A sequel to 'Broken Girls', recommend to read that story first.

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"Greetings, esteemed mages of the Tower." A calm collected voice of a lone woman rang out throughout the hall, immediately garnering the attention of all who attended the meeting. She stood at the podium, short yet imposing in her own way. A woman with short black hair and azure eyes carefully surveyed the room through her glasses. "First of all, allow me to thank every one of you for attending. Many of you were skeptical, and for good reason. The Holy Grail of Fuyuki has always been considered an isolated entity that only a few select mage families sought and partook in its ritual named "War." However, today is the day to bring some important recent discoveries about the Grail's nature. As the magi Lorekeeper, it is my duty to interpret and deliver any information on magical phenomena to the Clock Tower, and the Grail of Fuyuki is no exception. However…"

The Lorekeeper turned to two mages in the audience, both were considered rising stars by many, though neither cared for this empty praise. A tall, slim man with long black hair, dark coat, and thoughtful eyes, the one who has earned his title of 'Lord', and a young, ashen haired woman in red tunic, the head of an esteemed mage family who had ties to the Grail War. The Lorekeeper continued.

"This discovery would not have been possible without our speakers today. Lord El-Melloi the Second and Rin Tohsaka, both of whom will explain the discovery. There are some disagreements on how to proceed with the matter, so I am proposing an open forum to discuss it today. As per our usual proceedings, if you wish to participate…" The Lorekeeper discussed logistics, giving Waver a bit of breathing time. He and Rin had an important, some would say impossible, task of convincing the Mage Association of the righteousness of their cause.

"Is she always this long-winded?" Rin asked with mild annoyance in her tone.

"Marianne is a pedantic woman; it comes with her occupation," Waver responded. "I assume she wants to prepare them for those revelations; many would not take kindly to them." He said, looking over the hall full of men from all corners of their society. It has been twenty years since Waver became a part of their 'machine,' unraveling every bit of corruption he could find underneath. Their society was rooted in extreme individualism, bordering with egoism, and conflicts were highly common, even within the Association itself. The revelation of the Grail's nature would surely spark controversy.

"She is not doing a good job at it. She wasn't the one who saw the Grail in action." Rin shook her head.

"Patience, she will call us soon. Can I rely on you to describe your account of the Fifth Holy Grail War?"

"Of course."

"Good. If we are to have their support, we have no choice but to convince the mages that destroying the Greater Grail is in their interest, that no matter how hard they try, they won't be able to control or change it."

"Most of the mages here barely care about Fuyuki. It's not them I'm concerned about." Rin said before looking at a certain duo sitting in the audience closer to the podium. A tall woman with pale skin, green eyes, and golden hair watched Marianne far more attentively than others. A young man with brown hair sat by her side, as well, though his gaze was turned towards the floor. "You've heard how she introduced herself."

"Angela von Einzbern…" Weaver said quietly. "Their acting representative, I'm surprised they still have any left."

"And she is not a homunculus."

"Likely a member of the Tuner family that allied themselves with the house."

"Rather ambitious of her to take on the family name, then…In any case, if an Einzbern is here, then they still have not lost their interest in the Grail."

"Then we'll watch her closely."

Before the two could speak of something else, Lorekeeper Marianne turned towards the two.

"And now, I believe it is time for our guests to speak. Lord El-Melloi the Second, Mistress Tohsaka, if you may, come forth and tell us the Fuyuki Holy Grail."

"Finally." Rin sighed and uttered under her breath. "Come on, we got a bunch of mages to convince."

Waver silently nodded and stood up, following Rin as the two of them stood atop the podium, everyone turning their gazes toward them.

"Thank you, Lorekeeper." Waver thanked Marianne before taking a look at his audience. "Before we begin, let it be known that both Rin Tohsaka and I have been participants in the Holy Grail war of Fuyuki. As you might know, the Grail acted in a manner that disregarded its usual patterns and conducted two Wars in the span of 10 years. I was a master in the Fourth War, while Rin was one in the Fifth. I saw the chaos and violence that erupted during a great war; the city was turned into an arena with seven masters fighting for the ability to have their wishes granted. However, the last wars have shown that there is no 'miracle' to be found with the Grail. The Fourth War ended in a fire that left permanent scars on Fuyuki, a direct result of the Grail's power." He explained before turning towards Rin, inviting her to continue.

"The Fifth War almost ended in a repeat of the fire." Rin began. "Kirei Kotomine, a member of the holy church who was supposed to oversee the War, acted in his own self-interest and desire to see the unleashed power of the Holy Grail. His goal was to eliminate all of the servants and have the Grail take up its true form. The Grail manifested as a dark, corrupted essence that strived to destroy everything around it and could not be controlled by anyone. The only way to stop it was to destroy the lesser Grail before it became too powerful." Rin said, passing the torch back to Waver.

"Both of those wars brought nothing but destruction and chaos to Fuyuki. Combine this with the Grail's willingness to grant the Master's power to 'questionable' people, such as the serial killer Ryuunosuke Uryuu or the sociopath Kirei Kotomine, there are solid grounds for investigating the legitimacy and necessity of the Grail Wars. The two of us inquired into the area over the last years, only to discover a disturbing truth…"

"There is no way to win the Grail War, nor is there a wish to be granted." Rin continued. "Back during the days of the Third War, a forbidden ritual conducted by Einzbern mages permanently tainted the holy grail."

"This is a rather heavy accusation." Angela von Einzbern spoke out with her hands crossed.

"We have evidence. Records and instructions on the ritual performed, as well as the differences in the Grail's behavior before and after the Third War. This corruption may also explain the anomaly of such a short time span between the Fourth and Fifth Wars…"

"And what was the ritual, exactly?" Lorekeeper inquired.

"The summoning of the eight servants of a class previously forbidden in the War. The Avenger, Angra Mainyu. The bearer of curses and all of the world's evil, a being of pure darkness and corruption, uses the Greater Grail as an incubator, preparing for its own birth into this world. This is what Kirei wanted to achieve and why any wish the Grail received would result in mass destruction. The Grail is an entity made of uncontrollable darkness and evil, perhaps the ultimate curse of this world."

"You are not accusing Einzberns of purposefully creating this monstrosity, are you?" Angela said, though instead of expected rage and denial, her voice was brimming with curiosity.

"Not on purpose. They believed it to be an opportunity to subdue the Grail, but the results proved to be beyond their control. The conclusion is obvious, the Grail is a threat, and if it falls into the wrong hands, this threat will reach far beyond Fuyuki and even Japan."

"We must take action." Waver continued. "I count on the Mage Association's support and understanding. We must put as many resources and effort as possible into destroying the Greater Grail and the chaos-bringer that resides within it. He is a blight upon our world, and it must be cleansed. Adding onto that, it is past time the Grail Wars would cease; they bring nothing but devastation to the people of Fuyuki. This contest was created by three Mage families, and with Matou bloodline eradicated, Einzbern numbers dwindling, and the head of the Tohsaka family fully on board with the dismantlement, the time to act is now." Waver couldn't help but indulge in the moment. Even after all those years, he still imagined himself marching beside Iskander, a glorious conquest for the ages to come…Iskander's journey was over a long time ago, and Waver's finally reached a turning point. Once, he rejected the Holy Grail and avoided the Fifth War, but it was not enough. The source of evil and chaos had to be destroyed, and he would lead this crusade.

However, the audience remained quiet, not eager to support the proposed cause. Many must have still doubted Waver's words.

"Allow me to speak on behalf of the Magi." Lorekeeper stepped forward. "I have seen evidence of your claims, and I do not question their validity. However, one of my concerns I wanted to propose here was as such…Why is your course of action to destroy the Greater Grail? It might be corrupted, and the representatives of three families do not express interest in it anymore, but it could still be of use."

"In what manner?"

"The Mage Association avoided it, but perhaps it is time to give the Grail the attention it deserves. We have countless talented minds here at Clock Tower; we can find a way to restore the Grail to its original form to make sure that it never falls into the wrong hands. I propose to conduct a thorough investigation on the nature of the Grail before coming to any conclusions."

"With all due respect…" Rin responded. "Angra's influence corrupts, if not outright destroys. He is an incredibly powerful being who inhabited the Grail for almost a century. Even the strongest servants, like Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, pale before him. If we liberate this power, it will cause untold destruction and have us and many others pay for the mistake of an old Einzbern master." She spoke, and Waver continued.

"Adding on to that, the Grail would cause endless conflict once it is in the hands of wider mage society. We all know that as a source of immense power, it will attract the attention of the most selfish Mages. It is a foregone conclusion."

"But what of the good it can bring if we control it? The root of all magic is a powerful boon. None will deny that. I believe there is potential in it."

"Seems to me that the issue goes deeper," Angela spoke again. "Lord El-Melloi seems to distrust the remnants of three families unless they agree with his cause, and don't even get me started on his opinion of the Association. Do we want someone like this using our resources to destroy artifacts?" Angela turned toward other Mages, and a lot of them nodded in agreement; some even spoke out.

"This campaign is a waste."

"It is not fit for a mage to be afraid of something simply because they don't understand it!"

"Order, please!" Marianne spoke up in the audience before turning back to the podium. "Of course, everyone is free to make their own decision as an independent mage, just as others are free to oppose it. I would like to gather the Association's opinion. All in favor of supporting the Dismantlement Campaign, raise your hands.

Some showed their support, but not nearly enough. Most had their hands down, including Angela and Lorekeeper. Waver took a deep breath and looked at Marianne.

"I hoped you would understand our plight."

"Just because I disagree doesn't mean I do not understand." She shook her head. "I sympathize with your perspective, but I believe it wastes an opportunity that the Mages Association could utilize."

"I hoped it would not come to this, but such an outcome has always been likely." Waver took a breath. "The campaign will be independent if necessary."

"It is up to you, Lord El-Melloi the Second. I thank you for bringing up your concerns, but the Mage Association has made its choice, and I agree with it. The Grail requires a more thorough investigation; we have to make sure that we have used it for every beneficial purpose we possibly could before discarding it. You believe that the Grail cannot be safe in the Association's hands, and I reject this idea. I believe that…" Marianne suddenly stopped talking and clung to her hand. Something happened, something that she couldn't have anticipated yet drew all attention to the Lorekeeper. The back of her hand gleamed in crimson color.

"What is this…" Marianne sounded surprised as the blood-colored runes emerged on her hand, much to everyone's utmost shock. "Are those…"

"I can't believe it…" Rin added, and Waver spoke next. For the first time in two decades, he witnessed those runes emerge on a wrist other than his own.

"The command seals."