Ritsuka saves a few kids.
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Right, sorry about not updating, but I have school. Ahahahahaha. *Dies*
Anyway, enjoy, I guess.
Leave your thoughts in the comments.
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He closed his eyes and remembered, feeling the wind caress his face and tussle his hair. So tall were the modern labors of man capable of creating, standing above even the Demon Gods he was meant to and had already defeated.
The stars glimmered in the cosmic sea they were born from. Their own heaven, he supposed. Twinkling like the gem-like eyes of a newborn babe. So innocent, and for that reason, so radiant. And through that radiance, they told him stories, fortunes he would not foresee.
Stargazer, he called himself, even before he donned the white uniform of the bubble in Antarctica, even as he sat with his back pressed to the throne of his king and father, whispering messages to him from his creator.
A nostalgic smile he was blessed with. Ritsuka reminded himself to go stargazing with Romani and Mash when he returned.
Yet, as he gazed further into the star-lined abyss, he could not help but frown.
All that happens within the heavens shall be reflected upon the earth. And, so too, was the opposite true.
Children wailed, their parents trying to soothe their fear, yet to no avail. The working class gazed upon the building, alight by a faint orange tint as some elderly citizens remembered a time plagued with war and despair. Megaphones blared and screeched painfully as the hotel staff called and crossed out names.
Ritsuka's eyes tracked a man's shadowed figure as he weaved through the crowd, a faint buzz of Mana coursing through his body as EMIYA's still-living version convinced a hotel worker he was someone else.
What drove him to sign a pact with the counterforce, Ritsuka wondered. He always was so distant, so cold. Yet beneath all that grime, blood, and sin he bathed himself in, Ritsuka still sensed a beating heart.
He turned, golden wings manifesting in a shower of feathers.
He would not stay here any longer.
He pretended not to hear as the building fell behind him.
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The Einzbern Forest was creepy, shadows cast by the thousand branches twisted into an eldrich monstrosity by the hands of the night and made vague by the mists cast by Caster's spellbook.
If Ritsuka's core was somewhat shaken, even circling the area from above, he wondered what the poor children under Caster's hypnosis would think, trapped in a spell that would grant them hope only to cruelly snatch it away when the light was finally in reach.
He had seen enough.
Gilles de Rais had always been a tricky character. Back in Chaldea, he had managed to somewhat quell his insane tendencies by finding less gruesome ways for him to vent. But back in the bubble at the bottom of the planet, he had a Master with a heart of gold to restrain him.
Now?
His current Master had a heart, but it was far from pure. His desires were free to run wild, free to commit all sorts of perverse acts to try and win the scorn of God.
Ritsuka descended into the forest just as Caster crushed a child's head.
It was for this reason he pretended to be a Ruler.
His feet touched the ground as the transformation completed. White wings coated in golden bronze, an armored dress plated with silver, and ribbons weaved from musical notes hung from her shoulders and arms.
Israfel, Angel of Song, reached into her metallic halo of musical notes hovering vertically behind her head, shrouded in flames and mist. The frame of a harp manifested, its strings taken from the copper-shaded strands that made up her hair.
White mist filled the forest, carrying a melodic tune and glowing musical notes to guide the children her way.
She would have to thank her grandfather for his lessons later.
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The forest was not how Artoria remembered. When she first arrived at the Einzbern Castle, she had marveled at the territory Irisviel's family had in their possession.
Tall and proud, it stood, circled by a forest of considerable depth.
Nothing could compare to her Castle of Chalk, but she gave credit where it was due.
Yet as she ran through the forest and a root almost caught her armored feet, she wished she had her left hand to blow it all into smithereens.
"Welcome, Fair Jeanne."
At the ramblings of the insane, she pointed her sword at the figure behind her.
An evil jester, he looked like. A clown gone insane. If it wasn't for the child terrified in his grasp, Artoria would have thought him naught more than a joke.
"How do you like this horrible sight? Does it not pain you?"
The child whimpered in his hands as he perversely caressed his hair. Never shall there come a time when Artoria wished she had use of her left hand more.
"Do you despise me, Jeanne? Yes, I'm sure you must. You'll never forgive me for turning from God's love."
"Unhand the child, monster!" Tone tinged in righteous fury, her sword shook from the sheer strength of her one-handed grip.
White mist washed away the darkness akin to a raging tide. Sprites of dots and lines echoed with light as they were carried far into the sky, illuminating the forest in tandem with the moon and stars.
A lullaby began to swirl, and with it came its player. A female teen with twelve wings, children shielded under her white and bronze feathers.
Her musical notes carried the child in Caster's grip into her arms, and she gazed warmly into his eyes.
"Poor thing," she murmured. "Let me remove this seed he planted."
Her hands turned transparent, and she reached into the boy's chest. He laid still in her grip, perhaps too tired to resist further. Out came a green and purple ball of flesh, pulsing and writhing akin to a mutated human heart.
It was swiftly crushed in her grip.
"Who are..." the King of Knights began, yet her voice was drowned out by another.
"Oh...OH!" the madman cried out in delight. "That light, that radiant, elegant light! Surely, it is the same as when Jeanne and I were blessed with profound joy! Has God finally come? Has he finally answered my prayers at last?!"
The winged teen freed the child from her embrace, placing him gently with the others protected under her wings. With a face of total neutrality, she sang.
"I am not one who commands the Heavens, nor am I the maiden who received a blade from God."
Light erupted from her metallic halo, creating the frame of a gold and blue gate. As it opened, clouds swirled within as light rippled akin to the surface of a lake.
"I am Servant Ruler. My True Name is Israfel, Seraphim of Song."
With her name revealed, the Grail provided the other Servants information on her life. One of the ten Great Seraphim, the one said to hold the trumpet blown to signal the Day of Judgement.
"King of Knights, I leave Caster's fate in your hands. Another shall come, the spearman in green, to aid you in claiming his head."
"Wait!" As the angel stepped towards the portal, children following in tow, Artoria stated her confusion. "Why do you not..?"
"Why do I not aid you?" Israfel smiled softly, "I have no talent in battle. I am not my elder brother, Michael. Besides, there is a task more important left in my hands."
She gestured to the children under her wings, protected like chicks beneath their mother's feathers.
"I see," Artoria nodded in understanding.
"But I will not leave you without a parting gift."
The Great Seraph reached into her halo and pulled out a metallic spark. It magnetized towards the invisible weapon held in Artoria's hands, sinking into the iron hidden using a spell crafted by a meddling magus.
"My songs shall guide your blade, even when darkness comes once more."
Excalibur buzzed with new-found light, barely restrained using a cloak of wind. Its energy passed into its user, and she almost forgot about the injury on her left hand completely.
"Do not fall here, King of Knights. Your song has not yet reached its ending."
"I will not," came the firm response. "Your blessings are appreciated, Angel of Songs. I hereby swear I shall pass judgment upon this evil fiend!"
Assured, the angel walked through one of her many Noble Phantasms. A golden gateway shimmering with clouds that brought one to wherever she commanded.
"Gate of Sahaqiel."
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The sun had risen and fallen twice since he brought the children back to their homes. Again, he found himself in the sky, trailing behind a speeding bullet train that held the vessel of Ishtar and Ereshkigal.
He had monitored the daughter of Gilgamesh's Master closely. Her temperament was just as fiery as her soul. It seems Ishtar was the one to choose her rather than Ereshkigal.
He followed the train to Fuyuki station, landing in the shadows of a street lamp as he heard the faint steps of a girl in red.
It was more peaceful than he remembered. But he guessed anything was better than the burning hellscape that was Singularity F.
Rin-he thinks that was her name-stopped by the dim light of a lamp stationed in a small park. As her eyes wandered from the highrise buildings to the twisted, shadowed trees, she hugged herself and shivered.
Her hand reached for the large talisman hanging on her neck as it bled an eerie red. A Mana Compass, an object he got one too many copies of when he was trying to summon for Nobukatsu, Bunyan, and Mary.
At least he could fire them from his dimensional pocket as Mana Bombs. They had that much use, he supposed.
Ritsuka sighed. A shiny gift for apprentices, the portable Mana bombs may be. But they're useless when there are traces of Mana scattered in all corners. Caster is not subtle with his schemes, is he?
Luckily, he tinkered with the things enough to know how to manipulate them. A useless skill in every other situation, but if it managed to be helpful at least once, it was worth that one sleepless night dissecting the thing.
A faint pulse of Mana, just dense enough to alter the needle of the compass , fired in the direction Ritsuka thought where Caster was.
Sure, guiding poor little girls into dark and scary alleyways wasn't something an angel should do, but Rin should be safe with him trailing her.
She had to be.
Raiko would kill him if she wasn't.
Besides, it was for...what was the word Merlin used for it again...? Ah, yes! It was for Character Growth.
But as Ritsuka tirelessly followed the twin-tailed girl through alley after alley, he wondered why he didn't just get the damn thing to point toward the closest bullet train that would have taken her home.
Seriously, could she not have used the roads?! Or were all mages fans of all that was mysterious and dark?
Finally, the compass led her to an abandoned shop, stairs and railings all coated in a thick layer of dust. Ritsuka hovered by the door with rusty hinges as he watched Rin struggle with destroying the cursed bracelet.
She would succeed. If she was worthy of being Ishtar's vessel, that much shouldn't be a problem.
He turned and walked up the stairs. He might as well make himself useful and lure the police over.
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Minutes later, with all the kidnapped children safe in the capable hands of the local police, Ritsuka found their savior hidden in one of the dark alleys she loved so much.
As he prepared to send another pulse of Mana to guide her home, the compass began shaking and vibrating, its needle spinning in erratic motions.
'That isn't good.'
One of Caster's Sea Demons fell from wherever it came from. So the insane Servant wasn't stupid to leave his workshop unguarded. But a single lesser Sea Fiend?
Ritsuka summoned a light spear, hurling it at the demon that shouldn't belong in this Age of Man.
Silently, he walked up behind Rin and cast a sleeping spell on her as the demon's movements ceased.
Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to leave an elementary school student alone at night with the Holy Grail War going on.
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He left the girl on a bench in the park where she started her brave rescue mission. Standing by her side as his eyes wandered to the roads, searching for a car he instinctively knew he'd recognize.
"Rin!"
Ah, there she was. Rin's mother.
"She's fine. Just asleep."
The woman turned, startled.
"You really should keep an eye on your daughter, Miss. Bravery is only praiseworthy if you have the power to back it. Ever heard of the saying 'curiosity killed the cat?'"
"Wh-Who are you?"
Ritsuka turned, giving a cheeky smile no one could see. He spread his golden wings as he prepared to leave.
"Servant Ruler of this Holy Grail War. Rest assured, Miss. Your daughter will not die so long as I live."
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Well, any thoughts?
My brain literally was left on 2 brain cells.
If there are any suggestions, leave those in the comments too.
Well, see you all in the next one.