The dawn of the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki was coming closer, and all Masters summoned their Servants.
What a coincidence that both the Fairy Queen and the King of Knights were summoned at the same time! One, in the wilderness of a forest. The other, in a chamber of a castle. They both appeared in the environment most suited their fate, yet both were dissatisfied with the place once they came to learn the history of that land.
They thought they were the opposite, yet actually, they were similar. Very soon, they would see what fate had in store for them.
• • •
It took some time for Raito to collect himself. He had gone soft ever since his initial goal was achieved. Especially so, after an accident involving himself.
Before coming to Tortus, he was an orphan who lost his parents when he was little. When he fell into the Abyss, lying there, he swore to get out of that hell and to create a home for himself. Everybody who stood in his way was his enemy. That was his determination, the driving force behind all his actions. After killing Ehit, though, he didn't return to Earth with his classmates but chose to remain in Tortus and rebuild the same world that showed him hell into his new home. After all, as much pain he experienced there, it also was that place where he met his love. He succeeded, and his journey ended.
It was what he thought until a sudden strike of lightning bypassed all his defenses and made him fall into a coma. Panic ensued. No magic or medicine worked, and the enemy remained unknown. The ever growing concern of his family made his location the most secure place in the world while the entire Tortus went into a battle-ready state. It took a long time for things to calm down after he woke up. He spent the next couple of months solely focusing on people who were ready to commit a genocide in hopes of finding the mysterious assailant. Only after that was over, and the threat of angry women was resolved; he started exploring the new powers that lightning brought him.
'Maybe it is because of that I have become so much more tame. Well, all my wild tendencies are usually resolved in battle. The battlefield may vary though, heh.'
Meanwhile, Morgan was thinking about how to teach him her magecraft. She has never taught anybody before, but she was not a queen for show; she was adept at giving instructions (orders) to others. Isn't teaching the same thing? The only difference is that the latter requires patience and initial demonstration. That she could do.
"Morgan, if you are determined to be mine, then you should understand that your position won't be that of a wife. To become an official wife, you need approval of Yue and the others and, most importantly, my love. I do feel attraction to you, and I know do so too, but don't mistake those two. Even if we know each other whole lives, we haven't spent that time together... I will mark your soul, though. I can't have you in danger, can I?" After some self-reflection, told Raito.
"You tell me that, yet you are going to do something reserved only for your 'most cherished ones' as you have said that time." Her teasing answer assured him that by acting out of character all this time, she was testing his patience with her. Well, why not respond in kind?
"Oh, but I do consider you my most cherished one. Servant, that is." He countered with a devilish smirk.
The small smile growing on her face froze from his last remark. Even if she acted so unrestrained with him, she hadn't changed at her core. The way he addressed her, she didn't like it one bit.
Then he added, "Don't test my patience too much. I am not as short-tempered as I was upon leaving the Abyss, but I wouldn't recommend pushing me over the edge. You won't like the result."
"I know." Of course she knew. She saw everything he had done. Out of everyone on Earth, only she knew the extent of how disastrous it was to make him agitated, much less an enemy. He was a Beast candidate for Brittain's sake! But that also fueled her desire for him. He was possessive, protective, and supportive to those he accepted, but ruthless, brutal, and lethal for his potential enemies. Emphasis on 'potential', as that kind was extinct. At the moment, he hadn't accepted her yet, but with the latest developments, it was bound to happen. She would make sure of it. Enduring some teasing was easy. She would just pay him back for it one day.
"With that out of the way, here is a device. It will measure your stats with numerical values and display your skills that you can normally use. Grail's system isn't precise in these matters. Since you lost homeland boost, your stats there dropped a rank or a plus. I believe that those Bs are not the same, and the boost was equal in value for all of them. Just one example of inaccuracies in that system. The only field it excels in is Noble Phantasm or skills granted you by the legend, not earned by you yourself. My creation wouldn't detect those."
Listening to his reasoning, Morgan got curious about what this rectangle inactive display would show her. After all, she agreed with him on excessive generalization in Grail's grading system.
~~~~~ • ~~~~~
Morgan [Caster]
Strength: B
Endurance: B
Agility: B
Mana: EX
Luck: A
Noble Phantasm: EX
Class Skills
Madness Enhancement: C
Magic Resistance: A+
Item Constraction: EX
Territory Creation: B+
Fairy Eyes: A+
Personal Skills
Charisma of Yearning: B
Protection of the Lake: A
From the Ends of the World: A
Noble Phantasm
Lordless Camelot: EX
~~~~~ • ~~~~~
She knew for a fact that value in her mana stat had dropped, but here its rank remained unchanged. Also, her strength, endurance, and agility obviously weren't the same.
Once she activated the device, Morgan felt as if her entire existence was scanned and all her secrets were exposed. As soon as that feeling vanished, the display lit up.
————— • —————
< S T A T U S >
MORGAN AVALON
6023 Years • Female |Lv.???| FAIRY QUEEN
STR 350 VIT 370 DEF 310
AGI 380 MAG 9300 MDEF 960
SKILLS
All Elemental Affinity [+] ● Nature Magic Affinity ● Dark Magic [+] ● Creation Magic Aptitude ● Spirit Magic Aptitude ● Space Magic Aptitude ● Water Immunity ● Mystery Manipulation [+] ● Mana Conversion [+] ● Spell Mending ● Staff Mastery ● Spear Mastery ● Halbert Mastery ● Battle-axe Mastery ● Dagger Mastery ● Fairy Eyes ● Poker Face ● Presence Amplification ● Intimidate ● Unyielding Will ● Steel Mind
————— • —————
Morgan was absorbed in reading her Status Plate when a sudden exclamation from Raito made her look up at him.
"Ah! So that's why..." Noticing a questioning gaze on him, he added, "『Steel Mind』 cancels negative effects of 『Madness Enhancement: C』. That skill belongs to Berserkers, and, you know, they aren't the talkative bunch."
"So the thing that has surprised you is my skill and not my age... Or is it?" Morgan said and directed a pearcing gaze to him, no doubt using her Fairy Eyes to check for any falsehood within his reply.
"My first wife is an immortal vampire classified as Archetype-Tortus here, and the third wife is a Dragon God. Both have lived a long life before meeting me. You did the same. In a way, it's actually good that you are from long-lived species. Before, I wasn't sure how long I would live because of my 『Mystical Mutation』, but that worry evaporated ever since I gained Divinity. Now, I don't need to concern myself over outliving them or you."
Morgan slowly nodded while still looking at him, applying silent pressure. Of course, she knew all that already, but it was necessary to do it like this.
Although she agreed to belong to him, that didn't mean she won't put effort into gaining the most benefits out of the situation, to be the one in control. She saw how Yue could ask anything, and he would do it in a heartbeat, how far he was ready to go for her. Okay, Morgan was jealous. She just found her perfect husband, and it turned out he had already been taken. For the first time since losing all her strong feelings for the sole purpose of protecting Britain over the millennias, she felt it. The same strong desire to have something so alluring yet so unreachable. Back then, under the influence of his 『Ruler of Monsters: EX』 her suppressed feelings resurfaced once again, and her instincts went into overdrive. She was completely overwhelmed, yet she had never felt so alive as at that moment. Thus, she made him her goal, and the more she knew about him, the more her desire for him grew.
Finally retracting her gaze from Raito to the status plate, Morgan continued inwardly musing about the implications of each skill. After coming to a conclusion, she decided to verify her findings with the creator of the artifact.
"So, I lack 『Mana Manipulation』 to perform True Magic..."
"Yes. While Mystery is a great intermediary, ultimately, mana performs the act. Through the prior, you can designate the phenomenon you want to inact, but actually, magic is limited to your imagination, control over mana, and affinity with it. Well, even if you don't have the last one, you still can manage. The downside is that it is much more difficult to do it. Nothing good old hard work can't fix.
I myself lack in this regard, but as you know, my efforts were rewarded with slow but steady progress. It's not like I don't have enough time... I study magecraft because of its ease of use once you are attuned to the Mystery behind it. Even though I am fine with slow progress, it's always good to optimize your work to do it more efficiently. I am planning to surprise Yue with my new heights in magic once I return." Raito said with a small smile at the end.
'Good. It's decided. It's so damn irritating that it would be a pity not to use the same on those who annoy me. I will rub about him, being my husband, into everyone's faces.'
Morgan inwardly grumbled.
"So, how are we going to do it?"
"I can use {Soul Transformation} spell on you. This is one of Ehit's originals that Yue got. After an accident, my memory became like a limitless storage. Since then, I have also been able to recollect anything I have ever learned at will. So, they stuffed basically everything they knew into me, including this one. Those were some fun times..." At the end, he began reminiscing a little.
'I don't know anything what happened after that strange lightning struck him. It looks like divine protection of sorts, but it isn't. Well, nevermind that. The important part is that he is even stronger and more versatile than what I thought. Now, how do I make him fall for me? What advantages do I have over his lovers, especially Yue? That vampire is so similar to me that it is too difficult to find anything for me to really stand out. This morning, I have confirmed that if I behave like her, I will get the results, but I refuse to be a mere copy!'
"Morgan, are you okay with it?" His question pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Yes. I believe you can do it flawlessly, husband."
Raito examined her for any falsehood or hesitation and found none. He knew that despite her behavior around him, at her core, she was a cold, ruthless queen who could truly trust only in her own power. The fact that she had chosen to trust and rely on him showed possibly the only real fundamental change within her.
Of course, he knew that Morgan was going to use him, and the way she acted with him was not the real her. In a way, it was even amusing. Tio had done the same. As much as Morgan didn't like dragons, she was surprisingly similar to them.
"Relax. No matter what it would make you feel, don't reject me; accept all the changes. Under these conditions, the procedure has the lowest chance of any mishap happening." After making sure that Morgan was ready, Raito began.
• • •
Accompanying Irisviel von Einzbern, Saber arrived at Fuyuki City, the battleground for the 4th Holy Grail War. To be more precise, they were at the outskirts of it, in the Einzbern Castle surrounded by Einzbern Forest. It was evening, but all the relevant people gathered in one room to discuss their strategy.
The group consisted of a homunculus created to be the vessel for the Lesser Grail, a Master who was also known as Magus Killer, his assistant, and his Servant. They were Irisviel von Einzbern, Kiritsugu Emiya, Maiya Hisau, and Artoria Pendragon, respectively.
In the middle of their discussion, a sudden change in the surrounding mana caught their attention. Looking out of the window, Artoria felt how nature came to life. This immediately caused her to experience a whirlpool of emotions and absent-mindedly mutter: "Morgan."
Other occupants of the room easily picked up her muttering. Kiritsugu commanding voice reverberated across the chamber, "Elaborate."
"It feels like fairy magic, but a cold, rejecting one. This is the work of Morgan, I am sure. Even if it is slightly different, I would recognize it anywhere." It felt surprising to see the King of Knight so heated. But given their history, it was understandable.
"Now, we know the identity of the Caster. It can be her 『Territory Creation』skill. Saber, what are the effects of it?" Her Master inquired.
"She can perceive surroundings through the plants. I don't know how she has located us so quickly, but from now on, she will be aware of our every move." A hint of frustration found its way into Artoria's voice.
"It is bad. Kiritsugu, what do we do? We are at tremendous disadvantage, aren't we?" Irisviel asked, concerned.
"Maya, you go on reconnaissance mission starting this night. Communication is to be done through radio. Report at the usual time. Once the action starts, unless discovered, give me the signal every half an hour. Equipment is in the storehouse. You know the passcode." Finishing giving orders, he turned to face his wife. "We will pull through. Just stay cautious."
"Yes, I will do that. Stay safe yourself."
Magus Killer merely nodded, knowing that her request was impossible. Then he addressed standing behind the sitting Irisviel King of Knights, dressed in a classic black suit giving off bodyguard feeling.
"Saber, continue with your current assignment. She must be protected all the time. But right now, list me Morgan's abilities. Everything you can remember, including her behavior and habits. We have the edge over other Masters in having this information on our hands. It would be good if we could direct others to clash with Caster first."
A bird sitting on the edge of the window frame was seemingly minding its own business, but in actuality, it was intently listening to the conversation. Once it ended, the bird drifted to sleep.
Similar situations occurred in several other places throughout Fuyuki City. All Masters were discussing with their Servants how to react to this new development. Everybody except for two. One was in no condition to worry about it even if his Berserker clearly felt fairy magic. The other was questioning his life while looking at Rider engrossed into a video game.
The one who worried the most was an old magus going by the name of Zouken Matou. He was dreading the Servant who could instantly cover the whole city as their territory and kill all his familiars that were watching over it. He felt a sense of crisis like never before, so he decided to fortify his home and lay low. He was yet to know that a Calamity had locked his gaze on him. Under its scrutiny, his existence was like an open book. It was then and there that he was finally declared an enemy.
That action by Caster marked the start of the 4th Holy Grail War. The calm before the storm was over, or so they thought. Even in their wildest dreams, these magus couldn't imagine the scale of the disaster about to be unleased by the forces gathering here. They were ready to face a storm, but they would end up in an apocalypse.
Thinking about it, Raito added. 'In this war, there won't be winners. Only survivors.'