DISCLAIMER: I do not take credit from the Fate universe and its characters. The rights and credits go to the original authors.
Read the notes in the first chapter if you haven't done it already.
This is my very first story. I'm confident in my grammar, but if there are any mistakes, then let me know and I'll try to figure out how to fix them as soon as I have time.
Hope you enjoy.
FATE/Oppression
-Arc II-
Chapter 9
Planet: Earth
Date: May 18 2020
Location: Castle Rock – Edinburgh Castle (Edinburgh - Scotland)
(======)
Artoria gaped.
For the first time in a long, long time... maybe even for the first time in her whole life... her mind became filled with nothing but amazement and stupor. All her thoughts, all her worries and intentions vanished in but a mere instant, now completely forgotten as she watched the newly arrived Servant crash onto Lancer, pinning him to the ground with an iron grip and aiming a long katana at his neck. And while the woman frantically tried to figure out what was happening in front of her very own eyes; a strange, dulled, warm feeling began to bloossom in her chest as she watched the newcomer and studied him silently with stunned amazement.
A trickle of sweat dripped from the King of Knights' chin. Doubts, uncertainties and questions began to swirl inside her head. Who was this Servant? How did he manage to reach their location so suddenly? How was he able to pin Lancer to the ground with his physical strength alone? And above all, why had neither she nor Lancer sensed his arrival? These and many other questions began to assault her mind relentlessly. And yet, right now it didn't matter.
The female King tried in every way to mask and hide her growing restlessness.
But the newcomer didn't turn his head to gaze at her. He didn't even spare her a single glance, actually. He simply kept his back to her, crushing Lancer's body to the ground with a mighty force and glaring at him with a cold, impassive gaze she couldn't quite see yet.
"Found you, Mephistopheles," she heard him hiss with a frosty tone.
Artoria watched, wide-eyed, as Cu Chulainn gasped and growled under the assailant's grip. His body was trembling, desperately struggling to break free. But the enemy wouldn't give in, and pressed his blade even closer to his neck. A trickle of blood started to come out of a superficial cut because of this. The blue Lancer stilled immediately.
Cu Chulainn hissed like a cornered animal.
"There's no point in hiding," the newcomer said again. "I know it's you, Caster. Get out of this body. I won't ask a second time."
There was something solemn, something gruesome about that threat that even Artoria couldn't repress a shiver from her back after hearing those words. She had to suppress her instincts in order to remain calm and collected even knowing that the threat wasn't aimed at her, and that was a great shock in itself. Why was she feeling so scared of him? How could a mere Servant emit a presence so imposing, and powerful, and fearsome at the same time? Artoria didn't know who he was, she'd never seen that man before, but her senses were literally screaming at her to take cover and hide. Every single fiber of her body was telling her to back away and run from that young man.
And with good reasons. There was something off about him, a certain aura of power, and malice and pressure that was... overwhelming. Oppressive. Asphyxiating. His body was literally oozing energy right now. A cold, pressing energy; along with a threatening, menacing presence as well. So threatening that it would make any normal human being tremble in fear right now. Even Artoria felt a tinge of tension and nervousness begin to pervade her mind in front of that man and his cold presence. She managed to keep her cool only thanks to her steeled resolve and the fact that she was a powerful Servant. But even she could understand the truth right now.
This man was something else. This man was dangerous.
And she couldn't lower her guard in front of him.
Cu Chulainn let out a muffled gasp. The newcomer narrowed his eyes, crushing him even more to the ground. The floor of the tower cracked from the pressure. The air seemed to pulsate with prana and energy. The silence in the city became absolute.
And then, unexpectedly, something happened.
Artoria held her breath when she saw that scene. Lancer's body stopped moving all of a sudden, like a puppet whose strings had been severed. Then, a cloud of hazy gas-like smoke began to come out from his nose and mouth. A cloud of purple smoke that literally came out of the blue Lancer's body, moving away from the attacker and coagulating together a few feet away.
Artoria narrowed her eyes in suspicion and tension as she watched the cloud of smoke merge together to vaguely assume a human form. The newly arrived Servant did the same, raising his sword and leaving Cu Chulainn's body lying on the ground without sparing him a single glance. When the smoke left his body, the Lancer did not move, looking completely unconscious.
A bizarre humanoid figure emerged from the smoke. The one who possessed the body, Artoria realized.
An eerie laughter echoed through the air. The King of Knights leveled a hostile glare towards the new Servant, raising her invisible sword in front of her. Pure realization blossomed in her mind. 'So this is...'
The Caster gave a mad grin, looking at the newcomer with impressed eyes. "Ah, you found me―" he declared with a disturbing chuckle. "You found me, you found me! Yes, yes, yes; you did! Bwahahahah~" Both Artoria and the newcomer cringed at his crazy behavior. Whoever this guy was, the blonde realized, he was mad beyond reason. "What a surprise! To be able to see through my accurate and perfect deceit... you must be very special, indeed!"
The newcomer stared at him with impassive determination. His sword twitched in his hand. "I knew right away there was something wrong with you," he spoke, his voice calm and devoid of emotion. He didn't sound angry, but there was an unmistakable hint of outrage in his tone that Artoria didn't quite know how to decipher. "A Servant with enough mana to infest an entire city, teleport away from danger, and steal other people's bodies... your existence is a threat I cannot ignore, Mephistopheles."
The enemy laughed heartily. "Hahaha! You got it. You got it all! I too knew right away that you were quite different from your friends," he singsonged with a crazed voice.
Then, his laughter stopped. Caster, Mephistopheles, tilted his head to the side with a slow, disturbing movement, similar to that of an owl observing a distant prey. "…tell me, who are you?" he asked him, his voice sounding serious and concise for the first time in a long while.
The man did not answer. Instead, in a slow, almost casual movement, he ignored the question and turned towards... towards her.
Artoria's eyes widened slightly when they saw that face for the first time. Her heart leapt mysteriously in her chest. Her mind blanked for a second, and she couldn't help but hold her breath.
Red hair and amber eyes. Hard gaze and pronounced jaw. He wore a black hakama on his lower half, wrapped in red cloth tied with white in front, and a white cloak enveloping his otherwise bare and well-developed torso, affixed to the strap of the crimson, embroidered igote covering his left arm. The kegetsu boots he wore scraped against the floor as he turned towards her, fixing her with a curious stare. His eyes – she noted – those eyes filled with cold, detatched impassiveness crumbled and widened when he saw her. And as they looked at each other in silence for a second, both of them stunned and shocked for some reason, Artoria noticed something. He had a face with delicate features and gentle eyes, in stark contrast to the sternness of his gaze and the oppressive aura that enveloped him.
And for some unknown reason, while that man stared at her with obvious wonder, Artoria couldn't help but stare at him as well with wide eyes.
Then, suddenly, he seemed to come out of his trance. The red-haired Servant blinked, coughed rapidly to regain his composure, and returned serious in a second.
"I'm sorry," he finally spoke, addressing her for the first time since he had arrived so mysteriously. "But I'll have to ask you to step away from here. I know you have a lot of questions, but first I have to take care of this nuisance. I hope you won't mind."
Artoria blinked. "I-I beg you pardon?"
The man stared at her. "I'll deal with him. Caster must pay for the crimes he's committed. It's my responsibility. Please, step awa-"
Something happened while he was still talking. Caster leapt at the mysterious Servant as he was distracted, holding a pair of straight, white shears whose handles were heavily decorated in his hands, aiming at the red-haired man's neck.
The female King gasped. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Watch out!" she yelled.
But there was no need to warn him. The new Servant reacted promptly, with a speed that was almost inhuman and yet casual at the same time.
He spun around, using his sword to deflect the enemy blades without effort, and then shoved Caster with a swipe of the shoulder, causing him to lose his grip on the weapons. The enemy let out a cry as soon as he realized that his attack had failed, a kind of high-pitched squeak filled with shock and mad laughter, and moved to leap away from him. But, once again, the enemy was faster.
Artoria gaped when the new Servant grabbed Mephistopheles by the arm, and slammed him on the ground. The floor cracked with an explosion of energy. While Caster hissed in pain, the man hit him again in the face with the hilt of his sword. Mephistopheles groaned and grinned at the same time, his body exploding in yet another cloud of smoke that floated in the air as if guided by the wind, quickly moving away from the attacker. He reformed after a few seconds on the wall surrounding the castle.
The red-head glanced at Lancer's unconscious body. Then, to his spear thrown to the ground. And for some reason, time itself seemed to stand still for him as he gazed at the red spear tossed next to the blue Servant.
Something ancient shone inside his amber eyes.
"...I'll borrow this for a bit," he whispered in a low voice, speaking to the unconscious Lancer. Artoria still managed to hear him, though; and what happened next... it completely blew her mind.
The mysterious Servant raised Cu Chulainn's spear with one foot, grabbing it in his hand and using it as if he was the owner. And as soon as it landed in his hand, the entire spear glowed with red light, pulsed with energy and mana, and emitted a strange, dull hiss that echoed throughout the air for two seconds. The entire weapon seemed to respond to his touch, reacting in an obvious, elated way.
Then, with a final flash of light, the spear was enveloped in red and translucent energy, and the red-haired man spinned it with a nostalgic smile.
Artoria gaped in absloute shock. W-What just happened? A Servant using another Servant's weapon? Wielding it without restraints? How was it possible? Something like this wasn't supposed to happen. It was simply illogical, unbelievable.
"T-This is impossible..." she muttered under breath.
Twenty meters away, on the wall around the castle, Mephistopheles was as shocked as she was. "W-What?" he shrieked, his eyes wide with madness as he stared at the enemy with obvious shock.
The man paid no attention to their astonishment. Instead, he pointed Lancer's spear at Caster and hurled it with a mighty force and sheer determination. The spear soared forward, aimed for the enemy's heart―
―but Mephistopheles disappeared again in a cloud of smoke before it could hit him. He appeared on the opposite tower behind Artoria and the red-haired Servant, his grin returned and his laughter echoing in the air. Quickly, he burst into a bellowing fit of laughter and threw a series of knife-like blades at the male opponent with a mad grin on his face.
It was useless. Even without the spear, the red-haired man shot towards him like a bolt of lightning, deflecting and dodging all the opponent's blows with a sword, and reached him with a predatory swiftness, almost impossible to see. Artoria was stunned, staring wide-eyed as the newcomer grabbed Mephistopheles' neck with one hand, lifting him off the ground and pointing the sword at his chest. He had reached his location and caught him in less than a second. Even she wasn't able to move with such speed.
'J-Just who is this man?' she wondered hopelessly, flabbergasted.
But the King of Knights wouldn't allow anyone to leave her behind in a battle. She didn't waste time. She promptly jumped to their location, stopping right next to the man as he was choking and staring at Caster with a cold, impassive gaze. The crazed clown let out a sound mixed between a grunt and a laugh, choking on the enemy's grip, his white face even paler than before.
The mysterious Servant glared at him with cold eyes, ignoring Artoria completely as he kept his gaze on him. "You sure have been busy," he said. "Destroying the city, attacking civilians, possessing the body of another Servant... what you did today is a clear violation of the rules of this Holy Grail War. Do you have something to say before your death?" he asked in a monotonous tone of voice, his face so cold that it was honestly scary to watch.
Mephistopheles choked. Then, he grinned a little. "He-Hehehehe― P-Please respectfullyyyy obey meeeee!" he hissed through gritted teeth.
Both him and Artoria blinked. "What?"
"Both eyes, f-flank, knee, spinal cord. I-Installation complete!" he laughed through a choked voice.
The King of Knights hesitated. She could detect something wrong happening in her surroundings. And in fact, as soon as she turned to look around, she immediately noticed that an immense swarm of insects was starting to move towards them, climbing from the castle walls like ants. There were hundreds, nay, thousands of them. She had to repress a shiver at their sight. Their bodies were shaped like spiders, but their composition was more similar to something like a combination of a pocket watch and a bomb.
Artoria gasped, her mind filled with horror.
The Red-haired man sprinted quickly towards her. "Shit!"
Mephistopheles grinned with wide eyes and a mad expression. "Ticktock Bomb!"
Then, Artoria's world was blinded by an immense series of explosions, accompanied solely by the hysterical and insane sound of Caster's laughter that echoed with the explosive bombs.
And yet, she didn't die.
When the explosions stopped and silence returned, Artoria opened her eyes...
...and blushed fiercely.
The man had scooped her up, bridal style, holding her in his arms while he stood motionless on the highest roof of the castle, right in the central area of the ancient structure, his expression unreadable as he observed a distant point in the city with a careful, furrowed gaze. And despite her growing embarrassment and shock, as she was held in his arms like a damsel in distress held up by a valiant knight, Artoria Pendragon, the King of Knights and the ruler of Britain, instantly realized what had happened a couple of seconds ago.
This man had saved her. He had grabbed her before the explosions could hit them both, pulling her and himself away from the enemy's Noble Phantasm with insane swiftness. He had saved her without a reason.
And now, because of this, she owed him her life.
The female King blushed and stared at him with stunned shock. No one had ever picked her up in their arms in her whole thirty-five years of life. No one had ever saved her in such a bizzarre way, for no apparent reason and without even knowing her first.
Honestly, she had never felt so embarrassed in her entire life.
"...damn it. He got away," the man cursed under his breath, staring at the destroyed portion of the castle. A large part of the surrounding wall was completely gone due to the explosions.
He shook his head, sparing a last glance at the horizon, before finally settling his gaze on her and her shocked face.
Artoria felt her words die in her throat.
"Are you ok, King Arthur?" he asked her, his face filled with worry.
His words made her eyes widen instantly. He knew her identity. And yet, for some strange reason, this realization didn't make her panic. It didn't make her uncomfortable or suspicious. On the contrary, she felt something akin to relief starting to fill her chest. She had no idea of what was happening to her.
Heat warmed her cheeks. "Have we met?" she breathed.
The man blinked. A crooked grin split his features. Artoria's heart did a backflip. "I don't think so, your majesty."
Slowly, gently, he placed her on the roof. Artoria took a few steps back from him, watching his face with wide eyes. "Then, how do you know me?" she asked, still recoiling from shock. "State thy name."
He looked at her, his sheepish smile still on his lips. The blonde woman had to struggle hard to quell her growing blush. Her mind was a jumble of overwhelming emotions as she stared at him. Gods, what was happening to her? She was a Knight, a King. She wasn't even supposed to feel emotions anymore!
"I guess you're right," he sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm sorry if I roused your suspicions. My name is Shirou Emiya. I mean you no harm, your majesty. I assure you."
As soon as she heard that name, something snapped inside her.
She stood still, deep in thoughts. "Shirou... Emiya..." she repeated, rolling that name on her tongue, tasting his sound and… and…
Something was off. She had never heard this name before. And yet, at the same time, it felt like the opposite. Like if... there was something about it. Something nostalgic, and familiar, and reassuring about that name. Almost as if, despite what her mind and memories were telling her, she had already heard it before. As if this name, this presence had been with her, inside her, during all her life, for some strange reason she still couldn't quite grasp yet.
The man, Shirou, smiled innocently at her with a reassuring gaze.
Artoria hesitated. For some unknown reason, she could feel the heat rising from her face under his soft, curious gaze, and – Gods – she could definitely feel it in her ears. This realization made her uncomfortable. What was happening to her? Why was she reacting that way in front of a stranger? Even worse, in front of an enemy Servant? What was wrong with her? W-Was this a spell? A Magical Ability? A hidden Skill? An accursed, eldritch curse Caster threw on her during the battle?
Why was she feeling like this in front of him, when King Arthur wasn't supposed to feel anything at all?
She swallowed, forcing away her inner turmoil. "Tell me the truth… have we met before?" she asked him again.
Shirou turned away, glancing towards the outskirts of the capital. He took a few steps back.
"No."
His answer was direct and decisive. And yet, she didn't believe him. She didn't believe him one bit. Why, then, was she experiencing these emotions? Why was she feeling so conflicted about him if they had never met before? Why was his name, his presence, so familiar to her? He was lying. He had to be lying. She was sure of it.
She couldn't believe him.
He reached out with one hand into the air, eyes fixed on a certain point, a certain target hidden in the distance. He uttered a single word.
"Come."
The air hissed with wind and prana. In a second, faster than lightning, a red bolt shot through the air, darting towards him. Artoria blinked in confusion and amazement. A second later, much to her shock, Lancer's spear had mysteriously returned to Shirou's hand, flying at a speed fast enough to reach him in less than a blink of an eye. The King of Knights stared with mouth agape.
Unbelievable.
"W-What are you-?"
He raised the spear with one arm, took aim, narrowed his eyes slightly. A burst of energy coursed through his body. Swirling, dancing, enveloping his entire frame.
He waited one, single second.
Then, he threw the lance with a hushed whisper.
"Gáe Bulg."
Artoria would never forget that scene. A red beam shot across the sky like a missile. The air hissed for a split second. Then, everything stilled, and silence reigned supreme for some time.
Until, a red beam shone in the distance, followed by a dull, soundless explosion, more than twenty kilometers away.
Shirou smirked with a cold, satisfied pride.
The blonde stared at the red glow in the distance with wide eyes. Then, she looked at him again. "Y-You..." she stuttered. "You hit him!"
The mysterious Servant gave her a sideways glance.
"You used Lancer's weapon. His Noble Phantasm! H-How? Why? I-It shouldn't be possible! Something like this is-"
"Sorry to interrupt, your majesty, but we have a bigger problem right now," he interrupted her with a frown, his gaze more serious than before. His golden-brown eyes turned to watch the city filled with chaos and fire. Tumultuous flames cut deep shadows across his face. "Those monsters are still roaming free in the city. I must dispose of them, asap."
Her mind was furiously trying to keep a calm expression on her face. A feat growing more and more difficult by the second. This man was stating and doing such incredible things like they were nothning. "...h-how?"
He didn't answer. He simply stepped forward and summoned a bow.
The King of Knights could not hold back any longer. "...who are you?" she asked him again, her eyes shadowed by her golden bangs.
He remained impassive, his gaze aimed at the city. "I told you. I'm Shirou Emiya."
That same energy coursed through his body once again. It swirled around him like a gust, moving his white cloak around his shoulders. A long, thin rod manifested in his open palm, similar to a black arrow. A pitch-black weapon with a few small edges coiling around the thin core, spiraling around it and somewhat curving outward.
"…And we've never met before, Shirou Emiya?"
He notched the arrow on his bow. Angled it high. Took aim towards the clouded sky.
"That's right."
Artoria clenched her fists in frustration.
"Then how do you know my name!?"
Her demand echoed in the air like a thundering cry. Artoria remained surprised herself by her sudden outburst. She had no idea of what was happening to her. She had no idea why she cared for the opinion of a man she'd met not even ten minutes prior. She had no idea why was she so distressed and conflicted about him. She… what was she…
But one thing she knew: somehow, for some unknown reason, she knew of him and his name.
And for another unknown reason, she desperately needed answers.
Shirou glanced at her, his expression unreadable despite her outburst. Then he stared forward again, took aim with his bow, and loosed the arrow.
The arrow hissed across the sky like a silent killer. It reached the rainy clouds of the afternoon sky, slowing its trajectory bit after bit. Then, as it reached its apex, the arrow broke apart. It splinterted into dozens upon dozens, hundreds upon hundreds, and thousands upon thousands, raining down on the capital like a rain of mana and metal.
Each and every one of them with its own target to seek.
"It's simple, King of Knights."
That was when it happened. A thunderous series of screams and roars of pain began to resonate in the air. The roars of stricken monsters, the hisses of dying insects, even the screams of surprise and fright of civilians and survivors echoed throughout the capital of Scotland, as more and more monsters and Familiars were hit, torn apart and killed by the incessant rain of arrows that was falling from the sky. And in less than two minutes, nearly the entirety of the capital's center was cleared of monsters and beasts with that one, single attack.
An absolute and immediate efficiency, almost distrurbingly so.
But this time, Artoria did not voice her astonishment. Her emerald eyes were glued to the red-haired Servant's face, hungry for answers and thirsty for clarity. She simply stared with force at that face. The very same face that, unbeknownst to her, belonged to the God of War himself, the First Hero of humanity, and the creator of her legendary weapons.
His job finished, Shirou let out a weary sigh from his lips. He turned to her, dissolving his bow into a dust of prana. His eyes stared hard and coldly at her stunned face.
"I've never met you before… but I'm well acquainted with your son. Or should I say, daughter?"
…
Artoria's mind blanked, completely blown by shock.
'M-My son...'
Oh... Gods... above...
The pillar of red light she saw earlier was... it really was...
...no way.
Unaware of her inner turmoil and fear, Shirou let out another sigh, scratching his neck. "Listen, King Arthur... I can't stay here," he began to say. He glanced at her stunned face, then at her invisible sword, and then he steeled his features. "I managed to hit Caster with the spear, but he's still alive. I must finish him off before he manages to escape again. This is where we part."
The woman said nothing, did nothing, her mouth agape and her eyes wide while Shirou stared to a certain direction, still too stunned by the revelation that her most terrible suspicion had come true to be able to react in any other way.
Shirou turned away without waiting for her response, offering her one last, small smile as a farewell.
"If you meet her, do me a favor: please don't try to kill her. She's not as bad as she seems," he said with a sheepish grin and one final wave of his hand. "I leave Lancer in your hands. Oh, and say hi to Gray from me!"
Artoria recoiled as if slapped, gasping softly.
Gray... a red-haired man... the kidnapping... her Lance...
Her eyes widened in shock.
Why didn't she realize it sooner?
"W-Wait!"
It was too late. The man had disappeared, and she couldn't see him anywhere, detect him anywhere, no matter how hard she tried. He was gone, literally, as quick as he had came; disappearing as if he'd never existed at all.
Artoria Pedragon clenched her fists in shock and frustration. Then, slowly, her gaze moved to stare again into a certain direction of the city with a gaze filled with uncertainty and – as much as she hated to admit it – fear.
That man's words echoed inside her head.
"If you meet her, do me a favor: please don't try to kill her. She's not as bad as she seems."
She hesitated for a couple of seconds. While she mulled her doubts in her mind, she glanced at Lancer's unconscious body still laying on top of the opposite tower.
What was she supposed to do now? Search for that man again? Follow him to see Caster's defeat? Go in search of Lord El-Melloi II? Or was it better to reach Bedivere instead, at the risk of meeting a certain person who was certainly not going to be happy to see her face again? Artoria hesitated for a full minute, unsure what to do.
And then, after an eternity of uncertainty and tension, her growing concern and desire to protect her Knight prevailed. Therefore, the female King strengthened her resolve and made up her mind.
She took Lancer's unconscious body and slung him onto her shoulder.
Then, the blonde King began to sprint in direction of Bedivere's Noble Phantasm.
But as she leapt across the rooftops with astonishing speed, her mind couldn't help but go back to her previous encounter, thinking again about the reaction she had in front of the man. A reaction she'd never, ever, had experienced before in her entire life.
Only one question echoed in King Arthur's mind.
Who was this Shirou Emiya?
Planet: Earth
Date: May 18 2020
Location: New Town (Edinburgh - Scotland)
(======)
"T-That was..."
Iskandar killed yet another insect with a casual swing of his sword, severing its head in less than a second. His job done, the giant Rider slowly turned to the person who had spoken, an eyebrow raised in confusion. His gaze was greeted by a rather unexpected vision.
Gawain had stopped his killing spree, standing still in the middle of a pool of black tar. His face was pale, his gaze pointed towards the central area of the capital. Along with him, Gray was also observing the same spot in the distance. Lord El-Melloi II, on the other hand, was continuing to fire spells at the last remaining Familiars in the square.
Once the monsters were destroyed and the area cleared, the King of Conquerors approached Gawain along with the others. "What's wrong, young Knight? What raised your concern?" he asked, observing the pale face of the Knight of the Sun.
Gawain swallowed, his eyes wide and still glued on the same spot in the distance.
"...that explosion," he spoke after five seconds of hesitation. "That was Bedivere's Noble Phantasm. I'm sure of it."
Gray gasped, widening her eyes. "B-Bedivere's..."
Waver Velevet swallowed. "That's strange. If he truly decided to activate his Noble Phantasm, that means he's fighting something stronger than we expected," he immediately deduced, his sharp mind already in motion in order to shed some light on the situation. "And consequently..."
The young Lord's eyes widened at the same time as Gray's. Iskandar watched their reaction in silence.
"He's fighting a Servant."
The hooded girl placed herself next to her teacher. "Does this mean... he found Caster?"
"No."
Gawain's response was immediate and direct.
Something dark and fierce shone inside his eyes.
"That red light... it didn't come from Caster."
A tense and heavy silence fell between those present. Gawain said nothing more, without explaining what he was referring to. He simply kept staring at the distance, his face always frozen in a scowl that was a mix of anger and worry at the same time. Neither Waver nor Gray had any idea of what was going through his head.
Iskandar mentally sighed at that scene. It was time to get answers, and he wasn't going to waste time anymore.
His hand moved to pull a small object out of his pocket. "Young man, do you know how to use this?" he asked, turning to Waver.
Lord El-Melloi II blinked in confusion, turning to the imposing Servant and carefully observing the object he was holding in his hand: a small metal earphone, similar to a remote transmitter. His eyes narrowed slightly. "I do," he answered.
"Can you activate it?"
He blinked again. Then, he nodded with a hesitant expression. The Magus took the tiny earphone for a second, and clicked a tiny button on its side. Then he handed it back to the Rider.
Iskandar placed it to his right ear with furrowed brows.
"Can anyone hear me? Boy? Saber?"
Three seconds of silence passed. Then, the answer came as expected.
S- I can hear you, King of Conquerors.
Iskandar grinned widely.
"Hoh! So this small object really works. How amusing. How amusing indeed! To think we can speak and communicate at such a distance with a mere object like this... humanity has really created miracles in these recent times!"
Gawain, Gray and Waver stared at him in sheer confusion as he spoke to his unknown ally. The Macedonian Emperor ignored them, focusing on the Ruler's voice coming out of the little earphone, completely unaware of their confusion.
Iskandar suddenly became serious. "Well? Any news from your side?"
S- Yes. I found Caster in the central area of the city. I almost managed to kill him. I'm following him right now.
His red eyes widened. "Truly? What about Saber, then?"
S- I don't know. She's not answering our call. That means something must have happened to her. I have just a hunch, but I suspect she has made contact with another Servant. I think the kid's still fighting it right now.
"So we share the same suspicion," Iskandar mused seriously.
S- Yeah. I think she's fine for now, but I have a bad feeling about this. Most likely, that sudden explosion from before was...
"...it was her Noble Phantasm," the King finished for him, nodding to himself.
S- Correct.
Iskandar mulled his thoughts inside his head for a few seconds. Then, he scratched his hair with a heavy a sigh.
"What are we gonna do, boy? I found the little girl's teacher, and brought her to him. But Saber's situation is still unknown."
The other's answer was not long in coming.
S- I'll deal with Caster. I've already wounded him, and there's no need for you to come to my location. I'll kill that bastard myself. Instead, I need you to reach Mordred and make sure she's safe. Something's gonna happen to her soon, I'm sure.
Iskandar raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
S- ...I met her 'father' a few minutes ago. She's headed towards her direction.
The King of Conquerors hesitated upon hearing this. His eyes narrowed for several seconds.
Then, he let out a weary sigh. "Very well. I'll go to her, boy. Since Caster is already been dealt with, there's not much I can do but this. I'll make sure the two of them won't kill each other."
The Ruler's relief was clearly audible in his voice.
S- Thanks, King of Conquerors. I owe you one. Please, keep that kid safe for me. We both know she's quite a handful.
"Heh. Of course," he smirked.
Then, Iskandar ended the call without wasting time.
His eyes were met with the confused and incredulous stares of the others. Gray was blinking in confusion, while Lord-El Melloi II and Gawain were studying him with clear suspicion and intrigue.
"What was that?" Gawain asked him in all seriousness.
The Rider just grinned. "I was talking to one of my companions," he answered easily. Then, with a snap of his fingers, he summoned his chariot again in a burst of purple lightning and prana, approaching the bulls with a slow, solemn step. "He's gonna deal with Caster. I, instead, am headed towards the location of that sudden blast of energy. I suspect my other companion is the cause of this."
Gray's eyes widened immediately. She knew who he was referring to. "Y-You mean..." she glanced at Gawain, her face a mask of hesitation and uncertainty, before staring at the King with a worried expression. "...her?"
He smirked. "Of course, little girl."
The hooded girl winced. It didn't take her long to connect the dots. She knew what was happening right now.
Gray turned to her teacher, grabbing his arm with frenezied anxiety. "Teacher! We must go with him! We need to prevent a disaster! Please!"
Lord El-Melloi II blinked in confusion at her outburst.
Planet: Earth
Date: May 18 2020
Location: Dalry (Edinburgh - Scotland)
(======)
Rin watched the scene unfolding before her with wide, stunned eyes.
Most of the buildings around her were destroyed, completely blown up due to the explosion that hit them. The streets and several city blocks – most of them, at least – were now horribly devastated and ruined, with a deep crater which had formed at the exact point where the two columns of energy had collided with deadly power. If she hadn't been able to hide behind an abandoned car across the street at the last second, Rin was sure the power of the blast would have thrown her away like a windblown leaf. No doubt about it.
Still, she'd managed to survive thanks to her ability. And now, she could do nothing more than watch the scene before her with growing horror and concern.
Bedivere lay in the middle of the crater, his body full of scratches and wounds, his armor ruined and smoldering. He was alive, she could feel and see the prana inside his body, but in critical condition. The poor Knight was desperately trying to get back on his feet with shaking legs, panting and losing blood from his only arm. A sudden fit of coughs was shaking him repeatedly.
Rin had to suppres a shiver at that scene. The enemy attack had completely overwhelmed him, nearly killing him in the process. As difficult as it was for her to admit it, sir Bedivere and sir Mordred were on two entirely different levels of power. A simple Knight against a walking force of nature.
Therefore, the outcome of this confrontation had been obvious from the start. And at this rate, his defeat was going to be inevitable.
She couldn't allow it.
Her body moved without even thinking about what she was doing. Rin gritted her teeth in rage and ran towards the fallen Servant, descending into the crater in the middle of the ruined street and kneeling beside him with a panicked expression. Now that she was closer, she realized the Servant's condition were more severe than she thought.
"Sir Bedivere," she breathed, her hands moving to try and help him. "Sir Bedivere! Don't give up! Don't you dare die on me here!"
"L-Lady Rin," he croacked with a hoarse voice. Another coughing fit rocked his chest, his whole body trembling as he spat blood from his lips. "...g-get away from here," he rasped in the end.
"No way, you reckless Knight!" she hissed, glaring at him. "There's no way I'm letting you die here! Your King is going to kill me!"
She grabbed him with both arms, lifting him slowly with a groan of fatigue and effort. Her legs trembled as she struggled to bear the weight of the taller man, but she didn't give up even despite the fatigue. She wouldn't allow her sensei to lose another Servant. Not like this, not again. Not while they were in the midst of a War that threatened to cause the extinction of the human race. There was no way in hell she would allow that!
As a member of the Tohsaka family and one of the most powerful and respected Mages in the Clock Tower, she had to fight and save the world in her own way.
"P-Please, try to move your legs!" she hissed, struggling to help him move away from here.
Bedivere panted, his face covered in sweat and blood. Despite the pain, he pointed his green eyes at a cloud of smoke and debris a few dozen feet away.
"...it's too late, Lady Rin."
Her eyes snapped up. A shiver run across her back.
The enemy was there.
Mordred had appeared amidst the smoke, her body unscathed by the previous explosion and her expression solemn and menacing as she glared at both her and the limping Knight. Her emerald eyes were filled with anger and disgust as she stepped forward with her sword in hand.
Rin swore under her breath. She didn't waste a second. She put Bedivere back on the ground, raising her right arm and pointing a hand at the female Knight, aiming her spell in case the enemy decided to attack. She knew she had no chance of winning against a Servant, but that didn't mean she would give up without a fight. If she had to die, she would die fighting and struggling until her last breath. Her mind fought hard to remain calm and focused in order to formulate a strategy.
The enemy Servant glared at her, sword drawn and ready.
"Get out of the way, girl, or I'll grind you into dust."
Rin gritted her teeth, bracing herself to protect the limping Servant behind her.
'Right… assess the situation first. I still have a lot of prana to shoot a few spells. She excels in hand-to-hand combat, but the Saber class is at a disadvantage against ranged attacks; so I have a slight advantage… but if she comes too close I'm done for.'
Mordred sneered at her, casually walking forward with her eyes observing the black-haired girl closely.
Rin took no chances. She shot her first projectile.
The Knight deflected it with a simple swing of her sword, without even stopping to advance. Rin tried again, and again, and again, shooting spell after spell; but it was useless. Each spell was deflected and destroyed by Mordred's sword with a casual movement, and the female Knight advanced undeterred with an amused expression.
Rin swallowed as she saw her stop a few meters before them, challenging her with a mocking expression. "Is this all the Clock Tower can do?" she sneered, glaring at Rin and Bedivere. Her lips parted into a cruel smirk filled with disdain. "Don't make me laugh. What a horrible joke."
Bedivere struggled to get off the ground, panting and glaring at his former comrade. "L-Leave her out of this," he hissed with a pained voice. "She has nothing to do with-"
"Then tell her to get out of my way," she promptly interruped him, her expression cruel and solemn. "I won't ask a second time."
At that critical moment, Rin decided on her action.
Without warning, she threw a red gem at Mordred with enviable precision and speed. The enemy Saber was surprised, and she immediately readied her weapon, but it was too late. The gem shattered into thousands of tiny pieces, emitting a paralyzing dust that struck the target off-guard.
Mordred tried to move, but the dust made her body as stiff as a statue, preventing her from acting as she wanted. Her teeth bared in a ferocious snarl of frustration.
But the young girl knew that her advantage wouldn't last long. Rin quickly turned to the bloodied Servant behind her, taking advantage of the momentum. "Quick!" she yelled, grabbing him again with her arms and helping him up. "We have to get away from here! We don't have much time"
"Lady Rin!" Bedivere cried out suddenly.
The girl startled. She turned her head, only to see Mordred's figure sprinting at her with a powerful burst of prana. One hand was stretched out, ready to grab her and end her life.
Before the enemy could take advantage of this, however, Rin bent her body backwards and used a Reinforcement Spell on her legs to kick the Knight of Rebellion to the side, trying to defend herself and force the enemy away. But, much to her growing horror, the blow didn't even make her flinch. Then, just as she was about to attack again, another kick roared straight towards her face. Rin managed to block it with her left arm, but the force was such that her lowered stance broke and her arm smacked into her own face, knocking her back.
She fell to the ground with a hiss of pain, while a set of heavy footprints approached her. When she opened her eyes, the enemy Saber was right in front of her, her face enraged and her right hand ready to grab her. Rin almost screamed in fear at the sight. But it wasn't meant to be.
Grunting, Bedivere used his last remaining strenght to run and push Mordred away from her, only to receive a full-blown straight to his face. He fell on the ground, unmoving.
Rin tried to inhale air into her lungs, but her mind was too filled with fear to be able to react. Her tongue could feel the taste of the iron in her blood because of the previous kick. Breathing started to become more painful, and her head hurt like hell.
The Knight of Treachery turned to her again, and Rin saw a flash of silver and red as Mordred moved to grab her a third time. Then, she cried in horror, closing her eyes in fear and resigning herself to her fate.
…
Nothing happened.
…
"…tch. Damn it."
Her eyes snapped open.
Mordred was glaring at something, her eyes unfocused and filled with irritation and hate, the girl in front of her feet completely forgotten.
Slowly, Rin felt the air return to her lungs.
"Hmph," Mordred snorted. A cruel, twisted smile began to form on her lips. "Nice timing. What a way to spoil my fun, right?"
She turned towards an imaginary point behind her, with Rin following her stare in confusion, fear, and stupor all at the same time.
Mordred grinned with an expression twisted in anger. "Not to be rude, but I didn't really want to meet you yet..."
Rin gasped as a certain blonde figure stepped out of the shadows.
"...Father."
Planet: Earth
Date: May 18 2020
Location: Marchmont (Edinburgh - Scotland)
(======)
The air was exhaled through Shirou's lips, along with his regret.
Almost. Just one step too late, like always.
If only he'd been faster, then he could've reached the kid before it was too late.
Instead, he had been stuck chasing a wounded Caster for ten minutes straight, unable to reach his friends in time. And now, because of this, another clash was about to break out between Mordred and his father. He knew it. He was sure of it. He could feel it. He could feel it inside his mind, inside his chest, and inside his gut.
If only he'd been faster.
Really, that Mordred… he had to properly scold her next time.
Shirou let out a defeated sigh as he reached the exhausted body of his target. The Caster was thrown to the ground in the middle of a residential area of Edinburgh, panting and dying at the centre of a small park filled with trees, with a terrible wound on his chest, right above his heart. Thick, copious blood darted out of the wound, staining his clown robes and the grass with crimson red in a grotesquely creepy way.
But he was still smiling.
"He-Heheheh," Mephistopheles laughed, making a sound mixed with a gasp and a cough. "T-Too bad... you caught me."
The God of War looked at him with a cold stare, his irritation growing by the second.
"Y-You... really are something else, aren't you?" the grinning Caster wheezed. "I knew you were different... but I wasn't expecting to see you use another Servant's Noble Phantasm. Keheheh― I guess even Demons can be caught off guard. That single blow drained all my mana."
He said nothing, did nothing. He merely walked in front of his bloodied body, towering over him like a cruel, impassive judge ready to give his sentence. A short, sharpened knife flickered to life in his right hand.
Mephistopheles grinned cruelly. "Even if you defeat me here, you won't be able to stop what's bound to happen," he mocked him with a bloody laugh. "T-This world is too twisted and corrupted. It needs a correction made by blood. Nobody will be able to stop it."
"I'll stop it."
Not an affirmation. Not a statement.
A certainty.
There was no room for debate.
"I'll stop this madness. Whaterver the cost. Whatever it takes."
The God glared at the Demon with cold detatchement.
"But you won't be alive to see it."
The Caster laughed like a madman, shaking his head in a slow, crazed motion. He then grinned in a sheepish way, his lips and teeth stained with blood. "There's no chance you can spare my life, is there? Have a bit of mercy?" he mused, his chest shaking with laughter.
Shirou remained silent. He glanced at the ruined city, at the flames burning away the capital, at the ruined and destroyed buildings, and at the liveless corpses scattered thoughout the streets.
He only had one question before deciding his fate.
"What about them? Did they receive… mercy?"
The silence was his answer.
The God of War acted quickly. He grabbed Mephistopheles by his collar, choking him a little with an iron grip. Then, he lifted him off the ground, glaring at him as he spat blood and laughed even despite the pain and the red-head's hold on his collar.
"And yet... I'm not a cruel beast like you," he said slowly, pointing the knife at his neck. "I'll let you live. But you'll tell me everything you know. The reason for your actions, the one who tasked you to do this. Everything that's behind this accursed War."
Mephistopheles' reaction to those words was a dry, mad laugh.
"You might let me live… but they won't."
The Caster parted his lips into a crazed smile, a bomb hidden inside his mouth.
Shirou widened his eyes.
"Goodby-"
In less than a fraction of a second, the knife separated Mephistopheles' head from his body.
And as Caster's body disappeared in a cloud of prana and dust, Shirou mentally cursed and clenched a fist in helpless frustration.
Because once again, even after all this time, he could only become Death…
Instead of saving those in front of him.
Planet: Earth
Date: May 18 2020
Location: Dalry (Edinburgh - Scotland)
(======)
If she had to be honest with herself, she couldn't deny the truth: her heart was shaken.
Artoria Pendragon gazed at the blonde girl's face. A face she had only gotten to glimpse twice in her previous life: during a hasty confrontation in her castle and then shortly before her death, during the battle of Camlann Hill. A face almost exactly the same with her own. No, not just the face. It was everything about her. Her eyes, her hair, her body, her feel… all of them matched hers almost perfectly.
She knew it. Artoria had long been aware of their mutual similarity in their bodies. But still, to find that girl, that face so similar to hers even if younger once again in front of her eyes... it was hard. It was a hard blow to take, even for her. Especially given the terrible and tragic series of events that their interaction – or rather, their lack of interaction – had caused to her kingdom, her followers, and the whole world after their death.
And yet, it seemed that this curse continued to haunt her even now, after all this time.
…fine.
The King of Knights removed Lancer's unconscious body from her shoulder and slowly lowered it to the ground. Then she steeled herself, just like she did many times already, putting on her 'King' mask to protect her emotions from being read by those around her. Including… she couldn't believe she was thinking this… but also including her 'son'. Her 'daughter'.
"Mordred."
She squeezed out one word, not trusting her voice to stay as composed as her facial expression.
The younger Knight looked at her with obvious hostility, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"Father."
The silence in the air was tense and filled with solemnity. Artoria stared, unable to say more due to her inner turmoil. She glanced at Rin, still kneeling on the ground in front of the Knight, and at the unconscious figure of Bedivere a couple of meters next to her. The black-haired girl was looking at her in amazement, her face pale and full of resilient terror, but her eyes shining with sheer relief. As if she had found salvation in her sudden appearance.
That was what'd happened, actually.
"What is the meaning of this, Mordred?" she questioned, her voice cold, solemn and sharp; like a blade. A stark contrast to the anxiety and the tumultuous emotions that raged inside her. "What did you do?"
Her 'son' stiffened at her question. She stared at her with a blank, outraged face. "...what did I do?" she repeated, her voice merely above a whisper.
Rin blanched again. Quickly, frantically, she scumbled away from Mordred on four legs, crawling away from the Knight of Treachery and dashing towards Artoria like a frightened puppy retracting towards its mother. Mordred ignored her, her eyes still glued to Artoria's nearly identical ones.
"What did I do?" she repeated again. Her voice was growing, sounding more and more enraged by the second. "What did I do!?"
Artoria narrowed her eyes as Mordred stomped on the ground, leveling a hash glare at her. A single bolt of red lightning darted around her sword, making Rin flinch in horror.
"I did exactly what I had to!" she spat, her rage clearly visible to the whole world. "I disposed of an obstacle that stood in my way! I did what it needed to be done to continue my mission!"
The King glanced at Bedivere. Then, she looked back at her former Knight, her former ally, her own son; with a cold, menacing frown. "You attacked Bedivere," she deduced.
"He attacked me!" Mordred countered, stunning her with that declaration. "I didn't even want to fight that loser! But your faithful and beloved Knight prevented me from leaving and continuing my mission! He wanted to keep me away from you, just 'cause he feared that I could reach you and kill you!" she roared with contempt.
Artoria widened her eyes. She had to fight hard to keep her mouth from gaping in shock. W-What did... did she just say... was it Bedivere...?
"W-Wha-"
She didn't have time to finish the sentence.
She was suddenly interrupted by a bellowing laugh and the sound of bulls bellowing ferociously from above. Her head snapped up, in the direction from which she could sense a large source of prana approaching, and her eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.
A large, mighty, ancient chariot was flying in the sky, shrouded in purple lightning and with several people aboard it. It shot through the sky like a bolt of lightning, approaching their position with insane speed. In less than two seconds, in fact, it was already right above them. Even a cold and detached person like Artoria was impressed by that sight. Beside her, Rin was gaping, even more flabbergasted and shocked than her. Mordred, instead, looked completely unimpressed by that sight for some reason.
The chariot landed quickly right in the middle of the bare clearing, positioning itself right between herself and Mordred. On top of it – much to her own shock and confusion – Artoria saw Lord El-Melloi II with a pale and nauseating face, pathetically supported by a giant Servant dressed in bronze armor and red cloak that was holding him steady with one arm. And on top of the flying vehicle there were also Gawain and Gray with them.
The King of Knights barely held back her confusion.
As soon as the chariot landed, the tall, gigantic Servant smirked proudly. "Hmm," he spoke with a deep, powerful voice. "It seems we made it just in time."
Sheer shock greeted his declaration. Neither Artoria nor Rin managed to formulate a coherent sentence in the face of that unexpected arrival.
Seconds passed, followed by silence.
Then, someone snapped.
Rin gasped in total disbelief. "G-Gray!?"
The hooded girl jumped out of the chariot, her lips curled into a smile. "Rin! You're ok!"
As the two girls embraced each other, still filled and overwhelmed by emotions, Artoria watched as Lord El-Melloi II staggered out of the chariot. He was holding a hand over his mouth, desperately trying not to vomit as he paced pathetically on the ground, his face paler than usual. "U-Ugh, I never rode something that fast..." he mumbled to himself, trying to quell his sickness with great gulps of air.
The new Servant gave him a pat on the shoulder. A very strong pat. The poor man nearly stumbled on the ground under his sheer force. "Hah! Did you like the ride, young man?"
"P-Please don't ask me this now, Rider..."
While Artoria was engulfed in total confusion, Gawain leaped in front of her in a swift, rapid motion; his broadsword unsheathed and pointed menacingly towards the one, other Knight who stood on the other side of the clearing.
"My liege!" he spoke seriously, his narrowed eyes never leaving Mordred's cold, enraged face. As soon as they noticed each other, they both wore a ferocious scowl on their faces. "Are you injured?"
The female King quickly shook herself from her astonishment, shaking her head slowly to answer her Knight's question. "I'm fine, Gawain," she replied seriously, trying to regain her focus. "I just arrived here."
As everyone took in the surroindings, Artoria saw the new Servant dissolve the chariot with a snap of his fingers, making it disappear into a dust of prana. Then, the gigantic man shot her a silent glance, before turning and approaching Mordred under everyone's astonished and confused gaze.
"…you're late, Rider," she decided to greet him first.
He smirked, trying to hold back a laugh. "As you can see, I met a few people along the way, Saber. We killed all the monsters around here, and Ruler is dealing with Caster as we speak. He asked me to come here and check your situation," he explained with a causal shrug of his shoulders.
The female Knight grumbled a bit. "Damn that man. Always treating me like a kid..."
Iskandar studied her for a few seconds. Then, he glanced around the clearing, observing the destruction around them. "Saber, what happened here?" he asked her with a serious tone, watching Bedivere's unconscious body thrown next to her in a pool of blood.
Mordred didn't answer, choosing to simply glare at her Father and Gawain with a menacing face.
Gawain took a step forward, pointing his sword, Galatine, at the female Knight without the slightest bit of hesitation. "...so it really is you, sir Mordred," he decidet to speak, venom clearly present in his voice. His face was contracted in an obvious grimace of hostility. "You too were summoned in this War. What an unfortunate event, truly. I had hoped to never see you again."
She visibly sneered at his words, disgust and hate visible inside her emerlad eyes. "Tch. Gawain, huh? The sturdiest Knight of the Round Table," she spat, pronouncing the title he was so proud of in life with a mocking tone. "What's with that look, you annoying idiot? Just scram and step aside already. Me and Father were having a nice chat before you stepped in."
"...a chat, indeed," he replied, narrowing his eyes in rage. His gaze fell on Bedivere, still lying unconscious on the ground, and his lips parted into a snarl. "You attacked another Knight of the Round. You fought against him, again. This is something I cannot accept. I won't stand for this!"
"Hoh? And what are you gonna do about it?" she openly mocked him, baring her teeth into a feral grin filled with disdain. "Need I remind you of what happened during our last fight on that hill, Gawain? I'm not the one who lost his life during that clash, remember?"
The Knight of the Sun bristled, his whole body shaking in outrage. "W-Why, you-!"
"Enough."
Artoria silenced that discussion in an istant, attracting everyone's attention. Gawain hesitated, but decided to comply in the end. The eyes of everyone present fell on the blonde King of Knights as she took two steps forward, her emeral eyes glued at her son's own. "Mordred, what you said before... was is true? Was this a misunderstanding? Had you really no intention of fighting Bedivere?"
Everyone watched the scene with bathed breath. Iskandar, for his part, chose to study Mordred's and his father's faces with narrowed eyes and an unreadable look.
Mordred scoffed, thrusting Clarent's tip into the ground with a sharp motion of her arm. "I told you, your majesty. He was the one who attacked me. I had no intention of fighting him. I didn't even want to see your accursed face, either. All I did was dispose of an obstacle who prevented me from leaving." She stepped closer to the unconcious Knight, pounding him on the back with a foot and a grin on her face. "Got a problem with that, Father?"
Everyone tensed at her sarcastic answer, and even more at her brazen actions. Lord El-Melloi II gulped next to Gray and Rin, feeling the air become more and more oppressive and thick with prana. Artoria narrowed her eyes, but overall remained motionless, unable to react or decide what to do. She didn't even know what to think about this, actually. What was she supposed to do? How could she know if Mordred was telling the truth or not?
Gawain was seething in rage next to her. "I don't believe you," he hissed in a slow, menacing voice. "You're lying."
The Knight of Rebellion snarled. "Why? Just because you think I'm evil?" she retorted fiercely. A series of red bolts of lightning began to flash and pulsate around her armor with a hiss of the air, making everyone very, very nervous. "I'm more than willing to kill each and every one of you for all the nonsense you're rambling. But before we get to that... why don't you ask that friend of yours if I'm lying or not, huh?"
Everyone's gaze turned to the girl Mordred was pointing at with her finger. Rin blanched and swallowed nervously under everyones's stare.
"Lady Rin?" Gawain questioned, more confused than anything.
The girl gulped, took a deep breath, and tried to maintain a decent and respectful demeanor as she spoke. "She's telling the truth," she finally admitted in the end. "When me and sir Bedivere ran into her, she did mention that she wasn't interested in fighting us. It... was Bedivere the one who asked me to get away so he could fight her." She tried very hard to ignore Gawain's shocked expression during her speech, as well as the stunned faces some of the others were making. "I think he was afraid that Mordred could reach the King of Knights and harm her. He feared for her well-being. That's why he engaged her in combat."
"...even if that's true, what she did is still unacceptable. She must pay for what she did to sir Bedivere," Gawain said, turning to look at his King with an expectant and determined face.
Artoria visibly hesitated, her mind full of uncertainties.
"P-Please, stop!" a new voice cried suddenly. Artoria blinked, startled by the interruptance, and turned with a causal movement towards Gray. The others did the same, staring at the hooded girl as she blushed and frantically tried to remain strong in the midst of such powerful gazes. "I-I'm sure sir Mordred didn't mean to do this. It was only thanks to her that I was able to reunite with you. She saved me, along with Lord Iskandar and another Servant. S-So... please... please believe me. Don't fight anymore. S-She's not that bad, I assure you... "
Artoria stiffened all of a sudden. A certain phrase uttered by another Servant echoed in her mind after those words.
"If you meet her, do me a favor: please don't try to kill her. She's not as bad as she seems."
The blonde widened her eyes slightly. Could... Could that man really be...
Sheer silence greeted Gray's explanation. Artoria remained motionless, her eyes betraying only the tiniest glimmer of disbelief. If she seemed impassive and cold from the outside, she was sinking into uncertainty on the inside. She had no idea of what to do, how to react, how to behave in front of her son now that she knew what had happened. It didn't happen every day to end up in such a situation, after all.
But Mordred didn't seem to care. She only laughed at their stunned expressions. "It's useless. Don't waste your breath, Gray. There's simply no way they will believe you. After all, I'm only a traitor to them. A disappointment. An evil Knight. An unwanted, bastard child who doesn't deserve the right to the Throne. Isn't that right... Father? " she hissed with sarcasm, glaring at her.
Artoria inwardly flinched. The stare from her son drilled into her body, similar to a hot lance twisting an churning itself towards her heart.
She didn't answer. She couldn't answer. She wasn't sure that her voice could mask the pain, and the shame, and the regret she carried inside.
Mordred sneered again with a scoff. "I thought so," she mocked her.
Gawain's armor clinked loudly as he stirred, his hands still glued to the sword, ready to attack at any moment. "I suggest you choose your words wisely, sir Mordred," he spoke with a low, cold tone of voice. "I will not hesitate to strike you down if you dare to even think of insulting and hurting Her Majesty again."
The air dropped several degrees. However, if Mordred felt threatened by the blood lust washing over her, she didn't show it. She only smiled with more cruelty than before, almost enjoying seeing the uncertainty and hesitation surface on her father's face.
Artoria felt physically sick in front of that gaze. She couldn't stand it anymore. She had to say somethig. She had to do something. She had to try; try to resolve this matter once and for all. She had to put an end to this madness in a peaceful way, and... and... try to reconnect with Mordred. No, with her own son.
It was the best, and only way. The right thing to do for her as a King, and as a… as a…
"M-Mordred... I..."
She didn't finish. She tried, she tried so hard, but the words simply didn't want to come out from her lips. They couldn't reach her intentions. It felt like her mouth was made of lead, preventing her from speaking and formulating coherent sentences.
And under the confused gaze of the others, Artoria felt at loss for the first time in her life.
She wasn't used to this. She didn't know what to do, nor how to cope with what she was feeling inside.
Mordred stared at her, long and hard, for a few seconds. Then, after one last instant of silence and tension, the Knight of Treachery snorted and shook her head with disdain.
"This is a waste of time," she spat in the end. She swiftly turned her back to her father, gesturing to Iskandar to follow her. "Rider, let's go search for Ruler and-"
A strong, firm hand stopped her in her tracks.
Mordred stared at her companion, confused. "Rider?"
"…Saber," the King of Conquerors spoke, his red eyes staring straight at Mordred's green ones. "Don't be too reckless. There is no point in leaving these people behind without trying to reach an agreement first. We still need to gather more information about this mess. Remember that?"
She glared at him, but her lips curled into a smile filled with derision. "I may acknowledge and respect Father as a King, but I refuse to acknowledge him as a person or even a source of information," she declared angrily. Artoria almost flinched at her child's statement, her words cutting deeper than the sharpest knife. "He's nothing but a monster to me. A monster that one day, I will slay with my own hands. That's what he is, and what he always will be."
It hurt.
Artoria couldn't fool herself. Hearing those words hurt. It hurt a lot. Because, even if she wasn't able to admit it, deep inside her heart, beneath her Kingly mask, she knew that they were true. She knew how much pain and sufference Mordred had to face because of what she did. And because of this, those words were as sharp as swords, able to pierce her heart as esily as a spear. The pain was there, deep inside her chest, but blunted by her mask. Tampered by her cold, impassive armor; perhaps to a good effect. Artoria didn't know if she could bear to hear them and have this conversation if she chose to let her heart be ruled by emotions like before, during her previous encounter with the red-haired man.
But she was a King. She couldn't allow Mordred to disrespect her in front of everyone.
"You talk as if I'm the only one who made mistakes," she said, her voice solemn and cold. Her eyes narrowed with barely veiled anger as they saw Mordred turn to her, staring at her intently. "I admit. My kingdom was full of mistakes. I was not the person fit to be King. But I still tried. I did my best, trying to take the right decisions despite my personal gain. You, on the other hand, wanted nothing but prove to be better than anyone, always taking what you wanted whenever you wanted. That's not a behavior befitting of a King."
Mordred snarled. "...you know nothing about me," she hissed with barely contained rage.
"And you know nothing about being a King, and yet still pretend the Throne," she countered, her eyes now showing a bit of her inner irritation. Her face was becoming more and more heated, her inner turmoil showing a bit after her rambling. "You are young, and very inexperienced. If you had dealt with my problems, perhaps you would have understood my decision. You were not, you are not fit to be King, Mordred. I know that my choice hurt you, but that is the responsibility of a ruler: to make the hardest choices when no one," she shot a small glare at her son, ignoring the growing rage on her face. "No one, dares to."
Mordred didn't respond to her words right away. She remained silent for a long, long time, her body and armor trembling in rage and ferocity. "...you," she hissed in the end, her voice more animalistic than human. "You really think that's why I rebelled? You think that's the reason why I hate you?"
Artoria hesitated, taken aback by her words.
Then, suddenly, Mordred chuckled. A hoarse, dark, hateful chuckle that made even Iskandar narrow his eyes in worry and concern. And when she recovered from her laughter, Artoria saw her son glare at her with the most animalistic gaze ever. "I've decided, Father," she told her seriously, staring straight into her eyes.
The King of Knights suppressed a shiver under the murderous gaze the Knight of Treachery was giving her.
"One day, I will rip your heart from your chest with my bare hands."
Artoria swallowed, along with many others, her mind filling with tension and nervousness.
She couldn't allow this feud to continue. She had to-
"SIR MORDRED!"
Gawain's furious scream cut both heaven and earth after those words. Artoria stared at her Knight with shock, startled by his reaction. Mordred turned to him with a mocking smile, instead.
"Take that back," the blonde Knight hissed, sheer hatred oozing from his frame. "Take that back right now! I won't stay my blade otherwise!"
"I won't take back anything, you annoying idiot," she snarked with a grin, glaring at him. "But if you're so eager to die again by my hand... then come at me, Gawain. Let's see how long you can last this time!"
Artoria gasped. "G-Gawain! Don't!"
It was too late. With a bellowing roar, the muscular Saber sprinted forward at breakneck speed, his strength and agility augmented by the anger and hatred he felt within. There was no way to stop him, no way to interrupt him from attacking or prevent a disaster.
It was too late.
Gawain darted forward, Galatine raised above his shoulder, ready to cut and strike.
Gray and Rin gasped, overwhelmed by panic...
Waver gaped in shock, stunned and worried...
Iskandar narrowed his eyes, ready to intercept the attack...
Artoria tried to move, attempting to reach her Knights...
...and Mordred grinned, reading her sword as she prepared to-
CLANG.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Nobody saw it coming. Gawain fell to the ground, Galatine spinning in the air in a completely random manner, thrusting itself into the concrete with a dull, hollow sound. On the other side, pretty much in the same way, Mordred fell heavily on her butt with a grunt, her eyes wide with shock and her mouth agape; Clarent completely forgotten on the ground next to her.
Everyone present widened their eyes.
Shirou sheathed his sword, letting out a weary sigh.
"You really can't stay out of trouble, kid."
Artoria stared at him with wide eyes, her impassive mask completely crumbling in front of the calm and collected face of the red-haired Servant she'd met a mere hour ago.
"Y-You are..."
Shirou Emiya glanced at her, offering her a smile full of embarrassment.
"Please forgive my friend's behavior, King of Knights," he spoke with a sheepish tone. "It's my fault. I should have expected something like this."
Artoria gaped in confusion, completely flabbergasted by his sudden entrance. Mordred, from her part, blushed heavily at his words, ashamed and incredulous to be embarrassed like this in front of her father.
Iskandar grinned broadly with a sigh of relief. "You finally made it, Ruler!"
Shirou smiled, nodding to them with a serious expression.
And just like that, the feud between father and son was halted by his mere presence.
"Sorry for being late."
FATE/Oppression
-Arc II-
End
Ancient transcription taken from an unnamed Epitaph.
Place of discovery: ܐܪܡܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ (Mesopotamia)
Dated: Uruk Period (4000–3100 BC)
Translation:
You were never the strongest
You were never the fastest
Yet, you gathered just enough power to stand a chance
Even when those chances were low, you found a way
You always found a way
Not once retreating, not once victorious
In time, you grew
Stronger... faster... wiser...
The scope of your ideals became Unlimited
As you forged wisdom upon the hill of swords, you understood
Filled with utter regret, this was your only path
Standing at the top, above your foes, and even your own allies
You became the victorious
But you never sought to be the best
To be the best was just a stepping stone
With no other desire in mind but the Justice and Vengeance you sought
You became the ideal
But even that sole ideal, that one dream you chased all your life... was a double edged Blade
In time, your blood became of fire, your body, of steel
But in your glass heart, you carried regret, watching your enemies fall and your allies abandon you
As you chose to leave your Works across time
Because all that is left in your world...
...was endless blades.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
The meeting between Shirou and Artoria is inspired by the second chapter of another story. The story is called 'Fateless' written by -olcon- You can find his profile among my favorite authors. Just like I did before with the CODEX inspired by another fic, I texted him and asked if I could use that scene as an inspiration, and even use some similar sentences as a tribute to his fanfiction. 'Fateless' is a really good story, and I suggest you check it out if you still don't know it. You can give credit to this idea to him, if you want. I don't wish to steal credit from him, that's why I'm saying this, and I want to be absolutely and completely honest.
If you don't believe me, again, you can ask him yourself.
That being said: I want to clarify one thing. I know that Artoria's reaction when she met Shirou may seem strange and forced to some of you. But I need to say one thing: what you just read in this chapter is NOT an ordinary 'love at first sight' scene. That's not what it happened, nor what's going to become. That 'cliché' has absolutely nothing to do with my story.
I'll give you just a little clue: exactly as in the original universe Shirou is 'connected' to Artoria in some minor way because he possesses Avalon inside him, here the same thing happened... but in the opposite way. Artoria is the one who possesses Shirou's Divine Weapons, which is why she's 'connected' to him in a deep, mysterious way. That's why she reacted the way she did in front of him.
Of course, all of this will be better explained in the future.
Artoria Pendragon, in my story, will be a bit different from the original character. Not only this is already obvious (her body more similar to Lancer Artoria's is just the first example of this choice of mine) but she's gonna be more emotionally mature and aware compared to the original Saber. You'll see soon enough.
And no, "Gáe Bulg" is not a misspelling. Gáe Bulg is the original name of the lance which later became Gae Bolg. That's why Shirou used this name.