Chapter Text
The sky was dark. Wood, leaves and the wind brush pass me as I ride on my Servant's shoulders. We travel as fast as I could handle. I wonder for a moment about these things called "roller coasters" I've heard about. It was true that there are many things in life I have yet to experience and never will. It was true I had lived almost all my life in a castle and right now, I was returning to one. Even so, I'm sure, in these short months, I have seen, done and experienced things that others who will surely outlive me never will.
The Holy Grail War.
A battle between 7 figures of legend. Battles most mages will never see, much less partake in. It was a privilege I was born into. It was a privilege I was born for. It was a privilege. For, who in all the world, would get a chance to ride on the shoulders of Heracles?
Heracles, my Berserker, at the end of this ritual will fade, but it is not a parting because I won't be far behind. My partner was the strongest, so seeing this ritual to the end is a matter of course whatever happens to be in our way. Past the leaves, the branches, the trees and the forest, the broken wards, the Fuyuki branch of the Einzbern Castle was before me. The castle where Papa and Mama lived in just 10 years ago in the last Grail War. It had only been a few hours since I left, but something was definitely wrong.
I shouldn't have been worried. I shouldn't have been worried. Why did I take the threat of that old worm so seriously? In that castle were my caretakers who were younger than me. My caretakers who failed to become Lesser Grails, Sella and Leysritt.
There was no one at the front gate or the large front door.
Whether coined or birthed, the Holy Grail was the purpose that binds us all together. For all those others who were coined as defective cups, for all those others who could not live to this day, I have an obligation to fulfill as the "Holy Grail". Neither Sella nor Leysritt could become the Lesser Grail, but they'll support me who did with all of their being in the most overbearing manner. That's why I snuck out of the castle today.
That was why the silence was unbearable. Leysritt did not come to greet me. Sella did not come to scold me.
Something had happened. There was definitely still a Servant inside. Regardless of the quality, even though an Einzbern failure is worth 100 magi, a homunculus of modern make is no match for even the weakest of heroic spirits. If I open that door, what will be greeting me? If I was as young as I looked, I would have hesitated, but I had an obligation to see everything to the end.
There was no point in wasting time and my partner agreed, pushing the door away in one swift motion.
A lone swordsman was standing on our staircase before the great slab of sharpened stone in my Berserker's hands is brought down.
The intruder deflects the killing blow.
"To face you again so soon, I guess there was a silver lining," the intruder says absentmindedly.
I know that figure. Fine clothes of eastern make. Long hair complimenting a long curved blade. It was unmistakably that irregular Assassin-class Servant we encountered at Ryuudou temple the other day despite the switch to darker colors. A sword wielding wraith summoned by Caster bound to the land of Ryuudou Temple. Caster being a spiritual being herself could not anchor another spiritual being, so she used the mountain on which the temple sits. His ties to the physical plane right now were much stronger than they were before. Was he partially incarnated? The fact that this swordsman was here in front of me in my very own home could only mean that he had gained another anchor at some point.
"Where?"
I scan my eyes over the area, but find no one. Was Caster behind this? My senses were telling me it wasn't. Another irregularity. There was no time to waste. This needed to be settled quickly. Sella and Leysritt were top priority.
"Berserker, we can fix the stairs later. Quick!"
Berserker cleaves away at the staircase with his sword hewn from temple stone. The staircase splinters and shatters, kicking up debris. Unlike the steps towards that temple, the stairs were not situated on slanted ground. The terrain disadvantage we faced simply disappeared. That wraith was skilled, there was no doubt about it, but in the end, technique is something used to compensate for weakness. Without the support of Caster or the terrain like before, he must bear the full brunt of Heracle's strength.
"Gah," was a pained cry, followed by the clenching of teeth. Even with all the dust around them, the opposing swordsman did not lose focus, still seeking victory. A heart of clear water? No, more like a head full of water.
Two figures stand on flat ground. It was no contest.
Blows are exchanged faster than I could discern, but that mattered not as his defeat was inevitable. In terms of mass, that long thin sword in that fake Servant's hands was much lighter than the chunk of stone my partner effortlessly swung around. With a decisive swing, the obstacle is knocked away into a wall. He wasn't dead. It was a testament to his defensive skill, but he lacked any ability to actually harm my partner, so in the end, he wasn't worth paying attention to.
"Hurry! To Sella and Lize quickly!"
The greatest hero responds to my demand and scoops me up with one arm. We traverse the halls and note the broken walls. There was a struggle. I swallow my breath. We pass through makeshift doors. What was once left of my bedroom, we are greeted with a perplexing scene.
"Sella?"
The two maids that served me were still alive, but they were bound in chains, tied to my bed. Leysritt had passed out and Sella was having her magical energy passionately sucked away through her lips by a third white haired figure. A white haired stranger sparsely adorned in black and gold with red marks strewn on one side of her body. Though she had the pigmentation of a Einzbern homunculus, I knew the stranger wasn't one, or rather, wasn't one completely. I stare at her, but she makes no notice of me, focused solely on quenching her thirst.
"Berserker!"
Berserker too was momentarily perplexed by the scene and his judgement was dulled for just a moment, but before he was about to act, a chain flies out of a golden portal. He leaps backward to avoid the chain while I was still clutched in one of his arms. That chain wasn't normal. We instinctively knew that it was bad news to be caught in it.
"A Noble Phantasm?"
Sella's passed out body is discarded on the bed, with saliva still dripping down her face.
"Interrupting my meal," were the words that left the stranger's mouth as it is wiped. She turns her attention to us while still straddling my maid.
"What's this?" was an infuriatingly sultry voice.
A set of infuriatingly smug red eyes and a disgusting smile. Yes, despite the change in color, the face was unmistakable, it was that girl I passed by down the staircase at school today. The ribbon in her hair was another giveaway. This couldn't be happening. These irregularities in front of me must have been a dream. Yes that's it, a dream, but no that's just wishful thinking.
"Makiri I presume."
Undoubtedly, this was that "granddaughter" the old worm was talking about. It didn't have to be mentioned, but this girl in front of me has gone through a lot of modifications. Still, it wasn't the time to be empathetic. To practice mage-craft of any kind involves a certain amount of pain. 70% of my body was magic circuits. For the participants of this Holy Grail War, extensive modification seemed to be the norm, not the exception.
I wasn't special.
Still, what sort of cobbled together monstrosity did the Makiri make? The gold adornments were undoubtedly something that should have belonged on a heroic spirit and that unmoving chain wrapped around the necks of my maids was still trained on us ready to react. Berserker is still, waiting for an opening, but it doesn't come, so it seems it's up to me.
My red eyes simply stare into hers.
"Tch."
It was regrettable, but my mystic eyes were too weak. Whatever heroic spirit she was drawing power from, it was clearly one of the knight classes which all boast some degree of magic resistance. Of course this won't be resolved so easily. I just need an opening.
"Quite gluttonous for an uninvited guest. You Makiri seem to have no self control."
My enemy ponders for a moment. The chains around my caretakers tighten. I bite my lip.
"Self control? I tried controlling myself, but this is all your fault. Why didn't you control yourself? Why did you tamper with what belonged to me? When I get angry I get hungry. I tried gorging myself at the temple before coming here, but I'm never full. Look at what you made me do," she says without regret as she caresses Sella's cheek.
"It's unfortunate that these two were just too compatible with this body. When such fine things are in front of me, it would be an insult not to taste them," was that infuriatingly haughty voice.
Once again, someone tries to take possession of what belongs to me.
"Well, I expect much from a family of thieves," I say to her.
What she said about compatibility confirms my suspicion. There was no grave for my mother, but now I know for certain what happened to her body. The bodies of homunculi were compatible with other homunculi. Just as the magic circuits of various homunculi were shaped and grafted onto my body, my mother's remains were grafted onto hers. Thus, her body also had properties of a vessel that could house heroic spirits and those Noble Phantasms she wielded was evidence that she was exploiting that fact like a certain little sister. Was she allied with my little sister? That old worm did mention that I "messed" with her possessions today and now she's messing with mine. Still, whatever her true motives are, these Makiri cannot be forgiven. If she is indeed allied with my little sister, that's another reason not to forgive her.
"How could I steal that which already belongs to me? No, the only thief here is you and I came here to educate you. Quite the privilege, is it not?" was her nonsensical logic.
With Sella and Lize at her mercy, I can't do much. All I can do is bide our time and play her little game.
"I've known everything I needed to know since the day I was born."
As a product of Einzbern alchemy, such a thing was a given. Speech, logic and mage-craft were ingrained since my conception.
"You seem to be painfully unaware of your position. Everything is fine if you are strong, thus everything belongs to you if you are the strongest, but you're just a weak mannequin even less than a mongrel," she runs her mouth before turning to my guardian to run off her mouth some more, "Say, Alcaeus, your sins of filicide should have absolved once you took on another name and completed your labors, but yet now here you are playing father, or is menial community service simply ingrained in you?" were her unforgivable words.
My guardian doesn't react to those words. Even though his senses have been dulled somewhat, he knows when to rein in his anger and when to release it. A hero like him knows that better than anyone. Even though his bouts of madness that cost him his family and his friends were induced by Hera's machinations, he endured, bearing his sins, always acknowledging his responsibilities and committing to his labors, never running away from them. Unlike Kiritsugu. For as long as this ritual lasts, he will protect me by his own will just as that day we made our oath.
"He won't be beaten by the likes of you! Using hostages, you're the one admitting you're weak!"
The face of our enemy distorts. Something inside her had struck a chord. Pride is the privilege of the strong. Only the weak are cruel because they can't afford to be gentle in the first place. The weak cannot win without cheating. That was the one of the few truths papa had taught me. The chains around my maids disappear and in that instant, my hero makes his move.
The chunk of stone is brought down, but when I open my eyes, a wall of ornate shields had appeared to intercept it. Even so, the shields did not absorb the shock of the blow. The displaced air pounds her into the floor. She was now hugging the floor while bleeding. Serves her right. She was much sturdier than a regular human, I give her that, yet it was then she revealed her hand. Above her were a formation of ornate weapons, floating in the air. My hero steps back to size up the threat.
"All Noble Phantasms?"
Ignoring the bleeding, being accused of being weak, our enemy was now standing, flaunting her power as she calls upon the formation of Noble Phantasms behind her. So many of different make and shapes. From various cultures around the world, eastern or western, from age to age, the varied selection was intentional.
"I see. Yes, I wasn't doing it right. All of it. That's right. All of Humanity's power sits in this treasury," is what she absentmindedly claims. Whether she was saying that to us or just reassuring herself, I couldn't tell.
The weapons at her beck and call are released from their golden portals, crashing into my hero. Most are deflected, taking large swathes of wall as they continue flying, but one manages to pierce his heart. One life was taken.
I bite my lip.
As long as he was holding me in one hand this outcome was to be expected, yet if I let my guard down, my life will be taken if she has a last minute change of heart. That fake Assassin was still loitering around downstairs. If this battle continues, the ceiling will collapse and my maids will be buried. We needed to take this elsewhere. If she was truthful about her intention punish me, then she will have to chase me.
"To the garden!"
We retreat to the open garden in the center of our home that was much larger than what my little sister possessed. Berserker puts me down and confronts our rude uninvited guest.
"This should be a more suitable battleground don't you agree?"
With no enclosed walls in the way obstructing visibility, the Noble Phantasms of hers despite the quantity should be easier to deal with.
"To think I was lured by your words. That's another demerit for you," was that same haughty voice.
She jumps down and approaches us casually. This was just a game to her wasn't it? As she was walking to face us, the fake Assassin from earlier sprouts from the shadows in front of her taking no stance.
"Even if you are a fake, I have expectations from an aberration like you. Try not fail me this time," is what the Makiri girl says to the discolored swordsman. The girl clad in black, red and gold was an aberration that commands the aberration Caster had summoned making her an aberration of aberrations. For those reasons, we should be fleeing, but I already fled from my little sister. There is only so much damage my pride could take.
"For freeing me from the temple, I was grateful, but I may have made the wrong choice," he speaks as he brandishes his sword in front of Berserker, "but you my formidable enemy, you may be able to make me reconsider."
There are too many things in this scenario outside the norm, but nonetheless, Berserker returns the courtesy and brandishes the primitive weapon in his hands. It was a mutual understanding in those that take pride in their martial skill. When a challenge appears, it is a hero's duty to meet it.
Of the 10 original labors Heracles was tasked with, 2 were discounted, but he did not turn back. He rose to the occasion. At the end of his trials, he had completed 12, each one manifesting as an extra life as his Noble Phantasm. One life has been taken and that Makiri girl had a means to take more. That girl was dangerous. That's why I couldn't afford to let her live, but I never needed such an excuse. She had already harmed my maids. That was good enough. Despite whatever Noble Phantasms she possessed, my Heracles had ripped mythical beasts apart with his bare hands in his legend so her human body was nothing. In order to kill that girl, the wraith in the way had to be taken care of quickly.
"Let's finish this quickly."
The sword of hewn stone is brought down with the force to obliterate a mountain. Even if the swordsman can deflect such an attack, mere contact with the slab of stone is fatal. For that reason the wraith dodges this time instead of trying to clash blades, but his sword cannot scratch my hero's skin. It was fortunate for us that the airhead didn't lend the swordsman a better weapon or he would actually have been a threat. Without the terrain advantage he enjoyed in the earlier two encounters, he is easily pushed back with a flurry of random swings. Heracles has always been known more for slaying mythical beasts than slaying mere men. No matter how skilled, the swordsman was only human in life. Everything happened in a span of a few seconds.
My hero delivers the deciding blow, but his blow is stopped at the last moment.
"What?"
The chain from earlier reins in my hero's blow. The chains wrap around his body without any mercy. With enough time, these chains could be ripped apart just like the ones that bound Prometheus, but the Makiri girl was impatient. Shadows drag at the heels of both my Servant and hers, sucking up all the magical energy in the area. How did she acquire the fake Assassin Servant? I knew the answer now. Having had time to observe what that shadow actually was, I knew what she tried to do.
"You're interfering with our," is all the swordsman says before he is cut off.
"I don't like seeing my toys break, so let's end this farce. Back to the toy-box you two go," were that girl's whimsical words.
I see. Those Noble Phantasms of hers were merely used to draw attention away from her trump card. I now know what she is capable of.
"These chains were forged to bind the divine. These shadows were made to bind and eat Servants. You see, there was no way a demi-god Servant was going to win from the start," is what she announces in front of me.
That was why it didn't matter if she had hostages or not. That's why she let me lure her out. She was certain of her victory from the start. I thought of her as an arrogant ditz with only superficial understanding of her own abilities, but her confidence wasn't completely unfounded. Was that scattered brained personality just an act? I misjudged her and now I'm paying the price. Right now, she was stealing my Servant, my guardian, my hero.
"Run," is what my hero tells me. Really?
Were you going to leave me just like papa? He tells me to run, but my legs don't move. How was I going to finish this ritual without my hero anyways? The answer was I won't. I invoke my command seal.
"Return to my side."
Still, nothing happens. I, the vessel of this ritual will be the first to die in this ritual. It didn't even matter, because I wasn't the only one. A pointless farce this all has been. A big joke. There were Holy Grail Wars in the past, but right now, this ritual was literally a "War" between "Holy Grails".
"Return to my side."
Unlike other Masters, my magic circuits were modified to be my command seals. In that way, I have a limitless amount. It was pointless, but I didn't give up. No, it was precisely because it was pointless, I kept invoking as if praying. I won't let my life end as a joke.
"I am the bone of my sword," were words I faintly heard carried by the wind.
I closed my eyes for a second and when I opened them, in front of me, the scenery is enveloped in an explosion that blinds my eyes. I'm thrown back by the blast and feel the earth on my back, but I ignore it and pray once more.
"Return to my side."
Third time's the charm. Beside me appeared a lump of charred unrecognizable flesh. Berserker had lost another of his lives, but that no longer mattered. I could have lost him to that girl, but I won't lose him to death. My hero will keep getting up even if you kill him. As he regains consciousness, I dismiss him into spiritual form and run because that Makiri girl was certainly still alive under that array of fancy shields. Golden projectiles fly in my direction, but they are intercepted by red ones.
Archer was here bathing under the moonlight.
I don't want to admit it, but maybe that alliance with Tohsaka wasn't a mistake.