Chapter 6

Wind...Mark slowly opened his black eyes after he felt the warm wind caressing his cheeks. Grass rubbed against the nape of his neck behind him as his senses came back. He was staring at the sky above him, grey and lifeless. He could tell that rain was about to pour down.

The Invincible Hero sat straight up and looked around. He was in some kind of a meadow. Flowers, grass and other plant life were scattered around him. He turned his head to his left and took note of the lake. Its water was crystal blue and pristine. There was a house standing beside its shore. The house was small and ancient – very ancient based on his observation.

"Where am I?" he said to himself as the wind blew hard, scattering petals around him. His gaze followed the flowers being blown, making him turn his head to his right. His eyes then landed on a hill and, right on top of it, a figure was sitting and hunched over. That person. Mark stood up and stared for a moment. There was something about the figure that compelled him to walk and look it over.

He gave on to the feeling and eventually started walking.

Mark only took a minute, he counted it, and the more he moved closer, the more he recognized the figure. The familiar bulging back of Heracles laid before him and he was startled.

"Am I...inside my Servant's dream?" He thought as the realization loomed in. He had read on the Spiritron Kaleido that the Master could view the life of his or her Servant and, in return, the Servant could also view his or her Master's life. Which means, Heracles is viewing mine. The thought made Mark click his tongue. He had lots of bad and nightmarish memories – what would his Servant think of him after?

"No...please no." A voice, sad and sorrowful, suddenly emitted from the man and it snapped Mark back to reality.

"Heracles?" Mark called as he slowly moved around the Servant in a cautious manner. And then the Master finally saw his Servant's face. Heracles was in agony. Tears were flowing out of his eyes. In his arms was a woman in ancient Greek clothing. Below the woman, lying in the grass, were three dead male children. The sight made the Invincible take a step back in shock.

"Heracles...Wait, I know this." Mark realized what part of Heracles's memories he was watching right now. He had remembered it during his high school years, the tale of the Greek Hero, Hercules or also known as Heracles. The Greek Hero had a wife, his first wife, Megara, who he killed unintentionally. The Goddess Hera had briefly cursed him with madness and he went into a rampage.

He was watching the aftermath of his crime.

Heracles. Mark watched with pity as his Servant cried in anguish as he held the dead body of his wife. He had read all about him, the tragic Greek hero. Heracles was a victim of a jealous rage of Goddess Hera, who tortured the man all throughout his life. He didn't deserve this and he was clearly innocent from the very beginning. The urge to save him grew inside Invincible.

"Heracles, buddy-AH!" Mark gasped in anguish. A burning pain scraped inside his skull. He had it as one of his episodic events. The Invincible Hero fell and writhed. "Not again-" He winced in agony as his vision started to fade. His black eyes focused on the Berserker and he saw him staring straight at him with a lost look on his face.

"Agh…!" Mark gasped in ache as his eyes opened. He was on his bed, inside his own hotel room. The Hero got up and slowly walked with his right hand on his head while his left hand moved everywhere, attempting to grab any objects that could act as his guide, aiming for the bathroom.

"Fuck," he cursed as his left foot hit an empty bottle of red wine. The room was a mess. The night table was filled with empty spirits that he had finished last night along with pills and medicine that he was required to take every time his sickness sprung out. Fucking finally. He had finally reached the bathroom and turned on the lights, making him wince to the sudden increase of light.

The hero dived into the sink, grabbing a drinking glass beside and poured water into it. Beside the sink was a prescription drug with the label 'Clozapine'.It was his medication. He popped one into to his mouth. Mark drank the water and he felt the pill slide through his throat. A sense of relief drew on his sweat drenched face and he stared into the mirror. He was still wearing his dinner suit from last night, but it was all dirty and wrinkled.

"One minute...In one minute it will take effect." Mark muttered in pain as he breathed in the air before he looked down to his left wrist. He turned the timer of his watch on, which began its countdown of the medicine's effect. The man walked out of the bathroom and glanced to his left. He saw Heracles, kneeling completely still beside the desk. The room was large enough to accommodate his gigantic size, but the Servant still looked awkward.

"Perhaps I should let you rest, huh." he said with a sympathetic tone after he remembered the Greek hero's life story.

He stripped off his suit and donned a brown colored bathrobe. Rest well, Heracles. He thought as he opened the door of his bedroom and walked outside, only to stop dead in his tracks.

The living room was also a mess. The coffee table was filled with crushed beer that Mark had emptied after he had arrived at the hotel yesterday. However, there was another occupant inside his suite. It was a man and he was standing beside the window. He was wearing a tight white costume, and red pants and boots. A long and familiar red cape flung over his shoulder. But the most recognizable thing about the man was the symbol on his chest – a crimson letter O.

"No...no, no!" Mark's eyes widened in fear as he saw the figure open his eyes. The man's eyes, light blue and predatory-like, were dead and he was looking straight at Mark, a small smile appearing below his moustache.

"Are we still going to play this 'denial' game, Mark? Because it's getting a bit boring for me."

"O-Omni-Man...Dad!"

The man was Omni-Man, whose real name was Nolan Grayson, a hero just like Mark from way before the younger became Invincible. He was one of Earth's previous protectors and Mark's loving father. Or so it may seem. The true identity of his father, however, was that he was a soldier of the conquering and devouring planet nation of Viltrumite. His father's purpose on earth was not to save it, but to know its weaknesses so that his nation could either conquer it or destroy it completely.

The love of this man, who was Invincible's biological father, was all but smoke and mirrors – a fabricated and well-sophisticated lie.

Mark couldn't believe that he was seeing him again. "You can't be here. You can't be here!" he shouted, denying the image that slowly walked towards him.

"But I am here," Illusion Nolan said as his smirk turned into a dark grin. "In fact...I am inside your head." He cornered the Hero, whose back hit the mirror wall behind him. The treacherous hero then slammed his right palm on the mirror, finally trapping his son.

Mark's face was that of a cornered cat. Terror was screaming in his eyes as he trembled on his ground. Thirty-seconds before the medicine takes effect! The Invincible counted as Omni-Man glanced down on his watch. "Looks like I have enough time to tell you how stupid and pathetic you could be."

His voice was dead and yet it was a cold and mocking one, enough to make Mark wince.

"Disappear, you're not real and you're not here!" Mark brushed his right arm and walked away, heading towards the opposite wall that was also made with mirrors. The illusion turned his head and looked at him as if he was an idiot.

"Have you ever actually thought whether or not this Holy Grail could truly grant your pathetic wish?" Omni-Man mocked him again, belittling his son, who turned around and glared at his degrading smile.

"My wish would benefit everyone, including your own kind. You should be thanking me that I didn't kill them all!" He thundered as he took a step forward, trying to fight the Illusion's dark presence. "I am not a genocidal monster like you."

The man rasped the words at Omni-Man, but the elder Hero slowly widened his grin into a devilish one. "I grew up to destroy planets. I was molded, changed, and indoctrinated to conquer planets and kill all life forms that are deemed lower than Viltrumites...but I gave you a life, even if it's a lie. I chose to love your mother even though I looked down on her as a pet. I gave you what every father should give to their sons – freedom and happiness."

The elder hero walked forward without looking away from the Invincible's defying glare that was slowly turning into an unease one. The young Hero took a step back and once again hit the mirror wall behind him.

"And now, you're here. Participating in a mystical, but suspicious Battle Royale that rewards the winner an 'omnipotent wish granting artifact' called the Holy Grail and contemplating on killing an innocent teenager." He slammed his right hand again on the mirror, cornering Mark who had began shedding tears of despair.

"You call me a monster, then what the hell are you?"

"I am a Hero and I-I can save them. I can save everyone. He would be my sacrifice!"

The older Hero took a step back and frowned in disgust at what he heard from his son.

"Think, Mark, think! Why does the Holy Grail need this elaborate ritual Battle Royale? If it's an omnipotent device, why does it need the seven Heroic spirits that need to kill each other just so it could be used?" Mark looked down in dismay as Omni-Man moved closer to him and whispered in a raspy voice. "Has it ever occurred to you...that there is someone pulling the strings behind the scenes. Aren't you suspicious that someone might be manipulating you and that boy, just like how I manipulated you and your mother before?"

Mark's eyes slowly change into a doomed one as the words sink into his mind. Deep inside, the thought resonated strongly, but he ignored it. He has to deny it. He would soon have a chance to save everyone and he would not lose that opportunity.

"The Holy Grail is real." Mark said strongly, denying the words of his betraying father. "I am not a puppet, unlike you. I make my own choices." The Invincible Hero took a step forward again, making the illusion Nolan move back. "If that boy is going to die, then he's going to die. After all…" A wicked and determined grin formed on his lips, "If there's a chance to save this world with just a single sacrifice, then I would grab that chance without any hesitation."

Nolan stared at him for a moment, a dumbfounded look forming on his face. However, it changed into a dissatisfying frown before he let out a disappointed sigh. He turned around with force as his cape whipped the empty air. "So, in the end, you and I are completely the same." Mark's eyes widened in shock, but his illusion father continued. "Has it ever occurred to you that the boy could be a world to someone, to his loved ones in particular?" Nolan then slowly turned his head and looked over his left shoulder, casting his evil flaring eyes at his son. "You may have saved 'the world', but it is at the cost of someone's world. In the end…you're a destroyer, just like me."

No. You're wrong! "Begone illusion!" Mark couldn't take it anymore, an uncontrollable rage surged inside of him. He charged and raised his right fist, throwing a punch. The watch on his left wrist suddenly chimed and the vision of Nolan abruptly disappeared. The Hero's punch then landed on something that made a soft thud.

Mark blinked his terrified eyes. The hallucination was over and his right fist was stopped by Heracles's palm. The Servant must have heard him panic for he was now standing in front of him, his lifeless golden eyes looking down on him without showing any expression.

"He-Heracles-!" The Invincible slumped to the floor after he felt his Servant's presence. The Berserker also kneeled and tried to level his eyes with his Master, but because of his sheer size, he couldn't. "You're here. Thanks, buddy." Mark said with a tired and sad voice. Tears began to trail down his cheeks as he cried softly.

His sickness – it all started when he found his father's corpse. He couldn't remember where he found him nor carry his body back to Earth. He, however, remembered burying him. And then after that, anger. He couldn't remember very well how he attacked the Viltrumite. All he knew was that he felt so much anger. The rage that he felt had completely devoured his mind as he did inexplicable attacks on the conquering planet.

And then he started to appear. At first, it was a voice and then eventually, it gained a body, resembling Nolan, his father. For a year, the illusion of Omni-Man tormented Mark.

"Did you see my life in the form of dreams, Heracles?" Mark asked without looking.

The Servant nodded.

"Did you see how I buried my father?"

The Servant again nodded, but his dead fish eyes shifted into a solemn one. The Invincible made a fist with both of his hands on the floor.

"I am a monster...am I right?" If you've seen how I buried my father then you would've also seen how I destroyed his homeworld. Mark thought of his Servant's reaction. Heracles would see his carnal and feral side. The Greek Hero would certainly be disgusted with him. He may have saved his world, but he had also destroyed a planet. The Planet of Viltrumintes may have been a conquering one, but some of them might have been innocent. After all, the whole nation was simply led by a fascist Emperor who indoctrinated his whole people as subjugators and destroyers of lower species – did they even know better? The guilt weighed heavily on him.

Mark felt a heavy hand land softly on his head. The Invincible looked up and saw Heracles's hand on his head, seemingly petting him. The Servant's stoic face slowly carved a calm smile as he softly rubbed his hand on his Master's messy black hair. And then, Heracles gently shook his head. The Invincible realized already that the Greek Hero had understood him and he was completely disagreeing with what he had said.

"You understood me." Mark said as Heracles retreated his hand back. The man couldn't help but feel relieved and happy at the same time. Someone finally understood him. "Oh, what a bother. We still have a Servant to defeat." And with that, the Invincible's determination returned. The man stood up and walked over to the door.

"I will kill him, if necessary, but there's still room for negotiation." The Master, while peering through the peephole on his door, said as his Servant stood up. Mark had checked into the same hotel of the Master of Saber. He had watched the boy through the door's spyhole and followed him last night.

Mark had already conjured a plan to meet him and the plan had taken effect. The door of the Saber's Master swung open and from across the hallway. Through his peephole, Mark saw that the boy was carrying a familiar small white envelope.

One that he had prepared last night.

He got it, my message. The Invincible's eyes turned predatory as he observed his target more.

Jim woke up to the sound of his watch. The boy groggily stood up from his bed and yawned loudly.

"Good morning, Jim." Saber greeted her Master with a smile on her face.

"Morning, Saber." Jim greeted happily at his Servant and then stopped as his stomach suddenly let out a loud grumble. The boy's face reddened in embarrassment, making Saber chuckle.

"Well, well, looks like I'm not the only one who has a huge stomach."

"My stomach is excited for breakfast," Jim said to Saber with a pout.

The Servant then walked towards the telephone beside the bed and picked it up. "Shall I order food then, Master?"

"Yeah, thanks." Jim said as he took out a new blue sweater from his bag and walked towards the bathroom so that he could change into his new clothes. "By the way, Saber, we're going out today. I'm going to inspect some places where the battle could happen."

"Wise choice, Jim." Saber commented as the Servant began to dial on the telephone.

Saber and Jim were now sitting in the living room and the two were watching the TV on the wall. A news report was playing and it was showing the broken Golden Gate Bridge. The headlines ran across the screen.

'GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE COLLAPSE, CAUSE BY TERRORIST ATTACK. GUARDIANS OF THE GLOBE CALLED IN TO INVESTIGATE.'

The news then announced that at least one hundred people had died. Since the event happened so quickly, not everyone had time to evacuate. Jim gulped down in fear. A hundred people died. The terror of seeing those people dying, unable to escape, flashed before his eyes and he couldn't bear it. However, he felt Saber's hands on his. He turned to her and saw his Servant's calm smile.

"Jim, do not burden yourself over this. We can do better." Saber's reassuring voice had calmed the boy's heart. The sick guilty feeling slowly disappeared and it made Jim feel light.

"Yes, Saber. We can do better than this."

The happy mood was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Ah, that must be the food." Saber said as she leaped from the sofa and opened the door of their hotel room. A bellboy entered, pushing a cart filled with food.

"That would be all."

"Ma'am, there was a kind, gentle man who would like to deliver a message to you." the Bellboy said as he took out a small white envelope. The Servant glanced at it in a curious manner. "Does the man have a name?" she asked but the bellboy shrugged.

"He didn't tell, Ma'am." The Bellboy then bowed and left the room.

"What is it, Saber?" Jim walked towards her and looked down on the white envelope, a similar reaction forming on his face.

"A kind, gentle man wanted to send his message to us." The King of Knights ripped the envelope open and took out its contents, a single paper bearing a message that ran across its surface.

'I AM THE MASTER OF BERSERKER. MEET ME AT GALLERIE DELL'ACCADEMIA AT 3.'

Jim's heartbeat quickened as a sickening feeling erupted on his guts. "Master of Berserker?" The Master is here. The Master of Berserker has sent us a message. He is here. The Trollhunter concluded. With the message being here, it meant the Berserker's Master had seen him enter the hotel, which could also mean one thing – he or she must be watching them right now.

The boy took the envelope and opened the door of his room. The long, silent hallway of the hotel loomed over him and it looked eerie. His blue eyes scanned the doors. He had a hunch that one of its occupants was the Berserker Master.

"Jim, let's calm down for a moment." Saber called as she softly pulled the boy and closed the door behind her.

"Saber, the Berserker-class is a jack of all trades class. It is stronger than every class within the Servants affinities. There's a chance that you could lose." Jim said in a hard tone. The boy walked to and fro in the living room in front of Saber, who closed her eyes and crossed her eyebrows.

"Yes, I know. Now please, calm down." Saber said in a matter-of-fact voice. It was enough to stop the Trollhunter in his tracks and focus his eyes on her. The Servant walked towards him and put her hand over the boy's shoulder in a reassuring way.

"The Master of Berserker only wants to meet us. If he wanted to attack us then he would be doing that right now." She paused, her looks changing into a thoughtful one. "Perhaps the master wants to make an alliance with you...or make a deal with you. Either way, we have to hear the Berserker Master out."

Saber's words didn't diminish the boy's worries. I have a feeling that the Master of Berserker isn't a good person. "What if it's a trap?" he asked in a troubled manner, but Saber only smirked at him.

"Then you'll save me and fight against this Master's Servant." Saber said confidently as she patted the boy's left shoulder. "We're stronger together. Have faith in me, will you?"

You're right, Saber. Jim's spirit lightened up. Saber's words were so reassuring that the fear completely disappeared. A smile appeared on his face.

"You're right. Let's see this Master, Saber." he said with determination as he walked towards the window before he added. "I'll hear what the Master will say to me."

"Of course, Jim." Saber said before she walked back to the bedroom to change her clothes for today's activities.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Tales of Arcadia, Fate/Stay Night and the Invincible. Names, places and events are purely fictional if one exists in realif then its purely coincidental.

Special thanks to Pure Red Crane for beta-reading.

Woo-Hoo! Welcome to my new chapter! In this chapter, we would focus on another Participants, Mark the Invincible. It looks like Mark has skeletons in his closet and they're running lose! What do you think guys? Who do you think is Invincible's wish? Is it good for all or only to himself? Stay tune for the next chapter! Thinker out!