July 23rd, 2003 AD – London, Clocktower

"They did what ?!"

Waver Velvet, known to the Mage Association as Lord El-Melloi II, head of the Department of Modern Magecraft and teacher of the El-Melloi class, looked at the young girl sat across him, aghast. The two of them were sat in his office, facing each other with a low table between them. It was a little past one in the afternoon, and he had just come back from eating lunch at his favorite restaurant in London to find his least favorite person waiting for him in his office. He had braced himself for a thoroughly unpleasant discussion, but what he had ended up with was oh so much worse.

For once, Reines El-Melloi Archisorte – the young girl with the beautiful face of an angel and the heart of a devil who, for his sins, had become Waver's sister – wasn't smiling. What had happened was more important than the Head of the Archibald family's long-ongoing teasing of Waver.

"As I just said, dear brother, the elders of the Archibald family sent an Enforcer to Japan in order to kill one Shirou Emiya, the adoptive son of Kiritsugu Emiya as revenge for the death of dear, mourned Kayneth and the destruction of over eighty percent of the family's Magic Crest. That Enforcer, one Bazett Fraga McRemitz, assaulted the local Second Owner during her attack on Emiya, got wounded and captured, confessed who had sent her – with false information and accusations, as it turned out – and now the Second Owner is very, very unhappy with us."

"Of course they are," snarled Waver, thinking furiously on what he knew of McRemitz. He had heard that name before … An Enforcer from the famously reclusive Fraga family, who had joined the Clocktower and become one of its most valuable Enforcers in an astonishingly short time. Experienced in taking down both Sealing Designates and Dead Apostles, and wielder of the Noble Phantasm Fragarach, whose secret had been passed down her family since the Age of the Gods.

Someone with skills, lineage, and experience – someone who, in a one on one fight, would have absolutely crushed Waver without even breaking a sweat, for all that the two of them had the same rank of Fes in the Clocktower's ranking system.

And all that had been useless against the son of the Magus Killer. Waver could already feel an ulcer coming. He powered through, forcing his mind to start to analyse the situation, drawing on his knowledge of Fuyuki.

"The Second Owner is a Tohsaka, right ?"

"Rin Tohsaka," Reines confirmed. "Daughter of Tokiomi Tohsaka, who died during the Grail War you fought in. Apparently she was visiting Emiya – who was operating on her territory with her permission, as logged in the Association's records – and the Enforcer attacked her before he put her down. Her message did not say that he saved her life from our assassin, but it was very strongly implied."

Waver would like to say that no one could possibly be that stupid. The Archibalds were just beginning to dig themselves out of the pit they had been thrown into when Kiritsugu Emiya had slaughtered the previous Lord El-Melloi, his Servant, and his fiance, crippling his Magic Crest in the process.

But they had been that stupid, hadn't they ? In their arrogance and wounded pride, they had tried to make some insignificant point. Even if they had succeeded in killing Emiya's adopted son, what did they think that would have achieved ?

Oh, look at us, he thought with bitter mockery. We are so strong and mighty, we managed to hire someone with no prior connection to our family to go and kill the teenager adopted by the foreign mercenary who all but ended our lineage, years after the man in question had died. Truly our wrath is fearsome and our influence boundless. They would have been the Association's laughing stock !

Waver was aware that he wasn't being entirely fair – there had been other factors at play in the elders' decision – but at the moment, he found himself with remarkably little inclination to be fair to the group of old morons who may very well have doomed them all. And as long as he was angry at the elders, he didn't have to think about how he may very well be on the next Magus Killer's shit list – or, worse, Policies'. The Department tasked with managing the Clocktower's inner affairs was famously lax when it came to enforcing the law on noble families, but the Archibalds had yet to truly recover their influence. If the sharks sensed blood in the water, they would tear the Archibald family apart.

You would think that after what happened when Kayneth had died without having made any preparations in case of his demise, the rest of the Archibald family would have learned to plan for failure. He forced that depressing thought away and focused on the problem in front of him.

"When did all this happen ?"

"A few hours ago. The message was waiting for me when I returned from lunch. Apparently, the servant in charge of my correspondence didn't think something from Japan was important enough to interrupt my meal."

There was an eight hours time difference between England and Japan, Waver remembered, with Japan being ahead. The message had travelled quickly from the Far East, probably using Magecraft given its contents.

"What else did the message say ?"

"Reading between the lines, Rin Tohsaka doesn't want to press charges before the Clocktower, probably because her family's standing is far beneath ours. But she is aware of our … precarious situation in the Association, and as I said, she is furious at us. She wants us to send someone who can speak in the Archibald's name to recover the Enforcer and negotiate a settlement. I consulted my sources, and apparently she has been rebuilding her family's fortune in recent months – no doubt she intends to bleed us for as much as she can in exchange for letting us sweep this under the rug."

That was … well, it wasn't good, nothing about this situation was, but it was the least catastrophic possibility. Their coffers would take a hit, but as long as they kept what had happened a secret, they could fill the gap slowly and no one outside the family would notice anything amiss, so long as they were careful. Not no one no one, of course – there would be those at the top who would know, no matter what – but no one who had a motive to kick the Archibalds while they were down. Or, rather even more down than they currently were, even after years of slowly rebuilding their wealth and influence.

"And Emiya ?" Waver asked. "Even if the Tohsaka Head got involved, he was the actual target, and while the Tohsaka can get us in trouble with the Association, he is a much more direct threat. What does he want to let that pass ?"

"The message didn't say," replied Reines, "but since the whole affair happened on Tohsaka's territory, I expect a share of the settlement will find its way into his hands as compensation. Especially since the message precised that the negotiations will take place in his home."

Waver frowned. Money would suffice, then ? Perhaps. The Magus Killer had taken all manner of contracts during his career, and though his rates hadn't been especially high among freelancers they had still been very respectable – though only ever cheap change to the noble families.

"He is probably the reason why Tohsaka is willing to settle out of court," he thought aloud. "The Magus Killer had more enemies than just the Archibald, and a trial would draw attention to his existence."

"That would make sense," agreed Reines. "Of course, it still means that …"

"I need to get to Japan," he finished, though he wanted nothing less. He sighed. "There is no one else we can trust with this, is there ? I will meet with Tohsaka and Emiya, and see what they want in exchange for their silence and McRemitz's life."

"I will go with you -" began Reines, but Waver cut her off firmly.

"No. You will not. This isn't going to be a negotiation between two noble families, Reines. You are very good at these, much better than I, but the Magus Killer cared nothing for the rules of engagement and conduct of Magi. If you die, especially at the hands of the Magus Killer's heir, the last of the Archibald's Magic Crest will be lost. The family will be doomed. I will not compound my guilt in Kayneth's demise by letting you face the same peril that ruined him."

She frowned, clearly displeased as his unusual blunt refusal. "You will be in danger too, dear brother. And your death won't wipe out the debt you owe the Archibalds."

"No, but yours would make it immeasurably worse. And, much as it pains me to admit it, I would much rather deal with you than the elders. You are not going to Fuyuki, Reines – that's final."

Waver didn't notice the faintest hint of red on Reines' cheeks.

"Fine," she relented. "I will deal with the elders while you go clean up their mess. By the time you come back, I will have whipped them into obedience – you can assure the Second Owner of Fuyuki that those responsible will be punished appropriately. Whatever payment must be made will be taken out of their personal coffers. But surely you don't intend to go alone ?"

"No. I …" He sighed, and shook his head. "I will take Gray along with me."

Reines raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure ? I could lend you Trimmau."

Waver laughed bitterly. "After all the good Volumen Hydrargyrum did Kayneth, I would rather not bring her. Gray should be sufficient. I will ask her when she comes back from her errand."

"And what if she refuses to risk her life by confronting the dread heir of the Magus Killer ?" Despite the situation, there was an edge of teasing in Reines' voice. She knew very well that such a refusal was, to say it lightly, extremely unlikely.

"Then I will swallow my pride and beg you to lend me Trimmau after all," deadpanned Waver, making it obvious what he also thought of such a possibility. "Can you get a plane ready ? I would rather not have to deal with customs, especially if I have Gray with me."

"For a variety of reasons," said Reines, thinking on her brother's mysterious apprentice. "Very well. I will have a plane ready by the evening, but you will need to make your own arrangements once it lands you in Japan."

He waved a hand dismissively. "I managed to reach Fuyuki when I was nineteen, Reines. Doing so now isn't the part of this journey that worries me."


The Lord of the Clocktower and his apprentice finally arrived at their destination in the middle of the afternoon, having gone to Japan by plane before renting a car for the final leg of the journey. Waver had used the flight to read the file compiled by the elders' agents on the situation in Fuyuki, as well as brief Gray on his own history with the city. It hadn't been a pleasant conversation, forcing him to dig out memories he had spent years trying to avoid, but it had been a necessary one. Thinking of the past threats to his life had also helped him not think about the current ones.

And now, here they were. If not for the Bounded Field around it, Waver would have checked they were at the correct address, for the house did not resemble what he would have expected from the Emiya residence.

Where he had thought to find a bunker, or at the very least a mansion warded in Bounded Fields and traps, there was instead a house in the traditional Japanese style. And the Bounded Field around it, while competently made, was nothing like the intricate death traps that protected the domains of the Association's nobles. He suspected he could break or subvert it, given half an hour to study it.

It explained why McRemitz had gone in. From the outside, the Emiya household was the picture of a third-rate Magus' home, living a quiet life in an irrelevant backwater. Not accomplishing much, but avoiding the power games of the Association. The same kind of life Waver's parents had, and the one he had turned away from in his hunger for knowledge and recognition.

Fool that he had been …

"Remain on guard, but don't provoke them," Waver told Gray as the two of them walked down the street from where he had parked their rented car. When she didn't reply, he turned toward her. "Gray ?"

What he could see of the young girl's face under her hood was even paler than usual, which was a feat in itself considering the summer heat. She was staring at the residence with her blue eyes wide open.

"Gray !" he snapped, putting a hand on her shoulder and shaking her lightly. She yelped, her trance broken.

"Teacher ! I … sorry ..."

"Nevermind. I am aware of how sensitive you are. What happened ?"

"I … I don't know," she admitted in a small voice. "I think I saw something. Something big …"

And there was another reason to be terrified, right before entering the lion's den. As if he needed another. Gray was, as a result of her upbringing, extremely sensitive to supernatural phenomena, but her lack of education in the specifics of the Moonlit World made it difficult for her to interpret what she sensed.

"Well, this is promising," he whispered, loud enough for her to hear. "In any case, we have come this far – might as well finish it."

They crossed the street, and Waver rang the bell. Less than a minute later, the gate to the courtyard opened, revealing the teenager whose existence had dragged Waver back to Fuyuki.

According to the elders' file, Shirou Emiya was sixteen years old, with some margin of error given the circumstances of his adoption. Waver couldn't help but feel slightly envious at the teenager's size – he was a lot taller than Waver himself had been when he had come to Fuyuki, even though he had been nineteen at the time. Even now, Waver was only slightly taller than the red-haired teenager, and a lot less fit, judging by Emiya's exposed forearms.

"Hello," Shirou Emiya said, speaking in accented but understandable English. "You are the envoys from the Archibald family, correct ?"

"Yes," replied Waver. "You are Shirou Emiya, the Sixth Head of the House of Emiya ?"

"I am, though I hardly think of myself as the Head of a House." To Waver's surprise, the boy smiled slightly, before gesturing for them to come in. "We were expecting you. Come in – and please remove your shoes in the entrance."

Waver blinked. This was the heir of the Magus Killer, the slayer of Zouken Matou and defeater of Bazett Fraga McRemitz ? This polite, unassuming teenager ?

He glanced at Gray. Once again, she was staring with wide eyes, looking right at Shirou Emiya as he gestured for them to enter.

"Thank you, Mister Emiya," replied Waver, pushing gently on Gray's back to snap her out of whatever had caught her attention.

The Bounded Field washed over the two of them as they crossed the threshold, with no response except for a pulse of warning to whoever was linked to it. He and Gray removed their shoes in the entrance and followed their host further.

Two more teenagers were waiting for them in the living room, sat at the table and facing the doorway. Waver recognized them from the elders' file – Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Matou. The Second Owner of Fuyuki, and the apprentice of Shirou Emiya, both the last members of their respective families.

"Hello, representatives of the Archibald family," coolly declared the black-haired girl. "Though it pains me to do in such circumstances, it is nevertheless an honor to meet you, Lord El-Melloi."

"The Second," Waver added automatically, frowning in annoyance despite the situation before catching himself. "My apologies. That appellation is a sore point for me. Hello, Miss Tohsaka, Miss Matou. I take it you know who I am ?"

"Of course. You are, after all, the youngest Magus to ascend to the prestigious position of Lord of the Association in centuries. I heard about your compilation of 'Lord Kayneth's Encyclopedia of Arcane Secrets', and the exemplary work you have done in the Department of Modern Magecraft. And this is … ?"

"This is Gray, my apprentice. I brought her along for security purposes. I am sure you understand."

Gray squirmed a little as Tohsaka looked her up and down.

"Well, fine. We have our own security here, after all. Sit, please."

Waver and Gray sat at the low table, the latter fumbling a little to put her legs in the proper position – she was used to seating on chairs, not the floor.

Waver glanced at Emiya, who had gone into the kitchen and was coming back with a set of teacups he placed in front of everyone at the table, before serving them from a pot. The pleasant fragrance that filled the air was entirely at odds with the tension – just as the sight of Emiya serving them tea was utterly at odds with what Waver had expected. Even more so when the teenage boy was the only one not to sit, remaining standing behind the two young women. There wasn't anything threatening about his posture, but Waver had no doubt that he was ready to defend them should the need arise.

He took a sip, and his eyes widened. "This … this is really good tea. Thank you, Mr Emiya."

"You are welcome," replied Emiya with the same small smile he had shown when welcoming them in his home. It wasn't warm, but it was polite. It reminded Waver of some of the people he had met during his wandering years after the Grail War, when his foolishness had taken him down dark alleys and filth-caked streets. Shirou Emiya was being perfectly hospitable, but he was still ready to fight if things went wrong.

"I admit," Waver began, "that you are being a lot more … cordial than I anticipated. A lot more than the situation deserves, one could argue."

"One certainly could," Sakura Matou spoke out at last, her voice cold as ice as she glared at Waver without bothering to hide her contempt. "Given that your family tried to kill us not two days ago. Your assassin had me and Tohsaka-san on the ropes – it is only Senpai's intervention that saved us from your hired dog."

Waver winced. "I promise you, I had nothing to do with the attack. Neither I nor the next head of the Archibald had any idea of the plot against you until Miss Tohsaka contacted us."

"We have no reason to trust any word coming out of your mouth-"

"Sakura," Emiya warned the girl, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down."

Waver was familiar with "good cop, bad cop" technique. It was one of the most elementary tricks used in the Clocktower intrigues, where one member of a family would deliberately act rude and threatening before a more 'reasonable' one would pop up to appease them and offer a compromise. Reines had used him as the good cop on one or two occasions. But he was surprised Emiya was the one playing the part of the good cop in that situation.

In the mind of Lord El-Melloi II, gears began to turn.

"You are Sakura Matou, correct ? I read the theory the elders used to justify Mr Emiya's capture to Miss McRemitz. Looking at you, I doubt that their claim that you were captured in order to learn your family's secrets after Mr Emiya killed the rest of your family were anything more than an excuse to try to get Mr Emiya in trouble."

There were many ways in which the obvious trust and love the young girl felt for the Magus Killer's heir could be replicated through Magecraft, but all of them depended upon subtler methods than Kiritsugu Emiya had been infamous for.

"The Matou Magecraft was focused on familiars, and the aspect of 'binding others unto oneself'," he continued, pulling the information from what he had learned of Fuyuki in the War's aftermath. "During the Fourth Holy Grail War, the Matou Master made use of worm familiars to sustain his Servant, Berserker … Ah. I see."

Separate pieces, some of them gleaned years apart, came together in his mind, forming a picture vile enough to disturb even him, who had gazed upon the Workshop of the mad Caster. Waver turned his gaze toward Emiya, who looked back at him with steel in his eyes.

"You saved her, didn't you ? You didn't wipe out the Matou to steal their secrets – you destroyed them to rescue her from the inhumanity of what the Matou were doing to her. That was the 'disagreement' between you and Zouken Matou. But of course, nobody in the Clocktower would expect someone to care for the fate of an unrelated Magus … especially the adopted son of the Magus Killer."

He really, really wanted to smoke, but didn't dare to risk it. Instead, he took another sip of tea.

"Somehow," he continued as he put his cup back down, "you learned about the specifics of the Matou Magecraft, and, finding it abhorrent, you went to confront Zouken Matou in his very lair – and won. And judging by the fact that she is still alive several months later, you also found a way to undo what had already been done to her in the years since she … since she stopped being Sakura Tohsaka and became Sakura Matou.

Complete silence reigned. The two girls – the two sisters – were staring at him in shock, while Emiya was tense, one hand still on Sakura's shoulder while the other twitched around his waist, as if grasping for a weapon that wasn't there.

Next to him, Gray let out a small whimper.

Ah, Waver realized. I probably shouldn't have said all that out loud. Still, it was too late to take his words back now. He might as well push forward.

"Am I correct ?" he asked, doing his utmost to keep his facade of calm.

There was a moment of tense silence. Emiya finally broke it :

"Yes," he admitted. "That is more or less what happened, with the difference that I only killed Zouken. Shinji Matou died in the crossfire of our confrontation."

Which wouldn't matter as far as the Clocktower was concerned. Shinji Matou hadn't been the Matou heir, and there was only one reason Waver could think of for that not to be the case.

"How," the purple-haired girl asked haltingly, "how did you realize I wasn't born a Matou ?"

"A combination of factors," began Waver. "First, the fact that the Matou Master in the last War was a newcomer to Magecraft who had to rely on implanted Familiars despite the toll it took on his sanity. That told me the Matou bloodline was on its last legs. This is hardly uncommon for Magus families who have been around as long as the Matou without establishing minor branches that can be used as backup when the main line withers. Yet you are the one keyed into the Bounded Field around this house, and you were able to fight against an Enforcer, however briefly.

Secondly, Tokiomi Tohsaka was the model of a typical Magus. If he had another child suitable for the practice of Magecraft, he would want her to be able to pursue it, yet wouldn't split his legacy. In such circumstances, having his child entrusted to another family would be the optimal outcome, especially if that family were old allies of his. And apart from their regular conflicts during the Grail Wars, the Matou and the Tohsaka were close allies.

Third … well, that one was more of a feeling than anything else, but there is a … small resemblance between the two of you. It is faint, enough so to hint at the extent of the alterations that were inflicted upon you to make you suitable for the Matou Magecraft, but it is here."

Emiya still had his hand on the younger girl's shoulder, but his eyes were fixed on Waver, and his gaze had gone completely flat. The Lord caught the gold-brown eyes flashing briefly, before Emiya blinked and frowned, his attention turning to Gray, who was still sat next to Waver, her head nervously twitching as she looked at each of the others in turn.

"So," mused Tohsaka, drawing Waver's attention back to her. "This is the renowned insight of the Clocktower's youngest Lord. I had heard rumors, but to see it in action with my own eyes is something else. You are correct, Lord El-Melloi II : that is more or less exactly what happened. And of course, you understand that nothing you just deduced is to be shared with anyone outside this room ?"

Waver nodded, and the girl continued :

"Whatever agreement we decide upon will be enforced by the use of geas, with the wording decided between us to cover every possible situation. I have prepared a first draft for each of the items of the accord, but I will welcome your suggestions for modifications so long as you don't try to cheat us."

"I would expect nothing less," replied Waver. "The Archibalds need this entire sordid affair to be concealed – if you didn't offer to use geas to enforce the terms, I would have had to insist upon it."

"Good," said Tohsaka, pushing a first sheet of paper across the table and to Waver. "First, financial compensation. You, Lord El-Melloi II, will pay us the sum of twenty million sterling pounds. While I don't expect that money to come from your personal finances, I expect it to be both untraceable and of … let us say, 'unproblematic' origins."

Waver hid a wince. That was a lot of money … but then, it wouldn't be him paying it. Twenty million pounds wasn't exactly cheap change to the noble families of the Clocktower, but it was well within their margins of operation, even for the impoverished Archibald.

He could try to haggle the price down, he knew. But the truth was that he didn't really want to. Let the elders pay the price of their stupidity in full. Besides, this was only the first item of the compensation – ceding ground here, on something of no real importance (to him at least), would give him kudos to cash in later. The elders wouldn't like it, but they could go fuck themselves.

"I agree with that point, with the details of the transfer to be discussed later. What else ?"

"When I finish my secondary education in Japan, you will sponsor my entry into the Clocktower if I so desire."

He raised an eyebrow. Of all the things he had imagined being asked for today, this had not been one of them.

"You are aware that even if I sponsor your entry, you will still need to prove yourself ? My reputation in the Clocktower isn't nearly great enough to ensure you will have an easy time there."

"I fully intend to earn the respect of the Association the hard way, Lord El-Melloi II," said Tohsaka with a polite smile. "I just need your assistance to get inside despite the prejudice against Easterners that is prevalent in London."

"… Fine. When you are ready, I will personally evaluate your skills, and if I judge you to be to an appropriate level, I will sponsor your entry. Will that suffice ?"

"So long as you judge me fairly, yes. I have heard of your reputation as a teacher – if you don't believe I am ready to study at the Clocktower, I will defer to your judgment."

"I am nowhere near as talented a teacher as people make me out to be," he grumbled, before looking at the other two teenagers on the other side of the table. "I just have the misfortune of teaching those far more talented than I. And what about the two of you ? I must warn you, while letting Miss Matou into the Clocktower would be feasible, having someone with the Emiya name attend would be … extremely risky. You would need to use a fake name, and that would draw attention in itself."

"That won't be an issue," assured Emiya. "Neither of us have any intention of ever stepping foot in the Clocktower if we can help it at all, Lord El-Melloi II. We are not magi."

"Spellcasters, then. That's the name for practitioners who don't pursue the Root or the development of their Mysteries, seeking instead to use their Magecraft for more mundane ends," Waver explained when he saw the incomprehension on their faces. "I can't say I don't understand your lack of interest in going to the Clocktower. Well, I agree to that second item, with the provisions previously discussed. What else, Miss Tohsaka ?"

"The last two items were the compensation we expect for your attack. But we also want guarantees that the Archibald family will not try to harm us again, whether to avenge this latest failure or because of their stupid grudge over the results of the last Grail War."

"The Servant of our host's father killed my predecessor, his Servant, and his fiancee, all in a single evening," noted Waver. "And that was after crippling my predecessor's Magical Circuits and Crest. While I agree that their reaction was … overblown … you have to admit that there is some ground for their grudge, even if reporting it onto Mr Emiya here after his father's death was foolish."

"I do understand," admitted Tohsaka with a shrug, before her expression sharpened, and Waver caught a glimpse of the anger that burned beneath her mask. "I just don't care. Your family sent a killer after me and mine. That will not happen again. As the head of the Archibald family, you will swear a geas never to strike at us unless it is in self-defence, and to do all in your power to ensure that the rest of the Archibald abide by the same rule. In addition, you will not come to Japan before warning us in advance of the date and motive of your arrival. The same will apply for any other member of the Archibald family or their agents, no matter how many layers exist between them and the operative in question. This," she pushed another stack of paper toward him, this one much thicker than the previous ones, "details the exact punishments expected in the case this is violated without your previous knowledge."

She didn't say out loud that, if he let something like that happen knowingly, the geas would kill him.

"I will need to read this in detail," said Waver, "but in principle I am not opposed to this. But what of Miss McRemitz ?"

"She already swore a geas never to harm us or to return to Japan without our permission. She will need to swear an additional geas preventing her from ever revealing what she saw of our Magecraft," said Tohsaka, pushing a final sheet of paper toward him. "If she refuses, she will not leave Fuyuki alive."

The secrecy oaths were quite comprehensive, Waver saw as he read the scroll. The Enforcer wouldn't be able to even think about her battle against Emiya and his allies, with a handful of carefully crafted exceptions. Given that, while rare, mind-reading wasn't unheard of in the Clocktower, the precaution made sense. Merely stopping her from talking about it would have been the height of foolishness – the oaths were framed in much broader terms.

They spent some time after that working on the details of the various contracts. Nothing important was changed, just some minor phrasing as Waver tried to make sure there were no loopholes in one direction or another that the elders could try to make use of. Finally, after nearly an hour – during which Sakura Matou had withdrawn and Emiya had brought more tea, along with some biscuits that Gray had tentatively gnawed on while they worked – they were done.

"Before I sign these," said Waver as he stretched, "I would like to speak with Miss McRemitz."

"As long as you agree to swear the same oaths of secrecy she will need to, that is fine with us," replied Tohsaka, seeming unfazed by the mental exercise they had just gone through.

Left unsaid was that, if he refused to swear these oaths after exchanging information with the wounded Enforcer, the same lethal penalty would be applied to him. At least they were polite about it, Waver thought grimly.

"Shirou, bring them to McRemitz's room, please."

Waver and Gray stood, with the latter needing a moment for circulation to her legs to resume after sitting in an unfamiliar position for so long, and followed Emiya through the residence.

"Rin was too prideful to ask you," said Emiya without turning, "but I am not. You are Waver Velvet – the Master of Rider in the last Holy Grail War. Do you know who killed her father ?"

Waver blinked. He wasn't surprised Emiya knew of his participation in the Grail War – his father would have shared his experience with him, just in case. But he hadn't anticipated the question. Surely if anyone would know that, it would be the son of the one Master who had made it all the way to the end ?

"Her father … Tokiomi Tohsaka, the Master of Archer … All I know is that my Servant and I faced off against Gilgamesh on the last day of the War." Waver smiled bitterly. "We lost, and Rider was defeated by the King of Heroes, who spared my life on a whim. I wasn't involved with the War after that, though I did witness its ending from a distance. It wasn't exactly hard to spot, after all."

"No," sighed Emiya. "It was not."

"… You were there, weren't you ? You would have been five or six years old at the time."

He didn't phrase his words as a question, letting the teenager decide whether to answer or not.

"Yes, I was there. I survived the fire at the end of the War. My father found me in the devastation. That is the only reason he adopted me."

"Really ? Given that you fought off one of the Clocktower's best Enforcers, I would expect there to be another reason for the Magus Killer to take you under his wing. From what I see, you may be even more dangerous than he was."

Emiya laughed. "I am more powerful than my father, but I am still nowhere near as dangerous as he was."

"… I find that hard to believe, and I am sure Miss McRemitz would share that opinion."

"Yet that is the truth. For one thing, I am worse than useless with guns. For another, I have not lost nearly as much as he had by the time of the Grail War. I am not willing to go as far to accomplish my goals as he was, and I pray that I will never be. My father … did not live a happy life for most of his years, Lord El-Melloi II."

Somehow, Waver had no problem believing that.

"I know this is a personal question," asked Emiya, "but why did you join the Grail War ? What were you wishing for ?"

Waver laughed softly, the sound full of bitterness and self-deprecation.

"I wanted for my talent to be recognized, even though I was only a third-generation Magus. The stupidity of a child who had no idea what he was getting into."

"I see," said Emiya, nodding quietly. "One final question : your apprentice. Who did this to her ?"

Waver froze, and at his side Gray did the same. So far, his apprentice had followed their exchange with rapt attention – Waver knew that she was very curious about his past, probably because he was so unwilling to discuss it in the first place. But this …

His mind flashed back to the glint of golden light in Emiya's eyes earlier. Mystic Eyes, he thought, but how much did the teenager know ? While the effects of Gray's alterations were obvious, their roots were deep and subtle. And how much of what Emiya knew came from his eyes, as opposed from knowledge he might have inherited from Kiritsugu Emiya, Master of King Arthur in the Fourth Grail War ?

No. It didn't matter how he knew, at least not yet. There was only one acceptable response.

"Gray's face, and the rest of her, were already like this when I met her for the first time," Waver replied, aware that his tone had turned hard for the first time since he had entered the Emiya residence. "And, with all due respect, the details are none of your damn business."

Emiya turned then, looking at him and then at Gray. Whatever he saw – his eyes didn't flash again – it made him smile softly.

"I see," he repeated. "It is good that you care about your student that much, Lord El-Melloi II." He nodded to himself. "As an apology for my rudeness, I will ask Rin that we return McRemitz's arm to you without further payment."

Under her hood, Gray blushed, and Waver had to force himself not to follow suit. That … that had been rather out-of-character of him, he had to admit.

Then Emiya's last words registered.

"Her arm ?" Waver blurted out.

"Yes, her arm. Our duel was not without injuries on both sides. We made sure to preserve it : maybe you will find someone in the Clocktower who can reattach it. For now, Miss McRemitz is in this room," said Emiya, gesturing to the door they had stopped in front of. "I will wait outside while you talk to her – but be aware, I will hear everything you say."

"Understood," replied Waver, shaking himself, before he and Gray entered.

For a prisoner taken while attacking a trio of Magecraft users in their territory, Bazett Fraga McRemitz was being held in far better conditions than she had any right to expect. Her room was small but not claustrophobically so, with a Western-style bed, a desk and a wardrobe. The window was closed, the curtains drawn, and Waver could sense a ward covering it and the door. An electric light illuminated the room, revealing the Enforcer laying on the bed, her head turning to look at them as they entered.

Waver was taken aback by how young she looked. Her file had said she was twenty-two, only six years younger than him, but she didn't look that much older than some of his students. She was pale, her face lined with tension that only slightly relaxed when she saw their faces and realized they weren't her captors.

There was a glass and a set of aspirin pills on the small table next to her bed, but she hadn't touched the pills – though the glass was empty, thirst having apparently overcome the Enforcer's reticence some time ago.

"Miss McRemitz," he greeted her. "I am Waver Velvet, current Lord of the Archibald family."

"I know," she said in a hoarse voice. "The old bastards who hired me made sure I knew who was not supposed to know about this disaster until it was over."

Waver's eyebrow twitched. So. He had confirmation that the elders hadn't just ignored him : they had actively hid their idiotic scheme from him.

"This is my apprentice, Gray. I have come here to negotiate for the silence of Emiya and his allies, as well as your release into my care. A tentative agreement has been reached, but I wanted to check on how you were doing before committing to anything. What's your condition ?"

"Apart from the obvious ?" Bazett looked at her empty sleeve – she was wearing a simple dress that was a bit small for her, but not uncomfortably so. "My Magical Circuits were damaged by the backlash of energies when Emiya beat me. I have nerve and muscle damage throughout my entire body as a result, and my head hasn't stopped hurting since I woke up. Then they asked me the details of who had hired me, what they had told me … the whole lot. That Tohsaka girl didn't threaten me again, but she didn't need to."

"I see," said Waver. He moved to refill the glass from the nearby carafe, handing it over to the Enforcer, who took it gratefully and drank it down. "Can you tell us how it happened ? All we were told was that after you defeated Misses Tohsaka and Matou, Mister Emiya joined the fray and vanquished you, severing your arm in the process."

She frowned. "Is it safe for me to tell you about it ?"

"I have already agreed to swear the same secrecy oaths you will need to submit to, so you might as well."

"Fine. When I arrived into the town, Emiya wasn't there – my contact, the local priest, told me that he was gone on a school trip of some kind. After checking the area, I set up watch over the house. He came back earlier than anticipated, and seemed to be ill. A moment later, there was a spike of prana being used, and I took that as my clue.

"The girls were tougher than I thought they would be – the Matou girl has some kind of connection to Emiya, and her spells could have killed me if I hadn't been carefully. But I still put them down without needing to hurt them too much. It was then that ..."

Her voice trailed off as she stared at the door.

"It was then that Emiya showed up ?" prompted Waver. McRemitz shook herself and continued.

"Yes, and whatever affliction he had was gone by that point."

She described what she had seen : the black lines running on Emiya's skin, the blazing eyes, the wings that seemed to be made of two-dimensional shadows and had made him immune to her punches. She spoke of the great sword he had wielded in one hand, of the immense strength he had displayed. She told Waver of how, as the battle went on, the Tohsaka girl had seemed to suffer more and more – until Emiya, apparently to avoid hurting her further, had unleashed his greatest attack at her.

"Unleashing one's mightiest blow against a Fraga … that should have been the end of it," noted Waver.

"It should have been," nodded McRemitz. "I was certain I had him. I deployed one of my Fragarach and caught his blow directly. I felt the Mystery react and strike back, Lord. But … It didn't work. He just … cut through it."

Waver choked. "He what ?!"

"He cut through Fragarach," she all but hissed. "He tore apart a Mystery from the Age of the Gods, and went right on to cut off my arm along with it."

Waver breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. Next to him, Gray was grasping within her sleeve – not to deploy the weapon that hid there, but to reassure herself that it was still there, and hadn't been cut apart like Fragarach had been. The Sword of the Gorging God had been one of the subjects they had discussed on their way to Fuyuki, as Waver exposed just what Emiya's defeat of the Enforcer implied about his strength.

"That … that is an impressive feat," said Waver once he had recovered his calm. "And it makes your survival against a Spellcaster capable of it all the more impressive, Miss McRemitz."

"He is not a mere Spellcaster. I don't think he is even human."

"Yes, I can understand why you would think so. Yet the local priest, a renowned Exorcist if I am not mistaken, has made no move against him. He only told you that he feared Emiya was manipulating the Tohsaka Head and the Matou Heir. And while his belief was mistaken, it's understandable he would think as he did : our hosts are hardly of the same mindset as most Magi."

"… You think that, because Kirei didn't try to kill Emiya himself, it means he isn't a demon ?"

McRemitz's tone was sceptical, as she had reason to be. She was the one who had faced Emiya in the fullness of his wrath and power, after all.

"I believe that without further evidence, all we know is that Emiya is more than he appears," said Waver carefully, acutely aware of the teenager's presence on the other side of the door. "But he did not kill you, and he and his allies are willing to make peace with the Archibald family – and so it shall be. Rest for now. I will go back to our hosts and tell them that I agree to the geas agreement, then I will bring you with me out of this place and back to London."

McRemitz blinked.

"Why ? I am useless now. With only one arm, I am …"

"Miss McRemitz," Waver politely interrupted her, "please do not underestimate the Clocktower. Losing limbs is hardly a rare occurrence, and Emiya even kept your arm preserved – and agreed to return it. As for the damage to your Magical Circuits, I have acquaintances that can help you recovering from that."

"That doesn't answer my question," the Enforcer stubbornly continued. "Why are you helping me ? I have failed. I expected you to toss me to the wolves."

"You were sent here by the Archibalds, with lacking intelligence and on false pretences. As far as I see it, the family owes a debt to you, Miss McRemitz."

"You didn't send me here," she pointed out. "I took part in keeping you in the dark, even."

"Irrelevant," Waver declared, waving his hand dismissively. "I am Lord El-Melloi II. As long as I bear that name, the actions of the Archibald family are my responsibility."


Laying on the bed, with the phantom pain of her missing arm and the very real pain of her Magical Circuits blazing through her skull, Bazett blinked as she registered the young Lord's words. He was … he was serious, she realized. For some Root-forsaken reason, he genuinely believed that her current situation was, if not his fault, then his responsibility to deal with.

In that moment, she understood why Waver Velvet's students were ferociously loyal to their teacher. Her cheeks heated up, and she looked away, mumbling thanks.

"You will need to sign another geas yourself before we leave," said the Lord of the Clocktower. "It concerns your silence on what you witnessed here. I have read it, and found no issue with it."

"I understand," said Bazett, finally looking back at the young Lord. "I will sign it, if only so I can get out of here."

"These contracts do not prohibit us from discussing it with one another," he precised. "Once you have recovered, we will speak more about Mr Emiya's abilities – in a properly secure setting, of course."

Next to Lord El-Melloi II, Gray looked at her teacher, then at the Enforcer, and something she would vehemently have denied was a pout formed on her face.


It was only when the private jet left Japan's territorial waters, with a glass of alcohol in one hand and a lit cigar in the other, that Waver allowed himself to relax. He hadn't believed that Shirou Emiya would kill them all, not truly – not after speaking with the young man. But paranoia came easily to him these days.

In the end, after some more discussion and rewording, they had all signed the appropriate geas scrolls, binding themselves to the negotiated terms. He and Gray had both sworn the additional oaths that enforced their silence about what McRemitz had disclosed of her battle with Emiya. Now, he had to make sure the first part of the payment was sent to Tohsaka before five days. Unless Reines had failed on her end, this shouldn't be an issue.

McRemitz was sleeping in another cabin. She had hardly relaxed since waking up from her confrontation with Emiya, and the stress had eaten at her. Her severed arm laid in an icebox to which Waver had added a few protective spells, next to the tube that contained her remaining Fragarach. When Waver had realized their presence, he had expected that he would need to pay another lump sum to get them, but to his surprise Emiya had simply handed them over along the arm's container. His surprise had been even greater when he had noticed that, while Emiya had handled the severed limb without obvious discomfort, he had seemed … disgusted, somehow, by the Fragarach's container.

One more sign that Emiya wasn't a typical Magus. Such individuals would have kept the Noble Phantasms, driven to pick them apart to learn what they could from their Mysteries. But then again, no typical Magus would have been able to cut through the Fragarach, as Emiya had apparently done. Who knew what insight into its nature he had already gained from the confrontation ?

Waver fully intended to keep his word to McRemitz. He would find someone in the Clocktower who could make her a prosthetic for her lost limb. Hell, if he couldn't manage to hire a specialist he could always make it a project for his students. The El-Melloi class was a gathering of oddballs and prodigies these days, even if they were a nightmare to keep in line.

Even so, there was no denying that McRemitz's reputation among the Enforcers would take a hit, even if the details were kept under wraps. They wouldn't be able to hide her mutilation, and all manners of rumors would spread, each more ridiculous than the last. Magi were not just incorrigible gossips – they were vicious gossips as well. Still, Waver was confident he could find a job for her until she was back on her feet.

"What did you think of him, Gray ?" He asked his apprentice, who sat opposite him in the luxurious cabin. "There wasn't time to ask you while we were there, and it will be more difficult to speak of it in secret once we are back, so we might as well discuss it now."

"I saw … something, when we first met him," began Gray hesitantly. "For just a moment, as he stood in front of us … he had wings, like Miss McRemitz described. Dark wings, that were there, but … not."

Waver took a deep breath off his cigar. One of the advantages of using a private jet was that he didn't need to worry about smoking regulations.

"Did you glean anything more about these wings ?"

His apprentice went silent. He couldn't see her face under her hood, but he knew it was set in an expression of concentration as she tried to remember the indistinct feelings her supernatural perceptions had granted her. It was not, he had understood over their association, a straightforward process, and Gray's general ignorance made it even more difficult to make use of that talent. But they had managed it before, and they would do so again.

"Ashes," she said at last. "I smelled the scent of ashes and metal. I saw an image of black sands and of a wild forest, where the trees were so high that no sunlight came down, and there were monsters in the shadows."

"Black sands are most often found when lava meets the ocean," thought Waver aloud. "And Japan has had plenty of volcanoes in the past. If the source of Emiya's strange abilities isn't a demon possessing him, then a more spiritual kind of entity could be the answer … I will need to do some research once we are back to London."

Waver had no intent to break his word and do anything that might be counted as a threat to Emiya and his two allies, of course. But, presented with the mystery that Emiya represented, it was simply the young Lord's nature to search for the puzzle's solution.

"Does Add have anything more to say ?" he asked, his mind still whirling with possible avenues of investigation.

Gray flicked her hand, and with a clicking of metal a chain slipped from her sleeve. At the end of that chain was a long cage, within which was contained a shape made up of numerous small cuboids, with an engraving of eyes and a mouth on the front.

The mouth opened, and Add, the sentient Mystic Code that had been Gray's sole companion for years before Waver had found her in that desolate village, spoke in an insolent voice :

"He is a weird one, that's for sure. I sensed Avalon inside him, so he can't be all that bad or it would have killed him – but there is definitely something else in there, too. I could sense it, like Gray, but I have no idea what it is."

"Avalon ? …" Waver's breath caught, and he coughed smoke as he almost choked on his cigar. The legendary scabbard of King Arthur had been lost for centuries, and was known to be an artefact from the mysterious Fae. Since Kiritsugu Emiya had summoned King Arthur in the Fourth Grail War, it made sense that he would have had Avalon at hand to act as a catalyst – and if there was one family with the obscene resources required to locate such a priceless object, then the Einzbern certainly qualified. But still …

"Are you sure, Add ? Inside him ?"

"Yep," nodded the Mystic Code, a gesture that made its cage sway. "That surprised me too – didn't think that was possible. But I would know that presence anywhere."

"… Wait," remembered Waver. "When Miss McRemitz described her confrontation, she said Emiya handed over a blue and gold scabbard to Miss Tohsaka in order to heal Miss Matou. And she told us that the girl recovered quickly after that."

"Then not only does he have Avalon inside him, he knows how to pull it out and use it on someone else. Kehehehehe ! Now that's interesting, don't you think ? No one has been able to do that since Arthur !"

For a long moment, Waver was silent, staring at nothing, wondering whether he had made a terrible mistake. Then he downed his glass of alcohol, and reached for the bottle. Alcohol wouldn't help him make sense of all this, but it would help him not care about it for a while.


Three teenagers sat together in the Emiya household. Shirou had come back after escorting Waver, his apprentice and McRemitz out and discreetly following them until their car was out of the area. Sakura had cooked dinner for the three of them, and they were ate together in a silence that was just short of awkward.

"Alright," began Rin once they had finished eating and the dishes had been tidied up. "I think that went about as well as it could have. What about you ?"

"I think the same," confirmed Shirou. "We were lucky Lord El-Melloi II was willing to be reasonable."

"Really ?" Rin raised an eyebrow. "He didn't strike me as a dangerous individual, at least not in a straight-up fight. He hid it admirably well, but I could tell he was nervous – scared, even."

"I wouldn't have been worried about him, though we shouldn't underestimate him. He certainly has proven to be observant. But the girl he brought with him ? Now that's another story."

"You 'looked' at her, didn't you ?" asked Rin. "What did you see ?"

"She carried something related to King Arthur in her sleeve. It was hidden and sealed, but even so, I could sense Avalon react to its presence. It was … powerful. More powerful than anything I can remember. If it had come to a fight, and she had managed to deploy whatever it was, we would have lost, and a huge chunk of Fuyuki would have been destroyed in the process."

"Lord El-Melloi II didn't behave like he had that sort of trump card at his disposal," said Rin.

"He wouldn't. That power wasn't meant for human hands. Something was done to her, to make her more compatible with it, but even then, using it cannot come without a price. I think he brought her as a contingency, but when I talked to him about it, it was clear that he is quite protective of her."

"Is that why you gave him the Fragarach ? We could have sold those for a fortune, you know."

"That would have drawn a lot of attention, Rin. Having them in our possession while McRemitz returns to the Clocktower wounded would make our involvement obvious. Secrecy is more important than profit. Also, I didn't want those things in my house any longer than necessary."

"Why ? Surely you aren't scared of them. You cut through right through one – and I still want to know how you did that, by the way."

"I saw it," he began, speaking more slowly. "Fragarach, the Sword of the Gouging God. I saw how the Mystery works, how the blood of the Fraga line interacts with the Mystery passed down from generation to generation. I saw it all, and I broke it."

"'What the Gods have wrought, I will sunder,'" quoted Rin under her breath. For all that he had been fighting to protect her and her sister, and despite the pressure she had been under as his prana poured through their link, she had still shivered when he had spoken the words.

Then another thought came to her.

"If you saw how it works, can you replicate it ? Your Tracing can reproduce Avalon's own capabilities; can you do the same with Fragarach now ?"

God, but if he could, he would be almost invincible. His strength when calling upon whatever was lodged deep inside his soul, combined with Avalon's healing factor and a perfect counter that he could use as long as he had prana available to reproduce it ? That sort of combination was the stuff of legends.

Shirou shook his head, his face marred by a frown.

"No, I can't. Fragarach calls on the authority of the Irish War God, Lugh. I could recreate the Mystery, and with enough trial and error, I may even adapt it so that it responds to my od despite not being of Fraga blood. But the moment it activates, Lugh would reject it as the counterfeit it is."

"The Gods are supposed to be all dead or in torpor," Rin pointed out. "Whatever Fragarach calls on is an automated system left by Lugh to his followers, and it still works despite centuries having passed. The Fraga Clan of today is no doubt very different of the one from Lugh's active days, but the Mystery still works for them. It might also work for you."

"Perhaps," Shirou admitted with a shrug. "But I don't want to take the risk. Besides, the entire concept of relying on a God's legacy … offends me. The mere thought of it makes me nauseous."

Rin blinked. This … this was new. She had never – no, she had seen him like that before. When he had described to her what had been done to Sakura, and more recently, when he had told her what he had found in the underground temple of Kumamoto City. There was nothing similar between those two and Fragarach that she could see, but then again, she did not see what Shirou did, did she ? She had not somehow given herself Mystic Eyes of Structural Grasping by recklessly experimenting with Reinforcement like the fool in front of her had.

"We have more important things to discuss than Mysteries from the Age of the Gods," said Sakura – and it probably should have shocked Rin more that her sister truly believed those words. "You haven't slept in almost two days, Senpai – and I haven't shared your bed since you left." She looked across the table at her sister, and the sly smile on her face made Rin wary. "Will you be joining us tonight, Nee-san ?"

Rin sputtered, her face turning red as a tomato in an instant. Even Shirou blushed, and turned to look at the girl at his side – Sakura had sat next to him as they ate, as she always did when there was someone else in their house.

"Are you okay, Sakura ?" he asked. "You are being a lot more … forward than usual."

"Am I ?" She cocked her head. "Well, now that Nee-san has joined your harem, I thought I should make her feel welcome. She has already had sex with you, but she hasn't enjoyed sleeping in your arms, and this is a rare opportunity. After all, Fujimura-sensei will come back soon …"

Left unsaid was that, if the school teacher learned about Rin's new relationship with Shirou – and she was already confused enough as to what that was, regardless of what Sakura thought or called it – it would make things difficult for all of them. Taiga Fujimura knew that Shirou and Sakura were in love, of course – only someone deaf, blind and dumb wouldn't know it by that point.

Rin didn't want to see the woman's reaction to learning that Shirou had slept with another girl – and it wasn't as if they could explain why it had been necessary at the time.

"I have not joined his harem !" protested Rin. Sakura continued to smile, while Shirou, wisely, said nothing. "He doesn't even have one ! Two girls aren't a harem, they are a … a ..."

"A threesome ?" Sakura pointed out 'helpfully'.

"I … I should still stay here as long as possible," Rin said quickly, resolutely ignoring her sister's comment and refusing to meet her eyes. "Lord El-Melloi II may intend to keep his word, but that doesn't mean there weren't others already sent here to finish what the Enforcer started. We should keep close to one another until we are sure the danger has passed. We also need to find out what we can do with the link between us, and study Shirou's unique capabilities in depth."

"So you will be staying with us tonight ?" asked Sakura, still smiling.

"I … yes. Yes I will. For security purposes only !"

"In our bed ?" the younger girl pressed on.

Rin looked at Shirou, who was still remaining silent. Somehow, this made her angry, though she had no idea what she wanted him to say. It was all his fault, anyway – so she might as well go with the option that would force him to share her embarrassment, whispered a voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Sakura's.

"Yes !" she almost shouted. "In the same bed !"

It was only after that she realized what she had said – and by then, her pride wouldn't let her take the words back.


AN : Over 90000 words, and finally, we are done with the prelude. Wow, that chapter was hard to write, once again due to my lack of practice at writing dialogue. I cut an entire scene where Waver gave some exposition to Gray. Over 1k words, lost when I realized that it served no purpose, since the readers likely already knew everything in it.

So, no, Bazett won't join Shirou's harem. I mean, come on, people. Shirou cut her freaking arm off, after she attacked the two people he cares about the most in the entire world. You don't build any sort of relationship on that kind of foundation.

Also, one reader noted that (I am paraphrasing here) "good people don't become Enforcers, and Bazett isn't a good person". While I would argue with the generalization of the first half of that statement, I do agree with the second one.

I haven't played Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, so I am probably missing some context on Bazett's personality. But still : consider she was willing to join a death match between Magi for nothing but recognition. Kind of like Waver at the start of Fate/Zero, except with her experience as an Enforcer, she knew what kind of madness she was getting into.

Apart from that, my only glimpse of her character is from Fate/Kaleid, and ... yeah, it doesn't paint a stellar picture. She was willing to kill an eight years old child to fulfill their mission. That is not the behavior of a decent human being, and as Shirou said in the last chapter : "Orders justify nothing". So she won't end up in Shirou's harem, if only for the reasons that 1) he terrifies her, and 2) their values are completely incompatible.

But ... she might end up in Waver's harem instead. He is 'Professor Charisma' for a reason, after all. Bet you didn't see that one coming, did you ?

Concerning the canonicity of the El-Melloi Case Files novels in this story : as far as I am concerned, in ABR, Gray has just become Lord El-Melloi II's apprentice recently at the time of this chapter. I haven't gotten the details of how that happened in canon, so I am keeping the exact timeline vague, but none of the novels' events have happened yet. Whether they happen or not, or in a different manner, is very much undecided at the moment.

(Many thanks to Twilight's Call, who translated the first four volumes of the novel series "Lord El-Melloi II Case Files" over on Beast's Lair.)

In the next chapter, we will do a little timeskip, and witness the summoning of Servants by three of the Fifth Grail War's Masters.

I am thinking of writing a short chapter/interlude for each summoning, starting with the Masters from the Association side of things. Obviously, Shirou, Sakura and Rin will all be Masters as well. I am curious to see if anyone can guess who the Association Masters selected by the Grail are going to be. Only one of the three is the same as in canon (the obvious one), but neither of the others are OCs.

I am going to focus on the Roboutian Heresy for now : I want to try and finish the Angel War for the 5th of August, which will be 6 years and 6 days since the publication of that story's very first chapter. No, the Roboutian Heresy isn't an elaborate ritual to sunder the veil and usher in the Age of Nightmares Unending across the Earth. I don't know why you would possibly think that.

As always, I look forward to your feedback on this chapter. This story has become more popular than any of my other works, which is both encouraging and intimidating. I will keep doing my best, and we will see how it goes.

Zahariel out.