CHAPTER 3
- SHIROU POV -
"I ask you. Are you my Master?"
"Master?" I said, wondering what she was talking about.
"I, the Saber-class Servant, have come in response to your summons. Master, your orders. Henceforth, you hold my sword in your hands, and I hold your fate in mine. Our contract is thus formed." The knight now who claims my Servant(?) ran out of the shed. I snapped out of it and followed after her.
"What do you mean, "contract?"
I followed her and saw she was fighting with the guy who attacked me.
"You coward! Why do you conceal your weapon?!" Said the man with the spear as the fight continued. The knight was the next to speak.
"What's the matter, Lancer? No self-respecting spearmen stay rooted to the spot. I shall come to you if you do not come to me!"
"Before that, let me ask you one thing. Your Noble Phantasm: is it a sword?"
"Who can say? It might be a battle ax. Or perhaps it is a spear. Or it might even be a bow, Lancer."
"Very funny, swordswoman!" The man now known as Lancer prepares his stance.
"That stance..." I said.
"One more question. Since this is our first meeting, would you be interested in calling it a draw?" He continued.
"I think not. You will fall here, Lancer!"
"Is that so? A shame. I was only ordered to observe." His spear was covered with a crimson aura.
"I'll have your heart!"
He thrust forward with the spear in hand, attempting to attack her.
"Gae...Bolg!"
She defended herself with her invisible sword from his attack, but the force was too strong to protect. She was struggling to stop it. The fight ended with her being impaled by him.
"So you escaped my mightiest blow, Saber.
"A curse? No, an attack that reverses cause and effect? Gae Bolg... You are Ireland's Child of Light!"
"I messed up. If I use that move, it has to kill." Lancer was walking away as he continued.
"My lord is a coward, you see. You dodged my spear, so he's ordering me home."
"You would run?"
"You're more than welcome to follow me. But if you do, be prepared to die!" The fight ended with the spearman retreating—the man impaling the knight with his red spear.
"Wait, Lancer!" She stood wanted to chase him.
"I-Is she crazy?!" I said and chased her.
"Hey, are you all right?" Her wounds were healed in an instant.
"What the hell are you?" She turned to face me as she spoke.
"As you can see, I am a Saber-class Servant. As such, please call me "Saber. "
"I'm Shirou. Shirou Emiya."
"Emiya..."
"This house... No, that's not right. That isn't what I want to ask you.
"I understand. You're not a legitimate Master, are you? Nonetheless, you are my Master."
"Hang on. Isn't it weird to start calling me "Master" out of the blue?" She turned and faced me.
"I shall call you "Shirou," then. Yes. I much prefer the way that sounds." I felt a pain in the back of my hand. I looked into it and saw a tattoo.
"Wh-What are these?"
"They are called command Spells. Do try to avoid using them carelessly." I kept staring at my Command Spells as explained.
"Shirou, my wounds, if you please."
"You're asking me? Sorry, but complicated magic like that is beyond me."
"I shall face them in my current condition, then." She leaped up in the air and landed at the roof.
"There are two enemies outside. One more battle should not pose a problem."
"Enemies outside?" She ran off, and I decided to follow her while still wondering what she said.
"What do you mean?!" I ran out of the house and witnessed the fight in red clothing that I saw from earlier.
"Sto-!"
"Shielder!"
I was about to shout at her to stop when someone interrupted me.
*Thud!*
Then someone interfered in their fight, creating dust from the impact. The dust cleared, revealing a man with silver hair in black and violet armor. He was holding a massive shield and a sword in his waist.
'I recognize that hair. W-wait is that!'
"Another Servant?!" Shouted by another person. Saber stared at him as well.
"There is no way?! Sir-"
Saber said until a sudden shout cut her off.
"Stop this at once!"
'Wait, that's!' I looked at the source and saw Ritsuka, my sister, standing at the roof. She was wearing some uniform.
She jumped off the roof and landed on the ground.
"Stop fighting. We don't want to alarm any civilians. Or if you don't... we will stop you by force." Ritsuka continued to persuade them. Aniki revealed as the new arrived Servant readied his shield to attack.
'What's going on?! What is happening?! What is Aniki wearing?! Is he a Servant too?! Ritsuka seems calm about this. This is insane!'
"Ri-Ritsuka, Aniki, what are you-?"
"Not now. I'll explain later."
"What do you mean not now? What's with the armor, Aniki? I don't know what's going on, and I want you to explain everything!"
"That's why I'm telling you to wait a bit longer! We can discuss this inside!"
We were interrupted by a sudden voice.
"Heh...The Emiya siblings, huh. He has the Saber Servant while the other is an unknown Servant Class."
"Tohsaka?"
"Good evening Emiya-kun, Ritsuka-kun."
- RITSUKA POV -
We went inside the house except for Archer. He insisted on guarding outside while we discussed the matter. As we walk down the hall, we encounter the broken glass window earlier.
"Wow, it's cold! What is this? You've got a huge hole in your window!" Tohsaka complained.
"That's hardly my fault. I got attacked by that Lancer guy." My brother answered.
"Wait. You fought him on your own before you summoned Saber?"
"Not really. He just kicked my butt."
"Not even trying to make yourself sound good? I see. What you see is what you get." She was about to fix the broken glass, but I butt in.
"I'll do it." She stood back and let me fix it. With that, the window was good as new.
"Ritsuka... How are you a mage?" I didn't answer his question and kept quiet.
'Right! I forgot that Onii-chan doesn't know I can do magecraft!'
"You're one too, aren't you?" Rin asked him.
'Thank God!'
"No, not really. I can't do anything like what Ritsuka did."
"What do you mean, you can't? Working with glass is the most basic of the basics."
"I don't know any of these "basic" or fundamentals." Tohsaka sighed.
"He doesn't know anything?!" She asked me, and I nodded as my answer.
"Honestly, how did someone like you manage to summon Saber?"
'Well, he has the Scabbard.'
"Unlike your sister, she could do it without breaking a sweat. Well, whatever. First things first, I need to repay for earlier."
Now we are in our living room. When we arrived, Shielder and Saber were in the corner sitting by the side, waiting for us to arrive. We settled down as well, Onii-chan sat beside me, and Tohsaka sat on the opposite side of the table.
"All right, let's get down to business. You don't know what you're caught up in, do you?" Tohsaka asked Onii-chan, and he answered by nodding.
"To be blunt, you've been chosen as a Master. Have you noticed a brand somewhere on your body?"
"A brand?"
"She was talking about the Command Spells, Onii-chan," I said to him.
"O-Oh, these?"
"Yes. Those symbolize your status as a Master. They're also spells that bind your Servant. So as long as you have those, you can control your Servant." Tohsaka continued to explain.
"What do you mean, as long as I have them?"
"Command Spells are holy orders. They force your Servant's obedience, even if it means bending them to your will."
"Earlier, you were about to use them, remember? If I hadn't stopped you, you would have already wasted it. Remember, you only have three Command Spells, so please don't recklessly use them." I said to my brother.
"If you use them all, you'll probably be killed, so I suggest you exercise caution." Continued by Tohsaka.
"I'll be killed?" My brother became shocked hearing that.
"That's right." Tohsaka and I said in unison. She continued to explain the central part of the topic.
"The Holy Grail War is based around Masters defeating other Masters. Whichever Master prevails over other six will win the Holy Grail, which can grant any wish."
"Hey, hold on a second. What do you mean by "Holy Grail"?"
"To cut a long story short, you've been dragged into a ritual. One called the Holy Grail War, fought by seven Masters, a battle to the death between mages."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm simply laying out the facts. Besides, it should be obvious even to you at this point. After all, a Servant nearly killed you not once but twice. Isn't that right, Ritsuka-kun?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Ritsuka, you knew about this?!" My brother questioned me.
"Yes."
"Why? Why didn't you tell me?! Is it because of the "Holy Grail" thing?!"
"No."
"Then why?!"
"I can't tell you right now."
"Aniki, you too! You're a Servant?! Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Forgive me."
Just seeing my brother's face, he looks disappointed. Rin continued to explain the Holy Grail War to him while I kept quiet, waiting for them to finish. After their discussion, we decided to go to the church informing the *cough* Sadistic Priest *cough*. My brother changed in his usual clothes while Saber, since she couldn't dematerialize and she would draw too much attention, so my brother gave her a yellow coat. I was supposed to provide her with my clothes, but she declined. We were on our way to the Church, and there was silence between us.
"So Ritsuka-kun, can you explain your Servant's Class? You called him Shielder, right?" Rin wanted to break the silence and started a conversation.
"Why would I tell you?"
"Hmm..."
"By the way, why aren't you supposed to be in your spirit form?" I turn to Galahad. Instead of his armor, he is wearing his black suit.
"Well, Master, I just want to be around you to protect you from any danger."
"But you can just do it while in your Spirit form."
"I insist. And you once told me that it is more efficient in this form."
"Well, I did say that, all right. Do whatever you want."
- SABER POV -
I was staring at my knight and his Master, and I assumed her name was "Ritsuka."
'Is this Sir Galahad? He acts differently from I remember.'
[FLASHBACK] (Before the Masters arrived in the living room.)
Sir Galahad sat beside me, waiting for our Masters to come. It was quiet, and I wanted to start a conversation with him.
"Sir-"
"Shielder. Please call me Shielder, My king."
"Then Shielder it is then." He nodded.
"Shielder, what is your purpose in here?"
"I just came to answer my Master's summons."
"Then answer this question. What is your wish for the Holy Grail?"
"My wish?..." He stopped for a moment before he answered.
"Forgive me. I do not have one."
"That's impossible?! Surely you have a wish you want to be granted?!" He shook his head, admitting he did not have one.
"What about Camelot?! Your father, Sir Lancelot? Don't you want to change that?!" He flinched, hearing his father's name. I can see that he still has a grudge against him.
"Yes, I admit that I still despise my father for what he had done, but I do not want to change from what happened because it was fated. When Master summoned me, I swore an oath to protect her with all my life when she was young. And as the years went by, she gave me a simple life that I never once had in my lifetime. I do not have a wish, nor do I regret what happened in the past, for I lived life how I wanted and did what I was taught to do. I helped many and live long, fulfilling life."
He had a soft expression on his face. I was shocked that he could make that face.
[END OF FLASHBACK]
'Sir Galahad, what happened to you.'
- RITSUKA POV -
We arrived at the church. I am not too fond of it here because there are corpses in this place. Even though they hadn't seen it, I knew what it looked like down there. It's creepy just by imagining it. My Servant saw my distress and came close to me.
"Master, is everything all right?"
"I'm fine, don't worry, Shielder." I smiled at him to hide my distress. He wasn't convinced, but he decided to ignore it. The Servants chose to stay outside the church and wait for us. So we Masters entered the church.
"Tohsaka, what sort of person is the priest here?" My brother asked her.
"He's my legal guardian. Also, as a Magus, he's my elderly fellow pupil, and you might even call him my Second teacher."
"Magus? A church's priest is also a member of a heretical Council of Mages?"
"That's why he's such a pain to put up with." She turned her head to him and continued.
"His name is Kirei Kotomine. He was a pupil of my father's. We've been forced to put up with each other for ten years." As she was talking, the man himself started walking towards us.
"If I had my way, I never would have met him in the first place."
"I, too, desired to have a pupil who fails to show her teacher the proper respect." The fake priest said.
"I've brought the Seventh Master to see you. He's technically a Magus, but he's a complete novice. I couldn't stand by and watch." She continued as the Priest stared at him.
"What might your name be, my son?"
"Shirou Emiya."
"Shirou Emiya?" Then he started to stare at me this time.
"And you are? I see that you are a Master as well."
'Hmm... I don't even want to tell you, but I have no choice. ' "Ritsuka Emiya."
"Your Emiya as well."
"Ritsuka Emiya. Are you the Berserker's Master?"
"No, I'm not."
"Hoo."
"As you can see, I am the Eighth Master. "
"Oh, then what is your Servant's Class."
"Shielder."
"Shielder? I never heard such a thing. Can you explain?"
"Sorry, I am clueless as you." 'Why would I tell you?! '
"Well, that was unfortunate." Then he turned back to my brother.
"Shirou Emiya. I presumed that you are the Saber's Master?"
"You've got it all wrong."
"Hmm?"
"All this stuff about Masters and Holy Grail Wars. I don't understand a word of it."
"This is a serious problem. Very well. This is the first time that Rin has ever asked for my help. For that, Shirou Emiya, I will never be able to repay you. Listen. Being a Master isn't something that can be handed over to another. And once you have become one, neither can you simply quit. The Command Seals you bear are also stigmata. The role of Master is a trial that is bestowed upon one. One cannot simply walk away from it simply because it is inconvenient. If you truly wish to give up your status as Master, your only option is to obtain the Holy Grail to make your wish come true."
"Make my wish come true?"
"If you acquire the Grail, any wish can be yours, even cleaning any tarnish your soul may have acquired. Indeed, it is even possible to go back and start all over from the beginning."
'Lies. ' Then I noticed from earlier that he was staring at me instead of at my brother. 'Is it just me, or is he staring at me when he had the chance. '
"So you should make your wish. And should the time come, thank your lucky stars that you were chosen as a Master. If you wish to erase those invisible burns that you carry, simply accept your stigmata."
"Kirei, would you please get to the point? I asked you to explain the rules to him."
'I can't take this anymore. ' "If your gonna tell him about the rules, then I'm leaving." I started to walk out of here and was about to hold the doorknob until the priest spoke.
"Ho, don't you want to know. I'll gladly share it with you."
"No need. I already knew about it. I just came here to inform you that I'm the Eighth and my Servant's Class. Well, if you'll excuse me." I decided to leave early while he explained the rules in the Holy Grail to my brother. 'I'm sorry, Onii-chan, but I can't stand in there. '
Galahad saw me as I approached them.
"Master, are you all done?"
"Well I am, but Onii-chan and Tohsaka-senpai are still in there."
"Why didn't you wait for them?" This time it was Saber who asked.
"I...I can't stand in there, especially that Priest inside." I looked back at church, and I saw ARCHER at its top. He was also looking at me as if he was observing my actions. 'Is he from another alternate timeline or the same as this one? In the end, he still became a Counter guardian. I don't even know if he recognizes me. '
"Onii-chan..." I mumbled. I turned back my attention to the Knights. "Let's just wait for them to finish."
"Right." My Servant replied.
"Saber, I'm sorry if I haven't introduced myself earlier. You may already know me as my Onii-chan's little sister. I go by Ritsuka. Ritsuka Emiya. Nice to meet you, Saber."
"Ritsuka...What a beautiful name."
"Thank you. I assumed you knew each other." They both flinched at my statement.
"You know who I am." She asked, and I nodded.
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone, even my brother. You can trust me for that."
- SABER POV -
'She knows who I am. But how? Did Sir Galahad tell her? '
"If you're wondering that my Servant told me your identity, the answer is no."
'Huh? That's absurd! '
"How did you-"
"Figured it out? Well, I have my ways."
"Ritsuka, is it? I want to know what is your wish for the Holy Grail?"
"My Wish..."
- BACK TO SHIOU POV -
"Geez, you could have told me that in the first place! So even if you fight in the Holy Grail Wars, that doesn't mean you'll die, Tohsaka?" I said to Tohsaka. But Kotomine continued.
"Let me ask you something. Do you think you could defeat your Servant?" I was startled by that question.
"Servants are mighty. Even other Servants have trouble defeating them, so their Masters go without saying. But a Servant cannot exist without a Master. In which case..."
"It means that the most efficient way to defeat a Servant is to kill its Master."
"Yes, but a Servant that's lost its Master doesn't simply disappear immediately. A different Master can use his Command Seals to forge a new pact. A Master who's lost his Servant and a Servant who's lost its Master can make a new pact and rejoin the battle." Tohsaka said.
"So, what happens if you use up your Command Seals? Wouldn't that set your Servant free, and it could make a pact with a different Master?"
"That's exactly right. If you use up your Command Seals, you will be freed from your duties as Master. Of course, it would mark him as incompetent if there were such a Magus. No, a mere fool." He replied that I was not too fond of his last statement.
"If that should happen to you, I guarantee you your safety. That is my duty as overseer of this series of Holy Grail Wars. This is the Fifth Holy Grail War held here in this city. The last one was ten years ago."
"Have you lost your minds?! You're telling me that you've done this four times?!"
"The Holy Grail Wars of the past had grown altogether too brutal. The Masters were driven by their desires and simply butchered one another indiscriminately. Because of that, the Council of Mages dispatched an overseer beginning with the Third War. That man was my father. And I have inherited that post from him."
"I guess the Holy Grail Wars bring out the worst in people."
"Hoo."
"I mean, those earlier Masters were the type of people who broke the rules of the Magi, right? What would happen if people like that got the Holy Grail and used it out of self-interest? It would be a disaster if a guy who doesn't think twice about killing others got the Grail, right?"
"The Council of Mages does not interfere, regardless of the personality of those who try to win the Grail. We only watch over the wars to ensure that the rules of the Holy Grail Wars are being kept. If you take issue with that, then survive the contest. Surely that is the most effective way, not relying on others."
"Mind your own business! I don't have any reason to fight, and I'm not interested in this Grail of yours."
"So in that case, you're also not interested in the calamities that might be caused by the person who wins the Grail, I take it? Are you not concerned about certain events that transpired ten years ago?"
'What?! '
"At the end of the last Grail War, the Grail was touched by someone unworthy. We don't know what this Master was hoping for. All we can be sure of are the scars left behind by that disaster."
'You mean...'
"Correct. That conflagration whose cause is listed as unknown to this very day is the scar left by the Holy Grail Wars."
- RITSUKA POV -
"My Wish...I don't have a wish." Saber gasped.
"Why?"
"I don't care about the Grail. I never wanted the Grail in the first place."
"I don't understand you..."
"I can understand that, but..."
- THIRD-PERSON POV -
The scene was with Kotomine.
"I ask you again. Shirou Emiya, do you or do you not intend to participate in this Holy Grail Was as one of the chosen Masters?"
"I'll fight."
"If you're saying that the Holy Grail Wars caused that fire ten years ago."
"I can't let anything like that happen again."
"Rejoice, boy! Your wish will finally come true. " Shirou freezes in his tracks.
"You know what I mean. After all, you can't protect something if there is nothing to protect.."
"!"
"Farewell, Shirou Emiya. This will be my last warning, but take care of yourself on your way home. Your world will change completely from now on. You are now at the point of killing or being killed. That means you have to eliminate your sister."
"Tsk."
"That is what it means to be a Master." Shirou left the priest alone in silence once the doors closed.
"Shirou Emiya. What an interesting person you are. And Ritsuka Emiya, your very existence is very unexpected. This Holy Grail War will be an interesting one."
The Two Masters Reunited with Ritsuka and the other Servants. They decided to go home, but Tohsaka wanted to part ways.
"I've fulfilled my obligation to you." Said Tohsaka.
"You're a good person, Tohsaka."
"Huh? Flattering me won't make me go easy on you."
"Shirou!"
Then Saber sensed something and alerted them. They saw Illya, the other Master with Berserker behind her. She then decided to speak.
"Are you done talking?"
[EXTRA]
[ARCHER AND SHIELDER'S FIRST ENCOUNTER]
- ARCHER POV -
"Shielder!"
*Thud!*
Suddenly, something or someone interfered in our fight with the Saber Class Servant. The dust cleared, revealing a man with silver hair in black and raven armor. He was holding a massive shield and a sword in his waist.
"Another Servant?!" Shouted by my Master. He looked up to us, specifically me, with his golden eyes.
'Who is this Servant?'
"Ugh!"
"Huh, "Aniki"? You want to call me that, sure I don't mind."
"-, do you need some help?"
"Seriously, why do you always fall asleep here?"
"- run!"
"- protect my Master for me."
I snapped back to reality and stared back at the newly arrived Servant. The Saber stared at him as well.
"There is no way?! Sir-" Said by her until a sudden shout cut her off.
"Stop this at once!"
We looked at the source and saw a girl standing on the rooftop. She had red-orange hair, just like the Saber's Master. She jumped off the rooftop and landed on the ground.
"Stop fighting. We don't want to alarm any civilians. Or if you don't... we will stop you by force."
The new arrived Servant readied his shield to attack that I assumed she was his Master. Looking at her somehow, she is also somehow familiar to me.
"-, Karage, please~!"
"- will you please help me?"
"Wow, that looks good. As expected of -."
"I'm sorry -."
"-!"
I shed a tear, but I wiped it off quickly so no one would notice.
'That girl...'
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- KIREI POV -
"Kirei, you found something interesting again. Am I correct?"
"Yes. It might seem so."
"That girl from earlier, she feels different from the rest."
"You felt that too."
"What do you want me to do, Kirei?"
"For now, we will wait. I don't want to end it so easily. Will you watch and wait? I can assure you I'll entertain you."
"MUAHAHAHAHA, you amuse me Kirei. Very well, I will wait as long as it takes. I will see what this Grail War can offer."
"We will see."
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- ? POV -
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