Summary: When their Master is taken prisoner just after a Ruler Moriarty tries and fails at controlling one of their own, none of the Grailed are going to stand for it.

Note: Playing through Sections 4-7 of Lostbelt 6.5 Traum had me thinking a lot. And considering how much the previous chapter in Lost Day 7 let me get some steam/rage off, well.

Time to go AWOL on the canon story. Again. :)

(Especially when looking at my increasingly incompetent coworker counterpart has had me swallow growing rage that's been around for four. Whole. Months. Still swallowing it, so I wrote it out instead.)

GIANT spoiler warning for Sections 4-7 of Traum by the way! And content warning for more graphic violence and cursing.

The theme for this chapter is Disorder by ReoNa from Sword Art Online: Gun Gale Online Alternative; with alternatives being (1) Justice, the opening to Fate/Extella Link, (2) Entertainment, the opening to the second season of Goblin Slayer, and (3) the track titled Meaning of Birth from Tales of the Abyss. It worked.

Here we go.

Day 79: Grailed Rebellion

"Don't worry about me! Just go!"

The parting words of their shared Master still haunted Holmes' thoughts as he forced his legs to run. Kadoc was huffing beside him, but despite the compassion coursing through his veins, he couldn't ignore the giant elephant in the metaphorical room growing behind him.

Anger, rage, worry — all of those emotions were screaming in the back of his mind thanks to the new bond he had with the other Grailed Servants from his recent Palingenesis. Knowing them, sooner or later, the tension would spill over. It was why he endeavored to find as safe of a hiding place as he could, right between the disappearing grassland and the incoming forest to let the party catch their breath. Because there was just no ignoring it.

Not that the Servants needed any breath, anyway. Already he could hear knuckles being cracked as shuffling echoed behind him. Despite Kadoc visibly puffing for oxygen at his side, voices darker than their usual tones were muttering rapidly, promising nothing good.

"…We're going back."

The startled "Bwhat," from Director Goredolf was probably the best kind of reaction to what was just proposed because once Holmes turned around, he couldn't stop himself from internally flinching at the deep shadows partially covering each of the "Big Three's" features. It was common knowledge even before his Palingenesis how Vy's Grailed were the closest to their shared Master, all thanks to being the Servants she loved more than anyone else — her original "Big Three" in Arturia, Robin, and Achilles especially were that important — so when she was in danger, well…

No one wanted to be around when that situation would come to pass.

And yet in spite of all his best hopes, Vy wasn't here and Holmes was frozen. Even amongst the Servants who were supposed to be his most trusted allies, his muscles weren't allowing anything.

Hell, Holmes couldn't move as Robin notched an arrow into the string of his Yew Bow, the hood of his mantle already in place against his head to match the sinister glare in Achilles' usually bright yellow eyes. Green lightning was crackling between Rider's fingers as strong flurries of wind were starting to blow through Arturia's hair, glimmers of gold past her metal gauntlets briefly revealing Excalibur with each new gust. "You three…" Holmes did his best to school his voice into something resembling calmness, because he could tell with just a cursory glance that Kadoc was freezing up. This wasn't good. "You three plan to run after Miss Vy on your own?"

"Don't stop us, detective," Robin hissed, making Holmes step back from sheer instinct. "You should know just as well as the rest of us what Vy means to us. We're getting her back and that's final."

The single glimpse of fear Holmes could remember seeing on Vy's face when those Servants from Kriemhild's Revenge Realm took her away in mana-sealing chains made all the saliva dry up from the back of his throat. Because of course he wasn't the only one who had to watch helplessly as Ruler Moriarty (out of pettiness or something in regards to his inability to sway Robin to his control, it seemed) goaded their enemy into taking Vy away in their attempts to retreat for a better battlefield. And for the original three Grailed who had joined Vy on this messy Rayshift—

How were they feeling, seeing their beloved Princess be taken as a prisoner of war right before their very eyes?

Yes, she had her weaponry from that one disastrous Halloween with the Foreigner version of Jacques de Molay, but could she fight against an army of Servants? All by herself?

"L-Let me join you!" Miss Kyrielight screamed over the comms at that very moment, making Kadoc flinch from the sheer volume of the static feedback that followed. "I-I'll Rayshift over and get Master's coordinates along the way—!"

"No, Mash!" Da Vinci Lily was the next voice to pipe up from their comms, making Kadoc hang his head from what looked like a growing headache. "Your Ortinax is still in need of maintenance! As your Technical Advisor, I say it's not wise to go out there on a hastily-planned rescue operation! Vy's vitals at least show she's still alive!"

"And even then, Mash," Arturia spoke up quietly, the anger in her voice softening a tad — just for Miss Kyrielight, it seemed — to ease the air, "none of us would be asking you to push yourself to join us. Faerie Britain and Tunguska took a lot of you, and you need your rest where you can afford it. I doubt Vy's captors would extend you the same courtesy." The Invisible Air spell cast on Excalibur continued to ominously swirl around her figure, however, making Holmes unconsciously gulp as she said, "So I can confidently say that myself, Rider, and Archer should be sufficient enough to retrieve our Princess."

"True that," Achilles barked out with a harsh laugh. "That Krim won't know what'll hit her. So don't worry, Mash." One more audible crack of his fist had Kadoc gulping. "She made a mistake kidnapping our Princess."

"B-But—!" Miss Kyrielight still sounded almost hysterical past the static feedback of the comms. "I-I could still—!"

"I-I can't allow that! Operative Kyrielight can't go out there, and you three shouldn't either!" Goredolf was screaming now, interrupting Mash's protest along the way, and Holmes barely remembered to hand Kadoc some rubber earplugs from the shared shock. "Even if you are Level 120, you are still only three Servants against an entire army! There's no guarantee there won't be casualties on what could be a suicide mission, and, and," he sputters as if to match the lessening static, his mustache twitching past his hologram image, "We're already short-staffed enough as is!"

"And whose fault is that exactly?" Robin snapped, an extra snap of the Yew Bow's string loud enough to silence the area. "Because back during the Incineration, Director," and oh, there was unmistakable sarcasm dripping from Robin's voice, "you definitely gave us the 'credit' we deserved when you took the helm. And don't get me started on bringing in Koyanskaya and the 'feudal lord' business you pulled in the Ooku."

The other two immediately nodded their heads in solidarity.

"Th-That's…" Goredolf trailed off into static, making it obvious a nerve was hit. Heck, even his holographic face looked like it was turning pale too. "I didn't mean—!"

"Save it and get back to us after you apologize to our little sparrow for all the shit you gave her in these last couple of years," Robin concluded darkly, tugging on his mantle to better shade his features. "Apologize to Mash too, for good measure. We're still going out there whether you like it or not."

"…Even if," Sion spoke up suddenly to make up for Goredolf's lack of response, her hologram face contemplative, "your next course of action could be considered a betrayal of Chaldea's cause?"

Holmes felt himself frown at the same time Achilles rounded on Kadoc's wristwatch communicator with a bigger scowl. Because coming from Sion, well.

"You have no room to talk about betrayal, Sion, after everything in Olympus and how your baby of a secret weapon made our Princess lose some of her life. Taking down gods or not, you had no business making that choice for her when giving Mash the damn thing." Without even a single ounce of hesitation, Achilles pointed the business end of his spear at the comms image, pointedly ignoring Kadoc's wince as he growled, "Vy's living, beating heart matters more to us than whatever high ground you're standing on with all your bullshit vampire powers, bitch, so shut the fuck up before I make you."

"Seconded," Arturia said coldly.

"Wish I could say, 'third-ed,' but the point still stands," Robin finished, plucking at the drawstring of the Yew Bow for extra emphasis. "Try sacrificing your immortality for Proper Human History's sake before coming to us about 'betrayals,' Sion, when, last I checked, you're the one who made the timer on Vy's head worse in response to her saving your bitchy ass."

Sion frowned, but fell silent just like her predecessor.

And despite it all, Holmes felt himself exhale a breath. "…Then how about we amicably go our separate ways?"

All of Vy's "Big Three" turned to him, their expressions a mix of tired frustration and consideration. Holmes couldn't blame them for it.

"…What do you mean by that, Holmes?" Arturia said the question slowly, carefully as the Invisible Air wavered around her hands. "Do you mean to say you're not joining us?"

"Not exactly." Despite feeling confident in the idea forming on his tongue, there was no denying the underlying hint of hostility in his fellow Grailed's stares as he put on his best deductive smile. "Our Master's survival does take priority, yes. But working together as a larger force attempting to extract her could instead cause more of a commotion between all three factions we saw so far. So I propose I go with Mr. Kadoc to investigate the other two factions, try to find more help and feed information back to our side. You three can reach out to the other Grailed stationed on both the Storm Border and the Wandering Sea, choose a few more from our number to boost the slim odds we have of saving her."

It was a logical and sound plan in theory, even when his other Grailed replied with undeniable, contemplative silence. Splitting up was a solid tactic that Chaldea had used in the past with its various Rogue Servant allies over their long journey, but it was ironically because of Miss Vy's absence Holmes could voice the concept in the first place. Had she been present, Holmes knew she would've vetoed it immediately, no thanks to her experiences in America, Uruk, and even Russia and China teaching her the hard lesson of some of their ranks failing to come home. But some losses were better than none, and when meeting Kadoc's gaze from the corner of his eye, Holmes knew he could take the gamble.

It was why he felt himself breathe an internal sigh of relief once the unofficial leader of the Grailed, Robin, met his eye past the fall of his hood and slowly nodded his head. Because Robin Hood was a gambling man too. Thank goodness he could agree, if it meant saving their Master. "…As long as you keep a close eye on the Crypter, detective," he eventually allows, bending the elbow of his bow arm and making the Yew Bow give off an audible clack noise. Undoubtedly from loading the first poison capsule onto his newest arrow, and an action done most likely to intimidate the speechless Kadoc behind Holmes. "We can't have walking time bombs going off too early."

Kadoc made a quiet noise of protest from his throat, but Holmes stepped back to purposefully squish the toe of his shoe, immediately turning around and pretending not to see his look of betrayal once it is pointed his way. "…Of course." Holmes puts a hand to his heart and slowly bows his head. "All for Miss Vy?"

"Damn straight it's all for our Princess," Achilles chimes in instead, and looking up reveals the Rider grinning at him. The vicious spark from before is still in his yellow eyes, but there's a hint of approval mixed in there too. "So quit bowing, Holmes, and get Shiki for us before you go. Least she can do is cut through any chains keeping our Princess locked away."

Ah. Good choice.

"I would also recommend Skadi," Arturia said mildly, the Invisible Air around her sword solidifying into a quiet, less threatening breeze between her hands. "Her Runes are on par with the Magecraft used by the Lostbelt version of my sister. Securing our Princess from a heavily guarded prison means we need the support."

Holmes felt a more natural smile form on his face. "Of course. I shall extend our communications at once."

He could address Kadoc later. His fellow Grailed already made their intent clear.

Do not worry, Miss Vy, he thought, willing the intent through as much of the bond he could still feel with the young woman as he could once her Big Three turned away to run in the opposite direction. Help will be coming soon.

"Now then, Mr. Kadoc?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"…How do you feel about rock climbing?"

"…I feel like I really don't love where this is going."

"As the modern folk say, 'please get used to it.'"

The former Crypter merely groaned.

Where is she…?

Not even a full two days later, Robin did his best to school his own breathing, ignoring the growing urge to chew on the inside of his cheek from frustration. Behind him, he could feel more than see Shiki shift underneath the shared cover of the No Face May King, the resting death glare of her Mystic Eyes barely any comfort in the sprawling red corridors that was the central castle of Kriemhild's Revenge Realm. Because apparently even Servant-made prisons were still creaky old prisons a good camouflage could poke holes through. Still—

If I were a prison warden, where would I keep the prize…?

Where would I keep Vy—

"Calm down, Archer." Shiki's voice is cold as ever when cutting through his thoughts, making him pause, but there's a surprisingly rare hint of sympathy mixed in with the shared Grailed impatience as a hand pats his back through his shirt. "You can still feel Vy, can't you?"

Robin inhaled deeply, instinctively closing his eyes and focusing on their bond. Compared to the pain of their first separation as Master and Servant in the Seraphix oil rig (or, hell, even Atlantis with the Nautilus crashing), he could make out a faint trickle of mana that he knew was from their shared Master. It wasn't weak, but it was flickering in and out of his senses — even if it was still from Vy, his little sparrow — so Robin forced his feet to keep moving. The Carnwennan dagger replica from Morgan and Arturia both felt heavy against his belt because it just wasn't for him. It was all for— "…Yeah. Problem is, it doesn't feel like I can for long. I don't want to think about what they did to her while keeping her here, and the sooner we're getting out of here with her, the better."

Shiki nodded, the look in her Mystic Eyes deadly as she scanned the floor beneath them with a frown. "The death lines are getting stronger," she admitted, a hand gently patting his back again. "Thicker too. Probably from more Servant guards. Which means we should be getting close."

"…Best news I've heard all day." Robin could worry about Saber and Rider later. Those two had Skadi and even Astarte with them, just to conceal their presence until they could get to the big boss Kriemhild herself for some well-deserved payback. Right now— "Can you cover me?"

The shit-eating grin is obvious in Shiki's mana before he even hears her say, "That goes without saying. So get going to your Maid Marian, May King."

Robin smiled back. The tingling flicker of their Master's presence — of Vy's presence — was getting stronger in the back of his mind, and he kept moving. There was no mistake in his thoughts.

Wait for me, little sparrow.

Your Big Robin's on the way.

"RAAAAAAH!"

In any other circumstance, Arturia would've questioned why a Berserker of Kriemhild's side was apparently raging about in the centermost part of the throne room. Yes, Berserkers did not have the greatest grasp of their senses due to their inherent Madness Enhancement skill, but for one to actively hinder his Queen?

Arturia could already hear Achilles cough in an attempt to school his growing laughter at her side, because whether the Berserker knew it or not, he was serving as a sufficient distraction.

"Take him out, he's a traitor!"

"He's thrashing around too much, we can't get close!"

Something akin to what the modern folk called "the Wilhelm scream" echoed soon after once the distraction in question slammed his way through Kriemhild's gathered troops, making Astarte hum curiously. "Was this how Jane and I looked when bounty hunting…?"

"…Well," Skadi started mildly past the glowing tip of her wand when leading their charge, the purple light of her newest Invisibility rune illuminating the confused amusement on her face. "I do not know enough about your 'Jane' outside of her summoned self in Chaldea to comment, Avenger, but this was… unexpected. Unexpected, but nonetheless useful for us."

"That's fair, and I agree," Astarte said, the stars of her cloak making her own giggles sound lighter than usual. "His effort thins out the crowd, and even when none of me can tell if it's on purpose or not, he's still helping us."

Both their observations were undeniably correct. After all, the one Caster at the throne's right hand side — Zhang Jue, the Grails in Arturia's Spirit Origin hissed, he was the one who had captured Vy at the start of all this — was in clear line of their sight. Still, he looked unfazed despite his elderly visage, barely visible lines crossing his already stressed forehead. "Someone kill him already," he mumbled, shaking his head. "This one is not—"

"Stand back, Zhang Jue. This trash is not enough for anyone but me as Queen." The sudden interruption from a cold voice of a woman was all it took for Arturia to briefly think, Morgan, before the distraction that gave them their opening met his end. It was quick, a heavy slash of a blackened demon sword being all it took — Balmung, Arturia could hear Achilles hiss suddenly — before a head fell and the Berserker was no more.

Zhang Jue smirked darkly. "…Well put, my lady."

A gothic-dressed woman — wearing all black to contrast the pale pallor of her hair and skin — had stepped away from the newly made corpse without so much of a curtsy, red sword held shakily in both hands, and Arturia knew. The black dress and matching dark smile on her face spelled it out. "If you mean to be respectful, Caster, do a better job at it. I am Queen of this Revenge Realm, so remember that." Kriemhild hissed at him, and Arturia didn't blame Achilles for bristling at her side. She wanted to do the same. "The alarms in the prison are going off, and this Berserker must've been a rat who snuck in to keep us occupied. So do me a favor and gather as many of our Servants as you can — we'll kill the resistance and leave no survivors. Kill the Master of Chaldea too if she escapes — we won't need her if she keeps refusing to talk."

"Of course, my lady. As you wish."

Something was audibly grinding. Teeth, perhaps? Arturia wasn't sure if it was from her, Skadi, Astarte, or even Achilles. Nonetheless.

Right from the start, she was meaning to kill Vy.

Red was all Arturia saw next before her party moved in unison and then Kriemhild's shocked face was the next thing she could make out past the hum of Invisible Air. Zhang Jue was now choking nearby — from Achilles and Astarte no doubt — and Skadi's Runes were still powering her Spirit Origin.

That was enough.

"How did you—?!"

"You will not be doing any more killing, you spiteful Queen," Arturia hissed past the clash of their weapons, taking what glee she could from the fish-like expression covering Kriemhild's features as she pressed down on the corrupted Balmung keeping her away from taking Kriemhild's throat. "The Berserker you beheaded shall be your last victory in this life, so savor it. As the Grailed Saber of the last and only Chaldean Master, Vy Duong, I have a lot to discuss with you as the last King of Britain, you bitch." It took all of Arturia's self control to not spit in Kriemhild's face, but the bite in her voice was real. "With this kind of behavior, speaking as a fellow ruler, it is no wonder your husband left you for what he saw as an honorable death to prevent war."

Kriemhild's roar of shock at getting pushed back from an extra swing of Arturia's fist at her stomach merely started the long battle that was to come.

"—Servants of the Righteous Realm, sent by King Charles the Great, have come here on the behalf of the World's Greatest Detective to rescue you, Vy of Chaldea. Will you come with us?"

"I…"

Shiki didn't need Robin dispelling his Noble Phantasm to know their shared answer. All she knew was that only a few paces away, their Master was alive, sitting in a dilapidated cell with a notable lack of bedding and looking hesitant. Another Servant was in the cell with her — Salome? No, it wasn't Chaldea's Salome — but they didn't matter.

Yes, Vy looked paler and thinner than the last time they were together, but—

Vy is here.

Shiki didn't even mind Robin rushing ahead. It was his Maid Marian, after all, sitting in that opened cell. If it was Mikiya in that prison bed, she would've been doing the exact same thing, and even then — it was Vy. The other, albeit masked, Servants at her cell door seemed non-hostile enough, considering their previous announcement, but she still held a grip on the handle of her dagger just in case.

"Before she answers, can we join you?" Shiki drawls, pointedly ignoring the others jumping just as Robin reaches their Master with outstretched arms. She could at least let the lovebirds get the reunion first. Vy squeaks something — a noise along the lines of "Robin!", and "How did—," echoing in the dark halls once he hugs her tight, lifting her up from the dilapidated bed and away from the shellshocked Salome. Shiki could weave her own way through the frozen crowd while the lovebirds kissed or something. They deserved that much. And Shiki could remind Robin about giving Vy the Carnwennan replica blade on him from Morgan and Arturia later. "We'd like to check up on our kidnapped Master first, thank you very little."

"Shiki too…?" Vy squeaks again once Robin puts her down onto the bed frame and frames her cheeks in his palms to check for injuries, immediately pressing a firm kiss to her forehead once he finds none — all gestures that make her flush red through her pale pallor. Because of course Robin would kiss her. Softie. "Wah, I was expecting an ambush, so how…"

"As if we'd leave you," Robin retorts, and he proceeds to pick up and hold Vy's whole weight on one arm while turning his head to finally acknowledge the crowd. "These guys just beat us to the punch."

"O-Oh." Vy says simply.

"She's your Master—?" The masked Rider of the group cuts himself off first, most definitely from seeing the glow of Grails wafting off of Shiki and Robin both. Hell, if he had a visible mouth to show off, it would've probably been gaping wide. "Don't tell me… you two are Grailed too? Two of this Master's infamous Grailed?"

…Oi.

"…Guess Holmes spilled a bit." Robin muttered, sighing before hugging their Master tighter to himself. "Info goes places. And infamous? Really?"

Shiki barks out a laugh to hide her discontent, making the masked Rider who spoke up — and a hooded Caster behind him too — flinch. "You're not wrong, Archer. And, for what it's worth, new Rider, it's not just us here." For extra emphasis, Shiki takes out her dagger to gently poke the tip of the blade. With the spike of growing bloodlust behind her and the potential allies in front of her, Shiki considered. "Let's just get out of here. If you really meant to rescue our Master, we'll help you. Any longer in this place and I know I'm eventually going to throw up."

"H-Hey!" A new voice suddenly pitched up — from the other cell, apparently? — loud enough to surprisingly make Robin startle. "Before you blow chunks from all the disgusting bits, could you guys get me free too? It's super cramped in here!"

Shiki could barely make out Archer's mouth spelling out the beginning of what sounded like "Char—?" past Vy's shoulders before her instincts roared and she tossed her dagger over her shoulder, right at a newly formed death line.

Someone screamed, but Robin could handle holding Vy and getting the other guy.

Shiki had someone new to kill.

"W-Wait for me, Shiki-san! I'll help!"

A boomerang flying through the air to smack an incoming Saber's head, though, suddenly had Shiki reconsider her priorities. Because once mana lotus petals were falling to the tips of her boots, Shiki knew there was more than just killing here.

"How did you get in here?! There should've been guards outside the throne room!"

Kriemhild was getting more frantic with each new swing of her cursed Balmung, and for the supposed "Queen" of the Revenge Realm, Arturia was finding her remarkably easy to piss off. She didn't bother giving the Berserker an answer either, because there was no denying her own rage bellying every lunge, every matching swipe of Excalibur in her enemy's direction.

You had the gall to take our Princess, and then go on to ask such an obvious question? Despicable.

"Let it be said, Queenie," Achilles yelled in Arturia's place, tossing Zhang Jue to Astarte for her to choke with her tendrils, "Not our problem!"

"You should invest in training better soldiers," Arturia hissed, swinging her fist one more time and promptly clocking Kriemhild in the face as the woman scowled. "They could be awake and still not notice us when they're under your rule, vile Queen."

"How dare you—!?" Kriemhild, as expected of a Servant using one Holy Grail, didn't falter from a direct punch to her cheek, bringing her sword back to meet Excalibur in a clash of metal sparks. "You have no idea of what I've done to get here!"

"And you made a mistake in going after our Master," Astarte hisses lowly, and Arturia doesn't need to meet Skadi's eye nearby to know the Caster was about to cast her Runes again. Stars were starting to envelope the ceiling, cloaking the formerly red tile with the galaxy blue of Astarte's temple, and Arturia knew it was time to fall back. Their Grailed Avenger friend had injustice to correct. "So take a Goddess Beam for your trouble."

"Goddess Beam?!"

Arturia let herself take some joy in hearing Zhang Jue, Kriemhild, and so many other scream once said "beam" descended onto the Revenge Realm's Throne Room because for once, it was well deserved. That distraction of a Berserker from before could probably rest easy now.

Archer's mental voice dryly remarking, Quit playing around, guys — Shiki and I got our little sparrow, made it better. Leaping back had Arturia meet Rider's eye, and Achilles gave her a proud thumbs-up while holding Skadi close.

Just then, there was a flash of lightning and Xanthos and the other summoned horses of Rider's chariot nickered, making Arturia smile.

Let's go home to our Princess.

"Why are you—?!" Robin was honestly pissed enough at the current circumstances to make his lockpicking slightly clumsier than usual. The hooded "Seton" in front of him wincing in sympathy didn't help much. It was bad enough to find that Vy was barely alive from the Revenge Realm trying to starve her in response to her silence — and to know the little sparrow was more relieved it wasn't sexual assault leveraged against her instead once he had helped her up wasn't any better — but to see motherfucking Charlemagne from the Moon Cell smiling away in the cell opposite her like it was nothing? Seeing it was, in all seriousness, grating. "Charlie, how did you get here, what the fuck—?!"

"Gaaaaah, don't call me that right now, Robin!" The hooded Saber loudly shushed him once his hands were unchained, worriedly glancing at the crowd of Righteous Realm Servants trying to keep their formation as Shiki continued to slash at… well, whoever had the misfortune of finding them with Vy. She could guard their Master just fine for now, considering Vy threw herself into the fray to help. But— "I… I can't go by that name right now. There's too many enemies out there." Even then, the look Robin could make out on the King's face past his white hood proved, just like back in SERAPH, that he could be trusted, lack of True Name Reveal or not. Compared to Oberon, that Ruler Moriarty, or hell, Kadoc, Robin knew Charlemagne well enough to judge that the man had no malicious intentions. Because at least he was a true hero. "So, uh. Please apologize to your little sparrow for me, okay?"

Aaaaand there went all the goodwill. Because when did Charlie hide things? Well, outside of Karl der Große, anyway. "Don't tell me you lied to her," Robin hissed, tossing the chains away and starting to work on the shackles binding the Saber's feet to the damp prison ground. "Apologize to her yourself. Besides, what happened to being that honest knight of a 'cool' hero, huh?"

"Hey! I'm still trying to be cool, Robin, sue me!" Charlie's rubbing at his wrists once Robin's lockpick hits a snag that's definitely the lock mechanism to his leg chains, a muted click noise making the Saber exhale a sigh of relief. "Just…" Robin doesn't have to see Charlie's eyes to know the other man is worried. And Charlemagne rarely worried. "You've seen the other factions here, right? And how the Righteous Realm has their own 'Charles the Great.'" Charlie turns his head towards the crowd of Righteous Realm Servants trying to help Vy stand up after she puffs a bit too hard for anyone's comfort, and Robin feels some of his irritation dissipate. "Something's going on beyond this war. Something bigger than 'rebelling against Proper Human History.' I have to keep a low profile if it means fixing this mess." The smile Charlie makes in that moment, just that moment, looks more like a tired adventurer than that of a king. Just like a Heroic Spirit whose Spirit Core was close to crumbling once upon a time. "Your little sparrow definitely had the guts to still talk to me even when starving, so I gotta do my part to help her after everything with Hakuno, right?"

Hakuno. He remembers them too. So then—

"So…" The last shackle falls as Robin slowly withdraws his lockpicks to stash into a pouch on his belt, looking at the hooded King of the Franks with a half-frown, half-smile. "Does that mean you'll be fighting for Proper Human History when we eventually meet up later?"

Charlie grins, tugging at his hood once he kicks his armored boots away from the fallen shackles originally keeping him chained to the prison floor. "Always have, always will be on the side of Proper Human History. Just gotta choose the right time to show up, so I'm really sorry about that! I'll make it up to you later, Robin, I swear!" The sharp clap of his hands coming together as Charlie bowed in apology was a bit much, though. Because ow, there went his eardrums. "As long as you invite me to the wedding after I make enough of a distraction for you to run away with!"

…Huh.

"...You're always wanting to sweep in like a cool jackass, huh. And you had to notice the promise rings?" Robin ignores Charlie's offended look in favor of offering a hand to help the other man stand, and the grip is firm once Charlie takes it. The hood is still hiding Charlie's face, but Robin grins back before letting go. "I'll see you later then, Char Aznable. I might reserve you a seat at the wedding podiums if you can survive that long. Otherwise I will kick your ass, you pompous asshole."

"Huh? Wait, Robin, who the hell is Char Aznable—?!" is the last thing Robin can hear Charlie call out before he turns around, takes Vy's hand that's just within reach and runs with Shiki close on their heels, the other Servants left in the dust. Sure, Salome was apparently running with them, not to mention the other Righteous Realm "saviors" were not visibly abandoning their mission either, but the more help, the better.

Hearing Vy squeak, "R-Robin, what have you been watching when I'm not around?" right behind him, though, was pure golden bliss after everything that had happened. Because she was here.

It was why he hummed as best as he could while running, stealing a shield off an incoming Saber to bash the enemy's head with. "I'll tell you after you let me know how prison was?"

"F-For what it's worth," a solid whack of a bo staff to an enemy Lancer's head followed Vy's higher pitched squeal of, "it was horrible! Everyone outside of some Servants, Seton, and Salome kept mentioning torture and I'm just hungry!" Robin pretended not to see Salome flinch in Vy's shadow. "So when did you get into mecha?"

"Fair enough!" Robin also pretended not to hear Shiki mutter, damn lovebirds, behind him as he tossed the stolen shield in his free hand out with his next arrow. That one comic guy — Captain America — could do it, so why not him? "To answer your question, Akihabara gave me some ideas!"

A boomerang flew out to hit someone out of the corner of his eye as Vy panted, "L-Like what?"

"How to save you!"

Even when leaving the fake "Seton" out of the picture at his own request, Robin knew it was the truth. He'd explain the whole thing about "Seton" — no, Charlie to her and Shiki later.

Hopefully everybody could take to Charlie better than Kadoc when getting the news.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" Achilles' roar came off more guttural and visceral than anything else Arturia had heard from him as his chariot mowed down anyone who had the misfortune to stand in their way. Green lightning thankfully covered up any blood splatters as his three horses all neighed in unison, and Arturia exhaled. "IF YOU WANT TO STAND UP TO ME, JUST TRY TO BE A GOD! SENSEI'S ALREADY GOT YOU BEAT THERE!"

"H-How could we be—?!" Another "Wilhelm scream" echoed through the quickly deteriorating hallways of the Revenge Realm castle as Achilles cut them off, dark red skies being highlighted with purple Runes and black stars as Skadi and Astarte used their Passive Skills to assist. "AAAARGH!"

Another voice came through soon after, sounding similar to the first one as it screamed, "K-Keep fighting and close the gates! He'll have to stop eventually—!"

Arturia didn't have to meet Achilles' eye to know when to call on her Mana Burst skill.

"STRIKE AIR!"

More screams echoed through the hallway thanks to the concentrated attack and Achilles barked out harsh laughter that could've bordered "cruel" if not for the pent-up tension cutting through his voice. "Alright, where's our Princess?!"

"How will any of us know, Rider?! Archer and Assassin already went ahead! Better question: why not ask Kriemhild again!? I'm still voting to take her head to collect a bounty!" Astarte retorted in a higher pitched voice, manifesting a pistol from her galaxy of a cape to shoot at the nearest Servant that Achilles missed with his chariot. "We could turn around right now!"

"…There's no need, Avenger! Up ahead! Turn right, Rider!" Skadi interjected sharply, the grip on her wand tight enough to turn her knuckles white. "She's getting close!"

But even without Skadi announcing it, Arturia could feel it.

Mana lotus petals gently brushing her armor, the faint scent of flowers tickling her nose, and liquid warmth trickling back into their shared bond from their only human connection.

Achilles whistles loudly, making all three of his horses whinney as they made a sharp right turn, and even with all Chaldean Servants hanging onto the chariot rails for what felt like dear life, nothing compared to turning the corner and looking into starry brown eyes.

Vy's starry brown eyes.

Vy — their Princess, their Master, dressed in the black clothes and white cape from that ill-fated Halloween (did Robin give her the change of clothes?) — squeaked from her place being held up in a newly masked-Rider's chariot with Shiki, Robin, and Salome surprisingly in tow. Still, her glasses slipped down the bridge of her nose to match her happier, higher pitched squeal of, "Everybody! You found me!"

…Yes. Yes, we did. And you're alive.

Achilles barked out another laugh — this one softer and more genuine than the last — as Arturia glanced at Skadi and Astarte both with a growing smile. "Yeah, Princess, we definitely did! Now let's get out of here!"

Because the farther their shared Master was from her new prison, the better.

Rider's statement should've marked the end of it. Riding off into the sunset for a happy ending. But if there was something to be said about the Revenge Realm, they were tenacious. Picking off their new masked Righteous Realm allies one by one by sheer numbers once Vy was successfully transferred to Achilles' chariot — trying to snipe each Servant like their lives were nothing…

The more it happened, the more disgusted Arturia grew. With this whole Singularity war, with the Revenge Realm, with Kriemhild.

The Berserker's angry announcement as they left the capital city behind didn't help: "The Master of Chaldea has escaped. Kill her on sight. I repeat, the Master of Chaldea has escaped. Kill her on sight."

For someone who had nearly upended an entire kingdom in the name of her revenge, Arturia could condone none of it. Her story or her current efforts in trying to stop them from rescuing Vy.

All the thinking — all the what-ifs, all the possibilities — only made Arturia angrier. Not even the new guest in Salome who had tagged along on Achilles' chariot was immune to the backlash if her minute flinch was any indication past her held plate, because once Vy tried to hide a shiver at the sound of Kriemhild's voice echoing behind them with her ultimatum, Arturia mustered as much mana as she could to extend Invisible Air's reach. It wasn't as large of a barrier as say, anything Skadi could make, but it was still something when holding up Excalibur. She knew she could rely on the others for covering her blind-spots. That was what Holy Grails — and years of working together for a single Master — could do.

It should have accounted for a single bullet.

In any other circumstance, it was a bullet that wouldn't have reached them. Even the best of Archers shouldn't have been able to shoot them from so far away, going into the forest that sat between the Revenge and Righteous Realms. Achilles had the fastest feet out of all the legends a Heroic Spirit could have, after all.

But a single blam of a gun being shot in the distance was all it took for him and Robin at the chariot's helm to jump up and deflect, and another bang of metal colliding with metal for Vy to fall to her knees.

"MASTER!"

It shouldn't have happened. It wasn't supposed to happen. But their Master wasn't standing anymore, and — and Vy was bleeding.

Salome was screaming, something along the lines of "Jokanaan!", but all Arturia could see was metal fragments lodged into Vy's right forearm and knee past her Halloween Assassin Mystic Code and hidden dagger, the shrapnel glowing an ominous purple and turning the infected skin a sickly mix of yellow and violet. Just from a cursory scan, it was obvious the bullet was meant for Vy alone because Robin and Achilles weren't harmed from the backlash. Only she was. Yet Vy didn't even squeak in spite of the new injuries caused by the apparently cursed shrapnel, forcing as best of a smile she could once Arturia ducked her head to meet her gaze. Wind was roaring through her ears, the blood pounding through her arms, but there was no mistaking it.

I'm okay, Vy mouthed, holding a palm to her leg to stall the bleeding. With that same smile on her face, even as the stars in her eyes dimmed from resignation, bitterness, or what have you. Like she had given up. Again. Don't worry about me. Just run. I'll be okay.

None of the Grailed protested when Arturia saw red again and immediately activated her Dragon Reactor Core.

No. No, you're not.

Arturia shared one glance — just one — with Rider and Archer, before channeling her anger into Excalibur's light.

Skadi could heal their Princess.

Right now, Kriemhild would pay.

"Jokanaan, oh, my beloved Jokanaan. Could you please give me your head?"

Salome was bleeding. Vy knew she was bleeding too. The others were fighting somewhere, close enough to react in the off case Salome did want to take Vy's head, but Vy knew she couldn't burden them with that.

Not after all the effort they went through just to bring her home. Even when a small part of Vy was still winning out in never seeing home.

"I-I… I'm sorry, Salome. I can't."

Salome was lurching back, the splattered blood on her cheeks highlighting the shock on her face. Even in what felt like a dream, the whites of her eyes were so clear. "Wh… Why not?"

The metal in her arm and leg hurt. Everything hurt. But…

The ring on her left hand was undeniable. Just as much as the Command Seals sitting on the back of her knuckles, right past the mesh of her glove.

"I… I want to live…!"

For everyone. For me.

It took a cold hand brushing her hair back for Vy to open her eyes.

Even through blurry vision, worried red eyes framed in fading sunlight stared at her, stray strands of violet hair falling out of a long ponytail to sit past slender shoulders. The hand near her forehead froze, as if time had stopped once she had met Caster's — Skadi's gaze.

Seeing it all made Vy know instinctively that this time — unlike everything with Salome, in prison, in the Revenge Realm — she was truly home. Even if it wasn't Chaldea home or home-home yet. It was still home.

"Ch…chào mẹ," Vy eventually croaked, trying to smile as soon as tears started to form in the corners of Skadi's eyes. There wasn't any time to ask how she got here when Vy could only remember the Big Three having Rayshifted with her before the whole prison mess. There was no point to that line of questioning when their bond screamed plenty. Instead, she tried to sit up, murmuring as best as she could, "You… You okay?"

"…Oh, Vy," Skadi said softly back, immediately reaching out with her hand to press shaky fingers to her cheek. "You silly, silly child. You should…" All of a sudden, Skadi sniffles, making Vy drop her smile. "You should worry more about yourself."

"I-I'm sorry—" Vy does her best not to flinch once Skadi lurches out of her chair and wraps her up in a tight hug, bumping one bandaged thigh along the way as she scrambled as elegantly as she could onto the bed. "Skadi-san…" Her arms felt tingly at her sides. Why couldn't she move them? She should've been able to hug Skadi back.

Why couldn't she hug back?

Skadi's cheek was cold against her own once she bumped them together, the bitter warmth of tears being the main indicator of home as Skadi shook her head. "My child…" she murmured into Vy's ear. "My beloved child." She sniffles again, the metal finger guards to her hands having long disappeared in favor of wrinkling the back of Vy's apparently new nightshirt. "You're alive. You're here." The laugh that leaves Skadi's lips is a violent mix of choked emotion Vy could barely make out through their bond alone. "Thank goodness."

"…Aye," Vy said simply, finding nothing else but leaning into Skadi's touch sufficient for the time being. "I'm back, mẹ."

I'm home.

Skadi sobs, and over her head, Vy can vaguely make out a blurry silver shape coming into existence. Silver hair. A cravat. Was it— "Charles…? Is that you…?"

The newly minted level 80 Assassin looks like he's all smiles just at the sound of his first name, the cloth in his hands slightly bloody once his silhouette solidifies into view in Vy's limited range of clear vision. "Yes, maître," Sanson whispers once he takes a seat in the chair Skadi abandoned, tossing the bloody cloth aside in favor of pressing a palm to the front of his shirt and slightly bowing his head. "It's me. Try not to move too much."

"It's not that, how did—" Vy feels herself start to cough before she could finish her train of thought, and just like that, Skadi's abruptly pulling away, letting Sanson and — and another pair of gloved hands come in to push a small pot of something that looked like tea to Vy's lips. That was weird. Sanson didn't wear gloves. "H-Huh?"

"Drink, my shooting star." The disembodied voice of Astarte floated through her ears — was the gloved hand hers? — the spout of the pot gently poking the bottom of Vy's lips as another hand rubbed her back. "You have to drink when you were starved without solid food for almost two days, not to mention being confined in such a horrid mana-infused environment. The tea should help in easing your body back to health."

"Caster and Ruler helped me with it," Charles added mildly, giving Skadi a small smile while tipping the pot back once Vy obligingly opened her mouth to sip. "Aside from the usual herbs to be easy on your digestive system, plenty of mana was infused into the tea bags to assist your body's natural recovery. The shrapnel of the cursed bullet that hit you actively tried to impede your regular mana flow otherwise, and once the others discovered that, I was immediately Rayshifted here."

That makes sense. A tiny Mm was all Vy could outwardly muster past the muted taste of the tea, the scent of oranges and mint tickling her nose as she closed her eyes and continued to drink. Someone was humming (was that Mata Hari?) as another pair of hands started to comb through her hair, and Vy leaned into it.

So much mana. So many people.

But unlike in the Revenge Realm, where all the Servants outside of the leaders and Salome were masked and unknown—

These Servants were home.

It takes a few minutes for Vy to finish the tiny pot's contents, a little burp involuntarily leaving her lips once it's all gone before she could stop herself. "Um." Almost immediately, Vy did her best to cover her mouth with the collar of her nightshirt, pretending not to feel the heat starting to climb up her cheeks. Burping could be considered rude, ba and mẹ used to say at the dinner table, and even if she was in a sick bed now and had every right to enjoy the first taste of something since prison— "E-Excuse me."

"Aw," A voice cooed, and Vy didn't have to look behind her to know it was Mata Hari. Newly minted Grailed at level 75 and all. Did she come along with Charles to help? Then who else was here? "That was adorable!"

Eh.

"Whoa. Did our Princess just burp?" Achilles suddenly (and loudly) announced from afar, Vy's blurry vision making out his gold armor and the blue coattails of what looked like Holmes walking in through the doorway. Without her glasses, it was hard to see what exact face Achi was making, but his voice was gleeful enough as he crowed, "Who recorded it?"

Eh?

Vy felt more than heard herself squeak in response. Maybe it was a blessing Holmes didn't bring Kadoc into the room. Restraining order or not, Vy doubted the former Crypter could understand.

"Rider." Holmes said chillingly instead, crossing his arms pointedly. It was easy to see through her astigmatism how Holmes had glanced at her, noticing her squeak. "Is that truly necessary?"

"…Never mind that. When were we supposed to record it, Rider?" Skadi sniffled after a moment, her hand patting one of Vy's knees as Charles made a soft grunt of discontent. "As much as our Princess is adorable, what happened to asking for consent before recording?"

"Whoops," Achi said in a not-so-apologetic tone, something that made Holmes sigh. Because when did Holmes sigh? "Sorry!"

"I seared the noise into my memory," Robin spoke up just as suddenly as Achi did over Vy's head — were the hands in her hair his? — making Vy turn to glance at him and the others. Astarte and Shiki were crossing their arms and nodding alongside him, so um. "So enough making a big deal out of an anthill, Rider. Just settle with the memory if nothing else."

"Aw, man!"

"Why are you complaining?" Arturia interrupted, smacking his shoulder from behind just as Holmes did the same to Achilles' head. "Can you just not hug our Princess like usual instead—?"

The last thing anyone expected to hear then was a loud and giant gruuuuuu noise.

It wasn't from Vy's lips. It wasn't from anyone else's mouth either.

All Vy could do was (finally) move her arms to cover her middle, ducking her eyes and hiding behind what she could get of her hair to avoid the surprised eyes boring into her head. Because of course her stomach would say something. "Um," was not the best way to start her line of defense, but she still tried. "Please ignore that?"

The sudden influx of amused mana in the room proved otherwise. Because once a pile of hands were reaching out to raise her head and pat her hair, shoulders, hands — anywhere they could reach— it all meant they were going to remember this. For a long time. Just from that conclusion alone, Vy could then see so many faces of familiar Servants — all Grailed, all loved — smiling back at her.

"We won't. We can't, in fact, Master. Not after just getting you back." Holmes said softly. "Let's get you something to eat, Miss Vy. Then we can proceed from there. The others back on the Storm Border and the Wandering Sea wanted to see you before we meet with the leaders of the Righteous Realm." The smile on his lips looked coy even as he squeezed her shoulder. "Miss Kyrielight is already first on the list."

…Right.

The next time Vy awoke, it was the middle of the night. The other Grailed who had Rayshifted to this Singularity — from Astarte to even the later additions in Shiki and Skadi— were all fast asleep in their own single cots separate from the two full guest beds that Don Quixote and Sancho had provided. Probably from the hearty food they all shared earlier.

At the very least, Vy would never take a full stomach for granted ever again. Ba and mẹ warned her before with stories of their own poor childhoods in South Vietnam, but actually experiencing starvation was different from hearing about it.

(Charles and Margaretha could share the free guest bed. They were the main Servant couple out of the Grailed, and from their unconscious spooning, thankfully seemed to be enjoying it. Everyone else insisted on Vy sharing the other bed with Robin. And after Sancho and Holmes sent her knowing looks, she couldn't deny it.)

(Prison had horrible sleeping arrangements. Even if Seton was good company. And Salome had tried to be nice at least. That was something.)

Considering the stacked odds that the Righteous Realm had against them in the all-out war, the simple fact they provided enough lodging for one tired Master and nine fully materialized, fully Grailed Servants was generous enough. Maybe Holmes had done something. Maybe it was Kadoc (not that Vy wanted to give him any credit) or Mash.

Nonetheless, what made sleep fade away from Vy's thoughts was the soft light of a desk lamp shining out of the corner of her eye.

Robin's new desk lamp, apparently, because aside from Arturia and Achilles resting nearby (Saber in a sleeping bag, Rider sitting against a nearby wall corner, his spear hugged to his chest), Archer himself was sitting at his new workshop a few feet away from Vy's bedside, alone and fully awake. He was tinkering with… with something in his hands. A new weapon? The No Face May King was slung over the chair behind him, his own back hunched as he continued working in silence. The quiet cling, clang, cling, clang noises of what looked like red arrowheads being attached to long shafts — new bolts for the Yew Bow, instead? — echoed in the dark room to contrast the quiet snores of the other Servants, making Vy blink as she slowly pushed her blankets back.

The first step she took out of bed, despite her best attempts at staying quiet, immediately had Robin pause his work to raise his head and look at her. Vy didn't need to put on her glasses to see how wide his visible green eye grew at seeing her, and she could've sworn the tile floor barely creaked with her walking. If she had her glasses, though, would she be able to see herself reflected in his iris? Vy wasn't sure. "…Vy," Robin whispered softly, a hint of worry emerging in his voice, "It's the middle of the night. Did you feel something wrong again and got up?"

"...Aye." Vy still nodded slowly as she stood up, tiptoeing closer to him before taking a nearby empty seat and reaching out with her left hand once the distance was closed. The blurred red streak against his cheek stood out to her, and Robin froze once her fingers grazed the apparent scratch. "...Got a gut feeling," she murmured, ignoring how inadequate the sentence sounded to her own ears as she channeled mana into her hand to focus on healing. The red was disappearing with each consecutive second, and Vy shut her eyes to focus on her Magic Circuits. Sure, it was slower without her regular Mystic Code from Chaldea, but she could still do something. Just had to concentrate, just concentrate. "To be honest, I… I feel an apology on my tongue right now, but I'm not sure if I should say it."

"Apology? Apology for what?" Robin's voice was still soft, even as he raised his own right hand to clutch at the one she was using to heal his cheek, making her stop from how tight and desperate the grip felt. "Because I don't regret running after you, little sparrow. And I know the others here would say the exact same thing."

"But I—" The guilt burned. From the back of her throat, the bottom of her stomach, to even the tip of her tongue. "I still asked you and Art-san and Achi to — to leave me at the start of it. Being in prison made me realize how wrong that was. But I couldn't think of anything else, and — and considering how much you left the Revenge Realm in shambles—"

"Which," Robin interrupted at that moment, voice dry and no-nonsense to contrast the gentle squeeze of his hand on hers, "they definitely deserved."

"N-Not the point!" Vy opened her eyes from unbridled emotion — worry, regret, guilt, frustration, love — to look into his green ones. Desperation leaked into her voice as she croaked, "It was… it felt super reckless, even for you with your skills, Big Robin. I never wanted you to get to that point of risking your life, even if it was for me."

I'm not worth the effort, the darkness of her heart whispered. So what did I do to deserve you?

"Reckless, huh…?" With all that said, the last thing Vy expected was for Robin to fully turn in his chair — away from his work and the many half-made arrows and poison jars on the desk — to fully face her. He even raises his other hand in time with letting go of hers to place both palms against her scalp. "That's interesting to hear from you."

"I-I don't think I'm wrong—!" Vy yelped once Robin cut her off by the method of forced ruffling of her hair, nearly shaking her head from how hard he was mussing up her already tangled bed head. Because when did Robin opt for something other than headpats? "W-Waaaah! B-Big Robin!"

Yet as suddenly as it started, it stopped, Robin pulling her closer to him with his palms for their foreheads to bump together. Huh? "…I wouldn't have gone that far if it wasn't you, Vy. My little sparrow." His voice cracked, and Vy could suddenly feel the bittersweet warmth of something else — something wet against her cheeks, before Robin let go of her head and wrapped his arms around her instead. Just like the handholding from before, this hug felt tight and desperate. Begging, even, as he pulled her out of her chair to sit in his lap instead. "Don't forget that. And don't ever order me to abandon you again."

Vy felt so many thoughts surface to the forefront of her mind — I didn't mean it, I didn't know, I didn't want to hurt you — but all that came out of her lips was a soft, "…Okay." The trembling of Robin's shoulders through his shirt was undeniable, even to the darkness of her heart, and she reached up with both hands to gently pat his back. Comfortingly too, she hoped. It was the least she could do considering the mixed worry and love vibrating loudly through their bond. "I won't do it again." She ducked her head to press her cheek against his neck, sighing quietly to herself. "I promise."

"…Good. Because after so long, I just can't let you go again." A cheek bumps the side of her head before pulling back, and Vy blinks down at the Archer staring up at her with relief in his wet eyes. Even with his fringe shading one green iris, Vy could see an outline of herself in the color as Robin smiled, his next reply a breathy exhale against her lips as one hand tilted her chin downwards. "So who's my little sparrow?"

Vy blushed but smiled wryly back. "I'm yours, Big Robin. Always will be. And thankie for saving me."

"You got it. And it was no problem, Vy." The following kiss was light, feathery in touch from how it was just a gentle press of their lips together, but relief was flooding their bond to replace the worry from before. Vy could even feel the grin on Robin's face once he pulled back to cup her cheek in his palm. "Now let's get you back to bed. Since you made me worry, your punishment is being my cuddle bug for the rest of the night, little sparrow."

A giggle involuntarily left Vy's lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck instead. Because this — this was what the Revenge Realm could never have. Even if Seton and Salome were nice. "And that's a punishment how?"

"You can't get up until I say so." Robin hums, a note of fond amusement leaking into his voice once Vy leans in on her own this time, even if it is to bump their foreheads together. The mana in the air felt warm as Robin said, "Kadoc and the other Righteous Realm guys can just deal with it in the morning." The mutter of, "Seton can go suck it," had Vy blink for a moment, though.

Still, the skip in her heartbeat was there as she smiled again, leaning in a little more. "Aye aye, you insatiable Big Robin."

"Doesn't sound like you're complaining."

"Nope!"

The next kiss is a bit deeper compared to the first one from before, but if the fondness leaking into their bond from everyone else was any indication, Vy didn't mind one bit.

For now, before the sun would rise next, she was still home again.

The hotly whispered "I love you," against her lips in the third kiss of the night merely confirmed it.

Note (June 10, 2024): For some extra context, the main reason Vlad Berserker doesn't show up in the story at all is because as of this note, I don't have him yet in my Chaldea. So my writer brain had me think Ruler Moriarty would try to mind control the leader of the Grailed instead — that being Robin — and when he failed, he brought Kriemhild and Zhang Jue to Chaldea's doorstep instead out of petty revenge for the Big Three and Holmes beating him black and blue. Which led to the Grailed making their own squad to basically ruin Krim's castle in retaliation.

Think Team Avatar's storming of Ba Sing Se if that helps. Oh. And by the way — fuck Ruler Mort's entire character. Archer Mort was better.

For everyone else, I'll see you next time.