"JUST WHERE THE HELL DID THIS TRUCK COME FROM?!" Waver shouted at the top of his lungs to no one in particular. Saying that the young man was confused would be an understatement. No, he was utterly dumbfounded at this turn of events.
Through sheer determination and dumb luck, (mostly dumb luck) Waver had managed to steal a briefcase from his teacher Kayneth 'El Melloi' Archibald. The contents of the briefcase were a dagger with a small blue orb in its center. After figuring out that this was a catalyst to summon a Heroic Spirit, the young lad managed to buy a ticket for the next plane out to Fuyuki…
… And here he is now, with no Heroic Spirit in sight.
'D-Did I do something wrong? But I performed the summoning perfectly. Dare I say flawlessly! Then what could have gone wrong?!' Waver thought internally in order to find out an answer to his problems to no avail. But then…
"Wait a minute…" Waver muttered as he approached the truck.
'There's no way. C-Could the Heroic Spirit actually be-" Waver thought internally once more until-
"… UNDER THE TRUCK!" Waver yelled out. Waver thought back to a few minutes earlier. He remembered that he was blinded by a bright white light and then a huge 'BAM' noise almost ruptured his eardrums. What if, hypothetically speaking, of course, the Heroic Spirit that he summoned was…
… RAN OVER BY THIS TRUCK!
It was so stupid. So utterly absurd. But it was the only thing that explained everything. The loud noise, the fact that he had Command Spells and the reason why his Servant was nowhere in sight.
'I can't believe the second I made a contract with a Heroic Spirit, he proceeded to get run over by a truck. What are the odds of that.' Waver thought internally as sweat dripped from his forehead and noticed that…
… there was no driver inside the truck.
"Strange. I guess he ran away." Waver muttered to himself as he looked under the truck. But since it was pitch black other than the moon hanging above him, he couldn't see a thing.
'Damn. If only I had a flashlight. Oh well, guess I'll just drive the truck away from this spot.' Waver internally thought. Even though he had no driver's license, that wasn't going to stop him now, especially after what he said-
'I will be perfectly frank, this paper is nothing but immature, juvenile fantasies. Blood determines a Mage's powers and abilities. This is a hard and unchanging reality in this world. Even for you, Waver Velvet.'
'He mocked and humiliated me in front of everyone! I'll show him! I'll show them all! One day, every Mage will know and respect my na-' Waver internally thought until he realized that he the car door wasn't budging.
"Are you kidding me?!" Waver shouted as he tried to open the door with every ounce of his strength, though to no avail whatsoever.
'Whoever was driving this truck must have locked it when they fled! But why!? That makes no sense! First, I become the class clown, and now this?!' Waver interlay thought as he was hitting his mental breaking point. He needed something to take his anger out on. But since there was not another person for a few miles, (And the fact that he didn't want to end up in a Japanese prison) he decided there was only one way to cool to cool his tits.
"WHY CAN'T ANYTHING IN MY LIFE GO RIGHT?!" Waver roared at the top of his lungs as he slammed his foot into the truck. However, at this moment, Waver realized…
… He screwed up.
"OW!" Waver screamed in pain as he grabbed the sole of his foot. Waver wasn't thinking clearly so he forgot that this was made out of metal. Meaning that the impact if him hitting his foot against it hurt like hell. But that wasn't even the worst part…
… 3…
… 2…
… 1…
… and 0.
'CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!' The truck clanked very loudly as it transformed into something else. Something that was more than meets the eye. A Trans-
"A R-R-ROBOT?!" Waver shouted at the top of his lungs as he proceeded to fall on his ass for the second time this night. And then…
"CADE!" The robot shrieked the name of someone that Waver couldn't even begin to guess who this 'Cade' was. However, he had no time to ponder on that. Because only a few seconds later…
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE HUMAN?!" The robot roars at Waver's face as the latter is met face-to-face with a giant face. Though he was a fan of giant robots, he did not think even for a second that he would actually meet one in real life. Much less one that looks like is about to kill him if he makes the slightest twitch of a muscle.
So, Waver couldn't help himself.
"ANSWER THE QUEST-" The robot roared once more until he noticed that the young man had ended up pissing himself.
"Stop lubricating yourself." The robot demanded.
"THEN STOP SCARING ME!" Waver replied with a shout as he feared being eaten by this hulking robot.
"You have nothing to fear. I can clearly see that you are not an enemy. So, tell me your name, human." The robot asked as he walked a few meters back in order to give the young man some space. However, this only resulted in…
… Waver running away as fast as he could.
"… HAH… HAH… HAH…" Waver breathed in and out as he bolted into the forest in order to escape the robot.
'I-I don't understand! Why the hell did that truck transform into a robot?! It's like the plot of some children's cartoon!' Waver thought internally as he made his way deeper into the forest. But then…
"AH!" Waver gasped as he was suddenly picked up from the collar of his shirt by the robot and into the air.
"Nice try, human. But you can't escape your Fate." The robot spoke as he stared into the man's eyes as the latter avoided eye contact. This lasted for a few seconds until-
"LOOK AT ME!" The robot demanded but the young man did not give him any eye contact.
"Out of all the ruthless and despicable humans I've met… you are without a doubt… the most…" The robot continued but paused for a second until-
"… Pathetic." The robot finished as it put Waver down onto the ground. Waver was dumbfounded.
'He's letting me go. Just like that?' Waver thought internally.
"If you can't even answer a simple question such as 'your name' then I have no further interest in you…" The robot continued as it turned away from Waver and was about to leave but stopped for a few seconds until-
"… Farewell child." The robot finished as Waver's eyes shot open and he clenched his fists tightly.
'What did he just call me?!' Waver thought internally as he remembered all of the past abuse he's received.
'If you think you can become a powerful Magus through sheer will then you're just an arrogant child.'
Shut up.
''Your belief that you can be strong is utterly absurd!'
Shut up!
'Everything is based on talent! You just aren't special, Waver the failure!'
Shut up! Shut up!
'Try killing yourself and maybe you can become someone special in your next life!'
Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
'Like that would ever happen. Bye-bye, you arrogant child! Hahaha!'
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Waver roared at the top of his lungs as the robot stopped in his tracks.
"What did you just say hu-" The robot spoke but Waver cut him off.
"My name… MY NAME IS WAVER VELVET! I'M YOUR MASTER!" Waver shouted at the top of his lungs as he approached the robot. It was just a guess. No. It had to be the truth. A great man once said…
'When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.' This means… that robot is…
"… AND YOU ARE MY SERVANT!" Waver continued as his hand turned bright red while the robot froze in place.
'What the? I-I can't move! What sorcery is this?!' The robot thought internally but before he could find an answer to his question…
… that answer was shoved right into his face.
"NOW YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME! YOU HEAR ME?! YOU WILL LISTEN TO EVERY SINGLE WORD I SAY SERVANT!" Waver commanded as one of the marks on his hand, a Command Spell, vanished without a trace while…
'BAM!' The robot fell to his knees.
"Impossible… you are a wizard?" The robot asked the young man.
"Close. A wizard is more of a term suited for fantasy. I prefer the word 'Mage' because those exist in reality." Waver replied with a smirk.
"I see. So, you are a Mage. Which means the reason I have reactivated in this forest of all places… is because you summoned me here?" The robot asked.
"Huh?" Waver replied with a confused expression.
"…"
"…"
"…" And thirty seconds later…
"Eh? EH?! W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!" Waver shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Exactly what I just said. I'm a bit confused about what's going on. Not only that, but my mind seems a bit… fuzzy? I can't recall some events clearly." The robot answered as Waver facepalmed himself.
"So… you're telling me that you have amnesia?" Waver asked.
"That human term does seem to fit with my current predicament." The robot replied.
"THEN YOU CAN'T EVEN RECALL YOUR TRUE NAME?!" Waver shouted once more.
'You've got to be kidding me! How did I end up with an amnesiac?! If he has no clue to his true identity, then that means he can't use his Noble Phantasm! And if that's the case I might as well give up before I get kill-' Waver internally thought to himself until the robot stood up once more, breaking his thought process.
"Of course, I know my true name. My name is Optimus Prime. I'm the leader of the Autobots. And my sole purpose is to defeat the Decepticons that destroyed my home, Cybertron…" The robot named Optimus Prime answered but paused for a few seconds until-
"… Or at least that was my purpose." Optimus finished as he turned away from the young man. A brief silence occurred until Waver broke the ice.
"Did you fail or something?" Waver asked as the robot turned his head to face the young man once more.
"No. I succeeded. I defeated my arch nemesis Megatron and all of the other Decepticons again and again. I even saved this planet a few times. But after the Decepticons were all gone, I realized that my enemy was no longer them…" Optimus paused for a few seconds until-
"… It was humans that were my enemy now." Optimus finished as he stared daggers at Waver.
"Huh? Why humans?! What did humans ever do to you?!" Waver demanded to know the truth. Optimus closed his eyes and opened them as he continued.
"After a long battle which resulted in the deaths of most of my comrades, I finally was able to kill Unicron and end the war that ravaged my planet for millennia as well as this planet for two decades-" Optimus spoke but was interrupted by Waver.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Waver asked.
"It was a good thing. Until you humans murdered my brother Bumblebee. You humans murdered him with the technology we provided you with. How ironic…" Optimus admitted as Waver took a step back.
"W-What?!" Waver shouted as he was utterly dumbfounded that humanity would betray its savors. He couldn't say anything more than that before Optimus continued.
"… And then, when I had no choice but to flee this planet…" Optimus continued but paused for a few seconds until-
"… Cade Yeager, one of the only good humans that I had become acquainted with, sacrificed his own life in order to save mine. He died a traitor to humanity. I'm sure they even killed his daughter. His entire life was ruined by my presence. If not for me then he would have surely lived a long and fulfilling life." Optimus admitted with a voice full of regret.
"…" Waver was speechless. He could at least understand why humanity would be scared of giant robots. The threat that robots posed proved to be the plot of many famous Hollywood blockbusters he watched like Terminator.
However, he couldn't understand why his own kind would be as barbaric as to kill each other for protecting the life of another. After all, Waver was still a young man who didn't understand how the world worked.
"You don't understand, don't you?" Optimus spoke as Waver's eyes bolted open out of surprise. But Optimus did understand that humans can be cruel to each other even for the pettiest of reasons…
… That was the difference between them.
"That was why I called you a child. Because that is what you are. You have yet to mature into an adult and understand that humans do not care for each other. There are exceptions like family. But those are few and far between…" Optimus spoke as he approached Waver while the latter stepped backward in an effort to reject that painful but true fact.
"… No. There are even cases where I've heard that a young child like yourself would be brutally gunned down by their own father. You humans, are cruel, worthless beings that have no right to exist in this universe, let alone this planet…" Optimus continued as he advanced further toward Waver…
"… Hah… hah… hah…" The young man breathing in and out and sweating buckets with each step he took until-
"…Ah!" Waver gasped as his back hit against a tree. And then…
"… If you call yourself my Master, then so be it. I will play the role of your Servant. But when our pact is done… I will wipe out your kind by any means necessary. That I promise." Optimus declared with a voice that had no remorse or empathy whatsoever.
"B-But you can't-" Waver objected only to be cut off by Optimus.
"I can. And I will. I was summoned with the purpose of obtaining the Holy Grail. That much is clear to me. After I wipe this planet clean of your people, I will make this planet into new Cybertron, a world free of oppression and segregation from such a tyrannical race…" Optimus continued but stopped as he leaned toward Waver, so they were face to face again. And then…
"… That is my wish." Optimus declared as the Autobot he used to be was no more. In its place was something else that didn't have any sympathy for humanity left in his heart…
… Or at least that's what he thought.
"-" Waver tried to speak but it came out as a whisper that not even Optimus could hear.
"Speak up, hu-" Optimus spoke but was cut off by the young man below him.
"YOU'RE WRONG!" Waver spat out as loud as he could to the point that it hurt his throat. But he didn't care. All he wanted to do was give the robot in front of him a piece of his mind.
"Did you not listen to a single word I sa-" Optimus spoke but was cut off again by Waver.
"I did! Every single word! I want to say that I don't understand all the pain and suffering you must have gone through! To lose all of your friends and family… no one should have to go through something so horrible…" Waver gritted his teeth as tears ran down his face. This made Waver mad, so he wiped them away. Optimus then pressed further.
"What do you mean by 'I want to say?' Are you actually insinuating that you have gone through hardships comparable to mi-" Optimus spoke but he was interrupted by Waver once more.
"I have." Waver admitted with a face that looked like it was in pain but also had something behind it that Optimus wouldn't think he'd see in another human. A word that humans would describe as…
… Resolve.
"… My parents both contracted an illness. This illness was easily treatable by someone who was experienced in Magecraft. But there was no one around who could treat them… so… I had to learn to create a cure…" Waver spoke as painful memories came back to haunt him.
'Waver… try again… your father and your mother believe that you can make a cure…' The words of his Father pleaded with him.
'No… I… I can't… I can't do it! I CAN'T!' Waver lashed out as several all-nighters of studying and practice were getting the best of him. But nothing would prepare him for what his mother said next…
'… It's ok… you can give up… you can let us go now…' Waver's mother spoke with a smile. At that moment, for the first time in his life, Waver had truly felt utterly worthless.
"…But I couldn't do it. So, I did what I do best… I ran away. That was the last time I ever saw them. Only a few days later… they died…" Waver spoke as he stared into Optimus's eyes, not with a look of anger, but of understanding.
"… I'm sorry for your loss. But that does not prove that I'm wrong in any wa-" Optimus spoke but he was cut off by Waver.
"… Let me finish. Since that day, I vowed to become skilled in Magecraft! That's why I enrolled in the Clock Tower! But don't think I'm doing this for a noble cause or anything! I'm doing this for myself! I don't-no…" Waver continued but stopped for a few seconds until-
"… I WILL NEVER ADMIT MY FAILURES TO ANYONE EVER AGAIN!" Waver declared at the top of his lungs with a voice full of resolve.
"…" Optimus was speechless.
"…" Even Waver was speechless.
"…" They both said nothing as time passed on until-
"… I understand. All you want is to feel good about yourself while not benefiting others whatsoever. Such a selfish goal makes you exactly like the rest of your kind…" Optimus spoke as he stared at the young man before him.
"…" Waver couldn't say anything to that because he knew deep down that Optimus was right. Optimus pressed on further.
"… You are proud even though you lack any physical prowess. You are prideful even though you haven't accomplished a single thing. You look down on others even though you are short." Optimus continued as he criticized Waver over and over again.
"Hey! That last one is just mean!" Waver interjected. But then…
"But… you remind me of a human I used to know. In fact, you are just like him. You wouldn't happen to have the username Ladiesman217?" Optimus asked.
"W-Why would I make that my username?!" Waver snapped back. But then…
"Hahaha." For the first time in a very long time… Optimus laughed.
"… You are… not a bad person." Optimus finished with a smile.
"… Um… thanks." Waver bashfully replied as his face resembled a tomato. Optimus then kneeled down toward him.
"Whaa-" Waver spoke but he was interrupted by the robot.
"I have decided that you are someone that I wouldn't mind having as a Master. However, my wish to exterminate your kind, that has not gone away. Once I obtain the Grail, I will use it to make this planet into New Cybertron. A planet where no human would be able to live on…" Optimus spoke.
"… But… If you can prove that there are others like you… then maybe… I won't go through with it." Optimus admitted as Waver was astonished for the countless time this night. But that astonishment soon turned into…
"… Then… I'll do just that! I'll prove just how good humanity is! Then you will admit that you were wrong!" Waver declared with a smile.
"Don't think it's going to be that easy. I'm pretty stubborn so it's going to take a lot to change my mind!" Optimus snapped back.
"Hahaha!" Waver laughed hysterically to Optimus's bewilderment.
"What's so funny?" Optimus asked.
"… You are not… a bad person either." Waver admitted with a smile.
"… T-Then… cough!" Optimus let out a cough as he attempted to steer the conversation in a different direction.
"… Our pact is complete. I will serve you faithfully until we obtain the grail. That I promise." Optimus declared as he stood up.
"Wait a second…" Waver spoke as he realized something.
"What is it, Master?" Optimus asked.
"What's your class? Is it Berserker?" Waver asked.
"Don't take me for some barbarian. You already saw my other form. So, it should be obvious that my class is…" Optimus spoke but paused for a second as he-
"What the?!" Waver yelled out as-
'CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!' Optimus transformed back into a truck! And then…
"… Rider." Optimus finished as Waver was utterly dumbfounded again. Waver realized that this truck was a form that his Servant can transform into. And since it has wheels, it would mean that this Heroic Spirit was none other than…
Prologue 2: Rider
… Rider.
"What are you doing? Get in." Optimus asked as Waver stood in place.
"B-B-But I don't have a driver's li-" Waver spoke but was interrupted by the truck in front of him.
"Get in me already!" Optimus commanded.
"F-Fine." Waver replied as he made his way to the truck and opened its door and closed it.
"Where are the keys?" Waver asked with a confused expression.
"There are none." Optimus replied.
"What? How am I supposed to drive you then?!" Waver snapped back.
"Buckle up." Optimus commanded as Waver did just that.
"Okay now wh-AAAAAHHHHH!" Waver spoke but was cut off as the truck started driving itself into the trees…
'BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!' Breaking them with ease.
"Don't destroy the trees!" Waver yelled out.
"You humans shouldn't plant them here then." Optimus replied as he made sure to avoid any further trees as they drove into the night.