Her name had once been Tohsaka Sakura. But now, she no longer had the right to that name. From this day forward, she was Matou Sakura.
Since arriving at this house the day before, Sakura had been in a constant state of unease. She tried to reassure herself: Grandpa's just a little eccentric. He probably likes kids. The servants seem respectful, too…
But children are keen. They pick up on the subtle wrongness of things.
The creepy stillness of the estate. The empty smiles of the servants, polite but hollow. The cold gleam in Matou Zouken's eyes.
Every instinct in her warned of danger.
She tried her best to behave, to avoid standing out, clinging to the hope that if she stayed quiet enough, she'd be left alone.
But… it was useless. There was no hiding from Matou Zouken. The starving worms had caught the scent—they would never let the feast slip away.
That afternoon, just after lunch, a maid came to her room with a message: Zouken wanted to see her.
Cautiously, Sakura walked to his study and knocked.
"Come in."
The voice rasped like a corpse's whisper. Sakura entered, standing stiffly in front of the old man at his desk.
"I'm here, Grandpa," she murmured.
"Heheheh. Come along now," Zouken said, that grotesque smile on his face. "Today, I'll show you the Matou family's magic."
He shuffled over to a bookshelf, cane in hand, and twisted a hidden switch. The shelf slid aside with a creak, revealing stairs leading underground.
"Follow me."
He disappeared into the shadows. Sakura swallowed hard and placed her hand on the cold wall, descending step by trembling step.
The passage opened into a wide underground chamber. Stone-lined walls rose on either side—embedded within them were countless hollow nests, shaped like insect hives, squirming and writhing.
At the center, on a raised platform, stood Matou Zouken, waiting for her.
She approached slowly, heart hammering in her chest.
The old man pointed with his cane toward a pool below.
"There it is. The Matou path of sorcery. See it with your own eyes!"
Sakura peered over the edge—and what she saw made her breath catch in her throat.
The pool was filled to the brim with things. Worm-like creatures, thick and glistening, pulsating like organs. They squirmed atop one another in a seething, wriggling mass, their slithering producing a grotesque wet chorus.
Her limbs turned to ice. She wanted to scream, to flee. But her body wouldn't move.
"Well? Quite the scene, isn't it?" Matou Zouken's raspy voice echoed through the underground chamber. "This is the pride of the Matou family… the pinnacle of our magecraft—worm magic. Look at them, these adorable creatures haven't tasted fresh prey in so long. They're starving."
He shuffled closer, his gnarled hand reaching toward Sakura's back.
"Go on now. Why don't you keep them company?"
With a cruel push, Matou Zouken shoved Sakura forward. Her frail body stumbled and fell—straight into the pit of writhing insects.
Am I... going to be eaten...?
Her eyes went hollow. She landed amidst the mass of crawling worms. They tore at her clothing, slithering hungrily over her exposed skin, sinking into her like a living nightmare.
Papa… Mama… Nee-san… I—I don't want this. I don't want to die...!
Tears slipped from her eyes.
Above her, Zouken let out a shrill, satisfied cackle.
BOOM!
A surge of overwhelming magical energy erupted from the pit, casting light through every crevice of the dim chamber. Under its brilliance, the swarming insects disintegrated into dust.
"What?! What is this?!" Zouken shielded his face with an arm, his voice sharp with disbelief. His thoughts turned instantly to the ritual glyphs etched deep beneath the worm pit. "A summoning…?!"
As the blinding radiance receded, a slender figure took form at the heart of the summoning circle. Long violet hair fluttered in the air, and in her arms, she caught the falling girl with effortless grace.
"Servant, Rider. I have answered your call."
She bowed her head gently, blindfold resting across a face of quiet beauty, and gazed down at the fragile black-haired girl in her arms.
"Are you my Master?"
Sakura stared up, stunned. She didn't know this woman. And yet… a warmth began to unfurl inside her chest. Familiar. Soothing. Comforting. She trusted her. Instinctively. Absolutely.
"Please… save me," she whispered through trembling lips, gripping the woman's hand. "I don't want to die."
"I accept your command," the violet-haired Rider murmured. "My Master."
A dagger materialized in her hand—short, curved, chained at the hilt—and in the next breath, she hurled it upward toward the figure standing above.
It pierced Zouken's form cleanly.
But what struck the platform was not flesh. It was a swarm—his body dissolving into countless fluttering insects. His voice slithered from the shadows, echoing around the chamber.
"Unknown Servant, listen well."
"That girl—your Master—is just a child. She has no magical training, no power. Her prana isn't nearly enough to sustain a Heroic Spirit."
"Why not end your contract with her and form one with me? I possess more than enough mana to satisfy you… kekekeke..."
Rider said nothing. Her hand tightened on her weapon. She stood protectively over the girl, scanning the gloom.
"How foolish," the voice sneered. "You cannot defeat me here without your Noble Phantasm. And even if you tried… would that little girl truly have the strength to fuel such power?"
A sickening rustle followed his words. From the hollow walls, clouds of insects spilled forth—winged things with blade-like mandibles and scythe-like claws, each more grotesque than the last.
Rider moved. Her chain-dagger spun in arcs around her, slicing through the onslaught. She cut them down one by one, but the tide was endless. If this continued, her strength—and her Master's meager mana—would not hold.
...Hello? Is this the Servant currently protecting a loli?
Rider's eyes narrowed slightly. Her expression didn't waver, nor did her blade falter, but inwardly, she replied:
Who are you?
Not important, came the answer. What matters is—you need backup, don't you?
A pause.
Accept this. A gift from every lolicon on Earth… and from the International Loli Protection Association.
In the next instant, a surge of pure mana flooded into Rider's body. Not overwhelming, but precise—just enough to fire off her Noble Phantasm at full strength.
She didn't hesitate.
"Bellerophon!"
—Bridle of Chivalry.
A radiant pillar of light exploded from beneath her, ripping apart the Matou basement ceiling and punching through to the courtyard above.
"Impossible!" Zouken's voice cracked in disbelief. "Where did you get that mana?!"
The light faded. Rider now sat astride a white, winged steed—a divine creature, born of myth. A pegasus.
Cradling Sakura close, she soared upward through the gaping hole in the ceiling, into the starlit night.
She descended gently into the Matou courtyard and laid Sakura onto the grass.
"Please wait here for a moment, Master."
Then she turned her mount to the sky and shot upward once more.
Moments later—
BOOM!!
A blinding column of white incinerated the ruins of the basement in one final blast of light and vengeance.