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Description

The sun was shining brightly, the birds flew over the clear sky with few clouds, and the people and inhabitants of a quiet city called Fuyuki began their day-to-day activities, hoping that today would be a better day than the day before from yesterday. And in a certain Japanese residence in the most remote areas of Miyama Town, the part of the city that was more urban, could not be more than different.
As water from the shower poured down onto Shirou and washed away the sweat gained from his exercise, he reflected on the last year.
It has been more than eight months since he summoned Saber by accident. More than eight months since they joined the Holy Grail War along with Rin, who he learned was a fellow magus herself. More than eight months since he met his new found sister Illya, the daughter of his late father Kiritsugu and his late wife Irisviel that he never knew. Eight months since they stopped Kotomine and Gilgamesh from using the Grail to release destruction on the world at the end of the 5th Holy Grail War
    And more than six months he discovered about Sakura's past with Illya's help and his bond with Rin, thus allowing them to free her from Zouken and his cruelty.

    However, there are a few more things that Emiya himself did not know after the 5th Grail War ended when he and Saber destroyed the Grail and its corruption.

It has also been more of eight months since Angra Mainyu, the titled embodiment of All World’s Evil and originally the Servant Avenger who was summoned to the 3rd Holy Grail War and was imprisoned within the Greater Grail when he was defeated in that same war years ago and corrupted the Grail with his presence, was released from the Grail with his destruction, found the original Master of Lancer, Bazett Fraga McRemitz dying and saved her by creating a world loop in her mind to help keep her alive by reproducing the 5th Holy Grail War in this world loop.

Also, it has more of four months ago Rin performed a strange experiment using a copy of Zelretch's Jewel Sword made by him and Illya at Einzbern Castle and ended up causing an explosion in Fuyuki's space-time factory that left the city in an "all outcomes are drawn in" state.

It has also been more of two months Caren Hortensia arrived in Fuyuki and found the mansion where Bazett's comatose body was located, caring for his health until he recovered. Two months in which Avenger felt this and the strange invisible fissure that was opened in Fuyuki's space-time, with him transferring the effects of the world loop to the real world, brought Saber and the other dead Servants and Masters back to life and possessed Shirou, as well as altered the memories of all surviving Masters to make them think that the Servants remained in the world after the end of the 5th Holy Grail War. Two months since Shirou, Bazett, and Avenger stopped the latter’s corrupted pieces from destroying the world loop, at the sacrifice of the first anti-hero.

As Shirou put on his school uniform and made his way to the living room, he couldn’t help think of heroes of old. When heroes were done with their journey, they would often head back home with a new gain. Momotaro returned after defeating the demons with the saved princess. Bilbo Baggins returning to the Shire with new found growth after travelling with the dwarves. And Shirou-
“Good morning, Shirou,” Saber said as she ate.
“Hey, Shirou!” Taiga added
“Morning, Emiya-kun,” Rin greeted as she read over some runes.
“How are you today, Senpai?” Sakura said from the kitchen.
“Hello, Shirou,” Rider said, with Caren nodding next to her.
“Yo, Shirou!” Lancer waved as he sat next to Bazette, who smiled in response
Shirou ended up receiving new guests. Though to be honest, he didn’t mind.
Before the war, he already had the energetic Taiga and the gentle Sakura his closest companions in his life after Kiritsugu died in last five years. But the Holy Grail War introduced numerous allies and friends to him and his life.
    Saber, his partner in the war, who fought alongside him against foes including Kotomine and Gilgamesh.
    Rin, Sakura’s older sister and one of Shirou and Saber’s greatest ally.
    Rider, Sakura’s servant who became their friend after freeing her from Zouken and Shinji’s control.
    Lancer, the man who brought Shirou into the war after trying to kill him, but is now a close ally and confident.
    Bazett, Lancer’s true partner and a companion Shirou met through Angyu.
    And Caren, Kotomine’s daughter, but proven to be a more kind and broken soul than her father could ever be.
    Wait, if Rin’s here then that means-
    “Do you think we need some more ginger, Archer?” Shirou and saw Sakura holding a spoon of soup to the white-haired servant.
    And then there’s Archer, Rin’s servant and, as he learned after the war, was his future self, a Counter Guardian that hates him.
    Archer took a sip from the spoon. “A pinch should suffice, Sakura.”
The violet-haired girl nodded in agreement
    “What are you doing, Archer?” Shirou questioned.
    “Archer offered to help with making breakfast while you got ready,” Sakura answered.
    “You should try it, Shirou,” Taiga added from the table as she stuffed rice into her mouth.
    “Yeah,” Lancer added. “Knowing who he is makes him a better cook than you.”
    “Lancer!” Bazett reprimanded, against the revelation of Acher’s true self to their non-magus friend.
    Unlike the rest of the group, Taiga was unaware of adventures Shirou and the others went through. She believed that Saber and the other servants were normal human beings.
    “Hey, I’m just saying.”
    Archer gave a smirk to Shirou. “Well, I have learned a lot since my youth.”
    “Thanks for the help, Archer,” Shirou said with strained politeness as he sat next to Saber. He then noticed a packaged item next to Taiga. “Uh, Fuji-nee, what’s that?”
    “Hmm?” Taiga blinked as she followed his gaze. “Oh, that!” She picked up the package and laid it on the table. “My Grampa heard that Bazette-san and Caren-chan were staying, so he wanted to give you a house warming gift.”
    “That’s quite polite of him,” Caren said. “Thank you, Fujimura-chan.”
    “You bet! Want to see?”
    “Sure.”
    Taiga pushed the package over to Caren, who then opened it to reveal a forest green mask with a rough, bark-like texture and small holes for the eyes and mouth.
    Immediately all of the mages and servants stiffened, sensing the alarming about of magic radiating from. Lancer and Rider were even more on edge, detecting a familiar yet foreign aura from it.
    “It’s old artifact of Nordic origin from Norway. According to grandpa, he got it from an old contact from there about 32 years ago.”” Taiga explained, not yet aware of the stiffness of her comrades.
    “I can tell it’s ancient just by looking,” Rider muttered.
    However, her discomfort was noticed by Taiga. “I understand why, Rider.”
    Rider stiffed. “You do?”
    “It’s cause you work at an antique shop,” the teacher explained. “You must a sixth sense for those things.”
    Rider sighed in relief. “Yes, that’s what I meant.”
    Archer coughed. “Fujimura-sensei, I believe you’ll be late for grading the tests from last Friday.”
    “Ah, you’re right!” Taiga quickly finished her meal and jumped from the floor. “I’ll meet you guys in class later! Don’t be late!” she rushed out of the house, and the others heard her motorcycle roar while she drove away.
    “So we all felt that, right?” Shirou said.
    “No kidding, Emiya-kun,” Rin replied. “This object is brimming with magic. Ancient magic as well.”
    “Tsc, every part of my body is telling me to get away from it,” Lancer added with a scowl.
    “Do you have an instinct that is warning you as well, Archer-san?” Sakura asked.
    The counter-guardian shook his head in denial. “No, I’m not feeling anything like that,” Archer countered.
    “I sense the immense power that mask holds, but besides that nothing is telling me to rush away,” Saber said while looking at the object in question.
    “I’m feeling it,” Rider said, surprising everyone. “That mask reminds me of an ancient power, yet at the same time it feels, foreign.”
    “Exactly what I’m feeling,” Turning to look at her, Lancer said his opinion..
    “That’s all I need to hear,” Rin stated as she narrowed her eyes at the quoted mask. “I’ll start analyzing it immediately.”
    “Wait, you can’t nee-san,” Sakura argued. “We have classes soon.”
    Rin sighed. Her sister was right, of course. She still had to maintain the image of a perfect student to their non-mage companions.
    “I’m sure Bazette-san can handle the research,” Shirou suggested.
    “I wish I could, but I’m also busy today,” the Irish-woman said. “The church is having me work to pay for my stay,” she shivered. “And it’s not exactly a normal job.”
    “Well, we can’t just leave it alone,” Rin said. “Whatever this artifact is, we need to know before it can blow up in our face-”
    “I can do it,” everyone turned when Caren spoke up.
    “You can?” Shirou asked.
    “I’ve seen my fellow Executioners do the same with various objects in past,” the white-haired girl said. “I’m more than equipped to handle this type of task.”
    “Well, what about your fath- Kotomine,” Shirou kept himself from saying “your father,” knowing that Caren despised her father as much as they did. “And Gilgamesh? Please tell me he’s at least in his child form.”
    “No, he’s in his adult form,” Caren answered. Shirou and Saber sighed in exasperation. “But I doubt he’ll be interested in a ‘mongrel’ object. And I made sure that Kotomine was properly sealed.”
    As with many servants and masters from the Fourth Holy Grail War, Kotomine and Gilgamesh were brought back to life thanks to the time-loop created by Avenger. Knowing their threats, Caren made sure that her father was sealed off in a room, while Gilgamesh, now her servant just like Lancer, was tied to the church and was only allowed to leave by her orders.
    “We’ll leave the task to you then, Caren,” Saber said with a smile. And with that, the others headed finished breakfast and headed their way, with Lancer, Bazett, and Rider heading to their respective jobs; Shirou, Rin, and Sakura heading to class, Caren returning to the Church, and Saber and Archer remaining at the Emiya household.

    Caren arrived at the church with the mask sealed in the original box. She opened the front door and entered. She was surprised that Gilgamesh did not greet her with his retorts.
    “Welcome back, Caren,” she glared as she saw her father in a room to her left sitting at a table. Kirei Kotomine was eating a plate of mapo tofu.
    “Hello, priest,” she replied coldly. For much of her life, Caren had resented her father, who abandoned her after her mother’s suicide and left her with the Executioners of the Holy Church, who used her as a demon detecting tool due to the natural talents she possesses.
    “Came back from Emiya’s home, I see,” he replied as if he took no notice of her tone. “Do you have some sort of, admiration, for him. I know many girls he meet tend to. He truly is Kiritsugu Emiya's son.”
    “What I do is no concern of yours,” Caren placed the box on a table in the opposite room, then opened it to remove the mask and held it in front of her.
    Seeing the object brought by his daughter, curiosity struck the false priest, as if an ancient memory had passed in his mind the moment he saw this Mask. “Where did you get that?” Kirei asked.
    “It is none of your concern.”
    “The mask is Norwegian, isn’t it?” she stiffened at his comment as she turned to face him.
    “How did you know?”
    “I’ve seen that mask in old records back when I was an Executioner. Legends say it was created by a cunning Norse god in Europe. It grants the wearer an immense power, but at a cost.” He took another bite of his Chinese dish
    “And what is that cost?”
    “A lost of inhibition and sanity. Though to be honest, I don’t see that as a lost.” He smiled. “After all, why should one withhold their desires on the basis of ‘morality?’”
    “Of course you would say that.” Caren said as she looked at the mask.
    ‘Is it really that powerful?’ she thought. She couldn’t help but feel that the mask was calling for her, a gentle hand pushing her closer. She put her face closer to it.
    Kirei chuckled. “You say that, but I know we are not so different. I know how you enjoy pointing out the flaws and weaknesses of your ‘friends.’ and how happy you are inside to see their faces of embarrassment when those same flaws and weaknesses are exposed to light. We are more alike than you think, Caren.”
    His statement pulled her out of the trance and she turned to glare at him. “We are nothing alike.” Caren then looked around the house. “Where is Gilgamesh? He should still be here.”
    “Oh, he left,” her father answered calmly.
    “Left?” she frowned. At least she can guess where he would be going. She ran out the door with the mask in her hand
    Seeing his daughter go out with the Mask, he wondered if this artifact is precisely the same thing he heard about the books sealed by the Church at that time when he was an Executor? He certainly felt an immense magical energy inside him, but he was curious about one thing.

    Is it an artifact made purely of Magical Energy only, because there is something in this same energy that did not seem to be just magic, there is something else. Smiling, Kirie is wondering in her mind, 'If this Mask really is the one I saw in the books ...'

    Something tells the false priest that things will be very interesting in Fuyuki and if he is right, Caren will end up discovering in the hard way that she and he are much more alike than she thinks, with him being sure that Shirou Emiya, Rin and others will end up experiencing this firsthand to her newfound joy.

    “Ha!” Saber yelled as she swung down the shinai in the Emiya household dojo. Most of Saber’s day was spent training, eating sweets, and practicing baking. Even with the conflict against the grail ended, it did not feel right to lose diligence towards future threats.
    Suddenly the ground beneath her shook.
    She sighed. “Don’t tell me…”
    “Saber!” A prideful and familiar voice called out. “I know you are in there!”
     “Not again,” she kept herself from gritting her teeth as she rushed out of the hall. A small gale surrounded her as her white blouse and blue skirt were replaced by her standard, blue-and-white armor. The area by her hand glowed a holy light as the Noble Phantasm Excalibur appeared in her grasp.
    Exiting out of the Emiya estate, she found the First Hero Gilgamesh, standing so calmly in his casual wear as he gazed at her with predatory eyes and an arrogant smirk.
    “So my bride chooses to honor my request,” he quipped.
    Saber glared as she grasped onto her blade. “I have told you before, Gilgamesh, I am not your bride and I will never be.”
    He sneered. “So you rather be with the Faker than me. What is it that makes him so special?”
    “For one, he actually treats all people with respect, not just the ones that interest him.”
    “Well,” golden ripples appeared in the air next to him as swords emerged from each. “At least claiming you won’t be boring.”
    From his Gate of Babylon, he fired two swords straight at her. Saber slashed her blade in the air and deflected the projectiles away from the house, slicing a tree and a neighboring wall instead.
    Gilgamesh leaped back onto the opposite house and unleashed more blades, putting Saber on edge as she moved quickly to redirect each attack.
    That was the scene Caren arrived as she ran with the mask in her hands.
    “Very impressive, Saber,” Gilgamesh commented. “Each second you prove more worthy in becoming my bride.”
    ‘If this keeps up, Saber and Gilgamesh will be spotted, and the Mages’ Association will come straight towards us,’ Caren grimly thought. She summoned her enchanted sash, the Shroud of Magdalene preparing to send it to tie up Gilgamesh.
    However, the Babylonian Hero spotted her from the corner of his eye. “Tsk, so the Witch wants to interfere. As if she has the right. Enkidu!” From his gates came the golden chains named after his only friend. Gilgamesh usually saved Enkidu to bind worthy enemies, but for this case he decided to use them to strike at the ground in front of Caren, sending the girl flying back from the force, which released gravel that hit the mask in her hand and broke a small piece off of it.
    “Caren!” Saber cried out as she saw the girl fall onto the floor with the mask landing on her face. But in her worry, she ended up trapped in Enkidu’s grasp.
    “There,” Gilgamesh said as he watched with amusement the other king’s struggle to escape “Now we can continue our plans…”
    “Let me go, fiend!”
    “I look forward to breaking your resolves, Arthu-” before he could finish, he was interrupted by Caren’s loud scream.
    Both Servants turned and saw Caren grasping on the bark mask as it seemed to fuse with her face. She shook on the ground in agony in her attempt to rip the mask off.
    “What in the world?” Saber said, gapping at the sight
    Gilgamesh, on the other hand, frowned in annoyance. ‘Your noisy banter irritates me, mongrel. He fired a single sword towards the girl.
    “No!”
    But before the blade cold hit Caren, she was suddenly swallowed by a miniature green tornado that captured the blade.
    The tornado stopped as suddenly as it appeared, and in its place was a white-haired girl stopping her spin with the sword in her hand. She was wearing a short dress with a white top that revealed cleavage, a red corset, a pink skirt, and two white tails. The dress also had pink sleeves that had red-and-white cuffs over the wrist and extended onto her thumb and halfway up her palm. She wore red, knee-length socks and pink boots, and a red choker around her neck as well as a red bow over her hair.
    But strangest of all was her face, which was a bright, neon green and wore a demented pink-lipped smile.
    “Careful, Goldie,” the girl said in a familiar yet playful tone. “Can’t go playing with sharp items right here.”
    Saber’s eyes widened in shock. “Caren, what happened to you?”
“So,” Gilgamesh said, disgust present in his voice. “You somehow transformed into a disfigured beast, witch. No matter, dealing with you will be easy.” He fired ten swords at her.
Caren only giggled as she spun for a second before reappearing in a black mantador outfit that revealed her figure and cleavage. “Tauro, tauro!” She waved a red flag in the air, causing the swords to fly straight towards it. But before they could make contact, Caren flipped the flag around, causing the blades to disappear. “Olae!”
“What in the-” Gilgamesh gapped before recomposing himself. “What a disgusting behavior.”
“Now Goldie,” Caren waved her finger as her clothes vanished into smoke before being replaced with the pink dress. “That’s not a nice thing to say.”
“I have no need to be nice. I am a king.”
“Don’t worry, Goldie, I understand. Lost shepherds often need the most attention from God,” her clothes changed again into a nun outfit, albeit a rather sexy outfit. “Rechoice, for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are here to save you.”
“I have no need of gods. Enkidu, deal with the witch.” The chains obeyed their masters command and flew towards Caren.
Caren’s clothes changed back into her pink dress as she nimbly jumped away from the chain. “And you’ll never break the chain~” she sang. “You will never break us again! I will still in ever, you will never break the chain~”
The Golden Hero’s face twitches in irritation “Don’t mock me, mongrel.” He then fired more chains at her.
“I can’t help but notice that these nice chains are named after your buddy Enkidu,” Caren commented as she limboed under another chain. “From what I heard, he wasn’t just one gender or another.”
“Silence.”
“You know what I think Gilgamesh. I think the reason you bedded a lot of woman was because you wanted to hide that you didn’t like woman. You wanted to fill the void left by that old romance you had with Enkidu-kun~”
Saber’s jaw not only dropped from Caren’s unexpectedly crass comment, but from the horrified and shocked expression plastered on Gilgamesh’s face. But that expression was quickly replaced with pure rage.
“How dare you,” he snarled. “First you dare insult me with your presence. Then you insult me with words. And now, you have mocked my closest companion and the bond I had for him. A swift death is too merciful for you. What you deserve, is a slow and painful demise!” He mentally commanded Enkidu to strangle the girl.
But it did not work, as the numerous chains were tied into a pile of knots thanks to Caren’s quick movements.
“Oh, a gordian knot,” Caren said in awe, taking pictures of it with a camera she pulled from… somewhere. “Too bad we don’t have Iskander to cut it down.”
“You insolent girl…” Gilgamesh opened one last gate over his palm. “It is time that I deal with you once and for all.” From the gate, the key to the Gate of Babylon started to rise “Know that you have forced me to use Enuma-”
“Geronimo!” And to the two servants surprise, the green-faced girl leaped into the air and dived straight into the gate.
Saber could only blink at the sight. “Did she just…”
“Get away from my treasure!” Gilgamesh roared as he used the key to open a human size portal and stepped inside.
But it was only minutes later that Caren came out while dragging the legendary King of Heroes, now tied up by the Shroud of Magdalene like a Christmas present. Scorch marches were covering his body
“Well, that was fun,” Caren said cheerfully Who knew you could take on Enuma Elish like that?”
Gilgamesh seethed in fury “When I get out…”
“Luckily I found this too!” his eyes widened as Caren pulled out a familiar bottle.
“No-” his shout was stopped when the end of the bottle was stuffed into his mouth.
“And… shrink away!” Caren laughed maniacally as she pulled on the shroud, causing Gilgamesh to spin rapidly into a tornado. The tornado spewed out clothes and traces of mana before dropping a small, unconscious blonde-hair boy wearing only very loose underwear.
“Congratulations!” Caren smiled as her clothes changed into a sexy nursing uniform that showed off her legs and cleavage. She picked up the young Gilgamesh and held him to Saber. “It’s a boy!”
“You need to snap out of it, Caren!” Saber shouted. “That mask is warping your mind. Take it off before.”
“Take it off?” Caren blinked in confusion. “But I’m so free. Who knew that the Priest was right?”
“Nothing that Kotomine says is right!”
“Oh well,” Caren placed Gilgamesh down and poofed to her normal dress. “I bet Shirou might disagree.”
“Shirou?”
“See ya later!” Caren started to run in place as a dust cloud appeared by her legs before speeding off in the direction of Homurahara Academy.
“Caren!” Saber shouted, but it was too late as the girl vanished in the distance. “Darn! Gilgamesh, wake up!”
The boy groaned as he slowly rose to his feet. “Saber?” after rubbing his eyes he saw the bounded her. “Did my older self cause that?”
“Yes, but we have bigger problems,” Saber said. “It’s Caren, she’s gone insane.”
“Insane?” Gil asked in confusion as he commanded Enkidu to let Saber go and break free from its knot. “What do you mean?”
“She’s wearing a mask that Taiga gave to her. Not only it makes her lose sanity, but it made her strong enough to take down your older self. Right now she’s going after Shirou for some reason”
“I see,” Gil said. “Well, we need to stop her. Problem is how we catch up.”
“Leave that to me,” Saber heading back into the Emiya residence. Gil shrugged and reached into the gate for a spare change of clothes that fit his body. After putting them on, he spotted a piece of wood nearby.
“What’s this?” he went over and picked it up, sensing a lot of magic radiating from it. “Huh?”
“Gilgamesh!” he turned and saw Saber on a motorcycle. “Let’s get moving!”
“Right!” with a smile he ran over and jumped onto the seat, wrapping his arms around the woman’s waist.
“Hold on tight!” she ordered. And with that, she started the motorcycle and drove off, ready to stop their mad friend from bringing chaos to Fuyuki.

Description

The sun was shining brightly, the birds flew over the clear sky with few clouds, and the people and inhabitants of a quiet city called Fuyuki began their day-to-day activities, hoping that today would be a better day than the day before from yesterday. And in a certain Japanese residence in the most remote areas of Miyama Town, the part of the city that was more urban, could not be more than different.
As water from the shower poured down onto Shirou and washed away the sweat gained from his exercise, he reflected on the last year.
It has been more than eight months since he summoned Saber by accident. More than eight months since they joined the Holy Grail War along with Rin, who he learned was a fellow magus herself. More than eight months since he met his new found sister Illya, the daughter of his late father Kiritsugu and his late wife Irisviel that he never knew. Eight months since they stopped Kotomine and Gilgamesh from using the Grail to release destruction on the world at the end of the 5th Holy Grail War
    And more than six months he discovered about Sakura's past with Illya's help and his bond with Rin, thus allowing them to free her from Zouken and his cruelty.

    However, there are a few more things that Emiya himself did not know after the 5th Grail War ended when he and Saber destroyed the Grail and its corruption.

It has also been more of eight months since Angra Mainyu, the titled embodiment of All World’s Evil and originally the Servant Avenger who was summoned to the 3rd Holy Grail War and was imprisoned within the Greater Grail when he was defeated in that same war years ago and corrupted the Grail with his presence, was released from the Grail with his destruction, found the original Master of Lancer, Bazett Fraga McRemitz dying and saved her by creating a world loop in her mind to help keep her alive by reproducing the 5th Holy Grail War in this world loop.

Also, it has more of four months ago Rin performed a strange experiment using a copy of Zelretch's Jewel Sword made by him and Illya at Einzbern Castle and ended up causing an explosion in Fuyuki's space-time factory that left the city in an "all outcomes are drawn in" state.

It has also been more of two months Caren Hortensia arrived in Fuyuki and found the mansion where Bazett's comatose body was located, caring for his health until he recovered. Two months in which Avenger felt this and the strange invisible fissure that was opened in Fuyuki's space-time, with him transferring the effects of the world loop to the real world, brought Saber and the other dead Servants and Masters back to life and possessed Shirou, as well as altered the memories of all surviving Masters to make them think that the Servants remained in the world after the end of the 5th Holy Grail War. Two months since Shirou, Bazett, and Avenger stopped the latter’s corrupted pieces from destroying the world loop, at the sacrifice of the first anti-hero.

As Shirou put on his school uniform and made his way to the living room, he couldn’t help think of heroes of old. When heroes were done with their journey, they would often head back home with a new gain. Momotaro returned after defeating the demons with the saved princess. Bilbo Baggins returning to the Shire with new found growth after travelling with the dwarves. And Shirou-
“Good morning, Shirou,” Saber said as she ate.
“Hey, Shirou!” Taiga added
“Morning, Emiya-kun,” Rin greeted as she read over some runes.
“How are you today, Senpai?” Sakura said from the kitchen.
“Hello, Shirou,” Rider said, with Caren nodding next to her.
“Yo, Shirou!” Lancer waved as he sat next to Bazette, who smiled in response
Shirou ended up receiving new guests. Though to be honest, he didn’t mind.
Before the war, he already had the energetic Taiga and the gentle Sakura his closest companions in his life after Kiritsugu died in last five years. But the Holy Grail War introduced numerous allies and friends to him and his life.
    Saber, his partner in the war, who fought alongside him against foes including Kotomine and Gilgamesh.
    Rin, Sakura’s older sister and one of Shirou and Saber’s greatest ally.
    Rider, Sakura’s servant who became their friend after freeing her from Zouken and Shinji’s control.
    Lancer, the man who brought Shirou into the war after trying to kill him, but is now a close ally and confident.
    Bazett, Lancer’s true partner and a companion Shirou met through Angyu.
    And Caren, Kotomine’s daughter, but proven to be a more kind and broken soul than her father could ever be.
    Wait, if Rin’s here then that means-
    “Do you think we need some more ginger, Archer?” Shirou and saw Sakura holding a spoon of soup to the white-haired servant.
    And then there’s Archer, Rin’s servant and, as he learned after the war, was his future self, a Counter Guardian that hates him.
    Archer took a sip from the spoon. “A pinch should suffice, Sakura.”
The violet-haired girl nodded in agreement
    “What are you doing, Archer?” Shirou questioned.
    “Archer offered to help with making breakfast while you got ready,” Sakura answered.
    “You should try it, Shirou,” Taiga added from the table as she stuffed rice into her mouth.
    “Yeah,” Lancer added. “Knowing who he is makes him a better cook than you.”
    “Lancer!” Bazett reprimanded, against the revelation of Acher’s true self to their non-magus friend.
    Unlike the rest of the group, Taiga was unaware of adventures Shirou and the others went through. She believed that Saber and the other servants were normal human beings.
    “Hey, I’m just saying.”
    Archer gave a smirk to Shirou. “Well, I have learned a lot since my youth.”
    “Thanks for the help, Archer,” Shirou said with strained politeness as he sat next to Saber. He then noticed a packaged item next to Taiga. “Uh, Fuji-nee, what’s that?”
    “Hmm?” Taiga blinked as she followed his gaze. “Oh, that!” She picked up the package and laid it on the table. “My Grampa heard that Bazette-san and Caren-chan were staying, so he wanted to give you a house warming gift.”
    “That’s quite polite of him,” Caren said. “Thank you, Fujimura-chan.”
    “You bet! Want to see?”
    “Sure.”
    Taiga pushed the package over to Caren, who then opened it to reveal a forest green mask with a rough, bark-like texture and small holes for the eyes and mouth.
    Immediately all of the mages and servants stiffened, sensing the alarming about of magic radiating from. Lancer and Rider were even more on edge, detecting a familiar yet foreign aura from it.
    “It’s old artifact of Nordic origin from Norway. According to grandpa, he got it from an old contact from there about 32 years ago.”” Taiga explained, not yet aware of the stiffness of her comrades.
    “I can tell it’s ancient just by looking,” Rider muttered.
    However, her discomfort was noticed by Taiga. “I understand why, Rider.”
    Rider stiffed. “You do?”
    “It’s cause you work at an antique shop,” the teacher explained. “You must a sixth sense for those things.”
    Rider sighed in relief. “Yes, that’s what I meant.”
    Archer coughed. “Fujimura-sensei, I believe you’ll be late for grading the tests from last Friday.”
    “Ah, you’re right!” Taiga quickly finished her meal and jumped from the floor. “I’ll meet you guys in class later! Don’t be late!” she rushed out of the house, and the others heard her motorcycle roar while she drove away.
    “So we all felt that, right?” Shirou said.
    “No kidding, Emiya-kun,” Rin replied. “This object is brimming with magic. Ancient magic as well.”
    “Tsc, every part of my body is telling me to get away from it,” Lancer added with a scowl.
    “Do you have an instinct that is warning you as well, Archer-san?” Sakura asked.
    The counter-guardian shook his head in denial. “No, I’m not feeling anything like that,” Archer countered.
    “I sense the immense power that mask holds, but besides that nothing is telling me to rush away,” Saber said while looking at the object in question.
    “I’m feeling it,” Rider said, surprising everyone. “That mask reminds me of an ancient power, yet at the same time it feels, foreign.”
    “Exactly what I’m feeling,” Turning to look at her, Lancer said his opinion..
    “That’s all I need to hear,” Rin stated as she narrowed her eyes at the quoted mask. “I’ll start analyzing it immediately.”
    “Wait, you can’t nee-san,” Sakura argued. “We have classes soon.”
    Rin sighed. Her sister was right, of course. She still had to maintain the image of a perfect student to their non-mage companions.
    “I’m sure Bazette-san can handle the research,” Shirou suggested.
    “I wish I could, but I’m also busy today,” the Irish-woman said. “The church is having me work to pay for my stay,” she shivered. “And it’s not exactly a normal job.”
    “Well, we can’t just leave it alone,” Rin said. “Whatever this artifact is, we need to know before it can blow up in our face-”
    “I can do it,” everyone turned when Caren spoke up.
    “You can?” Shirou asked.
    “I’ve seen my fellow Executioners do the same with various objects in past,” the white-haired girl said. “I’m more than equipped to handle this type of task.”
    “Well, what about your fath- Kotomine,” Shirou kept himself from saying “your father,” knowing that Caren despised her father as much as they did. “And Gilgamesh? Please tell me he’s at least in his child form.”
    “No, he’s in his adult form,” Caren answered. Shirou and Saber sighed in exasperation. “But I doubt he’ll be interested in a ‘mongrel’ object. And I made sure that Kotomine was properly sealed.”
    As with many servants and masters from the Fourth Holy Grail War, Kotomine and Gilgamesh were brought back to life thanks to the time-loop created by Avenger. Knowing their threats, Caren made sure that her father was sealed off in a room, while Gilgamesh, now her servant just like Lancer, was tied to the church and was only allowed to leave by her orders.
    “We’ll leave the task to you then, Caren,” Saber said with a smile. And with that, the others headed finished breakfast and headed their way, with Lancer, Bazett, and Rider heading to their respective jobs; Shirou, Rin, and Sakura heading to class, Caren returning to the Church, and Saber and Archer remaining at the Emiya household.

    Caren arrived at the church with the mask sealed in the original box. She opened the front door and entered. She was surprised that Gilgamesh did not greet her with his retorts.
    “Welcome back, Caren,” she glared as she saw her father in a room to her left sitting at a table. Kirei Kotomine was eating a plate of mapo tofu.
    “Hello, priest,” she replied coldly. For much of her life, Caren had resented her father, who abandoned her after her mother’s suicide and left her with the Executioners of the Holy Church, who used her as a demon detecting tool due to the natural talents she possesses.
    “Came back from Emiya’s home, I see,” he replied as if he took no notice of her tone. “Do you have some sort of, admiration, for him. I know many girls he meet tend to. He truly is Kiritsugu Emiya's son.”
    “What I do is no concern of yours,” Caren placed the box on a table in the opposite room, then opened it to remove the mask and held it in front of her.
    Seeing the object brought by his daughter, curiosity struck the false priest, as if an ancient memory had passed in his mind the moment he saw this Mask. “Where did you get that?” Kirei asked.
    “It is none of your concern.”
    “The mask is Norwegian, isn’t it?” she stiffened at his comment as she turned to face him.
    “How did you know?”
    “I’ve seen that mask in old records back when I was an Executioner. Legends say it was created by a cunning Norse god in Europe. It grants the wearer an immense power, but at a cost.” He took another bite of his Chinese dish
    “And what is that cost?”
    “A lost of inhibition and sanity. Though to be honest, I don’t see that as a lost.” He smiled. “After all, why should one withhold their desires on the basis of ‘morality?’”
    “Of course you would say that.” Caren said as she looked at the mask.
    ‘Is it really that powerful?’ she thought. She couldn’t help but feel that the mask was calling for her, a gentle hand pushing her closer. She put her face closer to it.
    Kirei chuckled. “You say that, but I know we are not so different. I know how you enjoy pointing out the flaws and weaknesses of your ‘friends.’ and how happy you are inside to see their faces of embarrassment when those same flaws and weaknesses are exposed to light. We are more alike than you think, Caren.”
    His statement pulled her out of the trance and she turned to glare at him. “We are nothing alike.” Caren then looked around the house. “Where is Gilgamesh? He should still be here.”
    “Oh, he left,” her father answered calmly.
    “Left?” she frowned. At least she can guess where he would be going. She ran out the door with the mask in her hand
    Seeing his daughter go out with the Mask, he wondered if this artifact is precisely the same thing he heard about the books sealed by the Church at that time when he was an Executor? He certainly felt an immense magical energy inside him, but he was curious about one thing.

    Is it an artifact made purely of Magical Energy only, because there is something in this same energy that did not seem to be just magic, there is something else. Smiling, Kirie is wondering in her mind, 'If this Mask really is the one I saw in the books ...'

    Something tells the false priest that things will be very interesting in Fuyuki and if he is right, Caren will end up discovering in the hard way that she and he are much more alike than she thinks, with him being sure that Shirou Emiya, Rin and others will end up experiencing this firsthand to her newfound joy.

    “Ha!” Saber yelled as she swung down the shinai in the Emiya household dojo. Most of Saber’s day was spent training, eating sweets, and practicing baking. Even with the conflict against the grail ended, it did not feel right to lose diligence towards future threats.
    Suddenly the ground beneath her shook.
    She sighed. “Don’t tell me…”
    “Saber!” A prideful and familiar voice called out. “I know you are in there!”
     “Not again,” she kept herself from gritting her teeth as she rushed out of the hall. A small gale surrounded her as her white blouse and blue skirt were replaced by her standard, blue-and-white armor. The area by her hand glowed a holy light as the Noble Phantasm Excalibur appeared in her grasp.
    Exiting out of the Emiya estate, she found the First Hero Gilgamesh, standing so calmly in his casual wear as he gazed at her with predatory eyes and an arrogant smirk.
    “So my bride chooses to honor my request,” he quipped.
    Saber glared as she grasped onto her blade. “I have told you before, Gilgamesh, I am not your bride and I will never be.”
    He sneered. “So you rather be with the Faker than me. What is it that makes him so special?”
    “For one, he actually treats all people with respect, not just the ones that interest him.”
    “Well,” golden ripples appeared in the air next to him as swords emerged from each. “At least claiming you won’t be boring.”
    From his Gate of Babylon, he fired two swords straight at her. Saber slashed her blade in the air and deflected the projectiles away from the house, slicing a tree and a neighboring wall instead.
    Gilgamesh leaped back onto the opposite house and unleashed more blades, putting Saber on edge as she moved quickly to redirect each attack.
    That was the scene Caren arrived as she ran with the mask in her hands.
    “Very impressive, Saber,” Gilgamesh commented. “Each second you prove more worthy in becoming my bride.”
    ‘If this keeps up, Saber and Gilgamesh will be spotted, and the Mages’ Association will come straight towards us,’ Caren grimly thought. She summoned her enchanted sash, the Shroud of Magdalene preparing to send it to tie up Gilgamesh.
    However, the Babylonian Hero spotted her from the corner of his eye. “Tsk, so the Witch wants to interfere. As if she has the right. Enkidu!” From his gates came the golden chains named after his only friend. Gilgamesh usually saved Enkidu to bind worthy enemies, but for this case he decided to use them to strike at the ground in front of Caren, sending the girl flying back from the force, which released gravel that hit the mask in her hand and broke a small piece off of it.
    “Caren!” Saber cried out as she saw the girl fall onto the floor with the mask landing on her face. But in her worry, she ended up trapped in Enkidu’s grasp.
    “There,” Gilgamesh said as he watched with amusement the other king’s struggle to escape “Now we can continue our plans…”
    “Let me go, fiend!”
    “I look forward to breaking your resolves, Arthu-” before he could finish, he was interrupted by Caren’s loud scream.
    Both Servants turned and saw Caren grasping on the bark mask as it seemed to fuse with her face. She shook on the ground in agony in her attempt to rip the mask off.
    “What in the world?” Saber said, gapping at the sight
    Gilgamesh, on the other hand, frowned in annoyance. ‘Your noisy banter irritates me, mongrel. He fired a single sword towards the girl.
    “No!”
    But before the blade cold hit Caren, she was suddenly swallowed by a miniature green tornado that captured the blade.
    The tornado stopped as suddenly as it appeared, and in its place was a white-haired girl stopping her spin with the sword in her hand. She was wearing a short dress with a white top that revealed cleavage, a red corset, a pink skirt, and two white tails. The dress also had pink sleeves that had red-and-white cuffs over the wrist and extended onto her thumb and halfway up her palm. She wore red, knee-length socks and pink boots, and a red choker around her neck as well as a red bow over her hair.
    But strangest of all was her face, which was a bright, neon green and wore a demented pink-lipped smile.
    “Careful, Goldie,” the girl said in a familiar yet playful tone. “Can’t go playing with sharp items right here.”
    Saber’s eyes widened in shock. “Caren, what happened to you?”
“So,” Gilgamesh said, disgust present in his voice. “You somehow transformed into a disfigured beast, witch. No matter, dealing with you will be easy.” He fired ten swords at her.
Caren only giggled as she spun for a second before reappearing in a black mantador outfit that revealed her figure and cleavage. “Tauro, tauro!” She waved a red flag in the air, causing the swords to fly straight towards it. But before they could make contact, Caren flipped the flag around, causing the blades to disappear. “Olae!”
“What in the-” Gilgamesh gapped before recomposing himself. “What a disgusting behavior.”
“Now Goldie,” Caren waved her finger as her clothes vanished into smoke before being replaced with the pink dress. “That’s not a nice thing to say.”
“I have no need to be nice. I am a king.”
“Don’t worry, Goldie, I understand. Lost shepherds often need the most attention from God,” her clothes changed again into a nun outfit, albeit a rather sexy outfit. “Rechoice, for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are here to save you.”
“I have no need of gods. Enkidu, deal with the witch.” The chains obeyed their masters command and flew towards Caren.
Caren’s clothes changed back into her pink dress as she nimbly jumped away from the chain. “And you’ll never break the chain~” she sang. “You will never break us again! I will still in ever, you will never break the chain~”
The Golden Hero’s face twitches in irritation “Don’t mock me, mongrel.” He then fired more chains at her.
“I can’t help but notice that these nice chains are named after your buddy Enkidu,” Caren commented as she limboed under another chain. “From what I heard, he wasn’t just one gender or another.”
“Silence.”
“You know what I think Gilgamesh. I think the reason you bedded a lot of woman was because you wanted to hide that you didn’t like woman. You wanted to fill the void left by that old romance you had with Enkidu-kun~”
Saber’s jaw not only dropped from Caren’s unexpectedly crass comment, but from the horrified and shocked expression plastered on Gilgamesh’s face. But that expression was quickly replaced with pure rage.
“How dare you,” he snarled. “First you dare insult me with your presence. Then you insult me with words. And now, you have mocked my closest companion and the bond I had for him. A swift death is too merciful for you. What you deserve, is a slow and painful demise!” He mentally commanded Enkidu to strangle the girl.
But it did not work, as the numerous chains were tied into a pile of knots thanks to Caren’s quick movements.
“Oh, a gordian knot,” Caren said in awe, taking pictures of it with a camera she pulled from… somewhere. “Too bad we don’t have Iskander to cut it down.”
“You insolent girl…” Gilgamesh opened one last gate over his palm. “It is time that I deal with you once and for all.” From the gate, the key to the Gate of Babylon started to rise “Know that you have forced me to use Enuma-”
“Geronimo!” And to the two servants surprise, the green-faced girl leaped into the air and dived straight into the gate.
Saber could only blink at the sight. “Did she just…”
“Get away from my treasure!” Gilgamesh roared as he used the key to open a human size portal and stepped inside.
But it was only minutes later that Caren came out while dragging the legendary King of Heroes, now tied up by the Shroud of Magdalene like a Christmas present. Scorch marches were covering his body
“Well, that was fun,” Caren said cheerfully Who knew you could take on Enuma Elish like that?”
Gilgamesh seethed in fury “When I get out…”
“Luckily I found this too!” his eyes widened as Caren pulled out a familiar bottle.
“No-” his shout was stopped when the end of the bottle was stuffed into his mouth.
“And… shrink away!” Caren laughed maniacally as she pulled on the shroud, causing Gilgamesh to spin rapidly into a tornado. The tornado spewed out clothes and traces of mana before dropping a small, unconscious blonde-hair boy wearing only very loose underwear.
“Congratulations!” Caren smiled as her clothes changed into a sexy nursing uniform that showed off her legs and cleavage. She picked up the young Gilgamesh and held him to Saber. “It’s a boy!”
“You need to snap out of it, Caren!” Saber shouted. “That mask is warping your mind. Take it off before.”
“Take it off?” Caren blinked in confusion. “But I’m so free. Who knew that the Priest was right?”
“Nothing that Kotomine says is right!”
“Oh well,” Caren placed Gilgamesh down and poofed to her normal dress. “I bet Shirou might disagree.”
“Shirou?”
“See ya later!” Caren started to run in place as a dust cloud appeared by her legs before speeding off in the direction of Homurahara Academy.
“Caren!” Saber shouted, but it was too late as the girl vanished in the distance. “Darn! Gilgamesh, wake up!”
The boy groaned as he slowly rose to his feet. “Saber?” after rubbing his eyes he saw the bounded her. “Did my older self cause that?”
“Yes, but we have bigger problems,” Saber said. “It’s Caren, she’s gone insane.”
“Insane?” Gil asked in confusion as he commanded Enkidu to let Saber go and break free from its knot. “What do you mean?”
“She’s wearing a mask that Taiga gave to her. Not only it makes her lose sanity, but it made her strong enough to take down your older self. Right now she’s going after Shirou for some reason”
“I see,” Gil said. “Well, we need to stop her. Problem is how we catch up.”
“Leave that to me,” Saber heading back into the Emiya residence. Gil shrugged and reached into the gate for a spare change of clothes that fit his body. After putting them on, he spotted a piece of wood nearby.
“What’s this?” he went over and picked it up, sensing a lot of magic radiating from it. “Huh?”
“Gilgamesh!” he turned and saw Saber on a motorcycle. “Let’s get moving!”
“Right!” with a smile he ran over and jumped onto the seat, wrapping his arms around the woman’s waist.
“Hold on tight!” she ordered. And with that, she started the motorcycle and drove off, ready to stop their mad friend from bringing chaos to Fuyuki.