Chapter Text
The night was dark.
As such, the only light for miles was that of a castle hidden by forests, trapped in icy winds and smothered by deep snow.
Said lights were not from lightbulbs or even torches. No, there was need for them when all the occupants were in a single room beneath the haunting structure.
Overcast clouds allowed the weak illumination to be noticed from the windows, having spread from a cellars' open door.
Within, there were a fair number of people. All with similar characteristics, white hair and red eyes. Two stood by the foot of the stairs were two women in maid outfits, they were nearly identical apart from the difference in bodily development and the obvious halberd held by the more endowed of the two. Apart from them were the several people all crowding round the source of light, a magic summoning circle emblazoned on a stone slab, all muttering under their breath and feeding mana into the intricate symbols.
Overlooking the whole thing was a weathered old man, Jubstacheit von Einzbern, current head of the Einzbern clan, obviously bearing the same appearance as all those here. Standing before him was Illyasviel von Einzbern, next head of the clan and the most unique of all those present, she stood shorter than all others here by a good margin, resembling a young girl no older than twelve. The other difference was that she stood on a smaller magical circle connected to the first.
"Begin"
With the command from the clan head, magic circuits flooded with power and command spells lit her body.
Illya began to chant.
"
Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let black be the colour I pay tribute to."
The circles glow intensified, beginning to release arcs of power that stretched for the walls, floor and coulombs around it.
"Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the kingdom rotate."
Wind picked up around the ritual, hate began coursing through the girls heart. Unbidden memories played in her mind's eye. Her father, his promise, his failure. Her mother, her love, her purpose.
"
I hereby declare!
Your body shall serve under me!
My fate shall be your sword!"
Mana began to coalesce above the main circle, forming into a hollow trunk with an open top. Asking to be filled.
Strings of lightning wrapped back into ritual, forming never ending loops of additional circuitry outside of the array.
With the winds picking up, the homunculi feeding their mana to this event were fighting to not be blown back.
Jubstacheit muttered, "What's going on?", for the summoning was growing more chaotic the longer it proceeded.
"Submit to the Holy Grail
If you submit to this will and this reason, then answer!
Power pulsed within her chest, synchronicity. She could feel something tearing, or perhaps she could hear something cracking.
Regardless, her legs buckled.
"An oath shall be sworn here! (
Curiosity)
I shall atain all Virtues of all Heaven!
(Recognition)
I shall have dominion over all Sins of all of Hell!
(Decision)
For a second, the light of the body to be sparked and Illya couldn't see. Though, in that moment, she felt she had witnessed grandeur.
As the light came down to a tolerable state the mass of mana revealed to be nearly fully-formed, a Servant Container. She pushed forward.
"Yet, though serves with thine eyes clouded in chaos
Thou, bound in the cage of madness.
I am she who command these chaos."
She could feel it, the Grail, pulling on something. Bringing into the world an ancient power.
The others in the room were shouting something now, she couldn't hear them, she had to focus. She had to have her full attention on the intensity happening within the ritual and herself.
She was becoming a second pin, while the grail would summon and act as the main anchor for a Heroic Spirit, She was to give coordinates and give form to it's body and fuel their power.
In that second, a brilliant blue sphere of light appeared with the vessel.
"From the seventh heaven, attended to by the three great words of power,"
The would be vessel was cracking, the ritual was failing at the final step. The Spirit in question would not be brought to this world, but this was more than Gaia's influence.
"Come forth from the ring of restraints!"
The blue sphere pulsed, Illya gasped as her body was crushed by an unprecedented weight on her soul. Her magic circuits were flaring, something was latching onto her, grasping at her existence like a lifeline. Her soul was now connected to whatever this thing was. The vessel before them was brought back together.
One more, one last line. And yet it would not leave her lips as pain wracked her body and she slumped forward, barely catching herself with weak arms, agony screamed through her flesh and seared into her bones.
.
..
.
A single step. A shudder ran amok amongst her nerves.
A second step. A bloodcurdling scream bitten back into her throat, leaving only a whimper.
She could see an white clad foot in her vision. With great effort, the girls head craned up to gaze upon the most beautiful figure she had ever seen.
White bound feet were clad in black hakama-like pants, leading up to a deep blue fabric covering his torso and most of his arms, a grey fabric wrapped around his shoulders. But it was his face, oh she'd never seen anything like it.
Feminine, yet distinctly male. Handsome, yes, but more likely to be called beautiful. A sharp jaw and lips pulled downturn towards her, his eyes bore upon her form and unveiled all secrets built upon and within. They were a strange mix of shining blue, glinting steel and an abyssal onyx with a depth to them that was like they were a void and yet contradictory, so full of life and might.
But it was what adorned his head that tore her vision from his infinite gaze. Two black horns, lined with white sprouted from the top sides of his scalp and curled back which brought her attention to his hair.
Pitch black, yet dotted with silvery-white spots that seemed to move. Midnight trailing from the man's head.
She collapsed, due to strain.
She stirred momentarily only twice before succumbing wholly.
First, she saw him from a different angle. More of his side, she was being carried.
The second time, she was in her bed, it couldn't have been more than half an hour from the summoning, yet as she gazed out of her window she saw thousands of glittery lights. Stars.
The clouds had been violently dispersed. And she was gently lulled to sleep, a hand on her forehead.
Illyasviel von Einzbern smiled, she had done it. She had summoned her Servant.
And the night was bright.