Day 1: Shinji — True Rider / False Attendant

Shinji Matou had been summoned by his grandfather to the Worm Room.

It was a special feature unique to the Matou household, hidden discretely away in the basement. Any guests who came over remained blissfully oblivious to its existence. They would see only the upper house: a well-decorated mansion, appropriate to a wealthy family of a long and noble lineage. But that was all a deception, a facade of normality to hide their family's secret practice of magecraft. The Worm Room, hidden away as it was, was central to the Matou family magic; and thus, the true heart of the Matou household.

The Worm room was dark, gloomy, and filled with a palpable miasma. Composed mostly of blank concrete surfaces, the most defining feature was the pit in the center. In those dark depths, thousands and thousands of worms. They were not any type of creature found in nature, but magical creations produced by Zouken's magecraft to serve as his familiars: Crest Worms. They filled the pit, covering the floor in a writhing, squirming mass; only by looking closely could one tell that, beneath the covering of worms, the bottom of the pit was filled with human bodies.

Some of the bodies were dead. Others were not so lucky. The Crest Worms didn't merely consume their victims' flesh and bone; they also fed on their od, their life-force. The worms would keep their host alive for as long as possible in order to gorge on as much prana as they could before the wretched soul inevitably expired.

But despite the terrible things that occurred here, the Worm Room held a deep attraction for Shinji. It was a place not only of horrors, but of wonders. Here, the Matou heir was instructed in magecraft, taught the mystic secrets that had been passed down the family line for generations and taught to command energies beyond the grasp of mundane humans. To be able to perform magecraft, to have a power so great that he would be able command the fear and respect of all those damned fools who mocked and pitied him, was Shinji's deepest and dearest wish.

But Shinji was not the Matou heir. Despite being the last living direct blood descendant of Zouken, Shinji had been told that he lacked the capability to perform magecraft and thus the qualifications to become heir. And so grandfather had passed him over in favor of naming Sakura his heir. Sakura, who wasn't even a Matou by blood; who was just some stupid girl who happened to have Magic Circuits; who was so worthless that her magus family had handed her off to Zouken, like was doing them a favor by taking away some garbage; nothing but a good-for-nothing useless dumb bitch slut—

Shinji realized that he had subconsciously started grinding his teeth and quickly stopped. He wouldn't lose his composure in front of grandfather.

Zouken was standing with Sakura near a magic circle that had been drawn on the floor near the pit of worms. His body was withered and frail, and the air around him was pervaded by the stench of rotting meat. He was little more than a corpse held together by the magic of his Crest Worms. Nevertheless, he still projected an imposing aura of menace. He was a man who had lived for hundreds of years, and who planned to live endless more. The rotten, wretched state of Zouken's body only spoke to the strength of his will. He must have been in constant pain from the Crest Worms keeping his soul bound to his dead flesh. Any other man put in that situation would probably gratefully accept death rather than face the prospect of having their life and their suffering prolonged eternally. But eternal life was precisely what Zouken desired, and he was prepared to use any means to seize it.

The Crest Worms had worked well for the past hundred years, but they were beginning to reach their limits. Zouken's body was decaying at an accelerated rate, and he was having to abduct more and more people to the Worm Room for the worms to feed on so that they could continue extending his life. Though it was rapidly reaching the point that calling Zouken's existence "life" was something of a stretch: he was a decaying corpse, held together by only by magecraft and worms. Shinji's father, before his death, had told Shinji that Zouken had transferred his own soul into a Crest Worm and hid it amongst the others. Thus, destroying Zouken's body would be meaningless, as his soul would survive and he could simply construct another body using his worms and a suitable corpse.

One could call it a kind of lesser immortality... but it did not satisfy Zouken at all. He didn't want to live with the constant agonizing pain of existing as a mass of worms writhing within rotting flesh. He sought the pinnacle of true immortality, a True Magic which could only be granted by the Grail. Hence Zouken's great interest in the outcome of this war.

Though, given how invested he was in prevailing, Shinji couldn't help but question Zouken's decision to rely on Sakura. The girl was trembling and white with fear as she stood in front of the magic circle, reciting the spell that would call forth a Servant to do battle on her behalf. If she couldn't even perform this simple task with confidence, Shinji didn't see how she expected to have any success in actual battle.

There was a flash of light and a blast of steam, and a Servant manifested in the center of the circle. The Servant was a pale-skinned woman with long purple hair. She wore a black dress and a blindfold across her eyes. Despite this visual impediment, she didn't seem to have any difficulty discerning her surroundings. She glanced at each of the people in the room, then focused her attention on Sakura.

"I have answered your summons and appeared as Servant Rider." the woman said. "My true identity is Medusa. What is your name?"

"S... Sakura." Sakura said with a trembling voice. "Sakura Matou."

"I pledge you my loyalty, Sakura, my Master." Rider said. "It is my solemn vow that together we will defeat all of our enemies and achieve victory in the Holy Grail War."

"N-no..." Sakura said quietly.

"Excuse me?" Rider asked.

"I said no." Sakura said, still quietly but more firmly. "I won't fight."

"I don't understand." Rider said. "Why else would the Grail choose you to bear the Command Spells? Why else would you call out to me through your summons?"

"I don't want anything to do with the Grail." Sakura said. "It's grandfather who wants it. I'm just the tool he intends to use to get it. But he'll have to get someone else to stain their hands with blood on his behalf, because I won't do it!"

"Trying to refuse your destiny, Sakura?" Zouken asked. "Have you so quickly forgotten the fate of Kariya? Have you forgotten the fate of those who defy me?"

Shinji tensed. Surprisingly, grandfather didn't sound too upset, but Shinji was still cautious. When he was feeling wrathful, Zouken was capable of unbelievable cruelty.

"I've endured everything you've put me through for the last eleven years." Sakura said. "I've borne all of the pain and all of the sins. But... I can't kill another person. If I did that... I wouldn't be able to live as myself any longer. I can't do it. Do whatever you want to me... but I won't fight in the War."

Listen to Sakura's refusal, Shinji couldn't help but clench his fists in rage. Sakura was being offered everything he'd ever wanted — the opportunity to compete in the Holy Grail War as a Master, to be recognized as a true magus — and was trying to turn it down. Shinji would have done anything for this honor, and yet it was going to Sakura, who didn't even want it. She got everything he desired, and didn't even have to decency to be grateful for it. It was so unfair, Shinji wanted to wring her stupid neck.

"This is disappointing, Sakura." Zouken said. "But it is not entirely unexpected. I anticipated that you might fail me, and made appropriate contingency plans. Shinji!"

"Uh, y-yes, grandfather!" Shinji said, quickly giving the old his full attention.

"Since Sakura is unable, you will take over her role as Rider's Master. The duty of winning the Fifth Heaven's Feel now falls on your shoulders."

"O-o-of course!" Shinji said, nearly too overwhelmed by surprise and glee to form a coherent sentence. "Without a doubt, I will achieve victory and claim the Holy Grail!"

Shinji almost couldn't believe what was happening. It was like a dream come true. Zouken, finally realizing how worthless that girl was, was giving Shinji a chance to prove himself worthy of the Matou birthright. He would show his grandfather that he wasn't a failure like his father Bakuya or uncle Kariya; he would win the War, bring back the Grail, and finally receive the respect that should have been his all along. At last, at long last, his days of being overshadowed by Sakura were over. The position of family heir, the inheritance of the Matou magecraft, his grandfather's respect... it would all finally be his.

Sakura sighed in relief, as though a great burden had been lifted from her. Shinji had to work hard not to snicker at her. What a useless girl; all those years of training for this very day, and she buckled under the pressure the moment her Servant was summoned. Shinji was all too happy to take the privilege for himself, of course. And Zouken didn't seem too upset by this turn of events, either; he must have realized some time ago that Shinji would be far more suitable as a Master than Sakura and begun planning accordingly. The only one in the room who didn't seem pleased with what was taking place was the Servant, who had begun to frown.

"I serve my Master, and no other." Rider said. "I will not obey one other than my summoner."

Shinji was beside himself with fury. The stupid Servant bitch was looking down on him as well! Why did everyone dismiss him and put so much value on Sakura? It wasn't fair. He was a thousand times better than her, and yet everyone chose her over him. Zouken, passing over him as heir in order to choose Sakura; Shirou, spending more time with Sakura even though he was supposed to be Shinji's friend; and now Servant Rider, saying she'd rather have Sakura as a Master. He couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't stand to be ignored and mocked in such a manner. Violent fantasies of brutal revenge on everyone who'd ever belittled him filled Shinji's mind.

"You do not have a choice in the matter." Zouken told Rider. "You are a Servant. You will serve your Master."

"Sakura is my Master." Rider said.

"Not any longer." Zouken said.

He tapped his cane against the ground once, and the Crest Worms surged in response. Large numbers of them began crawling out of the pit in the floor, flowing up the stone steps like a living carpet. They squirmed across the floor to Zouken, eagerly pooling at the feet of their creator and master. Then Zouken tapped his cane again, and a group of worms separated from the main mass. These worms began to change their shape, flattening their bodies, overlapping, and fusing together to form a leather-like substance. Shinji watched with rapt attention. Though he'd read all about the Maotu family magecraft in books, he'd never actually seen it performed before. It was incredible to behold. The thought of wielding this power for himself made Shinji giddy with anticipation.

By now, the worms' transformation was complete. They had remade themselves into an object resembling a book. In fact, it looked remarkably ordinary; if Shinji hadn't seen the process of its creation, he never would have believed it had been created from the bodies of Crest Worms. But despite its plain appearance, Shinji knew it must possess potent magic powers, having been forged from grandfather's own familiars.

"Pick it up." Zouken instructed Shinji.

Shinji hurried to do so immediately. He grabbed the book from the stone floor and clutched it to his chest like something precious. Zouken, meanwhile, hobbled over to Sakura and grabbed her roughly by the hand. Due to the harshness of the action, Rider reacted as though Sakura was being attacked, and raised a spike-like weapon as if to strike at Zouken. Sakura, though, quickly shook her head.

"It's okay." she said. "This is what I want."

"I answered your summons because it was my desire to serve you." the Servant said. "If abandoning our contract is the only way I can please you... then I will do so."

Zouken held Sakura's hand by the wrist, exposing the three red Command Spells that had appeared on the back of her hand. He then held his other hand over hers. His rotten flesh squirmed nauseatingly, then split open as three Crest Worms bored their way out of his palm. They landed on the back of Sakura's hand with a soft, wet sound. Sakura didn't flinch at their touch; she had been intimately acquainted with the Crest Worms from childhood. In fact, numerous worms had already been implanted into her body. While the worms in Zouken were designed to hold his decaying flesh together, the worms in Sakura had the function of amplifying her magic talent. Fat lot of good that turned out to be, Shinji thought.

The three worms Zouken had dropped on her hand seemed to have been constructed for yet another function. They bit into her skin and began sucking like leeches. However, instead of drawing blood, they absorbed the Command Spells. The markings faded from Sakura's hand, leaving not a trace they had ever been there, while the Crest Worms grew fat and bloated and turned deep crimson in color.

"Bring the book." Zouken commanded. "Open it."

Shinji did so. Zouken verified that the Crest Worms had finished their work, then scooped them off of Sakura's hand and dropped them onto the blank pages of the book. He then shut the covers, squeezing them tightly together. When he opened the book again, the worms had disappeared; instead; the pattern that had been on Sakura's hand was now stamped on the pages.

"This is the Book of the False Attendant." Zouken said. "So long as you hold it, you have the authority of a Master. Use it wisely."

"I understand!" Shinji enthusiastically assured him. "You can count on me to uphold the honor of the Matou family!"

Zouken made no response to this, but instead turned to Sakura. She tensed in anticipation of whatever punishment he was prepared to mete out for her disobedience. Shinji watched expectantly, wondering if he was finally going to feed her to the worms now that she had failed in the purpose he had been preparing her for for so long.

"Though you will not be a Master in this War, you must continue your regular training in magecraft." Zouken said. "If you do not, the Crest Worms within your body will slowly destroy you. You may leave now."

Shinji and Sakura both stood in disbelief for a few moments. Such charity was completely uncharacteristic of Zouken. When Sakura had refused to be Rider's Master, she had been fully expected Zouken to kill her in retribution, and had resolved herself to that fate. The fact that he wasn't punishing her was so surprising that she appeared more worried than relieved.

"I said, you may leave." Zouken repeated.

Sakura snapped out of her stupor and quickly began ascending the stairs out of the Worm Room. Shinji felt a flash of anger at her escaping the punishment she so richly deserved, but he knew better than to question grandfather's decisions. Besides, he would have plenty of opportunities to make up for it later. On one hand, Zouken's proclamation that she would continue her magecraft training was annoying; if Shinji was going to be the family heir from now on, then Sakura's instruction should cease. But on the other hand, it also meant that Shinji would be allowed to continue his role in her training. The sessions awakened the Crest Worms within Sakura's body, causing certain side-effects that it was Shinji's duty to relieve. Those times, when Sakura was at his mercy and he could vent the resentment and bitterness in his heart without restraint, were some of the only moments when he was truly happy.

Zouken, too, turned to leave the Worm Room. As he ascended the stairs, however, he paused for a moment and turned back to Shinji.

"Since you lack magic circuits, you cannot provide Rider the prana it requires." Zouken said, as though as an afterthought. "Use the reserves stored in the Crest Worms."

A nasty grin crept onto Shinji's face. Now he'd get to teach this haughty Servant bitch a lesson she wouldn't soon forget. She thought Sakura was better suited than Shinji to be her Master? It was time to instruct her on who was boss.

"Oh, that's right, Rider." Shinji said. "I have to instruct you in the technique of the Matou family magecraft. These worms really are remarkable creatures; I think it's only fair that you experience them for yourself. Here's my first order to you as your Master: crawl into the pit and let the worms have their way with you!"

The Servant glanced at the pit with obvious hesitance. Even Shinji, who had no aptitude for magecraft whatsoever, could viscerally sense the lust of the Crest Worms and the torment of their victims. To Rider, who had keen magical senses, the miasma of pain and despair radiating from the pit must have been overwhelming. The worms would be releasing prana into her body instead of consuming it from her, but the experience would be much the same.

"You are willing to use such vile tools?" she asked.

"Vile?" Shinji asked. "This is the magecraft that has been passed down by the magi of the Matou family for countless generations. It is a noble art practiced by the chosen heir of the Matou family; and as the one who has been chosen to wield it, I will not allow it to be disparaged."

Shinji smiled dangerously.

"Besides, it doesn't matter what form it takes — power is power." he said. "So long as it's useful, I don't care about the specifics."

"You... are truly despicable." Rider said.

"You can't insult me any more." Shinji said. "I won't let anyone look down on me anymore. Because now, I have power. Now, I am a magus — I am a Master!"

In the end, Rider was forced to obey: Shinji was the Master, and she was the Servant. She descended stoically into the gloomy depths of the pit, allowing the Crest Worms to flow over her. Moments later, the worms began to writhe in ecstacy as they gorged themselves on flesh, blood, and bone.