Chapter 10: The saviors

A little girl with black hair and blue eyes was fiddling with her father's old spell book. The girl placed a piece of diamond on old paper, full of strange designs.

The diamond stone was on top of a design in the shape of the Star of David, the little girl was doing her best to use her magic. The stone began to create shape, which made the girl happy.

But it didn't take long for her to lose control of the spell and lose her focus. It was no use, the girl was disappointed in herself. The girl was about to cry over her failure until an older figure caught her attention. - "Rin." -He was her father.

"You used too much magic at once. Keep your mind calm. To control your magical power, you first need to control your mind." -her father said, doing the same thing Rin had done. The diamond was in pieces, but he fixed it.

The diamond was intact again. Rin was enchanted by her parenting skills. - "If you lose control, the flow of magic will ricochet back into your body. Too much power used incorrectly will not only hurt you, but also those around you. Do your best to maintain the proper flow. This is the precept of the Tohsaka family. It means maintaining control and elegance at all times." -her father said after modeling a beautiful miniature diamond horse.

"Extend your hand." Said Mr. Tohsaka to his daughter. The cheerful girl reaches out her hand to hold the little diamond horse. - "Daddy, teach me some more! Can I do something like that?" - Rin said hopefully. - "Yes. Maybe it's too difficult for you at the moment. But I'm sure you'll eventually succeed if you try hard every day. After all, you're the daughter of the Tohsaka family." Her father said it with great pride.

A while later the little girl needed to go to school.

Rin was always very hardworking at school, she was always helping her friend who was being bullied by boys. She helped anyone she could, she was an example of a student.

While at home, she was always training with her father about magic, and well... She constantly failed, but it was part of her learning. Then her father called her to say something important.

It was about the Holy Grail War, Rin would have to live with the Senjou for a while until this war ended, which was a pain for her. After such bad news, the little girl runs to her room grumbling.

"Argh! I'm sure there's something I can do to help!" - Rin said after throwing the pillow away. She was sulking. "Yes. I just haven't figured out how. In that case, I just need to study on my own." - said Rin, going to the back of the mansion to use his father's magic.

The little girl picks up a random book to read, but she doesn't understand anything. Rin picked up several books, but nothing made sense to her. Very tired, Rin takes a book half hidden at the back of the shelf.

When opening to any page, there was a kind of ritual with a drawing of a hand. - "What is that?!" - suddenly several hands began to emerge from the book. - "You, who opened this door, will be my friend..." - The book began to speak to itself.

Rin desperately tried to close the book, but it was no use. - "I can not move." - Rin said before arms emerged from the book and grabbed the girl by the arms.

Rin screamed in despair until her father arrived in time. - "RIN!" -Her father just played some sort of marble and deactivated the spell on the book. - "It's still too early for you to read this book." -her father said reprimanding Rin's actions.

The girl calmed down. - "Some things in this world have their own magical power." -Her father said, giving her a compass. - "This is called a magical compass. It normally doesn't point in any direction. But if there is any trace of magic in the area... Rin, use your magical power on it." - said her father.

Mr. Tohsaka points the compass at the spell book, the compass quickly points at the book. - "Anything that causes a reaction like that is beyond your skill, so be careful. I'll give this to you. As an early birthday present." - said her father. - "T-Thank you so much, daddy!" -Rin said, very excited.

Then strange occurrences started to happen. One of Rin's friends didn't show up during classes anymore. The news only talked about these child kidnappings. This disturbed Rin, hearing this news day after day, without being able to do anything, she saw all this happening.

Rin decided to call her friend to see if everything was okay. - "W-Well, I'm Kotone-chan's classmate, Tohsaka...- The person you called isn't at home." She said the call.

So she decided to do the unthinkable, was to investigate at night. Rin took the subway to Fuyuki, it was quite scary for a child, since she always came here during the day. Her compass started to glow, meaning someone was using magic. - "W-What?!" - Rin said scared.

The compass began to rotate without stopping. - "I've never seen her react like that. Does that mean there are traces of magic everywhere? I need to find Kotone!" - Rin said, trying to compose herself.

The girl ran through the empty streets of Fuyuki. Rin entered an alley, as the compass's magic was concentrated there. Until the girl saw a man with orange hair walking with two children. - "Walking with a child at this hour?" - she felt a shiver. - "What was this?" Rin ran after the mysterious man.

The girl chased the man, but she heard siren sounds, it was the police, Rin had to hide. "Good thing... They'd take me home if they found me." - Rin said relieved. "So you're one of those naughty ones. Right?!" - said a dark-haired boy.

Rin was startled by the boy's sudden appearance. - "W-Who are you?!" - Rin said defensively. - "That doesn't interest you, brat." - the girl noticed that the boy had a scar on the corner of his mouth, he didn't seem like a good person.

"Tell me... Why would a brat be walking around at night?" - said the bad-looking boy. "That's none of your business either!" - Rin said, showing his tongue. - "What does this compass do?" - said the boy, quickly taking the compass from Rin's hand.

'I-I didn't even see it! Is this man with that kidnapper?!' - thought Rin. They both heard a voice. -"Hey, keep walking"-It was Ryuunosuke, but neither Rin nor the black-haired boy knew his name. He was carrying another child hand in hand.

The compass pointed to that man who took the children. - "So this compass isn't normal... Tell me, you're after this kidnapper, aren't you?" - said the boy who was with Rin. - "Y-Yes, he captured my friend and probably several other children. And you, why are you here?!" - said Rin.

"Apparently you have a great sense of justice. Well, I'm here for the same reason, going after this guy could make me some good money..." - said the boy, smiling mischievously. - 'Should I really believe this guy?' - thought Rin.

Suddenly a police officer approached the two who were standing near the alley. The police officer already noticed the boy's strange appearance and decided to approach him first. - "Hey, you! What are you doing with that girl?!" - said the policeman, thinking about taking the gun away.

"Hey dear officer, there's nothing going on here." - said the boy with a strange smile. Which without realizing it, made him more suspicious. - 'If things continue like this, I won't be able to save Kotone-chan!' - thought Rin.

"HE'S MY BROTHER! HE MAY BE A LITTLE WEIRD, BUT HE'S MY BIG BRO!" - Rin said, making a scene, trying to make the police officer believe this blatant lie. - "Yeah, I know it's late and it's quite dangerous to go out at night. But we decided to go out for a bit to refresh our minds, you know? Our parents are always fighting, so we decided to go out." - said the boy.

"Um... I see, don't you want a ride home?" - said the policeman. - 'The police officer really believed that lie.' - thought Rin. - "No, you don't need to." - said the boy. - "Okay, just don't take too long to get home. There's been a big wave of kidnappings of minors in Fuyuki. Be careful!" - the policeman said after leaving.

"PHE... Seriously, what kind of performance was that?!" - Rin said, a little irritated. - "Whatever, brat... It seems like we have a common goal, you want to save your little friend, and I want to kill this guy. Do we have an agreement to work together?" - said the boy, extending his hand to Rin.

Rin squeezed his hand. - "Okay... My name is Tohsaka Rin." - "And mine is Zenin Toji, but you can just call me Toji." After making an agreement, Toji decided to ask. - "Tell me, Brat. What does this compass do?"

"I don't know if you'll believe me, but this is a magic compass." - said Rin. - "Hm... I think I believe you, we just need to test it to see if it really works." - said Toji. - "But this compass really works-" - Rin is interrupted, because Toji held Rin with one hand. "It will make you a little dizzy." - said the boy smiling. Toji just started jumping from building to building while holding Rin by the arms.

The girl screamed in fear when she saw that Toji was not an ordinary boy. - "See, brat, you get used to it." - Toji said, laughing at the situation. - "D-DON'T CALL ME A BRAT!!" - Rin shouted while Toji jumped from building to building.

Rin feels the same shiver as he held the compass. - "Did you feel that?!" Said Rin. - "Yes, it seems that this compass really works." - said Toji. The rapa stopped at one of the buildings and checked the compass. - "Let's get down here." - said Toji. - The poor girl thought they were going to go down the stairs, but the boy jumped from the building to the ground floor without a scratch.

"Seriously, where did this absurd strength come from?!'" - asked Rin. Toji's expression changed. - "They made me like this..." - said the boy with a serious expression. - "The compass is pointing to this alley." -Rin said, trying to avoid the subject.

"Come on, Brat." -Toji said, messing up Rin's hair as he walked down the stairs. - "I AM NOT-... Forget it." said the girl with messy hair, just giving up on the conversation.

The two went down the stairs until they reached an apparently open door. - "Ladies first..." - Toji said ironically. - "Thank you, big bro..." - said Rin, opening the door. The place was some kind of abandoned bar. - "Is there no one here?" - asked Rin.

The two hear noise in the back of the bar, Rin goes to investigate first. The girl walks towards the noise, but she feels a hand touching her foot. - "W-what?... HEY! Kotone?!" - said Rin desperately.

"So this is your friend, right..." Toji said. - "Kotone! Kotone! Did they... do something to her? What should we do?" - Rin asked, ignoring Toji's answer. - "Stay there, Brat. I smell carrion here..."

Toji goes deeper into the abandoned bar. He feels a strange presence. - "There's someone here..." - Toji said, preparing to attack.

It was a curse. - "I'm without my cursed weapon... I'm going to have to go by hand." - said Toji. It was a sinister curse that hung in the air, a seductive and hypnotic force that enveloped unwary minds. Those who crossed their path were slowly captivated by a mist of enchantment, their eyes losing focus as they were plunged into a trance-like state.

Like puppets without strings, they were manipulated by the hidden orders of the curse, unable to resist its irresistible influence. Each word whispered by the curse echoed like an irrefutable command, driving victims to act against their will, trapped in an endless cycle of hypnotic servitude.

Toji, with his exceptional skills, faces the curse in a brutal and intense confrontation. The curse, a grotesque and menacing creature, advances fiercely, emitting frightening roars.

Toji doesn't hesitate, he launches himself forward with a well-aimed blow, hitting the curse squarely. His fists collide with the creature's flesh, which resonates with an impactful sound. The curse attempts to retaliate with sharp claws, but Toji deftly dodges and counterattacks with a series of powerful strikes. - "Too slow."

The fight unfolds in a chaotic dance of rapid and brutal movements. Toji uses his strength to unbalance the curse, knocking it to the ground with a devastating blow. He then takes the opportunity to deliver precise blows to the creature's vital points, causing severe damage and weakening its resistance.

Despite the attacks from the curse and the wounds that Toji also suffers in the process, his determination does not waver. He channels his anger and determination into every strike, fighting with relentless intensity. The curse, weakened and nearly defeated, tries one last desperate effort, but Toji, with one last devastating blow, finally defeats it, ending the battle in a scene of carnage and brutal triumph.

Rin was desperately trying to wake up her friend, but nothing happened. A figure appeared behind her. It was the kidnapper. - "You are lost?" - said Ryuunosuke. - "N-no... Well." - Rin was paralyzed. - "You arrived at the right time. We were about to start a little party. But we don't have many guests." -said the boy throwing the two other children he was taking.

"Do you want to help me too?" - said the kidnapper, approaching Rin. The girl was so tense that she didn't even notice that there were other children here. She screamed in fear.- "Come on, more people means more fun, doesn't it?" - said Ryuunosuke trying to grab the girl.

"NO!" - Rin hits the kidnapper's hand, she feels that same shiver as before. - 'What was this?!' - thought the girl. - "Do not run away!" - said Ryuunosuke, changing his expression. The boy goes to grab her, but she dodges and runs away.

Rin noticed something. - "Is he wearing that bracelet on them?!" - the boy had a strange shiny bracelet. Apparently it wasn't just the curse that hypnotized the children, but the bracelet also did the same job.

The girl climbs onto the table and starts throwing various things at the kidnapper. - "What are you doing?!" - said the boy. - Until Rin throws something heavy at Ryuunosuke's feet, who screams in pain.

Rin holds his hand that had the bracelet on it. - "I need to destroy him!" -Rin tried to do the same thing her father taught her. But the bracelet began to consume her - "So you decided to help me?" - said Ryuunosuke smiling.

The girl in red was almost hypnotized, but she managed to resist. A great source of mana. - "I won't let you win!" - said the girl, emanating a strong magical energy. The girl began to remember her father's teachings. - "You used too much magic at once."

"THAT'S NOTHING!" - Rin said, using all her magic to break the kidnapper's bracelet. Before he could even react, a quick cut, someone had cut off his hand. -"Why don't you mess with someone your own size?!" - said Toji, appearing at the right time.

"T-Toji!" - Rin said, surprised.

"Don't worry about me, Brat. Your Big Bro is here, go after your friend." - Toji said while ripping off Ryuunosuke's other arm. - "OKAY!" - Rin went to her still unconscious friend.

"W-Who are you?!" - said Ryuunosuke desperately. - "Me? I'm nobody, I'm just someone without power." - said Toji, piercing Ryuunosuke's stomach with just one punch.

His work was completed, or almost. Suddenly Ryuunosuke's body began to melt, like black goo. - "Huh?!" - Toji wondered. - "Don't tell me he wasn't real..." - said the boy with the scar angrily.

With the bracelet broken, little by little, all the children began to wake up. - "W-what? What happened... Rin?" - said her friend. - "Kotone!" - Rin said happily. Most of the children started crying because they didn't know where they were.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU STUPID CHILDREN! Let's get out of this shit..." - said Toji, not at all conniving with the situation. - "Toji!" - Rin said angrily at Toji's lack of tact. - "Guys, unfortunately, Toji is right. There's no time to cry, we have to get out of here!" - said the girl in red, trying to calm the situation.

After everyone left the abandoned bar, the police arrived. - "Huh? Where are Rin and the guy?" - asked Kotone.

Toji and Rin walked back to the square. - "I did it, Father!" - said Rin looking at his father's Compass. - "We did it, Rin..." - Toji said, placing his hands on his neck. - "Apparently you remembered my name..." - Rin said, mumbling. - "Of course, I never forget a woman's name, but you're still a brat." - Toji said, messing up Rin's hair.

"Stop! Stop messing up my hair, dammit!" - Rin said angrily. The two finally arrived at the square. - "Let's wait here..." - Toji said, sitting on a stool. - "Why? I just need to take the subway to leave." - said Rin.

"We're waiting for your mother." - Toji said, scratching his belly lazily. - "M-My mother?!" - the confused girl asked herself. A few minutes passed until his mother finally arrived.

"Rin! My daughter!" - said her mother running to hug her girl. - "Mommy!" - said Rin hugging her mother. - "What were you doing here alone?!" - said his mother worriedly. - "I wasn't alone, I was with Toji." - said Rin. - "Toji? Who is Toji?" - asked his mother.

"Huh, it's this kid here." - Rin turned to show the boy, but he wasn't there. He disappeared like the wind. -"What? .... I swore he-"-his mother hugged her. - "I think you're imagining too much. Anyway, thank you, for protecting my daughter. Imaginary friend Toji." - said his mother. - 'Was he really real? He had superhuman strength, I think... I just imagined someone protecting me?!' - Rin asked.

Somewhere else

Toji returned to the alley along with the hooded man. - "So, what about my money?" said Toji, waiting for the money to arrive. - "Here..." - said the hooded man. - "What? That's half the promised price, Matou Kariya!" - Toji said angrily.

"I said to kill the real owner of the Caster, a fake clone, Lord Zenin!" - said Kariya. - "DON'T CALL ME ZENIN!... Whatever, give me that shit!" - Toji said, taking the money and leaving the alley. - "Before you leave, thank you for saving that girl..." - Kariya said. - "Hmpf... Whatever, I just did it for the money..." - said Toji, leaving.

The boy with the scar walked the streets of Fuyuki at night. - "Oh shit, my first job and I get half the price I want... I should be more careful with this kind of thing." - Toji said when he accidentally ended up bumping into a girl. - "Hey, LOOK WHERE YOU ARE-" - Toji froze.

"S-SORRY! It's my first time in this city... My bad." -said the girl who was practically her age. - "It's dangerous to walk alone at night... Be careful." - Toji said, avoiding eye contact.

"AH! SERIOUSLY?!" - The girl was very expressive. - "Seriously.... " Toji didn't know what to say, he was embarrassed?! - "You're not much of a talker, are you?" - said the girl smiling.

"Y-you're not afraid of me?" - Toji said, since it was the first time someone looked into his eyes without even feeling afraid. - "No, you're actually cute." - the girl said, making Toji blush.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" - Toji said, looking into the girl's eyes. - "Yes, I would like to. By the way, what is your name?" - asked the girl. - "My name is Zenin Toji, but you can just call me Toji. And yours?" - said the boy with the scar. - "My name is...

Fushiguro Kaori."

End of chapter 10