The girl continues to stare at the man, obviously dumbstruck by his sudden appearance. "... *Sigh* It pains me to acknowledge it, but since you're the only one here..." He takes a moment to massage the temples of his forehead, clearly distressed.
"...Let me ask, just to be sure: Are you my master?" Seeing how she continued to stare at him in silence, he raises an eyebrow as if to say, 'What? Cat got your tongue?' The girl blinks, now shaken out of her daze as she replies in a soft but certain voice. "...Yes."
"I see. It's not like I get a say, but it seems as if I've been called by yet another odd master. I should be used to it by now. But a contract is a contract. I'll lend you my power if you want and will fight for you until your wish ends." The girl doesn't respond to his snarky comment, but instead continues to stare at him.
"You were just shouting "why?" a moment ago. There are very few people who know the answer to that question. Well, it's not a bad wish, per se. I now pledge to fight by your side until your wish ceases to be." Walking over, he takes ahold of her hand and helps her to her feet. From the hand he had grabbed comes a sudden warmth...and then a sharp pain, like she's been cut with a searing hot knife.
Hissing in pain, she takes a step back, grasping her hand tightly as she struggled to blink back tears. On the back of her hand, as if tattooed, is a strange red symbol that looks like some kind of crest. Totally confused, she alternates between staring at the mark on her hand and the person standing before her. "What...?"
A noise behind her brings her back to her senses, snapping her back towards reality. Turning around, she sees that the effigy from before is still there, now in a fighting stance. Her eyes go wide once again, wincing uncontrollably as she recalled her previous defeat at its hands.
The man standing behind her however, seems anything but afraid as he walks over, standing in front of her as if acting as a shield. "This seems to be as good an opportunity as any for you to show me your skills as my master." Sensing that she was unconvinced by his statement, he sighs once again and shakes his head.
"Really, it's nothing to get worked up over. I'm not going to be at my best with a novice master though. Well, whatever. I'm used to getting the short end of the stick. Just show me as much of your power as you can!" Stretching his arms, he summons a pair of twin swords, one black as night and the other a gleaming white.
Before she could consider what was occurring around her, the effigy rushes in, about to take off the man's head. He quickly ducks and nails a heavy blow towards the effigy's shoulder, knocking it back towards the floor. The effigy quickly gets back up, stumbling slightly and clearly disoriented by the man's powerful strike.
Charging towards him, the effigy jumps into the air and attempts to kick the man, but instead misses as the man grabs it by the leg, flinging it across the room after nailing another blow. The effigy, nonetheless resilient, gets back and dashes towards him once again, determined to finish his opponent off.
The effigy swings its arm towards him, making it seem as though he was about to punch the man in the face. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the effigy's other arm slowly closing in towards his torso. "...! Watch out!"
Hearing her call, the man's eyes widen briefly before he kicks the effigy away. Dashing towards it, the man cuts off the effigy's limbs with one foul swing of his swords before he summons what appeared to be a slender long black bow, dealing the final blow as he shot a few arrows at it. The battered effigy crashes onto the floor, no longer moving after being effectively torn apart as it fizzles and begins fading away, having been defeated.
The man stares at the spot where the effigy use to be before he turns to meet her gaze, his eyes portraying slight disappointment in them. "I guess I can give you a passing grade...barely. I expect more from you in the future."
He continues to talk. ...However, the sound of his voice doesn't quite reach her ears. The heat from the mark on my hand grew in intensity during the fight and the resulting pain, coupling in with the the pain from her earlier wound in her torso has become unbearable, burning through her consciousness.
"The mark imprinted on your hand is your Command Seals. It is proof that you hold dominion over a servant. You can use it to give three orders to your servant that nust be obeyed. Think of them as disposable strengthening spells. It is also proof of your participation in the Holy Grail War. If you lose them for some reason, you will die." Once again, she hears the voice speaking. Gripping her hand, she somehow manages to ignore the pain, looking up to listen to what it says.
"I can understand your confusion. But before I forget...congratulations. You have endured much to make it here. Now rest for a while; you've achieved your first goal." So does that mean that she's cleared the trial?
"It was an incredibly clumsy effort to say the least, but that's what made it all the more entertaining. I've had this duty for a long time, but this the first time I've seen a master as helpless as you. Nevertheless, be proud of your achievement. Your quick thinking came as a result of nerves and rashness." Her eyebrows twitch in response to his half-hearted compliments.
Now that she thought about it, the voice sounded like that of a thirty year old man. And it's really irritatingly smug. For some reason, she could picture the owner of the voice as a priest, dressed in a somber cassock.
"Oh, so you are curious about my identity? I am honoured, but I am insignificant. I am merely part of the system. I am just a guide, tasked with giving a standard message and given the personality of a prior participant. I am no more than words, no more than the mountain you've just conquered, no more than a record of the past," the voice explains in a rather amused tone.
The girl tilts her head to the side in response to his explanation. Would that mean that if she decided to raise her objections against this voice, she wouldn't receive any answers in return?
"Exactly. ...Well, this is unexpected. You have received a commendation. Something about you 'having a light' ." She raises her eyebrows in pleasant surprise. She had no clue as to who would say such a thing about her. But that short phrase alone struck her heart, because she knew that they were sincere. As for the "I expect good things from you", it sounded more like a command than an encouragement.
"Now, let us commence your baptism. You have proven yourself worthy of the honour. For most, the monotony of everyday life continues on without end. Your decision to look beyond the accepted and progress means that you have earned the right to exist. However, you have taken but the first step. Be jubilant, young knight, for the Holy Grail begins now!" the voice declares in a booming voice.
The female student was getting more and more confused by the second. She had no idea what the voice was talking about. Holy Grail War...? The right to exist...?
"That's right. An object of great power once existed in the world. One that could grant any desire. People called it the 'Holy Grail' and fought endlessly in an attempt to gain sole possession of it. This war- the system you find yourself in now is an evolution of those struggles. You stand at the entrance of a deadly struggle where many magi will will perish in pursuit of the Holy Grail," the voice explains. Though the girl had a ton if questions swarming her mind, she chose to remain silent and allow the voice to elaborate.
" Listen, magi. Had I not bestowed upon the earth desire, you'd be merely saints capable of committing sin. Now, fight to the death. The throne of heaven will only receive those with the strongest desires," the voice reverberates throughout the hidden chapel, as if it were the voice of a god. Kill...? Magi...? Holy Grail that grants wishes...? These questions continue to swirl inside her head, carving themselves into her very flesh.
"In war, a weapon is needed. That is your servant, they're the spear that pierces, the shield that protects. A Legendary Soul whose purpose is to clear your way to the grail. That is the one who stands beside you." This prompts the girl to glance over at the tall man dressed in red standing next to her, who glances at her before looking away. So he's her servant...
"It seems you have decided, and with that decision as payment, I now open the gates to the Holy Grail War." The marks on her hand, once again begin to feel excruciatingly painful. She can feel her legs wobbling beneath her, her vision blurring. It's over, she can't take it anymore.
The girl reaches the limits of her endurance as her mind begins to shut down. Without warning, her body crashes onto the ground once again with a loud thump. As she begins to lose consciousness, she had vaguely hear the voice speaking.
"Now, let the Holy Grail War begin. No matter the era, deciding who is worthy through battle is the divine providence of man. Magi who have been invited here by the Moon, show me your true strength." Her mind feels fuzzy and through her peripheral vision, she sees someone hovering over her. Her eyes close as she accepted the welcoming darkness.
And so, the girl sleeps, recalling nothing but the warm feeling someone carrying her in their arms.