand to Illya’s chest. The King of Knights reached for her sheath, the concept of Avalon that had been implanted inside the Einzbern homunculus ten years ago. The Divine Construct, the sheath that eclipsed even Excalibur in its radiance and ability, was as easy to find as the air in your own lungs or the thoughts in your own head. The conceptualized hand of the knight firmly gripped Avalon and tugged.

A bead of sweat trailed down Artoria’s forehead. The sheath wouldn’t move, sitting immutable within Illya, no, as a part of Illya. Avalon was Illya, it had integrated into her so deeply for so long that it was like trying to remove her Origin. In fact, it had bonded to Illya’s Origin and transformed it so she now had the ‘Sword’ Origin. Her Attribute still remained the same from what Artoria could tell, but she wasn’t an expert and could only understand as much as she did thanks to her connection to Avalon inside Illya. Either way, the sheath wouldn’t leave Illya’s body any easier than her soul would. Perhaps if they had some way of projecting the sheath out of Illya, but none of them had expertise with the kinds of magecraft necessary for such a procedure. They could contact a specialist, but that would take too long.

I can’t remove Avalon.” Artoria sounded defeated.

“What, why?” Illya said.

“Avalon has sat inside you so long that it’s conceptually fused to you. Removing Avalon would require magecraft we don’t have access to.

“Fuck!” Mordred slammed her heel into the ground and shook the room. “Can nothing go fucking right?”

Iri looked resigned as she deflated. “I'll just have to leave Fuyuki. It’s not a big deal, there’s not much I could do to help anyway.”

“I’m sorry, mom.” Illya looked at the floor with furrowed brows.

“This isn’t your fault.”

But, if I didn’t have Av-”

“If you didn’t have Avalon within you, you’d be looking like a little girl and you’d be doomed to die in a year or two.” Iri was almost angry at Illya’s self-loathing. “Don’t you dare regret the measures we’ve taken to keep you alive and happy.”

“Okay.” Illya obviously still felt self-contempt at the perceived burden she served for her family.

“Hey, I have something to say that…” Gray trailed off as she shrunk back.

“What is it, Gray?”

“I-I don’t know if I wanna say this, because it’s probably gonna make everyone mad.”

“We won’t get mad, Gray.” Artoria didn’t know what Gray wanted to say, but she was curious and she wanted all her children to express themselves freely. “Please, tell us what you want to say.”

“I was just wondering if maybe it would be best if all of us left Fuyuki and gave up on the Grail War.”

“What?” Mordred shot up to a stand. “You were the one that was all jazzed up about getting here and now you’re pussying out? The shit!”

“Mordred!” Artoria shouted. “Gray, what do you mean?”

“Mom, you and Mordred are nearly dead, mama could get possessed at any moment, Illya isn’t in the best place right now, and I’m not as obsessed with figuring myself out anymore. I know we’re trying to save the World, but I don’t know if we can. I feel like staying in this war will only cause us all to get killed.”

“What did you say? You think we’re gonna lose?” Mordred snarled.

“You lost last night against Lancer and you were in top shape and even had the class advantage. Now you’re literally full of holes.” Gray was a lot more frank all of a sudden. It wasn’t like her.

Mordred looked like a cat about to attack another of its kind, but she didn’t spew her usual cantankerous blithering. She couldn’t actually argue that Gray was wrong and she lacked the energy to make something up just to be spiteful.

Nothing Gray said was wrong in any way. The family had been avoiding the big picture and clinging to any interstices of positivity, but they really had no chance of winning the Holy Grail War and destroying the Greater Grail. The family had made themselves the number one enemies of all the other teams by claiming they wanted the Grail destroyed and having their abilities revealed for all to see in last night’s battle. Artoria couldn’t even use Excalibur in her current condition so there was no guarantee they could destroy the Grail if they found it.

They couldn’t choose to do nothing, however. The lives of everyone on Earth were at stake and there was no guarantee that the other factions would dismantle the Greater Grail.

Well, there was Archer’s Master, Chloe. She stated she wanted to destroy it and Archer was absolutely up to the task. It was doubtful that there were any other Servants capable of defeating him except maybe Lancer if they were on a good day and weren’t gamboling about enjoying the fight like last night. Archer was the strongest Servant Artoria had ever encountered excluding the Archer of the last war. He also had a heroic disposition that inclined him towards enacting justice. If he was still around, and he likely was, then Fuyuki was in the safest hands they could possibly be in.

Meanwhile, Artoria had failed to protect her family, failed to claim victory, and had failed to do anything of meaningful effect other than cause trouble for Gray. The mighty King Arthur had fallen low, or perhaps she just realized how lowly she had always truly been. She couldn’t save Camelot, she couldn’t save her family, she couldn’t even save herself. The only thing she could do was take her family and leave Fuyuki to let a real hero save the day instead of the little girl who never should have pulled the sword from the stone.

“Gray’s right. We need to leave. Archer and Chloe can handle eradicating the Greater Grail.”

“Are you for real?” Mordred was genuinely baffled at his mother.

“We’d be lucky to beat a weak Servant in our condition. We aren't going to win this war.”

“So we’re going to run like cowards? I’m not gonna give up until I’ve given my best shot!”

“You did give your best shot and you lost.”

“Lancer surprised me! I underestimated her, but she won’t surprise me again!”

“And you really think you could beat her as you are now, or Archer for that matter?”

“If we fight smart, then sure! You’re the one always telling me how I need to use my head, well I’m using it!”

“So what’s your plan?”

“I’ll come up with something!”

“So you don’t have a plan.”

“I’ll come up with one! Give me some fucking time!”

“We don’t have time.”

“We’re literally sitting in the sewers doing shit for dicks! We’ve got time!”

“I agree with Mordred.” Illya said. “Not about the thing with…shit dicks, but that we should stay. I need to help Chloe, and we have to destroy the Grail, no matter what.”

“Finally, someone talking sense!” Mordred’s arms whipped through the air. “Me and Illya are voting stay, mom and Gray are voting leave. Irisviel, Add, what about you two? We’ll do this democratically.”

“I don’t care what you vote for.” Artoria’s voice became authoritative. “It’s my job to protect you all and that means leaving, so we’re going home even if I have to drag you all there.”

“You aren’t a king anymore, mom.” Mordred got right in Artoria’s face. “And you’re gonna have to kick my ass if you wanna make me leave. Do you think you can?”

“Stop fighting!” Iri got up and stood between mother and son. “We’ll do like Mordred said and vote and if anyone’s unhappy with the result, then they’ll have to just deal with it.”

“Iri, I’m not going to let you all die because you refuse to listen to me.”

“Mordred has a point, Artoria. You aren’t a king anymore and our opinions are just as valid as yours.” There was a bite to Iri’s words. “We aren’t helpless idiots without your guidance.” A sting shot through Artoria’s heart as she could only cravenly accept her beloved’s words. She wasn’t a king anymore, she had no special authority, she didn’t always know best. The former knight wanted to protect her family, but why did she think she was capable of that when she couldn’t even get them to cooperate with her? After her numerous bouts of incompetence that caused Camelot to fall, there was every reason to distrust Artoria’s judgement. Yet, Artoria still tried to order around her family like a king, or rather a tyrant. How pathetic.

“You’re right, Iri. I’m sorry. What’s your vote?”

“To be honest, I’m really conflicted. My presence here is a genuine threat to everyone. With your and Mordred’s injuries, you'd probably only be able to defeat an Assassin or Caster class Servant in a direct fight, and that’s assuming that the Caster and Assassin of this war aren’t unusually dangerous like the ones from ten years ago. All that said, the Greater Grail is an eldritch evil that has to be eradicated no matter the cost. I know that better than anyone since I actually made contact with the Grail, and even then it was still beyond my ken. It was like I was a single bubble in the sea, it was just too vast to understand the complete scope of. It needs to die, but I don’t know if we’re capable of killing it. I guess I’ll abstain from voting for now.”

“Then we’ve still got a tie.” Mordred looked at Add. “It’s all you, box.” The sentient Mystic Code was silent. “Box!”

“Gimme a minute! I’m thinking!”

“Well, think faster!”

“I will if you shut up!”

Everyone waited as Add contemplated his choice. He would be the deciding vote that would determine whether the family stayed or left Fuyuki. The heart in Artoria’s chest banged against her ribs as she begged to God above that Add would side with her and they could all leave for the safety of Denmark.

“I vote we stay.” Mordred pumped his fist, but everyone else was full of worry for what the future would now hold, even Illya despite also voting to continue to fight for the Grail’s elimination. Artoria’s heart went from pulsing wildly to stopping dead in its tracks. “The only chance of the Grail getting destroyed at this rate is if Archer does it and he could be dead for all we know, or at least weakened from getting a bunch of non-healing wounds from Lancer. We can’t bank on anybody other than us getting the job done, so let’s get it done.”

“Hell, yeah!” Mordred scooped Add into her hands. “Y’know, I always liked you box!”

“That is definitely untrue.”

“Shut up, box!”

“I guess we’re staying.” Artoria’s face rested in her hand as she tried to accept her family’s situation. “I suppose we should determine our new plan of action in that case.”

“I mean, what can we do besides sending out familiars to look for enemy Servants and Masters? Do we actually have any options besides that?” Mordred had a point.

“Maybe we should focus on resting a bit more for now.” Gray said.

“Why? It’s not like my or mom’s wounds are gonna heal.”

“Yeah, but we need to mentally destress. Plus, we can spend this time focusing on powering you and mom up as much as we can.”

“How?”

“We can…” Gray blushed. “There’s always the Mana Transfer ritual.”

Everyone matched Gray’s awkwardness upon hearing her suggestion. Mana Transferring was a way to give an individual a boost in their mana reserves and thus their overall abilities. If a Master did a Mana Transfer with their Servant, it would lead to an especially large increase in the Servant’s capabilities.

But, the actually act of performing a Mana Transfer was to have sex.

“Um, your mom and I already performed a Mana Transfer before we even came to Fuyuki in order to prepare.” Iri’s explanation made Artoria turn her face away to hide her blushing. “But, if both you and Illya did a Mana Transfer with Mordred, he’d get an even bigger increase in power than he had already received.”

“T-That’s kinda weird, though.” Mordred was perhaps the reddest of all despite his usual crassness. Perhaps he was more talk than action when it came to his vulgarity. “I mean, Gray and Illya are basically my sisters now, so wouldn’t it be incest if we did anything like that.”

Everyone got even more uncomfortable at that realization, especially considering the nature of Mordred’s birth. The idea of anything incestuous happening would be especially traumatic for him because of how Morgan created him and his conflicted feelings about that.

“You’re right, we can’t do a Mana Transfer.” Gray backpedaled. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Mordred said. “You were just trying to be helpful. Nothing wrong with that.” Artoria appreciated Mordred’s kindness towards Gray. He always displayed a soft spot for her that made him less willing to lash out at her as he was when it came to basically everyone else.

“You’re a bunch of perverts, huh?”

A magical energy signal came from Illya, as did a voice that sounded like hers, yet the girl was the most surprised of all. Her eyes were wide and her breathing hitched which told Artoria all she needed to know about who just spoke.

A thread, or rather a hair, jostled out of Illya’s shoe and fluttered through the air before shaping into a wireframe bird that flapped its wings just like the real thing. A homunculus just like the ones Iri and Illya could create, but they weren’t the owners of this familiar.

“It’s me, Chloe.” The voice that perfectly mimicked Illya’s came from the avian construct. This was the work of the clone of Illya that was wracking the original with grief due to her existence and her hatred. The King of Knights’ maternal instincts made her immediately dislike Chloe for the way she made her daughter feel, but she also knew that she had ostensibly good reasons for her detestation. This misguided girl needed to learn how to better direct her feelings rather than assail them upon whatever individual was barely related enough that she could assign them fault. The problem was that they might have been incorrigible thanks to the walls of discontent she fabricated around herself. “I can’t believe you never noticed I left a hair on you. Like, you guys are really out of it.”

Mordred summoned Clarent to his hand and ran at the familiar without any desire to know what Chloe was planning. Artoria grabbed her son’s wrist and jerked him to a stop.

“The Hell?”

“If Chloe had malicious intent, she could have surprised us with her hidden homunculus to assassinate at least one of us. She blatantly revealed herself which means she has something more complicated as her goal, perhaps something beneficial to us.”

“At least one of you has half a frontal lobe.” Mordred growled at Chloe’s remark. “Listen, you guys are all fucked up right now because of Lancer, right?”

“We’re fine!” Mordred said.

“No you’re not. Anyway, my Archer ain’t at the top of his game either thanks to that purple bitch and her dumb spears. He’s still fine because he’s a badass and we could still easily win this whole Grail War, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, right?”

“Your point?” Artoria asked.

“You know that Lancer seems to have disappeared?”

“We do.”

“Well, that means we have no way to hunt her down while she’s still weak from fighting my Archer. He left her in pieces, but she got lucky so she survived and escaped, which means she’s probably not gonna show up again until she’s back to 100%.”

“And you worry your Servant is too weakened to defeat her at her best.”

“Of course he can still fucking win! He isn’t some weak piss baby Servant like you! It’s just that I wanna be careful in case Lancer pulls out some dirty tricks.”

“And how does that relate to us?” Artoria already knew the answer, but decided to inquire anyway.

“You guys are in an even shittier situation than us since your Servants are so beat to shit they look like zombies.”

“You just admitted your situation is shitty.” Mordred said with a cat-like grin.

“Shut the fuck up you bitch!”

“Make me!”

“Can we get to the point please!” Artoria raised her voice.

“My point is that I’m offering to team up until Lancer’s dead.”

Artoria’s gaze traced across her family, all of them looking uneasy, excluding Mordred who looked ready to rip the wireframe bird apart with his bare hands. Partnering with Chloe would be a great way to turn things around considering that Artoria’s family was in a really tough situation at the moment. Having help from Archer until Lancer was dead and their wounds could heal sounded perfect. But, it was likely that Chloe would betray them as soon as their Lancer was dead and their pact was null. But, what other choices did they have?

“What are the conditions of this alliance?”

“We work together against the other Masters and Servants while sharing info and stuff. For example, I’ll tell you Lancer’s True Name and all the abilities we saw her use, and in return, you tell me why you've got two Sabers and whatever the Hell that girl in the hoodie is to be able to block Archer’s arrows. Also, what in the flying shit is up with Irisviel spewing that weird slime last night.”

Info on Lancer would be critical for defeating her, but the cost suddenly rose to the clouds. Revealing the truth about Gray and why both Artoria and Mordred are around at the same time isn’t too bad, but it would be preferable to keep such information confidential. Revealing Irisviel’s connection to the Grail would be a risk on multiple levels. Chloe didn’t believe the Greater Grail really was polluted, so if they told her the truth, she might think they’re lying still and that we refuse to honestly cooperate. At that point, she’d probably break off the deal right at the start. On the other end of worst case scenarios, she might believe them finally about the Grail’s true nature, but she might also decide that Irisviel’s special connection to the Grail makes her too great a threat to leave as is. She might refocus all her attention on making sure Irisviel was dead in order to protect the World. Even if they tell her they were planning to have Irisviel leave Fuyuki, she could still think she’s too dangerous to leave her alive.

“In that case, we also have the right to know about you and your Servant’s capabilities, yes?” Artoria hoped this would deter Chloe from inquiring further and make her back down on her demands.

“Like, that’s fine. My Archer and I have nothing to hide. You’re too weak to beat us no matter what you know or plan or whatever. That means I get to know everything about all of you if we’re really sharing everything.”

This was going poorly. Artoria didn’t expect Chloe’s confidence to be so difficult to handle. “That seems unbalanced. There’s only two of you, but there’s six of us.”

“Six? There’s five of you.” Chloe didn’t notice Add. Normally he’d speak up, but instead he was staying quiet. That was for the best. The less she knew about, the better. They could just claim Add was a transforming weapon and keep his true identity as Rhongomyniad secret.

“Right, five, my apologies. As you said before, we've been somewhat out of sorts. Anyway, it seems unfair that you get information on all of us when you only have information for two people.”

“There’s me and Archer, and we’ve got the dirt on Lancer, so three, plus I’ve got two others with me, so five. Five and five. Totally fair. Plus, your logic would have meant I was outnumbered which I could have argued gave me the right to extra info as a handicap.” Chloe was sharp witted as well as strong. She was truly dangerous.

“Your logic is sound. Are there any other terms?”

“That you keep the Illya bitch as far away from me as possible.” Illya winced and hid her face between her knees. “That’s all.”

“And where would our base of operations be?”

“The Einzbern Castle in the forest outside Fuyuki. You know where it is, right?”

“We do.”

“Good. We’ll exchange the info we’re gonna share when you get here. So, deal or no deal?”

“We need time to deliberate in private.”

A groan came from the familiar. “Fine, whatever. I’ll make my homunculus fly around the sewers for a bit to survey things while you talk. You already put up a Bounded Field so I won’t be able to eavesdrop from outside it. Fair?”

“That's fair.”

“Aight, I’ll be flying around. You better have an answer when I get back.”

The bird fluttered away down a dark tunnel and the first thing Artoria did was make sure that they all checked themselves for anything else that could have been planted on them like the hair. They found nothing and so it was time to discuss.

“We’re not really gonna work with that bitch, are we?” Mordred spoke with the volatility Artoria expected. “It’s gotta be a trap and she’s an asshole.”

“Why wouldn’t she have her hair try to kill one of us while we rested if it was a trap?” Gray said.

“Maybe she wants to get us in her castle to kill us all at once.”

“Maybe, but then why did she put so much effort into the negotiations if they wouldn’t actually matter to her?” Artoria felt like Chloe was being honest, though part of it was simply instinct.

“She might have been trying to throw us off by acting like she cared about the terms.” Iri’s point wasn’t implausible.

“I feel like if she wanted to ambush us, she would have just kept tracking us using the hair she hid on Illya while we had no reason to suspect she knew our location.” Gray spoke with an unusual taciturnity. “Since she realized Lancer was no longer tracking any of us, she had reason to assume we knew that, too. In that case, she would likely extrapolate that we would take a break from staying on the move since we didn’t know she was following us as well, which would have been a perfect time for her to attack us. Unless she’s just foolish, she’s probably not planning anything.”

“I think we should work with her.” Illya mumbled as she raised her head. “This is the perfect chance for me to try and help her.”

“Is your brain still working? That bitch said she wants you as far away from her as possible.” Mordred said.

“I know, but this is still my best chance. Chloe isn’t a bad person, I know it. I just need time to figure out a way to connect to her.” Artoria wasn’t as optimistic as her daughter was on this plan, but she also had to admire the purity and optimism she radiated.

“Iri, Add, what are your thoughts?”

“I think it’ll be fine.” Add said. “Chloe’s taking a big risk letting us into her base, so she’s probably sincere.”

Iri bit her lip.

“Iri?”

“I’m just worried about telling Chloe so much about us. What if she doesn’t believe us about my connection to the Grail and calls off the alliance or attacks us, or what if she does believe us and tries to kill me because she thinks I’m dangerous?” Her concerns were the exact same as Artoria’s own and that only exacerbated them.

“The most important thing we need to account for is whether we’d be able to escape if things devolved into a fight.”

“If we need to get out of the Einzbern Forest, then it’s unlikely. The traps set up in it wouldn’t kill us, but they’d delay us enough that Archer could easily snipe us one by one or even all at once.” Iri continued to make sense.

“What if we told Chloe about mama’s condition now and see how she reacts. At least if we do it from here, she can’t just sick Archer on us.” Gray continued to be a beacon of out-of-character pragmatism. Did last night's events change her that much?

“What if she responds amicably when she actually wants to kill your mama when she gets to the castle?” Artoria asked. “Telling her now would turn our alliance into a trap.”

“It’s either that or we turn Chloe down and we’re back to square one in this war.” It was unsettling how cold Gray was acting considering that this treaty’s failure could lead to all of their deaths. Even Artoria at her most cool headed during her time as a king wouldn’t face such a situation so calmly.

“Let’s just vote again.” Add’s cube like body hopped despite lacking any way to propel himself. “I’m voting to work with Chloe.”

“That’s a fair plan.” Artoria ran a hand through her hair as she felt her mental exhaustion. “Everyone who’s also in favor of working with Chloe, raise your hand.” Illya and Gray’s hands raised. “Including Add, that’s three. All opposed.” Iri and Mordred raised their hands. “That’s two. I abstain, so the plan to work with Chloe wins.”

As soon as the results were in, Iri’s face moved in minute ways that displayed anxiety, rumination, and…something hard to pin down. Anger? She was probably having her dark thoughts again. Considering they were caused by the Grail’s pollution in the first place, she was probably having even more volatile musings than normal after getting possessed. This could lead to a permanent increase in the frequency and potency of her dark thoughts, but Artoria would stand with Iri and help her; she would never abandon her beloved.

Meanwhile, Illya was awash with relief that her chance at helping Chloe and redeeming herself, a redemption that was unnecessary but was nonetheless important to her, was still alive. She needed to reach some kind of reconciliation with Chloe or her self-loathing would haunt her for the rest of her days.

Gray cradled Add as she accepted her situation with more uncharacteristic phlegmatism. She was usually the anxious one, but instead she was a bastion of serenity, no, not serenity. That word implied a sort of elegance like that of a fair maiden enduring the ravages of life. Not that Gray wasn’t elegant, in fact, she was a beacon of elegance but of a sort more akin to a king. Was Gray becoming more like Artoria? Was Gray actively imitating her, or was it coincidence? Perhaps she was merely maturing thanks to the Holy Grail War’s intensity. Life and death battles often either broke or built up those that survived them. Well, even those that were built up by them were also broken by them, just in subtler ways rarely shared with others for one reason or another.

Mordred simply sulked in his usual sordid manner, namely stomping around swearing and rolling on the dirty floor. Ostentatious displays of dissatisfaction are inextricable with who Mordred was, not that it made said displays any less vexing to sit through. The immature tantrum continued as everyone else stayed quiet while waiting for Chloe to return.

Thankfully, Chloe was an impatient sort.

“You guys better have decided or we’re gonna have some problems.” Chloe’s voice said as her homunculus flew back into the room.

“We have.” Artoria straightened her posture. “We’re willing to work with you.”

“Good. Get moving to the castle-”

“Hold on a moment. We wish to tell you something first about one of the pieces of information you wish to know. We feel it is best to tell you now, because it is something that could cause you to change your mind about working with us. We want you to have all vital knowledge necessary for making an informed decision about whether to partner with us. It is the respectful way to handle things.”

“Is that your spirit of chivalry or some bullshit like that? I know the real reason you’d prefer to tell me something now rather than in person is because whatever info this is might make me attack you. Whatevs. Spill.”

Artoria swallowed the saliva that had built up in her mouth as discreetly as possible to mask how concerned she was about how Chloe would react. “It’s concerning your question about Irisviel’s condition.” The king could sense all her family’s tenseness as she faced the familiar. “As we have said before, the Greater Grail is corrupted by some sort of dark presence that makes it a threat to the World. Our evidence is that Irisviel connected to the Grail last war and saw its true nature.”

“Thanks for the recap.” Chloe sounded bored.

“Due to that experience, Irisviel still has a connection to the Greater Grail, one more unique than that of a traditional Lesser Grail. Last night, the Greater Grail attempted to use this special link to possess Irisviel. That substance that was ejected from Irisviel’s body was the mud of the Grail, the toxin that turned the wish granter into a weapon of mass destruction.” Silence. Chloe wasn’t responding in her usual snippy way. “Last night was the first time Irisviel’s ever been taken over by the Grail, so we plan to have her leave Fuyuki. The Grail shouldn’t have the reach to take her over from outside the bounds of Fuyuki’s leyline.”

“But, you’ve got no guarantee, so what happens if the Grail hijacks her body again while none of you are around to knock some sense into her or to off her if it gets too bad?”

Chloe’s question made Artoria’s body go so cold she swore her breath became visible. The King of Knights didn’t dare turn around for she feared what the expressions of her wife and children were like upon hearing such horrifying prospects. It wasn’t just the risk of Iri running wild, but the fact that, if things got too bad and Iri ended up too far gone, someone would have to be the one to end her.

To be the one who has to take Iri’s life, it was a task that couldn’t be left to the children, that would be beyond traumatizing.

“I’ll be leaving with Iri to watch over her. If we can do some research and guarantee she won’t be possessed again, I’ll return to Fuyuki.”

Artoria felt Iri latch onto her arm. “What are you talking about? If you come with me, then the kids will be all on their own!”

“Iri, I have to go with you, because if things go badly, then-”

“I know! But, if we leave the kids here, if you aren’t here, then what’ll happen? They might not be enough to handle things! Don’t you care?”

“Of course I do, but what other choice do we have?” Artoria went up to Iri’s ear and whispered, “Do you truly think any of them would recover if they had to have your blood on their hands.”

“And you would?” Iri was a step away from slapping Artoria.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“I can go with her.” Mordred said with nonchalance.

“What?”

“I can go with her. The whole issue here is that if shit hits the fan and somebody’s gotta kill Iri, that person’s gotta live with the guilt, right? Well, I’m the least attached to Iri so I should do it. I’m not saying I’m happy to do it, it still sucks, but out of everyone here, I just met her so I’ll be hit the softest. You can keep babysitting Gray and Illya and I’ll go with Irisviel. It just makes sense for me to do this.”

Artoria looked to Iri and found in her eyes the same kind of uncertainty that the knight herself felt. Mordred’s proposal was logically sound and was most certainly motivated by clemency. The boy wanted to spare his mother the pain of having to take the life of another loved one. It is a horror that Artoria was too familiar with. Memories of holding Rhongomyniad and plunging it into Mordred’s stomach filled Artoria’s vision. She remembered as she impaled her son before watching as the boy’s face showed a lifetime of sorrow in that briefest of moments when their gazes locked and they truly faced each other for the first time.

That was when Artoria finally understood her son’s pain, and that may have given Mordred the understanding necessary to never want his father to kill another family member.

“Iri, would you be okay with Mordred being your escort?” This was Iri’s decision to make in the end and nobody else's.

Alabaster eyelids covered Iri’s beautiful ruby eyes as she thought for a moment. That beautiful visage alone stole Artoria’s heart all over again every time she saw it. Artoria loved Iri so much. That’s why this whole conversation was agonizing.

“Okay, Mordred can come with me just in case while you stay here and watch Gray, Illya, and Add.”

“As long as you're comfortable with that.” At this point, Artoria just wanted Iri to be happy.

“Hey, so I’m still here!” Chloe wasn’t even trying to hide her aggravation.

“Our apologies.” Artoria cleared her throat. “So, do you still wish to work with us despite Iri-er-Irisviel’s condition? Do you even believe us?”

“I mean, some wacky shit was happening last night and that has to have an explanation. That slime was definitely some kind of coagulation of curses which is something I’d certainly call ‘corruption’ or some kind. The amount of it was also something Irisviel could never spawn on her own, but she could if she had magical energy from the Grail. I don’t know if I buy your story 100%, but it’s at least close enough to reality that I’ll accept it for now, I guess.” She actually believed them. Artoria could hardly believe it.

“So, will you still work with us?”

“Deal’s still on, but make sure that Irisviel gets out of this city, ASAP.”

“We will. Thank you for being so amicable.”

“Whatever. Get off your asses and head to the castle. I’m out.”

The correspondence ended and the homunculus flew over to Iri and perched atop her head.

“I guess we can use this to contact Chloe if we need to.” Iri pet the bird nestled atop her cranium.

“Let’s get moving.” Artoria picked up a backpack. “We can’t dawdle and risk angering Chloe. She might recant her offer if that happens.”

Everyone picked up their things as they prepared to leave for the Einzbern Castle. Artoria hoped this alliance would be the turning point her family needed after the unfortunate events of the previous night. Despite her trying to be optimistic, Artoria couldn't help but imagine the worst. The morose atmosphere that permeated the group told the king that she wasn’t the only one demoralized. There was tension, especially between Artoria and Iri. For some reason, something wasn’t feeling right. Iri wasn’t okay. She was upset, and not just about her surprise connection with the Grail. Did Artoria have the strength necessary to help Iri through this? In the past, Artoria would have said yes, that she would find the reserves of strength necessary and if there was no strength within herself, she’d simply create more. But, now she lacked that confidence and she prayed her family wouldn’t suffer for it.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 18: II

Illyasviel von Einzbern II. That was the name of the little girl who had just been born, just been created by the hands of the greatest of alchemists working in the field of creating homunculi. They were homunculi themselves and they were called the Einzberns. Their history and goals are things Illyasviel II had already been briefed on before she immediately went to work.

What was her work? Training of course. She had to prepare for the Fifth Holy Grail War. She would be a Master fighting to complete the Heaven’s Feel because…because that was the goal the Einzberns had been tasked with. Completing the Third Magic was a goal in and of itself. There was no further thought necessary.

Young Illyasviel II was a peculiar homunculus for she had emotions. This was because she was based on another homunculus who had emotions. Illyasviel II had been created to be the original’s better in all respects, but the one thing that failed to be winnowed out in the process of her creation was those extraneous feelings. But, that was okay as long as Illyasviel II paid those emotions no heed and simply went about with a mechanical mind like her creators possessed.

The current training Illyasviel II was undergoing involved practicing altering the shape of matter. A hair was plucked from her head and she infused that single strand with magical energy, making it swim through the air before trying to shape it. Even doing this much was unprecedented considering how young Illyasviel II was. Truly she was a prodigy, but she wasn’t enough of a prodigy as grandfather watched her work with a displeased glint in his eyes.

The hair coiled and twisted as it tried to shape into a cylindrical form. It kept looking a little wobbly, like gelatin, because Illyasviel II lacked the precision necessary to make it stay fixed in a particular configuration. Practice was all she needed. She needed to keep trying and she’d get it soon enough. But that look from grandfather left Illyasviel II eternally on edge, always just barely unable to fully focus. That nagging discomfort mixed with a single shameless thought and made Illyasviel II lose her concentration completely.

She thought, ‘I don’t want to do this.’

Right when it seemed like the hair would form a cylinder so perfect it belonged in a geometry textbook, Illyasviel II lost all control and the thread knotted itself into an ugly ball that would be impossible to untangle. The twisted follicle hit the table which Illyasviel II stood in front of while the girl herself began inhaling and exhaling deeply. The sweat that slid down the girl’s brow alerted her to just how enervated she had become.

Looking across the table, Illyasviel II saw grandfather’s look of disappointment.

“Why do you have so much trouble with this? Do you want to fail? You understand that you must surpass the original Illyasviel, yes?” The original. Illyasviel II had heard so many stories about the original, the one who had been stolen away by her crazed mother who gave up on the great task which the Einzberns had to complete. Illyasviel II had to be better than the original, because the original was a failure, and so she’d be less than a failure if she didn’t succeed in acquiring the Greater Grail. She had to be better.

“Yes, grandfather.”

“Then stop wasting time and try it again.”

“Yes, grandfather.”

The girl got back to practicing, plucking another of her hairs and pouring magical energy into it to make it float. She would keep trying as many times as it took to succeed, to make her grandfather happy, to complete the Third Magic and…complete the Third Magic. She would. She had to.

***

The frigid wind and snow burned the little amount of Illyasviel II’s skin that was exposed. Grandfather stood behind the child as he waited to see the fruits of her labor and evaluate them.

Two hairs were removed from the child’s head and flew through the rushing air. It had become second nature to Illyasviel II as she molded the stands into two instant homunculi that she held complete control over. The birds made of hair fired blasts of magical energy from their beaks, turning multiple trees to dust with their destructive might. It took mere seconds to clear away an entire chunk of the forest.

“Good. Now let’s go back inside to continue your training.” That was all the response grandfather gave. No words of love or kindness for he had none in his heart and that was because emotions were a burden. They got in the way of thinking clearly. That meant that even if the Third Magic was completed, he wouldn’t be happy or cry tears of joy. He might feel relief of some kind but that was it. No matter what Illyasviel II did, grandfather would never love her.

If the completion of the Heaven’s Feel wouldn’t actually make anyone happy, then what was the point? Illyasviel tried to stop herself. She knew the kinds of thoughts she was having were bad and had to be drowned out with words of affirmation of the importance of her family’s goal. But, her usual mantras just weren’t loud enough anymore.

Illyasviel’s grandfather had already begun walking back towards the castle which they called home. It was a structure so large and intricate in its internal structure that one might mistake it for the labyrinth of Greek myth. It certainly was a place one could get lost in and never find their way out.

In that moment where grandfather’s eyes were not focused on her, Illyasviel II was able to muster up the courage to make an audacious entreaty.

“Grandfather, I heard about these things called games. Can I take a break from training to try playing one?”

Grandfather stopped and slowly turned to face Illyasviel II. He didn’t look angry, yet his fury was undeniably real and more chilling than the blizzard the pair stood in. Wait, was he angry? He wasn’t supposed to have emotions.

“Who told you about games?”

“I just read about them in a book while I was studying.” Lying was the only option. Illyasviel II couldn’t risk getting anyone in trouble.

Grandfather’s palm cupped the girl’s chin and his fingers pressed into her cheeks. Her face was forced to point towards his own. Illyasviel II tried looking away, but that only made grandfather’s hold stronger, tighter. The girl’s jaw began hurting.

“Do not lie to me, Illyasviel II. Who told you about games?”

“I overheard some of the maids talking, and games came up. They didn’t know I was there.” Grandfather's fingers continued to push harder into the girl’s cheeks. He began to lift her up, just enough that she was forced onto her tiptoes and could feel her neck stretching painfully. How far would grandfather go? He wouldn’t hurt Illyasviel II, would he? If he hurt her, or even killed her, he could simply make another Illyasviel. Illyasviel III. Mortal fear came upon the child’s mind for the first time, pouncing upon her will to resist and tearing it to nothing more than a bloody carcass. “It was Adette.”

Upon hearing the truth, grandfather released Illyasviel II who dropped into the snow as her body trembled, not from the cold, but from fright. Grandfather began walking towards the castle once more as if he hadn’t just taught her granddaughter what it was to fear one’s own demise.

“Let us return to the castle. You will go back to training while I have that maid executed.”

“Executed?” Snow stirred as Illyasviel II bolted to a sitting position. “Why? All Adette did was tell me what games are!”

“You cannot be allowed any kind of distractions. It was being predisposed with personal desires that corrupted Irisviel and turned her into the failure she was. She never would have kidnapped your predecessor if that accursed husband of hers didn’t poison her mind with emotion.”

“But, Adette doesn’t need to die!” Illyasviel II stood up.

She then fell back onto her bottom when grandfather turned and gave her that dreadful look again; the look that told Illyasviel II that she wasn't a person, but a tool.

“Illyasviel II, any who would damage your education must be made an example of to stop any further descent. You allow for even a paucity of leeway, and people will start getting subversive ideas. This is all for your sake, Illyasviel II. Don’t you want to surpass the original Illyasviel?”

“Yes, grandfather.” Illyasviel II knew her grandfather was right. She had to be better than the original, because she would be less than a failure if she wasn’t. Then she’d get thrown away like all failures were, like Adette was going to.

“You’ll never surpass the original if you don’t follow my laws and walk the path I have made for you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, grandfather.”

Grandfather turned around for a third time. “Come along, now. We have no time to waste.”

“Yes, grandfather.”

Thus, Illyasviel II realized her foolishness. Even a derisory amount of happiness would be too great a distraction from the vital task which her family had been bestowed. The Heaven’s Feel had to be complete, nothing else mattered other than that for it was what gave the Einzbern family meaning. But, why did it give the Einzberns meaning? Why was it the only thing that mattered considering that they didn’t have any plans to use the Third Magic for anything in particular? Illyasviel II had to clear her mind of these doubts, otherwise she’d never surpass the original. She had to surpass the original or she’d be discarded. The original Illyasviel was the metric with which Illyasviel II’s value was calculated.

If only it weren’t for that original, then maybe grandfather wouldn’t have been so harsh. All this was because of that original.

***

Illyasviel II hated everything about this. The sting of the snow that hit her body that lacked the protection of anything more than a gossamer dress. The feeling like her lungs were going to collapse as she was forced to keep running and running. The icy numbness of her feet and the infernal burning of her legs. The barks and growls of the wolves that chased behind her, making her blood stop its flow every time the noises drew closer. The feeling like blazing rods of metal were being stabbed into her veins as she forced magical energy to continually flow through her.

This was a test, one that, if Illyasviel II failed, would mean the end of her life. She had been thrown into the snow-glazed forest outside the Einzbern Castle and had to fend for herself until her family was satisfied with her fortitude and granted her passage back home. There was no way they would actually let her perish, that would have meant all the effort put into raising her was wasted and they would have to start over. Plus, grandfather would be sad because Illyasviel II, his granddaughter, would be dead. He may have kept it hidden, but he loved her, he had to have. He had to.

The exhausted girl weaved between leafless trees as four bird-like homunculi fired shots of magical energy back at the pack of wolves. At first, dealing with the wretched canines was easy, but now she was sapped of energy, both magical and vital, so her aim wavered and her power continued to lessen. The child kept her feet moving even as they turned black, bleeding cracks forming in them and dying the snow red. She would be fine, her familiars would take out all the wolves eventually.

What Illyasviel II had not accounted for was that she wouldn’t be able to keep running even if she wanted to. Wolves had circled around and cut off her path. She wanted to turn to her left or right, but more wolves cut those paths off, too. She was surrounded in all directions by the canines that menaced her. The girl didn’t stop running and instead fired blasts of energy to take out some of the wolves in front of her and clear a path. Fatigue induced imprecision caused all Illyasviel II’s shots to miss and she ended up running right towards a group of wolves that pounced on her and sunk their teeth into her pale skin. The child screamed and cried as her body was invaded by the fangs of half a dozen beasts that wrestled her to the ground.

The sound of her own skin and muscle tearing made Illyasviel II forget all that she had learned, all that made her a magus, all that made her a vessel of the Grail. She became the little girl she truly was. She was a child who was forced into a cruel trial with a derisory chance of survival.

As the girl continued to be accosted by the wolves, the only thought that endured the sea of pain she was suffering was the wish for her to be saved. She wanted grandfather to come and slay the hounds. She wanted grandfather to whisk her back to the castle before healing her wounds and telling her she didn’t have to train anymore.

That was what was going to happen. Illyasviel II knew that her grandfather would rescue her and would let her live a new life where she could play games and have friends and do whatever she wanted just like a normal girl.

A quick ripping sound hit Illyasviel II’s ears when a wolf ripped off a chunk of her bodily tissue. The child screamed at the top of her lungs to the point that her throat felt like it was filled with razor blades and she could release nothing but a quiet rasp.

Grandfather still hadn’t arrived. He must have been held up fighting even more wolves. He was probably fighting his way through an entire army of hounds all to save Illyasviel II. He was definitely doing that and all because he loved his granddaughter.

Sella and Leysritt would come too, and so would everyone else in the castle. They would all come to protect Illyasviel II.

The schism between Illyasviel II’s dreamed reality and the truth she was perceiving was growing. The barrier that kept out the truth to give the girl some hope was shaking, cracking, filling with holes.

No Sella. No Leysritt. No grandfather. Only the pack of beasts that were trying to pull Illyasviel II apart.

Why wasn’t grandfather here? Was it really taking him that long to arrive? There’s no way it would have taken this long for him to get to Illyasviel II. It was as if he wasn’t coming.

He wasn’t coming.

Grandfather wasn’t coming.

Nobody was coming.

Illyasviel II’s grandfather was actually going to let her die. The entire Einzbern family was going to let her die. They didn’t love her, she was just a tool to them, one they could replace if necessary. Illyasviel II’s demise would be an inconvenience and nothing more. Illyasviel II was just the name given to the Lesser Grail to be used in the Fifth Holy Grail War to complete the Heaven’s Feel. All this was for that stupid Third Magic that the Einzberns wanted to re-achieve for no reason other than because they ‘had’ to. That was why Illyasviel II suffered a life of no joy and constant hardship for the sake of cultivating her ability as a Master. That was why they created the Grail Wars where people murdered each other. And other magi helped them. This World was one that condoned such revolting actions

The Einzberns were garbage. The World was garbage. Everything was garbage.

Illyasviel II hated this. She hated everything. She hated her life. She hated that she had ever been born into such an absolutely horrible World full of horrible people. Why couldn’t the original Illyasviel have just stayed so Illyasviel II didn’t have to exist. No life was worth this suffering.

The remnants of Illyasviel II’s voice formed a crackling growl as her wrath built up and made the pain she was experiencing go from terrifying to frustrating for her. The beasts were avoiding the girls’ vitals and instead just gnawing into and ripping up her flesh to make her suffer. They weren’t going to deal the death blow until she had her will broken. Perhaps they had been programmed to act this way by grandfather. This could have been some form of twisted mercy since it would give her a chance to turn things around. But, all that did was make the homunculus child angry that they wouldn’t just end her.

At the moment, Illyasviel II wanted nothing more than for those wolves to just die.

The instant homunculi that had been stuck on standby returned to Illyasviel II’s control. The avian form that the familiars took changed as hairs re-weaved into the shape of swords. Like a silver missile, one sword shot through the wolves ripping into Illyasviel II and turned them to red coloring for the surrounding snow.

Illyasviel II wasn’t out of the wolves’ metaphorical den as the remaining hounds raced towards her from all sides. Clarity and precision returned to the homunculus girl’s mind as her goal of slaughter acted as a point of focus. Waiting until right when all the remaining wolves pounced for her, Illyasviel II shot two more of her swords as the hounds were gathered together. The pack became nothing but droplets of blood and stray hairs lost in the blizzard.

Illyasviel II stared at the liquified remnants of her enemies as her throat released gravely sounds with every breath that passed through. Despite her apparent victory, the girl was still infuriated.

“I…am…done.” The child’s damaged voice was far from voluble, but her fury was still easy to hear. “No…more.”

Illyasviel II wasn’t doing the stupid test anymore, whether grandfather said it was okay to stop or not. She trudged through the snow with the thought in her mind that once she got back to the castle, she would never have to suffer like this again. All she had to do was get to that castle and tell grandfather that she wasn’t going to be his slave or his tool anymore.

Illyasviel II imagined she must have looked like a corpse as she dragged her pale form caked in blood through the icy world around her. She certainly felt dead thanks to how numb her body had become thanks to the frostbite that was spreading across her flesh. Nothing alchemy paired with healing magecraft couldn’t fix, which was probably why grandfather was so willing to put Illyasviel II through so much pain. Her happiness didn’t matter, only if she could be fixed and could complete her destiny.

The zap that hit the child’s forehead made her realize how out of it she was. She just walked right into the Bounded Field that kept intruders away from the Einzbern Castle. Grandfather wasn’t going to lower the barrier any time soon, not until he was satisfied with Illyasviel II’s performance.

But Illyasviel II wasn’t going to wait. Her fourth and last sword drove through the Bounded Field and ripped a hole in it that the homunculus walked through.

The girl’s legs felt like they were made of osmium as lifting them became a struggle requiring all of her willpower. She moved at the pace of a tortoise as she got ever closer to the castle gate.

The march ended when Illyasviel II reached the gate and was met with her grandfather and numerous homunculi guards.

“Move.” Illyasviel II said with a voice like nails on a chalkboard.

“Illyasviel II, what do you think you’re doing? Your test is still underway.”

“I quit. I’m not being a…Master or a…vessel for the Grail anymore…I’m not going to even be a…magus anymore.”

“You speak as if you have a say as to what your future will be.”

“I do. I’m not listening to you anymore.”

“Illyasviel II, you really want to abandon the Third Magic? You won’t be able to surpass the original that way.”

“I don’t care…about the original. I’m not her. And I…don’t care about the stupid Third Magic.”

“Then you would prefer to exist without purpose? The dereliction of one’s purpose dissolves their value as a being.”

“I’ll decide what my purpose is, just…I need time. Why do you even care? You can just make an Illyasviel III and start again.”

“Too much time has been invested into your development to have it all go to waste.”

“But you're willing to let me die in this test?”

“Because if you can’t pass a trial such as this, then you’re hopeless. But we won’t know that until you try.”

“Well, I’m not going to try. Now get out of the way.” Illyasviel II began trudging towards the gate as if her grandfather had already moved out of her way.

A misty exhale from grandfather accompanied a sudden increase in sensation in Illyasviel II’s body when she should have been completely numb. The pain receptors in the girl’s body went mad, each forced to generate the greatest form of physical agony possible. The torture was so great that all of Illyasviel II’s other senses stopped functioning. No more sight, smell, hearing, taste, and even things like her sense of equilibrium. All the girl could comprehend was pain. It was like some sort of Hell where the girl couldn’t even scream. If she wasn’t sure she wished she were never born before, she certainly was sure now. There were no words that could describe the agony for this was a pain that was essentially all forms of physical suffering the body could process all happening at once. It was an overload of the body’s ability to feel pain to the point that all else was drained away. Even maintaining the simplest thought was near impossible. The pain was everything. There was no way for the child to know how long the torture had been going on as she lost all perception of time. It could have been seconds or years. Illyasviel II lived in a milieu of social pain, but now she faced a reality of unbridled material pain. She would give anything for the pain to end. She would follow her grandfather’s orders forever without a single complaint. She would let herself get mauled by wolves all over again. Anything, as long as she was freed from this Hell.

The strained synapses in the homunculus child’s brain were suddenly released from their abuse and slowly, slowly, Illyasviel II stopped reeling from the horrific stimulation that had accosted her. The first thing that the girl felt after her senses rebooted was the chilly bed of snow her body had fallen into. She could barely feel it due to the insensibility caused by the cold, but the child reveled in it since it didn’t hurt like the sensory assault she had just been freed from. She hugged the snow and wanted to roll up in it like a blanket. She’d happily fall asleep and let herself drift off to death right there if she could.

“Illyasviel II, are you truly so naive as to think that we would not install a failsafe into you to avoid a disaster like with Irisviel?” Grandfather had a smug tint to his voice. It was one of the few times that he had ever indulged in explicit displays of emotion as far as Illyasviel II was aware.

“I…hate…you.” Illyasviel II spoke each word with the fervor of someone incanting maledictions to destroy their most reviled enemy.

“We’ll clean that hatred out of you, along with the rest of your emotions. Now, return to the forest so your trial can continue. That is, unless you want to be reprimanded again.”

With imprecise movements, the homunculus child got back to her feet with the intent to keep on fighting. Then Illyasviel II remembered the pain she had just endured and instantly gave up upon the idea of ever challenging her grandfather again. The suffering was simply too great, too all encompassing.

Without a word, Illyasviel II turned around with tears in her eyes and headed back towards the forest to complete her inhumane trial.

And complete it she did, over the course of three days where she was constantly attacked by wolves and evil spirits. She had to heal herself in order to not drop dead of frostbite or her various wounds. To keep up her magical energy, she consumed the raw flesh of the hounds that hunted her and used alchemy to convert the ingested matter into mana like Heroic Spirits were able to do naturally. Soon enough, hunter and prey swapped roles as Illyasviel II attacked the wolves that once filled her heart with fright in order to eat them up. The girl’s face became caked in congealed blood which made her feel like some sort of monster stalking the forest. She so quickly dominated the hierarchy of the frigid wilds she found herself in. Even the evil spirits kept away from her.

This kind of disturbing survivalism, the willingness to do whatever it took to complete her task was what grandfather had wanted to see. The test ended and Illyasviel II was allowed back to the castle, the place she could never truly call home.

Illyaasviel II received the medical attention necessary to leave her without even the slightest physical scar, but the mental ones would forever remain. As soon as she had been healed of her injuries and could function as normal, grandfather immediately forced her to get back to training. The worst part was that the homunculus girl did so without even the slightest word of complaint. She didn’t want to risk returning to that Hell among Hells.

Finally, after that horrible three days in an icy underworld followed by rigorous training, Illyasviel II was permitted to go to bed.

Illyasviel II didn’t sleep, however. The girl felt the weight of her chains and saw past the luxurious walls of the castle to see them for what they really were, the walls of a prison. She was trapped and she had no way out no matter how long she thought about every possible method of escape no matter how desperate. She was completely helpless. She had no power nor freedom. A pressure formed around the child’s eyes as she tried to hold back her tears. She didn’t want to cry and risk getting heard. She’d get punished again for showing emotions. Now that grandfather had shown his hand, he wouldn’t hold back anymore. Any iconoclastic transgression as benign as a smile would be met with another delve into the reality of all-encompassing suffering that grandfather had given Illyasviel II a taste of earlier that day.

Push the tears back. She had to keep the tears from flowing or she’d be given an even more reason to cry. A droplet raced across Illyasviel II’s face and she instantly wiped her face and buried it into her pillow. Push the tears back, or there’d be Hell to pay.

A choked back hiccup. No, don’t cry. The pillow was getting damp. Stop crying. More sobs. Just stop.

She was crying. Shit. She was crying and whimpering and she couldn’t stop herself which made her cry even more as she shivered in fear of getting noticed.

The terrified child buried her head under her throng of pillows to try and muffle her lamenting. Don’t get caught. Keep it quiet. Don’t get caught. Don’t get caught. Please, don’t get caught.

A click raged through the darkness and made Illyasviel II jump in her bed. The girl’s consternation intensified as she saw light pierce through the shadows and slash at her eyes like a holy sword. Even as Illyasviel II’s eyes stung from the change in brightness, she was far more concerned with who had opened the door to her room.

Was it grandfather? One of the maids? It didn’t matter since the results would be the same. She would have to feel that pain again. That pain. Just remembering it for a moment made her tears flow even more fiercely. The girl was frozen in place as she stared at the crack of light as it expanded and her eyes adjusted.

“Lady Illyasviel II.” The words were full of worry. The young homunculus’ eyes finished adapting to the light and spotted Sella and Leysritt in the doorway.

No. They were going to get grandfather. No. No!

There was an attempt at an explanation, at an excuse, but all that came from Illyasviel II’s lips were incoherent noises brimming with despair. She couldn’t even construct simple words and it embarrassed her, because it made her feel infantilized by her own distress.

“Don’t be afraid.” Leysritt started slowly stepping towards Illyasviel II. As the maid got closer, the little girl got a better look at her face. Leysritt had a face that was like a dolls, emotionless and uncanny, the ideal grandfather desired. But, Leysritt was smiling. It was small, simple, something that wouldn’t be noteworthy when on anybody else’s visage. But on Leysritt, it was astounding. The maid’s arms wrapped around Illyasviel II and pulled her into a tight hug, arguably too tight. As the velvety ensemble Leysritt wore caressed the young homunculus’ skin, she felt something she had never known before. “We will always be on your side.”

Did Leysritt really just say that? Illyasviel II had to be hearing things or misunderstanding what Leysritt meant. The child had to confirm though. She looked to Sella who closed the door to the room so they wouldn’t get noticed.

“Sella?”

“Lady Illyasviel II, we are in service to Master Jubstacheit and we cannot defy him outright. That does not mean we agree with all of his rules. We’re sorry we can’t help you escape or protect you. What we can do is try to ameliorate your pain with what minor comforts we can provide. Always know this, Lady Illyasviel II, no matter what happens, we will always be on your side.”

The vise-like hug of Leysritt partnered with Sella’s rebellious, if seemingly staid words to make the strange and unfamiliar feeling sloshing about in Illyasviel II’s body intensify. For the first time in her entire life, she was being given leeway. Sella and Leysritt were putting Illyasviel II’s feelings at the forefront instead of punishing them.

The feeling in Illyasviel II finally had a name. The girl realized what the sensation she was feeling was called. It was something she had wanted for a long time. It was something she deluded herself into thinking she had. She no longer had to trick herself because she had it for real now without a shadow of a doubt.

It was love.

Illyasviel II let the floodgates open as her tears were like a waterfall. She hugged Leysritt back with as much strength as she could to show her own love and appreciation for her two maids, no, her friends.

The future was bound to be full of suffering, there was no doubt about that. But there would always be the solace of moments like these to push Illyasviel II on.

Because now she knew love.

***

In Illyasviel II ‘s atelier in the Einzbern Castle, the woman stood ready to summon her Servant. It was two months before the Fifth Holy Grail War was to begin. Normally it wouldn’t be possible to summon a Servant so early, but thanks to certain privileges afforded to the Einzberns and resources they possessed, that limitation was able to be circumvented.

Hanging by chains next to the summoning circle was a giant slab of stone made from a temple pillar carved into the shape of a weapon somewhere between ax and sword. The bizarre armament was to be the catalyst to summon Illyasviel II’s Servant.

Behind Illyasviel II stood grandfather, his inhuman eyes scrutinizing his granddaughter's every action, and further behind him was Sella and Leysritt, Illyasviel II’s personal maids and only friends.

The awaited day that all the Einzbern family’s hopes and dreams had been staked upon had come. They had to summon a strong Servant, one who would finally bring them victory.

Illyasviel II didn’t care about victory. She was still mulling over whether to try and flee as soon as she was allowed to head to Fuyuki. She’d probably have to find and deal with any methods of tracking her the Einzberns had prepared. Her other option was to go to Fuyuki and let her Servant get killed or make them kill themself with a Command Spell. After that she could wait under the overseer’s care for the war to end. After that, the Einzberns would likely toss her away like they did Irisviel, assuming they didn’t want to kill Illyasviel II out of spite.

There were still two months to contemplate her plan of action, Illyasviel II just had to summon the Servant for now. Grandfather initially wanted Illyasviel II to alter the incantation so she would definitely summon her Servant as a Berserker. He said it would be easier to control them with the full-body Command Spells that way, but Illyasviel II convinced him otherwise when she mentioned that he could end up so wild that she’d have to use her Command Spells constantly to keep him in check which could hinder her own ability to act. The fact that grandfather actually listened was rare, but he only did so because it pertained to success in the Holy Grail War and Illyasviel II elocuted it well. As long as it wasn’t anything remotely heterodoxical, grandfather would at least hear others out. He should have been willing to hear others out about everything, that was just common courtesy, but whatever.

Letting her annoyance drain away, the Master-to-be extended her Command Spell marked hand and began the incantation.

“Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone.
The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Shut (fill).
Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
I announce.
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!”

The indoor storm that the summoning created did not die down now that the process had reached completion. It perpetuated as a mass of magical energy had appeared in the room. It was so large it felt like it should have had its own gravitational pull, as if a planet, a star, or even a black hole had materialized from the ether into the workshop. Perhaps the berserk winds were the result of some kind of revolution they were making like planets around the Sun. Maybe a star really had been brought into the room somehow.

But, no. What had appeared in the room was not a planet, a star, or a black hole, but it was awe-inspiring nonetheless. A giant man, dark of skin and so perfect in his physique that only a pretentious word like pulchritudinous could properly assess him had appeared. He carried in his muscles and in his golden veins unlimited might and vitality which was appropriate for one who eventually ascended to the status of God of Strength. Even being in the same building as him was enough to make Illyasviel II tremble with fear born from instinct. It was like being next to a lion that was unrestrained. You wouldn’t necessarily know if they were going to kill you, but the risk was too great considering that there would be no chance of survival if they did pounce. The Master did not bother to check to see if his grandfather or friends were quaking as well for she knew they were, there was no way they weren’t.

This was the most powerful Servant, there was no way there could be another with power that was more tremendous. This was the highest level a being could be while still restrained by the chains of humanity. This was a Top Servant, a candidate for a Grand Servant. This was the most famous hero of all.

This was Heracles.

“Magus.” That one word from the hero released a light shockwave that made everyone stumble backwards. “I would like you to answer my question.” He looked to Illyasviel II. He must have felt himself draw magical energy from her. “Are you the one who will become my Master and assign me trials?”

The woman raised to be a Master steadied herself and took a deep breath. “I am your Master. Tell me, are you the one known as Heracles?”

“Yes. My name is Heracles, once named Alcides, and my class in this war is Archer.” The Servant turned around to see the ax-sword that hung by chains behind him. “Is that what you used as a catalyst?”

“Yes.”

The demigod grabbed the weapons handle and used a surprisingly delicate touch to remove the chains from it. He held it aloft as if it had no weight at all and looked it over. He swung it a few times and it made the already untamed winds even more tempestuous. “I normally would lack a close range armament while I am an Archer. This will grant me greater versatility.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Speaking of versatility, we should begin coming up with strategies for the war and do some training. Firstly, could you tell us the full scope of your Noble Phantasms?”

“There’s something I must ask first. A final question.” He turned back to his Master. “What is your wish? I will only fight and slay for a goal that is worthy.”

To complete the Third Magic, the Heaven’s Feel. That was the answer grandfather would want Illyasviel II to say. But that wasn’t what she really wanted. There was only one thing she desired from the bottom of her heart and there was no question as to what it was. The issue was that she couldn't say it aloud. She’d get punished again if she did. She couldn’t let that happen. The amount of times she had experienced that Hell of omnipresent pain could be counted on one hand, but that was still enough to instill a terror like that of the fear of God in a zealot. Illyasviel II couldn’t tell the truth. She had to keep playing along to her grandfather’s script.

But she couldn’t take it anymore. Even one more day, one more hour, or minute, or even a single second and she would go mad. She couldn’t keep living a life that wasn’t of her own choosing, one where she was a slave at best and an object at worst. Endless working, training, suffering, it was too much. Now was the time to speak up to one who would maybe listen and who might have the power to set her free. If not now, then when? Heracles was supposed to be a hero after all, and Illyasviel II needed a hero.

“My wish is to be free.” Illyasviel II spoke with verity for the first time in so long.

“Free from what?” Archer asked.

“This place. This castle, my grandfather, my family.”

“Illyasviel II, that is enough!” Grandfather raised his voice and the girl flinched, but she wouldn’t back down.

“No! I’m not backing down!” Illyasviel II looked to her Servant again while pointing a finger at her grandfather. “He and the rest of my family abuse me, make me do nothing other than train, and when I talk back or even show emotion they use a curse to cause me pain so horrible I can’t even describe it! All for the stupid Holy Grail so they complete the Third Magic! They’re willing to kill people just for their stupid Magic!” Tears soaked Illyasviel II’s face. “I just can’t take it anymore! I’ve never played a game, or watched a movie, or danced, or anything! Everything’s just work and pain! I can’t do this anymore! Please, please, save me! Archer, please, save me!”

Right then, magical energy inside Illyasviel II began to increase and she knew that the pain spell that had been infused into her was about to activate. Dread for what was about to happen filled her to the brim and she braced herself as best she could.

But the pain didn’t come. Instead, there was a booming sound. Illyasviel II looked to where her grandfather was and saw that he had been pinned to the wall by Archer’s magical energy before he could finish activating the pain spell. The aura around him was so intense he couldn’t use even the simplest form of magecraft.

The pain that Illyasviel II so despised and was terrified of hadn’t come. She talked back, and she wasn’t in pain. The Master spun to look at her Servant who had a pinched brow and little more, but that slight change in his stony face was enough to show just how much he abhorred Illyasviel II’s treatment. It was a look that would have made the Master feel a fear even greater than that which the pain spell caused her if the Servant’s ire had pegged her as its outlet.

“Don’t worry, Master. You will feel no more pain, for I have heard your wish and I shall grant it. You will be saved.” Archer said. Illyasviel II was going to be saved. It was unbelievable and yet Archer’s strength and his valor made it impossible to deny. The tears continued to flow and flow from the Master’s face as her dream would be a dream no longer. The hero’s fingers adjusted their positions to make his grip on his ax-sword firmer. “Would you be fine with me slaying your family and those that have conspired with them? It would be the most effective solution.”

“You can kill everyone except them.” Illyasviel II pointed towards Sella and Leysritt. Sella was on the verge of having a panic attack while Leysritt looked about as surprised as someone as phlegmatic as her could be. “They‘ve been my only friends, the only ones to treat me like a person. It’s thanks to them that I’ve managed not to break despite all the suffering.”

“I understand. In that case, I suggest you three wait here. This will take me just a moment. I will try not to break anything.”

The giant stepped over to grandfather and raised a hand.

“You can’t do this! You have a purpose thanks to me! I raised you! I love you! I do!” said the man that had tortured Illyasviel II all her life. “You can’t do this! I forbid it! You’re an Einzbern homunculus! You can’t betray-” Archer’s hand grabbed and crushed grandfather’s head in one smooth motion. The horrible man’s corpse fell to the ground and leaked blood. There was a catharsis in watching him die, though not as much as Illyasviel II had hoped.

The giant went over to the door and squeezed his way through, leaving the workshop and heading to eliminate the rest of the Einzbern family. With rapid stomps that sounded like thunder, the demigod was off. All Illyasviel II heard from then on was a mess of sounds as Archer cleaned up. The Master imagined how her relatives were all getting ripped apart while futilely trying whatever combat spells they had to no avail.

It really was quick. As soon as the fighting began, it was over and Archer returned to the atelier covered in blood.

“It is done.”

It was done. It really was. The remains of those who had made Illyasviel II’s life an unabated nightmare were painted across Archer’s frame. The man who orchestrated the horrors was now headless on the ground in an undignified pose.

Illyasviel II put her hand upon the ground and felt its texture, felt that it was real and that the moment she was in wasn’t some daydream or fantasy she was escaping to in order to ignore her real life suffering. She really was absolutely and undeniably free for the first time in her entire life.

Tears were shed by the Master once more, but this time they were of pure happiness at her dream having come true. It actually happened. It really, really did. Illyasviel II could make her own rules now. She could pick her own path and follow it to her heart's content. She could still access Das Rheingold so she would never have to want for anything so she could focus purely on her own happiness. She could live a happy life with Sella and Leysritt to keep her company.

And it was all thanks to Archer. Illyasviel II didn't even notice when she ran up to and hugged the blood covered giant.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You saved me! Thank you! I can be happy now! It’s all thanks to you! Thank you so much!”

“You are welcome.” The giant’s finger, the only one untouched by any kind of gore or lifeblood, pet the top of Illyasviel II’s head. It was the gentlest touch that the homunculus had ever felt and it made her feel safe. She’d never be hurt again as long as he was around. He made Illyasviel II’s memories of that Hell of omnipresent pain seem so distant, as if they were just a fleeting daydream, forgotten more quickly than it came into being.

Illyasviel II released her hero and took a step back, now covered in blood. She was smiling. It hurt how much she was smiling, though that might just have been due to her face being unused to such an expression. Barely used muscles were getting exercised for the first time in a long time and the burning sensation that resulted felt good.

Turning around, Illyasviel II saw both Sella and Leysritt. Sella was still in shock, but Leysritt was smiling. The Master hugged them both as tightly as she could. Leysritt reciprocated immediately while Sella hesitated. It wasn’t that she was sad about the deaths of the rest of the Eiznbernz, she simply worried about what they’d do now that they were on their own. Illyasviel II couldn’t read Sella’s mind, but she knew what she was thinking thanks to how well they knew each other. Sella didn’t know how she, Leysritt, and Illyasviel II would get along now that they were on their own, but she let her worries slide away as she embraced her family.

This truly was the best day of Illyasviel II’s entire life. The Master finished her hug and saw in the corner of eye that Archer was smiling as he watched Illyasviel II and her family show their love.

“Thank you for everything, Archer.”

“I was happy to do it.” The sides of Archer’s mouth dropped into his usual dry blankness. “Master, what would you have me do now? You no longer have any reason to participate in the Holy Grail War, do you?”

That was true. There was no reason to risk their lives for some stupid prize her family had been obsessed with. That stupid cup was going to lead to another massacre and there was no way anyone was going to win this time just like how nobody won any of the previous times. It was just a big waste. Oh, how Illyasviel II would have loved to just smash that dumb cup and make her stupid family’s ghosts writhe from seeing all their hard work be for nothing.

Actually, she could still do that. Archer was so crazy strong that he could win that Holy Grail War with both hands and legs tied behind his back. They could swoop into that war and blow up the Grail and then come right back home. That stupid wish granter flared up people’s greed and caused them to slaughter each other so getting rid of it would maker the world a better place. Plus, the catharsis of destroying that dumb thing after hearing about it constantly twenty-four seven would be fantastic.

“Y’know, I think I still want to participate in the war, for the sake of protecting humanity.”

“Really?” Archer said.

“What do you mean, Illyasviel II?” Sella’s question made the Master’s eyebrow twitch.

That stupid name. Illyasviel II. It was so awkward to say. The Einzberns made sure that she and everyone else always said ‘the second’ after Illyasviel to make sure she remembered she wasn’t the original, that she had a predecessor, a standard she had to not only match, but outperform. That stupid name that wasn’t even truly her’s made the Master sick at this point. She wanted a new name, one she picked herself. What to go with though? It had to be something symbolic. This was a new beginning for the Master, so perhaps something related to that or to just beginnings in general. Maybe a name that meant something that was nascent. Like a young plant about to bloom.

At that moment, the Master decided upon her new name.

“Before I explain myself, I want to mention that I’m not Illyasviel II anymore.”

“What?”

“That name was my name as a tool, an object. I’ve decided on a new name.”

“Wh-What is it?”

“Chloe.” Chloe said with a giggle.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 19: An Enduring Grudge

“Irisviel’s gotta die.” Chloe spoke with a blank tone that made her seem pragmatically confident, emotionless even in a way that contrasted her normal habit of wearing her emotions on her sleeve.

“So you lied to them.” Heracles said as he and his Master stood in the bedroom that Chloe had claimed as her own. Chloe had just finished her conversation with the team made up of Illyasviel, Irisviel, their Servant and the strange girl with the powers of a Divine Spirit. It was at Heracles’ suggestion that contact be made with Illyasviel’s faction. The demigod was in poor shape due to Scáthach’s spears and it would be smart to ally with another handicapped faction for their collective good. It took a lot of convincing to get Chloe on board due to her grievances with Illyasviel and her family, but she saw reason soon enough. It appeared that a truce was achieved, but that may have merely been a deception on Chloe’s part.

“Of course! What, are you telling me you’re shocked? I really was planning on working with them, but we just found out that Irisviel could destroy the World! We can’t just let her keep on living!”
It was good to know that Chloe’s motivation for treachery was based in ethics instead of being something she was planning from the beginning. “We’re gonna have them come over and when they get in your range, you’re gonna snipe the shit outta them with Nine Lives.”

“I was under the impression that you cared not for the rest of humanity? Why does their survival matter to you? You curse even your own existence.”

“I don’t care!” Chloe claimed. “But if everyone dies, that includes Sella and Leysritt and even you. I can’t let that happen. Why are you even questioning me on this? You gonna tell me Irisviel isn’t a threat?”

“She certainly is, but I simply feel we need not jump to the furthest extreme in terms of how to solve this issue.” Heracles was trying his best to come at this diplomatically, to not directly deny any of his Master’s claims and instead try to use reason to sway her back towards working with Illyasviel’s family. It was the best way for her to reconcile with her wrath.

“You’re saying that when the literal World is at stake? Aren’t you mister justice and heroism and shit?”

“I do plan to enact justice, but that doesn’t mean it has to be enacted in the most extreme way possible.” Let the values of Heracles never be questioned. He would always fight to save, to be a hero as long as his senses remained intact. “Irisviel and her family do not need to die. As long as we eradicate the Grail, everything will be solved.”

“And do you know where it is?”

“No.”

“Yeah, neither do I, and until we do know, we shouldn’t be assuming things won’t go to shit! If my life’s told me anything at all, it’s that if things can go bad, they do. That’s just life.” Such pessimism could only be born and molded into shape by a lifetime of suffering. Chloe was only ten years old chronologically, but her mind matched her body in terms of development, because her mind was made to grow at an accelerated rate. That means that each trauma she experienced was worth double. Such a life had not broken her mind and Heracles liked to believe it hadn't broken her heart, but there were wounds that wouldn’t heal any time soon, and perhaps never.

“Trust me Master when I say that I can relate to your pain for I have experienced a lifetime of nigh-endless tribulations and have lost many families, but it is for that reason that I wish not to see another be destroyed. To be a hero means more than just slaying those labeled villains. Heroism also means knowing when to be merciful.” So many families made and lost, often by his own hand. Heracles understood loss better than most and he refused to cause that same kind of loss to happen to others. Even if he killed the entirety of Illyasviel’s family at the same time, those moments before they all lost their lives would be brimming with worry for their loved ones who were about to die alongside them. Even feeling such sorrow for an instant would be an instant too long.

“Who deserves mercy, some assholes, or the entire World?”

“Why do you continue to speak so poorly of Illyasviel’s family when you don’t know them?”

“What do you mean I don’t know them? They’re a group of Einzberns, that tells me all I need to know. All Einzberns are the absolute worst pieces of shit to ever fucking exist and don’t you dare try to change my mind.”

“You are also an Einzbern, and so are Sella and Leysritt. Are-”

“Don’t you dare compare Sella and Leysritt to the Eiznberns!” Chloe’s teeth were bared and her finger jabbed towards Heracles with a fury befitting the thrust of a Lancer’s spear. “They’re special! They’re the only reason I was able to survive in the fucking castle full of sanctimonious fucks!”

“And why can’t Illyasviel and her family also be special? They also wished to escape from the main Einzbern family. Perhaps you could relate to them.”

“Shut up, they’re not like us! I could tell by looking at them what kind of people they are! Hell, Illyasviel nearly killed me! Did you forget that?”

“She only tried to take your life after you tried to take her and her mother’s. It was self-defense.”

“Fuck that! I saw the look in her eye when she was about to pull the trigger! She only cared about killing me! That’s it!”

“And you only cared about killing her.”

The hands of Heracles’ Master held her head. “What is your fucking problem? Why can’t you just listen to me? I mean fuck, you even let some of them go last night when you could have killed them! I told you to show no mercy!”

“I felt killing them was unnecessary and to be fair, my Master, the last time I listened to you unconditionally was when you ordered me to bombard the bridge with arrows. I ended up both destroying the bridge and poisoning the river. You told me you could purify the river with alchemy beforehand which was why I followed your command, but that was a lie.” Heracles felt betrayed and honestly infuriated as his Master’s behavior in that moment led him to cause unnecessary destruction. They were lucky they didn’t end up tainting the entire city’s water supply. He had held his tongue earlier only in hopes that Chloe would bring up her actions herself, but it was self-evident that she had no plans to broach the topic at that point.

Chloe actually paused upon hearing mention of what she did and looked ashamed. “When I saw Illyasviel and Irisviel, I got pissed and wanted them dead no matter what.” Tanned fingers pinched some locks of white hair and twiddled them around. “I just told you whatever I had to in order to get you to go all out.” It was doubtless that she regretted her decision back then which made Heracles feel better. She wasn’t a bad person, only a misguided one.

“Then perhaps that tells you that your grudge is unreasonable and leads you to make poor decisions.”

A growl came from Chloe as her rage was rekindled. “I’ll be more careful, but I’m not giving those Einzberns any mercy! Quit trying to change my mind!”

“I simply feel your decision is wrong, both in a moral sense and in the sense that I feel it is bad for your own mental health. You need some degree of reconciliation so you may find inner peace.”

“Well, you're wrong! I don’t need anything other than for Illyasviel, and Irisviel, and the rest of their fucking family to be dead and gone forever so there won’t be any more stupid Einzbenrs on Earth other than me, Sella, and Leysritt! You’re gonna kill Illyasviel and her family even if I have to use a Command Spell to force you to! This discussion is over!” Chloe was well and truly blinded by rage. She had lived a life of following the orders of others and now she was free of that. Upon achieving her liberation, she refused to let her preconceptions of things buckle at the word of others for she would feel like she was being told what to do and think once again.

Upon realizing that there was no swaying Chloe’s heart, Heracles relented and returned to Spirit Form. Chloe herself was still seething so she tramped about her room while huffing and puffing, occasionally lying on her bed to try and rest before immediately getting back when she realized her energy would not drain.

The Master traipsed out of the room eventually with the immaterial Heracles in tow to eventually arrive at a different room that had been renovated into a gaming area. A variety of video games, many still unopened and in their original packaging, were stocking shelves and littered about the floor of what would have been an elegant looking room of the Einzbern Castle in Fuyuki. After attaining her freedom, Chloe set out to indulge in as many forms of luxury and entertainment as she could. That included the fashionable attire she always wore and the many games she had stocked the room with.

On the fancy couch in the room’s center was Leysritt, one of Chloe’s beloved family members, currently in a rather revealing and casual outfit that reminded Heracles of Caenis. She was playing a video game called Super Smash Brothers Melee while engorging herself on potato chips and pocky. How she never gained weight with a diet like that and without being some kind of demigod or Heroic Spirit, Heracles would never know.

Chloe jumped onto the couch and immediately grabbed a controller.

“After you finish this match, we’re having a couple rounds.” Chloe said.

“‘Kay.” Leysritt was a woman of few words.

It wasn’t long before the pair began to face each other on the digital battlefield. Apparently the game was similar to wrestling in that your goal was to throw the opponent out of bounds, but it was restricted to a 2-dimensional plain and you played as fictional characters with their own unique abilities. It was something that actually appealed to Heracles’ sensibilities since it allowed for friendly competition without risk of physically hurting someone. Heracles actually tried to play once, but the controller was too small for his large hands which meant he couldn’t properly control his chosen character. He had chosen to play as the swordsman named Marth since he reminded Heracles of Jason if he was more…blue.

Leysritt was quite skilled at the game as she racked up a series of victories, but Chloe wasn’t deterred. Each match she fought with greater vigor than the last. At first she was completely outmatched, but slowly she began to actually knock Leysritt off the battleground occasionally. It was a slow process, like watching a snail cross a vast distance, but progress was undeniably being made. The fruits of Chloe’s efforts were sweet as the Master managed to actually win a match against Leysritt, prompting celebration. Chloe skipped around the room and danced while Leysritt watched and very weakly clapped. That wasn’t enough for Chloe to be satisfied, though. She sat back down soon enough and the battles recommenced.

As the two homunculi played their game, Chloe began to become brighter, more relaxed. Her frustrations slipped out of her mind as she just focused on defeating Leysritt and not on the real issues at hand. She just wanted to play in the end, it’s all she’s ever wanted. Heracles wondered if it actually mattered how fun Chloe found the game itself, or if she would have been satisfied with any game as long as it was something considered fun and not work. Either way, Heracles was happy to see that Chloe was enjoying herself rather than being mired in negative emotions, as she so often was despite her best efforts. It was okay to just escape reality and frolic from time to time.

The Sun slid up the sky with great speed and time faded away as the two women dueled in the digital dimension. It was amazing the kinds of things modern humans were capable of creating, but also scary in how easily they could suck a person in. Considering Chloe and Leysritt had been playing so long that it would probably only be an hour or so until Illyasviel and her family arrived, perhaps Heracles’ Master should have been doing more to prepare for what was to come at this point.

“Chloe, Leysritt.” The door to the gaming room opened and in stepped the conservatively dressed Sella. She had become the maternal figure of the family in contrast to Leysritt’s sisterly dynamic with Chloe. “Come on you two, help me prepare for when Illyasviel and her family arrive.” Heracles’ Master must have telepathically told Sella and Leysritt about her plans.

“Prepare how? Archer’s just gonna kill them all in one shot.” Chloe kept her eyes on the television screen.

“They may be able to dodge or defend against Archer’s Noble Phantasm. We need to prepare countermeasures around the castle just in case things devolve into a brawl. Chloe, you need to set up traps and Leysritt, you need to get your halberd and prepare to guard Chloe.”

“Stop worrying.” Chloe was dismissive of Sella’s concerns to the point that she assumed the conversation was over. Heracles knew that was what she thought because she was obviously annoyed when Sella didn’t drop the topic.

“I’m trying to be careful. That was the whole reason we contacted Illyasviel in the first place, because Archer isn’t at full strength so we decided to be cautious. There are at least three Servant level fighters coming to the castle, we can’t take this lightly.”

“Archer’s the strongest there is. He’ll be fine.” The Master leaned forward in an attempt to focus on the game she was playing.

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“C’mon, me and Liz are just trying to relax right now.” Chloe scoffed.

“This isn’t the time to be playing around. We’re in the middle of a war, a war you decided you wanted we should participate in, I'll remind you.”

“Yeah, and so if things go bad it’ll be my fault and I’ll handle it then. For now, quit nagging me.” Chloe’s tone was getting more sharp.

“I’m not nagging you!” Sella exhaled out her nose and did nothing for a moment before she walked in front of the television screen.

“Move out of the way!” Chloe snapped.

“No. You’re done playing.” Sella stood as a wall between the television and the two young women playing games.

Chloe jerked her body left and right, up and down to look around Sella’s body, but she failed to see past the woman. Leysritt had stopped mashing buttons and flicking her control stick and was just sitting around waiting for the situation to resolve itself one way or another. Chloe refused to quit playing her game, even if she was just pressing random buttons out of obstinance. It became an endurance match to see who would cave in first and let the other have their way, Chloe or Sella.

“Move!”

“No.”

“I said move!”

“No.”

“Why can’t you let me just relax?”

“You’ve been relaxing for hours. You can’t keep sitting around.”

“I just wanna have some fun!”

“You’ve been having fun all day.”

“Just leave me alone and let me play!”

“No. You decided we should take part in this war, now you have to take responsibility.”

“I am taking responsibility. I made the plan to kill Irisiviel and shit, so let me relax now!”

“You still have more to do.”

“I’ll do it later!”

“Illyasviel and her family could be here any time now. There might not be a later.”

“Just go away!”

“No.”

The sound of Chloe’s character in the game falling off the stage was the straw that broke the camel’s back and made Heracles’ Master shoot to her feet. Her magical energy flared and for a moment it actually appeared that Chloe was going to attack Sella. Both Sella and Leysritt were as motionless as statues from the utter shock at Chloe’s disproportionate rage.

It was so disproportionate that even Chloe herself was taken aback as soon as she realized what she was doing. She was about to attack someone she considered family over something as benign as an argument. Such volatility was terrifying to Chloe herself most of all as she just stood and looked at the floor for a minute.

“I’m sorry.” Chloe whispered. “I'm really sorry. I just had this moment where I was just-I guess it has to do with the Einzberns, the whole thing where they wouldn’t let me play ever, and so you telling me to stop playing just triggered something in me. I’m not making an excuse!” Chloe’s energy returned as she worried she would be misunderstood. “I still shouldn’t have done that. I just wanted to explain. I can’t believe I was about to-about to-” Chloe hiccuped. She was about to hurt her family and that fact appalled her, as it should.

Leysritt got up and hugged Chloe from the side and petted her head with tenderness. Sella turned off the game console and the television before staring at the wall, processing that Chloe was actually about to hurt her, possibly even kill her. Heracles wondered if she was thinking the same kinds of thoughts his own family did right before he killed them.

“Chloe.” Sella’s voice heaved a bit when she spoke that name. “I forgive you for letting your anger get the better of you, but don’t ever do that again.”

Chloe lunged for Sella and was about to hug her, but instead nuzzled into her when she saw how the woman she saw as a mother flinched. “I’m so sorry, Sella. I swear, I’ll never do anything like that again.”

With shaking arms that soon became steady, Sella embraced Chloe and said, “I know you won’t.”

“Master.” Heracles barely fit in the cluttered space as he materialized. “I know this may be impertinent of me, but I feel that the outburst you just had is a symptom of the issue I was talking about.” Chloe turned her head enough that just one eye was uncovered by Sella’s bosom to gaze upon her Servant. “I said before that you should reconcile with Illyasviel and Irisviel for your own mental health and that is because right now your heart is inundated with rage. You want to kill Illyasviel and Irisviel because of your hate for the Einzberns, which is also part of your motivation to destroy the Grail. Though I do agree that the Grail is too dangerous to be left as is, you need to find a way to quell your anger rather than find channels to blindly direct it towards. Otherwise, it will overflow and you will lash out like you just did.”

“And that’s why you want to work with Illyasviel and Irisviel, so I can find some inner peace or something.” Chloe turned her head a little more to reveal her mouth.

“That is correct. I’m not saying you should befriend them, or that we mustn't confront them in combat if necessary, but I think you are enabling your wrath and that isn’t going to end well. My own wrath has stolen away far too many innocent lives. I wish not for you to face the same fate of being a destroyer.”

Chloe hid away her face again within Sella’s chest and everyone waited as the Master deliberated with herself. Though there were certainly doubts, Heracles held a deep and firmly set confidence that his Master would make the right choice.

The Master’s face peeked out again, this time fully.

“Okay. I’ll try to make nice with Illyasviel.” Chloe was pouting, but she accepted.

Heracles smiled as he said, “Thank you, Master. You’re very brave.”

“I don’t know about that. I just don’t want to hurt Sella or Leysritt.”

“That reasoning is perfectly acceptable. As long as you are following a just path that will help both yourself and those around you, then you will forever be sanctioned by me.” Heracles put a hand to his chest as he made that simple vow.

“Thanks, Archer.” Chloe managed to smile. “I’m glad to know you’ve got my back.”

“We’ve got you, too.” Leysritt said as both she and Sella also wore smiles.

Chloe was blushing so deeply that not even her tanned skin could obscure it. “Anyway, let’s prepare for when Illyasviel gets here.”

“But we aren’t fighting them now, correct?” Sella said.

“Yeah, but we should probably still get ready in case it turns out Illyasviel and her family really are as bad as I think and they try to surprise attack us or something. We’ve gotta be careful and all. It’s the responsible way to handle things.” Chloe’s ham-fisted reference to the argument that just occurred was accompanied by a smug expression that made Sella roll her eyes, though her own smile faltered not.

And thus the family set out to spend what little time they had remaining preparing for the arrival of Illyasviel, Irisviel, the Saber who survived the last war and was most certainly King Arthur, the other Saber who was still a mystery in terms of identity, but greatly resembled Arthur, and the human girl descended from King Arthur who somehow held Servant level power and Divinity that her mother lacked. An unusual band, but a sincere one from what Heracles could discern. Hopefully they would be a good influence on Chloe and set her on a better path as they all worked together to eliminate the Grail.

[nick_of_fire]

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 20: Interlude: Patience

“And so then I suplexed him into the ground.” Luvia finished her most recent of what had been a myriad number of tales that all ended with her putting someone through a full-arching German suplex. Rin had no idea how a single woman could end up in so many situations that could be successfully resolved with suplexes, but Luvia made it clear that it was possible.

The two young magi had been keeping each other company in their imprisonment by talking to each other telepathically. That said, their situation hadn’t gotten any better. They were still tied up and blindfolded by the Fujimura Group and still lacked their jewels along with their tongues, and in Rin’s case, she even lacked an arm.

The only solace was that Luvia’s sister would be coming to save them at some point. For Rin, it was cold comfort since the only things she knew about Luvia’s sister were that she was smart, cautious, shy, and more skilled in jewel magecraft than Luvia herself. There was nothing that guaranteed that they would be saved, but to be fair, nothing in life was certain so Rin knew she was being unreasonable in her expectations. Hoping that she and Luvia would be swiftly saved and would then meet up with Sakura who would be completely fine was a touch asinine.

But Rin was still anxious like she never had been before. Her sense of time was completely skewed to the point that you could tell her that she’d been tied up for a week already and she’d buy it without question. This was despite the fact that Rin hadn’t yet felt the need to sleep so it probably hadn’t even been twenty-four hours. Christ alive, lacking any stimulation beyond the feeling of her muscles cramping up and Luvia’s chattering was going to make Rin go crazy like she just saw an Outer God. At least Rin could be thankful that she had someone to talk to at all. Speaking of Luvia.

“Rin Tohsaka, are you still there?”

“Yes, sorry. I zoned out there for a second. That was rude of me.”

“Is something the matter, besides the obvious?”

“It’s just the obvious. I’m worried about my sister and being stuck like this while not knowing if she’s okay is really making me wanna snap.”

“I understand your concerns, but we also need to keep cool heads if we’re to get through this.”

“I know, but it’s easier said than done. You’re lucky enough to know your sister is safe.”

“You must be going through a hard time. I imagine I would be in a similar state if my sister’s fate was also uncertain, but I’d still be acting irrationally in that case. There’s nothing we can do at the moment other than stay calm, be ready for the unexpected, and have faith. What else can we do?”

Rin wanted to say, “we could try to escape.” The issue was that doing so would be a supremely stupid idea considering that even a single wrong move would mean her death and maybe even Luvia’s. If she were to try to escape, Rin would have to do it alone so Luvia’s life wouldn’t be put at risk. It would still be a horrible idea considering that the guards were so, well, on guard that they’d kill Rin if she so much as squirmed a bit. And all this wasn’t even considering that Rin was convinced that she was incompetent and had nowhere near the skill necessary to successfully escape. She always choked when it came the most pivotal moments if she didn’t have Sakura’s support.

Escape was impossible. It just was. To attempt to run away would be an act born out of desperation that was tantamount to suicide.

Rin felt pathetic. If Caren were here to see Rin she’d be tickled pink.

“Rin Tohsaka, are you lost in your thoughts again?”

“Yes. Sorry, sorry.” Rin’s frustration at herself ballooned further upon realizing she couldn’t pay attention for more than ten seconds.

“You truly are in a troubled mental state right now.”

“You can say that again.”

“We need to get your mind off of things.”

“I’ve been trying to and it obviously hasn’t been working.”

“That’s because I’ve been the one dominating the conversation. Rin Tohsaka, tell me about that martial arts style you use that you mix with magecraft. It was truly spectacular, I must admit.”

Rin felt her body temperature rise at the kind words. “Thanks for the compliment.”

“I’m merely speaking the truth.”

“My style is a mix of various Chinese martial arts and a few other styles like MMA, Muay Thai, and Krav Maga. My purpose was to take the more esoteric aspects of traditional Chinese martial arts that tied to qi and other concepts linked to magecraft and modernize them with more practical martial arts techniques and principles. I wanted to make a style that could incorporate magecraft while still being effective as a martial art and that could adapt to any situation.”

“That’s a brilliant idea.”

“Yeah, well it’s only a brilliant idea. It still needs a lot of work and I doubt the ideal fighting style I’m striving to create is even feasible. I should have just stuck to traditional magecraft like my father. Our family gave up on martial arts for a reason.”

“Do the Tohsakas have a history with martial arts?”

“The first head of our family, Nagato Tohsaka, originally wanted to reach The Root by achieving enlightenment through martial arts. He realized after a bit that it wasn’t working and so he decided to walk the path of a magus. He still emphasized learning martial arts, but the practice petered out over time. I decided to give it a shot because I found myself in the care of someone who was also a skilled martial artist. Apparently I don’t know how to learn from history since I made the same mistake the first head did.”

“Your efforts have been far from a waste. I’ve never seen such a perfect blending of magecraft and physical combat.”

“You really think that?”

“I do. I know a thing or two about martial arts so I know the difference between a dead end style and a burgeoning one full of potential. Yours is the latter, no question.” Luvia’s mental words were tinged with annoyance.

Was there really that much potential in Rin’s martial arts? Luiva’s words seemed far from an attempt at placating her. The Edelfelt was angry at the very insinuation that Rin’s fighting style was sub-par. Part of it was definitely that she didn’t like the implication that she almost lost to someone who was an incompetent, but there was definitely another part that was born out of a genuine respect for Rin. It was a comfort for Rin to know that she held a level of respect with a previous and potential future enemy.

“I guess I can say you're wrong if you speak, or I guess think, with that much passion. Your martial arts were also really impressive. Was it some kind of wrestling?”

“It’s Lancashire-style, a martial art original to England.” Luvia’s mental words were full of haughtiness.

“Is it related to baritsu?”

“Baritsu is more striking focused in comparison, but some of the throws it incorporates are not all that dissimilar to Lancashire-style. Let me guess, you only know about Baritsu because Sherlock Holmes knew it?”

“That’s right. Europe isn’t really known for unarmed combat the same way Asia is.”

“That’s just because we don’t advertise our martial arts the same way you easterners do, nor do we give an over-the-top name to every one of our techniques.”

“Sounds like somebody’s a little spiteful.”

“Quiet, lest you wish for a second round of fisticuffs between us. I promise you, you’ll not only lose again, but you won’t even land a single blow.”

“I doubt that, not that it matters. It’s not like we could fight right now.”

“If I really wished, not even a thousand thugs like the one’s holding us could stop me from fighting you and proving the superiority of western martial arts. Can you not say the same?”

“Why haven’t you escaped yet if you’re so tough?”

“I simply feel comfortable right now. I’ve been running myself ragged as of late so I figured I’d use this as an excuse to catch up on my beauty sleep.”

“But you aren’t sleeping.”

“And how do you know?”

“Because we’re having a conversation right now.”

“I might have just used Memory Partition to separate my consciousness so I could simultaneously speak with you using half my brain and rest with the other half.”

“So you’re an Atlas alchemist?”

“I might be.”

“But are you?”

“…No.” Rin had to suppress her desire to laugh to avoid a bullet to the head. “Listen! It’s the duty of a proper maiden to be ready to trounce any foe in a battle of boasting!”

“Yeah, and that means just making stuff up? If you were really clever, you’d be able to come up with something true about yourself that’s impressive, but I suppose you might not actually have anything about yourself that’s all that amazing.”

“Says the woman who lost to me naught but less than a day ago.”

“At least I’m not a liar.”

“I really will fight you.”

“I don’t believe you, because you’re a liar.”

Rin and Luvia continued to bite back and forth at each other, loving every second of it. The two of them were the type that liked a challenge, liked someone who they could contend with as rivals. Perhaps they could continue to be rivals after the end of the Holy Grail War, maybe even be more than rivals. Friends.

Rin wanted to be friends with Luvia. This was the first time Rin had ever wanted to actually be friends with someone before so it felt strange. She always actively avoided other people her age, and other people in general that weren’t part of her family to be honest. Rin had become a bit of a recluse now that she thought about it.

It was because she always prioritized staying with Sakura. Remembering that made Rin feel guilty that she wanted to become friends with Luvia, because doing so would be shirking her duties in her eyes. Yet, recent events have implied that the overly rigid connection Rin and Sakura shared was becoming harmful, so perhaps lightening up and being more open with people besides Sakura would actually be beneficial for both of the Tohsaka sisters.

The snapping of an ethereal thread. Rin felt a bond she held with another stop existing. This wasn’t the sisterly bond Rin held with Sakura or anything remotely of the sort. The connection that just severed was between Rin and her Servant. Saber wasn’t Rin’s Servant anymore, though perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Saber wasn’t primarily Rin’s Servant anymore. There now was someone who held more direct authority as Saber’s Master. The only way Rin knew for such a thing to happen would be for someone to use a Book of False Attendant, and even then it would require Saber to consent to it.

Kirei could create Books of False Attendant. Was it possible he took control of Saber to try and help save Rin, or maybe he gave one to Sakura? Either way, he’d be shirking his duties as overseer if he intervened in any way. Would he do that? Probably not since he was so strict about following rules. In that case, it could be that an enemy Master took control of Saber, which would mean Saber chose to betray Rin and Sakura. If that was indeed the case, then Sakura was in even more danger. The hope that Saber was protecting Sakura now became worry that she might kill Sakura to get her out of the way or she may have taken Sakura hostage to try and push Kirei into telling her and her new Master the location of the Greater Grail or maybe something else.

This was an emergency. Rin had to escape and go help Sakura. But how could she? She had already gone over why trying to escape was an idiotic idea from all angles, but she had no other choice. She had to try for Sakura’s sake. If there was even a one percent chance that Sakura was in danger, then Rin had an obligation to go and try to save her. Rin couldn’t believe she was about to abandon the vow she made all those years ago. This showed she had to be even more rigid as to never waver again. Sakura was all that mattered and so Rin would risk all she had to make sure she never received so much as a scratch. The next question was how to actually escape considering that the yakuza were watching her like a hawk. There had to be something she could do to escape, or maybe there was something she still possessed that would give her the power to bust out.

The Command Spells. Rin didn’t need them now that she couldn’t function as a Master, so she could use them to escape. Kirei taught her about how she could channel the magical energy that made Command Spells to power up her own magecraft. She still had all three so she could use one for a big spell that would destroy the room and kill the nearby yakuza before they could react. Then she could break out of the ropes holding her, remove her blindfold, and book it for an exit. Actually, she would just use another Command Spell to power up another spell to bore a hole in the building to the outside. She might hit Luvia if she did that, but it would be a necessary sacrifice for Sakura’s sake. Rin would save her last Command Spell for when and if she had to save Sakura. Even if a Servant got in her way, a Command Spell boosted attack would be able to hurt them enough that Rin would have time to grab Sakura and run. It wasn’t a fool proof plan, but it was better than nothing and Rin had to go help Sakura as soon as possible.

It really was a good thing Rin hadn’t used any of her Command Spells yet. It was thanks to Sakura stopping Rin from recklessly using one right after Saber was summoned.

Reckless. Just like Rin was about to be. She was about to try a dangerous plan that would sacrifice two of her Command Spells at least and would involve abandoning Luvia and maybe even killing her in the crossfire. The fact that Luvia could have died hadn’t bothered Rin in the slightest until she took a moment to stop and think about it. That was how obsessive Rin had become about protecting Sakura from a bad situation that she had no proof was actually happening. The slightest implication that Sakura could be in danger and Rin was ready to fly off the handle. She really was very protective of Sakura, no, that was an understatement. Rin’s obsession with her sister was to the point that she couldn’t think with a clear mind as far as Sakura was concerned. Rin was willing to abandon everything for Sakura and though that may have sounded nice in an abstract sense, practically speaking it was really bad. This couldn’t continue. Rin had to trust that Sakura was okay and be patient. Luvia’s sister would save them and everything would be okay.

No more obsessing over Sakura. Rin could be concerned for her, that was perfectly natural, but she couldn’t lose her composure over the littlest things. Sakura was smart, she was strong, she would be fine. It was time that Rin let Sakura grow up rather than treat her as the same traumatized child she was ten years ago. She had long since grown up.

That said, it was concerning that a Book of False Attendant was used to take control of Saber. Could it really have been Kirei? He was a stickler for the rules and didn’t really love Rin or Sakura, so it was unlikely he’d help them. Maybe Sakura made it? She refused to learn any of the Matou magecraft so that was a near impossibility. Plus, she’d need Command Spells to do it. If it was an enemy Master, they probably would have just used some method of breaking Rin’s contract with Saber completely rather than just try and work around it with a Book of False Attendant.

There was no use worrying since there was nothing Rin could do right now. The erstwhile Master just had to rest and wait for rescue to come.

After all the stress she just worked through, Rin was ready to take a nap to let her mind cool off for a bit. She considered telling Luvia about her loss of connection with Saber as a way of venting, but decided against it since it would be telling a potential future opponent about a new weakness of hers. Rin was willing to try connecting with others now and she wanted to befriend Luvia, but she also knew that she had to be cautious as long as the war was still on.

“Luvia, I’m going to take a nap. Wake me if anything happens.”

“Fine. Rest well. I will keep watch.”

“You can’t see.”

“Just go to sleep.”

Rin did just that. In mere moments, the anxiety-addled mind of Rin Tohsaka gave way to the realm of dreams so it could recuperate and prepare for the trials to come.

Sakura would be okay. Rin would be okay. Everything would be okay. Rin just had to have hope and be patient.