Chapter 3: Heresy
Magic is heresy. Magi are nothing more than daemons in the eyes of the Lord. Inhuman beasts that should be exterminated alongside those such as blood suckers and zombies. Those that would kill in the pursuit of knowledge, with no goal other than a potential future of experiments, are the scum that plague the Earth. This is what is taught to the members of the Church, and no group embodies this philosophy more than the Executors. Low ranking soldiers meant for nothing more than exterminating the heretics that attempt to coexist with the God-fearing people of the world.
Magi, by nature, are heretics. Heretics have no place in the Church. And yet, by the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament, members of the Church are allowed to perform heretical acts in the name of God. One such act being learning and practicing magic. In other words, messengers of God may become heretics, but heretics may not become messengers of God.
"If you don't want me to join the Holy Order, why do you teach me this stuff, Gramps?"
A young boy, no older than 6, sat along a wall and sighed. All he had known for his whole life were the teachings of God. He would do nothing but learn the Word day in and day out, practice with his grandfather the recital of verses, and pray in his room before bed. And yet, despite this, he had never once set foot in a church, not even to be baptized. He thought that he would become a bishop, or even an exorcist. Perhaps, if he were to be lucky, he'd be an Executor, just like his grandfather before him. Sure, they weren't high on the hierarchy at the Holy Church, but he idolized his grandfather so much that it didn't matter to him. Plus, his grandfather always taught him to be humble and not to seek out more than what God has given him.
"To practice the teachings of God you do not need to be in the confines of the Holy Church, my child." An elderly man donning the traditional garb of those from the Church sat in a chair, his face filled with regret.
"That's not it at all, Gramps. I heard you mention it before. You said they'd kill me, right? Why is that? I'm no heretic. I am no immortal vampire, and I can't practice any magic. What right would they have to judge me?" The silver-haired child stood up, walking over to his grandfather's side.
"You have a Magic Crest. You know just as well as I that you are capable of practicing magic. That is more than enough for them to deem you a heretic in need of purging." The priest pulled his reading glasses up to his eyes, then put his hand on the young boy's head. After a quick hair ruffle, he pushed the boy away, and pointed towards the exit to the barren room.
"Gramps, I am not a Magus. I never will be!"
"And you are not a priest. And you never will be. This is too bloody of a position for you, my child. I fear I am closing the gap with the heretics I punish every day."
This felt like a shot in the heart for the young boy, who seemed offended that his grandfather would even say such a thing. His face went red with anger, and he stomped over to punch the man in the chair square in the stomach. Of course, this didn't phase the priest, but the gesture was met with caring eyes.
"Don't call yourself a heretic! You are the holiest man in the world, Gramps!"
The boy stormed off, not even knowing what he was angry about. Was it that his grandfather seemed to be self-deprecating? Or was it perhaps that his dreams of being just like the only man he knew were seemingly being displaced by the very man those dreams were about? He couldn't tell, but he angrily went to his room and plopped himself in bed with a frustrated sigh.
"And that fact alone might be what makes me such a heretic, my child…" The priest whispered to himself.
"I think about that day a lot more, Gramps. I was so dumb, running off like that. But, I think you did good - and it was my fault for not realizing you were simply looking out for me. A-anyway… I don't really know how to say this, since I haven't gotten to visit very often, but I am going to bring justice to the Church. The heretics who bloody the world forsake the very God that they claim to worship. I know you'd hate seeing me like this, but please don't be mad at me. I'll hopefully be seeing you soon enough. I just hope it's not too warm down there."
The gravestone, marked with a cross, was just as he remembered. The figurine of a sparrow was still intact, thankfully. He didn't want to go out and buy another one because a group of some kids wanted to go out drinking and sprint through a graveyard trying to avoid the authorities.
The sparrow is insignificant. And yet it is beautiful. God makes all things, even the insignificant ones, for a reason. Even if we may be invisible, we will have beauty. Remember that.
"Gramps, you've taught me a lot of things, but I still don't know what that means. I think you just wanted your name to hold some meaning."
Shaking his head, the man turned away from the gravestone marked "Suzume Hidemichi." Catching himself, however, he quickly turned around and clasped his hands together and bowed his head. Saying a loving prayer, he finally set off.
Returning to the old rundown house from his childhood, Hidemichi's grandson stepped into the old dining room. At the head of the room was a wall mounted crucifix, and the room contained nothing else but the large trunk in the middle of the room. His grandfather told him about the Holy Grail War a couple times - summoning Heroes from the past to do battle, where the winner gets to touch the Holy Grail. Touching such a holy relic in and of itself would be a priest's dream, however in order to do that one must dip their toes into heresy. This means that the only ones who would participate in such a bloodbath would be those acting under the Eighth Sacrament. And yet, here he was. Under neither the banner of the Church or Mage's Association.
It seems as though Hidemichi expected his grandson to eventually fight in a Holy Grail War. After all, he had a Magic Circuit, and the Church is closely affiliated with such activities. As if in preparation, he left his grandson a chest in the attic of their old house, long before he died. However, he told the boy that the only time he were ever to open the chest would be if he ever decided to become a heretic. The boy respected his grandfather so much that he didn't even think of opening the chest beforehand, much less expect to do what he despised so much.
Finally, after all these years, he cracked the lock on the trunk. Sitting inside were two sheets of paper, a piece of chalk, a necklace with a Holy Cross on it, and several short red hilts which were easily identifiable as the Black Keys, weapons used by the Church. Hidemichi often displayed the use of these throwing knives, but never once taught his grandson how to manifest them. Thinking these were useless things to keep in this trunk, the man looked through and found one more item sitting in the trunk. It was some sort of tooth, looking large enough to be a Great White Shark's tooth - no, larger than that. Shrugging his shoulders, the man looked at the two sheets of paper. One simply had a picture of a circle on it. Identifiable as either a summoning circle to channel daemons, or the magic circles that Magi use, he shifted his attention towards the other sheet of paper, which had what looked to be a poem of sorts.
"It would have been nice if I could have someone to teach me this stuff. Actually, on second thought, no. It wouldn't be nice. So you want me to summon a Servant with this stuff, Gramps? I don't even know how to use magic!"
After drawing out the circle with the chalk that was in the trunk and placing the cross on his neck, the man grabbed the large tooth and placed it in the middle of the magic circle. Sighing, he grabbed the sheet of paper with the chant, and raised the hand that held the Command Spell and began to speak. The room glowed as the chant began, as the Magic Circuit illuminated from his body. The family that he never knew blessed him just as his grandfather had, as the summoning went better than he could even imagine. With no experience in Summoning, all he did was recite the chant and think of the summoning, and his body - his subconscious - did the rest. Standing in the room was a masked woman, standing about 10 centimeters shorter than he. The Servant stood looking around the room, ignoring the man who summoned her.
"My name - it's Suzume. Suzume Tatsuya. I am your Master. What is your Name, Servant?"
Baffled by the fact that he managed to summon a Servant, Tatsuya couldn't even say anything but what he believed to be formalities to the foreign entity that materialized in his dining room. However, the woman continued to ignore him, walking around the room and into the kitchen. A loud crash was heard, causing the silver-haired man to rush into the kitchen. What awaited him was a sight that could only be described as a warzone, as food scattered the floor, his refrigerator lay sideways, and chairs were shattered along with his countertop. The Servant grabbed ahold of a whole raw chicken, and began sinking her teeth into it.
"What are you doing!?"
Without any time to think, the man was confronted by the Servant. A malicious intent that could only be described as "Death itself" resonated through the room, as the woman grabbed him by the shirt and raised him into the air.
"You are not to address me unless I speak to you, human. You are lucky that you are providing me with Magical Energy, as I would allow no human - much less a man of the cloth - to control me. I may be your Servant, but I am to control you. Do you understand?"
The sense of death faded with a nod from Tatsuya, and he was set down by the woman. The Servant continued to bite and munch on the raw chicken, but stopped when she heard the words escape her Master's lips.
"You're wrong."
A powerful energy radiated not just through the room, but through the entire house. The Servant was about to commit the ultimate sin, killing her own Master.
"I am no man of the cloth. I am a God-fearing man, I follow the guidance of the Lord, and I practice that which I believe to be the correct path in life that He would want me to do. But I am no priest. I am no bishop. I will never be a man of the Church. The Holy Church is bloody, and filled with more death than the graveyards they hold."
The Servant's energy did not dwindle, but she did seem more interested in what her Master had to say.
"Oh? And what, are you looking for the Holy Grail to restore the light that you read about in your Sunday school, boy?"
The woman laughed, but the man seemed just as offended as that day with his grandfather. His eyes glared at the Servant, and he stepped closer to her, not fearing the death that she was radiating.
"If you ever insinuate that idea again, I will use a Command Spell and force you to kill yourself, do you understand? My wish is to eliminate the sinners of the world - including those horrid members of the Church."
Shocked by this, but not displaying it as a defense against weakness, the Servant's aura dissipated, and she looked disinterested. She sank her teeth once more into the dead animal, then looked up at her Master.
"That would only make you more bloody than those you claim to want to purge. How hypocritical."
"No. I'm not a hypocrite. I'm perfectly knowledgeable on how much blood I will have to spill to grant this wish. The Holy Grail War itself is nothing but a bloodbath. However, that does remind me."
The man raised his hand, and the room glowed a bright red. His arm burned, and the Servant glanced with surprise at the fact that her Master would dare use one of his three most valuable assets before the battle had even begun.
"I command you - you are to never harm anyone that does not seek out to harm you or I. If an enemy Master does not wish us harm, you are only to kill their Servant. And you will not hurt any civilians."
One of the red marks on Tatsuya's hand faded away, leaving only a faint scar in its place. The Servant smirked, and echoed through the house with laughter. However, the man was not done. The room stayed red, and his arm stayed raised.
"Next, I command you - you are to not interfere with my mission of obtaining the Grail. This includes, but isn't limited to, taking my life."
"You-"
The room's light dimmed, and the man's arm lowered. He stepped into the kitchen, taking one of the only two chairs that wasn't broken, and sat across from the woman. He motioned towards the half-eaten chicken, allowing her to continue eating it. However, the woman was visibly agitated, but her smile seemed more devilish than anything else.
"You will be an excellent plaything, human. I will not tell you my True Name, but I will tell you my class is Lancer."
"Well, Lancer. I will give you autonomy. I will let you do what you want, as long as you don't get yourself killed, and that you're always there to protect me. Of course-"
"Hey, dumbass. Please tell me all humans aren't this stupid. I don't need your permission to act as I please, and if you try to give me orders again, I'll rip off your arms. I'll be sure you don't die, though. Can't break a Command Spell now can I?" Lancer laughed, then lowered her eyes.
"Besides, I wouldn't let you die. A Servant without a Master is as good as dead. Plus, you seem interesting."
Lancer stood up, then grabbed her Master by his collar much to his protest. The man fought to escape the masked woman's clutches, but it was all for naught. She walked out of the door, only to leap in a direction directly East. Clearing an entire city block in one bound, the woman landed in a tree, still holding on to her Master.
"What are you doing!? Do you not know that if I fall I will die!?"
"Oh, well then I wouldn't be breaking your Command, then. I may not be able to purposely drop you to your death, but who's to say if you accidentally fall. Kikikiki…"
The devilish smirk of the woman returned, as she leapt 3 more times, almost reaching Miyama by this point. Landing in another tree, she placed her Master on a branch, and dropped down.
"Do you mind at least TELLING ME WHY WE'RE OUT HERE!?"
The man, feeling nauseated by this point, wanted to scream louder, but couldn't afford to attract any attention. Thankfully, it was the middle of the night, so no one was walking about.
"I'm about to devour one of your enemies, human. Is that not what we Servants exist to do?"
She was about to fight a Servant? Already? The battle hadn't even fully begun, Tatsuya had no information on the enemy Masters. If his Servant died before he was able to do anything -
"Damnit, I can't afford to approach an enemy base without any information. Lancer… You better survive."
Meanwhile, the woman leapt another bound to cross another block, and ended in front of a darkened manor. It seemed as though this house wanted to avoid the sunlight at any cost, as there seemed to be nothing but shadow enveloping this place. As Lancer walked up to the entrance, the enemy Servant and her Master were waiting for her.
"To attack us so soon after my summoning. Catch an enemy by surprise? A clever tactic, but unfortunately you chose the wrong enemy. Prepare to fall."
The enemy Servant stood, defending her Master, who stood at the door of the manor. He looked on at the battle, motionless.
"Kikikiki, arrogance! I love it! Please, come at me. I want to see your best! And if you hold back even a little, I'll break your bones one by one until you have no choice!"
Lancer stood with her arms open, as if to welcome the assault from the enemy.
"Berserker. Kill her. Now."
The boy behind the woman spoke softly, almost faint. This caused a small look of confusion coming from Lancer, as she felt no soul from the boy. As a spirit, she naturally dined on souls, so what was wrong with that boy?
"RAAAAAAH!"
Berserker charged, holding a shortsword in her hand. With speed like lightning, she rushed Lancer, ready to bisect the woman with a single -
"Huh…?"
Berserker's momentum halted. Lancer stopped her completely, but simply by grabbing her wrist. Not with a weapon, and seemingly with no effort.
"I told you, come at me with all that you've got. Madden yourself now, Berserker."
Lancer tossed the woman aside like a rag doll, but the Mad Warrior caught her footing in an instant. The engagement began once again, now with Berserker using her gauntlets - which held 3 large claw-like blades on each - to try to shred the enemy Servant to pieces. And yet, right as she was about to claw out the woman's throat, her momentum halted once again. The masked woman had her arms crossed, seemingly disappointed. Wait, if her arms are crossed, what stopped Berserker?
"This is already boring. At this rate, I won't even need to draw my weapon."
Lancer flicked her large tail, and grabbed Berserker by her ankle, raising her upside down. She brought the gray-haired woman a hair's distance from her own face, and whispered into the woman's ear.
"Berserker~ I will give you one more shot, my dear. You don't want to die without a fight, right? You seem so proud and all."
Once again throwing the woman, Lancer laughed once more, and took off her veil. Her golden eyes lowered, and the enemy before her simply growled, clenching her fists and preparing to rush once again.
"I will not be humiliated! Not again!"
"Berserker. I said to kill her. Do it now."
The lifeless Master stood completely still, watching the battle commence. Lancer turned her attention to the boy, halting the combat.
"Why is your Master lacking what is crucial in humans? I'm sure you sense it, Berserker. That boy seems less human than you or I, even."
Ignoring the enemy, Berserker summoned her armaments, two large spiked balls with chains, and jumped into the air, and performed a flip. Using her momentum, along with her monstrous strength, Berserker crashed down onto the Earth. However, Lancer stood unamused, and right as Berserker was about to land, a loud crackle rippled throughout the city. Lightning struck the woman, blasting her back to the feet of her Master. Berserker lay on the ground, twitching and writhing in pain as sparks continued to pop and jolt through her body.
Footsteps approached, and soon a hand clutched Berserker by the throat.
"How badly does it hurt? I didn't want to draw my weapon because I was afraid you'd die in one stroke, but it seems you're quite resilient. But you must be struggling to even stay conscious, I'd assume. Hehe…"
Berserker writhed and groaned, struggling to even form a fist, but still showing that she was going to fight until her life was taken from her.
"It's rude not to answer someone's question. Now why don't you tell me what's wrong with this boy here. He seems to not care one bit that his Servant is about to die. Shouldn't he be supporting you, Berserker?"
Berserker put off her pain, and surged with power. Roaring like a beast, she raised her legs and kicked Lancer in the stomach, forcing her to drop the raging beast of a woman. Standing up, Berserker ignored the lightning coursing through her body.
"You will not talk down to me unless I am dead on the floor. A little lightning like that is nothing to the might of Ares! Now die, you cur!"
"Cur…?"
Lancer's golden eyes filled with hatred. This hatred manifested as an aura of darkness surrounding her, and she stepped towards her opponent. Berserker was wildly swinging her weapons, but they met only with an invisible force that stopped them. Berserker knew that wasn't the case, however. For only a brief moment, black flames manifested in the form of a solid wall to block the flails.
"A maddened beast thinks it has the right to call ME a cur!?"
Berserker continued to thrash and assault Lancer, each time met with just as much resilience as the last. She gritted her teeth, knowing the only way to contest this form of power was with her Madness Enhancement. But that would mean…
It is a risk worth taking…
"Master -"
"NOOOOO!"
A blur flew over to Berserker, with her hand clutching over the woman's face, silencing her.
"I WILL EAT YOU ALIVE!"
Flames gathered in Lancer's mouth, and were soon spewed into Berserker's face. As an unintended side effect, the heat alone from the flames nearly incinerated the Master, enveloping him in smoke and launching him back 20 meters. Berserker screamed in pain, until she was dropped onto the ground. Thunder cracked in the sky, and flames began to surround Lancer's entire body.
"Kyah!"
Lancer was launched in the opposite direction, the same distance as Berserker's Master had gone. She glared up at the source, but was only met with what she could describe as an instinct to escape. She didn't know the word for it, as she has never felt this before, but something told her to get away right now.
Light surrounded her, and suddenly Lancer's body surged with pain. This wasn't fatal, nor was she even sure if this would really damage her in the long run, but the pain was surreal. The light happened to blind her, as she felt a punch to the stomach, forcing her to keel over.
"You-"
Lancer couldn't see the newfound threat, but another surge of pain forced her to give in to her instincts. A wall of fire erupted, and Lancer leapt back in the direction of her Master. The only thought in her head was what could have caused that immense pain. Was it some sort of curse? No, her entire existence was comparable to a curse. That shouldn't cause that much pain. And yet, it couldn't be what she thought. It would be the worst luck if she ran into a hero like Siegfried, which she'd have a terrible compatibility with. But yet, she didn't have any information yet, so perhaps…?
"Lancer!"
Tatsuya awaited her on the ground by the tree she left him. However, Lancer chose to ignore him, and simply grab the man and leap away.
"Lancer - hey! What happened back there!? Why are you in such a rush? You seem unharmed. Did you defeat the enemy Servant?"
"Someone interesting has joined the fray, human. You better not die until I devour them."