~ ROB POV ~

“Hmmm…. I don’t know if I should be bored or interested right now.” The ROB thought to itself as it observed how our protagonist is doing.

So far, it’s been uneventful from there being no action, but it was all still very interested to watch as his victim, Reyes, was living in a time of peace for what would have been a long time since he last experienced it now that he was an ex-military veteran, or should he be called an ex-terrorist? The ROB was unsure but decided to let the matter drop.

Watching Reyes and his Master Illyasviel interact with each other was amusing to the being, with the little girl trying to gain the soldiers attention only to fail doing so. It pondered the thought of trying to ship the two together or should make a harem, which would increase his own amusement at seeing how Reyes would react since it couldn’t imagine it itself.

Very amusing indeed.

It appears Reyes has been impatient with the lack of action as well. The being wondered if it should help cure its and Reyes' boredom but held off. He wasn’t allowed to interfere after all, that’d ruin the game.

“So, this is your new pet project?” A new presence made itself known to the ROB as they sat down in a chair beside it.

Turning around the ROB greeted its guest, “I’ve got to stave off boredom somehow, and humans have always found ways to be entertaining to us, haven’t they?”

“*Scoff* That’s mostly just you, out of all of us you’re the most susceptible to the ‘stale’ lifestyle we live. Also, learn to respect your elders’ brat and address your guests properly. Isn’t that what I’ve told you before?” Although he refers to himself as an elder, if anyone were to see him they’d assume he was still in his mid-twenties.

The ‘young’ being smirked as he replied, “So should I call you gramps? You know I’m not concerned about formalities Ren.”

Ren merely chuckled, “You never change, even after a few millennia. But that’s not why I’m here. That boy you’ve chosen, are you sure it was wise to grant such a dangerous ability to him?”

The being just looked back down into the mortal realm as he answered, “It is of no concern. If he was truly meant to have the power I’ve granted him, then he shall rise up the ranks in power. If he isn’t, then it’ll only be a matter of time before he too joins the rest of those deemed unworthy.”

Sighing, Ren just took one final look at Reyes before walking away fading from existence.

With its guest gone it turned its attention back to our protagonist with its lips curled up ever so slightly, “How will you use your second chance Reyes? Will you rise, or will you fall? Time will tell, and I have plenty of it to spare.”

~ Reyes POV ~

My time with Illya flew by fairly quickly in all honesty, with nothing much to do while waiting the days blended together and by the time we realised it, there was only 2 weeks left until we would depart for Fuyuki City to scout out the competition.

During my first month I had kept to myself a lot, still not being used to having a constant companion as it was definitely a big change for me. Though it became less and less awkward as the days passed by and Illya had become accustomed to my silent nature. It did annoy her at some points, but she always remained very reasonable which made me sigh in relief multiple times.

It was at the end of the month that I had decided to give her my name, not my first one but my last name instead. I prefer being referred to as Reyes, the name being the only thing I had left to remember my family by, and I never liked my first name much. I’d gotten over my guilt mostly, though it did still leave a sore spot I wouldn’t be going full emo or anything like that.

Illya had seemed to be greatly surprised at the mention of my name but was extremely happy to finally know I was opening up to her, which I denied with silence, though admittedly I actually was. She seems to be very giddy whenever she learns about my personal life, didn’t matter how big or small it was, she was just happy. I think she’s just really relieved about having someone to talk to freely, though she had been staring at me more often than usual at times, but I ignored it.

My Master was a very upbeat and positive sort of person which was kind of ironic due to the attitude she held during our first encounter was less than anything positive.

We had also found out that the pain that Illya felt whenever I activated my abilities was slowly becoming more and more dull compared to how much pain it caused her in the beginning. It was a guess, but I hypothesised that as the time for the Grail to appear gets closer, the less pain Illya will receive from my actions due to the influence of the Grails presence keeping me anchored to reality instead of relying heavily on Illya to do that for me.

During that first month I had also set some time to train with my Sharingan to get the hang of using it along with my newly formed chakra network which was apparently created since my first appearance in this world.

Speaking of worlds, I had explained to Illya about my ‘ability’ to traverse across the multiverse around the same time I told her my name, as well as the fact that the Grail was corrupted. If she was to be partnered up with me for the foreseeable future, then I’d need to inform her of it eventually.

She took the news surprisingly well and didn’t think I was batshit crazy, instead she seemed to brighten up at the prospect of ‘adventuring’ in other worlds. Not surprising from someone who was forced to live alone.

So, she’ll be sticking with me for a while it seems. In all honesty I’m actually relieved that she is, not entirely sure why though but it’s a nice feeling so I’m not going to dwell on it.

We discussed the possibility of ending the War early, considering that we had the foreknowledge but decided against it. In future we’d probably heed no mind to how the ‘canon’ may be affected by our actions, but right now we weren’t strong enough to do anything risky especially with Gilgamesh.

Though I’m confident I could put up a good fight, I wouldn’t be able to do it without a high risk of failure. His ability is simply overwhelming to someone who can’t counter it. There was only a 40 to 50% chance of me winning in a direct confrontation, the best I could do to survive is use the Mangekyou which would increase my chance of winning to 60-80%, but I’d rather use other methods if possible. I don’t want to use it until I can get a guaranteed set of eyes to obtain the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

Plus, I’m not sure I could use any chakra intensive abilities since I don’t know how much chakra I have, nor do I have enough control to help use less of it. That would be courting death, I wasn’t stupid enough to die from chakra exhaustion.

So, we decided that we would fake our deaths and escape via Kamui since I know that it wouldn’t be too taxing on me considering it was spammed nonstop by Obito, even for more mundane reasons such as travelling.

As for a body to replace Illya with? I could use a genjutsu to cover it up, though I can’t use it on Gilgamesh or any other servants directly since I’m not entirely sure if they could detect it or not and I’d rather not risk it until I’m more proficient. Animals can only get me so far when practicing with the Sharingan.

“What are you thinking about this time Reyes?” A cute voice sounded out from my side….. ‘Wait, cute?’ I quickly dismissed the thought as I faced Illya.

“The War.”

Puffing out her cheeks she says, “You should really learn how to hold a conversation.”

“Hn.” I responded in typical Uchiha fashion, which reminds me should I name myself as an Uchiha? No, I’d rather not be affiliated with the duck-butt emo.

“Well whatever happens we’ll blow them away and win.” She smiled softly, “After we transfer to a new world you better show me the Fate series, I’m interested to know how different my life would be if you weren’t there. But I wouldn’t give up meeting you for anyone else.”

I felt…. touched, I believe is the right word, after her response which reminded me that I’m not alone anymore and that I have someone to care for again. Someone that I would protect, and this time I wouldn’t fail.

She seemed to pick up on my feelings if her giggling was anything to get by.

Just two more weeks until I can finally stretch out my limbs in combat. I wonder if I could get some blood samples of Archer, his innate talent for swords could serve me well in future ‘Hehehehehe.’

A few days later I decided to get myself familiar with the layout of Fuyuki City and the areas around it around it so that I wouldn’t be fighting without some proper preparation.

Clouds were a gloomy grey and the rain fell, my boots making a slushing noise as I walked through a forest near the mountains. Since my clothes were composed of specially made material, they weren’t soaked wet but still held some dampness to it.

Soon enough I felt a presence nearby which was strange since there shouldn’t be any civilians that live nearby. Following my senses, I end up seeing a small clearing where a cloaked woman laid in the mud.

My mind came to a halt when I recognised her, it was Caster or rather Medea the ‘Witch of Betrayal’. At first, I had thought to leave her there to be found by Souichirou Kuzuki but then I heard her laughing, “In the end, I’m going to die this way again?”

As soon as those words left her mouth I froze, for a moment before she started talking again.

“Passed around for others’ convenience, exploited… Reviled as a traitor (AN: Reviled is a real word). All I wanted…” she speaks softly, her voice cracking up slightly, “was to return to my homeland.”

Those words struck a cord with me, even if I’ve heard this said before it was only a show back then, but this, this is reality. Remembering about her past I couldn’t help but turn to face her and walk out into the clearing.

Was what I was doing stupid? Yes. Would I leave her to face another cruel fate that will lead to her demise once again? No.

Her head turns to its side as she stares at me lifelessly on the ground. I wordlessly approach her and kneel next to her face, “You’ll catch a cold if you stay here.”

If she was surprised by what I said, she didn’t show it. Carefully I pick her off the ground and held her in my arms protectively as I shielded her from the rain.

Was I getting soft? ……Possibly….. but it doesn’t matter, I’ll do what I want and no one’s going to stop me.

‘Illya probably won’t like the fact that I’m bringing along another Servant when I return.’

As I was walking to an abandoned hut I found earlier, Caster spoke up in a soft and delicate voice, “Why are you helping me?”

I briefly look down at her and reply, “…Why not?”

From her frame stiffening I could tell she wasn’t expecting a response like that. To find someone who would say that they understand your own pain. Just like how I felt when I was faced with Illya.

Entering the small and battered shack I lay her down by the fireplace. Looking for a blanket to warm her up I walk back into the room to see her hunched up with her back to the wall. I silently wrap the blanket around her bloodied form and sat across from her.

Minutes pass by as she breaks the silence, “What do you have to gain from helping me?”

I regarded her for a while before responding in my deep voice, “Nothing.”

“What? You’d help a woman covered in blood without question for nothing in return?”

“Yes.” I said simply.

She seemed dumbfounded by such a simple answer, and I could tell that she thought that there was something else to it. That I had a hidden agenda.

“You understand the pain. Used as a tool, a scapegoat, labelled as a traitor.” I bit my lip as I spoke, remembering my own past and experiences just as I did with Illya.

“…You’re like me aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question but a statement. I mutely nodded.

“Do you wish for another chance?” I questioned.

Confused at the question she asks, “What for?”

“To find a purpose.”

“And how would I get it? Are you offering to help?” She says more as a mirthless joke than anything else but was taken aback from my reply.

“Yes.”

“Wha-? Why? You’re also a Servant so why would you help me? Aren’t you fighting for the Grail just as your Master is?” she fires off question after question amidst her own confusion.

“No one can make me bend my will. I will do as I please and not as others’ do. I will stay by your side of my own volition.” I answered with unwavering confidence.

“I will be your Master and you my Servant until I am able to break the bonds that tie us to the Grail. I could care less about the War.”

With her mouth slightly agape, tears fall from under her cowl in shock and happiness. Falling asleep from the fatigue I move her into a futon to keep her warm while transferring over some prana to keep her in existence until the morning where I could properly form an agreement.

As I move myself to the side to lean against the wall I didn’t notice a particular sorceress gazing at me with a spark of affection.

‘I have a feeling that ROB is laughing at me right now… I’ll punch it later.’ I thought irritated.