REPITITA IUVANT

CHAPTER 2:

THE SUMMONING

A few days later, they were in Fuyuki, and were taking a taxi to the Einzbern Castle on the outskirts of the city, late afternoon twilight painting the road. Illya contemplated what she and Waver were going to do. It was dangerous, to say the least, but then again, participating in the Grail War was already dangerous. Hell, magecraft in general was dangerous, especially if one caught the eye of the Magus Association, or worse, Gaia or Alaya. Illya was used to the danger by now, and Waver was getting there. Oh, he was still a bit of a…well, not coward. He had come with her even knowing what they had to do. But he was somewhat out of his depth, and it was Illya who took the lead. Then again, it's what she did in their relationship.

She knew it would be at least a few days before her parents came to Fuyuki, along with Saber, aka King Arthur. Or rather, Arturia Pendragon. Waver had been astonished to learn that one of the key figures in British chivalric tradition was actually a woman, not to mention Mordred. Illya tried to track down Avalon, but it had already been taken by the agents of the von Einzberns.

Illya had decided, albeit after a lot of thinking, that she wouldn't summon a Berserker this time around. As much as she wanted Heracles again, she wasn't sure whether that would mess with the Servants summoned. Thanks to the files her father left behind (and which Acht made her study), and the memories her mother gave her from their time within the Grail, Illya knew the Servants in this Grail War, and was even now still formulating strategies.

Tokiomi Tohsaka was the one who summoned Gilgamesh, the Archer who killed me in the future, Illya thought. The Matou representative was Kariya, but I don't know much about him, save that he was the white sheep of the family. Something drove him to go back, and his Berserker was Lancelot of the Lake. Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, after Waver stole his catalyst, summoned Diarmuid of the Love Spot as Lancer. Then, you have Kirei Kotomine, who was the Master of Assassin.

And then, you have Waver, soon to be Master of Rider, and my father, Master of Saber.

The biggest wildcard in the entire Grail War, however, had been Ryuunosuke Uryu, a serial killer who was one of the last members of a near-extinct Magus line, and who hadn't been aware of magecraft until he summoned Caster, probably under the impression he was summoning a demon. Caster, who had been a twisted form of Gilles de Rais, aka Bluebeard, was still pretty close, and the pair of them didn't give a shit about keeping magic secret, only murdering in creative ways and causing chaos. And, if what her mother said was correct, obsessed with Arturia, believing her to be Joan of Arc. Then again, many of the Servants had been. Iskandar wanted to make her part of his army, Gilgamesh wanted her as a wife, willing or not, Diarmuid wanted to spar with her, and Lancelot wanted to fight to the death to expurgate his sins.

Hopefully, by Illya taking Caster before Ryuunosuke could do so, he would be taken out of the running. And Zelretch had given her a relic in a box to act as a catalyst. Illya was admittedly reluctant to summon this Caster…but Zelretch had persuaded her to accept this Caster's help. He even said he would help her make sure her younger self got away from the von Einzberns, by offering her an apprenticeship. Apprenticeships with Zelretch were both coveted and feared, and it was unusual for Zelretch to accept an apprentice as young as Illya, but the prestige was something her family couldn't ignore. The last Illya heard from Zelretch, her father had accepted, and her younger self was ready to head to London.

Still, that was only part of the problem solved. Now they had to deal with more dangerous matters…

Getting through the Bounded Fields, once they were dropped off, was easy. She had done so before, and she was of von Einzbern blood, after all. Walking into the front hall, however, was harder. Not because of anything like magical defences, rather, it was the sudden sense of nostalgia, of memories good and bad.

Illya remembered Sella and Leysritt. How they protected her, the two Homunculi, fighting to the death to protect their mistress. And they did die, dying at the hands of Gilgamesh. So too did Heracles, and then, herself.

For a brief moment, her mind flashed back to the moment when Gilgamesh tore her heart out. She began panting in a small panic as the vivid memory played itself over and over again, until she felt the comforting hand of Waver on her shoulder.

The von Einzberns sent Homunculi over at regular intervals to maintain the castle and keep it from intruders. Thankfully, they couldn't think very hard. They weren't as sophisticated as Sella and Leysritt. They were little more than dolls, than robots, albeit made of flesh and blood and alchemy than machinery and electronics. They simply accepted Illya as being here, along with Waver, once Illya used the right passcodes, passcodes her mother told her before sending her into the past.

"That seemed too easy," Waver said uneasily as they went to their bedrooms.

Illya nodded. "It only seems that way because you have me with you. Though I have to admit, it is rather too easy. But this is only the first stage of things, Waver. We've got to summon our Servants as soon as possible."

Waver nodded. Illya had viewed Waver, even before she regained her memories, as something of a project. The boy had a lot of potential, despite his relatively short magecraft lineage. The fact that, beneath his occasionally bratty persona, he was a genuinely nice guy and a keen mind helped matters. That, and he showed her kindness when he didn't need to. Her stepbrother had something of the same thing, even if Illya was too blinkered by hatred to see it at the time.

He was awkward and a little clumsy, but Waver was nice, intelligent, and had more bravery than he realised. What's more, when she told him, perhaps unwisely, that he became the second Lord El-Melloi, his reaction was, and continued to be, disbelief and uncertainty. He desired prestige, true, but to become Lord El-Melloi? He wasn't sure he was ready for such a thing, and that helped endear him to Illya even more.

As they went into the bedroom, Homunculi unpacking their bags, Illya said, "We'll summon our Servants later tonight, as per the plan."

"Rider will be a powerful one, right?" Waver asked.

"My mother showed me her memories of Iskandar's Reality Marble, the Ionian Hetairoi. It's powerful, believe me." Illya pursed her lips as she took a certain box from her bag. It was troublesome getting both relics through customs, but they managed it with a touch of hypnotism. Having actually watched some movies this time around, Illya impishly called her hypnotism the Jedi Mind Trick. "I'm more worried about my Servant, about Caster."

Waver shrugged. "This one can't be anywhere near as bad as the one you said was around for this Grail War. This Caster may be useful too. I'm more worried about your father."

"We'll be fine," Illya said. "Stop worrying about that. I'll handle my father. He won't be coming over to Japan for another couple of days yet. Our priority is to prepare to summon the Servants tonight." And hope there's not much trouble, Illya added to herself in the privacy of her head.

As she drew out the circle, Illya murmured, "For the origin, silver and steel. For the cornerstone, gem and the Archduke of Contracts. For the ancestor, my great master Schweinorg. The alighted wind becomes a wall. Close the gates in the four directions. From the crown, come forth. Trace the three-forked road leading to the kingdom. Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Repeat fivefold, and when each is filled, destroy it(1)." After she completed the ritual circle, she nodded, satisfied. "Okay, normally, it's ladies first, but I'd rather have Iskandar ready and waiting in case Caster gets ideas."

Waver nodded, and walked over to the altar, placing the scrap from Alexander the Great's mantle on it. The chapel was like the one back home. "I'm nervous. Were you nervous summoning Heracles?" Waver asked.

"I was downright frightened," Illya said. "I had to summon him while being attacked by wolves. At least now I have the luxury to be nervous."

Waver made a face that suggested he'd love nothing more than to find a way to make her family pay for what they put her through. Illya and Waver had a mutually protective streak, despite being relatively weak physically. Waver then sighed, psyching himself up for the summoning, before he thrust his hand out and began feeding mana into the ritual circle. He intoned, "Heed my words. My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the Grail's call, and obey my will and reason, then answer my summoning! I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world, that I shall defeat all evil in the world! Seventh Heaven clad, and the great words of power, come forth from the circle of bindings, Guardian of the Scales!"

The circle dissolved into a flare of actinic light, and a blast of air assaulted them. Blinking away the afterimage, Illya smiled when she saw the man standing within it. Tall, proud, and muscular, with tanned skin and red hair and a beard. He was dressed in battle dress, over which he wore a blood-red cloak.

"Servant Rider has answered your summons," the man said in a rasping rumble of a voice. "I ask of you, are you my Master?"

Waver grinned, before showing the Command Seals now etched into his hand. "It's good to meet you, Rider…or would you prefer Alexander the Great, or Iskandar?"

The burly Servant looked at Waver, before grinning. "Iskandar. It seems that the pact is sealed. What is your name, boy?"

"Waver Velvet. And that is my ally and girlfriend, Illyasviel von Einzbern, though in public, she will have to be known as Chloe. It's complicated, for reasons we'll explain later."

Illya curtsied to Iskandar. "A pleasure to meet you, Iskandar."

"Hah! A polite young woman, but I can see the fire in her eyes, and not just from their colour. Now, show me to your library immediately. I must prepare for the battles to come."

"We have a library in this castle," Waver said. "But can it wait until after Illya summons her Servant? We're just a little worried about her Caster Servant, and we would feel better with another Servant ready."

"Hmm…I applaud your prudence, boy. Very well, I believe I can delay my need for books. But do you have an atlas and any works by Homer in the library?"

Illya nodded. "In German, but I know Servants can understand any language spoken to them."

"Very well."

Waver took his relic off the altar, while Illya replaced it with her own. A fleck of wool that seemed to be golden. Iskandar recognised it, judging by the interested flicker. "Girl, is that the Golden Fleece?"

Illya tamped down her annoyance at being addressed as 'girl'. Iskandar had apparently been like that, according to her mother. "Yes, or what little there is left of it."

Iskandar frowned. "I know of only one Caster Servant offhand connected to that myth. Is it wise to summon that one?"

"Probably not, but I was given this for a reason," Illya said. "I'm modifying the chant to make certain that I get a Caster, too. Otherwise, someone might get a worse one."

Iskandar's frown deepened. "You sound even more certain of that than the Pythia(2)."

"Yes, but I'll explain that later," Illya said. She then took up her position, flung out her hand, and began pumping mana into the circle herself. "Heed my words. My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the Grail's call, and obey my will and reason, then answer my summoning! I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world, that I shall defeat all evil in the world!" Then, she began using the modified chant.

Apparently, one could modify the chant slightly to guarantee a certain class, assuming it hadn't already been summoned. The Berserker chant addition, for example, went along the lines of Then let thine eyes be clouded with the fog of turmoil and chaos, thou who are trapped in a cage of madness, and I, the summoner, who holds thy chains!

But they wanted a Caster, so Illya said, instead, "Let thy ways be the hidden and mystic ways of sorcery supreme, of magic and mystery! Magus unto Magus, I call thee, peer, to answer me! Seventh Heaven clad, and the great words of power, come forth from the circle of bindings, Guardian of the Scales!"

Once again, the circle dissolved into a flare of light, and Illya felt a familiar stab of pain in her hand. The light faded, to reveal a figure Illya remembered from within the Grail. A figure she dreaded, but perhaps might be their best hope.

It was the figure of a woman, dressed in rather elegant robes, a hood concealing her head and most of her face, save for her nose and lips, and part of her blue hair. The figure could have been sinister, and yet…despite Illya knowing what she did about this Caster, she nonetheless actually felt sorry for her.

"Servant Caster has answered your summons," the robed woman said. "I ask of you, are you my Master?"

Illya held up her Command Seals, newly etched into her hand. "Indeed I am."

"Then the pact is sealed," Caster said with a smile. "Are we in alliance with these two?"

"Yes. That's my boyfriend Waver Velvet, and this is Rider, aka Iskandar, aka Alexander the Great. And you are Medea, Princess of Colchis."

"…How did you know my name?" Medea asked, a little bemused, understandably.

"It's a long story. Very long story," Illya said. "And complicated. Maybe a drink would be in order?"

"I would prefer a strong wine of a good vintage, if you don't mind," Medea said. "I just hope the impending headache is from the explanation, and not from a retroactive hangover."

You and me both, Illya thought to herself. You and me both…

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Waver and Illya have summoned Iskandar and Medea respectively. Yeah, I know, I've brought in Medea as a Caster again (having done so in Perils of Magical Investigative Journalism, and Light the Blue Touch Paper and Run Like Hell), but I love to see her as a protagonist rather than an antagonist. It was either going to be her as a Caster or EMIYA. Yes, he can be summoned as a Caster, apparently.

Incidentally, I made up the Caster-specific summoning chant inspired by the Berserker-specific summoning chant, which Kariya uses in Fate/Zero. It got me thinking, there may be specific chants for each class for those who don't already have Command Seals, and who aren't trying pot luck, so I made this one up for Casters. I hope I got it right.

1. I used this version of the preparation incantation in Gorgon and Thanatos. I used a mixture of the ritual from the manga, as well as Third Fang's From Fake Dreams. The final incantation is from the English dub of Fate/Zero.

2. Iskandar is referring to the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, known for uttering prophecies.