"Yes?" The caster appeared next to you.

"I want you to take me to Shirou." You commanded.

"Master Shirou? I don't know about that. He already told me—

"I don't care. You'll do this for me, won't you?" You pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

"Well..."

You could hear a gentle sound of applause before Shirou's voice spoke up. "How about it? Want to join the red faction, Frankenstein?" You just heard a loud growl in response.

"I'm afraid that may be asking for the impossible, Master." Shakespeare spoke up, the two of you appearing a little behind Shirou. You felt a bit light-headed. Taking spirit form was not really something you enjoyed. It was almost like teleportation...or at least for you it was. Shakespeare had claimed that most the time it'd be impossible for him to bring you along with him, but that your case was special.

Shirou turned his head a bit, seemingly stunned to see you in the Caster's arms. "Really, you brought Y/n with you?" Shirou asked with a frown.

"Oh, let the girl have a little fun. She only wanted to make sure thou would be alright. Besides that, she's quite convincing, no?" Shakespeare exclaimed. It really hadn't been hard to convince him to take you, he simply went with it because he wanted to watch the grand tale unfold...or something along those lines. The girl who Shirou seemed to be fighting a moment ago now looked up at you and Shakespeare, letting out a loud growl. "Oh my, Pardon us." Shakespeare apologized. "We did not come here with the intention of fighting. Pay us no mind, we're merely observing." He informed the servant, before taking spirit form again, the two of you next appearing on a large tree branch. He set you down, before sitting and gluing his eyes to the scene at hand.

Shirou glanced up at the two of you, before his smile returned to his face. "That's right. The one who will be fighting is me, Shirou Kotomine." He confirmed, pulling out multiple swords between his fingers, almost reminding you of the wolverine. "But, if you have any desire to come to our side, just speak up at any time." He added, before throwing the swords straight at the servant. She dodged all of them before making her way forward towards Shirou, who was already running deeper into the woods. "Impressive." He applauded her, before throwing three more swords, this time whispering a word under his breath that you didn't quite catch.

As soon as he did, multiple pink sphere's appeared with swords shooting out of them. The girl immediately reacted, raising her giant mace into the air. A force field of electricity went around her, causing the swords to fly back. One shot back straight towards Shirou, nearly whizzing off a bit of his hair. "Close, so close." He encouraged her with a smile, seeming to piss the girl off even more. Shirou raised the weapon in his hand. "Now then, Caster, I'll be making use of this."

"Oh, yes please! Go ahead and use it to your heart's content!" Shakespeare approved, with many dramatic hand gestures. You watched as Shirou began to draw open the katana, a large gush of wind and a blinding light appearing. "Like a storm accompanied by an inferno! Like a downpour of rain accompanied by lightning! A story that one cannot wake from, will now commence!" Shakespeare announced, reaching out his hands.

Shirou immediately charged at the servant, clashing his katana with her mace. It was incredible, you'd never seen anything like it. How was Shirou able to fight a servant!? You watched as he skidded back, before charging again. This time though, he was able to slash his katana right across the girls face. She tried to counter, but it was no use, she only ended up getting another cut across her face. At that point she became enraged, her mace lighting up before charging at Shirou.

He was able to block her advance with his katana, causing a large explosion. The both of them seemed to stumble back a bit. Shirou stood there a moment before closing his eyes. "Ruler is on her way..."

Huh, Ruler? What was that...?

"Caster, time to retreat." Shirou decided.

Shakespeare stood. "I quite agree. Drawing out a scene longer than is necessary, is truly a characteristic of poor work." He commented, before picking you up again and taking spirit form. Next thing you knew you appeared a bit of ways ahead, you could see Shirou running towards you with the enemy servant not far behind.

"Caster, the stage is yours!" Shirou instructed, before running past the two of you.

"Oh yes, I see, I see." Shakespeare smiled, stepping forward. "Get back, my dear, and watch." You instantly did as he said and got behind him. At your obedience, he looked forward at the incoming servant. "Now then, I shall have thee meet that man whom thou find dear yet full of hate." He declared, opening up his book, the pages beginning to turn all by themselves. "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player...one who struts and frets his hour upon the stage!" He stated, the pages of his book beginning to rip and fly all around the enemy servant.

Only about a moment passed before you could hear the girl begin to scream and cry, but you could hardly see what was happening. "...What did you do to her?" You asked hesitantly.

"Just my noble phantasm doing it's job. Now then, let us retreat." He responded, turning towards you.

"Hold on." You objected. "I don't want to leave yet."

"Hm?"

"Well you see, Lancer seemed to be fighting a very strong servant of black, and I would like to watch from the sidelines."

"Dost Master Shirou agree?" Shakespeare asked.

"Of course not, but you won't tell him, will you?"

He let out a chuckle. "Of course not. If anything, it will surely make this never-ending tale more entertaining!"

"Me going to watch Lancer...is entertainment?"

"It's the purest kind, my dear."

You honestly had no idea what he meant by that, but you were just grateful he wouldn't say anything to Shirou. If anything, you knew you could always call for Semiramis if you were in trouble. "Thank you, could you point me in the right direction?"

"Mhm, I believe what thy searching for is that way." He pointed. You gave him a grateful smile, before running off in the direction he pointed. "Good luck then, Y/n."

You had been running for a minute or so when you heard footsteps coming your way. You skidded to a stop, scanning your surrounds. A blonde haired girl soon came into view, striking fear into your heart. Shit...could she be a servant of black? As soon as she spotted you, she ran up to you. You shivered, getting ready to call Semiramis's name.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" The girl asked, stopping only a few feet in front of you. You didn't respond, just stared. She wasn't going to attack? She was different from other servants, carrying a flag instead of a weapon. She heaved out a few heavy breaths as if she'd been running for a long time. "You shouldn't be here. You're in terrible danger!" She informed you. "Please, let me escort you to safety." She added, grabbing onto your hand.

You let out a small gasp as she did. "W-Wait!" You yelped.

She suddenly pulled back, you doing the same. "What the...I sense an incredible amount of mana flowing from you. It's like nothing I've ever seen before...just who are you?" She questioned. You just slowly stepped back, shaking your head. "Please, there's no need to fear— Wait...could you be..." She trailed off slowly before her eyes widened a bit. "...Master of Red?" You just let out a short breath before running off, right past her. "Wait! Do not leave yet!" She called after you, but you were already gone at that point.

You pushed past a few loose tree branches before making it to the clearing. You spotted Karna and Vlad, still in their battle from earlier. You hid behind one of the trees as you watched Karna avoid a few stakes before backflipping onto a large boulder. "Quite impressive. You are probably the only one in this world to handle my stakes so easily. For that I must applaud you, Lancer of Red. You're truly a hero worthy of standing before the king of this land." Vlad admitted.

Karna tilted his head a bit before smiling. "Much obliged, foreign king. And, now I understand." He continued. "For you, these stakes are your offense, defense, demonstration, and terror."

The enemy servant seemed to be off-set by Karna's words, his eyes narrowing. "What...?"

"Establish your domain, establish your caste, establish what to protect... In other words, you are trying to create a nation on your own. It may be patriotism for your land, or perhaps the responsibility you feel as king."

"Oh, are you trying to expose how I really feel?" Vlad growled.

Karna shifted a bit, raising his head as he spoke. "However, foreign king, your subordinates are not present here. A king may stand above all, but never heads to the battlefield all alone. It's foolish..."Karna suddenly pointed his lance forward. "Being a heroic spirit, I am not afraid to fight an entire nation on my own."

Vlad grinned. "How amusing! You do not fear, even when in this nation all by yourself! Nothing less from a heroic spirit! Nothing less from my foe! Of course unfortunately for you, you've already fallen into my death trap!" Vlad grinned, pointing his hand towards Karna, whom immediately reacted, jumping into the air. And then, what happened next, you still can't comprehend. Multiple stakes suddenly impaled Karna's body, making your eyes widen. His body had jerked violently, before he let out a loud cough, blood spluttering everywhere.

You gasped in horror, placing a hand over your mouth. You felt sick, like you were going to throw up right where you stood. No...not him...not Karna...why...why was this happening...please stop this...just stop... You watched in horror as Karna fell to his knees, practically unable to hold up his lance.

"You were wrong about my noble phantasm." Vlad spoke up, walking towards Karna. "It is not about the stakes themselves, but the concept of being impaled. That is my noble phantasm's true nature." Karna slowly raised his head, narrowing his eyes at the approaching servant of black. "Therefore..." Vlad continued, impaling Karna a second time, with even more stakes than before.

This time, your lancer had actually let out a cry of pain before he collapsed to the ground. It made your whole body begin to tremble. It was awful before, but the sound had only made it worse. You'd never thought you would have to hear what sounded like complete suffering and pain from him. "N-No...K-Karna...please..." You choked out, tears beginning to streak your face.

"As long as you are in my domain, you cannot escape my noble phantasm!" Vlad grinned, raising an arm, which caused at least over ten more stakes to impale your already defenseless servant. Karna didn't move, didn't speak, didn't even make another sound of sheer pain, just starred at the ground with wide eyes. "Now, we shall end this, Lancer of Red!" Vlad concluded, raising his hand up to the sky, causing thousands of stakes to emerge from the ground. They shot up into the air before turning around and zooming towards Karna at an intense speed.

He couldn't survive this...he couldn't. It was simply impossible...even for someone like him. If you didn't do something right now, he would die! He. Would. Die. Without a second thought, you immediately ran out to the battlefield. It was the fastest you'd run in your whole life. "Karna! No!" You screamed, jumping in front of him.

Karna instantly looked up at the sound of your voice. Right before the stakes were about to hit, he had whispered two words. "O Agni..."

Before you even knew what was happening, a huge explosion erupted from Karna. It caused you to crash onto the ground roughly, you gasping as you hit your head. Your ears were ringing and your vision was starting to blur...what even happened. All you could see were flames and smoke. Karna's lance suddenly slashed the air right next to you, causing the smoke to clear from where you were laying. You felt rather light-headed as you tried your best to move. Your clothes were singed and torn from the flames. Previously, you had already been showing skin...but now...

Before you had time to comprehend much else, Karna was instantly on his knees next to you. He gently wrapped an arm around your back, trying to help you upwards. You couldn't move though, couldn't even open your eyes to acknowledge your servants presence. "Can you walk?" Karna's soft yet stoic voice asked. By the way your head drooped back, he already knew the answer was no. He let out a short breath, wrapping his other arm behind your neck, fingers tangling into your hair. He pulled you upwards until your head rested in the crook of his neck. It was almost comforting for him to feel your breath on his skin.

"Forgive me..." He whispered. Even though you wanted to respond, you just couldn't find it in you, so you stayed quiet. He pulled you impossibly closer, your chests pressing firmly together. He may of even enjoyed the contact had it been under different circumstances. You didn't mind it at all though. It was rare for Karna to ever show affection like this. Being in his embrace always made you feel safe, no matter what the situation.

"I understand." Karna spoke. "Just hang on a little longer. I'll finish this." He stated, gently laying you back down. You slightly opened your eyes. No...you didn't want him to go...you just wanted him to fall back.

You watched as the servant of black, who had also been knocked down for a time, now stood. He let out a short breath before smiling. "Amusing. Is that girl your master? That's cute. She realizes I could just as easily impale her as I did—

Karna stepped directly in front of you. "You won't touch her! Your battle is with me and no one else. If you even so much as look at her, I'll ensure your death is a painful one...and that means avert your gaze, foreign king."

Vlad took his gaze off you, and looked up at Karna. "Very well then, I'll accept your conditions and leave her out."

Karna nodded gratefully. "Now then, let us continue."

"Indeed, you shall die here, Lancer!" Vlad roared, raising his arm. Karna immediately moved away from you, not wanting anything to accidentally hit you in the process of their fight. He lured Vlad as far away from you as possible before really beginning to fight him back. It was to hard for you to make out what was happening in your condition, but you could tell the battle was becoming heated. Karna was doing well to avoid every stake, and seemed to be able to break them now. It didn't stop him from getting hit though, you could tell he had a large gash on his cheek. You watched a few moments longer to see Karna flip over Vlad and raise his lance. It began to light up, Vlad's eyes widening. "T-This power...!?" He stuttered.

Karna narrowed his eyes, seemingly about to make the final blow. "Brahma— He began, before suddenly stopping. He stepped back, lowering his lance. Vlad looked just about as confused as you. Karna smiled. "I have received summons. We will settle this match another time." Karna stated, turning and running towards you.

"W-Wait! You can't just leave a fight!" Vlad objected, as your servant scooped you up in his arms. Karna payed him no mind, simply ran a few more steps before taking spirit form. "Bastard!" You heard Vlad call after him, before seemingly passing out.

You opened your eyes slowly. Your vision was blurred a moment, but you could eventually make out the ceiling. You sat up slowly, looking around. You were tucked neatly into your bed at the hanging gardens. You were a little confused to what happened, when suddenly everything from earlier flashed in your mind. "Karna!"

Your lancer suddenly materialized in front of you. "Master. Tell me, are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes, but what about you!? I saw you get impaled so many times, and then you let out that awful cry of pain and you wouldn't move, so I got so scared! Karna, I thought you were gonna die and—

"Wow, wow. Master, I'm fine. Put your faith in me, I shan't let you down so easy."

"Of course I have faith...I just...I was so scared..."

"My apologies."

"It's okay, I'm just glad you're alright."

He nodded. "I'm needed elsewhere, but get cleaned up okay? Shirou wishes to speak with you."

"Oh...does he know...?"

Karna gave you a small smile. "To be honest, I'm not to sure."

You sighed. "Thank you, Karna."

Your servant gave you a nod before taking spirit form. God, you honestly had no idea how you survived that. You were just grateful Karna was unharmed. You scooted off the bed, stumbling a bit as you made your way towards the large drawer in the corner of the room. Semiramis had neatly put all your clothes away without you even having to ask...though Shirou might've had something to do with it. You sighed. You'd have to make this quick if you wanted to meet up with Shirou in time.

You quickly took a short shower to wash away any of the dirt or dust you may have gotten on you. You would have to pick a new outfit, considering your last one was torn and singed. You pulled on a red crop top and a short black and red checkered skirt, before quickly touching up your make up and hair.

You made your way to the altar at a rather quick pace, not wanting Shirou to have to wait any longer than he already had. When you made it there, he was in the upper aisles, just staring at the ground.

"Shirou?" You asked, making your way up the stairs.

"Oh, Y/n." He greeted.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, need to ask a favor of you." He answered.

"What is it?"

"Our servants of red will be fighting the servants of black very soon...but someone else will also be arriving."

"Who?"

"...In order to reach my dream, I must ask—

The hanging gardens suddenly began to tremble, causing Shirou to cut off. You let out a small gasp leaning back on the wall to ensure you wouldn't fall down. After the trembling stopped, you looked directly towards Shirou who didn't seem phased at all. He nodded. "Right on time."

"H-Huh? Right in time for what?"

"Y/n." He smiled. "We have achieved it. The holy grail is now in the hanging gardens."

"W-What!?"

"Yes. This is what I've been planning for all this time. I knew the hanging gardens would be able to take the greater grail from the black factions base with ease."

"That's awesome!" You beamed.

"Indeed, and now, there's just one thing left to do." Your smile seemed to fade as his face turned into something serious. "The favor I must ask...please give your command spells to me."