Chapter. 11 A hundred wishes, but one goal.

The sky was already turning black when a lone figure fleed the forest and landed on the saddle roofs of the first houses. Without hesitation, Hassan left the coniferous trees behind him. Breath crept heavily through the teeth of the white mask while the robe, mercilessly tattered by bullets, fluttered after him. The stench of death burned in his nose and would not go away. Was it fear or dread? Hassan could not say what it was, for he had never experienced such a feeling. As an Assassin, every emotion was dangerous. A moment of hesitation could mean one's life, even with only a fraction of a second.

The fact that the shock did not paralyze his body surprised even him. The loyalty of every Assassin was solely to the organization. Even the jump to death would be followed as an order. But that was exactly what shook Hassan so deeply. Every Servant had a master, and every organization had a leader. In Hassan's case, orders were absolute and had to be obeyed. If the master died, the subjects would have failed. So he could not understand Kurumi. He had killed her master with his own hands. It shook him that she did not go to protect their master.

How could she live like that? He could not think of anything else. The blood of the young woman stuck to his clothes, daggers, and hands. The smell forced him to keep thinking of the devil's friendly, sensitive face, smiling down like a succubus. 'She is crazy.'

Hassan was not afraid of death, yet his whole body trembled when the red flower dress appeared before his eyes. Kurumi embodied something that could not be explained by his ideals and knowledge. 'Whatever happened to my other personalities...' He stopped his thought. The dying prana connection was all he needed to know that fate was worse than simply being dead.

Hassan had expected to die. After all, only one Servant could live at the end of Heaven's Feel. It was a war in which the noblest and strongest heroes from history participated.

Archer's power was something Hassan experienced firsthand. Archer was the reason his other personalities feared their existence. The face of the proud king, shimmering in golden light, stood above all who could even be summoned. It was not only his golden aura but also his personality that suppressed everything. It was indeed that of a proud king. Hassan could not find another word to describe this being.

'That of all things, my other personality had to die. I guess you can never predict your end.'

The houses on the outskirts of the city disappeared as he entered the downtown area. Houses that rose into the sky blocked his view. Crowds of people drove on the streets or left stores before they rushed home. And everywhere, the red dress seemed to lurk, woven into the shadows.

Hassan gazed at the people as he bumped into the stone wall and hung loosely on it. Mannequins wore red clothes, just like the people on the streets. Thoughts played wildly. Fingers clawed at the wall. The fear he felt was too dangerous, and he knew it. And yet, no peace returned, and the aura was no longer suppressed. He felt no longer of any use.

'Will I hesitate the next time?'

On the exhale, the crimson dresses that seemed to dance in the light on the streets below disappeared. But he could still feel a regular beat in his ears.

A Servant was anchored to reality via a master. Without the necessary mana, the summons could only linger in this world shortly. By letting her master die, Kurumi should not be able to remain in this world much longer. At least Hassan concluded this. He did not know how Kirei felt about it because the prana connection had been broken quite a while ago. The war was about to begin, and Kirei was already busy with important things.

For Hassan, it was impossible to understand Kurumi's behavior, and how could he? 'Has she no desire for the Grail? Is that even possible?' Because everyone should possess a desire. At least, that was what he believed. And it was impossible for him, someone who desired the Grail, to understand any other perspective.

Luck was on the Assassin's side when he was summoned by Heaven's Feel. But luck is not always a blessing. Just like a coin, it could have two sides.

Hassan was stuck in the role of a Servant, serving a puppet. Yes, Hasan-i Sabbah wanted the Holy Grail for himself. But from his current situation, this seemed to remain a dream forever. Kirei's drive remained a mystery to him. How should Hasan have known that Kirei was only looking for his destiny? He saw Kirei only as a doll with which he was stuck during the war. Hassan had no other option but to serve the puppet. Because even if he killed his master, there would be no master with whom he could make a new contract. And he knew he couldn't get past Tohsaka's archer even with another master.

'Tohsaka!' Anger displaced fear from his cursed heart. He didn't want to be seen as pathetic, and what better way than to displace fear with anger?

On the roof of the skyscraper, he could already see the church on the mountain. He tilted his head as a storm began to roar, and he turned around. In the distance, the mana was under tension, as if it would burst at any moment. Another personality was there, watching the events.

Hasan's white mask, which looked like the bone mask of a Hollow, slipped off his empty, faceless head due to the tumultuous movement. With one finger, he pushed it back into place. He had been called back by Kirei. Even if he wanted to know what was going on at the shore, it was not worth the risk to run into the arms of the young woman. Even if she slowly ran out of mana.

Hassan's quick steps were swallowed by the wind as he leaped in the veil of night toward the church.

All of Hassan's figures participating in the fateful war had different personalities. For Hasan, it was nothing but a curse. Could one of Hasan's 100 personalities say it was the original? No, because each one was part and, at the same time, the original. They were all original in their way. Hasan, however, saw it differently. There was only one way to become the original. All in all, all his personalities had to become one. Only then could Hasan call himself perfect.

Hasan never asked himself whether the Grail would fulfill this wish unconditionally. Because two very different personalities could never be brought together. Whether Hasan did not want to admit this—that one of his personalities would disappear with such a wish—or whether all of them did not know how the result would look was something that he would experience only if he chased his illusion and expressed his wish.

It remains to be seen whether Hasan could love and forgive himself should he know that one of his personalities died to fulfill the wish. Because then, Hassan would not have reached perfection.

***

"He was really in a hurry," Kurumi muttered as she jumped up a tree, lay down on the branch, and stuck her head into a red-black shadow on the ground. Twin black tails fell through the shadow and hung head over heels from the ceiling. The room seemed to go on endlessly in all directions. Everything was black, with no sign of walls or other objects.

Kurumi's pearly white head peeked as if through a window. Only one person was down there. The pink hair swayed back and forth in panic as Laila anxiously tried to orient herself. However, all she found was pure emptiness. Only the presence of gravity gave her a clue. It almost seemed as if she were trapped in a bad nightmare. Laila sat in the black shadow room. Like a small child, her buttocks were on the floor, her knees were bent, and only her feet peeked out from the side of her skirt. Her hands were placed in front of her, supporting her posture.

Kurumi found the confused behavior cute and began to support her head. When the night light finally hit Laila through a small opening, she raised her head with narrowed eyes.

"Kurumi, get me out of here!"

"Oh? Are we getting sassy now?" Kurumi asked, raising an eyebrow as Laila sat shivering on the ground. However, she did not make a move to free Laila from the Shadow Dimension. Instead, she looked Laila straight in the eyes.

"When you told me that you could take care of yourself, I was expecting, how shall I say, a different reaction. You seem much more relaxed since we entered Japan. Nonetheless, you have to keep a better eye on your surroundings. What I heard and saw from you were two completely different stories."

Laila's head bowed to the floor. She was fully aware of the situation. If Kurumi had not been there, she would not have survived the Assassin's attack. The body felt heavy like a statute and numb, unable to react.

"And you lost your weapon, too," Kurumi spoke, holding the black fan between her fingers. The mud still stuck to the golden runes and was slightly dry from the wind that always blew around the fan. However, Laila did not look up, unsure if she should even leave the room. Could she do better next time? Would Kurumi respect her and still want to work with her? The questions rushed through her mind. However, she had no answer.

"S So I," Laila stuttered before the words stuck in her throat. She didn't dare look up to avoid the eyes that reflected the anger she had seen in her mother countless times. However, Laila forgot that Kurumi thought differently.

Kurumi sighed with a wry smile. "You have to tell me that you can't handle extreme situations. After all, I've only known you for two days." She opened the Mystic Code and gently felt over the runes with her fingertips.

But Laila remained silent, sitting on the floor and making no sound. Even her breath hitched.

"You should have told me that you have no experience fighting, my dear. I thought so based on your behavior, but oral communication is still essential. And even if you feel like shit now, it was probably best that you had such an experience on the first day, as long as I can easily get the situation under control. But still, that doesn't excuse you for putting both of us in danger unnecessarily." Although Kurumi's voice was gentle, it cut through Laila like her parents' upbringing.

"But I also suppose it was my fault for not testing your abilities."

It was wrong that Kurumi compared herself to Laila. They were both different people raised in different ways. She had always gone out of her way to help others and get cats off trees. It was not uncommon for Kurumi to fall off the branch in the process. But Laila never developed the sense to help others, to go into action.

In a way, they both slipped into something they regretted, though Kurumi had chosen her path at the time before she realized the cruelty behind the lie. Laila, on the other hand, was forced into a war she should never have joined. She was a flower that was about to fade. Something Kurumi wanted to prevent at all costs. But to do that, she had to learn more about Laila.

"I'm sorry," Laila whispered.

"You don't have to apologize; after all, you gained valuable experience."

Kurumi put the fan together and dropped it into the hole. With a clang, the fan hit the black night-like ground. Laila pressed the fan to her chest as if it were the most meaningful thing in the world. 'Maybe she's not like my mother after all.' Slowly, Laila raised her head and briefly saw the gentle smile.

"Can you let me out now?"

"Oh, if my spring blossom asks me to, how could I ever say no?"

Laila's cheeks turned red, and she opened the fan to hide behind it. Kurumi giggled before her head disappeared from the entrance behind the pocket dimension.

"Huh?"

A lot of hands came out of the endless walls. The fan was taken from Laila's hand before the rest wrapped around her body and lifted her. For Laila, this was still a frightening event when countless hands came out of nowhere and embraced her. She moved slowly upward, and at the same time, the shadow space she was in became smaller. Her head protruded through the opening, then her body, until she finally stood on solid ground.

The forest was shattered. Branches lay on the ground, and blood still dripped on the floor. Kurumi wore a clean school uniform as if nothing had happened.

"If you are ready, princess, I suggest we leave for now. While I don't think the evil phantom will come back, you never know."

"Wait, you let one get away?"

"Of course, we can only hope that they take the bait and think you are dead."

Kurumi saw the confused look on Laila's face and smirked. Just before they left for the plane, Laila asked about the clones. However, Kurumi had kept her ability a secret. It would have been horrible for the plan if Laila had known what was coming. After all, it was very likely that a nervous breakdown would follow if Laila found out that she had already died once.

"You will understand soon enough. I have already taken care of a house north of here. Then you can have your warm bath."

Laila's eyes sparkled with joy. "Really?"

Already exhausted from the long walk through the city, Laila began to move slowly. The cold penetrated through the wet clothes and clung to the warm skin. Kurumi could already tell from the walk that Laila probably wouldn't last much longer. She had underestimated how much the situation would exhaust Laila. The long march and mental stress were already tugging at her consciousness.

They got back on the road and left the forest behind them. A few people had gathered along the road, puzzled over the destroyed asphalt. However, they would never find out what had happened. Before the damage was fixed and cars could use the street once more, it would take some time.

They turned left. On the right side was a one-meter-high wall of white rock. Wooden boards stabilized and decorated the section. It was a sight Kurumi knew only too well from her homeland. But the city she came from was much more modern.

Carefully and without Laila noticing, Kurumi opened a portal under her arm so that she could easily reach in. Her fingers enclosed the white mask of Assassin that flew through the emptiness of the inner room.

"Do you have any idea which heroic spirit this mask belongs to?" asked Kurumi before she handed it to Laila.

"Huh?" Slightly confused, Laila turned her head and took the mask to examine it more closely. "It could be the mask of a guild or grouping. But from my knowledge, something like that was never mentioned in the clock tower."

"The three looked different, if only minimally," noted Kurumi.

"Those three proved especially skilled. They could be some group from the church. Even if they agreed to the war, it must be painful for them to accept that the man-made Grail receives such divine status in Magus society."

But Kurumi shook her head. "That is not what I mean. They were, without a doubt, Servants. It is hard to describe, but I could feel it. Would it be possible that the same Servant could be summoned multiple times?"

"Are you sure?" Kurumi nodded.

"It should be possible to summon the same heroic spirit in different classes simultaneously," Laila explained. "But not as three Assassin variants. And it's unlikely that three masters have joined forces. They could not trust themselves and would have to always watch their backs if they didn't want to end up dead. I think it's similar to your ability to duplicate."

"I can't imagine they were three separate Servants; they seemed too weak. The three had different appearances as well as physiques. Additionally, it didn't resemble my ability to clone because they would all have looked alike. The masks made it appear more like a cult."

Laila paused and held the mask up to the lamplight. Yellow rays shone through the cracks, but she found no writing inside. "Perhaps the legend of the summoned hero refers not to one person but to several? That would drastically weaken the Servant if his power were divided among several bodies. Although that could prove to be a problem if Assassin becomes more dangerous the more of his bodies are destroyed."

"You mean like an Assassins' guild? Would that be possible?"

Kurumi had virtually no knowledge of how magic worked in this world. Although there were supernatural powers in her old world, they functioned differently. Since Kurumi was summoned differently, she did not get the knowledge with which a normally summoned hero was equipped. However, this hardly disadvantaged her because, unlike other heroes, she had enough knowledge from her old world, which was technically far superior.

"I'm afraid I can't say. But it would explain the phenomenon, yet it would be the first time I've heard of it."

"Just like the first time someone was summoned from a parallel or another world?"

"Right..."

"Well, I think my original body resembles a heroic spirit somewhat. So it does not surprise me that I am here,"

The moon had fully risen when they finally reached the house. Great white walls rose into the night sky. The light burned through the open windows. The door stood open as if someone was expected. When they entered the hallway, Laila took off her shoes and put them on a shelf to the left; she could already hear the flowing water.

The warmth penetrated Laila's skin. But she still couldn't get rid of the uncomfortable feeling.

"Are we safe here?"

"That depends," Kurumi replied. "It's quite possible that Assassin is the only one who can track us, though I wouldn't assume that at the moment. At least we know I can sense the presence of another Servant, should they be in the vicinity. So you can relax if you want my dearest."

Laila screwed up her face. She was worried. This house did not have magic circles to protect or inform her. So if a Servant were to enter the present, only Kurumi could perceive its presence. Laila would need a few days if she wanted to create a magic field that would shield them from the outside world.

"Don't worry," Kurumi tried to reassure her as she saw Laila's horrified face. "If that was Assassin earlier, a class specializing in ambushes, then I should notice any other Servant without a problem."

"Then I'm counting on you." Even though Laila tried to look confident, Kurumi could see through the smile. They both made their way to the second floor. A white, warm vapor crept along under the door, magically attracting Laila.

"I think we won't be the only ones today."

Laila, who already had the Doorknob to the bathroom in her hand, turned her head. Kurumi had made her way to the window. Her arms were propped on the windowsill, and her eyes looked toward the harbor. Even though she couldn't see the sea from the house, she could feel the tension in the air.

"Do we have to be careful?"

"I don't think so; for some reason, everyone is moving toward the harbor. We should still be careful if the masked man shows up again."

Laila looked at Kurumi, who was almost dreaming about the city. The knob turned, and she pushed the door aside. A wall of steam rose in front of her, and Laila disappeared into it.

Kurumi smiled when she heard the splashing of water. Laila had made herself comfortable in the tub. Her eyes narrowed as the presence disappeared as if behind a veil.