Chapter 180: Invocation (Prologue)
-Turin, Italy. Three years ago-
As if fate would have it, three eccentric men in their own way have met in a single place that made them look anticlimactic. A Magus and two Clerics of the Church. This might be normal to the naked eye, obviously to 'ordinary' people, but not to people who have gone deep into the world of Magus and the Church. For someone from the Church, it is inconceivable to be near a Magus, let alone address them, but this was a special occasion. Although Magus, in the eyes of the Church, are considered heretics, something interesting happened on this occasion.
Einzbern, Tohsaka, Makiri, these are known as the three original families, and their great achievement was the reproduction of the 'Holy Grail'. It was 200 years ago when these families set up their experiments in that place that is 'out of this world'. With this, they succeeded, they made the 'omnipotent container' manifest, but in return, they realized that the Grail could only grant one wish to one person. This sparked discord between the families and blood flowed, which turned this into a war, the 'Holy Grail War', the 'Heaven's Feel'.
Since that time, the Grail is invoked every 60 years in the far eastern land of Fuyuki, only then, the Grail itself selects seven Magus who have the power to receive it, and provides them with large amounts of prana and distributes it among them, thus making possible the invocation of the Heroic Spirits, better known as Servants.
It is for this very reason that these three eccentric characters gathered in the same place to talk about this, since two of those present have been selected by the Holy Grail. The first, with a relaxed expression on his somewhat confident face, was Tōsaka Tokiomi. Wearing an elegant red suit with a blue ribbon around his neck tied like a bow, he maintained his serenity throughout as he raised his glass. He was seated in front of these two men, father and son, who were, in retrospect, the two Clerics of the Church. How to be expected, Tokiomi is the Magus in this place.
"The mark that lies on your hand is called 'command seals' and is the irrefutable proof that you have been selected by the grail, which also gives you the power to control a Servant."
Tokiomi, with his soft voice, kept his seriousness to the matter while, Kirei, the youngest cleric in this room, remained a bit puzzled. There were many questions arising in his mind, but there will be time to ask. So he kept calm and looked up serenely. His hair, like his eyes, were black as night. Despite his somewhat youthful appearance, the expression on his face was anything but pleasant. His eyes were empty, opaque, as if his body lacked a soul. His facial expression was completely expressionless, with no index of being able to change it properly for a conversation. However, Tokiomi did not focus on that. Heaven's Feel is a contest to the death between seven Magus and seven Servants with the goal of obtaining the omnipotent power of the Holy Grail. It is normal for Kirei to be puzzled by this. That he, a cleric and executor of the Church should be selected by the Holy Grail, a matter exclusively for Magus, is inconceivable. Magic is heresy, which makes Magus heretics in the eyes of the Church. It wasn't all about that, though. Since the last Heaven's Feel, the Church decided to intervene as a mediator in this war.
"One of the most important things you should know about this is that, in effect, it is a battle that uses Servants as familiars. Therefore, elemental summoning magic is something you must know on a mandatory basis. That's why those chosen by the grail are Magus. Although for you, someone from the church, it must be exceptional that the Grail has chosen you at such an early stage to the war."
Tokiomi was correct. This alone generated a lot of doubt in Kirei's mind. Now he felt he must ask his first question.
"Does the Grail have preferences when choosing someone?"
Tokiomi nodded at the young man's doubt.
He explained that without a doubt the Grail will choose the blood of the three original families, Einzbern, Tōsaka and Makiri. So he raised his hand to show the red triple mark on his hand.
"As the current head of the Tōsaka family, I will participate in this battle."
That meant that in this war, even though Kirei has been kindly guided by Tokiomi, they will have to clash at some point. But leaving that aside, Kirei had a doubt about the so-called 'Heroic Spirits'.
"It might be hard to believe, but it's the reality. You could say that this is a fraction of the power of this grail."
Extraordinary beings, legends of history, super humans who have left a deep mark on history and folklore. Those who, after their death, are still remembered by man. They were removed from the category of humans and promoted to the spiritual realm. That is what a Heroic Spirit is. They are invoked by the Magus as familiars and used by the Magus for their selfish motives. Hence the Church acts as arbiter in the war. For, although the Magus are heretics, their aims are not so far removed from those of the Church. The Church believes that the only one fit to obtain the grail is Tokiomi, who, although the Einzbern and Makiri families have distanced themselves from the original goal, the Tōsaka family still aims to reach The Root and the Church approves of this, meaning that in this war, Tōsaka Tokiomi and Kotomine Kirei will work together to obtain that goal, take on the remaining five Masters and win the war.
Even so, Kirei was still puzzled. Considering that Fuyuki is a place inhabited by thousands of people, conducting a war there would only be sacrificing those thousands of people.
"...Such a monstrosity...? In a place filled with so many people?"
Tokiomi nodded. However, that was not a problem. The Magus had always kept themselves hidden and would be so for a long time to come. That's why the Church will take care to keep this war as hidden as possible.
Risei, Kirei's father, took it upon himself to answer this.
"We have good coordination in this case. The war will be kept hidden from the eyes of civilians and will end in total secrecy. We hope that there will be no casualties without counting the participants of the war."
That was all. In summary, Kirei asked Risei:
"Then do you want me to participate in this war so that Tokiomi-san will win?"
Finally, leaving his serious face hidden, Tokiomi sketched a gentle smile.
"That's right."
Tōsaka replied.
This made it clear that the unanimity of the Church went down the drain. They both had the same goal and decided to plan this farce to win. The Grail is the path to the end of things and Tokiomi will walk on that path full of stones and suffering. That is the wish of any decent Magus, to reach the Root, the Akashic records, the beginning and end of things, and the Church does not oppose that. Moreover, because of the Tōsaka family's old connections with the Church, they are happy to help him achieve his goal, for it is something they want as well.
"Kirei, you will be transferred from the Holy Church to the Magus Association. You will become Tokiomi-san's apprentice."
Risei finally got to the most important thing of all. Kirei, as expected, felt more confused. Tokiomi cleared the doubts and calmed the waters.
"The transfer is now official. The important thing is that you won't be able to do anything but practice magic at my place in Japan. The next Heaven's Feel is three years from now so, by then, you will have a Servant who will obey you and you will be a Magus who will participate as a Master in this war."
After this, some more questions from Kirei fell like rain in the desert, ending with a:
"When are we leaving for Japan?
Tokiomi sensed how hasty Kirei was, but he let it be and answered by looking out the window.
"I'll be visiting Britain. I have a small task to do at the Clock Tower. In the meantime, you will go to Japan. I'll let my family know you're on your way."
"Understood. Then, I'll leave immediately."
He finished and left quietly while Tokiomi and Risei spoke privately.
-Throne of Heroes-
"This is hell."
That was what Toru repeated over and over again.
This was a hell he didn't want to live in, a hell that has managed to make him lose his sanity. He no longer knew what was right and what was wrong. His mind had become completely clouded and this could be seen in his dull, emotionless eyes. He was lying on the floor, surrounded by a pool of blood in front of the stone wall of a mansion. The desperate cries of the maids were not long in coming and the ambulance siren echoed in the distance.
"Why?"
He wondered. He didn't know how long he had been in this place, but it had certainly been a long time. Days? Months? Years? He lost track of time. That voice at first told him that this was his throne, that he was a hero. It didn't take Toru long to understand that this was just bullshit, something that made no sense at all. He sacrificed himself for what he believed was right and was reunited with his mother in the afterlife. So why was he now in this place?
It had been a long time, a time in which he had been reliving each of the most traumatic events of his two lives. He could not refuse to relive this, for although he was conscious at all times, he could not control any part of his body.
'How many times has it been?'
He lost count long ago. All he had left now was his weak will, which was already on the verge of breaking. If anything could kill him in this place, he daydreamed of that possibility. If he disappeared completely, then that would be the best thing that would happen to him in this horrible hell. If complete death was an option, he would have taken it long ago.
'I'm tired of this...'
The scene, as if it were a genjutsu, suddenly changed. He was now in a hospital, alone surrounded by those four white walls. The beep of the machine taking Toru's vital signs was the only thing that made any noise there, as he was alone in this room. He saw himself and realized how wounded his own body was. This was the memory of his failed suicide attempt, this was a memory that haunted him always. However, unlike that time, Toru had his emotions, he could feel what Alek Goosev did not really feel at that time.
It was horrible, a heavy feeling that gnawed deep into his heart and soul. And that same feeling has been repeated over and over again since he arrived at this place.
'Stop...'
Toru already found himself begging for mercy, but no one listened to him. This place, the Throne of Heroes, should only be a storehouse for the greatest spirits remembered in history, but something was manipulating it to show this to Toru. He had no way of knowing this and no one ever will.
-Fuyuki, Japan. Two years ago-
Magic is divided into many different branches. This is something that has complicated Kirei's learning, but no doubt in this last year he has advanced quite a bit in the art of being a Magus. Locked in this basement full of books and a lot of information, he stretched out his hand and practiced the distribution of prana over the magic circle. He let out a sigh when he saw that the results were not favorable. So he gave up for the day. Tomorrow would be another day full of magical training.
"Saber, Archer, Caster, Rider, Lancer, Berserker and Assassin..."
Kirei thought deeply about the Servant he will obtain by successfully performing the summoning. 'Saber' is the strongest class, followed by Archer and Lancer. Tokiomi surely planned to summon one of those three classes, so Kirei would have six remaining Servant classes left to summon. If what Tokiomi wants is to win for sure, then summoning one of the three strongest classes would be ideal, but considering his talent as a Magus, that was impossible.
"No matter what it is, I'll know when the time comes."
With a gloomy look on his face, Kirei entered his room and locked himself in to clear his mind.
***
At the same time, outside the large mansion of the Tōsaka family, a man with a briefcase manifested himself. He looked up, and upon seeing the imposing building, he smiled wryly. That the Holy Church had approved this was undoubtedly insane. But if this brought them closer to the discovery of the Akashic records, there wasn't much of a problem.
Knock, knock. The door echoed. The man waited patiently and after a few brief seconds, the footsteps of a person on the other side were heard. The door quickly opened, but the man with the briefcase frowned when he had to look down. There was a little girl there, the one who opened the door. An adorable little girl with hair in twin pigtails and a look that was a bit... painful, as if a goddess was judging the person in front of the door. The girl's look was, how to say, as if just by looking at the man with the briefcase she would start judging him in a thousand and one ways. The girl suspected a great many things as she scowled at the man.
Responding in an even more childish manner, the man scowled at the girl and the two began a strange battle of glances. Though this legendary battle ended when the girl decided to speak.
"Who are you and why are you in my house?"
The man cleared his throat before answering.
"I have a gift for Kirei-san. I'd be very grateful if you'd call him, little one."
"What gift, there's nothing for me?"
The girl looked at the briefcase and narrowed her eyes curiously. The man noticed this and tried to hide the briefcase behind his back, but the girl advanced and tried to snatch the briefcase from his hands.
"What is this, it's very suspicious!"
"It's nothing. Just call Kirei-san."
The man became nervous. He never expected that a wild little girl would appear out of nowhere and try to take the briefcase from him. What is it with kids these days? He wondered at the sight of this stubborn little girl. He didn't want to take the briefcase from her by force, as he might hurt the girl and get in trouble with the Tōsaka. So, a little nervous, he tried to talk the girl to stop doing that.
"Please. I'm just doing my job."
"Who in their right mind pays a visit at night? The sun has long since set. So give me the briefcase, I want to see what's in it."
"I'm serious. The contents of the briefcase can only be seen by Kirei-san."
"And why can't it be seen by other people!" Refuted the girl.
'God, please help me!'
The man was already reaching his limit and it seemed that the girl was too, as she was ready to bite the man's hands. However, to save the situation and calm the girl down, Kirei appeared at the door. He looked at the strange situation a bit confused and then sighed tiredly before saying something.
"Give it to her, I allow it."
The girl, Tōsaka Rin, smiled as she saw the man let go of the briefcase. With that, little Rin entered the mansion rather excitedly and let Kirei and the man talk.
"She is..."
"The eldest daughter of Tōsaka-san"
Kirei said. He more or less suspected what was in the briefcase because his father had told him about it in a letter, but he didn't expect the analyses of that object to take so long.
"I see. Well. In the briefcase is 'that' object and a letter from Risei-sama to you. My job was only to deliver it to you. Now, if you will excuse me, I must catch a flight back to Italy. I wish you luck, Kirei-san."
"Yes. See you."
Kirei gave a slight bow and entered the mansion closing the door as that mysterious man walked away into the darkness of the night. Once that was done, he looked to see that Rin was eavesdropping. To him, this girl was very annoying. Not only her attitude, but her actions were always meant to be annoying. He didn't like that at all, but ignoring her would only make things worse.
Rin, for her part, sat on the couch and quietly opened the briefcase while Kirei watched.
"Let's see what's in here..."
A piece of metal next to a letter. This made Rin frown and she will take the metal object in her hand. She shook it to make sure that without a doubt this was....
"What is this junk?"
Kirei approached the bewildered Rin and took the letter from the briefcase.
"You shouldn't let your curiosity take control of your actions."
Kotomine said, looking at the sender's name on the letter. What the man at the door said was true. This was a letter to him where he surely mentioned the meaning of that piece of iron in the briefcase. Rin kept looking and analyzing this piece of "junk", but she realized that this metal was something strange, unlike anything metallic she had ever touched. Also, although the piece of iron was a bit large for her small hands, it was extremely light. This certainly added to the mystery. But Kirei interrupted her and snatched the piece of iron from her hands. Obviously this he did carefully, as one part of this "scrap" was extremely sharp.
"What do you think you're doing, Kirei?"
"You seem to like to rummage through other people's mail."
Rin finally noticed her attitude and looked down at the ground a little embarrassed.
"No. It's not that, I... well..."
"If you don't have anything to say, then, I'm going to study."
Kirei left the place and went down to the basement to continue his studies. Although he said that would be all for today, upon seeing the object in the briefcase and the letter from his father, he decided that he would investigate more of this. If the piece of iron is what it looks like, then that would speed up Kirei's magical training.
And Rin was left trying to find some words to refute what Kirei said, but her little girl mind couldn't handle all the pressure.
***
The letter explained that the piece of iron belonged to a dagger that was found in a certain city in Japan after a mysterious explosion had taken the lives of more than fifty people. The dagger fragment was said to have arrived along with the explosion, which immediately set off alarm bells at the Holy Church, which sent Risei to check the scene. The dagger fragment was studied for almost a whole year, but no one could understand where it came from. The metal is about 35 years old and has remained in good condition in all that time. It was as if someone had used what was left of this dagger recently. It was strange, but it could be an object from the future.
This world is full of singularities and dismissing that idea was out of the question. Besides, the forging techniques used on the metal were different from those known to man. That further added to the mystery about this object. If this came from the future and belonged to someone, then the chances of the owner of this dagger fragment being a Heroic Spirit were too high.
Kirei was aware of this as he read the letter. His elemental summoning magecraft had not been doing very well all this time, as people like Kirei could not learn magecraft in such a short time. So this could be an opportunity to practice better and, with luck and talent, summon the Heroic Spirit hidden in this dagger fragment. This prompted him to hurry and clear the ground where he stood. With a large amount of mercury, he began to paint a large magic circle in the middle of the room and prepared himself.
In itself, summoning a Heroic Spirit as a Servant is no big deal. In fact the process is quite simple. You just had to have the necessary prana and be a Magus. With this prepared, he placed the case with the dagger fragment on the table in front of the circle and extended his hand where he had the mark showing his participation in Heaven's Feel. Two years from its beginning, this could be considered hasty, but for Kirei it was necessary. His path, his salvation, is in God. What the Holy Church wants is the Akashic records and he, along with Tokiomi, will get it.
"Let us begin."
A chant to attract the Hero is a mere formality, if you have enough prana, you can bring him to the earthly world without this, but as Tokiomi taught him.
"I seek the path that will lead me to an answer..."
The circle began to glow.
"By the authority of the Holy Church. The Cleric Enforcer of Heresy."
Prana began to stain the magic circle.
"I call you, Hero of another age. That angel who delivers the message of God. The light of righteousness that shall prevail."
He squinted as a strange wind pushed everything back. The leaves of the books danced in so much wind and the darkness of the basement was illuminated with the light of the magic circle.
"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill."
He repeated seeking the approval of the Heroic Spirit.
"The blood of the son of God shall not be shed in vain, for I will see to it that this does not happen. Attend to my call, listen to my prayers. You, who are hidden in the highest of the spiritual, answer my call."
The wind intensified and the magic circle shimmered. Suddenly, something began to materialize in front of Kirei. His simple existence is composed of his Master's prana. Taking a physical form on this earthly plane, acquiring the knowledge bestowed by the Holy Grail, eyes glowed in the sudden cloud of vapor that formed. Kirei was expectant at this. He even came to feel nervous, for as a cleric of the Church, he was using magic. Now he definitely became a Magus.
The cloud of vapor gently exploded, and surrounded by the shadows of the room, a young boy appeared. He was covered by a hooded cloak, where his neck was surrounded by a long, worn red scarf. His eyes glowed dimly in the darkness, like two rainbow pearls looking into the soul with a strange organic X rotating in the center. Inside the large cloak that covered most of his body, the boy wore a loose black shirt and knee-length shorts of the same color. His legs and arms were covered by white bandages and, covering his feet, one could see some rather old-fashioned sandals for today's age. The boy stretched out his hand and pointed a sharp object at Kirei's face.
The silence was crushing, but the gleam in the boy's eyes was extinguished, and showing his expressionless silver-eyed face before Kirei, he asked:
"You... Are you my Master?"
At that moment, Kirei met the dull gaze of a young boy seeking salvation. Both of them were looking for salvation...
To be continued...
***
Volume 4 has officially started. And as you may already know, this volume will be set in the world of Fate Series, starting in Fate/ Zero.
Without further ado, I'll read you in the next chapter.