20A/N: Head empty, crack thoughts.
Rise from thy slumber, another short (yet late) April Fools One-shot!
*Snorts another line*
Whytf does FFnet make me wait literally several minutes to upload another fic right after I already uploaded one?
REEEE
Oneshot (or Chapter 1)
Beta: CrazyLich79
Cover: N/A
2 Days Before the War
The night was young.
The moon sang with its excellence to the open stars. However, from the one true king's point of view, it was not a beautiful sight. Regardless of the wine that his summoner provided, it did nothing to change the bittersweet taste of what his summoner had told him.
"An interloper in the war…" Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, mused. "I had thought that you magi would at least have the decency to keep an eye on your projects, yet here I am bewildered at your incompetence."
He had stood before an open summoning circle, empty save for the priest beside his summoner. The priest showed no active reaction, which mildly prodded the king's interest, but more importantly, was his summoner's reaction.
Subservience.
Subservience and nothing more.
Spineless magi are all the same.
Gilgamesh merely snorted and returned his gaze to the marginally more interesting priest.
"Man of the cross," he started. "Am I correct that this war has been mangled by the master of the Second Magic?
"Correct," came his soulless reply. "Apart from yourself, Rider, and Saber– all of which have been reported to have been summoned already, the next servants that would be summoned will not come from Proper Human History. Rather, outside of it."
"In other words," Gilgamesh almost smiled. "... they are not from my garden?"
"Indeed," the priest nodded. He looked toward his teacher as he continued. "With this change, I will not be able to summon an Assassin to proceed with our initial plan."
"A mere day after my liege was summoned…" His summoner mumbled. "I was too lax. A blunder. However, this may prove a boon. If we do not know the true identity of the other servants… then none will know the identity of your eventual servant, Kirei."
"Summon them," Gilgamesh ordered.
And without a second of delay, the priest followed.
"Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Repeat five times, but destroy each when filled," he said. "Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation."
A visitor from afar.
"Let my master's ancestor, Schweinorg, be the color I pay tribute to. Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall."
A Foreigner, yet not. One who is not foreign by the world's eyes… rather, allowed due to an immortal's Magic.
Gaia and Alaya would not reject them, but instead, welcome them for however long this sham of a war would be going.
"Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."
"As the owner of this garden, I shall welcome this guest– and all that will arrive in my garden."
"I hereby declare. Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be your sword.
Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail."
At first, it was mere peasants from his garden squabbling over the one true king's treasures. However, this is a new experience and one that he would not say lightly.
"If you will submit to this will and this reason…Then answer."
"Should they spurn my benevolence, then it is by my hand that their worth will be judged."
"An oath shall be sworn here!"
He ignored the gasp of pain that left his lungs.
Amid the dark halls of his hell, watched by the demon he called his father, Matou Kariya could only do what he had bargained to do.
Win the war.
"I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven,"
Give his grandfather the Holy Grail.
"I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!"
Save Sakura.
"Yet, though serves with thine eyes clouded in chaos!"
However… a normal servant would not be able to do it.
"Thou, bound in the chains of madness…"
Even with the knowledge that his future servant would come from a world alien to their own…
"… And I, who doth holy thy chains!"
… He had to bet it all on this!
From the safety of a penthouse suite, with the entire floor purchased and rented a month beforehand, Sola-Ui looked out to the open sky. The reflection upon the glass, the view of her… fiance… stared back as his magical energy poured out from within him.
"Thou, clad with the Great Trinity–"
However, Sola-Ui eyed the discarded relic. It had been only an hour ago that they were informed of some… meddlesome changes.
The gall of the Wizard Marshal to do such a thing, yet Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri had her head screwed on correctly. Even when Kayneth, her husband-to-be, all but filled the room with ravings of his unprofessionalism, she alone remained silent.
There were easier ways to earn a quick death. She did not know whether it was sheer dumb luck that he survived. How unfortunate.
"–come forth from the circle of servitude, Guardian of the Holy Scales!"
And it was done.
Now all that remains is to see what familiar Kayneth had… summoned?
"I ask of you," his voice, curled by paradoxically both intrigue and disinterest. "Are you one who would call me their servant?"
… Eastern clothing. Sola-Ui looked on with some intrigue. If he had summoned a Japanese servant, then perhaps they'd have an edge in this war. Though, if it came from a different sort of Japan, then perhaps they would not gain a home-field advantage bonus.
"Indeed," Kayneth smugly smiled. "Name thyself, Lancer-class Servant. This is your master's decree."
The familiar regarded Kayneth for just a second before closing his eyes and looking off to the side… towards the mildly intrigued Sola-Ui.
"... If that is true, then why is it that I feel that one's magoi flowing into me," he asked. However, he tilted his head back to Kayneth. "... No, magoi is flowing into me from the both of you, nourishing my existence so that I do not fade. Intriguing."
"Has the Grail not grafted that information into your head?" Kayneth sneered. "Perhaps your… outlandish origins are the cause of this issue."
"That it would seem," Lancer said. "However, you are incorrect. The Grail has supplied me with more than enough knowledge of the modern world. However, it is conflicting with my knowledge– that which I have brought over from my world."
"Hence why you were saying magoi," Sola-Ui raised a brow. Her intrigue had risen further. "What does it mean to you? Is it synonymous with magical energy?"
"It is an energy, but not magical," he admitted and raised his right arm. "The energy is natural and comes from very real entities."
Sola-Ui simply blinked.
Something flew from his palm.
A… golden butterfly?
"What are those…?" Sola muttered.
"Is this your Noble Phantasm, Servant?" Kayneth raised a brow before narrowing his eyes. "And thus far, you have yet to reveal your name."
"No, they are not my Noble Phantasm," he looked outside, seemingly at the open sky. "It appears that your world has not learned how to tap into their existence yet. Perhaps that is fortunate."
Sola-Ui continued to look at the butterfly with intrigue. It flew higher and higher until it reached the window. However, it continued unimpeded, almost as if flying up into the sky to join… something.
"Perhaps in the future, I can explain what they are," Lancer declared. "However, until I learn more about this world, and its people, I will refrain from sharing that knowledge… not that I would be a particularly adept teacher of it. If you were the type to have wanted one, you would've summoned Judar… or perhaps Aladdin."
Aladdin?
That fictional Chinese tale that changed into more Middle Eastern as the story was passed down?
What other similarities did their worlds hold?
"As for my name… I suppose Morgianna would scold me if I were not to do a proper introduction?" He mused before turning so that he would face both Kayneth and her. "Servant, Lancer. I have been summoned to do battle alongside you both to lay claim to this… Holy Grail."
The lance spun around his wooden left arm.
His scarred face stared at them, as if into their souls.
"I am the Master of both Zagan and Belial," he stated. "I am known as Ren Hakuryuu."
Sola-Ui felt the slightest hint of unease at its gaze.
"Are you willing to fight alongside the former Fourth Emperor of the Kou Empire?"
"Servant, Assassin," a smile escaped the visitor's face. "So? What am I to think, master? Has the war started this soon? I had not expected to see another Servant as soon as I was summoned… nor did I expect to be summoned at all, for that matter."
"Assassin," the priest called. "State thy name."
"Indeed," Gilgamesh stepped up slowly to the visitor from an alien world. "You, who have been deemed a visitor to my garden, speak thy name, lest thy disrespect separates your head from the rest of your body."
Then Assassin blinked.
"Wow, you are intense," he gave a wry smile before raising both hands in seeming surrender. However, it suitably changed into a respectful bow, reminiscent of his summoner's kin. "I apologize for the disrespect, my lord. I was unaware that we would be allies in this war. This lowly one will not do so again. My name is of little importance to this war, and none of its combatants would likely gain an advantage from knowing it. Even then, will you choose to know it?"
Gilgamesh let out a short huff.
This one… there is a mild playful air mixed with his respect. This is not the first time he has attempted to broker peace. He was also quick to realize that this would be an alliance. Though, whether it will remain so is questionable.
He must ascertain the nature of this `visitor` to his garden.
"Do not make me repeat myself."
Then the ingrate smiled before chuckling to himself. However, Gilgamesh was no imbecile, he could sense that the buffoon before him was looking at him in something akin to nostalgia.
"Forgive me! I who have sinned!" He smiled. "It's just… you remind me greatly of someone I would call a dear friend. He had the same temperament as you. Even the way you glare is the same!"
He paused and narrowed his eyes further.
"... Actually, your eyes are both red. Though, his own doesn't remain red forever," he muttered before backing away respectfully. Any longer and Gilgamesh would've lost his patience. However, he had yet to grab a grasp on this visitor's character. As such, he would've only taken a limb in recompense. "Well, I can see that if I dawdle any longer, I'd make myself some enemies, so I shall now proceed with introducing myself!"
His wide friendly smile– without a hint of malice or scorn– spoke a thousand words, even if it contrasted with his simplistic red armor.
"My name is Senju Hashirama, first Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village," he declared. "I'm not sure how much the title of `God of Shinobi` would mean to you all, but that's what I was called in life. Not that I am bonafide a god! I wouldn't be so presumptuous!"
… and yet, Gilgamesh looked deeper, he still sensed minor divinity. An unknowing descendant of a deity then, though not bodily. A spiritual reincarnation of a descendant?
"Well then, it is only fair that I shall reply in turn," Gilgamesh declared, knowing that a visitor such as he would not know of his grandeur. "I am he who is known as Gilgamesh, King of Uruk. The one true King of this world. Come, God of Shinobi, there is much to discuss."
"Alright, but what of our masters?" He looked toward both Kirei and Tokiomi, who remained silent at their exchange.
"Leave them," Gilgamesh answered magnanimously. "There is much I must learn. Even I, who owns everything in this world, do not know much about alien worlds. Yours shall prove to be an interesting tale. Do not disappoint."
"... you really do remind me of him, but perhaps you have him beaten in this regard," the Senju muttered. "Very well, but only if I can hear some of your tales in return!"
"You would dare to bargain with a king?" Gilgamesh snorted. "Granted."
But then they both paused.
"Tokiomi, I trust that I need not tell you what occurred."
His summoner's eyes remained wide as he stared off in a specific direction.
Toward the region where an explosive amount of magical energy had erupted.
An energy so pure that Gilgamesh himself would be remiss to admire.
"It would seem that one of the other visitors has already started."
Kariya heaved for air.
His lungs were shivering in recoil but the worms within did nothing to assuage the feeling. Instead, it made matters worse when his Servant finally showed up… or at least, he had expected it to.
There's no drain at all.
He could feel the contract. It was there. He had bound his servant to him… yet he was not feeding it any magical energy. When he tried to push some through–
"I would advise against that, master."
A feminine voice.
"You speak!?" Kariya gapped. However, the sudden action agitated the worms within. However, that voice…
A young girl? What kind of cruel joke is that?
The wheezing of his amused father came from behind.
"Unbelievable. I gave you a chance yet you summon a Berserker with an almost non-existent Madness Enhancement!" He laughed. "Somehow you disappoint me further, Kariya. You are a failure of a son!"
"How cruel," the lamentable voice of his servant echoed within the desolate chamber. "... From the look of this lair and my master's condition, I imagine he was not a willing participant in this war?"
Kariya narrowed his eyes.
"No, I am!"
"Not in the sense that you wanted to win," she amended. "Rather, you were forced into the war so that which you cared for would not come into further harm. Am I correct?"
Kariya could only blink in disbelief.
"Yeah, but how did you…?"
"The clues are all there on your face, master. My title of `Fairy Tactician` is something that I earned," she smiled before sneering at the worms surrounding the summoning circle. It was only then that Kariya noticed that they shied away from her as if her very presence was anathema to them. "The slander against my master is not appreciated. Speak now, you foul creature that lurks in the dark."
"Oh, this servant of yours has a surprising attitude," the voice of his wretched father practically smiled. "Fix it, Kariya."
He instantly felt the worms under him grow agitated, they nipped and stabbed at his innards.
"Cease this instant!" Berserker all but demanded. However, it only grew in intensity. "To perform such cruelty upon your kin, that is not what a family is supposed to do!"
"Family?" His father practically laughed. "What naive words coming from a mere familiar. Kariya, the deal is off. The most you can do with such a servant is flail wildly and uselessly. I highly doubt that this one can even contend with any other, let alone Tohsaka's summoned servant."
Kariya could only grit his teeth in frustration.
Was this it!?
Did he truly fail before he could even begin!?
Was that why his servant felt like it was drawing nothing from his reserves? Because she was that weak!?
"Come and look at your failure of a savior, Sakura," his father's voice oozed with mirth as he beckoned. "Come and see what hope does to you. It only brings you up before dragging you down, painfully, and unseemly."
"You are wrong," his servant stated. "Hope is a binding force that pushes us forward. It is a force that can move mountains, shake the hearts of many, and even save the world. Do not let another word leave your mouth, monster!"
"Berserker…" Kariya mouthed. "... It's fine. You don't need to–"
"No, I refuse!" Her eyes lit up in what seemed like golden energy…?
But Kariya hadn't supplied her with any magical energy. Wait a minute–
"Stop! Don't invoke your Noble Phantasm!"
"No, master," her eyes flickered towards him, then towards the spectating child above them, with eyes dead to the world. "To do nothing, when I know that I could do something, it is not what I, the First Guildmaster of Fairy Tail, should ever do!"
The worms within squirmed rapidly.
Damn it! Was Zouken trying to kill him to stop his Servant!?
"Monster, you whose name I know not of," she spoke. "I shall give you til the count of three. Cease your hold upon that child and my master, otherwise–!"
Child… Shit, was Sakura here?
Kariya couldn't even move to look behind him or check.
"You truly summoned a fool, Kariya!" He laughed and laughed.
"Three."
"You have given me more entertainment than I've had in months!"
"Two."
"Perhaps this was why she is a Berserker!" Matou Zouken smiled. It was a horrifying sight. "She has no reasoning within her. She acts as she pleases even when she has little to no magical energy to speak of!"
"One," Berserker's eyes closed as her hands were brought to her chest. "The activation condition has been met."
And then, just as Kariya was about to accept that his death would be just like his life, without any meaning… it exploded.
Magical energy.
Golden light, a physical manifestation of the immense magical energy escaped from his Servant without end, almost like an endless tide. It shot up into the ceiling and bathed the room in its splendor, but it was not blinding. It only shined and filled the room so that not a single shadow was in sight,
"What–!?" Zouken widened his eyes. "Wait, this is… this shouldn't be possible!"
"Farewell, monster."
His eyes widened as he attempted to flee, but it was too late.
"Fairy Law."
It was then that the light truly blinded them all.
"What on earth!?" Kayneth snapped away from his Servant, who had been refusing continuously to explain what exactly those butterflies had been. "This explosive magical energy… the war shouldn't have even started yet!"
"Yet it seems that it matters little to that one in particular," Sola-Ui noted. She frowned as she felt it. "A strong bounded field is preventing it from being seen… but there are only two locations with such a bounded field. The Tohsaka manor, which is well-defended, and…"
"... The Matou manor," Kayneth concluded. "I had thought that they dwindled into decline, but this energy… what on earth did they summon? A Caster?"
"Regardless, it is not a foe we can face openly," Hakuryuu narrowed his eyes. "The Rukh… they gleefully aid in it."
Rukh? Sola-Ui pondered. Was that what that butterfly was?
"Perhaps we should send a scout to this `Matou manor`," Lancer suggested. He did not await their reply and stabbed his lance forward.
From it, Sola-Ui could see… blobs? Yes, that was the only word she could use to describe it. Small blobs floated into the air before flowing out of their penthouse suite and towards the massive explosion of energy.
It would seem that their servant had more than first meets the eye.
As soon as it started, it was over.
Kariya widened his eyes, wincing as he did so, but felt his stomach churn as he barfed what must've been his lunch earlier today.
However, it was not his lunch.
The shriveled crest worm stared right back at him before disintegrating into dust.
"Wha… What…?"
"It is over, master," Berserker said. A short glance over showed that she was smiling as she did so. "That monster you called a father is no more. Forgive me if that was out of line, but I could not stand still whilst suffering was before my very eyes."
"No, that's…"
Wait.
Kariya swallowed some spit and turned his head around slowly.
Nothing was there except ragged, misshapen clothes. They had fallen to the floor, almost as if its inhabitants had faded from reality.
Or turned to dust.
"But… that's…" Kariya found himself muttering. "… I don't understand."
"Fairy Law," Berserker said as she walked– floated right next to him. "One of my guild's three strongest spells. This one in particular was made to inflict heavy damage on whoever the caster deems an enemy within the light of its wake. Your… father, shall we say, was one such enemy."
That didn't make sense.
How could something like that even exist!?
"Uncle Kariya?"
Kariya snapped to attention and tried to get onto his legs, only to stumble as a result. "S-Sakura! I need to get to her!"
"Granted," Berserker floated under his armpit and proceeded to carry him like a sack of potatoes, but it was better than not moving at all. "Is this little one Sakura?"
"Y-yeah," he muttered weakly. "Damn it, my vision is failing…"
"You will need rest, master. I may have eliminated that evil presence from within you, but the damage they left behind is quite severe," she said as she continued to float. It was then that Kariya noticed Sakura being dragged along by her, mostly in confused bewilderment. "Luckily, I have recently come across a mansion that's been cleaned out as it were. I'm certain that there's a room or two that you could use… though we will need to find a healer."
Kariya opened his mouth but closed it.
"Also, you need not worry about whether or not it survived or not," she continued. "Fairy Law's light is not normal. It will go through everything. Walls, be they steel or flesh, will never shy from its light."
So Zouken was…
He's finally…
"Kariya!" The sound of his brother, Byakuya, came barreling out of his room in what looked to be a panic. In his hands was a wine bottle, but it was empty, likely having spilled from the stains on his clothes. "What happened!? Where is Father!?"
"He's gone…" Kariya muttered.
"Pardon!?"
"He's gone, Byakuya," Kariya smiled.
It was then that it truly set in for him.
"... Kariya?" His brother sent him a truly odd look. It was only when Kariya's vision grew blurrier that he slowed himself. "... So, does this mean that your Servant…?"
Tears struck down his face.
"Yeah," he smiled wider than he had ever before. "We're free."
"Uncle Kariya?" He heard Sakura call from beside him. "When will the next session be? Grandfather will be angry if I'm late."
Sakura… She doesn't believe him.
Just as Kariya was about to tell her everything, or at least try and explain it to her in a way she could understand, Kariya was slowly pushed off from his Servant and made to rest on Byakuya's shoulder. He watched as Berserker approached Sakura, this time on feet, and placed a hand on each shoulder.
"Sakura-chan, was it?" Berserker asked, to which Sakura nodded. "It's okay now. He's gone."
"Grandfather will be mad if I don't go…"
"You're fine. He is gone."
"He'll get mad…!" Sakura slowly got more erratic. "I need to go…!"
Yet Berserker, having been a Servant, kept her firmly in place without hurting her.
"The one known as your Grandfather is gone," she continually stated. "You are free now. There will be no more `sessions` of any sort. You can do what you–"
"Stop lying!" Sakura shivered as she shouted. It hurt Kariya to see her like this, but he knew that anything he said wouldn't change her mind. Right now, he trusted Berserker to do what she thought was right… no matter what. "Grandfather is undefeatable! He'll always win!"
"Villains never win," Berserker whispered, affectionately as one would their child, as she loosened her grip, slowly wrapping her arms around the fearful child. "Your uncle called down a hero. I came to his call. Heroes defeat villains. Your grandfather was a villain."
"A hero…?" she muttered.
"Yes," Berserker agreed. "So it's okay now. No one will hurt you anymore."
She slowly loosened the hug and met Sakura's eyes with her own. Sakura's dull eyes barely flinched at Berserker's own, with eyes filled with compassion uncharacteristic of her class.
"You can cry now, Sakura."
Dull eyes remained firm for but a single second.
A tear formed at its rim before her eyes shimmered further.
Then, Sakura cried.
The light had returned to her eyes, even as the sorrowful cries left her mouth. Repressed pain and agony left her as she bawled her eyes out, perhaps for the first time, while being tenderly cared for.
Berserker rubbed her head and cheeks.
"... It appears that this war has caused enough suffering. Don't you think so, master?"
Kariya raised a brow. "... Yeah, I guess."
"Then you, and your family, shall no longer participate in it," Berserker declared. "For now, leave the rest of this war up to me. I do not require a master… master."
"So it would seem," Kariya laughed. "Looks like I couldn't do anything after all."
"No," she smiled. "You did the most important thing, summon me. However, that is not the end of your role. You still need to care for Sakura, correct?"
Kariya's eyes hardened with a smile as his eye strayed to the command seals.
They reminded him of a fairy jumping in glee.
"... Yeah, I guess you're right," he agreed before he paused. "Oh, right. I don't think I ever got your name."
"... What's your name, nice lady?"
Berserker rubbed Sakura's head once more.
"I suppose you can know it, but it is quite a hard one for someone so young to say," she smiled a bright smile. "Mavis Vermillion. I'm pleased to meet you all."
An expressionless face stared out at the Matou manor, a labcoat strangely wavering in the wind.
"That…" he muttered. "… Perhaps that will be much more attainable than some Holy Grail."
His eyes flickered toward a screen before he frowned and looked away.
"That young man is still alive in there, it would seem," he shrugged. "Oh well. I can simply keep him there. I am in no hurry."
It wasn't like he needed any magical energy to keep himself sustained. Rather, he could get all the energy he needed from a single source. If he could sustain his existence until then…
… Well, once he did, then he could make his castle a reality.
Now if only Ryuunosuke could stop complaining about the lack of blood in there.
A/N: That's the end of the first(?) night.
Here's the roster for this HGW. The `Kings` are kept the same for reasons, mostly because of the Banquet.
Saber: Arturia
Archer: Gilgamesh
Rider: Iskandar
Lancer: Ren Hakuryuu (After the end of the Manga)
Assassin: Senju Hashirama (No knowledge of the 5th Great War)
Berserker: Mavis Vermillion (After the end of the Manga)
Caster: [N/A]
This has a timeline planned solidly out until Day 3 of the war, but there'd be a whole lot of changes until then. I could spoil it… but nah. I'll leave it up to your imagination (or me from the future) to show it to you.
These guys were chosen for a reason, mostly for the change they could bring to specific characters who I feel need more than what they had gotten dealt with… but it does feel a little unbalanced.
Just a little.
And yes, this is a one-shot unless I decide to continue it, despite the aforementioned timeline already being lined out. This is more of an apology for being away from the site for so long.
I hope you enjoyed it at least.