Fate Identity Reborn

by Nick of Fire

Kirei Kotomine, at the temptations of Gilgamesh, gave in to his dark desires and caused a flood of death and tragedy. But, what if he didn't give in and remained true to his ideals? A cavalcade of changes would follow. The birth of the makeshift family of Kirei, Rin, Sakura, and Caren. Another makeshift family of Artoria, Irisviel, Illyasviel, and Gray. This is a new Fate.

2. Chapter 2: Saber the Guardian

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 2: Saber the Guardian

Noise.

Rin heard noise. The little girl, less than a few days since she moved into the Fuyuki Church, heard noises that roused her from her sleep. Her eyes peeled open to be met with the darkness of the late night.

That noise. It was moaning. Not just moaning, crying. There was only one other person in the room.

"Sakura."

Rin shot out of her bed and across to Sakura's on the other side. Her little sister was quaking. She clutched at her own body. Her breathing was uneven. In and in. Out. In. Out and out and out. She was hyperventilating.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Rin touched her sister. A shriek came from Sakura that echoed throughout the house.

It took an instant for Kirei to charge into the room. He silently scanned the area and when Sakura entered his sights, he dashed over. "She's having a panic attack. She must have had a nightmare. Sakura, can you hear me? You're okay Sakura." He tried to get hold of her but she flailed wildly.

"The worms! The worms! They're supposed to be gone! I can still feel them!"

Were the worms still inside her? That didn't make sense. Kirei was too thorough a person to miss any. No, she must have had a nightmare about the Matous torturing her. Kirei had only spoken briefly of any details of what Sakura went through, but it sounded horrible. Worms entering the body and doing terrible things, Rin couldn't even properly imagine it. But, it was so terrible Sakura was reacting this way upon just having a dream about those days that weren't so long ago.

Kirei kept trying to help Sakura. He tried to get her to slow her breathing by following his lead, but she was barely receptive to what was actually going on around her. She was still halfway in the nightmare.

Kirei stepped away. "I don't know if there's anything I can actually do. It might be best to just let her go through this until it naturally passes. Either that or I could try using my Spiritual Healing, but I'm better with more esoteric mental deterioration than regular panic attacks. I might have some medication somewhere, but I doubt I could get her to imbibe it."

Did Sakura go through this all the time back with the Matous? Not just the torture, but thse horrible nightmares? Did she not even get to be free in her dreams?

This wasn't fair. After everything, how could Sakura still be forced to suffer?

Rin needed to help her. She was Sakura's sister. She left her at the Matous for too long. She had to take responsibility.

Rin walked over to Sakura.

"Rin, what're you doing?"

Rin grasped Sakura's hand. The purple haired girl whipped her limbs out at Rin who was hit multiple times. "Sakura, it's okay. You can get through this." Rin kept getting pummeled. Kirei grabbed her but before he pulled her away, Sakura stopped striking out, instead shifting to trembling, as if ready to be hit herself. "Sakura, it's your big sister. Concentrate on breathing. You can do this." Sakura responded. Her breathing gradually, over the course of minutes as everyone stayed in place, returned to an even rate. "You're okay Sakura. I'm proud of you."

"R-Rin?" Sakura was coming to her senses. "Rin, what happened? You're all red."

"I'm okay. Do you need anything?" Rin smiled. She'd take however many blows she had to in order to help her little sister.

"I-I-I'm scared. The w-worms. They keep appearing."

"The worms are gone, Sakura. You're okay. Do you want me to sleep in your bed with you tonight? I'll make sure you're safe."

"Yes please."

Rin turned to Kirei. "We'll be okay. I'll stay with her."

Kirei was genuinely shocked. It was so rare to see him in such a state. Rin was proud to know she could faze the likes of him. "You're hurt."

"I'll be fine. I'm a Tohsaka. A Tohsaka can endure anything."

A pause as Kirei thought before silently relenting. He left the room as Rin crawled into Sakura's bed. The purple haired girl buried her face into her sister's chest. Petting her little sister's hair, Rin watched as Sakura slowly closed her eyes, her breathing slowing to a gentle rhythm.

This would be far from the last night that Sakura would have a panic attack such as this, and these breakdowns were far from limited to the hours of sleep. But, no matter what, Rin was always there to comfort her sister and return her to a state of calm. With a vow born from as deep inside herself as she could reach, Rin decided she would never abandon her sister again and would forever be her protector. Sakura needed to be protected. There were people like the Matous out there that loved to hurt others. Rin couldn't let them take advantage of Sakura. The two sisters would always be together so Rin could watch over Sakura and make sure nobody she didn't approve of went near her.

Rin's duty was to Sakura first and foremost. That was how older sisters should act, and it was what Sakura deserved. After all the horrible things she experienced, Sakura was owed whatever she wanted.

Rin had failed her sister before, and she never would again.

Rin walked through the halls of Homurahara Academy, flicking her still damp hands. The air hand dryer failed to completely dry them; she should have used paper towels. Rin's mind wasn't completely in the present. She was thinking of the Holy Grail War as she looked to the back of her hand and her Command Spells which were hidden from sight by magecraft. Classes had finally ended, so she just wanted to go home with Sakura already and prepare to summon her Servant. If all went well, Saber would be hers and the war would be a breeze.

Returning to where she left Sakura, Rin saw someone talking to her sister.

Minori Mitsuzuri. A boy who had an obvious crush on Sakura. He blushed as he was saying something, probably some attempt at cajoling her into a date. Sakura was attentively listening with a smile. She was always so nice. The boy was reserved, shy. His mannerisms screamed social awkwardness. Minori wasn't a bad person as far as Rin was aware, but she had yet to confirm for sure that he wasn't, which meant Rin couldn't let him anywhere near her sister. Only those Rin had thoroughly looked into and approved got the green light to spend time with Sakura.

"Mitsuzuri, so nice to see you. What business did you have with my sister?" The boy tensed. Rin spoke with such a kind tone that it went all the way around to being threatening. Such remarks of multilayered feeling were a specialty of Rin's.

"I was, uh, I was just asking her how she was. We're classmates and all, so, y'know, just being polite. I thought maybe she and I could go out somewhere now that school's over."

"I'm sorry but my sister and I have somewhere we need to be. Apologies."

"Ah, sorry, I didn't know. I'll, uh, maybe we'll go somewhere another day."

"Maybe." It was clear Rin meant never.

Mitsuzuri shrunk as he skittered away. The boy was gutless, he could never take care of Sakura. Though, if he tried to fight back, that would show he was impulsive and that was also unacceptable. Either way, he would never be good enough for Sakura.

"Have a nice day, Minori." Sakura said, receiving a bashful nod from the boy in return.

"You don't like him, do you?"

"No. He's nice though." Thank goodness, she had taste. "If I had to pick any boy in the school, it'd probably be Shirou from class 2-C." Or maybe she didn't.

"Why would you possibly like him? He's as unremarkable as a tree in a forest."

"Well, he's nice, and I saw him doing the high jump one time and it was really impressive."

"Was he that good?"

"No, he was terrible. But, he kept trying despite failing every time. It was inspiring."

"You need better standards than 'is incompetent but tries really hard.'"

"If you had been there you would understand."

"I doubt that." This was why Rin felt the need to protect Sakura. If she was this cavalier with whom she liked, then it was inevitable she'd end up getting mistreated again like with the Matous.

"We should get going. We have to make sure everything is perfect for tonight."

"Rin Tohsaka!" Why must the world conspire to make her life harder? It was Kaede Makidera. Yukika Saegusa and Kane Himuro followed, sort of just going along with whatever Makidera was doing. "Today is the day you hang out with us!"

"Why?"

"Because I said so! You never hang out with us, but today is the day that changes!"

"No."

"But, why?" Makidera whined. Did she really think her just declaring they would hang out would make it happen? That would go far beyond the capabilities of mind over matter.

"I have important things I have to do today, so I need to get home."

"That's just a lie so you can leave!" Makidera was wrong, but the funny part was that on most days she'd be right. "I won't let you escape! Today is the day I defeat you and make you my friend!" Was this a shonen anime, now? You just have to defeat someone and suddenly they're your bestie?

"Makidera." Sakura spoke in a voice as sweet as hydrogen cyanide. "My big sister and I have things to do today. I'm sorry, but please understand." The perfectly reasonable words made even Rin feel her blood run cold. How could niceness be so scary?

"Y-y-you don't scare me, but I need to prepare! I need to properly train and arm myself before I can overcome you, Sakura Tohsaka! Prepare yourself, for I'll be back!" Kaede dashed off as she gave her excuses.

"Sorry about her. She thinks with, well, nothing really." Himuro said before turning to follow Makidera. Saegusa bowed deeply before leaving mousily as well.

They were finally gone, but Rin had a new thing grabbing her attention. "Sakura, you seemed even more adamant than me to get them to leave. Is there a reason?"

"Oh, I was just trying to speed things along and give you less of a headache. I'll always be here to help and protect you." She really was pure as-wait, protect? Sakura felt the need to protect Rin? But, Rin was supposed to protect Sakura. "Anyway, let's head home before we get sidetracked again."

"Okay." Rin was learning new things about her sister.

"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone.

The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.

The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate."

10 jewels were spent on the summoning circle, but she trusted it would be worth it. She almost used some of the energy from the pendant she received from her father, but Sakura talked her out of it. It was better to save it. Instead, Rin held out her Azoth Sword to amplify the ritual. Sakura had also reminded Rin that the clocks in the house were off and to readjust them. If it weren't for Sakura, Rin may have summoned her Servant at a time where her power wasn't at its peak. That would have been a disaster. Sakura really was Rin's second head.

Rin wished they had a catalyst, but even without one, that just meant the Servant summoned would be someone with a similar personality she could work with. As long as they summoned Saber, things would be fine.

As if the air was alive, it pranced around the room. It was an indoor hurricane. The magic circle lit up into a pale glow that gradually intensified.

"Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Repeat every five times.

Simply, shatter once filled."

The room was saturated with magical energy. It was like a dense fog. The Heroic Spirit was materializing and the invisible cloud was all the power that was coagulating to create such a legendary entity. It was nearly suffocating. The Azoth Sword Rin held was vibrating, humming. It shined like the summoning circle was. That wasn't normal for invoking a Heroic Spirit into the container of a Servant, was it?

It didn't matter. She couldn't stop now, she had to keep going. Otherwise, she might botch the summoning.

"I announce.

Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.

In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.

Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.

You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!"

Rin finished her chant. The long flash and waves of wind reached a peak before swiftly calming down. Both Rin and Sakura behind her were waiting in the basement turned workshop of the Tohsaka residence. They were dying to find out which Heroic Spirit they would be working with.

"My my, not a very grandiose place for me to be summoned." A melodious older voice said.

The Servant that appeared was a woman with ear length solid red hair and red glasses. A red dress that was slightly revealing and distinctly elegant made her seem experienced, confident, in control. She was Japanese, or at least Asian, which is odd as the Holy Grail was only supposed to summon western Servants in Fuyuki. The Servant had a constant smirk and playful look in her eye, like she was ready to evaluate anything she saw to see whether it would serve as entertainment. Rin was circumspect as to what this Servant found entertaining.

Rin understood she had to be firm right off the bat. She had to show that she was in charge, otherwise a woman like this would happily take control.

"My name is Rin Tohsaka, and I am your Master. Tell me, what is your class and your true name?"

The Servant looked at Rin like an adult does a child who's trying to seem tough. "I am Saber." Her tone made it clear she was just playing along with Rin's attempt at taking command.

But, Rin felt the sides of her mouth rise. They did it. They summoned Saber. This war was in the bag.

Sakura ran up to Rin and grabbed her arm. "We did it! We summoned the strongest Servant!"

"This is perfect. If Saber takes the lead in combat while we provide support, this war is a shoe-in." Things were going right. They were actually going right. A lifetime of disquiet over this war, this moment, had been assuaged. Thanks to Sakura, Rin hadn't screwed up. She had been so close to a misstep, but Rin's sister saved her. Sakura really was amazing.

"I must admit, I much enjoy knowing my presence is so deeply appreciated. It's nice receiving the respect I deserve." Saber's words burrowed under Rin's skin. She really had a condescending cadence that was perfect for pissing the Tohsaka heir off. Rin hated haughty, belittling, obnoxious women.

Wait, Saber hadn't answered fully yet.

"Saber, what is your True Name?"

The Servant crossed her arms and looked down her nose at Rin. "I don't remember."

"What?" That's absurd. Heroic Spirits are Heroic Spirits because of their identities. Their fame makes them who they are. If she didn't know her identity, then she couldn't use her Noble Phantasm. That's like a master swordsman not owning a sword. "That's impossible. Don't play around with me."

"I'm not playing around, I'm being as serious as possible." Saber kept using that annoying tone.

"Quit trying to be cute and listen to me. I am your Master."

"I'm not trying to be cute, I just am cute."

"Listen, bitch!" Rin raised her hand and showed her Command Spells. "Tell me who you are right now or I'll use a Command Spell and force you to tell me!" Rin was done with this bitch's shit.

Saber uncrossed her arms, her previously ever present smirk falling away. "I told you, I don't remember who I am. I was being cheeky, but I wasn't lying. Don't waste a Command Spell on this."

"You really think I'm that stupid? Tell me your True Name or else!" The Command Spells lit up.

"I really don't know, I think something went wrong with the summoning."

"Last chance!"

"You'd really waste a Command Spell on this?"

"Time's up! I Co-"

"Rin, wait!" Sakura grabbed her sister's raised hand. "Think about it? Why would she be this resistant to telling us to the point of letting you waste Command Spells? Plus, she seems surprised you'd actually use one on her for this. That makes me think she isn't pretending, she really doesn't know her True Name."

That…made sense. That made a lot of sense. Saber's look wasn't one of condescension anymore, but actually worry. Maybe she just really wanted to hide her identity and that was what she was worried about. But, if that was the case, she would still be able to use her Noble Phantasms so it wouldn't be too much of a problem. Definitely not enough to warrant the use of a Command Spell. Rin realised that she was about to make a very silly mistake and lowered her arm, the glow of the Command Spells fading. All three tattoos remained and Rin was red in the face.

Sakura sighed with relief and Saber put her hands on her hips.

"What a Master I've found myself stuck with. A girl so immature that she'd fly off the handle from some light teasing."

Rin was about to grind her teeth but she was distracted by Sakura stomping over to Saber.

"Listen, I get that my sister was about to make a bad decision, but that was only because you egged her on. You share blame here. We need to work together if we're going to win this war, but if you keep acting needlessly self-important, then this is going to be a disaster and it'll be your fault." Sakura spoke so calmly but each word was like a spear that always hit the heart. She somehow knew the perfect way to say words in order to make people squirm and shiver.

Saber had raised her hands in front of herself as if to hide behind them. Rin understood how she felt. Being on the receiving end of Sakura's wrath was an eldritch experience.

"You're right." Saber admitted. "I have a habit of teasing others for fun, and I sometimes go too far with it. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to my sister." Sakura swiveled around to face Rin. A burning chill shot through the Tohsaka heir. Rin was having flashbacks to other times she saw that calm yet haunting expression her sister was wearing. "And you need to apologize for almost wasting a Command Spell and calling Saber a bitch."

Sakura stepped out from between the Master and Servant who looked at each other. As their fear of Sakura dissipated, they both felt guilt over their previous actions.

Rin bowed. "I'm sorry for what I said and acting rashly. You are my Servant and I need to respect you."

Saber reciprocated the bow. "I am just as much to blame. I wasn't showing you the respect you deserve as my Master and for that I'm sorry."

Both rose back up. Saber walked closer and offered a hand. Rin decided to let her previous grievances be pushed away for the sake of a fresh start with her Servant. She grabbed the hand presented to her and shook it.

"Good." Sakura stepped closer. "Now, let's all get along. My name is Sakura Tohsaka. It's nice to meet you, Saber."

"And you as well." A bead of sweat trailed down Saber's face. It made sense given her introduction to Sakura. But, Saber's expression seemed to soften as she stared at Sakura's smiling face. The Servant was looking as if at a beloved individual, someone close to her heart. It was unusual given the circumstances. Saber clapped her hands together. "Now then, is this building going to be our base of operations?"

"Yes. This is our mansion, though we haven't actually lived in it since ten or so years ago."

"Interesting. Well, show me around. It's important that I have an understanding of the mansion's layout just in case anything happens. Oh, also, I'd like a map of the city so I can familiarize myself with the area as well." Saber was already up the staircase to the main floor. Despite saying she wanted to be shown around, she had taken the lead. Rin rubbed her temple at Saber acting like she was in charge.

"Rin, why don't you make some tea while I guide her around the house?" Sakura suggested. Rin could use a moment alone to clear her head.

"That sounds like a good idea. Thank you." Sakura just smiled before she skipped up the steps after Saber.

Rin went up the stairs as well and headed to the kitchen. While she pulled out everything she'd need to make the tea, she thought about how badly she'd botched her first interaction with her Servant. If Sakura hadn't been there, Rin would have wasted a precious Command Spell. All because Rin couldn't take some condescension from a Heroic Spirit, a legendary figure from history who has plenty of reason to be a little prideful. To be fair, Saber apparently didn't remember who she was. Still, Rin should have acted with elegance, not like a child.

Speaking of Saber's loss of memory, that was a problem. If it was true and Saber lacked her Noble Phantasms by extension, then this war wouldn't be as easily won as Rin expected upon summoning the Saber Servant.

Could Saber's memories be restored? Forms of magecraft related to manipulating memories weren't beyond Rin, but she was far from a specialist at them. She definitely couldn't retrieve bygone memories. But, memories were a part of a Servant's Saint Graph. The Saint Graph was the metaphysical record of a Heroic Spirit's entire being that extended from their Spirit Core. As long as Saber's Saint Graph remained intact, the memories existed and could be unleashed. The question was how. Kirei's Spiritual Healing might work, but Kirei wasn't supposed to help her since he's the overseer. Why hadn't Rin or Sakura bothered to learn Spiritual Healing?

No time for regrets. Focus on the present.

Rin finished the tea. She brought the teapot and three cups with saucers on a tray as she searched for her sister and Servant. She followed their voices, finding them in the bedroom Rin and Sakura were using. It was originally Rin's when she was young, but Sakura insisted they sleep in the same bed in case anything happened during the night.

"Tea is ready."

Saber put down the jewel she was admiring. "Lovely." The Servant took a cup and sat in a chair. She sipped and hummed happily. "You make a satisfying cup of tea, Master. Exactly to my tastes."

"I made my favorite green tea. I'm glad to know we have similar preferences." Rin gave Sakura her cup before sitting down as well, Sakura adjusting her own seat to be right next to her sister. "Saber, you said that you don't remember your True Name. I'm guessing you don't possess any memories of your life either, do you?"

"Only fragments so vague they'd be of no help. I don't even remember my own abilities. They sit at the tip of my tongue. I'm sure once we're thrust into a fight, I'll remember enough to be able to contend against the enemy. But, I definitely won't be at my full power, even then."

Rin bit her thumbnail. This was about as bad as it could be. Even if she summoned a servant who was weak normally, it wouldn't be as bad. In that case, that Servant would likely have some kind of unique specialization in exchange for low parameters.

"Even if you think they don't matter, tell us your memories anyway. We may notice something you haven't." Sakura said.

"That's true. I only have my own perspective to work with. One memory I have is of a man patting my head before leaving. I never saw him again after that."

"What else do you remember?"

"The most vivid memory of mine is of me looking down at a dead young woman. I can't make out her details, but I know I was her killer. Thinking about it makes me feel horrible. It's something I regret. At the same time, it feels like something I had a good reason to do. Yet, it also feels like it was avoidable, that I could have prevented that situation from ever happening. I was fixing my mistake, and that girl paid for it."

Saber was crying. It wasn't like she was weepingly loudly or anything, but she was wearing the pain of someone who was. This was a pain so deeply etched into her that it was a part of her identity. Her reaction was so restrained only because it was one she had experienced an uncountable number of times and thus had learned to restrain most of her emotion to the confines of her mind.

"Saber, are you okay? Do you need anything?" Rin was feeling her own emotions flare upon seeing her servant in pain. It was as if she was able to get a taste of what Saber was experiencing. Was it due to their connection as Master and Servant?

Saber removed her glasses and whipped her eyes. "I'll be okay. So inelegant of me to cry in front of people I've just met. I should be ashamed."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of." Sakura said. "We all get overwhelmed sometimes."

A smile returned to Saber's face. "I appreciate your understanding."

"If you don't feel comfortable, we can stop going through your memories for now. Honestly, your memories really are so vague that we probably won't figure anything out anyway."

"Normally, I'd insist on continuing since we just started, but I agree that there really isn't much to be found in my memoires. The two I told you are probably the most vivid excluding a couple more. If they weren't helpful, none of them would be." Saber put her glasses back on.

"In that case, we should probably call it for the night. It's late. We can start strategizing in the morning. Does that sound good?"

"I'm fine with that. I'll continue exploring the house while you both rest. I must admit, this house is very pretty."

Rin stood up and stretched. "Alright then. Time for bed. Sakura, do you want to take a bath first?"

"You go first. You're more tired than I am after the summoning."

"If you insist, then how can I say no?" Rin headed for the bath while Saber entered Spirit Form and Sakura returned the tea to the kitchen, probably to put it in the fridge. They didn't end up talking for long so most of the tea remained. Rin wasn't exactly expecting to bring up Saber's trauma. Maybe they'd make iced tea tomorrow with the leftovers.

Rin made her bath. She entered the warm water with a pleasurable groan. Her muscles loosened. Her body had been so tense it ached. The stress of summoning Saber and everything that followed was like heavy armor she was forced to wear. But, now she could take that armor off as comforting waters reprieved Rin of her anxieties. Such was the power of the mundane after an extraordinary night. Now she could take a few moments to think of something other than the Holy Grail War, normal things.

Breakfast. What would she and Sakura make for breakfast? What did they have in the house? They had pork. They could make steamed buns. That would be good. It'd be something simple and filling. They'd need to make some for Saber, too. That's assuming she wants to eat. She doesn't actually have to.

Exhaustion that Rin had been ignoring started taking hold. As she thought about the mundanities of life, her consciousness muddled and she slipped into the land of dreams.

The crimson cavity was filled with vile magical energy. That horrid pillar stood tall. It was like The Tower of the tarot, a sign of disaster. Above it hung the dark gate to the Root. It was like the eye of Balor, ready to destroy all it gazed upon. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. That was supposedly inscribed upon the gate of Hell. Seeing that Lovecraftian structure certainly made the magus want to give up hope. But, as she saw the thing inside the pillar squirm, saw its eyes stare at her, she knew she had to destroy it. And she would.

But, what had it cost? She stood before the precious girl she should have saved. The girl was the would-be avatar of the dark eye. The magus had to kill the girl. It was her duty. But, the girl never would have become the corruption's puppet if it weren't for the magus' indifference. She was supposed to protect the girl, but instead she abandoned her. And why? For convenience? Because it was easier than having to confront the one she left behind? Because she was simply so selfish as to never think of reaching out to the girl?

The reasons no longer mattered. It was too late.

The girl was dead. The magus could never take it back. All because of her negligence. All because of her selfishness.

The boy came in. He had survived his battle. He fell to his knees before the girl. That poor boy. He had lost the one he sacrificed his ideals for. He was too late. Despite all he sacrificed, he was too late.

He shambled to his feet and approached the tower. In his hand formed a dark blade. The corrupted weapon raised into the air. Swinging that sword down would kill the boy, but he no longer cared. He lost what he was fighting for.

The priest appeared. He still lived. He wanted to protect the dark womb. The magus had to stop the priest. She lacked any more magical energy, so all she had were her fists, as did the priest. The two dueled as the boy readied his final strike. The priest spoke cruel words that opened the magus' traumas. Every immaterial injury reopened. She couldn't focus and the priest took advantage of that. The magus unravelled as her mind, body, and soul were torn apart by the priest's words and fists. She barely fought back. It didn't matter, the boy was ready.

Dark power stormed forth from the weapon. The boy's body bled and broke. He swung his weapon and the corrupted power became a beam that engorged itself on the accursed tower. The evil was eliminated with nary a fragment remaining. The boy also vanished as the power of his own weapon, copied from another, overtook him.

Why didn't she stop him? What would she do if she had? Could she have possibly eradicated that evil device? Not as she was. The one weapon she had that could was broken. She was helpless, all due to her own folly.

Only she could be blamed. It was all on her shoulders that the tragedy occured.

The priest turned to watch the womb die, and that was the last motion he made. He was on borrowed time, and that time had just been used up.

Everyone in the cavern was dead except for the magus. All but her, and it was all her fault.

All her fault.

"Rin, wake up."

Rin opened her eyes, the light stabbing at them. She was in the bath. She must have fallen asleep. She could have drowned. She couldn't keep being so careless.

Turning her head, Rin saw her sister.

"Rin, are you okay? You're crying."

Rin was crying? A slurry of incomprehensible noises came from the half-asleep Tohsaka heir.

"I guess you had a nightmare. Rin, you should get out of the bath. You're exhausted, you need to go to bed now."

Wordlessly complying, Rin let Sakura help her out of the bath, dry her off, and get her into her kitty pajamas.

It was all a blur to Rin as she went from the bathroom to her bed. Sakura tucked her in tight. It was only a few seconds before Rin was pulled to the kingdom of Morpheus once more. She didn't even have a chance to tell her sister what she saw in her dreams.

The magus became the apprentice of the marshal. She followed in his footsteps in a way no other had successfully done before. She inherited his knowledge, his skills, even his title.

The magus became legendary. She took on apprentices of her own and had a rivalry with an obnoxious woman with blonde curls. It was a rivalry that was more than rivalry, reaching a more intimate space.

It should have been a satisfying life.

But, the magus could never forget that night in the cave. She could not forget the girl she sacrificed due to her own incompetence. No matter how many titles and achievements the magus acquired, she still felt empty. No matter how many loving students and lovely rivals she spent her time with, she still felt the shadow of the girl she sacrificed crawling on her back.

Shame, regret, self-loathing. These became the mantra of the magus' life.

She wanted more than anything to fix her mistakes, but she couldn't.

Well, there was a way.

The collective unconsciousness of mankind saw potential in the magus. It wanted the magus to act as a warrior of its will to protect the human race. But, it knew that it would need to offer something of value to the magus in order to ensure her compliance.

It offered the magus the opportunity to alter the current timeline she was in, to go back and fix the mistake that she could never forget. It would allow the magus to go back in time and save the girl who deserved to be saved more than any other. In exchange, the magus would serve as a protector of mankind forever, an eternal hero outside of spacetime who would never be allowed to rest.

The magus didn't even hesitate in her acceptance.

She went back to the past in the vessel of a Servant. By the time she arrived, the girl was already in the grips of her torturers. The girl was already scared, but nonetheless, the magus eliminated the girl's captors and returned her to the family she belonged with.

The girl's father seemed conflicted upon accepting her youngest daughter back, but nonetheless, the girl was home.

The magus had changed her timeline. She had undone her greatest sin.

But, she didn't feel any better. The girl's suffering in the original timeline still occurred, and the girl wasn't freed from the pain of her captors entirely.

It wasn't good enough. The girl deserved better.

The magus went back in time again. And again. She kept jumping to different Grail wars to try and make a timeline where the girl could be unabashedly and absolutely happy.

The futility of her efforts eventually became evident. The magus could never make the girl as happy as she wanted her to be, and the original timeline, even if undone, still survived in the magus' mind as memories.

The magus, after hundreds of cycles, gave up. She became a shell of what she was, forever bound to humanity as a timeless defender.

Such was the magus' tragedy.

Rin's breathing upon waking was labored. She could feel the tears coming from her eyes, mucus dripping out of her nose. The Tohsaka heir didn't need to look in a mirror to know she looked like an inelegant mess. Rin already wasn't a morning person, so having a whirlpool of emotions in her mind and a mess of a face along with the usual pounding of her brain and crust sealed eyelids made things worse than ever.

Looking around once her eyes adjusted to the morning light, Rn found Sakura was nowhere to be seen. She was probably working on breakfast. Good. Rin didn't want Sakura seeing her in such a state.

It was all because of those dreams. They were so vivid that even upon repeating them in her mind, they felt as if they were real events that she had just experienced mere moments ago. Rin's breath was still shaking from the intensity. Yet, they were also supremely vague. People's appearances and identities were muddled, as were locations and the details of events. It was as if the truth needed to fill all the gaps was right on the tip of her tongue, but something was stopping her from making the necessary realization.

As for the origin of the dreams, Rin had a solid guess.

Masters are prone to have dreams of the pasts of their Servants, usually noteworthy events from their lives. If then dreams were Saber's memories, then it made sense why they're foggy since Saber's memories were fragmented.

Next issue was whether to bring up these dreams to Sakura and Saber. The benefits would be that they may help Saber remember more, though it wasn't likely since these were likely memories she already possessed. The downside was that it could make Saber upset again like the previous night. Rin didn't want to see her cry again.

She'd keep these dreams secret for now. She might bring them up at some point, but she'd avoid getting into specifics as to not trigger any trauma in Saber.

At least Saber achieved many great things in her life, according to her dreams. That's nice at least. Rin's Servant was worthy of being called a Heroic Spirit, even if she wasn't one in the traditional sense.

She was a Counter Guardian. A being summoned periodically by the Counter Force to save humanity. It's insane that Rin could even summon such a being.

Rin dragged herself out of bed with the invisible hands of her will. She managed, with herculean effort, to wash up and get dressed for the day.

Finishing putting her hair into twin-tails, Rin walked into the dining room.

"Good morning, Rin. Are you feeling better?" Sakura had just finished putting out all the plates for breakfast. Even trying to describe the breakfast wouldn't be worth the effort. The number of different foods Sakura had prepared was rather extreme.

"Good morning, Master. I can see you're not a morning person." Saber was sitting in one of the seats, ready to eat. She could turn the food she ate into magical energy so she'd be able to slightly make up for her lowered parameters.

"Good morning. Sakura, what do you mean by feeling better?" Rin sat down.

"I found you crying while asleep in the bathtub. Even when I put you to bed, you kept crying and moaning. I assumed you were having a nightmare."

"Yeah, I was. Don't worry, I'm okay. It was probably due to stress."

Saber's usual smile faltered for a moment. She must have known the truth of Rin's dreams. It was definitely best not to bring it up if she already understood. Letting Sakura know would just make her more anxious than she already probably was about this Holy Grail War.

The breakfast ended up being quiet. Rin and Saber gave some compliments to Sakura on the meal's splendid quality. Sakura talked about some of the details of how she made the dishes. She always seemed to start beaming when she talked about cooking.

Small talk continued until Saber decided to speak of a more serious topic.

"I feel that now is as good a time as any to bring this up. My memories still haven't been restored, but I have discovered something else in my mind."

If Saber's remembered something, then they might be able to determine her identity. But, she must have remembered it after Rin stopped dreaming if it was something she didn't see last night.

"Something else?"

"Yes. I guess it's some kind of directive. I know I'm a Counter Guardian, a soldier that fights for mankind across space and time in defense of Proper Human History. The directive in my mind is likely from the Counter Force I am contracted with. In fact, part of the reason I was summoned was likely to act out the Counter Force's will, more so than to actually win the Grail War."

Rin summoning Saber was just a means to the Counter Force's ends. Rin wasn't fond of being used as a pawn, but there wasn't much she could do. It wasn't like she could give the Counter Force a complaint letter. But, did that mean Rin had no control over who she would summon, or did her actions at least determine the specific Counter Guardian she invoked.

"I didn't even know it was possible to summon a Counter Guardian as a Servant." Sakura said.

"We're still a sort of Heroic Spirit so it's perfectly possible. As for what the directive actually is, it's still a little imprecise due to my memory loss. What I do have is a face in my mind and a command to kill the person that owns that face. Don't be surprised. Being a Counter Guardian really just means erasing anyone or anything that threatens human prosperity. We're hitmen. Whoever the person in my mind is, they're a threat to all mankind who can't be left alone."

If killing this person in her mind was her true goal, then the person Saber was after was likely either participating in the Grail War, or was related to it in some way. The stakes of this war suddenly shot up far higher than Rin was mentally prepared for. But, there was no use complaining. She'd just have to adapt. "What does the person in your mind look like?"

"They're an adult woman. Their hair is long and snow white, their skin matching in paleness. Her eyes are ruby red." Saber covered her mouth as she took a moment to think. "She's pretty, but I can't think of much else to say about her."

"White skin and hair along with red eyes. That sounds like a homunculus of the Einzbern family. I can't think of anyone else that has those traits. Sakura, do you have any ideas?"

"I can't think of anybody but the Einzberns, either."

"That means their vessel for the Lesser Grail is likely the threat Saber's seeing in her mind. It makes sense considering they may be able to access and manipulate the Grail's power in ways nobody else can. If they use it recklessly, they could cause serious harm. We have to watch out for the Einzberns in this war, more so than any other faction."

"That seems like a safe option. We may benefit from contacting the overseer about this." Saber said.

"Let's do that right now. I can call him. Wait here while I talk to Kirei." Rin stood up.

Saber grimaced. "I have no idea who this Kirei is, but just hearing his name irritates me."

Kirei does have that effect on people.

Rin left the room and picked up the phone in the hallway. After dialing the number for the church, it took only a couple seconds before Rin received an answer.

"Hello?"

"Kirei, it's me. I summoned Saber."

"Really? Rejoi-"

"Rejoice young Rin, yeah, yeah, I know."

"I don't even know why I bother. By the way, I have something important to tell you."

"Wait, you too? The reason I called you was to tell you something important besides me summoning Saber."

"Interesting. Would you like to go first, or shall I?"

"I will. My Servant is a Counter Guardian she claims to have been summoned to kill someone who's a threat to humanity. To keep things brief, the actual details of her goal are muddled right now, but from what she can describe to us, the person she has to kill is a female Einzbern homunculus."

"An Einzbern homunculus, you said? Are you sure?"

"Well, Saber couldn't provide a specific name, but she had the face of her target in her mind, and what she described seemed like a dead ringer for a female Einzbern homunculus. Long white hair, white skin, red eyes. Your reaction makes me think this somehow connects with what you have to say."

"You'd be correct. You see, I have encountered no less than three female Einzbern homunculi related to this war, though only two were Masters and among those two, only one fit the description you gave. The Master who fits the description was accompanied by her mother who looks identical. That mother was actually the Lesser Grail of the last war who apparently survived. It was quite a surprise to see her again. It was also rather awkward since I had attempted to kill her once."

Three Einzbern homunculi. That's strange. Even if the homunculus from the last war still lived, there should only be two. Also, shouldn't the homunculus from the last war have transformed into the Lesser Grail? The war kept getting more complicated. Rin would need to go over everything multiple times in her head just to keep it all straight.

"So the two candidates for Saber's target are working together. That makes things simpler. Did they seem dangerous? Also, what about the third homunculus? What's their situation?"

"The third homunculus isn't working with the other two and seems actively hostile towards them. I'd rather wait to talk about her. As for the pair, they seemed perfectly amicable. I'd even call them good people. But, they told me some things that carried strong implications."

"Such as?"

"Well, the mother who was the Lesser Grail of the last war, her name is Irisviel von Einzbern by the way, said she nearly turned fully into the Lesser Grail but managed to wrench back control and remain herself." That was possible? Rin doubted that the Einzberns intended their vessels to be capable of resisting the transformation. "Because of that experience, she was able to see inside the Greater Grail. What she found was that the Grail was polluted."

"What do you mean by polluted?"

"Normally, the Greater Grail is 'colorless.' It is merely a device meant for granting wishes and reaching the Root. But, if the homunculi are to be believed, some sort of accursed existence has entered the Grail and now acts as its will. This corruption has no desire beyond the eradication of life. Any wish made on the Grail will be perverted into a vector for causing destruction. What's worse, the thing inside the Grail wants to be born into this world, which would undoubtedly lead to humanity's extinction. Of course, all of this can not be proven beyond Irisviel von Einzbern's words."

The Grail was corrupted by some evil force of destruction? That sounded almost cartoonish. "That's absurd. How could the Grail be corrupted and you not know about it? You're the overseer."

"Well, the only way to know for sure would be to visit where the Greater Grail physically rests, but I'm not allowed to do so. Since the Masters would correctly suspect that I know where the Greater Grail is, I'm constantly being surveilled, even outside of the Holy Grail Wars. They want me to go to the Greater Grail so they can follow me and steal the Grail after I leave. So, I can never actually visit the Greater Grail outside of emergencies."

"I see. All you have to go off of is that one homunculus' word, right? They had no other proof?" If they're right, that means the world is in genuine danger. But, there's so little evidence.

"You are correct. I didn't completely believe them, but it was also such an outlandish claim that it seemed too bizarre to be a lie. If they wanted to deceive me, I believed they would have gone with something more grounded and easy to accept. So, I decided I would do some investigating and to alert the Masters of the potential threat. But, if your Saber is correct and one of the Einzbern homunculi are a threat, then it's possible their claims really are some sort of deception. They said they wanted to know the Grail's location so they could destroy it because it was dangerous, but they may just want to gain control of it."

"That sounds most likely. It can't be a coincidence that a Counter Guardian has been summoned to kill an Einbern homunculus while two of them are trying to dismantle the Holy Grail War."

"Indeed. That said, I still plan to investigate if it's possible for the Grail to be corrupted. I've been researching the events of the past Holy Grail Wars and contacting anyone within the Holy Church who'd have any information about this. I've also tried using some contacts I have in the Mage's Association to gather info for me as well. The homunculi lack substantiation for their claims and you've made me call them into further question, but we can't be too careful."

It was extremely unlikely, but on the off chance the Grail really is corrupted, then it needed to be dismantled and the Holy Grail War cancelled. Rin really hoped that wouldn't happen. She had been preparing for this war for the last ten years. She wanted to avenge her father and complete the task he passed on to her. It was essentially her life's goal. Actually, even if Rin won the war, what would she do afterward? She hadn't thought that far ahead. She'd probably just focus on completing the Second Magic and protecting Sakura. Would Rin be satisfied with that?

"That's fair. Can you tell us where they're residing?"

"The location of the homunculus pair is something I don't know. The third homunculus I have suspicions as to where she is staying, but she seems to be no threat so I can't tell you where. The fact that I've alerted you to the fact that two Master's are Einzbern homunculi is technically breaking the rules already."

Why couldn't Kirei be a cheater? Having the help of an overseer would make this war a shoe-in. Then again, it wouldn't be very gratifying to win that way. Rin would probably have rejected Kirei's offer in the first place because of that.

"Can you tell me anything about her? It's strange that there are three homunculi involved in this war."

"Well, I'll tell you a little of what I know about both groups. The Lesser Grail from the last war had a daughter who is the homunculus she is with. They were rejected by the Einzberns due to Irisviel's failure to acquire the Grail for them last war. The third homunculus is the new homunculi the Einzberns created for this war. But, even that situation is complicated." It really just is an ocean of complications. "You see, this third homunculus killed the rest of the Einzbern family."

"What?" Rin said that louder than she intended. The Einzberns were dead? How was that possible? "Why did she do that?"

"Apparently this particular homunculi did not enjoy the more brutal methods the Einzberns used to raise her."

"Well, if they're anything like the Matous, I can understand."

"At this point, all three of the Founding Families are but shadows of what they once were." Kirei definitely found joy in saying that.

"But, the Tohsakas survived, they will survive." Rin said, more to strengthen her resolve than anything else. The Matous and Einzberns had crumbled. Who's to say the same couldn't happen to the Tohsakas. Rin couldn't let that happen.

"Of course."

So, to recap, Saber has no memories and is a Counter Guardian summoned to kill an Einzbern homunculus who's a threat to humanity. There are three Einzbern homunculi related to this war, two of them being Masters. One that's a Master and one that isn't are working together and claim the Grail is polluted and want to destroy it. Also, the third homunculus who's the other Master killed the majority of the Einzbern family. This was madness. Did Rin's father have to go through this kind of insanity?

"Thank you, Kirei, for telling me about the Einzberns and for everything else you're doing."

"It's simply my duty. I still have to tell some of the other Masters about what the homunculi told me, so let's end this here. Good luck, and be safe."

"I will, thank you. Talk to you later."

After she hung up the phone, Rin took a moment to absorb everything she had learned. She was on the brink of information overload. Rin needed to figure out how to present all this information to Sakura and Saber in a diegetic way.

Upon organizing her thoughts and recentering herself, Rin entered the dining room where her sister and Servant waited.

"Rin, what did Kirei say?"

Starting with a sigh, Rin told Sakura and Saber everything she had learned from her conversation with Kirei. Sakura had many of the same reactions Rin did. Saber stayed quiet with a neutral expression.

"That was a lot." Sakura wasn't wrong. "I mean, for now at least, I guess we should continue as normal for now and keep an eye out for the Einzberns."

"That's all we can do." Saber said. "As such, we should probably start strategizing for the Grail War."

"I agree. We've put off deciding on our approach to the Grail War for too long. So, let's start discussing."

The Grail War hadn't properly started yet and there had already been numerous complications, but it was fine. Everything would be fine. As long as Rin and Sakura were together, they could handle anything thrown their way, even some humanity annihilating evil. Together, they were invincible, and they would always be together. Rin swore to never leave Sakura's side and that was a promise she would never break.