The dim light flickered once… twice… then blazed to life as the summoning circle ignited with ethereal brilliance. Crimson and indigo runes danced like living fire around the edges, humming with arcane energy.
After a few tense seconds, the center of the circle rippled like water—and out stepped a towering figure. A burly man, wrapped in a tattered black cloak, his short, abyss-black hair casting a harsh contrast against the glow. His body was broad and rugged, marked with the scars of countless battles, and his eyes—those deep, emotionless voids—locked immediately onto the small figure in front of him.
A girl.
Tiny, with brown hair tied into bouncy pigtails and dressed in a too-formal red blouse, she beamed at him with the smug pride only a child genius could radiate.
"Ha! I did it! All that talk Dad said about it being difficult—all talk!"
She threw her arms in the air with dramatic flair, completely unaware—or perhaps uncaring—of the immense pressure the man exuded.
The summoned warrior, however, said nothing. His eyes scanned the room. It was lined wall-to-wall with ancient relics, gemstones, scrolls bound in cursed leather, and a library of tomes that whispered softly to themselves. Where he stood, the summoning circle still pulsed faintly beneath his heavy boots.
The tension broke as he muttered under his breath.
"Tohsaka Rin… Ahh. So I've finally made it to Fuyuki."
His voice was a low rumble, barely audible, but laced with a strange tone—nostalgia, maybe even amusement.
This was no ordinary Berserker. He was a man reborn. A soul transplanted into this chaotic world, one not originally of it. His past life was a fragmented haze of blood and fire, of betrayal and vengeance. His name in that life… long lost. But now?
Now, he went by Guts.
Rin tilted her head, watching him curiously.
"Hey! I'm your Master now, okay? So you better obey me, Saber!"
He blinked, slowly turning his head back to her, face blank.
"…No."
"W-What?!" Her voice jumped half an octave. "I'm your Master! Why won't you obey me!?"
He crossed his arms. "I'm not a Saber. I'm a Berserker."
"…Wait." Rin's brows furrowed as she studied him again. "Black hair… eyes like the abyss… your body's covered in scars… Are you actually… Saten!?!"
Guts just stared.
"What…?"
Her eyes widened dramatically. "It is you! By the power of my Command Seal, I order you—do not condemn my soul to the fiery pits of hell, or perform any occult activities, including but not limited to ritual sacrifices! The power of seals compels you! 100% MAXIMUM! No chill!"
The Command Seal on her hand erupted with red light, binding the contract. A pulse of energy surged through Guts' core. His eyes widened—not from pain, but sheer disbelief.
"You… You imbecile," he said slowly. "You just wasted a Command Seal."
"Wasted?" Rin folded her arms with the air of a warlord. "More like securing my safety. I've seen enough anime to know where this goes."
Guts stared, deadpan.
"You are the most reckless person I've met in my entire life," he muttered.
She smiled sweetly. "Thanks."
Before he could reply, a voice rang from just outside the room.
"Rin, what are you doing in the storage room?"
Rin jumped. "Ah! Father—look!"
The door creaked open, and in stepped a tall man with sharp features, brown hair neatly parted down the middle, and a well-groomed beard. His eyes flicked from his daughter to the imposing figure standing behind her.
Tohsaka Tokiomi's brow twitched.
"…Rin," he said carefully, "why is there a half-naked, war-scarred man standing in my summoning circle?"
"Because," Rin said proudly, "I summoned my Servant! He's definitely a Saber though."
Tokiomi looked at the man again. Guts stared back with the unblinking calm of a battle-hardened soldier. Something primal stirred in the magus's spine.
"…What class is he?" Tokiomi asked, voice lowering with concern.
"Saber!" Rin chirped.
"Berserker" guts responded.
There was a long silence.
"…"