Aftermath
- Location
- The wrong battlefield
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Your thoughts are a jumble, rarely maintaining stability for more than a second. Pain. Anger. Fear. But amongst these strands, you find yourself coming back to one thing, the core of a maze of concerns.
Haru. If you die here, you practically leave her to the wolves, and you refuse to let that happen. You're the only real family she has left. Is dying to spite this girl worth those consequences? No, no it is not. You stretch your arm out reaching towards the circle, shaking. Lilianasviel turns to watch, cold approval on her face.
"For the elements, silver and iron, for the foundation stone and the Archduke of Pacts. Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Repeat five times, but when each is filled, destroy it."
The circle lights up, and your arm pulses red as your Command Seals appear. You pay it no mind, staring ahead numbly, but something about it seems to have caught your tormentor's attention. She tilts her head with a curious look. You don't care, and continue.
"Hear my words. My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the Grail's call, and obey my will and reason, then answer my summoning."
You see the void appear before your mind's eye, an endless galaxy. You are reaching out across an eternal abyss. Somewhere, your call is heard. A hand in shadow reaches out for you from the other end of the cosmos.
"Raise a wall against the wind and close the gates of four directions. Come forth from the crown and follow the forked road leading to the Kingdom.
I hereby swear, that I shall be all the good in the world. That I shall defeat all evil in the world."
The circle brightens, and Berserker walks into view. He goes into a stance, ready for the arrival.
"Seventh heaven, clad in the great words of power, come forth from the circle of binding, Guardian of Scales!"
The light erupts, and you close your eyes. You open your eyes after a moment, to see the area enveloped in mist. A blur shoots into the mist, and you hear a clanging sound, metal striking metal. The sound of a clash emerges as the mist begins to fade, only for you to see Berserker roundhouse kick someone into the wall before plunging his spear into the mystery Servant's flesh.
The air is quiet as Berserker backs up. You see a man in the crater in the wall. He seems well dressed, with parted dark hair and bloodied bandages across the right side of his face. More notably, he has a large wound across his chest. He seems to notice you, attempting to reach up with a hand that ends in long clawed fingers. He starts to speak–or at least, try too–but explodes into gold dust after a moment, evaporating into the ether. It took maybe ten seconds for Berserker to successfully ambush and kill a Heroic Spirit.
The hand in shadow starts to withdraw.
Berserker looks back towards his Master, who in turn looks back to you. "See? A satisfactory result, and it didn't take up too much of our time. Now, I'll hold up my end then."
She eyes the blade, still in your abdomen, and her brow furrows in concentration. The blade shimmers again, but this time begins to seep off her hand and roil around you before hardening in something akin to a bandage. Feeling begins to return to your legs as well, and you fall onto your back. Pressing a hand to the wound, you pull from your inner well of magic.
Heal shift.
Lilianasviel watches as your magic goes to work to speed up your body's natural healing. "Fauntra?" she calls out. "Your services are needed. I've stopped the bleeding, and she seems to have some magic to heal herself, but I would prefer for you to assist with your skills as well. When she's in a suitable state of recovery, take her home."
She addresses you now. "Consider this….hm, let's call it you owing me a debt. One more reason not to try and join with a different Servant later on, in case tonight's demonstration wasn't a good enough lesson."
You blink, your eyelids weighing on you, before giving in and embracing the relief brought about by unconsciousness.
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You open your eyes, finding yourself lying…..on top of your bed in your room, at home. Huh. You start to rise, and a wave of pain crosses your gut. Owww…….okay, well, you can move around a little, so that's something. You take a breath, and begin to speed up your healing process with your magic again. You peek towards your alarm clock and find that it's still early morning, just a little before you'd normally get up for school.
You lie back down, focusing to keep yourself calm. Last night was pretty bad. Okay, that's a bit of an understatement. Last night was really bad. You got ambushed by the current keeper of the Einzbern castle and the Master of a Berserker Servant. She kidnapped you and forced you to make a rigged summoning (under duress of death, after she stabbed you). Her Servant immediately ambushed and killed the Assassin you summoned.
Your hope of participating in and winning the War, as far as you can tell, have been crushed. Now you're what, just another mage. A failed Master, who couldn't even stay in the game for a full minute.
During this reflection, you notice something that didn't seem to be present when you woke up–or a least, something that wasn't immediately noticeable. As you still your mind, you feel a light sensation of something grabbing at you. This feeling isn't in your body, but your core; something is trying to pull at your very soul, something off in the distance….north or northeast, if you had to put a direction to it. You're not sure what to make of this, but you don't get time to mull over it, as the door opens and a woman you've never seen before.
"You're awake, good. I will try to keep this brief, and when I am finished I will leave. My name is Fauntra, one of Mistress Lilianasviel's attendants."
The name registers with what you heard at the end of the night. Between being named as an attendant, her appearance, and the Einzbern specialty it's not hard to understand that this woman is a homunculus.
"I apologize for the intrusion of your home, but I was tasked with making sure you were safely returned here. I expect Mistress Lilianasviel did not expect me to be out this long, but I consider it a necessary measure to ensure that you awakened."
"Your wound," her gaze drifts to your torso, "appears to be in decent shape. Between the efforts of myself, Mistress Lilianasviel, and your application of magic both then and now, I predict that you should be more or less recovered in a day or so. Until then, I would advise rest and continued healing. Unless you have any further concerns, I shall take my leave. Please do your best to avoid encountering my Mistress again, as it would most certainly end with your demise."
Your silence conveys your answer, and Fauntra departs. You lie in silence for a while until the alarm goes off, and slowly move to turn it off. Upon doing so, you notice a fading red mark on your hand. You roll your sleeve up to examine your Command Seals. They're beginning to fade, but you can make them out–except, the Command Seals seem to be going along as much of your arm as you can see. You lurch out of bed, starting to undress. You should change anyways, and you don't want Haru to see you in the same, but also now bloodied, clothes you had on last night.
You take off your dress shirt, and gaze at your arm. You expected your Command Seals to be on the surface of your hand. This is different. Three long red marks streak and spiral across the entirety of your arm, from your hand all the way to your shoulder blade. They intertwine at one or two points, and each is segmented, like a stretched out laurel wreath or a bird's very long and feathered wingspan. You ignored it when it occurred last night, but this must have been what caught Lilianasviel's curiosity. It's understandable, since the occurrence is a little strange. But, you wonder, how much difference does it make now that your Servant is gone and your Seals are fading?
You take your time getting dressed, putting yourself in something more casual while taking care not to move suddenly or in any way that could be immediately painful. You're not going to be able to go to school today, and while that could be a minor issue, dealing with your caretakers is the real problem at hand. You carefully head downstairs, to find Haru eating breakfast. She looks up.
"G'morning, big sis!"
You go to take a seat. "Morning. Sorry about this, but I'm not feeling the best so I won't be able to walk with you today."
"What's wrong?"
"I just….hurt myself a little last night, so I'm going to stay here today."
Haru looks confused. "When you went to visit Mom and Dad?"
You rub your side gently. "About that time, yeah."
"Is that why you didn't bring that guest home like you said?"
You turn away somewhat, choking up a little. ".....yeah, it has to do with that."
Haru hops off her chair and comes around the table, hugging you from the side. "It's okay, big sis!"
"Haru..?"
"It's okay, big sis! Please don't be sad!"
"Haru, please…" you plead. She doesn't let go.
"It's okay if your guest can't be here! It's gotta be okay! So please, don't be sad!"
It's a little bizarre, but you think you understand what she's trying to say: it's not the end of the world, right? You need to move on as best you can, and focus on what you still have here and now; and what do you still have? Your sister, the person you sacrificed a shot at the Holy Grail to stay with.
You squirm, trying to move around while also trying to be careful from your wound. A few moments and hisses of quick pain later and you're properly hugging her, wrapping her in your arms.
"I think I understand. I'll…..I'll try to do my best, okay?"
"Promise?," she insists.
"I promise. I'm still staying home today, though."
Haru releases you from her grasp, a determined look on her face. "Please feel better, big sis!"
You smile. "I'll try."
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You call Browning, and he agrees to come and pick Haru up in order to take her to school, though he doesn't sound particularly happy about it. Once Haru is off, you return to your room for rest, meditation, and healing. Your day seems to go by peacefully, up until early afternoon, when you hear the front door unlock and someone coming up the stairs. That's odd, Greyfore doesn't usually arrive until later…..
The woman in question opens the door and walks into your room. Why is she here so soon?
"I heard you decided not to go to school today. Care to enlighten me as to why?"
You cross your arms. "I had an accident while making dinner last night and hurt myself. I'm spending the day recovering."
"Is that so." Her eyes narrow, and she starts to look around your room. "You know, the Association contacted us the other day. Apparently a Holy Grail War is about to occur."
"Really now?"
"Pretty much. Now, I can't help but be concerned, given that I'm a legal guardian of a girl who just so happens to be the heir of a mage family with more than a few generations to its name. That would be-"
She stops. You turn, and see her looking at the bloodied clothes you'd changed out of. Uh-oh.
"Just an accident at dinner, huh?" She turns and walks over to you, looking you over before spotting the red smudge on your hand. She yanks your arm forward and rolls your sleeve back, revealing your Command Seals.
"What. Did. You. Do." Her eyes are wide and blazing white-hot fury.
"It doesn't mat-"
"What did you do?!" She yells.
"It doesn't matter! They're gone!" you snap. "They got killed! They're gone!"
"............Explain."
You tell her that you went out to summon a Servant, got kidnapped, threatened, stabbed, and how your Servant was ambushed and immediately struck down. You make sure to leave out as many important details as you can, though; she doesn't deserve to get anything other than the basics. You finish, and she lets go of your arm, stepping back. She's silent for a moment before turning to leave.
"Stay here. I have a call to make."
She walks away, and you can hear her heading downstairs. You don't see yourself having much of a choice, but staying here doesn't mean you can't listen in. You close your eyes and steady your mind.
Sensory shift.
You blot out all sensation in your body, temporarily shutting down four of your basic senses in order to enhance your hearing. It's just enough that you can pick up pieces of what she's saying from the other end of the house.
"........had a Servant……..got killed……..always get another………………..can we kill……….what about the Overseer?.......hide her away……..can remove command seals, right?.......................give her a call."
Greyfore ends the call, and you emerge back into the greater part of reality, having heard some very concerning bits. You don't need to know the whole conversation to know that you need to get out of here immediately. You start to wonder where to go, and the pull on your core seems to give a sufficient answer. You go over and open the door to the balcony. At the very least, you can throw them off and stall for time by disappearing, and the front door is not an option. You take a breath, and activate a shift for physical enhancement. It's already necessary given you're leaping off a second-story balcony, but the shift needs to be extra strong since you're about to be going out with a still-healing stab wound.
You land with a wince, as the pain manages to just slightly hit through the shift. You clench your teeth and collect yourself, before setting out in the direction you're being pulled towards. You don't know where you're going, but it's like walking with an inner GPS. As you walk, you notice that the more you travel, the greater of a sense you get of being "closer" to the source of the pull; and as you get closer, the stronger the pull becomes.
It's after you cross the Fuyuki Bridge that you realize you are also near the Church–the pull is in a different direction, moreso north, but since you're nearby, maybe you could go to see Caren? It might help to talk to her and ask for assistance, maybe. You find yourself at a figurative fork in the road.
[ ] Follow the pull, see where it takes you.
[ ] Go to the Church and talk to Caren.
Haru. If you die here, you practically leave her to the wolves, and you refuse to let that happen. You're the only real family she has left. Is dying to spite this girl worth those consequences? No, no it is not. You stretch your arm out reaching towards the circle, shaking. Lilianasviel turns to watch, cold approval on her face.
"For the elements, silver and iron, for the foundation stone and the Archduke of Pacts. Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Repeat five times, but when each is filled, destroy it."
The circle lights up, and your arm pulses red as your Command Seals appear. You pay it no mind, staring ahead numbly, but something about it seems to have caught your tormentor's attention. She tilts her head with a curious look. You don't care, and continue.
"Hear my words. My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the Grail's call, and obey my will and reason, then answer my summoning."
You see the void appear before your mind's eye, an endless galaxy. You are reaching out across an eternal abyss. Somewhere, your call is heard. A hand in shadow reaches out for you from the other end of the cosmos.
"Raise a wall against the wind and close the gates of four directions. Come forth from the crown and follow the forked road leading to the Kingdom.
I hereby swear, that I shall be all the good in the world. That I shall defeat all evil in the world."
The circle brightens, and Berserker walks into view. He goes into a stance, ready for the arrival.
"Seventh heaven, clad in the great words of power, come forth from the circle of binding, Guardian of Scales!"
The light erupts, and you close your eyes. You open your eyes after a moment, to see the area enveloped in mist. A blur shoots into the mist, and you hear a clanging sound, metal striking metal. The sound of a clash emerges as the mist begins to fade, only for you to see Berserker roundhouse kick someone into the wall before plunging his spear into the mystery Servant's flesh.
The air is quiet as Berserker backs up. You see a man in the crater in the wall. He seems well dressed, with parted dark hair and bloodied bandages across the right side of his face. More notably, he has a large wound across his chest. He seems to notice you, attempting to reach up with a hand that ends in long clawed fingers. He starts to speak–or at least, try too–but explodes into gold dust after a moment, evaporating into the ether. It took maybe ten seconds for Berserker to successfully ambush and kill a Heroic Spirit.
The hand in shadow starts to withdraw.
Berserker looks back towards his Master, who in turn looks back to you. "See? A satisfactory result, and it didn't take up too much of our time. Now, I'll hold up my end then."
She eyes the blade, still in your abdomen, and her brow furrows in concentration. The blade shimmers again, but this time begins to seep off her hand and roil around you before hardening in something akin to a bandage. Feeling begins to return to your legs as well, and you fall onto your back. Pressing a hand to the wound, you pull from your inner well of magic.
Heal shift.
Lilianasviel watches as your magic goes to work to speed up your body's natural healing. "Fauntra?" she calls out. "Your services are needed. I've stopped the bleeding, and she seems to have some magic to heal herself, but I would prefer for you to assist with your skills as well. When she's in a suitable state of recovery, take her home."
She addresses you now. "Consider this….hm, let's call it you owing me a debt. One more reason not to try and join with a different Servant later on, in case tonight's demonstration wasn't a good enough lesson."
You blink, your eyelids weighing on you, before giving in and embracing the relief brought about by unconsciousness.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You open your eyes, finding yourself lying…..on top of your bed in your room, at home. Huh. You start to rise, and a wave of pain crosses your gut. Owww…….okay, well, you can move around a little, so that's something. You take a breath, and begin to speed up your healing process with your magic again. You peek towards your alarm clock and find that it's still early morning, just a little before you'd normally get up for school.
You lie back down, focusing to keep yourself calm. Last night was pretty bad. Okay, that's a bit of an understatement. Last night was really bad. You got ambushed by the current keeper of the Einzbern castle and the Master of a Berserker Servant. She kidnapped you and forced you to make a rigged summoning (under duress of death, after she stabbed you). Her Servant immediately ambushed and killed the Assassin you summoned.
Your hope of participating in and winning the War, as far as you can tell, have been crushed. Now you're what, just another mage. A failed Master, who couldn't even stay in the game for a full minute.
During this reflection, you notice something that didn't seem to be present when you woke up–or a least, something that wasn't immediately noticeable. As you still your mind, you feel a light sensation of something grabbing at you. This feeling isn't in your body, but your core; something is trying to pull at your very soul, something off in the distance….north or northeast, if you had to put a direction to it. You're not sure what to make of this, but you don't get time to mull over it, as the door opens and a woman you've never seen before.
"You're awake, good. I will try to keep this brief, and when I am finished I will leave. My name is Fauntra, one of Mistress Lilianasviel's attendants."
The name registers with what you heard at the end of the night. Between being named as an attendant, her appearance, and the Einzbern specialty it's not hard to understand that this woman is a homunculus.
"I apologize for the intrusion of your home, but I was tasked with making sure you were safely returned here. I expect Mistress Lilianasviel did not expect me to be out this long, but I consider it a necessary measure to ensure that you awakened."
"Your wound," her gaze drifts to your torso, "appears to be in decent shape. Between the efforts of myself, Mistress Lilianasviel, and your application of magic both then and now, I predict that you should be more or less recovered in a day or so. Until then, I would advise rest and continued healing. Unless you have any further concerns, I shall take my leave. Please do your best to avoid encountering my Mistress again, as it would most certainly end with your demise."
Your silence conveys your answer, and Fauntra departs. You lie in silence for a while until the alarm goes off, and slowly move to turn it off. Upon doing so, you notice a fading red mark on your hand. You roll your sleeve up to examine your Command Seals. They're beginning to fade, but you can make them out–except, the Command Seals seem to be going along as much of your arm as you can see. You lurch out of bed, starting to undress. You should change anyways, and you don't want Haru to see you in the same, but also now bloodied, clothes you had on last night.
You take off your dress shirt, and gaze at your arm. You expected your Command Seals to be on the surface of your hand. This is different. Three long red marks streak and spiral across the entirety of your arm, from your hand all the way to your shoulder blade. They intertwine at one or two points, and each is segmented, like a stretched out laurel wreath or a bird's very long and feathered wingspan. You ignored it when it occurred last night, but this must have been what caught Lilianasviel's curiosity. It's understandable, since the occurrence is a little strange. But, you wonder, how much difference does it make now that your Servant is gone and your Seals are fading?
You take your time getting dressed, putting yourself in something more casual while taking care not to move suddenly or in any way that could be immediately painful. You're not going to be able to go to school today, and while that could be a minor issue, dealing with your caretakers is the real problem at hand. You carefully head downstairs, to find Haru eating breakfast. She looks up.
"G'morning, big sis!"
You go to take a seat. "Morning. Sorry about this, but I'm not feeling the best so I won't be able to walk with you today."
"What's wrong?"
"I just….hurt myself a little last night, so I'm going to stay here today."
Haru looks confused. "When you went to visit Mom and Dad?"
You rub your side gently. "About that time, yeah."
"Is that why you didn't bring that guest home like you said?"
You turn away somewhat, choking up a little. ".....yeah, it has to do with that."
Haru hops off her chair and comes around the table, hugging you from the side. "It's okay, big sis!"
"Haru..?"
"It's okay, big sis! Please don't be sad!"
"Haru, please…" you plead. She doesn't let go.
"It's okay if your guest can't be here! It's gotta be okay! So please, don't be sad!"
It's a little bizarre, but you think you understand what she's trying to say: it's not the end of the world, right? You need to move on as best you can, and focus on what you still have here and now; and what do you still have? Your sister, the person you sacrificed a shot at the Holy Grail to stay with.
You squirm, trying to move around while also trying to be careful from your wound. A few moments and hisses of quick pain later and you're properly hugging her, wrapping her in your arms.
"I think I understand. I'll…..I'll try to do my best, okay?"
"Promise?," she insists.
"I promise. I'm still staying home today, though."
Haru releases you from her grasp, a determined look on her face. "Please feel better, big sis!"
You smile. "I'll try."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You call Browning, and he agrees to come and pick Haru up in order to take her to school, though he doesn't sound particularly happy about it. Once Haru is off, you return to your room for rest, meditation, and healing. Your day seems to go by peacefully, up until early afternoon, when you hear the front door unlock and someone coming up the stairs. That's odd, Greyfore doesn't usually arrive until later…..
The woman in question opens the door and walks into your room. Why is she here so soon?
"I heard you decided not to go to school today. Care to enlighten me as to why?"
You cross your arms. "I had an accident while making dinner last night and hurt myself. I'm spending the day recovering."
"Is that so." Her eyes narrow, and she starts to look around your room. "You know, the Association contacted us the other day. Apparently a Holy Grail War is about to occur."
"Really now?"
"Pretty much. Now, I can't help but be concerned, given that I'm a legal guardian of a girl who just so happens to be the heir of a mage family with more than a few generations to its name. That would be-"
She stops. You turn, and see her looking at the bloodied clothes you'd changed out of. Uh-oh.
"Just an accident at dinner, huh?" She turns and walks over to you, looking you over before spotting the red smudge on your hand. She yanks your arm forward and rolls your sleeve back, revealing your Command Seals.
"What. Did. You. Do." Her eyes are wide and blazing white-hot fury.
"It doesn't mat-"
"What did you do?!" She yells.
"It doesn't matter! They're gone!" you snap. "They got killed! They're gone!"
"............Explain."
You tell her that you went out to summon a Servant, got kidnapped, threatened, stabbed, and how your Servant was ambushed and immediately struck down. You make sure to leave out as many important details as you can, though; she doesn't deserve to get anything other than the basics. You finish, and she lets go of your arm, stepping back. She's silent for a moment before turning to leave.
"Stay here. I have a call to make."
She walks away, and you can hear her heading downstairs. You don't see yourself having much of a choice, but staying here doesn't mean you can't listen in. You close your eyes and steady your mind.
Sensory shift.
You blot out all sensation in your body, temporarily shutting down four of your basic senses in order to enhance your hearing. It's just enough that you can pick up pieces of what she's saying from the other end of the house.
"........had a Servant……..got killed……..always get another………………..can we kill……….what about the Overseer?.......hide her away……..can remove command seals, right?.......................give her a call."
Greyfore ends the call, and you emerge back into the greater part of reality, having heard some very concerning bits. You don't need to know the whole conversation to know that you need to get out of here immediately. You start to wonder where to go, and the pull on your core seems to give a sufficient answer. You go over and open the door to the balcony. At the very least, you can throw them off and stall for time by disappearing, and the front door is not an option. You take a breath, and activate a shift for physical enhancement. It's already necessary given you're leaping off a second-story balcony, but the shift needs to be extra strong since you're about to be going out with a still-healing stab wound.
You land with a wince, as the pain manages to just slightly hit through the shift. You clench your teeth and collect yourself, before setting out in the direction you're being pulled towards. You don't know where you're going, but it's like walking with an inner GPS. As you walk, you notice that the more you travel, the greater of a sense you get of being "closer" to the source of the pull; and as you get closer, the stronger the pull becomes.
It's after you cross the Fuyuki Bridge that you realize you are also near the Church–the pull is in a different direction, moreso north, but since you're nearby, maybe you could go to see Caren? It might help to talk to her and ask for assistance, maybe. You find yourself at a figurative fork in the road.
[ ] Follow the pull, see where it takes you.
[ ] Go to the Church and talk to Caren.
