He was dragged underwater, being struck countless times by chains and anchors. As a desperate measure, Archer used a magecraft he had used long ago—Gradation Air. He reinforced his body to lessen the damage he received and, miraculously, managed to survive by reaching the shore.
The wave swept across the beach and reached the first buildings in the city. Many windows were broken, and the streets were filled with water and dead fish. He got up. He was on top of a car, so he took a small jump to get down. Then he saw all the destruction and clicked his tongue.
"This is not discreet."
This was supposed to be a secret war, but Rider didn't care. Columbus was more interested in proving his point than keeping the war a secret.
With his body badly injured, he moved through the destruction. He clutched his arm in pain and searched for Rin. She was on the ship when Rider used his Noble Phantasm. Besides, he could tell she was alive because the connection between them hadn't been broken.
He reached the shore and saw Rin lying on the sand. He jumped and his body dematerialized, but he rematerialized when he got close enough to her. Being close, he could finally see what had happened to his master. He clenched his fist and frowned in anger. Rin was alive, yes, but she had an open wound in her abdomen. In fact, one of her knives was lying next to her.
Blood mixed with ocean water spread across the sand, painting it crimson. Rin's breathing was almost non-existent, her pulse the same. Archer didn't know exactly what had happened, but this was his fault.
"I fell into his trap..."
Looking out at the ocean, he saw the Santa Maria sailing away into the fog. Rider's sinister laughter echoed across the water, and it annoyed Archer. Those responsible for this were watching from the stern of the ship. Shinji had no visible expression on his face, but Rider continued to laugh like a damn bastard.
Holding back his anger, Archer decided that now was not the time to waste time. He approached Rin and took a pendant out of his pocket. It was a pendant identical to the one Rin already had. He carefully placed the pendant on top of the wound. The pendant glowed dimly, filled with Archer's mana.
"This is the only time I can do this for you..." Archer said, extending his hand and covering Rin's body with Gradation Air. "After all, you did the same for me... That's how this all started in the first place..."
It was a memory from a long, long time ago. A memory so distant that Archer was already beginning to forget it. Although he told his master that he had no memories of his life as a human, the truth was that he had lied to him.
The two of them had known each other for a long time...
—Later, in downtown Fuyuki—
"I apologize for my mediocrity when trying to execute Berserker's master," said Toru, sitting on the floor next to Sakura's bed. "Now we only have two command spells left. That puts us at a disadvantage..."
Sakura smiled. Seeing Toru so remorseful calmed her nerves. Toru was no longer wearing his mask, as he had taken it off to apologize. Although he was to blame for what happened, Sakura didn't want to blame him. She knows that Toru's traumas were mainly caused by guilt and loneliness. If she wanted to win him over, the first thing she had to do was not blame him for his mistakes. And that's what she did.
"Don't worry, Assassin. It's something that could happen at any time, so you're not to blame for anything," her voice was sweet and kind, enough to melt any man's heart.
Even though he was absolved of all blame, Toru looked at the ground, thinking. His mistake had put them at a disadvantage compared to the other Masters. However, he had calculated the time it would take for Saber and Berserker to arrive. Why did they both arrive a second early?
Anyone makes mistakes, and Toru made one. No one is perfect, let alone someone like this boy.
He remained silent, and Sakura understood the seriousness of the matter. She sat down in front of Toru and took his hands.
"If you need to talk, you can ask me anything. If guilt is eating away at you, I'll help you. If you feel bad, I'll cheer you up. You don't have to act so stoic all the time. It's good to talk about these things from time to time."
Toru's hand trembled. Sakura had achieved what she wanted. This was a big step forward for her. The boy sighed. He felt compelled to speak.
Toru thought deeply about what he saw when he almost died. The Holy Grail was talking to him. That chalice said it could grant his wishes. And not only that, it also told him that it knew his true desire...
A wish. Toru had already forgotten what it meant to wish for something.
"Master..." he confessed to Sakura, mainly because what had happened earlier had made him doubt himself. "What is your wish?"
That question surprised Sakura. She didn't know how to answer, but when she saw the confusion in Toru's eyes, she smiled, feeling the warmth of his hands.
"There is someone I want to make happy. That's the only reason I'm fighting in this war. That's my only wish, and I'm going to fulfill it."
"I see..." He paused and continued speaking, avoiding Sakura's gaze. "It's a good wish, really. It's not something selfish that any magus would ask for."
"Don't say that. You're making me feel embarrassed..."
After that, Toru fell silent again. Sakura couldn't help but see the same child who used to stare out the window in silence and solitude. She squeezed his hands gently, feeling Toru's pain in her heart.
"And what is your wish, Toru? Not even ten years ago did you mention anything like that."
"My wish... ten years ago..." His eyes suddenly became completely empty. "I don't know... The Holy Grail brings those who have a wish, but I have nothing. I can't think of anything to ask the Holy Grail for."
Sakura almost forgot that she was talking to a person who was completely destroyed inside. Toru no longer even knows what he wants; he no longer knows how to feel.
"You may not have a wish right now, but I can help you think of something. When we win, I'll make sure your wish comes true too. Is that a promise?"
Toru pulled his hands away from Sakura's after hearing that. He stood up as he said, "I don't make promises."
Sakura followed him and stood up as well. "Then I'll be the only one making this promise. We'll win the war, and I'll grant your wish. Just think a little about what you want, even if it's something trivial, and I'll make sure to give it to you. This is my way of thanking you for agreeing to be my servant."
Again, there was silence. Toru turned his back on Sakura and looked out the window.
"You're the one giving the orders. You're the one who has control over my destiny. So, do what you think is right. Right now, I'm going to do more research and plan battle strategies. Rest while I do that."
"Aah... You're very difficult to deal with. I'll listen to you and go to sleep. If you need mana, just ask."
"Yes... Of course..."
They had both had their moment, but Toru ruined it with his coldness. Sakura couldn't do anything more for now. It takes patience to win Toru over. His traumas prevent him from easily accepting the love of others, but ironically, he seeks to be loved even though that is contradictory.
As the night ended, Sakura lay down on her bed and prepared to sleep. As she closed her eyes, she saw Toru looking at her out of the corner of his eye, confused, lost, and calm...
"Don't worry... I won't let anyone else hurt you. That woman broke your heart..." she thought, falling into a deep sleep. "And I'll take care of healing you."
The night was over for these two.
—Matou family residence—
He passed through the door without making a sound. He seemed to be alone, but his servant was beside him in his ghostly form. His shirt was stained with Rin's blood, and he had a scratch wound on his face.
As soon as he entered the house, an old man with a cadaverous face appeared, holding a cane and staring with deep, piercing eyes. It was Zouken, Shinji's grandfather.
"You're doing a good job, Shinji. You know how to use your servant properly." His raspy voice was as decadent as his appearance.
Shinji said nothing and walked toward his room without stopping. Each step he took weighed heavily on him and caused him indescribable pain. He leaned on his cane as he climbed the stairs, but the old man spoke to him again.
"If you keep this up, you'll win. Now that you finally have a purpose in the family, you should be proud that you're not like your mediocre father."
Shinji stopped. He sighed wearily and looked at Zouken with a dark, creepy smile.
"How about you shut your fucking mouth, you decrepit old man?" The swollen veins in his face throbbed.
Zouken laughed. "Is that any way to talk to your elders, Shinji?"
Tired of it all, Shinji ignored the old man and climbed the stairs, disappearing into the darkness of the hallway. Zouken stared at the top of the stairs and shook his head as he laughed. This whole family was as rotten as the worms that made it up...
***
A few minutes later, Shinji was reading some of the family's books. Right in the book he was holding was the protective magecraft he had used earlier to protect himself from Rin.
Rider appeared sitting on the desk when he saw the decadent-looking boy lying on the bed reading the book.
"You're just a kid, but I'm surprised you can read in the dark," he said, as if it were a habit, pulling a bottle of wine out of thin air and starting to drink. "You're like a nocturnal animal."
Without looking up from the book, Shinji replied, "It's something I learned years ago."
"And how many years have you been seeing yourself like this?"
"Ten years."
"Ten years is a long time. It's a shame that a talent like yours has been wasted, rotting away in this house." Rider suddenly became serious. "Besides, I can feel it, kid... Your connection to me is weakening. Are you dying?"
Shinji closed the book and looked up at the ceiling. His empty eyes saw more than just the ceiling. Before him was his wish for the Holy Grail.
"That won't happen because I'm going to become immortal."
—At the Tohsaka residence—
Rin opened her eyes, barely feeling her body. Her stomach hurt, as if something had pierced it. Thinking about it, she remembered what had happened.
When Archer was dragged away by the Santa Maria, she tried to jump with him, but Rider grabbed her by the arms and Shinji took one of her knives. She fought back with all her might, giving it her all. She managed to hurt Shinji's face, but he stabbed her in the abdomen and Rider threw her into the sea. After that, she lost consciousness and doesn't remember anything else.
"That's right... Archer!"
"What?" Archer appeared instantly.
Rin was frightened, but she sighed with relief when she saw that her servant was still alive. Although he looked like he was in pain, his clothes were in perfect condition.
"What happened? How... I..."
"Aah... What a complicated master I ended up with," Archer lamented as he shook his head. "We're alive. Do you think anything else matters to me besides that?"
Rin frowned. "Yes, but what happened to Rider and Matou Shinji? Did we beat them?"
Archer let out a small, mocking laugh. "You almost died, and winning is what you're worried about? You'd better rest and recover. There will be time to discuss the crushing defeat that almost killed us both."
"So we lost... Why didn't you use your Noble Phantasm? Come to think of it, what is your Noble Phantasm? You never told me!"
"It doesn't matter. I told you that your summoning failed, so I don't remember much of my past. My Noble Phantasm is part of all the things I forgot. Even if I remembered, I don't think it would have worked." Calmly, he approached the window and opened the curtain slightly. Outside, someone was watching them, but that was all they were doing. "From now on, we must be careful of Rider and his master, or we will definitely die if we face them without thinking. We must also watch our backs for Assassin."
"Assassin?"
"Yes. He's watching us closely. And I don't think we're the only ones under that guy's watchful eye."
It was logical to think so. Assassin is the stealthy servant par excellence. It would be foolish not to take advantage of that. When he said that, the person spying on them was no longer outside.
"Oh, right. All right... Before you go back to sleep, let me heal you. You look like you're about to die."
"I was waiting for you to mention it."
"Hahaha. I was going to keep you waiting."
—The next morning—
On the morning news, the people of Fuyuki City witnessed something happening in the shadows. On television, in newspapers, and on the radio, every possible media outlet was covering the breaking news.
At this moment, Fuji-nee is watching the news from Shirou's house while he is still asleep.
The reporter on TV was serious as she documented the events.
[Last night, a tsunami was reported on the coast near Shinto Port. Experts cannot explain the event because no seaquakes have been reported in recent weeks. The incident left no injuries or deaths.
In other news, this morning, in the northern part of the Miyama district, multiple unknown pools of blood were found in the alleys at the exit of Miyamoto Street. There were no bodies at the scene and no signs of activity in the vicinity. The police and medical examiners are doing everything they can to find out what is happening in the area, but so far no progress has been reported. Let's hope the authorities can get to the bottom of this.
There have also been reports of about ten disappearances in the last week. Some of the families of the missing persons appeared this morning near the pools of blood in northern Miyama and claim that this could be related. In response, the police chief remained silent.
Before hearing any more tragedies, Fuji-nee turned off the TV. She sighed regretfully.
"Bad things are happening again..."
Just like ten years ago...