An overwhelming, palpable tension reigned now as the freezing rain continued to fall on the girl. Still suffering from the violent blow he had received in the stomach, Mathias had taken several steps back, completely paralyzed by everything that had happened for several minutes. Before his eyes, two unknown and visibly superhuman beings were preparing to confront each other, in the middle of the garden in front of his house. Looking around better, Mathias could guess what a sort of huge translucent bubble had formed all around the house, completely isolating him from others in the neighborhood. Surely that which prevented the neighborhood from hearing and seeing everything that was going on.

The young and beautiful woman who had saved Mathias took a few steps forward, her daggers and her chains ready.

_ "You won't touch this young human, Assassin. Not while I'm here." she said in her calm, threatening voice.

_ "In that case, Rider, I will be happy to make you my first victim in this new war ..." hissed the masked man with pronounced perfidy.

Assassin? Rider? A war? Once again Mathias was lost. These two seemed to know each other, but why were they called each other so?

After his threat, Assassin showed one of his arms from his tattered coat, revealing one arm larger and more monstrous than the other. He chuckled ominously, as a thick, ominous mist magically appeared, blanketing the area in seconds.

Rider stayed with Mathias, protecting him and staying on her guard, listening to every sound. The assassin was there, invisible in the nefarious fog he had just summoned, moving all around them to wait for the best way to attack.

_ "Master ... When I tell you, get down." Rider then said without losing her concentration.

_"What?" stammered Mathias, trembling with incomprehension.

_"Now!" she said suddenly louder, causing Mathias to react who then decided to obey and throw himself on the ground to protect himself.

At the same moment, dozens of black daggers sprang up from all sides from the mist, like a veritable shower of blades. But Rider had foreseen the blow, and in acrobatic movements faster and more incredible than the best athletes in the world, managed to deflect all the blades thanks to her chains which she whirled and slammed all around her like real whips. Not a single dagger managed to touch her, her or Mathias, and she came back to her feet, unperturbed. Mathias raised his head and opened his eyes, noting all the blades that lay on his lawn.

_ "Is that all you can do, Assassin? Show yourself and come face me, eye to eye." Rider said coldly, still alert.

_ "My domain is shadow, but also patience, Rider ..." Assassin's voice sneered slyly somewhere in the haze, like an echo, making it difficult to pinpoint his precise location. "Your Master's mana is so low ... He won't be able to strengthen you for long, and you will run out of your reserves very quickly. My Master was right to choose him first. The weak and ignorant don't have their place in a fight like this."

New blade came out of the mist towards Rider, who deflected it without problem with one of her chains, but suddenly she frowned, turning around towards Mathias, who with round eyes saw her give a very violent speed kick, just above his shoulder and next to his head. Just behind Mathias, Assassin became visible again and gave a groan of pain as he was knocked back by the blow.

With this stabbing, Assassin had tried to create a diversion long enough to cover himself with an invisible veil and come behind Mathias' back to kill him. Quite skillful for an assassin, but Rider hadn't let herself be fooled and again protected the young man behind her.

_ "It doesn't matter if he's weak or not. I took an oath a long time ago to protect him, and that's what I would do." Rider said.

Mathias looked at her, puzzled, but basically a little touched by these words. But who had she sworn to protect him? And why?

Assassin stood up nimbly, hinting at a slight annoyance at Rider's dexterity against his attempts. But he didn't give up, leaping again into the haze to hide and continuing to circle the duo to disorient them and take them by surprise. In order to confuse Rider and her senses even more, Assassin seemed to have multiplied several times, letting his evil sneer being heard but in several places at the same time. But where was the real one?

Mathias looked around, completely freaked out, but Rider by his side, still remained calm. With her eyes covered, the woman relied on her other overdeveloped senses, especially her hearing. She almost stopped breathing, focusing all her attention on the sounds and finding the position of the ghostly assassin.

_ "Got you ..." she breathed suddenly, turning her head in a specific direction in the mist. With mind-blowing speed, she leaped forward, almost chasing the mist away with the powerful impulse produced by her speed, and attempted to strike a thrust with one of her daggers, which in an explosion of sparks slammed against an Assassin blade that managed to hold on.

_ "Congratulations, you found me." he said.

A fierce duel ensued between the two entities now face to face. Mathias had come to take refuge near the door of his house, hiding behind and observing the combat of incredible violence. Rider's daggers and Assassin's blades clashed against each other in resounding steel clashes and flashes of sparks, the attack movements continuing swiftly, with no fighter managing to hit the other. Each had their own style. Assassin very often dodged the punches and tried to come behind his opponent to stab her each time, while Rider used her superhuman movement speed to run, her agility to move through the garden and deliver very fast blows.

_ "Enough, Assassin! That's enough. At this rate, we'll still be here at sunrise, and we have other things to do."

The unknown male voice that had just spoken made the masked assassin stop immediately in the fight, the latter becoming liable again and stepping back. Seeing him do it, Rider remained in her defensive position, ready to block or attack.

Slow claps of hands, like someone clapping, were heard, and a dark figure, face hidden under a hood, emerged from the night into the street in front of the house. The latter was quickly joined by Assassin who teleported and immediately reappeared at his side, doing nothing but waiting. Mathias, seeing that the fight had abruptly ended, stepped outside and gazed suspiciously towards this new unknown form. Rider joined him, and as usual, was very protective of him, gesturing for him to stay behind her just in case.

_ "Well, well, my congratulations my dear Mathias Heisenberg ..." declared the mysterious stranger who seemed to control the masked assassin. "For someone with such pitiful mana, you managed to survive that first fight of this war. I would say it's more cheeky beginner's luck, but I have to admit your Servant is formidable."

Servant? Another term that Mathias did not understand but which seemed to designate Rider, just as the word Master seemed to designate him. But what was most disturbing was that this person seemed to know him, although he had never heard that voice in his life, or he couldn't remember it.

_ "Who the fuck are you? And what do you want from me?!" asked Mathias, at the end of his patience.

_ "Hehe, that's what I thought, you're just a young ignorant who has no idea what he's just stepped into ..." declared the stranger in a very haughty tone and superior, which made him even more hateful. "Do you think everything revolves around you? But you will quickly realize that we are nothing compared to the stakes in what is to come ... I will be kind and spare you for this time. See you soon, young fool ... Oh, and you will say to your dear grandfather, that I salute him."

With these words which left Mathias confused, the stranger and the assassin both walked away, disappearing into the mist and the night. The invisible bubble which surrounded the house vanished, as if it had never been there, and making disappear this unpleasant feeling of confinement.

He had just spoken of his grandfather, so he knew him too ... Really, Mathias's brain was totally confused by this flood of information that came to him.

Returning to his living room, lost in thought, he realized that this woman, Rider, had followed him and was looking at him without saying a word. Although he didn't know what she was, he didn't want to be ungrateful to her either.

_ "Listen ... I ... uh ... I wanted to thank you for ..."

His words were cut off when she came to him, grabbing him abruptly and starting to lift his shirt to see underneath, turning him in all directions, checking every part of his body without giving him time to act.

_ "Hey! But ... hey ... W ... Wait ... but ... stop! What are you doing?" he asked.

_ "I am checking that you are not injured." she replied stoically. "Luckily, no bones or vital organs appear to have been damaged."

_ "Ah yeah, what luck ..." Mathias breathed, stepping back a little with irony in the voice, trying to take a few seconds to come and think about everything that had just happened, without managing to find the slightest beginning of an explanation as much it was surrealist.

He turned, to see that the woman was walking into the living room, coming to examine and touch everything she could see, looking intrigued by modern objects like the flat screen television or the CD player with all the music albums stored on a shelf. She also acted almost like a guard checking to see if a place was safe. She threw a quick glance at the cat Cleo which showed itself to her, and this one did not seem afraid by the presence of this woman, even coming up to her and rubbing against her legs while purring, which she let it do.

_ "Ok, I really thank you for saving my life, but damn it, you're gonna tell me who you are!" Mathias asked nervously.

_ "I am your Servant, and you are my Master." she said, as if it was something trivial.

_ "Well, ok, but what does that mean exactly?" Mathias insisted heavily, rubbing his hands over his face and huffing hard so as not to go mad. "Everything is going way too fast. I just got attacked in my backyard and saw things that aren't even meant to exist. So explain it to me, before I get mad!"

The woman remained completely calm, not intimidated by the sudden voice of the young man, but decided all the same to provide him with the explanations he asked for.

_ "I am a Servant of the Rider class, but my real name is Medusa." she said to begin.

_ "M ... Medusa? You mean ... like the Medusa from Greek mythology?"

She nodded softly, which left Mathias even more stunned than he already was, but guessed in her expression that she was more than serious. She spoke again.

_ "I am a reincarnation of what is called a Heroic Spirit, an entity summoned thanks to the mana of a mage linked to a powerful and ancient artifact, making it possible to bring back to life the spirits of heroes and great figures who have marked the history of this world. As for you, Mathias, you have been chosen to take part in the Holy Grail War."

_ "The Holy Grail War? But what is this delirium?" asked Mathias, who had to sit down on a chair so as not to fall backwards.

_ "Every 60 years, a brutal and merciless competition takes place between seven mages, who with the help of heroic spirits fighting at their side, will wage a merciless war from which only one winner will emerge. winner of this fight will then be able to say his dearest wish to the ultimate reward: the Holy Grail. You were chosen by the Grail, Mathias, just as I answered his call when you uttered the incantation to bring in here."

It was really a crazy story, Mathias thought, but after what he had just seen, he didn't really know what to think.

_ "But ... this is completely ridiculous! First, I'm not a mage, and second, I never had any wishes, so why designate me as a volunteer? It doesn't make sense!" Mathias insisted, in total denial.

Rider, or Medusa as she was really supposed to be called, calmly approached Mathias, until she leaned over and brought her face closer to his. Mathias blushed and swallowed.

_ "And yet, the Grail is never wrong ..." she said. "If you had no real wish, even the smallest one buried deep in your heart, the Grail would never have chosen you. And if you had no magic, I could never have been summoned, and yet I am here. You are a mage, Mathias, and I am here to help you win this war and get the victory."

_ "I ... but no, I ..."

Mathias wanted to deny it, again and again, refusing to recognize such a thing which seemed impossible to him. But suddenly a terrible headache and fatigue overtook him, making him wince and wobble from his chair. But luckily Rider supported him, putting his arm over her shoulder. Delicately, she put her hand on the young man's chest, as if to check his heartbeat.

_ "Your mana reserve was already low, and my summoning has almost drained you entierely. You absolutely need to rest and regain your strength." Rider said.

Seeing that Mathias could barely stand and remain conscious, she took him in her arms, lifting him as if he weighed nothing, and went up the stairs to take him to his room.

She gently put him on his bed and put the blanket over him, already seeing that he had fallen asleep. The too much thrill and involuntary invocation had been too much for him, his brain and body had to take rest.

Rider stood for a moment in the dark of the room, watching Mathias sleep.

_ "Sleep, Master, I will watch over you tonight." she said softly.

She then turned her thoughtful attention to the bedroom window, through which came the silvery rays of the moon already high in the night sky. The young woman then took the opportunity to remove the blindfold she had over her eyes, and finally be able to look with her own eyes on this night which brought back very distant memories.

Her thoughts turned to her, hurt and weakened by a very long and violent fight, in the midst of burning ruins. On her knees, panting and bleeding in several places, she lifted her head as a young man, limping and also injured, came up to her, falling to his knees in front of her.

_ "I ... I'm so sorry, Rider ... I wish I could have allowed you to grant your wish ..." moaned the injured young man, coming to put his hand delicately on her cheek.

_ "You ... You don't have to apologize, Master ... It's ... it's me who didn't measure up ... Because of me, we all have the two stranded ..." Rider growled in sadness, blaming herself as she gritted her teeth and a tear came falling from under her blindfold. "May you forgive me one day ..."

_ "It's already done ... my dear friend ..." said the young man in a friendly way, while little by little, Rider began to evaporate herself in thousands of small mana dust which were quickly dispersed in the air, leaving the young man alone, hurt and defeated.

Rider opened her eyes again, coming out of a distant painful memory that made her express a very slight expression of melancholy before turning neutral again. She put her blindfold on again and returned her attention to Mathias who was asleep.

_ "This time, I will not disappoint you, Master." she said firmly.