Chapter V: Troubling news and a broken spirit

After the prior day's hecticness, Artoria was reluctant to berate herself too much for spending an extra five minutes in bed. Yet despite the morning sun's beauty as it illuminated her spartan room, food soon beckoned her protesting stomach. Her hair splayed out across her pillow, Artoria released a disgruntled sigh before wrapping herself further into her bed.

Eventually, Artoria's self-discipline grew too powerful to resist, and she could not allow herself to waste any more of the day in bed. Sliding out, Artoria stretched her back and released a stifled yawn. Entering the bathroom, Artoria quickly discarded her lion pyjamas, a secret she would keep to her grave, and enjoyed a morning shower.

Hot water soon caressed her skin and hair, as she allowed herself to leisurely awake. A satisfied sigh soon escaped her lips and Artoria was glad that for once her morning routine would allow for a relaxing shower. Grateful for Ddraig's silence during this intimate moment, Artoria nevertheless needed to confer with him.

Quickly exiting the shower and wrapping a towel around herself, Artoria returned to her room before folding her pyjamas underneath her pillow. Dressing and packing her school bag, Artoria's attention turned to the light sword handle lying innocently atop her bedside cabinet. It was somewhat disconcerting how easily she had killed the stray devil the previous day. Yet a part of her had seen the threat for what it was and disposed of it without a struggle. There was no moral dilemma, merely her duty to perform to the best of her ability.

She would be lying if she declared herself to be without nerves. But if this was her destiny, her path Artoria knew she would fulfil it, no matter what she had to discard of herself.

Clearing her head of her musings, Artoria grabbed the light sword, strapping it to her side, before leaving her room and heading for the kitchen. Striding down the stairs, she passed the living room and entered the kitchen. Her father had already left, judging from the unwashed dishes, but her mother stood at the side, enjoying a cup of tea.

"Good morning, mother." Her mother inclined her head with a nod before taking a sip of her tea.

"Good morning, did you sleep well?" Artoria walked over to the pot of tea, pouring herself a cup before replying to her mother's question.

"It was satisfactory."

"That's good." Taking a sip of her jasmine tea, Artoria released a satisfied sigh before smiling towards her mother. Tension remained in the air, but at least there was no open hostility.

Finally, after silently enjoyed her tea, Artoria walked to the fridge, preparing to make her lunch.

"Oh, don't worry dear, I made you your lunch already. You were late coming in, and I wanted you to be able to rest a little." Turning, in mild surprise, towards her mother Artoria noted that there was, in fact, a lunchbox next to her mother, she'd simply overlooked it.

"Thank you, mother." Grabbing the lunchbox and placing it into her schoolbag, she gave her mother a rare hug.

"I have to ask, as your mother, whatever were you doing out so late?" Breaking away from the hug, a lie sprung to Artoria's mind easily.

"Just a late-night run, I struggled to sleep a little last night and needed the fresh air." Although the deceit rankled her, she could not, in good conscience, reveal the truth to her estranged family.

"Well I hope you enjoy your lunch, I included some breakfast in it that you could have after your morning run, but you aren't exactly wearing your running gear." Her mother's reply, although somewhat terse, no doubt a combination of Artoria's doing and her father's attitude, did little to damage the slight happiness that her mother's action had granted her.

"Thank you, mother, I appreciate it." Giving her mother one last smile, Artoria left the room. At the house's porch, she slid her feet into shoes before exiting the front door into the morning sunlight. Fresh air assaulted her sense, and a feeling of rightness filled her; unfortunately, it was rudely interrupted by a grouchy sacred gear.

"Took your time this morning didn't you partner. I expected you to be up and about earlier."

"Excuse me if after having my understanding of reality shattered I decided to have a small lie in."

"Aha understandable partner. Still, let's not make a habit of it."

"I don't need you to start directing my life Ddraig, at least outside of the supernatural."

"The words of a dragon hold much wisdom. Don't be so quick to dismiss them."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Speaking of, have you had any further thoughts regarding the supernatural and what you plan to do."

"I will deliver the agent to the fallen angels. I think it's time to confront my sparring partner. We've been dodging the truth, and I have little patience for this game we play. Not to mention, this allows me to test his true skill and see where I stand." Ddraig's response to her statement was forced to wait as the station came into view.

The paved road opened up, and across the street lay the local train station came into view. Standing there, looking quite out of place, was a young girl in a nun's outfit. The agent held a nervousness and clumsiness that was quite disconcerting to witness. The blonde-haired girl fretted to and fro as she searched for someone. At first, Artoria had thought that perhaps she had found the wrong person or that maybe it was a guise worn by the agent. Still, deciding to withhold her judgement, Artoria walked to greet the young nun.

However, upon greeting one another, it became readily apparent that the young nun had no understanding of Japanese. Thankfully Artoria's knowledge of English was just about enough for the pair to converse stiltedly.

After several minutes of wasted effort, Artoria was finally able to get the young nun, Asia Argento, to follow her. The two walked in silence as they left the station towards the abandoned church. As they walked, Artoria's gaze continued to drift down towards the young nun. Every step they took Artoria could not quite shake the feeling she was in some sort of comedic dream. The young nun did not particularly walk in an odd fashion, and nothing immediately stood out to Artoria and yet the traits of the young nun combined created this hopeless naive figure that was nevertheless endearing.

Yet as Artoria continued to walk, directing Asia through the nearby park, she heard the cry of a young child. Turning, she noted that the child must have fallen from the slide or some other entertainment device. Her curiosity satisfied, she continued to walk, only to realise that her companion had left her. Confused, she noted that Asia had run towards the small child, feeling a minor wave of dread she slowly gave chase.

Thus, Artoria was somewhat bewildered when a green light suddenly emitted from Asia's hands, healing the boy's knee. Unsure whether she was more surprised at the healing power or the blatant use of it. She could only watch as the child proceeded to run to their mother and babble on while Asia watched with bated expression. The mother reacted as any ordinary human might by trying to escape the unusual situation she had found herself in, quietly thanking Asia before quickly leaving with her child in tow.

Frustrated with her inability to communicate, Artoria was forced to merely offer comfort in the form of a light pat on the head to the disappointed nun. Releasing a sigh, Artoria instead turned her attention to the power she had seen Asia utilise. If it were capable of healing more than simple wounds, then it would prove useful, very useful. Perhaps it would even help her with her inability to fully utilise her sacred gear.

After their little adventure, Artoria was noticeably relieved when the pair finally reached the church. Its stone walls were overgrown with vines, and both cracks and holes alike covered the building. Still, there were signs that it had recently been in use, the occasional footprint and the replaced front door. With Asia behind her, Artoria walked confidently forward, her hand loosely resting on the pommel of her unlit light sword. The wooden door to the church swung open easily, with ne'er a sound.

Inside the church, pews covered in dust dotted around the interior while the occasional beam of morning light cut through dirty and broken windows, the stained glass long since either concealed or ruined. Plaster, discoloured, barely hung to the wall while the wooden floor was both covered in scuff marks and rotten boards. All in all, it was not a promising first sight. Still, Artoria could see its benefit as a hidden location within enemy territory. Especially if the church's hallowed ground offered some form of mystical advantage against devil kind.

"I see you succeeded in your task of escorting Asia to us." Raynare's words cut through the darkness as her figure floated down from the rafters. No doubt, a slight intimidation tactic to awe her human compatriots or perhaps simply the natural arrogance of a being as old as she.

"It was not too difficult, although the language barrier was somewhat of an inconvenience. Someone will need to teach Asia Japanese or a better grasp of English while she is here."

"We have magical artefacts to deal with such issues. Have you had any further thoughts regarding joining our organisation?" Turning her gaze and attention fully towards Raynare, Artoria replied.

"Not immediately, I was still processing having my understanding of reality overthrown." The two of them paused, watching Asia as she suddenly started walking towards the statues that dotted around the church's interior. "Why is Asia here? Her ability to heal is powerful. But she lacks a warrior's personality, and I doubt she would be capable of fighting any sort of devil."

"Despite what you might expect, the ability to heal is a rare talent. And Asia's talent, or rather her sacred gear's power, is one of the greatest healing powers in existence. It's capable of healing any injury near instantaneously."

"And what brought her here?" Surely such a power could be put to better use than in a small Japanese town. Artoria frowned, once again she felt that she was missing crucial information. Despite what Raynare might believe, she very reluctant to join their force. Her instincts rarely guided her wrong, and in this instance, there was something in Raynare's smallest actions that spoke of a cruel arrogance towards humanity.

"She was exiled from the Church due to being tricked by a devil into healing him. The devil went on to kill an exorcist, and she was decried as a witch, the Church had to be seen to do something. So they did." To throw away such a resource just for political reasons seemed the height of folly to Artoria. And yet she could not find it in her to be surprised that even in the world of the supernatural poor political decisions ran rampant.

"And now she's joining the Fallen Faction?"

"There are a lot of powerful devils in this town, and if we're to combat them, we'll need every edge we can get."

"Speaking of, how big is this organisation of yours?" So far, Artoria had only seen Raynare and Dohnaseek, and if Raynare was to be believed, there was more than a simple handful of devils in Kuoh.

"We have some exorcists with us, and there are four of us fallen angels in total. You've yet to meet two of them."

"And yet there are how many devils here?" Surprise coloured Artoria's expression; she had thought Raynare to be leading a small army. But perhaps in the world of the supernatural numbers could be beaten with pure talent. And yet she had her doubts, she'd fought against Dohnaseek and although he was more powerful than the Stray Artoria had killed the night prior he did not seem that much stronger than her, especially if she was to now use her light sword against him.

"We're not entirely sure but somewhere around twenty."

"Why are there not more of you?" Artoria demanded. It was ridiculous, unless Exorcists were able to face a devil one on one and win, the war would be lost in this town. Did they expect to fight against the sisters of the current Satan's with such a measly force?

"We're a discrete unit, and we can't be too obvious lest we upset the truce."

"The truce?" It was the first time Artoria had heard mention of a truce. It did not sound promising.

"At the end of the last war, the three main factions made peace after the deaths of the devil faction's leaders. It was during this time that the devils proposed a new way of gathering power; rather than consuming souls, they would make deals. At the time it was thought that would be enough, especially considering how tired each of the factions were of the war. But it soon became apparent that the devils were simply buying their time with these deals and new devils, once human, started to emerge. Until now, where they no longer have to obey the truce. They've absorbed enough humans into their numbers that they are now the strongest faction. My leader recognises this and hopes that a quick preemptive strike will halt the devils' power and allow us to restore the world to the way it was supposed to be."

"I see." Artoria considered Raynare's words. The conversion of humans into devils was an issue. But it was a topic she wished to discuss with Ddraig in private. She needed information, and he was currently the only being she could trust. Deciding to shift the conversation, she asked Raynare a question that had begun to bother her.

"You mentioned that I might have heroic ancestry. How would that work? Surely my entire family should be skilled warriors?"

"The power of a hero manifests itself when the hero's power emerges within a descendant. Apparently, sacred gears can sometimes awaken this heroic ancestry. It matters little; there is no heroic ancestry in your bloodline, we checked. You are simply are a naturally talented human, I've heard it happens." Raynare stated with a dark chuckle.

"You talked last time about holy swords, what are the more powerful holy swords?"

"You're curious today, aren't you? You use a light sword, they're mass-produced and useful against weaker devils but fight a middle-class or a high-class devil, and you'll struggle. The other type of holy sword, known as true holy swords, are magnitudes more powerful. It doesn't matter how powerful a devil you are; a true holy sword will kill you. There are several true holy swords, most of which have been lost or are fiercely guarded but most swords of legends with holy connotations are true holy swords."

"I take it Excalibur is one?"

"Oh yes, one of the more interesting holy swords, and arguably one with the bloodiest history." Artoria felt herself pause at Raynare's proclamation. Dread crept through her blood as a wrongness grew in strength. What little light shone into the ruined church disappeared.

"You probably know of its legend and its original owner, King Arthur. But after his reign, it broke during the great war and was shattered into several shards. Reforged into separate blades each section of the church held onto the swords. Until the Genocide Archbishop, Valper Galilel, utilised human experimentation to try and create true holy sword wielders artificially. He was somewhat successful in the end. However, he was exiled from the Church due to his extreme methods. Although that didn't stop the Church from utilising his research. Although Devils may exist, don't let that blind you to the evil humans can do."

Raynare's recounting of the fate of Excalibur was too much for Artoria. She needed to leave, and with the excuse of school, Artoria was able to escape the Church. Asia was nowhere to be seen, no doubt, having been escorted away while Raynare talked. But in truth, Artoria had graver issues to consider.

With only some time left to get to school and still be on time for her first lesson of the day, Artoria decided that truancy was her only option. She could not face school in her current state; her emotions were too wild and untamed. With the devils in the school, there was simply too great of a risk.

Running through the streets of Kuoh, Artoria knew there was only one place she could go in her current state. Passing restaurants, shops and people alike, she rushed towards the Kendo club's training room. Her foot struck the ground, and she could feel the power of her sacred gear flooding her body as it responded to her anguish.

Artoria did not know why she was responding so strongly to what she had heard, but it mattered little. Her mind was scattered, and her soul felt torn. A sickness sat in her stomach as she ran. It was as if a close confidant had betrayed her, and yet nothing of the sort had happened. Ddraig pushed against her mind and yet for once; she had little desire to listen to him. She needed time to herself, time to think.

Finally, she arrived outside of Kuoh Academy. Her breath ragged, she nevertheless managed to avoid being spotted by any members of the faculty or any overly curious students. The training hall was as she had left it, unchanged, and yet so much had changed since last she crossed blades with Kiba.

Her feet padded across the wooden floor into the centre of the room. As she walked, her hand reached for a nearby bokken. The bokken felt too light in her hand, she had spent her whole life using such blades, and yet they had always felt slightly wrong to her, her light sword was no different. They lacked a familiarity, a comfort, that she expected from her sword. They lacked an intrinsic light, the promise that all would be well and that victory was assured.

Her blade darted across the room, and anger flowed freely throughout her body. Red energy crackled around her form, yet there was no training to her movements just barbaric attacks that would cut a man in two, devoid of her usual grace. The air itself screamed as she continued to fight an unseen army, an army that would have been butchered. Yet even as her bokken moved through the air, it was suddenly blocked, and Artoria's body shot back, crashing into a nearby wall.

"Moping around father? How unlike you." Dazed from the blow, and not fully able to discard the haze of battle from her vision. Artoria could only just see the blurry figure standing before her, but there was no mistaking who it was.

"I thought you were little more than a fragment of my broken subconscious?"

"Yes because you're the one with father issues." The female figure let out a frustrated sigh before stamping hard into the group. "You're uncontrolled magic no doubt had something to do with this. I'd ask your dragon, but I doubt it has any knowledge of matters such as this."

"So what's brought you to my humble training room?" Frustration filled Artoria's tone. She had little desire to deal with even more mysteries, nor did she have the desire to be battered around.

"It's not a bad place to train, a little fancy all things considered. But from what I can tell everything is fancy in this school. I take it your memories still useless? A shame, but it would explain why you feel so distraught and confused. It's rather annoying, to think this is what you've become, a shadow of your former self. Hopefully, the dreams will fix that. I'm sure they'll start coming soon if this is anything like a servant contract."

"I'll pretend for a moment I know what you're talking about. But you heard Raynare, Excalibur was shattered, and there's no mention of its scabbard." Her fist tightened until blood dripped down her hand; she still could not believe Excalibur's fate.

"Tch, really? Do you have so little faith in your sword?" The woman broke out into laughter. "As much fun as it is, watching you flail around uselessly, it's disgusting seeing my father act like this. If this, whatever this is, is going to work, you need to stop acting like a little girl and be the king you are or were. Once you were forced to throw your humanity away and become something more, you have to do it again. Take up your mantle father and then maybe I'll get the fight I want." With her piece said, the armoured woman vanished into nothing. But her words would not leave so easily.

The woman's words resonated with her and a part of Artoria's being screamed out for the truth to be known. There was no more hiding, the sword, the scabbard, the dragon, her skills, her alleged daughter and even her name. The truth was in front of her, and there could be no cowering from her fate. A part of her had always known and strove to be the best. To follow the path of chivalry and to lead those who needed guiding. King Arthur was her past, and so it would be her future, they were the same.

"If this is to be my path, then so be it, Mordred."

"Mordred partner?" Ddraig spoke suddenly, confusion evident in his tone but also something vaguely reminiscent of hope.

"I think I've figured out something important Ddraig."

Author's note:

Who knew so much could change in a month? University's out, so I have more free time than I previously did for writing. The next chapter's about halfway done so should be bringing that out in the next week or so if everything in my life remains the way it is.

Starting to see Artoria gain her independence from the factions and her memories of the past will begin to clarify. Mordred's got a bit more of a role as she's one of my favourite fate characters. Plus loved her new costume in Fate GO and her new skill is pretty awesome. Anyone got any suggestions of a viable team centred around her would be appreciated.

Final point, I'm starting to upload this story to archiveofourown if anyone would rather read it on there. It has the same name, and my username is the same. I'm going just to double post on both sites from now on as fanfiction just frustrates me with its ads.

Anyway, hope everyone's doing okay and stay safe out there. Talk to you all in a week.

Alaya13