I admit, I may have underestimated just how heavy so many pairs of shoes could be to carry at the same time. …More like I overestimated my own ability, actually… but same result. No way was I going to get all the pairs that I needed up in one night like this. Thankfully, the labyrinth could serve as a useful storage space. Split the piles up and get them to the entrance points during the afternoon, and now they were all good to go when I got to them later tonight.

I know, I know, I'm a genius.

Despite the cold, the night was actually shaping up fairly nice. This time of night most of the streets were clear. Main roads still had a bit too much traffic on them for me to want to risk it, but give it a couple more hours and I'd be able to get the main roads set up as well.

Really though, it wasn't ordinary people I was worried about. Most of them wouldn't be out and about this time of night to begin with, and honestly, fooling people was fairly easy. Act and speak with confidence, and you can more or less get away with anything. Granted, that was only if I even got spotted in the first place; the nice thing about being able to drift through the world unnoticed by basically everyone was that, odds were, I wouldn't even need to deal with anyone confronting me. Still had to be prepared for it, of course, but it wasn't likely to happen in the slightest.

The real danger was if the other masters or servants spotted me. It was night time, after all, and I was alone. Easy picking for Rider, Assassin, Berserker… and especially Archer. I did what I could to mitigate the risks: move fast, stick to cover, dark clothing. The basics, basically. But to what extent my ability to basically be a ghost amongst my peers would extent to masters on the hunt, and especially higher existences like Heroic Spirits, was unknown. Honestly speaking, I didn't feel like testing it out for myself either. Better to just move quick and get back into the labyrinth as soon as possible.

"Second batch done" I sighed with relief as I ducked back into the labyrinth.

Using the tugging sensation as my guide, with the map to inform myself with which entrance I wanted to go to, I was able to navigate the labyrinth fairly quickly. Hadn't seen Caster all night though. Must have been down here, somewhere, but he wasn't at the workshop when I arrived earlier to begin splitting up the supply of shoes into the five piles at each entrance.

"10:47…" I muttered to myself as I checked the time on my phone. "Keep up the pace, and I should be done around three…"

A good time. A very good time.

Unfortunately, I was probably going to begin to tire out sooner rather than later, so I probably wouldn't finish till after four. Not the end of the world, but the more time I was out and about, the greater the risk of being found by either masters or servants.

"Hope the kids don't get too suspicious. Left them a note, but so soon after our spat over the plan… fortunately they don't seem too bright. Hell, I had some hope for Johnathan, but even he's not following my lessons. Didn't even know a storm was on it's way for tomorrow night…"

A perfect time to take a fight, provided you could use it to your advantage. Never let it be said I didn't warn my allies about what was going to happen tomorrow night…

"Right, here we go; batch three."

…Yeah, that exhaustion was setting in. If only I actually had support for this; be so much easier. So much safer. Not that I wasn't having fun, mind you: setting up my plans and watching them unfold in spectacular fashion was always a good time. But all the same… some help would have been nice.

Was always times like this that I found myself missing my… old friends… At least they listened to me when I made plans. At least they understood that games are played to be won; needed to be played optimally. If I had them with me now, this war would have been over already, easy! Though for that to happen, they'd have needed to either be magi, or get in by pure luck like me. Also, we'd have been opponents then, so…

…Hmm… How would a war between us have played out? One would have been unable to summon a Heroic Spirit, but the rest…

It would have been beautiful, of that there was no doubt. But who would have won, hmm…?

Hell, who would all them have even summoned? Damn… now I actually just want to know who they'd all have gone f- oh, fuck!

Getting too distracted now… Can't afford to be missing the throws like that! That's how I'm going to get caught; unnecessary movements and time loss due to stupid mistakes!

…Thankfully, it didn't seem like my mistake was going to cost me too dearly. Hadn't seen a single one of Rider's assassin goons all night, but that was probably to be expected. Priest did say that, while not Heroic Spirits themselves, they did have some skills. Also, I think I'd have been disappointed if I'd spotted a member of the oldest assassins' group, actually…

As for Archer, though… I couldn't tell. Had he seen me, and was just watching, trying to figure out what I was up to? I mean, it wasn't like he could kill me, unless his master suddenly had either a change in desires or a method to take down my file. But he could maim me, technically. Or inform Rider of my position. That would actually get me killed in all likelihood. Not that Archer or Archer's master would know that beforehand…

Surely Archer had spotted some of the shoes hanging on the power lines by now though, even if he hadn't spotted me yet. Couldn't help but wonder what Archer was thinking about it. Surely master was informed, so… what did she think about it? She was an Englishwoman, no doubt, but I actually had no idea if this was common in the UK or not. Wasn't particularly intrigued by the UK, so never really bothered to learn much about it. That would be changing, obviously, but only after this war was over… Doesn't seem like a very European thing though, culturally speaking, but who knows?

"…Does the war end here though?"

An intriguing thought… if Caster and I were to win, then… I suppose the war wouldn't really be over. Undoubtedly, the Catholic Church would be after me. Most likely other magi as well. Not that they would ever beat me at that point, but…

"A war between myself and the world of magic… What else would such a thing uncover? How much beauty would I be the first to ever witness…?"

…When did I get so invested into this? For the first time in God knows how long… I actually felt… driven. I haven't felt this excited… this… good… not since-

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Perhaps somewhere, in the depths of my subconscious, I was aware I stopped moving. Or perhaps I was still moving, pushing through this… profound revelation of mine. I honestly couldn't say; everything was a daze. Rather, almost everything… Looking to the stars, the dazzling gleam ever out of reach remained clear as day…

…This is it… my Royal Mile… My… my War of the Heavens…

…And I laughed. Through the tears; the joy and the pain. It hurt, but I swear I never felt happier. I was excited, but absolutely terrified. Because… because this really was it… What had been robbed from beneath me… this was my chance to reclaim it. My only chance. My final chance. This was my web; my stage. This was my game. To prove that it hadn't been a waste; that I wasn't worthless.

…To prove wrong all those who gave up on me…

I am Yaldabaoth, God of Control.

With the stage set, I take my first step down the road.

A/N

All these short chapters, I know... This time, I blame schoolwork, but trust me, it won't stay like this!

One more Fragment to go, then the real party starts xD