Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

What is the Holy Grail War?

› The Holy Grail War  is a
competition that decides the ownership of the Holy Grail through intense battle royale. While there have been many conflicts over supposed Holy Grails in the past, this term refers to those specifically based around Masters, usually proficient magi, summoning Servants, Heroic Spirits brought forth as familiars , and meeting in battle until only one pair is left to claim the Holy Grail.

TL;DR: It is a competition in which magi/a bunch of mages would summon ‘servants’/ ‘heroic spirits’ as their partner/familiar and fight until one pair is left.

What is the Holy Grail?

› The Holy Grail is the Christian
holy relic that received the blood of Christ , considered to be a Noble Phantasm. There have been many claims of its existence, 726 of which were investigated by the Church, and many conflicts for such artifacts have happened around the world throughout history. The name is utilized in the various Holy Grail Wars as the name of an artifact purportedly capable granting any wish to whomever comes to claim it rather than the real artifact, though the Church often gets involved simply because of that reason. Its advent is the ultimate goal of the various Holy Grail Wars.

TL;DR: It is a relic that can grant a wish or desire. It can grant any wish or desire of the winners.

What is a Noble Phantasm?

Noble Phantasms are "crystallized mysteries", powerful armaments made using the imagination of humans as their core, and weapons or abilities owned by Heroic
Spirits . They are the embodiment of the ultimate mysteries of a hero that symbolizes one's existence through historical facts and anecdotes. They can be physical weapons, such as swords, lances, and bows, or support items, such as rings and crowns. They can also be abstract concepts, like unique abilities, unique means of
attacks, curses, and changes to the environment and its physical properties. When summoned as Servants in the Holy Grail War, they are the trump cards of the heroes that allow them to overcome others in battle.

TL;DR: Noble Phantasms are the Servants’ special ability that could help them to defeat their enemies.

Master? Servant? What are they?

› Master is a resignation given
to an individual, usually a magus, who has become one of the formal participants of the Holy Grail War by obtaining Command Spells and forming a contract with a servant.

› Servants are Heroic Spirits and Divine Spirits summoned by the Holy Grail for the purpose of competing under Masters
in the Holy Grail War. Although too powerful to be controlled by
humans, they are bound by three Command Spells , representing the Masters’ “right to rule”
over them, with obedience towards the Command Spells being the “absolute condition required for materialization” Due to the prospect of having a wish granted by the Holy Grail, it also serves as an incentive to cooperate with the Master, as well as requiring them for energy upkeep and acting as their anchor to the world. Killing them will mormally go against their purpose, but the Command Spells protect the Master from those who would kill them to seek out one who would be more suitable.

Servants are beings able to switch between a Spiritual Body and Material Body at will. While in spiritual form, they cannot be easily detected by enemies due to being invisible to the naked eye
and most forms of scrying, or be affected by physical interference. They can travel where they please without being impeded by walls, but they also cannot carry anything in that state. Their senses are limited to spiritual sensations, so they must materialize in order to fully experience normal senses when sharing a visual link with their Master. It is also hard for them to affect a Material Body in that state, so they must materialize to properly engage in combat.

While they may bleed and take damage to their organs, their true being resides in a Spiritual Core, they obtain upon first materializing. Their Material
Body envelopes it, and damage must be inflicted to it in order for them to be defeated. It gradually diminishes under magical energy expenditure and
while sustaining bodily damage, and their expenditure will escalate under such conditions. If it is damaged through powerful magical energy , curses, or Noble Phantasms , it will be destroyed, meaning that the Servant can no longer stay materialized. The heart and head are directly connected to it, so they are a Servant's greatest weaknesses. Sustaining damage will significantly weaken it, with some Servants having it instantly
destroyed and some with Skills like Battle Continuation being able to at least temporarily sustain themselves.

TL;DR: Servants are the heroic spirits that the masters have summoned, they can be in spiritual form or materialized (having a human body and not being a spirit) form and can travel, teleport or walk anywhere but they couldn't bring something or someone with them, they need to materialize first. Also, their weaknesses is hitting the Spiritual Core of their materialized body which is connected to their heart and head but having a severe injury could cause them to fade away or in other words, ‘die’. Though they wouldn’t actually die since they (the ones from stories and folklore) didn’t even exist in the real world or they (people who existed) were already dead, they just lose their spiritual form and their right to continue staying on the world.

Heroic Spirits? What?

› Heroic Spirits are spirits of heroes who achieved great deeds in life, having become objects of worship after their deaths. Even objects or characters from different folklore that is worshipped or achieved good deads can be Heroic Spirits.

Command Spells?

› The Command Spells are three claims of absolute obedience, the crystallization of a great magic, that a Master has over a Servant inthe Holy Grail War system. Unable to normally be controlled by humans, they are burdened by the “absolute condition for materialization”, the authority of the Command Spell carved into them at the moment of summoning.

Additional info:  They could order them anything at all, to teleport them into an another place, to stop them on something or even order them to use their Noble Phantasm with all their mana.

Other important informations:

• The Servant’s materialized body has all of the body parts and organs but it’s just 'there' and doesn’t function, but stabbing or causing injury in it could make them feel pain because their Spiritual Core can also feel the pain.

• If the Master runs out of command spell, the master wouldn’t have any authority on their Servant. Most of them kills their Master and some still stick themselves to them throughout the battle.

• Servants are able to live as long as their masters were still alive even after the battle but if their master dies, they'll disappear too. Back to the thrones of Heroes, where they reside and can be summoned again if their master is alive and if his master have the sufficient amount of mana.

• A Master is considered as defeated if his/her Servant disperse into existence but they can always summon an another one so the most convenient way to defeat them is to kill them.

• There are 7 class of Servants. But I’ll be explaining them on an another note.

Chapter Text

Byeongkwan isn’t expecting any of this, he was expecting to be greeted by his family and asks him ‘how’s school? how was the feeling of living in the school dormitory for the whole semester?’. Not like this, not when his parents and his older brother was pinned to the ground by people wearing black cloaks. Heck, this isn’t even Halloween.

“Who are you?! Let go of my family!” Byeongkwan cried out, immediately holding an umbrella out of nowhere to protect himself.

“You’re one of the chosen ones to participate on the Holy Grail War,” one of the men said as they looked at him.

“What are you talking about?! Are you all out of your mind? Let go of them! I'll call the police!” Byeongkwan cried out, gripping on the umbrella tighter.

“So, you haven’t told him..” one of the men snickered as he stepped on the head of Byeongkwan’s dad “Tell him.”

“H-Hey, stop that!” Byeongkwan looked at his dad that is groaning in pain, “You’re hurting him!”

“Tell him,” the man said to his dad, snapping his fingers.

“W-Wha—” Byeongkwan suddenly felt like he was choked by someone that can’t be seen and he tried to release the tight grip on his neck yet he couldn’t feel anything at all. Tears are suddenly forming at his eyes as he kept on gasping, trying to catch his breath. He saw the man’s hand was covered in blue flames, wondering if it was because of hallucination that the brain shows due to the lack of oxygen.

“Byeongkwan!” He heard his mom cried out “Honey, tell them!”

“Listen to your wife, mister. Even though this boy is one of the chosen ones, we won’t hesitate on finding an another one and kill this boy.”

“A-Alright! I’ll tell him, just please don’t hurt him! Don’t hurt my son!” And Byeongkwan fell on the ground, holding his neck as the tight grip on it disappeared and coughed.

“Dad..” Byeongkwan looked at his dad which is already crying.

“Byeongkwan, listen to me.” His dad said in a stern tone before groaning in pain, “We are not normal humans, we’re mages. And there’s a competition in which mages participate with their servants and you’re one of the chosen ones to compete in the latest Holy Grail War.”

“Wait, I don’t get it!” Byeongkwan said as he shook his head and looked at the men, “Please don’t pin them on the ground! I won’t call the police or even run away, just don’t hurt them anymore.”

“But we’ll still bind them,” the man said as he looked at the other men wearing the cloak and let go of them but there’s a blue-ish thing that looks like a rope around their hands.

“Thank you,” Byeongkwan said yet the man didn’t show any emotions.

“Byeongkwan, we’re sorry.” His mom said as she looked down, “We really kept this hidden to you since we thought that you didn’t deserve to be involved in such a chaotic world but we have to tell you the truth right now, we’re sorry for telling you this in all of the sudden.”

“Hey, mom. You know that I’ll forgive you again and again, right? But what is it? What is that war? And what is that shining rope? I want to start panicking but I guess that I have to keep calm, right?” Byeongkwan said as he smiled at them to reassure them that he's alright but the truth is that he wants to run away yet the thought of his dead family made him stay on where he’s standing at.

“We’re from a bloodline of magus, we aren’t normal people that is from the middle class, we’re way more superior than the normal ones,” Byeongkwan’s dad said as he looked away on his son “And there's a competition where you’ll have to fight with the other chosen ones until you and your partner is the last pair left standing.”

“I have to fight?” Byeongkwan asked.

“Yes, you have to. We’re really sorry, Kwan. But can you come closer to me? Then close your eyes?” His older brother said and flashed a reassuring smile to him in which Byeongkwan followed.

As he stopped in front of his brother, the older male muttered something and he felt pain as he saw his left arm filled with light blue lines until he felt like something broke inside him and he feels so clear-headed in all of the sudden. As he opened his eyes, he felt so confused and scared. He can feel a strong presence that comes from his family and the men wearing a cloak and his sight seems to be a bit better than before.

“I broke the seal that I made for you to be a normal person, you’ll be needing to use your mana to fight.” His older brother said as he grinned yet he can see how scared he is, the trembling of his hands proves that he’s really terrified.

“Mana? Just like in games?” Byeongkwan asked, tilting his head.

The men that was using his power nodded, “Yes. But for every living creature that can use mana, mana is our life force. You’ll be using your life force to be able to cast spells and to summon your servant.”

“Wait, then that means that if I run out of mana..” Byeongkwan looked at his parents and they nodded but kept on averting their gaze on him, he felt so helpless and scared “I don’t want to die yet.”

“Then do your best to win,” The man said in a cold tone.

“But I don’t want to kill anyone.” he said, gripping on his shirt.

“You can spare your enemy but in order to stop them, you have to kill them. That is the only way to stop your enemies on fighting,” the man explained and sighed, “Looks like you’ll be one of the ones that will be perished early, no knowledge about your skills and about the Holy Grail War. Such an unfortunate soul.”

“W-What am I going to do?” Byeongkwan asked as he lowered his head, “I have no choice but to comply, right?”

“Affirmative,” the man, replied as he looked at Byeongkwan’s parents “Why don’t you enlighten him about your bloodline’s skills? It can help him.”

“Our powers were more on dark spells and curses,” His dad said as he gulped, “Just like witches and warlocks.”

“Eh?” Byeongkwan was so confused yet he have to understand every single detail, that he is going on a ‘war’, that he’s having powers, that he’s from a bloodline of witches and warlocks and that this is probably the last time that he could see his family.

“Why don’t you demonstrate to your little brother how it goes?” the man said and the rope disappeared on his brother’s wrists.

“Okay.” His older brother raised his hand and Byeongkwan could see the dark mana that emits on his brother’s hand as the ball of mana hits the vase filled with flowers that broke as the flowers wilt and suddenly turned into black ones and had thorns in it as it grew as tall as their couch, ten or twelve eyes were seen around the black figure.

“What the hell?” Byeongkwan muttered as the figure disappeared when his brother’s fingers snapped.

“This is one of the things we can do, Byeongkwan. We can turn things into horrendous creatures to protect us or to attack others, we can also curse other people with just touching them as we imagine what’s going to happen to them as we chant the spell or simply by just getting hit with an energy sphere.” His brother explained, looking a bit guilty on the boy’s horrified look, “You can also create barriers for yourself for materialize a weapon that is perfect for you, it is probably the same with your servant’s weapon.”

“Servant?” Byeongkwan asked.

“A Servant is a heroic spirit or people that attained good deeds  which were dead or either from different folklore, you can summon one to be your familiar.” His mom said while looking at his son, “Byeongkwan, we’re so sorry for all of this.”

“Dead? Folklore?” Byeongkwan asked once again.

Byeongkwan kept his composure despite being confused as heck, he needs to understand this. Just by seeing those ropes and also that ‘creature’ that his brother did is enough proof for him to believe everything that they’ve said. He needs to be strong for now but he can’t prevent himself on worrying about everything.

“Well, if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to summon Alexander the Great or King Arthur. Or if it based on folklore, probably Dracula but meh, he's actually Vlad the Impaler so he’s included on one of the people that is a part of the mythology and history.” the man said as he shrugged.

“Now, I get it.” Byeongkwan said and nods.

“Also, you’ll be having command spells for your Servant. You can only use it for three times so be careful on what you order to it, because when it runs out, you have no authority to your Servant. Most likely, your Servant is going to kill you and get their own wishes but it depends on your Servant. So no matter what happens, don’t waste your command spells.” the man added as he pointed at the back of Byeongkwan’s hand “The mark of the command spells appears over there and as you consume your command spells, some of it fades until it is completely gone. Using one can consume a lot of mana too, you’ll probably collapse in a few minutes to regain the mana you’ve lost.”

“I see. Is there anything that I should know?” Byeongkwan asked as he tilted his head.

“Summoning your familiar. You should be summoning it as soon as possible,” the man said and sighed once again, “Dealing with you is kind of a pain in the ass. But since you didn’t know how to make one, I’ll explain how. Listen carefully because one wrong move and we don’t know what might happen.”

“Alright.”

And Byeongkwan did everything that the man told him, they decided that Byeongkwan will be summoning the Servant in his room.. alone, for the safety of the others. He sighed and remembered the spell correctly and took a deep breath.

“Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall. Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate. I hereby declare. Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be your sword. Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail. If you will submit to this will and this reason…” Byeongkwan said in a stern tone as he saw the magic circle in front of him glow into a dark light and he felt like running away but he kept standing and continued, “Then answer!An oath shall be sworn here! I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven. I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!”

He can feel how thick the air is and the large amount of mana surrounding the magic circle, but Byeongkwan should be strong now. This is just the beginning, this isn’t the worst thing that will happen to him.

“From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three, greet words of power. Come forth from the ring of restraints, Protector of the Holy Balance!” he exclaimed and the magic circle glowed brighter, a mixture of purple, black and white lights combined into a blinding one, making the blonde male cover his eyes.

And when he opened his eyes, he gasped when the light had been materializing into something until it showed the final form. Byeongkwan wouldn’t lie to himself, he was somehow amazed on what he’s seeing despite being scared. In front of him was a man taller than him for a few centimeters wearing a bluish purple robe, a cloak that is purple on his chest part yet black on the rest of it was covering the male’s face yet Byeongkwan could see that this male is having jet black hair, just like the color of the thin staff that he’s holding.

“I believe that you were the one that summoned me, yes?” the male asked.

Byeongkwan was already mesmerized on this deep voice and nods, “Yes.”

“I see.” the black-haired Servant kneeled in front of him and looked up “Greetings, master.”

“H-Hello?” Byeongkwan wanted to punch himself for stuttering.

“Master.” Byeongkwan noticed how the Servant’s tone was filled with mischief, hatred and different kind of negative energy which made him shudder “You summoned me for the Holy Grail War. Am I correct?”

Byeongkwan nods, “Yes.”

“What is your wish?” his Servant asked.

“Wish?” Byeongkwan asked, tilting his head a bit.

“Well, if you win, you’ll be having the Holy Grail to yourself. What are you going to do with it? It will grant you a wish,” his Servant replied, standing up as he looked down on his master.

“I really don’t know,” Byeongkwan responded, somehow cursing the man for not telling him about it “For now, that is. But I’ll probably have one soon.”

“I see.” the Servant said as he looked around, “Pardon me, but may I know where am I?”

“Ah, about that! You’re in my room!” Byeongkwan beams as he raised his hands.

“Room? May I know what era is this?” the Servant asked, tilting his head.

“Era? Dunno. This is the modern era, I guess? I’m not really great at identifying those but it’s 2018 now!” Byeongkwan said as he grins.

“So it’s been a long time, I guess?” the Servant sighed and looked down to Byeongkwan, “Is the Holy Grail about to start?”

“I really don’t know but we should head back there, the others could probably answer that.” Byeongkwan said and held his Servant’s hand but he felt it flinched “Um, is there something wrong?”

“I was just surprised.” his Servant said as he looked around.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. And it must’ve been scared to see such a different world, it’s alright. I’ll be here for you,” Byeongkwan said and smiled at him.

“It’s alright but you’re not acting as a proper Master, Servants were the ones that is supposed to be there for the Masters until they’re done with them,” his Servant replies.

Byeongkwan chuckled, “Sorry, I am usually like this to my friends and almost everyone.”

“Such a kind-hearted soul to meet such a heart-wrenching fate.” his Servant murmured that made Byeongkwan look at him.

“Did you just said something?”

His Servant shook his head, “Nothing important.”

“I’m kind of worried,” Byeongkwan said as he looked at his Servant’s face “There’s nothing important that someone would say it out loud, not on his thoughts but if you want to talk, feel free to start a conversation. Though it’ll probably me that is going to start it.”

As they went out of the room and entered the living room, everyone is surprised to see Byeongkwan..which is holding his Servant’s hand. The man wearing the black cloak went in front of him and looked at the back of Byeongkwan’s left hand, seeing a particular mark in it.

“Caster.” the man said as he looked at Byeongkwan, “You’re the master of Caster.”

“Caster?” Byeongkwan asked.

“Yes, Caster. Your servant is the greatest magic-user in the Holy Grail War,” the man said as he coughed, “Everything’s ready, you should bid farewell to your family since the Holy Grail War will be happening somewhere else.”

“Somewhere else?” Byeongkwan asked.

“You wouldn’t want your family to be involved in this, right?” the man asked and Byeongkwan nodded, “Well, it is being held somewhere that you know.”

“I.. know?” Byeongkwan is so confused once again.

“Just.. say goodbye to your family.” the man said to him.

Byeongkwan didn't even hesitated and ran to his family, letting go of his Servant’s hand to embrace his family that is already crying. He promised them that he’ll do his best to be back, he promised them that they would hang out together when he gets back despite knowing that it might be impossible. He kept on hugging them until he felt like he was dragged by an unknown force until he is back beside the man wearing the black cloak.

“We need to go now,” the man said as he looked at Byeongkwan “We will part ways from now on, this is the first and last time that you’ll see me. Do your best to win the Holy Grail War and prove your bloodline’s worth.”

“What?” Byeongkwan asked but gasped when he saw a light on the ground around them.

“Prove your worth, Master of Caster.” the man said and smiled “And maybe, we’ll meet again.”

Byeongkwan is about to retort but there was that blinding light again and as he opened his eyes, he is in the middle of nowhere and he is surprised to see that he’s wearing his college’s uniform. He wondered why but as he looked at the mark on the back of his hand, he is certain of one thing.

That everything is about to begin and also end at the same time.

Chapter Text

Byeongkwan seems to be alone in the middle of the woods, he couldn’t detect anything at all except for his Servant’s mana that was around him. It seems like Caster had been hiding itself but is beside him so he started to walk around, being alert at the same time.

“Master, be careful.” he heard his Servant said as Caster materialized himself.

“Why?” Byeongkwan asked.

Caster looked around, “There’s someone around here. We have to get out of here as soon as possible.”

“But why?” Byeongkwan asked once again.

“Should I remind you that everyone is after your life?” Caster’s tone was kind of cold and it made Byeongkwan shudder.

“But Caster—” Byeongkwan suddenly stopped as he realized that he didn’t know his Servant’s name “Hey, can I know your name?”

“I refuse,” Caster said, looking down at his Master.

“But I want to know your name,” Byeongkwan said as he pouted, “Please?”

“I refuse,” Caster said, shaking his head “But you can gave me a name, a name that you can call me. A name like yours.”

“Like mine?” Byeongkwan asked, “Why? You don’t like your name?”

“Well, I can’t tell you my name and my reasons why. Forgive me, Master.” Caster said as he lowered his head “But most of the Master renames their Servants, some Servants were living in the human world and blending in with them so I guess that you might want giving me one.”

“Giving you one, eh?” Byeongkwan rested his chin on his left hand before suddenly gasping “How about Sehyoon?”

“Seyoon?” Caster asked, tilting his head a bit “Seyoon as in S-E-Y-O-O-N?”

“It’s like that but put a H between the E and Y since it’ll be written in a different way,” Byeongkwan explained, “I wish that I could show you how but I don’t have anything with me right now.”

“It’s alright, Master. You don’t need to worry about me,” Caster said as he smiled a bit, “Sehyoon, right? It’s a good one, I’ll use it.”

“Wait, you just smiled!” Byeongkwan chirps, suddenly hugging his Servant “Smile more, Sehyoon!”

“Master..” Sehyoon, the Caster was caught off-guard by his Master’s action and froze.

Byeongkwan kept on hugging Sehyoon but he suddenly felt a large amount of mana surrounded them and heard something fell so as he looked behind him, he realized that he was surrounded by a large barrier. He looked at Sehyoon and despite not seeing his face except from his lips because of the cloak, he can notice that his Servant isn’t in a good mood.

“Let’s go,” Sehyoon said as they ran.

“What’s that?” Byeongkwan asked, looking behind them.

“Archer is in the woods,” Sehyoon replied, running beside his Master “We have to fight back but we’re at a disadvantage now that we’re here in the middle of the woods, it seems that the Archer is familiar with a place like this. If my guess is right, the Archer is probably that cunning bastard.”

“What?” Byeongkwan doesn’t know what to respond but he can see how Sehyoon seems to be serious as they were surrounded by his barrier and he saw how the arrows were stopped by it.

“H-Help!” They suddenly stopped when they saw a blonde male wearing an all-white school uniform limping on their direction and he seems to be in pain.

“Sehyoon, wait.” Byeongkwan immediately went beside the blonde male “Are you alright?”

“Sprain.. ankle..” the blonde male said as he hissed in pain.

“Wait, how do I do this? I don’t know what to do..” Byeongkwan said as he looked at Sehyoon “Hey, Sehy—”

“Got you.” Byeongkwan suddenly felt pain in his back, as he looked behind, he saw the blonde male’s wicked grin as he leaped a few steps backward.

“Master!” Sehyoon said as he immediately held the stab wound on Byeongkwan’s back and used his mana to heal it “I told you to be careful.”

“I didn’t expect this to happen,” Byeongkwan said as he smiled when he felt how his wound was healing “I’m sorry, Sehyoon. I was too carefree.”

“You should be,” Sehyoon bluntly said.

“Master, that is cool!”

As Byeongkwan’s wound was quite healed, they looked at the blonde male and they saw a Servant appeared beside him. A male with a greek cloak and the bow that he’s holding proves that the ones in front of them is the Master of Archer and his Servant, the Servant removed his hood of his cloak and showed his brown hair and face, this Servant’s smile is so bright that it could replace the sun but the way he looked at Byeongkwan and Sehyoon seems like they were nothing but prey in this Servant's eyes.

“I told you that this would work,” the blonde male said as he looked at Byeongkwan, “Sorry for that.”

“Sorry?! You almost killed me!” Byeongkwan exclaimed, glaring at him.

“I just have to make sure of something,” the blonde male said and smiled, “It seems that you’re the Caster pair.”

“What do you want?” Byeongkwan asked but he was surprised when a lot of energy spheres were about to hit the two which dodged it immediately.

“Your Servant’s too hot-headed,” the blonde male said and kept on dodging the spheres.

“Sehyoon, stop!” Byeongkwan said as he looked at his Servant that stopped yet he could feel that Sehyoon’s still angry.

“Still as merciless as you are,” the Servant in green stated, chuckling as he immediately went beside his Master.

“I'll perish you all,” Sehyoon said as he gritted his teeth and looked at Byeongkwan “Master, allow me to kill them.”

“No, Sehyoon. It looks like they want to say something,” Byeongkwan said as he looked at the Archer pair in front of them “Please introduce yourself.”

“I am Rayoon,” the blonde male, Rayoon introduced himself.

“I’m Archer!” the Servant cheerfully said and grinned “But you can call me Yuchan.”

“Robin Hood..” Sehyoon muttered as he kept on glaring at Yuchan.

“Robin Hood? As in the prince of thieves?” Byeongkwan can’t believe that he’ll be seeing a Heroic Spirit that is from one of the books that he reads.

Yuchan nods, “Correct. It seems like I’m a bit well-known, eh?”

“Don’t act like you’re the best, brat. Saber and Lancer’s popular too.” Rayoon said and laughed.

 “Don’t be like that, Rayoon. Let me dream!” Yuchan, the Archer cried out as he crossed his arms, “Well, it can’t be helped. Saber and Lancer is a powerful Heroic spirit but you’re in my turf so expect my one-thousand percent power!”

 “We’re in England so I’m sure that you’re at your most powerful state.” Sehyoon said as he leaned on the tree behind him and crossed his arms, “There are times that our power gets more powerful because we’re in our turf.”

“Indeed,” Yuchan agreed as he nods cheerfully.

“Wait, can I know if there’s a place we can stay for a while?” Byeongkwan asked, looking around.

 “About that.. there’s rarely a place we can call as a home. Either on a cave or at a tree, but my friend found an abandoned mansion.”  Rayoon said as his face scrunched a bit “But I think that staying with two Masters is kind of a risky situation, isn’t it?”

“I’d rather slit my throat than stay with all of you, I know that you’re up into something. Something bad,” Sehyoon said, his icy tone still makes Byeongkwan shudder.

“Sehyoon.” Byeongkwan looked at him as if he's about to scold him but his expression softened “Don’t worry. I think that they weren’t up to something.”

“Actually, we were.” Rayoon admits “We're looking for the other Masters to form a truce.”

“And why is that needed?” Sehyoon asked.

“Look above us.” Yuchan said as he pointed on the sky above them.

As the two looked up, they saw a large fortress soaring the skies. Byeongkwan’s jaw almost dropped as he saw how gigantic it is and sensed the large amount of mana that surrounds it. On the other hand, Sehyoon doesn’t seemed to mind it and looked at the Master and Servant in fron of them. He shouldn’t trust anyone. He shall not let them do something that will harm his Master, he swore an oath to protect him and he will.

“That’s Assassin’s turf, his Noble Phantasm.” Yuchan said as he glanced at the Servant with his cloak covering half of his face “Know who he is?”

“Hanging Gardens of Babylon,” Sehyoon muttered as he gritted his teeth, “Semiramis.”

“Indeed, his Noble Phantasm is a bit powerful and unless that we can soar the skies, we wouldn’t be able to defeat them if we don’t have something that can get us there.” Yuchan said, his voice is strained, probably because he’s frustrated “Hey, Sehyoon hyung. Can you get us there?”

“No.” Sehyoon stated in a cold tone, “My abilities is all about curses and dark magic.”

“Damn it,” Yuchan hissed.

“Wait, I’m a bit curious. Byeongkwan, are you a newbie magus?” Rayoon suddenly asked, tilting his head slightly.

Byeongkwan nodded, scratching his cheek as he chuckled nervously “The truth is that I am not even aware that I’m also like you. My parents revealed it to me three hours ago, after being forced by those shady people with cloaks.”

“Oh.” Rayoon’s face scrunched as he looked apologetically at the male in front of him “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Byeongkwan assured him,waving his hands.

“So, can you show me what can you do?” Rayoon asked as he smiled a bit.

“My family is good at dark magic, they said that I can make energy spheres and also monsters.” Byeongkwan said as he looked at one tree, “Wait, let me try it.”

“Go ahead!” Rayoon said as Yuchan went beside him while Sehyoon just observed his Master.

Byeongkwan touched his hand as he started to imagine that he’s turning the tree into a creature, he didn’t expect for his mana to transfer into the tree immediately and it grew bigger, branches being longer and sharper as a terrifying face appeared at the tree, turning into grey while the leaves became as sharp as blades. It let out a loud screech, Byeongkwan immediately stepped backward.

“So, you can make stuff like that?” Rayoon was amused yet afraid at the same time. For a first timer to use such a spell is quite outstanding but he's worried, this pair is going to be a tough one.

“I think so..” Byeongkwan muttered.

Yuchan’s expression suddenly brightened as he aimed at something in the sky and hit something with an arrow, a bird fell in the ground, bones already broken from the arrow and also at the fall “This is it.”

“Gross.” Rayoon stated as he cringed.

Yuchan shook his head while he looked at Byeongkwan then pointed at the bird “Hey! Hey! Do that to the bird too! I have an idea!”

“Why?” Byeongkwan asked.

“I think you can do something great!” Yuchan chirps.

“Alright..” Byeongkwan touched the bird and he saw dark-colored mana surrounding the bird until it suddenly grew, making him and Yuchan leaped backwards. The bird became as tall as horse and there’s black mana surrounding it, feathers turning into a shade of black and grey.

“This is so wicked!” Yuchan screamed as he went in front of Rayoon, “Look, Rayoon. This kid is so cool.”

“Shut it, Yuchan.” Rayoon scolded the Servant before looking at Byeongkwan, “Your ability is great. For a first timer, you’re quite a powerful one. Don’t overuse your mana, alright? And also, would you like to join us?”

“Um.. I really don’t know,” Byeongkwan said as he looked at his Servant, waiting for his response.

“I will follow my Master’s orders, I’m nothing but a Servant. But if I have any kind od free will, I object to this blasphemy.” Sehyoon said and looked at Byeongkwan, “You’re quite naive as a Master, trusting anyone in this place is going to be your downfall. Trust no one, even your Servant.”

“Sehyoon.” Byeongkwan mutters before looking down.

Rayoon seems to be a good guy but whenever he looks at Yuchan, it seemed that the Servant isn't as cheerful as he is. There’s something off with this Servant, the way that there’s probably something hidden in his sleeves, a plan that will obliterate Byeongkwan and Sehyoon. Should he trust them? Or decline the offer?

He suddenly remembered the fact that if he wouldn’t win, he wouldn’t be able to return at his home—to be with his family and to meet his friends again. Worst case scenario, he might end up dead in this place. And he wouldn’t let that happen, he is known to be an independent person and a competitive one—if he treat this war like a game, he would definitely be perished soon. It’s time to get serious, to stop being dependent on his Servant.

With a final decision, Byeongkwan lifted his head to glance at the blonde Master of Archer and smiled apologetically “I’m sorry, but I decline the offer.”

“As of now, most of the Masters escaped or rejected my offer and you’re the last one to disagree so..” Rayoon smiled bitterly and chuckled, “Sorry for disturbing and.. hurting you. I hope that we’ll see each other soon, good luck.”

“I’m sorry that I can’t help,” Byeongkwan says apologetically.

“It’s about time that we need to go,” Yuchan says to his Master.

Rayoon looked at Yuchan and nodded before glancing at the Master of Caster and the Servant itself “See you again, Byeongkwan. Caster, protect your Master at all cost.”

Before Byeongkwan or Sehyoon managed to reply, the two vanished in their eyes. Byeongkwan couldn’t sense their mana anymore and looked at Sehyoon for an explanation, the Servant took a deep breath.

“They teleported,”

“I see. Can we do that too?” Byeongkwan asks.

Sehyoon nods, “That requires a lot of concentration and for us to have a tight bond.”

“I’m excited to use that, I bet that it’ll be cool!” Byeongkwan said as he grinned,“We should get out of this forest as soon as possible, shall we?”

†•†°†•†°†•†°†•†

“Master, can I?” Yuchan asks, his brown orbs were boring holes on his Master’s face.

Rayoon shook his head, “No.”

“Will still do it,” Yuchan replied, grinning.

“You kept on doing a bunch of dirty tricks, we’re here as warriors and not as a bunch of cheaters!” Rayoon scolded the Servant, crossing his arms.

“Have you forgotten who am I? In order to live, in order to survive, in order to continue doing my duty—I kept on doing a lot of dirty tricks. Poisoning, setting up traps, attacking without getting caught and killing behind the shadows, that is how I lived my life. For the sake of the ones that shunned me,” Yuchan said as his grin turned into a sly smile.

“You lack pride, you lack it so much. You’re giving me headaches, Yuchan.” Rayoon said as he sighed, “You know what? You should have a normal fight, no tricks or anything, just a fight with your weapon without hiding or any of your shenenigans.” Rayoon stated befor huffing and starting to walk on the differer direction that Sehyoon and Byeongkwan took, “Whatever, we should be back to the mansion. We still have a lot to do.”

“Whatever,” Yuchan mumbled before snapping his fingers, “Let’s go?”

Rayoon halted on his tracks to give his Servant a sidelong glance, “What the hell did you just do?”

“Oops, my bad.” Yuchan said as he giggled, “Must’ve activated something, I wonder what it is.”

“Robin Hood.” The way Rayoon said it is filled with authority and Yuchan froze, suddenly feeling uneasy.

“Worry not, Master.” Yuchan said as he forced a grin, “The Caster pair is already out of the woods. You have nothing to worry about.”

“I suppose that you’re right, I can’t detect their mana anymore.” Rayoon mumbled before gasping, “Yet you’re targeting the Berserker duo?!”

“It can’t be helped.” Yuchan said and laughs, “Can you be not a sissy and fight?”

“We need to go back, okay? Let’s just return to the mansion and make a plan,” Rayoon said as he frowned, “Refrain all of your childish antics and listen to me for once.”

Yuchan puffed his cheeks before snapping his fingers again, the mist filled with poison disappeared. Rayoon sighed in relief and continued walking, the Archer Servant looked at his Master’s back and smiled bitterly.

“Did you know what?” Yuchan mutered, making sure that his Master wouldn’t hear what he’s about to say “I would never win in fights such as that? Never. Never in a million years.”

Rayoon stopped again to look at his Servant, “Yuchan, I’m getting impatient. Let’s hurry!”

“Coming!” Yuchan beams, running to his Master’s side.

As the Archer and his Master kept on walking, Yuchan couldn’t understand why but he detected something on that Master they've encountered a while ago. Something’s off with him, he wants to end him as soon as possible. But as of now, he have to comply on his Master’s orders.

Kim Byeongkwan will be taken care later, killing him or boring holes on his body with the arrows.

p“My family is good at dark magic, they said that I can make energy spheres and also monsters.” Byeongkwan said as he looked at one tree, “Wait, let me try it.”

Chapter Text

       AS BYEONGKWAN WOKE UP, he saw Sehyoon above the rock and looking at him. He smiled at him but the Servant just tilted his head in confusion before looking at the skies.

“Good morning, Sehyoon.” Byeongkwan says.

“Did you slept well, Master?” Sehyoon asked.

Byeongkwan nods, “Yes. Thank you for watching over me. Did you sleep at all?”

“It’s not like we need to sleep, I can endure it for days.” Sehyoon said and hopped down from the large tree and lend his hand to Byeongkwan, “Are you ready to find a decent base, Master? Or do you need to rest for a few minutes?”

Byeongkwan took Sehyoon’s hand and shook his head as his Servant helped him to stand up, “No. Thank you, Sehyoon. I’ve rested well.”

“Shall we begin our wandering?” Sehyoon asked, looking straight at Byeongkwan’s face.

Byeongkwan nods, ignoring the feeling that Sehyoon is quite a weirdo “Yes.”

They walked at the field under the scorching heat from the Sun yet the cold breeze prevents Byeongkwan from sweating, he looked at Sehyoon and wondered if he’s sweating from what he’s wearing. But as the Servant glanced at him, he immediately looked straight at the pathway with a dusting of pink in his cheeks. He felt like he’s a creep for looking at Sehyoon, the Servant must’ve been creeped out.

“Is staring a bad thing?” Sehyoon suddenly asked

“What?!” Byeongkwan blurted out.

“You’re staring at me, Master.” Sehyoon stated and Byeongkwan wants to bury himself on the ground, “And because of our connection to each other, I can hear some of your thoughts.”

“What?! S-Seriously?!” Byeongkwan wanted to die. He felt so embarassed as he looked at the ground.

Sehyoon nodded, “Only the thoughts that is too powerful. Minor ones couldn’t be heard.”

“I see. But can you avoid listening on my thoughts? Like, please? It’s a bit uncomforting,” Byeongkwan said and looked at Sehyoon, blushing furiously.

Sehyoon seems to think about it for a few seconds before nodding, “Alright, Master.”

“Thank you, Sehyoon.” Byeongkwan muttered.

Once again, no one said a thing as they kept on walking. Byeongkwan was too amused on the surroundings while Sehyoon is keeping an eye at him as he stays alert in case an another pair dares to attack them. Sehyoon couldn’t understand why but the first time that he saw Byeongkwan, he swore that he will protect him at any cost. A servant like him—he's usually not like this. Not at all.

“Sehyoon! I can see a cabin nearby!” Byeongkwan chirps, pointing at a cabin a few miles away from them.

“I couldn’t sense any mana in it. I think that it’s safe,” Sehyoon said as he glanced at his Master, “Master, shall we proceed?”

Byeongkwan nodded, “Let’s!”

“Just stay alert, Master. We’re still not sure if it’s safe or not,” Sehyoon stated, looking around.

“Alright.”

They continued on walking, Byeongkwan’s brown orbs are still looking around. Amazed at how he can sense the mana of every living creature and how the place seems to show sparkling blue mana flowing around the flower field. At first, it seems to be just a normal field filled with flowers but as he payed more attention, he can notice how this place reeks mana in it.

“We’re here, Master.” Sehyoon announced, getting Byeongkwan’s attention “Stay close.”

Byeongkwan nods, “Okay.”

Sehyoon walked until they’ve arrived in front of the cabin and opened the door, revealing how dark it is inside “Wait..”

“Wow.” Byeongkwan can’t help but be amused when Sehyoon snapped his fingers and the whole place was filled with floating red spheres of flame, lighting up the whole place.

“It’s empty and it seems like no one arrived here earlier than both of us,” Sehyoon said as he looked at Byeongkwan, “Do you want this to be our temporary base?”

Byeongkwan shrugged, “I’m actually fine with anything as long as I’m safe, Sehyoon.”

“Don’t worry, Master. I’ll protect you,” Sehyoon said as he kneeled in front of him before standing up again, “With all of my life.”

“I k-know..” Byeongkwan said as he looked away.

“I’ll prepare for a while, Master. You can wander around outside but please don’t go too far from here,” Sehyoon reminded him.

“I can stay here and help you,” Byeongkwan said.

Sehyoon shook his head, “I’m afraid that I’ll be needing some alone time to finish the preparations, Master.”

“Okay..”

As Byeongkwan went outside, he sat at the ground as he stare at the flowers around him. All of them were different kinds and with different sizes yet they looked too beautiful. He suddenly thought about his mother, his mother likes beautiful flowers. Maybe he should pack a bouquet or two of it for her.

“Do you want to pick them? It’s a shame that you won’t be able to take it back,” a familiar voice said that it made Byeongkwan turn to his direction and Rayoon raised his hands “Ain’t here for a fight. I was just.. strolling.”

“Just strolling, eh?” Byeongkwan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Seriously, I am just strolling.” Rayoon admits, “Besides, it seems like no one wants to die soon. Based from Yuchan, the Berserker duo’s residing at the woods. To be specific, they’re near at the Lake while the Saber duo's wandering on the mountainside. The Rider duo is probably at the mountainside too while the Assassin duo is just above us.”

“Wait, can you explain me those kinds? I only know that I am the Master of Caster and that Caster is the greatest magic-user,” Byeongkwan requested.

Rayoon widened his eyes, “You don’t know a thing about it?!”

“Well, no.” Byeongkwan replied sheepishly.

“Okay. Don’t worry, I’ll explain it to you. In the Holy Grail War, there are seven kinds of Servants and it’s based on their skills. The  three Knight classes were the Saber, Lancer, and Archer while the other kinds were the Caster, Rider, Berserker and Assassin.” Rayoon cleared his throat as he began to continue, “Saber are Heroic Spirits that were known in the history as swordsmen and is really agile and powerful melee warriors. They also have high magic resistance so even Caster will have a hard time dealing with it unless you made a strategy and last but not the least, they’re sturdy, having those high physical stats.”

“Lancer is one of the three Knight classes along with Saber and Archer that are very agile, proficient in hit-and-run tactics that capitalize on range and speed, and skilled with long-range melee weapons such as spears and lances. Their agility is superb but their Luck kinda sucks, knowing that most Servants that were Lancers is known to be the ones in history where fate seems to fuck them up despite them doing their best. They’re also great at resisting magic so be careful around them.” Rayoon continued, “Next is the Archer class, I am the Master of Archer so I might have some extra information for you about them. Archer is one of the three Knight classes along with Saber and Lancer. Servants placed within this class excel in possessing powerful Noble Phantasms, are able to act as highly effective scouts, they also have High Magic Resistance Skill so most modern magi are unable to inflict damage to them. They also possess Independent Action, allowing them the ability to act independently for a length of time without an active supply of magical energy from their Master, which is a pain in the ass to every single Master if the Archer is unobedient—for example, Yuchan. Archer’s preferred weapon is the ranged ones, not just a bow and arrow but can also be guns, slings, cannons or fire melee weapons out of portals and their critical attacks are terrifying so be on your guard against Archer.”

“That.. is a lot to process,” Byeongkwan groaned, “But Sabers are sword-users, Lancer uses lance or any polearm weapons and Archers are good at ranged combat. All of them have High Magic Resistance Skill, right?”

“Good to know that you are catching up to it but there’s four more classes so prepare yourself.” Rayoon said and chuckled lightly. “Riders are one of the seven Servant types and Servants placed within this class are those known for riding mounts, living beasts or human constructs, during their lives. Personal melee and hand-to-hand weapons will vary amongst all the Riders, but most of them are expected to have had animal mounts or vehicles that they could use as part of their attacks.”

“Assassins are skilled at operating covertly, stealthy, and silently. The Assassins' special class ability is "Presence  Concealment", which allows them to remain undetected when spying or preparing to ambush their targets. They’re also great at implying critical attacks so be on your guard for them especially that the Assassin that we’re facing is Semiramis, a poisoner.” Rayoon commented, grimacing a bit “Based on my research, Semiramis can control that fortress filled with weapons and can even fill the whole place with poison.”

“Semiramis? That’s a queen, right?” Byeongkwan asked. He saw that name on one of the books that he borrowed on their library before, known as a queen that poisoned his husband.

Rayoon nodded, “Affirmative. But the Semiramis that we’re facing is a male, you know? Probably because they were materialized to be a male.”

“That’s weird,” Byeongkwan stated and frowned.

Rayoon hummed, “But nothing in this place is normal.”

“Moving on, let’s talk about Berserkers. They are always
Heroic Spirits who have gone berserk during battle at least once in their lifetime. This trait allows them to use the special ability Mad Enhancement, which trades their consciousness and sanity for a large power boost.  Being summoned with the "Mad Enhancement" class skill — especially at higher levels — robs them of their ability for rational thought and limits their ability to effectively use their Noble Phantasms, but greatly boosts their physical parameters. Also Berserkers barely can communicate with their Masters, most of them couldn't even speak and once that they're under Mad Enhancement, they just attack to wreck their enemy, without any strategy so it’s easy to find a blind spot but it’s dangerous because one hit from them could kill you or your Servant.”

“I see..” Byeongkwan said, finally catching up on what Rayoon is talking about.

“Last but not the least is your Servant’s class, Caster. Caster are usually adept in magecraft and the only qualifying condition is mastery of magic of the highest caliber compared to the specific parameter requirements of the other classes. Due to not requiring any strong parameters, they generally have low combat abilities, and due to the majority of Servants having some form of Magic Resistance, this class is thought to be the weakest of all seven. Their class abilities are Territory Creation, altering surrounding lands in favor of their sorcery, and Item Construction, which allows the magus to create magical items and tools. They also have low durability so always be on your guard, Byeongkwan-sshi.”

Byeongkwan couldn’t believe it, Sehyoon looked too powerful and seems like he has a lot of plans under his sleeves. But the way that Rayoon explained all of the class, it looks like they should prepare a strategy or two if they’re going to fight.

“Well, I think that you can protect yourself and also your Servant. Dark magic is quite rare and for a newbie like you, it seems like you can control it well. I commend you for that,” Rayoon said as he took his rifle from his bag, “My clan’s also a mage but most of them were at the military, serving our country. Fortunately, they always come back home because our sense of sight is greater than a bird’s eyeview and because we can create barriers for ourselves. Something that is needed for a war.”

“That's great..” Byeongkwan said as he released a small black sphere around his hand “You’ll definitely win this war.”

“I don’t think that will be easy especially with the Assassin duo up there,” Rayoon stated as he pointed at the fortress on the sky.

“I’m sorry that we couldn’t help you, we’re just being careful.” Byeongkwan apologetically said as he drooped his head.

“Don’t worry. Either way, all the things that come up must go down.” Rayoon said, grinning at him “I’ll find a way to take that flying fortress down the ground and I’ll make sure that it’s worth it.”

“Rayoon, can I ask you something?” Byeongkwan looked at the blond male in a serious way.

“What is it?”

“Where are we?”

“Good question,” Rayoon mused as he shrugged, “The truth is I don’t know but this place is designed to be a battlefield. And are you aware of what happened before you got here?”

Byeongkwan tilted his head as he furrowed his brows, “I.. don’t think I understand it.”

“Oh. You don’t know, huh? I think that it’s better for you to be unaware of it, you’re a kind-hearted person.” Rayoon said before he sighed.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Byeongkwan asked again.

“I should be going now, Byeongkwan-sshi. ‘Til we meet again,” Rayoon said before he started to walk away.

Byeongkwan can’t help but be bothered on what Rayoon said, he doesn't want to be unaware of these things. He wants to be enlightened on what’s happening around him, he knew that being in this war is dangerous but there’s something missing about it.

He knew that he remembers something but he couldn’t grasp it, as if it’s supposed to be locked somewhere else where he couldn’t obtain it.

†°†•†°†•†°†•†

JUNYOUNG LOOKS AT THE MARVELOUS FURNITURES around him and can’t help but smirk in triumph as he can see from the portals where the other participants are, he can easily obliterate them without lifting a finger.

“Junyoung.. can I jump now?” he looked at his Master which was looking at the clouds with those lifeless eyes.

“No, Master. Not yet.” Junyoung replied.

“It’s too high, I want to know the feeling of being squashed by gravity as I turn into a pile of fleshy mess once I hit the ground.” his Master said as he looked down, “Ah, Junyoung. Can I die?”

“No, Master.” Junyoung stated in a sharp tone, “I know that it’s been tough but please endure it, I know that you can do it.”

His Master turned around to face him and went inside the main hall and kneeled in front of Junyoung as he kissed the back of his hand “You’re right, Junyoung. I still have to protect you, my dearest queen.”

“You’re not the Master that I know now, you’ve changed a lot.” Junyoung said, glaring at the kneeling figure in front of him “Stand up, Master. I know that I deserve praise and respect but you’re the human one, you should know what’s right or wrong.”

“What’s the point? After all of this, I’ll still be dead. There’s no point of struggling,” his Master said which caught Junyoung off-guard, “Of all people, you are supposed to know why.”

“You can still change your fate, Master. With the Holy Grail, you can wish for something that you want to obtain. It can make everything come true,” Junyoung said as he kneeled down and embraced his Master , “Master, I hope that you’ll get those sparks in your eyes back soon. It’s beautiful.”

“Semiramis..” It is quite rare for his Master to call him on his real name and Junyoung flinched.

“What is it, Hansol?” Two can play this game, Junyoung won’t go down without a fight.

“I want to die,” he admits.

Junyoung sighed, “I know.”

Junyoung wanted to slap the hell out of his Master, he wanted to see the old Hansol back. Not this lifeless-looking one that wants to die as soon as possible, he knew that he had been through a lot just because of this war. But Junyoung is certain of something, he’s certain that he should win this war. Not just for him but also for the both of them.

Though he wouldn’t admit that, he still has a bit of pride with him even if it’s Hansol. But he wouldn’t even think twice to do such a risky thing just for his Master..