"I must head out for a while but please, do enjoy this next scene." Eternity said.
"Is something the matter, Mr Eternity?" Ozpin asked, curiosity written all over his face.
"Not at all. There just seems to be a lot more… displaced residents than usual, is all…" Eternity said as some of the audience gasped in surprise.
"There's people from other universes out there?!" Ruby asked, excitement in her eyes.
"Is there another Nora out there?! Maybe even another Ren?!" Nora asked as she and Ruby ran up to the multiversal entity, "Can we meet them?! Please?!"
"Sure, why not?" Eternity said with a shrug, "But not at the moment, though. I'd at least like to get the others more acquainted with this place first before anything else."
"Aww…" Nora and Ruby both said at the same time, a pout on both their faces as they went back to their seats.
"Well, in the meantime, I do hope you'll enjoy watching this next universe."
The scene opened to show a boy - bloody and bruised all over - with short auburn hair dressed in what looked to be a green-colored school uniform. After painstakingly dragging himself through the living room of his home, the boy promptly collapsed on the ground from sheer exhaustion.
"Those two women… What on Earth… were they…?" the boy spoke aloud as he visibly gasped for breath before clutching his chest, "So, I really was… almost killed. No, I was killed."
As the boy contemplated on the events that had occurred just hours prior, the custom alarms he had set around his house rang, alerting the boy to an intruder. Opening his eyes, the boy saw one of the two women from earlier - a woman with dark red hair tied into a ponytail and dressed in bronze armor from head to toe - suddenly appear above him, spear in hand as she thrust the weapon towards where he was currently lying down.
Acting on instinct alone, the young boy quickly rolled out of the way mere moments before the spear would have connected with his head, effectively killing him.
Pulling her spear out of the ground, the woman stared at him with eyes devoid of emotion.
"Hello, again. I really wished you would have just let me kill you just then." the woman said.
"My first ever appearance and I'm trying to kill someone in cold blood?" Pyrrha asked, the girl distressed by her on-screen counterpart's actions.
"Don't worry, Pyrrha, we know you're not actually a cold-blood killer." Jaune said in an attempt to reassure his partner.
"And hey, look on the bright side: at least you're not being tortured." Nora added, the girl's words not helping her teammate feel any better.
"I wonder who that young boy is…?" Weiss thought aloud, "And why Pyrrha's trying to kill him?"
"I was trying to be kind back there, you know? I thought it would hurt less had you not seen my attack coming." said the woman as the boy picked up what looked to be a roll of poster before using it as a makeshift weapon.
"Trace. On." the boy said before the poster in his hands was filled with circuits of light. Raising an eyebrow, the red-haired woman paid the boy's actions no heed as she went in for a thrust. The boy wasn't able to dodge the whole attack as the tip of his attacker's spear still managed to inflict a small slice on his right shoulder.
"Hmm… Well, I've certainly seen worse. Though it is faint, I do sense a bit of mana coming from inside you. Boy, might you be mage of some sort? Although, if you are, you don't seem to be very capable at it." the woman said as she resumed her onslaught.
Seeing no chance of victory, the young boy escaped the living room and into the hallway in an attempt to shake off his would-be murderer. Jumping through a glass window, the boy landed on the ground with a thud before he attempted to catch his breath.
Looking up with a gasp, the boy was surprised to see the red-haired woman already beside him as she delivered a devastating kick that sent the boy flying back a few feet towards the garden shed in his backyard.
Getting up, the boy clutched his right hand in pain before retreating into the nearby shed as he saw no chance of victory.
"I guess no matter the era, mages will always be cowards." the woman spoke to herself, a look of disappointment on her face. Following the boy into the shed, the woman thrust her spear once more only for the boy to open the poster and use it as a makeshift shield.
"I'm afraid this is the end of the line, boy. Your efforts are commendable, however pointless they may have been." the woman said as she prepared her spear to deliver the final strike, "You have good reflexes for an untrained amateur but your skills in magic are incredibly lacking."
"Magic? Is such a thing capable in this universe?" Ozpin asked, the man perking up at the word.
"Not quite. Magic in this world was widespread but that was more than two thousand years ago, at an age where Gods and other magical beings walked the Earth, co-existing with mankind." Eternity said, "Now, the mages of the world practice magecraft."
"What's the difference?" Yang asked.
"Magic is the act of performing the impossible while magecraft is performing something that can also be done with modern technology, only with less resources." Eternity said.
"Gods… co-existing with humanity…?" Ozpin said, disbelief on his face.
"More… living among them than co-existing, truth be told." Eternity said, "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, Headmaster."
"Indeed I do." Ozpin said, a dark look on his face as he took a sip of coffee.
"Perhaps you were supposed to be the Seventh Master but even if that were so, it doesn't matter. Not now, anyway." the woman said, her spear still trained at the boy, "Since this is the end for you."
"Screw you!" the boy said as he glared at his attacker. Getting up for what might just be the final time that night, the boy grabbed hold of a nearby piece of metal as he pointed it at the red-haired woman standing in front of him, "I'm not going to die here. I can't! I have a duty to fulfil! I won't die here tonight! Not by someone who takes lives as if it were nothing!"
Not paying any mind to what the boy was shouting about, the woman was about to deliver the final strike before someone appeared beside her seemingly from thin air.
Without wasting a single second, the person delivered a heavy strike that sent the red-haired woman retreating back outside the shed.
"I ask of you," the person said before turning around to face. Now that he got a better look, the boy saw that the one who had just saved his life was a regal looking young man with blonde hair wearing silver armor. In his right hand was a steel sword with a golden hilt and in his other hand was a shield with the image of two crescents engraved on it, "Are you my master?"
"Fearless Leader, it's you again!" Nora shouted, excitement in the girl's voice obvious.
"Damn, Vomit Boy looks good!" Yang said, whistling in amazement.
"Agreed." Pyrrha thought to herself, a blush creeping up her cheeks.
"...'Master'…?" the boy said, clueless as to what was currently happening and wondering where the blonde man standing in front of him even came from.
"I, the Saber-Class Servant, have come in response to your summons. Your orders, Master?" the man said. Still surprised at the blonde man's sudden appearance, the boy suddenly felt a jolt of pain in his left hand. Nodding at the red marks on the back of the boy's hand, the Saber-Class Servant then turned around to face the red-haired woman from before, "In the name of the one True King, I swear to you now that my sword will bring you victory in this war. Thus, the contract is formed."
Having said his piece, the blonde man then launched himself towards the red-haired woman as the two of them clashed.
"Wait, what do you mean by contract?" the boy asked, his eyes struggling to follow the battle between his saviour and his would-be murderer. Neither of them paid the young boy any attention as sword clashed against spear. As the red-haired woman went in for a heavy thrust, Saber expertly dodged the attack before he struck the weapon upwards.
Not giving his opponent any time to gather herself, Saber bashed her with his shield, momentarily stunning the woman.
"Whoa." Ruby said, the girl amazed by what she was seeing on screen.
"You're telling me these guys are supposed to be your students, Oz?" Qrow asked, the man sharing the same sentiment as his niece at the moment.
"I think it should be obvious by now that these variants of my students aren't human, Qrow, as evidenced by their feats we are currently watching." Ozpin said.
"Attacking Masters with no Servants? Have you no shame, Lancer?!" Saber asked just as the woman - Lancer - jumped back to make some space between the two of them, "I expected such acts from Assassin. Where is your pride and honor as a warrior?!"
As the blonde knight finished his words, he was barely able to react to an oncoming strike from Lancer as the red-haired woman threw the spear towards him. Missing his face by mere inches, the projectile instead carved a giant hole in the wall behind him.
"You dare question my warrior's pride, Saber?!" Lancer shouted as her spear materialized in her right hand and a round shield in her left, "I'm only here on the orders of my coward of a Master and I was told not to use my full strength but what you just said cannot be left unchallenged."
Steeling his gaze, Saber entered into a stance as he brought his shield up just as Lancer started her attack. Surprised by the sudden change in the woman's fighting style, Saber was barely able to keep up with his opponent's ferocity.
Small shockwaves emanated from his shield every time Saber blocked Lancer's attacks as the woman was slowly but surely pushing him back. She didn't even give him time to retaliate nor did she use her own shield defensively, the woman expertly using it as a projectile to keep the blonde knight at a distance. This onslaught of hers continued until finally, Saber was forced to fall to a knee, exhaustion on the knight's face obvious for all to see.
"What's wrong, Saber?! Is that all your own pride as a warrior has to offer?!" Lancer spat, "I was told the Saber-class was the mightiest among the Seven and yet here you are, kneeling in defeat!"
Pyrrha frowned at her counterpart's actions, the girl upset at how boastful the woman on the screen was being. Nora, meanwhile, was conflicted as the girl was completely clueless on who she should be cheering on.
"Ren! You cheer for Pyrrha, I'll cheer for Jaune!" the girl screamed before shaking her head, "No, wait! I'll cheer for Pyrrha, you cheer for Jaune! No, wait-"
"Nora, it's okay to not cheer for either of them, you know?" Ren said, the boy finally able to calm his partner down.
"Aye, I might be the weakest in my Order but losing to you? In front of my Master, of all people?" Saber said, the blonde rising as he locked eyes with Lancer once more, "That is simply impossible, Lancer!"
Momentarily stunned by the blonde's actions, Lancer then let out a hearty laugh.
"You're an amusing one, aren't you, Saber? Tell me, might you be a part-time Jester back when you were alive?" Lancer asked as she rested her spear on her shoulder, "Since you did manage to make me laugh on this night, might you accept it if we were to call it a draw here and now?"
"I think not!" Saber said with a steely look of determination in his eyes.
"Hmph, very well then. You were a most interesting Heroic Spirit, Saber, and I wish I could have gotten to know you more but unfortunately," Lancer said, the woman readying her spear, "this is where you die."
Saber, meanwhile, gripped his shield tight as he prepared himself for whatever Lancer had prepared for him.
"Pierce his heart, Milo!" Lancer shouted as she threw the spear in her hands towards him at unfathomable speeds.
Saber, with his shield raised high in front of him, stood his ground as he prepared to defend against his opponent's Noble Phantasm.
Only, as the seconds ticked by and the spear was coming closer, he found himself inexplicably lowering his shield. Try as he might, his body simply would not listen to him as he slowly lowered his shield until finally, the spear crashed into him as he was sent flying to the wall behind him.
"Oh? I'm impressed, Saber." Lancer said as her spear materialized in her hand once more. The dust began to clear before showing Saber sat among the rubble, his left shoulder having been pierced by his opponent's attacks, "There aren't many who could resist the effects of my Noble Phantasm."
"Coming from one such as you, that was high praise. I'm honored to be facing you, Pyrrha Nikos, Princess of the Amazons." Saber said as he lifted himself from the ground with a grunt.
"Pyrrha, you're a princess in this?! That's so awesome!" Nora said, the girl filled with excitement as the scene played before her. Meanwhile, the girl in question simply blushed with embarrassment at the revelation.
"Who are the Amazons, I wonder?" Ozpin thought aloud.
"I still don't know what's going on but at least the fight's awesome." Qrow added with a shrug.
"Hmph, now you know my True Name and with it, all my weaknesses. Regrettable but I suppose it is-"
"Jaune Arc, Knight of The Round Table and loyal servant to King Arthur." Saber said with a bow.
"...Huh?" Lancer said, a look of utter confusion on the woman's face.
"Jaune Arc. That is my True Name."
"Why would you even tell me that?"
"'Tis only fair, Lancer, that do so after learning yours so that neither of us will have an unfair advantage over the other." Saber said, "That way, we can face each other in a fair and honorable match."
Pyrrha stared at the blonde knight for what seemed like an eternity, her brain trying to make sense of what she just heard. Even the young boy nearby - Saber's Master - seemed unsure of what to say after hearing Saber speak.
The silence dragged on for a few more seconds before it was broken by Lancer's raucous laughter, the woman dropping her weapon as she did so.
"Saber, you are either the bravest or the most foolish Servant I've faced." Lancer said as she wiped away a tear from her face.
"And why is that?" Saber asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Because, fool, honor means nothing in the field of battle." Lancer replied, her laughter having ceased as she pointed her spear at the knight, "Ask the souls of the dead if honor matters. Their silence will be your answer."
"I hate to say it but it's true. Choosing some dumb crap like honor in a real fight is a real stupid move." Qrow said.
"Uncle Qrow! Don't call our friend stupid!" Ruby said as she chucked a handful of popcorn at the man.
"No offence, kiddo, but I'm just calling it how it is." Qrow said as he shielded himself from the barrage of snacks Ruby and Yang were chucking at him, "Out in the real world, there ain't no such thing as a fair fight."
"Even so, I fight to honor the Round Table. Doing any less brings nothing but shame to their name." Saber said. The blonde knight then gripped his sword with two hands, his shield dissipating as he readied his own Noble Phantasm, "That being said, I believe it's time to finish this fight, don't you?"
"I would be more than glad to do so but alas, as I have said before, my Master is a coward through and through. Now that you've seen my Noble Phantasm and know my True Name, I've been ordered to retreat." Lancer said, the woman turning around to leave, her back exposed to the blonde knight.
"You would run away from this fight, Lancer?!" Jaune asked, a frustrated frown on his face.
"You're welcome to chase after me, Saber, but know that if you do, your time in this Grail War will be cut short." Lancer said, a challenging look in the woman's eyes before leaping away from the scene. Jaune made to chase after her before he dropped to one knee, the blonde clutching his left shoulder in pain.
"Hey, are you alright?" his Master asked as he came rushing to his side.
"Ah, Master. Thank you for worrying about me but such an injury is easily cured. A simple healing spell should do the trick." Jaune said.
"Healing spell? Sorry but… I can't use something like that. I can only do Reinforcement magecraft."
"I see. That might be problematic later but I'm sure everything will turn out fine in the end." Jaune replied.
"Wait, before that, who are you, anyway? And who was that woman with the red hair?" the boy asked.
"Hmm? What do you mean? This is the Holy Grail War and I am your Saber-Class Servant." Jaune said only for the boy to look even more confused, "You are the one who summoned me, aren't you?"
"I… I was…?" the boy said before Jaune grabbed his left hand.
"Here, on the back of your hand. These Command Peals prove that you are my Master for this war." Jaune said.
"Even so, to start calling me 'Master' is a bit…" the boy said, scratching his cheek in embarrassment, "You can just call me Shirou since that is my name. Emiya Shirou."
"Very well, then. That's what I'll call you from-" Whatever Jaune had to say was cut off as the blonde glared at an area outside of the house, "Shirou, whatever explanation I have to give will have to wait. It seems there are two enemies approaching our current position. I will dispatch them quickly and return to you soon."
"Huh…? Enemies? Wait, what are you talking about?" Shirou asked but before he could receive an answer, Jaune had already jumped over the roof of his house in a single leap and had begun engaging their enemy. With his sword in hand, the blonde knight clashed with an enemy Servant for the second time that night, his opponent choosing to wield a scythe, of all things.
"She's fast." Jaune thought to himself, as even though his opponent wore a hood to cover her identity, there was no mistaking that it was a woman. With light armor the color of red and silver, his opponent made good use of her small frame to dance around Jaune, dodging any heavy strikes the blonde had to offer.
"It's me! And I look so cool!" Ruby shouted, the young girl squealing with excitement.
"I guess we're enemies in this one?" Jaune said.
"Ah, don't worry about it, Jaune. I promise not to beat you up so bad." Ruby said.
"...Thanks, Rubes…" Jaune said.
Just as their weapons clashed once more did Jaune sense his Master's presence behind him.
"Wait, Saber! Stop!" his Master shouted and Jaune could feel that a Command Spell had been used.
"Shirou, have you lost your mind?! The enemy is right before us! We should strike them down now!" Jaune shouted.
"You could at least explain things to me first!" Shirou countered.
"Now?! The enemy is standing before us, Master! Surely you could have picked a better time for that!" Jaune shouted back. Meanwhile, as the two of them continued bickering, neither of them noticed the enemy Servant's Master stand up to stand beside her own Servant.
"Ah, I think I get what's going on right now. You're just a novice Master, aren't you?" the girl said, surprising both Shirou and Jaune. Looking at the both of them, the girl gave a light smile, "Good evening, Emiya."
"Tohsaka?! What are you doing here?!" Shirou asked.
"Well, for starters, might it be possible for us to call a truce for the time being?" Tohsaka asked, surprising her Servant.
"Eh? Are you sure, Master? I mean, I could easily take this guy out without breaking a sweat." her Servant asked.
"It's fine, Archer." Tohsaka said before looking at her fellow Master, "You don't mind, do you, Shirou?"
"Not at all. Saber, please… Let's just talk this through." Glaring at the boy, the blonde knight finally relented with a heavy sigh.
"If that is your wish, Shirou." Jaune said as his weapons disappeared from his hands.
"You, too, Archer." Tohsaka said.
"Ugh, fine…" the Servant said as she put her own weapon away. The Servant then pulled back her hood to reveal a woman with silver eyes and black hair, "Hey, there. I'm the Archer Servant for this war. It's nice to meet you."
Both Jaune and Shirou were speechless at the Servant suddenly introducing herself but before either of them could say anything, the Servant continued.
"Ah, I know what you're thinking. What's a little girl like me doing fighting in a war like this, right? Well, I'll have you know that just because I'm short, I am not a little girl. I am a certified Archer-Class Servant summoned from the Throne of Heroes." the silver-eyed woman said as the screen faded to black, signifying its end.
"So, how did you enjoy this scene?" Eternity asked, the entity startling those in audience after appearing from out of nowhere.
"Mr Eternity! Where have you been?" Yang asked.
"Just helping the other displaced residents get comfortable while their own universes are being rebooted, that's all." Eternity said.
"To answer your question, besides Ruby, it's been pretty boring for the most part." Qrow said with a yawn, "Don't you have anything that has a more comedic vibe to it?"
"I'm glad you asked, Mr Branwen. If it's comedy you're looking for, then I'm sure this next one will suit your tastes just fine." Eternity said, a knowing smile on his face.
"Yeah? Why is that?" Qrow asked, a curious look on his face.
"Well, for starters, it stars you, Mr Branwen, as well as you, General Ironwood." Eternity said, surprising the general.
"That's all well and good, Mr Eternity, but when is my dear Blake going to get some screen time?" Kali Belladona asked before said daughter elbowed her in the ribs.
"Mom, stop it!" Blake hissed, a red tint on her face.
"Well, it's a nice coincidence that you will appear as well, in this next scene. Your daughter as well as someone I've no doubt you're all familiar with." Eternity said, "One Adam Taurus."
"Adam's going to be in this next one?" Blake asked, a worried look on her face.
"Yes, that's right. Well, let's not waste any more time and-" the entity was cut off when an explosion of white light suddenly engulfed the theatre, momentarily blinding everyone present.
"Gyah! My eyes!" Multiple people shouted as the light slowly died down and everyone's visions returned. When they did, it was to two people standing in front of them, confused expressions on both of their faces. The first was a man with blonde hair dressed in cargo shorts and a brown leather vest over a tan dress shirt.
"Uh… What just happened?" Taiyang Xiao Long asked, looking over everyone standing in front of him. Before anyone could answer, his displaced companion spoke up.
"Yes. Somebody better explain to me what's going on or there will be consequences." Raven Brawnen said, the woman dressed in her usual black and red outfit and with her weapon firmly strapped to her side. Before she could attempt to even draw it, however, her weapon, like others before her, simply disintegrated into dust.
"None of that around here, Miss Branwen." Eternity said, the sensation of his voice echoing in their minds surprising both Tai and Raven, "If you don't mind, please take a seat and I'll explain momentarily."
[Chapter END]
A/N: And that's a wrap on Chapter 4. I really hope you guys enjoyed this one. I'm not sure what to say about it myself. No surprise but this would have been the first chapter for my other fic, Remnants of Fate, if I ever get around to finishing it.
As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.