This is more of a continuation of Ch 17, and I thought you guys'd wanna see it, so here it is
It's heckin' late and I'm tired Twt
You floated in an empty abyss, blankly staring into the nothingness.
You were cold, but at the same time, you felt comforted and comfortable.
.
.
.
???: "Heh. You didn't last particularly long." You blinked, and there stood the mysterious silhouette.
Y/N: "You again..." The man chuckled.
???: "You didn't think I was going to leave you alone, did you?" His words felt sinister. You kept silent, when suddenly, he was floating in front of you.
???: "What's this? It looks like you're nearly dead!" The man chuckled to himself, looking at the deep gash on your torso. You didn't stop him. You couldn't if you wanted to. You couldn't feel your limbs.
???: "Let's get you fixed, shall we?" He plunged his arm into your chest.
The pain was indescribable.
- - -
???: "Hmph. Not bad, Archer." The woman stood up straight, holding her banner as Archer gave her a dry smile.
Archer: "You're not too bad yourself."
The two stood in silence, waiting for the other to act, when suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream made them both turn around.
You were writhing on the ground, clutching your chest, screaming like someone was ripping you inside out.
Both of the Servants just watched as you just kept screaming and screaming, until finally, a shockwave exploded through the area.
The woman in black fell to her knees, covering her mouth, while Archer just stared at you, in shock.
. . .
Tetsuya: "Damn it, where are we going...!?"
Jack: "..."
Tetsuya: "I--"
Jack suddenly collapsed, shaking.
Tetsuya: "H-Hey! Are you okay!?" He helped her up, noticing she was shaking.
. . .
Mordred: "Enjoy your movie." The lady nodded and walked into the theater, letting Mordred lean back in her seat. Amy looked over and giggled.
Amy: "You want to go get some food?" Mordred nodded after a moment.
Mordred: "Yeah, sure. That sounds g--" She doubled over, holding her mouth.
Amy: "...Mordred?" Mordred quickly stood up, only for her legs to give out.
She fell into the wall, her breath labored. Amy quickly stood up.
Amy: "Hey! Are--!?" Mordred put her hand up to tell her to be quiet, before quickly stumbling out of the booth.
. . .
Cu: "Maaan... work's slow today..." Cu stood outside his usual stand, holding his advertising flag.
Shop Owner: "C'mon, boy! Put some back into it! You gotta sell the stuff, not look pretty next to it!" Cu gave the owner a chuckle.
Cu: "Yeah, I suppose you're ri--" Cu cupped his face, before doubling over and throwing up.
Shop Owner: "Oi!" Cu weakly stood up, wiping his mouth with his arm.
Cu: "S-Sorry. I suddenly don't feel well."
Shop Owner: "In that case, get your ass home. I don't need you dirtying the place up." Cu nodded and hurried off as the Owner took out the cleaning supplies.
. . .
Nero and Astolfo were in the living room, watching an anime.
Nero/TV: "TRAAAAANSFOOOORM!" Nero struck the pose the girl on the TV did, while Astolfo tried to see over her from the couch.
Astolfo: "Nero... do you think you could... move out of the way a bit..?"
Nero: "A-Ah. Apologies."
Medusa watched the two interact, and couldn't help but chuckle.
Medusa: "Hmm. Would you two like anything for dinner?" The two girls looked over towards Medusa, who had closed her book.
Astolfo: "Oooh! How about a pizza!?"
Nero: "Umu, umu!" Medusa smiled, before standing up and picking up her phone.
Medusa: "Understood. I'll--" Medusa collapsed, prompting the other two to quickly rush over.
Astolfo: "Medus--!" The other two fell like rocks, collapsing onto the floor alongside her.
. . .
You felt a gentle warmth caress your skin as you slept, gently covering your body like a blanket. You exhaled, snug, until that gentle warmth gradually turned into a fierce heat. You jumped up with a yelp, before realizing the heat were the flames of your new servant, who you recognized instantly. Jalter. You shielded your face as another heatwave blew through the apartment complex, the fire lapping at the ground.
You couldn't help but stair in awe as Jalter and Archer fought, their blades and movements almost forming a sort of dance.
You snapped out of your trance when the next heatwave hit you, reminding you that you had to help her somehow.
You ran into the complex, hoping to find some kind of weapon. Running into the complex, you make your way into an apartment and sift through the kitchen looking for something to fight with. You picked up a pan as the wall exploded, Jalter having flown through it.
You furrowed your brow, before vaulting through the wall Jalter had made. You brandished your cooking utensil, making Archer raise an eyebrow.
You twirled the pan, before swinging it at him. He dodged it with ease, but you didn't relent. You shifted your weight and used the momentum of your swing to carry through, spinning around to attack him again. As you spun around, he slashed at you. You contorted your body in a way it wasn't supposed to, dodging his swipe.
You brought the pan back, swinging it at his chest. He backed away, making you miss. You caught yourself, before looking back up at him. You tightly held the pan, before sprinting at him.
Archer: "!?" You were faster than before, swiping him with the oversized iron circle. He started dodging a bit more seriously, before blocking one of your attacks. You backed away, getting some distance between the two of you.
Jalter stepped up beside you dusting herself off.
Jalter: "Hey, hey, master. If you can go toe to toe with a servant, why am I here?" She gave you a sideways look.
Y/N: "It's complicated." Jalter scoffed.
Jalter: "I'm sure it is."
She gave Archer a crude grin.
Jalter: "Looks like your luck's run out. It's two versus one." As she spoke, Tohsaka walked up, joining Archer at his side.
Y/N: "You just had to say something, huh?" Jalter grinned.
Jalter: "Nothing to be ashamed about. It means we'll get to have more fun."
The air was silent, before you looked Tohsaka in the eyes.
Y/N: "Tohsaka. As a master, I'm asking you to stop this. I don't want to fight."
Tohsaka: "I already told you. Forfeit from the war if you want me to leave, and hand me your seals." You weren't looking, but Jalter was looking at you from the corner of her eye to see what you'd do.
Y/N: "...I'm not going to hand over my seals." You lifted your hand again, to show them it was blank. Jalter, Tohsaka, and Archer looked at you with confusion.
Tohsaka: "But..." You rolled up your sleeve, revealing the large arm length seal on your arm.
They stared at you as you got on your hands and knees, begging.
Y/N: "Please. Don't make me kill my friend."
It was quiet as the sounds of distant footsteps got louder, until all of your servants turned the corner to see you.
Nero, Astolfo, and Jack tried to approach you, but Cu and Medusa didn't let them, instead observing. Jalter eyed them out of the corner of her eye, but turned back towards what was in front of her.
Tohsaka stared at you, probably thinking about what she should do.
Y/N: "I knew from the moment I met you that you were a master. It was scary. I didn't know if you knew who I was. And I was scared I was suddenly just going to get shot on the way home. That I'd be here, and suddenly I wouldn't be."
Tohsaka: "Then why didn't you try to do something about it? You didn't even try to make a first move."
Y/N: "You're my friend. I don't want to kill a friend."
You sat up, looking at her.
Y/N: "Besides, the due date for that project is coming up, right? I uhm... I might need help with that." You chuckled weakly.
Tohsaka seemed to be thinking intently, before groaning.
Tohsaka: "Fine! You win!" She crossed her arms. "But don't get it wrong. I'm still going for that Grail, so if you get in my way--" You nodded.
Y/N: "Understood."
Tohsaka nodded, before she started walking off, then disappearing with Archer. You exhaled in relief, before standing up. You turned towards your group and giving them a smile as they approached.
Then, you blacked out.