Disclaimer: The Fate series and its respective characters belong to TYPE-MOON. All OCs are mine.
"Time is such a valuable resource. It is something we take for granted, yet it slips through our fingers like grains of sand into the infinite stream of time, for some more so than others…"
Where... Where am I? How did I get here?
I know my eyes are open, and yet I can't see anything but complete darkness. I feel like I am sinking. No... I am sinking. I'm submerged in water and can't move my own body.
I try calling out to anyone that might hear me, but no words escape my mouth. I'm trapped in this state. Unable to breathe, unable to die.
If I could just let go and vanish into nothingness. Nothing I try can improve my current situation, and so I keep sinking deeper and deeper into the unknown. Is this how I'm going to die? Is this how my life will end? Will anyone remember me in 1, 5, or 10 years from now?
Doubtful. Will anyone mourn me? No, there's no one that I could think of.
Amidst all the questions, a light appears in the distance. It gives off a faint glow like the last glimmer of hope in a pit of despair. It's as if a higher entity has found me, deeming me worth saving. Or perhaps they are simply taking pity on me.
I continue to watch the light as I keep sinking. It's coming closer to me. Either that or it's getting brighter. I partially close my eyes as to not get blinded by its radiance. Then, I see a gentle hand reaching out to me.
Should I take it? Do I even deserve to be saved? These questions are pointless since I still can't move a muscle. All I can do is watch the hand come closer and when it almost touches me.
I wake up.
I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling of my apartment. It's a bit dusty and has some cobwebs in the corners. I don't bother with cleaning up very often since I never get any visitors. I sigh as I put a hand over my eyes and mutter to myself, "Another nightmare." I turn to the left and look at the clock next to my bed.
6:21 AM.
I can hear a light patter on the nearby window as I crawl out of bed. Pulling the curtains aside, I get a view of a rainy London with the Clock Tower not far in the distance. It's still a little early for me to head out but with bad weather like this, I kind of don't want to go at all today.
Nevertheless, I walk to the bathroom and go through my usual morning routine.
I splash cold water from the sink in my face to eliminate the last bit of sleepiness as I look at my reflection in the mirror. I put on a fake smile like I always do before meeting the usual lot at the Clock Tower. Every day, I ask myself why I even bother to continue like this. How long can I keep this up? What is even the purpose of all this? Of my life? I could always take the coward's way out, but I won't even though I have nothing to look forward to. Yes, I believe this is my punishment.
After finishing my morning routine and getting dressed, I grab my suitcase and an umbrella on the way out while taking a glance at my watch. 6:55 AM.
Nearly 20 minutes pass before I finally reach the Clock Tower. As I approach the entrance, I see a lot of students arriving as well. Students from all over the world from many mage families of different statuses, all wearing the Mage's Association uniform. One can tell just by a glance that they want to look as good as possible since the Clock Tower is the heart of the mage world. None of them would want to ruin their family's good name.
I get some questioning looks from a few students as I enter alongside them. I don't really mind nor do I blame them. After all, one could easily mistake me for one of them due to my age, but I don't wear the same uniform they do. Instead, I wear a black trench coat with a white dress shirt underneath.
The students walking alongside me quickly disappear as they walk in the opposite direction that I do. At least it's quiet again. Only the sound of my footsteps can be heard as I walk down the marble hallways of the Clock Tower. Occasionally, one of the caretaker golems that's about the size of a grown man walks past me. They are faceless and look like they are completely made of clay with a red gem stuck in their chest area that serves as their core.
Suddenly, I hear a voice calling out to me from behind, "Ah, excuse me, do you have a moment?"
That voice was far too close for comfort. I immediately turn around to find someone right behind me. I'd argue that not just anyone can sneak up on me but this guy actually got the drop on me.
A man with long white hair and purple eyes, wearing a navy-blue suit with a white dress shirt underneath. He holds a curved walking cane made of wood with his left hand. In the chest pocket, where one would usually find a handkerchief, is a beautiful flower with pink petals and a yellow center.
The man has a mischievous smile on his face. I realize that he just wanted to play a prank on me apparently and I relax my shoulders.
"What is it?" I ask him nonchalantly.
"Could you tell me where I can find Lord El-Melloi II's office?" he inquires with a voice as smooth as silk.
"Sure," I reply as I point to the right, "Follow that corridor until you reach the end. Then, take a turn to the right. It's the fifth door on the right from there."
"Thank you kindly," he smiles while scrutinizing me with his gaze.
"Is there anything else?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Not really, I just thought it was odd that you aren't wearing the Clock Tower's uniform," he replies with a smile, "Forgive me if I have offended you."
"None taken," I shrug. He bows his head before taking his leave. I watch as he walks away leisurely before I move on.
Something was really weird about that guy. Everything from the way he looked to the way he talked. I could almost feel an unexplainable aura emanating from him. Oh well, none of my business, I guess.
Eventually, I reach a set of double doors. This is the place where I usually spend my time at the Clock Tower. I open one of the doors, finding the usual sight upon entering. A pretty big lounge with many wooden tables and couches in the center, a bar on the left side where one can also get something to eat and a pinboard that nearly takes up the entire wall on the opposite end of where I'm standing.
This is the place where freelancers, hired guns, and bounty hunters like myself pass the time. The Mage's Association and the Holy Church always have jobs where they need an extra pair of hands that know how to handle a gun or how to cast a spell. The aforementioned board on the other end of the room is where we get those jobs. These mostly involve assassination of rogue magi that practice forbidden magecraft or people that risk exposing thaumaturgy to the general public. Sometimes it involves finding missing people or retrieving powerful artifacts. Of course, using this lounge isn't free. The Mage's Association gets a small discount on our services for using their Clock Tower as a hub.
The lounge is relatively empty right now as it's still early in the morning. The board is getting updated by two golems, so I walk over to the bar to get a coffee. I pass by a few familiar faces who greet me before I greet them back with a simple wave and a forced smile. After getting my coffee, I sit down at one of the empty tables near the edge of the room and pull out my laptop to finish up my report on my latest mission.
Several hours pass by as the lounge slowly but steadily gets more crowded. I lean back in my chair as I finish my work and take a sip of my second cup of coffee. I take a glance at the board and see a group of people in front of it. Too crowded, I'll take a look later.
"Hey, Zayne," a male voice greets me as I look up from my screen.
Some guy in a leather jacket I see regularly here approaches me and sits at my table. What was his name again? I don't really interact with the people here too much to remember all their names. Unfortunately, I'm pretty known among the Clock Tower's council and bounty hunters due to a big problem I solved for them a year ago where everyone else failed.
"What's up?" I answer coolly as I try to look like the calm and cheery person everyone here thinks I am.
"Just sitting here won't get you a new job, you know?" he says matter of factly.
"Did you come just to tell me that?" I reply jokingly, "I've been in this business for years now, I know how this works."
"Still, you're the youngest of us here," he continues, "Us freelancers gotta look out for each other and all that."
Yes, I'm the youngest in this room with 19 years. Everyone else here is at least 5 years older than me, not that it bothers me or anything. I've been fighting my whole life, so this way of life came naturally to me. Still, do they have to remind me all the time that I'm the youngest?
"Yeah, I know, I know," I retort, waving my hand dismissively, "But that doesn't mean I need a babysitter." "Heh, how about you join us at the pub tonight then, kid?" he says sarcastically, "You're old enough for that."
"I'll pass, but thanks for the offer," I respond, "I'm not much of a party person."
"Well, your call," he concludes as he gets up, "Take care, kid."
I still haven't remembered his name during the entirety of the conversation.
Just as I start to get bored, the door opens and to my surprise, Lord El-Melloi II himself walks in. He's wearing a black suit with a loose red scarf and has long black hair. He's carrying a file under his right arm and scans the room with his eyes for a moment before they land on my position. Then, he hurries straight towards my table but doesn't bother sitting down once he reaches it.
"Lord El-Melloi II," I greet him, "To what do I owe the honor? You normally don't visit this part of the Clock Tower."
He puts the file on the table and says with an indifferent attitude, "There's a new job for you. Stealing an artifact and delivering it to the client, the details are in the file."
"There are a lot of people here who specialize in these sorts of jobs," I comment, "Why me of all people?"
"The client specifically asked for you," he responds before turning around, "It's up to you if you accept the job or not." With that, he leaves as quickly as he came.
Whoever the client may be, the fact that I have been specifically chosen for this seems kind of fishy. Alas, my curiosity gets the better of me. I grab the file off the table and take a look.
The target location is in France, a facility just outside Paris that serves as a storehouse for a black-market dealer. The artifact I'm supposed to recover is a small piece of cloth in a small white and gold casket located inside. Once I have it, I need to deliver it to the anonymous client at the docks in Fuyuki, Japan.
Wait a minute... delivering an artifact to Fuyuki in Japan? I heard something about that recently. A quick look through the files on my laptop confirms my hunch.
The Holy Grail War in Fuyuki. A bloody battle royale between seven Masters, usually magi, and their Servants, Heroic Spirits from all across human history. The last Master-Servant pair that is left standing wins the Holy Grail, the omnipotent wish granting device. This ritual happens once every 60 years and was originally conceived by the three Magi families: The Tohsakas, the Matou, and the Einzberns.
The Servants that are summoned to fight in this war are figures that made their mark on human history, be they real or fiction from the past, present, or the future. The seven Servants for the war are summoned under one of the seven classes each: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker. Additionally, each Heroic Spirit possesses at least one Noble Phantasm, which is basically their ultimate power. It can be a weapon, an ability, or even a method of attack. The war is supervised by the Holy Church to ensure that the Masters follow the rules of conduct.
However the previous tournament, the third Holy Grail War, went wrong. There was no clear winner because someone broke the rules and summoned an Extra Class Servant, an Avenger. If I had to take a guess, I'd say it was the Einzberns. For one, the Matou are not cunning enough to think of something like this and the Tohsakas are too traditional to break the rules. The Einzberns, on the other hand, want to win at any cost and produce homunculi by the hundreds. One of which becomes their puppet for the Holy Grail War.
More importantly, to summon a Servant, one needs a catalyst. An object that is tied to the legend of a Heroic Spirit or something that they possessed in their life. In other words, I'm supposed to steal a catalyst for this client, because he is most certainly one of the participants of the Holy Grail War.
It now makes a little more sense why I was picked for this. The most likely scenario is that once I've delivered the relic, he or she will hire me again right there to help them in the war for the Holy Grail. After all, the rules don't state that outside help from a freelancer is forbidden or anything. I'll probably get tasked to gather information about the other Masters if the client doesn't already have it, in which case my job will most likely be their assassination.
The payout for the relic alone is also exorbitant. Not that I particularly care about money. I'm barely spending anything of what I have on stuff that isn't necessary for me.
The following pages of the file contain an exact layout of the facility where the catalyst is stored, complete with details on its security system and patrol routes of the guards plus their shifts. This almost seems too easy with that much information. I won't let my guard down nonetheless.
I close my laptop and pack it into my suitcase before leaving the Clock Tower. I have a lot of work to do. The first order of business: Booking a flight to France...
I rented a car after exiting the airport in Paris to drive the rest to my target location. I sent most of my needed gear to Fuyuki in advance and will only stay the night in France. I've already booked a flight for Japan in the next morning.
I take a glance at the time in my car as I drive on the empty country road. It's 11:24 PM. The next change in shift for the guards is at midnight. Thanks to all the detailed information in the file, I could devise a simple and effective plan to get in and out without being detected. Of course, I do have a backup plan on the off chance that something does go wrong.
Once I get close to the storehouse, I drive off the road and park the car behind a hill close to it. I put on my mask that has a built-in night vision mode and a pair of black gloves before exiting the vehicle. The sky is clear, the weather is good and I'm dressed as black as the night.
I run a quick check through my gear. A small bolt cutter, a jamming transmitter for the security cameras... check. A flashbang, a smoke bomb, two knives, and my trusty revolver just in case.
I walk up the hill and crouch down to take a look at the storehouse. The cameras outside are exactly where they would be and a couple of guards are making one last round around the storehouse before their shift ends. I make my way down towards the fence and lay low in the grass until they pass by. Then, I take out the cutter and begin to make a hole in the fence that is just big enough for me to crawl through.
Here I go again. I feel slightly anxious. It's been a while since I've been out in the field like this. As long as I keep a clear mind and remember my training I've got nothing to fear.
My surroundings are dimly lit and I keep to the shadows as I move from cover to cover to avoid the sight of the security cameras. Before accessing the door to get inside, I pull out the jamming transmitter and aim it at the camera that is locked to the door, then push the button. That should buy me some time.
Sneaking towards the door, I press my hand against the lock and focus as I transfer mana into it. When you pour too much mana into an object, it will result in being overloaded and exploding in most cases. However, with a bit of skill, one can pour just enough mana into it to break but to not make any noise.
A clicking sound lets me know that the lock is done for as I gently open the door, hurry inside and close it behind me.
It's completely dark inside, so I switch to night vision and use the jammer to disable any cameras that I can't avoid. Simply switching on the light is not an option here because the cameras would notice that. Well, they'll realize that someone was here when they find one of their artifacts missing. By the time that happens though, I'll be on the other side of the planet.
I enter the main room where the artifact is kept and look around. There are a lot of crates here, some are sealed, some are open while random items are displayed on several shelves.
I carefully walk around to take a look at the items stored here. The first thing I see is a lone book on a shelf. I pick it up to take a look at its cover.
"The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas.
I've read that book once, but this copy looks to be the original written by the author himself back in the 19th century. Its protagonist, Edmond Dantes, lost everything he had and went on a quest for vengeance against those who wronged him, a tale that I can relate to in some degree. Interesting, but that's not why I'm here, so I put it back.
The next thing I come across is a half-open crate. A look inside shows me a dozen of different swords in all sizes and colors. Out of curiosity, I take a look at the attached sheet of paper on the crate.
"The swords of Charlemagne and his twelve Paladins."
Continuing on, I come across a disassembled guillotine that dates back to the French Revolution, its blade has centuries-old stains of blood on it, followed by a portrait of Marie Antoinette.
I feel like I'm walking through a museum just as I walk past a rapier in pristine condition that, if the description is anything to go by, belonged to one of the most renowned swordsman of 18-19th century France, which is resting on a stand. After that is another book on a nearby shelf.
"Code Civil" by Napoleon Bonaparte.
I'm almost at the end of this row. The next thing I come across is a replica of a skull mask along with a copy of the screenplay "The Phantom of the Opera."
Finally, I reach the end of this historic tour after walking past a knight's armor that has a cross on its chest plate and is mostly silver with bits of it colored in dark green.
My eyes land on the reason for my visit. A small white casket with a golden cross on it that is placed on a stand lies just up ahead. Behind it on the wall is a replica of the flag of Orleans. I approach the casket and open it to check its contents, a small piece of cloth. I close it and put it carefully inside my bag.
Walking back to the exit is no problem at all since the cameras that I went past are still disabled. Once I'm outside, I look to the left and right in case a guard comes by. Seeing that I'm clear to proceed, I scurry back to the fence and crawl through the hole I made earlier.
Now that I'm outside the restricted area, I hurry back to my car. I went in and out without anyone noticing, mission accomplished. Now, I just have to catch my next flight in 5 hours. Next stop, Fuyuki.
Author's Note:
Thanks for reading the first chapter of my fanfiction! I'd also like to give a shoutout to erenatnier for beta reading my story.
Edit: I am aware that Waver Velvet is still a student by the time of Fate/Zero but I chose to put him there instead of a generic Clock Tower Professor. You also may have already noticed that there will be different Masters and Servants in this Holy Grail War as a result ;)