Disclaimer: I own nothing but my children (The Saber, The Lancer, The Beast, The Caster, The Berserker, and The Avenger) and the World of Dreams, Dreaas. Blackwing's story "Fate's Gamble" and its Sequels both present and far into the future, belongs to Lupine Horror, while the Fate-series belongs to Kinoko Nasu predominately and the Harry Potter series belongs to J.K. Rowling.

AN: I honestly have no idea what really to say, This is my first story, I would appreciate if those who read this tell me if there was anything wrong within the story, while also giving the parts that they enjoyed. I am unable to fully comprehend emotional states and responses, so please forgive me in advance for any mistakes in character dialogue and responses. The Servant Sheets used for my children will be displayed at the bottom of the story.

This story was originally created within the Omake section of the "Fate's Gamble" Forum, but has since been removed due my insistence that it doesn't belong there.

(Note: I am partial to large amounts of blood and combat, consider this a slight warning.)

Let the story begin.

1 year before the 4th War-

A young girl was dragged by her 'grandfather' down the stone steps into the basement, the girl struggling all along the path down, hearing the sound of skittering below. The child was crying as the 'man' tossed her to insects below, a whisper from the girl caught the air, none but her able to hear the words, before a white light beamed from air, red markings engraving themselves upon her wrist in the twisted image of a book and brush.

From the light that rapidly dimmed appeared a woman with brown hair and eyes, wearing a white kimono with black triangles around the bottom, white pants and sandals. A black rose was found within her hair, while a blue sketchbook was held in her left hand. She caught the falling girl and landed amongst the stone floor, the worms fleeing from her despite the unintimidating posture the woman held.

The 'man' had a scowl upon his wrinkled face, anger tinting his voice as he questioned the woman's appearance, "How did you come to be here Servant?" The woman placed down the girl that clung to her, opening the book and manifesting a simple brush. Several swipes of the brush later, and a picture was presented to the old 'man', that of an inferno with him standing in the middle of it on fire.

The Artist touched the image with her finger, and the world became fire. All but the immediate area around the woman burned with blue flames, screeches of the worms heard above the crackling of flames. The man and his familiars burned with flames forged from those amongst the ranks of the Angels. Naught but ash remained behind after only a minute of the flames existing, leaving only the girl beside her and herself untouched, the young one's mouth open in shock and awe.

Skittering was heard from further down into the catacombs, and so the Painter of Reality offered her hand to the girl, a small smile upon her face. "Shall we go, little Master?" Sakura Matou accepted her hand and the two ascended back to the world above.

3 months before the 4th War-

The summoning and catalyst was prepared, the man in black stood next to his wife, a homunculus of the Einzbern Family. The chant was said, and a figure appeared when the light dimmed, though it was not what they were expecting to appear. A being in a brown cloak had appeared, a silver sword sheathed on the back of his waist, face and head shadowed by his hood. The left side of his attire swayed whenever a draft appeared in the church, fluttering as if nothing sustained its form but thought.

The being knelt on one knee, cloaked face looking at the man who stared blankly back. "I am Saber… are you my… Master?" The man turned on his heels and left, the Servant remaining kneeled, even as the homunculus attempted to get him to understand his Master. "Mistress…"

The woman stopped, "I am not… a fool… I can understand… Master and his… Emptiness…" He got up from his kneeling, walking out the church, "Only another like… Master… can understand… Emptiness…"

The woman did not react visibly until the Servant was out the door, bumping into a little girl looking similar to the homunculus on his way out. "Sorry… I didn't mean to bump into you." The girl looked down, looking back up, when a child's giggle sounded. A boy in white appeared from behind the Servant, hoodie, pants, boots and gloves covering him.

The boy giggled, running circles around the Saber before running up to the girl, taking her hand and pulling her along outside with a shout of indignation coming from girl. The Saber let out a chuckle before following after them, not concerned for their safety in the woods.

2 months before the 4th War-

The lord and his Fiancé watched as the light died down, neither prepared for the wave of death that spilled forth from the circle. A boy met there bewildered gaze with a content smile, a scythe wrapped in brown bandages clutched in his hands. Adorning the boy was a long-sleeved brown shirt and white shorts with green lines going down the left side, a tattered red cloak and hood around his neck.

The boy had his eyes closed as the symbols of the command seals burned themselves upon the lord's wrists. A cloaked skull gazed emptily at the man, losing a bit of his arrogance with the Servant he summoned. "I'm Lancer, are you the Master of this little 'Mask'?" The boy said it with such a straight face and calm voice that both humans backed away from the Servant that didn't even consider himself human.

Kayneth regained a semblance of his confidence and spoke to the being, "I am your master, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald. This is Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, the person that will be supplying you with Prana for this War." Sola-Ui gave a short bow, the Servant not bothering to open his eyes to see his Master and Mistress.

"Such strange beings I'm graced with the presence of, nothing like the Third God and his subjects." The being talked to himself out loud, not caring that he had stupefied his master and his Fiancé with his words, going over to a nearby window and opening it. He held up a hand before either could question what he said, continuing on in the same voice devoid of emotion, "Those of the Living Races cannot comprehend a being born of Death." He left them in silence, disappearing from view by jumping out of the room to top of the Clock Tower, the Lancer waiting until his Master called him to War.

4 days before the 4th War-

The man panted with exhaustion, his father scowling behind him as the summoning finished. From the light that dimmed was a girl, a white kimono with red teardrops, white gloves, a bandaged right arm covering her body. A porcelain fox mask covered her face, and a grey zweihander rested in its sheath, hilt poking above her left shoulder.

"I am Berserker. Are you my second Master?" Both the frail man and his father, did not react for a moment as their minds processed the fact the Servant had spoken with machine-like grace. The father's scowl twisted into a cruel smile, "It looks like you have failed even in summoning a simple Servant properly Kariya. How are you going to compete against Caster to get back Sakura with such a pathetic Servant?"

The Girl did not react to the jab at her abilities, nor react otherwise beyond repeating herself. "I am Berserker. Are you my second Master?" Kariya nodded his head, the girl removed herself from the circle, pulling up her Master before waiting noiselessly. Then the Matou Master remembered where he was and with a slight scowl stormed out of the basement, pausing at the top of the stairs when the Berserker had not moved from her spot.

"Come on Berserker, let's leave this damn place." The Servant vanished and was instantly beside the Master, waiting for her Master to lead. The man sighed before continuing out of the home, the Demon Maid right behind him. The command seals flashed once upon the man's wrist, a symbol of a masked demon making itself known.

One hour before the 4th War-

The room was slick with blood, two corpses of adults sitting side by side resided on the couch, a man standing to the side admiring the corpses before talking to a cowering child, "Hi my name is Uryuu Ryuunosuke, I do odd jobs and my hobby is serial killing." He kneeled down to come face to face with the boy, a happy smile upon his face. "Do you believe in demons?"

Then light filled the room suddenly, temporarily blinding the living occupants of the room. There was no time for any reaction as a creature dashed from the haphazard summoning circle, pale clawed hands upon the killer's face before the creature pulled the man away from the child. The sound of flesh tearing and a scream of pain caused the child to whimper and close his eyes.

When the boy dared to open his eyes he came in contact with pale green eyes framed with wild white hair. A low growl echoed from the creature as its bloody hand reached for the child's face, the child closing his eyes once more. The boy was surprised when instead of talons raking across his face or throat, the gag was removed and the hands caressed his face.

Once more the boy opened his eyes to greet the beast, only to realize that it held the body of a human. Ragged clothing surrounded its body as it waited on the boy while prowling around the bloodied room on all fours. Marks appeared on the boy's arm resembling a bone broken into three pieces. The boy found his voice, timidly asking in a shaken voice, "C-c-can yo-u-u-u under-st-stand me-e-e?"

The beast-human nodded its head, "C-can you-u speak?" The boy had regained a bit of his composure by the second question. The creature shook its head, "Can you write?" The beast did not respond for a minute before nodding, scratching words into the floor for the child to see. 'I am Servant Beast, are you my Master?' were the words written by the Beast.

The boy spoke with uncertainty tainting his tone, "I guess I am, even if I don't understand what a Master is." The boy looked at his dead family before tearing up, the Experiment wiped away one of the boy's tears, walking towards the entrance with the Child Master in tow.

The Beast gave off a purr of contentment, sidling directly up against the boy, to which the boy gave a somewhat wary smile rubbing the creature's head, which incited a greater amount of purring. The two wandered off in the direction of the docks, the boy deciding to trust his gut, as the saying goes.

3 minutes before the 4th War-

They had not summoned King Arthur as planned, somehow obtaining a God to be the Saber in the King's stead. The being had appeared to look upon him, and only he heard the words whispered to him by the Servant. 'Poor Soul, my Master use me as you wish, I am your tool to obtain your dream, Grant this world I left behind the peace it deserves.'

He could not understand his Servant, he had found a little boy in pure white playing with Ilya while the Saber watched, a smile on the physical half of its face. Kiritsugu was plagued by dreams of his Servant Saber rather than that of his own. The command seals etched into the shape of a sword within a heart pulsing as he dreamt.

The 5 year old boy held his parents hands, laughing as they swung him up and down. The family decided to journey into an antiques shop to buy the boy something for his birthday present. The boy ran around looking at each and every item in the store with childish glee, then he saw something that he wanted with all his little heart.

A sword, plain silver in color with the shape of a broadsword, greeted his gaze, the simple brown sheathe next to it sitting in perfect condition. The boy put the sword in its sheathe hugging the sword while going up to his father and mother. Slightly concerned but thinking nothing of it, the parents bought the sword, the boy happily hugging it while riding upon his father's shoulders.

The family walked through an alleyway, coming in behind their home, four figures blocked their path. The father put down his son, the boy's mother clutching him in fear. One of the figures pulled a pistol out, shooting the father in the chest, he fell back dead before he knew what had happened. The boy looked on in silence, disbelief written over his face, a second gunshot and the mother fell down beside the boy.

The boy teared up, three of the figures leaving as quickly as they appeared, one stayed walking up the child. The figure shot the boy in the leg, gaining nothing from the boy that was still in shock, then pulled out a cellphone, the figure dialed three buttons before responding to the answering voice, "There has been a shooting, two dead, one wounded. Send help immediately." The figure left the crippled boy still cradling his gift.

He didn't move even as the ambulance pulled up and carted him into the vehicle. He was still catatonic when they arrived at the hospital, only when the doctors left after the boy was plugged into a machine, did he start weeping, still cradling the sword that the doctors could not pry from his hands.

1 day after the start of the War-

The Saber stood with his Mistress and the sea to his back, the Sword made from Memories pointed at the Lancer. The Being born of Death laid upon his scythe, smile in place as he gazed upon the stars. "This sky, it reminds me of that endless night within Necropolis." The boy looked over at the being, eyes narrowing in thought, "I don't remember you anywhere, but, it's as if I know you, Saber."

The Remnant elicited a laugh of a young man, sword dropping to dangle at his side. The Saber's Master gave his order, and the being went forth, dashing across the docks in a moment. The Lancer spun around his weapon, pulling it from the ground and sending him to fly into the Saber's sword.

Both sword and scythe met with a crash, the Lancer flipping away to land on his feet as the Saber was forced back alongside him. The two beings from Dreaas ran at each other, scythe sweeping at the Remnant's feet, while the blade went to lop of an arm. Both weapons redirected themselves mid-flight, clashing with sparks before swiping into empty air.

The scythe went behind the Avatar of Death's shoulder cutting the left sleeve off the First God's cloak. The sword went to stab backwards, finding purchase within the other being's back neck. There was no spray of blood from either, the Saber having no arm, while the Lancer's curse repaired the damage instantly.

The Lancer's Master chose to speak to his Servant, a tinge of pain residing within the lord's voice. "Lancer I give you permission to use your Noble Phantasm." The Lancer looked backwards from the corner of his eye, a sigh coming from his smiling mouth. "I give you warning, you caused this."

The being masquerading as a human unwrapped his scythe from the brown bandages, showing the black bones the handle was made from to the world. Upon the last of the cloth leaving the weapon, an aura of death washed over the entire city and several dozen miles past. Only the Servants were unaffected by the aura, all regular mortals, both magical and not, were harmed however slightly by the aura.

A short whimper echoed out from a shipping container to the side, drawing eyes to the child's sound, then a roar of bestial fury as the Beast crashed through it and sped past the Saber. The Lancer held up his weapon defensively a moment before the Beast was upon him, claws knocking the weapon down before crouching atop it, pale-green eyes, appearing as if the being was blind, meeting coal-black eyes, reflecting the eternal night of the Realm of the Dead.

A clawed fist impacted against the 'Mask's' face, the force sending him crashing into a stack of containers, metal falling around the Lancer in a pile. The metallic boxes were sliced into pieces by the bone scythe a green-black liquid trailing down from the mouth of the Death 'Mask', the smile still in place. The Beast retreated back to the container it had burst from, pacing around the opening it made with growling coming from the former-human's mouth.

Thunder boomed, alongside a cry of a name, as a chariot descended through the middle of the battlefield, the presence of death having receded just moments before as the bandages reformed over the black bones. The Rider spoke from the Gordius Wheel, capturing every individual's attention, both hidden and seen. "I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors. In this war for the Holy Grail, I have been summoned under the Rider class! Fate has brought us all together to fight for the Grail, but first, I ask if you will not cede to me the Grail and join me and my Army! Forfeit your claims and I shall regard you as friends, and share with you the joy of conquering the World!"

While the Rider's Master berated his Servant for revealing his name, the other Servants in sight watched with differing responses. The Beast retreated further back, his Master peeking from behind the edge of the hole into the battlefield, it letting a growl out from its throat as quiet cracking noises were heard by the boy.

The Lancer kept his content smile plastered on his face, still genuine as the day he was created. The scythe he carried was twirled around before embedding within the ground once more, a slight chuckle escaping his throat before quieting.

The Saber did not see the giant at first, seeing a yellow-eyed boy in pure-white playing with his family. The being laughed with numerous voices tinting his own, sitting down cross-legged with Reum placed across his lap.

The Avatar of Death was the first to respond amongst those assembled, "While I have no wish, I don't believe my Master would allow me to, nor would I be able to return your gift of friendship. Beyond that I am already bound in familial ties to my brother and king, so I must regretfully decline your offer, Great-King of Conquerors."

The Remnant of Nothing was next to reply, multiple children's voices speaking his words, "I bow to none… Conqueror-King… I am not capable… of standing beside you… even if I wished. My Master's wish… takes precedence over… my own desires."

The Beast of Infinite Bone carved its answer into the container, short and simple, 'No.' It tensed, ready to react to anything that tried to harm its Master or itself.

The King of Conquerors sighed, distraught that none had accepted his proposal, the Servant however kept going with jovial tone not lost, "What of those who are watching us from the shadows, will you show yourselves and respond, or be counted amongst cowards!"

Two answered the Rider's call, one appearing in a shower of golden light atop a lamppost, while the other merely appeared sitting on the edge of a shipping crate, her Master hiding behind her, peeking out at the assembled Heroic Spirits and Masters with fear and curiosity. The Archer looked over those below him with a sneer of disdain, while the Caster had her sketchbook open and a paintbrush in hand, painting a picture of the scene in front of her.

The Golden King spoke first out of the two, arrogance tainting his voice, "You have a lot of nerve, to call yourself a King in my presence alongside lay claim on my treasure, pretender." Arms crossed, the Gates of Babylon rippled behind him, not showing their wealth but ready to fire on command.

The Painter of Reality put aside her brush, admiring her painting for a moment before replying when their gazes fell upon her. "I have served no one in my life, nor do I plan on serving one now. The grail chose one who holds no wish to be granted as the Caster, similar to the Lancer and Saber having no wish, beyond their Masters'."

Without a single warning, a sword came hurtling into the Docks intent on skewering the Caster. The artist touched her artwork, and the blade was immediately pulled into the ground by gravity, creating a crater the moment it touched the ground from its weight. The Berserker appeared and calmly placed her left hand upon the handle, drawing the blade from the concrete to point at the Caster.

Two unnamed weapons were sent from behind the Demon, twin sprays of blood were sent into the air, one weapon becoming lodged into the shoulder it was sent at as the other continued on its course. The Berserker paid no heed to the injuries, one continuing to send blood flying into sky, coming to turn around at the Archer, a sneer directed fully at the Berserker.

"Who gave you permission to disrupt this talk, mad dog?" More doors to the Treasury of the King of Heroes opened up, weapons intent on raining down destruction. The Gift from Brother was sheathed for a moment, then the left arm grabbed the sword stuck ripping it from the wound before being hurled at the King with speed faster than what the sword had been shot at.

The unnamed blade ripped through the lamppost, shearing off the bottom cleanly while the metal above and below were forced to curl in on themselves from the force. The King landed upon the ground, fury written upon his face, watching as the arm went to grab the right limb. To the surprise of all there, the girl ripped her arm off, red-black blood splattering across the ground as the limb fell into the puddle.

The moment the limb was torn off, bone regenerated fast enough to recreate a skeletal limb within a dozen seconds, followed by muscle in twice the time. The skin came back without any marking to show it had not existed prior, sans the arm that lay in its blood. Lastly the clothing repaired itself slowly, seamlessly whole by the time the blade was once more unsheathed and pointed at a target.

The Archer was only momentarily shocked, much the same as the other Servants, before once more going back into his previous mood of anger. The Gates opened showing their splendor to the World for a moment before releasing them upon the Berserker. She did not flinch, calmly walking through the weaponfire as they tore through her body. Those that merely grazed her did not cause lasting wounds, scratches quickly becoming skin once more, while those that impaled her were not removed from her body.

Her bandaged arm lashed out, crashing into the Hero-King's armor-clad body, cratering the plate and rocketing the man back to skid along the ground. Gilgamesh quickly dispersed into golden light with a snarl, his Master calling him back at that moment.

The Girl once more turned her attention on the Caster, showing the assembled the assorted weapons gained from the rain of metal. Spears had impaled themselves through her organs, swords ripping apart her muscles, an axe had found purchase in her neck before leaving, the wound slowly healing until the bandaged arm pressed down on the neck.

The thundering of the bulls of Zeus was heard as the Rider pushed his chariot at the Berserker, Gordius Wheel activating to barrel into her. The bandaged arm placed itself against a bull, carrying her forward from the momentum alongside the chariot. The King of Conquerors was surprised at the fact someone wasn't trampled by the Gordius Wheel when it came to a stop, the girl still grabbing the bull by the horn, then stepping forward, sent it back to its starting position.

The Maddened Demon left in silence directly after that, fading away back to her Second Master. The Being born of Death left shortly after the demon left, the being collecting his weakened Master before waving at those assembled. The Rider looked on with a sheepish grin, noting the devastation that had occurred in their battle. "That was interesting, are you sure you will not reconsider you three, there is no chance after we part ways?"

The Caster and Saber gave a chuckle, The Remnant placing his cherished item away within its sheath, the artist and her master coming to the ground from their perch. "You are fun to be around Conqueror-King, nothing like those 'kings' I came in contact with, besides the Child-king and his Father-in-law." She took a page out from her sketchbook, that of the Rider standing amongst the sands with an army behind him, smiles upon those whose faces could be seen. The Carefree Artist turned to another page in her book, saying one last thing before she left, "I hope you enjoy that painting Iskandar, please take care of it."

The Beast shook its head, its Master beside it as they left the docks behind. The boy looked back at those gathered and waved, then both were gone from that place. The Saber got up from his seating, its smile seen beneath the shadows, before the being made a shooing motion. It spoke in a wizened tone, happiness tinged within it,

"You followed… your dreams… as did I… King of Conquerors. My dream… is ever-lasting… until my tomb… perishes and the… denizens of the void… come to swallow… my precious… Dreaas. Yours was ever-distant… yet you conquered… the distance with… those who followed you… I wish to see… which of our… dreams is greater… the Dream of a man… and his people… or the World of Dreams… of a little child… who wasted away… in a hospital… and faded into his… World… to be amongst those… he saw as… his children… even the Beast of Nothing."

Iskandar had a challenging grin upon his face, "We shall see Saber, but perhaps let's have a drink before that, and share our dreams in more detail." They both laughed and parted ways from one another, ready to face one another after their talk later.

The man walked along the alleyway, stumbling every few steps only to be caught by the masked girl following slightly behind him, thanking her in a weak voice each time. They continued until the man was unable to walk any farther, slumping against a wall while the girl stood unmoving much like a statue. The Berserker cupped her hands, allowing the water from the sky to collect into a small amount before moving to her Master and offering the liquid.

The man gave a tired smile with a shake of the head, his Servant immediately letting the water drop to the ground and tilting her head in a questioning manner. A growling of hunger was heard barely above the pattering of rain, the man looking as embarrassed as possible in his current state, the Berserker merely tilting her head to the side.

Without warning the Servant left the man, walking down the alleyway and into the darkness surrounding them. She came back a half-hour later, blood dripping from her right arm and her left carrying a semi-fresh meal. She placed it in front of Kariya, backing away once she had done so with head bowed, the near-dead man looking between the Berserker and meal a few times before his stomach made another protest.

Kariya tentatively took a few bites, finishing the meal quickly after and nodding his head slightly to his Servant. "Thank you, Berserker." The girl bowed to her Master with grace, standing at attention while waiting for her Master to address her again. The man grew thoughtful then curious, looking from the meal to Onimeido, "How did you come across this Berserker?"

The Berserker stood still for a moment then held her right hand up, caked blood no longer dripping alongside the rain. "I took money from still alive bad men, went to a store and prepared a meal for you, Second Master." The man frowned slightly and sighed expecting something along those lines, though relieved that his Servant had not killed the men.

Once more the man became curious, though for a different reason than the first, "You killed me your Second Master, why?" Onimeido did not react to the words immediately, taking the time to collect some water and put it in a cup she had brought with, before handing it to her Master.

She decided to speak once she was through with the task, watching as the tired man took the drink with a nod of thanks. "You are the second to hold the reins of the Demon, the first being my brother, my master and my king." That was all she said to the man, standing dutifully until he dismissed her with a regretful smile, a few words being barely heard as she left.

"Do you wish to be back with your First Master, is that what you seek from the Grail, Berserker?"

She languished in her cell, not moving in the slightest as screams came from behind the steel room. Then the door opened and in popped a bloodied child in white, with pale yellow eyes and hair. The boy had no shadow cast upon the floor, while a figure in pure black stood behind him, twin claymores spilling blood onto the floor.

The boy was instantly in front of her with a Cheshire-grin, giggling madly to himself as he asked her a question. "Will you be my Onee-chan?" The girl looked up with dead grey eyes, green hair covering them partially as she rose up from her sitting.

In tattered robes she walked over to the being in front of the door, replying to the boy without emotion, "If that is my purpose, I shall do as you ask Master." The girl then took an offered sword from the shadow as it made another to replace the given blade.

Immediately the boy fumed and shouted at her, "I'm not your master! I'm your Brother now, Onee-chan, so call me Nii or Otouto." The boy then ran out, back to his normal self as the girl and shadow followed behind. They freed others from their cells and those experiments escaped, and when all was done they looked upon the Tower, as the Boy sat down.

He pointed his finger into the air, the presence of mana coming into being quickly, then slowly moved the finger to point at the Tower. The sky lit up with a flash and a great boom echoed out, and when the flash faded all that remained of that cursed place was great hole.

The three siblings left shortly after, the future Child-king happy to have siblings to take away the pain of loneliness since his birth. The shadow looked over at the girl, and the boy asked the girl if she had a name, the answer being no, "Then your name will be Onimeido, mine will be Kodomo and Onii will be Iro." The boy was happy, and it was infectious, the shadow's pure red smile being seen, while the girl gave a small smile.

2 days after start of War-

The Lancer sat listening to his Master, expression unchanging as he withstood the verbal abuse. He interrupted the Magus while looking at his Master and Mistress with head tilted to the side, "I'm sorry Master, Mistress, to have caused you both pain that only I should know." The Lord and his Fiancée watched as he kneeled, bowing for a few moments before returning to just kneeling. "Please forgive this little 'Mask'."

Both Magi were momentarily stunned at the words said by the Servant, the Master quickly recovering and clearing his throat, "Well, I shall forgive it this once." He looked a bit uncomfortable when his Servant bowed its head slightly, still reminded of the aura that surrounded the Lancer and the pain associated with it. The Magus Lord continued on from where he left off, idly watching the Lancer get up and walk to the window, looking up at the sky.

"Master, Mistress may I ask you a question?" The Lord and Lady stopped their discussion gazing at the back of the Lancer's from. "You may Lancer." was the reply of his Mistress, both of the couple-to-be wary of what question the Servant would ask. "What do you think happens after a being dies? The two took a moment to process the question uttered by their Servant, stopped by a clarification from the Lancer, "What does one see after they pass away is my question, Master, Mistress."

They thought for a moment before the Master of Lancer gave her answer, "A person sees the embodiment of Death when the die." The Being born of Death gave off a short chuckle, playful in nature as one would expect of a child, his Mistress giving her answer shortly after. "An individual will see those they have loved and lost when they die."

The 'Human' let out another chuckle, turning to face his Master and Mistress, head tilted to the side with eyes closed. "You are both correct, partially." Opening one of his eyes to see the confused expressions, he elaborated on what he said. "One meets Death before they may pass into the Blessed Sleep, there they meet their loved ones and are able to remain with them until they fade from memory."

The Magi looked at one another briefly before the Lancer's Mistress left, Kayneth standing still before sighing and looking at the Lancer. "Why did you ask us that question?" The being merely smiled and answered with a chuckle, "You remind me of my younger brother, Master. Mistress reminds me of his beloved." The man looked somewhat intrigued by the information, still wary though to a smaller degree. "They never had a chance to be happy together, I don't know if they met again in the Blessed Sleep since I could never return there since I'm an abomination to the cycle of Life and Death. Born to death and leaving it behind for Life, I am cursed to fade to Nothing." With those words the Lancer vanished, leaving his Master alone for a moment, contemplating the words the Servant spoke.

An explosion occurred at the bottom of the building, The Magus immediately moving with urgency to where Sola-Ui resided in the current moment. Seconds after he was able to meet up with her, the building collapsed on itself.

Blackwing looked over the summoning circle one last time, wondering what kind of Servant he would summon this time. He said the chant idly, remembering his other Servants with a smile. The moment he felt the pull on his Prana, he gave a start of surprise at the amount of Prana the being required. It easily rivaled all of his Servants put together and more.

Blackwing was assaulted with memories the moment the Servant was summoned. A white-haired girl watching her younger siblings play tag, a happy smile upon her face. The same girl playing chess with her elder brother, while their twins watched eagerly. The same girl bloody as her siblings lay amongst their blood, the world around her aflame with warriors killing those that remained alive. Slitted red eyes watched as a Dragon of Red and White energy formed in front of her, a deal about to be made.

The memories stopped as the smoke cleared, revealing a being in full black overlapping plate armor, a draconian helmet resting upon the head, red visor blocking her eyes from view. Twin serrated swords were at her waist, while two polearms/swords were upon her back. That did not prevent Blackwing from feeling an inspecting gaze upon him from the figure, a woman's voice echoing out from two holes in the sides of the helmet.

"You are not Human… Good. I am Servant Avenger, are you to be my partner in this war for a Fool's Relic."

The bearer of all the World's Evils reacted calmly due to similar events happening in the past, "I am your partner for the Holy Grail War, are you ready to take part?" The woman nodded her head before heading off to the nearest Servant she could sense the presence of, the purple-haired 'teen' walking beside her.

The Avenger and her 'Master' walked until they came across an alley, a child with black hair turning red at the roots near the end of the alley. The child blinked once at the duo before hiding behind a dumpster, peeking out with curiosity at them. A growl echoed out as the Beast stalked out from the end, claws scraping across the ground leaving furrows each time it stepped.

A red liquid-like substance formed within grooves in the right arm's armor, simple lines standing out among the black metal. With a roar both Servants launched themselves at each other, claws meeting serrated blades in a clash of sparks. The Beast pushed off the blades, flipping to land on the wall before going back to combat the Avenger.

A clawed hand grabbed the first sword before releasing its hold and grabbing the other sword that came after it, the Experiment whirling around in the air to kick the girl in the chest. The Paragon snarled before charging at the Beast, her left arm beginning to bubble with red energy as the two continued to clash.

Blackwing managed to get past the two battling Servants to stand before the child Master. The child cowered against the dumpster upon realizing the demi-god's presence, the Beast immediately looking in the direction of the two Masters as it pushed Avenger back, now having both arms filled with the red substance. The Gorgon quickly summoned a blade to block the enraged Beast that barreled towards him, not having the chance to talk to the child like he had planned.

The sword did not last one encounter before it broke, claws coming to maul Blackwing's chest before deciding against it and simply forcing the 'teen' to fly into the alley wall. The Beast of Infinite Bone quickly grabbed his Master and fled the area atop the roofs, wary of the foolish being willing and able to summon the Paragon of Blood.

The Avenger went to chase them, jumping atop the building to find that the Beast and his Master had disappeared. Growling with dissatisfaction she jumped back down into the alley, the substance found in her armor's grooves dissipating while Blackwing walked out of the alley with a sigh. She caught up to him before going into spirit form, calming quickly once away from the physical plane of existence.

The boy watched as the Third God directed the Shinda in their work as the gravetenders went between the realms to collect the newly dead. He felt out of place in the Realm Necropolis, even though the Third God and his subjects welcomed him with open arms. He went up to his 'father' and told him that he wished to experience the other Realms, his 'father' told him that he would not be able to return to Necropolis if he decided to leave, even when he perished.

The boy walked through the portal to the main Realm, appearing next to one of the great canyons that separated the continents from one another. He walked until he reached a village entering it with his smile in place, all those around him recoiled at the aura surrounding the boy, never having experienced death in a pure state before. The boy did not linger in the village leaving it as soon as he had entered it, heading towards someplace that he felt would be beneficial to him in some way.

The boy continued to wander eventually reaching a tree with ten names etched into the bark, he read them quickly noting the names upon the stone. 'Kodomo, Iro, Onimeido, Saya, Mitsu, Ea, Byōki, Sero, Seru, Mujō no Kōfuko.' The boy laughed before entering the village that contained ramshackle and pristine buildings alike.

The violet haired boy met a boy in white the moment he stepped foot in the village, five children playing happily around one of the buildings before leaving as it fell apart into timbers. The boy spoke quickly to the Being born of Death, not taking notice of the aura surrounding the boy. "Hello, how are you, will you be my Nii-san?"

The boy said one word for each question, unlatching the scythe from his back and placing it against the building a man was residing on the roof of. The smile was shown to the little boy as the being replied, "Hello, fine, sure." The boy in white giggled happily before dragging the boy to play alongside the others.

The Caster and her young Master strolled along the beach, Sakura giggling as the water lapped at her feet. A sad smile adorned the Painter's face, watching as the girl she saved acted like her long-deceased brother. Idly and without notice her book was open, brush lightly placed upon the paper as she slowly walked after her charge.

The girl ahead of her turned around, giving a smile filled with happiness known only to children with hands placed behind her. Her sadness left her at the sight, moving slightly faster to catch up, the book and brush disappearing as she unknowingly finished the picture. Laughter left her Master as they played among the sands, a light chuckle leaving the Caster's lips in response, acting much like two close siblings.

For a few hours they simply played, uncaring of the time that passed by and the worries of the war they had been drawn into. At their playing's end, both Servant and Master sitting in the sand with the child close to falling asleep. The Carefree Artist kept her smile as she got up with the day nearing twilight, holding her hand out towards her Master and picking her up.

Once more the book was retrieved from the place it was stored, pages turned until she reached the latest work, eyes closing as she took in the painting of Sakura and herself splashing around in the water. Carefully the page was torn out, the Caster looking over it once more as the book faded into Prana, then she turned and gave the picture to Sakura, the youngest of the Masters finally letting sleep take her after the page was held in hand.

The Caster caught Sakura before the girl could fall, gently cradling the small child in her arms before moving away, hoping not to run into any of the other Servants while her Master slept.

This world… was beautiful. The white sand, the blue sky, the trees of wood and green leaves. The single moon hanging in the sky, the grass as green as emeralds, the yellow sun that came in the absence of the moon's light, the sea sparkling like sapphires. It was so similar to her home, yet at the same time it wasn't, not just the scenery but the people, the technology, the cultures, the relative peace… that's what made this place beautiful for her to behold.

Her Master… looking down at the girl she carried, her smile softened immensely at seeing the Matou cradling the latest artwork she had made. Her Master… she wasn't ready for this War, and neither was the Beast's, they were simply too innocent and young for this event. At least one of the two would break, and the sad answer to who was likeliest of the two was the Nameless Master of the Beast. Her own Master had been cursed/blessed with the knowledge of what the War would be like, and with hesitance on both their parts, they had decided to find her something to latch on to, for her mind and sanity's sake.

There was few places she could safely occupy with her Master, simply staying in the open would likely result in her and Sakura's death if they were found even with her astralized as the other Masters already knew what the child looked like. A hotel was also a bad idea, as witnessed earlier during the night with the bombing of Lancer and his Master's base, it was simply too public and the others would easily spot them if they were around. The only other options were to sneak into homes, which she knew her Master would not enjoy or like at all, or go into the alleyways and risk happening upon another of the Servants/Masters.

She let out a sigh before heading for the alleys, hoping that she wouldn't encounter other beings for the rest of the night. Her charge stirred for a moment in her sleep, attention immediately drawn to her Master until she went back to sleep, likely experiencing an event from her past. Without hesitation she ventured into the dark, intent only on making sure her charge remained among the living of this War.

3 days after start of War-

Both the Master of Saber and his Assistant were confused, not expecting what awaited them when they reached the Einzbern Castle. The Mistress of Saber was sitting in a chair, happily chatting with the Saber about random subjects. What caught the attention of the two who had walked in was the boy and girl dancing within the entrance hall.

The boy was the exact same boy that had played with Ilya back in Germany, while the girl was a few years older than the boy in white. Braided green hair falling to her back as she danced with the Child-king, contrasting against the black kimono with blue teardrops and black pants. Both held happy smile upon their faces, the princess and the king happy to dance together to the music of the piano.

Looking at the piano in the other room showed a teen playing the piano with mastery, the gender unable to be placed despite looking very feminine. The teen wore a black kimono with detached sleeves held by violet rope, white pants and black sandals. Long black hair held a silver bow in its right side, while white eyes with concentric rings surrounding a non-existent pupil.

The teen finished his playing of the piano, while the Princess of the Vu~anpaia Kishi and the Child-king bowed to one another and then to the musician. The Musician of the Silent Voice bowed before walking off further into the castle, the other two merely disappearing into particles of mana as the Master and Assistant approached Saber and his Mistress.

Both the Saber and Iri had happiness about them as Kiritsugu and Maiya started planning to deal with the addition of another Servant in the War, complicating the entire matter to extreme amounts. The Mistress of Saber as well as Saber, got up, the former to discuss strategy with the Magus Killer, while the latter went to find the teen that played for the two children.

He looked around the castle, eventually finding the musician within a room overlooking the entrance, plucking a shamisen idly, making a song without trying, while staring at the forest surrounding the castle. The teen did not react when the door was opened and closed, nor when the being sat right next to them. The only sound was from the shamisen, until it was placed to the side, paper and quill were the next sounds to take place within the silent room, for the Musician was both deaf and mute.

They continued their silent conversation until they both looked out the window, taking note of the Servant standing outside patiently looking at the window. A message from his Master was received and acknowledged, quickly walking alongside the musician to meet with the Servant. A happy yet mournful tune played as they exited the castle to confront the Lancer, passing the Lancer's Master as they went out, both scythe and sword were drawn and pointed at one another.

The Lancer sighed, clearly unhappy yet not letting it show on his face permanently etched with a content smile. "My Master is a fool, my Mistress slightly less. Why, oh why could I not be blessed with a Master like yours Saber?" A knowing glint within his black eyes let the Saber determine that the ruse of Iri being his Master was found to be false by at least the boy in front of him.

The piece of paper rustled, turning his head, the Saber found the words 'Can I?' upon the word-ridden sheet. The Remnant nodded his head, stepping back to allow the teen to step forward, the sleeves being replaced by plates of violet metal. A 'sword' appeared in his right hand, having three metal rods rising from the hilt. The two spirits rushed at one another, the Remnant watching calmly able to react to any circumstances quickly.

Right before the first clash of bone on steel, the scythe was moved to head away from the strange sword. The Being born of Death quickly retreated as the 'sword' went after him, remembering its abilities when told by his brother and sister-in-law. The Lancer continued to dodge the sword until, certain that it would not clash with his scythe, he went to strike the teen.

The sword was whipped around to be held back-handed by the teen, both weapons touching for a fraction of a second before an indescribable noise echoed out from the blade. It made no sense to a regular mortals' mind, being loud and soft, a fast yet slow ring, exuberant and hollow. The sound contradicted itself, causing all who heard it to flinch and clutch their ears in pain.

The boy retreated from the feminine musician, ears bleeding their black-green blood common amongst those of the Realm of the Dead. The teen did not give the 'Red Riding Hood' a moment's reprieve, sword aiming to clash with the weapon rather than flesh. The Lancer moved back to gain distance from the Musician of the Silent Voice and his Kōchōha fuwa, deciding to let his weapon fade away rather than be struck by the sound again.

The Avatar of Death, closed his eyes while jumping back once more from the sad existence in front of him. 'I'm sorry Master, Mistress, endure the pain for a moment.' His right arm lit up with green flame, radiating only numbing cold as opposed to the red fire of this reality. Sweeping his arm sideways, the fire spread in a cone in front of him, the teen retreating from the Flames of the Dead. Shortly after the flames abated, showing withered grass in its wake, the Lancer disappeared from view, the flames lingering where he once stood for a moment before fading back to Death.

The teen smiled happily at the Remnant, the 'sword' staying in the realm of reality until the blade was dropped, whereupon it shattered into particles of black and white mana. Saber beckoned the musician with his sole arm, the teen complying and being drawn into a hug with the First God. The musician disappeared shortly after, still holding the cheerful smile he had come to be known by in life amongst the Knights of the Vu~anpaia Kishi.

A tear ran down the Saber's face, "Ongaku… You are truly… an enviable being… always cheerful… and trying to help others… Shiniga… my 'Mask' of Death… I am sorry… For pushing my want… of Death upon you…"

The Lord El-Melloi coughed as he walked up the stairs of the castle, the puddle of mercury having protected him from everything the Magus Killer had set for him. He was unable to gloat from the pain that continued to plague him from the last battle, causing him to stumble around occasionally as a new wave of pain lanced through him every minute that his magic was active.

He then heard his Servant call out through the Master-Servant bond, 'I'm sorry Master, Mistress, endure the pain for a moment.' His Magic circuits flared and Kayneth found himself against the wall, it lasted for only a few moments before it passed. The Master of Lancer saw the Magus Killer run further down the hall, though unable to follow due to the amount of pain he was in.

The Lord El-Melloi weakly called out to the Lancer, using a command seal to get him to appear, the moment Shiniga appeared Kiritsugu turned around and shot at the two. A hand came and intercepted the Origin bullet, before the two vanished back to their operations, leaving the castle and Mage-killer behind, cold gaze baring down on the two.

She was bored, the lecturer teaching both her and the brown haired puppet-maker. The boy made impressive and artistic puppets to Āto, yet in all but his first he seemed unsatisfied by their form, discarding them to be a part of his Marionettes. She yawned going back to her painting, tuning out the world just as the boy was doing.

They both went to the Head Librarian, as they were all part of the Eldritch Library and thus called librarians by the world. Both asked to leave and experience the world, saying that this place was stifling their growth. The magician sighed before granting their request, before they left he told them "Your parents would be proud, both of you."

The puppet-maker and carefree artist stiffened slightly before leaving, both having painful memories of involving their parents. They chose to stay together for a time, before the puppet-maker decided to stay behind at a town. "I saw this boy, he looked so lost, another boy went up to him and asked him to be his brother. I wonder what that boy was thinking when he asked the first boy that question."

The girl had a smile, and bade farewell to the puppet-maker continuing on her way, the sketchbook her parents gave her before disappearing holding a picture of the two, the boy having a smile for the only time in his life.

A blade came to bisect the girl, a blue book the only thing that stopped it from merely cutting straight through her. The Master of Caster ran behind a row of metal pipes, concerned for her Servant that battled a living juggernaut. A drawing was made quickly as the zweihander tried to bisect her once more, black and white fire bursting into life upon the Berserker.

The Demon Maid kept on, fire melting her skin as she swung even as it regenerated from the extreme heat from flames made from ink. The sword crashed into the wall, the entire building collapsing from the girl's strength, Caster retreating father back down the alley to put distance between them. The sword was withdrawn from the rubble, burning from the black and white flames alongside the wielder, scrapping along the ground as she walked towards the Carefree Artist.

The artist summoned a 5'7" being in a diving suit made of white and maroon metal, an anchor twice his size clutched in his hands attached to a 10ft long chain driven into his back. Splotches of black blood leaking from the joints in the armor, the moment they touched the ground hissing was heard as the blood burned through the concrete. A roar of inhuman comprehension was echoed out from the hollow metal suit, violet light flashing through the lenses as it bored into the masked girl.

The anchor was lifted as easily as a child picked up a wood block, coming to crash against the sword, cratering the ground and dispersing the flames the moment they clashed. The Berserker leapt back, the anchor falling into the cracked ground, before a cracking noise was heard by all. The woman's eyes widened in fear as a crack appeared in the fox mask, slowly growing bigger until it shattered into pieces.

The girl held her bandaged arm to her face, grey eyes glaring hatefully at the suit of metal. The sword was gripped tighter, cracks forming in its metal as her strength overrode its durability. She disappeared from sight, reappearing directly in front of the diving suit right arm cocked back. The suit was shorn in half as she punched it directly in the middle, black blood splattering all across her and the surrounding area.

The blood fought against her regeneration, the former withering away the flesh, while the latter reformed it as fast as it withered away. The blood turned to dust and left alongside the suit of metal into mana, the scared Caster painting quickly as the Berserker looked at her with wrathful eyes. She dragged the blade along the ground as the Caster finished the artwork, a perfect replica of the mask appearing upon her face as the old one faded into dust. The sword was raised and prepared to be brought down into the Artist's body

The Master of Caster quickly ran and stood in between her Servant and the Berserker, the girl's blade stopping just inches from cutting through her. They stood like that for a good minute before the Master and Caster backed away from the Berserker, who remained standing like that until her Master appeared. The little Master of Caster gasped at the smiling figure that greeted her. "Kariya-ojii-san."

"Hey, Sakura-chan. Berserker go back into astral state if you would." The Maddened Demon complied with her Master's order, disappearing from sight and reducing the amount of prana required for the deteriorating master. A quick drawing by the Painter of Reality and the Matou Master, felt himself burning from the inside-out, the worms inside of him screeching in pain as they were deleted from existence.

He endured it, smiling as Sakura rushed into his arms, crying happily into his shoulder, the Caster looking on in slight jealousy and happiness. "Did he do anything to you? Has she done anything to you?" Was whispered by the adult, the outcast Tohsaka shaking her head. "Good… guess I don't need to participate in this war to save you, all I need to do is protect you, Sakura-chan." She looked up with a quizzical gaze at the man, who returned it with closed eyes and, "When you're a bit older."

The Caster astralized to stand next to the Berserker, a person that was considered her sister at one point, watching the scene with a happy and apathetic gaze respectively. "It's been a long time, Onimeido." The girl merely nodded her head a short distance to respond. "This is a strange place, roughly a year gone by, and I still know next to nothing about this place." The Demon maid shrugged her shoulders minutely. A sigh, "You are so hard to have a conversation with, Nee-chan."

The beast watched as the man walked forward from the door into the black circular room, confused as to way he felt. A growl echoed out from its throat, before the beast lunged at the man, catching the sheathed blade in his claws. The sword was drawn as the man moved his head to the side to dodge the claws and tail that went to chase him. The Beast's left hand spasmed as a bone popped out, which was grabbed by the Beast to block the sword. A wave of air rushed past him, cutting into the walls, and scarring them.

The being flipped, the tail coming to crash against the sword. Wings tore themselves from the back of the Beast, the man launching himself back as they embedded into the ground. The man swung sideways, it flew up dodging something it knew was dangerous but could not perceive. A slash mark appeared around the room, before the upper levels slid down across the slash, sunlight meeting the Beast's eyes for the first time.

A roar echoed out from inside the structure, inhuman and enraged beyond all measure, both the swordsman and Beast stopped. A woman with shackles around her neck, wrists and ankles was thrown up from the lower floor into the ceiling, crashing down after freeing herself from it. A being made of chains leaped up from the hole made, an orange eye looking at the slowly recovering girl with rage. Its chains rattled before spinning around the body, fast enough to generate heat and sound from speed.

One of the chains unlatched and shot at the girl, the Beast snatching her up before the glowing chain hit, the floor disintegrating from the heat. The girl was let down, stomping the ground, a spear was formed from the floor and handled with care. The Beast placed his hands upon the ground, then there was white everywhere one looked.

3 days after start of the 4th War

It didn't understand what the youngling in front of it was, only that it was female, it/she felt similar in nature to itself and it/she was frightened… no, not frightened, less than that but more than apprehensive. It/she never stopped looking at itself, pale green eyes staring right into its own near-white green as they looked over one another, both nearly identical to the other barring size and dress. It padded slowly over to it/she and walked around her/it several times with its tail waving quietly back and forth behind it, curiosity tainting its thoughts as it tried to understand what it/she was.

She/it wore a plain white dress, surprisingly the clothing wasn't ripped or damaged in anyway so either she/it had taken care of her clothes, unlike itself, or she/it had come here just recently. A low growl sounded from the Beast's throat, a flick of its tail creating a gash in the floor before it stopped completely by a whimper coming from the source of its curiosity, huddling in on herself/itself in fear of its seeming anger. Several second passed before it padded over gently, standing just in front of her/it and nuzzling her/it, bringing a stop to her/its shaking and replacing it with simple stillness before she/it responded in kind.

She let out a yawn after only a few minutes ticked by, lying down and curling into a ball before falling asleep, the creature padding around her softly as if looking for a threat, tail and claws clicking quietly against the tiles beneath it before it settled down around the little youngling protectively. Sleep didn't take the Beast immediately into its embrace, allowing it to faintly hear a broken dialogue from the White-clad Men, "…eriment b… mes docil… ound child… Lik… becom… gitated w… forc… art. D… attem… out orde… m Head of… stude. " What was heard made no sense to it, but that didn't matter as it fell into sleep's grasp.

It had someone to take care of until it died.

It remembered. The creature of bone kept its one cherished possession tightly, allowing it to do something other than fight and be something more than a simple mindless beast. Memories of her, the one being that it considered daughter, kept its mind sharp and able to communicate with others, as well as comparing her to the boy it called 'Master'. They were hardly the same, only being an orphan and a child being common between the two, yet they acted slightly similar to one another and gave its mind peace and purpose.

Sharpened claws that once were normal fingers clicked near-silently against the concrete alley, red liquid coating the pale flesh and leaving behind a slight trail leading to one of the few meals it had partaken in while its 'Master' was resting. Back to the end of the alleyway, a turn right into a near-invisible alcove and it was back to its temporary 'home' with 'Master', said boy shivering near the corner still in the clothes he had been when the Beast had saved him. Padding over gently and quietly so as to not disturb the child, it made its way to him, hovering over for a half-second before moving around him in a circle before settling down, its tail out and wrapping around its charge protectively, immediately having the effect of comforting the boy into peaceful rest.

This wasn't the same as with its daughter, where it and she were the same type of being and capable of 'speaking' with one another, the boy was still fully human and it wasn't, yet even still it felt the need to protect and comfort the child just as it had done with her. What it knew, and what it was truly afraid of, was that it would perish and leave the boy alone, every other Servant was stronger than it, even the Caster was more powerful than it if prepared beforehand. Regardless of its disadvantage and both it and its 'Master' lack of a wish it would fight, to ensure the child would live past this war and just like its daughter live happily for a short time. Gently nuzzling against the child, the Beast slowly allowed its eyes to fall closed and allow a light sleep to fall over it, keeping ready in the case that they would be disturbed like the night before.

4 days after start of War-

The youngest Master played as she had before going to the Matou house, her Servant off to side with a brush, easel and canvas, while she was playing with an ink puppy. The girl laughed as she watched the pup yip and dart around, the Caster having a soft expression and smile as she gazed at the two. She went back to her painting, frowning slightly at the feeling that something was missing before sighing and getting up, wandering over to the pup and Master and allowing herself to forget about the War for a moment.

Minutes later she stopped suddenly, causing the puppy and Sakura to look at her with curiosity, the Caster's gaze going over to a tree where a boy was peeking around it. The boy shrunk behind the tree, shivering slightly when the Caster walked over with the girl and pup in tow, the woman holding out her hand to the frightened Master. "Would you like to play with us, little one?"

Tentatively the boy took the offered hand, calmed slightly by the sincere smile the Painter of Reality held and Sakura who looked at him in happiness before taking his other hand. "S-s-sure." The ink pup yipped and ran around the two children, giggling at the excited animal before Sakura chased after it, the boy following slightly slower with a small smile.

The Caster looked on at the children in contentment, watching as the Beast appeared with a quizzical look in its eyes. "Hello again Beast, it's been a long time since we saw one another." The creature nodded its head, gazing at the woman as she returned to painting the scene of the two Masters and the pup. "Hmm," the Painter looked at the scene for a moment then turned to the Beast, making a shooing motion towards the two children, "You deserve to have some happiness. Go play with them, act as you want and they will not turn you away."

The Experiment nodded its head, padding over to the two children and the ink pup and began to play with them, acting as an energetic feline and running around with the two children and pup. The woman continued her painting, stopping only once she was fully satisfied with the image, laying it on the ground and moving to join them with a smile. The painting remained where it was placed, showing the two children on top of the Beast with the pup bounding alongside him, the Caster striding over to join them from her spot underneath the trees, each of them painted with either content or happiness with no worries.

They stopped once it drew close to night, sad that their time together was drawing to an end. Both groups were about to leave, the Caster giving the painting to the Master of Beast with a small smile and the words, "Cherish these memories, for there is nothing that can replace them." They were unable to leave before the Rider came up to them, a jovial grin in place as he walked up to them.

"Would you and your Masters care to join me and a few others in a discussion latter tonight, Beast, Caster?" The woman replied with a smile and a look to her Master, "Your choice little Master." Sakura looked uncertain before nodding her head, both looked at the other group, the Beast sidling up to his Master, looking at the boy for confirmation to their answer. "W-we'll join Mister Rider."

The Rider let out a laugh, walking away with a few words hanging behind him for the directions, "Saber and his Master have agreed to host our discussion, as of right now only you two will be attending beyond myself and Saber." Then the Rider was gone, leaving the two groups to the peace of night, eventually traveling together towards the Einzbern Castle, the two children walking together, one chatting and the other merely listening timidly, the Beast padding along ahead of them while the Caster stayed behind with a smile on her face. 'I now know why Father and Kodomo wanted others to be happy rather than themselves, it is a wonderful thing to witness. I'll make sure at least one of them is able to remain happy, even if it costs my existence.'

She shook her head lightly, taking out a pencil and paper and sketching the scene laid out before her, a smile on her lips. She let the paper go when the drawing was done, continuing after her Master and her friend, humming slightly while increasing her pace to catch up with the two.

The Servants Saber, Rider, Archer, Caster and Avenger gathered in the courtyard of the Einzbern castle, the Beast playing with his Master and the Caster's Master like a small puppy. The other Masters, all but the Archer's who had not come, looked on in shock and apprehension at the gathering, except for the one who called himself Blackwing.

The Rider was a strange man to most who had met him only once, yet he had managed what would be considered an impossibility within the Grail War. He had gathered many of the Servants together peacefully to talk about the war, their wishes and dreams. Such men could be found very rarely throughout history, maybe 3 other mortals throughout all of Gaia's past, present and future could hope to accomplish what he had done.

The Saber was the only one to not accept the Golden King's wine, saying he was much too young, instead pulling a flagon of liquid from his cloak and drinking from that instead. Despite its supposed serious discussion about the Grail, there was a sense of contentment around the Servants and child Masters. Even the King of Heroes had allowed his normal sneer to abate watching and listening to the discussion between the others among this Grail dialogue.

Stories were shared amongst those at courtyard, the Rider of his friends and him conquering the known world, the Caster of her family of strange and wonderful individuals, the Avenger of her family and some of the pranks they indulged in. The Saber spoke of his first two sons, who played in meadows of black and white grass when they were younger, each going on to become something great.

Then they turned to their wishes, and the Archer was asked to go first. "I have no wish, only to pass judgment on those who would sully their hands with my treasure." All but Blackwing and the Saber grew confused over the words, the former responding with a chuckle of amusement, the latter simply with the half-smile common with him.

"Why do you say that the Grail is your treasure, mister Archer?" The Master of the Beast asked curiously from his position atop his Servant, the other two with him looking with curiosity as well. The Archer gave a slight smile at seeing the child, before answering the smarter than normal boy.

"The grail is a treasure of Humanity, therefore it has roots within my treasury, I shall pass judgment on any who attempt to steal from me, that is the King's Law." He finished his explanation while the children seemed to understand and went back to playing.

The Caster was chosen to speak next, the Painter of Reality having a wistful smile on her face, "I don't have a wish, my life was lived to the fullest. I only wish I could have finished that last painting of myself and my family." She shook her head lightly and gestured for the next person to take over.

"I have no wish, nor does my Partner, I am here only to comply with the Foolish Vessel's Desires." The Avenger, helmet off to reveal long white hair and red eyes much like a reptiles, did not share in the merriment when it came to her, passing it to the Rider as quickly as possible.

The Rider closed his eyes, a smile dotting his face, "My wish… is true reincarnation." The Archer and adult Masters blinked in surprise, even Blackwing, the children and other Servants having smiles, however small. He continued before any could interrupt, "These bodies are made of prana, they will disappear once this War is won. I wish to defy the impossible and conquer the world once more as flesh and blood!"

Archer laughed loudly, while all the other servants chuckled and the children Master had large smiles directed at the King of Conquerors. The Golden King laughed, before stopping, "I've decided, I'm going to kill you pretender."

The Rider grinned, "I look forward to the attempt Archer… hmm… It looks like we have unexpected guests." With that all looked up at the castle walls, the Assassin appearing before being joined by another, and another until the entire parapet was covered by the Hassan-I-Sabbah.

The Rider held his glass of wine up in the air, not even able to speak before a dagger was thrown. Not at Rider, Avenger, Beast, Caster, or Archer. The dagger found purchase in the flagon of Saber's drink, a trickle of black liquid going from the cut. Hissing occurred from it as the dagger was ate away by the liquid, at which everyone stared incredulously at the liquid and then at the Saber, "What were you drinking?" was uttered from the Blackwing.

The flagon disappeared into mana before it could leak any more of its corrosive liquid onto the floor. The being thought for a moment before shrugging, "I honestly… do not know… It tasted good though…" Reum was drawn from its sheath, the silver blade pointed at the lead Assassin, a frown marring the Remnant's shadows.

A humming noise rose from the hood, hauntingly inhuman and beautiful, the sounds changing in tone, volume and origin. "I'm an Echo… Lost in the Meadow… My name's Forgotten… The flowers are Rotten…" The Remnant held out his hand to the Assassins, before sweeping the limb to face the other Servants.

The World cracked, light spilled out from those places, not in as great amounts as if the being had completed the entirety of his Nursery Rhyme. The world shattered to be replaced by something from the end times. Ruined buildings lay to the sides their design mimicking that of Gaia's modern era, there was no noise beyond those made by the Servants and their Masters.

"A reality marble…" A flute's song echoed throughout the Shattered Realm, coming from nowhere distinct. Five figures appeared atop the buildings, looking down upon those who had entered their Realm. They were all similar, wearing a suit of armor and faceless helmet, the only differences between them their size, weapons and coloration.

One was colored red and blue, fully half and half alongside the wheelock muskets she held, fire sparked and water pooled around her, another was brown and green and held axes, the wind howling and rock cracking upwards. Two were fully one color, one grey, holding a wooden staff, reality warping around her, the other was violet, holding a bow with blades at each end, time rewinding and fast-forwarding around her.

Only one leapt down from their perch, his armor half white and black, twin broadswords were situated in his hands. Light and Dark both radiated from the being in equal amounts, slowly standing once more while armored joints creaked. A sense of apathy permeated from the being, known amongst his kin as Oblivion, the Armor of Light and Dark.

The being walked towards the Assassins, flashing to the middle of them in a second. Those who had stood in his way had their blood splatter the ground and their fellows, dropping to the ground with limbs amputated, bodies bisected and heads decapitated. Oblivion stood before a child-version of the Assassins, looking at him with the same expression that he exuded. The rest attempted to escape from the Armor, only to find their way blocked by a ring fire and earth.

The being ignored the child and split into two copies, one fully black, the other fully white, each kept hold of a single sword which held the opposite color of their armor. They went on a spree of killing that could not even be called a massacre, not one could escape, those who tried were impaled by arrows of violet light or shot with a bullet of water or flame. Soon all that was left of the Assassins was the child, the Shattered Realm fading away back to sit alongside Dreaas.

The Remnant walked until he was in front of the girl, kneeling down Reum was placed at her neck. She did not move, and the being smiled sadly, the Sword made of Memory was pulled back, a metal-covered arm reaching to brush against her cheek. "Goodbye… little one…" The arm disappeared back into dust, and the sword slit her throat, a tiny smile upon her face.

The being went back to the Servants, going past them and into the castle, stopping to look back at the gathered servants. "My wish… came true… when I died… My Master's wish… is what… I fight for…" Saber's Mistress followed after him, as the rest left, the dialogue ruined with the arrival of Assassin.

He laid in his bed, giggling madly like they whom resided within asylums. The loss of his parents alongside his other immediate family in other incidents had cracked his mind, not wholly broken but steadily reaching the point.

The giggling stopped, the boy blinked and looked around with a blank stare, unsure as to how he had gotten here. A doctor walked in, slightly wary of the boy, before noticing the curious gaze the boy held, absent of the insanity that was there last they checked on him 14 minutes earlier.

The doctor quickly finished his business and left the boy to his quiet, looking out the window before a noise was heard. The child looked over seeing a small figure in pure white skipping from around the corner, a Cheshire-grin present. "Hello Other, how are you?" the boy didn't reply to the ever-grinning angel, instead going to sleep, his mind healing from breaking off a large portion of his psyche to save itself.

She was only a weapon, a tool meant only to serve until she broke from use. Her Second Master understood this, though she felt confusion from him about something regarding her, as if the very thought of her willingly subjecting herself to serving another was alien. She rarely let herself think, tools do not think, they are used to act. But in this time of tense peace she allowed herself to think about her newest Master.

Between her First and Second Masters, she wouldn't know which she would rather serve. The First Master allowed her to rampage through every battle he came across, even letting her leash off when they died together at the end, but he treated her as a sibling, she didn't deserve to be considered one of Master's siblings, she was just a tool to be used and discarded. The Second Master treated her as her status deserved, he held no attachment to her and planned to use her to save the Master of sister from sister at first, and now she was just alive to ensure both he and she remained past the ending of this pointless war.

The Masked girl kept watch over her sleeping Master despite her internal debate, the alleys cleared by Master's wish to not involve the non-magicals in the case they had to fight tonight. She didn't understand the reasoning behind those orders, the First Master didn't care for any beyond his family and killed everything that happened upon him when in battle. Perhaps she should stop comparing the two, they were completely opposite to one another, finding which of the two she 'liked' serving more would take longer than the entire length of the war would likely allow.

The only other idea that floated in her blank mind was of what her Second Master meant by the question he asked on the first night of the war. Did she want to be back with her First Master? She couldn't answer that question right now, her hands moving up to grasp the porcelain with delicate gentleness, turning the mask around to look upon the painted fox. The First Master would be happy, at least that was what she assumed he would be, if she got to be his servant again, but… wouldn't he be sad if only she came back?

The Berserker decided to stop thinking after the questions she raised with each thought piled onto one another , it would do both her and the Second Master no good if she was hindered by the nagging questions. The mask was placed back over her face, dispassionate eyes once again hidden from the world. Master would know what to do next, so long as he allowed her to be his tool she would act in his stead, she would be his weapon, his shield.

So long as a piece of her being remained she would fight and kill, serve and protect for Master, she was called the Demon Maid for that reason.

AN: This is around the halfway point of what I planned on doing, whenever the rest is done, I will either take this down and replace it or put a second chapter up with the remaining story.

Once again, I ask that you tell me how I did, this is my first major attempt at writing, and while others in my same position would be confident or giddy, I am feeling... ... apprehensive is the only word that come to mind currently.

As of 6/16/2015 8:03 CST, the Servant sheets have been moved to the second chapter and several interaction scenes have been added.

As of 1/28/16 8:045 CST, a single interaction scene has been added.