Fate/Stay Night – Flare up in Battle

By Tayla Drago

(Note: Base on my version of the Fate/Stay Night series to not not be the dark story, but more of light and some medium in between, to talk about the prequel first. Way before we get to main plot you know. Seeing the first series, than Unlimited Blade, followed by the 3 movies and such. Get it? With my made up OC in it, made up characters 'on some', and others base of the video game/Anime series as I'm making it good. Love, mystery too, fantasy, action, war, some comedy, and such taking place in Japan. Of the 7 servants battling for the Holy Grail. Enjoy!)

Episode #1 – Fate/Zero – Part 1

Tayla: Taking place from episodes #1-13

Eight years ago in Germany, Kiritsugu Emiya and his wife Irisviel von Einzbern welcome the birth of their daughter Illyasviel. Though Kiritsugu fears he will lead Irisviel to her death in the upcoming Fourth Holy Grail War, she assures him that he is a good man who will fulfill their ideals. Three years ago, the priest Kirei Kotomine learns that he has been chosen as a participant for the Holy Grail War. Kirei's father Risei Kotomine, the war's moderator on behalf of the Church of the Eighth Sacrament, and Tokiomi Tohsaka, another participant, arrange for Kirei to become Tokiomi's pupil in mage-craft in order to give Tokiomi an advantage and help Kirei get over the death of his wife. One year ago in Fuyuki City, Kariya Matou visits his childhood friend Aoi Tohsaka and her daughters, Rin and Sakura. Kariya is shocked to learn that Sakura has been adopted by the Matou family to be an heir who can use magic, and he is horrified to discover what has been done to her. Confronting his father Zouken Matou, Kariya strikes a deal to implant himself with parasitic worms that will give him the magic needed to participate in the upcoming war. If he wins the Grail, Sakura will be freed and returned to her family. In the present, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald dismisses and humiliates one of his students named Waver Velvet, who theorizes anyone can be a great mage by hard work and practice, rather than by virtue of their bloodline alone. Waver decides to prove his teacher wrong by stealing Kayneth's artifact, which is needed to summon a Servant, in order to join the war himself. As Kirei, who has now summoned his Servant Assassin (Hassan-i Sabbah), and Kiritsugu learn of each other's skills, they are disturbed by how they cannot know what the other man's goals for the war are. After receiving the scabbard of the sword Excalibur, Irisviel is hopeful that they can summon Saber (Arthur Pendragon), but Kiritsugu worries that Arthur's chivalry will clash with his pragmatic methods. As Kiritsugu, Tokiomi, Kariya and Waver each summon their Servants, Kiritsugu and Irisviel are stunned to see that the summoned Saber is actually a woman.

Waver has a hard time commanding his Servant Rider (Iskander), as Rider is more interested in how the world has changed since his time and intends to conquer it once he wins the war. Saber has formed a poor opinion of Kiritsugu, considering him cold-hearted, but is surprised to see him have a tender moment with his daughter Illya. Saber also admits she admires Kiritsugu and Irisviel's wishes to save the world, as she also wishes to save Britain. In Fuyuki City, serial killer Ryūnosuke Uryū has murdered an entire family except a young boy to summon a demon, but inadvertently calls the Servant Caster (Gilles de Rais). When Uryū offers the boy to Caster as a sacrifice, Caster pretends to let him go, then kills him with a horrific Cthulhu-esque monster. Uryū, overjoyed to meet someone as sadistic as him, vows to follow Caster anywhere and becomes his Master. Upon learning that the seventh and final Master has been chosen, Kirei orders Assassin to kill Tokiomi, only for Assassin to be killed by Tokiomi's Servant Archer (Gilgamesh), while attempting to break into his mansion.

Kirei announces his resignation from the war due to Assassin's elimination and is granted asylum by Risei. However, this is actually a ruse by Kirei, Risei and Tokiomi, as Assassin is not just one person, but several dozen people. With everyone else believing him out of the game, Kirei can send the Assassins to spy on them without suspicion. Waver informs Rider of Assassin's demise, but the latter is only interested of defeating President Clinton, acquiring his country's military weapons and having a good time. Irisviel and Saber arrive at Fuyuki City to meet up with Kiritsugu, but decide to tour the city since this is Irisviel's first time abroad. Meanwhile, Kiritsugu meets up with his assistant Maiya Hisau, who informs him that the other Masters believe Irisviel is Saber's Master and that she has smuggled in the guns they need for the war, including his Contender pistol. As Irisviel has a good time at the beach come nightfall, Saber detects another Servant at the harbor. Once there, they encounter Lancer (Diarmuid Ua Duibhne), who challenges Saber to a duel.

Saber and Lancer fight, while complimenting each other on their skills and chivalry. At the same time, Kiritsugu and Maiya are scouting the battle, with Kiritsugu spotting Lancer's hidden Master. As he is about to snipe him, Kiritsugu spots Assassin, who is relaying the battle to Kirei and Tokiomi. Lancer's Master orders him to use his Noble Phantasms called Gae Dearg, the long red spear that cancels any magic, and Gae Buidhe, the short yellow spear that inflicts wounds that cannot be healed. From these, Saber recognizes Lancer's identity, while Lancer discovers Saber's identity after using Gae Dearg to temporarily dispel the invisibility spell on her sword Excalibur. Saber, whose left arm tendon was wounded by Lancer's Gae Buidhe, is about to give it her all when Waver and Rider, who were watching the battle from afar, suddenly ride down to the harbor on Rider's Gordius Wheel chariot, interrupting the battle.

Rider introduces himself to Saber and Lancer, asking them to join his army, but they both decline the offer. Kayneth reveals himself as Lancer's Master and mocks Waver, but Rider defends him. Soon after, Archer joins the battle against Berserker, Kariya's Servant, who uses a Noble Phantasm called For Someone's Glory, a black fog that envelops him and prevents all attempts at gauging his strength. Archer attacks Berserker with his Noble Phantasm called Gate of Babylon, transforming his sword into a key to unlock a special vault containing a vast number of weapons, but Berserker keeps evading and using Archer's weapons against him. To prevent Archer from exposing his Noble Phantasm further, Tokiomi expends a Command Seal to order him to withdraw from the battle, much to Archer's displeasure. Upon seeing Saber, Berserker attacks her, revealing his second Noble Phantasm called Knight of Owner, the ability to turn anything he wields into a Noble Phantasm. Lancer defends Saber out of chivalry, but Kayneth uses a Command Seal to force him to assist Berserker and kill Saber. However, Rider intervenes and incapacitates Berserker, who retreats, and warns Kayneth to withdraw, or else he will side with Saber and defeat Lancer. After Kayneth and a grateful Lancer retreat, Rider tells Saber he will not fight her or Lancer until their duel is finished. Elsewhere, Caster watches the battle through a crystal ball and thinks Saber is his long-lost love, while Kirei discovers that the church was being spied on by a familiar.

Irisviel and Saber are driving to the Einzbern Castle when they encounter Caster, who believes Saber is Jeanne d'Arc, but Saber tells him he is mistaken and drives him away. Returning to his lair, Caster is convinced that "Jeanne" has lost her memories. At his hotel, Kayneth scolds Lancer for failing to kill Saber. Lancer is defended by Sola-Ui Nuaba-Re Sophia-Ri, Kayneth's fiancee, who is maintaining Lancer's existence by supplying him with mana and has fallen for him due to the beauty mark under his right eye. When the hotel's occupants are ordered to evacuate due to possible arson, Kayneth realizes Saber's Master has come for them. After making sure all civilians have evacuated, Kiritsugu and Maiya blow up the hotel using explosives. Maiya is found by Kirei, but escapes thanks to Kiritsugu's smoke bomb. When the Assassins inform Kirei, Risei, and Tokiomi that Caster and Uryū have been kidnapping and sacrificing children, Risei is disgusted by their pointless murders and their jeopardizing the war's secrecy. In a meeting between Archer and Kirei, the former convinces the latter to spy on the other Masters and find out what drives them in order to discover his own desires.

Risei informs all the active Masters that the war is to be put on hold until Caster, whose killings of children are attracting public attention, is destroyed, with an additional Command Seal as a reward. At the Einzbern Castle, Kiritsugu plans to use the hunt for Caster to attack the other Masters, despite Saber's protests that they should give priority to stopping Caster's atrocities. As Kiritsugu confides in Irisviel that he would rather escape with her and their daughter and live in peace somewhere, Irisviel detects Caster arriving from the forest with more children to be sacrificed and sends Saber after him. Saber is ambushed and cornered by Caster's Noble Phantasm called Prelati's Spellbook, which enables him to summon monsters, until Lancer appears and joins forces with her. As Irisviel and Maiya leave the castle, Kayneth, who had survived the hotel bombing thanks to his Volumen Hydragyrum, a giant magical blob of mercury, infiltrates the castle to duel Kiritsugu, who evades Kayneth by using his Calico M950 and launches a surprise attack with his Contender pistol.

Irisviel and Maiya are about to escape through the woods until Irisviel detects Kirei coming their way. Instead of evading him, Irisviel and Maiya decide to confront him in order to protect Kiritsugu. However, both of them are outmatched. Meanwhile, Kiritsugu is able to wound Kayneth with his Contender pistol. Believing the attack was a fluke, Kayneth decides to increase the defense of his Volumen Hydragyrum even further. Saber and Lancer continue fighting Caster's waves of demonic creatures, which prove limitless due to his Noble Phantasm, his grimoire. Saber manages to clear a path for Lancer, who pierces Caster's grimoire with Gae Dearg, cutting off his source of mana and instantly destroying his minions, causing him to flee. After hiding from an enraged and injured Kayneth, Kiritsugu finally appears and shoots him with his Contender again. Because the Contender uses special anti-magic bullets, Kayneth's Volumen Hydragyrum not only fails to protect him, but amplifies his injury significantly, causing him to fall unconscious in a pool of his own blood. Lancer arrives to save his unconscious Master, while Saber rushes to save Irisviel from Kirei. As Kirei interrogates Irisviel about Kiritsugu, an Assassin informs him of Saber's approach, leading him to stab Irisviel before fleeing. Irisviel survives thanks to Saber's magical healing scabbard Avalon implanted inside her and goes on to heal Maiya.

Kayneth wakes up with his body tied to a bed. Sola-Ui tells Kayneth that his Magic Circuits inside his body were destroyed by Kiritsugu's bullets and he can never use magic again. She offers to become Lancer's new Master, but realizing that it's because Sola-Ui has feelings for Lancer, Kayneth refuses. He eventually concedes after Sola-Ui begins to break his fingers in retaliation, and relinquishes Lancer's Command Seals to her. Despite Sola-Ui becoming his new Master, Lancer wishes to remain loyal to Kayneth, but Sola-Ui convinces him to keep fighting with her, using Kayneth's honor as a pretext. Kiritsugu decides to hunt Kayneth down despite Irisviel and Saber's wishes to stop Caster. Meanwhile, Waver and Rider manage to find Caster's lair, where they are horrified to see the mutilated bodies of his victims. Before setting Caster's lair on fire, Rider kills an Assassin targeting Waver and drives off two more. With Waver and Rider now knowing their secret, Tokiomi orders Kirei to send his Assassins to spy on them.

This episode focuses on Rin, who is Tokiomi's daughter, and her involvement in the Fuyuki City Kidnappings. Despite her young age, Rin is determined to follow in her father's footsteps as a great mage. With the Holy Grail War starting soon, Tokiomi sends Aoi and Rin away for their own safety. At Rin's new school, several children, including her best friend Kotone, have been kidnapped by the Fuyuki Serial Killer, later revealed to be Uryū. Wishing to save Kotone, Rin heads to Fuyuki City alone. Using a mana detector gifted to her by her father, she eventually finds Uryū using a magic bracelet to hypnotize children. Rin follows Uryū to his hideout, where she is found by him. Rin overloads Uryū's bracelet with mana to destroy it, incapacitating him and freeing the children from his control. With everyone safe, Rin heads home only to be ambushed by one of Caster's monsters. However, Kariya comes to her rescue and later hands her to Aoi. Kirei, who had been spying on them through Assassin, orders his Servant to continue monitoring Kariya.

Saber is surprised by the sudden arrival of Waver and Rider at the Einzbern Castle. Rider declares his intention to have a peaceful discussion with her and Archer on the subject of kingship and the wishes they want the Grail to grant. Archer wants it merely so that people can't "steal" it from him, while Rider wants it in order to be reincarnated and get his dream of world conquest. Saber argues that a king should serve his people selflessly and wishes to use the Grail's power to save Britain. Rider criticizes her, saying that Saber's emotional distance from her subjects led to their dissatisfaction and proposes his own ideal, namely that people should serve the king, whose extravagant ambitions inspire them in turn. Their talk is interrupted by the arrival of the Assassins. When they rebuff Rider's offer to join the feast, Rider summons his Noble Phantasm called Ionian Hetairoi, composed of the vast number of loyal soldiers who also became Servants after their deaths. Rider and his army easily decimate every single Assassin. With their meeting over, Rider tells Saber that he no longer recognizes her as a king and departs. A conflicted Saber reveals to Irisviel that one of her knights (Tristan) left Camelot because he was dissatisfied with her rule.

Thanks to the information provided by the Assassins before their annihilation, Tokiomi and Kirei now know about Rider's Noble Phantasm and decide to let him attack the other Servants first before engaging him. While Maiya transports Irisviel and Saber to their new base of operations, Kiritsugu reviews his intel about the other participants' whereabouts. At their new base, Saber points out Irisviel's odd behavior, which forces her to admit that her powers have weakened. Archer questions Kirei about what he learned by spying on the other Masters and points out that Kirei has shown an unusual degree of interest in Kariya, despite the minimal threat he poses. From this, Archer concludes that Kirei enjoys seeing the pain and suffering of others. Though initially reluctant to acknowledge his dark nature, Kirei eventually gives in, at which point the Command Seals reappear on his hand, signifying that he is still meant to be a contestant. Since he currently has no Servant, however, Archer hints that he should kill another Master and take control of their Servant.

Uryū and Caster return to their lair and are dismayed to see their "artwork" destroyed by Rider's fire. Uryū cheers Caster up by sharing his twisted view that God, whom Caster hates the most for Jeanne's death, is just a spectator who enjoys seeing humans do whatever they want. Impressed by his Master's beliefs, Caster plans a "grand spectacle" for God to look upon. Meanwhile, Waver has second thoughts about whether he is a worthy Master for Rider, but Rider encourages him to believe in himself. Suddenly, Waver, Rider, Irisviel and Saber sense magic from the Mion River. When they arrive, they witness Caster summoning a giant demonic monster. Rider informs the other contestants and they all agree on a temporary alliance to stop Caster before his monster destroys the city. With Rider leading the vanguard, Saber joins him to give Lancer an opening to use his spears on Caster.