interlude 6-2 Other Night
The third family
"…Assassin. You fool, you let them get away."
In the room full of decay, the thing that can no longer be called a man calls out quietly into the darkness, his voice curt and clear above the sounds made by the worms.
The magus stands amidst the worm pit, his eyes closed and his wrinkled face serene, but emanating a sharp killing intent directed at the entrance of this hell.
The cloaked figure recoils instinctively and lets out a response.
"Kikikiki. mAStER, I dID noT EXpeCt ThERE To bE TWO sERV—"
"Silence."
Amongst the rank of Servants recorded in the Throne of Heroes, Assassin is certainly a third-rate heroic spirit. In this War, he is also clearly the weakest Servant, perhaps with less worth than even the false Servant he was born from.
However, he is still a Servant, and a Servant would hardly be intimidated by a human, let alone a figure made of worms decaying from centuries of wear.
And fear had long since been trained out of him as a warrior, before he even inherited the legendary title of the "Old Man of the Mountain". His current limited intelligence would further serve as a barrier for any human emotion to surface.
And yet.
Assassin feels that raw fear as his Master's face twists into fury.
"This could have been the chance to let it feed on one, if not two, of the three knight classes —but hah. At the end of the night, our prey escapes unscathed."
The worms continue to writhe and squeal in an inhuman pitch.
He has known that his Master, Matou Zouken, is a being he knows he cannot cross, if he values his current time in the world.
"And worse of all, because you didn't get to feed, you remain an incomplete tool."
And now he learns firsthand that failing him may yield the same results.
"Do you understand the gravity of what has happened tonight…?"
His Master opens his wrinkled eyelids, and with a tenacity not seen in his rotting body, his eyes glare straight at him.
"…mAsTER."
So he takes the only route he's allowed to in this situation, and bows deeply before the being that is his Master. If his surroundings are not proof enough, there is a primal instinct in him that tells him this being can and will end his life with the snap of a finger.
"I still can't believe how weak you must be to have been distracted by that boy's attack. Yes, Saber did help to propel it, but it's not even a proper weapon. And just like that you missed the golden opportunity to rid the accursed supervisor of one of his two pieces."
Assassin debates raising the point that he was kicked in the face and had his left arm almost ripped off by the blue Servant chasing him, as well as his general lack of sustenance since feeding on the false Servant during his birth.
And in all fairness, his Master has a point in that the attack was both ridiculous and outright disgraceful to have been both hit and distracted by. It was, put simply, a desperate last-second measure that involved an inexperienced magus and a splintering bamboo practice sword. But that should in itself speak volumes to how desperate his own situation was.
But of course, Assassin does not voice these thoughts. He merely deepens his bow and remains silent, praying that his Master's rage passes with time.
"Ridiculous. We were this close…every report I've received from my familiars pointed to Lancer working alone tonight…did the priest plan this all along...?!"
Tap. Tap. Taptaptap. Squish.
Assassin hears his Master tap his cane onto the muddy floor in fury, smashing an unfortunate worm that happened to crawl into its path.
But just as quickly as his rage came, it faded into calmness eerily quickly. Perhaps it is the wisdom of over centuries of experiencing failure after failure, but the elderly magus' temper has already simmered down.
"…Hmm. No matter. We were simply unlucky tonight. Any other combination of events would have led to Lancer's death at the very least. Time to plan ahead."
Tap.
A mass of worms rises up behind his Master to form a slimy chair, and Assassin can hear him sink into it with an annoyed sigh.
"So if that piece isn't active yet, maybe I should force an encounter."
Tap. Tap. Squish. Tap.
"…Hmm. I thought that the failure has no further use, but if I use what he told me this evening…"
Tap tap.
"…Of course he may be lying, but the girl he described is definitely the Grail. There would be no merit in distrusting this information for now, and in the worst case I can simply get rid of him if he's wasted my time. Yes, I'll return him the book so he can continue playing his role. The Makiri shall continue to participate in the War officially, and the alliance will be a perfect distraction for the Tohsaka girl and that priest. If lucky, I might get another chance to strike at him and maybe even that golden Servant."
Taptaptap.
"I shall be patient then. Let's hold onto that card as a bargaining chip in case we do cross paths again, and I can continue to sustain its corpse without too much trouble anyway. I can also continue that thing's development tomorrow, especially if the Tohsaka girl or the Emiya boy ends up in its way. So that just leaves…"
Tap.
"—Assassin. Today was a failure, but I'm well aware of the odds you were up against. Go ahead and feed on what you need tonight, I want you healed and in your best condition tomorrow."
Assassin lets out a breath he did not know he was holding. He finally looks up from his deep bow to see that his Master has already closed his eyes, his body crumbling and sinking into the pit of worms.
He bows once more to the writhing pit before exiting the room, his attention turned to the life force ripe for harvesting in the city.
Matou Shinji is reborn.
He paces in his room, up and down and back up again from the door to the window, his energy limitless tonight.
He thought nothing of it in the evening when he pointed out timidly across the dinner table that the Einzbern Master had offered him an alliance.
Alright, maybe it's his fault that he was exaggerating a little. It's not like Einzbern had actually agreed to it — she simply brought up the possibility of it.
Hell, Grandfather had barked in laughter when he brought it up during dinner, and then outright ignored him for the rest of the evening.
In fact, Grandfather didn't need to say anything for him to understand why it was so amusing. Matou Shinji understood quite well that his position in the household had long been lost to that thing, and now with his exit from the War, his worth to the old magus has more than likely dropped lower than perhaps the worms in the basement. That he would be offered an alliance from the strongest Master in the War is nothing but lunacy.
Even so, he dared to believe it. No, he had to. Without it, he could feel his ego being eroded away in a world far beyond his magic-less hands.
After all, what did he truly have left that belonged to him?
The Matou family name, having rotted away for centuries to the point where his generation no longer had any circuits? That was a lost cause from the start.
The title of heir? Taken away ruthlessly by that thing. The lingering affection he has for it grinds him from the inside every day, realising that the thing he had so much warmth and empathy for was the final key to destroying everything he had.
And the title of Master in the Fifth War? Gone as quickly as it was given, under his best friend's hand. Hell, he can't even put the blame on Emiya, as the difference in power between the Servants was simply too vast. He knew it the moment Rider was taken out by the beautiful woman in blue and gold. He blames his Servant for her weakness, but deep inside he understands that he simply wasn't a good enough Master. That realisation is enough to make him want to vomit.
Wielding a false Command Seal as a false Master; the only male heir yet somehow beaten to even that by that thing.
So what else can he do? No one should be able to criticise him for how he behaves. Unlike Emiya, he doesn't have circuits or some overpowered Servant. Why does everyone blame him and scorn him and hate him? He's just a normal, powerless human trying to survive in an unfair situation.
Matou Shinji can only laugh at the sheer misfortune that is his life.
And laugh he did inwardly as he prepared for bed, at himself for his foolishness, and at the world for its unfairness.
If only he didn't know about this world. If only he didn't overhear the conversation about its true purpose. If only—
But then, just as he is walking down the hallway to his room, he bumps into an unexpected figure.
"Shinji."
"Jii-san…?"
It's been two days since Grandfather has spoken a single word to him, and he had begun to get used to the scornful and disgusted looks sent his way.
Yet the old man stands in the hallway, the centuries-old wrinkled lips upturned in a slight smile directed at him, calling out to him as if he were a kindly old man.
"I see you're still awake. Good, good. I was planning on having this conversation with you in the morning, but this will do nicely."
He's not sure what's going on, but it's never a good sign that Grandfather displaying such human emotions.
"G-good evening, jii-san. If all is well, I'll be on my way…"
He tries to make a lunge for his room door, but with unexpected speed the old magus has beaten him to it, standing serenely right in front of his door.
"Now, what's the hurry? Surely you've got time to listen to an old man's ramblings?"
"…"
Oh, so this is how it ends then. Maybe he should have been content with being ignored or laughed at. At least he would still have his life.
If his life was worth anything anymore that is…
"—iven it some consideration and it appears I have made a mistake. I will return your birthright to you as the heir to the Matou family. I do hope you agree it's never too late to own up to one's mistakes."
"…Yeah, I guess."
Owning up to one's mistakes? There's some merit in that, perhaps.
"…?"
Wait. What did Grandfather say before that though…?!
"So the matter is settled. You will regain your title as the heir to our family, Shinji. Your replacement continues to reject joining the War properly, and Servant Rider is wasted in its hands. Furthermore, you have impressed me with your efforts in forging an alliance with the Einzbern grail even after losing your Servant. This is a tenacity worthy of the Matou name."
"W-wait, this is all a bit sudden. I don't understand—"
"What, think of it as an old man's senile folly in not recognising your potential until now. If you are still able, I will allow you to re-enter the War. As the heir to one of the three great families, I will see to it that you are well-equipped in this War as befitting of our status."
Saying so, Grandfather raises a gnarly hand, and Shinji can hardly believe his eyes.
"Jii-san, this is…"
It's the Book of False Attendent, his ticket into the War.
"Make sure this one doesn't burn up like the last one. Well, it's still not complete yet so you'll need to find it tomorrow to transfer the Command Seal into this, but I saved you the trouble of dragging it back here tomorrow to make this."
"…Of course, I'll take good care of this…"
As he receives the red hardback, he can't help but leaf through it mindlessly.
A second chance? Could this be…?
"An alliance with Einzbern? Why, we'll need to present you at your best in that case. I'll look to equip you with some of my old Mystic Codes tomorrow. Kukuku, think nothing of it Shinji. It's a necessary expense to curry favour with the daughter of winter…kukuku—"
He stands up straight now. Gone is his fatigue and despair, and in its place is a golden glow of optimism and hope he's not felt since that moment he learnt about it.
No, not it.
Her.
Maybe he's been a bit too harsh on her. It's all for her development, but maybe he should reflect on his attitude as well, and try to be the better person. A better heir.
"Jii-san. I won't fail you."
As he continues to pace about, burning through his seemingly endless reserves of adrenaline, he begins to plan out the day ahead, knowing that the meeting with Einzbern tomorrow is likely a watershed moment in his life, the big turnaround he has been waiting years for.
Unbeknown to the young man, the silent screams of death outside in the city continue long into the night, a white mask and a shadow feeding on dozens of souls.
But for the young man, for all intents and purposes, everything is right again in the world.
Matou Shinji is reborn.