After a deafening explosion and a thick cloud of smoke, Isabel opened her eyes to see her home in ruins. Rider stood before her, trying to shield her with his own body, trembling noticeably. It was only then that she realized: it wasn't just Rider who was shaking. She herself was enveloped in an oppressive purple aura that filled the air with fear and tension.
Across from her, the famous neighbor—always so kind and polite—was smiling sweetly, as if nothing had happened, while Isabel's house lay destroyed.
"W-why?" Isabel asked, her voice failing, on the verge of tears. "We always got along so well... why are you doing this?" she cried out louder, despair and bitterness overflowing in every syllable.
At that moment, a young man of stunning beauty, with black hair cascading down and refined robes, stepped forward.
"Forgive my lack of manners, young lady," Lancer said. His gentle smile contrasted with the lethal aura he radiated, making it clear he wouldn't hesitate to kill.
"Please, do not blame us... blame the Grail for such injustice," he added, the smile still present but disturbingly cold, as if mocking the situation.
Isabel fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
"We give up... please, don't hurt Rider!" she begged. Her heart ached for her destroyed home, her friend's betrayal, and the imminent danger to her Servant. She felt as if the entire world were collapsing upon her.
"Haaa... unfortunately, to withdraw from the war, you must give up your Servant," Lancer replied, feigning regret, though anyone there could sense the falsehood in every word.
Then, a melodious voice echoed in everyone's ears:
"What an interesting party... I think they forgot to invite us, don't you think, Fang Zheng?"
Far from there, heading toward the explosion, a white flash cut through the sky at high speed, like a falling star. But given the distance, they would never arrive before Fang Zheng and Selena.
"Help!" Raul screamed. "Saber, slower, please!" he begged, tears running down his face.
But Saber only looked at him with her usual stoic gaze.
"We must hurry. In war, information is power," she commented calmly.
As they advanced at high speed, a woman with black hair and mesmerizing eyes appeared ahead. Saber shifted her gaze to the woman's left hand, where a young man was being carried by the scruff of his neck, maintaining a poker face, his hazel eyes fixed on her. At the same time, the Caster observed the boy with heavy dark circles and tears in the corners of his eyes, being carried like a sack of potatoes.
Inside Leon's mind:
'I... I'm going to puke.'
He looked toward the woman with silver hair and gray eyes, mentally seeking help, before looking at the black-haired boy on the silver woman's shoulder. Strangely, he felt a connection to that boy, even though it was the first time he had seen him.
A tense silence set in as the four stared at each other without saying a word. But Raul broke the quiet:
"Hey, Saber..." he whispered, though everyone could hear. "I'm at my limit. I'll only get in your way. Put me on the ground."
Hearing this, Leon had an idea:
"Hey, Caster, I'm thinking the same as the kid there... I'll only be a hindrance."
A vein popped on Raul's forehead, and he shouted:
"Who are you calling a kid?!"
Leon replied with an expression of forced patience:
"Obviously you."
At that moment, Saber and Caster, as if they had a tacit agreement, took off at high speed, ignoring their Masters' childish bickering.
"Wait, Saber! I already told you I'm at my limit!" Raul yelled.
Saber simply looked forward, focused.
"Hey, Caster, where are you going? I'm your Master, you have to tell me before you go!" Leon exclaimed, his mind in a complete whirl.
'I can't puke... if I do, my image goes down the drain. I refuse!' he muttered, trying to keep himself under control.
At that same instant, a little girl pointed to the sky:
"Look, Mommy! Two falling stars!"
Her mother looked skeptical but was soon impressed. Indeed, two stars cut through the sky side by side—one black and one white—at high speed. As the child watched in wonder, the scene carried a strange sense of foreboding, foreshadowing the chaos that was approaching.