Sinia trembled in excitement as she viewed the intricate summoning circle she had delineated with the blood of two chickens. The chickens had suffered painless deaths, their throats severed and their lives faded away by the swift notes that Uaithne produced, and the ordeal of smearing the blood had been quite unpleasant, but Sinia was used to it as a magus. The time was 1:59, a minute before the time when her mana in her body peaked. The mere thought of particiapting in a grand battle royale with glorious figures of history sent shivers of excitemend down her spine, and simultaneously sent chills of fear as she recognized that death would loom by her side from the inception of the war. Regardless, Sinia possessed a conviction steeled enough to accept such risks. She was not naive, contrary to what her nature might have suggested, and understood with her tacit perception that this ordeal was no light matter. The odds were in her favor of course, her having practiced highly efficient runic magecraft with runes from the Age of Gods passed down from her family that had serviced the elder god Dagda since the Age of Gods. Dagda's harp also lay by her side, a treasure among treasures, a relic that only she could utilize from the tradition carried in her blood. Regardless, Sinia had no experience in combat nor did she desire any conflict. She had the will to stand up under adversity, but she did not have the fighter's mettle to strike back at adversity. She more closely resonated with the saint's ideal of taking adversity with open heart. The very concept of a war struck a ridiculous contrast with her personality so marked by ease and mellifluous harmony, but desperation drove her with its taut reigns. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Sinia cleared her head of extraneous thoughts and began to start the summoning ritual. She clasped her left hand into a tight fist and held it towards the circle, closing her eyes to channel her focus. The circle began to glow with a gentle golden radiance as she chanted,
"Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let my great protector Dagda be the ancestor.
Raise a wall, against the wind that shall fall. Close the four cardinal gates.
Come out from the crown.
Rotate the three-branched road reaching the Kingdom.
Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Let each be turned over five times, simply breaking asunder the fulfilled time.
I shall declare here. Your body shall serve under me.
My fate shall be with your sword. Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail.
If you will submit to this will and this reason…… then answer!
An oath shall be sworn here!
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven.
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!
From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, Protector of the Balance!"
The circle exploded in a burst of scintillating golden light, expanding forward and engulfing the small apartment room that Sinia lived in completely. Thankfully she had contained the area with a bounded field to not leave traces of the summoning for other magus to pick up on.
_________________-
After the words of the summoning ritual were chanted, the bright, golden light spread throughout the room. Its intensity faded after a few moments and revealed a sturdy-looking man who stood in the center of the summoning circle the woman had made. A bow was slung over his shoulders and he was adorned with both leather and steel armor, the former making most of the protective padding that he wore. Some of it was trimmed with beige-colored fur. The man also brandished a helmet that covered his head, but pieces of his long, ebony-colored hair poked out from the bottom of the helm and drifted in slight waves to the base of his neck. His sharp, reddish-brown eyes stared at the one who summoned him as his brows furrowed slightly.
The man took a few steps forward, his gaze remaining firmly planted on the woman before him. "Greetings," his voice was a deep one, as one could tell as he spoke. He removed his helmet, letting the rest of his black hair escape the confines of his helmet. "My name is Genghis Khan, or Temujin, if you are not familiar with my more prominent name." He paused for a moment, watching to see how she would react. In those few seconds, he took in the sight of his Master; it was obviously a woman, with light-colored hair and eyes. She was thin, and at first, he wondered how a woman like her was going to survive in this war. "Though, you may call me Rider."
His gaze flicked around the room, raising a hand to scratch the side of his stubbly face. Where was he? It seemed as if he was in an apartment, or something of the sort. He wondered why she chose to summon him here; she didn't appear to be dim-witted or dull, so he expected her to have prepared the area for a summoning, as well. It appeared to be a simple apartment, suited for one or two people. Of course, he could be mistaken.
Rider looked at his Master again, his face serious. "What do I call the one who has summoned me?" he questioned her.
_____________________________-
The catalyst that Sinia had acquired from a dealer in the association had paid off well. The great conquerer who had constructed the largest land empire. A man also known for his brutality and cruelty in conquest, and yet respected for his tolerance of foreign culture and respect of all social classes. A man of contrasts deep and great that coalesced into a magnificent whole that left an indelible mark on history. Quite the imposing figure, with solid and sturdy build marked with an aura of distinction. Sinia took in the being that was now her servant, and viewed him with contained awe. Such was her engrossment that she had not realized he had asked a question.
Containing her amazement at the historical legend, Sinia responded with a surprisingly calm voice that rang out with a melodious flow,
"You may call me Sinia or anything you so desire, since I won't really mind. It is an honor to witness you so alive even if you are but a spiritual body manifested in a container."
_____________________________
His lips curled upwards slightly in the beginning of a smile. His Master was a respectable one, wasn't she? At least she seemed to be an honorable ally, which pleased him to the fullest. Rider wasn't sure if he would be able to tolerate someone who disrespected him so. Her name was Sinia, but oddly enough she did not provide him with a surname. Not that he cared-- a name was enough for him. "Very well, Sinia," he began, bowing slightly in a small gesture of respect. The Servant's small grin remained on his face as he straightened up. "I cannot wait to see what you have in store for us." He really couldn't. Sinia seemed like she had potential, even though she was a woman. There had to be a reason the Grail chose her, right?
Rider's gaze wavered around the room again, the shadow of a curious expression falling over his face. "Where exactly is this?" he questioned her. All he had seen so far was the inside of her home, which was small and cramped for him. Would he be able to call this his home for the time being? Or would he become impatient within the walls? He would have to wait and see in order to find out how he would fit into her lifestyle. "It is... a small apartment, or so they call it. I wonder if you feel restrained here. It is like a cage."
He didn't mean any offense when he spoke; Rider was just stating what he thought about her humble abode. He had been a nomad when he was alive, wandering the world as he conquered tribe after tribe. It was natural for him to feel constricted within an apartment.
___________________________________
Sinia nodded in response to her servant before briskly opening her door and venturing out of the apartment complex. She was dressed in casual attire consisting of jeans and a white wool sweater while her hair hung in slightly frayed cascades from not being attended to regularly. She carried a satchel around her right shoulder which contained most of her necessities such as her academic materials and performance dress. They also contained stones, crushed gems, and other strange objects to act as catalysts for her runic magecraft. Runic magecraft was a highly efficient and versatile one, and the ones Sinia used from the Age of Gods were vastly superior to those used by most modern magus.
As Sinia traversed down from the second story of the respectable and modest apartment she resided in to the entrance, she explained the details of the world in a quick summary,
"This is a small area, but its next to the shopping district so there are a lot of small services and stores around. Many more people exist now then in the pace, so urbanization has forced high rise buildings, so it isn't uncommon to have "business" buildings extending several floors with a different service on each floor or area. The shops of course vary infinitely because they are so common, and the vehicles that pass are ones without living power. They subsist on fuels not related to mystery or magecraft, but are just as effective."
Sinia exited the apartment and admired the cityscape around her. The air was brisk and clean that day, and mellow sunlight streamed in from all directions as a gentle and cool breeze soothed the area.
____________________________-
The invisible man followed his Master down the stairs, wondering what exactly he would find outside. While Servants understood the world around them no matter what time period they were brought into, he was still interested in seeing everything with his own eyes. Rider perked up and listened to what Sinia told him. So the area was small, but they were near the shopping district, eh? That meant there should be a lot of people bustling around. If he had time, he would look around the shopping district on his own. His Master probably had things to do, and when she did not need him around, he could very well do some "window shopping". There had to be a lot of things to see, after all.
The day was a nice one. It was the first thing he noted because of the sun shining down on the Earth below. The sound of birds and cars in the distance reached his ears, and he uttered a low laugh as he looked at the cityscape. "Impressive," he told her, his garnet-colored gaze flicking to and fro. It was interesting to see how humans had come along in history. They had built such large buildings and the like. It certainly was different than the time when he was alive.
Rider set his hands on his hips, taking in the view with a pleased look. "So, where exactly are we off to?"
____________________________________
"I'll be off to the university of this town. You may stay where you wish as I'm sure the freedom is quite the blessing for you. You need not worry about my safety though I may use a command seal if a situation does become desperate if you do not mind."
Sinia said this as she entered the entrance of the university and meandered her way through the area to find her classroom. She walked with a brisk and energetic pace, her pale yellow hair flowing behind her in slender strands twirling in the light breeze. Her eyes were lit full of life and anticipation for the day, and a radiant smile gave the appearance that Sinia was living the best day of her life. Of course, there was not much out of the norm for the day other than her summoning of Rider, but it was Sinia's habit to enjoy every nuance and moment of life fully, and therefore nothing ever looked the same for her. The road she always crossed changed from day to day as she noticed it from new perspectives and appreciated it in different angles, and so on for all her other constants in life. She was prepared for battle at all times of course. Sinia had no room for naivete and understood fully the gravity of this war. She was not overconfident nor was she too humble, instead stirking a balance most attuned with practical action.
Sinia could easily defend herself from even servants, it was true. Uaithne was no mere artifact for a modern magus, it was quite literally a Noble Phantasm of an elder god of the Celtic pantheon, and though Sinia had not mastered Uaithne to large extent, she would still be capable of repelling an attack from a lesser servant such as Assassin by striking the harps notes to cast a melody of spells weaving together in harmony unsurpassed by modern magi. A boundary field, mental interference, elemental defenses, and barriers could be set up all together within a few notes. Runes inherited since the Age of Gods such as ressurection, Ansuz, Sowilo, and the ilk would provide formidable deterrence against servants. Of course, Sinia had no reliable offense. If she had been a different person, one more inherent towards violence or combat, Uaithne would have transformed these emotions into deadly offensive spells. But she was incapable of manifesting such intent, and as such her capacity as an offensive fighter was almost null. Fortunately, Rider would be able to provide her with an offensive edge.
