Standing alone atop a hill, the sword-wielding girl lowered her head and looked at her hands. She gazed at the world around her, engulfed in flames, her eyes filled with confusion—and yet with determination.
She was a girl named Artoria. Or rather, she was the king known as King Arthur.
A pale blue Magic Circle appeared. Artoria put away every expression and stood atop a boulder. "This time, I will win the Holy Grail for sure, and then..."
Before she could finish, she vanished from the desolate world. The next second, she appeared in a dim warehouse.
Before her sat a red-haired boy, blood covering his chest. He stared at her in shock. Her gaze swept over the back of his hand, where a red Command Seal marked him as her new Master.
"Servant, Saber, has answered your summons. I ask you: are you my Master?" Artoria asked beneath the moonlight, but the boy could only stare at her blankly.
"Servant, Saber, has answered your summons. Master, please give your command. From now on, my sword shall be with you, and your fate shall be bound to mine. Thus, our contract is complete." As Artoria finished speaking, a black spatial vortex suddenly appeared behind her and the boy. A powerful suction dragged them both inside, and they vanished from the warehouse. Cú Chulainn, affectionately known as Doggo, arrived moments later, only to find the warehouse completely empty. There was no one there...
In fact, not long from now, in the future...
He, too, would be swept away by that black spatial vortex.
Meanwhile, in another world, "Honestly, how on earth did the Command Seals end up on you? What kind of joke is this?" The fugitive's body rolled and spun as he let out a soundless scream.
A pattern