The Tyrant

Summary: Issei Hyoudou was nothing in his family's eyes. He was a sinner, his sister a saint. He was nothing but scum to them, pushing him into a corner. No one thought about how far Issei would go to start pushing back. "You called me trash. You called me worthless. But here I stand, above you. With the spirits by my side, I shall rise and become a King. This is my Fated Ascension."

Warnings: Bashing, Non-Sacred Gear Issei, Twin Sister, Less Perverted Issei, Dark Issei, Human Issei, Rated M for Dark Themes

Inspired by various Servant Class Card Fanfictions and other FGO/DxD Crossovers

Crossovers: Fate (Primary), High School of the Dead (Minor, characters only), possibly more to come.

Pairing: Issei/?

II: Plans

"So, let me see if I'm understanding this all correctly."

"Alrighty then."

"First, you are a Divine Spirit- an existence that likens to that of a god- who has manifested as a Lancer Class Servant."

"Yep."

"The various cards I have actually contain the spirits and powers of various other Servants, some of which can destroy the planet in a single attack."

"Yep."

"And we are now in a Master/Servant relationship?"

"Oi, oi, you're thinking something dirty over there, aren't you?"

"Yes."

Caenis let out a sigh, rolling her eyes as she ate another crisp while laying across my bed. "I'll explain it one more time, so you better listen this time, got it!?"

"Right!"

"These cards," she held up one of the cards- a lancer- as she spoke, "Are known as Class Cards. Within them are the powers of Heroic Spirits, those who have etched their names into history. A good example would be someone like King Arthur. Depending on their deeds in life, Heroic Spirits can fall into multiple classes. Of course, some spirits also come from parallel worlds where things are different. King Arthur is, again, a good example. A world where he became a ruthless tyrant instead of the just King of Knights. With me so far?"

"Yes."

"Good," she nodded. "Now, while the relationship between you and the spirits is called a 'Master/Servant' relationship, it's purely symbolic and it's more like a partnership than anything else. You summon us, and provide us with magical energy. In exchange, we fight for you and fulfil your will, so long as it doesn't go against our morals."

"Then why is it called Master/Servant?"

"Because of those," she pointed to my left hand, prompting me to look as my eyes widened in surprise.

On the back of my hand were what seemed to be red tattoos, in the shape of a pair of wings.

"The fuck!?"

"Those are known as Command Seals. Or spells, depends on who you ask," she shrugged. "Anyway, those are absolute commands you can give to Servants that they must obey. Of course, if you have a high enough magic resistance and will you can fight off the command spell for a period of time."

"Any limitations?"

She gave me a grin. "Good to see you're not an idiot. Yes. While being called 'Absolute,' Command Seals are not actually so. If you give orders that are too vague, you dampen the effects. For example, you could tell me 'Obey my orders,' but all it does is make me initially inclined to do what you say, it's still easy to fight it off. But, on the other hand, if you said 'Use all of your strength to kill this person,' then the command will be much more effective and allow me to use the peak of my power with ease to kill someone for you."

"So, I should use command seals more like buffs is what you're saying?"

She nodded. "That's right, though your command seals are special."

"Huh?"

"Usually, you get 3 command spells per Servant," she said. "But that's just stupid for you, considering your entire body would be covered in Command Seals."

I gulped at the thought of that.

"Thankfully, you don't have to worry about that," she said. "Instead, your command seals regenerate over time. One seal regenerates at midnight every day… Though that still isn't a reason to waste them, got it!?"

"R- Right," I nodded.

"So, anything else?"

"Not really, just… I need a minute to process all of this…"

That weird old man… I thought he was just crazy, but he'd actually given me something good!

"Lancer," I said, only for her to cut me off.

"No," she said. "Caenis. That's the name I was summoned under, that's the name you'll call me. If this were a normal situation, I'd insist you call me Lancer. However, this is not a normal situation. Therefore, call me by my name."

I felt my cheeks turn red as I looked down.

"Hah!?" She stared at me. "What are you getting embarrassed for!?"

"I… I've never called a girl by her first name outside of my sister…"

"Eh?" She tilted her head in confusion for a moment before she glared at me, eyes turning red. "Oi. Don't get the wrong idea, Master. While I may have been summoned in a female body, I'm still a man."

I felt a shudder run through my spine…

I had a feeling there was a correct response to this and, if I didn't give it, she was going to kill me.

"S- Sorry," I apologised. "B- But you can't deny your body is still that of a female's… So, for me, it's like calling a girl I don't know by her first name."

She stared at me for a moment… Before she let out a sigh, eyes fading back to blue. "Well, I guess you have a point with that. Just don't bring it up like this again, or I'll kill you."

"… S- Sounds reasonable."

"I'm glad you agree," she smirked, cracking her neck. "So, Master, what are you plans?"

"Plans?"

"You deaf? What are your plans?"

"I… I don't quite know what you mean…"

"Don't be play dumb," she told me. "You wanted power, didn't you? That's why you summoned me, because you wanted strength. Power beyond comprehension, power to do as you wished with…" She stared into my eyes. "… So, Master, what is it you desire?"

"What I desire…?"

I desired revenge.

Not just against Rei.

Not just against my parents.

Not just against the people in Kuoh.

But against everyone.

I wanted revenge against the very world that hated perverts like me, that treated me like trash, that expected me to amount to nothing.

"… King."

"Huh?"

"You asked what I desire," I looked at her. "I want to be King. I want to take over this world, and rule it with an iron fist. I want power, power beyond anyone! I want to be strong enough to where I do not ask any longer! To create a world where I am the supreme ruler who takes what I want, when I want it! That is my desire, that is my wish! And I will crush anyone who gets in my way! Humans, Demons, Yokai, Monsters, even Gods!"

…

"Pft- HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Caenis burst out in laughter, holding her stomach.

Despite myself, I felt embarrassed. "O- Oi! D- Don't laugh at my wish!"

"HAHAHAHA!" She kept on laughing. "I- I just never expected that from you, Master! You look like something of a pushover, but you have such an earnest wish inside of you, huh?"

I felt offended by that, and gave her a glare.

"Alright."

"What?"

Caenis grinned. "As a Tyrant myself, I will help see to your rise, Master. With myself and the aid of the other spirits… We will assure that this world bows to you."

I stared at her, somewhat unable to believe she was agreeing so easily.

"So then, your majesty… What's your first order?"

I felt myself smile softly.

'Your Majesty,' huh. Sounded really good.

"… Train me."

She blinked in surprise. "What?"

"Train me!"

"You want to be trained?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

I clenched my fists as I stared at the ground.

"… I've been weak my whole life. An outcast, hated. If I'm going to be King, then I don't want people to say I did it because I only had strong people fighting for me. I want power for myself. Enough power so that nobody will ever call me weak again."

"Heh… I like that attitude, Master," she said. "But, I'm not really great at training people."

"Eh?" I stared at her. "Then what do I…?"

"But," she smirked. "There is a heroic spirit that can."

…

…

…

After that, Caenis ordered me to get some sleep. She explained that summoning a Servant is meant to be very mana intensive. Even though I wasn't showing the typical signs of running out of mana, she wasn't going to take any risks.

I didn't go down for breakfast with my family, opting instead to pick something up from the supermarket on the way to school. Dealing with the employee's glares was far better than dealing with the harsh words of my family.

'So, Master,' I almost yelped as I heard Caenis's voice in my mind. 'Ah, sorry. I forgot to mention this, huh? The Master and Servant share a telepathic link, it lets us talk into the other's mind. Hence why you're hearing my voice in your mind right now.

'It's fine, just a bit of warning would be nice next time,' I replied. 'So, what's up? And call me Issei, damn it.'

'Right, right,' I could practically imagine her hand waving right now. 'So, I want to know why everyone is glaring at you so hatefully? What did you do to them?'

'I didn't do anything,' I told her. '… But my sister, on the other hand…'

'Ho, ho! This sounds like a story! Go on, Issei, tell me!'

I let out a sigh. '… Ever since I was around seven or eight years old, I've been a pervert. It happened when I met some old man in a park after my only friend moved away, and he introduced me to the glory of breasts.'

'… This is not how I pictured this story going.'

'I truly and sincerely believe that breasts are the ultimate gift God gave humans, for there are many other mammals and animals out there, but only humans have breasts! They are the source of men's hopes and dreams, and should be worshipped! Big, small, it matters not!

'How are you thinking all this with a straight face?'

'Your breasts are a perfect example of why breasts should be worshipped, Caenis!'

'Hah!?'

'They are big, but not big enough that they take away from your figure! They bounce with every movement you make, but not overly so to make it appear like you're trying to show them off! Furthermore, they look soft, and smooth! If I'm correct, they are not only soft and smooth, but also have a nice squishiness to them that would make them perfect pillows to sleep on after a long day of hard work!'

'I- I'm a guy, but why am I feeling so flattered and angry at the same time right now!?'

'Yes! Breasts are truly the ultimate gift from god! They deserve to be worshipped, praised, and beloved by all-!'

'I get it already, you can stop!'

'Ah? Oh um…' I felt my face turn red as I looked down. 'S- Sorry… I usually have better control over myself than that…'

'I- It's fine, stupid Master… So, that doesn't tell me the story.'

'Eh? Oh um, right! So, after I fell in love with breasts and became a pervert… There was an incident.'

'An incident?'

'Yeah, an incident. It caused me to lose my memories.'

'What?'

I nodded, closing my eyes as I recalled it.

In my memory, it was as if I was just walking down the street, thinking about breasts, before the world went black around me and I was captured in a dream.

When the darkness faded, I was awake in a hospital, finding out that I'd lost six months of my memories.

'I don't know what the incident was, my parents nor sister told me. But what I do know is that, after I woke up in the hospital, my sister was much colder towards me. She began to spread rumours about me. Rumours of me peeking at the girl's locker room, of stealing girl's panties, of taking pictures of them in compromising positions and masturbating to them.'

'And you didn't do any of that stuff?'

'Of course not!' I snapped at her. 'I'm a pervert, not a criminal! But my sister had established herself as a forever popular girl in the six months I can't remember, and thus people were willing to believe her and scorn me. When I turned fourteen, the allegations were getting worse and worse, to the point that the police got involved. Of course, there was no evidence because I was innocent, so they had to drop the case. But that just made my reputation even worse as now people think I raped someone, but got off on a technicality.'

'Wow, I… I'm sorry, Master. But… Is it really that bad?'

'Just listen to the people whispering around us, Caenis,' I resisted the urge to chuckle humourlessly. 'They don't hide their scorn of me, they don't hide their hate of me. Even other perverts hate me, because they don't dare go against Rei. The only two friends I ever had, outside of Iri-kun, abandoned me within 1 week of being friends after they found out Rei didn't like me. Everyone believes I'm a rapist, no matter what I say, and thus I have no hope of living peacefully in this town.'

'And your parents?'

'Over time when Rei was shown to be a model student and I was shown to be average despite how hard I studied, they eventually just began to take her words as gospel and began to shun me too. They see me as nothing but a disgrace to the family name… It's why I'm in desperate need of money, so I can move to another town somewhere far away when they inevitably kick me out when I turn eighteen.'

'Jeez… You haven't had it easy; have you Master?'

'Issei. And that, Caenis, is an understatement.'

'So, you need money?'

'Yes.'

'You do have some Servant options for summoning then.'

'Eh? I do!?'

'Well, you could summon Servants with higher luck. An example is Ozymandias, also known as Ramses II.'

'Wait, isn't he the guy in Moses's story? His adopted brother?'

'Indeed. You could also summon a Servant with the skill Golden Rule. However, those are few and far between, and the ones with the higher rankings are a bit… Unstable to control. Which does leave one more option.'

'And that is?'

'Queen of Sheba.'

'… Who?'

'Don't know her? Hm, I suppose you aren't that interested in history; you don't even know my legend and I was one of the argonauts!'

'You were one of the argonauts!? With Jason!?'

'Questions for later. Queen of Sheba was the favoured lover of King Solomon of Israel; the only human that Goetia ever trusted.'

'Goetia?'

'Don't worry about it. Anyway, Queen of Sheba has a lot of what you could get 'Get rich quick' ideas. If you give her a small portion of money to get started, she can do a few get rich quick schemes to make money in a hurry.'

'How much are we talking?'

'That I don't know, Issei.'

'Damn… Is there not another option?'

'Well… There is one, but it means drawing attention to yourself.'

'What is it?'

'Installing.'

'What?'

'Installing. It's another power of the Class Cards. You can 'install' them, obtaining the skills, parameters, and Noble Phantasms of the Servant you have installed. You also tend to obtain the clothing of the Servant, and sometimes a minor alteration in appearance.'

'Eh!? There's such a way to get stronger!?'

'Don't get too cocky, you need to train first. While you can install Servants, usually it needs a medium to do so safely. You lack that medium, meaning it would place a strain on your body to have a Servant installed for a prolonged period of time.'

'… How much of a strain are we talking here?'

'You could have a heart attack after five minutes.'

'That's bad.'

'Indeed.'

'Then what do I do? You said there's a heroic spirit that can train me, but you didn't elaborate on it.'

'Five minutes is only a guess, Issei. At best, you probably have around ten.'

'That… That isn't much better.'

'I know. The teacher I have in mind… Hm… Well, she doesn't train people unless she sees a great amount of potential in them. You could summon her, but there's a chance she'd reject you on the spot. And, while she won't cause a ruckus, it's still something we'd have to keep an eye on until we can get you enough money to get a house.'

I let out a sigh as I crossed through the school gates. 'So, in the end, money is the priority, huh? I suppose that means I'll need to summon another Servant with high luck… Can you recommend anyone, Caenis?'

'Well!' I could feel her grin through the bond. 'Not to brag, but my Luck is Rank B, I could probably gather up a good amount of money through gambling.'

'But you don't have ID, how will you get in?'

'Just leave that to me, Issei!'

I let out another sigh… 'Well, if you're determined…' I pulled out my credit card, staring at it before sighing as I 'accidentally' dropped it. 'There, my card. The pin code is 7492. Take out ten thousand yen. If you somehow lose a lot of money, you can take out another five thousand but no more than that. Make sure you set up an identity for yourself with the bank and deposit the money, I don't want to get caught up in a scandal as they try to find out where the money came from.'

'Just leave it to me, Issei! By the time you're done with school, you'll be able to swim in money!'

I felt her presence mute in my mind, as if the bond was blocked off, and glanced back to see my card was gone.

'I really hope I didn't make the wrong decision…'

…

…

…

I let out a tired sigh as I walked out of the school, glancing to the side as I saw Rei walking with Asia to the old school building. 'What the hell goes in there…?'

I shook my head as I kept walking. 'Whatever, none of my business. All I care about is getting stronger, getting money, and breasts!'

'Do you regularly worship breasts in your own thoughts, Issei?'

I almost jumped in surprise, though I did feel my eyes widening in shock. 'Ah, Caenis!'

'Yo!'

'How did it go?'

'Pretty well!'

'How much did you make?'

'One hundred million.'

I stopped walking and coughed hard, banging my chest, getting some weird looks in the process. 'One hundred-!?'

'I could have raked it up to a billion, but the casinos kicked me out. I did have some bad luck here and there but, overall, I didn't have many issues. If my luck were A Rank or higher, I wouldn't have lost a single game.'

'… Luck is one terrifying parameter.'

'Hahaha! Ain't that the truth, Issei! So, I deposited the money in the bank, and transferred about half of what I won into your account.'

'What!?'

'It won't look as suspicious if the money comes from another account, right? Besides, cameras caught me in casinos all day, which means there's no question about where my money came from.'

I couldn't help but concede her point. I'd planned to make my transactions through Caenis, but it seemed I could hold off on that for now.

'Right, if that's the case, I want you to gamble regularly. Maybe not every day, but every two to three days should work. That way, money won't be an issue for us. I'll bring up some house listings later, and we can decide on a suitable base. Sound good?'

'Yeah! By the way, we'll need to summon a Caster Servant tonight.'

'Huh? Why?'

'Because we need to be able to secure our base once we have it, of course! Caster's excel at making a territory that others can't intrude upon… Or if they could, it would be suicide! Attacking a Caster in their own territory is a foolish move, even if you're a Saber Servant with higher magic resistance than others!'

… That sounded useful. That sounded incredibly useful!

'The problem is that Caster's, much more than other Servants, require a larger upkeep due to their attacks primarily being magic based. Therefore, we need a quiet place without a lot of people around to do the summoning, or a place we'll be able to escape from later.'

'Shouldn't we get a house first before we summon Caster?'

'I did that already.'

I stopped walking. '… What?'

'I went on your computer, looked through the catalogues in your room, noted the ones you had marked, and got a fully furbished, big house that's ready to be moved into at a moment's notice.'

'… Did you look in my closet…?'

'No, Issei, I didn't look at your porno mags.'

'Then why the hell do you know that's where they were!?'

'…'

'…'

'So, do you know a good place to do the summoning?'

'Ignoring me!?'

I rubbed the sides of my head… While I appreciated that Caenis had clearly thought ahead on this matter, I'd have preferred if she'd given me some warning before then. Well, at least I could safely move out of the house now. I'd have to wait for a day when Rei was out so she couldn't talk my parents into making me stay.

You the viewer must be asking, "But, Issei, why would she make you stay?"

The answer to that is simple. If I stay, she can make sure I suffer even more.

… Yes, my sister is that much of a bitch.

And I wouldn't be able to leave either, because I was still technically a minor. Therefore, I wouldn't be able to leave of my own free will until I was eighteen.

But, if my parents consented, I could go. I just needed to wait until Rei was out of the house for a prolonged period of time, and I could move out without my parents roadblocking me.

'I know a place,' I told her. 'The abandoned church, covered by the forest surrounding the town. Nobody goes there any more, it should be just out of the way enough for us to conduct the summoning in peace… So, how do I summon a Servant anyway?'

'Huh?' I could feel her blink. 'What do you mean how? You summoned me, didn't you?'

'I mean, yeah, but I think that must have just been the cards responding to my emotions or something. I didn't use any chant or any magic circle or anything.'

'Haa… It seems like I'm going to need to give you a crash course in using your magic circuits, Issei.'

'Magic Circuits?'

'Hoh boy…'

…

…

…

That night, I led Caenis through the forest towards the abandoned church.

Caenis had neglected to mention something that now made it hard for me to look at her.

It seemed she'd done some shopping with some of the money I'd given her. Before he was now dressed in a black bikini, hot pants, and a white jacket with a single thigh high sock on her left leg.

It did nothing to hide her body.

"Oi, why aren't you looking at me?"

"Have you seen yourself? I'm not looking at you because if I do, I'll get a boner and a nosebleed."

"… Are you gay?"

"Of course not!"

"We're both guys, why would you get hard looking at me?"

"You know damn well why, you asshole!"

I heard her snickering from beside me.

'This girl…!'

I tried to change the subject, "So, summoning a Caster. Any idea on who to summon?"

"Hm…" She put a hand on her chin. "At least a B rank in Territory Creation is a must. While Item Construction would be nice to give you a bit more protection, it isn't so much a priority right now since we're relatively unknown. You can always summon another Caster later…"

"By that logic, since I am still relatively unknown, wouldn't a Servant with a lower rank be better? With a territory that isn't as fortified, people are less likely to notice it."

"Both have their pros and cons, Issei. But are you saying you'd like a less defended territory over a more fortified one?"

"Not at all, I was just asking."

She gave a nod. "Good. A king who cannot ask questions when they are unsure is one who will certainly lead their kingdom to ruin."

"No pressure then," I felt a bead of sweat fall down my brow. "So, any named suggestions I could get?"

She rubbed her chin. "Well… Off the top of my head, I can think of three. Medea of Colchis, Circe, or Semiramis, the latter of which is an Assassin Servant.

I stared at her. "Why an Assassin?"

"She's a rare Servant that is summoned with a skill called 'Dual Class,' which grants her the skills of both an Assassin and a Caster. Her Rank in Territory Creation is EX, one of only Seven other Servants possessing the rank… Well, technically eight, but that one is only in rare circumstances that don't apply here."

"Right…"

"Well those are the three I can think of off the top of my head," she told me. "I don't recommend Semiramis, she is known as the world's first poisoner."

I gulped at that… "I really need to read up on my history and mythology."

"Yes, you do," she nodded in agreement. "Medea… I did know her on board the Argo. But… That was when she was younger, before Jason ditched her and she went a bit crazy. Which just leaves Circe."

"I kind of recognise that name," I said, raking my brain. "She was… A girl who was in love with Odysseus?"

Caenis nodded. "Yeah… From how Medea described her, she just wants to love and be loved in return. Which, obviously, Odysseus didn't give her since he was dedicated to his wife, or lover, or whatever she was to him, I don't really remember all that well."

I froze mid-step.

She looked back at me in confusion. "Oi, Issei. You good?"

I didn't respond at all as I pondered over her words.

To love and be loved in return.

God, how I could relate with that…

To simply want to be loved, to be cared for, to be acknowledged and held.

To have someone to greet you when you come home with a smile.

To have someone who will stick with you, even if the world itself becomes your enemy.

Someone who you could argue with, and have disagreements with, but still be able to say 'I love you' to them at the end of the day.

What I would not give…

"Oi," I jumped as Caenis yelled right into my ear, making me hold it in pain. "Good, you were zoning out on me. What were you thinking about?"

"… To love and be loved in return."

"Huh?"

"It isn't too much to ask, is it…? To love and be loved…"

"… Are you talking about Circe…? Or, perhaps…"

"… Let's go, Caenis."

The rest of our trip to the Church was spent in silence.

Once we arrived, however.

"Get behind me, Master."

I blinked in surprise as Caenis moved in front of me, summoning her spear and shield at a moment's notice.

"What's wrong, Caenis?"

"The church… It smells like blood, feathers, and death."

I gulped… Loudly.

"I want you to stay here while I investigate the inside. Do not move unless you hear me talk to you through telepathy, got it?"

"I got it."

She nodded and headed inside cautiously, into the darkness of the church.

I waited outside, nervous…

Why did the church smell like blood and death?

… Actually, why did it smell like feathers? Were there some birds in there or something?

Caenis didn't take too long to come out, only around five minutes.

"How is it?"

"All clear," she said. "… But we might not want to go into the basement…"

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you to see the pile of corpses."

I felt my eyes widen at her words. "What!?"

"Yeah… I don't know what happened here, but something must have recently."

I put a hand on my chin, staring at the ground in contemplation of what could have happened.

Wait.

"That girl, Asia," I spoke up suddenly, making Caenis look at me. "The one who moved into my house. She has a slightly Italian accent… And, when she was introduced to us, she was wearing something similar to a nun outfit."

"Oh?"

I nodded. "Yeah… And why would she worship Rei so much? Something must have happened here… And I'll eat my shoe if it didn't involve those two somehow…"

Caenis frowned, rubbing the back of her head. "I also sensed the faintest amounts of magical energy in the area. Which means your sister must be aware of the moonlit world."

I bit my thumbnail…

"And, considering she joined the ORC suddenly, I'm willing to bet that the entirety of the club is involved… With Rias Gremory as the leader."

"Wait, did you say Gremory?"

I looked at her and nodded. "Um… Yeah."

"As in, Duke Gremory? From the Lesser Keys of Solomon? A Demon?"

I froze.

"… Demon?"

Caenis nodded. "Yeah… It's possible your sister might have made a contract with a demon or something along those lines…"

I felt my mouth grow dry.

"Which means now time really is of the essence," Caenis said seriously. "If your sister has made a contract with a demon, and they are active in this town, we really cannot afford to fuck around at all. Have you decided which Servant you're going to summon?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I've decided."

"Good," she nodded, leading me into the church, and I got my first look at the interior.

It was a wreck.

Benches broken, turned over, blood staining the floors, and strange, black feathers strewn across the ground.

A rustic scent was in the air, one I could recognise as blood. Dried blood specifically, meaning whatever went down here happened a while ago.

"You see what I mean, Issei?"

"Yeah…" I nodded, kneeling down in the middle of the room and setting the box down.

I opened the lid, reaching inside and pulling out about half of the deck, and began filing through them.

As I filed through them, I felt basic information enter my mind. The name of the spirit, their class, and their appearance.

Nikola Tesla. Archer. Black hair, blue eyes.

Dioscuri. Saber. Blonde hair, blue eyes.

Super Orion. Archer. Brown hair, brown eyes.

Francis Drake. Rider. Pink hair, blue eyes.

Many names and appearances filtered through my mind.

Some of them I knew.

Many of them I did not.

I finally stopped as I came to the card I was searching for.

Circe. Caster. Pink hair, blue-green eyes. Pointed ears.

I set the rest of the cards back in the box, pausing as I felt feelings of disappointment radiating from the cards.

They wanted to be summoned.

… No, they wanted to be useful?

The spirits within the cards wanted to be useful to me, to aid me, to help me in achieving my goals.

I felt… Touched.

'I will summon you…' I thought. 'But only when I am ready…'

I closed the lid, the disappointed feelings fading away.

"That's Circe's card?" Caenis asked.

"Yes," I nodded. "So, how does this work?"

"Usually, there is a lengthy chant to go with the summoning," Caenis said. "But you have the card containing the spirit, so I think we can forego that. Instead, I want you to try just channelling your mana into the card and saying 'I summon you' or something like that. You remember how to channel mana, right?"

I nodded.

Caenis was not an experienced magus, at all. But she knew the basics, and was able to help me unlock my circuits. I had Thirty circuits, though she couldn't tell me if they were a good quality.

"Then let's get to it."

I nodded, lifting up the card so I was face level with it.

I stared at the depicted image on it, of someone in a robe holding a staff.

And I saw her.

A beautiful young woman with pink hair, sitting on a dock, staring out at the sea.

Sitting.

Waiting.

Waiting for someone, for anyone, to come.

Someone to grant her the love she was looking for.

The image of a sword being drawn filled my mind as my circuits turned on, lighting up blue on my skin and flowing into the card I was holding.

The young woman looked at the sky, hearing the call of the summoning.

And she could feel it.

A damaged soul, just like her.

One who sought what she did. One who desired love, acceptance, and wanted the same in return.

As that hand reached out to her…

"I summon you! Circe!"

She reached out and grasped it with her own, determined to never let go.

…

…

…

Far away, on Mount Olympus, Poseidon was speaking with Hecate about the strange feeling he had experienced the previous day.

The feeling of someone who should have been dead, someone he knew was dead.

How could he not know the presence of that person?

A woman he had raped, and defiled, who screamed at him when he offered her a gift and demanded to be turned into a man so she could no longer be forced upon.

Never had the God felt so guilty in all his life than when she had screamed at him and looked at him with such hatred.

"I am telling you, Hecate," Poseidon insisted. "I felt her! For a brief moment, I felt her presence! It wasn't like a descendant's presence; it was the genuine article!"

"And I am telling you, Poseidon, that is impossible," Hecate said calmly. "Hades keeps careful watch over the dead, particularly the souls of those who claim to be reincarnations of heroes. He has confirmed not one soul has left his domain; therefore, it is impossible!"

"But…"

"No buts!" She said firmly. "Now, you have disturbed me enough. I need to…"

Hecate was cut off as she felt a presence. A presence that had long since faded from the world.

Her gaze snapped into the distance, eyes widening in shock.

"What?" Poseidon asked. "Hecate, what is wrong?"

"It can't be…" She whispered. "… Circe?"

…

…

…

I felt my skin tingle as a rush of wind filled the church; the hum of magic loud as the air glowed with blue particles of light…

And then she appeared.

Forming from the head down, as if a screen were being lowered, she appeared.

Hair of pink.

Blue-green eyes.

Pointed ears.

Robes of white.

And beautiful brown wings, like that of a falcon.

"Yep, that's her…" I heard Caenis mutter under her breath, but all my attention was stolen by the beauty in front of me.

Her eyes locked onto mine, and I saw it.

Hope.

Longing.

Desire.

Fear.

It was like staring into a mirror.

Her lips curled into a smile.

"Servant Caster," she said. "Now that you've summoned me, I won't let you be lonely ever again…"

She stepped forwards and placed her hand on my cheek, staring into my eyes with a fierce intensity.

"That's because you summoned me, the Falcon Witch."

And that's Chapter 2 done.

Right, so I'm only going to say this once in case people didn't understand it, which a lot of people seem to not have.

ISSEI. HAS. MORE. THAN. SEVEN. CLASS. CARDS.

I stated very clearly, Issei received the entire deck of heroes. Every single heroic spirit, he has the cards for all of them. Many people have been saying 'Make the saber this person, or the rider this person.' He will have multiple servants of multiple classes.

For the one guy who asked, Shielder isn't going to be in this fic. I'm a big fan of Galahad (I ship Galahad x Mordred hard), but Galahad wouldn't be the kind of person to aid Issei in my eyes.

For those asking why Rei hates him, I'm obviously not going to outright state it since it is a major plot point. I'll only say that the reason Rei hates him has to do with the 'incident,' in which he lost six months of his memories.

And, also for those wondering, I am leaning towards harem pairing for obvious reasons. I will promise to try and do my best to keep this mostly story based, and keep drama on pairings to a low but believable level if I ever reach that point.

Until then, this is Ezras Hargrave signing off.