Prologue: How we began

I do not own Fate/Zero, or any of the characters in this fic

-Break-

"Let me tell all you children a story…"

"A story of a man…"

"A lone warrior, who more than anyone else…"

"Believed he could become a Hero…"

"Yet, his path was wrought with nothing but despair…"

"Still he carried on, spurned by a dream…"

"Until his eyes could no longer see the World…"

"But, as you know children, the World is not kind to those who cloud their gaze…"

"With foolish ideals…"

-Break-

I stand now at the crossroads of Fate, alone with naught but my memories, and my blades. I wonder, did he stand here, did he make this decision, or is this something for me alone.

No, he stood here all those never-were years gone, just as I am doing so now, facing the same sadism before my own eyes…

-Break-

"So the World gave the foolish man a choice…"

"One that would tear, both his dream and his heart asunder…"

"For whichever he chose he would be transformed into a monster…"

"Oh yes children, the World truly is a cruel and sadistic entity…"

-Break-

The never-more man had stared down at all this, and he took the only option available to him, and it destroyed who he was, made him into the him I saw, his blade against mine. But I have a choice. I could follow his path and end up damaged, or I could turn my back on the reality before me and lose my last chance for redemption.

How long ago had it been, since that conflict: decades, centuries? I can't remember anymore. It had gone so very wrong so fast. The anger of a monster, the loss of a loved one, the corruption of a saint, siding with an enemy against a greater threat, the breaking of a dear friend, the destruction of a sibling, and finally through it all we emerged, stronger, alive, together. And yet the casualties far exceeded the survivors. The damaged never-was man, died saving my life. The most divine of us had fallen so far. A family lay divided. My body wasn't even remotely human anymore. And those who I had called siblings were dead and buried. But there was still a chance, a chance to fix everything. A dream, not one from my mind, showed me the way. So I followed it's guidance, and for those innumerable years, it has been my only beacon in the dark.

I had allies, those who had stood with me through my trials, those I defended from the darkness, and those whom I had led. We all marched forward, following this road, the one walked by him so many years before. Yet slowly, one by one, they left, either by an opponent's choosing or by their own will, the last one I had thought would stay by my side for far longer. Yet in the end, I had made it here, alone.

-Break-

"Wallowing on the past, the man looked once more on the horizon…"

"Steel in his heart, and his blood alight, his gaze lowered to those before him…"

-Break-

That was one thing that set him and me apart: my allies' left, he pushed his away. Lucky Bastard. Though I doubt his deeds had ever earned him the title 'King', or that his legend was as merciful as mine. What matters however is the vision, but now it seems the only way to make it come to pass, is to let the cycle continue, and give up salvation.

They come for me now, those that did this heinous deed. They know I'm injured, and what my weakness is. And here is where I stand, damnation, or rejection. Which would be the lesser betrayal…

-Break-

"-And decided."

"Fate's wheel turned once more…"

"The World rejoiced…"

"And in a time long past…"

"War began, at Zero."

-Break-

Author's Note 1: And so beings my Fate/Zero fanfic, and no this isn't going to be the format for it.

Now you may be wondering why I started to write this so soon after starting Otra Ves? Heck Otra Ves hasn't been updated for a while as well, so why did I start on this one? Because I'm stuck. I know what to write, how to write it, but I can't make it connect, and I don't want to leave it for the next chapter. So I started this to just write and hopefully it'll all work out in the end.

Hopefully.