Prologue [South Miyama - Tohsaka Mansion]

Yui took a deep breath.  Her heart pounded in her ears, and her breathing was rapid.  She had to calm down.  This was the most important moment of her life; it had to be perfect.

She looked over the magic circle drawn on the floor of her study for what must have been the twentieth time.  It didn't have to be perfect, of course.  The Grail itself took care of most of the summoning ritual.  The magic circle and the incantation was more of a formality to establish a contract between Master and Servant.  There wasn't much one could do to mess it up.  But even so, Yui Tohsaka's nerves were on fire.

She raised her right hand to look at her Command Spells.


Even the shape of her Command Spells intimidated her.  What class would she get?  A noble knight, from the Saber Class?  Or perhaps the stealthy Assassin?  What sort of Heroic Spirit was she going to get?  Hopefully someone that she could at least get along with.

She steadied her breath.  There was no more time to worry.  There were only a few months left until the start of the War.  Worrying could come later.

"Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation."

As she began to chant, she felt prana surge through her Magic Circles toward the Command Spell on the back of her hand.  The magic circle almost instantly lit up with magic.  Not her magic, but the magic of the Grail itself, responding to her call.  Her heart beat faster, but still the words came naturally.  She had spent weeks memorizing the incantation.

"Let black be the color I pay tribute to.
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."

The magic within the circle began to spin faster and faster.  She could feel a physical form begin to coalesce inside.  Her fear suddenly turned to excitement.

"Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again.
Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling."

She couldn't help but smile. She was really doing it!

"From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power,
come forth from the ring of restraint, protector of the holy balance!"

The magic inside the circle swirled and flowed outward in an incredible gust of wind, blowing her brown hair wildly about her face, and knocking several paintings off the walls.  Before her, the light shimmering inside the magic circle coalesced in the center, before growing quickly upward, forming a human shape, and solidifying.

When the wind and light finally died down, Yui excitedly pulled her hair out of her face to clearly see the figure before her.



Yui rocked backward a step, taking in the figure before her.  White heels.  Lovely red hair.  A huge mace resting against the floor.  And... a wedding dress?

The Servant turned her head slightly. Her hair covered her eyes, but Yui could only suppose that she was looking at her new Master.  The Servant's mouth hung open slightly, but no words came out.  A tense silence hung in the air as they stared at each other.

"You are... my Servant?" Yui muttered haltingly.  A stupid question, but she didn't know what else to say.

The Servant stared for several seconds, then nodded.  "Nnh," she grunted.

Her nerves began to give way to excitement again.  "My name is Yui Tohsaka.  I'm your Master.  What's your name?"

Another several seconds passed.  The Servant looked around the room as though in confusion.  She looked back at Yui.  "Mmh."

"What did you say?"

"Mmm."  The Servant shook her head in frustration.  "Unh!"

Even in her confusion, she couldn't help but find this woman cute.  "Can you not talk?"

"Ung!" the Servant answered, shaking her head.

Many questions ran through Yui's mind as she analyzed the Heroic Spirit. A Servant that couldn't talk--that could complicate things.  What class was she?  Based on her weapon, she likely couldn't be Saber or Archer.  And she certainly didn't seem the type to fill Caster or Assassin.  Was she Lancer?  Does a huge hammer qualify as a spear-like weapon?

Then it all came together.  The massive weapon, the agitated demeanor, the inability to talk.

"Berserker?"

"Unh!" the Servant nodded, smiling excitedly.

Not the class she had been hoping for.  But, for a Berserker, she certainly appeared calm and composed.  Yui had to assume that she was hiding a few surprises. Despite her reservations, though, she felt a certain unspoken kinship with Berserker. She knew that whatever the class, the Grail had made the right choice.

"It's nice to meet you, Berserker," Yui said, smiling.  "I hope I make a good Master for you."

Berserker's mouth hung open again for a moment, as though surprised by Yui's show of kindness. Then she smiled back, nodding happily.  "Ung!"