Fate/ NEW ERA

one

   IT was a foggy and blurry night. The air was rather dense, with the weight of the passing cloud. A gentle but chilly breeze caused Artoria's ponytail to flutter slightly in the wind. The sound of distant cars wooshed past. Artoria shrunk her neck deeper into the sweater's collar; how she regretted not packing a jacket in the morning. The night was quiet; the thick fog mostly muffled all sounds which meant it was eerily quiet. Artoria looked up at the light post above her; its harsh white light lit a halo around it. Light tiny droplets of water sprinkled her face, the soft gust of wind burned her nose. It was nearly May, and the weather was still as cold as it could be. Artoria took a deep breath of the heavy air; it smelt of earth and grass and all that was natural.

   It was days like these that Artoria was slightly grateful that her bus stop was far away; that way, she could take her time walking home. The week had been unusually cold for springtime, but she chucked it up to climatic anomalies, or whatever kept winter running longer. However, Artoria welcomed the fog; it had always been one of her favourite weather types, second to lukewarm spring days.

   Foggy days helped clear her mind. As she sat on the bus, she had been thinking about her future. There was a small blessing in having her motorcycle in repairs. Now that she was walking home, it was starting to stress her. What was she going to do after she graduated from university? She didn't want to think about what sacrifices she had to make or what awaited her. She still had another four months of school, but life after school was soon approaching, and it caused her great unease. What was she supposed to do with her life? Would she even be hired anywhere? Sure, she had her parents' company to fall back on, but it wasn't something she wanted to do.

   A sudden buzz interrupted her downwards spiral, and she searched her bag. Pulling out her blue cellphone, Artoria clicked it on and saw the notification.

   Mum                                10:33 pm

   Honey, I have a work emergency; I won't be in tonight. And your father has to stay another day in Paris.

   Artoria was used to this, not that she minded. Being the child of company owners wasn't all so bad. Her family had good times, and that's why she had never really felt left behind by her parents. Both Igraine and Uther always made the best of their time when they were together, and now that she was in university, it wasn't vital for her to be glued to her parents.

   She typed a quick reply and shoved her phone back into her bag as she continued to walk up the small hill. She reached the gates of her house and quickly typed in a passcode before stepping aside for the gates to swing open. She smiled and waved at the guard that stood at his post, and he greeted her briefly before going back to his job.

   Artoria's family had always been wealthy, coming from generational wealth. It was a common thing for them to have guards and maids. Artoria, however, was never really one to flaunt her wealth; it had never really been part of who she was. In fact, the most expensive thing she owned was her motorcycle, and even it wasn't the latest and brand model.

   She pushed the front door open and stepped inside. She slipped off her platform sneakers and stepped into her blue slippers that sat next to the shoe closet. The house was an old mansion, passed down in her family for generations, it had victorian gothic architecture, and the walls were covered in white and gold floral wallpaper. There were antiques hung on the walls and placed on old and quaint wooden tables. It seemed as if the house was more of a set for a period drama rather than a 21st century home; Igraine had a rather peculiar taste.

   Artoria made her way upstairs to her bedroom. Although the house was rather old, it had been recently renovated, and so the wooden boards didn't whine under her weight or crack with every step she took. She made it to her room without running into any staff, which she was glad for. She threw her bag into the armchair next to the door and yawned, pulling off the sweater.