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Rin Edelfelt threw an emerald and a large green shield appeared in front of her, knocking over a desk in the classroom. A barrage of rubies, tossed by Luvia, collided with the shield in an explosion, making one of their classmates duck underneath a table. “The sisters are back at it again,” Flat Escardos exclaimed.
“Do you ever get bored with their fighting?” Svin Glascheit asked.
“Nope,” Flat said. “They make the class interesting. There’s always excitement with them.” Flat was beaming from ear to ear as he watched Luvia try to piledrive Rin.
Svin just sighed and leaned back into his chair. It wasn’t worth it to fight Flat when there was already a fight going on. “Idiot,” he murmured under his breath. Rin punched Luvia in the gut, sending her flying into the back wall. Gray sunk back into her cloak as if she was trying to completely disappear.
Flat turned to Gray and asked, “What do you think about their fighting?”
She looked over at the two of them and then back at Flat. Svin blushed and looked away. “Sisters fight like that,” she quietly said. “At least, that's what I’ve been told. I don’t think they need to change.”
Just as Luvia was about to grab Rin by the neck, Lord El Melloi II walked into his classroom. In an exasperated tone, he said, “Do I even want to ask?”
Luvia instantly regained her composure, seeming once again to be an elegant lady. Rin brushed the dirt off of her clothes. “It is simply a family matter of who will be going to the 5th Fuyuki holy grail war.”
“And it’s going to be me,” Rin said.
“To think that the Clock Tower would allow a second rate mage to represent them in the holy grail war would be absurd,” Luvia asserted.
“If I’m second rate, then what are you?” Luvia and Rin locked hands in an effort to shove the other to the floor.
El Melloi sighed. “You will both go the same way as the Edelfelt sisters in the third war if this continues. Neither one of you will be going to the war. Now sit down and I’ll begin my lecture.”
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Gray sat in Rin’s room after class. She was quietly reading a book in the corner as Rin worked on the essay that was assigned to her. Her desk was covered with books about the history of the gandr spell and different documents of family trees. Rin picked up a thick leather book on Norwegian curses. “There isn’t anything useful in that one,” Gray said. “I already checked.”
Rin set the book down on a pile of books she had on the floor. “Thanks,” she said, nonchalantly. Grey continued to read her book. Rin flipped through another book on the desk, stopped on a page and made a note on her essay paper. The door flew open and Luvia walked in. “Get out of my room,” Rin demanded.
“I need one of your books,” Luvia walked over to the pile on the floor and picked one of them out. “You don’t get to use all of the books in the library.”
“If you’ve got it, then get out.”
“OK, I’m leaving,” Luvia dramatically said. Noticing Gray for the first time, she said, “Oh, hello Gray. I didn’t realize you were here again. I would have expected Rin to be a better host, so I apologize for any of her more rude behaviors.”
Rin wheeled around in her chair and charged up a gandr, which was fired at the closed door after Luvia’s quick exit. “I can’t believe her sometimes. The nerve that she has to come into my room and take my books. She attacks me in class and now both of us have to do a report? That’s not fair. I was acting in self defense. Plus, why won’t she just let me go to the Holy Grail war. I’m obviously the most competent mage for them to send. A better sister would gracefully accept defeat and help their sibling. But no. Luvia has to get her own way. It’s absurd.”
“Why do you even want to go?” Gray interrupts Rin’s ranting. “I understand Master’s obsession, but you seem like you would have better things than some foreign ritual that has a 0% success rate.”
“I-” Rin started before she stopped herself. She took a deep breath. “There are just some things that I need to settle. There are some people I need to talk to. I used to live in Fuyuki. It wasn’t for very long and it was a long time ago, but I need to go back. Also, I just want to win. I want to win that stupid cup to prove I’m better than everyone else.” Her last two sentences sounded a lot more like the Rin she knew.
“Have you told your sister this?” Grey asked, closing her book.
“Of course not. I’m not going to just give her more ammo to attack me with.”
“Do you know why Luvia wants to go to the Holy Grail war?"
Rin was silent for a moment. “No,” she said, somewhat dejectedly.
“I think that’s the problem. If you don’t communicate, you two aren’t going to understand each other. If you don’t understand each other, it's no wonder that you’re fighting.” Rin didn’t reply for a few seconds and Gray shrank back into her cloak. “At least, that’s what I think,” she said much more quietly.
“You’re probably right.” The two of them sat in silence for a moment. Rin broke the silence by saying “But we’re sisters. If anyone can understand her, it’s probably me. She probably is doing this because of her pride. I don’t think she wants to accept that her ancestors lost a grail war and the generations that followed ran away to never participate again. Luvia doesn't run away. She may be stupid, but she’s no coward. She’s headstrong to a fault. More stubborn in one moment than many people will be in their lifetime. She does pig-headed obstinacy like it's an olympic sport.”
“Sounds a lot like someone else I know”
Rin sighed. “I guess I’ll be the better woman. A good sister would support her sibling.” Her moment of genuine sibling love was broken by her saying, “And I’ll be able to hold this over her for the rest of time. She’ll never get out of my debt.”
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“So please,” Rin said to El Melloi, finishing her speech. “Someone is going to be sent to the Holy Grail war, and I don’t want it to be anyone else other than her. So if you can pull some strings and get her the spot, I would be in your debt.”
“That was a nice plea, Rin Edelfelt,” El Melloi lectured. “You used a proper amount of Logos and Pathos. While your usage of Ethos could be improved, it wasn’t entirely necessary.”
“Don’t treat this like it was some assignment. I’m actually asking,” Rin frustratingly reiterated.
“However,” El Melloi continued, as if there was no interruption. “You do need to work on your timing. I would have to dock points off for you being late.”
“Did they already choose all of the participants for the grail war?” Rin asked, panic seeping into her voice.
“No. Nothing like that. It’s just that your sister made the same plea to me to allow you to go. And that was about five minutes ago. She said something about how you had a family matter that you needed to solve there.”
“That rat,” Rin cursed under her breath. “She was eavesdropping.”
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After gathering both sisters in his office, El Melloi said, “So, you’re both willing to surrender to give your sister the spot in the Holy Grail war?” Luvia and Rin nodded. El Melloi sighed and said, “Well, as a teacher, I would tell you that neither of you can go. You’re both still students, my students in fact, and you are not ready for war.” Both Rin and Luvia looked visibly disappointed. “However, if I did that, I would be a hypocrite. You are much more capable than I was. You both asked and didn’t take. You both overcame your differences with your sister. By all accounts, you are far better than I was.”
“That doesn't answer the question of who will go,” Rin noted.
“I’m not sure I see the problem with both of you going. Did the Edelfelt sisters not both summon in the third grail war?”
“It won’t work this time,” Luvia said.
“I’m not sure if you know, but I’m adopted,” Rin said. “I’m not Luvia’s real twin. The real one died before her first birthday. I’m just a replacement.”
El Melloi fell silent for a moment. “But you do both still share the same magic crest?”
“Correct,” Luvia answered. “That’s just the way the crest works. There’s always two versions of the same crest.”
“And do you think of each other as sisters?” The two girls nodded. “And both of you are willing to sacrifice for your sister?” They nodded again. “Then by my account, you are more real sisters than the ones who fought in the 3rd grail war. I’m sure the throne of Heroes believes the same. There is no need to fret over trivialities such as blood.” El Melloi paused as the realization fell over the girls’ faces. “Then I only have one question to ask you. Why do you want to fight in the grail war?”
“To win,” Both girls said in unison. “There is no wish we have other than to prove our dominance.”
“Then you certainly have what it takes.” El Melloi pulled a box out from under his desk. “Just like with me, I know that a certain King of conquerors will heed your call.”
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Shirou knocked on the door to Sakura Tohsaka’s room. “Sakura. Dinner’s ready.” After a few seconds, the door quickly slid open, allowing Shirou to see into her room. The room was covered in papers and books strewn around the floor. In the center of the room there was a now open box.
Sakura stood at the entrance with an uncharacteristically large smile. She was holding out a red gem on a necklace like a child showing their parent something cool they found. “I figured it out. I finally opened that box.” Shirou looked impressed. She had been working on that puzzle for a couple of months now. She had said it was something to do with her Father’s death. “I’ve got to call Kirei Kotomine to let him know,” Sakura then bounded down the hall to the phone at the house's entrance.
“I hate that guy,” Shirou and another voice from the dining room said simultaneously. The other voice belonged to the second freeloader in the Emiya household. He was Shirou’s friend since middle school and had been one of the first people his age that he had met after the fire. Shinji was also from a family of magus, like Sakura and Shirou. Much like Sakura, his family was gone after the fourth Holy Grail War. Shinji started having sleepovers at the Emiya residence about seven years ago, with growing consistency. Now, he practically lives there. It had been over a year since he returned to the Matou estate that he was supposedly the head of. Sakura followed suit a few years ago.
Shirou returned to the dining room and began serving the curry he made into three bowls. He placed one in front of Shinji, who was reading one of Sakura’s books on mage botany written by someone named Archelot, and placed another where Sakura normally sat. After a few minutes, Sakura ran into the room, eyes bright and with a wide grin. She held up 2 fingers and said,
“There’s still two spots left. An archer and a saber class.”
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“You sure you don’t want to enter the holy grail war?” Shirou asked Shinji, after the summoning circle had been made.
Shinji waved his hand dismissively. “Not really my thing. I’ll help out, but I don’t have any great ambition for the grail like the two of you.”
Sakura held out the gem in front of her and began to chant before Shirou could reply. “For the elements silver and iron. The foundation stone and the archduke of pacts. And for my great master Schweinorg. Close the four gates. Come forth from the crowd and follow the forked road leading to the kingdom. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Repeat five times. But when each is filled, destroy it. Set. Heed my words. My will creates your body and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the grail’s call and obey my will and reason, then answer me. I hereby swear, thy shall be all the good in the world. That I shall defeat all evil in the world. Seventh heaven clad in the great words of power, from the binding circle, thou guardian of the scales”
A red light flashed and the house shook. A tall man with white hair and tan skin, cloaked in red appeared. His eyes scanned his surroundings, as if he were waking from a long dream. “So, you’re the one who summoned-” his words were cut off, as a black blade appeared in his left hand. Before anyone could move, he had cut Shirou’s throat.
The next few moments were a blur, as Sakura tossed Shinji her gem and began to use her command seal. Shinji held out the gem and began to chant under his breath, his voice slowly fading from Shirou’s mind. Blood trickled onto the floor, where the summoning circle had been drawn. The house once again shook as a blue light flashed.
A woman’s voice he had never heard before spoke to him. “I ask of you, are you my master.”