Hello there guys. I'm going to finish and wrap up my Bachelor thesis before I write the next chapter, so it'll likely come to further delays at the Einzbern Grail War. But be assured that it will continue straight where I've left off after just a small break. Until then, let's look at the repercussions of Kai's latest exploit and what enemy they are going to face next.
Chapter 11 - Kai
Men-Nefer - 1284BC
"So... Do I get this straight, you are seriously worried because your father didn't want you to get yourself killed", the black-haired beauty said with a mocking grin. "You are weird, you know."
Nefertari was sitting on a bench amidst the wild and pretty flowers of the Nile with her young husband at her side. It was a scene of the royal gardens at the capital. A tiny little stream of water flew at their feet, one of many parts of the careful irrigation system. Thick leaves of the palm trees meanwhile spent shadow to guard the flowers from the fiery chariot of Ra during his daily tour. Ramesses hung his head, sighing. In the shadow of the leaves his hair looked bright red. Under the sun however it was more of a golden yellow.
"It's not that I am bloodthirsty or anything. I'm just... He made it his victory and his victory alone. How could I ever leave his shadow if he doesn't allow me to? Some day I will be pharaoh myself. How shall I succeed if nobody knows my name?"
"You'll get a new one. Isn't this what your Horusname is all about?", she countered immediately. "And then you have more than enough time to make them remember this one."
The boy laughed at her joke.
"If it were just so easy...", he smiled at her. "But I want them to remember all of my names. And you. And our future children. By Amun, even Isetnofret! Nothing would pain me more than dooming our generation."
The picture blurred and soon thereafter the young Ramesses had found himself in the solar of his father. It was time for his lessons in court politics. The stern king sat at a table filled with messages and scrolls he must have had attended to before his son had arrived. He was now watching him silently while Ramesses was reciting all religious cults in the realm, their respective capitals and the individual quirks of the influence they have upon their followers... and the king.
"You did appropriately, no mistakes", the pharaoh announced with his rasping voice. "You have the king's leave to go upon your business."
Ramesses blinked.
"Father? It is most unusual to end my lessons early. I don't think I have mastered the whole kingdom."
He sighed.
"The king has no time for further child's play. There is business to attend."
"Shall I accompany you? Some day your problems will be mine, I want to help you."
"You can't."
The young prince crossed his arms. He was visibly unhappy, but made not a single motion towards the door. The king returned his attention towards a stack of papyri on the table between them. He tried to ignore his son, but failed. Menmaatre looked up again, his stare was of pure ice.
"What is it, son of Ra? Why do you keep pestering the king?"
"I am not pestering you... I'm just watching. Learning. It is the business I want to attend."
The king grimaced and then put one small scrap of paper, Ramesses recognized it as an official letter to the state, and pushed it towards his son. The prince bowed happily and took it in his hand. His face fell immediately.
"What is this nonsense? Hittite forces raise new walls around Kadesh? Isn't it our city now?"
"No. Not for long anyway. They retook the city not a long time after the king's forces withdrew."
"Why... why didn't you tell me? Please, father. Give me the troops and I will throw them out again. Nobody shall defy your will with such impudence!"
"It is too late, young son of Ra. Look at the date of this letter. The fortifications must have been finished a moon's turn ago. There is nothing you could do without much more bloodshed. It won't be as easy as the first time... and the victory of the king already did its purpose."
The young son of Ra didn't understand... and was unable to understand at the time. Yes, he heard the cheers of the king's soldiers, but he expected those cheers to turn into mocks as soon as word spread that the king could not hold his conquests.
"We need to make up for that. If not Kadesh, then we need to strike somewhere else. To make the Hittites pay for it."
The king frowned in disbelieve.
"The king thought you wiser then to make such a foolish notion."
"What?", Ramesses replied flatly.
"You know the Hittites, you have read their history, son of Ra. Ur. Uruk. Babylon. All great cities. All independant cities. Cities with a history of warfare and sieges and cities which have grown through this history. They all have high walls and standing armies. Challenging them is folly. You only through away the lives of the King's subjects. Don't underestimate them, son of Ra. Their two streams birthed an Empire as large as the one our river Hapi has brought to life. They won't bend. They don't need to."
The prince was taken aback. He just stood there, utterly startled and at a for words. Then suddenly the expression of the king softened. He reached for his stack of scrolls and took another one, reading it with grim certainty.
"You want to prove your might. Fine. But do it with an enemy that needs to put in place. An enemy that threatens the people of Kemet. The king's people. They need his attention... and yours", he gave him the scroll without any further word.
It was another message. This time from the coasts in the south.
"Pirates?", Ramesses said aghast. "Ordinary pirates are your true enemy?"
Menmaatre suppressed an amused smile.
"Ordinary? Sure...", he said chidingly. "Don't underestimate them. You are a son of Ra. Don't let them catch you off-guard. Fight them like they were the Hittites and you will not fail."
The young son of Ra didn't care at that moment that his enemy only sounded like stinking pirates. It was a chance to prove his worth. To show his mortal father that he was a true son of his.
"Don't worry, father. I will not bring shame upon your name."
The enemy the young son of Ra was about to face was one who was bothering our trade routes to the great sea. The Sherden. About their origins scarce was known at the time. Wherever they came from, now the sea and their swift ships were their only home. A whole nation afloat. If they started their career poor, now they weren't anymore. They wore bronze armor of the highest quality and their captains were known for their skill with the sword. Piracy was lucrative and while they avoided the Greek cities, they thought the people of Kemet to be easy pickings. They thought they were only comfortable in sailing on the river Hapi, never daring to confront them in the open sea, which was their dominion. The prince set out to prove them wrong. He ordered the construction of larger ships which were able to operate in the sea, but still used the old ones in a quick succession of surprise attacks on the Sherden while they were trying to attack the settlements along the coast. His aim was to make them change their tactics. If they were forced to gather their ships and focus only on the trading vessels, far away from the coast, thinking themselves safe from the forces of Kemet, the prince would be able to catch them all at once.
Ramesses stood at the bow of his flagship, watching the enemy ships with sharp eyes. The old Amenemhet was next to him, spear and shield in hand. The prince was armed with those weapons as well. The Egyptian ship however was an impressive build, despite its small width it had numerous oarsmen and a long platform filled with archers who stood attention.
The prince had found the Sherden fleet how it tried to surround a convoy of Mycenaean trading vessels with a large number of theirs. They seemed surprised to find Kemetite ships so far away from the Hapi delta. They tried to flee the opposite way, but soon thereafter they were surrounded themselves. The only opening the son of Ra left them was towards a shallow mouth of the life spending river. They caught the bait, desperately trying to outrun the royal fleet until they were trapped. The prince only had to tighten the net. It seemed to him as easy as bird catching in the royal gardens.
"Steady!", he ordered the archers and they drew their bows in unison.
The Sherden fleet now turned around. Seeing no way out, they decided to face them in open battle. Their ships were surprisingly low in the water, but they had large sails and numerous oarsmen which must have made them so quick. The prince was twitching nervously, looking forward to the final confrontation after weeks of preparations and tedious hunting.
"Fire!"
The world went dark for a short time when numerous bowstrings were let loose and a myriad of black arrows flew high into the sky, only to come down as a deadly rain onto the
Sherden ships. Their soldiers cowered under their shields and many of them were struck down or wounded.
"Fire at will!", Ramesses yelled again and his soldiers obeyed.
One of the enemy ships turned around and faced the royal flagship. They wanted a confrontation. Ramesses seemed as if he looked forward to it.
"Let them pass, the ships behind us can handle it", Amenemhet said, glancing at his prince with a worried look.
"No... a son of Menmaatre doesn't shy away from a battle", he smirked and turned to his men. "Do you see those desperate men there? They raided the farms and towns of our people and now they think, they can get away with it by attacking you, the brave defenders of Kemet! But piracy is not war. Innocent merchants and townspeople are no soldiers. We are! Let's show them what we call war! Oarsmen! Let her fly over the waves like mighty Sobek himself! Men, grab you spears and prepare for boarding! Ra is with us today! Victory is with us today!"
The oars hit the water hard, shoving them forward and speeding their pace further up with each stroke. Ramesses got what he wanted. They flew with high speed. The enemy ship came closer fast and with it they were able to make out the pirates in their bronze cuirasses, with their swords and spears and shields. They were looking at the Kemetites anxiously, some taunting, some afraid.
"Starboard, prepare to pull them back in! Now!"
They rescued their oars in one swift motion, shortly before the ships crashed there together with the wood horribly shrieking and crunching. Seconds thereafter, the Kemetite sailors threw their boarding hooks towards the Sherden ship, pulling at them and therefore locking the two ships in a tight embrace. Ramesses raised his leather shield and tightened his grip around his spear.
"Follow me!", he yelled and jumped onto the deck of the enemy ship, Amenemhet close at his side.
The rest of his soldiers followed swiftly and soon a terribly confusing clash of wood, leather, bronze and flesh began as the Kemetite forces jumped at the defenders, forcing them into close combat. Ramesses forces vastly outnumbered them since their salvos of arrows had already incapacitated many of their men. But nevertheless was the prince in front of the charge and was the first who found an enemy to battle. A spearman like him, clad in a muscled cuirass, wearing a horned helmet and holding a small, round shield made of bronze. He awaited the prince with his spear and stabbed at him during his charge. Remembering his training, Ramesses bend his shielded arm so that the tip of his spear scraped ineffectively at the leather. Simultaneously, Ramesses let his own spear glide forward and put all his strength in his thrust. His opponent tried to raise his shield, but wasn't fast enough. His own spear cut deeply into the man's throat, spraying dark red blood all over him. The man put down all resistance, letting himself fall down like a sack of wheat. The young Ramesses saw with horror that he was still alive, gargling and coughing up more blood. Knowing that such a wound made him far beyond saving all Ramesses could do was ease the pain he must have felt. Gulping, the young prince placed the tip of his spear over the man's heart and put his whole weight into the thrust. He panicked when he failed miserably. He wasn't able to penetrate the armor straight away, so his spear missed the heart, scraped along the engraved muscles and only broke the bronze somewhere at his rips, opening just another wound. Ramesses pulled the spear back and put the now slightly bend tip another time at his enemy's heart. This time, the weakened armor gave way and he locked the weapon deep inside the man's chest, causing him to stop all movement.
Retrieving his weapon, Ramesses looked around. He was so focused on his single enemy that he forgot to realize how most of the fighting had already stopped. Some more Sherden lay dead on the ground, but most of them had thrown their weapons to the ground, surrendering. The Kemetite had only very few casualties. But not every single battle had ceased. Ramesses saw somewhere at the back of the boat, how Amenemhet was locked in a tight exchange of blows with a warrior wearing an extraordinarily ornate armor. It was the only member of the crew who didn't surrender. And Ramesses had never seen anyone who was able to corner Amenemhet like he did with his sword, forcing him into the defence with swift stabs from numerous angles.
"Stop it!", Ramesses called out to both of them.
Amenemhet heard him and retreated a few steps back where several other spearmen stepped next to him, forming a pointy wall which stopped the Sherden from following. Ramesses' other men also grasped the situation and quickly surrounded the ferocious fighter.
"Lay down your weapon, madman! Your crew has already seen the futility in your situation", Ramesses said.
As he stepped closer, the Kemetite soldiers stepped to the side, letting their prince pass their wall. It was a moment of insanity, with these hard, grown men parting for a young boy. Even if this boy and his weapon were blood splattered.
"They have surrendered to a green boy, as it seems", the man said with thickly accented Medu Netscher.
"They have surrendered to the prince of Kemet, a son of Ra. Does this version help you keep your pride?"
"Not really. May your father be a king or a god, let me judge you by your own actions", he spat at the ground.
Ramesses tilted his head with a curious expression. He seemed to like these words.
"Then let me tell you I was the one who set up the trap you fell into. You are the captain, am I right?"
"Aye... so you are the little bugger who burned down our ships, trapping the men on the land to massacre them? I wouldn't have guessed you are bold enough to also attack us on the sea", he replied with a frown.
"You have fought well and enough to keep your face. And as you can see, if you raise your weapon again, you will die", Ramesses pointed towards the numerous spears surrounding the Sherden captain. "I offer you the chance to put down your weapon. I will spare your life, if you do so."
"Why should I? You will destroy my ships."
"You used them to harm innocents, they have to burn", Ramesses said miserably, thinking about the orders his father gave him while looking at all the craftsmanship which went into the ship's construction.
"Then you should burn us with them, since you condemn us to death by starvation by doing so", the captain grumbled.
"How so?", the boy reacted startled.
"We've left our homes behind long ago, boy. Possibly longer than you live. The sword is the only profession we learned, and the coast is the only harvest we reap", the man explained, sounding a bit melancholic by telling it.
Ramesses watched him, how his enemy stood there. A tall, muscular man encased in a thick bronze cuirass engraved with fighting figures. His ornate shield covered with iron knobs shone in the son and he looked terrifying with the two giant horns attached to his helmet. Those horns were longer than the ones from any other Sherden pirate he saw here.
"You say your only profession is the sword", Ramesses then said, a knowing smile creeping up onto his face. "Then I offer you the chance to use it. But not for destruction, since those times are done for you now. Instead I offer you the chance to protect the people of the two countries against their enemies."
"I won't kneel", the man growled.
"And I won't demand it. I give this offer to every member of your crew. I respect your ability and I want to see it to good use. You won't need to plunder anymore. As compensation for your service, I offer you land to settle down with your wives and children."
The captain stared at him, ignoring the numerous soldiers surrounding him. And Ramesses stared back, without flinching. It felt like several minutes, before the Sherden broke the silence with a chuckle.
"A very tempting offer, boy. I will hold you to your word, I promise it."
The atmosphere calmed down dramatically.
"Don't worry, I will see to it."
The man's name was Alcidias, as the young prince found out during their trip back home, upstream the river Hapi. The Sherden proved as prideful as expected, but they soon began to eye the surrounding black land and the common people tending their crops nervously. The son of Ra assumed they were never so far away from the ocean and had never seen these rich farmlands before. But the most impressive was yet to come. The prince talked every day with him, trying to gain more information about their culture and their beliefs. Partly out of curiosity, but partly also to earn the Sherden's trust. The son of Ra quickly saw that their highest god represented thunder and storm, fitting to a sea people. It needed a lot of persuasion and a few threats to make them paint the sun of Ra onto their equipment as a representation of their new allegiance. When they reached the city of Men-nefer and its mighty walls, which were built as a barrier against the flood and not armies, the Sherden all gaped at it in amazement.
Ramesses led his army consisting of the Kemetites and his newfound allies in a long column through the narrow streets between the clay buildings. They had left the wounded in the hands of the royal healers, so it were only the unharmed, but it didn't diminish their numbers in any way. Craftsman stopped from their work to look up and watch them pass while children were running along with them. Some of the soldiers wives were also present, hugging their husbands while passing them, exchanging promises and praising the gods for their safe return. But even if it pained to not let them go, they still had to muster in full force in front of the royal palace. The Sherden were especially nervous and Ramesses talked to Alcidias several times about what they saw. Especially when they passed one of the oldest and most ostentatious temples of the city with its giant painted walls and the several colossal statues in front of the entrance.
"By the Gods, what a fortress!", Alcidias exclaimed. "They are even more impressive than your outer walls."
The young prince was taken aback, staring at the building in wonder. Impressive they were, but only for the decorative effect. It were not military walls... very much like the dams of Men-Nefer itself which was why this comparison sounded so oddly funny to Ramesses.
"This is the house of Ptah, not a fortress", Ramesses explained chuckling.
"This Ptah must be an insanely rich man", Alcidias scratched his neck under his helmet. "To build such an impressive fortification to defend all his treasures..."
"Ptah is a god", the prince forced himself not to look like he was mocking the foreigner.
The warrior paused for a moment, then dipped his head.
"Aye he is. There is no mistake in that", and with these words he marched on.
They had never seen a city before and while Alcidias himself tried to compose himself, most of his men did not. They regarded our temples as marvels made by the gods themselves. And the son of Ra now shared their amazement. For the first time in his life, the young prince didn't saw them as natural parts of the city, but as impressive evidence of the might of civilization. He realized how much impact they had upon the outside viewers, reflecting the power of their makers and making the names of their architects truly immortal.
They finally arrived at the central square in front of the palace. Menmaatre, his wife Tuya and quite a big part of his royal court left the building to greet the young prince. Nefertari and Isetnofret were also among the spectators. Ramesses smiled at them, but since his father was already approaching, it was too late to wave at them. The pharaoh watched his troops and his eyes stopped when he saw the force of more than a hundred Sherden warriors in full armor. He then looked back at his son, who was kneeling in front of him.
"Are those the men you command?", he asked with a frown.
"They are, father", Ramesses replied, not even bothering to hide his amusement about his reaction.
"In all those years the king fought the enemies of the two countries, he never saw a general return with more men than he set out with."
Ramesses looked up, waiting for any sign of approval. And then he did. The king smiled, before addressing the crowd around him:
"An impressive deed, truly worthy of the king's son. The ferocious pirates of the Sherden are not only defeated, but have pledged loyalty to Ramesses, the son of Menmaatre!"
They applauded their prince and future king. But much the young prince's confusion they seemed to congratulate both him and the king. Shouts of "Ramesses!" and "Menmaatre!", of "Our prince!" and "Our King!" intermingled to a strange composition. Ramesses struggled to keep his dismay off his face.
While the son of Ra listened to the shouts of glory, he pledged to prove his father wrong. He wouldn't be known as the son of Menmaatre. Menmaatre would be known as the father of Ramesses.
Einzbern, 2006
Kai Reymeyer opened his eyes. And he immediately regretted this decision. Sleeping was good. Dreaming was good. Being awake was not. For once he wanted to stay in Ancient Egypt. Sure, there was bloodshed as well. But at least he wasn't the one fighting in a magical death match without an ounce of magic on his side. And he would be watching scenes he knew the protagonist survived because he grew up to become one of the greatest pharaohs 'Kemet' ever saw. Sadly, that pharaoh wasn't anywhere to see to save him from the wrath of his parents. And now when he lay there the memories of the last night came back to him. It seemed all so surreal on the trip back home, even more surreal than the fight against Lancer ever did. But it happened and he was barely able to defend himself. Words of reproach rang in his head. His mother was seething in anger, but his father was the worst. He was joking, he was teasing, but his eyes betrayed disappointment more than anything else.
"A nice friend you must have to meet him there", were his first words.
"So it's true, you really did join a gang!", his mother screeched then, luckily after they already left the police station.
Kai desperately tried to appease them. He told them about caught up in things beyond his control. He was talking about running into the gang, but he wasn't quite sure if he really only meant that. For once he wished for Archer to appear and just tell them outright what was going on, but he had no idea whether they would believe him... and how they would react to his ongoing participation in the Grail War.
They can't really take Archer from me, can they?
He assumed not... but he was afraid that wouldn't hinder them from... well, trying to help. But he couldn't risk it. He couldn't risk them. It was more than enough strain for him to be dragged into this madness, he could never stand allowing his parents to endanger their lives for him and Archer. But while this made him certain that telling the truth stood out of question, it didn't help at all with a reasonable excuse why the police had to hand over their child to them.
Damn me and my boring boringness. If I had a history of daring adventures, it would at least not look that much out of the picture.
At first he tried to tell the same story he told to the police officer. The version with the lost wager. It didn't hold for a second. His mother quickly deduced it as complete and utter garbage while they were entering the car. And to put more salt into his wounds, she pointed out he was "too boring to do something like this", accompanied by his father turning around from the driver's seat to face him who simply said "Don't lie. Not to us." in the most disappointed tone he had ever heard him use. Kai kept silent then. These words hurt far more than getting tackled by those ghastly beasts who had jumped him in the garden. So he saw no other option than to look down in his shame while his mind was racing trying to figure out how to get out of this predicament. There was no idea at all. He was brought back home in utter silence and in utter silence he just went to bed without dinner. It was basically the best option to avoid further conflict and his parents must have felt his numbness so that they didn't stop him.
Didn't stop me from waking up though...
He sat up and stared towards the closed door. They were likely already down there. While Kai had been trying to sleep his parents surely had not. He had heard voices from downstairs for quite some time. Unhappy voices. They were intensely discussing something that had likely to do with him and whatever punishment they saw fit.
"Greetings, Nab Kai."
A golden mist swirled through his room and soon formed the shape of the pharaoh who was responsible for his misery. Kai sighed.
"Where were you? I really could have needed some backup, even if only in a spiritual sense", Kai said grimly.
Archer himself grimaced and seated himself at the foot end of the bed, his eyes were cast down.
"The king thought it unwise to interfere, so he waited for things to settle."
"Well here you go, nothing has been settled", Kai rubbed his temples. "You don't happen to have thought up some neat lie I can tell them, do you? There must be some ruse among your endless wisdom to help me out."
The pharaoh looked at him with a hint of pity in his eyes.
"As a young son of Ra the prince had more trouble making his father speak to him at all, even if he did feel guilty for something... but even so... getting in trouble with the law is quite difficult if you yourself attempt to be the law incarnate. For once there is no advise the king can give you from his experiences. But your parents seem to await a reaction from you. So it might be the best to just... tell them the truth. It is the most direct way."
Kai shook his head immediately.
"I can't do this. Not the truth."
"You are afraid that they don't believe you?"
"No. I am more afraid they might do."
Archer nodded in understanding. Kai watched this and realized that despite all that happened the day before the pharaoh didn't look any worse. He knew the Servant's wounds were only temporary in nature, but he had seen him take quite a beating and this twice. Kai forced himself to think about these problems, even if only to avoid thinking about his own one for a moment.
"I do think we need to talk about another kind of strategy. Yours specifically."
That took him by surprise now. Archer frowned, but didn't reply.
"You could have died yesterday evening", he tried to make himself sound clear enough with that one.
"Dieing is always a possible outcome in battle. Do not wor-"
"Too late, I do", Kai interrupted angrily. "And don't dismiss that with your smug optimism, I have seen you struggle. You had your moments against Saber, but this Lancer had no problems wiping the floor with you."
"She was not 'wiping the floor' with the king", Archer groaned. "The king was just... inconvenienced fighting in the darkness. His bow draws its power from the king's patron god Ra to enhance his attacks. With only scarce sources of light it becomes more expensive to keep up with Hems focusing on closed-range attacks."
Kai had already assumed as much. But it didn't change a thing.
"Why didn't you tell me? It would have been nice to know before we, you know, set out in the dark on purpose!"
"It seemed reasonable to set out regardless to avoid attention. The king weighed his disadvantage against the chance to end the fight at this night and decided it was worthwhile."
Kai shook his head.
"You are avoiding the subject and yet... yes, you did that decision, alone. And you didn't want to ask me of my thoughts on the matter because you don't trust me."
And I can't blame him. I myself had whined yesterday about not being able to help him at all.
"You were not trained in the arts of war", Archer said and confirmed his suspicion with these words.
"This might be, but I start to doubt your judgement on the matter as well. Don't get me wrong, I see that you can fight. And you make a point that you can still hold your own under clear disadvantages... and yet I am just surprised how eager you throw yourself into these situations."
"Boldness is an important aspect of war", Archer replied darkly. "If you have the initiative you can actively rob your enemy of options."
Said the guy who nearly got himself killed at Kadesh...
"So it was boldness that made you follow Saber into the close space of my school where you could not evade his strikes anymore? And it was boldness that kept you heading out into the darkness despite knowing how that would limit you?"
The pharaoh didn't reply anything, he didn't even look at Kai. He just stared to the ground with his red eyes, not a single emotion showing up on his stern features.
"And is it boldness that keeps you from using your spare Noble Phantasms?"
This was the moment he looked up, glancing at his Master in confusion.
"It is not, be assured of that", he said in an irritated tone.
"Is it? Huh... I'm just a bit worried. If you get caught up in the blast of Saber's Excalibur you are as good as dead. And God only knows what Lancer's twin spears did with you. They both used their Noble Phantasms against you even if they weren't all that hard pressed but you still tried to hold back even when it looked like loosing."
"Nab Kai... The king tries to get through the Grail War avoiding using them, simply because they would drain his reserves fatally. You have not the ability to restore his mana and even Hotep en Netscher has its limits in generating it."
Kai nodded then.
"I see your point. They are terribly expensive... but having preserved your mana doesn't take you very far if you are dead."
"Depleting the king's mana to take one of six enemies down won't get him and you very far either...", Archer grunted grimly.
Kai stood up and put his feet into his slippers while he thought about his reply.
"Yes. Sure. But if you see the chance to take one down and are in as much danger as you were with Lancer... I implore you to just go for it. For your son's sake as much as for yours."
He turned around and went for the door.
"Nab Kai", Archer called out.
Kai stopped.
"The king has the chance to end every fight at every time with his victory. It would likely just be his last one if he does so without conventional means."
He expected such an answer, even though the certainty with which Archer pointed out his superiority was still a bit surprising to him. The pharaoh had the tendency to boast, but he seemed absolutely genuine at this moment. It was worry, not gloating in his eyes. Kai nodded in understanding and went for the bathroom.
Roughly half an hour later he was fully clothed and climbed down the stares to join his parents at the breakfast table.
"Good morning", he said miserably while seating himself.
Both of them mumbled their greeting and while it was a tense atmosphere, nobody pushed for a talk. The silence was nearly worse than any confrontation. They avoided eye contact. They only talked to each other. Kai realized he was being ignored. They went out of their way to deny his entire existence, having omitted bringing out a plate for him or any of the things he preferred to eat at breakfast. Fighting down the urge to roll with his eyes, he went into the kitchen and out of his way to correct that himself.
Maybe this is better than open reproaches.
He wanted to at least try to break the silence with some background noise, so he lunged for the remote and switched on the TV. The regional news channel was the first one greeting him and he was grateful enough for that. Even though it was the picture of a
"Yesterday evening at 7 p.m. another fatal traffic accident happened at the exit of Einzberner Ring. It was the second that day and the fifth accident in four days that had struck the city", the newscaster announced gravely. "Like in the previous cases the driver lost control of his vehicle after leaving the Autobahn and hit the crash-barrier unchecked. Rescue workers were only able to diagnose the death of the driver, the seventeen years old son and co-driver suffered minor injuries and a shock and was brought to the hospital. Investigations about the damage and the cause for the driver losing control over the car are still in development. A connection with the previous accidents seems unlikely due to the different locations."
The clip ended... and the next one showed the picture of the front of his school with the damaged interior piled up in front of it. The lines below read "School building partly collapsed for unknown reasons. No one harmed."
Kai gulped and shut the TV down before the newsreader was even able to take a breath. Thankfully his parents sat with their backs towards it, so they hadn't noticed. Silence swallowed the tense atmosphere again. So it went the whole time until Kai said his sorry goodbyes and took his bag to leave his school. He hadn't even bothered to pack his bag with the books for the next day. He was just that sure school would not happen for some time, but pretending to not know was his best way to get out of the house. Their reaction was just maddening.
"They want you to make the first step", Archer spoke up the moment Kai had closed the door behind him.
"I know... doesn't make it easier though", he grumbled.
This way they travelled to the school on the most direct way. Kai just wanted to see what they were going to do with the pupils. And he did. When the two of them arrived a huge crowd had gathered in front of the cordon around the school. Their principal was behind it and addressed the children with his booming voice. The rest of teachers were also gathered there, everyone was nervous and the principal himself looked with his black rims around his heavy eyes as if he hadn't slept a second this night.
I wouldn't like to be in his skin right now.
What Kai gathered of his speech he tried to cheer everyone up regardless. Even though it were more the teachers that needed the cheering, the crowd was still reeling somewhere between confusion and applauding. Of course the people he recognized who were inside the building when the Servants decided to redecorate it were not able to make jokes about it. Kai himself felt horribly sorry. The principal then went on about arrangements being made with the junior high school at the other end of Einzbern to share some rooms. It would get crowded, but they'll try to pull some strings and school will likely continue next week.
So I have time until then to finish this Grail War business...
Thinking about the Grail made him think about his supposed ally and partner in crime. So he peered into the crowd and tried to see if she bothered to show up as well. When he didn't find her immediately he excused himself from his friends and asked Archer softly about them.
"There you go", he nodded towards a dense crop of people to his right.
Kai followed the pharaoh's direction and finally found Sabrina amidst several of her classmates. He nodded towards her with a tired smile. Much to his confusion, her reaction was a cold frown. But he decided not to let that put him down. They were in the same boat after all and right now he needed his only ally.
"Hi there", he spoke to her. "How is it going?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"You have some nerves to speak up to me like this", Sabrina snapped back.
"What?"
The girls who accompanied her watched the scene with sudden and intense interest. For some reason he felt incredibly foolish to attempt such an open addressing.
"Just...", she herself looked around and felt embarrassed with them around. "Just go away. I cannot stand you after what you did yesterday."
Kai retreated, completely at a loss for words. The girls started giggling and gossiping the very moment he turned his back towards them, but he also heard Sabrina making excuses about him.
"The heck just happened...", he whispered.
"Saber said that Nab Sabrina is a bit confused right now. He told the king that he and Nab Kai should just give her a bit time to think."
"Whatever that means...", Kai grumbled.
Might be she reconsidered our alliance and only sees it as a ceasefire. I cannot blame her. She still seemed not very happy about Archer's Noble Phantasm last time I saw her.
"I guess we are on our own for now."
"Hey Kai, you knew that girl?", one of his classmates spoke up at this moment.
There was a group of them standing nearby. Kai forced himself to smile.
"Hello guys. I just... well, I thought I know her, I guess..."
He tried to shrug it off and change the subject.
"Awful, isn't it?", he waved towards the school. "I don't want to think how it would look like if it happened during classes."
"Who cares, nobody was hurt? And I don't need to do that presentation in chemistry for now", the guy who had addressed him grinned broadly and everyone laughed.
"Too bad Daniel can't enjoy these unexpected free days", a girl then said gravely.
Everyone fell silent.
"Why not?", Kai asked carefully, feeling somehow locked out of the loop.
"Haven't you really not heard?", the boy asked.
Kai shook his head.
"He had a car accident yesterday evening", the girl said. "Lost his father, the poor bastard."
The pictures of the wrecked car in the news flashed up in front of his eyes. He felt like someone had punched him. Hard.
"That was him?", he suddenly felt incredibly foolish.
"Yes... it's pretty scary all things considered."
"How so?"
"Where do you live, Kai? Haven't you followed the news?", his classmate's face fell then, he lowered his voice as if he told them some big secret. "All these accidents around Einzbern. They say they follow all the same pattern."
"Oh come on, you won't believe that one, don't you?", the girl said.
"Why not? It is weird enough to be true. And I tell you, the curse continues!"
For some reason Kai was inclined to believe him. Maybe said reason was that invisible pharaoh from 3000 years ago that was hovering behind him. Stuff like that made people more open-minded.
"How exactly does this connection look like?"
"Well... it is said that nobody who died in these car crashes died during the impact...", the boy explained in a conspirational voice. "They died shortly before. Heart attacks some say. Brain aneurisms or whatnot. Maybe they were scared to death by something."
"Even Daniel's father?"
"Don't know. They haven't finished their investigations yet. But this way the first three victims died. Three in a row. Sounds suspicious enough for me."
"Victims?", the girl interjected. "You sound like somebody murdered them. It were accidents. Sad accidents. Or how do you think somebody could kill them like this?"
"Don't know... Maybe they put some gas into the cars. I have heard of a case where someone put some liquid into the air-conditioning to knock a driver out."
"If that is the case, how come Daniel is still alive?"
Kai left them at their arguing and quickly retreated into a less dense part of the crowd.
"Maybe I'm just making a fool of myself. Sounds like sad coincidences to me", he whispered.
Archer kept his silence.
"These are coincidences, are they?", he asked more direct just in case Archer hadn't realized he was being talked to.
Several seconds passed before Kai heard the response of the ghost.
"The king is not absolutely sure about this."
"You're kidding!", he replied nearly too loud to his liking, so he forced himself to dim his voice. "How... you mean this has to do with the Grail War?"
"It is just a theory... if you have no other plans, the king would like to investigate this trace. If his worries prove true... it could be a lead to a Hem that needs to be taken out with all haste."
Were the drivers all Masters? No, that's impossible. Five people died and there are still Sabrina, Lancer's Master and me... So that means, he must focus randomly on...
He tried not to continue this train of thought. His parents were using the Einzberner Ring. Every single day.
"Let's don't waste time!", he announced and left the crowd immediately.
He thought he'd know which hospital the victim was brought to. There was only one at Einzbern. A large complex neatly fitted into a forest at the edge of town. It had not the best reputation, but it was all the townspeople had if they didn't want to go to the city. So he took the bus there without waiting a second longer. When he arrived, there was quite some commotion. The three stories high car park next to the buildings looked quite full when he walked towards the clean white hospital complex. When he looked to his side and focused on the shade next to him he also realized that his invisible companion was strangely tense.
"Is there anything, Archer?"
"The king is not quite sure", he replied thoughtfully. "For a short moment it seemed he felt a presence, but now it is away."
"I think I know how you feel", Kai admitted miserably.
He never liked hospitals. They caused a sense of dread in him and he never knew why. To him they smelled like illness, like agony... like death. It was unfair towards the staff which tried to stave off all these things, but the smell of antiseptics caused these thoughts all the same.
"Let's get in there..."
And with these words Kai strode through the entry towards the yard and through the main entrance. Considering the huge amount of parked cars outside the inside was surprisingly less busy. Kai had no problems to just sneak up to the desk and ask for Daniel, telling the woman sitting there that he was a friend from school of his.
"Am I able to speak with him?", he dreaded to have come for naught.
"He is still a bit confused, but otherwise okay. Keep the visit short", she said before handing him a clipboard to sign and then told him Daniel's room number.
Kai expressed his gratitude, even bowed in much the same way Archer did all the time, and went on his way. He found his classmate in the second floor in a room he shared with three others. These others were sound asleep, but Daniel was awake watching the muted TV that was mounted in a corner. The way he looked at it, Kai doubted he was really paying attention. He looked like he was just staring at the pictures.
"Hello Daniel", Kai said sullenly, not knowing how to approach the bed.
At the end he just stood at one of the corners at the foot end. Daniel looked at him, narrowing his eyes in mild surprise. Except for some bruises on his face there were no visible traces of injuries, but his eyes told Kai a different story.
"Kai? What the hell are you doing here?"
"Can't I be a bit concerned about a classmate? I've heard what happened to you. Thought should pay you a visit."
If he was entirely honest, calling Daniel a friend was too much of a stretch. He knew him since primary school, but they never bothered to hang out together. Kai being the bookish nerd and Daniel being one of the muscled jocks in class, they never had much to talk with each other. But even then Kai could not help but feeling miserable for him after what had happened.
"Well... thanks I guess. Now you are seeing me, so what? Are you offering to bring me my homework? Or... wait. How late is it? Don't you have school right now?"
Kai chose to smile a bit to soften the mood.
"I guess you won't miss much... school is going to get closed for some time. Might be we get some crowded outside lessons on Monday, but even that is not sure as of yet."
"What happened? Did anyone burn down the school?"
Close enough...
"Some structural damage, parts of the building just collapsed after classes."
Daniel sighed and sunk into the pillow he had propped up behind him.
"Wow, the world is literally falling apart."
Kai just helplessly stood there, not knowing what to say. He wanted to cheer his classmate up, but for some reason he was sure he would just hit the wrong keys.
What the hell did I thought to just drive straight here...
And then he remembered. It was the picture of his parents mounting their respective cars and driving into the city. Driving past an unstoppable Servant. And he knew immediately that he just had to press the matter. Even while he knew that it could end ugly.
"There is... something I wanted to ask you", he began sheepishly.
"Huh?"
"It might seem strange, but please I have my reasons. I wanted to ask... whether it was an accident."
"What?", Daniel seemed incredulous and rightfully so.
"Your car crash and... what happened... I'm just... you were there, you must know whether it was an accident or not."
Daniel gulped and studied his face in confusion.
"Why should it not have been an accident?", he finally asked back.
"So it was?"
It was more a statement than a question, so his mind and body did not wait for an answer when a wave of relieve washed over him. It was the answer he wanted to hear. The answer that made his parents safe again. And when Daniel did not replied further, he took it gladly.
"Thanks and... I'm sorry if I have confused you even further. I can only imagine the pain you must feel and it is really not my part to ask such a question. So... I'll better let you alone for some time. You must need it... and since I don't know how long they are going to keep you here... I'll keep you up to date with the homework if you wish so."
Daniel just stared at him with wide eyes, seemingly at a loss for words. Kai nodded, he understood when he went to far.
"Bye", he just said, turned around and went for the door.
"Wait, please", he heard a low voice behind him after he had passed half the room.
He turned back towards Daniel's bed, carefully stepping a bit closer.
"What... what would you think if I tell you that it wasn't an accident?"
A sudden warm feeling crept up towards his heart and made him feel like his blood was starting to boil.
"I think I would say that this would terrify the hell out of me", Kai admitted.
"Me too", Daniel added and at once he seemed much paler than before.
Kai came closer.
"What have you seen?", he asked.
Daniel shook his head.
"Nothing... It all went too fast. It was just my mind playing a cruel trick on me."
"No", Kai stated as if it was the most simple truth in the world.
"You wouldn't believe me. You would call me gone crazy", Daniel grunted.
"Absolutely not", Kai assured. "I will believe you. No matter what you tell me. Trust me, I have seen enough crazy in the last few days to pretty much bury the doubts of a lifetime."
His classmate frowned at that, but didn't implore further. He just pushed himself upright, looking left and right as to assure himself that his roommates weren't listening in.
"Okay Kai... but if you make fun of this, you are dead."
"I wouldn't dare. But please, everything you've seen might be important."
"If you say so... And I... I think... I'm not entirely sure, but I think... that I have indeed seen something. It all went so fast, so cannot be sure..."
"What happened?"
"Well, my father... he... we... we were just driving home from training."
Kai knew that Daniel was in a football club. The junior league club of a very large and well known one in the city, so good was he.
"It all went as usual. My father was complaining about this slow-ass truck in front of us, squeezed himself right past it. And then we left the Autobahn for Einzbern... he was still complaining, but he was paying attention to the street. He is... was a good driver. He would never just hit the crash-barrier like this. He was too good for that. And he would never just... just... knock over like this."
Kai gulped. He hadn't realized until then, but after he came closer he had clawed his fingers into the foot of the bed.
"There was... he just suddenly appeared to the left of the car. Directly next to him. It's... no, it's impossible."
"Who was there?", Kai implored dreadfully.
"The grim reaper", Daniel said gravely. "Or close enough at least. He must have killed him."
"How did he look like?", Kai asked without any hesitation.
"So you do believe that?", he asked back incredulously.
"Of course I do, I told you so."
A tired smile crept up on his face.
"Fine... how did he look like? Well, I haven't seen that much. But... He was riding a horse. Yes, I know, he kept pace with a driving car that had just left the Autobahn. But I guess laws of physics don't keep that one down."
"No, they don't", Kai agreed softly.
"And then... he just stared at him", Daniel continued. "He stared at my father and my father died. His head just sunk down into his steering wheel and... that was it."
Kai nodded, somehow he felt like the room just grew a few degrees colder.
"And thereafter... he looked at the seats behind my father. And he looked at me. He looked straight into my eyes. And for a very small moment I thought he looked surprised... at least until he just vanished and disappeared. And this was already the moment the car hit the wall."
Kai drove with his fingers through his hair. He knew what this story meant. It was the version he didn't want to hear. The version he dreaded the most.
"Thank you for your honesty."
"I am crazy, am I?", Daniel asked with a tired smile.
"If you are, then I am too. No... I believe every word you just said."
Daniel looked to the ground.
"I'm glad to hear... but-"
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Be assured of that."
"Thanks."
"Be also assured... that what happened to your father won't happen to anyone again."
Kai didn't knew where those words came from, but he was sure they were the truth. He was going to make them true. Daniel however frowned at these words.
"How can you say that?"
"I just... can... It's better when we leave it at that."
"Alright...", Daniel admitted.
"I hope you recover fast then", Kai said and with this he stepped back from the bed, releasing his tight grip around its foot end.
"Oh, there is still one thing...", Daniel then said. "You know... I always thought the grim reaper was some skeleton in a habit with a large scythe or something. But this guy... he looked too human... and... did you know that the grim reaper was Asian?"
