A/N: WARNINGS: This story will challenge the reader to think for themselves. This story will end with the forth Grail war and will never have a sequel…at least not written…so prepare for twist and turns that will rock your socks!

…–––––…

Caster stood in the middle of a field of flowers, with Irisviel von Einzbern laying on a slap of stone, watching the suffering King of Knights struggle to reach them.

...

Sirens shot through the air while the the Inspector in charge commanded his colleagues to find the fugitive. He coughed loudly holding his bandaged waist, but nobody dared to approach him or tell him to leave for everyone involved with this case knew what was at stake and how important it was for the Inspector to capture this criminal. Behind the inspector was his protegee, grtting his teeth and remaining silent but never letting his elder out of sight again.

-.-

Off in the distance on the tallest of buildings stood a figure clad completely in white watching the chaos below unfold clapping to the cries of the victims and the screams of those valiant heroes struggling to fight against another.

.

Kiritsugu Emiya ran through the backstreets and alleys like a madman, clutching his bleeding arm against his body while keeping his gun steady and ready to shot. How did it come to this? Where did he go wrong? Why had any of this happened. Those were the questions running through his mind while he ran, not noticing the tears that leaked from his eyes nor the specter of death hanging over his head and watching his misery.


… Forth Holy Grail War …


– The Forgotten Nightmare started with a requiem –


When Caster came to, he stood in the middle of a dark room. The smell of iron in the air and the sight of decapitated bodies adults and children, a family probably, indicated that he was summoned into a murder scene. The Grail did not provide him information but that was intended. Next to him stood a brown haired man talking to him in an excited voice while gesturing wildy, from the sound of the words he deduced that the man spoke Japanesse - though he took note that one of the youth's feet was drenched in blood and the three signs on his hand. The sound of squirming made him look down at a child bound by ropes with its mouth covered.

"Ne, are you hungry demon?" he adjusted his hearing yet the first thing he had to understand was an invitation to eat a child. He reached into his chest pocket with his left hand, heard the familiar sound of wrapping paper and pulled out a lollipop. Unwrapping the stick he ignored the man who summoned him.

The brown haired man made a disappointed noise wondering why the demon he summon didn't do anything and instead put candy in his mouth. Weren't demons supposed to eat little children for breakfast? Before he could utter his displeasure he took a good look at the demon.

The man looked like a regular human despite the emotionless face, wearing white clothes that resembled, in design, a tuxedo but with an extension on the backside. White shoes, white pants, everything was white and the brown haired man played with the terrifying thought that he accidentally had summoned an angel…alas the summoned man had red hair instead of the expected white. The bangs were barely hanging over the eyes while a few strands of hair made an arch like turn around the ears. Blue eyes then stared at him.

Surprised by the sudden attention the brown haired man stumbled backwards yet he could not move any farther.

The summoned man stretched his hand towards the brown haired one "To get summoned by something like you? I can tell that you've just sacrificed that boys family and probably many others to bring me forth…" he said in an emotionless voice with his stoic face looking at the circle beneath his feet, turning his palm "…sadly I hat to tell you that you wasted your efforts."

And as he moved the brown haired man's body stiffened, pressed together with the youth's eyes were nearly bulging out of their socks from the force that compressed his body, yet no ounce of pain was felt. Tears were leaking from his eyes due to the stimulation of his tear sacks while his body and clothes lost color. He watched through unseen pupils how his body became transparent, like glass, while compressing into the form of a triangle. The pressure now applied sideways shaping his deformed body into the form of a sword.

The summoned man walked towards the now sword shaped summoner. The only indication that the glass like sword was once a human was the handle…it was the head, still intact, still the same size and shape. The red haired Caster touched the head moving the glass like objectification as if it was still flesh.

"I am keeping you in this form, after all you are still the anchor that keeps me in this world." he then turned to the now terrified child. Its eyes were wide open while tears fell from its eyes. The red haired man walked over to it, knelt down and patted its head.

"I apologize that I was summoned from your family's blood…" he said while untying the child from its bounds. Once the child was freed the red haired man retreated his hands putting them into his pockets "And I also apologize that I need to erase your memories."

The child looked terrified but the red haired man got up without a word. He placed a hand on the child's head, then lifted his hand slowly. A white glittery light forced into the shape of a sword floated in the air right in front of the summons hand. He made a fist, shattering the floating object at the same time, while the child collapsed on the blood covered floor.

"Well then..." he looked around the room, then grabbed the man-sword hybrid. He brought the sword into a diagonal position single-handed pushing it forward. The tip was forced against an invisible wall causing ripples as it slowly disappeared. He sighed once it did. Then he walked around the living room, before feeling a slight spike in energy coming from the far south. Disinterested he looked to the TV which changed channels every so often.

Turning his back towards everything he walked to the telephone, dialed the number for the police and left.


A voice coming from the other line of the call, loud and clear, asking who was talking, what happened and some other things. The noises woke up the child, it didn't remember anything after the brown haired man entered their home. It stank. Covering its nose the child looked around still only half awake until its eyes fell upon the gruesome sight around it. It vomited on the spot coughing and crying.

Apparently having heard the noises of the child the person on the telephone started calling out to whoever was crying. Instinctively crawling towards the voice in hope of finding solace ,the child took the phone and placed it at its ear.

"Wh-who?"

"This is the police, are you okay? Did something happen?" the voice asked frantically but the child continued crying.

"Mr. Police pl-e-ase help u-s-…"

From outside the house the red haired man stood, the air was cool, cold even, while he listened to the child's cries for help. He strode away, the end of his lollipop stick igniting before dying down to let smoke rise.

As he walked up a slope his eyes turned to the direction he felt the spike in energy from. Either a fight is about to break out or a very powerful individual is currently residing in that direction, were his thoughts while he started to move in that direction.

Either way, it is time to initiate phase One.

Far to the south from the summons location was a manor, surrounded by a large open garden and a forest. Around the manor was a small forest with a few mountains close to it. The manor had a European exterior with marble walls covered in rich ornaments. The garden was relatively plain in comparison with a neatly trimmed lawn. The thing that stood out however was the large crater right in the middle of it.

A road atop a slope, at least a few hundred yards away from the manor, was the perfect place to oversee the entire building. The red haired summon watched the manor as he walked along the road, noting the the damage on the lawn and the residue energy in the air. At least a few projectiles, explosive types...No more likely A Noble Phantasm he thought then looked at a man who waited in front of him.

Dark clothes resembling a priest's garb, brown hair, white skin although probably of Asian decent. Hanging from the man's neck was a silver cross while the red markings on his right hand flared for a second, yet the most noticeably feature was the nigh emotionless face staring at the manor.

The summon walked next to the man, who had not noticed him.

"Wasn't it cruel to send out your Servant into his death?" he voiced making the priest jump sideways. From his sleeves fell six handles which he grabbed between his fingers. Black blades sprung forth from the handles before the man dropped into a stance. The red haired one looked at him keeping his hands inside of his pockets. Dark lifeless eyes staring at him.

"I apologize for suddenly appearing before you, my Master only send me here to take a look at the competition, therefore I have no reason fight against you."

"A Servant?"

"Indeed, although my summoning was flawed." he pulled a hand out of his pocket presenting it to the priest, smiling while closing his eyes "I do not possess the necessary information concerning the war hence why my Master was disappointed and send me here. Maybe he intended for me to die as well."

The priest relaxed sensing no ill intent towards him.

"I see. But it appears to be unusual that someone would mess up the summoning of an Heroic Spirit."

"Indeed, apparently he couldn't summon the Servant he wanted and instead received me, although regrettable I don't miss his company at all. Conservative Magicians of this age are hard to please apparently." the priest's eyes went open, his mouth hanging slightly.

"Are you implying that one of the five Magicians summoned you, Servant?" the priest's hand shook slightly, barely noticeable had he not held his weapon as tightly.

The red head opened his eyes "Are those practiced in the Art of Magic no longer called Magicians? Surely something like that couldn't have changed over the ages?" he said making the priest look at him warily. Looking back at the manor, seeing a barely noticeable golden spark in one of the windows, he then turned around. A smile on his lips as he looked back at the priest.

"Alas it seemed that my role has ended and my Master desires for me to be at his side. I wish you a pleasant night." he dissolved into white particles leaving behind the priest.

Said clergy without batting an eyelash ran off the opposite direction at full speed, a single thought running rampant in his mind Did a Magician enter the Grail War without anyone noticing or was a Servant from the age of Gods called? While he disappeared into the night, he didn't notice the red head reappearing at the same spot he was before. He took out another lollipop, unwrapped it and put it into his mouth.

He took a last long look at the manor watching as he was watched. A man in golden armor, hidden behind countless walls yet his presence was as enormous as the ocean. His gaze was directed at the red haired Servant not letting his eyes avert. Neither did the red head. Until a bus drove by. The red head disappeared.

The night was over.

Seeing as it was of no use to take hold of the leylines yet, the red head instead opted to walk around the town to familiarize himself with every possible route or find a place to rest.

The city was vacant, probably due to the time, yet an eery silence accompanied the streets as he searched for a possible settlement. His strides were silent but quick as he walked along an alleyway. A few thugs here a few drunks there and he found his way into a bar on the harbor side of the city. The Jolly Rogue Hut. The pub was overcrowded with a foul stench that came from dead fish and long overdue drunks who could need less drinks and more baths. Most of the guests were sulking in the gloomy atmosphere.

"Good evening." the red head said to the waiter, a bulky man with as much hair as muscles on his arms and some unreadable tattoos. The waiter looked at him with narrowed eyes before greeting him with a grunt.

"Whatcha doing 'ere, shouldn't someone as fancy as ya spent de night at a' nice hotel?" the bartender said but the red head dismissed it with a hand wave.

"A little boy in my neighborhood got kidnapped and they found the body earlier," he said making a few of the guests heads raise "the police came and asked me if I knew anything but they wouldn't tell me what happened to the child..."

The bartender sighed handing him a mug full of beer "Here, drin' up. I know de feels since most of de guys came 'ere for de same reason. Tis' also the only bar open at dis hour."

The red head massaged his nose, grabbed the mug and gulped it down in one move. He immediately got a refill.

"I'm new to the town, just got the house and hoped to find a nice girl to share it with." his voice was sultry, his eyes however focused on the news paper article on the wall. It didn't look new or even from a serious magazine but the article was about a Japanese man who apparently walked from battlefield to battlefield. Noticing his gaze the bartender looked at the article himself.

"Ah, dat. How long has it been? Dat guy's a real phantom an' made it big…then he had to disappear as if all that he had down was jus' smoke and ashes. Kinda sad, but wit' a bastard like dat gone at least a few of ma boys can come home once in a while."

"Are your children soldiers?" he pried.

"Na, de bunch are jus' fools who grew up in ma neighborhood. Were in the SDF for a while but got fired 'cause one o' 'em was accused of murder. 'Cause dat's a buncha bullshit but nobod' would believ'em." the red head's eye brow raised.

"What does that got to do with-"

The bartender interrupted him "Ah was getting there! Ya see the murder happened when there were send to a training camp of the special forces-"

"You mean a joint exercise, right?"

"Ah, an' there a Colonel got 'imself shot in de face. One of de bunch was there when it happened but nobod' believ'im when he said dat he saw a Japanese man wit' spiky head an' black coat had killed de Colonel. Hadn't had enough proof if he l'ed or not but de poor fella got 'imself thrown out cause it'd be a huge scandal." the bartender sighed taking a mug of his own and drowning its content down his throat "What a buncha idiots. Left the SDF as if it'd get easier if they did merc work overseas. Miss 'em but at leas' they show 'emselves every once ina while. An' den one op them got killed ina explosion." he motioned to the article "Got dat hanging cause dats the last time 'is name got mentioned in da news."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Na, 'ts fine. You didn't hav' it easy either reght?" a boastful laughter in which a whole lot of the drunks joined in. the red head watched the scene before joining in with a chuckle. The atmosphere got more relaxed and the people started to sing about the bartender. He watched the cheerful and teary expressions understanding that this place was needed. Then the bartender extended a hand to him.

"Wanna hav' a room? Gotta bet ya want to rest a littl' ain' it after a tough night?" he said with a smile. A smile formed on the red head's lips before he accepted the hand.

"Bey the way, what'cha called?"

The red head looked at him but before he could answer the bartender showed him a goofy smile before literally pulling his nose softly. "Doesn' matter, get yerself up and rest for de night!"

Not knowing how to react to such a reaction he remained stoic before taking the man up on his offer and walked towards the far east side of the room where a door was leading upstairs. Another guest turned to the bartender half as drunk as the rest of the guests.

"Are ya sure 'bout that?" the bartender turned to him laughing a little.

"Kid's got 'onest eyes, gotta trust dat at least."


Upstairs in the only room that wasn't occupied by a drunk and his nightly pick-up, a ferret mating with a pig and Solomon Grundy laughing at the guests from his portrait up the roof with a half eaten breakfast on his plate and a sword in his left hand, the red haired man sat down on the surprisingly clean bed. He put the waste bin in front of him after emptying its content on the floor before vomiting the earlier consumed alcohol into it. After finishing his business he collected the waste again and put it into the bin. Once he was finished the glass sword which was his Master's new form appeared in front of him. Taking the face he pushed the tip of the sword into the bin until it hit the lowest point.

"I am not as kind as to let a murderer like you walk around the streets and cause more suffering. But I'm not nearly as idealistic as to believe you could ever change. Change takes time. You however were born like that. Curse your upbringing, your ancestors or yourself that you became such a deformed mess of a human being. Suffer, and when this War is over I will throw you into the nearest police cell and let them execute you. Until then you will remain like this, I will feed you anything that will provide Mana and I mean anything." He said before letting the sword disappear as it appeared and laid down on the bed.

Sleep wasn't needed but rest was necessary for any individual to function in an orderly fashion especially considering his Master couldn't provide enough to sustain his form. Rest was the most logical way to recover Magical Energy even if it wasn't mandatory, especially since the other method had far too many risks. Therefore he closed his eyes and let his mind wander...Encountering a shadow...


The next day, yet even before the first rays of light touched the ground, he left the building with his eyes hidden under his hair. He stretched out his hands as if to embrace the fact that nobody in the bar would remember him, taking their memories lifting them from behind his back and letting them fall onto the ground like snow in winter. To anyone who could have seen it, they would have thought an angel had descended.

Too ensure that he was adequately prepared for the upcoming fights in the war he walked around the town for a few hours. The sun rose from the gusty coast, raising fast to greet the people in the city with its radiance. He opted to mapping every street he walked through into his memory, until he arrived at a park where he took note of everything in the air, especially a certain scent that had driven him to come here. A large crowd had gathered around a shop, mostly old ladies, young folks who had decided to skip school and police men.

He had felt a slight spike of energy coming from that direction last night.

Walking past the crowd he circled around to look at a bookstore with a destroyed security shutter. He got closer until he reached the security tape. The metallic shutter looked as if it was hit by a large object from the inside making the material bend outwards with parts close to the center of the impact immediately ripping apart. But from the looks of it the one responsible had stepped down the lower part of the shutter while he walked outside, as if to show that he had conquered something. From the way the energy signature was fluctuating he could guess that the person was driven by greed and pride. Not a good combination considering that the crime was done last night and it hadn't disappeared.

The people were talking about how a few books and maps were stolen but a policeman shushed the crowd away before any more information was leaked. The red head looked at the officer, a young Japanese man with short blackhair that spiked beneath his cap, who wore a light blue standardized shirt, dark blue pants and a dark blue police cap. His face was thin, meaning he hasn't eaten much lately or he tended to vomit, while the bags under his eyes indicated that he didn't sleep much. In fact his eyes had a perculiar blue hue inside of them. Also notable were his fingernails that appeared to have been bitten off regularly. But what the red head saw were the low sighs the man did, as if he was relieved that the crime this time had nothing to do with whatever was worrying him.

"You are looking for a muscular man around 190 cm tall." Caster voiced to the policeman who stared at the red head in a confused manner. Understandably since a stranger was talking to him with accusations that sounded strange to the ears.

"Excuse me, Sir? Could you repeat what you just said?" the police man asked while the red head repeated his earlier thoughts, excluding the magical elements, concerning the modi operandi of the criminal.

"But that doesn't mean it had to be a muscular man..." the police man argued but the red head denied that with a dismissive hand gesture.

"Look at the lower parts of the shutter, there you should find a foot print of someone who should weight a few dozen pounds. If you consider that the hole looks more ripped then bent over, that could mean a strong person punched against it, right? Haven't you heard that a number of martial artists have been proven to possess approximately 1ton force, all of them with body types of what I had just described to you. And I bet there aren't that many who fit that description in the city, right? You should be able to find a person matching description easily."

"Well, yeah." the policeman paused, contemplating what he should do. Normally an officer shouldn't take a civilian's opinions too serious until farther evidence could back the accusations- especially since he should really pull out his notepad and write down what he just heard- but since this policeman was young and sleep deprived his judgment and general senses could be easily manipulated.

"Could you at least tell me your name, I need to verify your claim with my senior." the officer asked at least.

"Of course, my name is Mitsudaira Kindaichi, a private detective." the red head said. The policeman nodded while writing the name on a notepad before trotting towards a senior officer. They talked a bit while the older one looked over to the red head. Once their conversation was over the two of them walked to Caster.

"I appreciate your efforts but I don't see a reason for a private eye to show up at the theft of a few books." the older of the two policemen said. He had a hard face with slightly graying hair and brown pupils. His face was less sleep derived than his colleague but the frown on his face indicated that it got to him just as bad. The officer's back was straight while his pose remained regal. A man with a sense for justice.

"What kind of books?" the red head asked instead. The two policemen looked at each other, unsure if they should tell it to him or not but the elder looked at him again. Experience must have thought that man something.

"Kindaichi-san, may I ask you why you are interested in this case?"

"I found clues to the serial murder of families in rural areas." he stated at which the younger policeman nearly jumped "Apparently the murderer operated not solo, I found evidence that he received instructions after a certain point in time, however only after his first couple of murders…" he said bringing his left hand up to his face before looking with determination at the officers, "I have been hunting those monsters for such a long time but…now I finally got a lead…A small but very important lead…"

The younger policeman stepped back a little while their colleagues started to gather around them, probably to see what all the fuss was about. All of them were taken aback that someone found clues to that important case and started to mumur with each other about what that meant.

"So," the older policeman asked "that clue…Where have you found it?"

Caster looked at the gathering crowd of policemen, he turned his head slightly feeling a spike in energy not far from him. He contemplated, he could stay here and talk to the officers to receive information while also risking to be discovered by a potential Master or…

"Would you bring me to your office?" he asked politely, surprising the younger officer but not his senior. The older man motioned for the men behind him to continue their work before walking towards the park's entrance.

"There are many things we need to discuss," the older one said looking at the red head with hard eyes while they walked to the car "especially concerning your involvement with this case."


The ride was silent. He was sitting in a dark blue colored vehicle with blue lights and a speaker on the top and a red light in the middle with the senior officer driving and the younger looking a little out of place. The older policeman looked at him through the front mirror every so often while his colleague kept his eyes in front of him. The city they passed wasn't very populated, safe for the financial and shopping districts, otherwise there wasn't much too take note of since the city was for the most part Urban. Around the whole town a large forest spread hiding away the things not allowed to be seen by the general public. Then Caster felt a spike in energy at least half a kilometer away from his current position. A servant was running through the town, his presence provocative. Either a very confident Servant or a naive Master...

Then his eyes took note of a large building with a rich glass facade "That building" he started to say which got the attention of the others.

"That is the Fuyuki Hayatt Building , a five star hotel that was build by one of the town founders to get more tourists to visit the city." the younger officer said with a strange tone in his voice. Not missing that his colleague let his left hand lift from the steering wheel to pat the man's shoulder.

They got out of the car once they had arrived at their destination. The red head looked at the six stories tall building in front of them. It had a gray colored exterior with black trims around the windows, while the entrance was mostly made of glass and a roof showcasing the cities name and logo. It had a sophisticated look to it with the block like structure of the construct. Seeing as the senior officer and his colleague were moving towards the building he opted to follow them.

Until his eyes laid on a young girl running towards the older man.

The girl had brown hair tied in a pony tail, wore a jersey and from the looks of it…bloomers…but what made him notice her was the man she had grabbed by the collar and dragged behind her - the man had a bump on his headand foam appeared to gather around his mouth - before coming to a halt right in front of the senior.

For a moment it looked like they were having a staring contest, time the red head took to catch up to the men before he heard the sighs of the younger officer, muttering under his breath that it happened again. Curiously he looked at the girl.

Said girl then smiled "Uncle! Look, I found another pervert!" she energetically screamed lifting the man by the collar up. The older officer smiled, lifted his hand towards the girl's head…before grabbing her skull and lifting her off the ground with hisgrip alone.

"You mischievous little brat, how many times do I need to tell you that its the job of the police to grab criminals." he said calmly but the brunette only squealed in glee while flailing her arms - which certainly did onot help the unconscious criminal. The red head remained stoic to that display while the younger officer held a hand to his face.

The officer then sighed with a light chuckle escaping his lips. He let the girl down and patted her head "At least you do the right thing," he said taking hold of the man the girl captured "I'll interrogate him later, thank you for your continued assistance Miss Fujimura." he said while saluting.

The girl beamed at this while presenting her own energetic salute "Thank you very much Inspector Fujimura!"

She bowed before trotting off to who knows where. Caster watched the girl wave one last time at the Inspector who waved back. Once she was out of sight the older man motioned for the other two to follow him. Caster he watched the man's straight back and remembering someone.

Inside officers left and right were working on their respective cases or drank coffee together. The office was arranged in squares with each higher ranked officer in the station to have his own desk. Plastic walls separated suspects from police while large file cabinets were placed at the corners. The three of them walked past most of them. Judging from their faces most of them were in their thirties and probably had not seen many calm nights for a few weeks. Some wore dark blue jackets with decorations typical for police man of higher ranks.

"Oh Fujimura, going out as an Officer again?" one of the more higher ranked looking officers spoke, judging by the decorations on his jacket and the way the man carried himself, the Chief Inspector. He had combed back his hair that was slightly graying, wore glasses and a yellow tie with gold trimming, instead of the standard blue one.

"The people relax more if you aren't showing off, look at that fancy jacket of yours. How many times have I told you not to try and impress the girls from road control, they aren't interested in old geezers like us!" the Inspector answered receiving a jacket from one of the sitting policemen. Most of the people who heard him were laughing while the Chief Inspector gave him a friendly smile.

"Says the guy who doesn't tell his grandniece that she shouldn't do police work, or what else could the guy you're dragging behind you be?"

"Oh this?" he lifted the criminal up by the collar looking into his face, the man squeak like a pig "Explain to me how adult men aren't able to do something as simple as arresting a public offender when a girl half their age could?" he countered before throwing the pervert into the waiting arms of a policeman who put cuffs around the man's hands.

"Let's put pleasantries aside; did you go to that petty book theft with Mori instead of the murder scene I told you to?" the Chief asked with a glare walking up to the Inspector who glared back with a frown on his face "And who is that gentleman that is accompanying you?"

Finally registering that he was there the rest of the station that had nothing better to do stared at the red head. He remained stoic.

"He is a private detective who wanted to contribute to our case." The inspector said not letting his gaze shift. Both man gave each other acknowledging nods before the Chief walked past him. The man's eyes then darted towards the red head not looking at him but still giving a greeting of sorts.

"Welcome to our little Horror show" the man said cryptically although his words were spoken in an aggressive way. He red head looked after the Chief with mild interest before Inspector Fujimura tapped his shoulder, motioning him to follow.

They took an elevator to get on the forth floor then walked towards the interrogation rooms.

"We still haven't introduced ourselves have we?" the Inspector said once they got into a room. The red head walked to the nearest chair sitting down and listened.

"My name is Fujimura Saika, the idiot over there is my partner Mori Kogoro" he motioned to the younger officer who scratched his neck out of embarrassment "Well, he's more an apprentice than partner."

"I can relate. Then again I didn't expect that luck was on my side when I decided to speak up."

"Luck or misfortune, depending on what you're going to tell us." Fujimura said sitting down himself.

"You are so kind, going out with your apprentice to a theft to get his mind off the murder case you were assigned to." the red head said taking out a lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it before putting the whole thing into his mouth, the tip of the stick began to smoke.

"How are you doing that?" the younger asked when he saw the candy catch fire.

"This lollipop contains so much sugar that it smokes." Caster said as if he didn't have a large piece of candy in his mouth. The policemen looked at him with blank expressions before the younger one looked to his senior.

"Back to business" the Inspector said, while Mori hung his shoulders "You are quiet perceptive aren't you?"

"Of course. In my business you need to have a keen eye out for anything that might be suspicious."

"The murder?"

"I was in three of the nineteen scenes, those were the later crimes except for the one last night. I tried to get files for the remaining ones but the police wouldn't give me any at the time so I got most of my information from brokers."

"The one yesterday happened around midnight, probably before. The forensic team is still trying to figure out whether the corpses were mutilated before or after they died."

"Probably before, considering that we have got to do with a sadistic Psychopath with Paraphilias if not Pedophile tendencies."

The Inspector leaned back "I thought the same but the criminals behavior do not seem to be of the sexual type. He enjoys the power he has over his victims but that doesn't explain the brutality he displays towards some Corpses as well as the care he puts on others. In some cases he even shows a sense of innocence which unnerves me more than it should."

"How many have shown signs of resistance or signs of having attempted to escape from him? Do we know of people who saw him leave the crime scene or do his actions towards the corpses not speak of Piquerism, with the way the bodies were torn apart? Weren't there special cases of Victims-"

"Who had more injuries than others? Yes and no. He pays more attention to the children than the adults with how carefully their bodies are dissected."

"No fingerprints?"

"Not usable, we only have strands of hair that we found on the adults, hence why we believe that he doesn't care for his older victims."

"Weren't the children cut open around the belly? Maybe he searched for something?"

"Possible, but what he searched for only he would know. Then again I doubt he was trying to find anything considering that he does those things to boys as well, so we can rule out him trying to find preteen pregnancy." Mori's eyes bulged "Then again he might as well have searched for the essence of youth or innocence."

"Then let's return to my earlier assumption that he was working together with someone. Half of the things the unsub did, do not make sense considering the way each murder was handled. If we assume that the perpetrator is the same as the one who killed the victims."

"We can assume that he is, since we couldn't find evidence that there was another person."

"The other person doesn't need to be present. The one who committed the brutalities could have been giving instructions from far away say from a public phone or letters."

"We did find pieces of paper in some of the blood puddles." the Senior paused then scratched his chin "If there really was a second person and he was giving Instructions, wouldn't he want prove that his helper really did commit that?"

"What about the strange markings that were found at the scene?" the officers looked at him "It was running in the news, which made me wonder how it was possible that this information was leaked to the public especially considering how the Japanese Police usually operates behind closed doors."

"We thought he was trying to perform some kind of satanist ritual." the younger one objected until the red head pulled out an old book from his breast pocket. The cover was withered away by time and the pages looked so fragile that they might fall apart from too much preassure. But what was most striking were the splatters of blood on the cover. He handed the book to Fujimura who took it and inspected its content by flowing over the pages with his eyes. Formulas, drawings of ingredients and phrases resembling macabre poetry. Most importantly were the phrases talking about summoning and the way certain words were written.

"A cultist?" the Inspector guessed leaning farther back, laying the book on the table between them "I take that is the clue you wanted to show us."

"Correct, I found it not far from the crime scene you were at, although discarded in a bush which makes me assume they threw it away. Or they intended to shift the police attention to whoever finds it. Thankfully I believe its the former since I got it from a little girl with dark hair in twin tails in a red dress, sadly a description that fits far too many children at that age."

Fujimura paused, then handed the book to his colleague "Get this to the forensics team, make them determine how old everything in this book is."

"Uhm, pardon?" Mori asked before he got a glare from both men.

"Make them find out how old the paper is, then how long the ink has been dry in the material and at what state of decay this blood on the cover is, ten let them run a check on certain phrases, spellings, words, signs anything tof importance or that catches their eyes. We don't know yet if it is real or a cheap attempt to make the police run after a red herring." the Inspector said "Go, now."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

After Mori left, the two men looked at each other. The older one leaned back on his seat while the red head remained stoic. They were looking for any signs of what the other was thinking.

"What are your real intentions?" Fujimura asked.

"To find a cult."

"A cult? Does this have to do with the markings that we found at the scene?" the red head nodded "Why are you looking for them, should they exist at all?"

"To make them stop whatever they are doing. Their activities aren't as subtle as you would believe and there are a few things that prove their existence outside of the markings or killings."

"I see. How did you find out about them."

"Per accident. Or to be more precise, it was the moment I learned about the disappearing children, their murder and how these circles appeared at the crime scene. It reminded me of a similar case from around ten years ago. I didn't get too involved myself but at the time many people died."

"I see, that would explain a few things but the more pressing matter would be that Matsudaira Kindaichi isn't your real name, is it?"

"It is a codename. One does not reveal ones true name without risking noisy ears."

"Affiliation? Do you work with a larger network or…"

"It's more about personal preservation, the last time I got involved," the red head lifted his left hand, pulling the sleeve down his elbow featuring a large scar that went that exact length, "I got this as a souvenir."

The Inspector grimaced at the sight of the scar before sighing. Then he took off his hat and placed it in front of him. A sad smile spread on his lips before it got replaced by a frown. "So you can't trust anyone until you are absolutely certain that this cult doesn't know of your existence."

The red head paused "I knew the moment I saw you that you were an intelligent person."

"Takes one to know one." the old man laughed lightly "So, what is your take on this situation?"

"You either believe I'm insane, the criminal or someone trying to divert your attention elsewhere with some other form of ulterior motive. The first is simple, I could be someone with high intelligence but poor judgment who thinks of himself higher than others. The second is also obvious, if I were the criminal I could take part in the investigation to divert attention away to prove my innocence. The third one would be the possibility of me being a foreign agent who tries to indirectly divert the police attention because the culprit belongs to my country or is a fugitive. However I do believe that you believe me when I say that I want to stop this."

"Then I need more information. Do you have clues to who they are, what they want or why they do it?"

"From what I could gather, this," motioning to the ground, " - this has taken place several times. Families with large influence gather at a place in set intervals. Each time people die and each time the government does not do anything to prevent these horrible things. The last time I got away with a few scars and missing organs, but I was one of the lucky ones. What about the victims who got dragged into this? They die without knowing anything."

"So you want help?"

"I don't want help. Not now."

Mori reentered the room. "I delivered the book to forensics" he said before noticing how tense the atmosphere in the room was. Fujimura turned to him with sharp eyes which made the younger man salute out of instinct.

"How long until we get results."

"They said tomorrow or the day after." Mori answered instantly.

"I see." he looked back at the red head ignoring his protege "How old are you?"

"29"

"Have you committed the murder?"

"No"

"Do you know who did it?"

"Yes, but I can't hand him over to you yet."

"Do you know how many are involved?"

"No specifics but I've got a few guesses."

"So basically nothing."

"Yes."

"A cup of coffee and some breakfast?" Fujimura asked standing up from his seat to put on his jacket and hat.

"With lots of sugar and a beacon sandwich." the red head answered also leaving his seat.

Both men walked past Mori who stood there not moving an inch, both saying as they left the room "It's your treat Officer Kogoro." with a dismissive tone.

The younger officer turned his head slowly, his eyes wide open and his mouth hanging, as he watched the men leaving him behind, his eyebrows rose critically high while sweat formed on his palms.

"What did just happen?" he asked into the room but there was no answer for him.


-7


When they returned to the lowest floor some of the officers doing paper work turned and greeted the Inspector while others gave nods. The older officer ignored most of them until he reached the office room of the Chief Inspector. Said man was preparing to leave though he took a long last look at a picture before turning to his colleague.

"Fujimura."

"Chief." Inspector Fujimura motioned to the red head who accompanied him silently "This young man will be working with us to solve the case of mass murder in Fuyuki City." then he leaned forward whispering something that the Caster wasn't intended to hear.

The Chief pushed his glasses up, took a look at the red haired man before sighing "As long as he helps us solve the case without getting in our way. You can have free reign over this case. Just, do me the favor and get that bastard!"

"Language, sir."

"Oh, shut it you old fox!"

Both officers laughed before saluting. The Inspector motioned for the red head to follow him while the Chief called out to his men to rush out to arrest that wandering psychopath and get him behind steel bars.

He accompanied Inspector Fujimura to his car nearly leaving behind a still irritated Mori who cursed under his breath. The younger officer watched both men in front of him with mixed feelings while the white clothed man gave him a short glance.

"Do you have somewhere to stay at?" the older officer asked while pulling his coat tighter together in front of him.

"No."

"Then stay at my place. the only one who visits is that midget of a niece and she only comes on weekends."

"Thank you very much."

Both men then entered the car while Mori shook his head.

The ride from the Police Station to the nearest restaurant took less than five minutes but once they arrived the streets appeared to have thinned in width. Between the buildings were lanterns hung up on strings that were nailed into the concrete on each side. On each side where various stalls with different colored signs hung up.

The inspector drove to the nearest parking lot before halting and getting out. Mori did the same while the red head was allowed out of the backseats by Fujimura. The older man then lead the others along a narrow road close to a dark alleyway where dozens of bikes were chained together.

The restaurant was a good five hundred meters up a hill with large amounts of loose bricks lifting from the ground. Had they drove it up in the car, it would have killed the tires the red head thought while looking at the proud strides of the officer in front of him.

The man then threw off his jacket, carrying it on his left arm before entering a Chinese restaurant. he greeted the reception in Mandarin, then lifted three fingers, the order was for three people.

Choosing a nice seat away from the open kitchen the three men sat down on each side of the table. Both policemen sat on the opposite side of the red head, placing their hats on the table before Mori started to groan.

"You just had to drag us here, again?"

"The food is cheap, the cook good and the lady at the reception likes me and gives me a few extra things when no one is looking. I don't see the problem." he said just as said lady came over to them with glasses on a tray. She handed each of them a drink before excusing herself. Fujimura immediately drowned the treat while Mori was more reluctant.

"We're still on duty." he said but the older man gave him a pat on the back.

"It's just plum juice. nothing alcoholic, remember?" he answered but the younger officer didn't drink. Seeing it as a waste the red head drank his own glass dry before grabbing the younger officers and drowning it at well.

"I wanted to do that." Fujimura protested, placed his glass on the table without a noise however while Mori shook his head.

"What did you order anyway?" he asked with serious eyes.

"Your favorite: Dog tails on noddles and garlic." the older officer answered while his neighbor threw his hands in the air "Of course I'm joking. I ordered a sandwich for our new colleague and got the two of us Wang tang soup."

"How long do we need to wait?" the red head asked remaining as stoic as Fujimura was during their whole exchange.

"Around ten minutes."

"Isn't that a little too fast?"

"I already said that the cook was good."

.


.

"You were not exaggerating when you said the cook was good. I didn't expect to see the food so fast and so lovingly prepared." when he and Fujimura left the Restaurant both of them didn't say anything. Officer Mori was left behind to pay for their relatively large servings, which they took three of, especially since the red head decided to have the same as them for dessert - a sickeningly sweet rice cake. All in all they spent a good two hours just devouring large servings of food.

"Any plans for today?" the red head asked, noon was over already but the older man didn't answer.

"I want to go for a walk."

He looked back at the restaurant wondering if they should tell the younger officer but Inspector Fujimura already began walking down the hill from which they came from.

"It's private then" the red head muttered following after.

At first they walked down the hill, then the senior lead them right into an alley. On the other side they had a nice view on a local traditional Japanese cemetery. Tall stones with family names, dates and the last wishes of those who died plastered on them towered on a stone pedestal and a very small bowl or offerings in front of it- Walking past the buildings both of them walked through the rows of grave stones, halting once they reached one without a name.

They stood in front of the stone without a word just giving their respects while Fujimura placed piece of paper on the offering plate.

"This is the unofficial gravestone for those who died of unnatural causes. Nobody knew their names nor could they be identified since their fingers and teeth disappeared. Those Yankees are working on DNA analysis but it isn't usable on the field here yet. Some police we are, not even able to tell the families that they had lost their children, partners or whatnot."

"Don't take the blame."

"I won't. But it made me think. I knew something was going on in this town but nobody knows anything. Nobody seems to remember and that is what gets me. Even this graveyard was nearly forgotten had I not found it many years ago." Fujimura looked at the grave saluting to those who were no more "Some of these families don't even exist anymore..."

The red head looked around, noticing how most of the graves were still covered in moss and dirt. Outwards only a small number of graves were cleaned, the farther they got from the town the more those gravestones disappeared in the wilderness. His eyes turned back to the saluting Inspector, the man was clearly thinking. Then his gaze shifted to the paper that now laid in front of it.

"I wanted to write a letter to them," the Inspector started once he noticed the red head's gaze "but every time I tried to think of words none came to mind, even though it's the police's duty to solve every case."

Both of them went past the grave to go towards a well not far from where they stood. There were two buckets, only one without any vegetation growing out of it, with brushes next to them. They each took a brush after filling up the good basket before walking towards the nameless grave. Fujimura walked up to the grave taking his brush to clean the main stone while the red head started to scrub the ground around it.

They spent an hour cleaning, ignoring the stains on their clothes, only continuing doing what needed to be done. With care and patience the men managed to make the hard and uneven surface shine a little in the sun. Despite their efforts, both knew that they weren't going to be thanked, nor will they be remembered either. Putting away their tools both men stood in front of the grave once again, both holding their hands in a prayer.

When they got back to the car, Mori was leaning against the carcase, his cap hiding his eyes. He pulled the car keys out with his index finger, spinning it before catching the object. Fujimura threw off his jacket, discarding it on the backseat next to the red head once they got in. The men were silent during the whole ride.

Afternoon was knocking on the door.

"What do you think happened to those who are forgotten?" Fujimura asked both, not expecting an answer while they stared at Fujuki City.

They had driven to the highest mountain street, stopping at a parking lot to oversee the entire area. Far to the sea were the harbor and airport. Not far from it the entire shopping district covered the ground before being replaced by the finance offices and the Police Station. Then entire city blocks filled with single family houses and apartment buildings. Just barely the frame of a castle was visible in the woods far to the right of them while entire manors were build on the opposite side of the city.

"They die." the red head answered putting another lollipop into his mouth, which promptly ignited "Because those who are forgotten are truly dead."

The Inspector nodded while the younger officer couldn't say anything.

"Do you know why I took you out today instead of going to where the Chief Inspector told us to?" Fujimura asked, but the question wasn't directed towards the red head.

"To make me more relaxed?" Officer Mori asked playing with his fingers while the sun slowly moved towards the sea. The inspector patted him on the back which made him look up, brown eyes looked at him telling him something he wasn't sure of nor understood.

"Close" the Inspector answered "Kid, how many times did you threw up since last week?" the younger policeman looked down.

"How many times did you stay awake out of fear to see those scenes play out in your mind?" shoulders slugged down farther.

"You are still not used to those things, and you probably will never be." eyes looked up "The only thing you can do is take your mind off those matters and have a day without any worries, that's what our vacation is for." Fujimura said also patting his protege on the back "Get stronger, that is the only thing you can do if you want to continue this line of work, but never forget not to forget yourself. That is the last thing that you want."

"It is a nice city" the red head said making the other two look at the sight before of them.

"One of the reasons why I can't leave." the old man admitted "This sight alone is enough to make me stay. It is the city I was born in and it will be the city I will die."

"Have you never thought of going away, you did get transferred to Tokyo once." Mori asked "Maybe they'll reassign you where people would appreciate your efforts and let you do your work without telling you that you can't do the right thing because the wner of the land doesn't want you to-."

"Never."

The younger officer looked at him, seeing the pride on his face and the smile that graced his lips. Then he looked back at the city. He never got used to the sight of the setting sun, it always felt like something ominous was happening without them even noticing it. The police was never able to capture anyone without resorting to extreme force somehow always killing the fugitive instead of arresting them. And then there where those foreigners acting as if the land was theirs, bribing officers with casual donations while scheming something beneath the surface. And worst of all was that feeling of helplessness that creeped up whenever they failed to safe anyone and the regret at not even remembering those who disappeared.

He never understood what the old man saw in the city.


The night was setting. Full moon was rising in the sky while everyone without a 24 hour job circle was returning to their homes. Same went for Mori who parted with the others after they returned to the station. Of course only after they got scolded by the Chief Inspector for tardiness. The red head apologized as well without batting an eyelash while Fujimura joked that he went picking up trash instead of criminals.

The Inspector drove both of them to an old style Japanese mansion with wooden face and plate with his name on it. When he drove to the nearest garage the old man didn't speak up and instead focused his eyes on the red head when they halted.

"Don't be surprised" he said while accompanying his guest towards the house next to the mansion instead. The red head looked at the fence briefly, then to the name on the plate. Following after the old man he entered the house, taking off his shoes at the front and accompanied Fujimura into the living room.

A four tatami floor room with a kettle in the middle above an oven and a square shaped light dangling from the roof. The house wasn't very big, probably two stories tall with wooden floors and and white walls barely thicker than paper. Large cabinets towered in the hallway with pictures of the house owner in his younger years, his colleagues, his niece and a large group of people who looked like the Japanese Mafia.

The Inspector pulled off his jacket, hanging it in his closet, before turning back to his guest. The old man motioned for him to follow after, leading up a pair of stairs before coming to a halt in front of a paper door.

"It isn't much, but for the mean time I'll allow you to use it." he said before leaving the red head in a small square shaped room with a window on the north side "A Futon is in the closet, I expect that you know how to sleep in one." the red head nodded.

"Want to have some tea?" Fujimura asked but his guest already began to set up his resting place, grabbing a few extra cushions and laying them neatly next to each other close to where his head was going to rest. The old man watched in amusement how the white clothed man sorted each pillow after size and color while keeping the futon neatly placed in the middle of the room.

"I'd like to rest for a while, maybe I'll join you later when your next shift starts." he said with a smile laying down on his new bed with a soft thud. He turned around to lay on his side while his right arm was placed beneath his head.

"8 pm then, if I don't see you at that time down in the living room I am going to throw a bucket full of water on your sleepy ass." the men laughed before bidding each other a "See you later."

.

.

.


The first confrontation happened.

It took place close to the sea on a small concrete harbor with cargo neatly staked atop and next to each other, while the moon was hiding behind a layer of dark clouds. The Servant of Swords clashed with the the Servant of Lances in a wild fray of violent thrusts.

The Sword wielder appeared to be a young woman with blond hair, fair skin and green eyes clad in a blue dress protected by silver armor. The weapon she wielded was clad in air making it invisible. Behind her stood a maiden with silver hair, red eyes and was clothed in a white outfit with matching hat. The woman was barely taller than the Servant although she appeared more frail then anything else.

The Lance wielder held two lances in his hands, both covered with in rune decorated bandages hiding the weapons identities. He had black hair, yellow eyes with a beauty spot under one of them. His clothing was a tight dark colored fitting leather armor which only left his neck slightly exposed. There was no one behind nor around him other than the blond but the faint silhouette of a man atop a warehouse roof close by could be made out. The man hid in the shadows but his white skin and blond hair couldn't be masked well in the darkness.

Lancer rushed forward, thrusting his longer spear forward meeting Saber's sword midway. The second lance neared the blond's face but the sword wielder evaded with a swift backstep before swinging her sword in an arc sideways. That resulted in Lancer jumping backwards while readying his weapons at his hips once again.

A command from the man hidden in the shadows made him remove the bandages around the longer lance while dropping his second before his feet. Below the cloth was a red colored lance surrounded by an aura of dread, Probably cursed, making a rush towards Saber who parried the weapon with her own only for the invisibility to be stripped off from her sword revealing a golden light.

That exchange took place in an instance yet it was more than enough for any spectator to guess what the blond's legend was.

He stood high in the air on a broad sword, probably a kilometer or two off the ground to have a good view on the surrounding while also analyzing the danger each of his opponents could possess. Despite his cautions he knew that a red haired muscular man in Greek armor and red cape floating behind him was aware of another spectator watching the bout. Or at least he could assume such considering that the bridge that man was at was around two to three kilometers away.

His attention was drawn back to the exchange of words between Lancer and Saber, he could have guessed by the appearance that the dark haired one was of Irish origin, take into account the two spears and anybody with enough knowledge about Irish myths could have suspected the First Knight of Fianna to have been summoned into the Lancer Class. Not helping was the love spot beneath his eyes which should have been a dead give away.

Same couldn't be said about Saber. Even to the educated it would have been a shock to know that the King of Camelot was a woman. He wasn't, it was in the realm of possibility after all, which didn't change the fact that this person was still the strongest Servant in the contest so far.

Despite that Lancer didn't change his opinion much concerning his opponent, even preparing himself to challenge the Sword wielder to a show down.

Saber pointed her sword backwards, launched herself off the ground with enormous speed while causing a large burst of Prana to be released from her sword to accelerate farther revealing the golden blade hidden behind invisible air. The force tore apart the concrete while also crossing the distance between the combatants at an alarming speed. Yet Lancer was prepared.

Outside of the fight Caster noticed that the Servant on the bridge got up, the muscle man too did not forget that Lancer discarded his second lance for this very moment. The lance wielder in that moment decided to lift the weapon off the ground with his foot, grabbed it and attempted to behead the blond.

Noticing far too late that her opponent had planned this she spun her body around, with an additional boost from her sword, to avoid the thrusting weapon only for it to scratch her left wrist. Considering that the spear that injured her caused lasting never healing damage, it was safe to assume that Saber couldn't use her final weapon anymore, therefore making her less dangerous.

The red haired muscle head rushed through the sky directly towards the cargo bay where the fight took place, riding on a chariot pulled by two electrified bulls.

He was invisible for a while now not wanting the newcomer to notice him while drifting his eyes towards the other spectators on the bay. Two people were hiding in the shadows carrying firearms instead of mystic codes as he would usually assume, one of them male while the other was female. The male one had dark spiky hair wearing a black trench coat, he held a semi automatic rifle in front of him with night vision attached to the scope, directing his attention towards the blond man in the shadows. This meant that he was a potential ally to the Saber/Maiden team which made him an unknown factor, although his appearance was very similair to on he had seen not to long ago. The woman was similarly clothed in dark but without the coat, she held onto an assault rifle readying it at the third spectator. Until farther notice he won't interact with them but it was interesting to see a cloaked person sitting on the crane with a white skull knit on its face.

Until the red bearded muscle head slammed into the ground between Saber and Lancer, proudly announcing his name and class for the war as if it was someone else problem.

"I am the King of Conquerors Iskander the Great! Behold Servants of the Holy Grail War, for I have been summoned into the Rider Class!" the bearded man looked with a wide childish grin at all the people he could look at, while his supposedly Master was staring at him with a baffled face. A young boy probably still in his teens, who appeared not even half the size of his Servant. The Master wore a dark green pullover paired with a dark blue jeans and brown shoes while the most prominent feature was his black hair.

"Join me o warriors! Together we shall conquer the world anew!" the fool announced throwing his arms with a triumphant grin plastered on his face. Making both him floating in the air and his Master cover their faces. The other two Servants immediately refused, Lancer having already promised his life to his Master while Saber announced her own King-hood concerning Britain. The hulking man let his arms slump down even promising to negotiate yet the others violently refused.

It was in that moment that the man hiding on the roof raised his voice to speak with the boy in Rider's chariot.

"Waver Velvet. I should have known that you have stolen my Catalyst." the man said with an haughty voice that nearly came from everywhere "Since you have come so far, why should I not teach you how real Magi duel."

"Kayneth!" the boy whispered recognizing the tone while stepping backwards. Through the menace of those words the boy cowered, nearly hiding behind Rider's coat but a hand on his head and a reassuring smile from Rider greeted his fright. The bearded man then turned his attention to Lancer's Master screaming for the world to hear.

"So you were supposed to be my Master? Ha! I am grateful that I wasn't summoned by someone as you! Because in my eyes," he patted the boy's back "- this lad is a far more befitting Master to me than you could have ever been!"

Growling under his breath Lancer's Master was about to unleash his furry but the King of Conquerors screamed once more, angering the hidden man farther.

"Show yourself Servants for I have spoken!" the man screamed "You as well my friend up there!"

At least the fool was perceptive, Caster thought as he contemplated what he was going to do.

"Saber, Lancer, your duel was splendid." Rider said turning his back to them while giving a thumbs up, also completely ignoring the still brooding Master of Lancer "But I wasn't the only Servant who wanted to witness such a fine duel."

Just as he said that a golden clad Servant appeared on top of a lamp. The armor was made of one torso covering uninterrupted golden material with two large shoulder pads made of the same material, around his golden armored legs he wore a red fabric while his golden hair stood up from his head. Red irises bore onto the battlefield with a scowl on his face.

"What an insult to hear that two of you even dare proclaim yourself to be the same as me ." he voiced with anger laced with arrogance "Know your place mongrel!"

Rider looked at him with raised eyebrows while massaging his beard "Why shouldn't I, I am known world wide as the King of Conquerors. Why not name yourself as well if you feel so insulted?"

"The fact that you do not even know my name despite my appearance is an insult." the golden clad Servant stated directing his anger especially at Rider.


- Determine Current Level of stored Mana-


The Golden clad Servant proceeded in his lecture with two golden ripples appearing behind him. From the ripples a spear and a sword came forth, golden and with an aura of nobility. Since this was probably the Servant of Bows it meant that he was capable of shooting those.


- - Mana output approximately 12.1369 %- -


Right as the Archer was about to go through with his threat, a black mass crashed right onto the battlefield. The ground shattered from the impact as it watched with an eery red eye all those that surrounded them. From the looks of it a cloud or mist of pure black particles disrupted the sense of sight making it for all those watching it unrecognizable except the fact that its silhouette, which was barely visible in the moonlight, appeared to be a medieval armor.


-The amount needed for Noble Phantasms?-


The cloaked being let out a loud scream directing everyone's attention on it.

"Berserker?!" Saber exclaimed while Lancer jokingly asked the King of Conquerors if he wanted to extend his invitation to the Servants of Madness.

"Nah, he doesn't seem like someone who listens." Rider answered scratching his beard while his Master tried to read his abilities. Prana was channeling in his eyes focusing his sight on it yet he shook his head in disbelieve.

"What's wrong boy?" Rider asked sounding slightly displeased but the boy continued to gawk. "I-I can't see anything…it's like there is some kind of smoke preventing me from reading his stats!"

He agreed, Berserker was unreadable Probably a Noble Phantasm that conceals the identity, maybe a legendary knight who fell into disgrace and therefore had to conceal his face he thought nearly directing his attention on figuring out who the newcomers were, alas that wasn't his priority.


- - Around 13.65 or 27.99993 %


With the speed he was falling and his desired point of impact, he did have time to wonder why the others hadn't taken notice of Assassin. The Servant wasn't necessarily hiding its presence sitting on that crane in plain view, and considering that Rider was able to find him that easily, then it made no sense as to why they didn't notice the Servant of Shadows. Although, he concluded, they were probably more focused on the enemy in plain sight then the one with the least amount of power level.


- - minimal use limited in case of emergencies 10.87%


That should be enough he thought spinning one-eighty to let his feet be the lowest point of his body, the ground was greeting his sight more and more with each passing nanosecond. Instead of smoothing his landing he pulled back both legs while bending his body forward.


- Time until impact?


All eyes that were present heard a booming noise from the sky and a figure clad in white falling towards the ground with enormous speed. The Masters couldn't process fast enough what was happening while the Servants stared at the newcomer with vary eyes. All besides Rider who instead grinned from ear to ear while the white one raced towards him. The bearded Servant went for his sword on the left side of his waist pulling it out of its sheath while a red haired man in white clothes was right above him.


- - T-minus 0.12 seconds


Their eyes met. The white clad thrusted forward with both his legs clashing with the blunt side of Rider's sword. The resulting impact caused a shock-wave that nearly threw the bearded man's Master off the chariot had it not been for Riders well placed hand on his back. Using the blade as a jumping board the white clad pushed himself into the air again spinning while his body did two pirouettes in the air before landing on the ground not far from the mounted Servant.

His body hunched forward grabbing into his chest pocket to pull out a lollipop. He unwrapped the good slowly putting the sweet treat into his mouth while letting his eyes wander towards all who were present one by one while he steadied his stance, although he avoided looking up at the golden clad one opting to bow slightly instead. A gesture which did not go unnoticed by the Servant of Bows.

"At least one of you knows his place and pays respect accordingly." Archer said while Rider continued to grin, his Master on the other hand was appearing considerably paler then before. Same could be said about the white haired woman standing behind Saber. The Servant of Swords had rushed to her side standing before her despite the unhealable wound on the blond's wrist.

"I know royalty when I see it, yet with your highness' it is more a matter of feeling your overwhelming presence then sight." the red head announced much to the golden clad pleasure but before he could voice anything the bearded king decided to extend his offer instead.

"So you finally decided to join us, and here I thought you would stay up in the skies until all of us were dead or had joined my army!" Rider spouted, immediately receiving glares from almost all the participants in this chaos – minus Berserker who acted oddly inactive.

The white clad looked at the King of Conquerors with a stoic expression on his face while the end of his candy stick ignited briefly before smoke rose from it "Before you ask; I refuse." the bearded king looked not the slightest bit surprised at that answer yet his eyes opened wide when he heard the following words.

"Despite saying that, since most of those present have revealed their true identities, let me share mine as well." Through the Servants eyes and ears, through their skin and souls their Masters listened to the sudden introduction, all absorbed by the nonchalant manner the red haired spoke in:

"Summoned into the Caster Class of the Forth Holy Grail War, Radius Aldria, at your service."


Inspector Fujimura sat on the floor, down in the living room. He didn't care that it was getting late since his next shift was starting soon anyway, instead he held a file in his hand which he would like to read once again. Within the file were articles and photos that looked rather worn out when he held them against the light. Placing a miniature dining table in front of him he laid the file down. Taking great care not to scatter the content while his careful eyes judged each and every file. When faced with a particular old photo, his eyes narrowed. Just as he was about to take it his cord phone rang.

Letting out a heavy sigh he stood up wondering why someone bothered at his hour, if it was an emergency good, but if it was something pointless then he was going to end the call right there. He had somewhat expected to hear the Chief Inspector's voice when he put the phone shell to his ear though.

"You still up Fujimura?"the Chief asked with a sultry voice. The old Inspector raised an eyebrow when he heard his colleague talk like that.

"Yes, sir."

"Remember what you had said this noon?"

The old man stood up straight, he had not expected anything about that matter until the next day or later. If he considered that his Higher Up called this late than it could only mean…

"Yes, did they find something?"

"You were right," the Chief admitted sighing loudly "I hate it when you are right! You…how did you figure that out anyway, if it had been me I would have ignored that right away."

"Heh, remember the private eye? He came up with that crazy assumption, all I had to do was figure out a connection."

"But every sixty years? Do you know how many files I had to go through?"

"Chief, it is not safe to talk over the phone about that, let me take our newcomer to the station. Are you still there?"

"If I wasn't than I wouldn't have called. Hach, my children are going to hate me when I ever get to go home."

"Don't worry, if you solve this case your brats are going to call you a hero for the rest of your life." Fujimura joked while the Chief agreed and joined him in his laughter. They didn't need to say anything and only needed to act now.

Once the call was finished, the Inspector walked to the guest room, he heard noise from the window and slightly suspected something. When he opened the paper door the red haired man in his usual white clothing sat against the window frame with a white file in his hand. It was the file about the current case which the man had probably gotten from the office once they had walked out.

"I take you heard everything?" the red head turned to him, nodding to the Inspector "Then let's get going, the night is still far too young to be over."

While the Inspector went down again to get dressed, Radius Aldria turned around to the window pressing a finger to his lips.


To be continued…