A/N: Welcome to the first chapter of Fate/Chrono. This is the first time I am ever attempting to write a fate/stay night fanfic so I am looking foward to the comments I am going to get on this story. This is just a trial, but if people really like it I am willing to continue it. The overall background of the story is that a future Holy grail war is forced to take place in the past. The main character is thrown into the past by his partners in hope of stopping the enemy team(this is an apocrypha afterall). I won't reveal everyone who will be in the story right now, but plan to in the future. Well I hope you enjoy it.
"Text" = Characters thoughts
Text = Aria
I am the bone of her sword.
Darkness is my body, and corruption is my blood.
I have created a world to cradle her.
Unknown to light.
Nor known to life.
Have withstood pain to protect her.
Staining over a thousand blades.
Yet, those steel feel no regret.
This is my own choice.
So I will forge, an Utopia Of swords
Disclaimer: I do not own fate/stay night or any of it's characters
Chapter 1: The Grail and the Third Magus Killer
Claude E. Einzbern did not consider himself to be a lucky man. From the time he was born to his current age, he had faced hardships which would drive a man to madness. First off it began with his parents. At the age of five his mother and father both upped and left due to some magic organization threatening the world, causing them to take matters into their own hands. Since that day both him and his sister never saw them again. Another memorable one was when he was forced to kill as an alternative to having his own sister killed. And now he was falling through space and time due to a ridiculous game known as the 7th Holy Grail war.
I know, I know, You'd wonder how is it possible? Did the grail not get destroyed? Truth be told it did, but something destroyed may at times not be completely gone. Two grails were born in it's place. Although one was benign in nature and granted wishes like the grail was meant to it's counterpart was different, in other words corrupted. But now a new war was brewing, one different from all those before it.
Golden-brown colored eyes slowly opened as if they had been shut for centuries. White, pure white was the only thing he could see all around him. His ears buzzed and his vision, although returning, was still hazy. He could smell the scent of plants around him and hear the crickets singing in the background. A few years of working as a Enforcer for the Mage's Association had sharpened his senses and that was something he was grateful for. But where he landed was good. That meant there were no witnesses to his time jumping due to the power of the holy grail and also that he was in a forest in Fuyuki City and , which was great. When his vision finally returned and his ears stopped buzzing he looked next to him where a petite white haired girl slept peacefully. He sighed at the sight and ran a hand through his raven colored hair. Memory of his troubles to obtain a body for her from the Einzbern began to resurface in his mind. However, he had no time to idle around. He had to summon a servant, lest he wanted to be turned into mincemeat by one. He took a look at his command seals, it's shape that of a wing.
"So this is the seal that gives me the power to issue three absolute command to whatever servant I summon?" he asked no one in particular.
"Yes" however, he still received an answer from a monotone voice. When he turned to look the girl next to him had awakened. Emotionless red eyes looked at him as if pleading for something and the said teen certainly knew what it was. She lifted both of her arms and in a monotone voice commanded, "Hold me".
The teen sighed and then a small smile made a way to his face. He gently picked up the girl and put her on his lap. She grabbed his shirt and snuggled into his chest.
"You smell of steel and fire" at that the teen couldn't help but let his smile turn into a grin.
"It's not unnatural...after all, a world of blades is what I create" the girl snuggled to the point where she found to be most comfortable.
"I like it" she simply said as he ran a hand through her snow white hair.
"We have to get moving, we have a servant to summon" at that statement a small pout formed on the girl's face. "I promise to hold you more later."
"You best keep your promise, or I will turn you into a counter guardian" at that statement the teen laughed.
"I thought that was Alaya's job?"
"It is, but I can ask someone to make a wish and turn you into a counter guardian" the girl stated once more, her voice monotone.
"That's a scary thought."
"It won't happen unless you break your promise."
"Got it" stated the teen as he rose to his feet and gently put the girl down on her feet. "Well time to draw a summoning circle."
"What servant do you have in mind?"
"Shielder" he stated as he chuckled.
"That's asking a bit much is it not?" she asked as she tilted her head. "It's an extremely rare class."
"Well yeah, but you're the grail so you can make that happen right?" he asked as he smirked at her.
"I can, but only for you. But I must ask why you would seek to call forth shielder?", she looked at him as if she was analysing him. Ever since she awakened the first thing she saw was this boy, who betrayed all his ideals, his friends and all he held dear for her sake. She could not understand that. She was a "wish granting machine"(well one half of it) as many had called her during the wars, yet this teen treated her like she was human. That is why she often found herself wanting his embrace, wanting to be closer to him, a feeling she was to yet understand.
"To answer your question, it's because it takes time to recite the aria. If I have someone to protect me it makes things easier since I won't have to use Rho Aias ". Ah his aria. The girl's mind shifted to the said ten lines. The lines which spoke the of the world he had created specially for her, a broken grail. At first she didn't understand what it meant to have a reality marble, but when she did she had to admit that she was shocked. The teen had wanted to protect her so much that even the reality began to deny such a will. The end result was a green world littered with blades, the literal creation of a Utopia Of Swords.
"If you wish for it I will grant you that wish, but I would require mana". At that the teens face turned into that of a tomato. Being separated in two the holy grail had found itself to be extremely weakened. It could still use high ranking magic which many mages could only dream of but it could not perform its wish granting duties. Luckily for her there was one way she found it possible to do so and that was through getting mana from another source, in other words the teen in front of her which consisted of a "Myriad" of circuits. He had a high level of affinity for mana because of his mother and a high amount of Od due to his father(and she meant a lot).
As for the process of receiving the magical essence the teen found it to be embarrassing, why she herself could not understand. It did include what humans referred to as "sexual Intercourse" but she found no problem with it compared to the teen in front of her.
"W-we can just do this the normal way just help me dra-" before the teen even finished his sentence a bright light came from ground and a second later a summoning circle had been embedded into the rock hard ground. "Never mind."
"Shall we begin?"
"Yes we shall" the teen stepped forward. He had no summoning catalyst beside the holy grail. He could summon any servant, good or evil. He had a aim for saber, shielder, or assassin. Avenger had made it into his list but he didn't want an avenger due to the fact that they tended to be bad luck.
He then began chanting the summoning chant, one he stole from the Matous(they deserved it). After all his parents were never around often to teach him stuff like this WHICH might've been important:
Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let red be the color I pay tribute to.
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."
Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again.
Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling.
The Summoning circle lit up and a blinding light appeared in the forest. The teen covered his eyes as not to go blind but as he did he failed to noticed the second command seal which had appeared on his other hand. When he finally uncovered his eyes he was surprised, no more than surprise.
"I am the Servant Saber, I ask, are you my master?" the figure clad in armor asked as it stood in front of the teen.
"I am Assassin, are you my master?" the petite white haired girl asked the teen.
The teen was surprised to say the least. He expected only one servant but instead gained two. Although he probably knew who it was he had to blame for the current predicament he chose not to at the current time. The first thing the teen focused on were the Noble Phantasms in possession of his servants. The first ones to catch his attention was the "Helm Of Infidelity", and "Clarent". Although the teen was interested on the Helmet, it was not what had claimed all of his attention. "Clarent", the sword belonging to Mordred was the one which interested Claude. It was a beautiful sword and after analysing(unconsciously due to habit) Claude had all of its secret within his grasp. He had learned all the history behind the sword. He had learned how the sword had been stolen, Mordred's hatred towards Arthur, the battles it had gone through and the fact that said sword could become a demon sword(something Claude was rather fond of). But the bottom line of this analysis was that his Saber class heroic spirit was Mordred: son of Arthur.
Next was "The Mist" and "Maria the Ripper". At this moment Claude could say he had fallen in love with the series of blades which made up "Maria the Ripper". The blades were truly beautiful, as long as you could ignore what they had been used for. The blades memory also showed Claude the history behind Jack the Ripper and he could honestly admit he wanted to cry but refrained from doing so. From the blade's memory Claude had learned that Jack was not the GREAT serial killer they had made her to be. She was rather a pitiful girl who simply seeked the warmth of her mother's womb. Claude shook the thoughts off and focused on the blades once more. With a deep breath the sword and the pair of blades were reformed within a world full of green, one which was littered with blades. Claude however had to give up on his indulgence for Jack the Ripper, and Mordred waited for his reply to their important question.
"Yes" the teen began. "My name is Claude E. Einzbern, and I will be your master during the Seventh Holy grail war."
"I will offer my blade and battle skills to you" Mordred stated as she got on one knee and bowed before her master.
Jack on the other hand kept gazing at Claude curiously. When she arrived before her master there was one feeling she got from the said teen: He was a monster. As an assassin she was able to determine one's weak points and openings in case exploitation was needed; however, her master had none. It was as if he was surrounded by blades, the finest of blades. The thought excited Jack and that was something she admitted, her master was already interesting.
Claude on the other hand was happy, EXTREMELY happy. His servants were Mordred and Jack, two people who wouldn't question him much about the ways he did things, at least he hope they didn't. Jack was an assassin class and to Claude that was a HUGE win. Mordred was a saber class, his stats(A/N: Keep in mind Claude thinks Mordred is a guy) due to being saber was extremely well rounded and he could defend him as well as he could defend himself. He was glad he got these two servants, even though he gained them unfairly. Claude sighed and turned his gaze to Aesta.
"Guessing this is your doing?"
"I will not comment" Aesta stated as a small smile made a way to her face.
"Master" Mordred called out. "If it wouldn't be much...could you tell us who the girl is?"
"Ah right" Claude began. "This girl is Aesta Von Einzbern."
"Are you two siblings?" Mordred asked. She was actually honestly curious. They were together and they had the same last name so she wanted to know what their relationship was.
"We're not related in any way, type, or form" Aesta stated as she chuckled.
"The Einzbern name was given to me as a title by the previous head" Claude began as he remembered the heavy burden given to him by his teacher. "I have no blood connection to those within the family."
"I see" Mordred stated as she seem to be caught in thought. "Is she then also a master? I've noticed that she also has command seals."
"Well she is, but she is not a threat."
"Where is her servant?"
"He's somewhere, he just doesn't like showing himself often", at that statement Mordred scowled under the helmet. She could tell, that statement was a flat out lie. Her master didn't wish to tell her so she didn't push the matter, but sooner or later she would find out this so called "shy" servant.
"Master" now it was Jack's turn to ask the questions. "We've been implanted with rules to this game...and it seems rather abnormal". Ah there it was, the words he so didn't want to hear.
Claude sighed, a VERY long and TIRED sigh. His mind began to formulate how to explain this to his servants in the easiest way possible. After a while he settled for the what he thought would be simpler.
"Yes, it's abnormal and the explanation to that is there is two sides to this war, meaning this is an Apocrypha" Claude began. "The other rules still remain the same but which ever side eradicates the other will have their wish granted".
"All the masters and servants?" Mordred couldn't help but ask. Honestly she felt she had been through something like this before but she couldn't remember when or where.
"Yes, as long as the opposite side is eradicated all the wishes will be granted. Well that is if you're still alive." Claude stated as he grimaced at his final line. "Usually an Apocrypha would be divided into two parts. The first where one side works together to eradicate the other, and the second where whichever side remains standing would turn on each other until one Master and Servant are left standing".
"So this differs due to the fact that the remaining side doesn't have to turn on each other?" asked Mordred.
"Yep, pretty much" came Claude's response.
"Understood" was Jack's simple reply and Mordred simply nodded. "If I may Inquire master...what is your wish?"
"I have none really..." Claude simply stated. "I just want to complete the third magic for the sake of someone, but I have no wish to be granted". Aesta knew who he spoke of and she could feel her heart begin to race, he really did do anything for her sake. "How about you two?"
"I wish for happiness..." Jack stated, her voice barely audible. Claude had heard it and decided he would let it rest. In her lifetime she had never experienced anything akin to happiness. She only seeked for something she could not attain slowly chipping away her own soul and emotions.
"I wish to challenge the decision made by Caliburn to instill my father as king" came Mordred's reply.
"I see, seems we all have a legitimate reason for the grail" Claude stated.
"What is our next step in the war master?" Jack asked as she eagerly looked at her master. One thing she was sure of was that this teen would let her fight to her heart's content when fighting came into play.
"First we need to go to Germany" Claude stated as he remembered a task given to him by a certain person from his time.
"I know not much about this country...but according to information the grail provides aren't we in Japan which is extremely far from Germany?" Mordred asked. That information was legitimate and Claude was actually thankful that Aesta was sneakily feeding them information as if she was the true grail(which she actually was).
"True magic" Aesta stated. "I am not simply a magus but actually someone who can use true magic". Her eye emotionlessly stared at Mordred and turned to the empty clearing next to them. She moved forward so she was separated from everyone.
"I see" Mordred stated. "How will that help us reach there?"
"Shadows of Time and space dance to the tune of my will!" and as commanded it did. A hole opened next to the group of four and the two servants were surprise, more so Mordred than Jack. "Shall we go?"
"Yes, yes we shall". After those words were spoken a flash of light was seen from the depths of the forest and once more the forest was quiet again
Emiya Shirou sighed for the one hundredth time that day. He stood before the summoning circle which stood before him, thinking back to how he ended up in his current situation. A few weeks ago he had awoken up in cold sweat as he felt a burning sensation on his hand. Turned out said sensation was the feeling of the Golden command seals implanting itself into his flesh.
At first he felt confused. What was happening? Why was the seals on his hand? Then came the shock and horror as he finally let reality set in. It was happening again, the oh so dreaded holy Grail War. First thing he did was call Rin who was abroad in England. He soon ended up finding out that she too was chosen by the grail. This meant that once more...they had to fight. But the real issue finally kicked in. How was there another Holy Grail War when the holy grail was destroyed 3 years ago? However, that was one of the questions they had no answer to. Not to mention that the overseer of this current war had no information on why it was taking place. Also she was a terrifying women with a horrible personality, one hundred times worse than Kirie if he was to grade her. Damned white haired demon.
"Shirou" came the caring voice from behind him.
"Oh Rin" he stated as he looked behind him where the dark haired women looked at him fondly. "I see you're finally back" he stated with a smile.
"Yes, and I am extremely happy to be back" she then proceeded to sigh. "I couldn't stand the presence of that Overseer any more than I had to, damned women gets on my nerves". At that Shirou chuckled. "So are you really planning to summon him?" she asked, her gaze worried and containing a hint of sadness.
"I have no choice" Shirou stated as he sighed. "We don't understand this anomaly, he on the other hand might've gone through the same thing."
"Meaning he might hold some answers to our question."
"He's gonna punch you" Rin stated with smile.
"Pretty sure." With those words spoken they began.
Shirou was new at summoning. Last time he summoned saber he had no idea how he did it. He simply assumed that it was merely a fluke. Now he was doing a summon, well with the help of Rin that is. The catalyst used was the same. The red heart shaped pendant. He began chanting and the circle began to glow red but however, when the glow stopped there was no Archer. Shirou sighed at the result. In the end no matter how strong he became he was still a failure as a mage.
"Wait for it..." Rin stated with a smile.
"Rin?" Shirou asked confused. Then he heard it, a crash which sounded like it shattered the very foundation of the Emiya household. "That came from the living room!" and Shirou rushed to the main house making Rin sigh at his retreating figure.
"His heroic instincts really do kick in fast" Rin stated as she giggled.
"Please by the power of Alaya tell me this is a dream" Archer, or better known as EMIYA stated as he looked around his surroundings. It had been another normal day of him waiting for Alaya to send him out however that soon changed as he was engulfed in a flash of light and taken for a joy ride through time and space. Before he knew it, he had crashed through a roof and now stood in what once used to be his home in. His attention was soon snapped as none other than Shirou Emiya came bursting through the door.
"So it did work" Shirou stated as he smiled at his counterpart.
"You're kidding right...if this is the Holy Grail war as the information states...could you by any chance be my Master?" what he got as a response was a nod. In a fraction of a second Archer had Kanshou and Byakuya in his hand and was now charging at Shirou who simply blocked the attack.
"Hey Archer! What's the big idea?! I thought we already settled our score!"
"We did! But you had the nerve to summon me as a servant so I kind of want to skin you alive!" countered Archer.
"Not like I had much of a choice!" Shirou stated as he kicked his servant back flinging the said man through the wall of the house.
"Well neither do I!" Now it was Archer's turn to attack Shirou. In a blink of an eye Archer had disappeared from where he had landed from Shirou's attack and was now planting a full on blow to Shirou's gut flinging the said man to the backyard of the house. "Payback" Archer stated as a smile plagued his face. He then made his way to the backyard where he Shirou sitting down with a sheepish smile on his face.
"As always, you don't hold back" Shirou stated as he stood back up.
"Hmph, an idiot like you deserves no mercy" Arched stated with a smirk. "So in the end, you followed your Ideals huh?" Honestly Archer simply wanted to know whether or not the boy kept his ideals. Years ago they had fought about the issue and the boy's views triumphed over his.
"I did" Shirou stated with a smile.
"I see" Archer then closed his eyes and sighed. In the end this boy, no man, never changed. "So what do I owe the pleasure of being summoned by you? Better yet how did you even summoned me? The Holy Grail should've been destroyed" Archer both asked and stated as he sat down on the porch of the yard.
"That's why we summoned you out of all servants, we thought this might've happened in your timeline" Rin stated as she joined the two.
"Ri-" before Archer finished the question he found himself being punched in the gut.
"That's for being an idiot in the last war" Rin stated with a deadly sweet smile.
"G-guess I deserved that" Archer stated as he held his gut with an awkward smile. "But was adding a spell to that punch really necessary?"
"You wouldn't feel it otherwise" Rin stated in a matter of fact.
"Point made" Archer stated as he sighed. "But to answer your question, It didn't" Archer answered as he sighed. "The Holy Grail war was a one time thing In my timeline, or in my lifetime anyways."
"I see...so this must be an abnormality?" Shirou asked as he finally joined the two.
"If we had to guess the answer would be yes" Archer answered.
"So the grail must be active again, but it takes time for it to recharge. It being active doesn't make sense" Rin pointed out.
"Well there is one way it's possible" Archer began as he rubbed his chin. "The grail defies the laws of time and space, so there is a possibility this is not our war but rather another one either beyond time or space."
"So you're saying that the holy grail war got teleported to the past?" Shirou asked making Archer raise an eyebrow in question.
"Well not what I was implying but that's a probability" Archer stated as he sighed.
"AHHH This is such a pain!" Rin yelled out in frustration. "To make things worse I haven't even summoned a servant yet!"
"You should probably start" Archer stated as a serious look formed on his face. "I don't like the rules of this game..."
"What do you mean Archer?" Rin asked concerned.
"I thought It was weird that it took some time for me to understand all the rules, the reason seemed to be that this is not a normal holy grail war..." Archer started. "This is an Apocrypha..."
"Apocrypha?" Shirou asked, obviously lost.
"Hey isn't that when the Holy Grail War has fourteen masters?" Rin asked asked in a low voice, hoping that she was wrong.
"That is correct" Archer stated as he let out a tired sigh. Leave up to his luck to land him in unpleasant situations. His gaze then turned to Rin who was trying to stop her imminent meltdown. At that Archer smiled, this really was the timeline he was in previously. Odd enough he still had memories of it which he found to be weird. There was no denying it.
"So who are we going to summon?" Shirou asked as he looked at Rin. His answer was a dark smirk from both Archer and Rin. "Why are you both looking at me like that?" Shirou asked as he took a step back. However, he remembered what was inside of his body and the answer was now clear. "Saber?"
"No duh dumbass" Archer stated as he grabbed the back of Shirou's collar and started dragging him into the shed.
"HEY!" Shirou retorted but his retort was ignored as if it was nothing and Archer continued dragging him along.
Rin, however, just looked at them with a smile on her face. Something's really never changed, specially when it came with the interaction between the Hero and the Counter Guardian. But this was not the only thought bothering her. Her worries laid with the Apocrypha and the return of the Holy Grail. The theories they came up with were plausible but that was just a maybe and Rin learned that when it came to the Grail gambling with maybes was not a good idea.
"Well I guess I could just ask my teacher...well if I can get in contact with him anyways. Afterall...that old man never stays still in one place for too long." With that in mind the Rin followed the two she could hear argue inside the shed. Guess she was not the only one that was going to deal with the bickering, she simply hoped Saber wouldn't mind sharing her pain.
Jubstacheit von Einzbern could honestly say he was not a happy man. Not only did his "good friend" Zelretch come for a sudden unexpected visit, there was an unexpected guest destroying his castle as time went on. He could honestly say that he was extremely enraged due to the fact that every countermeasure against this intruder or Intruders if he was to be more specific were miserably failing. Although the situation was turning from bad to worse, he was still interested on the white haired girl who walked near the bastard who was wrecking his castle. To make matters worse, the said man was dressed like a specific Mage killer he knew.
"Woah" came a voice snapping Jubstacheit out of his thoughts. "There goes another Homunculi unit" the said man stated with a small smirk on his face. "It does surprise me that he has managed to get this far without killing a single Homunculi. He is the most merciful Mage I've ever seen, well besides Emiya Shirou that Is."
"Hmph, he's probably just getting cocky" Jubstacheit stated with a scowl on his face. "He underestimates me."
"I don't think he's underestimating you" Zelretch stated as he sighed. "He's trying his hardest not to kill the Homunculi sent after him" Zelretch then stood up from the couch he sat on and walked to the door. "The magic he is using is called 'Tracing', a special type of magic created by a mage who can only use swords. Of course he is also using 'Projection' but that is of little importance."
"Shirou Emiya?" Jubstacheit asked as he scowled at the name. "You mean he he has something to do with the adopted son of Kiritsugu Emiya?"
"Probably, after all he is the only person I know that uses that type of magic" Zelretch stated as he opened the door and began walking outside.
"Where are you going?"
"Oh, just going to go greet your guest. After it doesn't seem you plan to" and with that Zelretch disappeared into the hallway leaving Jubstacheit standing in the room alone.
It took Jubstacheit a while to realize what the Wizard Marshall meant by "Welcome". Immediately the man turned to the countless screen before him as he tracked Zelretch's movements.
"Don't tell me...is he planning to fight him?!" Jubstacheit was starting to grow restless. If Zelretch fought collateral damage was what would define his surroundings. Jubstacheit sat on the chair as he put his face in his palms. "This castle is going to meet it's end...there is no doubt about it."
"So that should about wrap it up" Claude stated as he gently laid down the Homunculi he had knocked unconscious. "Sorry little one, had no choice but to."
'Couldn't we just ask to speak to him?' a voice resounded in Claude's head.
"Nope, the person we want to talk to is a stubborn old man" Claude stated and then sighed. "Last time I tried to simply talk he sent me to a path not only riddled with traps but also filled with Homunculi."
'Sounds fun' Mordred stated as she chuckled.
"It was anything but fun" Claude stated.
"Claude...someone's coming" Aesta stated as she took a step back. Her body started shaking and at that moment Claude knew that she was afraid.
'Mordred...Jack, prepare to attack at any moment.'
'Understood' came Mordred's voice.
'Ok Master' came Jack's response.
Footsteps could be heard coming from the other end of the hall and at that Claude tensed. There weren't many people who could cause Aesta to be afraid. Well he had a few that came to mind one of course would be Angra Mainyu, but that was due to his power to corrupt her easily. However, when he tried to think of the second one the figure had finally came into view. No, oh no, no, no, this could not be happening. Claude froze and all color began to wash from his face. Why in Gaya, Alaya, and Root's name was he doing here? In front of Claude now stood Zelretch with a smile plastered on his face.
"You ok there young one? You look like you've seen a ghost" Zelretch stated as he then proceeded to laugh.
"I hope you are a ghost" Claude stated as he proceeded to summon Excalibur or a copy of it at least.
'Master that is!?' Mordred began.
'I'll explain later...right now I need to focus.'
'Fine, but you owe me a thorough explanation' and with that Mordred was once more quiet.
"Your power is really like his. I suppose you might be his student or follower of sorts."
"Do you mean Shirou Emiya?" Claude was now walking slowly in a circle around the man who stood firm where he had stopped.
"Yes, although I must say I never expected there to be another who could do the same thing he could. After all to be able to do this I believed your Element had to be 'Sword' and your Origin had to be 'Sword' as well" Zelretch stated as his eyes followed the teen.
"Well...maybe he's not the only one which meets that criteria" Claude then finally came to a halt in front of the man. The older man then proceeded to sigh causing Claude to sigh as well.
"I am interested in you...after all the Holy Grail is standing firmly by your side" Zelretch stated as his gaze focused on Aesta who hid behind Claude but refused to leave. At that statement Claude chuckled, it took him literally one minute to figure out that Aesta was the Holy Grail. "So are we going to talk or are we going to fight? Because in all honesty I came here to fight you."
"Usually other mages would probably run at this point since no one would want to face the famous Wizard Marshall" Claude's hand then intertwined with that of Aesta and his gaze changed to that of a steeled warrior. "However, I will not run. Afterall I want to see how well I do against the past version of you."
"Interesting, truly interesting" Zelretch then proceeded to get into a fighting stance as mana began to surround his fist. "Are you ready?" However, before Claude could even answer Zelretch was already in his face and ready to strike.
"Rho Aias!" the flower like Shield appeared in front Claude. This Rho Aias however was different from what Zelretch had seen before. This one was black giving off a few rainbow like colors at the edge of each pedal unlike that of Shirou Emiya which glowed a pinkish color. Yes, believe it or not Zelretch had once fought with Shirou Emiya. It was however a one sided match due to him having a lot more experience than Shirou. But he would admit that his attacks really hurt.
"Hey, hey, hey at least let me get ready!" Claude retorted as the first, second and third layer of Rho Aias fell to the man's half assed attack. I mean really? Even such a simple attack from him could penetrate one of the strongest defensive Noble Phantasma? That was not funny. "Aesta you're up!" the white haired girl nodded as she launched herself forward and planted a kick on Zelretch's chest pushing the said man back.
"Not a bad hit" Zelretch stated as he smirked at the white haired girl. "Here I was expecting a one on one, but I must say two on two should do. After all, I want to see what the holy grail can do in combat." At that statement a pout like expression appeared on Aesta's face.
"My Name is Aesta not the Holy Grail!" Aesta then impacted her fist on the floor as a shock wave formed cracking the floor of the Einzbern Castle. Claude sighed as he watched the final few pedals of Rho Aias be wrecked by Aesta's attack(guess friendly fire was thrown out the window). At times he found himself forgetting how strong people who could use true magic tended to be.
"Strong indeed, but I am quite disappointed" Zelretch stated as he shook his head. "I expected the boy to be attacking as well, but he seems to just be watching from the background." At that a tick mark appeared on the side of Claude's head as Zelretch hit a nerve. He knew he was being taunted but he had to admit it pissed him off nonetheless.
"Aesta...can I?" Claude asked as he looked at the petite girl. She opened her mouth to answer but hesitated a bit. "I know the risk, just please let me teach this old man not to piss off strangers."
"Fine..just don't overdo it."
"Got it" Claude stated as he stepped forward and was now standing face to face with Zelretch.
"I am the bone of her sword"
At those words a myriad of long swords rained down on Zelretch, but the Wizard Marshall managed to escape the attack without much effort.
"Darkness is my body, and corruption is my blood"
Claude launched forward as he held Clarent in one hand and Excalibur in the other. He slashed at Zelretch many times but found his attacks being parried by the man's fist. He then found himself being on the defensive as the man suddenly struck him. Luckily he managed to block the moves with the replicas of Excalibur and Clarent. The blades however, found themselves being shattered by the sheer force of the strike.
"I have created a world to cradle her"
Two of the Maria blades were formed inside Claude's hands only to be promptly thrown at Zelretch. This time however Zelretch grabbed the weapons and threw them back at his attacker who simply released the blades. He then launched himself forward and kicked the teen to the castle wall causing the whole wall to come down. Claude then immediately jumped away from the rubble and cleaned the blood which was coming from his forehead.
"Are you done already?" Zelretch asked with a smirk. Claude simply found himself being more pissed than he was before. This man was annoying despite the fact that he was fighting the past version of him rather than the one he knew. "You've also been chanting something for a while. Should I be looking for the result of what happens after the Aria finishes?"
"Something like that" Claude stated as he got back into a fighting stance.
"Unknown to light. Nor known to life"
A rain of spears rained down causing Zelretch to move away. Afterall, getting impaled by a bunch of Gae Bolgs did not sound like fun. On that note something also caught Zelretch attention. How did this boy summon so many Gae Bolg's as if it was nothing? Even more, did his mana supply even run out? This boy was interesting and he was liking this fight even more now. When Zelretch looked at the teen one more time he realized that the teen's hair had totally changed color. Now the boy's hair was white as snow and his eyes crimson red.
"Oh seems he's almost done. Might as well wait" Zelretch stated as he smiled.
"Have withstood pain to protect her."
"Staining over a thousand blades."
"Yet, those steel do not regret it."
"This is my own choice."
Zelretch watched in amazement as a dark fire spread across the floor of the castle and burst the wall up in flames. This was it. One more line and he would finally get to see where this teen's true potential laid.
"So I will forge, an Utopia Of swords."
Then it came. A blinding light which covered the entire hallway they stood in. Zelretch had covered his eyes due to the light. Not because he was afraid, but it was simply reflexes. When he opened his eyes he was no longer in the wrecked castle hallway. Now he stood in a plain, and at that moment he realized that he was now stuck in a reality marble. This one however, differed from what he had experienced with Shirou Emiya. The plain was filled with green, with giant steel gears thrown at random locations covered in weeds. There was a giant blue lake in the background and animals could be seen running around. But the most Iconic things of this marble were the weed covered blades which littered the fields and then the eerie tower which stood in the background. The tower specially caught Zelretch's attention.
"I guess I should say welcome to Aesta's world" Claude stated as he smiled.
"I must admit, it's beautiful" Zelretch stated as he looked around. "But it's strange that you'd call it her world rather than yours."
"Well I was adamant about keeping her safe to the point where the world thought of that stubbornness to be something foreign."
"Therefore breaking reality and creating it to your mindset" Zelretch stated. "If the Mage Association knew of this you'd be sealed up you know?"
"Trust me, I've been down that road before" Claude stated as a dark creature appeared behind him.
The creature was large, even about the size of the Einzbern castle. With little red dots in different location and it's color was pitch black. At the appearance of the shadow the whole world began to change into that of a withered land. Random black shadow creatures began to pop up at random location and they all swarmed around Claude like bees defending their queen, well king in this case. At that sight Aesta sighed. This was the true nature which was her world when it sensed danger near.
"You once called this world beautiful right?" Claude asked, a twisted smile making a way to his face. "Let's see how long it takes for me to make you think otherwise!" Claude Charged at Zelretch, a black Excalibur in hand.
"I'll take you up on that offer!" The two clashed and a blinding light covered the entire reality marble. Unknown to them this would be a fight that would be felt around the whole world by every magus who walked the planet. The seventh holy grail war was beginning.
In the empty Fuyuki City church a red haired girl sat while looking at the image of the angel which stood before her. Her eyes were cold and gray, but deep inside them reflected a sadness which she could not ignore no matter how much she ran away from it.
"Hm so this is where you were?" a dark skinned teen asked as he approached the girl. The girl turned around to look at the figure. The teen was covered in symbols and he was wrapped in red cloth. "Is something wrong Yukina?"
"Avenger" the girl uttered in a emotionless tone. "No, I'm fine. It's just that I can feel brother's presence."
"You're not the only one. It seems like he decided to go all out" Avenger stated as he smirked. "He must be fighting someone who is extremely strong, I would guess Zelretch."
"I would as well" Yukina stated as she stood from where she sat. "I'm guessing the time to summon 'our' ruler has arrived?"
"The answer would be yes" Avenger asked as his smirk grew. "Yukina Emiya! The time for us to finally change the world has come! Let us bring forth pain to the world!"
"Yes" The girl stated as she followed after her servant. "I will teach my brother a lesson about trying to be a hero." And with that the two vanished from the church.
A/N: Well that is the first chapter and look forward to your comments. I hope you enjoyed it and if you like me to continue just say so in the comment. By the way I plan to explain later on why this is the 7th Holy Grail war and not the 6th, there is actually a specific reason behind this. So if I do continue you will all know everything I didn't state now. See you all next time :)!