"Sakura, are you going to Emiya's house again today?" a classmate asked the cheerful girl.
"Yeah, Senpai's helped me a lot, so I need to repay him a little," Sakura Matou replied with a smile, prompting laughter from the others.
"Sakura, don't tell me you have a crush on Emiya-senpai?" They teased.
"N-no, it's just because he's been so kind to me," Sakura said quickly, her tone serious, which only made them laugh more.
"Got it, you're too serious!"
"No, I'm worried about misunderstandings. It'd be sad if Senpai got rejected because of me," Sakura said, packing her things and heading to Shirou Emiya's house with her schoolbag.
To her classmates, this seemed like a classic school romance, but for Sakura, it was entirely different.
Sakura had a mission... or rather, a task assigned by her family.
"Monitor Shirou Emiya. He's likely to be your opponent in the next Holy Grail War!"
Matou Zouken, the true head of the Matou family, had given her this order when she started high school.
The man known as Matou Zouken, lurking in the shadows, aimed to seize the Holy Grail and had long been watching anyone who might obstruct him.
Including his own descendants!
Sakura was sent to the Emiya household as a spy!
But that was only how Matou Zouken saw her. Sakura concealed a secret identity from nearly everyone she knew.
A man in his thirties, seemingly ordinary, passed by her, pausing to fiddle with his phone as if confused by the technology.
But Sakura heard his voice.
"Saintess, we've buried the explosives brought from outside around Mount Enzo. Once detonated, they'll level Ryuudou Temple and much of the surrounding area."
Sakura spoke softly, "Good work. For now, avoid any actions that might draw attention… We need to wait until the Holy Church moves the temple's residents before proceeding. We're only destroying the Holy Grail ritual, not involving innocents."
"All in accordance with your will, for the great God of Magic, Morpheus."
The man left.
Sakura continued walking.
She reflected on her past.
The Fourth Holy Grail War brought her nothing but pain. Forced from her home, she became a Matou, enduring days of inhumane torment.
Perhaps as a small comfort, Kariya Matou gave her that necklace, granting her salvation.
But Kariya died tragically, driven to madness in his final moments.
He was a pitiful man, Sakura often thought.
Yet it wasn't his fault. Sakura knew the root of it all was the Holy Grail, the cause of countless tragedies!
Whether it was her, Kariya Matou, her birth father Tokiomi Tohsaka, or her mother Aoi Tohsaka... all their suffering stemmed from the Holy Grail.
Even Matou Zouken, who tormented her and still treated her as a tool, was, in Sakura's eyes, a pitiable figure.
Matou Zouken was just another tragedy born of the Holy Grail.
"Maybe my sister will become a tragedy too, chasing Father's dream to claim the Grail…" Sakura thought silently, sighing.
So, she would destroy the Holy Grail, ending the source of all these tragedies, at least restoring Fuyuki City to a normal place!
This resolve didn't form immediately.
Back then, Sakura was just a little girl. Even while studying Matou magecraft under Zouken, she used deception and trickery to hide her true state from him.
In the eyes of those she deceived, she was meant to suffer, her hair and eyes changing from the pain, eventually becoming a spare vessel for Matou Zouken's revival.
Sakura genuinely thanked the true owner of her necklace, the mysterious Morpheus who gave her the power of deception, allowing her to live normally.
In her young heart, a fierce desire grew.
How could she repay this person, this Morpheus who called himself "an ordinary man pursuing the path of magic"?
Then, the girl devised a plan.
One afternoon, her brother Shinji Matou was off somewhere, likely secretly studying magecraft, arrogant about his supposed talent.
It wasn't a secret at home.
Meanwhile, Sakura, under Zouken's tutelage, learned about Servants, gods, and related lore.
"Heroic Spirits are souls that transcend humanity, reaching the realm of spirits... not a fall, but an ascension, elevating humans to a higher existence.
"They are beyond even the Holy Grail's ability to summon, akin to divine spirits. Servants are merely projections of Heroic Spirits, degraded copies.
"To compare, Heroic Spirits are like spirits, while divine spirits, stripped of faith, fall to that level. If a Heroic Spirit is forgotten, their power wanes, further restricted."
Learning this, Sakura's eyes sparkled with excitement, unnoticed by Zouken.
Her young mind seized on a possibility.
"Morpheus-nii said he's an ordinary man pursuing magic. When it comes to magical knowledge, gods know the most.
"If I could make Morpheus-nii a god, wouldn't his wish come true?!"
To an adult or a seasoned magus, this idea would seem laughable, but young Sakura believed it was feasible.
"Grandfather said Servants and Heroic Spirits, gods and spirits, are related. Myths mention humans becoming gods. Gods fall to spirit level from lack of faith, while Heroic Spirits are humans ascended to spirits.
"So, if I could shape Morpheus-nii into a God of Magic and get many to worship him, could he become a true God of Magic?"
The thought thrilled Sakura.
But she soon faced a problem: how to gain followers?
Matou magecraft wasn't suited for sharing, and she knew no other magecraft to attract people.
After studying more, she recalled the scene she'd witnessed... the creation of the world!
Reflecting on that vision for months, she derived new magecraft... or rather, magic.
This knowledge could be shared, taught to those who'd become believers!
And who were most likely to believe? Those with wounded hearts!
Fuyuki had no shortage of such people, thanks to the Fourth Holy Grail War. Many lost loved ones, told it was a gas explosion... a lie.
Sakura approached her chosen individuals, revealing the truth, teaching them magic, and leading them to worship the God of Magic.
When her organization was established, seeing those hurt by the Holy Grail War, a new idea formed.
"Destroy the Holy Grail to prevent such tragedies again!"
Thus, the Church of Magic God began secretly preparing for the Fifth Holy Grail War over years!
…
In the vast castle, only three... or perhaps four... people resided.
A silver-haired girl, inheriting her mother's hair color, gazed out the window, her red eyes like jewels.
"The Holy Grail War is finally starting. I wonder how Onii-chan's preparations are…" she murmured, her expression devoid of pain, as if numbed.
She turned, calling out, "Berserker, you're the strongest. We'll win the Holy Grail War, right?"
The black giant in the shadows said nothing, his speech long lost, but his resolute eyes, filled with battle intent, answered his Master's question.
For the girl, staying in the castle was dull, so after a moment's thought, she decided.
"Let's go for a walk!"
Illyasviel von Einzbern, the castle's current master, left to stroll in Fuyuki City. Her two maids, though worried, couldn't stop her.
With Berserker protecting her, she'd likely be safe.
The maids silently watched Illya leave the castle, passing the bounded field, heading into the city.
…
"The Einzberns, huh? Should I scout them out?"
On the way home, Morpheus casually asked Rin.
Rin sighed. "No need. If you scout now and get caught, it's like declaring war. The Einzbern estate is surrounded by bounded fields... you'd be detected."
Morpheus grinned. "Maybe not."
"But we can't risk it, not yet. Wait a bit... someone else might make the first move soon!"
Seeing Rin's reluctance to act, Morpheus didn't press, saying, "I'll follow your lead."
Suddenly, Rin's eyes widened, looking ahead.
A petite silver-haired girl in a purple dress approached, smiling, passing by Rin.
Her smile was angelic, but her words chilled.
"Next time we meet, I'll kill you, Rin."
Rin spun around, gritting her teeth. "Einzbern…"
Having just rejected Morpheus's scouting idea, she hadn't expected to run into her!
Then, she heard Morpheus's voice.
"She's a bit rude. Should I teach her some manners?"
Rin nearly choked. "Teach her?!"
"Of course. Teach her etiquette and morals," Morpheus replied, his tone gentlemanly but leaving Rin exasperated.
"She's the current head of the Einzbern family, the top authority here, and our opponent…"
She tried to warn him of her complex status.
But Morpheus's response didn't waver... it escalated.
"Enemy or not, a kid like that needs proper education. Killing casually is wrong!"
***
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