Before I was summoned, I was physically nothing. I was just a bundle of vague information scattered within a void somewhere. My previous physical form dissolved as my past self passed on to return to akasha to be recycled. However, instead of returning to be recycled, this bundle of my previous self was forced from its current path and directed towards a new process. My information was being coded for this new process. My very consciousness and being were being molded and combined once again to be. Foreign information, experiences, powers, and other abstract details flooded into my mind as if a programmer was writing the code necessary for a program to function. These packets of information started to organize themselves to form the various systems needed for me to function.

As the process started to end, my conscience started to wonder where I was heading. I already knew from the information provided to me that I was being summoned for a Holy Grail War. But where? Was it going to be in London? Paris? Fuyuki? None of these guesses turned out to be correct. It turns out I was being summoned to a grail war within the US. Wait… He was summoned in early 2010. And the Age of the Gods hadn't ended… Okay… What the hell was this place? However, before I had any time to come up with answers to these questions, I pulled into reality once again.

—-

Once I was summoned into reality, the first thing I did was open my eyes and take in my surroundings. It seems I was summoned to a cave of all places. Torches placed on the walls barely lit up the cave, but I could make out my surroundings regardless. I was a servant after all. Various books and mystical codes were haphazardly littered across the floor of the cave. Otherwise, the other things of note apart from the summoning circle I was standing in, were the two individuals who were in front of me.

The first was a middle-aged man who was wearing a black jacket. His current demeanor and the magical energy coming from him implied that he was the one who performed the summoning ritual. He was of little interest to me as my attention was currently directed to the girl that was behind him. The girl seemed within her early teenage years. Her clothes were disheveled, her hair disorganized and her skin indicated that she hadn't bathed in days. She was bound and gagged to a restraining type mystical code that tied her to a mark on the floor.

These observations show that the man was keeping the girl against her will. However, all of these observations were put aside for a single moment as one crucial fact that triumphed over these concerns.

Once my senses returned to the present, I stepped outside of the summoning circle and turned to face both of the people in front of me.

"Servant Saber summoned upon your request".

The man's face lit up with glee upon hearing those words. It seemed like a child who got the present he wanted for Christmas. I guessed he got the servant he wanted to summon. However, that is of little relevance to me now as he wasn't my master.

I continued to pace forwards, passing the man entirely until I reached the bound girl. My eyes turned to directly look at her for the first time. They seemed to convey a mixture of emotions. From tiredness to confusion. It seemed she was panicking about what was going on around her. It seemed that my sudden appearance and actions must have heightened the feeling that the girl must have felt for the time she had been captive.

To try to alleviate her fears, I decided to continue my actions in order to indicate I meant her no harm. Once I had reached her, I finished my address to my master.

"I ask you, are you, my master?"

In response to my declaration, the girl seemed less scared than before and more confused about what was going on. It seems I would need to educate my master on the nature of grail war once we left the cave. I gathered that she must be involved in the supernatural side of the world as I was able to feel the magical energy coming from her. However, it did not imply that she had knowledge of the other side of the world. I guess I will have to find out later as I have other things to deal with.

"What?!" It seems I had forgotten about the magus. I turned towards his direction to find his face twisted from absolute joy to that sheer shock and exasperation. The man clearly realized that his world was falling apart in front of him. His plans were falling apart in front of him as the reality of the situation continued to dawn on him. "Y-y-you are my…"

"I'm not your servant" I interrupted him immediately. "The proof of who my master is clearly visible". I then pointed over to the young girl's left hand which had the red 3 marks that confirmed her status as my master.

"H-h-how is that possible? I was the one to complete the summoning ritual! I was to find the relic. I was the one to summon you". His voice was getting more deranged. He looked around as if looking for any way to salvage the situation. I sighed.

"I understand you're upset" I calmly stated "But what's done is done". I didn't feel sorry for the magus who had a meltdown in front of me. From what I had observed so far, he seems to fit the bill of a stereotypical magus. Clearly, he was the type who was willing to do anything to complete his goal such as kidnapping a child for some reason. But, that didn't mean he deserved to die. There was no evidence that he had done anything truly reprehensible so far. I would rather avoid taking life if it was at all possible.

I calmly addressed him once more "Would you please let my master go? It seems you have kept her for long enough. She clearly needs medical attention." I would reach any sense of rationality within the man. He would obviously stand no chance against a servant, so it was logical that he complies with my request.

"You dare address me familiar" He retorted. It was clear that my attempt to de-escalate the situation didn't work as the magus looked further mad than before. It seems that my attempt to appeal to the rational side of his mind only heightened his anger more. He turned and walked towards me clearly exuding anger as he approached. "Listen to him..".

Before he had the chance to finish this sentence, I swiftly approached him and punched him in the chest. The magus didn't have any time to react before he became unconscious. I only used the medium amount of force necessary to knock him out without leaving any major injury. Even if I did, most spellcasters at least knew a healing spell to repair major damage. Killing him might have been the easier option, but I would rather only raise my sword to take the lives of monsters and those who truly deserved it.

I left the unconscious man on the floor and turned to focus on my master once more. It seemed that she is calmer than before as her kidnapper was knocked out. She winced in response to me unsheathing one of my swords. She was still frightened of me as her eyes closed once I raised my sword to swing it. Once the sword slashed the mystical code into two, her eyes opened as she was unbounded from her restraints. The young girl raised her head and looked up at me as her voice built itself up from a whisper.

"Who are you?"

I chuckled in response to that. In hindsight, it was quite an obvious question to ask if you didn't know what a servant was. The girl probably thought that some knight in shining armor manifested out of nowhere to save her. Of course, we will clear up those misunderstandings once she is healthier again. For now, I will have to give a minimal response.

"I'm Saber. I'm your servant that was summoned to serve you". My voice was clear and firm as I attempted to calm down her fears. "I understand you have many questions about what is happening. Most of this must seem very confusing to you right now. But, don't worry". I smiled at her. "I will explain everything once you are safe. So please, rest for now".

Her face seemed to relax once I finished what I had to say. The young girl's eyes started to fall shut as the fact she was now safe started to kick in. "Okay," She whispered back to me "Please take me ho..". She must have reached her limit as she fell unconscious. I made sure to lay her down on a safe piece of ground before looking around the cave in order to gather supplies. While I refuse to kill the kidnapper, providing some compensation was a suitable form of punishment.

I found little worth taking as I rummaged around. Money and clothes were clearly necessary in order to interact in society without drawing suspicion. I quickly dematerialized my armor and changed into the dress shirt, jacket, and trousers I found in my man's belongings. Leaving the cave in my armor and carrying my master out would raise too much suspicion. After changing, I gathered the last of the useful supplies into a rucksack on my back, picked up my unconscious master in my arms, and walked out of the cave.

I welcomed the darkness of night and emptiness of a desert once I exited. It seemed that the magus wanted to find the most secluded location to perform the summoning as we were situated far from any sign of civilization. I continued to pace outside the cave to realize I left the boundary field that concealed the location of magical signatures that came from the cave. Using my general intuition, I decided to head east.

From there, I hoped I would find a road or highway that could lead to a place that can deliver care to my master. Luckily, being a servant meant I could travel at speeds that were well above the average human. In a couple of minutes, I managed to find a road. Seeing that there was no sign of life around, I decided to head down the road to where it led me.

—-