Chapter 321 - 1

Chapter 1: A Case of Identity

"To be a magus is to walk with death."

Years ago, his father had told him that, and Shirou thought he understood what he meant. It was only now that he understood the weight of those words. The Holy Grail War had returned to Fuyuki—the same ritual where his father's wish had un leashed death upon the city.

Shirou tried to enter the war, but the summoning failed, leaving him a powerless fool in a war of leg ends. He is sur rounded on all sides by those who would harm others. They wear the faces of friends—or, worse, call him brother.

Yet he will fight—for the promise that he made to his father…

But he will come to learn one terrible truth:

No monster is more dangerous than the one who believes that they are the hero.

Welcome to Fate/Masquerade, a total reimagining of Fate/Stay Night to tell an original Grail War story that is different from most others. The typical Grail War format is for the whole thing to take about two weeks, end in the Grail getting destroyed, and be centered around action. That is not what I will be doing with this work.

This story is going to very slow paced, and the conflict will primarily come through verbal spars rather than actual combat. There will be combat, but controlling information is more important this time.

Shirou is nominally the main character of this work, but he's still not going to be the only focus. Most masters will have at least some scenes from their perspectives and like a number of them will be regularly shown. Some servants probably will as well, but theoretically undecided on that. Perspectives will rotate each scene as I try to flesh out the entirety of the war and not fall into the common trap of dehumanizing enemy servant/masters to justify defeating them.

This is designed to be consumable while entirely fandom blind, so while this does borrow from somewhat large parts of all of the Fate/Stay Night trilogy, Fate/Grand Order, Fate/Prototype, Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Strange Fake, Lord El-Melloi, Tsukihime Re, Mahoyo, and Prisma Illya; every single thing you do not understand from having not read one or all of those works should be explained in time if you are patient. There are some spoilers for portions of those stories though, so fair warning, I guess.

This story will be very long and slow paced- like there's a chance it's a million words at completion. Consider this your warning.

I doubt the bots will see this that are spamming my DMs offering to make paid comics or whatever of this, but figured it's worth a try. I am not remotely interested in commissioning any artwork, comics, or anything of the sort. Please stop offering.

June 21st, 2004

"I thought I would find you here."

She didn't bother to turn around. She would know that voice anywhere. "I hoped that I wouldn't."

"Your concern for me is touching." She puffed out a cloud of smoke as she came to stand alongside her, overlooking the city.

"I mean it," she insisted.

"You're acting like I'm going to drop dead on the spot."

'You could!" She shouted back.

"So could you," her rival pointed out. "You're even less human than I am, Aoko."

"I'm a Magician," Aoko grumbled. "I wouldn't stay dead."'

"Then neither would I," she replied as if it was that simple.

"Your puppets aren't True Magic," Aoko reminded her.

"Funny you mention that," she smirked. "I recently met someone who believed that my puppets were only possible because I had reached the third magic. Who knows, maybe I have."

"You reached Magic ten years ago and didn't tell me?" Aoko laughed. "As if. You would have been gloating about it the minute you did."

"I'm not you," she scoffed, flicking the butt of her cigarette aside. "Not everyone wishes to wield magic."

"You tried to murder me because I was the one chosen," Aoko reminded her.

"And then I saw how useless your magic was and decided I was better off without."

"My Magic is not useless!" Aoko snapped.

"Your magic is only good for blowing things up. The entire planet included," the puppetmaker deadpanned. "Pass."

Grrrrr.

"Have you gone yet?" Her sister asked suddenly. "To the city, that is?"

"Of course," Aoko grinned.

"And?"

"It was strange. I knew what the effect was supposed to be– but I assumed that as a Magician I would be immune… but I wasn't. I couldn't use my Magic at all while in the city. I couldn't even feel it"

"Heh," a giggle slipped out. "I'm glad that something could finally remind you of what it's like to be a human."

"Shut up, Touko." Aoko grumbled, her face glowing crimson.

"I'm not surprised," Touko confessed. "Fuyuki might as well exist in a different dimension entirely now, one disconnected from our texture and as such it imposes its own rules."

"I've read the reports as well," Aoko pointed out. "You don't have to repeat them for me. The Holy Grail War ended in the greatest disaster since the decline of mystery, the outlawing of all subcategory Holy Grail Wars, bla bla bla."

"Those kids are incredibly lucky that they escaped a sealing designation."

"Eh?" Aoko raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that those kids are the only reason that our society still exists today. That if it wasn't for the quick thinking of Tohsaka, the disaster would have been world wide."

"You're half right," Touko replied cryptically as she lit another cigarette.

"Care to elaborate?" Aoko prodded.

"Travel back in time and check what happened for yourself," Touko replied dismissively. "Actually, don't, I forgot who I was talking to. You are hard headed enough to do exactly that, even if it destroys the world in the process."

"I'm not that bad."

"You quite literally have accelerated the eventual heat death of the universe."

Aoko flushed. "So uh… what brings you here to Japan? I thought you were in America now."

Touko looked at her like she was stupid. "Aside from the obvious? I have a client around here who I'm doing some more work for. I'll leave again once I'm done."

"That means that you recently got paid… Mind if I borrow some money then?" Aoko pleaded. "Being a homeless Magician doesn't exactly pay well."

"I decided to take a page from your book and try charity work," Touko revealed. "It's far more trouble than it's worth."

"Charity? You?" Aoko laughed.

"Academic interest if you prefer," Touko shrugged. "That was what dragged me here in the first place." She took a whiff of her cigarette. "Speaking of, I should probably get back to work. Being asked to do the impossible is time consuming."

"Not really," Aoko smirked. "And as the only one here who has done something impossible, I think I'm the only one qualified to decide that."

"Magic, that's all the world is to you, huh?" Touko scoffed. "Enjoy Fuyuki. It would do you some good to spend a few years here." She turned around and headed down the hill away from her sister.

"Touko!" Aoko called after her. "Don't go into the city."

"Your concern is touching."

"I mean it," Aoko repeated. "You will die if you go there. Your puppets won't be able to save you– not if even the Fifth is inaccessible."

Touko pulled her glasses off and tucked them into the pocket of her jacket. "Hehe," she laughed. "Shows what you know little sister." She turned back to face her, her expression twisted into a sneer. "I was in Fuyuki visiting a former client when the second great disaster occurred."

January 20th, 2004

Rin stared impatiently at the clock on the wall, willing it to hurry up and strike 1:58. She had been standing here for twenty minutes, waiting for the appointed time to conduct the summoning. And she still had another thirty seconds left. Soon, she would have Saber and the grail would be as good as hers.

Rin tapped her foot against the floorboards. Everything was already prepared to perfection. The gemstones filled to the appropriate proportion, and engravings in the ground for her summoning circle, her pendant from her father looped around her neck. The only thing she was missing was a catalyst.

She had hoped that her father would have left her something. A tattered cape belonging to Sir Gawain, a bone from Yagyu Tajima-no-kami Munenori, or perhaps an ancient painting of Nero Claudius. Something to ensure that she got one of the more powerful Saber's and bolster her chances at victory.

But all he had left for her was this pendant. As far as trump card's went, it was hard to top it. Her father had poured years into it, what would be the equivalent of ten years of magical energy, was stored in ruby around her neck. It would be enough for her to cast spells throughout the Grail War, almost frivolously. Or she could do it for something huge. One great surprise attack that could even injure a servant.

Rin might have preferred a catalyst to guarantee she got someone like Heracles or Miyamoto Musashi, but this was the next best thing. And she was Rin Tohsaka. She could win with even the most useless servant– not that she would get anyone useless. A compatibility summon would choose a servant suited to her, and only the most powerful servant could possibly be suited to her. She wasn't at all nervous… definitely.

"Shit," Rin glanced up at the clock and cursed. She had got distracted and it was now 2:00. "I screwed up…" Her magical energy was at its peak at exactly 2:00 in the morning. She couldn't have missed that time– even the slightest disruption had a chance of influencing her summoning. She needed to finish the summoning at that exact minute for the ritual to be effective.

But she couldn't wait… Kirei had said that the other Masters were already summoning their servants and that she couldn't wait any longer… If she were to wait… would she lose her spot? Would she miss out on the chance to save Saber? Would she let down her father? Would it all be for nothing?

The clock ticked again, the minute hand moving to show it was now 2:01. She didn't have the time to decide. It was now or never.

"Screw it," Rin hissed as she stepped forward to the outer edge of the engraved pattern. She was getting Saber tonight. "For the elements, silver, and iron. For the foundation, stone, and the Archduke of Pacts. For the ancestor, my great master, Schweinorg."

The ground began to glow as she chanted, the ritual beginning. It was too late to change her mind now, no matter how poor of a decision it might wind up being. "Raise a wall for the wind that shall fall. Close the gates of the four directions. Come forth from the Crown and follow the forked road leading to the Kingdom."

Rin took a deep breath. Her magic circle was not one drawn with blood as was customary for the Grail War. It was one drawn out of the magecraft of the Tohsaka family. Melted Gemstones poured from her fist into the pattern on the ground. Half of her collection just to do this one ritual– to guarantee the most powerful servant and ensure her victory. If she messed this up, she would not get a second chance.

"Fill. Close. Fill. Close. Fill. Close. Fill. Close. Fill. Close." Rin let the molten lapis fill the circle, and it flared to life in response. Then she reached out and destroyed the circle before filling it again with a diamond. And then destroyed that one. She repeated the process five times with a different gem each time, cycling through emerald, ruby, and then finally sapphire.

"Anfang," Rin barked out. There was no time to wait. Her magic circuits flared to life in response. Her body burned up from the inside out as magical energy flooded her body. The girl who was Rin Tohsaka fading away and becoming just another Tohsaka in service of the Mystics.

She was being filled as the circle turned the ambient mana in the year into prana inside of her, all to empower the summoning. Everything was so hot. Knives weaved in and out of her skin in discordant rhythm. Electric shocks made her weak in the knees. Her hands chaffed as if he she was in a blizzard.

That was the cost of magecraft. Pain.

No matter how talented a mage was, they were not meant to access mysteries. Not the way they did at least. They were human. Their body could not handle the influx of prana, it could not shape itself into the circuit needed to complete the connection between ethereal and material.

That's not to say that it was always this bad. Normally, it felt like just an unpleasant prickle. Think of it like exercise. When a mage was first starting, even just opening their circuits caused pain that no regular person would ever experience. But once they learned not to retreat from that, their body morphed. It become attuned to being a conduit for the supernatural.

Then when a mage finally became used to the cost of opening their circuits, they tried to use magecraft. And the pain would return, as horrible as ever. Then when they mastered that basic craft, they would move to something more complicated that had a higher cost. And more pain. It was like exercising a muscle, as soon as you reached a level of comfort, you would push the envelope and do something higher than that and suffer again.

Conducting a summoning did not compare to just escalating weights though. It was closer to asking a toddler to run a marathon. Their body was simply not capable of it, and forcing them to– would cause them agony beyond measure. This was worse. A human was not meant to wield the Third Magic, even in this limited form. Their body was not attuned to Mystics that surpassed even human understanding, rather than simply following a formula like traditional magecraft. And so her body rebelled. Painfully. Very painfully.

Rin bit her lip hard enough to draw blood as her left arm was bludgeoned. The magic crest in her bicep, flaring to life, and autonomously casting on its own to aid her. Her blood surged, scorching every nerve like molten glass.

But Rin was calm, pain was just pain. It didn't need to impair her ability to think. She had learned that from her father when she was still young. She just had to stay focused on what she needed to do. The power flooded her body completely. "H…Heed my words." Rin intoned as the ritual truly began, the summoning of a servant. Saber. 

"My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny." Her hand pointed down towards the magic circle and she let the mana flow, pouring it into the circle. "If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason, then answer me!"

The magical circle rose off of the ground surrounding her, and spun in a flurry of motion. Rin's vision faded away, as the world itself lost its focus. The mysteries taking place were too great for her eyes to begin to comprehend, so they just refused to acknowledge anything. "I hereby swear: I shall be all the good in the world."

"I shall defeat all evil in the world!" Rin's voice rose as she continued, her words shouted into the ether. "Seven Heavens clad in three great words of power, come forth from the circle of binding, Guardian of the Scales!"

Rin grinned as the energy poured out of her and the circle flared its final note. She could feel the tug on her circuits. On her soul itself. The command spells on the back of her palm, flared in response. That had worked better than she could have hoped! She just knew it. She knew that it was perfect. It didn't matter if she was using third rate materials, she had painted a masterpiece that even her father would be forced to admit was just that. She had no doubts. She had not just landed a Saber, but the most powerful of ones. Perhaps, even King Arthur.

Her vision returned to her. "Huh?"

The summoning circle was empty.

She blinked.

Still nothing.

Maybe her vision just wasn't working properly yet. It might take a minute longer to be able to see a servant. They had to be here, she was certain that it had worked. But there was nothing there… The room didn't look different at all.

"This isn't funny!" Rin called out, her voice cracking. "I know that you are there, Saber! I demand that you show yourself!" Her right hand burned under the command spell at the words. So dangerously close to a command. But her servant still didn't show themselves.

Maybe she should try using a command spell… they weren't here. All of that ether in the ritual, half of her collection… gone… and for nothing to materialize… She couldn't afford to do that again… She was so certain that it was perfect.

A boom echoed faintly in her ears. And then another.

Rin's eyes widened, that sound was coming from the parlor! Of course, her failed ritual would also backfire and destroy her home. That was just her luck today. "Why me!?" Rin commensurated for a moment, and then took off.

She raced up the stairs and nearly screamed. It was like a bomb had gone off. The door was broken, knocked off the hinges, hanging on by just a single bolt, and broken into splinters. There was no point in reaching for the doorknob. She just shoved on the door and it fell off.

The rest of the parlor was in an even worse state. It was like a tornado had ransacked her home. Everything was in tatters, the bookshelves toppled. Her table was flipped upside down, and her chair had splintered. She glanced up. There was a hole in her ceiling, the night stars twinkling overhead.

Normally Rin's response to the amount of disarray would have been to cry. To scream. To lament how much her wallet would be feeling the cost of such a horrible accident. But Rin did none of that. Instead she grinned at the destruction surrounding her.

For sitting in the one intact armchair, was an older man. His leg was folded over his knee as he leaned back. He was wearing a doublet with a dark overcoat and an undershirt of soft linen. His shoes were leather.

"So what are you?" Rin asked abruptly.

"That is a rather rude question to ask a stranger, young lady," the old man scolded her, his eyes glinting as he stroked his facial hair.

Rin grit her teeth. "It's not rude when you are my familiar," she muttered quietly. "I just needed to check. You are my servant, right?"

The old man in the chair laughed in response. "You must be a peculiar master to have summoned me. My class is Archer."

Rin's eye twitched. "Archer?"

"Is that a problem, miss?"

Rin scowled. "No." This was fine. She had apparently botched the summoning enough that Archer wound up in a different room and a bomb was set off in her home. Of course, she wouldn't get the servant she wanted. She would make do. Probably. 

Archer stood from the armchair and dusted some of the rubble off of his worn out cape. "I can assure you that I am more than capable of seeing this Grail War to completion, regardless of my class. Far more capable than any Saber, if you will allow me this boast."

"And who might you be that makes you so confident of that?" Rin crossed her arms over her chest. "Saber is the strongest class."

"Why would I want to be the strongest when I could be the smartest? A strong soldier doesn't win a war, but a brilliant captain who directs his subordinates does," Archer explained patiently.

"What subordinates do you think I have here? I am on my own in this Grail War. All you have to do is be able to win battles against the other servants. And you really do not look capable of that." It was an honest assessment. He was an old man, one without armor or weapons on his person. He looked athletic, but nowhere near the level she had heard about from Kirei or found in her readings. Her father had summoned an Archer. And he had died. Servants were meant to be on the level of Elementals… and that was not her servant. Not seemingly at least… He had to be one hell of a marksman with his bow.

"I have a subordinate," Archer smirked, his eyes roamed up and down her form, lingering on her curves. "You."

It took Rin a minute to process what he had just said. "I am not your subordinate!" Rin shouted back. "You are my servant!"

"I am one of the most brilliant men in the history of humanity. I have gotten royalty to eat out of the palm of my hand, and performed feats beyond what human's of my era believed was possible through my leadership and tactics. I outsmarted every opponent. What feats could you boast of that could possibly compare to mine, Master?" Despite the heat in Rin's voice, Archer was as calm as ever. Speaking softly, as if she were a child.

All it did was make Rin's anger boil. "So you are going to ignore everything I say and operate on your own? You're my servant, right?"

"You are my Master," Archer confirmed. "And my goal is to make sure that you are able to have your wish granted, whatever that may be. But I have determined that the most likely path to result in that outcome is to be the captain. I will draw up our battle plans, and I will be the one fighting. You will stay in hiding where you can not prove a liability to my operations."

"I am not a liability," Rin whispered. She was nearing a limit. "Is there no way that we can work together?"

"Only if you are willing to follow my every order without question, and trust that we want the same thing."

"Fine," Rin muttered. "So be it then."

Rin held up her hand in front of her, the back of her palm glowing. "Anfang. By my command spell– urmph!" Archer had closed the distance between them and slapped one hand over her mouth, her tongue pressing against the silk glove he wore. His other hand rested gently on the back of her head.

"I would advise you not to use that Command Spell, Master."

Rin glared at him.

"If you truly wish to use it, I will not stop you. But I will remind you that broad commands do not work. And you only get three strokes. Using one to force my obedience will not lead to me obeying you. It will be a waste, and cause whatever measure of respect I hold for a girl as foolhardy as you to plummet."

Rin bit down on his palm in defiance. He pulled his hand away and took a step back. "Don't ever do that again," Rin spat furiously. More with herself than anything. She had almost screwed up really badly… again .

"My apologies, Master. I simply thought it was best to save you from making such a catastrophic mistake. I am sure that you will not allow it to happen again."

His jab was not at all subtle. She needed to find a better way to get through to him and get him to obey her. She wasn't going to accept being sidelined. Her eyes narrowed at Archer. "You never actually answered my question about who you are."

"I am afraid that I can not disclose that information to you, Master."

"And why the hell not!?" Rin barked. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that you do not know your true name!"

"Oh, I assure you Master, I know exactly how incredible I am. No, I simply am not willing to tell you my true name," Archer gave her another damnable smirk.

Rin wanted to punch him. Or use a command spell to make him… No… She shouldn't waste those… He was right about that… "And why the hell not!?"

"It's simple Master."

"Enlighten me," Rin snarled.

"You are a liability. If you know my identity, the odds of the other Masters figuring it out increases tenfold."

"No it doesn't!" Rin argued back. "I'm not going to tell anyone!"

"You won't?" Archer drawled. "You are temperamental and have already tried to use a command spell completely irresponsibly. You have not shown that you have the intelligence to realize when you are being played. You have not shown the ability to make sane judgements. I do not worry that you will intentionally tell anyone who I am."

"But I do not trust your ability to measure your words. Let's say that I was the King Arthur you desperately wanted to summon, as preposterous as it sounds. If I were to share that information with you, there is so much dangerous language you could use that would give away my identity. If you were to let the term sacred sword slip even once– that would limit the pool of people I could be to the single digits. If you were perhaps to mention that I was unaging instead, one would only have to look at the form of a sixteen year old boy to limit the possible candidates even further. And I do think you would be the type to mutter under your breath about how unfair it is that I cannot get fat."

"I would not!" Rin sputtered in denial. She could see the sense in what he was saying. Yes, she maybe had a bad habit of waffling at times because of her genetics. No matter how perfect the preparation, something always went wrong. But she could be careful. She wouldn't let something that big slip.

"I cannot trust that, Master. I have determined that your service is not worth the risk of my identity being revealed too soon."

"What the hell is your problem with me?" Rin growled. She swallowed heavily. "Is it… is it because I am a woman?" It wasn't that unlikely that she had summoned a sexist servant. They were from the far off past, heroes sure, but a number of legends had women horribly mistreated. She hadn't expected it– the point of a compatibility summon was to get someone who actually worked with you, even if you had no control over who. A woman getting someone who hates women, should have been automatically filtered out… But she had messed up the ritual, and clearly her servant wasn't at all compatible with her.

"No Master," her servant was quick to deny. "I love women." Rin glared at him for that. "I have no problem with you specifically. My problem is simply the fact that trust must be earned, not given. I have no reason to believe you are capable. You have shown no more intelligence than a worm."

"I am certainly more intelligent than a worm, you geezer!"

"That is not what I was saying, Master, perhaps I phrased that poorly."

"You bet you did!" Rin spat, her hands tightened into fists at her sides. She was going to punch him.

"I would like to believe that you are more than the average human. More fit to be a captain than a slave. I would like to believe that you were chosen to be my Master by divine ordinance. Under ordinary conditions, it would be impossible for you to be anything but that… But you managed to bungle the summoning ritual. That opens up the possibility that you are somehow not truly a Master worthy of me, but one who managed to accidentally reach landfall."

"I am," Rin insisted. "But fine. How do I prove it to you? That I am more than worthy of being your Master. You are the one who is lucky to have me."

Archer laughed in response. "I admire your gumption, Master. Why don't we have ourselves a wager?"

Rin nodded hesitantly. This whole thing was ridiculous. She was being led in a circle by her servant who refused to listen to a thing she said… and clearly hated her. But she would play along… and prove him wrong.

"You want to know my true name so badly?" Archer asked, his steely eyes twinkling. "Fine then. Figure it out yourself. Do that, and I will acknowledge that you are a worthy Master."

"You want me to figure out your true name?" Rin asked, almost dazed. The idea was stupid. Any master worth their salt didn't need to do that. They knew their name before the servant was even summoned, or at worst the moment they were summoned. It was insulting to ask her to do so… It also wasn't anywhere near as bad as she expected him to demand.

"Your primary role in this war will be doing exactly that, if I were to accept your assistance," her servant never once lost that calm logical voice. "If you cannot do that much, then there is little value in having you participate alongside me in this war. You would be a liability. Consider it practice… Although if you think that discovery is beyond you, I suppose I can offer you a boon. You may ask me three questions, outside of directly asking about my identity, and I promise to answer honestly."

"Shove your questions up your ass," Rin grumbled without thinking about it. "I'll figure out your name on my own… by the end of the week." It was an insult to think she would need those to figure out something as basic as her servant's true name. She had maybe overpromised there though… There were a lot of options… And her Archer, as stupid as he was, was too smart to actually give it away that easily…

"Excellent," Archer smiled at her, but something about it still felt off. Sinister almost. "I look forward to you outing my identity, Master."

Rin clenched her teeth so hard that her jaw ached. She was going to punch him.

"It's about time you get to bed now, Master. 1:50 AM is far too late for a kid like you to be up."

"Don't patronize me– wait, 1:50?" Rin blanched. "It should be 2:50…"

"I have more than enough experience reading the night sky to tell you with the utmost confidence that it is 1:50 right now."

Right… her alarm had gone off an hour early that morning because the clocks had gotten messed up… She had forgotten to fix them. She facepalmed. "Stupid," Rin muttered. She had messed up the most important moment, the summoning of her Saber and got this stupid Archer instead… because she forgot to correct her clock.

Rin's luck really was the worst.

"Time to wake up Master," a fly buzzed in her ear. "You have school today." Rin flicked a hand out towards the source of the noise. She grumbled something incoherently and rolled over.

Rin buried her head into her pillow and sighed in contentment. It was so soft, so comforting. She never wanted to leave this bed… "Time to get up, Master." The fly nagged her as it buzzed around her ear. She felt something grip her shoulder, gently pressing just below the shoulder blade as it moved in circles.

Rin gasped involuntarily.

"I suggest you get up now, or else I might get bored and have my wicked way with you."

Sunlight managed to permeate Rin's eyelids and she groaned in pain. Then her vision cleared up, and she saw the face hovering far too close to hers. An old man, wearing a sinister smirk. She panicked.

Rin would deny it until her dying day, but she might have shrieked. Her forehead slammed into his as she rushed to sit up. He barely flinched, but she came away rubbing her forehead and groaning.

The events of last night came rushing back to her, the strange old man in her bedroom was in fact her servant, the aggravating Archer. "Good morning Master," he was far too chipper for how early it was.

"I'm going back to bed," Rin grumbled sleepily.

"Master, I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that," Archer apologized. "You must get up if you are going to school today."

Rin glanced over at the clock next to her bedside. "It's already eight, so I'll be late. I just won't go."

"It's actually seven Master, you forgot to correct your clocks last night," Archer chided her.

Rin's eye twitched.

… Right… The clocks were set incorrectly… and she had botched the summoning ritual. Getting this geezer instead of a Saber… Saber would let her sleep in. "I'm not going," Rin repeated stubbornly. "I'm too drained right now."

"The summoning is incredibly taxing," Archer agreed easily. "However, that is exactly why you must go to school."

"I can barely even keep my eyes open," Rin grumbled. "I might fall asleep in class. I'm going to sleep in until noon, and then I will show you Fuyuki. That is all we are doing today."

"Tell me Master, when was the last time you missed a day of school?"

"Never," Rin yawned. "So let me go back to bed."

Archer sighed. "That is precisely why you must go to school, Master."

"No it's not," Rin argued. "I've got more than enough goodwill saved up to skip a day once."

"If you were not a Master, but an ordinary girl, that would be true," Archer conceded. "Skipping a day would do no harm. However, you must consider how it appears to others if you were to skip now of all times."

"Huh," Rin's sleep-addled mind struggled to process what he was saying.

"How would it look if the usually perfect student were to miss a day? What could possibly be wrong?"

"I could be sick," Rin protested.

"You could, that is what most would assume. But what about another mage? A Master? If someone knows the Grail War is currently ongoing, and has summoned their own servant– they will know how strenuous it is on you. Your failure to show up to school would indicate to a perceptive Master that you summoned your servant last night."

"...And that I'm most vulnerable right now." Rin groaned in frustration. She wanted to deny that there would be another Master at school… but she knew that couldn't be the case. "So I'm a victim of my own reputation, how lovely." Why did her servant have to be so absurdly logical, it was like he was a detective or something.

"I'm afraid so, my Master."

"Great," Rin threw the covers aside and forced herself to her feet. She yawned again. "Fine, I'll go to school."

She trudged into the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. Surprisingly it was warm… The whole house was warm… Must've meant they were having an unusually warm day… That was a relief.

"Good morning, Master," Archer greeted her again from in front of her counter. "I made you coffee."

"Give," Rin grumbled, snatching the mug from his grip. She took a long drink and sighed at the bitter, but sweet taste. Somehow, her servant had known exactly how she liked it– three teaspoons of milk and a single sugar cube.

Once Rin was situated with her breakfast, and a second cup of coffee, Archer sat down across from her at the table. "Let me ask you something, Master. How valuable is attending school to you?"

"What?" Rin asked, bewildered by the sudden question. "You already made me get up this early, and now–"

"You are going today," Archer repeated. "But in the future, it could be useful to skip, or even drop out."

"I'm not dropping out!" Rin shouted automatically.

"I suppose that answers that question… Then that raises a new one. How safe do you think your school is?"

"Safe?" Rin answered hesitantly. "No master is going to attack a school." This felt like a trick question.

"Just because you would not, does not mean that no master is that callous," Archer chided her. "It's a very valid concern."

"I'm going to school," Rin insisted again. "I'm not dropping out just to be slightly safer."

"That is not what I was suggesting, Master. I am merely pointing out that it is a risk. At school you will not have me there to protect you. There is no easy solution there."

" If I run into trouble," Rin made sure to put emphasis on how stupid this whole hypothetical was. "Then I will use a command spell to call you to me."

"That could work," Archer conceded. "However, what happens in two weeks when you've already used all of your command spells, and enemy master's know your identity. Will you drop out then or give yourself up like a lamb led to the slaughter?"

"I'll figure it out when I get there," Rin growled. "Not that I'll let that happen…"

"You have to prepare for every possibility if you want to win, Master."

"Do you have a better idea? You're not exactly inconspicuous."

"I do," Archer confirmed. "But I want to see what you think first."

Rin grit her teeth. "I thought you said you weren't going to let me lead until I figured out your true name. That my job was to sit on the sidelines, and cheer you on," she snarled bitterly.

"I did and it is," Archer nodded. "I am not going to listen to your decision, regardless of what you decide. I am merely trying to evaluate your competence. Having the deductive capability to solve my true name says nothing of your competence as a navigator. I need to know how much of our course, I must charter myself."

"Of course," Rin sighed. "Fine, I'll play your stupid game."

"This is to your benefit, Master," her servant was audacious. "The more you speak with me, the more likely you are to hear something that hints at my true name."

"I don't know," Rin groaned. "You could apply to be a janitor or something at the school. That way you would always be nearby?"

"I would like to think that I would make a much better Professor."

Rin wanted to laugh at the thought. Her aggravating Archer, dressed up in a suit like Kuzuki, droning onto students about… something. "What subject would you even teach?"

Archer didn't hesitate to reply. "Mathematics. Or Geography. I consider myself an expert on both. History as well. Possibly philosophy too."

Hook, line, and sinker. Her servant wasn't as smart as he thought. That had to mean something. Maybe her servant was some famous mathematician. Maybe Euclid or Archimedes? Or a geographer… Ptolemy! Not the mathematician, but the warrior. The historian. The man who traveled all over with Alexander and then more after. He fit all four of them, and was famous for being so analytical as a Pharaoh… A Pharaoh, general and a warrior… And a legend of proper acclaim to be summoned by Rin.

"Is that your answer?" Archer asked, bringing Rin out of her musings. "That I should become staff at the school and protect you by hiding myself in plain sight?"

"Yes?" Rin was a bit distracted, her thoughts more focused on the identity of her servant than the question he had initially asked.

"It's a passable solution," Archer admitted. Then he smirked. "However, there are a number of potential problems that could arise from following that path. Would you care to guess at what they could be, Master?"

"No," Rin scowled.

Archer frowned slightly. "I will explain them to you then. Let's say that I become a teacher at your school suddenly, in the middle of a Grail War. On its own, that is not suspicious. New teachers during the school year are uncommon, but not impossible. If I were to keep my distance from you while at school, no one would have any reason to assume that I am your servant."

"However, a problem would arise outside of the school," Archer continued. "If I were to be spotted with you, by anyone from your school, mage or no, it would spread like wildfire. The honor student went on a date with their much older teacher!?"

Rin's cheeks flushed in spite of herself at the disgusting insinuation. Her classmates were like that… huh.

"Any Master who heard that Rin Tohsaka was spotted on a date with her teacher would immediately realize the connection between the two. That I am your servant. And that puts us in between a rock and a hard place. Is it more valuable to ensure your protection at school, or to ensure the fact that I am your servant remains a secret?"

Rin wanted to deny the possibility that any Master would overhear silly school rumors… but she knew there would be at least one other Master from her school. A purple-haired girl with eyes the same color. One who always wore a bow in her hair. She would know… And she was an enemy… "So I just have to trust that I will be safe at school."

"That is an option."

"But not the correct one?" Rin filled in.

"I will leave that to you to determine," Archer smirked at her. "Think of it as homework, I have already taken the necessary steps regardless."

"...Without waiting for my input."

"I am the Captain, Master," her damnable servant reminded her. She was really going to punch him one of these times.

Rin stood up from the table and took her dishes to the sink. "I need to get going. I don't want to be late to school."

"You'll want to cover your Command Spell first," her servant called after her.

Rin looked down at the three pulsing red marks on the back of her right hand. "I'll be fine," she denied. She hadn't bothered covering them for the last few weeks when they were already present.

"It would be suspicious to only start covering them now." She was a Tohsaka anyways, the only one at that. It was to be expected that she was a Master. There was no hiding that fact.

"Perhaps," Archer conceded. "Wearing a glove is no less conspicuous than having the command spell on the back of your hand. If you had thought of it immediately, you would have used makeup to cover up the marks and make your skin look unblemished. Cause Masters to doubt if you are one, after all. But you missed the window for that."

Internally Tohsaka winced but she didn't show it. She crossed her arms over chest. "So there's no problem then? I can go now?"

"However, the point of a glove isn't to hide that you are a Master," Archer continued as if she hadn't said anything. "The point is to stop yourself from giving away unnecessary information. You have three Command Spells right now."

"Anyone who sees you, can in fact see that you have three command spells, without anything but a glance. But let's say you were successful in using one last night." Rin flinched at the reminder of how badly she had nearly screwed up. "Then every person who saw you would immediately be able to understand that you had used a Command Spell. And they would be able to see when you only have one left, or even zero, and would be more hesitant to use it. You want to conceal all information that you are not required to share."

Rin blanched at the thought. The idea of broadcasting her incompetence to everyone… "Fine, I'll wear the stupid glove."

Archer smiled triumphantly at her. "Have a wonderful day at school, Master. Don't hesitate to summon me if you run into any danger."

Arrogant bastard.

Rin was soaking wet and freezing cold. Rain plastered her hair to her cheeks and soaked through her boots, every step squelching against the pavement. This was the worst. Her house was going to be flooded. Why did it have to rain today of all days? Her roof had a fucking hole in it. She wasn't even sure why she was running; it wasn't going to be much dryer or warmer inside. She cradled the book tighter against her chest, the pages already starting to curl from the damp. Right, that was why.

She had stopped at the library on her way home, and not just to get out of the cold. She had wanted to check out a few history books, as well as a few on Ptolemy in order to try to discover her servant's identity. So here she was, running from the library to a waterlogged house, while lugging a dozen textbooks on her back.

She threw the door open and stumbled inside, dragging a trail of muddy water behind her. The door slammed shut with a hollow clap, and Rin sagged against it, her eyes fluttering closed as the toasty warmth of the room eased the ache in her frozen fingers.

Wait… it was warm…?

Rin opened her eyes, and took in her parlor. It looked entirely foreign to her. The bookshelves were upright, even if the books on them were a bit out of order. She had a new set of chairs, wooden with a royal purple cushion to replace the cheap one that broke yesterday. The table had been flipped over, and the door was even back in place guarding the entrance to her workshop in the basement.

She glanced up and gaped. The hole in the ceiling had even been repaired. If Rin didn't know better, she would say that it had never been damaged in the first place.

"Welcome home, Master," Archer greeted her by the door. He had changed into a new outfit, a suit really. He was wearing a black button up, with a black vest and black slacks. Under the vest was a blue tie. He looked younger in it, even if his age was still betrayed by how thin his hair was.

Rin stared at him in disbelief. "Are you some Heroic Spirit of cleaning or something!?" This was beyond her wildest imaginations. She had expected to be paying out of her nose to repair the damages… and for it to take a lot longer… But he had repaired all of it… While she was at school. Maybe, she hadn't failed the summoning, this was incredible.

Archer chuckled good naturedly. "Your words flatter me, but I did not do this. I merely hired someone else to repair the place."

Rin's mood deflated like a balloon that had been popped. Instantly. "Oh… How much did it cost then?"

"Do not concern yourself with it, Master."

"Of course, I'm going to be concerned! It's my money you spent! So tell me how much it was!" Rin rounded on her servant.

"I did not use your money, Master. I paid for it myself."

Rin stared at him like he had grown a second head. "What money? I didn't think servants were summoned with their wallets."

"I was not so fortunate," Archer confirmed. "I merely managed to procure funds myself."

Immediately, the image of her servant with his sinister smirk plucking a wallet out of a kind old ladies purse as he walked by popped into her mind. Her stomach sank. It felt like something he would do. But… would Ptolemy do something like that? What hero would? Maybe he had done something else to get the money… Something legal… Like uh… babysitting…

"Well thanks… but next time still ask before you act," Rin decided. She couldn't change what had happened, certainly couldn't return what they had already spent.

"I will not be doing that Master," Archer reminded her. "As I have already told you, until you manage to figure out my true name, I will not be taking your opinion into account in regards to my strategy."

Rin grit her teeth. "It's my house, it has nothing to do with strategy."

"It's our stronghold for the duration of the war. Its defenses are entirely part of my strategy. So I will not be consulting you, even if I decide that I want to tear down the west wing or build a golden statue of me in your foyer."

"You will," Rin growled lowly. "I'm going to find out your true name tonight," Rin promised. "Then you will obey all of my commands."

Archer smiled patronizingly in reply. "So soon? You truly would be impressive, Master. I look forward to the moment." She was going to punch him.

Rin snarled and stalked off toward the table, rainwater still dripping steadily from her hair onto the floorboards. She wasn't even bothering with dinner. She was going to prove that smug bastard wrong and solve it right now. She was so close. She just had to confirm that it was Ptolemy with her reading. Then she would wipe that smug smirk right off of his face. She flipped open the first book—a heavy tome on the Conquest of Alexander the Great and its aftermath.

Rin inhaled sharply as she found the holy grail– metaphorically, that was. A painting of Ptolemy. They both had hair. They both had facial hair. That was about where the similarities ended. Maybe their noses were the same shape? The artist had made his eyes a somewhat dull gray if she squinted hard enough?

She looked over at her servant, playing solitaire on the other side of the table and let out a pained groan. Her head crashed into the book. She couldn't make them the same, he wasn't Ptolemy. She was back to square one.

"What seems to be the matter, Master?" Her servant was far too attentive to miss her distress. He swept up the cards and began to deal again.

Rin ignored him and turned the page, maybe it was another one of Alexander's attendants that she hadn't seen yet.

"I would advise you not to consider physical appearance when trying to find my true name."

Rin's head shot up, her eyes meeting his. "Why not?"

"Heroic Spirits are formed by the will of humanity, and the summoner. They are formed based on how humans remember them, not how they were. I remember myself looking this way in life, but that does not mean that my memories are accurate. I suspect that they are not."

"But…" Rin paused, trying to find the words. "If you remember yourself that way, then you are that way? Why would you suspect that it's not you that you are remembering?"

Archer pursed his lips and leaned forward. "Think about it this way. If my Noble Phantasm, my memories and even how much power I possess are based on the perception of humans, then why wouldn't my body be the same? Japanese Heroic Spirits are more powerful here in Japan because the collective knowledge of their legends is higher. A Heroic Spirit like me from the outside, is weaker here than I would be in my own country. Belief defines our form. And our physical form is a part of that. Part of my spirit origin is impossible to have existed when I was alive. I have no memories of my youth. So why exactly would I trust my memories of the times I can remember?"

"I can see that you aren't convinced, so let me use one of the most extreme examples. Nero Claudius when they were alive was the Emperor of Rome. They were a human male, who ruled Britain for fourteen years. They fought for the smallfolk, and acted cruelly for the sake of the less fortunate. That is not how history remembers them. History remembers them as a monster, cruel because they enjoyed it. They remember Nero as the beast of Revelations, the Whore of Babylon. That is the consensus image of Nero."

"More people know of Nero's legend as the whore portrayed in the Bible than of the historical fact. If Nero were to be summoned today, they would likely be a mixture of the two, and take the form of a woman. That is why you should not rely on such details as physical appearance to identify a servant's identity." Archer looked down at the cards and frowned, just one card short of winning his game... but stuck.

"If an explorer was adopted as an icon of white culture, his skin tone in life wouldn't matter, he would be summoned as a white man. Someone like Vlad Tepes, regardless of his origin, would have the fictitious Dracula embedded into his identity. Leonardo Da Vinci is known as the Mona Lisa, so they might be summoned with it as a self portrait. A Heroic Spirit might even have another person with the same name who the ordinary person doesn't realize is different mixed into their spirit origin. That is how Heroic Spirits work, as an extension of the Akashic records, and those are scribed by humanity's perception."

"So I should discount appearance entirely?" Rin asked anxiously.

"Hardly," Archer dismissed her concern as he dealt out a new game of solitaire. "You want to pay very keen attention to physical details. Age matters. Servants are summoned in their prime, so when someone is as spry as I am, it indicates something about when I made my greatest accomplishments. There are exceptions to this though. Some heroic spirits are famous for their youth and adulthood separately, so they will be split into two containers. Just because I'm old, doesn't mean I wasn't in my prime in my youth. It just means that I also achieved a prime when I was older."

Rin clicked her tongue. That specific clarification was another point in favor of Ptolemy. All of them were. He had mentioned Nero, a Roman emperor. He had mentioned that another person with the same name could be mixed into his spirit origin– and there was a more famous Ptolemy, the genius mathematician and Astrologer. He was even possibly a descendant of this Ptolemy.

And while Ptolemy was famous for his youth and old age for different reasons, both were enough to make him a Heroic Spirit. This version was just the old Ptolemy, but that was fine. She has still figured it out. There was no other reason for him to mention the possibility of a heroic spirit being split into two spirit origins when they had multiple primes, unless he knew he was an example of that… and he had no memory of his youth. That was another point in favor of him being split.

"I know your true name!" Rin declared triumphantly.

Her servant raised an eyebrow. "Already? Do share then."

"You are Ptolemy I Soter. The successor to Alexander the Great, and the first Pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Kingdom."

Archer was stunned by how quickly she figured it out, his eyes widening slightly with every word. "And tell me, how did you figure it out?" His voice was sharp, defensive almost. She really had done it.

Rin grinned as she replied. "It was easy. You told me that you were qualified to teach math, geography, history, and philosophy. All subjects that Ptolemy has strong ties to."

"I see… what else?"

"Your explanation, just there. How you chimed in about how servant's don't have to look the same when I was about to move past your portrait. You referenced Nero, a Roman heroic spirit. You mentioned that a different Ptolemy could be mixed into your spirit origin. And that a Heroic Spirit with two primes might be split into two different servants. Ptolemy had multiple."

"Is that all?"

Rin squirmed at his tone, despite her confidence that she was right. "You're uh smart? You are very confident in your ability as a general as well. Those both apply to Ptolemy…"

Her servant grimaced. "I do not think you could have possibly disappointed me more than that, Master."

Rin's heart sank into her stomach. All confidence that she had oozed out of her pores.

"That was not even a theory, but a mere whimsy. You had no evidence whatsoever in your claim, Master. You had a thought that fit one thing, and extrapolated on it to an unreasonable degree. You selectively chose which things I said you wanted to pay attention to, and let yourself be guided by confirmation bias. Such an assumption will get you killed."

"It won't–" Rin tried to protest, her voice failing her. "I have evidence…"

"Imagine for a second that I was a servant with a more convenient weakness than Ptolemy I Soter. Let's say Achilles, so you can extrapolate on an imagined connection to Rome. You build your entire battle strategy around piercing his ankle to surpass his immortality. Only to find that when your arrow pierces his ankle, it's like being bitten by a flea. For this was actually Heracles. You would die for that mistake. It holds true for every servant, but especially for that one."

"I will tell you this just once. Until a theory is the only possible conclusion, do not voice it. Do not act on an unsubstantiated idea, or even a substantiated one, unless every single point of evidence points towards it being correct. Anything else will lead to your defeat."

Rin's shoulders dropped as she hung her head in shame. She had been overly zealous, hadn't she? Jumping the gun on half baked evidence that proved nothing… But what was she supposed to do?

"You paid attention to all of the wrong things, Master," Her servant scolded her. "Every word out of my mouth has been a hint. Every servant is summoned with the ability to speak perfectly fluently in every language without a hint of an accent. That is not a hint. But the speech pattern is. Someone who is illiterate will still choose simpler words when speaking and use more fragmented sentences. A priest will use flowery language to evoke strong emotions. Someone might choose to use the word captain instead of commander. All of those are hints towards a servant's true identity. Pay attention to all of them because everything is a clue."

"A servant's outfit when they are in combat, will almost always be a clue. We can change into modern clothes as I have to conceal details and identity, but in combat, we will almost always be at our strongest in our base outfit. That is the one I was wearing when I was summoned, for reference. Those outfits will not be entirely accurate– but they will be based around how humanity would envision us looking in the modern age. Generally, something popular in the culture of their origin that humans think of as old or the style of the time. But there will be impossible anachronisms at times."

"The subjects I could teach are a hint, yes, but that hint could apply to hundreds of Heroic Spirits beyond Ptolemy. That is also one of the least useful hints I have given to you. Who I use as examples when explaining the laws of the world are not. I am trying to ensure you have a complete understanding, so you do not get us both killed and cause the Grail to go unclaimed. Pay attention to everything, and use context clues. With anyone but me, you will not have the opportunity for this much conversation. You have to be able to get a lot from very little in order to seize the advantage."

"I have no qualms in admitting that with this spirit origin, I am not the most capable servant in combat. I was never one for the frontlines when I was alive, but controlled my crew from the shadows. We will not win by punching them until even a god would bleed. The way we will guarantee victory is through controlling information, and flawless navigation. By letting our enemies fall into traps. That requires you to be able to deduce identities, at bare minimum, or else there is no purpose in your presence."

"I will give you one final chance to identify my name, and prove that you are capable of learning to contribute. If you fail, I will not give you another. Do not present any of your theories until you are certain of my name."

Rin nodded stiffly. She wouldn't fail again.

His words…. Captain instead of commander… He had been using captain the whole time, wasn't he? And words like navigator? Was he a Pirate then? Francis Drake maybe?

Rin shook herself. No, she wasn't doing that again. No guesses to names, until she had more to work with. No half-baked theories, just evidence. Make a guess once she eliminated every impossible option.

"Good," Archer spoke up, his voice gruff. "You're dismissed."

Rin gathered her things and headed up the stairs to her room. It wasn't until she was halfway up the staircase that she let out a squawk. That was her kitchen she had just been kicked out of!

Damn Archer. One of these days, she really was going to punch him in the jaw.

"Archer," Rin spoke up softly from across the table. "I want to use one of my questions."

She had sworn that she wouldn't use one at all, that she could figure out his name on her own… But she couldn't. She had to accept that… or she would fail again . And this time, that would be it for her… She would be made a spectator in this war, a guest in her own home. Her pride wasn't worth that.

"Of course, Master, although if your question is too pointed, I reserve the right to decline to answer that one." Archer's smirk made it clear just how much he was reveling in her submission.

"What country are you from?"

"You already know I'm not answering that," Archer replied without a moment of pause. "Try again."

"Come on," Rin argued. "You know that it's not going to give anything away, there are hundreds of legendary figures in most cultures."

"That is unless I say something like Iceland where the amount of non-divine legends capable of rising to Heroic Spirits would mean your question is a coinflip. And if you factor in even the word Captain, that list even for a place with as much history of Japan is down to at most ten."

Rin sighed. "Worth a try."

"Do you have an actual question, Master? Think carefully about it."

She had. Every thought lately had been consumed by her irksome servant. Captain. Navigator. Charter. Landfall. Voyage. All words that she had noticed slipping into his dialect after she started looking for it. It was obvious that he was famous for something at sea. Likely a Pirate or something.

The problem was that none of the possible names actually fit. Francis Drake existed in an era of guns and would be a much more logical fit in the Rider class than Archer. Rin couldn't see how they would qualify. She could eliminate Blackbeard for the same reason, along with how literate Archer was. Bartholomew Roberts died too young to be as old as her servant who was easily into his 40s.

She had narrowed it down to a list of three possible candidates who might fit the Archer class and were qualified to be Archers. Leif Erikson was Viking from the right time period for the bow. He had settled both Greenland and the Americas, an eon before Columbus reached the West. But Rin had a hard time picturing her servant as a Viking, even if she couldn't completely dismiss the possibility on that vibe alone.

The next choice was Eustace the Monk, a french pirate who was infamous for the use of his crossbow and his black magic. He also lacked any of the acclaim of better known Pirates. He was a footnote in history with almost no legend to speak of. The odds of him becoming a heroic spirit weren't zero… But it wasn't a servant that Rin was willing to accept her Archer being. If she had summoned someone so useless and let them run circles around her she would never be able to live it down.

Her preferred — and most likely — candidate was Odysseus. The brilliant Captain and general in the Trojan War. The one who was infamous for being a voice of reason with excellent self-restraint and diplomatic skills. The one villainized by Rome for his cunning. If that didn't describe her servant perfectly… Rin didn't know what did.

Odysseus even had a bow, using it to win the hand of Penelope after 20 years apart from his wife. He was even most famous for the Odyssey where he spent most of it in old age, so that would also fit the description. But there was still a hole in that identity.

His outfit. That was not Greek in the slightest. It was too modern, more akin to what she would expect from a pirate or explorer than the hero from the Age of Gods. And Archer said that was supposed to be a hint… Would modern humans ever envision Odysseus dressed as a noble from the Middle Ages? She doubted it.

Until a theory is the only possible conclusion, do not voice it. Do not act on an unsubstantiated idea, or even a substantiated one, unless every single point of evidence points towards it being correct. Anything else will lead to your defeat. 

If she were to heed the advice of Archer, then she couldn't possibly believe it was Odysseus, not yet at least. So she knew exactly what she wanted to ask: "Why are you an Archer?"

Archer leaned back, a slight smile flitting across his face. "That is an interesting question, Master."

"So you'll answer it?" She wasn't going to get stuck in the same echo chamber again like she had with Ptolemy. She needed real evidence this time.

"The truth is I shouldn't be an Archer," Archer confessed. "I have never once shot a bow. The Archer class isn't about that. Think of it as more of the projectile weapon class." He pulled out a pistol and laid it on the table. It was silver with a narrow barrel. "This is why I was able to be shoved into this container."

"There is another class that I would fit better in, but I was forced into the role of an Archer because of how you summoned me. As an Archer, I can not access every part of my legend. My Archer spirit origin is undoubtedly weaker than in another class."

Rin's heart sank at his words. Guns were allowed? Her list had just ballooned a hundredfold. She hadn't narrowed anything. She was back at the starting line.

Now Jason was just as possible as Odysseus as a fellow captain from the same age. Every pirate was an option. Explorers like Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, and Marco Polo. All of the possible names she had crossed out for not being an Archer… And not only was he not an Archer, but was better suited for another class… And a weaker servant because of it… And it was her fault .

"You will find this to be the case with every class Master, they only offer the slightest of hints as to who a servant is. A Saber will generally use a sword, but not always. Sometimes something will be considered sword-adjacent and that will lead to them qualifying. Some Lancers will use a sword, but their fighting style will have it be enough to put them in the Lancer class. Some Riders will ride a horse, others a boat, and others will be in it because they are most famous for being a whore. Not every Caster is an expert in magecraft."

"So classes are just a label?"

"Yes and no, Master. Ultimately, anyone can qualify for a given class, with even the faintest connection to it. However, the class does provide a unique skill to a servant that is exclusive to their class. For an Archer, that is the ability to act independently of their Master's mana supply."

Archer smirked at her. "There is the possibility that you at some point encounter a servant who lies about their class to hide a particular quirk unique to the class container. An Assassin could pretend they are just a Saber to hide their ability to turn invisible from our expectations and gain the edge in a battle."

"Great," Rin groaned. This was all so much more complicated than her father's journals had made things sound. And she had the most useless skill too, the ability for her servant to rebel against her.

Yay.

"You know, I'm not sure that reading about the American Conquest is going to help you get a boyfriend, but I guess if you think that…"

Rin looked up from her desk in the library, books stacked precariously around her. Standing across from her was her classmate and friend, Ayako Mitsuzuri. Her arms crossed under her bust as she leaned against a bookshelf.

"Mitsuzuri," Rin greeted cordially.

"Tohsaka," Ayako returned evenly as she pulled up a chair to the other side of the desk.

"I'm a little busy right now," Rin tried to dismiss her.

"I could tell," Ayako's voice was filled with levity, but there was an undercut of concern there that made Rin wince. "I haven't seen you for a week, even in passing. The one time we walked by each other in the halls, you brushed past me without saying a word when I tried to call out to you."

"I didn't hear you," Rin deflected.

"And hid in the library again…" Ayako finished. "What's up Rin?"

"Nothing," Rin lied. That was the only response she could give.

"You have spent every moment in the library for over a week. Emiya even said you were still here at seven once when he finished cleaning. Something is obviously going on, Rin. I'm not sure you had spent five minutes here total this year before now."

Rin didn't know how to respond, so she just averted her gaze and went back to reading the book in front of her. On Vasco da Gama's first trip he was met cordially by the local ruler, who gave him a letter to Portugal's king offering to open trade. On his second voyage he had a letter from his own king claiming all the Indies as Portuguese possessions. When the Indian ruler was slow to respond, da Gama captured a number of local fishermen and sent their dismembered bodies to the king to help him make up his mind. Western civilization had arrived. 

Ayako grabbed a book off of the top of one of the stacks. "The Exploration of the World," Ayako read aloud. "Why are you reading so fervently about explorers?"

The answer to that was easy. Rin was fairly confident that her servant was one. He had talked about getting royalty to eat out of the palm of his hand, with his honeyed words. That had eliminated most pirates, as they didn't exactly manipulate royalty, but fought the crown. Her servant also didn't use more conventional pirate terminology, but spoke like a noble… And if the words he used were a hint, then logically, the ones he didn't would be one as well.

He also couldn't really be from the Age of Gods, as convenient as that would be for her. That outfit he had worn on the first day didn't fit the look of an ancient hero at all, and he was using a gun. There could be anachronisms, Archer had made that clear, and it was obviously the case with him.

His gun that she had mistakenly labeled as a pistol in her naivety was a revolver, a type of gun that wasn't invented until the 1800s… but… Archer had claimed a part of his spirit origin couldn't have existed when he was alive… It was just based on how humanity perceived them– and they would conceivably perceive closer to the modern weapon than the historically accurate one. But that did probably at least eliminate those who predated guns.

She, of course, couldn't tell Ayako that. That was the life of a Mage. Normal civilians weren't allowed to acknowledge the existence of mages. They were sworn to secrecy, for sharing the secret of magecraft was thought to make it weaker and contribute to the slow death of mystery. So again, she ignored her friend, despite how much it stung.

"Hello!" Ayako leaned over and put her mouth by Rin's ear. "Earth to Rin!" She didn't quite shout, but it was close.

Rin jolted. "Ow," she groaned, rubbing her ear. "Did you have to be so loud?"

Ayako smirked at her. "You weren't responding, so I thought you might have fallen asleep."

"Well I hadn't," Rin scowled.

"Seriously Rin," Ayako sighed. "What is going on with you?"

"It's nothing," Rin lied.

"There are bags under your eyes," Ayako pointed out. "And you skipped lunch again today."

"I'm fine," Rin deflected. "Just… stressed."

"About what?" Ayako pushed.

"...Stuff."

"Stuff that has you reading about…" She flipped open a book to a random page. "Marco Polo?"

Rin flushed… Apparently she would be researching at home instead of in the school library next time. Archer's mocking smirks as she worked herself into a frenzy was better than this interrogation. "Just drop it, okay?"

"No," Ayako was just as stubborn as her. That was why they made such a good match. "I'm not going to just let you burn yourself out on… whatever this is. It wouldn't be fun to beat you, if I beat you just because no boy is willing to approach you anymore."

"You won't," Rin argued weakly, one gloved hand twirling her twintail. "I'm not that bad… and I could win even if I looked like a troll."

"You're not far from one," Ayako replied flippantly.

"Hey!" Rin complained, a laugh bubbling out of her throat without permission.

They settled into a lull, a book open in front of Rin, but she wasn't reading it right now. Just staring at her friend. "Look, Ayako, I'll be fine… I just need to finish this… research project… and then things will go back to normal, I promise."

"Mmhmm," she hummed. Ayako wasn't convinced, turning her nose up slightly. "And this research project is… Extra credit? I didn't think Kuzuki offered any, and certainly not for whatever this Exploration project is."

Rin looked down. "I'm not willing to share that."

Ayako glanced away, drumming her fingers on the table. "Fine..." she reopened the book "The Exploration of the World" that she had filched from Rin's stacks. "What are we looking for?"

"Huh?" Rin blurted out.

"If you aren't going to give up on whatever this is, then I'm going to help you so you can be done sooner. So what are we looking for?"

A lump caught in her throat at the offer. She wanted to say yes — more than she should have. But she forced herself to look away. "I can't… Don't you have Archery practice today?"

"It ended already, Rin. It's already five."

"Oh…" She blushed. She really had lost track of time… again.

"So?"

"I can't tell you Ayako. I have to do this on my own," her voice cracked.

"Fine, don't tell me what the project is, or why you have to do it," Ayako resolved. "Just tell me what I need to do. I won't ask questions, no matter what it is. I'll just do it."

Rin faltered. She should reject her… but… She didn't have to know about magecraft to research history, did she? That wasn't against the rules… it wouldn't break any secrecy. It was just talking with a friend about the heroes of the past. Could it really hurt?

"Alright," Rin sighed in resignation. "This is going to sound really weird, but you promised not to ask…"

"Obviously," Ayako rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't be so worked up about it otherwise."

Rin inhaled sharply, there was no backing down after this. "I'm looking for a captain of some sort, one who is known for their cunning and strategy, and had amicable relationships with royalty that gave him their backing. And one who would use a gun."

"Anything else?" Ayako grinned at the long list of odd traits.

Rin only hesitated for a second. "Their prime should have come in their forties or later."

Ayako narrowed her eyes. "What, is this some kind of role playing game or something… Sorry, I know, no questions." She averted her gaze from Rin and began to read.

Rin stared at her for a moment, a soft smile on her face that was entirely unbidden. Then she too, returned to her reading.

Rin's steps were confident, each movement made with purpose as she pushed open the door to her home, once again hers. There was a painfully wide grin on her face that had even unnerved Ayako when she told her they were done… And not just for the day, but for good .

For each of the last four days, Ayako had headed to the library after Archery practice to join her in researching. And while she occasionally teased Rin about something called role playing games, she never once asked why Rin was so adamant on finding a person based on a scattered helping of clues.

In all honesty, Ayako had found nothing that Rin didn't already know while reading with her. But she still appreciated the fact that she had offered… She would have to be a bit kinder than planned when she found a boyfriend before Ayako and got to order her around for a day. Just a bit though, she couldn't have her thinking it was okay to challenge her.

"Welcome home, Master," Archer greeted her by the door, dressed in that same suit he had worn just about everyday since he had changed initially.

"Good evening, Archer," Rin was chipper.

"I'm glad to see you in such good spirits," Archer replied without missing a beat.

"I am," Rin grinned at him. "I figured out your true name."

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow, almost mocking her. "I hope you don't disappoint, this is your final chance. And you still have two questions left, are you sure you don't want to ask them first?"

She was certain. She had gotten down to two names yesterday, and honestly could have asked a question that would have revealed the answer in that moment, but she refrained. Age alone eliminated a number of explorers from being possible. Ferdinand died when he was 40. Vasco de Gama peaked earlier.

But she had been stuck on a list of three names after that. That was until she had remembered one thing he had said that first night. More fit to be a captain than a slave. Archer had claimed that Heroic Spirit's had their forms determined by the perception of people in the modern era. And people hated to remember the ugly side of their pasts. Even if Marco Polo had slaves and it was common vernacular in his time period, that was not what history knew him for.

Then there was Francis Drake. She had been stumped on him for a long time, despite being a Pirate, he had plenty of dealings with royalty- having been hired by the Queen of Britain as a privateer. Archer was also white, which was a point in Drake's favor. A slaver as well, early in their career. Drake was a natural captain, and cunning. And while the lack of Pirate dialogue pointed in another direction, Archer was also incredibly smart… It was possible that he was conscious enough to remove those words from his speech. But why only those words then?

Francis Drake also had their most famous accomplishments all occur between 37-48 years old, right in the range that Archer looked to be. He was also the one who had most notably, the greatest tactics from a conventional sense, with actual battle experience too. They fought on the frontlines, and knew how to handle themselves. If only it could have been Drake, her victory would have been assured.

But that was why Rin had finally been able to accept that Archer wasn't Drake. He had claimed that he was never one for the frontlines, when he was alive.

And that left Rin with one name.

And what a loathsome name it was. Not a hero... but a villain...

The one she least wanted Archer to be… But he unfortunately was…

Rin's mouth was dry as she inhaled slowly, her eyes locking onto his cold gaze.

"Your true name is Christopher Columbus."

A/N:

The basic concept of this work is that it's a more slow almost cold war like type of Grail War Story that focuses on the mystery aspect of the Grail War concept and the process of discovering information for the characters. To find out someone is a servant, yet alone who they are, it takes logical deductions here. Servants won't just go by Saber until their identity is revealed, but a cover name mostly unconnected to their legend. Think of this as somewhere between the standard Grail War format and a mystery novel.

Every narrator is deliberately written as not fully reliable and flawed. This is not my usual borderline omniscience narration style but locks you into the head of the character the scene is from the perspective of and you only get to see what they do.

One Master might conclude that Saber is Nero while another with different pieces of evidence might conclude that the same servant is Jeanne d'Arc, and the true answer might actually be neither. (I do not think that any servant will be particularly hard to guess from a reader who has read most Type Moon works though.) None of the Masters are body language experts- do not expect them to accurately read motivations every time. Learning to deduce is a curve. Analyze everything you hear, because misdirection is a very common part of this story. Very common.

Brief notes on some of the world mechanics that I changed to tell the story I want to tell, that are not part of the canonical Fate worlds. (At least explicitly) and then some other stuff. 

Spirit Form has been nerfed heavily in this work. The concept of a servant being invisible and intangible at all times, and not only that, but actually save magical energy because of it... is just stupid. Like, especially given that there is no indication in cannon that spirit form is a laborious process to exit out of. Why would you not spend 99% of the time in spirit form? In this work, the way spirit form works is it basically cuts off the magical energy cost, but a servant is functionally in a coma while in spirit form. They cannot move, or even think really. Useful when you are low on magical energy, or if you're confident in your defenses while you sleep, but it's a high risk ability.

It should go without saying that the form of heroic spirits are primarily based on the perception of them, and who their master is. We have historical paintings or even photographs of some servants, but their servant form does not align with that appearance. Some have weapons from a time period other than their own. We see in Fate/Samurai Remnant that the servant's personality will also warp to suit the Master in the case of Jeanne d'Arc. Jack the Ripper doesn't have a form in Strange Fake because their identity was never known by history and takes elements from every interpretation of them. Alexandre Dumas admits he didn't have a lot of his skills when he was alive. 

Fate/Requiem mentions that Drake was summoned as a women despite other servants who knew them in life, mentioning that they knew Drake as a man. The summoned version doesn't have to actually reflect the history entirely, just who the Master is, and who history knows them as- obviously, history still can encompass more possibilities the older the legend.

The way Nasu portrays magecraft in cannon is genuinely that it is the most painful thing possible. He has Rin in FSN describe the summoning ritual as her body growing horns, and molten rock flowing through her blood as she is stabbed repeatedly with swords. They claim that this is the normal while using all magecraft, and that mages just learn to function with it, and reach that place inside of them that lets them tune it out. 

I think that is unbelievably stupid. First and foremost, by definition raising your kid in magecraft is child abuse if you are setting them up for eternal pain. It arguably means that no one should want to have magecraft— speaking as someone who has dealt with chronic pain before- and probably benefited from it. Rin admittedly does claim in FSN that anyone would be happier without magecraft but... 

There is also just the fact that pain tolerance is a complicated thing. When you are shot, you still feel pain from getting punched after the injury has healed, with no real changes. But when you are living with a pain greater than a punch every day? That punch suddenly hurts a lot less. When I was dealing with chronic pain, I tore a tendon in my foot and proceeded to walk a mile on it, because it was an eh thing comparatively for me. Sure it hurt, but like so? If someone is in the level of pain that magecraft puts them in then why would they react to getting punched? How can I describe the pain of Saber stabbing them as terrible when they experience the same pain every time they use magecraft but worse? Especially if Rin is actively using Magecraft at the same time. The pain is actually made worse, and the characters actually mentally stable by making it a temporary thing from pushing yourself.

Making the system comparable to exercise is my compromise. Magecraft should obviously have a cost, and break the human body, but it should not be a perpetual state. A parent can justify teaching their kid magecraft the same way they can enrolling them in all the best gymnast programs since they are four so they can compete at the top level. As you push yourself, it hurts, but then it becomes normal and doesn't hurt till you push beyond again. Is it a perfect system? Not really. Is it better than handcuffing story telling by having all magecraft be torture? Absolutely. 

Classes are complete bullshit, we do have someone who claims they should be a Caster who doesn't even dabble in magecraft because he dislikes it (Moriarty) and a Lancer with swords (Mélusine). That's not even touching whatever an Archer is supposed to be. What the class container offers in this story though is one unique skill that only members of the class can use that is limited and actually unique- no other base class, i.e. Saber can have the Riding skill or whatever. Those will be revealed throughout the story, as well as the particulars of how they work. Something like independent action has a use beyond just disobeying the Master. Not all servants will be in the classes they have appeared as in other works if you haven't noticed.

Rin does not have any real world experience in this chapter, which is why she comes across as dumb. Archer is also deliberately bringing out more of that. I have every intention of her growing into an even more competent version of herself than she finishes at in FSN. Despite Rin being the knowledgeable one in FSN, she apparently didn't know that Heroic Spirits appeared as humans in cannon... I honestly let her have more info than she canonically does- by a lot. ("Since they call it a familiar, I thought it was something shapeless, but this is human-like.")

The emotional tension of working with Servants who do not align with their Master will be focused on in this work. There are consequences to having a corrupted grail beyond the ending. This war will go slow and be more focused on the mystery aspect than the combat, but the ways different parties misdirect or why they operate slow will vary a ton. Shirou will not choose to fight the war with close to the same methods as Rin as an example. There will also always be stuff happening, the goal isn't to actually stall, but just let things breathe. 

This work will pull things from every other work produced in the Collective "Nasuverse" even when supposedly the elements don't mix. Think of this as a world mixing everything akin to Fate/Strange Fake for simplicity. I'm not going to use everything- but given the fact I already mentioned Dead Apostles, expect me to use some things you wouldn't see normally in a Grail War.

Obviously the actions of the real world Christopher Columbus were heinous and unjustifiable in every possible sense. Despite Archer's presence in this story, I have no intention of justifying a single thing Columbus did in life, or portraying his actions in the slave trade and the genocide he enabled as anything less than evil. Columbus is greedy and incredibly egotistical, but also charismatic and strategic. The closest I will do to justifying him is making it so slavery is framed as more about the profit motive than being unadulterated evil. 

Thanks to everyone who read and let me know what you think. Subscribe to this post or my account if you don't want to miss future chapters. Leave a comment with any feedback or questions you have at all. I love to chat.