Mode: Tohsaka Rin

Scene: Tohsaka Mansion

Time: Day 2, After Midnight

Everything was gone perfect so far. Aside from the time it took to fix the clock in my basement, I had made all the time necessary to prepare the summoning circle. Instead of using blood, I used some of the gems I had been charging throughout my life. I even timed the ritual carefully so that it would be complete at 2am, the peak of my magical power. According to Kotomine, there were at least eleven Servants active in this war. With so much competition, there was little option but to draw one of the most powerful card. The Saber class.

Among the various Servants in each war, Saber has made it to the final battles in every single one. Even if the Holy Grail War is little more than a bloody game of domination with a high chance of failure, it is worth it to put effort into getting yourself the best possible weapon. After all, it is entirely possible that I might be up against multiple Saber-class Servants. Only Berserker serves as a decent alternative, but I would not like to put my hopes in a class that usually ends up destroying its own Master. So, Saber it is...

I block out unnecessary thoughts and focus on the ritual. Slowly my voice carries on the cursed ritual, plunging me unavoidably into the great pit of despair. Yet rather than seeing it as a gravestone that marks the end of my life, I instead see a gateway leading me to absolute victory. As I complete the incantation, I feel a blade pierce my heart. The shock almost takes me off my feet, but when I open my eyes, there was no one harming me. Instead would I could see was a massive blue circle of light with a white-haired maiden at its center. Behind her was an effigy not unlike a featureless doll. The woman bathed in blue light then speaks to me. I cannot understand a word, but the intent was obvious.

Seeker of the Holy Grail, will you become a Knight? A vanguard for the march of victory?

The phrase reached me even if I could not hear a thing. And without a thought, I scream my answer back at the blue light. The woman had already gone, leaving only an effigy that was now cracking apart as if some outside force was hammering it with a chisel. As it does, I feel immense pressure when one part of the effigy begins to flake off. Numerous broken pieces begin to fall, slowly revealing a humanoid figure from within. The first truly outstanding thing that caught my eye was pale hair. Then I began to see a feminine silhouette. Then a large blade. I could only grin as it became clear that I had gotten the sword I wished for. The most powerful card from the deck.

"I accept the position, Great Grail of Justeaze." I say in belated response, getting a reaction from the woman who had just been freed from the Pass.

"I see, then that means the contract is complete." The voice of the woman speaks in the place of the Grail, lowering her large sword until it vanished from sight. Despite being a knight of the sword, I noticed that the armour for my Servant was a bit light. Still, it was undeniably the Saber class. "Let us bring this war to a close before it brings pain to those who cannot fight back."

No, this was not armour, something was very, very off with this picture. That outfit looks almost like... "I managed to get Saber, but it seems I still managed to botch the summon..."

"Is there something wrong, Master?" Asks the Servant, wearing an outfit that was one of a fetishy bunnygirl. She did not seem to notice just yet, but she would soon. Knowing this, I tried to pretend it was not there and made myself formal once again.

"Saber. We will rest tonight. Tomorrow, however, I will show you my town. I would prefer to have you know your way around at least a little before that priest starts everything up...

Mode: Genon Kriegel

Scene: A Certain Convenience Store

Time: Day 1, Afternoon

At long last, the latest rush was over and done with. It was about half past noon now, meaning I had about two hours of decreased traffic. That assumption implies that it was a good day. With the lapse now upon me, I take a breath and begin scanning over my workplace. It was a simple convenience store, nothing special. However, it has been playing a vital role in keeping my wallet decently filled with paper funds. Not that I really needed money compared to what my family has been spending on preparation. Over the past two years, I have been slowly building up my personal resources for a number of reasons. Although most recently, it was in preparation for the conflict that would soon begin in Fuyuki City.

The Kriegel family, my lineage, has been a magus family for the past few generations. While we are hardly traditional, there is no question that we are determined to research the mysteries of Thaumaturgy. That interest has been dwindling over the generations, however. While my great-great grandparents saw it worth it to throw away their old lives to build toward magic, my mother and father by comparison, have more or less made their magecraft into a hobby. So it is only logical to think I would end up with a strange view on the whole subject.

To summarize, I am quite a fan of magecraft. No, it is not the sort of thing one normally considers fun, but I cannot help but see this family legacy as something of a blessing. While most kids grew up slowly learning that the things they love were fake, my own childhood was quite the opposite. For all those superhero shows and mecha anime I saw, I would always put thought into just how magic could help me achieve similar results. A means to an ends most people think is nothing more than high fantasy. For every single danger I was warned about, there were a dozen things for me to ignore the threats to my life.

For all the aptitude of my family, a reasonable amount of magical potential has been slowly growing since we began practice. From what I hear, my great-great grandparents of the Kriegel line had one Magic Circuit on one side and zero on the other. And my parents had three and two, respectively. Developmental-wise, my family was above average when considering that normal people rarely have such traits. Everything else though came from careful negotiation with the Mage's Association for marriage meetings with families to hopefully increase the number. But considering that Magic Circuits are often a mutation, there was always the chance (albeit an incredibly small one) that the child might have an extra circuit or two despite lineage.

The Magic Circuits, pseudo-neural pipelines that convert life sources into prana, are the foundation for most—if not all—magecraft in use by practitioners of Thaumaturgy. By learning to control them, it is possible to create mysteries and miracles normally beyond natural reality. With those in my family, we were par for the course as far as magic was concerned. Yet by some amusing stroke of luck, I ended up with thirteen Magic Circuits, more than double of those of my parents put together. So not only was I given a life where I would be tempted to abuse the wonders of magic, but I was even provided the means to do just that. Funny how things work in this world, isn't it?

This brings me to the subject of the Holy Grail War. My family sought participation some years ago, moving us without permission of the local Tohsaka clan to park ourselves in front-row seats to the battle. The reason for such was the interesting symbol that appeared on me a great while back. The Command Seal had given me passage into a conflict that was (in the words of my grandmother) more or less meant to be a stranglehold for power by really old and grumpy magical clans.

The opportunity was an honour for us, but as far as I was concerned this conflict was not my ideal means of reaching my goals. Sure, the reward was great, but the risks were ridiculously high even for me. Yet even with those negatives, I still ended up making as many preparations as I could for the war. Even more troubling was that before my generation, the family had nothing resembling an offensive spell. While I had done work to put a few into my library, all of them lacked any proper combat tests. It was almost funny that I would actually have the chance to use them.

I finally stop letting my mind wander and began thinking of business. I had already bought a large order of cheap metals some days ago, so I might be able to make one more round of profit before the war starts. It did not matter much though, since my family has been making gold, silver, and other precious metals in sparing amounts for the past few generations. Just enough to score a profit, but not enough to turn heads or weaken the market. And since we move around so much, no one ever knows us long enough to ask where we got our resources from. The family's last batch of converted treasures was currently in the hands of my parents, who were heading to the Americas to sell off the bulk.

Monetary-wise, our affinity for manipulating metals makes us a formidable foe to even rich families. It does help that we are unafraid of intermingling with non-magical groups to find buyers, too. This gives us all the money we need to fund our research, which often involves a lot of rare earths and iron dust to use with our spells. In the absence of my parents and my grandmother in Germany, I am left on the battlefield all on my own. It was quite a feeling, but turning down the fight seems like a waste even if it does has an insanely low survival rate.

With a glance at the nearest clock, I notice that my shift was almost over. Once I was out, my two week "vacation" was set to begin. With this my last loose end before the war got underway. If everything worked out well, I would vanish from the public eye completely until everything came to a close. That is, if the public does not suffer a cruel and unusual fate in the meantime. After all, this is the war that brought a great blaze that reduced a large part of Fuyuki's Shinto district to ash.

Scene: Kriegel House

Time: Day 1, Late Afternoon

Fuyuki City is divided into two halves by the Mion River. One side is known as Shinto and looks everything like one would expect of a modern city. Tall buildings and numerous businesses decorated the area in a very familiar way. The other side is known as Miyama and is more of a traditional residential district. From there Miyama can be considered as distinct parts as well. The residential area has places where Japanese-style homes are more common and another where more western abodes are present. There was even an area that was host to various foreign-style mansions.

My workplace was in Shinto, but my family's house was in Miyama. It was a fairly normal place that was not meant to stand out, so it required very little magical enchanting to keep passersby out. The house has two floors, an attic, and a decently-sized basement. If there was any magic used in the building's construction, it was with convincing one neighbour to essentially allow the area under their own house to be partial extension of our own basement. A change that was followed up by making the poor man move out to make room for the work. Said neighbour never came back, even though his house was somewhat re-erected later on. A little magic must have been used on others as well because no one seems to remember why that place is abandoned. I do hear rumours about hauntings though.

That large basement was my family's workshop, home to all our magical research and resulting projects. It was here that a specific magic circle had been carved into the floor and its crevices filled with mercury. This was to be the center of power for my Servant as well as the place where I would begin the summoning ritual. It would not be for several hours, but all the same it was set up just in case. Moreover, there was still lots of preparations left in some senses. Instead of blood sacrifices, I intended to merely activate the ritual as though force of will not unusual for my family. Aside from that, a few small containers of drawn blood was the only materials I would need to manage.

As for the spell that would begin sometime in the evening, it was not very different in execution of the Kriegel's alchemy. Our blood normally serves as the magically-charged agent that morphs one element into another, but on this day it would not be that way. It would be a careful transfiguration of the mercury into gold, but at the end of which there would be more than valuable treasure. In the first three wars, Servants could be influenced by artifacts. In this war and the fourth one a decade before, there was something of an exception, but I had no doubt that gold as a catalyst would make for a rare or perhaps noble Servant. That thought kept me focus on the slow process of altering the circle in front of me. The first traces of gold would not be until a few hours into the spell, but I was no stranger to waiting for my success. Especially not with some music playing to help me focus.

After the first fifteen minutes, I finally started to see the mercury begin to move through the cuts in the stone floor move like rivers along some invisible bed. Heat assaulted my body, but it was nothing compared to anything my parents felt. The spell was still manageable for even them at this point, but I was sure overtime it would become more intense. It would not be until one hour, but then my prediction came true as a feeling of something alien began to seep into my body. The feeling of a thick fluid filling a container fills my mind as my magic circuits open. The moment they do, I begin mixing my blood into the mercury, watching as the red plasma starts moving with the mercury's flow. It took less than a few seconds, but soon enough the blood had spread across the full shape of the circle. By that time, it had been reheated by the liquid metal moving across the crevices.

The clock strikes the top of the hour, reminding me that it was now seven in the afternoon. The sun had already set by now. My magical process of creating gold and platinum normally took a whole day of work, but it ensured that the resulting precious metals would be as pure as can be. That valuable substance that normally forms only during a supernova was being forged like one would forge a blade. The time was a worthy cost to produce such a plentiful batch, but it was just the first part of the ritual meant to call forth the Servant granted to me by the Great Grails of Fuyuki. Which of the two great spirits would answer the call, I wonder?

Mode: Estevão Souza

Scene: An Inn Overlooking the Sea

Time: Day 2, Midnight

The hour was late. For a moment, I begin to doubt that I was truly in such a distant land as I stare at the waves just a short walk from my safehouse. The Madaraki Inn was more of a vacation spot than it was a decent base for a magus, but my delayed arrival in this town more or less assured that I was not going to have the best places to set up a workshop and a furnace. At first I had been tempted to take over the penthouse floor of a hotel in Shinto, but not even a short time into my search did I feel the dangerous energy of a killer in the shadows.

The seal on my hand had acted up in response to the presence of a Master, making me almost the first casualty of the war. No, even that would be wrong. Shinto and Miyama have both been host to missing persons and random assaults. Even though most might consider them merely pieces to be discarded, I could not forget that each life taken was likely being used to forge a greater and more terrifying beast...

So here I was, at a secluded inn sitting atop a hill overlooking a stretch of woodland and the fairly large strip of beachfront. Had I been in town on other business, even I might consider it to be a pleasant sight. But as for now, all I see is a dark mass inviting me to a graveyard aching for its open pits to be filled. I shuffle slightly as I turn my back on the balcony and head back the way I had come. The time was about midnight, the perfect time to begin the ritual. While my trip here had been delayed numerous times, I had no real worries of a deadline. After all, one does not need to make a proper ceremony to call upon the Grail's Servants. Even a child with the potential to possess a command seal could become a Master so long as he fit the requirements needed to request a Servant. Such an easy protocol for such a deadly force is unheard of...perhaps more than a traditional heresy.

Without permission I head up a hidden stairway that leads into a loft above the second floor. The people of this inn see me as no more than a guest, but their wariness is zero when it comes to my activity. In the presence of mere peasants, a noble such as myself has easy means to make them never question any word, gesture, or question I may have. A simple spell, but one that is absolutely necessary to hide amongst the common folk. As I enter the makeshift workshop, I recall the encounter with one of my colleagues before I even had reason to come to Fuyuki. A weak breath escapes me. A man younger than I had supposedly been chosen to fight in this war, much like the other Masters. However, back then I had no care for such things.

I had recently suffered injuries that left me apathetic about anything and everything that had been going on around me, so even stories of a magical chalice that grants wishes was nothing more than a side-joke to myself. Recovering from my weakness was easy, but to be known as the magus that killed his own instructor in a duel effectively terminated any respect I may have hoped to reach. At least as far as interpersonal relations...

The sixth generation magus who slayed a man with hundreds of years of lineage. The young man that exploded his head across the courtyard by some lucky shot. In retrospect, he had never laid down a rule against killing the opponent. And as magi, the two of us were both prepared to die at any time. Or at least I was. In the case of that callous man, he was so confident about his superiority that he never thought that the battle would be over in just moments. The fool accepted my challenge as a jest, humiliating me in front of my class and to everyone who knew my name. So perhaps his boasting before the fight looked all the more pathetic when that man with years of lineage died before me.

Yes, I lost the respect of everyone I had worked with. But despite that I was recognized as a skilled mage who was able to do battle. I could have become an Enforcer right then, but at the time I was far too sick of people to care. My hatred of other human beings makes it hard for me to accept praise or care for others, but I was somehow promoted to the rank of noble for a simple an act as murder. Ironic that the very issues I had been forced to suppress actually gave me prestige when I let them free. And all it took was a few burns here and there. Everyone despised me just as much as I loathed them, but I was fine with that outcome. It was a path I was used to walking...

So what of the young man who was three years my junior? What of the Master who met with a tragic fate? He was the sole being at Clock Tower—the university for Magi of the Mage's Association—who accepted me on a human level. He continued to bother me and trouble my every action with promises of alliance. Unlike myself, he was a mere second generation magus considered to be far below my status as a noble. Yet he continued to set us as equals for the simple reason of admiration. This chosen Master saw me as the perfect teacher to help him learn the art of a Mage Knight. A warrior who wields magic meant for the battlefield and smelled of sulphur and salts. Yet his dreams came to an end the moment I became his teacher.

After enough troubling on his part, the young man convinced me to take him as an apprentice. It was not my specialty, but it was simple enough to match my basic training and studies to let them function as tutoring. And despite his relatively small skills at first, he quickly became a respectable magus in even my eyes. Perhaps because of this, I was willing to allow him to learn some of my family's deeper arts. I was a terrible teacher for making that decision. The person I had come to consider my pupil ultimately destroyed his body whilst practicing a spell in secret. While I would like to not place him on the level of the instructor I had eliminated, I could say nothing but call him a fool when I learned of the incident.

Just like that, I had thought the Holy Grail War was no longer my concern. I could return to my hobbies in silence. To the various games and mindless entertainment that kept my attention more than even the most well-spoken administrator. Somehow though, my life of slow progress and passive activity was once again pulled out from under me when that very same marking that had been on my late apprentice manifested on my body. I was sure this was not a coincidence, but it was hard to deny that it almost seemed like some accursed deity wanted me to play the part of the person I had brought to a premature end. After receiving the markings of the Command Seal, I no longer questioned the power of the grail in the same way a pious man does not doubt the blessings of his God. This punishment...or perhaps gift...was now my curse.

I was a murderer. The killer of two living, breathing people. Yet now I was essentially being commanded by my fate to slay even more. My parents wanted me to protect myself with my magecraft, yet it seems that my destiny has chosen instead to use my honed skills as a spear, sword, and axe to slaughter lives in my path. I have no problem with this, I subvocally repeat to myself...

After what felt like hundreds of steps, I make it into the attic. It had been specially furnished to be my second room for my stay in Fuyuki, but unlike the Japanese-style room I had come from, this one was fitted with more western furniture. And also unlike below, the entire room was filled with the smell of various chemicals needed for my magic. Namely, sulphur and gunpowder. While many complained about that smell like rotting from nearby rooms, no one was ever going to be able to learn the truth of the literal weapon lab right above them. This workshop housed my magical furnace, meant to perfect the compacting of compounds that I succeeded in mixing together. Yet these many materials paled in comparison to the effects they triggered. It was using just a small pinch of my family recipe that annihilated the head and rended the upper body of my old professor. Knowing this, I was aware that by channeling the right magic, it was possible to operate golems from a distance. Ones that could detonate with just my command. This was the magecraft of my family.

We turn the chemicals that were already volatile into magical triggers of shimmering dust. Not only this, but the spell was many times faster than others for its damage output. And with its low prana cost I could use the spell consecutively. Perhaps due to my confidence in the art, I was certain that I was just as dangerous as the most modern weapons. Any rifle was likely just as fast, but the power in my spells was far superior to the piercing shots. And pairing that with the unique familiars of my mother, I arrogantly began to consider myself the most powerful magus in the war.

My focus draws over to one of my desks, which had been covered in a layer of crimson powder when I left. Since my last visit, it appears as though someone took a fine object and began writing a message into the blood-red salts. It was none other than a contact of mine from Clock Tower. In his message he explained that the war's moderator was at the church on Shinto's south side. As one of the three known formal Masters, he was essentially being invited to the battle with full praise. Which makes things somewhat interesting...

The Heaven's Feel of Fuyuki normally features Masters from the three main families that instigated the conflict 200 years ago. Namely, the Tohsaka clan of Fuyuki, the Matou—formerly Makiri—clan, and the enigmatic Einzbern clan. As of this war though, it seems that the Matou clan has no Master due to its weakened state. So that leaves the Tohsaka and Einzbern families as my main opponents, worthy adversaries for a noble. That being said, knowing I have two ancient Magi lines to contend with makes me grumble more than it excites me. That wish had better be worth every bit of struggle.

A bigger problem was that the war no longer follows the seven Servant rule as with the Third War and those before. Ever since the chaos with the Fourth War, which supposedly ended up with a total of sixteen Servants, the entire system was torn apart by the existence of dual personae within the Holy Grail. At the very least though, this war should actually be winnable unlike the last one where the Grail's two minds—still trapped in a single Grail at the time—ended up feuding over the right to grant the wish. So while that is a reassurance, the elation is crushed immediately by the fact that I might end up fighting multiple Assassin or Saber class Servants.

"Souza-sensei..." A voice snaps me out of my trance and draws my attention. A dazed-looking girl wearing a yukata was sitting near the back wall, on the opposite side of the summoning circle made of of yellow, white, and grey powders. I do not acknowledge her much, but she was one of the guests I brought over with me. As for why she was dazed, it was likely because her energy has been slowly being sapped for the past few hours since I brought her here. She is the sixth person I have found to provide extra energy to strengthen my circle since I arrived. She is likely completely ignorant to the ritual, but since she was still here I had the full intention of keeping her around until she passed out like the others. Every bit of energy counts. "I feel really funny..."

"You'll be able to sleep and head home soon, just wait for me to finish the summoning and you will be out of my hair. Until at least tomorrow morning." I say to her, but she just looks at me like nothing reached her. Then she began to laugh. As expected, while she had a superior amount of magical energy for a commoner, the drain was too much for her. Still, thanks to her and my other sacrifices—for lack of a better word—the grains making up the circle were charged with magical energies and literally glowing a faint purple.

I finally lower myself to the floor and begin using a thin iron rod to add some final markings into the layer of ingredients. The harvest was done, so it was finally time to begin reaping the crops that were building up for the past week. Carefully, I take some dust made from the bones of my late mother's skull. With a bit of thanks to her assistance, I begin dropping the grains down onto the center of the circle. The moment I do, I begin to feel a dark and cloudy force rush through my body. I take a long breath as I watch the world be cloaked in purple shadows.

Seeker of the Holy Grail, will you become my Advisor? The words of wisdom that brings victory to my legions?

Mode: Nobody

Scene: Fuyuki Church

Time: Day 2, After Midnight

The powers of the two Grails reached their high point at that time. The Spirit Board soon saw three new pieces turn from their natural blacks and whites and into the more distinctive purple and blue. Once again, Caren found herself looking upon the magical artifact that was managing and keeping track of the Servants. With this, there were now fourteen Servants along with fourteen Masters. Yet while not every item on the board was illuminated, a voice from the woman beside her spoke up. "Mistress Ortensia. This is sufficient to begin."

"Are you sure, Ruler? There are more purple pieces than blue." Caren says, looking back at her partner for the war. The Servant that represented the Great Grail of Justeaze.

"Consider it a handicap. It is still possible for more Servants to appear, but I am confident that those of my faction will cooperate in this war. The Servants of Angra Mainyu likely have no such cohesion. And..." Ruler speaks, a majestic voice befitting the high-standing woman. "...one of his units is already on our side."

"I understand. Then the war shall commence." Caren raises her hand and begins so speak to the Spirit Board as though to relay a message. "As the moderator for this Fifth Heaven's Feel of Fuyuki City, I hereby allow the twin Grails to call forth their Nexus to the city."

While not heard with the ears, two voices echo throughout the church. Caren and Ruler maintain their stance and composure, but the other two figures in the room, Kotomine Kirei and his Servant of the Gilgamesh class seem to take joy that the war was finally set to begin.

I approve of this Heaven's Feel. This Holy Grail War.

The two voices are distinct. One masculine. One feminine.

As the avatar of all hope and faith—

Says the first, but at the same moment...

As the instigator of discord and calamity—

...the second voice also speaks.

I shall call forth the Nexus of my glory for all combatants. May the throes of passion and wrath guide you to victory.

As the voices speak, Caren begins to feel something change. All around her, the Fuyuki Church grounds began to morph. No normal person could see it, but the church was now becoming the center of power for the Grail of Justeaze. An identical phenomenon was occurring above the lake behind Ryuudou Temple. Blue light swirled about the church and its graveyard, changing the entire area into a large structure not unlike a tower. It was larger than the tallest building of Shinto. Purple radiance rippled across the lake as an island tore from below the surface to rise as its own. Due to its position atop a mountain, it rose even higher than the other. Had it been visible to normal people, this second babel would have been visible across the city and even from kilometres outside of the suburbs.

The last to summon his Servant, Genon Kriegel, had only just called forth his warrior when this display of might showed itself. He had only gotten the bare minimum of information, but he knew full well that there was one way to automatically end the war. This knowledge was shared by Tohsaka Rin, the Master of a mighty Blue Queen piece, and by Estevão Souza, the Master of the Purple Queen's Bishop piece. Yes, most Masters could see now that the war would end when one of these towers falls or all its soldiers fell in battle. There was no escape from this battle now. All the Masters who were resigned to fight counted their breaths. All those fearful of their damned fate instead weeped in fear of death. And yet there was still those that would fight merely to complete their nature to slay others. Yet for all these fourteen souls, there were two others that would be awoken by pains in their body.

Emiya Shirou and Shizen Tsubasa would feel pains in their arms, left and right respectively. And as the pain roused them, the blue, shining Nexus and the purple, pulsing Nexus would immediately catch their attention. Neither knew the meaning of this event, but both shared the same uncertainty. Yet the answer would not come to them so easily. This war did not care if the two of them were left behind or not. They were to either adapt or die. At that moment, Shirou recalls the words of a small girl that he saw on the way home.

"You're going to die if you don't hurry up and summon it, Onii-chan~"