Chapter 110 : New allies (part 2)

Alessandro was to remain in the hospital for the whole day and Saber stayed with him. Friedrich decided to return to his hotel room with Specter. In his head he had only several concerns about Sheol, the Holy Grail War and Yukiko, he had to find an effective solution for all these problems but he didn't know where to start: maybe it was better to stop Devourer first? But according to Specter it was impossible to fight her, but Yukiko could've helped out since she was acquainted with the dark secrets of the Holy Grail.
On the way back he saw this man in shirt and jeans, with a well-groomed beard and hair pulled back with gel and dark blue eyes, get out of the bus, which had just stopped. When he saw him he exclaimed, surprised:
« Dorian ?! »
« Friedrich? What are you doing here in London with ... oh, God, you're a Master, aren't you? You will fight the Holy Grail War of Yggdrasil. »
« The war has already begun, Dorian. She is Specter, my Servant. »
« Of course, of course ... this Servant looks a bit demonic. »
Specter, with an evil smile, presented herself holding out her hand:
« Glasya-Labolas. Pleased to meet you. »
« Glasya-Labolas? The President of Hell? The Dog of Nebiros? Are you that Glasya-Labolas? »
« In flesh and bone. »
« And I'm damned because I just shook a demon's hand. Fantastic. » He said sarcastically.
« I need to talk to you, Dorian. It's about a very powerful Servant. Do you have time for me? »
« Of course, I just ended a meeting at the Clock Tower. I have all the time for you. Where are we going then? »
« I'll take you to the hotel where I stay. »

So Friedrich took his friend Dorian Benard to his hotel room. Dorian made himself comfortable on the sofa after placing his briefcase. Friedrich remained standing with Specter playing in the room.
« I don't want to waste you too much time so I will be concise: apparently the Devourer-class Servant who will take part in this war is Sheol. A creature who ... »
« I already know, Friedrich. »
« How? »
« Ever since this war started, our Observers have seen a change in mana, a sprain, a sort of rift, if you can say so. From Paris, we sent the information to the Mage's Association here in London hoping to refute our findings, but they have been confirmed. Indeed there was a distortion. We initially didn't know what it was and we had to investigate our libraries and that's how we found out about Sheol. »
« Wait a moment ... so does this mean that this has already happened in the past? »
« Only once, yes, and it's told in a poem by Sîn-leqi-unnīnī, the author of the Epic of Gilgamesh. As you know, we don't have all the tables and of the same story there are hundreds of different versions and among these there is one that some think is the original author's. It's a fragment where the curse of Enkidu, Gilgamesh's friend, is explained and there it's specifically said that he was not cursed by the Gods, or by Ishtar and not even by Ereshkigal but by Irkalla, or Kur, that is, the underworld. »
« One moment ... I'm not a real expert in religions but ... I'm sure Irkalla was another name for Ereshkigal. » Friedrich noted, perplexed.
« This is a possibility but the other possibility is that he literally mean Irkalla. In the same fragment a sketched description of Irkalla is presented and doesn't remember Ereshkigal at all. We have found those documents and the phenomena described by Sîn-leqi-unnīnī, those which preceded the death of Enkidu, are strangely similar to those found by our observers in France. »
« And how do you know it was Sheol? »
« For me "Sheol", "Kur","Irkalla", "Hades", "Hell" are all synonyms. The name you use makes no difference, the concept is the same and reality doesn't change: the underworld wants to devour us. »

Dorian Benard talking about Sheol by Bikowolf

 

Chapter 109 : New allies (part 1)

 

January 30, 2021 - Day 4

Alessandro woke up on a hospital bed. It was morning, his left shoulder was completely bandaged. A little further on there was Saber, in normal clothes, reading a biography of Napoleon Bonaparte. When she realized that her Master was awake, she put the book aside and jumped with enthusiasm, hugged him and kissed his cheek.
« How good to know that you've recovered, Master! »
« There was no need to worry so much about me ... seriously. » He replied shyly.
« But yes! You are my Master! I can't lose you, you know? »
« Saber, wait ... what happened to Archer? »
« I don't know. I left Specter and her Master to do everything, I had crossed them along the way and they offered to give us a hand. »
« And they are fine? »
He saw Friedrich enter with Specter. Friedrich, with a cup of coffee in his hand taken from the machine, as soon as he saw that Alessandro woke up greeted him:
« Did you have a good sleep? »
« I was better than that. And you? Were you able to defeat Archer? »
« There were ... complications. There were also Rider and Lancer and so we opted for a battle against the two of them, but at the last moment Specter hesitated and we withdrew. »
« Why? »
« Ask her. »
Alessandro turned to Specter:
« So why did you retire? »
« Knowing it will not help us win. » She replied coldly.
« Do you keep secrets from us? »

Friedrich then said:
« She said only one word in what I can presume to be Jewish. But I don't know the language and I don't know anything about Jewish culture so I don't know what she said exactly. »
« I said שְׁאוֹל »
« Or? »
« Sheol. »
« Sheol? »
Alessandro then intervened:
« The hell. Sheol is hell in Hebrew, the kingdom of the dead is what the ancient Greeks called Hades. But it shouldn't be a problem, it's just a different dimensional plan from ours. »
« This isn't true. This is what you mortals believe, but that's not true. Sheol is like Hades in the sense that it's an entity whose name corresponds to the world it controls. It has many similarities to the goddess of death Ereshkigal, in the sense that like her she possesses powers that nullify life and bring destruction, but there is a difference between the two of them: Ereshkigal dominates Kur, the world of the dead, but Sheol is Kur. Sheol is not a divinity but a whole world. She IS the underworld. »
« How is such a thing even possible ?! » Friedrich was shocked.
« Sheol is not a divinity but a set of lifeless shades, the shadows of the dead are part of her essence. Each shadow is not a "being" but a "having been" and that "having been" is in itself an attachment to the past that doesn't disappear but remains as an imprint in the sand. Sheol is the set of those footprints, she's what contains the past and longs to destroy the future. She brings suffering, destruction, sin and the desire for death. She's worse than any divinity of the underworld since a common god of death gives death immediately, but Sheol prefers to inflict a slow, atrocious death on mortals, such as leprosy and plague. »
These words aroused immediate terror in the hearts of those present. None of them had ever heard of such a thing and none of them would have ever imagined that such a creature could exist.

« She's in the Holy Grail War of Yggdrasil, then. » Friedrich concluded.
« She's certainly the famous Servant of the Devourer class. But who is her Master? »
« Nobody. » Specter replied. « She can't have a Master, she is too self-centered and powerful to be controlled. She incarnates in the bodies of the dead and fights with their appearance. This is what I know. »

 

Specter, Friedrich and Alessandro by Bikowolf

 

Chapter 108 : Alessandro Serpi

March 18, 2017

Alessandro Serpi had turned sixteen two days earlier. It was Saturday and the boy stayed quietly in his room reading a fantasy book. From the room he could hear his mother crying because she had just lost her job. Alessandro knew that with just ten thousand euros in the bank they couldn't go very far and with his unemployed mother it would probably be up to him to work to maintain the house and the family. He had been volunteering at the library for almost two years, surely they would have hired him at least for a part-time job.
« I can't go on like this anymore! I can not! I can't fucking do this! »
He heard his mother cry out. She screamed and moaned, some words were not understood but those were clear as water. Alessandro had never heard his mother in that state. Those words frightened him.

March 22, 2017

It was a Wednesday like any other when Alessandro returned home from school. He greeted his mother and saw men dressed like priests. The mother was sitting on the slightly creased armchair and said:
« Here he is, that is Marco's son. »
A priest approached Alessandro looked him in the eyes then turned to the one behind him, a little older and in a red robe:
« What do you think, Davide? For me it's perfect. »
« In fact if he's really the son of Marco Serpi he can be useful to us. »
Alessandro, intimidated, turned to his mother:
« Mom, what's going on? Who are these guys? »
« Alessandro ... I don't know how to tell you ... »
Davide Ponti interrupted the woman:
« You will enter the Coven. We will take care of you. I'm Davide Ponti and I will be your mentor. »
« NO! Don't touch me! I will not go anywhere! Mom, please tell them I can't! »
« Alessandro, I can't. » She said.
« Why? Tell them it can't be done! Help me! Mom … »
« It's I who called them here. I want them to take you away to the Coven. It's I who have chosen. »
« Mom? Why? Why are you doing this to me? Did I do something wrong? »
Alessandro could not hold back his tears, his eyes were burning and his vision blurred a little at a time, he could barely stand up.
« I'm tired of having you around. I want to live my life. You've always been a burden for me, your father wanted you but he abandoned me with you, we cannot go on like this, after all you have always known it too, haven't you? »
Those words hurt more than any weapon. Those words stopped the boy's heart, falling and crying, he begged to be kept at home
« Mom! Mom! Please don't abandon me! I will be a good son, I promise! Please! »
She turned her back on him.
« No. »
The two men grabbed the boy and he released himself:
« NO! I'm not going anywhere! I'm not going anywhere! Mom, help! Help me … »
Davide Ponti snapped his fingers and said:
« Somnum. »
The boy fell asleep. The men took him away.

March 23, 2017

Alessandro Serpi woke up on a bed thinking that he had only had a nightmare but as soon as he rubbed his eyes and saw the stone walls and the completely different bedroom, a panic attack came. He got out of bed at once and headed for the wooden door. He wanted to run away. He wanted to go home at any cost.
« It will not open. I blocked it with a spell. »
Alessandro saw a man sitting on a nearby chair. He hadn't noticed before. This man in white had closed his Bible and placed it on the table.
« I'm the Grand Master Giovanni Monteverdi X. I apologize for blocking the door but I wanted to talk to you in peace, I don't want to chase you throughout the church. »
« Let me out. I want to go back home. You can't keep me prisoner, someone will save me. »
« I won't let you out and it wouldn't make sense for you to go home because your mother doesn't want you, your mother was also the same one who agreed to hand you over to the Coven. So you're not a prisoner ... you are, for all intents and purposes, a member of the Coven. I advise you to accept your fate. »
« Fuck you. I'd rather live like a vagabond than stay here! »
« I don't think you could do it. You're weak and inexperienced, you would be like a lamb in a pack of wolves. But you're also proud and that's why I don't see you sleeping on a bench or on the asphalt like a dog. Are you the type of man who wants to eat stale bread or leftovers? Are you the type of man who lives like an outcast praying that someone will protect him from injustice? Or are you a man who fights? One who doesn't give up, one who does everything in his power to be the best. We can give you the means to be an excellent magus, the Coven will protect you and make you a lion. Give up on your family, they've given up on you. I'm giving you a chance Alessandro Serpi: the possibility of realizing your destiny. »
Giovanni got up and held out his hand:
« Do you agree to join the Coven? »

Alessandro Serpi by Bikowolf

 

Chapter 107 : Rebirth from death

« I'm alive. »
In front of a hole that had been dug with her hands, there was a girl staring at the coffin from which she had just emerged. Wet from the rain, she opened her mouth to savor the water, the taste of life was insipid for her. She looked at her grave on which the name "Fukano Harumi" was written. The memories of a girl raped by her uncle and tormented by shame. But she was not Harumi. She was something else. Her hair was brown but there was a white forelock, her eyes were red as blood and her skin was pale. It was no longer Harumi Fukano. She was something else.
« I want to get rid of what torments this fragile body of flesh. »
In long black clothes, the girl walked without paying attention to passers-by who looked at her with worried eyes. The city was unknown to her but soon she would learn, it was enough to peek into Harumi's memories. She found the answer and tracked down her uncle's house; looking into the fog that was Harumi's memory, she discovered that this man was more like a beast than a man, only for a thousandth of a second did she suffer the torments of that girl on her body and then they disappeared, washed away by the rain.. She reached the house, opened the gate and headed for the entrance door.
« I feel your fear inside me, but I will soon eradicate it. It will be enough for me to eliminate this man who still has a vivid memory of you. »
With her hand she broke through the door of the house. A man in his fifties, frightened, got up and when he saw his granddaughter enter he was terrified.
« Harumi? How did you ... you died! »
« We all died the moment we were born, every part of us dies slowly, it's part of the cycle of things. I'm alive. I'm dead. These are only words for you, but for me they're the very essence of my being. Life and death coexist in me like heaven and earth in this world. »
« How the fuck do you talk? Fuck you! I'm calling the police! »
« I'm alive. But I'm not here by chance, am I? I'm here for the Holy Grail of Yggdrasil. Nidhoggr has fallen into its time loop again and now I've to solve everything. 
But first … »
The girl moved her index finger slightly upwards, under the man's feet a black magic circle appeared that paralyzed him.
« Running away from me is useless. I'm something from which nobody can escape. »
She approached the man who begged for mercy, stroked his face and suddenly his skin began to blacken like coal, bright cracks formed, the man couldn't even scream anymore. He transformed into a statue, she blew and he turned to ash.
« I'm not alive but I'm not dead either. Funny my fate, don't you find it too, Yggdrasil? »
She was talking alone. She took the ash and ran it between her hands, it was like a little girl playing with the sand of the sea; she dropped it from her hands and started to spread it on the ground and watched the strange irregular, circular patterns formed with the continuous movement of the ash. The ash took the form of two solid dice which she threw: a four and a three came. She smiled and murmured:
« Our ballad begins, Yggdrasil. »
The girl stood up, her clothes burned and her naked body was covered in a black robe, a long red cloak and a wreath of crimson laurels appeared on her head.
« You know who I am. I'm neither Life nor Death, I'm Life-in-Death but you called me Devourer and I will fight with this label of yours but only until I meet my destiny. Until then have fun, Holy Grail of Yggdrasil, have fun and watch me as I destroy those weak Heroic Spirits. »

Sheol by Bikowolf

 

Whaaat?! Coronavirus?

As you know I'm Italian (that's why I write very badly in English 😉) and my country is facing a black period because of the coronavirus: schools, universities, shops, stadiums, even cities are closed.
Luckily I didn't get sick and luckily I live practically isolated surrounded only by mountains and woods, but I feel very sorry for my country and I can't understand why there is all this alarmism.
I'm not saying that the coronavirus is harmless (because it isn't, especially for people with lung problems) but it shouldn't be treated like Ebola or leprosy.
Here in Italy panic is spreading and yet, reading the news, I discover that there are more healed than dead; our doctors are doing their best to fight this disease and even our politicians are trying to contain the epidemic.
But I cannot say that I've not been disappointed in how Europe has treated my country. France and Germany, which complained so much and who wanted to encourage us to have a "more European feeling", treated us as plagued and, to make matters worse, now consider us a country to take as an example, now they compliment us, to us and to our healthcare system. The best I can say is that they are hypocrites and I was disappointed, that's all.

 

Chapter 106 : Specter vs Lancer vs Rider

Specter looked to the right, saw that Lancer was ready to hit her, looked to the left, saw that Rider was doing the same. She sighed, popped curved blades from her arms and calves and then targeted Lancer; she hit her with a series of blows, Rider reached the battle and tried to kill Specter immediately; Specter turned, wounded Rider in the side and then, with a leap, gave a kick that also hurt Lancer.
« You cannot face someone like me, you are too weak. »
Lancer got up quickly, tried to pierce Rider but the latter rolled to the side, with the katana in her hand she struck a blow against Specter but this parried the blow and counterattacked with a series of attacks so fast that Rider was forced to remain defensive; Lancer returned.
The three Servants fought incessantly against each other. Rider attempted to kill Lancer and she attempted to kill Rider in turn. The two, however, were unable to hurt Specter who moved nimbly like a dancer, dodged, parried and counterattacked, it was also clear to the two Masters, Tetsuya and Nishijima, that Specter was not a very common Servant.
Friedrich was quiet, waiting for one of the two Masters to attack him first. He noticed that Murakawa Tetsuya was looking at him strangely, he was confused.
« What's going on, Tetsuya? » Friedrich asked.
Tetsuya didn't reply, ran towards him preparing a punch and Friedrich summoned a fire wolf. Tetsuya kicked it but the animal suddenly exploded, luckily he managed to resist the impact.
« I've already seen your Magecraft. Who are you? » Asked Tetsuya.
« Friedrich Wolff. I doubt you know my family, if you only know my Magecraft it means that you have heard of Schneider von Bergedorf. He's the magus who invented this Magecraft that allows you to create wolves that have the characteristics of different elements: fire, water, ice, lightning, wind, earth and others. It wasn't by chance that he was called "Wolf of Bergedorf". »
« In the past I killed a magus who used the same Magecraft. »
« Yeah, I guess, this Magecraft uses a lot of magical energy and you have to be good at manipulating these wolves. »
« You think you're good enough, German? »
« "German"? » Friedrich sighed: « Identifying me with my mother country is really foolish. But I guess for some people it's a normal thing to do. »
« Don't ignore me, bastards! » Nishijima exclaimed irritably.
« Don't worry, boy, now I'm going to kill you. » Friedrich replied smiling.

Meanwhile the battle between the Servants was about to end, Specter was on the verge of triumphing against both, but Lancer didn't give up; she jumped and decided to use her Noble Phantasm: the spear lit up and suddenly Specter was surrounded by astral spears.
« Katadíki Tou Krótona! (My Condemnation of Crotone) »
« Classyalabolas. (The Thirty-six Legions of the Infernal President) »
Specter also used her Noble Phantasm. Her demonic seal appeared under her feet but it was perhaps too late: Lancer's attack was successful.
However Specter was protected by a series of deformed demonic creatures with terrifying faces that were popping up from the symbol on the ground. Those hideous beings started attacking Rider and Lancer, the two Servants had to kill them one by one but they were in difficulty because those monsters seemed to have no end. At least thirty had been killed and yet they kept coming out of that symbol on the ground and later even in the sky a rift opened from which demonic hands came out. Specter, with a malicious smile, exclaimed:
« I advise you not to tire easily, my friends. I have a total of two hundred and sixteen thousand demons to throw at you! The fun has just begun! »
« Two hundred and sixteen thousand ?! » Rider was shocked.
« How the hell is such a thing possible? » Even Lancer couldn't believe it.
« Haven't you figured it out yet? You're not facing a normal Heroic Spirit, I'm a President of Hell, a subordinate of Naberus and commander of thirty-six demonic legions. I am the fallen angel Glasya-Labolas. I'm a true demon! »
By now the victory was in Specter's hands but Friedrich noticed that his Servant had stopped smiling, her expression had changed to one of terror, her gaze was lost in emptiness. Something was not going in the right direction. The symbol on the ground disappeared and with it also the demons, Specter ran towards her Master, and without giving explanations she took him in her arms and carried him away forgetting the other two Servants.
« Hey! What are you doing? Specter! You were winning! Why are we running away?»
The girl's hands were shaking, she was scared, really scared.
« What is going on? Why are you trembling? »
« She perceived me. She know where I am. »
«Who? »
« שְׁאוֹל »

Specter using Classyalabolas by Bikowolf

 

Chapter 105 : Good manners

Saber had summoned her combat armor along with her sword. She went back to the bedroom, where Alessandro had been attacked, but no arrow came. This could mean that Archer had retired, or that he had decided to change tactics. The girl went into the dining room and saw no one. Another arrow broke the window, Saber deflected it with her sword, located the direction of the blow and placed her hand on the ground.
« Scorpion! »
A Roman weapon known as scorpion appeared, loaded, it automatically fired a single magic dart with enough power to exceed the standards of any similar weapon.
Archer on the roof of a house, ready to shoot the second arrow, saw that dart suddenly arrive and dodged it with a very agile jump. Hisae was a little further on the ground, and when she saw Saber's attack she was suspicious:
« I'm sure she's a Saber, how come she had a weapon with such a long range? It's not a normal thing. »
« Don't worry, Master, I'll take care of that infamous one. »
Archer fired two more arrows at the same time, targeting Saber's scorpion.
The girl saw the two attacks coming and decided to take cover. The scorpion was destroyed, the impact was incredible.
« They are not normal arrows. » Saber noted, amazed.
« Saber ... we have a problem. » Alessandro had left the bathroom but was still wounded in the shoulder. « You have to take me away, we have to go to the hospital. »
« But you said you could heal yourself! »
« I can't ... I have my magical energy ... but something prevents me from making Magecraft. It's as if my Magic Circuits are malfunctioning ... Saber ... we have to go. »
« Alright don't worry. Now I'll take care of it. »
Saber returned to the living room but more arrows were fired and she had to step back to avoid being hit. Her Master was bleeding, there was a need for a doctor as soon as possible and so she studied a way to take Alessandro away without being slowed down and without being hit. She picked up the boy and threw herself out of the window at full speed, down from the hotel, leaving Archer stunned.
Saber landed on her feet without doing anything, Alessandro was scared like a child but said nothing because he was already suffering enough. The girl started running on the street.
« Where should I take you? »
« I don't know London ... I don't know where the nearest hospital is ... »
« Ok, so how do I recognize it? »
« If you see a red cross ... then that's the right place ... »
« Red cross? Okay, I understand. »

Archer was able to glimpse both Saber and Alessandro in the distance. He nosed the arrow and targeted his opponent's head. At that moment Hisae said:
« There is someone else. Another Master. »
Lancer appeared behind Archer, with the spear in her hand she made a very fast lunge, Archer jumped back and shot the arrow. Lancer deflected it smoothly.
The two Servants were face to face.
« God is kind, he sent a beautiful lady to me to keep me company. From your armor I deduce that you are Greek, what's your name, baby? »
« I'm not going to be enchanted by a banal seducer. I'm a warrior, I fight, I don't speak of love. »
« Well, honey, I wasn't going to "speak about love" with you. I had other ideas. Something more intimate, maybe. » He said with a wink.
« Disgusting. You're really disgusting, Archer. »
« I don't like to be called "disgusting", in fact, I think the opposite. I'm the most beautiful knight you've ever seen, madame. »
« Ok, stop talking, you're bothering me. »
Lancer and Archer began to duel and in the meantime Hisae started looking for her rival. She had sensed the presence of another Master but she didn't know where he was, she turned and saw Tetsuya Murakawa come out; he gave her a shoulder so powerful that she flew two meters from him.
Hisae, stunned, recovered and when she saw her opponent approaching she touched a car that was nearby and then, with the power of her mind, threw it against him; Tetsuya, slightly surprised, stopped the vehicle with one hand and saw the girl flee; he chased her. Hisae touched another car and threw it against Tetsuya but the latter hit the vehicle with a kick, deviating its trajectory. The girl stopped as soon as she reached Hyde Park. She touched the bars of the gate and then tore them with telekinesis. She entered the park and hid behind a tree. She was sure she had managed to escape Tetsuya.
Hisae was tired and sweating a lot, she had to catch her breath. She turned only for a moment and saw another Master approach her: Nishijima Kazuki.
Together with that blond boy was Rider. Hisae, frightened, decided to try to escape again but Tetsuya Murakawa had also arrived and in an annoyed voice said:
« It's not polite to piss me off, brat. » Murakawa saw Nishijima with Rider: « Huh? You again? You persecute me, dickheads! Well, I'm not going to back out of this fight. Lancer, forget about Archer. We have a job to do here! »
Tetsuya used a Command Seal to summon Lancer to himself. Hisae decided to return to Archer.
Nishijima, completely ignoring the girl, turned to his rival in an arrogant tone:
« Those like you don't deserve to be in this war. Only talented Masters can fight the Holy Grail War. »
« What are you? An aristocratic magus or something? With that stupid hair I don't think so. »
« I'm above an average magus, nothing so strange. Surely, here in Europe, Japanese magi like me are superior. »
« Ah! I guess you're right! But anyway I can't let you live, brat! Time to finish this fight once and for all! »
Lancer and Rider were about to collide but at that moment Specter arrived who, with a giant blade sticking out of her arm, hit the ground separating the two Servants. Friedrich Wolff arrived, with his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt and with a careless attitude he entered the discussion between the two Masters:
« Is a Japanese magus stronger than a European one? How about putting this theory to a test with me? »

Lancer, Specter and Rider by Bikowolf

 

Why do I publish less?

In a nutshell: study.
I have to take many exams in a short period of time and I have very little time available to write / correct / publish. So I'm really sorry if I can't publish many chapters but the university is really hard and I have many exams that I have to give.😭
However, thank you for taking the time to read my blognovel, you are really fantastic!😍😍

Chapter 104 : Fake normality

Alessandro and Friedrich had decided to explore the largest parks in the Westminster district in order to get to know them and know where they would fight during the war. Saber and Specter, instead of hiding, decided to wear "normal" clothes in order to go unnoticed. During the day they visited Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, St. James’s Park and Green Park. It took them five hours to do everything and stopped at Daisy Green, a cafe near Portman Square Private Park.
Waiting to eat, Friedrich asked Alessandro:
« When did you join the Coven? You look young. »
« I was sixteen. My mother practically forced me to enter. I've been a member of the Coven for four years now. »
« So you're only a year older than me. Life must have been hard in there. »
« Yes, but in the end I got used to it. I had to do it, I didn't have anyone outside the Coven. My mother had abandoned me and my father abandoned me when I was still a child. I never had anyone and I never needed anyone. What about you? »
« I lost my older brother Clovis, he committed suicide, he was unable to bear the death of his daughter. The girl had died of tuberculosis. I've never been too close to my parents, they wanted me to join Rote Mäntel, but I've never felt good in those organizations. So I ran away and decided to live my life my way. No expectations, no rules: just me and the world to explore. »
« Have you ever been in Rome? »
« No. Maybe one day I will visit it. »
« And have you ever been to Paris instead? »
« I have a friend there: Dorian Benard, a magus belonging to the AMPM, I don't know if you know it. »
« Of course, it's like the Coven and ... if I'm not mistaken, it's the French counterpart of the Mage's Association. It's the Association des Mages et Philosophes de la Magie, 
right? »
« Du hast recht. »

« What does your friend Dorian think of the Holy Grail War of Yggdrasil ? » Alessandro asked curiously.
« I haven't had a chance to meet him yet. I couldn't find him, he probably had something to do. The French, especially if they are philosophers, are like us Germans: they shut themselves in the rooms and no longer go out for days just to elaborate some theory on the world. They are fantastically strange, so I love them and sometimes I envy them a little. »
Specter, sitting next to Friedrich, said in a seductive tone:
« You wish you were a philosopher, huh? I see you as my dog. »
« Specter ... I'll cancel the contract. »
« No! No! Wait, I was joking! I'm your bitch. Woof. »

« Specter, you're embarrassing me! There are other people here! » The boy exclaimed, with his face as red as a tomato.

Saber, meanwhile, thought about what she had heard from her Master a little while ago. She didn't know that he had been forced into the Coven and had no idea that he had so many problems in the family. Once out of the cafe the Masters separated.

Saber and Alessandro returned to their hotel room. The girl had noticed that her Master was strangely silent, his expression was unhappy, perhaps he wasn't well in the company of her, his eyes were dark constantly turned downwards, they avoided her eyes; and then she asked, worried:
« Why didn't you tell me about your family? »
« Because they're not things that concern you. »
« But do they concern a Master who was our enemy before? »
« Is not the same thing. He's not a simple Master, he and I have something in common, I feel it. I know he understands my situation. That's all. There's no need to make a tragedy of it. »
« Master ... I have the impression that you keep too many secrets from me. Can I know why? »
« I've already told you. » He replied, annoyed.
Alessandro went into the bedroom and prepared his pajamas for going to bed. By now the sun was going down.
Saber didn't want to give the impression of being too sticky but she wanted to know more about her Master.

« It's not a good reason. You and I are a team, Master, we must communicate with each other. »
« You're wrong, we mustn't. There are things I prefer not to tell you. »
« This isn't how you should act. »
Saber took Alessandro and turned him so that she looked him straight in the eyes.
« An army needs rules and the rules are based on individuals. I can't organize an army if I don't know my soldiers, only in this way I do know what tasks to entrust to them. You and I are no different from each other. There is no hierarchy, we are fellow soldiers. »
« Said by someone like you ... » Alessandro said in a rude tone.
« Are you talking about my title of dictator? Are you talking about my reputation as a general? Do you think something changes? I am a dictator for the people but for the army I am both the general and the legionary. I fought alongside my legion, my legion was my family and every legionnaire had a value for me. A unique value. I was in command, yes, but I wasn't separated from the legionaries, they had my destiny in their hands and I had theirs in mine. It was a pact. And this agreement is also between us now. This is the meaning of being "fellow soldiers". »
Alessandro was shocked by the passion that Saber put into those words, she was convinced of what she said, her eyes were like on fire and the way she gestured captured his attention. It was like being in front of a divinity who with words instilled a great warmth, a feeling of strength, it was something he had never experienced before.

An arrow broke the window and hit Alessandro in the shoulder, the tip had passed the flesh, Saber, bewildered, saw her Master with the arrow stuck and was frightened:
« AAAAAH! » Alessandro shouted, suffering.
The boy bent to the ground, she took Alessandro to the bathroom, the only place where there were no windows facing the direction from which the arrow had come. The boy, pained and panicked, said:
« Take it off! TAKE IT OFF! It fucking hurts! IT HURTS! »

« Ok, you have to be calm, now it will hurt you even more. »
Saber broke the point, Alessandro held back a groan of pain. She made the boy turn and with a quick and decided move she removed the arrow. He screamed in pain.
« Forgive me, Master, but it had to be done. It was the only way. Do you have any medicines? »
« Wait! I know the Magecraft that can heal me, but it will take a while for it to effect. You have to protect me. »
« Don't worry, Master. That son of a bitch will regret attacking Caesar! »

Alessandro Serpi and Saber by Bikowolf