Warriors in armor bearing the heraldry of knights stand amidst crystal and dust, surrounded by the promise of terrible futures.
Their ships were caught by the storm while returning to the Imperium from their long campaign at the frontier, under the light of the corpse-stars. Exhausted by war, strained to the limit of their resilience by the storm, tormented by the horrors they have seen and committed in that most terrible of crusades, they cannot think straight. They are vulnerable, and their Emperor has kept so much from them, thinking to protect them from the dark truths of the universe. But He made a mistake, for ignorance is no shield against those who would drag Mankind into madness and ruin.
Now all of them, even those without the Gift, can hear double-throated laughter in the distance, though none can tell the direction it comes from. The curse that has blighted their sire is now visited upon all of the Lion's sons who have followed him in this dismay place.
This is the death of dreams. This is the first time of tribulations. This is where the doom of angels is written.
This is the Crystal Labyrinth.
Within great panels, the warrior sees his brothers slaughtered by their cousins, his homeland burned to ash and the castles of his Order razed. He sees the Imperium they have built upon the corpses of foes and brothers alike turn into a degenerate parody of its glorious self, a monument to blind fanaticism and ignorance, a bloody tyranny that crushes all of Humanity under the rule of a merciless bureaucracy, forever and ever, in the name of its Carrion Emperor.
It is not a lie, the boy sees, just as the warrior does. But it isn't the truth either, and this only the boy does see. The deceit is masterfully woven, but to one who has witnessed what will come from the Legion's acceptance of it, it is obvious. By trying to prevent what is shown here, the Legion shall bring about the very future it will seek to avoid, and the weight of that awful paradox will break them.
But all this will come later. Now, the Dark Angels howl in abject torment, unable to bear the future they are shown by the creature that would make them bend the knee. They rail against it, they decry it as impossible, but the truth that edges the lie bites through their defenses.
Bit by bit, it digs into their minds, into their souls. He feels its bitter cold seep into his hearts, and he screams as the despair this foe seeks to break them with before offering them false hope takes root within them –
His sire. The thought comes unbidden, from the deepest part of him, where lies a loyalty that has not yet been broken. He must find his sire. He clings to that one thought, that one duty.
The warrior forces himself to walk –
"Well, well. This is quite the sight, isn't it, me ?" "You're right, me. It certainly is."
He turns – but he didn't turn – as the scenes of madness around him freeze – but time means nothing here – and he sees two small figures before him – not small enough, he isn't as tall as he should be – he recognizes them – he has never seen them – they shouldn't be here -
"You should wake up, Master." "Yes, you really should."
Wake up ? He doesn't understand – yes he does – this is who he is – this is not who I am – his fate was written long ago, never to be changed – this will never be who I am –
He awakens.
November 24th, 2004 AD – Emiya residence
Euryale watched her Master's eyes open. For a brief instant, they appeared to shine with golden light, before the radiance faded and they returned to their normal hue. He blinked several times, before squinting up at her. Looking at him now, it was hard to see the burning-eyed warrior she had faced the previous day. If not for the power that coursed from him through their contract, he would look like any other young man – though, she had to admit, a particularly handsome specimen.
"Archer ?" he muttered. "What are you doing ?"
"You were having a nightmare, Master," she generously explained, "and wouldn't wake up even when that infernal contraption started ringing."
She gestured to the device, or what was left of it. None of them had known how to shut it up, and when it had become clear Shirou wasn't waking up, tempers had started to fray, and it had paid the price.
"So we decided to have a little peek inside your head," she concluded.
"… I didn't know you could do that."
"We couldn't when we were alive," revealed Stheno, stretching languorously on the floor behind Shirou's head. "Only Medusa could, but our abilities were enhanced when we became Servants. Between that and the bond between us, it was enough for us to pull you out."
"I see. Well, thank you." He shook his head, clearing it, and looked around. "Where is Sakura ?"
"She woke up early, and got out of bed to prepare breakfast," explained Saber, who was sitting at his side, looking torn between relief and anger. "She didn't want to wake you up because you needed to rest after yesterday's battle. Medusa went with her."
"Well, at least they didn't worry when I didn't wake up right away."
"Still, it was quite disappointing," said Archer. "To think that our Master could spend an entire night with two women and do nothing at all with them …" She smiled sweetly, lowering her face until it was just a few centimeters away from his. "Are you so captivated by your newest Servants' beauty that all else pales in comparison, Master ?"
"That's enough, Archer. Get off him," growled Saber. Their Master's first Servant was glowering at them, her expression impossible to take for anything but jealousy.
"Oh ?" Euryale teased. "Are you jealous, Saber ? Did you not enjoy such closeness and more to our Master before ? Medusa told me all about it last night."
"Yes, I did, after you shot him through the heart. Now move."
"Very well," she allowed, and rolled off her Master. Really, Saber's unwillingness to let bygones be bygones was ridiculous, especially given their Master seemed to have already forgotten the fact she'd almost killed him.
The four left the room together, soon joined by the other two Masters, both struggling to stay awake and accompanied by a bigger version of Saber. The white one guided her diminutive Master to the breakfast table, while the black one sat down and began clamouring for food.
According to Medusa – the elder sisters had spent much of the night extracting gossip from their youngest, talking to each other while keeping watch in Spirit Form – the black-haired Magus was also one of their Master's lovers. Although, why she hadn't joined them in bed if that were the case, Medusa didn't know.
"Sit down too, Archer, Assassin," said Sakura. "There's enough for everyone."
"You do know we don't need to eat, right ?" inquired Euryale with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course," cut in Rider, "but not needing to isn't the same as not enjoying it. Sit down, you'll see what I mean in a moment."
Euryale exchanged a glance with Stheno. Darius certainly hadn't seen the need to provide them with food : the only thing they had tasted since being summoned was the prana they had drained from the humans they had hunted. The prospect of real food, even if it was something from this era, was certainly enticing.
They all sat around the table in the cramped living room, and the food was brought in from the kitchen, carried by the two homunculi maids.
Euryale could feel the ties that spread through the room like a web. Their own Master was a nexus of these connections, being linked not only to his three Servants, but also to each of the other Masters. The flow of prana from their Master was steady, and true to his word he didn't seem affected by it. Of course, Archer and Assassin needed only a little prana to sustain them outside of combat, thanks to their Core of the Goddess Skill. Considering Saber had a similar Skill thanks to her Draconic nature, it could be said their Master had really lucked out, even if Saber apparently couldn't go in Spirit Form to save energy.
They had asked her about it last night, when she had joined their Master and Medusa's in bed instead of dematerializing like the three sisters, and only received a glare in response. In the hours since they had become Servants to the same Master, Saber had glared at Euryale and her sister a lot, something the two Divine Spirits found deeply amusing.
As they ate, Shirou informed the others of what had happened earlier. Euryale paid the conversation little mind : she had already been told of her Master's strange condition and the theory his second lover had constructed to explain it, and the food was far too appetizing to waste time on something else. Rider was right : even if they didn't need it, they could certainly enjoy the food.
"Thank you for helping Senpai," Sakura said to her with a small bow, before turning back to the sole male in the room and asking in a worried voice : "Senpai, are you sure you're alright ? You've been using your powers a lot more recently, and you've had more visions since the War started."
"Yes, I know. It's likely that the more I draw on the Dark Angel's power, the more of his memories I'll unearth." He grimaced. "This morning, I think I dreamt of the moment the Dark Angels turned against the Emperor. They saw something that scared them so much they were prepared to break their oaths to stop it."
"Great," sighed Rin. "And the more you remember, the more likely it is that you'll end up having some kind of mental breakdown or identity crisis. As if we needed more things to worry about. You'll give me the details later, Shirou. For now, we really need to hurry and deal with this situation before things get worse on that front."
"We have six Servants here, three Magecraft users, and Onii-chan," listed Illyasviel. Now that she had properly woken up, the white-haired girl was sneaking glances at her and her elder sister, which carried a mix of emotions Archer couldn't quite identify. "I'm sure we'll be able to deal with Caster – or whatever Extra-Class the Animusphere Servant belongs to – just fine."
"Hopefully that will be the case," said Shirou. "I'm more afraid of the collateral damage, truth be told. The Animusphere Castle was completely ravaged by the battle that took place there; I'd rather not have the kind of devastation happen in Fuyuki."
There was a moment of silence as they all considered what the casualties would look like in that event, then Shirou turned to Euryale and Stheno :
"Unfortunately, until we've got a lead to pursue, we'll just have to be as careful as possible. While those of us who need to go to school today, I want the two of you to stay here and help Lancer if this place comes under attack while we're out."
"Oh ? So eager to get away from us, Master ?" said Stheno in a hurt tone of voice, before smiling and licking her lips. "Or are you afraid to do something you'll regret if you stay close to us ?"
As expected, Saber glared at her – joined by Rin, Illyasviel, the maids and even the two older Artorias.
"Stheno," Shirou asked with a frown. "Did the Grail not give you the knowledge of this era that would make it clear how inappropriately for your looking age you're acting, or are you just messing with me ?"
"What are you talking about ?" Stheno cocked her head to the side. "Surely there isn't that much difference between our apparent ages, Master."
"You and Illyasviel look to be the same age," said Rin, her voice clinical with an edge of frost, "between twelve and fourteen years old. Given that Emiya-kun is eighteen, I can confidently tell you that yes, your behaviour is inappropriate and would get him in trouble if you acted like that in public."
"I really wish you hadn't said that last part, Rin," deadpanned their Master as he took in their expressions, doubtlessly correctly anticipating the teasing the two of them were imagining they could get out of this. "And please answer my question."
"Actually, it's both," said Euryale. She didn't really want to tell them, but it was better for them to know this, surely. "I was the only one who received the knowledge of the era; Assassin didn't."
It hadn't taken long to find out, and they had kept it a secret from Darius, for no other reason than they hadn't liked him and he hadn't thought to ask.
"I see. That's probably because of your irregular summoning due to Ainsworth's parasitic nature," mused Shirou, "though he qualifying as a Master in the first place must have been due to the Grail's corruption in the first place. In any case," he continued, putting the conversation back on track and away from the uncomfortable topic, "we'll already have three Servants at school, so I would feel better if Illya was accompanied by the same number."
"I'm perfectly capable of protecting Illyasviel on my own, Shirou," protested Lancer.
"I don't doubt that," said the red-haired male with what Euryale felt was great diplomacy considering he had taken her Noble Phantasm to the chest to shield the other Servant's Master not three days ago. "Even so, I think it makes more tactical sense. I can always call Archer or Assassin to my side using a Command Seal if we need more numbers, but Illya cannot."
"So we can either stay here and relax, or accompany you to a building full of noisy humans for the entire day," Euryale summed up.
"I think we'll go with the first option, me," continued Stheno.
"Yes we will, me," finished Euryale.
Their Master blinked. "That's going to take some time getting used to," he murmured, shaking his head. "If you're okay with that, good."
"Don't worry, Medusa," said Euryale in a soft tone. "We'll still be here when you come back. I promise."
Her sister nodded hesitantly, before finally going into Spirit Form and departing alongside the three Master and Servant pairs. Once they were gone, one of the two homunculi maids addressed her Master's adopted sister :
"Ojou-sama, before breakfast Matou-san told us about something I think you should see."
"Call her Sakura, Sella," replied the white-haired girl. "You know she doesn't like being called by her family name."
"Very well, Ojou-sama."
The Emiya household wasn't what she had expected. It couldn't have been more different from the Ainsworth Castle, and despite her current surroundings being much less grand, she found she much preferred them.
Despite the growing number of people in the residence, there were still several empty rooms. The maid – Sella – brought Illyasviel to one of them, and, curious, Euryale and Stheno followed. Lancer accompanied her Master, of course : if the residence was attacked, the half-homunculus would be the most obvious target.
Sella brought them to one of the empty rooms, and opened the closet at the opposite side from the door, revealing piles of clothes that were obviously meant to be worn for grown women. Slowly, hesitantly, Illyasviel took one long white dress out, laying it down on the bed, gazing at it with a forlorn expression on her face.
"These … these are Mama's. I recognize them ..."
The half-homunculus' voice trailed off. Euryale and Stheno exchanged a glance and nodded.
"You know, these wouldn't fit any of us three." "True, me. But there's someone who's just big enough for that, isn't there ?"
The two of them turned to look at the other Servant in the room. Lancer didn't quite flinch back, but her eyes widened in alarm.
"What do you -" she began.
"How do you think she would look in something else than that stuffy suit ?" "I bet Master would enjoy it when he comes back."
"Now look here," said Lancer with the beginning of a blush on her cheeks. "We have more important things to -"
"Lancer ?" asked Illyasviel, looking at her Servant with hopeful eyes. Apparently, their attempts to distract her from the memories the sight of the clothes had dredged out had worked. "Could you …"
As the tall Servant weakly protested before meekly giving in to her Master's doe-eyed stare and starting to strip, Euryale and Stheno giggled at the comfortable familiarity of the scene.
"We'll need to have Medusa do this later too." "What a wonderful idea, me."
Returning to school after the events of the last evening felt more than a little surreal to Rin.
The four of them arrived at school together, with Rider and Berserker accompanying them in Spirit Form. By that point, none of them cared about the rumors this would inevitably fuel (Sakura and Saber were known to live with Shirou, but Rin certainly wasn't). Even Rin, who had spent a not inconsiderable amount of effort to keeping up her image as a model student, was looking forward to the day where keeping her peers from realizing she was sharing a boyfriend with her sister was her greatest concern.
As she sat at her desk and class started, knowing that Rider and Berserker were keeping watch in Spirit Form and that her and Shirou's Servants had Skills that would warn them of danger in advance (especially now that Assassin was on their side), Rin allowed herself to relax. The familiarity of her surroundings and the routine of school life felt like a balm on her spirit. Her self-control as a Magus had been greatly tested in the last few days, beginning with her initial breakdown when she'd thought the Grail War meant she would have to fight against Shirou and Sakura.
She didn't like to think about it. It had only lasted for a few seconds before Shirou had told her it wouldn't happen, but her mind had conjured all manners of horrible outcomes. Then, the reveal that Kirei, the man who had raised her after her father's death and her mother's mental crippling, was the one responsible for the former ... It had only shaken her further.
For now, though, she had the War to focus her energy on. On the surface, things were going well for them : they had secured the assistance of the Einzbern Master, slain one of the others, and claimed two more Servants to their side. But in truth, things were still very, very tense. For one thing, the remaining Servant was the one responsible for the destruction of one of the Association's most powerful lineages. Given the revelations of Illyasviel about the Third War, it was possible that Servant belonged to that mysterious Avenger Class, except far more obviously powerful than Angra Mainyu's incarnation had been.
Then, they would need to deal with the Greater Grail. Between her family's notes and Illyasviel's, they knew how to access the cavern where the core of the Heaven's Feel ritual machinery laid, but they had only the beginning of an idea as to how deal with it without the backlash wiping out the entire city. Lancer's Noble Phantasm, Rhongomyniad, was their best option at the moment : according to Shirou, the spear had been made to protect the World, and this most certainly qualified. If they could strike at the Greater Grail with that kind of overwhelming strength, they might be able to destroy it so thoroughly they could confide the destruction to the immediate surroundings. It was far from being a sure thing, though, which was why they would need more information before going down that route.
At the same time, Kirei was likely going to be a problem eventually, since their theory he was a thrall to its corruption was almost a certainty. For all that the fake priest couldn't hope to match a Servant in combat, Rin knew better than to underestimate how much of a threat he could pose. He hadn't survived serving for years as an Exorcist without developing sharp battlefield instincts.
Kirei had also managed to completely hide from her the fact that, according to Shirou, he was little more than a zombie propelled by the power of the Grail. She wondered how many signs she had missed over the years, attributing them to the man being just that creepy instead.
And then, of course, even if by some combination of miracles they managed to achieve their goals perfectly and without any collateral damage, there was the question of how they would handle the aftermath. The ley lines that made Fuyuki worthy of the Association's attention in the first place would be destroyed, either by the Grail's destruction or when the last gift of Shirou's father made itself known a few years down the line. Rin was certain to lose her position as Second Owner when that happened, but that would be the least of the problems the Clocktower could bring on them all.
What worried Rin the most, though, was Shirou's condition. When the redhead had drawn upon his power yesterday, she'd sensed the overflow of energy pour through her bond, but just like when he had fought Lancer in the park, it had been a lower amount than when they'd first established it. With his bond to his Servant, Shirou now had three distinct ways to release the pressure drawing on the Dark Angel's seemingly endless reserves of prana put on his Circuits.
A treacherous part of her consciousness, which sounded suspiciously like Sakura's, whispered to her that maybe the three of them together could help her boyfriend release another kind of 'pressure', but she ignored it.
She had more important things than her hormones to think about, because even with Saber to help share the overflow of prana, she had still felt the spike when Shirou had resisted the enemy Master's most powerful offensive spell.
It had only lasted for a few seconds, but they had all felt it. Even as they ran toward the abandoned house, they had sensed the echoes of Shirou's transformation progressing further than ever before, his existence becoming less human and more weighted in the eyes of the World so that not even the Ainsworth mastery of space Magecraft could affect him. For an instant, the influence of the Dark Angel on her boyfriend had swelled. According to Shirou himself, it had been like when he had destroyed Zouken and the shikome : for a brief moment, his actions had not quite been his own – his words and deeds had made sense to him at the time, but he didn't remember the thought process behind them afterwards.
It was no wonder the idiot had had a new vision this morning. They were fortunate his new Servants could use their skills to pull him out – just for that, Rin was willing to tolerate the pair of snobby, slothful, teasing sisters. Yet the fear refused to leave her mind.
The idea that one day he would go too far, that he wouldn't be able to emerge from that altered thought process, or worse, that he would completely change into the demon-worshipping warlock the Dark Angel had become in that alternate history … it scared her. Not because of the threat such a being would pose to the World, though she knew it probably ought to be her primary concern, but because she and Sakura would lose Shirou if it happened.
I ask you once more, Master, sent Rider, who had followed the way of her thoughts even as she kept watch on their surroundings. Are you afraid of him ?
No, she replied immediately, despite everything. I worry for him, even more now, but ... I am not afraid of him. She frowned. Why do you keep asking me that, anyway ?
That's, Rider paused, and Rin felt her hesitation through the link before she made a decision and pushed on : that's because I find it surprising, Master. As you know, my memories of my mortal life are incomplete and untrustworthy due to the Grail's meddling, but I'm still pretty certain most people were afraid of me and my Knights, even as they were glad of our protection.
Being fearful of their monarchs was pretty much a survival trait in the Middle Ages, sent Rin, who knew enough about History to know drawing the attention of the powerful had almost never been a good idea. Besides, ignorance breeds fear, and even if King Arthur was one of the better rulers of the era, your people were still mired in ignorance and superstition.
But you don't know what Shirou is for certain, pointed out Rider. You only have your theory about the Dark Angel coming from an alternate timeline thanks to the Second Magic.
True, the Tohsaka Head conceded. For all that it fit what they had observed, her theory was badly lacking in supporting evidence. But Shirou doesn't know either. He trusted me with information that would see him hunted by the Clocktower, and he did it without hesitation. It's hard to be afraid of someone like that.
Sure, the red-haired boy had kept the events of the previous Grail War and his father's vandalism of her territory secret, but those hadn't been his secrets : they had been his father's.
Your knights knew more about you than your people, the young Master continued. Were they afraid of you ?
... You really love him, Master.
I-I ... yes. Yes, I love him.
She felt Rider's amusement at her embarrassment at merely thinking the words.
You really are ... what's the word ? Ah, yes. A 'tsundere', isn't it ?
How do you even know that word ?! I refuse to believe it was in the knowledge the Grail gave you !
Rider chuckled in response. Sakura showed me some of her collection of romance novels to occupy myself during the night.
Of course she had. The room Sakura had in the Emiya residence served mostly to keep Fujimura-sensei from realizing she and Shirou slept together most of the time, but it also contained dozens of books Sakura had bought since being freed of the Matou – a not insignificant number of which Rin was almost certain her sister had used hypnotism to be able to purchase despite still being legally underage.
Your sister loves him too, continued Rider more seriously.
I know. She had known long before Shirou himself had realized it, blockhead that he was sometimes.
Aren't you jealous ? I admit my understanding of romance is limited, but it seems strange that you'd consent to being but one of your beloved's lovers.
I cannot be jealous of Sakura, Rider. I refuse to let myself be that petty. Sure, it might hurt my pride a bit, but pride has never brought my family anything good. I'm happy with Shirou, disregarding our current circumstances.
And she was, much to her own surprise. Shirou's public relationship with Sakura meant he and Rin couldn't exactly go out on dates, but Rin's interests ran in other directions anyway. She had spent many days, evenings and nights with him, discussing Magecraft and various subjects, as well as simply relaxing together. Sakura was almost always there as well, of course, but the three of them had just clicked together.
I don't know how to explain it. But this happiness is mine, and I won't let anyone destroy it.
That is a cause most worth fighting for, approved Rider. Also, on that note : I want to fight him.
What ? asked Rin, taken aback by the abrupt change of subject.
Shirou. I want to fight him. Yesterday's battle against the Dolls was interesting, but hardly challenging. And I'm the only Servant in our group who didn't get to fight another Servant since the Grail War started.
Right. She had forgotten that her Servant was a battle maniac. Given the portion of the memories of King Arthur she had inherited, Rin supposed it made sense. There was a problem with what she was saying, however :
… At the risk of stating the obvious, Shirou isn't a Servant, Rider.
You know what I mean, Master. He can fight on our level. I want to see how my skills measure up against his gifts.
I suppose he might accept to spar against you if we phrase it familiarizing with each other's abilities so that you can fight together more efficiently in the future. Saber might have something to say about it, though.
Good point. I'd love to fight her as well.
That's not what I meant, Rider, she sighed.
Before her Servant could respond, another voice cut through her mental communication – a calm, male, authoritative voice.
"Tohsaka. Are you paying attention to the lesson ?"
She blinked. Right. She was in History class. And she had completely blanked out her surroundings, so focused on her discussion with Rider had she been.
"Sorry, Kuzuki-sensei," she apologized.
"It is unlike you to be distracted," noted the thug-faced teacher. "Please be careful."
"Yes, Kuzuki-sensei. She could feel the gazes of the rest of the class, surprised that the model student she took great pains to look like at school was slipping like that.
Another day spent at school was, in Saber's opinion, a welcome respite from the excitement of the previous evening. Keeping up with classes was easy enough, and it gave her time to mull over her thoughts. Her introduction the previous day had drawn a lot of attention, of course, but even that was enjoyable after a fashion. It felt only right for the students to pay attention to her, after all.
When they came back home, Saber noticed with some distress than the fridge was already half empty, despite having been refilled two days ago. With eleven people now living at the Emiya residence and eating food, they had dug through their reserves fast. The Einzbern maids – who had taken over most of the chores at the Emiya residence, apart from the cooking, which Shirou and Sakura had firmly refused to completely give up on when they were in the house – had prepared lunch for those who had stayed home, and though the snake's sisters had a less healthy appetite than Saber and her alternates, they had still put a dent in their provisions.
"I think we're going to need a bigger fridge," declared her Master, looking mournfully at the empty shelves. "In the meantime, though, we're going to need to restock if we want to last the week. Running out of food is a complication we don't need, especially if things escalate and the city is put in lock-down."
"Can't you ask the Yakuza to bring more again ?" asked Illyasviel. Shirou shook his head.
"They're busy people, Illya. No, I'm going to go out myself this time. I'll be back in time for dinner, don't worry. Sakura, can you start the preparations without me ? There should still be enough ingredients for tonight."
"Of course, Senpai."
"I'm going with you, Master," said Saber, her tone brooking no discussion. He looked at her in puzzlement.
"Well, yes. I assumed that was obvious. There's still another Servant out there, after all. None of us should go out alone."
"Good." It seemed that he could be taught. "Then let's go."
"Have a nice date," called out Sakura with a teasing edge to her voice as they left.
They went south, toward the shopping district. Though the sun was already approaching the horizon, there were still more people out than they had encountered on patrol last night – although Saber could sense the tension still lingering in the air, even if none of the mundane people had any idea as to its source. The conversations were subdued, and there was an edge to the way everyone moved.
Shirou was clearly a frequent visitor, as most of the shopkeepers greeted him by name, with a few asking questions about her, which her Master answered with the backstory they had designed for school – though he didn't mention the bit about the contract between them Saber had added in at the last minute.
They bought several bags of foodstuffs, which Shirou insisted on carrying them all despite Saber's A-ranked Strength. On the way back, as they walked down an empty street illuminated by the sun's last rays and the light filtering out of the windows of the houses around them, Saber moved behind Shirou, sneaking her arms around his chest and stopping him in his tracks.
She pulled him close, resting her head against his back. This close, she could fell Avalon's power inside him, and the strong, regular beating of his heart.
"Saber," he said softly, "what's wrong ?"
"Last night," she said, "you left me behind. I am your Servant, and you are my Master. You shouldn't fight without me. Next time we go on patrol or into battle, Archer and Assassin can assist our allies, but I'll stay with you."
"From a tactical perspective," he began, but she didn't let him finish, tightening her grip and cutting him off.
"I know it may make more sense to combine their subtler skills with yours on mine more direct ones," she said. "But I don't care. You fought an enemy Master, and it was Berserker at your side, not me, even though she isn't even your Servant."
Fighting alongside her Master in the park had felt right. Like they were two pieces of the same whole, moving in unison. Their goal hadn't been to kill Lancer, but if it had, she didn't doubt for a moment that they would have achieved it.
She knew her Master was strong. That wasn't the point. If the Fourth Grail War had taught her anything, it was that even the strong could be brought low by cunning and treachery, which the Ainsworth Master had possessed in spades.
"I couldn't stop Berserker, nor abandon her."
"Then you should have summoned me by your side immediately after she went off !" she hissed.
"I didn't know if Rin and Sakura were going to be attacked again," he argued. "I didn't want to take one of their defenders away."
"Archer almost killed you the first time you faced her," she murmured into his back. "You only survived that because me and Lancer were here. Say what you want about using a Command Seal to bring me to your side, but would you even have been able to do so if she had struck you again ?"
He remained silent. In truth, he didn't know the answer to that, and neither did Saber. Perhaps he could have done so : perhaps his inhuman resilience would have let him call her to his side in time.
Or perhaps he would have died, and that was a thought Saber refused to let become real.
"I promised you I wouldn't die, Saber," he said softly. "I meant it. Archer didn't hurt me again, did she ?"
"Even with that promise, you'll put the safety of others above your own. I understand that's the kind of man you are, Master."
She released her hold on him, letting him turn so that she could look him in the eye :
"But I'll make sure you're safe, even from yourself. Do you understand ?"
He nodded in silence.
"Good," she said. "Now let's go home, I'm hungry."
By the time they made it back home, the sun had already set, and Saber could tell from the fragrant scent wafting from the kitchen that dinner was almost ready. However, just as they crossed the threshold, they were attacked by a violent tiger :
"SHIROU ! Come here ! You have some explaining to do, young man !"
Saber blinked in bemusement as Taiga Fujimura put her Master in a headlock and dragged him into the living room. Shaking her head at the antics of the pair, she picked up the bags Shirou had put down – sacrificing the chance to dodge his guardian to make sure nothing in them was broken – and brought them to the kitchen, where Sakura was putting the finishing touches on dinner. Illyasviel and Lancer were already sat down, alongside Rin, while the maids were standing up behind their mistress.
All of them were watching with a mix of surprise, shock, and amusement.
"W-what is it, Fuji-nee ?!"
"Don't you 'Fuji-nee' me, mister ! I knew Miranda-chan was living with you, so I came to tease – to make sure that you were treating her like a gentleman should, and what do I find ? Not only did you take her out on a date, you also have four more women in your home ! And you invited Tohsaka-san to dinner as well ? When were you going to mention this to me, huh, you playboy ?!"
Saber blinked. Had they … Oh dear. That was right, wasn't it ? They had completely forgotten to inform the teacher of that detail in the two days since Illyasviel had joined their alliance. Through her link with her Master, she could feel that he too had completely forgotten to do so, so preoccupied had he been with all the other things that had happened.
Well, at least, the snake and her sisters were out of sight in Spirit Form, as was her Rider self. Berserker's blindfold and Rider's horns would have been difficult to explain, and even Saber shivered at the thought of what Archer and Assassin would've gotten up to in Taiga's presence to embarrass her Master.
"We weren't on a date, we were buying food !" Shirou protested, but Taiga didn't pay any attention to it.
"I am your guardian !" The supposedly adult woman bemoaned. "Why did I have to learn that Kiritsugu's daughter had come from Kamido ?! Where did I go wrong ?"
"That's … well, alright, I'm sorry about that. I should've told you. But Illya's arrival was unexpected, and it surprised me a lot too."
The woman's expression softened a fraction. "Well, I guess it was a shock to learn you had a sister … But still !" She wagged a finger in front of his face. "Don't try to hide anything else from me, alright ?"
"Ahaha," Shirou laughed weakly, clearly thinking of the many, many things he was still keeping secret from her. "Yes, Fuji-nee …"
"Shouldn't she be asking about Rin's presence here too ?" whispered Saber to Sakura while to two of them watched the show.
"Nee-san put a light hypnotism on her long ago to keep her from noticing anything abnormal about her staying here unless we're blatant about it," whispered back the young girl.
Eventually, Shirou managed to break free of Taiga's grip and everyone sat down as the food was brought to the table. Sakura had cooked something relatively simple – rice and chicken curry, in a quantity more than sufficient for those present. Taiga sat next to Illyasviel, and lost no time in engaging her in conversation :
"So, you're Kiritsugu's daughter … If your mother looked anything like you, I can see how even that old man couldn't resist her. Still, I can't believe he never told me he was married !"
"Mama was already dead when he adopted Shirou and settled in Fuyuki," Illyasviel explained. "I was … I was with her side of the family at the time, and they refused to let him see me. They blamed him for her death, and since they have a lot of influence in Germany, there was nothing Kiritsugu could do."
She nodded at Lancer, who was sitting next to her, wearing what Saber recognized as one of Irisviel's dresses – and, she noticed with a spike of irritation, filling it out nicely.
"Amelia helped me escape and brought me here to meet my brother, and learn the truth of what happened."
Ah, yes. Showing a truly abysmal lack of imagination, the Einzbern had used the name 'Amelia Watson' for the pseudonym on Lancer's passport, nevermind the fact that it was almost identical to the name of 'Emily Watson' they had used for her ten years ago.
Taiga turned her gaze on Lancer, looking her up and down.
"So you're Miranda-chan's … sister ? Aunt ? Surely not her mom, right ? You look so young !"
Lancer chuckled. "We are cousins," she explained. "I actually wasn't expecting to meet Miranda here, but I'm grateful our work brought us together."
The two continued their discussion for a few moments, before Taiga turned back to Illyasviel and began regaling her with stories about Kiritsugu that Saber found just as fascinating as the young girl, so out of character to the cold-blooded man she had known in the Fourth War did they seem.
As she ate, Saber didn't fail to notice the portions her Master discreetly put aside for the four Servants who couldn't join them. She was glad not to be connected to Rider and Berserker any longer, as she doubted any of them were pleased to be forced to wait until Taiga was gone to join them. Archer and Assassin were already complaining to Shirou about it.
We will figure a way to explain your presence to her, Shirou promised his other Servants. She took me by surprise tonight, that's all.
This, at last, seemed to placate the sisters, and they stopped their babbling. Saber focused on her own meal, savouring Sakura's excellent cooking, while a part of her mind wondered how she could push her Master to tighten their bonds further during the night. After the subtext of their earlier conversation had failed to penetrate his thick skull, she felt that she needed to make her interest in him unambiguous.
She would need to talk to Sakura in private; her help would be invaluable in that pursuit, and of course she couldn't exactly couple with her boyfriend in front of her without her permission, much as a possessive part of her found the idea appealing. Given how Lancer had reacted at the mere idea of kissing Shirou, she suspected that part of her was related to her draconic nature, which had risen to the fore in order to combat the Grail's corruption.
But she didn't want to hurt the other girl, and it was clear that Sakura had no issue in sharing Shirou's attentions with other women.
Kirei watched the ritual unfolding before him with unfeigned interest. It had been ten years, after all, since he had last witnessed the miracles of the Gods with his own eyes, and he remained a man of the cloth, even if his faith now rested in a very different – and far more powerful and real – pantheon.
Ritual circles had been drawn in blood at the points of an eightfold star. Within each circle laid one of the captives they had seized from the streets of Fuyuki since Caster's arrival, their limbs spread out, wrists and ankles bound to stakes set at precise intervals. They had been gagged as well, but the sounds of their distress still echoed around them.
Kirei had offered to render them unconscious while the apostle of the Gods worked, but Caster had rejected him, before expanding at length him about how their dread in anticipation of whatever fate their pitiful minds could imagine would make them better sacrifices for what was to come. He had made sure to speak in English, the language most of their captives would understand, and loudly enough that they had all heard him.
Kirei could only admire such attention to the little details.
The eight men would not be missed. They were criminals from a handful of nationalities, whose viciousness had seen them exiled from their own organizations. Such individuals rarely lived long, as both sides of the law sought their death, but these eight had unknowingly heeded the call of the Grail, which had whispered in the darkness of their souls and brought them to Fuyuki so that they might serve it. They had travelled to Japan, constructing their own reasons to do so, and crossed the border illegally before making their way to the city.
Caster's minions had found and captured them, before bringing them here, in the depths beneath the city. When Kirei had spoken with Caster, he had mentioned the Workshop his predecessor in the Fourth War had built in the sewers of Fuyuki, and the King of Mages had been very interested. There were other locations that might have served, but even with four Grail Wars having left their mark on the city, none were as suited for their purposes as this one, where Gilles de Rais had perpetrated horrors such as the World had rarely seen.
Gilgamesh, of course, hadn't accompanied them. The King of Heroes had changed much under the influence of the Grail, but he would never set foot in sewers. He had stayed in the church, drinking the last of Kirei's wine. Though Kirei doubted he was still there : the King of Heroes had taken to random walks throughout the city recently, savouring the growing power of the Grail across the land.
"As I told you before, Kirei, not all humans can serve for what I'll do tonight," explained Caster, putting the last touches to the ritual circles.
"I admit that I thought you required the bodies of Magi at first," confessed Kirei.
"They certainly make for most suitable vessels," allowed Caster. "But thankfully, that isn't a requirement. No, what is needed for the binding to properly take root is an affinity with the Primordial Truth. In the case of Magi, their Circuits mean that this can be bypassed, as they serve as a direct path to their soul that can be forced open with the appropriate knowledge and power, both of which I possess in ample measure."
Having seen what the Caster of the previous Grail War had been capable of given time to prepare, and considering the fact that Gilles de Rais' legend was nothing compared to that of Solomon, Kirei could easily believe that.
"That is why we didn't just take people from the streets that wouldn't be missed," Caster continued. "These people, however, were called here by the voices of the Gods, marked by the Four as worthy receptacle of their power."
It was all fascinating to Kirei. Every snippet of revelation was yet more proof that the Primordial Truth of Chaos Undivided, as Caster had told him it was formally called by some of its followers, was indeed what he had been blindly searching for all his life, until the blessed and cursed day when he had died and been reborn.
"Of course," the Servant went on, "even then they wouldn't accept to play their part in our plan willingly. For all that their nature is closer to the true face of Humanity than most on this benighted planet, they are still blind and ignorant. Fortunately, their consent isn't required. In fact," he switched to Japanese there, "the more they struggle, the better this will work."
Caster began to chant in a language Kirei recognized from the Grail's whispers, even if he didn't understand the words. As the chant progressed, the beating of his dark heart grew louder and louder.
The priest watched in rapture as the sacrifices became vessels for the entities Caster had called from the beyond. Flesh warped, bones cracked, and screams of agony finally echoed in the underground chamber as mouths contorted around their gags, before abruptly falling silent.
With a snap of Caster's fingers, the bonds of the newly created Demon Pillars came loose, and they rose to their feet, unsteady at first as they came to terms with their new bodies. The air around them shimmered, reality itself buckling at their presence. They were hideous things, yet possessed of a dark and monstrous majesty. Each of them was a declaration of sanity's end, the incarnation of terrible things and the promise of yet more to come.
"Magnificent," whispered Kirei in awe.
"Oh, Kirei," said Solomon, amused. "This is only the beginning."
Omake : Pale and Purple Flowers
After dinner, Saber managed to corner Sakura alone.
"I need your help," she said to the other Master bluntly. Then she told her what she wanted to do.
As Saber had thought, Sakura was neither surprised nor outraged by what she said.
"You are right that you'll need to be very clear, or Senpai won't make a move, just in case he's misreading the situation. He can be remarkably dense about these things."
She looked the Servant up and down, frowning.
"None of my or Nee-san's lingery will fit you, and we don't have time to go out and buy some ... Wait. You changed your armor into that dress, didn't you ? Can you make other adjustements, or is it limited to two forms ?"
Saber focused, sending her will through the Mystic Code the Einzbern had made for her to wear in the Fourth Grail War and which had become attached to her essence after being caught in the Grail. Back then, she could shift it between her armor and the suit she had worn while pausing at Irisviel's bodyguard, but now, like her, it had changed.
"I think I can," she said hesitantly.
"Good," nodded Sakura. "Now let's get you into something more suitable for what we've in mind."
It took some embarrassing trial and error, which fortunately no one but Sakura witnessed, but eventually she got the hang of it. Under Sakura's direction, Saber shortened her black dress, which had reached to her feet, into a skirt that didn't even reach her knees. She removed the sections of clothes that had covered her shoulders, and turned the fabric into long gloves that reached past her elbows.
Sakura grinned as she looked over the final results, and even Saber made a small smile as she saw her reflection in the full-length mirror of the dressing room.
"This will work," declared Sakura confidently. "Senpai won't know what hit him."
And indeed, when Saber and Sakura first joined him, he didn't. But, to his credit, he was a fast learner, and the sound-proof wards Sakura had quickly cast around the bedroom when they had entered were soon put to the test.
AN : Quite the emotional rollercoaster, that chapter's ending, wasn't it ? You might as well consider that omake canon, by the way. Without the angst of her canon self and with her desires amplified by her Alterization, it was always going to be Saber who made the first move in that particular pairing - bar another mana exchange scenario, and I already played that card with Rin. And yes, Saber looks exactly like she does in her final Ascension in FGO after making the modifications to her attire.
This chapter shouldn't have taken nearly as long as it ended up doing, but after finishing my other story, Warband of the Forsaken Sons, it took quite a bit of mental readjusting to get back into this story's headspace. If you have suggestions for stuff I could read that you think would help with that, please tell me in your review.
Writing character interactions remains something I have difficulties with (even in this chapter, I ended up cutting some stuff that I'm not sure I will recycle later due to problems with the flow of the chapter). So if you've any suggestions for the 'slice-of-life' elements of this story in the future, please tell me.
While I was struggling with this chapter, I went over the entire story (good gods, it has been two years since I started it ?! Somehow it felt much, much longer than that ...), and made a few minor corrections here and there. Nothing that changes the story, just syntax errors and a few missing words, the kind of stuff that can pass through my autocorrect. I have also changed the cover, using something generated the Dream AI using a combination of words that it would unfortunately be a spoiler to reveal. I hope you like it, though I am open to alternatives.
My current writing plans are to focus on this story for now, until the current batch of chapters is complete. I have the structure for the next four written down, though I may write some short stories in-between them. Eventually, I am also going to start a new story to replace Warband of the Forsaken Sons. After checking the results of my proposed stories in the epilogue of WFS, I have decided to go with Ciaphas Cain : Warmaster of Chaos. We could all use something lighter and less dramatic, I think, and trying my hand at writing comedy will be an interesting exercise. Check the concept for that story if you are interested.
On another subject, I played the first part of the Atlantis Lostbelt on FGO, and I am pleased to announce that Heracles is as OP as ever. With his Bond 10 CE, Grailed to level 100, maxed HP and ATK and a bunch of powerful Attack Card enhancements, I didn't need to use a single Command Seal throughout the entire chapter. The chapter itself was very fun to play, though I'm starting to get worried about the MC's mental health. Also (spoiler alert), I am going to use a different lore for the Olympian Gods than the one introduced in that franchise.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. We passed 2000 favorites a while back, which I continues to struggle with wrapping my head around. As always, if you have suggestions, questions, or constructive criticisms to offer, I welcome them all (writing this type of story/scenes is still new to me, after all).
The next chapter won't take four months, I promise.
Zahariel out.