The Second Chapter: Stranger

January 13, 1998. Sunny:

Today was the first day of the Holy Grail War, and the second day since I'd met my Servant. The Servant I'd accidentally summoned was a man in red armor who always liked to call himself a king who would never know defeat.

But as far as I was concerned, he had no redeeming qualities beyond his looks. He could blow up the kitchen while cooking! When he lost at a game, he smashed my game console and blamed it! He was always nitpicking about ordinary clothes, saying mine were too vulgar and ugly! Damn it, if they're so ugly, then don't wear them! They belonged to my father!

We'd only known each other for two short days, but that hadn't stopped me from wanting to "kill" this Servant. If I could, I'd love to send him back to the Throne of Heroes myself! Though that was impossible...

Still, I had to admit that, despite always doing things that made me angry, he really was strong. If I weren't such a half-baked Master, I thought... he'd probably be the strongest Servant in this Holy Grail War, right?

He was domineering and overbearing, and looked down on weaklings like us. But... surprisingly, he was also a very considerate person, even if his mouth made you want to slap him back and forth a few times.

Today, according to his plans, we were going out to survey the terrain and check the safety of the area, to make sure no other Servants could ambush or attack us. I'd told him that this sort of thing should be done by a Servant, not a Master, but the bastard actually said, "Even emperors go out to inspect their domains! What makes a commoner think he can sleep in?!" And with that, he'd dragged me right out of bed.

The moment I left my warm bed, the freezing air and cold wind began needling my skin. I shivered uncontrollably.

Cursing my Servant for being so overbearing and having no sense of what a Servant ought to do, I hurriedly got dressed and dashed into the washroom.

When I'd finished washing up and came out, ready to tell my Servant we could leave, I discovered...

The bastard couldn't wait. He'd left me behind and gone out by himself!

"If that's the case, then why did you even wake me up?! You bastard of a Servant!!!!" My furious roar made the entire villa tremble. After venting for a while, I crawled back into my warm bed, cursing that damn Servant to hurry up and die, and soon drifted off to sleep again...

When I woke up again, I rubbed my eyes and looked out the window. The morning sun I'd seen outside had already become a crescent moon against the night sky. I yawned, casually grabbed a piece of clothing to throw over myself, and left the bedroom for the living room. The first thing I saw was...

An endless stream of people, lively hubbub, and noisy vendors calling out their wares.

Walking through this modern city I hadn't visited in so long, Xia looked around excitedly, taking in everything on either side of him. Memories of the international metropolis from deep in his mind slowly surfaced. Back then, there had been him, his mother, his younger sister, and that man who had yet to betray his mother.

The family always went out together like this. His younger sister would cling to him, asking him to take her everywhere. If he refused, she would stare at him with her big, tear-filled eyes until he gave in, and only then would she break into a smile. While he took his sister around to play, his mother and father would smile and follow behind them. Back then... he'd been happy.

His sister's sweetness, his mother's tenderness, and his father's affection were all things he wanted to enjoy forever...

His sister, his mother, and his father. Back then, they were the most important people in his life, and he'd sworn to protect them forever...

But a nightmare shattered his family's happiness and burned a bloody scar into his young heart.

That was...

"Tch!" Xia clicked his tongue in annoyance, lifting a hand to sweep the black hair from his eyes and smooth it back. His hawk-like gaze swept around, and he realized that what he'd just been thinking about had completely ruined his mood for sightseeing. Xia shook his head helplessly, put his hands in his pockets, and continued walking.

He wandered aimlessly down the street, ignoring the bustling scenery around him, as though it had nothing to do with him. Today marked the third "year" since Xia had left Artoria's side. He wondered if Artoria still remembered him...

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky and slowly settled in Xia's palm. Standing amid the crowd, Xia gazed silently at the pure white snowflake in his hand. For an instant, his mind wandered, and he seemed to return to the time when he and Artoria had lived together in the Fairy Forest...

The sky had been falling with pure white snowflakes then, too. In the treehouse in the World Tree, Artoria had nestled in Xia's arms for warmth, gazing out the window with wide, curious eyes at the white angels falling from the sky.

"Hey, Xia. Why are snowflakes so beautiful? So pure and white?" Though she'd seen the white angels falling from the sky many times, Artoria was still curious. Why were they so spotless and pure, as if untouched by dust?

Xia lazily opened one eye and glanced at the snow falling outside.

"So what if they're beautiful? So what if they're white? They can't compare to a single strand of your hair. Who cares whether they're pretty or not?" He tightened his arms slightly around the person in his embrace and spoke languidly. To Xia, perhaps nothing in the world could compare to Artoria—not even his own life.

"Mmph!" Clearly unhappy with that answer, the person in his arms struggled out of Xia's embrace and sat up. She glared at him indignantly~

"Xia! I'm asking why the snow outside is so pure and beautiful! Please don't brush me off!" Artoria puffed out her cheeks in anger and looked at Xia with clear dissatisfaction.

Looking at Artoria like that, Xia sighed helplessly. Then he reached out and pulled her into his arms again. No matter how much she struggled, he held on tightly.

Artoria struggled for a while, but when she realized Xia wasn't going to let go, she reluctantly gave up.

"Xia, you're so domineering..." she murmured like someone talking in her sleep, snuggling back into his arms...

Outside, the snowflakes continued to fall. The cold air couldn't be driven away, even by the burning fire. Artoria lay quietly in Xia's arms, her unfocused eyes watching the flames leap and dance as she slowly drifted off to sleep...

Looking at Artoria's peaceful sleeping face, Xia found himself smiling again...

"Snowflakes are pure white and spotless. That's why they tempt people who are just as pure and spotless. I'm different from you, Artoria... From the moment I stood behind you, my hands were destined to wield the blade of slaughter. So... I can't feel the purity and innocence of the snowflakes. But even so, if you can feel it... then that's what makes me happiest."

The fire continued to crackle, and the boy and girl on the wooden bed fell asleep in each other's arms once again.

Whoooooosh~~~~~~~

A powerful gust of cold wind blew toward Xia, who was still lost in his memories, and swept the snowflake in his hand up into the sky once more. Xia stared in surprise at the snowflake flying from his palm and instinctively reached out to catch it again.

But the moment it left Xia's hand, the snowflake disappeared into the boundless sky without a trace...

Xia's hand grasped at the empty air. Nothing remained but the air flowing through his fingers... Slowly lowering his arm, Xia gazed at his palm again, his eyes clouded with confusion, as if remembering something, considering something. Then, when he raised his head again, he seemed to have made up his mind.

He closed his eyes and quietly sensed the auras in the air... some strong, some weak; some sweet, some foul, some sorrowful, some joyful. But... the aura Xia was searching for was the kind that was noble and pure.

"Ha..." When he sensed the aura he was looking for, Xia raised his head and drew in a deep breath.

Then he aimed his voice at the sky!

"I'M COMING!!!!! KNIGHT KING! ARTORIA!!!!!!!!!!"

A tremendous roar burst from Xia's mouth, his voice carrying thousands of meters into the distance~! The deafening sound made the people along the street cover their ears and scatter! The powerful sound waves shattered every window along the entire street!

"Huh?!" Saber, dressed in a black suit and walking behind Kiritsugu Emiya and Alice, suddenly heard the roar from far away. She stumbled to a stop and stared in astonishment toward the direction it had come from.

The roar was loud enough for ordinary people to hear clearly, let alone the two accomplished magi, Kiritsugu Emiya and Alice.

"Who was that?! How did he know... Saber's true name?!" Alice stared toward the distance in shock. Beside her, Kiritsugu's expression darkened as soon as he heard the roar. "And he knows which heroes are certain to appear in this Holy Grail War. If so... he doesn't just know Saber's true identity. He may have found out about us, too. I hope that guy isn't a Servant! Otherwise..." Kiritsugu said grimly. His mind, as precise as a machine, began working rapidly, calculating how to kill the man before he did anything even more outrageous!

At last, the longing I'd kept suppressed for so long burst out in that one roar! Then, with the startled faces of the people along the street behind me, I leaped into the air and raced toward the place where I'd just sensed a Servant's aura~!

"Master!" Saber instantly sensed the aura rushing wildly in their direction. Kiritsugu cast her a cold, grim look, then immediately ordered Alice and Saber to go ahead as a pair. He wouldn't reveal himself unless absolutely necessary! Damn it! If that aura weren't rapidly approaching, how could he possibly allow himself to reveal his abilities so early?!

Alice gave a slight nod at Kiritsugu's order. Then she wrapped her arms around Saber's shoulders, and Saber leaped into the air with her~! A flash of blue light crossed the sky, and Saber, now dressed in a blue knight's dress, held Alice in her arms and sped toward the aura charging their way.

At that very moment, in a park... a Servant wielding two spears emerged from the bushes, looking bored. At the same time, a mighty giant was heading in that direction, one hand holding a young boy captive and the other gripping the reins. He was driving a luxurious chariot pulled by divine bulls whose bodies crackled with lightning.

The auras of four Servants were rapidly drawing closer to one another.

Whoosh~! Saber leaped down from the top of a tall tree and set Alice down. She immediately turned around, holding her invisible sword in both hands as she warily faced the man wielding two spears.

"Oh? I thought the first person to arrive here would surely be some particularly reckless Servant, but I never expected... such a lovely young lady. What good fortune." The Lancer of the Fourth Holy Grail War emerged from the shadows, smiling faintly, both spears in hand.

"Lancer? Were you the one who made that rude remark just now?!" Saber demanded sharply.

"No, it wasn't me. I wouldn't do anything so rude. Besides... I don't even know what you're called, lovely lady~" Lancer replied, his muscles tensing all over. Had he realized that the person before him wasn't a pretty little bird, but a ferocious lioness?

Clang! The invisible sword pointed straight at Lancer. "Whether it was you or not, if you're an enemy, then let our blades settle it!" With a gallant flourish, Saber swung her invisible sword and charged toward Lancer like a sudden gale!

"I was ordered by my Master to test the strength of the various Servants. If so... I could hardly ask for more!" The moment he finished speaking, Lancer surged toward Saber beneath a streak of blue light!

"Do you want to die, Lancer?!" Just as Lancer and Saber were about to clash, a furious shout came from afar. Then a flash of golden light streaked past—a magnificent golden spear shot between them!

"Tch!" Lancer reluctantly pulled back his spear and flipped backward.

"Who is it?!" Saber, also forced to stop, glared displeasedly at the figure approaching in the distance. To interfere in a duel between heroes—how utterly discourteous!

Whoosh~!

A man in red armor leaped out from among the leaves. He wore a tall crown, and each of his shoulder guards was adorned with a golden wing, mirrored symmetrically on either side. A skull-decorated belt was fastened around his waist, and two golden swords hung at either hip. His armor was crimson from head to toe, its every edge traced with intricate golden magical patterns, making him seem both mysterious and magnificent.

He shifted in midair and instantly landed as lightly as a wisp of smoke.

Clank... His slowly rising figure radiated an oppressive presence. He turned to face Saber and gently reached up with both hands to remove his ornate helmet, revealing a handsome face and an expression full of longing.

"Long time no see, Artoria." His gentle voice carried the comfort of someone who had finally found his home. Looking at the familiar figure before him, one that had already begun to fade even in the depths of his memories, Xia unconsciously reached out to touch her...

Whoosh~! A powerful gust of wind suddenly swept between Saber and Xia! Saber stood with one hand still poised from swinging her blade, staring warily at Xia.

"Who... are you?!"