It's a part of Man's nature to be curious about life in general. Why am I here? How did the world begin? Is there anything out there in the endless void of space? These are questions we often ponder on a daily basis, in some cases even going as far as dedicating our lives to finding answers to them.

Amongst these questions, there is perhaps but one that comes to our minds more often than all the others: 'What if…?'

What if I had done things differently, or not made a decision in the first place? How would my life be different? Would I be better off? It's as if we live to fantasize about these… possibilities, discontent with the life we live, unable to accept the reality that we live in. For most people, these realities are nothing but dreams… but I know better. You see, there are some things that your average person is not aware of, the perfect example being that magic still exists in this world. Ah, forgive me… I guess I should refer to it as Magecraft, which is its proper term. The term Thaumaturgy is also valid, but I tend to find it's a bit of a mouthful, so I use the term Magecraft instead.

Magecraft is a mystical art, though one tied much closer to science than one might expect. It requires precision and calculations to achieve the desired outcome. There is no waving a wand and saying 'Abracadabra' like in the stories. Well, I suppose you could if you really wanted to, but it would be a wasted effort.

Anyway, you can do some pretty spectacular things through Magecraft, or better yet, its more powerful counterpart, Magic. Where Magecraft is used to bring about something that is possible through science using supernatural means, true Magic exceeds that, allowing one to perform feats that are otherwise 'impossible'. By this, I mean, it surpasses all Magecraft and sciences of a given age. In this sense, it is much more mystical than Magecraft and capable of performing incredible things… such as bending time and space. And opening passages to other worlds.

Thanks to my knowledge of Magecraft and Magic, I know that the concept of alternate realities is very much real. More than that though, I know that it is theoretically possible to travel to these worlds, though it's very difficult. Yet, even knowing what I do, the events that were about to occur to me were so preposterous that I hadn't even considered them a possibility in any of the potential realities, let alone my own.

Let's just say that I was about to have an interesting day.

October 8th - 1st day AM

…I hear a sound.

A heavy, rusty sound of an old door in dire need of oiling, creaking open slowly.

I feel a gentle warmth as light washes over me and I groan, my body refusing to accept that I should probably wake up.

"Senpai, are you awake?"

The sweet-sounding voice enters my ears, coaxing me from my slumber. But I can be remarkably stubborn when I want to be and still refuse to wake. A small hand touches my shoulder, gives me a gentle shake and only then do I finally open my eyes.

The first thing I see is the smiling face of someone whom I consider a close friend: Sakura Matou, my junior from the school I currently attend, Homurahara Academy. Her features are delicate, refined even. Brilliant violet eyes gaze straight to my soul, filled with barely-concealed amusement as I drowsily return her stare. I guess I must look pretty funny right now.

Her hair was dark, with an amethyst sheen. The hair on the left side of her head was styled with a pinkish-red ribbon, a treasured gift from her sister. A strand of hair fell across her right cheek and she brushed it back with the same hand, with a delicate, graceful movement. As it was a weekend, she was dressed in her casual clothes rather than her uniform. A white top, pink cardigan and a long cream-coloured skirt. From the open door, the rays of the sun illuminated her perfectly.

She was… captivating.

I felt my breath hitch and rushed to speak, hoping she wouldn't notice my hesitation.

"...Good morning, Sakura."

Thankfully, she seemed to mistake the huskiness in my voice as a result of having just woken up.

"Good morning, Senpai. My, it's not like you to sleep in so late," she said cheerfully. "Did you stay up late training again?"

I look around me, recognising the room as my workshop. To be honest, it's little more than a shed I commandeered as a storage room. There's only one room, about three-hundred square feet, which is just about enough to store my not-at-all-insignificant hoard of odds and ends. In what should be a fairly spacious room, most of it is occupied by boxes and miscellaneous tools in varying states of disrepair. The floor is plain concrete, perfectly smooth, aside from some small areas where it's scuffed from heavy objects being shunted across it. In the packed room, there is one part that has been kept clear- a small area where the floor is scored with an intricate circular pattern. The walls are made out of clay and are a dull grey colour, like the floor. Thick wooden beams further reinforce the walls, with an additional few acting as supports for the ceiling towards the centre of the room. There is a small mezzanine floor against the back wall, with a staircase against the left wall, near the entrance.

At the moment, I'm slumped over an old microwave, which suggests I fell asleep while tinkering with my collection of broken appliances. "Must have done. I probably spent a little too long toying around in here."

Sakura pulls what's no doubt meant to be a stern face. Unfortunately for her, her round cheeks make it difficult for her from looking anything but adorable. "I think you should spend a little less time training and a little more time sleeping. A reasonable sleep pattern is important for your health."

"I'll keep that in mind," I say, to which Sakura beams in response. I could be imagining it, but she seems unusually happy today, for some reason. "Ah, I need to get up and make breakfast."

"No, no, leave it to me! You've only just woken up and you've not even showered or anything yet. Ahhh, I don't mean that you look like a mess or anything! It's just-"

I laugh, interrupting her ramblings. "I get what you mean, don't worry. I'm clean enough for now, I can shower afterwards. Besides, I imagine there are a few people who'll be very cranky if breakfast isn't ready soon."

Sakura giggles again and helps me to my feet. The biggest downside of sleeping in here instead of my room is waking up feeling stiff all over.

"Ouch… thanks, Sakura," I say. My junior simply smiles in response. "Now, let's… er, Sakura. Any particular reason you're still holding my hand?"

She looks down, her eyes locking onto her small hand, clasped around my own. She freezes, as if unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Then her face flushes red and she jerks back with a yelp. "I-I… I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright, Sakura. I don't-"

Before I even have the chance to finish my sentence, she bolts out the door. "…Mind," I finish in a mutter. "Jeez, what's with her this morning? It really wasn't something to fuss over." I bet she'd been worrying about making me uncomfortable with the physical contact or something. Considering how long I'd known her, I really didn't mind it. Shaking my head in bewilderment, I follow after her.

I'm dazzled by the sunlight as I emerge from the shed. I already knew it could get dark in there, given that there are only two small windows near the door, but things like this just make me realize the extent of it. When my eyes finally adjust to the light, I cross the yard and head to the house.

The Emiya residence is a traditional Japanese-style house built on the outskirts of Fuyuki city. Rather than being arranged in one continuous block, as most western-style houses are, many of the rooms are placed away from the core of the house and are linked to the rest of the building by corridors. The walls are bleached white, brown wood serving as both reinforcements and decorations. Most of the rooms have wood floors, though the living room and some of the bedrooms have tatami mats instead. Some more modern elements have been added to the building over the years- an inevitable occurrence with a building as old as this one, which wasn't designed to last long anyway. Where there traditionally would have been shoji paper walls at the rear end of the house, large glass windows had been installed instead. The kitchen- which occupies only a small corner of the main room- was nevertheless modern and well-stocked, despite its small size. In addition to the shed, there is one other outbuilding- the dojo. The entire residence was decorated in a minimalist fashion, with little in way of furniture, but with a consistent, understated floral theme. In keeping with true Samurai fashion, the entire property is surrounded by a large wall, providing both security and privacy from prying eyes.

For a long time, this place was left empty, until my father, Kiritsugu Emiya, came by and bought it. He happened to have… business in the area and thought that it would be convenient to have his own residence nearby. It was during this time that this town was struck by a great calamity, a terrible fire that blazed through the city, destroying everything in its path.

Kiritsugu was, at his heart, a hero. Or, at least, someone who aspired to be one. It was a dream that he never truly reached, but even so, he tried. For this very reason, he was one of the brave souls who combed through the burning rubble, looking for survivors. There, he found me, a young boy who had given in to despair and was prepared to die. A broken, empty shell of a human being, who shouldn't have lived to see another day.

And yet, here I am, ten years later. Kiritsugu came to adopt me as his son, at which point I became to be known as Shirou Emiya. I was a blank slate left, with no memories of my life before the tragedy and no personality to speak of. But eventually, I recovered from the trauma of the past- though the scars still remain. I built myself a new identity and a likely a whole new personality too. I discovered a dream I wanted to follow, making friends on the way. Kiritsugu passed on from this world five years ago, but you can still see the impact that he had on what's left behind. In his children: Illya, his biological daughter and me, his adopted son. You can see it in the home where he spent the rest of his days. And in the people who have been brought together because of him. Speaking of whom, I might well encounter some of them right about now…

I walk through a sliding door into the most spacious room in the house, which is a combined living room and kitchen. Immediately I notice that Sakura is already here, standing halfway between the door and the kitchen on my right.

"There you are, Sakura. Look, you really didn't need to run off like that. It's not like you did anything-"

I cut off when she doesn't even respond to my voice. She's standing unnaturally still, looking in the direction of…

I follow her line of sight and there, in the middle of the room, is something that my eyes are struggling to make sense of. A tangled mess of limbs and clashing colours, which I eventually make out to be two of my house guests, caught in a rather compromised position.

One is both slim and athletic, yet not lacking in femininity. Her outfit consists of a white shirt, a dark blue skirt that rides as high as her ribs and a pair of black tights. It's simple, yet the sheer grace with which she holds herself makes it look fit for royalty. A blue ribbon adorns her neck, another tying back her hair, two strands flowing freely past her temples. Her fine locks are arranged into an intricate braid that glitters in the light as if speckled with gold dust.

The second of the two could not be more different. For one, she is far taller than the other, with far more… generous proportions in certain regions- the legs and bosom, to be precise. Yet, despite the more blatant appeal that she possesses, her attire is rather less flattering than that of the first. Her choice of clothing consists of a black turtleneck shirt, accompanied by a pair of dark blue jeans. A pair of rimless glasses are perched on her nose, giving her an intellectual look. Her silken lavender hair tumbles on and on, restrained only by a purple hairband tied halfway down its length.

To my horror, the two of them are lying on top on my coffee table, bodies pressed close together and legs entwined. Two pairs of eyes, teal and lilac, stared back at us fearfully, like rabbits in the headlights. I feel my face heat up and try to tear my eyes away. With a surreptitious pinch, I confirm that I am in not in fact dreaming. Wordlessly, I shuffle over to Sakura.

"Hey… are you seeing this too?" I ask, in a hushed tone.

"If by 'this' you mean Saber and Rider sharing a passionate embrace on the table where we eat our meals, then yes," she replies in a strained voice.

Sakura's quiet reply seems to snap the two of them out of their shock and they rush to disentangle themselves.

"W-what? No!" Rider cries, uncharacteristically flustered. "As if we'd do something like that!"

"I concur!" Saber echoes. "Unlike Rider, such a shameless act is well beneath me."

"Exactly… wait, what did you say?!"

With one snide comment, the pair lock horns and start to exchange wordy insults.

"Oh, so not only were you caught doing something so indecent, you're now having your first lover's spat?" Sakura chimes harshly. "Disgraceful."

"It's not like that!" they both cry, both red-faced and seemingly on the verge of tears.

Wow, Sakura. I didn't know you could be so… sadistic.

Saber looks at me with desperation in her eyes, as if hoping I'll come to her rescue. But after what I've just seen, I can't meet her gaze and look away with guilt in my heart.

What a way to start a morning.

Eventually, everything calms down and we manage to sit together around the table to talk things out.

"So, let me get this straight… the two of you got into an argument…" I say.

The two objects of my focus nod their heads.

"Which turned into a bit of a scuffle…"

Another nod.

"Then you both fell onto the table…"

And again.

"And we just happened to walk in at that exact moment?"

"Precisely," Saber says.

I mull over their story for a moment. "What do you think, Sakura?"

"I don't buy it."

Wow, not a moment's hesitation.

"But it's true!"

"Is it? What were you fighting over then?"

Suddenly, both Saber and Rider look away. Rider mutters something under her breath.

"Sorry, what was that?" I ask.

"...We got impatient while waiting for you to make breakfast," Rider admits begrudgingly. "So we raided the refrigerator and…"

I can't help but burst out laughing. "You mean, you got hungry and fought over some snacks?"

Their indignant expressions only make me laugh harder and even Sakura joins in.

"Ok, ok," I say after my laughter subsides. "I guess it's kind of my fault. I'll get to work, but in the meantime, try not to get into any more fights, ok?"

Enthusiastic agreement meets my words and I start to head over to the kitchen. Sakura too stands up and trails after me.

"I'll help too, Senpai."

"Thanks, Sakura. An extra pair of hands will definitely make things quicker."

As I step through into the kitchen, I feel a premonition and shudder. I look up too late and I'm unable to react before a purple and white shape streaks towards me, accompanied by a fearsome battle cry.

"Oniii-chaaaan!"

Despite being fairly small, the body slams into me hard enough to drive me to the ground. The force of the collision almost makes me black out, but not quite. As I open my eyes, I'm greeted by a delicate, youthful face with vibrant ruby eyes, framed by hair the colour of snow. Her outfit is classy, like that of an aristocrat. She wears a collared, long-sleeve magenta shirt with gold trimmings and a light purple scarf tied around her neck. A knee-length white skirt sways around her legs as she moves and a pair of purple boots covers her feet.

"Good morning, Illya," I say breathlessly. "Glad to see you dropped by. Care to join us for breakfast?"

After living through my sister's overenthusiastic greeting, Sakura and I get to making breakfast. Despite being late to rise, we manage to scrounge up a decent meal fairly quickly, in part down to the fact that Sakura's already prepared some of the ingredients in advance. Just as we start to arrange the food out on the table, I feel a disturbance in the air, signifying that someone has entered the property and triggered the bounded field. A fraction of a second later, quicker than any human has any right to, my guardian, Taiga Fujimura bursts through the living room door.

Taiga is one of my oldest acquaintances and a long-standing friend of both myself and Kiritsugu. From the moment she met me, she's treated me like part of her family and has been one of my most steadfast supporters.

She is also somewhat of a freeloader who mooches off me for free meals on an almost daily basis. The moment she walks in, her brown eyes lock onto the food laid out before her. Her chestnut-coloured hair is in a state of disarray, giving her a somewhat feral look. She calls out a hasty greeting, even as she dives towards the spot we reserved for her at the table, green dress aflutter.

"Itadakimasu!" she chants, clapping her hands together in sync with the others. Without further preamble, she begins to load up her plate with whatever is within reach.

"Haha, even waking up late, I still managed to make it just in time!" she chortles.

I wish I could say that my mornings weren't normally this chaotic, but I would be lying if I did. Not wanting to be left behind, we all do the same, some more eagerly than others- and by that, I mean a certain pair of snack thieves.

"Ah, why is there still natto?" Illya complains. "I always tell Sakura I don't want natto, but she insists on trying to make me eat it!. Taiga, you'll trade with me, won't you? My natto for your omelette."

"I'm fine with it, but you really should get used to natto. But I guess it's a deal if you only take half of the omelette." She munches cheerily as she speaks. "Ah, poor thing… one day you'll realize just what you're missing out on."

"Only half…" Illya replies forlornly. "Fine, I accept. The terms aren't ideal, but they're acceptable. I probably wouldn't be able to eat all of it anyway. But be careful Taiga, or you'll get caught by Sakura's scheme before you even realize it."

"Ok, it's a deal. Half of my omelette for Illya-chan's natto!" Taiga answers. A beat later, she registers the other half of Illya's statement. "Wait, what do you mean by Sakura-chan's scheme?"

The conversation moves on to the topic of dieting and calory intake, at which point Sakura assures everyone that with proper exercise, no-one will be gaining weight from this meal, bar Taiga. Saber takes the opportunity to pilfer a third helping, to which Rider and I exchange a wordless glance. I can't help but think that having extra servings defeats the purpose of properly portioning everything out calorie-wise. I'm sure Rider also had the same thought, yet neither of us gives voice to it… sometimes it's better just to keep one's words to themselves.

Another ten minutes pass relatively peacefully until Sakura reminds Taiga that she needs soon if she wants to make it the cultural festival's preparatory committee meeting. And so, the English teacher in her mid-twenties makes to leave, in the same way that she arrived- that is to say, with all the power of a hurricane. She leaves one last parting comment to Sakura and myself, instructing us to make sure we make it to school on time, before disappearing.

Sakura gives me a bemused smile at the antics of our teacher. "I do hope she stays on her best behaviour, given that she's helping with the cultural festival preparations." Her face takes on a wistful tone. "Speaking of the festival, I was hoping that Nee-san would be back in time for it."

"Yeah. She said she'd be back during summer break, but it's already October. I wonder if something happened to Tohsaka over there."

My schoolmate, Rin Tohsaka, is a magus like me. Except, unlike me, she's exceptionally gifted when it comes to Magecraft. Not only is she the head of her family despite her youth, she's also the second owner of the region where Fuyuki City is built, which means that she's responsible for administrating all supernatural activity within its territory. On top of that, she's also a mentor of sorts and spends much of her free time helping me master my rather unusual magic.

However, despite her brilliance, there's one thing that ruins her perfect image- her propensity for making a mess of things.

"I still can't believe how badly her recent experiment went…" I say. "How can she be as good as she is at Magecraft, yet manage to mess up so bad that she has to go to London- on the opposite side of the world- to appear before the most powerful magic organisation to ever exist?"

"She really is something, isn't she?" Sakura replies, grimacing. "I hope the Clock Tower go easy on her… but given what she's told me about them, I don't like her chances."

About a month back, Rin attempted to create a miniaturised version of extremely powerful artefact known as the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch, which belonged to a Wizard of the same name. It is capable of creating a small opening to a corresponding area in a parallel world, drawing in and harnessing all the magical energy from that space inside itself. The owner of the blade gave its blueprints to one of Rin's ancestors, seven generations back, as a long-standing project for the Tohsaka family. It should have taken many hundreds of years to analyse and reproduce it, yet Rin was able to grasp the blueprint and theory much earlier than Zelretch had anticipated.

Unfortunately, Rin stumbled at the final hurdle, which resulted in unforeseen consequences. Now, she's left with the difficult task of dealing with the ensuing mayhem.

"It'll be the least she deserves," Illya interjects, having overheard our conversation. "After all, not only did her carelessness destroy part of my castle, she also caused a Second Sorcery explosion. Who knows what else could have happened?"

"Is it really all that bad?" I ask. "I thought the worst that happened was all that craziness in the castle?"

"You really don't get it, do you Shirou? What Rin did could have been catastrophic, an event that could have wiped this city off the map!" Illya exclaims. "She very nearly turned this town into a mini terminal. The threads of fate wouldn't just cross over, they'd turn into a ball of twine. The very future would lead into the past."

"So, what you're saying is, the world almost turned into a place where anything that's even remotely possible happens all at once? In other words… a collision of parallel worlds."

"That's… a simplified explanation, if I've ever heard one. But yes, that's the gist of it."

Unlimited possible outcomes, huh? Like being struck by lightning, meteors decimating the city, or the UK winning the Eurovision song contest.

A grim joke that ordinarily has a small chance of occurring, instead being guaranteed to happen.

"Ok, I understand that much," I say finally. "But I feel like what actually happened was a little different. It was like something out of a fairy tale."

"I agree. What Rin managed to do exceeded anything she should have been capable of. In fact, the backlash of her experiment had the potential to be even worse than the Holy Grail War."

I involuntarily shudder at her words.

The Holy Grail War. A reoccurring battle-royale type event where seven magi are selected to fight over an omnipotent wish-granting device, reminiscent of the one from the Arthurian legends. Wielding the power of their Servants- Heroic Spirits given physical form through the use of magic- these 'Masters' duke it out for the sake of unlimited power. With such high stakes, the collateral damage is often immense.

Six months ago, I participated as a Master in Fuyuki City's fifth iteration of the Holy Grail War, with Saber at my side as a Servant. I had no desire for the Grail itself- I only wished to protect the people of this town. And so, I destroyed the Grail at the first opportunity, commanding Saber to destroy the source of its power with her holy blade, Excalibur. With no Grail to fight for, the war came to an end, with no clear winner. There was only one casualty, the fake priest, Kotomine Kirei, who had participated as a Master.

The War is not something I like to think about.

Sakura also reacts at the mention of 'the event which should not be named', though her reaction is rather more acute.

"Sakura, are you alright?" I ask.

"Ah, no. Nothing important. It's just something Rider said," she answers dejectedly, before trailing off.

Well, if she says it's nothing, I'll let the topic drop.

…Or rather, I would have done, if I'd had any say in the matter.

"'Holy Grail War'… that's what Sakura reacted to," Illya says with a smirk. "And here I was thinking you hadn't noticed. I'm impressed… you're even more perceptive than I'd given you credit for."

"...What about the Grail War? That ended half a year ago," I say. "I made sure of that."

"Oh really? And do our resident Servants agree with that statement?" She retorts. "Saber, Rider. I'm sure the two of you know what I'm referring to."

We all turn our attention to Saber and Rider, who both look like they're struggling to come up with an answer.

"Rider?" Sakura asks hesitantly. "Do you and Saber-san know what's going on?"

"N-no, not at all," Rider stammers. "But… I can't help but feel aware of this… tension in the city. It is barely noticeable, yet…"

That alone is enough to make the hairs on my arms stand on end, but I turn to my own Servant for confirmation. "Saber, do you know what Rider is talking about?"

"Yes, I believe I do, though I only have my suspicious so far. Even so, may I…?" I nod at the unspoken question and she continues. "Very well. It is my belief that the sense of discord stems not from the city itself, but from us Servants. For the past few days, Rider and I have both experienced light feelings of hostility towards each other. For some yet undiscovered reason, our instincts are telling us that we must defeat the other Servants- our enemies. In other words…"

"...It's the same sensation that Servants experience during a Holy Grail War," I finish.

Suddenly, their earlier squabble makes a lot more sense. They both like their food, but there was more to it than a mere competition for sustenance. In fact, Servants don't truly need to eat anything at all, as long as they are provided energy from their Master to sustain themselves.

"It's not possible. There's not even a Holy Grail to fight over anymore," Sakura says quietly. "Besides, shouldn't the Church issue a notice if another Grail War was about to start?"

"Yeah. And we haven't gotten one yet," I muse. "Maybe it's not a matter of a new war starting up. Maybe it's the old war starting over. That would make more sense. Most of the Master and Servants are still here. I've even got one of my command seals left."

The marks on the back of my left hand tingle at my mention of them. Three runes signifying my status of a Master, bundles of power used to compel my Servant to do my bidding. Two have gone dim through my use of them, but the third still glows faintly, a sign of my continued bond with Saber.

"You may well be right, Shirou," Illya says. "After all, the Grail was destroyed before it was even used. It's possible that something provided the impetus for the fighting to begin anew, to give the war its final resolution."

"So it's a rematch for the defeated then?" Rider asks. "Well then. I think it's fairly clear what's going on, even if the hows and whys aren't clear yet. The question is, what are we going to do about it?"

The air grows sense. Everyone, especially the servants, remember that all present were enemies for a time. A single sudden movement might well break the thin veneer of calm, plunging us into conflict.

"Why do we have to do anything at all?" I ask. "Remember, while we could start fighting again, there's Grail to fight over. There's nothing to gain and everything to lose."

After a moment, Rider nods in agreement, the tension leaving her body. Saber, who had been eyeing her closely, also relaxes.

Sometimes I feel as if my Servant is a little too careful. Rider may keep her cards close to her chest, but I know she deeply cares for Sakura and was likely thinking that resuming the war would put her Master in harm's way. I doubt she would do anything to jeopardise Sakura's safety.

"It's exactly as Shirou says," Illya says. "While things may be a little unusual, it's nothing compared to the fact that you Servants have remained here even after the war concluded. We need to be level-headed about this. If someone really is trying to pull some mischief with the Servants, then he'll be bringing about his own downfall."

"We've got something good going on here and that's in no small part because of you two," I say, addressing the two Servants. "Because you've both got good hearts and you do what you can to help others. I know you'll do what you can for the good of everyone."

Saber and Rider blush self-consciously.

"Wow, Shirou. You're really on the mark today!" Illya says. "It's true, so really, this all comes down to what the two of you want to do. Saber, Rider, do you want to resume fighting?"

"I am content with things as they are," Saber answers. "However, if Rider wishes to battle, then I will certainly respond in force."

"Then we are of the same mind," Rider echoes. "While I am happy for things to remain as they are, I will not refuse the opportunity for a rematch, if one reveals itself."

They exchange a heated glare, the very air appearing to flicker with sparks.

Oh well. It seems as if the two of them were getting along for a while, but I guess at the end of the day, they're still rivals.

I sigh in relief. "I'm glad to hear that you guys are cool with everything. I'll have to have a word with the other Masters and Servants soon, then we can try to get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, please try not to have any more fights. Even if it's over something small, like who gets to eat the snacks."

They both nod in agreement and we return to our meal. After hastily finishing off what's left on my plate, I rush to get ready for the day ahead. As I leave for school, the line of conversation weighs heavily in my mind.

For the rest of the day, I am unable to think of anything else.

Well, hi there. Welcome to this somewhat peculiar story of mine. You may be asking yourself what you're going to be getting yourself into after reading this chapter, especially given that it's pretty uneventful so far. Don't worry, I'm thinking the same thing. This story is going to be rather intricate and taxing on my abilities as a writer, given that I'm fairly new to it, but hopefully, it's going to turn into something really cool.

I'm not going to go into too much detail about what this story is going to be about, but let me just give you a little indication about where I intend to go with this, so you can decide for yourself if you want to carry on reading. The idea is for this story is to be a crossover for the Visual Novel/Anime Fate Stay/Night and the Percy Jackson books. I actually decided I wanted to write this after hahy4040 started writing a story based on the same concept. Hopefully they'll continue writing it because I'm curious to see where they go with it. If you haven't read their story already, feel free to go check it out. It's called "The Hero Remastered" (it's a rewrite, as the writer hadn't decided on a proper creative direction when they started the original).
Anyway, I have a semi-concrete plan for the plot so far, at least when it comes to major events. I'll be winging a lot of the stuff in-between though, so bear with me if it's a little rough around the edges.

For any Fate fans that are confused by this start, you should know that I am not following the storyline of the three original routes. Rather, it's more like I'm following a fourth route that leads to a similar scenario to the one shown in Fate Hollow Ataraxia, the semi-sequel/spiritual successor to the original game. Imagine a combination of events from all three routes- I'll flesh out exactly what occurred prior to the start of the story over time- that result in a similar world. Be prepared for some whacky events and some intense guesswork on my part- there's not an awful lot of info to be found to explain how and why things are the way they are at the start of Fate HA. On that note, if there's anyone who remembers anything regarding the "backstory" of the game, please feel free to fill me in with either a review or a direct message. (And yes, I am aware that all is not as it seems when it comes to that game. I've had quite a few people point out that things won't work out the way I want if I follow FHA, so I feel like I need to reiterate that there are differences here, even if they aren't evident yet).

I also have to confess that I am no expert on either series (I keep having to replay parts of Fate Stay Night and Hollow Ataraxia, plus I'm currently re-reading the first few Percy Jackson books to gather as much info as I can for this story). It would mean a lot to me if you guys would be willing to help me with this if you're able to, or point out any inconsistencies/mistakes I've made, so I can improve in the future. But please try to phrase it diplomatically- at the end of the day, we're all here to have fun.

I know for a fact that I'm going to have a lot of questions about various things from both universes, so I may at times ask for information in these author's notes. I had a few questions here previously about the workings of magecraft and its energy production, but I've received enough answers that I felt I could edit it out now. But I will be asking more in later chapters, so feel free to leave a review or send me a PM if you have the answers I'm looking for.

Depending on what you guys think of these first few chapters (and any new info I stumble upon) I might end up doing a rewrite, to make the story better or more accurate. So for now, think of this as a draft story. Unless you want to see more, of course, in which case I'll just try to carry it on without a rewrite if possible. Do drop a review or PM if so!

And finally, if you like what you see here and you want to see more, maybe you can consider visiting my P.A.T.R.E.O.N. page and supporting an aspiring writer? Donations are not only an indication that you like my work, but it also gives me a reason to sink more time into writing. If you're interested, the link to my P.A.T.R.E.O.N. page is on my profile.

This ended up being far longer than I had meant to, so I won't keep you any longer. Have a good one... hopefully, I'll hear from you again on my next upload. Bye!

Edited on 24/12/19: Changed the author's notes a little.