For a moment, Olga felt time slow into a crawl at the familiar sights before her; two people she did not expect to see, especially not this soon. But there was something… wrong.

It was then the white-haired mage remembered where she was and what exactly she was dealing with.

'Another Geiz and Another Tsukyomi.'

Never more than before had she wanted to vomit when facing these twisted mirrors of people who represented freedom, justice, and humanity's hope. She wondered if the loved ones of those who came before her would have felt the same way if they ever encountered an Another Rider. Then again, it was not like they'd recognize the Another Riders as monstrous recreations of the real ones; their memories getting rewritten made it a gray spot.

"Director!" Her frustrated musings were interrupted by Ritsuka's shouting. "Help get everyone to safety! Mordred and the others will keep them busy!"

"R–right." There were a few injured and unconscious beastmen— no, Yagas lay all across the snow, having been thrown away like trash by the two Another Riders. Without access to her powers, there was nothing else she could do but help from the sidelines. 'Dammit… if only I didn't—!'

"Watch out!" Olga found herself pushed back on the soft snow by Ritsuka, very narrowly avoiding getting hit by an arrow from Another Geiz. She didn't know if the false copy of her dear friend was actively targeting her or simply saw her as another person to kill was unclear, but Olga couldn't think about it; getting distracted again could spell the end for her. "You help that side!" Ritsuka shouted at her as he turned around to the hurt Yagas on his side. He then relayed his orders to his Servants, "Saber, Lancer, Assassin! You know what to do!"

"Understood, Master! Leave them to us!" And so, the three Servants engaged the two Another Riders in combat while Ritsuka and Olga split up to help the Yagas.

"H-Help…"

The broken plea for help snapped Olga out of her muddled thoughts, her heading snapping toward a nearby, feminine figure cloaked in black lying helplessly.

'No time for what ifs or buts: someone needs my help!' The white-haired woman shook her head before turning to Ritsuka, "I'll leave this fight to you and the others! I'll do my best to help any survivors around here out of danger!"

After getting a nod of confirmation from the younger man, Olga quickly rushed towards the figure who asked for her help, quickly putting her arm over the shoulder before carefully but urgently getting them off of the ground.

"Take it easy now. One step at a time."

"T-Thank you…"

While Olga and the survivor were getting out of harm's way, Ritsuka tried figuring out a game plan for taking down the two strange monsters combating his Servants while helping the Yagas off the battlefield. Firstly and most importantly, figuring out any potential weak spots; he took in the duo's appearances. There was not a hint of skin shown other than the glassy masks that mostly covered unrecognizable and mutilated faces underneath. The red one had a butterfly-like mask with sharp outspread wings with yellow markings, while the white one was mostly covered by a crescent moon. They only shared two common features— black braces strapped to their arms and an equally black and bulky belt buckle on their waists.

Ritsuka recognized the braces and belt from Olga's transformed armor from before. But these had a more twisted edge to them - as if mirrored and given a more sinister purpose when wielded. As Patxi had told them, a number was printed on various spots on their bodies, most prominently on their belt buckles, the year 2018; he wondered what that meant but filed that observation for later. The weapons they wielded looked as twisted as they were— the red one had a bow that fired energy bolts with sharpened black blades on the arms while the other had a sharp white blade.

'Nothing's standing out…' Ritsuka thought. Maybe there was a gap in their armor somewhere? If so, he couldn't see it from where he was standing. For now— "Nezha! Deal with the archer! Mordred, Izo, you fight the swordsman… swordswoman!" The white one looked rather feminine now that he thought about it. Either way, he was confident his Servants could repel them. Defeat? Perhaps but they don't know what cards the enemy has up their sleeves yet. He could just have the three use their Noble Phantasms but that'd cause too much collateral damage to the village… Well, except for Izo's. The Assassin could use his without any issues; all that was needed was a good opening.

Keeping an eye on the battle, Ritsuka carried the last unconscious Yaga away to safety when— "Geiz! Tsukuyomi!" —he heard Olga cry out. He turned his head in her direction as she continued, "Is that you? Or are you the Time Jackers' puppets?! Answer me!"

Olga's shouting got the two monsters' attention, giving them the exact opening they needed but… 'They're her friends?' Ritsuka hesitated in giving the order. That explained why she was so distracted upon seeing them, but now that meant until they figured out the monsters' identities, he couldn't have his Servants striking them down.

The monsters' answer, however, was to quickly ready an attack aimed at Olga. The red archer raised his bow and was about to fire an arrow at her when— BANG—! —a gunshot rang throughout the village. The archer was shot in the head but that only served to annoy him more than anything.

"Don't stand out in the opening, you fool!" Olga was pulled away into cover by Patxi, who was the one who shot at the monster. "Even if that's your old pals, you'll get yourself killed acting like you have no sense!"

"But I can't just leave them like that! Who knows how this happened to them!"

As the two argued over at the sidelines, Ritsuka recalled something important as he heard Olga's loud voice— back when she lost her transformation caused by that 'Ridewatch' of hers ejecting itself out of her belt.

'Maybe if I have them aim there…' The dark-haired teenager looked at the two belts those monsters had on before making his choice, "Mordred, Nezha, keep them busy! Izo, come here!" Ritsuka hoped they were not smart enough to recognize a set-up when they saw one.

Despite a light "tch!" coming out of him, he did what he was told and disengaged temporarily from the fight, leaving Mordred and Nezha to fight them off.

"Master, please tell me you have a good reason for interrupting my favorite pastime." Izo lightly grumbled as he went over to Ritsuka's side.

His Master answered by pointing toward the direction of the two belts on their enemies, "You see those two belts? I'm getting the feeling those might be their weak spots, so I need you to aim for them."

"Well do, even if things are gonna end a bit too quickly for my tastes."

"I'm counting on you. Lancer! Saber! Get ready to let loose!" Ritsuka shouted back.

"You got it!" Shouted back Mordred as she readied her sword with the intent to do just that, "Move aside Nezha, I got this!"

"Don't be. Too messy." The brunette did as she was told just as red sparks started flying off Saber and her sword. Under her breath, Mordred recited the chant to activate her Noble Phantasm, not really aware or caring that it was a bit too much of a distraction than needed. "This is the evil sword that destroyed my father…"

The base of her sword unfurled as a red beam covered the entire blade and extended it into the sky. "Clarent—" Mordred muttered. The monsters stood their ground. "Blood—!" She swung her sword back. They raised their weapons as if preparing to somehow block the sword beam with them. "Arthu—!"

"NOW!" "Don't mind if I cut in!"

Mordred barely managed to stop herself from bringing Clarent all the way down as, in the blink of an eye, Izo came from the side and shot passed the two monsters. The sound of metal cutting through metal echoed through the air as the Assassin successfully carried out his Master's command. His katana was more effective at cutting through flesh than steel but judging from the sparks flying off their belts as they stumbled back, he managed to cut deep enough to do damage.

"There you go! Two cut-up belts, Master!" Izo smirked at his work. "And once again, I'm the one who carried all the work, Saber."

"Why you—?!"

"Don't. Get distracted," Nezha stopped the argument short. "It's not. Over yet." As she said, despite the critical blow, the two monsters were already getting back to their feet. However, they didn't try resuming the fight. Instead, the archer pulled his bow back and aimed up as the swordswoman conjured a ball of pure yellow energy. They simultaneously shot their attacks into the sky.

'Oh no…' Ritsuka's face paled as he realized what they were doing. The arrow-into-the-air trick was something he was already familiar with thanks to Atalante and if it's anything like that— "Everyone, get cover!"

"Master!" Before he knew it, one of his Servants threw themselves over him to be his human shield. Still, even underneath them, he could hear the tell-tale sounds of arrows raining down and loud explosions undoubtedly caused by the swordswoman's energy balls. All he could do now was pray and hope nobody else got hurt by the bombardment.

After a short time— "I think it's safe now…" There was only silence now; not even muffled footsteps. His Servant, who turned out to have been Nezha, got off of him and helped Ritsuka to his feet. "Is everyone okay?!" He asked while surveying his surroundings. His Servants were fine; they were lucky enough to not have been hit but the same could not be said for the houses around them. The roofs were blown wide open with some having completely collapsed from the bombing. The two responsible for the attack, meanwhile, were nowhere to be seen.

"Mother?!"

"Wait!"

Ritsuka heard Patxi's shout and turned around to see him and Olga run back the way they came. He had no idea how wide-spanning the attack was; if it reached the edge of the village where Patxi lived, then… Ritsuka quickly took off after them, worry in his chest.

Soon enough, he caught up to them… right in front of the smoldering remains of Patxi's home.

As much as he wished there was a chance, it was clear no one could survive that. "Patxi?" Ritsuka heard Olga try reaching out to him as he slowly approached and joined them.

After a few more moments of dead silence, Patxi finally spoke.

"…Find me a shovel."


"I received an update. Several of the Orphniki have disappeared from their patrols."

Kadoc turned to face Anatasia, lowering his turtleneck to reveal his frown, "Is it because of the Krasnyy and Belyy monsters?

"It's because of those red and white monsters again." More and more headaches continue to pile up; first, the plan to eliminate Chaldea before they could interrupt the Crypters' plans. Then, the resistance group spearheaded by Servants from Proper Human History continues to be a pain in his ass. And lastly, those two strange monsters are wreaking havoc on the countryside and taking out the discount plague doctors.

Koyanskaya, who had been kicking around his Lostbelt "collecting" souvenirs, believed the monsters to be related to Chaldea. Her evidence? Her anecdotal account of their belts being similar to the demon queen she encountered in the invasion of Chaldea. Neither Rasputin nor Kadoc's partner could support her since they respectively hadn't encountered said demon queen or the monsters.

Kadoc didn't want to say that he didn't believe the vixen, but he didn't fully trust her and had to see them for himself before making his conclusion.

Goddamn, things were about to hit the fan, aren't they?

"I see that your head's being pulled every which way again." Commented his snow-haired Servant as she walked up to his side, turning to look at the view on top of the mountain they were on, the endless snowstorm completely covering anything any sight from there - not that such a thing was an inconvenience to someone like her, "I suggest you keep your head focused on one task at a time or else your face will get even more unappealing than usual."

Kadoc scoffed at that, "Because you're the leading expert on what counts as attractive in the world."

"Considering the kind of world our little snowy paradise is, one of us has to be." The Duchess retorted imperiously, brushing her pure white hair behind her ear, "Especially with how you have been acting as of late."

"Well, how else am I supposed to react to all of this?" Her Master snappily replied, "In case you haven't noticed, many unknowns are threatening to unravel this new world you and I have to grow, with two, in particular, being something completely unknown factors. Just what the hell is a damn demon queen doing with Chaldea anyways? How long have they had her under their sleeve and is she really responsible for those monsters terrorizing the countryside? Just what is she trying to accomplish by doing such a thing? What does Chaldea gain from letting her do so?"

Kadoc let out a frustrated sigh.

"I just wish shit can start making sense again sooner rather than later. I can't help but wonder if this is a real bad sign for what's about to come for you and me…"

A cool yet comforting hand suddenly cupped his cheek.

Kadoc felt his head being turned gently as she came face to face with light blue eyes, usually cold and unforgiving, now soft and understanding, if ever so slightly. "What I can only say now is that you should stop thinking and start doing. Nothing will continue to make sense if you just sit around and wait for others to tell you what is happening," she tried to comfort him, bringing up the question of what she thinks comforting is. "After all, you want to prove yourself better than Chaldea's Master, right? If he is here, then you should start building up your reputation and abilities. This is your home domain, is it not? I suggest you get your house in order for our guest, hm?"

Kadoc couldn't help but let out a snort, "You make it sound like you're my wife or something with all of this kind of nagging."

"Is that so? Then I suggest you get your head properly screwed on properly again or else you're never going to hear the end of my nagging, dear husband."

Instead of responding with another biting remark at the clear mockery, Kadoc chose to simply roll his eyes, turning to leave the place just as Anastasia released his cheek.

While he would never admit it out loud, he knew she was right. Now was not the time for complaining, now was the time for action.

He had too much to prove to let things continue as they are, after all.


Several hours later and the short burial for Patxi's mother was over. There was no eulogy or even a marking for her; just a shallow grave for her on account of the frozen ground at the edge of the village. There were others nearby also burying the casualties for the day but the second they were done, they returned to the village without even glancing at them. They were the outliers here, standing over a grave and grieving over what was lost.

As someone who had to do the same for her own parents at too young of an age, Olga felt this closer to home than she would ever admit. However, this wasn't about her right now.

At the moment, she, Ritsuka, and the Servants were standing a good distance behind Paxti, who currently had his head bowed down, trembling in clear mourning yet trying his best to not break the dam open.

"...Should we be saying something right now?" Izo asked almost innocently, barely above a whisper, "It looks like he could use… Something to help or something."

"Let the son. Mourn the mother. In silence. Time for words. Later." Nezha whispered back, if harshly.

Just Mordred was going to speak up and say something herself, heavy footsteps cut her off just as a familiar robed figure politely passed through the group, making their way towards the makeshift grave, nestled in their hands were a banquet of lily flowers - a sight truly out of place in a frozen wasteland such as this.

Once right next to Patxi, the figure bent down and carefully placed the banquet of lilies directly on top of the burial spot before bending their hand down and whispering a silent prayer.

Standing straight back up, the figure then turned and gently laid a tender hand on the Yagi's shoulder.

"Gertrude was a kind woman to the end of her days." The voice that came was feminine sounding and full of sadness and sympathy.

"Being kind didn't stop this." Patxi almost spat out, "And for the rest of my life, I will be wondering what could I have done to prevent this."

"Nevertheless, this world is a poorer place without her. After you are done saying goodbye, it would be best to ask yourself how to best honor her memory as you live the rest of that life of yours."

Giving one last comforting squeeze and a nod, the figure let go of Patxi and began to walk over directly to Olga.

"And so we meet again, though still under harrowing circumstances."

"At the very least, your life isn't under threat."

"And still, a life was lost, as was so many others." The figure sighed before shaking their hand, "Still, you went out of your way to save my life, and for that, you have my thanks."

"Oh, don't mention it!" Olga replied, putting a hand up, "I am sure few others wouldn't have done so in my place."

"In this world? I would be surprised if such a thing was the case. I've been here long enough to know that." The figure then made a gesturing motion - the kind you do when you want a more private conversation.

Nodding in understanding, Olga leaned over to Ritsuka and whispered, "We're going to take this conversation to a more private place, please keep an eye on things while I am gone, okay?"

"No problem director. Just be careful, okay?"

With another nod, Olga began to follow the figure to a more secluded area where their talk wouldn't be overheard or seen by prying ears or eyes.

After finding such a spot, they could speak. "I should start by saying I'm not from this village. I was sent here as recon for the resistance forces rising against the one ruling Russia— Ivan IV Vasilyevich, better known as Ivan the Terrible."

"Ivan the Terrible?" Naturally, that name was familiar to Olga from her studies on rulers but he lived centuries ago. But then again, nothing about this place made sense so far so a long-dead ruler was just another drop in the bucket.

The robed figure nodded, "That's correct. From what the leaders say, they're part of Proper Human History and are working to restore it but… most of the Servants summoned by the Counter Forces have been killed. There's only a handful left and even then, it's doubtful we'll last long. That's another reason I came here, to find more recruits willing to stage a revolution."

"I… think I get what you're saying." Frankly, that mention of Proper Human History confused Olga but she got the gist of it. "Wait…How much do you know about the truth behind circumstances and the creation of this world?"

"Frankly, not much. I'm just someone who found myself here after those weird arrows came down from the sky…" She revealed. "Ah, I supposed I should introduce myself now." At last, she pulled down her hood, revealing herself to be a human too as black hair and sharp facial features came into view, "My name is Finis, it's a pleasure to meet you, Olga."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Finis. So, what's this about resistance forces?"


BOOM! Surprise movie villain introduction to the story! Bet none of you expected Finis to play a role in this arc? Hopefully, the surprises with this character go beyond the beginning!

Also, thoughts on the fight with the Another Riders? I have a weird image on how Kamen Riders/Another Riders are supposed to be hit when others are fighting them for some reason, so I hope it got pulled off well enough. Many thanks to my writing partner for doing the heavy lifting in that regard! Any suggestions on how to improve on these in the future are very much appreciated!

FB: Fight scenes are hard and I need to refresh myself on it again. With schoolwork taking most of my attention from writing, it's nice for a change of pace.