"Ah, shit" I sighed, rubbing my aching fingers. "But that should do it, I think…"

At long last, the summoning circle was complete. Or rather, I thought it was complete. Was rather hard to tell, trying to compare a chalk circle illuminated by little more than a flashlight (rather small one at that), and the photo I'd taken of the page with my reference of a summoning circle on my phone. In most stories involving ritual-like spells, creating the runes or circles incorrectly often resulted in terrible consequences. Definitely wanted to avoid that… provided all this worked to begin with. However, I knew instinctually everything wasn't all perfectly sharp edges; my hands just simply couldn't do that kind of precision work for such a length of time.

"Well, regardless, this is the best I'm going to get it" I spoke out loud for the benefit of the recording my camera was doing. "One summoning circle for one Heroic Spirit. Man, can't believe I'm actually messing around with this crap. No way in actual hell this works, yeah?"

The recording was going to most likely be shit too, at least visually. Should have figured my one flashlight that I had wouldn't be adequate this late at night (or early in the morning. It was sometime between one and two now, I reckoned. Take your pick as to weather that classifies as 'this morning' or 'last night'). Could have bought a few more when I bought the lock cutter, but no… didn't even think about how the moonlight wouldn't really punch through the canopy of leaves. Between that and how awkwardly the camera was positioned, hanging from a fairly sturdy tree branch, I would be amazed if any of the video captured would be… salvageable. Most likely, this would end up just being an audio recording.

"1:47… that took longer than I'd wanted" I sighed, pocketing my phone. "Damn nerves; can't do anything even remotely strenuous without acting up… Should have brought some painkillers."

The shakiness of my hands I was accustom to by now, after years of dealing with the issue. But the aching pain? Always made it harder to work. Should have remembered to pack some… Remembered the Dr. Pepper and Pop Tarts, but not the Painkillers; arguably the most important of my 3 P's survival set.

"Let's see… how much battery life you still got? 20%... Should last long enough…" I muttered as I checked on my camera.

After checking that and grabbing something to drink real quick, I pulled out my phone and flicked through the photo album to the start of the chants and prayers I had found that sounded like something to be used in a summoning.

"Right then! Chalk run; let's see if any of these work…" I grabbed the camera from where it was hanging and tried my best to keep it steady with my right hand, while also holding onto my phone with my left hand in order to read the words on it. "Have no idea what I'm supposed to expect to happen in the off chance it works… So, here goes nothing, I guess!"

So, I started speaking. First the chants, then the prayers. After finishing each one, I waited a minute or two; see what kind of reaction occurred. As each on failed to achieve anything, a growing feeling of childlike amusement took over me. A predictable outcome; I had, of course, knew this would be the ultimate result. Magic wasn't real; just a man-made fantasy. Like religion. Why I was standing out here in the dead of night, doing this then? It was completely illogical; I knew that. Anyone else would know that too. So, why waste my time and money on this then, most would probably ask?

"A shame…" I laughed slightly, after waiting a couple of minutes after the final prayer. "But as we all know, magic isn't real. Sorry to anyone who was hoping I would prove the opposite here and now. Not that anyone else will see this… probably. Ah well, was a fun wild goose chase, but I think I can call it here and now that all this Heroic Spirit summoning is utter bullshit. Not even going to bother with blood; too messy, and not worth the time or effort of going through creating another circle either."

If nothing else, I could at least strike all this stuff from my hunt to the truth of the Fuyuki incident. Maybe the Einzberns were just collectors of ancient texts and relics? Considering their apparent wealth, could be possible, perhaps even plausible. No way magic caused it, at the very least. Feels stupid thinking that in my head now, after doing all of this, when that should have been obvious, but hey; least this was fun! Somewhat…

Yet, despite thinking all that, and gaining the ability to move on with my hunt to solving the mystery of the Fuyuki incident, I also felt a… sadness…? No, not quite sadness… More like a longing, or sense of pity? Yeah, that's it: I thought it was a pity.

Imagine if all this magic stuff was real.

I did a final walk around the summoning circle, so as to get a better recording of it.

What humanity could have created and destroyed… Would have created and destroyed…

Man… it was already approaching 2:30… To think I left for the park at eight this evening. Really should not have forgotten my painkillers; took way too long creating the circle, having to constantly stop and give my hands a quick rest.

The methods humanity would have to create and destroy… The methods humanity could come up with, to create and destroy…

8% battery life left… Should stop recording really soon; before the battery life drained completely.

"It would be so… beautiful… if magic was real…"

I hadn't even noticed I was now staring up at the canopy of leaves, whispering to myself. But that was how I truly felt. There would be so much more beauty to witness, if only magic was real…

"Ah well…" I sighed, finally snapping back to reality and returning my focus to my camera. "Now, let's shut you do-"

Suddenly, the entire clearing lit up in a bright, bluish-white light. It came out of nowhere, catching me so off guard I staggered backwards and tripped over a tree root, falling right onto my ass.

"Ah! Fucking hell" I half shouted, half groaned, completely unable to see.

…At least I managed to hold onto both my camera and my phone during the fall. Didn't want those to-

"Gah! Shit" I shouted as a burning sensation formed on the back of my left hand.

That sensation was more intense that any of the aching I've ever experienced from my hands in my life. Felt more like the back of my hand was on fire! The sudden intake of pain caused me to basically chuck my phone reflexively. Thankfully, I still maintained the good sense to place the camera down beside me gently, before clutching my left hand with my right. Even in pain, when it came to my electronics, I was still extremely careful. So long as reflex didn't take over, that is… thank god the phone has a case; that should spare it from most of the damage, I hoped.

Then, as suddenly as the bright light and the burning sensation came, it went. The whole ordeal couldn't have lasted more that 15 seconds; 20 at the very most. Yet it sure felt a lot longer to me who, even with his eyes squeezed shut, still felt completely blinded by bright light. Even when the darkness returned, I kept my eyes closed for a few moments, just in case anything else felt like magically appearing…

…Wait, magically appearing…?

"What the…" I muttered, reaching over for my camera as I took in the scene. "What the hell was that all about?"

The clearing I had been using was now blanketed in this bluish, fog-like haze, but beyond that nothing seemed amiss. Instinctively, I quickly hunted with my eyes for my phone. There? No. There? No. There? No...

"Damn, just where did I chuck that thing" I shook my head, turning back towards the camera and finally turning it off. "More to the point, what in the actual fuck was that?! That had to have come from the circle! But then, does that mean… that this actually worked?"

"Unfortunately for me, so it would seem…"

…That wasn't my voice. With a jolt running down my spine, I quickly turned towards the sound of this new voice. Had someone been around and seen the bright light? Had they been here even longer? I was the one who got the drop on people, like, every time! Being the one on the backfoot felt really wrong. …No, wait, didn't that person just say 'unfortunately for me' in response to my question? Then wouldn't that mean-

"Throw this at me again, and next time you won't be getting it back!"

I barely managed to register that the person, a man, judging by the voice, just tossed something at me. Shit, that's my phone! Still fighting off the (now usual) pain in my left hand, I just couldn't manage to get a solid grip on my phone with the one hand.

"Even more inept than I thought possible… Even death provides me no mercy…" the man grumbled as I hastily picked up my phone from the ground.

"Um, uh, ah" I stammered, quickly turning on the record function of my phone before pointing the small camera at the person as covertly as I could. Thank you, jacket breast pockets.

"Just stop, child; hard as I find it to believe I could possibly think less of you, somehow at this rate I think you'll manage… Now, just for the sake of confirmation-"

Within, like, the blink of an eye, we were face to face, the man and I. …What? How did he close the distance that fast...? I felt a strong, sharp pull on my left arm.

"Of course, command spells… Why must I be tormented so?!"

As fast as he had closed the distance, he had released me and returned to his previous position.

"I'm sorry-"

"You should be! Just look at that circle; a complete disgrace, clear as day at a mere glance, and I'm not even a mage!"

"But who are you?"

The man let out a sigh of pure loathing and irritation.

"…Unfortunately for me, I am your servant..."

"So then… it really did work?"

"If by that you mean the summoning of a Heroic Spirit, then yes, it worked…"

"…Holy shit…"

I couldn't help it. A grin crept across my face. This wasn't a dream; I was sure of that much! That meant it was real! All of it! All of this!

"Then, if you're my Heroic Spirit, then does that mean I've started a Holy Grail War?!"

"Ha! As if you had the capability to start anything of the sort! Child, the war has already started! You're no mage; that much is clear as day! How could someone like you have started anything?! No… the grail needed a slot filled, and it chose you to fill it, out of sheer desperation, evidently!"

"…Oh… But still, I'm in a Holy Grail War?"

"You try my patience with these stupid questions child…" the Heroic Spirit growled.

"Right, right, ok! Good to know" I stammered quickly, only finally starting to be able to full process everything that was happening. "But wait: you called yourself a servant. Aren't you a Heroic Spirit?"

"Oh for- They're one and the same, child! But of course, someone like you wouldn't even know that much!"

"Then, if that's true, that'd make me, like… like a type of master to you or some-"

"Let me stop you right there, child" the Heroic Spirit spoke now, steely calm in tone. "For the sake of my desire to obtain the grail, I recognize the contract formed. I am your servant, and you are my master. However, that is in title. And. Title. Only. Try to give me orders, and I will. Kill. You. That is your only warning on this matter."

The calmness in his voice gave me pause. I… see…? No… I do see. Yes, it would only make sense: why would anyone, or anything, classified as a Heroic Spirit take orders from a human? There was so much I would need to ask about… well… everything!

"…Then, if I may ask a question?"

"Make it quick."

"Who… who are you, exactly?"

The man took a deep breath, as if to compose himself, before finally speaking.

"Servant, Caster" he sighed.

That… that wasn't really helpful at all! Caster?! That wasn't a name! Neither was servant! Those were more like… like titles! On top of that, didn't he say, like, just a minute ago that he wasn't a mage?! How the hell does he have a title like Caster then?! Don't know about anyone else, but to me, that would signify a mage!

I almost felt like raising a protest, but before I could even think of something to say back, Caster continued.

"Now, hurry and get this disgrace cleaned up. Leave as little evidence behind as possible, and be quick about it! Then follow me."

With a silent nod of my head, I went about fulfilling Caster's orders cleaning up the summoning circle and tossing the chalk bag deeper into the woods. Wait… why was I doing this? Wasn't he literally the servant here? As I finished packing up the rest of my stuff into my backpack, I couldn't help but have a stupid grin on my face.

Who cared about the relationship dynamics? Who cared if he was called Caster while not being a mage? He was a Heroic Spirit! An honest to god Heroic Spirit! And I had recorded proof of him! Of… all of this! Of magic!

Magic was real! Is real! Beautiful! Absolutely fucking beautiful! Now… just how much more beauty was out there for me to witness?!

"So, where are we going, exactly?"

I asked in an attempt to break the silence as we walked through the woods, further and further away from where I had summoned him. Caster, however, remained completely silent. Didn't quite know what to make of that. He was fairly dismissive of me and, like, my entire existence, but I suppose that would be normal, right? Considering the differences in our very… existences? Hopefully when we got to wherever he wanted to go, he would open up a bit; I had so many questions I wanted to ask him. About Heroic Spirits. About this master and servant stuff. About the Holy Grail War as a whole; the Holy Grail War which was apparently already in progress and I hadn't even known! So much potential beauty to witness, and so little time to try and find it… Ahh, this silence was killing me!

"What's up with that whole Caster thing? Is that your actual name, or is that just, like, a title of sorts?"

"…"

"Does it hold any significance specifically to anything? Like, personally to you, or to the Holy Grail War?"

"…"

"What's up with the white robes? They look… I want to say Greek? Maybe Roman? Doesn't look like a toga though. Why dress like that; doesn't seem all that practical, or comfortable for that matter, given the state it appears to be in. I know I said white, but that thing clearly has some… stains. Maybe scorch marks as well?"

"…"

I had kept my phone recording this entire time, but if he wasn't going to say anything, maybe I should turn it off for the moment; save the battery life to capture some more… magic looking shit? …Eh, give it one more shot.

"Are Heroic Spirits-"

"Oh, for the love of the gods, do you ever stop asking questions" Caster growled, cutting off my next question. "I told you to follow me, not to throw question after question at me! I get you know absolutely nothing at the moment! Very clearly, for my sanity's sake, it cannot remain that way forever! But there are more pressing matters for me to deal with at the moment. Hold your questions for now and let me think in peace. Once I get established, I will consider answering any questions you may have. If you prove to not be overly insufferable, that is!"

In that moment Caster came to a halt. He gave the area a lookover, before finally letting out a sigh of exasperation.

"I suppose this will do… Very well child, for this next bit, you will be… required."

"You about to perform some magical feat" I was unable to contain my excitement at the thought of witnessing magic performed by a higher being of existence.

"…Of a sort… If you truly wish to call it that" Caster sounded more exasperated than anything, as if he hated the idea that he needed me for something. "I need you to use a command spell."

"A command spell… Sounds cool and good and all, but, uh… what's a command spell?"

Caster returned a blank look. It was hard to get a read on him, because he always looked as if he was looking down on me (which, in his defense, was probably fair), but I got the distinct feeling that I had indeed just caused him to think less of me than he already did. …In a way, I suppose that was an impressive feat in of itself?

"The red markings on the back of your hand, child… Those are command spells…"

"Oh, so that's what these three things are" I stared down at the red markings on the back of my hand. "I was wondering what those were. I presume that's why my hand felt like it was on fire during the light show thing the circle did."

Had to admit, shit was pretty cool. Like a tattoo, except split into three distinct fragments. A bright red color, and shaped like… well, was rather hard to say, really. One part looked more like an angelic or bird wing, while another looked more like a demonic or bat wing. They created an eye looking shape using the back edges of the wings, and within it sat something that I could only call either a void or vortex, in the place of the iris if I was to compare this to a normal eye. Can't say it would have been my choice of design, but knowing it was magic related made it cool none the less!

"…What do they do?"

"Command spells are a pseudo-physical manifestation of our contract, very roughly speaking. Having even one signifies you as a master of this Holy Grail War. They are, in effect, highly concentrated charges of mana that remain dormant until you, as a master, decide to use one. Each one allows a master to give their servant a theoretically irresistible command, though as with all laws, there are exceptions. Of course, to use your third and final one is to break your contract with your servant and remove yourself from the Holy Grail War."

"So really, a master only has two usable command spells?"

"...Practically speaking, yes..."

"And they can do basically anything?"

"…"

"Right, you answered that already…" I remembered. "So then, how do I use one?"

"…You issue me a command, making reference to your command spells…"

Yeah… he clearly saw me as nothing more than a child trying to understand things simply beyond themselves. He was talking to me like I was six, or something along those lines. Felt like I was talking with my father, actually, now that I really think about it… Ugh, bad memories…

"Ok, got it" I nodded. "So, what do you need me to do, exactly?"

"I need you to order me to use my Noble Phantasm. Because I am requesting the use of a command spell, I will not hold it's use against you; this is basically me giving myself a command. However, know that if you ever use one on me without my expressed permission, I will kill you."

"…You need to give yourself an order… why?"

"As you are not a mage and cannot provide magical support in the usual fashion, I require the magic of a command spell as a backup source of power. Otherwise, activation of my Noble Phantasm will be impossible; I would drain myself of all the mana the grail gave me upon my summoning and return to the throne immediately."

Wait, so now there's a throne? Didn't come across anything referencing a throne in the pages… And this Noble Phantasm thing? Was that, like, an ultimate move in a MOBA or something? Sounded badass, for sure. But if I only have three, effectively two, command spells, using one this early- …Though, it's not like I really knew the conventions of fighting in a Holy Grail War; fuck me if I knew the meta! Maybe the tempo play of firing off an ultimate ability here was more beneficial than holding onto resources? …Might as well trust Caster though, I suppose. Even if he didn't like me (and I suspected he didn't particularly like me), it was unlikely he would sabotage his own master, right?

"Well, get to it child!"

"Um, ok then, here goes nothing I guess" I fumbled out some words of acknowledgement before clearing my throat and trying to sound as authorities as I could.

…I mean, I was technically the master, even if I felt more like the servant in this… partnership? Might as well try to sound the part where I could, yeah?

"Caster, by the power of my first command spell, I order you: unleash your Noble Phantasm!"

The command spells glowed an even brighter red as I held up my left hand and issued the command. Soon as I finished speaking, the glowing stopped, and taking a quick glance, I noticed that the vortex or void looking part was vastly more faded than the other two sections. I see… that's how they signify command spell usage…

Considering Caster had said the war was already underway when I summoned him, and he was my only servant, I believed it safe to assume that meant each of the seven servants had a different master. Probably a good idea to keep the command spells hidden from sight then; knowing how many someone else has seems like good information to know, considering how powerful Caster said they were. Thus, it was imperative to keep your quantity remaining a secret as well, presumably.

It was then that I noticed a new red glow. It shot up from the ground beneath Caster's feet, spreading up and out in an upside-down cone-like shape, ending in jagged edges. Didn't know if it was actually sharp or not though. Caster's demeaner changed too. He closed his eyes momentarily, before opening them again with a look of purpose.

"Finally, I can get back to work" he sounded satisfied for the first time since I (or rather, the grail) summoned him.

He stretched out his arms, and a white glow formed in both of his hands. The light expanded and, finally, took on solid forms. A chisel and hammer… Man, I was so glad I was still recording all of this on my phone! That said, even my phone was probably close to running out of battery life by now… Caster, please finish this… whatever it is you're doing… before my phone dies!

What was once my prison; becoming my sanctuary.

Here and now I create my territory; my workshop unrivaled throughout all history.

To all who hunt me; challenge the creator of madness and insanity.

Manifest in this world: Chaos Labyrinth!

I had been so caught up in following along with Caster's chanting than I didn't even register that he had knelt down and stuck the chisel into the dirt until he finished. With a blow that sent a ripple of pure force outward in the surrounding area, Caster struck the chisel with his hammer. The red light from the hammer met with the red light of the chisel and shot into the earth. It wasn't enough to knock me over, but the ripple of force did make me stagger backwards in order to keep my balance.

What happened after that, if anything at all, to the red light from the hammer and chisel, I couldn't say. Another detail had caught my attention, and I found myself unable to look away. As he struck chisel and hammer, another bright red glow occurred. This time, however, it was in a distinct shape, on the back of Caster's right shoulder…

That… that was a partridge, wasn't it? I'm certain that it was! Partridge brand… and didn't he say labyrinth! …No way! …NO FUCKING WAY!

I felt the biggest, dumbest smile that I had probably ever smiled form on my face. Yet, despite knowing how stupid I must have looked, I couldn't fight back against it. The dismissive attitude of perceived inferiors, the robes, the hammer and chisel! It all made sense now; perfect sense at that!

"No way…" I muttered in a star-struck daze. "You… You're Dae-"

Before I could even finish uttering the name, I felt a hand clamp itself over my mouth. Daedalus stood right in front of me, hammer and chisel no longer in hand. He looked furious; feral, even. This, this right here… this was what his anger truly looked like, wasn't it?

"Do. Not. Finish. That" Daedalus hissed, before unclamping my mouth. "My name. Is Caster. Just. Caster. So much as try to call me that again, and I. Will. Kill you."

That said, Daedalus (or Caster, I should say) turned his attention from me and back to the ground in front of him. With a quick wave of his hand, the ground before him briefly glowed a faint red before parting backwards… into itself… Yes, I did see that correctly...

"This way, quickly!"

With a simple, harsh sounding command, Caster made his descent into the labyrinth. He seemed a tad slower than I remembered him moving earlier; I suppose even with a command spell backing him up, creating this must have taken a lot out of him, magically speaking. Giddy with glee, I hastily followed after him. As soon as my head cleared the way, the slab of dirt that had parted slid back into place, closing us off from the outside world. Thankfully, the inside was brightly illuminated with torches lining the walls.

…There's still some battery life I can squeeze out of my phone! I panned around the corridor with my phone and eyes alike, trying to absorb every inch of detail in the chiseled walls. Was that marble? Looked like marble… felt like marble… was probably marble then! Unconsciously, I let my hand drift up along the wall as I followed Caster down the corridor.

The greatest building of the greatest architect of all time in mythology… Beautiful… Absolutely beautiful…