Heaven's Gate
Chapter 1
Shiro Emiya found himself in a blank space, endless white in all directions, "Where am I?"
"Welcome to the world between Life and Death, Shiro?" a voice stated spinning around Shiro looked for the source not finding any. "You won't find me, right now."
"What am I doing here?" Shiro shouted.
"Something big is about to happen, a new far more deadlier Holy Grail War is about to start. I'll be sending you back to the world of the living in a few I just need your undivided attention," the disembodied voice stated.
Shiro frowned wondering what he was getting into, "First thing you need to modify that silly distorted view of life into something a little less selfless, while it is noble that life however will eventually lead you to an eternity of regret and misery as Alaya's little bitch and quite frankly that cycle needs to stop. So, I'll be stopping it with you, by making damn sure of it." Before Shiro could protest he was bombarded with endless images of battles, bloodshed, deaths too numerous to count, he recognized it as Archer aka the Counter Guardian EMIYA's afterlife only with ten times more clarity than the dream cycle he once witness. "You may recall this is who you'll end up being if you do not alter your path, if only slightly. While it is fine helping people and taking down evil, there is a fine line. Not every person wants to be helped, some evils cannot be purged, and you can't be everywhere at once."
Shiro gasped holding his head. "I know that, but why do this to me?"
"I just told you the reasons why, you idiot," the voiced grumbled. "I won't elaborate, you've seen your own future I'll let you draw your own conclusions."
"Alright, what about this new Holy Grail War, Saber already destroyed the grail twice, before?" Shiro asked looking around.
"Yes she did however this time the Matou's and Von Eizenbern's are pooling their resources to find a way to resurrect the Grail through a different medium. Ironically their using Arthurian legend to hunt down the true grail, the mythical cup of Christ. They'll find it where Arturia entrusted her knights to hide it," the voice stated.
"Not many would know where it is," Shiro stated.
"Very true, just five and all of them exist on the Throne of Heroes, all five would require summoning a servant, and four would require a Command Seal to force them to reveal where it is, the fifth however she would give it up simply to spite Arturia," the disembodied voice clarified.
Shiro dove into his knowledge of Arthurian legend something he had been delving into almost exclusively into after the fifth Grail War. He had been looking for the real Avalon in hopes of finding Arturia. "Morgana Le Fey," Shiro scowled softly.
"Yes, you have a week after you awaken to prepare for the Sixth Holy Grail war," the voice stated Shiro heard a snap of fingers suddenly he was in his Realty Marble, Unlimited Bladeworks. "While I'll also be taking part in this war I'm stuck being mediator and a purifier for the grail," the voice snickered slightly. "But the war isn't official yet so I'm going to stack the deck in the favor of the only one in this war that will fight it to protect the grail against the malicious."
"Wait what do you mean, your taking part in it?" Shiro watched in fascination as the previous unknown disembodied voice phased into existence. She was roughly six feet in height, with long black hair, tanned skin, bright blue eyes, wearing white, gold, and sapphire outfit right out of Ancient Egypt. She carried a staff with the head of Horus one of the Egyptian gods on one end and wicked looking blade on the other. "I can guess who you might be, Cleopatra?"
The woman smiled nodding, "Very good I guess being in a previous Grail war you would dive into legends, histories, and myths. If it wasn't so bloody I would endorse using the Grail Wars as an educational tool," the woman quipped.
The red-haired hero snorted, "I didn't know the Queen of the Nile had such a dry sense of humor."
Cleopatra walked up to him cupping his cheek giving him a sultry smile, "Sad shame your soul is bound to Arturia, you and I could have so fun together." She snapped her fingers again stepping back as several weapons dropped out of the sky crashing into ground surrounding them. "These are your edge in the upcoming war, a couple of sniper rifles, two handguns, three new swords, a rocket launcher, and something special," she casually pointed at a silver cylinder of metal glinting dully in the light of the Realty Marble, Shiro raised his eyebrow at that turning to Cleopatra who smirked.
XXX
Looking around the wrought iron hero hefted the closest sniper rifle using his structural analyses to examine it, the history of it amazed him, images of a lone man sitting on a hill surrounded by jungle as he periodically sniped day and night against superior Viet-Cong forces. Whistling slightly feeling the prana pouring out of it, "A sniper rifle Noble Phantasm that's interesting."
Cleopatra smirked, "all these new weapons present are noble phantasms, while some are fictional and very recent, they've reached such a cult following they have become a Noble Phantasm even though not a single person has touched it," she stated lifting the rocket launcher and tossing it to Shiro who instinctively dropping the sniper rifle, to grab the rocket launcher and held it. He was immediately bombarded with strange images, mostly of a video game of all things, what he did see was what the launcher did, it was utter devastation on a massive scale, not only from the initial impact but the unique tracking missiles afterward.
"That's not OP at all," the red haired young man stated sarcastically.
"Indeed but will be useful in the upcoming war for sure being an archer yourself you can appreciate the long distance aspects of these weapons," Cleopatra stated conjuring herself a throne walking to it and sitting down.
"Why give me such an edge?" Shiro asked.
The former Egyptian queen crossed her legs seductively giving a coy sultry look at the red-haired young man. "Can't I just help you out goodness of my heart, Shiro-kun?" she asked with a smoldering look.
With a sigh Shiro wondered if all Age of Gods royalty were like this, Medea and Medusa tried to use their sex appeal in the last war to take him off his game when he was a lot more naïve just before they tried to kill him. Now that he thought about it, Rin, Illya, and Sakura in their own ways tried flirting with him during that war as well, with only Illya being totally shameless about it. "Medea, Medusa, and Illyavael were twice as shameless as you are and all three tried to kill me at one point, so color me cautious."
Cleopatra sighed slightly, "I guess you have a point, the truth is in this coming war you'll most likely not have any real wish for the grail. As such you and your servant can be an extra set of eyes and ears for me."
The wrought iron hero cocked his head slightly thinking about it. "I guess I can do that, will I be getting info on the servant's likely to be summoned, then?"
"Six new ones aside from myself, Morgana I've already told you about the only other ancient hero will be Berserker, the rest will be closer to the Modern era," the Egyptian queen explained.
"How much closer?" Shiro asked.
"Roughly between the American Revolution up to World War II," Cleopatra stated conjuring a goblet filled with red wine taking a sip. "I'm tapping you to keep the more modern age heroes and anti-heroes from killing each other until I can ensure the Grail is purified and none of Angra Mainya's nonsense is tainting it, that is my true purpose because a couple of the wish makers in this war have legitimate wishes that can be granted, diseases to be cured, families to reunite all that wrought," the queen stated waving her free hand casually.
"I'll be reunited with Saber if I do this?" Shiro whispered softly.
"Before, during, and after if you like Shiro," Cleopatra smiled sadly. The red haired young man nodded giving his own smile faintly. "Alright, excellent," the goblet vanished as did the throne the moment Cleopatra sat up she extended her staff tapping Shiro's right hand a new set of Command Mantra's appeared, instead of a shield like the one Shiro had in the previous grail war these looked more like a sword, broken up into three sections, pommel, hilt, then the blade itself. "You have a week before the War is in full swing, as the other Servants aside from Caster have yet to be summoned, myself included."
"How are you going to be summoned?" the wrought iron hero asked.
"It's an earthly vessel that's predetermined, she's a young girl roughly seventeen years in age, born and raised in Egypt, with a strong belief in the Ancient Egyptian gods, the irony is not lost on me," the queen giggled.
XXX
Shiro woke sitting straight up in his bed looking around the room, flipping and dropping his feet to the worn wooden floor. The building itself was a wooden cabin roughly built and reinforced by the wrought iron hero's Magecraft. Shiro set the cabin up as a staging ground to search for Avalon or the Legendary lake that held the Lady of the Lake, Viviane. He figured if he could find one or the other he'd be satisfied, sadly he only had the legend and the ravings of various lunatics over the centuries to go by. The only place he managed to find was Arturia's childhood home where he promptly placed the insolated cabin to stay in. Scratching his head closing his eyes forming an image of Arturia in his mind and smiled faintly, "Morning Saber," he whispered to the air, as if in response the morning air picked up caressing his face gently. "Soon," he stated his eyes opening a determined glint in them now.
XXX
Deep underground the mansion of the Von Eisenbern mansion, Zouken Matou stood in front of Summoning circle holding out his right arm hovering over the edge speaking in Russian.
"…Shut. Shut. Shut. Shut. Shut. Five perfections for each repetition. And now, let the filled sigils be annihilated in my stead! – Set
Let thy body rest under my dominion, let my fate rest in thy blade.
If thou submit-eth to the call of the Holy Grail, and if thou wilt obey this mind, this reason, then thou shalt respond. Ride into battle and destroy thine enemies, set the world a flame by your tracks of blood and steel. If thou art truly of thy binding upon this realm, come forth!"
"Come forth, Come Forth, COME FORTH!"
The Summoning circle lit up and a figure began to emerge, dressed in a grey uniform, wearing a Field Marshalls hat with a flying Death's Head, black Khaki pants, knee length boots, a holstered Luger strapped to his left side. Zouken and the gathered Von Eisenbern's eyes though travelled to the crimson armband, white circle, and a black swastika. Both men knew that infamous insignia rather well and both hated it for various reasons, they also knew the man that was summoned.
The man in question turned glancing at them passively, "I am the Servant Rider, to whom may I call Master?"
"Rommel," Eisenbern growled softly. Jubestacheit von Eisenbern's son and heir had served with this man during World War II and died in the deserts of Northern Africa.
"Jubestacheit, you've not aged well mien friend," Rider stated his lips quirked slightly upward.
"We have nor will we ever be friends!" Eisenbern scowl deepened.
"Still blame me for your son's death I see," the former field marshal sighed heavily. "You should blame the one who ordered that foolish charge, I'm sure the majority of our people done that enough over the last six decades. Our glorious 'Fuhrer', against every General and Field Marshal's council ordered that Blitz to Cairo. I admit my wrong's in that blitz in both logistics and manpower."
Zouken frowned heavily before stepping forward, "This does nothing, Rider I'm your master and we will be coordinating our efforts with Eisenbern and his servant Caster."
Rider nodded turning his attention away from his 'countrymen', "I see," as Morgana Le Fey appeared from the shadow looking at her with scrutiny. He walked up to the woman and extended his hand. "Truly lovely creature such as yourself, it is an honor to team with you."
Morgana smirked underneath her veil, "you are an interesting one Marshal."
XXX
On a ranch deep in the Colorado Rockies, another summoning circle had just died down, a young girl roughly fourteen years of age watched in anticipation as the smoke cleared. The figure was dressed in a white dressed shirt, black double breasted vest, buck skinned pants, spurred dark brown cowboy boots, a buckskinned overcoat, and a brown bison leather cowboy hat. The person was a rough worn beauty, she had short black hair, piercing grey eyes, and carried engraved Winchester over her left shoulder. Glancing at the girl pursing her lips slightly, "Ya called, I'm the Servant Archer, please ta meet'cha, sugar. Wouldn't happened to be my Master?"
The girl coughed slightly and then jumped into the air pumping her fist, squealing in delight, "ALL RIGHT!" the teen giggled dancing in place. "Right, right, okay yeah I'm your master, nice to meet you too, Archer." Archer raised an eyebrow before smiling and shaking her head.
XXX
Shiro stood on a slightly raised platform he had setup to overlook the fields and forest that surrounded the area, he felt it was the perfect spot to return the woman he had come to love back into the world.
In the face of Darkness, Heed my words and allow my will to create your body
My Sheath protects your body, your Sword creates my destiny. If you heed the Grails call!
Obey my will and reason, Let my love answer my summons!
I hereby swear, that together we shall do all the good in this World!
Together we shall defeat all the evil in the World!
Let no eyes be clouded by fate, Let no hands be chained by destiny!
Heaven clad in Steel and Cloth, come forth! Come Forth!
COME FORTH!
The iron wrought hero watched as the summoning circle had pulse periodically throughout the chant but as the last syllable was uttered it flashed brightly. A figure slowly stepped forward as a lit door opened. The red haired youth smiled softly watching as a woman he had not seen for a decade stepped through as the glowing doors shut. She stood clad in her steel armor and blue battle dress, however her blonde hair was waving freely instead of clad in a braid. Bringing forth Excalibur sheathed in wind stabbing it into the ground her brilliant green eyes still closed grasping the pommel of her sword, "I am the Servant Saber," the girl paused opening her eyes, "I ask of you are you…?" she blinked tilting her head to the side slightly in confusion for a second before her eyes widen in both surprise and delight. "Shiro?"
The soft smile blossomed into a brighter one extending his hand to her, "I missed you, Saber."
Arturia Pendragon stepped off the raised platform accepting Shiro's hand then promptly brought the pommel of her sword to the top of his head. "That was for your fight with Gilgamesh," she stated then felt Shiro wrap his arms around her, ignoring the armor poking him in the chest and stomach considering now he was a head taller than her. She slowly raised her arms and slid her own arms around him burying her face into shoulder taking in his scent a faint smiled appeared on her face. "I missed you too."
XXX
It took a few minutes before the reunited lovers could separate albeit reluctantly Shiro sat down on the platform looking at Saber noting how much she had both changed and stayed the same. "I like the new look," gesturing to the way her hair was currently flowing freely.
Saber blushed slightly while looking around she noted they were surrounded on all sides by forest and a grassy field, something in the back her mind noted how familiar it felt. "Where are we?"
Shiro shrugged slightly, "Don't recognize your own stomping grounds, it took me a good five years to find it, but this is where Eckard Fortress use to be, already did a structural analyses of the area, where we're standing right now is where the stables use to be."
Saber's eyes widen before darting around checking for any natural monuments she would recognize that could survive time and the elements. Instantly she found several trees that had been around her time, rocks scattered about. The more she spotted the more nostalgic she felt. She closed her eyes feeling the winds and spirits surrounding the area seem to welcome her home and approving Shiro's presence. "Why here?"
"It felt right, this was place was where you had been the happiest. Before pulling Caliburn from the Stone, before the kingship, the hardships, the betrayals, the wars, here is where you were just Arturia Pendragon." The wrought iron hero slid off the platform holding his hands and arms out. "I've lived here going on six years now."
Saber sighed opening her eyes her faint smile turning to him, "I see," her face turned serious. "I didn't expect another grail war so soon if at all."
The red haired young man sighed as the two moved toward the cabin, "The Eisenbern's and Zouken Matou have found a new medium or rather an ancient medium to restart a sixth grail war, and there will be eight heroes instead of seven, five of them will be more modern day heroes. I was also given the heads up on Caster and what the medium will be," he paused glancing over his shoulder at Saber his face grim. "The medium is the actual Holy Grail as the one from your very own legend," Saber started looking shocked and concerned.
"But no one should know where it was," Saber stated. "Aside from myself, Merlin, Lancelot, and Percival, unless."
"Morgana, knows where it is and she's Caster," the iron wrought hero stated turning to his lover looking at her sadly.
Scowling slightly clenching her right hand into a fist, "So this is spite, I knew the woman despised me because of my birth, but risk the entire world over some form of petty revenge."
"I can imagine her wish," Shiro stated.
"It's transparent without even asking her," Saber huffed sitting down on the porch. "She'll wish that I was never born, literally."
With a single nod Shiro entered his rather small kitchen and began fixing lunch. "I have a feeling the eighth servant is a Ruler class."
"Ruler?" Saber looked at him expectantly.
"Like what the Eisenbern's and Matou's did in the third war, there is a precedence for an Eighth servant usually when one or more masters are breaking the rules and the church hasn't sent a mediator. Zelretch, Rin's master at the Clock tower told me this when I was apprenticed under Rin for a year," the red haired young man sat back pursing his lips. "Makes me wonder if that troll brought that up for me to look into," glancing at Saber who simply raised an eyebrow. "Zelretch, is an Old Apostle, loves to pull pranks, and has given poor Rin more than a few headaches since becoming his apprentice."
Saber actually snorted picturing Rin's face post prank or headache inducing moment, "I can imagine how many times she pulled her hair out, she doesn't take kindly to idiotic moments."
The blonde haired former ruler looked around the small cabin as Shiro prepped his stove. The thing was easily a 1920's recreation that was log fed and heated. "It's quaint this cabin."
"Mostly a staging area and only during the spring, summer, and autumn months, gets too cold during winter at least until I can get some more insolation," not looking up from some deer meat he was trimming, Shiro pulled out his seasoning.
"Staging area for what?" Saber asked.
"Looking for Avalon or Viviane which ever was first," Shiro shrugged not catching Saber's eyes looking at him wide.
"Shiro those are both near impossible tasks to assign yourself, neither can be found unless they wish to be found," the blonde woman stated softly.
Another shrug was her only response, sighing slightly knowing when Shiro was doing something he was hardheadedly stubborn in achieving those goals. "You gave up being a hero of justice then?"
"No, just isn't my number one priority in life, I promised Archer I wouldn't be like him and I'm aiming to keep that promise. I'll help when I can help, fight evil and save people when I can, Cleopatra helped remind me of that before I summoned you," Shiro explained.
"Cleopatra, as in the Queen of Egypt or Queen of the Nile?" Saber asked.
"Yeah, the Ruler class I mention," placing the meat on to sear he glanced at Saber who was frowning slightly. "What?"
"So much is confusing this time around. It's been ten years for you yet for me it was a few minutes ago we defeated the grail and Gilgamesh," Saber sighed dispelling her armor and changing her battle dress into the white blouse and blue skirt like she had before.
"Well this time I'm not caught flatfooted needing everyone to explain to me every little detail about the war," Shiro finished searing the meat and spearing it with some tongs, placing it into a stew pot, beginning to shop some vegetables. Shiro froze when he felt Saber slowly slide in front of him grabbing the knife. She glanced over her shoulder keeping her face impassive but there was twinkle of mischief in her eyes, raising an eyebrow at her.
"You neglected your teaching session last time because of an argument, I wish to finish my lesson," Saber stated turning away her cheeks pink. Chuckling slightly Shiro leaned in kissing her jawline before using his hands to guide hers to cut the vegetables properly.