"Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill.
Repeat it five times. But when each is filled, the cycle is broken.
Silver and iron form its base.
The foundation is the Grand Duke of Contracts.
My ancestor is the great teacher Schweinorg.
The winds of the four cardinal gates shall rise,
Walls shall stand against the falling winds.
The gates shall open towards the Crown.
Step forth, upon the path to the Threefold Kingdom!"
In the dimly lit basement of the Tohsaka estate, a young girl stood before an intricate magic circle, her tiny hands trembling with anticipation. The flickering candlelight illuminated her twin ponytails, framing her delicate face—Rin Tohsaka.
Her crimson eyes burned with determination, yet the circle before her remained silent. No surge of mana, no flash of light. Nothing.
"Why? Why isn't it working?" Rin clenched her fists, frustration evident in her voice. "If only I could summon a Servant… then maybe… maybe Sakura wouldn't have had to leave."
Her small mouth pouted in disappointment, as if the unfairness of the world could be swayed by sheer willpower.
And then—
A surge of power erupted from the summoning circle!
The basement trembled as a pulse of golden radiance engulfed the room. Sparks of prismatic light swirled around Rin, lifting her twin tails ever so slightly as her eyes widened in astonishment.
"This… This is it!" she gasped. "Did I… Did I succeed?"
But was it truly her success?
No. The truth was far more extraordinary.
The Holy Grail had deemed this moment fateful—Rin had unknowingly become the perfect vessel for the summoning. And so, fate twisted, drawing in a Heroic Spirit unlike any other.
The moment of reckoning had arrived.
---
"I hereby swear…
My fate shall be bound to your sword.
My life shall be entrusted to your blade.
Respond to my call, o spirit of legend!
If you would accept this will, then rise!
I beseech thee…
By the laws of the Holy Grail, by the weight of this command…
Come forth, from the Seventh Heaven!
Descend upon this world—my Servant!"
The moment Rin finished the incantation, an overwhelming presence filled the chamber.
A torrent of golden light spiraled upwards, forming into something beyond a mere apparition. Rin instinctively took a step back, her heart pounding in her chest.
Then—
A figure emerged from the summoning circle.
Clad in brilliant silver armor, his presence alone exuded the authority of a sovereign. The sheer pressure he radiated sent shivers down the young girl's spine. His blue cape fluttered ever so slightly in the lingering magical energy, and the piercing gaze from his deep blue eyes seemed to hold the weight of countless battles.
He was not merely a Heroic Spirit.
He was King Arthur.
The man who had built a golden age of knights.
The ruler who had led Britain to prosperity.
Yet, this time… he was not the King Arthur of legend.
This was a real Arthur. Flesh and blood. A soul not confined by the shackles of spirit form, but one who had transcended the nature of the Throne of Heroes.
Rin, still caught in the moment, found herself breathless. The magical theory she had studied told her that Servants were dependent on their Masters—that they were simply ethereal warriors called forth through mana.
But the man standing before her…
He was no mere Servant.
Arthur looked down at the girl before him, taking in the sight of his summoner. She was young, yet her eyes held a spark of defiance and intellect.
He smiled.
Extending a gauntleted hand toward her, his voice was calm yet commanding.
"My name is Arthur. I have answered your summons."
A pause.
He tilted his head slightly, observing her stunned expression with mild amusement.
"So… you are my Master?"
"H-Huh?!" Rin stammered, caught off guard.
At that moment, Rin Tohsaka knew—
Her world had just changed forever.
Arthur Pendragon had returned.
And this was just the beginning.
---