Sakura couldn't sleep all night. She didn't want Toru to do the job alone. She could see him, staring silently out the window. Assassin doesn't sleep, doesn't eat, and hardly speaks. He was like a robot with a single goal.
Sakura wondered if all of this boy's concentration was due to Gray. Did Toru want to win quickly so he could return to Gray? The idea terrified her. Toru was the kind of person who stuck like a parasite to people who showed even the slightest interest in him. And since Gray was madly in love with Toru, that gave him the opportunity to be that parasite.
"What can I do to get you to look at me?" Sakura wondered from the comfort of her bed.
Toru's shadow was cast by the neon lights outside. It was the dark figure of an Assassin looking out the window, just like when Toru was drinking wine ten years ago. He made the same gentle gestures. He crossed his arms. He touched the window with the palm of his hand. He even cracked his knuckles as he waited patiently.
'How can I get you to stop focusing so much on the war?'
For now, there was no answer to that question.
...
...
Suddenly, Toru seemed to run out of breath. He touched his forehead painfully over the mask. Then he sighed and said something quietly.
"They summoned her..."
The memories of the clone who was at Shirou's house finally came back. Saber's face was exactly the same as Gray's. No, it was the opposite, Gray's face was exactly the same as Saber's, because Saber is Arthur Pendragon.
"I never thought she was actually a girl..."
At first, he thought that the King of Knights from ancient tales was an androgynous man, which is why he had a feminine face, but he was wrong. Arthur Pendragon was just a teenage girl, just like Gray.
His overexcitement caught Sakura's attention, who sat up in bed and didn't hesitate to ask.
"Is there any new information?"
"There is..." he said, his voice now lower under the mask. He sounded more like a man with a very hoarse voice. "It's just as the professor told us on the phone. Only Archer and Saber had yet to be summoned. Saber was summoned a few hours ago."
"Were you able to find out anything else?"
"Yes... Her Master is a young boy, about my age, perhaps. As for Saber herself... She has the same face as Gray."
Sakura trembled. She knew immediately who Toru was referring to. One of the causes of her father's trauma had been summoned back in this war.
"Are you saying that Saber is..."
"Yes. And that's not all..."
Toru explained what he saw. Berserker coming back to life after dying, the girl who controls Berserker, and the shining golden sword that Toru's Shigan could see. Saber is extremely strong, her strength rivaling that of Berserker, and that baffled Toru.
"Both Berserker and Saber have enough power to kill me. Even without their Noble Phantasms, they are formidable enemies. I am strong, fast, and resilient, I am. I also have large reserves of mana thanks to you being my Master, but I think that, at least in terms of strength and endurance, they far surpass me."
"That's not good. Is there anything we can do against the Masters? Maybe we should set a trap or some kind of deception that they might fall for."
"Unless the enemies are very stupid, which they don't seem to be, they won't fall for a trap set in advance. A trap set on the spot might work, but it's very dangerous."
Saber and Berserker are two variables that Toru had already taken into account. Saber is the King of Knights, the protagonist of many stories he knew in his past life, so he already knows her strengths and weaknesses, but with Berserker, that's a different story.
He is a servant with the ability to revive, but how many times can Berserker revive?
"A trap made on the spot..." Sakura thought about the magic of dust and imaginary numbers.
With dust magecraft, she could destroy structures and momentarily disable scenarios. With this magecraft, she could even turn people into dust. As for imaginary number magecraft, that is still a mystery to her. But what she did know was that, using that magecraft as a physical blow, she could break the wind and astronomically enhance her blows. Unfortunately, that has an equally astronomical disadvantage. The mere use of that magecraft would be capable of pulverizing Sakura's limbs.
She remembers that during her first practice with this magecraft, her father was very frightened because he realized just in time what using that magecraft entails.
"If we used something momentary but effective, would you have a chance?"
Toru looked at Sakura. "I can guess what you're thinking. Although I said that they are capable of killing me, I never said that I wasn't capable of killing them. I have many tricks up my sleeve. I just need to think about how to use those tricks."
"Okay, but..." she realized something. This is the perfect moment to get closer to him. She suddenly took his hand and looked into his eyes behind the mask. "But you can also trust me. I'm not weak, and I'm very good with magecraft. I also have command spells. I can heal you instantly or teleport you close to me. Remember that we are a team. You are not just a tool that will lead me to victory. You are Asahi Toru."
Sakura smiled kindly at him, and Toru, under the mask, opened his eyes slightly. His hand trembled, but he frowned and pulled his hand away from Sakura's. He was quite rude and abrupt in doing so, so much so that Sakura stared at her own hand for a few seconds.
"I know... We'll use every method possible to win," he said, as if trying to hide his disrespect. "I'll think of something you can do. You think of something you can order me to do," and then he went back to looking out the window.
Seeing this, Sakura lowered her gaze. She smiled calmly. She had expected that reaction. She knows Toru and knows that these kinds of things are what melt his heart of ice. Konan did the same. Gray did the same. It's a formula that never fails.
"All right. I'll think of something. Good night."
Sakura's spirits had been low, but seeing Toru's reaction, her heart calmed down. It's Toru after all. Someone who believes he doesn't deserve to be loved, but paradoxically seeks love in others.
***
"Hahaha!" an old man laughed vigorously.
He was in a dark and quiet park, where not a single voice other than his own could be heard. Next to him was someone wearing a hoodie to hide his deformed face. The cane that the hooded man used to walk was leaning against the bench where they were both sitting.
"Aren't you going to drink, muchacho?" said the old man, tapping his companion on the shoulder with the wine bottle.
The boy did not answer.
"Well, more for me!"
It was the same man who had previously looked like a pirate, but now he was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with elegant black pants and shiny shoes. He wore a trench coat over his shoulders to hide his powerful muscles.
The man continued laughing and drinking. He toasted the stars, the waters of the ocean, and the wind that would carry him to victory. He said a few words in Spanish from time to time. He didn't like having to speak Japanese, but for the sake of the Grail, he could speak many languages.
With his face a little red, the old man put the bottle down on the bench and looked at the boy, his Master.
"Well, I said we'd do things my way, but since you're so quiet, I wanted to know if you're planning to do something too. A useless Master is no good, don't you think?"
The boy whispered a few words to the old man, who reacted by raising his eyebrows in doubt.
"Hm... That's pretty drastic, but I like the way you think. Let's do it!" He laughed again, changing his clothes into his elegant pirate uniform. He raised his sharp curved sword high and rested his boot on the bench. "We will engrave our names in history, and our ideals will lead us to rule the world!"
He was a very lively old man and, to a certain extent, funny, but what was really going on in this man's mind were dark horrors and cries for help. They weren't his own cries, of course not, but the cries of all the people whose lives he ruined with his ideals of conquest.
The boy looked up at the servant and whispered again.
The old man listened, but shook his head.
"You have talent, muchacho, but not enough talent. I will teach you what true conquest means." He sheathed his sword and clenched his fist with determination. "If you follow me, then your destiny will be glory and the world will be at our feet." His smile widened, showing all his teeth. It was a somewhat disturbing smile that would scare younger children.
The boy whispered words again, and the old man smiled with satisfaction.
"That's the spirit, chaval."
—The next day—
He opened his eyes, tired, very tired. His whole body ached, and he could barely move. He had the craziest and strangest dream ever, but fortunately, it was just a dream.
Shirou sat up on the futon and touched his head. He felt dizzy and nauseous, but everything was calm enough for him to feel that sick. So he pulled the blanket off to go take a shower, but his eyes widened in horror when he saw that the entire futon was stained with blood.
Now he noticed that next to him was a tray with water and many wet towels stained with blood. Not only that. He got up and opened the sliding door, seeing that the walls were cracked and there were many craters in the floor.
"All of that was real..." he immediately assumed.
At that moment, someone's voice was heard behind him.
"Master. You woke up."
Shirou turned around when he heard the voice. He saw a girl in armor at the entrance to the room. She was pretty, very pretty. She was the girl who saved him from certain death.
"You... Last night you... were fighting that thing."
The girl, Saber, raised her eyebrows. Her Master was more concerned about her than his own injuries. Well, there were no injuries on the boy's body, but his beastly regeneration should be studied.
"I... was going to die..."
Saber shook her head. "You won't die. Not while I'm here. That's why you summoned me, isn't it?"
"Me? Summon you? I don't understand what you're saying. You just appeared out of nowhere and..."
"I understand..." she nodded. She was sympathetic to the boy. "You really don't know anything about the Holy Grail War. What Berserker's Master said last night was true. You're a novice Master."
Master, Berserker, summonings—these were terms that Shirou couldn't relate to anything specific. He was just as confused as when he woke up.
"War... Who are you?"
Saber smiled sympathetically. She didn't lose her patience at any point and was even more approachable than she had been ten years ago. With the elegance and cordiality of a true knight, Saber placed her hand on her heart and introduced herself.
"I am Saber, at your service. I am your servant, who will fight alongside you in this war. We will win and fulfill our wishes together."
That was ridiculous. Shirou felt everything spinning around him and fell to his knees on the ground. He was still tired from everything that had happened yesterday. Saber approached Shirou, but seeing that she was taking his time to recover, she remained standing in front of him.
She then remembered what Illya had said.
"You still don't understand anything, I know. Berserker's Master told me we should go to the church. There you will learn everything you need to know. Your questions will be answered."
The Holy Grail War must have a mediator, and that is where the Church comes in. The judge must be a priest sent by the Church to regulate and enforce the rules of the war.
Saber hoped Shirou would understand that.
"That's right. I almost forgot. You can call me Saber. What is your name, Master?"
He looked up. "My name? Shirou... Emiya Shirou."
"I see... It's a pleasure to meet you, Shirou."
—That same afternoon, near Kotomine Church—
Saber explained the war to Shirou, at least what she knew from the information the Grail gave her when she was summoned. There are seven magus and seven servants. The seven servants are divided into seven classes. Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Berserker, and Assassin. Each servant has special abilities related to their class.
Shirou had questions about these summonings. Magus summon historical figures. These figures already have knowledge of the present day, so they don't need to familiarize themselves with the history of the world.
Before continuing with the explanation, they had already arrived at the church. Saber had to stay outside because servants are not supposed to enter the neutral zone of the war. That is why Masters who lost their servants could take refuge here.
"I wanted to ask you something before we go in. Do you really need to wear that raincoat?"
Saber nodded. "My armor would attract attention. I'll wait for you outside. If anything bad happens, call me and I'll protect you."
"Haah... It still seems pointless to me. But if this helps me find out what's going on, then I have nothing to lose by trying."
Shirou entered the church and Saber waited at the door.
From a safe distance, some Masters are making their moves. Assassin and Sakura move stealthily among the trees, as they have found the perfect target to kill.