"Alright... there we go-" I stood up and dusted off my clothes, admiring my handiwork with curious eyes. "That looks good enough."
The finest product, the cheapest piece of chalk available in the first convenience store I came across, could produce was drawn out on the ground before me. It wasn't very pretty. My experience with the fine arts everyone admired for no apparent reason was limited to doodles and stickmen drawn on notebooks to pass the time during boring lectures.
It had taken more than a few tries, but I'd managed to draw it as instructed, close enough that I was unable to find any real difference between what was on the ground and on the paper in my hands.
Reeling in my excitement, I looked around at the empty parking lot once more, making sure I really was in a blind spot. Thankfully, surveillance technology was severely lacking in 2004 compared to what I was used to so it wasn't that hard to find one. Then, I brought my hands together and brought out the Divine Dogs just in case.
The two of them leapt from my shadow and stared at me curiously.
"Keep an eye out for people."
The white one growled before retreating into the shadows.
"That should be good enough."
I was on the roof of a parking lot, surrounded by empty sedans and vans with a star-filled night sky above. A chill wind began ruffling through my hair as I closed my eyes.
For the summoning ritual, I had to pour mana into it. The more mana I used, the better the outcome, or so I assumed at least. Summoning the Divine Dogs already gave me an inkling as to how the process went somewhat. Every time I summoned them, I felt some abstract part of myself being siphoned away to facilitate their arrival.
Hopefully, mimicking that and directing it to the summoning circle before me would be enough.
"Right then, let's get to it. Deep breaths."
I inhaled deeply, pushing away every useless thought in my head to focus on that deep well of power shifting and soaring at every beckoning. That was... was it mana? Was using mana supposed to be that easy? Where were my magic circuits?
At the hint of it, I felt the power rush to my fingertips.
When I tried to push it out, I felt my flesh singe, as if someone had taken a searing iron rod to different parts of my body. Grunting and hissing, I still refused to open my eyes. The discomfort was immense, but not totally unbearable. I did not like pain at all, and would avoid it if possible... but you just had to grit your teeth and take it sometimes if you wanted a good life.
The mana began coursing through my body, tracing along the pain. That was when, finally, I got the feeling that it was alright to let go.
When I opened my eyes, nothing had changed. Unable to restrain myself, I quickly rolled up my sleeves to take a look at what was causing me discomfort.
"These..."
Sukuna's marks.
That was what came to mind. Yet, I was still myself.
Wait, no, my ancestor was prone to doing absurdly childish things just because he thought they'd be cool. This was definitely the type of thing that man would do. Then, was this the so-called Crest? The completed pathogen?
I felt the vast mana thrumming through them, and the unfamiliar energy being funnelled in from the very air around me to join the flow. My body was rejecting the flow, and a kind of disgust welled up my throat.
It was dirty. What was in the air was dirty-
Slapping myself on the cheeks, I pushed out all those thoughts once again. I had something to do. Crouching down, I placed my hand against the base of the circle in attempt to be closer, and began pushing out as much 'mana' as I possibly could.
Nothing happened.
Why was nothing happening?
What could I have missed?
The chant. There was supposed to be a chant.
My face dropped immediately.
I did not remember that overly complicated chant at all. To begin with, I wasn't a magus at all either. This was my first time using mana, and even for that, it was only because my disbelief had long been suspended by Mahoraga nearly killing me moments after I woke up. Actually, I wasn't even sure if what I was using could be called mana.
Shirou had Rin to walk him through the basics... I had no one.
Sighing, I resorted to pushing even more mana into the circle.
"Come on, work already-"
Something clicked. I did not know what it was but it clicked. I felt my 'mana' course through the veins of the ritual drawn out upon the ground just as it lit up in azure. The light instantly became blinding, and I unwittingly shielded my eyes.
Honestly, I'd expected to summon some kind of monstrosity, or... at least a beautiful woman like Artoria or Rider. I was a man, after all. That was why the summoned servant ended up shocking me in an entirely different way.
"An old... man?"
Veritably, the servant stood before me was an unremarkable old man. His face was gruff and intimidating, sunk with age but still refined, and his swept-back hair had been dyed a graceful gray by time. I could not see his eyes because of the tinted tea glasses framing them, but his attention still made a shiver run down my spine.
Unremarkable though he seemed, I could not help but admire his sense of fashion. A maroon changshan, if memory served, that long robe one often saw in eastern, particularly Chinese, media. The slit by the legs opened to reveal loose dark trousers, and the sort of slippers all men with mothers feared.
"Kakakaka!" Instead of becoming upset, the old man laughed heartily at my words. When he was done, a faint smile tugged at the corners of his dry mouth, "An old man, huh? I suppose your words do have truth to them. Very well. Li Shuwen. I may be an old man with just his fists, but I'll be troubling you for a while."
This behaviour was... suspicious. He was talking like a secluded grandmaster from a Wuxia novel... just with a lot more tolerance towards disrespect.
"You're making a worried face. What? Are you afraid I won't be able to protect you?"
Though he seemed like a nice elderly neighbour, my entire being knew that this person was not a person at all, though I could not sense any danger from him whatsoever.
"I don't mean any disrespect... but I wouldn't feel right making an elderly person fight for me-" I had finally attained my freedom, I was not going to hold my thoughts to myself. Admittedly, the moment they left my mouth, I realised the sheer stupidity in them.
He made a surprised face, hands still behind his back. "I admit... I was not expecting such a sentiment from a magus."
His gaze went to the black wolf standing protectively in front of me.
"But it is a welcome one. If you find yourself doubting my strength, then I only need prove it in battle." He smiled thinly. "Now, master, I shall ask you a question. What is your wish for the Grail?"
At that, I realised I had no answer to give him, not only because I knew full well that the Holy Grail was corrupted and incapable of actually granting wishes, but because I truly could not think about a wish.
Money? Power? Women? Was that it?
I turned out... I did not yet know what I wanted.
"I see. That is fine too." Li Shuwen cleared his throat to bring me out of my thoughts. "To still be amidst finding yourself is an integral part of youth. Now that I have answered your summons, I will watch over that journey with you. What? No, don't make such a face. I shall enjoy this honour you've given me."
Hm, I'd just acquired the isekai old mentor who watched over the protagonist's journey.
"Do you think..."
"Hm?"
"Do you think I could call you old man Li?"
"Kakaka!" He laughed again, "Very well."
Then, the old man looked around. "I see that this is not the stage for the Holy Grail War. Will we travel by train?"
"How do you know about trains?"
"The Grail gives what it considers necessary for us to grow accustomed to the era we are summoned in. I won't trouble you for explanations."
"It wouldn't be trouble." I remarked absently as the Divine Dogs retreated into my shadows. Li observed the process with some interest.
"Very well then."
An old man... My servant was an old man. Well, this wasn't too bad. Someone like him surely had wisdom I could use.
"Oh right, I forgot to ask your class."
"Assassin."
Hm.
Wasn't that supposed to be the weakest class in terms of combat ability?
Well... I had time. The Ten Shadows, if tamed, could surely provide the edge in tandem with him. With that in mind, I began heading for Fuyuki, to a war between great heroes of legend. I could say I wasn't worried about myself at least, but the rule about not targeting masters was never respected in the anime.
So yes, I had some apprehensions, but I chose to keep them to myself lest I be forced to eat my words just later.
After all, my servant didn't seem the type to show off for no reason. His presence alone, however, made me feel at peace, and think that things would be alright somehow.
-
Hope you enjoyed.
Please comment so I can get my dopamine hit.
As per usual, you can find a couple chaps ahead at patre0n.com/Bleap
I don't recommend it rn.