My heart thundered behind my ribs as I ran inside the park. Saber stopped ahead of me, her invisible sword appearing in her grip. I slowed, arms shaking and cold sweat slick all over my back.
The air curled around me like a wet blanket. Something thick clung to the atmosphere, spreading across the park like an oil stain on water. Mana. Everywhere. My skin prickled, the sensation crawling up my arms and pooling at the base of my skull.
My breath caught and a shiver washed over me from head to toe, rolling down my spine like ice water. My body trembled in place, every muscle locked tight. That quiet voice at the back of my head screamed at me to run.
I clenched my fists and dug my heels into the ground.
A tall slender figure stood further up ahead, illuminated by the streetlights. A woman in black. Her long purple hair spilled down her back like a waterfall, and her mouth clamped tight around an unconscious woman's neck.
Like a vampire.
Rider. Medusa.
The woman in her arms wasn't moving. Her skin was like grave wax, and her chest was barely rising, and—
"I am the bone of my sword."
The words left my mouth before my brain caught up. Heat flooded my magic circuits like flames in a forge.
She was still alive. I could save her.
Saber tensed in front of me as I pointed a hand at Rider.
Half a dozen nameless swords materialized in the air around Medusa. The metal gleamed as it caught the moonlight, edges sharp enough to split hairs. They hovered there like guillotines waiting to drop, points all trained on the woman in black.
"Release the woman."
Rider paused. Her lips left the woman's neck, a small trail of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. A shiver crawled up my spine as her head turned a fraction. Despite the blindfold covering her eyes, I could feel her gaze settling on me like a physical weight pressing against my chest.
She made no other move. Just stood there like a well-trained hound, the unconscious woman in her arms.
The blades hovered in the air. They wouldn't put a single scratch on Medusa. I knew that, so I let them be. They'd served their purpose—
"Oh? If it isn't Emiya." A high-pitched voice carried from behind Rider, grating against my ears like nails on a chalkboard. "And it looks like you have a trick up your sleeve."
Shinji stepped into view, an open book in hand. He took one glance at those weapons floating in the air and smirked in that insufferable way of his.
I wanted to punch him.
"Projection magecraft?" He let out a scoff, tilting his head back like he'd just heard a funny joke. "Don't get cocky, Emiya. Who do you think you are to order my Servant around?"
My hands twitched at my sides. The molten steel in my veins flared hotter.
I wanted to punch him so badly.
"What the fuck, Shinji." I barely kept a grip on my voice. My teeth gnashed as I glared at the smug piece of shit. "Why are you getting innocent people involved! This isn't a game!"
Shinji tilted his head, that insufferable smirk pulling up into a sneer. "Haah? Are you dumb? Eating people is how Servants get stronger. There's nothing I can do about it."
Heat prickled at the base of my skull. Something inside me was about to explode.
Cut him down.
The blades above Rider twitched. A simple thought would send them off course. Even Rider wouldn't save him from a steel rain.
I gritted my teeth, my fingers twitching as I fought back the urge.
No. It'd hurt Sakura. She still cared about him. She—
An image flashed behind my eyes. A giant shadow stretching tall, ready to devour the city. A girl in red and black, losing herself in despair.
My spine chilled, the angry heat inside me snuffed out like a flame.
Cut it down.
My hands clenched, nails digging into my palms.
I couldn't risk it.
"I'm giving you one chance to back off, Shinji." The words came out like pulling teeth. "Release that woman and leave."
I wouldn't hurt Sakura.
But I could beat him up.
Shinji's face twisted with an ugly sneer. "Haah? You're giving me a chance?" His grip tightened around his book, and his eyes narrowed. "Don't make me laugh."
Something shimmered in Rider's hand. Her slender fingers closed around a metal handle that coalesced from thin air. My eyes lingered on the sharp, nameless dagger, and deep inside my soul, the forge grasped it like an offering.
A tragic story unfurled like a forgotten memory.
A woman, cursed for her own beauty. Two sisters, staying by her side until the end. A monster, eating them alive. A victim, slayed for glory.
Medusa…
"Don't get a big head just because you know a little magecraft." Shinji's voice turned cold. "I only came here to see a fight between Servants, but it looks like I'll have to beat you up a little, Emiya."
A heavy breath escaped through my nose.
He wanted a fight.
My eyes flickered to Rider.
A fight that would end with her getting hurt.
My stomach twisted into a knot.
I didn't want to. I didn't want to see her getting hurt. I didn't want her getting hurt.
But there was no other way.
"We're taking them alive, Saber."
Artoria turned her head, just enough to look at me from the corner of her eyes. "What nonsense are you speaking? She's an enemy Servant."
No, she wasn't. Medusa wasn't an enemy. She didn't deserve this.
"Please, Saber."
Artoria's brow furrowed. She looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "Shirou. She's the enemy."
A muscle jumped in my jaw. "No, there's something weird going on." I hissed, mouth tightening with a frown. "Just trust me, I can't explain now."
She'd cut her in half if I did nothing.
Saber's expression hardened like stone and her gaze snapped back to Rider, back foot sliding back with a soft clink of metal as she adjusted her grip on her invisible sword.
Was it enough? Did she understand—
Shirou. Explain yourself.
A voice rippled through my head, parting my thoughts like a blade. Smooth, rich, and familiar. Saber's voice.
My eyes flew wide.
Master and Servant telepathy.
Saber! I yelled inside my own head. Saber, can you hear me?!
No answer.
I clenched my teeth.
How the fuck did this thing work?!
"There's something wrong about that book." I hissed out in frustration. "I don't think Rider's his Servant, but he's ordering her somehow. Could be a mystic code, I don't know, but please, just keep her busy while I destroy it. If I'm right, we could get some answers."
A beat of silence stretched like a held breath. Then Saber gave a small, stiff nod, gaze not moving from Rider.
"Understoo—"
"What are you whispering over there, Emiya?" Shinji's obnoxious voice carried through the park as he smirked. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet?"
"Last warning, Shinji." I fixed him with a glare. "Leave, or else."
"Or else what?" Red splotches crawled up Shinji's neck, his nostrils flaring. "You think you're better than me?!" His voice rose to a high-pitched shrill as he jabbed his book towards us. "Go, Rider!"
Trace On.
Od flooded my body like a surge of electric current.
Rider's left foot scraped against the asphalt as she shifted her weight. Her chains rose around her like coiling snakes, the metal links giving off wicked gleams.
My eyes flickered to the swords hovering above Medusa. A simple thought and flex of will launched them through the air like arrows.
A lazy flick of the wrist, and Rider sent her weapon flying.
The nameless nail sailed through the air in a blur of steel, deflecting three blades with sharp clangs that rang out like bells. Then she yanked the chain, and her dagger spun around her in a sharp arc, knocking the other swords off course.
The swords burst apart into a shower of sparks that danced around Medusa like tiny fireflies before fading into nothing.
Another flick of the wrist.
I broke into a run as the unconscious woman spun through the air like a ragdoll.
Medusa vanished.
A copy of myself appeared in the woman's path, arms outstretched. The clone caught her before she hit the ground, cradling her gently as it laid her down on the grass. It shattered into azure motes of light before it could rise back to its feet.
The clang of metal echoed through the park.
My eyes flickered to Saber just as Rider leapt away from her amidst a burst of sparks, that chain trailing behind her in an undulating line. A second dagger appeared in her awaiting palm as she twisted midair like an Olympic gymnast.
Her form blurred into nothing as soon as she landed. A half breath later, she appeared in front of Saber.
Two shadows collided. Another shower of sparks lit up the night.
Rider leapt away again, her boots barely touching the ground before she was moving. She ran around Saber, her long purple hair fluttering like a banner. She dashed in, and more sparks flashed in the moonlight. Then she pulled back, moving around Saber like a shadow.
I tore my eyes away and ran towards the unconscious woman, crouching at her side. Two fingers found the left side of her neck, and a relieved breath slipped out as I felt a faint pulse.
She was alive. I could save her.
Around me, the sound of metal on metal rang out in a steady rhythm, two legends clashing against each other in a violent dance of steel.
"Hah, she's just standing there and defending. A third-class magus with a third-class Servant." Shinji's grating laugh carried from across the park. "What a joke!"
I ignored him and held out my hands, grasping at the miracle buried deep within my soul. Golden light bloomed above my palms, shaping into an ever-distant utopia. I pushed the copy against the woman's chest, watching as it sank inside her.
That should do it.
"Hey, Emiya, what's with the light show? Aren't you gonna watch how your Servant gets trashed?"
Shinji's voice scratched at my ears again.
Cut him down.
I pushed myself up with a harsh breath, eyes snapping to the book in Shinji's hand. Od surged through my limbs, and I broke into a run.
Shinji's smirk died on his face. He stumbled a step back, eyes snapping wide. "Rider, help!"
I covered the distance in a blink.
He spun on his heel to bolt—too slow. My hand closed around his arm and yanked, and he came stumbling back into me with a yelp. I ripped the book out of his grip, pages crumpling under my fingers.
"Give it back!"
He lunged for it, arms flailing. My fist sank into his stomach and folded him in half, a thin wheeze whistling out of his lungs.
I grabbed the book, one end in each hand, and—
A glint of metal flashed in the corner of my vision, and I flooded my body with Od on reflex.
The impact hit like a hammer, snapping my arm forward.
Rattling chains.
My left arm pulled to the side with a flash of heat and throbbing pain, one end of the book slipping out of my grasp.
I pulled, but the arm didn't budge, strung up like a puppet limb. A shimmering chain stretched taut from under my shoulder to somewhere behind me.
Didn't matter.
"Shirou!"
Saber's voice rang from somewhere behind.
My good hand clamped down on the other half of the book, the thin paper crumpling under my fingers as Od flared into the limb like flames in a forge.
My body is made of swords.
Shards of metal bloomed from my hand like a twisted flower, biting into the pages as I grinned.
I did it.
"Watch out!"
I saved Rider—
The world tilted.
Pages fluttered past my face as the sky went down, and the ground sped up to meet my face. Shinji's face zoomed past, mouth agape and jaw hanging while something reeled me in like a hooked fish.
Pain ripped through my shoulder. The ground slammed into me, knocking the air out of my lungs before it spat me back up into a tumble. Sky. Grass. Sky. Saber flashed past between rotations, eyes wide, foot coming down from a kick.
I hit the ground again. My vision spun, pain stabbing my body like a thousand needles as I bounced like a ragdoll.
Then I landed on something soft.
My right hand felt weird.
I sucked in a breath and blinked away the stars, blood pounding in my ears.
Grass filled my vision. My right hand lay stuck to the ground next to my face. My left sat against something warm and firm. I braced it against that object and pushed myself upright.
I pulled my right hand free, flakes of ash and dirt clinging to the gnarly mess of steel.
My eyes traveled south, and my breath caught.
Dark fabric stretched over two large mounds, then further down over a flat stomach. Smooth skin like milk, stained with dirt and bits of grass. Purple hair fanning out like a curtain over the ground.
That soft, warm thing beneath me was a goddess.
Rider lay sprawled on her back, my palm flat against her abs.
I snatched my hand back like I'd touched a hot stove and jerked upright, bracing for another hit.
Nothing came. She just lay there beneath me, chest rising and falling in a slow steady sway.
Unconscious?
I couldn't tell with that blindfold on.
My gaze flickered down, roaming over her body. A relieved breath escaped me when I didn't find any injuries.
Thank god...
"You're safe."
The words slipped out as I smiled down at her.
Her left hand twitched against the grass, and Rider sucked in a short breath.
I tensed, my brain catching up at last.
Shit! She'd stab me again!
My body is made of swo—
She didn't move.
I paused, and we stayed like that for another beat.
Her hips bucked without warning. Her legs came up, and the world flipped—a flash of pale skin and white fabric—and I was airborne, park and sky spinning around me.
Something snagged me mid-tumble, a grip like a steel vice around my shoulder and hip.
"Master, are you injured?"
The world stopped spinning, and Saber's face came into focus, a concerned flicker in her green eyes.
My gaze dropped to my left shoulder. A mesh of swords jutted from the skin, stained dark like rust, yet barely a drop of blood on them. Beneath the steel, a faint golden glow pulsed warm through the gaps.
"I'm fine Saber." I grinned as that image of Medusa flashed behind my eyes again. "I saw heaven for a second but I'm fine."
Smooth pale skin and pure white—
I pushed it away. Focus, Shirou.
Saber set me down on my feet, her gauntlets sliding off my back. "If you can jest, you are fine—"
"Rider! Where do you think you're going?!" A shrill voice cut through the park like a discordant note. "Who said you could run?! Come back, you useless Servant!"
I turned around and glared at the waste of air.
"Shinji..."
Shinji stood across the stretch of land, his hands clenched at his side. "Get back here! You make me look like a loser!"
Piece of shit.
Metal ground against metal. The mess of shards in my right hand crawled beneath the skin as if alive. I gave the hand a good shake, bits of ash sweeping through the air.
"I can't sense Rider anymore."
Good.
I caught Saber's frown for half a second, my feet already moving, heat flooding back into my veins as I stomped across the grass.
Shinji stopped shouting at the shadows and his head snapped around as I got closer.
"Shinji!" I snarled out, teeth gnashing, and he took a step back, eyes wide and wild.
"Wa-wait, Emiya!"
He scurried backwards like a frightened mouse, feet stumbling over each other.
"Do you know what happens when you lose in the Grail War?"
Shinji's back went flat against a lamppost. His eyes shrank like pinpricks, and he held his hands in front of him with a jerky movement.
"Wait! It's not my fault, okay? My grandfather made me do this! I didn't even want to join this stupid war!"
Yeah. Bet.
I came to a stop in front of Shinji, tilting my head a fraction. "Really?"
"Yeah, I'm not lying! You gotta believe me!" His voice cracked, going up an octave.
I let out a hum, resting a hand in my hip with a plastic smile. "I see."
A flicker of hope bloomed on Shinji's face, his shoulders relaxing a fraction.
"Then I'll only kick your teeth in."
And died just as fast.
A shrill, pathetic noise escaped Shinji's throat. His face went white, all color draining from his skin. His head swiveled left and right, eyes darting around for an escape.
"Wait! Don't do this, Emiya!" he begged. "We were friends, right?!"
Friends?!
A haze of red crept in my vision.
I lashed out with a left hook, socking Shinji in the cheek, the impact sending a jolt up my arm. He crumpled down on the grass with a pathetic cry and scrambled back on all fours.
"S-stop! I'm sorry!"
My foot lashed out without mercy, catching him in the left flank. He went down hard, hitting the grass with a grunt.
"Piece of shit!"
I kicked him again, drawing another cry out of his lungs. I raised my foot, lips twisted with a sneer. My whole body tensed, and I—
I caught myself at the last moment and took a step back instead, chest heaving.
"I'm sorry!" The worm cried at my feet, curling into a ball. "I'm sorry, okay?!"
My blood boiled in my veins. Heat flooded my face, pounding in my ears.
"You're sorry? You kill people, and that's all you have to say?!"
I kicked him again.
He apologized again.
"You think this is a game?!"
"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"
"You're sorry?!" I swept my hand sideways like a blade, snarling. "A lifetime of apology wouldn't cut it!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He cried out, arms wrapped around his head. "I'm sorry! Stop kicking me!"
I fought back the urge to kick him again.
My teeth clenched until they hurt. My head felt like it was about to explode.
Cut him down.
I should stab this piece of shit for every time he'd made Sakura cry. For every day of torment.
My hands shook as I stood there, glaring down at the pathetic waste of space. A beat later, my shoulders dropped with a harsh breath.
I couldn't risk it.
I couldn't do that to Sakura.
A soft clinking sound of metal reached my ears. Saber stopped on my left, face stony.
"Shirou. We should interrogate him."
Her firm voice pulled me out of my haze.
Right. Answers.
Shinji whimpered at my feet, a weak, mewling sound.
I glared back at the worm as he pushed himself upright against the telephone pole.
"You better talk, Shinji."
I'd freed Rider. Sakura was safe.
Shinji couldn't do anything anymore.
It should be enough for now.
"I-I'll talk! Just let me go, okay?!"
"Fine. Now answer my questions before I change my mind—"
"Enough."
A scratchy voice carried from somewhere close, amusement and disdain mixing into a discordant note.
"Don't be too harsh on my failure of a grandson."
A figure stepped out from the shadows on the left. An old, decrepit man clad in dark robes. His skin looked like crumpled parchment stretched over bone. Pitch black eyes dotted by pale pupils that seemed to glow faintly in the dark briefly met mine.
Matō Zōken.
Cut him down.
White-hot anger surged through me like molten steel. My whole body went stiff. Every muscle tensed, ready to move. I barely held it back. Something in my chest felt ready to burst. My fingers tightened around the handle until pain stabbed at my knuckles. I wanted nothing more than to skewer the worm on a hundred blades. To cut him down where he stood and paint the ground with his blood.
No. That wouldn't solve anything.
It'd be pointless against him. Even Saber couldn't end him here with Excalibur. Destroying this body only meant he'd kill another innocent to wear them like a skin.
And he had Sakura at his mercy too…
Shinji scrambled away like a cockroach, clutching his purpling cheek as he paled. "G-grandfather!"
Zōken approached with slow steps, wooden cane tapping softly against the asphalt. "It seems this was too much for you, Shinji."
The waste of air let out a pathetic whimper, staring at the shriveled monster with wide eyes.
"I gave you a chance, and now the Matō have lost. What a bitter disappointment."
Those words snapped Shinji out of his terror. He pulled himself upright with a jerky movement, arms shaking.
"G-Grandfather! P-Please wait!"
Shinji crawled towards Zōken, hands scraping against dirt, just like the pathetic worm he was. "I am the mage of the Matō family! I haven't lost yet!" He reached with a trembling hand towards Zōken, fingers grasping at the dark robe like he was holding onto a desperate hope.
Zōken didn't spare him a single glance, those beady eyes staying fixed on Saber. "An incompetent fool is incompetent in every way. The bloodline of the Matō has fallen to the ground."
Zōken craned his head down, a contemptuous rictus of a smile splitting his face as he glared at Shinji.
"I have not a single expectation from you."
Shinji recoiled as if slapped. His hand fell away from Zōken's robe, another whimper escaping his throat.
Zōken turned away in disgust.
My body tensed as his beady eyes settled on me.
Cut him down.
He approached, cane tapping against the ground.
Saber stepped in front of me, her invisible sword raised towards the worm. She stood there like a wall, blocking me from his sight.
Zōken paused with a thoughtful hum, head tilted to the side. "I see. No wonder Rider lost. You must be a famed heroic spirit."
Like he didn't already know.
"I suppose this is the end." He folded both hands atop his cane, a tight-lipped smile stretching his wrinkled skin. "Pitiful as he may be, he's still my grandson. I must save him even if it means my death."
A harsh, raspy chuckle carried over the wind.
"Compassion towards family can be a dangerous thing."
A hot flame rose in my chest like a wave. My blood boiled anew, flooding my face and neck.
Cut him down.
My hands twitched.
Trace O—
I took a slow, shaky breath, letting the Od disperse from my circuits.
No. Not now.
I gritted my teeth through the anger.
We weren't ready.
"Leave already, you fool." Zōken turned his head a fraction, pinning Shinji with a glare from the corner of his gaze. "You've brought enough disgrace to our family as it is. You're no longer a Master. Live the rest of your life as meaninglessly as your father did."
The waste of air picked himself up from the ground with a frustrated noise. He glared at the worm, then slowly backed away.
Saber stood in front of me like a silent sentinel. I couldn't see her face, but I doubted she saw Shinji as more than dirt on her boots.
Shinji scurried away like a frightened rat. When he got to the edge of the park, he turned around to glare one last time, then ran off like crazy, vanishing into the night.
My mouth twitched as I fought back a sneer.
It was his last chance. If he hurt Sakura one more time, I'd cut him down.
A gust of wind blew through the park, carrying the smell of rotten meat and decay.
My stomach turned sour.
"Oh, so you've let him go?" Zōken's gaze shifted back to Saber, that amused note returning to his voice. "I suppose killing an insignificant weakling would only dirty your sword."
Saber stood her ground like an immutable statue, gaze boring into the old worm. "I haven't dealt Rider a fatal injury," she spoke after a moment.
I blinked. Why was she bringing this up now?
"My foolish grandson failed as a Master. It's only natural that his Servant chose to cast him away."
Lying worm. He would've made another book if he still had Sakura.
"But she's still alive." Saber's gauntlet squeezed around the invisible handle of her sword.
Oh.
She thought Zōken was the real Master.
"Rider might have escaped, but weakened as she is, she won't last long on her own."
Another bold-faced lie.
Medusa had gone back to Sakura.
Saber didn't say anything else.
My gaze shifted back to Zōken. I couldn't kill him now, but I could still make a point.
"Can you step aside, Saber? I want to talk to him."
Saber didn't budge. "This man is not human. You shouldn't have anything to tell, nor hear from him."
"I know, but I still have something to say. Please, Saber. It won't take long."
Artoria went quiet.
A second passed, then another.
A tense silence stretched between us while she kept glaring at Zōken. Her whole body stayed rigid, ready to move at any moment.
She wasn't going to attack him, was she? That would mess up everything, and we'd never get another chance.
Thankfully, Saber took a step to the side, her boots clinking against the asphalt.
The worm smiled as our eyes met. "Well? What do you wish to tell this old man?"
"Just one thing, Zolgen Makiri."
"Oh?" His voice came as a low rasp that made my skin crawl. "You're not as ignorant as I thought." He chuckled. "You've played well fooling this old man."
I frowned. The hell was he on about?
"I know some history."
"So it seems. You must've had an interesting talk with the Einzbern girl. Send her my regards."
My eyes flew wide.
How did he—those fucking bugs.
"Don't look so surprised, boy. I may be old and withered, but I have my eyes and ears in many places."
"Your familiars."
Zōken smiled, an unpleasant rictus on his decrepit face. "So then? What do you wish to tell me?"
"I'll have Sakura stay with me for now."
"You would take the poor girl away from her family?"
Cut him down.
"If it means protecting her, yes."
Zōken rasped out a laugh, though it sounded more like a death rattle. "Are you saying she wouldn't be safe in her home?"
My grip tightened around the sword. "She's safer with me."
Zōken's pale eyes studied me for a quiet moment. "I do wonder."
My hand twitched. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Another gravelly chuckle echoed through the night. The old worm gave a slow shake of his head. "Just the ramblings of an old man," he said. "That aside, we've lost. Would you let this old man leave or not?"
Saber's grip shifted around her sword.
"Shirou, you should tend to that woman." Her voice was colder than the crisp, night air. Her right foot slid backwards a fraction, tension radiating off her lithe frame.
Bad idea. Incredibly so.
"We're done fighting for tonight."
Her gaze snapped towards me. "Shirou. We shouldn't—"
I shook my head, voice like steel. "No, Saber. Let him go."
His time would come.
Once Sakura was safe, I'd cut him apart.
The glaring contest continued for a while. Saber neither moved, nor blinked. Just kept staring at me with those sharp, green eyes. Then her hand lowered at her side, a frown pulling at her face. "If they attack us again, I will show no mercy."
Me neither.
"Understood."
That was all Zōken said, his decrepit form shrinking as he backed away without another word. He melted into the night, dissolving among the shadows just like when he'd appeared. All that remained was his rotten smell lingering in the air.
The park turned silent like a grave.
I ignored the way my stomach churned and hunched over with a tired sigh. "What a mess."
That disgusting worm…
We had to come up with a plan as soon as pos—
"Shirou." A sharp voice cut through the silence. "I'd like to hear some answers."
My head swiveled to the left. Saber was still frowning.
Oh boy…
"Of course." I nodded. "But let's save that talk for when we're certain that nobody will overhear."
Saber held my gaze for a long moment, the line of her mouth pressed thin. Then she gave a short nod. "Very well. I shall wait for now."
A weight lifted from my shoulders.
"Thank you for understanding, Saber. Zōken is already dangerous enough—"
The words died in my throat, and I whirled around.
That woman!
"Sorry! Just give me a second."
I sprinted across the grass and dropped to a crouch at her side, looking her up and down. Her breathing had evened out. Color had crept back into her cheeks, chasing away that grave-wax pallor.
My shoulders sagged with a relieved breath.
I rose to my feet. Saber was already walking over, that frown carved back into her face. I offered her an apologetic smile. "Can you help me get this woman to a hospital first? We can talk on the way back."
Avalon should be enough. No need to see that fake priest.
"Very well. But answer me this, Shirou." Her gaze pressed down on me like a physical force. "If you consider that thing so dangerous, why did you stop me?"
I fought back a grimace. "I'm not sure we could've killed him. He looked far too calm for someone at the mercy of a Servant. Chances are we talked to some kind of puppet or familiar."
We couldn't afford any mistake with that monster. We had to kill him on the first try, or we'd never get another chance.
"I see."
Saber turned away, her boots clinking softly against the ground as she made her way to the unconscious woman, scooping her up.
A cold weight settled in my stomach as we left the park.
This could've gone a lot better…
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