Fate/Stay Night: Umbra Bello


Theme Song- Chosen Ones/ Mountains vs machines


Chapter II- Stumbled Beginnings...

Date ?/?/?

Time ? ?

Location ?, ?


I took a second to look around.

No one, and nothing has responded to my intrusion.

With hesitation, I moved into the old mansion.

The old wooden floors strained under my weight. As if the house itself was declaring I would be harmed if I was careless.

Taking a moment to calm myself, I stepped into the building.

Funny thing was, even if this place was still in good condition, I get the feeling it would still feel haunted.

Taking a second to adjust my eyes, I moved deeper in.

The quiet... It was unsettling.

"What am I looking for in here exactly?"

Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bzzzt

Upstairs.

I needed to find my way upstairs.

Walking down an… I guess you'd call this room an entrance hall? I find what I think is the living room.

Yeah, it is the living room. Fireplace. Big couch... Ripped up big family portrait?

Taking a closer look, even though I could tell it had faded with time, I could see that this seemed to be a really old fashioned european family.

… huh. They seem kinda... familiar?

There were two women in the picture alongside an old man. The… I'm guessing big sister here? She seemed to have found a way to make twin-tails look fancy.

There's some writing on the bottom… it's not really legible… 'Edel-something? 1929'.

"This place hasn't been inhabited for about 90 years?"

I made a perception check.

There was definitely a fight here. Some of the damage definitely doesn't look like it was the cause of time.

These people didn't leave voluntarily. They were attacked.

European family… 1930's… were they chased out by the natives because of WW2? That would make this Japan right? Am I in Japan right now?

I shake off that train of thought. This is mere conjecture.

Finding no further clues at the moment, I move on until I find the stairs to the next floor.

Seems they got hit hard. Broken really. Big chunk of 'em collapsed in the middle.

Moonlight casting godrays on the stairs, I make my way up slowly. The old steps resounding with the sound of eighty years of neglect.

I pause a moment. I'd have to take a small jump to make it to the next level.

"Here goes something…" The rotten wood groaned in objection to my actions-

And barely held together as I landed on the next set.

I paused just to make sure nothing broke in the leap.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I keep moving up.

Another hall. An opened suitcase spilled old clothes across the floor. It seems like someone was packing up, but had to leave their stuff behind.

They knew this attack was coming, and were about to run, but didn't bail out in time.

Odd no one's come to clean this place up in all that time…

Walking across the hall, I find my way to another door. This time more cautious about their age, I opened it gently.

Another oddity. This room seems to be lined with stones, and yet hasn't collapsed under the weight with the weakened support...

"This room… it's filled with… power."

In investigating, I discovered the place was in an almost pristine condition (If you didn't count the dust, and cobwebs), in spite of the rest of the house.

"Hold on, on the floor… I've seen enough Fairy Tail to know a magic circle when I see one. Why would there be… no, that's not right..." Maybe this family was into occult shit?

On a table to the left, I found something that caught my eye. I walked over to it to get a better look.

There was a sword. Or, more specifically, the blade of a Japanese style sword.

What was odd about it, besides just being separated from the hilt, was that it wasn't rusted at all.

Weren't blades supposed to get rusty if they weren't properly maintained? This one looked like it was as deadly as the day it was forged.

I picked it up by the blunt side to get a better look.

The thing was… beautiful, for an object designed to kill people.

There didn't seem to be anything special at it from a glance but I could tell it was of high quality.

This wasn't a replica. It was the real deal.

Hm... Certainly added credence to the Japan theory.

Maybe it was some kind of ritual thing?

"Now who'd leave a beauty like you laying around?" I pitied the inanimate object in my hand as I admired it.

I took a seat at the most stable looking chair in the room.

"... what the hell am I doing here?" I ask my reflection in the blade.

I scan the room for the hilt of the weapon until my eyes land back on that magic circle.

It was a long shot but...

"... I'm… lost. I don't know where I am… and what I'm going to do. This may be me finally going crazy but… if there is a genuine deity, or spirit these people were trying to reach… I could really use some help right now."

"... I thought not." I sighed in a disconsolate solitude, and spoke to the weapon again, "... just you and me, huh?"

... whatever. It'd have to do, right-?

The room shuddered.

"-huh?" I shot up in alarm, but did not have time to find out what was going on-

"The- fuck!" I cut myself on the damn thing in surprise. Blood dripping onto the floor.

I put the blade down, and get a better look at my-

"AA-ARRRRRGHHHHH!" like I'd stuck my hand in a deep fryer, it began to burn like the devil.

There was something on my hand, something glowing.

The shacking room began to cause the unstable floor to collapse,

I tried running for the exit, but found the path fall out from under me-

"Oh shi-"

I reached out for something, but found no purchase.

"-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"

And then everything went black.


"*** *** *****"

"w-wha?"

Someone was… speaking. I couldn't make it out through the fog of pain.

I tried to open my eyes.

"A** **u ok*y?" things began to come into focus, but it wasn't clear yet.

"I.. I think so… W-what happened?" everything clears u-

It's a girl.

A really cute girl.

And she's really close to me.

Ah. Social anxiety. You're back!

Now with added hormones!

She was asian, although she also seemed to have short, unkempt, platinum blonde hair, but with a touch of pink held together at the back by a black ribbon.

The most striking thing were her silver eyes. Filled with both concern, and a sharp quality to them that was hard to describe.

Taking a step back for a second. I wasn't in the same room as before. In fact, there was a giant hole in the ceiling here. I think the floor must've collapsed beneath me when that wind started picking up.

I guess that would make this the base floor? Wait, no, the hole in the ceiling showed that I fell through at least two floors… which would mean I survived falling down two floors. Barely feel more pain than before, if anything I feel winded.

Damn. What does it take to kill me?

...on second thought, don't answer that.

"Ah good. I was actually starting to worry my master died within five seconds of summoning me. That definitely wouldn't look good on Okita-san." She says both relieved, and scoldingly at… herself? Is she speaking in the third person?

"Ah... um… right… wait. d-did… did you say m-master?" I stuttered out.

Master? What?

"Oh! Um, right. 'Ahem'" She backs up, and clears her throat, her voice shifting to sound deeper, and put on a serious expression. "I am servant Assassin Okita Souji. Here to answer the summons of the Grail. Tell me. Are you my master?"

"Wh-What?" k, so I'm confused.

Who is this girl?

What's this master stuff?

"Eh?" she is suddenly very confused too. "Did I say it wrong or something?"

"Um… I don't know? H-hold up a sec. Master? What are you talking about?" I try directing this towards an actual explanation.

"Oh. I guess you were a random pick or something? Do you… not know about the Grail War? Masters? Servants?" she tries probing me for what I do know.

"Grail war? As in… shit."

Japan.

Strange forces.

Monsters.

And… a Servant.

I looked at my hand.

Those were command seals. Formed in the shape of an hourglass.

"So you remember now then?"

I turned back to the girl.

"I... think I get the gist of it." I say carefully. The situation I was in starting to dawn on me.

"Ah, we're all good then." She seemed relieved at this. "Then we can get to the war?"

Right. The Holy Grail War.

On paper, a conflict between 7 Masters, and their Servants. Servants being the spirits of long dead heroes contracted to serve their summoners. The goal being to be the last ones standing, and obtain the Holy Grail, an omnipotent wish-granting device that can provide the winner with whatever their heart desires.

At least, that's what it is on paper.

Truth being, the Grail itself has long-since been corrupted by humans. Any wish made on the Grail would be twisted into some sick parody of what the winner wanted, like some kind of monkey's paw. That, and the fact that those decades worth of corruption will come spilling out of the Grail, killing thousands.

Last time it took place it ended in a disaster where thousands of people died.

And I just got myself, a normal human (not even a mage mind you) signed up for it.

… I might be a dead man.

If there was any silver lining to this, it was that I knew how a war was supposed to play out. Not because I was psychic, but because I've seen it before. In the form of the anime Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works (Hereby referred to as UBW).

How I got transported from the apocalypse, to a potentially apocalypse causing event was-

… actually. The two might have something to do with each other.

So what? More than just dimensional hopping, but time travel to a point before something bad could happen?

How did I get here? Unless there's someone in this reality capable of that sort of thing-


"AAACHOOO!"

The students in the room jumped at the sound of the old Vampire sneezing with the volume of a flashbang.

"Now what the hell…?" the geezer looked around, what for the students couldn't see themselves.

The master of the second magic knew someone was speaking of him, likely cursing his name.

"Why does everyone always blame me?" he wondered aloud. "Sure I'm a troll, but I've got better things to do than throw people around the multiverse for shits and giggles. Like… like that Ayako girl… it's been some time since I've made a tomboy Magical Girl…"

The other occupants of the room began to evacuate quietly, not wanting to be involved in the Magician's shenanigans, or anything involving 'Magical Girls'.

They were not interested in going to jail.


-I don't see how this was possible.

Getting back to me being in the war, I realize that I'm basically screwed 8 different ways.

No magecraft training. (Not even the half-assed training Shirou has)

No combat training. (So I can't pull a Kazuki)

No resources.

No backup. (Not counting the Servants themselves, which every master has by default)

No money.

No plan

No idea what I'm doing.

No idea if this is even the only route I'm familiar with.

See, the thing about the Fate/Stay Night series, is that though there are technically the same characters in every incarnation, they all take place in different timelines.

That's even assuming that this is even a Stay/Night branch! There's also Extra, Apocrypha, Zero, Phantasm, and god knows however many others there are in non-anime forms! The cannon of this series is fucking confusing!

And THAT'S even assuming this is even one of those branches our world knows about!

Not that any of that particularly matters. If this isn't UBW I'll be flying blind.

I could be in the first series and have no idea what's going on, because UBW's the only one I've watched. The only reason I know the others are in separate timelines, is because that's what I discovered trying to learn what to watch next after I saw UBW.

I know some series tend to get convoluted with time, but Jesus Christ! Trying to understand things about the series with nuance is insanely fucking difficult when explanations for the lore are spread out across 50 different timelines! And often spoilers for different series exist in the wiki's trying to explain those things, often without telling where those things are explained in the fucking series!

I really like this series. I really do. But GOD is it a headache to try to understand! Especially if you enter the series into a sequel of another anime which isn't even available on the same streaming site you use, and that original anime isn't even the original thing! It's an adaption of a visual novel. Which brings me back to UBW, which is an adaption of an adaption of a sequel to a visual novel. A visual novel that is hours long, and impossibly boring to sit through when I've got shit to do-!

Ah- Ahem. Sorry, went off on a bit of a tangent there.

Suffice to say, I only might have a general idea of what's going on. So I can't even count on an ability to call on knowledge of the future of the war.

So in other words-

"...I'm so fucked."

"Uh… Master?"

I turn surprised to the girl.

"Shit. Almost forgot she was here..."

"S-Sorry miss, just coming to terms with what I just got "volunteered" for." I admit. Kinda disappointed in myself. That was really rude of me.

"So you really are a random pick then?" She nods in understanding. "Don't worry! Assassin-san will keep her master safe! Just count on me!"

Enthusiastic, and confident. Good. That makes one of us.

"Alright, guess I haven't got much choice then. I guess we're supposed to do introductions then?" I think out loud before offering my hand for a shake.

"Robert Orso… who are you?" I try the greeting, mentally slapping myself for making the greeting sound awkward.

"Oh! I'm Okita Souji. Did… you not hear me when I did the thing?" she responded, again sounding worried she might have messed something up.

"Y-yeah, I just… (I'm really not good at this am I...?)" I muttered that last part under my breath. "Look, can we just move on?" I finish feeling defeated.

"Very well Master. Perhaps we should change topics?" she suggested, much to my relief.

"(Oh thank god), Right then! Back to the war I guess?" I put on a thoughtful expression.

"That sounds good. So, what's our first move?" She asked, getting serious again.

Right. First move.

Let's think here… I don't really know what it is I'm supposed to do. I wasn't expecting to be thrown into a fight to the death when I woke up this morning.

I know a thing or two about tactics. I play strategy games often enough to get a basic idea about how wars are fought. The first thing on the to-do list on any of those games I play is to collect information about the area I'm in, and the enemies I could be fighting. God knows I haven't a clue about where, or even when I am. So the first thing I ought to do is gather information about where, and when I am. Going back to the whole Multiverse thing, there's, what? 50/50 odds I might not even be in Fuyuki City Grail Wars?

Actually, now that I think about it, there is one person that ought to know a few details about what's going on.

"Hey, Okita? What exactly has the Grail told you about this grail war?" If there's one person that would know the basics about the war here, it would be her.

"Let's see…" she put on a thoughtful expression, and began listing details off like a list, "The Holy Grail War is a conflict that has been fought five(including this one) times in a city called Fuyuki. There are seven Servants, and seven Masters, fighting to obtain the artifact called the Holy Grail so the master, and their Servant may obtain a wish. And the Church is supposed to be the mediators of the whole thing." She finished.

So, the odds of this being a familiar war just shot up! Now I just need to confirm the same people are involved and I'll feel somewhat comfortable about filling out a real survival plan.

Yeah, a survival plan. Not a plan to win. The 5th Fuyuki war was a rigged fight from the start. Even if we could defeat the other servants, the issue of the grail itself being corrupted would remain an issue I don't know how to solve. And believe me, I doubt I can realistically beat Shinji at this point.

It was a bitter pill to swallow. The ideas of using that wish to return home, or stopping that apocalypse from hitting my earth are appealing. But things being what they are, I can't use that thing without there being a big chance it will only make the situation worse.

One might ask why I'm bothering to fight then. "Why bother to fight this war if you're so concerned about your life, and know there's no reward at the end?". Well, issue is, the only ways to give up your Servant involve either ordering them to kill themselves (Which I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with doing. Alive or not, Servants are people), or turning them into the Church. And I'm not stupid enough to hand another servant over to Kirei. Especially an Assassin.

So why not cut my losses and bolt for it? Well… another issue arises when, again, you realize I basically got nothing to work with here. I run for it here, I'll basically be a homeless, penniless foreigner in what may very well be the past. And if I try to get help in that regard by telling the truth, I'll very well be seen as a lunatic. Possibly even by magi.

There's also the fact that I've already screwed things up. Assassin was supposed to be a Sasaki Kojiro. And controlled by the Caster Servant. Not having him protect the Temple gates might completely change her strategy, thus changing the events of the war. The end results will change. And that is definitely not good for my health.

The UBW route might be the best route, or the worst route. That doesn't matter because that's the one I know. And ultimately, the end of the war in that one is far from a bad end. With the stakes involved… I'd rather fight to make sure this war ends about as well, or better than that one. At a bare minimum, I'll fight to make sure the world I'm currently in isn't actually hell.

So basically, I'm trapped between a rock, and a hard place.

If there's any chance of getting set up in this world, it's in this war. As deadly as it is, it's filled with as much opportunity as it is danger, grail or no grail.

Who knows? I might even be able to learn magecraft. After all, I'm apparently fueling a Servant right now. And I don't even feel much extra strain besides the pain I got left from earlier. If I recall correctly, that's something of an impressive feat. Or, at least, the sign of someone that has the potential to know what they're doing.

I'm honestly more of a sci-fi nerd than a fantasy one. Buuut, I'll definitely take to being a magic user.

...

Oh. Yeah. Forgot that little bombshell.

Magic is real apparently.

...wish I could say I was floored by that little surprise.

I'm more of an Agnostic than anything else, so suspending my disbelief isn't too difficult.

Putting a pin in that discussion.

Next move. It should be Recon. We need to know the date, and how long I got until the Grail War really kicks off.

I don't really think they gave us dates on a timeline for the war in the anime. If they did, I don't really remember. I think it mainly took place during the fall. That's just a guess based on context clues though.

How much time I have to get ready can significantly change my strategy. The most obvious change being how much time I have to prepare. If I'm really lucky, I might be able to learn how to do the basics in magic. I know it takes Magi years to learn their craft, but I can at least learn the basics so I won't be completely hopeless. Again, that's gonna be an issue onto itself.

Anyway, let's get this ball a'rollin!

"Reconnaissance. That's our first move." I looked to Assassin who, again, looked worried. "I-is something wrong?"

"You spaced out there. For a really long time. Are you sure you're okay Master?"

"... to be honest? No."

"Y-yeah it's just…" I pause. "Thinking how best to explain. Give me a minute here..."

I can't really say I got a reason not to tell her what's going on. Well, besides trying not to look crazy. But really, I can't say I know what's sane, or not anymore.

Well. Truth will set you free.

"It's sort of complicated… and I don't really have all the details." I take a breath, and tell the story so far.

"You see, the clip notes versions of the story so far is this- about… two-ish? Two hours ago, my life was pretty normal. I was coming home from highschool, in America, when all of a sudden, the apocalypse happened. The sky was lit on fire, earthquakes, black goo spilling from fissures that lit other stuff on fire... y'know, the generic shit. Also there were these big demonic wolf things… no idea what that was about. Anyway~! After that I… think I got hit by a car or something… and now I'm here. Now that would be confusing enough considering this is halfway across the world, but it's even worse when you take into account that the date should be about 2005, but when I woke up this morning it was 2015. And on top of that, the Fuyuki Grail Wars, are an entirely fictional event. From an Anime. So unless I hit my head harder than I thought… I think I just jumped realities. Then I found myself on the streets, after which I wandered into this abandoned mansion then I found a sword, and after I accidentally cut myself on that broken sword, the floor collapsed beneath me, then I guess I ended up in the basement? Then you showed up, aaand here we are. (And that's what happened last time on Dragon Ball Z)" I finished.

Okita thought about my story so far, and came to a conclusion.

"...okay."

"... beg pardon?" I mean, I know why I'm buying any of this. I was there. And I'm really a 'go with the flow' kinda guy. Especially when I don't have any control of the situation.

I was at least expecting some resistance to the idea that I'm from an apparently dying alternative reality.

As for the whole summoning a Servant without intending on it, I suppose that while it is improbable, it's not impossible. After all, Shirou did not intend to summon Saber that night.

"Ok. I don't disbelieve you. After all, I suppose I technically shouldn't be here either." she explained, sounding content.

"What do you… oh right." For a moment there, I thought she meant she wasn't from this reality either. What I think she means is she's supposed to be dead. Servants are long dead heroes after all. Though the Grail does the heavy lifting of getting them here, it's only due to the Mana of their Masters that they continue to exist in the land of the living.

Like the great Memelord Shirou Emiya once said, 'People die when they are killed.'

"Actually… on that note, who is she? I can't say I know the name Okita Souji." She was clearly a figure from Japanese history, or myth, but my education on the history of Japan was only really barebones.

"Let's think… she's a famous Japanese woman who fits the role of an Assassin… maybe she's some famous Ninja?" I resolved to ask about her past when I found the time.

"I mean, I could be lying... why believe me?" I'd take this with a grain of salt at best.

"One. It doesn't matter. If you aren't telling the truth, and I don't see why you wouldn't, it doesn't change the situation, we will fight our way through this. Two. I know a thing or two about telling when someone isn't telling the truth." right. Assassin. Probably has a great deal of experience in psychology, or info gathering. "Three. I think you're afraid."

I felt that like a mini sucker punch to the gut.

Was I afraid?... Yeah pretty much.

I wasn't exactly pissing myself in terror. It was less being terrified of some big jumpscare, or someone pointing a gun at my head, and felt more like… you're behind on rent, and one more missed payment means you're on the streets, and the boss has been laying people off left, and right, and you got some relative (parent, kid) relying on you. Meanwhile the local Mafia is shaking everyone down, so you only get to keep some of what you manage to get, the streets have been getting more, and more dangerous.

In other words, my fear is based on the fact that I don't have any control over my life right now. Anxiety.

"You've been zoning out every few minutes with this look on your face saying you don't know what to do. Also, the cuts you got on your way down here starting bleeding faster after you realized what's going on, implying an increased heart rate." I look at a larger cut on my arm. She wasn't wrong. "I don't think you're capable of making up lies on that grandiose a scale without all the inflections of a liar."

Well, guess I got Japanese Sherlock Holmes on my hands.

"I'm that bad am I?"

"So much for good first impressions… now I'm guessing I'm always gonna come off as a coward then?"

"If it were more obvious you'd have a sign pointing it out."

I was the picture of depression at the moment.

Perfect. Now I look like a coward in front of Japanese Sherlock Holmes.

...Shirolock Hittoromes?

"Hey! Didn't I say you shouldn't worry!? Just count on me!" Again, with the confidence…

I'd feel a little more at ease knowing who my protector actually was though. Considering the competition.

Demigods.

Monsters.

Time traveling Heroes of Justice.

King God-damned Arthur.

Odds are she's at least as powerful as them right?

...right?

"... alright (Not like I have another option anyhow)." Can't exactly opt out of the war now, can I? "I'll trust you- No, I have absolute faith in you Assassin. Together, we'll carve a path to the end of thi-!

The house groaned again, threatening to collapse on top of us.

We both froze for a moment.

"... maybe our first move should be to get out of this death trap?" she asks a bit quieter.

"Y-yeah… good call. Come on, let's find the exit." I say just as something shiny catches my eye.

Now, I'm not exactly what you'd call an ADD poster child, but when I see something out of place, I can't help but focus on that detail.

Walking over to the disturbance I-

"Okita?"

"What's wrong Master?"

"... I think our money problem might not be as serious as I thought."


Gemstones.

Hundreds of them.

Enough that, if peddled right, can set us up for at least a year. And leave enough over to use in practicing magecraft.

It became clear to me that this family either didn't believe in banks, or was using these stones for magic purposes, like Tohsaka. Either way, we were good in terms of being set up. So long as we found a place to actually sell the things.

Therefore, we were back to needing to do some reconnaissance. Learning all the useful locations in the city.

For tonight however, we needed a place to set up a temporary HQ.

The mansion simply wouldn't do. It was a hazard to be in. Though, we didn't explore the entire thing, meaning we might want to come back later to do a bit of… let's call it prospecting.

No one had come to claim the stuff in over 90 years after all. Can't really call it stealing if the owners don't really value it. Or, at least, aren't around anymore to claim them.

Finders looters, right?

Furthermore, we needed some medical supplies. These cuts have probably been infected or something at this point, and that's the last thing we need right now. With no idea of whether Japan has free, no questions asked healthcare or not, we're probably going to have to look for a local drugstore.

Finally, food.

I'm not exactly starving right now, but we're gonna need that, and some water at some point. Hence why we were back on the streets, hoping to find a map of the city or something else on the list. Not in any particular order, I'm not picky. So long as they get done.

Okita, meanwhile, was fascinated by what a modern city looked like.

"Those buildings… those lights…"

I assumed she was referring to the multi-colored lights illuminating, and moving about the town.

"Yeah, I guess it does have a charm of its own. Especially from a couple miles away." I find myself taking the time to admire it with her.

"I can only imagine what Edo looks like now…" she daydreamed.

"Edo..? Oh, uh y-yeah." I chuckled thinking of the urban sprawl that was Tokyo. "If you think this is impressive, remind me to take you there sometime. Assuming we make it outta this that is. Plus I kinda wanna see one of these bullet trains while I'm here."

The Servant looked at me in surprise.

"... I'll hold you to that Master." she smiled contently.

Without a map, navigating the place was like charting a maze. The foreigners district thankfully had numbered streets though. And now that I had my glasses, I could see there was actually English written smaller under the Japanese.

The plan at this point was to go to the city and find one of the items on the list.

I can only hope nothin-

I freeze for a moment, and look around.

"Look what we got here… a lost tourist."

We were being laughed at by the backup dancers of some unlucky punk.

They were mocking me, but I couldn't really understand what they were saying.

"Okita, I don't suppose they're saying they want to welcome me to their lovely city, are they?" I treaded carefully, hoping I was misunderstanding the situation.

"No. No they are not." She says with deadly seriousness.

The men started getting rowdy, apparently not liking me ignoring them.

"Well, looks like this is your chance to show what you got. Just… don't kill them if you can avoid it." I only asked because I know it ought to be easy for a heroic spirit. And I don't really know if she's paragon enough to actually let 'em live.

Don't get me wrong, if our lives were in danger, I wouldn't hesitate to give the order.

One of the men was about to charge me with a knife when all of a sudden-

Spittle and blood ejected from his ass.

… or his face, hard to tell with this bunch.

The punk collapsed as my Servant retracted her fist from his gut.

When the rest took their time to recover from the shock, one of the more uppity of the gaggle ordered the rest to 'get her!' or something along those cartoon villainy lines.

Okita moved almost faster than what a human ought to be capable of, and sent him spiraling to the concrete for the trouble.

I could almost hear a deadly smile when she said-

"With pleasure, Master."


End Theme: Fate/Grand Order: Nisha Senitsu (二者穿一) by Rokka (六花)