Chapter One: The Game Decided From the Start
With an ear-to-ear grin, the small boy leaned his head on his hand, twirling his golden locks with his fingers. With his deep blue eyes filled with mischief, he was fixated on the numerous monitors in front of him. There were seven monitors in total, each one displaying a different person going through their normal daily activities. The one he was focused on now was one that showed a rather boring looking man typing up a report at his desk. The man had short black hair with a hint of gray at the roots and wore a black suit that he seemed to uncomfortable in, judging by the fact he couldn't sit still. The man then turned around, making sure no one was looking, and opened the drawer to one of his desks. He pulled out a small, red leather-bound notebook and began reading it.
The boy chuckled a little. He was literally watching the events unfold of the war that he himself had created. It was spectacular, really. He could feel the excitement welling up inside of him. The boy straightened his body and placed his hands on the armrests of the throne he was sitting upon. He felt like a king, watching his subjects' every move from the golden throne inside the black fortress. The Einzbern Castle had become quite an asset of his ever since the family abandoned it years ago. How long had it been since Shirou Emiya had put an end to the Holy Grail Wars? Eight? Maybe even ten? The boy only really paid attention to things such as the turn of the millennium. Despite his juvenile appearance, his age was far superior to any living being on Earth.
The boy cocked his head to the side again, enjoying every moment. It was like reading a new book that you've been dying to read. Ever since the end to the Fifth Holy Grail War (and all Holy Grail Wars worldwide for that matter, thanks to Shirou Emiya's wish) he had been secretly creating a new war game to play, hiding in the shadows until it was ready. He personally hand-picked seven of the most unique Servants and scoped out the seven finest Masters to join them. He went so far as to give them all instructions on how to summon the Servants and even provided the catalysts. Oh, how he was tingling with joy, waiting for that cap gun to go off and the race to start.
He made sure that all of his Masters were new to the game. He would not stand seeing another Tohsaka or Einzbern or Matou get in the way again, only aspiring to make their family look great. That wasn't a wish; that was greed. What the young boy really desired was Masters with real wishes that are worth fighting for; and he had found the perfect seven. The young boy had seen everything, and yet couldn't even foretell the outcome of this war. He couldn't help but let out a laugh. For millennia, all he had been was a spectator—watching the world and its inhabitants shape and evolve this planet. No…he was more than a spectator….he was a God... No, he was not the God in the sky, the one that has directed humanity down a path that will only lead them to their own destruction. No, instead he was a God of raw power alone. His power was so immense that even that arrogant golden king would have to bow his head in defeat. With a snap of his fingers, he could kill any Master and a Servant likewise. He was a God that twirled up the toy soldier and then let it go, sitting back to watch what events would unfold. It was quite exhilarating, not know what was going to happen.
There was a knock on the door and the young boy snapped out of his daydream. With a flick of his hand, the seven monitors shimmered and disappeared.
"Come in." The boy said a tinge of annoyance in his voice. He leaned his head on his hand again, this time with a frown. Whoever was interrupting him better have worthy information.
Two females entered the room, both albinos. One had her white hair tied into a bun, while the other had it down. Their red, emotionless eyes were fixated on the golden boy. The two were also dressed in maid's outfits, befitting since they were the castle's servants. The homunculi were very obedient…well; they didn't really have a choice. After the Fifth Holy Grail War, the three families tried to forge a new Holy Grail, only to fail. The three families refused to cooperate with each other, and eventually abandoned the idea of making a new Grail altogether. The Einzbern abandoned this place, leaving the homunculi here to die. Without a Grail, the vessels became unnecessary. The boy considered it like charity—he was giving them another reason to live.
The two homunculi knelt down in front of the throne, heads bowed.
"My lord." They said in unison.
"What is your message?" The boy asked, getting right to the point. He wanted to go back to watching his play toys, wanting to see how things were going. The two girls stood up and faced the boy.
"We would like to report that we have delivered both the instructions and the catalysts to the respective Masters. On our way back, we detected two Masters already preparing the summoning." The long haired one stated.
The boy smiled. He had watched the summoning of the two Servants already, and had to say, he didn't quite expect anything to be so…..magnificent.
"So far, only Caster and Assassin have been summoned, however we are expecting the other five to be summoned within the next three days." The one with the bun mentioned. "We have also done as you wished regarding past players. We have contacted any past contenders of the Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail Wars who are still alive and warned them not become involved, otherwise death will be brought down upon them. However, Shirou Emiya will most likely try to intervene somehow; he made that perfectly clear during our visit."
The boy simply shrugged. This time around, there were no boundaries like the Fuyuki Grail Wars; the entire world was the battleground. Anyplace, anywhere, anytime; you will always have to be on the lookout for opponents. Of course, he had to be careful since this would mean that magi and past Grail competitors alike would take notice of the strange events happening worldwide. He had to take some precautions. He had expected the Shirou boy to take some form of action, but he would deal with that when the time came.
"My Lord, I also regret to bring you bad news regarding one of the Masters. While you may already know the circumstances the young boy is in, it seems that he has not even touched the instructions or the catalyst since we have given it to him. We fear that the young boy may have developed some sort of amnesia." The one with the bun informed.
The boy frowned. He had noticed it too—one of the Masters suddenly began to act different. He became bug-eyed and constantly looking around. He didn't talk to the people around him either and was rather quiet. The golden boy hadn't picked up anything on the screen, and thought that maybe the bug-eyed Master was just weird like that. It never occurred to him that he could've developed amnesia.
"As of right now, it appears the young Master can only remember his name." The long-haired one said, as if she were reading a news report. "What do you desire we do about this situation?"
The young boy laughed. "Do nothing! This is something new and unexpected. I'll take it; this game is becoming very interesting."
The two nodded. "Very well, my lord."
"Thank you for your time, Juniper," he looked at the long-haired one, "and Relina" this time looking at the one with the bun. It was unusual for a King to call his servants by name; however he made it an exception with the homunculi.
"We will leave you now, my lord." The two said in unison, bowing, and then exiting the room.
After they left, the boy flicked his hand and the seven monitors materialized again. This time, he focused on the one on the far right showing the boy with black hair and blue eyes, walking briskly up the street and looking at his surroundings. The boy had not hit his head, so it was obviously some form of magic that caused his amnesia. The other six Masters were not talented enough Magi to learn a spell that could erase one's memories. So who was it?
He cracked a smile, adrenaline surging through his veins.
So there was someone in this game that even he, the Heroic Spirit of the Holy Grail, did not know?