Archer's proclamation brought with it a definite tension to the room, replacing the muted awe of a moment prior. Arthur's good cheer had vanished, replaced entirely by wariness, the emotion accompanied by a firm grasp on the wind-hidden Excalibur. Rin's expression remained similar, her face still struck dumb in shock, but her eyes revealed rapid calculation. Archer was already tensed for action, poised to spring forward at either Arthur or the king's master. Shirou held his version of Excalibur high, his head swiveling between the three others present.

Does this actually change anything? Shirou wondered, considering and discarding offensive plans. I don't think Arthur and I are liable to win any immediate conflict, limited to non-lethal means as we are, and I know very little of Rin or Archer's full capabilities. I think we just have to accept the loss of information and move on.

Shirou sighed and lowered his sword arm. Rin and Archer tensed further as it reached a ready position, but the girl relaxed when Shirou pointed Excalibur towards the ground, tip first.

"Arthur, do you think it's worth trying to claim you're a different member of the round table?" Shirou asked. "Gawain, perhaps?"

"I believe that it would be in our best interest to tell the truth here," Arthur responded. "I am not certain how Archer divined my identity, and I recommend that you press him for an answer. Lying is thus inadvisable."

"Understood," Shirou replied, turning to face Rin and Archer.

His face grew serious. "Saber is King Arthur, yes. He and I would very much like to know how you became aware of this information, Archer."

Archer looked impassive as he spoke. "No."

"No?"

"No, I will not tell you how I know that Saber is Arthur," Archer clarified. "While we are allies – to my annoyance – that is all we are."

Rin glared at her servant.

"I'm interested in this as well, Archer," she said, her anger apparent in her voice.

Archer glared at his master in return, and they locked eyes, seemingly initiating a mental argument. Shirou took the time to commune with his own servant.

"So, where do we go from here?" Shirou asked. "Unless Rin can get Archer to talk, we're kinda stuck."

Arthur grimaced, then replied. "Without a complete picture of Archer's knowledge, we should limit what powers we demonstrate in his presence. You have revealed your talents with projection, and I the use of various blades. We must hope that he does not recognize the divine fire that infused Treildfigen when you projected it last, nor that I have blades of even stronger make. I suspect that he was active in the fourth war and viewed some or all of my capabilities, but that still leaves your abilities a mystery to him."

"I guess the question is this: if we're in a worst-case scenario, how do we shift things so that we still come out on top?" responded Shirou.

"We are assuming that, with foreknowledge of my abilities, Archer is able to counter them?" Arthur questioned. "In such an event, I believe we would need some idea of his powers. If he possesses strength enough to defeat my knights, and endurance enough to survive Excalibur, I would require a means of negating his strengths just as he did mine. Intelligence is the key – as it always is, I suppose."

"Then we have to press Rin for it, because I don't think Archer is liable to reveal any more than he absolutely has to," Shirou concluded, focusing once more on the situation playing out in front of him.

Judging by the pleased look on Rin's face and the scowl on Archer's, she's likely gotten the better of their debate, he thought. I might as well see if I can get an answer out of Rin, then.

"So, Rin, I take it that Archer told you what you want to know?" Shirou questioned, turning to face the two.

"He did, yes. In fact, he has something to say to you, Shirou," Rin said, shooting a glare at her servant.

Archer looked pained as he opened his mouth to speak. "My master has decided that withholding the information on how I know Saber's identity would be counterproductive to our alliance."

"And what is that information, Archer?" Rin asked, prodding her sullen servant with a smirk on her face.

The bowman sighed. "I was servant Saber in the fourth grail war, ten years ago. My master in that war got caught in the middle of a battle between Lancer and Rider. In the process of defending my master, I learned that Lancer was Arthur."

Archer stopped for a moment, shooting Rin a dirty look. The female magus' grin remained beatific.

"My memories are somewhat fragmented, likely because my current master made a mistake in my summoning–" Rin flushed red at the accusation, her smile vanishing, but didn't deny it, "though I do recall Lancer wielding Excalibur against Rider, who I later learned to be Odysseus, and a counter-guardian to boot."

How did he know it was Excalibur?Shirou thought, then asked the question out loud.

"Lancer yelled its name when he used it to force Rider's retreat," Archer replied, a small smirk wriggling its way onto his visage.

The servant turned to his counterpart, staring hard at an unflinching Arthur. "The question I have to ask, though, is why the Lancer of the previous war claims not to know of this battle."

Arthur's stare in return was guarded, and both men tensed for possible battle as the king spoke. "My memories of the prior war are lost, beyond that of my arrival. I suspect it is because I, too, was summoned to this war in unorthodox fashion."

Rin chose that moment to interject, letting out an annoyed grunt then shifting her accusing gaze between the two non-magi.

"Servants aren't supposed to retain their memories at all!" she exclaimed.

"Wait, what?" Shirou asked. What the hell is Rin talking about?

Rin turned to her classmate and explained. "Servants aren't really heroic spirits. They're actually copies of the spirits residing in the throne of heroes, a plane of existence located next to the root."

She paused, looking hopeful.

"You do know what the root is, Emiya? Right?"

Shirou scratched the back of his neck as he responded. "Yeah, it's basically heaven. My dad described it as the seat of divine strength, such that anyone who got there would gain godlike power. It was more complicated than that, and I forget a lot of the associated terminology, but that's the gist, I think."

"Close enough," said Rin, "but the root aside, my point is that these copies disperse into prana at war's end, filling the grail. They don't merge with their presences in the throne of heroes, and thus the knowledge possessed by these copies shouldn't be retained by any new incarnations."

She concluded her explanation and spun back to the servants, resuming her stare. "Obviously, this means that neither of you should have any memories of the previous war, fragmented or otherwise."

Arthur held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Ms. Tohsaka, I assure you that I do not have the answers you seek. My last memory prior to my summoning by Kiritsugu is of my sister Morgan, trying and failing to heal my wounds."

The female magus sighed, then swiveled her head back to Shirou.

"I believe he's telling the truth," the boy said, shrugging. "I'm not entirely sure how I summoned him in the first place, really, so there's a more than slight chance that something went wrong."

Rin nodded, turning to face her own servant, her face set in a stony mask.

"As for you, Archer: we need to talk."

Archer looked apologetic as he preempted Rin's questions. "When I said I had amnesia, I didn't mean complete amnesia: what few memories I do have are fragmented."

He's lying, Shirou thought, peering at the servant's face and posture. But not completely.

Rin's expression crumbled into irritation.

"Of course you don't know why things are going wrong, either," she said, letting out a small groan. She sat down with a huff, massaging her temples with her hands. "I suppose I'll have to figure this out on my own, as usual. It's not like the fake priest is going to help, arbiter or not."

"My sympathies," Archer said, smirking. Shirou took advantage of the short lapse in conversation to confer with his servant.

"Arthur, are you absolutely certain you don't remember anything past your summoning?"

"Unfortunately, I truly know nothing more. That said, as I was indeed summoned as Lancer in the prior war, Archer is most likely telling the truth," Arthur communed.

"I'm pretty sure he was lying, actually," Shirou transmitted, "but not about the battle he witnessed. I think he was lying about losing his memories."

"Is that so?" Arthur mused. "I was focused more on Ms. Tohsaka at the time. While Archer may have ulterior motives, your classmate seems far more reliable an ally."

The king motioned towards the girl, who was currently scrounging around for the gem arsenal she'd dropped earlier.

"From her comments towards Archer, it appears that she was the one who convinced him to reveal his knowledge to us. That speaks to a commitment to our alliance that I, quite frankly, did not expect. At no point during the conversation did it appear that she was planning to deceive or misguide us."

"She's very good at playing a persona, which I suppose you'll experience firsthand if and/or when I attend school tomorrow, but being able to trust her is great news, even if we can't trust her servant," Shirou concluded. "I think she's collected most of her jewels, and I kinda have something to ask her, so we'll have to talk more about this later."

"Hey, Rin, how do you know so much about servants?" Shirou asked, breaking the silence.

Rin looked up, one hand gripping a yellow sapphire on the floor in front of her. "I told you before: my guardian is Kotomine, the priest I took you to meet before your reunion with your younger sister. He's overseeing the war, to make sure things don't get too out of hand."

Shirou gestured outward with a hand, the copy of Excalibur still in his hand causing Rin to flinch. "Oh, sorry," he said, allowing it to dissipate before responding.

"Kotomine really doesn't strike me as the type to share information without making you jump through hoops. Is he really where you learned all of this from?" asked Shirou, a dubious expression on his face.

Rin stood, brushing off her pants with her empty hand as she replied. "I'm expecting an explanation for what you just did with Excalibur. As for my knowledge, my family did create the grail system, and my father was a master in the prior war, so I had a lot of reading material on the subject."

Dad told me they were a prestigious family of magi, but that's certainly not the answer I was expecting, he considered. Allying with Rin is turning out to be a really great decision.

"Your family created the grail system? How? Why?" Shirou shot questions at his fellow magus, ignoring her first statement for the time being.

"Not so certain your servant can tell you everything now, are you?" Rin responded rhetorically, smirking, evidently mindful of Shirou's claim made a day prior. "To answer your questions: not alone, with help, and to reach the root."

"Would you be willing to elaborate?" Shirou asked, acutely aware of his ignorance on the subject.

Rin's smirk remained in place as she sat, placing her collected gems in her lap. She leaned her head on her palm, bracing her elbow against her knees. "I'd be glad to. 190 years ago, three families hit on a means of potentially reaching the root – something, I can only hope you are aware, is the end goal of all magi."

Shirou neglected to mention his alternate views on the subject, instead urging Rin to continue.

"By refining a gargantuan amount of prana through a specially designed vessel, these families hoped to rewrite reality, using the magical energy as fuel for a wish. The Tohsaka provided the land, the Einzbern prepared the vessel, and the Makiri crafted command seals to bind the servants that would serve as fuel for the grail."

Rin paused, taking a breath.

"My family aimed to reach the root. However, the other two families had other plans for their wishes. I do not quite know what they intended, but I do know that all three factions miscalculated: the grail only had enough power to fulfill one wish. If the other two families were proper magi, this wouldn't be a problem, as they'd all reach the root with one wish to open a direct path, following the servants in reverse."

Oh, the Einzbern family created the grail? I suppose that's why Illya's here, Shirou thought. Likely why my father and Irisviel were in the last war as well.

Rin grimaced. "Obviously, the other families betrayed mine, and so the grail system became the grail war. The prana was be gathered by summoning and sacrificing seven heroic spirits, or, rather, copies thereof, but when the Makiri and Einzbern families turned their backs on mine, these spirits were instead used to fight each other. Over time, the attrition from the battles whittled away at the families. I don't know the current status of the Einzbern, but my family has been reduced to a single heiress: me."

"What about the Makiri family?"

Rin's face tightened further. "They moved to Japan and changed their family name. As for their situation...for personal reasons, I'd really rather not talk about it."

I suppose that's fair, Shirou reasoned. Allies or not, we're not exactly close friends.

"The Makiris aside, I want you to explain exactly what you did with that sword," Rin said, carefully balancing the jewels in her arms as she stood. "I convinced Archer to share his memory with you, so it's only fair."

"How did you convince him, anyway?" Shirou asked, delaying.

"No dodging the question," Rin replied, frowning. "What did you do with Excalibur?"

"How much do I tell her of my skills?" Shirou asked his servant, giving the impression of pausing for thought. "I'm thinking everything but the divine flames."

"A fine plan," responded Arthur. "But you must take care that you do not reveal my own abilities in the process. If she lacks such knowledge, I see no reason to provide it to her."

"Agreed," the boy concluded, focusing on his female counterpart. "Rin, that wasn't Excalibur."

"Do you take me for an idiot, Emiya?" said Rin, the beginnings of a glare manifesting on her face. "Considering that it's how Archer identified your servant, there's really nothing else it could be."

Shirou groaned. "That's not what I meant, Rin. I mean that the sword I was holding was a copy of Excalibur."

"How in the name of heaven did you manage to copy Excalibur?" Rin asked in response, her glare fully formed. "What, are you claiming to be some kind of magical genius? As a genius myself, I should be more than able to recognize another, and you certainly aren't one."

Well you're certainly not humble, Shirou thought, before answering. "No, I'm actually rather terrible at most magecraft. That was a projection, one of the few magical skills that I'm actually able to perform."

"Projection?!" Rin screeched. "Projection lets you form sticks and stones! It doesn't allow you to recreate legendary swords!"

"I'm rather sure it's projection," Shirou responded hotly. "The only magecraft I've ever had any success with are projection, reinforcement, and a bit of alteration, so it's not as though there are any real alternatives."

Rin took a deep breath before replying. "We can talk about your failings as a magus later. Right now, I want to figure out what you just did with King Arthur's weapon. As you seem to be ignorant regarding the matter, that means we're going to have to do research, which in turn means I need to grab some books from my house."

"Did you not pack them in the three boxes you brought over?" Shirou asked, repressing a teasing smirk.

"I didn't expect to have to research one of the most basic of all magecraft, no," Rin drily replied, "and now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to my room and prepare for potential fights on the way."

"Don't you already have your gems?" Shirou questioned.

"If we get into a battle, how do you propose I fight while carrying them? Should I juggle?" Rin replied, already walking out of the dojo. "Archer, come with me. I want your help searching through my luggage."

Archer grumbled, but complied, following his master out of the room.

Shirou picked a practice sword from the rack, taking a few swings with it. He sighed, turning to his stoic servant and pointing his blade in the servant's direction.

"Would you like to practice your swordsmanship while Ms. Tohsaka rummages through her belongings?" Arthur asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Shirou said, a small smile on his face. "She might be a while."


A surprisingly short 25 minutes later, Rin returned, her pants pockets filled. She wore a self-satisfied smirk, though Shirou could not discern its source, and had some oddly shaped bulges on the sides of her jacket. Archer was nowhere to be seen– likely astralized, Shirou thought.

Arthur was clad once more in his platemail, the scratches and tears from Berserker's strikes healed over by prana flow, while Shirou was garbed in a short sleeved blue shirt and jeans, discarding his normal long-sleeved shirt for greater mobility.

"I think Rin has the right idea: please astralize, Arthur," Shirou transmitted. "If you emit less prana, there's less of a chance of us being found by any overeager servants."

Arthur's response came in the form of near-instant intangibility and invisibility. Shirou immediately felt a lessened drain on his circuits, quickly analyzing them to confirm their optimal condition.

The magus nodded towards his female counterpart.

"We're ready," he said, striding out of the room. Rin followed at a similar pace, and they exited the house, Shirou slowing to let Rin direct. The girl spoke, keeping her head forward and her pace brisk.

"In order to figure out how you copied Excalibur, I need to know what happened when you summoned it."

Shirou sped up, making sure to stay close to his female counterpart.

"I essentially pictured the blade, piece by piece, understanding each of its components in turn. Doing so gave me knowledge of its history as well, but it ended with–"

"Never mind that," Rin cut him off. "I want to know what thoughts were running through your head, where you channeled prana, which circuits fired...I neither need nor want an explanation of your results, not until I can figure out their source."

"Tohsaka, I told you, it's projection."

"And why are you so sure of that, Emiya?" she rejoindered.

"Because I can do this with non-legendary swords too," he responded. "Watch."

Rin stopped and turned to her side, whereupon Shirou muttered his trigger phrase. In his hands formed the longsword he'd used in his demonstration to Arthur.

"I found this thing in a museum while on a trip to England. I have an affinity for bladed weapons in general, and when you combine that with my skill in analysis, I can summon replicas of swords I've seen even once. I don't really see any reason why Excalibur should be different," he explained.

Well, that last part is an absolute lie, but better to mislead her than to reveal my trump card, Shirou mentally added. I'm not sure how to say that these legendary swords give me more than just their history and physical form, at least without tipping my hand.

"Fine," Rin ground out, "but I refuse to believe that there's nothing more to it than projection and an 'affinity for blades'."

"More specifically, both my element and origin are sword," added Shirou, three parts helpful to one part needling.

"That's absurd, but sure, let's just add it to the damn pile!" Rin threw up her hands, apparently giving up on the discussion. "Two servants remember the prior war, you accidentally summoned King Arthur, the war's arbiter might have his own servant, Berserker can hold a conversation, and the son of the Magus Killer seems to be allying with more masters than he's killing! Why not add a previously unknown magical skill to the list?!"

"If it helps, we can just call it something else," Shirou suggested, gingerly trying to defuse his classmate. "How about 'tracing'?"

"I don't care. I'm done with this conversation."

True to her word, Rin remained silent, only speaking up a few minutes later as they reached downtown. They waited patiently at an intersection, the red light adjacent halting their progress.

"Hey, Shirou?"

He turned his head in her direction, keeping an eye on the street. The light turned green, and they began to cross, a throng of people making their way in the opposite direction.

"What is it?"

Rin looked somewhat hesitant, an uncertain expression crossing her face. She opened her mouth, closed it for a second, and opened it again.

"Do you actually intend to win the grail war?" the female magus asked.

"I haven't really thought about it, honestly. I'm more focused on trying not to let anyone die," he said, eyes crinkled in thought. "I suppose I'd like to wish for my father's dream, but–"

"Gah!" Shirou was cut off, forcibly exhaling as the two magi walked into a man crossing the other way. The other man turned back, walking towards them with a scowl on his face.

"Watch where you're going!" the man exclaimed, making his way forward with arms raised. "Do you have no consideration for others?!"

Shirou was about to respond when he heard a telepathic yell.

"Move!"

Shirou ducked as the man's hands plunged downwards, twin daggers appearing where there were none a second prior. Arthur materialized behind his master, already wielding the sword of Perceval. Rin stumbled back, her servant materializing in front of her with a clang as Archer's twin swords crossed, blocking one of the man's curved blades.

The male magus leapt back, trading places with his servant. A muttered "trace on" brought Shirou's longsword to his hands as the mass of people scattered. He looked forward and saw the man driven back by Archer, moving with the motion and melding into the panicking crowd.

"Assassin," bit out Rin, who reached into a pocket and pulled out a sparking topaz. "Damn it!"

From the other side of the crowd, Assassin leapt forward, his twin sicae aimed at Archer's neck. The bowman blocked the blow by pivoting suddenly, bringing Kanshou and Bakuya forward to divert the strike, slicing them forward at the end of the diverting motion. Assassin dodged and leapt back into the dwindling crowd again, avoiding a followup thrust by Archer.

Shirou and Arthur moved so that they faced back to back, Shirou using his servant's eyes to grant them perfect rotational vision. Assassin leapt for Shirou this time, but the king spun as his master ducked, knocking one of the daggers from Assassin's hands. It vanished, then reappeared in the hands of the killer, whose attire had morphed into a shadowy cowl. Rin threw her gem at the man while reaching for another, the topaz exploding in a corona of electricity as Assassin went low, penning the crowd in instead of driving Assassin back. She growled, coming up with an opal as Assassin retreated once more.

From further forward, the four allies heard a thump as another man landed with a crash, digging a small crater into the material of the sidewalk. His hair was a deep blue, a color shared with the cloth of his garb, and his bangs fell in twin strands to the top of his red eyes. Above the blue garments the man wore an armor made of an odd mix of leather and steel, the leather dyed the same blue as his hair. In his hands he held an intricately designed red spear, the name of which thrust its way into Shirou's mind. Gae Bolg, he thought, which means this is–

"I saw a battle happening, and, well, I couldn't resist getting involved," the man said in a jovial tone, shoving a middle-aged businesswoman to the curb as he walked forward. "My master ordered me to, I quote, 'do whatever the hell I want', and I've been itching for another fight."

The blue-haired man dashed forward, coming to a stop in front of a wary Arthur.

"You do look strong enough for a good match," he said to the king, ignoring Shirou for the moment. In the background, Assassin leapt forward once more, this time driving Archer out of sight. A wave of water indicated that Rin had thrown her infused opal, but Shirou couldn't be certain, the mass of people forcing their way between the magus and his allies. He refocused on the man in blue, who wore a lazy grin.

"If I've figured out how my master ticks, she'd probably ask me to take you out soon, what with you being a servant and all," said the leather-clad servant. "It's really just speeding thing up a bit. Since that other servant also pulled out swords, I'm not quite sure, but I'm gonna guess you're Saber."

"I believe I am already aware of who you are," Arthur said, his eyes narrowed. "Lancer, correct?"

"Got it in one," replied the servant of the spear, tossing Gae Bolg from one hand to the other. "Let's first deal with the bystanders before we throw down, yeah?"

"If you intend to murder these innocents, I refuse to let you do so," stated Arthur, steel in his tone.

"Nah, nothing so fatal," Lancer responded, before raising his voice. "Hey! We're going to be fighting, so everyone get out of here!"

The servant punctuated his yell with his weapon, pointing it at any stragglers. He turned back to Shirou and Arthur as the crowd dispersed fully; Rin, Archer, and Assassin were nowhere to be found, but a pillar of fire seen in the distance indicated that the Tohsaka heiress was still in fighting shape. Lancer leapt back, just out of Arthur's range, and raised his spear.

The man in blue spoke, his grin still plastered on his face. "Right. I'd bow, but I've never believed in that nonsense. Let's go!"


Within moments of his declaration, Lancer struck, lightly thrusting Gae Bolg at Arthur's chest. Arthur diverted the thrust contemptuously, swatting it aside. He returned a thrust with Pysguread, nicking Lancer's armor before the servant could draw back his spear. The two stared at one another, Lancer's grin growing wild, Arthur's face stoic as ever.

"Arthur, we're up against Cu Chulainn," Shirou spoke mentally, circling the enemy servant. "Be careful of getting hit by his spear, it can do something involving causality manipulation."

"Is that latter statement made from concern or caution?" Arthur asked, his eyes tracking Lancer's movements before making a sudden thrust opposite Shirou's position.

Shirou rushed forward, slashing at Lancer's back. The man twirled, knocking Shirou's longsword from his hands as the butt of Gae Bolg deflected Arthur's sword. The magus thought for a second on Gae Bolg as he jumped back, ignoring the rush of information to pinpoint the exact nature of its power.

He grimaced as a thin, diagonal line of red tore its way across his front, Lancer's swipe coming in concert with another deflection of Arthur's blade.

"Caution. If that thing gets a hit on you and Lancer activates it, it'll break reality to deliver a strike to your heart. The good news is that it can only happen on a thrust, and only when invoked by name. The bad is that it costs almost no prana."

Arthur jumped back, avoiding a thrust and putting himself out of Lancers range. The monarch swapped to another weapon– Setarfoad, the silencing blade of Sir Erec, whispered Shirou's mindhis gauntlet glowing a pale blue. The sword was shaped in a rough approximation of a claymore, its blade colored a gradient, shifting from red on one edge to light blue on the other. On the red edge, the blade was straight and sharp, while the blue edge was serrated, glowing a mild cyan. Engraved on the blade was a heart enclosing a near-featureless face, a line in place of a mouth the only ornamentation on the caricature. The hilt was an unadorned light grey, forged of common iron, though a glowing dash circling the very bottom of the sphered pommel served to break the mundanity.

"In that case," responded Arthur, eyes narrowed, "I shall remove the hound's ability to speak the name of his lance. Provide a distraction!"

Shirou counted to three then dashed forward, tracing and reinforcing his sword with a roar as he swung downwards. Lancer shifted his grip to meet Shirou's slash, spinning Gae Bolg such that he could parry at any angle should Shirou divert his strike. The sword fractured as it met the middle of Gae Bolg, breaking against the spear of greater make, sending shards of metal in all directions. Lancer raised an arm to shield his eyes and Arthur struck, aiming to slash open the spearman's back with the blue edge of his weapon. An inhumanly quick twirl from Lancer forced the swipe wide, but the return slash caught the hound of Culann square, opening a tear in the servant's armor and the musculature below.

If anything, Lancer's smile grew even more feral as he ignored the blood dripping down his front, jumping out of melee range. Arthur circled behind him.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Lancer yelled, turning to Shirou and speaking. "Kid, I don't know why you're getting involved in this. I'm not really a fan of harming minors, but if you keep this up, you're gonna die."

Shirou narrowed his eyes and replied, also ignoring the blood streaked across his chest. "I'm not going to abandon my partner. Maybe it's not the smartest move, but I'm not the smartest person."

Lancer let out a laugh. "You're either ridiculously courageous or incredibly stupid. If you survive this skirmish, know that you've managed my respect, and that's damn hard to get."

"I'll keep it in mind," Shirou said, a smile threatening to emerge. "Arthur, now!"

"Right!" Arthur transmitted, sweeping his sword in an arc, red side first. Lancer dodged the initial strike with a spin and nearly dodged the follow-up, an artful twirl of Gae Bolg knocking Arthur's attack off course. A single sawtooth from the other edge of Erec's blade nicked the man, however, and the servant of the spear lit up in blue, distracting Shirou.

Lancer took the moment to thrust Gae Bolg towards the magus, mouthing its name, but paused in disbelief as no sound escaped his mouth. Arthur scored a second hit on the man for his hesitation, a second gash across the chest scratched parallel to the first. For the first time in the short battle, Lancer looked cautious, jumping far into the distance with Gae Bolg held before him.

Arthur didn't let up, rushing towards Lancer in the blink of an eye and engaging in a dance of steel. Shirou could barely follow the action, the red trails of Gae Bolg mixing with the crimson arcs of Setarfoad as the phantasms met. He shot prana to his eyes, reinforcing them to try to make out any detail in the clash between spirits. First Arthur struck to the left, his blade scraping against the side of Lancer's spear, which twisted outwards, forcing the king to lunge to the side to avoid the strike. Arthur carried the motion to his next swing, trailing Setarfoad along with him to build up greater momentum for the strike, but Lancer flipped backwards, coming around with a forward thrust that Arthur parried to the side. Suddenly Lancer was on the back foot, Arthur's swipes narrowing, but the hound was just as suddenly moving forward, alternately striking at Arthur's face, chest, and legs. Arthur scored a hit with the blue edge once more, but it passed through Lancer entirely, the spearman's retreat foiling any attempt at a followup from the red side of Setarfoad. The two broke apart once more, staring warily at one another.

They're stalemated like this, Shirou realized. Arthur's skill is greater, but Lancer has a reach advantage. Setarfoad's effect is only active when in use, so Arthur is limited to effectively using half of a sword. I have to intervene. As he thought, the two men met again, a swipe catching Lancer's right shoulder in exchange for a tear through the left pauldron of Arthur's armor. The next few attacks were parried in series, Arthur's slashes finding equally little purchase as Lancer's thrusts.

Shirou ran to the fight, reinforcing his capabilities with prana. His mind strained as he desperately sought the lance he'd seen in his dreams, Gwydnawr, the weapon of Sir Bedivere. He caught but a glimpse of it, but it came to his hand nevertheless, his left arm falling limp as his right grasped the bone-white spear, its tip stylized as a serpent's fang. All along its body were inscribed runes of multiplication, each carved unnaturally well. The letters glowed a deep green, the enchantments on the weapon forcing themselves into being and augmenting its wielder's power. Shirou ran further as he blurred, reaching the battle as Arthur knocked Gae Bolg off course. The magus leapt into the air and struck downward, aiming to bury Bedivere's spear in Lancer's skull, but the servant was faster, dodging so that Shirou would only scratch the spearman's shoulder.

Gwydnawr sang as it plunged forth, Shirou altering its course with acumen he didn't possess, sinking deep through the flesh of Lancer's right arm. At impact, eight copies of the spear formed in a burst of celadon light, plunging in concert with Bedivere's lance. Nine gashes were gored into the servants arm as Shirou landed hard, coming away from Lancer's uncoordinated followup with a deep, vertical stripe of red on his chest next to his earlier wound. Shirou caught a glimpse of the servant's features as he rolled away, a combination of anger and satisfaction clouding Lancer's disposition, but the view vanished in an instant, Lancer shifting Gae Bolg to a one-armed grip as he continued to bat Arthur's swipes away. Lancer's right appendage dripped crimson to the ground, coating the street between the combatants as it mixed with the life-giving fluid falling from Shirou's own wound, but the man turned back to a two handed grip, ignoring the scored lines on his arm.

In the next moment, Lancer's visibly concentrated, and Shirou felt his chest begin to heat, an uncomfortable warmth soon turning to a painful blaze. Shirou's shirt began to smolder before it was set alight, and the crackle of flames filled the magus' ears as he clenched his teeth from the pain. Soon his chest began to burn, his two wounds cauterized in an instant as the flames grew ever hotter. He opened his mouth involuntarily and began to scream, a pulse from within him ignored even as the pain seemed to lessen. Thick black smoke billowed from his body as the fire spread to his waist. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, and he began to close his eyes, seeking refuge in unconsciousness, when Arthur gave a roar and set his hand alight.

Shirou's watering eyes could not make out much detail, but he saw Arthur's gauntlet shining the color of Sol at midday, and a part of the boy's mind recognized Galatine, the sword of the sun. Gawain's steel blade lit in red as Lancer spoke the name of his spear with a forward thrust, the weapons meeting in a clash of sparks above the burning body of Arthur's master. Excalibur's sister sword began to burn through Gae Bolg, even as the spear struggled to turn causality to its side, and an explosion of light followed. Shirou was framed in gold as Galatine began to steal the fire from the rune, the core of Gawain's sword turning orange with acquired heat. Gawain's blade lit on fire itself as the same gold outline flowed to the sword from the magus' body, a corona of light encompassing the blade of Camelot's heir. Lancer jumped backwards, abandoning his strike as Arthur swung his sword and intoned its name.

"Galatine!"

Above the sword a ball of fire formed, surrounded and orbited by thirteen circles, the space between the circle in the center inscribed in runes of the celestial alphabet. Arthur threw the sword upward as an image of a stylized sun constrained in rings appeared beneath him, piercing the miniature star as Galatine's core glowed blue, the last circle inscribing itself in flame around the king's feet. The sword fell into Arthur's waiting grasp and he brought it back, the runic circles enclosing the servant glowing yellow as spines of light from their outer core pierced the sword.

As Arthur began to swing, seven rings formed in his path, shattering in turn as the blade shifted from blue to white, its very presence melting the road along the line of Arthur's slash. The sword, now little more than a column of flame, grew longer as Shirou watched, entranced. Even numbed by Lancer's fire, he felt the calefactive sword's energy, the power of his servant raising it to heights unknown. A thunderous boom rent the air as Arthur ripped the aether in half, swinging the essence of flame itself at an equally shocked Lancer. From the edge of the extended blade came a wave of fire followed by another and another in turn, thirteen arcs smashing into the servant of the spear before a final pulse followed, its burning light forcing Shirou to close his eyes to slits. Thin pillars of fire filled his narrowed vision before his eyes finally shut, his last sight a wide-eyed Lancer engulfed in a fireball of titanic proportions.

Consciousness fled soon after, and he dreamed.


He saw his servant, the man carrying Excalibur on his waist, the blade's immaculate hilt glowing golden in the morning light filtering through the trees above. The king was walking towards a glade containing a pond of clear water, its entrance clear between curtains of vibrant red vines. The king paused for a moment, steeling himself, and entered. As he did, Shirou saw the world around him expand, the pond growing to a glowing lake as the trees fled. Above the water floated a woman dressed in white, an opaque veil covering her face and pristine robes hiding everything but the curvature of her body from view.

Arthur knelt and retrieved Excalibur, but something in him cried at the sight, for Excalibur was not whole. The golden blade seemed unbroken, but Shirou saw that the unearthly metal in its core had faded to grey, and the runes at its tip did not glow. Arthur motioned the lady forward, and she took the sword from his hands. The lake behind her began to churn as she turned towards it, whirling in chaotic patterns as she began to chant, Excalibur dipped to the hilt in the water. She continued her chant as Arthur knelt still, and the waters began to pulse gold, white, and indigo, calming slightly as the colors stratified in the waves. As she completed her chant, Shirou saw the indigo portion of the water envelop the blade of Excalibur, causing the color to return to its core and the runes along its side to light again. The gold came next and formed a cocoon about the sword, shielding it from view as the white overlapped the gold, the two twining into an outer coating for the blade.

Excalibur glowed bright then brighter, brighter still and forcing Shirou to avert his eyes. From the sky above a pillar of light formed around the woman and the sword, but Shirou made out runes lighting the hilt of the sword, their meaning as yet unclear. Ten diamonds of light overlaid the sword before sinking into its surface, the space between them filling with intricate etchings of the lake in which Excalibur drowned. Atop the diamond nearest the hilt formed knotted strands of the unearthly indigo and regal gold, flattening into a pattern of wings. Closer yet to the hilt formed a golden cross topped by an arrowhead, a square poking from beneath the center of the symbol. Around it formed more indigo, and then steel, the metal rippling as it coated the uncovered portion of the blade.

From within him came an insistent pulsing as the light around the blade died down. He recognized it as Excalibur, but whole, united, the sword as it should rightfully be. The pulsing grew greater as the lady brought the sheathed sword to the kneeling king, who stood, staring in wonder at the blade in his hands. She spoke, but the pulsing grew too great to ignore, and an image of a hill and sea overlaid the glade. Stationed near the top of the hill was Excalibur, and the pulsing directed his vision to it, Shirou seeing the runes on its hilt glowing the same as those of the revitalized sword. The plain blade stabbed into the top of the hill let out a hum, a letter etching itself in pale flame along its side as he watched. The symbol expanded to fill his vision as the world dimmed in turn, and he saw fire.


Shirou woke groggily, slowly blinking his eyes as the world around him came into focus. He felt around for his alarm clock but instead found warped asphalt, the events of the recent battle forcing their way into his skull as he considered the power of his primary ally.

If that's what servants can do, running into the middle of a battle between them is and was a terrible idea, Shirou thought. He pushed off the ground into a seating position, the action causing him a surprisingly minimal amount of pain.

How long have I been out? he wondered, viewing his surroundings with a combination of concern and awe. The street was broken and warped, clods of half-melted asphalt mixing with bricks from the few stores located near Lancer's last known position. To his relief, he saw no corpses despite the devastation, and outside of the immediate location of Arthur's strike, the entirety of the buildings nearby were intact, if scorched. The magus made his way to his feet with a wince, falling to one knee as soon as he stood. A lance of pain shot through his chest.

"Arthur, where are you?" transmitted Shirou, noticing for the first time that he was alone. "Are you okay?"

"I am standing beside you," came the reply, Arthur materializing from his ethereal form. His armor was mostly intact, if torn, and he seemed no worse for wear. "And I believe that it is I who should be questioning you on your well-being."

The king looked at the kneeling form of his master with a concerned expression. Shirou took the moment to probe his circuits, finding to his shock that they were nowhere near as drained as he'd expected. Physically, too, he was better than anticipated, the only external remnant of his battle with Lancer a deep scar shaped as the rune Lancer used to call fire.

The boy looked up at his servant and nodded. "Aside from residual pain in my chest, everything seems to be in order. Would you mind helping me stand?"

"I'd be glad to aid you," Arthur said, pulling Shirou to his feet. The magus wobbled slightly, but took a few steps forward, gingerly testing himself. Shirou turned to his servant and spoke.

"So, did you get Lancer?" he asked, his personal state deemed acceptable. "The last thing I saw was him engulfed in a giant fireball."

Arthur grimaced. "No. When I investigated the site of the attack, I found nothing. I suspect he was recalled through use of a command seal."

"I suppose that's likely to happen for any servant whose master is paying attention," Shirou said with a sigh. "Any sight of Rin or Archer?"

The king shook his head. "I have not seen either of them, and I suspect that if they remain among the living, we will be able to rendezvous with them back at your house."

"I agree," said Shirou, "we'll just have to hope that they're okay. Let's get back to my place."

Arthur nodded, and the two began retracing their steps. Roughly 150 meters later, the servant stopped.

"What is it?" Shirou asked.

Arthur took a moment to reply, before he pointed towards a side street. "I have detected another servant in that direction, but more importantly, I am detecting a rapid rise in the given servant's prana."

Which means it's likely being drained from someone or something, Shirou pondered, stating as much to his servant.

"I think we should investigate," the magus said. "Ideally we won't get into another fight, but in case we do, I think you should start this battle with your primary sword."

"Why do you believe I should begin with Excalibur proper?" Arthur asked, switching to mental conversation.

"If the servant is indeed draining prana, we might end be in a race against time. While I'm confident that your other weapons can do the deed, the chance that the servant in question will grow too quickly in power isn't worth taking," Shirou explained, vocalizing the conversation.

Arthur didn't reply, but Shirou saw his right hand curl around an invisible hilt. They walked towards the prana signature, but stopped abruptly when they turned a corner, finding their way closer to its source. Strewn about the street were the mutilated corpses of five human beings, each in various states of disrepair. Strangely, there was no blood, but the sight was gruesome nevertheless, each person's body torn to pieces and their chests hollowed out.

It reminds me of..., Shirou thought, trailing off when he realized the implication of what he was seeing. Magus and servant nodded at one another and sped forward, arriving at the mouth of an alley. They saw a feminine figure hunched over another, long black hair curtaining the first woman from view. Strewn about the woman were various corpses, each hollowed and unnaturally dry.

Arthur's face tightened noticeably.

"Morgan," he said, addressing the figure, who turned around and allowed the two to see the results of her work.

"Hello, brother," Morgan said, a sanguine froth pouring from the ruined torso of the corpse below. Shirou could almost physically feel the mana in the air funneling into the Caster-class servant. He projected an unadorned blade, using it as a cane to steady himself. The magus stared in horror at the desiccated bodies of the civilians, his servant doing the same.

That's the woman Lancer shoved to the side when he saw us, Shirou realized, looking closely at the person Morgan was draining. Oh no...

"I've just finished here," she continued, touching a hand to the blood-foam and swirling it between her fingers. It turned a deep indigo at her touch and began to disintegrate, gloving her hand in color as it aetherized. She trailed a hand across the wall beside her, leaving faint lines of glowing blue. Arthur brought Excalibur forward, dissipating its sheath to point the golden sword at his half-sister.

"Is there something you'd like to say to me?" asked the woman, a small smile adorning her face.

"Morgan, I believed you to have repented," Arthur said, his face rigid. "But I see that, whatever your actions in life, you are not currently the woman I knew last. Do you have any last words before I return you to death?"

The enemy servant laughed before she spoke. Her eyes gleamed.

"Only one."

Shirou desperately reinforced himself, his intuition screaming at him as he turned to the mouth of the passageway.

"Activate!"

He caught a glimpse of a cloaked figure, head bowed, and the alley erupted in crimson.


AN: One of the few times I had to pause and just look at a sentence came when I tried to figure out the plural of magecraft. (It is in fact...magecraft, assuming it follows the grammatical rules applicable to spacecraft. It's the moose/fish of the meta-magical world, I suppose.)

Ansuz is not actually the rune of fire, despite its use in canon; that would be Ken/Kenaz, the one Lancer used here to, well, set Shirou on fire.

Aetherized isn't a word, but "turned to aether, the material of the theosophic realm of the akashic records and of the luminiferous medium, vanishing from the physical plane" is far too wordy, not to mention far too pretentious.

I'll rewrite this in the future, as always.