It was a bustling airport with people walking all over the place. Occasional announcements about check-ins, airplane landings, and take-offs filled the air. In the midst of this busy airport, Irisviel stood with a rolling case beside her. Accompanying her were her son, Shirou, and Tamamo.
"Remember, Shirou, always listen to Tamamo and Taiga. If something happens, just ask for their help, okay?" Irisviel reminded her son.
Shirou huffed, "I know, Mom. You've already told me this three times now."
"That's because I'm worried about you, baby. What if something happened to you when your father and I are gone? Like a robbery? Or an earthquake? Or even a meteor shower?"
"Mom, I doubt Tama-nee and Fuji-nee could do much for the last two."
"But still!" Irisviel pouted.
"You worry too much, Overseer," said Tamamo, standing not far from Shirou. "Besides, you of all people should know that Shirou would be the most protected kid in the whole world by now."
Irisviel sighed. "You're right, Tamamo. Now listen, Shirou, do not stay up late, remember to always eat your veggies, and I would love it if you went out to play sometimes. God knows spending most of your day in the shed won't be good for your health."
"It's not like I'm in the shed doing nothing, I'm practicing my magic," grumbled Shirou.
"Magecraft," Irisviel corrected. "But still, promise me you won't spend too long in the shed. Go take a walk, have a picnic, play in the park, do anything else, really."
"Uhh..." Shirou averted his eyes.
"...Shirou?" Irisviel smiled darkly.
"Y-yes, I will, Mom," Shirou quickly answered, feeling the threatening aura.
Irisviel patted his head. "Good boy."
Irisviel turned to Tamamo. "I leave Shirou to you, Tamamo. Make sure he doesn't overdo his magecraft training."
"No need to worry, Overseer. I will keep a close eye on young master," Tamamo replied cheerfully.
"And Taiga..." Irisviel turned to her right and left. "...Where's Taiga anyway?"
"Fuji-nee said she wanted to try the new ice cream stand that just opened, so she went to get it for us," Shirou shrugged.
"Seriously?" Irisviel chuckled a bit.
She didn't know Fujimura Taiga for long, but she already had a good grasp of her character. A hell of an energetic girl who lived her life as freely as possible. If she wanted something, she would sure as hell get it.
"When you spend enough time with the tiger, you won't be surprised by something like this," Shirou remarked nonchalantly.
Not too long after Shirou said that, he felt a sudden chill down his spine.
"Hooo... who is this tiger, Shirou?"
Lo and behold, an annoyed tiger in the form of Fujimura Taiga stood behind him, holding a plastic bag filled with four cups of medium-sized ice cream sundaes.
Shirou turned to see the impending Tiger, nodded his head, and calmly walked over to Tamamo, hiding behind her back. Yep, he screwed up. Best to just let the fox deal with the tiger.
"Not today, Shirou." Betraying Shirou's trust in her, Tamamo easily shoved him towards Taiga. "You're on your own today," she said with a foxy grin.
Et tu? Traitor! He had been betrayed! No!
"Tama-san, please hold these," Taiga gave the bag to Tamamo.
She then cracked her knuckles and glared at Shirou. "Now, Shirou... would you like to tell your sister who this tiger is that you mentioned before?"
Ack, tactical retreat! Tactical retreat! Shirou immediately tried to bolt, but Taiga was faster. She grabbed Shirou, bear-hug style, and slowly squished him while ruffling his head.
"Who's the tiger now, huh?! Say it! Say it!"
"Hyaaaakk!"
"Come on, lil bro, just tell your big sis. No need to be shy..."
"N-Nyooo!"
Shirou refused to comply, which led to Taiga continuing her actions. She smiled cruelly. No one escaped unscathed after calling her a tiger, not even her beloved little brother. It was a justified divine punishment!
This continued for a while before Irisviel intervened. "Okay, kids, that's enough. Taiga, if you keep doing this any longer, our Shirou will die of embarrassment."
Shirou's face was now beet red. Not because Taiga's "Divine Punishment" hurt or anything, but because they started to attract attention, and it was embarrassing for him.
"I'll let you go this time, Shirou," Taiga released her hold on him.
Irisviel put her hands on her hips, smiling a little. "Seriously, the two of you..."
"Hmph, Shirou was the one who started it," Taiga pouted.
Irisviel and Tamamo couldn't help but sweatdrop upon hearing Taiga. '
'You were the one who being childish here, getting annoyed by a kid's words.' Both of them silently thought.
"So..." Tamamo spoke, holding up the plastic bag. "..about this bag?"
Taiga's expression brightened. "Ah, it's for all of us. You can pick one, Tama-san. Iri-san, you too. As for Shirou..." She eyed Shirou mischievously, who smiled cheekily while avoiding her gaze. "You get one too. See? Look at how generous your big sis is. Surely you wouldn't hurt her feelings next time, right?"
"...Sure, Fuji-nee," Shirou replied weakly.
The four of them then opened the sundaes and started eating them. The delicious taste brought smiles to their faces, with Taiga showing particular delight and Irisviel humming happily. Meanwhile, Tamamo had a calculating look on her face. She might be trying to figure out the recipe by taste alone, thought Shirou.
"You know, it's a shame that you need to go back to Germany so soon, Iri-san. It hasn't been that long since you reunited with Kiritsugu, after all," said Taiga, her voice tinged with a touch of sadness.
"Don't worry, it's not like I won't be back in Fuyuki. I just have some family business to attend to," Irisviel replied.
Taiga nodded in understanding. Irisviel had shared with her that she was one of the many victims of the Fuyuki Fire, so it wasn't strange for her to go back to her hometown to inform her family that she was okay.
Curious about Kiritsugu's whereabouts, Taiga asked, "Where's Kiritsugu anyway? His wife is leaving soon, and he's not even here?"
"Oh, Kiri has another work to do in France. He left yesterday," Irisviel explained.
"Wait, what?" Taiga looked visibly confused.
Shirou sighed. "Fuji-nee, we already told you about this a week ago. We even called you yesterday, but Raiga-jii told us you were busy."
"What? But I wasn't!" Taiga was shocked before realizing something. Her grandfather had been mad at her for her abysmal test scores and forced her to study her ass off during this school break. "Damnit, gramps!"
Now, what would Kiritsugu think of her? What if he thought she was rude or didn't care? No!
It was kind of obvious to everyone that Fujimura Taiga once had a crush on Kiritsugu. Sure, the feeling quickly died down after learning that his wife, whom he thought had passed away in the fire, was still alive. Fujimura Taiga was many things, but a homewrecker she wasn't.
She didn't have a crush on Kiritsugu anymore, but the feeling of respect still lingered. So the fact that she missed saying goodbye to Kiritsugu bothered her a bit.
"Calm down, Taiga," Tamamo grabbed Taiga's shoulder. "Kiritsugu didn't mind at all. In fact, he left a message for you."
Taiga immediately brightened up. "Really? What is it?"
Tamamo cleared her throat and did her best Kiritsugu impression. "I heard from Raiga that you needed some help with your test, so I left some notes for you to improve your English."
Taiga's expression froze.
'Did you really have to share that with him, gramps?' Taiga screamed internally. Her dignity in Kiritsugu's eyes... it was gone.
Then a ringing bell sound was heard, followed by an announcement for passengers heading to Germany to check in and wait in the waiting room.
"Well, that's my cue to leave," said Irisviel.
She knelt down to Shirou's eye level. "I'll be back soon, so please take care of yourself, Shirou." She smiled warmly.
"Yes, Mom," Shirou replied.
He approached Iri a bit closer and whispered in her ear. "I believe in you, Mom. Illya surely can't wait to meet you again. You will save her, right?"
Tears almost fell from Irisviel's eyes. Yes, she couldn't wait to bring back her baby daughter, but she was also sad that she had to leave her son. She regained her composure and answered with determination, "Yes, so please treat her kindly when I bring her home, okay?"
Chu chu~
Irisviel planted a gentle kiss on Shirou's cheek. Ignoring her flustered son, she turned to Tamamo and Taiga. "Thank you in advance, both of you."
Tamamo nodded.
"No need, Iri-san. Shirou is my little brother, after all," Taiga responded with a cheeky grin.
Irisviel grabbed her rolling case and waved goodbye as she left.
...
The three of them then headed home in a car borrowed from Taiga's grandfather, Raiga. They were accompanied by one of his men acting as a chaperone. It was quite an experience, and Shirou couldn't help but find it strange to think that he was now closely associated with a legitimate Yakuza family.
He glanced at Taiga, who sat in the front seat. At first glance, she appeared as a relatively harmless and somewhat tomboyish high school girl. But as he got to know her better, he realized that she was actually the doted granddaughter of a Yakuza family that more or less controlled the entire city. Not to mention, she was a national-level kendo practitioner.
One thing led to another, and now he found himself as the unofficial grandson of a Yakuza family, thanks, in no small par, to a certain tiger. Fujimura Raiga, the head of the family himself, surprisingly welcomed Shirou's presence. Perhaps it was because he knew Kiritsugu beforehand, which might have made him easily fond of Shirou.
The "uncles" and "aunties" of the family were also slowly warming up to him, always smiling and waving whenever he visited the Fujimura Household. Shirou chuckled to himself; he certainly hadn't expected this to happen.
"Hm? Something funny, Shirou?" asked Tamamo, who sat beside him.
"Nothing, just remembered something funny," he replied.
Meanwhile, Taiga was busy tuning the car radio, switching from one station to another. "Why isn't there anything good here?" she mumbled.
The radio buzzed continuously until Taiga stopped at one station.
"We present to you a deeply unsettling case of serial murder and mutilation that has left both authorities and the community on edge. Through a series of chilling events, multiple murders have occurred, with each victim found shockingly drained of blood. The investigation is currently underway, with law enforcement officials actively pursuing leads and concentrating on the intricate dissection observed on the victims' bodies. In certain instances, the level of brutality has led experts to speculate that these atrocities might be caused by animal, as some victims appear to have been torn apart by a ferocious beast.."
Everyone's attention turned to the radio. Taiga had a horrified look on her face, Shirou flinched, Tamamo remained silent, and even the Yakuza member who was driving frowned.
"Local authorities have formed a specialized task force to investigate and apprehend the perpetrator or perpetrators. Residents are urged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity. We will continue to bring you updates as the investigation unfolds."
"This is horrible," Taiga shrieked in shock. "What the hell happened to this city?"
Apart from the obvious Fuyuki Fire not too long ago, there had also been serial kidnappings and murders before that, as well as a mass hysteria on Mion River that even the JSDF had been sent to investigate. As the granddaughter of a Yakuza, Taiga had heard bits and pieces of information from trusted less official sources. It didn't take much for the Fujimura Family to realize that there were active cover-ups happening in Fuyuki.
What was even more surprising was that her family's influence couldn't do much. It meant that whoever was pulling the strings had enough power to surpass their own.
"Did gramps already know about this?" Taiga asked the chaperone.
The chaperone, an intimidating bald man who was also a member of the Fujimura Family, nodded. "Boss has known for a while now. He instructed us to lay low and gather more intelligence."
Yakuza they might be, but they still followed unwritten principles. They wouldn't force anything on others, deliberately harm innocent people, and they would keep their promises, which included protecting those who paid for their protection fees. Fuyuki was their turf, and they would do everything in their power to keep the common people away from grim stuff like this.
"Shirou?" Taiga called her little brother.
"Yes?"
"Be careful, okay? Don't go somewhere far alone, especially at night," Taiga told him, visibly worried. "Don't follow strangers either. If you feel in danger, immediately run and scream for help!"
Times like this showed him how much Taiga genuinely cared for him.
"Okay, Fuji-nee," Shirou replied.
Taiga narrowed her eyes. "If I catch you doing something stupid... I will make you my sparring partner. So you better remember it, mister," she said with a playful tone.
Shirou could only manage a weak laugh at that statement.
Meanwhile, Tamamo stared out the window, occasionally glancing at Shirou. A mysterious string of murders with mutilation happening at a time like this? Totally not suspicious at all. She used her mental connection to silently report back to The Overseer, Irisviel. After a moment, a slight smile formed on her lips. Well, well, look at the time. It was finally the moment for the rest of the heroes to arrive.
-TOH-
They arrived at the Emiya residence. Taiga initially wanted to stay for a while, but she got dragged away after the chaperone mentioned that her grandfather wanted her to continue her studies.
"It's a holiday! It's supposed to be a time to relax! No, don't wanna, don't wanna!" Taiga protested, but her tantrum couldn't stop her from being dragged away, leaving Shirou and Tamamo a bit dumbfounded.
Currently, Shirou and Tamamo were sitting in the dojo. It had been a week since Shirou met Tamamo and learned that numerous heroes were living inside him. It was a very abridged version that Tamamo told him, but it was enough for now.
"The Overseer, your mother, has already given her approval," Tamamo spoke first.
Shirou tilted his head. "Approval for what?"
"For the rest of us, the heroic spirits, to finally come," Tamamo explained, unable to hide her smile as she saw Shirou's visible happiness.
"Are you serious? That's awesome!" Shirou exclaimed, pumping his hand with excitement.
With the imminent danger from the corrupted Grail and the recent mysterious murders, it was no longer worth risking Shirou's life. Irisviel had already given her approval and tasked the servants with patrolling the city. Of course, not all the servants would be summoned at once, but enough to be prepared for now.
"Hold on," Shirou paused. "If they come here, would they live in this house as well? The house has many unused rooms, but I'm afraid it's still not enough."
Tamamo giggled. "Don't worry about that, young master. Do you remember the city we once saw in your mind?"
Shirou nodded in response.
"Most of us actually live there. We can go back and forth if needed, so living space is not a problem."
"That's good, but..." Shirou frowned slightly. "I kinda feel bad, though."
For Shirou, the servants were like guests, honorable guests. It was only natural to treat them as such. Tamamo was about to reassure Shirou when they both heard multiple voices echoing through the dojo.
'The thought alone is appreciated, boy.'
'Heh, what a polite kid. Can't wait for the two of us to have a drink together.'
'You don't have to concern yourself about my well-being, child. '
'Well, look at that. Aren't you one hell of a good boy, master?'
'Awww, the Puppy is worried for me.'
"Looks like they're coming," Tamamo mentioned.
Shirou's eyes widened in surprise. Golden sparks appeared around the dojo, and from those sparks emerged five people. First, a woman wearing a black and purple robe with a hood that covered her eyes. Next, a red-eyed young man in a blue bodysuit with armored plates and a red spear casually resting on his shoulder. Beside him stood a purple-haired woman in a similar bodysuit, but black, with a veil covering her face. On the other side, a knight in full plate armor with horns on the sides of his helmet. Finally, a seemingly young girl in a frilly dress with horns on her head stood beside the knight, smiling at Shirou.
"Oh my, you are indeed a rather cute master. I am Medea of Colchis, Caster Class. Pleased to meet you, boy," said the hooded woman.
The red-eyed man smirked. "Yo, I'm Cu Chulainn, Lancer."
The woman beside him lifted her veil and greeted Shirou. "I come from the Land of Shadows. My name is Scáthach, Lancer Class. I guess I should call you Master?" she said softly.
The knight's helmet made a mechanical sound as it split open, revealing a young girl's face underneath. "Just call me Mordred. Saber Class. Nice to meet you, Master."
Not far from Mordred, the young girl in the frilly dress greeted Shirou. "Lancer, Elizabeth Bathory at your service~ Please take care of me, Puppy "
...
"But man, is there no booze around? This sucks," groaned Cu Chulainn. Currently, Shirou and his servants were sitting in the living room. In front of them were cups of tea, each made by Tamamo.
"We have a kid here, you brute," Medea stated.
"Oh, come on, back in my day, we drank from the time we became old enough to hold a weapon," Cu retorted. "And our master sure looks old enough to hold a weapon by now."
"Can you shut your mouth for a sec here? I thought the Hound of Chulainn would be more than some drunkard with a pointy stick," Mordred commented.
Cu turned his attention to Mordred. "Hoo, you wanna fight, girlie?" he retorted, smirking.
BAM! Mordred slammed the table as soon as she heard him calling her 'girlie'. "...don't call me that!"
"Or what? You gonna cry?" Cu taunted Mordred.
"You wanna fight? Sure, I'll give you a fight you damn mutt," Mordred glared.
The tension was slowly rising. The lancer clad in blue and the red knight stood up and glared at each other. Shirou started to panic, wanting to say something to calm the situation down.
Then, tap. Scathach put her teacup down and immediately said, "Cu, sit."
Cu's eyes twitched, but he could feel the dark aura of his mentor slowly rising. With a huff, he conceded and sat down.
"Hah, whipped," mocked Mordred.
Scathach then averted her gaze towards Mordred. "You too, knight of the Round Table. This is not the time for a mere child's scuffle."
Mordred almost took a step back after looking straight into Scathach's cold eyes. The two of them stayed like that for a moment before Mordred sat down, grumbling. From the corner of her eye, she saw Cu smirking. Boy, she would give this dog a beating later.
Medea sighed, relieved that the crisis was somehow avoided. "The master is supposed to be the kid here, not the two of you."
Meanwhile, unbothered by the almost fight between the two knight servants, Elizabeth was busy watching TV. She switched from channel to channel, looking at the TV with amusement. Then she stopped at a channel that was currently airing an idol show.
Her eyes sparkled. Yes, this was it. A proper idol, the one thing she really wanted to be. As the show aired its songs, Elizabeth would hum and sing along with it. Although, to be frank, it was bad, as evidenced by how Shirou, who sat nearest her, twitched uncomfortably.
"Hey Puppy, what does it take to be an idol in this day and age?" Elizabeth asked.
"Um, a good singing voice for starters?" Shirou replied weakly.
Elizabeth tapped her chin and then stated, "I already have that, though."
'No, you don't,' Shirou silently replied. If he were to describe Elizabeth's singing voice, he would say it was like a scratched chalkboard times ten. It was that annoying.
Elizabeth stared at him for a couple seconds before shrugging her shoulders.
"Hmm, whatever. I'll leave the planning things to you, Puppy. From now on, you'll be my manager!" Elizabeth gushed. "The two of us will shake the entertainment world together!"
Shirou's jaw dropped. He was a what now?
He looked at Elizabeth, and clearly no words would convince her otherwise. Shirou shuddered but nodded anyway. Hopefully, he could lessen the damage to the ears of all idol fans around the world.
"You guys are loud," Tamamo walked in, complaining. In her hand, she carried a tray of lunch.
"Blame that knight; she sure was one loud girl," Cu said.
"You!..." Mordred almost stood up again, but Scathach's glare stopped her. She clicked her tongue.
"Let me help you prepare the table," Medea offered to help, which Tamamo accepted.
"Thanks, Medea."
After the table was set, they started eating lunch, mostly in silence.
Cu, with a wide smile, then commented, "Damn, not bad. I know us servants don't need any food, but if I get to eat this every day, I wouldn't mind. Good job, fox girl!"
"Yes, this is adequate. You're a good cook," Scathach simply praised her.
"Way better than back at home," Mordred happily stated, while quickly munching her portion.
"Didn't you live in a castle, Mordred? Wouldn't the food served there be amazing?" Shirou asked curiously.
Mordred stopped eating, then stared straight at Shirou with a weak smile and a darkened gaze. "...Master, we don't want to talk about the food there."
"I can relate to that. The food back then wasn't exactly...palatable, by today's standards," Elizabeth added.
"Okay?" Shirou felt that Mordred and Elizabeth left out some details, but he decided not to ask further.
It didn't take long until they finished all the food on the table.
"So, what's the plan for now?" Cu asked casually.
"We just follow the Overseer's plan for now," Tamamo replied.
Cu nodded. "So, patrol the city, report if something weird is happening, and kick some ass if we can."
"That last part is entirely made up," Medea pointed out.
Cu just shrugged. "Hey, I won't refuse a good fight... or more. That includes you, girlie," he taunted Mordred again. "I'm always ready for a good ol'spar."
Mordred forced herself to hold back. "What a coincidence, I'm itching to discipline a shitty dog who only barks but doesn't bite."
The two of them then engaged in another glaring contest.
Ignoring the two hot-headed servants, Medea then said, "Then I will reinforce the bounded fields around this house and take over Shirou's magecraft lesson."
Shirou raised his eyebrows. "Tama-nee won't teach me again?" It was the first time he had heard this.
Tamamo laughed sheepishly. "I won't lie, young master. Medea here is way better at magecraft in general than me. My own craft is a bit specialized."
"I see. Then I'm in your care. Uhh, Medea-sensei?"
A soft smile formed on Medea's face. "Hope we will get along, boy."
"Then..." Scathach suddenly spoke, "I will be the one teaching our master physical and combat training. You're a bit younger than the students I used to teach, but it will suffice."
Hearing Scathach's words, Tamamo couldn't help but worry. Mordred, meanwhile, was morbidly curious.
"Huh, mind if I drop by from time to time? I won't mind giving master some pointers. Also, I'd really love it if we could spar too," Mordred suggested.
Scathach simply nodded in response to Mordred's question.
Cu whistled, then turned his gaze towards Shirou and gave a pitying smile. "My condolences, kid."
Why did he feel something foreboding here?
Then suddenly, Elizabeth spoke up. "Oh, oh! I've been tasked to be your bodyguard, Puppy. That means we'll be spending most of the day together, and you'll have the pleasure of hearing my singing. Aren't you happy?"
"Y-Yes."
He could already hear it. He flinched just imagining it. He needed to get her to stop singing at any cost or find a way to somehow turn her singing into something less harmful.
"Hm?" Elizabeth tilted her head and stared at Shirou with a questioning look. "Did you just think of something mean, Puppy?"
"N-no!"
That was close. He almost forgot that the servant could understand his thoughts in some way. He was just grateful it wasn't full-blown mind reading...or were they capable of doing that too?
Shaking his head, he decided to change the subject. "U-Uh, anyways, are the other heroes... I mean, servants not coming?"
"Actually, some of them are already roaming around in the city," Tamamo stated.
"...huh?"
"Oh yeah, the kid doesn't know about it."
"Can't believe I forgot to tell the boy."
"Nobody brought it up, so I thought you already knew, Master."
"Because, quite honestly, the child doesn't exactly need to know yet."
"You're not wrong; Puppy is still young."
Shirou felt a little left out by this. He wasn't sure how to react right now.
"There, there," Elizabeth patted his head. "It's not your fault, Puppy. This whole... ordeal is just a little too big for you right now."
"Elizabeth is right," Tamamo said in agreement. "For now, the Overseer is taking the heavy work for you. After all, you still have a lot to learn. When you grow up and learn enough, that's when you will properly lead us as our master."
He couldn't argue with that. He knew almost nothing right now. He needed to grow first before he could stand side by side with the heroes he had summoned.
With a determined look, Shirou spoke up. "You're right. Then I will study and train hard enough to be a worthy master standing beside all of you. Just you guys wait!"
"Now that's my Puppy!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she hugged him.
"Heh kid's got fire. I like him more now," said Cu, grinning.
"But I still want to at least properly meet the rest of the servants, though," Shirou pouted.
Scathach cracked a small smile in amusement. "Well, child, sometimes what you want is closer than you imagine."
The servants exchanged knowing looks, leaving Shirou a little confused.
-TOH-
Toh—no, Matou Sakura sat on a bench in a playground park. Silently she watched as other kids her age playing around with each other. Sometimes her eyes wandered to a pair of parents smiling alongside their children.
How envious she was. How lucky they were.
She wanted to be like them too. She wanted to be loved too. Why shouldn't she get the same treatment? Oh right, she was sold. Adopted by a family friend was what her used to be father said to her, but she knows better. Was she that undesirable? Did she do something wrong? No one told her anything!
She just wanted a small part of happiness too, the one she used to had back then. Back when her strands of hair were still brown in color. Back when she was spending her day happily with her mother and sister.
She wanted to cry, she would if she could. Alas there would never be anymore tears she could cried out. She already cried it all out.
Her magecraft training, the pit, the worms, her now "grandfather". They took away her tears. She was now but a husk of her former self.
Shinji, her new brother, tried to welcomed her kindly to the Matou family. Unfortunately, he was just a boy scared of his own grandfather and couldn't do much. She still thankfull for the him though, he would from time to time spend his time playing with her, trying his best to made her forget everything momentarily.
She appreciate it, really. Even her being in the park was because of him somehow managing to convince their grandfather to let them play outside. She just hoping he wouldn't get repercussion from their grandfather later.
Quietly humming a lullaby her mom used to sing to her, Sakura continued her...people-watching in the park.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Then someone called her, she looked at the one who called her. A young boy with red hair and striking golden eyes, probably a bit older than her, stood beside her.
"...?"
She tilted her head, did he talked to her just now? But why? No other kids even want to be near a gloomy girl sitting alone instead of playing in a playground, let alone talk to her.
She saw the boy quietly gazed at her, she hoped he didn't find her repulsive. The boy then just smiled at her.
"Can i sit beside you?"
Sakura was a bit confused, but she nodded anyway. It was public bench after all, he really didn't need to ask her permission. She even would go away if he didn't like being near her.
"Man, didn't think there would be many people here"
The boy seemed wanted to have a small talk with her. In response she weakly nodded. The overall mood of the entire city was somber after the fire. It was quite commendable that some family tried to bring their children here to cheer them up.
"Don't you want to join them?"
She gazed at the boy for a sec, only to averted away after finding him staring straight at her. She slowly shook her head. What if the other kids hated her? She wouldn't want to ruin their day.
"Hmmm..."
The boy seemed to be bored of her, not that she would blame him. It was given really, only a matter of time before he get up and leave.
"Hey, wanna play together?"
That question caught her off guard. She turned her head back at him, his sincerely smile was still plastered on his face. His eyes showed no deception nor disgust.
Why?
She didn't understand.
"Hm? Because you look lonely here. It will more fun if we play together"
She yelped, in the middle of her confusion she unknowingly speak her thought out loud. Her cheeks were getting hotter,flustered by the situation she found herself in.
The boy didn't laughed like she was expected though.
"So, how about it?"
The boy asked again while extending his hand. She stared at him, then his hands. Should she accepted his offer? What if he get dissapointed by her later? Would he come to hate her?
But on the other hand, he was the first outside of her brother who extended their hand to her. It wasn't something common for her now. She took a deep breath before accepting his hand.
She had nothing to lose anyways. If he would hate her later, then so be it. She just wanted to...feel this kindness again, to be treated nicely again, even if it was only for a fleeting time.
"Emiya Shirou, you can just called me Shirou"
She hesitated for a moment, "Matou..." her body get stiff for a sec "...Sakura."
The boy, Shirou, smiled at her, again. What a pleasant feeling this was.
"Sakura then, you wouldn't mind if i calls you Sakura, right?"
No, she wouldn't mind. In fact she liked it more if he called her with her given name.
"No, it's fine"
"I'm glad then, Sakura is a beatiful name, isn't it? After all it's a name for a flower people would watch every year"
The boy seemed like half joking or didn't think of his words that much. But Sakura didn't mind the sparks of happiness in her chest. Yes, he was right.
"Sakura" was a beautiful name. After all it was a gift her mother gave to her and the name her sister used to call affectionately.
...
Shirou and Sakura sat on a swing, enjoying a peaceful moment together. Shirou mentioned that he had actually come to the park with someone else.
"...so she's your babysitter?" Sakura asked.
Shirou shrugged. "I mean, more or less, yeah? She's closer to someone my mom told to watch over me than an actual babysitter."
Sakura inquired further, "And where is she now?"
Shirou muttered weakly, "Well... I don't know. She saw a store filled with idol merchandise and went off on her own to check it out."
Sakura thought the person who was with Shirou was rather rude. After all, they had been entrusted with a job and immediately failed to fulfill it. On the bright side, though, it had led to Sakura meeting and spending time with Shirou. He patiently stayed by her side, even when she struggled to keep up with the conversation. She considered it a loss on their part.
"What about you? Did you come here alone?" Sakura asked.
She shook her head and replied, "No, I came with my brother. He went to buy us drinks and hasn't come back yet."
"Really? That's weird. Haha, I guess both of us came here with someone but ended up being left alone," Shirou chuckled.
Sakura mustered a small smile and replied, "I guess so..."
"Wanna play on the slide? It looks like it's not too crowded anymore," Shirou suggested.
"I would love to," Sakura replied.
"Okay then, let's go," Shirou said, extending his hand once again. Sakura bashfully accepted it. His hand felt warm, and she cherished this feeling. She initially found it embarrassing to walk together while holding hands, but the embarrassment quickly faded, replaced by simple joy.
"Ah, there you are, Puppy!" an older girl exclaimed as she came running towards them. Her purplish hair swayed as she moved, and she wore an intricately designed frilly dress. She had a wide smile on her face as she approached.
Sakura wondered who she was. Did she know Shirou? Was she the one supposed to watch over him?
"There you are, Eliza," Shirou greeted her.
Eliza pouted. "Hmph, can't believe you actually ditched me back there, Puppy."
"You're the one who immediately rushed to that store and left me alone, Eliza," Shirou sighed.
"Ah! Speaking of that store, they were very rude. How could they kick me out? I just wanted to ask them about idols and sing a few songs!" Eliza grumbled.
Sakura noticed Shirou flinch a bit before forcing a smile and weakly laughing.
As the two of them continued talking, Sakura wondered why Eliza called Shirou "Puppy." Was it a nickname?
"Hm?" Eliza finally noticed Sakura. "Who are you, Kitten?"
Sakura instinctively tried to hide behind Shirou, but she saw his reassuring smile. He wanted her to introduce herself. And Kitten?
She mumbled slightly, "Sakura, Matou Sakura..."
"Are you Puppy's friend?" Eliza asked.
Sakura turned to Shirou, uncertain about the answer. Thankfully, Shirou spoke up for her.
"Yes, Sakura here is my new friend," he said without hesitation. Another smile formed on Sakura's face. She was smiling a lot that day.
"Okay then. Puppy here is my manager! So I want you to treat him well, okay, Kitten?" Eliza responded.
Manager? Shirou? Sakura was confused. Also, She called her Kitten again!
"Just play along. Eliza is a bit... unique," Shirou whispered to her.
Eliza turned her head and looked around. "Hmm, this park looks like the perfect place to practice my singing."
Shirou paled. "Eliza, I don't think it's a good idea."
"Nonsense, Puppy! Look at all the people here. I can train while also entertaining them. It's a win-win!"
"B-But, uhh, actually, you need to ask for permission first," Shirou stammered.
Eliza simply tilted her head. "Then I'll just ask. I don't see why you're so worked up, Puppy."
Once again, Sakura witnessed the two of them bickering. Eliza seemed determined to sing, while Shirou did his best to prevent it. Based on Shirou's reaction, She could only presume that Eliza's singing voice was not the best.
"So, you're saying that if I reveal my singing now, it might hamper my debut because people will already know me? You make a good point, Puppy," Eliza pondered.
"Y-Yes!" Shirou desperately replied.
Somehow, someway, Shirou managed to steer her away from singing her song out loud in the park.
"Ugh, fine. I won't sing in public, at least not until I debut as the best idol in the world!" Eliza declared.
Shirou breathed a sigh of relief.
"But that doesn't mean I can't do any practice at all," Eliza continued. She pointed at both Shirou and her. "You, Puppy, and Kitten will be my test audience and help me with my training! It'll be just the three of us, alone!"
"Say what?" Shirou was shocked.
Eliza smiled cheerfully, seemingly unaware of Shirou's concern. "Yup, be grateful that you two will listen to my song way earlier than the others!"
Shirou turned to Sakura, then to Eliza, and back to Sakura again.
"Uhh, Eliza..."
"Let's not waste any more time!"
Eliza was about to drag both Shirou and Sakura away when they heard someone shout, "Hey! What are you doing to my sister!"
A boy with wavy hair ran towards them, glaring at both Eliza and Shirou. It was her brother.
"Sakura! Are you alright?" Her brother asked.
"Y-Yes, I'm alright, nii-san," Sakura replied.
"You must be Sakura's brother," Shirou stated. "I'm her friend, Emiya Shirou."
Her's brother looked perplexed, but Sakura shyly nodded, confirming it. "I see. Name's Matou Shinji. Sakura's older brother. I guess I need to thank you for accompanying my sister."
"No need to thank me," Shirou said simply. "Although I was curious what took you so long. Sakura said you left to buy drinks for her, and it shouldn't have taken that long."
Shinji frowned visibly. "Ah, don't remind me. The vending machine broke, so I went to the nearest convenience store. Then, when I was at the cashier, they somehow failed to scan the drinks. It took them six damn tries for it to work."
"After that, there was a crowd outside the store with police sirens blaring everywhere. Something about a serial case or something. I had to take a longer route back to this park because they blocked the road," he continued.
"Sounds rough," Shirou sympathized.
"You have no idea," Shinji replied, reaching into the plastic bag he was holding. "Here's yours, Sakura. Sorry it took me so long."
Sakura accepted the can of orange juice and said, "Thank you, nii-san."
Eliza cleared her throat. "Now, can we start with my practice?"
Shinji turned to Eliza. "Oh yeah, kinda forgot you were there."
"How rude! You're looking at the future super idol here," Eliza declared.
"You? An idol?" Shinji scoffed.
A tick mark formed on Eliza's forehead. "It seems like I need to teach you a lesson, Pig."
"P-Pig?!"
Shirou was worried that Eliza was about to start a fight with Shinji. But then...
"I'll just show you my song, then," Eliza proclaimed.
Now, Shirou was even more worried, but for an entirely different reason. Eliza took a deep breath.
"Eliza, no—"
He was too late.
...
"Holy crap, what the hell is that?!" Shinji exclaimed in disbelief.
His ears were still ringing for crying out loud. It should be illegal to sing a song THAT bad. Looking at his sister and her new friend, Shirou, they looked mortified as well. This Shirou guy looked like he would faint, and his sister was stunned.
Sakura literally looked like she was already dead inside.
This girl, Shirou called her Eliza, right? Need to stay the hell away from anything singing-related.
"How's that?" Eliza puffed her chest, looking very proud.
"Awful, you tone-deaf psycho," he said bluntly.
Shirou's eyes widened with surprise.
"What?!" Eliza retorted angrily. "Say that again, you pig brat!"
"Have you ever heard your own damn voice?! I'm pretty sure it broke several Geneva Convention rules!"
"Y-You, it's not that bad! Right Puppy? Kitten?"
Shirou sweatdropped while Sakura averted her eyes away.
"It's uhh, you just need more practice, Eliza," Shirou said, trying to ease the tension.
This Shirou guy was too nice. In a case like this, you needed to be on point, not enabling her!
"See? Puppy here said it's not bad, only need a few more practices," Eliza remarked. "You just don't understand art, Pig."
Shinji looked at Shirou, who replied with body gestures. Just play along. Shinji clicked his tongue.
"S-So uh, Shinji, I initially asked Sakura to play with me. Wanna join us?" Shirou asked.
Shinji didn't have any reason to refuse. It was also worth mentioning that Sakura stared at him with expecting eyes.
"Sure, why not? What're we going to play?"
"Well, at first we wanted to play at the slide—"
"Slide? What are you? Four?" Shinji clearly wasn't interested.
Shirou meekly laughed. "Uh, you've got a point, then..." Shirou thought for a moment. "How about tag?"
"That's okay, hey Sakura, is tag okay for you?" he asked his sister, who answered with a nod.
"I'm fine with it, Nii-san."
"Then it will gonna be the three of us with one being It. Also, you're not allowed to run outside the park, is that fair?" Shirou said, laying down the ground rule.
"...Yes."
"Sounds fair enough."
Eliza then raised her hand. "Oh! Oh! I want to play too."
The three kids looked at each other.
"I mean, I'm fine with it as long as Sakura and Shinji agree to it?" Shirou looked at the other two.
"...I don't mind."
"Fine by me, but," Shinji turned to Eliza, smirking, "Because you're the last to join, you will be It."
Shinji was clearly trying to rile up Eliza.
"Hoho, you will regret that," Eliza smiled smugly. "I'll give the three of you one minute headstart."
Shinji silently laughed inside. She may be older than him, but he was actually quite athletic for his age. It would be easy for him to outrun her.
"Then, the countdown starts... now!"
Shinji, Sakura, and Shirou immediately rushed out. They looked at each other before nodding. Tag 101: always split and run in different directions. Shinji ran to the north, Shirou to the west, and Sakura to the east.
It was gonna be so easy, that's what Shinji thought, or at least that's what he thought before.
Mistakes were made! Mistakes were made!
Upon the one-minute mark, Eliza immediately started chasing the three of them. She caught Sakura within the first ten seconds after that. Then Shirou was next, and it only took her an additional fifteen seconds to catch him.
Shinji was the sole survivor now. Not because he skillfully dodged or was faster than her, but because Eliza was clearly playing around with him.
"Hey, Pig! I'm behind you~" she taunted him. What was she made of? How in the world was she so fast?
It was obvious she could go faster, but she maintained her current speed to both taunt him and to make a point that even at his best, he was nothing to her. Shinji couldn't take it anymore. His legs, which he forced to move as fast as possible, gave up, and he stumbled through the ground.
Eliza, who wasn't far from him, then lightly bopped his head.
"Y-You monster," Shinji weakly muttered with uneven breaths.
"Cry me a river, Pig," Eliza snickered.
"Eliza, Shinji!"
"Nii-san!"
Shirou and Sakura ran towards them.
"Nii-san, are you okay?" Sakura walked closer.
Shinji grunted a bit before pulling himself back up. "Yeah, got some bruises, but that's all."
"Seriously, Nii-san, you should know better than to overdo yourself."
"You too, Eliza," Shirou chastised. "Was it really necessary to do that?"
"Nope," Eliza answered nonchalantly. "But the pig deserved it after talking mean about my singing!"
Shinji huffed. "Maybe, just maybe, if someone had enough self-awareness..."
"Nii-san...don't." Sakura pleaded.
"Urgh, fine."
Seriously, he wasn't the weird one here! When you see someone sucks at something, you tell them they suck. He was the honest one here!
After resting for a while, all of them then moved to sit on a bench. Eliza then went ahead and brought each of them drinks, which Shinji accepted with some grumbling.
"Huh, so you're the same age as me?" Shinji said.
"D-Do I look that old?"
"More like you act too mature, like an old man," Shinji replied.
Shirou didn't know if it was a compliment or not.
"I-I think being more mature suited Shirou-san more," whispered Sakura.
Shinji stared at his sister, then at Shirou. His sister, whom he had known for a while, was now acting bashful and meek around this guy. On one hand, his sister deserved some semblance of a normal life, and he knew damn well she really needed it after all his grandfather did to her. On the other hand, as her brother, things were moving so damn fast!
They had just met, like what? Two hours ago? How could they be so chummy in that time period?
Shinji just sighed. As long as Sakura was fine with him, he would just go along with it.
"So you're going to transfer to Homurahara, Shirou-san?"
"Yeah, school year starts in three days, right? I'll be in the second grade."
"Ah, then that would make you my senpai, then," Sakura noted. "Should I just call you senpai?"
Shirou patted Sakura's head. "If you want to."
"Then..." Sakura nodded. "...senpai." Her face slightly blushed.
Shinji's jaw dropped.
Too fast! Too goddamn fast! What the hell, Shirou?!
...
"I hope we meet again soon, senpai," Sakura said with a hopeful tone.
Shinji rolled his eyes. They were just about to head back home, not go to war. Well, not that he would say that out loud. His sister was practically beaming with smiles now, thanks to a certain red-haired boy.
"Me too,"
Shinji gawked, he had had enough.
He pointed at Shirou and said, "Sakura, this guy will be going to our school later. You can always meet him there."
Then, he turned to Shirou directly. "And you! Learn to take a hint."
"What?" Shirou looked confused.
"Exactly," Shinji retorted.
With their goodbyes exchanged, Shinji and Sakura headed back home. However, as they walked, Sakura's brightened face slowly dimmed.
"Sakura..."
"Yes, nii-san?" she answered in a somewhat monotonous tone.
"We will meet him again," he reassured her.
Sakura opened her mouth in surprise before mustering a small smile. "Yes, thank you, nii-san."
The two of them continued walking in silence.
...
Elizabeth watched as the two kids who had played with her Puppy went back to their home. Normally, it would be absurd to have a servant, a genuine heroic spirit, acting as a babysitter, but she didn't mind.
Her Puppy was cute, and she had enjoyed her time with him so far. As for the other kids, Kitten was adorable. She had been bashful and reserved at first but became more open after spending time with her Puppy. Pig, on the other hand, needed a good slap in the face.
Her voice wasn't that bad!
Currently sitting on a bench, Elizabeth waited for Shirou, who had mentioned needing to go to the toilet. Now that she was alone, it was the perfect time for what she was about to do.
"Hey, you Rats! I know you're here," she called out, addressing no one in particular.
After a brief moment, the shadow beneath the bench rippled, and a lanky figure clad in black from head to toe, wearing a white skull mask, emerged.
"Awfully rude of you to call us like that," the man said in a heavily distorted voice.
Elizabeth scoffed. "You're all dressed in black, hiding in shadows, and there are many of you running around. You are Rats."
If the man was offended by her remark, he didn't show it.
"I don't understand why the Overseer feels the need to have you guard Puppy when I'm here," Elizabeth complained. "But that's not why I called you here..."
"I want one of you to follow those kids," she continued.
"We don't take orders from you, Blood Countess," the man replied.
"I know," Elizabeth hissed. "But we serve the same master." The man in black couldn't refute that.
"My instincts tell me that those two are hiding something, something hideous, especially Kitten. She hid it well, but I can sense faint traces of magical energy from her."
"A magus," the man in black stated simply.
"Most likely," Elizabeth agreed. "For now, just follow them. If you discover anything we should be concerned about, report back to the Overseer."
"Consider it done."
-TOH-
An entity prowled under the moonlight illumination. Jumping from building to building, lurking from alley to alley. Their steps were silent, using the dimmed night they hide their presence.
They were Servant's Mockery, but nowadays they just called themselves Mockery.
Their task were simple, harvest as much magical energy as they could. Human were the prime source of it. They would drag their prey, kill it, and drain their energy.
Rinse and repeat.
Only one problem, the human started became wary of them. The bodies they left behind seemed to scared a good chunk of the entire city population. It was getting a bit harder to jump on unsuspecting victims now. They really need to be more low profile and get rid of the bodies from now.
In an abandoned factory with barely any of lighting, Mockery stood illuminated by strands of moonlight. A frightened woman was sprawled on the floor, frantically trying to run. Tears flowed from the woman's eyes, her uneven breathes being the only sound heard in the room. She stared at the horror of what Mockery was currently holding in their hand.
Her daughter... or, to be more precise, her daughter's severed head.
Mockery threw the head towards the woman. She wanted to scream, but a black, shadow-like thing gagged her mouth. As Mockery slowly walked toward the woman, her face grew more and more pale.
Mockery grabbed her head.
There was no help, no salvation. There was no... God.
With one tug, Mockery ripped her head apart from her body. Her spine dangled, still attached to her head. Blood showered the dimly lighted room red.
Mockery hummed, another work done. Then they raised their hand and simultaneously all the blood moved towards them, seeping into their body.
Mockery was about to leave but sensed someone walking towards them. They stared at the newcomer.
A man, donned in a plated blue bodysuit and holding a red spear dripping with menace. His face was neutral, his red eyes stared at their prey's lifeless bodies. He clicked his tongue, visibly frowned.
"Damn, I was too late, huh?"
The man glared at Mockery, a feral grin rose on his face. He readied his spear.
"Your work?"
Mockery didn't answer; they just kept standing silently.
The man scoffed. "Not very talkative, aren't you? Well..."
He flexed his body, and in one fluid motion that seemed to defy the laws of physics, he was instantenously right in front of Mockery. The air crackled with anticipation as the man's spear descended with incredible speed and precision.
"...Fine by me," the man uttered, his voice filled with confidence and determination.
BOOM!
The impact of the clash sent shockwaves rippling through the area. Mockery was forcefully propelled backward, crashing through walls and debris. The room they had occupied was reduced to ruins in the aftermath. Grunts of pain escaped Mockery's lips as they assessed the damage. If it hadn't been for their last second conjured shield, they would have been utterly obliterated.
Without wasting a moment, a blue blur streaked towards them. The man, his red spear gleaming with a wicked aura, launched another assault.
CLANG!
Mockery swiftly countered the attack, manipulating their shadow to parry the spear's deadly trajectory. However, the man refused to relent. With a flurry of swift and relentless strikes, he thrust, swung, and swiped his weapon in a mesmerizing dance of battle. Mockery found themselves trapped in a defensive posture, desperately fending off the unyielding onslaught.
Growing increasingly furious, Mockery tapped into their shadow, summoning shadowy spikes from the very ground beneath them. A tremor reverberated through the area, and several colossal spikes emerged menacingly, threatening to impale the man. But in a display of extraordinary agility, the man leaped backward, evading the deadly assault with an uncanny grace.
As the dust settled, the man looked down upon Mockery, a smirk etched on his face. "...It seems I overestimated you," he taunted.
Mockery's eyes burned with rage. They locked their gaze upon the man, their resolve unwavering.
"No grace, no skill, no techniques..." the man continued, his words laced with dissapointment. "...you have nothing."
He dared!
Mockery glowered, refusing to accept this challenge. The man before them was clearly no ordinary person. Mockery opened their mouth, a hoarse voice emanating from within.
"̵̛W̸͖͝h̷̭̀ō̵̺ ̵̣̆a̵̩͑r̶̲͛ĕ̵͙ ̶̰͋y̶͚͊o̵͍͌ụ̷̆?̴̱̏"̵͓͝ they demanded, their voice filled with an otherworldly rasp.
The man raised an eyebrow before breaking into a wide grin. "Servant, Lancer. Nice to meet you, shadowy bastard."
Servant? The realization hit Mockery like a lightning bolt. A servant! How foolish they had been to overlook the signs—the man's strength and his formidable spear. Their focus had been clouded, but it was crystal clear now.
But what was a servant doing here? As far as they knew, there were no servants remaining, except for one, and this servant standing before them was not him.
Curiosity gnawed at Mockery. A servant summoned after the war? This was information they needed to report later. For now, they had a servant to eliminate.
Servant's Mockery—their full name spoke volumes. They were created to taunt and mock the very existence of servants.
Mockery's body began to undergo a grotesque transformation. It melted and bubbled before reforming into a new figure—a figure clothed in a sleek black suit adorned with veins of crimson streaks. Their eyes became black pools with ominous red orbs, and in their hands, a twisting, ebony spear materialized, tightly gripped.
"Oi, oi, seriously?" the servant in front of them remarked. "What are you, my fan?"
Mockery smirked, their new form mimicking the man's appearance.
"Cool, you copy my style. Now what?" the servant taunted.
Mockery grinned, a wicked glint in their eyes. They transformed into a blur of darkness, moving with incredible speed. In a single fluid motion, they twisted their spear and thrust it towards the man. Caught off guard by the sudden increase in Mockery's speed, he managed to raise a hasty guard, but just barely.
BOOM!
Another powerful shockwave reverberated through the surroundings as Mockery observed the servant being forcefully launched backward.
They were even.
...
Streaks of black and blue blurred amidst the abandoned factory, each clash igniting sparks that illuminated the surroundings. Neither combatant would relent.
Mockery strained to keep up with the relentless servant. Their transformation had closed the gap between them, but not completely. Not yet.
For every second that passed, with every clash between them, each strike of their spears, and their close proximity, Mockery was able to absorb his knowledge, copy his form, techniques, and tracing over his Saint Graph data for their own use.
As time went on, Mockery grew stronger, more skillful, and refined. The servant's spearmanship became their own, twisted and molded to suit their needs.
Cu Chulainn, Son of Lugh, warrior of Ulster, and disciple of Scathach, the Queen of the Land of Shadow—Mockery started to understand their opponent better.
Cu Chulainn's eyes twitched, devoid of his previous easygoing nature. Facing an opponent who mimicked his very being would unnerve anyone.
"What are you?" he questioned, his voice laced with curiosity and disdain.
"̴W̵e̷ ̵a̵r̶e̸ ̷n̷o̴t̴ ̸h̷e̵r̶e̴ ̸f̴o̴r̷ ̴p̴l̶e̷a̵s̵a̷n̷t̶r̴y̴,̷ ̸H̷o̷u̴n̵d̷ ̶o̵f̵ ̸C̵h̷u̷l̴a̶i̶n̴n̸"̷
A momentary pause hung in the air before Cu Chulainn leaped forward, aiming an overhead thrust with his spear.
Mockery swiftly parried the attack, countering with a deft strike of their own. Their spear swiped upwards, striking Cu Chulainn's abdomen with precision, sending him hurtling through several floors above. Seizing the opportunity, Mockery pursued their adversary, only to be met with a forceful stomp to the head as Cu Chulainn emerged from the dust and debris.
CRASH!
Mockery crashed into the ground, the impact creating a deep crater. Gazing upwards, they witnessed Cu Chulainn retrieve his spear and swiftly throw it, generating a sonic boom as it propelled toward them. Acting swiftly, Mockery pulled their body up, narrowly evading the deadly trajectory.
BOOOM!
The red spear pierced through the concrete floor, missing its intended mark but grazing Mockery's left arm. A surge of numbness shot through their limb, rendering it temporarily useless until it could heal.
They needed to buy some time. Mockery bolted out, and Cu immediately gave chase.
"What? You want to run away?" Cu taunted.
Mockery ignored his words, their focus fixed on breaking several concrete pillars as they circled around the area. Cu relentlessly pursued, launching unyielding assaults without any sign of stopping.
Sensing the moment was right, Mockery halted their movement and turned to face Cu's oncoming attacks. With only one hand, they unleashed a flurry of their own assaults. The clash intensified as the two exchanged strikes, but this time, Mockery found themselves easily overwhelmed by Cu's relentless onslaught.
The abandoned factory trembled under the force of their battle. Mockery grinned. This was precisely what they wanted.
Before long, distant rumbling sounds grew louder, and the entire building began to collapse.
"You bastard!" were the last words Mockery heard before they both were buried beneath the falling debris.
A giant cloud of dust blanketed the entire premises. From within the debris, shadows slithered and intertwined, gradually forming the figure of Mockery. Seeing no sign of Cu, they focused their energy on regenerating their injured left hand.
They waited for a while.
BOOOM!
The falling debris was violently blown apart as Cu emerged from beneath it.
"Alright, now I'm pissed," he declared, his gaze fixed on Mockery. "Time to end this."
His spear crackled with an ominous red aura as Cu assumed a lower stance before lunging forward.
"Gae Bolg!"
He hurled his spear towards Mockery, unleashing a streak of red accompanied by a deafening sonic boom.
Gae Bolg, the barbed spear that pierces with death, soared through the air. It was renowned as one of the most lethal Noble Phantasms, manipulating causality to ensure that "the spear is thrust, so the heart is pierced" becomes "the heart is pierced, thus the spear must be thrust."
It was an unavoidable strike. The spear soared, bending and twisting its way toward Mockery.
STAB!
Mockery didn't resist; they knew it would be futile against this weapon. The spear easily impaled their chest, exiting through their back. It seemed that Cu had successfully struck a fatal blow.
However, Mockery did not crumble. After all, they had no heart to begin with. Gathering their strength, Mockery forcefully pulled the spear out of their body, causing a chunk of what appeared to be black mud to fall. It was the cursed part of their body, afflicted by the "death" curse brought upon by Gae Bolg.
Sporting a gaping hole in their chest, Mockery discarded the spear, allowing Cu to call it back into his hands.
"Should've used the anti-army version," grumbled Cu, annoyed.
"̶O̴u̵r̷ ̷t̶u̸r̶n̵"̶
They had absorbed and copied enough of Cu Chulainn's Saint Graph data. Their black spear, a crude imitation of Gae Bolg, was shrouded in swirling shadow. As Servant's Mockery, their weapon was also a mockery of the servant's Noble Phantasm.
Their black spear crackled with animosity.
"V̵e̴r̷g̴..."
Mockery thrust their spear with all their might.
"̷G̶a̸e̵ ̸B̷o̴l̶g̸!"
If Gae Bolg was the barbed spear that pierces with death, then this Verg Gae Bolg, a degraded copy, was the barbed spear that pierces with destruction. The original causality concept was degraded into sure-hit. It should have been inferior to the genuine article.
"What a bad joke," Cu stated before lunging into action.
CLANG!
Unlike Gae Bolg, Verg Gae Bolg lacked sturdiness, so Cu easily shattered it when focused. Yet from the broken shards, two more Verg Gae Bolgs appeared.
"...?!"
CLANG! CLANG!
Again, Cu skillfully batted away the two spears. Then four more took their place. Cu gritted his teeth. He shouted a battle cry and began adeptly destroying every Verg Gae Bolg that came his way.
The concept of quantum worlds encompasses the existence of every possibility. Each query presents a simple dichotomy of yes or no. The spear is thrust with the intent to strike and destroy its target. However, what if it misses? What if it is parried? Or what if the target manages to survive?
Verg Gae Bolg took the concept of a sure-hit to another level. It would split into numerous parallel versions of itself, multiplying exponentially to guarantee the target's complete annihilation. This unleashed an unrelenting onslaught of overwhelming numbers, where each failed spear would be swiftly replaced by two others, then four, eight, and beyond. What was initially a single thrown spear now expanded without limits.
It was an attack that tapped, albeit crudely, into the realm of the second True Magic, the Operation of Parallel Worlds.
Cu became a blurry force to be reckoned with, shattering thousands of spears, yet countless replacements took their place. It was a relentless storm of steel raining down upon him, but he never lost his feral grin.
Amidst the chaos, numerous spears managed to break through Cu's defenses, slicing and stabbing him, but he refused to relent. He had once held an entire army at bay by himself; this onslaught of steel was nothing he couldn't handle. Blood dripped from his wounds, his armor fell apart, but none of it mattered. He pushed his body to its utmost limit.
Just as the battle seemed to reach its peak, a voice from above shouted, "Heads up! Clarent..!"
A humanoid figure descended from the sky.
"BLOOD ARTHUR!" the figure shouted.
A bright red light illuminated the night as a beam of red light descended, obliterating most of the Verg Gae Bolg spears and forcing Mockery to dodge, breaking their focus on maintaining their Noble Phantasms. Gradually, the numerous spears began to dissipate.
With a resounding crack, the figure slammed into the ground, creating a sizable crater upon impact. Rising from the ground, a young blonde girl with a spiky ponytail smirked playfully at Mockery. It was Mordred.
"You're late, girlie," Cu grunted.
"And you look like shit," Mordred snapped back.
Mordred then observed Mockery closely, taking note of the gaping hole in their chest, the numerous wounds, and the severed burn on their left side caused by her Noble Phantasm. She couldn't help but notice the striking similarity between Mockery and Cu.
Glancing back at Cu, she asked, "Is he your lost twin brother or something?"
"As if. The bastard just morphed and imitated me. The worst part is he somehow copied my fighting style and we have similar Noble Phantasms."
"Heh, got beaten by a mere copy."
"I'm not... Shut up!"
Turning her attention back to Mockery, Mordred raised her sword and declared, "Well, I don't know what the hell you are, but... I'm joining this party!"
She hurled her sword at Mockery, who managed to block it, but before they could react, Mordred rushed at them with incredible speed and threw a powerful punch that collided with their face, resulting in a resounding crack. In one swift motion, she retrieved the sword she had initially thrown and delivered a slashing attack.
Mockery could barely raise their spear to block, but the sheer force behind Mordred's strike lifted their body and sent them hurtling to the side. They quickly regained their footing and evaded as Mordred pursued, leaping and delivering an overhead slash towards the ground. Mockery swiftly moved aside, narrowly escaping the devastating impact.
BOOOM
The ground shook as Mordred's attack landed, narrowly missing Mockery. Her sword became lodged in the ground, but she didn't bother retrieving it. Instead, she released her grip and unleashed a series of powerful punches, concluding with a forceful front kick to Mockery's gut, sending them skidding away.
The situation was dire for Mockery. They looked up to see Cu approaching, and facing a two-on-one fight in their current condition was impossible. To make matters worse, their damaged body prevented them from absorbing and copying the data of the new servant.
"You're not so tough. I guess this mutt is just that weak," Mordred taunted.
"I've already weakened him, thank you very much," Cu annoyingly retorted. "Hey, shadowy bastard, ready for round two?"
Cu readied his spear, and Mordred followed suit, gripping her sword tightly. Mockery knew when to retreat, and so, they did the only sensible thing. They melted their body into black mud, dispersing and seeping through the ground.
They ran away.
...
Mordred felt disappointed. The shadow bastard had fled shortly after her arrival. While she wouldn't label herself as a battle maniac, she had her own personal reasons for wanting to pummel the bastard.
Glancing at the worn-out mutt and the rubble of the abandoned factory, Mordred quickly assessed the situation. Bastard was strong. She had even caught a glimpse of the shadowy bastard's Noble Phantasm, a terrifying power for sure, but not something she couldn't handle by herself.
"You sure don't have any sense of subtlety, huh?" Mordred commented, surveying the destruction.
"Oh, shut up. I'm not the one who shot a bright beam of light from the sky!" Cu retorted. "I bet everyone in the city noticed it."
Mordred hissed in response.
She had urgently requested Medea's help to teleport her right above the battlefield, aiming for a surprise attack. However, in hindsight, using her Noble Phantasm at that exact moment may not have been her wisest decision.
"So, did the Overseer send you alone here?" Cu inquired.
"Yeah, got a problem with that?" Mordred replied.
Cu pondered for a moment. "Actually, yes. We have numerous servants working together right now. It would be strange to send just one servant as reinforcement."
"It's not like I couldn't handle the shadowy bastard alone," Cu continued, "but if I were the Overseer, I would send as many servants as possible to easily outnumber him."
Mordred frowned. "I guess you haven't heard the news."
"What news?" Cu asked.
"Your battle here is not the only one," Mordred dropped a bombshell.
"There have been numerous battles with similar shadow entities throughout this city alone," she explained. "Yours was just the loudest so far, and our available forces are spread thin."
"Damn, that's bad," Cu muttered.
"Our scouts have also discovered that the shadow entities are slowly encroaching neighboring cities," Mordred growled.
As brash and hot-headed as she was, Mordred remained a knight at heart. The knowledge that someone innocent being killed every night at the hands of those bastards left a bitter taste in her mouth. She had even come across the butchered corpses of children, which only further infuriated her.
But there was another problem.
"That shadow was definitely weird," she muttered.
"Huh? Why?" Cu inquired, overhearing her muttering.
"It copied you. No other shadow entity prior to this has done that. They always took the form of either a formless shadow or a beast," she explained. "And they were never as strong. That shadow earlier possessed a Noble Phantasm, for God's sake."
The implications of this revelation were horrifying, to say the least. Both Cu and Mordred silently agreed that this new information needed to be conveyed to the Overseer and spread throughout their ranks.
Those shadow bastards were evolving.
-TOH-
In an abandoned mansion notorious for being haunted, a shadow sat upon one of the sofas. A smaller shadow appeared from the ground before it assimilated with the former one. One of their other selves returned.
The shadow hummed.
The shadow,Servant's Mockery, the very first one, felt intrigued.
Their creator had tasked them with harvesting magical energy, prompting them to split themselves into many different other selves for more efficient work. Usually, their other selves were mindless or animalistic in nature, diligently carrying out their duties. However, on occasion, these mindless selves displayed a surprising degree of intelligence later on.
Everything had been going smoothly until this afternoon when most of their mindless selves were killed in action. They were massacred, and some who managed to escape reported being hunted by a "strong human." Due to their limited mental capacity, they couldn't provide further details.
It was unfortunate that they couldn't establish contact with their other selves to warn them after splitting apart.
Then, one of their other selves, the more intelligent one, returned with concerning yet promising news.
There were servants in the city, leading them to assume that the "strong human" their mindless selves encountered were also servants. This raised concerns since servants weren't supposed to be summoned outside of the Holy Grail War.
However, there was a silver lining. Their other selves had successfully managed to copy the Saint Graph data of one servant from their encounter, Cu Chulainn.
This development altered their plans slightly. It seemed that the time had come to mock the servants.
AN: I spent 720 SQ and got no Vitch. To make things worse, not even a single *5 spook...
First things first, thanks to furukawa023 for mentioning that Angra is an evil god. I kind of forgot that Demon God is a separate entity.
Then, for our guest reviewer who suggested giving Shirou a dragon core... well, I actually already did that (although I called it Magic Core), but the process failed and now it lies dormant inside his body. It's kind of a Chekhov's gun for the future.
Next, regarding Midnight49's comment, technically he could summon everyone recorded in the Throne of Heroes. The only thing that prevented him was whether the servants would be willing to answer his call. I don't have any future plans for alternate servants (not to be confused with ALTER servants) like those summer servants. However, for Demi-servants, I have two drafts to choose from. To spoil it a bit, it involves both Rin and Sakura.
Lastly, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this fic. It truly means a lot to me.