Fate / Lost World
Chapter One: To bring forth a Miracle
"A base of silver and steel. A foundation of stone and the Archduke of Contracts."
Words barely above a whisper were spoken in the town's park. But the only one who could actually hear them was the teenage girl chanting them. Standing in front of something like a magic circle she read from a little notebook in her gloved left hand while holding out her bare right. On the back of her right hand was a splotch of red which looked like a bruise. Before she had kept it hidden from view with a simple leather glove matching the one on her left.
When she started to draw the circle on the ground, she had taken it off.
"A wall to block the falling wind. The gates of all four directions close. From the Crown, come forth and follow the forked road to the Kingdom."
She chose to do this ritual in the Fuyuki Central Park for a few reasons.
This park was located in the East of Fuyuki's Shinto district. Which meant it was only a 10-minute walk from the station and easily accessible for her. Moreover, it was very unlikely that there would be any people around. While the park was rather popular especially with young families for the last few years, it was closed since this week. Apparently, the city wanted to build a real playground in the middle of it because of said popularity. 'Wanting to make it an even more fun place for its residents' or something along those lines was their reasoning. Construction would only start next week though, so with the park already closed off and no workers there yet she had the whole park for herself.
While the playground was a nice idea the black-haired girl thought it was a waste. Nature bloomed withing the boundaries of the park. It was a place filled with verdurous trees and grass. There were a few flower nurseries but it didn't look like they were made by human hands. Rather nature itself seemed to have decided where flowers should bloom and where not. Only a few trails were proof that humanity did intrude in this area at all.
It was nothing like the GeoFront where everything was planned out by humans.
For Rei building something like a playground in the middle of this didn't feel right. While she did understand the reasoning behind its construction, she thought that places like these were also important to have. Places which let nature dictate its form.
The nature aspect was also a reason why she chose this place.
While she had no real idea how this ritual even worked, she supposed it was good to do it outside in the middle of nature. The energy needed for this – mana, as it was called in her notebook – was part of nature as far as she understood. So, the result may be better with a lot of it accessible.
But that was just her amateur-self guessing.
"Shut (fill), Shut (fill), Shut (fill), Shut (fill), Shut (fill).
Repeat every five times.
But destroy each when filled."
With those words the circle in front of her started to glow in a white light.
The girl stopped, not having expected something like this. You could see the surprise in her eyes while looking at this new mysterious light. But even more than that you could see how the faint embers of hope had flared up into a bright flame.
She had drawn the magic circle from the little notebook as accurate as possible on the meadow. It looked as amateurish as she was. But all the lines and symbols were there, even if they weren't drawn steadily. Thankfully it had been a clear night so the moon and the stars provided enough light for her to do this without holding an extra flashlight.
Right next to the circle laid her backpack and a few empty blood bottles. It apparently worked better if the circle was drawn with certain fluids and the easiest one for Rei to get a hold of was blood. She just had to swipe the necessary equipment from one of the laboratories during her weekly examinations. Then she filled them slowly with her own blood over the course of a week.
She hated the colour red. The colour of blood. She also didn't like needles.
This time Rei didn't mind them.
If this was all it took to bring forth a miracle, it was a cheap price to pay.
Looking back into her notebook the black-haired girl resumed the chant.
"I hereby propose.
My will shall create thy body and thy sword shall create my fate (doom).
Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail, if thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer me.
I hereby swear. I will be all that is good in the eternal world. I will be the disposer of evil in the eternal world.
Thou, clad with the Great Trinity, come forth from the circle of constraint. Guardian of the Heavenly Scales."
With those last words spoken, the incantation was complete. The light of the circle grew brighter and encompassed the whole area. It was so bright that Rei had to close her eyes. After a few seconds the light faded and the girl could open her eyes again.
Just like with the glowing of the magic circle, she could only stop and look in awe.
Right on top of the circle a person had appeared out of nowhere.
She couldn't tell if they were male or female. Their face was somehow both and neither at the same time. Never before had she seen a person with such an androgynous face. But it wasn't just their face that made it impossible to figure out their gender. They were clad in a plain white tunic that obscured both chest and hips. The only things that weren't obscured by said tunic were their bare hands and feet.
When they finally opened their eyes, the most fitting comparison the girl could find for their colour was the dark green of emeralds. Their long hair was a lighter tone like the verdurous green of the grass around them. It was without question a very unusual colour for hair but strangely enough, I didn't seem out of place on them. If anything, it contributed even more to the eerily perfect appearance of this person.
A few seconds passed by after they both locked eyes for the first time.
Then the person on top of the magic circle asked in a neutral voice:
"Are you the one who summoned me?"
"Yes. My name is Rei Ayanami", answered the girl in a quiet voice. To that, the green-haired person gave a smile.
"Very well, Rei Ayanami, your call has activated me. I am Servant Lancer. My True Name is Enkidu. Please, use me as you see fit." Following their introduction, a sharp pain rushed through the back of Rei's hand. One look revealed that the red splotch from before wasn't there anymore. Instead, many slim red lines had formed what looked like an apple. The mark was divided into three parts; the round fruit part, the stem and a single leaf.
These were her Command Spells. The proof that one has become a master, a participant of the Holy Grail War. Moreover, the three absolute orders a master can give their servant. Any remaining doubts the girl had about this ritual vanished with this sight. She followed the steps, summoned a servant and was now an official participant in this Holy Grail War.
There really was hope.
Perhaps her wish could come true after all.
Not wasting any time Rei put her notebook and the empty blood bottles away and pulled the backpack over her shoulders. She didn't pay any more attention to the magic circle on the ground. The blood would be washed away with the next rain anyway. It was nothing nature couldn't take care of itself.
Pulling the glove back over her right hand to hide the command spells she began walking to the southern exit of the park. There was still at least one thing she needed to do tonight.
Without complaint Lancer simply followed her.
"If I may ask, Master, where are we going?"
"To the overseer of the Holy Grail War.
"There is an overseer?"
"Yes, masters are supposed to visit them after summoning their servant."
"I see. This is a formality then."
"Yes", she said with a brief look to Lancer, "Tell me about your abilities."
"I will gladly tell you everything you want to know about me. Though, I suggest we first go somewhere we can talk in private. There are no familiars or other servants in the vicinity at the moment but such information should be handled carefully." Their master just silently nodded in response, apparently not minding that this conversation was postponed. A few steps later she asked:
"You can sense other servants?"
"Yes, all servants have the ability to sense other servants in the vicinity. However, because of my Presence Detection skill my range is larger and it is even possible to detect servants that hide their presence, like Assassin, when they are close by."
"Can you tell how many servants are in Fuyuki City?"
"Of course.", answered Lancer and closed their eyes, "There are four servants within the boundaries of the city, including myself. If you want, I can expand the area and try to find the rest."
"That is not necessary. Are there any servants close to our location?"
"No. All of them are to the west of us, on the other side of the river."
"I see. We will meet the overseer in the Fuyuki Church, south from our current location."
"Understood, Master", Lancer simply replied still smiling.
It was a thirty-minute uphill walk from the Fuyuki Central Park where the girl had summoned her servant until she finally reached her destination. On top of the hill stood an old church. It was in excellent condition. One could not find one crack in the greyish-white façade nor any other flaw anywhere on the outside. Even the iron fence around it seemed to be meticulously taken care of.
For a catholic church in Japan that was built even before World War II this was certainly impressive. Most buildings would have at least somewhat succumbed to time but the people who were tasked to take care of it certainly took their duty serious.
When master and servant arrived in front of the iron gate it was way past midnight. The streetlights and the starlight had illuminated their way just fine. But at this time, they had seen no other lights. All of the windows of the houses they had walked by had only shown darkness on the other side. It seemed like they were the only souls awake tonight.
Until the church had come into view.
On the ground floor where the masses were probably held, light shone through the windows. It seemed that someone was there even at this late hour… or someone just forgot to turn off the lights. Ignoring the second possibility, Rei approached the iron gate and pulled it open effortlessly. Lancer and she went a few more steps to the building when the front door was opened and a single man stepped out.
"Good evening, young one. Welcome to the Fuyuki Church, I'm Father Kotomine. How may I help you at this late hour?" The pair was greeted by a black-haired man in a black cassock. He was tall, around 190 cm, and his face clearly showed some signs of age. The golden cross he wore around his neck showed his affiliation to the Christian faith.
"I was told to come here. To get registered as a Master", she told the priest while taking of her glove and revealing the Command Spells on her right hand. After seeing the red symbols, the tall man nodded.
"Very well. Please come inside." With those words he turned around and went back inside the old building he had left just seconds ago, leaving the door open for his visitor to enter.
A short glance from the girl to her servant and a confirming nod late, both followed the priest inside.
At their sides supporting pillars with ornaments rose up to the ceiling. Rows of benches lined up before them right to the altar at the front which was decently adorned with golden and silver elements. Of course, right in the middle over the altar hung a large wooden cross with a stature of a young man nailed onto it. Rei had never been in a catholic church, so her eyes wandered around while following the priest to the altar. Though it was more to get a grasp of the inner layout than to adore the beautiful ornaments.
In the corner of her eyes, she saw Lancer also looking around. Their face showing a neutral smile all the while.
Did they also look around to get a grasp of the layout of the church, or did they simply admire the craftsmanship with which these decorations were made? Rei couldn't tell at all what was going on in the head of this… person? The girl wasn't even sure how to classify them.
Servants were people from the past who had achieved great deeds; or so the notebook had told her. Yet, the same notebook also called them mere tools that were necessary to acquire the grail. The writer didn't seem to even think about the possibility that these servants could have opinions of their own, or they simply disregarded them from the beginning.
During her brief talk with Lancer, it didn't seem like their emotions were missing. At the very least, they could smile like a regular human.
She had summoned Lancer and just proceeded with her plans without consulting them at all. Her servant didn't seem to mind it. They just asked a few questions about her plans all the while wearing a pleasant smile.
However, did they really accept her as their master or did they just play along until a better opportunity would arise for them? What kind of person had her servant been during their life? What deeds qualified them as a heroic spirit? Why did they answer her summon in this fight for the Holy Grail?
The girl didn't know and it worried her.
Though for the moment there was nothing else she could do than blindly believe in them; just like she had believed in the existence of the Holy Grail War for more than a month now without having any real proof.
"As we're talking about the Holy Grail War, I will introduce myself once again. My name is Kirei Kotomine, I am in charge of this church and during the Holy Grail War I will act as a mediator of sorts", explained the priest finally stopping before the altar.
"Why is a mediator necessary?", the girl asked with a neutral voice. The priest answered in kind with a voice that held no emotion either:
"While this fight is only between those chosen by the Holy Grail, there have been incidents in the past where outsiders have gotten involved. The duty of the overseer is to cover up any traces of this war so that it stays a secret and to make sure neither the masters nor the servants bring harm to the general public.
Moreover, this church is neutral ground. If a master wants to forfeit this church will grant them shelter until the war is over. Of course, fights between masters and servants are strictly prohibited on the grounds of the church", Kirei's gaze wandered to Lancer, "Ordinarily, it is not even allowed for servants to enter these grounds. I will make an exception this time because you came here to register yourself as a master, so I assume you had no malintent… or do you?" Rei felt a cold shiver running down her back. The voice of the priest was heavy. It reminded her very much of the Commander's voice. There was not a shred of doubt in the girl that should this man consider her a threat he would become a tough enemy she would rather not have to deal with.
Still, even if these words had an effect on her, the teen didn't let it show on her face for even a second.
"No, we do not have any malintent", explained Lancer in their calm voice, "I apologize for intruding. I was not aware of these rules."
"It is fine as long as you follow them in the future", Kirei said, folding his hands behind his back, and looked back to the young girl, "You said you came here to get registered as a master. So please tell me, who was chosen by the Holy Grail and which servant has answered your call?"
Kirei Kotomine was curious.
In the Fuyuki Holy Grail War the masters were selected by the grail itself. In each iteration of the war the heirs of the three founding families – the Einzbern, the Tohsaka and the Makiri – were always granted a place among the seven masters. The rest were people chosen from all over the world. Most of the time they were strong mages that already had made a name for themselves somewhere. But almost in each iteration there was an anomaly within the seven masters. Sometimes it was someone that barely qualified as a mage and sometimes it was even a regular civilian. Yet, they were granted a chance by the grail and were able to summon a servant.
This made the priest incredibly curious.
Why did the grail select those individuals? They did not possess any strong magecraft so their chances in the war were very low. Was it their character? Their willpower? Their believes? Or perhaps their wishes for the grail? He himself had something of a wish, and surely a lot of other people had as well; but never had HE been chosen by the grail.
Even hundreds of years later the exact criteria how the grail selected the participating masters were unknown.
Kirei had thought about this a lot since he had taken over for his father as the overseer. He had waited years for the next Holy Grail War to start. But of course, he never found an answer during that time. Only the grail itself knew what the criteria really were. Even after he researched the previous masters, he couldn't find a connection. Still, the priest wanted to try and find out. Find out what set the chosen apart from the unchosen. What was it that those seven had in common if it was not their status as a magus? Why did the grail choose exactly these seven people as being worthy of competing for the fulfilment of their wishes?
Why didn't the grail give him a chance to fulfil his wish?
The man hoped to find an answer, or at least a clue to his questions during this Holy Grail War.
"My name is Rei Ayanami. The servant I summoned belongs to the Lancer class." A short answer with only the bare minimum of necessary information. Kirei had expected something like that. After all, the girl had her guard up since before she had entered the church. Even if she had accepted that he was a neutral party in this war, she didn't trust him.
A laudable decision in a war of magi, really.
It seemed like if he wanted any more information about her, he had to carefully dig it up himself.
"How did you learn of this ritual? Even under magi it is a well-kept secret." As far as the priest knew only the three founding families, some of the higher ups of the clock tower, some people of the Holy Church and the few surviving masters of the former wars knew about it for sure. The teen was neither of those begging the question how she acquired this knowledge.
A valid question an overseer would ask. It was his duty to keep this war a secret after all.
"A stranger told me about it."
"A stranger?", Kirei repeated slowly, "You didn't know the person who told you about it?"
"No. I never met them before."
"Why did they tell you about this war, when there was no connection between you two?"
"I do not know."
"Yet, despite not knowing who this person was or the reason why they even told you about this war, you still put enough trust in their words to come to Fuyuki." This time it was not a question, just a statement that left the priest's mouth. Kotomine certainly hadn't expected such an answer.
Was this girl just that naive?
No. Her distrust of him showed that she was not such a trusting person.
That meant the girl had to have a reason to believe in the words of a stranger and come all the way to Fuyuki. He lacked the necessary information and he doubted that it would be appreciated of him to dig further concerning her reasons; at least for now.
For the time being, he concluded that Rei Ayanami had to have a reason why she would believe a stranger to such an extent and come to this rural town. Though, of course, there was also the possibility that the girl had lied about it being a stranger who told her.
Kotomine's intuition said she didn't lie but just to confirm…
"She called herself Tsune, no last name. A Japanese woman with blonde dyed hair in her forties.", Rei answered. It seemed she was already anticipating a question about the identity of the stranger, "Is that all?"
"Almost." The man said, his face as unreadable as hers.
"Are you part of a magi family or do you practise magecraft as an individual?"
"I am not a mage."
"I see." So yet again, the grail had chosen someone who was not even a practitioner of magecraft to be one of the seven. Thanks to this new information Kirei's interest in this girl had grown even more. In this war she was the exception to the rule, an ordinary person, and was as such the most likely candidate to show him a clue to the answers he sought.
Moreover, as a civilian she would most likely be the underdog of this war. Even if she had summoned a strong servant that could pull both their weight, in the end the servant's output would depend on the girl. Her chances of victory were low, but Kirei hoped that she would still fight valiantly for the grail. It surely would be entertaining to watch how she struggled against her opponents. She may win against some, retreat against others and surely, in the end she would have to admit defeat against someone stronger than her. He could almost imagine her desperate face at that time…
The priest had to hold back a smile that had almost appeared on his face.
"Is that a problem?", asked Rei when the priest didn't say more.
"No, it's not. The grail itself chooses the ones worthy of participating in this war and the Command Spells on your hand are the irrevocable mark that you are indeed a chosen master.", the priest explained.
"The grail chooses the masters? What are its criteria?", asked the girl. It seemed the priest wasn't the only one curious about the grail's selection criteria.
"That is a very good question", comments the priest with a slight smile, "Unfortunately, I don't have the answer to it. No one knows exactly how the masters are chosen. People who have a great potential as mages seem to be favoured, but there has almost always been an exception like you, Rei Ayanami. Someone without any knowledge of magecraft.
According to the overseer of the last grail war, it is simply that people in need of the grail are chosen to fight for it." After a short break Kotomine looked the girl directly in the eyes. "You came here because you need the grail, did you not? What is it that you desire of the Holy Grail? What is your wish that can only be granted by this omnipotent relic?"
A long silence stretched through the church.
The priest hadn't intended to ask this question. But the inquiry of the girl about the selection criteria gave him a little hope. Perhaps she was as curious as him about them. Perhaps she would answer his question to prove she was rightfully selected. Or perhaps she would clam up. Either way, he wouldn't gain anything without taking a risk.
After some time, the girl slowly opened her mouth.
"Master. A servant and a master are approaching the church", Lancer suddenly interrupted.
"How long until contact?", asked Rei immediately breaking eye contact with the priest. Said man didn't say anything to the sudden turn of events. He just stood by and kept watching the young master and her servant.
"If they retain their speed, they should be at the front gate in six minutes."
"Understood." Following her response, the black-haired girl took off her backpack and placed it in front of her. She shortly stopped when her eyes landed on its side pocket. If the teen had been someone that cursed, she would have done so at the sight of the empty pocket.
Why was the pocket empty?
Had someone taken it?
Did she lose it?
When did she lose it?
Was it on the train?
Or was it on her way to the church?
Why did she notice only now?
It was the only item precious the her. A memento of the past. That was why she took it with her despite not serving any purpose.
But she had lost it.
Just when she had reached Fuyuki.
Just when she could grasp a little bit of hope…
She needed to get it back.
It would cost some time but she had to retrieve it no matter what.
After all it was-
Realizing her own train of thought and the rising panic that came with it, Rei took a deep breather to calm herself.
At the end of the train ride when putting on the backpack, she still had it, that much she remembered. Inside the station nothing happened. On the way to the park, she collided with the albino boy; she could have lost it then, like the glasses. During the summoning in the park, she didn't notice it missing, but Rei doubted she lost it there because she cleaned up after herself and didn't find anything on the ground. On the way to the church with Lancer nothing happened, so it was unlikely that she lost it then.
Having narrowed down the places she had to search; the girl started rummaging in her backpack. She didn't like that she lost the item and she wanted to get it back as soon as possible.
But now was not the time for that. First, she had to take care of the current situation.
After it was taken care of, she could search all she wanted.
"What are we going to do, Master?", asked Lancer in their calm voice.
"We are going to fight them", was the equally calm answer of the black-haired girl, "It is an unexpected but valuable opportunity to gather information."
"Are you sure this is the right decision? You have no knowledge of magecraft that would help you resist other masters' attacks", interjected the black clad priest. Rei didn't stop rummaging her backpack while answering:
"It would not matter if we postponed our first encounter with another master. I would still have to fight the master with no knowledge of magecraft while Lancer takes care of their servant."
"You want to fight a mage while the servants fight each other? That is reckless. You have no way of defending yourself. It would be more promising to let Lancer take out the enemy master while you hide away."
"It is unlikely an enemy servant would let Lancer do so. Had I summoned Assassin this strategy would probably be the most effective. However, with Lancer attacking they would notice them right away and Lancer would have to fight against two opponents.
As far as I understand masters are not as strong as servants, but in a fight, they can still distract Lancer, which could be fatal." The girl took some items out of her backpack and laid them out on the church pew before resuming her answer.
"Also, I am not defenceless. While I do not know how effective these are going to be, they should be enough to buy some time."
In front of the 14-year-old girl laid a number of weapons. A few military pistols, a number of corresponding magazines, grenades and a small device that looked like a detonator. At the moment she also assembled an automatic rifle from smaller parts in her backpack.
"Conventional weapons? You want to fight magecraft with tools of science? Are you out of your mind?", asked Kotomine bewildered.
"Mages are humans. Humans bleed, meaning they can die." For Rei it was as simple as that. Even Angels bled and they weren't even human. Of course, Angels wouldn't just die by making them bleed enough as their anatomy was completely different. Still, just the fact you could make them bleed meant it was possible to damage and destroy them.
"Don't underestimate the power of magecraft. Depending on your opponent these weapons may not cause any damage. Even if they do, these people may not die when killed." She could tell it was a serious warning to the seemingly ignorant girl before him.
"I will keep it in mind", responded the girl with the now fully assembled rifle in her hands. She put it down and turned to Lancer who had silently listened to the entire conversation:
"I will distract the master while you fight the servant. Do you have any objections?"
"No. Fighting a single servant will pose no problem. Still, I want to clarify something, Master. You said this fight is for reconnaissance purposes. Should I fight to gather as much information about the opponent as possible or should I fight to kill them?"
"Fight to gather information without revealing to much of your own abilities. That is our main objective for now", Rei answered pondering, "However, if you think you can take them out fast, do it. I will leave this decision up to your discretion."
"Understood, Master", nodded Lancer while smiling confidently.
"… you have no objection to me fighting another master? When I die you will disappear too." The question was asked rather hesitantly. She had expected more resistance concerning this tactic with how big a risk it involved.
"I trust that you know what you are capable of, Master." They replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"I see." Rei didn't know what to think of such a bold statement of trust. She was used to simply receiving and executing orders, not giving them herself. In her mind there was never room for objection to her superior's orders. While she did have objections at times, the girl had rarely spoken them out loud. In the end there certainly was a reason why the people giving her orders were in a position to do so.
Now though, Rei was the one giving orders, and it somehow felt… wrong. Especially as Lancer just went along with them. She had read when summoning a Heroic Spirit without a catalyst, the one with the best compatibility to the master would be summoned. Maybe it was this quality of mechanically following orders that this master-servant pair had in common?
Still, Lancer was someone recorded by human history because of their great feats. Nothing like Rei Ayanami who would not even be remembered by a handful of people after her death; if at all. Maybe Lancer would be better suited to give the orders…
No. This was not the time to think about such things.
There were only three minutes of preparation left.
They had somewhat of a battle plan, Lancer was willing to fight and she had prepared her weapons. Everything else would have to be improvised on the spot. Neither could she predict what abilities the enemy servant had nor could she predict what kind of magic the other master would use.
Oddly enough, this fact somewhat calmed her down.
After all, it was just as usual; going into a fight against an opponent you knew nothing about.
But before they stepped out of the church there was one last thing she had say:
"Lancer, one more thing…"
"This is the place where the overseer of this war resides?", asked a disembodied voice.
"Yes. While the device is called the Holy Grail, there is no connection to the real thing; it is only a namesake. The Holy Church, being as thorough as they are, still wants to oversee the war to confirm this for themselves. But they have no real interest in a grail originating from magecraft, and because of that act as a neutral party most of the time", explained a rough voice. It belonged to the brunette man standing on the little church square. "It looks like the servant we sensed is inside."
"What do you think, old man?", asked the other voice, "Did someone already drop out? Or do they have some sort of alliance with the priest?" Apparently not minding the rude way in which he was addressed the man simply responded:
"If they indeed have an alliance, they should have taken better care to hide it."
"Uhahahahaha! That's true!", agreed the voice laughing. Still with a smile in their voice, they declared, "Someone's coming."
Right after the disembodied voice had spoken those words the door to the church opened. Out came a green-haired person clad in white cloth with a backpack in their hand and a young girl in civilian clothes; the servant and their master. A few steps after them followed an older man clad in a black cassock, apparently the priest of the church.
"Get ready, Archer", ordered the brunette man while the unknown servant and the girl, presumably their master, approached the front gate, "This will be our first fight."
Author's note:
To everyone that continued reading from the prologue, thank you!
I thought a lot about what servant Rei should summon; a fake who became the genuine thing, an AI with the purpose of managing humanity, a mud doll given life by the gods. Without a catalyst I think servants with some kind of artificial background would be the most compatible with her. Enkidu fits this and also shares a similar role to Rei's in their legend. Also, with all the other mages and servants Rei needs a powerful partner to stand a chance. At this point I have no plans of her learning any magecraft but she will fight with anything else at her disposal.
When it comes to the servants I limited myself to one's that actually could be summoned by the people in this story. So no Lostbelt servants or Chaldea exclusive Pseudo-Servants. Also, as certain things went differently in the Fourth Holy Grail War, like Kirei not becoming a master, this will effect the master selection of the Fifth War. Look forward to who from the original cast will actually appear!
Next chapter will be the first confrontation; Lancer vs. the still unknown Archer.
-LuckySeven