Deep beneath the Fuyuki Church, the air in the basement was cold and heavy with the scent of incense and old stone.
An elderly man with a stern, weathered face stood before a large stone table, his eyes narrowed as he studied the glowing indicators of the Spirit Board.
Of the seven classes, six were now active. Only Caster remained unsummoned.
"The board is almost complete," the old priest said, his voice echoing in the small chamber. "But something is troubling me."
A younger man stood in the shadows behind him, as still as a statue. He was tall and lean, dressed in the dark, practical clothes of an executor.
His face was an unreadable mask, and his eyes lacked even a flicker of emotion as he waited for his father to continue.
"There has been a significant disturbance in the Ley Lines near the residential district," the elder explained, turning away from the table.
"The Bounded Field that has protected the Matou estate for generations has completely dissipated. I felt the collapse of their workshop's anchor myself, yet there was no evidence of a large-scale magecraft conflict. It is as if the foundation of their magecraft was simply cut away."
The old man looked at his son, his expression grave.
"Tell me, have you heard anything from your Servant?"
The younger man stepped forward into the dim light.
"Assassin confirms the report," he replied, his voice flat and devoid of warmth.
"The mansion is not just quiet. It is empty. There is no trace of the Matou family head or his successor. My Servant searched every corridor, yet found no signs of a struggle. No blood, no residual prana. It is as if the Matou place was simply scrubbed from the city overnight."
The priest stroked his chin, his brow furrowed in deep thought. "To dismantle a workshop of that caliber without leaving behind a trace of energy... this is a variable we did not account for. If there is a hidden player in this war who can move like a phantom, we must find them before they disrupt the ritual further."
"What is your command, Father?" the younger man asked, his voice steady and devoid of any personal curiosity.
"For now, order Assassin to watch the city more closely," the priest replied, his gaze returning to the glowing markers on the table.
"Even with only six Servants summoned, the Holy Grail War will begin tonight."
"Understood."
The man turned and left the basement, his footsteps echoing softly against the stone before fading into silence. The old priest remained alone in the dim light, his eyes fixed on the Spirit Board as if waiting for the final icon to flicker to life.
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After accidentally meeting Irisviel and Saber, I decided it would be better to buy clothes from the stores along the street instead of going to the mall.
The quality of the clothes was not that bad, and the only reason I wanted to go to the mall in the first place was because I had never been there before.
After buying everything I needed, I walked back to Manaka's house while thinking about what had happened earlier.
If Irisviel and Saber were already here, that meant the Holy Grail War would start tonight.
I needed to make sure the Bounded Field at the orphanage was working properly. If something happened, everyone there would at least be safe.
I also probably should place a hypnosis-type magecraft on them, just to make sure they never left at night and always stayed inside.
Thankfully, the orphanage should be fine. It was far from the center of Fuyuki City and sat near the edge of the town.
"Wait, if tonight is going to be the first day of the Holy Grail War, does that mean...?"
I suddenly remembered the scene from the anime, especially the one at the harbor.
That was where many of the Servants in this war gathered and faced each other.
Which meant—
"The handsome Gilgamesh is going to be there too!"
Arriving at Manaka's house, I noticed that her father was no longer at the dining table, but I did see Ayaka watching TV.
"Ayaka, hello," I decided to greet her.
"Rikka? Where did you go?" Ayaka asked as she turned her head toward me.
"I was just buying clothes for Sakura. Is she still sleeping?"
"I haven't seen her since earlier, so she probably is."
"Okay, I'm going to check on her."
My relationship with Ayaka was only so-so. I had just met her about a month ago, so we were more like acquaintances.
To her, I was just someone her older sister knew, and also a magus like the rest of her family.
I needed to try harder to become friends with her, even though for some reason Manaka didn't like it when I got closer to other people.
When I arrived at Manaka's bedroom, I could see Sakura still sleeping soundly.
She seemed really tired since yesterday, so I just let her sleep and placed her new clothes on the table beside the bed.
I also left a note telling her that these were her clothes and that she should change into them later.
"Fou?"
Then I suddenly heard a familiar voice that made me turn toward the window.
There, Cath Palug was sitting on the windowsill, his big round eyes looking at me. His tail swayed slowly behind him as he tilted his head.
"Cath Palug? How did you get here?"
Seeing that I had noticed him, Cath Palug suddenly jumped toward me.
Thinking he wanted a hug, I reached out to catch him, but then—
TWACK
"Gyaahhh!?"
He kicked me straight in the face with his little legs.
The kick was strong enough to push me back, and I fell to the ground.
"Why are you kicking me!?" I yelled at him. My back hurt from the fall, and my cheeks were still stinging from the kick.
"Fou!" Cath Palug jumped again and landed on my thighs, staring down at me as if he was complaining.
"Are you mad because I left you back at the orphanage?"
"Fou."
"And because of that you became everyone's plaything and got surrounded by them?"
"Didn't you like being spoiled by them? I remember you making a face like you were in bliss when you were being hugged by my friends there."
"Fou!"
Well, basically he was bored and decided to come find me here. Lady Ava did say Cath Palug wasn't a normal animal, so I figured he would be fine finding his way to me.
"Alright, I don't mind if you come with me," I said, patting his head and ruffling his fur gently.
Now with Cath Palug joining me—even though it was just the two of us—I had nothing else to do.
I wanted to continue writing in my diary, but it was back at the orphanage, and that was pretty far from here.
I was too lazy to walk all the way back, so I decided to search around for Manaka, the only person I knew in this house.
"Manaka?" I called softly.
I looked around the rooms, but she was nowhere to be seen. Finally, I made my way to the backyard behind the house to check there.
But unfortunately, I still didn't see her—except for the greenhouse tucked in the corner.
"Where is she?" I muttered.
Maybe I should ask Ayaka about Manaka's whereabouts.
"Fou!" Cath Palug suddenly called from atop my head, stopping me in my tracks. He tilted his head and pointed a paw toward the greenhouse.
"That greenhouse is a workshop? You mean a place where magi do rituals and stuff?"
I could feel Cath Palug nodding. My curiosity spiked immediately.
I had never seen a magus workshop before, and I really wanted to check what was inside.
But I also knew that going into someone else's workshop without permission would be really rude. Still, my curiosity pushed me forward.
Unconsciously, my body began moving toward the greenhouse door. The building was surrounded by a dense cluster of plants.
My right hand reached for the door handle—but before I could touch it, someone grabbed my hand to stop me.
I yelped as my hand was grabbed, and I turned to see Ayaka standing there, her eyes blazing.
"Rikka! What are you doing?" she demanded, holding my wrist so tightly I could feel the pressure digging into my skin.
"I… I was just curious," I stammered, trying to pull my hand free. "I wanted to see what's inside the greenhouse…"
"You almost went inside my workshop!" Ayaka's voice was sharp, her grip unrelenting.
"Ow! It hurts! Please, let go!" I exclaimed, wincing as her fingers dug into my wrist.
"Rikka…" she hissed, clearly too angry to hear me. Her eyes were fixed on me, burning with frustration, and I could see the tension radiating off her in waves.
I tried to speak again, but before I could say anything more, the air around us suddenly shivered. I felt it first in my chest—a strange prickling in my stomach—and then I saw it: the mana in the garden warped and twisted, shimmering visibly like heat rising off asphalt.
Both Ayaka and I froze as a sharp, piercing presence made my hair stand on end. I glanced to the side and froze completely.
Manaka was standing there, her eyes narrowing dangerously. The air around her seemed to pulse with mana, bending the light around her.
Her gaze was locked on Ayaka, and I realized immediately why—the way Ayaka was gripping me had clearly upset her. I could feel the raw, unfiltered mana thrumming in the space between us.
The greenhouse, the garden, Cath Palug on my head watched the shimmering mana, his tail swishing lazily, head tilted as if he were silently judging the situation.
I swallowed hard. "M-Manaka…" I whispered, my voice barely audible. I could see her hands twitching slightly, her fingers glowing faintly as if she could snap the air itself at any moment.
Ayaka blinked, finally noticing the sudden shift, and her grip loosened just a little. I rubbed my wrist instinctively, still stinging from how tightly she had held me.
But even as she released me slightly, the mana in the air continued to swirl, bending around Manaka as though it were alive, and I realized just how much trouble I could be in if she decided to act.
"You shouldn't get near that place."
I was even more curious now after she warned me like that, but I just nodded. I needed to follow her lead properly as I didn't want Ayaka to dislike me any more than she already did.
"And for tonight, you shouldn't leave this house. Just stay here," Manaka added.
"Wait, what?"
Before I could argue, she began dragging me back toward the house and up to her bedroom. I followed frantically, trying to ask why she was being so insistent.
"The first day of the Holy Grail War starts tonight," was all Manaka said before she began to leave the room.
"Where are you going?" I called out.
She stopped for a moment before closing the door completely. I could hear the playful tilt in her voice as she answered.
"Having fun~"
Then, the door clicked shut, leaving me alone.
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The moment the door closed, Manaka's face shifted back to its usual emotionless expression.
However, a deep fury still lingered in her eyes after seeing the red marks on Rikka's wrist.
She walked toward another part of the house, stopping in front of a door and slamming it open.
"Ayaka."
The room was quiet until the door hit the wall with a sharp bang. Ayaka jumped, spinning around from her desk, her face pale as she saw her older sister standing in the doorway.
The air in the small room immediately felt heavy, the temperature dropping as Manaka stepped inside.
"Manaka? What—"
"You touched her," Manaka interrupted. Her voice was terrifyingly sweet, lacking any of the warmth she showed Rikka.
Ayaka flinched, her hand instinctively going to her chest. "She was trying to go into the greenhouse! You know that's Mom's—"
"I don't care about the greenhouse, Ayaka," Manaka said, taking another step forward. The floorboards didn't even creak under her feet.
"I care that your hands left marks on her. "I don't remember giving you permission to touch her, Ayaka. You've left such an ugly mark on something that belongs to me."
Before Ayaka could even reach for a Mystic Code or attempt a spell, the prana in the room solidified. It felt like the very atmosphere had turned into lead, pinning Ayaka against her chair.
She gasped, her lungs struggling to draw breath under the crushing pressure.
Manaka reached out, her fingers glowing with a faint, beautiful light. She didn't strike her sister she simply tapped Ayaka's wrist—the same one Ayaka had used to grab Rikka.
A sudden, sharp jolt of pain flared through Ayaka's arm, making her cry out. It wasn't enough to break the bone, but it felt like a thousand needles piercing her nerves at once.
"That is a reminder," Manaka whispered, leaning in close so her shadow fell over her younger sister.
"She belongs to me. If you ever put your hands on her again... I'll make sure you can't use them for magecraft ever again. Do you understand, Ayaka?"
Ayaka could only nod frantically, tears of pain and terror blurring her vision.
Satisfied, Manaka straightened her dress and the oppressive pressure vanished instantly.
The smile returned to her face—the bright, innocent one she wore when she was thinking about something fun.
"Good. Now, I have to go out for a bit. Be a good girl and watch the house, okay?"
Without waiting for an answer, Manaka turned and walked out of the room, humming a small tune to herself as she headed toward another place.
Walking out, Manaka disappeared from her house and reappeared at the Matou Mansion—specifically within the damp darkness of the basement
Thack.
There, she saw a man stomping on something, his leg moving rhythmically as if he were squishing an insect.
His skin was exceptionally pale, with large, bulging veins popping across his face and neck, topped by shock-white hair.
"Don't kill him, worm," Manaka warned, her voice cutting through the air.
Hearing her voice, the man stopped immediately and spun around.
He dropped to his knees, his body shaking with a deep, primal fear of the girl standing before him.
"That old worm is still useful," she continued. "Now, tell me about your plan for tonight."
Behind Manaka, the stone floor began to crack. Thick, roots forced their way through the concrete, twisting together to form an elegant chair for her to sit on.
The man standing before her was Kariya Matou, the son of Zouken Matou, also known as Makiri Zolgen. He had once run away from the Matou household, unable to tolerate the family's horrific and inhumane practices. The very thought of them filled him with pure disgust.
A year ago, he learned that Zouken planned to adopt Sakura Tohsaka, the daughter of Aoi Tohsaka, Kariya's childhood friend and the woman he had quietly loved for years.
Desperate to stop it, Kariya made a deal with Zouken. He would take Sakura's place and participate in the Holy Grail War himself.
Because of that decision, he was forced to undergo the transplantation of the Matou crest worms. The parasitic creatures burrowed through his body, leaving him physically weakened while slowly consuming his mind. The process left him frail, partially paralyzed, and trapped in constant pain.
But yesterday, when Kariya returned to the Matou estate to meet Zouken and summon a Servant for the war, something unexpected happened.
He met Manaka.
The girl had been waiting for him.
With a calm smile, she told him that the person most important to him Sakura had already been saved.
Of course, Kariya didn't believe her.
So Manaka simply showed him a worm.
Inside that small, writhing creature was Zouken's consciousness.
The sight alone was enough to make Kariya believe her instantly.
Shaken and confused, he asked only one thing to see Sakura himself.
Manaka's smile widened slightly, and she offered him a deal.
The deal was simple.
During this Holy Grail War, he would entertain her.
He would command Berserker to fight every Servant in the war.
Manaka had no real interest in the Holy Grail itself, but the thought of watching Servants clash with one another seemed to amuse her.
If Kariya managed to entertain her, she would heal his ruined body and allow him to meet Sakura.
But if he failed…
His fate would be the same as Zouken's—trapped inside a worm for the rest of his life.