The Chaotic Tapestry of a Once Great War

by Thy Darkest Recompense

Several Years ago a single Magus discovered by pure acident that the world was constantly going through a time loop. In the present day, he has emerged announcing the beginning of a Holy Grail War to the entire world, inviting them to his Islands, to either spectate or participate. This is the story of what occurs on the island.

1. Chapter 1

Author Note: I've edited the first chapter, actually putting time breaks in, after they disappeared somehow. Of course, it's been a while since I released this chapter, and I only found out due to a friend that they were missing.

The Chaotic Tapestry of a once great war

Chapter 1 - The insanity of

Prologue

Several years ago: Paris. In the afternoon

The people in the city of Paris enjoyed their daily lives as the sun shined brilliantly in the air. They all enjoyed themselves partying as they normally do believing that they understand the world and the dangers that lie within. That the stories of old about magic and holy weapons, dragons and demonic beasts were just that, stories. That however was something they were led to believe. Dragons had disappeared from plain sight, demonic beasts were slain, holy weapons no longer had individuals who wielded them and as such found their ways into collector's hands who sheltered them from others, rather than at a worthy warriors side.

Magic however, while believed by the general populace to have either faded with history or to never have existed in the first place, was still spread out among the world. It was however, hidden from the view of others. Magic was a convenience, however for those who possessed it and those who didn't their opinions would greatly differ, at times leading to bloodshed. And so, for the good of all, but mainly for himself a magus practised his craft deep within the confines of his basement.

Many of his ilk had manors or even castles but he only had a small house, the result of his non-existent lineage. Lineage, it was everything in the society of those who use magecraft. Those with a long family history of magic had backing, knowledge, and generally a well predisposed placing in society, even if they keep to themselves. But no this man, not Duwain D'Orlean. His name, while sounding important, hadn't stopped him from growing up a common life at early age. As he turned 10 however he had a luck filled encounter, whether of the good or bad kind is left to judgement, where he stumbled onto the secrets of magic. A slight slip-up had left him in possession of a grimoire, a book of magical knowledge.

With the curiosity of one at his age he perused the contents and in time, with much struggle, he started using the magic detailed in the book. This knowledge he kept hidden from others for a while, before he squeezed his way into the hidden world of the magus. As one without lineage however, he was often shunned and he found no allies in the labyrinth like society, full of secrets and needless complications. And so he kept to himself, practising away trying to refine his study in his magic, the flow, control and manipulation of energy in practical and combat environments.

Duwain didn't throw fire balls or shoot lightning from his hands, in fact he found it hard to even heat the room at times but with small specialized rituals of his own design he had properly developed the ability to fight against constructs. More accurately, entities like golems, familiars and homunculus. As a side effect to his study in anti-construct fighting techniques he had to create his own golems and familiars, since he was never granted an opportunity to fight them in any of his short interactions during his time in the world's flip side.

Duwain had learnt over many painstaking years how to create golems and familiars and finally in his 17th year as a magus he had finally gotten to the point where he could attempt to make homunculi. They had emotions like people do so this was a rather morally questionable act that was going on right at this moment. Magi however, choose to ignore morals, as long as they don't reveal their art to the world. In fact, there is even an organization that hunts down people who lets magic be known to outsiders.

What Duwain was doing now not breaking any of the Magic Organizations rules so he went about the creation of his homunculus. However, since they are artificial humans, they generally age like humans as well. And since Duwain wanted a proper combat test he had no choice but to try and speed up the process.

In the centre of the basement was a large glass tank, filled with a green liquid, and in the centre of it way a fetus barely visible through the liquid. All the materials to make a full human body was in the tank, all the molecules that form a human were mixed in with the liquid, but they were only there as a backup. The main form of creating a mature homunculus was something else. A large and complex series of strange symbols had been scrawled along the roof and walls, and there was even a magic circle which was drawn to surround the tank. And beside that tank was a clock. Yes, as stupid and dangerous and impossible that it was, Duwain was going to attempt a magic that manipulated time of his own creation. Even more complex then the circle around the tank was another circle that was being drawn around Duwain himself at this very moment.

This circle was to prevent any possible time manipulations from affecting him, and it was the culmination of much research into this near non-existent field. As he finished up the circle he sat down in the centre and channelled his prana into the complex rituals to start the process. The clock sat there, in the centre of the room expectantly, waiting for the miracle. Magic filled the room and the ritual started, light distorted and the world went white.

When Duwain was finally able to see again he let out a curse, his attempt to control time in a small zone had failed. In fact it seems that time had not changed at all bar its natural passing. Determined still, he went back to his books of knowledge and tried to discover as to where he went wrong with his ritual.

Day turned to night, and then back to day yet still the magus did not sleep. He had learnt how to keep the flow of his energy at a stable amount, allowing him to stay awake for close to five days with little problem. Of course, he didn't push himself too hard and made sure to sleep the next night. He studied and formulated while getting some rest and soon it had been exactly four days since the failed ritual. He was writing down notes in the book he used for when formulating rituals and was enjoying a croissant he had just bought earlier on. Thankful as a magus he could clean any messes he made so he had developed a habit of eating while reading or writing in the books.

He jotted down a few notes and closed the book, and as he went to stand to return the book to its resting place, Duwain was assaulted by a strange feeling. The world around him went white then black and Duwain lost all cognitive function.

As he finally stirred, he quickly checked himself for any adverse side effects, or curses of any kind. Finding none he pushed himself up of the ground and instantly noted an oddity in the room. After his failed ritual he had removed the magic circles from the room. Yet there they were, as they were four days ago. The book Duwain held just before he collapsed was easily spotted on the shelf that serves as its home. He quickly made his way over to the shelf, pulled out the book and flipped through the pages. The last four days of effort were gone. Erased. Never to be seen again.

The panicked Magus checked all over the basement. Everything he had done for the last four days seemed as if they had never happened. The final straw was that even the calendar was as it was four days ago. Each of the torn off pages was back in place, not that such a feat wasn't hard for a magus. Incredibly suspicious, Duwain checked his workshops defences. All were in place, none had been triggered. Yet still, something was obviously wrong.

Duwain, worried to no end about the safety of his own home, hurriedly made his way outside. He was not instantly attacked by anyone, so that was a good sign. And there were crowds of people making their way through the city, so no magus was likely to pull anything either. Unless they were exceptionally gifted in memory erasing but even that has limits. Duwain quickly moved down the streets until he made his way to his destination. What he sought was a newspaper, and upon finding one, a fear of his became solidly founded. The date was four days prior.

The magus came upon two possibilities as to what has happened. There is no reason for a magus to change everything in his house back to its state four days ago, and change all of the dates on the newspapers, even if such a thing is possible without detection. And that means that either the last four days were an instant dream like phenomena brought about as a side effect of the ritual or he just did something clearly impossible; travelling backwards through time. In the world of magecraft there are 5 magic's, while all other spells are known as sorcery, thaumatology or simply magecraft. The 5 magic's are things that are effectively miracles, spells beyond spells, doing things that go beyond what was thought possible. Travelling backward through time would be able to stand among them.

But there was no reason for him to suddenly travel back in time so it seemed to him that is was just the first option, the dream. And so he went back to study, calmed from his panic, and returned home, to go back to his books and discover the reason for the strange dream.

And four days later he once again fell unconscious and woke up at that same time. A dream within a dream was becoming a ridiculous notion. The time travel seemed viable. And so, Duwain studied into any pieces of magecraft he could find that involved time in any state. And time turned back again. And again. And again. And finally, he realised something important. He was not the source. Far from it. In fact, his ritual had saved him from endlessly repeating the same four days on end. Somewhere else, 'something' caused an endless repetition of days and Duwain had been lucky enough to find himself able to remember it. Even if he always returned to that same spot. But even that could be fixed. More importantly though, the entire planet was in a constant state of repetition, and whatever was causing it was finally located.

Duwain pushed himself up off the floor of his basement and spoke his intentions out loud. "It looks like I'm heading to Japan."

Back to present time

Does everyone understand that annoying feeling of having their peaceful sleep shattered by an alarm? That's my standard wake up ritual. Of course this little habit of mine has developed where I set my alarm again for another 5 minutes rest after I quickly stop its loud shrill.

After hear the alarm go off again I reach over and turn it off and stretch in my bed. I force myself out of my personal haven and start getting ready for yet another day of school. Not that I don't mind it though, in fact I'm a rather fun loving individual so I make do. I step into my pants and button up my shirt.

I step out of my room to greet my dad, the main reason I'm currently living where I am... in the middle of nowhere. He used to be a stage magician, or at least tried to be. A little before getting a début on a full blown stage he got into an accident and injured his arms badly. He can still move them but every morning I help him get ready when Mom isn't home. She was his stage assistant and well, they hit it off I guess, even if she only worked part time with dad. She was in university and dad just so happened to be interesting enough or so the stories go.

Anyway, these days my Dad has a hard time do card tricks, or much physical labour, and so he decided to become an author... a god damn writer. At least he can still drive a car. And so the whole family moved down to Australia, into the centre of what the locals call the 'country'. It's so dad has a peaceful environment to write in, but quite frankly, there isn't really that much to do out here. I'd much rather be back in a city or something. Well, since dad has been teaching me tricks of the trade since I was small I can make my own fun. I often practice card tricks and optical illusions in my spare time and show them off to my classmates at the school I go to.

"Damn, speaking of school, I should start eating breakfast or I'm going hungry." I quickly put some cereal in the bowl I pull out of the cupboard and pour some milk in after it. I munch away, watching as my sister and Mum talk about something down the hallway, I can't hear them but it looks serious enough. The conversation branches off and my mum walks by and giving me a smile and my dad a kiss on the cheek she walks outside the house. I hear the sound of one of our two cars driving off and go back to eating my breakfast.

My sister, two years younger, Ashley, quickly cooks some toast for herself to eat as I polish of my cereal. When she sits down I decide to ask her as to what she and mum were talking about. "So, what were you and mum talking about so importantly over there?"

Ashley munches on her toast and gives me a food filled answer. "Che seid dat che vaz..." She then decided to swallow before continuing on, "She said that she was going on a trip with an old colleague of hers. Something about heading somewhere cold..."

"And I was meant to be informed about this when? Dad! Did you know about mum's trip?" I call over to dad who is watching the morning's news and gives a curt nod, revealing to me that I'm the only one left out of the loop. "So, basically I'm the one left uninformed yet again. That's just great. And I'm assuming that means that I'm in charge of meals again?" Since dad can longer handle sharp movements, and my sister is awkward around knives I'm the one in charge of cooking in cases like this.

Mum has plenty of colleagues from her university days. Some even travel all the way to Australia to talk to her at times and they are an interesting variance of individuals from all branches of life. There was even one individual who seemed to believe he was some sort of royalty, or at least the closest equivalent. Well, their visits keep things around here interesting, but occasionally mum goes to visit them and I'm left to look after the families for some days on end. I get left with cleaning and cooking, though my dad helps out with what he is capable of. Ashley... well she's a studyholic, so it's rare to see her outside her room except at meal time.

Wow, enough musing, I have to get to school. Every morning, both me and Ashley have to get on a bus that drives towards the town that serves as the hub for everything in this area. There are several small towns littering the countryside, each with their own school for the early grades, but for high school the only place had was at this central town. And since we lived far away, every morning and afternoon both me and my sister would ride the bus to school and back.

I return to my room and pack the items that I require for today at school. That plus several packs of cards. Some unopened, and some... well let's just say that I've already got to them. I sling my bag over my shoulder, walk to the door and as I go to put my shoes on my dad calls out to me. "Since you hate to be out of the family circuit I'll tell you now. While your mother is out on her trip we're going on one too. I plan to travel out west with you and Ashley. Think of it as a camping trip. Your mother is going to be gone for a fortnight so we have plenty of time to enjoy ourselves. We'll spend a week out in the harsh outback. Yeah, that should give me some inspiration."

"Does mom and Ashley know about this?" I ask this question in case this is just a sudden proposal.

"Oh don't worry about that, they both know already. Hell, Ashley has been preparing for the last two days in anticipation." Whoa, whoa, whoa. The last two days? Just how long were you planning to wait before informing me?

"What about school though? Sure both me and Ashley get good grades but skipping for an entire week isn't exactly what I'd call an option." I'm quite happy in my school attendance levels. Well, performing magic tricks at school is virtually my sanity preserver in this place. Dad is always at his laptop when he's not teaching me stuff and Ashley always studies. And mum, well she goes on trips a lot or works late shifts when necessary. I'm just glad that she found a job where she can take frequent holidays and not get fired.

My dad looks over to me and changed his voice into the deeper tone that he uses whenever he teaches me magic tricks. "Listen, Leigh, an entertainer must always keep himself in a versatile manner. And at times they must stray from common sense if they wish to enrich themselves. What I'm saying is, if you want to truly grow as a person you should break or more accurately bend a few rules. Someone who lives by the rules foregoes all colour in their ordinary life. And a holiday is always nice, regardless of what time it is taken." His voice returned to normal as he finished his little life lesson.

I give a small nod and step outside, walking down the road slowly so as to give my sister a chance to catch up.

The classes dragged on for the start of the day and when lunch finally came along I was raring for some stress release, which for me is some sleight of hand and magic tricks.

I walked out of class and quickly ate the food in my lunch box before carrying my bag to the drama room. I took drama class and always scored top marks, and even got along well with the teach. Hence, I have access to the room to put on magic shows. Whenever I feel like doing something really fancy I put on a top hat conveniently stored in the room, but today I was just doing some minor tricks. I set up a table and my props and waited for a small, expectant crowd to walk in.

Once a small number of people made their way in and sat on the floor I started my small show. "Okay folks, I'm going to start with a very simple display. Very easy to pull off for one with access to mystical arts, and strange powers. The simplicity of it however, is where the real magic shows. For this display I will use a simple round object, say this pencil. I assure you it is a normal pencil, though how you could alter one of these is beyond me. I'll pass it around regardless."

I hand the pencil to the nearest member of the audience who quickly looks at it before passing it around. What else I need are two pieces of wool. One is coloured red and the other blue, good strong colours that don't necessarily get along unless you're fond of purple." The colours don't really matter in this trick. I just need two different colours. "Once I get the pencil back I'll begin."

I tie both pieces of wool so that I ended up with two separate circles as I then showed the audience. Upon receiving the pencil back I started the trick. "Now these two colours really don't get along at all. So much it seems that they will actually fight under certain circumstances." I pass one of the loops halfway through the other and use the hang the two half circles from the pencil. The end result, the red wool was propped on the pencil in two places and the blue wool hung from the centre of the red, not touching the pencil at all.

"Now see this situation here. Red has a firm hold on the pencil, but blue, well it seems that he's hanging on for dear life. If I tug on red it stays their firmly." I visibly pull on the red string and as I said the pieces of wool stayed as they were. "Well it just so happens that the colour blue tends to fight back from this situation." I move my hand in front of the pencil and swish it to the side. "And as you see, in an instant their situations are reversed. A perfect case of red and blue fighting with each other. And it happened in an instant too. Of course you aren't here today for such... simple tricks. So I'll give you something better, 'Divination'". I pull apart my first trick and ready a deck of cards.

I shuffle it a few times visibly in front of the audience and deal the cards into four piles. "Four piles, four correct divinations. So, who would like a try?" I smile as I enjoy my show.

It's seems that recently, people have been making small donations after my show. Just a few coins here and there, and it's not like I started doing this because I wanted to make money. Hence I donate half of what I get to whatever charity I can find being supported by the school at the time. The other half finds its way into my pocket for safe keeping.

Today, I count the money donated after I finish the show. I've packed up and everyone but one has left. Everyone, bar a friend of mine. "Are you waiting around for a particular reason Jarrod?"

"Nah, just watching you pack up. Though I must say that you mention all that mystical forces and stuff all that time. You wouldn't happen to be..."

I give a slight smile and a sarcastic answer. "A terrifying Wizard?"

"A nutcase. Everyone knows that stuff like real magic doesn't exist. That's why we have science. Because there isn't an easy do-it-all. But well, when you speak about all that mumbo jumbo it sounds sort of real in a way. By the way how did you make that apple disappear earlier?" Upon his mention of that, I start biting into the aforementioned apple that I made disappear in front of everyone earlier.

I swallow the contents of my mouth and give the same answer that I always give. "Someone who wants to be a proper magician never reveals the tricks of the trade. The only exception is when passing it on to the next generation." I answer that way regardless of who asks me, even if it's my sister. And she has tried many a time. "Well you are always free to work it out the hard way."

"With all your flourishes and damn distractions it is so hard to even note when you are doing something that I should look out for. I've given up long ago." He then fishes around in his pockets and pull out a deck of cards. However this deck was different from the type that I use. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about tarot cards would you?"

"Bits and pieces. Some vague understandings in some areas, and some slightly less vague in others." I'd seen a couple of packs around where I used to live, but none recently. "Why do you have these?"

"An old lady near my house let me have them. She was moving away and decided to get rid of them. I was nearby at the time and there you go, a free pack of tarot cards. So anyway, how do these things work?"

"Do you know if there is just the major arcana in there or are both arcana in that pack?" Of course, I get a blank stare for my question. "Just describe the cards."

My friend pulls the cards out and shows me the lot. The cards came out of the pack with a small paper manual. He looks at me and starts to speak, "This manual is meant to explain stuff, but look at how complicated and small that text it. I'm normally busy with student council work and my studies. I don't like the idea of reading through this thing about something I'm only vaguely interested in."

"The least I can tell you is that you've only got the major arcana in here. They are pretty much a set of cards starting at 'the fool' and ending with 'the world'. Each of the cards normally symbolize a part of life and people use that to interpret things according to what card or combination of cards you draw."

My friend takes the cards back and shuffles them, badly at that. He then offers out the cards. "So how many do you draw and what do we want to know?"

"The standard would be one card and just have it describe a person. In my case, if tarot has any shred of sense I would now pull out..." I reach out and pick out a card and reveal it, "The fool. Damn it does work. Or maybe I'm just lucky?"

"You want to be an idiot?"

"The fool actually refers to something closer to a fun loving individual and can often be likened to the protagonist at the start of a story."

"So a hero?"

"Just the main character... The one every pays attention to... But still... A trickster fits me nice" I reach over to my half eaten apple and resume eating it as the bell rings, sounding the return to class.

After a tiring day at school there is no better relaxation for myself then learning new tricks so I asked my dad to teach me something new. I'm more likely to learn what dad teaches me than what I learn at school these days after all, even if I am in my last year.

Today however, I was surprised, because rather than doing something more in my field of expertise, I was about to attempt something completely new for me. Rather than practice in my room or in the lounge room, we were in the shed where we set up all of our equipment involving complex magic tricks.

My dad looked at me as I held the knife and gave a nod. I held a special knife by its blade and was getting ready to throw it at a target. "What's the point of this, if I can ask?" I've dealt with optical illusions and card tricks, but knife wielding felt more like a circus act.

My dad had his teaching voice at the ready as he gave my lesson. "The point is that any good stage magician must never perform the same trick over and over again. The crowds may find out how it works. On the other side, that means always having new and interesting tricks. I once had a trick with you mother where I would throw a knife and she would catch it. As it almost hit her between the eyes. And then she would throw it back and I would catch the blade with my teeth."

Understanding how our occupation works I knew that there were tricks in place so that accidents wouldn't happen, and maybe even the blade throwing was fake as well. "Does that require actual knife throwing?"

"Well, mine didn't really, however that is no reason why some of the acts that you do in the future won't be able to apply what you're learning now." A valid argument, as ever. The more I know and understand as a magician, the more I can apply it to my performances. And knife throwing certainly looks impressive. "Leigh, hold the blade like I showed you and throw it at the target. And while you practice I'm going to turn on the news. I'll be using the TV here in the shed, so I'll be able to keep an eye on you, while listening in for anything interesting."

I grip the blade and move my wrist as instructed and the knife sailed over to the target... where it bounced away ineffectually. We had built a sort of protective wall beforehand so we didn't have to worry too much about dangerous ricochets. I had four knives left and so I slowly aimed and threw the blade trying to at least get the blades to stick into the wooden target let alone hit it. "This is so much harder than it looks. Why does this quickly made bull's-eye have to be so small? It's only 15 centimetres across, isn't that a bit too small for beginning practice?"

My dad, walking back after turning on the TV we keep in the shed. He chuckled at my frustration. "Listen, the best attribute a magician can have is not ingenious imagination skills, but rather dexterous hands. Because no matter how creative you are, if you can't pull off the trick..." What he was saying was ringing home to himself. Due to the injuries to his arms he could no longer move his arms rapidly. He could still write and type no problem but when it came to great movements and vast flourishes, particular to his style of magic, he was brought great pain by the very act.

In a way, I knew that he taught me magic because he was no longer able to do anything but the smaller tricks himself. I was thankful for the fact. I have no idea as to what I would be doing at the moment if I wasn't practising magic like I have been since I was still in kindergarten. I might have ended up a studyholic like my sister. Regardless of what paths I might have taken, I was here now and that was what mattered. "I get the point dad. Just hit the tiny target. Improve my skill a bit and then I've got myself a valuable asset."

I toss my last knife at the small makeshift bull's-eye, and start to smile as the knife heads straight for it, then watch as the blade dips down making the knife clatter harmlessly against it. "Dammit. That was close. Just you wait, I'll get my accuracy up to the point that I can hit that thing while throwing sideways."

I walk over and start picking up the knives. Their old but well polished. They must be ones that dad used to use a long time ago. The care he puts into this stuff just goes to show how dedicated to magic he is. As I pick up the last blade I start to hear something interesting coming from the TV. It seems to have caught dad's attention as well as he is staring intently at the screen.

"-that satellite images have indeed shown the appearance of thirteen previously unknown islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. As stated before these islands were discovered three days ago and these images was just revealed to us. All of these islands seem to have man-made structures built upon them as shown. Are these islands-"

As the news reporter commented on the appearance of the strange islands the image on the TV distorted and changed until it showed a completely different image, that of a middle-aged man wearing a suit and standing in the middle of a stage. And then he look at the screen as if looking through the screen at me and spoke. "Greetings people of Australia... this is Australia isn't it? Anyway, greetings, I am Duwain D'Orlean, and I offer everyone in the world an opportunity, beyond that ever offered to the masses. I offer entertainment, things never before seen to those alive today, and something even greater."

The man spoke widely and moved his hands about as spoke. "Let me start with this. Magic is real. Oh, how people are going to hate me for saying that. If you need proof, you should have found out about the islands appearing in the Pacific Ocean by now. You can't hid something this big from people after all. Is it possible that this place is made by the technology everyone is so fond of? Maybe, but I wouldn't bet on it. 13 islands complete with foliage and wildlife don't just come into existence overnight. Not normally at least."

I look over at my dad wondering as to what he is thinking, looking upon the current situation, but his expression is one of intense interest rather than confusion.

"I offer access to these island to everyone in the world. Magus, follow of the church, secretary in an office, I don't mind, all may come for the festivities. As this message passes it's ways through the countries of the world, at appropriates times of course, planes will become available at every airport to fly you to my haven. Access to my domain is free, though ticket prices for the air planes are still an issue. But hey, there's a price for everything isn't there. There is enough space and lodgings for 10 million individuals in my Eden. This place could be its own country if I wanted but to more important..."

The man stops for a moment and speaks to someone outside of my screen. "Ven, can you deal with the intruders. They're interrupting me, so be creative."

I let slip some words finally, "What the hell is this" I didn't receive back an answer however as the man started his speech again.

"Sorry about that. Some fellows decided to take me off air. Didn't work, and now they find themselves in an "awkward" situation. Back to what I was saying. The space for the 10 million people. They or more accurately you, will be privileged to watch an event sheltered from the eyes of many. I'm sure the term 'Holy Grail' means something to you all." The man breathes in and gives a sigh. "Someone, somewhere, probably in a place really cold, just had a seizure. Because I have the keys to it. Stole everything I needed to and have access to something beyond the wishes of everyone. An item that well... grants wishes. Alas, I have a key, but I need a lock for the key as well. And so I announce TO EVERYONE IN THE WORLD! I announce a battle, no a war, aiming to become the owner of this wondrous item. This very battle shall give access to the grail to he... or she... that is worthy to grasp it in their hands, whether myself or someone else. This battlefield shall be the true entertainment that I offer for my Eden, as I shatter the rules that bound this world."

The man gesturing boldly as he spoke finally reached off screen to grab a book which he promptly opened. "As I said before, magic is real, and a whole society of magi exists. But well, frankly they ANNOY me to no end so let's screw with them a bit. Normally for something of this nature only one with magical talent would participate. And unseen from the eyes of everyone I might add. But 'Nay!', I say, let everyone have an opportunity. And in broad viewing range nonetheless. Anyone can 'audition' for the rights to participate. You just need a team of two. A 'Master' and a 'Servant'. If that name rings a bell for you it means you probably hate me at this moment. The Master is important, and human, but the Servant, well the rules are rather broad in this case. A servant is normally a Legendary Spirit fit into a class, but for one time only, anyone or anything can be a servant, as long as it is sentient and meets the rugged criteria during the audition phase. Both Magi and soldiers are offered places, weapons are allowed. I'll allow them. Just remember if the Master is defeated... well he loses. Any non-legendary spirit that succeeds in the audition will also get a class, so don't worry a thing about things getting out of hand."

Magi, Servants, Legendary Spirits. This man was incredulous before, but now... He spat out words that either meant little or nothing to me as if those words meant everything to him. His speech was also getting disjointed as if he was getting so exited he couldn't think straight any more.

"Oh and If you think that there are only 7 spots... well you'll be wrong. Due to some... non-technical errors, I've ended up with 12 positions, though I plan to take one for myself. How cruel, how scandalous. The host is participating as well? Well don't worry. I won't cheat. I'm not like the scoundrels that little London and Italy. I'll play fair. Just don't think that fair means easy. I look forward to the audience, and the looks on peoples face as the flip side of the world is opened for all to see... As a final note. I regret to inform of the short period of time in which I can offer to prepare. One week from now I shall start this greatest entertainment this world has seen. This is Australia right?"

And with that last question of that insane scene fades away to reveal the standard news presenter looking stunned at the screen. She blinks a couple of times before realising that she on air. "We're back? I'm sorry, both the staff and myself have no idea as to what just happened. However if we can take anything from that positively crazy scene just now, it seems that this man Duwain D'... D'... D'Orlean, Thank you for that. That this man Duwain D'Orlean is responsible for the appearance of the Islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. We will investigate further and attempt to bring-"

I zone out the newscaster as I breathe in heavily and I sigh to myself. What just happened makes little sense to me. Did that man hijack just that TV channel or were all of them the same. I was so stunned by what I was watching I didn't even think to change the channel.

"It's here!"

I perk up and look over at dad who just murmured something. "What?"

"My source of inspiration. It's here. It smacked me right in the face. Plans changed. We head to those Islands."

Once again but louder this time. "WHAT!?"

My dad starts chuckling away. "If what that guy was saying is even sort of correct, there should be planes flying out over to those island that we can board. This could be the turning point of the century and I sure don't want to miss it. Real magic huh? Sounds like just what I need."

"Dad, no offence but that man on the TV sounded crazy, absolutely insane. There is no way that those planes..." Dad was already dialling a number into his mobile phone.

"I'd like to book a trip to those Islands on the news right now..." Dad, seriously? "One trip for three to the Eden Isles then, return of course. And that is how much..." What they actually have planes to go there? Are you being scammed? "I'll take it. No haggling for me today. The price is reasonable after all." My dad never ceases to amaze me. He was considering haggling with... Wait which company is he calling anyway? "On Monday then. I look forward to it."

And with that dad hung up his mobile. "Dad. Are you sure you should be going there. It screams suspicious."

"A true stage magician should always seek adventure, and well it seems like we might just get the change to meet true practitioners. Also by me, that includes you and Ashley."

"And not mum?"

"I'll send her a text, and it isn't like she could come with us anyway. She's already out on a trip after all. Though, she might even meet us there if we're lucky. Gyahaha!" Looks like that man, Duwain, isn't the only one who is excited about this. I would be too if there wasn't that slight interruption in the middle of that spectacle, added to the sudden nature of it all. Something about the whole situation just sends shivers up my spine.

"And so, what did Ashley say?"

I'm speaking with Jarrod at lunch. I'm not performing a show today, so I sit peacefully and enjoy my meal. "As soon as Dad started to try to negotiate she slammed the door in Dad's face. Knowing Dad though, he's probably going to try something. He gets stubborn about random things at times. He is so much easier to get on with up on stage."

"About that, it seems to me that your entire personality changes when you start your performances as well. Do you and your dad have some sort of dual personality?" Well sure, we act really different when we get up on stage, but I wouldn't call it a split personality or anything.

"My Grandfather was an actor, and my dad was a stage magician. What about these two occupations are so similar?" I pose a question to my friend who is surprisingly not busy at all.

Though, everyone has mostly ignored things like classes and homework today. It seems that all everyone can speak about was that crazy man on TV yesterday. Those who saw it spoke profusely about it, and those who didn't listened intently. It was at such a bad level that people had just completely forgot about their duties and studies. Well, I wasn't complaining though. As much as the situation feels suspicious to me, it doesn't mean that I don't feel an interest in the situation at all. Hearing people's opinions just seemed to hype up everything for me. If I wasn't so worried about what was going on, I might have been right alongside dad in petitioning to head off to those Islands straight away.

After thinking for a bit, my friend offers the answer that I was looking for. "They are entertainers. So what you're getting at here is that rather than being crazy, it is something you picked up from your family?" Good deduction.

"Yeah, since real personalities almost never seem to fit the role perfectly, we temporarily make another that we slip into when we perform. I use it in drama class as well, that's how I get such good marks. I don't act, I become. We get rid of our usual personality entirely and craft the new one as to how we want. It takes a little why to get ready, but hey, it's what I was taught to do as a kid. Hence, I might seem a bit different when I perform. Though, when I say entirely, I don't mean permanently either, just so it doesn't serve as a factor. I prefer my normal self the best after all."

"So you here now, with you slightly childish and complaining self, and the 'silver magician' are actually two different things entirely. Makes sense really. I've never seen you acting like that outside of your performances."

"Silver magician? What the hell? Since when have you been giving me nicknames?"

"Well, everyone donates their silver coins to you. When was the last time you actually got a gold coin? Hence silver magician."

"The names horrible. I'm never using it. Besides, I'm a bigger fan of purple myself... Though the purple magician doesn't sound so flashy either. Damn, dad got a nickname like the demon's disciple, so why do I get something like this?"

"Demon's disciple? Sure I'll give it to you, that does sound very impressive, if not slightly worrying."

Before his accident, while he was still an magician, dad used to perform marvellous tricks, like throwing balls of fire, or catching an entire deck of thrown cards. Both the speed of his movements and the nature of his tricks gave birth to a strange rumour. That he had been trained by someone who was not human, a Demon, or something else, dark and mysterious. Of course, this was always told in a joking manner, and soon dad picked up the title the 'demon's disciple'. My aim is to get a stage name like that or maybe even inherit the 'demon's disciple' title from dad when I'm ready.

"So, no calling me the silver magician from now on okay? I'd hate for that to spread before I get an amazing title for myself."

My friend gives a sigh. "Fine, I won't spread the name I so painstakingly created. However won't making a name for yourself be harder if real magicians actually exist like that guy on the TV said?"

Stage magicians come into existence to entertain to masses using the mysteries of magic. Even if we can't actually use real magic, that does make our magic any less real. "We are entertainers, we use our skills for others and we fulfil our role quite well. You would have to be rather amazing to bypass what we can do with some good planning. They are more of rivals than a threat. Of course all of this is only IF such individuals actually exist. We can teleport ourselves and others, separate parts of our body, and survive being speared to death, let's just see if they can keep up first."

I'm fairly sure the real reason for my dad wanting to go to those Islands, is not to see real magic but rather to challenge it if it really exists. He still has his pride, and I've even seen him practising several easier tricks when he isn't writing. I'm fairly sure he does it as a method of clearing his mind. Yet another reason as to why I'm against going. I don't exactly want to go to somewhere for the sole reason of picking fights with people.

My friend gives a chuckle, "true, if they can keep up with stuff like that then they do deserve the title of magician, or magus or whatever they call themselves. It's nice to see that you aren't going through some sort of early-life crisis, because your way of life was lessened. Though the image of you and your dad battling wizards using your cards sounds pretty amazing."

"Why am I included in that? I'm not exactly impulsive enough to do something like that"

"But the silver magician is completely different from you isn't he? And well, with the right outfit you'd be charging right in. I've watched you long enough to see how you react when someone challenges you while you're up on stage." My friend finishes heal lunch off and stands up. "Since someone should actually do something today I'm off to do some student council stuff. See you later" And with those words he walks off towards the classrooms.

As I see him disappear around the corner I murmur to myself, "I thought I said that I don't like that name."

"No." The exact same response came out of Ashley's mouth as it did the day before. Soon after we returned from high school dad was trying to negotiate with us yet again. At least I wasn't as blunt as Ashley was about it. She walked straight by dad and went straight into her room and closed her door.

"Well that could have gone so much better. Where is your Everett sense of adventure! Leigh, you have that sense of adventure don't you?" The Everett sense of adventure? I wouldn't exactly call it that, but sure I'm intrigued by the whole situation; however my suspicion is just a little higher than my interest.

"Sure I'm interested, however, there are too many things that worry me about that place. If I don't know more about that place first, my vote is tied down at a 'No'" And at that I put my bag away and travel to the shed. I do notice however, that dad is deep in thought as I make my way.

Out of habit I turn on the TV in the shed. A program for kids is currently on, but I completely ignore it. I'll just practise until the news comes on. Maybe then I'll start getting answers to all to all the answers that have plagued me since yesterday.

I pick up the throwing knives from yesterday and start pelting them at the slightly dented bull's-eye. After much effort I start to develop the proper movements and start to actually hit the board with the blade of the knife, getting some proper hits on the bull's-eye, even if it is only at the edge.

After a while of practice I stop and pull out some cards to practice shuffling with. Shuffling is a very important technique to have. It allows me to rearrange the cards in whatever order I want. Well, almost. I'm still not perfect at all the shuffling styles, but I'm fairly accurate now, and occasionally use this skill in my performances. The shuffle is the best way to do card tricks, as it is virtually undetectable as tampering, however it requires a good mind to keep track of card locations. Some of the other card tricks require things like splitting the suits up, or putting the kings and queens at opposite ends. With good shuffling skills however, this preparation will be unneeded. I will be able to rearrange the cards at will, and as such I will be able to detect inconsistencies.

It is a shame though. I've practised for so long and yet, I've still got a long time to go before I can shuffle at the level that dad could. I've heard the stories, he was praised for his skills, and yet, even after dedicating my life to learning his skills I'm still stuck to low end tricks. "Hah... I can move my hands decently, but still, I can't seem to get this stupid shuffle to work." It's best not to get frustrated though. If I get frustrated then any hope of success would go out the window.

At times like this I find it best to try something else for a while. The real question is what to practice. There is an amazing amount of props stored in the shed, so it shouldn't be too hard to find something to do instead. I don't feel like going back to knife tossing at the moment, even if I'm getting the knack of it. "And that would do just perfect." I see a particular prop that I've been really itching to try out for a while now. And this would be a good time to practice with it.

One of the most famous tricks that a magician can perform are the famous escape arts. Whether bound by chains, or locked in a small box, this tricks varies from stage to stage. Almost all of the actual tricks have self-imposed time limits, but I'm not game to try that without proper supervision. In fact, you shouldn't do that stuff without someone nearby at all times. But well, I'm only going to practice removing locks by myself, so there isn't much danger.

I go and pick up the object of my interest. A pair of heavily modified handcuffs. I quickly locate the key and check its validity before putting the modified cuffs on. The reason I keep mentioning that their modified? Simple. The cuffs have large, hollow metal spheres to put your hands into attached to the cuff loops. The end result. Both arms and the hands are restrained.

I boil some water in a pot in the kitchen back inside the house and carefully drop the key in the water once it starts to bubble. I proceed to sterilize it. I don't exactly know what the key has been through, or how much filth it has attracted since its last use as a prop. After a thorough wash I carefully remove the key by slowly pouring out the water.

Dad walks out from his study, taking a stretch from his constant writing and re-writing. In that same vicious cycle. I've had the privilege, if it could be called that, to read the latest chapter of dads work at least 10 times in the past month, each time being set out completely different. It's a fantasy novel filled with magic everywhere. Everyone uses it, from the mundane cleaning of clothes, to battles deciding the fate of countries. Everyone except the main character. He is supposedly unable to use magic at all, and as such he must deal with his action packed life using his cunning rather than magical prowess. The setting sounds nice but... something about it feels like the tears of a man to me.

There have been times that I've seen what might have been tears in dad's eyes after his writing sessions, but today, the smile on his face was plainly obvious. He looked over to me and saw me clasping the still warm key in my hands. "Oh, practising something new I see. Practising the escape arts are most certainly fun. Listen, I'm on a roll at the moment with my writing, but after I'm done I'll head over and give you some good tips. Ah, today I feel so refreshed. Oh, and I'll need you and Ashley to review my work again soon. I'm about done. I only need another 30 minutes or so." Dad looks at the clock. "Still before 6 huh? I'm making great time. I might watch the news with you in the shed if I hurry."

And with that he almost waltzed back into the study. Well, if dad is like this after yesterday's event, then maybe, just maybe, today will end as a great day after all.

Boy, was I wrong. As I desperately tried to open the locks using my teeth the key slips out of my teeth and falls on the ground. "...oh that's just great." After returning to the shed, I've been trying to open this lock just using my teeth. And to ensure that I didn't give up half way I put the modified cuffs on myself. It wasn't exactly easy, but I persevered.

And now, my problem. The key is on the ground. My hands are trapped in metal balls. I'm wearing tightly laced shoes, ones that don't just slip off. Oh, and there is no one in the room with me. The only voices in the room are my own, cursing, and the sound of the newscaster. She looks calm and composed today, compared to her slightly panicked look after the interruption yesterday. I've got no time to worry about that though. I need that key, and I don't want to bug dad or Ashley to get it. I got myself in this stupid situation, and I'm getting myself out. I can't reach my dad if I constantly hang off him. I've got to struggle my way up. I've got to pick that key up... using my teeth...

This is incredibly unpleasant for me as I lie down on the floor and move to scoop the key up with my teeth. Closer... closer... got it. Small amounts of applause go off in my head as I successful manage to key the key back into my teeth. This isn't the most sanitary thing I've ever done, but quite frankly I want these cuffs off. Okay time to move the cuffs into position...

"And I'm back once again!" The keys fall from between my teeth once again. This voice... I quickly turn towards the TV, which involves rolling since I'm still on the ground. And once again, that man was taking over the TV to do another of his surprise announcements. "Hahaha... well after I last spoke to you, the people of Australia, I got scolded. I uh, didn't really clarify things too well for you guys. AND SO, I shall now give you vital information that you should take to heart! I mentioned magi and a wish granting object yesterday. Well, if you want to, you can ignore that. Many of you probably don't believe that anyway. A WISH GRANTING OBJECT, YEAH RIGHT! Well then, think of it this way. I had the ability to make these islands and set up everything for this event, right?" He gives a little bobbing like nod. "Sooooo... I have lots of money... lots of it, all up for grabs for the winner. Or all that money could be used to grant you whatever you desire. Think of it that way... So you want in now don't you? Well I'm not gonna..."

The man stopped instantly and seemed to look just past the screen. Is there someone else there with him? "Ah, I'll just be a sec." Duwain, the insane seeming announcer walked off-screen and then the sounds of violence could be heard.

Someone returned to the centre of the TV screen, but it wasn't the man who had left. It was a woman, appearing to be about 20 years old, who was wearing a suit. Her hair was as dark as night, yet at a closer look it seems like her pupils are red, though it is hard to see from here down on the floor.

The new woman spoke. "Sorry about that. At the rate he was going, we might not have been able to tell you what we wanted to. But first, allow me to introduce myself. I am Aventis, and I will be the main announcer for the events that will transpire in just less of a week from now. I will take over the role of explaining for Master Duwain."

Master Duwain... That man truly is something different from the ordinary man. Everything about him seems slightly off tilt. And even this woman, Aventis, I think her name was? Even she feels slightly off putting. Though I can't seem to put my finger on why.

"Well then allow me to explain the main event, the Holy Grail War. In essence, it is a battle between teams, in this case 12 teams. Each team is made up of a master, and a servant. A master is normally the leader of the two who supports the servant, who is the fire-power for the team. Each of the 12 teams will battle it out in a large battle royale style elimination tournament to see who is the victor. This is normally done through straight combat but depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the teams their approach will change. The survivors of the battle will get the prize. A single desire granted for both members of the team." As she speaks a small cartoon is shown on screen, showing a rather child-like drawing of people fighting with sword and spear.

"Each of the twelve teams will have an Island to call their home. They will have facilities provided for them to stay at for the duration of the tournament. They will use this Island as a base from which to plan their actions in the battlefield. We will not however, make them fight at pre-planned times. They may take their actions at their own discretion. This means that we will not be able to make provide a schedule for you unfortunately. I apologize for this. However, this allows for the contestants to go about the contest as they should so choose."

The cartoon fades away and reveals the woman once again. She is staring directly at the screen, not moving at all except for her lips... That's what seems so unnatural about her. She doesn't fidget or have any-from of non-verbal communication at all. Her voice is nice to listen to, but that is it. Her tone doesn't change and she doesn't move while speaking at all. It's like she's a robot or something.

"Finally, I shall describe the 12 teams and how one of you might be eligible for a role as a servant. Before the real contest begins there will be a preliminary round, to select the most suitable participants. If you wish to participate, please follow the guidelines for the servant classes when choosing what preliminary round to participate in. The one who succeeds in the preliminary shall then be known by the class title during the battle."

"The first class is 'Saber'. Swordsmen, or women are the call here. Only the best will become 'Saber'. Whether you are skilled with the katana, or have skills in Florentine, I urge you to try your hand."

"Next, is the servant 'Lancer'. 'Lancer' specializes in the use of spears and pole-arms. They are great at survival and should not be ignored in terms of speed. Martial artists are highly welcomed for this class."

"Thirdly, there is the servant 'Archer'. An 'Archer' is just that an archer, but, in this day and age it would be more appropriate to say that anyone wanting to fill this role must have skill in a projectile weapon. This does include guns. While it might be tempting to try your hand at a machine gun of some kind, the 'Archer' class is about accuracy, so things like pistols or sniper rifles are more suited."

"The 'Rider' class is a specialist at mounted combat. Horse, jet, boat, motor-cycle, it doesn't matter. If you can ride in or on it and you feel that you are the best at what you do, then the 'Rider' class is the way to go. Daredevils feel free to apply, I'm sure that the audience would love to see you."

"Fifth in the list of Servants is 'Caster'. This one is for magi only I'm afraid. 'Caster' refers to those who use magic, so I'm afraid that regular individuals will be unable to meet the criteria for this one."

"Servant number six is 'Assassin'. Stealth and silence is the weapons of this servant. Making your way through crowds undetected is essential to be good at this style of fighting. And of course, it is time to make something of note here. Assassinations are allowed, and there will be a chance of death for some contestants. Don't worry though. All members of the audience will be protected by our security, so feel free to watch in safety. We would also like to mention that viewing of this contest is rated of mature audiences, 15 years or older."

15 years or older, chance of death... oh no... That place is getting a little too violent sounding to me.

"Number seven in the list of servants is 'Berserker' Well thought out plans generally go to waste on this servant. This class is all about anger and power. If you can hit people with wooden benches and you are capable of paralysing people with a single roar, feel free to participate. Though basically anyone is free to try here. Being a 'Berserker' can turn even a weak individual into someone worth fearing."

"Those are the standard classes, easily accessible by many. The next 5 are special classes, requiring specific requirements. I will still list them and their requirements, as they are still open to the public."

"Special classes... hah..." Just how are they intending to run this thing? While violent, I won't be one to deny that from a viewers seat the first 7 Servants' sound fun to watch. So what will the last five be like?

"Avenger" the dark hero. Right and Wrong walk hand in hand with this servant. Only those who have walked on both side of the argument simultaneously have the right to be an 'Avenger'"

Okay, I understand why you said that their special. What kind of requirement is that?

"Next is 'Saver', and this one is even harder. One belonging as a 'Saver' must be someone who has saved many of lives through struggle. No-one today holds a title like the 'messiah' these days, but if you created charities or saved many lives in the line of duty, step on up and give it a shot."

"Stepping it up we get to 'Ruler', he or she if the case may be, that stands over all other. Being of this class requires amazing levels of charisma. Important members of parliament, religions and businesses are the most likely candidates. A single word can turn the tide of the battle field. So take up the reigns of destiny and shatter all who stand before you!"

I wait for the next one, starting to feel expectant. The woman who had shown little emotion at the beginning was starting to display it. Slight movements of the body were occurring, and her pitch and tone were changing regularly now. I waited but she didn't speak. In fact, she looked reluctant too. An awkward silence prevailed until the women wearing a suit murmured something I barely managed to hear. "I'm not saying this..."

"Then I'll do it." With those words, the man who proclaimed this very event, Duwain, hopped back on screen. I say hopped, because he is bound by chain, his legs and arms are tightly bound, forcing him to hop so he could move. "Second last is the 'Temptress' servant. Only beautiful women are allowed to apply. If you have the style and are capable of flaunting it to entice others... *cough* like Aventis here *cough* then feel free to participate. HOLD THE POWER TO MAKE MEN BOW TO YOU IN YOUR HANDS! GYAHAHAHA! I won't though..."

The events on the screen take a comedic light as the chained individual is slapped so hard that he disappeared off the screen. The woman gives a light cough before continuing. "Finally, there is the servant 'Trickster". Cunning and wit are the sword and shield of this servant. We aren't talking simple problem solving here. A good 'Trickster' should be capable of changing the fate of a nation via their actions. Tricks are the go here. As long as you laugh last, then you are set."

"The preliminaries will start at midnight leading into Wednesday and the true event shall start a day later. Please note that any and all items being brought to the Islands, ranging from toothbrushes to swords must be declared before entering the plane. Also, for the people who wish to participate in the Holy Grail war, weapons will be supplied if they are needed. Thank you for listening, and I hope to see you there."

"Wait I haven't..." As the news returns I hear those last few words from Duwain. At least with that woman speaking, things seem more logical now. A tournament set up for viewer entertainment... It sounds nice, but I'm still unsure... Oh well, I can think about that later. I have more pressing matters at hand. Like undoing these cuffs.

Ironically enough, the one who ended up coming to my rescue wasn't dad but rather Ashley. Though in the end, she only came to the garage because Dad managed to coax her to fetch me anyway. She told me quickly that Dad wanted to hold an impromptu family meeting, and that he was busily preparing for it.

After getting out of the restraints I dashed back into the house and made my way straight to the bathroom. After purging my mouth of all dirt I made my way over to the dining room table, leading me to the current situation.

Dad's sitting at the head of the table, with a clothe spread in front of him hiding two small packages underneath. Ashley is already sitting down at the table and I make way over to take my regular seat at the table.

Dad has a serious look in his eyes as he proceeded to speak to us. "Now I know that I've tried to ask you to go along with my selfishness before, however so far you have said 'No', are rightfully so. However, after that second announcement, the feeling that I must go even is stronger than before. They speak as if magic is real, and while the personalities leave much to look for, their eyes spoke the truth. Or at least it appears to me as such."

"Magic isn't a real thing dad, you acknowledge that yourself." Ashley is as blunt as ever. She's been cold and methodical from a young age. Not much in the way of friends, but smart, like smarter than me level of smart. And I'm two years older. Though that probably doesn't mean so much when I spend most of my time learning magic over something like history or mathematics.

"True, however, and I say however, if I was proven wrong that would mean a great deal. A 'Real' magician existing could totally render the stage magician useless. I wish to confirm whether such a thing truly exists with my own eyes, and if it does, take appropriate action. I've already down some research on their website and their security seems fairly tight."

"They have a web site?" A curt nod from Dad answers my question. "Okay, we have information now, but still, I'm not going to just say yes to something like this. They did say that participating was dangerous didn't they?"

"And I'm not intending to have any of us to participate. We are all going to watch from a safe distance, as a family. Your mother included if I can manage. I figured you would be stubborn however, and have taken measures to sway you around. Though you could just call it bribery"

Bribery? What kind of father just talks about bribery as if it nothing? Though, could whatever is underneath the clothe be what he is planning to buy us of with.?

"To Ashley, I'm giving my notebook containing many notes I've made while I was an amateur magician. It even contains all the secrets on how to perform the "Shattered Coffin" trick that Leigh was agonizing over last month. You can use the knowledge inside however you want. Including to bribe and blackmail Leigh, I'll just whistle and ignore it."

"When do we leave?" What? You changed your mind just like that? And I thought I was going to inherit that book? Dad always waved it in my face, saying I would inherit it when I was ready, but now, all it's going to serve as now is a bargaining chip, where I'm forced to follow my little sisters whims. And just from where did she develop this kind of personality. She always keeps to herself so I'll admit that I won't understand all the facets of her personality, but still I had no idea that she had this kind of personality trait.

Ashley quickly takes the book and leaves the table in a hurry. Judging by her actions, she seems intent on hiding the book from me. Well just you wait Ashley, I'll you some sly tricks and soon that book will be in my possession. Have your fun at my expense for now.

As I glare at my retreating sister, my dad gives a light cough. "Leigh, now I know you wanted that book, however, I have something for you that should make up for it." He flicks the cloth away to reveal a deck of cards. One that I instantly recognised. How could I not, the deck case is made of steel, and emblazoned with imagery of demons. "I'm giving you the custom made deck of cards that I used for my big premier. They were a gift to me, and now they are a gift to you. I'd probably be careful with it if I were you. There's a high chance that the cards are cursed. My recommendation, wear gloves whenever you intend to use these cards. The amount of times that I've shed blood with these cards is immense. The cards inside are specially made of... well I forget the name of the stuff, but it should be fairly strong, however the cards funnily enough came out sharp, as in both cutting the deck and cutting yourself. Just be careful with them okay?"

Dad's special custom made deck... Who cares about a note pad? I have obtained what could possibly be the coolest deck of cards ever. "Dad, bribery excepted. I'll start packing." I feel a little agonized over the fact I was basically just bought out, but for now I don't care. It wasn't like I was expressing no interest towards this 'tournament' at all. I get up from the chair and make my way towards my room to look over the cards carefully. But before I get there I should turn around and say one thing.

"I still haven't fully forgiven you for giving your notebook to Ashley"

Monday finally arrived, and with all of our stuff packed we took a long drive to the nearest commercial airport. That happens to be a whole 2 hours away. Regardless, an early morning is never a good morning so I'm standing in the Airport, at 7 in the morning, with probably a very unhappy look on my face.

That's not to say that I'm not excited, it's just that the early morning, plus my inability to appropriate Dad's journal of Ashley has left me slightly grouchy. Oh well, we still have to wait a while for the flight so I guess I'm going to take a nap in one of the chairs for a while.

"-going to arrive?" Huh, what was that? "You can't make it in time?" Dad's... on the phone... is it Mum? I struggle to straighten my senses to listen in. "Are you sure you'll be fine to find us on the Island? ... Yep, sure Honey, bye" I'll take that as a yes.

"I take it that Mum, won't be meeting us here then?" I pull myself out of the chair as I talk to Dad.

"It seems that there are some problems over where she is at the moment. The planes have been delayed due to heavy snow. She asked us to get ourselves some accommodation first, and then she'll contact us when she finally arrives."

So nature strikes again. Literally. No matter how great technology gets, we still can't stop the weather. Damn, I was hoping to get some tips from Mom, to help nick the journal. Oh well, if it's only a day, I should be fine. It gives me ample time to plot and plan. Ashley has developed an evil smile these last couple of days, it's like she's taunting me. Did she develop an entire new personality upon getting that book or something?

I start to drift off again soon after and before I know it it's time to board the plane. The first thing to notice is that the plane is not of one of the standard charters that I recognise. It really does look like these planes were made just for this event. Hopefully they aren't shoddy quick jobs, designed to only last a couple of trips to minimize costs. I would prefer to survive my flights, thank you very much.

The second thing for me to notice, and something I am outright calling odd, is that the flight attendants who greet us and the other passengers all look similar. Not that their clones on something, they just all have pale skin, red eyes, and silvery white hair. Did someone donate large amounts of money to the Flight Training for Albino's Foundation? It seems a little off to me, though thinking about it, almost everything about this feels odd to me. Ashley seems even more unnerved about it than me.

"What are the odds of having an entire plan attended to by Albino's" I ask my sister a slightly nonsensical question. It's not like I'm discriminatory or anything, it's just plain odd.

"So low I haven't actually finished calculating." And that is the official verdict from the studyholic. The odds of this being a coincidence are low, but why? Well, they at least seem like well trained professionals, they smile when they speak, and are courteous to others. They are model flight attendants. Well, putting all the complicated stuff aside, I lean into my seat and prepare for the flight. I'm not the best with flying, so I want to be as braced as possible by the time we start moving.

The flight was comfortable to say the least. It was a smooth ride, and everyone was treated with an wide choice of movies and with an extensive menu. I refused however, opting to wait until our plane reached its destination. The flight wasn't too long, so I just picked an long action movie and zoned out until it finished, only to swap to a new one when it finished. I never got the chance to finish the second one however as we were inform of our imminent arrival at our destination. It's a shame, I was actually quite enjoying this movie too.

"The captain would like to inform you that we will reach our destination, the Eden Islands, in five minutes time. Please faster your seat points as we will soon come in for landing."

Dad quickly fastens his seat-belt. "Well, things are about to get interesting. Leigh, Ashley, when we get off the plane, wait right outside, okay?"

"Yep"

"Already plan to"

Soon after the plane come in for a perfectly smooth landing, and I take my small luggage off the plane with me. I have a small backpack containing my basic necessities and the basic items for a couple of simple magic tricks including the special deck of cards I got from Dad. Anything more bulky, like clothes and more impressive items are stored in the rear of the plane, so I'll have to wait for it to be unloaded.

Due to the positioning of the seats I get off the plane first, so I stand off to the side and wait of the rest of the family to get off. Taking a quick look around, the airport is fairly large, incredibly new looking, and is filled with what must be a thousand people on this one floor. Looking up at the list of incoming flights they have conveniently placed above me, I can see that planes for Egypt, Germany and England just arrived, and a plane from Spain is due in five minutes. There really is a lot of people coming here. How many plan to view, how many plan to participate. I really can't be sure, but some of the people who are moving through the crowd stick out like sore thumbs, I can see someone dressed in robes, a man trying to rip of the Matrix and someone with a katana. Even more stand out, but trying to categorize them all would be tedious. Particularly now that Dad and Ashley have arrived.

"Let's head over to fetch our luggage" We push our way over to the conveyor belt and wait for our luggage to come around. Dad's is the first to come around. It also stands out like a clown in a white padded room. For reasons I may never know, he brought most of his stuff in the coffin. The same coffin he used for his tricks. It is currently sealed up with chains, but it looks so creepy I can't even begin to imagine what possessed him to use it. It least he also brought so equipment to help move the thing otherwise that coffin would be stuck going in a perpetual oval.

Ashley's stuff was next. She had a large travel bag packed with all her stuff. It is massive mind you. Due to the sheer size of it, she probably brought half of her personal library with her. I'm fairly sure you could easily fit a whole person in that thing and still get away with packing your wardrobe. Once again, thankfully the thing has wheels and a handle, so she can move it with ease.

My stuff comes around last. Customs had a field say with it. Or at least, should of. My bag got through fairly easily back at the other airport, and as I wheel my giant suitcase towards security they take a quick look and let me through. They were albino as well on an interesting note. Regardless, I had throwing knifes, mirrors, smoke bombs, actual swords and various other implements neatly stored in my giant wheeled suitcase, using my clothes to help pad it all.

I find it quite weird that they just let me through, but I was even more spooked when they just smiled and waved dad through. HE HAS A GOD DAMN COFFIN. And they smiled, bowed and just let him through.

As we leave the airport we find ourselves at a sort of transportation terminal with even more albino's acting as guides. Yep that's it. I swear, the entire world's population of Albino's must work at this place. Is there anyone working at this place who can even think about sporting a tan?

One of the guides walked over to us and greeted us. "Welcome to Lucidus Island, the central island for the Eden Isles. Since you just arrived am I correct in assuming that you will need to seek out a place of accommodation?"

Dad answers back, hesitantly, probably as confused about the sheer amount of albinos like I am. "Yes, I wasn't able to find much on accommodation here, only that it would be arranged on arrival. I would be most thankful if you could point us in the right direction."

"Of course. But first, I would like to ask a question. There are many structured and themed part of the accommodation areas so suit all people, so for reference on directing you to a suitable zone may I please have you country of origin and occupation or affiliation?"

"Australia. And I'm currently an author, though I was a magician originally"

"A Magician?" The Guide looks at Dad strangely, like what he said was slightly out of place. Does magic really exist or...

"Only small time though, I never actually made it properly into the big leagues."

"Ah. Just using the term then, don't worry sir, I have already worked out an adequate location for you and your... family I presume?"

My Dad gives a quick nod. "Yep, my Son and Daughter. And the Missus is coming too. Her flight got delayed, so she isn't here yet."

"Okay. Also, can I please get your names?"

"Cayden Everett. My wife, who isn't here is Letisha. This is Leigh, and finally Ashley."

"Very well. I have taken note. Follow me to the Loading bay." Looking around, I could see a large amount of people hoping into trains, but we headed off towards a Taxi and bus terminal. We dragged our large luggage behind us, walking through the now rather thinned out crowd.

We were directed to leave our large luggage to some workers who started to load it into a small truck and we were taken over towards the ta... Wait what, they have taxi coloured Limos? The three of us were directed towards one of the many limousines that dotted this place. Our guide quickly informed the driver as to our supposed destination. The three of us then hopped into the Limo and were driven into the large city landscape on the island.

There wasn't much traffic in the streets, and we made our way through the scrolling cityscape. It wasn't all buildings though. There were churches, parks, fountains, a fake looking waterfall and even something that looked like a shrine of some sort. This city had it all, it really looked like they have tried to accommodate the whole world.

We passed a large shopping mall before coming to a large number of hotels. The driver drove into the special sized car park and step out with us.

The first words out of his mouth were. "In case you were wondering, I'm a free service. AS is virtually all services on this island. Things like food are supplied at you hotels, but if you want anything, 'Extra', you will then be forced to actually buy things. There is an monetary exchange just around the corner from here."

The driver, once again Albino, stops and looks at us. "I should probably tell you where this is. "You are currently in the Apollo zone of Lucidus city. A nice zone that actually fits the name of the city. It is one of the many zones in the city, all which are well taken care of. At the moment you are outside of one of the best hotels we have to offer: The 'Palameyde'. Walk inside and greet the receptionist, and he will set everything up. Oh and if you ever need a ride again, just give me a call. I'll come pick you up." The driver pulls some business cards out of his pocket and gives one to each of us. "Well, you've got all of you stuff that you had on you? Good. Your bigger luggage will arrive soon. Well, see you folks latter, I've got more work to do."

And with that, the driver hopped back into his limo, leaving us outside of the hotel. That was slightly irresponsible of him. The least he could of done was walked with us inside. Or wait for the.. "Bell boy..."

"What was that young master?" The bell boy was already standing at the ready before I had even noticed. He was looking at me intently, as if waiting for instructions.

"Oh sorry, it was nothing." The bell boy looks lightly dejected, but quickly regains his full smile.

"Please hand over any bags to me, I'll carry them for you." I hand over my backpack to the bell boy after removing the special deck and putting it into my pocket. It's fairly large, but I have big pockets.

Dad's old deck is very counterproductive in terms of hiding it, however, used correctly this deck is quite amazing for tricks. The cards are perfectly sized and slide in my hands easily. In the last couple of days that I've been practising I've gotten quite good at using these cards. It's at the level now that I actually prefer this deck of others. Who ever made the cards was a genius. Well, I won't deny that I always handle the cards carefully with gloves on however. I'd rather not experience the loss of blood, or try my hand of working out if these cards really are cursed. Not that I'm a believer in that kind of thing.

We walk into the hotel and are immediately overwhelmed. This place is easily a 5 star hotel. With the liberal use of gold and Greek styled pillars, it was very obvious that this place would be normally only accessible to the richest. Over at the reception desk, the receptionist was speaking to a man in a foreign language, Italian, I think. As we approached the desk the man received a card and was directed upstairs by another bellboy.

The receptionist, a beautiful woman, still albino by the way, greeted us with a smile. "Welcome to the Palameyde. As part of the cities opening event all accommodation is free for the entirety of the entertainment. May I please have your name so that I may direct you to your room?"

Once again Dad was the one to answer for us. "Everett. Cayden Everett. I am looking for a room for a family of four. My wife isn't here yet, but she should be arriving tomorrow."

"Ah, yes sir. I have already been informed. You and your family have been assigned the 5th floor as you residence for your stay here. Here are four key cards, one for each member of the family, use them in the elevator to get to your floor. The Bellboy will lead you to over to elevators. Also, before I forget, in this hotel all of the room service options will be listed on a special notice board, most of which are free of charge. Just use the phone beside the board to contact us and we will get right on it. Thank you for staying at our humble hotel." Humble, yeah right, this place screams decadence. I'll stop complaining though, staying in a place like this, at no cost? This place is like a dream.

The bellboy led us over to the elevators, the insides of which were actually very large. They were a good five meters square and covered entirely in velvet like material, except for the floor. The bellboy pulled out a card and flashed it in front of a panel on the wall. I guess this is the demonstration on how to use our cards. The panel lit up and showed the number 5 and the elevator began to rise. After the short trip we were revealed to the 5th floor.

The bellboy quickly gave us a tour of the floor. "First we have the living room, quick large and built to ensure open space and comfort for all inside. We also offer you a 72 inch plasma screen television set with access to channels across the globe and access to the live feeds of the events once they start. Do note however, that the best viewing will actually be made from the direct premise, so I humbly recommend going to the other islands to view the action."

Next we were shown over the next room, the Dining room. There was a large table, with enough space to fit 12 people, obviously for guests should we invite them. It had both electronic lighting, and a candle chandelier, should we want to use it.

There was a kitchen nearby, should we wish to cook. "I would however like to note that our chefs are very well trained in a large variety of cooking, and in particular we do specialize in French dishes. I would ask that you should try them at your leisure."

"If you follow me this way, you will find 4 normal bedrooms, and the master bedroom at the end of the corridor. Each bedroom has an attached bathroom and toilet for your personal use. A cleaner will arrive at 9 in the morning and at 4 in the afternoon every day to clean up so don't worry. With the spare rooms, feel free to use them for guests, but please inform us of the number as they arrive."

"Over this way, we have the study. We also have several well renowned novels supplied should you wish to do some reading. Just call room service and ask. Over beyond that door is in your personal swimming pool. Feel free to use it as much as you want. I do recommend not swimming alone however, as the staff will not be serving as life guards for the pool I'm afraid. Personal space and privacy issues I'm afraid. Lastly, and most certainly not least, we have a room that is really up to you do decide the use for. We call it the creator's room. You are allowed to freely rearrange this room using whatever furniture you wish to use. A place for a piano, a small Jacuzzi, anything you want to do with it. Once again, just call room service for immediate assistance."

With that the bellboy went about moving our luggage into the rooms, and was soon greeted by another bellboy who had our larger luggage on one of those rake things. Once they were done they left us to unpack our clothes and personal items. I chose the room closest to the elevator. It uses purple and silver as it décor choice, and well, I just really like the colour purple.

One thing I did note however, is that both Dad and Ashley have serious looks on their faces. I have no idea as to why Ashley looks so serious but Dad, is murmuring about how unbelievable it is to be treated to such an amazing hotel free of charge. I must say, I absolutely agree with him.

It's still early in the afternoon, but I realize something. I haven't eaten anything, and I mean anything since last night. My stomach is trying to devour itself to sate my appetite. I check the notice board that is near the elevator and see what room service offers. The first thing I notice however, is that they mention a restaurant on the first floor. Once again, it seems to be free of charge. I return to my room and get my key card and my deck of cards and go ask Dad and Ashley if they want to come too. Ashley answers with a quick 'no' from the other side of her bedroom door, but Dad readily accepts.

The two of us head down to the restaurant, it doesn't really seem to have a name, but it's part of the hotel. Unlike the rest of the hotel, it has a more accepting feel, like I'm actually allowed inside if I'm not rich. There is currently no other customers, so me and Dad sit down at one of the tables at random. We both order some food. In my case Lasagna. In dads, he just ordered some bagels. Now I know that this place supposedly specializes in French food, but I'd rather go with something I'm used to at the moment.

After a surprisingly short wait our meals are brought to us by a waiter. It looked fabulous and tastes delicious. After about 5 minutes of enthusiastic eating, another customer arrives, a blond woman aged at about 25, wearing formal attire. A green dress and a coat, with high heeled shoes. The looks around the room and her eyes finally meet mine and Dad's. She seems to stop and think for a small second before seems to realise something and quickly makes our way over to our table.

The woman looks dad in the face and asks "You wouldn't happen to be 'The' Demon disciple Everett would you?"

Dad looks at her for a second before answering back, a slightly nostalgic look on his face, quickly shaken away and replaced with a smile. "Formerly so, but yes I would be him"

"I can't believe that I'm meeting you in person! I was a frequent visitor to your events when they were still on and I was even at that unfortunate show. It was such a bad accident, and I felt a piece of my childhood leave when I heard you had retired due to the accident."

"Well, I had little choice, my hands have lost much of their flourish. My arms just can't move at such speeds any more. While I could possibly still be on stage, I'm afraid it just wouldn't be the same. As such, I'm passing my knowledge on to my son, Leigh." Dad nods over towards me.

The woman looks over to me and says, with a smile on her face, "I hope you make your father proud. And in turn, give a new audience the same feeling I used to have. Anyway, Mr Everett, would we be able to have a talk, I have much I would just love to discuss with you."

"Of course Miss..."

"Elaine Martoritz. Please just call me Elaine. Well then first could I ask you about..." And with that I just drowned her out. Now I love Dad's stories just as much as anyone else does, but quite frankly I just got metaphorically shoved off to the side by this woman. She really doesn't have interest in me at all.

I quickly polished of my lasagna and got out of my chair. It looks like Dad and his fan will be continuing their chat for a while so I left the vicinity, and by that I mean the entire building. I have my mobile phone on me so I can be contacted, and it is currently at maximum battery life so I don't have to worry about that.

I step out into the city and decide to check out the sights. The first thing I think to do is to check out the shopping mall I saw on the way to the hotel. If my memory serves me well, it should be three blocks down from here.

I walk down the street noting the wide variety of people walking around. People from most walks of life a walking around the city. There were various people travelling around in the Limousine taxis, and what appeared to be several clergymen moving through the park nearby. They seem rather hostile to everyone else for some reason however. Actually, looking around, everyone is either minding their own business or staring daggers at others. There seems to be some discord here, but for reasons that I just can't seem to figure out.

A little walk down from there is the Shopping mall, it doesn't seem to have a name yet, or the painters haven't given it one yet.

Looking in it's easy to see that rather than having worldwide franchises everywhere, this island has taken a different approach. Reading the notice board it's fairly easy to understand the rules of this place. It's basically first come first served. There are designated areas all throughout the mall, and once you claim it it's yours to do business in. AS such there is a plethora of different store for different purposes littering the mall. At least the food stores are roughly located in the same area.

One store however is painfully obvious. It has 3 times the standard area of anyone else, and the owner seems to be yet another of what seems to be this islands native people. Even more than that though, it's selling weapons. Pistols, Machine guns, Rocket launchers, Broadswords, rapiers, whips, daggers... hell there is even flintlock rifles and a cannon over in the corner. There is a blatantly obvious sign saying "Offering alteration prowess at negotiable prices."

I'm curious, hell, who wouldn't be? I take a little look around, trying to not get in the way of some unsavoury folk who have also found their way to this store. I find my eyes drawn towards a set of throwing knives displayed behind so glass. The metal and hilt is engraved in a strange pattern that makes it look amazing, and considering that I didn't bring my throwing knives here I am most definitely interested in having some practice done with these beautify blades.

I don't really have much money on me. "And what on earth is an odo meant to be?" The knives are being sold at 4000 odo, is that the currency here? And just how much is that anyway?

"Odo is the currency being used, and it is a term representing the energy contained inside living things. Your life force if you will, though paying with your life doesn't sound friendly." Oh god, someone's right behind me! Well, the voice is female and sounds rather friendly so it's no to bad. I turn around to look at the per... what the hell kind of fashion statement is that?! She's wearing something like a long white dress with long sleeves and a hood that not only covers her face but her entire head is enclosed. It's like she took a white hood and stitched it together so the entire face was hidden. ON top of that, she is wearing white gloves and white shoes. I can't see a single pieces of flesh, only white. Every last drop is white. Can she even see like that?

"Um..."

"Though, if you had no idea about the currency I assume you have none on you. I happen to be in a good mood at the moment, so I guess a can pay for those well crafted knives for you."

"You can see?" That's the real that surprises me.

"Quite well thank you. Judging by the fact that you are in here can I assume that you plan to participate in the event that's being held here?"

"Not at all, rather I'm someone training to be a stage magician. Judging by the atmosphere it might be important to state the extra word. Anyway, I just thought they were a good set of knives that I could use to practice with." They really do look it. I haven't held them in my hands, but they look like they are well balanced. I hope.

"Ah, shop tender, can we take a look at these knives. Well that's a nod, let's take them out and have a look shall we?" Are we really allowed to just do that? "Oooh, these really are well balanced! Here take a look."

The strange woman offers one of the knives to me and I take a hold of it. It has a nice weight to it and I quickly balance it on my finger to test the balance of the blade. Yep, this should do fine. I also quickly test the sharpness of the blade quickly. That's passes as well. "These are really good knives. But still, I don't think I should just let some random person I just met buy something expensive for me."

"Call me Ven, that solves problem number one, and they're not really that expensive but if it make you feel better, and you have something on you can you do a small trick for me, and that'll be your payment to me."

I have dad's deck, I have my gloves, and I'm wearing suitable attire. "Sure. Also allow me to introduce myself. I'm Leigh, the..." I need a stage name... I'm not ready to steal dad's old stage name, and It's not like I have... "the silver magician, at your serving. I don't need much space to do this, so I'll show you my favourite card trick." As I'm speaking I have already put on my magician persona and have equipped my gloves.

"Now the deck I am using is quite special. It was used by a man hailed to be a demon. These cards have the unique little property of always giving me the card I want. Even if it's one that draw and gets shuffled back into the deck. You can check the cards if you want. They are all the same size and aren't marked in any way."

I hand Ven the cards and after checking them over she gives them back. "I've checked them, and there is indeed nothing in the cards that helps you. No marks, no hidden spells to help rearrange or teleport cards, nothing to help you out."

As I get back the cards I shuffle them in front of my audience, the strange woman Ven, plus a couple of the other customers and even the shop keeper. Of course she just mentioned magic, and considering the host of this island mentioned real magic I feel I should play along somehow. "Nothing you could find. I said, the former owner was a demon. I'm fairly sure he was quite amazing at hiding his tricks and curses. And let me prove it. As you can see, I'm shuffling this deck profusely. I'm even cutting this deck in front of your eyes and shuffling again. There should be no way that I know which cards is where."

I hold the cards, slightly spread out in front of me. "If you could, please take a single card. Then show it to the audience. And, don't tell me what it was" The woman of pure white takes a single card and show it to the audience. I really have no idea what card it is. I've really shuffled the cards in a way that I have no idea what is what. But no matter. "Now that everyone has seen the card, please give it back and I'll put it pack in the deck and shuffle it."

I get the card back and go to shuffle the cards lowering my arms a bit so that I can slip a card up into my sleeves. I finish shuffling the deck and hold the deck out again. "And now the deck will whisper in my ears and tell me what card was chosen earlier. And now I wi..."

"You slipped a card up into your sleeves." The woman who should by all rights be blind, Ven, calls out the action I did just earlier.

"Oh? And just what are you insinuating? That I'm cheating?" I flip the card out of my sleeve. "I just really like the design of the ace of spades for this deck." The card I flipped out was indeed the ace of spades, and has on it the image of a demon wielding a sword artistically rendered on it. "But that wasn't you card." I pull a card out of the middle of the deck and show it to Ven. "The card you pulled out of the deck earlier was the 9 of hearts. It would have been better if you pulled a face card or one of the aces or jokers. They have quite the impressive artwork." I give a devilish smile to the individual who fell right into my trap, using my smile to tell the story.

The first to start clapping is my stunned "temporary assistant" Ven, and soon the rest of the small audience claps as well. I shuffle the cards again before putting them back into their special container.

"Well then, budding magician, I believe I owe you some knives. Take them will pride. I must ask though, how did you pull that off, and how did you know that I was going to see your fake trick?"

"That, is what makes it magic. And a true magician never explains his."

I'm walking back to the hotel, everything going my way right? The thrill of the performance is always alluring to me, and as such, I readily took the opportunity to show off. And now, I have a brand new set of throwing knives to practice with.

"...ese... body... me!" Did I just hear something? Now, I know I was just humming in joy, but I could swear I just heard somebody...

"Somebody, Anybody!" Yep heard it clearly that time. Ignoring it... wouldn't be my kind of thing. And it doesn't sound like the one who is calling out is in a good position. Help is always welcome, and I am always free to give it... mostly.

I quickly make my way down the alley way to the left, it's a testament to the fact that the city is new by the fact that the place is really clean, not a single piece of graffiti or built up dirt covering the walls. That's not what I came to look for though. I little further in, hidden around the corner I see what looks to be a grown man tormenting a girl of about my age. Seeing as I have no confidence in my ability to easily defeat someone larger than me, I pull out my brand new throwing knives. Threat only. Threat. Only.

"You know, I don't think picking on someone smaller is exactly the best example of being a like able human being. Also, I think it's really not something that is liked by women."

"You helping out this 'Heebie Jeebie' bitch?"

"The what?" Did he just use a very old and rather vague term? Also, that wouldn't happen to be a pistol that he's holding would it? And is that a silencer? Okay, I'm outmatched. So let's just calmly run... and oh yeah the girl. I really don't like standing anywhere near a gun, but I'm trying to do something good here. Let's just play this carefully and hid the knives behind my back. I quickly tuck them into the back of my pants. Awkward, but the only place I can have both hands open and not seem suspicious, even if I can't move quickly now.

"This stupid little "Magic" little girl, she got on my nerves you see. Here I am minding my business, when she's talking about how great her magic is as she's walking down the street. Really ruined my day you see. So, I decided to show her that what you can trust in this world is really only your body, and the calming capability of guns you see." So this entire thing is entirely unprovoked. And you are threatening her with a gun, just because of that. "Her friend ran away as soon as I waved this bad boy around. Jeeze, all of you are just plain pathetic. Even the shady guy who called me here kept hidden from me all this time. You proclaim that your hot stuff, but you see, your nothing. Anyway, there's no reason for you to bother about her, so just move along kid."

"And if I still care?"

"Do you not see the pistol?" Of course I do! And it scares the hell out of me!

"And if you weren't the only one armed? And besides, do you really think that your actions are going to be ignored for long by the guys in charge of this?" I'm praying that will all the preparations that there is something of a security force or police squad on this island.

"Ah, you're right. I'll have to be quick about this" And then there is a small discernible sound and my stomach... feels... on fire? I've... been shot?! Oh, god. This is bad... IT HURTS. Don't faint, oh, no. Fainting is death. I don't... I don't want to die. "You're still alive? Che. I should've bought something with a bigger calibre. Oh well another bullet in you should end it for you."

End? He's... going to kill me? No.. I don't want that... I don't want to die... I still haven't tested my knives yet... Yes. I have the knives. If he goes first then I don't have to die. I use both hands to pull out a knife and throw both at my target. "Not if I kill you... first..." The knives leave my hands and fly towards the man, and I hear that small sound once again. My world goes black. The last little things I see as I collapse as the man in pain and the girl running. Well, if one of us lives... then maybe... it... is ... all... good...

The killer displayed his annoyance with cusses. All he wanted to do was to show some arrogant girl and now she had gotten away. Not to mention the two knives that had been planted in his arms. The pain was evident on his face, and his pistol lay on the ground. He slowly and attentively pulled the knives out of his arms before reaching over to pick up the dropped pistol.

"Are you the one who killed the boy? No, since you're holding those knives and by your current state, I would say yes."

The strangely garbed woman, Ven, had walked into the alleyway, and surveyed the area. Maybe if the man could see her face, he would have seen the look of displeasure on her face. However, rather than looking at her, the Man looked at the other person to arrive, the owner of the Island itself, Duwain.

"The big boss himself has arrived. Well, you can punish me if you like; however, I've been hired to participate in your little game by my benefactor. See just look at the necklace, it holds the... Corvis? Yes, Corvis coat of arms. Solid gold too. Now, you can punish me, but you'll lose out on one of your prized competitors."

Duwain looked on at the scene with a slight look of interest and at the same time, annoyance. "It is a true shame, the show hasn't even begun and there are already two people dead. Ven, clean up the mess, leaving blood and bodies everywhere will scare every one unreasonably."

"Yes Master"

The killer waved his gun in an offhand manner and said "So someone else has died already as well? Damn, people work fast. Also goes to show that your security is just..." He looked down and saw the most peculiar thing. Both his hands were missing. It took a second and then the pain hit. "Ahhhhhhh! What the hell! How the hell! What just..."

Ven stood right in front of the man and held onto two of the knives that she had purchased for Leigh before they had separated. She had used these same knives to completely sever the killer's arms. And with a slight sigh, she removed his head.

She walked over to still body of the boy she had left only 5 minutes earlier and put the knives back into their case and put the case into his hands. "It is a true shame that you ended up this way. Your little tricks could have brought happiness to many people."

"Did you know the kid?"

"Yes, he was supposedly an apprentice stage magician. Though I don't think he needed the apprentice title anymore. He completely deceived me. The least I can do is pay for his way into the afterlife." She sifted through her clothes, looking for her money, before realising she had used the rest she had to purchase the knives. She walked over to the decapitated body of the boys' killer and pulls off the solid gold necklace and rests it on the boy's chest. "I saw the girl you saved as she ran away. Know that you did well. Use this gold to pay off the ferryman."

"Just remember, take the bodies to one of the designated points. Also remember, if you ever decide on a wish, it's still open there when we win."

"Yes master, I remember. I might actually consider it just to challenge myself against this boy properly."

"Was he really that good?"

"Maybe, but the fact that he outsmarted me was what caught my eye. In the end, it didn't save him though, only the life of another, but in the end, will it all be for naught."

"Just clean up the blood and any damage to the environment."

"Also if he has any, we should inform his family."

"Then you make the arrangements, I still have things to do. I must ensure that there's no chance of me losing the upcoming fights."

Oh you who steps into the land of darkness, know this. All that is here is death and lies. Now that you have shut out the noise of all but my voice, know this: Fast or slow, I am the end result of all of this, and I will... kill... everyone.

Authors Notes (Warning! May go on for a while)

It has been a while since I've actually thrown myself into writing something, and I've never actually written a fanfiction. So I'm try my hand at this, and hopefully it will come out fine.

For those that wonder. Yes I did end this first chapter like I did. Originally the first chapter was meant to go until the start of the Holy Grail War itself, but after examining it, chances are that it would be about 60 pages long before I stopped. Hence, I cut it in half, and the final result is what you should have just read.

I intend to make this story one that is easy for people both knowledgeable to the Fate/Staynight universe, and those who aren't. If you don't understand anything, it is because I haven't got around to explaining it yet, or that I accidently forgot. If that happens, I apologize in advance.

Of Importance to note, I have yet to mention a single character from the Fate universe in this chapter. (I did however, mention someone, though they will not appear). This is because that rather than using the characters from Fate, I'd rather use the themes such as the Grail War, and the Servants. This also allows me to freely write character personalities rather than stress over making every character sound right. That is not to say that I'm against bringing characters in, it is just that at the moment I do not plan to. If enough people ask me to, then I'll see what I can do.

Also to note is the mention of 12 Servants. Only the final Servant Class, Trickster, is of my own creation. All other 11 Servants have been created by Type Moon, and I'll never take credit for them. Of course, in retrospec, having 12 Servants is going to make things Chaotic for me. A Servant is known for being incredibly powerful, and hence I'll have to throw balance out the window and just roll with it. (That's actually how it goes normally anyway) I do have to actually work out the class features of Avenger, Saver, Temptress and Trickster though. I actually found out Ruler's Class feature recently. That makes things easier for me.

Also, as part of the story, Humans, or other sentient creatures are allowed to become Servants in this War. I'm not going to use it per se, but the Idea of a Grizzly bear wearing thick metal plates as armour as a Berzerker just made me laugh a little. That, and the Fate Universe has cases of individuals defeating Heroic/Legendary Spirits anyway.

Finally, I have several ideas for Servants anyway, but if anyone who reviews wants to also drop a Servant idea, I won't instantly toss aside. If it seems really interesting, even if I don't intend to have it as the main Servant, I might include them in the preliminary rounds. So, if you want to drop an idea, just list a name of an important figure, Servant class, a rough description of what they would look like (in this setting), and give one quirk that they have to give them character. Each Servant in Fate had something that made them different from their Legend, hence I would like to try the same.

Anyway, an example would be something like this: King Leonidas, Lancer, Dark hair and a bushy beard, refuses to wear a shirt, and has a god complex due to the fact that the ancient greeks worshiped him king of the gods, a.k.a. Zues (True fact).

Anyway, Thank you for reading my first chapter, and if you want to, please Review. I'm still a bit rusty, so the help would be nice.