A Caucasian man in a grey suit walks down the corridor of the London tower, silently mouthing the numbers of the various rooms as he passes by. Suddenly, his mustached face brightens up—at last, 1307. His gloved hand knocks on the door.

"So, the magic crest…come in," says a defeated voice from the room. The man opens the door, finding a classroom full of young adults studiously copying down a diagram drawn on the board, and a bespectacled man holding a piece of chalk. The man—the voice—asks about his intruder with a slight grimace.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Wagner?"

"Well, I was actually wondering—it's pronounced 'Vawgner,' by the way, Franz Wagner—if a Ms. Rin Tohsaka was present?" replies Mr. Wagner, eyes darting about the room until they settle upon a pigtailed Japanese woman rising out of her seat. As she mumbles something indiscernible to Mr. Wagner, he apologizes for interrupting and closes the door with a swift, fluid motion.

"What do you want?" she asks as they walk down the hall.

"I'm doing great, thanks for asking. Do you like my new hat?" he replies, pointing to a matching grey hat and the dirty blonde hair lying under it.

"That's not what I asked."

"Precisely, I'm answering the questions you should be asking. And I should mention that I like it very much myself," he answers with a juvenile smugness.

"The feather's a bit much, if you ask me."

"Hmph, for a Japanese girl you're quite rude."

"Surely you didn't pull me out of class to talk about your hat?"

Mr. Wagner's grin disappears.

"Right. The Heaven's Feel has begun."

Rin stops walking.

"So soon? Weren't the Association agents just assassinated a week ago?"

"Keep walking. Two servants have already been summoned. I want to know when you were planning on summoning." The girl puts her fist to her chin and resumes walking.

"I guess I can do it tonight. My relic has already arrived in the mail and my magic is at its peak at two a.m." Franz' smile returns.

"Did you account for time zones?" A pause.

"Okay, so make that…five o'clock. I guess I'm going to have to turn Shirou down for dinner."

"Japanese, huh? Is he your boyfriend?" Rin's face turns red in response.

"H-He's just my apprentice. More importantly, I want to ask you about the two servants we know."

"Well, so far we know that—watch your step, these stairs are steep—Caster has been summoned by a relative unknown, Eiji Shimamura. He appears to run a dojo in Fuyuki in which he teaches aikido, karate, and kendo, and he's good at combat magic. My guess is that he'll use Caster for support like Kuzuki."

"Hm, he could be problematic; I don't like those martial arts types. Okay, what about the other servant?"

In response to this, Franz Wagner languidly removes his left glove and reveals a red symbol etched into his hand—interlacing spirals.

"You happen to be chatting with the Einzbern magus—Archer's master."

Rin's eyes widen.

"The Einzberns hired you?"

"Oh yes; they gave me an offer I couldn't refuse if I brought home the grail."

Rin nervously swallows.

"So, you want to kill me. I'll cooperate with you if it means you won't harm anyone."

"No, not at all. As the heir to the Tohsaka, you'd be foolish to underestimate. I meant to request an alliance." Rin pauses for a moment in relief.

"Is your servant with you?"

"Naturally—I'll even introduce you."

"Fair enough. I know a good coffee shop; we can discuss this alliance over tea."

"Now that's more like it."

"Ok, so I'm going to be summoning in two minutes. Leave me alone, and if I don't come out in 15 minutes, go through the protocol we discussed," Rin tells Shirou in an orderly, matter-of-fact matter.

"Rin, are you sure about this? You're really ready to abandon your studies just for this war?"

"I have to—I'm the successor of the Tohsaka line, and I have a moral obligation to destroy it once it's appeared." Rin knew that Shirou couldn't disagree with the second point; he, after all, entered the last one on moral reasons as well.

"…Fine. As long as you think it's right."

"I do." She closes the door behind her, relic in hand, and adds, "Besides, our flight is tomorrow night—you might want to pack."

"Eeeh?" is all he manages before she shuts the door behind her. Of all the rooms in her apartment, this is her favorite—her study. She stands atop a circle drawn on the floor with a hunk of rock in the center, and, when the clock's hand points directly upward, begins chanting.

"I hereby propose,

My will shall create thy body,

And thy sword shall create my fate,

Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail,

If thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer me."

The circle begins to brilliantly glow. Rin continues.

"I hereby swear,

I will be all that is good in the eternal world.

I will be the disposer of evil in the eternal world.

Thou, of the heavenly sword, come forth from the circle of constraint!"

A burst of light emanates from the room, and a giant thud echoes through the apartment. This time, her new servant appears directly on the circle, taking the place of the relic—a tall, blonde man, adorned in silver, gold-trimmed armor, a cape decorated with a cross, and a giant, bejeweled sword at his hip. He turns to Rin.

"Are you my master?"

Rin nods. The servant kneels on one foot.

"Very well. I am Roland, highest paladin under Charlemagne, and the servant Saber. I pledge my sword to you, and together we will seek the grail."

Franz, idly flipping through the channels, lies sideways on his hotel bed. Eventually he hits the power button and lies back on the mattress.

"Archer," he calls to the empty room. "Let's chat for a bit."

In response, a man materializes in the room. With thick, short, brown hair and a matching beard, he is adorned with minimalistic armor, a shortsword at his side, and a simplistically regal bow slung over his back, all complementing his well-toned body. Franz frowns.

"Every time I see you, I always expect a lot more pizzazz. You're a heroic spirit, why not show it?"

"Unlike you, I don't care for such trivialities." His curt answer makes Franz smile again.

"Well, I guess I should've expected as much when I summoned you. After all, you were never much of the flashy type in your legend, but I originally blamed the translation I read."

"Did you have a purpose in mind, sir? Or should I go back to standing guard?" he asks, clearly disinterested.

"No, I wanted to chat with you about that Tohsaka girl. What do you think about her?" The servant considers his words before answering.

"She's curious. From what I saw, she didn't exhibit much of the foolhardiness that girls of her age tend to, although she is quite brazen in her speech. Both her experience and talent are quite evident, and she has a good sense of instinct. This, combined with the fact that she's been a Holy Grail War participant before makes her a powerful ally. You chose well, Franz." This makes Franz beam even wider.

"Your insight is excellent as always, Archer. I can now see that Rin wasn't the only good choice I made this war."

"You're too kind," he states, implying a literal interpretation.