A/N: This is merely a pilot chapter where I am trying to experiment a brand new idea that has been infesting in my mind lately. Be sure to review and tell me your thoughts. Is it good? Is it bad? I don't mind any criticism, harsh or constructive. Also, I apologise for any grammar errors as English is not my native language. I'm also fairly new in the author scene.

Prologue – The First Invocation

A contented sigh left his lips as he stood solemnly atop a nondescript hill of Mount Enzo. His expression was bereft of regret – a stark difference if one were to know him during his life.

Light footsteps warned him of someone's approach – a certain Tohsaka heir. With the sorry state he was in, he hardly wanted to present himself in front of his wayward Master. Pride was something he had cast away early on in his journey of achieving an impossible ideal, but…

"Archer—!" The girl called as she trudged across the terrain with the grace of a fish crossing the desert, panting heavily as she did so as she took in gulps of air from the exertion. Even after knowing who he was, she would still call him that.

"It's unfortunate but it is what it is. Perish whatever desires you had harbored for the Grail, Rin, at least for now." Archer said with mirth as he rested his right arm over his waist, tilting his head slightly as if he was sorry for whatever reason.

"What with that tone? What's so funny?!" Rin complained in exasperation.

Archer turned to her direction donning a teasing smirk. "My apologies. You just looked so pathetic that I simply could not help myself. I was thinking how the two of us makes one sorry pair."

Rin just starred at the Servant of the Bow at his statement, her expression downcast. Rin could hardly cared how terrible she looked right now. Not when she still had the chance to fix what her other self, her parallel equivalent, were not able to.

Rin's previous animosity vanished as she faced her Servant properly this time. "Archer— make a pact with me again, okay?" She asked timidly, her heartfelt desperation clear to the Counter Guardian.

Archer simply adopted a neutral expression as he regarded the young magus prodigy before shaking his head as he turned away. "I am afraid I cannot. I doubt it be allowed and besides, I no longer have a goal. Like it or not, my battle ends here."

"But— but that means that no matter how much time passes, you won't…" she tried to reason, as if pleading for the man to change his mind, but unable to put it into complete words.

Archer's head snapped instantly, obviously startled by her frank admission.

In another world, in another time line, Archer would have accepted that his ideal, while impossible to fully achieve, was something worth pursuing. He would return to the Throne of Heroes with renewed resolve and continue his everlasting duty in eternal solitude, never knowing the joy of flesh once more.

However, this was not that same world. In this time line, Archer could not stand to watch as his former love interest despaired for his sake, even if the solution was temporary and ultimately fruitless. That resolve faltered in the face of temporary happiness.

But an eternity of solitude as Alaya's Guardian had left him wanting for companionship. He wished… for a reprieve, however fleeting it may be. Unbeknownst to him, his wish was heard. The threads of Fate entwined across various universes. A convergence where parallel worlds were close enough to another to allow brief but significant crossovers.

In that instance, their time-line splits and branch off, and the events of the world would never be the same.

"Oh dear… what a troublesome Master you are." He sighed in faux exasperation, "It seems I have no choice but to oblige… I will be in your care then, Rin." He gave a sincere smile as he sauntered forward - lingering motes of mana could be seen dissolving away from his body as it slowly chip away at his ability to remain corporeal. Without support, especially at his current strength, even running would drastically hasten his demise.

Rin could only gave out a sigh of relief that she did not know she was holding until now. "Thank you, Archer… I promise you, that I won't forsake you just like my other self did in your life. But in return, you will have to live for your sake as well."

"Easier said than done… but I will try." He countered light heartedly. She was about to extend her right arm out before an explosion rocked the surrounding area, causing the Magus to loose her footing as the earth beneath her began to shake violently.

"Wha—" she barely had time to adjust her balance before she was caught in Archer's embrace. "Ar— cher?"

"Something is wrong. The land's ley lines are going berserk." Archer exclaimed hurriedly, worry etched deeply on his ever stoic face.

Rin, understanding the repercussions of such an event, starred dumbly at Archer. Why? Why was this happening now of all time?! No time to dally, she needs a plan of action.

"Archer, do you know what caused that?" her inquiry caused the Servant to pause before shaking his head. "Could it be the Grail? Can anything even survive the light of Saber's Noble Phantasm?"

"I will not deny the possibility but I cannot say for sure." He responded crisply, his posture indicating his uncertainty.

"Does Unlimited Blade Work possess a Noble Phantasm that could take it out?" Rin asked as she contemplates their next course of action.

"I might have something passable." He countered vaguely. Rin was not entirely convinced but they did not have the luxury of time. Every precious second wasted is

"Good enough." Archer was about to question on how he would be able to fuel his projection when Rin suddenly caught his lips with her own, pulling tightly on his shroud to lift herself in the process.

The suddenness and the dire circumstances had weaken his Magic resistance enough to allow mana to flow unobstructed through bodily fluids, in this case was Rin's saliva, and empowering the somewhat reluctant recipient.

It was done without much thought in it. No passion. No emotion. Merely a means to an end. They both could not fault the other. Thousands of lives were at stake if they were to fail.

Rin felt her already dwindling mana reserves diminished further as she poured as much as she possibly dared without leaving herself comatose or worse.

Archer and Rin quickly disengaged once both felt enough mana was transferred to project several low ranked Noble Phantasms. Without wasting time, Archer dashed towards the opening of Mount Enzo's mouth and rushed as fast as his reinforced legs could carry.

Upon reaching the heart of the mountain, his blood froze at seeing a tear in space, as if someone had painted a black globe capable of absorbing all light and suspended it by invisible strings. Inky black mud spewed forth from the tear, releasing thousands upon thousands of curses from All The World's Evil, Angra Mainyu.

"Siphoning mana from the mountain's ley lines once the Greater Grail's mana reservoir was out of your reach. If nothing else, you are persistently tenacious in trying to survive." Archer remarked with a hint of respect in his tone.

"I am the bone of my sword—" He intoned, clasping his right hand upon a nonexistent hilt. In the next instance, a brilliant sword came into existence, its hefty pommel and hilt decorated in gold amidst a royal blue frame. With a blade that spirals from the spine to the tip of the sword, it looked less like a sword and more like a drill.

"Why don't you try this on for size." Archer drew nearly half of his nearly depleted reservoir in hope that the Noble Phantasm in his hands would deal a significant blow against the current form of Angra Mainyu.

The blade began to cackle with power as it understood its wielder's intention as it drank his Mana without reservation, making is unstable, making it broken. Projecting a large black bow as long as he is tall, he nock the now unstable Noble Phantasm against the bow string and altered the external design of the blade to be longer, sleeker and much more aerodynamic.

"Caladbolg—!" The makeshift arrow flew true, the velocity at which it is moving at produced a powerful shock wave as the Noble Phantasm broke through the speed barrier and pierced through the defenceless tear with soul-rending force.

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

"Tsk, so it can perform high speed regeneration with the copious amounts of mana it's getting from the ley lines. Even in your death throes, your existence brings nothing but inconveniences, Angra Mainyu." An ominous looking dagger appeared in his hands. Rule Breaker, an iridescent dagger not fit for combat but rather a wickedly jagged one whose design centered for performing rituals or in this case, nullifying all forms of thaumaturgy without exception.

But then Archer realised something crucial. He did not know where to use the Noble Phantasm on. Should he strike the soil where he currently stands and hoping he will strike lucky? Or should he target the source of it all?

"Damn it!" He cried in frustration as he realised that his luck as a Heroic Spirit has always been abysmal. His eyes trained upon the literal stain of humanity as he reinforced his entire body for the coming exchange. "No time like the present, I guess. And right after I thought about giving a second life a chance. Figures it would turn out this way."

No. This was fate - His fate. To never know happiness and be thrown into a world where he knows only suffering and pain.

"Trace— on"

With a mighty kick, Archer had traversed the gap between the two in less than a second, his grip on the dagger— unyielding. Upon reaching the tear, Archer plunged the tip of Rule Breaker and activated its name in a mighty war cry.

Surprisingly, the dagger had not pierced the seemingly flimsy tear. 'Magic resistance?' he thought to himself but shook his head at the conclusion. No, that couldn't be. Rule Breaker should be able to negate any forms of Magic Resistance from the get go. Which means that brute force is the only option left.

As if flicking on a switch, the cavern lit up a second time in a dazzling cacophony of lights as Archer pumped more and more mana into Rule Breaker to its absolute limit, reaching beyond the dagger's absolute peak efficiency. Reinforcing his arms more than he ever dared before, he thrusts the Broken Phantasm with the strength rivalling the Hound of Ulster himself.

A sardonic grin adorned his features as the tip of Rule Breaker sank until it was hilt deep into the tear, manifesting the mystery of the Witch of Betrayal, and causing it to rip itself apart and promptly exploded into a sea of black ichor, devouring the Servant of the Bow along with his wish to remain with Rin into the abyss.

Archer felt weightless. He could see naught but a sea of nothingness before him. Despite that, he could feel the thrum of mana flowing through and around him. As the Counter Guardian of Alaya, he was no stranger to teleportation magic. The only question is, by who and why.

He remembered everything that had occurred before that. He had used the Witch of Betrayal's dagger to sever the connection between Angra Mainyu and the ley lines it was siphoning mana from. With that control wrestled away, Angra Mainyu must have taken some drastic measures to keep itself alive though through whatever means, he would never know.

The feeling of weightlessness abated and in its absence, he felt several eyes were trained on his person. He opened his eyes to be greeted with a group of men and women in familiar looking robes – mages.

"Greetings, venerable heroes. Please, save our world!" Proclaimed the man standing at the forefront of the group, his arms spread opened with the intention to welcome Archer's arrival.

"W-what's going on?" Archer noted that the voice originated from behind him. Scanning behind his shoulder, four young men – each one carrying medieval weaponry; a sword, a bow, a spear and a shield – stood dumbfounded. Archer did not miss their seemingly modern clothing as well. 'So, they were summoned closely from my era it seems' Archer deduced inwardly.

"We were summoned. For what purpose, I can only surmise 'save our world' part means that we are to engage in a proxy war against an invasion or to fulfil some sort of prophecy." Archer supplied, his tone and expression neutral as he crossed his arms.

The man who had spoken first grimaced at Archer but did not deny nor confirmed his claim. Archer took that as his cue to continue.

"You called us 'venerable heroes' which implies you knew of us beforehand, or rather through some sort of title or class based on the weapons we were summoned with." Archer finished as he uncrossed his arms and turned his attention towards the 'leader' of the mages before him. "Am I wrong?"

"As expected of the famed heroes. Your deductive skills speaks volumes of your acumen. Please, if you have any further questions, I must insist that you follow me to the throne and speak with His Majesty at once. Time is of the essence." The man said with obvious reverence as he turned to walk away, the rest of the group followed closely behind.

"Hey, old man, what's the big idea?" The one wielding the spear called out. Archer presumed he meant himself due to his much older appearance. It was probably due to his white hair too. "I was planning on giving those bunch a piece of my mind before you started to mouth off."

"Believe me when I say that I dislike the situation we are in right now as much as the next guy. However we are in a precarious position thus antagonising potential enemies is the last thing you should do if you want to keep your skin intact. You are welcome to prove me wrong though." Archer clarified, adding that last part in a challenging tone.

If the Servant of the Bow had felt any form of gratification from the ensuing silence, he did not show it as he proceeded outside the summoning room and into a cramp corridor where a flight of circular stairs made of stone awaited.

"He seems awfully at home with the situation." One of the boys, the Sword Hero – Ren Amaki, opined. But the short exchange has earned the older white-haired male a bit of respect from him. Gripped like a vice in his right hand was a double-edge broadsword with golden inlays running along the fuller of the blade and the cross guard. Embedded where the cross guard, blade and hilt meet was an innocuous looking blue jewel, the Legendary Holy. Sword.

"Aye, it is a little scary to be honest." The smallest boy there, the Bow Hero – Itsuki Kawasumi, admitted. A sentiment that was mutually shared with everyone present. Held loosely in his left hand was a short white metallic bow with golden paneling running along the frame. Embedded between the two metal arms in a forward facing position was an innocent looking yellow jewel, the Legendary Holy Bow.

"But thanks to him, we at least understand a little about our situation." Another boy, the Shield Hero – Naofumi Iwatani, defended weakly. Despite his reservation towards everything that is happening, he would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to whatever comes next. Strapped to his right arm was a small, angular shield with black engravings along the edges of the shield, a calming looking green jewel embedded in the centre of the weapon, the Legendary Holy Shield.

"Did you guys noticed something weird about him?" The fourth and final person, the Spear Hero – Motoyasu Kitamura, quarried. Leaning casually against his shoulder was a white Spear adorned with golden rings around both ends of the weapon, a menacing looking red jewel embedded between the tip and the shaft, the Legendary Holy Spear.

Seeing the confused faces of his fellow associates, Ren spoke out, "Apart from his strange clothing, apparent age gap and exotic appearance, he was the only one without a weapon on his person."

Archer held his tongue as he stood stoically before an aging man seated upon a garish throne, his arms crossed and one eye opened in constant vigilant. His frustration hidden skillfully from sight as they waited for the rest of the 'Heroes' to present themselves before the monarch of Melromarc.

Thoughts of returning back to his own world seemed a little unrealistic, not when these people would go so far for the salvation of their world. Might as well listen to their requests and broker a deal out of it. 'Now if only those kids would hurry up and get here' he thought to himself, vexed by how carefree they were despite the situation.

As the four reached the throne room in a leisurely pace, Archer picked up murmurs began to spread across the gathered nobles as they bicker and argue between themselves.

"Welcome, esteemed Heroes. I am the King of these lands, Aultcray Melromarc XXXII. Our country, Melromarc, is in the middle of a national crisis. Some time before your arrival, a rift bridging our world to a dimension beyond our understanding appeared in the sky and from the mouth of the portals crawled unholy creatures born from one's worst nightmare." The King scanned the gathered heroes before settling his gaze on Archer and the Shield Hero.

"An ancient prophecy was foretold that four heroes would rise to fight against the waves of catastrophe with the help of their legendary holy weapons. The Crown will also provide you with everything you will need in your journey including adventurers to form your parties, tomes and magic crystals to learn magic as well as lodgings and equipment allowances. What are your names, venerable ones?" The King gave a pointed gaze over Archer, his visage was a mix of contemplation and intrigue.

"My name is Ren Amaki. I'm 16. I'm a high school student." The boy with black hair announced succinctly, his attention temporarily taken away from inspecting the sword in his hands.

"My name is Itsuki Kawasumi. I am 17 of age. I am also a high school student." A boy with wavy blonde hair followed suit, his features would not be far of from what one would call a baby face.

"I'm Motoyasu Kitamura. I'm 21, a university student." A young man framed with a blonde ponytail greeted with a wide smile.

"Pleased to meet you, Ren, Itsuki and Motoyasu." The King greeted back, his tone rich with benevolence.

"Hey wait, what about the two of us?" Cried the last boy of the legendary quartet.

"Ah, the Shield Hero. What is you name?" The King practically sneered.

"I— Naofumi Iwatani, 20 years old… university student." Naofumi replied, beads of sweat already threatening to drench his clothes.

Archer was slightly taken aback by the sheer malice the King had directed towards the Shield Hero. He must have noticed it too judging from his reaction. Was it due to the weapon he was summoned with? Surely not, right? Suddenly, Archer did not feel like he wanted to be apart of this whole fiasco any longer.

He then turned to leave when he felt the entire chamber had their eyes trained on him.

"Where are you going? Hm, we never got your name." The king demanded, his tone carried a hint of disapproval.

"My name is of no concern to you." He heard cries of shock from the other four heroes.

"W-wait a minute, you just told us not to antagonise—" the Spear Hero did not manage to finish his complain before the King interjected.

"Is that so? And how will you fight against the waves of catastrophe without a weapon, boy? I am sure I did not waste my court magician's efforts and reagents with a failure now, did I?" The King asked with barely restrained patience, his tone betraying his real nature, condescending and arrogant.

"What makes you think I would help your nation against these invaders at your behest?" Archer retorted in a challenging manner. The king was starting to wear on his already thinning patience.

"You will be handsomely rewarded with wealth and influence under the Crown of Melromarc. If it is the pleasures of the flesh you are after, I am sure there is nothing a demi-human slave cannot provide." The King declared with his ministers grinning triumphantly from the sidelines, assured that he would humbly serve in the Crown's benefit for monetary and influential gain.

Archer's disposition towards the reigning monarch fell steeply at his callous declaration. The fact that demi-humans were used as slaves was not at all surprising considering what humanity had done to other non-humans in his own world. However, demi-human or not, he was still a Heroic Spirit. If there are people in need of saving, he would gladly lend them his strength under his own will, not under the pretense of a Hero of this nation.

"And what if I refuse?" Archer could already see the scheming machinations behind the king's expression of disgust. 'Hmph, this man cannot be trusted' Archer reasoned inwardly.

"Then you shall receive no backing from the nation. You will be scorned and treated with the same privilege as a demi-human." The king informed.

"Surely you would not be so ignorant to pass up those advantages?" The minister beside him quickly added.

"Hey man, you should accept the King's offer. I mean we're all still new around here, aren't we? We shouldn't be arguing about this in the first place, right guys?" The one bearing the Shield pleaded to his three other associates in an attempt to persuade Archer to back down. To his disappointment, only Motoyasu seemed to agree.

"I agree. With an extra arm around, I'm sure we could take on whatever this world has to offer." The Spear Hero added his own two cents on the matter. Archer gave some thought to it and could find reason in his words. There is always safety in numbers and with more hands around, they could save far more lives than when he was alone.

"Partying up with two or more Heroes will jeopardise your growth." The King said but did not elaborate further.

"Explain." Archer demanded to which the king merely ignored him.

"Allow me. What His Majesty was referring to is that the four holy weapons, with all their miracle-like powers, repels each other. This renders their ability to accumulate growth completely inert in close proximity. With that in mind, you five… or should I say four, will have to go on your separate journeys to grow stronger." One of the ministers elaborated.

"I see. Aultcray Melromarc, you asked me how I would fight against the waves of catastrophe without a weapon, did you not? Well you see..." Archer turned back towards the throne where the king was still seated.

He could feel the soft thrum that reverberated within his soul. His spirit core was still intact. The mana Rin had provided him before he was summoned here still course through his body. That clarified his current situation. He is still in Servant form in a world where the Holy Grail War system is not sustaining his existence.

"I am the weapon."