Something isn't right, I think to myself, brushing past all the branches and rocks in my way. I take deep breaths as I run to find the castle, as I must see whose headquarters they could belong to. But something about the area seems odd. It feels as if some sort of tension is rising.
My chest rises and falls quickly and it feels heavier, a slight sting in my right arm. There are people around us. Maybe even Servants. What if there are Servants fighting in the castle? Nonetheless, I must find out.
I know that Gilgamesh is in spirit form right beside me, preserving my mana for the moment. He said so after we almost... after the explosion was heard. I know that he is here and just waiting for an enemy to come for us. He told me to continue to find the castle if such events were to occur. Even if I am completely vulnerable and defenseless, I have intuition.
I still have my visions and I can heal myself, as long as I can sustain my mana properly. Although it would aid me very much if I was equipped with some sort of weapon.
Interrupting my thoughts on a weapon, I feel a sudden rush of mana through my head and my right arm tenses up, I clutch it in slight pain. Images appear but they are hard to make out. I stop in my tracks and the images clear up.
We are soon to be surrounded by these beings in masks. Skull masks. Assassins. That's all my vision shows me. No attacks were made. For all I know right now, we are being observed right here on the spot.
"Is something of the matter?" Gilgamesh speaks in my head, so that no one can hear, still remaining in his spirit form.
"We are being watched. Others surround us and who knows if we will be separated or not." I respond and continue walking warily around the trees.
"Remember what to do if that is to come," he reminds me as if I had already forgotten.
"Yes, of course. My only concern is that if we were to get separated, I have nothing to act as a defense mechanism if I encounter someone else without you. Even if I can heal myself and predict an outcome." I worry, gulping down the lump in my throat.
"Woman, by trying to find out whoever is in that castle is futile in the first place. It is only going to danger you," he warns me. I understand that, but I still need to know.
"I had no idea you were so concerned for my well being, King of Heroes," I mock him. The brilliant smirk plastered on my pale face.
"...!" he remains silent and I internally giggle.
"No matter, can I use a weapon?" I ask him.
"Did you bring one?" he asks, mocking me this time.
"I meant one of yours." I can feel his evil laughter and it sends shivers down my spine. His mood can change with the slightest remark that strikes his ego.
"Hold out your hand." he sighs. I arch an eyebrow but follow the order anyway. "Is there a weapon you desire?"
"Well, I'm only good with knives and stuff, so maybe a dagger?" I ask him. There really is nothing else that I am good with. Just throwing knives and using them for self-defense is the most I could do with weapons.
A gold light shimmers in my palm and I soon feel a cold metal against my skin. The fine dagger appears from the golden dust in my hand. A burgundy handle I hold with a fine silver blade a couple of inches in length. The pommel a dark shade of red, darker than my irises. A shiny-gold cross-guard with symbols etched into it. The weapon is a little heavy but very sharp.
"Are you in awe from this small weapon alone?" he laughs, making me realize my lips were parted and my eyes widened.
"Whatever, let's keep goin—"Just as I take a step forward, my heart beats roughly for a second. It isn't a vision of danger, however. I see people and Servants.
The Einzbern Master of Saber appears, accompanied by a young beautiful woman in a black attire with short dark hair and sharp eyes, holding a gun. I also see those in the castle. Two males, a blonde man with a blue coat reaching his ankles and a brown haired man with a long black coat holding a gun. I have a feeling him and the woman with the Einzbern are working together.
Further in the forest, I can see Saber with an all too familiar, disgusting form. Caster, surrounded by tentacles and... dead children?! What the—
"What is it now?" I hear Gilgamesh's voice full of impatience from me standing. I roll my eyes playfully, giving no response.
I suppose we just walked into their territory. Maybe it is a trait for the homunculi to sense the presence of those around them. Another image comes to my mind. And it's... What?
Kirei Kotomine? It can't be. Why would he be here? He isn't heading my direction, so what is he here for? He is heading for the castle, near the Einzbern and her companion, but why?
I brush it off, remaining cautious of his presence and his Servant. That man is mysterious and he seeks nothing of the wish-granting device. The reason why the Holy Grail chose him, three years in advance, is a complete paradox. I've known him for quite some time and he thought the War was a sick gathering of mortals and spirits forced to hunt and murder each other. So he must strive for something of the Grail if he stayed for this long.
After walking a few more meters, earning a scratch on my hand and a rip of my tights from the thin branches, the cycle of visions continues with another image.
A Servant, clad in teal clothing and gripping twin spears advances towards us. Sensing the mana through the dagger I hold and even myself, the spirit thrusts the crimson lance for my stomach. A male face with the beauty mark under the right amber eye makes contact with my red orbs.
The vision ends there, with the spear yet to make contact with my abdomen. An important factor was missing from it in the end. Those spears were all too familiar and the tight attire with symbols covering it seem vague in my memories. Wait. The lances in his hands, the clothing, the mark under the eye.
"Lancer," I speak out loud and turn around to find him, knowing he is nearby, just as his presence appeared in my mind.
As I predicted, he comes out of the shadows with the red lance finding its target. Before I can do anything, I feel myself being pulled by the collar of my coat and sent flying on the ground, the dagger falling out of my hand, and my right arm burning.
"Ow," I wince in pain from Archer's sudden alarm for me.
I look up in front of me to find my golden Servant materializing with his arms crossed and a weapon pointing out of his endless vault above his left shoulder.
"Hm?" The male in front of Gilgamesh begins, my chest aching from fear. "I guess exterminating another homunculus Master will be more challenging than anticipated."
The figure appears from the darkness and his eyes travel up and down my body, making me more uncomfortable and scared. His raven hair combed back with a loose strand down the middle of his handsome face, amber eyes and a mole under his right eye. Muscles every inch of his body and the smug smile dancing on his lips. Only now I get to see the details of his figure. Just as I looked at the spot under the eye, my heart races and I clutch my chest. Damn charm magic.
Gilgamesh looks at me then back at Lancer with a slight glare in his eyes. He notices the magic on him as well. Something clearly annoys him with the Servant before us.
"What is your business, mongrel?" Archer tilts his head.
"That girl is representing the Tohsaka's of this war, even though some would think otherwise at a first glance," he refers to my appearance as a homunculus. Although, how does he know about my last name?
"How do you know-"
"The night your Servant murdered Assassin," he interrupts me, keeping his eyes sharp on Archer's. "Did you not realize all the familiars to witness the first death of this Heaven's Feel? Honestly, I had thought you were the Einzbern. But after keeping a close eye on you following that event, we all learned your last name."
I remember seeing a familiar watching me before going to my father's house. That's probably how they found out about my family name. How many pairs were following me?
"Besides," he continues, catching a hint of Archer's attention. "The night of everyone fighting other Servants, Saber's Master was declared to be the Einzbern Master. It still interests me to see two Masters of your kind."
"So you want to get her out of the war," Gilgamesh shortens his words. "You were spending this entire night trying to find us?" Judgment fills his voice, stating it may have been a waste of time.
"You two weren't my goal of the night," he looks away into the forest with a pause. "But maybe it wouldn't be too bad to kill you now." He looks back with a superior grin.
Gilgamesh looks back at me and I nod. I pick up the dagger and back away slightly from them. More weapons light up behind my Servant.
"You shouldn't be too confident, young knight," he says. "You have no idea who you're trying to intimidate."
"I know enough," Lancer smirks and readies his weapons. Gilgamesh exhales loudly and furrows his eyebrows.
"Be careful, Archer," I murmur and start heading back on my track to find the castle.
"How fast can you dodge?" I hear his voice and the clash of blades accompanied by roars of explosions fill the forest. Gilgamesh might be using his weapons in hand if need be. He understands that he must not use up too much mana of mine.
I try to ignore the loud crashes of weapons behind me and kick my legs to move faster. My eyes water from the thought that Archer could lose to Lancer's Noble Phantasm, since we have yet to observe its power. However, Gilgamesh is a tremendously strong spirit. He hasn't even shown his full abilities against any opponent, including no mention to his Master. I run faster.
About half an hour passes and my body is all scratched up from the twigs and branches while going through the forest. It may have been a better idea to use a trail, but I couldn't take any chances of an ambush from a rival.
Advancing further in the forest, I see a faint light in the distance. The thin air intoxicated with a terrible stench of blood. The only thing I hear is a blade piercing through its prey. A fight, if not already obvious.
These people are, I think with a long pause, inhaling the cold air. I gasp the moment I see their forms. Saber and Caster?! Of course, he summoned his demons to strike her. I wonder if she will be able to defeat him.
Before continuing on my trail, I take in my surroundings. The castle shouldn't be too far from here, I can almost see its rooftop ahead. No visions came to mind for me, nor for Gilgamesh. His battle either finished or caused no harm to him.
I keep going, circling around the two Servants engaging in their duel. The speed in my legs increasing and I can't stop. Without paying close attention to what is in front of me, I run past a sharp branch, giving a giant scratch on my right arm. It draws blood but the stinging sensation feels worse than what a normal cut should do. The sting spreads throughout my entire arm, making it feel close to numb. Why is my arm killing me tonight?
Stopping in my tracks, I quickly heal it up, along with the other cuts on my body. The scratches disappear, but the burn in my arm remains. I try to apply more ether and force, but it is absolutely futile. I don't know what it is but my arm is in pain, and I have to ignore it.
Too concentrated on the stupid cut, I hadn't noticed I stood right before my destination. The windows shattered and the bricks of the castle punched with big holes, some still emitting smoke from the impact. All I need to do is find out who's hideout this belongs to, then I bolt back.
I circle all the way around the castle, only to find more explosions from certain rooms of the fortress. Eventually, I find a room, the window broken to giant pieces on the ground, with two male voices and the sound of gunshots. I get close enough so they won't see me and that I may hear them.
The gunfire ends with a long pause. An evil laughter fills that silence from the room. Once finished, he begins to speak about how he will torture his opponent out of anger and hatred. I don't pay close attention to the conversation for a little bit. That is until I hear one of them speak, the owner of the laughter from before.
"You will curse," he hisses loudly. "You will curse the Einzberns for hiring you to fight in this war! You will wish for their death in any horrendous way possible!" The sound of gunfire breaks the mans speech about his hatred towards his opponent.
So this is probably the Einzberns hideout, unless they broke in to someone else's fort. Wait. He said that the one in front of him was hired for the Einzbern family. So that homunculus is not a real Master, but a fake to fool others? Well played. It reminds me of how I was chosen to represent the Tohsaka family without even knowing.
I still have to find out if this really does belong to the Einzberns or not. I stay in place, the gunfire ending with one powerful shot, from what I can hear. Is that the final blow? My stubbornness forces me to stay and find out. That is until I feel a giant pound of my heart and my right arm burning, the images floating in my head. Archer appears first.
Lancer advances as Gilgamesh stays with his golden bow and arrow in hand. He aims for Lancer's head perfectly, but the knight deflects it with his blood-red lance. He runs for Archer and knocks the bow out with his yellow spear and slashes the red one down his chest, breaking through the armour and severely damaging Gilgamesh. Of course, Lancer has already been wounded by the bow and arrow, but this could end their battle with Archer emerging as the defeated.
That can't be. Gilgamesh can't lose! I have to get back to him now and heal him or something. But how come he wasn't using his Gate of Babylon? He used it when I had left, so why did he stop? I can surely support the mana required for him, unless he thinks I am too weak.
Nonetheless, I turn around and run for my Servant in danger. I don't know why he was using a bow, probably to conceal his Noble Phantasm a little bit. Still, he needs me.
As I begin running, another vision pops up in my head. It shows someone grabbing me by covering my mouth and knocking me to the ground. The orange colour on his head all too familiar. His knife in hand and he starts to slice open my stomach, just seeing it makes me feel the nauseous.
That's it. I'm going to die, painfully, if I don't do anything to change the future. I can use my Command Seal to bring Gilgamesh to my side. And so, in case it's too late, I hold out my dagger and start the command.
"By the power of my-!"
Metal. Cold metal. The agonizing pain in my stomach stops me from my casting. I look down and find the bloody knife in my stomach. He threw it at me. T-that bastard-!
"Gah- Ah!" I yell from the pain and fall to my knees. The moment I fall, the feeling of callused skin covers my lips from in back of me.
"Shh. We don't want anyone to hear us now, do we?" The disgusting voice whispers in my ear with a devilish laughter. I try to remove his hand with my left, but I can't. I hold up my dagger to cut his arm off of me, but his free hand holds that one. Caster's fucking Master.
I try to grip his hand to get off of my mouth, digging my nails into his flesh. He takes the dagger out of my hand and throws it far away from us. With his free hand, he takes the knife out of my stomach and stabs it in my back. I scream in agony into his mouth and tears fall down my face. Blood coughed up and spat into his palm.
"As gorgeous as ever. Isn't it always prettier when things die instead of living freely? After all, it's what's on the inside that counts, right?" he asks and gazes at my blood like a work of art. How sickening!
His laughter quietly fills the air and I can hardly breathe. My hands that were trying to remove his palm tremble to my sides and my right arm is burning. He continues to thrust the knife in my back, twisting it with every strike, piercing through my body, and slitting it. He even digs his fingers in the wounds, causing me to yell in agony. The torture is unbearable, I can feel the blood escaping my body. I should be dead by now but I'm still living through this. I want to die now, for the sake of putting myself out of my misery.
"Oh shit," he curses, ceasing his actions with the knife, but causing more anguish in my body than I could ever handle. "Looks like those chicks will be coming back here. Damn, I was just having fun with you," he complains and lays me on my back on the ground.
"B-Bast...tard-!" I stutter and feel the taste of metal in my mouth from all the blood. The oxygen is leaking from my lungs.
"You should have died by now, though," he stands up and looks down at my dying figure. My blood splattered on his white shirt and purple sweater, and his hand that bears the Command Seals. "Something is keeping you in this world, so that means there is plenty of time for even more bloodshed from you!" he laughs and starts to run away. "I'm sure Bluebeard will be after you as well," he adds and vanishes.
This can't be, I think to myself while coughing violently, my throat burning. I groan and try to heal myself, but I can't move anything and I spit out more blood. I don't want to die! My war just started and I'm here, about to die from a tortuous method! How could I possibly think I could win this war?! Idiot!
It takes everything inside of me to lift my hand to see if the red markings remain there. I can handle failing myself, but failing another person who depends on me to remain in this world and accomplish their own war? I can't let that happen, even if they are arrogant like Gilgamesh. Luckily, the two Command Seals are still imprinted on my hand.
Good. He is still alive. He will win for sure. Especially without a burden such as myself to hold him back from winning the Grail.
My eyelids start to close, my vision blurring, my right arm in torment, and the blood spilling from my insides. I should be dead. I should be dead!
"I'm sorry, but Caster managed to escape before I could finish him." A woman's voice whispers in the distance. "He would have been dead much sooner had I regained the use of my left arm."
"Please, you tried your hardest, Saber. Right now, let's get Maiya to Kiritsugu and heal her in the castle. I won't let him know about Kirei's assault on us." Another woman speaks, sounding a little older than the first. Wait, Saber? Kirei?
"Very well, Irisviel," the voice of Saber, I assume, assures her. "Hm? Irisviel? Why are you running?!"
"Saber! Hurry over here! Oh my god!" The one who is called Irisviel comes closer. She sounds worried and I can hear her footsteps coming closer to me.
"Irisviel? Watch out!" Saber warns. I can't see them but I feel them next to me. One knelt down right beside me.
"Oh, no! It can't be you! Why you out of all people?" Irisviel cries and I feel her hands on my stomach. I assume she is looking at all the blood around me staining my clothing and white hair. What does she mean? "The beauty mark under the corner of your lips, the same white skin like myself. I can't believe it." She's bawling, but why?
"Irisviel, we must return to the castle now. She is a Master, she could be dangerous." Saber refers to my Command Seals, almost ignoring the sobbing female before her.
I feel heat in her hands on my stomach. Soon replaced by trauma on my insides, killing the pain. I scream and shut my eyes closed. After a couple of seconds, the pain is gone and my stomach feels less throbbing. She healed me?
"Why would you, Irisviel? She could be a threat. We don't know her, nor which Servant is her own." Saber worries and I can hear her armour clinging on the ground, advancing closer to me.
"She isn't dangerous. This only a fraction of what I owe her for all those years back." I hear Irisviel stand up and begin to walk away. I try to open my eyes to see her but I can't move.
"'All those years back?' What do you mean?" A pause fills the air and the sound of footsteps stop. The only sound is by beating heart, anxious to know what the hell she is talking about.
"..." The silence continues.
"If I may ask," Saber pushes to know more. Another pause, probably waiting for her Master's quiet consent. "Who is this woman?"
I try to open my eyes and find the blurry figure of Saber and the Einzbern Master. Saber holds the woman dressed in black with short hair, whose presence I sensed earlier, all wounded in her arms. The homunculus looks back at me with tears dripping down her flawless face.
"...She-" she stops to wipe her tears and I close my eyes exhausted. "She is my... my-"
Her what? How does she know me? What on Earth is happening?! Irisviel sighs and sniffs.
"Basically, Saber... Master or not, I can't possibly leave my sister in misery, dying on the ground when I have the chance to save her."
What? Her- Her what?! How can this be? Is she saying the truth?
"I-Iris... viel," Saber stutters, I have no words. I want to say a billion things but nothing comes out. I want to yell and ask so many questions and find out if she is telling the truth. Only a groan of pain escapes my lips and I'm sure they heard it.
With that, I feel myself starting to pass out. The shock that I have a clue of my family wore me out even more than the torture of Caster's master. This is just a dream. This damn war is just a dream. A nightmare. The last thing she says is barely audible to my ears as I pass out.
"Naomi Rhoswen von Einzbern."
A/N
Heyy guys!
Soo... What did you think of this sudden turn of events? hahaa I hope you guys liked what happened!
I will try to update every friday for this fanfic so stay tuned! The time of day... I have no clue XD
However, for the next two weeks or more, I may not update since I will be on vacation.
Have a nice week and SUMMER!