Father Kotomine... Was a bit different from what Negi had expected.
Upon being told to go see the local priest by the headmaster, Negi had pictured in his mind a portly white haired old man with a serene smile on his face. When he got to the church however he was greeted by an oppressive figure who took one look at their small crowd and ordered them inside.
Negi wasn't quite sure why he was so intimidated by father Kotomine, who had displayed no signs of any power apart from some skill in healing as he went over the two girls. He thought it might simply be the priest's force of presence, as his voice had been just as heavy as the mood he gave off. Whatever it was, the four knights who had followed him here seemed to have been put on guard as well. Negi had noticed that Signum hadn't budged from her position between him and father Kotomine since they had first arrived at the church.
Slow and heavy footsteps turned Negi's attention back to the priest. Kotomine-san had finished with the girls and had come to stand in front of him.
"Now, young man. What do you need to see me about?" he asked him.
"Uhm..." Negi looked around at the knights. They had all introduced themselves to him but he had yet to find out anything more than the fact that they thought he was their master. Confused as to how he should say this, Negi decided to just tell the whole story from the beginning. "What happened was that -..."
Ten minutes later Negi and Kirei were sitting across from each other in the church's sitting room drinking a cup of tea.
"You were quite lucky to have summoned your servants when you did young man," Kotomine-san commented once the silence had become awkward. "As a participant in this grail war Lancer would most certainly have killed you otherwise. Quite legally too."
"Legally?" Negi's eyes went wide. "What do you mean legally?"
Kirei raised an eyebrow and looked at Signum who stood beside Negi. "You haven't explained anything to him yet?"
"We did not have the time, priest." Signum hissed the last word as if she found it ridiculous.
The priest only smiled crookedly and sat back. "Would you like me to explain young man?"
"Yes please, Kotomine-san," Negi replied instantly. He was shocked by the thought that anyone could kill someone without any repercussions. What did he mean that the crazy man could have killed him legally? Wasn't this modern day Japan?
"To begin with, I must tell you one thing," Kirei leaned forward as if he was about to tell Negi something serious and Negi unconsciously leaned forward as well.
Kirei looked Negi in the eye. "To have arrived in this city when you did, young man... You have to be one of the unluckiest magister trainees I have ever heard of."
Crash. Negi facefaulted against the tea table.
With a pleased smile on his face Kirei continued. "As of three weeks ago Fuyuki city has been declared a closed zone by the Church and the Clocktower. All mages and related personnel who step inside the boundaries of the city during this time forfeit their right to the protection of the law. Battle is permitted in order to defend one self or to do harm to another, but only as long as you make sure to keep the mundane population ignorant. These conditions were agreed to by the Kansai Magic Association and will stay in effect until the current grail war has ended."
"That's..." Negi was lost for words. The priest was telling him that in effect this whole city had become one huge free-for-all survival deathmatch arena. "You mentioned the grail war earlier," said Negi. "What is it? And what does it have to do with the local magic association allowing people to be killed?"
"I was just about to come to that," said Kirei. He then picked up his tea and drank again, as if he didn't notice how tense Negi was becoming. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes. The grail war is an event that takes place every sixty years here in Fuyuki. Seven masters within the bounds of the city are chosen and given the power to summon servants from history with whom to join the battle. The goal is to destroy the other servants in order to open the Seal of the Covenant. Inside of which is the Sangreal, an artefact that is rumoured to be able to provide those who drink from it an almost unlimited amount of mana while it is active."
"..." Wise beyond his years when it came to magic, Negi could understand why someone would put up their lives for the chance to obtain such a thing. When mages wanted to cast a large scale spell one of the most troublesome barriers they encountered was the shortage of mana. One could get by this restriction by performing the spell in a ritual manner in a location where one could tap the mana flow of the world itself, but they were few and far between. Getting permission to use them was said to be almost impossible.
"In case you are interested, there are two ways in which you can win this war. Firstly, the elimination of all enemy servants. You may find this slightly difficult as a servant tends to be a hero out of legend with the power and skill to match some of the greatest fighters of today." Kirei paused here and mumbled something before he gave Negi a funny look. "Just out of interest young man, are you related to the Thousand Master by any chance?"
"He's my father," Negi replied woodenly. He was struggling to keep up with the information he was getting and wasn't quite sure why the priest had brought this up.
An unidentifiable emotion flashed across the priest's face before he covered it with a smirk, too fast for anyone present to have made it out. "Ah... Then this may interest you. Ten years ago your father went into battle against a certain group of servants." Kirei gave the Wolkenritter a knowing look. "He won, but in so doing helped trigger one of the worst disasters that Japan has ever seen."
"My father was here ten years ago?" Negi jumped up from his seat. "Kotomine-san, what do you mean 'triggered off a disaster'? Do you know anything about what happened to him afterwards?"
Kirei shook his head. "I regret to say that I know nothing about what happened to him after his involvement here. As for the disaster... We are still not quite sure what happened, but when your father defeated that group of servants the Seal was opened much earlier than it should have been. Something happened soon afterwards to destabilise its presence here, and half of downtown Fuyuki was destroyed by the explosion and the fires that followed."
"..." Negi was silent again, his mind's eye seeing a different scene of devastation. A village in the countryside going up in flames. "... How many people died?" he finally whispered.
The air around the priest grew even heavier. "The official count was 891 dead and 42 missing. If you add the numbers who died in hospital or were crippled forever the total is three times that." Kirei looked at Signum again. "I understand that your father tried to save as many people as he could, but the last wound he received against his opponents was too severe for him to stay for long. I cannot be sure if that was true since I was one of the wounded at the time."
"You were there Kotomine-san?" Negi asked, surprised by this revelation.
"Ah! I remember you now!" Vita, who had been sitting quietly off to the corner, leapt up and pointed at Kirei. "You are that creepy priest from the last war! The one that was with Rude and Shiny!"
"I am fascinated to see that you remember me," the priest answered her drily.
Negi was startled again. "You were one of the masters?"
"He was one of the three masters that were alive at the time of our termination, master," Signum unexpectedly told him. "Vita, be quiet. Kotomine-san, I understand that the Church overseer is supposed to be a neutral observer of the grail war. Are you bound by this or are you a participant in the war yet again?"
Although Signum's hand strayed towards Laevatein, Kirei didn't blink as he dismissed the notion. "I am only an observer this time, Signum was it? I wondered if you and your fellow knights would show up again after you were defeated by the Thousand Master last time."
Now it was Signum and the Wolkenritter's turn to be looked at strangely by Negi, who had just realised who it was that Kotomine-san had said his father had fought towards the end of the last war.
"Ms Signum, did you fight against my father in the last war?" he asked to confirm his theory.
Signum went to her knee. "I apologise for not saying anything earlier master. I was not aware that you were related to any of those we fought against the last time we were summoned." She bowed her head. "Please rest assured that as the new master of the book of darkness you have our utmost loyalty."
Negi felt a complicated swirl of emotions toss and turn inside his heart. He was excited that he finally had some clue as to what his dad had been doing ten years ago, but at the same time he was shocked to realise exactly what that had been and how the people now around him had been involved. Most complicated was what he felt towards Signum. There was a high chance that the knight who knelt before him had been partly responsible for his dad's disappearance, if only because she had hurt him seriously enough that he had to withdraw and seek treatment. Even with advanced healing magic a wound like that lowered your reserves for a few weeks, or permanently if it was so bad that it couldn't be cured completely. On the other hand, she seemed to be perfectly serious when she said that she now served him, and... There was something else, but he couldn't have explained what it was. All Negi knew was that looking at Signum made him feel funny and flut-
She hurt dad.
"Urk," Negi clutched his chest. It hurt for some reason.
"Master, are you alright?" Signum hurried to support him. When he felt her hands around him it only seemed to make the pain worse.
"Is there something wrong with your master Wolkenritter?" asked Kirei when Negi began to moan softly.
"Shamal!" Signum shouted for the healer of their group.
"Here, sit him down," the Knight of the Lake was already there and she cast a diagnosis spell as Signum lowered Negi into the seat. "That's very odd. His body's going wild and his linker core is unstable."
"Can you fix it?" Signum asked.
"I will try," Shamal said uncertainly. Since she didn't know what was causing this all she could do was stabilise his body and hope for the best.
With a worried light in her normally clear eyes, Signum watched in nervous silence as Shamal tried to heal their master of whatever was afflicting him. The Knight of the Sword could face any enemy without fear, treating any wounds taken as nothing more than a badge of honour, but in a case like this where her master was the one who had a problem she grew flustered and uncertain. It was all the worse because there was nothing she could do but wait due to her lack of knowledge in regards to the human body.
"Shamal..." Signum called the other knight when Negi showed no sign of recovery after a few minutes.
"I don't understand," Shamal sounded a little frustrated. "My spells fade almost as soon as I use them."
"Perhaps I may be able to help," suggested Kirei, startling the Wolkenritter.
"No way you creepy priest!" Vita jumped in to put herself in his way. "There's no way you are touching our master."
Zafira prowled over next to her in his beast form to reinforce the message.
Kirei simply stared at Signum with a silent message in his eyes. Signum hesitated but when she saw that Shamal wasn't getting anywhere gave in and took Laevatein in her hand.
"Vita, Zafira, stand down."
"Eh?"
"Grwf?"
Signum stepped over to Kirei's side. "Go and see if you can help priest. Be warned however that I will take your life should you show any sign that you may be doing anything suspicious."
"Oh ye of little faith," Kirei said with a snort as he went to Negi's side. "As a servant of the lord it is my duty to do what I can to help those in need."
Shamal, keep an eye on what he's doing. Signum ordered the discomfited healer.
Under the wary eyes of the Wolkenritter, Kirei began to examine Negi.
"As I had expected," he said after a while. "His soul is being strained by something."
"His soul?" Shamal seemed puzzled.
Kirei looked at her. "Hmm, it appears that our schools of healing magic are very different. No matter." A soft blue light surrounded Kirei's right hand as he mumbled a short prayer in latin, and Negi seemed to relax. "There, he should be fine for now."
Shamal checked and found that Negi's readings were back to normal. "Thank you Kotomine-san, but could you explain what you did?"
"It was a realignment of his spiritual balance, not something that you would understand," Kirei told her. "He should wake up in a few minutes. Now, if you will excuse me, I must go and inform some people to come pick up those girls you brought in. If you wish to leave there is a key and directions on the table over there for the house that the association keeps. Young Negi here is welcome to use it for as long as he needs."
"We will leave as soon as our master is awake," Signum confirmed. "Thank you for your assistance priest."
Kirei smiled, somehow giving the impression that he knew something they didn't. "My pleasure, servant." He then turned around and headed for the church hall. "Oh, and if Negi decides that he wants to become fully involved in the grail war, tell him to come see me first," Kirei asked of Signum before he went out the door. "I must record the entry of an eighth master after all."
Elsewhere in Fuyuki city, a little girl stood silent vigil over the cooling corpse of the man she had most hated and most loved.
"This is a joke right Kiritsugu?" she whispered. "You can't be dead, not when I never even got to ask you why..."
"Dad? Where are you?" somebody called out from around the street corner. The girl looked up, puzzled by the noise. The attention deflection spell she had cast around the neighbourhood meant that no one should have bothered her until the morning at least.
"Dad?" The person who was shouting came into sight. When she saw who it was the little girl's eyes suddenly grew as cold as ice.
"Dad? What..." Emiya Shirou grew pale as he realised that the man who had raised him was dead. "Who... Did you do this?" he shouted angrily at the only person in sight.
Ilyasviel von Einzbern, a girl who had faced hardships that no child should have had to endure, snapped at the accusation. How dare he? He was the one who stole her father from her in the first place! Without him she would have been able to enjoy a happy family life together with Kiritsugu and mother. How dare he accuse her of having done this!
Consumed by rage towards the boy in front of her, Ilya was a little beyond such things as reality as she imagined the life she could have led if he hadn't existed.
"Berserker!" Ilya called out to the servant that had been transformed by her anger. "Kill him! Slaughter him! Scatter his body parts across the earth!"
"Uoooh-!"
"Shirou!" Shirou was forced aside as a young women in blue and silver armour darted forward with sword in hand.
"Saber, don't let them get away!" Shirou shouted. His father was dead, the man who had saved his life gone without even a chance to say goodbye. He wasn't half the mage that Kiritsugu had been, but Emiya Shirou wasn't about to sit around with his father's killer right in front of him. "Trace, on!" he cried out as a simple curved blade appeared in his hands.
With misunderstandings and tragic pasts coming together in a confused tangle of emotions, the first battle between the two children of Emiya Kiritisugu began.
Onboard the Asura, the medical bay was filled with those who knew and were worried for the two young girls who had just been picked up from below.
"How are they?" Yuuno asked as the medical officer ran a check over them.
"In better shape than I had expected," said the medical officer who looked pleasantly surprised. "Whoever patched them up really knew what they were doing. Fate-chan should be up within a few hours. Nanoha-chan however..."
"What? What about Nanoha?" Chrono pressed her when she did not continue.
The medical officer frowned as she looked at the readings. "She has some quite severe damage to her linker core. Nothing that wont heal given time, but I recommend that she stay in bed for two or three days at least."
"Whew," Chrono let out a sigh of relief that was echoed by all the others.
"What happened down there anyway?" Arf asked angrily now that she knew Fate was fine. "I thought you said they were just checking on someone!"
"They were," Chrono replied, a bit angry himself. "A TSAB liason sent a message to HQ that he had important information in regards to a dangerous lost logia that was thought to have been destroyed ten years ago. Nanoha and Fate were supposed to just go and check the situation and then pick up the liason."
"Does that mean that there's another lost logia active on Earth?" asked Yuuno.
"We aren't sure," replied Chrono. "The area that Nanoha and Fate were in is apparently a ritual site for the mages of Earth. Due to the lack of details that Admiral Graham's contact made available we only know that there's something going on that got the two of them hurt. The admiral wants us to postpone an investigation until the contact can secure some concrete information, but..."
"We will be sending an investigation team down as soon as possible," Admiral Harlaown announced as she stepped into the medical bay.
"So it really is the book of darkness?" Chrono asked with a complicated light in his eyes.
The Captain nodded, knowing what her son was thinking. "The data recorded by Raising Heart and Bardiche leave no room for doubt."
"Hey wait a second, Earth has mages?" Arf exclaimed.
"... What's the book of darkness?" inquired the more scholarly part-time ferret. He wasn't so surprised that Earth had mages, after all you didn't get a ten year old AAA class mage popping up out of nowhere.
"We've actually known that Earth had mages of their own for 10 years now," Captain Lindy admitted with a sad smile on her face. "No one is sure of their numbers however, and the TSAB has a strict need-to-know policy in place due to the fact that negotiations with the local authorities are under way in regards to a limited Administration Registration of the planet. I am only allowed to tell you since the personnel on-board are about to enter a situation where we will come into contact with some of them." She turned to Yuuno. "As for what the book of darkness is... Actually, do you mind if I left the explanations for later Yuuno-kun? I have to give a briefing on it to the advance team."
"Uh, sure captain," Yuuno said with a nod.
Silence, complete silence. A lack of sound so total as to oppress the senses.
Negi had never realised before now just how noisy the world he lived in was. Few people ever did. From the bustle of a busy city, to the wind rustling the grass on an empty plain, every corner of the world was filled with sounds. This was a truth from the dawn of time, and every being on the planet grew up with the background noise of life.
Only now in its absence did he realise how comforting that was.
He couldn't even hear himself. Not even the slightest puff of air from his breath. He wondered how this was possible, but a glance around himself at the unnaturally foggy landscape he had found himself in suggested that he would not like the answer.
Without any clues as to how he had ended up in this strange space, all Negi could do was wander aimlessly in search of an exit. When time passed however with no signs that he had made any progress, he began to grow nervous. He was mature for his age, but still a child. Lost in an environment out of horror movies and unable to hear a thing, his tender mind began to break down under the strain.
Negi was on the verge of losing hope when he noticed something ahead of him. A person, a woman lying suspended in the middle of what appeared to be some kind of magic circle. Relieved to see something within this bleak and empty domain apart from himself, Negi quickly ran towards the stranger in order to ask her where he was.
He didn't have much luck. Though the circle did not repel him, the woman that it held was fast asleep, and nothing Negi did could wake her. Desperate now, Negi racked his mind for options, and realiesd that there was one thing that he hadn't yet tried.
His magic.
Unsure if it would work in the absence of sound, Negi chanted the activation keyword that acted as a form of self-hypnosis to put himself into the optimal state to draw upon his magic power. "Ras tel ma scir magister."
And was very surprised to find that he was able to hear himself.
Before he could go any further however, the magic circle around the sleeping woman flared to life. Negi was wondering what was going on when something came ripping through him, clawing at his mind and magic like nothing he had ever felt before.
The last thing he saw before everything faded away was that of the woman's eyes opening. Ruby eyes, staring with deep sadness into his own.
"Shamal! What's going on?" Signum asked when their master suddenly began to scream and writhe in pain.
"I don't know!" the knight of the lake replied in a panicked voice as she looked back and forth between her new master and the ancient book that they were bound to. "The Book of Darkness suddenly activated, but it isn't letting me access its functions!"
"Override it then!" Signum snapped as she held her young master down to stop him from hurting himself. "Priest!"
"Didn't I just heal your master Signum?" the priest drawled sarcastically as he came back into the room.
"Just do what you can to help the kid," Vita said angrily from her seat as she glared at him.
Kirei raised an eyebrow as he knelt back down. "Still so angry about the last time we met Vita? You really must come listen to one of my sermons sometimes, to forgive and forget is a good lesson for people to learn, even if you are not a christian."
The hammer of the Wolkenritter choked on her response as Signum told her to shut up and let the priest get on with his work. It was only when she calmed down and sat back that she realised what was wrong about what she had just said and felt.
"Hey Shamal," she said as she turned towards the blonde knight currently buried amidst diagnostic and command screens for the Book of Darkness.
"Yes Vita?" Shamal replied distractedly.
Vita kicked her feet as she scrunched up her face in thought. "How come we remember the last time we were summoned? Don't we usually forget most of that when the book gets reactivated?"
Shamal froze in the midst of opening a screen. "... You are right."
"Shamal, what's happened to the book?" Signum asked when she overheard what Vita had asked.
"Just a second!" the blonde knight closed her eyes in order to process the data faster. "Scanning... Changes detected in fifty seven areas. Thirty five of which are in the core matrix to which I don't have access." Shamal frowned. "Strange, some of these changes... It's as if the Book of Darkness has begun to merge with something."
"Merge?" Zafira, who had been quiet until now with nothing to add, growled. "With what?"
"... I'm not sure," Shamal whispered. "All I can tell with my access is that... It's powerful."
Distracted by the news, none of them noticed the flash of an unidentifiable emotion in Kirei's eyes as he listened to them.
"Ahem," the priest cleared his throat, his eyes dead once more. "Something seems to be drawing upon the boy's magic. Can you tell me what?"
"Ah!" Shamal's eyes flew open. "The collection programme's been corrupted!"
"What?" the other Wolkenritter cried out in alarm.
"It's leeching power from the master to fill the pages," Shamal said in a shaking voice. "I.. I can't stop it without administrator access."
Signum and the others had no idea what to do. An enemy they could fight, if power was needed they could get it, but what could they do when the artefact that gave them life was now about to destroy that which held them here?
"So that's what it was," Kirei mused to himself as he looked down upon the youngest master of the Holy Grail War. "Boy, can you hear me?"
"What are you doing priest?" Signum said suspiciously when Kirei shook her master.
"I can help him get away from this, but I need him to be awake," explained the priest as he applied another spell to temporarily isolate the boy's soul and core. "Can you hear me now young Springfield?"
"Yes..." Negi gasped as he opened his eyes. The normally bright eyes were clouded with confusion and pain.
"I've cut off the Book's influence for now but it will not hold for long," Kirei told him. "If you wish to live past tonight you must be able to block such assaults by yourself."
Negi looked at him blindly until meaning penetrated. "... How?"
"I will teach you, so focus and remember what I'm going to tell you." Kirei sat Negi back up and put a hand on his back. "Get ready," he warned.
"What?"
It was soon clear what he was supposed to get ready for when the pain flooded back in. Negi nearly passed out, but the strange soothing sensation he could feel from the hand on his back and the knowledge that he was in danger of dying if he didn't focus kept him stay awake.
Kirei waited until he was sure the boy was ready. "I see that I may not have to arrange a funeral today. As would be expected of his son I suppose."
"Get on with it priest!" snarled Zafira who could see the sweat gathering on his master's brow.
"Indeed," Kirei's hand began to glow with a soft blue light. "Now, repeat after me young Springfield. Sabbe sattā sukhi hontu..."
Half an hour later, Negi was sleeping again, exhausted from the effort it had taken to memorise the chant and magic cycle that Kirei had taught him while resisting the pain of having his magic forcefully drained.
"Is the kid going to be okay?" Vita asked with a hint of concern in her voice as Signum wiped the sweat from his face. Negi was sleeping with his head on the sword knight's lap, where he had been put by Kirei once the lesson was complete.
"The programme has slowed down," said Shamal from where she was running through the data she had managed to retrieve. "He will be okay now... but not for long."
"How long do we have?" Zafira asked.
"From what I can see..." Shamal grimaced. "Six days at best."
"Then you know what you must do," said Kirei from his seat on the sofa. He had been forced to sit down and rest after he had run through most of his power.
The Wolkenritter looked at each other, grim determination showing in their eyes as they made up their minds. Filling the Book of Darkness was something they were programmed to do anyway, but the threat to their master meant that the task had just taken on a priority far greater than before.
"We will have to take out the other servants as quickly as possible," said Shamal. "We lost of lot of pages in the last Grail War because we were forced into drawn out battles."
"Agreed, and we will have to make sure that we are the ones to take out the servants as well," Signum's fingers stroked Laevatein's hilt. "We were unable to collect the power from half the servants and their masters last time."
"What about the Sangrael?" asked Vita. "Wouldn't the power from that be enough? Our last master certainly thought so."
Signum shook her head. "Getting access to it is out final goal, but we must take out all the servants for that. It will be best to focus on the battle for now."
"If the mages are anything like how I remember it will be a lot easier to take them out instead of their servants," Zafira argued. "We could open the Seal that way if we located them all and took them out with long range assaults."
"Zafira does have a point," said Shamal. "Most of the mages here have far lower defensive capabilities than we are used to. It might be a good idea to focus on getting access to the Sangrael as quickly as possible instead of battling the Servants."
Signum looked thoughtful, and was about to reply when another voice interrupted them.
"No fighting," Negi said weakly. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
"Master? You were awake?" Shamal said, surprised.
Signum looked down at her young master, lying there across her lap like the innocent child he should have been. "Master, what do you mean that we must not fight?"
"Just that, no fighting," Negi coughed and tried to sit up. Signum caught him as he was about to fall back and leaned him back against the sofa. To which he gave her a grateful smile, unsettling the knight of the sword with the unfamiliar sensations it invoked in her chest.
"Master, I'm not sure you understand," Shamal said gently, as if she was speaking to a normal child. "If we do not fight and fill the Book of Darkness, you will die. It is our duty as your knights to prevent that."
Negi smiled at her too, a little sadly this time. "I know that Ms Shamal, but I can't let anyone else get hurt in order for me to stay unharmed. If someone must die... It should be me."
Negi's voice broke down towards the end, and no one was able to hear what he mumbled afterwards, but the gist of his words was clear. Their new master was going to sacrifice himself.
"Oh geez, I can't believe you brat!" Vita snarled. "Did your mother drop you on your head when you were born or something? You are going to [i]die[/i] unless we do this! Die! This is no time to try and be a damned idiotic hero!"
"Vita, be quiet," Signum's eyes flashed with restrained anger, although the target of her fury was a mystery. "If you cannot be respectful when talking to our master, do not talk at all. This is the last time I will warn you." That said she turned to look at Negi. "Master, do you truly intend to do this? Even though it means that you will no doubt die?"
Negi looked back at her uncertainly for a long moment before he finally seemed to steel his resolve. "Yes."
Silence, no one spoke for a long while as the Wolkenritter tried to come to terms with their master's decision. Self-sacrifice was not an alien concept for them, but only when it was applied by them for their master. For their master to sacrifice himself for others he did not know was a first in their limited memory, and it was something that they had trouble getting their heads around.
The awkward atmosphere was broken by Kirei, who reminded them of his presence by clapping his hands loudly.
"Bravo, bravo!" the priest laughed as if amused. "As expected of the son of the Thousand Master! Such nobility, such self-sacrifice. Why, it brings a tear to my eye to see it in such a young child."
Negi was young, but he could tell when he was being made fun of. Frowning he replied heatedly to Kirei's mocking words. "Why yes Kotomine-san, I am my father's son, and as you pointed out I am only doing what I expect my father would have done if he were here. Do you find that amusing?"
The Wolkenritter responded to their master's ire by turning hostile gazes upon the priest, but he did not seem to be affected at all as he looked upon Negi with a sneer on his lips.
"Oh, a very fine sentiment I am sure young Springfield, and I realise that you may indeed have the resolve to back your words," the priest's sarcastic tone deepened. "But do you truly think that your actions affect only yourself? Do you truly believe that you will be able to avoid getting involved in the war just because you have decided you do not wish to participate?"
"What do you mean Kotomine-san?" Negi asked, confused now.
"Look upon your knights, young Springfield," Kirei said as he gestured towards the four servants of the Book of Darkness. "They are your Servants, and unlike some others summoned by the Grail will obey your every word, for you are their master, the one in whom they have placed their fate and trust. Will you betray that trust then by allowing their existence to be erased? For that is what you have decided for them by giving up."
"What?" Negi turned to look at Signum. "Is that true?" he asked hesitantly.
Signum tried not to meet his eyes, but nodded once in silent confirmation.
"The world is not so convenient that you can ignore that which does not suit you," Kirei continued forcefully before Negi had the change to recover. "There are events in this world from which you cannot step back from once you are involved, and this Grail War is one of them. Give up, go and play with your toys if you wish, but do not believe that you will be left alone to perish in quiet ignominy. Make no mistake young Springfield. If you attempt to avoid the war, the war will come to you. The only way out of this is to step forward, the only way to live is to win. Will your resolve be strong enough to survive the flames of battle? The numerous foes who will seek to take your life?" Kirei quietened down. "I look forward to finding out the answer to that question."
With that the priest stood up and left, leaving behind the Wolkenritter as they looked to see what their master would decide, and a contemplative Negi. Little Negi, who now faced a choice that would determine his future, and shatter what little innocence he retained.
"What is the Book of Darkness?" Negi asked as they made their way down the hill. They had said goodbye to Kotomine-san and were on their way to the house that had been provided for them.
Signum looked at Shamal, who sighed and pulled out an ornately decorated tome.
"This is the Book of Darkness, master," said the knight of the lake as she handed the book over. "It's dormant now but for ourselves and the collection programme, but in essence the book is a data collection and power storage device."
"What's wrong with that?" Arf asked onboard the [i]Asura[/i]. "Doesn't sound so bad to me."
"If that was all we wouldn't be so worried," Amy sighed as she read the data she had received from HQ.
"Amy is right," said Lindy. "Sometime in the past, the core programme that governs the functions of the Book of Darkness was corrupted. Instead of being the harmless archive that it was meant to be, the book went out of control as its self-defence programme registered everything around it as a threat."
Yuuno blinked. "Self-defence programme?"
"You could say that we are the faces of the self-defence programme," Shamal added. "The first line of defence between the book's master and any threats we encounter."
"Hang on a second. That can't be right Ms Shamal," Negi looked at the Wolkenritter. "A golem or any other limited intelligence is one thing, but this? That's impossible! You are..." Negi waved his hands around as he fumbled for a suitable term. "Well, people!"
Shamal smiled as her new master tried to come to grips with their existence. "We do possess the physical traits of humanity I admit, but there's no denying that we are created beings master. The Book of Darkness created us, and to the book we will return when our duty is complete."
"So those are the things that attacked Fate and Nanoha?" Arf said angrily.
Lindy nodded. "Yes, the Wolkenritter. The four encounters that the TSAB has on record tell us that they are cold, emotionless projections of the book's programme."
"Make no mistake," Chrono butted in. "Though they may look like people, they are not. The TSAB has attempted to reason with them in the past and have paid dearly for it. With no real will or emotions, they exist only to protect the book and complete its pages. No matter what the cost is to the book's wielder or those around him."
"We exist to serve, master," Signum told him. "By our honour as knights of the Belkan empire, we are your swords in battle. Your shields against all harm. Only speak of your wish, and we will carry it out."
"Unless you are stupid enough to try and kill yourself that is," Vita added. "We kinda have ta stop ya then."
"For once I find I agree with Vita," Zafira said in his calm and low voice.
"I see," said Negi as he absorbed the implications. It seemed that they were serious about this and under the circumstances he didn't feel up to debating the meaning of life with them. "Let's leave that matter aside for now. What's this about collecting pages for the book?"
"The Book of Darkness stays dormant until its 666 pages have been filled. As was the case with Fate and Nanoha, the power to fill those pages comes from the linker cores of mages and other beings that hold enough magic to be collected." Chrono paused and brought up a screen. "While the Wolkenritter are troublesome, they do not compare to the danger presented by a filled Book of Darkness. Once activated, the book's power is such that entire worlds have been devastated in the past, with the programme only shutting down when excessive force was applied in attempts to destroy it. If we are to avoid the worst case scenario here on Earth, we have to make sure that we do not allow the Wolkenritter to proceed with their plans."
"So you are saying that the book will stop draining my magic if we fill the pages?" Negi asked to make sure he understood correctly.
"Yes master. Once the book is active it is able to utilise an environmental collection programme to power itself from the ambient magic of a world," explained Shamal.
Negi frowned. "Why can't it do that now?"
Shamal smiled bitterly. "I am afraid that due to the high power requirements of the Book of Darkness, it has a minimum level of power that needs to be collected before the core programmes will activate. Before that point is reached not even the administrator is able to change any of its settings."
"Oh, that's a shame," said Negi, falling silent as he thought about what that meant.
"We would not suggest collecting power from our enemies if there was another choice master," Signum said after a while when Negi seemed to fall under a gloomy cloud. "As it is, the other mages involved in this conflict will attempt to kill you for their goals, and it is only reasonable that we protect ourselves. If we are able to fill the Book of Darkness in the process that is just another bonus."
"... But that still doesn't mean that we should kill people," Negi replied. "I remember that you were able to drain power from that girl before without killing her. Can't we just do that for everyone else we face?"
Signum sighed and resisted the temptation to massage her temple. They had made progress, in that their master was showing a willingness to participate in the battle at least. His wishes however...
"Master, if that is your command we will obey," said sword of the Wolkenritter. "However, I urge you to remember that while the masters are human, the Servants that they summon are but spirits given physical form. Given that they are beings whose power matches their legends, defeating them in that manner... Will be difficult, and dangerous for all involved."
Negi thought about that. From what he had read the practice of summoning spirits for battle was not that uncommon a strategy here in the East. If he thought about it that way it didn't seem so wrong to 'kill' them. However, thinking back to the crazy man with the spear who had chased him earlier today, he couldn't see the line that seperated him from an individual with a life to a mage's tool of battle.
"I will... Think about it," he said reluctantly as he suspended judgement on the matter. He wanted to talk to some people about the mess he had found himself in before he decided on anything. "That's all I can say for now, so please restrict yourselves if we are attacked."
"Yes master," intoned the Wolkenritter.
"So what do we now admiral?" Yuuno asked as the briefing came to an end.
Admiral Lindy looked at her son, who was staring at a display with a dark look on his face. It was clear that he wasn't about to join them again any time soon.
Sighing, she turned back to face Yuuno. "Now that we've confirmed that the Book of Darkness is here at work, the Asura has to head to the nearest shipyard for some modifications. In the meantime however we will be setting up a field base in Fuyuki city from which to operate from and keep an eye out for the Wolkenritter."
"Ma'am, there's an addendum on the information that Admiral Graham gave us which says that the man who was to be our original contact has a son," said Amy as she came across the entry. "We may wish to send someone to check up on him."
"That would be wise wouldn't it," Lindy nodded and looked at Chrono. "Chrono dear, could you please do that? Yuuno-kun, Arf, may I ask you to accompany him just in case?"
"Yes admiral," Yuuno instantly replied. Arf on the other hand looked hesitant.
"You don't need to worry about Fate, Arf," said Lindy when she noticed. "The Asura won't be heading back immediately and I will make sure that she's well looked after until you get back."
Arf nodded then and stood up to join Chrono and Yuuno as they made their way out of the room.
"Amy, while they are at it could you please organise a meeting with the person who contacted us earlier?" Lindy asked as they left. "What was his name again?"
"Kotomine Kirei-san, admiral. Our information lists him as the local representative of an organisation known as the Catholic Church, which is listed as being one of the seven..."
They were halfway across town when Zafira noticed they were being followed.
Signum, there's somebody behind us.
How many? Signum asked when she was unable to make out the presence.
Just two, but they don't appear to be working together. Zafira told her. One's stopped while the others continued to close in.
Vita, on me. Zafira, keep an eye on the second one. Shamal, get ready to defend our master. Signum summoned Laevatein to her hand once more. "Master, please stay back."
"Excuse me Ms Signum?"
Negi was about to ask what was going on when a person walked out onto the street in front of them.
"Well, well, what have we here?" said the young man, who was dressed in a school uniform of all things. "From your appearance I take it that you are the pests who sabotaged the grand ceremony that my family took the lead in creating? Doggy knights or something like that wasn't it?"
Signum's eyes narrowed, but it was Vita that took the bait and responded. "That's Wolkenritter you bastard, or are you too dumb to remember names?"
The young man clenched his fist. "You can't speak to me that way you lowly servant! I am the heir of the Matou family, greatest of the three families who set up the Grail War in the first place!"
"Lowly servant?" Vita growled. "We are knights in service to our master you moron! Don't you know the difference? And what kind of name is Ahou? I thought that meant idiot!"
"You, you!"
While Vita and the stupid master exchanged their insults, Signum had been keeping an eye out on their surroundings. When she spotted the glint of metal under moonlight, she instantly leapt into action.
The enemy servant, who was dressed in a manner similar to them, had an instant to look surprised before she hurriedly blocked Signum's attack with her weapon, a pair of iron spikes on a long chain. Once on the offensive however, the sword of the Wolkenritter was not easily stopped, and the servant was steadily forced back.
"Damn it Rider, what do you think you are doing?" the servant's master shouted when he saw how the battle was going. "Fight back you useless toy!"
A short distance from him however, Vita had a nasty smile on her face as she considered the mage in front of her. "Hey there, aren't you forgetting someone?"
The other master turned around and paled when he saw Vita get her hammer ready to strike. "Rider! Defend me!"
"Too late!" Vita shouted as she rushed forward.
She was about to swing when she remembered her master's command. It was an order typical of a brat who didn't know anything, but it was still a command. Easing the strength behind the blow, Vita struck in a manner that would only break a rib or two. That short hesitation however proved enough time for Rider to somehow get away from Signum to put herself between Vita and her target.
"Khh..." Rider hissed as Graf Eisen smashed into her body.
The servant was thrown back, blood flying from the deep wound in her side which she had taken to get away from Signum. Surprised that her blow had been stopped, Vita took a step back.
Everyone that was there, especially Negi, was surprised by what came next.
"Useless bitch!" the young man who had just been saved his servant's actions cried out. "What good are you if you get knocked around like this by these weaklings?" Instead of helping Rider, he kicked her where she was wounded, making the servant flinch as she tried to get back up.
"The heck? Is that bastard really her master?" Vita asked of no one in particular.
Signum shook her head in disapproval as she jumped back down from the roof she had been on. "It doesn't matter, just take of it already Vita."
"Don't kill them!" said Negi, whose second encounter with servants other than his was only reinforcing his doubts.
"Fine, fine," Vita strode forward as she rolled her eyes. Their new master was going to be the death of her.
The other master must have realised the situation he was now in as he suddenly moved to put Rider between him and Vita. As they watched, Rider struggled back to her feet and moved to guard herself.
"Man, I really to pity ya," said Vita as she watched her opponent get up as the master decided to run for it. "I mean how unlucky do you have ta be ta end up with a wretch like that for your master? Our master may still be a brat, but at least he's got guts."
Rider smiled grimly. "Punishment for my sins I suppose."
Vita smiled. "Heh, maybe. I'm almost sorry to do this to ya now."
"Why don't you stop then," asked the servant as she crouched down.
"I said almost," Vita deadpanned. "Todliche Strafe!"
In an amazing display of agility, Rider managed to dodge Vita's opening attack and the flurry of blows that followed. Impaired by her wound however, she was unable to avoid a sheathed Laevatein as it came down upon her neck.
"Shamal," Signum calmly called out to the knight who was on stand-by. "Bind her. Vita, get that mage."
"Got it," Vita flew after the master who had run and caught him by the simple expedient of hitting him in the head. She might not be able to kill them, but for a jerk like this a concussion or two wouldn't go amiss.
Meanwhile, Shamal had begun the collection process, and Rider was suffering the consequences. Negi, who had still been in shock last time, was able to see things in details this time and wasn't enjoying it. Restrained by the magic binds that held her Rider was only able to cry out in pain as the Book of Darkness guzzled her magic power in what he imagined was a process similar to what he had felt earlier.
He was about to ask Shamal to stop when, to everybody's shock, Rider disappeared.
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
"Oh my," Shamal pursed her lips. "I forgot about those."
"Command seal?" Signum inquired.
"Most probably." agreed Shamal.
"Uhm, what just happened?" Negi was clueless again and not liking the lack of information.
"Rider's master probably summoned her with a command seal, master," Shamal kindly explained.
"... Isn't that Rider's master over there?" said Negi, growing increasingly confused.
Signum and Shamal turned to look at the unconscious body that Vita had dumped in front of them.
"He's right, you know," said Vita. "What's going on here?"
"I'll... Get back to you on that one," said Shamal with a rueful shake of her head. An adolescent master, masters that weren't. This Grail War was becoming even more confusing than the last one.
Vita slung Graf Eisen behind her back. "Eh, just get the pages from this guy so we can get outta here then."
Negi turned away as Shamal opened the book, not eager to see the pain that it caused again. He didn't have long to wait however as the book shut down almost as soon as it began.
"Hmm, that's odd," Shamal commented as she looked at the book. "He doesn't have much more power than an average human."
"Decoy?" Signum wondered.
"Maybe," Shamal nodded. "That would explain why Rider disappeared."
"The other one's coming!" Zafira suddenly shouted.
Instantly, barriers were put up around Negi and the forms of the Wolkenritter as a rain of sleek daggers came flying out of the shadows. Forewarned by Zafira however, none of them were hurt as the darkened blades bounced off their shields. The enemy must have realised that they had failed, as all Negi saw was a flicker in the corner of his eyes before the shape vanished.
"He's running," said Zafira.
"Can you track him?" asked Signum, looking in the direction that she had seen the enemy go.
"I would have to be in beast form," Zafira said as he stretched his senses. "Whoever it is, they are good. I could barely feel them until that attack and the signal faded even further once they started to run."
Drawing up the odds in her head, Signum decided to give up on this one. For now at least. It seemed like the servant Assassin, and that was one that needed care in going after. Especially if you had your master along with you.
Signum looked back and was about to inquire as to her master's condition when she noticed that something was wrong. Her little master was frozen as if his mind had shut down, staring blankly at the mage that they had captured with a haunted look in his eyes.
"Master?" she called softly to him.
Negi swallowed. "Are those knives?" he asked as he stared at the three hilts that stuck out of the motionless body.
Shamal moved to cover his eyes. "You don't need to look at it master."
Negi was breathing heavily now, fighting the urge to throw up. He had nearly forgotten about the body he had seen earlier, the bloody corpse over which the spearman had been standing. This time though it was worse. In front of his eyes, a man who had been talking and breathing just a moment ago had been turned into a lifeless cadaver.
And he hadn't been able to do anything.
He was still useless.
He was weak.
Pathetic.
The flash of pain that tore its way across his chest was the first reminder of his precarious situation. Quickly, Negi settled into the Buddhist mantra that father Kotomine had passed on to him. Cycling his magic through his body and soul in the ancient form meant to settle the mind and protect it from outside influence. Kotomine-san had warned him that if he got agitated he risked being consumed again by the Book of Darkness. Get too unbalanced, and he would die.
"Master?" Signum crouched down slightly so that she could look into his face. "Are you having problems again?"
Negi finished the quiet chant and opened his eyes. "No... I'm okay."
His servants weren't convinced in the least by his acting. Signum looked at him drily and motioned towards Zafira. "Zafira, carry him. We should get to the mansion as quickly as possible."
"No, really. I'm okay!" Negi protested weakly. "You really don't need to do this."
In spite of his protests Zafira picked him up and put him on his back. Negi struggled a little but soon realised the futility of his efforts.
"Let's get going," said Signum. She was relieved that their master hadn't broken down after seeing somebody killed in front of him, but wanted to get away from here as soon as possible in order to get away from the reminders. Their master was young and appeared to have a gentle heart. She would try to ensure that he kept it as long as possible.
On the other side of town servant Lancer was meeting up with his master.
"Oy, master," he called out as he entered the dockside office building that the Clocktower had hired. "I killed the guy you told me to kill."
"Good job Lancer," came the reply from upstairs. "Were there any problems?"
Lancer smiled sheepishly. "Ah... A kid saw me do it."
"... Did you make sure to kill him?"
"That's the thing you know," Lancer said idly as he twirled his spear. "The kid turned out to be a master, with four servants none the less. Their noble phantasms were pretty strong so I had to kinda..."
"Lancer..." groaned the hero's master as she came down the stairs. "We weren't supposed to leave any witnesses."
Lancer's Irish accent was at full bellow as he examined the carvings on his treasured weapon. "He's just a kid, and I can always kill him later. What's the big deal?"
Bazett pinched the bridge of her nose. "Must... Not... Kill... Servant... Stay... Calm Bazett."
Oblivious to his master's troubles, or perhaps fully aware of them, Lancer began to hum an old war song.
"Oh fine," Bazett finally threw up her arms in despair. "But if things go wrong because of this you are getting the blame, do you get me?"
"Sure, cutie," Lancer told her with a wink.
Bazett blushed and looked away. "Get a grip Bazett," she mumbled under her breath. "It's your job to make sure that the TSAB don't find out about..."
"Boo," Lancer whispered into her ear as he suddenly appeared behind her.
Despite appearances, Bazett did shriek like a girl.
After the last four hectic days, Emiya Shirou was pretty sure that nothing could surprise him any more. First he had been attacked and fatally wounded at school, then he had somehow managed to summon King Arthur after he had run back home. On top of this King Arthur turned out to be a girl. An exotically beautiful girl at that. Finally, as if that wasn't enough. His dad had come home after an extended trip with the most popular girl at school in tow, and had congratulated him on getting engaged to her. Oh, and had he mentioned that she was supposed to be trying to kill him for the next few days?
He was still trying to get his head around that one.
The worst part of it all had definitely been last night though. When his dad had not come home after a planned meeting with one of his old friends, he had gone out to search for him, only to find him dead and his corpse watched over by a girl out of a brothers Grimm fairy tale.
After the battle and his rescue by Rin he had recovered the body. The shock and dismay of losing his only parent had sunk in then, and for the first time he could remember he broke down into tears.
He had woken up in Saber's arms, and was grateful for her presence. If he had been alone... He wasn't sure what he would have done last night, but he was sure he would have regretted it come the morning.
When he had regained his equilibrium he thanked Saber for her compassion and got up to prepare for the new day. He had to arrange for the Mage's Association to come deal with his father's body of course, but for now he had to get on with life, and the monumental task in front of him.
The Holy Grail War. A conflict between mages for the attainment of their dreams and ambitions. A struggle that he hadn't dreamed of participating in until just four days ago, upon that moonlit night when he had met Saber.
Mourning could wait until he secured his victory.
Shirou was in the midst of doing the laundry when the doorbell rang. Thinking that it was the Association's clean-up team here for dad's body, he went to the door and was about to open it when he remembered that he needed to be careful. As dad had warned him, more masters had died from enemy plots than were ever killed by the servants.
"Who is it?" Shirou asked a safe distance away from the door. He had his body reinforced to its limits so that he could get to safety if needed.
"Hello!" a woman called out. "Is this Emiya-san's residence? My name's Lindy Harlaown and I've come from the TSAB. I believe that we were supposed to meet you last night."
Shirou froze. This was the friend that dad had gone out to meet? While he was pretty sure that the girl from last night was to blame for the incident, he was still unsure as to who he could trust right now.
"My father was killed last night," he said more bitterly than he had intended. "May I ask what it was that you were supposed to meet him for?"
The woman on the other side of the door was quiet for a moment. "... I am very sorry for your loss Emiya-san. Your father was to meet us in order to discuss a dangerous artefact that our organisation has been tracking for the last two hundred years. When he did not show up last night we had our suspicions, but..."
Her voice trailed off, and Shirou found a layer of his suspicions melting as he heard the genuine apology in her voice.
"Uhm... Would it be possible for us to pay our respects?" asked the woman.
Shirou opened the door. "Come on in," he said tiredly. "I wanted to know just what it was that got dad killed anyway."
Signum slept, her body approximating the human action in an effort to conserve energy. Whether or not she dreamed only she knew, but as for the conditions under which she could stay asleep, they were much the same as anyone else.
"... Mmm, sis..." *Chuuu*
As in, she couldn't stay asleep with another mouth covering her own.
"MMmmf?" Signum's eyes flew open, and stayed wide open as she registered her master's presence in her bed. More precisely, her master's presence on top of her in her bed.
"Master?" she asked with random thoughts flying across her mind as she pulled away from him.
"... Mwah?" Negi sleepily cracked open one eye. "Ah, good morning Ms Signum." Negi yawned, and promptly fell back onto the bed.
Still new to the whole concept of emotions, Signum had no idea what to think as she watched her little master go back to sleep. It was clear that his actions had been something akin to sleep-walking, but still... A kiss? For that matter, how had he even gotten that close to her without her waking? She had never been caught so badly off her guard, and it deeply disturbed her.
When she had collected herself, Signum noted the light as it streamed in through the windows. Late morning. She really should be up and making sure that the area was secure. During the last Grail War most of the action had taken place during the night, but just because no one had acted in the morning yet it didn't mean that she could relax.
Throwing herself into her duty to forget about her emotional turmoil, Signum crept out of bed so as to avoid waking her master and left the room. As she came out she was pleased to note that Zafira was out and about. With him keeping watch there was little chance that anyone could get near without warning.
That thought brought up her brush with the master again, and Signum blushed as she tried to forget about it. She was supposed to be making sure that her master was safe, not thinking about how soft his - Argh!
It was the odd sight of Signum banging her head against the wall that greeted Vita as she opened the door to her room. When she saw this the red-haired girl blinked, realised that she must still be in a dream, and went back to her bed to wake up properly this time.
Negi wondered why Signum was red-faced as they all walked down towards the nearest shopping area for a late breakfast, or early lunch if you looked at it properly. He forgot about it soon enough however as he remembered his own woes. Excessively heavy ones for a child like him to bear.
When he had gotten through to Headmaster Konoe on the phone earlier this morning he had thought that his troubles were at an end. Those hopes had been dashed but a moment later when he was told that though his situation was bad, the situation on the other side of the line was even worse. Some terrorists had attacked the school and had apparently ransacked a part of the magical library that it guarded. A library that Negi hadn't had a clue about until the headmaster told him about it. Thankfully, no lives had been lost, but enough of the teachers and other staff at the school had been hurt that no one could be spared to come to his aid.
On the plus side he had gotten an advance on his wages for the month and a promise that his belongings would be sent along as soon as they arrived... But that wasn't much of a plus now that he thought about it. He still had to deal with all his problems by himself.
Negi's gloom was such that it was only when they reached a busy street that he noticed the odd looks that were coming their way, and then only because they were stopped by a kindly Japanese couple.
"Ah. Boy. You okay?" the man asked him in clumsy English.
"Excuse me?" Negi replied in fluent Japanese.
"Oh!" The man's eyes lit up when he realised that Negi could speak his language. "Sorry about that. Ahem, me and my wife here were just wondering if..." he stopped and looked nervously at the Wolkenritter who had tensed when he approached them. "Ah, that is..."
"We were curious as to whether or not your companions are your friends?" the woman stepped in to finish the question.
Negi wondered what they were talking about. His companions were... Oh.
He finally saw the strange looks that everyone was giving them and understood why. The sleek black clothes that the Wolkenritter wore were a bit... Brief. They also had the look of people who were uncomfortable with the attention they were receiving as they nervously looked around themselves.
Negi wondered how he was going to explain this one, until inspiration came to him in the form of a pop culture reference he had read while he was preparing to come to Japan.
"They are cos-playing," he lied with a smile. "My cousins heard from someone that it wasn't that odd to go around in costume here. I take it this isn't the case?"
The couple looked at each other. "Uhm, no. Not unless there is an event on somewhere."
"Ooooh," Negi played the part of an innocent child better than even he had known he could. "I think that they might need to change their clothes then."
By now the Japanese couple that had stopped him and some of the people who had gathered to watch wore fixed grins as they tried not to break into laughter.
"Sorry for bothering you kid," the man said with twitching lips. "Have fun while you are here in Japan."
"Thank you, we will," Negi replied with a bow.
Excitement over, the crowd dispersed, but not before Negi heard a few people mutter things about 'crazy gaijin'.
Letting out a heavy breath, Negi thanked god for his small mercies. He hadn't been sure that would work and was lost as to how he would have explained things if pressed.
"Oi, master. What's cos-playing?" asked Vita who had watched the whole thing from beside him.
Negi's smile faltered.
One stop at the nearest shopping district later, they were still drawing attention from passers-by, but for very different reasons.
For Zafira the reason was obvious. Tall foreigners with tanned skin and white hair weren't exactly common in Fuyuki, and the tight-fitting t-shirt and jeans that he had picked out left women drooling and men wondering how much he could benchpress.
Signum and Shamal on the other hand had transformed from unapproachable femme fatales to gorgeous examples of the fairer sex. The shop-owners had helped them pick out styles that matched their figures and Shamal did look good in the light green jacket and cream skirt that she had on. Signum had opted out from wearing a skirt, but still looked great in the hip-hugging grey pants and white shirt that she wore.
Vita and Negi too attracted their fair share of attention. Negi because he looked adorable in his suit, and Vita because she looked cute in her set t-shirt and skirt.
Together they looked like a family out on a vacation, and looked good doing it too.
"Master, you didn't need to do this," said Signum as they sat down to have lunch. "If you used the book it would have been quite easy to modify our armour to suit your needs. Wasting time and resources on our clothes like this was unnecessary."
"Don't be so rude, Signum," Shamal told her fellow knight off. "I know you liked it. Just thank Negi-kun for his gift and be done with it."
"Negi-kun?" Zafira remarked with a raised eyebrow.
Negi stammered as he tried to explain. "Well, it feels really weird to be called master by all of you, so I was wondering if you could call me by name." He looked at Signum with puppy dog eyes. "Please?"
Unprepared for a mental attack, Signum quickly succumbed. "Ah, well. As you wish mas- I mean, Negi-kun." She caught sight of Shamal's frown. "And... Thank you for the clothes. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful earlier."
"You are welcome Signum," Negi replied with a smile. Shamal had told him earlier to call them by their names if he wanted them to use his.
Off to the side of the conversation, Vita was staring uncertainly at the dish in the middle of the table.
"What wrong Vita?" asked Negi when he noticed.
Vita turned her stare towards him, keeping her silence for a while before she asked, "What do you do with this?"
"Eh?" Negi looked at the pizza and then back at Vita. "Uhm... You eat it."
Strangely, Vita seemed confused by this. "Eat it? Why?"
Seeing that Negi was lost again, Shamal stepped in to explain. "You have to understand Negi-kun that we don't require food like normal humans. In fact, none of us have actually consumed food in our memory."
"You can't eat?" Negi looked horrified as he looked at them.
Shamal thought about it. "Well, our bodies are fully functional now, so I suppose there's no reason we couldn't, but I don't really see the point. We operate perfectly fine on the energy that we get from you and the book, Negi-kun."
"But, but, you have to eat!" said Negi. "That's what people do!"
Signum looked at him strangely. "Is that an order master?"
"Eh? Eh?" Negi's brain was addled by the revelation that the Wolkenritter hadn't eaten anything before and was in no condition to give a coherent response.
"Let's just try it," said Shamal as she saw that their poor master was having trouble coming to grips with the idea.
"It won't damage us will it?" Zafira asked as he took a slice.
"There's no reason it should," Shamal assured him, but she looked a little uncertain.
When the older Wolkenritters put the pizza into their mouths however, they were all pleasantly surprised by the enjoyable sensations that they received.
"Oh my, that's... Very nice," Shamal whispered as she savoured the taste.
"..." Signum nodded but had no words for her as she looked down at the slice of pizza she had taken.
Zafira was too busy finishing his slice off to respond at all.
Negi had booted himself back to some semblance of consciousness now and smiled at the expressions on the Wolkenritters' faces as they ate. When he realised that Vita still hadn't tried it, he began to urge her to eat.
"Come on Vita, just take a bite," he said to the girl who was looking at him doubtfully.
"Try it Vita, it's actually very good," Shamal reassured her junior.
Vita frowned, but took Shamal at her word as she slowly reached for the smallest slice on the plate. She hesitantly brought it up to her mouth, stopping it before her eyes to take one last look. The weird stretchy yellow stuff was all over the thing, and the red and brown bits were a little off-putting, but she had to admit that the smell was nice.
Closing her eyes, Vita slowly bit down on the end of the slice. When she opened her eyes again it was with a look of childish delight in her eyes that Negi was familiar with from his days with his childhood friend Anya.
The pizza disappeared quickly after that. One little boy mage filling his stomach, while four beings older than most countries yet younger than their little master explored the domain of taste for the first time in their remembered existences.
In any other city the empty clearing near its heart would have been out of place, but this was Fuyuki, where everyone knew how that space had been created. Ten years was too short a time to forget, and to this day it was the rare individual who chose to trespass upon that unadorned memorial to the dead.
"An eighth master?" one of those rare individuals remarked as she strolled across the park that the scar on the city had become. "Are you sure about that Saber-san?"
"Quite certain," Saber said as she exchanged a glance with Shirou. "I am not sure what this Book of Darkness has to do with the Sangrael, but I remember that the four knights that Harlaown-san told us of were involved in the last war."
Rin looked at her oddly. "You know, I'm still not sure how that's possible. Even if you were summoned the last time you shouldn't have retained your memories upon being summoned here again."
Not knowing what to say, Saber simply shrugged.
"Do you remember anything about them Saber?" Shirou asked as he looked around the darkening park. "All Harlaown-san told us was to be careful."
Saber got a thoughtful look upon her face. "They were... Odd. They fought without showing emotion, and used strange spells and noble phantasms."
"Spells?" Rin frowned. "They are casters then?"
"No," Saber empathically shook her head. "They were formidable warriors, but they all possessed the ability to cast offensive spells through their noble phantasms as well as being able to fly."
"Fly?" asked Archer suddenly, startling both Rin and Shirou with his appearance.
"Is that a problem Archer?" Saber asked when she saw the serious look on her ally's face. "I would have thought that with your class you would find that less of a problem than I would."
"It's not that," the enigmatic servant replied as he appeared to think. "What you just said jostled a memory of mine, that's all."
Rin raised an eyebrow. "You finally remembered something Archer? Your name perhaps?"
Archer stayed silent for a moment before he shook his head. "Sorry, it's gone now. All I know is that there's something strangely familiar about what you just told me."
Rin pouted as another chance to find out more about her servant was lost. It frustrated her that in the time she had had him by her side, all she had managed to learn about him was a few of his skills and that he had a very twisted personality.
"Do you remember anything else about them?" Shirou asked to get the conversation back on track. "Their noble phantasms? Appearance? Styles of fighting?"
"Only two of them used weapons as I recall," replied Saber. "There was a short girl who used a hammer, and a swordswoman of some skill. The other two seemed to rely more on their spells, and stayed back while their companions engaged us directly. They were very troublesome in that regard as they always outnumbered us. As for their appearance... They were a bit hard to miss. A tall man with white hair and dark skin, a golden-haired woman and a pink-haired swordswoman of considerable beauty, and a short red-haired girl with a large hammer."
"Huh, really? That's weird, you just exactly described that group over there," Shirou said with a grin.
"... !"
"Huh?"
"..." Shirou's grin faded. "That is them, isn't it?"
"Yep," confirmed Archer as he watched the enemy get into their battle gear. Black leather. Kinky. "Get back Rin. It looks like this might get messy."
"Two servants, and a pair of masters," Shamal announced as the results of her scan came in.
"They are already beginning to work together?" Signum asked, surprised.
"We can't be sure it's because of us," Shamal told her. "They may have decided to team up earlier. It is a valid strategy until we get to the end of the war."
"Still only two of them," Vita said with a shrug. "We can take them."
Signum gave her a disapproving frown. "Vita, don't forget about the mages. That's how we got into trouble last time."
"Oh, come on," Vita whined. "That guy was a freak! A monster! How many people like him can there be on one world?"
"Even so, just be on your guard," said Signum as she tightened her grip on Laevatein. "Shamal, is the master safe?"
Shamal nodded. "Negi-kun is fine Signum, I will be going back to him now."
"Keep him safe," Signum told her before she disappeared. "Vita, Zafira, take the one on the right. I will take care of the Saber. Laevatein, are you ready?"
"Jawohl!"
It was soon clear to Saber that fighting the Wolkenritter was not going to be any easier than it had been the last time around. She was obviously the more skilled sword-wielder of the two, but the spells that her opponent occasionally threw into the mix were enough to disrupt her rhythm, even if they were not powerful enough to harm her directly.
"You are better than I remember," she praised her opponent in a lull between their exchange of blades. Knowing that she faced what could be termed a doll, she didn't expect an answer.
"Than you remember?" the swordswoman muttered, surprising her. "What do you mean... Oh. How surprising. I did not expect to see any of the servants from the last war again."
"You remember me?" Saber asked, a little confused by the unexpected reply.
"You are the Saber we faced during the last Grail War are you not?" her opponent answered. "Greetings, I do not believe that I introduced myself properly last time. I am Signum, Knight of the Sword, General of the Raging Flames."
Saber was growing increasinly perplexed. What had happened to the emotionless killing machine she remembered? Had she always been like this?
Signum misunderstood her silence. "Don't worry about responding Saber, your title is enough. I understand that you must keep your name concealed. In any case, I remember your abilities, and the sword is conversation enough for us is it not?"
Those last words were accompanied by her blade as the Wolkenritter darted forward. Though caught slightly off guard, Saber met the strike with her invisible blade and struck back. Signum was right, for wielders of swords like themselves the clash of blades was all the talk that was needed in that midst of battle. Nevertheless, she appreciated the consideration her foe had shown in not requiring her to give her name. Chivalry required her to answer Signum's proclamation of names and titles, and it would be... Troublesome should someone overhear.
It did not escape the King of Knights as she engaged in combat once more that the situation elsewhere was not favourable for her side. Archer was being pressed by the small one and the wolf-man, unable to strike back effectively as he tried to keep their attention upon him. This constraint upon his combat style was explained by the occasional spell that the Wolkenritter shot in the direction of their masters. So far Rin and Shirou only sported a few cuts and bumps, but in the event that either of the Wolkenritter was to stop attacking Archer the threat to their safety would rise exponentially.
To everyone's surprise, it was the sight of Vita taking to the skies once more that would shift the odds.
"Bloody hell!" Archer swore as the sight knocked clear a piece of his confused past. "I can't believe I forgot about that! Guardian Wing, trace on!"
As Archer shouted out that command, the strange glove on his left hand that had so puzzled Rin finally revealed a part of its secrets.
"Barrier Jacket," the Midchildan intelligent device responded as it expanded into its active gaunlet form. "Greetings master. Guardian Wing, ready to serve."
"Archer?" Rin mumbled as her servant was covered by a red jacket and black armour that replaced the black shirt that he had worn till now. Did that glove of his just speak?
"Huh?" Vita blinked as she saw one of the servants summoned by the Sangrael activate what appeared to be an intelligent device.
"Trace on?" Shirou repeated to himself as he wondered just why the jerk that was Tohsaka's servant had an activation key so similar to his.
"Aerial," ignoring all of them, Archer activated his device's flight system. "X speed."
"Where did he go?" Vita wondered when Archer disappeared from her sight.
"Vita!" Zafira warned when he saw where their enemy had gone. "Behind you!"
"Too late!" Archer cried out as Bakuya came down.
It was a sure hit. Even Vita knew that she would get hurt badly as she turned to try and block. Strangely enough however, Archer's blade stopped inches from Vita's unprotected neck. The servant himself didn't seem to know why he had stopped, and wore a stupified expression on his face until Graf Eisen smashed him away a moment later.
"Archer!" alarmed by the direct hit her servant had taken, Rin got ready to use a command rune to pull him out.
"I'm fine!" Archer called out as he got up from where he had impacted the ground. "My barrier jacket took the hit!"
Rin sighed in relief though she didn't exactly understand what he meant - the general idea was clear enough - then grew angry as she recovered her pose. "Don't scare me like that! What's up with you anyway? Even I could tell that you froze just now! What are you playing at?"
"I am curious myself," Zafira growled from where he stood ready to attack. "Why did you not go through with that attack?"
Archer shrugged as he traced another pair of swords. "Would you believe that I don't like to hit children?"
"Graf Eisen! Raketenform!"
"Guess not," Archer winced as he quickly leapt aside to dodge Vita's wild attack. "To be honest with you, I'm not too sure myself. My memory is clearing up though as I fight you guys, so..." he tossed Kanshou and Bakuya at Vita to disrupt her attack, then escaped up into the skies as he traced his bow. "Let me enjoy your company a little more Chibi-chan, Puppy-man!"
A flurry of arrows accompanied his 'request', and the two Wolkenritter went on the defensive. This was a mistake though as Archer took advantage of their distraction to trace a special arrow. Vita saw only a flash of flight in the sky before something crashed into her shields. The explosion rocked the park and even the two swordswomen locked in combat off to the side paused to see what had happened.
His vision obscured by the dust and the smoke, Shirou had to squint to make out anything of the fight raging around him. He wasn't sure why, but he was getting a very strong feeling that it was important to keep an eye on Archer as that servant revealed his skills. More important in fact than Saber's battle against the enemy swordswoman. He couldn't imagine Saber losing, and there was something about the way Archer fought that demanded his attention.
That absorption in the battle however nearly cost him his life.
"Shirou!" he heard Rin call out as circles of light appeared on the ground below.
Zafira's roar echoed through the park as spikes of white light burst up from the ground, with a force fit to impale anything they caught. Shirou and Rin escaped that fate by the skin of their teeth as they used their magic to reinforce themselves as they jumped away from the affected zone.
"Don't stand there like an idiot Shirou!" Rin shouted. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"Sorry," he replied distractedly. This time when he turned to observe the fight he remembered to keep an eye out for dangers.
"How are they doing?" one person in a mask asked of another.
Stuck in a perpetual grin, servant Assassin's white mask seemed to float within the darkness of the late evening.
"Fair enough," the servant replied in a rasping voice. "They are more evenly matched than I thought they would be, mainly because of that strange Archer."
"Yes, he was a surprise," the master responded. "Do you think that you can get in there without being detected?"
Assassin barked out a harsh laugh. "Have you forgotten what I am? What do you wish me to do?"
"Take out Archer's master," the dark servant's master replied. "Disruptions to the plan... cannot be tolerated.
Meanwhile, in the shadows around the park, other players were about to make their move.
"Team three, ready."
"Team one, ready."
"Team two, ready."
"Spearhead here," Bazett whispered into the charm that connected her to the extermination teams sent by the Clock Tower. "Ready. Get set to move."
"Roger," came the response from some of the deadliest mages of Western Europe.
There was something in Fuyuki City that the Clock Tower wanted, and what the Clock Tower wanted, it would get. No matter what stood in its way.
Unbeknownst to any of those below, the TSAB were also getting ready to deploy. Headed by Chrono and Fate, the special forces team made their way to the transporters thinking about how they were going to deal with the Wolkenritter and the abilities they were known to use.
Though they had been briefed about the presence of local mages, none of them paid that information much regard. After all, how dangerous could some scattered mages from a primitive backwater planet like this one be? They didn't even have devices to boost their powers!
There was only one word to describe what happened next.
Chaos.
-x-x-x-
And... That's all folks. Sorry but inspiration kinda died on this one and I'm more interested in my other story for now. I might come back to this one once I'm done with Prismatic Chaos, but that... Is going to take a while.
As compensation I will leave you with this little fragment from a future chapter that I had planned.
"Veniant Spiritus Aeriales Fulgurientes!"
As Negi began his incantation, the Book of Darkness woke in response to the surge of magical power it sensed from its master.
Spell activation detected
Searching archive
"Cum Fulguratione -"
Matches: 1 - Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens
Analysing environment - hostiles detected
Spell intent: Field clearance - Target: Hostile - all
Targets acquired - encoding changes into base spell matrix for optimal effect
The Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens was one of the most powerful offensive spells that Western Mages of the Megalosembrian school could learn. As befitted such a spell, the mental capacity required to bring up and maintain the spell structure encoded into the chant was considerable. Most mages never reached that standard, and while Negi could be counted amongst the top 0.1 percent of the mage population of Earth, even he had required half a year before he could use the spell under controlled conditions. More experienced mages also commonly modified the structure in order to customise the spell for their own use, but Negi did not yet have enough familarity with the spell for that, and normally stuck to the standard form that he had learnt.
Today was different. Though Negi didn't realise it himself, the circle that was now being realised in the space around him was at least five times larger and more complex than any version he had used before. It also contained changes to its structure that changed it from an uni-directional attack to a multi-target barrage.
"- Flet Tempestas Austrina!"
Amplification - Level: Default
Spell activation
"Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens!"
Negi released the spell, and a storm descended upon the battlefield. Where they struck, the whirling vortices of thunder and wind brought devastation, and men found themselves thrown into the air as the spell's power ripped them from where they stood. Not even the servants were safe, and only Assassin remained upright as the spell raged, his training in the arts of storm-walking protecting him from the fury of the elements.
Negi + Book of Darkness = No more bad guys?