"..er. Aster- Master."
The voice became clear, despite everything going on. Just what exactly was going on? Mori couldn't recall what was going on; everything hurt, blood was clogged up, and the magical circuits felt ablaze. They couldn't help but wince, tightening their eyes. "Master, we have to change the bandages now, or else the blood clots will get much worse." She finally opened her tensed eyes to see the swordsman in front of them, tending the wounds.
A Heroic Spirit- no, her partner in this Holy Grail War, hailing from the Saber Class. A Japanese swordsman of the Keian 4, 1651 Edo. His two swords were placed away on a nearby pedestal, shining against the moonlight. Mori tried getting up, but immediately found himself on the ground coughing blood. "Please do not force yourself! Let me help you sit up."
She couldn't even nod or so grunt a response, being sat up limply. 'What a waste', was all they thought as Saber took off the bloodied bandages, wrapping new ones. "Your magic circuits are in a critical state right now, so we will have to rest for a few days." 'This is nothing new', they thought. He's burned himself before, yet it didn't come out bad like this. That was, of course of that.
It all started coming back: the return of spring break, meeting with friends, escaping her adoptive father, Saber's summoning. More was flushing in; the betrayal, the talk, the teamwork. It wasn't what Mori was looking for though. No... she needed to know what happened now; "What pushed you so far to get here in this state?" That was the question, and it was begging, groveling for an answer.
Upon feeling some strength return, she got up. It surprised the other party, who tried to get them to rest again. "S...saber." His voice was hoarse, but it was all Saber needed to hear to stop in his tracks. "Yes, Master?" They looked at each other, seeing the other as nothing more than a weapon. 'Master and Servant. A contract is made between the dead and the living to fight in a war for a wish from the Grail, an omnipotent device. They are connected through the heart and soul, and as a result, memories can appear through dreams. However, it is unnecessary to get along; they are only a weapon of means to an end.'
"Mn. Nothing, I just want to sit outside. Will you accompany me?" "Of course, someone needs to watch you after all." Although it was near impossible to laugh, lest they want to destroy the throat now, a grave smile formed on the master, partially due to the battered body. Mori sat outside on the porch of the apartment, while Saber was still inside, watching from a distance. He took his two swords out of their sheaths to clean and revitalize the blades. The moon shone brightly tonight, making its way to the gloomy apartment of the two; their base of operations.
He looked down at her right hand; all three Command Spells were still in place, waiting for the right moment to shine. It started to click; what happened on this alluring night.
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"Saber, attend me for a moment, will you?" The young master looked towards the swordsman. A necromancer with extraordinary magic circuits, ranked among classmates as the true being to find the Root of all magic. None of that mattered to them, as they strived for a different goal than the gluttons of the Mage's Association. "Yes, Master? What is it you need?" Accompanying the master was Saber, a revered swordsman of ancient Japan, who answered the call of the Grail to have a wish granted.
"It's about Berserker and her Master. I hope to say that you trust what I'm about to say, right?" Saber looked at his Master, seeing the hidden raw emotion of discord in their eyes. "As your Servant, I must abide myself to the requests given to me." Mori only sighed, crossing her arms at the unfazed Servant. "Honestly... anyways, I may have a lead onto where their base might be, as well as Berserker's true name."
That certainly struck a chord, as Saber immediately backed up a bit before shaking his head and facing back toward him. "Berserker's true name?! And their base of operations? But how? The last time we went to find them, we were met with unnecessary trouble..." 'Ah, that's right. Thanks to the type of magic that was in the field, they were both recovering for weeks on end.' It wasn't going to stop her though.
"After considering a few areas with the most leylines, this particular area struck me. Unknown to all, even the other mages residing here. Everyone except Berserker, the Master... and us." Showing a map on the phone, he pointed to Wadatsumi Shrine in Tsushima, Japan. "Why this shrine specifically?"
"It has to do with the leylines reacting strongly in that area. Plus, it is said to harbor a sea dragon god, so why wouldn't it be used as a base?" Master and Servant looked at each, gaining a mutual understanding: Attack the leyline, make way for Wadatsumi Shrine, and fight Berserker. "Let it be known though, it's our life in the gamble. Don't let your guard down." "The same can be said of you, Master." She only let out a grim smile.
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'Wadatsumi Shrine. We made it after countless kami and skeletal armies were thrown our way. The leylines have been cut off from them, so we have the advantage. However, that doesn't mean we have the luxury of an easy fight.' As they walked upwards toward the shrine, Mori began remembering the type of person they were about to face for a final time; a man who had adopted the young teen when they were just a child. He was a weird one compared to normal parents but still loved them all the same. He taught them the world of mages, while still keeping her sanity. When she wanted to pursue necromancy, he gave her books to study.
He was everything a parent should be, but... there is no such thing as familial bonds when your one shot at rewriting the world is near. Mori had it figured out long ago; his wish was to wrap the world in a warm, blanket of darkness and rewrite it again. He wanted the world to fit his ideals, and so did they, but their dreams were altered differently. 'This is the last obstacle I need to pass in order for the Grail to hear my call...'
Master and Servant arrive at the top of Wadatsumi Shrine and enter, feeling the magic intensify right away. "At last, we have a proper meeting. We haven't seen each other since your little hit-and-run." From the shadows, he appears; Berserker's Master, Lucifer. Berserker herself has yet to appear, but the presence wasn't too far away. "You are right, it has been a while. I have to say, the catalyst I stole gave me unexpected results, but the unexpected is always unique, no?"
Lucifer only smiled, walking toward the center. "Well, it's only natural. You are beyond normal, it's only fair to draw a unique being from the class of The Three Knights." Upon stopping and turning to Saber and his master, the atmosphere changed completely. "Unfortunately, such a show must end. Was it worth it? Ah, I wish to have heard it, but we have a battle to start, no?" Mori only nodded, readying her magic and daggers. "I'm afraid it's the end of the line for you and Berserker. Or should I say, Kijyo Kōyō!"
A dinosaur's roar could be heard near the bubble of the forcefield, and Berserker comes barging into the battlefield, Madness Enchantment already used. "Saber, I trust in you." "Right, Mori!"
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Slash, plunge, devour, repeat. That is the mentality of the necromancer. Weapons like daggers and swords are meaningless to someone with magic, specially to someone with the talent to secure the Root. 'I don't care for the Root', she tells to others. 'I don't care about the Clock Tower or Mage's Association', they tell fellow mages. 'And I don't care for the birth of a new, ideal world.', she says to the face of the man who saved them, taught them, and cursed them.
Berserker was out of the War, now all that's left is Lucifer. A renowned mage who made the discoveries of modern-age weapon enchantments. Weapon enchantments of the old ages were considered unwanted curses, but Lucifer was the mage to scavenge those relics, study them, and figure out a new way to safely put enchantments onto weapons.
So when he is struck by one of those relics, he can't help but laugh gently. "That is quite the checkmate, young tiger." The relic is a dagger, seeped with royal dragon blood and enhanced further with necromancy. As a result, it not only burns the inside of the enemy once the mark is made, but it burns the wielder tenfold.
The dagger is pulled out, and Lucifer can only stare as blood drips from the wound. He looks up towards the one before him; the Master of Saber. "Haha, it seems you got the resolve of a killer huh? That's not a good sign, especially with that weapon you have stored in your heart. Well, it's not my place anyway, I am about to die soon."
Mori can only face the ground, yet he hears every word he says clearly. "Do one last request for me, will you? Take care of yourself after your wish is granted, but do not forget that you are a living person wielding ____________."
And as Lucifer finally drew his last breath and fell to the ground, she couldn't help but make a grimaced face.
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"Master? Is everything alright?" Saber was now outside with them, looking worried. Opening her eyes once more, she looked towards the Heroic Spirit and back to the moon. "I'll be fine, just finally remembered everything tonight." Albeit confused, Saber left it at that. "Master should rest properly, I'll help you to bed." Mori couldn't help but chuckle before getting up. "Alright, but I'm not staying bedridden for any longer than two more days."
Master and Servants, the Holy Grail War. What a cruel system is upholds. And what terrible secrets it can reveal.
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