Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hi everyone.

I hope you all are doing well, this is my first attempt at a Fate/Stay night story so I hope you all love it.

Just a few things for you all to know before you start reading. This story diverges away from canon by alot, and not just in how the fifth holy grail war would occur.

There is also going to be changes or modifications in past events such as the fourth grail war.

The changes will be explained in time, but you could for example see other characters who are supposed to be dead, being alive instead. And to also make the story more interesting, we have much more than seven masters and seven servants.

We have instead, twelve masters and twelve servants for this holy grail war.

As I mentioned, we'll really divert away from canon. So if you're a canon fanatic, this story is not for you.

I've said everything that needs to be said.

So give it a read and I hope you all like it.

Start:

The rice was getting cold, but Shirou didn't mind. Sakura had been thoughtful enough to pack extra onigiri for him at school, and he wasn't about to waste food from a friend. He sat cross-legged in his father's abandoned study, flipping through Kiritsugu's old journals as he ate.

The Emiya estate was too large for one person - most rooms remained unused, gathering dust. But this room, with its lingering scent of cigarettes and old paper, made Shirou feel closer to the man who had saved him.

"Stay away from the Tohsakas," Kiritsugu had told him once, voice raspy in his final months. "You'll recognize them by their crest - they always wear it prominently, usually as jewelry. Red gems are a dead giveaway."

Shirou turned another page in the journal, finding a partially blurred magic circle. Kiritsugu had deliberately smudged it, but the basic pattern remained visible.

"If you see anything resembling this pattern, walk away. Don't touch it, don't step on it, don't even stare at it too long."

The warnings came frequently in those last days. Avoid the church. Stay clear of the Einzbern estate with its imposing gate on the outskirts of town. Never tell anyone from the church that Kiritsugu was his father - use another name if asked.

"You weren't trained as a magus, understand? Not officially. It's illegal without Association approval, and they'd kill you for it."

But Kiritsugu had taught him a few things. Simple spells - "just enough to protect yourself," he'd said. Shirou's favorite was Reinforcement, what he privately called Hardening, using his Magic Circuits to strengthen and repair objects. It had practical applications, like fixing the ancient water heater or reinforcing a broom handle that was about to snap.

Shirou set aside his half-eaten onigiri and studied the smudged circle in the journal. Today marked the beginning of the week Kiritsugu had warned him about - the Holy Grail War. According to his father, it happened every sixty years, but the last one had come early, and he feared this one might too.

If I knew exactly what these circles looked like, I could avoid them better, Shirou reasoned. The smallest change in a magic circle can completely alter its effect. That's what Dad always said.

A familiar determination rose in Shirou's chest. He'd been saving money from his part-time jobs, working toward Kiritsugu's last wish: that Shirou leave Fuyuki as soon as possible after high school, to escape the shadow of his father's past.

I just need to understand what to avoid for one more week. Then I can go back to my normal life.

Shirou placed his hand over the smudged circle in the book and closed his eyes. He visualized his Magic Circuits activating, a warm current flowing through his veins. He'd never tried using Reinforcement on ink before, but the principle should be the same - restore what was damaged to its original state.

"Trace on," he whispered, feeling the familiar heat flush through his body.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the dried ink on the page began to shift. It was as though the smudged marks were condensing, droplets of moisture gathering on the page, reforming the pattern Kiritsugu had tried to erase.

Shirou stared in fascination as a perfect magic circle took shape on the page. The complex pattern of lines and symbols seemed to pulse with a subtle energy.

I did it!

His moment of triumph was short-lived. As his finger traced the now-restored pattern, a papercut opened on his fingertip. A single drop of blood fell onto the page.

The effect was instantaneous.

The circle erupted with crimson light, shooting forth like liquid fire from the page. The journal shook violently, then tore itself from Shirou's hands as the circle somehow projected itself onto the floor, expanding to fill the room. The wooden floorboards creaked and seemed to warp as the circle carved itself into them, burning with an inner radiance that cast everything in blood-red shadows.

"No, no, no," Shirou scrambled backward, but the light followed him, engulfing the entire study in its crimson glow.

The air became thick and electric. Papers fluttered up from the desk, suspended in mid-air. The furniture trembled. A clock on the wall stopped ticking as time itself seemed to hold its breath.

Shirou felt a pulling sensation in his chest - not painful at first, but intensifying rapidly. It was as though something ancient and dormant within him had awakened and was now being drawn out through invisible threads. His right hand burned, lines etching themselves into his skin like brands of fire.

The pain crescendoed, and Shirou cried out, falling to his knees. For one terrible moment, he thought his heart might burst from his chest -

And then, a change.

The crimson light was joined by a brilliant blue radiance that seemed to wash over the red like the tide coming in. The circle's fury abated, its burning lines cooling from red to gold. The air, so chaotic a moment before, became perfectly still. The silence was absolute.

At the center of the circle, particles of blue light began to coalesce, twisting and gathering like stars forming a new universe. They spun faster, tighter, taking shape - forming first a silhouette, then distinct features.

Shirou watched, transfixed, as a woman materialized before him.

She appeared first as pure light, then solidified into reality as though stepping through a veil between worlds. Dressed in blue and silver armor of ancient design, she stood with a dignity that transformed the humble study into a throne room. Her blonde hair, captured in a perfect bun, caught the golden light of the circle. Her face was young yet timeless, beautiful but stern - the face of someone who had witnessed centuries and commanded armies.

Most striking were her eyes - emerald green and clear as mountain lakes, filled with a resolve that seemed capable of moving continents. In her right hand, she held something invisible, but Shirou could feel its presence - a sword of immense power, cloaked from sight but undeniably there.

The summoning circle beneath her feet pulsed once more, then faded slowly into the floorboards, leaving only a faint trace of its pattern. The air returned to normal, yet remained charged with her presence.

For a moment, neither spoke. Shirou remained on his knees, speechless before the apparition he had unwittingly called forth. The woman surveyed the room, her gaze finally settling on him with an intensity that made his breath catch.

Then she spoke, her voice carrying the nobility of distant kingdoms and the weight of a thousand battles.

"I ask of you," she said, each word precise and resonant in the stillness of the room, "are you my Master?"

Shirou stared at her, his mouth dry. This wasn't supposed to happen. This was exactly what his father had warned him against.

"I... I didn't mean to summon you," he managed, rising unsteadily to his feet. "This was an accident. I was just trying to see what the circle looked like so I could avoid it."

The woman's brow furrowed slightly, her posture remaining regal but her eyes betraying confusion.

"An accident? That's not possible. The summoning ritual requires intent and preparation." She studied him carefully. "You bear the Command Seals on your hand. The contract has been formed."

Shirou looked down at his right hand and saw strange red markings etched into his skin, like stylized tattoos he never asked for.

"I don't want this," he said, his voice growing more confident. "I don't want to be part of any Holy Grail War. My father specifically warned me to stay away from all of this."

"Your father?" Something flickered in her eyes - recognition perhaps. "He knew of the Grail War?"

Shirou nodded. "He told me to avoid it at all costs. To stay away from the church, from the Einzberns, from the Tohsakas - from everything connected to it."

The armored woman seemed to consider this, her expression thoughtful. "It's unusual for someone to summon a Servant without intention. Who was your father?"

For a moment, Shirou hesitated. His father had warned him never to reveal their connection to anyone involved with the Grail War. But this woman - this Servant - was bound to him now, wasn't she? She was his only ally in a situation he never wanted.

"My name is Shirou Emiya," he said finally. "My father was Kiritsugu Emiya."

The woman's eyes widened in shock. "Kiritsugu Emiya?"

"You knew him?"

She opened her mouth to respond, a complex emotion crossing her face, but before she could speak another word, the ceiling seemed to tear open above them.

The fabric of reality split with a sound like shattering glass, revealing a swirling maelstrom of purple energy. Lightning crackled around its edges, and a powerful wind suddenly howled through the study, sending books and papers flying.

"What's happening?" Shirou shouted to the armored woman, as he felt his body becoming weightless, lifted toward the vortex.

She too was being drawn upward, her armor gleaming in the chaotic light. Their eyes met as they floated toward the swirling portal - hers now filled with confusion and, surprisingly, concern.

Through the pulsing vortex, Shirou glimpsed other figures - people of all ages, some in modern clothes, others in outlandish costumes or armor, all being pulled into the same dimensional rift - all seemingly coming from different locations, all converging in the same space that had just open in the sky.

The armored woman reached for him, her hand extended across the growing space between them.

"Take my hand!" she called, her voice somehow carrying over the roaring wind.

Shirou stretched his arm toward her, their fingertips almost touching -

Then darkness claimed him.

AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF TIME LATER…

Shirou's head throbbed as he forced his eyes open. He found himself lying on soft grass in a large clearing. The air felt wrong somehow - heavier, charged with an unfamiliar energy that made his skin prickle. He pushed himself up on his elbows and froze.

The sky above was not the night sky of Fuyuki. It glowed with a perpetual twilight, neither day nor night, and where there should have been a single moon, three lunar bodies hung suspended - one silver, one pale blue, and one with a disturbing reddish tint. Unknown stars twinkled in patterns that seemed to shift when he wasn't looking directly at them.

This isn't right. This isn't Fuyuki. Where am I?

"Shirou! You're awake."

He turned to see the woman in armor - Saber if he determined her class correctly - kneeling beside him, her green eyes filled with concern. Her blonde hair caught the strange light, and her hand rested on the hilt of her invisible sword.

"Saber... what happened? Where are we?"

"I don't know," she replied, not paying mind to what he called her, which only confirmed his hypothesis, helping him sit up. "I awakened only moments before you did."

Around them, the clearing buzzed with confusion and fear. Voices overlapped in a cacophony of questions and accusations.

"What is this place?" "How did we get here?" "Is this your doing?" "Stay back!"

Shirou's heart raced, but he forced himself to breathe steadily.

"When surrounded by mages, panic is death," Kiritsugu had drilled into him. "They can kill you in the blink of an eye if you lose focus."

As his vision cleared, Shirou realized they weren't alone. Scattered across the expansive clearing were other figures - some sitting up and looking around in confusion, others standing with weapons drawn. Their appearances varied wildly - modern clothes mixed with armor and bizarre outfits that looked like they belonged in different historical periods.

"These are Masters and Servants," Saber said quietly, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings. "We should be enemies, yet we've all been gathered here."

Masters work alone, Shirou recalled from his father's notes. They never gather in groups. This violates the basic principles of the War.

"We appear to have been transported somewhere... else," Saber continued. "Stay close to me."

Despite the danger, Shirou found Saber's presence oddly comforting - a fixed point in the chaos. He glanced down at the Command Seals on his hand, remembering another of Kiritsugu's lessons: "If you ever find yourself bound to a Servant, trust them with battle, but never with strategy."

Armed with this knowledge, Shirou surveyed the clearing around him. They seemed to be confined to a fixed area - as evidenced by the rainbow-colored wave that had just lined the area surrounding them when one of the Masters ordered their Servant to attack it. The barrier did not budge. Someone wanted us to be here, Shirou realized, which means someone wanted us to look at each other.

And so Shirou looked, trying to commit to memory the sight of the Masters around him. If Shirou could be completely honest, he couldn't memorize their appearances. This was the last thing Shirou wanted to be in. This was precisely the thing he was trying to avoid. Kiritsugu would want him to try, however, which meant Shirou still had to look at the other Masters with him.

Shirou spotted a girl around his age nearby, with long black hair tied in twin tails. She wore a red coat, and the jeweled pendant around her neck caught his attention.

That's a Tohsaka. Red gems on jewelry - Dad's warning. They're dangerous, old-blood mages who can kill with a gesture.

The Tohsaka girl was arguing with a tall, white-haired man in red and black clothing who stood with his arms crossed. Beyond them stood a small girl with silver-white hair that practically glowed in the twilight.

White hair... Einzbern. "Avoid them at all costs," Dad said. "They created the Grail system itself."

The tiny girl stood beside what could only be described as a mountain of muscle - a giant of a man with gray skin and wild eyes that gleamed with barely contained rage.

Berserker-class Servant, his mind supplied automatically from one of Kiritsugu's pages. The most dangerous in direct combat.

"Saber," Shirou whispered, keeping his voice steady despite his racing pulse, "what should we do?"

"For now, observe," she replied. "Don't draw attention."

As Shirou scanned the clearing, his eyes fell on a familiar figure that made his heart skip a beat.

"Sakura?" he breathed, disbelieving.

There, standing alone near the edge of the clearing, was Sakura Matou - the quiet girl who often came to his house to help with breakfast. Her violet hair and timid posture were unmistakable, even in this alien setting.

"You know that girl?" Saber asked sharply, her hand tightening on her sword hilt.

"She's my friend from school," Shirou replied, already moving toward her. "Sakura!"

Several heads turned at his call, eyes briefly assessing him before returning to their own concerns. Everyone was too preoccupied with the crisis to care about one boy calling out to a girl. But Shirou felt their momentary attention like a physical touch.

"In the presence of mages, assume you're being watched, assessed, and targeted," Kiritsugu's warning echoed in his mind.

Saber moved swiftly, positioning herself slightly ahead of Shirou as they approached Sakura. "Stay vigilant," she murmured. "This could be a trap."

"Saber, she's just - "

"In the Holy Grail War, there are no coincidences," Saber interrupted, her voice low but firm. "Only advantages and disadvantages."

Sakura spotted them approaching, her eyes widening. "Senpai? Is that you?"

She looked genuinely frightened, and for a moment Shirou forgot his father's warnings. This was Sakura - the girl who smiled shyly when he complimented her cooking, who never complained when he stayed late at school fixing equipment.

But what's she doing here? She has nothing to do with mages or the Grail War... does she?

The thought brought him up short. Another of Kiritsugu's lessons: "Magic is hidden in plain sight. That ordinary classmate might be from a bloodline older than Japan itself."

"Are you a Master, Sakura?" he asked directly, the words feeling strange in his mouth.

She blinked. "A what?"

"A Master," Saber repeated firmly. "Do you command a Servant in this War?"

Sakura shook her head, her confusion appearing genuine. "I don't know what you're talking about. I was walking home when everything went dark, and then... I woke up here." She looked around fearfully. "Senpai, what's happening?"

Saber didn't relax her guard. "She could be lying. Her Servant might be hiding, waiting to attack."

"Trust no one during the War," Kiritsugu had written. "Even the innocent-looking ones can be the most dangerous Masters."

Yet something in Shirou rebelled against this cold calculation. This was Sakura.

Before he could respond, he noticed a tall figure approaching them - a man in priestly robes with an imposing presence and cold, calculating eyes. Something about him sent a chill down Shirou's spine.

"If you see a priest during the War, walk the other way," Kiritsugu's warning flashed in his mind. "The Church only pretends to be neutral."

"Saber," Shirou muttered, nodding toward the newcomer.

Saber shifted her stance subtly, ready to defend against this new potential threat. The priest stopped a few paces away, surveying them with an unsettling smile.

The air around them seemed to crackle with tension. Despite the fear coursing through him, Shirou found himself standing straighter, his mind oddly clear. The training had always felt strange - paranoid, even - when his father drilled it into him. Now, in this impossible situation, it felt like the only thing keeping him grounded.

"Saber," he said quietly, "we should - "

His words died in his throat as a ripple of light appeared in the center of the clearing. The light coalesced into the translucent form of a child - a young boy with silvery hair and blank, pupilless eyes. The apparition hovered a few inches above the ground, its body occasionally flickering like a faulty projection.

The chaos of voices fell suddenly silent. The Masters and Servants stared at the phenomenon, weapons half-drawn, spells half-formed on fingertips. Even the wind seemed to still, as though the world itself held its breath.

As Shirou took in his surroundings, his eyes fell on a figure standing apart from the others - a man with golden hair wearing ornate golden armor. Unlike the other Servants who positioned themselves protectively near their Masters, this man stood alone at the edge of the clearing, leaning casually against a tree. Despite the growing tension, he appeared completely at ease, watching the proceedings with what looked like mild amusement.

"Saber," Shirou whispered, "who is that man in the golden armor? Is he a Servant too?"

Saber followed his gaze, and Shirou was surprised to see her expression change - first recognition, then confusion, as if remembering something that didn't quite make sense. Her brow furrowed, and she opened her mouth to respond.

Before she could speak, the tall priest in dark robes stepped forward, his movements measured and precise. "This," he said, his voice carrying across the clearing, "is an unexpected manifestation."

"Welcome, Masters and Servants of the Holy Grail War," the child spoke, its voice echoing unnaturally, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "I am the manifestation of the Grail vessel."

Shirou felt Saber tense beside him, the moment of recognition forgotten as she gripped her invisible sword. Her posture shifted almost imperceptibly into a defensive stance.

"What trickery is this?" called out a young boy with ash-blond hair, his voice unnaturally cold for his age. His eyes narrowed as he kept one hand protectively on the shoulder of the small, black-clad girl beside him. "The Grail is an object of power, not a speaking child."

The child-Grail's face remained expressionless. "Form is irrelevant. Function persists across manifestations."

The priest - Kotomine Kirei, Shirou remembered from his father's notes - smiled thinly. "What the Grail means," he explained, his tone that of a teacher addressing confused students, "is that while its appearance may change, its purpose remains the same. It has chosen this form to communicate with us more directly."

The child-Grail inclined its head slightly, as if acknowledging Kirei's interpretation.

The Grail can talk? Dad never mentioned that. Then again, there's a lot he didn't tell me.

"What place exactly is this?" demanded a stern-looking man with slicked-back hair, his aristocratic features twisted with indignation. "Where have you taken us?"

"Dimensional transfer complete. Boundary overlay at ninety-seven percent efficiency. Ritual parameters recalibrated," the child stated flatly, gesturing at the alien sky above.

Confused murmurs spread through the gathered Masters. Kirei raised his hand for silence.

"Translation: we have been transported to another dimension," Kirei explained smoothly. "A world similar to our own but with different laws of physics and magic. The Holy Grail War has been... relocated."

"That's absurd," the aristocratic man scoffed. "The Association would never permit such a fundamental alteration to the ritual."

"Parameters were modified by select thaumaturgical researchers," the child responded, its hollow eyes fixed on the man. "Authorization code: Sealing Designation Edict 791. User identification: Archibald."

The man paled visibly. "That's not possible. I never - "

"The Grail is saying," Kirei interrupted, "that members of your own family, Lord El-Melloi, were among those who approved this modification. The authorization was granted through proper channels, though perhaps without your knowledge."

Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald fell silent, his expression cycling through disbelief, anger, and finally, a calculating acceptance.

The black-haired Tohsaka girl stepped forward, her red coat billowing slightly though there was no wind. "How do we get back home?"

The child's form flickered momentarily, like a television with poor reception. "Return protocol established. Activation requires Greater Artifice designated 'Covenant Vessel.' Location undetermined."

Kirei clasped his hands behind his back. "It seems we must find an artifact known as the Ark of the Covenant to return home."

"The biblical Ark?" a young woman asked, adjusting her glasses. Her fingers trembled slightly on the frames.

"Religious designation recognized but inaccurate," the child replied. "Artifact predates Judaic mythology. Functions as dimensional anchor and energy reservoir."

"In simpler terms," Kirei elaborated, "this world contains an artifact similar to what our world knew as the Ark of the Covenant. It possesses the power to open pathways between dimensions. Find it, and we can use it to return home."

The Ark of the Covenant? Like from Indiana Jones? Shirou's mind struggled to process the impossibility of it all. Next to him, Sakura stood frozen, her eyes wide with incomprehension.

"And the Holy Grail War itself?" Kirei asked, his voice betraying no emotion. "Do the traditional rules apply?"

The child's expression remained blank. "Ritual parameters modified. Servant destruction now results in permanent Spirit Origin corruption. Throne record deletion imminent upon dissolution."

The temperature around the child seemed to drop several degrees. Servants exchanged alarmed glances. The massive gray-skinned Berserker let out a low growl that shook the ground.

"That's impossible," Saber whispered, her face ashen. For the first time since her summoning, Shirou saw genuine fear in her eyes.

Kirei's eyebrows raised slightly - the first real emotion he had displayed. "If I understand correctly, when a Servant dies in this realm, they face true extinction. They will be erased from the Throne of Heroes itself, never to be summoned again in any Holy Grail War."

"Correct," the child confirmed. "Emergency protocol established: Masterless Servants may form new contracts before Spirit Origin decay reaches critical levels."

"A small mercy," Kirei translated. "If a Master dies, their Servant can form a contract with another Master quickly enough to avoid dissolution. This appears to be a fail-safe to ensure enough Servants remain to complete the ritual."

Shirou didn't understand all the terminology, but the implications were clear enough. Next to him, Saber's hand had moved unconsciously to his arm, as if reassuring herself of his presence.

So Servants can change Masters if they need to survive... but if they die here, they're gone forever? And I barely know what a Servant even is.

The child's gaze swept across the gathered Masters and Servants, lingering momentarily on certain individuals - Kirei, the little white-haired girl, and, disturbingly, on Shirou himself. Its eyes seemed to peer into him, examining something beyond his physical form.

"Warning: indigenous entities drawn to magical energy signatures. Servant Spirit Origins represent prime consumption targets. Proceed with caution."

As if summoned by these words, distant howls echoed from the forest surrounding the clearing. The eerie sounds were unlike anything Shirou had heard before - not quite wolf, not quite human, but something horrifyingly between.

"It seems," Kirei said with unsettling calmness, "that this world has monsters that feed on magical energy. They will be particularly attracted to Servants, whose spiritual bodies are rich sources of power."

The cries multiplied, echoing from all directions, impossible to count.

The child's form began to fade, becoming little more than a shimmer in the air. "Locate Covenant Vessel. Complete ritual. Evacuation window: limited."

"Wait!" the Tohsaka girl called out, lunging forward. "You can't just - "

But the apparition had already vanished, leaving only a faint shimmer in the air where it had stood.

Kirei surveyed the assembled Masters and Servants, his face an unreadable mask. "I believe our instructions are clear. Find the Ark. Complete the War. Return home... if we survive."

The howls grew closer.

Shirou turned, trying to pinpoint where the sounds were coming from. The eerie cries seemed to echo from all directions at once, making it impossible to identify a single source. When he looked back to the center of the clearing where Kirei and the Grail child had stood moments before, he found only empty space.

"The priest is gone," he whispered to Saber, a chill running down his spine that had nothing to do with the evening air.

Around them, the other Masters and Servants had noticed too. A wave of unease spread through the gathering as they realized something had changed. The air felt different - thinner somehow, as if some protective veil had been lifted. The twilight sky seemed darker, the three moons casting long, distorted shadows across the clearing.

"The barrier," muttered the stern-looking man with golden-red hair. "It's down."

As if confirming his words, the howling suddenly intensified, no longer muffled by any protective field. The sounds were closer now, hungrier, filled with an alien intelligence that sent shivers down Shirou's spine. He could hear the distinct clicking of claws on stone, the wet sounds of slavering jaws, the rustle of something large moving through underbrush - and multiplied by dozens.

"Prepare yourselves!" someone shouted, a voice already tight with fear.

Saber moved in front of Shirou, her stance widening, her invisible sword held at the ready. All around the clearing, Servants positioned themselves similarly, creating a loose perimeter around their Masters. The white-haired girl with the mountain of muscle for a Servant looked almost excited, a disturbing smile playing at her lips.

"Berserker," she said simply, and the giant roared in response.

The tree line exploded with movement. Dark shapes burst from between the trees - creatures that only vaguely resembled wolves. They had too many limbs, their bodies covered in chitinous plates rather than fur. Their eyes glowed an unearthly blue, and multiple rows of teeth filled jaws that seemed to unhinge like snakes'. Some moved on four legs, others on six; some bounded forward while others scuttled sideways like crabs. The sight of them made Shirou's stomach turn.

These things aren't natural. They shouldn't exist.

Chaos erupted.

A woman screamed as one of the beasts leapt at her, only to be intercepted mid-air by a flash of silver - her Servant's blade. The creature's body split in two, spraying iridescent ichor that seemed to steam where it hit the ground. The stench was overwhelming - like rotten eggs and burnt metal.

Next to Shirou, Saber's invisible sword materialized, golden light emanating from it as she took a defensive stance. Her face was set in grim determination, years of battlefield experience evident in her unwavering focus.

"Stay behind me," she commanded, her voice steady despite the pandemonium. "Move only when I move."

The clearing had transformed into a battlefield in seconds. Servants clashed with beasts while Masters unleashed spells or sought cover. The young boy with ash-blond hair shouted commands to the small girl in black, who moved like a lethal shadow among the creatures, her knives flashing. With each strike, she giggled - a childish sound that made the hair on Shirou's arms stand on end.

A spear of ice shot past Shirou's ear, so close he felt its chill on his skin. It impaled a beast that had been circling toward them, freezing it solid. He turned to see the Tohsaka girl, her arm extended, gems glittering between her fingers.

"Pay attention!" she snapped at him.

Saber engaged three beasts at once, her sword a blur of golden light. Each strike was precise, economical, lethal. She moved with inhuman speed and grace, never retreating, always pressing forward. One beast lunged at her flank - she pivoted, bringing her blade down in an arc that sheared through bone and plate as if they were paper.

"We need to move!" Saber shouted over the tumult. "There are too many!"

She was right. For every beast that fell, two more seemed to take its place. The perimeter was breaking down, the coordinated defense faltering as more creatures poured into the clearing.

A beast larger than the others lunged toward them, jaws gaping. It had eight legs and what looked like barbed tentacles sprouting from its shoulders. Saber stepped forward, her sword cleaving through the creature with impossible ease. But where one fell, three more appeared.

In the confusion, Shirou lost track of Sakura. Panic gripped him as he scanned the battlefield, finally spotting her across the clearing, somehow separated from the main fighting. She stood alone, seemingly frozen in place.

"Sakura!" he called out, but his voice was swallowed by the chaos - the clashing of weapons, the howls of beasts, the shouts and screams of Masters and Servants alike.

A beast broke through the line of defenders, charging directly at Shirou. With Saber engaged with two others, he found himself without protection. His heart hammered against his ribs as the creature closed the distance, its multiple eyes fixed on him with predatory intent.

I'm going to die, he thought with sudden clarity.

Then his body moved on its own. Instinctively, he dropped into the stance his kendo instructor had drilled into him for years. He had no weapon, but the muscle memory remained, carried in his bones after countless hours of practice.

The beast hesitated, perhaps confused by his stance. Its head tilted, as if reassessing this prey that didn't flee or cower. In that moment of respite, Shirou grabbed a fallen branch from the ground. It was thick and sturdy, but ordinary wood would splinter against the creature's armored hide.

Dad's lessons. Focus.

He closed his eyes for a split second, visualizing his Magic Circuits - the channels of power Kiritsugu had helped him discover. He pictured them lighting up, carrying energy from his core to his hands and into the branch.

"Trace on," he muttered, feeling the familiar warmth flow through his circuits into the makeshift weapon. The branch hardened in his grip, becoming something more than it was.

The beast lunged again, its jaws opening wider than seemed physically possible. Shirou swung the branch with all his might, channeling every ounce of strength and every hour of kendo training into the strike. The reinforced wood connected with the creature's head with a satisfying crack, cracking the chitinous plate and stunning the beast long enough for Shirou to scramble backward.

His arms vibrated from the impact, the branch splintering despite his reinforcement. But he was alive, and the beast was momentarily dazed. A small victory, but he'd take it.

His momentary triumph was cut short as he spotted another beast approaching Sakura from behind. This one was low-slung and predatory, moving with dreadful purpose toward the unaware girl.

"Sakura, behind you!" he screamed, panic overtaking him. He was too far away to help, and Saber was still occupied with her own opponents.

But what happened next defied explanation. As the beast closed in on Sakura, it suddenly slowed, its aggressive posture softening. Its many legs seemed to lose coordination, and it stopped just short of her, head tilting in what looked almost like confusion. For a moment, beast and girl regarded each other - then, as if sensing easier prey, the creature turned away, focusing its attention on a fleeing Master instead.

What just happened?

Shirou had no time to process it as Saber grabbed his arm with surprising strength. Her face was spattered with the strange ichor of the beasts, but she was otherwise unharmed.

"We must go now!" she insisted, pulling him toward a gap in the fighting. "The battle is lost. We must regroup elsewhere."

"But Sakura - "

"She'll have to fend for herself," Saber cut him off. "My duty is to protect you."

The golden-haired Servant in armor that Shirou had noticed earlier was now engaged in battle - if it could be called that. He looked almost bored as he summoned weapons from golden portals, raining them down on the beasts with casual indifference. Unlike the other Servants who fought with urgency, he moved with leisurely confidence, as if the outcome was never in doubt.

A massive creature charged him - he didn't even turn his head, simply opening another portal from which a spear shot forth, impaling the beast through its chest.

All around them, Masters and Servants were fleeing in different directions, breaking into smaller groups as they escaped into the surrounding forest. The coordinated defense had collapsed into individual survival. The white-haired girl and her Berserker smashed a path through beasts and trees alike, heading north. The young boy and his knife-wielding Servant slipped away like shadows to the west.

"We must go now," Saber insisted, tugging at Shirou's arm. "There are too many of them."

Shirou's eyes remained fixed on Sakura. She stood alone in the midst of the chaos, strangely untouched by the creatures that gave her a wide berth. Yet more beasts were flooding into the clearing. Sooner or later, one might not show the same hesitation.

"Shirou!" Saber's voice was sharp, commanding. "We have to leave!"

He made his decision in an instant.

"No," he said, pulling his arm free. "I'm not leaving her behind."

Saber's eyes widened. "Your safety is my priority - "

"Then protect me while I get her," Shirou cut her off, already moving.

Before Saber could stop him, he darted across the clearing, dodging between combatants and leaping over the body of a fallen beast. Saber cursed and followed, her sword flashing as she cut down anything that tried to intercept him.

"Sakura!" Shirou called as he approached. She turned toward him, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and confusion.

"Senpai? What are you - "

He didn't slow down, grabbing her hand as he reached her. "We need to go! Come on!"

To his relief, she didn't resist, letting him pull her along. Saber moved ahead of them, clearing a path toward the eastern edge of the forest. A beast leapt at them from the side - Shirou pushed Sakura behind him, ready to shield her with his body, but the creature suddenly veered away at the last moment, as if repelled by an invisible force.

There it is again. What's happening with her?

They reached the tree line, plunging into the dense forest. The sounds of battle began to fade behind them, replaced by the eerie chorus of alien wildlife and the ragged sound of their breathing.

"This way," Saber directed, leading them deeper among the trees. Her expression was tight with disapproval, but she didn't waste breath on recriminations.

Shirou kept hold of Sakura's hand, feeling her trembling fingers in his. He glanced back at her pale face.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, though fear still shone in her eyes. "Yes... thank you, Senpai."

"Stay close," he told her. "We'll figure this out together."

They moved deeper into the forest, the strange twilight filtering through the canopy above. Shirou had no idea where they were going or what awaited them in this alien world, but at least they weren't facing it alone.

Dad... I don't know if I'm following your lessons or breaking them. But I couldn't leave her behind.

Saber led the way, her sword still drawn, her senses alert to any threat. But every so often, she glanced back at Sakura with a gaze that mixed suspicion with curiosity.

She had seen it too - the way the beasts avoided her. The question hung between them, unspoken but impossible to ignore:

What is she?

HOURS LATER…

They pushed deeper into the forest, the strange twilight barely penetrating the dense canopy overhead. The three moons cast overlapping shadows that shifted and danced across the forest floor, creating disorienting patterns that made it difficult to judge distance or terrain.

Saber moved with silent efficiency, leading them on a winding path that seemed designed to throw off any pursuit. Every few minutes, she would raise her hand, signaling them to stop while she listened intently for sounds of danger.

Shirou kept a protective grip on Sakura's hand. She hadn't spoken since their flight from the clearing, her eyes wide and unfocused, her breathing rapid. Shock, he realized. She was in shock.

After what seemed like hours but was likely only twenty minutes, Saber finally brought them to a halt in a small hollow formed by the massive roots of a tree unlike any Shirou had seen in Japan. Its trunk was easily five meters across, with bark that shimmered faintly with bioluminescent patterns.

"We can rest here briefly," Saber said, her voice clipped. The disapproval in her eyes had not faded. "They don't appear to be following us specifically."

Shirou helped Sakura sit on one of the roots. "Are you hurt?" he asked gently.

She shook her head. "No... I don't think so." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Senpai, what's happening? Where are we?"

He hesitated, unsure how much to tell her. How much did she know about the Holy Grail War? About magic? About any of this?

"It's complicated," he said finally. "Something went wrong with... with a ritual. We've been brought to some other world." Even saying it aloud sounded absurd.

"The Grail manifestation was correct about our situation," Saber said, keeping her voice low as she scanned their surroundings. "This is indeed another realm, though I've never encountered anything like it in my experience."

"You saw what happened back there," Shirou said, turning to Sakura. "The creatures... they avoided you. Do you know why?"

Sakura's eyes widened with something like fear. "No! I don't know anything about this. I was just walking home from your house when everything went dark, and then..." She trailed off, hugging herself. "Then I woke up in that clearing with everyone else."

Shirou wanted to believe her. Her fear seemed genuine enough. But the image of the beasts veering away from her was burned into his memory.

"We need to keep moving," Saber interrupted. "It's not safe to linger."

"Just give us a minute," Shirou replied, more sharply than he intended. "Sakura's not used to this kind of thing."

Saber's eyes narrowed. "And you are?"

The question caught him off guard. "No, but - "

"Then perhaps you should heed my counsel. I was summoned to protect you, and I cannot do that effectively if you insist on making decisions that increase our danger." Her gaze flicked to Sakura. "Such as bringing along someone who may attract unwanted attention."

"She doesn't have anyone else," Shirou insisted. "And the beasts were avoiding her, not hunting her."

"That in itself is cause for concern."

Sakura looked between them, her expression crumpling. "I can go. I don't want to cause trouble - "

"No," Shirou said firmly. "You're staying with us. It's safer this way."

A distant howl cut through the night, silencing their argument. It was answered by another, and then a third - different from the beasts that had attacked the clearing. These sounded deeper, more resonant, as if coming from something much larger.

"We need to move," Saber said, and this time Shirou didn't argue. "Now."

They set off again, moving as quietly as possible through the alien forest. Strange fungi glowed in patches along the ground, casting just enough light to navigate by. Twice they froze as something large moved through the forest nearby, its footsteps making the ground tremble. Each time, the creature passed them by without incident.

"Where are we going?" Shirou whispered to Saber during one of their brief rest stops.

"Away from danger, for now," she replied. "Once we find a secure location, we can determine our next move."

"Which is what, exactly?"

Saber gave him a measured look. "According to the Grail manifestation, we need to find an artifact called the Ark of the Covenant to return home."

"And you believe that?"

"I have no reason to doubt it," she said. "The Holy Grail contains knowledge beyond mortal understanding. If it claims this Ark is our way home, then that is likely true."

Shirou nodded, trying to process everything. His mind kept returning to the moment of his summoning, to Saber's reaction when he'd mentioned Kiritsugu's name. She had known him somehow. But before he could ask about it, a sound stopped him.

Voices. Human voices.

Saber raised her hand, signaling them to be still. The voices were coming from ahead of them - multiple people engaged in what sounded like an argument.

"...can't just wander aimlessly," a female voice was saying, her tone exasperated. "We need a plan."

"The plan is to survive the night," a man replied tersely. "Everything else comes after that."

Shirou recognized the first voice immediately. Rin Tohsaka. The second was unfamiliar.

Saber looked to Shirou, a silent question in her eyes: approach or avoid?

After a moment's hesitation, Shirou nodded. They needed allies in this strange world, and Rin had already proven herself capable during the beast attack.

Saber led the way, moving deliberately to make enough noise that they wouldn't be mistaken for threats. As they approached a small clearing, they found Rin Tohsaka, her red-clad Servant, and two others - a stern-faced man in a suit and a blue-haired Servant carrying a red spear.

"Well," Rin said, her expression unreadable as she took in the three of them. "Looks like we're not the only ones who survived."

The man with the spear grinned, a feral expression that matched the red of his eyes. "More company, eh? This just gets more interesting by the minute."

"Lancer," the suit-wearing man warned, "stand down."

Shirou tensed, ready to push Sakura behind him if necessary. But Saber stepped forward, placing herself between the newcomers and her Master.

"We mean no harm," she said, her voice calm but with steel beneath it. "Like you, we are simply trying to survive."

Rin's Servant - Archer, Shirou recalled - regarded them with narrowed eyes. "The girl," he said, nodding toward Sakura. "She has no Servant."

"She's with us," Shirou said firmly.

"Is she now?" Rin replied, raising an eyebrow. "And what exactly is her role in this little group? Because last I checked, only Masters are supposed to participate in the Holy Grail War."

Sakura shrank back from Rin's scrutiny. "I'm not... I don't know anything about a war."

"Suspicious," the man in the suit commented. "How did you end up in the clearing with the rest of us if you're not connected to the ritual?"

"I don't know," Sakura said, her voice barely audible. "I was just walking home, and then..."

"We can sort this out later," Saber interrupted. "For now, we face common dangers. Perhaps an alliance would benefit us all."

Rin considered this, then nodded slowly. "Fine. But I'm watching you." Her gaze lingered on Sakura. "All of you."

The man in the suit stepped forward. "I am Souichirou Kuzuki," he said without inflection. "This is Lancer, though he is not my Servant."

"Where's his Master?" Shirou asked.

A shadow passed over Lancer's face. "Dead. Killed in the initial confusion before we were transported here. I've temporarily contracted with Kuzuki to avoid dissolution."

Right, what the Grail said about Servants forming new contracts...

"I'm Shirou Emiya," he offered. "This is Saber, and this is Sakura Matou."

Something flashed in Rin's eyes at the mention of Sakura's surname, but it was gone so quickly Shirou might have imagined it.

"We've set up a temporary camp," Rin said after a moment. "There's a cave system not far from here that provides some shelter. You're welcome to join us - safety in numbers and all that."

Shirou looked to Saber, who gave a slight nod.

"Thank you," he said. "We accept."

As they followed Rin and the others through the forest, Shirou couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. Not by the beasts that lurked in the shadows, but by something else - something that understood far more about their situation than they did.

Looking up through a break in the canopy, he saw the three moons hanging in the twilight sky, their positions subtly changed from before. Time was passing differently here, he realized. And with each moment, they were being drawn deeper into the mystery of this world and the Grail War that had brought them to it.

Dad... I wish you'd told me more. I wish I'd listened better.

Behind him, Sakura walked with her head down, her violet hair hiding her face. But in the eerie light of the forest, Shirou thought he saw it again - a faint glow beneath her skin, pulsing like veins of light before fading away into darkness.

End.

I hope you liked the chapter.

It was both intense and yet not. This one really served the purpose of laying the groundwork for what the story is going to be like.

And Naturally, since we diverted away from canon, I imagine there are a lot of questions that you all want answers for.

Some in regarding to certain plotholes like how Kayneth is alive. All that will be answered in future chapters!

So until then, enjoy the chaos, the confusion, and the romance that comes along the way.

More Chapters are posted on my patreon Feel free to check it out lads, here's the link

https://www.patreon.com/c/Demon_Knight939

See you next time!

Chapter Text

Hi everyone!

Chapter 2 is right here for you all to enjoy.

Just one thing to quickly state, Shirou won't have a lot of screen time for the next few chapters sadly.

This will go on until we reach chapter 7 or 8, since we want to do a bit more establishing with the other characters and their roles and interactions.

Along with establishing the world and everything else.

But after that, once we reach chapter 7 or 8, Shirou will begin having lots of screen time!

Now do enjoy!

Start:

Rin Tohsaka watched the flames of their small campfire with narrowed eyes. They'd managed to create it using a combination of her gems and Archer's knowledge of wilderness survival - though he'd been annoyingly smug about that particular skill set. The fire itself was strange, burning with a bluish tinge that cast eerie shadows across the cave walls. Like everything else in this world, even fire behaved differently.

She glanced around their makeshift camp. The cave system had proven to be a decent temporary shelter - defensible, with multiple exits, and far enough from the clearing that the beasts hadn't followed. For now, anyway.

Archer stood near the cave entrance, his tall figure silhouetted against the perpetual twilight outside. He hadn't relaxed his vigilance once since they'd arrived. Good. At least her Servant understood the gravity of their situation.

Kuzuki sat cross-legged against the far wall, his expression as unreadable as ever. For a supposedly ordinary schoolteacher, he'd adapted to their circumstances with suspicious ease. Then again, nothing about him had ever seemed truly "ordinary" to Rin, even at school.

Lancer lounged nearby, idly spinning his crimson spear. The casualness of his posture belied the tension in his eyes - he was like a predator at rest, capable of explosive action at a moment's notice. Their temporary alliance was just that - temporary. Rin hadn't forgotten that under normal circumstances, they would be trying to kill each other.

And then there were their newest companions.

Saber sat alert but composed near her Master, her armor catching the firelight. A true knight, that one. Rin had to admire her poise, even as she calculated how difficult it would be to defeat her if it came to that.

The Matou girl - Sakura - had fallen asleep almost immediately after they'd settled in, exhaustion and shock finally claiming her. She lay curled on her side near the fire, her violet hair spilling across the cave floor. Rin deliberately avoided looking at her for too long.

Focus on the situation, not the complications.

Emiya sat nearby, occasionally glancing at the sleeping Sakura with obvious concern. After ensuring she was comfortable, he had moved closer to where Kuzuki was sitting and, to Rin's annoyance, started making small talk of all things.

"You look familiar," Shirou was saying. "Are you Professor Kuzuki from Fuyuki University? I think I've seen you around campus."

Kuzuki adjusted his glasses. "Yes. Philosophy department. I primarily teach upper-division courses."

"I'm a second-year in Engineering," Shirou replied. "Sakura's in the Literature program. We might end up in your Ethics of Technology seminar next year."

The corner of Kuzuki's mouth twitched - not quite a smile, but as close as Rin had ever seen from the stoic man. "Perhaps I'll see you in my lecture hall next year. If we survive this experience."

"We will," Shirou said with a shrug. "We'll find this Ark thing and get home. Then life goes back to normal, term papers and all."

Normal? Rin nearly scoffed aloud. As if any of this was normal to begin with. The Holy Grail War doesn't just pause because of an interdimensional detour.

Kuzuki seemed to appreciate Emiya's outlook, however. "Optimism has its place. Even in philosophy."

Rin sipped water from a makeshift cup, trying not to roll her eyes at the banal conversation. Here they were, stranded in an alien dimension, surrounded by monsters, and Emiya wanted to chat about university courses? The boy was either remarkably adaptable or completely divorced from reality.

As if sensing her irritation, Shirou glanced over, meeting her gaze. His expression shifted from casual to focused.

"Tohsaka," he said, moving to sit across the fire from her. "I want to confirm some things about this situation. The Holy Grail War - it's really just seven Masters fighting until only one remains?"

The directness of his question caught her off guard. It wasn't the naive inquiry she expected, but rather a request for confirmation, as if he already knew the basics but wanted verification.

"That's the general idea," she replied cautiously. "Though there are rules and protocols. It's not meant to be a mindless bloodbath."

Though it often becomes one anyway.

"And the Servants are genuinely heroic spirits? Historical figures summoned to fight?" he pressed.

Rin studied him more carefully. For someone who had stumbled into this War by accident - as he claimed - he seemed to know the framework surprisingly well.

"Yes. Though 'heroic' is sometimes a matter of perspective. Not all heroes are good people, and not all legends tell the whole truth." She tilted her head slightly. "You seem to know quite a bit about this for someone who supposedly had no idea what was happening."

Shirou shifted uncomfortably. "I... picked things up here and there."

"From whom?" Rin asked pointedly.

"No one in particular," he replied, his eyes sliding away from hers.

Rin nearly laughed at his poor attempt at evasion. "Right. You just happened to know about heroic spirits and the structure of the War." She waved a dismissive hand. "It doesn't matter. Whatever second-rate magus gave you a crash course clearly left out the important parts."

Probably some minor practitioner with delusions of grandeur. Nobody I need to concern myself with.

"It's a ritual, not just a competition," she added, watching his reaction. "Seven Masters, seven Servants, competing for the Holy Grail - an artifact of immense power capable of granting any wish."

Though that's the sanitized version. No need to mention the bloodshed, the families destroyed over generations, or Father's suspicions about the Grail being somehow anomalous. He was right to question it - and this bizarre situation only confirms his concerns.

Something suddenly occurred to her, a detail that had been nagging at the edge of her consciousness since the clearing where they'd all first appeared.

"Actually, that's another thing that's wrong," she said, frowning. "There were too many of us in that clearing. I counted at least ten Master-Servant pairs, maybe more. The ritual is designed for seven—exactly seven. That's how it's always been."

Shirou's brow furrowed. "Why seven specifically?"

"Because that's how the founding families designed it," Rin explained, her mind racing through possibilities. "Seven Servants, seven Masters. It's a precise magical formula tied to the fundamental nature of the Grail itself. You can't just... add more participants. It would be like trying to add extra ingredients to a chemical reaction and expecting it to remain stable."

"What exactly is the 'nature' of the Grail?" Shirou asked, leaning forward with genuine curiosity. "What is it, really?"

Rin hesitated for a moment, considering how much to reveal. "The ritual ensures that the Grail grants the wish of the victor. That's its fundamental purpose—to manifest the winner's deepest desire."

Not that I've ever encountered any actual victor or verified wish-granting, she thought cynically. The War's never been properly completed in living memory, which makes the entire premise rather dubious when you think about it.

"Yet here we are," Kuzuki observed quietly.

"Yes," Rin replied, frustration evident in her voice. "Here we are in a parallel dimension with too many Servants, too many Masters, and rules that don't make sense anymore. Something is fundamentally wrong with this War."

Lancer chuckled darkly. "Maybe they needed more sacrifices for whatever they're really trying to do."

Rin shot him a sharp look, but couldn't dismiss the possibility entirely. Sacrificial rituals often did require specific numbers of participants. If someone had modified the War to include more than seven pairs, the implications were... disturbing.

"And we're supposed to... fight each other?" Shirou asked, glancing around at their unlikely group.

There was something performative about his question. He was asking things he likely already knew, as if trying to gauge her responses rather than genuinely seeking information.

"That's traditionally how it works," Rin said dryly. "Though obviously circumstances have changed."

"Changed is an understatement," Lancer commented with a sharp-toothed grin. "Never heard of a Grail War getting sent to monster land before."

Kuzuki adjusted his glasses. "The Grail mentioned a modification to the ritual. Someone has tampered with the process."

"The Mage's Association," Rin clarified, watching Shirou's face carefully. "Though which faction within it is unclear."

And whoever did it either knew exactly what would happen or had no idea what forces they were playing with. Either possibility is terrifying.

"Mage's Association?" Shirou echoed, his brow furrowing. This reaction seemed genuine - a gap in his knowledge.

"I'm not surprised your... source... didn't mention them," Rin said with a touch of condescension. "The Association is essentially the governing body for magi worldwide. They establish rules, conduct research, maintain records - and occasionally do things like meddle with ancient rituals they don't fully understand."

Rin suppressed a flicker of frustration. She had entered this War with a clear purpose: to win the Grail and restore the Tohsaka family to its former glory. Her father had prepared her for this her entire life. Now she was stuck in some alien dimension, surrounded by people who should be her enemies, forced to cooperate just to survive—and with far more competitors than there should be.

This complicates everything. I need to get back to Fuyuki and complete the ritual properly. But first, I need to understand why the fundamental parameters have changed. The Tohsaka legacy depends on it.

And as she stared at Shirou, a flicker of curiosity crossed her face. "You're at Fuyuki University, right? Engineering program?"

Shirou nodded, looking surprised at the change of subject.

"I'm there too," Rin said. "Physics, with a minor in Ancient Languages."

Applied Thaumaturgy is what I study at the Clock Tower branch on weekends, not something you announce to random acquaintances. Even if they are fellow Masters.

"You're at Fuyuki University too?" Shirou asked, clearly caught off guard. "I've never seen you around campus."

"The physics building is on the north side," Rin replied. "I doubt our paths would cross much with the engineering department."

A Tohsaka, a Matou, and this Emiya person all attending the same university? This War has been orchestrated more carefully than I realized. I still don't know who this Emiya really is or why he was chosen as a Master.

"It's surprising we all ended up at the same university," Shirou mused.

"Or maybe not, considering the circumstances," Rin replied coolly.

"And the Servants' true identities," Shirou continued, glancing at Saber. "They're secret for tactical reasons, correct?"

Again, not quite a question of ignorance, but confirmation of something he already suspected.

"Yes," Rin confirmed. "Knowing a Heroic Spirit's true identity reveals their strengths and weaknesses. In a normal Grail War, that information would be carefully guarded."

Though I still don't know Archer's true identity. He's been frustratingly tight-lipped about that, which is concerning in itself.

Shirou nodded thoughtfully. "And this... Ark thing the Grail talked about? Do you know anything about that?"

Rin shook her head. "Nothing concrete. Based on what the Grail said, it appears to be some kind of artifact that can open pathways between dimensions. Finding it is supposedly our ticket home."

Though the way the Grail phrased it was odd. "In this world, it exists as an artifact of immense magical significance." As if it exists in our world too, but in a different form. I need to research the biblical Ark more thoroughly when - if - we get back.

"And you believe all this?" Shirou asked, skepticism evident in his voice.

"You saw those three moons in the sky," Rin pointed out. "The beasts that attacked us. The fact that we're sitting in a cave where the rocks glow faintly blue. We're clearly not in Fuyuki anymore. Whether the explanation is satisfactory or not, the reality is undeniable."

Shirou fell silent, absorbing this. Finally, he asked the question Rin had been waiting for.

"What about Sakura? Why is she here if she's not a Master?"

Rin glanced at the sleeping girl, careful to keep her expression neutral.

"I don't know," she lied smoothly. "It's unusual. Perhaps she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when the transportation occurred."

Or perhaps her being here has everything to do with what the Matous have done to her. With what's inside her. With who she really is. Having a Matou here alongside that Einzbern girl with her Berserker complicates things immensely. Two of the three founding families represented, both with their secrets, both with their monsters - just in different forms.

"The beasts wouldn't attack her," Shirou said quietly. "They avoided her completely."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the cave. Rin could feel Archer's attention sharpening from his position by the entrance.

"I noticed," she said carefully. "It's... unusual."

Unusual doesn't begin to cover it. If what I suspect about the Matou magecraft is true, and if this world somehow resonates with that particular brand of magic...

"She doesn't know why," Shirou insisted, a protective edge entering his voice. "She's just as confused as the rest of us."

"I'm sure she is," Rin replied, keeping her tone even.

Or at least, she believes she is. The Matous have always excelled at keeping secrets, even from their own family members.

Kuzuki cleared his throat. "Speculation won't help us survive the night. We should establish watch rotations and conserve our energy."

Rin nodded, grateful for the change of subject. "Agreed. Four shifts, two hours each. Servants can sense danger better than we can, so they should be part of each watch."

"I'll take first watch with Archer," she continued, standing up. "Then Emiya and Saber, followed by Kuzuki and Lancer. We'll let Sakura rest."

No one objected to this arrangement. As the others settled in to rest, Rin moved to join Archer at the cave entrance.

"What do you think?" she murmured, pitched low enough that only he could hear.

"About Emiya?" Archer's expression was unreadable in the dim light. "He knows more than he lets on. But not enough to keep himself alive in this War."

"He's an unknown variable," Rin mused. "I can't figure out why he was chosen as a Master."

A pause. "He's dangerous precisely because he doesn't know what he doesn't know."

He's hiding something too. Everyone is.

Rin stared out at the alien landscape beyond the cave. The three moons had shifted position again, casting new shadows across the forest floor. In the distance, something large moved between the trees, its silhouette momentarily blocking out the strange constellations.

This is bad. Whatever the Association thought they were doing by modifying the ritual, they've unleashed something they can't control. We need to find this Ark and get home - before we discover exactly why this world was kept separate from ours in the first place.

Behind her, Shirou had moved to sit beside the sleeping Sakura, his posture protective. Rin felt a twinge of... something. Not quite jealousy. Not quite regret. Something more complicated.

Focus, Tohsaka. Survival first. Mysteries second. Feelings... not at all if you can help it.

As the others began to settle in, a rustling sound came from just outside the cave entrance. Not loud, but distinct enough in the relative quiet.

Everyone froze.

Archer moved silently toward the source of the noise, weapon materializing in his hand. Lancer was on his feet in an instant, crimson spear at the ready.

"What is it?" Shirou whispered, instinctively moving closer to Sakura's sleeping form. Saber's hand clasped air as her invisible sword whistled into existence, guarding Shirou's rear.

Lancer held up a hand sharply, signaling for silence. He mouthed rather than spoke: "No noise. Attracts attention."

The rustling came again, slightly louder this time.

Rin felt her heartbeat quicken as she reached for a gem in her pocket. In the dim light of their makeshift camp, shadows seemed to lengthen and dance along the cave walls, playing tricks on her eyes.

Keep it together, Tohsaka.

The longest night of her life had just begun.

HOURS AGO…

The world swam in and out of focus. Fragments of consciousness like shards of a broken mirror - reflecting distorted images, incomplete and disjointed.

Yasaka tried to remember how she had arrived here, in this strange forest with its perpetual twilight and multiple moons. She had materialized in a clearing, disoriented and alone. People were running, fighting, screaming. Creatures that should not exist tore through flesh and bone. A priest in dark robes watched it all with detached interest.

Where is my Master?

The thought surfaced, then sank again into the depths of her fractured mind. She should have a Master. All Servants did. But she couldn't remember a face, a name, a connection. Had they died? Abandoned her? Or had she never had one to begin with?

She pressed her palms against her temples, willing the pieces to fit together. Nothing before today made sense. When she tried to access memories of her summoning, her past, her true identity - there was only a void. Blank spaces where knowledge should be.

She knew she was a Servant, an Assassin-class. That much felt true. Her body moved with the practiced efficiency of one trained to kill from the shadows. Yet she had no memory of her legend, her history, the heroic deed that had elevated her to the Throne of Heroes. Just fragments - flashes of forests much like this one, but different. Running on all fours. Fangs and claws. Nine... something. The number nine held significance, but she couldn't grasp why.

Looking down at her hands, she noticed they appeared human enough. Delicate, feminine, with nails that could extend into lethal weapons at will. Her attire was traditional - a white and lavender kimono adorned with floral patterns that seemed to shift and change when viewed from different angles. A fox mask hung at her waist, tied with a silken cord.

Fox.

The word resonated with something deep within her. Was that her identity? A fox spirit of some kind? The concept felt right, yet incomplete.

But one certainty remained, burning like a beacon through the fog.

I need to find HER.

She didn't know who "her" was. Couldn't recall a face or name. Yet the compulsion to seek, to find, to protect this unknown person drove her forward with undeniable force. It was more than duty, more than a magical contract. It felt primordial, written into the fabric of her being.

As the chaos in the clearing intensified, she had heard snatches of conversation - something about an "Ark," about changing Masters, about extinction. The child-like manifestation of the Grail had vanished just as she arrived, leaving confusion in its wake. The fragments she'd gathered made little sense, but the urgency was clear.

This world was dangerous. Lethally so, especially for Servants without Masters.

Yasaka had followed her instinct, this pull, moving through the chaos of the clearing like a ghost. Her Presence Concealment activated naturally, rendering her nearly invisible as she navigated between battling Masters and Servants. She observed them all, searching for... for what? For whom?

A young man with red hair protecting a girl with violet hair - something about them caught her attention momentarily. But before she could approach, a wave of beasts had separated them from her view.

Then... nothing. Another gap in her awareness.

When consciousness returned, she was kneeling in a pool of blood.

Bodies - or what remained of them - lay scattered around her. Not human bodies. The strange wolf-like creatures that had attacked the clearing. Their chitinous armor was shattered, limbs torn from sockets, throats ripped open. The carnage spoke of violence beyond human capability - beyond even what a normal Assassin-class Servant should be capable of.

Her kimono, once pristine white and lavender, was now stained crimson.

Blood dripped from her fingers as retractable claws - when did I have claws? - slowly receded back into her nailbeds. The metallic tang of blood filled her nostrils, and worse, she found herself relishing the scent. Something primal within her purred with satisfaction.

"Nine-tailed... no, not yet," she whispered to herself, the words coming unbidden. "Not complete."

What am I?

She tried to stand and nearly collapsed as pain lanced through her side. One of the creatures had managed to wound her - a deep gash along her ribs that bled freely. Not fatal for a Servant under normal circumstances, but she could sense something was wrong. Her spiritual core felt... unstable.

Corrupting. Dissolving at the edges.

She was fading.

The child-Grail's warning echoed in her fractured memory. In this realm, death meant true extinction. Without a Master to anchor her, her Spirit Origin would degrade until nothing remained.

Need to find... someone... anyone...

She staggered forward, one hand pressed to her wound, the other braced against trees for support. Blood marked her path, dripping between her fingers despite her efforts to staunch the flow. The trail would attract more predators, but she had no choice but to keep moving.

The forest around her felt simultaneously alien and familiar. The trees were wrong - too tall, too twisted, with bark that seemed to pulse with faint bioluminescence. Yet something about the essence of the place resonated with her. As if she belonged here, in some strange way.

Several times, she heard creatures moving nearby. Unlike in the clearing, these beasts did not immediately attack. They approached, sniffed the air, and then retreated, as if confused or wary. One - a larger specimen with too many legs and glowing blue eyes - actually bowed its grotesque head before slinking away.

They recognize me.

But I don't recognize myself.

Her senses, though dulled by pain and confusion, still detected traces of humans nearby. Masters. Potential anchors for her fading existence. She changed direction, following the faint magical signatures like a drowning person seeking air.

But beneath that desperate need for survival, the other compulsion remained stronger.

Find HER.

Protect HER.

Yasaka didn't know who she was searching for. But somewhere in this twisted world, someone called to her very essence. Someone she was meant to find. Someone who would make her incomplete self whole again.

The forest gradually thinned, revealing the mouth of a cave nestled into a hillside. Faint light emanated from within - not the harsh brightness of modern electricity, but the warm, flickering glow of fire. Her enhanced hearing picked up voices - several people engaged in conversation.

"...Holy Grail War - it's really just seven Masters fighting until only one remains?"

A female voice answered, cool and controlled. "That's the general idea. Though there are rules and protocols. It's not meant to be a mindless bloodbath."

Yasaka crept closer, moving with the silent grace of an Assassin despite her injuries. The voices continued, discussing Servants, the Holy Grail, the strange world they found themselves in. She positioned herself behind a dense bush near the cave entrance, trying to assess who might be inside without revealing her presence.

Darkness crept at the edges of her vision. The wound in her side throbbed, her spiritual essence continuing to unravel. She didn't have much time left.

"Physics, with a minor in Ancient Languages," the female voice was saying. Something about universities.

Small talk. Mundane concerns in the midst of this otherworldly crisis.

Yasaka might have found it amusing if she weren't slowly dying.

The conversation shifted again, returning to matters of Servants and their identities. Yasaka listened more intently now. These people seemed to know more about their situation than she did.

Perhaps they could help her understand what she was, why she was here.

She shifted position slightly, trying to get a better view into the cave. Her weakened state betrayed her, and she stumbled, causing the bush to rustle audibly.

The conversation inside the cave abruptly ceased.

Foolish mistake.

Her Presence Concealment was failing along with the rest of her abilities. She sensed movement inside the cave - someone coming to investigate. She would be discovered in moments, vulnerable and weakened.

Would they help her? Kill her? There was no way to know.

But her instincts told her that whoever she sought was close. Very close. She could feel it - a pulling sensation in her chest, a resonance with something, someone nearby.

HER.

She's here.

The rustling came again as she tried to steady herself, louder this time. Too late to flee, too weak to fight. Yasaka braced herself for whatever would come next, claws extending reflexively despite her diminished strength.

Time was running out.

AROUND THE SAME TIME…

Shirou tried to process everything Rin had told him, but it was too much, too fast. The rustling in the bushes outside had cut their conversation short, but perhaps that was for the best. He needed time to think.

She's hiding something.

That much was obvious. Rin Tohsaka might be answering his questions, but she was carefully selecting which parts of the truth to share. Her eyes gave her away - calculating, measuring how much information was safe to divulge. Not that he blamed her. In a war where only one Master could claim victory, caution was just common sense.

And that was the part that truly disturbed him. Even in these bizarre circumstances, with everyone stranded in an alien world, the endgame remained the same: They would eventually have to kill each other. Rin had confirmed it with casual certainty, as if discussing the weather rather than their eventual mutual destruction.

"That's traditionally how it works. Though obviously circumstances have changed."

How much had they really changed, though? Temporary alliances of convenience didn't mean much if the final prize still required everyone else's elimination.

Shirou glanced at Saber, who remained vigilant near the cave entrance. Her posture was perfect, her expression focused. A true warrior. But could she protect him against the other Servants? Without knowing their true identities - their strengths, their weaknesses - how could they prepare? The white-haired Archer seemed formidable. And Lancer, with his casual ferocity, was clearly dangerous. Would Saber have to face them both?

And then there was Sakura.

She slept fitfully near the fire, occasionally murmuring in her dreams. Watching her, Shirou felt the weight of his reckless decision to bring her along. In a contest between mages and legendary heroes, what place did an ordinary girl have? She'd become a liability - to herself, to him, and to anyone who tried to protect her.

But I couldn't leave her behind.

The strange behavior of the beasts toward her raised more questions than answers. If she wasn't a Master, why was she here at all? Why had the creatures avoided her? What made her special in this horrific situation?

Rin had claimed not to know, but her eyes had told a different story. Something about Sakura mattered - something important enough to lie about.

The rustling outside grew louder, interrupting his thoughts. Lancer's hand signal kept everyone silent as Archer moved toward the cave entrance, weapons materialized and ready. The tension in the air was suffocating as everyone prepared for whatever threat approached.

What happened next unfolded in a blur of motion.

A figure stumbled through the bushes into the cave entrance - a woman in a blood-soaked white and lavender kimono. Her delicate features were twisted with pain, one hand pressed against a gaping wound in her side. Despite her obvious injuries, she moved with the fluid grace of a Servant.

"Master..." she gasped, her eyes scanning the cave frantically.

Then her gaze fell on Sakura.

Everything changed in an instant.

The wounded woman froze, her eyes widening. For a split second, no one moved - then she lunged forward with impossible speed, crying out in a voice that was half-human, half-animal.

"YOU! I FOUND YOU!"

Saber reacted first, materializing in front of Sakura with her invisible sword at the ready. The clash of weapons echoed through the cave as Saber parried what appeared to be extended claws erupting from the woman's fingertips.

"Protect Sakura!" Rin shouted, backing up while drawing a gem from her pocket.

Shirou didn't need to be told twice. He moved without thinking, pulling Sakura behind him and away from the fight. The wounded intruder was fast - unnaturally so - but Saber matched her blow for blow, the invisible Excalibur keeping the attacker at bay.

"She's an Assassin-class," Archer called out, materializing his twin blades and circling to flank the intruder.

The woman - Assassin - hissed at Saber, her eyes never leaving Sakura. "Out of my way! She is MINE!"

Lancer joined the fray with a feral grin, his crimson spear a blur as he thrust it toward Assassin's heart. She dodged with preternatural grace, bending at an impossible angle before leaping up to cling to the cave ceiling like a spider.

"She moves like a beast, not a human," Kuzuki observed from the shadows, his voice calm despite the chaos.

Assassin dropped from the ceiling, landing directly behind Archer. Her claws slashed across his back before he could turn, drawing first blood. But the injury only seemed to focus the red-clad Servant, who spun with remarkable speed, his swords nearly catching Assassin's throat as she ducked.

"Enough of this," Archer growled, twin blades whirling.

Despite her wounds and obvious fatigue, Assassin was a formidable opponent. She flowed like water between attacks, striking with lethal precision whenever an opening appeared. Yet Shirou could see she was weakening with each exchange. Blood - her own - left smears on the cave floor with each movement.

"My lady!" she cried out again, looking past the Servants toward Sakura. "Please! I've searched for you!"

"I don't know you!" Sakura called back, her voice trembling.

Something in her denial seemed to enrage the Assassin. With a howl of frustration, she unleashed a flurry of attacks against all three Servants simultaneously. Her form seemed to blur, almost splitting into multiple shadowy copies that struck from different angles.

"She's not human," Shirou muttered, watching as one of her arms briefly transformed into something resembling a fox's paw before shifting back to human form.

While the assault was impressive, it cost Assassin dearly. The exertion reopened her wounds, and her movements became increasingly desperate and sloppy. Saber found an opening, her sword slicing across Assassin's chest, drawing a pained cry.

"Stand down," Saber commanded, her blade at the ready. "You are outnumbered and weakened."

Assassin ignored her, eyes wild and focused only on reaching Sakura. With reckless abandon, she feinted toward Lancer before diving past him, rolling under Archer's slashing blades. Rin released a quick spell, a bolt of energy that caught Assassin in the shoulder, staggering her.

"Master!" she cried, looking past the Servants toward Sakura. "Don't you recognize me? I am yours!"

Shirou instinctively moved in front of Sakura, arms spread wide to shield her. The motion drew Yasaka's attention, her eyes narrowing as she registered him as an obstacle between her and her goal.

"You dare stand between us?" she snarled, her features momentarily shifting to something inhuman - elongated canines, slitted pupils, a flash of fur along her cheekbones.

With a feral howl, she launched herself directly at Shirou, claws extended for a killing blow. Time seemed to slow. Shirou saw death approaching in the form of those gleaming claws, but his body refused to move. He was paralyzed, not by magic, but by primal fear.

"Shirou, move!" Saber shouted, lunging toward him.

But he couldn't. His legs might as well have been stone. In that frozen moment, he saw Yasaka's eyes - not filled with malice, but desperation. The desperation of a dying animal making one final, futile attempt to survive.

Saber reached him just in time, shoving him aside with one hand while intercepting Yasaka's attack with her sword. The invisible blade caught Yasaka across the midriff, but not before one of her claws raked across Saber's shoulder, drawing a thin line of blood.

Yasaka collapsed to her knees, blood pooling beneath her. Still, her eyes remained fixed on Sakura, filled with a desperate longing. She reached out a trembling hand, her form already beginning to waver at the edges like heat rising from pavement.

"Saber!" Shirou called out, seeing the wound on her shoulder. "Are you - "

"I'm fine," she cut him off, her sword still trained on the fallen Assassin. "It's superficial."

Lancer approached with his spear leveled at Yasaka's throat, his usual playful demeanor replaced by cold efficiency. "Any last words before I send you back to the Throne of Heroes? Or whatever passes for it in this realm?"

"No," Yasaka whispered, her voice barely audible. "Not back to the Throne. True extinction. I'll be... gone forever." Her form flickered like a faulty projection, parts of her becoming transparent. "I never even... remembered who I was."

Shirou felt a sudden weight against his arm as Sakura pushed past him.

"Stop!" she shouted, her voice stronger than Shirou had ever heard it. "Don't hurt her anymore!"

Lancer paused, spear still at the ready but not striking. Saber and Archer maintained their positions, weapons drawn.

"Sakura, get back," Rin ordered sharply. "She's dangerous. She just tried to kill Shirou!"

But Sakura stood her ground, surprising everyone. "She's dying! And... and I think she really does know me somehow."

"That's irrelevant," Kuzuki said from his position at the back of the cave, his voice clinical and detached. "She represents a threat. In our situation, pragmatism dictates eliminating risks when possible. One less Servant means one less potential enemy."

"But what if she's not an enemy?" Sakura countered, her usual timidity nowhere to be seen. "If she becomes my Servant, that makes her an ally, doesn't it? That's one more fighter on our side."

Rin scoffed, crossing her arms. "Listen to yourself. You know nothing about being a Master or what it entails. You don't even have Command Seals." She looked around at the others. "Surely everyone else sees how ridiculous this is?"

Sakura's eyes sought out Shirou, silently pleading for support. But Shirou's gaze was fixed on Saber's wounded shoulder, the image of Yasaka's killing lunge still fresh in his mind.

"Sakura," he said quietly, "I think this might be a bad idea. She's unpredictable, dangerous. She was ready to kill me just to get to you."

"Please..." Yasaka gasped, her form flickering again, more pronounced this time. Parts of her were becoming transparent, her spiritual body literally disappearing before their eyes. "I am Yasaka! I serve - " She faltered, her face contorting with frustration. "I serve... I can't remember. But I know I am meant to protect my Master!"

"She's dying," Kuzuki observed dispassionately. "The Grail mentioned this would happen to Masterless Servants in this realm."

To everyone's surprise, Saber lowered her sword slightly. "I've faced my share of beasts before," she said, her tone measured. "This one isn't feral or dangerous by nature - she's like an animal in its death throes, desperate to cling to life." She glanced at Shirou, and then at Sakura. "Perhaps we should at least give her a chance."

"You can't be serious," Archer said, his twin swords still at the ready.

"I am," Saber replied. "If she proves to be a liability, we can eliminate her while she's weakened. But consider our situation - stranded in an unknown realm filled with hostile creatures. One more Servant on our side is an asset we can't afford to dismiss lightly." She looked around the cave. "Numbers should prevail, at least until we get a better sense of our situation."

Lancer tilted his head, studying Saber with newfound interest. His spear remained at Yasaka's throat, but his eyes narrowed analytically.

"Interesting perspective," he said, a slight smile playing at his lips. "A noble warrior showing restraint toward an Assassin. That tells me something about who you might be, doesn't it?"

Saber's expression remained impassive, but Shirou noticed her grip tighten slightly on her sword. Lancer was fishing for information about her true identity.

"It's not mercy," Saber stated flatly. "It's strategy."

Shirou found himself staring at Saber, a strange mix of emotions washing over him. For the first time since they'd been thrown into this nightmare, he'd felt genuine fear - not just concern for others, but fear for his own life. And yet Saber had protected him without hesitation, taking an injury meant for him.

Now she was advocating for the very Servant who had tried to kill him moments ago. Was this compassion a strength or a weakness? His father had always taught him that kindness was valuable, but in war, it could be fatal. Would Saber's mercy ultimately endanger them all?

Is this what the Holy Grail War does to people? Forces impossible choices between survival and humanity?

Sakura looked at the dissolving Servant, then back to Shirou. There was a determination in her eyes he'd rarely seen before.

"I need to help her," she said quietly. "And... maybe she can help us understand why we're here. Why the monsters avoided me."

Shirou hesitated, torn between his concern for Sakura's safety and the logic of Saber's argument. If they were going to survive this strange world, perhaps they needed every ally they could get - even unpredictable ones.

"Sakura, this isn't safe," Rin insisted, moving forward. "You don't know what forming a contract with a Servant means. The responsibilities, the dangers - "

"She came looking for me specifically," Sakura replied, her voice firmer than before. "I... I need to understand why."

Before anyone could stop her, Sakura knelt in front of the fading Servant, just beyond the reach of Lancer's spear. "I don't remember you," she said gently. "But if you need my help, I'll try."

Yasaka tried to respond, but her condition had deteriorated rapidly. Her mouth moved, but no sound emerged. Her form flickered violently, large portions of her body fading in and out of visibility. Her eyes, however, remained fixed on Sakura with desperate intensity.

"She's too weak to explain," Saber said, stepping forward. "Sakura, if you truly wish to save her, you need to establish the contract immediately. Tell her that you accept her as your Servant."

Shirou stiffened. "Saber, are you sure about this?"

His Servant glanced at him, her eyes unreadable. "You questioned my judgment earlier. I understand your concern."

"It's not that," Shirou said, though it partially was. "Even if she's truly loyal to Sakura, can Sakura control her? She has no Command Seals, no magical training."

This could be a trap, his father's voice seemed to whisper in his mind. Never trust too easily in a War where deception means survival.

Saber's gaze softened slightly. "Sometimes we must act on faith, Shirou. Not everything in battle is calculated risk."

The words struck a chord in him. How many times had Kiritsugu spoken of helping others, even when it seemed foolish? Of extending kindness in a world that rarely returned it? Despite his father's warnings about the War, his most fundamental lesson had always been compassion.

Watching Saber now - wounded because she had protected him, yet still advocating mercy - Shirou realized something important. In this deadly game where everyone would eventually become enemies, she might be his one true ally. And she was displaying exactly the kind of kindness his father would have shown to someone in need.

Perhaps there was wisdom in that, beyond mere strategy.

Yasaka's form flickered again, more violently this time. Parts of her became completely transparent, her spiritual body literally disappearing before their eyes.

"There's no time left," Archer warned. "Whatever you're going to do, do it now."

Yasaka's eyes filled with tears of desperation as she reached a fading hand toward Sakura.

"Just... accept me," she managed in a barely audible whisper. "Say the words. 'I accept you as my Servant.'"

Shirou wanted to intervene, to pull Sakura away from this dangerous situation. But something in her expression stopped him - a determination he rarely saw in his normally timid friend. And Saber's reasoning had been sound, however coldly she had presented it.

"I accept you as my Servant," Sakura said clearly.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then a soft glow emanated from where their hands touched. Yasaka's dissolving form stabilized, the transparency receding. Her wounds remained, but the immediate danger of disappearing seemed to have passed.

"It worked," Archer said, sounding surprised. "But how? She has no Command Seals, no magical circuits activated."

"That's impossible," Rin whispered, her expression troubled. "Unless..."

Yasaka's face transformed with joy as she pressed her forehead to the ground in front of Sakura. "My lady. My Master. Thank you."

The Servant's prostration was absolute - not merely the gratitude of someone saved from death, but the complete submission of a vassal to their liege. It seemed excessive, even for a Servant-Master relationship.

Shirou looked between Sakura's confused face and the prostrate Servant before her. Something profound had just happened, something none of them fully understood. A connection that shouldn't have been possible had formed between Sakura and this mysterious Assassin.

What are you, Sakura? And what is this Servant to you?

The Holy Grail War had just become even more complicated.

A FEW HOURS LATER…

Night had fallen - if the concept of night truly existed in this perpetual twilight realm. The three moons had shifted positions in the sky, casting new patterns of shadow across the cave floor. By all rights, Shirou and Saber should have been on their third watch rotation, but neither had managed to sleep during their designated rest periods.

They sat near the entrance of the cave, far enough from the others to speak without being overheard, but close enough to respond if trouble arose. The small fire between them cast dancing shadows across Saber's face, highlighting the weariness in her eyes.

Shirou couldn't help but glance back at the sleeping forms of his companions. Rin slept with her back against the cave wall, arms crossed even in slumber. Kuzuki had positioned himself near a secondary exit, ever vigilant. Lancer dozed in a half-sitting position, his spear within arm's reach.

And then there was Sakura.

She lay curled on her side, her breathing deep and even. And next to her, keeping watch with inhuman stillness, sat Yasaka. The Assassin's wounds had been bandaged with strips torn from Shirou's shirt, but she had refused to rest. Instead, she maintained her vigil over Sakura, her eyes occasionally reflecting the firelight like a cat's.

She tried to kill me, Shirou thought, a chill running through him despite the fire's warmth. And now Sakura's sleeping right beside her like it's nothing.

The blatant disregard for the danger troubled him deeply. How could Sakura trust this creature so easily? This woman - this thing - had nearly ended his life merely hours ago, and now she was accepted among them as if nothing had happened.

His eyes drifted to Saber, who was carefully adjusting the makeshift bandage on her shoulder. The sight of her wound sent a fresh wave of guilt through him. She had been injured protecting him, and he hadn't the slightest idea how to help her. Kiritsugu's notes had never mentioned what to do with an injured Servant during the War - the assumption had always been that Shirou would never participate at all.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked quietly.

Saber glanced up, seeming almost surprised by the question. "No. Servants heal quickly. By morning, there will be no trace of the injury."

"That's... good," Shirou replied awkwardly. The silence between them stretched uncomfortably before he found his voice again. "Saber, I... thank you. For saving me earlier."

She inclined her head slightly in acknowledgment. "There's no need for thanks. Protecting my Master is my duty."

"That's just it," Shirou said, his voice low. "I'm sorry you're stuck with a Master who doesn't even know what to do in a situation like this. I'm completely unprepared for this War."

Saber's expression softened slightly. "It's not uncommon, actually. There have been rare cases of Masters who were unaware of the Holy Grail War before being thrust into it. Yet they still became Masters, and some performed admirably despite their lack of preparation."

She paused, her eyes growing distant for a moment, as though a specific memory had surfaced. Something flickered across her face - recognition, perhaps, or an old pain - before she seemed to deliberately push it aside.

Shirou poked at the fire with a small stick, watching the embers rise. "Has something like this happened before? Being transported to another world?"

"No," Saber said, her gaze lifting to the alien sky with its three moons. "Not to my recollection. This situation is... unprecedented."

"You don't seem scared," Shirou observed. "Even with everything that's happened."

Saber looked at him thoughtfully, the firelight reflecting in her green eyes. "Earlier today, when Yasaka attacked, you were willing to throw yourself in front of Sakura even at the risk of your own life." Her voice held no judgment, merely observation. "She must be a dear friend for you to act so instinctively to protect her."

Shirou nodded, thinking of Sakura's quiet kindness, her gentle presence in his life. "She is."

"Then you understand why I'm not afraid," Saber said. "I find myself with a Master who would sacrifice himself to protect a friend without hesitation. For a Servant, there is no greater reassurance than knowing their Master's character aligns with their own values." A small smile touched her lips. "It means I am exactly where I should be - with a Master I'm willing to protect, because you would do the same for others."

Her words warmed something in Shirou's chest, a feeling of connection he hadn't expected. Here, in this alien world surrounded by danger and uncertainty, Saber's quiet confidence was like an anchor.

"I'll protect you too, Saber," he said suddenly, the words coming before he could consider them. "No matter what."

Saber looked up, clearly startled. "What did you mean by that?"

Shirou met her gaze directly. "I've always wanted to be a hero like my father - a defender of people. My dad wasn't known by everyone, but to me, he was my hero." The memory of Kiritsugu brought both pain and strength. "And if you're going to protect me, then I'm going to make sure I protect you too. Because who protects the protector?"

Saber stared at him, seemingly at a loss for words. Then, to Shirou's surprise, a faint blush colored her cheeks, and she smiled - a genuine smile that transformed her face from stern warrior to something softer, more human.

"That's a... novel perspective for a Master," she said finally. "But I appreciate the sentiment, Shirou."

Something passed between them in that moment - an understanding, a foundation of trust that transcended their formal roles of Master and Servant. In this strange world, with uncertain alliances and unknown dangers, they had found in each other something reliable.

The night deepened around them, the perpetual twilight shifting to deeper purples and blues. Somewhere in the distance, a creature howled - a reminder that outside their temporary sanctuary, danger waited.

But for now, by the light of their small fire, Shirou felt something he hadn't expected to find in the Holy Grail War.

Hope.

THAT FOLLOWING MORNING…

"Shirou."

The whisper barely penetrated his consciousness. He shifted, reluctant to leave the comfort of sleep.

"Shirou." Saber's voice came again, more insistent this time, her breath warm against his ear. "Wake up. But don't move."

Something in her tone - a controlled tension he'd never heard before - cut through the fog of sleep. His eyes opened, but his body remained still, instinctively responding to the urgency in her voice.

"Don't make a sound," she breathed, her face inches from his. "Stay down. Stay quiet."

Shirou blinked, confused. Pale light filtered into the cave - morning had come to this twilight realm. But instead of the bustle of people preparing for the day ahead, an unnatural stillness permeated the air.

"What's - " he began to whisper.

Saber's finger pressed against his lips, silencing him. Her eyes flicked meaningfully toward the others.

Slowly, carefully, Shirou shifted only his gaze, keeping his head and body perfectly still.

Everyone was awake. But no one was moving.

Rin sat frozen against the cave wall, her face drained of color, eyes fixed on something outside the cave entrance. Beside her, Archer stood in a half-crouch, weapons materialized but held unnaturally still. Kuzuki had positioned himself before Sakura, who huddled behind him, her hands pressed against her mouth to stifle any sound. Even Yasaka, injured as she was, had taken up a defensive posture, though her eyes betrayed fear - an emotion Shirou hadn't thought an Assassin capable of showing.

Lancer was nearest to the entrance, his crimson spear at the ready, but he too remained statue-still, as if the slightest movement might trigger catastrophe.

A tremor ran through the ground, subtle but unmistakable. Dust and small pebbles skittered across the cave floor.

"What's happening?" Shirou mouthed silently to Saber.

"Don't. Move." Each word was a barely audible breath as she helped him ease into a sitting position with agonizing slowness.

That's when he felt it - a presence. Something massive, just outside their sanctuary. The air seemed to thicken, making each breath an effort. The fine hairs on Shirou's arms and neck rose, responding to some primal instinct that screamed danger.

Another tremor, stronger this time. Not random - rhythmic. Like footsteps. Heavy, ponderous footsteps that shook the very earth.

Shirou slowly turned his head toward the cave entrance, following everyone else's gaze.

At first, he saw nothing unusual in the strange half-light outside. Then a shadow moved across the entrance - too large, too wrong to belong to any normal creature. Something enormous was passing by their hiding place, close enough that its movement displaced the air, sending a current of wind into the cave that carried an alien scent - like old blood and something chemical, something that shouldn't exist in nature.

Another step. Another tremor.

The shadow paused.

Shirou held his breath. Everyone did.

Outside, something shifted. A massive shape bent, lowering itself, and then -

A face appeared at the cave entrance.

Shirou's mind rebelled at what he was seeing. It looked almost human, but grotesquely wrong - features stretched and distorted, with skin like bloodless wax. Its mouth gaped in a permanent, lipless smile that exposed too many teeth. But it was the eyes that paralyzed him with horror - huge, round, vacant eyes that stared into the cave with mindless hunger.

The face filled the entire entrance, blocking out the light, casting them all in shadow. It was so close that Shirou could see individual pores in its sickly skin, could hear the wet, rattling sound of its breathing.

It was looking for them. Hunting them.

The moment stretched, unbearable. No one moved. No one breathed.

Then, with terrible slowness, the face retreated. The shadow passed. The tremors resumed, growing fainter as the thing moved away.

One minute passed. Two. Three.

Finally, Lancer moved from his position, approaching the entrance with preternatural stealth. He peered out, scanning the forest beyond.

"It's moving north," he reported in a whisper. "But it's not alone. There are smaller ones - dozens of them - spreading out. Searching."

"We need to move," Kuzuki said, his voice barely audible. "While we still can."

"East," Archer agreed, equally quiet. "There's a path through the forest. If we're careful - "

Another tremor cut him off, stronger than before. Everyone froze again.

It was coming back.

Shirou felt a cold certainty settle in his gut. The thing hadn't given up. It had merely circled around. Hunting. Herding.

"Too late," Yasaka whispered, her eyes wide. "They've surrounded us."

The sound that followed seemed to come from everywhere at once - a low, guttural moan that contained an echo of something human, but twisted, corrupted. A hunting call.

Answered by howls from all directions.

End.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

I'm sure there are a few questions you all have in regards to certain…plot holes, but don't worry, they will be answered, we just don't want to spoil the mystery right from the get go.

More Chapters are posted on my patreon Feel free to check it out lads, here's the link

https://www.patreon.com/c/Demon_Knight939

I'll see you all on the next chapter!

Chapter Text

Hi everyone

Chapter 3 right here, please enjoy to your heart’s content.

Start:

The small one sits on his shoulder. Always on his shoulder. She weighs nothing to him. Like a bird. White-haired bird. His bird. His Master.

Berserker walks. One foot. Then another. The ground trembles beneath him. Trees snap when he brushes them. He could level the forest if he wanted. But the small one - Ilya, a voice whispers in his mind - doesn't want that. So he is careful. For her.

The others follow. The golden one with the spear. The one who smells of old blood. And their Masters. He doesn't like their Masters. The golden-haired man speaks too many words, all of them sharp. The child with eyes too old reminds him of... reminds him of...

Athens. A palace. Children dying by his hands. His hands, covered in blood. Not his fault, but his burden.

The rage builds. Red clouds his vision. A growl rises from his chest.

Tiny fingers touch his cheek. "It's okay, Berserker," the small one says. Her voice is light. It cuts through the red. "Look, the sun is finally coming up."

The red fades. The memory sinks back beneath the surface of his consciousness. He is Berserker again. Just Berserker. Not... the other one.

The twilight brightens. Not true sunlight, but close enough in this strange world with its three moons. The forest around them takes on an almost normal appearance in the stronger light, though the trees still pulse with faint luminescence beneath their bark.

They stop in a clearing. The small one climbs down from his shoulder, graceful as the bird he thinks her to be.

"We should rest properly," she announces. "Eat something. The Servants need to restore their energy."

"And what do you propose we eat, child?" the golden-haired man - Kayneth, another whisper tells him - asks with a sneer. "I don't see any five-star restaurants in this enchanted forest."

The small one shrugs, unbothered by his tone. "That's why we have Servants, isn't it? To provide for their Masters?"

Berserker's chest swells with pride. Yes. He provides. He protects. He stands behind his small Master, a mountain of muscle ready to move at her command.

"Assassin can hunt," the other child says, his voice cold for one so young. Julian, the whisper supplies. Berserker doesn't like Julian. His eyes are wrong. "She's good at killing things. Aren't you, Assassin?"

The small female Servant nods. She rarely speaks. When she does, her voice is like broken glass. "Yes, Father."

Father. Not Master. Berserker doesn't understand this. The golden Servant - Rider, the voice whispers - seems confused by it too. But the spearman says nothing.

Rider. Not his true name. Berserker understands this caution. Names have power. His own name is dangerous, even to himself. Especially to himself. Better to be just Berserker. Safer.

But something about the golden one - Rider - itches at the back of his mind. Something familiar.

Rider leans on his spear, watching the Masters argue with obvious boredom. His stance, the way he holds his weight - it pulls at Berserker's memory. They have fought before, he thinks. Or the one he used to be did. In another time. Another place.

When Rider moves, Berserker's body tenses instinctively, muscles remembering what his mind cannot fully grasp.

"I'm not eating whatever that thing kills," Kayneth declares, pointing at Assassin.

Julian's eyes narrow. "Are you suggesting an Ainsworth Servant is beneath your standards, El-Melloi?"

"I'm stating it plainly," Kayneth replies. "Your family was barely a footnote in the Clock Tower registry before your grandfather got lucky with a few investments. The Ainsworths are nouveau riche playing at being magi."

Berserker sees the boy's face flush with anger. Good. He doesn't like either of them, but their fighting means they aren't bothering his small Master.

"At least my family didn't meddle with forces they couldn't control," Julian snaps back. "How does it feel knowing your precious lineage may have caused this mess? The Archibald fingerprints are all over this ritual modification."

The small one steps between them. "Both of you shut up," she says cheerfully. "Your family squabbles are boring me."

Julian turns on her, his face still flushed. "Stay out of this, Einzbern doll. The adults are talking."

Berserker growls, deep and threatening. How dare this whelp speak to his Master that way? He takes a half-step forward, the ground shaking beneath his foot. One swing of his axe-sword would remove the problem permanently.

But the small one laughs, the sound like silver bells. "My Berserker doesn't like your tone, Julian. Be careful, or I might let him play with you."

The boy pales, taking an involuntary step back. Assassin moves closer to her Master, knives appearing in her small hands.

Berserker relaxes. His small Master isn't upset, so he won't act. But he watches Julian more closely now. Readier to strike if needed.

"Rider, find us something to eat," Kayneth orders, breaking the tension. "Something edible, if such a thing exists in this abomination of a forest."

The golden warrior sighs but nods. "As you command." He winks at Assassin before dashing off into the forest, moving so fast he's merely a blur of gold and red.

Berserker watches him go. That speed. Something about that speed tugs at his memory again.

Running across a beach. The golden one always ahead. Always faster. Impossible to catch.

He pushes the memory away before the red can return. Not now. Later, perhaps, when the small one doesn't need him.

"Assassin, you too," Julian instructs. "Make yourself useful."

The girl vanishes like a shadow, gone between one blink and the next.

"Berserker doesn't need to hunt," the small one announces proudly, patting his arm. "He already took care of breakfast."

She points to a pile of... something... Berserker had deposited at the edge of the clearing before dawn. The remains of the beasts that had tried to attack while the Masters slept. He had crushed them silently, ensuring his small Master's rest wasn't disturbed.

Providing. Protecting. This is good.

"You expect us to eat... that?" Kayneth's face twists in disgust.

The small one shrugs again. "It's meat, isn't it? Berserker already did the work. No sense in wasting it."

Julian approaches the pile cautiously, examining the chitinous remains. "I'm not convinced these things aren't poisonous."

Berserker feels a twinge of... something. Sadness? His offering isn't appreciated. Not good enough. He should have found better. For his small one.

"I'd rather starve than eat those abominations," Kayneth declares, turning away.

"You might not have that luxury," Julian says. "We don't know how long we'll be trapped here."

The small one sighs. "Look at you two, finally agreeing on something."

"Servants should taste it first," Kayneth declares, his tone imperious. "They're less likely to be affected by any toxins."

The brightening twilight finally illuminates the full extent of Berserker's "offering." The clearing's floor is littered with body parts from at least a dozen different creatures, their strange ichor splattered across trees and rocks. What had seemed like mere shadows in the dim light now revealed themselves as entrails, severed limbs, and crushed exoskeletons.

The small one's nose wrinkles in disgust. "On second thought, perhaps we should wait for Rider and Assassin to return."

Berserker's shoulders slump slightly. Not good enough. Failed his Master.

Kayneth snorts. "A wise decision. Though I'm surprised an Einzbern would be squeamish. Your family has performed far worse atrocities in the name of research, from what I've heard."

"We have standards," the small one replies primly. "Just because we pursue the Third Magic doesn't mean we're savages."

"The Holy Grail itself is evidence of your family's ambition," Kayneth says, his voice sharp with accusation. "This predicament we find ourselves in - this twisted version of the ritual - is merely the latest chapter in a long history of arcane meddling. The Einzberns created the system, after all."

Berserker watches the golden-haired man, noting every gesture, every shift in posture. Humans think they hide their intentions well. They don't realize how clearly their bodies betray them. Kayneth's heartbeat is elevated. His scent carries the acrid tang of fear beneath layers of expensive cologne.

The small one shifts on Berserker's shoulder. He feels her weight adjust, light as a bird.

"With the Tohsakas and the Matous," she corrects, wagging her finger playfully. "Don't try to lay all the blame at our feet. Besides, my family would never destabilize our own creation."

Her voice carries the sing-song quality she uses when explaining things she considers obvious. Berserker has learned the subtle differences in her tones - this one means she is being deliberately childish while saying something important.

"Why are there so many Servants anyway?" she asks, tilting her head with exaggerated curiosity. "I counted at least ten pairs in that clearing. The system is designed for seven. Seven Masters, seven Servants." She raises seven small fingers, wiggling them for emphasis. "It's supposed to be a perfect number for thaumaturgy. Right, Kayneth-san?"

The small one surveys the alien forest, her red eyes missing nothing. "This has the Mage's Association's fingerprints all over it. Specifically, the Department of Spiritual Evocation... which you oversee, if I'm not mistaken?"

Kayneth draws himself up, indignation evident in every line of his body. "If you're suggesting I had something to do with this -"

"Oh, I think you know exactly what happened," Julian interjects, his eyes narrowing. The child has a voice like ice, cold and brittle. "Your reaction when the Grail mentioned the Association's involvement was too specific. You recognized something in that explanation."

The boy steps closer to Kayneth, challenging despite his small stature. "And what about this 'Ark' we're supposed to find? That wasn't part of the original design, was it?"

"The Holy Grail is the prize," the small one adds, swinging her legs carelessly from her perch on Berserker's shoulder. "It grants the winner's wish. That's how Grandfather explained it to me. So why do we need another magical artifact now?"

Berserker watches as Kayneth's face shifts through several expressions - surprise, anger, calculation - before settling on a smug smile. The man adjusts his high collar, making sure it remains fastened to his throat despite the humid air. He's hiding something.

"Perhaps I do know something," Kayneth says with practiced casualness. "The Archibald family has access to information others can only dream of. We've been integral to the Association for generations."

But Berserker sees it. The flicker in the man's eyes. The slight tension in his shoulders. He's lying. Bluffing.

Berserker has seen this before. So many times before.

Deception. A human trait. So often used against...

Another flash: Standing before a king. The throne room's marble columns. The smirk on the king's face. Lies being told. Tasks assigned. Impossible tasks. Meant to destroy him.

The red returns, creeping at the edges of his vision like blood in water. His hands clench into fists, muscles bulging as the rage builds. Tendons stand out on his massive forearms. A snarl forms deep in his throat, rumbling up from his chest.

"Berserker?" The small one looks up at him, concern in her red eyes. "What's wrong?"

He can't answer. Can't explain. Can only feel the madness spreading like poison through his mind. His vision tunnels, focusing on Kayneth. On Julian. On liars. On those who would use others. Just like him. Just like the king who—

No. Not now. Not here.

"Berserker!" The small one's voice is sharper now. Her small hand touches his cheek. The contact is an anchor, something real to hold onto as the red tide threatens to sweep him away.

With supreme effort, he draws back from the edge. Forces the red away. Concentrates on his small Master's voice. His anchor. The only truth in a world of lies.

"Sorry about that," she says to the others, not sounding sorry at all. "He gets a bit temperamental sometimes. A side effect of the Madness Enhancement."

Kayneth has taken several steps back, his face pale. His hand touches his collar again, an unconscious gesture that Berserker notes despite his struggle with the rage. Whatever the man is hiding, it's important.

"As I was saying," the small one continues cheerfully, as if nothing had happened, "this whole situation is most peculiar. Extra Servants, a new dimension, this 'Ark' business... it's almost like someone completely changed the rules of the game."

"Perhaps they did," Julian suggests, watching Kayneth with those too-old eyes. "Perhaps someone decided the original ritual wasn't... efficient enough."

"Or perhaps," the small one adds, her voice still childishly light but with a razor's edge beneath, "someone didn't want any of us returning at all. Wouldn't that be convenient? All the troublesome Masters and Servants, trapped in another dimension forever."

The silence that follows holds weight. Even Rider and Assassin, who have remained quiet throughout the exchange, shift uncomfortably.

Kayneth clears his throat, trying to regain his composure. "Speculation without evidence is meaningless. Whatever the circumstances, our path forward is clear—find this 'Ark' and return to complete the War properly."

Berserker doesn't believe him. The man's heart rate spiked when the small one mentioned being trapped. He knows something. Something important.

The red threatens again, but Berserker pushes it down. Not now. Later, perhaps, when the small one doesn't need him clear-headed. When there is time for rage.

For now, he will watch. And wait. And remember that humans lie, even to themselves.

Especially to themselves.

Julian watches with those too-old eyes, calculating. "Interesting. The legendary Berserker, brought to heel by a child."

The small one smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "Not brought to heel, Julian. We understand each other. He's not just a weapon to be pointed at enemies." She reaches up, and Berserker obediently lowers his massive hand for her to step onto, raising her back to her perch on his shoulder. "He's my Berserker. And I'm his Master. It's a bond you couldn't possibly understand."

Julian scoffs, but says nothing more. Smart. Even a child with eyes too old can learn fear.

A rustling from the forest draws their attention. Rider returns, carrying what appears to be several large bird-like creatures. Their feathers shimmer with iridescent colors not found in nature, and their beaks are oddly serrated, but they look far more edible than Berserker's offerings.

"Breakfast," Rider announces, dropping his catch. "Found them in a nest about half a mile east. Had to climb a tree the size of a mountain to get them." He grins, clearly enjoying his own exaggeration.

That grin. It triggers something in Berserker.

A competition. Races along the shore. Laughter. Friendship. Before... before...

The red starts to return, but Berserker fights it down. Not now.

"Did you see any sign of the others?" Kayneth asks, examining the strange birds with far less disgust than he'd shown toward Berserker's kills.

Rider shakes his head. "No. But I did find something else interesting." He produces a small, carved stone figure from his belt pouch. "This was nestled in the hollow of one of those glowing trees. Looks man-made."

The Masters gather around to examine the find. The carving depicts a crude humanoid figure, but with animal-like features - elongated snout, pointed ears, and what appears to be nine tails flowing behind it.

"Some kind of fox deity?" Julian suggests, his voice betraying genuine curiosity for the first time.

The small one takes the carving, turning it over in her hands. "This suggests this world was inhabited - or at least visited - by humans before. People who left artifacts behind."

"Which means they might have left other things behind," Kayneth muses. "Perhaps even clues about this 'Ark' the Grail mentioned."

Assassin materializes at the edge of the clearing, her small form emerging from the shadows. "People," she says simply, pointing back the way she came. "Others. Fighting."

Berserker feels the small one tense on his shoulder. "How many?" she asks.

"Three Masters. Three Servants," Assassin replies, her voice dispassionate. "Big monster chasing them."

Kayneth frowns. "Which Servants?"

Assassin tilts her head slightly. "Saber. Archer. Lancer. New one. Female."

The small one tightens her grip on Berserker's hair, excitement in her voice. "Saber! Finally, something interesting!" She leans down, her face close to his. "What do you say, Berserker? Shall we go see who's in trouble?"

Berserker rumbles in response. He doesn't care about the others. But if his small Master wants to go, then they will go. And if this "big monster" threatens her, he will crush it. Simple.

"We should keep to ourselves," Kayneth argues. "This isn't our problem."

Julian, surprisingly, takes the small one's side. "Knowledge is power, El-Melloi. The more we understand about the other Masters and the creatures of this world, the better our chances of finding the Ark and surviving."

"Fine," Kayneth concedes reluctantly. "But we observe only. No engagement unless absolutely necessary."

The small one laughs, the sound sharp with anticipation. "We'll see about that. Berserker isn't known for his restraint."

They leave the clearing, Berserker carrying his small Master, Rider and Assassin flanking their respective Masters. The strange birds lie forgotten, their iridescent feathers dulling as the small amount of life left in them fades.

Berserker marches forward, each step shaking the earth. He feels... something. An anticipation of his own. The hunt is coming. The chance to prove himself to his small Master once again.

And perhaps, a chance to test himself against Saber, against Archer. Against worthy opponents.

The red hovers at the edges of his consciousness, not threatening but promising. When the time comes, he will embrace it. Let it fuel his strength, his speed, his rage.

He is Berserker. And that is enough.

For now.

AROUND THE SAME TIME…

The stone shrine sat nestled in a small clearing, its ancient façade worn by years no human calendar could count. Weathered carvings of nine-tailed beasts danced along its walls, their snarling faces caught mid-leap between eternity and oblivion. Against this backdrop of forgotten worship, three women and their Servants had made camp as the perpetual twilight shifted through its subtle spectrum of purples and blues.

Bazett Fraga McRemitz sat apart from the others, methodically checking and rewrapping the reinforcement runes on her gloves. Her red hair caught the blue light of their modest fire, making it appear almost purple. Every few minutes, her eyes would flick to the tree line, muscles tensed for action that had not yet come.

Perched on a boulder overlooking the camp, her Servant maintained an unwavering vigil. The female warrior's crimson spear caught what little light filtered through the canopy, seeming to pulse with its own internal energy. She had not moved for hours, her posture betraying neither fatigue nor boredom. Only her eyes tracked the shifting shadows, missing nothing.

"The architecture suggests Shinto influences," Hishiri Adashino observed, running her fingers along the shrine's weathered stones. Her pleasant smile never quite reached her calculating eyes. "But these carvings are unlike anything I've seen in Japan. Cross-cultural contamination, perhaps?"

"Or convergent evolution of spiritual symbolism," Ayaka Sajyou suggested quietly. The youngest of the three Masters knelt before a small altar, sketching the faded inscriptions in a worn notebook. Her glasses reflected the firelight, obscuring her eyes. "Many cultures independently developed fox deities to explain natural phenomena."

Their third Servant - an older man with a distinguished mustache and an air of barely contained excitement - paced around the shrine, muttering measurements and observations to himself.

"Fascinating! The stone itself appears to be conducting a form of thaumaturgical energy. Most likely drawing from ley lines beneath the surface. If I could just measure the frequency..." He paused, eyes glinting with enthusiasm. "This reminds me of my experiments with wireless energy transmission. If we could harness this ambient field - "

"Caster," Ayaka interrupted gently, "I don't think we can power anything useful with it."

"One never knows until one tries, my dear!" He insisted, not at all deterred. "Science is the art of asking questions of nature and listening to her replies. And this nature," he gestured grandiosely at the alien forest around them, "has many secrets to tell!"

The armored figure leaning against the far wall of the shrine made no comment. Saber's helmet concealed any reaction to the conversation, the ornate faceguard betraying nothing of the human beneath. Only the slight rise and fall of their chest indicated they were anything but a particularly elaborate statue.

Bazett's eyes flicked toward the silent knight. "Does your Saber ever talk, Adashino?"

Hishiri smiled pleasantly. "When necessary. Some warriors prefer action to words, wouldn't you agree?"

Saber shifted slightly at this, armor plates grating against each other, but remained silent.

Bazett returned to her gloves, but her vigilance never wavered. "We should set watches. Four hours each. I'll take first."

"Always so serious," Hishiri replied, her tone gently mocking. "The Association won't fall apart if you relax for one evening, Fraga."

"The Association is exactly what I'm worried about," Bazett said flatly. "Kayneth knows I'm here now. He knows I was supposed to be observing, not participating."

"Lord El-Melloi's opinion hardly matters in our current predicament," Hishiri pointed out. "Hierarchy becomes rather academic when one is stranded in a parallel dimension."

"He'll hold a grudge. That man can hold a grudge through apocalypses."

"Then it's fortunate we have such capable Servants, isn't it?"

Above them, the Lancer's expression shifted almost imperceptibly - something that might have been amusement in less stoic features.

Ayaka looked up from her sketching. "I think these inscriptions might be a form of warning." She adjusted her glasses, squinting at the faded symbols. "Something about 'boundaries' and 'the nine-tailed queen.' It's difficult to make out."

"A local deity, perhaps," Hishiri suggested. "Every land has its guardian spirits and taboos."

"Or its monsters," Bazett added darkly.

Caster knelt beside Ayaka, examining her sketches with genuine interest. "Remarkable similarity to ancient Sumerian cuneiform, yet with elements of East Asian ideographs. A hybrid writing system suggests cultural exchange on a significant scale." He beamed proudly. "Reminds me of my work deciphering ancient codexes during my investigation of historical electrical phenomena. Nikola Tesla never met a mystery he couldn't illuminate!"

Ayaka smiled faintly at his enthusiasm. "I'm not sure electrical engineering principles apply here, Caster."

"Science applies everywhere, my dear! Even in this strange realm. The laws may be different, but laws they remain!"

"Speaking of laws," Hishiri said, her voice deceptively casual, "what do we make of our mediator's disappearance? Kotomine Kirei seems to have abandoned his duties rather abruptly."

Bazett's expression darkened. "Kotomine is the least of our concerns right now."

"Is he?" Hishiri tilted her head. "He's connected to the Church, which is connected to the Association. And his absence after the Grail's announcement seems... convenient."

"You think he knew this would happen?" Ayaka asked, looking up from her notes.

"I think it's unwise to dismiss any possibility," Hishiri replied. "In the Holy Grail War, coincidences are rare."

Saber shifted again, helmet turning slightly toward the conversation. Though no words came, the movement itself suggested interest - or perhaps concern.

"Whatever his involvement," Bazett said firmly, "our priority is survival and finding this 'Ark.' Speculation about Kotomine can wait."

Lancer suddenly tensed, her spear shifting into a combat position. The movement was so subtle that only Bazett seemed to notice, instantly alert.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lancer's eyes narrowed, scanning the darkness beyond the clearing. After a moment, she relaxed marginally. "Animal. Gone now."

But her posture suggested she wasn't entirely convinced.

"We should eat and rest while we can," Hishiri suggested. "Tomorrow we can explore further. This shrine was built by someone - or something. Where there's one structure, there may be others."

Ayaka nodded, closing her notebook. "The carvings seem to point toward a central location. Perhaps a temple or a larger settlement."

"Or the Ark itself," Caster added excitedly. "Structures like this often serve as waypoints, guiding pilgrims toward a central place of worship!"

Bazett remained unconvinced. "Or warning them away from danger."

"Such pessimism, Fraga," Hishiri chided gently. "One might think you regret joining our little excursion."

"I'm here because the Association ordered me to observe. Getting dragged into a parallel dimension wasn't part of the assignment."

"Yet here you are, a Master like the rest of us." Hishiri's smile was sweet but her eyes were sharp. "Fate has such interesting ways of rearranging our carefully laid plans."

Bazett didn't respond, but something in her expression suggested she found nothing "interesting" about their situation. She glanced up at her Servant, drawing comfort from the warrior's unwavering vigilance.

As the group settled in for their meal - strange fruit and roasted game that Lancer had procured earlier - none of them noticed the faint shimmer in the air near the edge of the clearing. No one saw the nearly invisible distortion that hovered like heat above summer asphalt, watching, listening.

AT THE SAME TIME…

Shinji Matou couldn't stop pacing. Back and forth across the worn stone floor of the abandoned monastery, each footstep echoing in the cavernous chamber. The sound helped mask the frantic beating of his heart, the ragged edge of his breathing. Fear had become his constant companion since they'd arrived in this nightmare realm, and the sanctuary Kirei had led them to did little to alleviate it.

"Seven steps, turn. Eight steps, turn. Six steps, turn." Shinji muttered to himself, counting his paces as he moved. Anything to keep his mind occupied. Anything to avoid thinking about what waited outside.

Near the altar, Kirei Kotomine knelt before a pool of liquid silver, his fingers trailing through its mercurial surface. Images formed and dissolved with each movement - glimpses of the other Masters, scattered throughout this alien world. The priest's face betrayed nothing as he watched, his eyes dark and unreadable.

Shinji paused in his pacing, drawn despite himself to the visions in the pool. He glimpsed the white-haired Einzbern girl perched atop her monstrous Berserker. In another ripple, he saw the Tohsaka heir with her Archer. And then -

"Sakura," he hissed, seeing his violet-haired sister huddled in some cave with that nobody, Emiya.

"Your sister appears to be adapting well," Kirei observed without looking up. "Despite her... unusual circumstances."

"She's not supposed to be here," Shinji snapped, resuming his pacing. "She's not even a proper magus. Not a Master. She shouldn't be involved in any of this."

"And yet, here she is. With a Servant, no less." Kirei's tone held a hint of amusement. "Most peculiar."

Shinji scowled. Of course Sakura would somehow end up with a Servant. Of course she would once again be the special one, the exception to every rule. While he, the true Matou heir, had been stuck with a mere Rider class instead of the Saber he deserved.

Speaking of which - Shinji glanced toward the massive wooden doors where his Servant stood guard. Rider's long violet hair cascaded down her back, her blindfold concealing eyes that Shinji knew were watching everything despite their covering. She hadn't moved in hours, her stillness more unnerving than reassuring.

"Does your Servant ever rest?" Kirei asked, following Shinji's gaze.

"Rider doesn't need rest," Shinji replied, trying to sound confident. In truth, he had no idea what his Servant needed. Their connection felt tenuous at best, as though she merely tolerated his commands rather than truly accepting him as Master.

Seven steps, turn. Eight steps, turn. Six steps, turn.

From the corner of his eye, Shinji caught a flicker of movement - something golden, something watching from the shadows of the monastery's upper gallery. When he turned to look directly, there was nothing there. Just dust motes dancing in the shafts of alien twilight that penetrated the stained glass windows.

"You're fortunate, you know," Kirei said suddenly, breaking the silence. "To have found sanctuary while the others struggle to survive."

"Fortunate?" Shinji's laugh was brittle. "We're trapped in some godforsaken dimension with monsters hunting us. I'd hardly call that fortunate."

"Perspective, Matou. It's all about perspective." Kirei waved his hand over the pool, and the image shifted to show something massive moving through the forest - a humanoid figure, impossibly tall, with too many teeth in a fixed grin. "Would you rather be out there?"

Shinji swallowed hard, his pacing momentarily halted by the horrific sight. "No."

"Then perhaps gratitude would be more appropriate than complaint."

"I'll be grateful when we're back in Fuyuki," Shinji muttered, resuming his circuit. Seven steps, turn. Eight steps, turn. Six steps, turn. "When things are back to normal."

"Normal?" Kirei's voice held that unsettling amusement again. "The Holy Grail War is hardly 'normal' in any context. But even by its unusual standards, I grant that our current situation is... unprecedented."

The image in the pool shifted again, this time revealing Bazett Fraga McRemitz alongside her Lancer. Kirei's fingers paused in their motion, hovering just above the silvery surface. His expression remained neutral, but something in his eyes changed - a flicker of genuine amusement.

"Curious," he murmured, more to himself than to Shinji. "Most curious indeed."

Shinji, caught in his own loop of anxiety, barely registered the priest's comment. "What's curious?"

Kirei didn't answer immediately. His fingers resumed their gentle disturbance of the pool's surface, causing the image to shift to another Master - Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, his aristocratic features set in a perpetual scowl as he directed his golden-armored Servant through the alien forest. Almost unconsciously, Kayneth's hand drifted to his chest, adjusting his high collar as though ensuring it remained properly fastened.

"I find myself wondering," Kirei said at last, his voice taking on a contemplative tone that seemed oddly genuine compared to his usual calculated manner, "how it is that some participants from the previous War have found themselves in this one. It's... irregular."

This caught Shinji's attention. He paused mid-step, turning toward the kneeling priest. "Previous War? I thought those were completely separate events."

"They are meant to be," Kirei agreed, his eyes never leaving the pool. "And yet, here we have Bazett Fraga McRemitz and Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald - both of whom should have, by all accounts, met rather decisive ends."

Shinji's eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean?"

A thin smile touched Kirei's lips, though it didn't reach his eyes. "The previous War was... eventful. Kayneth El-Melloi found himself in a situation that no one could have reasonably survived. As for Bazett - well, let's just say her participation should have been unexpectedly brief."

He waved his hand over the pool again, causing the image to ripple and reform, now showing Bazett engaged in conversation with her Lancer. There was something in her eyes - a knowing look, as though she'd glimpsed something beyond ordinary understanding.

"Yet here she is. Whole. Thriving. The Association even promoted her to investigator afterward - quite the reward for her 'service.'" His voice dropped lower, becoming almost meditative. "No one seems to know exactly how they survived. Even my sources within the Church have been unusually silent on the matter."

Shinji frowned, momentarily forgetting his own anxieties in the face of this new puzzle. "So they... what? Just walked away from something that should've killed them?"

"That," Kirei said with unsettling satisfaction, "is precisely the question. The Association closed ranks around them afterward - information restricted even from those who would normally be privy to such details." He tilted his head slightly. "Most amusing, don't you think? The Holy Grail War, a ritual designed specifically to eliminate all but its chosen victor, somehow produced... survivors."

His fingers traced another pattern in the liquid silver, bringing forth the image of Shirou Emiya. The red-haired young man stood side by side with his Saber, their postures suggesting a bond that had already grown strong despite the short time they'd known each other.

"And then there's this one," Kirei continued, his voice dropping even further, as though he were speaking to someone far away. "Emiya. Another piece that doesn't quite fit the pattern."

He studied the young man's image with an intensity that bordered on obsession. "I wonder if Kiritsugu had a soft spot after all. Is that why you survived, young Emiya? Did the Magus Killer find something in you worth preserving when he was so efficient at destroying everything else?"

Shinji stepped closer, his curiosity momentarily overcoming his caution. "Emiya?" He scoffed, the name triggering a flicker of recognition that he quickly dismissed. "You can't possibly mean he's related to that Emiya. It's just a coincidence."

Kirei's eyebrow raised slightly. "Is it? You know the boy, then?"

"I've seen him at school," Shinji said with a dismissive wave. "He's nobody special. Just an engineering student with a talent for fixing broken appliances. My sister's always fawning over him for some reason, following him around like a lovesick puppy. It's pathetic." His lip curled in disgust, the petty jealousy evident in his tone. "There's not a trace of magical ability in him. I've never sensed any magic circuits during our interactions."

"And you've been looking?" Kirei asked, amusement evident in his voice.

Shinji shifted uncomfortably. "Of course not. I just would have noticed if he had any significant magical potential. Someone like the Magus Killer wouldn't leave behind an untrained child. It's probably just someone with a similar name."

Kirei studied Shinji's face for a moment, his expression unreadable. "Perhaps you're right," he said, though his tone suggested he believed nothing of the sort. "Or perhaps your ability to sense magical potential has... dulled with disuse."

Shinji bristled at the implication. "I know a magus when I see one," he insisted. "And that Emiya is no magus."

"And yet the Grail chose him as a Master," Kirei countered softly, returning his gaze to the pool. "Just as it has drawn in survivors from the last War. Curious coincidences, wouldn't you say?"

Kirei's fingers stilled, and the images in the pool faded to a uniform silver. "It makes one wonder what kind of game the Grail is really playing. And what it intends as the outcome."

He looked up at Shinji for the first time since beginning his musings, his dark eyes penetrating in a way that made Shinji instinctively take a step back. "Perhaps this modified War, this dimensional shift - perhaps none of it is an accident or a meddling magus's experiment. Perhaps the Grail itself is attempting to... correct something."

The idea hung in the air between them, heavy with implications neither fully grasped. Then Kirei's expression shifted back to its usual mask of mild amusement, the moment of genuine contemplation tucked away like a secret.

"Or perhaps," he said with a slight shrug, "I'm merely seeing patterns where none exist. The mind seeks meaning even in chaos, after all."

Another glimpse of gold in the shadows. Another moment of nothing when Shinji looked directly.

Am I losing my mind?

"How long can we stay here?" Shinji asked, trying to keep the desperation from his voice.

"The Sanctuary offers protection, but not indefinitely," Kirei replied. "Eventually, you will need to seek the Ark if you wish to return home."

"But the rules say this is neutral ground," Shinji protested. "I can't be forced to leave. I have rights as a Master."

"The rules," Kirei said softly, "have changed. Surely you've grasped that by now."

Shinji hadn't, not really. He'd been clinging to the structure of the Holy Grail War he'd studied - the structure that promised him glory, victory, recognition at last. This warped version offered none of those assurances.

In the pool, the image shifted again to show Sakura. The strange Servant beside her - a woman in a bloodstained kimono - knelt in a posture of absolute devotion. There were no Command Seals visible on Sakura's hand, yet the bond between them was unmistakable.

"She can't be a Master," Shinji insisted, stopping to stare at the image. "She doesn't have the circuits for it."

"Perhaps there's more to your sister than you know," Kirei suggested.

Shinji frowned. Grandfather had always been secretive about Sakura's training. He'd assumed it was because she was weak, unworthy of the family magic. But what if it was the opposite? What if she'd been given something he hadn't?

No. That was impossible. He was the heir. He was the one who'd been prepared for this War.

And yet, here was Sakura with a Servant, while he cowered in sanctuary with a Rider who barely acknowledged him.

"I should go to her," Shinji said suddenly. "Protect her. She doesn't understand what she's gotten into."

Kirei looked up at him for the first time, his dark eyes penetrating. "Noble intentions. Though they would require leaving the safety of these walls."

Shinji's newfound resolve wavered instantly. Outside were monsters. Outside was death. Here, at least, he could survive.

"I... I need to develop a strategy first," he stammered. "Gather information. I can watch your pool, see where everyone is, plan my approach."

"Of course," Kirei agreed, a thin smile crossing his face. "Take all the time you need. I'm sure your sister will be perfectly fine until then."

The priest returned to his scrying, leaving Shinji to his thoughts. And those thoughts were turning darker by the minute.

Protect her. That's what I said aloud. But...

But in the privacy of his mind, other possibilities emerged. After all, they were in a war. A competition with only one winner.

If Sakura never returned from this dimension... if something were to happen to her out there... who would question it? So many dangers lurked in this twisted realm. So many ways for accidents to occur.

The thought sent a shiver of excitement through him. Return to Fuyuki as the sole Matou heir. No more divided attention from Grandfather. No more whispered comparisons. No more wondering why Sakura - adopted, ordinary Sakura - received special training while he, the blood heir, was kept at arm's length.

He could make it look natural. In the chaos of battle, friendly fire happened. Or perhaps one of those monsters could be guided to her. Not by his hand directly, of course. He would never dirty his hands that way.

But as a Master in the Holy Grail War, wasn't it his duty to eliminate competition? Even if that competition wore his family name?

Seven steps, turn. Eight steps, turn. Six steps, turn.

"Remember, Matou," Kirei said as he continued to gaze into the scrying pool, "the Sanctuary protects against the beasts of this realm, but not against all threats. Some predators wear human faces."

Shinji froze mid-step, a chill running down his spine. Had the priest somehow read his thoughts? But Kirei's attention remained fixed on the silver surface, his expression betraying nothing.

Again, that glimpse of gold in the shadows. Again, nothing when Shinji looked directly.

Just my imagination. Just my nerves. Nothing there.

But as he continued his endless circuit of the monastery floor, counting steps to keep the panic at bay, Shinji couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched - not just by Kirei or his silent Servant, but by something else. Something ancient. Something that found his fear... and his darkening ambitions... amusing.

What was that saying about sanctuary? It was only as safe as those you shared it with.

Shinji glanced at Kirei's impassive face, bent over the scrying pool, and felt no comfort at all. Only a growing certainty that when he finally left these walls, it wouldn't be to save his sister.

It would be to ensure he returned to Fuyuki alone.

AROUND THE SAME TIME…

Rin Tohsaka's lungs burned as she ran, one hand firmly gripping Sakura's arm to keep the other girl from falling behind. The alien forest blurred around them - twisted trees with luminescent bark, strange fungi that pulsed with unnatural light, vegetation that seemed to watch them pass. None of it mattered. All that mattered was staying ahead of the howls.

"Keep moving!" she urged, yanking Sakura forward when the girl stumbled on a root. "They're still coming!"

Ahead of them, Saber cut through the underbrush with her invisible sword, clearing a path for the others. Shirou followed close behind her, occasionally glancing back to check on their progress. Why that irritated Rin, she couldn't quite say. She had more pressing concerns.

Like survival.

Archer ran at the rear of their group, periodically turning to fire arrows at their pursuers. His presence was reassuring, a constant at her back that she'd already come to rely on more than she cared to admit. Kuzuki kept pace beside him, the teacher's expression unreadable as he maintained a careful distance from the immediate danger.

"We can't outrun them forever," Archer called. "We need defensible terrain."

"There," he pointed ahead a moment later. "A clearing with rocky outcroppings. High ground."

Saber adjusted their course without hesitation. Rin followed, dragging Sakura with her. They hadn't had a moment's rest since fleeing the cave, and exhaustion pulled at her muscles like lead weights. The gems in her pocket - her carefully prepared, limited arsenal - knocked against her thigh with each step. She'd used too many already. Conservation was essential now.

They reached the outcropping just as the first wave of beasts burst from the forest behind them. Wolf-like creatures with too many limbs and chitinous armor swarmed at the base of the rocks, their glowing blue eyes fixed on the exhausted humans above.

"Form a perimeter," Saber commanded, taking position at the front. "Servants on the outer edge, Masters behind us."

Rin positioned herself on a middle ledge, high enough to have a good view of the battlefield but with solid rock at her back. Nearby, Sakura collapsed against a boulder, her face ashen with exhaustion. The strange Servant they'd acquired - Assassin, Yasaka - crouched protectively before her, claws extended despite the dried blood staining her kimono.

"Yasaka, you're still injured," Sakura whispered, her voice carrying in the momentary lull before battle. "You haven't healed yet."

"This one will endure," Yasaka replied, her formal tone softened by something that sounded almost... affectionate? "I could take mana from my Master to heal faster, but..."

"Then take it," Sakura said immediately. "Please, if it will help you."

Yasaka turned, genuine surprise in her eyes. "You have... far more than I expected, Master. Are you certain?"

"Yes," Sakura nodded firmly.

Rin watched this exchange with narrowed eyes, filing the information away for later consideration. Sakura shouldn't have significant magical reserves. She wasn't trained as a magus, at least not properly. So where was this mana coming from? And how had she formed a contract with a Servant without Command Seals?

Questions for another time - assuming they survived this.

The beasts were gathering for their first assault, and Rin found herself without a direct means of defense. Her gems were too precious to waste on these smaller creatures; she needed to save them for more significant threats. But standing helplessly behind the Servants didn't sit well with her either.

"Archer," she called up to her Servant, who had taken position on the highest rock. "I need a weapon."

He glanced down, a slight smirk playing at his lips. "Oh? What kind?"

"Something I can hit things with," she replied, irritation seeping into her voice. "Does it matter?"

"It does, actually." With a casual gesture, Archer materialized a small dagger and tossed it to her. "This is more your speed."

Rin caught the weapon, indignation flaring. "A dagger? What am I supposed to do with this?"

"You have no blade training," Archer pointed out, already turning his attention back to the approaching horde. "A sword would just get you killed. The dagger, at least, you might be able to use without stabbing yourself."

She was about to retort when she felt something unusual about the weapon in her hand. The blade seemed to respond to her magical energy, drawing it in and channeling it in a way she hadn't anticipated. Experimentally, she directed a small amount of mana into the dagger. The blade glowed briefly before releasing a condensed ball of energy that struck one of the approaching beasts, sending it tumbling back down the slope.

"Huh," she said, genuinely surprised. "Not as powerful as my gems, but it'll do."

"You're welcome," Archer called, not bothering to hide his amusement.

The first wave attacked in earnest then, a coordinated rush that belied their bestial appearance. Rin took up a defensive position, using the magical dagger to pick off any creatures that made it past the Servants' initial defense. It was an efficient system - Archer's arrows raining down from above, Saber and Lancer engaging directly, with Rin providing targeted support where needed.

Until she noticed something that made her miss a strike.

Shirou - untrained, unprepared Shirou - wasn't staying safely behind Saber as any sensible Master would. Instead, he'd grabbed a fallen branch, reinforced it with whatever rudimentary magic he possessed, and was actively fighting alongside his Servant.

"Idiot," Rin muttered, watching as a beast lunged past Saber's guard directly at Shirou. He swung his makeshift club and connected solidly, but the creature's momentum carried it forward. Before it could sink its teeth into him, Saber pivoted and drove her sword through its back, saving him by a hairsbreadth.

The look they exchanged afterward made something twist uncomfortably in Rin's chest. Relief, gratitude, concern - all passed between them in that brief glance.

They've known each other for what, two days?

Rin redirected her irritation into the dagger, sending three energy bolts in quick succession at a beast attempting to flank Lancer. The creature collapsed, twitching, down the slope.

Her momentary distraction cost her. Another beast had circled around, approaching Saber from behind while she engaged two others. Before Rin could call out a warning, Shirou dove forward, swinging his reinforced branch with surprising force. The blow caught the creature in mid-leap, deflecting it just enough that its claws missed Saber's unprotected back.

Saber finished her opponents and turned in time to dispatch the third with a precise thrust. Her eyes met Shirou's again, something passing between them that made Rin's stomach clench for reasons she refused to examine.

It was ridiculous. They were fighting for their lives. Who cared if Shirou and his Servant had developed some kind of unspoken rapport? It was tactically advantageous. Nothing more.

Still, she found herself watching them between her own attacks. The way they moved in sync without verbal communication. The way Saber seemed to know exactly where Shirou was at all times, and vice versa. There was a trust there, a connection that seemed impossible for the short time they'd known each other.

Archer and she worked well together too, of course. She trusted his judgment, his skills. But there was always a distance, a formality born of mutual respect rather than... whatever that was between Shirou and Saber.

"They're not stopping," Lancer called, breaking into Rin's thoughts. The blue-haired Servant's initial enthusiasm had faded as the waves of beasts continued without pause. "There's always more!"

As if in response to his frustration, a new sound cut through the chaos of battle - a low, guttural moan that seemed to vibrate the very air. The beasts attacking them faltered, some actually retreating back down the slope.

"It's coming," Kuzuki said quietly from his position near Archer, breaking his long silence.

The forest canopy shuddered, then parted as something massive pushed through. Trees snapped like twigs as the titanic humanoid emerged, its grotesque grin visible even from hundreds of meters away. In the perpetual twilight, its pale skin seemed to glow with an unhealthy sheen.

"That thing found us again," Rin whispered, cold fear replacing her earlier irritation. The dagger suddenly felt woefully inadequate in her hand.

The titan took a ponderous step forward, then another. Each footfall shook the ground, sending vibrations through the rocky outcropping. The remaining wolf-beasts scattered, forming a loose circle around the rocks, waiting.

"We have to fight it," Saber declared, raising her sword.

"With what?" Archer called down. "I've been hitting it with arrows since we left the cave. They barely penetrate its skin."

"Together, then," Saber replied, glancing at Lancer, who nodded grimly.

Rin watched with growing dread as the two Servants launched themselves at the titan, attacking from different angles. Saber's sword slashed at its legs while Lancer's spear sought vulnerable points higher up. The titan barely seemed to notice their attacks, its massive hand swinging down in a casual backhand that sent Lancer flying into the rocks.

Saber dodged a similar blow and continued her assault, her blade now glowing with golden light as she channeled more of her power into each strike. Blood-like ichor oozed from the wounds she inflicted, but the titan showed no signs of weakening.

It was toying with them, Rin realized with cold certainty. Like a child pulling wings off insects. It could have crushed them already if it wanted to.

The titan reached down, its massive fingers closing around a boulder that it ripped free from the earth. With a casual flick of its wrist, it hurled the projectile directly at Saber. She dodged, but the boulder's impact sent a shower of stone fragments in all directions. One caught Saber in the shoulder, staggering her momentarily.

And then Shirou was moving, sliding down the slope to place himself between Saber and the titan. His reinforced branch looked absurdly small, like a toothpick against a mountain. But he raised it anyway, his stance defiant.

"Shirou, no!" Saber's voice held real panic as she struggled to regain her footing.

Rin found herself frozen, watching in horror as the titan paused, its grotesque head tilting as it regarded the human who dared to challenge it. A sound emerged from its gaping mouth - something between a moan and a laugh - as it raised its foot, preparing to simply crush this insignificant obstacle.

Shirou stood his ground, branch raised.

Why? The question blazed through Rin's mind. Why throw his life away for a Servant? For someone he barely knows?

Yet even as she thought it, she knew the answer. It was the same reason he'd pushed Sakura behind him when danger threatened. The same reason he'd insisted on bringing Yasaka along despite the risks. Emiya Shirou simply couldn't stand by while others were in danger - even if the "other" was a legendary hero perfectly capable of defending herself.

It was idiotic. Suicidal. And, a small voice whispered in the back of her mind, admirable in a way she couldn't quite articulate.

Before the massive foot could descend, a sound from the western edge of the clearing caught everyone's attention - a different howl, deeper and more powerful than those of the wolf-beasts. Something was coming through the forest from that direction, something big enough to shake the trees but moving much faster than the titan.

The tree line exploded in a shower of splinters and torn vegetation. A massive figure burst into the clearing - a giant of a man, gray-skinned and muscle-bound beyond human proportions, with wild eyes that glowed red in the twilight. In one hand he held what looked like a massive axe-sword, its edge notched and worn from countless battles.

"Berserker," Saber breathed, grabbing Shirou and pulling him back toward the rocks.

Atop the newcomer's shoulder sat a small girl with silver-white hair and crimson eyes. She surveyed the scene with an expression of delighted interest, as if she'd stumbled upon an unexpected form of entertainment.

"My, my," she called, her voice carrying clearly across the clearing. "What an interesting situation you've found yourselves in."

Rin recognized her instantly. Illyasviel von Einzbern - the third founding family of the Holy Grail War. The small girl's appearance was deceptive; the Einzberns were known for creating homunculi of terrifying power. And her Servant, Berserker, was clearly every bit as formidable as legend suggested.

The titan turned to face this new arrival, its vacant eyes fixing on Berserker with what might have been curiosity. It let out another of its unsettling moans, almost like a challenge.

Berserker responded with a roar that shook the very air, charging directly at the titan with the small girl still perched on his shoulder. She seemed utterly unconcerned about the violent movement or the imminent collision. In fact, Rin noticed with a chill, Illyasviel didn't even flinch as her massive Servant carried her directly into battle. She perched there with perfect balance, crimson eyes gleaming with excitement, utterly confident that Berserker's movements wouldn't put her in the crossfire.

The silver-haired girl was actually smiling, relishing the experience of being at the front lines of such a deadly confrontation. The sight disturbed Rin more than she cared to admit. What kind of Master - what kind of child - would find joy in such danger? What had the Einzberns done to create such a being?

The titan braced itself, raising both misshapen arms to meet the attack. Berserker's axe-sword described a perfect arc through the air, connecting with the titan's forearm with such force that the sound of impact echoed like thunder across the clearing.

Black ichor sprayed from the wound - deeper than any Saber or Lancer had managed to inflict. The titan staggered back, letting out a howl that might have been pain, confusion, or both.

It swung its undamaged arm in a wide arc, but Berserker ducked beneath the blow with surprising agility for his size. His axe-sword flashed again, opening another wound in the titan's side.

Two more figures emerged from the forest behind Berserker - a golden-armored warrior with a spear and a small, child-like girl in tattered clothing who moved with the silent grace of an assassin. They were followed by two humans: a haughty-looking man with golden-red hair and a young boy with cold eyes that seemed too old for his face.

More Masters and Servants, Rin thought grimly. The situation was growing more complicated by the second.

The titan, now facing multiple opponents, seemed to reconsider its options. It backed up several steps, its permanent grin somehow conveying annoyance rather than amusement now. It watched Berserker warily, as if measuring this new threat against its own capabilities.

Berserker roared again, charging for another attack. This time, the titan didn't stand its ground. It turned and retreated into the forest, each massive step shaking the earth. But before it disappeared completely, it looked back over its misshapen shoulder, its vacant eyes fixing momentarily on the gathered humans and Servants. The gaze held a promise - this wasn't over.

Then it was gone, crashing through the forest with surprising speed for something so large.

The remaining wolf-beasts, no longer supported by their massive ally, began to retreat as well, slinking back into the forest with whimpers of fear. Within moments, the clearing was empty save for Shirou's group on their rocky outcropping and the newcomers standing triumphantly where the titan had been.

The silver-haired girl's delighted laugh broke the silence. "Well, that was fun! Though hardly a proper fight." She turned her crimson gaze toward the outcropping. "Hello there! Aren't you going to thank us for the timely rescue?"

Rin glanced at Archer, who had nocked another arrow but held his fire. His expression was unreadable, but the tension in his posture told her everything she needed to know. These newcomers might have driven away the titan, but that didn't make them allies.

Saber had moved back to Shirou's side, her sword still drawn. Shirou himself looked exhausted but wary, his reinforced branch still clutched in white-knuckled hands.

At least these were threats they could understand. Human Masters and their Servants, bound by the same rules of the Holy Grail War - however warped those rules might have become in this strange dimension.

"We thank you for your assistance," Saber called down, her voice formal. "Though I suspect it wasn't entirely altruistic."

The silver-haired girl's smile widened. "Of course not. Nothing in the Holy Grail War ever is." She patted Berserker's massive shoulder affectionately. "Now, shall we discuss what happens next? After all, we're all looking for the same thing in this strange world, aren't we?"

The girl's eyes gleamed with something that wasn't quite friendship, wasn't quite hostility - a calculating interest that sent a chill down Rin's spine despite their apparent rescue.

Out of the frying pan, into the fire. Or perhaps, Rin thought grimly, just from one kind of fire into another.

As they prepared to face this new complication, Rin found her gaze drawn once more to Shirou and Saber. They stood side by side now, a united front despite their exhaustion. Something about their quiet solidarity needled at her again, a splinter beneath her skin that she couldn't quite extract.

Focus, Tohsaka, she chided herself. Jealousy is a luxury you can't afford right now.

Jealousy? No, that wasn't right. She was simply concerned about tactical vulnerabilities. About Shirou's reckless behavior. About Saber's apparent willingness to indulge it.

It had nothing to do with the way they looked at each other. Nothing at all.

Focus on survival. Everything else is secondary.

With that firm reminder, Rin tightened her grip on Archer's dagger and prepared to face whatever came next.

End.

I hope you all liked the chapter.

We have quite a few mysteries to solve but we’ll do so one step at a time, that said, I think you all will like this journey and how it’ll unfold.

I don’t wish to spoil anything so I’ll let you all go.

More Chapters are posted on my patreon Feel free to check it out lads, here's the link

https://www.patreon.com/c/Demon_Knight939

See you all on the next chapter.

Bye.

Chapter Text

Hello!

Chapter 4 right here!

Now just something to state very quickly.

Though Shirou is the main character, sadly, just for these next few chapters until chapter 7 or 8, he won’t be the main focus as we want to furthe establish some of the roles of the other characters, their dynamics and interactions.

Along with this world and its monsters, etc…

But after chapter 6, Shirou will begin having lots of screen time in chapter 7 or 8.

And that’s everything, now please…

Do enjoy.

Start:

Misaya Reiroukan stood motionless atop the cliff, her dark silhouette stark against the perpetual twilight sky. The wind tugged at her long black hair, but she remained perfectly still, her gaze fixed on the drama unfolding below. Beside her, four Servants waited in silent attendance, their expressions varying from boredom to barely contained bloodlust.

Pathetic. They scatter like ants when the boot comes down.

She watched with clinical detachment as the group of survivors fled through the twisted forest, pursued by the massive Titan and its entourage of lesser beasts. The chaos was beautiful in its own way - the panicked movements, the desperate attempts at coordination, the gradual wearing down of resources and resolve.

"They're running east, toward the rocky outcropping," she observed, her voice soft but carrying easily to her companions. "Predictable."

Behind her, Medea - her ostensible Caster - raised a slender hand, fingers tracing elegant patterns in the air. Ethereal threads of bluish light extended from her fingertips, stretching across the distance to connect with the lumbering Titan.

It's working perfectly. Just as I calculated.

"Shall I have it corner them at the rocks?" Medea asked, her voice deceptively gentle. "They'll be trapped with nowhere to retreat."

Misaya watched as the red-coated Tohsaka girl pulled her violet-haired companion along, barely staying ahead of the pursuing beasts. The Emiya boy and his Saber cut a path through the underbrush, while that strange teacher - Kuzuki - maintained his position with almost supernatural composure.

"Not yet," Misaya replied, her eyes narrowing. "Let them believe they've found advantageous terrain. Let them exhaust themselves defending it. Wear them down gradually."

Beside her, Vlad III shifted impatiently, his aristocratic features betraying a hunger for more direct confrontation. "This cat-and-mouse approach wastes time," he muttered. "Allow me to join the hunt, and I will impale them all within minutes."

"Patience, Berserker," Misaya said without looking at him. "We're not here for a quick kill."

The mission comes first. Not your bloodlust. The Association was very specific about how to proceed.

She watched as the surviving group reached the rocks, scrambling up to find defensive positions. The Servants formed a perimeter, while the Masters took shelter behind them. It was exactly as she had anticipated.

"Now, Medea," she commanded. "Have the Titan approach, but slowly. I want to observe their combat strategies when pressed."

The Caster nodded, her fingers dancing through the air with practiced precision. Below, the massive Titan emerged from the forest, its grotesque form casting long shadows across the clearing. The lesser beasts scattered, forming a loose circle around the outcropping.

Misaya pulled a small crystal from her pocket, raising it to her eye. The enchanted lens allowed her to see details no human eye could discern at this distance - the panic in the Tohsaka girl's eyes, the protective stance of the Emiya boy as he positioned himself near his Saber, the calculating gaze of Archer as he assessed the approaching threat.

Every reaction reveals a weakness. Every movement betrays a vulnerability.

She watched, memorizing patterns, cataloging strengths and weaknesses. The Saber's sword technique was flawless but predictable. The Archer's accuracy was impressive but his reserve of projected weapons would eventually drain his Master's mana. The newly acquired Assassin was still injured, her movements hampered by wounds that hadn't fully healed.

Most interesting was the dynamic between Masters and Servants. The Emiya boy fought alongside his Saber rather than remaining safely behind her - foolish, but indicative of a bond that might be exploited. The Tohsaka girl maintained a perfect tactical position, using some kind of projected dagger to supplement her gems.

And then there was Kuzuki.

Something's not right about that one.

"Medea," Misaya said quietly, "direct the Titan to attack the man in the suit - the one without a Servant."

She felt rather than saw Medea's hesitation - a momentary stillness in the air before the Caster's fingers resumed their dance.

Interesting.

Below, the Titan moved as directed, but with a sluggishness that hadn't been present before. It reached down, tearing a boulder from the earth and hurling it toward the outcropping where Kuzuki stood. Yet somehow, the trajectory was off - by mere centimeters, but enough that the projectile missed its primary target.

Misaya's eyes narrowed. "I said target the man in the suit," she repeated, her voice carrying a hint of steel beneath the silk.

"The creature is... resistant," Medea replied, a faint crease between her brows. "Its mind is simpler than human, but it has its own instincts that sometimes conflict with my guidance."

Plausible. These creatures aren't fully sentient. Their behavior can be unpredictable.

Before Misaya could press the issue, movement at the western edge of the clearing caught her attention. Trees shuddered, then parted as something massive approached from that direction.

"We have company," Hassan-i-Sabbah murmured from his position in the shadows. "The Einzbern heir and her Berserker. Others follow."

Misaya's lips curved into a slight smile. This wasn't part of her plan, but it presented an interesting opportunity to observe more of her competition without revealing herself.

Perfect. Let them fight each other while I watch.

"Withdraw the Titan," she ordered. "Have it retreat, but make it clear that this isn't a final defeat - just a tactical withdrawal."

As Berserker burst into the clearing with Illyasviel perched on his shoulder, Misaya watched with growing interest. The Einzbern's Servant was truly formidable - his axe-sword cleaving through the Titan's flesh with ease, inflicting more damage in seconds than Saber and Lancer had managed in minutes of combat.

An impressive Berserker. His strength and speed are remarkable, but like any Servant, he must have vulnerabilities to exploit.

The Titan retreated as commanded, crashing back through the forest with ponderous steps. The lesser beasts followed, slinking away like shadows at dawn.

"We've seen enough," Misaya announced, turning away from the cliff edge. "We know their capabilities now, and their limitations."

As she led her collection of stolen Servants away from the vantage point, Misaya found herself reflecting on that moment of hesitation - that slight deviation in the Titan's attack when it had been directed at Kuzuki.

"Medea," she said, keeping her voice deliberately casual, "you seemed to have difficulty controlling the Titan at the crucial moment. Why is that, I wonder?"

The Caster walked a few paces behind her, her hood pulled low over her face. "As I said, Master, these creatures have primitive minds but strong instincts. They aren't as easily manipulated as human puppets."

Is that a hint of defiance in her voice?
]
Misaya stopped abruptly, turning to face the Caster. Her right hand rose, displaying the Command Seals that marked her as Medea's Master - seals that had formed when she'd accepted the Servant's plea for a new contract after Medea claimed her previous Master had perished in the initial chaos.

"I accepted your contract when you needed a Master, Caster," she said, her voice matter-of-fact. "I expect the obedience you promised in return. If controlling these creatures proves too difficult, I can always assign you to other duties."

For a moment, Misaya thought she caught the glimmer of a smile beneath Medea's hood - a flash of something that vanished so quickly she dismissed it as a trick of the light.

Casters and their pride. They always think they're the cleverest ones in the room.

But before she could pursue the thought further, Chiron - her stolen Archer - spoke up from behind her.

"We should establish camp elsewhere," he suggested, his centaur form easily keeping pace with their group. "The Einzbern and her allies will likely remain in that area for some time, and we'd do well to maintain our distance until we're ready for direct confrontation."

Misaya considered this, then nodded. Chiron was right - tactically sound, as expected from one known as the teacher of heroes.

The real battles haven't even begun yet. This was merely reconnaissance.

"We'll head north," she decided. "There's a valley there with sufficient cover and multiple escape routes. We'll establish our base and plan our next move."

As they moved through the twisted forest, Misaya found her thoughts returning to that moment of hesitation, that slight deviation in the Titan's attack. It was a small thing - so small that anyone else might have dismissed it entirely.

But Misaya Reiroukan didn't believe in coincidences. Not in the Holy Grail War. Not when the prize was ultimate power.

Every Servant has an agenda. Every Master harbors secrets. The game is figuring out which ones matter.

And as she led her collection of stolen Servants deeper into the alien forest, she made a mental note to watch Medea more closely. The Caster was proving to be more complex than anticipated - and in Misaya's experience, complexity usually meant trouble.

But then, I've always enjoyed solving puzzles. Especially when the pieces don't wish to be arranged.

The three moons cast overlapping shadows through the canopy above, creating patterns that seemed to shift and dance with each step. Like the threads of a web, Misaya thought. And at the center of that web...

Me. Always me.

She smiled to herself as they disappeared into the deeper forest, leaving no trace of their presence behind. The others could fight their battles, form their alliances, seek their Ark. She would watch, and wait, and when the time was right, she would strike.

And none of them would ever see it coming.

A FEW HOURS LATER…

Rin Tohsaka watched with thinly veiled suspicion as the reluctant allies set up camp in the clearing. The fading twilight cast long shadows across unfamiliar ground, making everyone's movements seem somehow more furtive, more calculated. Three moons hung overhead, their combined light creating an unnatural brightness that left no place to truly hide.

This alliance is built on quicksand. One wrong step and we'll all sink.

Her fingers absently traced the outline of Archer's dagger, safely tucked in her pocket. The weapon had proven its worth during the battle, but she doubted it would be much use against the new threat these "allies" represented.

Across the clearing, Illyasviel von Einzbern - tiny and deadly as a poisoned hairpin - had settled herself uncomfortably close to Shirou. The massive Berserker loomed behind her like a mountain of muscle and barely contained rage, but the girl herself was all smiles and childish chatter as she peppered Shirou with questions.

She's far too young to be in this War. What kind of family sends a child into battle?

"So you didn't know anything about the War before summoning Saber?" Ilya asked, her voice carrying clearly across the camp. "That's so interesting! Most Masters prepare their whole lives for this opportunity."

Shirou shifted awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with the attention. "It was an accident. I was just trying to understand some notes my father left behind."

"Your father?" Ilya's interest seemed to sharpen, though her smile never wavered. "What was his name?"

Rin observed Shirou's face carefully, noting the slight hesitation that flashed across his features - a momentary calculation that wouldn't have been perceptible to someone who wasn't looking for it.

He's lying before he even speaks. Interesting.

"Takashi Emiya," he answered after that barely noticeable pause. "He was just a minor magus who taught me the basics - enough to protect myself if needed. We never had the money to send me to the Clock Tower for proper training."

Ilya's eyes narrowed just slightly, her head tilting like a curious bird.

"Oh, really? How fascinating!" Her tone was light, but her gaze lingered on Shirou a moment too long. "A minor magus with knowledge of summoning circles for Heroic Spirits?"

She caught it too. She knows he's lying.

Neither of them called him out, but the air between them had shifted subtly, charged with unspoken awareness.

"Agreed," Kayneth said with a derisive chuckle. "A minor magus without proper training producing such results? The very idea is absurd."

Julian smirked. "Perhaps 'minor magus' is generous. More like a hedge wizard playing with forces beyond his comprehension."

Shirou's jaw tightened, but he said nothing in response to the insults.

They're right to be skeptical, but their condescension is unnecessary. Typical aristocratic magi.

Saber positioned herself closer to Shirou, her posture subtly protective. The knight hadn't relaxed her guard for a moment since their new "allies" had arrived, her hand never straying far from her invisible sword.

"My father collected unusual items," Shirou continued, his voice steadier now. "I never paid much attention to them until after he passed."

Rin found herself studying Saber's reaction to this exchange. The knight's expression revealed nothing, but there was a certain tension in her shoulders that suggested she was aware of the deception.

Interesting. Saber knows something about his real father. Something worth hiding.

"I lost my parents too," Ilya said, her voice suddenly softer, almost vulnerable. "My father was often away on business. He'd tell me stories when he returned home - about heroes and magical wars." A shadow crossed her childlike features. "But in the end, he chose someone else's child over me."

The statement hung in the air, oddly specific and loaded with an emotion that seemed too mature, too raw for her apparent age. Rin watched as Shirou's expression shifted from discomfort to genuine sympathy.

"I'm sorry," he said simply, and Rin could tell he meant it.

That's Emiya's weakness. Genuine compassion in a war that rewards ruthlessness.

Ilya blinked, as if surprised by his sincerity, then smiled - a different smile than before, less calculated and more genuine. "It was a long time ago."

Across the camp, Archer had been watching this exchange with an unreadable expression. His eyes met Rin's briefly, a silent communication passing between them. He had noticed too.

I'm going to find out what secrets you're hiding, Emiya.

"What about your Servant, Emiya-kun?" Rin called out, deciding to join their conversation. "Saber-class is considered the most powerful. You must have had some magical aptitude to summon her, accident or not."

Shirou looked grateful for the change of subject. "I honestly don't know how it happened. I was just trying to decipher a pattern in my father's - " he caught himself, the smallest of pauses, " - in those old books."

"Magic often works in ways we don't fully understand," Kayneth interjected, approaching their small group with measured steps after ordering his Servant to forage. "Though I must say, for someone with no formal training, you've managed to secure quite an advantage."

His gaze lingered on Saber, assessing her with the clinical eye of a collector. "A Saber-class Servant with exceptional parameters, if her performance against the Titan was any indication. Most irregular for a novice to command such power."

Saber stiffened almost imperceptibly. "A Servant's strength is not determined by their Master's lineage or training," she stated firmly.

"Indeed." Kayneth raised an eyebrow. "Yet traditionally, the more powerful the magus, the more capable the Servant they can support. It's a matter of magical energy transfer, after all." He turned his attention back to Shirou. "Which makes your case particularly... curious."

Rin watched the interplay with growing interest. There was clearly more to Shirou Emiya than met the eye - more than perhaps even he himself was aware of.

"Perhaps we should focus on more pressing matters," Rin suggested, partly to deflect attention from Shirou, partly because she genuinely believed it. "Like how we're going to find this 'Ark' and get out of this dimension."

"Indeed, Miss Tohsaka," Kayneth replied, his tone deliberate. "Though I must say, there's something rather... convenient about this situation."

Rin turned, arching an eyebrow. "Convenient? Being trapped in a monster-infested parallel dimension is convenient?"

"Oh, not that aspect," Kayneth waved a dismissive hand. "I'm referring to the curious fact that all three founding families of the Holy Grail War find themselves participants in this corrupted version of the ritual."

His gaze swept from Rin to Ilya, then landed with particular emphasis on Sakura, who sat quietly at the edge of the group with Yasaka hovering protectively nearby.

"The Tohsakas, the Einzberns, and even the Matous - though I understand your sister's participation is somewhat... unorthodox." His smile didn't reach his eyes. "No Command Seals, yet she commands a Servant. Most irregular."

Rin saw Shirou's head snap up at the word "sister," his eyes widening in surprise as he looked between her and Sakura. The revelation clearly caught him off guard, but the lack of reaction from anyone else - the absence of denial or explanation - seemed to keep him silent, unsure whether to acknowledge what he'd just learned.

Yasaka's form seemed to blur at the edges, her normally human features sharpening as she shifted slightly forward. "My Master requires no seals to command my loyalty," she said, her voice carrying a warning growl beneath the words.

Sister. He called Sakura my sister. As if I didn't know what she is to me.

The word twisted something inside Rin - a sharp pain that she'd learned long ago to bury beneath layers of duty and ambition. From across the clearing, she caught Sakura's gaze - a look of longing so raw it made Rin's chest ache. But years of training took over, and Rin responded with a practiced scowl, the expression as much a shield as any magical barrier.

Sakura looked away, her face falling into practiced blankness.

From the corner of her eye, Rin noticed Shirou watching this silent exchange, his expression concerned and confused. He looked toward Sakura with such undisguised worry that it sent another spike of pain through Rin's chest - a complicated emotion she refused to name.

Why does it matter if he cares about her? It's better that way. Better for everyone.

When Sakura deliberately turned away from Shirou's concerned gaze, Rin felt an unexpected flicker of relief, followed immediately by shame at her own reaction.

Saber placed a supportive hand on Shirou's shoulder, a quiet gesture of solidarity that shouldn't have affected Rin at all - and yet somehow did, in a way that made her clench her jaw against a surge of inexplicable emotion.

Focus, Tohsaka. This isn't about you or your complicated feelings.

Rin kept her expression carefully neutral. "As you noted yourself, Lord El-Melloi, this version of the War is hardly following standard protocols."

"That's Lord El-Melloi Archibald," he corrected with a thin smile. "Details matter, Miss Tohsaka. Especially in unusual circumstances."

"Like a magus returning from the dead?" Julian interjected, his child's voice at odds with the calculated cruelty in his eyes. "Or should we not mention that particular irregularity, Lord El-Melloi?"

Kayneth's hand moved reflexively to his high collar, a gesture Rin had noticed before. "I don't know what you're implying, Ainsworth."

Julian's smile was all teeth. "Of course you don't." He turned his attention to Sakura, his contempt evident. "Speaking of irregularities - how exactly does a non-magus command a Servant without Command Seals? It's almost as if someone wanted to ensure you had protection regardless of your qualifications."

He's deliberately trying to isolate her. Make her vulnerable.

Rin felt a surge of protective anger that surprised her with its intensity.

"Perhaps the mechanics of this War are more complex than your limited understanding can grasp, Ainsworth," she said, her voice cold and precise. "Or did your family's research not cover anomalies in the summoning system?"

Julian's eyes narrowed at the barb, but before he could respond, Sakura spoke up - her voice quiet but steady.

"I don't know why Yasaka chose me," she said, looking directly at Julian. "But I'm grateful for her protection, especially with so many... questionable allies around us."

Rin felt a flicker of pride at Sakura's subtle counterstrike, immediately followed by confusion at her own reaction. When had she started feeling proud of the sister she'd long pretended not to have?

This place is affecting all of us. Breaking down barriers that need to stay intact.

Before Julian could retort, Kuzuki spoke up from his position at the edge of the clearing.

"If we're finished with the political posturing," he said, his voice as flat and emotionless as ever, "perhaps someone could address the practical matter of finding food and water in this realm. Unless surviving on hostility and suspicion is an option I wasn't aware of."

Several people chuckled despite themselves, the tension momentarily broken.

Julian, however, was not so easily deterred. "And here speaks another anomaly - the Masterless human who somehow survives where Servants fear to tread." His gaze was calculating as it rested on Kuzuki. Julian spat his words, his child Servant unflinching beside him. "What exactly is your role in all this, Professor? Observer? Participant? Or something else entirely?"

Kuzuki's expression remained impassive, but something in his eyes hardened. "I believe I'll take a walk," he announced, rising to his feet. "The air here has become... stifling."

"Is that wise?" Sakura asked, concern evident in her voice. "Those creatures are still out there."

Kuzuki paused, something flickering across his usually impassive features. "I should be fine. And if I don't return..." his gaze swept across Kayneth and Julian, "that's one less problem for all of you to worry about, isn't it?"

The bitterness in his tone hung in the air as he turned and walked into the forest, disappearing quickly among the luminescent trees.

That was... unexpected.

Rin frowned, trying to reconcile this emotionally charged response with the dispassionate philosophy professor she knew from campus. Kuzuki had always been civil in their interactions - reserved, certainly, but never bitter or confrontational. To see him react so strongly seemed completely out of character.

Then again, did she really know him at all? A few passing encounters at the university hardly qualified as understanding someone, especially in a War where everyone had their secrets.

Focus, Tohsaka. Survival first, psychology later.

"Well," she said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the camp, "while our 'allies' are busy insulting each other, perhaps some of us should try to formulate an actual plan? Unless everyone's content to wait for the next Titan to find us."

Archer materialized beside her, the corner of his mouth quirking up in what might have been approval. "My Master has a point. Personal grievances are a luxury we can't afford at the moment."

"Agreed," Saber said, her eyes still tracking the spot where Kuzuki had vanished into the forest. "We should establish watches and review what we know about this realm and the Ark we seek."

As the group reluctantly turned to more practical matters, Rin found her gaze drawn to Shirou and Ilya. The white-haired child had shifted even closer to him, her childish demeanor perfectly maintained yet somehow more calculated than before.

There was something in the way she looked at him - not with the casual interest of a new acquaintance, but with an intensity that spoke of recognition, of history.

She knows something about Emiya that I don't. Something important.

And if there was one thing Rin Tohsaka couldn't stand, it was being the last to understand what was really happening.

She would watch. She would wait. And when the moment was right, she would find out exactly what the Einzbern girl wanted with Shirou Emiya - and perhaps why her own emotions seemed to churn so confusingly whenever she saw Saber's hand on his shoulder or caught him looking at Sakura with that earnest concern.

After all, in the Holy Grail War, knowledge was just as potent a weapon as any magic - and Rin intended to be well-armed, especially against her own inconvenient feelings.

AROUND THE SAME TIME…
Bazett Fraga McRemitz trudged through the alien forest, her combat-ready frame moving with practiced efficiency despite the exhaustion creeping into her muscles. The strange twilight that seemed perpetual in this dimension cast everything in an eerie blue-purple glow, making the unfamiliar vegetation appear even more otherworldly.

Two hours of walking and nothing but trees, strange beasts, and more trees. This dimension is even more maddening than the Association's bureaucracy.

Behind her, Tesla's animated voice echoed through the forest as he enthusiastically explained his theories about the strange luminescent properties of the local plant life.

"The bioluminescence reminds me of my experiments with phosphorescent materials in 1891! If we could harness this natural energy source, we might create a self-sustaining lighting system that requires no external power! Imagine the applications!"

His Master, Ayaka Sajyou, winced visibly at his volume. The shy young woman's glasses reflected the strange light as she bowed apologetically toward Bazett and the others.

"I'm sorry about him," she said softly. "He gets... excited about scientific possibilities."

Hishiri Adashino smiled pleasantly, adjusting her own glasses with a practiced gesture. "It's quite alright. Intellectual curiosity is a valuable trait in our current predicament. Wouldn't you agree, Mordred?"

The armored Servant, walking slightly apart from the group, offered only a curt nod without turning. The elaborate helmet concealed any expression, but Bazett noted the slight tension in those armored shoulders.

Everyone's on edge. Some just hide it better than others.

Bazett's own Servant, the crimson-speared warrior-woman, moved with silent precision at the edge of their small party. Scáthach's eyes never stopped scanning their surroundings, her supernatural senses attuned to dangers the humans couldn't perceive.

"The forest thins ahead," Scáthach remarked, her voice low. "We should approach with caution."

Bazett nodded, grateful for the practical observation that pulled her from her increasingly troubled thoughts. Those thoughts had been growing more intrusive by the hour, more difficult to ignore.

Remember why you're here, Bazett.

The voice wasn't quite her own. It resonated inside her mind with a subtle difference in timber, an accent she couldn't quite place.

I know my mission, she responded mentally. The Association sent me to investigate the Church's unauthorized ritual experiments. These rumors of secret ceremonies not submitted for counter-cataloguing were concerning enough before, but now that the Holy Grail War has twisted into... this? The Church clearly has questions to answer.

A sensation like bitter laughter echoed through her consciousness.

That pathetic errand? No. Your true mission. You know what you came here to prevent.

Stop it, Bazett thought fiercely. I don't know what you're talking about.

You do. The voice seemed to grow stronger, more distinct. You've always known, since that day you found the -

"Stop it!" Bazett snapped aloud, her voice cutting through Tesla's ongoing lecture about electromagnetic properties.

The group halted, all eyes turning toward her with expressions ranging from concern to curiosity.

"Fraga?" Hishiri asked, her pleasant tone unchanged though her eyes had sharpened with interest. "Is everything alright?"

Ayaka looked genuinely worried. "Are you feeling unwell? We could rest for a while if - "

"I'm fine," Bazett cut her off, embarrassment heating her cheeks. "Just... talking to myself. Bad habit when I'm tired."

Tesla stroked his mustache thoughtfully. "Auditory externalization of internal dialogue is actually quite common under stress! Why, during my darkest hours working on the alternating current system, I frequently found myself engaged in robust debates with my own consciousness!"

Even his attempts at comfort are exhausting.

"Bazett." Scáthach's voice cut through the awkwardness, her tone suddenly alert. "Magical signatures ahead. Multiple Servants and Masters."

Mordred stepped forward, hand moving to the sword at her hip. "I sense them too. A clearing, half a kilometer ahead."

Hishiri's pleasant mask never slipped, but something in her posture changed - a subtle readiness that Bazett recognized from experienced field agents. "Can you identify any of them?"

Bazett extended her magical senses, feeling the distinctive patterns of magical energy radiating from the clearing ahead. One signature in particular stood out - familiar from years of studying his research and techniques.

"Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald is there," she said with certainty. "Along with others. It seems several groups have converged in that location."

Don't trust Archibald. He's part of this. Always has been.

Bazett shook her head slightly, trying to dislodge the intrusive thought.

"Should we engage them?" Ayaka asked nervously, one hand clutching a small talisman she'd been working on earlier.

"Only if necessary," Tesla replied, his earlier exuberance replaced by sober calculation. "Conflict expends energy we might need for more productive endeavors."

Mordred snorted beneath her helmet. "We're in a Holy Grail War. Conflict is the point."

"Not in this twisted version," Hishiri interjected smoothly. "Finding the Ark and returning home takes precedence, wouldn't you agree, Fraga?"

All eyes turned to Bazett once more. As the Association's official representative, her decisions carried additional weight.

Tell them to avoid the gathering. You know what happens when the vessels come together.

Bazett pressed her fingertips against her temple, where a dull ache was beginning to form. "We'll approach cautiously. Our response depends on their reaction to our presence."

"And if they attack?" Ayaka asked.

Bazett adjusted the reinforcement runes on her gloves, a familiar action that helped center her thoughts.

"Then we defend ourselves," she replied simply. "But conflict serves no one in this situation. We're all trying to survive and find a way home."

Are you? Is that really what you're trying to do?

The voice in her mind had grown stronger since they'd arrived in this dimension, more distinct from her own thoughts. At first, she'd attributed it to stress - the natural result of being thrust into an impossible situation. But now...

Who are you? she demanded silently.

The response came not in words but in a feeling - a sense of ancient amusement, of patience stretched across centuries. Of waiting.

"Let's move," Bazett ordered, desperate to focus on something external. "Standard approach formation. Ayaka and Tesla in the center, Mordred on the right flank, Scáthach and I on the left. Hishiri, watch our rear."

As they advanced toward the clearing, Bazett felt Scáthach's piercing gaze on her profile.

"Your conflict shows on your face, Master," the warrior woman said quietly, her words meant for Bazett alone. "Internal battles often prove more dangerous than external ones."

"I'm fine," Bazett insisted, though the lie felt hollow even to her own ears.

"Are you?" Scáthach's ancient eyes held knowledge that transcended human understanding. "The boundary between worlds has thinned. What was once contained may find new pathways to expression."

A chill ran down Bazett's spine at the cryptic warning. Before she could respond, Mordred signaled from ahead - they had reached the edge of the clearing.

Through the strange, twisted trees, Bazett could make out a campsite with multiple figures moving about. Some she recognized immediately - Kayneth's aristocratic profile, the massive form of what could only be Berserker, the red-coated girl she knew to be Tohsaka.

There. The vessel. You feel it, don't you?

Her gaze was drawn inexplicably to a red-haired young man sitting near the central fire. There was nothing remarkable about him physically - just an ordinary Japanese youth who seemed somewhat overwhelmed by his surroundings. And yet...

It begins with him. It always does.

"Bazett?" Hishiri's voice broke through her reverie. "Are we proceeding?"

Bazett straightened her shoulders, forcing the foreign thoughts aside through sheer determination.

"Yes," she said firmly. "We proceed as planned. Cautiously. Diplomatically." She paused, then added with emphasis meant as much for herself as for the others: "Never reveal your Servant identities to them. We do not know if they can be trusted. We're here to survive, not to fulfill ancient prophecies or settle old scores. "

Aren't you, though? the voice whispered. Isn't that exactly why you're here?

Ignoring it with practiced discipline, Bazett stepped forward, leading her small group toward the gathering of Masters and Servants - toward answers, she hoped, rather than more questions.

But the voice remained, quiet but persistent at the edges of her consciousness, like the tide gradually eroding a cliffside. Patient. Inevitable.

Manannan waits. And Manannan remembers.

AROUND THE SAME TIME…

Souichirou Kuzuki moved silently through the deeper parts of the forest, his footsteps making almost no sound on the strange, spongy undergrowth. The alien foliage cast mottled shadows across his impassive features, their bioluminescence providing just enough light to navigate by.

Convenient excuse, this call of nature. But necessary.

He had walked far enough from the clearing to ensure privacy, though not so far that he couldn't claim he was merely stretching his legs should anyone follow. A lifetime of careful calculation had taught him exactly how to balance risk against necessity.

After completing his ostensible business, Kuzuki surveyed his surroundings with practiced thoroughness. The forest remained quiet save for the occasional rustling of unseen creatures moving through the dense vegetation. No signs of pursuit or observation.

Good. This should work.

Near the base of a particularly large tree, a shallow depression had collected rainwater, forming a small, mirror-like puddle. Kuzuki approached it, kneeling beside the water with a deliberate casualness that would appear unremarkable to any observer.

From his pocket, he withdrew a small fragment of one of Tohsaka's expended gems – a shard he had quietly pocketed during their frantic escape from the beasts that first day. In the chaos of trying to protect a "defenseless" man with no Servant, no one had noticed him collecting the magical residue that might prove useful later.

With precise movements, he traced a simple pattern on a flat stone with the gem fragment, then dropped the stone into the water.

The puddle's surface rippled, then stilled with unnatural speed. The water darkened, then brightened with a faint blue luminescence that didn't match the surrounding forest's glow.

"That boy is truly insufferable," Kuzuki said without preamble, his voice barely above a whisper. "I wouldn't mind teaching him the respect his family clearly failed to instill."

He kept his tone conversational, as though merely speaking his thoughts aloud – a precaution in case anyone had followed him after all. But his eyes remained fixed on the glowing puddle, waiting.

I'm not really that bothered by the Ainsworth child. His barbs are meaningless. But anger provides a plausible reason for wandering off alone.

The puddle's light pulsed once, twice, then resolved into a hazy image – indistinct but unmistakably feminine, with a hood shadowing most of her features.

"Souichirou," the figure whispered, her voice carrying a warmth that never touched Kuzuki's own tone. "You received my message."

"It wasn't easy," he replied, a hint of something almost like amusement touching his typically expressionless features. "The markings the creature left were degrading quickly. But I recognized the pattern in the claw marks – coordinates for scrying contact."

His fingers traced the edge of the puddle, not quite touching the water. "How are you? Are you safe?"

The hooded figure's shoulders relaxed slightly at his concern. "As safe as one can be in this situation. I've told her I needed to patrol the perimeter, gather some energy for a ritual. She doesn't question me much when magic is involved."

She. Kuzuki noted the deliberate absence of a name. Still cautious, even now. Good.

"I've missed you," he said simply, the admission containing no sentimentality despite its content.

"And I you." The figure leaned closer in the watery image. "It took considerable effort to engineer this meeting. She's becoming... demanding. Suspicious, perhaps."

Kuzuki's expression didn't change, but his eyes hardened slightly. "Is she a threat to you?"

"Not yet. She needs me too much." The figure hesitated. "She's collecting Servants, Souichirou. Not just commanding them – taking them from their Masters through various means."

This information was unexpected enough to raise one of Kuzuki's eyebrows – a significant reaction from him.

"Interesting," he said, filing the information away for future consideration. "That explains certain... inconsistencies I've observed in the other groups' accounts."

A wry twist touched his mouth. "A pity I have no Servant of my own for her to covet."

The figure in the puddle moved closer, her voice softening further. "You have me, Souichirou. Always."

Even here, even now. Some constants remain.

"Be careful," he said, the instruction carrying the weight of genuine concern. "This realm has rules we don't yet understand. The titans, the beasts – they're not simply monsters. They're responding to patterns, to influences."

"I've noticed," she agreed. "They seem drawn to certain individuals, repelled by others. The girl with purple hair, for instance – have you observed how they avoid her?"

Kuzuki nodded. "The Matou girl. Yes. She appears unremarkable, yet clearly isn't. Much like the boy with red hair."

"Tomorrow night," the figure said suddenly, her image beginning to waver. "I can arrange another absence. Can you find another source of water to use for scrying?"

"I can find one," Kuzuki confirmed. "After midnight."

"Until then, be safe," she whispered, her image already dissolving.

"And you," he replied, though the puddle had already returned to ordinary water, the glow fading as though it had never been.

Kuzuki remained kneeling for a moment longer, composing his features back into their usual impassive mask. Then he stood, brushing forest debris from his trousers with methodical precision.

Time to return. They'll wonder if I've been eaten by something.

He had taken only a few steps back toward the clearing when a flash of gold caught his eye. Instinctively, he shifted his weight, preparing for a potential threat – only to relax marginally when he recognized the approaching figure.

The golden-armored Servant moved through the forest with supernatural grace, carrying what appeared to be an armful of strange, purple-tinged fruits. His expression was casual, but his eyes were sharp, missing nothing.

"Professor," Achilles greeted him, his tone light but watchful. "Wandering a bit far from camp, aren't you?"

Did he see? Hear? No – his posture is too relaxed. He's merely curious.

"I needed a moment of solitude," Kuzuki replied without inflection. "The constant bickering becomes tiresome."

Achilles chuckled, the sound incongruously warm in the alien forest. "Can't argue with that. I've been gathering these," he nodded toward the fruits in his arms. "Figured people might be hungry by now."

Kuzuki eyed the strange produce with well-founded skepticism. "Is it safe to consume food from this dimension? The properties could be unpredictable."

"Already tested," Achilles replied with a grin, holding up one fruit with a bite taken out of it. "Servants are more resistant to toxins. If nothing happens to me in the next hour or so, should be safe for the rest of you."

Kuzuki inclined his head slightly, a minimal acknowledgment of the Servant's foresight. "Prudent. You're concerned for everyone's welfare."

Achilles shrugged, his golden armor catching the strange light. "For some more than others, if I'm being honest. My Master comes first – no offense intended."

"None taken," Kuzuki said evenly. "Loyalty to one's primary obligations is logical."

They began walking back toward the clearing together, an unlikely pair – the legendary hero and the unassuming schoolteacher. Kuzuki measured his pace to match the Servant's longer stride, his mind already calculating how to use this chance encounter to gather more information.

"Your Master – Lord El-Melloi – seems particularly interested in the mechanics of this modified War," Kuzuki observed neutrally.

Achilles' expression flickered briefly. "He has his theories. Not that he shares them with me. I'm just the muscle, as far as he's concerned."

Interesting. Tension between Master and Servant.

"A limited perspective," Kuzuki commented. "Even in myth, your tactical insights were as valuable as your strength."

Achilles shot him a surprised look, then laughed. "A philosophy professor who knows his classics. I shouldn't be surprised."

Before Kuzuki could respond, a sudden commotion from ahead interrupted their conversation. As they emerged from the treeline back into the clearing, they found the camp in a state of alert.

Yasaka, the fox-like Assassin, stood at the northern edge of the clearing, her posture tense as she pointed into the forest. "People approaching," she announced, her voice carrying the hint of a growl. "Multiple Masters and Servants."

Instantly, the various factions in the camp took defensive positions. Servants materialized weapons, Masters prepared spells, alliances formed and shifted like quicksilver.

More players enter the game.

Kuzuki observed it all with outward calm, though his mind cataloged every reaction, every subtle tell that might prove useful later. His gaze drifted briefly to the puddle of water still visible on his shoes – a reminder of promises made, of plans in motion beneath the surface of this chaotic situation.

As the camp prepared to meet these new arrivals, Kuzuki took his place slightly apart from the others – the Masterless anomaly, the observer, the man without apparent stakes in this deadly game.

If they only knew.

End.

I hope you all liked that.

It was pretty fun to write. And I know there are still a bunch of questions, or plotholes, but don’t worry, they’ll be answered as we get further along into the story!

And that’s all for now.

More Chapters are posted on my patreon Feel free to check it out lads, here's the link

https://www.patreon.com/c/Demon_Knight939

See you all on the next chapter!