Asia sighed as she stared up at the wooden ceiling above her listlessly, holding her beloved cross in hand. "I can't sleep..."
She had been like this for hours. She just couldn't get what happened earlier out of her mind. When she had been taken in by the Grigori, she wasn't sure what she was to think about everything. As someone who had been raised by their teachings, she had been hesitant around the Fallen Angels that had fallen from grace. They were the enemies of God, much in the same way the Devils were. A few of the bishops back home once proclaimed that the Fallen were the true Devils, though she paid little attention to them. A few had been kind to her, some even showing her a gentleness that she hadn't thought possible of them. Having been isolated and taught with the most extreme religious concepts drilled into her head, she had viewed them with apprehension. For them to treat her so kindly, it made her question if they were truly evil.
Azazel, the man who had been the one who take care of her, had told her that she was to be sent to the church at Kuoh. From what she was told, it was a fairly small town. Twice the size of an old folk-town village. He told her that the Church hadn't been used in years, though a fellow Sister of the cloth named Caren Hortensia would be in the midst of repairing it when she arrived.
She didn't expect to be hunted down by a rogue Exorcist and a young local boy helping her out. Nor did she expect the appearance of what was identified as a Servant.
As a member of the Church, Asia Argento was well aware of the history behind the Holy Grail War. In fact, if you were to ask anyone in her old village about it, no one knew more about its history than her. She studied it extensively to the point where one might mistake it as a curious mania, though in truth that's all it was. Curiosity. She was very much aware that the wish granting device was not the fabled Holy Grail, but its power may as well have made it such. Of course, the idea of seven people fighting to the death horrified her greatly.
These lives of theirs were given to them by God. And they wasted their lives fighting to have a selfish ambition made a reality. And that wasn't even accounting for whatever malicious intent the Master himself might have had. Thankfully, however, in all the Grail Wars preceeding the current one, no one with malicious intent has ever reached the Holy Grail. No, that wasn't quite right. She learned that in the Fourth Grail War, a Master named Emiya Kiritsugu had inadvertently caused the Fuyuki Fire when he attempted to destroy the Holy Grail. However, she never considered the man himself evil. When the Fifth Grail War ended, it came to light that, after the Third Holy Grail War, a dark entity known as Angra Mainyu had taken refuge inside the Grail and attempted to be born into the world again. That was stopped in the Fifth War in the efforts of three Masters, who were arguably the only true winners of the entire conflict.
Sixty years had gone by, and now a new Holy Grail War had begun. Asia never had any intention of wanting to get involved in this war, namely because of the risks and the fact of who were used as tools in the war. Only someone with a Longinus-class Sacred Gear and intensive training could even HOPE to face a Heroic Spirit. Thus, she never expected to meet one, much less two! And she was greatly worried for the local boy who helped her in her time of need. She worried for his fate due to this very conflict.
The red markings on his hand, as well as him addressing the woman who saved them, told her everything. He was a Master chosen in this Grail War. And that woman was his Servant. Still, he looked so young! He was maybe a year older than she was! Did he enter the War voluntarily? Or did the Grail just choose him?
Asia sighed deeply, rolling over. "I need to sleep..." she muttered, knowing that her desire would be in vain. These thoughts were going to plague her until morning. Perhaps some tea might help soothe her over? She lifted herself up from the bed, pulling her sheets away and stood up, making way for the door. When she pulled it open, she was met with an unexpected face.
"A-Asia?!"
"E-Eh?! Namikaze?!" Asia gasped, not expecting the local boy who saved her. The redhead was standing before her door, taken aback and face crimson for some reason. She caught his eyes drifting downward and looked down.
Immediately, she understood why his cheeks were so flushed.
"KYAAAAAH!"
"... Ah. It would seem he stumbled onto her either naked, in her underwear, or in the process of changing clothes."
Caren giggled. "He truly does have the Emiya genes."
"I'm really sorry… I didn't know..." Haru apologized as he nursed his cheek, which now had a bright red handprint on it. Although… he would be lying if he hadn't saved such an image in his mind… then he remembered the girl was a nun so he tried to forget it.
Asia, now fully clothed, shook her head furiously. "No no! It was my fault!" she insisted, bowing her head in shame. "I should have dressed properly! I am so sorry!"
Both had been at this for the past five minutes. It was all they could do after the completely awkward atmosphere between the two of them. In all honesty, it was very amusing to watch. Altera had shifted into Astral Form, though it was most a temporary thing. Since the girl had gone through quite a bit, she didn't want to spook her. That, and she wanted to observe her more carefully, especially since she took notice of the developing red sigils on the back of her hand.
But why would there be an eighth Master? she wondered in confusion. There should be only seven. I haven't felt any Servants passing either.
This occurrence left her a plethora of questions. The Holy Grail War fits only 7 Servants, one of each classes. Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker. All seven have already been summoned, herself included. So what does this make of this Asia girl? She hasn't even summoned her own Servant yet. Is she unaware of her own role?
Or perhaps the Grail War had changed somehow? From what she had gathered, the Holy Grail War had changed this time around.
The first time Devils had been included in the war. A new Holy Grail being used, following the dismantlement of the Fuyuki Holy Grail.
Altera closed her eyes. For now, she would push these thoughts aside. It wasn't her place to ponder and think. All she needed to do was swing her sword at whatever threat may come.
She would protect her Master. No matter what opposition they may face.
… Though she would admit, she did find his bashful expression after having seen Asia Argento in her nightwear to be quite cute. At such thoughts however, Altera shook her head wildly, chiding herself for thinking along those lines. The last thing she wanted was to prove that annoying red lizard that she was devolving into a school girl.
Speaking of Haru, he was unsure of what to say. His inner chibi was very much happy for having seen a cute girl, especially a foreigner like Asia, in her underwear, but he honestly felt bad about the whole thing. He really should have knocked first. He was in the wrong here, but he wasn't sure how to apologize properly. Asia herself seemed to think it was her own fault for not getting dressed first.
Still... Who knew a slap could hurt worse than a kendo stick?
"I'm really sorry!" Asia bowed her head deeply. "It was my fault for not putting on my gown!"
"No, it's my fault. I should have knocked sooner." Haru told her, rubbing the back of his neck. "S-so, um..." God, what was he supposed to say? He wanted to thank her, but now the situation was just too weird! Should he try breaking the ice? "H-How're you doing here with Hortensia-san?"
"Th-things have been going well. She has been very kind to me. Archer as well." She answered earnestly. "I-I was surprised to hear how a Master was serving as Overseer of the Grail War, though."
"So... You know what's going on right now?" Haru asked. Asia nodded. "I see... Hortensia-san told me about how you came here. I'm really sorry that happened to you."
Asia shook her head. "It's fine, Namikaze. To be honest, I don't blame the Church for excommunicating me. I don't regret healing that Devil, but neither do I hate the Archbishop for what he did, either."
But they put you on a pedestal out of greed! He wanted to shout in anger. How could you not hate them?! However, her face told him everything. She honestly harbored no anger towards those who gave her a roof over her head and threw her out when she did something that went against their religion. She was just that pure.
It made him feel even worse for having peeked on her moments ago.
"... I-I see. Um, I wanted to thank you for patching me up back there when Freed came after you. That was a Sacred Gear, right?"
"Yes." She nodded. She then raised her hands, allowing a pair of rings to manifest around her fingers. "This is my Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing. It was a gift bestowed to me by the Lord."
Haru cocked his head. "Huh. Sounds a lot cooler than what I've got."
"Oh, that's right! You had one as well, didn't you?" Asia clapped her hands excitedly. She remembered seeing a red gauntlet from when Freed attacked them earlier. "What is yours, if I may ask?"
Haru opened his mouth, about to reveal the name of his Sacred Gear, before Altera's voice cut into his head. Master. I believe it is unwise to reveal your Sacred Gear's true name to her. she advised, creating confusion. The Longinus, which are capable of killing deities, are considered to be heretical Sacred Gears by the Church. Boosted Gear is one such weapon. Therefore, I believe it would unsettle the Sister if she were to learn you had such a weapon.
Then what do I tell her?
Refer to it as Twice Critical. It is not technically a lie, as Twice Critical is a sealed state of Boosted Gear and other Dragon-type Sacred Gears.
Well, wasn't that a convenient "not-lie"?
"Mine… isn't really anything too flashy. It's just a Twice Critical." He answered as calmly as he could so as to not give anything away. "Plus, that was my first time actually using it." His eyes then frowned heavily in concern. "It seemed like that nutjob was after you. Do you know why, Asia?"
"I don't know. I don't know why he would be attacking me." She shook her head in dismay.
Haru frowned in worry, folding his arms. Freed's a Master, too, so what's he after Asia for? She doesn't have anything to do with the War, right?
That is not the case Altera told him, much to his confusion. The nun possesses a set of Command Seals. She is marked as a Master.
EH?! Haru barely let his surprise show, though thankfully Asia didn't seem to notice. B-But I thought there are only supposed to be seven Masters?!'
There should be. the Saber answered. However, it is as the Overseer has said. This war is drastically different. The appearance of an eighth Servant and Master should be anticipated.
So… are there gonna be more Masters and Servants out here? He questioned with a sense of dread.
That seems to be the case.
Haru wanted to cry. It was bad enough he would have to deal with so many other Servants and their Masters, all of whom much stronger than he was, but there would be more?!
Could this day get any worse? As Fate was so much of a sadist… it could. Evidence? The sound of an explosion rocking the very building they were inside off.
"The hell was that?!"
Asia looked equally as startled as Haru found himself springing up to his feet, alarmed by the explosion. Something buzzed in the back of his mind, like a warning flare. It was strange. He had felt this sensation before. Back when he was with Raynare...
No... Don't tell me—!
"Master!" Altera materialized by his side, sword at the ready. "Assassin has come again! And he is not alone!"
Archer had to admit, when she saw the massive army approaching, she never expected to find so many directing their attention to her. Her Master had retreated, taking preparations for something while she was tasked with shooting down her opposition.
That said...
"... Isn't this kind of overboard?"
Approaching her was a mob of Fallen Angels and Rogue Exorcists numbering to the hundreds. However, they were essentially small fry as she kept shooting them down without any issue.
It didn't make the process any more bland or tedious, however.
She lost count how many fell to the ground, joining the growing pile of corpses. By this point, she would have been tired out had she been a normal human using magic arrows. As a Servant, however, she was more or less a walking gatling gun without needing to reload and with infinite ammo. As a result, the enemies were dropping like flies. It would definitely be a hassle to dispose of all the corpses in front of the Church during the aftermath.
Not that it mattered to her or her Master.
From above, Fallen brought down hundreds of spears, hailing down like a storm. Without batting an eye, Archer took aim and released several hundred arrows, piercing through several and destroying many spears. However, the spears that were not destroyed exploded into blasts of light around the church. One had even destroyed the eastern wing, causing her to cringe. Great. Now she would have to clean that up again. Sucking in a breath, she took aim again. This time, she gathered more power. Eyes focused, she targeted what she perceived to be the bigger threats of the countless Fallen and let her arrows loose.
These projectiles possessed much more power than before. As a result, they tore through any unfortunate Fallen in their path before reaching their intended targets: multi-winged Fallen Angels. They only had three to four wings, but the end result was the same. They were obliterated, alongside surrounding Fallen.
Of course, Fallen Angels were not the only threat as Archer reminded herself. Down below, Exorcists were attempting to break into the Church, though the barrier prevented them. Of course, it wouldn't last forever. Sooner or later, they would be able to break through it.
She quickly aimed and shot off a few more errors to kill those who were at the barrier. But then she had to return her attention to the attackers from above.
Switching back and forth up and down like this was tedious.
Of course, it was going back and forth like this that she soon realized that something was very wrong. She could have sworn she felt Assassin's presence among their number… so where was he? Firing off another salvo that sent more Fallen falling to their deaths, she looked down just in time to see a ring of clocks coming up at her, each covered in blue flames.
She promptly cursed. "Son of a..."
In the next moment, her world became consumed in blue fire.
The Sixth Holy Grail War suffered its first casualty, as the remaining six Servants felt her passing.