[Prologue: Part 3]
The Einzbern family has sought the holy grail for over a millennia; a relic of immeasurable power which utilized the souls of heroes as fuel to carry out a reaction which could distort reality. A wish granting device, a gate to another world, a font of sin incarnate... It was the ultimate prize.
The problem for this ancient family was that the grail itself must be claimed in a war, a war which uses its own casualties as necessary ritual sacrifices. And for all their prowess in other areas, the Einzberns were not warriors.
In the last two wars, they attempted to remedy the problem in two different ways: The first time by bringing an outsider, specialized in combat, into the family fold. The second time by creating a homunculus, an artificial human being, designed for combat yet unable to attain the grail on its own.
Both attempts failed. The outsider betrayed the family and his name was still uttered as if a curse. The homunculus journeyed to the battleground and performed admirably for the initial stages of the next war, but then her Servant was killed and she disappeared off the face of the earth. In a war, this sort of disappearance is as good as a KIA report.
Still, a family as venerated as the Einzberns does not survive a thousand years without the ability to learn from their mistakes. True, both experiments had failed in the long term, but had not been completely without results. The accursed outsider fielded an impressive combat record and actually had managed to become a finalist in the war before his betrayal. The homunculus had been a loyalist who managed to support an exceedingly powerful servant and fared rather well in the initial stages of the war. The story of each could offer lessons.
The field of magic in which the family excelled at was a twisted form of 'creation'. The alchemists of Einzbern lineage were peerless, perfecting the art of birthing monsters through centuries of trial-and-error. Monsters, soldiers, and slaves could be specifically created as the need arose. The shambling hordes of failures produced roamed the freezing fiefdom. It was this fundamental skill they decided to gamble all their hopes on after all outside options had failed.
When the next holy grail war was foretold, a new plan was formulated almost immediately. For this war, the Einzberns were willing to rig the entire system. This time, they would enlist two masters, both homunculi, with additional levels of control. The two most malleable homunculi were selected from the Einzbern ranks and underwent a nightmarish series of procedures designed to cast them into these pre-determined roles: the 'warrior' and the 'courier'.
The warrior homunculus was selected to be the grail's physical form and be a perfect combat model, who would be able to crush all opposition but be unable to obtain the grail itself. The courier was an intelligence operative, a support designed to hide behind the warrior until those two were the only masters left.
Once that occurred, the 'warrior' would be sacrificed to become the grail and the 'courier' would be the nominal victor by virtue of being the only master remaining. All that homunculus would need to do would be to step forth and claim the grail for delivery, then his task would be complete.
Zakyr finished his tea after explaining this.
"And I... was to be the courier."
He said it with a voice full of bitterness. Tohsaka said nothing, but her eyes were once again glazed over with thought.
Looking back over his own words, he had kept his description as general as possible. In particular, it was odd referring to his predecessors as "the outsider" instead of "Kiritsugu" and "the homunculus" rather than "Ilya". He'd decided he should keep his speech generic for the time being. After setting down his saucer, he continued.
A month ago, Zakyr abandoned his pledge. Taking nothing and planning nothing, he fled the castle into the desolate wasteland surrounding it. By nature, it was going to be a difficult trek. The lands surrounding the Einzbern home were completely desolate, empty. Local legend said the wilderness was haunted: it was right. All manner of monstrosities, familiars, and failed experiments had been abandoned on the hallowed ground. Even before the Einzberns realized he was gone he'd had to fight for his life several times. This was the easy part.
It didn't take his former guardians long at all to realize he'd deserted. Prior to his discovery by Tohsaka, not an hour of the last three weeks had passed without some kind of attempt on his life. As a 'courier' rather than a 'warrior', he'd done his best to avoid battle. But some things were inevitable. He ended the curt tale unceremoniously where he had passed out in the alley. Silence.
No questions about me. Good, this was a better outcome than I hoped for.
The Magus in red, Tohsaka, seemed completely disinterested in his own story after hearing of the reason for his creation, so he simply stopped talking. Yes, that likely was the more interesting part for an outsider. And it was a bit to take in at once, he supposed. Allowing Tohsaka time to think, he stopped his explanation and thought back upon the memories that had resurfaced...
"If I'm gone for a really long time, don't get impatient. I want you to stay exactly as you are. Can you do that?"
"How... How long do you think you'll be gone for?"
"It doesn't matter, just promise me."
"..."
"HEY!" A clap of hands right next to his ear brought him back to reality.
Zakyr finally refocused his eyes and glanced around, reminding himself where he was. Tohsaka had apparently finished her contemplation of the Einzbern plan. Far from the pensive look she'd born last time he looked at her face, she now looked angry that he'd been ignoring her.
"Sorry, something on my mind."
An unamused look.
"Well, try to keep your head out of the clouds for right now. Tell me, how is the grail war even still going? Six years ago... we should have stopped it!"
Zakyr blinked. It was his turn to be confused.
"We?" He quoted.
"Answer my question first."
It looked like a give-and-take was the only way either of them were gonna get anywhere. He sighed, trying to recall what he had been told.
"At the end of the last Grail War, the ley lines of Fuyuki were shattered during the dismantling of the war. It was a noble effort, but that didn't mean the grail itself was irreparably damaged. There've been seven-hundred-twenty-six different manifestations, after all. That's way too many for the Grail itself to be dependent on a single place or a set of ley lines. All it meant was that we couldn't use Fuyuki again."
Tohsaka bit her lip.
That... Was that really all we did? Deflect the misery onto someone else?
"Where and when is the next grail manifestation taking place?" She asked in a severe tone.
Zakyr said nothing, unsure if he should divulge that precious bit of information. Sensing and understanding his hesitation, Tohsaka seemed to grow angry again.
"Hey! I just saved your life! You're under obligation to answer!"
She's certainly not shy. Reciprocity is a bitch.
"Five years from now. As for where... An American ghost town. I can show you if you've got a map."
"I'll find one later."
Later? So I guess we're gonna be spending some time together. Zakyr was unsure how he should feel about that.
"So, your turn. What did you mean 'We'?"
She was silent for a minute, once again lost in thought.
"M'lady?"
She sighed. "Are your wounds alright? It's kind of a long story."
He nodded. "I'm fine."
Tohsaka began her recollection of the events in the fifth Fuyuki Holy Grail War.
