Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.
Death and Rebirth
Prologue
From: Specialist Franz von Einzbern
To: Overseer Sella von Einzbern
Subject: Operation Referee
Date: August 14, 2018
Overseer,
Negotiations with the Antarctic Reich have concluded favorably. In return for shipments of rare earth elements and irreproducible alchemical reagents (as detailed in Form 2366-A), as well as diplomatic favors in future negotiations with other supernatural governments and authorities, they have agreed to grant us access to Xanadu's gateway. Operation Referee may now proceed as planned.
The Aryans advise us, however, that gateway travel is quite dangerous, with recon elements to planes beyond the gateway suffering a 50% failure rate. To that end, I have been obliged to sign a waiver that we will not hold the Antarctic Reich responsible should Operation Referee fail from the start.
Should these prove acceptable, then I will finalize the agreement with the Aryans.
For the Future.
From: Overseer Sella von Einzbern
To: Specialist Franz von Einzbern
Subject: Operation Referee
Date: August 14, 2018
Specialist,
You may finalize the agreement with the Aryans at your leisure. Also, considering Operation Referee's target destination, there should be no concern about transit thereof, provided Xanadu's gateway works as advertised.
For the Future.
? - Fuyuki City
"You are Uryuu Ryuunosuke, correct?"
The young man in question paused at the question, turning to look at an elderly woman sitting on a nearby bench in the park he was helping clean as part of his part-time job. Although now that he was able to get a good look at her, she wasn't an elderly woman at all, he just assumed that because of her white hair. Otherwise, she looked like a pretty young woman around his age. An albino, maybe?
No, her eyes were blue, so a foreigner maybe? She could pass for Japanese easily enough, but there was also something foreign about her looks, and not just her white hair. Shame about her face, though, it was pretty, but the young woman's uninterested expression and tone were a complete disservice. Well, that wasn't entirely true.
If nothing else, it actually had the gears in Uryuu's head turning, of the many ways he could get her to emote.
"I am, yes," Uryuu replied. "And you are?"
The young woman stood, her white dress and the gold-trimmed, pale green mantle she wore over it making her look like a cosplayer of all things. And now that she was standing, she also seemed rather short for a foreigner, being shorter than Uryuu. Aren't foreigners - or Westerners at least - supposed to be tall? This woman didn't seem to be any taller than many middle-school girls, when all was said and done.
"My name is Schneeweißchen von Fernhügel," she introduced herself with a curtsy of all things. "I represent a group of individuals who, while preferring to remain anonymous, have a great deal of interest in your art."
Uryuu laughed at that. "Now, that's a bad joke, Miss…um, Fernhügel." he said. "My art isn't…"
"...public?" Von Fernhügel interrupted. "I would think not, seeing as the nature of your art would merit you hanging. However, my patrons would find that a waste of your considerable talents…although, this also means they too would prefer to remain safely anonymous."
"You say a lot of pretty words, miss." Uryuu countered. "But how do I know this isn't a trick?"
"You do not." Von Fernhügel said, before reaching into a sleeve and pulling out a business card. Uryuu took it and quickly looked it over, noting all the German words along with the contact numbers on its front, and then flipping it over, a handwritten address. "Consider this a gesture of trust, as I am well aware how potentially…incriminating, providing an artist such as yourself would be with such information."
"Also an unsaid threat," Uryuu said with narrowed eyes and a crafty smile. "Assuming your bosses are the kind of people you imply they are, I lose this where the cops find it, and I might find myself floating facedown in the river someday."
"We prefer more permanent ways of disposing of turncoats and informants." Von Fernhügel said. "The crematory business is quite profitable, as you may be aware."
Despite himself, Uryuu whistled. "Very professional," he said with an approving nod and tone. "I can appreciate that. Alright, I'll come…wait, when is this supposed to happen?"
"You are free to come at any time in the night for the next three days." Von Fernhügel replied. "One of our own will be waiting to show you where to meet with a representative of our superiors, to discuss your future as an artist."
"And if I don't come?" Uryuu challenged.
"Then we shall trust in your discretion." Von Fernhügel replied, and Uryuu smiled. In hindsight, her cold and unfeeling face wasn't completely a waste. When it came to delivering implied threats, this was actually more believable than someone shouting and flailing angrily. "Until we meet again, Uryuu Ryuunosuke. Farewell."
Von Fernhügel bowed politely, then turned and left, walking away and across the park. Uryuu followed her with his eyes until she was out of sight, and then looked back down at the card in his hand.
"Huh…that was…interesting…" he said, before pocketing the card and getting back to work. Sweeping the park wasn't exactly glamorous work, but artists like him needed to eat too, and there just wasn't much opportunity for him either. Sadly, the world just couldn't seem to appreciate the kind of art he was capable of.
Such a shame, really. The world…no, people, just had no sense of taste.
In the end, though, Ryuunosuke didn't come that night. Or the following nights for that matter.
It was disappointing, Schneeweißchen thought to herself, but in hindsight, it wasn't surprising. In many ways, it was too good to be true, and having avoided the authorities for so long over the nature of his 'art' Ryuunosuke probably had a good sense for danger. Then again, it wasn't all for nothing. If nothing else, it provided valuable - hopefully - information for the after phase of Projekt W.
Of course, now Schneeweißchen had to hunt for Uryuu for herself, not that he was too difficult to find. Right now, the man was busy cutting up a man and woman inside their own home while their child watched. Bound and gagged, of course. For all his depravity, Ryuunosuke wasn't stupid.
It wouldn't save him this time, however.
Schneeweißchen gestured, and set up a bounded field to keep from anyone noticing what was about to happen. Then she tilted her head, as she sensed suspicion and alarm from the so-called artist inside. So, he wasn't completely incompetent, or at least talentless, since detecting the presence of active mysteries was in many cases a completely passive thing. That is, one didn't necessarily need to be trained to use magecraft to feel it, even untapped talent was enough.
She supposed that deserved some reward.
"Friedensstifter." she softly said, a mandala flashing into existence before her and then blasting out a beam of white light. It cut through the walls and vaporized Ryuunosuke where he stood, before continuing past and blasting out the back beyond.
"...oh, good." Schneeweißchen calmly remarked as she walked through the smoking hole in the wall and into the room beyond, as though she hadn't just reduced a man to a pair of feet with cauterized stumps gently steaming into the air, among other things. "Friedensstifter didn't hit a load-bearing wall, it would have been very inconvenient if it had."
Then she stopped, looking down at the terrified child before her. "Sleep." she said, and the boy's eyes drooped before closing shut. Schneeweißchen picked up the boy and carried him out of the bloody and smoking remains of his home. As she left, fire ignited in her wake, quickly spreading across the entire place, while fire alarms began to sound and causing Schneeweißchen to drop her bounded field.
A thought later, and the boy's memories of the whole night were erased. Considering what had just happened, it could easily be chalked up to shock, even more so with the boy being as young as he was. Dropping the boy off at a nearby corner and leaving him to lie unconscious on the ground, Schneeweißchen walked off even as fire engines could be heard approaching. Still far off, but their sirens were audible now, and steadily grew louder as they came closer.
Schneeweißchen simultaneously cast two spells, one to make her invisible to normal sight, and another to let her fly. Quickly rising up into the sky, she zoomed off into the distance, picking up speed as she zoomed towards the brightest parts of the city at night. Even then, it took her nearly half an hour to reach her destination, a homunculus carrying a halberd bowing to Schneeweißchen at her arrival.
"How did it go, my lady?" Konstanz von Einzbern asked.
"Successful, of course." Schneeweißchen replied. "Uryuu Ryuunosuke will be of no further threat."
"Was he ever truly a threat?" Konstanz pressed on. "That is, once we had summoned Caster, and in so doing, removed his ability to enter the ongoing conflict."
Schneeweißchen didn't reply at once, instead walking over to stand just behind the safety railing to look out over the city below. "Konstanz," she said. "You should know that time is not a static thing. Attempting to change the progress of events beyond random chance or natural progression will not go unchallenged. It can be done, but to assume otherwise would be self-defeating. I would not say that time is a living, thinking thing, not since the Age of Gods ended, but at present? It remains a force of nature, and just as a river will always seek the sea no matter what changes are effected on its course, so too will time seek to reach the ultimate conclusion with minimal deviations. And of course, we are not the only ones with the ability to effect changes on the timeline."
"As you say, my lady." Konstanz said with a bow.
Schneeweißchen nodded in acknowledgement, before spending the next few minutes just staring out over the city. Then, turning away, she glanced at her bodyguard. "Come, Konstanz." she said. "There is work that needs doing."
"Yes, my lady."
"Subject M-0042, known and referred to henceforth as Schneeweißchen von Fernhügel, has met all parameters expected upon the completion of Projekt W.
That said, Lady Iris von Märchenwelt has expressed concern over Lady von Fernhügel's psychological state, and its effect on her future going forward. It must also be said that Lady von Märchenwelt has been advised of this outcome, and that we cannot preemptively correct it as Lady von Fernhügel is simply the first instance of Projekt W. And while we explained this numerous times in the past to Lady von Märchenwelt, the issue has once again been raised.
Hopefully, Overseer Sella will be able to meet Lady von Märchenwelt's concerns once again, perhaps even for good this time. In the meantime, the rest of the Projekt W team will review our past conduct and performance, with the goal of further refining the process for future instances of Projekt W. This, despite preexisting understanding of the unique circumstances of Subject M-0042, referenced here to provide contrast with Lady von Fernhügel…
Excerpt from an after phase report by the team lead of Projekt W [Wiedergeburt], June 29, 2015
A/N
Here's something new, and introducing a sinister new element to the nightmare that was the Fourth Holy Grail War. Quite mysterious too, in my opinion, between references to bad things afoot down in Antarctica, plus Einzbern dabbling in things that would see everyone involved charged with crimes against Humanity, to say the least.
Assuming, of course, neither the Americans nor the Russians try to co-opt them instead. Until next time, stay golden.