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Cruithne

OOC Thread is here!

Chapter 1 - Day 0: Summoning Night

[4PM - Route Home from Prius School]

"It's tonight, yeah?"

"Well, yeah. Makes sense right? The air tastes right."

"The air?"

The pair of immaculately dressed blond children skittered down the straight path of an equally immaculate road. Their crisp school uniforms scattered along those roads and spread throughout the districts as their day had come to a close. They walked in mechanical lines, having done the same for the last three years of their lives, never straying from the path even when there lay the temptations of childish desires.

They looked to each other now as the iron filigree gates before a large estate opened upon their return. To whence one, the young boy put his hand upon the shoulder of the other, his sister.

"Sophie! Let's make a bet!"

Sophie curled her lips in disgust, "Sebastian, you've lost every bet so far. You've got nothing left to give me."

"Hey, stop thinking you're OH SO grown up! I bet I get Saber!"

His sister glared at him, clearly unamused. "Well, I reckon that me and you both wont get Saber."

"HA! I bet you my new pack of gum that I get Saber."

"You're on, Sebastian!"

------------------

[10:45 PM - Leclair Estates - Rumpus Room]

Sebastian sprawled himself limply over the back of a suede couch, and threw his head back, rolling his eyes in boredom over and over.

"Ooooer... Is it time yet? I'm getting bored...

Sophie gathered herself from her seat and straightened the crumpling of her skirt. She pulled up the left sleeve of her dress and showed the back of her hand. The three red symbols were appearing, taking on a set of three curled symbols. "The Command Spell. I'm going now. My mana is strongest at 11PM. Yours is at 1AM."

Her brother's face came to life as his sister headed off down to the house's basement. Jumping from his fatigue, his face became surprisingly livid. He too looked at his hand, his symbols in much the same light as his sister's.

"What about me, I can come now, right? RIGHT!"

"You'll get a Servant you don't want..." Sophie warned.

"But I don't want you to get a Servant before me!" Sebastian cried desperately.

"Stop being dumb, Seb! I just said you're going to get a Servant you don't want. Remember, we got told that ages ago!"

Her brother puffed his chest out menacingly, "You're not getting one before me! You just want Saber for yourself!"

Irritated now, Sophie turned to him viciously and grabbed his hair, yanking it tightly. Sebastian screamed audibly, flailing his arms about recklessly as she dragged him towards the basement stairs. She let go of his head and his body flopped to the ground in shock.

"I cant push you down the stairs, get up."

------------------------

[10:59PM - Leclair Estate - Basement]

Within the depths of the Leclair Estate, the concrete walls of the basement concealed a room in near darkness with only the peeking of moonlight from the foot wide window near the end wall. Sophie methodically reached the middle of the room and lit a candle and the darkness in the room instantaneously dissolved.

Sebastian rattled down the stairs after her in a harried state, cradling his head and whimpering childishly. He then settled himself almost immediately and rushed to face his sister. He looked at her solemnly as her stoicism carried with it a great confidence and for the first time in a long time, his heart swelled in pride for his little sister.

Her voice broke the silence between them, "It's time."

Sebastian nodded and they both took their places in the room. With their hands joined, an accrual of mana surged from a pair of magic circles below them. They cycled in colours, and surged periodically as heightened flows of mana travelled between these patterns and their unlikely small-bodied sources.

"Anfang!" Their voices called out simultaneously.

The energy roared louder and the two began to sweat. Their faces were brave as the pain from their bodies began to be unable to control the excessive mana intake. Aggressively now, the both held on, clutching each other's hand more tightly.

"Thy body shall be under my command. My fate shall be determined by thee. Follow the call of the Holy Grail. If thou wouldst obey this mind and this reason, then answer my call!"

The circles below them flashed to red and that was how they remained. The two remained silent, still maintaining the connection they had between the spiritual and real worlds. Swirling winds of white flooded their vision, just as their sight was taken away. They persisted. Both opened their mouths, preparing for the last step of the summoning.

"I am the one who shall become the virtue of the Afterworld.
I am the one who shall lay out the evil of all Afterworld.
Thou art Seven Heavens clad in the Three Great Words.
Emerge from the ring of control, Guardian of Balance!"

All at once, the room filled with light so harsh that the twins could discern the slight movement of colour that was dissipated shortly after. They then stood together limply as the magic circles faded and the candle had extinguished from the last mana blast.

Seconds later, their vision came back in patches and both of them blinked profusely before their eyes adjusted. Sophie lit the candle again and held it to the side of Sebastian's head and grinned widely.

"Hello... Caster..." She chided towards the robed figure behind her brother.

"Wha-WHAT?! Caster?! What are you talking about! I felt it afterwards! I have Saber!"

Sophie laughed pompously, "Sebastian, you LOSER! Look behind you, duh!"

She turned behind her and smiled graciously, curtsying to her Servant, "It is MY pleasure to meet you, Rider."

Throwing a defiant look at her brother, she spat, "You owe me that gum!"

almond

Keith sat silent on a plastic foldable chair, in one of the unfinished upper floors of a building still in construction. Slivers of silvery white light invaded the dusty floor, creating crisscrossed lines on the dark floor. The unfinished room was also partially seen thanks to the light.

Too often though, the lights were broken and distorted by wriggling bodies tied up with duct tapes. Those captive people were still very much alive, but weak from being beaten repeatedly prior before. Dried blood and bruises decorated their gagged faces as they lost the energy to move any more than a tiny squirm.

Keith took a long pull from his cigarette and threw it on the floor, squashing it with the tip of his shoe. He looked at his digital watch and pressed the light button to illuminate the time. He merely got up and brushed his pants off the dust from the less than sanitary environment.

"You know....," he began addressing the people of the floor. He let out a sigh as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a metal object that glinted brilliantly from the moonlight.

"...it's really nothing personal. I didn't capture and beat up all of you because I want to. I need you. All of you. Your life will be used as a catalyst for a better existence for the world."

He pulled the trigger after carelessly aiming at someone's head. Muffled screams and increased movements from the bound people on the floor made Keith felt calm and peaceful. He pulled the trigger again. And again. And when he was finished, he calmly reloaded the revolver slowly and repeated the process.

When the grisly deed was over, he scooped up a healthy amount of blood from the bodies and began to draw a large circle of power nearby. He took time with his work. Not merely taking blood pooled on the floor, but sometimes scooping it from the blown heads from a few of his sacrificial lambs.

The circle was completed. He stowed away his large Colt Anaconda and muttered the words of power slowly under his breath. A strong wind blew as the crimson circle of blood glowed brightly. It was so unnatural and gory, it was beautiful at the same time.

Inside the circle, reality shifted as it turned red and rippled as if intense heat was present, even though it wasn't. From the bloody pool a large black figure rose up slowly and his mount fidgeted with slight agitation as it carried its large and armoured master. Keith wasn't the least bit surprised nor disappointed at the apparent lack of a head from his Servant. By right he knew that this should be Rider, but deep down, he knew that it wasn't.

Painful lines etched on the back of his hand as his command spell was carved by unseen knives. He smiled at the newcomer to this world and opened up his arms, as if to embrace it.

"Welcome..... Berserker."

Flower Girl

Caster raised an eyebrow, a small gesture that the depths of her hood concealed, as she examined Sebastian. A child? He certainly has some power, but he can't be more than ten summers old. Another internal voice, the deep, old, male voice that Caster had assigned her inner critic, the voice of her teacher, long ago, replied, Your brother was only a boy when he first achieved greatness. Do not be so quick to judge. Caster sighed inwardly. Very well. I am bound to obey him in any case. I shall wait to pass judgment on his worthiness until I have seen him in battle.

Caster nodded to Sebastian. "Master." She turned to Sophie. "Please, my lady, keep a cevel tongue. You wound my master's pride. Et would not do to wound it more. Such a grievous hurt might prevent him from entering the field of battle." Her voice lilted, mixing curiously with the rising intonation of her statements, a faint trace of a Welsh accent occasionally discernible in her words. She turned back to Sebastian, and added, "Saber has little-little elegance. Barbaric, Saber is. What subtlety es there to a swung sword? I can serve you far better than that anwarddyn ever could." She bowed her head to Sebastian again.

Caster nodded briefly to Rider. We will be working together, at least for awhile. It pays to be polite. At least until it is time for her to be removed. But that will not be for awhile. Caster looked at Sophie again, and added, "She is your ally, isn't it? I assume so, from the joint summoning and apparent kinship, but kinship is not everything." She glanced around the basement again, and said, "It matters not. Conflict begins tomorrow, and we may begin classifying enemies then. I do not wish to think more on the war tonight. I hope that the rest of your dwelling is less hard than this room. Might we go above, and do something?" She raised a rustling black sleeve and pointed to the stairs hopefully. The light of the candle glinted off of her hazel eyes for a moment. "I have grown very weary of inaction over the course of my life."

ScarletRemilia

Tonight was the night, the fated night that the Magus of the Sakurazaki family had been almost raised for had come. It was on this night that her personal goals and true honor would be brought to her and he family. Slowly, the gears inside the old grandfather clock turned, the hands reaching to 10 PM, one hour away from Konoka's zenith of power. The old clock, a memento of her mother, chimed, the Westminister Chime resounding throughout her bed chambers, arousing the schoolgirl from her short nap, her uniform still worn, despite it being long after school was over for the day. Light filtered in through the two shrinking hemispheres of eyelids, slowly uncovering the deep blacken brown orbs called eyes. Konoka Sakurazaki yawned and stretched, still laying the bed, she would need her energy for the summoning, and a short nap would supply her with some physical strength to bear herself through the process of beckoning her servant.

Moments later, Konoka slid herself off and away from the bed, her stocking covered foot touching the hard wood floor with naught but a sound that was barely audible, the sheets rustled and the bed creaked somewhat as the weight of the girl was taken off. Konoka walked away briskly without a care for her hair or state of attire and made her way to the kitchen. She was awfully lax right now, not because she was an overall lazy person but because a state of calmness and concentration along with a certain degree of physical prowess was needed to preform a summoning. There were really many unknown factors in this war, and many things she wished to know, but in the very least, the procedures and niceties of summoning a servant were drawn out clearly to her by her instructor, her grandmother. It was largely thanks to her grandmother that Konoka had grown to be such a fine female and magus. For she was selected to fight in this war, a war not between nations, but between magi. A war of dreams and nightmares, where even the slightest wind of hope and the heaviest weight of despair could bring you salvation or damnation.

It was after a quick drink of water and a small snack that Konoka proceeded onward to the top floor of the building, where the summoning was designated to take place, where the familiar, a spirit, a heroic spirit was to be called in a plea to the heavens, to the Holy Grail and object of this very war. Where the conscious and realizations of man will take a tangible form to fight and to grant the wish of the master and servant worthy of the Grail. Seven masters and seven servants are to be summoned, and a bloody battle of carnage was to ensue, Konoka had prepared in every way possible. She had planted "Jewel Seeds" around the city, the seeds were simply a magical container of a sealed and predetermined object that was to be called upon at her will. Furthermore, she had prepared by making special dolls for this war, dolls were both a hobby and an effective weapon for the girl, something that normally ensured her a win against any other magi.

The young magi thought over her ruthless double life as a student and as a servant to magic as well as over the war as she slowly engraved a magical circle into the ground, an eight pointed star surrounded by a double circle, runes engraved in various parts of the circle and star. The tool she used to engrave the circle was a simple, yet incredibly sharp knife. Upon finishing the circle Konoka ensured the magical density of the engraving by placing a magical filament inside of it, followed by melted down magical jewels then finalized, Konoka making a small comment before adding the last ingredient to the circle, of which was around a meter and a half in diameter, "Now... the final step before the summoning starts... This better not hurt too much."

With that said, Konoka clenched her teeth as she held her left hand over the vertex of one star's points and took her right hand with the dagger and placed the cold magic infused steel upon her open palm, applying pressure then pulling it down, Konoka winced as the blade opened up a gap in her skin, blood ebbing out of the new wound, however, she grasped her hand, allowing more blood to flow out, the red liquid dripping onto the circle, of which, with every droplet began to glow ever slightly more. After a while, the room seemed darkened in comparison to the red glowing circle and Konoka produced a bandage out of her skirt pocket, the dagger now stuck into the ground near the circle, and wrapped her wound, the cloth quickly turning red. The magus girl took a deep breath, the pain throbbing in her left hand. However, now all she had to do was wait, seconds passed by, one minute until 11:00 PM and the zenith of her power. The blood acted both as the final ingredient to make a powerful magical point in which to call her servant, but it worked as a catalyst to call a specific servant of importance to her family.

Konoka stood in the middle of the circle, ten seconds, when the clock struck 11, she spoke out loud, her voice attained a strange pitch as her magical recital began:
"Ras Tel My Magic Scir.
Between heaven and hell,
servant of silent killing. I call out to you to fight by my side in this war of dreams and nightmares.
I call to the fifth element, king of the darkness and of the light,
become the virtue of the after world and to lay out the evil of the after world.
Emerge from the ring of control, guardian of balance!"

Throughout the time she recited the words, an ever increasing pain shot through her body, as if she were being stabbed by swords and burdened by weight and burned all at the same time. Her mana, the lifeblood of magic in the body of a magician, felt like it was all being ripped out at that moment until finally, it was over, the glow of the circle was overshadowed by an overwhelming yet brilliant flash of light. It was a successful summoning. Konoka collapsed unto the floor onto her knees and looked up at her newly summoned servant, breathing heavily. It took her a moment to regain her composure, the man standing before her looked as if he were a distant relative of sorts, but in the end, she brushed herself off, all light in the room dissapated, aside from the moonlight that cast through the windows. For the time, she was blind, the summoning taking away her vision for a short while. Konoka spoke in introduction, her tone was polite, yet sounded as if she went through a physical ordeal, which the summoning was, "Welcome, Assassin. My distant relative of ages long past, Okita Soushi..."

Xaltwind

[Falke Residence; Midnight]

It was dark and cold in the room, a room that was both sparse in furniture, decor and walldecoration. It was a rather small place, no larger than perhaps twenty or twentyfive feet both on both lengths. There were candles, small, luminous lights that gently danced in the overwhelming darkness, bound to consume their fickle light at any given moment. However, from the vague light that shined and were there was one thing that could be seen. There, on the cold and dirty (and quite dusty) stone floor, was a drawing, a drawing made from white chalk. It represented a pentagram, with many fine details scribbled around it and within it, all quite amazing if you thought about it, since chalk was not known to be a very handy or easy material to use when either drawing or writing.

A door opened and light shined it briefly, before the heavy shutter closed and once again the room was bathed in oblivion's inverted light. There stood now a young woman, barely visible in the light from the candles. Her face looked dulled and sleepy, so did her eyes. She carried nothing with her except a common, brown-coloured bathrobe which was donned, loosely tied together at the front with a cloth sash of the same colour and fabric. The young female stepped over to the circle and eyed it down, staring at it for a few moments before thoughts and mindprocesses began swirling inside her head.

She stretched her hands outward, cracking her hands and fingers, she then did a few stretch-movements (probably not in order to perform the ritual, but rather just to warm herself up) before finally taking a last deep breath before beginning.

"I am The Bringer and Wielder of the Five,
She who calls upon the Service of They Who Are,
It is my will that They grant onto me the services of Thou,
It is thy wish that I serve in the fruition of destiny and fate,
It is thy will that I stand by thy side as fire and ice encircle us,
It is my wish that thou stand besides me and shields me from Those,
It is my will that we share our destiny until the day They are ours or none.
By this creed, by this pledge, come forth and let us embrace each other."

The chalk circle that had previously been only the dull, white colour on the dusty ground suddenly glowed with vigor that was unnatural. It became a pristine and overwhelming white, emitting a glow that completely chased away the darkness that had previously covered the room. The lights of the candles were brought to their demise and fickle slivers of transparent smoke slowly made it's way towards the roof, though this was unnoticeable to the light that overwhelmed the room at this point. The intensity of the glow increased and increased, until it was so bright that nothing could be seen in the windowless sanctuary.

And then it all faded. The candles, the circle, all was gone. Alone in the room was the woman in the bathrobe, who had shielded her eyes from the bright light with her sleeve. As she let the arm slowly fall down along her side, she looked about the room with her sleepy expression. Nothing?

[Leclair Estate; Basement]

The woman who stood before Sophie now, clad in her dark dress and matchingly darkend armour, had a remarkably stern face and equally stern eyes etched onto her at the moment. It was clear that she was either a very a serious individual or, for some reason, greatly unamused at the present time. Whichever the case, the Servant spoke in order to address her new, and young, mistress.

"I, Rider, Pledge my life in service of you, my Master." She bowed her head slightly towards the child, though in this case it only looked as if she was looking down at the girl infront of her. She then raised her head once more and looked around the basement, eyeing the boy and the other servant, Caster, with much disdain visible on her face. The nonchalant magi-servant and her, quite possibly, inept Master both seemed ideally matched; Seeing as both of them were quite fond of their mouths and hearing their own voices.

The Servant in armour then fixed her eyes upon Caster and spoke with her rather clear 'no-nonsense' tone of speech.

"If your Master can be hurt by mere words alone, then what chances does he have of victory, Caster?" Quite uncorteous there, was she not? Rider then looked back to her own Master. "Clearly, it is I who have received the better end of this deal." Her face, at this point, warmed up (and a lot in that regard) allowing a weak and quite motherly smile to appear on the woman's face as she looked down upon Sophie with a gentle expression.

"I agree with your call however, Caster. I too wish to see the dwelling of my Master, though not for the sake of my own, personal boredom." The woman said, still looking at Sophie and clearly marking the difference between the two servant's desires.

Gat

[6 pm - Bench seat overlooking the harbour]

David looked out across the bay as the sun lowered over the horizon, orange and yellow hues playing across the sky as the blackness of night closed in. David had always liked sunset, sunrise was too bright in his opinion but sunset showed life for what it was, darkness always lurking behind the light, chasing it, crushing it. The light fighting to keep itself seen until at last it retreats to fight again later. To David that simple analogy summed up life pretty well. As the last rays of light disappear into the night David looked at his watch, time for some food before the nights activities.

[7pm - David Marksons house - back yard]

As David finished off the last of the burito he had made, he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. he could feel the command spells anchor themselves to his skin, his essence. Sure enough when he looked at the back of his right hand, there they were, glowing a fierce red. It was time to begin. he had decided that he wasn't going to try for a particular servant, let fate decide his weapon in the war for the Grail. Signing a symbol into the air, David began the incantation.

"Denomino I servi di magia, eroi del passato, cercatori del calice da consacrazione santo."

Nothng visually happened as David spoke, signing in the air as he went. In a nearby alley a dog started barking, thought that may have been from someone walking by on the street, regardless David heard nothing.

"By the strength of the earth, lend me your memory.
With the fury of the wind, grant me your reserves.
Persistence of the oceans, offer me me patience.
Purity of fire, I ask for your scouring essence.
Send your links across time and find me a servant to win this war."

The air outside was charged to an electrifying level as the last words of the spell left David's mouth, with the end of the incantation it manifested visibly as a swirling vortex of colour spinning faster and faster. Near as quickly as it manifested the power dissipated, though David could feel a portion of it had coalesced nearby. He had succeeded, a servant had been summoned to him, all that was left was to find out who. Glancing around the yard David saw no sign on the servant, but he could feel it in the area. Tied to him as it was it would make itself known to him soon. As David headed for the back door of his house he wondered in passing if there was enough ingredients left for another burito.

Cruithne

Flustered at Caster's response, Sophie snapped her mouth shut and blushed, retreating back closer towards Rider for protection. Sebastian, while he wasn't exactly offended by his sister's words, his Servant made it apparent that he should have been hurt, but his sister's reaction pained him. He curled his hand into a fist and shook with anger. He turned to his Servant smartly.

"Please stop, Caster. This is just how my sister is... and she's right. I made a dumb mistake. But, I can't take it back. I'm not stupid. I know how strong you are. I'm glad that you're my Servant, really. Out of all the Servants you're the smartest and most useful. ...So... don't think that my sister doesn't already know that. She knows you're here because I need you."

Sophie dropped her eyes in shame, "I'm sorry, Seb. I was being mean again..."

Sebastian smiled gently at his sister as he gave her a quick hug, he reached for something in his waist pocket, "Here's that gum."

Still having felt bad for what she said, she quietly took the packet and split it down the middle and gave the other half back to him. "You did buy it with your pocket money after all..."

Sophie's eyes did not meet with Caster's as she addressed her, instead, she peered consciously off to the side as her heart still stung from being admonished. "You know... You said you didn't want to think about the war for tonight, but... I think that's wrong! We could be attacked at any time... You need to watch out for Seb. He's a good magus, but he screws up all the time!"

"HEY! I DO NOT!"

Rider's cool words from behind caught her attention. Sophie placed her hand on her Servants hip reassuringly. "It's okay! My brother is pretty strong, you know! We have to work together, so be good!

Sebastian grinned broadly at everyone before pointing to the stairs, "Hehe, we have some playmates for after school too, this is awesome! Come on! Let us show you around! There's lots of rooms to hide in and stuff!"

"Hey YEAH! This is cool! Let's go play hide and seek, Seb! Rider, Caster, you guys have to find us. BYE!"

The twins giggled as they thundered up the stairs. Thumping sounds along with clunks resounded at various volumes and intensities around the expansive rooms of the mansion as the two bounded around spiritedly looking for places to hide.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Feeling the strength of his materialisation gain speed. Berserker could feel the cold winds of the outdoors cool the plates of his armor. The chaos that greeted him, the spilled blood of mortals revitalised him. He inwardly praised his surfacing in the War for he had been calmly awaiting the day.

With bodies strewn about; many without heads, they were mere pleasantries in the eyes of this beast. His aura of coolness vibrated throughout the area without concern, seeking, searching for the energies of the others... eagerly awaiting to usurp their vitality.

The dull hum of the night continued and within it, the two stood. The heavily clad man in obsidian armour and his Master of equal repute faced one another in mutual respect.

"A Master worthy of me, I see. I am Berserker. To serve you is my pledge, my liege."

The voice did not appear to come from any particular point, but emphatically came forth from all directions as if a cone was placed around them. The sound seemed to bounce off all edges as the low tones of the Servant beat toward his Master.

A moment of further silence ensued as they both stood in ceremonious welcome. As the winds continued to howl in the gap left separating the both of them, Berserker fingered at the hilt of his sword in anticipation.

"The plan... Master."

Tsukiyo

He was suspended in blackness, time didn't exist in this dimension. He was outside of time his spirit held to be summoned continuously through time. Most of the time to protect the world from humans threatening to protect it. Yes his spirit was held as a slave to the world it self, and he would be held indefinitely until his pact with the world was filled, the pact that promised the well being of his family in exchange for his servitude. In life he had been a samurai servitude isn't something he's not knowledgeable of.

He felt a tug on his spirit, time was restored to him and he was suddenly summoned out into the world again. He wondered for a moment what or who he would have to kill this time, that is until he realized his predicaments were different this time around. The world hadn't called him to fight, a human had. The world upon his death had informed him of the "War for the Holy Grail" when he was placed within the "Throne of Heroes" the resting place for the spirits of legends of humanity to be called on again and again to protect the world. Usually this lasts until fighting in the War of the Grail once, and then they were released to rest, but it was different for Okita, while this would certainly be his first, it would not be his last.

His spirit was given physical form the mana and the blood of his master was used in the forming of his physical manifestation, the bright light caused from this magical reaction was blinding, and binding. As he felt him self linked to his master. But his nature prevented him from appearing in front of her. He instead took shape in a dark corner of the room behind the girl, who was probably a bit confused now about her servant not standing before her.

The clouds parted showing the moon, letting the moonlight through the small windows in the room. The enlarging but dim source of light was enough to reveal his face from the darkness if she turned around. Waiting for her to notice him would be a waste of time and leaving her like this wasn't exactly fair either. So with light steps he walked forward, his straw sandals making no noise against the floor he walked on. His lips parted and his voice soft strong yet quiet, but also very feminine sounding came forth and spoke to the girl.

"Are you my master?"

ScarletRemilia

"By the strength of the earth, lend me your memory.
With the fury of the wind, grant me your reserves.
Persistence of the oceans, offer me me patience.
Purity of fire, I ask for your scouring essence.
Send your links across time and find me a servant to win this war."

Pulling... That was the feeling that Saber felt as the words sounded through Heaven itself. She had transcended time itself to be called into the world of the living once more, Saber, the strongest of the servants. Saber, of whom felt the pull of the Holy Grail, the thing she had signed herself to upon her death, from the time she had crossed Styx to the underworld she was bound to become a Heroic Spirit, a being of might and heroics, a being that collectively existed in the minds and memories of humans. Now, through the timeless eternal waiting she was pulled away from nothingness. Undulations of wind and time, words called or her, she felt as if she were falling, yet not in a violent way, like she was slowly being let down from the wind. Slowly she came to realization that she had arrived on earth once more, from her slumber, a being that was beyond humans, a being that was unrivaled and graced to one of seven from a cruel and harsh mistress known as the Holy Grail.

A servant to win this war.
A master to guide the servant...

More wind, though much more physical now, as if she really was falling. Then light, she had arrived to the realm of mortals. Terra... Earth... Her summoning was not bound to a focal point carved in the ground, neither was she called by a catalyst, this was a work of pure magic. This much she knew. This much she understood. The moon rained pure white light down upon the city like a spotlight from heaven. Wind passed through her hair and buffetted her clothes. Saber, the strongest servant, was a meteor in the sky, her master had summoned her incorrectly, and so she fell. The city below her sparkled with lights as it approached ever faster... No thoughts went through Saber's mind as she fell. No actions to slow her fall wer taken.

Then finally...

A resounding bang, a veritable impact of earthshaking qualities.

Saber landed.

However, despite falling from the heavens themselves, Saber felt as if she had simply jumped down a meter. Broken wood and stone fell around her, she had landed in a house. Before her was what was once a wall, now demolished, now removed and disassembled by the sheer impact of the being. And beyond that, a human, no older than 30, tall and lean, clean shaven and contemporary. His light blue eyes stared at her, three red marks glowed as if burning ember on the back of his hand. A master, her master. But she had to make sure, the most famous swordsman asked the man, her voice may very well have been that of an angel, the moonlight shone brightly and filtered through the dust, adding to the effect of Saber, and she spoke: "Servant of the sword, Saber." she introduced herself, then she proceeded to ask her question, "I ask of you. Are you my master?"

======================

((I'm going to switch my point of view for my master. In lieu of the F/sn games, it should be in first person.))

I cursed to myself silently within my mind, cursing the fifth element that had caused me to close my eyes. That element which was thought to be inpercievable to the human eyes, that element that forced my vision to go away as I shut them tightly during the summoning. The overwhelming feeling of fatigue coursed through my tired body, but a similarly overwhelming feeling of elated accomplishment was all that I could feel in my mind. It was perfect, my summoning was perfect, I couldn't wait for my vision to return so I could see him.

Then my vision returns and I look to the front of me...

Nothing...

"Huh..?" Why? Why was there nothing there? My legs felt weak, but I stood none-the-less. My legs were shaking. Was the summoning really that fatiguing? I was known to my family as a top class Magi that had a vast amount of Mana. Yet I felt so drained. But that was not the matter. I looked about myself and saw naught but beautiful white moonlight flitering through the windows to my right. The blood seal known as the Command Spell throbbed painfully on my hand and my instinctual senses finally kicked in. Behind me was a faint sound, naught but a whisper, as if a single ounce of losing pure concentration would betray it to the wind. There was but a pulling feeling of concentrated Ether, Magic of the highest quality. I turned around quickly, so quickly that I almost lose my footing on the wooden floor of the room.

There stood a man, clad in blue. A man might not have been the proper word to describe him, a boy or a very feminine male would more accurately describe what I saw, though appearances were known to be decieving, most especially when it came to a Heroic Spirit, a being that transcended time to fight for a power that brought miracles. However, this servant, this man, he looked similar, like the brother I had once....

My brother...

No, now wasn't the time to think of him.

I stare at the samurai before me, and he stares back, his feminine looks are cold, and his visage stern and piercing, he asks a simple question: "Are you my master?"

That question should have been easily answered when I welcomed him, Okita Soushi, Assassin. Yet he seems to still wish for confirmation, I reply quickly, yet I kept to being polite, "Yes, I am your master." I hold up the hand with the Command Spells before me to show Assassin my proof, the mark that I had been destined to have from the day I was born. The mark that formed itself from the Holy Grail, of which I so sorely wanted for myself. I let my hand fall to my side, and approach Assassin, I had no reason in approaching him other than just to get closer to him.

From this time forward, I was now truly a magi of the Holy Grail War.

almond

[ Archer ]

Archer found himself very uncomfortable as he woke up to find himself sprawling on a tiled roof. He believed that he hadn't felt this bad since that hangover after drinking with his men on the long ocean voyage home to Ithaca, which he ended up making through alone in the end. He looked up to the night sky as he gathered himself up, the silver light of the moon shining its full glory on him. He was only wearing his body armour at the moment, his helm, shield and spear not seen anywhere.

Looking around, he surmised that he was on a roof of a very large manor. The pull of mana seems to be coming from below him. He looked down and let out a loud sigh. The crimson trim of his armour dominated his appearance amidst the base brown colour. A soft wind blew his curly hair gently as he quickly located where his Master was.

He jumped down from the roof down to the rose garden below, landing gracefully on his feet as the toned leg muscles flexed by his descent. He found the idea of actually opening up the doors to find his Master troublesome, so he merely sat at the garden chair admiring the night view of the rose hedges of the garden. Besides, if his Master used proper summoning materials, he wouldn't have to end up on a roof and would've made a more dramatic entrance.

He had no doubt that his Master would come up and meet him sooner or later however.

----------
[ Keith ]

Keith looked at Berserker and simply nodded slightly at his Servant's greeting. He appreciated the fact that his Servant was as no-nonsense as he was, directly asking for a battle plan right after being summoned. Efficient to a tee. It was something that Keith has high regards for. The offering of human sacrifice was worth a lot of mana to Berserker. But he knew that his headless Servant could use more.

"The other Servants are still being summoned tonight. We won't get the Grail by killing an incomplete Master before the summoning is done. It would be a shame to your abilities as well as mine."

Keith walked pass his Servant and straight towards the open ledge, the wall not completely put up yet. He looked down to the cityscape below and clasped his hands behind his back.

"We won't waste any time, Berserker. Come. It is time that you feed more. Kill anyone you wish and drain their mana. Familiarize yourself with the city's back streets while you hunt tonight. I'll not hold your hand and show you around."

He didn't need to order Berserker to come back to him when he calls. It was an immutable part of their contract. Obedience was something that binds Berserker to himself. Yet Keith recognized Berserker's appetite and would not hold him back from it.

Besides, the bloodshed will call attention to the places that Berserker has been to before this night. And they'll both know where to wait when they're sought out.