"You failure, daring to show your shameless face here?" Matou Zouken, head of the Matou family, sneered at Kariya. "I told you never to let me see you again!"
Kariya didn't flinch. Coldly, he said, "I heard you took in the Tohsaka's youngest daughter."
Zouken smirked. "Your sources are sharp."
Kariya's tone remained icy. "You'd go this far to preserve the Matou's magus bloodline?"
"You, of all people, dare question me?" Zouken's voice dripped with mockery. "Who do you think brought the Matou to this state? If you'd obediently taken the headship, inherited our legacy, we wouldn't be in this mess. It's all because of you…"
Kariya cut him off. "Spare me your nonsense, vampire." His words carried disgust, disdain, even mockery. "You just want the Holy Grail to stay young forever, don't you?"
The taunt made Zouken laugh. Standing, he outlined his plans. "The sixty-year cycle approaches next year, but the Matou lack a pawn for the Fourth Holy Grail War. You're barely passable. Your brother can't control a Servant.
"But even if we skip this war, there's hope for the next in sixty years. The Tohsaka girl's womb could produce a fine magus. She's got potential as a vessel."
Kariya's expression didn't waver. He knew the man's vileness, his desires. "If I get the Grail, you won't need Sakura, right?"
"What're you planning?"
"A deal, Zouken. I'll bring the Grail to the Matou in this war. In exchange, free Sakura."
Zouken laughed. "No training, one year left... you think you can command a Servant?"
"You've got ways, don't you? Like your worm magecraft."
Zouken paused, then grinned widely, sensing Kariya had fallen into his trap.
But he wanted to twist the knife further. "Too late."
…
The worm chamber, a breeding ground for worms, swarmed with them crawling into a small girl's body. So young, an age for laughter, yet her eyes were vacant, lifeless.
"She cried and screamed the first three days," Zouken said. "By the fourth, she couldn't make a sound. This morning, we put her in the pit to test her endurance. After half a day of torment, she's still breathing. The Tohsaka stock is truly remarkable."
Kariya lunged to save her, but Zouken stopped him. "What'll you do? She's been ravaged by worms, one step from breaking. If you still want to save her, I might consider it."
"Of course I'll save her!" Kariya answered without hesitation.
Zouken's cruelty surpassed imagination. "But until you show results, her 'education' continues. My biggest bet's on the next war."
A statement, a threat.
"If you actually win the Grail, she'll be useless. Her training could end in a year."
"You won't break your word, Zouken!"
"Survive a week as the worms' host without going mad, and I'll take you seriously."
Perhaps to show temporary goodwill, Zouken let Sakura leave the pit. Seeing her expressionless face, Kariya's fists clenched. He knelt before her.
"Don't worry, Sakura. I won't let you be hurt again!"
But she felt nothing, her gaze empty, staring into the distance.
Kariya smiled, gently ruffling her hair. "You know, I've been to many places. I bought a charm said to bring good luck."
He reached behind his neck, as if to remove a necklace.
Then, he did, placing the odd necklace around Sakura's neck.
"I've had good luck these years. I think it works. Now it's yours... it'll bring you luck!"
Kariya left for Zouken's worm pit, to face the torment.
Sakura looked at the necklace, an odd eye-like shape, like some creature's gaze.
Could it really bring luck? Abandoned by her sister, her parents, tortured by worms with no one to save her... could she still have luck?
Clutching it, she refused to let go. A faint coolness eased her ravaged body.
…
Night fell. Sakura lay in bed, a rare moment of rest.
"Maybe they don't want me to die too soon," she thought, eyeing the necklace.
Though she'd shed her clothes, she kept it on. Its coolness dulled her pain.
Her body seemed to recover, as if returning to her old self.
She drifted into sleep.
Sakura dreamt a strange dream.
She stood in darkness, seeing nothing.
"That's the void, or simply 'nothing,'" a gentle, soothing voice said.
Sakura tried to look, but saw only darkness.
Then, flames appeared, dazzling, falling swiftly from above to the distance.
Light enveloped everything!
Her eyes were shielded, seeing the light without harm.
"That's the universe's birth. The world began here," The voice explained.
Sakura looked back and saw a figure.
Radiating faint light, a young, handsome man with pale golden hair and fair skin... likely European.
"That flame, or lightning, is the Genesis Spark, drawing infinite light from the void into the Crown, flowing downward to the material world, embodying the divine act of creation."
He knelt before her, gently rubbing her cheeks. Seeing no reaction, he playfully squeezed harder.
"Cheer up. Your suffering's over."
"My suffering… over?"
"Yes. That necklace, call it the Eye of Horus. It'll heal your body, restore your soul, and protect you.
"Plus, a little gift."
He touched her forehead.
A magic circle formed within her, becoming a radiant stream, merging into her soul, indelible.
"This is a magic of deception and illusion. Show that old man what he wants to see. It's simple... it'll work on its own."
"From now on, worms and humans will be fooled, while the real you hides in mystery."
Sakura couldn't hold back. "Are you a god?"
"A god?" He paused. "In a way, yes, but also no. I'm just a practitioner climbing the Tree of Life."
Humming a lullaby, his gentle voice lulled her. "Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetop, when the wind blows, the cradle will rock…"
As sleep took her, Sakura struggled to ask, "Who are you?!"
In the haze, she heard, "Call me Morpheus, an ordinary man seeking the path of magic."
…
FGO's Proper Human History, Age of Gods, Greece.
Morpheus held a crystal cluster, carefully polishing it.
Once it gleamed like a diamond, he sought Artemis.
"Artemis, infuse it with some lunar power!"
She took the jewel, puzzled. "Isn't this selenite? What's it for?"
"A tool to enhance my magic!" Morpheus said eagerly.
Seeing her curiosity, he added, "An experiment to test a theory."
"Fine." Artemis imbued it with her lunar authority, like a contract token.
Morpheus took it gleefully, tinkering.
Soon, Artemis felt her connection to the selenite vanish.
"What're you doing?"
"Fusing your lunar power completely. It's not for a contract... it's for something else."
Controlling mana, he carved inside it.
He etched a strange sigil, like a spoon from top to bottom.
Artemis didn't understand but felt familiar lunar power.
Weirder still, the crystal formed a grid... nine by nine, eighty-one squares, dividing the jewel!
Numbers appeared: 37, 78, 29, 70, 21, 62, 13, 54, 5 in the first row, continuing, shifting.
The final square held 45. Artemis quickly calculated: rows and columns summed to 369, the total 3321.
As the Moon Goddess, she sensed the number's lunar significance!
"Your magic?"
"Yes, lunar magic," Morpheus confirmed, refining the selenite.
The symbols, grid, and numbers faded, leaving an ordinary-looking stone.
Morpheus felt its surging power.
"Selenite represents the moon in Astrology. I carved a lunar square, also Astrology. The sigil is Gabriel's, from the same system.
"With Artemis's divine power as a catalyst, it's a success. Testing should let me wield Gabriel's power more easily.
"If it works, I'll seek the other three elemental gods to craft the rest. My angelic magic will improve.
"It's a shortcut, leaning on strong materials to ease my burden. If skill's lacking, materials compensate!"
Morpheus grinned, eager to test the jewel on some fool.
Then, crisis struck.
The sea roared. A nine-headed serpent rose, bellowing at the crew!
Its sudden, menacing appearance seemed aimed at them!
***
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