Shirou Emiya, as usual, practiced his magecraft in his shed.
It was a gift from his adoptive father, Kiritsugu Emiya, and his closely guarded secret.
With this mysterious magecraft, he could effortlessly repair damaged tools... not through technical skill but by magically restoring broken parts, like cheating.
Though Kiritsugu warned him to keep these skills hidden, Shirou was happy to use them to help others.
He picked up a hollow metal rod, not particularly sturdy.
Touching it, Shirou softly recited words like a mantra.
"Trace, on!"
It wasn't a spell but a self-suggestion, like a hypnotic cue, allowing him to enter a special state, refine his mana swiftly, and cast his unique magecraft.
Though he'd done this countless times, Shirou methodically repeated the process, deepening his understanding of his sole magecraft.
Structural analysis: complete.
Reinforcement: begin.
Mana flowed into the rod, strengthening it bit by bit, surpassing the limits of an ordinary metal rod.
Reinforcement: complete!
After finishing, Shirou swung the rod a few times, satisfied.
His reinforcement succeeded again!
Not just restoring it, but enhancing it beyond its original state!
Though the effect was temporary, reverting soon after, it thrilled the young boy.
Unbeknownst to him, an anomaly emerged in the shed.
A red magic circle appeared on the floor, growing clearer as if responding to a call.
When Shirou noticed it, the circle was fully formed, starkly out of place in the modern shed.
It looked like an evil ritual from a deranged cultist.
Fortunately, as a magus's adopted son, Shirou wasn't frightened despite his lack of formal training. Instead, he felt excited.
"This circle… did Dad leave it? I'm the only one who uses this shed. If someone else was here, it'd be Dad…
"But he's been gone for years. If he left this, it was long ago, and he never mentioned it. Did he think I'd never need it?"
Curious, Shirou approached the circle. Untrained and lacking caution, he reached out and touched it.
The moment his hand made contact, a sharp pain stabbed his finger!
He jerked his hand back, finding no wound. As he puzzled over the pain, the circle glowed faintly.
Under Shirou's stunned gaze, a girl rose from the circle... a girl in armor!
Staring at the clearly foreign girl, Shirou was mesmerized. He'd never imagined such a beautiful scene: under the moonlight, she seemed divine. She spoke, questioning him.
"Servant Saber, answering the summons. Are you my Master?"
Shirou was spellbound, too stunned to respond.
When he finally remembered to answer, the self-proclaimed Saber suddenly looked up, transforming into a whirlwind and charging out!
Boom!
Nothing could stop the armored girl. Her hands reached back, as if gripping something invisible.
She launched into the air, swinging her unseen weapon as if striking something mid-air.
The recoil sent Saber plummeting to the ground, while the airborne figure landed outside the Emiya residence.
"Saber!"
Shirou shouted, rushing out, only to see three figures in a standoff.
Saber, hands raised, wielding something transparent; a British-looking man with a short sword; and, behind him, a familiar girl that made Shirou pause.
"Rin Tohsaka?!"
…
When Morpheus saw the glinting attack, he knew who it was. The figure was unmistakable: Artoria Pendragon, Britain's great queen and a prime candidate for Saber!
But Morpheus had little interest in her. If anything, he'd prefer a male opponent... purely because they'd be more dashing.
He drew his short sword, blocking her attack. Artoria, who'd leaped high, fell back to the ground.
Morpheus dispelled his flight spell, landing as well, setting Rin aside and stepping in front to shield her from the battle-hungry Artoria.
Glancing at Artoria's invisible weapon, he recognized it as Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory, sparking a whimsical thought.
"If I had the British royal Curtana, wouldn't that be fun?"
He quickly dismissed it.
"No, no. Curtana only works in Britain, and its Michael-powered all-dimensional severance… that's a bit unfair."
The real reason, though, was different.
"Besides, I can't craft Curtana the Third. I don't know its structure, and rumor has it even the British royals lost the blueprints!"
The Fifth Holy Grail War's Saber was a cunning warrior. In the Nasuverse, Saber's portrayal varied: Urobuchi's Artoria was a hesitant, unworthy king, while Nasu's was a ruthless dictator, sacrificing civilians for victory if needed.
Even as a dictator, Nasu's Saber pursued her original dream of the king's path.
In this Fifth Holy Grail War, Morpheus assumed he faced Nasu's Artoria. He doubted she'd adhere to knightly honor. If necessary, she'd kill a Master to end a fight.
But as Morpheus prepared for battle, a young man rushed out, calling to his Servant.
Having visited Shirou's house before, Morpheus recognized him.
The famous Shirou Emiya... let's call him Young Lord Emiya, since he couldn't become a hero in this world.
Seeing Shirou stop Artoria and look at Rin with surprise and confusion, Morpheus knew the fight was off.
"Master, step back. I'll deal with these enemies!" Artoria said, ready to strike again, but Shirou stopped her. "Wait!"
The situation hadn't escalated to Artoria charging recklessly, and Shirou hadn't used a Command Spell.
"This is a war. Do you have something to say?" Artoria asked. Morpheus sheathed his weapon.
"Put your weapon away, Saber. I'm not fighting you yet. Your Master's clearly clueless. Shouldn't you explain the situation to him first?"
Artoria didn't lower her weapon, smiling faintly. "Sheathing my weapon would be foolish, Archer. Once I deal with you, I can explain to my Master."
"As a warrior, prioritizing threats makes sense, but if fighting is your only solution, ignoring potential risks, your fate is inevitable."
Artoria's expression shifted, sensing Morpheus had seen through her identity!
But recalling her actions, she was sure she hadn't revealed anything.
"Hiding your weapon with wind doesn't conceal your identity. I'm showing goodwill. If I wanted to fight, knowing your secrets, I could kill you instantly. This isn't a lie, so lower your weapon. You have no pawns to sacrifice now."
Artoria didn't comply. Shirou spoke up. "Lower your weapon, Saber. Let me figure out what's going on."
With that, Artoria finally sheathed her weapon. Rin glanced at Morpheus.
"Of course, he saw through her identity too, and clearly hit a nerve, or she wouldn't react like that… But a Saber, summoned by an amateur!"
Rin thought, maintaining her noble composure outwardly, smiling at Shirou. "Good evening, Emiya. So, you're an amateur, aren't you?"
***
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