Accepting Fate

I, Silva Branwen, am now in an unusual situation. After dealing with Zouken and Gilgamesh, I returned home with Skadi to find Illyasveil hugging Sakura and petting her head. The broken girl did not give any reaction as she blankly stared at the wall with her dead eyes. I sighed as I hoped to get the girl to her mother and sister as soon as possible, but that will have to wait until tomorrow as it was too late at night to wake them. I knelt down at the half-homunculus girl and asked her.

" Illya, why are you awake?"

" I was awakened by the earthquake and found her here when I went to the kitchen to get a drink."

" Why are you petting and hugging our guest?"

At my question, Illyasveil had a pondering look for a few moments before answering with a question.

" She looked like she needed it?"

Looking at the half-homunculus girl and seeing how she was showing the 6-year-old some kindness made me not want to separate them. Still, Sakura needs more than just simple kindness but love and family to overcome what has happened to her, so I told Illyasveil with a tired smile.

" Illya, would you mind heading back to bed while I talk to our guest?"

" Is she staying?"

" Depends on the circumstances."

I told the half-homunculus girl vaguely, and she separated from the broken girl but not before saying as she went to her room with a reassuring smile.

" Don't worry, he's nice."

Sakura blinked but did not reply as she wordlessly stared into my eyes, and it killed me to see such dead eyes on someone so young. I removed the armband Mystic Codes to disguise my arms and extended my paw to caress the broken girl's cheek, as I assured her.

" Your safe now, and things will get better."

Sakura just blankly stared at me, and I used my Magic to ease her to sleep. The broken girl fell asleep against my paw as I picked her up and laid her in my bed. I decided to sleep on the couch tonight, but before I called it a night, Skadi wanted to speak with me.

" What do you intend to do now, Silva?"

" For now, Skadi, I will wait for the morning, then take Sakura to her mother and sister as she needs family and a home more than anything else right now."

" And if she isn't taken back by her family?"

Caster's eyes bored into me, and I answered.

" I don't do things by half measures, Skadi. One way or another, that girl will have someone to support her."

Skadi dropped the matter and went to her room for the night. My eyes grew heavy as sleep beckoned me.

***

Waver Velvet was despairing about his decision to take part in the Holy Grail War. As of last night, there are only three Servants left. Saber, Rider, and the ever-mysterious Caster that took out both Archer and Berserker's Masters last night. The young Mage regretted his hasty choice and complained.

" I should not have participated in this Holy Grail War..."

"You're saying this now, boy?!"

Iskandar looked at his complaining Master with disappointment and exasperation.

" Rider! Caster took both, BOTH, ARCHER AND BERSERKER OUT LAST NIGHT! ALONG WITH THEIR MASTERS! THAT MEANS I AM AS GOOD AS DEAD!"

" Now, boy-."

" I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT, RIDER! THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE HOLY GRAIL WAR, CASTER HAS BEEN UNDOUBTEDLY PLAYING EVERYONE FROM START TO FINISH, FROM THE MASTER OF ASSASSIN'S DEATH TO LAST NIGHT, WHERE THEY DEFEATED TWO SERVANTS ON THEIR OWN. I AM; I MEAN, WE ARE COMPLETELY OUTMATCHED. TELL ME, COULD YOU HAVE DEFEATED BOTH BERSERKER AND ARCHER IN A SINGLE NIGHT IN RAPID SUCCESSION?! COULD YOU?!"

Waver ranted and raved until he tired himself out. Iskandar asked the young Mage with a neutral expression.

" Are you done?"

The young Mage was unnerved by Rider's calm as he nervously nodded. The Servant sighed as he said, then broke out in a wide grin.

" I will admit that Caster is cunning and powerful with ruthless nature but only makes them want them as my subordinate in my army, and that also includes you, boy, no Waver Velvet! Despite the low opinion you have of yourself, you still strived to win the Grail to prove yourself. So I ask you. Will you place your trust in me?"

Waver just sighed in exasperation and decided not to waste his breath retorting Iskandar as he learned that the Servant in front of him had a one-track mind, but he wanted to trust him for some reason. The young Mage considered his options, then looked at his Command Seals and gave Rider his decision.

" I am in over my head, Rider. There is no doubt about that, so I think I will bow out of the Holy Grail War."

" I understand, Waver, there is wisdom in retreat against a powerful foe."

Iskandar nodded in understanding, then asked.

" Will you see me off before leaving?"

Waver scratched the back of his head before sighing.

" Sure..."

Rider laughed out loud as he smacked the young Mage's back and knocked him over. They spent the rest of the day holding a small celebration to say goodbye.

***

Kiritsugu was with Maiya, Irisviel, and Artoria as they went over what happened last night. The Magus Killer smoked a cigarette as he went over last night's events.

" First, a mist appeared that covered all of Fuyuki, that countered any means of communication through Magecraft or mundane means, and also had a hypnotic effect that sent civilians indoors. Overall, aside from the end result, what happened last night can only be left to speculation."

" The defeat and death of Archer, Berserker, and their Masters."

The homunculus woman said as she frowned, and Saber added.

" That only leaves Rider and, of course, Caster."

Kiritsugu had Maiya set out some photos she took through her familiar, the crater of the former Matou family residence, a rotted corpse ridden with insects that was formerly Kariya Matou, and the damaged Tohsaka residence. The Magus Killer started with the obvious.

" The Master of Berserker was found far away from the Matou Manor, so he may have sent his Servant as it was attacked, most likely by Caster, in an effort to deal with him somehow and self-destructed from overusing his Servant."

" That might have happened, considering the Matou family's Magecraft and the Matou Master's untrained ability as a Mage, but that does not explain everything."

Irisviel added her thoughts, and Saber pointed out.

" What about the conflict with Archer? With Archer's Noble Phantasm, there should have been greater signs of battle if he confronted Caster, especially if he lost."

" Saber has a point, Kiritsugu. Archer's ability to summon a myriad of weapons should have shown some greater signs of battle. Still, there's nothing aside from the crater from the conflict with Berserker and the limited damage to the Tohsaka manor."

The Magus Killer considered what his wife said and then made a hypothesis.

" What if Archer went to investigate the Matou residence?"

" Then that would mean after defeating both Berserker and Archer, and Caster attacked Archer's Master."

Saber said with a frown and then cursed.

" Caster is a merciless snake that is not satisfied with simply victory but the complete destruction of their enemies."

No one had anything to add, as they agreed with Saber's assessment. The homunculus woman asked the Servant with concern.

" Can you still not think of anyone that fits Caster's identity, Saber?"

Artoria shook her as she replied.

" I think of plenty tyrannical warriors that could meet the criteria, but none of them could be summoned in the Caster Class."

Kiritsugu then added, after letting out a puff of smoke from smoking.

" Another factor to consider is Caster's Master. They are also unknown, with no idea of their capabilities, but with only two other Servants left aside from their own, we expect to come in conflict with them soon, and we need to prepare."

***

Morning came, and I woke up to make breakfast for everyone. I went with some rice omelets, ketchup flavor for Illyasveil and Sakura since they're still kids, herb flavor for Skadi, and spicy for me. I soon saw Caster up and about in her purple nighty with a sleepy expression, and I set her breakfast on the table. She wordlessly ate a bite of her breakfast, then commented.

" Adequate."

Although she said that she started to eat breakfast with more energy, I went to wake up the girls, and they soon joined in on eating together. The half-homunculus enjoyed her omelet immensely and asked for seconds while the broken girl ate her omelet in a subdued manner. After breakfast, I took Sakura with me by carrying her in my arms to the residence her mother and sister resided to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of the Holy Grail War. It did not take me long to reach the home of Rin's maternal grandparents, and with it being a school day, I didn't expect to run into her.

I rang the doorbell, and Aoi Tohsaka, Rin and Sakura's mother, came to the door.

" Can I help you?"

" Are you Mrs.Tohsaka?"

" Yes..."

The Tohsaka matriarch looked at me warily, and I started off by giving her bad news.

" I am here to inform you that your husband, Tokiomi Tohsaka, is dead. He died by one of the other Master's Servants."

She looked at me in disbelief and then, after a few moments, looked down as she said.

" Tokiomi did say there was a chance he wouldn't survive."

Aoi soon started to sob softly as her tears fell to the ground, and I said.

" As much as I would like to leave you to your grief Mrs.Tohsaka there is one other matter I need to speak to you about. The Matou family was destroyed the same night, leaving Sakura here as the only survivor."

The Tohsaka matriarch looked up at the girl in my arms in surprise as she took in her daughter's changed appearance. I did not stop there as I made my case to her.

" With the Matou family being no more and your relationship with young Sakura as her mother, I have come to you to take her in once more as your daughter."

What Aoi said next surprised me.

" I can not take Sakura in. My husband decided to have her leave the Tohsaka family for her own good, and I will honor his wishes even in death."

Hearing her reason, I felt my blood boil, but I calmed myself and tried to appeal to her.

" Do you know what your husband consigned your daughter to by sending her to the Matou family?"

I then explained EXACTLY what happened to the broken girl during her time with the Matou family, and the Tohsaka matriarch paled at what she heard and denied that her husband would do that to her daughter.

" He wouldn't; Tokiomi couldn't have known that-."

" Your husband was aware of the Matou practices, and he is a Mage at his core, so he would as it would guarantee his Sakura's rise to a successful and accomplished Mage."

At my words, Aoi showed a despairing expression that quickly hardened as her voice cracked when she told me.

" Sakura is no longer part of the Tohsaka family by the decision of my late husband, and I have no say in the matter. Only Rin, when she comes of age, can re-induct Sakura back into the Tohsaka's, but she will not out of respect for her father's choice."

Anger welled up within me at hearing her flimsy excuses. Still, unfortunately, because I used Soul Archive on Tokiomi, I understood she was coming from a Mage's perspective despite marrying into a Mage family from an ordinary life. I asked harshly.

" Are you going to abandon your daughter?"

" She is no longer my daughter. Good day to you, and I need to make some funeral arrangements."

Aoi closed the door in front of me despite the tears in her eyes, and it took everything I had to stop myself from wiping out the house in front of me and its inhabitants as I turned away with Sakura still in my arms. I walked away in silence as I seethed from the cold-blooded nature of Moonlit World, infecting how families treat one another. Ultimately I sighed as I now knew with certainty, with the combined knowledge of the Einzbern, Matou, and Tohsaka families, that once I purified the Grail, it would hibernate until the next Holy Grail War. While there was a slight chance it would appear earlier, but it was far more likely I would have to wait for 60 whole years to get my wish.

That honestly terrified me to no end, as there would be few means to speed up the process of returning to Remnant. While seeking out Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg of this world was an option, he would not help me for free as he was ultimately a Mage, more so one that refuses to be bound by the rules he himself set for the Mage's Association. Plus, I would not trust him as far as I could throw him, as I am a foreign entity that does not belong to this world. So I could only really count on myself in the end.

I looked at the broken girl in my arms and asked her gently.

" Sakura... Would you be willing to call me your family from now on?"

Sakura looked at me with dead eyes, and I continued my offer.

" You don't have to answer right now, but whatever your decision I will support you in any way I can."

If I am stuck in this world for a long time, then I will make the most of it while trying to find my way back to the people I love.