Throne of Heroes

CHAPTER 4.5 - DEMI-SERVANTS

At the base operation of the servants, fondly called Heroes Order HQ by Da Vinci, chaos reigned. Just moments ago, they all felt their connection with Shirou abruptly cut off. Every attempt at reconnecting was futile; even when they managed it, the connection remained weak.

To worsen matters, their magic energy supply, which used to be sufficient, was now scarce. Only a trickle of energy was being supplied by Shirou through the weak connection. This forced the majority of the servants to stop whatever they were doing and enter Astral Form to conserve their meager magic energy. A few who stayed were those who could tap into another source of magic energy, such as the Casters and those with the Independent Action skill, like the Archers.

Alarms blared in the main hub of Heroes Order HQ as Da Vinci stood in front of one of the computers, looking grim.

"How much time do we have?" Da Vinci asked urgently.

With so many Servants dependent on Shirou's constant energy supply, it would only be a matter of time until all of them perished if he couldn't sustain them any longer. Their enemies had managed to strike at their master right under their noses, and in a single move, had crippled them to this extent.

"Two to three hours until we exhaust everything we have," a long-haired man, said to be a modern Prometheus, Nikola Tesla, answered.

"No, an hour at most!" A lionman who boasted the title of King of Inventors, Thomas Alva Edison, argued. "We have one Archer currently fighting, and he isn't holding back."

"We have already tapped into the city Leylines for support," Medea remarked. "But the process is too slow, and it only provides a brief respite."

Beside Medea stood a petite, pink-haired girl with pointed ears. The Falcon Witch, Circe, added, "Almost all servants, except for a few, are effectively rendered unavailable until this issue is resolved."

They were stuck, with no idea of what to do. The kidnapping of their master had happened out of nowhere and caught them completely off guard. They had been too complacent, thinking the city was secure and safe. It was a blunder on their part.

Familiars were sent out, scouring the whole city and beyond, but they still couldn't find a trace of their master. They even tried to desummon themselves to Shirou's inner world and resummon near him, but something blocked them from doing so. It was as if he had been taken away from this world. Some casters speculated he might have been transported to the Reverse Side of the World, a dire predicament if true.

All hope seemed lost until a lone man walked in. He wore a finely woven robe, pulling the hood up to cover his face. His long hair appeared white at first glance, but upon closer inspection, seemed to gleam with rainbow colors. He wore a reassuring smile on his face, and every step he took left a path of blooming flowers.

He was the self-proclaimed Caster-class servant of Shirou, even though he didn't have a proper master-servant contract with him. He appeared by his own volition to guide the young boy, the man who proclaimed he would always be here until the end of time.

Merlin, the Magus of Flowers.

"Perhaps, I could help find our master," he stated.

Every servant's attention in the main hub turned to him.

He continued, "But I need the help of a certain man to do it."

Not far from the main hub of Heroes Order, in a pub built just for the servants to relax, a white-haired man was polishing a glass mug before sneezing. His eyes twitched for some reason.

Why did he suddenly feel annoyed?

...

Every person was unique, from their DNA, the very genetic code that defined them, to their fingerprints, retinas, and physical appearances. Even twins, who were considered the closest in similarity, still had distinct differences that set them apart.