Introduction
The Holy Grail War.
The war centered on the legendary relic, The Holy Grail, which is rumored to be an omnipotent wish-granting device.
Due to its miraculous ability, it invites attention from various sides.
Unfortunately, the Grail will choose only one person as its bearer.
To determine the rightful owner for the Grail, seven magi are selected to participate in this Battle Royale based competition, a continuous bloodshed that would not stop unless only one remains standing.
Each magus is rewarded with three Command Spells, a special authority to summon and control an entity called Servant.
Servants are extraordinary heroes, who achieved true greatness throughout their lifetime, and carved their very name into mankind’s historic records.
The summoned Servants are placed into seven distinct classes:
Saber - the swordsman, Archer - the bowman, Lancer - the spear wielder,
Caster – the mage, Rider – the mounted cavalry, Assassin – the silent killer, and finally Berserker – the mad warrior.
They essentially accompany their Master in spirit form, and materialized when needed, especially in intense battles.
On 24 April 20XX, a strong magical presence is detected in the heart of city of Malacca, the place once dubbed as Nusantara’s land of prosperity.
After conducting a thorough investigation, the Clock Tower of London finally announced their confirmation about this matter.
The 812th Holy Grail had been found.
And the Association will do anything to place their hands upon it.
Prologue
The sound of slashing.
The sound of something sharp collided with the stillness of the surrounding air.
The voices of agony.
The horrifying scream, together with the melody of the butchered fleshes and broken bones.
The smell of death.
The stinging odor, a combination of blood and metal.
Her eyes are closed, yet her other senses are still awake.
Based solely on those senses, she tried to decipher the situation she is in.
The last thing she saw is the face of a man, who is in a deep anger and misery.
He spread fear to people around him. He killed whoever crossed on his path.
Such madness…. need to be stopped.
That was the reason she put all her strength on the wooden axe that she held in her palm.
And without a single hesitation…
She swung it.
A moment later, she finally had the courage to open her eyes.
She watched the bloodstained axe, resting silently on an unmoving corpse.
She gasped in terror.
Not because of what she had done.
But rather, because of what awaited her in the future.
She was aware, that by that time, her existence as a human would be forever denied.
She will be admired, but never loved.
Known, but never understood.
Honored, but never acknowledged.
Yes, she had become a kris, a lifeless dagger.
Day by day, she realized that her hands had grown colder by the passing of time.
As cold as the blade she grabbed tightly in her hand, now immersed in the chest of the one she once swore to protect.
She expected the usual shouts of despair from him, but that did not reach her ears at all.
Instead, she heard a weak whisper.
Following the whisper, is the warmness of her friend’s body.
Drops of water started to run across her rosy cheeks.
That day, the soil of Malacca was stained, not only by the blood of the defeated, but also…
The tears of the victor.
**************************************
“If you abiding by this very will and reason, answer me!”
The time is near.
“Guardians of Heavenly Scale!”
The time for another battle to begin.
As the ritual ended, the warrior in green surfaced through the heavy white smoke.
She looked down at the floor. The traces of magical circle used for the summoning can clearly be seen on there.
The newly summoned Heroic Spirit then gazed at the man standing in front of her. Most of his face is entirely covered by the hood of his red cloak.
Yet, his confused expression can easily be noticed.
She lowered her head in respect, and slowly asked:
“Are you… my Master?”
*******************************
“Ah, along with the changes of era, this place definitely had changed for better!”
“Yeah, it would be cool if you were talking about the surrounding, people or anything else, but the thing is…
You just referring to the foods, right, Saber?”
“Ahahaha, you caught me!”
I pat the back of my Master several times while laughing.
He is not pleased with the action.
“But you got to admit, this so-called chicken rice taste really nice!”
“Yes, it had being really nice to my wallet too.”
“I’m so sorry! I never meant to burden you, Master!”
As I apologized to him, my stomach suddenly let out a huge growling sound. Master just sat at the corner of the table, with a sympathetic look in his eyes.
“It’s okay, Saber. It’s not that expensive, anyway.”
“So, can I have another six, then?”
“Are you trying to push me to bankruptcy?”
He silently stood up from his seat, and proceeded to the door leading to the kitchen.
While throwing the porcelain wrappers into the bin, he asked:
“I thought Servants doesn’t have to eat?”
“Well…”
He is not exactly wrong. Since Servants’ existences are still considered as ‘spirits’, real foods are not actually needed for my survival. ‘Food’ for Servants is in the form of prana, the magical energy supplied by their respective Master.
“I will tell you… but please don’t get mad.”
“Continue.”
“The thing is…prana doesn’t have a taste!”
If only prana tastes like fried chicken, then maybe I would not bother about something like this.
A loud crashing sound was heard from the kitchen.
“Don’t… don’t worry. My hand just slipped.”
He’s angry, isn’t he?
“Honestly… are you really Hang Tuah, the well-known admiral?”
“Don’t you think it’s a little too late to ask me that?”
Well, he had all the reasons to doubt me. I am passed down in the legend as a man, anyway.
“Master, despite for my gender, you believe in my capabilities as a Servant, right?”
“Well, the woman part kind of intrigued me, but on top of that…
That ill-mannered personality…”
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“Huh, you’re saying?”
“Ah, nothing.”
I did not catch the last part, but… whatever.
“Is there anyone, in your time, that is, that knew about your true gender?”
“Well, there’s Tuk Guru Adi, and Bendahara, too…”
“Your teacher, and Bendahara… the one that spared your life from the execution, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“So, none of your ‘brothers’ manage to discover it, huh?”
“Hmm…”
Except for Hang Jebat.
Unfortunately, it was during our last confrontation.
The one where I took his life, to be exact.
“Hey, did I ask a weird question?”
“Huh, what?”
“Your expression changed just now.”
“Oh, really… hahaha.”
“Just tell me if you don’t want to talk about it.”
Our dialogue was interrupted by the sound of ringing, coming from Master’s cellphone.
Even for being a magus, Master had not peculiar issues with the usage of technology.
As long as it beneficial, then there is no reason to forfeit it – is what he said.
To be honest, I am actually quite attracted to the concept of mobile devices.
Master’s cellphone looks awfully convenient… that I wish I could possess one of them for myself.
I mean… look at it! You can connect to the person even outside of this country.
And not to forget, you can also store games in it. Lots and lots of them.
Master always scolds me for playing with his phone.
“You will drain off the battery!” – How many times had he repeated that line?
I am pretty sure he just doesn’t want me to beat his high score.
As I was engrossed in my own rambling, Master had already finished his conversation.
“Who is it?”
“The Church.”
Before continuing, he flashed off an odd looking smile.
That smile is so eerie that I even think of smacking him up.
“The seventh Servant had been summoned!”
He then struck a ridiculous pose, which reminded of some superhero transformation scene.
Yeah, I saw that in the television. The show is really entertaining, too.
“The War will officially start…. TOMORROW!”
“OKAY I GET YOUR POINT! PLEASE STOP DOING THAT!”
Seriously… by next morning, we’re going to hunt down and kill some people.
Drop off the ridiculous act, Master.
Are we supposed to be a comedic duo or something?
“Okay, Saber. I will hit the bed early. We need a proper rest, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go on.”
Without even glancing towards me, he asked:
“Saber, can we really win this War?”
“The Grail is all yours, Master.”
“Hah, where’s all that confidence came from? Well, you do have the geographical advantage, together with your Noble Phan…”
“That’s not what I meant, Master.”
“Then?”
I swallowed down a deep breath, and calmly replied:
“Because I had already promised you the Grail.”
He then remained silent, then slowly muttered:
“You really are Hang Tuah.”
“Oh …yes, and one more thing…”
“What is it, Master?”
God, he can be pretty annoying sometimes.
“Do not touch my phone. We will depend on it a lot.”
Noooo… he sees right through me.
***************************************
The sky is dark by that night.
Not even a single star can be found shining upon its surface.
Coincidently, all of the seven Servants are gazing into the same scenery.
In contrast with the gentle wind which blows the night, a man, with the presence of a mountain, is facing the city, admiring the night lights.
He gazes at his two hands, while heaving a deep sigh.
These hands had taken him to the path of glory.
Yet, these same hands had also brought him to the ruins of tragedy.
After all that, he wonders:
“What kind of future will I have this time?”
Breaking him from his reverie… is the neigh hailing from his beast companion.
As if detecting its owner sorrowfulness, the Phantasmal Being tries to rise up his spirit.
“Haha, you’re right, Rakhsh… you’re right.”
Rider then pulls the majestic white horse, which he also called friend, towards the warmness of his chest.
On the other side of the town, Servant Lancer ‘s pair of eyes is also illuminated by the streetlights.
Instead of adoring it, she stares at the light with the expression of rage.
The light somehow reminded her of the flames which once devoured her whole.
The flames that denied everything she believed, loved and cherished.
She grinds her teeth in annoyance.
Truly, despair is something that cannot be obliterated, even by the power of Death itself.
Home.
That is the only wish that Caster ever carried.
He just wants to return home.
Being exiled for years, he yearned for the place where all his memories resided.
Even after being exalted to the Throne of Heroes, this simple dream had never once faded from his heart.
And here he is, once again stranded on an alien land of the far Eastern.
Compared to his previous pilgrims, this situation is practically nothing.
Yet, he can never stop cursing the ruthlessness of fate.
“Caster, I just got the information from the Church…”
The sweet voice of his Master suddenly pierced through his ears.
For some reason, the voice had invoked a deep nostalgic feeling right inside of him.
A smirk forms on his face.
Maybe fate is not that cruel, after all…
The nature had always been fair and just to the creatures that lie below their dominion.
That is why, even in this pungent and confined room, there is still some glimpse of moonlight.
The weak silver rays shone upon his scarred limbs.
No, maybe the word ‘it’ is more suitable to refer to this Servant.
Once a prideful warrior, the hero is now reduced to a maddening fiend.
Wrath started to fill Berserker’s bloodshot eyes.
Then, a long howl shatters the silence of the night.
As if reacting to that sound, Saber abruptly stops her meditation.
She receives a very ill premonition.
The heavy breathings started to torture her chest.
“Could it be…”
She opens the window, letting the cool breeze touches her fair skin.
“No… please don’t…”
“Please don’t let that happen… once more…”
There, she shed her tears again. The same tears which she shed almost 500 years ago.