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.

4. Chapter 4: ( ) the Faceless

Fate/Identity Reborn Chapter 4: _ the Faceless

The dark room. The room Gray spent most of her time in.

Gray was the idol of her village. She was the statue one prayed to. She was no different from the town's Black Madonna statue.

Gray wasn't Gray. Gray was the vessel for King Arthur. Her face wasn't her face. She had King Arthur's face. She was nobody. She was a placeholder. She was going to disappear. She was going to be ripped from her body to make way for King Arthur.

Why couldn't she have kept her old face? What if her old face never vanished to make way for King Arthur's visage? What life would she have lived? Normal one. A meager one. A satisfying one. As long as she was herself and herself alone, she could find peace with whatever sort of life she lived. As long as she chose the path and made her own decision to walk down it, she wouldn't regret anything.

But, that didn't matter. Her face was lost in favor of King Arthur's. She was the canvas that King Arthur's existence would be painted on. Would King Arthur make the world a better place? Would it be worth it to lose it all for the sake of humanity? Was King Arthur anything like what the villagers said they were like?

It didn't really matter to Gray. She wouldn't live to see the results of King Arthur's return. She would become nothing, mind and soul ripped out of her body. Would she go to heaven? Hell? Become a ghost? Just disappear?

Gray didn't want to disappear.

If she disappeared, she would definitely be forgotten.

She was going to be forgotten.

Who would care if she disappeared? She was just the placeholder for King Arthur.

She didn't matter.

The door opened.

It was mother. Wait, there was someone behind her.

A woman in a suit.

That face. It was Gray's face. No, Gray had her face. It was King Arthur.

How? Gray was supposed to be the vessel of King Arthur. But, King Arthur was here. Her hair was like threads of gold and her eyes were as green as a grassy plain. She looked like a goddess.

Wait, did Gray not need to die? Could she keep her body? Would her face go back to normal?

"Is this her?" King Arthur's voice was so strong, but not deep or harsh. It was just strong.

"Yes." mother said.

King Arthur approached Gray and got on one knee. King Arthur was kneeling before Gray. This was actually happening.

"Hello. My name is Artoria Pendragon. I know this is sudden, but I'm here to take you away, to take you somewhere nicer."

Somewhere nicer? Does she mean forever? What about mother? Is this when King Arthur would steal her body? Gray looked at her mother who smiled melancholically.

King Arthur extended a hand for Gray to take.

Gray didn't know what to do. Would she be happier with King Arthur? If she went with them, would Gray just be following another path made for her rather than her own? Was King Arthur going to continue being the one who determined every aspect of Gray's life? What would happen if Gray said no? Could she say no? Would she be punished?

Gray only knew one option she had, to take that hand. So, as always, she did as was expected of her, and she grasped that hand. King Arthur held Gray's hand firmly, but not so much it hurt, though it was a little uncomfortable.

King Arthur took Gray away. Gray never returned to her village, not that she wanted to.

Gray began a new path, but did she choose it?

It had been two years since Gray had been adopted into her new family.

Mama was great. The greatest. She was nice and funny and always seemed to see the bright side of things. She was like sunshine in the form of a person. Plus, she was so pretty. Her white hair and red eyes stood out in the best way.

Illya was the best big sister Gray could have asked for. She was also really funny and nice, but in different ways. She was better at kid stuff, dealing with kid problems. If Mama couldn't solve it, Illya could.

Neither of them were home at the moment. They were busy that day. Add was bored so they took him with them.

Meanwhile, mom was off that day, so Gray and mom were currently sitting on the couch, watching cartoons together.

Well, it was more like they happened to be in the same room and just so happened to be watching the same cartoon on the same tv. There was a distance between Gray and her mom, primarily because of a certain sticking point between them. It wasn't a disagreement, yet it felt like just as much of a road block as one.

Gray looked like her mom, and as of late, she's been looking more and more like her mom. Strands of her hair have started turning blonde and her body keeps shifting in ways that made her better match her mom's body. Gray was transforming into her mom, physically at least. It wasn't intentional, but a side effect of both of them existing at the same time.

The point of Gray leaving her village was to avoid being made into King Arthur, but it was happening anyway. Gray was still losing herself. Mom was trying to stop it, both her and mama. But, nothing they tried had worked so far. It wasn't that mom was a bad person, but it still felt uneasy between them. Not volatile, but they both couldn't avoid thinking about Gray's changing appearance when they were around each other. They served as each other's reminders of the encroaching substitution of Gray's appearance. There was even the worry that the changes wouldn't stop at the body, but creep into and warp Gray's mind too.

So that was why the two were watching tv together and avoiding direct interaction. The awkwardness was so loud it could burst someone's eardrums. Gray felt like she should say something, but she didn't know what to actually talk about. Mom clearly felt the same kind of inner conflict.

"So, how has school been treating you?" Mom said. Her words broke the barrier between them so suddenly it made Gray jump in her seat. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay." Gray said. "And school's okay."

"Just okay? Is there anything wrong?"

"No, it's fine."

"So why is it only okay and not good?"

"It is good. I said okay because it was just the word that I thought of first."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"Do you…do you have anything you want to talk about?"

"Not that I can think of."

"I see. I'm sorry for bothering you while you're watching cartoons."

"It's fine. It doesn't bother me."

"…"

"…"

It was suffocating how uncomfortable things were.

Mom was trying to break through their anxiousness, Gray knew she was, but she wasn't succeeding.

It was Gray's turn to try. Gray decided to be more direct. It would waste less time.

"Mom, I'm turning into you."

"I know."

"I don't like that I'm turning into you."

"I know."

"You don't like that I'm turning into you, right?"

"That's correct."

"Do…"

"…"

"Do you actually think I can be fixed? Do you really think I can get my old face back and I'll stop turning into you?"

"Yes, I know we can restore your body."

"But, how do you know?"

"I know because I refuse to let you be forced to look like me. I won't let any future happen other than one where you can be in a body you're comfortable with."

She didn't actually know. She was trying to make Gray feel better. It wasn't working because there was no actual logic behind mom's confidence that Gray doubted was even genuine. Mom was convincing herself more than anyone.

"You don't believe me?"

"No, I do."

"You can tell me if you don't."

"I believe you."

Mom scooched closer and wrapped her arms around Gray. "Listen, I know it seems hopeless, but I promise I will figure something out. Me and your mama will figure something out. Your mama's a brilliant woman and if there's anything I'm good at, it's not giving up. We'll figure something out."

"I believe you."

"…"

"…"

When did tears start falling from mom's eyes?

When did tears start falling from Gray's eyes?

Six years since Gray became a part of her new family. Her hair was now blonde with a few silver locks. She usually got confused for her mom's sister when meeting new people.

Gray was home, sitting in front of a canvas. She trailed her brush across the white, granting it color. She turned her head to see her subject. Illya. She was posing on a stool, hands behind her head.

Illya was so different from Gray. So confident, so outgoing, so alive. Many people assume the opposite when they first meet the sisters. Illya has an appearance that leads many to assume she has albinism. She looks frail, and so people imagine her as frail. Of course, those people couldn't be more wrong. Gray's golden hair and bright eyes make people assume she's bright, not the introvert she really is.

All because of how they look.

"Illya."

"I am, in fact, Illya."

"You look like mama."

"And grass is green. And water's wet." Add was sitting on a nearby table, snarky as ever. "Oh, and get this, stuff exists! Can you believe it?"

"Add, did you know I often fantasize about running you over with our car?" Illya said.

"The worst part is I can imagine you actually doing that to me."

"Anyway, I look like mama. What was your point, Gray?"

Gray stopped her painting. "How does looking like mama make you feel?"

"Feel how?"

"As in, like, how do you feel knowing you look like someone else and that you aren't the first person to look the way you do and that you are constantly compared to someone else?"

"I mean, mama's really pretty, so I think being compared to her is a compliment. Other than that, I don't really feel much about it. I'm guessing you wanted to know if I feel the way you do, y'know, with you looking like mom."

"Yeah."

"Do you want to vent? I'll listen."

"I don't, I mean, I can't think of, like, I don't have anything to say that you don't already know. I wish I looked like my own person, not a clone of mom. I feel like I'm not me. I don't know who I am and this whole situation makes things weird between me and mom. I feel guilty about that because mom really wants to connect to me but she doesn't know how and I just raise my walls up more when she tries and I don't know why."

"For someone who says they have nothing to vent about, you said plenty. I can't really say much that wouldn't belittle your situation, but I do think you're your own person. You may not know who you are, but nobody really does. I don't think so at least."

"You don't know who you are?"

"Not beyond that I'm me and nobody can take that from me. No matter how I look, how people treat me, or what they tell me I am, I'm me and that's all that matters."

"I wish I could be that confident."

"You can."

"How?"

"I wish I had an answer. I've never consciously thought about it, but if I can do it, you can too. You're strong. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to endure what you did in your old village."

A low noise came from Gray's throat. She wanted to believe her sister, but she couldn't. She didn't endure life in her old village because she was strong, but because she was weak. She just followed the path her village made for her. If she really were strong, she would have fought back against them. She would have denied them, refused to be the vessel of their messiah.

Instead, she bent before the pressure they placed upon her. Her shoulders just weren't broad enough, and they still weren't.

A bang. Something hit something. It came from the family workshop.

Illya and Gray met eyes before both of them stood up and headed towards the workshop. Gray snatched Add along the way just in case.

They reached the door to the workshop, but when they did, they heard mama and mom talking to each other. They didn't sound like they were in danger. The sisters listened in.

"How! How can nothing work! How can there not be a single spell that can fix her face! Just her face at least!"

"Artoria, calm down."

"I can't! This doesn't make sense! Why! Why can't I just do one thing for Gray! This one thing!"

"Please, just sit down for a second. You're just stressing yourself out."

"I know. I know. I'm sorry, Iri. It's just unbelievable. I just want our child to have her own body. I took away her face. Because of me, she feels like she's not her own person. That's one of the worst things a parent can do. I'm a failure as a parent, a king, a Servant. I'm just a failure and you're all paying for it."

"Artoria, you know what you always tell me when I'm having dark thoughts."

"Let them pass, don't get attached to them. I know. I'm trying."

"This isn't your fault. It's that cult's. And don't try and say they wouldn't have formed if you didn't exist. You have no responsibility for their fanaticism. You didn't ask for it."

"You're right, I know you are. But, I, I just, I don't know. It's just so frustrating. We keep trying and trying, but nothing's able to fix Gray's face. The best we could do is temporarily shift people's perceptions of her, but even that would only be in short bursts. Any other more advanced shapeshifting doesn't affect her because of the influence of my magical energy actively forcing her to look a certain way. Gray doesn't deserve this."

"Of course she doesn't, but you can't blame yourself. I know you're doing all you can and I am, too. Don't worry, we'll find something eventually that'll help Gray."

"The more I try, the more it seems like there's nothing we can do. But, I can't give up. I can't, for Gray."

Gray chewed on her lips. It was her fault. Her mom was feeling so much pain, so much unnecessary guilt, all for Gray. Why couldn't Gray have just accepted her face, her body. If she had, her mothers wouldn't be forced to try and search for a nonexistent solution. She might as well have been torturing her mom for a crime she didn't commit. No, that was what she was doing.

Why couldn't she have let her pain just stay inside? Why did she have to drag everyone else into it?

Touching a hand to the workshop door, Gray saw her sister look at her.

The door opened.

Mom was in a chair, head in her hands. Mama was standing next to her, a hand on mom's shoulder. There was a crack in a table.

They both shifted to look at Gray. Mom stood up, her body rigid.

Mom was going to say something, but Gray rushed out her own words before mom got out the first syllable.

"I don't care about how I look anymore. I'm happy looking like mom. You don't need to try and fix me anymore."

They both were silent. They were surprised, but then their expressions shifted. They looked like they were sad. But, they were also happy? No, not happy, something else. Proud?

Mom's body loosened and she released a chuckle. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but we aren't going to stop. We know you aren't happy looking like me."

"No, I don't care. You don't need to keep trying."

"Gray, I know you too well to believe that. You're a sweet girl for trying to let us give up, but we're not going to. We will give you your own appearance. I know I just said I didn't think we could find a solution, but that was just a dark moment for me. My will wavered, but it was just for an instant. Don't worry, okay."

Gray wanted to insist her mom was wrong, that she really was happy with her body. But, if she did, and they really believed her, Gray would be stuck being in a body that made her miserable every time she looked in the mirror or took a shower or did anything that made her remember what body she was in. She wouldn't be able to endure it silently. She just couldn't.

The arms of her mom wrapped around Gray. Once again, Gray had begun to cry without realising it. Mom's hand brushed the back of Gray's head, fingers becoming intertwined with the hairs.

"It'll be okay Gray. We're okay, and you're going to be okay."

Blades clashed and clanged in a secluded area of a forest outside Copenhagen. The ground shook and shockwaves were released with each impact. Animals ran away from the hypersonic duel. It was eight years since Gray was adopted by her new family and ten since her two mothers participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War. Currently, Gray was training with her mom.

Her mom wanted to make sure Gray could wield all of Add's forms with the utmost efficiency and skill. Her mom was best at teaching Gray to use Add's halberd and greatsword forms due to being based on Rhongomyniad and Excalibur respectively. Despite being the forms Gray was the best at wielding thanks to this, they were the ones she liked using the least since they were more things that made her mirror her mom.

Currently, Gray was using Add's scythe form, her favoured form. Each time the scythe connected with her mom's Invisible Air, some of the Noble Phansasm's magical energy got absorbed and was infused into Gray, enhancing her body. The fifteen year old girl went on the offensive as she got continually stronger, trying to push her mom back and make her slip up.

What was unexpected was that her mother would do the same. She moved forward and put her full weight into a strike that knocked Gray's scythe to the side, following up by getting in close and throwing a fist forward towards the girl's face.

The punch stopped right before impact as Gray flinched.

"You shouldn't just rely on brute strength and assume your opponent will be overwhelmed. A smart opponent can always find a way out. Also, never flinch or stop looking at your opponent in any way. You need to always know what your enemy is doing. You did good, though. Beyond that slip up at the end, you were fighting immaculately."

"Thank you. Are we going to go another round?"

"No, we should head home or we'll be late for dinner." Mom was always thinking of food.

Add shrunk back into a cube. "Finally, I hate changing shape. Let's head home."

And head home they did, mom driving Gray and Add back towards the house.

Gray leaned her head against the window, watching buildings go by. It was awkward as always, but the training went well. She imagined Illya and mama's magecraft training in the family workshop probably went well, too.

Gray and Illya's training had been extensive. They both were being taught magecraft by their mama, mainly alchemy due to it being her specialty. Illya was especially good at it, though she was modified by the Einzberns so that she would. It would have been weirder if she was anything less than the prodigy she was. Illya received her father's Magic Crest, which granted her time magecraft as well. Illya was also being tutored in marksmanship, partly due to Kiritsugu's request, and partly due to her own interest. She now can wield a variety of firearms, her Thompson Contender and Origin Bullets being her trump card, not that she ever needed to use them before. Also of note, Illya was eighteen and she looked like it, Avalon still working its healing power inside of her. She got to achieve the body that she wouldn't have lived long enough to have if it weren't for mom. Gray got training from her mom in using Add in close combat, which she took very well to. Mom said Gray was around the level of a weak Servant, though she was probably just exaggerating.

Though Gray and her mom could bond somewhat as they trained, the wall that was Gray's appearance was thicker than ever. At this point, Gray looked identical to her mother, to the point that they legitimately get mistaken for identical twins. The only way to easily tell them apart was their wardrobes, mom always wearing suits and Gray wearing casual clothes that usually included a hoodie she would hide her face with.

Gray just wanted to be her own person, and she knew her mom did, too. The entire family has kept trying to find a way to restore Gray's appearance, but everything seemed futile. It was like the world was trying to take away who she was. But, Gray wasn't sure who she was. She didn't know what she wanted to even do with her life. The only hobbies she had were painting and watching cartoons, not that she'd admit the latter to anyone.

The young girl named Gray didn't have anything to grasp onto. She didn't have anything that was uniquely her's besides her name. Even her name was something given to her by her birth mother. It wasn't something she chose, so she didn't even feel in control of that.

She wanted to choose something for herself, to be herself, to find out who she even was.

Gray yelped as she felt a sting on the back of her hand. Did a bug bite her? No, it was closer to touching something hot. But, that didn't make sense. Even the nerves deep in her hand burned, as did the magic circuits.

"Hey, is that what I think it is?" Gray and Artoria looked at what Add was referring to.

Red tattoos on the back of Gray's hand. It was an upside-down cross. Unconnected to the cross on opposite sides of it were two complex series of lines that mirrored each other.

Wait. Red tattoos. Three component sections. Burning feeling on the back of the hand.

Command Spells. Command Spells were on the back of Gray's hand. They looked like the ones mama had. Actually, the cross looked identical to mama's except the sections were connected. Everyone stared at them, mom barely noticing in time that she was at a red light to stop and avoid crashing.

"Mom."

"I know. We'll…we'll talk when we get home, with everyone."

The remaining drive felt long. Gray had Command Spells. Was a Holy Grail War going on? How? It's supposed to be every sixty years. It had only been ten. But, the Command Spells were there. Gray was a Master. Was she supposed to fight in the Holy Grail War? Was she going to summon a Servant? Would Masters try to kill her? Was she going to have to fight for her life?

Back at the house, mama and Illya were as shocked as expected to see the Command Spells on the back of Gray's hand. Mama had been sweeping and dropped her broom upon seeing the Command Spells. Illya, who just finished making dinner, was a little more in control, probably since she hadn't been in a Grail War before and thus hadn't seen the horrors they facilitated like mom and mama had. For them, seeing those Command Spells might have caused a sort of PTSD. Just hearing stories made the Holy Grail War seem like a nightmare. Gray felt a chill upon thinking about the prospect of her participating in one.

"Iri, do you have any idea why this might be happening? The next Grail War shouldn't be for another fifty years."

"My, um, my guess would be, yeah, that's it. Because the Greater Grail was nearly summoned but wasn't in the last war, it might have residual magical energy that was unused, especially if it managed to absorb the Heroic Spirits that were ejected from my body by Avalon. This means the Grail didn't need as much time to recharge between Grail Wars."

"What do we do?" Illya said.

"The Grail is corrupted. We can't do nothing." Mom spoke firmly. "If a Master acquires the Grail and makes a wish, the destruction could be massive."

"And if the corruption of the Grail gets born into the world, it could be the end of humanity." mama said.

"We need to end this Grail War." mom said. "We need to destroy the Greater Grail. Excalibur has the power to do that. I'll go to Fuyuki and try to convince the Masters participating of the Grail's corruption. Hopefully, they'll believe me and we can work together to find and destroy it. More likely, they'll think I'm lying to get them to give up on the Grail so I can take it for myself. I'll have to win the War and destroy the Greater Grail afterward."

"I'm coming with you." Irisviel spoke with confidence.

"You can't. You're a Lesser Grail vessel. If you go, you might end up having your body dissolve if you take in too many Heroic Spirits."

"We can take Avalon out of Illya for the time being and bring it with us to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Iri, please, there's no need for you to be put in danger."

"My healing magecraft will be a big help to you and I've been training for combat since the last war. You can't do this by yourself. You need at least one person to watch your back, and besides that, I'm always going to be by your side. I'm not budging on this."

Mom sighed and smiled. "You're so stubborn."

"Kettle, meet pot." Mama responded with her own smile.

The Holy Grail War. A small, yet legendary ritual. It allowed Masters to meet heroes from all across human history. It was an event where lives changed and were lost. It completely changed mom and mama's lives. It was because of that war that mom finally gave up on her futile quest to save Camelot and ended up finding a modicum of inner peace. It was thanks to that war that mama met and lost the man she loved. It was the reason Illya was born and it was the reason mama managed to resolve herself to live on when she had previously accepted death. When they were lost, the Grail War was their baptism of fire that forged them into new people. It made them better people. Most importantly, they figured out what they truly wanted, or needed. They realised who they really were as people. Now that she thought about it, this was what Gray needed. Gray was lost in a fog. She had no identity. She had no path. She was just melancholically living out her days in the shadow of her mom. These were all problems the Holy Grail War solved for mom and mama. In a crisis, people show their true selves. This Grail War was certainly a crisis, more so than most of the participants even knew. If this war couldn't grant Gray some revelation as to what she wants to do with her life, about who she is, what could?

Gray looked at her Command Spells. "I want to help, too."

"Absolutely not." Mom didn't even hesitate in her response. "I don't know why you want to participate all of a sudden, but you won't be."

"But, I can summon a Servant. We'll have two Servants on our side!"

"I'm not putting you in danger."

"But-"

"Gray! This isn't under discussion!"

The blonde haired Gray flinched and shrank in response to her mom's yell. She never felt so intimidated by her. Gray was about to murmur words of compliance, but then she remembered why she wanted to participate in the first place, and she was filled with strength.

"I'm going to Fuyuki, you can't stop me!"

"What?"

"For once I found something I want to do! For once, I'm making a major choice in my life myself!"

"I'm not letting you get yourself killed!"

"I won't die! I just want to do the right thing! I want to do it! This is my choice! You took my face, you took everything but you're not taking this from me!"

Those last words made mom stumble back and look guilty. Gray felt she had gone too far.

"I want to help, too." Illya said.

"Illya, you too?" Mama was anxious.

"I want to help stop the Grail. Plus, if both me and mama participate, we can split the amount of defeated Heroic Spirits between us so neither of us takes so many in that we would lose our human functions and turn into the Lesser Grail. Also, it's clear that Gray is gonna help whether you try to stop her or not, even if she's gotta sneak into Fuyuki somehow. She's never been this determined before. When someone feels this kind of passion for the first time, they aren't going to let anything stop them from following it. She's gonna end up in Fuyuki, so it's better that we go together and watch each other's backs. I'll personally watch over Gray and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

Mama and mom looked at each other, clearly trying to feel out their partners' current thoughts.

"I've been quiet, but I'm gonna get my two cents in here." Add said. "After how the last war went based on how you described it, extra resources can only help you. Having a second Servant would be a big help, let alone Gray and Illya who are both strong enough to do damage to Servants even if they're weaker overall. Honestly, things will probably be safer if we all just work together. Don't think you can do everything yourself, Artoria."

Gray saw her mom look at Add with nostalgia and an expression befitting a scolded child.

"I can't do everything myself. I have to rely on others. This is my second chance at life, and I'm making the same mistakes as my first." There was a pause for a minute. Mom turned to mama. "Iri, I think we should bring them with us. Add and Illya have good points."

"They do. I still don't want them to go, but we have the best odds of all of us surviving past the war if we work as a team. We'll bring them with us, but they have to listen to us." Mama turned to Gray and Illya with a stern expression. "We are in charge, you listen to us, got it?"

"Got it." Gray and Illya spoke in unison.

"Good."

Mom grabbed mama's hand. "I'm sorry, Iri."

"It's okay. Anyway, let's have dinner. It's probably cold, but it should still be good. We can start planning for the war tomorrow."

"Right, let's eat." Mom perked up. Food always made things better, at least for her.

As the family made their way to the dining room, Gray felt excited at her opportunity to find herself, and scared as it sunk in that she was putting herself and her family in life threatening danger. They were really going to fight for their lives. Gray had trained for years, but she had never been in a real fight.

That said, she was confident they would all get through the war alive, because they always had each other's backs. They were a family, a strong one. And now, Gray would learn who she really is. She was going to be her own person after the war. She was. But, if she didn't, what then? If this war couldn't help her, nothing would. In that case, Gray would have nothing left to wait for, to hope for. She would be trapped as she was, forever, both inside than out.

The air was still. The workshop of the makeshift family of Gray, Illya, their two mothers, and Add was hosting the moment where Gray would summon her Servant. Gray was going to recite the incantation she spent many hours memorizing, more hours than she wanted to admit. The girl had to focus on nothing but her words just to say them properly due to her anxiety, excitement, and overstimulation. The moment of her Servant summoning had finally come. She was so desperate to focus that she left Add with Illya for the moment. Her family was watching as quietly as possible.

Illya was connected to Gray with magecraft, providing Gray with extra magical energy. The family decided to make Illya a sort of second Master for the Servant they would summon, providing more magical energy than normal to boost their parameters. This was why Illya was altered by the Einzberns in the first place, to be the ultimate Master. Illya would even be able to use her Command Spells on the Servant if necessary. It was because of her built-in Command Spells that Illya could connect to Gray's Command Spells and act as a second Master for their Servant in the first place.

Gray was going to summon a Servant. She was going to enter a life or death battle, her whole family was. Gray was afraid she would fumble her words due to her mind nearly being taken by her second wave of astonishment at what she and her family were about to do.

"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."

The wind was raging and the summoning circle was blinding in it's brightness. A tingle trailed across Gray's skin. Was that supposed to happen? She didn't know, but she didn't want to stop now and risk messing up the summoning somehow. She didn't know if interrupting the ritual would summon a weak Servant, but it was too late to ask. She really should have asked mama more questions.

"Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Repeat every five times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

I announce.

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

The tingling wasn't going away. Actually, she was really feeling numb. Her magic circuits were burning more than normal. It was as if molten metal was travelling through her body. Her chanting became more breathy as she felt like she was about to pass out.

"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!"

Gray was getting dizzy. She couldn't tell up from down. She had to close her eyes just to not vomit.

Her whole body hurt. Pain was all that could come through the numbness.

She was about to panic.

Then, it was as if she was no longer in her own body. She was travelling across a forest of magic circuits that went in impossible directions. It was a pattern leading to a core that Gray was being dragged towards. So fast. A blur. Everything was a blur.

As she got closer, originally feeling as if she was going faster than light itself, now she felt things begin to slow. It slowed more. It slowed further still. The light of the magic circuits dimmed, dimmed, then disappeared.

Gray felt motionless in a pit of darkness. Was she motionless? There was nothing to use as a marker. It was a void in all directions. As she was in the abyss, Gray begged for stimulation.

A glimmer. It began to grow. There was something and she was getting closer to it. Gray wanted to fly towards it faster, just so she wouldn't be trapped in the dark, but she had no control over her movement.

A red light lit Gray's way as she found herself in a tunnel of some sort. Gray was moving, but it was agonizingly slow. Now that she had the relief of stimulation, dread permeated Gray's being as she headed towards the unidentified destination.

Through the cave, the spirit core was there. A sea of magma, a flaring star, a cauldron containing the big bang itself. The ever flowing lake of burning substance was dotted only with the occasional rock formation peaking through. It was magical energy, dormant. Gray felt like an intruder, even though she had an instinctual understanding that this esoteric plane was actually intruding upon her.

A mighty eruption from the eye of fire, and what surfaced was a dragon. A red scaled beast that was power incarnated. It was the will that would ignite the magical energy like gasoline. All things bowed to this existence. It was not just a dragon. It was a king, no, a god. This was a god. Divinity shone from between its spear-like scales. A roar from the beast made everything quake yet also be paralysed in place. It was a sound that reminded Gray of a volcanic eruption mixed with a deep, calm word from a great authority.

It was terrifying. Gray wanted to leave. She wanted to go home. She wanted to return to the arms of her parents and sister. She wanted to be anywhere but where she was.

Lunging from the crucible and creating waves that were infinitely high, the red dragon brought its fangs down on Gray.

Pain like she had never known. Her every sense was dedicated to maximising the pain Gray experienced. The dragon's teeth were spikes, implements of impalement that would make Vlad III envious. They came together to form a dungeon of anguish, a fortress dedicated to breaking down and eradicating Gray's very identity.

It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. Oh God. Pain. The pain. Why? Why? Make it stop. Why wouldn't it stop? This was the worst pain. Make it stop. Let her die. She wanted to die. No life was worth this pain. What did she have to do? She would do whatever it took to make the pain stop, to just die.

It was getting harder to think. The pain was everything. She just wanted to stop thinking, then the pain would stop. Let the pain stop. She would give up everything to make it finally cease. She would even let her very personhood be wiped clean.

The dragon howled and so did Gray. As its teeth ground together and ripped apart her flesh, her skin split to reveal scales. Her eyes burst to be replaced with serpentine slits. Her lungs filled with great flame so she may breathe an inferno upon her enemies.

She was a ruler over humans. A being that existed to preserve the ideal of humans. The method didn't matter, only the result of greater human salvation. Her mind was a computer. Emotionless. Efficient. She would protect humanity for that was what she was programmed to do.

She was a dragon. She was a god. The king of Britain. The King of Knights. The Lion King.

But, she was not a king. She was just a little girl.

Gray. Her name was Gray.

She was a girl named Gray who loved her mom and mama and sister and liked fudge and watching cartoons and painting and watching people talk and get along.

She wasn't a dragon, and yet she now found herself a second head for the Phantasmal

Beast, an unnatural growth that would soon be subsumed.

She didn't want to disappear. She didn't want to be replaced. She couldn't let herself be erased.

The new head brought its jaws down upon the throat of the original. The two had begun to wrestle and tear at each other. They both moaned out and the burning star began to deform and shoot out great rivers of burning magical energy that looked like coronal mass ejections. As their scales broke away, light beamed out from the openings.

The dragon dissolved and the endless burning world shined. The beast became a pillar of light, and within that light, two women faced each other. The younger, the girl who clung to the name Gray, being assailed by the older.

Gray fought back as fingers stabbed into her. The younger woman struck at the invader who treated her as if she were the one to cross the boundary, who acted like she had not just tried to devour Gray to take her place in the world.

The strike pushed the two apart, Gray rushing up the shining pillar, while the other woman began to sink back towards the core. The holes in Gray's body left by the woman's fingers refused to heal.

Soon, Gray felt the pain begin to fade, the numbness being the next layer to be peeled away. Balance came to her as the esoteric landscape became a memory, though not a distant one.

The girl had returned from wherever she had spirited away to. She was back in the workshop. The dust was settling on the ritual.

Gray was on the floor. She must have fallen during that vision she just had. Was it a vision?

Propping herself up on her palms, Gray looked towards the summoning circle as the mist dispersed.

The servant stood atop the circle, large sword in hand. It was an armored individual. The suit was bulky and silver with red cloth. Two large horns came from the helmet's sides. The air was thick from their magical energy. It was as if she had so much power that her body couldn't contain it. Gray imagined the entire room getting crushed under the weight of this being's existence.

The helmet split into multiple pieces and mechanically lowered down and combined with the torso of the armor.

That face. It was Gray's face. No, it was mom's face.

The Servant spoke.

"I am Saber, na-Why are there two fathers?"