Decades ago, when he had already arrived in Fuyuki City under the name Luvist, Lucan had failed to seize the opportunity to participate in the Holy Grail War.Yet, when it came to the principles of this grand ritual of magecraft — or rather "magic" — constructed in the Far East, he was by no means ignorant.On the contrary, he understood it very well. He understood what sort of ritual it was, and the ultimate "goal" it pointed toward.
A grand ritual built upon the spiritual-materialization of souls within the leylines.Fueled by the enormous prana accumulated every sixty years in the earth.Restrained by the Magecraft of Command Spells, serving as the reins.
The manifestation of Heroic Spirits, dragged down and materialized from the "Throne of Heroes" upon the World's [Akashic Records], was never the goal.That was merely the means.
The true goal was that, through the seven Heroic Spirits — degraded into "Servants" and made into materialized spiritual bodies — their return to the [Akashic Records] after the Holy Grail War's conclusion would open a hole in the World.That hole, stabilized by enormous prana, would be fixed into a passage capable of admitting people — allowing magi to pass through.
And through it, one could reach the "Root," the Origin.
That is the most exalted pursuit of all modern magi.It is the source of the World itself, where the essence of all flows forth, and also the most fundamental place where all is void.
For this reason, across every generation of the Three Families, what they truly pursued in the Grail Ritual was never the so-called "all-powerful wish-granting machine."Though, aside from the hole itself, the ritual's endpoint did indeed give birth to a temporary golden vessel known as the "Lesser Grail," capable of storing Servant souls. Within it was enough energy to grant most wishes in the world.But to a magus, only the Root is omnipotent.
Thus, the Grail itself is irrelevant. What matters is that, after a "wish" is made, the Grail collapses, and the souls pass through to return via the true ritual — that is the key.
Yes.
The true body of the ritual, the Greater Grail's existence, is not merely the foundation that sustains the Grail's function.It determines the ritual's initial deployment and its final destination.And it is not simply a material, nor an intangible formula embedded in the leylines.
It is… a person.
A being named Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, the homunculus known as the "Winter Saint," inheritor of the Third Magic.And now, the true form of the illusory soul that appeared before Lucan!
Though dreamlike, it was undeniably real. What stood before him was the result of Lucan's simulated application of the Fifth Magic, using it to partially rewind the World within a limited scope.Unbelievable though it may sound, the foundation of the Greater Grail constructed two hundred years ago was none other than Justeaze herself. She had been created as the greatest attempt at recreating the body structure of her teacher — the genuine user of the Third Magic.As a homunculus, she could use the Third Magic to a limited extent. Compared to the true wielder, the only difference was scale.
And aside from her, no mysterious ritual could ever achieve the miracle of spiritual materialization.Thus the Grail Ritual could only be built upon her body.
Her body had been buried deep in the leylines. After natural death, it remained under the continual wash of prana, circulating every sixty years.
Naturally, Justeaze herself had long since perished.She had offered herself as sacrifice.
In theory, even Lucan should not have been able to affect her.Just as Aozaki Aoko, though a user of Magic, still faced restrictions when employing her own mystery.
Lucan, too, could not manipulate time however he pleased.At most, like Aoko, he could only splice, leap, or reverse the "time" of that which still exists.Never that which is already gone.
But compared to Aoko, Lucan could see more.Through [Spirit Begets Spirit], he could touch those that would seem lost to ordinary people — so long as a phantom soul remained, he could rewind it.
And as it happened, the leylines of Fuyuki did indeed contain such a soul.
The Greater Grail's true form — Justeaze.Her body dead and fused into the leylines, yet because of her command of spiritual materialization, her soul still lingered.
Souls require matter to dwell within.But thanks to her mastery, though incomplete after losing her body, Justeaze's soul retained fragments of consciousness, letting her persist as a crippled witness to each Grail War.
Until now.
It was her very soul that formed the foundation for the retrospective visions Lucan had shown to the Lords earlier.It was her existence that gave him control over the Greater Grail.
Her body gone, dissolved into a "crest" within the leyline, yet her soul still retained dominion over it.
Thus, under Lucan's Fifth Magic-derived power, under the working of [272 Thoughts of the Divine — Spirit Begets Spirit], Justeaze's fractured soul seemed suddenly awakened, opening her eyes.
Crimson pupils met the boy's gaze, dark and fathomless.
Her phantom body grew sharply distinct under his gaze.
The Winter Saint appeared as a youthful maiden, silver hair to her waist, drifting faintly in the void.Her long neck flowed into delicate collarbones. A thin white veil clung to her chest, cinched at the waist into sharp triangular shadows.Her hips curved full beneath the veil, long bare legs luminous, toes floating inches above the ground.
Her fragmentary consciousness, upon meeting Lucan's eyes, seemed to grasp everything.
"…Do you understand now?"
Though his lips did not move, his voice reached her ears.
"Mm."
Justeaze nodded faintly. She knew she was now under his "control." Yet she did not resist. She sensed clearly her own state, and she knew this nameless youth was attempting to grasp control of the Grail Ritual through her.
But it mattered not.So long as the path to the Root could be opened, all was worth it for the Winter Saint.
However—
"The Greater Grail… has been tainted," she said.
She could feel it. The magical crest had grown impure.
Lucan merely nodded. "I know."
Of course he knew.No one else in this world was more aware of the fact than he — that the Grail had been corrupted.
Otherwise, the visions he had shown to the Lords earlier would not have stopped at the first two Grail Wars, omitting the third.
Yes, the third.
Though the Grail War had occurred thrice in total, Lucan had deliberately withheld the most recent one.The first two, though problematic, were trivial. The third, however, had resulted in corruption of the Grail itself.
That was when a wrongly summoned Servant — a mere mortal crowned with the name of "Evil" — was pulled into the ritual.From them came the taint known as All the World's Evil.
It was like the "Black Mud" of Sesshōin Kiara.
Because it was not a true Heroic Spirit but an ordinary soul, it could not return to the [Akashic Records]. Instead, it remained within the Greater Grail, corrupting it.
Thus, the impure Grail could no longer reach the Root.Naturally, Lucan kept this hidden, lest the Lords lose interest.This was the problem he now had to resolve…
"…Arcueid."
Turning from Justeaze's soul — which only he could see — Lucan looked toward the other side.
At the end of the temple courtyard, a shadow in black descended, carried by fairy-tale winds. Following his voice, Arcueid turned her gaze toward him.
"Do you have any wish you want granted?"
She blinked, surprised, and looked toward what stood before him.
The soul, of course, she could not see.But Lucan still held a golden "Lesser Grail."
It was a product of his retrospective tracing.A crystallization of prana from the third Grail War, at the very brink of completion.It held no Heroic Spirit souls — only prana.And—
The stench of "malice."
He could not draw Heroic Spirits back again through retrospection.But an ordinary soul? That was possible.Even the corrupted one crowned as "Evil."
Arcueid shook her head. She had no wish.If anything… she simply looked forward to the next reunion with Lucan after this parting.
"I think you should have one," Lucan smiled, stepping closer.
Her black dress trailed to her ankles, hem swaying with her steps.Shadows gathered at her waist, tracing its slender curve.Her chest pressed gently against heavy fabric, only faintly outlined under side-light.Her hips drew taut shadows, shifting beneath the folds of the skirt.
At his words, she tilted her head, confused.
And then Lucan took her hand.
Her soft fingers froze, startled, as he guided her hand to touch the Grail.
Arcueid blinked, stunned.She felt his presence close at her back.She felt his breath at her ear.
And then his voice:
"Your wish… is to become an eternal 'friend,' isn't it?"
This time, Arcueid did not shake her head. Instead, she nodded faintly, cheeks heating, though she made no move to resist.
Yes, she wished for eternity.Whether as "friend" or something else… that was harder to say.
Lucan only smiled, holding her hand, feeling the softness of her figure.
And with her nod, the golden Lesser Grail shattered in their joined palms, bursting into rainbow light.
Justeaze's phantom soul looked on at the dazzling scene.And in that moment, she understood his intent.
"By making a wish and shattering the third Grail's vessel, you prevent the contained 'Evil' from ever returning to the Greater Grail… eliminating the corruption from the stream of time itself?"
Her eyes flickered, her crest deep in the leylines growing pure again.Though her expression remained calm, clarity glimmered in her gaze.
…
Meanwhile, inside the temple room, through the window overlooking the night—
Aoko opened her eyes.
She saw the boy and girl outside, nearly embracing, and her gaze grew complicated.Yet she couldn't help but mutter:
"That Lucan…""Good thing I pretended to sleep."