Yus~

What happened?

Before I realize it, everything dyes itself in a swirl of red and black. I can't see myself, I can't see anything, but I can feel the world around me. My senses are still there.

It's evil, it's dark, it's despair, and… it's me.

The world that appears before me cannot be observed with my eyes. I can't see the world around me.

Correction.

I don't need to see it. I already know what it is. The magnificence that this world presents, it can only be understood by one person, Kotomine Kirei.

This world is-

It broke. The world that was built up from nothing has faded away from reality. All that's left is the former reality that had existed from the start; it was the current world as we know it.

The amount of prana I have is now at a minimum, like a waterhole that has dried up.

I'm on my back, I sprawl my arms and legs out, trying to make out heads and tails of what just happened.

I understood that I was missing some things that were essential to being human, but I didn't think that my distortion was already on such a level that it would be equivalent to the 'alien common sense of demons'. How did I reach this conclusion?

I am sure that the world created just now was a world that was within me. My ideals, way of life, and conclusion of my desire have led this to occur, it is something that is unique to the person themselves.

A reality marble…

Never in my wildest dreams, did I ever think I would possess such a thing.

A new possibility opens up, I could perhaps rival the servants of this war; a person of this age could possibly defeat a servant. I must be crazy for thinking such a thing, but it definitely isn't an illogical thought.

It is now a fact that things will probably be easier for me from now on in this war, I can worry less about encountering servants when I'm on my own. Now it all depends on the servant I summon. All the classes, except Saber, should be taken, but anomalies could occur like the other wars. The black grail, avenger, and you could consider Gilgamesh an anomaly himself.

Matou Zouken is the biggest threat in this war; he knows his ways around the rules, and can bend them to suit his needs. He was the one who created the 'Book of False Attendant', it allows another person to have ownership of a servant. Even though it isn't perfect, the fact that such a thing exists proves how dangerous Zouken is.

There was the fact that Emiya was able to use Archer's arm. What exactly was their relation? The Einzbern grail seemed to be aware of the relation between those two, but I can't connect the dots. Archer was a Heroic Spirit while Emiya was just a human, what on Earth did they have in common?

I will have to investigate and find out later. An archer that projects weapons and fights with swords, his identity is was confusing unfathomable; to think someone like that would be summoned into the archer class. Comparing him to Gilgamesh, Archer looked more normal. Gilgamesh shoots out Noble Phantasms, like arrows, from his Gate of Babylon.

I wouldn't be surprised if the counter force were to intervene. No, it was possible that it has already intervened. Emiya Shirou. His arm was melted off him and was on the verge of death, he was saved because I attached Archer's arm onto him. Were these events just a coincidence, or was it a greater force that pushed him?

I desire the birth of Angra Mainyu, and that would subjugate the world under the threat of destruction. The counter force would take effect and have another oppose me, or a counter guardian would be summoned to rid me.

I slowly try to bring myself to my knees, the strain from my magic circuits makes me stagger and struggle to get up, I nearly slip up halfway through. I grit my teeth in pain and irritation. My body feels hot; my circuits were overused within an instant. My feelings are in a swirl of confusion, there was a slight fulfillment; accompanied by irritation, anger, and frustration.

I'm not sure if I could sustain a servant properly in my current state, my prana pool is low. It will only set back the summoning for a while, but my intuition is telling me that something will definitely go wrong today.

That circle that's on the floor… there's no doubt about it. It's a summoning circle. The material that's used, maybe different, but these are these are the same marks and drawings, used to summon a servant. Why was there a summoning circle here? If I remember correctly, Kiritsugu Emiya never summoned a servant here. What was this place for?

I will try at midnight, by the time my energy takes to recover, it should be enough.

The streets of Fuyuki are quiet. The amount of people that use to wander around, in this town, has decreased. The amount of civilians from when I was the priest, before the 5th war, has decreased. It looks like even before the 7th servant was summoned, the cogs that have been placed have already started to turn.

There it was, the fragrance that I so much desired to smell, it was working its way around the air, only to dance towards me. This smell signified one thing, the greatest dish of spice cuisine, Mapo Tofu.

I could see the entrance, I could only see the entrance; this place had no windows to observe the insides.

It's run by a Chinese man who likes to fill his creations with red pepper, layers of red pepper that stack up on each other to exponentially amplify the taste. His cooking isn't just as simple as it sounds; I once tried to make the dish myself. I could have sworn that I made it look exactly the same, but the taste was the question of the dish. He took a journey to find his true self within the midst of the cooking battlefield, the result ended up with this magnificent dish that fills my void.

Within these past ten years as a priest, he is one of the people that have gained my respect.

I push the door open, and walk inside. And yet again, I am shocked. There are two faces that stand out of the place, it isn't just because of the air around them, but because I would recognize them anymore. I stagger slightly from the sight of them.

One of them had gold hair, red irises, and a black themed jacket, pants, shoes, and a white shirt on the inside, it much resembles a biking suit; however the thing that made this man stand out weren't his clothes, but his aura that screamed out riches and power. If you were to describe his aura, it would be 'arrogance'.

The other man was the one that visibly shocked me the most. Complete black garments, whilst having a blue robe on top and a necklace that has the symbol of Christ.

Gilgamesh and Kotomine Kirei.

I should have expected this, and I did, but when you see it in front of you, it still shocks you.

On their table, there are a numerous amounts of alcohol bottles, stacked up plates, and iced water on the side of the table. The bottles were on Gilgamesh's side with a plate that had three-quarters of mapo tofu, while the rest were stacked up plates that were on Kirei's side.

Gilgamesh's folds his arms and puts them on the table, and lays his head to rest on them. He seems to be moaning quite a bit, he must be suffering from the spices that dance wildly on his tongue. His aura seemed to diminish with this act.

The other me is trying to finish his other plates, whilst drinking the iced water at an extremely fast pace, his hands are never stopping like an ocean current. He is sweating quite a bit. Is this how I look when I eat? I didn't realize I did so much to eat mapo tofu.

I look for any remaining free tables that are available, there was only one. I did not expect this, this place wasn't usually this busy. The table however, is right across the Heroic spirit and the priest. I walk with my hands in my pocket while staring at the duo. I didn't want them to know I was a master yet at this point in time. I sit on the side where they cannot see my left hand. I should have worn gloves.

A little brown Chinese girl walks up to my table in a waitress uniform with a big smile on her face, "Welcome! Here's the menu aru~"

"There's no need for that, mapo tofu please." I say in a firm voice, before she hands the menu to me. "I only wanted mapo tofu please."

"Right away aru~" She bows and walks away.

I would now be waiting in peace for my food as I listen to the food being cooked. But…

The duo across was staring at me.

"Another crazy one. All the people in this waste-hole are fanatics." Gilgamesh says in disgusts as he looks at me, then turns his head away. When did he get back up? Probably when I ordered mapo tofu.

I look at the food the other me is eating, then I look back at Kirei, and I nod. He nods back. It was a mutual understanding that could only be understood between those who eat mapo tofu. As expected of the other me. If my eyes weren't fooling me, I could've sworn that he just smirked just now.

"What's the matter, Gilgamesh? Don't tell me the King of Heroes can't take a measly dish from the east?" The priest says in a high tone, it was a question that was meant to taunt Gilgamesh.

"Hmph, it sure be honoured that such a thing has entered my mouth. I'm done with this trash." Gilgamesh replies back while closing his right eye, and flicks his hand at the dish. Then he pulls out more wine out of his Gate of Babylon, something he shouldn't be doing in public; no one seems to care, they think it's a magic trick. There aren't any complaints either.

The truth was he was trying to handle the taste of mapo tofu, that's why he came along on this trip. But the King of Heroes would never admit to such a thing.

"Hmm." The priest takes his last spoonful and finishes the dish. He places his spoon down and puts his palms together. "Wonderful."

They get up and walk off, though Gilgamesh still hasn't finished his plate.

The same girl that served me is back with a mapo tofu dish on her palm and a jug with iced water, "Ready aru~"

That was fast, Batsu was probably getting better at his dishes, or he's just rushing.

"Hmm." I say in preparance for the food.

I pour the water into a cup. With my left hand holding the cup, my right hand holding the spoon, I was ready.

This time, I could truly say-

"Itadakimasu."

"Wonderful." I say, yet again, as I walk out the store. The food never fails to disappoint me.

Now that I finished eating, I need to put my priorities on the war. There was something I needed to do for my goal.

Convenient, I found what I was looking for to start trouble in this war.

There were mostly little children with their parents crowding this store.

It was a store that had animals that were in their infancy. It had from smalls animals like rats to the largest animals which were dogs.

The counter was now free and someone was there. I walk up.

"I would like to buy a pet."

It's quiet, much too quiet. It's almost like the calm before the storm, something was going to happen, and that was me. I look up at the dark ocean sky, the moon seems like it could fall on me at any moment.

I am currently wearing black garments that resemble my old clothes, except I didn't have the robe. And I was wearing a bag, it held my… pet. This is going to be very short-lived.

I walk into the school cautiously; I have to beware of Lancer, Archer, and Rin. I remember observing the fight from Lancer's eyes; the battles of Heroic Spirits are on a different level. We humans can barely touch that level. It's not necessary to kill the servants in battle; you can aim for the master to kill the servant

But where would the fun be in that?

The anguish and pain these heroes endured, can be very easily exploited. That is why I specifically bought this animal, it was just for him.

This time I could feel it; there was an extremely warm feeling bubbled up inside me. I felt this feeling, very few times. My mouth nearly turned into a grin on its own; however, I hold it back. I don't know why I'm trying to hold it; I feel it's not appropriate until the time comes.

I hear the grinding and clash of steel from somewhere. I turn the corner and walk straight along the walls of the building.

There are three figures, Rin, Archer, and Lancer.

Rin is standing behind Archer, keeping her distance from the battle.

The blue Lancer and red Archer are in the midst of battle, exchanging blows.

Lancer is fast, he has great control over his lance. It was almost as if his lance was part of his body. His swings were too fast for the human eye to follow, and his thrust were like bullets; he would retract his lance after each stab, and repeat.

It looks like that Lancer would nearly get fatal-blows in, but Archer miraculously parries and counters. Archer was definitely having a bad time; he staggered not from the strength, but the speed he is facing.

Each time he swung his sword, there would be huge gaps within his defense that were exploited. But, he still hasn't taken a hit yet. He was clumsy, but his fighting style was refined. He leaves his fatal points exposed, to guide the weapons to those points and block them. What a confusing and dangerous style.

I wouldn't have figured this out, if it not were Lancer. There was no other way for Archer to fight an opponent with this much speed and ferocity, he was making it obvious, even to my eye. It looks like Lancer hasn't noticed yet though, he's enjoying the battle, but he's showing looks of frustration too.

An archer who uses swords. Lancer must be extremely confused about the identity of his opponent; I am too.

I hear rattling from the bag, it looks like my pet has started to wake up.

As carefully as I can, I place the bag down so the thing inside won't be woken up too quickly. I quietly unzip the bag towards the direction of this fight. The sparks and sound should attract the animal towards their direction.

I hide myself within the shadows of the building and immerse myself in my surroundings. This isn't the first time I've had to do this; learning Bajiquan was extremely helpful with controlling my body. With the darkness of night, and with the opponent's attention focused on each other, it will be very unlikely that I'll be noticed.

"Woof!"

Rin looks towards the direction of the sound.

Archer stops and retreats to Rin.

Lancer stops and turns his head towards the little creature.

It was standing on all four of its legs. Its tongue was hanging out of its mouth. It was looking at Lancer, completely oblivious to the atmosphere of the battlefield, and it runs towards Lancer.

"WOAH! WAIT! What the hell!?" Lancer panics with a frown, whilst his hands wave about. The little mutt was running towards him.

Lancer has an emotional attachment to dogs. The legend says that he killed two dogs. The first was accidently killing one of the guard dogs of the Master Blacksmith Culann. The second one was when he killed 'Culann's savage dog', Culann's most prized dog. He took responsibility as the guilt was built upon his shoulders, and the declaration was made that he would be 'Ulster's Dog'.

He stops waving his hands, and braces himself. Lancer could have avoided this dog, but he decided to catch it on a whim. It's not like he had a reason to dodge.

However, as soon as the dog landed in his hands, it winces in pain.

"Hey! Are you okay, little guy!?" Lancer asks the dog

The little creature was writhing in pain. It managed to keep moving about, despite being held by Lancer's superhuman strength. It kept barking and whining as the pain that was rooted in its stomach, spread about like a disease.

The barks start to get painfully louder. A mark appears on its stomach, it's a black mark with irregular lines; it looked similar to the Matou's girls command spell that covered her whole body. The similarity didn't stop there, the nature it gives off is also the same.

Lancer has no idea what to do. He's never seen anything like this before. He doesn't know how to deal with it.

And before Lancer realizes it, the dog's skin literally closes in. The dog was dissolving from the inside out; it was going to become flat. The sounds that came from the dog have silenced, the sound of a burning acid was taking its place.

The dog dying from the curses I put in, but the expression on Lancer's face is something to be savored. The contempt, sadness, despair, and anguish that is in front of me. The joy I feel at this moment cannot be described with words. My mouth was moving on its own, it was turning into a smile that contorted my face. I wonder what my face would look like in a mirror.

But… this was a bad situation for me now. The helpless Lancer is now in rage, he's furiously angry. Blood was seeping down his hands, it's all that's left from the skin. He gently put down the skin down and looked towards the direction of the bag.

"WHO THE HELL DID THIS!? GET OUT HERE!" Lancer was screaming out with a voice of regret. Looks like his past was reflecting his reactions; his spear took many lives close to him, and the helplessness he possesses hasn't changed.

"Master, let's get out of here." Archer says to his master.

And without waiting for her response, he picks her up bridal-style, and leaves. Lancer doesn't bother with them at all.

This is bad. If he finds me, he's sure to kill me. I'm scared that if I make any movements now, he might find me. But isn't he going to find me either way? He could probably still find me from my breathing, not to mention that my heart rate is now speeding up.

I should have summoned a servant first thing. I stopped because if I summoned the wrong servant, the servant would have gone against my actions.

Is this what it feels like, when a man cheats on his wife? The regret of taking a bad decision fathoms me. I don't know if that example was comparable. I should focus on reducing my breathing, though it probably won't do anything.

If you asked me, was all this trouble worth it? I would definitely answer 'yes'.

He's slowly wandering, gradually making his way towards this direction.

If I try to flee, he'd instantly catch up. He is one of the fastest servants in this war.

Looks like I have no choice but to drop out this early within the game. How disappointing, to think I'd meet my end like this.

"What! What do you mean retreat!?" Lancer retorts to nothing. He is talking to his master right now. "I have to get the guy who did this!" Lancer points at the leftover skin.

"TCH! DAMMIT!" He kicks the ground, causing dust to come out, and quickly picks up the bag. In anger, he jumps onto the buildings like an acrobatic, and leaves.

Hmph, so death isn't coming after me yet. How fortunate of me.

I feel that death is impeding on me. I feel like that I'm in a state of rush, the adrenaline from encountering Lancer hasn't worn off yet. By the time I got back, it was already midnight, that's why I'm doing this now.

It is time. I hold out my left hand, and put my right hand on my left wrist.

"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Repeat five times. Destroy the warped time."

I feel my circuits starting to warm up. They were in a state of preparation to be used and have prana channeled through.

The circle was slightly glowing. It was reacting to my chant and prana.

I swallow my throat. I haven't done this since ten years ago. I feel a bit of nostalgia from this sensation.

"My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny."

There was prana, it was channeling through my body. Slowly and gradually, it was building up.

The circle was now fully glowing. It was shining extremely bright. I think it was so bright that if I did this here during midday, people would still notice.

"I announce. Thy body shall be under my command, my fate shall be determined by thy sword."

It was starting to rage about, the prana is trying to go out of control and get out of my circuits.

My body was rejecting what was happening, it's only natural. Magecraft is rejected by this world and is always being eliminated by the world.

"If you heed the grails call and obey my will and reason, then answer me."

My body was in pain. It was like opening those dormant circuits. The pain and sensations were nearly the same.

The swords that were stabbing me from last time are back.

"I hereby swear. I am the one who shall become the evil of all the world. I am the one who shall lay out 'all the world's evil' in the eternal world.

I twist it; I twist the chant for the summoning. There's no need to lie to myself, and the grail is already corrupted.

I could feel my link to Angra Mainyu. It was resonating deeply within me. And at the end of the link, I could see it.

Something was trying to birth itself into this world.

"Thou art Seven heavens clad in the Three Great Words. Emerge from the ring of control, Guardian of Balance!"

And everything is flood in light, a light that twists itself into darkness. It's corrupted, it wasn't the normal feeling that I felt ten years ago when I saw the summoning of Gilgamesh and Assassin. It was dark, corrupt and blackened. It was a servant that's corrupted like a grail.

And I would recognize this servant anywhere.

She donned on pitch black armor with red lines around her gauntlets, waist, neck, and shoes. There was darkness that was covering her, but it stopped at the chin and kept going to the sides of the face.

It is a dark, glorious, sword with red outlines. This sword has lost all of its golden beauty. No, it was a different beauty; something about this sword has made me enchanted with it. There was something different about this sword, and whatever it was, it made my heart skip a beat.

It was the one from ten years ago. It was the servant that destroyed the grail with her Noble Phantasm. It was the one that was caught by that shadow of the grail. It was the one summoned by Emiya Shirou.

She has lost all her nobility, there's nothing to distinguish that once proud and honorable knight.

But her actions are the same, she stands with whatever pride she has left, with her two swords holding on her sword that's stabbed onto the ground. She looks straight at me with unwavering eyes.

"To think I've been summoned by you again…this is the second time." She says in irony.

"Very well… I'll ask of you. Are you my master?" Her irony changes into a deep, sharp, dark tone.

"Indeed. I am your master. My name is…" Who am I right now? Emiya or Kotomine? Am I allowed to choose who I am right now? Am I allowed to take up the name Emiya? I am... "I am… my name is Emiya Shirou."

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either. The name of this body is known as Emiya Shirou.

She looks at me with hardened eyes. Was she questioning my confusion?

But, then she smiles.

"Under the name of… Avenger, I have come forth in response to your summons. From this time forward, my sword shall be with you and your fate shall be with me. Now, our contract is complete."

Avenger… originally he was summoned into the 3rd Grail War to replace Berserker. He was weak and was quickly eliminated. But, he was the one who corrupted the Holy Grail and caused the servants with evil alignments to be summoned. He's also the being that is trying to come back into this world as the incarnations of 'All the World's Evil'.

It would make sense for her class to be Avenger, as she is stained by the shadow. The bigger question is how she's here? It shouldn't be possible; another anomaly of this war that needs to be solved. At this point, this war can't be considered a proper 'Holy Grail War' anymore. There's too much things that are different from the norm.

I could feel the link that's established between us. On top of that to confirm it, there is a conceptual weapon within me; it's resonating with her, like a baby who's found its mother. I will have to find out what this thing inside me is later.

"Master, were you attacked by a man in blue tights with a red spear?" She asks me.

"No." I reply bluntly

"Hmm… would you like an explanation of what you've been dragged into?" She asks again.

"No." I honestly don't want it. I already know the rules myself, there's no point for her to explain it to me.

She closes her eyes, and silence smothers the atmosphere. She's contemplating about something, but that's the only thing I can tell. I can't read her. Her expression is too stiff.

Then she opens her eyes.

"Do you know my identity as a Heroic Spirit?" She asks, yet again.

"Yes."

The silence has returned. She stares at me with eyes that could stab me if I wasn't careful. She was waiting for a response. I know if I play stupid here, it will turn out bad for me in the long run.

"…Arthur Pendragon." I state.

Immediately, I nearly break down from the sudden change around me.

"Who are you!?" She asks me with immense bloodlust.

The atmosphere changes within an instant; it feels like I'm drowning in an ocean. I'm shivering in fear; it's my body's natural reaction. The killing intent from a blackened servant is indeed different. I know this feeling, it was the same one from the blackened Berserker back when we were running from him.

She brings her sword to my neck.

"Talk."

yus~