The dim glow from lit candles barely reached him, casting a faint shadow of his figure on the wall. His face, hardly feeling the warmth from the tiny flames, was a stoic mask unable to change its expression.

Staring at the wall in front of him, Kotomine Kirei held his breath ever so briefly. Unknown to the casual observer, he was looking at another scene altogether despite being in this dark, depressing church. Not that he minded; having a lack of light was soothing after spending time with Gilgamesh, whose very existence was glowing. Often literally.

Thanks to a useful little spell, he was able to see what his Servant Lancer was currently seeing (strictly speaking, Lancer was not originally his Servant, but he was now). And yet, despite witnessing it with his own eyes, he could not understand what was happening.

Saber's appearance had been unexpected, and her identity certainly a surprise, but it was ultimately just that. What Kirei had found baffling, however, was the girl defending Saber's Master.

Silver hair and scarlet irises. White complexion and a face that clearly did not belong to someone from Japan. She was certainly beautiful by regular definitions, but Kirei had always thought of that sort of beauty as… inhuman.

An Einzbern homunculus. He had seen one before, many years ago – ten, to be exact – during the Fourth Holy Grail War. Its contents had been an important part of the ritual, but that was all to its existence, so he had killed the personality of the vessel. He did not even know if it had a name, not that it mattered.

And now this. The tiny thing was surely a homunculus like her predecessor, and more importantly, for the Holy Grail. She (Kirei found it odd that he was referring to her as a 'she', but dismissed it as a reflex from seeing her appearance; after all, he had called the previous one 'woman' when they conversed) was supposedly a Master, since the Einzberns were guaranteed a spot in the War, but her Servant was nowhere to be seen. It would have been logical to call upon her Servant should she be serious about protecting the boy, especially when she was facing down two other Servants, but she had not. Instead, she had pulled out some strange card, a stick, and transformed into what looked like a miniature version of Lancer.

In essence, it was the same blue tights that Lancer wore, except it showed off a lot more skin at the stomach and legs. It was much smaller to fit her body size and was, for the lack of a better word, rather risqué for battle attire. Other than that, however, she shared Lancer's image, complete with a ponytail of her own silver hair and a pair of matching earrings. It was a queer display, and Kirei would have chuckled had he not been such an empty man. Not to mention the weapon in her hands had made the whole situation a lot less comical.

It was, however unlikely, Lancer's Noble Phantasm.

Illya could feel a strange energy coursing through her body. It felt like her blood had become warmer all of a sudden, sending an unknown heat through her veins.

Strange, unfamiliar images flooded into her head, and unknown voices rang in her ears. They were memories, but not her own – they belonged to a man once called Sétanta.

They told of the life of a noble warrior, one with the strength to overcome any trial and the willpower of a thousand soldiers. They sang praises of a man who had, while smiling and laughing, accepted a fate of short-lived glory and valor. They wept in anguish to a tragic hero, whose life had been flooded with misfortune and ultimately died by his own cursed spear. They grieved over and revered his legend – of his unrelenting spirit even in the face of death.

It was a tale too excruciating for the faint of heart, and one impossible for even the toughest of warriors. It was truly the story of a Heroic Spirit. Had she not been protected by the technicality that was the Class Card, Illya knew she would have collapsed under the immense weight of those memories. But luckily for her, she was able to assimilate them without much trouble, along with the immense power the Card possessed.

The moment she Installed the Lancer card, everything changed. It almost felt like her body was no longer her own, and had become the very manifestation of the Irish legend that was Cú Chulainn. Beyond simply drawing on the power of the Noble Phantasm, she had become its master – she had effectively become a Heroic Spirit.

In her hands rested the cursed spear Gáe Bolg, which she had seen Miyu use many times in their various battles, and that much was expected. What she had not expected was the change of clothes.

"Ruby…" she said in a low, serious tone. "W-why is this outfit so… revealing?"

"Eh? Isn't it nicer this way~?" the legendary spear in her hands asked with Ruby's trademark mirth and voice. "It's sexy and appeals to all the men out there, doesn't it?"

"I don't want it to be sexy!" Illya exclaimed, forgetting the situation she was in.

Shirou was dumbstruck. Saber was speechless. Lancer's expression was an odd mixture of bewilderment, shock and anger.

"Well…" he said, finally finding his voice. "You… This is what you people call 'cosplay', isn't it?"

"Don't call it cosplay!" Illya yelled childishly, a furious blush on her cheeks. "People will misunderstand!"

"Yeah, that's right!" the… Gáe Bolg… in her hands added. "Something of this level can't be considered true cosplay; only something like the Prisma Illya Beast Mode can be-"

"You're not helping, Ruby! And don't ever bring up that… that outfit ever again!"

Lancer found it difficult to speak. He knew Japanese thanks to being summoned as a Servant, but he somehow could not find the words to describe how he felt right now. He felt like he was being mocked, but somehow it was not intentional. Maybe it had something to do with her appearance. Or maybe it was the talking replica in her hands. Or both.

"Oi, brat," he said, finding his voice for the second time in five minutes. "If this is your idea of a joke, it's a really bad one."

"I-I'm serious!" Illya declared, assuming a fighting stance. It was an exact copy of his stance, which irked him even more. "I won't let anyone lay a finger on onii-chan!"

If anyone present had the mood to point out she had just changed her way of addressing Shirou, they kept it to themselves. Saber, however, had let her expression soften a little at the name 'Illya'.

"I suppose this works out," Lancer said. "I was thinking I'd feel guilty killing a girl this young, but I think that guilt's gonna be reduced a bit."

A gust of wind soared past the yard, and Lancer was gone. Saber just barely reacted in time to his speed, and managed to raise her invisible weapon in an attempt to block his attack, but no such blow came.

Instead, a loud 'clang' resounded, and Lancer leapt away from Illya, landing on the roof of the shed. Both were unhurt, though Illya was evidently less composed after the exchange. Not that she had been brimming with composure beforehand.

"Nice reflexes," Lancer said, narrowing his eyes. "It looks like your appearance isn't just for show."

The situation was getting more confusing by the second. No human could combat a Servant. Even amongst Servants, he was confident few Servants could match his speed, but this girl had done just that. And the way she had reacted almost made it feel like he was facing off against himself. It was eerie.

"We need to get closer, Illya-san!" Ruby said. "We have to finish him before he gets to throw that spear!"

"I know, Ruby," Illya replied. "But going too close will give him the ability to-"

"Interesting conversation," Lancer said, his expression no longer surprised; he was not looking at Illya as a child or even as a human magus anymore. "From what you just said, it sounds like you know what my spear is. And it looks like that talking fake is more than just a replica.

"Answer me, kid: what are you?"

Illya did not reply. She did not have the confidence that Lancer had, even if they were wielding the same weapon and shared the same techniques; after all, the difference in actual combat experience was staggering. Keeping her eyes on her opponent, she tightened her grip on the spear.

Even though she had never used it in combat, Illya knew what the weapon she held could do. Within that spear lay a vile curse – one that reversed the nature of causality to pierce the target's heart without fail. All she had to do was call out its name, and victory was certain. It was that powerful an ability.

"Right, I get it," Lancer said. "Magi need to keep their secrets. Then I suppose it's fine…"

He lowered his spear, pointing its crimson tip at Illya's head.

"… If you die keeping them, right?" he finished.

Illya swallowed. She was way too preoccupied with keeping an eye on Saber to also have to juggle facing Lancer at the same time. And she had to keep Shirou out of all of this too. She found herself desperately wishing Miyu and Kuro were here, even if it meant that they, too, would be in danger. But she was just so scared.

Heroic Spirit's power or no, it did not change the fact that she was still a child. She was – or rather, had been – an ordinary ten-year-old girl. If she could have it her way, she would have wanted to run away. But Shirou was there.

Her white knuckles trembled, causing the spear in her hands to shake. It was a minor detail, one that she believed or hoped that no one would notice, but the least expected person picked up on it.

Heaving a deep sigh, Lancer relaxed his posture, opting for a more neutral standing position. The hostility seemed to drain out of his eyes, but a faint hint of it still lingered in his crimson pupils.

"I give up," he sighed again. "As if I'd kill a little kid too scared to even fight. Besides," he added, casting a glance at Saber. "With me being outnumbered like this, I'm not gonna get any answers let alone kills tonight."

Frustrated or not, he was a warrior and a Heroic Spirit. It left a bad taste in his mouth to have to kill people unrelated to the Holy Grail War, or anyone besides Servants in general, let alone a little brat clearly scared out of her skin. Answers could wait, though he was pretty sure it was going to be something he could not understand anyway; being summoned into an era where 'technology' and 'magecraft' co-existed had made him stop questioning the bizarre altogether.

"Do you believe I'll just let you escape, Lancer?" Saber asked, pointing her invisible blade at him.

"My orders aren't to fight," Lancer replied. That was partially true; after all, he had been told to engage the Servants purely for scouting purposes thanks to the cowardice of his Master. "I'd be more than willing to oblige if you give chase, but I'd focus on the girl if I were you. You two aren't exactly allies, are ya?"

With those parting words, Lancer went into astral form, disappearing from their sight and completely gone from Illya's detection. Had he been in physical form a little longer, he would have sighed in exasperation.

He had not killed a single woman in his life, and disliked killing women on the battlefield. It was as if fate itself knew that and was mocking him for it by putting him on a battlefield of women. Archer's Master from earlier, these two…

… Bazett.

Had he been in corporeal form, Lancer would have gnashed his teeth in raw fury.

Following Lancer's escape, Illya heaved a sigh of relief. However, that reprieve was short-lived; whipping around and facing Saber, she once more readied her weapon. The fear was naturally still there, but it was now accompanied by a stronger sense of determination.

"Onii-chan, get back," she said.

"W-wait a minu-"

Before Shirou could even get three words in, Illya had closed the distance between her and Saber, her figure and weapon leaving a trail of blue and red in their wake. Thrusting the tip at the blonde warrior's face, she felt dull tremors shake the spear as an invisible wall of wind parried her blow.

"Wait a moment!" Saber protested, desperately trying to recall the full name of the girl called Illya. She was sure she had heard it before, back then before the Fourth Holy Grail War. "Please wait, Illyasviel!"

Illya paused. How did she know her name? And what's more, what was with that weapon of hers? The Class Card back then did not have an invisible sword, but this one did. On top of that, this one even knew her name. Could things get any more confusing?

She must have overheard Miyu calling my name, she reasoned. Miyu hadn't started calling me 'Illya' back then. Yeah, that must be it.

Thrusting and withdrawing the blood-red spear with inhuman speed, Illya forced Saber to retreat a few steps. She was barely dealing damage despite her superior weapon, what with Saber dodging and parrying her blows, but she was making progress. Even if it felt like Saber had no intention of fighting back.

Maybe she can't fight back! She thought. Putting some distance between them, she poured some prana into her Noble Phantasm. If her regular attacks were already too much for her, then surely this would end it. Time to finish this with a-

"Stop!"

Charging right in and standing between Illya and Saber, Shirou prevented the former from unleashing her killing blow. Though he could easily have ended up being her shield and dying right then and there instead.

"Hold on," he said. "Fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to solve anything! Let's just calm down and talk things through!"

"Move out of the way, onii-chan!" Illya exclaimed. "She's dangerous! Just listen to me and I'll end this right away!"

"Master, it would be wise to step aside," Saber advised. "If she is serious about this battle, it would be safer for you to observe from a distance."

"There's no way I could do that!" Shirou said. Then he turned to Illya. "Uh… 'Illya', was it? This has to be some sort of misunderstanding! Saber meant no harm; she was trying to protect me!"

"I concur," Saber added. "This must be a misunderstanding, Illyasviel. I have no intention of hurting my Master-"

"Lies!" Illya cut across her sharply. "You almost killed Rin-san, Luvia-san, Miyu and me back then! If not for Miyu defeating you, you would've succeeded! Don't try and act all innocent now!"

"Please calm down, Illyasviel," Saber said, trying to maintain her cool. "I have no recollection of such an event. You must be mistaken; I have sworn to be Irisviel's sword, and I would never lay a hand on-"

"What did you just say?"

An unknown fear gripping her chest, Illya felt the will to fight slowly drain from her system. She could understand knowing her name, but there was no way the Class Card could have known her mother's name as well.

"No… it's not possible," she gasped. "Why do you… know Mama's name…?"

With that, Saber had her answer. This girl in front of her was undoubtedly Illyasviel von Einzbern, the beloved daughter of her previous Master. She had had her doubts at first upon hearing the name, as she had assumed that the child from back then would surely be a young woman now, not a girl like… like her. But that reaction proved her wrong.

"You are Illyasviel von Einzbern," she said. It was not a question, but rather a statement. "The child of Irisviel and Emiya Kiritsugu. Is that not so?"

Both Illya and Shirou stared at her, eyes wide with surprise. From the looks on their faces alone, Saber might as well have declared she was actually a man.

"… Who are you?" Illya asked, her voice starting to lose its firm tone. "Why do you know so much about me…?"

"I would not mind answering your enquiry," Saber replied. "But before that, I implore you to lower your weapon. I believe neither of us have a reason to fight each other, and further exchanges of blows would be most un-"

She suddenly paused, turning sharply to the wall to her side. The reaction vaguely reminded Illya of a lion who had sensed other predators on its territory.

"Enemies," she informed them. "I shall engage them."

Without waiting for a reply, she leapt over the wall with ease. The next thing that was heard was a high-pitched yelp, and a rather familiar one at that.

"R-Rin-san?" Illya wondered aloud.

The ensuing cacophony of clashing metal made her break into a run.

Some things I'd like to note here: first of all, the argument between Illya and Ruby in the middle of a fight, to me, isn't OOC; remember the battle with the Eighth Class Card in Prisma Illya? She had seen so much and the battle wasn't even over yet, and she still had the mind to ask about Caren's clothing. So yeah.

And the next thing, is about the power levels of the Class Cards compared to the actual Servants. Since there isn't really a canon way of comparing them, I'm going with my own theory on this one, so hear me out. All Class Cards, when Installed, should have the same amount of power as its corresponding Servant in the Fifth War should that Servant have been under Illya's control. I'm judging the power from instances such as when Archer-Illya faced off against Class Card Saber. Her projected Excalibur was able to beat Saber's, which shouldn't have been a thing. My hypothesis is that this was caused by the difference in mana sources; Saber didn't have one, so her output was naturally less than Illya's whose capacity as a magus was outstanding. So when she Installs Lancer, she's effectively the Servant Lancer with parameters as though Illyasviel was his Master, just that the power isn't entirely familiar to her. Something like that. Oh, and foreshadowing. Subtle.

Anyways, see you in Chapter 6!