Author Note: It's been a while since the last update, but I hope you enjoy the new chapter.
PS. Now, this story is part of a series: The paths of the War of the Holy Grail.
PSS. This story even has a younger half-sister. The story is called, Fate Zero Amp: The path of calamity.
Talk about the protagonists of Amphibia who are invoked as a Servant for the Fourth Holy Grail War.
PSSS. Would anyone be interested in a story with Dipper and Mabel Pines as Servant Rider?
XXX
Story Arc: Welcome to the Fourth Holy Grail War
Episode 1: Summoning the Heroic Spirits (III)
Chapter 2: Welcome to the Owl House, Master !
Synopsis: Kiritsugu gets a little surprise from Irisviel. Then, the Servants end up making quite an impression on Illyasviel, pulling off a pretty cool trick.
What's more, Kiritsugu will learn that there are things his guns can't fix like comedic madness chasing Lumity and the world's most hideous beast… Hooty.
XXX
POV Narrator
In front of the Einzbern castle, father and daughter have separated to play a simple game.
Kiritsugu Emiya believed he could enjoy one last moment of peace with his daughter, before leaving for Fuyuki's war.
Sadly, with a couple of eccentric witches around, things tend to take a more…Manga route.
Suddenly the calmness, tranquility and probably the "logic" of Kiritsugu's life was disrupted in an absurd way.
"Kiritsugu!" Shouts an energetic and lively voice coming from the sky.
The Wizard Killer lifts his head to see his wife, Irisviel, falling from the sky, arms outstretched as if she wants a hug or flying as if she were a bird.
"Iris!" Kiritsugu exclaims, almost losing his composure, in his apology a wife falling from the sky is not something that happens every day.
Extending his arms forward, Kiritsugu prepares to catch his wife as if she were a huge baseball.
Things got a lot more absurd when Irisviel stopped falling, as if gravity had stopped working.
The woman with white hair and red eyes is arranged horizontally, with her face towards the ground, standing two meters above the ground.
Above Irisviel's clothing, just in the stomach area is a sheet of paper with a glowing glyph drawn on it.
Below Irisviel is her husband, with a worried look, but behind this expression, Kiritsugu's mind is thinking about who could be responsible for this nonsense and how to kill him.
"Hello, Kiritsugu." Irisviel said, greeting her beloved husband warmly.
The white-haired, red-eyed woman is clearly amused by this experience. Instead, Kiritsugu has the opposite feelings of Irisviel.
"Iri, what's going on?" Kiritsugu questions, refraining from pulling out his gun.
Before Irisviel could answer, the glyph stopped glowing.
SMASH!
With no magic to break gravity, Irisviel fell on top of Kiritsugu.
The white-haired woman somehow fell so that her chest crushed her husband's head.
The Wizard Killer found himself crushed between the cold snow and his wife's soft body…
A little mercy for the Kiritsugu, what he will have to face ahead he had better appreciate the moments with Irisviel.
XXX
A hundred yards above the married couple, a pair of witches are happy their prank worked.
Even if the third wheel, aka Artoria, doesn't share their enthusiasm.
"Maybe this can fix Kiritsugu's cold attitude." Amity said, smiling at the sight of the Master of Saber buried in the snow.
" Eda taught me a lot. But if she were in my place she would use something more drastic, like a joker potion." Comments Luz, with a happy tone.
The Good Witch remembers how her second mother reacted to the discovery of April Fools' Day.
The Owl Lady's lessons have not been limited to magic, but have included extravagant pranks that are over-executed.
" I find it unbecoming behavior for two Heroic Spirits to behave like court buffoons." Artoria comments, being the most serious and upright of the group.
Saber's sense of humor is something underdeveloped.
The two witches, being in a good mood, ignored Saber's rebuke, preferring to clap their hands.
This strange gesture caught Saber's attention.
"What did you just do?" Question Artoria, not recognizing the gesture made by the two witches, is it something magical or a symbol of trust?
Heroic Spirit Lumity gave the King of Knights a confused look, which lasted for a few seconds.
The two witches recalled that Artoria was born and raised about 1500 years ago, at the beginning of the Middle Ages, therefore the more subtle and modern things are in her.
"Once again, I have to explain what high five is. First the amnesiac, then the witches and aliens, now King Arthur." Luz murmurs softly, in a slightly tired tone.
The Good Witch has already done something like this for her friends who don't know much about human culture.
"High five?" Artoria asks, in a confused voice, not knowing why mathematics was brought into the discussion.
"This time I'll take care of it." Amity said, in a thoughtful tone, taking this weight off Luz's shoulders.
"High-five, high-five, or high-five is a gesture made by two people, each of whom raises their hand at the same time and slaps the other person's palm with a sharp noise.
Five refers to the fingers of the hand." Amity explains in the shortest and most complex way what high five is.
" Understood." Artoria answers, shifting her gaze to Luz, wanting to say something, but she refrains from her.
It's probably childish and not very useful, but Artoria would like to give it a high five.
Luz anticipating Saber, raises her hand, preparing to please Artoria, after all, what can a high-five do wrong?
Artoria hasn't moved, his pride probably not allowing him to act carefree.
"You know, Saber, it's rude to leave someone with their hand in the air." Amity said, in a slightly critical tone, handing Artoria an apology to operate.
"I will not dare disrespect you to my future battlemates." Artoria said, her voice too serious, before giving Luz a high-five.
Too bad the girls forgot a couple of small details.
Number one, they both find themselves sitting on magical sticks floating a hundred feet above the ground, not the most stable place to do stunts.
Number two, the difference in physical strength.
Luz is a Servant Caster, she is not your typical glass canon, but she possesses a Strength of Rank-C.
Artoria is a Servant Saber who boasts a Strength of Rank-A.
Thus a high-five between them can have a single outcome...
SMASH!
Luz loses her balance and falls off her magic staff.
Saber's gaze fills with concern, while Amity ... is completely calm.
" 'I'm no expert in magic and I know of no other witches other than Morgan. But surely there is something strange about these two witches. Strange, but not evil.' Artoria thinks, looking slightly cautiously at the two witches.
XXX
Returning to the ground.
Luz stopped falling within a foot of hitting the ground, thanks to the glyph she drew in mid-air.
"The anti-gravity glyph is a surprisingly useful tool." Luz comments, as she shifts position, ending up floating to her feet.
Turning off the magical glyph, Luz touched the snow-covered ground without trouble or discomfort.
At the same time, Artoria and Amity have landed near Luz.
"Are you okay, White Caster?" This was the first sentence that came out of Artoria's mouth when she got off Amity's magic staff.
" Don't worry about me, with my anti-gravity glyphs I'm not afraid of any kind of fall." Luz said, treating the little incident as something insignificant.
Meanwhile, Irisviel and Kiritsugu have risen from the snowy ground.
The white-haired, red-eyed woman's face is slightly red, due to certain inappropriate thoughts.
On the other hand, Kiritsugu has an annoyed frown and snow in places where snow shouldn't be.
"Emiya, are you refreshed?" Amity asks, appreciating the image of a shivering Kiritsugu.
Luz had to cover her mouth not to laugh at Amity's pun, while Artoria remains silent and doesn't help or stop her Master's teasing.
"Why did you let Irisviel fall from the sky?" Kiritsugu questions, accusingly, looking directly at the purple-haired witch, who doesn't hide her antipathy towards her.
" There are several ways, a little fun for us, a little punishment for your cold attitude towards us and a way to predict our luck." Amity gives three reasons for this trick.
Though there may be a fourth reason, the fact that Amity doesn't like the white-haired woman being clingy to Luz.
" Can you predict luck by looking at how I fell ?" Irisviel asks, in a curious voice.
Irisviel as a homunculus possesses an innate ability for magic and an even greater interest, unfortunately the castle library speaks almost entirely of alchemy.
Not even her husband is able to teach her anything new about magic since Kiritsugu is not a real magician.
"If a woman or man falls from the sky and lands on top of someone they love in a compromising position.
It means that he will go on an adventure with that person and have considerable success." Luz said, in a serious voice, as if she were in front of a university class and explaining one of the fundamental laws of nature.
Luz's words entered the heads of Artoria, Irisviel and Kiritsugu.
The first two politely didn't answer, but their faces show perplexity and confusion.
Kiritsugu being the least diplomatic of the group did not hide his opinion.
" It does not make sense." Kiritsugu stated, not finding an iota of scientific or archaic logic in White Caster's words.
Luz wasn't offended, instead she smiled as if she saw an old friend she likes to argue with.
" If you were a hero of our house, you would not say such words.
Instead, you'd wonder why women always fall all over you and plague you with their problems." Amity continues, crossing her arms, looking as nostalgic as Luz.
These words add further mystery and questions regarding the origins of the two witches.
"What kind of place do women fall out of the sky on a regular basis?" Saber asks, sure such a place shouldn't exist for many reasons.
"A magical island populated by witches with pointy ears, bizarre creatures, carnivorous plants, dangerous monsters, the occasional Elder Dragon, then a mix of good and evil deities and spirits." Luz recounts some of the raw elements of the Boiling Isles, without going into detail.
'To speak of such alarming and surreal elements with such simplicity, these witches would have to come from the Age of Gods.' Think Kiritsugu, memorizing every piece of information to discover the identity of the two Casters.
"Your home must be quite a lively place." Irisviel comments, unable to imagine living on an island full of creatures from myths.
" You have no idea, Master. In the beginning, our biggest problem was the yearly migration of wyverns.
Oversized reptiles who kidnap livestock, precious objects and very unfortunate people." Amity recounts one of the oldest problems of the Boiling Isles.
Problem that has been resolved through the efforts of the Blight Corps and the extended Noceda-Clawthorne family.
"Horrible, children stolen from the streets by dragons." Irisviel said, with a frightening ease, unable to help but look in Illya's direction.
In this era something like this cannot happen, but Illya is a rather small girl and weighs little, a large bird could take her in flight with a certain force.
"That must have been difficult. My homeland was often overrun by Saxons, but fending off barbarians is different from fending off an army of monsters." Artoria said, being able to empathize with the plight of Amity's homeland.
"It's not as bad as it sounds. With flying sorcery staves, magic and siege weapons, rarely were any of the great cities eaten." Amity said, trying to paint a more colorful picture.
But nobody asked what happened to the small villages or the poorest cities.
"Plus, the arrival of some heroes from outside the island has changed things for the better." Amity said, taking a quick look at Luz, one of the elements that have improved the Boiling Isles and their way of life.
"The biggest problem has become finding methods to facilitate landings and build houses capable of withstanding the impact of a dead reptile hitting the roof." said Amity, aware that the coven of builders became especially wealthy when wyverns rained down from the sky.
The same goes for the potions coven, harvesting the corpse of wyverns to process them into ingredients has become something of a job for newbies.
'That explains why it is common on their island for women to fall from the sky.' Think Irisviel, getting an answer to one of White Caster and Violet Caster's quirks.
' Violet Caster must be a witch originally from the island, invaded by wyverns.
White Caster who looks nothing like a pointy-eared witch, must be one of the heroes who landed on their island.
Maybe White Caster could be a little-known witch of the Argonauts, but she decided to stay on Violet Caster's island instead of staying with the Argonauts?' Kiritsugu thinks, making a little guess in her head.
The Wizard Killer is no mythology expert, but the most famous group of heroes who traveled the seas were the Argonauts.
"Irisviel, Kiritsugu, we are going to have visitors, quite lovely." Luz said, with a very happy face.
The little princess of the Einzbern castle has approached the group of Masters and Servants.
"Mom, did you come to play with me and Kiritsugu!?" Little Illyasviel exclaims, as she hugs her mother's legs.
After these words, the little girl noticed the presence of Saber, White Caster and Violet Caster.
"Mom, who are these pretty ladies?" Illyasviel asks in an innocent and curious tone.
Before either Irisviel or Kiritsugu could answer, Luz stepped forward and took the stage for herself.
"I am Good Witch and I have a mission to help your mother in a noble enterprise." Luz said, in a dramatic voice, as her witch clothes appear around her.
'Luz is so cute when she tries to be cryptic.' Thinks Amity, looking at her beloved with soft eyes.
"She is my trusted companion Magic Swordswoman." Luz said, taking a dramatic bow, tipping her hat to Amity, leaving her the stage.
"You're Funny Good Witch!" Illyasviel exclaims, with a big smile, giving a small round of applause.
'As always Luz is good with children.' Amity thinks softly, remembering how many times Luz has stopped the tears or brought smiles to the numerous children who have set foot in their home.
"I prefer the title of Reina de las muñecas." Amity said, in an equally dramatic voice, playing Luz's game.
By drawing a small magic circle, Amity used her abomination magic on the snow to create an adorable little penguin, made entirely of snow.
" Mom your friends are fantastic !" Illyasviel exclaims, as she hugs the snow penguin tightly.
"I made some good friends." Irisviel said, appreciating her invocation more and more.
Kiritsugu remained silent, but his frown diminished and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
The Wizard Assassin can't be mad at his daughter around.
" Who are you ?" Illyasviel asks, finally noticing Artoria's presence.
" I'm Saber, a friend of your parents, I came to help them with a small project." Saber said, politely.
Unlike the two witches, Artoria has no experience dealing with children. She didn't have a normal childhood or youth either.
Being a Perfect King and leading his country has robbed Artoria of many things.
"Kiritsugu, your friend is boring." Illyasviel pouted, clearly preferring her Mother's Servant.
"Illya, you shouldn't say such things, you might hurt Saber's feelings." Irisviel said, trying to adjust her childish manners.
"Got it, Mom." Illya replies, in a voice that isn't too serious, surely she will soon forget her mother's reproach.
"Don't worry about me, Irisviel. I'm just not good with children." Saber said, aware of her strengths and weaknesses.
"Mrs. Good Witch, could you please do a great magic trick?" Illyasviel asks, in a gentle voice, making the biggest and most adorable puppy eyes in Einzbern history.
"Of course, after all, I became a witch to make people smile, especially pretty little girls like you." Luz said as she stroked Illyasviel's head.
Definitely, White Caster was born before the founding of the Wizarding Association and/or is the first witch of her line.
Why would a witch with an ancestral past say such words.' Think Kiritsugu, discovering more and more, that White Caster is not the typical witch of the moonlit world.
Luz begins walking away from the group, needing some space to put her magic to use.
Naturally, Amity stands at the side of her beloved.
"You are too nice to children." Amity comments, aware that Luz may go overboard with love and kindness.
" I am the funny and lovable mom, while you are the serious and responsible mother." Luz murmurs, knowing what roles they developed when they became mothers.
"I assume you want to bring out your favorite Noble Phantasm." Amity said, knowing it's a matter of time before that happens.
" We are in an open space. Saber, Irisviel, Illyasviel and Kiritsugu are in the same place. I think it is the perfect time to use it." Luz said, sure the universe is subtly sending her a signal to act.
Luz took a step forward, closed her eyes, inhaled and breathed.
He opens his eyes, showing pure concentration and a shred of desire.
The Good Witch of the Boiling Isles, raises her magical staff in the air.
"The Owl House: The place of rest of a messy magic family!" White Caster exclaims, slamming his magic staff against the ground, activating his Noble Phantasm.
A huge perfect circle of light has appeared on the ground, with a circumference of about twenty meters, in the center of the circle is a complex glyph / emblem in the shape of an owl's eye.
The magical glyph created a blinding flash, temporarily blinding all but Luz and Amity.
A few seconds later, the circle of light disappeared, but its place emerged ...
" A house of fairy tales ?" Illyasviel murmurs, finding no other words to describe the building that has magically appeared.
"A fantastic home for a fantastic witch." declares Irisviel, sharing the amazement of her daughter.
" A Fortress-type Noble Phantasm, but they are so rare as to be non-existent." Artoria murmurs, taken aback by this Noble Phantasm by White Caster.
" More than a fortress, it seems to me a dilapidated house." Kiritsugu murmurs, in a stoic voice, unimpressed by the appearance of Owl House.
If Kiritsugu had by any chance invoked Eda Clawthorne or one of her adopted children, especially the eldest, he would have received harsh punishment for such words.
" Again at home." Amity murmurs softly, as for a second her eyes glow purple.
The Owl House is a quirky house just like Luz.
A structure that combines a five-story hut and two medieval towers, one on the right and one on the left.
The stones that make up the base of the house cut and stacked are completely separated from the stones that make up the walls and towers of the castle.
On the third floor of the house is a large bird's eye glass window.
"Mom, that stained glass window is so cute." Illyasviel said, pointing to the large window on the third floor of the house.
" If you think the outside is beautiful, you have to see the inside." Luz said, inviting the group into the Owl House.
" You know this reminds me of the end of our honeymoon." Luz said, suddenly growing homesick.
The Owl House had been a wedding present from Eda, although the basement was not included in the title deed.
When the two witches finished their honeymoon they moved into the Owl House, slowly changing it into their love nest.
"It is the beginning of our attempts to start a family." Amity said, grabbing Luz's hand, sharing the mood of her beloved.
Sadly, the sweet mood was marred by a certain creature that has been pursuing each of the owners of the Owl House.
"Hi girls !" She declares a shrill voice coming from the door, right from an ornament resembling a circular owl face carved with smooth brown stones for eyes.
Saber being cautious invoked her wind-shrouded sword and stands before Irisviel and Illyasviel.
BANG!
Kiritsugu at the sight of the creature couldn't help but shoot straight between its eyes.
'If it was that easy to get rid of Hooty, I would have done it a long time ago.' Think Amity, knowing that a bullet can't harm Hooty.
The creature instead of moaning from Kiritsugu's attack, moved so as to eat the bullet as if it were a snack.
"White Caster, what am I looking at?" Kiritsugu questions, still holding the gun pointed at Hooty.
" One of the few faults of our house." Amity comments, having a love-hate relationship with Hooty, that he was the second best person to break up her moments with Luz.
'Hooty is a house demon attached to the door of my abode, it acts as a protector and as home itself." Luz said, as she stroked Hooty's head, trying to keep him quiet.
'A guardian spirit of the house. Whoever created it wanted to scare away intruders and thieves.' Think Artoria, sure that such a creature can keep the cowards and the faint of heart at bay.
"If he gets close to Iri or Illya, I'll find a way to kill him." Kiritsugu said, in a serious voice, still holding the gun in his hand.
"Kiritsugu!" She exclaims Irisviel, suddenly blushing, having never seen this protective husband side of her.
'It's good to see that my Master really cares about his wife and daughter.' Artoria thinks, slightly increasing her esteem for Kiritsugu.
" Get in line Emiya, there are many people who want to silence Hooty forever." Amity comments, not wanting to let anyone else beat up Hooty.
"Hey, nobody hurt Hooty. He can be annoying at times, but he's a member of the family." Luz said, protective of the house demon.
"Why don't we go inside, it's starting to get cold outside." Irisviel said, starting to shiver from the lack of a winter coat.
Going out the window and flying with magic sticks did not allow the white-haired woman to dress appropriately for the winter climate of the vale.
Luz, Amity, Artoria and Kiritsugu nodded, all four of them care about Irisviel's well-being.
"I'm sorry. Hooty gets emotional when people come to visit." Luz said, apologizing for the overly friendly behavior of her security system.
Luz puts her right hand on the doorknob.
"Anyway, welcome to..." Luz paused dramatically as she opened the door.
"The Owl House!" Declares Luz, theatrically, raising a hand and snapping her fingers.
Suddenly, light floods the room as candles blaze throughout the room, illuminated by Luz's even more golden magic, on the tables, cabinets, chandeliers, and all over the counter.
When the fireplace comes to life, the flame casts a brilliant orange-gold glow into the room along with a pleasant warmth.
Overhead, light makes its way across the ceiling pattern, the seemingly random carvings quickly transforming into yet another stylized owl, though this one was different from the previous ones; the former were simple, with folded wings and smooth heads.
This one had its wings spread, with claws, tail feathers, and horns showing, stretching almost wall to wall and looking less like a carving or engraving and more like a constellation.
A long thin crown extends above her head, and Luz finds it hard to tell whether the light in the center of her head was a singular beak or an eye.
"Where I hide away from the pressures of the Good Witch life, the criminals, eh... even the sisters-in-law who want to ask me for favors." Luz said, with a short laugh and a snort, imitating her teacher.
"Finally, all that acting in front of the mirror pays off." Amity comments, knowing how many times Luz has worked to make such an entrance.
The guests looked around at Luz and Amity's house.
" Am I dreaming or have I entered a fairy tale ?" Illyasviel asks, in a voice full of childlike wonder.
The little girl wouldn't be surprised if a dragon or a unicorn came out of a closet.
" This house is beautiful and so warm. The opposite of Einzbern Castle." Irisviel said, appreciating the atmosphere of the Owl House.
In Irisviel's head is born to buy such a house for her family and have beautiful moments.
'This place vaguely reminds me of Merlin's house.' Artoria thinks, while she looks at the fireplace.
An old memory from his childhood came out in the head of the King of Knights.
One day during the winter, Artoria and Merlin sat in front of the fireplace, then Merlin told some crazy stories that made her laugh.
'I almost forgot about this comfortable memory.' Artoria thinks, with a faint smile, almost seeing a little ghost of herself sitting in front of the fireplace.
The only one who hasn't been won over by the Owl House is Kiritsugu who looks at the place with a critical eye.
"White Caster, what's special about your "fortress" to be classified as a Rank-B Noble Phantasm ?" Kiritsugu asks, wanting to know what this magical house is truly capable of.
"My house has many tricks and surprises. But the best trick is when it takes flight." Luz said, smirking as she slammed the magic staff against the floor.
The whole building started shaking.
"I advise you to hold on or sit on the sofa or armchairs, they have been glued to the floor." Amity said, sitting down in a purple chair that is fitted with seat belts.
Luz just sat on Amity's lap and put her arm around the neck of her cotton-candy-haired Goddess.
The rest of the women inside the house managed to get to safety, clinging to the sofa.
Unfortunately, the one man in the group had an unfortunate time.
Kiritsugu will have quite a few bruises until the flight stabilizes.
At least the Wizard Killer will save on plane tickets and won't have to worry about customs.
XXX
Overseas, the Owl House has begun to undergo a small change, becoming less of a magical house and more of an avian beast.
"Hooty is ready to fly!" Hooty exclaims in an exalted voice.
Two huge eagle legs have sprouted from the house, along with a huge pair of wings!
"Next stop, Japan!" Hooty exclaims, before leaping forward and flapping his wings, taking flight.
Continues ...