2,364Chapter 241: Omake: Yggdrasil's Interlude
Third POV: Chaldea Sky Boarder.
"I'd like your help with something," Yggdrasil stated.
Ritsuka blinked as he turned off his monitor and turned in his chair to face Yggdrasil. She had just came in his room without a warning and said that out of nowhere.
Admittedly, not the first time a Servant did that.
"O...kay?" Ritsuka started, looking confused. "What exactly do you need my help with, Yggdrasil?"
"First, you may call me Drasil. I'm aware that my name is hard to pronounce for some cultures such as Japan," Yggdrasil started, which caused Ritsuka to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. "Second, I'd like to speak to a few Servants around Chaldea. However, those Servants are ones I never even attempted to speak to, and my social skills are... not as sharp as I'd like," she groaned.
"(That's an understatement,)" Ritsuka almost said outloud but managed to keep his thoughts to himself, remembering how Drasil always comes off as arrogant. "Alright, I understand."
"I'd also like you to invite Sherlock Holmes," the sudden, odd request got another blink from Ritsuka.
"Alright, but why do you need Holmes?" Ritsuka asked turning his monitor back on to call the detective.
"I'd just like his inquiry on something," Yggdrasil stated and Ritsuka turned to his monitor as Holmes answered.
A few minutes later, Ritsuka, Yggdrasil, and Holmes were walking through the halls. "Sorry to call you so suddenly, Holmes. I know you're probably busy," Ritsuka apologised to the detective as Yggdrasil led them through the halls.
"It is no problem at all, Mr. Fujimaru," Holmes, however, simply smiled and waved off the apology. "Far be it from me to miss the chance of trading knowledge with the all-knowing Tree of the Nine Realms."
Ritsuka smiled, happy that Holmes wasn't in any bad mood for being called. He then turned to Yggdrasil. "So, where are we going, Drasil?"
"First, we'll go to the most troubling person I want to talk to," Yggdrasil replied, looking over her shoulder, using her staff as a cane. "Second, this one is... rather irritating to me. So, I'd also like you to keep things from escalating to the point where I erase his existence."
Ritsuka sweat-dropped. "You're... joking, right?"
"No," Yggdrasil replied as they stopped in front of a door. "As I said, make sure things don't get too heated. I might actually kill this one."
Holmes raised one of his eyebrows while Ritsuka's eyes widened. Before either of them can say anything, Yggdrasil had already opened the door. Concerned, the Master and Detective followed Yggdrasil as they entered the room.
They found the room to be fully covered in Chinese decorations and royal robes. In the center of the room, sitting cross legged and sipping tea was the Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
"Hmm, oh, a visit?" Qin Shi Huang put his cup down and acknowledged his guests. "A welcoming surprise. Welcome, Ritsuka, Detective, and you are...?" The emperor trailed off, not having met Yggdrasil before.
"You may refer to me as Yggdrasil, Mortal," Ritsuka can safely say he's never heard Yggdrasil sound so irritated. "I would like to make this quick as I do not stand your presence. I would like you to tell me of the land you ruled in the Lostbelt."
Qin Shi Huang frowned. "Hmm, it seems you have some form resentment towards us. Have we done anything to offend you, little one?"
"I am far older than even that empire of yours," Yggdrasil replied, her eyes narrowing. "And your philosophy in itself is the greatest insult to me anyone may make. The belief that knowledge should be treated like a plague stands for everything I despise."
"We did what we believe is best to protect our people," Qin Shi Huang replied firmly.
"You may clip a bird's wings and claim you are protecting it from falling by ensuring it never flies, but that does not change the fact you crippled it," Yggdrasil said back, her voice getting intense.
Before things can get more heated, Ritsuka stepped in. "I think we trailed off from why we're here," he said drawing the attention of the arguing Servants. "Emperor Qin Shi Huang, we're just here to ask for some information on your empire. We'll leave right after that."
Qin Shi Huang cast a quick glare at Yggdrasil, who glared back, before sighing and turning his gaze back to Ritsuka. "Very well, if nothing else, we will not pass the chance to sing praise of our nation. Ask away."
"I am simply curious at what difference it had from Proper Human History when it began in terms of the world," Yggdrasil asked.
"Hmm, very well," Qin Shi Huang began then describing his Lostbelt and its history since its point of divergence.
It took him some time to describe his world and how it differentiated from Proper Human History. Ritsuka had heard all this before, but still can't bring himself to stop feeling guilty over that peaceful world being gone.
Yggdrasil, meanwhile looked more and more irritated.
"Hmph, it is no surprise your world was Pruned," Yggdrasil commented harshly, earning a glare Qin Shi hundred, but before he can retort, the other Ruler servant turned away. "We're done here."
Ritsuka watched Yggdrasil walk away and turned to Qin Shi Huang. "I'm really sorry. She's really not like that usually," he apologised to the Emperor.
"Hmph," Qin Shi Huang simply huffed. "We am above letting the opinion of a mere child matter to us. She may think what she pleases."
Yggdrasil immediately stopped and Ritsuka was worried that she would finally attack Qin Shi Huang for calling her a child. However, she simply looked over her shoulder at the emperor with a look completely empty of any emotions.
"Hear this, Mortal, for an actual all-knowing being speaks," Yggdrasil started, her voice as lacking as her expression. "Making everyone else stupider than you does not mean you are wise. It simply means you're a less stupid narcissist desperately stopping anyone from going against their opinions."
With that, Yggdrasil walked out of the room. Ritsuka sent another apologetic look to the Emperor before he and Holmes walked out.
"You didn't have to be rude," Ritsuka said, looking rather disapprovingly at Yggdrasil.
The Norse Tree simply rolled her eyes. "Trust me, with someone like him, being rude was most peaceful outcome," the Master didn't stop giving her the look regardless of what she said.
"Where would you like to go now, Ms. Yggdrasil," Holmes asked. Ritsuka wasn't surprised that the detective didn't say anything, since he knew Holmes sometimes wanted to observe and gather information.
"Hmm, the next person isn't so troublesome. I just hope you'd guide me to them," Yggdrasil commented, the hostility she had a few minutes ago leaving. "I'm looking for the King of the Fourth Lostbelt."
Ritsuka blinked in surprise but was still willing to guide her to where Arjuna Alter can be found. He was really curious on why she chose to speak to two Lostbelt Kings in a row. But, for now, he decided to withhold the questions.
Reaching Arjuna Alter's room, Ritsuka came in and found the King of the fourth Lostbelt floating around with his eyes closed. When they walked in, he opened his eyes and looked at them.
"Master... welcome..." Arjuna Alter greeted in his usual slow tone, looking dazed.
"Greetings, hero Arjuna. I am here to ask you a question," Yggdrasil immediately stepped in and spoke.
Arjuna Alter looked at Yggdrasil before tilting his head. "A talking... tree...?"
"This is Drasil, another Servant," Ritsuka spoke, motioning to Yggdrasil. "She came here to ask you a few questions. If you don't mind answering."
Arjuna Alter hummed in thought before nodding his head. "Ask... away..."
"I wish to learn of the nature of your Lostbelt in terms of the nature of the world," Yggdrasil asked the same question she did for Qin Shi Huang.
"... Alright," Arjuna Alter agreed and began explaining. His explanation took longer than Qin Shi Huang did because of the way he speaks, but Yggdrasil didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
"I see. You sought perfection through repetition," Yggdrasil hummed. "You are not the first to have the idea of slowly clipping away what is evil. Though, in the end, it purely depends on what you see as 'evil', and how your opinion can change. Thank you for answering my questions."
"No... problem...," Arjuna Alter replied as the group left the room and he went back to floating around with his eyes closed.
"Now, on to the next person," Yggdrasil stated as soon as the exited the room. "I'd like to meet the Queen of the Fairy Kingdom."
Ritsuka, again, saw a pattern as this was the third time Yggdrasil had asked for a Lostbelt King. He glance at Holmes and found the detective to simply give Yggdrasil a raised eyebrow, but said nothing about it.
Shrugging his shoulders, Ritsuka began leading Yggdrasil to Fairy Queen Morgan's room. When they got in, he knocked on the door and waited for permission.
"Come in," as soon as they received it, they entered and found the Fairy Queen sitting on a throne, looking at them curiously. "Welcome, husband. I see you brought company."
Ritsuka's smile twitched at the way she referred to him, but that was all the reaction it got. At this point, he was used to Servants having their own way of seeing him and referring to him.
"Greetings, Fairy Queen. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Yggdrasil stepped forward and spoke. "I am the Norse Tree of the Nine Realms, Yggdrasil. You may refer to me as Drasil if you wish."
Morgan's brows raised slightly in surprise. "Oh, the Great Tree of the world? That is surprising."
"Is it, though?" Yggdrasil tilted her head with a smile. "You did use one of my names as yours during your journey, did you not."
Morgan hummed. "That I did."
"To be clear, I am not here because of that. You did my name no wrong. I am here for something else," Yggdrasil explained and Morgan raised a single brow this time to show her curiosity.
Ritsuka stepped in. "Drasil wanted to ask you a few things about your Lostbelt, if you're willing to answer, your majesty," he explained further, guessing on the subject of Yggdrasil's question based previous encounters.
Surprisingly to Ritsuka, Morgan looked even more curious. She hummed for a few seconds before nodding her head. "Very well. You may ask your questions."
"Can you tell me what the world was like in your Lostbelt?" Yggdrasil asked.
Morgan then explained the nature of her Lostbelt and the fairies that lived in it. She avoided speaking of certain aspects but Yggdrasil didn't seem to care.
When Morgan was done, Yggdrasil nodded. "I see, thank you, Fairy Queen."
"I am curious, what is it you wished to gain with this knowledge?" Morgan asked and Ritsuka, who had been wondering the same thing for some time, looked at Yggdrasil.
"It is simply a personal matter. Nothing more," however, Yggdrasil avoided giving an actual answer.
If Morgan minded, then she did not show it on her face. "I see. If you have nothing else, then leave. My daughter is coming for tea soon," the Fairy Queen turned her gaze to Ritsuka. "Yoy may join us if you wish, my husband."
"Ah, thank you, your majesty, but I still have to help Drasil," Ritsuka respectfully declined while only giving half the reason he didn't wish to stay. The other half was that he didn't doubt Baobhan Sith would be angry to come here and find him while planning to spend time with her mother.
After leaving Morgan's room, Yggdrasil stopped and hummed, her expression becoming troubled.
"Is something wrong, Drasil?" Ritsuka asked.
"No, it's just that this next person is... a bit of an odd situation. I saved them for last because they can be troubling," Yggdrasil said and Ritsuka began worrying. "Do not be concerned. It is not the same case as that narcissistic emperor. Its a kind of troubling because this person has been avoiding me."
Ritsuka, while relieved that the next visit wasn't gonna start off in any hostile way, was confused as he didn't remember any Servant like that. However, as soon as Yggdrasil informed him of their identity, he understood why.
Leading Yggdrasil to their room, Ritsuka knocked a few times and waited for a response. Yggdrasil standing right behind him and Holmes to hide herself from the person.
"Come in," the owner of the room gave them permission. When they entered, they found Scathach-Skadi sitting on her own throne made of ice. "Ah, welcome Master, and Sherlock Holmes. What do I owe this visit?"
"Uhm, someone wishes to meet you, Skadi," Ritsuka said before standing aside.
As soon as Yggdrasil was in view, Skadi jumped from her throne on to her feet. "Y-You...!?"
"Good day to you, Skadi," Yggdrasil started, a small smile on her lips. "It certainly is a pleasure to meet you without you trying to avoid me."
"I... I wasn't trying to...," Scathach-Skadi attempted to say something in her defence.
However, Yggdrasil simply giggled. "Please remember who you are speaking to, child," her statement caused Scathach-Skadi to sigh in defeat. "Rest assured, I am not here to chaste you for your behavior. I am here for something else."
"Drasil wants to ask you a few things, if you don't mind," Ritsuka explained.
"D-Drasil?!" Scathach-Skadi gasped at the casual way her Master referred to the Tree of the World, but took a deep breath and calmed her nerves. "I see. I have no right to turn back the Tree of the World. Ask any question you desire."
"I simply wish to understand the nature of your Lostbelt in terms of the world," Scathach-Skadi flinched upon hearing Yggdrasil's question, but before she can jump into any conclusions, the Ruler Servant continued. "Calm down. This is no form of judgement. I am simply curious. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Curious? But why would you of all people- no, I have no reason to ask," Scathach-Skadi cut herself off mid speech as she sat back down and closed her eyes in thought before hardening her expression and looking back at Yggdrasil. "Very well."
Scathach-Skadi then went on to explain the world she ruled over. The Lostbelt filled with giants where Valkyries would fly everywhere to gather the deceased and the black sun that imprisoned Surtr.
"Hmm... Not unexpected," Yggdrasil mumbled before smiling at Scathach-Skadi. "Thank you, Skadi."
"W-Wait!" Before Yggdrasil can even turn away, Scathach-Skadi called her out. "I... I wish to speak to you... in private, if you will."
"I see," Yggdrasil didn't seem bothered in the slightest and simply looked at Ritsuka and Holmes. "Master, Sherlock, would you two wait for me outside for a moment."
Both of them gave an understanding nod and exited the room. As soon as the door closed, Yggdrasil waved her staff and a collection of Runes appeared on the door and walls.
"Something to ensure privacy," Yggdrasil explanation, though she doubted Scathach-Skadi hadn't already noticed. "Now, is this about why you've been avoiding me?"
"Yes... it is," Scathach-Skadi sighed and seemed to fidge in her throne. "I suppose it was... guilt."
"Guilt?" Yggdrasil tilted her head.
Scathach-Skadi remained quiet for a few seconds before her expression turned sad. "Oh great Tree of the Nine Realms, I ask of you... have you always been able to speak?... Have we gods truly always been so ignorant to your voice?"
Yggdrasil remained quiet, her expression turning blank as she stared at Scathach-Skadi. Each second made the goddess more anxious. Eventually, the World Tree spoke again.
"Yes. Ever since the days of your ancestor, Ymir, I have always been able to speak and attempted to call out to you, or anyone for that matter," Yggdrasil said, her expression remaining blank. "I could not even fault you, for you were simply beings not in tune enough with the world to hear me. Even when I gave Odin his wisdom, he could not hear my voice. Though, I do believe he suspected I could speak."
"I see," Scathach-Skadi's expression became crestfallen, guilt eating at her heart.
"However, do not be sad," raising her head, Scathach-Skadi saw Yggdrasil smiling at her. "I never hated you or felt angry. I was simply sad I couldn't be heard. Besides, in the end, someone did manage to hear my voice. So I'm quite content on how things turned out."
Scathach-Skadi's expression didn't change before she gave a hesitant smile. "If you can... would you be willing to visit to speak again?"
"Certainly. I will see you later," Yggdrasil agreed, which removed any hesitation Scathach-Skadi's smile had. With that, Yggdrasil said her goodbyes and left the room to find Holmes and Ritsuka. "I apologise for making you wait."
"Ah, it's alright," Ritsuka simply shrugged it off. "Where do you wanna go now."
"I'm actually done," Yggdrasil said, surprising Ritsuka. "I'm sorry to take your time for such a selfish request. I was just worried things would take a bad turn considering my social skills. Thank you for taking time to help me, Master."
Ritsuka blinked at her a few times before he simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "No problem. If you need help with anything, just ask."
With that, Ritsuka walked away and started heading back to his room. When he was gone, Yggdrasil turned to Holmes. "You have questions for me, do you not?"
"Ah, so you've noticed?" Holmes simply smiled and nodded. "Yes, I have two questions, to be exact."
"Ask away."
"Thank you, first, why did you really wish to ask the Lostbelt Kings for their respective domains?" Holmes immediately accepted Yggdrasil's invitation and asked his first question. "I do not doubt that a being such as you would know of the Lostbelts regardless of their pruning. Surely you could have used your clairvoyance to learn their nature without the need to ask their rulers."
Yggdrasil simply giggled. "Ah, that was simply indulgence on my part. I wished to actually go out to find answers on my own instead of learn things through my abilities for a change."
"I see," Holmes smiled, satisfied with the answer. "As a fellow pursuer of answers, I suppose I have no room to judge. As for my second question, why is it that your questions were specifically about the nature of each Lostbelt, but not of their history, or anything related to it."
Yggdrasil remained quiet for a couple of seconds before speaking again. "I am sure you know of Zack, also known as Elementor," Holmes nodded as he already read through Chaldea's records and met Servants that encountered the Ultimate One. "Did you know that he doesn't exist in any of the Lostbelts? Not only that, but he doesn't exist in any similar Time Line."
"Not a single one?" Holmes asked.
"What do all Lostbelts have in common?" Yggdrasil replied with her own question, but before Holmes can reply, she went to answer. "There are two conditions for a Lostbelt. The First is that the age of Mystics never ended. The second condition is that the Age of Humans never properly began. If one of those two conditions are met, the time-line becomes heavily in danger of being Pruned. However, it seems that, for some reason, if one of those two conditions are met, Zack cannot exist."
"So what you're saying is, for Zack to be born, you would need the age of Mystics to be ending, and the age of humans to be beginning?" Holmes summarised rubbing his chin. "That is... an odd and rather specific condition."
"Indeed," Yggdrasil nodded. "The Sixth and Fifth Lostbelts have the defence that their point of divergence traces back even further than Zack's birth, but neither even had a creature that remotely resembles him. Its quite odd, isn't it?"
Holmes hummed before giving a suspicious look to Yggdrasil. "You have further information on that, do you not?"
"Yes, I do," Yggdrasil smiled mischievously. "However, taking a page from your book, it is not the time to reveal everything yet."
"Ha! So this is what it feels like to be on the receiving end of this situation!" Holmes simply laughed in response. "No wonder Sir Watson would always look annoyed at me. Very well, Lady Yggdrasil, I excitingly await for the time of whatever reveal you have."
With that, Holmes turned and walked away. Yggdrasil herself began heading to her room, now that she was finished. As she walked through the halls, Yggdrasil's thoughts trailed off to the information she did not share with Holmes.
"(Other than the two conditions I just mentioned, there's also the fact Zack's birth in itself was odd,)" Yggdrasil thought back to the day that Zack was born. "(It was... incredibly rushed for an Elemental. Not only that, but Zack was obviously born defective and mutated. He is the Elemental equivalent of being born severely crippled and suffering multiple mutations. It's almost as if...)" Yggdrasil stopped at the door of her room as her thoughts led her to a possible conclusion. "... It's almost as if Zack's very birth was an act of desperation."
Chapter 242: Omake: Halloween
Third POV:
"Excuse me, Master," Medusa walked up to Ritsuka in the hallway.
Ritsuka had just came back from dealing with another Halloween Singularity, courtesy of Elizabeth like usual, and had just been enjoying the festives with everyone else. He certainly hoped Medusa wasn't here to report a problem to him from how tired he was.
"Yeah?" The last Master replied.
"I was wondering if you've seen Zack? I've been looking for him for some time," Medusa asked.
Ritsuka placed a hand on his chin and tried to recall. "I think he started a haunted house? Mash was taking the kids there."
"Ah," surprisingly, Medusa stiffed and her face soured. "We... Should probably go help them."
"Help me them?" Ritsuka's expression became one of mixed confusion and concer. "Why?"
"I don't believe Zack would make a bad haunted house, it's simply that he..." Medusa trailed off as she obviously began looking for the right phrasing. "... He can go overboard when doing something for the fun of it."
Haunted House:
"T-This is a bit spooky," Nursery Rhyme stuck closer to Mash as they walked through the dark.
She, Mash, Illya, and Chloe were walking a dark hallway with the only light being a lantern given to them at the entrance. Each of them had a nervous expression despite not encountering anything yet.
"Illya, are you sure this was a good idea?" Chloe asked. The fact they had yet to encounter anything was making her nervous.
"It's o-okay!" Illya said, holding a brave front. "We're Heroic Spirits now! We can't be scared of a few g-ghosts!"
Chloe chose to trust her 'sister' for now and not point out the irony in her statement of Heroic Spirits and ghosts. They kept walking while shinning the lantern around to see anything.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the darkness. The group jumped and pointed the lantern at the figure, but it stayed away enough that they can only see it's outline.
"Hello, there. Welcome to this haunted place, I'll be your guide today~," the figure said in a singsong voice, confusing the group.
"Uhm... guide?" Mash asked. She didn't know much about haunted houses, but she knew a guide wasn't ordinary.
"Yes~, another group was just here before you. Let me guide you to them. They seem to actually know you," The figure said as it turned around and began walking.
"See? It's not so scary," Illya stated, beginning to relax. They followed the figure and saw two other figures in the distance. The first to recognise them was Illya. "Is that... Mama! Papa!" Illya quickened her pace to reach her parents while the rest of the group did the same to keep up with her. "What are you doing... here...?"
As soon as they got close enough for the light of the lantern to shine on the two figures, Illya noticed something immensely wrong with her parents.
Both of them had been turned to wood.
Not only that, but their expressions were frozen in sheer terror, their arms raised and leaning backwards, as if trying to desperately avoid something terrifying.
"They liked it so much they never wanted to leave... so I made sure they never do~," the first figure said from right behind the group.
Slowly, they all turned around while shinning the lantern on the figure, now finally how they appear.
Their appearance was humanoid, but were also made entirely of wood. They had no face, as their head was a simple wooden slate. Their body, however, looked entirely different.
Their body was made up of faces, looking like they were melted into the wood. Each one frozen in horror.
"So..." The figure slowly lowered their 'head' where a crack began appearing, forming a sinister smile. "Who wishes to stay here, too?~" their voice turned downright Demonic.
There was a silence for a second.
*Thud* *Thud*
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
And then two things dropping on the ground accompanied by two screams rang through the area. The first thing to drop was Illya, who became even more pale than normal before outright fainting. The second thing to drop was Nursery, who could no longer keep her human form from fear and reverted back to her book form.
Mash and chloe kept screaming for a few more seconds before they picked up their companions and immediately began running away, Mash desperately clutching Nursery to her chest with Chloe dragging her sister by the arm, and immediately burst out of the haunted house.
Five Minutes Later:
"Okay, so, from now on, you're not allowed to start an attraction without supervision," Ritsuka instructed, rubbing his forehead after spending the last five minutes calming down the screaming Servants.
"Hahaha. Sorry, I didn't realise how effective it would be," Zack apologised, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll be sure to give them lots of candy as an apology... when they calm down, that is."
Both Ritsuka and Medusa sighed. They may have managed to get the group to stop screaming, but that doesn't mean they weren't spooked by any means. Ritsuka decided to go back to comforting them in hopes to calm them down.
"Honestly, you need to remember that your usual standards can be pretty high," Medusa shook her head in disapproval.
Zack shrugged. "Give me a break. It's been a while since I've been around this many interesting people. Plus, it's Halloween. We should have fun!"
"Weren't you there when the actual, original ritual for All Hallows Eve was being conducted?" Medusa asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, yeah, I did watch it a couple of times, but I never really took part of that stuff," Zack confessed. "I'm just taking the chance to finally enjoy the festives."
"You should enjoy festives within reason," Medusa chastised, crossing her arms.
"That's why I have you, your my voice of reason," Zack rebuked, smiling at Medusa.
"You clearly lack one, so I have no choice but to be yours," Medusa smiled back.
"Why don't we go wear costumes?" Zack suddenly suggested. "Why not wear something from Disney?"
Medusa looked at him sceptically. "Are you just doing that to spite Anderson because he said you're like a 'desperate author's self insert'?
"Well, yeah, but I also want to see you in a princess dress. You'd look great," Zack confessed.
"No," Medusa immediately rejected as she began to walk away.
"Aw, come on," Zack whined, following her.
"I will not be caught dead in a princess' dress," Medusa replied.
"Please."
"No."
"Pleeease?"
"I said no."
"Pleeeeeeeea-"
"Don't you have apology candy to prepare?"
Chapter 243: FSN: 1
Third POV:
Emiya Shirou loved his relatively normal life.
He woke up, greeted his parents and sister, argued with Sella over who gets to make breakfast, and went to school while helping people along the way.
It was normal, at least to him.
"Hey, Shirou!" As he walked through the halls of Homurahara High School, Shirou heard someone call for him and turned to see them.
"Ah, hi, Shinji," Shirou greeted.
Makiri Shinji is one of his close friends in school. They would frequently talk about video games and Shinji, being the playboy he is, would try to get Shirou to start dating.
"You're a bit late," Shinji commented as he walked closer to match Shirou's pace. "Got stuck helping people on the way again?"
"Yeah, an old lady wanted to carry a few things across the street," Shirou replied.
"Man, wish I har half your energy to always run around like that," Shinji mumbled, scratching the back of his head.
"Oh, I saw you in that video game tournament over the weekend," Shirou stated, which piqued his friend's interest. "I really thought that guy had you. How did you get the jump on him?"
"I just used an old road most veteran players tend to forget," Shinji replied with a rather proud smile. "That road is only used by new and low leveled players, which is why new players skip it for faster routes. People really shouldn't forget the basics."
"Senpai! Shinji!" Both boys stopped and turned to see a purple haired girl, Xin Qiu Sakura, running towards them while waving her hand.
"Oh, good morning, Sakura," Shirou smiled as the girl slowed to a stop in front of them.
"Why don't you call ME Senpai?" Shinji grumbled.
"Because lousy flirts don't deserve to be called that," Sakura replied with a smile, causing Shinji to groan.
"Did you just get here?" Shirou asked, remembering how Sakura came running. "It's not like you to be late."
Sakura chuckled nervously. "Yeah, the Karate Club tried to recruit me again. This time, they were waiting at the School Gates."
"Man, they're really hell bent on getting you to join, huh?" Shinji said, looking up in thought. "Not that I blame them. With you on their team, they could probably reach nationals."
"Don't be silly," Sakura waved off the compliment. "Dad may have taught me a few things, but I'm not as strong as they make me out to be," to demonstrate, she threw a few mock punches... one of which struck the wall. "Oops!"
Sakura pulled back her fist and a revealed a dent where it struck. As a piece of the wall crumbled, both Shirou and Shinji sweat-dropped at how she proved herself wrong right after her own statement.
"Good morning, students," one of their teachers, Fujimura Taiga, greeted them as she walked by. However, she immediately stopped and her friendly smile vanished upon seeing the state of the wall. Almost instantly, she glared at the purple haired girl. "Dammit, Sakura! Again!?"
"I'm so sorry!" Sakura immediately bowed in apology.
As their teacher began chewing out Sakura, Shinji leaned closer to Shirou. "I pity the idiot that tries to mug her," he whispered.
Shirou could only nod in agreement.
Time Skip:
As their school day came to an end, Sakura and Shirou were walking out of the school. Shinji had excused himself for something related to his family.
"Don't you have club activity today?" Shirou asked.
"Ah, I excused myself to help dad with the café. He's been busy with something else recently and hasn't been able to keep up the work all by himself," Sakura replied, looking regretful.
"I could come help if you need an extra pair of hands," Shirou offered.
Though she was happy at what he said, Sakura still shook her head. "Thanks, but Rin is also coming over to help. She's been working part time there for a while."
"Is that why she's so busy lately?" Shirou asked, realising that he hadn't seen much of Rin Tohsaka outside of class.
Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really know. She asked dad if her shifts can be shorter for the next few days. She told me she has a personal project to work on."
Of course, Sakura suspected that it might be related to Rin's family 'business'. But, she didn't want to include Shirou in that side of the world, as such she kept her thoughts to herself.
"Well, say hi to her and your dad for me," Shirou said as they reached the crossroad where their paths separate.
"And do so to your family from me," Sakura replied before giving the young man a quick bow. "See you tomorrow, Senpai,"
"See you tomorrow. Get home safe," Shirou nodded and smiled as the girl headed her own way.
Time Skip:
"Shirou, sorry for intrusion," Emiya Kiritsugu entered his son's room after knocking.
"Oh, dad, do you need something?" Shirou turned from his desk where he was doing his homework to face his father.
"Can you move a few boxes to the shed in the back?" Kiritsugu requested. "I promised your mother to take her 'somewhere fancy', as she puts it, tonight and I can't do it myself. Sella and Leysritte are cleaning after dinner and your sister is studying for a test."
"Alright," Shirou agreed immediately. "Where are the boxes?"
"Just next to the backdoor," Kiritsugu replied, giving his son an apologetic smile. "Sorry to have you do this."
"It's alright, dad. I'm almost done anyway," Shirou shook his head, seeing no reason for his father to apologise.
After thanking his son, Kiritsugu left to go out with his wife. Shirou finished whatever was left of his homework and left to fulfil his father's request.
Just as his father instructed, he found a couple of boxes near the backdoor. Picking them up after opening the door, Shirou walked out and headed for the shed.
Managing to open the door with his elbows, the young man walked in and looked around. The shed was mostly filled with tools and similar boxes, souvenirs from his parents' travelling.
Seeing an empty spot in the back, Shirou walked deeper inside and raised the boxes he was holding to place them on the shelf. When he did, he accidentally knocked over one of the boxes.
"Ah!" Shirou barely dodged the falling box as its content spilled on the ground. "Dammit. Did anything break?"
Inside the box was a few items alongside what appeared to be a piece that was broken off from some kind of really old furniture.
What was odd, however was that a book was with the piece and it opened on a particular page with an odd circle filled with symbols in it.
Shirou, curiously, picked up the book and looked at the writing in the circle. "... I hereby declare," he began reading out loud. "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 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," unknown to Shirou, the piece of broken furniture began glowing. "From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three greet words of power, come forth from the ring of restraints, protector of the Holy Balance," as soon as he finished, Shirou looked over the book, wondering if his father got it from some form of religious temple, only to drop it as he felt a sudden burning in the back of his hand.
Looking at the back of his hand as the pain kept burning through him, Shirou saw a glowing red mark slowly form. He didn't even get a good look before the piece on the ground exploded in a flash of light.
Shirou couldn't help but fall back and cover his eyes. When the light died down, Shirou lowered his hands and looked to see... a person.
A young gair with blond hair styled in a bun, wearing a blue dress under a silver armor. She looked around his age. Her green eyes looked at his hazel ones as she held a golden, glowing sword in her hands.
"I ask of you," the girl spoke. "Are you my master?"
Chapter 244: FSN: 2
When Kiritsugu Emiya received a call from Sella saying they had an emergency and they need to return immediately home, he couldn't help but expect the worse.
While his wife made several threats that Sella would suffer if the emergency didn't warrant cancelling their date night halfway through, all he could think of is worst case scenarios. He even considered the possibility that one of his old 'colleagues' decided to come for his family.
However, what he got was far more troublesome.
A Servant. An actual Ghost Liner was summoned by his son, who had found some of the stuff he collected in his past jobs.
Kiritsugu could only message his forehead as he and his wife sat on one side of their dinning table. The Servant was looking at them cautiously from the other side. His son, was sitting on one end of the table, looking more awkward and confused than Kiritsugu had ever seen him.
Their maids, Sella and Leysritte were standing behind the Servant, though the latter looked rather lax. His daughter, Illyasveil, a young woman with the same hair and eyes as his wife, wearing a purple button up shirt and long white skirt, was sitting on the other end of the table and currently being the only source of noise in the whole house.
That noise being her laughter.
"Hahaha! You summoned a Servant by accident!" Illyasveil held her stomach as she struggled to breath. "Oh, oh! It hurts! I can't stop! Hahaha!"
"Illya, sweetie, please don't make this more awkward than it already is," Irisveil sighed, holding the side of her head.
Truthfully, Kiritsugu didn't truly blame his daughter. If this situation had happened to anyone other than his family, he would have laughed, too.
"So... my Summoning was not intentional?" The Servant asked, looking rather lost.
"It was not," Kiritsugu replied swiftly, finally taking his hand off his forehead. "My son is not even aware of the world of Mage-craft, and I did my best effort to keep it that way."
"How are you even here?" Irisveil asked, looking confused. "We didn't hear anything about a Holy Grail War happening around our city, or any Holy Grail War, for that matter."
"Uh... Lady Irisveil," Sella raised her hand, drawing their attention. "We actually did receive an urgent letter from the Einzbern Mansion earlier today."
"What letter?" Irisveil asked, and their maid pulled a letter from the pocket of her skirt and handed it to Irisveil.
Irisveil looked at the emblem on the letter before opening and it pulling out the paper inside. Kiritsugu and the rest of the room's occupants looked at his wife as she read through the letter.
When she was done, Irisveil's face scrunched. "Oh, NOW they tell us?"
"Please tell me it doesn't say what I think it does?" Kiritsugu nearly begged his wife.
Sadly for him, Irisveil shook her head. "There's a Holy Grail War starting in Fuyuki," she stated before looking at Sella. "Why didn't you give this to me earlier?"
"I tried, Lady Irisveil," Sella sighed. "But you said that, if it isn't about the world ending, then it can wait until AFTER your date night."
Irisveil froze and shook her head. "Well... I guess we're both to blame, then"
Normally, Kiritsugu would have smiled at his wife's antics. However, he couldn't bring himself to do so.
"So, what exactly is going on?" Shirou spoke for the first time since he explained what happened. "Who is this girl? Where did she come from? What's this about a war? And what does the Holy Grail have to do with anything?"
"I am Saber," the Servant introduced themselves.
Shirou, however just blinked at her. "Your name is... Saber?"
"That's just her Class. Servants don't usually give their real names so easily," Illyasveil explained.
"Does the letter mention anything about the Overseer of the war?" Kiritsugu asked his wife. Irisveil shook her head, making him groan. "Great, that means they'll be the ones finding us."
"That's not all," Irisveil added, her expression turning even more sour. "They want Illya to participate."
"... Sella, go get me a drink," Kiritsugu ordered, resting his head on his hands. "And some medicine for this coming migraine."
As their maid went to the kitchen, Emiya turned to his parents. "Seriously, what is going on?"
"Sweetie, we have a LOT of explaining to do," Irisveil gave a tired smile to her son. "So, can you just wait until that drink comes over?"
First POV: Zack.
"A Holy Grail War?" Sakura asked as we sat down in house's living room.
"Yup. It already started, actually. Caster was already summoned yesterday and I met up with them and their Master the other day," I replied as I stared at the golden chalice on the table. I was explaining to her why we closed our café extra early.
"Oh, so that's why you left yesterday?" Sakura commented, placing a hand on her chin. "But... how can a Holy Grail War be starting?"
"I never explained how Holy Grails are made to you, did I?" I asked and she shook her head. "Well, a Holy Grail, not THE Holy Grail, but A Holy Grail, is created when the Magical energy of the world and the Magical energy of sentient life mixes together in large quantities. When it reaches a certain point, it condensates and creates a Holy Grail. That's why the most common use for them is reactors for Magical Energy."
"So why did it appear here specifically?"
"That would be MY fault," I confessed, shrugging my shoulders. "Wherever I go, the Magical Energy of the world tends to become more concentrated and pure. Henceforth it was created here."
"And why do Servants need to fight for it?" Sakura asked.
"That's the World reacting to a possible threat. A Holy Grail can be dangerous if just left around, but not even close to the same level as the Beasts of Humanity, so instead of Summoning a Grand Servant, the World Summons seven Servants to fight for the Grail using Masters as anchors. Normally, a Magus would need to step up as the Master, but if they don't, then the World itself picks the Masters or just Summons Rogue Servants," I explained with a sigh. "I'd like you to be one of the Masters."
Sakura blinked before jumping and pointing at herself. "M-Me?!"
"The Overseer themselves can't be a Master, so I can't join," I said with a shrug. "And I'd really like it if I know for a fact I can trust one of the Masters. Plus, I need your help to approach the other Masters. They're more likely to trust another Master about where the Overseer is. Caster already tried to attack me thinking I was an invading Magus."
"You're not just doing this to avoid work, are you, dad?" Sakura asked with an accusing look.
I immediately shook my head. "Are you kidding? I'm the one who has to make sure Servants don't reduce this city to rubble. Why would I avoid work?"
Sakura stared at me for a few more moments before she sighed. "Fine..."
"Alright, let's get to the Summoning Circle," I said as I got up and went to the door leading to the basement.
"You already prepared for me to Summon a Servant?" Sakura asked, following me. "What if I had said no?"
I snorted. "I know my little girl. You wouldn't have said no," my reply only got a huff from her. When we reached the basement, which was a large open space with a few utilities, a washer, and a dryer, I pointed at the large red Magical circle in the middle. "Alright, you remember the chant, right?"
Sakura nodded. She took a deep breath and stepped forward, raising her hand to the Magical circle. "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 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," the circle began glowing. "From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three greet words of power, come forth from the ring of restraints, protector of the Holy Balance!"
The circle exploded into light. When the light died down, my puppet body completely froze and even stopped breathing.
Because I found myself, once again, staring at the most beautiful pair of eyes I've ever seen.
Chapter 245: FSN: 3
I just... stood there, staring at her. She looked just like the last time I saw her. A young woman with long, flowing purple hair and matching eyes. A white battle dress with purple trims and a chained blade connected to her waist.
"Hello, I am Sakura, your Master. What class are you?" Sakura introduced herself, probably not noticing my state.
"I am Rider," the Servant introduced herself. She then glanced at me. "Who is he?"
"This is my father, the Overseer of this Holy Grail War," Sakura introduced me.
"Why is the Overseer part of my Summoning?" Rider asked.
It was a valid question. If the Overseer has clear bias to one of the Masters, that could cause problems, but thankfully that's not the case.
"I'm simply ensuring this Holy Grail War is as bloodless as possible," I explained. "I'm trying to get all the Masters to agree to fight it out in a reasonable fashion instead of hunt each other through the city like wild animals."
"How sure are you that they'll listen?" Rider asked.
"I can be persuasive," I smiled before raising an eyebrow. "Speaking of, what is the wish you have for the Grail if you win it?"
Rider looked at me suspiciously before glancing at Sakura. "It's alright, Rider," Sakura nodded with a soft smile. "I don't really have a desire for the Grail. If we win it, I'm probably gonna give it to you."
Medusa still looked skeptical, but that didn't last long. Mostly because of Sakura. My daughter just had this soft aura of trust and goodness around her. It was honestly hard to suspect her of any bad intentions.
"I... wish to meet with someone I had lost long ago," Rider replied.
"... Oh," It didn't take me so much as a minute to realise what she wanted. "Well, good news. Your wish has already been granted... Medusa."
Medusa froze at the mention of her True Name while Sakura looked confused. Reaching for the Runes on my forearm, I summoned Baraka, which made Medusa tense at the sight of a weapon, but I just used it on Wood element to create a mask perfectly matching the face of my real body.
Putting the mask over my face, I watched as Medusa's eyes widened, while Sakura looked even more confused. "It's been a long time, Medusa," I removed the mask and looked directly at her eyes. "You're as beautiful as ever."
No one moved for a few seconds. Medusa then dashed forward and threw her arms around me. I returned the hug immediately, holding her in my arms.
Honestly? I had mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I loved having her in my arms. On the other hand, I utterly despised the fact I was hugging her in this... disgusting puppet instead if my real body.
"What is going on?" Sakura asked.
Oh, right. I honestly forgot she was here for a moment.
Third POV:
Rin Tohsaka felt pride in her family despite their current state.
She would never say her family was 'broken' by any means. She still saw her parents on a regular basis, despite her mother's constant anger at her father for giving away her sister.
Speaking of her sister, Sakura, she would see her on a daily basis when one of them is not out of town. Even then, they would call each other.
Rin understood that there's a reason most Magus -minus that annoying Edelfelt, in her humble opinion- can only have one heir, and she herself never even dared imagining a Bloody Succession against her sister.
But, she was still angry at her father for quite some time, and was especially suspicious of the man that took Sakura.
Things changed when she and her sister saw each other again. Her anger was forgotten and all she focused on was making sure her sister was okay.
Her sister, much to Rin's relief, held no anger or resentment to her or their mother. Their father, or as far as Sakura is concerned, Rin's father, is an entirely different deal.
Sakura would not even acknowledge his existence. Any attempt at bringing him up to a discussion or arranging a meeting would end with failure, and Rin's father himself seems to avoid Sakura, or specifically the man that took her in.
Rin could see that Zack was good for her sister. He was helpful, made sure she's safe, and had a legitimate business as the owner of a small café. Rin would even work there sometimes.
But, she still always kept her suspicions. She knew it was most likely paranoia for Sakura's safety, and she simply didn't care.
Sakura was her younger sister. Rin believed she had the right to be cautious.
As for Rin's family, she became the heir of the Tohsaka family easily and would always do her best to hone her Mage-craft while making time for her sister.
At first, it wasn't easy, but she managed to do it. She would advance her Mage-craft and research,-and constantly butt heads with a certain blond hyena- and then take rests while spending time with her sister.
So, when she heard of a Holy Grail War going in her hometown while her parents were away on business, Rin refused to let this chance slip by.
Standing in the basement of her family's mansion, Rin finished drawing the Summoning Circle. Using a catalyst she managed to 'borrow' from her father's collection, she was began chanting as she raised her hand.
"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 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," the circle began glowing. "From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three greet words of power, come forth from the ring of restraints, protector of the Holy Balance!"
The circle exploded into light, and her Servant was summoned.
Rin, admittedly, didn't know what to expect from her Servant. She knew that the Throne of Heroes had a very large collection of figures recorded, so she hoped for the best, and prepared for the worst.
She certainly, however, did not expect her summoned Servant to show up wearing more gold than she'd ever seen on anyone in the form of an armor and sitting on a throne of all things while lazily resting their head on one of their arms.
Said Servant opened a pair of crimson eyes and Rin felt an instinctive urge to kneel.
"Hoh? How daring of you, a Mage from modern time, to Summon me of all people, mongrel."
Chapter 246: FSN: 4
Me and Medusa sat on one side of our house's dinning table with Sakura sitting on the other, having finished explaining a few things. Not EVERYTHING, because that would take too long. Just the relevant parts.
"So... You knew each other?" Sakura asked, looking between us. "Back when Rider was... alive?"
"I told you I'm wat older than I look," I replied.
"There's a very big difference between 'old' and 'ancient', dad," Sakura deadpanned at me.
Ouch. She's not wrong, though.
"So... You have a daughter now?" Medusa asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Adopted," I immediately replied with a shrug.
"And... this?" She used her hand to motion to all of me, or specifically, the puppet body.
"A lot of things happened. Long story short, I needed a disguise to walk amongst humans in their age, so this was made," I replied motioning to myself.
I didn't really have a problem talking about this near Sakura. She already knew this isn't how I really look like. I didn't give her any specifics or show her my real body, but I just didn't want to keep secrets that would come back to bite me later.
"Seriously, though, it's really great to see you again," I said, reaching over and taking hold of Medusa's hand.
Medusa smiled at me while squeezing my hand back while Sakura... gave us a suspicious look that she has been giving since Medusa and I hugged.
"Is that why she's my Servant? Because of your connection to her?" Sakura asked.
I immediately shook my head. "No. If I was the one doing the Summoning, or if my real body was there, then maybe, but Medusa had never so much as saw me like this. Summoning a Servant, if you do it without a catalyst like we did, depends on compatibility."
"In other words, the Throne had deemed me the most suitable person to answer your call," Medusa added. "I do hope we can get along."
"Right... me too," Sakura replied, casting a quick look to my hand which was still holding Medusa's.
Her look wasn't anything hostile, just a cautious kind of suspicion, so I let it slide.
Third POV:
Shirou never believed that the world was small, or that he understood all there is about it. But, the revelations his parents dropped on him the other day still circled in his mind the whole night, not letting him get a wink of sleep.
The fact Mage-craft was real -his parents emphasised heavily that he should never call it Magic for that was apparently an entirely different thing- was something he still had trouble believing.
Hearing his alarm clock, Shirou realised that he had stayed up all night. Getting out of bed, he sighed feeling his sleepless night affect him. Shaking it off, he went to leave his room.
As soon as he opened his door, he found Saber. "Good morning, Master," she greeted with a nod before frowning. "Did you... stay up all night?"
"Couldn't sleep," Shirou replied honestly before raising an eyebrow at her. "What about you?"
"I stood guard in front of your room," Saber replied casually.
Shirou blinked at her. "Why?"
"You never know when an enemy could attack, especially in a Holy Grail War," Saber replied.
Shirou, once again, reminded himself of the situation he's in before he went to the bathroom to freshen up before heading to the living room. He didn't feel like putting up a fight with Sella over who cooks breakfast today.
After having a meal with his family, followed by his parents and sister asking if he was okay, he went back to his room dress up before leaving for school.
When he reached the front door, his father called for him. "Shirou, where are you going?"
"To school," Shirou replied instantly.
Kiritsugu frowned, looking concerned. "You know you don't have to after everything that happened last night. We can easily call in and say there was an emergency."
"I know," Shirou sighed, looking down. "But, I'd still like to go... You know, do something normal after everything I heard last night."
His father's frown deepened, but he still nodded. Before he can say anything, Saber came in from the living room. "I can follow him to ensure his safety."
"Would another Master attack me in school?" Shirou asked in concern, remembering what Saber said earlier.
Kiritsugu shook his head. "Unlikely. Magus avoid making moves in highly populated areas with lots of witnesses," he then looked at Saber, who returned his look with a firm gaze. Turning to look at his son's pleading look, Kiritsugu sighed. "Fine, but you come straight home, got it? Me and your mother will go to pick your aunt from the airport."
"Oh, my aunt is coming?" Shirou asked, and his father sighed with a nod.
From what Shirou knew, his mother had five sisters, none of which exactly had a fond opinion of his dad, but he was simply going by the letters they would send sometimes. He never personally met any of them.
"Alright, I promise to come right home," Shirou nodded before opening the door and realising something. "How... How is Saber coming with me? She can't exactly walk with her armor on."
"I can simply stay in Spirit form until you need me," Saber said and her body glowed a golden color before she vanished. Shirou blinked in confusion and looked around before hearing her voice again. "Master, I am still here. Spirit form is... Well, it puts Servants in a state like ghosts. We're still there, but not visible to living beings."
"Ah... alright," Shirou nodded, accepting the answer before leaving to school.
The day, thankfully, went as normal as possible, though he didn't see Shinji or Rin in class, having apparently called in sick according to their teacher.
When he came out of class, he heard someone speaking. "What!? Are you sure it's him?!" Turning around, Shirou found Sakura staring at him in shock and mumbling in a low voice. "I mean... I can see the mark... but still..."
"Sakura?" Shirou called out, finding her behaviour strange.
"A-Ah! Senpai, can we talk for a moment on the rooftop?" Sakura requested, looking extremely nervous.
"Sorry, I promised my parents I'd go straight home today," Shirou apologised.
"Pleaaase!" Sakura clapped her hand and gave him a pleading look. "It's really important. It won't take long, I promise."
Looking at how urgent Sakura seemed, Shirou sighed in defeat. "Fine, but my parents really need me home, so we really should be done quickly."
As Shirou and Sakura made their way up the stairs to the rooftop, the former heard Saber's voice. "Master, something is wrong. Be on your guard."
While Shirou wanted to believe Saber, he couldn't imagine someone like Sakura being into anything malicious. When they reached the rooftop, Sakura took a few steps ahead of him and turned to face him.
"Senpai, this is... gonna sound weird, and super awkward if I'm wrong but," the purple haired girl leaned forward and began whispering. "Are you... a Master? You know, with a Servant?"
Shirou's eyes widened as he took a step back. "W-What?"
"She's a Master!" Saber immediately appeared in front of Shirou, holding something with her hands. He couldn't see what it was, but from her stance, he assumed to be a sword or spear.
Before Shirou can deny the claim, Rider appeared in front of Sakura with her own weapon drawn the same way Saber did, causing him to take a step back further.
"Wait, wait, wait! We don't want trouble!" Sakura immediately stepped forward and began waving her hands. "We're not here for a fight. We're here just to look for other Masters to take them to the Overseer and confirm their Summoning."
Saber did not drop her stance, and neither did Rider. The blond Servant looked back to her Master. "What do you believe we should do?" Shirou gave her a surprise look at her question. "I do not know this girl. I can't tell if she's trustworthy. If she is saying the truth, it is best to meet up with the Overseer."
Shirou looked back at Sakura, who stared directly at his eyes. While he may have learned a large amount of surprising things in the past twenty four hours, the one thing he was sure of was that Sakura was trustworthy.
"Alright... Let me just tell my parents," Shirou agreed and Sakura immediately nodded with a happy smile.
Shirou stepped away from the group while Saber dropped her stance, but still held her weapon with Rider doing the same. Taking out his cellphone, he called his dad and placed it on his ear.
It didn't take long for his father to answer. "Shirou?"
"Hey, dad, I'll be a little late to coming back home," said boy explained.
"Why?"
"I met another Master. They're gonna take me to the Overseer."
"What?!" There was clear panic in Kiritsugu's voice. "Shirou, do you realise how reckless that is?! What if you're being led to a trap!?"
"That Master is Sakura," Shirou stated.
"Xin Qiu Sakura?" It was a rhetorical question. Shirou didn't know any other Sakura. "... Fine, but tell Saber to stay on guard. Alright?"
"Yes, dad, sorry for the bother," Shirou apologised, scratching the back of his head.
"It's alright, Shirou. Just be careful," Kiritsugu replied before Shirou hung up.
After Shirou returned to Sakura, she instructed him to follow her as they walked down from the rooftop -with Saber and Rider taking on Spirit Form again- and went to leave their school.
As Sakura guided them through the streets, her phone began ringing. Taking it out, she answered. "Hello?"
"Hey, Sakura, it's me."
"Ah, Rin. What's wrong?" Sakura greeted her sister, though Shirou can barely hear what was being said on the other side. "I heard you called in sick today. Is everything alright?"
"Yeah," Rin groaned tiredly through the other side. "Can you tell your dad I'm it coming to work today? I'm... really busy."
"Are you okay?" Sakura asked, the concern in her voice clear. "You sound tired."
"Yeah, I just spent the night running errands for an egotistical bastard that better be worth it," Rin replied.
"What?"
"Nothing, nothing," Rin immediately dodged explaining what she just said. "Look, just tell your dad I'm not coming for personal reasons. I'm sorry to drop this on you."
"It's alright. I'm sure dad will understand," Sakura replied before the call was hung up.
Shirou recognised the road they were taking. It was the one leading to Sakura's home, which is where her father's café was also located.
He had many questions for his Kouhai. So many he didn't even ask because he didn't know where to start. As he kept contemplating, they reached their destination.
Sitting at the edge of a block was the café of Sakura's father. A nice little place with a natural brown wood for an exterior with a few seats and table set outside. The seats and tables were brown, similar to the exterior and had sky-blue parasols.
A large sign over the glass entrance spelled the name of the café. 'Green Earth' was written in blue and green letters with a picture of a cup of hot chocolate next to it with one marshmallow and a cartoonish picture of the Planet acting as the second marshmallow.
Getting a powerful suspicion on who the Overseer is, Shirou watched as Sakura stepped forward and opened the glass door. "Come on in," she offered, pushing the door wide open for them before stepping inside herself.
Shirou took a deep breath and stepped forward, entering through the door. "Sorry for the intrusion."
"Dad, I found another Master! It's Shirou," Sakura called out, confirming Shirou's suspicions on who the Overseer is.
The door to the back was opened and Sakura's father stepped into the café and into the area behind the counter.
While Shirou was immensely confused and had plenty of questions, that was all ignored over the sudden appearance of Saber, leaving her spirit form and shouting.
"YOU'RE THE OVERSEER?!"
Chapter 247: FSN: 5
Third POV:
Irisveil was born one of six sisters, being the youngest.
... At least that's the story on paper. The truth is that she, like her sisters, are Homunculi, created as part of the same series. They define the 'oldest' and 'youngest' by which ones were finished first and last.
A few centuries ago, the Einzbern family's passion for creating Homunculi came back in spades. Irisveil didn't know the specifics, but they apparently had a benefactor. Their identity is only known to the highest members of her family.
If her family had given up on creating Homunculi, Irisveil didn't doubt that either she or one of her sisters would have been an only child.
The six sisters were separated into pairs to fulfil their duties. Two would remain in the Einzbern castle and hone their craft, two would stay in the Clock Tower as representatives of their family, and the last two would search the world for traces for their ancestor that vanished.
Irisveil was part of the last pair, which is how she met her husband. Kiritsugu was hired to be her bodyguard as she travelled, while another bodyguard was hired for her sister.
Irisveil and Kiritsugu fell in love during their travels. And, after many years of dead ends and cold leads, her family decided to call off the search temporarily until more concrete leads came up.
That's when Kiritsugu and Irisveil requested to settle down and get married. Her sisters and the Einzbern family argued back, of course, but they eventually got permission to do so, on the condition she signs Geass scrolls about never revealing her family's important secrets, and agreeing to do errands for them every now and then.
Irisveil doubted they would be so lenient if she had been an only child.
Her daughter, Illyasveil, knew about the world of Mage-craft and had general knowledge of it, because she had been born before they moved to Fuyuki. Their son, however, didn't have such knowledge, and she hoped to keep it that way.
However, recent events had obviously thrown that option out of the window. To add salt to the wound, her family wanted her daughter to join as well.
That is what led her and her husband to currently await at the lobby of the airport, looking for one of his sisters. Spotting a pale woman with equally pale white hair wasn't hard in an airport mostly filled with Japanese people.
Irisveil smiled as she waved at her sister as she walked up to them. Her sister was wearing a white, golden trimmed dress with a purple jacket. While she and her sister practically looked like twins, her sister had her hair tied into a braid that fell over her shoulder, similar to Sella.
"Irasveil! It's so nice to see you!" Irisveil immediately hugged her sister as soon as she was close enough.
Her sister, Irasveil, smiled and returned the hug with one hand, using the other to hold a briefcase. "It's been too long, Irisveil. How have you been?"
"Pretty well, and you?" Irisveil pulled back from the hug.
"Things have been good lately," Irasveil returned the smile, which vanished to a neutral frown as soon as she turned her head to look at Kiritsugu. "Mr. Emiya."
"Irasveil, its wonderful to see you again," Kiritsugu nodded, giving a polite smile for his wife's sake. "Has your flight been well?"
"Until this very moment, yes," Irasveil sighed, staring at Kiritsugu.
Kiritsugu sighed while Irisveil giggled. She knew her sisters didn't have a high opinion on her husband, even if they were supportive of her when she requested to be married to her family.
They believe that Kiritsugu had, in her sisters' words, 'seduced their innocent young sister'. Irisveil would always have to hold herself back from giggling whenever she heard that.
She knew her husband couldn't seduce anyone on his best day to save his his life.
"Alright, let's get you home. I'm sure your excited to see Illya," Irisveil stated as she took her sister by hand and guiding her through the airport with her husband not far behind.
When they came out, they immediately went for parking and Kiritsugu got into the driver seat of their car while the two sisters got in the back. After some difficulty with the busy street of the airport, they managed to leave and enter the streets of the city.
"So, how have you been lately? Anything new?" Irasveil started speaking to pass the time.
"Yes. I've been quite well, thank you for asking. I'm sure the kids are excited to meet you as well," Irisveil smiled and nodded at her sister.
"Speaking of, why did they want Illya to participate in the Holy Grail War," Kiritsugu cut in as the subject of his children was brought up. His wife sent him a disappointed look, but he knew it was because of the interruption, not because of the question because she most likely wanted to ask herself.
"If you must know, Mr. Emiya, it most likely is because they want to see what a child born from one of us is capable of," Irasveil sounded tired but answered nonetheless. "I believe that if Illyasveil proved satisfactory, they would be willing to allow some of us to get married and have our own children. I know Iresveil has been having her eye on a man from the Clock Tower recently."
"Really!? Iresveil!? Our Iresveil is interested in someone!?" Irisveil's excitement was clear in her voice. "Oh, please tell me everything!"
Iresveil was their oldest sister and the first Homunculus of their series. She was one of the two that stayed in the Clock Tower to represent their family. While the sisters had a near identical personality, their attitudes tended to be different depending on which pair because of the environment they stay in. For Iresveil, she had a strict all business attitude and an air similar to a teacher, which is the reason why Irisveil was so excited to hear she has interest in someone.
"He's a teacher at the Clock Tower and a Lord as well, actually," Irasveil placed a hand on her chin. "I believe his name is El-Melloi II. From what our sister told us, he almost has the same dead look your husband has."
"Oh, please tell me more!" As the two sisters began gossiping, Kiritsugu began wondering how his son is doing.
First POV:
The group of four that just entered my cafe sat all in one table. I was behind the counter preparing some drinks and snacks.
Artoria's eyes didn't leave me once, while the other three were looking between us with confused looks, obviously seeing that we know each other.
"Here you go," walking around the counter, I placed a tray with four cups of hot chocolate, a cinnamon bun, cheesecake slice, and some biscuits on the table. "On the house. I'm sure you're hungry, Saber."
"Ah, yes, very much so, thank you," Artoria didn't waste time at grabbing the plate with the cinnamon bun and a plastic fork and knife.
"Wait, what?" Sakura looked at Artoria in confusion. "Why would you be hungry? Aren't you a Servant?"
"Because Shirou doesn't properly supply her with Mana," I answered as I pulled a chair from a nearby table and sat down on it. "When a Master can't properly supply their Servant with magical energy, the Servant has to compensate by other means. One of them is to eat. They convert the food to magical energy."
"I'm... sorry?" Shirou apologised sounding unsure, still not used to the world of Mystics. "Is there a way to fix that? I don't want her to have problems because of me."
I shook my head. "Sorry, but this isn't exactly something you can change. At least not right away. Any method we have to help would take a few years, at least. So, you'll just have to settle with keeping her well fed, which works out great since you like cooking, huh?"
"I guess so," Shirou mumbled, though he seemed to be a bit disappointed.
I couldn't help but smile. Shirou was a nice kid. He liked helping people around. He didn't have any grand goals about any 'hero of justice', he just liked helping people.
"So... you know her, too?" Sakura finally asked, motioning to Saber, who finished the cinnamon bun and picked up the cheesecake. "Just how many people do you know?"
"If I start counting now, you probably won't get an answer until your fiftieth birthday," I replied with a shrug.
"You really travelled around, huh," Medusa commented and I chuckled.
"Speaking of," Artoria actually stopped eating to look at me. "Zack... How? Just how?"
I raised an eyebrow at her. "Really? You really want to ask about the how?"
I'm pretty sure I explained to her that I will stay for a long time, right?
"Right, sorry," Artoria sighed and shook her head. "What I meant is, why are you here? And how come you're the Overseer?"
"For the why, I have a daughter and a café here, so I kind of need to be here. As for the how, well, when the Holy Grail spawned, the world wanted me to be the Overseer since I'm already here," I explained before turning my eyes to Shirou. "Speaking of how and why, what's the deal with you? I didn't think you had anything with the world of Magic."
"I... Didn't, not until last night," Shirou then explained how he got Saber, or at least how he believes it happened.
Sakura began giggling, trying to cover her mouth, while Medusa raised a tired eyebrow at Shirou. Me, on the other hand, sighed.
"Hate to break it to you, Kid, but it's frankly impossible to Summon like that on accident," I began explaining. "If that was the case, any kid around the world can Summon a Servant by drawing a game of hopscotch and reciting a rhyme. You were probably chosen by the Grail since you happened to be near a catalyst and had a compatible Servant."
Shirou looked relieved. "So... I didn't Summon a Servant by accident?"
"Nope, this was all on the Grail," I stated before turning to Sakura as she got her laughter under control. "This is exactly why I wanted you to be one of the Masters. The Grail can end up choosing literally anyone to be a Master. I wanted to avoid it choosing an innocent bystander or someone with less than stellar desires."
"Is it possible for the Grail to pick a bad person as a Master?" Shirou looked concerned.
I nodded. "Yeah, absolutely. The Grail doesn't discriminate. It doesn't really has a 'conscious' as much as a 'function'."
"Like a computer program?" Shirou guessed and I shrugged my shoulders.
"Anyway," I stood up and began picking the now empty cups and plates to place them on the tray. "I have confirmed that Saber has been summoned. Don't go starting any fights with other Masters without permission. I'm trying to keep this Holy Grail War from reducing this city to rubble, and yes, if they get out of hand, a Holy Grail War can do that," I immediately replied to the question Shirou was gonna ask. "You can go back home now, and take care of Saber. If something happens, she'll keep you safe. I can guarantee it."
"Alright, thank you," Shirou got up and reached for his pocket.
"Like I said, this one is on the house," I immediately stopped him and shook my head. "Consider it a welcoming for an old friend," I smiled at Artoria, who stood up, too. "I'm glad to see you again."
"Likewise," Artoria returned the smile and nodded her head.
We walked them out and Shirou turned to us after passing the door and gave a quick respectful bow. "Thank you again for the hospitality."
"Don't worry about it. Have a safe trip back home," I said before closing the door and turning around.
I was met with Sakura's deadpan stare. "Just to be clear, dad, you don't know EVERYONE in this Holy Grail War, do you?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Hey, this is just coincidence. Besides, I met Caster a few days ago, and I didn't know them personally. I knew OF them, but I didn't know them."
"That's fair, I guess," Sakura sighed.
"You think it's easy for me to meet people I knew that just popped up from the Throne?" I asked, looking tired. "Believe me, while I'm happy to see these people again, it's still surprising to me, too."
"But you like good surprises," Medusa cut in.
I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. "Yeah, but it's the principle. These reunions should be a bit more reasonable."
I just hope the next one, if there is a next one, isn't so chaotic.