Carrie sat on a piece of driftwood gazing out into the ocean while the rest of the group slept safely in a hotel. They were taking shifts watching the area for "unwelcome" visitors. A blue bird soared high in the air. A stranger might confuse it with a seagull.

"Did you see anything Elof?" Carrie asked. The bird swooped down and landed upon the sand in front of her.

"Whoever was behind the attack didn't want to be found but…" Elof's voice trailed off as a stream of psychic images flowed into Carrie's mind. She could see a dark mist covering much of the container park with hundreds of shadows twitching and moving inside. It would be impossible to discern beast from man. However, sitting on top one of the gates she caught a glimpse of a young man with red hair. The vision ends.

"He didn't seem at all disturbed" Carrie said. The guy was likely a Master, and in charge of whatever created that disaster. It was probably Caster's work, though she couldn't be sure without knowing the other servants. Even Saber wouldn't tell her who she was.

"That much is obvious" Elof said. "But there is more, earlier that night a servant identified as 'Assassin' was annihilated just outside the Tohasaka mansion."

"Yes, Irisviel is aware of that" Carrie said. "The battle was very conspicuous, possibly on intention. Did you see anything that wasn't meant to be seen?"

"A man shining of gold" Elof said. "Any more is speculation. He wasn't holding a weapon."

"Hmmmm" Carrie said aloud. She leaned back on the stump and looked up at the stars. "Remember years ago, when you said there was nothing more I could learn from you" she said.

"Aye, you'd demonstrated mastery of the dark arts. Even Satan himself would've been fooled" Elof said.

"I thought I'd never see you again" Carrie said. "Why must everything in life be entangled with work?"

"That doesn't sound like you. Did something happen while I was gone?" Elof said. Carrie laughed at that.

"I've been asleep for over a hundred years. Shouldn't I be asking you?" Carrie said.

"I'm serious" Elof said. He fluffed his feathers and took to the air. "I'll keep an ear out for word on the Grail" he said. Carrie thanked him silently as he flew away. The world was a different place now, yet everything was exactly the same.

Kariya is overwhelmed with a terrible sensation as Carmilla approaches him. The worms were always antagonizing making even the most ordinary actions painful to perform. Constantly they ate away at his insides; devouring his flesh, blood and soul. But this was different. Carmilla had lead him deep underground into the sewer network. Here amidst the tunnels lay an ancient waterway that was no longer used by the Japanese. They could speak freely here.

"Get away" the worms hissed. They pulled and gnawed at his skin beckoning him to leave. But while the worms were intelligent they lacked the sort of reasoning necessary to comprehend their situation. The worms were afraid, and Kariya liked that. He welcomed it. He loved it. The pain he'd endured was beyond description and he'd sacrificed his very life to save her. But despite everything he still desired an end to the pain. This was precisely what Carmilla offered. And if the result lead to Sakura and his own salvation he'd gladly embrace all the evil in the world.

Carmilla held a small jewelry box in her hands. It was finely decorated with red and gold plating and had a large handle twisting along the top. She held an eager look in her eye. "You've seen your fair share of dark magic Kariya. It's unfortunate you've had to experience it from the other side" she said. "Such things don't have to be this way"

Kariya fell backwards onto the floor as the worms teared apart the tendons in his thigh. He rarely screamed from their constant attacks yet the pain was too much to bear. "GET AWAY!" they commanded.

"You're not the boss of me" Kariya said, turning to look at Carmilla. She didn't react at all when he fell to the floor.

"I was going to ask you to sit down. How cooperative those creatures are" Carmilla said. The worms lashed into Kariya's throat making it difficult for him to speak. Slowly, Carmilla opened the box she was holding. There was a baby inside, yet far too small to be a child of birth. Its flesh was colored deep red and its body shook violently with its tiny beating heart.

"Just a little more Kariya, and this will all be over" Carmilla said. She grabbed the infant and knelt down next to him. Kariya gazed at her, trying with all his might to confront the pain, but the worms made it impossible to concentrate. One of the worms broke free from his cheek and tried to crawl away. Carmilla scoped it with her hand and shoved it down her throat, the creature shrieked and whined as it slid down. She tapped Kariya's chest with her forefinger and all the pain he was experiencing ceased.

Kariya looked at Carmilla with wide eyes. "How?" he said, but she placed a finger to his lips and climbed onto his chest. Her face incredibly close to his. "You're turn" she said softly and held the fetus in front of him.

"What do you want me to do with that?" Kariya asked.

"It's not as big as it looks Kariya, unlike some things" Carmilla said, stroking his inner thigh with her foot. His thoughts drifted to Aoi. Something about this didn't sit well with him. He hardly knew this woman yet within hours of meeting her she'd successfully removed the worms plaguing his body. He only endured them because they boosted his magically ability, yet he didn't seem weaker. If anything else he felt empowered by her. The gnawing pain was gone, but the power. It was still here.

"I am going to win this war" Kariya said.

"Of course" said Carmilla, she wiped her hand across his chin.

"I'm going to save Sakura" Kariya said.

"Absolutely" Carmilla said. She grabs his cheeks and forces her lips onto his. As he tries to pull himself away she shoves the fetus deep into his throat and steps away from him.

Kariya's eyes nearly pop from their sockets as the lump is forced down his throat. He feels the creature struggle as his body forces the thing deep into his stomach. The fetus lands inside with a soft plunk and begins scampering around the small moist chamber. It's an incredibly unpleasant feeling, though nothing compared to the worms he'd endured before.

*Cough* hacks Kariya as he kneels on the floor. Beads of saliva drip from his mouth as he struggles to keep the thing inside. His stomach keeps curling to accommodate the creature and he feels as though he's going to hurl.

"It has been a most pleasant experience Kariya" Carmilla says. She walks over and kicks him in the gut with the butt of her heel. Blood spurts from the wound.

"What did you?" Kariya struggles to speak as Carmilla kneels down and strokes his arm. A most sinister smile spreads along her lips and she digs her fingernails deep into Kaiya's hand. He tries to scream but struggles to find the words. She had tricked him she must have tricked him. He needed something, was it ayuda? Or tasukeru? He couldn't remember that word but he could recall thousands of others. So many thoughts crossed his mind at once it became impossible to discern which was real. A purple haired child crosses his mind. Followed by nothing, and everything.

Carmilla laughs to herself as she climbs the ladder into the city above. Wet slaps of flesh can be heard below as what was formally Kariya warps into a newborn being. He would be of use in time. But what concerned her more was the shadowy figure climbing behind her and the glowing red insignia on her right hand.

Saber sits quietly in the hotel room. Carrie, Julius, and Irisviel all went downstairs to eat breakfast. She very much wanted to eat alongside them though as a servant she technically did not require such forms of nourishment. She wished to inform them of her unique disability in time but was cautious about revealing too much about her soul, she was still alive after all. So here she would wait, cautiously searching for signs of distress in the stream of magic flowing from Irisviel.

*Her stomach growls*

"Ugh" Saber sighs. "Not very professional today am I?" She was still bothered by last night and the circumstances of her summoning. She never recalled her scabbard being present at any of the other grail wars she fought in. Using it to force her appearance meant she wasn't necessarily paired with a likeminded master, a luxury she had wished would continue. From what Irisviel described Kiritsugu didn't sound like a bad man though he rarely spoke to her. As if jinxing herself, a knock suddenly comes from the door. She could feel the energy of the contract behind it and knew immediately who it was.

Saber opens the door and the man in black takes a seat inside. Maiya stands near the door with her arms crossed.

"Things have gone differently than anticipated" Kiritsugu says. "We need to rethink our approach."

"Kayneth's death was most unexpected. But we are one step closer to our goal. There are only four left." Saber says flatly. Yesterday's events finally explained why Kiritsugu preferred not to work with her. He was a cheat. A man who would do anything to win a battle, even killing a man while he was down. Whatever scheme he had been planning she didn't want to know.

"Kayneth would be dead now even without those things. And there's five." Kiritsugu said. "That's part of what I wanted to tell you. Me and Maiya saw Assassin yesterday at the container park."

"Then you've always had plans to shoot Lancer in the back I take it?" Saber said, unsurprised by news of Assassin.

"Not exactly" Maiya said behind her. "We were originally going to destroy his hotel."

"The entire building!" Saber said, suddenly realizing her voice was raised. She calmed herself and said, "I must disagree."

"Whether you agree or not isn't the point Saber" Kiritsugu said.

"So this is why you left me with Irisviel? To keep me in line?" Saber replied. His response seemed to imply he knew she wouldn't agree with him. She'd seen such tactics before in her court when a clerk changed the subject every time she asked a question he thought she wouldn't like the answer to. It was a dodge, and not one she desired to ignore if she were to put her life on the line for this man. A command seal bound her to him, but the Servant to Master contract had never been formally made. Not in her eyes.

Kiritsugu sighed and glanced over at Maiya. "We need you to stay separated so we can attack the other Master's without going to war. It's safer for everyone that way."

Saber had made such decisions herself long ago. Destroying an entire city to hold back an advance could kill hundreds of lives instead of thousands. She regretted those decisions every day and never made such decisions again after she was given Excalibur. A war was to be avoided whenever possible, but when such conflict becomes inevitable it's the responsibility of those in charge to maintain order and more importantly humanity. The idea that blowing up a hotel was superior to engaging in an honest duel sounded childish. He knew nothing of consequence nor reasonability. "It's safer for you. Not them" Saber replied.

"Irisviel told you of my wish I presume" Kiritsugu said. "That's what we are here for. And I didn't come here to waste time chatting with a thousand year old hero on morality."

"Sir" Saber said. "I humbly request you allow me to fight by your side as master and servant."

"Request denied" Kiritsugu said. "Irisviel will be here shortly. Me and Maiya are leaving the city to search for the other masters. I don't want either of you to engage until we know more." He broke eye contact with Saber and stood to leave the room, fearing she would whine with some sort of high and mighty rebuke.

The door snapped shut, though Saber could hear Irisviel and Kiritsugu chatting on the other side. She seemed so happy to see him. Saber decided to bottle her pride and wait patiently for her next orders.

Kiritsugu had not anticipated such difficulty with Saber. She dissented him more than a typical servant. Were a situation to arise he couldn't rely on her to unquestionably obey his word. Thankfully, he still had three command seals. Though using one could further damage their fragile relationship.

"Slow down Maiya" Kiritsugu said. She was speed walking past him down the hallway.

"We should distance ourselves as quickly as we can" Maiya said. "It was a mistake to see them like this."

"I don't want the others to feel out of the loop" Kiritsugu responded. "She is my wife Maiya. And there isn't much time left." Maiya continued walking with her eyes forward, never so much as glancing his way. "I'm sorry" Kiritsugu says.

"Never mind that" Maiya said. "We have a lot of explosives left over from yesterday but no targets unless you count the Tohsaka mansion."

"The other masters will reveal themselves in time" Kiritsugu said. "I'm not comfortable attacking Tohsaka in his residence. He'll be too prepared for that."

"So you do plan on using Saber and the others as bait?" Maiya asked.

"Not necessarily, they are more than capable of helping themselves" Kiritsugu said. "If we win the war, none of the unpleasantries will have mattered."

"And if we don't win it'll all be for nothing" Maiya said. "Bad things happen to everyone."

Kiritsugu and Maiya pay the hotel clerk and drive away. They stop at a Seven Eleven on route for a quick meal. As Kiritsugu waits in line a woman bumps into him trying to get through to the isle. "Oops! Why excuse me kind sir" she says with a quick curtsy. Kiritsugu was always cautious of those around him and he despised situations like this. The woman was in a gaudy pink dress and clearly not Japanese. She was probably just some fool thinking she would tour the world. He checked to make sure his guns and wallet were still there.

They paid for their things and walked back into the parking lot. Maiya walked ahead as she had been acting odd all day. She opened the driver's side door when Kiritsugu felt a sudden shift in magical energy. "Maiya! Get back!" he yelled, and she immediately leapt away from the car.

The vehicle exploded.

Maiya grabbed a pistol and knife hidden in her garb while Kiritsugu similarly pulled a small Uzi from his trench coat. Everyone in the area scrambled for cover, some trying to speed away in their cars. One woman calmly exited the store unaffected.

"Ohhhh my bad. I knew I'd forgotten to mention something" she said, and quickly leapt to the side as Kiritsugu fired upon her. "They always want to talk" he thought. Mind games did nothing but further complicate the situation; catching them off guard was a much better principle. He continued to fire at the woman until she ducked inside the building.

"If we continue fire we might hurt civilians" Maiya said.

"Yeah I know" Kiritsugu said. "And so does she." Whoever she was she had obviously planned this entire event. Yet if the car was bombed why didn't she trigger it while they were still inside?

"Let's plan an escape for now. We'll attack once we learn more about her" Kiritsugu said. "And if need be. We'll resort to plan b." Kiritsugu could summon Saber instantly if he needed to, but wasting a command seal so early on could also hurt him later. They were under attack, but he'd been in similar situations before.

They hear a scream from inside the building. Maiya takes a step forward but Kiritsugu holds her back. Whoever the woman was she seemed to assume he held high moral standards. They could be anticipating this. He prayed she didn't know about his Thompson Contender.

"Torch it" Kiritsugu ordered. Maiya bit the clip off a grenade and threw it inside. The building burst apart and collapsed. Cars from the street squealed to a halt and smashed into one another as they reacted to the shock. The drivers dived under their seats in terror as Maiya and Kiritsugu rushed past them holding large guns. They ran into a nearby park.

Kiritsugu ran behind a stone lantern while Maiya leaped effortlessly into one of the trees. That blast should have caught them off guard but Kiritsugu wasn't optimistic enough to think it killed them. And they haven't encountered the servant yet.

Gunfire sounds from his left. There walks a huge dark figure with mist emanating from its body. The servant. He opens fire, though only to buy time. Even the magus killer was no match for a servant. He would need to find and eliminate the Master quickly.

Maiya leaps down from the tree and runs towards an area thick with brush. She wasn't arrogant enough to think she could take down a servant alone, but assumed Kiritsugu would want her to distract him. Berserker rushes her location, toppling a swing set in his way and wielding the chains as a whip.

"Kiritsugu!" Maiya yells.

"I know I know" Kiritsugu thinks to himself. Dozens of people race around the park leaving their cars in a pile behind. The woman he saw earlier wore a scarlet corset and a pink skirt, someone that gaudy shouldn't be difficult to find. Or did she anticipate this too?

"KIRITSUGU!" screamed Maiya. She had thrown one of her weapons at the beast to throw it off, but its rampage couldn't be slowed. Kiritsugu pulls a flash bang from his pocket and tosses it above the park. He and Maiya shut their eyes, but the blast cripples their hearing. The monster shrieks in pain, dropping its chain and picking up Maiya's side arm.

"Dammit Red where are you?!" Kiritsugu says. He fires upon Berserker once more. Maiya tries to run away, but he quickly makes up for lost ground. He'll be upon her in seconds. Kiritsugu holds his arm into the air, his command seals glowing with power.

"SABER COME!" Kiritsugu commands.

Saber instantly appears in front of Maiya and strikes Berserker before he can attack. They engage in a battle beyond the scope of mortal men, tossing dirt and brush high into the air. Maiya rushes over to Kiritsugu.

"The bitch cut us off" Maiya says, referring to Berserker's Master. "She's probably hiding somewhere."

"They're always watching" Kiritsugu says. "Unless…" his voice trails off as he runs to one of the vehicles in the pile up. Maiya hops in the passenger seat as he speeds away, driving on the sidewalk to bypass the jam.

"Without Saber, Irisviel's alone with Carrie and Julius" Kiritsugu says.

"Are you so certain her plan wasn't to separate you from Saber" Maiya says. Kiritsugu slams on the breaks, starring at the road ahead. "I'm not sure" he says. He pulls out a large phone and dials the number for the hotel. "Explain what's happening" Kiritsugu says, passing on the phone. He jumps from the car and runs towards the sound of clanging swords.

"We are on our way" Irisviel says to Maiya over the phone. "We were talking to Saber when she just disappeared"

"Do you know where you're going?" Maiya asked.

"Of course" came a reply. "It's all over the news." Maiya glanced up to see several helicopters circling ahead. If they were here the national defense force wouldn't be far behind. Tires screeched as she spun the car around. "Keep on the down low, this is probably a trap" Maiya said before hanging up. She tossed the phone into the seat behind her and watched carefully at the battle ahead. This place could turn into a warzone real fast.

A woman in pink stands in an open field as Kiritsugu runs towards the battle. He fires a barrage of bullets towards her which she effortlessly deflects with a magical barrier. Mundane weapons were nothing to her. Still, the magus killer didn't deter his movements; even threw a few grenades her way. As he drew close she swung a dagger towards his chest which he easily dodged and punched her in the face. How unpleasant.

Kiritsugu tries again and again to strike the woman to no avail. She didn't seem to be taking him seriously, which was good. He fired once more with the Uzi under his coat causing her to leap backwards. As she rushed him for another attack her pulled his Thompson pistol out from the other side and shot an origin bullet straight for her heart.

The low velocity bullet sizzled through the air. It smashes into Carmilla's wrist, shattering to pieces. She wipes the dust off her arm as she gazes back at Kiritsugu, unaffected.

"A wonderful trick you have up your sleeve Kiritsugu Emiya, but I didn't come here to die just yet." Carmilla said. "Her on the other hand…." She motioned to the opposite end of the park. Maiya was rushing Berserker with the car, leaping out just as it smashed into the monster. Saber leapt back from the explosion, but before she could strike Berserker again he pulled the side arm he had stolen earlier and shot Maiya through the chest.

Kiritsugu lunged at Carmilla, who grabbed his arm and spun it into a lock. "You're conditioned for this. You don't show mercy" Carmilla said. "Even with death at the door of family, you never hesitate. You should be proud!"

"What are you doing? Why?" Kiritsugu said.

"I'll explain everything later sweetie. We'll have lots of time to chat then" she smacks him on the head and everything goes black.

Saber swung into Berserker as she heard the shot. From the corner of her eye she could see Maiya fall and assumes the worse.

Berserker hadn't been fighting her seriously, yet Saber was unable to pull away to rejoin Maiya or Kiritsugu. The Berserker class was granted a boost to magic and defense at the cost of sanity. Berserker wouldn't act this way on his own. But even as she knew everything was a trap, there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her master had already used a command seal, should she break her cover and use Excalibur?

Berserker leaps away. Saber considers rushing to aid Maiya but suddenly notices Carmilla carrying an unconscious Kiritsugu wrapped in chains. She hoists her sword into the air. "This ends now" she says. But Berserker does not stop, he picks up Carmilla and Kiritsugu and races away from the scene. Saber quickly steals a bike from the traffic jam and speeds after them.

Smoke rises from the residential districts as Saber races by on her bike. Fire dances from several of the rooftops and people run about in a state of panic. The very city was under attack by something greater than just Berserker and his master. Saber steers quickly to her right to avoid someone running across the street. She speeds past several cars on the road quickly gaining on Berserker's location. She pulls Excalibur and prepares to attack when she slams into a woman crossing the road with her dog. The bike slams into the ground with Saber gliding across the pavement for several meters. Skin is ripped from bone though it's nothing for a servant to cry about. She can't say the same for the person she ran over.

Saber gazes out into the street but sees no sign of Kiritsugu or Berserker. All around her are the screams of people and the roars of an unknown force. From the corner of her eye she catches glimpse of a tentacle not unlike the one they encountered the night before.

"How could this happen?" Saber says.

"I wouldn't worry about them. The likes of such are beneath rulers like us" says a prideful voice. Saber glances up to see the Golden King standing proud atop one of the buildings.

"Was this you're doing?" Saber asks.

"Of course not. Do not associate me with such vile creatures." Archer said. "I'm just here to watch the show." He sat on the ledge and patted the space beside him. "Care to join me?"

Saber looked around her, hoping to find another vehicle. "I think I'll pass" she said, and ran back towards the source of her magical energy. If only Kiritsugu were supplying most of her mana finding him wouldn't be a problem.