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Chapter Text

Taylor Hebert, fifteen, sat on her knees, staring upwards at the figure who had just materialised before her.

The moonlight shone through the window behind her onto him, highlighting the impossible black and gold armour and the luxurious red cape that seemed to almost flow like flame. The alabaster skin of his chest was decorated with handsome red jewels, his bright blue eyes were severe as they met hers unflinchingly.

After a moment, he spoke up, directing his words downwards to her.

“Servant, Lancer.”

She could only stare back, speechless. This madcap experiment, born from equal parts desperation and interest in the old book, had borne some strange fruit.

What could she say?

What should she say?

For a moment that felt like an eternity, they stared at one another. In the man’s hand was a spear that looked as if it was made of the purest gold, and which had a wheel with six prongs part way down its length.

“My True Name is Karna… it is nice to meet you, Master.”

What the fuck.

On the back of her hand, a trio of marks painlessly burned themselves into existence.

It was a good thing that she conducted her madcap scheme on a Friday night... It gave her time to fumble and desperately try to work out how to proceed with her life from here on out. 

Somehow, she had gained an ally in the form of a (supposedly) semi-mythological (supposed) super warrior from ancient India. A super warrior who was now giving her what could only be called a crash course on just who he was and the significance of the trio of marks on the back of her hand. 

"So... I can use these to force you to obey my orders?" she asked, looking at them critically.

"Yes."

How ugly... just thinking about it like that made it sound like she could force the man to do anything, to be little better than a bully or some sort of monster. Perhaps it was because she lived in a world that had people like Heartbreaker... but knowing that just by ordering it she could make the man in front of her do something... even if he was her... Servant.

"But I can also use them to empower you?"

"Indeed... frankly, your magical circuits are so poor that you shall likely have to make use of them to allow me to make use of my full power---" it was amazing how the man could deliver such a blunt line in a way that almost sounded like an insult. "--but they have all manner of uses; you could also at once command me to be at your side, or even achieve the truly impossible."

She had performed the strange little ritual in the dead of night, drawn by some strange, sudden urge... now it was two in the morning and she was wide awake when she should be asleep. Taylor rested her chin on her interlaced fingers, her mind running a mile a minute. She had not known what to expect when she had done it, hell, she had expected nothing to happen, to face yet another disappointment in her short life...

This entire situation was gross.

Karna was broaching no complaint about what was happening; about the fact he was now bound to obey the desires of a teenage girl.

Could he even complain? He seemed human enough but what if he was actually just an illusion of some sort?

"... Are you real?"

"I am a spiritual core overlapped by physicality."

... So... yes? 

To hell with it. 

She got up and reached forward to prod him, perhaps being cavalier in her efforts, but still. Her hand poked the pale flesh of his chest. It was warm, it was firm, it was real. Man... even if he was thin Karna was kind of ripped---

"... It is curious that there is not some manner of Holy Grail War taking place," Karna mused, glancing out the window as if expecting to find the answer by looking out into the night, and utterly ignored her investigation into whether he was real. The statement was so out of the blue that it broke Taylor out of her own thoughts. "Normally such would be a prerequisite to my appearance. Perhaps it is more correct to say that I have been summoned for another purpose?"

"I..."

What the fuck is a holy Grail War!

"Hm?" he glanced back.

"Ugh..." she slumped in place, then decided she needed to sit.

The swivel chair creaked loudly as she did so, and she pushed her elbow against the surface of the wooden desk that it sat at. 

"What's a Holy Grail War?" she just knew that this was a can of worms.

"... There is not one ongoing, so do not worry about it. You truly are an inexperienced Magus if you have never heard of it, however."

That was the third time he had called her that.

Also, why did she feel that Karna was deliberately leaving out a vast amount of context here? She wanted to ask but... you know what, she would focus on understanding the rest of this bullshit first. Okay, so Karna was now bound to obey her commands and was here for a purpose, but he had no idea what, so was she just supposed to... go with this?

Act as his leash holder?

If he was so strong then maybe she could have him help to clean up the Bay... he probably was not strong enough to deal with the gangs on the whole… but if he could fight and pick off a few of the weaker Capes… then that would be a net positive, right? 

Maybe she could be a hero at his side? Like, in a partnership?

She latched onto this idea... because frankly asking Karna to be a literal servant and do her housework was just... not something she could do. The Hebert's may be struggling, but not enough that she needed an indentured servant of sorts like that! No, if she had a sort of power, then she might as well try to make the most out of it right?

"You are strong, right? Like, stronger than a normal person?" she asked, experimentally. If he was only as strong as a normal person, then he would probably be pretty useless---

"I am a Maharathi, capable of battling twelve atirathi class warriors, or seven-hundred and twenty thousand normal mortal warriors simultaneously---" the fuck "---and possess a mastery of all the forms of weaponry, riding and other abilities that render me far above the abilities of mortal men, be they 'Parahuman' or not."

... Yeeeeah, he was probably just bragging, right? 

“Would you mind helping me clean up the city a bit? There's a lot of gangs with Parahumans in them, and if you are good at fighting, then you could probably really help?" she could just command him apparently... but she preferred the idea of you know... not mastering people into doing her will. 

"If that is you will, Master."

"I should probably make you a mask..." she mused, although with how… fabulous his outfit already was, she struggled to imagine sullying it with a cheap plastic mask like she had been making. Just the mental image of it seemed wrong… Karna was handsome enough (even if she struggled to believe somebody so… pale, could really be from India) that putting a mask on him seemed like a shame.

In response to her statement, the man glanced at her.

“You need not fear, Master. Despite the fame of my legend, I shall not disclose it to any individual.”

“That’s not the problem.” 

 He tilted his head.

“… Like… if somebody sees your face and then they recognise us out in public, what happens then?”

“I will prevent any harm coming to you.”

She supposed that… well, it was a form of keeping someone safe, to destroy any threat that came upon them. But not one that she particularly wanted to rely upon, and if Karna had to remain within a certain range of her at all times…

“What troubles you Master? Is there a particular threat that I should be aware of?”

“It’s nothing,” she said. Perhaps if---

“You lie.”

Karna interrupted her line of thoughts before she even had time to formulate them, cutting through the momentary peace that her words had afforded them. Normally when you said ‘its nothing’ it was a clear indication to leave it there, but her supposed Servant evidently was unwilling to do so.

“Huh?”

“My Discernment of the Poor allows me to peer through deceptions and excuses delivered through words,” he said, staring at her unblinkingly.

So, Karna could see through any attempts on her part to lie to him!?

“…An ability of yours?”

“Indeed.”

“You see through lies.”

“That is correct, Master.”

“And you did not see fit to make mention of this?”

“It never came up.”

Taylor wanted to put her head through a closed window.

In a world with so many liars, in a world with things like Masters, the ability to see through spoken lies was so unutterably valuable that right now, she was tempted to start over and reconsider her options! Like, what if she sold Karna’s services as a lie detector, she could earn millions! A perfect human lie detector… presuming that he was telling the truth about detecting falsehoods, of course.

During her minor mental breakdown, Karna regarded her and came to a resolution.

“… It appears you truly are an inexperienced Magus.”

“Stop saying that!”

He ignored her.

“Very well, I shall provide a full summary of my abilities for your benefit, Master.”

What came next was a tidal wave of information that Taylor barely understood. Parameters with letters attached, ‘class skills’ that included such bizarre thing as Magic Resistance A , Riding A and fucking Divinity A … whatever the hell that meant. Her sceptical, raised eyebrow probably said a lot, but did not deter the pale man from going on to list a selection of ‘personal skills,’ which seemed a lot more concrete in nature.

The ability to see through spoken lies; Discernment of the Poor.

Incredible martial ability; Uncrowned Martial Arts.

The ability to materialise incredibly hot flames; Mana Burst (Flame).

All of those things could be used for the better, and even if Taylor had no power in herself… Karna kind of made up for all that, right? Like, she was his… she did not like the term Master for obvious reasons, no, she was his commander, right? She had a very skilled fighter who could see through lies and was a pyrokinetic, it was better than nothing.

Actually, it was great!

“I also possess three Noble Phantasms---” wait what there’s more!? “---which are crystallisations of the mysteries, historical facts and tales of my existence---” speak English please I beg of you “---and act as the very symbols of my existence. Each is a trump card capable of turning any battle in your favour, Master.”

“… Cool.”

She really could not think of a better response than that.

“So… what do they do?”

The ensuing conversation was stilted, and by the end Taylor was not sure whether she believed what the man was saying. The armour was enough, a truly incredible ability to reduce all incoming damage by nine tenths, if she was a Parahuman with that ability then she would be one of the strongest Brutes in the United States of America! It made her think of that one Australian cape who got Birdcaged

But the ‘ anti-country ’ and ‘ anti-divine ’ weapons were starting to take the cake. She wanted to say that he was lying, or merely exacerbating the truth... but Karna also did not seem like one to tell deceptions, and there was a certain... gut feeling she had, a very grim one, that he was not lying.

Still, he was probably just... exaggerating a bit.

Right?

She decided to postpone her debut as a… um… well, not Cape, but as the commander of Karna, for another night, right now she needed some headache tablets.

“I forbid you from using those last two unless I say so, Karna,” she said, brokering no argument and crossing her arms over her chest.

“... If you order such, then I shall obey it.”

Taylor returned to working on her mask for a few minutes, before Karna decided to interject again, returning to a previous topic of conversation between the two of them.

"... Also, you need not worry about me being seen, I can merely transition to my spiritual body to reduce my mana consumption and avoid detection," how did he always say things as if they were perfectly obvious and something that she should already know?

"Your... what?"

At that, Karna disappeared from view. He was still there, she just... knew it. She could vaguely feel his presence, which moved from where he had stood previously to the other side of the room, before reappearing. She gaped like a fish for a moment, her vision was darkening at the edges... oh wait she was forgetting to breathe.

So she took a deep, steeling breath, counted prime numbers as far as she could go and then paused for a moment. 

"WHY DIDN'T YOU MENTION THIS BEFORE!?"

She really tried not to scream, but she just couldn't help it.

"... You truly are an inexperienced Magus."

"STOP SAYING THAT!"

A moment’s pause.

"Taylor are you, alright?" her fathers worried voice... even with the distance between them, he still got up and was concerned when he heard her shout. There came a knock at her door... and now she had a new situation to explain. At least Karna knew to hide himself away in time for when it opened, leaving her standing awkwardly in her pyjamas to try and explain the situation and her nocturnal shouting at thin air.

This arrangement with Karna was going to have some teething issues.

Chapter Text

April 10th, 2011

Taylor held back from debuting for awhile, perhaps it was her own concerns, perhaps it was uncertainty about Karna... with a normal power she would have been able to research it on her own, try things out and experiment, but Karna was... well, he had his own mind, and it was not like she could read it.

She could command her Servant, but how he chose to interpret or follow those commands was something else entirely

A sentient power that was not necessarily under full control all the time was a scary thing. 

Still...

After a bad day at school, she had to get out. 

She had to do... something. Upon getting home, Karna had materialised, and no words had needed to be said between them. He always had his spear on him... and she was pretty sure that he had been very tempted to put it to use in the last few days. Even if he was in his invisible spirit form (or whatever it was) she could always feel his presence.

On her first night out, she somehow ran into a crock of utter bullshit. 

"They're gonna kill kids!" she said under her breath.

"..." Karna had nothing to say this time, instead his face had been hardened by the exchange and what was going on, did he feel the same anger that she felt? Like... kids?

She glanced at her Servant.

His eyes were ahead and focused on Lung, the leader of the ABB and his various goons. Her summoned warrior almost resembled a hunting dog, one with its ears back, raring to go.

"Karna." 

"Your commands, Master?"

Did he sound excited? 

"I don't want them hurting kids, but like... don't die? Um, take out Lung, he's a Parahuman."

General Patton, she most certainly was not.

"Yes, Master."

And then, he was gone. Karna moved at such a frankly ridiculous speed, leaping into the air and falling from a height that should by all rights should shatter his legs upon landing. As Taylor scrambled to the edge to get a good look at what was about to ensue, it was as if Karna was completely unaffected by the force of his impact. 

Yet he straightened with such poise it was as if he was utterly unconcerned. His spear rose, gripped in one hand and glinting in the light. As the first shout went out, Karna moved .

She was not ready for the frankly horrific acts violence that happened next.

It was a blur, Karna far surpassed anything human whatsoever, he had mentioned that he had Agility A , she had thought he was just nimble but she now understood it better, so much better. At points it was like there were multiple of him, at one point he even stopped in place, gunshots ringing out and deflected the bullets by spinning his spear in place, like something from some... some... some crappy show!

Was he just showing off at this point!?

By the time Lung was bellowing and his transformation began Karna had already put down the various goons... and none too gently either. 

"I have been told that you are one of the strongest in this city," Karna declared, amidst the heap of unconscious and bloodied ABB members, pointing his spear at Lung.

The gang leader was rapidly escalating, c'mon Karna just deal with him—

Karna took off Lung’s arm with an almost errant flick of the wrist the moment Lung so much as tried to move, and Taylor felt light headed.

It wasn't even a fight, Lung joined his various gang members on the floor, blood pooling around him.

Taylor was left gripping a nearby wall, and just a moment later Karna was again by her side, having casually jumped or run up the several stories of wall to join her.

He stood on its edge on one foot, balancing so perfectly on the very edge of the roof that it almost looked like a comical defiance of the rules of the world as he did so. The wind rustled his flame-like cape, he was like a big cat returning with a mouse to show it off to an owner. 

"Wha..."

She was gaping like a fish.

"I have dealt with the problem, Master."

"You took off his arm."

She had no idea how she said it so calmly.

"I merely exceeded him. It's nothing to be concerned about. He would have killed you as happily, and I could no more allow that than him harming children."

A twitch from Lung's unconscious body below them.

"He is still alive... and it appears that he shall not bleed to death, either," Karna observed. "Apologies Master, I underestimated his resilience," Karna raised his arm as if to throw his spear---

She lunged and grabbed his arm.

"Stop!"

Karna raised a brow. For a moment they were stuck in this way, staring at one another, and then Karna lowered his arm and she released it. She knew for sure now that there was no real way to physically stop him, had he wanted he could have just pulled free of her grip and delivered the blow, but he obeyed without the need for the... 'Command Seals' on the back of her hand.

"Very well, Master... do we depart, or wait?"

"Errr... I don't know... I suppose I could ring the PRT?"

A short while later, Armsmaster arrived, leading to another situation.

She had almost expected him to just be able to deal with everyone on the ground, but he looked around, and evidently picked out the form of Karna on the roof. With the deployment of a grappling hook, he came up to join them both. The man's jaw tightened just a little upon seeing that Karna was not alone... but c'mon, between Taylor and her crappy outfit and Karna in all his… Karna-ness, it was clear who was the more notable one!

"... You gonna fight me?" Armsmaster called out, out of the blue.

"We're good guys!" She was still trying to get over the shock, perhaps her fear was getting to her.

What would the consequences of this be!? Like... Lung had no arm anymore, what sort of crime was it to literally dis-arm somebody! And what if they got aggressive in trying to take her alive or some shit, Karna would escalate and he would rip through the Brockton Bay PRT like salt through a slug!

Despite her imminent mental breakdown, Armsmaster focused on Karna, the more clearly superpowered of the two of them.

"... And you are?"

"I am Lancer, the Servant of my Master."

That rather changed the atmosphere, Taylor could see it in the way Armsmasters pose changed, it was the slightest thing, just a minor change but...

"He is adopting a more aggressive pose, Master. Shall I---"

"No! No, don't fight Armsmaster, he's a Hero... and so are we !" She very much tried not to shout. "Listen, he doesn't mean it like that! Um... I summoned him! He's like a um... um..."

"... Projection?" Armsmaster supplied after a moment.

"Yeah! He's kinda like a projection, he's just very strong!"

"You're telling the truth," he said. It was such a definitive statement; it rather startled her. She almost wanted to know how he knew... but she had bigger fish to fry right now.

"He believes us completely," Karna intoned.

Another deadlock, another silence. 

"Um, Karna can see through lies, so it's good that you told the truth!" Taylor supplied, screaming internally. 

"Your power is to see through lies?"

"It is one of my many and considerable abilities."

When they got out of this... Taylor was going to forbid Karna from ever speaking again, it was like everything he said was intended to send her blood pressure to the sky.

"So then, when I am filling out the paperwork later, who do I credit Lung's defeat to?"

"Um... to be honest I have not decided on a name yet, err... Master is not a name I want, even if it is what he insists on calling me, but it's hard to think of anything else, you know?" 

"I wouldn't know. I got into the game early enough that I didn't have to worry about missing out on all the good names," it sounded as if he was forcing a warmer tone of voice, he would probably be in some sort of trouble for talking to her later, right? Would they like, quarantine him for contacting a possible Master? "... Still, it does leave the difficult matter of who takes credit, there will be consequences to all of this.

What followed was a... brief but efficient description of Oni Lee and Bakuda.

"... Are you sure you don't want to take it?" she asked.

"I'd like to---" Karna frowned at that. "---but frankly, I cannot take the credit. What you've done tonight is spectacular, and you've played a part in getting a major villain into custody, but the PRT would not believe me if I took credit for removing one of Lung's limbs..." was there a hint of irony to his tone there?

"Apologies. From the descriptions, I had expected him to be tougher, but the fact he survived at all is testament to his resilience," Karna supplied.

"If you do want the credit, then you have two options. Option one is to join the Wards, where you'll have support and protection in the event of an altercation. Option two is to keep your head down and I attribute it to an Independent Cape, and I arrived just in time to capture Lung."

She wasn't prepared to make a decision like that. 

It was like... twelve-thirty, she would be awake again in six hours to get ready for her morning run, right now was not the time to consider such things, and it was not like she was ignorant to Armsmaster’s motives---

"You may credit the defeat of this man to myself, then. I have means of concealing myself if needed, and thus my Master shall be safe."

Karna's command was simple, efficient. 

Aaaaaand more awkwardness ensued. Armsmaster accepted the proposition, even if Taylor rather suspected that another answer would have been more pleasant to him. 

"... Lancer and... Commander of Lancer."

"Please make sure it is only like... a temporary name, I beg you," Taylor asked, feeling weary but determined to get that point across. She was not going to be any sort of hero with that word in her title.

The faintest hint of a laugh was her response, and the two groups managed to break apart without any further conflict. 

Karna strode by her side as she made her way home. He could probably go into his invisible spirit form, but instead he kept her company. Or was it that he wanted to be ready in case there was any manner of threat along the way?

"... You really were not lying about how strong you are."

"No."

"I did not believe you."

"Indeed." 

Was he calling her out upon it? He must have been aware of her thoughts this entire time. 

"I am sorry, I mean... for not," if they were going to be working together, and if he could detect lies in her words then she might as well try to get along, right?

It felt so strange to have such a strong ally in her life, it had only just hit her just what she now had in her hands, even if it was not her personally doing it...

But he was so much like a person in many ways, even if he was just a projection of sorts.

Her Servant said nothing in response, instead he stared at her for a long moment. 

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, she felt just a little pinned in place and self-conscious from that look. 

"... What?"

"Nothing."

"Liar," she pointed out, not needing Discernment of the Poor.

It was hard to know whether it was bemusement on his face, or just a trick of the light.

Chapter Text

She had been reading up the backstory of Karna, the inspiration behind her... Servant.

Reading the entire text from which he originated was not something that she could do; that book was ten times longer than the Odyssey and Iliad combined, but she could most certainly read the cliff notes, the various descriptions of events and some of his tales, even quotes from the epic and other tales. The story about his golden teeth and interaction with Krishna was one that stuck with her in particular, for some reason...

And yet...

She looked up at Karna, who stood as usual waiting for orders, even if his eyes were focused on the window and the setting sun beyond. Evidently, he sensed her attention, as after a few moments he turned his head to focus upon her.

"... Yes, Master?"

She knew not to say 'it's nothing' at this stage. 

"... Are you actually Karna, or just based on him?"

"I am a Servant, I am still Karna, Hero of Charity, whose records are stored within the Throne of Heroes for the deeds and legends I amassed..."

She nodded idly.

At this point... she was starting to understand and grasp some of the things he was talking about, even if the more he tried to explain things, the weirder it got. 

Like what a ‘Magus’ was.

Did she necessarily believe she was capable of ‘magecraft’? Did she believe in the notion of the World itself being alive? Or this... Throne of Heroes? 

She was not sure, to be honest. Nobody knew where Parahuman powers came from... so was it really so ridiculous to believe? 

If, in this world, one can only believe what one can see, hear and touch... then Karna was just as real as the sofa she was lounging upon. 

Whether what he said was true was another matter, he might just believe it earnestly.

But if he was a crazed figment of her imagination projected upon the world, then she was more of a dreamer than she first appreciated. 

For a moment she was silent, Karna waited. 

"I was reading about you."

"Oh?"

She paused a moment, and then decided to say it. 

"Everyone mocked you, but it says that you never complained?"

"They did, although I won't deny that I had moments of hubris to deserve it."

"Even when you showed how amazing they were?"

The idea that somebody could show such fantastically superhuman displays of might and still be mocked was... well, it seemed incomprehensible to her. In a world of Parahumans, where people like the Triumvirate were well known figures whose actions were followed by legions of nameless people on PHO, the idea that somebody their equal like Karna could just be mocked was crazy. 

And yet Karna nodded.

"They did. At the conference of the Kuru family, the Pandava brothers exceeded all others in terms of their martial display, and flush with the confidence of youth, I sought to match them with my own talents, and even challenged the prodigal son, the third brother, Arjuna."

"But he refused?" she said, remembering what she had read.

"One of my birth was unworthy to challenge a royal prince, it was only because of the actions of a dear friend that I was able to strive and become King of Agna, and live the life that I did. For him, I fought and gave my life."

"Duro... Duryodht..." she tried not to butcher the name.

"Duryodhana, yes," the man's face changed just a little at the name. "... A truer friend I have never known."

"But don't you resent all that?"

"They followed the ways of society at the time," he said, bluntly, and then after a moment, and perhaps because he knew that she liked further clarification; "Do you attempt to compare yourself to your 'President', or question whether you are equal in nature to one of your great teachers, thinkers, or leaders? It was the same back then," it was such a simple, iron cast statement. "I rose from a charioteer’s son to a King through the kindness of another and my own talents, even though I was born the son of the god and an unmarried princess."

"Speaking of... your mother really abandoned you."

"She did."

"Don't you... feel angry about that?"

"No."

He said it so quickly, so easily.

"Why?"

"... My mother gave me the gift of my life, she bore me for nine months and she even begged my father to give an indication of my heritage, with which I was granted this golden armour and earring, Kavacha and Kundala. No matter what sort of woman she was, I cannot begrudge her... I was raised by others, a humble mother and father, and it is to them that I hold the greatest depths of love, but I shall not disrespect that place from which I came. Indeed, during the height of the Kurukshetra war, I was granted the opportunity to speak with my mother, when she attempted to turn me to join my brothers in making war with the Kuaravas..." there was an emotion on Karna's face that she had never seen before. 

She found herself leaning forward, taking in every word, as he added; 

"On that day... I am glad that even if it was but once in her life, she called me her son."

All in all, it was the most she had heard him say in a single go.

What did she say to all this?

Her own troubles and trauma almost felt... 

No, she had still suffered, but she could feel a sort of... kinship. At least she had a mother and father who had loved her, who had raised her carefully and into the person she was today. But she knew well enough what it was to be belittled and the laughing stock of others, it had been her daily existence at Winslow, after all. But that was one or two years, what would it have been like to experience such for her entire life?

A solitary friend in the world, betrayed by everyone else, ridiculed...

"... Do you pity me, Master?"

"No. It's just... it makes me feel bad about my own stuff."

It was not like she wanted to play a game of one upmanship, of 'who has suffered more.' In the end, what she had been through had led to this, had led to her being the master of Karna and pushed her into a new future. A future in which she could be a hero of sorts, a future in which she no longer needed to think about and fear where she had come from. 

Yet she almost felt ashamed by her own thoughts and reflections on what she had been through, at the time she had thought of herself as the most persecuted person in all the world, been drawn into a whirlpool of misery that had pushed ever more inevitably down upon her. 

"Master, whether one is raised as a charioteer’s son or as the child of a great king, that is of no consequence! Our circumstances and the challenges we face may depend on fate and karma, but our responses and the depth of our character depends only upon us," he said, and for the life of her she did not know what to say. 

So, she didn't.

She just... sat there, thinking. 

For once in his time with her, Karna showed some degree of social savvy and disappeared, leaving her with the illusion of seclusion.

A few days later, she skipped school to just... go and exist. 

Just because she had a superhuman warrior in the form of Karna at her beck and call did not mean that she could just sort all the problems in her life. Sure, she could just destroy the trio with a command, or a Command Seal perhaps... but she was not a killer, and with how swiftly Karna had acted to bring down Lung and co, she rather suspected that such a thing was loathsome to him as well. 

So she was now wandering down some street, somewhere in one of the nicer suburbs… to be honest, her feet had simply carried her this way. Taylor was not really looking where she was going to be honest, just... taking in the sights and sounds. She could have perhaps gone to the library to continue her research into Karna... but she wanted to fill her head with other things right now, nothing academic.

She could feel Karna hanging around her, invisible, as she walked.

And then suddenly, the door to a house nearby opened.

A padding of shoes against concrete. 

She paid it no mind… until a pair of arms wrapped around her waist.

She blinked and glanced down. A head of brown hair had suddenly pushed itself into her upper stomach and was holding on for dear life. A small child?

"Uh... sorry kid, I'm not your mom."

It was the first thing that came to mind, the idea that a kid had seen her from the house window and mistaken her for a parent and gone for the grapple. It was not a very flattering thing, she was only fifteen after all and this lost, clingy child looked to be ten or so. Something was said by the girl but she resolutely held on, attracting some attention from a few people passing by, but without comment. 

Taylor tried to prise the child’s arms off but, to her consternation, the kid has a frankly ridiculous grip strength, it was like dealing with a panicking koala---

And then the doors of a nearby van opened and a half-dozen figures dressed in tactical gear burst out.

Well, fuck her life.

She almost wanted to sigh, but right now she was too busy instinctively moving the child out of the direction of the group of people bearing down on her, taking a half step away even as they charged closer. 

"KARNA!"

He materialised In front of her, blocking the path between the ground and herself. It was over in a moment, quite honestly whenever she watched Karna fight it began to give her a headache, it was like trying to keep track of a high-speed tennis game and by the time the first had fallen to the ground three more were in the process of joining him.

There was barely time for a sound of surprise before her Servant slammed the shaft of his golden spear against the back of the final man’s head in a blow that bounced him off the floor a few inches... that was... probably near fatal, right?

Meanwhile, Taylor had a terrified child in her arms.

"... Err, it's okay..." She felt such an idiot for saying that with six unconscious mercenaries or... whatever these guys were, on the ground not a few metres away. "Hey, were they trying to kidnap you?"

"Um-hm..."

"I see."

So... a random child had known out of nowhere that she would be safe with Taylor, which was almost more concerning than the whole being attacked part, because it implied that other people knew that she was... well, not exactly a Hero, but something like that. Was Hero a title she could use? Was summoning a mythical figure through a magical ritual technique enough to classify as a Parahuman? Such dilemmas had come to mind quite a lot in the last few days. 

Either way.

"It's okay, Karn---my um, friend dealt with them."

The child finally pulled out of the protective safety of smushing her face against Taylor to look back. 

Karna was currently standing amidst and over the downed men, spear at the ready but face painfully neutral as ever. 

Okay, now Taylor just needed to get out of this without any trouble or people realising who she was. 

Except that now that the problem was dealt with, nosey onlookers wanted to investigate. Over the next few minutes a few calls were placed, Taylor finally got the child to stop clinging on quite so tightly and a number of passersby helped to disarm the various guys in tactical gear, one, a former veteran removed the magazines from a few guns, and quite why they had those when they seemingly just wanted to kidnap a child was another question entirely.

And then the police and PRT got involved.

Because a group of heavily armed mercenaries attempting to kidnap a prepubescent girl in the middle of the day is somewhat unusual. Especially, as Taylor soon learned, said girl is the niece of the mayor of the city.

It was great that she had been passing just at the right time.

… It was almost too coincidental.

Just like happening to run into Lung as he loudly declared his plan to kill kids.

Still, first she had to survive this questioning.

The fact that Miss Militia was leading it was rather concerning, as was one of the opening questions. She also still had the small child grappling her, and had given up trying to shift her, even the trained officers had failed.

"Shouldn't somebody your age be in school?"

Busted.

"... Probably."

She sighed, and when Miss Militia indicated for her to go on, she did so.  

"... Listen, I don't want to be there, I've got some shit going on in my life and I had to get away from it, alright?"

"Home?"

"Huh?" 

"Troubles at home?"

Shr bristled.

"No, just at school."

The Cape glanced towards Karna, who was currently being interviewed by Velocity. Perhaps he sensed her gaze, but Karna turned his head to look their way and focused right on Taylor, displaying all his usual subtlety.

"I see."

She had totally made the link, hadn't she? Taylor did not need to be a social savant to realise that it was quite obvious, Armsmaster would have mentioned that Karna had another with him, the 'Master of Lancer' and now the Heroes would be able to link them together. Fucking great. 

"You've already had that talk; I doubt you've changed your mind?" Miss Militia certainly had a more pleasant and gentle way of asking things than her colleague. Not blatantly spelling it out, hell it could be as if she was simply referring to the topic of playing truant.

"I don't want to deal with more teenage drama."

A nod.

"But you see yourself as trying to do good by the world?"

"Yes."

"Well, I am sure things will get better," Miss Militia left it there, as if that was that. There were a few other questions about everything, and part way through this questioning a rather expensive looking car pulled up with a somewhat concerning bit of braking, and the vehicle had barely come to a halt when the door was thrown open and a woman launched herself out, shortly followed by a man who was presumably her husband. 

"Dinah!"

Taylor could only presume that Dinah was the name of the child still with arms wrapped around her waist.

At last, the disturbingly strong child finally relaxed her grip and was quickly drawn into the waiting arms of her mother. Taylor could really see the resemblance between them. It was somewhat sweet to watch. 

Despite herself Taylor was smiling... even if in the background the incapacitated mercenaries were being dragged into the back of a PRT van... presumably to be questioned?

Meanwhile the father of Dinah was approaching Karna.

"Thanks for saving my daughter, young man," the father extended a hand towards Karna. It was somewhat comical, as he was about six foot two whilst Karna was a good five seven... Karna was shorter than Taylor for god’s sake! As it was Karna stared at the hand for a good three seconds, before evidently, he remembered social mores and then extended a hand back and they shook.

"The credit does not belong to me," Karna excused. "I may have dealt with the threat, but in truth the thanks must go to my Master."

"... Master?" the father murmured the word, and followed Karna's gaze to focus on her. 

Internally, she screamed (as usual whenever Karna spoke to other people).

"I know the word has bad connotations. It is not like that; she is my Master and I am her summoned Servant."

'Karna, I told you about the unwritten rules!' Taylor mentally screamed. Beside her, Miss Militia sent her a concerned, consoling look.

"I can see that you are a man of some wealth. I desire for my Master to find better education; her current school is utterly unfit and she is being victimised. Please use your status and wealth to assist her as thanks for saving your daughter."

... Huh, that was...

Really sweet.

Wait a minute!

"Ka--- Lancer, you may return to my side now," she ordered. Her servant glanced over, and then disappeared, returning to his spiritual body. 

That rather cut short the rest of that particular exchange.

A day or two later, and completely out of the blue, she got a scholarship to go and study at Immaculata instead of Winslow. 

Funny that. 

Rather unexpected it must be said. 

Despite how it came about (and man did she have a conversation with Karna about all of that afterward) she was not... unhappy about it. It was away from the trio and the quality of education was better, even if having to go for a morning assembly with prayer was not really her scene. But she could grin and bear it for the peace it gave her.

She sent a fruit basket and a card to ‘Dinah and family’ as thanks, and found herself being invited to lunch with them from time to time.

Chapter Text

Karna was cleaning up Brockton Bay one epic, heart pounding battle at a time. 

Well, she said battle...

Bakuda was dealt with an eye laser that, despite her Servant saying he was holding back, left her as a black stain against a wall… like one of those nuclear shadows from Hiroshima. 

Alabaster's Brute status was rather useless once Karna got bored of him coming back and took his head off. 

At least that one group of small-time teenaged villains did not get killed, one of them took one look at Karna and surrendered when one of their members had a sudden onset migraine so intense she collapsed whilst screaming at her fellows to not attempt to engage Karna. Finally,  somebody in this city had a brain cell! Taylor had heard that the latter group was currently being groomed for joining the Ward's, despite the... troubling histories of a few of them. The dog girl would have the most trouble, apparently, she had a propensity towards violence but hey. 

She rather wondered if Karna was getting bored of the local Capes and the sheer ease of dealing with them. A statement that she never thought would apply to a city with a collective organisation of superpowered Nazi's that, for a long time, had held a good portion of the city in an iron fist.

But watching Karna dance, weave, and fight toe to toe with the combined team of Stormtiger, Cricket and Menja and Frenja was both exhilarating and anxiety inducing at the same time. 

Still, he was enjoying himself, sprinting at speed, power sliding along the ground whilst ducking under a spear only to flip into the air, land on the shaft of Menja's gigantic spear and then kick her in the jaw hard enough to send her crashing to the ground. 

Landing with all the poise of a dancer, he then easily sidestepped the kama of Cricket and engaged in a high-speed battle with her that almost resembled synchronised, choreographed battle scenes from a movie, all whilst avoiding the wind blades of Stormtiger. 

She almost wished she had popcorn. 

Although she had to keep an eye out and stay safe, mostly by hiding away. 

Taylor had purchased a camera to record Karna's exploits, and rather felt like some manner of intrepid reporter braving the front lines of some war to get the most dangerous, up to date news from a scene. The fact that Karna rather needed her to be somewhat close by to supply him with 'mana' or energy or whatever somewhat incentivised her to do so. 

People loved watching nazi's get stomped, it is a fundamental requirement somewhere on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Karna was fucking strong; he was steadily putting the PRT out of the job!

Well, that was being a bit hyperbolic, but by the time the dust had settled Frenja and Menja were out cold despite their level of Brute status, Cricket was bleeding heavily and Stormtiger had fled with her in toe. There were sirens in the distance, Karna exchanged only brief words with the responders and a smooth transfer of prisoners took place. Once again, there was a none too subtle conversation about whether Karna or 'any other interested parties' would like to perhaps join the PRT. 

Karna refused out of hand on her behalf. 

When she got home, she uploaded the footage to PHO and basked in a frankly glorious number of upvotes and comments on PHO. 

Still...

It rather left her wondering something. 

"Do you find these fights boring?" she asked the thin air, and a moment later her Servant appeared. 

"Hn?"

"The fights against the Empire and such, you make it look so easy, do you get bored of them?"

"They do not allow me to use my full talents, certainly they are no match for the battles I had in life against the Pandava brothers."

She nodded... she supposed that she could understand, being constantly forced to do boring things would grow grating eventually when you were capable of so much more.

Well... there was only so much she could do about this situation of course. Putting up flyers advertising for strong Parahumans to fight Karna was just... idiotic, and she was rather struggling to think of any that could apply... possibly the Slaughterhouse Nine? Actually, what would even happen in that fight... no, she should not speculate too much on such things. Just take care of her own little corner of the world to the best of her ability.

... Even if perhaps...

"... There's probably going to be an Endbringer attack soon..." she said, words tumbling out of her mouth before she had really thought it through. And now that she had spoken, she was obliged to finish. "Would you like to fight in it, Karna?"

"... I wish for my Master to be safe."

"That is not the question I asked," she turned her head to look him in the eye, to emphasise the point. For a moment he held her gaze. 

"Then yes, I would."

"Do you think you would win?"

"... I cannot say, so much of battle depends on the circumstances of the day, upon the weapons one may bring."

Taylor glanced down automatically at the trio of marks on her hand. 

Brahmastra Kundala and Vasavi Shakti.

The invincible, all destroying arrow and the thunder spear of the king of the Gods, Indra. 

She had read up about both of them. 

Of course... such weapons had never existed in real life, right? It was all part of the 'legend of Karna'... and yet, some small part of her did wish that they did, that they could be so destructive if only to destroy something that threatened all of humanity. How many nights, restless or anxious, had she lain in bed wondering if the next day Leviathan would drown her, her father and destroy this fragile little existence of theirs? If with the expenditure of a mark on the back of her hand, they could destroy one of those beasts...

"And also," Karna added, suddenly. "This world needs a hero."

"Huh?"

"This age lacks heroes, or at least, faith in them. It may have people with powers beyond the norm, but stories of legends and hope are so very weak that they crumble and weaken the will of mankind to fight back against the impossible. The time will come when they must, however, put their faith in those who would choose to stand and fight for all of them, without it, then what hope can there be of success?"

"I'll try and talk to the PRT about it."

…

…

The PRT was always happy for more firepower, it turned out.

With the fatality rates of an Endbringer fight, adding somebody like Karna was much appreciated. The stipulation that Taylor needed to be close by for him to fight at his best was... disturbingly small of a complication, but there was one stipulation if she was going to take part. 

Well, more of a request on the PRT's part...

"Absolutely not!"

Her father. 

Daniel Hebert, proud union man and single father, was not always easy to deal with, and right now his hand was clutching the mug of forgotten tea in his hand. They sat for breakfast, but all thoughts of eating had left their minds with her command for Karna to appear, and her expressing a desire to take part in an Endbringer fight. 

Well, have Karna take part whilst she stood a good distance away.

"Do you have any idea just how dangerous Endbringer fights are, Taylor!"

She did. 

She got a PRT pamphlet about it and the numbers were not good. She rather wondered why they bothered publishing them actually, was it a legal thing? Like how you had to declare what ingredients were in food and the breakdown of the fats and proteins and such? 

"And furthermore, I just learned that my daughter apparently has a power, in the form of the person I keep seeing on the news fighting people like Hookwolf and Lung, and that said power is a man who has been hanging around my daughter, invisible, for months!"

"Dad... he's not like that---"

"I am married."

One could hear a pin drop, following Karna's statement. 

"A married man, who had been hanging around my daughter, invisible, for months!" That addition by her Servant had incensed her father even more! And the worst thing was, he was trying to keep his voice down and controlled, but it was a battle that he was barely winning. 

Taylor exhaled violently.

After the locker and going to hospital he had been better but... it was still not enough! It said a lot that Taylor had the time to go gallivanting about with Karna fighting crime this much without her father noticing. Every night that she went out, every little interaction, she wondered whether her father would catch onto her, perhaps she should have had this conversation much earlier but maybe, just maybe she had hoped---

"Father of my Master, do you wish to stop her because you love her, or because it is your duty?"

"Because I love her, of course!"

It was... weirdly heartwarming to hear it not even take a moment for her father to answer the question, even if Karna might need to dodge a mug of tea being thrown his way in the near future. He would dodge it easily, or simply ignore the sensation knowing him, but still. If nothing else, the rise that he had gotten out of her father had momentarily settled things, the outburst brought a lot of emotion to the fore and now her father was recovering from that. 

"Karna can do it," 

"What do you mean?"

"I... Karna, can fight an Endbringer."

"Taylor..." he rubbed his eyes, all at once tired. "How can you know that? It feels that every few years somebody comes up with some new way to kill an Endbringer, or there is some new Cape that they are super hopeful about, and I am not even super clued into the Cape scene! How can you be so confident? How can I be sure that you will be safe!?

"Because he's a hero."

"I would protect your daughter with my life, and beyond even that."

"That is only so much use if you die, Mr. Karna."

"Just Karna is fine."

The conversation (and argument) would last long into the night, she was not even sure quite what it was that brought it to an end, only that it did.

Leviathan. 

It was the Citykiller himself that they would be facing. 

She could only be glad that the beast had not come to Brockton Bay; perhaps the situation was not quite bad enough there? Instead, it was Rio that was being attacked. Nice and coastal, like the vast majority of Leviathans targets... although there was that one time…

Either way, a teleporter brought them both in.

There was only so much to say about the prelude; they had barely minutes before the battle was joined. 

One moment Karna had been by her side, the next he was gone, sprinting off to make war with the Endbringer, and Taylor was relocated somewhere near enough to be useful to him, but far away enough to be safe. 

The messages over the armbands were chaotic, disorganised… disheartening---

Names of people she had never met, would never meet, being called out as they died.

The battle was below them; she could see it. 

Leviathan was fast, ridiculously fast. 

But so was Karna, and despite all the odds the two were keeping the other busy. 

As Blasters blasted, Shapers manipulated the battlefield and all manner of effects took place, Karna was at the front, ducking, weaving, burning. 

A blow here, a swing of his spear there. 

The road was being upturned with the force of their exchange, it was all so quick that she was getting a headache just watching them, she was pretty sure that Karna was causing as much collateral damage as Leviathan was at this point. 

Her leg wobbled.

Her handler was watching with concern. Karna was using so much energy... She ripped into an energy bar and dry swallowed a caffeine tablet. She needed to be awake, even if it was not the sort of energy Karna needed, she needed to be awake and aware enough. 

A tsunami came in, the building was high enough, and well constructed enough to take the blow, the various Capes present all fled, yet Karna continued to fight. 

Karna paused for just a moment, long enough to fire a laser beam from his eye that broke the tsunami apart, parting the waters and then charging Leviathan again, barely a moment’s pause between them when other Capes fled to safety. Even with the streets submerged, Karna moved so fast that he sprinted along the surface of the water in much the same way his opponent did.

A headache was building. 

Leviathan was now fighting Karna almost exclusively, like a giant gorilla trying to deal with an irksome fly, played at ten times speed. Alexandria tried to come in to her and was promptly backhanded away. The golden spear scored deeply, what blows did land barely seemed to phase him compared to how they should have imploded his chest cavity, and the water echo evaporated in the flames surrounding Karna. 

There was no more playing around in this fight, she was seeing the full extent of what Karna could do. 

It was ridiculous. 

It was impossible. 

It was exhilarating . 

Another tidal wave, stronger than before and Leviathan attempted to disappear into it, to swim and break the current battle between himself and Karna, to no avail. Unceasingly the lancer in red gave pursuit, there was not a moment's rest and she found herself feeling hope as a brilliant attack severed a portion of Leviathans tail and another put out one of the creatures’ eyes.

She could feel hope. 

Karna was punched through a building, a glancing blow he could not avoid, for a moment she felt panic, she could feel the damage, the injury dealt to him and yet within a moment Karna was back in the fray, even with blood dripping down his lips. Blood she could not see but knew was there.

She had no idea how much time was passing; how many waves had come in or how she was still standing. 

But Leviathan was retreating. 

Earlier than normal, the damage done was too great. In a flash it was running, charging down the streets back towards the vastness of the ocean… and Karna was not following it. There was only so far away from her he could go, he could not chase Leviathan down to the ends of the earth. How painful it was to see that monster still alive, how thrilling to know what a difference they had made!

They had won, in a way, but so much had been lost for so little gained. A city saved, thousands of lives ruined or ended by the ever-strengthening tsunami's that had pounded the city. The rain was falling so very hard, even if it would soon disperse. 

And Karna, he was sprinting up the side of a building, and at its top he launched himself into the sky, higher than any normal individual could jump by far, a red and gold dot against the unceasing grey of the storm clouds. Her eyes snapped to focus on him.

"Master!"

His voice boomed across the city, even with their distance she could hear him fully. 

Karna was calling for her, at this moment he was counting on her, rather than the other way around.

There was just a second to decide.

"Karna! By my Command Seal, unleash your Noble phantasm!" she ordered at the top of her voice.

On the back of her hand a strange, phantom sensation made itself known, she could not describe it easily even as she glanced down at it and saw the outermost mark disappear. It felt like she had just done something very significant, but of course, she was the only one who could know the true implications of her order.

But still, Karna did not have that same introspection as her right now. 

"Brahmastra---"

Karna lit up like a miniature sun, people nearby were looking that way. 

She could picture it now, him raising his spear to point towards the fleeing figure, already so far away, was the city far enough away that it would be safe from the blast radius? Hell, would it trigger another tsunami, one greater than anything that Leviathan had thrown their way?

At this distance, against a moving target it would be a one in a million shot, right? But she had every faith in Karna, she had to---

"KUNDALA!"

 The spear was like a shooting star that ripped across the sky, it shot across the distance in just a moment, and there was a pause, a dreadful moment in which she wondered---

The explosion was immense, it almost did not look real, there was a bright flash on the horizon and then an expanding sphere of light, one that only grew and grew and grew as if it wanted to consume the entire horizon, the entire world. 

It was the sun rising over earth, except it was a million times closer than usual.

The clouds were dispersing, ripped, and blown apart by the force of the inviolable arrow of the god of creation, imbued with the fire of sun. 

People were running, the Capes who had been fighting were going to ground but all she could do was stare at the second sun, the proof of Karna's might and that everything he had said that night, so long ago, was true.

She had seen him fight, but all this time she had struggle to believe---

Karna appeared, jumping down from above, blocking her vision. His back was just inches away from her face, a moment after he landed the pressure wave of the explosion struck. 

She was distantly aware of dust blowing past them, of windows shattering and the sound that she less heard than felt move straight through her.

This was his lesser Noble Phantasm

This was the lesser.

Her hand found his back, her legs trembled spasmodically as if all strength had faded from them and they were rebelling against the notion of her standing, the corners of her vision were darkening. Was this shock or was it that she had no more strength to give, now that Karna had used it all?

Her face met Karna's chest as she fell unconscious, oh, had he turned around to catch her? That was nice. She was just about aware of an arm wrapping around her before she sank into a comfortable abyss.

It was to raised voices that, blearily, she awoke. 

Over the course of what felt like an aeon all by itself, she recognised that she had a body still, even if the entire thing ached, and that she was in a bed. This high intensity, Sherlock Holmes level of deduction completed, she focused on the words being said nearby. 

"---I will kill any man or woman who attempts to lay hands upon my Master, whether they be hero, villain, monster or even yourself, Alexandria," the male voice said, and there was such a strange inflection to that last word that she wanted to frown. But she recognised that voice---

"...Karna..."

"Master!" she could feel his presence, feel that faint displacement of air beside her. It made her want to smile, but that would take energy she did not really have. 

"Commander of Lancer, could you please instruct your Servant to permit the doctors to see you?"

"Huh?" Everything was so hazy, she felt so tired...

"He has physically prevented anybody from getting close to you."

"Heh..." it took her a few seconds to sum up the energy to order him about, but it was heartwarming to have him at her side, still. She had almost expected him to disappear for... some reason. Or for all of this to have turned out to be some strange, fanciful dream born from her own hopes for something better in life. 

"Karna, stay with me, let them... hm..." she should probably add something else there, but she did not have the energy. 

That was enough, evidently. 

Heh, Karna smack talking Alexandria was a funny mental image.

"Master, eat."

She was dimly aware of somebody feeding her soup, or Karna's hand steadying her as he did so, a spoon near her lips. She drank. It was too hot, but that did not really matter, it was tasty as well, but she had no idea what that taste was. After the third spoonful, once a bit more sense had come to her, a question came to mind that she really should have asked much earlier, now that she thought about it in full. 

"Did we win?" 

A momentary pause. 

"No trace of leviathan has been found," came that same stern female voice from earlier. "For the moment, it has been classified as missing but we are hoping to confirm it is dead before the end of the day."

Ahhh.

They did a good job then. That was that, she could relax safe in the knowledge that it had not all been for nothing, that she was not about to be squashed by the fist of Leviathan any moment. That would be bad... 

Karna kept plying her with soup, until such time as suddenly the supply stopped, had she finished the bowl? It was hard to focus and she was so tired that opening her eyes would be such a herculean effort. And yet, a hand found her shoulder, she knew who it belonged to at once, of course. 

"Rest, Master," who was the master and the servant here?

"You'll stay?"

She was not quite sure what prompted her to ask, of course he would be there, even if invisible, spiritual... but.

"Of course, Master."

He did not fade away, and was sat beside her when she fell asleep and when she woke up.

Chapter Text

There had been so much fallout from the Leviathan battle that Taylor had, at her most uncharitable moments, wondered whether it was all worth it. 

It was just her being petty of course, she did not really doubt for a second that if put in the same situation that she would provide Karna the energy he needed to make use of Brahmastra Kundala, but goddamn the interviews and questions were getting annoying now. 

Suddenly there was vast scrutiny focused on Karna now that the world had realised just what he was capable of, and a lot of discussion as to whether he was more of a hindrance than a help. People did not like the notion that one man had a weapon that was not far off a nuclear blast... stronger, actually. Taylor had little doubt that there had been thoughts about locking them away, or working out countermeasures to them. And then there were the questions from people in the know about the nature of the relationship between them.

Was she a Parahuman mastering Karna?

How independent of her was he?

Were they romantically engaged? 

There had even been conversations about limiting their ability to travel as well, and she was forbidden from coming within a set radius of Washington DC... in a radius measured in tens of miles.

Superficially, it was in case Taylor spontaneously went mad and had Karna obliterate the seat of the US government... although Taylor was pretty sure that it was more out of fear that he would point out all the lies that politicians said.

But that might just be her own cynicism.

She basically had no anonymity in the first place, now that attention was on Karna more and more people were finding the video of the events with Dinah. The fact that she had been involved in that incident had people questioning, the fact that she shouted out her Servant's name to summon him when officially he was still listed as 'Lancer.' Just yesterday somebody from the Brockton Bay Gazette had wanted to speak with her, and she was sure a few laws were being broken in all of this.

Frankly, she was done with it all!

Is this how a hero was rewarded? With shackles and chains, questions, and demands? The next time they demanded her time, perhaps she would charge for it? Or tell them to fuck off, that would be rather tempting as well... 

She had hoped to just return to how things were before, with her living her quiet life, occasionally going out to take care of issues in the city with Karna,

Her phone pinged, a request from the PRT to speak with her.

This was the third time in as many days. Were they just going to begin demanding her evenings completely? They had been much pushier in trying to show her the benefits of being a member of the Wards of recent... she had to wonder if they could forcibly conscript her into it, or go over her head to her father to force the issue. But even if they did, what if she said no? There was no Cape on earth that could stand up against Karna, she was increasingly certain that not even the Triumvirate would stand a chance...

No, the problem for the PRT and US government was that Karna, and by extension her, were an asset that they did not see as under their control.

Again, perhaps she was simply being cynical.

Completely undignified, on her lunch break she marched out to the small grounds of Immaculata, lay down on the grass under a tree and just stared at the sky, watching clouds go past. She put her hands under her head, rested her school bag on her lap and just existed for a brief moment of time. She could feel Karna beside her, invisible as ever, just waiting to snap into action the moment something happened. 

"... It's all tiresome, Karna," she said aloud. 

He would not risk materialising, probably, but she could at least let him know her thoughts. 

"At Winslow it was only when I tried to do anything to change what was going on that people took notice, and always to try and stamp me out rather than help..." she said. "And now that we---that you've killed Leviathan, suddenly it's exactly the same... I get why they would be concerned, but you're a hero, we've said so and it's just..." she couldn't finish the statement, instead she breathed out heavily, the air whistling as it left her nostrils. 

The ground was hard below her; a twig was poking into her rib. 

The clouds were white and puffy in the sky, lazily floating by...

For just a moment she was able to relax, time melding into a mass that had a beginning and an end, but which did not seem to pass in between. She left it to Karna to wake her if she fell asleep and did not wake to the school bell, but she need not have worried. 

"Taylor!" a voice suddenly called. 

She turned her head lazily. 

Dinah. 

Upon finding out that Taylor had transferred to Immaculata, the small brunette had suddenly decided to also move to the school. It was rather sweet, even if she had a rather uncanny ability to track down Taylor no matter where she went. Not that she really minded, Dinah was a good kid.

Even if the mental comparison to a duckling kept coming to mind. 

Dinah settled herself down, sitting down not far from Taylor's head and began to open a lunchbox patterned with flowers. She took out a sandwich and took a bite even as she rummaged for something in particular---

"I brought something for you and Karna!"

She took out a small tub, inside of which was a pair of round, brown dumpling-like things in syrup. This she held out to the thin air with an expectant expression

"It's gulab jamun, from India! Well not actually from India, mum made it because I said Karna was Indian."

A shame that Karna could not materialise, there was too much of a risk of him being seen.

"There is nobody watching, well, ninety-eight percent chance nobody is."

Dinah had never come out and said it, but she always had some rather specific numbers when it came to working out probabilities. At first Taylor had wondered if the girl was just making it up, but she always sounded very sure of herself, and it would explain why somebody would want to kidnap her. 

After a moment, Karna appeared, materialising into being and kneeling down to be able to take the pot from Dinah. He did not have to accept the gift and food, in his own words he did not need to eat, even if it did help with his energy levels... 

But he still took up the humble gift and gave his thanks. 

"We did not have food like this in my day," he murmured, picking up the squishy ball of dough and syrup and taking a bite. 

He did not comment on the taste, Taylor was pretty certain that the food was supposed to be eaten warm rather than allowed to go cold in a pot of equally cold syrup, jostled about in a child’s lunchbox. But Karna had no complaints, Taylor was rather sure that if Dinah dropped the food onto the floor, he would still have picked it up and eaten it without complaint. 

Lazily she watched her Servant eat.

It was such a simple thing, the way he held onto the little dough ball between his fingers so gently, and yet with each bite it was like he was experiencing the sense of taste for the first time, taking small pieces of the food and savouring them. 

... He said that he had been summoned from some great beyond, the Throne of Heroes. 

Had he been able to enjoy similar things there? Or had he just... waited? 

He never complained about the food she or her dad offered, thinking about it, he took it all as it came and finished the portion, no matter how big or small. She supposed that if she had spent so long not enjoying basic human pleasures, that she would delight in such simple things if she was returned to life in a strange place. Hadn't Karna said that most Servants were only summoned for a very short period of time?

Like mayflies, living, dying within a day after spending so long in the water as nymphs...

"Master?"

Breaking from her reverie, Taylor realised that Karna was offering the small pot to her. 

"Don't you want it, Karna?"

"Dinah made it for us to share."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Master."

She gave him the option, but he still insisted. 

She sat up. If she was going to enjoy the home cooking of Dinah's mother, and which Karna had insisted on sharing, then it would not do to eat it laying down. She picked up the gulab jamun and took a bite. 

It was dense and sweet. 

She found herself liking it. 

She said so, and smiled at Dinah's delight in hearing such, even as her thoughts turned back to earlier matters.

... At this point... did it really matter if Karna blatantly shadowed her?

Having him constantly be in his spiritual form seemed like a waste when so many people already knew about him and her. He hid away without complaint and only appeared when she was alone or she ordered, but she was denying him opportunities to interact with the real world again... and she was not so ungrateful to him and all he had done to deny him that again. 

"Dinah, do you mind me asking you a question?"

"Okay."

"How bad would it be if the public knew about me and Karna?"

Phrasing it like that made it sound as if they were some manner of item, but she could not be bothered to think of a better way to put it. 

"... Eight-three percent chance that your life gets worse in some way... ninety-nine percent chance that it helps to save humanity?"

Dinah reached up and began massaging her temples, jamming her eyes shut. 

Save humanity?

She looked towards Karna.

He was looking at Dinah very intently all of a sudden.

... There was something more going on, wasn't there? 

She did not ask, instead she offered Dinah some tablets to help with her headache and offered to walk her to the nurse’s office to get some rest. Karna dematerialised before the end of the lunch break, and there was no further comment betweenthe three of them on the topic.

Taylor did not answer the PRT's request for a meeting that night, she had bigger and more important things to think about... and when they sent a further message, more urgent to request it, she flat out refused. 

She could be just a little selfish, this time. 

"Karna... what was Dinah saying earlier?"

Her servant looked to her, and between them a momentary silence as deep as the ocean fell. It was dark, night had fallen and her bedroom was lit with a solitary lamp, casting its warm red glow across everything, making the gems set within his chest gleam.

"... I was summoned to this earth with a purpose, Master. You are the conduit by which it shall hopefully come to pass. "

"What purpose is that?" 

A long moments silence.

"... It would take a long time to describe, Master."

"Tell me."

And thus, he did. 

It was a... rather long explanation.

There was only so much that she could really say to it all, to the revelations that Karna had given her. She could not confirm the existence of things like the Throne of Heroes, but she still had Karna at her side who claimed to be from it, and plenty of the things he said made about as much sense as the notion of Parahumans. Of course, Taylor had little doubt that many would utterly disbelieve what he said, were he to tell them, but at this point she had learned to take Karna's word and give it more consideration.

She gave her simple assessment of the situation.

"I see... that is all a lot to take in."

"Indeed, an enemy unlike anything that has visited this planet is almost twelve-thousand years"

"Yes---wait what?"

"The Entity that plagues the world is not the first extra-terrestrial life form to have threatened this world, nor shall it be the last. In that time, an envoy of a distant civilisation came to wipe clean this planet of life, a weapon created as part of a mass extermination program to starve out the sort of being that now plagues this world. It was a solitary human with a sword who defeated that threat. This time, I am here."

Okay more casual world-shattering lore-drops here, and ones that she was infinitely tempted to ask more about. But such things were neither here nor there, she had to focus on the matter of hand and not ancient aliens.

"Master, what Dinah spoke of shall not come to pass for quite awhile, perhaps, you have time to not worry about them and to continue your mundane life for a little while longer," Karna said, voice soft. Was he trying to comfort her, console her? The threat would be near insurmountable from what Karna had said, something that the very world itself wanted destroyed.

And despite everything, for some reason she was the vessel by which Karna was to be directed to do so?

"Why didn't... you said something about the planet being alive? Why not just have you do it by yourself?"

"These entities throttle the worlds they parasitise; it is the life forms that dwell upon them that must be the ones to fight back," and here Karna went on. "You may ask 'why me' at this point, Master, in truth, the selection criteria are limited and small... Finding the right person is like finding a solitary mandara flower falling from heaven and yet to touch the ground, or a single honest man willing to accept fault within a war between bitter enemies. For whatever criteria the world decided upon, it is you that this burden must fall upon."

"This day's going to come, then?"

"It shall?"

"And nothing can stop it?"

"No, Master."

For a long time, she found herself sitting in silence, thinking, chin in her palm and staring into nothingness, eyes unfocused and staring but not really seeing. The mind boggled with information and revelations, but all things led to the same inescapable result, the same conclusion; 

"... We have a lot to do, then."

It felt strange to say that, because she knew for sure that it would utterly change her life, there could be no more hiding around trying to live a normal existence. 

"Yes, Master."

That was that. Some manner of unspoken agreement, a further clause in whatever contract, both social and spiritual that existed between the two of them. Karna did not trouble in the space of time that followed, well, it had been she who had asked for information in the first place, right?

Unable to rest, she found herself sitting at her window staring into the night, until the first glows of the morning sun began to illuminate the horizon.

She was used to being up early for her morning runs, but such was far from her mind at the moment. 

On her phone was a list of messages from the PRT that all sat ignored.

"Karna," she spoke up for the first time in hours. 

"Yes, Master?"

"I command you to enjoy this second life that you have been given. Materialise around me in public."

"... People will target you, Master."

"I have no doubt that you will protect me, and plenty of people know or have guessed already... there is no need to try and hide it at this point. Just enjoy it, ask me to buy you things you want to try, speak with people, and help me prepare for what is to come."

"The child said that your life would get worse."

"And?"

It was a question that stumped him, she could see that. 

"... Why?"

"I want you to enjoy this time as much as you can, you said you only had a short time, and I want you to be able to enjoy every moment of that, no matter what happens to me... if we're going to fight for our lives together, then I want you to be somebody I know better, not just a servant who has to do the things I say. "

Another long silence, Karna was regarding her so very seriously. 

"Yes, Master."

Chapter Text

The decision to have Karna materialise around her certainly threw Taylor into the spotlight. 

A lot of it was good---

"Miss Hebert, whilst the PRT cannot condone your action in going public... we can at least confirm that the bounty for Leviathan has finally been cleared and moved into a bank account for you. Congratulations, if it was not against policy, I would have presented it as one of those gigantic novelty checks." At least Miss Militia had a sense of humour about it all, even if Taylor had probably just taken enough money out of the budget with the bounty to pay for a small PRT department to function for a year. 

"I am going to buy so much shit for the house."

She could already see it, new dishwasher, new washing machine... actually, how much would it cost to have a full team of cleaners do a sweep of the house once a month to keep on top of things? That would make things a lot easier for her and her father. 

Speaking of, the money would take some pressure off his shoulders, pay off the mortgage completely and improve their living situation drastically!

... Much more of it was bad. 

Taylor barely blinked when Karna practically blinked out of existence beside her, a crack of explosive in the distance and the distinctive ping of metal on metal as her Servant blocked the bullet aimed for her head. 

"Master, on the rooftop!"

"Deal with it, Karna."

An eye laser did so... even if it also had some collateral damage. At least Karna held back, she had seen those eye beams take out half a city block during the fight with Leviathan. 

In completely unrelated news, the Empire Cape formerly known as Victor was identified by DNA a day or two later from what few pieces were left on a rooftop. 

Assassination attempts were not uncommon now, disgruntled Empire and ABB Capes, even people from further afield, Karna dealt with them mercilessly... it was strange to think that, perhaps, Taylor was indirectly responsible for the deaths of a good number of people. But they were trying to kill her, and unlike them she and Karna had killed an Endbringer, so overall it was not as if they didn’t have it coming?

And finally, some of the results were heartwarming.

"... Master, that child over there."

"Hm?"

She had barely turned around before Karna was striding over to a little boy and his mother, the former of whom had just dropped his semi-molten ice-cream to the floor and was preparing to deploy the mother of all tantrums on the boardwalk. But before he could unleash the first sniffle, Karna was there kneeling down, gently transferring a ball of freshly scooped vanilla ice-cream from his own cone onto that of the toddlers.

There was some confusion, the child took a lick as the beleaguered mother thanked Karna. 

Taylor was left smiling at the interaction, Karna always rushed to help others like that, almost always giving up something... even if she had paid for that ice-cream for him, she supposed that it was simply in his nature to try and help others.

Quite often people came up for photographs, a few times people gave thanks, tearfully told stories about losing friends or relatives to Leviathan or the gangs. It always made her a little self-conscious, after all, all she did was command Karna and act like his battery, but each time Karna would listen along to their story and then say it was her who made a difference.

It was nice though, to be recognised as a hero, to see the hope in people’s eyes.

"Master, you are pushing yourself hard."

"I need to be ready, I need to not faint next time, or I'll be useless to you..."

"... Master, allow me, as your Servant, to assist you, at the least. Exercising and training with a companion is far more pleasant than on one's own."

"I doubt that I can match up to you in any way, Karna."

"Yes. But I was taught by Drona, the greatest teacher of that age; and I shall put my teachers' efforts to good use now, Master."

"... Didn't he refuse to teach you?"

"No, he did. But he refused to reveal the secrets of the Brahma weapon to me, although I have accessed it by other means... but if you are resolved to stand by my side wholeheartedly then there is much you must learn."

...

...

"I can perceive the enemy, Master. Their leader is there... hm... he reminds me of a man I once fought, actually."

"Oh?"

"Yes, although that man was far more fearsome, he could create an entire field of iron stakes and spears, by contrast this... Kaiser, seems far less fearsome by nature, more limited... that man I once fought was a true king, even if he was betrayed and forced to fight in such a monstrous state in the end."

"... Seems you still have more stories to tell me, Karna."

"So it seems. Your orders, Master?"

"Bring them down. We'll capture as many as possible but do what you have to if it keeps you safe, Karna. I am sick of having Nazis in my hometown."

"As you wish, Master."

...

...

"Take it in, Master, distribute it evenly. Even if I cannot teach you the secrets of Magecraft, the utilisation of the planet's mana is something that shall assist you greatly, feel it being drawn in."

"I... wow."

"Remember master, there is only so much of it within an area, it shall take a great while to replenish, but with this extra energy, I shall allow me to achieve greater and greater feats..." Karna said, and then after a moment's consideration. "Perhaps even, you could connect to the planets veins... when the time for that final battle comes, there is only one place on this planet where it must do so, upon that dusty plain."

"... Arjuna?"

"That place where we fought our final battle and I died, yes. Where the curses issued upon by the Brahmin whose cow I slew when Indra made it appear as a lion, and the curse of Mother Earth when I returned the spilled ghee of a frightened child, came to their fruition."

... The more you discuss these things, the more I think about how much the world conspired against you."

"Perhaps, but such was the lot of my karma, and I shall not begrudge it."

February, 2012

"Master."

"Yes?"

"There is much odd activity occurring at the moment within your school."

"Hm?" she asked, idly flipping the page of a book as she did so, and glancing up.

She was sitting in the library, having eaten her lunch quickly. It was quiet at the moment, even in Immaculata she rather struggled with the crowds, being in them rather made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Dinah had not joined her today, perhaps she had a bit of work to take care of?

The peace of the library was nice, and in this isolated corner Karna had emerged from the thin air, as was his manner, to question. 

"That boy in your class, Jason, was presenting a gift of confections to Amelia, correct? I thought that it was a simple gift, seeing how they are courting, but I have seen others doing it throughout the day, even between people who are not lovers... but nobody has come forward to give you any?"

Ouch.

Way to point it out, Karna. 

Well, she had frankly rather forgotten about Valentine's Day, it was not like it was a day that mattered at all in her life. She did not really put in much effort to seem very girly; her hair was the only feature of hers that was feminine, a gift from her mother that she took as much care of as she could. 

Frankly, she would not know what to do with herself even if she was given a valentine’s gift.

"Well, it’s Valentine’s day."

She had to give an explanation about all that the day entailed. 

"Valentines... I see... I had heard such a thing existed, but never thought that it would be today."

This revelation of the existence of Valentine's day put Karna into a weird mood for the rest of the day. Was it because he was thinking about his wife and children, all of whom had been dead for millennia at this point? It seemed curious that he would grow so pensive over it, when it was not as if he had not had plenty of time to adjust to the world... man, they had been Master and Servant for an entire year at this point... wow, that was really strange to think about...

In that time, they had fought so many battles together, well, Karna had fought and she had stood in the back giving him commands, when it was necessary. 

The single burned out Command Seal on her hand was testament to their achievements. Karna's name was famous across the world even if he was somewhat controversial in India, with plenty denying that he was the eponymous hero. To be fair he was a little... fair skinned compared to the average Indian, but there had been a few offers to join the 'Garama' of the subcontinent... and also a few offers for him to appear in Bollywood movies. 

The fact that Karna had been able to engage in several hour-long conversations with noted scholars and historians on the topic of the Mahabharata and that time rather helped to lend credence to his claims. Taylor had no doubts, and his public profile was already sky high simply for destroying Leviathan.

Still...

She got back home from Immaculata, which had been drastically improved by the money from the bounties that Karna had been bringing in. 

And yet... even with all his power to change the world, some things never did. She looked towards the stack of papers on the table, her fathers... another attempt to find work for the various members of the Dockworkers, probably. Even with Leviathan dead, it was not like its death miraculously fixed the problems with maritime trade.

As soon as the door was closed Karna was at her side.

He seemed very keen to speak with her, moving ahead and then facing her, face serious. She paused, having turned on the lights to provide some light. 

"Master."

And then Karna gave her something.

"Huh?"

"For you, master."

It was a small box, simply made, wrapped almost a little clumsily.

She received it with both hands, and then looked up at his face. 

"Today is Valentine's Day, and you have received no gift. I have remedied that."

"... You got me a valentine?"

"Yes, I made this with what I had, but it turned out quite nicely. It is a rare satisfactory work for someone like me, but I still take pride in what I created by hand," he said, and was that just a slightly faint, smug expression on his face?

What the actual...

"Can I open it?"

There was no way this was chocolate.

"Of course."

She opened it, finding a simple paper box, and a pair of earrings within, which she placed within the palm of her hand to examine... earrings of solid gold with tiny, pink gems set in. Earrings that were a near perfect duplicate, if much smaller, than Karna's own. There were beautiful, even if Taylor barely knew anything about jewellery, she could tell that they were a priceless masterpiece, they almost shone like the setting sun in the weak light of her room---

"Whilst I disassembled myself between spiritual and physical, I quickly took some part of my armour and made these earrings for you, master... they may not truly be the same as Kavacha and Kundala, but perhaps, they shall give you some small manner of protection."

Some part of… his armour?

The same armour that was the only gift from his father... the only thing he was sent out into the world with, The same treasure that he was still compelled to give up, and did so freely to the God Indra.

She stared down at the pair of spiked, wheel shaped earrings. Suddenly they felt so much heavier, so much warmer and more significant that any gift she had ever been given in her entire life. Like... what could she possibly say or do?

... Gold earrings were really not her style, she liked to wear more plain things... things that did not attract attention.

She didn't even have ear piercings... her mother had always told her not to get them too young, but Taylor had always imagined that she would be there when she did get them done... 

"... Will you come with me when I get them pierced?" she asked, looking back up at Karna. There was no question that she would be wearing Karna's gift, she would never do such a disservice to her Servant.  

She got a proper smile this time, he had been doing that more and more of late.

"Of course, Master."

Chapter Text

They had fought so many battles together...

In the space of their two and a half years side by side the world had changed in so many ways.

Leviathan was dead, the Simurgh almost fell, dozens of villains had been slain or captured with Karna's might. 

When the day came for the end of the world, they marched together to face it. The first few skirmishes, the battles in the US came to little, Scion was just too strong for Parahumans to deal with, even Eidolon could not do it. There was so much happening, so much confusion.

Yet Karna seemed resolved, his reputation, his legend was a symbol of hope. It lent weight to his words when he declared, not long after Gold Morning began; "Master, we must fight in India, that is where I shall be at my strongest."

And thus it was.

Taylor did not know what strings were pulled behind the scenes and quite how it came to pass, as the world was evacuated and her thoughts went out for her father, who she could only hope was safe. 

And yet here she was, in a vast Indian plain that Karna found familiar yet changed from his own times, awaiting the battle against Scion. 

Mankind needed a hero right now. 

The slayer of Leviathan, the man who had put down so many threats and villains, Karna's name had spread across the world but it was here in his homeland that everyone knew the tale. This was the land of his birth where he could not be contested by anything short of the Golden Man himself.

And yet when it began there was no time for thinking. 

The brilliant earrings of the sun protected her from the heat of her servants’ flames, her training over the years allowed her to stand when once she may have fallen. Karna burned brilliantly, without holding anything back. 

The earth churned, broke apart and disintegrated with every blow exchanged between them that sent ripples through the landscape. 

Each second that she and Karna bought mankind was another moment for more Capes to be marshalled, for more civilians to be evacuated to other worlds.

She had no doubt that she would likely die here today. 

But she would die beside Karna, giving their all for the sake of humanity.

How long it lasted, she had no idea. 

The ambient mana was fluctuating and she was drawing in as much as her body, with its limited circuits, could manage. 

It was as if the very world itself knew the significance of what was happening here and was directing its energy here. Perhaps, deep below the earth one of the ‘Ley Lines’ that Karna had once mentioned had been rerouted? It did not matter, just so long as it kept coming.

Even if she couldn’t cast spells or do anything more, she could absorb it all for him to make use of. She had two command seals, if she was desperate she could use one to preserve Karna's life, restore him... but what if it was not enough?

Karna was hurt, even with his Kavacha and Kundala there were nicks and cuts that made it through, yet he pushed through as if they were nothing. 

With blasts and flame, martial might and more was forcing Scion to focus on him, there was no room for focusing on anything else. 

He kept up as they went blow for blow, Scion's golden beams were ducked and dodged, his teleportation matched with sheer speed. Both were tough, but Scion just kept coming back and getting better, Karna was being worn down by increments.

And then---

Barriers, blockers, tens of Capes, hundreds collected across countless worlds, Eidolon among them, all creating a great wall, locking down this place. Karna had explained its importance, his ultimate weapon was so destructive that it could destroy anything, and it could only be used once. 

Scion had to be locked down, no matter the sacrifice, no matter the cost!

Blasting apart his body and annihilating the entirety of his existence with Vasavi Shakti, the invincible spear of the King of the Gods, was the only option. Quite how so many capes with the abilities needed were gathered, she could not now---and it did not matter! 

The only thing that mattered was humanity, was victory against this impossible foe! 

"Master!"

The time had come. 

Scion was high in the sky above them, all this time she had been waiting for the right moment.

"Karna! By my Command Seal, release your ultimate Noble Phantasm!

"Very well, Master!"

Was this what it had been leading to this entire time? 

Had he known such from the very beginning, that moment they met?

The heavens were burning and boiling apart as Karna's golden armour was given away, just as it once had been. In his hands was fire, regal and magnificent he hung here in the midair, taking up the great spear that materialised within them. 

The floor beneath her feet was liquifying all at once, flowing like water and yet she forced herself to stand upright, her earrings shielding her from the heat.

But even then, it felt as if she might combust at any moment. 

They were sinking, the force of the continuous explosion unleashed by the emergence of Vasavi Shakti had turned the Indian plain on which they stood into a wasteland of fire and molten liquid.

The very world was melting away, the sky was an ocean of white and red. A great spoked wheel burst of flame burst into being around Karna as the air roared with the heat, like a sun brought down to earth. 

Were she the same Taylor who had directed Karna to unleash his Noble Phantasm against Leviathan, then surely she would have been drained of her mana and life within an instant. As it was, her body was burning as the mana within the air redoubled in intensity and she greedily soaked it up to feed to her servant. 

"Scion! Enemy of the planet and destined enemy of this life of mine! Know the mercy of the King of Gods!"

Karna’s voice somehow was louder than this din.

"Indra, open your eyes."

Karna pointed the thunder spear of the King of the Gods directly upwards at the enemy of the human race.

High above them, in the burning sky, she could just about perceive Scion, unable to run, unable to flee this place as the innumerable barriers created contained and hemmed them in. She could feel more than see it, the response to come, the desperate effort to retaliate against what was about to happen. 

"This single strike is extinction itself!"

The spear illuminated, ready to burst with its all conquering force.

"Burn it all!"

A great golden light in the sky, coming down, a vast force that would destroy anything it hit---

"O' Sun Abide by death; Vasavi Shakti!"

By all accounts she should have blinded her instantly as the twin beams met, as the world continued to melt and burn away around her Taylor forced herself to stay standing and watching, unblinking.

Gold met gold, fire met force as Karna and Scion's final, ultimate attacks clashed, by all means one should have been overwhelmed by the other were it not for the absolute force both put into it.

Where they met it was like a star was being born; it was a roiling, boiling place where the very laws of physics were breaking down and melting, turning over themselves and being rebuilt. 

Vasavi Shakti would only grow in intensity and strength, it would only escalate by the second until it would overwhelm even a god, even a divinity beyond the ability of a human being to understand. But until then, until it was powerful enough to overcome anything, the golden beam of Scion was pushing it back, there could be no doubt that the enemy of humanity was giving his all in this moment, expending the energy of a dying sun---

She still had one command seal, she had hoped that it would let her save him once all this was over, but right now there was nothing else---

Despite the limitless roaring and sundering of the world around her, she knew that he would hear her voice even as she screamed at the top of her voice

"BY MY COMMAND SEAL, SHOW ME THE SUN THAT SHINES WITH VICTORY, KARNA!!!"

The great column of power emanating from the spear intensified, Karna was the faintest speck of dust compared to the ever-growing radiance that seemed ready to swallow up the entire of existence.

By all logic...

No... logic had ceased to matter in this place, as had time and distance, space and even matter. 

She was not sure if she was truly alive, there was only the present moment in which she existed, each second stretching into a vast infinity as Master and Servant gave their everything.

In this place, there was only defeat and victory.

...

...

...

She stumbled. 

There was no way that she could still walk, but she forced her legs to obey even though they wanted to collapse under her.

In this blasted hellscape that only a blind man could call the plain on which they had fought, she alone walked. There was not a feature by which to navigate, the very sky itself was outshone by the light emitting from the burning earth, only a solitary star, the sun, burned high above as if to guide her way.

She found what remained of him laying on his back, staring up into the sky, the liquid earth rippled and lapped up against his body as she approached.

"Karna!" she said.

"Master... I am glad to see you survived," he said, it was such a simple statement and yet it had her wanting to say something, to do something. Perhaps if... no, his wounds were just... so bad. Perhaps if she had kept her final command seal, could she have commanded him to live? Could she have saved him? 

Ah... but in the end, she had needed it to guarantee victory... 

"... I'm sorry that I could not do more," she said, kneeling down in the still semi-molten stone. It did not burn her, it merely felt mildly warm... but her mind was not on that anymore. 

"Hah, you were magnificent, Master."

"Not as magnificent as you, Karna."

"At least this time, I had the opportunity to die fighting, rather than lifting a chariot’s wheel..." 

For one who had never truly rested, who had ever been watchful, it was like this was the first time that she had ever seen Karna at peace, in this hellish wasteland of an Earth that had been almost evacuated.

What a juxtaposition… Karna was like a solitary red and white poppy on a battlefield.

"You should get away whilst you can, Master, even if my earrings shall protect you, this is no place for you now... we have done our duty."

Until the last, concerned for her safety, no, for the safety and concerns of others.

"My place is here, until you fade away."

Karna did not say anything to that... he smiled. 

Despite everything he smiled. 

How long would he stay? Would his body just stay here when he died? He always said that his body was both physical and also not, would he just... fade away? It did not matter. Their time together felt so long but also so short, they had had so many little interactions, so many adventures and battles at one another’s sides.

But looking at him now...

Something was missing.

She reached up to her ear.

"In your first life, you died without even the comfort of your father’s gift," she said.

"Master..." Karna said, only to fall silent, eyes blinking in surprise as she removed the left earring. She reached down to carefully push the metal spike back through the hole in her servant's left earlobe, returning to him some small part of the golden gift granted by his father.

"... It's not quite Kundala, I know..." she apologised. "...But as the one thing you had when you were left on the river, you should not die without it this time.”

She was not quite sure how she delivered the statement with such conviction, perhaps it was the strange serenity that had fallen with the exhaustion and stress of the battle. She reached up to remove the other earring, the one in her right. 

Without it, she would probably burn to death… 

Karna's bloodied hand gripped her arm, halting it. Even weak and dying... his grip was so very strong, strong enough to hold back her movement, and she looked down at him. 

Karna was smiling.

"...I am glad to have called you my Master, Taylor Hebert…”

Even with the blood marring his lips, he was just as handsome as ever. 

For a long moment he gripped her arm, before he released it, strength gone. She reclaimed his hand, lacing her fingers with his and placing it on his chest.

“This time, when I die… I shall have a friend by my side."

Nothing more was said. 

Nothing else had to be said. 

Amidst the smoking, cooling wasteland that had once been an Indian plain, Taylor sat with Karna as the first hints of pink began to appear on the horizon, the first sunset on the world after their victory. As his body began to dissolve and his eyes closed, Taylor watched in silence, his hand still holding hers.

She was managing to smile even though her cheeks were wet, her eyes were full despite her vision being so clear, taking in every detail of the hero's last moments.

When his body disappeared utterly and a portal opened behind her for her to leave, the earring in her ear remained, the solitary thing left of the Hero of Charity.