"Look at that Saber! What a nice shop this is!" Irisviel Von Einzbern had lived her entire life in complete isolation. Created to serve as the vessel of the Holy Grail, she had no need to see the outside world or its pleasures, only to serve as a homunculus. It was in Kiritsugu that she found how herself in and now having been able to participate in the Holy Grail War had allowed her to experience all the wonders that Kiritsugu had told her about of the outside world.

Trailing not too far behind was Saber, or rather Artoria Pendragon, King of Knights. Having been summoned as a Saber, Artoria held none of the enthusiasm as Irsiviel did. Being a servant, she was granted knowledge of the current era she was in and as such technological marvels that would've never existed in her era was met with a shrug. Looking toward the unbound happiness of Irisviel, her mood put a small smile on her face. While being summoned to battle other servants, she could not deny the fact that Irisviel needed this. "Hurry Saber, I think I see an ice-cream shop over there." Without skipping a beat, an enthusiastic Irisviel turned the corner.

Not sensing any danger in the area, Saber allowed her to have her fun. Until a loud thud could be heard from the corner that Irisviel had just ran through. Feeling dread creep up her spine, she pushed a bit of magic into her legs. While she could not show magic in the open, she could manipulate enough of it to make it not seem suspicious but able to get her to Irisviel. Turning the corner with speed that an Olympian could only achieve; Saber was ready to beat down the fiend attacking her master.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was working."

"No if anything it was me that wasn't looking."

Putting Saber's fears to rest, it would appear that Irisviel had just collided into someone without looking, sending her to the ground. The stranger that she collided into had also fallen to the ground but recovered faster than she did. Dusting off her pants the newcomer offered her hand out for Irisviel to take. Taking the hand to hoist herself up, Irisviel noticed the stranger's features.

If anything, the stranger seemed to be an exact carbon copy of her, minus the red eyes that was replaced with blue eyes. Having almost the same doll face structure and hair style, it was safe to say that Irisviel had met her sister. Another thing she noted was the tone of her voice. It was as soft-spoken as Saber's but also carried the same authority that Saber also possessed as a king.

"Oh, where are my manners." Smiling softly at the master and servant the stranger revealed herself to them.

"I am Maria." Maria held out a hand to shake to which Irisviel shook.

"Pleasure to meet you."

And thus, the first piece was set

"Rid- Alexander! You can't do that!" In another part of Fuyuki City was a different pair of master and servant. Waver Velvet had expected many things from this Grail War. He had expected to summon a respectable servant who would follow his commands or at the very least one that he could work with to achieve victory.

However, none were as insufferable as the Rider servant he summoned!

"Huh? But the lady wished to see if these were real." Waver's servant was the definition of noticeable. Towering over most people in the city, bulging muscles that seemed to defy reality, and his different skin tone had the attention of any passing citizens. For this was the power of Iskander, King of Conquerers. Iskander was the servant to welcome a fight rather than shy away for it. It was this mentality that was able garner his many loyal fighters that became inspired by his tenacity and joined his banner of conquest.

However, for Waver Velvet, anytime Rider spoke loudly made him want to crawl into a hole and die.

"I-Idiot! You can't just go off and start showing off, what if an enemy servant happens to see you. Our cover would be blown!"

"Then wouldn't we in fact notice another servant within our vicinity? Unless they were Assassin then you would be able to pick up their magical signature would you not? Then we would know the identity of a servant in this Grail War."

Waver could offer no response to the reasoning that Rider just gave him. He had to remember that Iskander was able to conquer most of the Macedonia not just through brute strength, but also flawless strategies as well. If only his flawless strategy carried over to his personality then Waver would have nothing to complain about.

"Oh? It's rare to see someone of your stature here, though I too should not be here as well." A mysterious voice called out.

Fearing than an actual servant had found them, Waver whipped his head around to see the newcomer. Standing at almost the same height as Rider, the newcomer however did not possess the same energy that Iskander did. He did not possess the same bulging muscles but one could tell that he possessed an athletic body. He seemed to be around his late 40s-50s with a gray beard and hair that stooped short of the neckline. Scanning the stranger, Waver was unable to pick up any magical energy coming off of him. Just a regular human.

"Oh! It's rare to see someone of similar stature being around here." Offering his hand for a handshake, Iskandar introduced himself. "I am Alexander!"

Taking his hand, the stranger introduced himself as well. "And I am Gascoigne." Feeling the strength that Alexander was putting into the handshake, Gascoigne met the force with an equal amount to which Alexander laughed at the response. It seems that his first day being a servant had already found him a worthy ally in his upcoming conquest.

If only this pair realized that another puzzle to their troubles had been set as well.

"Daddy! Mommy! You're here!" At the Fuyuki Elementary School, Rin Tohsaka had just gotten out of school. Unlike her peers the classes here were mundane and boring so it was no surprise that she was the top of her class. Usually she would wait around afterschool for Kirei to pick her up and then she would spend the rest of the day with her father in the workshop. She knew that the Holy Grail War was picking up soon and her father would no longer have any time to train her in magecraft. She wanted her father to win the War and have his wish granted so she held no hate for having their lessons cut.

It would seem that today she was lucky that both of her parents were there to pick her up before the first night of the Holy Grail War.

Barreling into her mother's stomach and hugging her tightly, Rin looked up at her father, "Have you gotten your servant yet?" Chuckling, Tokiomi Tohsaka knelt down to ruffle his daughter's hair to which he got an adorable pout out of. "Yes, daddy has summoned the greatest servant of all time, victory is assured for the Tohsaka family my dear." While Archer was by no means a servant easy to work with. He was not known as Gilgamesh King of Heroes for a reason

"Oh, are these your parents young Rin?" A voice called out.

Face lighting up in delight Rin got out of her mother's arms to wave at the speaker. Walking closer to them was her new substitute teacher that she liked. Her previous teacher had gotten seriously ill so a new one had to be called in for the class. When the new teacher walked in, she didn't think too much about him. He was in his mid 30s and had a slim form with disheveled gray hair. However, it was clear on the first day of instruction that he was anything but ordinary and plain.

His lessons were easy to understand and was very understanding of each student and how they learned. He even aside some time to tutor kids having trouble and was an instant favorite for the class. For her, he was someone that treated her like an adult. All of her teachers treated her like a kid even if she was very smart but he treated her with respect. Every class period he would have a set of problems, that a middle schooler would be expected to do, set aside for her when she finished her work before any else did and would praise her when she presented the completed work. Even when it came to some problems that she didn't understand he was always understanding and always teaching her what she was confused on.

Seeing the new teacher that her daughter praised so highly, Tokiomi offered him a handshake. "Yes, I am her father, Tokiomi Tohsaka."

Taking the handshake, the teacher introduced himself. "I am Simon, at your service"

The third piece was set.

"Trouble in paradise miss?" Inside of the Fuyuki shopping mall Sola-Ui was lost on what dress to buy. While being the wife of Kayneth, Sola-Ui had vast amounts of wealth that any price wasn't the problem but rather which one she could impress Lanc-Kayneth. Internally slapping herself Sola-Ui knew what she was doing wrong but could you blame her. She, and like most women in magus families, had their weddings arranged to often strengthen a family's bloodline for a stronger aptitude for magecraft. Very little women had the option to marry out of love and those were between families that were better off. She would take any shots she could find to fire at her husband to voice out her displeasure.

However, Lancer, or Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, was her ideal lover.

She didn't know if she was affected by his love spot, she cared not if that was the case, but Diarmuid was everything she wanted in a man. Handsome and the perfect gentlemen Sola-Ui wished that was what Kayneth was, if he was then maybe she wouldn't hate her marriage. Instead, she got an overly arrogant coward who boasted about his abilities than actual using it.

Coming back to reality she addressed the concerned man, "Oh it's nothing, I'm just in a bit of a tight spot right now. I can't seem to find a dress that will impress my beloved."

Agreeing with her current dilemma the man lamented his experience with buying clothes. "Tell me about it, my best friend would always come to me in dire need when his beloved's birthday came around. "Oh, Henryk you have to help me!" Laughing at the now named Henryk's experience Sola-Ui noted he certainly knew how to lighten the mood. These past days were spent in constant worry knowing that Lancer would be in harm's way.

"You know if you need help, I think I could assist you," Offered the kind man with a hand. While this may seem sketchy to people, a stranger assisting a woman, Sola-Ui was unable to detect any intentions of wrong doing from the man. Years spent in the Clocktower made her sharpen her intuition skills to detect any form of ill-intent from other magus wishing to use her for their own gain and Henryk possessed none of it. Also, she really wanted to impress Lancer with a dress.

Shaking his hand, Sola-Ui agreed to his help.

And so was the 4th piece set.

Kirei Kotomine was a man of cloth. He was raised by his father to be a pure man holding no inner desires whatsoever. Kirei had grown up to be what others considered the perfect man, considerate of the feelings of others. Rising up the ranks of the Church Kirei oversaw the Fuyuki Church alongside his father, Risei Kotomine. The Church also happened to be the overseer of the upcoming Holy Grail War, ensuring that the Holy Grail was confined to the 7 participants and did not affect the city and its citizens.

Walking into the church Kirei had expected it to be empty. After all it was a Tuesday and it was only on Sundays that people came to worship, so imagine to his surprise to see one person reverently praying in front of the statue of Christ. Not wishing to interrupt the man's praying, Kirei slowly stalked towards the front. His years of being an Executioner for the Church had made him able to creep up to others without them noticing. In his stalking he was able to hear the man's prayer.

" Our thirst for blood satiates us, soothes our fears.

Seek the old blood, but beware the frailty of men.

Their wills are weak, minds young.

The foul beasts will dangle nectar and lure the meek into the depths.

Remain wary of the frailty of men.

Their wills are weak, minds young.

Were it not for fear, death would go unlamented.

Seek the old blood. Let us pray, let us wish to partake in communion.

Let us partake in communion and feast upon the old blood. "

Finishing the prayer, the stranger stood up from their position and addressed him, knowing of him creeping up on him. The man's black hair almost covered his face but his small smile was undeniable. Kirei noticed that he was drabbed in the clothes of a priest, same as him. He also seemingly carried this strong sense of resolution within him, like his faith in whatever he held dear was guiding him like the moonlight in the dead of night, He looked at the stranger with envy, what did he find that made him so resolute that Kirei could not find as well.

"Ah forgive me I was too busy praying to notice you." Clearing his throat, the stranger offered his hand to him to which he returned with a shake of his own.

"The name is Ludwig, it's a pleasure to meet a fellow man of the cloth."

The 5th piece was set.

Kariya Matou cursed to himself as he tried to hide his face so the person he was next to didn't see more of his deformed face. He was in a convenience store buying some food for dinner. This would be considered strange seeing how was he the Matou representative in the Grail War, while not being rich they were certainly not poor. However, he was a disgraced heir so the only help he was getting was new magical circuits and his servant.

Speaking of magical circuits, he could feel the worms inside of him churning as they carved out his body for food in order to turn into magical energy. After he abandoned the Matou family so too did he fail to nurture his magical circuits so by the time that he was an adult the circuits were practically non-existent. Having no way for his body to sustain a servant for the War his grandfather, Zouken Matou, offered his crest worms to be a replacement for his circuits.

"Damm Tokiomi and these bullshit Magus laws, if it weren't for them Sakura wouldn't have to suffer." In truth when his grandfather called him back to participate in the Grail War he all but laughed at it. He left that life behind long ago and had no plan to come back into it. That is...

Until his grandfather showed what torturous training he had put Sakura in.

Even if she was still a child his grandfather had spent no time in training her by throwing into a pit full of his insect familiars, left their to be violated. This was the reason why he left his family in the first place, for he could not stomach the brutality of the magus life.

Sakura was the child of his crush, Aoi Tohsaka, and if he had to sacrifice himself so that Sakura didn't have to experience such pain ever again so be it.

"Sir your fee will be 20 dollars."

Grimacing at the price of the food he had bought, he was pretty sure that he had run out of money, or he would have to ration the food he bought now. While the food he usually bought was fairly low he decided to buy some food for Sakura seeing how she couldn't leave the house at all. Hopefully he would be able to lessen the pain she was feeling with some of her favorite foods.

"5,6,7 dammit," He cursed as he was short in cash in paying the food. Not wishing to be a bother he was about to ask the kind clerk to take some of the food away until a 10-dollar bill slid across the counter. "I believe this will suffice sir."

Not one wishing to be pitied on Kariya was about to have the man take his money back until he stared at the person's features.

More specifically, that he only had one eye, the other covered by a cloth.

The man seemed to be in his mid 30s with blond hair that reached to the shoulder line and looked like him almost, scarred. However, he seemed to wear the scars with pride rather than try to hide it from others. "Pay no heed young man, we scarred have to stick together through these troubling times." A bit boisterous for his liking but Kariya could sense a strong sense of companionship within him.

"Y-yeah stick together." He offered his hand to thank him for helping pay for the food to which the man eagerly returned.

"Oh, how rude of me not introduce myself," Placing his hand on a chest the man bowed. "I am Valtr, a pleasure to meet a fellow man of conviction."

And so...

The last piece was set.

Somewhere in Fuyuki City Caster was elated on how things were going. Before him was a map of Fuyuki city, Over the past month he had been quite busy preparing for the upcoming Grail War and as of today the last pieces had been set.

Saber, King Arthur; the wielder of Excalibur, Sword of Promised Victory, and King of Knights

Lancer, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne; The first of the Fianna Knights with the infamous love spot that would lead to the betrayal of his king.

Archer, King Gilgamesh; The first hero to ever be recognized by the Throne of Heroes and is known as the King of Heroes

Rider, Conqueror Iskandar; His conquest of Macedonia earned him the legendary title of King of Conquerors.

Assassin, Hassan of the Hundred Personas; One of the 19 revered Hassans that had the ability to impersonate anyone which was then translated in their legend as an army of one.

Berserker, Lancelot; His infamous betrayal with Guinevere would lead to the downfall of King Arthur's kingdom. His search of redemption by the king's hand had led him down a path of madness.

All heroes were such grand actors in the upcoming war. Caster could barely contain his excitement at what the night would bring.

"My Bloody Crow relay the approval for the Micolash to begin the ritual, I trust that everyone else is ready?"

Stepping out of the shadows, The Bloody Crow bowed as he relayed his report. " Yes your majesty all are in position, Rom has claimed her territory by the seashore, The School of Mensis has successfully taken over the City Hall and is ready to transform it into their fortress, The Ryuudou temple has been commandeered by the Choir, The Yahar'gul Hunters in await the darkness, and all other hunter groups stand ready in their respective locations. All that remains is for the night to set in."

"Soon my friends..." Caster's mask hid the feral grin that creeped up to his face. Unable to contain it, he began to laugh his pleasure out, whether it was that of insanity or of joyous nature; that would be left to the viewer's judgement.

"The Hunt shall begin once more."