Tragedian
AU. Tohsaka Rin summoned Gilgamesh for the fifth Holy Grail War, but little did she know of her father's murder or her Servant's twisted intentions. Rin/Gilgamesh/Enkidu
Tohsaka Rin breathed in the musty air of the basement, jewels tinted scarlet reflected the faint light that sipped into the room through cracks of the doorway.
She mused about what she was to do.
The expenses of this summoning was a hefty price to pay: rare jewels that complemented her element, mana painstakingly accumulated over the years, and the time expended to study books and documents of her ancestor's legacy on the summoning circle.
The crucial aspects that shaped out the summoning circle engraved on the basement floor were a copied formula from the old drawings. Besides referring to traditional symbols, Rin boldly added an extra combination of her own invention into the circle, they were obtained from repeated and persisting calculations, and she had waste no little time to test of these new concoction and ferreting out mistakes.
To Rin, the Holy Grail War was a test, both psychological and physical, a direct pathway to womanhood, the proof of her ability as a matured magus.
She bore the weight of succession as the oldest child of the magus family. A victory of the war was also a prominent achievement to be added on her family history.
Despite lengthy reasons, Tohsaka Rin greatest drive was her need to win—as she would in every other aspect in life. She dedicated herself for that cause.
The Holy Grail War shall end in her victory.
"Withdrawal within elimination, engrave four areas and surround with the summoning circle…right."
Tohsaka confirmed accuracy of the summoning circle while her hands shook before the vital chanting procedure began. The boundary of the summoning circle were a mix of her precious jewels in molten state and the orthodox use of animal blood, their ratio balanced to guarantee her the best quality of Servant.
'Stop being nervous.'
She had resolved herself for this.
Gilgamesh was the Mesopotamian king depicted in the world's oldest epic, bestowed upon the glorious title of King of Heroes, and a legend older than Christ himself.
Under the static belief of listeners, dynamic retelling and exaggeration, the clay tablets recorded him as a being of one-third of human and two-third god, the divine king of a Uruk, an individual whose ego transcends even those of the gods, and at the end of the tale: he who embarked on a journey to find immortality.
The young king had progressed steadily along the path of life: from a self-egoistical tyrant to a wiser ruler who knew the means to appreciate civilization efforts; from ignorance of death to fear, and finally acceptance. But unknown to the world, Gilgamesh's journey had a continuation even after his ultimate death. He had became a heroic spirit who had deemed fit to gain entrance into the Holy Grail, removed from the cycle of rebirth, prowling restlessly for eternity in the storehouse of the Holy Grail with other souls similar to himself.
His journey after death—glorified with the phrase 'afterlife'—was one in a self-delusional world, a dream.
'Enkidu.'
He was all Gilgamesh could dream about. The creature with the qualities of a third human and two third beast, created by Goddesses Arura as to answer the request of Anu.
Enkidu represents the Mesopotamian view of nature. And being true to the image, Enkidu had a valiant spirit, he was wild but not entirely a beast.
Tamed by the temple prostitute—who offered him wisdom of humanity through the ritual between a man and woman—Enkidu could no longer live in ignorance. He challenged Gilgamesh to battle but lost and became his greatest companion.
Enkidu was the counterweight to Gilgamesh ever toppling sanity. His friend, lover and world.
Gilgamesh's remorse over Enkidu death was something that still haunted him. It was foolish bravado on their part to slay Humbaba and to cut down the Cheddar tree.
Because of his—the great king impulsive actions—Enkidu died a miserable death.
And when it was time for his, the Holy Grail asked Gilgamesh his interest in a perpetual contact with it. Albeit how weak his regret was, it was more than enough for the sacred device.
There was a desire, there was always a desire. The Grail fed on this fundamental nature without discreet; its prey could be a human, a myth, a legend or a heroic spirit.
For Gilgamesh, it was not greed for treasury, as to obtain the Holy Grail—which was only a justification for anyone prying for reasons—but the instinctive greed that pursued every human, the need of a friend.
'Enkidu.'
Loud and clear, the words escaped from Rin's mouth like a flow of water: "Bare and silver and iron. Stone for foundation and the Duke of contracts. My great master Shveinorg for the ancestor-"
Rin mentioned the conventional recount of her ancestor in the chant: Shveinorg, the great sorcerer who dealt with jewels, forming basic outlines of the Tohsaka's magic as they were.
"Enclose Enclose Enclose. Five times for each repetition-"
The mumbo jumbo of magic sounded faux to those who were oblivious to the world of a magus, but to Rin, every phrase carried a weight of itself. It would be disaster if she stuttered.
At the same time, she opened her magic circuit and concentrated them on her stretched hand, bearing the pain that tormented her every nerve.
Partial of the mana had converted into light energy, illuminating the floor of the basement with tracing red glow.
"I announce. Thy body shall be under my command, my fate shall be determined by thy sword. Follow the call of the Holy Grail. If thou wouldst obey this mind and this reason, then answer my call. Make an oath here."
The medium of Rin's summoning ritual was a snake skin, an item inherited from her late father. She knew the hero she was she aiming for and the medium will strengthen the possibility of that outcome, but the contract was still not certain.
If by any chances her chanting failed, then she would be forced to own another Servant, which was also something she had prepared for, mentally.
Gilgamesh was surprisingly calm to see the truth of the Holy Grail, a destructive device in its truest form. A seed of doubt had long since nurtured in Gilgamesh already feeble hope, and by then, the suspicion grew into confirmation.
Inferno.
At that moment, Fuyuki City was the very reflection of hell. The scenes of buildings burning, men and women in pain, infants crying were accounted in Gilgamesh's twisted version of amusement. But unfortunately, he was not in the mood to enjoy them.
Dark liquid spouted from the grail, engulfing everyone in flames, Gilgamesh saw the potential dangers of the unknown substance to his supposedly immortal spiritual form.
In a daze, the great king stabbed himself with a weapon of choice from his Gate of Babylon. His consciousness disintegrated from the living world in a languid span and his final moment was spent by perplexing over his actions.
Waking up, Gilgamesh saw a pathway of leading light, a summoning to the gateway to the living world. He felt and had indeed spent a long time in his soothing dreams, but now, he was awakened with the recall of his previous battle.
After destruction, the vessel of the Holy Grail failed to erase Gilgamesh's consciousness of the fourth war, the memories along with him, was transported directly into the core of the holy chalice. To put it simply, the version of Gilgamesh that was sent back to the Throne of Heroes, retained memories of the previous war.
Rin's intended Servant was not without fault; after all, he was the oldest existing myth, Gilgamesh. The notorious arrogance of his character could mean that he was hard to control.
Being Tohsaka Rin, she took that risk gladly.
"Emerge from the ring of control, guardian of balance."
The chant was perfect and completed. At the eve materialization, Rin relished in temporary bliss, eyes squinting at dust that had rose from the floor in sweeping swirls.
'Enough of the theatricals.'
When the temporary obstructions settled, Rin's vision was fixed upon a golden armor. It shone with a glow that gave her an illusion that the rays were emerging from the armor itself and not just a reflection of light. Most intimidating of all, the aura of the wearer himself bore same quality of the menacing glow.
Red eyes signifying Gilgamesh divine lineage was visible in the dim light, and like those of a beast, it had a glint that emits an aura of predatory intensity.
"Gilgamesh," said Rin almost too excitedly. At the prime the moment, her real feelings were about to leak from the display of faked casualness.
She did it. Tohsaka Rin summoned the promised servant.
And the only thing left to do was to tread carefully from now onwards. She did not want to waste any command spells for a poor first impression.
