Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Different Fates

Chapter 20

Caster silently glided through his workshop, lit eerily by the light of liquid-filled glass cylinders as high as a child was tall connected to each other and to a centralized machine construct by a complicated array of tubes and piping. Shapeless blobs of flesh shot through with faint, dark-coloured nerves floated in the liquid within, the coining cylinders providing all the light and warmth in this section of his workshop.

Caster was humble enough to acknowledge that while he had refined the process, he was not behind the original concept. It was crude though. His Master had torn out her own nerves – enduring excruciating agony in the process of removing them and then growing them back – before alchemically-transmuting those nerves into low-quality magic circuits for use as power sources for her dolls.

It wasn't good enough to power a golem, but it wasn't a problem Caster couldn't overcome.

Caster had obtained 'raw material' from his Master (more painful than usual but it only needed to be done once) before alchemically-rendering it down into gene-stock which could be cultivated as needed to provide organic matrices grown inside coining cylinders. Once there was need, the tanks would be flushed, the nerves extracted from their matrices and then alchemically-transmuted into magic circuits ready for use.

And thanks to Caster's own expertise, further refinement of the transmutation of nerves into magic circuits which once had a fifty per cent failure rate now had an eighty-one per cent success rate, and quality was boosted by a rank and a half. Insufficient for Golem Keter Malkuth, but for dolls and golems it was quite sufficient.

Zouken Matou had been quite impressed, and had murmured something about 'artificial' magi. Caster couldn't really stop him: Rin Matou had cooperated in the refining of her magic circuit synthesis procedures (as was her right given her status as Caster's Master and the originator of the procedures), and as such was obliged to share those secrets with the head of her family.

Whether or not said head deserved such loyalty was another question, and the same went for whether or not Rin gave such loyalty out of free will or out of fear. Caster didn't really care, and personally saw Zouken's musings as doomed to fail. There was a reason why crests were limited to those of the same bloodline after all.

And magic crests were magic circuits re-forged into a more stable form. Implanting magic circuits into another person in the hopes of giving them or increasing their magical potential…

…well it could be done, within bloodline limits, that is.

The question would be: given Conservation of Mysteries, would it be a desirable development for magecraft and magi in general?

It wasn't the first time Caster had asked himself the question, and as usual he just dismissed it. Such a question was ultimately academic to him, given his objectives. All this time he silently guided past the coining room and other sections of the workshop, making his way to where his Master had made her lair (whenever she wasn't at her school or the required weekend 'training' at her house).

Rin Matou reclined on a couch, her red eyes glazed over as she let her mind wander, her fingers playing with a lock of her silver hair. Caster tilted his head at the sight. She'd been acting strangely for a while now, at times muttering or whispering incoherently to herself or just sitting and staring out into space.

Truth be told, Caster did pity her for her lot in life. She was so talented, having large numbers of magic circuits along with access to the five elements, and with a sharp mind to boot. But instead of having her gifts cultivated and nurtured, her lot was to have parasitic worms use her body as a nest, to have family mysteries torturously engraved into her flesh, and her own conceptual framework rendered a mangled mess.

And yet for all that, she was a powerful magus. It was a remarkable achievement, given that what had been done to her should have left her with no incentive to study the art. And yet she had.

I simply wish for a future.

Life was a wonderful motivator. Caster nodded once at the memory of his Master's stated wish, and snapped his fingers once. The girl blinked, and then she glanced sharply at him. "My apologies for disturbing your rest…" he telepathically said. "…however it seems that the first battle of the Fifth Holy Grail War has been fought."

"I know." Rin replied. "I was watching through a familiar."

"Indeed…" Caster said with a nod. "…your thoughts…?"

"My…that is to say Tohsaka has an interesting mystery at her disposal. I also have to thank Einzbern as well. If not for unintentionally giving us a frame of reference to compare Tohsaka's mystery to, I wouldn't have been able to figure out Tohsaka's secret."

"Oh?"

"Einzbern's Time Alter functions like a reality marble the limits of which are defined by her own body." Rin began.

"Within said reality marble she is capable of speeding up the flow of time." Caster continued. "This manifests in reality as inhuman levels of speed and agility."

"But there's a price." Rin concluded. "Once the mystery is deactivated or reaches an assumed limit, Einzbern's body will be forced to endure the accumulated relativistic debt in the form of physical strain equal to the strain produced by attaining such speed and agility by normal means."

"However Tohsaka does not have this problem."

"No, she doesn't." Rin agreed before turning to look at her Servant. "Have you ever noticed that when one watches another chopping wood, there is a period of time between seeing wood being chopped and hearing the sound?"

Caster was silent, but Rin could all but see the knowing smile behind the golden mask. "It's the same with light." She continued. "Light is the fastest thing in the universe. And nothing can move faster than light. And that's how Tohsaka does it. Nothing is after all the essence of her Imaginary Numbers sorcery trait: that which is possible but not on the physical plane."

"She folds space around herself." Caster concluded. "Within a bubble of folded space, she moves at normal speed, but the spatial bubble around her is moving at relativistic speed. This allows her to reach a level of speed equal to Einzbern's Time Alter, but without its drawbacks."

"Magnificent isn't she?" Rin said with a mental laugh. "A true prodigy…"

The thought trailed off, and Caster turned his head slightly to view Rin's carefully-neutral face. "What of how she toyed with that Enforcer?" he asked at length.

"Ah yes…" Rin agreed. "…to be honest I'm not really sure how she does it, to the point that I'm tempted to take an easy way out and say that she managed to unlock Nagato Tohsaka's legacy from Second Magician Zelretch. On the other hand…"

Behind his mask Caster smiled. "You are unwilling to accept she has reached such a level…?" he asked, and red eyes flashed towards him.

"It's not that." Rin replied. "It's just that…"

"Go on…"

"True Magic-derived mysteries usually take the form of High Thaumaturgy requiring Grand Rituals or ten-count arias. The Holy Grail we're all fighting for is an example."

"I see."

"Any thoughts…?"

"I'm not sure myself, Master." Caster replied. "I have my suspicions however. In particular, the concept behind her defensive mastery is possibly 'nowhere and everywhere at once'."

Rin glanced at him. "What…?" she asked.

"That's what I said: nowhere and everywhere at once. However I will need more time to identify how she applies it, assuming that is the concept she is working on."

"I see."

"Well then Master…" Caster began, changing the subject. "…what shall we do now?"

Rin thought for a moment. "For now we leave Tohsaka and Einzbern alone." She said. "Berserker appears to be a Knight of the Round, and we know too little of Archer. However Alexander the Great is not someone to be taken lightly. I doubt that Archer is a Knight of the Round, but if the King of Conquerors is of the opinion that he'd do well as a Caster…"

"Given the versatility of the Archer Class…" Caster concluded. "…attempting to engage without knowing more to base a strategy on would be folly…"

"Precisely…" Rin said with a nod. "…and their Masters – Tohsaka, Einzbern, and Archisorte – while powerful aren't that overwhelmingly powerful. Lancer and his Master however…"

"We have little information on Lancer." Caster opined as Rin's thoughts trailed off. "And Bazett Fraga McRemitz…"

"That Enforcer is the biggest threat in this entire war." Rin interrupted. "I'm not sure if Tohsaka noticed but…she only won because that Enforcer allowed herself to make the mistake of underestimating her enemy because Tohsaka is just a sixteen year-old girl. It won't happen again. The next time she steps on the battlefield, the Enforcer will not be holding back."

"And Tohsaka had to use her greatest mysteries to deal with an Enforcer at less than full strength." Caster agreed with a nod. "I see your point."

"McFraga is currently injured." Rin thought. "We shouldn't waste this opportunity offered to us. With that said we shouldn't repeat her mistake and underestimate her. We should strike cautiously without undue risk to us should she prove stronger than expected, but with enough strength to overwhelm her should the opportunity be as promised."

"I agree." Caster said. "Hopefully it will be enough to give us insights to Lancer himself."

"Quite…" Rin agreed."

"I will prepare three squads of golems."

"Very well…"

With a small bow Caster glided away. Yes, what had been done to her was barbaric, no not even that, it was inhuman and he would never sink so low, but he couldn't argue with the results. As such, he would not intervene.

Unless she told him to, that is.

"My lady…" Flora began as she packed up her equipment. Part of her programming included spiritual surgery, which she put to use to attend to her mistress' ruptured lung and broken ribs. "…the treatment has been completed. With that said, I would suggest you turn in for the night, and to take it easy the following day. I would also suggest avoiding engagement during the night after to be certain of full recovery, but given the necessities of war I understand that such might not be possible."

Sakura nodded her understanding. "Thanks for your good work, Flora." She said. "Well I can't guarantee tomorrow's night, but I suppose I can rest for the day tomorrow. But before turning in for the night…"

She paused, trailing off as she glanced at Anika who nodded. "…some supper would be nice." She concluded while buttoning down her blouse. "Something light…"

"I understand my lady." Flora said with a bow. "Please relax while you wait."

Sakura nodded, and Flora bowed again before leaving. "Einzbern was strong." Anika said, and Sakura nodded again.

"Yes she was." She agreed before grimacing. "But that Enforcer was stronger. Damn, I made a mistake. I went all out while she was merely holding back. And everyone there and anyone watching would know that."

"And you missed your chance to kill her." Anika pointed out. "The next time we meet, she'll go straight for the kill with everything she has."

Sakura was silent for a while, but at length she nodded and took Anika's hand. The surprised baroness glanced at her friend who smiled at her. "Sorry…" Sakura said. "…you were right. I should've taken your advice and engaged at range. And that's the strategy we're going to be using against McFraga from now on. We'll bomb her from a distance where she can't hit us back."

Anika nodded, and squeezed Sakura's hand. "Apology accepted…" she said with a cheeky grin, reaching forward and brushing a few strands of hair from Sakura's eyes. "…knowing how proud you are, that wasn't easy."

Sakura laughed, her eyes not leaving Anika's. "Thanks…" she said. "…I think."

Silence fell, the two girls looking at each other while Archer discreetly looked on with veiled amusement. At length Sakura coughed, her cheeks flushed while taking her hand and rubbing it. "Hey Archer…" she said. "…you can handle that can't you?"

"Humph…" he scoffed. "…Sakura, have you forgotten my class? If there's a Servant best suited for planting the fear of bombardment in the heart of the enemy, it's an Archer."

Well Medea was arguably just as good with those beams of hers, but she isn't here right now. Although…

Archer's train of thought derailed as he studied his Master and her friend. They talked softly to each other, and then Sakura rose from her seat before heading off to change, her blouse splattered with coughed-up blood. "I wonder how Medea would get along with these two." He thought.

"So…" he said aloud. "…how exactly did the Einzbern girl manage to hurt Sakura? A ruptured lung and six fractured ribs…not light damage at all."

"Hmm…?" Anika registered before giving a reply. "Oh…from what I saw and what Sakura said, apparently Einzbern used a hardened burst of prana at close-range. Similar to Gandr, or could be a personalized variation."

"Personalized…?" Archer echoed. "Gandr can be personalized…?"

"Oh yes." Anika confirmed. "Though not many people do it, Gandr's strength being that despite being a single-action spell it's quite energy-efficient for what it does, given its curse of debilitation. If more power is needed, the Finn variation can be used, though obtaining it can be a bit difficult: the Edelfelt among others are very protective of the secret and exact a high price to magi seeking to learn the Finn variation."

"Understandable…" Archer agreed.

"Some try to develop it on their own…" Anika continued. "…or develop their own variations. However, most magi find it easier to simply develop new attack spells – such as elemental ones – if they need a spell with more power than that of a regular Gandr."

"It looked like Gandr, but it wasn't." Sakura said, returning to her living room and wearing casual clothes. "I know Gandr. I have it and Finn in my crest after all. And I do have a personal version, easily as powerful as a mundane 30mm cannon."

"Should you be saying that out loud?" Anika asked dryly. "That your personal variant has a spatial implosion function comparable to explosive 30mm ammunition isn't exactly something you should broadcasting to the world you know."

"There is nobody here except for you and me." Sakura replied dismissively. "This isn't the Clock Tower or another magus' house, its mine."

"I'm still a magus you know."

"Yeah, but you're also my friend and…"

Abruptly Sakura broke off, and Anika raised an eyebrow. "And…?" she pressed, and Sakura flushed.

"I trust you." She said simply, but refused to meet Anika's eyes. The baroness also flushed and swallowed.

"Well…I'm grateful I guess…" the baroness fumbled, and then she coughed again. She glanced sideways at Sakura, and a playful smile played slightly over her lips. "…you trust me, but I know nothing about the spells you've been preparing for the confrontation with the up and coming next generation of the Magus Killer."

"The Clock Tower walls have ears." Sakura replied. "Royal retainers we might be, but I'm sure they've spies on us just as much as we have spies on them. That's why I don't keep anything that important in writing and just encode it in my crest. It hurts like crazy when I do, but I'm sure it's worth the effort. In fact I'd bet five hundred pounds that if I didn't, that McFraga would know about the more profound aspects of my research."

"Fair enough…" Anika conceded. "…it's to be expected when one works at the Clock Tower. The only things sacrosanct are magic crests and anything secreted within ones' family properties. Unless they're willing to risk starting a feud or worse a factional war, it's considered unwise to try and access crests or family property."

"Exactly…and I'm sure you and yours have secrets of your own."

"Of course…" Anika said smugly. "…a magician never reveals their secrets."

The two girls shared a laugh, and then Flora arrived with their dinner. "So…" Archer ventured. "…if Einzbern didn't use Gandr, what was it?"

"Raw prana…" Sakura said. "…condensed into a metaphysical form and fired with enough force that even with reinforcement I still took serious injury. If I hadn't reinforced my body, I'm sure that thing would have blown my chest open."

"Thankfully it did not." Anika murmured, and Sakura smiled and nodded.

"No, thankfully it did not."

"Indeed…" Archer agreed. "…next time you face her, you might want to use your automatic defences, like you did with the Enforcer."

Sakura chuckled and nodded. "Good advice…" she conceded. "…I'll be sure to remember it the next time we meet."

"That's very reassuring, Sakura."

"What do you think, King of Heroes?" Kirei asked the blonde Servant lounging in his living room, swirling a wineglass in one hand. "Are things to your satisfaction?"

"I am displeased." Gilgamesh responded at once, only for his lips to twitch into a satisfied smirk. "And yet I am most pleased as well."

"How paradoxical of you…" Kirei observed dryly. "…of course, I'm sure that as the King it is your privilege to feel what you want to feel at any point in time, regardless of how contrary it might be to others."

"Yes, you are correct Kirei!" Gilgamesh answered in the affirmative to the priest's complete lack of surprise. "I am the King. It matters not what lesser beings think, the only thing that truly matters is my will. And if my will is to be contradictory by being pleased and displeased at the same time, then so shall it be and none may say otherwise."

"It is as you say." Kirei said with a bow, and Gilgamesh raised his glass in a toast.

"That glorious King of Conquerors from the previous war has returned!" he exulted. "I do not take pleasure in repeating myself, but in his case I will make an exception. A spirit that burns with such fire can only be responded as such, and it is the King of Hero's privilege to accept the great King of Conqueror's challenge as a King in his own right."

"That is of course your prerogative." Kirei said, humouring Gilgamesh. To his surprise Gilgamesh's mood immediately soured.

"And in Iskander's wake there follows trash much like chaff accompanies grain." He spat. "A faker dares to mock the King's treasures, and a treacherous bastard mocks the one woman worthy to share my throne. What a disgrace…"

For a few moments Gilgamesh brooded, and Kirei stayed silent, recognizing this a moment to let the King of Heroes' resolve his own mood rather than risk being seen as insolent and having a random Noble Phantasm shoved down his throat. And then to his surprise Gilgamesh began to laugh.

"The bastard Berserker and her puppet of a Master are without a doubt only worth to be swept away into deserving ruin…" he said. "…but the faker I shall suffer for now. How fitting that Tokiomi's rebellious child would summon such as him!"

Gilgamesh broke off to laugh, while Kirei stood silent. "In time I will pass judgment…" Gilgamesh remarked at length. "…but the rebellious child has amused the King. I shall not forget. And that friend of hers…"

Gilgamesh fell silent, and then he nodded once. "…children playing grown-ups…" he said. "…still they are not without their charms. We shall see. I have expectations of them both, and should they meet the standard I will reward them a place in the world that is to come."

Gilgamesh chuckled softly and shook his head. "Friendship such as that…" he said to a surprised Kirei. "…is a true treasure Kirei, worthy to be acknowledged by the King of Heroes."

Kirei bowed. "And Lancer and her Master…?" he asked. "Or Sakura Tohsaka's elder sister…?"

"You have nerve Kirei." Gilgamesh said with a veiled tone of amusement. "And you are brave as well, to bring a pair of dogs, a clown, and a discarded child to the King's attention."

"Please accept my apologies…" Kirei said. "…however they still participate in the contest. And of course a certain Servant has yet to be summoned."

"Indeed…" Gilgamesh agreed. "…the dogs will seek to challenge the rebellious child once more in vengeance for their recent defeat. A shame the child has yet to learn not to play with her food, but I look forward to seeing more of her. The clown and his Master are little more than cheap entertainment, but they will suffice to pass the time…barely."

"And Saber and Assassin…?"

Gilgamesh dismissively waved away the mention of Assassin, faceless Servants being of no concern to him. Saber on the other hand…

He smiled. "I look forward to seeing her again." He said. "And this time, I am certain that she will accept her rightful place by my side."

Kirei bowed. "I would not be so sure King of Heroes." He thought. "And even if she did, I doubt you'd desire her as much as you do now."

"Assassin…"

"Yes my Master."

"The war has already begun. And yet the boy has yet to summon a Servant. I've no knowledge whether or not he has received command spells, but this is an opportunity. Go and test the boy's abilities beyond what potential I have already learned. Do not kill him until I give the command, but do not go easy either. Push him to his limits, and then force him to go beyond them. If nothing else, then that should increase his chances of summoning a Servant, fuelled by need."

"I understand my Master…however…"

A command spell glowed and then vanished. "By the power of the command spell…" Assassin's Master commanded. "…should Shirou Emiya summon a Servant and engage you in battle, I command you to escape with your life and return to my service."

"This Servant hears and obeys, my Master."

A skull-masked figure in the shadows watching the Tohsaka property from a safe distance briefly flickered into visibility, and then vanished into the night across the suburbs to enact his Master's will. In the skies above, a jewel-hearted hawk gave a cry which echoed across the night, while standing on the roof of the Tohsaka mansion, a Servant in astral form narrowed his eyes at Assassin's movement.

Where are you going Assassin…? Could it be…how interesting…

Caster watched neutrally as thirty-six golems marched into the night, hidden from mundane eyes thanks to mental interference magecraft made possible thanks to synthesized magic circuits that also doubled as their power sources. He wondered how long they'd last against Lancer, but then again neither he nor his Master had high expectations of them killing Lancer or his Master.

Their goal after all was ultimately to learn more about Lancer, and find weaknesses they could exploit in a second attack.

Caster knew quite well that to most magi expending so many golems in a fact-finding suicide mission would have been unthinkable. But then again what would take most magi a year to make he could make thirty in a day. And ultimately golems were only tools, be it to handle household chores (though he entrusted that role to Rin's dolls), to assist him in his workshop, and to tend to each other.

And of course, they were all just prototypes, steps in the process to recreate the original Human Adam, Golem Keter Malkuth. And speaking of his Master…

…Caster shrugged and continued to watch his golems leave in double file out of the workshop. The bounded fields which cloaked and protected his workshop should keep his Master from hurting herself…too much. Rin was after all, stumbling about on the roof, clutching at her head.

Ever since one of her familiars had caught sight of the Einzbern Master shortly after her arrival, a migraine had steadily tormented her in the time since. And there were…thoughts…dreams…memories…voices that were not her own…

During the day and at school or indeed so long as the Sun was in the sky, those alien…things vanished into the fog at the back of her mind, but once the Sun set, and her mind began to wander…

Three people stand in the park, a beautiful woman with two girls in red and black, one with hair tied up in pigtails and the other with hair cut short.

Aoi…Sakura…myself…

A man stalks towards a castle in a snowstorm, holding in his arms a silver-haired woman wrapped in his coat.

Kiri…and…me…

Cherry blossoms fly in the wind. A car waits on the street, surrounded by hollow-eyed men in suits. A girl with pigtails is led away, unflinching until the very end when she looks back over a shoulder. A smartly-dressed man with a goatee smiles, waves at her in goodbye, and then turning and walking away.

Tokiomi…Tohsaka…

The air is cold. The fire has died, and snow falls outside the window. Only the sheets of the bed and darkness of the room preserve their modesty. Blood stains the mattress and numb pain lingers between her thighs. She doesn't care. She takes comfort in his arms, nuzzling contentedly against her husband.

Kiri…that was our wedding night…

Laughter echoes in the cold air, a man with dark eyes and dark clothes walking beside a woman with long platinum hair and crimson eyes. A little girl walks between them, holding hands with them both. Smiles and laughter warm the air around them.

We…that's…no…I can't…she's not…

Rin collapsed to her knees, clutching at her head and shaking it. "What…" she gasps. "…what is happening to me…this isn't…no…"

A gunshot echoes and Kiri's head splatters with blood and gore. Illya, her head a ruined mass, falls to the ground.

"No…no…no…" Irisviel von Einzbern repeatedly said, shaking her head in denial. "…it's just a bad dream…Kiri…Kiri wouldn't… Illya…he wouldn't…"

Get up…get up…I said get up! Why are you dead? Why? Answer me! Get up and answer! Why? Why? Why? Why are you dead? Why did you make me hope? Why did you make me believe? Get up! Answer me!

Rin Matou reeled at the memory, staggering as though from a blow. "No…no…no…" she said, shaking her head. "…you idiot…you stupid fool…why…it's all for nothing…you knew that…so why? Answer me!"

Angra Mainyu…curses you…

What an idiot…to go against grandfather's will…

Rin Matou and Irisviel von Einzbern screamed as one, collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut, even as Caster drawn by the mental cascade finally rushed to her side in alarm.

What is wrong with you, my Master?

A/N

This chapter should resolve some concerns over Sakura vs Bazett during the previous fight. In fact it's mostly exposition and stage-setting, so I don't need to write a long A/N.

Just one more thing: Rin losing her shit is probably getting repetitive, but I promise you it's not just filler. Trust me.