Fuyuki City, Japan, June 16, 2003
[Tohsaka Estate]
The Summer sky was painted heavily with deep reds and violets, its usual blue consumed by the approaching typhoon's heavy rain.
It was a mystical sight that captivated all of Japan — locals and tourists alike watched in awe from behind their glass windows, marveling at the strangeness of heaven.
But in a western-style mansion in the southern part of town, one girl remained unimpressed as she faced the storm. To her, the mysteries of the sky were too well known to be relevant.
No face appeared in her mansion's windows. But deep in the shadows of the basement, where mystic energy flowed infinitely from three leylines, candlelight flickered over sacred symbols — and ambition itself. Rin stood alone, her hands resting on her father's sword, her eyes eagerly scanning her notebook.
"Let's do this." Rin exhaled, releasing the tension she had built up over the years as she widened her stance.
Her dad had mysteriously died nine years ago in a grail war, her mother joining soon after. 'He was a true magus, devoted wholly to the Root—every choice in his life serving the purpose of reaching it. Rin still wished he were here, even if he'd been cold. She respected him.
She sighed. "But no matter."
Now it was her turn — to join the fray and prove the might of the Tohsaka line of magi. The next Grail War would be her stage, and victory would serve as her rite of passage.
At the ripe age of seventeen, she knew she was at a disadvantage. Compared to her father, she was inexperienced. She glanced around her lab — glittering mana-filled jewels occupied most of the space, producing an unnatural light as candle flames reflected off their glimmering surfaces.
She also had far fewer jewels than when her parents ran the estate — which was bullshit. She couldn't help but mutter, thinking of her so-called caretaker who had taken care of spending her inheritance.
Now, all she had left to fight the grail were a few jewels, whatever else her dad randomly left, and the summoning spell she'd crafted — which, honestly, was all she needed.
The genius of her writing would summon the most powerful thing in existence, allowing her to win the war in, at most, a day. Though Rin's wise words should still be practiced under stress and put to the test, the pitter-patter of rain should suffice.
She reached for her notebook, closing it as she let her father's sword lean against her leg. She had to practice without any outside help- on the actual summoning day, she wouldn't be able to focus on the words and would have to focus on the magic.
"Ahem... Anfang." The illustrious opening chant would prime her circuits for all of what was to come.
"Heed my words.
My will creates your body,
and your sword creates my destiny."
*Crack*
The sound was sudden and appeared alongside thunder as mana seeped from cracking jewels like sap from a wounded tree, slowly being drawn to the Tohsaka magic circle on the floor.
Rin didn't notice. Her mind had already drifted beyond the material world.
The basement faded away, replaced by a forest that shimmered with brilliance. Trees with transparent trunks revealed veins of luminous crystal beneath, and fairies danced along glowing branches etched with divine runes. The sky above glittered — cities of gold floated like dreams, dragons circled freely, and an eight-pointed star pulsed overhead.
She inhaled sharply. What is this place?
It was like all the wonder and whimsey of the world appeared here, untouched by the decay of humanity. 'Am I in heaven?
It seemed too similar to what she had heard about it in that it brought peace to her heart, restricting her from being awed and straying from her goal. "That priest did say that if there were a heaven, it would be the most delightful place imaginable."
Then, something unnatural appeared — even in this fantasy land.
A massive green sphere of mana hovered directly in front of her, radiating with intent, pulsing like a song of purpose, drawing her in as it entirely rewrote the script in her head.
"Heed my call and stand by my side.
Bring hope to the planet once more as the virtue of the world.
Dispose of all the world's evil as its healer and executioner.
Descend, envoy of hope, from beyond the seventh heaven!"
Silence returned — and with it, the ruined basement and her mind.
The legends... they were all true. The gods- fantastic beasts- were all still alive on the reverse side of the world.
It all made sense. Her words had reached into the realm of the divine, calling upon Gaia, who she assumed to be the ball of mana, to add finishing touches to her perfect writing.
Ignoring the implication, Rin raced back to her notebook, frantically scribbling the new chant with a broad smile forming. "Finally! With this new chant, saber will soon be eating out of my hand and the Tohsaka name will resound once more."
*Boom*
Just as she jumped up in celebration.
A deep, earthen sound echoed throughout the basement- like someone had just dropped a stone slab that shattered on impact.
"Huh?"
Rin turned.
It all happened at once.
Fragments shrieked through the air, just nearly missing her face as, one by one, her precious jewels detonated, releasing a flurry of mana that shimmered above the summoning circle.
However, destruction was not limited to her jewels; anything in her lab that housed mana wasn't spared. Even the box her father gave her exploded in a golden light.
"Why!?" she screamed, her entire future unraveling in an instant. It wasn't time; there was still over half a year until the summoning date.
Of course, there were records of instances where someone with immense mana summoned months early, but Rin doubted she could sustain a servant alone, even with ten years of saved mana.
Maybe… maybe she would have extra command spells to help sustain since she seemed to be getting help to summon?They'd appear on her hand, right?
"Where is it!? "Fiddling with her nightgown, Rin frantically ran her hands along her body, checking every limb and body part for any sigil, but it didn't appear anywhere.
'Was this really all for no reason?'
Rin looked around her room with unbound horror; her eyes stung, broad and unfocused — like foreign spheres in her head, and her temples pulsated with stress as the world closed in from all angles.
'I can't win a grail with just a servant alone. Even if I summon saber, I would get targeted and killed in an instant without my jewels. Some servants could solo the war, but could I really summon such a mighty figure with the measly amount of mana I have left? '
Rin wiped her hand across her face to stop the incoming tears, catching a glimpse of watery blood on her hand.
She knew she should quit. Even veteran magi with years of preparation died swift and meaningless deaths. But one of the few things she had learned from her guardian was everything had meaning.
Her lab had already been destroyed, and it was related to her practice of summoning. All she had to do was see it through and hope it all turned out ok.
"I refuse to give up."
Grabbing the jeweled sword that lay on the floor despite the rest of the room's disarray, Rin cut along her hand, letting the blood drip freely as she limped toward the circle, hand trembling as it met the summoning glyphs.
If the summoning needed mana, she would supply more mana.
For a moment, the room grew quiet; even the storm faded to silence. Then came a surge of mana from the earth itself—pure and in every color. It caused the air to grow thick, restricting Rin's breathing like firm hands tightly grasping her throat.
She had never seen anything like it; it was like mana but something more — its purity akin to the Ether she had read about in books.
It flooded the room, mixing with her mana, forming a radiant sword atop the magic circle. The walls buckled. The air twisted. Reality shuddering under the weight of the power being unleashed.
Rin had no time to think. The next moment, she was airborne, slung across the room into a wooden table.
Her nightgown was torn apart, and every part of her skin that brushed the Ether screamed in burning agony.
She gasped, lungs sapped of air. 'I need to get out of here.'
This wasn't how summoning was supposed to go. Even a botched attempt wouldn't cause this.
Pain throbbed through every nerve. Ether filled her lungs. She tried to stand—but her leg refused. "Broken," she whimpered.
With no other choice, Rin clawed at the stone floor, dragging herself toward the stairs.
Objects flew past, constantly thudding into her frame. A second burst of energy caught her, hurling her, luckily, into the stair railing, where She flipped over and landed hard on the base of the stairs.
Grimacing, she crawled up a stair at a time into the living room. Then she stopped.
Everything was gone
Her manor had been torn apart. Rain poured freely through massive holes. The entire house was a mess of rubble and collapsed timber.
And in the center of the storm stood a man.
He was radiant. Beautiful. Naked. Adorned only with rings, earrings, and a sword slung over one shoulder.
His tired eyes locked onto hers before looking up slightly. "Watch out!" he yelled.
She honestly was too enthralled to respond, slowly watching as the roof fell towards her, but he lunged — grabbing her just in time to protect her from the rubble. It fell directly where she lay a second ago and coincidently on the man's head they tumbled backward down the stairs—into darkness.