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Chapter Text

“The Soul Dragon King, Fau-X-Calibur.”

Jaune stared at the titanic dragon with utter horror. His legs and arms were shaking and he could feel his lungs tightening from his constant hyper-ventilation. His hands grasped for a sword that wasn’t there, and if he was armed, what the hell could it even do!?

What the hell is that thing!? Even Alduin hadn’t been that big! Hell, even Liberty Prime was barely a pinprick next to it! If it decided to kill him, it probably only needed to stomp on him and he would be crushed!

The only thing that prevented him from running away was the fact it didn’t even seem to consider him a threat. He probably wasn’t even an annoyance to it.

The impossible monster gazed directly at him, not moving despite how easy it would be to stamp out the ant beneath it. It simply stood there, looking at him as every breath created more clouds and rain. And just what was that too? Did it breathe so deeply the moisture from breath was deep enough to create rain?

“I seek not to harm you, if my earlier demeanor was not enough to make that clear.” It suddenly declared, it’s stern voice reverbrating through the entire desert. “Though, I must express my dissapointment with your reaction.”

Jaune stepped back, ready to bolt for as little good as it would do. Buying time, and genuinely curious, he pointed out one word; “Dissapointment?”

It’s head raised it’s eyes closed, almost as if reminiscing as it spoke of the past, “You are one who has faced many challenges, challenges that would have broken lesser men down into babbling babes. And yet, even when faced with the Alduin and Vulgaarlir, you lifted me with all the strength you could muster, and proved yourself a true Dovahkriid, a dragonslayer, unmatched.”

Galaxy-like eyes gazed down at him with unerring focus, “Where is your courage now, Jaune of Arc, when faced with the one who has stood by your side all these years?”

What? Wait, no, there was something familiar about this place.

The realization hit him like a Goliath, the remembrance of Morgan’s words of a world just like this one, where everyone he had met and befriended in his adventures, even others than he didn’t think he had affected that much, all gathered.

“This… this is my… my Inner World.” His eyes widened as a familiar sensation overtook him, of leather and sweat, of metal and blood, and the presence of an old companion he trusted with his life. A companion who’s true form stood before him in all it’s draconian glory. “You… you are...”

“You are my sword.”

A sigh of relief and a breath of pure vindication left the sword’s(?) snout, a smile tugging at his face as he proudly presented himself, “The mightiest of blades forged by men’s hand, rivalled only by the “last miracles” made in the Land of Paradise. I am /̵͇̭͔͇͒/̶̛͖̅͊̕/̴͉̤̝̟͒͊̇/̸̜̤́̉͝/̷̿̓͜/̶̛̰̲̮͔̄͠/̸̩͍̆̃̉” Jaune’s head- no, his entire body shook when he heard that word, as if it carried a weight he couldn’t support, “But you know only the name granted to me by humanity; Fau-X-Calibur.”

“The name of my Noble Phantasm.” Fau-X-Calibur. He knew that name, even if he didn’t understand how or why. But he remembered now; he had heard a voice when using it against Agravain, one that encouraged and guided him throughout the process.

“Noble Phantasm, the crystalisation of our legend. Or rather, a facsimile of the true power I have always wielded.” Fau-X-Calibur spread his wings and puffed his chest with pride, before lowering himself to look at him again. “In truth, I am what is known as a Zanpakutou Spirit, a reflection of your soul that was imprinted upon the Asauchi that you wielded for all these years.”

It was too much. A Noble Phantasm of his own, Asauchi, Zanpakutou, this World, a reflection of his soul? His head started to hurt as the sheer volume of new information made him dizzy.

He looked back to Fau-X(there was a quiet rumbling from the dragon’s throat at the shortening of his name, almost as if in acceptance), eyes wide as he took it in. Pushing down on the migraine, Jaune tried to lift the mood while asking the Spirit, “So, is that what this is? Uh… Should I be worried that my Inner World looks like a desolate wasteland?”

“Yes.” Fau-X responded seriously, cutting into his attempt at a joke and filling him with dread. Why was everything in his life overly complicated? What did he do to deserve this? “Cease your whin- spiralling and listen to what I have to say.”

“You were affected by a demonic relic in the Living World,” He tensed as the Spirit hit him as hard it could right out the gate, “And it unleashed the destructive powers of the Argent Energy upon the warring souls of the Holy Grail War. It turned you into a demon of unfathomable power.”

“The Hound, whose very presence shakes the World and threatens the continued existence of humanity itself. A monster so mighty, even the Seven Crowns would struggle to defeat took over your body and battled the Guardians of The Scale.”

Jaune’s body turned near unresponsive, only left there loosely standing as his mind nearly died from the sheer dread he now felt. The corruption, the very worst fear he had felt seep into his bones the moment Yang and Morgan had told him of the Argent Energy present in his sword, it had happened. All because he wasn’t strong enough-

“You have not been taken over. No longer, for your body is now free from the control, not the influence, of the Hound.” Fau-X answered quickly, seeing the panic in his wielder’s eyes. Weariness was important, but perhaps he should have been kinder in the delivery. “It was defeated, by both miracles and circumstance beyond your understanding. As of now, the control of your body has returned to you, while the Hound is… contained, for now.”

The answer subdued his fear a little, though his breathing was still erratic. He gave up on controlling it after a few minutes of trying and instead focused on one word Fau-X had hesitated to speak. “Only contained?”

“If erasing such a powerful creature were that easy, I would have done it long ago. But the demonic energy has entrenched itself deep in our soul. Even with the aid of the Magus Killer, all we could do was imprison it once more.”

“We? Do you mean the others, the… fragments?” Jaune looked around, remembering that Morgan had mentioned the thousands of other fragments that resided in his sword. Now that he stopped to think about it, it was surprising that he hadn’t been jumped on by Yang, Nora or anyone else the moment he got here.

The Zanpakutou Spirit was silent for a bit, looking to the side with an expression that bordered on resignation before answering, “… No. But it is best that you meet her now, rather than later. Even if it means I’ll have to deal with a thousand whiny brats later.”

Jaune hid his snort at the grumbles coming from the old-sounding dragon, before flinching back when one of his massive wings lowered towards the ground. Despite what amounted to his arm being smooth and apparently solid marble, it still managed to twist and bend as if it was a normal limb.

“Climb.” He ordered, though there was no harshness in his tone. Fau-X ordered it as if it was natural, or maybe expected. “The one who you must speak with is idling far from here, and you no longer have the time to spare.”

Jaune stared at the marble arch in front of him, taking a minute to swallow his nervousness. The situation had taken a turn for the worse, or rather, saying that things had gone to shit was an understatement, and he was still confused on so many things that he was bordering on an aneurysm.

But he could feel it on a instinctual level; if he wanted to understand everything and go back to keep everyone safe, then going along was the best idea.

Climbing on the wing, he kneeled on it and firmly grasped onto the bone-white structure. Normally, he wouldn’t be sure if simply holding onto a wing would be enough to secure him, but normality had already flown out the wind.

Fau-X-Calibur, a Dovah that surpassed all others in existence by sheer size alone, rose to his full height, it’s other half firmly held onto his wingtip. Unlike other aerial creatures, he did not beat his wings to lift from the ground, but simply willed himself to fly. As his talons left the ground, he leaned forwards and dived, instantly reaching speeds not even Gilgamesh’s Vimana could reach.

Jaune’s eyes narrowed as hurricane-like winds buffeted his face, counting his lucky stars for nothing hitting him on the way. Not even the sand rose with the wind, for that was the subconscious demand of the King. None were allowed to get in his way.

He looked down, mostly to his his face from the wind, and was amazed at the sheer expanse beneath him. It hadn’t even been a minute of flight but they had already cleared the desert which he had thought was endless, and were already zooming past an ocean just as big as the desert, millions of tons of water splashing as they trailed above it.

They slowed down once they reached what looked like a mushy forest, and the moment he passed the boundary between the previous biome to this one, his instincts immediately started screaming at him.

Without warning his Zanpakutou, Jaune leapt back. In the second he dismounted the Dovah, Fau-X already passed and flew up, leaving the blonde to fall to the ground like he usually did; hitting nothing on the way and just slamming on the floor like a meteor.

Pyrrha would probably groan that he still didn’t have a proper landing strategy.

Leaving the small crater he had left on his landing, he carefully searched the immediate area. He knew well the feeling he’d gotten when reaching the forest, but he when he looked up, he only found Fau-X calmly circling in the sky. He wouldn’t be chill if there were any big threats around, that Jaune was sure of.

With that reassurance, Jaune walked forwards to the only source of light he could see in the forest floor. A small campfire a few hundred meters ahead. Not a long distance at all.

Sitting in front of the fire was a young woman, a faunus with white fox ears. Her red-tipped white hair was tied back into a ponytail, but even then, the wild mane still reached her back. She was covered in a stylish red coat that covered her from head to toe, with a form-fitting dark green vest underneath. Dark red pants that were folded up to just below her knees, three belts crossing over her waist, one holding up her short pants while the others held two leather gun holsters in place, and high-heeled black boots with… where those buzzsaws at the calves?

Those long ears twitched in his direction, before the woman turned to glare at him. He tensed at her sharp stare. He could see the way those green eyes looked him up and down, analysing him in the blink of an eye. But he relaxed when she let out a quick little laugh.

Rising from her seat, the woman threw a hand up in greeting, cheerfully exclaiming, “Yo! You’re supposed to be my new wielder, right?”

“Just a heads-up.” Before he could even feel confused by her words, she suddenly flashed towards him and jabbed a finger at his temple, making him go cross-eyed. The glare in those green eyes was back, the heat in them greater than before. “I recognize you as a wielder. But you’re sure as hell are not my partner, capiche?”

Jaune blinked as the woman retracted her finger, before sitting down and going back to fiddling with her pistols. He kept staring at her in mild confusion but mostly just exasperation. There was something strangely familiar here…

“Confrontational as always.” Fau-X’s voice popped up from the sky, still stationary behind the clouds. Jaune couldn’t hear the sound of his wingbeats, so either Fau-X was so high up the sound didn’t reach them, or he was floating with magic. He wanted to know how to do that. “And to take that form…”

She shrugged at the pointed stare from the divine Dovah, closing one eye and aiming at a nearby tree as she distractedly answered, “Eh, it feels fine enough. And she and my partner are pretty similar when it comes to having fun, so I thought I should… what’s the word? Congratulate her, you know?”

Jaune deadpanned at the answer. Why does she feel like a fox-girl version of Yang? He already had his hands full with one. Technically two, since Pretender used Yang as her form.

For the sake of being polite, Jaune watched as the woman tinkered with the handgun for a final time before properly aiming straight ahead, towards the thickest tree in the vicinity. His ears perked when he heard her say, “Gunslinger.”

He watched as red energy filled the barrel. He watched as she pulled the trigger.

The sound that came out was more like a nuke detonating. He couldn’t hear anything for a second, and his eyes narrowed against the pain. But he still had the sense of mind to hop away the moment he felt something poked him on the stomach.

Green eyes looked him straight on. Putting her stick down, the woman smirked as she congratulated him, “Good instincts.”

Jaune’s eyes sharpened as he prepared to fight. Without his sword or shield, and with the sheer power in that gunshot(a quick glance towards the forest showing that she had pretty much melted most of the obstacles in the bullet’s path), it would be a hard fight.

But before he could rush her, she suddenly put the gun back in the holster. With a toothy grin, and what sharp canines this one had, she winked at him and talked again, “Sorry if that was too much for ya, but I still needed to test you a bit. I’m a pretty high maintenance sword, you know?”

Something clicked. The image of a broken sword, a constant presence, a mirror he hated and wanted to save. And with it, a startling realization.

These memories aren’t mine.

His eyes widened and a name slipped out from parted lips; “… Rebellion.”

The Devil Sword’s green eyes widened, more focused than normal before they filled with mirth. Summoning a copy of her sword-self, she held the greatsword on her shoulders, lightly introducing herself, “That’s me. Sword of the Dark Knight Sparda and the Legendary Devil Hunter Dante. Though, right now the body I’m using has nothing to do with either of them.”

Jaune shook in place as he finally understood just what he stood in front of. Even from the fragmented memories he had received from Dante, he knew just how strong this sword was. With a panicked yell, “What the hell is happening right row!?”

She just shrugged at the face of his manic pointing, openly laughing a little at just how easy it was for her new wielder to lose it. “I don’t really get either. If sis had been the one to get stuck here then she might have been able to explain. But knowing that fraud, she would just pretend to know the answer and keep leading you on to save face.”

“Fraud? No, forget that.” It was best if he didn’t get involved with Rebellion’s craziness, especially if it involved her sister. Those two were probably as competive as Dante and Vergil were. “How are you even here?”

Rebellion crossed her arms, not even flinching when the greatsword version of her slipped from her shoulder and slid into the ground. All she did was shrug. “From what I gathered, someone used me to stab in the heart. And due to my unique nature of “Unify” differing elements, it seems it affected both your human body…”

“And the Argent Energy.” He finished. There was little he understood about the situation, “So, you’re the reason I turned into a demon.”

The wind whistling was the first sign he had to hop back, almost stumbling from the surprise attack. When the greatsword slammed to the ground, Rebellion growled at him. “Hey! Don’t you dare put the blame for that on me! You ended up like that because you lost your fight.”

“Not exactly what happened but I really don’t wanna argue…” Jaune mumbled. Craning his neck as he looked upwards, he raised an eyebrow as he asked the Dragon in the sky, “I hope there’s a good reason for bringing me here.”

Despite the miles between them, Fau-X heard him clearly. And his answer was just as clear, “Out of all the spirits in this world, Rebellion is the only one who truly understands the mechanisms and corruption of the foul energy rumbling and threatening your existence. With her guidance, you will be able to better control the Argent Energy.”

Jaune’s eyes widened when hearing the last part. For a moment, he forgot he was speaking with a creature far stronger than him, and he yelled out to the skies, “The hell you mean control!?”

His tone turned not just aggressive, it was hostile. The fact it was his sword, that it obviously knew this was a bad idea barely registered in his mind. “Did you forget what we saw back at the UAC!? There is no controlling Argent Energy! I thought a dragon who takes his vocabulary from Parthunaax would at least have the decency to copy his wisdom too!”

“I ain’t copying no one!” Fau-X shot back angrily, before he remembered who he was imitating and reigned his temper back. Concealing his cough, and ignoring Rebellion laughing at him, he elaborated, “What I meant to convey was that Rebellion would help supress the demonic energy, not teach you to use it. I am no arrogant Khan Mayker, and am very aware of just how volatile Argent can be.”

Ah. Okay, yeah that checked out. “Right. That makes more sense. Sorry for yelling.” He turned to Rebellion. “But how are you supposed to teach me to supress it?”

“Heh, simple.” Leaning on the sword planted into the ground while crossing her arms, Rebellion proudly revealed her master plan; “I’m gonna teach ya to use it.”

“…”“…” The two stared at the crazy bitch like she had just said two plus two was five hundred.

Jaune turned to the sky again. “Can I get someone else to help?”

Fau-X nodded. “This may have been a bad idea.”

Slipping on the sword and hitting the ground with her rump, the Devil Sword yelped at them, “Wait, wait! I’m not kidding with ya!”

After she recovered from her stumble, she made sure to get Jaune’s attention, pulling on his shirt and straining to pull him back towards her. Even then, she rambled, “Look, there’s no way I can teach you how to suppress something that neither of us understands! And I get that there’s a risk with teaching you to do this, but I got my reasons!”

“Me and dragy up there both got a frontseat view to your transformation.” Suddenly, her tone turned serious, staring at him with a certainty he could feel radiating from her, enough to make him turn back to her fully. “And I know what I saw.”

“At the end of the fight, when it was going up against Goldie,” Jaune raised an eyebrow, before realizing who she was talking about and hiding a groan, “I saw that demon version of you pull out my sister.”

Jaune involuntarily tensed at those words. While he didn’t remember it’s name, he still recalled the razor-thin katana that had proven itself Rebellion’s equal time and time again. The idea of a demon version of him using something like that was terrifying.

“Not the Yamato.” Rebellion cut into his mild horror almost as if reading his thoughts. She probably could. “It is a completely new sword, but just as strong as either me or that skank. And I’m sure that it is an being similar to me.”

Jaune stared at the demonic sword with a flat stare, shrugging as the point seemed to either not exist or fly over his head. “And? How is that supposed to help?”

“There may have been…” Fau-X cut in before she could answer, pausing almost ominously, “Something I neglected to mention. I believed it would be useless at the long run, but if Rebellion’s words line up with the truth…”

With all the surprises tonight, and the whole past few days honestly, Jaune could mostly just feel resignation at reveal of what was likely to be another shocking thing that only he didn’t know. With a throbbing vein in his temple, Jaune finally asked, “What happened exactly?”

After a short pause where Fau-X seemingly gathered his thoughts, he explained, “My hold over the elements of chaos that are held within the Transcendent Sword is much greater than yours. Where only the primordial elements answer to your call, to me, even reality is malleable. When I noted your transformation, I used that power to implant a false personality upon the congregation of the Argent Energy.”

That had Jaune blinking in astonishment. What did-? How would that even work? “Implant… a false personality? What does that even mean?”

“It means that I created a simulation of an universe with a history based on all the worlds we have seen in our journey, centered around a noble figure who would eventually become the personality that was implanted and reshaped the Hound.”

…

…

…

You know, finding out that the reflection of his soul had been living inside his sword for the past few years was a big enough shock to the system. Hearing the words “created an universe” and “simulated a different history” should have given him an aneurysm.

So he felt he should be at least patted on the back when the most that happened was his brain doing a full reboot. “Huh?”

“Wa- wait a second.” Jaune shook his head, blinking before staring wide eyed at the suddenly much more obviously divine dragon circling them up above. “Are you telling me… you can create universes?”

“If I deigned it worth my time.” Fau-X responded casually, not noticing the heart attack his Jaune was having, “But that was only a simulation, a false history that never occurred no matter how far you search for it in the infinite multiverse. But, going by Rebellion’s words, it seems that implanting that soul upon the Hound fundamentally changed it’s workings.”

“See! And now that i-” Rebellion’s grin was short lived, because she suddenly found herself being sushed by Jaune’s hand on her mouth.

“HEY! We’re no breezing past the fact that you can create- or simulate, whatever- entire universes in just a few minutes!”

Despite the harsh tone, the divine Dovah was silent for a time, and Jaune sagged as he felt the sorrow coming from Fau-X as he finally answered, “… I had a much longer time than you imagine…”

Blues eyes narrowed at the somber tone, barely changing when the mildly pissed Devil Sword slapped his arm away and rubbed her chin. “Well that’s not ominous at all…”

“But,” He looked back to Rebellion and asked again, “Even then, how exactly is that supposed to help me suppress Argent Energy?”

Sending him one last glare, Rebellion crossed her arms and began explaining, “Well, frankly speaking, I doubt that’s gonna fix anything. Suppresing it is only a stop-gap and not a real solution to the mess you got youserlf into. At this point, you’ll probably have to…”

Fau-X finished it for her; “Defeat the Hound.”

Well, even more trouble on his plate, like he didn’t have enough of it. Though now her idea made more sense. “And to defeat this “Hound,” I need to know how to use your demonic abilities?”

“No. That is a horrible idea.” The response was quick and stern. It seemed even the playful sister could turn ice-cold serious if she had to. “There might be a thing or two you could use that are pretty safe, and would definitely make you look cooler, but the point of this training I want to put you through is to toughen you up until you take the Hound down.”

Jaune nodded along, lifting one arm and flexing it. “Makes sense. Weak as I am, I probably can’t do it right no-”

This time, he didn’t dodge the sudden dropkick that sent him flying a good dozen feet away. He rolled on the dirt, stopping himself well enough that he ended upright when he managed to bleed off the momentum.

You could at least warn me when the training begins. He wasn’t about to complain, though. This was meant to make him strong; a little heavy-handedness was fine. His teeth grit together, his right arm holding onto his stomach for a moment before he fell into the basic brawler’s stance the Doom Slayer drilled into his head all those years ago.

Her image flickered.

Out of nowhere, she had caught him by his right wrist and put a leg behind his own. She dragged his limb back, toppling him backwards and neatly slamming him into the dirt. Before he could snap his hand out of her grip, the silver greatsword was already tickling his neck.

Angry green eyes stared down at him. “Why didn’t you stop me?”

Jaune blinked at that. “Huh?”

“You’re already good enough to react to that speed. You are a Heroic Spirit,” His mouth drew into a line at those words, “And you have the strength of one. So, why didn’t you stop me?”

“What the hell are you saying?” He nearly snarled back, a frustration he wasn’t used to bleeding into his attitude. “I couldn’t even see you move, how should have stopp-”

“See how you completely ignored me calling you a Heroic Spirit?” She interrupted, before taking the sword away. She did offer him a hand, and was already moving back to her log once he was up. Once she sat, she pointed at him with the sword and glared. “That’s is the real reason I want to train you.”

“You refuse to acknowledge your own strength, and that holds you back from using it to it’s full extent.” Her angry tone made him pay attention, silencing his complaints and his doubts, “On anyone else, that would be a problem. For you, that’s a death sentence.”

“You need to defeat the Hound. This isn’t something you can train your physical body to do. Your spirit needs to be stronger.”

“You need to make that Demon submit.” His fists clenched at the word. It irritated him, as if doing that would be simple. “And so long as you refuse your own strength, the one who will submit is you.”

“And ask yourself this; A demon made of Argent Energy capable of thought manages to kill all Servants summoned to the Holy Grail War…”

“Just what do you think it’s gonna wish for?”

It was an easy answer. Images of his time in the UAC and Mars flashed for a few seconds, the sheer carnage left behind by the demons that ran rampant after those idiots opened a portal to Hell. The idea of that same corruption, that same destruction making it’s way to the same world where he had helped Arthur in, and the idea it would all be his fault for not stopping it…

Jaune raised his head and stared directly at the Devil Sword, eyes serious as he begged her, “Train me.”

She only shook her head. “This ain’t something we can solve in a day, and your time here is running out. You oughta go back to the Living World. And for fuck’s sake, just spend some five minutes thinking about what I said. Don’t just bury it all like you do with the rest of your emotions when you don’t wanna deal with them.”

“Rebellion is correct.” Fau-X interjected before Jaune could get riled up. “Almost a day has passed and the longer you stay here, the more you will worry Pendragon and our vassal.”

Is he talking about Artoria and Yang? Did he misspeak “vessel?” Questions for another time. He could tell from the sudden urgency that they were hiding something, but even without his Aura, his instincts had already been yelling at him for a while.

His eyes slid to the right, to the unblocked path left behind by Rebellion’s shot earlier. And past the incinerated trees, he could see something.

A shadow that stared back with twinkling red eyes.

Looking away from the void, Jaune nodded to his new teacher. “Alright, I’ll go. And… I promise I’ll think about what you said. Already have someone to ask anyway…”

Despite him mumbling the last part, Rebellion’s fluffy ear flicked before she grinned. “Good. I’m the type of gal that doesn’t like wasting her time. Now,” She raised her voice, “Time to take him home, Dragy!”

Apparently, Fau-X had become all to used to Rebellion’s nickname for him, because he didn’t even respond to it. Closing his eyes, liquid formed from behind them and pushed to the corner, before falling near Jaune.

The water splashed all over, big enough to form a small wave that hit Jaune in the legs. As the newly-formed lake began to rise and encircle only him, Rebellion slapped her forehead and grumbled. “Oh yeah.”

“Wielder!” She called out to him. “Just a warning before you go back to the Living World, kid.”

“Me and mine come from a world beyond this one. If anything, the closest to our home dimension is the “Hell” that you saw before. You know that. But even with all our powers and though the possibility exists…”

“I didn’t come to this world naturally. Someone brought me here.” Green eyes stared into his own, and he could see the determination and wariness in them. “Eyes wide out there, Wielder.”

“Someone is trying to turn you into a monster.”

With a forceful push, Risei Kotomine opened the doors to the large room preemptively prepared for this one of a kind reunion. Even as he and his son held them open for the congregated Masters and Servants to enter, the Overseer spared a glance to the state of the room.

He had been the only one to fix up the meeting room, Kirei being busy elsewhere and still quiet on what he had been doing, but that did not stop the elder priest to set up an appropriate setting. For the gathered Masters, five chairs set side by side took up half of the large rectangular table he had brought in, with smaller tables in front of it, where square devices he had received last-minute were settled on.

For the first time in his life, Risei cursed the Holy Church’s quick delivery when it came to such sensitive matters.

As the last and youngest of the present Masters took his seat, with the Rider Servant proudly standing behind him, Risei quickly took his position on the table, standing in front of his seat for only a moment as Kirei took a chair for himself, sitting closer to Tokiomi and his father. Even now, precautions and alliances took precedent.

Pushing thoughts of subterfuge out of his mind, Risei coughed on the back of his fist in order to bring attention to himself. Once the congregated Masters and Servants turned to him, the old Overseer began speaking, “Welcome all, to the first and hopefully last emergency reunion of the Masters and Servants of the Fourth Holy Grail War. I would like to preface any discussion by informing all present of certain conditions set upon this meeting.”

“The first of which,” He extended his hand to the various black boxes beside him, each one looking like small, table-set radios, “Is that this meeting shall be transmited to various high-ranking individuals of both the Holy Church and the Mage’s Association, including the five of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower as well as… His Holiness, Pope John Paul II.”

A shiver passed through the assembled Masters, each one recognizing the fact that the need for both all the Twelve Lords and The Pope himself to join this meeting only further enforced the reality of their situation. It wasn’t every day that the highest authorities in the Church and Mages got involved with whatever issues was most urgent at the moment.

Pulling on his collar a little, Risei forced himself to request, “For the benefit of us all, I beesech that everyone please announce their identities, with the exception of the Servants.”

There was a quick round of introductions from the Masters, with each revealing the Class of the Servant they had summoned. Those who knew more than others decided to stay quiet when the Homunculus kept to the act of having summoned Lancer. Other than surprise at Lord El-Melloi’s presence and some slight berating towards Rider’s Master for throwing himself into the War despite being so young, which the boy surprisingly pushed back a little, there were a few matters that caught everyone’s attention.

“You claim to be an independent Servant with no Master?”

“That is correct, Lord Animusphere.” The man of pure white answered. Risei hadn’t seen him ever before, and the old priest did have some doubt his claim, since the Holy Grail had already summoned seven Servants; but the situation may well be desperate enough to warrant the world reinforcing them with more Heroic Spirits. “Though that is not entirely correct.”

“Explain.” Barthomeloi Lorelei, the young Lord of the Department of Policies, demanded with all the gentleness of an overworked college student surviving off of pure caffeine for the last twenty-four hours.

“My partner, Majin Saber,” White gestured to the woman standing behind the Einzbern Homunculus, who raised a brow at the title, “And myself were specifically summoned by Alaya due to our unclear nature as Heroic Spirits. That is to say, we are not real people registered in the Throne of Heroes, but… more a conjuction of abilities specifically tailored to handle the present threat. Genetically enginerred Counter Guardians, if you will.”

“While I understand that these Heroic Spirits summoned by Alaya are both intriguing and disconcerting,” The elderly yet surprisingly energetic voice of The Pope cut into the conversation, making sure to bring focus away from the magi’s whims, “We have yet to hear just what this “present threat” even was. I feel that a proper description of the event is the greatest priority at the moment.”

Risei fidgeted at the order. “That is… a completely understandable request, Your Holiness, but…”

The older man could not finish his excuse, as someone loudly cleared his throat. The Overseer felt his brow raise when Kirei rose from his seat and began to speak, “I believe it would be best if I take the chance to explain the events of last night.”

“I am Kotomine Kirei, Master of the Assassin Servant,” The prodigious priest spoke to the ones who listened but could not see, while bringing out a small stack of folded papers he had kept on his person, “And witness to the battle that resulted in the catastrophe of last night.”

There was a quick chatter between the listeners before Lord Rufleus Nuade-Re answered, “Very well, speak clearly, Executor.”

After clearing his throat, Kotomine Kirei laid out in clear detail all of Shielder’s actions, from his charade as a vigilante to his public use of magecraft, outing every rule the man had broken. It only riled up some of the less experienced listeners, those most worried about the secrecy of Mystery. Though all were driven into silence as his battle and… transformation of last night were revealed to them.

“He publicly used magecraft enough times to be recorded as a vigilante by newscasters!” Lord Lorelei Barthomeloi exclaimed in frustration. “How did the Second Owners of Fuyuki allow such an individual operate in Fuyuki for so long and why wasn’t he reported to us earlier!?”

“With all due respect,” Lord Karmaglyph Melustea interrupted, his voice serious unlike most times where any could hear the smile in his face, “This Jaune Arc’s public actions are the least of our concerns. If he truly has the power to transmute into a True Dragon and whatever a Beast of Humanity is, then there are few individuals indeed who can even claim to be on the same level of strength as he.”

“Even before his transformation, he was already more than able of fighting on the level of the strongest Servants ever summoned in the Holy Grail War’s history.” Tokiomi elaborated, doing his best to drive home the threat, “And considering the last Tohsaka Master’s Archer was the Hero of Charity Karna, that is an achievement few Servants can boast of.”

All of sudden, the Einzbern representative spoke up, “That’s not mentioning his healing ability.”

“Great.” Lorelei grumbled, the sound of glass being crushed echoing from her side of the transmission. “What else can he do?”

Instead of answering directly, Irisviel von Einzbern fiddled a little in her seat as she searched for the correct words, but it didn’t take long for her to answer, “… As the Einzberns were the ones that once held it, I have some… familiarity with the described effects of usage of the Third Magic.”

There was some confusion as to why that was brought up, with some frowning at the reminder of the Einzbern’s fortune before the homunculus continued, “And I can say for certain that Jaune Arc uses a downgraded form of the Third Magic that allows him to heal any types of grievous and life-threatening injuries up to a certain extent. I have felt it myself.”

That, more than anything that had been said prior in the meeting, was what drove the Lords into silence, even the listeners of the Church going into shock from hearing those words. All understood the seriousness of such a possibility; the mere idea of a Rogue Magician existing, much less fighting in the Holy Grail War would be devastating to the point the Burial Agency and Sealing Designation Enforcers wouldn’t be enough to handle the issue.

“… He’s a magician?”

“I highly doubt that.” An old and raspy voice interrupted the homunculus. The ones present turned their heads to the entrance to the room, where a small figure with wrinkly white skin stood. “What the Einzberns once held was only once replicated, and the mere idea of some failure of a puppet being able to recognize even a counterfeit is ridiculous.”

One of the older Lords loudly tapped his table, bringing attention to his demand, “Who is it, that interrupts this congregation?”

The wretched thing only laughed at the presumptioness before him. “Show some respect to your superiors, boy. I have forgotten more magecraft than you will ever learn.”

“Zouken Matou,” Risei both answered the earlier question and called out to the elder. “You are not the representative of the Matou Family in this war. Why have you come here?”

“Matou… Speaking of,” Tokiomi cut in, knowing well just who was supposed to be here in Zouken’s place, “Where is the Matou Master?”

“Hmph, that little brat has gone and dissapeared along with Berserker.” Zouken let out a sharp bark of laughter as a thought came to him, even as the others shuddered at the sight of whatever the hell he was. It was clearly not human, not anymore. “Propably hiding in a ditch or under the bridge.”

“That’s enough posturing, Matou Patriarch,” His Holiness spoke, speaking as quickly as he could. Few were the times he heard anything about the Matous, mostly from that yellow-dressed peacock that sold this communication equipment, and nothing he heard was good. “We’ll leave that matter to be viewed later… for as much as it may frighten us all.”

“I would like for one of the Servants present during the battle to answer now.” THe congregated Heroic Spirits shifted when addressed, “This “Transformation” of Jaune Arc’s is the cause of the tremors of last night? With his death, the situation has been resolved?”

“Yes… and no.” Saber winced as he realized how vague his answer was, but there was little way to say better.

Rider cut in, for once not bothering to explain who he was and speaking as well as he could, “We are not yet sure why this transformation happened or how it works, but after… sufficient damage was inflicted, Jaune Arc simply reverted from his Beast form to his normal self.”

“And this “Beast” was defeated by the present Servants?”

At that, all the present Servants turned their heads to look at the sole (male)mercenary in the room. He obviously resisted for a second but a look from his face and all three of his allied Servants had him talking, “No, your Holiness. The Caster Servant, Morgan Le Fae, approached me, Kiritsugu Emiya, assistant and bodyguard of Master Irisviel von Einzbern, in particular in order to finish the situation.”

“It was likely because of my Mystic Code.” He answered the obvious question before it was asked. “Due to my Origin, my Mystic Code has the ability to sever a person’s Magic Circuits while also realigning them incorrectly.”

There was a chorus of surprised gasps and irritated shouts as the realization they were speaking with the Magus Killer hit the listeners. Used to it, Kiritsugu pushed on, “She likely gambled on that fact to return her Master in place of the Beast.”

“So,” “The famous Mage Killer is one of the only true answers we seem to have against Shielder. What an irony, that someone so feared in the Moonlit World may well be it’s salvation…”

Noticing the lull in conversation, Risei spoke once more, his tone hurried and words rushed as he spoke to all who listened; “We all know the power that Heroic Spirits carry; even the most talented of mages would find themselves powerless before their might. The fact that a man who has the power to face no less than five Servants at the same time is already frightening enough, but the fact he is a monster with the objective of destroying the human race… it is time we take measures against this threat.”

“Fuyuki is too close to population centers to simply wipe off the map,” Lord Rupheus plainly stated, bringing some much needed relief for some of the listeners, “And the fact this Jaune Arc transformed into this “Beast” after an apparent death, any brute force methods will have to be left out of the table.”

“And it is for that exact reason,” Tohsaka Tokiomi rose from his seat, his voice firm and serious as the Head of Tohsaka Family, even knowing the weight of this demand, finally made his play, “That I request the presence and aid of The Wizard Marshall and the seven members of the Burial Agency for the resolution of this matter.”

…

Only after a long period of silence did someone speak again, and Lord Rufleus Nuade-Re made sure to speak clearly, “Such a request is a difficult one, Tohsaka. Even with your family’s good standing with the Wizard Marshall, unless this is something that catches his interest by his own volition or some tragedy that forces him into stepping into the ring himself, it is quite unlikely he’ll listen…”

“And the Burial Agency is a beast in and of itself.” John Paul II spoke for his own side, “While I don’t disagree that this creature is a danger unto us all, there are various issues with calling for all of them. Executor Ciel along with one or two of her companions, but even then, the friction between them and the mages present…”

“You guys done talking?”

The gathered twisted their heads looking for the source before everyone was suddenly clasping their ears when a horrible sound, like nails dragging on a board, suddenly filled the room. As it lessened, a black portal opened in the middle of the room, showing a swirling black and purple mess behind it, with a man standing there.

Kiritsugu, Kirei and the Servants were quick to notice the way Irisviel tensed in fear and how Maiya had summoned Rengoku. Whatever that was, those two had already seen it before, and it didn’t spell good news.

One boot came out of the tear in the world, planting firmly on the room’s floor before it was followed by a slightly weaker step. With a cleaner outfit made up of a grey coat with black longsleeves and a simlarly coloured hood drawn down to reveal his shock white hair.

The white-haired man tilted his head, casually finishing his line, “Cause I feel like we’re forgetting some options.”

“Matou Kariya, former Representative Master of the Matou Family, and Master of the Berserker Servant,” The man introduced himself, only moving to approach the table, no stumble in his firm gait, even as he languidly waved his left hand, “No need to repeat everything you were talking about; I already know the whole Beast of Humanity situation.”

Kiritsugu stared at the intruder, his tone flat as he mumbled, “I can’t help but feel I should be pointing out how weak the defences here seem to be…”

Seated near him, Kayneth nodded, “It is a rather embarrassing showing.”

Tokiomi tensed as Kariya looked at him, the two men glaring at each other for a moment. But neither could do anything about it, as the oldest mage among them spoke up incredulously.

“Former Representative?” Matou Zouken sneered, before stamping his cane and glaring as he made his way towards the visibly injured man. “Know your place, brat. You might have found a new alternative to our family magecraft, but do remember the reason I allowed you to join this farce.”

Every other time Zouken made his threats, Kariya was defiant but ultimately cowed. The boy knew well the consequences of going against his ‘father’s’ demands. But this time…

A single dark eye turned to Zouken, Kariya as silent as a grave. But there was no fear within that gaze, no apprehension over the inevitable retaliation that Zouken would certainly bring. Only dissmisal, as if looking at an insect too haughty to realize it was picking a fight with a hawk. It was… impossible. Irritating.

When he looked away, focusing on the Overseer, Zouken nearly cracked his own fingers from how tightly he was clenching his cane, the worms inside writhing in anger. But the shock was just enough to stop him from acting.

“And what,” Kotomine Risei drew attention to the Master’s earlier words, “Options are we forgetting, Matou Kariya?”

Laying a firm hand on the table, the man spoke as sternly as he could, “Killing him is just going to end up with the same problem as before, and I doubt anyone wants to deal with something like that monster in the middle of the city or some place where we can’t contain the deaths.”

“Instead of trying to find out how to kill him, we should focus on how to contain him. No one, probably not even Shielder, wants that monster around. So, if we find out how we can contain or imprison him, not only do we get him out of the war, we may well get rid of him for the rest of our lives.”

There was a little moment of consideration for his words, but it was short lived. Everyone’s views on the Matou Family were already low, the idea of taking seriously a whelp who had detached himself from the family was, inwardly, laughable.

“Unfortunately,” Kiritsugu suddenly interrupted, leaning on the table and directing attention to him, “Arc isn’t the only problem we’ll be dealing with.”

There were worried looks and deep breaths after he spoke, everyone likely soaking in the new problem as well as they could after eveything in last twenty-four hours, before Tohsaka Tokiomi turned to him with a question, “What do you speak of?”

Bringing out a yellow folder from his coat, he set it down on the table and slid it across. As the Overseer opened it and layed out the photos inside, Kiritsugu explained, “After the battle with Jaune Arc was finished, Lady Irisviel had the Counter Guardians that stayed in the locale to scout for other dangers. They brought evidence of a second battle occurring simultenously with the battle against Arc.”

“Since we weren’t aware this meeting would be remotely attended by The Twelve Lords and His Holiness, we only brought physical evidence and cannot show it to others at the moment.” He directed to the listeners, “I apologize.”

And for the first time in years, Tokiomi allowed his composure to slip in public, “… What in the hell?”

The images they were seeing were almost unbelievable, the only reason they did not devolve into a shouting mob decrying forgery was the aftermath of the Dragon’s fight was visible for anyone who bothered to look for it.

On the other side of the forest where the Dragon had rampaged, everything had been equally upturned. Mountains felled and somehow new ones rose sharply from the earth, as if they were gigantic lances created to stab at some unknown threat in the sky. Countless craters, some as big as a house and the largest so monstrously deep it looked like Japan had suffered the same fate as Tunguska.

“Such destruction…” Kayneth shook as he stared at two of the various pictures of the largest crater, flitting between an aerial shot and one with Maiya standing inside it, barely visible by the camera. “And you say this wasn’t the battle with Arc’s transformations?”

Kiritsugu nodded to the Lord. “Whoever were the combatants, they were capable of destruction the likes of which only Arc managed to The Kaleidoscope on his own may be overwhelmed…”

Despite muttering the last part, the magi still managed to catch his words. The temperature in the room dropped as every mage in the room glared at him, with one of the Lords speaking through the radio, “Are you implying that one of the only living users of True Magic is incapable of dealing with whatever is responsible for this?”

“No.” The Mage Killer answered as quickly as he could. Magi were proud little things, and hearing someone doubt or insult the True Magics they all desperately chased all their lives was going to set them off, so he needed to be careful. “But I do think that we don’t have the manpower, even with reinforcements, to deal with this many problems at the same time. With the usual rotten luck we’ve been having already, the moment we’re close to dealing with one issue will be the moment the second decides to hit us from the back.”

Lord Marisbury clenched his hands tightly, muttering, “From the way things seem to be going, we have little choice but to ask Atlas or the Wandering Sea for aid.”

“As such,” Irisviel continued for her husband before anyone could make more questions, “I suggest putting the inevitable hunt for Shielder on hold, until the arrival of any reinforcements sent by both the represented and aforementioned organizations and their aid in surpassing whatever obstacle these unknowns may be.”

“This is so much being thrown in our faces in so little time.” Lord McDonell Trambelio muttered as he massaged his temples. “If we mobilize most of our operational staff to Fuyuki in such little time, we’ll be leaving ourselves open for Dead Apostles and bad actors in the Moonlit World alike, and opportunities like this are the type they love the most.”

The others similarly grumbled, tense and afraid at the sheer seriousness of the threats presenting themselves. As the (self-proclaimed)official leaders of most of the Moonlit World, they were all used to heavy workloads and stress the likes of which would make a depressed japanese salaryman reconsider the good things in his life. But even they had a limit to the amount of shit going downhill that they could deal with.

Sensing the wary atmosphere, the Holy Man in the Vatican was quick to speak, “This meeting was always a preliminary meeting in the first place. At the first mention of a Phantasmal from the edge of the Age of Gods, we all knew that our usual ways of handling these affairs would be futile. In future meetings, hopefully physical ones, we shall be more capable of creating a countermeasure for this Jaune Arc.”

“As of now, it is best if we all leave such discussions for the future.” The declaration left no room for discordance. “With tempers frayed and minds tired and shocked, there will be nothing productive to come out of this. Are all in agreement?”

They all voiced their accordance, leaving the Holy Man to nod. “Very well. Kotomine Risei and Tohsaka Tokiomi.” The two old allies tensed at being called. “As the Overseer of the Holy Grail War and as the Second Owner of Fuyuki City, the two of you will be in charge of returning any findings and relevant information to us, in order to help us have a better grasp of the situation.”

““Yes, Your Holiness.””

Pope John Paul II nodded as he sat back in mild relief. “May God’s light guide us in these tumultuous times. Amem.”

With the meeting as good as over, all the Masters and Servants left the Church’s interior, still nervous around each other, but knowing there were bigger things to worry about. There were suspicious looks when Matou Kariya walked past the Einzbern group, and the more combat-capable of them glared warily at him even as he left by the Church’s gate. Of Zouken, none had noticed when he left, only the squirming of a few bugs on the ground where he was last seen.

“White,” Kiritsugu called out as his group walked on the gravel path of the Church, speaking curtly, “Of the meeting?”

“All ten, including Archer, are compromised.”

Damn it. A wave of nervousness crashed on the group. After White had revealed the fact all of them(except Lancer for some reason) had memories that were being locked away with magecraft, and that even he couldn’t break those locks, Kiritsugu had formed a worrying theory, and one that had been put to the test the moment all the Masters had gathered.

It wasn’t just them that had Memoria Coffins, as White reffered to them as; in fact, everyone, including the Servants on the meeting, had one, just as strong as their own. Which meant that whoever was behind this was powerful enough to affect every member of the Holy Grail War at the same time, and go completely unnoticed.

But who? Scratch that, what could do that? A Divine Spirit? Some kind of Fey? And what kind of reason could they have to do it? Who else was compromised?

Was the Grail compromised?

He was ripped from his musings when Lancer suddenly stopped moving, almost making him crash against her back. He stopped himself, before glancing around and seeing that the others had suddenly become tense, and Iri stepped back in naked fear. And, when he looked ahead of them, the reason became obvious.

Standing in the way to the gate, his dark vest missing and leaving him in a tight fitting black shirt, stood Kotomine Kirei. His eyes were sunken and heavy, but despite how tired he obviously was he still lifted his head to speak, “Emiya Kiritsugu.”

“I bring no weapons with me. I do not aim to harm you or yours.” He extended his hands to the side and subtly flexed his muscles. The tightness of his outfit showed that there was little space for hidden weapons on his person, but that did little to calm them. The Church was well-known for being good at hiding their tools, and Kotomine was no slouch when it came to martial arts.

Letting his arms fall to his side, the Executor exhaustedly stated, “I would only like to speak with you.”

Kiritsugu did his best to contain the immediate reply of whipping out a gun and shooting the priest in the head. It wasn’t usual that he had to stop himself from killing a threat, but with so many people here, and their tentative alliance, any type of violence was a bad idea.

The chance was a taken from his hands when Maiya stepped in front of him, not for the first time in their lives making a move to protect him. “Everything that needed to be discussed already has been. There’s nothing to say to you.”

But that did little to satisfy the priest. Lifting his eyes to speak with the Demi-Servant, Kirei explained himself, “I only have a question that I need answered. After that, I promise to not bother you again for the foreseeable future.”

Lancer glared at the man. It was the first time she had interacted with him but Maiya had told her just what the priest had done to Irisviel and her. Simply put, she did not like the man. “Foreseeable future? Why not never?”

“It is likely that, after this bussiness with Jaune Arc has been concluded, and that no other ill actions are being taken during the Holy Grail War, that the Mage’s Association and the Holy Church will allow the continuance of the Heaven’s Feel ritual. So I’ll likely have to face you again.”

Kiritsugu frowned harder. Logical response. Doesn’t change the fact I’ld rather die than be alone with you. That was a thought. Arc had already fought Kotomine before and won, according to Iri and Maiya, and everyone knew their hunt was going to end in violence no matter what. It would be useful to have Arc kill Kotomine during it.

“Fine. We’ll talk with you.” White suddenly declared, confusing the others. It wasn’t just how forward he was being, but the person he was talking to, who he knew was obssesed with one of them, to say the least. “But Majin is going to be next to you the whole time. There’s little reason to trust you.”

“Thank you.” Was the priest’s only response before he turned and walked to the couple of small trees that surrounded the church’s grounds, standing underneath it’s canopy

Kiritsugu growled and roughly grabbed White’s robe, pulling the man closer while angrily demanding, “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?”

“I just checked his memories.” The Alter Ego responded, his serious eyes gazing at the Executor with a calculating stare, as if perplexed by what he had seen, “It’s best if you speak with that guy.”

Kiritsugu raised a brow at those words, confused to the core. He knew White had seen his own memories, the Extra Class Servant should know that being in Kotomine Kirei’s presence was the last thing he wanted. But…

Kotomine had a reason for seeking him, one important enough for him to seek him out while every other Master kept to themselves. While his fear told him to ignore it and keep his distance, his pragmatic nature reminded him that this could be a perfect opportunity to find out what Kotomine wanted and get it over with.

Waving his hand forward, the Mage Killer called out, “Majin, with me. Lancer, White, stay with Iri. If I hear that anything happened to her…”

Silver eyes met with hollow black. “Save your glower for someone who cares.”

Huffing, Kiritsugu and Maiya walked off towards the tree the priest had stopped at.

“That was unusual for you.”

White let out a dry chuckle, only smiling at hard stare he was getting from Irisviel. “I’ll admit that I don’t really gel with Kiritsugu’s personality. He tends to irritate me, but I mostly just allow that irritation to wash over me.”

While Irisviel might have let it escape her, Artoria’s sense were sharp enough to catch the last whispers in the wind, “It’s been so long since I properly felt emotions, after all.”

Her green eyes narrowed, only for her question to be caught in her throat as someone called out to them.

“Uhm, excuse me?” An uncertain voice came from behind the trio, though Artoria noted the near inexistent hardness beneath the fear. Turning around, they came face to face with a black haired boy, awkwardly waving at them from a few meters away.

“You are…” Artoria racked her brain for a moment before remembering who it was, “Rider’s Master? For what reason do you come here?”

Instead of answering directly, the young mage took something out of his pocket and handed it over to the King of Knights, only then explaining, “Rider wanted to give this to you. It’s an invitation.”

“To what, exactly?”

“Rider wants to have a meeting with only a few of the other Servants,” He said, puffing his chest in a clear attempt to steel his nerves. It didn’t work well, but Artoria would give an A for the effort, as the kids say, “It will be held in a restaurant that got really popular recently.”

Jaune’s restaurant. It was the only place she could think of. Did Rider already figure it out? Was this his way of casting doubt on her? Clutching the card in her hands, Artoria closed her eyes as she shot back at her fellow monarch’s trick, “Whatever Rider has to say can be said in the next meeting. He best remember the situation we are currently facing-”

“The meeting is about the Knight of Compassion.” Artoria’s teeth clicked as her mouth suddenly shut. Sharp green eyes turned to the boy, and she must have looked truly intimidating, because he stepped back immediately. Even White felt it, grabbing onto her arm and obviously ready to restrain her.

Though, it seemed the young mage was growing his own backbone, because he swallowed his fear before promptly turning around and leaving, only histerically shouting his last message; “It would be cool to have you there, messagereceivedkaybye!”

“About the Knight of Compassion?” Irisviel tilted her head as she processed the information. The look on her face made it “Why would Rider want to talk about him at this point?”

“Maybe trying to get a better grasp on your mental state.” White speculated, a much more cynical idea than anything either woman would have expected from him. “Anything to get an edge on your opponents.”

Artoria interrupted, clarifying it for the two; “It’s a test.”

“A test of my conviction, and a challenge to my choice.” Her eyes focused on the card on her hand, the image of a white castle and the name “Beacon” proudly emblazoned in it. Putting it in her breast pocket, she said, “And I shall attend it.”

Irisviel jumped at the sudden declaration, even as White only nodded, having already expected it. “Why? Even with the treaty, it could be a trap. You shouldn’t risk yourself like that.”

“Rider wouldn’t do that. It is not his way of kingship. But most of all…”

Green eyes stared at the cloudless sky, the full moon making her heart wilt in ways it had never done before. “Is that I need to find out what choice I’ll make.”

The red eyes that marked the divinity of Uruk’s legends gazed at the King of Knights before looking over the brightly lit city of modern weaklings. Where at any other time he would have confidently made his proclamations during the meeting, now his hand was stayed by curiosity, interest, and the need to know who was the one hiding in the shadows of this farce.

A banquet, however, would provide a chance. A chance for answers and to punish his challenger.

The moment his decision was made, his body was already turning incorporeal, silently following the interesting faker of Macedon.

With his mind clouded, it made some sense even his impecable vision did not see the two blonde women floating in the air far above the church, waiting for the Masters and Servants to leave.

The Hollow and the Saintess did not have to wait long.

Rin grumbled angrily as she kicked a can in front of her.

She had spent at least two hours searching all over with the help of father’s Mystic Code, but the thing just refused to work properly. She would walk a few hundred meters while following the compass beore the neddle would move in another direction. She had once spent fifteen minutes running circles in a city block because the pointer kept spinning every time she turned a corner.

It didn’t help that it was so friggin’ cold too! She was using her fluffy coat and boots, but even then she constantly rubbing her arms to get some heat in. It should not be this cold during Fall, even if it was Fall!

Once more blowing hot air on her gloves, Rin pulled out the compass one more time. It had been pointing to a single for the past ten minutes, and Rin thanked the Root for that miracle, which meant she had an actual objective now. It had guided her to this area, but she felt little fear at whatever dangers she might face.

So long as the compass didn’t freak out, she would be fine. Father said so.

Before long, she was leaning out of an alley and looking both ways to check for people. When no one jumped out in the chilly night, Rin leaned back with a sigh, before looking down at the compass. It was now fiercely pointing to a building on the other side of the street. She moved a little to make sure it wasn’t playing any more tricks on her, but this time, it seemed like it would work.

She smiled at that. With this, she would find the enemy, save Kotone, and help her dad! Another step on the way to become a real magus worth her bloodline!

But it looked like fate wasn’t on the little Junior Detective’s side.

Rin yelped when the compass went crazy, the neddle spinning faster and faster while the Mystic Code itself began jumping in the air and smacking back on her chest. It hit her so much it was actually starting to hurt a little, and she was sure it would bruise.

When the neddle snapped and pointed up, Rin felt fear creep up on her as she remembered father’s warning about this exact problem. Anything that causes a reaction like this is above your abilities, so be careful.

Panicked and trembling, Rin looked up to the low rooftops around her, before her mouth fell open in shock at the things that jumped down from them.

Gaunt faces with haunted looks and taunt gray skin, yellow eyes that glowed with evil. Their bodies were just as ugly, and covered by thin purple coats and hoods and leather stripes. But what really terrified Rin were the scythes each one of them carried.

The three entities of 1^st Hell: Pride stared at the small child before them with glee. Even in this unfamiliar world, they could feel the power this infant held.

Rin could barely think as the monsters approached. Images, memories of her studies flashed before her eyes, but there was nothing in her studies that told her what she should do in this situation.

So she did the only thing she could.

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”

Ignoring the young girl’s terrified scream, the Pride raised it’s scythe, the blade gleaming with the moonlight before it was violently brought down on her hea-.

Only for the demon to explode in a shower of dust as it was struck in the head with a powerful blow.

A garbage bin rolled away as the demon’s failing body hit it full force. It’s kin looked at it almost dumbfounded, confused at how a little baby had managed to punt their brother so easily. But, when they looked back, it only served to deal them a similar fate.

One, half a second faster than the other, managed to protect itself from the rapid icicles thrown their way, but the other had it’s legs pierced, throwing it down only for the floor to rise into a spike and meet it’s face halfway, piercing the monster’s head.

Rin took her eyes away from the magecraft being used right in front of her, her mind somehow already winding down from the panic she had been feeling earlier. Almost as if the presence of this person was calming her a little.

The person, a man she noticed, turned to her as the creature’s body finally disappeared. Long white hair sporting streaks of yellow in it, tied into two braids that reached his back. Dark skin around green eyes and hidden under a blue suit covered by white metal armor that covered his torso and right arm, with strange scribles that she had never seen before but knew were cast with really strong magecraft, because even she could feel the power emanating from them.

But what drew the most attention was what his left hand was holding onto.

A shield bigger than even his whole body and then some, made up of a circular plate that could cover his upper body and engraved with two crescent moons of different sizes opposite each other, the smaller one’s tips beneath the bigger one’s own, with the symbol of a crown inside the empty space inside the moons. Slotted in the circular portion was a long cross with an open slit in the middle, pointed ends and sides, as if an iron pipe had been melted and forged into a pair of long, triangular blades.

“Had it not been for my being in patrol, you would have surely died. You are lucky, young madam,” Rin jumped as he spoke, blinking in surprise as her body relaxed so fast she almost fell to the ground. His voice was so soft, so gentle and warm, and yet, with a stern foundation almost like a doctor or a teacher with ancient wisdom, that she ended up nodding to herself. She was lucky, wasn’t she?

“For now, allow me to cease the lives of these creatures.”

Before she could ask who he was, he lowered himself and pointed the shield forwards, two red handles slipping out between his right hand’s fingers. With a burst of speed, he was already stabbing his weapon at the demon. For as much as the beast managed to block the strike, the sheer strength behind it fractured it’s boney arms.

With a twist of the wrist, the scythe’s haft was caught by the slitted cross before being thrown to the side and slamming into a wall. The demon didn’t even have the time to yell in fright as his head was pierced by the Black Keys the young man had brought out. In an instant, the unholy abomination was consumed by blue flames, the dying corpse now ignored by the young man as turned back to the frightened child.

“A good evening, young madam,” He looked down at her with a handsome smile, green eyes that were both sharp and gentle as they stared straight at her own, “But I really feel that someone so young should be at home instead.”

Kneeling before the silent and frightened girl, the white-haired youth tilted his head to the side and gently asked her, “For what reason are you out here?”

Rin fidgeted in the spot. She wasn’t supposed to trust random strangers, but she didn’t want to be mean after he had saved her life. And he did use those Key things that Kirei explained once, and the Church were father’s friends, right? And also…

She looked at the easy smile on his face and the sensation of calm that he seemed to radiate and decided that there was nothing wrong with trusting someone that innocent-looking.

While looking away in embarrassement, Rin mumbled her answer, “I… I wanted to find my friend. She’s one of the missing children…”

“…” The strong man blinked at her answer, tilting his head almost as if he was confused. He stared at her for the longest time, sometimes frowning like he didn’t believe what she had just said, before he finally shook his head, and smiled brightly.

And dear god did his smile shine hard enough to hurt. Rin felt she would go blind if she didn’t look away(for as much as she never did).

“What a honourable spirit!” Thumping a gauntlet to his chest hard enough for it to clang really loudly, the man laughed so happily that Rin almost smiled herself. “I commend your valourous spirit, as well as your concern of your friend! Such traits speak well of both your character and the person you’ll become in time.”

“Most certainly,” Laying a hand on her shoulder, those green eyes that looked like the prettiest jewels her father had shown her stared directly into her own, the warm smile lighting her spirit up, “You’ll be a great woman who will change the future.”

This time, Rin didn’t stop her proud smile. He was right, she was going to become great one day; the bestest magus around!

“But,” The man raised his hand and tapped a finger to her temple, and right after, Rin was struck by a tiredness she hadn’t felt earlier, “The future shall have to await it’s time. For now, you should have…”

He quickly caught her before she fell, a wide smile as he looked upon this generation’s genius, “Sweet dreams of that ideal future.”

Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, constantly rubbing against it as they clammed up with sweat. She had already nearly crashed once or twice, but fear and adrenaline kept her sharp enough for her to avoid hitting.

Tohsaka Aoi felt her heart leaping out of her throat.

Oh, why, just why couldn’t Rin have just left this alone!? She was a child, a harmless child, just what did she think she could even do against a Master or, gods forbid, a Servant!?

The light switched to red. Aoi cursed, slamming on the brakes and nearly totalling her car. She had been driving too fast, she knew that, but it wasn’t fast enough.

She had already lost one daughter to this blasted Moonlit World, she wasn’t going to lose another!

So panicked that she was, it took Aoi a moment to notice the sound coming from her car. It was like a constant tapping. She shrugged it off and refocused on the streetlight which still hadn’t turned green, writing the tapping off as likely someone wanting her to pay for her reckless driving.

But the tapping just got more aggressive.

Her hands tightened on the wheel, and she almost snarled in anger before pushing it down. Couldn’t they see that she was in a horrible situation?

After a particularly strong tap, she looked to the left.

And came face to face with a bird. A big bird. It was almost as tall as her window, though the translucent and curved tail and the head looked to be some kind of mixture between a peacock and a hawk. With blue feathers that shimmered in the headlights of the car behind her, it looked incredibly majestic.

But it was when her eyes met the red ones of the phantasmal that her mind was immediately assaulted with information. It was so sudden she reared back and gasped in pain, gripping her head tightly as her brain tried to work it out. But when she was stable enough, she gasped in both panic and relief.

A memory, transplanted directly into her mind, of Rin sleeping in a park bench with someone by their side.

Aoi turned to the familiar, seeing it nod before it pushed off her car and flew off. As the light turned green, she steeped on the pedal and swerved, one eye on the road and the other locked on the bird that knew where he daughter was.

It was barely ten minutes later that the familiar dived into the trees of a nearby park, Aoi quickly pulled over and accidentally hit the curb. Ignoring the fact that she had driven the car over the sidewalk, Aoi opened the door hastily and made her way to the wooden bench-

And let out a gasp as relief overwhelmed her, a smile appearing on her face for the first time tonight as she approached her peacefully sleeping daughter. Kneeling down before her girl, Aoi brushed her hand against Rin’s hair, all the while confirming to herself that Rin was safe, that Rin was here.

“It’s good that you came so soon.” Someone spoke from behind, and Aoi spun in place to look at them even as she held tightly to her daughter. Though, she soon relaxed when seeing the young man standing before her in a suit of medieval armor, even if she couldn’t explain why. “I didn’t have anything to cover her with.”

For some reason, he bowed to her. “First, I believe I should apologize for using magecraft on you daughter. I thought of bringing her to the police, but with the natural seclusion most mages put themselves through, I didn’t know whether they would be able to contact you.”

Aoi stared at the overly polite young man, a little unnerved by the display. The way he spoke felt far too polite, like someone forcing themselves to put it up. But, she felt it would be better to answer it with courtesy of her own. “No, there’s no need to apologize. Had it not been for you, I would have been looking for her all night.”

He looked back at her for a moment, that languid gaze contrasting with his cheerfull smile before he nodded his head and spoke, “Very well. Then, I shall diligently accept your gratitude, madam.”

“The night is cold, however.” His head turned to the side, and she could swear a frown flashed across his face for half a second before he was smiling again. Even then, his eyes stayed on her. “It is best if you and your daughter go now. There’s no point in risking either of you catching a fever.”

“Thank you.” Aoi quickly scooped Rin up into her arms, almost darting in the direction of her car. But she slowed down and looked at the young man whom stood with an eyebrow raised. Whether it was the decorum of a Tohsaka or just genuine gratitude from a mother, Aoi didn’t stop herself from asking, “Could I have your name?”

The young man smiled almost knowingly at that, but he had no frustration to what some could say as a game played at a bad time. With a knight’s bow, he meerily presented himself, “I am Ruler.”

Ruler. Not a real name, and with the events happening right now… She was even more grateful that Rin had found such a generous person, and that their Master didn’t think to use Rin against Tokiomi. With a grateful smile and nod, Aoi walked to her car, lightly rubbing her child’s head on the way. “Come on Rin. Let’s go home.”

The young Tohsaka wiggled in her mother’s arms, sleepily mumbling, “Ruler…”

Ruler watched as the mother put her daughter in the backseat of the car, taking off the white veil she had worn and using it as a cover for her child. It was thin and small so it wasn’t the best at the job, but it would do until they reached their home. Soon after, Tohsaka Aoi climbed into the driver’s seat and the car pulled away.

His smile died out after they left his field of vision. Metal boots clicking on the ground, Ruler approached the bench the little girl had been taken from and sat down on it, instinctually petting Mother’s familiar with one hand when it hopped on the bench with him.

“A Ruler, huh?” A voice, young and snarky and filled with the smug arrogance that Ruler knew hid the true danger, came from the darkness behind the lamppost he had just vacated. “Not the first time I’ve seen one of your kind.”

“Though,” With a careful steps out of the cover of magecraft-produced shadows, the blonde man in the yellow raincoat revealed himself, eyes closed and smile wide as he jokingly bowed, “I’ll admit it’s the first that I met one as magnanimous as you, Sir Knight.”

Ruler gazed at the man passively, not a single aggressive motion taken by the knight. There was little truly threatening about the man’s colorful appearance, but appearances could and had been deceiving. With caution, he spoke out loud, “I take it that you are the mastermind behind the violations imposed on the Holy Grail War.”

The blonde rose before leaning back, humming as if in thought. Soon after, he shrugged and said, “I wouldn’t call them violations… But maybe that’s because I’m no mastermind.”

“Just like everyone else in this city,” His arms spread wide as he freely danced in the streetlamp’s light, gaze lifting to the moonlit sky as he cheerfully shouted for the world to hear, “I am but a pawn at the violent game played between beings far above my understanding! I have my tasks, my unending mission! My desires are none and irrelevant, for to the ones truly running this horrid show, my life…”

Suddenly bringing his attention back to Ruler, the man snapped his fingers and pointed to the Spirit of Arbitration with finger guns, finishing his short monologue with a single statement; “Is forfeit.”

Ruler’s eyes glanced to the side. Nothing happened, and again so when he looked to the other. Huh. That had felt like a signal, a teatric entrance to their inevitable conflict.

Either this man truly is as dramatic as he makes himself to be, or he is attempting to play mindgames with me. A waste of time. Few were the Servant that did not have the mental strength to push through such tricks, especially those of the Ruler Class.

And there was a lie in those words.

“No.” Ruler suddenly said, startling the blonde man, who leaned back in confusion. Such confusion died the moment Ruler’s shining eyes rose. With magical energy radiating from his false body, the knight declared the truth he had seen; “You are the mastermind.”

The blonde man took his hands out of his pockets, blue eyes sharpening as he, for the second time in fifty years, decided to seriously consider the situation before and prepare for battle. But such would be…

“I had thought of letting you go free tonight.” He suddenly said, snapping Ruler out of focus. “You see, I’m very fond of those two you just let go earlier. Rin is as adorable as kids come, and Aoi is a good host and solicitor to those who come with bussiness to her house. Letting someone who knows as much as you do go, though, would be a bad idea.”

“But I don’t have to interfere.” Ruler reared back at that, tensing as the man smiled again, like a cat with a canary in it’s claws. The blonde turned around and walked back to the darkness, waving as he slowly faded out of view, “… Because you don’t believe a single word that was revealed to you.”

“I’ll see you around,” Rainbow eyes met the ice-blue of Ruler’s own as the blonde turned his head, mirth no longer in them, only disgust at the creature before him. As his body dissapeared in the dark , Votos Ladre left with one final insult; “Homunculus.”

There was only silence after his departure.

Until…

BAM!

With his fist buried in the pillar beside him and his muscles tensed like a coiled spring, Ruler quietly seethed in his rage.

Listless black eyes stared down at the arrogant piece of rock and water. They closed as the one who bore them began contemplating the path forward.

The apprentice who had bested the first vampire and the corpse seeking an ending to her torment. Easily killable at the end of the day.

But much too wasteful. It would add days to his imprisonment.

One limb of pure light rose into the air, near formless if not for the deliberate efforts to mimick a human arm. Eyelids opened to reveal five pupils in each eye, with only the four that settled at the corners of the globes even mildly resembling those of humans.

And so, The God spoke.

“Location: Island Nation of Nippon. Overwrite Human History Foundation of current Texture: Transition from ‘Proper Human History’ to ‘Lostbelt.’”

The red eyes of the princess looked up in response, acknowledging what was demanded asked.

And so, The World responded.

“Raising Storm Wall.”