Fate: Deus/ Symphonia

(Just a little fanfic about a Holy Grail war set in a timeline in which the seven Servants must combat one Grand Servant, I hope you enjoy!)

Chapter 1:

The First Chime

"I still don't see why I must help with the cleaning!"

"Young one... If you help me clean the church library I will gladly grant you more money for your allowance next month." The annoying priest chuckled, cleaning the dust off a bookshelf.

"Next month? How about now? You barely give me enough to last me a week! I help you with all the chores around here and yet you never pay me properly, not to mention that you are my guardian!"

"You missed a spot." The middle-aged man pointed at the floor with a sly smile on his face.

It was impossible to talk to him. He either ignored me or changed the subject, I could never have a proper conversation with the man. His name was Kirei Kotomine, a priest of the Holy Church. He had taken care of me even since I was five, after my parents died in a house fire. Kirei had never acted like a father to me, if anything, he had acted like an older brother, constantly messing with and teasing me. I knew that he had never truly loved me, but he had made sure that I could defend myself. He had taught me to use the Black Keys that members of the Holy Church often used in combat. For ten years Kirei had taken care of me, trained me, honed me. And he was still the same asshole as he was the first day I met him…

"Make sure to clean the books as well. We can't have dusty books in our library!" Kirei chuckled as he wiped the windows clean.

"They are dusty because no one reads them! No one ever visits this church, so what's the point?" I asked, bored half to death by the cleaning.

"Books are important, young one. They hold secrets and tales that have survived for ages. If one devotes oneself to reading and taking the time to study, one might discover new secrets that others have yet to find!"

"Sounds like a waste of time, if you ask me…" I grunted. "Aww!"

Kirei had smacked me in the head with one of the thicker books.

"I got to where I am because I devoted myself, young one. I suggest you do the same! Your teacher called and told me you have been slacking in school, is this true?"

"I skip miss Toyotami's lessons, so what!? She only goes on and on about how history is important and how we need to know the past to understand the future."

"You find history boring?" Kirei asked, his lips forming into his sly smile again.

"No… I just find miss Toyotami so boring, she just talks and talk and talks… I'd rather read a book than listen to her!"

"Perfect! Then read one of these if you want to read about history!" Kirei shoved the thick book he was holding in my stomach, I grabbed the book and looked at the cover.

"The Iliad? The tale of the Trojan war?"

"The church would deny it, but these stories are… Were vital to this world."

"So everything that is written here… Happened?" I looked confused at the thick book.

Kirei chuckled. "Not exactly… Some of it happened, some of it didn't and some of it is downplayed. Read it and we can discuss it later. But make sure to clean that shelf first!" The tall priest pointed at the shelf next to me.

The sun had already set when I left the church and said good night to Kirei.

"Five thousand yen… Five thousand yen for a whole days work! And this is meant to cover the whole month!? Man of God my ass!" I was walking down the lonely street on my way home, cursing Kirei for being so cheap.

Kirei and I didn't live together. He lived at the church while I lived at a small apartment closer to my school. Living alone had its perks, but in all honesty, I wouldn't mind some company during the long winter nights. I had asked Kirei if I could get a cat, but he thought it was a waste of money and that I wouldn't take care of it properly.

"If he just gave me a chance I could prove him wrong… Damn priest..."

As I made my way to my apartment it started to snow. Light flakes of snow slowly fell from the clear night sky, melting as the flakes landed on my warm face. I picked up the pace, hurrying along the dimly lit street. For some reason I started to think about the book I had borrowed from Kirei. The Iliad. The tale of how the Trojan war started and one of the books Homerus wrote.

"Achilles, Hector, Paris, Odysseus, Helena… Helena… That whole war started because of her…"

"Nah, it started because of some narcissistic goddesses!"

My heart skipped a beat, a cold shiver went through my body...

I turned around. A short girl was walking towards me, her red hair gleaming in the dim streetlight. She had a cute face and expensive looking clothes and bag. She had a familiar smile on her face and her black eyes were filled with joy.

"Kurou…" I sighed. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Huh? I scared you? Sorry!" The short girl grabbed my arm and pulled me close to her. Once we stood arm in arm the short girl leaned her head against my shoulder. "To think little old me could scare Nina, the Iron Nun!"

"Don't call me that… Only the boys at school call me that. And it's not even a good nickname..."

"Ohh, come on. It is cute! They boys only call you that because you beat up Shinji!"

"I didn't! We had an argument and I slapped him! I'm not a violent person…"

Kurou hugged my arm tighter. "I know, you are too kind to ever hurt someone. You care too much about others. But you do act so cold when we are at school, you know, people doubt me when I say we are friends!"

"We are friends?" I asked sarcastically.

"Idiot!" Kurou hissed, squeezing my arm so hard it started to hurt.

"Sorry! Sorry! Have mercy on me!" I begged her jokingly.

"Only if you come over to my place!" Kurou demanded, her petty anger quickly changing to joyfulness.

"I don't know…" I sighed, I knew that if I went home with her we would spend the whole night talking and I would get enough sleep, ending with me sleeping during class and getting reprimanded.

"Come on! I really need to take my mind off things! We haven't spent much time together since Halloween!"

"That's because Kirei got pissed when he found out we turned the Church into a haunted house and got so mad he grounded me for a full month… I really need to stay on his good side, Kurou!"

"You can still stay on his good side when you are at my place. Please, Nina! We havenät had a girls night in so long!" Kurou snuggled her face into my thin coat, whining like a dog, trying to win me over with her pity act. And of course she won… After all, I did enjoy her company.

"Fine… But I pick the movie this time! And we go to bed in time, I really don't wanna fall asleep during class again!" I sighed.

Kurou didn't say anything, she just smiled. Together we walked all the way to her house. On the way Kurou explained that she had been out on a late night shopping run, getting some groceries, as her maid had forgotten to sock up on milk, sugar and coffee the day before and didn't bother telling Kurou until late into the evening.

"I don't even know why I keep that dumb maid around! I can take care of myself!" Kurou hissed as we entered her house.

Kurou's house was more like a mansion. Three stories high, with a total of twenty rooms, excluding the bathrooms. The large black building was a bit secluded, but with car it was not too far to school. And Kurou could drive, a fact she was very proud of. Her father had spent a lot of time with Kurou teaching her driving when she was young, before he and Kurou's mother moved to London for work. Now Kurou was living with her maid, a young European woman named Sitír.

Sitír was living at the house next door and once the maid had gone home for the day, there was nothing Kurou could do to get to help her. Personally I thought it was good for Kurou to be left alone every night and I knew that she thought so too. She hated being dependent on others, especially since she was quite capable.

"I got some soda and snacks in the kitchen. You can go pick a movie while I get everything ready!"

Once we had entered the mansion Kurou acted quickly. She wasn't just excited, she was elated. She threw off her clothes and hurried inside the kitchen. I took my sweet time and got undressed. My phone buzzed and I checked it.

Kirei had texted me.

Don't forget your medicine!

I texted back:

I won't, 'night!

I dug around in my bag until I found the bottle of purple pills. The bottle didn't have a label or production markings. It was a simple glass bottled filled with purple pills. I opened the bottle and swallowed a pill. It was bitter. I placed the bottle back in my bag, took off my shoes and headed to Kurou's bedroom, without a worry in the world.

"You better not pick some American 80's film!" Kurou yelled from the kitchen. "Anything but that!"

"Damn…" I sighed, knowing full well Kurou would force me to pick a romantic comedy instead.

"How could I fall asleep during miss Toyotami's class…" I sobbed.

"Again…"

"Again!" I said, gritting my teeth. "Why did I have to stay awake with Kurou? We even watched on of those boring romcoms!"

"Kirei is going to be pissed…"

"Don't remind me…"

"There, there. It will be alright!" The person consoling me was Rin Tohsaka a girl that was in the same class as me.

I had known Rin my whole life. Our parents worked together and had moved to London together, leaving both of us behind. Rin was one of the few friends I had at school. She was a great study buddy and would always help me getting through miss Toyotaki's classes.

"The old bastard only gave me five thousand yen to spend this month… Five Rin, five!" I sobbed, feeling sorry for myself.

"For goodness sake. That's enough self pity from you! You brought this on yourself, Nina. And five thousand yen isn't that bad, Kirei still pays for your apartment, right? And he pays for your clothes and for your TV!"

"Alright! Alright! I get it! I will be more grateful! I'm just tired that's all..."

We were on the school roof. It was midday, yet the sun was already setting. I really didn't like how short the days were during the winter. I didn't mind the cold, but I liked the warm feeling of having the sun shine in my face.

"I miss summer…" I sighed. "I hope we can go to a nice beach next year… Me, you, Kurou, Sakura. I wouldn't mind if Emiya and Kishinami joined us as well. I hope I get to see the summer sun again..."

Without warning, Rin suddenly hugged me from behind. "Don't say stuff like that! Don't you dare say stuff like that!"

"R-Rin I…" Her arms were shivering, she was upset, very upset.

"You idiot! Don't say dumb stuff! Just don't! Idiot!"

"I'm sorry… I won't say stuff like that again." I promised, holding her warm hand in mine.

"You better!" She sobbed. "You'll get better, I know you will!"

But we both knew that wasn't true…

After school I headed to the church for my daily training with Kirei. Every day after school, Kirei would train me in martial arts, basic magecraft and meditation. Kirei made sure I devoted myself to my training, even if my condition made it harder to commit to the harsh training he put me through.

My body had been honed for years at this point. Kirei was a cruel teacher, refusing to let me rest or take a break. I would spend hours breaking down my body only to rebuild it. The only thing that would stop my training was if I had a seizure. At that point, Kirei would stop the training and care for me, but only then.

Although the training was hell, I remained thankful to Kirei. He didn't have to train me, he didn't have to put up with a whiny brat that had subpar magical circuits and lacked proper knowledge of the magical world.

"For as long as you come to me, I shall train you." He had told me. "If you give up, I won't drag you back. If you crumble underneath the pressure I won't bother to save you. I will keep you alive and that is all. The rest is up to you."

For years I had put up with Kirei's training, pushing my body and mind as far as I possibly could. But even after years of training, discipline and devotion, I was still weak. My body could no longer keep up with the training. Every other day I would pass out or have a seizure from pushing myself too hard. It had gotten so bad that even when I took the pills, my body would simply shut down if I pushed myself too far. The pills were losing their effect.

On this specific day, everything went to hell.

Kirei and I were sparing like always, both of us using our Black Keys, throwing and swinging the weapons as we clashed with each other. It had only been a few minutes and I was already out of breath, sweating like crazy and feeling my body tremble in pain.

"Focus on your opponent, child!" Kirei yelled, appearing behind me, swiping at me with his Keys.

I dodge out of the way and tried to slash his arm, but he quickly blocked my Key with his own. As sparks ignited from our weapons clashing, I felt something break inside me. Kirei must have noticed too, as he didn't bother attacking me again.

"Nina?"

"I… Grluaaaahh!" I coughed up blood, my legs folded, as if they turned into jelly, I dropped the Keys.

"NINA!" Kirei dropped his Keys as well and catched by body before it hit the ground. I could feel my throat being clogged with blood and my mind suddenly went blank. It was funny, before I passed out, I could have sworn I saw concern, no, distress in Kirei's face. Maybe the old bastard really did care...

When I woke up, my head was spinning and I couldn't feel my arms or legs. My stomach was in uproar, it felt as if I would throw up any second. I was in a white room. I was laying in a hospital bed. But I knew I wasn't in a regular hospital. This was a secret hospital that the Mage Association had set up as a new project to research magical illnesses. I had visited the hospital several times the past years, more so now as my condition was getting worse. Kirei would tell me that things would get better, he told me that I would pull through and that I would be able to live a normal life soon.

But I knew he was lying to make me feel better… We both knew that I wouldn't get better. It was a birth defect, my Magic Circuits were turning on themselves, my mana was being turned into a poison inside my own body. I could bearly use magic and whenever I activated my circuits my body would break down, my blood would be turned into a toxin, my muscles would suddenly stop working and I would pass out, either from the pain or from the shock my body experienced.

"How many times does that make it…? Just this year…?" I mumbled as I looked up at the white hospital roof.

"Six times… If you only count this month. Forty six times since the start of the year…"

"Kirei…"

The old priest had entered my room, followed by a woman dressed in white robes. She had long black hair and glasses, she was young, beautiful, her purple eyes were sharp, sharp enough to see into your soul.

"How long have I been out?" I asked the woman.

"Three days. After Kotomine brought you here we stabilized you and took some tests… We also need to keep you here… For the foreseeable future."

"What? But I feel fine!" I argued.

"I really wished I had good news, Nina…" The woman sighed. "We have run several tests and they all point to the same thing; your circuits are turning against your own body, they misfire constantly, they break down your own body and no matter what we do they refuse to work properly… If they continue to malfunction like this..."

"I'll die…" I said, gritting my teeth, holding back the tears.

The woman didn't say anything, she even refused to look at me. Kirei had an amazing poker face, not showing any sign of emotion, no rage, no sorrow, nothing. He was like an unmovable wall, not letting anything affect him.

"... I really wished that wasn't the case…" The white robed woman sighed. "But as it stands now, there is nothing we can do for you… Trying to sever your circuits or even perform the simplest of surgerys would only cause your body more harm. All we can do now is make sure that you are comfortable…"

I couldn't hold them back. The tears were silently running down my face. I didn't say anything, I couldn't. My heart was breaking. I had not even started living my life and now I was told it would end and that there was nothing I could do about it. I would die because my own body malfunctioned. It was like some kind of twisted joke, a lie, a bad dream that I couldn't wake up from.

As my tears streamed down my face, the doctor left, holding back her own tears. Kirei stayed, still looking as stoic as always. The man who had raised me locked eyes with me and for the first time since I had met him I saw his emotions. His eyes were filled with rage, a vibrant rage that was not the fault of anyone but himself. His lips shuddered for a second, he was holding it back… His emotions…

"Kirei… I-"

Birrirrrirrring! Birrirrirring!

Suddenly Kirei's phone rang.

"Sorry. I have to take this!" He told me. He answered the call and quickly left the room. But before the door closed I could hear him hissing something, as if he was angered by what the caller told him.

"Not you too…" Kirei hissed.

And just like that, I was left alone. Having to come to terms with my fast approaching death.

Night had fallen. It was snowing again. The flakes landed on the hospital window as I watched the city from my warm bed. Kirei had left hours ago, quite upset. He wouldn't tell me what had upset him, but he promised that he would come back the next day. For now, I was alone…

I had texted Kurou and Rin about what had happened, as they were two of the few who knew of my condition. They both reacted very differently. Kurou told me that I was going to be fine and wrote long texts about what we would do together once I had left the hospital. Rin on the other hand did not take the news quite as well. Rin sent two texts.

I hope you get better

And about twenty minutes later…

I'll come see you tomorrow, so you better get some sleep! Idiot!

I smiled as the tears ran down my face, holding my old phone to my chest. The realisation of my death was making my heart ache, but I was so happy that I had such good friends.

Because of the pain that was now spreading through my body, I couldn't get a wink of sleep. Instead I stayed up and read a book Kirei had left me. "The Tales & Truths About Hassan Ibn Sabbah & The Assassins". It was not a very fun read, the book mostly explained the rise of the Assassin Order under the leadership of The Old Man Of The Mountain. Kirei had talked about the Hassassin as a religious order of assassins that protected their faith, not unlike the Holy Church. But unlike the Holy Church, the Hassassin were led by a ruthless leader that would kill his own followers if they strayed from the path they had set out on.

As I read, my body trembled in pain. My head felt as if it was about to burst and my blood felt like acid in my veins. I was sweating yet my body felt ice cold. I cursed my own body as I tried to fall asleep, hoping I could sleep off the pain.

But when I finally was about to fall asleep, the door to my room slammed open and my life took a turn for the worse.

"Kirei! What are you… Is that blood?!"

Kirei had stormed into my room, bleeding badly all over his body. He fell to his knees, he hunched over, clutching something close to his chest. He looked up at me, his eyes filled with anger and madness.

"I didn't think I would have to force you into the War… I thought you could stay out of it…" Kirei hissed, slowly getting back up. "But I underestimated the Association. They have made their decision and now… I must make mine!"

"Kirei, you're scaring me…" I whispered. I had never seen Kirei like this, beaten, emotional. "What happened to you!?" I tried to get up from the bed, but Kirei hurried to my side and took my hand in his. He put something in my hand. A small glass bottle, filled with a few blue pills.

"I wish I could have done more, I hate that I must force you into this… I should have shouldered this responsibility, not you. But God has other plans for both of us. I will play my part and so will you, young one!"

"What are you talking abo-"

I was interrupted. A large explosion could be heard and felt. Something on this floor had exploded. I could smell the smoke, but before I could say anything, Kirei picked me up in his arms and kicked down the door. He then ran straight through a window and jumped down unto the ground. He gracefully landed, still holding me safely in his arms. He proceeded to run and jump, still bleeding from his wounds.

"Kire! What the hell is going on!?" I asked him as we approached the church.

"I'll explain once you are safe! Just hold on to the pills for now!" The priest sprinted as fast as he could, like our lives depended on it. I was scared, I had never seen Kirei so serious before. Something bad was about to happen, something Kirei couldn't stop.

When we reached the church, Kirei ordered me to take one of the pills. I did as I was told and swallowed one of the blue pills. There were now five left. Once I had swallowed the pill I expected something to happen to me, I thought I would feel a rush of power and energy, but nothing like that happened. I felt normal, healthy.

"What are these pills?" I asked Kirei, as we entered the church.

"They are a more potent version of the purple pills you have been taking. These new pills will stabilize your circuits for a day, making sure you can use your body to its full potential."

"That's great! So I can live a normal life now!" It felt like my heart was about to burst with joy, but the bitter look on Kirei's face quickly changed that.

"The pills are a wonderful invention. If given more time and resources, we could have gathered more of them. But life has a way of being cruel." Kirei sighed. "One pill lasts one day. You have five pills left, giving you six days in total before your condition gets worse again. Once the pills effect stops, your body will quickly deteriorate. To be honest, your body will be in such unspeakable pain that you will wish for death."

"... So I'll die anyway… Can't we just get more of these pills!?" I screamed, feeling betrayed, as Kirei had given me hope, only to take it away from me. It was cruel.

"The process of creating these pills is more troublesome than you think, young one. It takes a whole year for just one pill to be formed and a full team of experienced mages to complete the hazardous work. That even six pills were created could be called a miracle. I wished we had a better solution, but we don't, you can either accept this reality, or die!"

His harsh words awakened something within me, a feeling of rage. A rage directed at the world, at this cruel world that would have me die for no reason. I was allowed six days of an ordinary life before I was meant to crumble and die while in unspeakable pain. I hated it, I hated the fact that it was my fate. I hated the fact that there was nothing I could do about it.

"I hate it…" I muttered. "I HATE IT! Why!? Why must I die like this!? What have I done to deserve this!? I am not a bad person! Don't I deserve to live a normal life!? Why must I just accept this!? I hate it! I HATE IT!" With tears running down my face, with me sobbing like a child, Kirei handed me something.

"If you feel like the world is rejecting you, if you truly feel like you can do more with your life, if you feel like you have the will and power to change your fate, if you are ready to stain your hands with blood to reach this wish of yours; then I shall hand you the key to do so…" Kirei looked at me, his cruel eyes filled with pity and sorrow. In his hand he was holding a book, an old, dusty book covered in markings.

I took the book and looked over it. "Is this Arabic?" I asked.

"Indeed." Kirei said, pointing to the middle of the church. On the floor was a large red circle, no, a red summoning circle. I looked at Kirei.

"What is going on, Kirei?" I asked him, worried what his answer would be. "Why have you put a summoning circle on the floor!?"

"Use that book and summon your servant, if you are lucky, you might get a strong one. Hurry, I didn't teach you the ritual for nothing!" Kirei pushed me on top of the circle and put his hands on my shoulders. "I didn't want you to be dragged into the War, but now we have no choice. Only one class is left and you must be the one to summon it!"

"You don't mean a Grail War!? Right!? You are forcing me to partake in a Grail War!? You bastard!" I pushed Kirei off me and threw the book on the floor. "Instead of helping me you force me to take part in some old mage ritual!? I have no chance of winning this! I am a dead girl walking remember!"

"This is your only chance!" Kirei snapped, picking up the book and shoving it in my face. "Either live a normal life for six days and die horribly, or fight for your life for six days and earn a lifetime of peace! You have a choice, Nina! And not a lot of time to make it!"

The doors to the church slammed open. Kirei got in front of me and pulled out his Black Keys. No one moved for a few moments. But I could feel that something was wrong. And then I saw him…

A tall, hooded man, standing at the entrance to the church, his face covered, armed with a gun and a knife. Kirei took a deep breath… Then he attacked the masked stranger.

As the two men fought I couldn't help but fall to my knees. They moved so fast and with such finesse. Neither of them got a hit in. The dodged and locked every attack and counterattack perfectly. It was as if they knew what the other one was going to do long before they did it and acted accordingly. For a moment I was mesmerized by the fight. I had always wanted to look like that when I was fighting, but my body wouldn't let me. But when the masked man aimed at me I was quickly brought back to reality. Luckily for me for me, Kirei used his Black Keys to redirect the bullet so it barely missed me.

It was then I understood. As long as I was there, Kirei would have to keep an eye on me as well as his opponent. He could handle the masked man for now, but how long could he last? I had to act, I had to help Kirei. I picked up the book and stopped, a horrible realization washed over me; I had forgotten how to do the summoning ritual.

As the two men fought in the background, I once again fell to my knees and silently begged for someone to help me.

"I don't care about this War… I don't care for the Grail… I just… I just don't want to die… I don't want to die… I just want to live… Please, I just want to live… I wish for nothing… I just want to live…" I sobbed.

"Nina!" Kirei screamed my name. I turned my head. Somehow the masked man had gotten past Kirei and was inches away from me, pointing his gun at my head. Before I heard the gunshot, all I could think was…

I just want to live...

As the gun went off I felt a rush of power coming from the floor and a pillar of blue fire enveloped me. It didn't hurt. The bullet didn't reach me and the fire didn't hurt me. I was confused. Then I felt someone appear behind me. From within the flaming pillar a deep, echoing voice could be heard.

"Hearken! From the mountain abyss I come, and only death do I bring. Fear not, contractor. The Old Man of the Mountain, the First Hassan-I Shabah, hath come in answer to thy summons!"

To Be Continued...

VisionFox:

That is the first chapter of Fate: Deus/ Symphonia. I hope you enjoyed it. I will explain the rules of this Grail War next chapter. This is meant to be a more story and character focused fanfic (so no smut). I don't know when I will update it, but I do have a lot of ideas for it. (I really want to focus on Fate: Grand/ Futa)

I picked King Hassan as the Grand Servant as he is my favorite Assassin and I wanted the main character to get a Servant with a link to death. The rest of the Servants are regular Servants, but Hassan will be nerfed, I'll explain how in the next chapter =)

All the Servants have been chosen and the main plot is ready to be explored. This timeline/ universe is quite a bit different from Fate as we know it. I have bended the rules and lore a bit, but that is what fanfiction is all about after all. I do hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Look forward to the next chapter! If you enjoyed it, leave a review, follow or favorite the story.

Until next chapter!

VisionFox out!