Disclaimer: I don't own Fate series, nor do I own Saberfaces, Jeanne, Tamamo, and Scathach. I do own the plot of this story and such. I don't make any profit from this. If I do, I probably spend them on FGO Gacha anyway. On to the story!

Act 2: The Gathering Part 1

Basilique Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d'Orléans or the Cathedral of the Holy Cross of Orléans was a sight to behold either during the day or the night. Not only for its magnificent architecture, but also the presence this place has around it. It has a calming and inviting atmosphere that made people liked to stay around for some time. It was to be expected with the history of the Cathedral. The heroine of One Hundred Years War, the Saint of Orléans, Jeanne d'Arc attended the evening Mass on May 2, 1429 while in the city to lift the siege. Her heroic tale was depicted on stained glasses of this very church and was another thing that filled people with a sense of contentment and awe every time they visited this place.

The same could be said with Executor Shirou Emiya. The tragic story of Jeanne d'Arc was one of the remains of his past that was not lost in the middle of inferno of Great Fuyuki Fire. It remained with him along with his faith and believe as well as tattered memories of his past. The Heroine of the One Hundred Years War was his inspiration and her story was what drove him to give his very best during his training days. It showed a great result. Now at seventeen, Shirou was one of the best Executors employed by the Church since his official baptism some years ago. He has made name for himself, while nowhere as infamous as his father's was, it was still recognizable.

The Steel Hound Executor was what people called him, for his prana sensing method and his unique brand of Magecraft.

Really, all he had done so far was never for any kind of recognition. He simply saw it as his duty to protect his fellow children like a good Servant of the Lord would do. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Oh? You're here too, Shirou?" Shirou turned away from the stained glasses which depicted the story of Jeanne d'Arc and saw Ciel approached him. "Didn't you just returned from an Apostle hunt?"

"I did, just this morning. And I already have a short vacation planned too. I guess there is no rest for the wicked," Shirou answered to his mentor/senior's question with a small smile.

"At least you planned to not push yourself too hard again," Ciel remarked which earned a deadpanned look from Shirou.

"Very funny, Senpai. This is coming from one of the most reckless person I know."

"I was, not anymore now. With Roa gone, I have to treat myself more carefully from now on," Ciel replied playfully.

Shirou nodded, but the teasing smile he had on his face said he has something else in mind. "True. You can't let the White Princess to win the Tohno boy with your death after all, but you must be really enjoying him taking care of you whenever you got hurt."

Ciel blushed at the mention of her boyfriend and her rival before glaring at Shirou. "Shut up, Shirou. Sooner or later you will be in my shoes and I'll have my laugh then."

"Then you will have to wait for a while, Senpai. I have no interest in relationship for now," was Shirou's reply as the two of them walked toward the part of the cathedral that was not open for public's eye.

"Sure you are," Ciel trailed off with suspicious look on her eyes. "What about that Edelfelt girl?"

"Luvia? She is only a good friend and a very reliable ally in a fight. What else is there?" Shirou asked back with a confusedly.

Ciel stared at him for a moment before sighing. Her junior/protegee was a good man, exceedingly kind, honorable, has the patience of a saint, and a great cook to boot. That was why he was very popular with so many nuns and nuns-in-training, but unfortunately he suffered the same disease that many young men infected with: obliviousness to love. At first, it was kind of funny when Shirou missed the flirts and not so subtle hints from the maidens around him, but as time passed it became so painful to watch.

Shaking her head to dismiss the thought, she decided to shift the topic, "So, how was the hunt?"

"We didn't lose any of our brothers, but some cockier and greenhorn Enforcers fell to the Apostle's familiars. As for civilians side, twenty lives were lost because they were either experimented by that Apostle or killed off," Shirou answered with slight frown. He might have been hardened because of his prior experience and training, but it didn't change the fact that Shirou was a kind person at heart. He was saddened at the lost of lives, but he took some comfort that they were now in a better place.

The Dead Apostle he hunted was a cadet member of a Magus family who specialized in animal-related magecraft. The Apostle himself was far more talented than the family heir and capable of creating chimera and bound it as his familiar. However, his talent caused jealousy to some of the main family members and the heir, so they shunned and sabotaged his research. They even had the gall to demand him to hand over the fruits of his research. The Magus ran away into the depths of African Jungle, but not before killing them and severely crippling the heir. There he continued his research where he kidnapped some unwary locals that wandered to his territory to be used as his 'subjects' or food for his chimerae. He even turning himself into Dead Apostle to prolong his life, but his activity was sniffed by the Church and the Magus Association. He was later killed by Shirou in combat, even after he transformed himself into a Chimera.

Ciel nodded as they continued to walk down the hallway. "You have any idea what is this about, Shirou?"

"Not a clue. I was hoping you would know, Senpai," Shirou shook his head,

"I just arrived from Misaki this morning. Although…" Ciel's sudden frown caught Shirou's interest. "I heard some information that the Eighth Sacrament sent a team of twenty people to Fuyuki in regards to the Holy Grail."

Shirou's eyes hardened upon hearing about the artifact. "You think that and this meeting is related somehow?"

"It seems so. Let's hope it is not something bad," Ciel nodded before they arrived in front of a wooden door.

Ciel knocked on it and after hearing the permission, they entered the room. Inside was only two people and one of them was a familiar face to Shirou. Turning to see them with her long white hair and golden eyes was Caren Hortensia, or as Shirou liked to call her, the Sadist Nun.

"Oh, you're returned already, Shirou. How was the hunt? Did you get hurt?" Caren greeted with a smile. While it looked beautiful to others, Shirou knew better.

"It was good since we didn't lose any of our brothers and while I did get hurt, it was healed already. Thanks for asking," Shirou replied dryly.

Caren huffed and clicked her tongue in annoyance. "And here I thought I could see your face contorted in pain while I healed your wounds."

"Anyone who lets you to be a nurse must have their mind checked. There's no one in their right mind would let a sadist like you to nurse sick and wounded people," Shirou snarked in response.

"Me? A sadist? You wound me, Shirou," Caren replied as she placed her hand over where heart should be. "I am nothing but a servant of the Lord trying to help people as much as I can. There is nothing wrong in that, is it not?"

"But reducing them to tears and savoring their pain before giving them help? I don't believe it's a good deed," Shirou replied.

Ciel stifled a laugh as she watched Shirou and Caren doing their routines. Despite their antics, Shirou and Caren were actually somewhat of good friends. They may ribbed and teased each other, but fact was they respected each other's skill as the member of the Holy Church. Shirou respected Caren for her desire to help people, even if it was a little twisted, and regardless what her ability put her through. On the other hand, Caren admired Shirou for his strength, selflessness, dedication and sense of duty.

A soft cough caused them to turn and saw the member of Eighth Sacrament that was responsible for calling them here. Shirou and Caren then quickly schooled their expressions into all business, earning a nod from the Eighth Sacrament Member.

"Thank you for coming here, Agent Bow, Executor Emiya, Miss Hortensia. I will be brief on this since it will be the best if you're making your own preparation soon," the Eighth Sacrament Member started. "As you have known, we of the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament has dispatched a team of twenty people to Fuyuki about one week ago because we received the word that the Holy Grail of Fuyuki was acting up. The team managed to confirm the worst possible scenario in our mind: the Fifth Holy Grail War is starting fifty years earlier."

The announcement surprised Shirou and the others, but the former quickly regained his wit and his amber eyes narrowed. "Are you positive about that?"

The Eighth Sacrament Member nodded at Shirou's inquiry. "That is correct, Executor Emiya. The team confirmed this before they were attacked and subsequently killed off."

"Killed off? By who?" Ciel asked with wide eyes. Despite their rather mundane job, the members of the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament were no weaklings by any meant. They were trained Exorcists and some of them even better than her thanks to their experience and skills, so having twenty of them were killed by someone, or something was completely unheard of.

"Unknown, but since we're dealing with the Holy Grail of Fuyuki, we can not rule out a Servant from our guess."

"is there any words from the Magus Association about their Masters and Servants?" Shirou asked immediately.

"None so far. All we know that some of the potential Masters are gathering in the Clock Tower before heading to Fuyuki to summon their Servants. There were no Masters or their Servants in Fuyuki before the incident happened."

"So a true unknown element…" Caren observed as the Eighth Sacrament member nodded.

"We have to stop the Holy Grail War somehow, but I doubt they will listen to us after the last time," Shirou said causing the occupants of the room to grimace.

It was not a secret anymore that in recent years, the relationship between the Magus Association and the Holy Church was frosty at best. The Church's claim about the Fuyuki's Holy Grail being corrupted, even with the proofs that supported it, several years ago was loudly and vocally denounced by the Association. The biggest dissenters in this denouncement were the Einzberns and Yggdmillennias along with their allies who said that the claim the Church made was nothing but a hoax. They even said that the Church wanted the Grail for themselves and made the claim so they could hoard it. Since then, the relationship between the Magus Association and the Holy Church became strained and tense. It was like there was a cold war between the two organizations.

"That is true. However, we do possess our own means to fight in the Holy Grail War," the Eighth Sacrament member's word caught the attention of Shirou and the others. "Before he succumbed to his wound, the last surviving member of the team managed to activate the Reserve System in the Greater Grail and gave us a chance to secure and destroy the Holy Grail."

"Reserve System? What is that?" Ciel asked.

It was Shirou who answered for her. "I have read it about it in Dad's journal entry when he was working for the Einzberns. The Reserve System is a back-up system that allowed the Grail to issue more Command Seals in case the Masters allied with each other to obtain the Grail as one for a united purpose. These Command Seals would be issued to new Masters so they can summon their Servants to oppose the first Masters. However, it was noted that while the leylines of Fuyuki were excellent, they would not be able to support the Reserve System once it is activated."

"Indeed you are right, Executor Emiya. However, it should be noted that apparently the Grail used the Prana that was stored inside it as substitute source. Since there were no winners in all previous Holy Grail War of Fuyuki and no wish was made, it is assumed that all the Prana inside the Grail was accumulated up until today. And that is where you three come in. You three will be a part of the team of Masters representing the Church in opposition of the Magus Association. As it stands right now, our team will be referred as "White" while the Magus Association team will be referred as "Red"."

"Why us? Are there no other viable candidates in the Church?" Caren asked.

"I was only tasked to deliver the orders from higher ups and I have no say in this," was the smooth counter from the Eighth Sacrament member. "However, the three of you are chosen because who you are and what you are capable of. Agent Bow, the former host of Serpent of Akasha." Ciel glared at him when she was reminded of what she used to be. "Even with his end by your hand and your acquaintance and you are no longer an immortal, you still hold some of his knowledge of magecraft which will be useful in the following war. Executor Emiya, the Steel Hound Executor." Shirou stared at the member of Eighth Sacrament neutrally. "Known to be one of our youngest Executors with strong Faith and Believe to the Lord's teachings. One of us who uses Magecraft as a tool for a mean to an end. Also the legacy of Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer. Miss Hortensia, the living demonic possession detector." Caren only regarded him with blank expression. "Despite what your ability put you through, you stay steadfast in your believe to help others. Your father was also a Master in the Fourth Holy Grail War and was one of our best Executors. All I can say is that our higher ups believe in you. Now, do you accept?"

"Just one thing. Can we ask for help from Magi who are sympathetic to our cause?" Shirou asked.

"As long as they did not jeopardize our mission to secure and dismantle the Holy Grail of Fuyuki, they are most welcomed. We are not blind that we too needed outside help to win this war."

Shirou nodded at that, already thinking of someone who fitted the bill. "Then I accept to be a representative Master to the Holy Church. Besides, my father would want me to destroy the Holy Grail before it brings forth Angra Mainyu and destroy the world."

The member of the Eighth Sacrament nodded with neutral expression at Shirou's acceptance before turning to Ciel and Caren. "And what about the two of you?"

Ciel kept her glare at the member of the Eighth Sacrament and said, "I really don't like it when you reminded me I was Roa's host after I was free from him, but a duty still is a duty. I accept."

"I too don't like it when you mentioned my father, but like Agent Bow said, a duty is still a duty. I accept. I do not think I could stomach the idea the whole world destroyed because a twisted wish-making device," Caren replied.

The member of Eighth Sacrament nodded. "Very well. Let us know if any of you in need of catalyst for summoning your Servant. Now you may go and make your own preparations. May the Lord Bless you all."

Returning the parting greeting, Shirou, Ciel, and Caren then walked out of the room.

"So… Holy Grail War, huh?" Caren started.

"Looks like it's catching up with me sooner or later," Shirou sighed as he ran a hand over his red locks.

"Are you alright, Shirou?" Ciel asked worriedly.

"I'm alright, though honestly I'm not so sure anymore," the young Executor replied. "I'm happy now that I have a chance to finish what Dad started, to destroy the Holy Grail, but I'm worried with something."

"About your own life? That's new," Caren teased with a smirk.

"That's not what I'm worried about. What I'm worried about is the damage this Holy Grail War will cause. Dad's experience in Fourth Holy Grail War said that it was quite destructive and bloody and that is only between seven Masters and their Servants. I don't want to imagine what will happen if that number is doubled," Shirou replied with a thoughtful frown.

"Then we'll have to limit the damage somehow. There are rules to keep the damage in check, right?" Ciel said to him.

"The rules that most Magi participated in that war screwed over. I don't really expect they will follow them anyway," Shirou then shook his head to dismiss the thought. "Does any of have plans for the Servant you will summon?"

"Honestly, I don't have any idea. This is all a little too sudden," Ciel answered to her junior's question. "I suppose I can ask Tohno-kun and his sister for suggestions."

"Oh? Buttering up to your sister in-law-to-be already?" Caren teased, causing Ciel to blush and glare at the white haired nun.

"Quiet you. I call it using your advantage to the fullest."

Caren smiled mysteriously in reply before she said, "I believe I shall leave it to the Lord what I will summon. I can adapt to anything if needed to."

"I guess I'll do the same with Caren. After all, the Lord will show a way for our problem," Shirou stated.

The three of them then parted ways to make their own preparation for the Holy Grail War. Shirou in particular, was determined to see their goal through. After all, all the Holy Grail had brought was nothing but misery to anyone that came close to it. He would see it destroyed at the end if this, pointless bloodshed. That was his promise to his father's grave.

A certain Counter Guardian in Red was very, very confused. Sure he was summoned by Rin Tohsaka as her Servant for the Fifth Holy Grail War, but he noticed several things that went wrong this time around.

One was his class. Instead of being summoned as Archer like in so many variations of Holy Grail War, he was summoned as Caster this time around. He didn't miss the irony as he was only a Third Rate Magus, or an Overspecialized Magus at best when he was alive. And then there was the additional title after his class, which would make him Caster of Red. According to that cursed cup, the Holy Grail War this time around was fought by two camps. Just great, more violence abound. As if the Holy Grail War was not bloody enough with its usual setup.

The other was the location of his summoning. He found himself summoned in London instead of Fuyuki, more exactly the student dorm of the Clock Tower instead of Tohsaka Mansion. He surmised that Rin was enrolled at the Clock Tower much earlier than he expected which would change things. Hopefully, this would make accomplishing his real goal much easier, but he would not expect it to go his way. His E-Rank Luck was infamous after all.

First things first though, formality before everything else.

"In accordance to your summoning, Servant Caster have arrived. I ask of you, are you my master?" Caster of Red asked, reciting the same words, with a minor tweak, as his beloved Saber in that fateful night all those years ago.

"Caster? Really? And here I worked my bones to get a Saber," he could felt the annoyance in Rin's tone despite being trying to appear calm. He had known Rin for years and has interacted with so many variations of her, so she was like an open book to him. Rin sighed before composing herself and showed her Command Seal on her hand. "That is correct. My name is Rin Tohsaka and I am your Master. I think my Command Seal is more than enough proof, right?"

Caster nodded. "Then our contract is sealed."

"Alright, now with that out of the way, can you tell me who you are? Can you tell me your real identity so I can plan ahead for the war?" Rin asked, repeating the routine that happened so many times before.

Putting the best grimacing expression he could muster, Caster lied to the Tohsaka Heiress, "I'm afraid… I'm missing some of my memories, Master."

"WHAT!?" Rin nearly exploded for a brief time before she took several deep breaths and glared at Caster. "Explain, Caster."

"I lost the memories of my past and identity, but I still retain my knowledge of my spells and experience in combat. You don't have to worry, Master. Even without knowing my identity, I'm sure it will be enough for us to win this Holy Grail War," Caster replied smoothly.

Rin stared and narrowed her eyes on him before she relented with a sigh. "I suppose so. The lack of your identity will be an advantage over our enemies because they will have to take a wild guess for your weakness."

"Indeed. What a clever Master I have," Caster nodded with a small smirk.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Rin replied with a huff and flicked one of her twintails. "Now come along, Caster. We're going to meet with some of our allies."

Caster of Red astralized as his Master turned around left the room. While Rin led him toward wherever they were going to, he was pondering on his plan to free himself from his thrice be damned contract. With the deviations already set in, he doubted his original plan would work. Then again, his chance of success with the original plan was so slim already and he had doubt it worked. He, however, despite being twisted through the ordeals during life and working under that contract, was still an optimist and determinator at heart, regardless of what Caster himself thought.

If that plan was simply no go, then he would do his job to destroy that accursed cup. Nothing good has came with it anyway.

He was brought out of his musings when Rin stopped in front of a door and knocked on it.

"It's me. I've summoned my Servant."

In response to her words, there was a click and the door opened. Rin confidently entered the room with the still astralized Caster following her. Inside the room were three person, with only one was familiar to Caster, and two Servants who were astralized for the moment. The only other occupant of the room that Caster recognized was none other than Bazett Fraga McRemitz, who was the original Master of Lancer during his version of the Holy Grail War. She was an exceptional Enforcer whose expertise in close combat and rune magic. If those failed, she still could use the Noble Phantasm Fragarach that she inherited from her family. Two others though, a man with aristocratic white robes and blue hair and an older gentleman with graying hair in green and black clothing, were not familiar to him so he kept his silence.

"Ah, good to see you, Rin," the blue haired lord smiled at her in greeting. "Did you manage to summon your Servant?"

"I did, Darnic-san. Although, he was not exactly what I intended to summon in the first place," Rin replied wryly. "Caster, materialize yourself."

As per his Master's order, Caster materialized and his eyes scanned the occupants of the room, but his steel grey eyes were focused on the visage of Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia. His instinct, honed through countless uncountable years, was screaming danger around this man. There was something about him that made Caster took every bit of his self-restraint to not hurl as many swords he could at Darnic.

"Oh, so you are Caster of our faction," Darnic commented with a small smile. "Welcome, I hope with your help we can win this war."

Caster only nodded while keeping his stare on Darnic. "Master, who is this man?"

"His name is Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, the head of Yggdmillennia clan. He is an old friend of my father and my sponsor when I first enrolled here," Rin answered Caster's question through their Master-Servant link.

That was new for him and yet another difference to the Holy Grail War he used to fight in. At this rate, he would not be surprised if anything was completely different than before.

"I see… Perhaps you could share the your identity to us. You do not have to worry, we are all allies here after all and we want the same thing, the Holy Grail," Darnic said with disarming smile, but it only made Caster tried harder to rein his paranoia.

"Relax Caster, though I'm not blaming you for your reaction. He makes all people feel the way you feel when in the same room as him" Rin told Caster.

The Servant in Red glanced at his Master and saw she subtly clenched her fingers around her biceps to calm herself down. Even Bazett had her fingers dug into her palms in effort to calm himself. Even the older gentleman was subtly frowning and tense.

Giving a thankful mental nod to his Master, Caster answered to Darnic's question. "Unfortunately as I have told my Master before, I lost my memories regarding my identity. However, I still retain my knowledge of spells and battle experience."

Darnic arched an eyebrow, so did the older gentleman while Bazett looked surprised.

"So you have no recollection of who you are, but you decide to fight anyway?" the elder British asked, his eyes bored into Caster.

"It's my job, isn't it?" Caster shot back with a sardonic smirk.

He stared at Caster for a moment before he nodded approvingly. "That is a good mindset to have, Caster. I hope we can work together with you and Miss Tohsaka."

Caster nodded back, feeling oddly respectful to the older gentleman. "The same goes for me as well, Mister…"

"Blackmore. Dan Blackmore. I am the Master of Archer for Red Faction," Dan said as he raised his gloved hand where a red Command Seal glowed briefly. As if it was the cue, his Servant materialized next to him.

"Greetings, Caster. I am Servant Archer," Archer introduced himself with a smile. Caster took his features in. Dark skin and face structure resembling that of an Indian, wavy short black hair and black eyes, and garbed in a white robe and pants that clashed against his skin. He had an air of humbleness around him, but at the same time he was exuding the aura of superiority that looked down on others. Simply a contradiction, this Archer of Red.

Caster hoped he was nothing like that gold-armored bastard.

"Very well then. Over here is Miss Bazett Fraga McRemitz, an Enforcer. She is the Master of Lancer," Darnic motioned to Bazett who nodded to Rin and him as Lancer appeared behind her. As Caster expected, Cu Chulainn was her Servant this time too and he didn't look any different than any version of Cu Chulainn he faced in many variations of Holy Grail War Caster fought in. Hopefully, he would be much luckier this time around.

"So you're Caster, huh?" Lancer commented with a smirk. "Funny, I would've pegged you as one of the Knight Classes or something."

"This is what I'm summoned as and I don't have any problem with it. It suits my combat style anyway," Caster shrugged. It was true, his unique brand of Magecraft made him a pseudo-Knight Class Servant and ironically, his new class served his purpose much better than the Class he usually summoned as.

"Heh, a warrior mage, huh? I look forward for a spar with you," Lancer's smirk got wider at that proclamation.

Bazett sighed at her Servant's declaration while Caser just smirked back at Lancer. The Servant in Red then turned to Darnic, "Where are the rest of the Masters and their Servants?"

"One of the potential Master for our cause is on his way to summon his Servant while another one will meet us in Fuyuki. The last two Masters however, have not chosen by the Grail just yet. I do have guesses, but I will keep it to myself for now," Darnic replied evenly.

Caster nodded, all the while trying to make his own guesses about who will be the Master for each side. He had participated in many of the Holy Grail War before and he remembered who were involved as Masters. There usually was not much of a variations here and there, but he could be wrong. Still, if he was on the other camp and still a fool, he would put an end to him just to save him from the pain later. Caster has a legit reason for that now anyway and if Rin was in Clock Tower instead of Fuyuki, there was a chance for her to did not know him. A win-win situation for Caster for once.

"Now that it's settled, let me remind you of our enemy here," Darnic said and the Masters shifted where they stood. "The Church has become our opposition this time because of their claim saying the Holy Grail was tainted. However, I think this is only a ruse for them to claim the Fuyuki Holy Grail as theirs. They sent out a team from the Eighth Sacrament to Fuyuki around one week ago, however this team was killed by someone, or something. We don't know who did it, but we should be thankful since apparently this incident caused the Grail to activate the Reserve System and distributed another seven sets of Command Seal for new Masters. In short this Holy Grail War is between us, the Magus Association and the Church for the ownership of the Holy Grail."

That was definitely unexpected to Caster. So the Church somehow knew the Grail was tainted by Angra Mainyu and taking actions to prevent it from being completed. Just how much things have changed from what he knew really?

Darnic then presented several folders to the present Masters. "Inside these folders are several potential Masters representative from the Church that we managed to gather. Some of them are powerful Executors, Exorcists, and Magi who are known to have strong relationship with the Church."

When Rin was reading the file of a potential Master of the Church, Caster found himself speechless. Staring right back at him was a familiar amber colored eyes and red hair. Sure the person in the image was dressed in a black cassock like a priest and a cross with burnt marks, but he would not mistake him as anyone else. He then read the short Biography that accompanied his file.

The adopted son of Kiritsugu Emiya after the end of Fourth Holy Grail War and became the Executor of the Church at the age of 14. He is known for being not much of a zealot like many Executors, but his faith to 'God' is quite strong. He has participated in several Dead Apostle and Sealing Designation hunts, and made quite a name for himself. His alias, the Steel Hound Executor, was earned for his Prana-sensing method and unique brand of Gradation Air which capable of recreating sword-like objects or bladed weapons with frightening accuracy and quality. Proceed with caution.

Caster bit back a curse. So things already have derailed so much and his original plan and therefore, his real goal, were useless.

'Damn it… looks like I have to play my role for now,' Caster sighed while mentally rubbing his temple to stave off the incoming headache. 'Damn you, you twisted genie…'

"Is something wrong, Caster?" Rin asked through her link with him. She might have sensed the change on his emotion again. Damn, he was slipping. Was this world's changes affected him so much?

"It's nothing, Master. I am a little surprised on who our enemy is," Caster answered.

"I can see why. The Church is usually neutral on things like this, so when they're starting to take a side, it's quite unusual," Rin answered. "Still… they wouldn't be doing this if they have no good reason to. And for some reason, I couldn't believe what Darnic-san said."

"Oh?" Caster was genuinely intrigued. He was under the impression that Rin respected Darnic and was thankful for him to be her sponsor, but then again, this was Rin who was raised as a Magus and as paranoid as any Magi out there. Doubly so since she was enrolled at Clock Tower at young age which meant she has to watch her back from any kind of ploys and backstab.

"Ironically, it was his own advice that made me rethink of everyone I know," Rin sardonically replied. "I'll tell you later, but let's just say having the benefit of doubt is a good thing."

Caster nodded and focused his attention on Darnic as the leader of Yggdmillennia spoke up. "That is all for now. You may begin your preparation and leave to Fuyuki as soon as possible.

Rin nodded and left with Caster as the latter astralized, following her silently. Bazett and Dan followed her example along with their Servant, presumably to make their own preparation.

As they walked to Rin's room, Caster couldn't help but wondering how the Holy Grail War would go this time around with so many changes that even he could not recognize it anymore.

The first time Luviagelita Edelfelt met Shirou Emiya was two years ago, during the first Dead Apostle hunt she participated ever. Their first meeting was not exactly the best in Luvia's honest opinion. After all, she was a rookie greenhorn who was over her head for being too confident in her Magecraft and her own skill. She honestly thought the redhead was nothing special at first despite having one year more experience than her, but he proved her wrong. Shirou ended up saving her life from the Dead Apostle's familiar before delivering the killing blow on that Ancestor. Luvia ended up being indebted to him, but Shirou simply waved her off and saying he was only doing his job to save the life of a good person.

It was when Luvia realized she had developed her first ever crush on Shirou Emiya.

Since their first meeting, they stayed up in touch by exchanging letters. They also sometimes teamed up with each other in Dead Apostle and Sealing Designation hunts, despite the somewhat tense situation between the Clock Tower and the Church. During those hunts, Luvia learned a great deal about Shirou as she interacted with him the most and learned more about him. She admired his personality and character. While he has some flaws, it did not detract him for her. Luvia simply found them what made Shirou who he was. She admired his dedication to his duty and his ideals. Shirou was an idealist, but he has a good grasp on reality. He knew he could not save everyone and that was why he would save anyone he could within his reach. Sure it was somewhat childish, but Luvia found his morality commendable. She respected his faith to the God and sympathized with his losses. He lost most of himself in the fire that torched Fuyuki with his faith was one of the remnants of his past, so she could not blame him for that. She sympathized with his twice orphaned status and could not help but admiring his drive to move onward in the memory of his father who did his best to be a hero, despite what the world thought of Kiritsugu Emiya.

It was when Luvia realized she was developing more than crush on Shirou. She was falling for him.

Interacting with Shirou taught Luvia the wonders of technology and how efficient it was compared to most Magecraft-based methods communication. She enjoyed having a phone with her and how easy it was to keep in touch with Shirou, all within the reach of her fingers. So imagine her surprise when several days ago Shirou contacted her and asked to meet with him. It was simply a good coincidence that she has some business to do in France during that time frame, so she agreed to meet with him.

So here she was, garbed in her usual signature blue and white dress with puffy shoulders that could be removed when in combat. She was attracting the attention of the cafe visitors and hardly troubled with it since she knew she was quite beautiful and proud of it. Her blonde hair that reached midway to her back was stylized into elegant ringlets with a blue bow keeping them in place and her reddish brown eyes scanned the cafe for the signs of familiar red hair and amber eyes. Her delicate features did not show her ferociousness in combat, a true definition of silk gloves hiding steel gauntlets.

Luvia saw Shirou entering the cafe, dressed in more casual wear than his priest cassock. A blue jacket over a white shirt with blue sleeves and casual jeans with red and white sneakers on his feet. He was carrying a folder in one hand. A waitress showed him the private booth she requested earlier and she smiled when Shirou approached her.

"Ah, Shero! It's good to see you again!" Luvia greeted.

"Good to see you too Luvia. Sorry for making you to come here in short time," Shirou greeted back with an apologizing look.

"No worries. I have some business regarding family matters in France too," Luvia replied as she shook her head.

The two of them then made their orders to the waitress while talking about small things while waiting for what they have ordered. Once they got them, Shirou channeled prana to his finger and traced a runic sequence on the table's surface to activate a temporary privacy boundary field. Luvia arched an eyebrow questioningly, but followed his example by taking out a gem and charged it with some prana to activate her own Gem-based privacy boundary field just in case.

"So, what is this about Shero? I presume it has to be something important considering you activated a privacy boundary field," Luvia started the conversation.

"It's something like that. And I really don't want this to be heard by anyone," Shirou replied with serious look. "You know about the Holy Grail War, right Luvia?"

"Of course I am. My grandmother participated in the Third Holy Grail War," Luvia answered. There were Edelfelt sisters who participated in the Third Holy Grail War as the Master of Saber, which due to their Sorcery Trait, Ore Scales or Sisters, summoned two different aspects of the same Servant. It was during that war that Saber-class Servant gained its fame for the best of all classes due to making it through the end of the war. However, only one of the Edelfelt Sisters returned from Fuyuki and swore to never return to Japan for reasons unknown. Even Luvia and her parents never knew what happened.

"What if I tell you the Fifth Holy Grail War starts fifty year early?" Shirou asked and Luvia's eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that true? I mean, how is it possible?"

"I don't know, but a team sent by the Eighth Sacrament has confirmed it before they were killed."

"Who killed them, Shirou?" Luvia asked in equally serious tone, dropping the affectionate nickname she gave him.

"Unknown, but we believe it was a Servant."

Luvia's eyebrow shot up upon hearing Shirou's answer. "How can you be so sure of that?"

"Luvia, the team that was sent to Fuyuki consisted of twenty people who were amongst trained and experienced Exorcist working under the Assembly of Eighth Sacrament. There are no Dead Apostle Ancestors marking Japan as their territory, especially Fuyuki. The likeliness of a Servant killed the team is very high considering the Holy Grail reported to acting up at one point before the team was sent there. And that happened before the Team of Masters from the Clock Tower arrived in Fuyuki." Seeing Luvia's questioning look at the last part of his statement, Shirou elaborated. "Long story short, not only the Fifth Holy Grail War starts earlier, it will also be a team battle between the Masters of Church, which I was a part of, and the Masters from the Magus Association. The teams will be called White Faction for us Church affiliated Masters and Red Faction for Magus Association affiliated Masters."

"And what does it have to do with our meeting? Are you trying to recruit me to your faction or to tell to me not join the Magus Association team?" Luvia asked suspiciously.

"It's more the former than the latter. I know for one thing you or your family has no use for the Holy Grail. You prefer to actually earn what you want rather than having it handed over to you," Shirou answered causing Luvia to chuckle.

"You know me too well, Shirou." She then composed herself and asked. "Why me? Why not asking the Church members instead?"

"Because you're a good person Luvia and you're my friend. Personally, I don't want to involve you in this because the Holy Grail War in my opinion is nothing but a glorified bloodsport. I don't want you to get hurt, but coddling you will be like an insult to your skill as a Mercenary Magus. Furthermore…" he then leaned forward with his amber eyes gleaming with absolute confidence and trust. "I trust you, Luvia. Just like during our hunts for Dead Apostles, I'm trusting you to watch my back during this mess called Holy Grail War."

Luvia tried to not blush at the thoughtfulness and respect Shirou showed to her, but it completely failed at his absolute and unyielding trust he showed her. It was… completely flattering to be trusted and complemented by the boy she was having strong feelings for.

"W-Well… if you believe so, then I will fulfill your expectation of me, Shero," Luvia declared with her usual flair of haughtiness after managing to get her blush under control.

"Thank you, Luvia," Shirou smiled gratefully, causing the blonde to blush at how handsome he was at the moment. "Should I make a Mercenary Contract with you to finalise the deal?"

"It won't be necessary. After all, you asked me as your friend, so I accept this request as a favor from a friend," Luvia waved him off. "What is the Church's goal in the Holy Grail War? I was under impression they are neutral in this."

Shirou's eyes widened at that. "You don't know? About our claim saying the Holy Grail of Fuyuki is being tainted?"

"I've heard about it, but the majority of the Magus Association claimed it as a hoax so the Church could claim ownership to the Holy Grail System of Fuyuki," Luvia answered with a thoughtful frown. She then sighed before looked genuinely apologetic. "Unfortunately, I dismissed it as a mere rumor. I do notice the somewhat frosty and tense relationship between the Association and Church. My apologies for my ignorance, Shirou."

"It's alright. Knowing the Einzberns and Yggdmillennias at the helm of the denouncers to our claim, I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow keep it under the wraps and outright destroyed the proof we sent to them," Shirou then handed the folder he brought with him. "Inside was the detailed proof we have regarding our claim. Please take your time to study them Luvia."

Luvia then began reading the file inside the map while Shirou took a sip from his iced milk coffee. He watched in concern as Luvia became paler from each page she read from the file. She then put down the file and emptied her tea, ignoring the burning sensation on her mouth and throat before focusing on Shirou.

"S-Shirou… is this…?" Luvia started with trembling voice.

"Real? Yeah, it is. Most of the proof is taken from my father's body after his death. This should be enough to convince the Magus Association that Angra Mainyu has corrupted the Holy Grail of Fuyuki, but…" Shirou clenched and unclenched his fist to calm himself down before he sighed and ran a hand on his red locks. "I really don't get Magi in general. They claim to be the most enlightened of the mankind yet they are very immoral and stupid in several things."

Luvia chuckled mirthlessly at his words as she managed to regain a bit of her composure. "Don't let any right wing Magi ever hear that Shirou, or they will hunt you down for that remark. I do admit it was true to a level."

Shirou chuckled back without humor either before he looked sombre and melancholic. "Those files are from the extensive autopsy of my father's body. He had hoped this revelation would make the Magus Association realize how much of a monkey's paw the Grail is, but the Einzberns denied it, citing it was a hoax and those reports were faked. Perhaps they did it out of anger and pettiness because their desire to regain the Heaven's Feel was denied when they were so close to it. Maybe they did this just to spit on what Dad had done and sacrificed."

"Shirou…" Luvia could not help but sympathizing with her crush whose fingers clenched in anger. She knew that deep down beyond the persona he wore in public, Shirou was angry at the pettiness, callousness, and shallowness of Magi in general. Especially the Einzberns. Rightfully so since now she knew they had trampled upon a deadman's wish and sacrifice. She believed there were limits to anger and the desire for vengeance, but to spite the death was a low blow.

Shirou took a deep breath to calm himself down and looked straight at Luvia's red orbs. "Now you understand the truth behind this Holy Grail War. Will you still help me Luvia?"

Luvia could not help but scoffed at Shirou's stupid question, at least in her mind, "Doubting my integrity already, Shero? I thought you know me better. Like you said, someone has to watch your back and prevent you from doing something stupid. And you said you trust me so why should doubt me now?"

"I thought I ought to reaffirm your participation," Shirou smiled thinly.

"Then you should know my answer I will not take back my word to you. That would be like staining my honor as a mercenary and as your friend," replied Luvia as she haughtily flicked her blonde ringlets. "Besides, I will bring my family a great honor as one of the people who fight to save the world and humanity from destruction."

"I should've expected that," Shirou mused in amusement as he shook his head. He then smiled to her. "Thank you again, Luvia."

"Think nothing of it. Helping each other is what friends do, is it not?" Luvia retorted with a slight chuckle, prompting Shirou to also chuckle. "So, have you summoned your Servant, Shero?"

"I'm planning to do it tonight at the Orléans Cathedral's Altar. I'm doing my last moment preparations after this meeting."

"Then I shouldn't hold you off any longer. Good luck and I hope you get what you wanted," Luvia replied as she took down her privacy Boundary Field.

"I'm going to leave it to the Lord's will. I can adapt to any Servant if necessary. I just hope whoever it would be, they could work together with me," Shirou said as he also took down his privacy Boundary Field. As they stood up to leave the Cafe to their respective businesses, Shirou held his hand out to the blonde heiress. "Thank you again for your agreement to help us, Luvia. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me."

"I think I can manage, so you don't have to worry about me. Just focus on what you have to do, like the usual," Luvia replied as she took his hand and shook it. Inwardly, she marveled how warm Shirou's hand was.

As they parted ways, Luvia then reached to her phone and dialed a number. It did not took long before the other side answered her call.

"Hello, Auguste. Can you tell father and mother I have to wrap my business in France earlier than usual? Something important just came up and it is related to the Holy Grail War…"

After returning home, Shirou decided to get some rest before he headed to the Church. Thanks to his rank as an Executor, he had asked for the Cathedral to be closed for the evening so he could prepare his Summoning Ritual under the pretense of a private sermon. He would let the Lord guide him in Summoning his Servant. He knew he possessed the Hallowed Scabbard of Excalibur, the Avalon, inside him. It was how Kiritsugu saved him in that inferno ten years ago. But for some reason, he got the feeling he would not summon his father's old Servant. He would always trust his gut feeling. After all, it has saved him so many times before.

Shirou finished drawing the Summoning Circle after a painstaking five hours. Checking it for flaws and mistakes, Shirou nodded as he confirmed the Summoning Circle was perfect before he took a deep breath. This was it. He would be summoning his Servant. Hopefully, anyone he would summon would agree with him to destroy the Holy Grail. After all, it had brought nothing but misery to anyone involved with it. Not to mention, the pointless bloodshed to claim the Holy Grail and Angra Mainyu residing within, waiting to be unleashed to the world.

Feeling his resolution steeled, Shirou decided to begin his summoning ritual. He traced a knife and cut his finger with it before letting a drop of blood fell to the summoning circle, causing it to glow ethereally. Seeing everything was ready, the young Executor began to chant.

Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let the cornerstone and the archduke of contract as foundation.
White is the color I pay tribute to.
Let the wall rise against the wind that shall fall.
Let the three-forked road from the crown that leads unto the kingdom rotate.

Hereby, I declare;
Your body shall fight with me, and my fate rest with your sword.
Abide to the beckoning of the Holy Grail.
If you follow to this will and reason, answer to my prayer.

Hereby, I swear;
I shall attain all virtues of heaven.
And I shall vanquish all evils in hell.

Arriving from Seventh Heaven, clad in trinity of great words,
Arise from the ring of restraint, protector of holy balance!

The summoning circle then let out a blinding flash, causing Shirou to cover his eyes.

Deep inside the Grail, within the part that is still not touched by the corruption of Angra Mainyu, the core of the Grail felt the call. Despite not being fully aware of what happened outside, the core of the Greater Grail has a limited sentience. They were aware of the corruption present on the Grail and how bad it would be if that corruption spilled to the world. The aftermath of the Fourth Holy Grail War was only a smaller scale of what could happen. They have to do something. The Grail's purpose was to benefit the mankind, not to doom them or being used to fulfill the ego of a Magus. Using the small time frame as the would-to-be-Master reciting the summoning spell, the core of the Greater Grail read the Master's mind.

Yes, he would do, so thought the core. He has no wish for the Grail and actually wanted to see it destroyed for causing so much harm in the past and to protect humanity from All Evil in the World residing within. While they were sad to see their legacy of hard work would be destroyed, it was for the best of humanity. The core then searched for the Heroes recorded in Throne of Heroes that would fit the best for the would-to-be-Master, in personality and purpose.

The core smiled. Who else would be fitting for the boy who has a strong faith to the God than the Holy Maiden who took arms to lead her men to fight in His name?

Satisfied with their action, the core of the Grail returned into half-dormant state. There was no need to alert the corruption if they remained fully awake.

As the light died down, Shirou felt something etched to his right hand. It was a set of Command Seal, formed in the pattern resembling a flower or a sword, depending how one would see it. To his surprise, his Command Spell was gold instead of white like he expected.

He was brought out of his inspection to his Command Spell, when he realized his Servant was present and took everything he had to not to gape.

The Servant was a girl and she looked around his age or a little older, give it or take. She has blonde hair that tied into a single braid with blue ribbon on the end and metallic M-shaped headpiece on her hair with silver tassels hanging on the ends. She was wearing purple tunic with navy shoulder cape with chains to secure it around her upper torso and metallic corset around her abdomen. Her arms were covered with metal gauntlet and she was wearing purple long skirt with a thigh high slit that allowed freedom of her legs. Her legs were covered by black socks that reached into her mid-thighs and metallic shoes covered her feet. She opened her eyes, revealing her purple orbs that bored into Shirou's amber as she smiled slightly.

"Servant Ruler, I hereby arrived in correspondence to your call," she announced, snapping Shirou out of his reverie. "I ask of you, are you my Master?"

"Yes, I am," Shirou answered as he showed the Command Seal on his right hand. "But… Ruler? I thought it is a special class that is summoned by the Grail to preside over the Holy Grail War?"

"Yes, that is correct. However, it seems the Grail has deemed you worthy to summon a Ruler since you have no real wish for the Grail," Ruler answered and Shirou nodded.

If anything, he wanted the Grail to be destroyed for all the trouble it had caused. Shaking his head, he then said, "Very well. I hope we can work together in this Holy Grail War, Ruler. Because I believe things will be very hectic from now on."

"As do I, Master," Ruler smiled before she looked around. "Basilique Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d'Orléans… it has been a long time since I came here. Although…" her gaze then settled into the story of Jeanne d'Arc and blushed before she looked away. "It's… somewhat embarrassing to see my own story in this manner… I never thought I would be so famous…"

Shirou's eyes widened upon hearing what Ruler said. "Then… you are…"

Ruler then regarded Shirou for one more time as she smiled and put one hand over where her heart should be. "My Class is Ruler and my true name is Jeanne d'Arc. It is a pleasure to be summoned by a fellow servant of the Lord, Master."

And that's wrap for this Act. Sorry for the long wait. I have to rewrite the chapter once since it didn't flow like how I wanted it to be. And then comes Onigashima Event and Camelot's release for FGO. Has it been a year already since it was released? Where has the time flies? Some notes for this chapter, Shirou's Command Seal shaped like the symbol of Tekkadan from Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans, albeit a little more stylized to fit the Command Seal style. Shirou's summoning chant is based from Black Faction's from Fate/Apocrypha, albeit a little bit modified to fit him better. Any thoughts about this chapter will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading!