...
"...I will tell you a story."
The woman took another sip from a golden chalice.
"...It is not a long one."
Her white hair moved as she turned her head, toward the terrified man seated at her long table.
"However, it is one I quite like."
A clinking sound rang out as she placed the chalice down.
"The foolishness of it... it reminds me of someone."
There was bitterness to her tone, and a hint of ridicule.
"You see, not long ago, a Caster was here. The annoying gnat that he was, I could not kill him."
The terrified man could barely hear her.
"Of course, that doesn't mean I wasn't able to drive him away. But before he left... he left me with a 'prophecy'... a warning, he called it."
That emotionless expression was still plastered on her cold face.
"The ridiculousness of it... He told me that, one day, there would be three individuals within this so called Labyrinth similar to my level of power..."
Her tone indicated nothing.
"...And a man, a king, with a holy sword. When that time comes, supposedly, this will all come to an end."
She picked up the chalice once more.
"...Foolish. I stopped believing in prophecies long ago. A man with a holy sword... how detestable."
The woman raised the chalice to her eye level, her black veil darkening her vision.
"And, too, the thought there could be so many of my level of power at the same time... Your 'Grail' could not handle more than one. That... 'thing' already resides in the Eastern forests... Hm."
Admiring it, she turned the chalice in her hands, looking at it from multiple angles.
"Three 'Gods', and one 'King'... Well now. I have already killed five candidates to be considered a 'God' by that man's prophecy. How many 'Kings', I've already lost count."
Finally, she set the golden chalice down once more.
"...I am the only one here to bear the title of Royalty. You seemed not to understand that, when you came crashing into my castle... So, allow me to reiterate."
The chair that the woman had been sitting on made a sound as it moved, but other than that, and the sound of the woman's heels clicking on the ground, there was only dead silence.
The man was already paralyzed with fear.
"...I am a Queen. I am a Berserker, as well- And I will make it known, if you choose to antagonize me further."
She looked as the red seals on the man's hand pulsed, and let out a cold, emotionless laugh.
"Fool. You may have two servants in this war... Yet, no matter how many attack me, I will win. A Ruler and a Saber... Both Grand candidates, too. ...Yet, neither strong enough even to touch me.
...Listen well, boy. I may have spared you now... But it will not happen again. ...Now go. Achieve that meaningless wish you so yearn for... But, if you desire my 'source', or trespass onto my territory again, I will not hesitate to punish you... False royal."
With that, the man is transported instantaneously to the outside of the once grand castle, now a shadow of its former self, little more than ruins.
He wasted no time. The moment the man felt himself on the ground, he began running- running, desperately trying to forget, while simultaneously burning the memory into his mind-
Yet, neither of the spirits watching over him were sympathetic in the slightest.
Why?
Because that man is not, from any perspective, a hero- or even a slightly good person.
...
And neither is the woman.
Except...
Perhaps, once upon a time...
_________________________________________
"Kato? Katoooo... Are ya awake yet...?"
Slowly, Kato's senses came back to him. Sounds, first; Saber calling his name, multiple people talking, and the slight crackle of a small fire.
Next, it was the smell of roasting food. That one in particular was his favorite.
Finally, Kato sat up, and promptly hit his head against Saber's own- turns out, she was leaning down over him.
"Oww... What was that for, Admiral?! I was just asking..."
"Ah, sorry. It's just, I was having the weirdest dream... there was this lady, and-"
"...Excuse my interruption. I was wondering, Master, if you would allow me to eat as well? That woman is hoarding it all..."
Just as Kato was about to explain his dream to Saber, a quieter and softer voice sounded from the direction that he heard the fire in. It didn't belong to Aneka, and certainly not Saber, so-
He turned to look at the speaker. As Kato suspected, this man wasn't one he knew- a decently tall, darker skinned man stood before him, with short, messy hair possessing a dark brown hue. Right now, he wore only a simple sleeveless tunic and baggy pants, but there was still an air of regality to him. His face was angular and sharp, with an intelligence in the man's eyes.
Another thing Kato could notice immediately was the man's frame. He was extremely well built, but still possessed a more lithe figure.
It was just then that Kato registered it was dark around him- nighttime.
"...If you aren't feeling well, you should go back to sleep, Master."
The words snapped Kato out of his thoughts.
"After all, I realize I do require a somewhat large amount of mana from my Master... and, I'm not the only servant you have."
...Things were getting confusing.
The last thing Kato remembered was talking to Saber... then, when they went back to camp, he talked to Saber about that guy they had rescued from the fight in the mountains, and-
Ahhh. So... This is him, huh. But, since he's calling me 'Master', I guess I made a contract with him? Ughh...
"And, I must say, Master, your magic circuits are truly exceptional, to be able to support so many servants..."
He just kept talking...
Almost none of it registered with Kato, still seated on the ground, staring up at the man standing a few feet away from him.
"Um. Right, sorry... So, lemme get this straight. ...Eh, I made a contract with you, to save you... and I passed out afterwards?"
The other man nodded.
"Mm. If not for your mana, I'd have disappeared, as my former Master is now long dead, and even when he was 'alive', he didn't quite have much spare mana... which is to say, none at all."
"Oh, the automation we saw earlier? ...Huh. Okay... But, what should I call you? I can't just... not."
The man, the servant, considered this for a moment.
"...Well. Usually, I would be an Archer... But, for now, I suppose a Berserker will do fine. Please refer to me as such, Master."
"Yeah, sure... But-"
"Katoooo! Get over here! Your Archer guy caught us some food! ...Saber, you toooo."
Aneka's shout reached the ears of the three, and, paired with the smell, led Kato to realize that, simply-
He was very hungry.
And so he stood up (with some assistance by Saber) and staggered over to the campfire.
Kato was still very lightheaded, though.
...
There was a secret to Kato's supposed mana supply. His ring, a relic passed down in his family, was a veritable ocean of mana.
A few things, though-
A supply of mana was, by far, the worst use for that ring, yet Kato knew no other.
And...
Kato drew mana from the ring constantly, acting as a sort of external fuel tank.
But... that begs the question, did it perhaps stop working?
...Or, did that Berserker completely drain a mana supply that large?
If so...
...
______________________________
"...There. That's the last of them... Rider. You can come out now."
As the large body fell to the ground with a resounding thump, a man wiped his blade clean of blood. He had short black hair and an undercut, wearing robes that normally would be elegant, but have clearly been worn down over the years. Peeking out from the somewhat low neckline of these robes was the end of one long, continuous scar.
His expression, as always, was one of nihilistic annoyance.
"...Master, I told you, I can fight-"
"No."
A woman had materialized. She was short, to an extent, wearing a sleeveless, high collar magenta dress leading into a flared skirt arranged like flower petals. Her silver hair is adorned with bows, and a large red and black headpiece with a pastel pink bow on top.
Her offer was rebuked instantly.
"...Why? Why won't you let me help you, Master...?"
She had only the best intentions.
The man began to walk away.
"...This is a war- You told me as much."
Still, Rider couldn't understand. He summoned her, therefore their personalities must be compatible; So why...
"What does that even mean??? I- Yes, this is a war, but-"
"...This is a war. And I intend to win."
...There's no way. No way he just wants to win. There has to be something more... I know it... Please, just...
Rider's endless kindness had, more than anything, been the foundation of her fame.
But, even so, this man-
Were it a lesser hero, they would have long given up on this man.
Rider, whether it be foolish stubbornness or genuine insight, cannot bring herself to.
"...Rider. Back to Spirit form."
His command came while his back was turned, and as he was walking away.
"...Yes, Master."
...
...
Quiet.
Quiet.
Silence.
...No, not silence. Quiet.
The voices may have dimmed, but they are ever present.
Whispering, clawing, wanting, yearning-
The dead hold desires, desires they whisper only to those who can hear them.
Only to those that see them.
Only to those who guide them.
No one knew this better than Shin. As he wandered the forest, seemingly alone, he heard them all around him.
Whispers.
Cold air, brushing the back of his neck as they tried to grasp him, grasp the living.
Finally, it got to be too much for the man, so he stopped walking, and-
...Took the hand of the spirit trying to grasp him.
Instantly, instead of an ethereal skeleton, the apparition took the form of an elderly woman. Now, instead of the whispers of cold air, she spoke as a normal, living human. A very polite one, at that.
"Excuse me, dear... I quite like the water... I'd like to be put to rest there, but... I can't seem to find an ocean..."
She was... normal. Rider had never seen anything like it. A spirit of the dead like that, asking to find peace...
Despite everything, Rider was slightly apprehensive for the woman. Shin wasn't exactly the kindest person...
"...Of course. I'm sorry for taking a moment to see you. You said there was no ocean... would a lake do fine? I believe I saw one on the way here..."
His voice was... soft. Shin was treating this woman with gentleness befitting her frailty... it was astonishing.
"Oh, that would be just wonderful, dearie... thank you so much."
"No, it's alright... You deserve closure. So... tell me about the water, while we walk. It sounds important to you?"
"Oh yes, it is... You see, my son..."
And so they walked, Rider floating along out of sight. Shin was actually pushing the conversation on, making her feel at ease...
After what felt like only seconds, they had left the forest, and now stood at the edge of the treeline looking over a beach.
"...Would you like me to accompany you on the final stretch?"
"No. Thank you, dear, but I think I'd like to do this part alone... Again, thank you. Such a fine young man..."
The ghostly woman repeated that a few more times, as she slowly walked over the beach and into the water, basking in the cool sensation for a moment, before going deeper and beginning to disappear.
"...Make no mistake, Rider."
Shin's voice was sharp again.
"The dead deserve at least this much. The living don't have nearly enough merit."
Yet Rider had seen something.
"...'Those who yet live can do naught but sin'..."
It sounded like he was quoting something, or someone.
Rider realized something, then, something she was certain was of importance.
So then... Wouldn't that mean that ******* ****** ** *** **** ***...?
No, it didn't matter. Not now. Not while he walks away...
And so, with a sigh, Rider returned to her Spirit form once more, and followed her Master.
Back to the wastelands of sand, where her Master had insisted they remain.
...
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