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FICTION
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Chapter 10: Eight Mantra! The Pure and the Soulless!
The morning of a new day brought a couple of strange occurrences up to the Supervisor's attention.
And Kirei by relation was well aware of what was happening in just a single day.
First the unexpected exhumation of most of the corpses within the Fuyuki Graveyard, then the attack at the Hyatt Hotel.
The latter predicament should've been less surprising than it sounded, especially with the fact that Assassin reported early on during the assault that the attacker was none other than Kiritsugu Emiya.
The Magus Killer had struck without mercy, going as quick as he could to deprive a legitimate concern to the conflict. Lancer was a target that could be killed with adequate preparation and equipment, and thus the professional killer set his eyes to take down Kayneth El Melloi.
The idea was fitting, and there was no reason to expect any less from Kiritsugu.
The real problem happened to be how Lancer and his Master died. Because, while the Magus Killer did create the distraction that was supposed to allow him to slip inside without much of an issue, the one that butchered the Master/Servant Duo was neither the mercenary, nor Saber.
The 'man' behind it was something of a force well beyond his understanding. Assassin was terrified when one of her Personalities saw him act.
So quick, so ruthless, so uncaring. That was not only the distinct tone of a cold murderer, but also of someone that had little to no grip to humanity.
His Servant recognized the being as a fellow Servant, but other than that the chances of studying the monster proved to be well beyond achievable.
The detail confirmed the identity of the irregular summoning, but also created a new fear for Risei to handle.
It had to be DIO.
Somehow the infamous vampire had been resurrected, prompting both men to believe that the identity of his Master to be one of his loyal supporters.
The theory was as quick to come to their mind as it was to leave, all because no known Magus would ever dare to support a vampire.
Which meant that… someone was plotting from the shadow.
And said malicious individual was also behind the bizarre occurrence the young priest was now supposed to handle with the small group that had rallied in that area.
Kirei blinked as he silently took a few steps around the main scene.
With Joseph crouching down to analyze one of the many empty graves within the graveyard, the only interesting detail he could find was Jotaro's annoyed look.
It was confusing to see the marine biologist behave so… emotionally. There was indeed something unsettling from that glare, even though it was clear that the man was blissfully unaware of the suspicions both Rise and his son were both trying to keep a secret.
The motivation behind this decision was surprisingly simple.
While it could be that they were dealing with Dio Brando, the chances offered by this situation allowed them to call upon some favors from the church.
Many had wanted the vampire dead back when he was still around in the late 80s, and now that it existed as an 'illegal' Servant, it was going to be easy to call upon some scrutiny over the Grail itself.
It had been a rising concern within the Supervisor that something was wrong about the magical construct. That something might have happened In the past to alter the main function of it.
Tokiomi had heard of this possibility, but he had been rather adamant that he wasn't believing any of that.
He was so convinced that his Ancestor's legendary work would never fail against anything short of magic, that he tastelessly denied any attempt to study the leylines passing by the Tohsaka Manor.
A foolish action that got someone as stoic as Kirei to groan at the sheer idiocy he was forced to listen to.
One thing was to be certain of personal achievements. Humanity was entitled to be arrogant about individualistic pride, but nothing entitled humans to accept the truthfulness of a long-deceased ancestor.
If that was the case, then many old versions of the Bible would be taken seriously instead of the 'modern' take that had been taken just at the beginning of the century.
"We should place something to ward off any malicious return," Caster pointed out sternly. "Those responsible for this heinous deed shall be punished for interrupting the peaceful rest of those that lied upon down below this ground."
"Do you have anything that could work on the occasion?" Jotaro asked distractedly, his attention fixed on some scratches that were visible on some rocks.
"I believe I have some special seals. But it will take a while to get all those properly placed-" The woman paused, her pink eyes turning to look at Assassin as the fellow Servant stood beside Kirei. "Unless Assassin-san offers me some assistance. It will be quick work!"
The priest nodded, and his Servant complied with his acceptance. It wasn't like he was against the mere act. He could tell that among those within the site, Caster was the angriest by the horrible ordeal unfolding just a day ago.
From the way she reacted to the way she was eagerly pushing for this, the young Kotomine could tell that there was no ill intent with that task, and thus no reason to think unwell of the Servant's initiative.
Instead, Kirei turned his sight on Jotaro, this time prepared for a proper interaction.
"I suppose you're already suspecting something."
The glacial eyes of the marine biologist turned to regard the priest.
"I do. But it's only a baseless conclusion."
A perplexed look adorned Kirei's face. "Baseless?"
"The old man says that this ordeal is akin to a vampire's attack. One of those monsters created by the Stone Masks the Foundation had already destroyed a long time ago," The fellow Master started to explain. "Which would mean that one of the masks somehow survived and allowed some freak to be created and… do this."
…
"This isn't your conclusion," The priest was sure of it, especially from how frustrated Jotaro looked.
And with that affirmation, the marine biologist decided to reveal his thoughts.
"You and your father. You've mentioned that Servants can't be made by villainous souls since the Grail has rules that prevent it, right?"
That detail had been one of the major foundations of the known rules of the Grail. With the Hassans recognized as neutral entities without a genuine malicious denotation, it was common knowledge to believe that simple concept.
Yet there were already some bizarre instances happening from the appearance of Berserker. While it would've been stupid to define the Servant evil at first sight, the nature of his attacks and the way he seemed to have little restrains available made the entire character suspicious.
With Dio's entry, the rule was completely disproved and thus leaving both Kirei and Risei baffled at this circumstance.
If this rule could be broken, how many others could suffer the same fate before the emergency system within the Greater Grail was activated.
How much will it take for a Ruler Servant to be forced upon the Holy Grail War?
"It is indeed the case, but there have been… doubts regarding the stability of the Grail."
…
"What?"
Kirei sighed. "Since the previous competition, my father has started to believe that someone or something might have tampered with the Grail. That some strange developments just are well-beyond what is expected for the construct to achieve."
"So you're saying there's a chance for-"
"It's possible, but I wouldn't be quick to assume anything from this possibility alone."
It took the young Kotomine a moment to realize his mistake.
He had interrupted Jotaro, showing a degree of impatience to what he knew was going to be an interesting take on the case.
He had expected the Master of Caster to consider the chances of Dio's revival, but not for him to be so swift in handing out such a certainty.
But now that Kirei had spoken so abruptly, a shadow of suspicion hovered over his head.
At first there was silence, a cautious pause that just preceded the approaching storm.
"Kirei, you know something we don't. Something important."
…
"I know many things, Jotaro-san-"
"And I'm referring to the summoning you've mentioned in your message."
…
"Just ask the questions. And I will answer the best I can."
A slight concession, one to create a softer impact for the revelation. One that didn't see him with a bloody nose, that is.
"The summoning, do you know who was behind it?"
"We have a couple of suspects. The primary one is the one behind your acquisition of the spellbook responsible for your forced entry," Kirei replied in detail. "But there is a chance that the individual could also be an unknown party of Magi. Maybe from the United States."
It wouldn't be the first time 'foreigners' tried to get hold of all information regarding the Grail. The Americans were the most ambitious of the various groups, and they had to be stopped on multiple occasions when the War had yet to begin, with their last attempt happening mere months ago.
"The book has been hidden away," Joseph quipped with a nod, standing up from his crouched position. "If the responsible was indeed the one behind that 'gift', then they will find a nasty surprise if they try to recover it."
At least some good news-
"But now there is a question I really want to ask," Jotaro jumped in with a cold tone of voice. "The new Servant, could it be that the one that had been summoned was… Dio?"
…
"There is a good chance, yes," Kirei admitted. "Especially with the mysterious figure that was spotted killing Lancer and his Master yesterday night."
"Lancer has been eliminated?" Jotaro inquired. "I suppose that this group is hunting down the legitimate Servants and Masters. And if it is Dio… then things might be even more difficult than we're prepared to handle."
There was a hint of worry within his tone that just felt uncharacteristic. It was unusual for someone like the marine biologist to be this tense, and yet the researcher just looked shaken by the possibility that DIO was back.
But why?
Kirei's mind had trouble finding a reason at first, but then he realized two details that had eluded the brainstorming he had engaged with his father just a couple hours earlier.
The first issue was that DIO was a Servant now. While this would normally weaken someone that wasn't considered a Hero and was much stronger than what the body provided by the grail would offer, it was also true that the might unleashed by Servants was also dependent by their 'following'.
And DIO had a large cult when he first died, with no hints of this dwindling down to nothingness.
The second, and perhaps most alarming, problem was that Jotaro didn't look battle-ready.
Could he fight? Yes. There was no doubt in his mind that the man could easily tear apart many strong opponents.
But could he face DIO again? That very question was difficult to answer.
Was Jotaro stronger than he had been when he fought against Dio? He believed so, and yet he could tell that the fellow Master wasn't someone that put much thought behind keeping on training, focusing more on his family and his work.
"If Dio is back, then we shall make sure he is sent back to hell once more," Joseph remarked fiercely. "We… There are people that have sacrificed their lives to keep the bastard away from harming the world. We can't allow their deaths to go in vain."
That promise, one that sounded so empty to Kirei as it held little meaning to him, seemed to be enough to renew Jotaro's determination to go through this new task.
Was it that simple? To remember and be revitalized by the sacrifice of those that perished?
Kirei thought back at Claudia. Once more, he was reminded that he still had some responsibility to go through once this was all over.
The first contact with the Hortensia family had been positive. Or at least it felt like it had been a pleasant victory.
They were willing to talk about Caren, but they seemed to have intentionally excluded any interest to discuss guardianship during that first call.
It was going to be the first of many conversations, all for the sake of 'fixing' something he hoped that could be fixed.
Could he really find absolution by being there for his daughter? Could it be that she was the final key to a life away from the capricious shell of his maliciousness?
He needed to know, and to do so, he needed to gamble some aspects of his reputation.
At least his father was on his side. Maybe his presence will do much more other than moderate the tones from his deceased wife's family...
Within the dark room of that creaky old house, a quiet young girl tried her best to not succumb to the tears.
If someone had asked little Rin why would she want to venture inside that seemingly abandoned building, her answer would shock many adults as it was both incredibly brave… but also terribly stupid.
It wasn't something absurd to believe that a child would go on an adventure away from their family's protection. But for this adventure to be one as deadly as it turned out for Rin? It just showed that something was indeed wrong with the Tohsaka.
Or rather, that there was something wrong with the Tohsaka trusting the Zenjou clan to keep a watchful eye over the heiress to the important family they were tied to.
It took Aoi a moment to be distracted by some affairs, and for Rin's grandmother to grow tired and sleepy for the little girl to make an ambitious and untested plan to save someone that she cared about.
Children were dying. The news was heard by the young Tohsaka through the strange box that her grandparents had set in the living room. The absurd construct, which was explained to her wasn't the fruit of magecraft, was capable of displaying many things.
And among the many awe-striking channels available through the tiny remote, one of those was dedicated to show the news of the local area.
Children had gone missing, that headline gained her attention as soon as it was read out loud by the 'anchorwoman'. Numerous pictures were shown to support the extent of the service, and among the photos in display, Rin noticed a familiar face.
Kotone, her mind screeched to a halt at the realization that her friend was in danger.
Embarking in what had looked to be a dutiful task at the beginning of that departure, Rin kept her mind steeled over the matter.
It was going to be weird, it was going to be cold- but she needed to make a trip back in the city and find where her friend was.
She could do it, after all she was a young Magus. That mere thought emboldened her to go through the first half of that tragic campaign.
The journey was indeed more difficult than expected. Adults tried to apprehend her as soon as they realized that she wasn't accompanied by an adult.
Sadly for them, Rin's legs were pretty fast and her smaller form allowed her to move through large blocks of people with ease.
It was almost funny, to run away from these silly adults trying to stop her. It reminded her of the times when she used to chase around the park with-
Someone.
Yes. Someone.
She couldn't think of her. Both father and mother had been rather clear about this matter.
Despite this little bump, reaching Fuyuki was just the first of many steps she had to take to save Kotone.
Tracing her steps to the park, she reached one of the 'safe spots' she had created with a couple of friends. One of the many tiny clearings that held a couple of small boxes they had left for emergencies.
Candies, pieces of papers, pens, bandaids- everything that could become useful in case someone was hurt, attacked, or even kidnapped.
Even a single binocular was left by one of the richer kids, all in the hope to be used if they could've managed to sneak out of their homes to watch the stars when they were older.
It sounded so cool, and yet she knew that her father would've never approved of such a deed.
...Then again, he would've surely been disappointed if he knew what she was doing away from her grandparents' house.
Sneaking around, avoiding detection from those that wanted to bring her back home…
She couldn't do it! She had a friend to save.
And thus, Rin started to plan out something. She needed to find places that would usually be considered feared by children.
Places that would frighten and terrify her peers.
Because those locations had to be prime candidates for the kind of bad guy that was behind these horrible attacks. Or bad girl, she wasn't going to exclude that it could've been a scary lady behind all of this.
Once she had set some of the spots she knew weren't meant to be visited by kids on one of the few maps of Fuyuki kept in the safe spot, Rin resumed her journey to find her friend.
The trip wasn't as linear as it had been up until now. Backtracking became a must the moment she realized that some of those places were shrouded in darkness despite it being so early in the morning.
After recovering a flashlight and two batteries, the young Tohsaka was back on her adventure, shedding some light over the villainous shadows.
She almost giggled as she thought that, quickly recomposing herself as she eventually ended up wandering inside an old house by the edge of Fuyuki.
It was considered an abandoned house, and the kids in the area were quite nervous to speak about it since 'scary things' had been seen unfolding in the last few days.
Strange lights, some mad cackling, and children disappearing the most in this specific quarter.
It was a bigger chance than the last two spots she had to check on, and she knew that it had to be in that very place.
With her father's past praises keeping her morale up, Rin ventured inside the unnerving shack in complete silence.
Her blue eyes seemed to shine in the dark, something that was attenuated by her flashlight keeping on waving around some brightness over the unknown, feeding more into her sense of security.
Maybe she had arrived at a time where the meanie was in there. Yes, that sounded like a brilliant possibility, one that she hoped was indeed true.
She wandered around, expecting to find some clues that would confirm that this was the place of the heinous deeds.
All noises were taken in account with utmost attention, all the creaking and the groaning from the old wood keeping her tense and unable to think beyond that situation.
Where was Kotone? Was this the place she was trying to find?
The young Tohsaka almost started to hum in an effort to soothe her worries, but as soon as she thought of doing so, her panic exploded as wood started to creak underneath something heavy. Something nearby.
Eventually the girl arrived at what she easily recognized as a kitchen. Stoves, a sink, a few cupboards in the upper section of the room and… a strange fridge.
Actually, it wasn't the fridge itself that looked strange, but the unknown thing that was wrapped around it.
It looked like a squid, or a starfish. It was a creature that reminded Rin of a seafaring animal, and yet there was something odd about it.
Something bad, she could tell from a closer look.
As soon as she took four to five steps toward the fridge to study the unexpected creature latched on it, her eyes widened as she saw the being slowly dislodging itself off the appliance.
Backing away quickly from the alive monster, a sliver of fear slowly gained purchase on her brain. She was trembling a little as the horrible sight was well-beyond what she had expected to find.
Rin turned around and started to run away from the kitchen, her heart jumping to her throat as she felt the creature quickly bolting after her, in an effort to catch up to the girl.
A yelp left her lips as she unconsciously tripped because of the uneven floor, dread filled her mind as she saw the monster loom closer to her downed position, eager to jump on her and hurt her.
Fear peaked and for a moment Rin knew that no words from her father would've been enough to calm her down.
She almost screamed as she couldn't think of a way to fend off the swift assault and, as she braced for impact, her teary eyes widened again as something absurd unfolded before her.
The monster… it was no longer there.
Sure, its agonizing form was rolling around the floor, trying to survive through what looked to be some painful attacks that had caused it to bleed a lot. Green liquid poured without limitation out of its wounds, and soon… it wasn't rolling anymore.
It would twitch once in a while but… Rin could tell it was dead.
The sight was horrifying. Even though the fiend had been trying to hurt her, to see something 'with thoughts' die like this left her afraid.
Within the dark room of that creaky old house, a quiet young girl tried her best to not succumb to the tears.
What happened? She tried to think of an explanation but… nothing felt right with what just happened.
Her mind couldn't give her any answer, and she wasn't certain of what happened.
Instead, her attention was stolen away by a melody coming from the second floor. The sound… she recognized it as something only a piano would produce.
Gulping nervously, and beating down her fearful thoughts, Rin stood up and slowly started to make her way to the origin of that melody.
It was suave, it was calm- it was alluring.
A trap? If so, was the trapper behind the death of that monster?
Her mind was just overflowing with questions about the recent events, and she felt that a solution was soon going to be provided.
Her rise through the staircase was uneventful. Nothing in there suggested another monster, and so she didn't wait too long to arrive at the room where the mysterious figure was playing the piano.
The door opened, revealing said figure giving his back to her.
The room was particularly dark, but not enough to completely obscure her sight.
The windows were closed shut, preventing any sunlight from coming inside that room.
The man, the one that was still sounding the piano, seemed highly distracted by the activity. The blond was wearing a sleeveless dark shirt, and a pair of yellow pants. A pair of shoes and a yellow shirt the same shade as the pants were properly set near to the bed.
As soon as she was done staring, Rin noticed that the man was no longer playing the piano.
"You know, it's rude to enter someone's domain uninvited."
His tone was commanding, and she knew that he could move fast enough to catch her if she tried to run away.
"...Sorry?"
That would certainly work, she thought quickly. It did work with other individuals, so why wouldn't in this case?
"Are you sorry for being an unruly scoundrel, or are you sorry that you got caught by me?"
Indeed, which of the two instances was it?
Rin knew it, but instead of being truthful, she decided to play a safe card and hope for the best.
"Yes."
…
"HahahahahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHA!"
There was something wrong with this person. Maybe he was some lunatic hobo, or maybe this one was the bad guy behind Kotone's kidnapping.
"W-Who are you?!"
The girl demanded imperiously, allowing her anger to reinforce her current determination.
The half-question stole the strange man from his own laugh, and she found herself staring at his judging golden eyes as he turned to address her properly.
"I'm DIO, you unruly child. And I will give you just five seconds to tell me your name and why you're here."
He couldn't be serious. She didn't trust him enough to-
"Five, four-"
"I-I'm Rin. Rin Tohsaka," She instinctively replied, feeling the awkwardness of how similar it just felt to be reminded of the very same tactic being used by her mother.
"Three, two-"
He was still going? B-but-
"One-"
"I- I'm searching for a friend that- that went missing!"
…
…
"Is that so? And you believe that invading a property just like this will shed some light over your friend's disappearance?"
She wanted to say yes. To be brave and determined against such a mean adult… and yet her resolve faltered before his cold eyes.
Those just felt so inhuman and terrifying. This felt more like one of the horror stories her mother used to tell her during Halloween.
A shiver went down her spine as the man stood up from his small chair, making just two steps towards the child.
"Rin Tohsaka, I've asked you a question. Consider this a mercy, I will allow you to choose your answer, but only if you will not delay the thinking too much."
She blinked, finally regaining control of her emotions.
"Y-Yes."
A smirk adorned Dio's face, and the tall man crouched down close to her level.
"Many lesser beings would've faltered at my voice, I wonder if this means something," The blond contemplated thoughtfully. "I assume you know that trespassing is a crime."
…
"No?"
His lips twitched, a tiny hint of amusement flashing in his eyes before the man addressed her with a scowl.
"Aren't you an unruly brat? I suppose your parents never taught you how to be respectful of others-"
"Y-You don't know them! You don't know me!"
…
"I believe you're overstepping your boundaries, thus I will give you a fair chance," Dio replied calmly. "Leave the room now, and I will make sure no harm falls over you as you leave. Advance towards me, and I will consider it a sign that you want to stay."
Rin frowned, feeling like the deal was just too dumb to be true. What kind of game was this dummy playing?
…
Instead of thinking too much about it, the young Tohsaka turned around and started to run out of the room…
Only for her to find herself a step closer to the bizarre man.
"W-What?"
"What's wrong? You did approach me-"
"I did not!" Rin refused heatedly. "You did something?"
He blinked. "And what did I do? Call my 'cheat' out if you believe I tricked you."
She wanted to, she really wanted to. But her mind failed to grasp at the absurd situation.
What did just happen? How did he get her to make a step forward when she was clearly trying to run away moments earlier?
Hypnosis? Something about warping space around her?
Rin tried to go through the previous attempt once more, with the result being pretty much the same as before.
She went through this for a while, going well beyond ten times the same effort, with all attempts ending in a resounding failure.
She paused the moment her breath started to get difficult to control.
"What's wrong, are you tired?"
A furious pout appeared on the child's face. "N-No!"
His amusement only increased at that response, and he seemed prepared to see her try again and fail at that futile effort.
Yet, despite that simple expectation he had built on her previous trial, Dio appeared surprised when, instead of running out of the door, Rin rushed towards him and, before he had a chance to move out of the way, his face was struck by… a soft punch.
The girl was incredibly furious, yet the blond didn't look anywhere as scared as the young Tohsaka would've wanted.
"I suppose… you're willing to stay," The man said while grinning deviously.
Once again, Rin felt a chill go down her spine and… this time, she knew she made herself a problem.
A problem that was mostly caused by a bored Vampire that was seeking some rational individual to talk to.
AN
If it isn't Gilles, it's Francesca.
And now Dio, a vampire that is glooming over the fact he doesn't have a mansion to use for malicious intent, tries to get himself someone to talk to that isn't as insane as his monster.
The question is: will Rin play along and live through this, or will something horrible happen?
REVIEW Q&A!
Maybe: And I finished it. The Sacrifice Ending, and the Jotaro Buddies one. I've plans to go through a rerun soon tho.
Scottycj: There are plans for a followup story that happens in Italy.