Right, let's get this show back on the road. How are we all doing? I've finally got the main servants who are going to appear set and now it's just a case of letting you guess who they are! I'm going to say what I did in another of my stories, I'm not quite sure what happened at the end becasue it all kind of just became a blur when I was writing that. Anyway, let's go!

Super hero time!

Ex-aid: Oi Takumi, who are they?

Takumi: I'm... not exactly sure. could they be the enemy?

Ex-aid: Well they certainly on't seem like the good guys right now!

Takumi: We'll have to do some investigating. Let's go full force!

E-a + T: Game start! The story begins!


"Tell me Caster, how far are you with the preparations you claimed you would do?" an impatient voice questioned, a low groan escaping the body before them as a foot tapped irritably upon the floor. "After all, Archer has been assisting you with the ideas and hypotheticals; the least you could do is act upon them."

"I'm doing it! Just… give me time. After all, even if I am good with this sort of stuff, it isn't exactly the easiest thing to do you know! There's so much… folding." The girl sat before the glow of five screens was certainly not the first image one would have when they imagined a powerful hero. A pink hood sent shadows across her face as the glint of light reflected from her glasses, hands working furiously upon the paper before her. "Besides, it's not as if you need them immediately, right? The prior scouts haven't managed to find anything of note at least."

"Actually, I believe you'll find that to be outdated information; though considering what you've been doing all this time, it only speaks of your failure as a servant, does it not?" The voice growled out, the foot stopping as a sigh escaped them. "Signs of servants have been found congregating in the town of Kuoh. There's no doubt that a master is to be found there. Indeed, there has been sight of what could be assumed to be a Saber battling within the town."

"It was assassin, wasn't it? I don't like the feel of… I don't even know what to call them." The girl hissed out, cuddling into herself. "She's always so quiet and she never acts like anything more than a machine at times! Why couldn't you have gotten an assassin with an actual personality!?"

"Who are you complaining when you barely talk to anyone anyway!?" the voice cried out in indignation, a step forward having them just one step closer to their hands around the blanket shrouded girl's neck. "I'd rather her methodical efficiency to your useless paper craft! What do you expect me to do when your little ornaments have brought back nothing of use until it's too late? Remember, the plan has been set; it would be best if you followed it through."

The sound of footsteps trailing away had the girl release a sigh of relief, glasses threatening to fall off pushed back into proper position. This wasn't the first time they had that conversation and there was no doubt in her mind that it wouldn't be the last; they just didn't appreciate the intricacies that came with her abilities, the limitless potential! Given enough time, she could literally form a stampede through the streets and be ready to fight back with more afterward and yet because her master was so intent on using her purely for scouting, she never was able to properly shine. Who known how they would've reacted if they learnt of her original class?

As one of her creations fluttered down to rest upon her shoulder, a finger began to gently rub against the paper. At least they had no reason to abandon her, to yell at her and put her life of peace at chaos. They made far better friends than anyone else possibly could; they didn't try to yell at you when you did something 'wrong' or send you away when you spoke of something they didn't like. They were the best friends a girl could ask for.

Still, she had a job to fulfil and there was little reason to pause there. She had worked far later into the night than this and it was something that came naturally to her. Even when sleeping, one doesn't stop breathing after all – this sort of work was simply that engrained into her very nature. Perhaps she would try working with some new designs, possibly something that would last longer, yet still remain inconspicuous. It wouldn't do to start another legend in a place she was simply trying to explore from the comfort of her room. If she started a new legend, would that mean she would be in throne of heroes twice? There were certainly servants who had done so, different points of their lives appearing in the same place at the same time - needless to say, it would be a bit strange if that were to happen. Probably wouldn't even talk to herself.

But that was rambling, she needed to get back to work. If only Berserker was here, he was one of the few people she could perhaps deal with, mostly because he remained silent unless spoken to and even that was sometimes a random chance event. Her master had truly summoned a very strange mix of servants, but then again, they had used no catalyst to call upon them. That meant they were servants that best aligned with them and their personality; that could mean a whole number of things. When she had been called upon, it was such a surprise, but she merely acted the way she would've done had it been anyone else; simply introduced herself and started doing he usual stuff. That had most definitely caused more than a little ire from her master – probably not the best way to introduce yourself to a long partnership.

She couldn't complain however. They let her stay within her room and do all of her operations discretely, which was always a bonus no matter what class container you were in. it had meant perhaps a bit more cooperation than she might've given under certain other circumstances, but that just meant it was a win-win situation for the both of them right? There was no need to complain when you too profited from the agreement. The latest creation had been quite a bit o jump to it, leaping up to try and nibble upon her shoulder mounted friend, to her giggles.

Why yes. Far better friends than anyone could ever ask for.


"Stupid shitty devils… stupid shitty devil lovers…" Freed growled as she stormed through the alleyway, the moon acting as his only light through the sleeping streets. It had been a fast escape when he dashed away from the church; crazy as he may be, he certainly wasn't willing to let himself be killed when he had so much fodder at his hands to do it for him. Unfortunately, that did leave him without a base of operations for now; it would not be fun to be the one to report the failings of the group, so he was more than happy to find a home to kill the owners of and take for his own. After all, as long as you got rid of the bodies quickly, you could barely smell a thing! "Argh! I need to cut something up! Shoot someone's knees off, just something!"

But that was when he drew his sword, the blade of light clashing with great sparks against steel. They did well to hide the opposition's face for some reason; as soon as the faded away from their initial bright burst, there was barely a figure in sight. Was it even possible to do such a thing without a great power like Excalibur Rapidly!? But there was no time to speak, for a single slight whisper in the breeze forced him to raise his weapon once more, a similar clash occurring until a second later had no soul to speak of before him.

"Now, now, this isn't any fun! Don't you want to look into my eyes as you kill me!? See the horrors of my soul!? That's what all you heroes want in the world, right?" Freed cackled, his sword slashing rapidly around him at any sign of movement he could find. Even with the number of sudden blitzes and surprise attacks, there was simply nothing he could pick from his attacker, their movements swift and unyielding even when staring into the face of madness. It took a strong conviction to do such a thing and though Freed tried to bury it as far down as he could, there was still a slight respect for the assassin. "You know, you're not the first one to try and kill me… but this has got to be the most fun since a few minutes ago!"

But there was no response as the attacks seemingly began to pick up in their pace. Without something like Excalibur Rapidly in his hands, it would quickly be too fast for even Freed to keep up with, the first beads of sweat appearing upon his brow. While he could even keep up with some weak knight class devils, this was starting to reach a whole different level." Just who the hell are you anyway!? Don't you want to introduce yourself before we dance like this?"

"…My name is not important." The first time the assassin spoke was hard as metal, almost artificial in its sound. Perhaps it was the way they truly sounded or some sort of changer that freed never really cared about, they did little to pause their attacks. While it would most likely affect his swinging speed, his other hand reached towards his gun, the bullets quick to fly in the assumed direction of the attacker. When they were defending themselves from afar, it was much easier to see the girl for who she was, ninja garbs draping her body as a long curtain of black fell behind her.

"ooh, arm blades? I always wanted some of those, but nobody wanted to give them to me!" Freed whined as he continued his bullet barrage. "But do you think they're going to be enough against little old me!? Spoilers: no!"

Though the stray priest was clearly enjoying himself, his opponent found him… quite lacking in all honesty. He showed no form of skill, no pride or joy in his movements like she recalled in some of the faceless fighters she had gone against, yet the white haired man also lacked any of the discipline or serenity of those who chose the other path. He was merely just a madman allowed to swing a blade and place a finger upon a trigger – dead before he could even know. It was strange, the orders from her master, seeing as she wasn't exactly one to play with her prey, but if this was to be the specimen which she studied in order to find the average ability of fighters in this place, then that was to be her prerogative.

But if they were all at the level of this man, then she sincerely hoped that the enemy servants started to attack with all haste. A single slash to his throat would be enough to stop his incessant blabbering, a swift movement of her arm good enough to remove his own. There were simply so many holes in his guard that she could exploit that any of the possible enjoyment another of her profession could get was simply negated. Even if they buried it behind masks upon masks of stoicism and fearlessness, an assassin liked to have a challenge to help improve their own skills, so to see such a pitiful fighter act as the representative of this entire place's abilities… she could only hope that there were others of far higher grade and that this was simply her master rushing to find out as much as she could.

"Eh, aren't you going to attack again!? Is this a ruse to get me to lower my guard again?" Freed joked, his stance tense as he looked around the alleyway. After a moment of silence, an even heartier laugh escaped him as he let his body loosen up, even if not fully. "Well, you've got my attention down. You could do whatever you want now… even…wh-ARGH!"

It was a trick the stray priest had employed multiple times before and he had been led to believe he was actually pretty good at pulling it off. By giving the constant presence of a man who was relaxed even when fighting, there were few who would ever be able to guess when he had his guard down, meaning there were a few who were happy to believe he was insane enough to actually do so. When he made the suggestion, it was meant to pull them into his trap, or at least make it easier for Freed to determine their position. This… was never meant to happen.

It defied all of his usual tricks. Whether it be listening for the sound of an incoming projectile, feeling the movement of a man charging towards him or feeling the vibrations of spells charging through the air, there were multiple different facets that the white haired man took into account when he was preparing to counter the strike that was going to come his way. That was why, when stray fingers moved to his chest, he was surprised by the sudden warmth, the wet touch of his own life force outside of his body. The blood dripped endlessly from within him, a garbled noise exiting his lips as whatever struck him was immediately drawn out once more to let an even greater amount of crimson liquid flood from the all too large crater that was his abdomen. To do an attack like that… it would require no less than a literal arm's size and things of that width naturally required a great amount of strength and wind displacement. For him to miss it completely… just who was his person!?

As the priest fell to the ground, she could only look upon the slowly dying corpse with little emotion. There wasn't even anything that could stand a chance of making him memorable in her books save for the fact that he would most likely be an example of her easiest kill. Even those who weren't able to fight back could be considered harder than this fight had been; at least then there was the smallest idea in the back of her mind that she was about to kill mercilessly and that maybe had a slight chance of making her feel a bit guilty. A quick flick of her arm had the excess blood upon it removed to the ground below – there were signs of rain to come and it would be more than suitable for washing away the last remnants of this foul man. A few whispered words and gestures had the body ablaze, the light mixing with that of the moon's as she leapt to the rooftop, her second objective quickly brought to the forefront of her mind.

She had found the first signs of a servant at the church, which was caused her master to declare the white haired man a threat considering he exited alive. Whether they would still be at the same place after this time was debatable, considering that the fight seemed to have already been dealt with if the man had escaped, but it would still be a reasonable action to check once more. Hopefully there would also be some sort of trace of an unaligned servant to find; her master was yet to summon a Saber or a Rider, meaning that it could save precious time and resources if they could find one already brought forth to this world. The Saber that had been fighting at the church was most likely already aligned, so that was immediately out of the window, but perhaps another servant might've decided to check out the aftermath like she did.

There were precious few other places where a servant might hide. Perhaps the school if they wanted an easy access to a large amount of unprotected souls or a heavily populated area like a residential district. Of course, it would also be beneficial for them to hide away, which would leave all of the less populated areas to check as well. It was most certainly a work in process to check for any signs, but it was work that she was more than happy to fulfil. She was merely a puppet for her master to utilise and if this was the way she was to be utilised then that was it. She could kill the small part of her that wished to think for herself for the sake of a job in this situation.

Kuoh academy was quickly in her view, a few windows still surprisingly lit even at this time of night. It would most likely be best if she went to investigate just who was active, for there was rarely anyone who would choose to work at such a time at a school; there was an incredibly high chance of it being just what her master desired. There was little defence to protect it, meaning it was a simple task of finding herself beside the window, a special illusion placed upon herself to prevent any stray nightwalker from seeing her. Her skills had proven themselves flawless before and there was little reason for them to fail now as she listened to the female voice within. Young, meaning it was highly likely that she actually went to the school. Tight, stressed due to overworking or - no, stress due to a bad situation. Possibly related to non-school based matters? There was another voice, similar tone and age: a friend most likely attempting to help her with whatever ailed her.

…Oh? So they were planning something and it held no doubts of being of supernatural origin. This was vital information that she held, meaning it was time to report back to her master as soon as possible, dashing away with speeds unthought-of. When Rias' eyes were drawn to the window, she would come to think of it as mere hallucination, the stress of coming events and recently experienced being more than enough to excuse her for a few strange thoughts. At least she had a nice cu of tea to quell the coming aches.


The library had been coping well recently. The flood of people continued and a surprisingly large donation from their sponsor meant they had been able to get a new supply of books in. t had been surprisingly out of the blue and Takumi wasn't exactly sure why the donation had come in, but if it meant expanding their collection, then who was he to complain? In fact, the sponsor was coming to apparently see what had recently come in; if he hadn't spent the donation, perhaps they might've stopped all together. Fortunately he had decided upon a day where he would be most open – the best impressions were made when you could put the most effort into them.

Fortunately, the whole place was perfectly done up and from the survey he had done with the regulars, it seemed as if people were happy with the way things were going. As long as there weren't any large mishaps, thing should all go smoothly and he would most likely be able to add a little extra to the volunteers' pay checks at the end of the day. It was always funny watching when the volunteers got their adjusted pay – at first, they weren't getting paid at all like any other volunteer and the library was unable to afford to pay them in the first place. Then the sponsor suddenly came during his tenant and started giving in such generous donations and Takumi just felt as if it would be right considering how much they helped out at times. They certainly weren't expecting it, but who were they to turn down a viable sudden source of income?

He had been told what to look for, so when the first glint of the red hair and tall stature peeked its way through the door, the brunette was already standing to greet the man. The girls were busy enjoying themselves with the other children, and Charles-Henri was already occupied at the hospital, meaning that Takumi had no reason to fear as he reached out his hand towards the man. It was why he was so surprised when he fully took in the appearance of the man, standing rather authoritive in his suit as he scanned the surrounding lobby, the man's vibrant red hair practically glowing in the light. Such a shade was rare and the only time he had seen it was… of course, he had introduced himself as Gremory before, hadn't he? It certainly explained a lot of things.

"Takumi, isn't it? Takumi Yuu, the man who was able to take a weakening place and make it magical once more." He spoke with a powerful voice, even when speaking softly. It was almost enrapturing, the very aura he held as he simply conversed and Takumi didn't need to look around to know there were more than a few with their eyes upon them. It was nice to see how the man was so relaxed; to be honest, Takumi had been expecting someone far stricter in their behaviour, hence why he had gone to so much trouble to ensure that everything was alright. He had never actually met the man before and you could only prepare for the worst. "I'm immediately impressed with what you've done to this place. There's certainly no lack of people happy to partake compared to how it was before."

"That's true. After all, back then it felt like I was the only one who wanted to use the place." Takumi mused, leading the man further inward. It had been a troubling time for the library; there was barely a hand that wanted to assist there save for his own and the person sat behind the desk wasn't exactly the most chipper either. "It wasn't exactly a surprise when the last librarian left. I guess he was just a little too early to leave, otherwise he would be the one standing in this place."

"Now that's something completely different, isn't it?" the man mused in return, a hand scratching his chin. "I've met the one that was in charge before you and here simply wasn't the heart to pull of something like this. You would practically need magic in order to convince him to join with the repairs."

Join in with the repairs? Why would the previous man have joined in with the repairs considering that finding people to do so would be no challenge? In fact, the way that the man stated it was more than strange in and of itself, so why would he… oh. Oh yeah. Perhaps pushing that little incident to the back of his mind wasn't exactly the best of things to do, especially now that he had made the connection between the two. But mentioning it might cause the key supply of income that had been moving to the library to be cut off, which would mean he would have to cut down on certain facilities… but was a few facilities really worth not confronting a member of their family about the act that their own blood committed? Was he really meant to hold back at this moment because he needed a bit of money!?

…Why was he getting so wound up other this? After all, it wasn't meant to be in his nature to be so callous… was it? Didn't he already forgive this action? His head hurt… but that was simply fodder for another time. Now, he had to make sure to give Mr. Gremory a proper tour through all of the changes that had been made and ensure that the work he had done was satisfactory for the man… right? Something didn't feel right, not in his mind, but what could be wrong? Takumi was certain that it couldn't be the preparations, so it had to be something else… was there something he was forgetting? Trying to remember? Trying to correct? Why did his head hurt in the presence of this man all of a sudden, it just didn't make an…

And before Takumi could even formulate a response, he was out like a light.


Why is it that eagles can fly,

When we need planes to soar the sky?

Why is it that lions can roar,

At sounds double that of ours and more?

Upon ice, why can penguins glide,

When we barely have the skill to slide?

Why is it that Cheetahs can run,

Three times as fast as us for fun?

All I know is humans can try,

But that's about it.

Humans in many ways weren't a powerful species. After all, they lacked the inherent strength, agility and sheer capability that many other animals and insects were able to utilise. There is a reason why we have such a wide range of tools at our disposal in order to augment our natural skills and we idolised those who were able to create them, use them beyond what we were able to comprehend and push them beyond their initial usage. We weave tales of those who were able to achieve feats considered inhumane, believed to be mere dreams even to this day we consider 'advanced'.

The pages before him… these were the pages of past and future. This was where even the tales of those considered normal and even forgettable were forever inscribed, each and every side character and minute appearance considered vital to the plot. After all, everyone had to affect another in their life, who would go on to affect others in an endless loop of potentially positive feedback. To have such knowledge at his fingertips, to be able to see everyone for what they had truly done in their lives… that was a precious thing, no matter who was the one holding it.

And fingers rubbed against the blank pages, space that was immediately being put to use writing even more within the bible of humanity. As time ticked on, people acted; it was a certainty that would continue until the very last human died out. There were none upon the earth that would be able to boast of seeing such a thing before their very eyes and yet here he was watching the words appear in beautiful cursive before him. So what was the pot beside the magnificent book?

There was no pen for which he could write too, and what was the point of writing within a book that wrote itself endlessly? There was certainly no reason for it to end now, considering that people were happily living their lives, pages of Stuarts and Victorians and Romans all written to the present day without fail. It was only when his hand accidently reached out to touch the delicate glass that he understood the reason it stood, the smallest drop falling upon the top of the page where a name was covered by the invading ink.

****stood up, their words yelled and yet no one even knew they were there…

"Oh, who are you again? Are we meant to be friends?"

If he wasn't watching the words afterward morphing before his very eyes, he might've believed that it was a move of no consequence, just a little stain in a book that could be read around. That wasn't what happened however, for it seemed as if the happy conversation that was occurring before had completely changed, almost as if they forgot… the name…

His hand withdrew from the inky acid immediately. To so easily tamper with the book, the book that was holding the futures of people as they occurred, it was a reality he wasn't so happy to take in. he had flickered back through the pages, his own story and even that which he had not done found within the words. For the tale where he had forgiven Rias in short time, there was the story of how he had lashed out without repair, where the hypnosis went off without a scratch and far more. Why it was like that, he wasn't sure, for it was the only 'character' that had such alternatives – did whoever reading it see themselves and their choices rather than just the choice taken? What would it be like if he blotted out his own history by accident, erased that which he had done with a simple swath of ink?

…he couldn't help the hand that reached out to lift the ink well, the darkness within swirling with an inherent darkness that made him tremble. Such a mundane thing, yet holding so much power within it under the right circumstance. Like a 3d printer in the hand of killer, he could potentially create something devastating; if he had a pen, would he be able to write the future and how it would happen within the book? If he had corrector, would he be able to rewrite history rather than just erase parts and let the book deal with the inconsistencies?

Part of Takumi was also becoming far more used to staying out during the night as the group within the Occult Research club were almost making it a hobby to take the librarian out on various jobs, just to see the sheer variety of work that was available and what benefits joining with them could hold.

Part of Takumi wondered what it would've been like if he responded to the invitation, but for the girl to have such nerve in trying to act genial after what she had done? That required serious idiocy! Perhaps it was better for everyone that he didn't go, they were devils after all – for all he knew, they were going to kill him!

Takumi held no regrets in having both Alice and Jack do their worst in retaliation to Rias' attack upon his person. After all, retribution deserved to at least be in equal measure to the crime, right? To see her stuck as a squirming mess upon the ground, her mind barely able to hold itself together… Takumi couldn't help but find it BEAUTIFUL.

So many paths he could erase, make dominant… though there was no difference between it and the other lines, he had lived the first option; he knew it to be the dominant one, at least to himself. If he were to erase the others, it would have no effect on him. If he were to destroy it however, leave him with just a different road he had taken in life… would it erase him alongside it? Would he be changed? Would he find a completely different world waiting for him, or would it have turned out much the same?

"I can assure you, we would be able to match a wide variety of your desires, so you may wish for a great many of things in return."

And that was when the pain started.

Maybe he could erase the actions of Rias, make her into a better person. Maybe he could make it so that the annoying headaches that came up ever since the event were completely gone. There were so many possibilities he could go through simply by applying the ink to the pages, delicate and careful censorship that might improve their relationship, change someone for the better. That was when he flipped back to the latest page, words continuing to be formed upon the pages like water through a river. That was when he had one of his most dangerous thoughts yet.

What if he was to blacken the rest of the pages? Prevent the book from writing any more of the future for people? Would it simply mean the end of all humanity in that moment, once there and then suddenly gone? Would it result in the destruction of the earth, unable to proceed any further? Maybe he was just other thinking things, that the book would simply add more pages into the mix and continue without issue seeing as it covered nothing of importance. The human mind wasn't meant to be able to deal with such choices, seeing as we simply weren't meant to be able to hold such power in mortal hands. It did little to stop the inkwell from approaching the paper, the book holding both future and past continuing with its recordings perfectly unaware of the imminent danger. There was no need for it to stop; the danger was not to it, but the people detailed within. To affect the characters by altering the book… now that was an interaction level beyond anything else.

The black liquid stained his hands as it spilled over the edge, threatening to darken another piece of text before he quickly flipped to the last page, the drop thankfully pouring onto a corner that would undoubtedly go unused. That was a close one indeed, some poor soul nearly going deleted within the book. When there was blank space, it would be (most likely) at least, a lot safer.

"I will blot out the pages where your future would be written! This world will reach its bad end!"

A quick glance to his side showed a man furiously wiping his hand against the paper, the black sludge upon it staining every inch he touched. Though he did not see it, there was no doubt that millions had fallen at that very moment, their futures erased without any hope of revival. It would not be long until another appeared at his other side, a pen furiously writing away with hundreds of names put down on the paper without pause. Hundreds of similar faces burst from the darkness, furiously wiping away lives and rewriting them with reckless abandon, all while he simply remained frozen in his place. Was this what he was going to become? What he could be? There were various lines running through the book; it wasn't hard to believe he was the only one of himself being faced with this situation. Could he act like another?

"This needs to end… we can't keep living like this anymore. If I have to, I'll write out your lives and you'll never need to worry again…"

No! That wasn't the kind of person he was! He just wanted to read, not mess about He was no author! The well was thrown far into the darkness, book slammed shut as deep breathes escaped him. His mind had not been the same in recent times and this… this was just the straw that broke his back. A sudden clapping in the air had him pause in his actions, turning to find no origin to the booming voice that filled the air.

"Good, good… though you struggled with its powers before, bent to its will, you grow stronger now…" it held power, power beyond anything he could've imagined. There was no gender, though it was not needed – there was no age, though it was not needed. It simply spoke and through its words, he felt renewed, if a bit frightened. "You are the one who will come to claim these pages. There are forces out there that will twist your mind, that will test your resolve beyond even my capabilities. I must apologise; I've played you into the hands of the devils once more by forcing you into forgiveness."

What on earth was the voice speaking of? Had it been the cause of the headaches that plagued his body? That forced him into actions not his own? How was he meant to react to the news that some sort of supernatural force had been messing with his mind? How long had it been messing with his thoughts?

"You should watch out for the doll that threatens your safety. The fox may run, but it shall not hunt you down, the forces at hand may not crush you. Their minds are too slow to beat you, so destroy them. Crush them underfoot and take the pages in hand, become the god of this new world…"

It was fading! What one earth was it talking about, come back! Fox!? Doll!? But the world was fading to white around him and though he scrambled forward, it was as if the book was being drawn ever further from his reach.


And let's hold it right there folks! Yep, no idea what's going on there. It's not going to be a grail war if that's what you're thinking, I can at least read the reviews that don't want that. Still trying to get over my little slump, perhaps you'll get some better quality eventually but until then, i can only ask that you keep supporting me through this rough time! Also, precure references.

Bibliography

The fun will never end - altered from Adventures of Gumball - the puppets

Daniel the Dragon - altered from the Dragon of Cairn - original

What little girls are like - original

My Coy Darling - taken from Now we are six hundred - To Her Coy Doctor

A daughter and a legend - original

prophecy of the author - original

Time to die - Altered from Deemo - Utopiosphere

Eagles can fly - altered from Doki Doki literature club - eagles can fly (Natsuki's poem)

Super hero time! See you next time!