Prologue

A man who looked like my younger self stood atop the school's water tower. But instead of a blue shirt he wore a grey pinstriped suit and a slasher's smile across his heavily scarred face.

"Now why'd you have to go an do a thing like that?" he said. He sounded amused, with a faint chuckle in the accent escaping between his curled lips.

Rin stood her ground atop the roof of Homurahara Academy. The purple glow of a seven-stroke mark faded from the tile by her feet. The boundary field around the school shuddered along with it. It was the final piece of the ritual, hours of hard work paid off, and now the servant responsible for it delivered himself to us as well.

The man leapt from his perch and flipped through the air. He landed in front of Rin, his arms open and his shoulders shrugged. "You got talent kid, I'll give you that." He winked at her. "Still, it's not good for a girl such as yourself to be out all alone."

Rin's eyes shot open in shock, but then relaxed. Her arms tensed up with a nervous anger, and her gaze drifted towards me. A brief gust of wind blew between us. Then she was off.

Her feet clacked against the tile of the rooftop. A faint red light materialized down her legs. She accelerated towards the fence and cleared right over it with a single bound. "Archer," she said, "take care of the landing."

I wrapped my arms around her and braced for impact. We slammed into the ground, a cloud of dust erupted from beneath us, and then we were off once again. Rin ran across the courtyard, her breathing labored for air, before stopping at the edge of the school grounds.

"Not the first time a girl's run off at the sight of me." The Servant hit the ground in front of her. He swaggered towards us at a slow pace, cracking his knuckles and smiling the whole way. "But given that I'm trying to kill you, I think I'll give you a pass on this one."

Rin stood up straight and firm, confident despite the exhaustion running through her veins. We were now in the open, with plenty of room to maneuver and multiple avenues of escape. I expected no less from her.

"Archer!" she commanded.

I materialized into my physical body with Kanshou and Bakuya in hand. I stood still, the twin swords of my armory poised and waiting attack. But none came. A deathly silence fell between us. My opponent doesn't draw his weapon. Instead he crossed his arms and smiled.

"I know what you're thinking." He took a few steps forward, but made no hostile movements. His shoulders drooped and his face relaxed, as if feigning friendliness. "When's the handsome fella in front of me gonna make his move?"

"Who are you?" I asked. His movements were slow, relaxed, as if meeting an old friend instead. Even the smile softened to that of a gentleman. But it was trick, and I watched him closely lest I be lured into a false sense of security. That was my strategy after all.

"Name's not important," he said, "but if you want, you can call me Lancer."

"Servant Lancer," Rin whispered under her breath behind me.

"That's right." Lancer nodded. "And the ugly mug staring back at me must be Archer."

I pointed Bakuya at him, dead center on his neck.

He stopped walking and raised his arms in mock surrender. "What's got you so worried?" The distance was five meters, too close for comfort. Given his class he would have some way of closing the distance. "Look, I got nothing up my..." He paused.

Silence.

Lancer's smile grew, now encompassing his entire face. And he opened his mouth at last. "Sleeves."

My arm shot upwards at an odd angle. It caught something, stopping and sending the force from Bakuya's edge all the way to my spine. The shock ruptured its way throughout my body. But I stood my ground and turned to face the source of the disturbance.

The glint of reflecting moonlight hung in the air on a thin translucent string of piano wire. It weaved its way around my sword and spun itself back to Lancer's arms. He twisted a hand and shattered Kanshou into two clean pieces. Lancer's arm shot forth once more. Another piece of moonlight snapped towards me.

I cocked my arm back and threw up my other hand to block the attack. The force of the shock pushed me back. My heels dug into the sand as cracks ruptured on Bakuya's body. Then it snapped in half.

I stood there. An Archer class disarmed by a Lancer at range. How preposterous. He pulled the coils of wire back into his sleeves and took a deep breath. And then closed the distance.

He stood half a meter away when he pulled back. His eyes shot open and he forced himself to slow his own onslaught. Perhaps it was the smile on my face.

Or it could have been the twin swords that rematerialized in my hands. I swung them down across his chest. The blade bit into the fabric, tugging, then ripping at the seams. A tear sounded out across the courtyard.

Lancer slid backwards on his heels, stopping just out of reach. His touched his chest, shaking his head. "This is Armani!" he said. He pulled of the coat and tossed in between us. "You're going to pay for that."

He attacked once more, this time at double the pace. I swung at his face, intentionally leaving my center open to attack. But he didn't take the bait. He brought his first down by my left arm. The wire drew blood as it bit into my wrist. I slashed at him with my other arms, but Lancer pulled away. My shoulder shot out of its socket like a bullet.

I grit my teeth and slashed at the wire. It met some resistance, stopping in midair, before cleaving it in half. Lancer took advantage of the moment to come back in force, kicking and punching.

I blocked blow after blow with my good arm until Kanshou shattered into ether. Despite the strength of my blade Lancer met them with full force without nary a scratch. Reinforcement magic was the only logical conclusion. I disengaged, pushing back on my heels and growing the distance between us. The grew as wide as twenty five meters. "You don't fight like a Lancer," I said, ignoring the nervous sweat trickling down my forehead. He still hadn't drawn his weapon.

"Pot, meet kettle," he laughed. "I mean come on. A Lancer without a lance and an Archer without a bow? What have we gotten ourselves into?"

I took advantage of the brief respite to repair my injured shoulder. A loud snap echoed across the courtyard as the arm snapped back into its socket. Rin's rich flow of magic took care of the rest.

"Archer," Rin said. Her voice was soft, worried.

"Trace on." Prana surged into my hands and another copy of Kanshou materialized.

Lancer nodded. "Looks like the undercard's over. Let's see whatcha got."

I went on the offensive. The distance closed in the blink of an eye. But Lancer was not caught off guard, the fastest class in the war, he was already in a defensive stance. I slashed across the chest, catching his hardened fists and stabbed at the face.

But Lancer counterattacked. He dodged the stab and duck underneath my swings to get past the defenses. But they were a trap. Left there intentionally to draw the attackers in, where my honed reflexes were poised to defend. Lancer was too fast to fight otherwise.

He pulled back, ceasing the attack, and paused for a second. "Can't be me in a fair fight so you resort to dirty tricks," he said. "I like your style."

I shrugged. Kanshou and Bakuya were ready for another attack, but none came. We eyed one another, cautious, waiting for the other to make the first move. We were much alike. The eerie sense of familiarity sent a chill through my core. His golden brown eyes were a reflection of my own. Only instead of the resigned despair there existed a faint ray of hope, and a strange purpose in life.

"Archer," Rin said from the edge of the courtyard. I had been so engrossed in our fight I had forgotten her existence. "Let's retreat for now."

That was unexpected. Rin was prideful, arrogant at times, and hot headed when she wanted to be. But she was not stupid, and knew when it was best to fight another day. In any other situation it was the right call. Lancer was an unknown, and the fight was a draw, no use in risking it so early in the war. And yet I found myself disagreeing with her decision. Something gnawed at me.

"Shit." Lancer took this attention off me and dashed towards the school. The red headed blur disappeared behind the fence and into the buildings.

"Oh no," Rin said. "Archer, follow him!"

I obeyed. Only one thing could spook her in a time like this. A witness. I shook my head. Was was too nice of a person. She would want his memory erased, something unlikely to be shared by Lancer. I took off after him without a second thought.

For some reason I was happy.

Lancer was fast. I chased him through the school's double doors, past the classrooms, and round the corners with all my speed. And yet it wouldn't be enough.

The elation faded away to fear and the desire to save someone arose within. Despire the torment some things have never changed. Just once, I wanted to save one person. Kill one to save a ten, kill a ten to save a hundred. Just once I wanted to actually save someone. Please.

But around the corner laid a body. Face down and seeped in blood that pooled around the bottom of the stairs. Lancer was long gone with only his handiwork that remained. I was too late.

Rin appeared soon after. She knelt down beside the corpse with her face in despair. A faint tear trickled down the corner of her eyes, even if she didn't realize it herself. "Why'd it have to be you?" she said.

Emiya Shirou was dying on the cold tile beneath an empty stairwell. His breathing was shallow, and the color fled from his face. It was a humiliating end for a hero of justice. But I knew it wouldn't end here unless I did something about it. Rin pressed a red jewel onto his heart, frantically trying to save him. The wound was healing, I knew.

Had she been a few minutes late he would've been dead. So if this was what I wanted the chance was now. The chance to end the cycle of torment. Just kill him.
I raised Bakuya up high, ready to end his pitiful existence. Rin pressed harder against his chest. She poured all her magical energy into the dying boy, tears now replaced by sweat and stoic determination. My blade moved to swing down on the body, but stopped. Something prevented me from it. I lowered my sword and stood watch, the mixed feeling of hate and disappointment coursing through me.

Rin continued unawares of what just transpired. In her eyes were the beautiful glow of a determined woman. A hero. Someone desperately trying to save someone. I couldn't take that away from her.

But any illusions that Rin had ignored the rest of the world in her single minded focus were shattered when our eyes met. "Archer, find Lancer!"

I nodded, and then left Rin alone. The Holy Grail war was a dangerous time, there will be other opportunities. The night sky opened above as I exited the school. No traces of Lancer existed, so I leapt back onto the roof of the school to get a better vantage point.

I scanned the barren city from my perch. A cat ran amongst the illuminated smattering of street lights. And in the distance, two kilometers out, was a footprint on the ledge of Seiyu supermarket. It was faint, a mild disturbance in the gravel, but it was my only lead.

I lept from ledge of ledge, rooftop to rooftop, keeping sight of it the whole way. Time was of the essence, and on top of his speed, Lancer had a head start. I quickened my pace, I need to find him, partly because my Master ordered me to, and partly to figure out why is was so unnerving.

A can of Kirin crushed beneath my feet as I landed on the rooftop of the supermarket. Empty beer cans and cigarette butts overturned as I crept towards the footprint. It was cold lead. No other disturbances existed in the area. I stood on the edge of the building, Fuyuki's iconic red bridge hung in the distance. Where would I go from here?

Circle around, back track, and lead the pursuer down a dead end track. Then return to my Master. I frowned, looked around, and saw nothing.

It was a dead end, and a waste of time.

Rin was going to be upset. I had no leads and no way of tracking down Lancer. The feeling of heaviness fell on me, but any more searching would be futile. WIth no other choice I headed back to Rin.

###

I passed through the walls of Rin's home in my spirit form. She sat in the living room, sipping a cup of cold tea, and sensed my presence immediately.

"Welcome back. How did it go?" she said.

I avoided her eyes, opting instead to stare at the orange carpet. "I'm sorry. It must have been one cautious Master. At the least, he's not on this side of town.

"I see." Rin frowned as she thought, her face showed a mix of worry and acceptance. She came to same conclusion I did. Lancer's Master was not one to fight personally, and our options right now were limited.

Still, I couldn't stand to see the look she wore. "You seem down, Master," I tried to cheer her up. "If you so order, I am ready to go battle Lancer again right now."

"No." She shook her head. "It would be pointless. Not all of the Servants have been summoned yet. Besides, we don't want to blunder into a trap."

I nodded. Rin has a good head on her shoulders. She may be prideful, but she knows when she's beat, even if it's only a temporary setback. As she returned to her thoughts I noticed something was missing. The pendant that she around her neck was gone. "Wait a minute. What happened to that jewelry of yours?"

I already knew the answer.

"You mean my pendant?" she said. "Oh, I forgot it. It's out of power, so there's no use for it, right?"

"That's true, but..."
"Yes, it's a memento of my father's, but it's not like it's my only memory of him."

I reached into my pocket. An exact copy of that pendant materialized from nowhere. The only difference was that it was mine. From a distant memory and a different time. On the eve of the Fifth Holy Grail war I awoke alone in the hallways the school. She saved me. The evidence was in my hands.

"Oh," she said, taking it from me, "you went and picked it up for me."

In a sense.

I looked away, ignoring her reactions. "Don't forget it again. It only looks right on you." It felt good to finally return it.

"Hey, wait a sec." Rin paused in confusion, lost in thought, as if the pieces of an unseen puzzle were arranging themselves into place. Her fists gripped the sofa as her face trembled. She stood up and launched out of the room and onto the streets.

I followed her. We ran down the cracked concrete, in the middle of the road through the dead of night. Rin ran without missing a beat, her feet smashing against the the faded white dividers. We ran through the shopping district, past different neighborhoods, and into the old district of town. I knew where she was going.

We arrived in short order. Rin leaned over for a second to catch her breath. We were in front of my home.

"Archer," she said between breaths, "is this one of those hypotheticals you always talk about?"

I didn't answer. It wasn't. My knowledge of my time wasn't helping. This was beyond a hypothetical. This was real. Something was wrong. Horribly wrong.

The wind howled. The retreating figure of Lancer headed towards the bridge, his coat tails flapping in the wind.

"Trace On." I held Kanshou and Bakuya in my hands and edged towards the wall. Now or never, I prepared to jump.

A black and white blur flashed through my peripheral vision. It scaled over the wall in a single move and landed at the entrance of the compound.

It was a man; white hair, with dark skin. Dressed in a black silk dress shirt, wearing a coyote brown plate carrier, and with an orange flare gun holstered at his hip.

But that wasn't what caught my attention. In his hands were Kanshou and Bakuya. A reflection of myself stared back at me. And he wore the most obnoxious grin on his face, as if to say: "You know who I am."

My heart sank. Because I knew. I knew in the very fabric of my soul.

I knew he was right.