31 January,
Rin Tohsaka woke with a jolt, a tremor running through her body.
With blurry eyes, she looked around and found herself seated in the Hall, with dozens of documents on rituals spread on a table in front of her.
Did I fall asleep? Rin asked herself, wiping her eyes. And… what was that?!
It had felt like the world had ended.
Was it just an earthquake?
If it was an earthquake, then why were her ears ringing as well?!
Yawning, Rin approached the window and lifted off the drape. It was already late evening, she realized. Still, through the darkness, she spied a blob of blackness.
Smoke? Rin's eyes narrowed. Explosion?!
She hurriedly went downstairs and switched on the TV.
The news reporter was already covering the matter, reporting on a gas explosion.
Sighing, and without looking at the place mentioned in the news, Rin shut the TV off.
Just today, in the afternoon, Kirei Kotomine had left a voicemail, asking her to summon her Servant by tomorrow, should she choose to participate in the Holy Grail War.
Since then, Rin had been going through everything all over again, making sure she didn't miss anything.
Because tonight, at the most opportune time, she meant to summon the strongest Servant — Saber!
…
1 February,
02:00 AM
A cyan-green magical glow overtook Rin's surroundings as she activated the Spell Circle, beginning the ancient ritual of summoning the Heroic Spirit.
"… If you heed the Grail's Call and obey my will and reason —" she finished, "— then answer me."
The holy glow suddenly took a bloody color, red Mana particles dancing around her.
"I hereby swear," Rin chanted, "that I shall be all the good in the world. That I shall repress All the Evil in the world…"
Something unexpected and unimaginable happened just as she swore that.
Unknown to Rin, her entire body glowed, dense magical fluctuations becoming tangible like wind.
A set of Command Seals was already appearing on the back of her right hand.
Suddenly, as if defining logic and fate, another set of different Command Seals, like daggers, began appearing on the back of her left hand as well.
This — should never have been possible.
No Master could hold two Servants in the Holy Grail War.
However, between afternoon and now, things had taken a much crueler and twisted turn.
The Counter Force had summoned a Ruler-Class Servant to eliminate the threat to humanity — The All Evil.
However, Enkidu had failed to kill The Shadow, and it, as Dark Sakura, had survived.
So, for an entity like Counter Force, as long as Dark Sakura wasn't eliminated, every opportunity to strengthen its cause became a channel to exert it's Will as well.
The words said by Rin, the words that were etched into the Ancient Ritual itself, became exactly the opportunity it had been looking for.
Moreover, Zouken Matou had summoned the Assassin well before the beginning of the Holy Grail War.
Coincidentally, Hassan of the Cursed Arm was killed, along with his Master.
It also became an opportunity for Counter Force to force its agent within the Holy Grail War.
With no other Master summoning another Heroic Spirit, and the time limit to summon a Servant coming to an end soon, Rin became the best candidate —
— Even if that meant her holding two Heroic Spirits.
With a massive boom that Rin couldn't hear, the entire Spell Circle beneath her feet enlarged, becoming grander, mightier, and more magical than ever.
"One of the three heavenly beings, bearing the three great words of power," Rin kept going on, unknown to fate that had been forced onto her, "come forth from the cycle that shackles you… Oh…"
Rin opened her eyes and gasped, the last words getting stuck in her throat.
Unfortunately, it was already too late to cancel the summoning.
Crackkkkkkkkkk!
Red and black bolts of lightning snaked around Rin, rumbling like roars of dragons.
And, as soon as it had begun, it was over, Rin falling to her knees, wide eyes in shock.
Her heart was beating in her chest, skipping beats. Shaking, she lifted her right arm and saw the Command Seal.
Did she succeed? Rin asked herself. Did she truly summon…
Then, from the corner of her eyes, she spied another — one more set of Command Seals!
In utter shock, Rin lifted her left hand as if it didn't belong to her at all and gawked at it.
No. It was impossible. Rin shook her head as if she didn't believe her eyes. But the unnatural, red and black Mana still rumbled in her vision and ears.
Was it because of her father? Rin questioned, looking around. Was summoning a Saber always meant gaining two sets of Command Seals…
The sheer ridiculousness of the event was to such a degree that Rin denied gaining one more Servant with her entire existence.
Just as she got up to look for her Servant, a loud CRASH resounded, shaking the entire mansion.
With a great urgency and cursing under her breath, Rin ran upstairs to the hall.
The moment she touched the door, it fell apart inward, letting her see the scene from inside.
And what she saw left her gasping, making her stumble back in shock.
On one side of the hall, seated on a sofa and surrounded by broken chairs, was a white-haired man wearing a red coat.
But he wasn't alone.
Standing opposite him, holding a knife in his right hand, was another figure.
Unlike the former, who had his face visible, this one had a hood over its face, and even that seemed bandaged.
Then, both figures lifted their heads, opening their eyes, and looked at each other.
"Just what kind of Master you are…" the white-haired servant asked, getting up, and looking at Rin standing at the door, "… for you to have summoned an Archer and an Assassin!"
As Rin held a hand to her mouth, disbelieving it herself, the Assassin-Class Servant nodded.
"I agree…" the agent of Counter Force said, eying Archer. "You — are unneeded."
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