Two servants and two masters were all gathered in the living room of the Einzbern castle. Julius was sitting on the couch, ankle above his knee and hands resting on the back of the couch while Gilgamesh leaned on the hand of the couch, both dressed in the same clothes as the last time they crossed paths.

Anna was sitting on the armchair, dressed in a simple black shirt and jeans while Fenice, wearing a white sleeveless top and black sweatpants, was standing at her right.

The summoner had just finished talking about the battle, which had occurred two days ago, and their impressions of the two servants but Saber's master was kept out of the talk as Anna felt that it was wiser not knowing about him yet.

"I see," Julius said as he puffed some smoke from his cigar and looked at the two females. "Have you met those two servants Gilgamesh?"

"Yes. Lancer is Cu Chullain and Saber is Artoria Pendragon. We have clashed two more times in the past. The latter being one of the most stubborn women that I was so close in making mine"

"*scoffs* Not interested in how many women you have harassed Gilgamesh. What do you know about their noble phantasms?"

"Sounds like you are jealous false Queen but don't worry. There is enough grace of this demigod for all of you" the cocky blond said, and the redhead replied by rolling her eyes. "Saber's noble phantasm is her invisible sword, Excalibur… destructive power while Lancer's is his spear, never missing its target which is none other than the heart"

"I see," Anna said as she lied back on the couch and left out a sigh. "She could be troublesome. Both of them can actually. Tell me you got any good news Julius"

"In fact, I do since you failed to get out of the way a servant or a master or both if you weren't so incapable of doing. Anyways, my familiars have spread all over England but have spotted two servant and master signatures just outside of London. One at the north and the other at the east" the man said as he inhaled smoke before exhaling it.

"What else?" Fenice asked.

"My familiar at the North was destroyed just a few hours ago by a strong force of magic. I suspect that is Caster's work and had also recorded unusual magic behaviour there which confirms my first assumption"

"What about East?"

"East…. Nothing. Just spotted what I believe is one of the masters and a cloaked figure but no identification of class or name so it can be anyone from the rest of the classes"

"Well, that is something. From my family's past experiences with Caster's, they can be quite the trouble. Especially if they find a way to power up themselves by attacking innocent humans… However, attacking them first will be a dead giveaway of our servants and abilities if it comes to battle. I say we let the Caster either for the end or for someone else to take them down"

"That is wise. Staying out of their radar will help us not only to analyze better our next steps and future plans but also will give time for the rest of the masters to clash. By the time we come up from the shadows, thankfully, the competition will have decreased. Making our job easier and bringing us closer in winning the Holy Grail" Fenice added right after her master, her face serious and if you looked carefully you could swear that you could see the gears in her head working at amazing speed.

Julius had to admit that this alliance was turning out for the better. They might not have taken at least someone out of the competition but they both knew what they were doing. Anna had books, dozens of ancient books based on the recordings of her ancestors and previous battles, spells, information and magic. And she had memorized almost all of them, making her a valuable pawn in this game.

Fenice, on the other hand, was a strategist and according to the stories he read about her, she led armies against armies and was considered a war mastermind back then. However, those two were also a very good team alone which meant that he had to be careful around them and make sure to keep a close eye on them. If they decided to backstab him, he would be in a tough position even though he doubted Anna would ever think of such an act.

No, she wasn't that kind of a human. She was weak, merciful and vulnerable to almost everything. She was also smart and knew that she needed him if she wanted to have a chance in this war and make her family proud.

"Then it's settled," he said after a moment of silence and deep thinking. "*stands up* We will try to stay under the radar, and I will try to find more about the two masters close to London, You two might as well start forming plans because next battle, you must take at least someone down"

"Agree and we will. We were simply caught off guard"

"Actually, we would," Fenice said, standing up for her master. "I could still fight but it was Lancelot who backed away first, followed by Saber. If one or both of them had stayed I would have taken them down one way or another"

"Hn. Who is the cocky now?" Gilgamesh finally spoke again, getting into the conversation.

"I am not cocky. I know my abilities, my strengths and had my plans. Unlike you, who sit on a couch all day drinking wine and doing absolutely nothing or helping in any way rather than most likely complaining"

After that comeback, even Julius smirked at the fire the queen was throwing at him. She had a valid point but leaving them guessing his identity and his true power, was giving them an advantage even over those two.

"We are leaving," he said, knowing the narcissist demigod long enough to know that he would do something, and all hell would break loose.

And indeed, Gilgamesh was a second away from unleashing his gates at her; showing her what happens when someone spoke back to the King of Heroes and in such way. However, he decided not to as he will have his chances of torturing and taking his revenge on her.

He simply had to be patient. Yes, he could do that for now.

Anna escorted the men to the door and then watched them driving away before closing the door and rubbing her temples.

The very same night, the homunculus master was turning and tossing in her dreams. Once again, she was images and glimpses of a life different than her own. That particular night, she was in an endless green valley.

Few clouds passed above her, their shadows covering her for a few seconds before being blown away by the wind. The laughter of two women echoed as Saber and Rider were caught in a hand to hand combat.

They were dressed in simple clothing, a pair of pants and a cotton tunic instead of their usual battle attire. They laughed as Fenice tackled the blond to the ground and they rolled on the grass, trying to pin the other down. The fight came to an end with the blond being the winner, having her friend's arms pinned by the side of her head.

"I win, again," she said and the two of them laughed, their faces inches apart.

"Are you sure about that?" Fenice asked as she brought her body up and the two women started to roll again, only for the dragon queen to be pinned on the ground again.

"You were saying?" Arthurian asked, their noses barely touching as they looked into each other's eyes.

"Show off" she replied but smiled.

The image changed before more could be seen and it was replaced by a battlefield. Corpses of men and dragons could be seen everywhere, the once green valley now bare of any life and painted by the blood of the victims.

The sky above them had turned an apocalyptic brownish orange, the clouds as black as the night itself. The sound of weapons clashing, people shouting, and skin being ripped open echoed everywhere.

Sabre in her wardress leaned against her majestic sword. Blood covered her uncovered face and armour, while she took deep breaths to replenish the oxygen, she so much needed. Her green eyes locked on something and they turned cold steel.

"Fenice!" she shouted as the image disappeared.

Anna gasped for air and brought her upper body up, sweat rolling down from her forehead. Her night clothing was sticking to her shaking body, her red eyes holding nothing but fear. Closing them, she grabbed the front of her shirt and took deep slow breaths, aiming to slow down her fast-beating heart.

After a few minutes, her body relaxed, and goosebumps appeared on her skin once she realized that she was literally swimming in her own sweat. She opened her eyes and swallowed the lump in her dry throat.

Her head turned towards the closed doors which connected her room with her servant's. What she had just seen was certainly glimpses of Fenice's past. Now, Anna knew partially how the two female servants knew each other but she was still missing many clues at the exact nature of this relationship.

And that battle…

She took a deep breath, trying to forget the horrific images of the battlefield. Usually, she got glimpses but that felt so real. If she stayed quiet, she swore she could still hear the agonizing shout of a dragon or the whimper of a soldier as they were both killed.

She looked at her cloak, seeing that it was a few minutes past 6 in the morning. Knowing, it was impossible to go back to sleep; she decided to start her day earlier than usual. But first, she needed a bath, a long warm bubble bath.

As per usual, Fenice had cooked breakfast and Anna was not surprised to see the Spirit up so early. She barely slept, not that she needed it. Her body needed mana to stay materialized and survive, nothing else. Food and Liquid was something she chose from pleasure or simply the taste since her master's strong circuits were far from weak.

The mortal woman sat on the table, drinking tea and looking at the rock wall across from her. She was tempted to ask her servant about the King of Knights, tell her about the dream she had but her mouth felt as if it was closed by some sort of muting spell.

The only thing she could do, stole glances as the redhead was sitting by her side. From time to time she would take a few sips of tea but kept her golden hues on the newspaper in her hands. She could see them moving left and right, reading every word for anything unusual which would indicate a servant.

Taking a deep breath, Anna decided to give it a try.

"…Fenice-"

"Master look" the heroic spirit interrupted and placed the paper down, a single finger pointing at a specific article.

Anna looked and started to read it in a faint whisper.

"6 dead office workers have been found dead the day before, all slumbered on their desks. No signs of forced entry, no blood and no evidence to give any clue of who the culprit is. The police refused to answer any questions from the journalists and only replied with the words 'We are into this'. Who is this mysterious killer? Is London once again at the mercy of a psychopath or perhaps, something more?"

"This sounds like the work of a spirit. Lifeless bodies, no signs of entry…someone is feeding on innocent civilians"

Fenice gave a nod with her head. "I suspect it must be our Caster, they are known to be the ones behind such attacks"

"Or perhaps a different servant. We are still unaware of Berserker's, Caster's and Assassin's true identity"

"That is true" she placed her hand under her chin and left a humming sound as she started to think. "Well, Julius did say that his summoning was destroyed at the north. It could be a connection. He never mentioned how North"

Anna frowned for a moment before an idea popping into her mind. "You are right. I will contact him right away, find out more information. At night, we can go and investigate ourselves"

She stood up and Fenice did the say. "Anna, I do not advice it. Exposing yourself yet again it is not wise. We agreed to stay hidden"

"But I cannot let innocent people die Fenice. Those 6 people were normal, having no idea of all this. They had a family! I cannot let a dangerous servant roam the city"

"Then allow me to go and investigate. It is not wise for you to join me. Perhaps staying with Julius in the meantime is the wisest of option"

"But-"

"I am afraid I will have to interfere here, Anna. Unless you use a command seal, I will not allow you to do something so reckless. My duty is to protect you and help you win this war, not lead you to your demise"

The homunculus left out a sigh of defeat and hang her head. "Fine…I will stay with Julius…but only if you go with Gilgamesh"

"What? I-"

It was Anna's turn to interrupt. "I know you are more than capable of protecting yourself, but I cannot risk you. Either I or Gilgamesh will join you"

The heroic spirit left out a sigh of defeat and closed her amber eyes for a second. "Very well" she opened them again. "I will take Gilgamesh, but I do not advice it. Exposing our alliance is dangerous"

"Or very beneficial. If the other masters realize that we are working together, they will avoid us and focus on the ones that are alone"

Fenice had to agree with that idea, being quite logical and most likely scenario to take place. Not the wisest but the situation was forcing them and leaving them with no other choice. The mere idea, though, of working with the arrogant blond created a migraine which didn't want to go away.

She had to endure it though, for the sake of the innocent humans and for the sake of this war.