“Grandpa!” squeals the little girl as she comes joyfully running to the old man by the fireplace.
“Ah, my child, what is it?” asks the older man as he raises his head and looks at his granddaughter
“It’s story time again! Come on! I wanna hear the rest of the story from the other day!”
“Oh… and which one was that?”
“The one where there was a war over a magical wish granting cup!”
“Ah, now I remember. Fate / Finem Venatus… the war to end all Holy Grail Wars. Yes, I did promise you that I would tell you that story, didn't I?”
“Yes! You did, Grandpa, now start telling it!” demanded the little girl as she sat down with clear anticipation.
“My, my… someone sure is a bit restless today… Well, since I am in a good mood, I’ll tell you about it.” Leaning back into his chair, the old man pulled out a large smoke pipe before lighting it. Taking a large drag from it with his eyes closed, he exhaled a large puff of smoke, almost as if he was reflecting on the events that had transpired. Opening his eyes, he began to speak in a crispy voice. “The story of Fate / Finem Venatus begins right where I left off the last time from the tale of the Holy Crusades, my child. The Servant of the Holy Grail, The Overseer, brought the Holy Grail to a simple city that was built outside the far reaches of civilization. The city was called Septum, a simple yet large city with nice people of various kinds. It wasn’t too busy, nor was it too quiet. You wouldn't find the city even if you looked for it, for its location cannot be found on any map, which was just how the people of Septum wanted it to be, but unfortunately for them, it would bring them disaster instead of happiness.”
“Because of the Holy War?”
“That’s right, my dear. The Overseer, despite wanting to keep casualties to a minimum, didn’t want outsiders besides the ones that he and the Holy Grail have chosen to come, nor did he want to involve the officials of any government at the time.”
“Where was Septum at, grandpa?”
“As I said, I do not know. It just… appeared with unusual traits with it.”
“What kind of unusual traits?”
“That’s the thing, my dear, the traits were so strange, that they don’t make any sense. The city of Septum had mountains as perfect and as large that one would think they could pierce the sky. There were lakes that were filled with fish from lands that shouldn't belong there, yet they didn't kill one another. There were forests as mighty as the Amazon in the distance, also filled with animals and tropics that were unbelievable.”
“That sounds really nice rather than unusual, silly grandpa!”
Giving off a smile, the old man gave off a hearty laugh, before taking a puff from his pipe once more. “Oh yes, it was nice, but the unusual parts have yet to come. See, besides the mountains, lakes, and the jungle, there was also ice.
“I-Ice?!” exclaimed the little girl.
“Yes, ice! An arctic tundra, to be more specific. There were glaciers, and snow as far as the eye can see, with polar bears, penguins, and even some white hares as well! It was unbelievable how such a thing could be so close to the other environments without some sort of logical explanation. But it gets even weirder, for there was even a desert! Scorpions, insects, and even camels resided there.”
“How did the people of Septum react to this?!”
“That’s the thing… they didn't. To them, it was perfectly normal. It was as if their surroundings was entirely normal, and nothing was wrong for them, when in fact the area itself was an abnormality in the world.”
“What was the reason that it was like that?”
“Well, some say that it was the one the Holy Grail summoned; The Overseer. Unlike other entities that were summoned, some say that this man was something entirely different. He was neither good, nor evil; a saint, nor a demon; a hero, nor a villain. Some even called his presence one that would bring forth calamity, and to top it all off, he liked the idea so much that he decided to name himself Kalameet since he believed it suited him nicely rather than his actual name.”
“What was his true name, grandpa?”
“Ah, that’s a secret till later, one that shall be revealed in due time. For The Overseer’s identity was one that he would not reveal until later on. However… in the meantime, The Overseer waited patiently in his church in the center of the city of Septum, which was in the center of its unusual environment protected only by a thin lace of plain grass, which also separated the different biomes. It was clear that the environment was not natural, but the citizens of Septum did not care. Nonetheless, and before I digress any further, let us begin this story with The Overseer, who sat in the church with a mysterious pale maiden…”
“You know, there are far better things to do instead of simply staying here and reading books all day like a shut-in child,” groaned Kalameet as he propped his feet upon the altar of the church, sighing as he leaned back and stared at the cross behind him.
“Take your feet down, it’s disrespectful. Also, for your information, I enjoy reading. This particular book is… interesting to say the least.”
“If you want to call whatever the hell you’re reading a book in the first place. Seriously, almost all romance books are the same. Girl protagonist tries to find love blah, blah, and then Mr. White Knight comes strolling in, swoons her, bangs her, proceeds to have a child, and then they live happily ever after until they die in their late seventies or something.”
The pale girl wearing a small tiny transcendent crown and a white dress, sighs before she shuts her book. Her hair is peach-like while her eyes are a burning crimson red. She turns and stares at Kalameet, visibly more than upset with his statement. “That’s such a fundamentally foul look at things.”
“But it’s true, isn't it? It’s essentially what everyone who seeks a relationship wants no matter what; a happy end for themselves. Seriously though,” groans The Overseer as he props himself up straight and grins, “why don’t we go out and look about? This town is amazing after all; the people are nice, the animals don’t harm one another, and there’s this sweet sushi place that I’ve been dying to go to.”
“It is not your- no, it is not our duty to go about having fun. It’s our duty to resolve the Holy Grail Wars once and for all.”
“You act as if that means we can’t have fun in the meantime. Besides, I've yet to actually declare the start of the war, I’ve only sent out the invitations. No one has been curious enough to set foot in this church besides you and me, and honestly I’m getting quite sick of being in this dull place all day every day.”
“I don’t know what to make of you anymore… I summoned you thinking I knew very well who and what you were like, but despite that initial day, you have never once ceased to remind me in how little do I know you.”
“Ha! If you wanted someone easier to control then you probably should have gone with your first pick, Jeanne d’Arc! But let’s be honest now, you and I both know she’s nowhere near as awesome as I am, that and she’s too much of a religious goody-two-shoes where as I like to be pretty open-minded and experimental!” laughs The Overseer as he folds his arms and raises his head into the air, the sound of his laughter echoing through the chapel. “This will be the final, yet most interesting war of them all, I just know it!”
Leaping up from his seat, all of the candles within the chapel suddenly light up, almost in response to the burning joy that is emitting from The Overseer. Making his way in front of the altar, the man simply raises his hand into the air before laughing once loudly once more and snapping his fingers… causing a bright light to form within the skies above Septum. “As The Overseer, I, Servant of the Holy Grail, hereby declare that the War for the Holy Grail has begun! From this moment on, the battle is on!” While Kalameet finishes, the pale maiden simply sighs before placing the book, titled Romeo and Juliet, on the altar before walking outside and looking at the bright light in the skies above Septum.
“Perhaps, this time, history will not repeat itself. I pray that it truly does end here…” murmurs the maiden sadly, before reentering the chapel.
