Fate: Edmund

Inside the cabin hidden in the forest, Waver Velvet remained seated with his elbows resting on the table, his gaze fixed on the wooden floor, lost in deep thought.

Now that everyone knew the identity of his Servant, he realized he would have to rethink his strategy. He needed to find a way to turn that revelation into an advantage, but every scenario he imagined led to the same outcome: imminent danger.

On the other side of the table, Rider was lounging in his chair with a completely opposite attitude. His feet were propped up on the table, his hands interlocked behind his head, and an expression of pure carelessness on his face.

The sight of his Servant so completely relaxed, in the midst of such a critical situation, made Waver feel a surge of frustration.

"Get your feet off the table and sit properly!" Waver exclaimed, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and anxiety.

Perseo opened one eye and looked at his Master with a mocking smile. Without moving, he simply replied calmly.

"Relax, Waver. It's not healthy to stress so much about the battle. Everything will work out in due time."

But Waver couldn't relax. The tension consumed him. All of this was Rider's fault and his damn idea of putting on a "show" at the docks. Now, everyone knew that his Servant was Perseus, the hero who defeated Medusa. He brought both hands to his head, feeling overwhelmed.

"Because of you, we're now in everyone's sights," Waver murmured in a reproachful tone.

Perseus, noticing his Master's concern, lowered his feet from the table and observed him curiously. Then, in a more serious tone, he spoke.

"You know, Waver... this is the first time I've seen a man try to become someone through his own efforts. Not like me."

Waver looked up at his Servant, confused.

"The gods gave me everything," Perseus continued with a faint, melancholic smile. "I was never a hero by my own merits. They gave me tools, they gave me protection, they gave me a destiny. Sometimes I think I was just entertainment for them."

Silence filled the room. Waver felt a knot in his stomach. His fists clenched on the table. Finally, after a long moment, he spoke in a trembling voice.

"I'm no different from you."

Perseus blinked, surprised by the response.

"Without Edmund's help, I wouldn't even have the relic to summon you. Without him, I wouldn't have had access to all the information he provided. Without him, I wouldn't have the ampoules or the ritual dagger to break contracts. And without him... maybe I wouldn't even have participated in this war."

Waver's voice faded into a whisper. His dark, lost gaze reflected the harsh reality he had just come to accept.

Perseus watched him in silence, until finally, he offered a calm smile.

"I'm glad to hear that."

Waver looked at him in surprise.

"That means we have something in common. Without the gods, I wouldn't have defeated Medusa. And without Edmund, you wouldn't have me. What matters isn't that we received help, but what we do with it."

Perseus tilted his head and smiled confidently.

"We're not so different, Waver. Except that you, unlike me, truly want to become someone by your own means. That's something I respect and admire. So don't let your friend's help make you feel like you're less."

Waver felt his eyes grow moist. He pressed his lips together, trying to hold back his emotions.

But before a tear could escape, a chill ran down his spine.

The magical barrier surrounding the cabin trembled. A hostile presence had entered the forest. Waver felt panic surge through him and turned his gaze in horror toward Perseus.

"Someone crossed the barrier," he said in a low voice.

The magical defenses provided by Edmund allowed him to detect the presence. Waver felt multiple layers of protection crumbling rapidly.

Perseus rose from his chair, his calm expression vanishing in an instant.

"It seems we have a visitor."

Without wasting a second, Waver rushed to his room. He knew the ampoules that would temporarily enhance his magical circuits were in his suitcase. He would need them if he was going to take part in the battle.

Perseus, for his part, stepped out of the cabin with a determined expression. In one fluid motion, he extended his hand and materialized his Noble Phantasm: Harpe, the same sickle-shaped sword he had used to behead Medusa.

"Let's see who had the audacity to come here," he murmured to himself before leaping in the direction of the intrusion.

Kiritsugu moved with precision through the shadows of the forest. From his strategic position, he observed the unfolding of his plan. It wasn't him who had breached the front line of the forest where Waver Velvet was hiding, but his Servant: Saber.

Arturia advanced at full speed, shattering every barrier in her path with precise strikes from her sword cloaked in Invisible Air. The magic of the defenses dissipated in flashes of light as she progressed, her expression unyielding and her heart burning with contained fury.

The humiliation she had suffered at the docks, losing her arm to Lancer, still weighed heavily on her conscience. Being forced into a retreat was a mark of dishonor she could not allow. Although Irisviel had healed her wound with Avalon, the memory of defeat burned in her chest.

"This time... I will not fail," she told herself. Her fists gripped the hilt of her invisible sword even tighter. Her mission was clear: to prove to her Master that she could be a reliable weapon in the Holy Grail War.

However, for Kiritsugu, her honor held no importance. Saber's obsession with the code of chivalry was an obstacle to him. When she promised him that she would defeat Lancer the next time they faced each other, Kiritsugu was unimpressed. His priority was to eliminate the competition efficiently, and tonight's target was not Lancer.

"No. Tonight, we're not going after Lancer," he had said coldly, cutting her off. "Our target is Rider."

The decision had already been made. Through her connection to the Grail, Irisviel had traced magical remnants left by Rider the previous night. Perseus had been careless. Though his magical traces were subtle, they weren't faint enough to evade detection by a mage as experienced as Irisviel. Maiya had also been key—she had observed where Rider had gone after his retreat on Pegasus. Combining all these clues, Kiritsugu had accurately deduced where his Master and Servant were hiding.

"Rider fled into the forest. Not the Einzbern forest, but the one on the other side," he explained to Saber as they prepared their attack.

Saber had nodded silently, without questioning the strategy. Now, she was darting like an arrow through the tall, dense trees, her speed causing branches to crack under her feet.

Beside her, Irisviel moved at a slower pace but with unwavering focus. Her gaze was fixed on the path ahead, her magic detecting any signs of resistance.

Kiritsugu, from a distance, maintained his watch. He moved through the underbrush like a predator, alert to any hint of danger. His rifle was ready in his hands, his cold eyes analyzing the battlefield.

"Irisviel and Saber will storm the cabin and draw Rider's attention. Meanwhile, I'll infiltrate and eliminate his Master."

The plan was in motion. As Saber destroyed the last barriers, Waver's cabin came into view in the distance, hidden among the dense trees of the forest.

The confrontation was inevitable.

Rider caught sight of Saber rapidly approaching the cabin. Her presence was imposing, her knightly aura radiating determination. Rider smiled, adjusting his grip on his sword, Harpe.

Saber saw him too and, without hesitation, came to a halt. She raised her invisible sword and pointed it directly at him.

"This is your end, Rider," she declared firmly.

Perseus flashed a confident smile. "We'll see about that."

Saber was the first to move. In an instant, she closed the distance between them with impossible speed, her sword raised for a lethal strike. Rider reacted just as quickly, sidestepping with an agile movement and countering with an upward slash of Harpe.

But Saber had already anticipated his move. She pivoted gracefully, evading the blade with fluid elegance, and responded with a fierce thrust. Rider barely managed to avoid the strike, bending his body at the last moment.

The clash of their weapons echoed through the forest, the flashes of their steel illuminating the darkness of the night. Their movements grew faster, more aggressive. The stray slashes of their swords sliced through the surrounding trees, sending splinters and leaves flying into the air.

Meanwhile, Kiritsugu moved stealthily through the underbrush, stopping abruptly as the sounds of combat reached his ears. He quickly activated his earpiece communicator and contacted Maiya, who was positioned on the other side of the forest.

"Maiya, do you have a visual on the cabin?" he asked with his characteristic coldness.

"Negative," she replied in a low voice. "I'm still moving into position."

"Hurry. The fight is drawing too much attention. We need to locate the Master before things get complicated."

At the same time, Irisviel was rapidly approaching Saber. Her gaze caught sight of the cabin in the distance, partially hidden by the dense vegetation.

"Kiritsugu, the cabin is close. It's less than a hundred meters from Saber's position," she reported through the communicator.

Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes. "Understood. Stay with Saber. Maiya, get as close as you can and wait for the order to attack."

As the strategists moved their pieces, the battle between the Servants reached a new level of intensity.

Saber, frustrated by her inability to quickly overpower Rider, increased the ferocity of her attacks.

Her strikes became more aggressive, each thrust charged with the weight of her determination.

The speed of her sword was devastating, a whirlwind of invisible steel cutting through everything in its path.

Rider began to sweat. Saber was ramping up the pressure, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to dodge her blows without taking damage.

"Well, well..." he muttered to himself as he sidestepped a downward slash that split a tree beside him. "This is getting dangerous."

He knew he couldn't keep avoiding her attacks for much longer. If he didn't act quickly, Saber would eventually find an opening.

With a nimble leap backward, he created distance between himself and his opponent. Then, without wasting a moment, his body glowed with a faint golden light as a new energy enveloped him.

In the blink of an eye, Harpe disappeared from his hand and was replaced by another Noble Phantasm: the Winged Sandals of Hermes.

The air pressure shifted. Rider's magical aura intensified as his feet hovered slightly above the ground, barely touching the grass.

He knew he couldn't overpower Saber with brute strength, but with speed, it was a different story.

"Well, let's see if you can keep up with me now," he said with a confident smile before diving back into the fight.