The signs of the afternoon ending where fast approaching as Rin Tohsaka as fast as she could on her way to Ryuudou Temple.

She had done a lot of running these past days and luckily she was always an athletic someone so kept in top shape, which came in real handy right now as she made the run towards the temple stairs.

Rin saw the stairs coming into view. She did not know what to expect when she finally found Shirou. But she knew one thing for sure. She had to tell him. The gravity of what was at stake had finally hit her. What Richter had done to Sakura was all in pursuit of Manadek's genocidal goal. And they had literally drained her dry to achieve it.

Regardless of how she felt about Elena. They had to be stopped. Failure wasn't an option, it was her life on the line, it was every Magus in the world whose lives were on the line. She needed to tell Shirou how she felt, win or lose the moment was now.

When Rin laid eyes on the stairs leading upwards to the temple she made the turn with absolute precision before sprinting up the stairs.

"AAGHH!"

As she leaped up a few steps she was suddenly overwhelmed by a sharp pain going throughout her whole body. Her eyes watered as she fell to her knees. She then noticed a red glowing symbol right underneath her feet. A stun curse had been placed there and she became completely immobile and incapable of moving.

Rin heard footsteps coming closer and very soon she saw before her a disgusting sight.

"Can't believe I arrived here first and made you fall right into the trap," Gil said clapping his hands mockingly "never thought I'd get the feisty little brat daughter of Tokiomi to her knees but there's a first time for everything, right boss?"

Rin heard another set of footsteps of her along with the sound of a cane thudding on the ground. She turned her head to see Argus Manadek walking up to stand beside Gil.

"I must say Mr. Gil this is some impressive work on your end" Manadek said while smiling as he bend down on one knee to be on eye level with Rin.

"Let me make something very clear to you Miss Tohsaka. The only reason I keep you here alive is because my son asked me too" he said grinning ear to ear, clearly reveling at her inability to fight back.

"That and you also make for a good bargaining chip against young Shirou. Especially now thanks to Mr. Gil's ingenuity," he told her "how does it feel? To be powerless? Unable to fight back. That's what I have endured for ten whole years at the hands of your filthy kind."

"GO TO HELL MANADEK!" Rin yelled at him, spitting in his face as she did. Manadek wiped the spit of his face and stood back up.

"Mr. Gil grab her and make sure she doesn't move. It's time we get what we came for" Manadek concluded as he turned around and began walking up the stairs. Gil grinned as he grabbed Rin off the ground and pressed a small blade against her neck for additional precaution.

"The stun spell won't last forever. But don't get any ideas Rin, things might end badly for you" Gil said as he forcibly dragged her along with him up the stairs.

"Big brother! What are you doing!" Illya said as she walked after a seemingly unconscious Shirou being led down the path leading to the lakeside.

Shirou looked like he was sleep walking. He was completely oblivious to the world around him as he fallowed the shining path he saw that was in front of him. It felt like an invisible hand was guiding him towards it. Towards Excalibur.

When Shirou finally regained vision and could perceive reality again he saw Illya behind him, out of breath and he was right next to the lake. Behind him was meters of woodland covering the area.

"Big brother what happened?" Illya asked, tugging on his sleeve.

"I…I felt it. I could feel the sword. It's supposed to be here….I can still sense it."

Shirou looked around into the place and into the tree line. He saw nothing but dense woodlands and darkness in there, only slightly illuminated by the now setting sun.

Illya had turned and looked at the lake and then her eyes lit up as she seemed to realize something.

"Big brother. In legends they said that Arthur got the sword from the lady of the lake. And at the end of his life he asked Sir Bedeviere to return the sword to the lake."

"So you think the sword is in the lake? I don't sense it there. I don't exactly know which direction it could possibly be in."

Illya walked back over to him and grabbed his hand.

"Shirou she must have guided you here for a reason. Because only you can find the sword, because only you can be trusted with it. So feel it, and take it. Saber depends on your to defend her legacy."

Her words seemed to alleviate the doubts clouding his head. Shirou took in a deep breath and focused once more. Feeling a spike of energy right near where they where standing. Right next to the lake.

Just like the legend said. It came from the lake so it had to be here. He could sense it. He recalled how it looked in Saber's hands, how skillfully and powerfully she wielded it. He felt a rush of adrenaline flood his system and he turned to the covered woodlands.

He walked over towards it and without thinking began to walk into thick foliage before him. As soon as he did he felt his entire system be overwhelmed, as if an entire bucket of ice cold water had just washed over him and he closed his eyes as a blinding light enveloped him.

When he opened them he found himself not standing inside the lakeside forest, but instead an area that looked like an old castle. He turned around and saw Illya nowhere to be found. The entire area seemed to be completely void of any other sign of life and even sound seemed to not be here.

And then he saw it.

Sticking out like a sore thumb right in front of his eyes, lodged in a stone was the very thing he had been searching for.

Excalibur.

It looked as grand as he recalled it. It looked completely untouched and bright. He slowly stepped towards it.

This was Saber's most prized possession. The sword that brought her victory over and over again. One that could change the world right here and now.

He slowly reached out his hand for it, almost afraid he would burst into flames once he touched it. This was Saber's sword. Would she even trust him with it?

He shook his head, of course she would have. She had loved him, she wanted him to find it. His fingers took firm hold around the handle and pulled back as hard as he could. The legends spoke that only the one worthy could pull the sword from the stone.

But as soon as he pulled back the sword immediately dislodged from the sword and he stood firm as he held the sword in both hands admiring it wholeheartedly.

"Saber I found it…"

A/N: We're going through this quite fast and we're nearing the end.