18: Calamity on the Sky part I
"That's not fair, Kiritsugu!" Illya pouted, like during one of their walnut bud contests. "Why are you cheating again? This is not what real champions do!"
"Saber." Illya stopped before opening the main door to the castle. "This is very important, you must listen carefully. I don't want to use a Command Spell on you, so please promise me something."
Feeling that the matter is serious, Siegfried kneeled on one knee to look his Master in the eye.
"What is it, Illya?"
"When the time is right, you will use your ultimate Noble Phantasm. Without complaints, discussions or spells. Promise me that."
Saber was silent for a suspiciously long while. Asking the girl if she's sure about it was pointless, he could already see the answer in her eyes.
"You grew much stronger, Master," he said eventually with a warm smile. "Back then I wasn't sure if you can handle this Noble Phantasm, but now I won't hesitate anymore."
"Good." Although Illya knew that the praise was deserved, her cheeks still turned red. It was incredibly cute. "Now… let's go!"
"Wait."
They turned around and saw Tokiomi Tohsaka, who was standing – barely – at the entrance to his room.
"Wait, please," he repeated, sweating from the effort his wounded body couldn't yet withstand. "Master of the Einzberns, please let me witness this to the end."
"How? You can't even stand and we won't be carrying you all the way."
"Give me a moment, I'll show you something. Rin, Sakura, you too should witness this. I'll show you what being a magus truly means."
Illya and Saber exchanged questioning glances, then shrugged and entered the room. Both Tohsaka sisters, who clearly had been eavesdropping, followed them hesitantly. Especially Sakura, not yet able to believe that her father acknowledged her at last.
Tokiomi sat at the table and prepared the jewels. Under his careful touch, they formed a silhouette of an elegant bird.
"So you're just making another familiar?" Illya sighed impatiently, not impressed.
Tohsaka nodded.
"Yes, but this one is special. Now watch carefully, because you don't see a spell like this one every day. There's no need to remember the words, but pay attention to the details – the flow of energy, the movements, everything."
He focused and channeled the energy, but not towards the figurine. With one swift, precise movement, he took out his own left eye.
Saber was worried for a while, how the children might react to such… unusual view, but they all seemed quite all right for now. No one fainted, at the very least. Illyasviel tilted her head, willing to learn as much as she could. Rin tried hard to not wince in disgust, but failed eventually, and Sakura only stared obediently with a disturbingly flat expression.
"Now the most important part," the mage explained, breathing heavily. The ritual was painful, but he pretended to not care… or maybe he didn't? For someone so devoted to magical arts losing an eye for a powerful familiar probably looked like a fair exchange. "If the connection is not established correctly from the beginning, all your hard work will go to waste."
Three little girls and a Servant were observing his every movement. Although Siegfried knew almost nothing about magic, even he found himself focused on this harsh but priceless lesson.
When the familiar was ready, Tokiomi took another deep breath, this time full of undisguised relief.
"Thank you, Master of Saber." He carefully handed the jewel bird to Illya. "Be assured that I won't be a burden, I will serve you with all my knowledge and advice. Now, if you please excuse me… I need peace and quiet to fully control this familiar, so it can be useful to you."
"Fine, fine." Illya placed the figurine in one of the pockets of her violet coat. "We're late. Come, Saber. Leysritt prepared something for you."
"Oh? What exactly?" Siegfried obediently followed his Master to the exit.
"If I tell you, it won't be a surprise anymore." Her vicious smirk alarmed the Dragon Slayer, but only for a moment. "Oh, here it is! Ta-dam!"
The girl smiled again, seeing Saber's delighted expression, when he spotted his motorcycle parked near the castle gate.
"No need to thank anyone." She giggled and climbed at the seat. Of course it was too large for her, so Siegfried needed to intervene and let her cling to his back. "You didn't want to go there on foot, did you?"
"I considered another way of transportation."
"Not yet, Saber. Not yet." She moved impatiently behind him, tickling his back. "What are we waiting for? Let's gooooo!"
"As you wish." Siegfried started the engine, tasting its sound, which resembled a growling of a wild beast a moment before an attack. He wasn't able to predict what awaited them at the destination, but could at least make this trip as fun as possible. "Hold on tight, Illya. I'll show you the riding skills of a Saber class!"
"They're coming," Gilgamesh announced from his observatory point on the top of a street lantern. A tiny, cruel smile danced on his lips. The King of Heroes expected to have some fun at last. "Be warn that I'm not going to hold back, Kirei."
Kotomine understood him completely, probably for the first time since they met.
"Me neither," he said with a weird smirk. "And if the Grail ends up destroyed because of that… so be it. Actually, it could be even better – to watch hopes and dreams of the others shattered before their very eyes."
The classless Servant laughed at such honest confession. They both participated in the Grail War not caring for the prize at all.
"I can see you got a taste for that feeling?"
"Indeed." It was enjoyable to crush Assassin at the exact moment he dared to hope for a better future. But still not enough for the false priest. He needed someone more passionate, more desperate. Someone like that man. "I would like to chatter with you longer, King of Heroes, but I can see we have company."
The approaching enemy was covered in shadows so tightly they couldn't spot her in the darkness at first, only heard a steady tapping of heels on the pavement.
"Ah, yes." Gilgamesh seemed disgusted by the view. "Uninvited guests are the worst."
"May I excuse myself then?"
The golden Servant nodded, not taking his gaze off the Avenger even for a second. When Kotomine withdrew to a safe distance, he waved dismissively at the fallen princess.
"Go away, filthy mongrel. I'm waiting for someone and have no time to waste on you."
Kriemhild did not answer, only stared at him with insane, red eyes. The corrupted Balmung appeared in her hand in a blink, and a powerful swing cut down the entire row of lanterns. They fell down one by one, like mowed grass.
Having lost the footing, Gilgamesh landed on the ground. His arms were shaking with barely suppressed anger.
"You'll pay for this!" This petty woman, both a faker and a mad dog, forced him to step on the same ground as other mongrels. Unforgivable!
"I doubt that," Kriemhild said, gathering energy at the tip of her blade. "I am the instrument of punishment here, and will deliver it to you without fail."
Kirei was about to enter the main building of the Fuyuki Civic Center, but stopped at the entrance. It seemed that Gilgamesh got what he wanted – a terrible noise of shattered glass and breaking steel was enough for a proof that the fight had already started.
Using the commotion to her advantage, Maiya attacked the priest from the nearest bushes like a professional sniper. She aimed for the back of his head…
"Shit!" Not knowing how he managed to detect her presence and avoid the first bullet, she kept firing continuously, determined to not give him a break.
Kotomine protected himself with his reinforced forearms, but soon got tired of the never-ending fire. What a stubborn woman! – he thought, using one of his Command Spells as a shield, and jumped to get rid of such annoying obstacle.
Maiya hissed through her teeth, trying to block the attack, but the priest was even faster than she remembered from their last encounter in the forest. One strong kick knocked the gun from her hands, another sent the unprepared woman to the ground.
She hit the asphalt with an awful sound of breaking ribs. Spitting blood, she tried to get up, but Kirei was too close, ready to finish her off. He was looking at her in silence for a while, tasting her despair, like a shadow of unavoidable death…
"Hey, hey, hey! I've seen enough of this!"
Arrows came literally from nowhere, forcing Kotomine to abandon his prey. A Servant in green cloak materialized immediately near the wounded woman.
"Well, at least this time I could do something useful," he said, carefully picking Maiya up. "Maybe I became a proper Heroic Spirit, after all?"
Kiritsugu swore under his breath. On purpose or not, Archer messed with his plans again. Emiya was ready to shoot and get rid of his most dangerous rival. Well, at least Maiya was safe, so he couldn't really blame him…
But did it really matter, considering all the sacrifices they made so far?
With the golden cup resting safely in a bag on his back, the Magus Killer followed Kotomine to the underground parking.
Or at least he intended to. After just few steps, he turned around with a gun ready to fire, alarmed by roaring sounds of an engine.
"I thought you were supposed to stay out of the fighting, Illya."
"I'm not fighting for my wish anymore." The girl jumped off the seat and rushed to Kiritsugu. Saber followed right behind her. "I came to help you!"
Emiya sighed and lowered his weapon, but something in his gaze was discouraging enough for Illyasviel to not come any closer. The man had already made his decision and nothing on earth could change his mind.
He just couldn't let anyone interfere, not when he was so close to winning the Grail.
"Saber, please help me," he said in a flat voice, shamelessly using Siegfried's curse against him. "I need you to stay here and guard the entrance, so no one will interfere with our fight."
The Dragon Knight could feel all his muscles tensing painfully, when he instinctively tried to resist the pressure of an order. But he let go pretty quick, knowing he had no chance to break the spell.
"That's not fair, Kiritsugu!" Illya pouted, like during one of their walnut bud contests. "Why are you cheating again? This is not what real champions do!"
"Ah, yes. Your father is a hopeless cheater, Illya." Kiritsugu gave her a sad smile. "I shouldn't say this, but… I'm glad you came."
He glanced at Saber for the last time before walking away, and nodded slightly, finally acknowledging him, despite their mutual antipathy. The swordsman had no reason to not answer with the same little gesture.
Actually, Kiritsugu's last request worked on Siegfried's favor, freeing him from the web of promises, curses and contradictory orders. He was far from feeling thankful for that, but couldn't deny it helped a lot.
"Wait, I…!" Illya clearly had a different opinion on this matter. She wanted to follow Kiritsugu to the building, but Saber gently pulled her sleeve.
"Master, I'm sorry to interrupt but… someone is coming."
Indeed, accompanied by thunder, Rider entered the plaza in his full glory – with reins in his hands and the furry coat waving behind him, like he was conquering every inch of the ground under his feet.
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, amazed by the insolence of the mad Servant. Was she suicidal or unable to feel fear? How could she behave like that in HIS presence?!
"I see." The King of Heroes took a moment to analyze Avenger's skills and strange behavior. This Servant was like a weapon specialized in fighting arrogant kings and other influential males. Her fake power still wasn't spectacular enough to truly threaten Gilgamesh, but it definitely angered him. "You're even more annoying than that rebellious Saber."
The mention of Siegfried triggered something in Kriemhild – something wild and dangerous. The golden Servant surely did not expect such fierce reaction.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on him!"
Gilgamesh understood his mistake, when Avenger launched herself at him without warning, like a cannonball made of condensed magical energy and cold fury. The charge was so sudden, he didn't even try to dodge.
Weirdly entwined, they broke the wall of glass and rolled through the main hall of the building. This humiliating ride ended on one of the steel pillars supporting the unfinished structure. It buckled so much from the impact that the entire storey was in danger of collapsing.
"Damn you, damn you, damn you!" Gilgamesh didn't care about the collateral damage and opened the Gate of Babylon without restraints. Blinding light and pieces of shattered glass filled the whole level. "How dare you touch me with your filthy hands?!"
Kriemhild was already on her feet, smashing various weapons with her giant sword and blocking them with waves of dark energy. Still some managed to break through her defense and forced the fallen princess to seek shelter outside.
'Everything's ok?' Sola-Ui asked Avenger mentally, alarmed by her sharp, painful breaths.
'It's fine, Master. Against this one I'm the strongest I could ever be.'
Gilgamesh followed her, jumping through the damaged roof. Floating in the darkness, with his crimson robe waving behind him in the wind like a tail of an unknown beast, he resembled a shining avatar of destruction.
Kriemhild knew her time is quickly running out; even at full power she couldn't avoid the enemy's wrath forever. Should she use her Noble Phantasm? Or maybe her secret throwing technique will be enough to win?
It seemed that Gilgamesh made that decision for her – he opened so many portals, that the entire sky above Avenger's head glowed with golden blaze. Having no other choice, the fallen princess stood firmly before him, raising her sword. She gathered the energy from their surroundings, killing trees, grass and small animals in the process.
"Begone, filth," the King of Heroes said, releasing the weapons.
"Bal…!"
Something in the distance alarmed Kriemhild. A strange, tiny dark point broke through the wall of golden light behind Gilgamesh's back. It was growing rapidly, like a pulsating black hole, ready to devour everything on its path.
Avenger desperately jumped right, hoping to avoid whatever was coming at her.
"Rhongo-mynyad!"
Gilgamesh also noticed the danger and elegantly dodged the stream of dark energy. Abandoned weapons laid scattered in the still burning hole in the ground, where Kriemhild had stood just a moment ago. The King of Heroes winced, stroking his partially burnt bracer.
"That Master of yours seems to be a bad influence, Lancer." A cruel smirk danced on his lips, when he moved higher in the air to be on the same level as Arturia. "To think you would so shamelessly sneak at me…"
"Oh? It's your fault, actually," Lancer said; her horse rearing in anticipation, already smelling blood in the air. In a dim moonlight, fully armored King of Knights looked like a demonic rider from horror stories. "You two were so busy fooling around, I had no choice but to make a big entrance."
"That was just a barking dog. The next dance is only for you, Lancer."
"Hmm." Arturia had nothing more to say to the enemy she intended to crush. The lance twirled in her hand, baring its fangs, when Llamrei charged at full speed to meet their final fate.
"I'm sorry but I can't let you pass, King of Conquerors."
"So you're a gatekeeper?" Iskandar rubbed his chin, then smiled. "I'm fine with forcing my way through. Now, since from the day we met we've been only talking and exchanging pleasantries, I think it's fine to skip the presentation. Shall we begin, Saber?"
Siegfried glanced at his little Master, seeking confirmation that he should accept the challenge and go all out. A small nod was enough for him to know what to do.
"Ah, let's begin, King of Conquerors. To our hearts' content."
"To our hearts' content then, Dragon Slayer!"
An orb of blue light appeared around the chariot, grew and swallowed them all, Servants and observers alike. In a blink of an eye they found themselves on a desert, under the cloudless sky of the unknown world.
"A Reality Marble?" Although Tokiomi's voice was still weak and distorted by a jewel throat of a familiar, the excitation of the mage was more than obvious. The artificial bird sat comfortably on Illya's shoulder to observe the duel. "That's…"
"Impressive," the girl finished, looking around. "And you brought here an entire army of Servants?"
Rider smiled widely in response.
"These men are my legendary heroes – my loyal followers! They're my true friends - breaking the rules of space and time to fight once more at my side.
They are my treasure within treasures; they're my right to rule! They make up Iskandar's mightiest Noble Phantasm – Ionian Hetairoi!"
Soldiers stopped in formation, thousands voices raised in a battle cry, honoring their king. Waver, as surprised as the rest of them, joined Illyasviel on a small hill to observe the battle.
Even Siegfried seemed impressed, when the army finally moved. Iskandar led the charge in his chariot, surrounded by lightning, and every single thunderbolt was strong enough to kill a Servant.
Since Rider gave all he had into this extraordinary attack, Saber could only respond in kind. He unsheathed his sword, raised it with the blade pointed toward the sky, and started the incantation.
"Immortal Dragon,
your soul resides within this sword.
My blood traps your essence, my words form your body,
your blaze is bound to this holy flame.
Now wake up from your golden dream!
Come forth, Fafnir!"
His call had been answered - with dust and flame the dragon materialized inside Rider's imaginary world, like an ominous specter, spreading its wings behind Saber's back.
Waver gulped painfully, strangely pale.
"This… Is it…? Is this a real dragon?"
"No," Illya explained, watching the battlefield with a stern, mature expression. "It's rather a memory of a dragon. There's no legend of Siegfried without Fafnir and Fafnir cannot exist separately in the material world. If one of them calls, the other will follow. This sword is a key that connects them."
"So, if it's just a spirit, it shouldn't be really dangerous?"
"No, it's not like that. Being more than an illusion, Fafnir can kill you, eat you or burn you with its flames."
"I see." Tokiomi's familiar tilted its head. "A memory, carved in blood, invades reality straight from the other side of the world… Seems like nothing is impossible for Phantasmal Species."
Illya nodded, her eyes were shining mysteriously. For a moment she looked much older than she actually was, more like her mother or even Justeaze. It seemed that the knowledge of her ancestors filled her through the connection to the Grail for this single moment.
"Immortal body, sword-wielding fortress, Dragon Slayer, the hero who bears a thousand hopes upon his back," she said, enchanted by the magical spectacle before her eyes. "This is the truth about Saber and his legend. There's no way he's going to be defeated. Not when I am his Master."
Fafnir roared and lowered his giant head, observing the approaching army. He glanced questioningly at Siegfried – or rather at his sword – waiting for a signal to attack.
"They're yours," Saber confirmed. "But don't try anything funny. I'll be watching."
The dragon did not wait anymore – his wings leisurely wiped the air, when he raised his upper body and spat a hurricane of fire at the charging soldiers.
Waver watched the burning Servants with his eyes wide open.
"You're telling me that Saber killed that beast when he was still mortal?!" He swallowed slowly, trying to ignore an awful smell of burnt flesh. "Really?"
"Ha, ha, ha! Splendid, just wonderful! Summoning a dragon to neutralize my army… fair enough." Iskandar smiled. He did not expect such fascinating spectacle. "Now it's just a battle between Servants. Prepare, I'm charging in!"
The bulls crossed the remaining distance with terrifying speed, giving Saber almost no time to react.
"Light is at the other end of the world…"
"…the world will now reach the twilight…"
"Conquer! Via Expugnatio!"
"Fall – Balmung!"
Illya and Waver tried to cover their eyes, but still could feel hot tears gathering under tightened eyelids. Two Noble Phantasms of similar power clashed and neutralized each other in a wild blast that almost knocked both Servants out.
When the curtain of dust fell at last, bulls, soldiers and Fafnir were long gone. Even traces of blood already changed into golden mist of magical energy.
Only two Heroic Spirits remained on the scene, standing proudly on the sand in unnatural silence. Surprisingly, it was Siegfried who spoke up first.
"We both represent dreams of the entire human race. Yours is about a journey to the end of the world, about reaching for the unreachable. And mine is about ability to defeat even the strongest monsters."
"Ah, yes." Iskandar smiled, but his gaze was somehow… absent. He was already gazing at the distant shore of his imaginary ocean. "Let's see which one is stronger in these weird, modern times."
"Stop, you get it all wrong!" Waver couldn't withstand the pressure and stepped forward; his fists were painfully clenched, determination and anger painted his face red. "Both wishes are beautiful, you know? Humanity needs them both. WE need them both! So what are you fighting for, you fools?!"
"With all due respect, I think you're the one who gets it wrong, Master of Rider." Tokiomi's voice resonated strangely on the empty battlefield.
"He's right." Illya nodded mechanically, not even looking at Waver. Her gaze focused on Saber, like if watching him alone could feed him more energy and bring them victory. "Don't you see that they're trying to fix it?"
"Fix what?"
"The war. This is not what heroes are for. Not at all." She sighed. "Do you feel nothing when you look at them?"
Waver lowered his head, unable to say a word. He felt too much, actually – a mixture of emotions he barely recognized. How this little girl could be so calm in such situation? How could she so easily accept the fact that this beautiful dream was about to end tonight, at least for one of them?
No, she's right. Realization hit him like a punch in the jaw. I am the one who's acting like a crybaby.
Facing Saber in a fair battle was the desire of his Servant, king and friend. Why he tried to ruin this moment instead of embracing it? Why was he afraid of loss, when his Servant was going to win?
It was time to wake up at last and face reality with his head held high, not hide behind Rider's wide, muscular back.
Wiping off the tears, that started to gather in the corners of his eyes, Waver did exactly that. At this moment Iskandar looked at his Master and rewarded his resolve with the most genuine smile the young mage had ever seen.
"Come, Bucephalus!" Rider summoned his last trusted companion, a black battle stallion, for the final charge in this war. He mounted the magnificent creature and rode away to gain speed. "Here we come! AAAALaLaLaLaLaie!"
Siegfried waited patiently, focused and calm, in a stance perfect to defend himself from a horseback attack. He leaned slightly to the left, when Rider raised his sword, showing Saber the direction of the upcoming attack.
The hooves pounded loudly. The swordsman waited. The horseman encouraged his mount to jump.
And then the entire Reality Marble started shaking, hit by a huge explosion in the outside world.
Avenger looked up to prepare the next attack. The sword in her hands was ready to spit another portion of dark energy, to swallow the light and both her opponents at once.
But she didn't release it, only froze in shock with the weapon raised in a strange position, like an unfinished sculpture of a black knight raging on the battlefield.
This was it, she realized in panic. Two beasts were trying to tear up the sky, right before her eyes!
And she was going to lose another important person…
"Master!"
Kriemhild dispelled her sword and armor, so she could run faster, but still was afraid of not going to make it. She took more energy from her surroundings, bursting mana like crazy…
Above her head the sky was already burning.
Thank You for reading! I really tried to fit the ending of Part I into one chapter, but it would be obscenely long. It was a bad idea, believe me.
I also let myself quote a line from FGOxApocrypha event – I'm sure that devoted players know exactly which one.
Hope You'll stay with Illya and the gang to the end!