The abomination, naked save for the bandages that had once kept it together and a drab woolen cloak, roamed through the wilderness, on the hunt for its creator. It had tracked the scientist who had dared to play God from London to Switzerland through a link they would share until the end of time- for He was a magus and it was His creation.

The abomination had almost no intelligence, for intelligence was taught, not inherited, but memories of what it was like to be human still remained in the brain that wasn't theirs. It had almost no intelligence, but it still wondered:

'Can I be human?'

Its heart was the most powerful heart on the planet and coursed with electricity, but it still wondered:

'Can this heart be used to love?'

Its hands were human hands, and it was the most perfect human, or at least it was supposed to be. Still, it wondered:

'Will these hands bring me happiness?'

It encountered a wolf and her young tearing into a rabbit's den. It barely knew what a wolf or a rabbit was, but it understood that this was the natural order of the world. The weak were eaten by the strong.

'Am I weak, or am I strong?'

The wolf reacted to her presence and started to pant. It was winter, and she needed good meat for her children to survive. It could understand. She knew instinctively that a mother's love for her young was the strongest force of 'good.' That was why, when the wolf clamped down on her leg, she didn't resist.

'This is good. They will grow up healthy and strong. I can do this at the very least for this world. This mother will provide the love for her children that He couldn't give his own.'

However, the wolf didn't draw blood. The abomination, for all of its faults, was physically perfect. How could a mere beast of the land hope to harm it?

The abomination was disappointed. It looked towards the pack of cubs. There were five of them, and they didn't flee when she approached. One was bigger than all the others.

'These cubs will not go unfed.'

It picked it up, caressed it gently, and then put it down. It wasn't moving anymore. It knelt next to it, eyeing it curiously. Suddenly, it felt something thud against its back. It turned, and a crowd of [people] were there, brandishing pitchforks and torches. They wore the colors of the town it had previously moved through, the town that had cursed her and thrown things as she walked through.

One man, who had previously looked at it with pity and clothed it with the cloak it wore now, now stood as part of the mob. It still had to thank him, for it now knew that humans thanked each other, and it wanted to be human. It shambled towards the mob, which seemed to be paralyzed with fear, and it singled the man out, embracing him. Tightly. Tighter and tighter until bones popped and ruptured, and blood trickled out of his crushed body. It didn't know that, though. It only wanted to become human, expressing gratitude was part of being human.

It knew this, so why were they cursing it even more loudly now? Why were they attempting to stab it?

'They don't understand.'

Eventually, it put the man down, and he slumped to the floor.

'I hugged him. I have become more human.'

It was satisfied, and so it left, towards Switzerland now. There, it would find its creator. There, it would become fully human.

Charles woke with a start. "Saber!"

True to her word, she was standing over his bed, statue-still. Only when she noticed that he was stirring did she move from her post.

"You slept like the living dead, Master. Good morning," Saber greeted.

"Tch. I bet you'd sleep like the living dead."

"I would.. You should.. Er.." Saber seemed perplexed. "I tried to make a joke, Master," she confessed. "Did it work?"

Charles yawned and sat up in bed. "The Grail didn't teach you modern humor?"

Saber shook her head. "It did not."

"Understandable. You'd be a bit freaked out by it, I think," Charles said.

"Freaked out? As in, scared?" Saber asked. "Surely I can't be scared of a joke, Master."

"Humor's gotten abstract in the 21st century. I'll explain later," Charles waved her off, crawling out of bed. Almost immediately, he fell to the floor.

"Saber? I seem to have temporarily lost control of my legs. I suspect the strain of the last two days has caught up to me," he mumbled.

Almost immediately, Saber picked him up, giving Charles an immediate sense of deja vu. She was no Edmond Dantes, but the effect was similar.
"To the lab now, my Servant. We've gotta finish your Noble Phantasm."

"Of course, my Master," Saber smiled down on him.

"Saber! Tag in!"

"Okay!"

The Master and Servant pair had been whaling on a shoddy-looking prototype of a sword for ten minutes at this point- Saber, with her superhuman punches, and Charles, with his Mystic Code and any sort of corrosive element he could think of.

Charles wiped the sweat off his forehead. "I think that's about as close to a stress test as we can get."

"Stress.. Test…? A test to see how durable it is?"

"Yeah. We both hit it with everything we had and my tools haven't detected a scratch. That's as good as I can do. All that's left now is to sync it with your Saint Graph. It's quite easy, really. Plug-and-play. I hope."

"Master, have you done this before?" Saber asked.

Charles shrugged. "Sure. I've studied it. It should work, in theory. In the 1978 Grail War, one of the participating Masters attempted to replace his own heart with the Spirit Core of the Servant he summoned. It worked.. Technically, in that his Servant's power manifested in him. But.."

"But?" Saber pressed.

"It would've killed him immediately if a curse that his Servant had inherited from life hadn't already turned him into a horrible monster. The only time Ruler has been summoned, to date. Can you believe that?"

Ruler… The mediating Class, a Servant of the highest degree of power that supposedly always took the form of a Saint of some kind. The Ruler class, on top of possessing Command Seals of their own, only appeared when a massive breach in the rules had occurred in a Grail War. Charles hoped he wouldn't have to deal with such a Servant.

"Anyway. The principle still more or less applies. When you begin transferring your essence to something, it should theoretically take on your characteristics. This would kill a human, but if you were to do it to an object.."

"It would work as a Pseudo-Noble Phantasm," Saber finished.

Charles nodded. "Yeah. Maybe. I can mass-produce these, but I only have enough material to clone it three times without risking imperfections. This wouldn't be a problem, but.. I think I may need a Command Seal to make sure it bonds properly."

"Are you sure, Master? You only have three," Saber pointed out. "Can't we try going without for the trial run?"

Charles thought for a moment. "I suppose, but.. If we run into any of the other Servants.. I'm worried about Lancer, Rider and Berserker, first and foremost. They'll pose a significant threat and I wouldn't want your weapon to fail you at the worst of times."

Saber shook her head. "Trust me, Master. Trust your own work. Save your Command Seals for something important."

Charles sighed. "Alright. If you insist. I suppose I can't force you.. Even if it is the whole point. Open up your wrist for me again, would you?"

Saber nodded. "I found an idea for an access port in my blueprints, Master. It was a little difficult, but with some concentration.."

Saber's brow furrowed, and a small patch of her upper wrist disappeared, leaving a socket underneath.

"You just plug it into here, right?"

"Yeah. That, and.. The city's power grid."

"The power grid?"

"Only for a little bit. Plus, I'll pay the bill.. After we win," Charles said, ducking into a pile of cables while he fished out the right ones.

"Alright.. And if that goes there.. And that goes here.. Saber, are you ready?"

"Yes, Master!"

"Alright. Here goes nothing!" Charles jammed the cable connecting the model sword into Saber's port. Immediately, he was knocked back by a wave of green electricity. The finns on Saber's head started to spin as her Galvanism picked up the mana that was rapidly filling the air, and lightning sparked from her horn.

"Ababababbaababbabababbababababba~" she stuttered, her eyes glowing green.

"Saber!" Charles yelled over the lightning. 'I ask you again, do you vow to take up the sword of the lionhearted?"

"Master?"

"Answer the question!" Charles' own mana reserves were dropping, though he held steadfast.

"I- Yes!"

'Once more, it's all or nothing, Charlie.'

"By my Command Seals! Thee, seven heavens clad in three words of power, show me your true power, O Keeper of the Balance! In accordance with my resolve to secure the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then accept thine armament!"

It was a hasty incantation and was made without regard for the laws of magic- it was a spell made and directed by emotional intention alone. Improvising on the original summoning incantation could kill him if it didn't work- or worse.

"It's no use! I'm rejecting the sword, Master! Please, your Command Spell!" Saber pleaded through the electricity storm.

"Tch! Fine! Saber, the House of Yarenes commands you! Fi-" Suddenly, all the air left his lungs. All the electricity in the air had frozen mid-air and- Ah. He wasn't paralyzed, everything was frozen, Charles realized.

Saber was frozen in place as well, her knuckles white around the sword.

'What's.. happening..?'

His Mystic Code, poised to defend him from the blast, melted and reformed in front of him, taking human form. Though, it wasn't the maid he was used to. If anything, she looked.. Regal. Like a queen.

"You really don't take no for an answer, do you, boy? Why, I thought I would be able to sleep through this boorish affair of a War and then return to wherever I came from, but here I am, my services asked for again. Tell me, do you seriously think you're worthy to wield my power? To even wield that girl's power?"

Charles couldn't respond even if he knew how to. But- that voice, he recognized it.

'Who.. are.."

"Who am I? Why, you called on me, did you not? There has only ever been one such as I referred to as 'lionhearted.' But.. I shall allow you to figure that out on your own. For now, I will grant you my favour, since I have a feeling that watching you struggle to claw your way to victory will be amusing. Well? Will it be amusing, my adorable Master?"

Charles tried his best to nod, but couldn't muster the effort.

"I understand your intention, even if you lack the ability to move. Fufu~

Very well, Master. I shall assist your efforts only once for free, but I expect payment if you want me to take more.. Active part in this War. One of the markings on your back should be enough, don't you think?"

'Do it, then.'

'We have a deal, then. From a Queen to one of her subjects. I'll see you around, I hope, Master.'

The silver queen melted back into the floor and slithered up to Saber, who had returned to normal alongside the world around her. It rose up from the floor and covered the blade, then Saber's arms, then the Servant in her entirety.

"I hesitantly accept your summons," came the same voice.

"Girl forsaken by fate, by family and by time, do you swear to not tarnish the name of the Lion?"

"I... swear!" came Saber's voice.

"Then take my sword! Take my entire being and grow merry! This is the blessing only I can grant!"

Then the voice fell silent, though the green glow still filled the room. And then, silence. The mana drain had stopped now, but Saber was still encased in liquid mercury.

"This doesn't count as breaking the rules of the War, does it..?" he wondered out loud.

'What even is 'this?'

Charles waited a good while until the green light died down, and then placed a palm against the cool metal. It was completely inert now. Whatever magic gave it status as a Mystic Code was long spent.
"Tch. Mother will not be pleased I broke her gift."

"Ma..ster..? Speaking of breaking this thing.." came a muffled voice from underneath.

"Saber? Er, one moment! Let's see, let's see." Charles' Magic Circuits shimmered briefly as he activated his magecraft. In an instant, the hardened mercury fractured and fell away, leaving only his Servant underneath.

"Are you alright?"

Saber nodded. She looked down, and her eyes widened. "Master, look!"

Holding her sword up, Charles noticed a few key deviations from the sword he had originally crafted. It was longer now, but it was also slightly thinner and curved off to a side. Precious jewels were encrusted into the pommel and blade, making it slightly too bright to look at comfortably.

"I recognize this make. It's old, but.. Not super old. Maybe 19th century European? Saber, are you.. Er.. Still you?"

"Do not worry, Master," Saber smiled. "I am still the same abomination as always."

Charles sighed. "Don't call yourself that."

Saber patted Charles' head. "I take abomination as a term of pride, Master. Besides, what else would you call a monster whose Spiritual Foundation was altered to be able to use a sword? Surely you can only call me an abomination."

"I call you my Servant," Charles said, crossing his arms. "No need for anything extra."

Saber bowed her head. "Yes, Master."

"And- enough of that 'Master' stuff. Call me Charles."

"Charles.. Okay."

Charles smiled. At least someone acknowledged his full name.

"I'm just sorry I still can't give you a name of my own." Saber looked apologetic.

"Well.. If we were to name you after your only family.. Frankenstein would be the reasonable name, right?"

Saber's face soured. "That was that man's name. I don't want it."

"A little shorter, then. Is 'Fran' okay?"

Saber hesitated. "Fran it is, then," she said slowly. "Thank you.. Charles."

"Well, that's what a Master's for, right?"

"Among other things. What I do know now, is.."
Saber held her sword up for effect. "I have a Noble Phantasm now. I'm a proper Saber."

(a/n: I'm back! Updates were scarce for a bit because I needed some time for school, but should be back to the once/twice a week pseudo-schedule now. Everything's looking up.)