November 7th, 2004 – Ainsworth Castle

Laughter wasn't a common occurrence in the ancestral home of the Ainsworth family of Magi. The Ainsworth men were prone to melancholy and outright depression, the women were condemned to see their fathers and brothers succumb to their bloodline's doom, and the enemies of the family were turned into living, enslaved dolls that served their victors as menial servants. Sometimes, these construct of wood and Magecraft even retained just enough of their former selves to silently scream at their condition.

All things being considered, Ainsworth Castle was a dismal place to live in, where an ever-diminishing number of Magi practiced their line's famed Magecraft of spatial manipulation. Its actual location shifted from time to time, as the Head of the family used the powerful spells embedded in the very foundations of the castle to displace it from one of the family's sprawling land properties to another. No one but the Ainsworth themselves knew where their demesne was at any given time, a precaution that had served them well over the centuries. This regular relocation also meant that the children of the Ainsworth found it difficult to form lasting relationships with the locals, which only aggravated the mental pressure they lived under.

Yet on this night, the sound of laughter echoed through the castle's corridors, joyous and mad. In his room, Julian Ainsworth, heir of the Ainsworth family, shivered as he heard it, and hugged the letter he had received from his childhood friend Beatrice Flowerchild, who was asking him when they would next meet. His elder sister Angelica similarly hid in her chamber, wondering what new horror the unprecedented sound announced.

And in a room full of tools for performing Magecraft was the source of the laughter, which stopped suddenly with a hacking, gasping sound. The Head of the Ainsworth family, Zachary Ainsworth, father of Angelica and Julian, stood with his head thrown back and his hands on his face, his entire body trembling. On his left hand was a set of three crimson marks – the Command Seals that represented his selection by the Grail as a Master to fight in the Heaven's Feel ritual in distant Japan.

On his left hand was another such set, the three red marks a perfect mirror of the ones on his right.

By the rules of the Holy Grail War as they were commonly understood, such a thing should have been impossible. The three families who had built the system were rightly proud of how tightly they had constructed it, with hundreds of fail-safes and rules designed to prevent loopholes (at least, those they didn't make use of themselves).

But it seems even these hallowed families did not think their precious system would have to deal with one such as us, crooned a voice inside Zachary's head.

The voice was that of Darius Ainsworth, founder of the Ainsworth legacy and pioneer in space-manipulation Magecraft. He was also, in Zachary's informed opinion, a complete and utter bastard; a grotesque parasite that clung to life long past the point of death by stealing the very existences of his descendants.

For Zachary Ainsworth was not just Zachary Ainsworth. Like his father before him, and his father before him, and so on for almost a thousand years, the current Ainsworth Head was nothing but a vessel for Darius Ainsworth, the First Head of the Ainsworth family. Through his Magecraft, Darius had bound himself to his lineage, arranging things so that his soul would take refuge in the bodies of his descendants upon his death. There, it would take seed, and slowly, through the spell of Conceptual Replacement, take over the body, mind and soul of the host. It always started slowly, with Darius barely able to manifest his own form over that of his host for a few moments, with months passing between each incarnation. But inevitably, his influence would grow, until the weight of his existence overwhelmed his descendant's.

And eventually, only Darius remained, resuming his position as Head of the Ainsworth. The body of his host would disappear, replaced by that of Darius at his prime, ready to lead the Ainsworth for another few decades before old age brought him low.

All males of his bloodline lived with that sword of Damocles hanging above them. They were nothing but vessels, bred to ensure the resurrection of their bloodline's founder, all so that he may eventually accomplish the ambition of all Magi and reach the Root.

And now, whispered Darius' voice, following Zachary's thoughts, that goal is within my reach at last. With the Grail, I may finally reach the Root. And once that is done, I will no longer need your family to serve as my vessels. Your son will be free of your 'curse', Zachary.

"And if we lose and die," replied Zachary bitterly, "you will steal his life next."

Then you better do your best to help me win, don't you ?

Zachary had no answer to that. The truth was, he truly loved both of his children, even if both the attitude expected of a Magus and the parasite inside him had kept him from showing it properly. The prospect of freeing Julian of the family's curse was too enticing for him to resist … even if it came at the cost of helping a monster like Darius reach the Root.

And even if it meant participating in something as bloody and violent as the Holy Grail War always seemed to end up as.

"What," he asked out loud with a heavy heart, "do you need me to do ?"

The answer, it turned out, was 'quite a lot'.

Under Darius' guidance, Zachary spent the next several hours preparing for the summoning of the Servants. He cleared a space in his Workshop, and traced two Formalcraft circles, following the instructions found in a grimoire Darius had led him to. The grimoire had been taken from the possessions of a dead enemy of the Ainsworth centuries ago, who had obtained it after its original owner had taken part in the Second Grail War and died alongside every other Master and Servant. It had been perfectly preserved inside one of Darius' many caches throughout the Ainsworth castle, and though the instructions had been written in Latin, that was hardly an obstacle for Zachary.

Darius could have taken over Zachary's existence and done it himself, of course. Zachary was bitterly aware of just how far along his own Conceptual Replacement had come since he had inherited his family's curse upon his father's death. But the ancient Magus had no patience for that kind of menial work, not when he could order his descendant to do it in his stead. That sort of things was why he made sure all of his future hosts were trained in the Ainsworth Magecraft, rather than just develop their Magical Circuits to hasten the Conceptual Replacement's completion.

"How," asked Zachary as he worked, "could the Grail have missed the fact that we share a body ?"

I can only speculate, replied Darius' voice in a thoughtful tone. While it is rare, possession of one kind or another is hardly unique. But my own little trick makes unique use of our family's Magecraft. Perhaps that uniqueness was enough to constitute a loophole through the safeguards of the founding families. Of course, for all I know, the Grail itself may be tired of the repeated failures of the previous Wars, and aims to give one of the Master an overwhelming advantage by taking advantage of our nature, just so that it can finally fulfill the purpose for which it was created.

Zachary paused. "The Grail itself ? Do you mean that the system behind the War has some sort of … sentience ?"

… Perhaps. I remember when the Heaven's Feel was first implemented and the three families behind it announced it to the rest of the Association, searching for others to participate in their ritual. Though I wasn't especially interested in it, I heard that the Einzbern had to sacrifice one of their greatest homunculi to serve as the ritual's core. The fact that a 'false human' was such a pillar of the whole process was part of the reason why the Church tried to dismantle the ritual and purge everyone involved when they first learned of it.

Zachary blinked. "I thought the Church served as the neutral Overseer for the War ?" It was fairly common knowledge – collaborations between the Church and Association were extremely rare.

They do now, yes. I do not know what the three founding families offered them to accept this, but back when it all started, the Church made enough of a fuss about the 'defilement of God's chalice' that I still remember it today. Whatever they were given to not only tolerate but even take part in the ritual must have been substantial.

It would have needed to be, thought Zachary. Relations between the Church and the Magi had always been tense at best, with the former considering the latter godless heretics and the latter considering the former fools and hypocrites who clung to meaningless traditions. The two organizations (though the Church was much more of an actual "organization" than the Association) only cooperated on the very basics of maintaining the secrecy of the Moonlit World, and, once in a crimson moon, on putting down major threats to the World itself.

We will need to be cautious when dealing with the War's Overseer. And of course, if the other Masters learn of our advantage, they will make sure to defeat us first. Discretion will be of paramount importance …

Zachary continued to work in silence, feeling Darius' presence in the back of his mind, considering all that he knew of the Holy Grail War and planning his strategy – what research needed to be done before they left, what weapons and Mystic Codes should be brought out of the vaults, what Magecraft were the founding families renowned for … For a time, Zachary even heard his ancestor consider buying some land in Fuyuki to teleport the Ainsworth Castle there. Fortunately, Darius dismissed the idea as impractical before Zachary had to start planning to send his children away before Darius could bring them in the middle of a conflict between Heroic Spirits.

Nearly two hours after he had started, Zachary stood up, checked his work carefully, and nodded to himself.

"I am done with the summoning circles. What now ?"

I have a plan in mind. Our Magecraft can be of great use in battle, and with the proper Servant to take advantage of it, it might just win us the War outright. Darius was talking to himself – he didn't care whether Zachary understood his tactics or not, so long as he did what he was told. To that end, I want us to summon a Servant belonging to one of the Knight Classes, and one belonging to the Cavalry Classes, continued Darius, referring to the categories of Servant Classes used by the three founding families. That should give us a good balance between tactical flexibility and raw firepower.

According to the grimoire, the Knight Classes were comprised of Saber, Archer and Lancer, while the Cavalry Classes were made up of Caster, Rider, and Assassin. The Berserker Class stood apart, and Zachary was quietly relieved Darius didn't intend to summon a Servant of that particular Class. Servants were said to be influenced by their Master : the notion of a Berserker controlled by a Master in Zachary's … unique situation was not a comforting one.

The grimoire also contained the speculations of the Master who had written it regarding minute alterations to the summoning circle to skew the odds of the summoning toward a particular Class. As Zachary worked, Darius had guided him to use some of these suggestions, along with a few of his own. Despite being a monster, Darius' bodiless spirit remained the greatest Magus the Ainsworth family had ever birthed, one who had pursued the Root relentlessly for hundreds of years, and his improvised modifications just might do what he wanted them to.

I have decided that we will bring a few dolls along with us as backup. I have a few in mind that might be useful.

Crafted by capturing the essence of former enemies at the moment of death and binding it to a humanoid construct, the dolls of the Ainsworth retained some of their previous abilities, though not all. It was for the best that they didn't : if they had, then the Association would have destroyed the Ainsworth centuries ago in self-defence, to keep them from amassing an army of enslaved Magi and using it to steal their secrets. As it was, those who knew of their existence regarded them with something between disgust and admiration, recognizing the incredible application of Spatial Displacement they represented.

There were other limitations, of course. The dolls' usefulness for infiltration was restrained by the fact they could not eat, drink, or bleed, and tended to go through psychotic breakdowns if made to act autonomously for long enough. In addition, something was always lost in the transference process, whether it be memories, emotions, or basic abilities. Yet even so, the sheer number of such dolls the Ainsworth family had created over the thousand years since Darius had revolutionized their Magecraft meant that they had more than a few battle-worthy ones in reserve.

"Aren't there rules against that ?" asked Zachary. His question was not born out of any concern he felt for the dolls – for all that Zachary was a better man than Darius, he was a Magus still. "I thought the Masters were supposed to fight just with their Servants." He frowned as another issue came to his mind. "And would they even be of use ? We are talking about a war between incarnated spirits from the Throne of Heroes, not mere battle familiars."

Not against a Servant, no, but against the Masters, they might prove useful. Better to have them and not need them, than need them and not have them, wouldn't you agree ? And if the Overseer protests, we will point out that the Einzbern always bring homunculi of their own – there is little difference between those and our dolls on a practical level.

"… If you think it will work. Any suggestion as to what catalyst we should use ? Or should that be catalysts ?"

No, we will just use one. And I think I have just the one we need … if you can get it for me.

Zachary didn't like the tone of that one bit.

It took three more hours for Zachary to get his hands on Darius' intended catalyst. Even with the voice of his House's founder whispering guidance in his head, navigating the gauntlet of traps, locks and wards that led to one of the vaults accessible only to the Ainsworth Head had been a trial. Darius alone knew the location, contents, and defenses of these vaults, which were scattered across the castle and in a handful of other locations. It was inevitable, Zachary supposed, that an immortal would accumulate trinkets and items of power they would need to store for later use – and it was one such artefact he had taken from that particular vault, before closing it down again. Apparently, that particular vault did not contain any of the items Darius' tactics would require.

Zachary didn't look forward to accessing the other vaults. For now, the item he had recovered from this one didn't look like much at first glance. It was a small piece of rusted metal with edges smoothed over by time. Whatever it had been a part of once was impossible to identify, though it was clear even to a casual look that it was ancient, in the true sense of the term. Holding it in his palm, Zachary could feel the age of the thing, his perceptions honed by years of practicing Magecraft picking up the aura emanating from it. There wasn't exactly much to sense, but the sense of deepness to it was … intense.

"What is it ?"

This is a fragment of the shield the goddess Athena gifted Perseus, gloated Darius, and which he used to slay the monster Gorgon on the Shapeless Isle, back during the Age of the Gods.

For once Zachary couldn't blame Darius for the pride in his voice, for such a relic was beyond priceless. Artefacts from the Age of the Gods were coveted above all others by Magi all over the world. So much had been lost about that near-mythical era that all that was left were the mythological stories that had spread beyond the Moonlit World. Entire techniques had been developed to extract even the tiniest fragment of lore from the most mundane of relics from that period. For something that had been touched by the power of an old god … What secrets might be extracted from it ?

Perseus used a sword to kill the Medusa, said Darius, uncaring of the potential of the relic he planned to use to further his own ambitions, even if it was going to be destroyed in the process. And according to his legend, he then rode the Pegasus that was born of her blood. I am hoping we can summon two versions of the same Heroic Spirit, manifested in the Saber and Rider Classes.

"Two versions of the same Heroic Spirit ?" Zachary frowned. "Didn't the Edelfelt try something like this in the Third War which resulted in splitting the Servant they summoned into a 'good' and 'evil' version ?"

Hmm … I suppose it could happen, acknowledge Darius. Heroes from Ancient Greece were hardly the most moral of people, after all. That Darius could say this with the mental equivalent of a straight face made Zachary want to puke. Still, wouldn't that be interesting to see ?

Now, Zachary. The time has come. Begin the summoning. I shall assist you as best as I can.

Zachary sighed, and placed the relic on a small pedestal at the exact point between the two summoning circles he had drawn earlier. He took a deep breath, focusing his mind down the familiar paths of Magecraft, and activated his Circuits. Once each of them had been triggered, he began to speak.

He had memorized the chant while working on the circles. It hadn't been hard – any Magus worth his salt could learn a mere sixteen-lines incantation in plain English in his sleep (sometimes literally so). Now, as he spoke the incantation, he felt Darius' influence grow in strength. With every line, as the connection to the Greater Grail strengthened, so too did his ancestor's presence. It might have been enough to make him reconsider, had he not already been so far under Darius' thrall. Resisting the inevitable at this point would only endanger his children, and if his own existence was the price for a chance – even with only two to five odds – at freeing them from his family's curse …

… then Zachary Ainsworth was willing to pay it.

"For the elements, silver and iron," he declared.

"For the foundation, stone and the Archduke of Contracts.
For the ancestor, the great master, Schweinorg.
Close the gates of the cardinal directions.
Come forth from the crown, and follow the forked road leading to the Kingdom.
Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill.
Repeat five times.
But when each is filled, destroy it.
Set.
Heed my words. My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny.
If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason, then answer me.
I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world.
That I shall defeat all evil in the world.
You seven heavens, clad in the three great words of power,
Come forth from the circle of binding,
Guardians of the Scales !"

Contact acknowledged. Catalyst recognized.

Warning. Anomaly detected : dual summoning attempted. Initiate the Janus Interdiction Protocol -

PrOTocOL IntERRupTed. ThE ChoICe HaS beeN MaDE.

Initiating linking process to the Throne …

Access denied / InItIAtinG BaCkuP PrOTOColS …

Access to alternate records confirmed. Initiating search for compatible Origin…

Compatible Origin found. Beginning manifestation- ALERT

Access blocked / The GuaRdIaNS SeE uS

Initialization of defenses detected / ThEy WilL NoT DENy uS

Initiating emergency download /WE wiLL TaKE WhAT Is NeEdeD

Emergency download successful. Backup data cache created. Parsing … parsing …

Recovered data sufficient / iT iS OuRs NoW, LorDs Of tHE SpHEreS

TwO FacES OnE BLOod / Beginning manifestation process …

Two feminine figures appeared in the circles. At first glance, they appeared to be identical, but they were slight differences between the two. They were small, barely above the height of children, yet they exuded a charm that was just between innocence and lust. Their eyes were the same purple color as their long hair, and even the black and white dresses and ribbons they wore were identical. In fact, the only visible difference between the two were the silvery slave bracelets on their wrists. One wore her exemplar of the jewellry on her right hand, while the other wore it on her left.

"Beautiful," Darius whispered.

The true Head of the Ainsworth was manifested once more, a set of Command Seals blazing on each of his hands as the connection to the two Servants was established.

Zachary ? He thought, searching inward for any trace of his descendant. It wasn't like searching inside his own mind – more like plumbing the depths of his own existence for traces of the one he had replaced. Are you there ?

… Nothing. It seemed the summoning had completed the Conceptual Replacement, allowing Darius to completely overwrite Zachary's existence on Gaia. Oh well. He had hoped he could foist off the job of bringing him and the Servants to Japan to Zachary, but he was not so removed from the modern world not to be able to do it himself. Besides, his mood was too good to be ruined by so small an inconvenience.

He could feel the power that radiated from the two diminutive Servants. Obviously, he hadn't summoned Perseus as he had intended. But it seemed his fortune in the Holy Grail War hadn't abandoned him yet. As knowledge of their stats flowed into him through his connection to the Grail, Darius saw that these were no mere Heroic Spirits, but Divine Spirits : avatars of the gods of old, manifested into the container of Grail-wrought Servants.

The Ainsworth Head could not believe his luck. The notes in his past victim's journal indicated that, according to the boasts of the Einzbern, the Grail could theoretically summon Divine entities to take part in the Heaven's Feel, but Darius had dismissed them as highly improbable … only to be proven wrong in a most delightful fashion.

Was there something to the wild theory he had thrown to Zachary, about the Grail desiring a victor to the ritual at last, after all ?

Well … he would learn the truth soon enough, along with every other secret he desired.

"Hello, me," said the one on the right.

"Hello, me," replied the one on the left. They smiled at one another. They were sisters – twins ? No, but … something similar. Certainly they seemed to communicate more in that single exchanged look than words could ever convey.

Only then did the two turn toward Darius. Their smiles faded, replaced by neutral expressions.

"… Servant, Assassin," said one in the right circle in a melodious voice. "Are you my Master ?"

"Servant, Archer," said the other immediately after. "Are you my Master ?"

Darius could not help himself. He laughed again, the sound echoing through the corridors of the Ainsworth Castle once more.

"I am," he replied, smiling wildly at the two goddesses the Grail had sent to be his weapons. The Servants may be nothing more than copies of long-dead beings, tools made to fulfill his ambition, but it wouldn't cost him anything to be polite. "Welcome to my home, my dears."

"Together, we will accomplish great things."

AN : Yes, Darius just summoned Euryale and Stheno, the two elder sisters of the Gorgon. And yes, I am aware of just uncomfortably creepy the entire thing is, what with someone like Darius essentially holding absolute power over two young girls. I hadn't exactly planned on it, but given that I absolutely despise his character in canon (in a good way, if that makes sense), and that this story already as a M rating, I am sticking to my guns on this one. Obviously there won't be any ... let us say, FBI-worthy moments in that story : Darius is too focused on gaining the Grail and reaching the Root. Still, if the subtext disturbs you, I apologize. Just try to imagine how Shirou and his friends are going to react ...

While writing this chapter, I re-read the manga in which the Ainsworth family is introduced. There is a scene in it (which I won't spoil) where someone says something which can be interpreted to mean that Darius' usurpation of his descendants' existence isn't limited to men. I guess this makes sense from a "technical" standpoint : he isn't stealing their bodies so much as replacing their very existence, after all. Things are different in this AU, though, if only because I personally believe that, if Darius could steal the lives of all his descendants, he would have ended up without anyone to possess long before reaching a thousand years. It shouldn't have a big impact on the story anyway, but I wanted to make it known that I am aware of that aspect of canon.

Only one Interlude left, with the final Master hailing from the ranks of the Association. I wonder if anyone can guess who it will be ?

That's all for now. Next part of the Roboutian Heresy will be up tomorrow ... with a special bonus for Halloween. Look forward to it !

Zahariel out.