Marcus was sitting in the office room of his house when he heard the doorbell ring. He sat up and made his way over to the front door and opened to see Ian.

"Hey…" Ian said sadly. "I'm sorry about how I acted earlier."

"I should apologize too," Marcus said. "I'm sorry that I lied to you about your mother."

"I forgive you. I was a kid when you did, so I understand. I don't think that any kid would react well to being told their mom was a psychopath…" Ian sighed.

"…I didn't want to lie to you either," Marcus said. "But I never was lying when I said that your mom loved you."

"For one, I was surprised when she said she was keeping you when she easily could have had an abortion." Marcus said. "And that decision was entirely up to her. Your grandma and grandpa couldn't have legally forced her to abort you, if they even wanted to. Even if they had enough strings to pull to force that shotgun wedding between your mother and father."

Jenny and Marcus' parents were conservative. Very conservative, in fact. They were enraged when they discovered that Jenny ended up getting pregnant from a drunken one-night stand with Harry and quickly did whatever they could to arrange the shotgun wedding that Harry absolutely despised them for. And they didn't support abortion either, and Marcus was pretty sure they would have written her out of their wills if she did abort Ian.

Regardless, the events surrounding that one-night stand was still enough to make Jenny the black sheep of the family in their eyes. Even if Marcus still maintained a genuinely friendly demeanor towards his sister, their parents were very passive-aggressive in regard to Jenny, Harry, and Ian. Marcus himself eventually got so tired of it that the last time he spoke with them was at Jenny's funeral, which did absolutely nothing to make them drop their disdain for her.

"Figures it was one of those. After meeting him, I knew Mom would never willingly marry him," Ian said jokingly.

"And even after that, she did everything she could to make sure you had a happy life," Marcus said. "And she even made sure that if anything were to happen to her, I would raise you and not your grandparents."

"You said they were mean people, right?" Ian inquired. "And before you ask, Assassin, we do not hurt the elderly."

"Out of all the people I've ever known, my parents and Harry compete for the position of 'biggest butt-hole ever'." Marcus remarked.

"Wouldn't that be unfair to him, though? I mean, two holes put together is bigger than one." Ian replied sarcastically.

"But what about you? Did Mom care about you?"

"..." Marcus fell silent. "At the end of the last War, your mom threw herself in front of me when Jeffrey tried to shoot me."


Fate/new dawn
Chapter 28: Before the End


"Another!" Harry said, his speech slurring a little.

"Bad day?" the bartender said.

"You can say that…" Harry groaned.

"So, mind if I ask what happened?" the bartender asked.

"It was sixteen years ago. I met this woman. Nice pair of tits. We got drunk and woke up naked in bed." Harry started. "It turns out, she got pregnant from that."

"Ohh…" the bartender winced.

"And then her dumbf*** parents somehow found out about that and forced the two of us into a f***ing shotgun wedding."

"Hardcore conservatives?"

"What sane person gives a f*** 'bout that? Conservative, liberal, they're both dumbf***s," Harry remarked. "But anyway, I ran off a year after that happened. But fifteen years later, I have to come here to help out a friend, very long story, and guess who I ran into?"

Harry was glad that he wasn't drunk enough to accidentally spill the beans about the Holy Grail War.

"That woman."

"No, her brother. Turns out she died ten years ago," Harry replied. "Good riddance…"

"That's a little harsh…"

"She was psychotic. I'm pretty sure I'm not being harsh," Harry switched the subject back. "So, her brother's been raising the kid and he forced me to meet with him."

"Well, an argument ended up happening and it turns out the kid is like his mom. I let that slip. Turns out the kid's been lied to about how much a b**** his mom was. So, the kid got upset and ran off, his uncle yelled at me, I told him to shove it, and then I ran," Harry said. "Now, I'm pretty sure that one of them wants me dead."

"Well… That's quite a day…" the bartender stated.

"Yeah…" Harry then put some money on the table before standing up to leave.


Kylie came to realize that her current situation was more irritating than she'd initially thought. The upside was that she no longer had to put up with that idiot Jeffrey. The downside? Well, possessing a corpse meant that she couldn't move fast, or run at all, for starters. Secondly, she had to constantly kill people to make sure that Berserker had enough prana because she was currently unable to provide a stable supply of it. While the killing people was enjoyable for her, Berserker not having a stable prana supply was irritating. And she couldn't just abandon Jeffrey's corpse for a new living vessel either, because in order to complete take over a body, the vessel would have to be weak-willed or be emotionally broken. And even then, the possession could take too long and cause Berserker to vanish without Kylie in Jeffrey's body to supply him mana.

And finally, Jeffrey's body was rotting. Due to him being dead, his corpse was already decomposing and would become utterly useless if she remained in it for too long.

She was now regretting her decision to let Jeffrey blow that apartment complex up, though not because of the deaths of innocent civilians. She regretted it because that was definitely why Frederick sent Assassin after Jeffrey. But regardless, she was going to make him pay for causing her current predicament.

"Well, what do we have here?" a voice said.

Kylie turned to see a few thugs standing at the entrance of an alley.

"Ever heard of a bath? You smell like s***."

"This punk looks like he was auditioning for The Walking Dead. He looks like a real zombie!"

One of the thugs then pulled a gun out and aimed at Kylie's vessel.

"Give us your money."

"Berserker…"

As soon as Kylie spoke, the thugs knew that something was up. Why was a little girl's voice coming out of a grown man's body? But as soon as Kylie spoke, Berserker materialized and killed the thugs immediately. They didn't even have time to scream.

Once Berserker killed the thugs and absorbed their mana, he dematerialized and Kylie shambled away from the scene.


"So, tomorrow's the last day of the War, huh?" Emily said quietly.

"Yeah," Ada sighed. "If everything goes well, at least."

"But, hey, at least you should be able to move in with me right when I go back," Emily replied.

"Yeah, hopefully," Ada nodded.

"Ada, what's wrong?"

"…I-I'm afraid of what might happen tomorrow." Ada admitted.

Emily pat Ada's head affectionately. "Don't worry about it. Just keep your distance from the fighting and you should be okay."

"I know, I know. It's just… Assassin of Omega is still out there, and I'm worried he'll slip out during the fighting."

"Well, if what that Marcus guy said is true, then process of elimination says that Frederick is Assassin's Master," Emily replied. "And if the two of them are smart, Assassin won't leave his Master, nor will his Master let him leave. You are raiding his home, after all."

"Yeah. You're right. Just keep a good distance and I'll be fine," Ada nodded.

"You always did get worried about things easier than I do," Emily said.

"Yeah… I do,"

"And Mordred, if you let Ada die, I'll kill you," Emily then said to Mordred.

"I do not think that you could ever manage to kill a Servant," Mordred replied. "Nor would I want to find out if you could."

"But, if you and Ada survive, I might just let you in whenever she and I-"

"Pervert!" Ada lightly punched Emily's arm, face going red.

"Hey, you enjoyed that time we-"

"Emily, shut up or you will be sleeping on the couch!" Ada retorted, her face now red as a tomato.

"Just teasing," Emily threw her hands up defensively.

"L-Let's talk about something else," Ada said, still flustered.

"You're really cute when you're flustered, y'know," Emily said teasingly.

"I really will make you sleep on the couch!" Ada responded.

"Alright. I'm sorry," Emily said.

"It's okay," Ada said. "And, um, I didn't mean it when I said that I'd make you sleep on the couch."

Emily actually guessed that Ada was bluffing. The brunette was completely terrified of what could happen during the Alpha faction's raid of Frederick's estate. Emily knew her well enough that she knew Ada wouldn't want to waste what could be their last night together over something as silly as getting embarrassed by playful teasing.

"Let's go on a date tomorrow evening for dinner," Ada then blurted out.

"I'd like that," Emily smiled.

"Though, there's actually something I wanted to do tonight," Ada said, beginning to blush again. "M-Mordred, could you give us some privacy?"

"Of course," the False Servant then exited the bedroom.

Within just a few short minutes, Ada was already wishing that night would never end, that she could just stay with Emily forever without having to worry about dying in the Grail War.


The sun rose Friday morning and heralded the final day before the night that the remaining Alpha members would be the end of the Holy Grail War. Ian went to school like usual and ran into Leeroy some time before the first bell rang.

"So, today's the big day, right?" Leeroy whispered to Ian.

Ian nodded solemnly.

"Good luck out there," Leeroy said.

"Thanks," Ian whispered back. "Assassin and I are going to need it."

"Hey, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask a favor," Leeroy said. "Could you use the Grail to heal Kimberly's legs?"

"Leeroy…" Ian hesitated. "I dunno. Lily's mom has terminal cancer and I want to use the Grail that if Lily doesn't win."

"She's already lost her birth parents and doesn't deserve to lose any of her adopted parents," Ian sighed. "I know how important Kimberly is to you, it's just…"

"…I understand." Leeroy said, a little saddened. "You want to help me and Kimberly, but you know that you'd let someone else die."

"Yeah, and Assassin's dead set on using her wish to be able to stay with me," Ian said. "And I wouldn't want her to give that up. She's like a daughter to me, so I don't want to lose her."

"I'm sorry…" Ian said sadly.

"Thanks for at least hearing me out…" Leeroy said.

"But who knows, maybe you'll get a chance in the next one," Leeroy replied. "Plus, I know you have another reason for wanting to help Lily; it's because you love her."

"Yeah. I do," Ian said. "And Assassin's insisting that we get married. She already sees Lily as her mom, pretty much."


Marcus would be arriving late to work that day. There was something that he wanted to do before heading there.

He pushed the gate to a cemetery open and began making his way to a specific grave. He then knelt in front of it and laid a flower down before looking at the tombstone.

Jenny Clark
1978-2008

"Hey, sis," Marcus said softly. "It's been a while."

Marcus then checked to make sure no one was around before continuing. "This Grail War's almost over. Ian's alright. He's become close friends with one of the other Masters on our team, Lily Wright. I can tell that he likes her."

Marcus then started muttering.

"But, it turns out that Stanford's still around. But don't worry, I'm going to be getting rid of him and Kylie once and for all…" Marcus sighed. "And Harry's one of the enemy Masters as well. But don't worry about that either. He's not gonna be coming outta this alive either. I normally wouldn't consider doing that to someone, but after what those guys have done…"

"But anyway, Ian and Harry have met. It didn't go that well, but it ended up being for the best. Ian admitted to me that before then, he was falling off the deep end and repeating the things you did during the last War. Then after the incident with Harry, he ended up confessing to Lily in order to get her to stay away from him. He really does care for her and Assassin, the same way that you cared for him and I. Fortunately, Lily was able to convince him to pull himself together."

"I know that you would just shake your head and say that worrying about other people is stupid, but at the same time, I know that you'd be proud of him nonetheless. He's really grown during this all. He's stopped worrying so much about what you'd think and starting to care more about other things. I know that you'd want him to move on, and he is. And I know that you would slap me silly for lying to him this whole time."

Marcus chuckled to himself about that last one.

"But I've gotta go. I promise that I'll do everything I can to make sure that Ian survives this, even if it kills me. If I survive, I'll talk with you after the War's over. But if I don't, I hope that Ian'll be able to tell you what happened."


Class: Archer
True Name: EMIYA
Master: Marcus Wilkins
Gender: Male
Alignment: True Neutral
Height/Weight: 187cm/78kg

Strength: D
Endurance: C
Agility: C
Mana: B
Luck: E
Noble Phantasm: -

Class Skills
Independent Action B
It is possible for a Servant to stay in the world for two days without a Master. However, this is the ideal value achieved by maximally conserving mana and avoiding battle and Noble Phantasm usage. In addition, even if EMIYA's spiritual core sustains lethal damage, he can still survive for a short period.

Magic Resistance D
Cancels Single-Action spells. Magic Resistance of the same degree of an amulet that rejects magical energy. Although EMIYA was a magus during his life and possesses unusual Projection sorcery, his affinity with 'sorcery' is much worse compared to Heroic Spirits of ancient times who saw sorceries and True Magics as commonplace. The level of Magic Resistance is a result of this.

Personal Skills
Clairvoyance C
Capable of keeping track of fast-moving object within a range of four kilometers. EMIYA acquires this by applying Reinforcement to his eyes.

Magecraft C-
Capable of using orthodox Thaumaturgy, such as 'Reinforcement' to temporarily increase the essence of the tool and 'Projection' to grasp the structure of the substance and temporarily replicate it. During his life time, the sorceries learned by Emiya are unremarkable. Before becoming a Heroic Spirit, even 'Reinforcement' was quite difficult. However, the 'Projection' sorcery he wields is quite special, as it is able to duplicate weapons, including all the components, to near perfection. In addition, during duplication, he can even read the wielder's skills, which allows him to gain all kinds of Noble Phantasms and combat skills.

Eye of the Mind (True) B
Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament.

Noble Phantasms
Unlimited Blade Works "Infinite Creation of Swords"E~A++
Type: ?
Range: ?
Maximum Targets: ?
The "Innate Bound Field" wielded by Emiya. It is his ability as a Heroic Spirit with no Noble Phantasms. The inside of the reality marble is a world like a steel mill, filled with weapons, flames, and giant gears. The uncountable swords plunge into the ground and were preserved thus. The majority of the weapons persevered in the reality marble are Noble Phantasms of Heroic Spirits copied through projection sorcery, each possessing deadly powers. Although the majority of the weapons are swords, the Noble Phantasm that provides absolute defence against projectiles, "Rho Aias", is also said to be copied and stored in the reality marble. Also, the ability of the replicated Noble Phantasm suffers one rank down compared to the original.

Not only can Emiya freely access the weapon stored inside Unlimited Blade Works, he can also modify the weapons to his wish like Caladabolg II. In addition, he is able to capitalise on his ability to repeatedly project: use Noble Phantasms as disposable arrows, and then unleash the magical energy stored within – the tactic called "Broken Phantasm".

Rho Aias "Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens"
The shield used by the hero of Trojan War, Aias. The Boundary Field Noble Phantasm that provides absolute defence against projectile weapons.

Kansho and Bakuya "Gan Jiang and Mo Ye"
The famous swords of Chinese legend. The Yin-Yang, Female-Male paired swords based on the Yin-Yang Doctrine. Emiya's favourite melee weapons.

Caladbolg II "The Fake Spiral Sword"
The legendary sword "Caladbolg" of the Ulster Cycle, projected and modified by Emiya. Not very useful as a sword, but rather used as an arrow for "Broken Phantasm".

Class: Lancer
True Name: Cu Chulainn
Master: Harry Clark
Gender: Male
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Height/Weight: 185cm/70kg

Strength: B
Endurance: C
Agility: A
Mana: C
Luck: E
Noble Phantasm: B

Class Skills
Magic Resistance C
Cú Chulainn holds a Magic Resistance of Rank C. Aria of two verses and below are cancelled, but beyond that High Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals cannot even be defended against. That said, confronting a Servant of his superior speed (Agility A), finding the opportunity to use large-scale magecraft is next to impossible. Also, considerable skill is required to successfully "hit" him with the invoked magecraft. Judging from these factors, in situations of close combat, Cú Chulainn may have a "necessary and sufficient" rank of Magic Resistance.

In addition, as depicted in legend, he himself learned magecraft (18 Primordial Runes) in the "Land of Shadows", taking pride in having the skill and knowledge to qualify for Caster class. Even in a scene of the story, he sees through the presence of Medusa's Blood Fort Andromeda at a glance, considers the situation, and makes the decision not to destroy it. Cú Chulainn is not just a reckless warrior.

Personal Skills
Battle Continuation A
Legend tells that the dying Cú Chulainn tied himself to a tree before taking his last breath. For he who possesses such a legend, the dying struggle is particularly fierce. Even in a hopeless battle, Cú Chulainn was still able to demonstrate astonishing tenacity, delaying Gilgamesh for half a day.
Against Emiya who dextrously fended off his spear thrusts, Cú Chulainn countered with an unyielding fighting spirit.

Disengage C
The ability to withdraw from the battlefield in the midst of combat. Having been commanded to go on reconnaissance missions by his Master Kotomine, it can be said that this ability was fully demonstrated. From the start, Cú Chulainn excelled in seeing through battle situations, and had the responsibility to wage war and withdraw repeatedly from all the Servants.

Runes B
Cú Chulainn obtained 18 Runes from his studies with Scáthach (Norse Runes), appropriately using them to respond in different situations. It is said that among these runes, one with the purpose of searching existed. It was the ability that supported his elusive actions during the Holy Grail War.

Protection from Arrows B
Ability to deal with projectiles. This is a power Cu Chulainn was born with. It's said that it's possible for him to avoid any long range attack if he has made visual confirmation of his opponent. He can deal with most projectiles even in conditions where the opponent cannot be visually seen. Even if the battle with Hasan Sabbaha, he cancelled the throwing swords hurled from the darkness. As long as the attack is a thrown type, he can avoid even Noble Phantasms, but he can't gain the effects of this protection with respect to wide range attack types where the attack range of the weapon explodes on impact, or a direct attack by a weapon that has simply long reach.

Divinity B
The circumstances behind Cú Chulainn's great divinity is his father's existence. His father was Lugh, the god who governed over the sun, a member of the Danann divine family in Celtic Mythology. As a demigod whose father was an almighty god who possessed every skill such as knowledge, techniques and magic, and whose mother was Deichtine, younger sister of King Conchobar, he exhibited superior talent from birth. Boasting supernatural ability that separated him from ordinary people from a young age, in his training in the Land of Shadows, he received the original runes and terrible magic spear Gaé Bolg from Scáthach. Truly, he was a man predestined to become a hero. In Ireland, poetry and statues praising Cú Chulainn still remain to this day.

Noble Phantasms
Gae Bolg "Barbed Spear that Pierces with Death" B
While this is a technique employing Gáe Bolg as a melee attack, it is originally a magic spear for throwing. With a technique that reverses the meaning of "cause and effect" in the order of things, the "result" that "the heart of the opponent has been pierced" is created earlier than the moment it is thrust. Accordingly, the "cause" that "the lance has pierced through the heart" is generated from it later. Without a great deal of luck (like Artoria), it can be said that this is a technique that determines "if it is released, the opponent is dead." However, against Servants like Heracles who can move even when their heart is destroyed, there is a small disadvantage. Compared to the Spear of Striking Death Flight, both the range of effectiveness and the destructive power are weakened. However, it is worth mentioning that "the magical energy cost is low." For having such a strong effect as "almost certainly will destroy the enemy's heart," without the need of a terrible amount of magical power, it becomes an excellent Noble Phantasm of extraordinary usability.

Gae Bolg "Soaring Spear that Pierces with Death" B
The largest and most powerful attack delivered using Gae Bolg. The "attack that unleashes countless darts at the enemy" which legends speak of is Gae Bolg – Striking Death Flight. After accelerating through an approach run, Cú Chulainn takes to the skies and activates Striking Death Flight by hurling it towards the ground with all his might.

Different from Gae Bolg – Piercing Death Thorn, Striking Death Flight does not carry the property or concept of "always pierces the opponent's heart", but compared to Piercing Death Thorn, both power and area of effect are increased (intense consumption of Magic Energy). It is a technique that attacks the enemies together with the surrounding area, in a carpet bombing fashion. Even resilient bulwark or agile body are not immune to the power of Striking Death Flight; Gae Bolg will send the enemy horde flying. In legend, the demonic spear is said to split into 30 and pour down over the enemy, but it seems the number has increased after Cú Chulainn became a Heroic Spirit.

Class: Ruler
Gender: Female
Height/Weight: 159cm/44kg
Alignment: Lawful Good

Strength: B
Endurance: B
Agility: A
Magic: A
Luck: C
Noble Phantasm: A++

Class Skills
Magic Resistance EX
In addition to the Magic Resistance of the Saber Class, she demonstrates a high anti-magic from her unwavering piety. However, since it is just averting (evading) the Magecraft, only Joan will be saved against a wide-range magic attack. It cannot cope with the sacraments of the Church.

True Name Discernment B
If summoned as a Ruler, during a direct encounter, a Servant's true name and entire status information will be automatically revealed. In regards to Servants with concealment abilities, a luck check is required.

God's Resolution A
Ruler's privilege. Two Command Spells can be used for each Servant participating in the Holy Grail War. Cannot re-purpose others Command Spells.

Personal Skills
Revelation A
A Skill equivalent to "Instinct". Instinct is a sixth sense regarding battles, but "Revelation" accommodates all matters related to the achievement of a goal (for instance, choosing the most suitable path while traveling). Because there is no basis (so she thinks), it cannot be explained well to others.

Charisma C
The natural talent to command an army. Joan's figure participating in the assaults hoisting a flag raised the morale of the soldiers to the limit and united the troops. Thanks to her charisma, it is possible to make others believe in the contents of the "revelations" without basis.

Saint A
Indicates being acknowledged as a saint. When summoned as a Servant, the ability of saint is selected one among "raising the effectiveness of sacraments", "automatic HP recovery", "1 Rank-Up to Charisma" and "production of a holy shroud is possible".

Noble Phantasms
La Pucelle "The Crimson Holy Virgin" C~EX
Type: Suicide
Range: ?
Maximum number of targets: ?
A holy sword that manifest flames which uses the line of a death poem "O Lord, I entrust this body to you-" as activation incantation. A conceptual crystallization weapon that interpreted Joan's burning at the stake in an attack-like fashion. A subspecies of Reality Marble, an imagined landscape crystallized as a sword. This sword is Heroic Spirit Joan of Arc herself and after the battle in which this Noble Phantasm was manifested, Joan will be extinguished.

Luminosite Eternelle "God is Here With Me" A
Rank: A
Type: Barrier
Range: 1-10
Maximum number of targets: -


So, now we're just a step away from the end of this fanfic. Everything's going to be on the line. It'll be about a week or two before the finale releases because I want to make sure that I'm putting my best into the climatic conclusion of Fate/new dawn. I'm going to do my best to keep from procrastinating and I will make sure that I get the finale out within two weeks, excluding circumstances beyond my control getting in the way.

Now for reviews.
Guest: Please keep your reviews short and relevant to the fanfic. I do appreciate the fact that you like this fic, but you are going on extremely long tangents about what you dislike about Fate/Apocrypha or the series in general. Quite frankly, it's annoying. But again, I still do appreciate your support.

LunaRose2468: Thanks. I was a little worried that you wouldn't appreciate the changes, but this is a relief.

KnightOfZaku: We'll see about that first one. As for the second one, I'm gonna have to say no to Summer Kiyohime. Even if the existence of the Fate series in this reality has somehow confused the Throne of Heroes itself a little, Summer Servants would be out-of-place, especially with the darker tone the prequel's going to have. Plus, the whole idea of a Servant fighting a Grail War in a swinsuit is just...really ridiculous for me. Sounds like a crackfic in the making. Billy the Kid is a much more fitting suggestion, though, so I might throw him in. As for Mysterious Heroine X... Maybe. She'd most likely end up being comic relief because her entire existence is a joke poking fun at the Saberface trend. Though, she'd also be more fitting because the previous War's Saber is a Saberface. And finally, the prequel will be next after this is complete but there will be a small period of time where I'm taking a break from this project between this fic's completion and the prequel's release. The sequel will come last and round out the trilogy.

Devin sands: Unfortunately, I plan on limiting the prequel's roster to Servants who are either OCs or debuted in Grand Order, so Vlad and Karna don't qualify. But that does not mean they can't show up in the sequel.

Leave a review. Constructive criticism will be accepted. Flames will be used to make s'mores. Jyaa-nee!