Shirou did not know when his worldview was shattered. It all started on a very normal day in school.
Shinji asked him to clean the dojo so he spends the entire afternoon till night doing so. It was a very simple request, nothing he couldn't handle. But then he heard the clashing of steel nearby. He goes to check and sees a tanned man in red and black, fighting against a man with a red lance, wearing a blue spandex.
He got caught by the blue guy and paid the price by having his heart stabbed. The next thing he knew, he was still alive, the only remnant left was a red pendant on the floor. He keeps it and runs back to his home.
As soon as he arrived though, the blue spearman immediately was behind him, resulting in a very small clash that got his ass kicked pretty badly.
It ended in the shed where he practiced his magecraft. The spearman stands over him lazily as he attempts to end his life, only to be saved by a girl in a maid outfit with a giant claymore. She rushes out of the broken shed to engage him.
Shirou went out to see the fight between the two warriors, claymore met spear as the clashing of steel could only be heard in this usually quiet neighborhood.
He became worried when the man in blue decided to go up in the air, duplicate his spears and rain them upon the maid. It took an immense amount of willpower to just not jump over there to protect her.
He felt the eyes of the spear wielder, watching his every move. He knew that if he interfered, he wouldn't be saved. No… he would die the second he enters this… battle between warriors.
But my life doesn't matter! As long as she needs help, I will fight for her!
Luckily, when the dust settled, she was unharmed. He was able to quench the pain in his heart for now, but still can't help but worry about her. He was on the fence of interfering between these two when the girl spoke.
"Excuse me, Lancer! I hate to interrupt our battle, but I need to tend to my master's injuries. Would you be so kind to withdraw for now and come back tomorrow so that we can fight to our fullest?"
What?
Lancer? What type of name is that?
Master? What master? Is it me? But I'm nobody's…-!
His thoughts came to a halt as he felt bloodlust coming from the spear that the newly named Lancer held. He can see his face grimaced at the action he was about to undergo, before letting out a resigned sigh.
"Heh, tough luck Saber looks like you ain't getting your wish, seems my master wants you dead, but tell you what eh, survive this, and I may consider taking my leave."
What!?
What kind of deal is that!?
He gritted his teeth at the stupid deal Lancer made. The newly called Saber frowned at this before stomping her foot at the ground, granting her an orange barrier with hexagon shapes. At least she had some form of barrier to protect what would come next.
"Your heart is mine! [Gae Bolg]!"
Everything else flashed before his eyes.
One moment, they were standing off against each other.
And in the next, his spear was attempting to stab the girl.
And in the end, he was almost cleaved in half by the maid.
Wh-what just happened?
Shirou had to rub his eyes just to see if everything he saw was just an illusion. Sadly, he couldn't replay the scenes back into his mind, only see the inevitable conclusion.
Saber had won this fight.
"Ah damn you got me, guess that's your win for now. Oh well, guess I'll meet you on the battlefield next time, Saber."
Then the next surprise came when Lancer suddenly disappeared into blue motes as if he never existed in the first place. People don't do that right?!
He didn't know what to think about his reality anymore. Maybe this is all a dream and he fell asleep in the dojo due to overworking? That seems more of a plausible explanation than… whatever this is.
"Master, are you alright?"
He jerked his head to see Saber, walking towards him and checking up on him. He was internally flustered upon seeing the beautiful maid, tending to him like a submissive servant he saw on those doujinshi Shinji showed to him one time…
That was definitely an eye-opener for him. But he needed answers right now. Answers that she can seem to provide for him since she seems to know more than he thought.
Before he could even talk to the girl, she jerked her head to the side with an alarmed look. He may not know a lot about combat, but he knows with that expression that another opponent may be close by and she can sense it somehow. Just as he was about to tell the girl to leave, she beat him to it.
Or so he thought.
"Hold tight master! We need to leave now!"
He didn't expect the girl to be carried like a bag of rice on her shoulder before feeling his stomach do a backflip as the girl jumped several feet into the air.
"Ajdbfruhf, wh-what!? Saber! Put me down!"
He was unfortunately ignored as the maid landed on top of one of the roofs of a neighbor before jumping again to another. And another. And another. And another.
He can feel himself getting nausea from the sudden G-force his body was forced to endure but somehow managed to still keep his coherent mind as he kept asking to be put down and explained, only to be ignored as she kept hopping over houses.
Finally, Shirou had enough.
"Saber! Put me down now!"
A red glow came from his left hand, suddenly enveloping the young maid, forcing her to throw him to the ground. He didn't even realize that he was falling right to his death. Luckily for him though, Saber was fast enough to place some kind of barrier on him because there was no way he would have survived the throw that made at least a 4ft deep crater.
Still, even though he didn't feel any pain at all, he is still buried quite deep into the crater itself. He can't lift any of his limbs out, essentially he has become a statue that is surrounded by concrete.
The maid called Saber managed to get down without any injury before pulling him out of the crater with that inhumane strength of his.
"Master, wasting a command seal for an order like this… You need to be very careful. These command seals are very precious as-"
"Can you please stop and explain what is going on in the first place!?"
Shirou didn't mean to shout or make the girl that saved his butt sad but right now he is too stressed to care. He went through a lot on this night alone and he wasn't sure if his mind could keep up any longer. He needed to take a breather first.
"Look…" Shirou scratched his head nervously as he saw the sad face of the maid. "I didn't mean to yell at you ok? I'm… sorry for that, but I need to know what's going on here… can you please tell me what is happening?"
"You mean you don't know…?" The maid began to mutter under her breath as her mind was contemplating her next action. Shirou waited patiently this time. At least she isn't sad this time. That is something he can be proud of at least. "Ok, but let's find a secure place first. Your home is no longer safe and I need to explain quite a bit."
Shirou looked around him as he was trying to remember which part in Fuyuki is this. His eyes widened as he saw a familiar house in the distance. That place could be used to stay for the night but he hesitates to visit there.
On one hand, he is in danger and he needs a place to lay low. His house is no longer safe and unless he knew any abandoned warehouses in Fuyuki (which he doesn't) then the only place he can go to is his classmate's house.
On the other hand though, whatever is happening in this city might be related to the moonlit world. And he might be exposing his classmates to something bigger than he might have thought and he isn't sure if they will be in danger as well.
But…
"Master?"
Shirou looks back at the girl, her eyes asking for guidance in this matter as well. He bit his lip in this indecision of his. Secure a place for him and her and potentially risk his classmate into more danger or keep running, putting more innocents at risk from the crossfire as well.
There really are no easy options.
Knock Knock Knock
Kaede snaps her head towards the door, narrowing her eyes as she was still eating her favorite udon and watching her magical girls show that no one knows about. She isn't sure who would be visiting her at this hour.
It wouldn't be any of her two best friends as they had just left an hour ago unless somehow they forgot their tracksuit for training tomorrow or maybe they left something here behind.
It isn't Ayako either as she would be busy around this time, brainstorming ideas on how to get more members for that Archery club of hers. Honestly, that woman is too strict for her own good sometimes…
Well, sitting here won't do anything. Might as well check what the fuss is about.
Placing her chopsticks down and shutting off the TV, she walks over to her front door and opens it, expecting to be either one of her best friends or a random door-to-door salesman.
…
…
...HOLY CRAP IT'S THE FAKE JANITOR HIMSELF!
"E-EMIYA?!"
The fake janitor scratched his head, trying to fight off his nervousness. "H-hey Kaede… listen, can we stay in for the night… My house is being renovated for now and will be done by tomorrow…"
Oh my god Oh my god Oh my god Oh my god Oh my god!
It's Shirou Emiya! The fake janitor! The person that always helps people around because he is just that nice! And one of the top ten hottest guys in school!
'Oh god! Calm down me! I'm pretty sure he is here for an important reason… yeah, just an important reason… Oh, God! What if he is here to confess his feelings to me!? Is that the reason why he came alone dressed in…'
She managed to clear her head enough to find out that Shirou's clothes had rips and tears in there, specifically a big one in his chest area, revealing a nasty scar in the middle.
"Shirou!? What happened to you!? Why do your clothes have tears in them?! What's that scar in your chest!?"
Shirou looks down to his chest to find the scar she was talking about. His face was also in shock at the scar as well. "Ermm, well… accidents?"
"Accidents!? ACCIDENTS!? THAT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE ACCIDENTS EMIYA! IT LOOKED LIKE SOMEONE WAS TRYING TO STAB YOU! I'M GONNA CALL THE AMBULANCE RIGHT NOW"
She turns around and rushes to her telephone, sitting on a desk. Before she can even reach it though, something hits her head hard, making her go unconscious instantly.
Shirou could only stare in shock as Saber used the pommel of her greatsword to knock his classmate out cold. It was already bad enough that he had to go to his classmate's house to ask for refuge, but this was going too far already!
"Saber! What was that for!?"
Saber bowed to him apologetically. "Apologies master, but I couldn't risk her calling an ambulance to come here unless we run the risk of endangering more civilians in this war already. Truth be told, I was originally going to let you deal with it, but seeing her panic due to your injuries forced me into taking this action. I will take any punishment for hurting your friend."
Shirou could only sigh irritably at this course of action. It was already bad enough that he had to come here just to take refuge from… whatever moonlit event that was happening in Fuyuki, even worse that it was his own classmate that he had to use as refuge.
But now, he might as well have stolen the house instead, seeing that Kaede lied on the floor, unconscious. He didn't like this one bit at all. He… wasn't sure if he was going to tell her about what happened to him, but at least he would reassure her that nothing was wrong and he can handle whatever was going on out there.
He wished that his old man taught him more about magecraft. Maybe there is some form of hypnosis that could make her forget what happened here? Well, no use in crying over spilled milk.
Deciding to deal with her classmate tomorrow, Shirou carries Kaede in her arms and goes to her room to place her in bed. Luckily for him, he knew the layout of her house as he has often than not, came here to repair broken machines such as her electric fan or repair some wiring in her microwave.
After tucking her in bed, Shirou went back into the living room where Saber was, sitting on the floor, waiting for him with a patient smile.
Shirou couldn't help but blush. She was very beautiful after all, she might be able to compete with Tohsaka, but he had more important matters to attend to than comparing both beautiful women against each other.
Mainly, the entire night of clusterfuck which he couldn't wrap his head around.
Sitting in front of her with a serious expression, Shirou asked the important question.
"Saber, what is going on in this city?"
And so Saber went on to explain the event known as the Holy Grail War.
"Three hundred years ago, three magi families came together in Fuyuki to construct a magical device known as the Holy Grail. Not to be confused with the one in the bible of Jesus Christ or the one that the knights of the round table sought after. This device's purpose was to enact a ritual that would grant magi any wish they desire.
Money. Fame. Power. Anything they desired. However, to do this, it is composed of seven beings known as Servants.
Servants like me are Heroic Spirits that have left a mark upon humankind itself and their minds. Impacting them to the point of making history itself. Changing the fate of mankind, and as such, gained the reward and honor of entering a place known as the Throne of Heroes. A place outside of space and time where the true bodies of the Servants remained.
It was there where the ritual of the Holy Grail began. To get the wish, seven magi are chosen by the Grail as Masters-what you are- and with support from the Grail, allowed to summon seven Servants to do battle. The winning pair is supposed to be able to claim the Holy Grail and utilize it to grant a wish for each of them."
Shirou could only nod dumbly at the explanation that was honestly too much for him to wrap his head around, but he could understand the most important bits. Magic item that grants wishes, Masters like him are chosen to participate. Heroes summoned to fight for their masters for said magic item. But he has an important question.
"Saber, if this Holy Grail can grant wishes, then can't they just share the Grail instead? Why fight over it and summon heroes for it?"
Saber pursed her lips, her eyes contemplating on how to best describe how the Grail works in the first place. Nodding to herself, she answered his questions.
"The purpose of summoning the servants is to act as fuel for the Grail itself. Six servants are needed to be sacrificed so that the Grail can be used. However, it can only grant one wish. The winning pair of magus and servant can have their wish granted. So naturally, they fight over it.
I have been informed by the Grail that this is the Fifth Holy Grail War. However, despite that, no one has ever won the Grail in the first place so no one really utilized the Grail at all."
Shirou's eyes dulled at the prospect of sacrificing heroes to fill up a glorified wishing device that may or may not even grant wishes in the first place. He couldn't understand the mindset of these Magi at all. He knew his father told him about how Magi are very ruthless people, that they will do anything in their research to reach the Akasha.
Even if it means experimenting on innocents.
Shirou asked about the servants and if they are different types. Which Saber went on to explain the 7 types of servants that can be summoned in this Holy Grail War.
Saber. The one known to be the best Class, with great swordsman skill and high parameters. Wielding good skills, including the Riding Skill.
'So that's why she calls herself Saber, that is the name of her class… I wonder why she doesn't use her real name.'
"Hey Saber."
"Mhmm? What is it, master?"
"Why do you call yourself Saber? Why not use your real name?"
"I call myself Saber for the purpose of concealing my identity as a hero. If one were to reveal their true name. Not only will their parameters be visible to all masters and servants, but also their skills and weaknesses they have.
Take, for example, Achilles. If everyone knew who he is, then we would know how to kill him as his weakness is attacking his heels. So revealing one's true name would be very dangerous."
Shirou understood the reasoning behind her alias. If one were to know the identity of the hero, then it would be very easy to kill the hero the same way the hero died if he or she died in a specific manner.
Shirou let Saber continue her explanation of the other servants.
Lancer. The fastest and most agile of the Servants. As their name states, they are good with a spear.
Archer. Servants known to be great with long-distance projectiles, and capable of being independent from a Master.
Rider. One that boasts greatness on the battlefield, and capable of riding different types of mounts or vehicles. Certainly, one not to mess with.
Caster. Servants with magecraft beyond that of modern times. Capable of altering their surroundings to suit their needs.
'Wish I had a caster, teaching me magecraft. Maybe I could have been a better hero then…'
Assassin. Usually the weakest of Servants, yet the greatest threat to a Master. Capable of perfect stealth and are to be wary of.
'Strange for assassins to be considered heroes… but it makes sense. Sometimes heroes do good deeds in the shadows.'
Berserker. A character that gave in to madness, and trades sanity for greater power. A reckless Class, but should not be underestimated.
'A weird class for heroes. I wonder if they are heroes that have gone mad before…'
There were of course other Classes such as Ruler and Avenger, but these were the ones here in this war.
Saber took a deep sigh, a bit winded from explaining a lot of things. Shirou could guess that she isn't used to talking to people like this.
"Well then… any more questions master?"
Shirou just simply raised his left hand and tilted his head. He just noticed this mark when he placed Kaede on her bed. He figured he could ask what these were.
"Oh! Those are command seals. They are a type of contract that binds servants to their masters. It allows servants to gather Magical Energy from their masters. Not only that, but these spells can force the servants to obey three absolute commands that the servants are forced to obey. Just like the one you used on me to drop you by mistake…"
Shirou winced at the fall that could have killed him due to his impulsiveness… but he couldn't help it! He was in the air for too long with no response from Saber. He can at least justify that…
Maybe…
"Still though… something was wrong with the command seals though… it shouldn't have affected me."
"Eh? Why's that Saber?"
"Sabers have a skill called. [Magic Resistance]. It allows us to not only block magic spells but at a higher rank, also allows me to resist a command seal for a while, with the downside of weakening me temporarily until I obey the command."
"So…your magic resistance is weak then Saber?"
"No master, my skill [Magic Resistance] is very high, in fact, I should have been able to not even feel the spell at all. Yet, it felt as if my soul was forced to obey the command anyway…"
Whatever Saber had to say was interrupted as Shirou's command seal glowed bright orange before a deep voice emanated from it.
"Attention all masters of the Holy Grail War, there has been a sudden change in the status quo, please cease all hostilities and proceed to the church. If you can't comply, then I will forcibly summon you here. You have one hour. You may send your familiars to stand in if you so wish."
As soon as the voice finished his speech, the command returned back to its crimson red color.
Shirou didn't know who spoke to him or why the church was being used as a meeting place at this time but…
"Master, I'm not sure who spoke to us but I think it would be best if…"
"We will go to the church Saber."
"Master! It could be a trap though! We need to be careful!"
"I know! But… maybe I can get more answers from… Whoever spoke to me just now. The Grail chose me to become a master and unless Caster has done some magic weirdness to the command seals, I think this is something that I need to take seriously."
Saber was silent, thinking about Shirou's explanations but Shirou doesn't have time for an argument. It will be a long walk from here to the church and he had made up his mind already.
Getting up from the table, Shirou makes his way to the front door before his shoulder is grabbed by a metal gauntlet that belonged to Saber.
"Master, I am your servant and it is my responsibility to ensure your safety until the very end. If you wish to go to the church then I will follow you… but if things get dangerous… please stay behind and leave it to me ok?"
Shirou could see the genuine concern in those eyes of his servant (boy that's something he has to get used to), he could tell that she doesn't want him to get hurt any more than… What happened tonight…
But…
The flames consumed everything around him. Fire that could eat stone and dirt like they were made of paper.
In the middle of it is him, walking aimlessly, trying to escape the hellfire that is consuming everything in its path.
He needs to go, not just to see if this is a trap or not, but to perhaps maybe seek a few answers of his own… but he won't abandon Saber. She might have a wish that needs to be granted and if he died now… she will fade and won't ever get her wish.
He couldn't do that to her, not after all she has done to protect this worthless life of his…
"Ok Saber… I will, but do me a favor…"
"Hmm?"
"Call me Shirou ok? You deserve it at least that much after all you have done."
Omake
Die Beschwörung der Prinzessin der Verurteilung
Breath in.
Breath out.
Breath in.
Breath out.
Tohsaka does several breathing exercises as she prepares herself to summon her servant for the Holy Grail War. She intends to summon Saber, the strongest servant in this war.
Everything is set up, it is 2:00 am which means her Magical Energy is at its peak, she has studied and memorized the chant multiple times, the circle has been drawn upon and been filled with her blood and she has her catalyst ready.
An Amethyst gemstone.
She will admit, it's not her favorite one, she would have preferred the Ruby one, but if it's the one her father left her, then she will just have to hope that the servant she summons will be a Saber and a very powerful one.
She steps into the summoning circle.
"Let's begin."
She begins the chant.
.
.
.
.
.
As soon as the chant was finished, thunder struck down her house, her entire house in a blackout. Luckily for her, she has a gem lamp that she can use should an event occur like this.
But still…
"What… the… hell… is… with… my… luck!?" Tohsaka says as she bashes the door, which feels barricaded from the other side. After exuding a ton of effort, she makes it through. Leading her to her living room, the entire area was devastated.
She then sees… nothing?
She looks around the room for a bit, her gem lamp giving light to the room. Her eyes rest upon… a bird?
No, a raven would be more of an accurate description. Still though, how did it get here? The windows are still closed and there are no entrances to this room besides the door leading to her front yard so how…?
Suddenly a violet light forces her eyes, electricity coursing through the entire room. Once the light died down, Rin opens her eyes and sees a blonde girl with twin tails standing before her.
She has a petite build with fair skin, she has one green eye, the other being covered up by an eyepatch. She wears a sleeveless black lace dress-like leotard with a black lace collar and purple bow tie, crosses stitched in, and black and violet tailcoats.
She wears a shoulder-length black glove on her left hand and a black and purple sleeve on her right arm. She wears a transparent black stocking on her right leg and a similar thigh-high black sock held up by a garter on her left. She also wears black boots with a light purple lining, gold heels, and bat wing decorations.
Overall, this girl screams cosplayer? (Is that the right word?) that would belong to a play rather than a hero of a distant past or future.
And then she spoke.
"Oh so thou who brought thy form to this mortal realm? Very well. It is tradition to introduce the one who will aid thee in this glorious battle to cometh."
She made a drastic movement as if to make herself more benevolent than usual.
"Human sorceress of this foreign world, it is I, the Prinzessin der Verurteilung who has come upon the mortal coil of this world and bless thee scarred lands with the presence of one such as thy."
…
…
...Rin had only one thing to say to her servant.
"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU SAYING!?
Date posted: June 10, 2021.
A/N:... This omake took a lot out of me… lol.
Fischl's dialogue is too damn confusing for me. Using old English at the same time with certain modifications to the verbs, it's really hard to form a sentence with this. I'm… really impressed with whoever came up with her dialogue. That shits hard to write.
...wish they had a translator for this type of shit, would really make this a whole lot easier.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my first omake of this story, I may or may not make more of these, who knows.
Those who want me to hurry up and write more chapters, I have one thing to say to you people.
...Readeth other stories, wait not for me to maketh moo chapters for thee.
…
…
...Don't quote me on that lol.
Anyway, Hope you like this longer chapter. If you enjoyed it, Please Follow, Favorite and Review. I will Xian you later, Chow!
