GrimGenesis's Story Idea, Draft, and One-Shot Collection and Storage

by GrimGenesis

A collection of unedited Story Rough Drafts I have from time to time and potential One-Shots I might do in the future. Anything that isn't a full story I'm working on at the moment or side stories/what if scenarios for my stories will be stored here for feedback and so that whenever I get stuck with my main stories, I still have something to post.

3. Fate Apocrypha: Rats Died (OC Draft)

Fate/Apocrypha: Rats Died

Chapter 1 A Rat

To be a Magus is to walk alongside death.

That is the first rule of Magecraft and Magus. That one rule was ingrained into Kenji Sagara Yggdmillennia had as he stared at the corpse of his older brother, Hyouma Sagara Yggdmillennia, panting heavily after the struggle he had just undergone. Kenji just stared at the body with an empty gaze as he slowly raised a hand to his face.

His fingers glided across his face, feeling the streaks of blood that had smeared onto him. He then slowly looked down to his other hand, which held a knife stained with his brother's blood. He continued to stare emptily, slowly processing what he had just done.

His thoughts landed on what would happen after his mother and father discovered what he had done. What would become of him? What would they do? How would he get rid of the problems they would cause him? Of course, all those thoughts paled in comparison to the first thought that immediately came to his mind.

"Finally. He's dead." The young 7 year old boy whispered.

On that day, the day he killed his old brother and stole his family's Magic Crest, Kenji smiled for the first time in his entire life.

---

"Kenji."

"Hmm…?"

"Did you hear anything that I just told you?"

"Of course, Uncle Darnic. I was just…reminiscing. Please forgive me." Kenji replied as he continued to stare out the castle's window.

He didn't know why, but his mind had been wandering back to that day when his life truly began. Perhaps it was because everything that has happened in his life up until this point seems to have been leading up to this point. Darnic said something like that before too, hasn't he?

It had been a little over ten years since his brother died. Since he was killed. That life altering event changed everything, yet time moves on. Now, here he was in front of the head of the Yggdmillennia clan, of which his family was a part of.

He had grown quite a bit. No longer was he the short little boy he was. In fact, he was the spitting image of his late brother, Hyouma. He even took after him by wearing a similar outfit to what Hyouma used to wear.

It was the Yggdmillennia uniform, a pure white suit with matching pants and golden straps on it, but Kenji kept the top two buttons open, revealing the dark forest green shirt he had underneath. It was quite the contrast to his ash blonde hair that bordered on being grey and his dull lime green eyes.

He wasn't anything special. He knew magecraft, yes, and his family, the Sagaras, were part of the Yggdmillennia. However, his family, which was now made up of only himself, had only produced third and second rate mages who were only skilled in western and eastern Curses and bits of Witchcraft.

Even Kenji of all people was still slightly confused as to why someone like his Uncle Darnic, a mage of large renown, would personally call him to his fortress in Romania, especially with how other magi have affectionately given Kenji titles like 'rat' or 'heretic' for the magecraft he knows and his use of modern technology.

While he might have been the most talented of the Sagara lineage, Kenji didn't personally believe anything he's done or researched, while useful in its own right despite a lot of it working in tangent with modern tech, would catch the eye of Darnic enough to be granted an audience with the man.

He was just the last surviving rat in a dying family line that had made nothing but rats.

"You ask for forgiveness, yet your voice holds no emotion." Darnic chuckled. "I suppose you've always been like that, haven't you?"

"I suppose." Kenji gave an empty nod before he returned his gaze to the head of the Yggdmillennia Clan. "Forgive me for cutting the pleasantries short, but I was told you called me here because you wanted me to partake in this Great Holy Grail War of yours. Are you sure that is wise? I'm still quite young compared to other members of the clan."

"Yet you're still the head of the Sagara family, and you have shown great ability in your family's magecraft."

"Only because I killed the original heir when I was just a child and stole the crest our mother gave him. My family is dying out anyway, since I'm really the only one now." Kenji told Darnic with a shrug. "I know you've heard the story. You came to see me after that, for reasons I can't understand."

"That was because I saw something in you that many magi don't possess."

"And what was that?"

"Willingness to embrace the first law of Magecraft." Darnic answered with a grin that might have been described as cruel or wicked.

"To be a Magus is to walk with death." Kenji repeated the creed that he had heard several times throughout his life. "Every magi knows that, and all of them follow it."

"Yes, but I don't believe I have heard of a case when a Magus's child was willing to follow that creed so early on in their life in order to stay on the path of magecraft when his family would only teach their original heir. I find that quality…interesting." Kenji stared at his uncle for a while before he sighed.

"If you say so. If you truly don't have a problem with letting someone like me, who is called the 'Heretical Rat of Yggdmillennia', to become one of your Masters of Black, then I'll do as I'm told. I don't have any issues in joining your Great Holy Grail War."

"I am glad to hear that." Darnic gave Kenji a nod before moving closer to the young magus. "I trust you know about the Holy Grail War?"

"Yes. A ritual in which seven magi chosen by the Holy Grail, a wish granting device, fight to the death to obtain their wish. In order to do this, each magi summoned a heroic spirit as Servants to fight for them, each one summoned as a different class symbolizing their skills and talents."

"That's right. I assume you also heard about the last real Holy Grail War of Fuyuki?"

"Somewhat. Holy Grail Wars weren't something I really researched. I remember the system for the war fell apart after the third."

"Correct. But things are different now. The Greater Grail, an artifact from the divine realm and an essential part of the Fuyuki Holy Grail War, is now ready for use. The Yggdmillennia Clan has already announced our ownership of the Greater Grail."

"The Greater Grail?" Kenji questioned while raising an eyebrow. "I suppose with a name like that, it must be quite important?"

"Yes. You could say it is the core of the Holy Grail War that will grant the wish of the winner at the end of the battle."

"If that's true, then once you announce something like that, the Mage's Association is sure to come."

"And they did. Lancer easily took care of them and sent them our declaration of war."

"Lancer?" Kenji's eyes widened a little, finally showing a bit of emotion since the conversation started. "So you've already summoned a Servant?"

"Yes. Lancer has proven to be a powerful ally. Now that the Association knows our plans and our ownership of the Greater Grail, they're sure to prepare their own Masters of Red."

"I see…" Kenji nodded as he looked at the chessboard that was in Darnic's office, each piece representing a Servant instead of the normal pieces. "Seven Servants of Red versus Seven Servants of Black. A true war." Kenji took a deep breath before looking back to his uncle. "So other than Lancer, who else has been summoned on our side?"

"Just Caster of Black. He is busy with Roche creating a golem army for us to use in the war."

"Golems…?" Kenji thought for a moment before he nodded. "A heroic spirit that can create golems… Would our Caster happen to be Avicebron?"

"I'm impressed you came up with that answer so fast." Darnic said with a bit of shock.

"He's the only famous person I can think of who specializes in Kabbalah magecraft while meeting the requirements to be a heroic spirit." Kenji explained.

"Well you are correct. And, if you care to know, Lancer of Black's true name is Vlad III."

"As in Vlad the Impaler?" Kenji gave an empty chuckle at that. "No wonder you've set up your base in Romania, Lancer's homeland."

"That's correct. Having the war take place here will give us a major advantage against the Red team. That leaves the Saber, Archer, Rider, Assassin, and Berserker of Black."

"Hmm… Who else do you plan to be a Master of Black?"

"There were a few candidates, but I ultimately decided upon Gordes Musik, Caules and Fiore Forvedge, and Celenike Icecolle. I am the Master of Lancer, and Roche Frain is Caster's Master."

Kenji nodded as he began to think. "Has it been decided who they will summon?"

"Not yet. They seem to still be looking for proper catalysts to use for the summoning." Darnic answered. "What about you? Since you've decided on joining the war, do you have an idea of what Servant you want to summon?"

Kenji frowned as he looked back at the chessboard, examining the pieces before coming to a decision.

"Assassin. I believe that will be the best choice for me. I don't believe I have the proper skillset to properly support something like Saber, Archer, or Rider since I have a below average number of magical circuits compared to other magi, though they are of fairly better quality than the norm. And since I specialize in curses, witchcraft, and black magic, the Servants qualified for those knightly classes would probably disagree with my methods and magecraft use as well. And a Berserker would be too difficult for me to control. Assassin should be the best suited for my abilities and tactics. However, the class itself has the problem of mainly summoning the Hassan-i-Sabbah from what I remember reading."

"Yes. The Hassan are all powerful and skilled combatants, but summoning one would be problematic since the Association could already have countermeasures against those specific Servants due to the many smaller Grail Wars that have occurred over the years. It would be better to summon a different Assassin, but it will be difficult to summon any other heroic spirit that's not one of the Hassans as an Assassin. Do you already have a catalyst in mind?"

"...Actually, I believe I do." Kenji replied after a brief pause.

"Oh? Which Heroic Spirit do you have in mind, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Apologies, but I believe I must handle this matter with a sense of discresion. For any Servant, their true name is the key to understanding their abilities and weaknesses, but even more so with the Assassin Class, who solely rely on stealth and secrecy. I believe that in order to prevent anyone from figuring out my Assassin's true name, I must kept that knowledge to myself. Who knows who might be listening in right now, or who might be watching, or even if someone is actually a traitor planning on sharing this information with the Association. And above all, there is no guarentee that I'll summon who I have in mind. Sharing a True Name before the Servant is summoned would be premature of me."

"I see. That is understandable then." Darnic stated with a slight hum. "Truthfully, I do not mind if you wish to keep the Assassin's True Name hidden, even after you summon them. As long as you are willing to take responsibility for your decision."

"Of course."

"Good. When will you be leaving, then?"

"As soon as I'm able. I'll have to go back home and grab the catalyst. Then I'll need to head off to Japan."

"Japan?"

"It would be best to use ley lines that are strong and compatible with this Servant to ensure that the summoning works and I don't get a different heroic spirit. It would be a shame if I go through all this trouble and still only summon a Hassan or some other, weaker Assassin. I'll go back to my family's homeland and perform the ritual there. I already have a location in mind."

"Then I believe our Assassin of Black is in good hands. I trust you will see this through to the end, Kenji Sagara Yggdmillennia?"

"Yes, Uncle." Kenji nodded as he got up from his seat. "I'll head out immediately. Once Assassin has been summoned, I'll come back as quickly as I can. It should take less than a week should things go as plan."

"That should line up with the date when the other Masters of Black will summon their Servants, so that should be fine. I will tell the others that you will be back after summoning Assassin then."

"I don't believe you should. If they hear I'm one of your choice Masters, they might have second thoughts."

"Perhaps. Your reputation does precede you." Darnic gave a small laugh. "Still, I wish you luck. I have high hopes for you and Assassin."

Kenji didn't respond to that as he left. As he left the castle, he thought more about the war he would take part in.

The Great Holy Grail War, a war fought between 14 Masters and Servants. Kenji had no problem with fighting on the side of Black, but he wasn't a fool. From what he knew of normal Holy Grail Wars, fought between the normal number of 7 Masters and Servants, even if the Black team suffered no losses and defeated the Red team easily, that still leaves the remaining Masters to fight for the Grail, leading to the reason he wished to keep his Servant's potential name hidden for the duration of the war.

It wouldn't do to tell his temporary allies his Servant's True Name and let them take advantage of that after they became each other's enemies again.

The normal Grail War needs at least six of the seven Servants to die to have the power to grant a wish for the remaining Master and Servant, though sacrificing the seventh Servant is said to power the Grail enough to open a way to the Root. With 14 Servants, that means perhaps at most 2 wishes for the last Master and Servant, doesn't it?

An interesting prospect, until one realizes that Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia has seemed to have planned this Great Holy Grail War for many years, decades even. Could Kenji's dear old Uncle be planning to sweep the Black faction as soon as the Red team is defeated? With a Lancer like Vlad III, he could easily do that if Kenji and the others Masters.

"What have I just agreed to do?" Kenji muttered with a barely noticeable grimace. "Still, this hardly changes things. I'll just do what a rat like me always does. If Darnic is going to fight like a Lord, I'll fight like a rat."

Despite all appearances, it seemed that even someone as empty as Kenji Sagara Yggdmillennia might have something to fight for. A wish to be that determined thought, Kenji continued to walk away, a trio of red markings began to form on the back of his hand.

---

"There. It's done. This should be the proper magic circle." Kenji muttered as he got up from his knees, tossing the chalk in his hand away as he stared at the massive circle he had drawn.

Just as he told his Uncle Darnic, right after leaving the castle, the Fortress of Millennia, he traveled back to his home and scavenged around until he found the set of knives he was looking for.

If he recalled, his mother got them as a gift from someone back when he was very young. Perhaps his mother had them in case of a Holy Grail War, or perhaps they were just meant to be just a simple souvenir? Either way, Kenji would make fine use of them for his summoning.

After that, it was just a simple matter to arrange a flight to Japan. Specifically, the Sawara district in Katori City. It was an old fashioned town, sometimes called Edo Masari, but it was where he grew up.

Home sweet home, right?

Kenji hadn't been back there since he was a child. He still remembered walking around the old town, following along the waterways and wandering around, taking in all the beautiful sights. They were some of the few moments in his life that seemed peaceful. Like nothing could go wrong.

How unfortunate that he was born into a family of magi.

Either way, it was the perfect location to summon an Assassin. There were two reasons for that. The first were the leylines in the city. They were extremely potent, which was the reason his family settled there in the first place. If it wasn't for the fact that the Yggdmillennia clan's main locations in Europe serve Kenji better than his family's original base, he probably wouldn't have moved out.

The leyline the Sagara family mansion was sitting on was particularly powerful, which was, once again, the reason the mansion was built there at the far edge of town despite the inconvenience it caused with other more normal matters.

The second reason was simple and it spoke for itself, really. The mansion was the place where he killed his brother. The dread and grief plaguing the location, even after a little over a decade, would serve as an added reagent for the summoning of a serial killer.

Serial killer… Yes. That was the kind of Servant he was aiming to summon. Perhaps it was foolish of him, but now that he was participating in a Holy Grail War, he figured he would make use of ann old set of knives his mother acquired long ago. If he recalled correctly, they were the very weapons of the infamous killer Jack the Ripper.

A much more modern legend compared to heroes of old, however, the amount of mystery surrounding the Jack the Ripper killings make up the difference. To add to that, using a more modern Servant increases the chances that the other masters will be more unprepared to battle against his Servant, as the typical mindset for summoning Servants was to summon and old hero with a strong legend and strong mystery surrounding them.

Of course, this comes with the down side of his Servant being no match compared to much older and divine Servants that could be summoned, but on a team of six other Servants made that weakness less intrusive. On a team of other Servants, Kenji believed that Jack the Ripper, despite their modern origin, could stand up against any other Servant with the proper support from his faction, and even afterwards could prove to be enough to win the whole thing once the Red Faction had been taken care of.

So here he was. Sitting in the old basement of the mansion, looking over the large circle he drew, the set of prized knives sitting behind the circle on an altar. From the moment he arrived at the mansion, he spent the rest of the day preparing for the ritual. Now he waited for everything to line up so that everything was perfect.

All the preparations were good. The time was about to be midnight, the time when his magical energy (od) would reach its peak. Wavelength was ideal too. Everything was all coming together. He was nearly guaranteed to get Jack the Ripper as his Servant anyway, but with all his extensive preparations, it was statistically impossible to get it wrong now.

Kenji felt like he should feel pride in that. He always made sure to do everything he can to make his plans work, and there were even a few other magi who seemed to respect Kenji for that dedication to getting his magecraft right despite his reputation and heretical ways. Yet he felt nothing. No pride. No joy. He never felt either of those when it came to his work.

Kenji let out a deep breath as he continued to stare at his flip phone. Ten minutes to go until midnight. He probably should have started feeling nervous about this, or perhaps he should have felt excitement at the prospect of getting a wish or two granted if he wins the war, or maybe he should have felt relief that everything seems to be going well so far. Yet he didn't feel any of that. He just continued to stare, unsure of what he might be feeling at the time.

Unfeeling. If there was a word to describe Kenji Sagara Yggdmillennia, it would be that. Anyone who has seen him can attest that his face is a permanent deadpan. It didn't matter what was happening or what he was seeing. His expression hardly changed, and the rare times it did, it was only slight changes like raised eyebrows or eyes that grew slightly wider.

The one time he smiled was back when he killed his brother, however brief it was, and not even Kenji knew why it appeared. It wasn't for a lack of trying. He researched emotions and feelings as much as his magecraft, yet nothing he learned helped him understand why he only smiled back then. Why only after his brother died? He never hated his brother, before or after his death. So why?

That's when Kenji noticed that the time was nearly upon him. No more time to reminisce. He had to perform the summoning. Kenji closed his flip phone and put it away. He then brought up his other hand, the one with his Command Seals. They looked a lot like Darnics, except the third seal at the bottom was different from his.

It was the proof that he had been chosen as a Master, not just by the head of the Yggdmillennia clan, but also the Grail. Kenji still didn't really know how he was supposed to feel about it all just yet, but he couldn't help but let out a small question.

"Will I…be able to see it…with my own eyes…brother?" The question fell out of Kenji's mouth in a whisper, flowing freely out of his mouth without him even realizing it. Yet, as expected, no response came. After a moment of waiting, Kenji's eyes narrowed as he stood up.

"No doubts. No hesitation. No retreat. No compromise. No regrets. All that matters is, in the end, I survive and see it through." He recited the oath he made to himself back when he ended his brother's life once again as he moved towards the front of the circle.

He would get through this as he said he would. He still held it within him, the tight feeling that caused him to kill his brother in order to become the family magi heir. He wanted to live an actual life. And so he would.

Slowly, but calmly, he raised his right hand over the circle before chanting the incantation.

"Let the elements be of silver and iron.

Let stone and the Archduke of Contracts lay the foundation.

The color bestowed is 'Black'."

The moment Kenji began the incantation, the circle began to fill with a magical light that soon engulfed the entire circle in a whitish-blue light, symbolizing the Black Faction. At the same time, Kenji's Command Seals began to flare in magical energy, blinking with a powerful red glow the further into the chant Kenji got. The markings began to give off a slightly painful sensation, similar to being burned, yet Kenji paid it no mind as he continued.

"Raise a wall against the wind that shall fall.

Let the four cardinal gates close.

Come forth from the Crown and follow the forked road leading to the kingdom."

It was at this point that magical energy began to heavily pour out of the circle, causing a storm of energy to swirl within the basement, causing the little bits of stone and dust scattered around the basement to begin flying around as the set of knives glowed within the energy. Still, undeterred by any of it, Kenji continued.

"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 me.

I hereby swear…

That I shall be all the good in the world.

And that I shall defeat all evil in the world.

Thou Seventh Heaven, clad in the three great words of power,

Come forth from the circle of binding, Guardian of the Scales!"

With those final words, the magical energy that had begun to build up within the circle spiraled out of control, becoming like a tornado as blinding light engulfed the room. Kenji didn't so much as blink as light covered everything in sight. He remained still as he continued to stare ahead, wondering if this would be a moment where he could find reason to smile at the success of the summoning.

However, the moment the light and magical energy cleared away and Kenji was able to see just who was now standing in the middle of the circle, his expression certainly did change. But it wasn't a smile. Quite the opposite, as he now had a small frown stuck onto his face.

His eyes widened to a degree Kenji was sure had not been reached prior, and he felt drops of sweat form on the side of his head as he began to process the being in front of him. After a few moments of silence, Kenji could only respond with one thing:

"A…child?"

It was true. Standing within the circle was what appeared to be a young girl, in about her early teens at most but Kenji wouldn't doubt if she was younger.

The girl had white hair and yellow-green eyes that Kenji felt were somewhat like a cat's. She had two scars on her face, one of which was stitched up while the other one ran down her left eye. The outfit she was wearing was strange, being mainly composed of a small black vest, black panties, high black stockings, and pink shoes.

Her arms were sleeveless, yet her fore arms were wrapped in bandages with her right hand being bandaged as well but her left was wearing a black glove, and her upper arms had two straps around them. There were also strange purple ovals on each of her shoulders. Most concerning of all were the sheer amount of knives and other weapons carried in large sheaths, all of them taken from the catalyst Kenji had prepared.

The two of them stood there in place, dull, shocked eyes looking back at sharp, innocent eyes. Dangerous. That was one thing Kenji was certain about. This 'child' was dangerous. Even if she wasn't a Servant, she would still have the air of a murderer around her. And yes, this girl was a Servant. Kenji could feel the connection between the two of them from the summoning. She was the Assassin Servant he summoned.

But that couldn't be right, could it? He used Jack the Ripper's knives as his catalyst. Did something go wrong with the ritual? Kenji quickly dismissed the thought.

No, that was impossible. He did everything right, and all his preparations would have prevented anything going wrong.

There were only two solutions Kenji could think of. Either this girl is a different Servant than the one he wanted, summoned due to the catalyst not being connected to Jack the Ripper in the first place, or this girl herself is Jack the Ripper. While the thought of this little, innocent looking young girl being a serial killer sounded absurd, Kenji knew that strange things tended to be on the truthful side of things.

Plus, Jack the Ripper was never identified. For all he knew, it could have been this little girl. Scotland Yard certainly would never had suspected a little girl to be a infamous serial killer of prostitutes, after all.

What a terrifying thought, that such a young girl could have been the cause of those gruesome murders.

Still, even if she wasn't the Servant he wanted or expected, there was no denying how dangerous the girl was. It was so bad that Kenji thought he should use a command seal to have the girl kill herself and not risk being her Master. The thought was killed as quickly as it came. Kenji chided himself for the briefest second of hesitation. Didn't he make an oath against doing such things? No matter what happened during the course of this war, he would face it head on without trepidation.

And making a girl commit suicide seemed far too cruel, even for someone like him. She hadn't even done so much as speak yet. Her dying in such a cowardly way would leave a bad taste in his mouth. He was fine killing any man or woman under nearly any circumstance if it was required for what he needed to do for his magecraft, but he drew the line with children. He didn't know why, but the thought of having the blood of one so young was something he refused to even entertain.

And so, after taking a small, quiet breath, Kenji spoke.

"Am I correct in assuming you are the Assassin of Black?" He asked the girl, to which she gave a small nod, her eyes never leaving his. "I am Kenji Sagara Yggdmillennia. Just to confirm, may I know your True Name?"

The girl tilted her head a little, staring at Kenji for a moment longer, before asking him a question.

"Are you our mommy?" The question caused Kenji to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Mommy?" He repeated, to which the girl nodded once again with curious wide eyes.

Mommy…? Why 'Mommy'? No, even stranger, why did he hear her saying 'Master' alongside 'Mommy'? It was like she was saying both words at the same time? Is her 'Mommy' the same as her 'Master' in her eyes?

Strange, but not the strangest thing Kenji had seen, he supposed, but why not 'Papa' or something since he was a male? And why did she say 'our' and not 'my'? This Servant did seem to have a level of Mental Pollution though, so maybe that's why.

"Yes. I am your…Mommy." The girl stared at Kenji for a bit longer, looking him up and down, before her face beamed with a bright smile.

"Mommy!" She shouted before leaping at Kenji.

"Wha-"

Kenji never had a chance to deny the Servant, as she nearly tackled him to the ground with a back breaking hug. Now Kenji's eyes were as wide as they could be. He was incredibly confused, and unlike other times he couldn't hide it from showing. Before he could try to pull Assassin off, the girl looked up at him with a huge grin.

"Our True Name is Jack the Ripper. It's nice to meet you, Mommy!"

Kenji did his best to not frown at that. So this girl was Jack the Ripper. He wasn't upset at that answer. In fact, he was very satisfied knowing everything really did go according to plan. The issue he had was the many questions that were now forming in his head about the 'how' and 'why' for this girl being Jack the Ripper, but he had a feeling he wouldn't like them.

He also wasn't sure if he liked how his Servant was so…touchy with him. He could have gotten worse, so he felt like he shouldn't complain. Jack, oblivious to his thoughts, pouted as she continued to look at her Master with displeasure.

"Aren't you going to hug us back, Mommy?"

Was this what was expected of him now that he was a Master? He was expecting being a Master was more along the lines of being a commander or magus, not a babysitter or parent.

"Do you…want me to?" Kenji asked. When he saw Jack's rapid nods, he couldn't hold back his sigh. So, slowly, he awkwardly wrapped his arms around his Servant in a loose hug, something Assassin was not too pleased with.

"You're bad at hugging." She pouted. "Mommy should be the best at hugging. It's like you've never hugged anyone before."

"Well, I guess that's because I haven't." Kenji shrugged. That seemed to surprise Jack as she let out a small gasp.

"Really?" She asked softly. "Then…have you ever been hugged?"

"I don't believe so." Kenji mused. "My parents weren't the affectionate type. Esspecially towards me."

He didn't take their lack of love too badly. He could understand their feelings on him. Who would love an accident, after all? Who would love a bastard? Jack frowned when she heard that, tightening her alright strong hug further.

"Mommy's just like us, but don't worry. Now that we're together, we can hug each other all we want." Jack said. "We'll kill everyone in our way. Then we can be happy."

"That got dark." Kenji muttered before looking down at Jack, who was pressing her head into his chest.

Absent-mindedly, he raised a hand and began rubbing her head. He didn't know why, but he felt like it was something he should do. Jack flinched at the sudden show of affection, but soon started making a noise similar to purring softly as Kenji ran his hand through her hair. She really was like a cat.

"So, Assassin. You are aware of why you were summoned, correct?"

"Uh huh! We're here to fight in a big Holy Grail War for the side of Black!" Jack cheered happily.

"And you don't have any issues with that?"

"Nope! As long as we're with Mommy, we'll kill anyone." Jack answered in the same cheerful voice as before.

"Scary…" Kenji mumbled with a low chuckle, though there was no humor to be found in it. He then let go of Jack and took out his flip phone, quickly checking the time before looking back down at Jack. "It's late, so I think we should head to bed. Tomorrow, we'll buy you some new clothes."

"Clothes?"

"You'll need something to blend in while we're out and about. If you go out looking like that, I'm sure I'll be put on a list somewhere." Kenji sighed.

Jack didn't seem to understand as she looked down at her outfit, more innocent curiosity appearing on her face as she pulled and played with her black vest.

"But we like this outfit…" She said as she pondered what was wrong with her current attire.

"You'll still wear it during battle, but wouldn't you like to get a nice dress to wear when we're not doing anything?" Kenji asked. "I've got the money, so I'll get you whatever you want." Jack's face lit up when she heard that, a small childish smile growing on her face.

"Okay! You're the best, Mommy!"

"Right…" Kenji nodded before guiding Jack out of the basement. "So where do you want to sleep? I know Servants don't need to sleep and that you were just summoned, but if you want, there's a few empty rooms that-"

"With you, Mommy! We want to sleep with you!" Jack immediately shouted.

"Me?" Kenji repeated as a bit more sweat began to form on his forehead.

He didn't have a problem with sleeping with Jack if that's what she wanted, but he was concerned that she might stab him in his sleep. Again, while she looked like a child and her Presence Concealment hid her, well, presence, Jack still had an extremely dangerous air around her. She might be a child who seemed to think of him as a mother (Really, shouldn't it be 'father'?), but no one who was sain would let a serial killer, child or not, sleep beside them.

"...Okay." Once again, Kenji felt like he should be questioning his own sanity.

"Yay!" Jack cheered, once again latching herself onto Kenji.

He felt like this was going to be a trend.

So, with a tired sigh, he soon found himself laying in his parent's old bed with Jack lying beside him, her arms still wrapped around his torso in a tight hug. Was this normal? Probably not with a Servant, but was this normal for kids to do with the ones they saw as parents? He never did this with his, though even if he had tried, Kenji doubted that they would have let him.

Still, despite him feeling exhausted from traveling all the way to Europe to Japan, the consequences of jet lag now hitting him in full after doing his best to ignore it for the whole day, as well as pouring a huge chunk of his od into the summoning, he found himself restless. Most likely due to the restless child that was beside him, who wasn't even trying to hide the fact that she wasn't attempting to sleep like he was.

'Why do I feel as though this will be a very strange experience for me?' Kenji pondered as he laid there, staring at the ceiling.

"Mommy?"

"Yeah, Jack?"

"How come you live in such a big house if you're living by yourself?" Jack asked innocently. "If you have a big home, it should be full of lots of people."

"Well, I don't live here anymore. I moved to Europe after I was given a chance to get a better place to work while being close to the Yggdmillennia. My new home is still a mansion, but it is smaller than this one. Plenty of room for…work."

Not like a small house would be a great place to hide prisoners and corpses easily, even with magecraft. Having a large open space was better in that regard. That way, those bodies, alive or dead, would be out of sight and out of mind for him and whoever visited. He'd rather not have the authorities fine out he was keeping people prisoner so he could torture and kill them for his magecraft, which required human sacrifice to work properly.

That was also why he had put a silencing curse on all the rooms the living bodies were kept in. That way no one could hear their screams and pleads for salvation. Kenji often got sick of hearing them himself, after all.

"But wouldn't it still be too big for you?"

"I don't actually live alone, y'know. I live with a woman named Reika Rikudou." Kenji would soon regret telling his Assassin Servant that, for the moment those words reached Jack's ears, she gasped loudly.

"Does that mean Jack has two Mommies!? And does Jack have brothers and sisters there?"

"As if I would ever sleep with that insane cougar." Kenji muttered reflexively, his left eye twitching at the insinuation.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing. No, Reika is just…something like a co-worker to me. Our relationship is strictly business." Kenji explained to Jack.

That was putting it lightly. Kenji would be lying if he said he wasn't fortunate in stumbling upon her in that alley after she had been beaten and forsaken by some man she had just been with. Upon seeing the abandoned woman moments away from dying from exposure, Kenji brought her to his home, something he did on a whim. After nursing her back to full health, Kenji made her a proposition that she quickly accepted.

Kenji needed human bodies and carcasses for his magecraft work, yet as expected, that wasn't something he could just get publicly in the modern world. Before that point, he had been stealing bodies from cemetaries and paying off prisons for their death row inmates to continue his work in curses and witchcraft, but he was getting to the point where he needed a more efficent way to gain bodies to work with.

With Reika, though, a very obvious solution presented itself. All she had to due was lure drunk or horny fools with her charm and body as a prositute and bring them back to him, where they were fair game for Kenji and his magecraft.

It was a lucrative method in obtaining the living specimens he needed. And Reika herself had no qualms with it either. Kenji knew she would accept the job the moment he met her. There was a hint of madness in her eyes. A disregard for her own life and the life of others.

He knew upon first glance she would be useful with a look like that in her eyes.

Despite her calm demeror and lurking insanity, the two worked well together, though that was it. While Reika would always try to come onto Kenji for reasons he could not understand nor be bothered to try to understand.

He simply had no intrest in such things nor Reika herself. He never wanted such a thing, and even if he did, something his brother said once would ring in his head: 'Don't stick your dick in crazy'. Considering the casanova Hyouma had been, Kenji was inclinded to agree with his advice.

Still, it was thanks to Reika that his supply of 'magecraft materials' hadn't been at risk of running dry for a long time now. It was only fair he offered her some of his immence wealth in return, as well as free housing at his mansion. Not like he used every square inch of the place, so he could afford to have some woman living with him, even if he, at times, felt said woman might try to stab him in the spleen one day.

"Will we see Mommy Reika during the war?" Jack asked, the way she refered to the woman causing Kenji's eye to twitch, though only a little.

"No. She's staying at the Sagara Mansion, far away from Trifas where the war is being held."

"Then who will be the other Masters we will be working with?"

"We'll be fighting alongside other members of the Yggdmillennia clan. You'll see them when we get back to the Fortress of Millennia."

"And our enemies?"

"The Mage's Association. They'll be sending their best magi after us for defying them like this." Kenji said before looking down at Jack. "But with Servants like you, they won't stand a chance."

"Yep! We'll kill them! We'll gut them until they can't scream anymore!" Jack said happily.

"Scary…" Kenji once again muttered. Jack giggled at Kenji's response as she burrowed her head into Kenji's chest.

"We're glad. We were worried Mommy wouldn't want us, just like our other Mommies." Jack spoke softly, as if whispering.

"Other mommies? Do you mean other Masters, or…" Kenji trailed off when he felt Jack's hands tighten around him, a frown finding itself onto Jack's face as her eyes expressed a deep sorrow. With a sigh, Kenji moved his arm around Jack, returning the hug in a very awkward and inexperienced way.

"Well, I'm happy I summoned you, so that's all that matters, right? I'm your Mas-I mean, Mommy, right? I'm the one who summoned you, so of course I want you to fight by my side. You don't have to worry about anything that happened in the past happening now."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Jack smile as she closed her eyes. A brief 'thank you' past her lips before her breathing slowed, signaling she had finally fallen into a peaceful slumber. Praying his own thanks to God and the Root, Kenji finally relaxed himself and let his body take him to sleep, though he was ready to jump out of bed should anything happen.

That night, Kenji dreamed of a dark misty city, and how cold it was.

Chapter 2 Wish of the Empty

Kenji had never felt as mentally worn as he felt in this very moment. He constantly worked under stressful circumstances, and his entire life revolved around magi and magecraft. Yet not once had he felt overwhelmed. Never once did he feel tired of it. Never once had he felt like he had exhausted all of his energy.

But he felt it now, and it all stemmed from a single girl, who was wholly oblivious to his exhaustion as she walked around with a bright smile on her face as her new white dress swayed as she moved.

Backing up a few days, Kenji made good on his promise to buy Jack new clothes to help her blend in. It was not a necessary expense, as Jack could simply revert to her asteral form to move around, yet with how Jack seemed to favor her physical form, Kenji did not argue against the decision, lest he incur the Assassin's wrath.

He had more money than he knew what to do with anyway thanks to his family's cover as a home security business. With that as a front, his family had for generations used their curses and witchcraft to bloster home security, all of it hidden from the average person. And with magecraft being a very simple way to secure a home, especially certain curses, business was lucrative.

Even more so when Kenji found ways to improve upon the formula by making use of modern technology in tandem with his craft. The average man was none the wiser, and he hardly cared what magi thought of him or how he acquired the necessary funds for his work, so it was the perfect method for a rat like him.

With nothing to lose in a small shopping trip for clothes, Kenji found an old piece of fabric he remembered using as a blanket as a child once and had her wear it around her body like a cloak and then led her to the town.

He had expected to purchase a dress or two for Jack and then be off on their way. He did not expect Jack to wander around the entire town and persistently ask him for multiple things outside of clothing. And he bought a lot of clothing for her, as well as many other nicknacks. Jack was now the very happy owner of mulitple dresses she found 'cute' and many toys she wished to have.

She did not threaten Kenji for these things, nor did she plead or beg for them. Much to his shock, she simply asked in a childish voice that matched her appearance. The first time she asked, Kenji had denied the requiest, but then she made that face. A face Kenji had been unprepared to see.

The wide eyes that were slowly becoming misty and wet, and the trembling lips that did not let out a single peep of displeasure or dissatisfaction. The way her head slowly moved down so that she was staring at the ground. She did not cry. She did not pout. She merely nodded before bits of sadness washed over her expression.

Kenji was convinced it was one of Jack's skills, for he found that face too much for him to even witness, and he quickly crumbled and bought her what she wanted. He didn't even make an attempt to deny her again when she asked for other things.

Were all children like this? He certainly wasn't, but he never went out with his parents like this before, always being told to stay in his room or, if he was lucky, the house at most. Was this part of a normal childhood that he had missed? If so, how did normal parents, with no mental defenses or magecraft, handle the power of a child's sad expression?

He simply did not like seeing it. He did not like it at all. No child should ever bear a face like that. It did not feel right.

After that mess, Kenji made good on his word and made immediate preparations to head back to Romania. If he got there on time, he should arrive before the other masters summon their servants. Jack didn't complain at the plan. In fact, she seemed excited to travel the distance.

She told Kenji that while she had knowledge of the modern world, that did not take away her childish and, dare he say, innocent side of herself that wished to fly in a plane or travel by car for the first time. If he hadn't known who she really was, he would call her excitement cute. It still was, but Assassin's origins made it feel darker somehow.

The journey back was pleasant enough, and there was no one to bother or disturb them since he was using a private plane that one of his family's servants could fly to make the trip back. Wouldn't do to get on a public flight where there could be potential magi from the association who could spot him and Jack.

While Jack was an Assassin with Presence Concilment, there was a fair chance that they might recongize him and, being affiliated with the Yggdmillennia clan which had essentially declared war on the association, would try to take him in for questioning if not outright attack him.

Again, he had a lot of money to spare, and he would not let even a single mistake cost him in such a way. That would be far too foolish.

Despite his worries, it was an ordinary flight, though Jack was excited for most of the flight, having not been on a plane before. Heck, she had never seen one since they hadn't been invented in her life, and Kenji doubted she ever would gotten the chance to even if they did exist back then.

Jack asked a lot of questions regarding the whole affair, which confused Kenji at first, since he thought Servants were given knowledge of the era they were summoned in. though as Jack explained it, they were only given basic knowledge. She knew planes and crafts that allow flight and high speed travel existed, but nothing about how they work or how they were made, so it made sense a child like her would be a little more curious about it all.

Most thankfully, Jack hadn't gone off and killed anyone yet since she had been summoned. Kenji had thought he might have to reign her murderous tendencies in considering her identity, but Jack hadn't done anything like that in the time he was with her. She never disappeared to go on a killing spree, instead sticking to him like glue and demanding his affection the whole time.

Not that he minded that over the alternative. He would much rather Jack act like a needy child than have her sneak out and kill someone. That would be more trouble than it's worth. The last thing he needed was enforcers coming down on him while he was busy with this war.

Even worse, from what he understood, this Great Holy Grail War would have a 15th Servant called Ruler running things to make sure the rules are followed. If he allowed Jack to kill those who had nothing to do with the war, then this Ruler Servant would then come after the two of them. Considering Ruler was supposed to preside over the war and the Servants, he and Jack didn't stand a chance against them.

"Mommy?"

"Hmm?" Kenji hummed as he turned to look at Jack, who was sitting beside him. "What is it, Jack?"

"We were wondering why you wanted to join the Holy Grail War."

"Why? The winner gets a wish granted at the end. Isn't that enough of a reason?"

"So you do have a wish you want granted?" Jack tilted her head in thought.

"I…suppose I do." Kenji muttered as he looked at his hands that he held together in his lap. "Even someone as empty as me as a wish they want granted at the end of the day. Normally, the typical magus might want to carve a path to the Root, as that is the end goal of nearly every magus. However, I can't say I care too much about a goal that I have no investment in. I have a different, more personal wish."

"What is it? What's Mommy's wish?" The Servant asked innocently.

"I guess…it would be to finally live." Kenji replied after a brief pause.

"Live?" Assassin repeated in a confused tone.

"It's hard to explain. It's a feeling that I myself have a difficult time grasping, even after all this time." Kenji mused as his expression remained stiff and featureless. "I also doubt it would be very interesting to hear."

"Nuh uh! Anything Mommy says is interesting! We would listen to whatever you say!" Jack quickly refuted. "And if anyone else says something bad about it, we'll just cut them up into little pieces!"

"Scary…" Kenji muttered with an empty chuckle. "But fine. If you want to hear it, I guess I can share. It's not a happy story, though. It's not even a good one in any sense of the word."

"Jack is sure. So you can tell us." Jack said sincerely. Kenji gave a little hum before giving a slight nod.

"I guess I should better explain my situation, then." Kenji told the little Servant.

"I was born to a family of magi, which is obvious, I guess, but it wasn't a family full of renowned magus or anything like that. The Sagara name was only known for one thing in the world of magecraft: a family of second-rate magi who were all rats due to the type of magecraft we cultivated. Considering the Sagaras specialized in curses and witchcraft, as well as concealment and suggestion, even I have a hard time arguing against those accusations. They aren't wrong. We are rats. And like the rodents we were, we joined with the Yggdmillennia clan in order to keep ourselves alive since we couldn't by ourselves."

"Things got better after the Sagaras joined with the Yggdmillennia and the other families that made it up. We even improved our curses with more western techniques that the Icecolle family taught us, as they specilized in similar crafts to us. However, we were still just rats. A bunch of second-rate magi who weren't special. But the Sagaras kept themselves afloat despite that."

"That's when my mother, the main head of the Sagara family, married my father. They then had a son. My older brother, Hyouma, and he was named the next heir of the family name. He would get the family crest and learn everything my mother could pass down onto him. All of that was normal for a magi family. Everything was going according to plan."

"...And then my mother's paramour got her pregnant with me. I never heard the exact details, but one way or another, my mother had an affair, and then accidently concevied me. I was an accident. A bastard. No one ever wanted me. Apparently, my parents wanted to abort me before I was born, but couldn't go through with it due to health problems with mother or some such. So, I ended up being born, against their will."

Kenji noticed it was at that moment that Jack's expression shifted from curious to shocked before quickly moving onto contained fury. The look in her eyes when he said 'abort' had so much hatred and displeasure in them that Kenji thought he must have touched a nerve. Yet, as Jack's grip on his sleeve got tighter, he continued with his story.

"Having been born the second son of the family, as well as being a bastard, I didn't get much attention. Not that I blame anyone for that. Even at a young age, I understood why they could not love me the same way they did Hyouma. If they wanted a proper heir to continue their magecraft, they needed to dedicate everything to teaching the heir. That's why most magus families typically only have one child, so that they don't have to pick and chose which child gets taught and which child gets left behind. In my case, the answer was quite clear."

"I understood that. I didn't even mind too much. I was still feed, clothed, and housed, so I couldn't complain. However, there was one thing that bothered me. Despite not having any problems with the way I was treated, I felt empty. For as long as I could remember, I've never felt anything for anything. There was nothing inside me, no matter what I tried to do to fill myself up. I was missing something vital, and I wanted to find it."

"So, I took some notes on my mother's magecraft without asking and practiced it a little. While it didn't fill me as I had wished, I was still intrigued by it. I believed that it might one day become the thing that fills up my emptiness. So I kept practicing in secret, but that only lasted so long before I got caught. That was when it was made painfully clear that they had no desire to teach me anything. I was to simply exist and stay out of mind and sight as they gave everything to Hyouma."

"I did not despise my brother for this. He was the only one who would look at me like a person, though I do not believe he cared much for me either. Still, he was my brother. I held no hatred for him, as I did not hold any for my parents. But I came to understand that if he was around, I would not be allowed to have anything. To hold anything of my own within my hands. To ever find that which would satiate my emptiness. Magecraft was the closest thing I had in finding that vital part I was missing, or so I thought at the time."

"So, I was left with one choice if I wanted to find a way to find that life I wanted. I waited one night, when I was seven, until everyone else had fallen asleep. I then crept into my brother room with a knife, and I quickly slashed his throat. I did it as quickly and as painlessly as I could, and before I knew it, he had faded away to the afterlife. I killed my brother, and while I still hold no hatred for him, I do not regret my discission. Not in the slightest. I simply followed the first law of magecraft. To be a Magus is to walk alongside death."

"I stole the family crest off of Hyouma's body after the fact, and my parents had no choice but to comply with my wishes and teach me magecraft. They never loved me, though. If they had even a small amount of affection towards me before, that all disappeared after I killed my brother. Even magi from other families found me repulsive for what I had done, earning me a certain reputation known by many magi. I didn't care. I continued honing my craft as I searched for my missing piece."

Kenji then leaned back into his chair as he looked up at the plane's ceilings before letting out a small breath.

"Though, even after all this time, I haven't found it. It's close. I feel like I'm on the presepise of understanding what it is I'm missing and gaining it. But all this time, I've been empty. I live, yet I do not feel alive. I was starting to believe that perhaps magecraft wouldn't lead me to finding what it is I'm searching for, but that's when Uncle Darnic offered me a chance to parcipate in this war. I was skeptical at first, but I had no reason to decline if he wished for my involvement in the matter. In fact, I had everything to gain from joining."

"If I win this war and have a chance to have a wish granted, I suppose I would wish for that emptiness to fade. I want to truly live like others do. I want to feel the things they do, and see the world in the same way. I want to be filled. I want to be able to truly smile, like the real one that formed after I killed Hyouma. I want to smile and look back on my life and say that it was worth it. That it was a good life that I enjoyed living. That's all I really want."

Kenji, having finally finished his story, looked back down at Jack, who had since pressed her head into his arm as she held it in a tight hug. She looked sad, her eyes shimmering as tears began to build up. Kenji frowned when he saw that. So, as he had learned to do during the few days he had been with Jack, he placed a hand on top of her head and began running his hand through her hair.

"Sorry. I told you it wasn't a good story."

"No. That's not it." Jack shook her head. "It's just…Mommy is just like us."

"Really? How so?"

"We aren't 'alive' either." Jack said before her frown deepened. "We…don't want to live."

"Oh?" Kenji titled his head at that. "Then, what is your wish for the grail?"

"To go back to mommy." Jack replied.

"Go back to mommy? Your real mother from when you were alive?" Kenji asked, to which Jack nodded.

"We want to go back inside her. Back to where it was warm. And safe." Jack said in a whisper as she leaned deeper into Kenji.

"Ah. You want to return to the womb." Kenji nodded as he quickly understood. "Aren't we the pair. The master who wishes to find a real life and the Servant who wishes to go back to a time before life. In a sense, the term 'alive' hardly applies to either of us. If I had a sense of humor, I might have laughed at it all. I guess it's true after all. That the Servants that Masters summon match them in a way. I can't think of anyone else who would have matched my personality and disposition as well as you, Jack."

"And you're our Mommy! Jack can't imagine anyone else being our Mommy right now!" Jack happily replied.

"I'm glad. Guess that means that we're at an advantage compared to everyone else, huh? We'll show them just how good of a pair we are in the end and win this whole thing."

"Yep! We'll carve them up real good!"

"Scary…"

Not too long after that did they finally arrive at Romania, and after driving a few more kilometers, that had finally arrived at Trifas. It was an old looking town, but it had a homely feeling to it. Kenji kept watching as Jack gasped in awe at the place. It was amusing to see his Servant once again acting like an excited child exploring a new city for the first time.

Kenji pulled out his phone and flipped it open quickly to check the time. It was midday at the moment. He had already called Darnic, both before and after arriving to Trifas to keep him up to date about things. From what Kenji was told, the other Servants would be summoned tonight, so he had time before needing to arrive at the Yggdmillennia castle. So, he figured he might as well set up traps and curses ahead of time in the city in case he was forced to battle a master here.

For the next few hours, Kenji would walk around Trifas with Jack, both showing her around the city while also keeping an eye out for key locations that could be planted with curses in a fight.

Curses and witchcraft were a tricky thing to use in battles, or so Kenji had discovered. They aren't typically made for exclusive combat use. Instead, the magecraft is used to weaken foes or restrict them in a way. Fortunately, he had learned plenty of practical way to use his skills in battle.

He could plant a few silencing curses around to disorient his foe to allow him and Assassin to more easily sneak up on them. He could plant curses of weakness to slow them down or wittle away at their physical or mental strength. He could conjure up wisps and ghouls to curse his foe with illusions and paranoia. He had taken some time to delve a little in the art of Necromancy in order to perfect those particular spells.

And if he needed something more powerful, he could use the spells he created with the many sacrifices he had performed throughout the years. Some of his living sacrifices should have been sent to the castle already, so if needed, he could have them killed in order to fuel his stronger curses, like his errosion and boiling flesh, or perhaps his curse of asplixiation or corruption.

He also had materials and supplies on his person as well if he needed something quick. He carried multiple viles filled with his victims' agony and remaining spirit, so he could perform swift sacrifices if need be, though that would only be for emergency cases.

Then again, his participation was probably unnecessary, as most of the fighting would be done by Assassin. Although, from what he could see in with her stats and skills, she would benefit from as many distractions and restrictions that could befall any opponent that they should face. That way she always as the advantage.

An Assassin's Presence Concilment, even at Jack's rank of A+, greatly decreases in effectiveness the moment they try to attack, however, Jack has the skill Murder on a Misty Night at Rank A. That skill allows her to keep her stealth advantage with attacks at night, though it requires a luck check during the day. If the skill works, Assassin will be able to perform a perfect surprise attack against even the most careful foes.

Still, even with that in her skill set, surprise attacks weren't guarenteed, as a Servant with a high rank in Instinct or Intuition or even Luck in general might be able to catch her still. With that in mind, perhaps his little curses and distractions will give Jack the edge in order to end a fight before it begins? If that ended up happening, then this trouble would have all been worth it.

"Alright. We're done here." Kenji muttered as he lifted his hand off the spot on the floor that he had just planted one of his many curses. After standing back up and dusting off his hands, he turned to Jack with a small nod. "The sun is beginning to set. I suppose we should head over to the castle now."

"Then we'll be able to meet the other Servants of Black?" Jack asked as she tilted her head.

"Right. They should be preparing to summon them right about now. We should make it just in time to see the summoning happening." Kenji noted as he took out his phone again to see the time. "Are you ready, Assassin? Once the rest of our Servants of Black are summoned, I can't imagine that our foes in the Mages Association will stay on the back foot for long. They're sure to summon the rest of their Servants soon after, and then the war will truly begin. Are you prepared to fight to the death here?"

"Of course! If it's for Mommy, we'll do anything. We'll kill anyone and everyone in our way. We'll slice them up real good." Jack exclaimed excitedly.

"You know, I think that would been cute if you didn't add that last bit." Kenji noted. "Let's head off now. Best not to keep them waiting."

"Right!" Jack smiled brightly as she moved to Kenji's side and clasped her hand with his own.

Oddly enough, Kenji didn't mind as much anymore when she did that. He had grown used to it, and found himself grasping her hand in his own as well whenever this happened.

Without anything else to do, the pair headed off past Trifas to the Yggdmillennia castle in the distance. When the two arrived, they were greeted by the homonculi servants that served Darnic, or were perhaps brought over to serve by Gordes Musik. As they entered the caste, one of the servants told Kenji that the summoning ritual was underway. Having nothing else to do, Kenji led Jack over to where the summonings were occurring.

That's how the two found themselves alongside Darnic, Roche, and their Servants in the balcony in the room, watching over the other remaining masters of Black, who were placing their catalyst down and preparing to summon their Servants.

"Ah. You've arrived just in time, Kenji." Darnic smiled as Kenji and Jack entered the balcony. Darnic's eyes then fell onto Jack, and his smile widened. "I take it this is the Assassin of Black you said you summoned?"

"Correct. Don't let her appearance fool you. She is still an Assassin in the end." Kenji said as he crossed his arms. "I must give you my apologies for arriving at such a late hour. I was setting up some curses in the main city in case a fight occurs there."

"That is fine. All that matters is that you managed to arrive on time. I take it you will set up more curses and spells to bolster the castle's defenses?"

"Of course, Uncle. Those types of curses are the Sagara family's specialty. It wouldn't do for me to not play any part in helping the Black Faction outside of being the master to Assassin." Kenji stated before turning his attention to the other three people on the balcony with them. "I recongise Roche Frain, but not the other two. Would I be correct in believing these are the Caster and Lancer of Black you mentioned."

"Indeed." The one sitting beside Darnic in a throne-like chair said as he examined Kenji. "I am Lancer of Black. I believe Darnic already told you my True Name."

"Yes. Apologies if you did not want others knowing."

"It is fine. I do not mind my allies knowing my True name." The Lancer stated. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Kenji Sagara Yggdmillennia. And you as well, Assassin."

Kenji gave a small bow to the renowned implaler, though Jack hesitated for a moment before Kenji placed a head on her head and began rubbing her head.

"He's an ally, so there's no need to be on guard." He told her.

That seemed to be enough for the little Servant, as she let go of Kenji's hand and gave Vlad a small smile and a curtsy in response.

"It's nice to meet you. We are Assassin of Black. We are Mommy's Servant. As long as you don't hurt Mommy, we won't carve you up."

Darnic looked a bit surprised by Jack's slight threat, but Lancer just laughed at it.

"Of course. Your Master is on the Black Faction. I will treat him as I would with any of my other subordinates. You have no need to fear, Assassin. For now, I will bring no harm to your Master." He told her simply with an amused smile on his face.

Jack hummed in approval before grabbing Kenji's hand again. Kenji, however, let out a small breath while shaking his head a bit.

"Sorry. She's a bit protective of me, it seems."

"It is not a problem. I am not bothered by her attitude. In fact, that is the correct mindset to have for a Servant in regards to their Master." Lancer replied before turning his attention back to the other Masters. That seemed to be enough for Darnic as well, as he turned back to the ritual too.

That just left the other two. Caster only turned to steal a glance at Kenji and Jack before turning his back to them to watch the others. Caster didn't seem to care in the slightest, which was fine by Kenji. He didn't much care for the Servant either.

It was Roche he was slightly more interested in. The young boy was staring at him with wide eyes after he had heard his name. He had most likely heard of his reputation and was surprised that he was a fellow Master of Black, something Kenji had expected.

But just like Caster, that curious expression soon disipated before Roche turned back around. Kenji found himself frowning at that. It appears the things he had heard about Roche were also true. He was proclaimed as a genius in the field of golems, but the cost of that seemed to be his interesting in humans in general. Kenji supposed he should be surprised that Roche also didn't care too much about his appearance.

So, Kenji leaned over the railing as he watched the other Masters begin chanting, their summoning circles glowing with light as the ritual truly began. Jack had hopped up and was sitting on the railing next to him, her legs dangling as she watched in awe as light burst out from the circles, and in their place, four other Servants appeared.

Kenji immediately used his Master's Clairvoyence on the freshly summoned Servants, and was surprised by the high stats he saw.

First was the Berserker, the women dressed up as a bride. She didn't have amazing stats as a Servant, having nothing higher than two 'B's, but her stats also weren't terrible, and Madness Enhancement would certainly make up the difference. What interested him the most was her weapon, a large mace powered by electricity. It seemed to be her Noble Phantasm, though he couldn't tell what the exact details were.

The next Servant was what he assumed was Archer considering the bow he carried. He had very high stats, with his lowest being a C in luck and his highest being a A+ in agility. Just at a glance at that, Kenji knew that Archer was equally as strong as Lancer of Black if he didn't take Lancer's homefield advantage into account. This Archer certainly was worthy of being one of the knight classes. Most interestingly was the fact that he had a horse tail, which lead Kenji to speculate his idenity.

The Rider of Black was very strange, being a knight dressed as a woman, though he couldn't tell whether the Servant was a female or not. His stats weren't too impressive, with the only stand out stat being his A+ luck, but they weren't outright terrible either, like Berserker's. Kenji could also see Rider had numerous weapons on hand. A rapier, a large lance, and many other tools as well, each one looking as though they were Noble Phantasms. A Servant with so many Noble Phantasms sent shivers down Kenji's spine at the thought of having to go up against such a foe. He would never had suspected such a strange looking Servant would have so much at they're disposal.

And lastly, there was Saber. Gordes must be quite proud of himself, as Kenji only needed to look at the Servant to tell he was probably the strongest Servant on the Black Faction if you remove Lancer's advantage. High stats, a strong build, and no apparent indications as to his identity, the Saber of Black looked to be quite formidable. As expected of the class, Kenji couldn't see any apparent weaknesses just at a glance, nor could he see any faults with Saber's movements or appearance. Without knowing their identity, Saber seemed to be the most troublesome should Kenji and Assassin have to face him in battle after the Red faction was defeated.

"My king, these are the Servants our Masters of Black have summoned." Kenji was brought out of his musings as he heard Darnic's voice. "In other words, they're your subordinates." Lancer hummed with a smile as he stood up from his throne to address the new Servants.

"Those who have answered the summons in search of the Holy Grail! Your first task is claiming victory in the name of the Black Faction!" He declared. Darnic smiled as he continued from there.

"By summoning these Servants, we Yggdmillennia have stepped into a path of battle we may never return from! However, when this Great War is over, those who've fought through as Master will be promised infinite glory! There is nothing to fear! We're in possession of the omnipotent wish-granter, the Greater Grail!"

Kenji listened to Darnic as he began to think further on their situation. That was true. Darnic had acquired the Greater Grail back in the previous true Grail War. With that in Yggdmillennia's possession, not to mention it was Darnic himself who manipulated the Grail War's summoning system in order to change the way this war would be fought as well as made the main battlefield in their own territory, Yggdmillennia held massive advantages over the Association.

But the Red Faction must know that. It was with their overwhelming advantage at the start of this war that made Kenji believe that the Red faction must have something big in order to properly counter them, and that concerned him a little.

But as he was thinking about this, one of the Servants called out to everyone, grabbing his, as well as everyone else's, attention.

"My~! I've been summoned into a Holy Grail War with some strange rules, but I don't mind! It seems fun, after all, and everyone here seems strong too! And since we're all allies, why don't we all introduce ourselves?" The pink-haired Rider proclaimed happily. "Then, well then, if we all introduce our True Names, it will be way more efficient, right?"

Kenji was left blinking at such a statement. Well, this was fortunate, wasn't it? If the other Servants were just going to reveal their True Names just like that, that would make things infinitely easier for Kenji and Assassin. Of course, they were all allies for now, but would the other Masters really allow something like this?

Without a care as to what he thought, Rider of Black continued on without a care.

"Alright! So, my name is Astolfo, and I'm a Rider!" The Rider introduced themselves.

"Astolfo…!" Kenji muttered as he looked down at the paladin.

One of the twelve heroes of Charlemange, famous for the numerous Noble Phantasms at his disposal and losing his reasoning during his many adventures. He was also known for his good looks and optimistic nature despite being said to be one of the weakest of the twelve paladins. Of course, his numerous Noble Phantasms and Anecdotes easily make up for that. And as a Rider, Kenji couldn't think of any other steed besides the Hippogriff for Astolfo, a mystical beast originally owned by Bradamante.

Still, even knowing the Rider's True Name, Kenji still could not discern what gender they were. Astolfo was recorded as a man, but there have been cases of Servant genders not matching what their legend recorded, like with his own Servant, though that was mostly due to no one ever living to tell the tale if they saw Jack affecting the nature of his Servant.

After introducing themselves, Astolfo ran up to the Archer Servant with a bright smile on their face.

"And you are?" Astolfo asked, prompting the Archer to turn to his master, Fiore. To Kenji's surprise, Fiore nodded, allowing Archer to reveal that crutial information. With his master's approval, the Archer turned back around and smiled at Astolfo.

"Servant, Archer. My True Name is Chiron."

Kenji blinked a few times when he heard the name of the famous centaur before he looked down at the Servant's very human legs. Well, he did have a horse tail still. Perhaps he is summoned without his centaur body in order to better hide his True Name. Quite possible, as Chiron is a very famous character of Greek myths, having been the greatest sage among the centaurs and having taught many other famous Greek heroes like Jason, Achilles, and Heracles.

"Chiron…?" Astolfo muttered as they looked down at Chiron's legs, probably just as confused as Kenji had been, before brushing it off. "Well, whatever. Nice to meet you, Chiron! It'll only be a short while, but I look forwards to working with you!"

"Rider, don't use your True Names. Call each other by your class names." Darnic told the Rider sternly, getting a sheepish look from the paladin as they rubbed their head.

"Ah, I see. Sorry, sorry." They nodded before turning their attention to Berserker. "And you?"

"...uuh." That was all the Berserker said, though it would be more accurate to say she groaned instead of spoke considering it wasn't much of a complete thought.

"Ah." Astolfo nodded before patting the Berserker on the back. "Sorry, sorry. If you can't speak, it can't be helped. Sooooo, the Master over there. What's her name?"

Berserker's master, Callius, looked a bit nervous at suddenly being placed on the spot, but he eventually let out a small breath as he scrached his cheek.

"Ah, err, umm… Her name is…Frankenstein." He answered.

"In that case, Fran…" Astolfo began before the Berserker began growling at him. "Uh–I mean, Berserker. Nice to be working with you." Frankenstein huffed as she nodded.

Frankenstein, huh? What an interesting Servant to summon. So this is the infamous undead creation that Victor Frankenstein created? Very intriguing, especially how this Servant looked nothing like the hideous monster Kenji would have thought of upon hearing the name 'Frankenstein'. Although, that was a more modern interpritation of the character, as in the original story, the only problem with the monster's design to Victor was the eyes. Considering Berserker had two differently colored eyes, it appeared that much was true.

But still, it seemed Victor created his 'Eve' before his 'Adam', huh? Although, Kenji wondered why Frankenstein's creation was a woman, and why Berserker was dressed up as a bride. Well, Victor did want to create his own Adam and Eve, so Kenji could probably piece together what probably happened on his own.

"Okay, so what about you? You're obviously our Saber." Astolfo then asked as he turned to Saber of Black. "What's your True Name."

"...I am–"

"Wait, Saber. Don't speak." Gordes commanded his Servant as he turned to the other Masters. "I have no intention of revealing my Servant's True Name to anyone except Darnic."

Kenji frowned when Gordes interrupted his Servant. Damn, just when Kenji was going to get the Saber's True Name, one of the other Masters had to be just as cautious as him. While Kenji hadn't told even Darnic that information, he found himself both respecting and feeling frustrated at Gordes's decision.

"Didn't we all agree beforehand to reveal out Servants' True Names? It's extremely rude to simply renege on the agreement." Celenike pointed out with a frown.

Ah, so they had agreed beforehand. That's why no Master had argued too much about their Servants revealing their true name yet. Good thing Kenji hadn't agreed to that sort of agreement himself, as he had no plans on sharing his Servant's True Name either.

"I hadn't obtained my catalyst yet back then. That's why I'm backing out of our agreement now." Gordes responded with a serious look.

"Uncle Gordes, is it that important to hide his True Name?" Fiore asked.

"...Revealing my Servant's True Name would be fatal for him. I want to minimize the number of mouths from which it could be leaked."

So Saber of Black had a crippling weakness that one could easily figure out upon figuring out his True Name? That explains Gordes's hesitation on the matter. It was much like Kenji's own reasoning. Though, that information alone hints at Saber's identity. Unforuntately, while it did narrow it down, it didn't narrow it down nearly enough for Kenji to make an educational guess yet. Too many Heroic Spirits could fall under that category and the Saber class.

"Uncle Darnic…?" Fiore then looked at Darnic for his opinion of the matter. The head of the Yggdmillennia clan looked over at Gordes, who returned the glance with his still serious expression.

"Very well. We shall make another exception in your case. As long as you take responsibility for it, Gordes."

"Of course I will." Gordes nodded.

"Hang on. Another exception?" Callius asked.

"Yes. The Master of Assassin of Black also asked to keep his Servant's true name for the same reasons as Gordes." Darnic then turned to Kenji, who was still out of sight of everyone else, having kept to the shadows with Assassin as he observed them all. "I believe it's time you introduce yourself to your fellow masters."

"...Fine. They won't like my being here, though." Kenji sighed as he stepped forward, revealing himself to the other Masters.

"Ah! You're…!" Callius stuttered, his eyes widening along with his sister's when they saw him.

"You're the master of Assassin of Black?" Gordes questioned, his eyes narrowing in displeasure.

"Indeed. I'm sure you all are already aware of it, but for the sake of politeness and for our Servants, I'll still give a proper introduction. I am Kenji Sagara Yggdmillennia. I had asked Darnic to keep my name secret until now, as I was worried my presence might make some of you back out of the War. I do have that kind of reputation, after all."

Callius, Fiore, and even Gordes all grimaced at the mention of Kenji's history, none of them looking pleased at having to work with him. It was expected, and Kenji himself didn't care too much about their opinions anyway.

" And this here is Assassin of Black." Kenji told them as he gestured to Assassin, who had once again hopped up onto the railing so that she could be seen.

"Hiya! We're Assassin of Black! As long as you're nice to our Mommy, then we won't disembowel you!" Jack cheerful introduced herself.

"Spooky…" Kenji muttered under his breath before continuing. "You'll have to forgive Assassin. She's a bit protective of me."

"So that little girl really is Assassin?" Fiore questioned.

"I'm afraid it's true, Master. The girl is most certainly a Servant." Archer told his master as he narrowed his gaze to examine Kenji and Jack.

"Hmph. So you're a part of this as well? It's a little unexpected, but it's sure to make things interesting." The only person who didn't seem upset at seeing Kenji was Celenike, who instead gave a cruel smirk upon seeing a him.

"I'm sure it will. It's been a while, Celenike. Do try not to plant more curses on me for the time being. The last ones you left me with were quite bothersome." Kenji told her, not all fazed by his mentioning of the curses his new ally had previously inflicted him with.

"That was just my way of making sure you had properly learned the Icecolle techniques in the Dark Arts properly. Nothing wrong with a teacher testing her student."

"In nonleathal ways, perhaps." Kenji muttered with his expression hardly changing. "Either way, I look forward to working with you until the Red Faction has been taken out, even if most of you aren't too pleased with my participation." Kenji gave another polite bow, though the act was sullied due to his blank face.

"With that, all of Masters of Black have assembled." Darnic noted with a smile. Lancer then nodded as he looked over everyone like a king to his subordinates.

"This is the beginning. With the power to match a thousand, we will annihilate the Servants of Red. My proud heroes, I'm looking forward to your brave battles! My name is Vlad Tepes of Romania. For my country, to grant my own wish, I swear I'll be victorious!"

And thus, with the completion of the Black Faction, the War was ready to begin.

---

A/N: Here we have the two chapters I made for my Fate/Apocrypha draft where my OC becomes the Master of Jack the Ripper instead of Reika. I always wanted to see a story were Jack was actually a proper member of the Black Faction of the war and how that would change things, and after reading Jack's wiki page and reading the Apocrypha manga, where it's described that it was Reika's will to life that summoned Jack and made her Jack's 'real' master in a sense and not Hyouma or the catalysts, I came up with a character I felt would mix well with Assassin of Black. These two chapters are put together since they're both pretty short separately, being only 17K words together.

I like the dynamic I was going with the pair, but this story suffers from 'I have no real idea what to do but I don't want to follow canon' syndrome. I would like work more on this story, but until I figure what to do with the plot, here it will stay. Also the name needs a change, but I can't come up with anything better at the moment.