《Fate/Negative》


 Fate/Negative

    The Holy Grail. To some, it was a relic from ages past, a collector''s item. To others, it was a holy symbol and the object of reverence. However, the Grail I sought was neither. It was the Holy Grail of Fuyuki.In truth, the Fuyuki''s Grail was ''false'' - and by false, it was not the cup that Jesus of Nazareth drank from before his death, but a ssupposedly omnipotent wish-granting device designed to pierce the Swirl of Origin and find thr root of all magic.


    I was rather skeptical of the Grail''s omnipotence, but it was the only chance I had for revenge. You must be wondering why I seek revenge. Everyone that I knew, everyone that I loved, was torn away by denizens of evil. I had never loved my parents - and when my mother died, my father and I left for a remote island in the Phillipines, abandoning my homeland. There, he had revealed that he was a magus, and an outlaw one at that. He sought immortality - and on Alimango island, my home at the time, he picked up a student. She and I became friends, but after a failed experiment she was transformed into a Dead Apostle, an undead creature similar to a vampire. Before I knew it, the whole island had turned except for my father and I, and when I realized that this was all his doing I... killed him. He was still my father, and that would never change, but he was evil. And such evil must be purged - similar to a cell apoptosis - a symptom that manifested when a cell mutated. That cell commited suicide for the good of the many, preventing harm. And my father was part of that cell called evil. It was only natural that I removed him.


    I was rescued from that island by a mercenary, a monster hunter of sorts. Her name was Natalia. I didn''t trust Natalia at first, but she was my only friend - and person I knew in the world, so I warmed up to her eventually. However, I was forced to kill my mentor. I don''t think I''m ready to talk about that yet. Afterwards, I continued the life that she had given me and disregarding the ideals of magehood, I used the ancient art of magic as a mere tool alongside more modern, vulgar methods - such as guns. My work as an assassin specializing in killing the proud magi who ignored modern technology earned me the title of ''Magus Killer''.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    My past may have been bleak, but ever since I was hired to compete in the Holy Grail War of Fuyukiand was given these Command Seals, sigils of a master, I saw hope. Despite the fact that I would lose my spouse - the homonculus Arsviel von Einzbern - in this war as a sacrifice to the Grail, an perhaps more, I could finally claim vengeance - if you could call it that - and purge the evil from this sick world.


    I looked out the window at the snow blanketed German forest then at the mercury pentacle in front of me, preparing myself for the summoning of the Heroic Spirit that would bring me victory in this Holy Grail War - my Servant. I took a deep breath, ensuring my catalyst - a bloodstained Linden leaf - was in place, then began chanting.


    "Let silver and steel be the essence.


    Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation


    Let my great Master Emiya be thy ancestor


    Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall


    Let the four cardinal gates close.


    Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.


    I hereby declare.


    Your body shall serve under me.


    My fate shall be your sword.


    Submit to the beckoningof the Holy Grail


    If you will submit to this will and this reason¡­Then answer!


    An oath shall be sworn here!


    I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven.


    I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!


    From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three greet words of power,


    Come forth from the ring of restraints,


    Protector of the Holy Balance!"

 Servant Saber

    Arsveil''s old (really old) man sure had given me the right catalyst. Or at least it looked like he did. The servant I had summoned towered over me at about 6 feet and two inches - I was barely 5''7. His body was sheathed in lustrous silver plate armor that matched his flowing hair, but his chest was strangely exposed revealing the glowing blue marks that decorated his muscled torso. A single greatsword was strapped to his back, whose hilt shone in the moonlight coming in from the window.


    "Greetings, Servant. I assume you are from the hero Sigurd?'' I asked him, looking at him intently. Masters had the ability to read the statistics of thier Servants, and from what I saw his were decent. Great, actually. Except his luck - that was trash. The catalyst I had used was a bloodstained linden leaf, restored and preserved through magic my father had designed - sometimes that bastard was useful.


    "You are partially correct, Master. Although Sigurd and I share the same origins, we are different individuals. I am Siegfried, slayer of Fafnir. May I ask your name, Master?" He replied, returing my gaze. I was a little dissapointed at his identity, as Sigurd was rumored to posess ruinic magic, while Siegfried never used it in his various exploits. However, that didn''t matter too much - his stats were high enough to negate this disadvantage.


    "I am Kiritsuchi Emiya. You may refer to me as ''Kiritsuchi'' in private, but I would prefer if you called me ''Master'' on the battlefield."


    "Of course, Master." He paused. "Master Kiritsuchi. Sumanai."I almost smiled at his blunder, but suppressed my mild mirth. There was work to be done.


    "I am confident that you are a Saber, but what is your Servant classification?" He nodded. "Good. One more question before we move on - why is your torso not covered? I understand that you have bathed in Fafnir''s blood, but your weakness is on your back, is it not?"The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "I have been cursed, if you will. This form bears a conceptual enchantment that negates any protection oncering my weakness - Servants who have similar traits probably bear this hindering factor as well. It may be the Grail''s way of balancing out the competion."


    "Tch. I suppose we''ll have to guard your identity well. Can you cover it with mundane clothes? This will make it harder to see." He nodded again, but not after hesitating for a moment. It seems he wasn''t completely familliar with his abilities and restrictions.


    "Now, there is something I would like to inform you about - your role in this war. Have you participated in any Grail Wars before?" This time Siegfried shook his head, but stopped himself.


    "What year is it, Ma- Kiritsuchi?" He asked, suddenly curious. I told him, then he resumed. "As you may know, I am not really Siegfried, but merely a shade descended from the Throne of Heroes. This ''fragment'' of Siegfried, me, has participated in a Grail War, but a little before today - perhaps this is a seperate branch of time? Regrettably, I am not well versed in the intricacies of entropy."


    "Very well." I muttred. Since he had been summoned in an alternate time, he would likely posess no knowledge pertinent to this timeline. "Before the war, I would like to warn you about how we shall fight. Firstly, your acting Master will be my husband, Arsveil von Einzbern." Siegfried seemed surprised for a moment, but regained his composture. "I will participate as well, of course - but not as a traditional Master, or even magus. I shall play the role of an Assassin class servant, and the Master of the true Assassin will be my first target due the... nature of your weakness. Do you have any objections?"


    "None, Kiritsuchi."


    "Good. Saber, wait here. I will return shortly. Fell free to sit down." I said before leaving the room. I allowed myself to smile - Arsviel and I were originaly planning to summon King Arthur, but decided on Sigurd after realizing he probably posessed a more utilitarian moral code than Arthur, whose ethics may have posed a problem. After a short walk in the Einzbern Castle''s halls, I reached Arsveil''s door - then knocked.


    "Come on in!" He said from inside.

 Introductions

    "Come on in!" Arsviel called out from inside the room. I gently pushed the door open and walked inside. His room was as it always was - neat, with the sole exception of a few picture books and toys strewn on the floor, which belonged to our daughter, Illyasveil. Arsviel himself sat on an armchair in the corner of the room with Illya on his lap. The two looked almost identical, except for the age difference and hair length. They both had fair skin, white hair, and red eyes. Most people would find such a trait unusual, but I was rather used to it as every Einzbern homonculus possessed them, including the maids. They all had similar facial features, even Arsveil - despite him being male and virtually all the others being female.


    "Oh, hello Kiritsuchi," he said, looking up from the picture book he was reading to Illya and smiling warmly. "How was the summoning? Did you get the Servant you wanted?"


    "Yes - well, sort of. Instead of Sigurd I summoned Siegfried, but he appears to also have the Noble Phantasam ''Armor of Fafnir'' that your father was talking about."


    "That''s wonderful, Kiritsuchi!" His smile turned into a frown, suddenly sullen. "But be careful in the Grail War. Have you thought about my proposal?" I had. In fact, despite its downsides I had already accepted it. Arsviel knew of my preffered ''combat style'', so he wanted to be a stand-in master for me and command Sigurd - or now Siegfried - on the front line while I killed the other Masters. This would also reduce the risk of Siegfried''s defeat, however it would also put Arsveil in danger. Plus, I wasn''t fond of the part where we left Illya alone with her grandfather and the maids - she would grow lonely. But this would help our chances to getting back safely. Or rather, my chances. Arsviel wouldn''t come back. As the ''perfect'' homonculus, he was destined to be the Fuyuki Grail''s vessel, and to do so would guarantee his demise. His father and I had planned on flying him to Japan after I had eliminated all the Masters and perhaps Servants.


    "Yeah... I suppose it''s alright. Just be very careful, okay? If you feel unsafe, just run - I''ll be there or have a familiar nearby so I can pull Siegfried out if it gets dangerous." His smile returned to his face, although I regretted my descision. I don''t think I could go on if he died in vain - being sacrificed for the Grail was bad enough.


    "Mommy, what will I do?" Illyasviel asked. This was the other downside of the plan - Illya would be here alone. It tore my heart to do this, but I would come back for her.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Illya, you''re going to have to stay here." I said sadly. "But I will be back."


    "Promise?" She asked, tears brimming in her crimson eyes.


    "Yeah. I promise." I said, hugging her tightly. After I let go, she seemed happy - she was still very fickle and changed moods easily.


    "Yay! Can I see mommy''s Servant then?" I shot a glance at Arsviel, who nodded.


    "Okay Illya," I replied. "but remember to be polite." Illya laughed happily, as if she was oblivious to the fact that this was the last she''d see of Arsveil and I for a while.


    "Arsviel, I''d suggest coming too - you should meet Siegfried."


    "Okay," He said, standing up with Illya in his arms. He set the book down on the chair then followed me out of the room.


    A few moments later, we arrived at the drawing room - which I had cleared out and summoned Siegfried. No, Saber. I should really start thinking of him as Saber.


    "I''m back, Saber." Saber hadn''t sat down yet, but simply stood near the door like a guard. Upon my entrance, he stepped ou of the way, ushering us in. "You could have sat down, Saber."


    "As a Heroic Spirit, I do not need sleep nor rest and simply function by consuming mana. However, I appreciate the gesture." He smiled, then looked at Arsveil and Illya. "I assume that is my proxy Master?" He said, nodding towards Arsveil.


    "Indeed. This is Arsveil von Einzbern, my husband and my daughter, Illyasveil."


    "Hello, Saber." Arsveil said in German. "I look forward to working with you." Heroic Spirits gained a certain amount of knowledge on the modern world, including language but it probably was polite to adress a Servant in their native tongue. Unfortunately, German was a language I was unfamiliar with. Despite that fact, I knew picked up a handful of words from the Einzberns.


    "You as well, Arsveil." He replied in the same language. "Don''t worry, Kiritsuchi, I will still speak in Japanese." He told me. I sighed lightly in relief.


    "Hi Saber!" Illya said, who was rather excited. "Wow, you''re really big... how much food do you eat?"


    "Illya, mind your manners!." Arsveil said.


    "Okay," Illya said playfully, probably not understanding her father. "Saber, what''s you''re name?" Saber looked at me questioningly, and I nodded silently. She would be here in Germany, safe from the chaos in Fuyuki.


    "My name is Siegfried. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Illyasveil." He said. Illya giggles at the term ''Miss'', but otherwise did nothing out of the ordinary. "To answer your other question, I do not eat -I am fuled my Kiri- I mean, your mother''s prana supply." Illya nodded in semi-comprehension.


    "That''s cool!" Illya replied. "Please keep my parents safe, okay? And call my Illya please~"


    "Will do, Illya." Saber replied.


    "Alright Saber, Arsveil, we should go to bed. We''re flying to Fuyuki tomorrow." I said. "You to, Illya."