I'm back, and with a new story. The Alternate Servant fic.

Inspired by The Infamous Man's story, Fate: Zero Sense.

Beta'd by Augustino Aligieri, who has also written an Alternate Servant fic called FateZero: Revolution of Dice. Check it out.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. So ha.

XXXXX

10 Years before the Fourth Holy Grail War
The Chamber of the Greater Grail

Within the cavern beneath Mt. Enzo, the Greater Grail prepared the vessels for the spirits to be summoned in the coming years for the War. However, within the Grail, a certain malevolent spirit was bored nearly to hell.

'Gah! This is so fucking boring!' Angra Mainyu thought to himself as his spirit rested in the Greater Grail.

'I wish it were possible to die from boredom. Then I could go have some fun in hell rather than sit in this damn machine!' The container of All the World's Evil continued to rant in his mind.

'Maybe obtaining knowledge beyond imagination will relieve my boredom,' Angra Mainyu thought as he used his connection to the Throne of Heroes to access the storeroom of all knowledge in Akasha.

As he observed the records through his mental connection, Angra Mainyu stumbled upon a series of 'files' marked 'Alternate Universes'.

'Oohoohoohoo,' Angra Mainyu cackled darkly, opening the 'files'.

'This is interesting. Very interesting, indeed. Perhaps I'll emulate these universes. This could supply me with enough entertainment to sate my boredom,' Angra Mainyu thought gleefully, laughing like a madman.

The evil container spread his consciousness throughout Akasha and the Greater Grail, focusing on his task of messing with fate.

'Rearrange this, remove this, move this here, funnel this into the Grail…There! It's ready! Hehehehehehe! This will be so COOL!' The dark creature cried in his mind.

'Now, what to do for the next decade?' All the World's Evil thought to himself.

XXXXX

2 Weeks Before the Fourth War
Fuyuki Church

"Kirei, Tokiomi has contacted me. It is time for you to summon your servant," an old man with long, greying hair said.

Kirei Kotomine looked up from the tome he was studying to see his father, Risei Kotomine, standing over him.

"Yes, father, I will complete the ritual immediately," Kirei said, closing the book on his desk and standing up.

"Do you have everything you need for the summoning?" Risei asked his son.

Kirei nervously scratched the back of his right hand, where his command seals were located, and replied, "Yes, I have the supplies needed to complete the ritual. I have memorized the circle and the chant."

Risei nodded his head in approval and said, "Good, use the shrine in the basement to perform the summoning."

Risei walked out of the room as Kirei gathered up the items he was to use in the ritual: A piece of chalk, and the fragments of a white, skull-shaped mask.

Kirei walked through the church to the basement, repeating the chant for the ritual under his breath.

He was nervous, despite having had three years to prepare for this moment, and rightly so. He was about to enter into a war between the spirits of long dead heroes. His years in the church had prepared him for many things, hunting down heretics and purifying dark creatures to name a few, but it hadn't prepared him for something of this magnitude.

Kirei stopped and blinked in surprise, not having realized he had already made it to the basement shrine while immersed in his thoughts.

The former priest just shook his head and began to prepare the shrine for the ritual, drawing the summoning circle with practiced care, taking his time to make sure it utterly perfect.

Standing up, Kirei examined his handiwork with a sharp eye, going over the design several times before he was satisfied with the look of it.

The amateur magus cleared his throat and began to chant.

"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.

The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.

Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).

Repeat every five times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

―――― I announce.

Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.

In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.

Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.

You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!"

A tempest of bright, golden light thrashed throughout the room, buffeting against Kirei, nearly throwing him off his feet. He held his arm in front of his face, trying to peer through the wall of elements. As the tempest died down, Kirei saw something that surprised him.

To accommodate his master's plans, he was to summon the Assassin class Servant, one of the Hassan-i-Sabbah. He had completed the ritual as instructed and to the letter, and with a catalyst no less! So, what had gone wrong? The man standing in front of him was definitely not the 'Old Man of the Mountain'.

The man was wearing a white, hooded cloak with a red interior and a half-cape covering his left arm held up by a metal pauldron, metal gauntlets, and brown riding boots. Crimson accented the tails of his robes and an eagle sat on his armoured shoulder, gazing curiously at the priest. He had brown hair tied into a ponytail, a scar going down from his bottom lip to his chin, and a jovial gleam in his hazel eyes. A light stubble adorned his jaw and covered his lips - but not enough to hide the confident smile he wore. But despite his carefree appearance, Kirei noted the way he was standing - stiff and anticipating attack from any direction, while at the same time giving off an aura of a battle-hardened warrior.

The man's eyes latched onto Kirei, making him slightly uncomfortable as he saw them glow gold for a brief moment before returning to their light brown shade.

"I am the Servant, Assassin. Now tell me, are you the one who is supposed to be my Master?" The man spoke in a strong Italian accent.

Kirei gulped heavily, intimidated by the supposedly carefree man in front of him for some reason, before declaring in a firm voice, "That is correct. I am Kirei Kotomine, and I am your Master in this war."

Assassin's smile grew wider and threw his arm around Kirei's shoulder, and cried, "Molto bene! Then let us fight together, Kirei, and win this war, and the prize that comes with it."

Kirei shifted uncomfortably under Assassin's too-familiar touch, but refrained from saying anything in fear of insulting his new partner.

"Now then, partner, where can I find some beautiful woman to spend the night with?"

Kirei sighed. This was going to a long, long war.

XXXXX

1 Week Before the Fourth War
Fuyuki City Hyatt Hotel Basement

Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi, the ninth head of the Archibal magus family, stood in the basement of the hotel he would be staying in for the duration of the war. He had arrived in Japan a few week prior and immediately checked into the most lavish hotel in the city. He had realized, too late, that it was foolish to have checked into the hotel with his real name and credit cards, but since he had already completed the Bounded Fields and traps around the 32nd and higher floors of the hotel, he figured it wouldn't matter anyway.

The ninth generation magus was directing his Mystic Code, Volumen Hydragyrum, around the floor to create his summoning circle.

"Hurry up, Kayneth. Someone could come down at any moment," Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, Kayneth's fiancée, said nervously, glancing at the door upstairs every few seconds.

"Stop worrying, Sola. The door is magically locked and I've placed a Bounded Field around it to keep the staff from wandering in," the magus professor explained confidently, not looking away from his Mystic Code.

Sola, however, wasn't convinced. She kept stealing glances at the door, before irritably saying, "That won't help if an enemy Master shows up. A simple Bounded Field and a locked door won't stop them, and they won't care if the war has or hasn't started as long as they get rid of the competition!"

Kayneth decided to tear his gaze away from his circle to spare a look at his wife-to-be. Seeing the anxious look on her face, he decided it wouldn't hurt to speed up the summoning process a bit, channeling more Prana into his Mystic Code, making it speed up its elaborate formation.

Kayneth continued to watch Sola, mentally directing Volumen as he did. He knew she held no love for him, how she thought him a coward. That didn't stop him from loving her, though. He wished he could get her to return his feelings, but he knew such a thing was nigh-impossible. She hated how she was being pressured into this marriage by her family because of her brother's failure, and she hated how he reminded her of what she had to do.

"The circle is ready," the magic instructor said suddenly, surprising even himself.

Sola's reply was immediate, "Then hurry up and finish the summoning."

Kayneth just sighed in response, and placed red and yellow metal shards in the center of the circle.

With that done, he began to chant.

"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.

The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.

Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).

Repeat every five times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

――――I announce.

Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.

In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.

Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.

You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!"

A cyclone of crimson colored magic erupted from the edge of the ritual circle, sending several random items stored in the room flying, and forcing Kayneth to use the small amount of backup Volumen he had to anchor himself and Sola to the floor to keep from being flung across the room.

As the wall of magical wind died down, and the figure within the summoning circle was revealed, Kayneth's eye twitched viciously

"You are not Diarmuid Ua Duibhne," The blond man said primly.

"Of course not. You're pretty lucky, though, to have summoned the most beautiful demon in the Netherworld as the Lancer class Servant," a young-looking girl spoke.

Said girl was wearing a leather outfit that could scarcely be called 'clothing'. A black leather top that barely covered her underdeveloped chest, a black leather skirt that didn't even go down to mid-thigh, black leather gloves that went halfway up her biceps, light grey leather boots that came to just below her shins, and black socks that stopped just below the middle of her thighs. She also had a black leather choker that had a metal ring hanging off of it, red hair pulled into spiky pigtails, large metallic bracelets, red slitted eyes, small red wings, and a long red tail with an arrow shaped tip.

"Beautiful? You're flat as a washboard," Kayneth deadpanned.

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, as her tail shot up and her eyes turned completely blood red, her aura threatening to crush the Association Magus.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" The Servant identified as Lancer shouted, causing the foundation to quiver.

Kayneth, who was sweating and struggling to stay conscious, managed to choke out, "I s-said that you're the m-most beautiful woman I've ever s-seen."

Lancer's aura died down and her eyes faded to their normal color, a smirk playing at her lips.

"That's what I thought you said, M-as-t-er," Lancer sing-songed teasingly.

Sola shook her head at her fiancée's ignorance at how to treat a woman. He should know to never insult a woman's breast size, especially when that woman can shove a spear through his heart before he could even begin to try to stop her.

Lancer turned to leave, stopping after a few steps to look back over her shoulder.

"You coming or what?" She said impatiently.

Kayneth gulped, thinking, 'How the hell am I going to survive this war when I have to fear my own Servant?'

The blond man directed his Mystic Code back into its containing vial before following after the demonic Servant, Sola on his tail.

XXXXX

1 Day Before the Fourth War
Matou Mansion

"Kariya, I have prepared a couple of 'presents' for your graduation," Zouken informed his 'son', a creepy grin on his face as he stood before the pre-prepared summoning circle.

The ancient man made sure he had his representative's attention before continuing, "The first is a fragment of the Round Table from Arthurian legend."

At this he gestured towards the small table fragment off a bit to the side.

"The second is a way to make up for the substandard strength your Servant will undoubtedly possess from having a weak magus like you as its Master."

Zouken held out a scrap of paper to the worm-infested man in front of him.

Kariya snatched it out of his 'father's' hands and looked at it before rudely asking, "And what the hell is this going to do?"

Zouken grinned once again, explaining, "That, Kariya, will imbue your Servant with the ability of Mad Enhancement. It will strengthen the Servant at the cost of their sanity, summoning them under the Berserker class."

Kariya continued to look at the paper, his lips moving as he silently recited the words on it.

He had to get this right, he had to! If he didn't, Sakura would be forced to become the Matou heir, she would be forced to go through that disgusting and depraved training regimen. He wouldn't allow it, he wouldn't!

He clenched his fist and began to speak.

"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.

The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.

Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).

Repeat every five times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

――――I announce.

Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.

In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.

Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.

You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!

Yet, thou serves with thine eyes clouded in chaos.

Thou, bound in the cage of madness. I am he who command those chains."

A small breeze started to blow in the basement room.

Zouken smiled darkly as he said, "Is that it? You really are a failure, you stupid boy! You couldn't even summon your Servant! I suppose Sakura-chan's training will have to –"

The human worm was interrupted midsentence when a black typhoon exploded from the summoning circle, sending the fragment of the Round Table flying back into a wall where it shattered into several splinters. Zouken was forced to use his worms to hold himself in place. Kariya, strangely, was not affected by the hammering wind.

After what seemed to be a few minutes, the wind started to die down, stopping completely after a few more minutes.

"Well, Kariya, it seems you're not a complete failure after all, even, if you didn't summon the intended Servant," the decrepit man known as Zouken Matou said, grinning a grin that gave off a feeling that made you want to retch just from looking at it.

The crippled man just scowled and looked up at his Servant.

His Servant was a large man, towering over both Zouken and him. The man was wearing round glasses, grey pants, a black shirt, and a large grey cassock. He also wore a silver cross and a clerical collar, denoting him as a priest. On his left hand was a white glove that had "Speak with Dead" written on it, and on his right hand was another white glove with the words "Jesus Christ is in Heaven" on it. His eyes were a deep blue, and he had short, spiky blond hair, a squared jaw covered with stubble, and a wedge-shaped scar on his left cheek. Despite his normalish appearance, the man gave off a vibe that guaranteed certain death if you messed with him. This vibe was only enhanced by the frown etched on his face.

"So, which one of you is my Master?" The man asked in a thick Scottish accent.

"I am," Kariya said, stumbling a bit as he took a step forward.

The man grinned, showing off his sharp canines, and said, "Th' contract is now complete. I am th' Servant Berserker. And ye are?"

"Kariya Matou. Let's go, Berserker. I would rather not stay here longer than necessary." Kariya said as he struggled towards the stairs.

Halfway to the first step, Kariya stumbled and began to topple forward. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact of the cement floor on his face. After a few seconds of nothing happening, Kariya opened his eyes and saw that he had stopped just inches from the floor. He turned his head to look over his shoulder and saw Berserker holding him around his midsection, a concerned look on his face.

"Are ye alright, Master," Berserker asked, a touch of worry etched on his features.

Kariya struggled to pull himself up, using Berserker as leverage.

"I'm fine. Let's just go," Kariya said, forcing himself to walk.

"As ye command, Master," Berserker said, slinging Kariya's left arm around his shoulder and assisting him up the stairs.

As the Matou magus and his Servant exited the basement, Zouken smirked and muttered to himself, "I never expected you to win this war, Kariya. But with that Servant, you may actually have a chance. But you're still a fool to actually think I would give up little Sakura-chan, even if you do win."

Unknown to the ancient man, Berserker's sharp hearing had caught every word.

The mad Servant narrowed his eyes and looked to his Master, who gave no indication that he had heard anything. Berserker opened his mouth to say something, closing it as he sensed the dark creatures watching and listening to them as they made their way through the mansion.

As they approached the door, a young violet-haired girl stepped in front of them.

Berserker smiled warmly at the child, memories of his time running his orphanage in Scotland rising to the forefront of his mind. But in his mind, he was swearing death to the dark creature that dared impersonate a human for daring to corrupt this child.

"Sakura-chan?" Kariya muttered confusedly, still weak from the summoning.

"What can I do for ye, wee lassie?" He asked the girl, revealed to be Sakura, still smiling warmly.

Sakura blushed under the scrutiny of the large man and mustered up her courage, saying, "A-ano, are you going to help Uncle Kariya with the important thing he has to do?"

Berserker continued to smile down at her as he replied, "Aye, lassie, I am."

Sakura looked up to him with what was probably supposed to be a stern look on her face, though it just made her look cuter, shouting "Then promise me that you won't let anything bad happen to him!"

Berserker reached out with his unoccupied hand, and patted Sakura on the head, attempting to reassure her as he swore, "I swear to ye lassie, that I will protect him, nae matter what."

Sakura's face lit up in a bright smile and she bowed lowly to Berserker before running off.

'Don't worry, child. I will help him, and you, escape this travesty,' Berserker thought as he led his Master out of the mansion and into the foreigner's district of Miyama.

XXXXX

Around the Same Time
Mackenzie Farm

Waver Velvet was squeezing the blood from the third rooster he had stolen earlier that week to make his summoning circle. The circle was crude and its proportions were off slightly. Waver had noticed this, and hoped the blood would empower the circle enough to make up for it.

Waver cringed slightly as some of the blood leaked onto his hands. But he needed to do this. He couldn't go back to the Clock Tower, not after he had stolen his instructor's summoning catalyst to participate in the Holy Grail War. He needed to prove that he was strong enough to do this.

The young magus finished wringing the blood from his last rooster and tossed in the pile with the other two he had drained of blood.

Waver glanced over his shoulder to make sure his catalyst was still in place, which it was, and wiped his bloody hands off on the grass.

With his preparations complete, he began the ritual.

"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.

The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.

Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).

Repeat every five times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

――――I announce.

Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.

In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.

Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.

You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!"

A tornado of twilit energy began to swirl around the circle, starting small and slow and growing larger and faster every second until it was a storm of light and wind that was twice as tall as the tallest trees and immensely bright. It made Waver glad he had placed that Bounded Field around the area.

As the gale died, Waver, who had been knocked onto the ground, was staring up in fear at the man he had summoned to be his Servant. He was sure that this man was NOT his intended Servant, Alexander the Great.

The man in front of him had tanned skin, amber-orange eyes, and layered, messy silver hair that spiked at the top and fell to mid-back. He wore a white cloak covered in intricate black designs over black boots, gloves, pants, and shirt.

The Servant scrutinized Waver deeply, smirking arrogantly all the while. A minute passed, then a second, then a third, fourth, and fifth minute passed before the tanned man finally spoke, "Such a weak child is my Master? This is such a disgrace. But I suppose I don't have much of a choice if I want my wish to be realized. Very well, I am Rider, and I shall be the one to lead you to victory in this war."

Waver pushed himself off the ground and brushed the dirt off his clothes, keeping an eye on his Servant all the while. He straightened himself up, and with all the bravery he could muster, stated in as strong a voice as he could, "Yes, I am your Master, and you WILL obey me!"

Rider just kept smirking as he replied, "If you wish me to obey, then prove yourself worthy of being my Master. Until then, you would do best to keep from angering me, boy."

Waver just nodded in reply, not trusting himself to be able to speak.

'How can I possibly win the war when I can't even control my own Servant,' Waver thought to himself as he shivered in fear.

"Now then, where can I find a library?" Rider asked suddenly.

Waver was extremely confused and was only able to manage a, "What?"

Rider scowled at the young magus, his displeasure making itself known in a dark pressure pushing down on the area.

"I need to locate a library. I will require sufficient knowledge in order to suitably combat enemy Servants and to properly conduct myself in this society. A library will contain that knowledge. Now, answer my question. Where…can I find…a library?" Rider explained, ending with a tone that promised excruciating pain if he was not answered swiftly.

Waver gulped and started pointing off in a seemingly random direction.

"There's a library across the bridge, a bit off from the harbour. We can make it in half an hour from here."

"Then let us leave immediately, child," Rider said, smiling cruelly.

Waver gulped again, quickly turning on his heel and swiftly walking off, "F-follow me."

Rider just smirked as he disappeared to follow his Master in spirit form.

XXXXX

The Day of the Fourth War
A Random Residential Home

A redheaded man was drawing a circle on the floor of the living room with his toe, occasionally dipping it in a bucket. As he did he was saying, "Fill, fill, fill 'er up, fill. Repeat…four times? Wait, was it four or five? Destroy each when it's filled. Was that how it goes? Um…fill, fill, fill, fill, and fill. Right, it's five!"

In the background, a news report was being played on the television.

"In other news, there has been a string of murders recently. The murders have all been families whom were murdered in their own homes. Police have commented that there has been a strange symbol drawn on the floor the residences of the victims. Its purpose remains unclear at the moment. A renowned professor on Criminal Psychology has appeared to speak—"

"Did I go too far?" The man asked himself, leaning over the couch, knocking over a corpse in the process. The redhead picked up the remote and hit the power button, shutting off the TV set.

He looked over at a bound and gagged young boy.

"Hey kid, you think demons exist?" He asked with a creepy look on his face.

The child looked over at him as he approached.

"The media calls me a demon, but if demons do exist, isn't that kind of rude? You've gotta know for sure."

The man stopped right in front of the boy, before suddenly bending down, and yelling, "Yo! The name's Ryuunosuke Uryuu, and I'm a demon!"

The boy started yelling through his gag, thrashing around wildly. The now identified Ryuunosuke disregarded the boy's struggling and continued.

"I'm not sure that's the right way to go about it, though."

The boy started to cry, but Ryuunosuke just ignored it and waved a yellowing book in front of his face.

"But then I found this old book in the storehouse. It turns out my ancestors were trying to summon demons or something. And I got pretty excited! So, I just gotta find out if demons are really real!"

Ryuunosuke stood up and walked over to a nearby chair, sitting in it backwards.

"But it'd be pretty stupid to summon a demon and not give it anything in return. So, kid, if a demon really does show up…"

Ryuunosuke held a hand in front of his face in a pseudo-begging pose, and a disturbing smile stretched across his face.

"Mind if I feed you to it?"

The boys eyes widened, and he started screaming into his gag, and lashing out against his bindings.

Ryuunosuke stopped smiling and buried his head into the crook of his arm, sighing in disappointment. A moment later, he started laughing madly and rocking wildly in his chair.

"I wonder what it's like to be killed by a demon! It'd be so cool to find out! GAH! What the hell?"

Ryuunosuke looked at his right hand, just in time to see a strange red sygil etch itself into it. As he gazed at his hand, a light began to shine behind him. He stood up from his chair and watched the circle start to emit a glowing mist that shrouded the circle.

As the mist began to recede, a man was shown to be standing in the centre of the circle.

The man was wearing a white, frilled shirt, elegant, black pants, and black boots. Over this, he wore a long, dark blue, gentleman's coat with a large pocket watch attached to his left hip, and a white cravat. On his head he wore a matching top hat with a feather sticking out of it. He had medium length, dark blue bordering on black hair and brown eyes. This man also exuded an aura of elegance and nobility that made Ryuunosuke feel like bowing in respect.

The man gave a gentle smile and gave a polite bow saying, "You who have summoned me, I thank you. I am Caster. Might I have the privilege of knowing your name?"

Ryuunosuke hesitated, fearing that he might offend the nobleman in front of him. He gathered his courage and replied, "Ah…I'm Ryuunosuke Uryuu. I'm currently unemployed, and my hobbies are stabbing and murder. I especially like killing children and women."

The man who called himself Caster began to frown deeply. Ryuunosuke saw this and hurriedly said, "Hey, you want a sacrifice? I got a kid you can eat right here."

Caster's frown deepened even more. He looked to the child who was staring at him with eyes wide with fear. He smiled at the child and said, "Don't worry, young one. I shall handle this. Just close your eyes, and don't open them until I tell you."

The boy nodded frantically and clamped his eyes shut. Ryuunosuke was confused as to why this supposed 'demon' was doing this and asked, "What the hell are you doing? Don't you wanna eat him?"

Caster turned back to the murderer, immense anger showing on his features. He made his displeasure known as he calmly, yet with untold amounts of disgust and anger, said, "Be silent, you depraved cur! To do such a thing to a fellow human being, and in front of a child no less! Begone from this world, beast!"

With that, Caster thrust an oversized conductor's baton through Ryuunosuke's chest and into his heart, killing him instantly. Caster removed the baton from the madman's chest, letting the corpse fall to the floor, a confused look fixed on its face.

Caster sighed as he offered a brief prayer for the lives lost in this house today, letting his baton disappear into light as he turned back to the boy.

He knelt down next to the child as he removed the tape binding the boy's arms and legs, and untied the cloth in his mouth.

"Keep your eyes closed," Caster whispered to the boy, who was crying in joy.

Caster gently picked the boy up. The child immediately buried his face in Caster's shirt, but he didn't mind. He simply smiled sadly at the boy as he exited the house, the child sobbing into his shirt.

XXXXX

Around the Same Time
Fuyuki Church

"Hm, that's strange," Risei said suddenly.

"What is it, father?" Kirei asked.

Risei looked over at his son and answered, "The Servant Caster was summoned, but just a few minutes afterwards, his Master was killed."

Kirei adopted a serious look, and asked, "Could it have been another Master?"

Risei shook his head, "I'm not sure. It's possible, but unlikely."

Kirei stood up from his seat, and said, "If the war has begun, then I best leave. If Assassin is killed and I require shelter, I will return."

"Very well, Kirei. Be careful, this war is quite brutal."

Kirei stopped with his hand on the handle of the front door of the church. He held for a moment before replying, "I can be just as brutal myself."

With that, he left the church.

Risei sighed and leaned back in the pew, rubbing his temples.

"I know, son. And that's why I'm worried."

XXXXX

Translation:

Molto Bene: Very Good

How was it? Be brutally honest...in review form.