A young woman, cloaked in tattered robes and spattered with blood runs out of the forest on the outskirts of Fuyuki City. The sun has recently gone down; the days are getting shorter as they get further into the winter. Due to the early nightfall, and the increased sense of danger brought about by a recent string of deaths due to a reckless Master and his careless Servant, the streets seem to be empty. This gives the young womans hunter an easy avenue to pursue her without fear of being caught. Everything that could have gone wrong had for the Caster class Servant. Summoned into the possession of Atrum Galliasta, a Master that was as foolish as he was cold, and mistreated due to his fear of her expertise in magecraft, their relationship quickly deteriorated. Of course she was a powerful Mage; that's what he had signed up for when summoning a Caster. Unfortunately for the both of them, his ego wouldn't allow it.

The cruelty of his ritualistic sacrifices aside, they were simply a waste of resources. He had gone through dubious channels to obtain a large number of children who would not be missed; their souls being the essence he could draw upon the perform large scale magecraft with ease. Even this paled in comparison to the magic that Caster could generate with a wave of her hand.

So with such power at her disposal, how could this have happened? In a duel of magecraft he would stand no chance; she had already proven this. But...

"Come now, witch."

A voice sounds out from behind her as she attempts to flee. Her magical reserves are already too depleted to simply teleport away or fly to safety, so escape on foot is her only option. She may only be a Caster, so her physical capabilities are far below those of most Servant's, but she is a Servant nonetheless. She has made it most of the way towards the center of town in no time whatsoever. If she can just make it to a heavily enough populated area, Lancer will have to cease his chase, but- "You don't really think you can outrun me, do you?" His voice sounds in her ear, a predatory glint in his eye as the Knight in Blue keeps pace with her without issue. Delivering a swift kick to her side, she flies, smashing her into the wall of a nearby building.

"Damn. That's definitely going to leave a bit of a mess for my Master to clean up..." The knight sighs. "The fact that we're supposed to keep this under wraps makes fighting a pain in the ass. Everything we do leaves scars around this town."

Her spine was broken from the impact, about half way down. Her legs have become useless, and her body won't last long in it's current state. A Servants spiritual body cannot be crippled under normal circumstances; healing from their Master would quickly put them into a condition where they are capable of moving to their satisfaction, but in Caster's case the lack of a Master makes this kind of healing impossible. The most she can do now is crawl away. But if she could not even escape at a sprint, what hope does she have escaping him like this? She rolls onto her back and laughs, bitter at the world. It's all she can do anymore. Once again she has been betrayed by her very existence.

She hears the steady clink of armor as the Knight in Blue approaches. He is no longer running; a casual stroll is all he needs now that she's accepted her fate. The gentle pitter patter of the rain in an otherwise silent night adds a sense of calm to her second death. She feels the knight's spear press against her chest.

"No hard feelings, lady." He says cooly. "If you want to blame anybody, blame your Master. He's the one that put me and mine up to this. I wouldn't even be out tonight if it weren't for that." He gives a small shrug. "Although I guess in that regard, you already got your vengeance." The tip of the spear enters her chest, and she winces in pain. "Guess you can go without regrets then." A surge of magical energy surrounds the two of them, and an aura begins to surround the lance. "Just to be sure. You understand." And with that, the power of the Gae Bolg is unleashed.


"So Emiya, what do you think? Are they something you can take care of?" An old friend asks as I exit one of the club rooms of Homurahara. The heaters have been going throughout the school for ages, but aside from a select few classrooms, most of them aren't considered a high enough priority for the school to put any budget towards. I have already traced their structural components; it shouldn't take much effort to fix. It's certainly not dead, it just needs some maintanence. Assuming the others are anything like it, I could get them all taken care of in an afternoon.

"I'm not one hundred percent on it, but I can definitely take a crack at fixing them up tomorrow morning." With that arranged, we say our goodbyes and I start to make my way home.

It's been five years since my father and I had said our final goodbyes, and I feel like I'm no closer to making his dream come true than when I started. I've made no improvements as far as my talents as a Magus; I fail twice as often as I succeed with the most basic of reinforcement magic. I suppose that there's something to be said to the fact that I succeed at all, given that I've no real formal training, but even still it's vexing.

My strong suit isn't reinforcement however; my strong suit comes from my ability to visualize a structure through the use of my magecraft. I can learn the ins and outs of a structure, see it's strong points and weak points, where to best transmit prana, and overall get a general feel for what is occuring within it at a simple touch. When I first discovered my talent, Kiritsugu himself absentmindedly mentioned how useless it really is, although he certainly didn't mean anything cruel by it. It's just that, fundamentally, magecraft is about altering somethings core, so all of the extra details that I can ascertain wouldn't do much to assist me. As disappointing as it may be, at least my skill has some practical use in my day to day life such as in fixing up these busted old heaters.

Physically at least I've maintained my body well; I'm in very good shape for somebody my age, which comes in handy since the most help I can give to those around me tends to be doing various odd jobs like what I've been doing for Issei and the Student Council. It may not be much, but just doing what I can for the people around me helps me feel a bit fulfilled. Every little action I take brings me just a bit closer to that impossibly elusive ideal.

After some consideration, I've found myself taking a walk through the shopping district. I've been coming home later than usual, between my part time job and helping the Student Council, and it's been making Sakura and Fuji-nee worry. I figure tonight I might as well pick up something special to cook for them when I get home.

"Sakura..." I let out a small grunt of displeasure thinking about her. Things have become... Complicated recently. Sakura Matou is the younger sister of an old friend of mine. She came out to my houes quite often to give me a hand after I sustained an injury at work, but it didn't take long for us to grow close. Even after my injury has healed, she's continued to find excuses to come out to assist with the cooking, cleaning, and generally just keep me company. I suppose from the outside, our arrangement might seem kind of backwards, but that's not where the problem comes from.

Lately she's been maturing. She's always been cute, but lately it's been striking me how beautiful she's really become. More than that she's been the source of no small amount of comfort for me. I honestly can't imagine life without her; and therin lies the problem; I think I'm falling for her. Being the younger sister to a close friend of mine though, these aren't the kind of thoughts I should be having about her. I really should-

A sound reminicent of a bomb going off disrupts my thoughts, and snaps my attention back to reality.

A woman falls to the ground, a crater left in the wall that she was presumably smashed into. And before her...

"Damn..." A man in blue armor sighs, as he twirls around a ridiculous weapon; that is unmistakeably a real spear, with a level of craftsmanship like I've never seen. And just by looking at it I can understand; this spear will be the death of that woman. I try to run over but my legs are locked in place. I try to call out, to stop him, but my throat is so dry I can't make a sound. This is the kind of moment I've spent my life training for, but seeing this man here and now, I'm crippled by fear.

This is what it feels like to stare at death.

He's standing over her now, the spear pushed into her chest. The air itself seems to freeze, and an aura like I've never imagined seems to surround his weapon. This is a level of magecraft I could never hope to replicate, and I know, in that moment-

"Gae Bolg." -her death has arrived.

"Stop it you bastard!" I break into a sprint towards them, as the spear of irreversible death is plunged into her heart. I've found my voice. I've found my willpower. But it may be too late. He rips the spear out of her chest, and turns his focus towards me.

"Well shit, kid." I stop in my tracks as he aims his weapon in my direction. "I'd ask if this was a fight you really wanted to have, at least give you a chance to back down, but it's a little late for that now. Can't have you blabbing about what you just saw. You understand." And suddenly I'm acutely aware of two things.

The first is that I only rushed in after the woman had been impaled; chances are I've charged into this for a dead woman. The second is that I have nothing to defend myself with, and the man before me is quite clearly a monster beyond comprehension.

"Oh." I understand perfectly now how bad of a decision I've just made. I'm about to die.


"Kirei. I'd heard you were the moderator for this war, but to be honest I didn't expect you to stop in and see me." Bazett Fraga McRemitz escorts the priest to the sitting room of the estate she has occupied. The good thing about this city being the sight of previous Holy Grail Wars is that you can always make use of the fortifications that previous combatants have laid the groundwork for. Even this estate was last occupied by one of the Edefelt sisters, all the way back in Third Grail War. All of it's defenses were left intact; the perfect position to begin her campaign.

"And why wouldn't I stop in to see an old friend?" The priest gives a hearty smile. Friend? I suppose that was certainly a term she had considered regarding their relationship, but it was a surprise to hear Kirei say it himself. He'd certainly never seemed to show much affection in their past meetings.

"So you know the guy running this show then?" A voice that seems to be attached to nobody in particular sounds throughout the room. "That's not a bad advantage to have. It looks like I've gotten paired up with quite the Master." A man, donned in blue armor with blood red eyes materializes before them as they take their seats. After the exchange of basic pleasantries, and the introduction of her Lancer class Servant, the priest smiles at Bazett. A chill fills the air.

"I apologize if this is rude, but I did not come here simply for the pleasure of your company. As administrator of the Fifth Holy Grail War, I have a responsibility to deliver this message to you from the other Master sent by the Mages Association."

"And what does Atrum want with me?" Bazett does not attempt to hide the bitterness in her voice. The man had treated her with nothing but contempt in the past, and that wound remains a bit sore.

"He wants you to eliminate his Servant." A tense silent hangs in the air.

"Hold on." Lancer frowns with displeasure. "He wants to hire us to eliminate his own Servant? Doesn't this sound like a trap?"

"Not at all," the Priest says with a smile. It's almost as if he's enjoying this. "He came to me to ask for your help specifically in this matter. He is disatisfied with his current partner, and seeks to summon a new one to take her place. He will allow you the honor of the kill, and will offer up an alliance until the two of you are the only factions that remain if you agree to assist." Lancer looks to his master, attempting to gauge her reaction.

"What class servant has he summoned?" She asks.

"A Caster. The Princess of Colchis, to be precise."

"Is that right..." After a moments consideration, she glances to Lancer. "Do you have an issue with this?" Lancer shrugs.

"I'm just here to fight who you say, when you tell me to. If it's what you want done, I'll do what I have to." She gives a small nod.

"Thank you Lancer. See it done." He dematerializes and departs. "And this gives us a moment to catch up I would say, Kirei." The priest gives a smile, from the bottom of his heart. He has not felt joy like this since the all of those years ago, with Tokiomi. "Can I offer you a drink?"

"Red wine would be lovely, if you have any available." She gives him a smile and moves towards the towards the wine rack. He is nearly shaking with anticipation now.

"So tell me, Kotomine. Doesn't it seem a bit unscrupulous that you're visiting a Master so casually? As a moderator for the Holy Grail War, and as an agent of the Church, well..."

She trails off for a moment. Kotomine Kirei stands to his feet and approaches her. In a head on fight, Kirei would not be able to overtake the Master of Lancer. Bazett Fraga McRemitz was a skilled combatant like no other. In his prime, possibly, but now he could never hope to best her. "Well it might seem a bit supsicious, right?" She finishes her thought as she begins to pour the wine. "You wouldn't want the other Master's thinking you're playing favorites."

But this was not a head on fight. This was an assassination that she could neither expect nor prepare for. Black Keys are a weapon distributed by the Holy Church to assist in the hunting of Vampires and other unholy creatures; they are throwing swords that primarily serve as a stabbing weapon, but it's not as if they don't have an edge. Not sharp enough for a clean cut, but within several hacks, Kirei is capable of removing her arm. Was it because she viewed him as a friend? Was it because of the feelings she held for this false priest? Where she normally would have been able to react within the first moments of combat, she stands in shock as he severs her right arm. She stumbles forward and spins around to face her assailant.

"Kirei?" She mutters in a daze, gripping at her empty socket. The shock has already begun to set in. "Lancer..." She manages to cry out. "Lancer! Come back to me!" But nothing happens. "But... Why? I tried to use a command spell so-" and then she sees. The command spell binding her to her Lancer, lying on the ground in front of her, still attached to her severed limb. Before she can even react, the Black Key is driven through her chest and she falls silent. A disgusted grunt fills the now quiet room as a man in gold enters. Golden hair, golden armor, and crimson eyes that seemed to hunger.

"How unsightly," He spits out, sparing only a passing glance at her as he steps over her body. "So Kirei. It won't be long now until she passes on."

"No. Not long at all."

"Do you think you'll be able to transfer her command spells to you before Lancer realizes what has happened?" Kirei kneels down and begins his work. "For your sake, Kirei, I certainly hope so." As he begins the extraction of her command spells, she continues to mumble outward, begging for Lancer to save her. Her salvation never comes.