In the afternoon, Fuyuki City sank beneath a sky so gray it looked like a rag soaked in ink.
There was no trace of the warm golden sunset, nor the red. Only a heavy leaden shroud, covering the city like a wet tarp.
Something strange lingered in the air, an almost imperceptible vibration that made the cold November wind feel as though it slipped through the bones.
Rin stepped out of the Shinkansen station, pulling her suitcase behind her. The cold air struck her face, and without thinking, she adjusted the beige trench coat around her body.
In the plaza in front of the station, people hurried about; the typical rush hour bustle filled the atmosphere, yet not even the noise could disperse the oppressive feeling that clung to the city.
She adjusted her scarf with a slight tug, and her ice-blue eyes swept over the place. Her brow furrowed with automatic concentration, evaluating every detail of her surroundings.
Then her gaze stopped.
Just a few meters from the exit, a familiar figure stood waiting, motionless.
Kirei Kotomine.
He wore his characteristic long black coat, with the priest's collar peeking out underneath. Tall, solemn, and perfectly upright, he stood in stark contrast to the gray landscape surrounding him.
His face displayed a smile one might call "kind," but it was a hollow kindness, devoid of any real warmth.
He was there, clearly waiting for her.
Rin's steps paused for just an instant before she resumed walking calmly.
"Rin."
Kirei's deep voice reached her, serene and profound, with a timbre that seemed to seek reassurance. "Welcome back."
Rin advanced until she was close and then stopped. The flawless composure expected of the Tōsaka heiress remained unshaken.
"Father Kotomine."
Between them, there was no close bond, only the fact that he had been her father's disciple and was an influential man within the Church.
"The journey must have been tiring." Kirei held her gaze for a moment, as if trying to pierce through her soul. "The weather in Fuyuki is unstable. It seems the Holy Grail's presence is already beginning to make itself felt."
"Uh-huh." Rin answered briefly, unwilling to go deeper into the subject.
She didn't need anyone reminding her that the Holy Grail War was approaching.
"Is the Church's work going well?" she asked finally, only out of courtesy.
"Thanks to the Lord, everything remains the same." Kirei's smile did not shift a millimeter. "Although, of course, that 'same' will not last long. I imagine the Tōsaka family's magic workshop is already prepared."
His words were soft, almost gentle, yet felt like a needle probing her level of readiness.
Rin's eyes sharpened instantly, the ice in her gaze cutting through the man's polite facade.
"There is no need for Father to worry. The Tōsaka family is ready."
Kirei didn't seem affected, and the curve of his smile deepened slightly. "I'm glad to hear that."
He glanced briefly toward the station's exit, where the crowd kept flowing, then returned his gaze to her.
"As long as you arrive safely, that is enough. Fuyuki is not entirely peaceful these days. Miss Rin, please be careful."
"Thank you for the warning. I will keep it in mind." Rin inclined her head in a brief gesture before adding coldly, "If you will excuse me, I will take my leave."
"Go ahead."
Kirei remained motionless as he watched Rin walk past him, pulling her suitcase along.
She made her way through the crowd, and soon her figure began to fade away.
Only when she disappeared did Kirei's smile slowly dissolve, and his face returned to a flat, emotionless expression.
With a turn, he stepped into the crowd.
…
Top floor of the Hyatt Hotel, presidential suite.
The manager walked ahead with a slight bow, smiling with excessive courtesy as he pushed the door open.
"Mr. Damian, Miss Kitagawa, this is our finest suite. If you need anything, do not hesitate to call—"
Before he could finish the sentence, a golden blur rushed past him.
"Wow! What a huge room!" Marin entered with cheerful hops, her short skirt swaying with every step. She spun around a couple of times, admiring the living room, and suddenly her eyes lit up. "Yayoi-nee!"
On the sofa, Yayoi Shinozuka was flipping through some documents while holding the phone in her other hand.
"Yes… we need to readjust the stage effects, especially the fire—"
!
But a sudden hug cut her off. Her body tensed for a second until she recognized the familiar scent of shampoo.
She looked down and found a golden head rubbing against her chest.
"Marin… how did you get here so early?" she sighed.
She hung up the call, ruffled Marin's hair, and lifted her gaze.
Damian was standing at the threshold, his hands deep in his pockets.
He glanced briefly around the room, and his eyes paused for a moment on the city view through the large windows before returning to Yayoi.
"The great star." Yayoi narrowed her eyes slightly as she adjusted her glasses. "Has the schedule moved up?"
"Just came to take a look." Damian's voice was distant.
Marin lifted her head from Yayoi's lap and beamed brightly, "Yayoi-nee! How are the preparations for Damian-kun's concert going?"
The papers in Yayoi's hands trembled almost imperceptibly. "Almost everything is ready. We just need to reinforce the stage structure a bit more."
Her gaze slid toward Damian, who had walked closer to the window, staring out at Fuyuki's gray, oppressive sky.
"Damian-kun, Fuyuki feels strange… We got the city's approval, but when we started setting everything up, the Church showed up asking to cancel the event…"
"Mm." Damian did not turn around. "Don't pay attention to them. Is it in two days?"
"Yes, in two days."
He said nothing more and kept looking at the sky.
Yayoi caught the message. She quickly put away the documents and the phone before standing up.
"Then get some rest." Her expression softened as she looked at Marin, who was still perched on the back of the sofa. "Marin, don't stay up late playing."
"Yes, Yayoi-nee!" Marin nodded, waving her hand like a happy child.
Yayoi left with firm steps, and the door closed softly behind her.
As soon as the click of the lock sounded, Marin let out a small squeal of excitement and shot off like a rocket toward Damian, who was still by the window.
"Boyfriend-kun!" She hugged him from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck while rubbing her cheek against the back of his neck. "What are you looking at?"
Damian didn't move, he only adjusted Marin with one hand so she wouldn't slip while still gazing at the grayish profile of the city.
"…Nothing, just that I feel like this coastal city is… dead."
Marin stretched her neck to look outside.
Skyscrapers, streets, the coastline barely visible in the distance… aside from the somewhat gloomy sky, she didn't see anything different from any other city.
"Really…?"
She blinked, not understanding what had caught his attention.
Once the excitement passed, she hopped off his back and went back to the sofa, bouncing a little before dropping onto the cushions.
She took out her phone and made a face as soon as she unlocked it.
"What do you mean Rin-chan still hasn't sent me any messages?"
"Then message her yourself." Damian turned his head to look at her.
"Ah, right!" Marin's eyes lit up instantly.
"Yeah, yeah!"
She sat up excitedly and began typing quickly.
"Done!" she exclaimed, shaking the phone proudly. On the screen glowed the message she had just sent: the "Surprise" she had prepared for Rin.
…
Tōsaka Mansion — Rin's room.
Rin dropped heavily onto the bed, her body sinking into the soft sheets.
She had just endured her difficult uncles and relatives, and her mind felt drained, as if not a single drop of energy was left in her body.
With her eyes closed, she was breathing a little harder than usual.
"..."
The silence in the room was so deep she could almost hear her own pulse.
She didn't know how much time had passed when a thought suddenly struck her and she opened her eyes with a start.
"Damn it…" she muttered with a hint of frustration. She had promised to let Marin know she had arrived safely.
She sat up with effort and massaged her throbbing temples before reaching for the bag resting at her side.
She pulled out her phone, and as she unlocked it, the cold glow lit up the dim room.
On the screen appeared a long row of notifications from "Marin-nee."
Sliding her finger, she opened the conversation.
The first messages were from hours ago:
[Marin-nee]: Rin-chan, did you get on the train? Is the shinkansen seat comfortable?
[Marin-nee]: How's the weather in Fuyuki? Over here in Higashi it's already starting to get cold~
[Marin-nee]: Rin-chan Rin-chan, did you arrive yet? Let me know when you get there! (^▽^)
Then, messages from the afternoon:
[Marin-nee]: Rin-chan? Did you arrive, did you arrive? Don't forget to write to me, okay! (ŏ_ŏ)
[Marin-nee]: P.S.: There's a super surprise that already arrived at your house! I left it with the Tōsaka butler, go pick it up when you can (★ ω ★)
Rin stared at the screen for a few seconds, and little by little, on her tired face appeared a small smile.
Marin's radiant and contagious energy felt warm even through the screen.
Rin typed quickly:
"Sorry, Marin-nee. I just finished dealing with all those old folks at home… I arrived safely. Fuyuki is freezing."
"Surprise? Did you spend money again?"
She sent the message and stood up with the phone still in her hand. Curiosity had already replaced the exhaustion from a moment ago; now she wanted to know what had arrived.
She left the room, walking more lightly than before. In one of the mansion's hallways, she ran into the old butler, who was arranging some shelves.
"Miss."
The gray-haired man bowed.
"Uncle, did any package arrive for me today?" Rin asked.
"Yes." The butler turned immediately, opened a locked cabinet, and took out a flat envelope.
He handed it to her with both hands. "It arrived this afternoon. The sender is Miss Marin Kitagawa. We already checked the security, everything is normal."
"Thank you." Rin took the envelope, surprised by how light it was.
Back in her room, she sat at the desk and cut the seal with a letter opener. From inside slid out a firm and elegant card.
It was a ticket to a concert.
"VIP zone, front row…."
The design was sober: on the back, a white background with the seat location, date and time printed in black, along with a barcode and a QR code in the corner.
No unnecessary decorations.
She flipped the card and the completely black front showed a single line of red letters:
"Devil May Cry"
She frowned slightly, holding the ticket between her fingers.
A concert? Why give me this?
Of course, she knew people in the city were talking about that "Devil May Cry Concert." On her way to the mansion, she had seen bus stops and building fronts covered with minimalist posters identical to the ticket she now held in her hands.
But her mind was occupied with far more urgent matters: the imminent Holy Grail War, the fluctuations of magic she could already feel in the air, the tests she had gone through with Kirei, the preparation of her mage workshop.
Who the artist was or what songs they would play… she had no interest at all.
Her fingers moved over the phone's screen:
"Marin-nee, I got the ticket. Concert? What does this mean?"
The phone vibrated immediately.
[Marin-nee]: Ehehe~! Rin-chan already has it! (★ω★)
[Marin-nee]: Don't ask so many questions! That day you HAVE to come no matter what! Absolutely do not miss it! Trust me!
The messages, full of Marin's inexhaustible energy yet dodging the real reason, only made everything feel even more puzzling.
Rin looked at the screen with a resigned expression, and in her eyes appeared a flicker of helplessness.
"Mysterious as always…"
She set the phone aside and looked again at the black ticket. The red letters of "Devil May Cry" seemed to burn.
In two days… right when the Holy Grail War would officially begin.
She rubbed her brow and left the ticket on the desk.
"…I'll deal with it later."
…
Two days.
For a mage about to enter the Holy Grail War, time slipped away like sand through their fingers.
In the secret workshops all over Fuyuki, the lights never went out. Repairs of magical seals, contracts with familiars, adjustments to Mystic Codes, tactical analysis… every detail devoured enormous amounts of focus and mana.
The invisible pressure in the air grew heavier and heavier. Magic stirred like dark currents, anticipating the night when fates would be decided. Each participant felt there were still fatal gaps in their strategies, and the clock kept moving forward.
Meanwhile, for Marin those same two days dragged on like a snail.
She practically lived inside the stadium where the concert would be held, accompanying Damián during rehearsals.
The thunder of the speakers, the lights, the mechanical stage going up and down… it could make anyone dizzy, but she barely paid attention. Her mind was fixed on one single moment: her song.
In "Ivory Tower" there was a passage where the female voice floated ethereally. Marin could only imagine being on that stage, in front of thousands of people, and seeing Rin's surprised face sitting in the front row, her eyes wide open.
She wanted that reaction to be immediate, so she clung to Damián's arm, shaking it while speaking in a seductive voice:
"Novio-kun~ please, please! Can we make 'Ivory Tower' the first song? Yes? Yeees~?"
Damián looked down at the blonde hanging on him and his eyes softened.
'What could I do?'… His little sun was asking with such seriousness that refusing was impossible.
"Mm."
Marin let out a joyful squeal, jumped up, and started spinning around him, radiant.
"Awesome! Rin-chan's going to be totally stunned! Hehehe…!"
She could already picture the crack breaking through Rin's stoic calm. Just thinking about it made her smile so wide she almost bounced with excitement.
Damián gently ruffled her hair and said nothing more.
His little fool… well, let her be spoiled, what's the harm?
As long as she's happy, everything is fine.
Outside the venue, Fuyuki's sky was closing like a black curtain.
Night was about to fall, and the air felt heavier with every passing moment.
Inside the dressing room, Damián sat in front of the makeup mirror. The stylist was testing different earrings beside his ears, lifting one and then another while evaluating carefully.
The reflection showed a calm face and deep eyes with no trace of anxiety.
A few steps away, Marin was already ready: flawless makeup, a stage outfit covered in sequins that caught every glimmer of light.
She was sunk into the sofa, phone in hand. Her finger moved up and down the screen, her lips forming an obvious pout, while her legs kept moving restlessly.
"How come Rin-chan still isn't answering…?" she muttered impatiently. "Ugh, so annoying… If she doesn't come, my surprise will be useless!"
She ran a hand through her hair, accidentally messing up a few strands that had been carefully styled.
Damián looked at her through the mirror, and seeing her so restless struck him as strangely adorable.
"Don't rush."
Marin lifted her gaze.
"I asked Yayoi to wait outside the stadium. As soon as Rin's QR code is scanned, the system will notify her. Yayoi will get the alert and go find her right away."
"I know…" Marin puffed out her cheeks slightly, still frowning. "It's just, I worry… I don't know how Rin has been these past two days there, if those old-fashioned geezers from her family have been bothering her…"
Damián didn't add anything else. The stylist leaned in to finally place a black earring, elegant and understated, the cold metal brushing against the skin of his ear.
"..."
Damián closed his eyes.
It was then that he felt it.
Somewhere in the city, a massive, distorted energy had begun to stir, infused with something… ancient and… corrupt.
It was like magma pressing underground, about to break the surface.
The Holy Grail.
He recognized that presence without hesitation; he had felt that power before.
"Is it about to begin…?" he thought, as the sensation ran down his spine like a shiver. Fuyuki was starting to boil.
The cold brush of the earring against his skin pulled him back. He opened his eyes, and in the mirror, his amber gaze remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
"Marin."
"Eh?" She lifted her head, worry still faintly traced across her face.
"It's time to go on stage."
Damián stood up. The stylist immediately stepped back to give him space.
At that moment, the soundproof door of the dressing room opened.
A rush of hot air burst in, carrying pounding beats and the deep thrum of drums that seemed to pierce through the chest. The roar of tens of thousands of people came like a wave crashing against the shore — screams, the pulse of the DJ warming up the crowd.
"Wow!"
The makeup artist and the assistants flinched involuntarily at the surge of screams and fervor that poured into the dressing room like a living tide.
The deafening roar was not just the prelude to a concert; it sounded like the roar of a beast awakening from a long slumber.
Marin also shivered at the sudden crash of the sonic wave. Almost instinctively, she gripped her phone tightly, its screen still showing no new notifications from Rin.
The anxiety that had been burning in her chest suddenly felt like an ice cube thrown into boiling water: smothered, dissolved for an instant.
She lifted her head sharply and looked toward the door.
Her eyes lit up with the vibrant glow spilling from the stage. Colored lights crossed and reflected in her pupils, filling them with an anxious sparkle.
At the same time, Damián stepped forward, facing head-on that wild tide of sound and energy.
Just as he crossed the threshold of the dressing room—
Boom
A deep crash, so low it seemed to rise from the heart of the earth, erupted inside him.
It was not an ordinary sound but a vibration that did not travel through the air; it seeped straight into the deepest part of his senses.
He knew instantly what it was.
The colossal vortex of mana he had felt earlier had just reached its critical point.
Someone, somewhere hidden within Fuyuki, had lit the invisible fuse.
An intangible shockwave spread at full speed, with a clear center his senses could pinpoint without fail.
He did not stop walking, and his expression remained calm.
The summoning of the Holy Grail War had just been triggered.
The invisible gates that held back Fuyuki's hell, fueled by the desires and obsessions of countless mages, had just swung open with a silent roar.
Outside, the music still erupted like a storm, the cheers of the crowd crashed down like giant waves, the stadium lights were so intense they stung the eyes.
It was the scene of a festival, bright and worldly, yet under that same sky another stage, built of blood, lies, desires, and heroic spirits, was slowly unfolding, hidden beneath the joyful clamor of the crowd.
"..."
Damián felt the clash of titanic magic slowly stabilize inside him, while the entire city pulsed with two opposing rhythms: one exalted and vibrant, the other dark, announcing death.
Steadying his breathing, he let the rush of heat, lights, and fervor wash over him.
Then he advanced with a firm step down the hallway that led to the majestic stage, where thousands of eyes were already waiting for him.
________
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