Hey, everyone. Sorry for the super long wait for an update. There were a lot of things I had to do, but I'm back and this story's moving again! After the fluff of the last chapter, things are going to start to pick up as I begin introducing the star players of this chapter. The introduction of the full Onyx Faction begins this chapter. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

I do not own anything.


Fate/Dark Order

Chapter 14 - The Call of Fate


"I don't want them to go."

Five simple words, but they carried the weight of the world on them. To any parent with a child they loved, the feeling was quite understandable. Ritsuka certainly had come to understand it. The woman beside him certainly had as evident by her words and the look on her face.

The first moment he'd met Joan, he thought she was beautiful, even as she was trying to kill him and turn France into a flaming inferno. No one would have thought a woman like her could be capable of even loving another person, much less having a husband and two daughters who she was reluctant to send off to war. Even now, as her face was heavy with sorrow, Ritsuka still found her breathtakingly beautiful. Maybe it was natural or maybe it was the last vestiges of the sunset. She wasn't looking at the horizon though, she was looking at her daughters, their daughters. They weren't future soldiers in a supernatural war, they were just two kids having fun at a birthday party.

This was what they endeavored to do every year for their girls from the moment they were born. While their record wasn't as perfect as they'd have liked, Ritsuka and Joan liked to think they'd succeeded. There were some rather heartwarming pictures back home in Tokyo that they always cherished. Growing that collection had been a source of pride for both of them. Even with the darkness of war looming on the horizon, they felt like that collection would continue to grow.

They were just going to be some…unorthodox memories, which they were used to making. It was another trademark of their family.

"Me neither, but we both know this isn't something we can stop." Ritsuka finally said. His wife looked at him with a dry stare. "Look, you're one of the strongest people I know, but I have a feeling this is going to be just a little bit more complicated than to find the bad guy and burn them to cinders." When her dry staring continued, Ritsuka let out a short burst of laughter. "Just a feeling I've got!"

"Yeah…and when you get feelings, it means that something big is coming. You're thinking about what they were trying to do, interfering with the planet's Lay lines. It's been a while since anyone was that crazy. Even longer since anyone that crazy and well-equipped to try such a thing." Contrary to her short-tempered and devil-may-care attitude, Joan was quite an intelligent woman, especially when it came to matters of magecraft. Much like her husband, she'd picked up quite a bit in journeying through time to save the world from temporal destruction. They'd had over two decades of peace since that near disaster. Alas, peace was sometimes fleeting, and when disaster struck, there was a tendency for new blood to step up. That said, that didn't mean the old guard would be immobile.

Joan's golden eyes flickered to her husband's right hand. She could sense a slight build-up of unusual energy around it. Not simply because so many Servants were in close proximity but because of something else, something she couldn't quite place even though she had her theories. Almost all of his exploits during the Grand Orders had been near-superhuman, beyond what a person like him should have been capable of. It'd left a mark on him that even Chaldea's top scientific and magical minds sometimes were still studying. For the former, the idea of metaphysical "guardianship" had cropped up a lot. It wasn't a duty that he would shoulder alone though. The former Servant reached over and grabbed his right hand; in doing so, she felt the odd pulse circulating through his skin.

"Even though they're going to be the Masters, you're being called." The normally hot-blooded witch remarked. Between her quiet voice and the gentle look in her eyes, it was quite a sight for those who knew Joan Fujimaru on an outward level. Being her husband, Ritsuka knew her beyond that. He could see the look of deep unease in her eyes.

Worrying for her children was hard enough, but worrying about her husband as well? The latter of which she was used to so perhaps it was a little easier. Only a little though; she was quite a clingy woman when it came to the people she loved. Naturally, Ritsuka stood at the top of that list. That hadn't changed in the years since they'd met, it'd only grown stronger.

"I've felt it, little by little." The black-haired man quietly confessed. Both of them were sure to keep their voices down to not disturb the party still booming around them. If their daughters heard them, he didn't want to think about what their reactions would be. The same actually went for Mash and the others. "Even though I feel like I'm not going to be one of the participants, it still feels like the World's calling me, trying to warn me. Or tell me to get off my ass and get in gear."

The Dragon Witch groaned. "As much as I hate to say it, you may be onto something." Even though their first visit to the Reverse Side of the World had been unexpected, it'd been fun. That said, she didn't appreciate the possibility that Ritsuka might be pulled back at any time. Through his actions against Goetia, he'd assumed some sort of guardianship over the World. She didn't like it, but she considered it a step up from her lover being a Counter Guardian. That would have been enough to make her want to find whatever higher powers that be and burn them to ashes. "If you have any odd dreams tonight, you better tell me."

"Don't I always?" He laughed. Joan's emotional frown morphed into an annoyed sneer. It was enough to get a laugh out of Ritsuka. Some things never changed, and frankly, he didn't want them to. "Really, I have no idea what to expect. I think that's the worst thing about any of this. We've got Servants apparently coming from another world and there's absolutely nothing we know about them. While we have Koragg, I can't help but feel uneasy."

"Tell me something I don't already know." The silvery-haired woman sneered. "At least we know a little about the enemy Masters."

"Only a few of them." Ritsuka corrected. He knew his wife had never liked Ebner, and frankly, it wasn't hard to see why. There were numerous reasons for that from his attempt to surpass her in pyrokinetic magecraft to just his general attitude. It wasn't surprising that he'd thrown his lot in with an apparent mystical cult that was willing to go so far. What was worrying was how strong he'd become in doing so, and how far he was willing to go. In a way though, the latter had already been answered. "Joan, do you think you could try a scrying spell to find Lancer of Hell?"

She sighed. "Ritsuka, you know the time for that has come and gone. If I could find one of his scales, then I might be able to use it. We don't have one of his scales. If I could catch some of his fire, then I might be able to use it to track him down then." The witch let out a huff of sheer annoyance. "I gotta say, I really want to meet this Olympius prick myself. If he was good enough to give Koragg a good fight, then he's gotta be more than just some upstart drake." In the literal blink of an eye, her whole expression changed to one of the utmost seriousness. "Ritsuka, we're going to have to up their training…or alternatively, we're going to have to allow Koragg to push them even further."

As he watched his children play, Ritsuka thought back to all those times he was reminded his kids weren't normal. They'd inherited her supernatural genes resulting in their various abilities: increased strength, speed, durability, healing, pyrokinesis, and the ability to commune and control dragons. Such abilities put them head and shoulders above ordinary humans, and even some of the best magi…but Ritsuka knew the latter were insects compared to what they were going to be facing. They always knew there were stronger things than them; Koragg's arrival had been a darkened yet stunning reminder of that. The recent battles were another, somewhat hotter kind that they couldn't ignore.

"If we're going to have six other Masters, they're going to have to be as strong as them. No, stronger, all of them are going to have to be stronger than they are now." Everything about his voice and his face were grave, just like his wife's. They both thankfully went unnoticed amidst the continued festivities. They alone were looking at the darkness that loomed in the future. They were looking at it even as they tried to enjoy the lights around them. "Speaking of which, I guess I better start looking at some lists."

Quick as a viper, Joan took him by the cheek and turned him around to face her. His lips curved into a smile while his wife attempted to glare holes into his head, again. "You can do that tomorrow, Ritsuka."

Chuckling, he reached up and caressed her cheek, then pulled her into a kiss. Joan practically forced him onto his backside, not at all caring who might be looking over at them. It wasn't like they were alone in being intimate at this party. She'd caught her sister and "brother-in-law" sneaking looks at each other and getting touchy-feely with each other. Not to mention Joan had a feeling if Helena's crush was present, she'd be doing the same, albeit more discreetly, just like she used to with Ritsuka. She writhed in pleasure feeling his hands moving up her naked backside. The primal instincts within her were aroused and shouting for her to drag him away to a secluded spot so they could do more. They howled even louder when she sat up and looked down at him. As usual, he had that self-assured smile on his face, complimented by blushing cheeks. His face morphed into a beaming smile that sent her heart racing.

"We're going to make it through this, Joan. All of us." He whispered in a calm yet steely tone. Sitting upright, he wrapped both arms around her and held her against him. The Dragon Witch melted into his arms while planting kisses against his cheek and neck. Once she was finished, she looked to her left, his right. "I think they heard us." Ritsuka off-handedly whispered. She laughed alongside him as their highly trained ears picked up the flustered muttering of their daughters' voices, and Koragg's. "You know, I actually think he'll be a good teacher for them, especially Helena. She inherited your hellfire."

"And your golden-colored flames. As for Ryoko…I don't like the thought of it, but this war may just be the perfect opportunity for her Multiscale ability to flourish. I'd like it if she could demonstrate it here. We've got plenty of water."

"The dreaded Dragon Witch of Orleans wishing her daughter tried out hydrokinetic sorcery. Who'd have thought it?" Ritsuka wearily remarked.

Grinning, she pinched his cheek. "Who'd have thought a weak-looking little dork like you would end up living to see twenty." She shot back. It was his turn to kiss her. Aroused, Joan wrapped her arms around his neck to prolong the kiss. Breathless, they separated and laughed while gazing into each other's eyes. "When you tell me it's going to be alright…I can believe it. More importantly, I have enough faith to stand with you and make sure it's going to be alright." His eyes twinkled with that heartfelt glow that she always loved. Joan was sure that her own eyes held that same shine to them, a shine that he'd helped foster within her.

They went to join their children with that light still sparkling in their eyes. As they expected, their kids had indeed seen them, and Koragg was needling them about the topic. Apparently, he was understandably confused as to why they seemed so embarrassed with "being reminded their parents are married". Ritsuka and Joan shared short looks with each other.

Their laughter intermixed with that of those around them. Even with the sun having long since set, the party was still going on. Another successful birthday party, and with it there was a silent agreement that the Fujimaru Family and their allies would live to see another. And that there'd be an Earth for them to celebrate on.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::}]xxxx()o o()xxxx[{::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::⊳

Several Hours Later…

"You know…a part of me would have liked to have performed for her."

Merrick chuckled, giving his Org partner a playful pat on the shoulder. "You know, I think we should get you a gig performing at birthday parties. You already do it on the streets for random people. I'm sure you'd be a hit with kids. They'd probably love your 'costume'." The Wild Force Ranger remarked. Zen-Aku chuckled himself, perhaps quietly picturing such scenarios. Merrick knew that the concept would definitely get love out of his comrades back in their dimension. They all knew that Zen-Aku was capable of performing for children. After all, he'd done it for Cole and Alyssa's young daughter on her fourth birthday. Doing so had given the little girl an inclination to music that he believed was still going strong. Zen-Aku was quietly proud of the fact, and of her, whom he sometimes took to tutoring.

Chaldea had long since left the beach, leaving very little trance that they were there at all. Efficiency was well engrained into the organization, even on leisure occasions such as a birthday party.

They hadn't been able to attend it, but they had been able to ensure that it'd been able to proceed without a hitch. That was something enough to be happy about. Now that it was over with, their mission continued.

Zen-Aku walked into the water until it was at his knees. With the glow of the crescent moon overhead, he looked as dark and mysterious as he first had been. He was quite literally not of this world. Just like Merrick in a sense, albeit more so.

"How long will it take us to reach the spot?" Questioned the black-garbed wolf Org.

"Given Hammerhead's speed, I'd say almost half an hour. Once we get there, we better be prepared for a fight, even with it's with one of those Hell Servants. If so, the good news is we won't have to worry about collateral damage." The human answered. Obviously, wolves were land-based creatures. Now, sharks on the other hand were a different story. Giant biomechanical sharks that born from a primordial nature spirit, and a water spirit itself? Cruising the Atlantic Ocean wouldn't be a problem. Not to mention fighting whatever they encountered once they reached their destination.

"I'm ready, Merrick. Let's go." Zen-Aku declared.

Acknowledging his words, the Silver Ranger pulled out the small crystalline marble. Moonlight reflected on its violet surface, enhancing its already present mystic glow. It seemed as if the creature inside were alive and as it sensed the ocean before it, it longed for freedom. Merrick answered that request by throwing the sphere far out into the ocean. They'd waited to make sure the beach was as deserted as possible before making their move. That said, summoning a Zord would still cause quite a stirring of the waves.

And it did.

"Rrrraaahhh!"

Zen-Aku chuckled while Merrick's brow furrowed in annoyance. The truth was he had been expecting this to some degree. Wildzords were nature spirits who loved being out in the world. Be it their own or another that resembled it. Huge waves crashed against the shore as the massive purple and silver hammerhead shark familiarized itself with the ocean it now found itself in. There didn't seem to be a problem. Another smaller roar was directed at the two wolf-themed warriors. Sharing a look, they turned into spheres of light that shot toward the now manifested Zord. As they entered it, the Hammerhead Wildzord dove beneath the waves. It disappeared as quickly as it had manifested. By the time any onlookers came by, there'd be nothing to see.

In that same time, the Zord was fast moving through the waters. It knew its destination and swiftly swam to bring its two occupants there. From within the specialized cockpit, they watched the depths of the Atlantic Ocean pass them by. Both warriors quietly noted out like the waters of this world's Atlantic were to their own. Much like how its New York City bore some resemblance to their own, albeit there were differences. Happy differences either of them were inclined to say.

Within minutes, they were out in international waters and heading further out. Zen-Aku had his hands clasped together as he connected his senses to the Wildzord's. That included the latter's ability to navigate and view the planet's magnetic field. What they were looking for were disturbances in that magnetic field, something they were sure they would encounter as they drew closer to their target. Of course, there would be other signs of that, such as all the marine life fleeing in the opposite direction. Even oceanic predators would be ignoring their hunger in favor of pure survival instinct. In time they saw exactly that.

"I can sense it, Merrick. Another Ley Line being overtaken and corrupted." Sounded the reformed Org. The Wildzord concurred with the statement. Merrick sensed his unease and discomfort literally from all around him. He placed his hand on the altar-like control to soothe the aquatic Zord. The nature spirit could sense the evil they were heading toward, the evil that they were going to do their best to stop.

An image of what lay ahead came up on the HUD. Tendrils of dark red energy were fanning out through the water. He recognized the malefic form of darkness when he saw it, and he definitely recognized its handiwork. Several fish hadn't been quick enough to flee the scene and had gotten caught in the rupture going on. The Chaos Magic leaking out had sipped into their bodies and transformed them into larger-than-average monsters. Sealife that was once benign and natural was now warped and bloodthirsty. Seeing the malformed fish caused a knot to form in Merrick's gut. There was a good chance that if they swam out into open water then they can end up attacking and even killing innocent people. Unfortunately, he and Zen-Aku couldn't afford to hunt down each and every one of them. All they could do was strike at the source of the accursed transformations. If they didn't then he knew the monsters they were seeing now could end up being guppies compared to what they could end up having to face.

Worse. It could always get worse. That seemed to be a constant with every crisis, or at least in the first stages of them. Merrick knew perfectly well that they were still in the first stages.

And their enemy was intent on moving them to the next one as soon as possible.

"Well, well, this explains that tidbit that we picked up." Zen-Aku calmly remarked. When he first awoke, he was quietly surprised at the leaps and bounds humanity had taken. They'd come far in their technological prowess. Being an Org, he applauded how that same prowess could decimate the Earth's ecosystem, making it perfect for his kind. Such feelings had long since receded, but every now and then he felt them flare-up. He wanted to say that the overflow of chaotic energies were causing that flare-up this time.

It was unlike any deep-sea excavation humanity would normally undertake. Colossal machines and submarines hovered around the excavation site from which bursts of dark red and black energy were shooting outward in all directions. The water itself seemed to distort and constrict around the energy beams; they were as if the very fabric of reality was being altered, just as it had been in New York City. Energy from the Ley Line was erupting and being twisted into something else, something horrid. In a way, it was like a radiation leak, albeit in this case, the radiation was pure chaotic energy, worse than any nuclear radiation could ever hope to be. From what the two wolfen warriors could see, the crack was about twenty feet in length along the ocean floor.

"Looks like we've been spotted." Zen-Aku casually remarked in spite of the sight before them. For ordinary humans, such a thing would have been an image of terror and worthy cause for panic.

All around him he sensed the Hammerhead Wildzord tingling with excitement. While not as overtly bloodthirsty as its fellow shark Zords, he was still capable of being plenty vicious on his own. After all, he made up one-third of the Predator Wildzord. Said Megazord was fully capable of operating underwater, albeit not quite at the same effectiveness as on land. Regardless, if push came to shove, Merrick could make do. At the moment though, he was content with simply using his seaborne Wildzord. He heard the biomechanical beast's predatory growls in his head. He wanted blood, and Merrick gave it to him in spades.

With a fierce roar, the Hammerhead Wildzord lunged into the fray. Shooting out of the darkness, the Zord smashed into one of the submarines. Its iconic head portion jetted out, delivering immense amounts of force to the submarine's haul. Metal bent inward then shattered completely as the Zord's power proved too much for it to bear. In seconds, the underwater vessel had been torn in two, ocean water flooding into both sides. The crew could only helplessly scream, even those with magic, as the sea eagerly claimed them. Several hundred yards away, the second submarine readied its armaments in order to avoid a similar fate. The same went for the third submarine.

Merrick commanded his Zord to keep up its attack. After diving low, it shot upward toward the second submarine. The Hammerhead Wildzord glowed bright purple, lighting up the depths of the ocean. Torpedoes bounced off of the empowered Zord as it initiated its second ramming attack, smashing straight into the second submarine. To the surprise of the Zord's pilots, the ship didn't immediately give way. They watched as a coating of magic flickered around the submarine while it was pushed further up by the Hammerhead Wildzord.

"That's quite a surprise." Zen-Aku said, finally uncrossing his arms in a show of interest.

"It is, but it won't be enough to stop us, will it?" Merrick confidently retorted. Around both warriors, the cockpit pulsated. The Lunar Wolf Ranger felt the pulse stronger than his partner, whom he told to brace himself. Letting out a bestial growl, the humongous hammerhead continued to push against the submarine. Its protective shielding began to flicker more and more until a sound reminiscent of glass echoed throughout the depths. The sound of metal shattered immediately followed. In a heartbeat, the second submarine was in two pieces just like its first compatriot. Both halves began to sink to the ground; neither made it before they exploded.

With two out of the three subs down, the otherworldly duo turned their attention to the third and final submarine. After seeing its fellow ships go down so easily, the third one had pulled out all the stops and was firing everything it had at the Wildzord. Down below, the sorcerers attempting to tap the Ley line found themselves at a crossroads regarding what to do. Their spellcasting had been disrupted and now they could see if they didn't do something, then they were going to be out a ride back to the surface. Not that they would be needing it since they'd all be crushed or chewed into oblivion. Some had already let panic overtake them and begun to flee. A couple were held back by their fellow sorcerers, some of whom magically threw them into the Ley line rift they'd been working on. Their screams were lost over the sizzling water and the roar of explosions.

THUMP!

"This last one's putting up a fight!" Zen-Aku shouted as the Hammerhead Wildzord was knocked away by the submarine's magical barrier. Shockwaves ripped through the ocean, kicking up dust and debris along the ocean floor. "Think I should step in or it's time to form the Predazord?"

Merrick shook his head. "No, not yet. That's a tough barrier but not too tough that we can't break it. Isn't that right, Hammerhead!?" The answering growl practically shook the entire chamber. Both Merrick and Zen-Aku laughed, then braced themselves as energy began to accumulate all around them. Nowhere was it more visible than on the outside, where it formed into a giant astral projection of the Zord's hammerhead face. The Wildzord shot off like a rocket aimed straight at the last submarine. It threw everything it had at the incoming Zord, but all the shots merely bounced off.

Naturally, the Zord smashed straight through the submarine just as it had the previous two. The resulting explosion ripped through the ocean as steely debris and body were blasted in all directions. Back down on the ocean floor, the panic the sorcerers had been experiencing was magnified tenfold. Their spell had ceased, but the effects were still going on. Tendrils of mana were pouring out of the cracked Ley line, staining the water bloody red and deep black. That coloration was the new target of the Wildzord. Its pilots looked at the corrupted Ley line with narrow eyes.

"Not as bad as it could be, but closing that isn't going to be easy." Zen-Aku declared.

"No, so we better get started." Closing his eyes, he began to concentrate while his partner began to play. The cockpit around them glowed with ethereal light that quickly grew to encompass the entire Zord. Its purple and silver exterior glowed as did the water around it. The spirit of the World responded to the call of the natural warriors and lent them its aid without complaint. Taking that glow, the Hammerhead Wildzord began to swim around the opened rift. Before long, an underwater cyclone tinged with white light had formed above the cracked Ley line. Beacons of malevolent darkness were gradually cut off, contained by the aquatic twister. It wasn't long before any signs of the disturbance were hidden behind the cyclone. Those mages not quick enough or strong enough found themselves pulled into it. The chaotic energies within their bodies were purified by the natural energies of the Wildzord. For the planet, it was a painful but necessary experience to return to normal; for the chaos mages, it was just a painful way to die.

As the twisted light faded the cracks began to recede, guided by the force of the Wildzord and its pilots. They realized their job wasn't going to be finished as easily as they hoped when an alert went off.

All it took was a slight turn for the Hammerhead Zord to avoid the energized bolt of energy that zipped through the water. It exploded in an electric-like burst several meters away from the Wildzord, who turned to face the being that had fired it. The Zord let out a bestial snarl that was met with a challenging roar from the aquatic monster that would seemingly be its opponent.

Like the Zord, the monster was aquatic, but entirely organic in appearance. At first glance, it seemed to be some sort of pliosaur from the Jurassic era, save for the vaguely humanoid structure that it had from the midpoint, including the clawed hands that looked strong enough to bend solid steel. It had two eyes that glowed bright green, even the slitted pupils which held nothing but rageful malice toward the Zord. With a roar, the mutant monstrosity lunged at the Wildzord. Giving a snarl, Merrick commanded his Zord to counterattack, not that such a command was needed. The Hammerhead Zord recognized the threat and challenge the unnatural monster posed.

Launching into a horizontal spin, it generated a cyclone of water around itself which is used to crash into the mutant pliosaur. The latter brought both its hands down, attempting to catch the attack before it could connect, but its palms were torn and shredded in doing so. While the monster was pushed back, most of the force had been lost.

THUMP!

Until the hammer portion of the Zord's head jetted out, creating an explosive boom that knocked the mutant monster back several dozen yards. Its neck crackled with electrical energy that condensed in its throat. Opening its jaws, it revealed the amassing energy, which was fired straight at the Wildzord. It moved with incredible speed, hitting the purple and silver-colored shark and sending it swirling back; the score had apparently been evened, but neither side was going to allow that to stand for long.

"Seems like we're finally getting a challenge." Zen-Aku noted. "Should I break out the Eel Wildzord?"

Instead of Merrick, the Hammerhead itself gave a response. Tremor-like vibrations shook the piloting chamber, seemingly going directly into the two wolfen warriors. Neither of them outwardly reacted having experienced it before, but they took note of the message behind it. Especially Zen-Aku, who chuckled at the response his question had yielded. Merrick looked at him with a slight grin. Feeling rather amused himself, Zen-Aku laughed. "Right, sorry for doubting you, Hammerhead, you've still got plenty more fight left in you!"

Roaring, the Wildzord became cloaked in an aura of energy that illuminated the dark depths of the Atlantic. The water itself seemed to stir in response to the supernatural yet pure energies that lay within the Zord. A far cry from the warped responses of the corrupting Ley lines. To the mutated sea reptile, it was just something else to growl at. Crackling energy built up within the monster's throat, one second later and it exploded outward as a beam again. While charging the monster, the Hammerhead Wildzord spun out of the way, continuing its war path toward its adversary.

With a roar of its own, the mutated pilosaur swam forward, colliding with the Zord.

The undersea battle would drag on for an hour, the roars of the two aquatic giants shaking the ocean depths. Their clash would generate countless rogue waves that would roll over the surface. To those caught in said waves, they would be nothing but unexpected natural happenings. Not fallout from the supernatural battle unfolding hundreds of miles beneath the surface.

Said battle was just one of the many opening confrontations in a war nobody would know of. Not yet though.

Not just yet.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::}]xxxx()o o()xxxx[{::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::⊳

Auten Plaza Hotel, 7:11 AM…

Akara and Ida had circles underneath their eyes.

It'd been years since either of them had trouble sleeping, albeit they had every reason in the world to continue doing so. Both of them had lived hard lives, in Akara's case rather unjustly considering he was a complete outsider to the Moonlit World. Just like Ritsuka had been. Like him, the Thai native had been unexpectedly and rather unwilling dragged into it. Unlike him though, he'd been physically changed by it, changed into something that wasn't quite human.

Beneath his bandages, his scales were…tingling. Even across his skin, there were shimmers where hair was replaced by reptilian scales of a dark green color. His eyes seemed to periodically be shifting from rounded pupils to slits. It was as if he were on full alert for some sort of attack. Ritsuka knew the feeling, that sense that what you saw in a dream was going to follow you into the real world. Or that the dream had been a premonition, a potentially fatal one. Ida was looking the same way, and given her chronokinetic abilities, it said something that she was in a similar state.

Her right knee couldn't stop bouncing, nor could her hands stop twitching. Every now and then she'd looked down at her left hand, where a red stain-like mark that she and Akara had woken up to.

They had been chosen as Masters in the upcoming Unholy Grail War, just like his daughters. Ritsuka knew that they were both going to get their own Servants, unlike Helena and Ryoko who shared a Servant between them. Said Servant was right there in the conference room with them. Upon hearing news of the two teens manifesting Command Seals of some sort, he'd practically demanded to see them.

With surprising care, he examined both of their hands and concluded that what they had were "proto" Command Seals. They had yet to form as they'd yet to establish a bond with a Servant, but their markings had proven that the Holy Grail had selected them. Ritsuka questioned the "holy" part since the Servants that had been summoned so far seemed to have been picked out of a satanist's catalog. They weren't even limiting themselves to this dimension. Thinking about that left Ritsuka pondering exactly what sort of Servants Ida and Akara would end up summoning. More otherworldly beings?

If they were anywhere near as strong as Koragg then he'd welcome them with open arms. Well, maybe not open arms if their personalities were remotely similar to his; he'd likely get his teeth punched out or worse.

"Dad?"

Pulled out of his thoughts, he glanced over at Ryoko. She was now officially fourteen years old. Still three years younger than him when he found the fate of the world thrust onto his shoulders.

"Um, so…what happens now? Are we going back to Chaldea?"

"Probably, Ryoko. We know to regroup, which includes figuring out what six other Servants we can summon and who their Masters will be. Aside from the…four of you here." He answered. In his previous studies, he read that his girls weren't the first to share a Servant between them. It'd been a common thing with the Edelfelt Family, who even also had their Servant be a Saber like them. "We have an entire branch here in New York City to alert us if anything happens. Until something does, it's back to base."

"Here I was hoping we'd be able to stay a little while longer." Helena muttered. Her disappointment was short-lived. When she looked at her two friends, it was obvious she was worried about them. Though she could be like her mother, there were times his personality traits shined through. Such as the naked concern he tended to show for loved ones. "Alright, I'll go start packing."

"Hey, hey, I can pack my own stuff, thank you very much!" Ida called. She smiled at the oldest Dragon Witch. Rising to her feet, she walked over and put her left fist to her chest. "Don't go acting like Akara and I have been marked for doom! Geez, it's actually kind of insulting! We've been Masters before! Now's our chance to be Masters in a Grail War! Not bad for a couple of street urchins like us! Isn't that right, Akara!?"

While rubbing his eyes, the black-haired boy looked at Helena with a smile. It was small but brimming with the same confidence present in Ida's voice and face.

"…The two of you have already been battle-tested against our foes. It seems the powers of the Grail, or perhaps even Ayala herself, has chosen you both to battle alongside us." Per usual, Koragg's voice carried megatons of weight. His declaration seemed to brighten the moods of the two teens who'd been selected for the incoming Grail War. Turning to face them, that realization seemed to harden as they sensed his subtle change in moods. "As strong as both of you are, you are not yet strong enough to face the foes that we are destined to battle. I believe what we saw the night before was only a glimpse. You all need to become stronger. All of you." All four teens stood up just a little straighter. Ritsuka had a feeling that this talk about strength had been had before, and it was now more important since Akara and Ida were now participants in the upcoming Great Holy Grail War. "Mr. Fujimaru," Koragg said, catching his attention. "I request permission to personally train the four of them while the other four Masters are located and Summoning preparations are made."

Technically speaking, such a decision didn't entirely rest with him. Gordes was still the official director, but when it came to situations like this was willing to secede control back to him, the most experience Master in Chaldea's history. While he was proud of his previous adventures (especially surviving them), Ritsuka didn't like openly bragging about them. Not even to new recruits. At the very least, those new Masters could get the proper training that he never got so they were prepared.

"Alright. I'll get in contact with Gordes and Holmes and let them know what our plan is." There was a pause as he leaned his head back, looking like he was about to go sky diving without a parachute. "And I'll…let Da Vinci know to prepare the training room."

"Is she still upset?" Koragg asked, sounding genuinely confused. It was a sort of amusement for the others in the room, especially Helena and Ryoko.

The former moved away from Ida to stand beside the Saber. "Koragg, buddy, let's just say that she's going to be upset for a looong time. She takes her inventions very seriously, practically treats them like her own children." Helena merely giggled when Koragg fixed her with a dry stare. "Don't worry though. She'll get over it if we manage to survive this mess!"

Koragg tilted his head back; was he trying to picture Da Vinci's reactions before they took place? He wouldn't have put it past him. Since he had no face at all, Ritsuka or anyone else could do was attempt to read his overall aura. That didn't leave them with much in this case. In the end, the dark knight merely shook his head, perhaps indicating the inventor's wrath would be nothing but an annoyance to him. Given his strength and attitude, that's probably all her rage and potential pleading would admit to. Ritsuka couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh of pity for the woman. He could feel it down to his bones these next few weeks weren't going to be kind to her. At all. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so sorry for her.

Looking back to his right, he saw his wife was still quietly wrapped up in her own thoughts. Whenever she was quiet for any stretch of time, it usually wasn't good. He didn't have to think too hard about what the cause of her silence was. Their daughters being on the frontlines was terrifying enough, but the two runaways that they'd unofficially "adopted"? The truth was Joan was reaching her limits on their family being put in mortal danger. Not that she would come right on out and say that. Luckily for her, it seemed none of the four had noticed her silence, or they were choosing not to comment on it. That wouldn't have been surprising for Helena and Ryoko, who like him could detect when their mother was feeling uneasy.

She sensed his gaze and looked at him. Furthering the severity of the situation, she didn't even try to scare him into silence. As he always did, he merely gave her a reassuring smile. It caused her to sigh and stand up, both her hands on the table with a look of deep irritation on her face. Their daughters took immediate notice of it.

Seeing their concern, as well as that of Akara and Ida, her stern gaze softened if only a little. "We're leaving today. I hope you all know that. You all get some breakfast and maybe do some last-minute shopping and sightseeing, but by one o'clock, be ready to be on a flight back to HQ. Is that clear?"

"Got it!" Both of her daughters declared with Akara and Ida nodding in agreement.

"Alright, and as for you," she wagged her finger at Koragg, an act that some would have likened to attempting suicide. Surprisingly, Dark Saber remained perfectly calm as she did so. "You can train them, get them ready, but I'm also going to have a say in this, and so's Ritsuka. Those are our kids, and we know their abilities." Further surprising everyone, Koragg respectfully nodded in acceptance of her declaration.

"I understand." He said in an entirely respectful tone. Were the Knights of the Round Table present, they'd have done a double-take.

Ritsuka looked at his wife, then to Mash, Marco, and several other Chaldea agents. They had some calls to make and some work to do if they were to be in the air within the next four hours. He looked back at the kids, knowing that wouldn't leave them much time. Not that they were going to go wild in exploring the Big Apple. Akara and Ida's dreams were visibly weighing on them. They could try to block it out, but the implications were going to weigh heavily on their minds.

He decided he'd do what he could to lighten it, if only a little. "Before all that though…breakfast, everyone!" The joy in his voice wasn't forced; its effect was immediate.

"Banana pancakes! Finally!" Ida jumped up with stars in her eyes. Helena and Ryoko shared mutual grins while Akara merely shrugged his shoulders and chuckled. Grabbing hold of Helena and Akara, she directed the group of four toward the door, only to stop at the last minute and turn to Koragg.

The knight raised a hand to wave them off. "I will do some more scouting of the city. Should I find anything, I will contact either Helena or Ryoko. Should any of you find anything of note, be sure to contact me." He responded. The knight looked into the eyes of his sibling Masters, affirming his decision to go off on his own, at least for the time being. "Go, you four. Eat so that you'll have strength for the day should you need it."

"At least we don't have to worry about crappy airplane food when we travel." Helena muttered. "Alright, guys, let's go! A five-star breakfast awaits!"

"You're all talking like you wouldn't be able to get that Chaldea, where the ratings go from one to five to one to ten." Ritsuka chuckled.

Just a little behind him, he heard Marco whisper, "Seriously?"

"Best cooks in the world, and throughout time!" Mash eagerly replied. He didn't need to look back to hear the excitement in her voice. They seemed to be getting along better than he thought, and Ritsuka couldn't be happier about that. After all these years…maybe you've finally found that special someone, Mash. He knew better than anyone that a world-ending crisis could be…surprisingly beneficial to helping relationships form. Speaking of world-ending, we're going to need some help for this. Serious help. We've got invaders from another world; the very idea would be enough to get most magi either laughing or turning their nose. Most though, not all. That train of thought intermixed with the previous one, leading him to glance at Helena. By pure chance, his daughter caught his smile and winked at him.

"So, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Came his wife's voice.

"And that would be?" He chuckled. Wearing a proud grin, he allowed his wife to turn his head to the side and pinch his cheeks. She could stretch hard enough to tear the skin off of his mouth, and she'd threatened to do so several dozen times. Here he was with all the skin still on his face. "Are you thinking of the same person I am?"

"And that would be?" Joan said with a snarky smile. "Come on. Contrary to what I said, a little breakfast sounds nice. Plus, I prefer eating on the ground instead of in the air."

Shooting one last look at Koragg, he saw him looking out the window to the street below. He recognized that deeply thoughtful look on his face. He had no idea how many times he'd worn it on his own face. Gently tapping his wife's hand, he walked over and placed a hand on the knight's shoulder. The warrior looked back at him. There was no malice or threatening presence in his gaze.

"If something's on your mind, Koragg, you can talk about it with me or anyone else."

Ritsuka could make out the confusion in him. It yet again affirmed his theory that wherever the dark knight had come from, he'd had a life of nothing but fighting and little in terms of social interaction. Or at least positive social interaction. Though war probably wasn't anything new for him, normal social interaction probably was, he was still getting used to it. Yet again, he chuckled in the back of his mind at how his kids were really following after him. Luckily for him, they were better equipped than him on multiple fronts.

After a silent nod, Ritsuka withdrew his hand and looked back. His eyes locked with his former Servant, whose bond he'd reestablished. In a second, he could tell that Mash had an idea in her head, one that likely pertained to Chaldea's newest member and their leading Servant in this incoming Grail War. Ritsuka had a feeling that he hadn't been the only one making observations; Mash had probably arrived at the same conclusions he had. Like him, Mash had done so growing as well. She wasn't the shy shield-bearer she used to be.

And yet the kind and supportive heart that he'd relied on hadn't dimmed in the slightest.

"Um, Mister Dark Saber? Koragg? Sir?"

Mash Kyrielight, Shielder.

Koragg knew of the Shielder-Class, he himself qualified for it as he did six of the seven basic Servant classes. It was one of the rare extra Classes he had qualifications for, the other being the Avenger Class. Not that he held immense disdain for them, but he tried to stay away from the Class, at least when it came to Summoning. Shielders didn't have a single unifying personality trait like Berserkers. That said, most of them were known for being not so confrontational. Even the legendary Achilles had his bloodlust tempered when summoned to the purely defensive Class, somewhat.

If ones such as King Arthur were model representations of the Saber-Class then Mash Kyrielight was such to the Shielder-Class. It was an odd coincidence that both were related to Arthurian mythology, not that the latter looked it.

A demure woman of just barely five feet, short pink hair and bright silvery-blue eyes behind rounded glasses. One never would have suspected she'd played an instrumental part in saving the world during the Grand Orders. A trait she shared with her former Master, who seemed on the surface to be an ordinary human man, not the model of human bravery and fortitude that he was. Having some awareness of their history, Koragg felt inclined to treat the Demi-Servant with a certain respect. More so given his Masters saw her as one of their surrogate aunts.

"Shielder," he began. "What is it?"

Holding a small but warm smile she walked over to him. "I don't want to waste your time, but…I was wondering how you're doing. You seemed a little confused when you saw how protective Joan got over Akara and Ida."

If he had eyes, he'd have blinked. "Was I?" he called, sounding genuinely confused.

Her smile held as she stepped up to join him on the ledge overlooking the city. "I could tell. With all due respect, Dark Saber…you…never had parents, did you? Or at least parents that cared for their children."

Her words caused a stir in Koragg's very soul. It wasn't anger he felt toward the woman, it was just…something he couldn't explain. His gaze moved from her to the blue summer sky. From a normal point of view, it was just another beautiful day in spite of the seemingly unexplainable explosions and chaos two days ago. The city ultimately meant nothing to him, but he hoped that for a time it would know peace. "I…suppose you could say I had a father of sorts, but not in any way like Ritsuka Fujimaru is to Helena and Ryoko. Likewise…I…know nothing of motherhood, though I believe one of my…allies was a mother herself. Given our mutual disdain, I looked no further into her personal life. Even now, I can't say that I want to. She and Joan Fujimaru are so…different on the inside."

"Would you like to know?" A breeze passed, causing her short hair to blow against her face. It was a warm and relaxing wind that she found deeply enjoyable. As Koragg looked at her, he could sense the Demi-Servant feeling pity for him. With his armored form, could he feel the wind on his face? While yes, he could, it wasn't quite the same feelings for him as it was for her. "I can't quite say that I know what it feels like to have a biological mother, but I've had mother-like figures in my life, who I'm grateful for. They helped me become the person I am today."

"…Does that also apply to Akara and Ida?" He asked with quiet curiosity in his voice. Koragg made no attempt to hide it.

Mash nodded. "Yes, in a sense, Joan's filled the void that their parents' deaths left behind, and so did Ritsuka."

There was a brief silence filled with the city noises. "…What happened to them? I know of Ida's Mystic Eyes of Chronos; I have encountered them in other worlds, other timelines. In a few, I've met members of the Altemose Clan. As for Akara, I'm certain he was forced to undergo a Chimerazation experiment."

Her face darkened with sadness as she continued to look at the sky. "Ida's father was given a Sealing Designation by the Magus Society."

"He did not go quietly." It was an immediate response. Koragg had a few pieces and put the picture together immediately once Mash handed him that last piece. She nodded in sorrow at his response. "I'm assuming that his family was caught in the crossfire." Again, she nodded. "I can understand her disdain for magi, and especially the Magus Association."

Mash gave a nod, her eyes full of pain that Koragg couldn't quite understand, but he knew it rain deep. He was sure that the woman had suffered her own mistreatment from the organization. More often than not, it seemed the Association was a prejudiced and arrogance-filled organization no matter the world. Even to a creature of darkness like him, he felt disgusted at the organization and its often pig-headed methods of operation and rules.

"If she ever steps outside of Chaldea's shield, they'll kill her, after taking her Mystic Eyes." Mash declared. He noticed how her body tensed at the thought of such a thing happening. "Helena's the one who found her. It was in Tokyo about three years ago. She stopped her when she was planning an assassination of a magus. By then, she already had a bounty on her head, something Helena knew, but she defended her anyway. Once she stepped in to defend Ida, Ryoko did so too with their parents following suit."

"And then…Chaldea." Koragg deduced. Mash nodded, a smile forming on her face. Dspite the seeming severity of the situation, she seemed to look back on the memory with fondness. "Was Helena able to convince her not to go through with her assassination plot?"

"Yes, but only barely. Joan threw her weight around, or shall I say, she reminded people why she's a witch."

"She placed a curse on this magus?" Dark Saber immediately said. For those skilled in the dark arts, curses were something of a norm. Any dark mage worth a dime knew how to fling one or two curses.

"Yes, and she did it right beneath his nose. By then, Ida had been living with the Fujimarus for almost two weeks. In that time, they all warmed up to Ida. Joan in particular, I hear she took quite a shine to her, just like she did with Akara."

"That might have been due to the hunger for vengeance in her heart. Even though she's now a mortal woman, she still retains traits of an Avenger."

"Yes, she does. Ida told me that she herself felt a sort of kinship with Joan that helped her ease into the Fujimaru home. She realized she would always have a home and a family there, just like Akara did."

Koragg took that as an indicator it was time to shift the discussion to the half-reptilian teen. He'd seen many horrid fates thrust upon unsuspected and often undeserving humans, including the likes of which Akara had suffered. "It was a chimerazation experiment, wasn't it?"

Mash's face grew dark again as she looked down at the railing. She herself was a product of magecraft research, a Designer Baby. It was only natural that she felt a closer tie to Akara than Ida; especially given the former was like her former Master. A totally normal human being who'd been dragged into the Moonlit World against his will. "Yes…an illegal experiment. The group responsible were outlawed magi who'd been doing this sort of thing for years. It was…pure bad luck that Akara ended up caught in their experiments."

"…Were there any survivors save for him?" The knight solemnly asked. When Mash shook her head, Koragg felt something resembling sympathy for the Thai teen. It was never easy being the sole survivor. "I take it Ryoko is the one who found him. I've noticed they share a close bond, just as Helena does with Ida."

"She was. The Fujimarus readily took him in until they could take him to Chaldea. We did the best we could, we managed to turn back some of the more…extreme aspects of his transformation."

Hearing that, Koragg quietly imagined what Akara must have looked like before. Given the horrors he'd seen, those were some terrifying images. In that moment, he decided he wouldn't bring up the topic out of respect for Akara. While he'd had horrible experiences with magi, Koragg was still a little curious as to why Akara's hatred didn't seem to run as deep as Ida's; he had every right to it though. Then again, perhaps it does, and I just haven't seen it or sensed it yet. There is a beast lurking within him. I fear that for this war I may have to bring it out. It was bitterly ironic that he made that realization as he decided not to push the boy. Such was the effect of war, when one found themselves having to walk a line between compromising their personal codes and breaking them. Koragg had a sinking feeling that inner debate would await all of them.

Feeling the sun on his helmeted face made him look up to the sky. Sometimes it felt strange, a creature of darkness like him standing in the light. He was still unseen by the public though, and that was for the best.

I'm not a hero. I'm…I'm not them. I never will be, and yet…

"They were strangers from different parts of the world, yet she took them in, housed them, fed them. I would never have expected such behavior from an Avenger like Joan d'Arc." The dark knight finally said.

"That's what happens when you interact with people, when you let them change you, usually for the better." The Demi-Servant declared in a jubilant voice.

Koragg turned to her with his best version of an aside stare. "Are you implying something like that will happen to me?"

There was something in her smile that continued to stir Koragg's intrigue. "Would you consider it a bad thing if that happened?"

He was quiet for several minutes, letting the sound of the city fill the void. The Shielder didn't seem to mind it; apparently, she just enjoyed giving him food for thought. As far as female associates went, she wasn't as bad as he could have gotten. The girl was certainly a step up from what he's dealt with in the past, or what he could have been dealing with. As far as potential students went…he could have done much worse than Helena, Ryoko, Ida, and Akara. In fact, he believed they would all be good students in the arts of combat, they all had prior training and were effective combatants on their own.

Not to mention he'd…grown fond of the four in the few days they'd all been together.

Looking back at the Shielder, he had a feeling that she'd realized that. It was likely one of the reasons why she was smiling, and perhaps why she came to see him in the first place.

While he wasn't exactly hoping for it, his mind turned to the subject of youth. It had been five youths who'd stood against him and the Armies of the Underworld. The odds were clearly not in their favor, but they'd fought and eventually won. Koragg had long since wondered about the source of their strength. Looking out over the City of New York, he quietly wondered if the chosen Masters of this Onyx Faction would be able to find a similar strength. He knew that darkness was coming for the world…and it was going to take everything they had and more to beat it back.


Beijing, China…

"Master Jiang! Master Jiang! Master Jiang, please, wake up! Your father's calling for you! Now!"

Hsu Jiang bolted straight up, pushing his chair back with such force that it toppled to the ground. The resulting crash was enough to make him spin around, nearly tripping over himself in the process. If it weren't for the table in front of him, he'd have likely followed after his chair in hitting the floor. "Gaaaah! What! M-M-M-My father?! Where!?" Within seconds, the adrenaline began to wear off and he could recognize his surroundings, in his lab. His brown eyes zeroed in on Qian Shan. As usual, the family butler looked less than pleased at having to wake him up from another seemingly all-night research marathon. Already knowing he was drooling, he wiped it away from the corner of his lips and stood up a little straight. "You, um, said my father wants to see me?"

"Yes, young Master. I believe it's quite serious. In fact, I believe it may have something to do with that." The exasperation was gone, replaced by a seriousness that immediately caught Jiang's attention. What also caught his attention was what he was pointing at.

Even with his still slightly disoriented mind, Jiang knew exactly what he was talking about. Turning around, he stared at the 3D projection of the planet Earth, created from streams of the planet's very mana to give real-time updates. That connection had allowed Jiang to see…things, distortions that were popping up all across the planet. The once natural flow of energy was being distorted, warped in horrible ways that were causing his spatial sensors to go off like they never had before. With a few clicks he saw that they were still going off, he'd simply slept through them. He'd been overwhelmed with the data that he was getting. A part of him wanted to refuse to believe what he was seeing was real. A part of him didn't want to believe that pockets of space were literally being torn open, allowing something else to enter the World. Or rather, change the World into something else.

Rubbing his eyes, he saw that nothing had changed, the red dots were still present, and perhaps even more numerous than they had been before. Looking at them then, the readings on his other scanners made his heartbeat slow to an uneasy pace. Checking the clock, he found that he'd slept through the entire night into the early morning. In that time something had happened, something bad.

"Tell my father I'll be there in a minute. First, I need to-"

"Get dressed?" The long-time Hsu Family attendant said. His words brought a short but appreciated uplifting air to the lab. Jiang smiled at his statement, and he smiled back while giving a slight bow. "I'll let him know. Oh, and young master, perhaps a quick shower. You've been neglected one for the past day."

A nervous laugh slipped from the seventeen-year-old researcher's lips. "True. Um, maybe tell him it'll be five minutes tops. Thank you, Qian Shen." He watched the salt and pepper-haired attendant leave, not moving until he was down the stairs and out the door. Jiang knew waiting wasn't exactly making good on his promise, but he felt like he needed a minute to comprehend what was happening. He could feel it in his bones, something was going very wrong in the world. And he had a feeling that it was going to involve another world.

Whenever he brought up such possibilities, he was overwhelmingly laughed at, when he wasn't ridiculed. A small part of Jiang wondered if all that ridicule would start changing over the next few weeks.

News of Chaldea's latest summoning had made the rounds across the magus world. When he heard that the two who made the summon were Helena and Ryoko, well…Jiang so adamantly wished that he'd been there himself.

He wished that he could have seen Helena supposedly stand up to the mysterious knight Servant and fight him when he tested her and Ryoko on their worthiness to be his Master. It didn't surprise him in the slightest that they'd succeeded. When it came to doing the impossible, he had absolute faith that the Fujimaru Sisters could pull it off, especially Helena. Maybe if he went to Chaldea, he could see the footage from the battle. He wondered how much stronger she'd gotten since the last time that he'd seen her. Not to mention how much…prettier she'd become.

Jiang felt his cheeks blush at the possibility of so much as calling her and asking her how she was doing. Or how Ryoko's birthday went. While he'd have loved to have gone there to see her himself, he had too much work. At least he'd realized that a day earlier and was able to send her a birthday gift and a card as compensation. His cheeks flushed red as he remembered the near half-hour-long debate he had on rather or not to include anything else in the letter. In other words…a note to Helena. It'd been almost three months since he'd seen her.

After a quick shower, he looked himself over in the mirror.

It was common for him to overwork himself to the point he neglected his physical appearance. Even for the second son of the Hsu Family, that was a bad look. Luckily, his father was lenient, most of the time anyway. Not to mention the family servants were more often than not willing to remind him to take care of himself. He did just that, enough so that he didn't look like a complete slob. His grandparents had told him to no end that he had the Hsu Family looks and he had to make good use of them.

Frankly, he didn't know if he considered himself good-looking. He was of average five-foot-eight height; a little bit taller than the average Chinese national, just like most males of his family. His brother still exceeded him in height by two solid inches, which was the same height their father stood at. Both told him in a year or two, he might have another growth spurt to catch up to them. Jiang didn't think that would amount to much if he didn't have the personality to go with it. He didn't have the likable and adventurous nature of his older brother, nor did he have that sense of presence and strong will that his father did.

Sighing, he looked back at his reflection, being reminded that he was just Jiang. Hsu Jiang, the second-born son of the head of the Hsu Family. All that said…he was still proud of himself; he was proud of the blood flowing in his veins. He was also immensely proud of the brain that lurked beneath his short jet-black hair. Maybe he was jumping the gun, or maybe he'd realized what was coming, but he had a feeling that his brain was going to come in handy. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why he'd been chosen as a Master. Through the residual fog from his shower, he looked down at his left hand, to the red smear that he'd woken up to.

Qiang Shen hadn't noticed it, Jiang hadn't noticed it himself until after he'd left. He'd gone from being caught up in his thoughts to focused that the slight throbbing in his hand completely slipped his mind. Now, here he was in the bathroom able to focus on it, at least for the moment.

"I wonder if…father already knows, or if this is related to what happened in New York City." Just before he lost himself in his work, he'd been following the "incidents" happening in the United States. Actually, he'd followed them from start to finish since his instruments had their strongest readings, and they all pointed to the Big Apple. He'd heard that's also where Helena and her family were, it's where Ryoko had spent her birthday. "Here's hoping you were able to enjoy it, Ryoko."

Feeling he'd done enough contemplation, he got back to dressing himself. His father's leniency could only extend so far, especially when it was a serious matter. As he pulled on the jeans and proper button-up shirt, he felt that this was going to be a serious matter. That thought weighed him down as he walked down the hallway toward his father's office.

He'd definitely taken longer than the five minutes he said he would, though his father probably already knew it'd be a bit longer than that.

Qiang Shen was waiting for him at the double doors, a smile on his face as he gave a respectful bow. He was the one who pushed them open and welcomed them into his father's office.

Hsu Guang, current head of the illustrious Hsu Family. To the general public, he was merely one of the richest men in China and the head of one of the world's leading shipping companies. What the general public wasn't aware of was that he was also one of the most well-respected, and most disliked, magi in the entire world. Oh, and a proud backer of Chaldea.

To Jiang though, he was ultimately a "father", the man he respected the most in the world, as well as a beloved member of his family.

He bowed. "Father." It was so often said that he and his brother would look like his father when they reached thirty. Their grandmother and aunt were giddy at the thought since his father was widely acknowledged as a handsome man. Of course, unlike him, he kept himself well-groomed, from his mustache and goatee. He almost always dressed sharply, even when at home. Given that he could work from home just as much as he could in an office, that was to be expected.

Both of his hands were laced together atop a folder, one that contained the floral-themed logo of Chaldea Security Organization. The sight caused his chest to tighten, something his father took note of.

"Jiang, hold out your left hand." His father began. He did exactly that without any hesitation. Reaching over, he took it and gently held him by the wrist. "You've been chosen by the Holy Grail." The family head quietly remarked. Looking up at him, he smirked. "You were expecting it to be Chen, weren't you?"

A sheepish smile overtook his face. "Um, father, we both know he's the adventurous one, not to mention the most…combat capable."

"Yes, he is, yet here we are with you bearing the mark. I contacted him and he told me he'd received no such marking. Hehehe, as much as I'd like it to be, it appears you will be the first Hsu in four generations to participate in a Grail War. You're aware of the weight that comes with that honor, right?"

Jiang gave a vigorous nod. "I am, father, and you have my word I won't let any of you down!"

"I have little fear that you will, Jiang! You're more eccentric than any son that I could have asked for, but whereas Chen has the courage and sense of adventure, you have the intelligence that has been passed down through our family! I believe that we may have more need of that than any martial strength, though from what I understand that role has already been occupied." His father laughed after releasing his hand. He looked down to the file folder, pushing it into Jiang's hands. "You will find all the information that you need in these files. That said, I'll tell you right now. Ritsuka Fujimaru called me and personally informed me of the situation. Jiang, it seems your theories about alternate worlds have more merit than anyone might have thought. The Servants that have been summoned in this Great Holy Grail War are seemingly from another world."

Unable to contain his shock, Jiang sat straight up. Thankfully, he didn't knock over the office chair. "W-W-What?! Alternate worlds?! Servants summoned from alternate worlds?!" There was a brief pause as his brain wrapped around another piece of information that his father had just revealed. "W-Wait, father, did you say…Great Grail War? Great as in…"

He gave a grim nod, wearing an expression that Jiang knew all too well. It meant that this piece of information wasn't something to be overly excited about. "Yes, my son. A Great Holy Grail War, meaning that there will be two sides battling it out. You will be on one side, the side of the Onyx Faction."

Jiang felt his heart being at an erratic pace. He felt weak in the knees hearing the news. "T-T-The…Onyx Faction." His gaze drifted down to his left hand, at the smeared red mass that he'd woken up to. Suddenly, the blood-red color seemed more intimidating than it had before. "It…this…should be Chen. I mean…he's been in warzones before."

"Yes, he has. Between the two of you, I'd much prefer him, even though I shudder at the thought of either of you being in harm's way." At his behest, Jiang sat down. He probably needed it since the weight of the challenge ahead was seeming about to crush him. "That said, it seems that the Holy Grail has made its choice, you have been chosen, Jiang. Not only are you needed as a Master, I know that your expertise in dimensional phenomena will be required. As I said, it seems all your theories will be put to the test, and beyond, my son." Jiang continued to stare at his father with nervousness still eating at him. Knowing him, he wasn't surprised at it; he'd no doubt been expecting it. "Jiang, you will not be alone. As I'm sure you know, Chaldea is a massive organization, with an army of Servants, even with the six 'Onyx' Servants that will soon be summoned."

Just as he felt the words sink in, something caught Jiang's mind. "Six? Father, don't you mean seven Servants?"

"No, six. Helena and Ryoko have already summoned the first Onyx Servant, Saber of Onyx, also known as Dark Saber. I believe that you will find him of great interest." His lips curved into a smirk that made Jiang's heart race. "But, I'm sure not as interesting as the prospect of seeing Helena again. Make sure to tell her I said hi!"

Crimson exploded across Jiang's cheeks. "F-F-F-Father!"

After getting his laughs in, his father decided to get back to business. "This afternoon you're going to be flown to Chaldea's Antarctic base. From what I understand, this Grail War has already begun, and time is of the essence. As we speak, the other Masters are being contacted and sent there as well." His father waited for him to fully absorb the information, which he signaled he did with a silent nod. "You will pack up all the things you believe you'll need from clothes to any portable equipment. Jiang, I don't think I need to tell you this, but bring all of your research notes about interdimensional physics. Also…I'm giving you what our family has learned about the Dragon Veins."

"Dragon Veins? Father, why would you need to give me those? Why would Chaldea need those? Unless…" His eyes widened as he remembered what he'd been observing before sleep overtook him. "Father…" Jiang began.

He gave another grim nod. "My son, while I know this experience may be the sort that you have been hoping for all your life, remember to be cautious. I believe that whatever this is…is a major turning point for our entire planet. One that we make not walk away from unscathed as we did the Grand Orders. Like them though…I believe that if we fail, the consequences will be humanity's existence."

Needless to say, those weren't quite the words that Jiang was expecting to hear. No one, not even a magus prodigy like him, ever expected to hear such words. Sane ones hoped they'd never hear such words. To hear that the fate of the world might potentially be thrust upon your shoulders? He was no glory hound eager to make a name for himself by potentially saving the world.

Jiang so very much wanted to go back to his lab and get back to work. He wanted to continue on like it was just another normal day. With every second that passed, he realized that wasn't going to happen. The growling of his stomach told him that every second that passed was a second that he wasted, it could be better spent eating breakfast.

It was enough to get his father to laugh again. He rose from his chair and walked around his pure wood desk. The next thing Jiang knew, he found himself swept up in a warm hug from his father. Though surprised, he quickly returned it. As per usual, his father was one step ahead, and seemingly on top of things, be their business, magical, or personal matters. He always wondered how he'd ever measure up to him; Chen had confided in him that he sometimes felt the same way, but he was happy for his presence. At the end of the day, they both knew they were lucky. As far as parents went, they'd fared far better than countless other kids, especially those who were magi.

He knew that most of them wouldn't have fathers as supportive as him. It was just another way that Jiang felt like he'd been blessed.

Pulling away but keeping his hands on his shoulders, his father looked him in the eye. "Remember, you're not just a Hsu, you're Jiang Hsu, the smartest of us in over a century. You have our blood, our courage, our spirit within you, and that will be enough to carry you through whatever you may face, my son."

Feeling a tide of encouragement beating back the anxiety, Jiang vigorously nodded his head. A smile grew along his face as he found himself empowered by that sudden tidal wave. "I will remember that, father, and I swear, I will do the Hsu name proud!"

"Good, now come! We're having breakfast as it will be in poor taste for you to arrive at Chaldea with your stomach growling like a tiger." He had the decency to blush at the remark. It wouldn't exactly be the first time something like that happened. Every day his father, grandparents, uncle, and aunt hoped the potential next time would be the last. "Oh, and can you make sure to do one important thing?" he shaped up at the seeming promise. "Remember to thank Helena." He said with a wink.

At that seemingly simple task, Jiang froze, much to his father's amusement. It was all but certain if he were brother present, he'd have asked the same thing…after having laughed his ass off for several seconds. The same went for his mother, who'd have likely never let this drag on for this little.

Surely saying thank you to Helena for what she did all those years ago in the midst of a potentially world-ending crisis wouldn't be too hard, right?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::}]xxxx()o o()xxxx[{::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::⊳

Tokyo, Japan…

Shin'ichi didn't dwell on his latest kill; he knew that if he didn't move fast then he was going to be sharing the same fate as the soldier whose skill he'd just blown off. He was already moving before the body even hit the ground, his boots pounding against the ground. Explosions echoed across the urban cityscape around him. The sounds were like thunder, yet the sky was as clear as could be. If one didn't count the numerous columns of smoke rising into the sky, turning parts of it dark. He knew come sunset it'd create quite an image, though he was confident that the battle would have ended by then.

He had every intention of being one of the last, if not the last man standing. Getting here hadn't been easy, but he'd made it through. Many had fallen for him to reach this point, by his own hand and the hand of his enemies.

His rifle blazed with azure fire as he unloaded round after round into every enemy that dared to cross his path. That's all there were now, enemies. This was a free for all battle where mercy got one a bullet to the face, if they were lucky. He'd seen with his own eyes what happened to those who had far worse fates. Shin'ichi himself had dulled some of them out, though only to avoid meeting a grisly end himself.

A roar unlike anything capable of a human nearly blew out his eardrums. Shin'ichi looked to his right just in time to see a mass of buildings collapse as a monster - a kaiju - burst through them. A barrage of gun and missile fire bombarded it from the ground, causing the red-skinned monstrosity to look down. The weapons of the humans were actually managing to injure it, punching bite-sized holes in its vaguely canine-like snout. That angered it, and it responded with an energy blast that lit up that incinerated all of them into nothing. Shin'ichi felt his instincts screaming at him, so he followed them. He ran along the ruined walkway and jumped just as the energy beam cut a new path of destruction across the city.

"Jaeger," he whispered. "Gotta get to a Jaeger big enough to take that thing down." Hiding in the ruins of what might have been a hotel lobby/café, he checked his map for any mechs in the area. "Oh, you've got to be shitting me! Four blocks away!" The building shook and his ears rang with the monster's roar. "Guess I better hustle!" Instead of complaining, he just moved. In a situation like this, he knew bemoaning his luck wasn't going to help him and standing in a big building like this certainly wasn't going to keep him alive. Big buildings like this came down like houses of cards when a giant monster was within two blocks.

As for him, he found himself ducking and dodging through four war-torn city blocks. Shin'ichi found he wasn't the only one going for the Assault Walker. It was the only one for miles, and there was a giant wolf-gorilla hybrid tearing apart the city. Nothing short of an extremely powerful weapon like an ion cannon to the face was going to damage, even kill it. Shin'ichi was gambling on the fact that no one had such a weapon in the immediate area. As for getting to the Assault Walker, well…that was a fun adventure in itself.

Just as he expected, his path was littered with obstacles. He wasn't the only one trying to make it to the Jaeger, and he certainly wasn't the only one packing some considerable power of his own. Shin'ichi found himself ducking bullets, grenades, telekinetically thrown pieces of debris, and blasts of energy. Varied blasts of energy at that, but he took extra care to avoid the ice and lightning; he didn't want to get stunned. If he went down for any longer than five seconds, then someone else would come in and finish him off. He did the exact same thing to those who did find themselves on the wrong end of such attacks.

A giant electrified sword was coming at him. One swing would be enough to lop his head off, or cleave him from shoulder to hip. Shin'ichi took aim not at the charging enemy but at the ground in front of him. His ice-infused rounds exploded in bursts of sub-zero air and icicles that slowed the approaching soldier down. Shin'ichi kept calm and kept up the suppressing fire, frustrating the man.

"Dammit, just give it up already! You've lost!" He shouted.

Shin'ichi grinned. "Nope, I don't think so. In fact, I think you're the one who's lost, you just haven't realized it yet!" His taunt worked as his enemy saw red. Bright blue bolts of electricity danced along with his raised sword as it was lifted skyward. The rising voltage made the hairs across his body stand up on end, yet it was a feeling that Shin'ichi relished. He lived for moments like this, thrills that got his blood pumping. Unbeknownst to his attacker, he'd set up a reflective icy mirror behind him. That's what he took aim at, and thanks to the barrier, his attacker wound up getting hit from behind. His momentary disorientation was exactly what Shin'ichi needed. In a heartbeat, he covered the distance between them, forgoing his rifle in favor of physical blows. Blood and teeth flew from his mouth. Spying his opponent's fallen weapon, he grabbed the sword and used it to decapitate the man. Shin'ichi was moving again without even looking back.

Within moments, the Jaeger came into view. Waiting in an emergency hanger that had been disguised as an office building. With the attack on the side, the need for disguises had been discarded, leaving it in the open.

Shin'ichi managed to make it there. He had one last obstacle, a woman. She had the same idea as him, she planned on taking the Jaeger for herself.

It came down to a quick draw, albeit one involving a gun and a knife instead of two of the former. He supposed he was feeling whimsical with the few throwing knives he still had in his possession. As with all the others, he ran straight past her corpse on the way to the cockpit.

Once he was inside, he allowed a brief moment of respite to overtake him. That was the thing about mecha cockpits, they were places of absolute terror, yet they could also be sanctuaries. Shin'ichi basked in the feeling of the latter while he booted up all of the systems to get it operational. Within a minute it was, tearing from the hanger restraints.

"Alright, time to push this round into endgame territory." He whispered while the HUD came up showing all the nearby enemies. The number of kaiju present had multiplied from one to three. Shin'ichi believed he could take his chances with the Jaeger, but his gut told him there was more to this than just three seemingly random monsters. "I wonder…is it a Beast Caller?" Instead of directly moving out, he linked the Jaeger's sensors with his own personal map. He grinned once a certain icon came up on the HUD's map. "Gotcha, now say your prayers."

Shin'ichi pushed the Jaeger full throttle, leaving massive-sized footprints in his wake. He wasn't interested in the kaiju, though killing them would have been a blast. What he wanted was their summoner, their controller. Unless he was stopped then fighting them would definitely prove to be harder than it normally would be. He'd win, but Shin'ichi didn't want to find out what the cost would be.

As soon as he got within firing range, he let the rockets fly, blowing away even more chunks of the landscape. Zooming in, he saw the Beast Caller attempting to protect herself with a barrier. The explosions from several of his rockets left cracks in it, one more blow and it'd shatter, leaving her defenseless.

He decided to go full melee. All the thrusters were fired up while the rocket elbow feature was activated. With a triumphant shout, he rammed his fist straight into the woman, smashing through her barrier and the interior of the building she'd been hiding in. Thanks to his freight train-like momentum, he ended up crashing straight through the building itself, the Jaeger slamming into the ground on the other side. He felt his head spinning, but one look at the blood smeared on his palm and he found himself laughing.

"Glad you managed to score that kill, Shin'ichi. It was a good one, and your last!"

"The hell?!" Shin'ichi recognized that voice in a heartbeat, and in that same moment, he went on full alert. His sensors blared warning after warning, but he was too late. A yelp of agony and surprise flew from his lips as his left arm was blown off by a concentrated beam of energy. "Fucking shit! Fuck! You're going to pay for that, Asama!" He was already scanning the immediate area for his rival. At the same time, he was running the calculations to track the shot's trajectory.

He got an answer just as the second shot tore through his mech's head, temporarily knocking out his central camera and almost all of his sensors. Shin'ichi cursed and tried to get everything back online.

"Like I said, you did good, but I'm afraid this is the end of the road for you." The voice said again.

Even though he knew it was futile, he still wanted to try. Rising up, he aimed his right hand at his three o'clock, the armor moving away to reveal a pair of missiles. They were launched just as the next energy beam tore through the air and smashed into the chest-mounted cockpit. Shin'ichi saw the cockpit turn bright red as the particle beam tore through the armor to get at him. At the very least, he was able to launch his missiles, his last attack.

"Damn, guess this is the end of the road." He muttered before everything in front of him became burning red and washed over him, annihilating him down to the atomic level.

"Shiiiiit…" Shin'ichi groaned as the VR pod popped open, lights flashing all around him. His body was still wired, even as he removed the VR headset that directly connected his mind to the cyberspace world in which he'd been fighting his way through. His fight had ended. Pulling up the scoreboard, he saw that he'd still netted a pretty high kill count, perhaps enough to rank in the top five. All he could do was wait to see if he landed in the top three as he'd hoped. His dream of taking first place had quite literally been shot. Rustling his cobalt blue hair, he stepped outside the pod and onto the stage.

The first thing he looked at was the game still going on, though it seemed to be on the cusp of wrapping up. His final shots had been enough to throw Asama off with another player now hoping to capitalize on the moment of weakness.

She failed.

Shin'ichi hung his head and groaned. "Whelp, at least I can take solace in knowing I lost to Mister First Place…again." He took pride in the fact that he wasn't the worst sore loser in the gaming world. Granted, he could still have his moments, but he knew how to be professional. Tournaments like this were where that professionalism counted. As he rose his head, the seventeen-year-old gamer held a genuine smile on his face.

He'd had fun and he was proud of what he'd achieved. He certainly reminded the gaming world that Kraken-Killer16 was one of the best of the best.

Minutes later and he was lined up with the rest of the competitors. Everyone wore varying smiles while getting their dismay at losing out of their system. Like him, everyone knew how to hold onto some dignity in the face of loss.

"And second place goes to…Shin'ichi Matou!" Boomed the announcer, a rather young-looking woman who was new to the competitive gaming scene.

Wearing a proud grin, he stepped forward and flashed the audience a single V-sign. He didn't take first place, but he was damn proud of coming in second above sixteen others. In a big battle royale like that, second place wasn't so bad. Not to mention he had to admit he had silver trophies had a certain charm to them. He was more than happy to add it to his trophy wall.

"You know, I'm a little jealous you managed to take down Furuta-san before me." His first-place rival muttered as they stood on the stage to accept their rewards.

"You're welcome." Shin'ichi whispered, knowing that their side conversation was meant to be private. "After all, it'd be a pain in the ass having to live under your student council president after having blasted her to bits." Asama chuckled at the mental imagery.

"I've always liked that about you, Shin'ichi." The male brunette remarked. "You're such a skirt chaser, but you never let that get in the way when the game starts."

"Hey, I have my principles. Once the helmet went on, Furuta-san wasn't a lady to flirt with, she was just another enemy to take down." He heaved out a sigh as he glanced to his far left. It was a blessing that the girl in question was a couple of feet from them, and have managed to come in fifth place. Her green eyes snapped to him. Shin'ichi merely grinned at her. The eighteen-year-old rolled her eyes, but he saw a ghost of a smile on her face as she looked away. Turning back to Asama, he grinned. "Besides, going easy on her would be disrespectful to her as a gamer. Like I said, I've got principles."

The top three players were called forward to receive their awards. Shin'ichi's crystalline blue eyes lingered on the solid gold trophy that he was hoping would be his. He didn't waste too much time lamenting on it though. With a smile, he accepted his own silver trophy after Asama; he held it up high with a big grin electing a cheer from the audience. The excited roar was also a nice substitute for that golden trophy.

Aside from the actual competition, the other best thing about these tournaments was the after-parties. Shin'ichi loved those.

So, he was understandably a little miffed when his phone rang.

"Dad! Hey, what's up!?" The high schooler shouted. He had to over the thump of the music. Luckily, his father wasn't a stranger to these sorts of scenarios. He knew that he had a competitive gamer for a son, a son who loved to party when he got the chance.

"I'm guessing the tournament's over?" He calmly asked back on the other end.

"Yep! Got second place!"

"Hmmm, that's not too bad! Let me guess, Asama beat you?"

"How'd you guess? Were you following the tournament?" Shin'ichi asked in the midst of a chuckle. His father gave no response beyond a laugh. He'd tell him once he got back home, which might not be for another two or three hours.

"Since the tournament's over with, I'm assuming I can do this. I need you to come home immediately. Not to scare you, but it's pretty important."

Shin'ichi could read his father's voice. He didn't want to say anymore, but he would if he felt like he had to. "Is it a code fire?"

"Hmm, no, more like a code brown."

Sighing, Shin'ichi hung his head. "Got it. On my way." It'd actually taken Shin'ichi a while to realize that his family's use of medical color codes was unique to them. Came with being in a family of doctors. Shin'ichi himself genuinely wondered if he'd carry on the tradition. Here he was at a gaming tournament instead of say, interning at the hospital like countless other future doctors and nurses. That wasn't to say he was completely clueless when it came to medicine. Neither of his parents had allowed that. Maybe it was just in his blood.

He preferred it to what else was in his blood as well.

To his somewhat selfish joy, people were sad to see him go, but he told them it was a family emergency. As he called a cab, he just quietly hoped it wasn't the sort of emergency that was cause for concern.

Little over half an hour later and he was hurrying up the steps and turning the key to his family's apartment. "Hey, dad! I'm back!"

"In my office!"

Almost everything about his appearance had come from his father, from the Matou Family. Their appearances were really the only thing that they'd taken from the Fukuyi Ancestors, or at least that's what Shin'ichi had been told.

Unlike him, who let his stringy hair flow widely, his father kept it combed back, organized. It came with the territory of being a doctor; it was his job to look professional. Look anything less could unnerve patients when that was the last thing that they needed.

He held up a file with a familiar logo on it. "Son, I know that you've got plans for the summer, but-"

"Daaad! Seriously? Chaldea? I had plans for the summer! I'd rather go hang out with grandma and grandpa in Greece!" Most people with a passing knowledge of Chaldea would be excited at the idea of being invited to any of its facilities. For Shin'ichi? Not so much. He had better things to do than spend his time dodging super-powered ghosts and exploring time and space. At least, better things in his mind. Cyberspace was his thing.

At his father's behest, he look down and took the file, he didn't even bother opening it up to read its contents. His father wasn't surprised as evident by his heavy-hearted sigh.

"Shin'ichi, this is important. They need your programming skills." His father began explaining. When his expression still didn't change, Shinpachi rubbed his forehead in slight irritation. It wasn't like he didn't know this was going to be a hassle. "Look, I know you had plans for the summer, and so did your mother and me. I'm hoping that we can still make those plans happen."

Letting out a sigh of his own, Shin'ichi felt his hesitancy relenting. He knew that he wasn't getting out of this. Shin'ichi could count on both hands the number of times he'd been able to talk his father out of whatever it was he had planned. "You said they need my programming skills? Chaldea needs my skills."

His father smirked. "This is probably the biggest chance to prove yourself and you're considering turning it down? Don't tell me my boy's lost his guts."

"Come on, you know that things with Chaldea tend to get complicated. I had a nice summer of gaming and freelancing programming planned! I'm putting that at risk with going to Chaldea!" There was a short pause as he stopped and considered something. "Um, dad, which branch are we talking about here?"

Shinpachi's smirk widened. "You know, you probably should have asked that earlier before you started turning it down. To answer your question, it's in Los Angeles. Don't you have a friend there? Lisa MacPhail, right?"

The image of the blonde-haired college girl who'd kicked his ass and stolen his heart occupied his mind. Shin'ichi sat back in the chair with a thoughtful look on his face. His father crossed his arms and withheld the smirk that he knew was tugging at his lips. "Oh geez, I know this is serious if you're bringing up my so desired but not going to happen American crush."

"Shin'ichi, I'm your father. It's my duty to support you as much as possible in whatever path you choose to follow. Including romance!"

"Dad, come on, mocking me is mom's thing." The gamer laughed. After father and son shared a quick laugh, the latter threw up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'll go. Suppose if the great Chaldea is calling for my help, then I might as well answer. Besides, I might be able to rub this in a couple of people's faces. When do I leave? Am I taking a public flight or a special one?"

"Tomorrow afternoon." His father answered point-blank, causing Shin'ichi's eyes to widen. "Sorry, I know it's on extremely short notice, but I hear there have been some attempts to hack into Chaldea's mainframe. They haven't succeeded but this sort of thing is being taken seriously, especially in light of the events of New York."

Hearing that made Shin'ichi's face darken. "Yeah…I…guess someone's finally taking a shot at them. Kind of feel sorry for the idiots who are trying, but Chaldea's not called the lion's den for nothing. I'm just going to do my best to not be there when they get torn to shreds."

Shinpachi sighed, having fully expected such words from his only son. The Matous had never been fighters, and that certainly went for the would-be heir to the family. Frankly, he didn't blame his son. He didn't like getting involved in fights, although his role as a doctor sometimes meant he was pulled in against his will.

"Your mom will be back by midnight." He said, giving Shin'ichi a reason to smile again. "It won't be ideal, but we'll be together, not to mention we'll be seeing you off at the airport."

"Yeah, that really isn't as awesome as it could be…but it'll work." Sensing the conversation was at its end, Shin'ichi stretched his arms up as he got to his feet. "Alright, I'm going to go fix myself up a snack, then I'll be in my room."

"Alright. Just try not to make too much noise now that you're back. Oh, and don't be surprised if I get called back. Hopefully though I won't be."

Shin'ichi was hoping for that. Even if he seemed like the type of kid to lock himself in his room playing video games or chatting online, he enjoyed having his parents around. He was happy to have them both in his life, even if they couldn't always be there every day. It took him some time to recognize why they couldn't…and he loved them all the more for what they did.

Once he was out the door and back in his room, he dropped his bags and hunched over on his bed.

His dad hadn't asked him if he had any strange dreams, or if anything strange had happened. Shin'ichi knew his dad, odds were that he probably did suspect it, but chose not to say anything. He was happy that he didn't.

Atop his left hand was a red smear that he hoped was just a rash, he'd told himself that's all it was.

Unknown to him, his father withdrew a second file from his drawer, a file that was the true meat and bulk of what Chaldea had sent over. If Shin'ichi had learned what was in them, he'd have likely locked himself in his room and never came out.

But that wouldn't have done anything. The call had been sent out, and there was no taking it back.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::}]xxxx()o o()xxxx[{::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::⊳

July 21st, Sendai Japan…

"Here's some advice, give up now because there's no way in hell you're gonna beat me. It'll save you some broken bones."

Kosuke was actually a little glad when his opponent chose to get up and keep on fighting. When he received this duel request, he was more than a little gleeful at the chance to finally shut Isamu Kimoto up. There was little possibility of death, but bodily harm and loss of dignity were all on the table. Frankly, he enjoyed inflicting the latter on his opponents. Of course, he never let himself forget that the possibilities of both were always a consideration for him as well.

Isamu roared as he shot to his feet and held out his hands, an incantation flying from his lips causing the mana to condense into two five-foot bullets that flew his way.

They never made it past the Talus barrier that he threw up to protect himself. He heard Isamu give a scream of pure rage as he unladed more magical bullets into the barrier. Kosuke had put enough of his magical energy into the walls to keep them strong against attacks. After what was the eighth shot, he decided to go on the offensive. His arms shot out while his mind sent the signal to the walls to reconfigure. The stone wall changed, forming into a pair of fist-shaped projectiles that flew toward his opponent.

"Do you know how tired I am of you throwing punches at me!?" The slightly older magus shouted as he ducked the two attacks. Even then he knew that they were coming back, after all, they were being guided by Kosuke's will. "Dammit, fight like a magus!"

He was in front of him, driving his fist straight into his fist seconds after he finished speaking. "I am fighting like a magus. Just a better one than you." It was never going to be just one punch, Kosuke launched several more at Isamu, all within the blink of an eye. He didn't need to coat his hands in rock or use reinforcement magecraft, all he needed was his natural strength. Which he was proud to say far eclipsed his opponent.

Most magi didn't bother improving their physical abilities, hell, the thought of physical combat was still abhorrent to some magi lines. Not the Tohsakas though.

Isamu wiped the blood from his nose and lips as he shakingly got back to his feet. Kosuke waited for him as his twin rock "satellites" hovered behind him. He raised his right hand up and beckoned to him.

Gnashing his teeth, Isamu raised both his hands up, gathering the wind in his palms and infusing it with mana. Slamming them down, he sent forth a bladed shockwave that raced toward him. For Kosuke, it was incredibly easy to dodge. First, he jumped, moving one of his earthen balls beneath his feet to serve as a platform. One look at Isamu and he saw that he'd been waiting for that. He lifted his right hand up, causing the shockwave to stop and twist itself into a blazing green spear of mana-infused wind that shot at him. Kosuke brought his other satellite down to form as a shield.

Looking back at Isamu, he saw him racing toward him, his right arm stretched back and encircled with energized wind.

"Now it looks like you're getting into the spirit!" The blue-eyed teenager shouted with a hint of a grin. Contrary to his whining, Isamu knew a little in the art of hand-to-hand combat. Still, Kosuke's own skills far eclipsed his, a fact he was more than happy to remind him of as he shot forward with a flying side kick…with a leg encased in rock. The stony armor remained as he hit the ground, concentrating his mana into his armored right leg, giving it a yellow glow. Isamu's hand was hurting from having his punch parried, so he tried to put some distance between the two of them. His left hand stretched out, creating a condensed whirlwind that was blasted at him. Kosuke struck at it with his armored leg, the earth shooting straight through the wind blast and hitting Isamu in the chest. He gasped, blood spilling from his lips as the pain shook his chest.

Throwing out his opened right hand, he manipulated the rock fragments into a ring-shaped restraint. His arm made an arc over his head as he lifted and threw his opponent into the hard ground. Pulling his arm back, he recalled the earthen bits and merged them with that of his portable wall to create a giant mass of rock still under his command.

Isamu struggled to get to his feet, his arms shaking in clear view of the black-haired teen. Kosuke eyed him with silent bemusement.

"Give up, you're outclassed." He simply said.

The redhead looked straight up, his dark blue eyes burning within raw fury. "By who!? A loser like you!? No fucking way! I'm not losing to you!"

"You are, and there's not a move in your arsenal that can change that!" Kosuke shouted back. "I'd rather not break every bone in your body, jackass, but if you push me I'd be happy to!"

"The only thing getting broke here is going to be you, Kosuke!" By now he'd managed to get to his feet, and actually stay on them. Still, Kosuke could see that his opponent was literally on his last legs, and his next attack was going to be his finishing move. A death or glory move that would either win him the match or lose it.

He decided that the least he could do was give Isamu an appropriate counter. The Kimoto magus had come to this fight thinking he'd have it in the bag, that the latest heir of the Tohsaka Clan wasn't all he was cracked up to be.

Clasping his hands together, Kosuke dug deep into the anger that thought had invoked in him. From it, he found the resolve, and from there came power. That power manifested in the earthen sphere behind it, emitting a bright yellow glow that filled the arena just as much as the dark green glow around Isamu's gathered wind. Veins bulged Kosuke's body as he reached deep into the ground beneath him. Far beneath the polished steel floor lay the earth itself, the source of his magecraft. Wherever the battlefield, it was there, and he could tap into its power as he did now. The glow of the earthen ball behind it became sun-like in its radiance.

The earthen mass changed shape from a sphere into a mountain, one that nearly touched the ceiling of the gymnasium-sized arena. Kosuke's blue eyes took on a yellow glow as he reared his right fist back. Seemingly half of the rock reconfigured itself into a stone-composed humanoid with glowing eyes.

"Ganzan!"

Kosuke and the humanoid shot their arms forward, the two seemingly fusing into one, a fist-shaped mass of rock that plowed through Isamu's whirlwind and smashed into his entire body. His screams of pain were muffled by the sound of the reinforced wall cracking underneath the pressure, spider-web cracks fanning out thanks to the sheer force of the earth-based spell. They reached halfway up the ceiling, a testament to the power of the attack.

Yet spectators and Kosuke himself knew that the attack hadn't been anywhere near its full power, especially those of the Tohsaka Family. As they all suspected, and hoped, this duel had ended with Kosuke's victory. There had never been any doubt.

Seeing that the battle was undoubtedly over, Kosuke held out his hand and commanded the rock to reconfigure back into its original shape, a seemingly simple orb of rock only slightly bigger than a baseball. Gripping it in his hand, Kosuke walked until he was within five feet of his still breathing opponent. He was patient enough to wait until Isamu had regained his bearings so he could look up. As expected, he sneered at him. Kosuke returned his sneer with a dismissive glare.

"From here on, I'll be expecting you to be careful when mocking the Tohsaka Name. Today, it stands triumphant over yours, Isamu Kimoto." Raising his left hand, he showed him the smear of red that he'd woken up to in the middle of the night and had marked him for a destiny he'd spent all his life preparing for. "And it will continue to stand triumphant in the future thanks to me, Kosuke Tohsaka."

"Y-You…you're…n-nothing…b-but the…next in line…to a family of relics!" Isamu spat while trying to get to his feet. Unlike the last few times, it was entirely futile. "I'll beat you…I'll kill you! I…I swear it!"

"That obviously won't be today, or the week after considering you're going to be recovering in a hospital bed." The slightly spiky-haired teenager declared. "Get stronger so next time you can give me more of a challenge, more than you did today."

Isamu looked ready to spit at him, but the opportunity never came. His head slumped, signaling his loss of consciousness. Kosuke wouldn't say it, but he was glad that he'd passed out now. He didn't enjoy the thought of having to hit him again to knock him out after he tried to get up and fight some more.

"The winner is Kosuke Tohsaka, of the Tohsaka Family!"

On both sides of him, the screens fell away to reveal the audience. This duel between the two of them had drawn quite an audience, something that Kosuke was used to. After doing a quick sweep of them, his eyes fell on the side that mattered, the people who had come in fully expecting him to win, his family.

It was only his mother, but she was clapping and beaming at him with all the pride a magus mother would have expected. She was always more expressive than his father, something they both knew; she recognized that trait about herself and used it to support him a little more than his father did. He already knew the outcome of this battle, thus there was no reason to come. Besides, there were more important things for him than some duel with another hotshot magus thinking the Tohsaka's time had come and gone.

"A-A-A…A…Holy Grail War?" He gasped, feeling like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs.

"A Great Holy Grail War, Kosuke." Kouzaburo Tohsaka corrected, his hardened gaze never wavering. "You will be a participant in the upcoming Great Unholy Grail War, as one of Chaldea's Masters of Onyx. Kosuke, you will be the first Tohsaka in over thirty years to participate in a Grail War. Do you understand what that means?"

His body tensed as he remembered how he'd stood up completely straight and rigid, just like the numerous stone statues he'd grown up studying and admiring. He liked to think he knew something in the sense of duty that had been installed in those soldiers whose vestiges had been immortalized in stone. "I do, and I promise you that I will achieve victor for our family, father!"

His fists had tightened so much, he could feel his Mystic Code responding to his subconscious emotions. He had a duty to fulfill, and come what may he would fulfill. Kosuke had sworn it on the name of his ancestors, whose legacy would be on the line in this incoming Grail War.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::}]xxxx()o o()xxxx[{::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::⊳

Liverpool, England…

"Young miss, supper will be ready soon."

The voice nearly made Eleanor jump out of her skin. She'd honestly been that deep in her thoughts, self-pity actually, to pay much attention to the outside world. Sarah's voice reminded her that there was an outside world…which she wanted to hide away from as much as she could.

In spite of that, she felt her voice struggling to work. "T-T-T-T-Th-Thank you, S-S-Sarah! I-I-I-I'll b-b-be down in a minute!" She could hear her lingering by the door, clearly worried for her. After a minute she left, at last truly leaving Eleanor alone. Or almost alone.

"Meow?"

Her green eyes looked up into the warm brown eyes of her favorite cat. Sensing her distress, the feline ran straight into her arms, having apparently just returned from its run around the estate. Once he was in her arms, Eleanor held onto him like the brown-furred animal was her lifeline. For Eleanor, he might as well have been.

"Oh, David, I…I can't do this! I can't! This can't be happening! There must be some mistake!" The blonde wailed. Alarmed by her tears, the cat purred and rubbed itself against her cheeks, doing its best to soothe the fear rapidly consuming her. "I can't possibly fight in a Grail War…not me. I'm just…I'm worthless. There's no way a Holy Grail could have chosen me to be a Master, it's impossible." She murmured as the fear-fueled tears continued to spill from her eyes.

Eleanor knew she couldn't let anyone else see these tears, especially her father, even though everyone in the manor likely knew she was crying now. Including her father.

He was no doubt lamenting that he'd been cursed with a daughter like her instead of someone stronger, someone worthy of the Carlyle name. In spite of feeling that, he'd done his best to encourage her...in his own way.

"Eleanor! I demand you look at me right now! Face forward, eyes forward!" Boomed the voice of Owain Carlyle. His voice boomed across the office like a clap of thunder. Actually, Eleanor knew from personal experience her father's voice could surpass the crack of thunder, especially if he was in an angry mood. While she couldn't say he was that angry, she could tell he was frustrated.

And she honestly couldn't blame him.

Being able to participate in a Holy Grail War was an honor that countless magi families would have killed for, and indeed, several dozen had over the centuries. Including her own.

So, what happened when that opportunity fell to one of the least capable members of the family like her?

All she could do was stand at attention and try not to completely break apart beneath her father's piercing gaze. Sometimes she could swear that his eyes could fire off lightning with how intensely he could glare at people. Not even she was exempt from that. Though she knew he was partially trying to toughen her up, it was still frightening to be the recipient of his glare.

"I-I-I-I promise t-t-that I-I-I will do m-my best! I-I will bring honor to the Carlyle name!" It'd taken nearly all of her willpower to get the words out, and more to give them even a modicum of force. Eleanor was grateful that it was just her father present and no one else. If there had been, she'd have never been able to speak.

Lacing his hands together in front of him always made him look even more intimidating. It also made his thoughts even harder to read. "I have no doubt that you will, Eleanor. You'll have every opportunity as you will be in the presence of your ancestor, the legendary Ramesses the Great himself. Perhaps his presence will stir the latent power within you, or help you concentrate enough to properly use it. You will also be surrounded by some of the best sorcerers in human history, there will be no excuse for you not to make some improvement."

Even if those words were meant as a compliment, they only made Eleanor feel worse. They meant if, or rather when, she failed…it was going to be of colossal proportions.

Maybe she could grasp a sliver of honor by dying in battle. Granted, she wasn't the type for that. On a battlefield, she'd undoubtedly be more of a liability than an asset, the sort that allies would no doubt grow tired of. Eleanor was all but certain that her allies would come to feel the same way about her, if they didn't realize that at first glance.

Pulling away from her favorite cat, she glanced at the red smear on her left hand. The night before she'd had some rather unusual dreams. There were so many splotches of…red everywhere as she wondered through a grassy field. They came out of nowhere and splashed across the earth and the sky like swaths of paint from a brush. Eleanor had woken up confused, ultimately writing them off until she felt a sudden throbbing in her left hand. That pain had continued throughout the day until the late afternoon when the red smear had appeared.

She had no idea what it was at first. Her immediate impulse was to think someone had cursed her. Going to her professors, they informed her it was something else, something she should have been happy about. When they explained what it was, she realized that she had been cursed.

"Oh, David, what am I going to do? I…I can't run away from this." As much as she was afraid, Eleanor knew that taking what she cared about and running away wasn't an option. Even if she couldn't measure up to her family's standards, she wasn't going to debase herself further by running away. Not to mention she wouldn't exactly get far to…whatever she could even go. The Carlyles were one of the wealthiest families in the United Kingdom, not to mention one of the strongest magi families in the British Isles. It was only in the last decade they'd been able to finally surpass the Harways. Her running away would further dilute the hard work that went into those achievements. Then again, so would her making a fool of herself in this incoming Holy Grail War.

In simplest terms, she was trapped. David meowed again and affectionately rubbed against her cheek, the brown and white-furred feline doing his best to comfort her. His doing so was enough to get her to smile through the tears.

"Thank you for your support, I believe I'm going to need every shred of it I can grasp." Eleanor wasn't expecting much of that, to be honest. Every scrap of it was going to count.

Still holding onto her beloved pet, she walked over to a nearby desk to look at the photo she had standing atop of it. Of all the photos she had, the ones featuring her mother were the most valued. With her right hand, she reached forward to take up the wooden-framed photo of her.

Her mother's dark green eyes stared back at her, smiling at her from beyond the border of life and death.

"Oh, mother, give me strength." Eleanor whispered as she closed her eyes in silent prayer. She knew in her heart this wasn't going to be the last time she did so.


I'm so sorry for the long absence, everyone. This chapter was definitely meant to come out months earlier, but I got really backtracked. On top of that this chapter gave me a little trouble as transition chapters sometimes do. As you all know after reading it, this chapter was also an introductory one, revealing the rest of the Onyx Masters.

Kosuke Tohsaka, descendant of the Tohsaka Clan. Shin'ichi Matou, descendant of the Matou Clan.

I decided to lean into Fate's penchant for familiar faces, I decided to build off of canon to fill in some Master slots in this story. Two of the most well-known magi families from the original Fate/Stay Night novel have survived to this story's modern era, albeit as you can probably glean some of them have seen better days.

Hsu Jiang of the Hsu Family. Eleanor Carlyle of the Carlyle Family. These two are leftovers from another story I had titled Fate/Crimson Eclipse. When things changed, I refitted both of their characters for this story, finding that they could fit in.

After ten chapters of the Fujimaru Sisters and Koragg, the focus shifted to the rest of the soon-to-be Onyx Faction. All of them will get some more exposition, but I gave a somewhat shortened version of Ida and Akara's backstories, along with revealing that yes, they will be Masters. They have stories of how they ended up wards of Chaldea and why Ritsuka and Joan more or less function as their stand-in-parents. Koragg being the newcomer and relatively unskilled in emotional and family connections is a perfect window to show their stories. Both of them have been burned by the magi world, but thanks to Chaldea they've turned out better than they could have, a trend that's going to continue as the organization's open-door policy continues.

The fact that Father's Day was just around the corner on completing this chapter and I've been binge-watching Pacific Rim The Black had some influence on this chapter. Namely almost all of the new Masters were introduced through their fathers. While writing I decided to go in ascending order of "stability". Having said that, I'm sure you all can take a guess the type of character growth Eleanor's going to be going through. Kosuke too since he'll be a major character in this story. Yet again, a Tohsaka will be the hero's tsundere ally in a Grail War.

Odds are pretty good that the next chapter will feature the reveal of the Onyx Servants, who I'm sure you're all eager to see, as well as a spotlight on Hell Faction. Merrick's segment was thrown in to show while Chaldea's assembling its Masters, the Hell's Faction already working on their own evil plans. Jiang's segment showed that too since he's going to be the brains of the team, and as stated his area of expertise is going to come in handy in the future.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please look forward to the next one. I'm aiming to get it out sometime in July since once the Onyx Faction is fully assembled, this story will really start to take off. That WILL include some giant monster (and robot) fights as more new and old faces are brought into the story. Until next time, take care and keep safe, readers!