Chapter 19: Ally.
Jumping onto the balcony of a high-rise hotel, Lancer materialized into existence. He relaxed, only to be met with a sharp, feminine voice from the bed.
"You damn idiot!" Bazett shouted, berating him.
"A patient like you should be resting," Cú reminded his Master, shrugging off the harsh comment with a wry smile.
He leaned on the railings, gazing out at the sprawling forest of concrete and glass. For someone like him, such towering buildings were a sight to behold—a testament to how far humanity had come since his time, despite the decline of all that was magical. It also served as a reminder not to get too careless in battle. The humans of today were incredibly fragile due to the lack of mana, a single swipe from Gae Bolg could level an entire building and kill hundreds if he wasn't careful. It was honestly annoying having to hold back, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Inside the room, lying atop a plush bed, was an injured Bazett Fraga McRemitz. One of her arms was wrapped in bandages, the result of a vicious encounter that left her with numerous slashes. She had just narrowly escaped death. After meeting with Kirei Kotomine, the overseer of the War, the priest had betrayed her. However, Lancer, ever vigilant due to the ominous note they had received earlier, easily repelled the man's attempt on her life and made a swift escape.
"Couldn't you have at least tried to hide your True Name? Now two Servants know who you are!" Bazett pointed out, her frustration evident.
"Meh, not my style. And it's not like I told her who I was, she just figured it out on her own," Cú replied nonchalantly.
"Wonderful," she muttered, dropping onto her back and staring blankly at the ceiling. She knew of the dangers this War presented, but it was already proving to be more difficult than she initially thought.
"I know I am, woman," Lancer smirked. He gripped the cursed spear, casually twirling it around his hand. "If I wasn't so awesome, that Archer wouldn't have recognized me."
He suddenly whipped his head to the side, narrowly avoiding a bottle-turned-projectile. The object whizzed past his face and tumbled to the ground below. Lancer glanced down at the bustling street, briefly worrying for anyone unlucky enough to get caught by his Master's ire.
"Shut—up," Bazett commanded, her voice a mix of exhaustion and wrath. She's already been through a lot in such a small period of time, she doesn't need to hear her Servant's prattlings about how awesome he is.
Lancer sighed and turned his gaze back to the cityscape. Truly, Cú Chulainn's life was filled with nothing but violent women.
As the sun rose past the horizon, I roused from my slumber and made my way to the entrance, quietly as to not awaken Saber who slept in the room next to my own. On my way there, however, I encountered a groggy Sakura who had just woken up as well.
"Morning," I greeted with a smile.
"Good morning, Senpai," she returned, pushing back a yawn. "Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah. I'm heading to the Temple to talk with Caster," I announced.
"Oh," she blinked, before nodding. She already knew what I had in stock for today, so my words didn't come out as a surprise. Today was the day I meet up with Caster—also known as Medea of Colchis—and hopefully turn her into an ally, or at least not an immediate enemy.
"Don't worry, I'll be back before breakfast," I reassured.
"Ah, wait," she called out, stopping me in my tracks. "Before you leave, my familiars recently found a white-haired girl that looked exactly like Illyasviel roaming around the place. Like you said, she has a Command Seal on her hand—Berserker, if I'm not mistaken."
"I see," I noted. So, she's finally here, huh? That took a while. I just hope our meeting won't be as brutal as the original. "Did you see her Servant by any chance?"
"No." Sakura shook her head. "She either came outside alone or Berserker remained invisible."
"Well, nothing we can do about that. Thanks for the info." I gave her gentle pat on the head.
She accepted my show of affection, then spoke, "No problem, Senpai. Make sure to come back quickly, Saber might wake up soon and get mad about you leaving without her."
Slipping my footwear on, I opened the door and went outside to complete my goal for today. After much traversing, I arrived at the foot of Ryuudou Temple without complications.
With one step after another, I ascended the stairs leading to temple, calm and purposeful. As I neared the gates, I found nothing amiss, worrying me slightly. From what I recalled, a Servant—one summoned by Caster through dubious means—should have been standing guard, protecting the entryway from intruders. Yet, no such guardian was present.
No… something was there. I just couldn't see it. My head swiveled left and right, trying to pinpoint the source of the intense glare I felt bearing down on me, but I couldn't determine its exact position. A short laugh echoed in my mind; so this was what it felt like to be on the receiving end of Presence Concealment? I could see how infuriating it must be for my opponents.
I continued my march, fully expecting some form of resistance from the Assassin. Yet, I passed through the gates without encountering anything. I was certain someone was there, but they chose not to reveal themselves. A creeping sense of unease began to gnaw at me. Had something happened here?
Fortunately, my worries were proven false as a finely dressed Souichiro Kuzuki stepped into my field of view.
"What brings you here, Emiya?" Kuzuki started.
"Ah, sensei. I'm here to talk, actually. It's about certain… developments that's been going on around town," I answered, peeking left and right to get my message across.
"We may want to do this inside, away from prying eyes," he said, ushering me inside the Ryuudou Temple.
The moment I passed through the foyer, a cold sensation crawled across my back. The world fell into a state of maddening quietness, as if every living being on it had vanished all at once; I had entered a Bounded Field, one crafted so masterfully that I didn't even notice it beforehand. Instead of panicking, however, I kept my countenance and resumed my stride.
Right on cue, a familiar woman wearing a casual getup emerged from one of the adjacent rooms, greeting us. Seeing her, a hint of relief flashed through my eyes. Good, she made it here without issues, like the priests had promised.
"A visitor this early in the morning?" the woman said as the three of us gathered around a low table. Her penetrating gaze roamed along my figure, a smile sprouting on her lips. "Oh my, aren't you a cute one?"
"This is Emiya, the student I was talking about with you the other day," the former assassin introduced, motioning towards me.
"Oh? So you're that kid those monks keep mentioning every now and then. The pretty boy," she comments, her interest suddenly waning. "I couldn't help but notice that you seem a little glad upon seeing me. Have we met before, by any chance?"
"We've never met, but I have seen you before this," I revealed. "I'm here to discuss something with you and Kuzuki-sensei specifically."
"Don't keep a lady waiting, boy. Speak what's on your mind," she signaled.
Gathering my wits, I began, "I'm sure you realize by now that I'm a Master, correct?"
"I'd be blind not to notice the Command Seals engraved on your hand," Caster scoffed. "Quite reckless of you to enter another magus' territory, don't you think? What if I do something to you right now?"
"Caster, let us hear what he has to say first before doing anything hasty," Kuzuki interjected.
"Haah," she sighed. "Since you came here with no ill-intentions and an old acquaintance of my Master, I'll give you a single chance. So, what are you here for? to propose a ceasefire, perhaps? Or do you seek to become my apprentice?"
Being a mage that hailed from the Age of Gods, her knowledge of the mystic arts were extremely valuable to the modern world. So it didn't come as a surprise she thought that I was after her expertise. Unfortunately, that wasn't what I was here for.
"None of that." I shook my head. "I'm not here to sign an alliance, but to forge a new friendship that'll extend way after the Holy Grail War ends," I said, keeping my words brief.
"And why should I agree? We are supposed to kill each other, are we not? You're all alone in my domain, I can get rid of you with a snap of my fingers and easily take the Commands Seals from your rotting corpse," she responded, finding no value in my offer. "I fail to see how being your friend could be as useful as having an extra batch of those."
"Trust me, my presence would help you in more ways that you'd think," I argued. "I could even aid you in settling down here, keep unsavoury people away from bothering you. Isn't that what you wanted? To live a life of peace with your beloved?"
Medea's story was one of tragedy, a helpless victim of powers beyond her control. She was forced to love a man she's never seen before—Jason—which lead to her eventually betraying her own family, even slicing her brother into pieces… all due the whims of a certain goddess. The years came and went and her story was passed down from one to another, becoming known as the Witch of Betrayal, ostracized by acts that was no part her fault. But I knew the truth, having seen it unravel before my very eyes in a past life. Her wish was fairly simple—to live a life with her loved one.
"And how do you know that?" she growled, her voice lowering into a dangerous octave. With a crackle of refined magical energy, her Servant gear manifested over her current attire. "If you're here to harm my Master, you will regret it,"
"Caster, calm yourself. There is no need to be aggressive when he has yet to do anything that demands such a response." Kuzuki placed a hand on Medea's shoulder, stopping her from doing anything rash.
Pacified by her Master's pleas, she regained her composure and pronounced, "Speak, boy. Pick your next words wisely as they will determine whether or not you reach the afterlife."
Well, I don't know about that; I'm confident my agility alone could overwhelm her, if not, then the dozen or so Noble Phantasms stored within my Gate of Babylon should be enough to blow this mountain into smithereens. But there's no need to mention that. I was here to make friends, not enemies.
"I promise you that my intentions for coming here is without malice. If anything, I'm wishing you the best." I avowed, unperturbed by her display. Next, I expressed my sincerity by lowering my head. "You've been through a lot, you deserve this much peace and quiet. If I could help it, I don't want us to be enemies."
"So you know who I am, then? You sound pretty convinced," she observed, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Caster did not know how I came to discover her wish, making her slightly distrustful of me. "Yet, despite knowing what became of my legend, you're still willing to befriend someone like me? The likelihood of me stabbing you in the back is pretty high," the Witch of Colchis professed, hoping to plant some doubt into my psyche.
"Trusting you is my decision, proving me wrong is yours." My words left the Witch speechless, even the ever stoic Kuzuki gave a reaction by raising his brows a bit.
After a moment of silence, Medea broke free from her stupor, barkung out a genuine laugh. "The absolute gall of this boy, hah! Had Jason been more like you, maybe he had even the smallest of chances. He knows nothing but talk big words of no essence."
"I suggest we take the offer, Caster. Having another Master, especially someone like Emiya, on our side would do us great," Souichiro whispered to her ear.
"Fine. If Dearest insists," the Servant complied.
In truth, she had been frustrated by the Church priests' constant presence all over the city, which prevented her plan to cover Shinto and Miyama with a barrier that would siphon mana off the townsfolk from happening. Perhaps collaborating with another Master would be a better alternative. Though she would keep her guard up just in case.
"Unless you throw the first blow, I won't incinerate you into ashes. You got it?" Caster warned, before adding, "But don't expect me to act all chummy anytime soon just because of that."
"Better than being met with hostility, I suppose. Thank you," I bowed once more.
"Keep those words to yourself," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Now, do you need anything else or is that it?"
"Ah… well, I was a bit curious about something, if you wouldn't mind answering." Caster kept her silence, waiting for me to continue. "What's up with the Servant by the front gate?" I remarked.
"You noticed that? Quite the eye you have, you're better than you look," she praised. She was impressed by my ability to detect the Assassin Servant despite their Presence Concealment skill making it nearly impossible to do. "I suppose you're entitled to know. I have them on standby in the event of an attack. So don't try anything, boy."
From my recollection, Caster was supposed to summon the Assassin-class Servant—Sasaki Kojirou. But it appears that didn't happen. At the very least, whoever she called forth as replacement to shield her base wasn't some blood thirsty maniac who killed on sight, as proven by them allowing me entry to the temple.
"No worries, I won't." With a nod, I steadily lifted myself off the ground.
"Hmm?" she hummed, seemingly out of surprise. "Not even slightly curious as to why another Servant is guarding my territory?"
"There's no need to stick my nose deeper than it already is," I stated, shrugging lightly. "That's about everything, I shouldn't take any more of your time than I already have."
"Have a safe trip home, Emiya. Make sure to keep your eyes open for anything out of the ordinary," Kuzuki gave his farewells, advising caution.
"The same could be said to you, Kuzuki-sensei. You know where to find me if you require help. Goodbye." Stepping out of the Bounded Field's invisible borders, the frozen world retained its lost vigour.
Artoria Pendragon opened her eyes and found herself stumped. She woke up surrounded by an ethereal membrane, making everything beyond it blurry and nearly unidentifiable. As she looked around the parts where she could actually see, she realized that she was standing in front of the Emiya manor, just outside the gates, but she couldn't remember how she had gotten there.
Her suspicions grew as a quiet clack echoed across the field, and a young boy with red hair, no older than twelve, emerged from the house, determination burning in his eyes.
"Shirou?" she thought, her mind stirring. The child before her was undoubtedly a younger Shirou Emiya. "Ah, I see. This is a Dream Cycle, is it not?" Saber quickly concluded, clearing up her confusion.
Dream Cycles were an odd thing. It was the manifestation of the connection between a Servant and their Master—their bond—allowing one to witness the other's life in the form of dreams. Rare as they were, since Servants typically did not need sleep, the chance still existed. And it seemed she was experiencing one now.
Silently, she followed the young Shirou, finding no reason to look elsewhere. It felt strange; her feet never actually touched the ground, and her steps were lighter than a feather. It was more like she was gliding rather than walking as she trailed the boy.
She watched as he skillfully broke into the Matou mansion and confronted the head of the Matou family in the basement. She found it foolish of him to willingly deprive himself of the element of surprise just to talk, but she kept her thoughts to herself.
"Odd." For reasons unknown to her, some of Shirou's thoughts were blurred, drifting into a cacophony of noise like a broken stereo. Perhaps it was a byproduct of her unique peculiarity as a living being-turned Servant? She wasn't certain.
The atmosphere between them was tense, the boy's intent to kill practically overflowing. So why had he broken in here? Her question was soon answered. It was in that basement that Sakura's fate as the Holy Grail's vessel was revealed, along with the horrific lengths Zouken had gone to in order to torment her. Saber was disgusted to the core, wanting nothing more than to erase the old monster's existence with her blade. Alas, she could do nothing but observe.
To her surprise, Shirou managed to best the old magus in his own domain after a struggle. Impressed, Saber began to see her Master in a new light. If he was this powerful all those years ago, what might he be capable of now?
Soon enough, Shirou left the now ownerless abode and encountered a flock of priests. He quickly brushed them aside and rushed home, where he found a writhing Sakura in her room. In a moment of panic, he rushed to her side and held her with both arms.
As a blinding glow enveloped them, Saber abruptly snapped her eyes open, ending the dream before she could witness the conclusion. She rose from her sleeping position, rubbing her eyes as her thoughts lingered on the expression young Shirou had worn—a mix of victory and great relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. His happiness seemed so... genuine.
For a child to carry such a weighted expression… she was intimately familiar with that feeling. Saber looked down at her open hands, lost in thought. Unlike Shirou, however, she had yet to shake the burdens that still weighed heavily on her back.
END.
A/N: It's a bit rough around the edges, but good enough for me.
Non-canon extra 2: Parallel mayhem.
It was a peaceful, wintry sunday in Chaldea—well, as peaceful as it can get when it involves countless legends of a bygone era. Let's ignore all of that for now and focus on the important stuff; today was a rather special day for Ritsuka Fujimaru, as he had finally summoned another Servant after wasting a mountain's worth of Saint Quarts (May God rest his soul).
The Servant was a man of tall stature wearing a gray cloak over their lithe yet muscular frame, while a pure-white helmet with two horns protruding from each side encased his head. Through the helmet's eye-holes reveals a hollow visage devoid of eyes, as if staring into the abyss itself.
Currently, him and Mash are giving the new Lancer-class Servant a tour of the place, visiting various areas such as the training room where Cú Chulainn and his parallel selves occupied most of the time, medical bay where Nightingale basically lived, and the dormitories where employees and Heroic Spirits alike retire for the night after a hard day's work.
"Well, there's only really one place that we haven't gone to yet," Ritsuka mentioned.
"And what would that be?" the newly summoned Lancer asked.
"The kitchen, which is nearby—about two more turns," the Last Master of Humanity answered, pointing forward. With a nod, the trio sauntered through Chaldea's muted halls in comfortable silence, until the adorable eggplant kohai decided to ask a question.
"Um, Lancer-san?" the aforementioned Servant turned, waiting for her to continue. "It'd be confusing to call you Lancer since there's already a lot of them around. What should we call you?"
"Yeah. We can't just call you 'Lancer'. Everyone here usually goes by their name, except a select few," Ritsuka chimed in.
"Hm…" Lancer hummed, thinking. "Then I'm afraid you'll have to increase the nunber of Servants who refuse to disclose their name, as I would like my True Name to remain hidden. Though, you may call me "Hollow Knight" for now."
Ritsuka didn't bother asking the reason, there's already a lot of Servants here who kept their identity to themselves. One more won't make a difference.
"Oh… I see," Mash nodded. She then looked at the brilliant spear in his hand and asked, "I've been wondering, why does your weapon look like Rhongomyniad?"
"Because it is the very same one, little girl. It's merely been modified to be more slim," the Hollow Knight revealed without a second thought. The two were shocked at the revelation that someone else apart from Artoria wielded the divine spear, but quickly dispelled their surprise and continued walking. They've been hit with more surprising things before. A minute passed, and they finally arrived at the cafeteria.
"Well, here we are," Ritsuka announced. Nearing the entrance, the door slid open to reveal a rather spacious eatery filled to the brim with hungry Heroic Spirits chowing down on their meals.
As they entered, a voice exploded near the front of the kitchen, "Hey, Copycat! isn't it my turn in the kitchen today?"
"Piss off, Fraud. Can't you read?" the other individual, the 'Copycat', shot back while pointing at a calendar stuck on the wall.
"Says the bitch who can't think of anything original. How about we meet up in the training grounds? I'll show you a technique I haven't used since the Heian era," the 'Fraud' countered, causing the Copycat's brows to twitch in agitation.
"Oh? What's that technique supposed to be? Kneeling down on your knees and using your lips to get rid of my stress?" the Copycat scoffed. "I'm flattered, but I'm into women."
"Would it even matter? You and I, we literally look like cute girls despite being men. We can even invite Chevalier and Paris if you want, I wouldn't mind," Fraud returned with a less than brilliant rebuttal, the corners of his mouth sliding upward.
"Still a 'no' for me—wait, you didn't even deny it." Copycat's face twisted in horror. "Get away from me, you sexual deviant!"
"Stay the hell away from the Malevolent Kitchen, then I'll get out of your hair!" the 'deviant' started pushing the other person away from the cooking station rather forcefully, which was met with resistance. They dropped to the ground, grappling with one another in ways that's unsafe for children to witness.
Meanwhile, a small group emerged from kitchen area, watching the pair's squabble unfold. Minamoto-no-Raikou placed a hand on her lips, giggling, "Uh-oh, they're at it again, it seems."
"Haah…" Boudica sighed. "I don't really know if they're supposed to be enemies or lovers at this point. Are they fighting or cuddling? Also, since when did this place get renamed to Malevolent Kitchen?"
"I think it's wonderful!" Tamamo-no-Mae remarked, watching the two wrestle on the floor. "Aah… if only Husband treated me the same way," she then went off to her own little world.
Ritsuka, Mash, the Hollow Knight, and practically everyone else nearby, watched the drama as well with an amused expression. This happened quite often, so nobody made a fuss about it. They merely treated it as entertainment. The new Lancer Servant stilled, recognition flashing through his nonexistent eyes.
"Ah, sorry about that, Hollow Knight. Those two… well, I don't know why but they keep fighting, but I assure you they're good people. They just can't stand each other for some reason," Ritsuka explained the pair's dynamic.
"For my sanity's sake, who are those two?" Lancer inquired. His sight never left the duo, feeling a spark of connection between them.
"Ah? Oh, the 'Copycat' is an Archer who goes by 'Nameless'. While 'Fraud' is also another Archer who goes by 'Sukuna'," his Master responded. "No one really knows who they are since they kept their names a secret, but some Japanese Servants thinks Sukuna is from the Heian era by the way he dresses and how he keeps mentioning an ability he hasn't used since that time. Nameless on the other hand, we have nothing apart from that he may have been from a time either before or right after Gilgamesh due to how much Noble Phantasms he has."
"They're also the best chefs we have," Mash added with a smile.
"Huh… I see," Lancer drifted off. Nameless and Sukuna continued bantering, arguing who gets to use the kitchen and other pointless nonsense, until another figure came into the equation, breaking them up by pulling the other away.
"There's no need for strife, but rather, show kindness to one another," the newly added person attempted to stop the chaos, wearing a hypnotizing smile on their adorable face as they gazed down on the two.
"And that's Miquella, a Ruler-class Servant… and also another person who doesn't want to reveal their identity," Ritsuka introduced. For some reason, he felt a surge of bloodlust escape the Hollow Knight's form as he took stock of Miquella's effeminate appearance, before fizzling away.
Lancer nodded, glaring at the trio. Nameless and Sukuna, as if their prior rivalry never existed, gave a coordinated nod to one another before tackling Miquella down and pinching his cherub cheeks while tickling his sides at the same time.
"Halt—oww! Cease your actions—unhand me at once!" the pale-haired crossdresser pleaded, eyes watering from their combined might.
To the side, various men and women, both humans and Heroic Spirits alike, grit their teeth in frustration. These people were none other than faithful followers (fanatics) of Miquella the Kind. So seeing their idol, the one who stole their hearts, being treated like that made them angry. But they knew they couldn't do anything, as both Sukuna and Nameless were some of the strongest Servants out here, even besting the King of Heroes. One day… one day those blasphemous evil-doers will feel their wrath for bullying the one and only Miquella.
"Silence, traitor. You gave in to the temptation unlike us," Nameless said, his voice lowering into a dangerous octave. No one really understood what he was saying, but they didn't put much thought into it, chalking it up to his usual unhinged behavior. "Time for some punishment, O' ever wonderful Miquella. Astolfo, go get the rope in my room," he commanded.
"Oh? We're doing that today? Yes sir!" Astolfo gave a cute salute before running off, presumably to collect the item Nameless had mentioned.
"I beseech thee, anything but the rope! I cannot endure such torment again! I shall embrace thee as we rest beside each other. I know thou dost love them!" Miquella shouted rather suggestively, fear evident in his voice.
Hearing this offer, Miquella's followers felt their hearts crack, mind gradually fading into dust, only to reawaken with fire in their eyes. 'That's not fair! That should've been me, not him!' they all collective thought, jealous.
"Can I get a waffle?" another voice interjected amidst the chaos. "Can I please get a waffle?"
"Go get it yourself, you disabled gremlin," Sukuna halted his actions to reply, then went back to bullying and teasing the Ruler Servant who was wiggling on the floor, at his and Nameless' mercy.
"The one that asked for a waffle is the Good Hunter, a Foreigner class Servant. We do not know why but he likes to stroll around in a wheelchair even though he can walk perfectly fine," Ritsuka said, feeling second hand embarrassment from their antics.
"Quite the lively cast of characters Chaldea has. Not a second of boredom, I see," the Hollow Knight voiced out, almost like a whisper. What a wonderful place, Chaldea is.
END.
A/N: Pure randomness.