"Drinking together... really now..."
Alone in the basement workshop, Tohsaka Tokiomi let out a long, disheartened sigh as he once again lamented Rider's eccentric behavior. Unlike the two overly active Servants summoned into his camp, the dignified head of the Tohsaka family—who held elegance as an unshakable creed—had remained holed up in his manor since the start of the Holy Grail War.
"The King of Heroes is one thing…" Tokiomi murmured, rubbing his temples, "...but now Saber's developed a tendency for acting independently? And she's always around Rin too…"
Still, knowing that this at least ensured his heir's safety, Tokiomi saw no need to restrain his Servants' actions.
"Is it really alright to just leave Archer and Saber to their own devices?"
The slightly mechanical voice of Kotomine Kirei came through the magus communicator, cold and dispassionate as always. Tokiomi responded with a wry smile:
"I don't have much choice. His Majesty the King of Heroes isn't someone I can just order around. The last time I dared use a Command Seal without her permission, she was... extremely displeased. As for Saber, there's no need to worry. As long as he's with Rin, I doubt any harm will come to her."
He paused for a moment, then asked:
"By the way, Kirei... what's your take on the power difference between Rider and Archer?"
"I believe... it depends on whether Rider has anything stronger than that 'Gordius Wheel' chariot of his."
Tokiomi let out a low hum, his brow furrowed in thought.
And then—as if his own words from moments ago had never existed—he chose to embrace the Tohsaka family's time-honored tradition of screwing up at critical moments.
He gave yet another reckless command…
…conveniently forgetting that just seconds ago, he had said "she was already very angry last time."
"Then let Assassin go probe things out."
"It'll take approximately ten minutes to gather all the Assassins," came Kotomine Kirei's calm and steady voice.
"Excellent. Give the order," Tohsaka Tokiomi replied, his tone refined as always. "Though it's a risky gamble, fortunately, even if it fails, we won't suffer much loss."
As he issued his command, he remained oblivious to the fact that his eldest daughter had also embarked upon the glorious path of reckless self-destruction that the Tohsaka family was so infamous for. Luckily, this time she was wearing a certain bracelet—one given to her by a certain Mr. Dracula who preferred not to reveal his name.
This time, Tohsaka Rin had secretly made her way to the newly developed district of Fuyuki City with a specific goal in mind: to find her missing friend, Kotone. From what her father had said, it seemed there was some sort of magus ritual occurring in the area recently, so Rin speculated her friend might have been caught up in some magician-related conflict.
Clutched in her hand was her birthday present from her father—a pocket watch designed to detect magical energy. Normally, its needle would barely quiver, but now it was spinning rapidly. She had never seen such a phenomenon before. The frantic spinning of the needle, like a panicked animal, cast a deep shadow over her heart.
And yet, despite this alarming sign of the dangers that lay ahead, Rin steeled herself and pressed forward, thoughts of her friend fueling her courage.
She slipped past a few patrolling police cars. Due to the ongoing Holy Grail War, a citywide curfew had recently been declared in Fuyuki.
Emerging from her hiding place, Rin instinctively glanced at her magical detector. The needle pointed firmly in one direction—completely still. She raised her head and saw it was aimed toward a shadowy corner, where a pitch-black stairwell led down underground. A basement.
Summoning her courage, she stepped into the darkness.
The moment she vanished from sight, a red figure appeared at the spot she had just vacated—Saber, the Heroic Spirit Emiya. He looked in the direction Rin had gone, sighed softly, and murmured:
"She's been this much trouble ever since she was a kid, hasn't she?"
Memories of the past surfaced in his mind, and he could almost feel phantom pain in the spots she used to smack him when she got flustered. And yet, a faintly affectionate smile rose on his face. He vanished into spirit form and followed.
Within the darkness, Rin carefully made her way forward. But soon, a surge of foreign magical energy hit her like a wave. Her body convulsed with discomfort, and strange ringing filled her ears. The overwhelming cold of despair pressed against her chest, muddling her thoughts and warping her senses.
A constant droning buzz rose, monotonous yet chaotic, like a swarm of giant flies diving toward her—
And then, a crimson blur shot over her head and into the depths of the darkness.
Even though it was only a fleeting glimpse, the figure's features etched themselves clearly into her mind: a white-haired man clad in red. There was something about him—something familiar, almost nostalgic.
Screams rang out ahead. Blades clashed. Flesh was torn.
Rin's consciousness began to fade. Dizziness overtook her, and the last image that entered her vision was of Uncle Kariya, eyes burning with anger and sorrow.
Matou Kariya cradled the unconscious Rin, taking one cautious step after another as he retreated deeper into the shadows. He called out quietly:
"Berserker! Rider!"
Two figures appeared at his side—an elegant purple-haired woman and a towering knight clad in black armor.
Together, they ventured into the abyss.
What awaited them was hell itself.
Corpses littered the floor—twisted human remains, spilled viscera, and chunks of cephalopod-like magical beasts. At the very center of this carnage stood a single servant: white-haired, red-clad, twin swords in hand.
"Put her down."
Emiya, the red-clad Saber, leveled Kanshou and Bakuya at Kariya with a cold stare.
"I ask you—were you sent by Tohsaka Tokiomi to protect her?"
But Kariya ignored the question. Instead, he snapped back:
"So what if I was? And what if I wasn't?"
Emiya slowly shifted into a battle stance. "I'll say it one more time—put her down."
"You misunderstand—I…" Kariya had just opened his mouth to explain, when he suddenly shouted:
"Rider!!"
Without hesitation, the purple-haired Rider flung her dagger toward Emiya's face.
Whoosh!
The blade flew through the air, its aim true. Emiya raised his twin swords to block, but the dagger only grazed his cheek, flying past and piercing the skull of a surviving sea-demon writhing behind him.
"I'm not your enemy," Kariya said softly, glancing down at the unconscious Rin. "I just want to return this child to her mother. If you don't believe me, you're welcome to follow."
With that, he turned and carried Rin out of the grotesque basement.
Emiya hesitated, but after a moment, he dematerialized and followed.
In the quiet stillness of the late night, in a deserted city park, Tohsaka Aoi arrived in a hurry. Her eyes immediately scanned the area—then settled on the familiar bench where she often took Rin to play.
A vague instinct, perhaps.
And there—curled up in a red coat—was the little figure she had been desperately searching for.
"Rin!!"
Aoi cried out and dashed over, gathering the unconscious child into her arms. She felt her daughter's warm skin and steady breathing—no wounds, no blood. It was as if she was simply sleeping.
Tears of relief fell freely down Aoi's cheeks as she held her daughter tightly.
"Thank you… Thank you so much…"
But even as the moment calmed, she felt an unsettling gaze upon her.
"Who's there?" she asked sharply.
"I thought—if I came here, you'd be the one to show up."
A figure stepped from the shadows—it was Matou Kariya. He looked at Aoi, and spoke gently.
"…Kariya…"
In that moment, Aoi understood everything. Just like her husband, Kariya had joined that ritual.
Which meant either her husband would kill him—or he would kill her husband.
She wanted to speak, to ask him why. Why did he get involved in such a cruel contest?
But Kariya didn't seem interested in talking further. His voice was steady, almost like a vow:
"Don't worry, Aoi. My Servant is strong. One day soon, I'll make it so we can all come here again—just like before. Rin and Sakura will be proper sisters again… So please… don't cry anymore."
Having said his piece, Kariya turned and walked into the night.
"Kariya—wait!" Aoi called after him.
But he resisted the urge to turn around.
Behind him, Saber—Emiya—reappeared beside him. "Next time, I won't hold back."
"Hmph. Suit yourself," Kariya replied, hands stuffed in his pockets, and disappeared into the midnight winds of Fuyuki City.