Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover

It had been a week since she last breathed the night air of Fuyuki. Winter had fully set in, and the biting cold felt refreshing against her warm body.

However, the scene around her turned the simple chill into a deep, penetrating cold.

"Why has it come to this?"

The girl with twin tails and sapphire-like blue eyes hugged her shoulders, staring in disbelief at the sight before her.

It wasn't even late at night, yet the streets were eerily deserted, a stark contrast to the bustling commercial district of Fuyuki City.

In the distance, red police lights flickered intermittently. Pedestrians hurried by as if fleeing, and the entire street was enveloped in a tense atmosphere.

Curfew.

Rin Tohsaka, who had left Fuyuki City before the Holy Grail War began, was unaware that the city had been thrown into chaos by the destruction of the warehouse district, the chain of explosions at the Hyatt Hotel, and a series of other heinous crimes. The city was in such a state of panic that a curfew, typically imposed during wartime, national emergencies, or martial law, had been declared.

Even if the police hadn't officially announced a state of alert, few citizens would dare to venture out at night. Anyone with a keen sense of intuition would have subconsciously realized that something dangerous lurked in the darkness of Fuyuki City.

"Ah, this is bad."

Seeing the flashing red lights of the police car, Rin quickly hid in the shadows of a dark alley. The patrol car slowly passed by. If the police found a child wandering alone on the streets of Shinto at night, they would undoubtedly intervene.

If she were caught, Rin wouldn't be able to achieve her goal.

The serial kidnappings by the murderous duo of Caster and his master hadn't occurred, so Rin's classmate, Ayako, hadn't gone missing. But for Rin, there was someone even more important who had driven her to sneak out of the Tohsaka household and come to this city alone.

Sakura Tohsaka—no, now she should be called Sakura Matou.

Even though she had become part of another family, an invisible bond of blood still connected them.

This was a secret known to no one, not even Sakatsuki—after learning the art of Imaginary Numbers magecraft, Sakura had secretly summoned a shadow familiar.

The familiar wasn't particularly powerful or extraordinary. To put it simply, it was a fast messenger.

A tiny messenger that shuttled between the sisters, carrying their whispered conversations.

The items that could be carried through Imaginary Number Space were limited, but a small note was enough for the children to communicate. The forbidden thrill of secretly talking behind the adults' backs delighted the girls.

However, after the Holy Grail War began, Rin hadn't received any messages from Sakura.

Had something happened? Rin was genuinely worried about her sister.

Rin had no idea that Sakatsuki had mastered Imaginary Numbers magecraft and reinforced the Matou family's barriers. She also didn't know that Sakatsuki was about to leave, and their communication would soon be restored.

All she knew was that Sakura hadn't sent her a message in three days. Perhaps... something had happened.

And so—one sleepless night was all Rin could endure.

Armed with the magic compass her father had given her for her birthday and two crystal shards she had refined as part of her jewel magecraft training, the fearless Rin set out on her journey to find her sister.

Taking a deep breath on the cold, desolate street, Rin cheered herself on.

"Alright, let's go all out and head to Uncle Kariya's house first!"

As long as she mustered all her courage and pride, most things wouldn't scare Rin. She chased away the cowardice trying to sneak into her heart and strode forward with determination.

Soon, a Japanese-style mansion came into view.

It wasn't the empty shell of the old Matou residence. Through her secret conversations with Sakura, Rin learned about their secret move and many other things.

For example, the key to the front door was hidden under a flower pot nearby with magecraft, as Sakura had told her. Uncle Kariya had prepared it for her.

And now, it would come in handy for Rin.

Recalling the information Sakura had shared, Rin easily retrieved the key, opened the door, and stepped into the foreign-style mansion—

Eager to see Sakura, Rin didn't notice that the magic compass in her pocket trembled violently for a moment before going completely silent, as if overloaded.

"Rin, remember, you're not yet capable of handling something that reacts this strongly."

That time, it was when Tokiomi had used a cursed grimoire to test Rin, leaving her with a psychological scar. The magic compass had spiked, warning of the grimoire's danger.

Even the grimoire, which had only caused the compass to issue a warning, had nearly consumed Rin. So, what could cause the compass to completely fail—

A knight shrouded in black mist quietly appeared behind Rin.

Was it silent? Or... had it already surpassed Rin's ability to sense it?

Berserker stood motionless at the entrance, watching the little girl run inside. The pruning shears in his hand, now stained with red patterns, had transformed into a deadly Noble Phantasm.

[No hostile intent... Passing Judgement.]

[No Servant presence... Passing Judgement.]

[Intruder... Judgement Failed.]

[Preparing to attack.]

Just as Berserker's eyes glowed red, ready to pierce the girl's heart in the next second, a small humanoid familiar emerged from the shadows, affectionately nuzzling Rin's cheek.

"Ah, it's you!"

Rin exclaimed joyfully, holding up the shadow familiar.

"You're here, so that means Sakura's okay, right?"

[Detected presence of protected target.]

[Entering standby mode.]

The red glow gradually dimmed, and the black knight turned, disappearing back into the night-shrouded garden.

Although Berserker-class Servants were stripped of their reason, their near-animalistic minds made their thought processes single-tracked.

Berserker naturally wouldn't harm anything related to his Master.

Unaware that she had narrowly escaped disaster, Rin followed the shadow familiar's guidance, sneaking into the house and hiding behind a corner near the living room.

In the dimly lit living room, two figures sat facing each other. Sakura looked worriedly at Kariya, who wore his usual sombre expression.

The warm light divided Kariya's face into two halves—one illuminated, the other shrouded in darkness.

"Sakura, do you think... I should fight for the Holy Grail?"

The Holy Grail!

Hiding in the shadows, Rin covered her mouth, her eyes wide.

Wasn't that what her father was also pursuing?

If Uncle Kariya was participating in this war, then that meant...

They would inevitably have to fight each other.

Lost in his thoughts, Kariya didn't notice the eavesdropper. He simply poured out his unease to the child he cherished most—not his daughter, but someone dearer to him than a daughter, Sakura Matou.

"I initially joined the Holy Grail War to make Tokiomi pay, to make him realize that there are things more important than magecraft. Since Tokiomi's goal is the Holy Grail, my goal is simple—to stop him."

"But more than just causing trouble for Tokiomi, what I really want is to defeat Archer and win the Holy Grail... Isn't that laughable? Even though Sakatsuki has repeatedly warned me that the Holy Grail is flawed, I still cling to this unrealistic hope."

At this point, Kariya closed his eyes in pain, his voice like a whisper in a dream.

"If only I had realized it sooner back then if I had dealt with that old man... perhaps I wouldn't have had to abandon Aoi, fleeing in disgrace like a stray dog. Perhaps fate would have taken a different, perfect turn..."

"If only the Holy Grail could grant me this wish..."

Sakura remained silent, but a young, angry voice rang out behind Kariya.

"What are you doing, Uncle Kariya!"

"Rin?!"

***

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