Author's Note

I must say, coming up with and writing Caster's Reality Marble was an experience I do not want to go through again. I lost count on the amount of times I got so frustrated with it that I trashed the entire thing to start over. I hope you enjoy this chapter far more that I hated writing this! :P

Chapter 3

Saber was standing on a mound of corpses and broken weapons. A closer examination of those corpses sent a flood of emotions welling up in Saber's psyche.

She realised that she was back in the site of the Battle of Camlann, and the corpses were of two opposing armies, all of which were her own subjects that she ruled over as King of Britain.

Looking straight ahead, she sensed familiarity in everything that her eyes saw. She, too, sensed that every smell was just the way it was like on that fateful day. As she continued to pause, she could also tell that everything she could feel, be it the breeze tossing her hair gently about, or even the pain she felt in the many wounds in her body, it was all just like what happened that day.

"There you are, O King!"

Saber turned around slowly.

She didn't have to wonder who it was that called out to her.

That figure, clad in white armour with elaborate red etchings serving as its accents, was someone whose identity Saber had no need of deducing, despite the figure wearing a horned helmet in similar colours as its armour that fully concealed its head.

"Your reign is over, Arthur! Abdicate, or die by my hands!" Mordred challenged, raising Clarent in preparation of the duel.

Saber said nothing in reply, simply raising Excalibur in response.

Rider woke up with a start. He sat at his bed for a moment, blinking several times. Taking one deep breath, he smelled something familiar. Seeking to confirm that smell, he quickly got up, picked up his sword, and walked to the entrance of his tent.

As he swept the flap of the tent aside, he was confronted with a very familiar sight: the wide, rolling grasslands of the steppes where his tribe originated from. There, as far as his eyes can see, was his tribe, his armies, and his people. They seemed to be dressed for an important occasion, and they were in a merry mood.

"Wha-"

"My chieftain, it is not like you to be up and about this late," one of his lieutenants chided.

"This… This isn't real," Rider replied, irritated at what he is seeing.

"My apologies, my chieftain. I should not be speaking to you in such an… uncouth manner," his lieutenant spoke. "Is everything alright?"

Rider turned around and grabbed his lieutenant by the arm. "Tell me! Where am I!? This is clearly not real!"

Rider's lieutenant began shaking nervously when he was grabbed by the arm. "Wh-what do you mean? We are encamped at just three days ride from the Gothic borders. My chieftain, are you alright?"

"I was clearly fighting Caster and this must be an illusion that she conjured up! Where is that accursed woman!?" Rider demanded, pushing his lieutenant aside.

Several of his lieutenants rushed over when they heard the commotion. Rider raised his sword, demanding for them to stay back, all the while trying to understand the meaning behind all of this. As this happened, he could feel his head spin as he felt a sense of vertigo overcome himself. Collapsing to the ground, he could see his lieutenants trying to rouse him as he lost his consciousness.

Bram Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri swallowed hard as he beheld everything that transpired around Rider. He was trapped in an ethereal form, and was not able to directly communicate with Rider nor interact with the reality that Rider was experiencing.

"This… This is definitely a Reality Marble."

"Fu fu fu… You are truly an outstanding mage to figure the nature of my Noble Phantasm so quickly," Caster laughed.

"I'm the best magus in the Association," Bram retorted. "I'd obviously know!"

"You're right about my Noble Phantasm being a Reality Marble in essence, but unfortunately, you still do not know what my Noble Phantasm is truly capable of doing," Caster replied. You're currently existing in the actual Marble, in the same plane as I am at. However, your Servant is existing in a Marble within the actual one. If he dies in that Marble, it will be the end of him, and I will turn my attention to you, with no fear of retaliation," Caster continued.

No sooner did Caster finish her words when Bram was accosted by Mikhel, the latter easily putting the former in a triangle choke hold from behind. Bram tried to put up a struggle, but Mikhel's grip was far too strong.

"Fu fu fu… Don't bother trying any form of Magecraft here. All magical spells within the parent Marble has been nullified. I, as the owner of the Marble, have the sole ability to perform Magecraft here," Caster warned. "Just sit tight and watch as your Servant experiences his death all over again."

Rider woke up for the second time, and this time, his body went into a heightened state of alert. Despite this, however, he could not feel his body respond the way he wanted it to respond. It somehow felt as if every joint on his body was hanging from cords, and that his entire weight was suspended from these cords.

Almost akin to the string puppets he used to witness in marketplaces, where people were paid to entertain children.

Only difference is, he is the puppet on display for Caster's entertainment.

His thoughts were cut short when Ildico stepped into the tent, wearing the ceremonial clothes of his tribe. She also carried in her hand a large jug of wine, clearly taken from the supply tent during the festivities.

"What are-"

"Hush now, my love," Ildico cooed. "It's been a long day for us, but the night is only just beginning," she continued, even as she poured the wine into the two cups that were already laid out in Rider's tent. "You have clearly had too much to drink, but I suppose the drinks we share now won't be too much for you, given that our first night as newlyweds should involve us both having some wine together before you can have your way with me," Ildico continued, placing the jug on the table and picking both cups up.

Rider continued to struggle against the invisible cords binding his joints, but he was unable to do anything against it. Instead, his body moved on its own accord as he found himself walking to the divan and leaning back upon it.

"Come now, my love," Ildico's soft voice was heard as she approached Rider. "Allow me to be the one to serve you with your drink."

Rider tensed. He experienced this in his lifetime. He knew exactly how this scene was going to play out.

Back then, he was too drunk with wine to mount a struggle, but right now, he was completely sober, and on top of that, he had the benefit of experiencing it once.

His death, that is.

Ildico set one cup on the ground next to the divan and picked up a piece of cloth. She then proceeded to quickly place the cloth over Rider's mouth and nose before slowly pouring the wine on the cloth.

Rider began to cough and choke violently as he struggled to breath. He placed both his hands on Ildico's hand, but before he could push them away, Ildico's servants and handmaidens snuck into the tent and proceeded to pin Rider down while Ildico continued to pour the wine onto the cloth.

Under normal circumstances, Attila the Hun would be able to fight off several men at once, but here, after one too many nights in of revelry and one too many drinks over several nights, he was unable to muster the strength to fight back against his assassin.

However, this wasn't the case right now, as he was actually sober. What held him back this time was the fact that he is bound by the fate he suffered from, and his consciousness was merely a passenger in this trip back in time.

"I hope you are not too inebriated to understand what I'm about to tell you, my love," Ildico finally spoke, her voice cold and hard as she glared at Rider. "You were right, I had a motive for our union."

Rider's eyes were fixated on Ildico's eyes despite the struggle he put up against Ildico and her servants. Ildico simply continued to slowly pour the wine over the cloth, depriving Rider of air as he choked on the liquid that was entering his airways, blocking them from receiving the air he desperately needed.

"Your people, and your armies… You see, they are a threat to our society," Ildico explained, draining the first cup of wine. She reached to the ground to pick up the second cup while one of her handmaidens picked up the large jug on the table and brought it over to Ildico's side. "We, the Goths, have decided to rally under the Roman banner, but we must have forgotten to make that known to anyone else. And as part of the promise of the alliance, I have been given a very important mission from my father."

Rider continued to choke as he tried to gasp for air. He could feel his lungs burn as they filled with wine, which exacerbated his difficulty to breathe. His vision began to fade as he struggled, and he knew that there was nothing that he could do to turn the outcome to his favour.

"I was afraid you would have discovered the true nature of my wish to be united with you, but I'm fortunate that despite you sending your men to keep a very close eye on me, you were unable to discover my true intentions."

With that, Ildico took the jug from her handmaiden and poured the contents on the cloth, further drowning Rider in wine. Once she ran out of wine, she took a pillow that was near the divan and smothered Rider's face with it.

Rider's struggle weakened as he felt his life loosening its grip on him. As his life left his body, he could hear Ildico instructing her handmaidens to undress them, remove the cloth covering Rider's face, and leave the tent before she let out a piercing cry that alerted his retinue to the tent, only to discover his body lying there, seemingly choked on too much wine as he consummated his union with Ildico.

Bram was rendered speechless as he witnessed the events of Rider's previous life and subsequent death unfold before him. Such was his surprise that he all but forgot his current predicament of being locked in a chokehold by Mikhel.

"Fu fu fu… isn't this something?" Caster asked, giggling as she watched. "I must say, I never quite understood your Servant's reason for being so suspicious of me, but I'm so glad we witnessed all of these events."

Bram tried to speak, but Mikhel's hold was tight, like a python's grasp as it constricts its prey. He was already having a lot of difficulty breathing as it is.

"You must be wondering about my Noble Phantasm, Master of Rider," Caster said, casting a knowing glance at Bram. "You see, my Reality Marble allows me to select and then take a peek at the deaths of anyone within it, following which, that person will remain on the edge of death, which leaves me free to do as I will."

Caster stepped closer to Bram, who was still struggling against Mikhel's grip.

"I did think of taking a peek at yours, even though you have yet to taste death. Of course, if you're curious as to how you are going to die, I would be more than happy to show you," Caster continued, giggling as she walked past Bram. "You do possess something that I greatly desire, though, and I spared you because I would like to obtain that which is yours first."

"Mmmmmph! Mmmmph!"

Bram tried to speak up in protest, but Mikhel only tightened his grip on Bram. When Caster was only but a few inches away from Bram, she lightly held Bram's right hand and prised it away from Mikhel's hand, rolling up Bram's sleeve to reveal his Command Seals.

"Now then," Caster continued, staring coldly at Bram, whose eyes flashed with anger. "You have been a thorn in my side for quite a while now, and I must say, your persistence is quite remarkable. However, as you can see, you can't outwit one who has spent their entire life outwitting kings and lords."

"Mmmmmph!"

"Choose now, Master of Rider," Caster commanded. "Hand me your Command Seal, or I take your hand from you."

Mikhel loosened his grip on Bram, allowing him to speak.

"How about you kiss my bloomin' arse!" Bram spat back in reply.

Caster merely froze in silence at that reply, seemingly incensed by Bram's defiance.

"I will take that answer as your second choice," Caster replied after a brief pause. "Come now, this will definitely hurt you, and I will make sure that it will not end quickly."

Bram was not even listening to Caster as he was shouting loudly while Caster was still speaking.

"By authority of the Command Seals, heal yourself!" Bram shouted hurriedly.

Immediately, a burst of prana bloomed out of Bram's hand, pushing Caster off balance. A shaft of light shone down on a severely weakened Rider and within moments, an enraged Rider came rushing at Caster, sword in hand.

"It's over, you cursed witch!"

Caster was taken aback by the sudden reversal of the situation, but despite her surprise, she quickly attempted to restrain Rider with her summoned tentacles. Rider was caught mid thrust, the point of his sword only just a few inches away from Caster's torso.

Rider grunted as he struggled against his bonds.

"You were close, yet again," Caster sighed.

"This close is all I need," Rider grinned.

Caster was taken aback by Rider's unexpected reply, and immediately tried to teleport herself out of range of Rider, but Rider was just as quick at activating his Noble Phantasm.

"Isten Kardja!"

The air around Rider's sword was ripped asunder as a wave of energy shot out from Rider's sword, and the blast's power spread out like a cone at Caster.

Thanks to Caster's teleportation spell, she was able to prevent herself from getting killed by Rider's attack, but she still sustained injuries from Rider's attack since she was caught in the blast momentarily while she was casting her teleportation spell. Having teleported behind Rider, she wasted no time in summoning a tentacle to stab Rider from the back.

"Ku-hack!"

Rider coughed blood as he got stabbed by Caster. Turning his head, he could see Caster, lowering her injured right hand after using it to summon the tentacle that stabbed him. He tried to turn his body to face her but he had to contend with the tentacles' grip on his limbs.

"This time, I landed a hit on you," Rider declared as he struggled to free himself.

"That is a rather arrogant statement, given your conundrum," Caster replied, breathing heavily as she struggled to stand up straight. "I should have just killed your Master right away instead of trying to bargain for his Command Seals." Turning to Mikhel, who still obediently held Bram despite his worried look, Caster gave the order.

"Snap his neck now and let's be done with it!"

"I won't let you!" Saber declared, charging at Mikhel. Using the properties of her Invisible Air: Barrier of the Wind King, she closed the gap between herself and Mikhel in an instant and was able to land a punch on Mikhel's head before he could use Bram as a human shield against her attack. Mikhel was knocked out from the punch and collapsed to the ground, releasing Bram from his grip.

"How… how did you escape my Reality Marble!?" Caster demanded, taken aback by the sudden appearance of Saber.

"I merely allowed your little pantomime to play itself out," Saber answered, clutching her wound. "It's true that my duel with Mordred is the cause of my death, but you have forgotten that I still lived on for a while more after receiving that wound."

"How could you know so much about my Reality Marble!?" Caster replied angrily.

"You forget who you were, haven't you?" Saber answered. "You spent time in my courts before you decided to go into seclusion. During that time, Merlin kept an eye on you as you developed your Reality Marble to be used against all who opposed you."

"Damn you, sister!" Caster grumbled. Realising that her Noble Phantasm was useless at this state, she allowed the Marble to dissolve, returning everyone within the Marble to the Einzbern Castle.

Saber, despite labouring for breath, continued to stand her ground against Caster, aiming her sword at Mikhel, who was still lying on the ground, knocked out. "It's over for you, Morgan! We both know you do not possess any threats against me now."

Caster, who was likewise labouring for breath, cursed under her breath. Although she had Rider bound and at her mercy, she would achieve little. Her beloved Master was out for the count, and even if she revived him now, he was at a disadvantageous situation as Saber had her sword aimed at Mikhel's neck.

What's more, she was completely cornered now.

Shiro and Rin, who was not in the vicinity when Caster activated her Reality Marble, was not caught up in the chain of events leading up to now, and they immediately rushed over when everyone within the Marble reappeared in the present time.

Luvia, who had only just finished dealing with Berserker, was also approaching Caster. The absence of her Servant, along with her sombre face, told enough.

Not too far behind Luvia, was Bree, who had a visibly shaken Viola with her, covered in a blanket. Bree's stone golems was also coming up behind them.

"There's absolutely nothing that you can do now, Morgan," Saber declared.

Bram, who was at first taken aback by the turn of events, hurriedly got up, dusting his clothes as he did so. Striding up to Rider, who was still bound by Caster, he looked at Rider's eyes quietly while he laid his hands on Rider's sword. Rider was quick to understand Bram's intentions and promptly allowed Bram to take up the sword.

Caster, who was still standing there, wounded and helpless, was also quick to understand Bram's intentions, and was troubled by it. "You dare!" Caster shouted. "Take one step towards me with that sword, and I will skewer your Servant's heart before you do so!"

Bram hesitated for a moment.

"Remember what I told you, Master!" Rider urged.

Steeled by Rider's words, Bram lunged at Caster.

The ground was soon painted red with blood as it was spilled, but the blood did not belong to Caster.

Both Bram and Rider groaned as they were impaled by Caster, who impulsively attacked the both of them out of self preservation. "I told you that I would do it!" Caster screamed.

"You… bitch!" Bram coughed. "Won't you just die!"

"I will not!" Caster declared. Who's going to stop me? "I know my sister too well; she will not harm my Mikhel, no matter how dire her situation is now!"

Bram turned his eyes at Saber, who was angered by Caster's actions, but was still hesitant to follow through with her threat of cutting Mikhel's head off.

"Saber… you are… weak," Rider commented, his strength departing him due to him receiving a mortal wound. "I must… admit… even my stupid Master has… the mental fortitude you lack," he continued.

Caster was about to open her mouth to speak, but as she did, she was suddenly stabbed from behind and instead of words, blood left her mouth.

"Don't you dare sully Saber's ideals with your broken one, Rider!" Shiro declared, as he drove his blade deeper into Caster.

"You… talk about ideals when you stabbed me from behind!?" Caster spoke, groaning in pain.

"I will do what it takes to stop you, Caster," Shiro replied. "Saber's ideals are what makes her the King of Knights, and nobody shall take those ideals away from her."

Pulling his blade out from Caster, Shiro turned her around violently before stabbing her through the heart. "At least the killing blow is not from behind, this time!"

Caster, who was mortally wounded, only managed a defiant smile as she lost her grip on her life, her body beginning to dissolve and scatter into the wind.