Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Purified by Fire, Dancing with Fairies

Chapter 26

The darkness of the deep night lay heavy over the Einzbern Forest. Fog clung to and wrapped around the trunks of the trees as far as the eye could see, forming a layer of white pierced by spears of darkness as trees stabbed up into the sky from below. And at the heart of it all was Castle Einzbern, a stone villa built in the North European style, and the country residence of the Einzbern family and its vassals in Japan.

Golden light shone from its windows, forming a beacon of warmth in the cold night, though even there, creepers of fog reached across the clearing which lay around the castle. Inside, the castle's few residents waited anxiously, having done everything else they could to prepare for the coming storm. They didn't have to wait long.

Flowers of flame erupted across the forest, fiery red and brilliant yellow with hearts of blue and black, searing hot in the night. There were dozens of them, seemingly erupting at random across the forest, but it was anything but random. In her bed, the vegetative but still fully conscious Illyasviel 'Illya' von Einzbern launched into a mental tirade of oaths and curses that would have made a sailor blush.

"They knocked out all the bounded fields outside of the castle?" Sella breathed, an uncharacteristic tone of shock and horror audible in her voice, and a matching expression visible on her face.

"…I sense the magic used to do it is old." Illya telepathically remarked. "It feels like old and very profound magic, but it doesn't feel like Ayame's either. And Saber shouldn't know how to use magic, which means…"

"Lancer." Leysritt said, looking and sounding as cool, calm, and collected as ever.

"Most likely," Illya continued. "He and his Master took advantage of their class' Magic Resistance to sneak into the bounded fields, and locating their seals set time-delayed destruction spells to destroy them all at once. And by destroying all the seals, the bounded fields would be destroyed in their entirety, and not only in certain segments which the rest of the fields would repair and restore given time."

"What should we do, my lady?" Sella asked.

"…we underestimated the enemy." Illya replied. "We – correctly – assumed we wouldn't have much time, so we focused all our preparations on fortifying and adding to the defenses of the forest, with the goal of wearing down the enemy by the time they reached the castle. Mere fodder by then, for Berserker…but the enemy's actions have turned all our preparations to ash."

"Then…?"

"The enemy will now have a clear path to reach this castle." Illya concluded. "…Berserker will stand his ground before the main entrance. Leysritt will do likewise before my room. This will be our last stand."

Sella was silent for a moment, a terrifying thought coming to mind. "Should…should I…" she hesitantly began. "Should I fortify what I can of the castle's defenses in what little time we have? I could also prepare one or two mystic codes to support Leysritt in your defense…"

"No." Illya firmly interrupted. "You know the role you must play no matter how this battle ends."

"…but…"

"Whether it is Lancer or Berserker who falls here," Illya continued. "My life will be at an end. Like I said before, it falls to you to inform my sister of what she must know, and how things came to this. And should Lancer be the one to fall, you must return here with her and Saber, and together with Leysritt prepare for Heaven's Feel."

"…would she truly surrender the Grail to Einzbern?" Sella asked.

"I would ask you to advise her to do so, for my grandfather is a bad enemy." Illya replied. "But ultimately, if she is the ultimate victor of the war, then what she does with the Grail is her business. Advise her to do so, but abide by her decision regardless. If she so wishes, she may claim Heaven's Feel herself."

"…this is treason." Sella breathed in a whisper.

"So you say," Illya said. "But your words lack conviction."

Sella grit her teeth, and lowered her face, fighting back tears for her mistress who even now stood at death's door. "…there should have been another way." She spat. "It should not have come to this, my lady."

"…I really wish it were so." Illya replied after a moment. "But we can do nothing about that. So instead we do what we can."

Sella wiped at her eyes, and raising her head nodded at her mistress. "It will be an honor to fulfil your last command." She said. "And if your sister should stand against Einzbern, then it will be an honor to stand with her."

"…there isn't much time left." Illya said. "Lancer will be here soon, as will their Master. Go Sella, before it's too late."

Sella wiped at her eyes again, and stepping closer took Illya's hand and squeezed it tightly. "It was an honor to serve you all this time, my lady." She said. "Farewell."

"Goodbye…and thank you."

Rin and Lancer ran down the dirt road leading through the forest towards Einzbern Castle. On either side of the road there were evergreen trees, but while their canopies sought to arch over the road, it was wide enough to leave a narrow belt of starry sky above.

"There's the castle!" Lancer shouted as Einzbern Castle began to grow visible in the distance. "If our predictions are right, then Berserker should be waiting for us before its doors!"

"We both know what we have to do!" Rin shouted as well. "Let's do this, Lancer!"

"Right!"

Master and Servant continued to close, and then slowed to a halt as they reached the edge of the clearing surrounding Einzbern Castle. For several minutes they stood there, Rin catching her breath as Lancer stood guard, and sweeping their surroundings with their eyes saw no sign of their enemy. They shared glances, and then nodded at each other. Lancer took a step into the clearing…

…and then Rin tensed up behind him, Lancer himself taking his stance as a crushing and oppressive feeling filled the air. Despite that, Lancer found himself grinning, relishing the prospect of the battle to come.

With a shimmer of light, Berserker appeared before the doors of Einzbern Castle, growling low, and then the air around him turned red as prana flooded into him from his Master. Eyes glowing, he roared powerfully, enough to shake the surrounding air, and then he charged forward.

Shouting an ancient Gaelic war cry, Lancer also charged forward to meet Berserker's charge. The two Servants closed, and then roaring again, Berserker swung. Lancer leapt up to avoid the blow, grinning as he felt himself avoid by the narrowest margin a sharp edge of displaced air running before and around Berserker's axe.

Yes…

Twisting in the air, Lancer stabbed forward, his spear striking sparks against Berserker's skin. It didn't penetrate, but it didn't have to. Lancer just needed contact to lever himself with, flipping over Berserker and landing behind him. Again, sparks flew as Lancer struck at Berserker's back, his spear unable to penetrate as it swung against Berserker's skin.

This is the way it should be.

Berserker roared as he turned and lumbered towards Lancer. Again and again he swung, powerful one-handed blows that would be enough to end the fight all at once if they ever connected, but which Lancer deftly avoided. He danced from side to side, always a step ahead, striking out with his spear whenever the opportunity showed itself.

This is what battle is. No glory or honor no matter what the bards and minstrels say, just blood, sweat, and tears as lives are put on the line.

Always a vain shower of sparks was the result, but considering he was connecting where Berserker was just hitting air…well…

He's getting angrier…good…very good…lose whatever little reason you have left, Berserker. And then…!

Narrowing his eyes as he felt himself being backed against the mansion wall, Lancer feinted and then jumped up, again using his spear to level himself off Berserker's shoulder while flipping overhead. Berserker had learned however, and turning quicker than expected swung two-handed.

Eyes went wide as Lancer narrowly parried with his spear, though he was sent flying across the clearing. Spinning through the air, he caught himself and landed in a crouch, though he then winced as he realized the blow had dislocated his right shoulder.

As though would be enough to stop me!

Cracking his neck while getting to his feet, Lancer clenched his right fist, holding weakly onto his spear, and then with a bit of twitching and feeling out his muscles popped his shoulder back into place.

"…that was pretty amazing." Rin observed. "A bit disturbing, but amazing still for all that. Manly too."

"You're too young for me, little lady." Lancer answered with a smirk, and sensed his Master's fluster. There was no time to follow up though, not when Berserker was closing in again. And once again, Lancer was dodging one-handed swings while striking whenever the opportunity presented itself.

But Berserker was learning. His blows were becoming faster, and coming closer than before. Lancer grinned as he narrowly dodged, but felt a cut open up on one cheek, red blood spilling out. "Good…very good…" he thought. "No way in hell a worthy opponent would not give me at least one scar before he falls. But if so…!"

Stepping up his own game, Lancer picked up the pace, matching Berserker's speed, and striking seemingly-meaningless blows but were in reality meant to goad Berserker into growing incautious. Finally, it happened: feinting, Lancer allowed Berserker to seemingly catch him, the giant Servant roaring as he swung down two-handed.

The ground erupted as Berserker's axe smashed into it, but Lancer had deftly danced to one side, and then using the force of the ground's eruption to propel himself leapt forward and stabbed at Berserker's face. Sparks flew as his spear struck the giant's eye, not piercing – unbelievable as it might seem – due to not having a high enough rank to break through Berserker's defenses, but the giant still instinctive reeled back as a result. Add in the weakened and broken ground, and the Servant was tumbling and unable to respond quickly.

"Now!" Rin shouted, jumping from the trees with glowing gems in her hand. "In den Griff des Winters wirst du fallen und dort auf dein Schicksal warten!"

With the words of her aria ringing through the air, Rin threw her gems, which flying through the air struck and shattered against Berserker. Ice crystals sprouted where they struck, quickly growing and merging and then thickening, Berserker grunting in surprise but unable to respond before he was encased and immobile within.

But not for long. Even before the imprisonment was complete, the ice was already cracking as Berserker struggled to be free, but Rin didn't need much time. She just needed to keep him in place to deliver a killing blow.

"Aus dem Herzen des Feuers wurde die Welt geboren, und im Herzen des Feuers wird sie am Ende zurückkehren." Rin cast, and then threw another set of gems before diving for cover. They struck the immobile Berserker, and then exploded with enough force to shake the earth, to have evergreen leaves falling from branches, and to shatter or crack nearby windows. Berserker himself was blown to pieces, his head and limbs blown clean off along with large parts of his torso.

But already God Hand was at work, regenerating and pulling the Servant back together, and in less than a minute he was up on his feet, and roaring in rage and with a burning desire for vengeance. He swept the clearing for Rin and Lancer, and then turned at the sound of a whistle.

"Looking for us?" Lancer taunted a good distance away, his Master next to him.

"That's one life off the tally, Einzbern." Rin followed up, speaking to Berserker's Master through him. "How many are left I wonder?"

Berserker roared and charged. He raised his axe as he charged, bringing it up into a two-handed grip, to crush his enemies into the ground. Rin's eyes narrowed as she watched him approach, until finally…

"Gehen!" she shouted, obsidian crystals she'd placed in the ground activating at the command. With a simultaneously surprised, confused, and outraged roar, Berserker fell up to his armpits into a sinkhole that spontaneously opened up beneath his feet, and once again was immobilized.

"Fetzen!" Rin followed through, a number of wind element gems around the sinkhole activating in their turn. A magic circle glowed around Berserker on the ground, moments before a whirlwind of razor-sharp air currents ripped Berserker's head, neck, and much of his arms and shoulders apart.

"And that's two lives off the tally!" Rin said, pumping a fist in victory.

"There's more to be taken off." Lancer said. "Look: he's already pulling himself back together."

"Then do it!" Rin snapped. "Go, Lancer!"

Lancer grunted as he leapt forward in a blur of blue, silver, and red. He jumped up into the air just before he could get into Berserker's reach, the giant already pulling himself up out of the sinkhole, and spinning through the air, reached out with a finger. Runes glowed as he traced them out in the blink of an eye, and spun away as the sequence was completed.

The clearing and those rooms of the castle which faced out onto the battlefield had the color bled out of them for an instant, as a tree trunk-sized bolt of lightning struck down from the sky above. The accompanying thunder drowned out Berserker's roar of rage and pain, and between fingers raised to shield her eyes, Rin could see the outline of his skeleton, the rest of Berserker's body reduced to ash by the lightning strike.

Then the lightning died, and darkness and color returned. And once again, God Hand went to work, restoring Berserker from the blackened bones he had been reduced to, blood and flesh becoming real from prana and rebuilding the Servant's body. Breathing heavily, Berserker rose to his feet, and roared with rage.

"Over here, big guy!" Lancer shouted.

Turning with impossible speed, the air around him glowing red with prana, Berserker charged at Lancer, axe held high. Roaring himself, Lancer met Berserker's charge, the air around him similarly glowing blue with prana. Sparks flew as he turned Berserker's blow with his spear, and then again, and again.

Even moving at his fastest, Berserker simply couldn't keep up with Lancer, who agilely danced back and forth, turning his strikes and deftly jumping back to avoid ripostes before jumping in to counterattack himself. Sparks flew again and again as their spear and axe met repeatedly, and then a thought slipped into Lancer's head.

"Push him off-balance, Lancer." Rin said.

"Easier said than done!" Lancer responded, before catching and then forcing Berserker's axe to one side. Growls filled the air as Lancer and Berserker fought each other strength against strength, a battle that impossibly-enough, Lancer was able to (barely) hold his own in. But just as he reached his limit, and Berserker pushed himself over that limit to overpower Lancer, Lancer gave way, and causing Berserker to stumble, thrown off-balance at the sudden loss of opposition.

Sparks flew as Lancer swung, his spear striking against Berserker's torso. Again, it couldn't penetrate, but with the giant off-balance it caused him to stagger back several steps.

There was the sound of rope being released, along with leather snapping into place, and of something large and heavy flying through the air. Berserker turned his head…

…and then was roaring in pain and surprise as a bolt punched into his chest and out his back, sending him flying across the clearing and through one of the walls of the castle and into its foyer.

"Zündung!" Rin commanded from where she was standing next to a ballista, crafted just hours ago with some of her finest gems and based on schematics taken from books in her family's library. The ballista bolt had also been made from the same kind of gems, giving it the conceptual weight needed to punch through Berserker's protection.

And, it retained some of the properties of the jewels it had been made from, properties that would see an explosion blow out the doors and windows of the Einzbern foyer. "Lancer," Rin ordered. "Do it while he's regenerating."

Lancer grunted in assent as he leapt forward, across the clearing, and into the castle foyer. Berserker was in the center, breathing heavily and weakly as he pulled his body together, but Lancer ignored him, instead jumping onto the upper levels of the foyer. Back and forth he jumped, laying down a sequence of glowing and sparking runes that encircled the whole foyer, and then out through a broken window.

Moments later and fire gusted out of the doors and windows, drowning out the sound of Berserker's roars, the runes not only generating the flames but keeping the surrounding structure intact, the better to concentrate the flames, as though it were an oven or a furnace. Rin and Lancer looked on as the flames burned and then died, and kept watching as the mysteries faded and the weakened structure of the foyer collapsed in on itself.

And then amidst the smoke and the dust, Berserker lumbered out. Rin and Lancer narrowed their eyes at the sight. While they had thought of more plans with which to kill him, something about this was off.

And then they realized it. Berserker wasn't regenerating. They watched as the ruins of his right arm gave way from the weight of his axe, the weapon and the arm falling with a spray of ichor and a loud crash. Berserker tried to roar in defiance, only for his jaw to fall off in a similar spray of ichor.

Then they began to dissolve into prana, motes of light scattering into the night. First, those parts of the Servant which had fallen off his body, then the ichor on his flesh, followed by his extremities.

With a crash and a grunt Berserker toppled forward to the ground, his body crumbling into the wind. Even then, he reached out for them with his left hand, glaring and grunting in defiance, until at last, he was gone.

Rin let out a breath, and Lancer saluted him with his spear. Victory was theirs.

Rin and Lancer strode through the corridors of Einzbern Castle with purpose and confidence, the latter born of their victory against Berserker. As they proceeded, they saw what effects the shockwaves of the battle outside had wreaked on the interior. Broken windows, overturned furniture, skewed paintings, fallen and shattered sculptures and china, even cracked plaster or stone underneath.

Ultimately, none of it was any concern of theirs. No, what mattered to them was what lay at the heart of the castle: the vessel of the Holy Grail.

Finally, they stepped through a pair of doors and into a large antechamber, at the far end of which was a pair of doors guarded by a single woman. Said woman though was armored as one of the knights of medieval Europe would have been, and with a surcoat bearing the Einzbern crest over it. In her hands was a halberd, its head marked with engravings in red.

"That is close enough." Leysritt said.

Lancer took his stance, but a stretched out hand from Rin had him standing down. "Berserker has been defeated." She said. "Your Master is no longer a viable contender in this contest. Literally so, considering her…status, as the vessel for the Grail. Only Saber and Lancer are left."

"I am aware." Leysritt said.

There was a long moment of silence, magus and homunculus staring at each other as though in a contest of wills. "Why?" Rin asked.

"My lady certainly is the vessel for the Grail," Leysritt answered. "But by her last command, I am to deny you said vessel. Yes, by her own words, you are unworthy of the Grail, and instead she would bequeath it to Saber's Master, Ayame Emiya."

"Unworthy?" Rin echoed incredulously, and then she exploded in rage. "Unworthy? I am Tohsaka's heiress! One of the three families which founded the Heaven's Feel ritual! This land the ritual takes place on is ours! My land! With your defeat, and Matou's extinction, I am the most deserving of the Grail! Not when my contender is a mere…bastard, with little sacrifices to her or her family's credit with which to claim the Grail! And you…you dare to deny me the Grail? Is it spite? It is spite, isn't it? Einzbern, you will not deny like so! I will not allow it!"

Leysritt took her stance. "Your words are immaterial." She said. "I will fulfil my lady's last command, no matter the cost."

"Blackguards!" Rin spat before turning to Lancer. The Servant narrowed his eyes, noting the frayed reason and flickering insanity in her eyes. "Get rid of her, Lancer. Before this time tomorrow night, the Grail will be ours. Use your Noble Phantasm!"

"That's not…!" he began only to break off as Leysritt charged forward, her halberd raised high.

Lancer met her charge head on, the heads of their weapons clashing in a shower of sparks and sending out a thunderous blast of displaced air that shook chunks of plaster off the surrounding walls. The homunculus and the Servant fell back, and then they charged again.

Once, twice, they crossed blades, falling back both times, and then Leysritt took the offensive, swinging her halberd in powerful, two-handed blows. Lancer blocked them both, and then Leysritt feinted before striking a third blow, Lancer catching it only to be thrown back across the antechamber.

The homunculus was unable to follow through, however, as the force of their battle finally proved too much for the chandelier hanging overhead. The chain giving way with the shriek of strained metal, it fell and struck the floor with the sound of shattering glass.

"What are you doing, Lancer?" Rin snarled. "I told you to use your Noble Phantasm didn't I?"

"Shut up." Lancer snarled. "This is my fight, not yours. Mind your own business."

"…alright then. By the power of a command spell, I command you Lancer, win this fight immediately with your Noble Phantasm."

Lancer's eyes widened in shock and disbelief, and then he growled low as he felt the command spell come into effect. "Damn you…" he spat as he took his stance, his spear beginning to glow red as he prepared to invoke its power.

Noticing, Leysritt charged in to finish the fight before Lancer could invoke his trump, but it was too late. Dodging and then opening the distance between them, Lancer pulled back and then hurled his spear. "Gae Bolg!" he shouted.

A lance of red light speared through the air, Leysritt moving to dodge…and then her eyes widened as the light bent and then speared her through the chest, and through her heart. Blood flew from her mouth as she was sent flying across the antechamber to slam against a wall, and then she slid down, leaving a bloody smear behind her, to lie limp and still on the floor.

Rin didn't have the time to celebrate, as Lancer grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against a wall. "DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" he roared in her face, but the magus was unaffected, just coldly staring unrepentant at him. Much like when she had given the order to raze that temple, and kill everyone inside.

Lancer let go. "Like teacher like student." He spat, comparing her to Kirei, but Rin didn't care. Ignoring his words or the dead homunculus nearby, she strode across the antechamber to the double doors at the far end, and opened them with a kick.

Entering the suite beyond, she passed through room after room, until finally, she stood before a four-poster bed, tucked into which was another homunculus, this one looking like a child of ten. Her eyes were open, but unseeing, and through her supernatural senses Rin could feel the sheer power simmering away in her body, having consumed her mind and soul, the energies of five fallen Servants.

One more…one more, and she would have what she needed to set things right.

Her sister, by her side, happy, smiling, alive and untainted once more. Their mother, loving and caring, always there for them. Their father as well, great and noble, and this time purged of the weakness that would birth that bastard, Ayame Emiya.

Yes…a perfect family, happy and unbreakable. She could all but see it now, less than a day beyond her reach, one more battle away, a few more deaths to be paid for. She'd come so far now. She couldn't stop now. She couldn't.

Otherwise…for what had all that she sacrificed for that shining world, where everything was as they should be, been for?

Picking up the former Einzbern Master bridal style, Rin turned and strode out of the room.

Soon…very soon now…

A/N

Rin and Lancer get to show off what they're capable of in this chapter, yes? And they work so well together too…

…until Leysritt passes on Illya's final insult against Rin, that in Illya's eyes Rin is 'unworthy' of the Grail, and that Illya would sooner hand it to Ayame than let Rin have it. This pulls the cracks in Rin's psyche even further open, to the point that she now sees Ayame – her father's bastard – as another 'mistake' that needs to be corrected in her ideal world, a flaw in her father that shouldn't exist.

And as you can see, Lancer is starting to regret ever agreeing to become Rin's Servant, with Rin becoming quite like Kirei in his eyes.