Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Purified by Fire, Dancing with Fairies

Chapter 24

The Moon shone down with cold, silver light, casting long shadows on the grounds of Ryuudo Temple. An icy breeze blew over the mountaintop, rustling through the leaves and howling between the wooden buildings of the temple complex.

With a shimmer of light, Servant Assassin faded into view, standing before the gates leading into the temple, and looking down the stairway that passed between the trees, along the mountainside to the main road below. Narrowing his eyes as the wind whipped through his hair and clothes, the Servant of Assassination looked up at the slightly-overcast sky, and at the pale disc of the Moon.

"They come." He said softly. "My enemies."

Inside the temple grounds, monks held a nighttime vigil in the light of oil lamps, monotonously chanting mantras as one as they knelt on the ground before a wooden statue of the Buddha. Blinking to himself, Issei Ryuudo broke off his chanting, and lowering his clasped hands glanced in the direction of the wood and paper sliding doors to one side.

"What's wrong, Issei?" his father asked softly. Around them, the other monks continued on praying, ignoring the two among them who'd broken their vigil.

"…I don't know." Issei said after a moment. "But…"

"But…?"

"…I get a strange feeling…foreboding, I…think…"

"Don't let your anxieties lead your focus astray, Issei." His father gently chided. "Keep it here and now, where it belongs."

"But aren't I also supposed to tune myself to the ebb and flow of the world around me, and thus be aware of when and where it might take me, and what it might bring?"

"Yes, but not at the expense of the present." Issei's father said with a nod. "Be mindful of where you stand, just as you are of the world around you."

"Yes, father." Issei said with a nod. His father nodded as well, and moved to resume praying. However, noticing his son still looking anxious, he tilted his head questioningly.

"What are you so anxious about anyway, Issei?" he asked.

"…I'm…not really sure, to be honest. It's…not here…I think…"

"Then if it is not here, it is a matter for another time."

"Yes, father."

Taking a deep breath to fortify himself, Issei briefly closed his eyes and then clasped his hands before him again. Letting his consciousness sink into the background drone of the monks and apprentices chanting their mantra, Issei tuned himself in and within moments seamlessly slipped into the chorus of meditative chanting, and returned to the vigil.

As he focused himself once more in the calm serenity of the vigil, Issei briefly wondered at how easily he'd been distracted, no doubt by subconscious anxieties born of how time spent on his training as a monk could be time spent on academic pursuits. Among other responsibilities, of course: as Student Council Chairman, he had plenty on his plate.

But…there was a time and place for everything. Though it might seem as though there was too little time to spend between everything expected of him, experience had since taught Issei that in fact, that was an illusion. With proper discipline and focus, there was indeed time enough for everything that needed to be done, and properly at that.

Yes, such anxieties as he had felt just now were nothing to be distracted over, Issei reflected. If nothing else, it only showed that he still had much to learn, if his own subconscious lacked the discipline so as to distract him with what he knew to be baseless concerns.

With that thought in mind, Issei returned whole-heartedly to the vigil. However, he was not the only one to feel a sense of foreboding. In her workshop within the temple, Caster cast her gaze across the temple and mountain alike, peering across great distances through the use of magic. Having lived in the Age of Gods, when the World actively sought the destruction of the Human race, the Servant of the Spell had a sense for danger that surpassed that of modern Humans, even if not to the same extent as other, more famous individuals who had lived in that age did.

Dragon Tooth Warriors combed the forested slopes of Mount Enzo, even as their mistress cast her gaze far and wide. "How is the matter progressing?" Kuzuki asked, quietly emerging from the shadows.

"Unsuccessfully," Caster honestly answered. "It may be that the enemy knows that we are alerted to their impending attack, and are currently reconsidering their plans."

"If so," Kuzuki said. "It may present an opportunity for us to counterattack."

"Certainly," Caster said with a nod. "Should the enemy decide not to attack and then proceed to retreat clumsily, their backs will be exposed. It would be an opportunity too great to pass up."

"Indeed…though if that were the case," Kuzuki said thoughtfully. "Then we must also consider the possibility of a feint on the part of the enemy."

"To draw us out of the temple grounds, and thence where we would not have the advantage?" Caster asked.

"Yes."

Caster nodded slowly. "There is that possibility." She admitted. "That said, it would not do to be overcautious either, lest we…I've found him!"

Kuzuki approached to Caster's side, and looked into the glowing sphere of magic held between her hands. There, standing on a hill and looking up over the mountainside towards the staircase leading to Ryuudo Temple, was a man dressed in blue and silver with ragged blue hair and red earrings. No, not a man: A Servant.

And judging by the red spear in his hands, it was the Servant Lancer.

"It seems that Lancer and his Master have decided to make their move." Caster remarked. "But why now, after having hidden so long…"

Caster trailed off as Lancer brandished his spear, and then crouching down on all fours, leapt forward at great speed. "Fast…!" she hissed, her barely spell able to keep up with Lancer's movements as he dashed between the trees, and up the slope. "And to think he's running uphill!"

"Most likely," Kuzuki began, already turning to leave the room. "Lancer will attempt a lightning offensive up the staircase, overpowering Assassin and thence to strike into the temple through the weak point in our defenses."

"Souichirou-sama…"

"Caster," Kuzuki began, taking off his glasses. "Cast an enchantment over my fists."

Caster stood silent for a moment, and then briefly closing her eyes, smiled and nodded. "As you command," she said softly. "My Master."

White light shimmered around Kuzuki's fists, and then nodding once at Caster, left the room. Caster looked after him until he disappeared into the shadowed corridors of Ryuudo Temple, and then turned back into her spell. Her eyes widened, and she gasped. "Souichirou-sama…!" she began in horror, but it was already too late.

A third of the way up the staircase, Lancer took to the skies, the force of his leap strong enough to break the stone steps. In one hand, his spear glowed a burning red, and with a snarl of barely-controlled fury, arched his back like a bow. "Gae…" he began. "Bolg!"

Reality itself tore apart as Lancer unleashed the full destructive power of his Noble Phantasm. Gae Bolg: Soaring Spear that Strikes with Death – one of two specialized functions of his spear, focused on power as opposed to precision. Countless spearheads fell from the sky, a thunderous roar erupting outward as the very air itself was blown aside. They fell on Ryuudo Temple, neither wood nor stone nor spell able to stand in their way.

The mountain shuddered as the mountaintop and the temple thereof were reduced to rubble, and mere moments later parts of the surrounding cliffs broke away and slid down in small landslides. Lancer landed on his feet on what was left of the staircase, the stone steps cracked and shattered from the aftereffects of his Noble Phantasm.

"Two for two," he said, tapping the side of his nose, and then narrowed his eyes. "With this we're tied with Saber and that Emiya girl…though…there were people in there. Is this really alright, little lady?"

There was a profound silence in the ether, and then through their link as Master and Servant, there was a reply.

"Victory, at any cost."

"If you say so."

Priceless porcelain shattered as a teacup and its saucer fell from suddenly nerveless fingers, and then Sella and Leysritt were rushing forward. Illya was crumpling, falling forward and sideways as her eyelids slid closed, and was kept only from falling to the ground by being caught by Sella.

"My lady!" Sella said urgently. "My lady! Lady Illyasviel!"

"Calm down!" Illya hurled the thought into Sella's head with such force that the other homunculus winced. "I'm alright…or at least, as alright as I can be in this situation."

"This…situation…?" Sella echoed, and then her eyes widened and she gasped in realization. "Could it be?"

"Yes," Illya telepathically replied. "The limit of four Servants has been reached. With this, my body's voluntary muscle control has been disabled. Soon…the Lesser Grail will be ready for use."

"My lady…"

"Prepare."

"But…!"

"You know and understand what is expected of us at this point!" Illya snapped. "And I see no reason why we should deviate from proper procedure. Standby to assist Leysritt should the opportunity arise to complete the Heaven's Feel ritual, and to deliver the Grail to Einzbern if it comes to that."

"…"

"Sella…?"

Sella closed her eyes, and looking away, ground her teeth in frustration. "It will be done, my lady." She said softly.

"…I'm trusting you, Sella. If it comes to it, fulfill our duty to the family."

"Yes…it will be an honor…to complete this last command from you."

Silent laughter echoed through the ether. "Not really…I mean, it's not my last command." Illya said. "I'm still alive after all. I'm still me. And I have further orders for you."

"I hear and obey, my lady."

"Be sure to explain to my sister, how it came to this." Illya said before giving a silent sigh. "It's strange, really. I came to this country hating that girl, the one who stole papa from me, who made him break his promise to come back. But…after meeting her, after seeing her fight and win against Tohsaka and Makiri…I just can't hate her anymore. Not when we're so alike…even though she stole papa from me…no, I can't leave her not knowing why I disappeared, or why it even came to this. I'm trusting you with this, alright Sella?"

"…it will be an honor, my lady."

"Alright then," Illya said. "But, while the inevitable draws near, I'm not going to take it passively. Just because I can't move it doesn't mean I can't fight. Find out which Servants were killed, and who killed them so quickly, so much so that they basically died at the same time. A strong enemy…a worthy enemy…yes, that will be my gift, my apology to my Berserker, that it ends like this."

"It will be done, my lady."

Satisfied laughter echoed in the darkness of Kotomine Church, as Kirei perceived the destruction of Ryuudo Temple, and with it the fall of the Servants Caster and Assassin. "To think you are capable of such ruthlessness, Rin Tohsaka." Kirei remarked to himself. "I have to admit, I didn't think you had it in you. Yes, with this the pace of the Holy Grail War is accelerated. With only three Servants left, the conclusion is very near. And with it…"

Kirei's monologue came to an abrupt halt as a long-silent connection was opened. Amusement…joy…satisfaction…they were all replaced by shock and surprise, and then by wary respect.

"King of Heroes." Kirei said. It wasn't a question.

"Kirei Kotomine," the voice Kirei had not heard in a decade answered telepathically. Normally, the spell linking them would allow – theoretically – Kirei to see what the one on the other side could see, and thus allow Kirei to discern their location, but much like with Tokiomi, the King of Heroes refused to allow him to see through his eyes.

It is not meet for commoners to see as the King does. Just being able to hear and converse with the King's thoughts, is an honor and privilege beyond your station.

"An amusing trinket, the Holy Grail." Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes remarked, his thoughts tinged with mildness. "The contest to determine who should receive it is also quite amusing, in much the same way a jest would be. And such a jest it is, born as it is of the empty dreams of pathetic fools who seek to touch the face of God, heedless of what a pointless venture much less achievement it would be, or those who think to save the Human race, when instead all they would do in success is damn it to stagnation and ruination."

"As you say, King of Heroes." Kirei said. "Though if I might presume to ask, what is it that you desire with this generously-given audience?"

There was a moment of profound silence. "What I've always wanted." Gilgamesh finally answered, his thoughts surprisingly soft and wistful. "Perhaps you might be wondering, why I rejected the favor you sought to call on, when this jest began."

Kirei gave the mental impression of a humble bow. "The thought had crossed my mind." He admitted.

"Indeed," Gilgamesh answered. "And I suppose given your…loyalty, to me in the past, an answer is due."

"I would be most honored to receive such."

"No doubt." Gilgamesh said with a faint hint of mockery. "Time has passed, and with it, things have changed. My judgment has likewise been changed to reflect it, and with it, my plans for this world. My world…my kingdom…my garden…my people…"

Kirei blinked, and then turned as the doors to the church opened, allowing five people inside. Four were clearly women, dressed in white jumpsuits with matching hoods and masks. The fifth was a man, though his jumpsuit was black, and reinforced with armor plating over his chest and torso, forearms, and legs. He wore neither a hood nor a mask, darkened goggles instead worn protectively over his eyes.

"You were an apt subject, Kirei." Gilgamesh continued. "But you were never truly my servant. You had, and have your own purpose, and when it coincided with mine in the past, I suffered it to proceed. But now, it would hinder my own purpose, and therefore I can no longer suffer it to continue."

"Ah…I see." Kirei said with a sigh. "In other words, my usefulness is at an end, is it?"

"If you wish to see it that way, then I will grant you such selfishness." Gilgamesh said. "Along with the honor of dying by the King's own command. Farewell, Kirei Kotomine."

As the telepathic link closed, the five assassins drew swords, and took stances with swords held diagonally behind them and one hand held forward, aimed at Kirei. Blue light shimmered over their bodies, and then taking his own stance Kirei summoned Black Keys between his fingers.

There was a moment of silent stillness, and then moving almost too fast for the Human eye to follow, Kirei hurled his Black Keys through the air, enough force behind them to rend through iron plate. Blue light flashed through the air in response, and stained glass shattered as the air within the church was distorted, and Black Keys went flying everywhere.

And as he fought for his life, Kirei smiled.

"Let's go out today."

Saber glanced at his Master curiously. "I beg your pardon?" he politely asked.

"It's too depressing to stay indoors." Ayame said with a sigh. "A landslide buries Ryuudo Temple and kills everyone inside, including a schoolmate and a teacher…add in that fire last night at Kotomine Church…let's go out and have some fun."

"…have you considered the possibility both could have been the result of enemy action?" Saber asked.

"I did." Ayame said with a growl. "At least for the former: The Holy Church is a bad enemy, and I doubt even greedy, stupid magi would risk angering them by going after the Overseer. Something else must have happened, though I don't know what."

"And the former?"

"Murderous bastards…" Ayame spat. "We've been pretty ruthless ourselves in this war, but not so much that we start killing innocent bystanders. When we find whoever pulled that stunt, I am going to beat the Master to an inch of their lives."

"And the Servant?"

"Kick their asses, Saber."

Saber laughed. "Just leave it to me." He said. "And I see you do need to let out some steam. Very well then…where shall we go?"

"Around?"

"…that is…vague…"

Ayame shrugged and then smiled. "I guess it is." She admitted, before getting up from where she'd been sitting on the veranda and striking a slight pose, one hand on a hip. "Or you don't want to spend the day with me?"

"Just wondering what you have in mind, that's all." Saber said, holding up his hands.

"Okay…thinking on the spot…" Ayame said. "We could visit the aquatic park…and then go have some lunch…and then…well…um…we'll see."

Saber sighed and then nodded. "Just make it up as we go, huh?" he said. "That's fine. Just…enjoy the day…"

"Yeah, pretty much." Ayame said before looking out over her yard for a few moments. "Alright then…I think I'll go and get ready, alright?"

"Take your time, I can wait."

"Got it."

Saber nodded, and looked on as Ayame walked off into her house, and thence to her room to get ready for a day out in the city.

"Wow…this is amazing." Saber said with no small amount of awe. "I mean…it's not that I haven't seen fish swimming in water before, but…this is the first time I've seen them so close, or so…I don't know, clearly…?"

Ayame giggled at Saber's side, holding an arm tight – inappropriately so, in Saber's opinion – as they walked through the first gallery of the Fuyuki Aquatic Park. This gallery was for freshwater fish, both those native to Japan and those from other countries. Large, floor-to-ceiling tanks lined the walls on either side of the gallery, lit from within and filling the room with gentle, soothing, blue-tinted light.

"I know, right?" Ayame said. "And this is just the first gallery, too. There are others more like it further in."

"I'm looking forward to it." Saber said with genuine anticipation, before leaning in to read a card attached to one side of a tank. Pictures of fish were on one side, fish that could be found in the tank, while on the other side was information on the fish in question.

"So…you're interested in both looking and knowing about them, I see." Ayame remarked.

"Yes, I am." Saber said with a nod, briefly glancing at Ayame before looking back at the card. "The aesthetic value is just half the experience, I daresay. Knowing about what's shown is needed to truly acknowledge and admire what is in front of you."

"That's…very deep."

Saber laughed, and drawing back looked at Ayame. "Well," he said. "It's not very well known, but when I wasn't practicing or, well, ruling, I preferred to spend time reading."

"Oh?" Ayame said as she and Saber proceeded to the next tank, the walls and the tanks thereof sectioned. "I thought the most common pastime for nobles back then was hunting."

"I was never fond of hunting, to be honest." Saber said with a sigh. "For special occasions, yes, since it was a tradition and as a nation and a people, we can't do without tradition. But just for the sake of it…no, I wasn't too fond of it. Besides, if we needed meat in our cellars, the household could always go and buy from the farmers and herders who plied the fruits of their labors in the castle town. It's less cruel than to go rampaging through pristine woods, driving animals otherwise living in peace out to be slaughtered, and would actually help people by giving them something for all their labors. My people…"

Saber trailed off as Ayame hummed and nodded, and then coming to a halt, they regarded the next tank with quiet curiosity. And so it went, Ayame and Saber going around the winding gallery, and pausing to regard the central table which held a diorama detailing what exactly made a fish distinct from other animals such as mammals, reptiles, birds, and amphibians.

Saber nodded in understanding after Ayame helped clear up some of the more…complex, scientific jargon from the diorama, and then they proceeded to the next gallery. "The world is a far from simple place." Saber remarked, before smiling at Ayame. "Normally, saying that would come before a rather depressing conversation, but here and now, I would say it's a source of wonder."

Ayame laughed. "Now that you mention it, you're right." She said with a smile, and Saber laughed as well.

"I suppose I am." He said.

The next gallery was a large, dome-like structure, artificial cliffs and promontories surrounding a large, aquatic, and artificial environment below. One wherein alligators and crocodiles basked in the eyes of Humans passing by overhead on metal catwalks, while birds of varying sizes and every color imaginable flew by or roosted on trees and rocks.

"Alligators and crocodiles…?" Saber said while looking down with wide eyes. "I've heard and read stories back in my day, and returning to the World's given me much knowledge I didn't know at the time…but seeing it…it's completely different."

"Yeah…I imagine alligators and crocodiles wouldn't really be a common sight in Britain, would they?" Ayame remarked.

"Certainly not." Saber agreed with a nod, before regarding a passing flock of brightly-colored tropical birds with awe. "The same goes for all these birds. Let's see…"

Saber trailed off as he and Ayame approached a series of diagrams held on metal plates extending from one side of the catwalk. Saber read through the diagrams, periodically glancing away to find and see for himself a specific animal he was reading about, and when he was done, he nodded to himself.

"What a wonderful world we live in." he said before giving a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Ayame asked Saber as they proceeded along the catwalk.

"I was just thinking, on how…enviable, living in this day and age is." Saber said softly. "In this day and age, all the knowledge of the wonders of the world, its sights and sounds, are so easily found to be learned and experienced. Back in my day…that would have been impossible. We'd have to make do with hearsay, and tales given by travelers, tales no doubt distorted by time and distance, and attempts by storytellers to grandstand and the like."

"Well, yes there is that…but…I wouldn't really say…um…how to say this…"

Saber glanced at Ayame as she trailed off. "What is it?" he asked.

"I guess…" Ayame fumbled. "There's a lot of good things about today, but…there's also a lot of bad. Sure, we know more and can more easily…um…look things up, or find a way to see and experience without having to go through a lot of trouble but…in some ways, your world was a better one to live in."

"Really?" Saber echoed. "I was under the impression life today is much easier than it used to be."

"It is." Ayame said. "But the things you have to do to live a good life…"

"Hardship's always been a part of life…"

"That's now what I meant." Ayame interrupted, before blinking and giving a cough. "I'll explain it later, but for now…suffice to say that hard work back then was a lot more fulfilling than it is nowadays."

"…alright…"

Master and Servant then proceeded to the next gallery…and then Ayame was looking curiously at Saber as he made an unhappy sound. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Snakes," Saber said. "Not very fond of them, to be honest."

Ayame raised an eyebrow, and then smiling teasingly, pulled Saber over to one of the tanks along the walls, wherein snakes basked under heating lamps on dry soil. Beady eyes regarded the Humans as a forked tongue slipped in and out of the serpent's mouth, tasting the air before the snake looked away, uninterested in them further.

"…poisonous." Saber remarked after a glance at the card on one side of the tank.

"There's more snakes over here."

"…right."

Despite his dislike for the serpents, Saber kept it in check, instead focusing on satisfying his intellectual hunger, learning about the various snakes kept in the park, as well as their distinction from other animals. Moving on to the next gallery much more quickly than they had from previous galleries, they passed in awe through a long corridor wherein the walls and ceiling were lined with a single massive aquarium, brilliantly-colored, tropical, saltwater fishes swimming happily in the brightly-lit water.

The next gallery had more saltwater fish in tanks along the walls, though the focus of interest were a series of open-air tanks in the middle of gallery. There, in the water were various aquatic invertebrates both freshwater and saltwater, such as starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and more. Attendants were at hand to answer questions, and to ward people off from reaching into the tanks to touch the creatures within, both for the visitors' and the animals' safety.

"Understandable," Saber said as he read the description of one particular sea urchin, and overhearing a nearby park attendant politely asking another visitor to keep her child from reaching into the tank. "According to this, this particular sea urchin is poisonous. Mildly, but still poisonous for all that."

"As you say sir."

From there, the next two galleries were dedicated to saltwater fish, and this time it wasn't just the linking corridors that had the walls and ceiling lined by a single, massive aquarium. The galleries were all a single, massive aquarium, and Saber and Ayame spent an hour trying to pick out fish from the riot of color and swift movement in the water, before they finally exited the gallery.

"So," Ayame said as they did so, and tugging on Saber's arm pulled him away from the exit with a smile, towards the building labeled as 'Shark House'. "Want to go swimming with some sharks? I've got money to burn."

"…huh?"

A/N

Rin has gone cuckoo, nuking Ryuudo and killing everyone inside including Caster and Assassin. And a classmate, not that she particularly liked Issei (though the feeling was mutual).

Gil makes his move…and discards Kirei, even sending professional hitmen after him. Whether or not they succeeded…time will tell. He also has plans of his own, plans that now go beyond 'drown the world in Angra Mainyu's mud and rule over those Humans strong enough to survive'. Yes, Gil can do that. Everyone usually remembers Gil as a lazy bastard who just insults people and throws swords out of his treasury, and pissing him off results in getting blasted by an NP that makes Excalibur look like a potato gun…

…but that's him being a) lazy, and b) annoyed. Gil being serious is smart enough – as shown in FGO – to design and build a fortress city that laughs at gods and monsters, and probably would have Atlas' alchemists (literally the smartest people in the moonlit world and who build weapons that can kill Types) green with envy. And he's also the only person aside from Merlin who knows what a working utopia would be like.

Seriously: the bit from above, "…those who think to save the Human race, when instead all they would do in success is damn it to stagnation and ruination…" refers to Zouken and/or the Einzbern trying to create a world without suffering or whatnot…and which would only result in a quantum timelock on any timeline wherein they succeed. Their utopias are false, and only result in stagnation. Contrast to Gil's dream of Humanity transcending the World to reach out to the stars…or Merlin's musings in FGO about Humans transcending the physical to become beings of pure thought and essence given form.

TLDR: for a utopia to work, and to quote an acquaintance from SB, you need more Star Trek, and less lotus eaters.