I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor any other Servants depicted here.

Madness

"Alright, Shirou. First of all, before we even give you this crash course, we have to judge how much you know first," stated Luvia

"Something we agree on at least," added Rin as she placed a duffel bag on the floor and took out an antique lamp, "You mentioned before you know Reinforcement, Emiya. Show us how well you can do it."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I can barely believe this," muttered Luvia in shock.

"...What?" he asked timidly.

"What in the world did your father teach you, Emiya," said Rin with a hint of exasperation.

"Sakura... Sakura?"

"Eh?" the violet haired girl sounded in surprise. Turning her head, she noticed her Senpai standing next to her. She blushed when she realized she was daydreaming while waiting for him to pay for the groceries. "Oh, erm... sorry, Senpai. I was... just thinking..."

He smiled and reminded, "We should get to the next shop. We still need the herbal soup for Fuji-nee."

She quickly nodded as she quickly moved to walk with him. Yet, her mind still went back to what happened earlier.

"Swallow this."

A puzzled Shirou took the small, round and red thing Rin gave him and did as he was told. "Ugh... What was that, Tohsaka?" he asked with visible discomfort.

"A jewel."

"... A jewel!?" repeated the shocked red head.

"What you are doing is dangerous, Shirou, not to mention that it is too time consuming to do," lectured Luvia, "With this jewel, we should be able open the Circuits you have in your body. By doing so..."

Emiya suddenly groaned and grabbed his stomach.

"Senpai!" she shouted. Then, she blinked and realized she was standing still by the roadside. Two women with full shopping bags were staring at her.

"Sakura? Is something wrong?"

She turned. Her Senpai was standing in the doorway of the shop that sold herbal remedies. She let out an embarrassed sound and quickly walked inside with her head down.

"Oh, no! Why am I thinking about that? This is too much," she moaned mentally as she fought to keep herself from running away and hiding from the world. Still, she was quite worried for him. After figuring out what her former sister and her rival were referring to, it was safe to say that she was quite shocked. Perhaps that was it.

"Still, Senpai had a hard life... a little like me," she mused as she watched her Senpai bought the ingredients for the soup, "He was able to persevere through it all, just to be a hero..." She thought back to her childhood, as dark as it was. It started out... horrible would be the word she would describe it. Even her uncle... bless Kariya-ojisan... not even he could protect her, even though he tried his best. And then... Rin. Rin didn't know, but her offer of friendship meant so much. If not for that act of kindness, she may have ended up resenting her former sister. Life was a lot more bearable with her support. There was still the issue with her brother but...

"Nii-san..." she thought as they began their walk across the river.

"Senpai..." she uttered with worry as she stopped in the middle of the bridge. Her eyes met his as he turned around to face her.

"Senpai..." she repeated as she took a few steps towards him, "About Nii-san..."

"We will get him back, Sakura," he assured her, "All we have to do is separate him from the book."

"But, Senpai, what if we can't?" she asked, "What if that book has already taken over him? What if it's too late?"

"No, we will get him back," he affirmed confidently, "I promise..."

"Stop... Senpai, please," she interrupted, almost pleadingly, "You shouldn't..." She took a deep breath and seeing that no other passers-by around, continued, "You already know that a magus walks with death. You know it. I know it. Nii-san knows it too... Uhm, what I'm saying is... he might not be able to be saved..."

"No, I can't believe that. He can still be saved," insisted Shirou, "He can be saved! I promise I..."

"NO!" she suddenly shouted, and then she felt like running away when he gave her such a surprised look. "Senpai... don't... don't promise me something that will be... hard to keep," she said slowly, calming her furiously beating heart, "Please. If you want to promise me anything, then promise me you won't give up your life trying to save Nii-san. I'm not saying you shouldn't try, just that... don't take it too far."

"Sakura... why are you..."

"When I saw you almost die through Assassin's eyes," she then told him, "I thought... I felt like part of me died. I was so relieved when you actually survived. I don't... I do not want to go through that again. Please, Senpai."

Silence.

"...I promise."

She blinked. Did he really...

"I promise I won't take it too far. I didn't know you felt that way," he admitted with his gaze averted for a moment, "Sorry for worrying you so much."

It felt like a huge weight was lifted and she smiled, "Thank you... Senpai." After some thought, she added, "We better hurry back, or Fujimura-sensei will get out of bed and start sending out search parties for us."

He sighed as he turned around to continue walking, "I wouldn't put it past her."

The inner courtyard was still, with the evening light bathing the flowers in a beautiful orange glow. A black dot appeared, marring the pristine cement slabs that paved the garden. The dot grew larger until a dome rose out of it. then, it slowly melted away to reveal Kirei and Shinji.

"A very convenient way to travel," the Matou commented offhandedly, "So, what do you intend to do now, priest?"

"To take out Berserker," the fake priest informed him, "What of your intentions?"

"I intend to create something great... something that will show the world that the greatness of my family has returned," the boy declared gleefully.

"Then you had better remain hidden until I bring the battle elsewhere," he cautioned.

"Quite. Ah, and from what the book tells me, the homunculi here are a precious resource. Perhaps pile their bodies up here, if you could," Shinji requested before disappearing.

"To be wary, for certain," he muttered to himself as he readied himself for what was to come, "For now, the next Servant."

He did not have very long to wait.

"What is the meaning of this intrusion?" asked the one dressed in white and blue. The other one, dressed in white and black, was holding a halberd in her hands.

"Only two... I see... both must be removed before I take care of Berserker and anyone else inside this place," he announced clearly to the both of them. Inky black shadows started to envelop his body as he said that.

"Berserker. You mean to target Illya," stated the second one, "You are Illya's enemy." She then leaped towards him as his head was fully engulfed by the shadows.

"Wait!" shouted the first. His eyes gleamed red.

The attacker swung the halberd as she descended. He spun round and kicked the axe head out of the way. Then he stepped forward and punched her in the face. He could feel something crack before she was flung back by the force he put in. She was tenacious and was able to land on her feet with a trickle of blood coming from her nose. Slowly, he slid into Kirei's fighting stance and motioned to her to try again. Despite the other one's objections, his opponent ran up to him and swung her large weapon from the right. He took a few steps back and then to his left as she proceeded to try and stab him with the spike several times. Then he ducked under the pole that was sent to where his head was. She then twirled the weapon to a downward slash. He grabbed it, much to her surprise.

Four large snake heads shot out from his back, each one clamping onto one of her limbs. The priest then reached for the solid metal shaft with his other hand and snapped it with ease. The homunculus in white and black looked at him impassively as he beheaded her with his new weapon.

"Leystritt..." muttered the other with a shocked look on her face. He turned his head to her, mentally willing some help to contain her here. She could only take a few fearful steps back before she was grabbed at the waist and flung towards him by a misshapen thing. She did not scream, as she was still in her shocked state. Instead of the drill he would normally use, he brought forth a set of spikes to restrain her. Gravity impaled her body on them. She tried to struggle but he grabbed her throat to take a closer look at her. The cloth cover on her head was unraveled and now she looked a bit more familiar. Like that woman... that not human.

"You look just like her. Perhaps you are similar," he stated aloud as he stared at her face, "Tell me, do you know your purpose in this world? How do you know your purpose?"

"Wh... why..." she sounded as she used one hand to try and remove herself while the other grabbed his hand.

"I have met another such as you. Another not human," he told her, "She said she was told of her purpose after her creation. A meaningful existence. Tell me, are you the same?"

"...My duty is to protect Illyasviel with my life," she declared in her now weakened state, "I will not let you touch her as long as I live."

"I see. You are the same," he intoned as he wrenched his hand away, "Unfortunate that I must remove you." He then removed her head before tossing the axe head away.

"Leys... Sella..."

He turned to face the newcomer. Berserker's Master. She looked the same.

"And yet another one," he said as he noted the absence of her Servant, "Tell me, not human. Homunculus. Do you know your purpose? Do you have a meaningful existence?"

All he got was a hateful glare. "Berserker. Kill him," she growled out. The Mad Servant materialized in mid-step, immediately running at him, weapons free from their sheaths.

Not wishing to disturb the pooling blood, he jumped forward, lashing out with his leg on his descent. His attack was batted aside but he paid no heed, knowing that the blade will fail to cut through the shadow. He took this chance to drop low, seeping down beneath the concrete slabs. In a flash, he instantly rose up and struck the Servant in the head in his fish-like form. He reverted back to his humanoid form and unleashed a roundhouse kick, sending the more muscular Servant crashing through the wall of the house. Ignoring the albino girl's shocked cries, he leaped into the air and took his winged form and swooped in through the hole, intent on doing what he came here to do.

Illyasviel sought to go after them, quickly leaving the garden compound from where she exited. Slowly, Shinji stepped back into reality, carefully noting the two bodies in the center of the garden. With a smile, he walked briskly and stopped in the middle of the blood pool. He then let go of the book in his hand, which floated up and opened to a specific page.

"Well, shall we begin?" he asked it. It began glowing as a page seamlessly released itself from the spine and flew down into the pool, melting into it like molten butter. Very slowly, the blood began to move.

He started to cackle. Things are finally going according to plan once more.

Dinner was a simple affair and ended without much trouble. Considering that Shirou invited Luvia to stay for it, it was a blessing that there wasn't any fighting. Sakura had gone to bring the herbal soup to Taiga while the blonde and Rin continued their lessons. Noel had already gone home when the two went out shopping.

Archer was not fine with that. He had plenty to think about on his lonesome on top of the roof. Too many differences in this world, save the boy. A different Archer. A less fierce Rin. A more assertive Sakura. Luvia involved in the War. Different Servants. And then there was the grimoire. The story Noel told them was rather disturbing. He could very well see the fourth War Caster coming up with that book. Still, if things are progressing slowly the way they are, all he had to was to wait for an opportunity to kill...

The appearance of Bazett made him push aside those thoughts. "Rin. Bazett is here. She seems to be in a hurry," he informed his Master.

"Thank you, Archer."

He continued to keep watch, only pausing to note that the Enforcer had reached the front door. However, ten minutes later...

"Archer, we are leaving for the Einzbern castle."

"What prompted this, Rin?" he asked as he shifted to spirit form and moved down to ground level.

"Bazett told us that Lancer had run off again."

"So she is a poor Master. What does it have to do with us?" he replied sarcastically as he took his place beside her.

"This has nothing to do with that. Lancer said something before she disappeared on Bazett," she informed him as they assembled at the outside gate. He noted that Shirou was not among them, much to his interest. "She said something about Chaos appearing in the forest. There is nothing of interest in the forests around Fuyuki, save one place."

"The Einzbern castle," he said with sudden clarity as Rider pulled up in Luvia's limousine, "Are they going to target her now?"

"It is possible," she noted as she got in the car after the blonde, "We just have to find out when we get there." Sakura and Bazett followed after her. He and Assassin phased through after them. Rider immediately started the car and soon they were speeding through the roads. Rider quickly showed the skills of his namesake as he weaved through the city and reached the road leading to the outskirts at record time. The car was parked by the roadside closest to the castle and the Masters moved through the forest as fast as they could. Archer estimated that they were about halfway to their destination when they encountered Lancer.

"Lancer... what are you doing?" asked the enforcer as everyone else stopped. The runes on her armor seemed to be gleaming rather brightly.

The Servant turned to face them and said, "Chaos has taken root within. I must destroy it all to prevent its spread."

The unused room had furniture that was all covered with white sheets. A thin layer of dust caked every other surface. Suddenly, the walls shook... and shook.. and finally one of them burst outwards with an explosion, Berserker flying through it. He roared after landing on his feet.

"You are a difficult foe, Berserker," said Eddie as he stepped through the hole. The huge cloud of dust in front of him was blown apart as the Mad Servant suddenly burst through, swinging the chained swords. He quickly pulled up his shadow shield, the blades scraping against it. He dropped it as the blades finished scraping past it, just as Berserker neared him and grabbed him by the head. He felt himself get lifted up and slammed to the floor. The shock still rattled his body even though he felt very little pain in his shadow armor. He was still able to roll out of the way from the Grecian sandal that came towards his head.

As Eddie got to his feet, he saw Berserker's blades embed themselves in the floor on either side of him. He then felt something impact his head with a sickening crunch. He could feel and hear the ringing in his ears, his sense of balance being thrown off by the trauma to his head. Something else struck his jaw. He could feel the body being lifted up into the air. If his head didn't make him so disorientated, he would have found the feeling of weightlessness very interesting. He soon felt his body being grabbed and held onto a shoulder. He felt the wind on his back for a second before he was driven into a wall. A few seconds later, he felt another.

By then, the ringing in his head stopped and he made a spiked club from his hand. He began to hammer Berserker's barely armored back. After a few attacks, he was thrown to the floor. Feeling stunned after his skull being slammed against the floor again, he couldn't mount a physical response as the Mad Servant knelt next to him and started punching him. He instead reinforced the shadows around his head, buying himself time to put his plan to counter his opponent into motion.

It was then the floor gave way and the weightlessness returned.

The ceiling broke, showering the great entrance hall with plaster, dust, and debris. Two figures fell through; Berserker landed on his feet while the interloper crashed to the floor. Not a drop of blood from the body, yet the light in its eyes were not present. Berserker looked up the stairs. His master has just arrived, standing at the top of the stairs with a thunderous look on her face.

"...He isn't dead yet," she said venomously, "There is no blood. Bind him. I need to make him tell me who sent him. Then... then we can kill him. Very. Slowly."

He nodded and reached down to grab the body. Suddenly a spike shot out and pierced his palm. A much larger spike then shot out, ramming into his abdomen and pushed him all the way to the wall. He grabbed the spike with intent to break it, but more spikes grew rapidly and pinned him down. Soon, his legs and arms were fully immobilized. Blood flowed freely at the entry points. He roared and moved, drawing more blood and pain. In response, even more protrusions appeared to spear his flesh. That whole time, the body slowly melted away and a new one appeared standing in its place.

"Berserker..." Illyasviel uttered in shock.

"You have chosen poorly," the shadowy enemy stated, "To let your guard down when I was unmoving... was unwise."

He roared again and tried to move, which prompted the number to increase. "I see. In spite of your power, your vessel can only take so much before it cannot keep up," added the interloper, "Eventually, your body will be destroyed." He then turned to the albino Master. "You..."

She took a trembling step back.

"I have many questions for you, not human... or shall I call you homunculus?"

She suddenly froze. Something was slowly making its way around her neck.

"I have asked your servants earlier. Their answers were lacking."

It clamped around her throat. She finally moved, grabbing at the finger-like thing and tried to pry them apart but to no avail.

"I also asked another ten years ago. It only brought forth more questions."

It lifted her up. Terrified, she held on to it and pushed herself up with all her strength as to not choke to death. Keeping as still as she could as to not rock around so much, she was slowly brought down to face the intruder.

"Now, I shall ask you the same. Tell me, not human. Homunculus. Do you know your purpose? Do you have a meaningful existence?" he asked as he took over the holding of her throat.

Silence. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of her forehead. It felt cold. Then, a whisper. From Berserker.

"... Spartan Law..."

Fields as far as the eyes can see. Fields green, wild with grass and sparsely dotted with flowers. Kratos was somewhat surprised. This was impossible. How could he be back at the Fields when he was barred from entering in the first place? He who was steeped in blood for so long. Even after forgiving himself, he doubted that the restriction was lifted.

"Father!"

To his astonishment, a little figure suddenly grabbed his waist from behind. He turned his body and found a happy, joyful face.

No... impossible...

There she was. Calliope.

"Father, you're here again," she said happily as she continued to hug him. Then, he heard another voice.

"You have returned."

"...Lysandra?" he muttered in disbelief as he turned around slowly. True enough, his wife was standing there in front of him.

"Yes, Kratos? Is there something wrong?" she asked with minor curiosity.

"...No. It has been too long, my love," he said with a sigh. He then stepped forward to embrace her, which she received gladly. As she came near, Calliope took hold of her too, now having an arm around the waist of each parent.

"I am glad," Lysandra said as she leaned on his shoulder, "I can once again be proud to call you 'husband' once more."

"Thank you," he replied as he released his embrace but kept an arm around her. The other arm went to his daughter's shoulder. It felt like he was finally home once more. But, at the back of his mind, he felt that there was something that needed his attention.

"Husband, you are not done yet," she told him, much to his surprise.

"What? What do you mean, Lysandra?" he asked in confusion. The young girl looked up at them in a similar state.

"You have yet to finish your battle," she reminded him, "You must return to her side and finish it."

He stared at her, not truly understanding what she meant. Then, he heard a whisper that sounded like Pandora, "Remember, Kratos." And so he did. All that he went through during the Grail War came rushing back into his mind. Little Illya. Her path down the road of vengeance. The castle being under attack. The monster that was able to entrap him, leaving her undefended. The thought made him bristle with anger.

Slowly, a sparse mist started forming over the entire area.

"Is father going away?" asked Calliope sadly, "But, he just returned." She looked as if she was going to cry.

"I know... I know," Lysandra said as she hugged her daughter to calm her down, "But your father still has to follow the laws."

"...Spartan Law..." he muttered. Of course. All this was too good to be true. But why did he hear Pandora just now? Did she not die in the flames?

"Yes, husband," she affirmed as her hands went down to hold his, "Do not worry about us. We shall be here, waiting for you to return. As always."

"Thank you, my love," he said gratefully. To his daughter, he told her, "Calliope. I will be quick. Soon, we shall be together once more." She nodded quietly.

He looked up to his wife, who nodded as well. With great reluctance, he relinquished his hold on them. Then, he turned his back on them and walked away.

"Spartan."

He stopped to turn and look at his wife.

"Come back with your shield or on it," she declared.

A smile cracked his lips, "Amusing, since I have not used a shield ever since the time of Ares."

"You know what I mean, husband," she replied, mirroring his smile, "Return with honor, husband. Return with honor."

"That I shall," were his final words before he turned around and continued on. Everything else was soon swallowed by the mist.

He walked. He knew not how long. He knew not how far. He just walked. A whisper stopped him in his tracks.

Spartan. Hope. As long as there is a sliver of hope, victory is still possible. Be it in life or death.

"Hope?" he muttered, coming to realize the voice he heard, "So a tiny bit still resides in me? Is it enough?"

And everything went white.

Eddie turned around to look at the Servant pincushion while still keeping a grip on Illyasviel's throat. Berserker's body shuddered as it began to gain a bright red aura. It slowly started creeping up the shadow spikes that were pinning him back. Then, the Servant seemed to explode. A wave of heat and air washed over them. Smoke engulfed the entire place. It was a curious thing, as instead of dying out, Berserker's power kept rising. Suddenly, he could hear him speak.

"...take from them...EVERYTHING!"

Commentary:-

Hello, readers. Here comes another chapter! The year is coming to an end and I'm happy I could at least squeeze out one more to accompany you all into the new year. So, let's get down to business with... flashbacks... as well as Sakura and Senpai time. Can he keep that promise? We'll see. and Then, we move on the castle invasion. And of course, Lancer takes things into her own hands and decides to pay the castle a visit. A storm is coming soon. Plus, it seems Berserker can dream. And after that? THIS. IS. SPARTA!

Oh wait! Let's not forget...

Bazett Fraga McRemitz took a few steps back as the smoke billowed about.

"Surely you aren't afraid of a bit of smoke, Bazett," chided Kirei as he kept his concentration on the magic circle on the ground.

"It just took me aback, that's all," she retorted, lightly glaring at him, "You never said anything about the summoning having this much smoke."

"I barely had any," he calmly stated.

"Hmph," she sounded out as she stepped back next to him. Secretly, she was quite excited. She was taking part in the Fifth Holy Grail War and she was now summoning her hero, the great Cú Chulainn. She could hardly contain herself. Yet, as the Servant was revealed, she could only stare in shock.

The Servant had long blonde hair and rosy pale skin. He seemed well built and tall. He wore a red tunic, white pants and black boots. He had leather wrist guards and a long blue cloak. He was already kneeling down in front of them in silence.

Yet, she did not intend to summon him. She summoned the Hound of Ulster, damn it! "Wait a minute! I thought I summoned Cú Chulainn!" she cried out in protest.

"It would seem it has happened again," the priest muttered. As if she couldn't hear him.

"Just what are you talking about, Kirei?" she asked, still staring in disbelief at the Servant.

"A few oddities were summoned as Servants in the previous War," he explained, "It makes one wonder why."

"Right..." Then, addressing the Servant in front of her, she asked, "Which class are you, Servant?"

The Servant spoke in a stoic voice, "I am Lancer. Are you my Master?"

"Yes... I am your Master," the enforcer acknowledged reluctantly. Lancer nodded and rose to his feet.

"You may not have gotten the hero you wanted, but you still gained a Lancer," the priest stated impassively, "I shall make note of this."

Bazett groaned and cursed under her voice. She did not get Cú Chulainn and didn't know if her current Servant was any good. Only time will tell if this was worth it.

Sadly, we will never know whether it was worth it or not.

Anyway, do leave a comment or review, would you kindly? And maybe favor or alert too. See you next year, dear readers!