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6 months.
6 months have passed since my life as Theodore von Einzbern began.
It's been - what's the right word here - a roller coaster.
And its been one hell of a roller coaster.
It's been difficult pretending to be a child, in a family full of magi no less, but I managed to deceive them.
Irisviel has spent every waking moment sending me her love (I'm still not used to calling her mother; probably never will). She would give me hugs, kisses along with other things you'd expect mothers to do. She also reads me bedtime stories with Illya since we now share a room together.
Her idea, not mine.
Illya's pretty much the same but more hyperactive than Irisviel. We'd play almost everyday and she'd sometimes sneak into our room to skip her training and I would read her some books I found in the library. She can also act snobby at times and takes her role as "big sister" way more seriously than in canon, all because I'm physically 2 years younger than her.
I also found out that Illya is addicted to cookies. How do I know this? She would sneak out of our room at night and head to the kitchen where the cookie jar was… where she'd be caught red-handed by Kiritsugu (he probably put a Bounded Field on the jar so that he knows when Illya is taking the cookies). He'd then take her back to our room and then proceed to lock the door from the other side until morning.
"I told you you wouldn't make it." I told her.
"Hmph!" Illya puffs her cheeks, it's adorable.
Later, I decided I wanted to learn magecraft. Magi families teach their magecraft to their first child as they are the ones who will eventually inherit the family's Magic Crest. If the family has more than one child, the parents would either give them up for adoption or simply keep them ignorant of the Moonlit World.
But hey, it's worth asking, right?
I ask Irisveil to teach me in magecraft, but she simply smiles and says that it wasn't the right time yet and walks off. I noticed that when I brought it up, she would frown for half a second before shifting to a fake smile.
She's hiding something.
With Irisviel no longer being an option, I went with plan B… the only problem is I don't want to talk to him.
See, the thing about pre-war Kiritsugu is that the guy is almost unapproachable. The man is blunt and straight to the point, even straight-up rude at times. His mind is wired so differently from everyone's that you can barely say that he has emotions or is even human. He avoids human interaction on instinct, possibly to minimize the amount of attachments he can have in order to do his job more efficiently.
Even when playing with Illya or when being together with Irisveil I can tell that he is trying very hard to keep them at arm's length despite how badly he wants to be together with them. His assassin instincts dictate that he shouldn't get attached to his family yet he fights that urge everyday just to be by their side.
He is a walking contradiction.
As for me, Kiritsugu barely spends much time with me, if at all. We barely greet each other in the morning and will always be busy with something.
I eventually found Kiritsugu talking to his assistant, Maiya Hisau, in a corridor by the entrance of the castle gardens. From what I remember, Maiya was trained to be a soldier at a very young age and is implied that she was raped and got pregnant at one point, but I don't know what happened to the child. At some point, Kiritsugu was contracted to fight in the war she took part of and rescued her, then took her in and taught her his way of life.
I went up to him and asked if he could teach me magecraft. His personal magecraft has always been one of my favorites. The ability to accelerate one's own time is extremely useful for getting out of sticky situations.
That's why I was shocked by what he said next:
"No. It's impossible for someone with no Magic Circuits to learn magecraft." Kiritsugu bluntly states.
I was appalled. No Magic Circuits!? That makes absolutely no sense! Homunculus are practically living mana factories. They ARE Magic Circuits, even failed homunculi have them!
There is Od, the energy that lies in every living being, however that won't be enough. There's a clear difference between Od and Mana. Mana can be found almost anywhere and in great quantities, thus it is called the Greater Source by the magi. As Od is the energy inside humans and animals, it is much smaller in amount and is called the Lesser Source. Strictly speaking, Mana and Od are energy in its raw state, whereas magical energy is the name given to the energy once it is converted by the Magic Circuits. Mana can be taken in accordingly with the capacities of the Magic Circuits, but the actual conversion process will take time.
In other words, Od can't be used to perform spells because of how limited the energy is. Compared to Mana, Od can't be used to perform large scale spells that have an effect on the environment. It's one of the reasons why Magi determine their worth by the quantity and quality of Magic Circuits they're born with.
I was devastated by his statement and tried to deny it yet I could see from his expression that Kiritsugu wasn't lying.
Kiritsugu Emiya is many things, a liar isn't one of them.
While I could easily use the skill cards to give myself magic, I don't want to raise suspicion on myself. If they see someone with no Magic Circuits suddenly able to use Magic, not magecraft, they will strap me to a lab table for dissection.
Yeah, I want to avoid that as much as possible.
"However," I perk up at his words. "There is something I can teach you, but you must be certain you can handle it."
I open my mouth but Kiritsugu immediately cuts me off.
"This isn't a game. The training that I'm about to put you through will be hellish. Your bones will break, your spirit stepped on, and beliefs tested. If you falter even for a second you will certainly lose your life." Kiritsugu looks at me, his expression is detached and unreadable. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
The answer was instantaneous; there was no room for doubt.
For the next four months, I went through the most hellish training I've ever had to do. We first started with simple muscle training and then it escalated to the point of being inhumane. He explains that normal humans have no way of successfully subjugating a Magus, so I had to build my body up to make up the gap. While using modern weaponry gives you a great advantage, it'll mean next to nothing if the Magus is able to outsmart and overpower you.
"Most Magi of long lineages don't find it convenient in using modern technology and just see it as a waste of time. Their pride doesn't allow them to understand, it is a blind spot you can exploit in a fight. However, simply knowing that wouldn't be enough." Kiritsugu states. " Magi are tricky creatures and can easily manipulate the battle to their favor. In the end, information is key to winning the battle. Knowing their strengths and weaknesses will give you a better chance at success."
He taught me martial arts, and knife techniques while his assistant Maiya takes turns and teaches me to use guns of all types. Sniper rifle, assault rifle, shotguns, handguns, you name it along with a variety of weapons. Oh and speaking about weapons it also turns out that I can use all the weapons of my party members as when I was trying different weapons for the first time it felt like I've used them for a long time.
For six months, my life has been relatively peaceful. But all good things must come to an end.
Midnight
The door to the bedroom opens as I slowly walk inside.
"Welcome back, Theo." Illya said with her usual smile.
I let out a pained grunt as a reply, my muscles sore from today's training. Kiritsugu and Maiya may have been holding back, but their attacks still hurt like hell. There were many times I got stabbed because I got too careless and Irisviel had to use her magecraft to heal me and then went straight back to training.
Those two are demons not doubt about it.
I guess I got off easy because I honestly doubt Kiritsugu's teacher actually bothered to heal him when he was training.
I quickly collapse on my bed, causing my sister to cry "eep!" as I bury my face on the pillow. 'Status.'
Name: Theodore von Einzbern
Level: 1
HP: 50
SP: 70
Knowledge: 5 (Erudite)
Charm: 2 (Head-Turning)
Kindness: 2 (Considerate)
Guts: 3 (Staunch)
Proficiency: 4 (Masterful)
Money: ¥8,258,089
I'm not surprised my level hasn't gone up, I've only had training dummies to fight against most of the time. Although my [Guts], [Charm], [Kindness], and [Proficiency] have gone up considerably during these pass six months.
'It would be good if I could do some side content. At least just so I can withstand the training without crying at least.' Then, as if someone listened, I got a message.
The mission system will be unlocked at the same time as the Persona Compendium. You just have to be patient a little longer.
I hate patience. Patience is for wimps.
However, my thoughts are suddenly interrupted by the sound of a door slamming shut catches me off guard as I jump a little. I rise from the bed as footsteps get closer and shadows pass the door.
"What's going on…?" I asked myself.
A light moan comes from the other end of the bed and Illya slowly rises from her side of the bed. "Theo…?"
I turn my neck back. "Illya? What are you doing awake?"
"...couldn't sleep. Had a weird dream." She notices the shadows shuffling under the door. "What's going on?"
I get out of bed and make my way towards the door. I open it slightly to catch a glimpse of someone turning right. "I'll go and check it out, you stay here."
"No way. I'm coming with you." Illya refutes. "I can't let my little brother go alone. What kind of big sister would I be if I let something bad happen to you?"
I look at Illya and then at the door, the figure's shadow is quickly fading from view. "Fine. Come on." I open the door and walk out.
Illya happily claps and gets out of bed to follow her brother.
Not noticing the weird bruise forming on her hand.
We walk down the empty halls of the empty castle as quietly as possible to not alert the homunculi patrolling the floors. It's genuinely eerie how quiet the castle is, almost abandoned even despite the people living here.
Illya grabs my shirt tight and hugs my back. "Theo, I'm scared."
"Stay close to me." I see a couple of shadows in the distance and a female homunculus in a maid outfit appear from the corridor.
"T-Theo!" Illya squeaks.
The maid turns to the direction of the sound only to find an empty hallway with nothing on it.
"..." The maid stares for a couple of seconds before promptly turning to the opposite direction and walking away. However as she leaves, something slowly creeps from the nearby base.
"Good, she didn't see us." I whisper as Illya and I walk out of our hiding spot.
"That was too close." Illya remarks.
"Shh! I heard something down that hall." We walk down the hall as the sounds get louder and louder. We reach the end of the hall and enter what looks to be a chapel. "Looks like the path leads to another part of the castle."
"Theo!" Illya points to the altar. On it is an old man in a white cloak alongside Kiritsugu and Irisviel. Irisviel is holding a beautiful golden scabbard while Kiritsugu is inscribing something on the floor.
My eyes widened and felt the urge to slam my head on a nearby wall. Today is the day that everything changes, the night Kiritsugu summons his Servant. Six months here and that little piece of information completely slipped my mind. Like, I knew this was going to happen eventually I just didn't know when they were going to start.
I glance at the artifact in Iri's hands and am instantly attracted to it. The anime did not do Avalon justice. You can think of the most beautiful object you've ever laid eyes upon and it will never measure up to Avalon exquisite craftsmanship. It sticks out from everything else in the room as if demanding to be witnessed by everyone.
An object crafted by inhuman hands, it embodies everything humanity will never be; existing in a realm forever out of our reach.
"What are papa and mama doing with grandpa? And why is mama holding that scabbard?" Illya asks before I drag her with me behind one of the nearby bleachers and put my index finger between my lips.
"Shhh!" I slowly look up from the corner trying to hear their conversation.
"Is a simple ritual like that enough to summon a Heroic Spirit?" Irisviel curiously asks her husband.
"Surprisingly, yes." Kiritsugu finishes the preparations of his magic circle. The magic circle itself is elaborate in its appearance, using silver dust to create it.
"The Holy Grail uses the Magical Energy of that land to power the summoning process. A Master's only role is to anchor the Heroic Spirit to this world and give it enough Magical Energy to take physical form." Old Man Acht glances at the scabbard in Iri's hands. "Given how perfectly connected the catalyst is connected to its owner, the Heroic Spirit we are after will surely answer our call."
Kiritsugu gives one last look at the summoning circle. "This should be good." He stands up and turns to his wife. "Iri, place the relic in the altar. Our preparations will then be complete."
"Here we go." I whisper as Iri places Avalon in the middle of the circle. I may not show it, but I am absolutely excited! I get to see a Servant being summoned in REAL LIFE! With magic and everything!
"Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation
Let Gold be the color I pay tribute to
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."
Illya winces and feels a burning sensation in her left hand. She lifts her hand and her eyes widen.
"I hereby declare.
Your body shall serve under me.
My fate shall be your sword.
Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail
If you will submit to this will and this reason…Then answer!
An oath shall be sworn here!
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven.
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!"
As Kiritsugu chants, the summoning circle begins to glow brightly followed by an intense pressure of wind. Irisveil raises her arms to her face to protect herself from the intense wind while Jubstacheit stares at the process.
"Theo…" Illya stares at her hand as the bruise begins to take shape.
"From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three greet words of power,
Come forth from the ring of restraints,
Protector of the Holy Balance!"
"Theo!" Illya shrieked.
"Huh?" I turn to Illya but it quickly changes to surprise as her left hand glows red, "oh no."
At same time, the summoning circle begins to shake violently and a flash of light envelops everyone in the chapel. The light quickly fades as everyone's eyesight recovers from the light.
"What…?" Was all Kiritsugu can say for he is absolutely shocked at what he is seeing.
Iri gasps in surprise.
"Impossible." Jubstacheit said.
Standing on the summoning circle is not one Servant, but two. The first Servant is a young woman with blonde hair tied into a bun at the back of her head and a stray Ahoge jutting from her head. She is wearing shining armor with an old styled dress, made from old-fashioned blue cloth, underneath.
Next to her is a young woman with short lilac hair, lavender eyes and fair skin. She is wearing skin-tight dark purple armor that resembles an extremely short mini-dress that leaves very little to the imagination as well as black gauntlets and boots and a garter on her right thigh.
"I ask you…" The blue Servant began.
""Are you my Master?"" The two Servants said at the same time. The two blink in surprise before turning to each other. The two immediately jump back, the blue Servant summons an invisible weapon and the other a cross-shaped shield that is way taller than her.
"Who are you? Are you an enemy?" The blue Servant demands before turning her sights on her enemy's weapon. "Is that...?"
Don't even try to fight in here, you fools." Jubastacheit turns to Kiritsugu. "Force your familiar to stand down at once."
"What the hell is going on?" Kiritsugu says to himself.
*THUD!*
The adults turn towards the sudden noise and see one of the bleachers has tipped over. The Magus Killer slowly walks down from the altar and takes out a combat knife. He makes it and raises it for an attack only to stop as he realizes who's behind it.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" I rub my head in pain, "that really hurts…" I look up to see Kiritsugu standing over us with his knife out. "Uh-oh."
Kiritsugu stares at the two kids and notices the red marks on Illya's hand… and is absolutely mortified.
"D-Daddy?" Illya trembles at the sight of her father ready to kill them.
I look at the expression that Illya is making and grow concerned. Illya was never meant to see this side of Kiritsugu Emiya, the killing machine who does not hesitate to kill his targets regardless of who they are. I don't want their relationship to be destroyed by the sudden development.
I need to do something.
"Oh no, you found us!" The father and daughter turned to me, "I thought this place would be the perfect hiding place but it looks like you still found us in the end." This got the two confused. "You always make such a scary face when we play old man and I always fall for it!"
Kiritsugu realizes what his son is doing and plays along. "Yeah… sorry about that. I can come off as a bit scary." He turns to Illya. "I hope I didn't scare you."
Illya shakes her head. "N-No, I wasn't scared! Big girls don't get scared!"
Kiritsugu smiles and picks up her daughter while I promptly stand up. I can tell Illya is still a little shaken up but she'll likely get over it.
"Kiri!" Irisviel calls out as she runs towards us.
"Everything's fine, Iri." He said as Iri stops and sees us standing with him.
"What are you kids doing here?" Iri asks.
"Uhh… playing hide and seek?" I said innocently.
Iri just gives me a look, she's obviously not buying it.
"Iri… we have a problem." Kiritsugu raises her daughter's hand, revealing her Command Seals to his wife.
Irisviel gasps, raises her hands up to her face. "No…"
I let out a sigh… things have become a lot more complicated.
Mashu POV
'What is going on? How did I get here?' Those are the questions that keep repeating in my head.
The last thing I remember is protecting Senpai from Solomon's Noble Phantasm. I felt my entire body burning from just being in close proximity to the blast alone. And even though the pain was unreal, I stood my ground and protected Senpai with everything I had.
And then… darkness.
I was floating in endless darkness, surrounded by a sea of lights. It was beautiful and peaceful. I felt like I could float there for eternity, yet there was one thing I couldn't let go.
'Senpai…'
What happened after the attack? Did he survive? Did he manage to defeat Solomon?
Did… did he fail? Did we fail!?
My heart beats faster as I feel a lump in my throat. 'No! He had to survive, he had to!' I try to deny these thoughts. Deny them the opportunity to take root in my soul. My Master has fought through seven Singularities across time and space, enduring tragedy after tragedy, sacrificing his own life just so that humanity may have a future!
I refuse to accept that he failed!
I want to see Senpai again! I still need to tell him… how I feel.
I felt a sudden pull in my soul and the next thing I knew I was standing on top of a summoning circle as information of the current era was downloaded to my mind. I look at the man in front of me who is identical to Assassin but this one is human. From the information that was downloaded, I was summoned in the late 20th century in order to take part in the Fourth Holy Grail War. The Holy Grail War; a ritual in which seven Magi summoned Heroic Spirits in a battle royale for the chance to win the Holy Grail. The only question right now is why was I summoned here.
For now, I need to keep calm and play my role.
""I ask you, are you my Master?"" I realized there was another voice as well and looked to my right to see Artoria Pendragon standing next to me. Unlike the Lion King, this one is shorter and much younger than her older self yet it doesn't change the familiar presence she emits. I can feel the person in front of us giving Artoria his Mana which means he is her Master. My Master should be nearby as well, but I don't see them anywhere.
I can feel her glare and quickly jump back as Artoria does the same and summons Excalibur in its invisible form, meaning that Artoria was summoned as a Saber-class Servant.
"Who are you? Are you an enemy?" Saber demanded an answer, an answer that I can't even give right now.
"Don't even try to fight in here, you fools." The old man says and turns to the Magus. "Force your familiar to stand down."
"What the hell is going on?" The EMIYA doppelganger said in shock.
*THUD!*
I look up to see one of the chairs has fallen to the floor. Artoria's Master slowly makes his way towards it with a combat knife in hand. He raises his knife ready to attack but stops in his tracks with a shocked look on his face. He then puts the knife away and bends down before straightening up with a little girl who looks remarkably like Sitonai in his arms along with a boy who looks identical to Saber's Master but has the girl's eyes and hair color.
He seems… familiar for some reason.
I look on as Irisviel runs towards them while I dismiss my shield. She always did go on about how much she loves her family and how that didn't change even after becoming the Holy Grail. It makes me happy to see her so happy.
"It seems your Master is the daughter of my Master. This will certainly complicate things." Artoria suddenly said.
She is right. I can feel our bond, she is without a doubt my Master. And her father is also a Master. The Holy Grail War doesn't hold prejudice to who is participating or what their relationship is as long as a victor is decided. Still, I would prefer if they never had to fight; families should not fight each other.
"Maybe, but I believe your Master wouldn't dare to hurt his own daughter." I said.
Artoria observes her Master's interactions with his family and closes her eyes. "Yes, you are right."
The family walks back to the altar and turns to us. Illya and the boy were staring at me the entire time, one with curiosity and the other… apprehension? Did this boy know me? No, that can't be right.
"Miss, are you a Servant?" The boy asks me with notable excitement in his voice.
"Yes, I will be your sister's Servant for the foreseeable future." I told him and his smile grew wider.
My Master stares at me. "Servant… Mine? Really? Only mine?"
I nod and smile, seeing the little girl's reaction. Her eyes were shining with joy and excitement.
"Wooooow!" Her smile was just adorable. "I have a Servant, daddy!"
"Yes Illya, you do." Her father acknowledged though that only served to frustrate him even further.
"Wait, does this mean she will do whatever I say?" Illya asks.
Oh boy. "Well, yes but-"
"Aaahh! That's great!" She jumps from her father's hands and looks straight at me. "You're so pretty."
I blink at the remark before smiling. "Thank you. I also think you're pretty."
"Ehehehe!" Illya giggles.
"Despite the unexpected development, the summoning of the King of Knights has been successful." The old man said robotically. "Now, we must discuss what needs to be done."
"Understood." Artoria's Master replies instantly.
He focuses his attention on my Master and narrows his eyes before walking out of the chapel. He seemed… irritated somehow.
"Come on you two, it's time to go to sleep. We can talk tomorrow." Irisviel picks up her two children.
"But what about my Servant?" Illya asks in a really cute, worried voice. "Will she still be here when I get up?"
"Of course, Master. I will be here when you wake up." I assured her.
"You promise?"
"I promise."
Illya smiles and waves goodbye as does her brother who seems far more excited than she was.
Kiritsugu watches his wife and kids walk out before promptly turning his attention to us. "You two." He spits those two words like an insult, either out of frustration or paranoia. "We need to talk."
Author Notes
Edit: 2/20/23
And so we now have chapter two. This was a bit hard to write, especially the POV since I just kept editing it because I didn't like what I was seeing. I bet you guys weren't expecting Mashu to appear in this story, but here she is and she's Illya's Servant to boot. Old man Acht did not like that one bit.
So what do you think? This chapter was somewhat of a struggle to write so if there's something off don't hesitate to point it out.
Peace~