The chill of midnight swept through the empty streets, carrying a frigid gust that jolted two teenage boys awake. They lay sprawled on the cold sidewalk, the rough concrete biting into their backs. As their senses returned, they blinked groggily, taking in their surroundings—a school courtyard enclosed by tall metal fencing. 

The shorter of the two, a boy with the black bird's nest, sat up scratching at his head like a frantic crackhead chasing after his next high. His wide eyes darted around in panic. 

"Oh no! He threw us into Highschool of the Dead!" 

The taller boy, unfazed, simply shrugged. "Zombies? Big deal. Not like they're worse than the bosses we've fought before." 

The duo's attention was caught by the sharp clang of metal clashing against metal rang through the air, followed by a thunderous explosion. A shockwave rippled through the ground, sending dust and debris flying in all directions. Instinctively, the boys shielded their faces as the force of the impact pressed against their bodies. 

From behind the barrier of his arms, the taller boy peeked out—and what he saw sent a chill down his spine. Two figures, one cloaked in red, the other in blue, blurred across the battlefield, their movements too fast for the eye to follow. On the sidelines stood a girl, watching the chaos unfold. 

He nudged his friend. "Kevin, we need to leave. Like right now. Casually. Just walk away." 

Kevin turned, "Well you see Howard… I think I made eye contact with the blue guy. He stopped moving. And now that I'm looking closer, he looks kinda—" 

Howard grabbed Kevin by the collar and yanked him to his feet, sprinting without looking back. 

"Goddamn it, Kevin! We gotta bolt!" 

"Damn, what anime is this?!" Kevin coughed out before brushing off Howard's grip as he matched his pace. 

"It's Fate." 

"Well, guide us! I don't know shit about this!" 

"What we need right now is to find a populated area—hopefully." 

Their breath came in ragged gasps as they pushed their bodies to the limit, sprinting under the glow of the moon. The deserted neighborhood streets stretched endlessly before them, offering no cover. 

Howard spat under his breath. "Why does it have to be a goddamn suburb?! We've got a fast-ass motherfucker in blue tights ready to kill us!" 

Just then, Kevin slammed into Howard's outstretched arm, coming to an abrupt halt. 

"The fuck was that—" 

Slowly, Kevin's gaze lifted. 

Perched atop a telephone pole was a figure draped in deep crimson, crouched like a predator waiting to pounce. A long red lance rested against his shoulder. The moon's pale light reflected off his blood-red eyes and the silver earring that dangled from his ear, swaying in the midnight breeze. 

A smirk spread across his visage. "Took you guys long enough. I was starting to fall asleep waiting." 

Kevin turned to Howard. "Well… this run is dead." 

Howard let out a long sigh. "Yup." 

With effortless grace, the lancer leapt from the telephone pole, landing before them onto the center of the road. He twirled his weapon before leveling it at the duo. "Sorry, but you'll have to die." 

Kevin scoffed, spitting on the ground. "For someone with eighth-grade syndrome, you dare act so arrogant?" 

Howard smacked Kevin upside the head before reaching into his pocket, pulling out a card. Holding it up to the dim streetlight. A swirl of purple energy crackled to life as a robed magician materialized beside him, a green staff spinning in his fingers. 

"It's all or nothing. Go! Dark Magician—Dark Magic Attack!" 

A surge of dark energy erupted from the magician's staff, tearing through the street with a brilliant flash of violet lightning. The sheer force of the blast shattered concrete, sending debris flying in all directions. For a moment, the explosion's radiance turned night into day. 

Kevin shielded his eyes, his voice overpowered by the explosion. "That's the ultimate wizard in terms of attack and defense..." He stumbled back, landing on his ass. 

As the dust settled, the blue lancer emerged from the destruction—unscathed now standing on the sidewalk opposite to the two.. Not a single speck of dirt marred his ultramarine bodysuit. Casually twirling his lance, he smirked. 

"Impressive light show. But projectiles don't work on me." His crimson eyes flicked toward the magician. "So… is that Caster your Servant?" 

Howard scoffed. "Yeah, sure." His gaze remained locked on the lancer's weapon. "Dark Magician, defense—" 

A flash of red. 

The lance shot forward, piercing straight through the Dark Magician's head. The sorcerer shattered into thousands of polygonal shards, the lance continuing its deadly trajectory—toward Howard's skull. 

Kevin lunged, tackling Howard out of the way as the two crashed onto the sidewalk in a heap as the red lance embedded itself into the ground where Howard had stood. 

"Howard, I'll talk him into letting us go!" A devious grin spread across Kevin's dirt-smeared face. 

Howard jumped back up into standing position. "No, you suck at this. When has your 'talk no jutsu' ever worked?!" 

Kevin dusted himself off and took a big step forward. 

"You know…you and I aren't so different. You don't have to resort to violence. Let bygones be bygones, and just let us go, man." 

Lancer blinked, momentarily thrown off by the sheer audacity of Kevin's words. His grip on the lance wavered. 

Howard's eyes widened. "Wait… is this actually working?!" 

Kevin turned around and started accelerating "Now Howard—RUN!" 

The two bolted down the street. 

Gasping for air, Howard wheezed. "How long does that last?!" 

Kevin shrugged mid-sprint. "I dunno, that's the first time it worked, so… no idea!" 

Suddenly, Kevin winced in pain, clutching his right hand as if it were on fire. His fingers trembled, a deep red glow emanating from his palm. 

Kevin stared at the intricate markings forming on his skin, the moonlight catching their strange, ethereal glow before casting a side glance at Howard "Mind telling me what this is fate wiki?"

"Okay… this changes everything. We might actually have a shot. We need to find a ritual circle. Now." 

Kevin frowned. "Why do I have this?! I'm the Fate noob!" 

"Because fate. Either that or we go beg a shady priest for protection, but I wouldn't recommend it." 

Kevin exhaled sharply, flexing his marked hand. His gaze lingered on the glowing lines—until his foot caught on a trash can. 

He crashed, sending garbage flying everywhere. 

"You fucking dumbass—" Howard's eyes then caught something glimmering in the trash: a sword sheath, shining in silver, blue, and gold. 

His heart skipped a beat. Without hesitation, he shoved Kevin aside, frantically digging it out. 

Kevin groaned. "Howard, you fu—" Blood dribbled from his lip as he staggered, only to have the sheath thrust into his arms. 

"Take it. We need to find a ritual circle. Now." 

Kevin and Howard ran until their legs screamed in protest, their breath coming in ragged gasps. The quiet suburb finally gave way to an open park, the grass cool beneath their aching bodies as they collapsed onto the dirt. 

Howard wiped the sweat from his brow. "Damn… that talk no jutsu is really clutch. Lancer still hasn't caught up yet." 

Kevin, lying flat on his back, lifted a discarded picnic blanket from the ground, shaking off the dust. "Did someone really throw this away? The design's pretty nice. I'm taking it." 

Howard sat up, "Kevin, we have a demigod-level ghost that can one-shot us, and you're worried about a damn—" 

His eyes locked onto the intricate patterns of the blanket before darting toward the sheath they had recovered earlier. With a sharp intake, he snatched the blanket off his friend, laying it out on the soft grass before picking up the sheath and tossing it onto the center. 

His hands trembled slightly, not from fear but from sheer adrenaline. He turned to Kevin, eyes burning with intensity. 

"Alright. Repeat after me—word for word." He jabbed a finger at Kevin's chest. 

"No screwing around. Just say it." He clenched his fists, knuckles white as the distant sound of approaching footsteps sent a shiver down his spine. 

"Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall. Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the crown, reaching unto the Kingdom, rotate. Let it be declared now—your flesh shall serve under me, and my fate shall be with your sword." 

Kevin fiddled with his birdsnest, his brows furrowing. "Wait… me?" 

Howard groaned, running both hands through his black hair before gripping Kevin's shoulders and shaking him. "Yes, you, dumbass! You're the one with the hand tattoo!" 

The sound of footsteps grew louder. The wind howled through the park, kicking up dirt and leaves, a storm creeping closer. Howard turned toward the noise, before turning back to Kevin in a whisper. 

"Hurry the fuck up, Kevin!" His foot unconsciously tapped against the ground, his entire body tense like a coiled spring. 

Kevin swallowed hard. His heart pounded in his ears.

"L-let rise a w-wall agains'—fuck—against the wind t-that shall fall. L-let the four… g-gates? No, cardinal! Cardinal gates close—oh shit, I bit my tongue—let the t-three-forked road from the crown re-reach unto the Kingdom rotate! L-let it be de-declared now—your flesh shall s-serve und—goddammit!—under me, and my fate shall b-be with your sword!" 

Howard winced, dragging a hand down his face. "That was painful to hear." 

"I wanted it to sound more respectful, but somebody kept rushing me!" 

Then the ground beneath them trembled. 

A blinding white light exploded from the blanket. Arcs of blue lightning crackled through the air, scorching the dirt. The air thickened, the temperature spiking as raw energy radiated from the summoning circle. Howard raised his arm to shield his eyes. 

"Let's hope your luck doesn't screw us over…" he muttered, barely audible over the deafening roar of magical energy surging around them. 

Then— 

"There you are." 

Both boys turned sharply toward the park entrance. 

The blue lancer had arrived. His red spear glowed under the moonlight as he rolled his shoulders, his brows furrowed. 

"I don't know what you did to me last time, but whatever it was, it won't work on me twice!" He lunged. 

Kevin's breath hitched, his legs trembling—but despite every survival instinct screaming at him to run, his middle finger shot up at the charging warrior. "You wanna die, you bitch?!" 

The spear closed in— 

Then the wind howled. 

A violent gust of air tore through the space between them, knocking Kevin and Howard clean off their feet. They crashed onto the dirt with a grunt as a cloaked figure materialized before them. 

A hooded figure, clad in medieval armor, stood tall, their airy blade raised in a seamless defensive stance. The polished metal of their gauntlet gleamed in the moonlight. 

Lancer clicked his tongue, twirling his spear. "Tch. Great. This just got complicated." 

And then—he struck. 

Lancer dashed forward in a blur, thrusting his crimson spear with deadly precision. The hooded knight sidestepped with inhuman agility before parrying the strike with a sharp upward arc of their air blade. The clash sent a shockwave rippling through the park, rustling the trees and scattering debris. 

Lancer pivoted, retracting his weapon before spinning into a follow-up sweep. The knight leaned back, narrowly avoiding the attack before retaliating with a whirlwind slash, sending a spiraling gust of razor-sharp air toward his opponent. 

Lancer ducked just in time, the wind grazing past his cheek, slicing through the bark of a nearby tree like paper. Without missing a beat, he leaped into the air, twisting mid-flight before hurling his spear downward like a javelin. 

The knight stood firm. At the last possible second, they raised their blade and deflected the incoming projectile, sending it spinning into the ground several feet away. 

Lancer landed gracefully kicking his spear back into his grasp "Not bad. But let's see how long you can keep up!" 

With a burst of speed, he lunged once more. 

The hooded knight met him head-on, their weapons clashing in a dazzling flurry of strikes—each impact igniting sparks in the night air. Blades flashed, feet danced across the concrete in a deadly exchange of attacks and counters. 

Howard and Kevin lay sprawled on the ground, completely captivated, their eyes darting back and forth to keep up with the scene unfolding before them. 

Then, in a sudden burst of movement, Lancer's spear found an opening. With a forceful twist, he knocked the hooded knight's invisible blade off-balance and sent a devastating kick to their chest. 

The knight staggered back slightly but remained standing. 

"Hmph. You're better than most, I'll give you that." Lancer spun his spear once more before finally retreating a few steps. "But I've had my fun. I'll be back soon enough." 

With that, he vanished into the night, his presence dissipating into the shadows. 

As the dust settled, the hooded knight turned to face Kevin and Howard, their gaze unreadable beneath the shadows of their cloak. 

Then, in a voice calm yet firm, they spoke— 

"I ask of you—are you my Master?"