I don't own the rights for Persona 3/FES/Portable, Fate/Stay Night or Campione!

Death's Slayer

Intersecting destinies


I stared at Philemon for a while. Yup, he had the look of someone who managed to make the perfect appearance at the perfect time. I nodded in acknowledgment, both to him and to his flawless way of entering the stage. The guy's quite stylish, huh?

Pandora however looked at him as if he was someone she didn't want to see for a while, assuming while means eternity in this case. Does it hurt to be more welcoming for a change?

Seeing as nothing will get done as long we stare at him, I decide to speak up for want of making things move on.

"It certainly has been a while, Philemon. Glad to see you're doing fine, all things considered. As for me, I'm pretty sure you'd be able to tell me more, seeing you're here and all."

His smile widens a bit, before I hear him chuckle. "Indeed, I see you have taken the lessons of the velvet room to heart, cipher."

Said lessons involve Igor telling you things in a mysterious and foreboding way, prompting you to ask only to be shot down, with him telling you to find out yourself. It was infuriating at first, but I got used to it after a few months. Never enough to actually stop asking though, he was that good a story-teller. I got my love for drama and mystery, my abilities as a fortune-teller and my tricks with cards from Igor. Never again did someone catch me cheat at cards, or lift things from a few pockets.

No, I didn't do anything illegal. Really.

As for the word cipher, it's sort of my title. It seems it was mentioned in some sort of prophecy regarding the descent of Nyx. Yeah I'm a hero of prophecy. Just look at where it got me in the end.

"Seeing as you appeared after my question on how to get out of here, you're here to tell me how to accomplish that, am I correct?" I ask, hoping for a clear answer. Well, as clear as possible anyway.

"Possibly. Tell me, do you know of the holy grail?" He asks me in return, causing me to recall what I know of the artifact.

"The holy grail? Do you mean the cup of Christ, that grants you immortality when drinking from it?" I try to confirm.

There have been many claims to it's existence, with none yielding any positive results. The mere rumor of its existence was enough to spark wars, resulting in an extremely high death-count. In the end, humanity is it's own greatest enemy, as evidenced by Erebus, the personification of humanities will to die.

"Not quite." he chuckles. " The grail I am talking about is an artifact supposedly capable of granting any wish to whomever comes to claim it, rather than the real artifact." he continues, eying me judgingly.

Granting any wish? Something tells me, that that's out of the question, probably my common sense. He is going to send me there, but most certainly not to make a wish. Something as convenient as that simply cannot exist.

"And what is it really? Granting any wish is farfetched. I admit having wielded the power of the universe at one point, that it is possible if you reach the universe, but I can tell that anything short of that kind of power simply cannot achieve that kind of result." I state, knowing fully well what it is that I'm talking about. Then realization dawns upon me.

"Could it be, that the "holy grail" is some sort of gate to the universe, that allows such a wish to be granted?" That sounds much more plausible to me.

Philemon's eyes widen slightly in what appears to be surprise, before he begins chuckling to himself, apparently amused.

"Your prowess at logical thinking is astounding. Truly, you are one of the most interesting humans I have observed until now, Arisato Minato." he nods, telling me that my assumptions was, indeed, correct.

Then what does he want me to do? If I'm correct, then some idiots might abuse the power of such a powerful artifact, and that is something that must not be allowed.

Interrupting my train of thought, Philemon begins talking again.

"But do let me clarify before I mention what it is I need of you, and what I can tell you about your situation. The grail I mentioned here is a gate that leads to the Root, Akasha. It is not an omnipotent container, but a replica created to work like a "wish machine" that can bring forth one's own will. It is, however only a clump of magical energy, so wishing for something like "Saving the World" without specifying a working method will not suffice, thus it is not as omnipotent as people believe it to be. Even if someone lacks power or wealth, the Grail can possibly carry out such a wish if they knew "the method of Saving the World.""

He mentioned Akasha, which means "sky", "space" or "aether" in Sanskrit. "Why would they want to reach space?" you might ask, but what they are trying to reach here is not space, but the famed akashic records.

The akashic records are described as containing all knowledge of human experience and all experiences as well as the history of the cosmos encoded or written in the very aether or fabric of all existence.

The records, or the book of life as they are called in the Bible, are described as being in a non-physical plane described as a library, other analogies commonly found in discourse on the subject include a "universal supercomputer" and the "Mind of God".

People who describe the records assert that they are constantly updated automatically, and that they can be accessed through astral projection or under deep hypnosis.

As I am someone who wielded the power of the universe, I can attest that the records exist, however there is a slight problem. The sheer amount of information, that invades your brain is too much to process, making most of those who reach the records lose their minds.

Only those who have reached a state of enlightenment can withstand the influx of information, or better put, retain their sanity.

And even though I reached enlightenment and have received a substantial amount of knowledge from my brief contact with the universe arcana, I cannot recall much of it.

How to reach the knowledge within me is another problem to fix, but my current state of affairs is more important, so I respond to what Philemon told me.

"So basically, my wish wouldn't be granted if I didn't know the method of granting it. But since there are many ways to grant a wish, if my method is malevolent or outright disregarding of life, the grail would grant it in the manner I believe is correct, disregarding life in the process, correct?"

"Correct, it can only amplify the scale of realization of wishes with working methodologies and is incapable of granting true miracles."

This is looking bleaker by the moment. That kind of power isn't meant for human hands. Wait a minute. Where does it get the power to do something like that? The universe is built on the law of equivalent exchange. In order for that thing to function, it must gather power somehow.

As if to answer my question, he states "The energy for the operation of the grail is gathered by way of a ritual. Said ritual encompasses the summoning of heroic spirits as servants, and having the servants battling each other to the death, in order to gather the required energy. The ritual is called the war of the holy grail."

And there it is. Humanity really needs to learn what self-preservation means. Even though it isn't the real grail, they still are willing to fight wars to acquire it. Idiots.

"And what are heroic spirits and servants? I'm not liking the direction this conversation is headed to." I state, wanting to know more to sate my curiosity. Even though I know that curiosity killed the cat.

Philemon nods at my question, probably having expected it. "Heroic spirits are beings that accomplished great achievements such as saving the world and, after their death, became the object of worship and lore. As a result, they are placed outside the cycle of transmigration of the soul and ascend to an existence closer to a divine spirit in order to become a power that protects humanity. Despite the origins of the term, they are not bound to the common understanding of the word "hero", thus even Heroic Spirits of evil alignment exist."

So basically they are souls of deceased people who made a legend for themselves by doing some great deed, like Heracles, Orpheus, Buddha or king Arthur. They ascend and become beings close to gods and are unable to pass on, so that they can continue to protect humanity even after their deaths. Not my idea of a favorite past-time. I motion for Philemon to continue.

"Servants are in turn heroic spirits that are summoned by the grail for the purpose of competing under masters in the holy grail war. Masters are magi and as such users of magic or magecraft as they call it. As such you can view servants as familiars for those magi."

"Why do they call it magecraft?" I ask, knowing that it is a strange way of classification.

"In their words, magecraft is something that can be recreated using technology regardless of the funds or resources used, while magic cannot. There are only 5 true magics, again according to them." he replies.

"You said that heroic spirits are removed from the cycle. Where are they being kept in that case?"

"They are kept in the throne of heroes, a part of the akashic records. Magi call the records "the root", by the way." he supplements.

I think things through for a bit, and ask a few questions that have been plaguing me until now.

"If these heroic spirits are souls and are summoned, does that mean they are being materialized by the grail, assuming that a normal, magus I believe the singular form is, is incapable of materializing them? Is it because of energy problems, or is it because it is one of the true magics? And is that where the ability to summon personae hails from?"

"You are correct once more." he answers, his smile slightly wider again. "Magi are indeed incapable of materializing heroic spirits on their own, however because both of the reasons you stated. They lack the sheer magical force to do so for one, and secondly, materialization of the soul is indeed true magic. And yes, the ability to summon personae is true magic, even if only a very basic form." he nods, satisfied by my quick uptake.

"Why would a hero of worldly renown listen to and fight for a normal human? Are they perhaps robbed of their wills by the grail?" I continue asking. I can't stop wanting to know more about this. Philemon must have planned for that to happen.

"As I have stated before, the grail is thought to be able to fulfill every wish. As such heroic spirits participate in this war to have their wishes granted. There are also some of them, that only want to fight other heroes."

Typical. Blood-thirst is something that will never vanish, it seems. This reinforces my belief that there are no real heroes out there. No, I don't consider myself one. I continue asking. Damn it.

"Are heroic spirits summoned at random or is there a method of specifying who you want to summon?"

"Normally the magus uses himself as a catalyst to summon his servant. This grants them servants who are most compatible to their personalities. However they could also use an item that is tied to a heroic spirit's past as a catalyst, which can be used to summon that specific spirit as a servant."

Well that's handy. But that probably doesn't guarantee compatibility between their personalities.

"What if a spirit acts out of turn? What is there to stop a spirit from going wild?"

"The command seals exist for that purpose. They are three absolute commands that a servant cannot possibly resist, though there are rare cases that can. Moreover they represents the bond between master and servant. Through that bond magic energy flows from the master to the servant in order to keep them in the world. Killing their master would sever the only connection they have, so they generally won't do so." he says as he eyes me with a glint in his eyes.

Oh boy, I'm probably going to be summoned as a servant, judging by his tone of voice. Can't a guy even get a bit of rest around here?

"Wait, battles between heroes aren't exactly light spars. How many heroes are summoned exactly?"

"Only seven" he answers.

"That's still much." This could be a real problem. I don't want to imagine how many casualties will happen if they fought each other. Heroes have a great amount of magical energy, even if they aren't magicians. Wait, energy? Don't tell me...

"You are correct once again, cipher." he responds to my unvoiced question.

Can he read my mind or something? I have absolute confidence in my poker-face. Seeing him nod as if in answer, I can only sigh. There are things you're better of not knowing.

"The energy is indeed gathered from the servants themselves after they are killed. With their energy the grail is powered and in doing so, it can grant a wish." he states after-wards.

"So that's what the command seals are there for. To sacrifice the last servant, so that the grail has enough energy. So even the price is a lie. All this bloodshed for absolutely nothing." I realize.

Damn. Now I really pity those heroes that are trying to have their wish granted. Not even I can be that sadistic. And that's coming from the guy who sat in front of the executed Akihiko, who was chilling in his icy grave, and began slurping steaming tea for him to see! Poor Akihiko. Heh.

"But if that's the case, why would you want me to participate there? It wouldn't help me out of my situation, which makes it meaningless." I ask him. This does concern me after all.

"While the grail itself will not be able to help you, You will find the reason for your current state if you participate, and maybe even a way to deal with with the situation." he answers me.

So as usual, I'm barely told anything, huh? Oh well, a new adventure for me, I guess.

"What about weapons and armor? I'm going to fight heroes after all."

"I will give you your armored clothing, along with one or two weapons of your choosing, and a few other things. You do remember the spell my servants taught you, do you not?"

Said spell, is a very useful ability I dubbed the armory of the soul. Just as it's name implies, I can use my soul as an armory or treasury and instantly summon any item, weapon or armor back and forth between my soul and my person. Needless to say that I need the item to be stored in my soul already to summon it.

After a bit of thought I tell Philemon which weapons I want to use, and that I want my money and my mp3-player. This is going to be fun. Let's see how many heroes I can troll with my way of fighting. I chuckle darkly, making Pandora nervous, while Philemon simply smiles at my choice of weaponry.

As I begin to vanish, probably due to being summoned, I ask Philemon another question.

"How did you make sure, that I would be summoned?"

Philemon replies with "A friend of mine, who is the user of the second magic by the way, has delivered the catalyst to your summoner already, so there is little concern here." he states reassuringly.

I look at him until I'm nearly completely gone and ask "You have friends?".

The awkward silence was interrupted by the giggling of a certain self-proclaimed mother of mine. I wave her a quick good-bye, barely able to resist laughing as Philemon stares at me with a vacant look. I told you he's interesting, didn't I? And I got him good this time. Yeah I'm proud of myself as well. Heh.

Let's see who the unfortunate soul that is going to be my master is.


Tohsaka Rin is a no-nonsense kind of woman. She is the school-idol of Homurahara, the girl all other girls aspire to be, the girl all boys want to get closer to. Her grades, her mannerism and her appearance all are perfect, for they cannot possibly be allowed to be anything less.

However, all of that is nothing but a façade, and a few people know that too. Tohsaka Rin is not a morning person, is stingy, tomboyish, and a slacker. Her competitiveness always drives her to new heights, and she gladly gives in to it, in order to avert attention from her personal life.

Because her personal life is to different from that of those around her. She lost both her parents years ago, and the man who has taken care of her after their passing, was not exactly a pleasant person to work with.

Even worse, all of her family's funds were lost, thanks to that mans haphazard managing. He claims that it was for her sake, so that she could learn the meaning of humility, but all it really did was make her stingy. Just the sort of guidance you would expect from a fake priest like him.

However that isn't the only reason for her different life. The other reason is that she is a Tohsaka. While it doesn't mean much at first glance, it does mean the world at another. For she is a descendant of a long line of magi, people who practice magecraft.

However there isn't a single soul in sight that she would be able to share this secret with, and so she feels lonely. But such thoughts are better of dead, for they serve no purpose.

"Hey Rin, ready to head home for today?" a voice asks from behind her.

As she turns around, Rin is faced with one of the people who know of her façade. Her name is Mitsuzuri Ayako. One of the few people that Rin feels comfortable around. They are actually competing to see who will first snag a boyfriend. She is the captain of the archery club, after the former captain retired due to injury, apparently.

"Yes, I should be going home now. It has gotten fairly dangerous lately. You should do the same after your practice, Ayako."

As Ayako was about to reply, someone rudely cut in. "While it is true that you should hurry home as fast as possible, I doubt that anyone would try and attack a demon in disguise like you, Tohsaka."

As Rin and Ayako turn around to see who the newest addition to their conversation is. Standing there was none other than Ryuudou Issei, current Student council president and son of the head priest of Ryuudou temple.

He is also the only other person to see beyond the façade she puts on, much to Rin's displeasure. He might actually be able to sense her disposition as a magus, though she hopes, that that's nothing more than her being paranoid.

"That's not a nice thing to say Ryuudou. You'll never get a girlfriend at this rate." laughs Ayako.

"Women are better of being purified from the face of earth, were their wiles cannot reach the men. We would have an easier time reaching a state of enlightenment that way." Issei replies, as he did so many times before.

He seems to be very popular with the female populace of the school, though Rin has a hard time seeing why.

"If you are here to spout nonsense again, I will have to refuse, for I have something that needs to be done at home today, and I would like to do so without distractions." replies Rin, flicking her hair aside.

"While I would like to do nothing other than berate you, I am not here for that today. I found something that gives me a strange feeling, a feeling I sense from you all the time." he shoots back, while handing her something.

Intrigued, Rin looks at the object handed to her and gasps. It was a gun, silver in color, a bit heavy and apparently well-kept. On its side is an engraving that reads S.E.E.S. However that wasn't what made her gasp. The amount of prana that is contained within this gun is staggering, especially considering that it is nothing more than residue.

"According to Emiya, it's not a real gun and since I feel a similar aura from you, he told me to ask for your opinion on it." continues Issei while wiping his glasses.

Rin took another look at the gun and wondered. This gun must have belonged to a magus of extremely high skill, perhaps he even used the gun for something? What if it belongs to a heroic spirit?

According to her father's notes, heroics spirits are removed from the flow of time, so it would not be surprising, if a heroic spirit hails from the modern era. If so, she could use the gun as a catalyst for the summoning tonight.

On one hand she wanted to summon a saber however, and what kind of saber uses a gun? On the other hand however a modern day heroic spirit would be unrecognizable by most others, making it very difficult to pinpoint its identity.

Then again Ryuudou mentioned that it is not a real gun. Maybe it isn't used to shoot at someone, but for something else? Yes she would risk it and use this gun as a catalyst. No normal man or woman could leave behind residual prana of such intensity.

"If you like it that much then keep it, however don't show it to others, you might be suspected of the happenings nowadays. I need to go back to Emiya." Issei states as he leaves.

Only then had she realized, that she was staring at a gun with lust in her eyes, and then began blushing slightly, while putting the gun inside her bag. As she began to leave, Ayako bid her farewell, reminding her to change the time on her clocks for tomorrow.

Making a mental note to do just that, so that she doesn't screw up tonight, she thanks Ayako and bids her goodbye in turn, heading immediately for her home. Once there she makes sure that the summoning circle is set up properly, She takes a quick shower, and makes herself presentable for the heroic spirit that she is about to summon, she needs to show the spirit her dignity as a master after all.

After-wards she sets her clocks so that she doesn't miss midnight, the time in which she is at the height of her magical power. She makes a quick dinner and eats, does her homework and then waits for the appointed time.

Shortly before midnight she stands before the circle that will let her become a master of a servant, the highest grade of familiar. She is the Tohsaka representative for the war, and she will win it and prove her worth as a magus. That is what her father would have wanted after all.

She lays the gun in the middle of the circle, steps outside it and activates her magic circuits. As she feels her prana flowing through them, brimming with power, she is ascertained that it is indeed midnight. With nothing else in the way she begins chanting, just like it is described in her father's notes.

"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.
Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).
Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
――――I announce.
Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword.
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!"

At first nothing happens. Rin begins regretting the use of the gun as a catalyst, how could she be so clueless, so idiotic. But then the circle begins to hum with magic.

It glows in a blue light, before erupting into blue flames that light up the entire room. The light becomes intense, almost blinding, yet she cannot look away so dazzled she is by that display.

It's completely different from how her father's notes describe the summoning. She hopes for a quick end to this event and calms down once she sees the flames dying down.

After they disappear, she looks at the circle, hoping for the servant to stand there. And then she sees the one who will fight at her side from now on. And is immediately disappointed.

Standing before her was a boy her age, maybe even younger. He has dark blue hair that covers the right side of his face and a light build. His hands are in his pockets and he's leaning slightly back.

He is wearing a light gray double-breasted jacket, dark pants, and a khaki turtleneck sweater, along with what appears to be his earphones. His sole visible eye is closed, and he's breathing lightly.

Eying him carefully she takes a few steps in his direction and calls out to him. After waiting for a while she calls out to him, clearly not amused. A few moments pass, and just when Rin's about to lose it he opens his eyes and looks directly into hers.

Whatever she was going to say was long gone from her mind when she looked into his eye. It excluded a sense of serenity and calm she never saw before. It shone with intelligence, experience and even wisdom far beyond his years.

His sole visible eye seemed to look not at her, but at her soul, her very being, prying from her every possible secret she could posses. As if that eye of his was judging her, judging whether she was worthy of him or not.

Then she realized, that she did not, in fact, feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, his gaze was welcoming and warm, gentle even.

After a while she heard his voice for the first time, and that would become an event she would gladly look back to for years to come.

"So you are my summoner. I have answered your summons and stand before you. Are you my master?"


And that's that. I hope I managed to portray the characters good enough and not make them act ooc too much.

As for your answers:

guest:

The story will remain in the nasuverse for now, while I plan on making the sequel play it's events out in the campione!-verse.

Pcheshire:

while he did defeat Nyx, he didn't kill her and that is a requirement for becoming a godslayer or receiving her authorities.
He WILL get authorities of Thanatos, including his sword, chain and coffins , however he doesn't have them yet, save for one due to plot-elements I'm planning.
He will not be able to summon his personae, yet at least, as for enlightenment, you'll see what I'll do with it.
You'll see other aspects of death, though probably not who you have in mind. Don't worry though, Minato is Minato, and there is no way he wouldn't be overpowered, though he will take a while to reach his full power.

I hope you enjoy the chapter and until next time.