"Give in…I only want to see the world. To see the beauty and its lush nature…I want to see everything for myself."
This voice…It reminded Hector of the meeting. Of the myriad of those who spoke out in the halls of the Mage Association, their gasps of shock and disbelief once Marianne Taylor, the Lorekeeper of the Tower, had command seals appear on her wrist in the middle of the council meeting. It seemed like providence for a discussion about the Grail to be interrupted with this sign. Only ten years after the Fifth War…History repeated itself. And now, Hector heard the echo of the Grail and witnessed its shadow before his own eyes. He never visited Japan before, much less Fuyuki, yet the surroundings seemed incredibly familiar to him.
"I can save this world…I can make it better than it ever was."
This voice echoed in Hector's ears once again. As he looked deeper into the crystal before him, he began to see a face…A disturbed, dark face with glowing, predatory eyes.
The eyes that yearned for freedom.
"Get away!"
Hector shouted as he opened his eyes. It was just a dream.
He was in his room, lying in a slightly warm bed and looking at the old ceiling above him. He must have been thinking too much about the Grail and Angra Mainyu…Or perhaps the being was communicating with him through dreams. Who could know? As the meeting showed, Angra Mainyu's capabilities were far beyond mages' understanding; the being could sense them even on the other side of the world. This thought terrified him. With every word that they spoke and every proposal El-Melloi and Tohsaka made, perhaps they invoked the Grail's wrath and began a process that could not be stopped.
Something in his body felt different, too…The young man looked at his wrist, noticing the three crimson seals.
So Angela's prediction came true as always. Hector didn't yet realize the responsibility and burden he would have to undertake; so much of this seemed distant and out of his reach…For a novice mage to take part in an event so grandiose and destructive, Hector knew he wasn't ready to fight, not alone. But with Angela's guidance, victory was possible.
Hector dressed up and walked down the stairs to the ground floor of the estate. It was not nearly as grand as Einzbern Castle, but it was more than enough for their current representative. Hector could already see the blonde woman downstairs, reading books and scrolls in preparation for the war, three seals shining on her wrist. Born among the Tuners who worked closely with the Homunculi, Angela was given access to most of the castle, eventually becoming a representative and de facto leader for the few Homunculi still residing in the castle. No wonder she was among the first the Grail chose. She was smart not to reveal those seals at the meeting. She was his teacher and guide, his savior…And it was time for them to fight side by side.
"Hi, mother…" He said quietly, making Angela turn around and put her book away.
"Awake already, Hector? Perfect, I have something for you to read before we fly to Fuyuki; that place is a throve of magical power."
"And I have something to show you." The young man smiled and raised his wrist, unveiling the command seals. Angela was silent for a few seconds, but a proud smile emerged on her face almost immediately.
"Wonderful, this is everything we could have hoped for! Well done." She stood up and moved towards Hector, carefully scrutinizing the seals with a cathartic look on her face. "I knew that Angra Mainyu would sense a worthy challenger in you. Between the two of us, the Grail will be ours."
"Don't you find it peculiar?" Hector said with doubt in his voice. "The Grail has never picked more than one family representative, yet both of us are allied with Einzberns…"
"Does it matter?" Angela said dismissively. "Perhaps it is because of the Matou family demise, or perhaps the Grail has ulterior motives. We don't give Angra Mainyu nearly enough credit. He knows that there are forces in the world that seek to dismantle it, and it will only grant power to those who can protect it…Do you understand what this means? We both have the command seals at our behest, which means we can both summon a servant. We have been chosen by Angra Mainyu, the legacy of the previous Einzbern generation, to defend its existence…And we will." Angela said with gleeful anticipation. "We will retake the Grail and unveil its true potential, something that no other mage could ever do. Are you not thrilled?"
"I saw a dream…It was as if the Grail talked to me. Said that it wanted to see the world and be free."
"All the better, then! It counts on us. It gives us a chance to unearth its secrets!" Angela said with profound dedication. "We must do our best, and then…" A smile of anticipation emerged on her face. "No, it's too early to think about it. Far, far too early. We have to prove ourselves worthy first, don't we?"
"I still have my doubts…I don't think El-Melloi and Tohsaka were lying. That 'being' is dangerous, and if no one could ever control or ally with it…What makes us so different?"
"Come now, Hector, never allow the fear of the unknown to dictate your actions. It is the folly that destroyed many promising mages. No mage knew about Angra Mainyu during previous wars, and the moment they learned the truth, the likes of El-Melloi already wanted to destroy it out of fear. Others want to approach with caution, but they are hardly worthy enough…Think about it: the only one who knew of Angra Mainyu's nature during the previous war was Kirei Kotomine. What did he want? He wanted to see it be born and flourish. He understood something that most mages are too terrified to admit…There is both beauty and power and darkness. And who else deserves to unveil it but us? Those who carry the legacy of Angra Mainyu's summoners?"
"I suppose…"
"You should show more confidence in our cause," Angela reassured them. "You know what the benefits can be if we secure an alliance with a being so powerful…If we have his might at our disposal."
"A being that only grants wishes through destruction?" Hector chuckled. "I doubt it can give me what I want."
"Even so, it will give our family a future. I'm proud of how far you've come, Hector, but…You lived to fulfill a grander purpose, and this is exactly it. You would play a part in the future of the entire mage society. Both of us will. Do your duty…And there will be no end to my pride, son." She said in a happy voice, but her words made Victor pause as his heart skipped a beat. He remembered the day of the flood. Hector tried to grasp for air, but his lungs were stifled and blocked; what was once a normal breath felt like a ravaging flame scorching his body from within. This burning water filled his lungs, the red eyes, and the sound of his agonizing cough as he looked upon the face of the woman who pulled him out of the water. His parents' screams faded into oblivion; it was too late for them to be saved, but Hector had a chance to breathe again. This was when Hector had to face the desperate horrors of life…But he was luckier than most. He had her by his side.
He had Angela, the woman who saved him that day, gave him a home, and made a mage.
"I will do it." For the first time today, Hector spoke with confidence. "I will do it for the family."
"Wonderful…Come, I have already gathered some relics for the summoning."
He had a debt to repay.
...
"Wake up, Sakura…The day has only just begun."
Once, those words were a pure representation of her existence's bane and sorrow. She would always hear them in Zouken's malicious voice, the same words echoing in her ears, over and over, as she was forced to descend into the pit. They represented the countless hours Sakura had no choice but to endure, feeling the crest worms penetrate her body and drain her energy. Each minute of her existence was mired in suffering and agony.
That was Sakura Matou's life…But Sakura Kuzuki led a very different one.
"Hey, Sakura, are you alright?" A young woman asked her friend as the two of them left the store. Sakura shook as if returning from her trance and raised her bright blue eyes.
"It's alright, Naomi, thanks for your concern. Just had my thoughts wonder off a little." Sakura said with a faint smile emerging on her face.
"No worries." Naomi returned the favor and grinned in return. "Alright, then, see you tomorrow, got to go!"
"See you!" Sakura waved to the black-haired woman as she rushed to the other side of the street. They had a nice time catching up, but it was time for Sakura to head home. A home where she lived alone and had all the time in the world to contemplate whatever she wanted, though, after years of this process, it became tiring.
At least she had friends and the good company she could keep…
Naomi was her closest friend, and in light of how different the two of them were at first glance, Sakura couldn't help but find their friendship ironic. It has been ten years, and she still never spoke to her sister despite having the freedom to do so. She tried to think of how this moment would go, to plan what she was going to say to Rin and to make sense of her chaotic feelings towards her sister, but it proved too much of a challenge to handle. Yet still, the friends she found always had Rin's best qualities, an ability to take charge, passion, and level-headedness, which Sakura sometimes disregarded in favor of emotion. But she appreciated Naomi for who she was, as she did with her other friends…
At long last, Sakura's life was good, at least for the most part. Both Taiga and Souichirou told her that it was about time for her to find a man to settle down with and start a family, but Sakura couldn't think of relationships. A part of her still dreamed of Shirou coming to her doorstep…A new hero who traveled around the world and witnessed all it had to offer. That he will confess his undying love for her as she always dreamed of…This hope remained in her heart. When Sakura traveled to London to learn advanced magic, she hid her identity and family name, but she still hoped that Shirou or Rin would come and find her. She never made the first step, yet she dared to dream…Sakura wasn't blind to the bitter irony of her being. She still refused to follow her dreams out of fear, much like she did a decade ago, and yet it was different now.
She was free. Perhaps not of her memories but of the constant suffering that Zouken inflicted on her. This sadistic monster that wanted to use her as a vessel…Sakura would never forgive him. After all the pain he caused her, after all the justifications he made for it, Sakura had enough. She never deserved any of it, a fact that took years for her to come to terms with, but now that she finally accepted it, she could leave Zouken behind. There were others who she managed to forgive. Sakura forgave Shinji for the abuse he inflicted on her. After all, he was living in the shadow of the same monster…And she forgave Illya for murdering Shinji and lying to her. How could she not after all the effort the Einzbern girl put into freeing her? She saved Sakura's life, and all she asked for in exchange was to tell Shirou the truth…Sakura closed her eyes as tears emerged. She truly was a failure.
Every few months, she would visit Illya's grave and apologize for not fulfilling the promise she had given, but never once did she do anything to seek Shirou out and honor Illya's wish. It was the same cycle of regret that did not allow her to move on completely, and Sakura knew that it would not change until she took decisive action. Until then, all she could do was to live a normal life burdened with regret and shame.
Eventually, Sakura arrived home, a remote place at the outer edge of Fuyuki, cozy and with just enough space for Sakura not to feel restrained. She could've had to live beside Shirou and Rin, at least kept her contact with them, but she never had the strength…Her trip to London ended up being a shadowy voyage where she didn't reconnect to any of the people with whom she wanted. All she got was arbitrary knowledge of magic and a lone relic of the past. Sakura came to the wardrobe. She peered inside at the withered scepter that she won in a contest. A prize with barely any use, even its colors have long since withered away…But she also couldn't discard it. It is not an artifact that allegedly persisted in the days of ancient Babylonia. It was a reminder of her wasted opportunities and how much she had forsaken. If only…
Before Sakura had a chance to finish this thought, she felt a sudden surge of pain. The woman reflexively clung to her wrist, feeling some kind of carvings emerging on her hand. The sensation was eerily familiar, she felt it once before, back in the Matou household on that night…No, it could not be happening!
Sakura looked down, only to see three crimson seals in their horrifying glory.
