Fate/Eva Frankenstein

"...H■□₩◇s F%e|..."

—???

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Chapter 6: Kizcrud history.

Pov. Third person.

The core vibrated with a vivid, almost hypnotic light. Eva, still panting slightly from the battle, cautiously approached the large circle carved into the stone.

Her footsteps echoed like muffled echoes in the vast underground cavern.

In front of her, the glass capsules contained the girls, aligned like the vertices of an impossible formula.

Her eyes scanned the sleeping silhouettes one by one. The bodies floated in suspension, as if in dreams that would never awaken.

A shudder ran through her.

Then a familiar voice, refined and calm, broke the silence:

"Splendid, isn't it?"

Eva turned sharply.

Benedict Kizcrud was there, standing next to one of the carved columns, as if he had emerged from the shadow itself.

His clothes were still immaculate, his hair neatly arranged. He seemed out of place in that unnatural underground chamber, like a figure plucked from another world.

"You...!!!" Eva asked in a low but furious.

"And you," he said with a friendly smile despite the other party's animosity, "you really never cease to amaze. I didn't expect that in a few hours you'd not only get them back on their feet but would rush to confront me...how cool."

"...or stupid, you should have left while you could."

"¡¡¡Not without Anna, or the other girls!!!- he shouted while swinging his mace and a lightning bolt rushed towards where Benedict was.

"Bloc" unperturbed, just extended his hand and an air barrier intercepted the attack of her.

For a moment, the two stared at each other: he with seriousness, she with fierceness.

However, in the end, Benedict regained his calm demeanor and took her arm.

"Please let's avoid fighting yet, after all...you still don't know why I'm doing this, right? Aren't you curious about the dying?

Eva didn't say anything, but she didn't attack immediately either: she was curious, but simply... in the sense that she wanted to know why she was going to kill him.

Benedict, taking her silence as an affirmative sign, began by pointing to the large formula in the center of the cavern.

"This is the reason, the culmination of my research, the chrysalis of resurgence, and from which I will fulfill my familiar's wish."

Eva watched him with growing tension.

And it was then that Benedict took a step back and raised a hand, as if starting a class.

"The Kizcrud family, for centuries, followed the same path as all magi: Creating a path to the Root. The Akasha."

"..."

"But generation after generation... we found only frustration.

Our methods: insufficient.

Our resources: paltry.

Our blood... decaying."

His tone grew drier, more bitter.

"With each heir, the Magic Circuits diminished. Hopes diluted.

Until only despair remained."

Eva barely moved. She listened, tense.

"We tried everything. Experimentation. Alliances. Sacrifices. But our decline didn't stop. And then... my father traveled to the East. To an island, Japan if I'm not mistaken."

There, three families: Tohsaka, Makiri, and Einzbern... performed a ritual.

Benedict smiled with a hint of irony.

"It wasn't called that yet, but circumstances gave it a name that would endure:

"The Holy Grail War."

Eva frowned, her mind processing those words.

"War... of the Holy Grail?"

Her voice was barely a whisper, but deep within her soul something stirred.

Something greater than Benedict. Something older.

And in the center of the cavern, the ritual core vibrated once more.

Benedict remained silent for a few seconds after mentioning the Holy Grail War.

His gaze was lost in the light of the vibrating core, as if remembering something very distant.

Then, without Eva asking, he continued.

"My father was invited by chance."

"Despite our almost extinct status, the Kizcrud still retained a certain reputation among some minor European lines. And so, we were invited to participate as assistants in the preparation of that ritual."

—It was supposed to be a collaboration.

A joint project between three of the founding houses: Tohsaka, Makiri, and Einzbern. And four other guests. Mine was among those guests.

The goal was clear: to activate the Holy Grail.

A cluster of pure magical energy, condensed into a miracle. An artifact... capable of granting wishes.

Eva frowned, but didn't interrupt.

"The only price," Benedict continued calmly, "was the sacrifice of seven spiritual entities. The Ghost Liners.

Copies constructed from magical energy of heroes of the past, called from the Throne of Heroes.

The Servants.

And each one was to be bound to a Master, who would serve as an anchor, feeding it with their energy."

He briefly closed his eyes, as if remembering the tales clearly.

"At first, everyone worked together. Until they understood the truth."

A short laugh escaped her lips.

—Only one would obtain the wish.

And then, the cooperation ended. Betrayal arose. Ambition. Blood. The name "Holy Grail War" was born with the first murder.

He opened his eyes again. His gaze burned with a mixture of longing and anger.

"But my father… he saw something else. While the others were consumed by desire, he became obsessed with the structure. The system itself. The arcane design. The delicate balance of lines, of pure energy. He saw it… and understood."

He took a few steps toward the core, the blue light reflecting in his eyes.

"For him, it wasn't a grail. It was a key. A guide. A formula. The answer our family had sought for generations."

His voice lowered, as if revealing a secret.

"Secretly, and at the risk of offending the hosts, he drew up a plan.

Incomplete.

Crude.

But functional.

Enough to replicate the design on a small scale.

Enough to dream."

Eva remained motionless, silent, listening. Still.

"When he escaped, pursued by those who didn't want that knowledge to leak out, all he took with him was that schematic."

Benedict lowered his gaze, his expression more severe.

"After that, everything changed. Our resources, our time, our lives… were devoted to replicating the Holy Grail."

"There were failures. There were deaths. But also, hope."

"For three decades, we perfected the system. We thought we had succeeded."

Their eyes fixed on the core thrumming before them.

"But in the end… all we achieved was a shadow."

A clumsy echo of the original.

"It doesn't grant wishes. It can't even sustain the summoning of a mid-rank Ghost Liner. It can barely hold off one of the lowest rank, and only for a few minutes before collapsing."

"Our efforts…were worth less than nothing."

Benedict's voice no longer held enthusiasm.

Only a dry calm.

"That revelation…killed my father. Not immediately, but slowly. First it broke him from within. Then from without. And when he died…the family dissolved."

"Some ran away. Some committed suicide. Some renounced sorcery."

Eva was barely breathing.

"And I..."

"I stayed."

"The last Kizcrud."

He looked up at the stone ceiling, as if talking to someone who was no longer there.

"I could have followed his path: surrendered and forgotten," he said, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again, his Mystic eyes active and giving his gaze a blue, ethereal glow. "But I chose… to move forward. Because even though our Grail was flawed… I saw another possibility."

And his eyes burned again.

"But then… something changed."

"My obsession didn't end with my father's death. On the contrary, it became mine. I swallowed our defeat and turned it into drive. I asked myself a question: What if the Grail… had another purpose?"

So I investigated. I searched through hidden documents and even guided myself by ancient rumors.

I delved into the origins of the ritual.

And I figured it out.

It was obvious, if you think about it carefully.

What was the true purpose of the ritual?

Not desire…not war…but the obsession of one of the founding families.

The Einzberns.

For generations, the Einzbern had fanatically pursued the reconstruction of the True Magic they had lost: the Third Magic.

Heaven's Feel.

Materialization of the soul.

I didn't understand all the details, not then. But I understood something fundamental:

When a soul materializes, it achieves eternity.

The human soul, stripped of its body, cannot remain on this plane. It disperses, dilutes, and ends up being dragged back into the vortex of the Root.

That is its natural destiny.

But if the soul is materialized…

If it becomes something tangible…

…then it doesn't disappear.

It remains.

Eternal.

A vessel without time limits. An immortal body, not because of regeneration or magical energy… but because its essence can no longer be dissipated.

A soul that does not return to the Root.

A soul that does not die.

"That became my goal," Benedict said, his voice beginning to take on a strange quality, a subtle echo of exaltation, almost… madness. "Once I understood… I no longer had myself."

"Since I had no better foundation, I took the core we had created—that failed product—and studied it. I dissected it. I rebuilt it."

"I modified its lines. I changed its purpose. I rewrote its reason for being."

"It took years of work… but I achieved it."

His eyes shone with boundless pride.

"I'd even say I've surpassed any achievement the Kizcrud before me."

He face reflected morbid satisfaction.

"And now... now that the core has been fueled for over a decade by the pure energy of the Ley Lines in this region..."

A pause. A crooked smile.

"...it's only a matter of hours. Hours until my greatest wish is granted."

There was a silence as thick as fog for a second.

Then Eva's voice broke through. Harsh, furious, fiery.

"Then what's the point?"

Benedict blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"Why kidnap these girls?!" Eva cried, her fist trembling as she gripped the handle of the Bridal Chest tightly. "So far, you haven't given a single reason for that. Not a single reason why I shouldn't finish you off right now!"

The tension in the air became almost unbearable. But Benedict simply laughed. A low, vicious sound.

"Ah... right. I haven't explained it to you yet."

He gently gestured toward the capsules surrounding the core.

"You see… the more I immersed myself in the principles of the Third Magic, the more I understood an unquestionable truth:

"Why settle for eternity?"

"No. No. I wanted more."

His eyes shone.

"It had to be something more."

"Perfect. Beautiful. Absolute."

He spoke with an almost religious fervor.

"I wanted a completely pure incarnation… in every sense. A soul without blemish. A body without history. An existence without sin."

He paused, as if that held metaphysical weight.

"But, knowing myself as I do…" He raised an eyebrow, without a hint of shame, "my soul is far from pure."

"And besides… I still wasn't sure my system could achieve it. Materializing a soul like mine? Doubtful. Unstable."

"So… I made modifications."

He raised a hand, as if presenting a work of art.

"I needed other souls."

"Raw material."

"Pure, young, malleable elements."

His voice became soft, almost reverent.

"And so... I chose these girls."

"Seven clean souls, unmarked by pacts or the degeneration of the magical lineage."

"Seven pillars... to stabilize my ascent."

"Or well..." Benedict looked up, as if suddenly remembering something. "Eight, to be more precise."

He snapped his fingers.

From the depths of the cavern, in the shadows, a chimera emerged, walking slowly. It was tall, deformed, with skin pale like hardened wax. In its arms, it carefully carried something... no, someone.

A girl.

The body was motionless. It wore a stained child's dress. Her long blond hair fell like a veil over her face.

Eva's eyes opened wide.

Her pupils contracted violently.

The electric buzz around his body died away in an instant, as if the very air had been sucked out of the world.

A deathly silence fell over the room. Not even the capsules seemed to vibrate.

"...Lilia?"

Her voice was a broken whisper. Not a question. A denial.

Benedict tilted his head, genuinely surprised.

"Do you know her?"

Eva didn't answer.

She was trembling.

There was a loud crack in his head.

And then he screamed.

"RAAAHHHH!!

A burst of electricity erupted from his body, illuminating the entire cavern like a flash of lightning.

The crystals vibrated. The lines of the ritual flickered as if responding to his rage.

Benedict, surprised by the sudden violence, took a step back, his expression tense. His cloak flapped in the electric wave, and the glare forced him to partially cover his face.

He tried to speak. Maybe to explain. Maybe to calm her.

But there was no time.

Eva launched herself at him like lightning.

Mace raised. Her face twisted with fury. Electricity coursing through her muscles like liquid fire.

She wanted to destroy him, annihilate him, kill him for even laying a hand on Lilia or any of these girls.

But before she could reach him, a new form emerged from the shadows on the side.

A chimera. Unlike the others.

The body of a lion, membranous bat wings, and multiple spider eyes scattered across its skull. The monster blocked her path with a dry roar.

It raised its wings and, with a single flap, unleashed a brutal gust of wind that threw Eva backward.

She rolled on the ground, instantly rising, gasping.

Its eyes glowed like red-hot coals.

"Stand back..." she muttered in a choked voice.

The creature didn't move.

He watched her.

Eva stared back at him with obvious murderous intent.

And in the midst of that clash of glances, the atmosphere seemed to vibrate.

From above, Benedict looked down at her.

His face, until now serene, wore a twisted expression.

There was no longer that air of gentle superiority, nor scientific fascination.

Only annoyance.

"Tsk... how annoying."

He made a brief gesture with his hand, and the chimera protecting the entrance stood firm, like a living wall between him and Eva.

"Are you really going to interrupt all this for a child?"

Eva didn't respond. Her breathing was shallow, her body tense, as if every muscle was ready to strike at the slightest provocation. Deecho wished he would give her a reason to attack.

"Hmph... good. I suppose you deserve a fuller explanation. You've come this far, after all. I hope... I'm not interrupted this time."

He took a few steps closer, the blue light of the core throbbing behind him.

"Do you know what those girls have in common? It's not their age. It's not their family." Not even their origin.

—It's what they carry inside.

He raised a hand, and one of the crystals to his right emitted a faint pulse. The girl inside floated, wrapped in that soft light, completely motionless.

"Some humans," Benedict continued, his voice lower but firm, "are born with what you might call… immortal souls."

"I don't mean this as a metaphor. I don't mean their will or their goodness."

"I mean something real. Technical.

Structural."

He paused, as if lecturing.

"Untainted souls. Unaltered by all evil. Immune to corruption."

"They are extremely rare. Exceptional."

"They embody an ideal that even most saints failed to achieve: the absolute absence of evil."

Eve barely blinked. Her eyes never left him.

"In modern magical theory, these souls are compared to angels."

"Not because they are powerful." But because they can't... sin.

"Evil doesn't exist for them. It simply doesn't fit into their structure."

He turned to Eve.

"That kind of soul is... perfect."

"Perfect as a vessel. As an anchor. As a foundation."

Her eyes now shone with a feverish intensity.

"It has nothing to do with their upbringing. Not even with their will. It's the internal makeup of their soul. As if they'd been molded by a capricious divinity who wanted to leave a fragment of Paradise in this world."

Eve clenched her fists. Electricity vibrating ever more intensely around her.

"And you... you took them... FOR THAT!!!"

"Of course."

Her voice no longer concealed anything.

"Do you really believe one can achieve true immortality, complete incarnation, using a vulgar foundation?"

"No. To build something perfect... you need perfect matter."

"Their souls aren't here to be sacrificed."

"They're here to be part of me."

Eve launched herself again with a scream. The Chimera stopped her again with its wings. I can only imagine Eva's hatred for that thing. As soon as she gets the chance, she'll kill her.

"You're going to use them! Absorb them! Is that what you're planning?!"

"Absorb is a rude word," he said with a tired smile. "I prefer… merge. Refine. Incorporate."

"They're people! Children!! They don't even understand what's going on!!!"

"That's why they're perfect!" he suddenly shouted, losing his composure. "Because they haven't been tainted by this world!"

"Because they are still what no one can ever be again: pure, untainted potential."

Silence.

Eva was trembling.

Her fury was no longer just electric.

It was ancient.

As if the world itself surrounded her to sustain her judgment.

She had been wrong to compare him to Victor: He made Victor look like a saint, and that said a lot.

Benedict looked at her, breathing faster, his figure barely vibrating under the pressure of the accumulated tension.

"Lilia…" Eva whispered. "You're not going to touch her."

"…not Anna, nor any of the others...I assures me of that."

The echo of her words floated in the thick air of the cavern. Eva didn't scream. She didn't tremble. She said it with an icy calm, more dangerous than any fury.

Benedict watched her silently. His expression hardened.

And then, slowly, his eyes narrowed.

A bitter, almost melancholic smile crossed his face briefly.

"Yes... I suppose you would say that. That's why you came. That's why you crawled through my halls. That's why you fought my creatures."

He paused. His voice grew softer, drier.

"It's a shame, a waste of such a fascinating soul. But it doesn't matter now."

He turned to the core, studied it for a moment, as if contemplating a promise.

"With my destiny so close... within my grasp..."

He looked back at Eva. Now her face was pure ice. Empty. Implacable.

"...I can afford to be merciful."

Eva adjusted her stance and tightened her grip on her weapon.

"...didn't you say that your family's wish was to reach the Root? What does that have to do with becoming Eternal?" Despite the tension, he couldn't help but ask that question.

"Oh, it's simple. Once time is no longer impeded by time, reaching the Root will no longer be a problem," he said simply. "Whether in a century or many... I will reach it eventually."

With that final statement, a silence fell between them.

He made a slight gesture with his fingers.

"Shalosh... Arba..."

The ancient names he gave them. Their numbers.

"Kill her."

The silence broke.

The chimera with the body of a lion, wings of a bat, and eyes of a spider roared as if given a divine command.

Its muscular body tore through the air with murderous speed, taking off from the ground like a gust. Its wings flapped violently, raising a wave of wind that forced Eva to squint.

The other chimera, a deformed, armored creature with gray skin and reinforced segments like an insect, carefully placed Lilia on the ground at Benedict's feet.

Its movements They were reverent, almost ceremonial… but as soon as they had accomplished their mission, they turned with a dry crunch, and launched themselves at Eva as well.

—GRAAAAH!!

Eva gripped Bridal Chest tightly, her knuckles turning white. A burst of electricity coursed through her body, sparking through her shoulders and spiraling down her arms.

She didn't say a word.

The lion chimera charged first, a brutal shadow wrapped in wings.

Eva dove to the side, rolling on the rough cavern floor as she felt the claws barely pass over her head.

Still moving, she twisted her body with momentum and launched an upward slash with Bridal Chest.

CRACK!

The hammer slammed into the chimera's flank, eliciting a furious screech.

It flew a few meters, bounced off one of the ritual stones, and landed with its wings spread, growling.

"They're stronger than before" she thought, seeing how it didn't fall easily.

The other creature didn't give her time to breathe.

Eve barely managed to turn when the second Chimera was upon her, a heavy mass of segmented muscle and limbs ending in black blades.

She leaped back, and the creature smashed into the spot where it had been a second before.

Zzzzzzzt.

A bolt of electricity shot from her mace, straight at the beast's face.

The impact was strong, but not lethal. The chimera staggered, one of its plates charred, but it kept moving forward.

Eva grunted. She bent her legs. And propelled herself forward.

She struck.

And struck again.

Harder and harder.

Electricity laced each impact like a violent heartbeat. One, two, three hammer blows shook the armored creature until, finally, one of the blows knocked it back against one of the natural columns.

But there was no time for more.

The roar returned. The mutant lion had recovered and was flying back at full speed. This time, not only were its claws extended, but its spidery eyes shone with a hypnotic glow.

Eva barely managed to protect herself.

The impact was brutal.

She was thrown several meters, colliding with one of the ritual's metal structures.

Sparks flew.

So did blood.

But she didn't get up weakly.

She stood up, shaking with fury.

Her eyes were filled with electricity. Her body vibrated.

"I won't let them touch anyone else!"

The lion charged again, faster.

But Eve didn't dodge.

She leaped forward.

Bridal Chest struck with all her fury.

The hammer connected directly with the beast's skull.

BOOOOM!

An electric crash resounded throughout the chamber. The floor shook.

The chimera fell.

And didn't get up again.

The other tried to lunge at her from behind.

But Eve already knew better.

She turned. And with a clean twist, she threw the mace directly at its face.

And then he spoke.

"Now... you're alone," he said, starting to run toward him. Mace in hand and ready.

Benedict said nothing.

Not a smile.

Not a grimace of annoyance.

Not a word of mockery.

He just looked at her.

But not at her.

Not directly.

His eyes rose calmly... and strayed somewhere beyond, behind Eva.

Eva's eyes widened.

She spun around with brutal swiftness, Bridal Chest raised, ready for another assault.

But she saw nothing.

"What the...?"

Then she felt it.

THMP!

A sharp, dry impact, straight to the chest.

It knocked her back half a step, and for an instant, air seemed to refuse to enter her lungs.

"G-gahk!"

She gulped, staggering.

But there was no time to catch her breath.

CRACK!

Another blow, this time to the side. It crushed her ribs with brutal force. Eva screamed, instinctively twisting to defend herself.

WHACK!

The third impact came from behind.

And then...

A storm.

Blows from every angle.

Fists, tentacles, blades, something.

But she still couldn't see anything.

There was no one.

"What's going on? Where is he?" she thought frantically, panic seeping between rage and pain.

Her eyes scanned the surroundings incessantly. The Bridal Casket twirled in the air, trying to hit something, anything, but found only emptiness.

The impacts didn't stop.

Her body shook, crackled with tension, electricity sparked around her, trying to defend herself, but it was useless if she couldn't see the enemy.

Eva fell to her knees.

Blood escaped from her mouth.

And Benedict, from above, only murmured, with an almost solemn calm:

"Ra'el is not a simple creature."

"Ra'el?! How?! When..."

Eva couldn't hold the thought as another disorientation struck.

Her words barely touched the air.

He is not a being born of flesh and blood... but of mist. A reflex, an idea... a mistake that learned to hide among the folds of the world. And now... it was right on top of you. Even if you couldn't see it.

Eva spat blood and gritted her teeth.

Her vision was blurred, but the fury still lingered.

"C..Coward!" she muttered in a whisper, barely audible between gasps. "Y..You don't show your face... like the disgusting monster you are!!"

Her arm trembled as she tried to rise, and the electricity surrounding her body flickered erratically, like a flame about to be extinguished.

She tried to stand, wobbly.

But then...

WHOOM!

An invisible tentacle shot through the air at supersonic speed, and before she could react, it struck her squarely in the abdomen.

CRACK!

The impact was brutal.

Eva was thrown through the air like a broken doll, tumbling through a pile of rubble and crashing into a stone column with a dull roar of pain and strained bones.

THUD!

The blow left a crack in the rock, and her body lay semiconscious, tilted on the ground amid sparks and dust.

For a moment, all was silent.

Only the distant echo of the core's throbbing and Eva's labored breathing.

Benedict watched her from above, his eyes narrowed.

Ra'el didn't make a single sound.

Only the stillness of the hunter who knows his prey still breathes… and that the hunt is not yet over.

With a harsh groan, Eva forced herself to stand again.

Her left arm hung uselessly at her side, like a dead weight. One eye, purple and swollen, could barely stay open. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, thick and hot.

Every breath was a stab. She knew, without needing to touch, that more than one rib was cracked… or broken.

Her right leg trembled, so she shifted all her weight onto her left, the only one that still responded without wavering.

And yet…

Her fingers closed around a bridal chest.

Her back straightened.

And her gaze, through her one good eye, burned.

It wasn't over.

This time it wouldn't end like this.

"You should stay on the ground," Benedict said, stepping forward and standing next to his creation.

"N-never..." he said in a weak voice before coughing up blood. "...th-those n- ...

She took a few steps before falling to her knees again. Her body was in bad shape, and she knew it. Any strength she'd regained after her last duel was gone.

But still, the challenge didn't disappear from her eyes. She wouldn't stay on the ground. At least not this time.

Benedict sighed, unsheathed the Sword of Paracelsus, and pointed it at Eva.

"...as you wish."

Wind began to gather around the tip of the dagger. A miniature whirlpool that grew larger with every second.

"...your name?"

"..." Eva just spat and glared at him.

"...too bad. I wish I knew your name so I could remember it."

Benedict looked at her sadly: like a child whose toy had broken.

"Goodbye... fascinating soul I once knew."

"Vortex..."

The whirlwind spun faster.

"...Forage!"

And it launched itself. Like a scything arrow, heading straight for Eva's heart. Instant death.

In Benedict's eyes, she was already dead: It was impossible to dodge a magical attack enhanced by the Sword of Paracelsus from this distance.

But then...

An imperceptible but clear smile formed on Eva's lips.

"I've got you..."

With a swift movement, despite her injuries, she raised her mace and placed it in front of the incoming attack.

"Bridal chest!"

Pick it up!!!

End of Chapter 6

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Okay, here's the chapter. See you next time. Sorry if the episode had almost no dialogue from Eva. See you.