Ritsuka came to hoping that he was rising from a dream. He awoke to the horrors of his nightmare.
His lungs burned, his skin itched, his eyes watered, and no matter how much he tried to stretch his limbs, it felt as if he was being held down. He thrashed, threw them over his head, tried to scratch at the ground, and all he could feel was the strength of ten men laying on him. He tried to scream, but the burning of his lungs kept him from taking that breath.
He curled forward, dragged himself up, ignored the burning in his head, and tried to let out one more yell.
"Ritsuka!" He was stopped as Solomon put hands on his shoulders, shoving him back down. "Stop! Don't force yourself!" The king loomed over him protectively, alabaster hair cascading down as golden eyes stared at him. Ritsuka stared back up, taking slow painful breaths.
"Sol… o…"
"Stop talking for now. Just stop." The king pushed once more, and then leaned back. He never took his eyes from the Master. "You haven't been asleep for long after I've used my magic. You haven't recovered and you need time." Ritsuka shook his head. "You do. I don't need God's wisdom to know that." He leaned back, grabbing a pitcher of water. "Just like I know you'll need this."
Ritsuka struggled to lift his harm, clumsily grabbing at the heavy pitcher. It shook in his hands as if he was holding dozens of pounds. With great effort, he managed to put it to his lips, taking long sips. It burned on the way down, like watching water crack dried earth, but it soothed his stomach as it hit the bottom. With little time, his gulps became greedy.
"Drink it all. We have plenty."
"Where…" He managed to force out. "Where are we?"
"A nearby village. Nearby relative to what a pair of strong spells can travel with a Master that's more a funnel than a bridge." He waved his hand, making his red robe billow. "Sorry about that. Stress is just high."
Stress… stress from the battle. The fight. The Servants, the burning burning burning BURNING BURNING BURNING!
"The fight… the… fire!"
"Far from here. Very far." Solomon pushed again. He leaned forward and easily pushed Ritsuka back down. "They were held back as we escaped, though we didn't take any of them with us." The golden eyes of the king blinked. "But still, transporting so many people was a toll. On you more than me." He let out a long sigh. "At least the others are here."
The others, the villagers they saved, those that Jesus was watching over. Jesus… his Lord was here, he had to be, and he was working. Ritsuka had to move, too.
"I have to… get up."
"No," Solomon's hand was hard on his shoulder, holding him down. "I used more of my Prana from before to keep them safe, and last time you needed much more time to recover. You are not ready to walk yet."
"I was before… you kept me asleep."
"I kept you from moving before and I can do it again." He assured with a glow to his golden eyes. "If you move too much, your already frayed nerves may tear, and we cannot afford to have you suffering now. Not when we are dealing with the casualties and the retreat."
The words were harsh, but likely necessary
"How many," he managed to ask. "Did… did they-"
"None." What? "No one from this native time was killed. Between myself and Jesus, the wyverns, fires, and those Mad Servants couldn't so much as scratch them." He turned away for a moment, tan skin facing Ritsuka as the king looked over the crowd. "What they suffer from now is the trauma from what was witnessed. They are not soldiers of a grand army nor knights of heaven. They are the commoners who slaughtered animals for food, not fellow men for joy."
But they had seen the Servants who did do that. Ritsuka felt his own hand shake at the memory. The memory of the man with the lance drawing for literal spears and spires from the ground, George breaking them before they could swewer him. He could recall the lightning dripped shadows attempting to cleave him, with Longinus and Sasaki holding him back.
"Jesus is comforting them, but they are confused." The king sighed deeply "It is a tragedy. We left to find a Servant and upon our return lost two."
"Two… Two?" He looked up, seeing Solomon staring down at him. "Who… Marie, but-"
"Wolfgang is no longer with us." The pit that had formed upon his awakening grew. "He played a symphony I'm not familiar with to hold back all of them. Long enough for all of us to gather the people and escape."
"H-How… Why?"
"The why is obvious," the king reprimanded with his voice. "The how may be beyond you. Know that it is part of George's legend to protect those who serve Jesus, as a guardian knight, and Jesus was among them, to give him strength." He let loose a long sigh. "Not the strength to slay the dragon, as I'd hoped, but instead to keep the citizenry safe. Necessary, I'm not about to push down the effort, but it still leads us at least a few dozen leagues away and with the enemy, at worst, confused about where we are."
"A… symphony?"
"It was doubtlessly a part of his Noble Phantasm." Solomon scratched at his eyes. "I thought before that it would be something akin to the dirge he wrote before his death, thus leading to his assumed poisoning, but it was wholly different. It was… uplifting, almost hope inspiring, but beyond detrimental to the others. Don't… ask me to describe it. You're wise enough to know the futility in describing sound."
It didn't keep him from wondering, and then from mourning. Mozart played a song with his Noble Phantasm… and then he died? That wasn't… that wasn't normal, was it? Mash didn't die with hers, but she was already gone… but Saber from Fuyuki didn't… or the others.
If he died… if Princess Marie Antoinette and Wolfgang Mozart were both dead… did they both die fighting to protect the Lord?
"I'm going to help the others."
"What!?"
"The people are scared, Ritsuka, and Jesus refuses to leave them to the fires around them." That was to be expected. "But I'm more than sure they were expecting God to descend and deliver them from all strife. That didn't happen, so now we're trying to calm them without losing them. If any of them run away, and one of the Rogue Servants finds them… they'll come for us again. We won't be ready."
He left with an ominous word, and Ritsuka staring at the departing king. It was silence, a ringing silence, that took his mind for a moment. Doubts and fears spilling into his mind. The Prana that had been taken form him, as Olga had said, fatiguing him. Now… now he was left to recover. Recovery that he could not wait for.
Ritsuka pushed at the floor to rise, feeling his body fight him as if begging to be one with the ground. He took in a wracking breath, feeling his body fight against the pain, and then give into it a moment later. A horrid cough that came from a parched throat. It was almost as if it as dried in flames, like a leave above burning coals. Coals burning burning burning burning burning-!
WHAM! Ritsuka slammed his fist into the floor. His arms were shaking. That was all it did. Shake his arm. The floor was fine.
If it was Longinus or George, the floor would be in pieces. If it was Sasaki, the building may be in two. If it was Mozart or Marie… if they were still here… it may have shaken the building. If it was his Lord, his wrath would have torn the city in two. Him… he could only shake his own arm.
He growled at nothing, curling into a ball to pick himself up. It hurt… and he didn't care to stop. His arms rubbed together, his sleeve catching on the wrist monitor for Chaldea. It rung like Solomon's rings, and he stared at it. Unharmed, fine, so unlike the Servants that had died. Those who died for him…
He was weak… and he was being told to do nothing because he was weak… and his body was pained because he was weak. He was weak in all but faith, but that was all he had. Faith… God…
"Jesus… my Lord," Ritsuka prayed, curled with clutched hands. "Please give me the strength to assist you. Please give peace to Princess Marie Antoinette and… Mozart. Forgive me for not remembering his first name. Forgive me for being weak. Please… make me strong so I may serve you. Please."
Unlike those who had seen come into church for their first time, desperate to pray and then furious when nothing changed, Ritsuka knew better than to wait for a miracle to descend upon him. God did not answer prayers with divine intervention. He did not move the world to answer whims. He was the creator of all and even Jobe learned of the trials he would bring to leave the world on a path to discover him.
Ritsuka knew better than to pray for his trails to be over. He prayed to be strong enough for them.
And a part of that was being strong enough to carry conversations he wasn't happy for.
That meant twisting his bracelet and bringing up the blue screen of Chaldea. It flashed for a few moments over him, showing the waiting transmission. He could only think of it like trying to connect a phone call, the definitions of Rayshifts and Spiritrons too much for him to push his head around. He didn't care to think on it now.
Not when the screen flashed and he saw the Director take her seat in front of the screen. Her face wasn't beaming, but she looked to be collecting herself. It was a face that lasted all of a moment before she stared at him.
"Ritsuka!" Her façade of calm vanished as he stared at him. "What happened? You look like you've been attacked!"
"I have…" he confirmed. He looked pas this shoulder, thinking on Solomon. The Wise King hadn't told them, likely because he could not. "We were."
The words did little to settle the woman on the other side of the screen, Da Vinci quick to enter the window as well. Their voices were muddled together for a moment, and the pain of fatigue hit Ritsuka again. He used it to push himself up, taking it as his weakness. He stood, but waited.
"Ritsuka, what happened?" Olga asked with a serious voice, but posture that promised her to be leaping from the chair in a moment. "Is Solomon okay? And the others?"
"Solomon is okay." Ritsuka knew that to be true. "I haven't seen the others yet… but-"
"You were separated?!" As promised, she stood from her chair, alabaster hair waving.
"No. I was unconscious. Solomon had to use his magic and…" He held up his shaking hand. He stared at it, and the pair of women on the other side of the screen did the same. He swallowed. "I know Jesus is safe, and George and Longinus. I haven't heard of Sasaki… but Marie and Mozart are dead."
"How?" Her voice was deathly still. Like a cloud of storms preparing to crack the sky with a roar. "Tell us what happened. Slowly. Everything."
Everything?
Ritsuka felt his breath quack in his throat. Everything meant Marie. It meant looking to the Servants. It meant the fires. It meant that woman. It meant the burning burning burning burning.
He took a long breath.
It was ironic, Ritsuka thought for a moment, how the true events happened in all of the span of a few minutes, but it still took him what felt like an hour to explain it to the Director and Da Vinic. An hour to let his breath catch, his body to slowly recover, and making standing easier. It still wasn't an easy hour. An hour spent recalling everything for Marie being shot, to seeing the Servants jeer and threaten his Lord.
All the way until he passed out as shields were raised, the Servants attacked, Sasaki, George, and Longinus fought, and a woman who was not the Holy Maiden laughed among the fires, those that were burning burning burning burning.
"And aside from Prana exhaustion, you are okay?" Olga finally asked. "You weren't hit by a stray strike or burned?"
"To be honest… if I was, I don't think I'd be alive."
"How right you are~." Da Vinci agreed. "Especially with the power that these Rogue Servants have. Holding back a pair of saints while Jesus is near and a famed Ronin."
"And the fires… and the wyverns." And the burning.
"Can you answer my question?"
"Sorry… I am okay." Ritsuka answered. He couldn't pull his face into a smile. "I'm, just… I don't know."
"Shocked I believe, though it is fortunate the fatigue from Prana exhaustion has set in at the same time. It's likely deluding the normal responses from shock, including panic, paranoia, and loss of inhibition~."
"Loss of what?"
"You're still acting like you, but obviously with a lot more on your mind. That's all she means." The Director clarified. "And now you had to face off against a woman like that, someone who clearly was using some kind of enforcement skill on the others."
"She was?"
"Very likely. As St. George and Longinus are both famed and old legends, so they should not have been, as you said, toyed with~, so easily." Ritsuka was honestly a bit happy to hear that.
"That makes me a fool." The words weren't what he was expecting from the Director. "I'm a fool because I was so sure you keeping Solomon with you and finally seeing Jesus again would mean you'd have little else to do but be a circuit for them. Going forward."
"What?"
"Our dear Director is admitting that she didn't want you to be more than a bridge~." Da Vinci's hologram like screen admitted. Olga didn't even give her a side-ways glance. "Though I must admit, with my genius, I thought she was correct. Having you focus on the absolute lowest basics of managing Servants rather than battle tactics."
"Having him learn battle tactics would be impossible." Olga spoke on. "I wanted… WANT him, you, to learn how to read basic skills a Servant is using. Something that only Masters can do."
"I don't… I don't understand."
"Maybe you're still in shock," the young woman muttered. "What I mean is that it's possible to interpret the powers of a Servant, for a skilled Master. Not all of their abilities, but their active skills. It would help to identify Servants and it would make plans against them easier. Now that we've lost both Marie and Mozart, and it being unlikely any other Servants from the enemy side have been killed, that's critical for making a plan."
"So because I couldn't tell you how that… woman did what she did… we are in a worst state." Ritsuka took a long breath of air. "I'm sorry."
"Normally I'd like that apology, but I'm not taking. I'm the one who was supposed to teach you." She pushed and rubbed her thumbs against her forehead. "Now all we know is that Jeanne D'Arc has been corrupted and-"
"That wasn't Jeanne." The sureness of his words had them both blinking at him. "I know… I know what she said, but that can't be Jeanne. It's impossible."
"You're walking side-by-side with your God. I thought you'd know that impossible is a word pretty far removed from seeing the dead." He kept himself from looking at his Lord, walking among the fearful masses.
"That's not it. It's impossible because Jeanne could not be corrupted. In her dying hour she asked God to forgive those burning her. To say that suddenly she wants to kill the Lord makes no sense. It's impossible, so it can't be her."
"The legend of the Maid of Orleans does say that, and she is heralded as one of the greatest potential Rulers because of it, but creation of a Servant without a concept isn't something the Grail is capable of."
"Then it wasn't the Grail. It can't be." Ritsuka shook his head. "It's… it's like saying one day Satan will conquer heaven. It simply cannot be."
"One is an impossibility of power, the other is another by fate." Olga tried to correct him. "I understand that she is a saint and I don't deny why, but you have to understand that you likely just stared at the cause of this twisted order of Humanity. Someone was able to corrupt her, and that can lead to the ruination of human kind." She waved her hand at something off screen. "We have the SHEBA system to prove it."
"Something else must be causing it." His response earned an annoyed growl from the woman. "It can't be her."
"She named herself, carried a banner like her-"
"If I claimed to be a grand Magus, would anyone here be able to deny that?" She blinked at him. "I'm not, and it would be a sin to claim it, but could I be denied?"
"Yes, by me."
"And I can deny that was Jeanne D'Arc!" Ritsuka argued back. "That woman summoned and bragged about the fires of hell! Fires that consumed with rampaging demons and whispers of death and burning-" He caught his breath. "And… And I do have proof!" He realized it with a relieved smile, the only thing he felt relief for.
"Oh~? Now I am curious as well. What did our dear Master see that my genius was unable to detect?"
"It's not what you couldn't detect, or… hear? It's what Jesus said." He looked at his Lord again, standing by a young girl who whimpered into his arm as he soothed her own. Burns vanishing as his hand ran down her sleeve. "He couldn't recognize her."
"That's more worrying than any kind of confirmation."
"He couldn't recognize her because she wasn't Jeanne! He even said she was never made in his father's plans." He pointed past them, the screen, and aimed his hand at where they fled from. He could still see smoke so far away, the burning burning burning burning fires too high and hot. "He knew who Edmond Dantes and Vlad Tepes were, but not her. Because they were real, but she wasn't."
"Edmond Dantes is not real." Olga voiced.
"What? But you just said-"
"The concept of him is real, but not him. The concept of the man that was written by Alexander Dumas in the Count of Monte Cristo, and was so beloved that many people through France thought it a true story of revenge that captured their hearts in times of unjust torment." She read as if from a screen. "Vlad is close, but not the same. He was real, the ruler of a small nation being besieged by the Ottomans, but he's famous for the story made from him."
"You may not be a master of foreign arts, young Master, but I'm sure even you have heard his tale~." Da Vinci continued to sing. "You have heard of Dracula, no~?"
He honestly had, but not from any effort he could claim.
"The vampire, right?" He received nods from both of the women. "I remember the sisters mentioning how it is sinful so many people in Japan worship being a Vampire, and then blame the love they have for a regal figure of evil."
"Maybe a bit harsh, but not far off. He is evil. Being that he is Vlad the Impaler. One who had his victims lifted onto pikes and placed around the roads into his home so that all approaching armies would see." Ritsuka felt his already empty gut twist. "That doesn't even begin to recount how he had parents eat their own children who-"
"Please stop." He shook his head, eyes clenched shut. "I don't… need to hear that…"
"No… you do, but this isn't the time for it." Olga relented. "But that's to emphasize that the two are well established concepts in the world without being completely real. The idea of Jeanne being corrupted is similar. It is Jeanne, but with the concept that she gave in."
"But she wouldn't, she didn't," his words had Olga leaning back on the blue screen. "And you just explained that the others… Vlad and Edmond, were people-"
"Concepts."
"Concepts, people, lives that existed. There's never a moment where Jeanne D'Arc would spit on the name of Jesus or worship hell fire! She wouldn't!" He shouted now. Heads had to be looking at him. He didn't care.
"Yes, but they are agreed concepts." Olga continued. "The idea of Dracula, Vlad, or the unreal Count of Monte Cristo are established concepts among many thousands of lives. The concept of Jeanne becoming corrupt is too vague to have her take form." She waved her hand in the air. "It would be like asking a thousand people to draw a cloud. They will all draw a different shape. Saying for them to create a Jeanne who is corrupt will give just as many false ideas."
"But the woman who attacked you is too sure, too powerful, to be a mere rouge concept." Da Vinci added. "Think of it this way Master. What would you do if you fell from the Lord's Grace? I think you would find the time to sleep in on Sundays~."
"I'd cut out my own heart." The answer made the pair stop. "I would never fall from God."
"But her point is there. You both thought of two different things. If this Jeanne that attacked you was just a concept, like Edmond, then she'd be one that most people agree with. But you, someone who may know the uncorrupt Jeanne better than anyone else, say that she isn't right. That has to mean she was corrupted."
"And I'm telling you that is impossible."
"Nothing is impossible, only unbelievable." The voice of the Wise King stole Ritsuka's attention, only to see the former doctor stone faced as he walked up. "Though I wish to believe the same as you, it would be against the wisdom of God to not believe in my lying eyes."
"I believe in the Lord's Grace, and how Jeanne is a saint who would not curse those who burned her even as the fires consumed her." He argued back. "And Jesus Christ did not recognize her as well. He knew of the other Servants who fell, so why not her?"
"Because she hates him."
"And those other two liked him?" His question was filled with fire. "No, he doesn't recognize her because she is not Jeanne. It is that simple, and trying to think otherwise is trying to excuse your lack of understanding."
"Oh~? Are you saying you have more intelligence than my genius~?" The eyes of the famed inventor looked through the blue screen. "I'd be thrilled to have a conversation with you then. Tell me of all the things I cannot understand."
"I will." Ritsuka did not bend. "I will and-"
"And it will be done at another time." Solomon stepped between him. The squawk of Olga was heard. "You have recovered little from me using my magic, and the other Servants need you. We will talk later, before we make our next move, but not now." He looked back at the screen. "Director, Da Vinci, take care." He grabbed Ritsuka's wrist before they could shout him down. The screen vanished there after.
That did not shield Ritsuka from the hard gaze of the Founder of Israel.
"Why did you do that?"
"Because we don't need an argument between us right now." The king glowered with the words. "It isn't the time to settle an argument. It's the time to give peace. Peace will not come through arguments. Those have to be put aside."
Ritsuka stared up at the man, who similarly kept his gaze cool, but high. His was the stare of a king who watched a kingdom rise with the power of God, while he was a simple Catholic, drawn into a fight for humanity. They were not the same.
"Peace… how am I meant to give peace? I couldn't even save two people who died in front of me." No… three… Mash had died before him. While she was burning burning burning burning burning. "I can't do anything but follow."
"You lead them who followed you." Solomon began. "They followed you because you were a light, and they need that light now."
"Why do they need me when our Lord is here?"
"Because he needs us." The answer, so simple, made him blink. "He needs us as he needed the Apostles and how he needed his Word spread. He is the Son of God, but that makes him a man. A man who can only travel as far as his legs will carry and voice stretch as far as it can be heard. We are those to carry his word, and we are those who assist God by doing so."
Ritsuka said nothing, staring up at the man who spoke to him as he was used to priests and fathers in discernment. Solomon's gaze did not sway as he did so.
"You feel a fire in you for what happened, and it is a fire you fear, for you have seen what it can consume." The burning burning burning. "I know, for I saw that same flame, and God gave me rings to quell them." His hand rung. "In my arrogance after raising a kingdom, I sent the rings in return to him, believing them unnecessary. That was a mistake on my part, not on Gods. Just as it was no mistake of Gods to have the Servants in this land meet you, enjoy your company, and follow your path."
"They didn't-"
"Sasaki follows you to learn of the Lord you love. Longinus enjoys your company to invite you to prayers. George followed you when you showed your devotion to Jesus." He bent lower. "Marie saw your care for her people and knew you were a soul that loved as Jesus commanded. Mozart was a child in heart who brought laughter with and through you, and you never spited him for it. And I follow you, for Jesus has faith in you. Who am I, who are you, to question his faith?"
"I am not." The answer was automatic. "I just…"
"Have doubts, for you have seen war." The Wise King spoke on. "You have before, but now you have seen how it destroys. You saw ruins, but now you see flames. Everywhere." Burning burning burning burning burning burning. "You should have no shame for this. You should have thanks instead."
"Thanks?" That he wasn't sure. "I was weak. Marie died because of me. Our Lord was in trouble, his people in danger, two of Servants who followed him dead because I-"
"Was thrown into a circumstance you've never seen before. Not without a shield before you." Solomon put a hand to his shoulder. It was lighter than Jesus's. "What you have now is regret, but you must turn that into purpose. Do not let the weight of regret become an anchor. Be it material to craft into a wheel to spin, or sword to strike. Let it be a symbol, a reminder, an object of pain into a source of strength."
"How is that supposed to work?" Ritsuka's answer finally pulled a smile from tanned lips.
"Just as Jesus took a fixture of execution, and transfigured it into one of hope." The words were enough to beat air into his lungs.
But Solomon pulled at his shoulder, spinning him around. It forced the young Master to take stock of where they were, actually were. In another town, surrounded by hundreds of faces. Those who had looked up to God and were forced out of a town they were resurrecting. Moments ago, they were fearful, they were enraged, they were desperate, just as he was.
Now, they were quiet. Ritsuka asked himself only for a moment how it was possible. Only one.
Because in the next, he saw Jesus standing before them, just as he had before, but now with arms extended, and with words flowing forth. Words flowing from him as water would a spring, and carrying with it a purity that invoked only love. No envy, no jealousy, no confusion. Love.
It had to be love, though he was too far away to hear. He knew it had to be wise, as everyone was crowding him, staring up at his Lord, who stood above them all. The dusk light cascading down upon him, through the alleys of the buildings, and silhouetting his divine body. Flanked by saints with famed weapons, he stood above them. A symbol of peace despite war.
"I can't say what he does justice." Solomon spoke beside Ritsuka. "I understand you can't hear him, and repeating him would be like listening to a choir through walls. But he is speaking that they have nothing to fear."
"In this world you will face my trails. But take heed, for I have conquered the world." Ritsuka let the quote flow. "It was said to show that no matter the fears we have, Jesus conquered death and returned from hell with the souls that could not reach heaven. A reminder… that no matter what this world does to us, his law is above the world."
He watched as Jesus extended his arm into the crowd, and a woman grasped it. The same woman that had guided them to George before. She stood at his side as she was lifted up, and he placed his hand on her shoulder. Kind words must have been said, because the woman bowed her head, letting the son of God put his hand on hers. Ritsuka deeply wanted to know what his Lord was saying.
Wanting to, but knowing that he was traveling with his Lord, but these people who looked up to him and loved him would only see him this once. He was blessed with walking through his lord through a valley of flames and destruction, but these here had only seen him as he kept them from beasts and flames.
Ritsuka watched his Lord work, and he felt his breath return.
"I once commanded such respect, you know." Solomon spoke next to him. Heard being so close to Ritsuka. "To have all heads turn and conversation stop as I spoke. It was because I was named the wisest in all the lands. But now that I stand before the Son of God, I am not even worth a glance."
"Is anyone?" Ritsuka returned. "The rest of us struggle with doubt, with guilt… with knowing that we aren't strong enough." He looked at the native French, as the woman held children and leaned on their men, as they crowded a town that was too small for all of them. "He was put through the worst of torture, and only asked for others to be forgiven."
"Indeed, much the same as the beloved Jeanne." Ritsuka shut his eyes for a moment, but he did not glance at the wise king. He heard laughter after that. "See? Even a comment meant to drag attention, and I'm not worth even a look of scorn."
"If the Director heard you… she might ask me to kick you."
"Jesus would not."
"No, but he would be able to shame you."
"Touché there!" Solomon patted his shoulder again. Rings clinked together, but the touch was lighter again. "He does have a way with words, enough to make kings bend, or to make those who witnessed death smile."
"Indeed he does. A truly grand ability. Perhaps the greatest I've seen so far." Sasaki spoke, the samurai stepping next to Ritsuka. It was the wave of his hair in the wind that showed his position. "I was prepared to have to defend you or the others from the soured natives, afraid for having witnessed war at their doorstop and being told to run. Greater leaders have made mats of their citizens for their fear."
"You though Jesus was about to do that?" Solomon questioned.
"No. I said I'd have to defend, for I thought your Lord was about to allow them to slay him. He has before, if I recall correctly." He chuckled, though Ritsuka was sure it wasn't from mirth. "It shows my lack of understanding for the man, being ale to placate them. It is hardly a wonder then why he has the love of so many."
"Settles your worries upon my yoke. I shall carry them." Ritsuka spoke. "He will unburden us with our fears and regrets. And all we must do is keep holy his name and laws."
"And as I have said, many other Lords have asked for much more while offering much less." He hummed, even as Jesus continued to speak. "I am not yet one to put my life in his hands, but I have little to question for you or the others to do so. He is a grand Lord."
"The King of Hosts, the ruler of all Lords." Solomon responded. Ritsuka smiled as he listened to them, for he still could not hear his lord.
Not until he saw the Son of God extend a hand towards him.
"And to you, Mystic of Chaldea." All eyes turned to him, and he had little idea why. "You who see hope where all others see fire." The words brought a chill to him.
A chill that turned to sweat as he saw the fires raging around him. The fires of Fuyuki swallowing him as demons laughed and the monster swarmed. And the people that he thought were there were laughing and he tried to pick up a dead girl who wouldn't answer. Roaring and cackling fire and demons laughed from the pits of the earth up to him. Then he saw the Director falling as boney fingers tore into her and he was lifted above the smoke to see the ruins-
Clap! He was brought back to the blue sky and silence with a hand on his shoulder.
Heavy, sure, and carrying a warmth that made any fire mute, connected to a man that made words unnecessary. Yet still he spoke, with a Word that could not be emulated.
"Peace be upon you, Mystic of Chaldea, you who heard of the pain of others and thought not of yourself, but how to care for them. You who in the pits of torment prayed to me and my father, and begged for help." The Lord smiled on him. "In fires unnatural to my father's will, you carried faith in me. And in doing so, you were saved."
Ritsuka took a long breath, feeling the cool air settle his body. The fires in his mind drifting away, smoke billowing away to clean clouds. His Lord, his light, shining down upon him.
"For you I offer my peace, for you and give my thanks, for you are one who shows the fruits of my father's kingdom, and for you I desire others to follow. You, who see the pains of the world and have yet to ask what can be done for your, but what you may do for all. My father's kingdom is meant for souls such as yours."
He stared up at his lord, at the Son of God, as he shared praise that he little knowledge of its birth. Why was his Lord congratulating him? Why was he offering him praise? He did nothing earlier. Marie and Mozart were gone and… and he didn't do anything.
Clap. His Lord's other hand fell on his opposite shoulder, and he stared into the blue eyes of God.
"You are feeling yourself fall." The words were prophetic as they were omniscient. "You see failure and believe yourself unworthy. Know that I hold no blame for you, as you never placed blame on me. The trails you have witnessed have been great, but still you have not left the path I have lain. And for that, you have not marred your eternal soul. Your mind is heavy, your body burdened, but so long as I smile upon your, your soul shall not be harmed."
Prophetic as only the Son of God could be, he felt his soul lift.
"Never forget the Beatitudes, written by my apostle. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." The famous verse, spoken from its original mouth, made his weary mind settle.
But nearly so much as being drawn into a hug by his Lord.
"Comfort from my father can only come when loss is experienced. Love can only be known when you are aware of the pain of doubt. These trails will come to you, but let them be upon you like clouds to the sky. A moment of darkness that serves only to remind you of the light it hides."
Jesus leaned back, and Ritsuka let him. He let his Lord look at him again with his arms' grasp, and smiled upon him.
"A cloud hangs over this land, Chaldean Mystic. I have need of you to dispel it."
He did not need to ask if he would help. The answer was already known.
A chalice shattered along the far wall.
"Careful with what you break. There is so little to enjoy the wine with."
"Fuck your wine and fuck your things!" Archer screamed, pointing at Saber with a shaking hand. "You don't know how furious I am! If I had a sword to match my anger, I'd make Michael tremble!"
"Is that a famous soldier from your time?"
"He is the hand of God! The one who bound Satan to hell and right now second to my fury!"
"Oh dear Archer! Your anger at the cruel God is just, but do not think your anger second only to the viciousness of an angel!" The pair looked over to see Caster approaching, arms wide and his smile matched only by bugged eyes. "Do not forgo the anger of our beloved and blessed Maiden! Do not look upon her and think the justice taken from you is akin to her!"
"How could it compare!?" Archer stepped forward, going nose to nose with the man. "I had the chance to kill that man and she stopped me! Had the Son of God in my sights and she said no! Why shouldn't I be furious!?"
"Because you killed a woman who was a cornerstone of the apathy of this cruel nation!" Caster bellowed.
The walls shook as he rose to his great height, and Saber leaned off the wall with a hand on his blade. Archer stepped back as the mad Caster leaned forward, all but drooling as he hunched like the monsters he doubtlessly slept among.
"Our fairest lady was cruelly mocked by the Son of God! Said never to be and made to think not even worth approach! The pair of men who committed atrocities against the lord were given more notice than she who fought for him! Proof she was abandoned despite all she did in life!" A long cruel digit pointed at Archer in his rant. "Can you dare to think you'd be ignored in the same way!? Do you dare to think that the Lord God would mock you as viciously as he did our great matriarch!?"
The walls shaking began to slow, the crumbling molding coming to a still. The fine works of art that clung to the wall settled in uneven positions, framing the trio of Servants standing around one another. Off to the side, the Master ate without a word or comment.
"She's a woman who saw the truth about God after fighting for him," Saber interrupted. "And really, all she did was get proof that fathers don't care for their children's efforts. She should be so happy she got proof of it."
"I'd be happy if I could just kill the man. Wouldn't that make her happy?"
"It would be a grand gift, but do not speak of things you cannot deliver!" Caster roared again. "You need time to use your Noble Phantasm again, and you must use it now to strike the Lord!"
"I was going to before! SHE was the fool that-"
WHAM! He got no further.
Not before Caster, with the speed of a Lancer had him lifted by the throat and slammed against the wall. Archer choaked, feet slamming against the wall as he kicked uselessly for air. Saber watched, hand not leaving the hilt of his blade. Kadoc laughed in the corner.
"Speak no fault of our Maiden. She brought you into this world by her love, and she has already done more for you than the foolish God that made of you a joke." He dragged Archer down, letting his nails tear at the founding of the wall. "She suffers with you, whereas God enjoys your suffering. If faults were made, then take them upon yourself to correct. You drew blood whereas she was denied even name."
If Archer tried to respond, it was literally repressed by the hand clenched at his throat. A wet gurgle rose from him as he continued to kick, with the broken Master at the room's end doubtlessly watching with mild entertainment. Like all things he was able to enjoy, it was quickly relieved.
"Alright, that's enough." Caster looked at the hand placed on his own, following it towards the blue-haired Saber. Sharp eyes looked into his own. "Get as mad as you want, but if you start killing the Servants on our side, it would defeat the point of what was accomplished, wouldn't it?"
"You speak wisely, Saber." Caster let loose another wide grin, releasing Archer at the same moment. The Servant fell and coughed, rubbing his throat. "We were able to silent the dissenting voices of two Servants, following a fallen God and show them the might of our truth. The rage and wrath of those denied by God against those still blind enough to stare upon his light and think it holy." The man shivered in his long robe. "What a callous lack of truth."
"Whatever it is, it isn't time for us to fight. Now is the time to hunt." Saber turned, staring at the decrepit Master on the floor. "If what you said was true and they are trying to keep the people safe, then that can be something to exploit. Much like an army valuing a building more than its arms."
"Aiming to strike down the weak who call upon God? A marvelous idea! Truly rich decadence that will allow them to feel the horror of following a unworthy being!" He cried to make the walls shake. "To be able to chase away the weak who would feast on the strong-!"
"Don't make it into a sick play," Saber interrupted. "I just know better than when you're dealing with a strong opponent, its easier to handle them when you aim for a weakness. If they value the people more than their own lives, we aim for them. It's simple, and I simply want this to be over quick."
"So long as they suffer as you do so, then it shall be!" Caster cackled for the Saber's words.
He stopped only when Archer pounded the walls, rising to his full height. Beneath the pair of them, but enough to stare scornfully at the pair. It was a gaze with little effect.
"Where is she?" Archer's question had Caster and Saber staring at him. "Jeanne, the Fallen Ruler, this unfortunate tortured soul." He drawled. "Where the hell did she go?"
"Ah, wondering about her presence now? Fear not four our dear matron is in meditation." Caster folded his hands as he spoke. "She is doubtlessly plotting in the way to best destroy the wandering fools who believe the Son of God with them is a shield for their strife, and still fail to recognize the anchor that pulls them into the depths."
"And now I am done."
The three of them looked, the Master gazing from the corner, as Jeanne walked into the room again. His armor undamaged, figure strong, and the fire in her eye enough to make the air billow around her. Only Caster grinned, filled with cheer.
"The Son of God is not all I thought he would be, and I already thought him little. Unable to recognize a Holy Maiden who stands before him, caring more for the viler Servants." She scowled as her boots clicked on the ground. "He is only worth burning as I did. That and nothing more."
"Finally! Finally you agree he can die now!" Archer all but screamed. "Here I was ready for you to say 'let's kill the Master first' or 'let him falsely lead the people', and then let him do more damage!"
Her boot cracked the ground as she spun on her heel. The air shook about her.
"He'll do nothing else but speak false words, like the false prophet he is!" Her cry cracked the windows. "He'll die as I did, screaming for his father for mercy but finding none! Those he swore to protect and sacrificed to do so running from him in fear for their own lives! He'll die and we shall have this world burn with him!"
Caster clapped at her words, Archer and Saber watching as she continued to march past them. Her boots were the only sound in the grand hall, and the Master who supplied them unwilling power ate on charred bones. Her eyes were forward on the window, and her gauntlet raised as she approached.
"He will burn. They all will burn. And they will burn in the darkest fire that man has ever witnessed."
"What fire is that?" Saber dared to ask. "You didn't jump into hell for it, did you?"
"I fell into hell, and I crawled out with this power." Her snarl of sharp teeth made him squint. "Carried not in my blade but in my soul. And the one to spread it is another that looked upon God, but recognized his folly." She turned her hand over and clenched it.
The cracked windows shattered, raining glass on the hall. All covered themselves as the debris made to scratch and tear at them, but Jeanne did not shirk away. She stared up at the mess of remaining of the windows, even as the broken glass carried with it a plume of heated air. Hot enough to be mistaken for a volcano's core, and loud enough to have the armies of France fall.
She stared through the window, as the source of the destruction and heat turned the day black, and darkened the sky before night could rise. She grinned viciously up at it.
"I was once the Maid of Orleans, but my title is different now. My name was given by God, but my title is won through the trials I endured, and he forsake me for. So now I am that which no child of God would ever wish to be, but I embrace.
The walls that remained from the windows fell, and the grand hall in the castle tumbled. Now the Master was pulled away, the crackles of lightning concealing him. He looked up to see Edmond staring down at him, smile vicious as he looked up at the figure that had torn the grand castle apart. The others did the same, looking with gaze of awe and appreciation, amazement and confidence.
What else was to be felt as a monster with an eye as large as their body stared down at them, with wings that could swallow the entire building, and a maw fit to devour the people within?
"I am Jeanne D'Arc, The Dragon Witch."