Fate / Chronos

Chapter 2: A Fateful Encounter

I arrived in Fuyuki about an hour ago. It's almost midnight - the flight having taken nearly eleven hours. I used that time to refresh my knowledge on general history and going through the most known historical figures. There was a lonely king who collected all the treasures the world had to offer, a conquering king who journeyed east, an emperor who built a vast empire, an ideal king who sacrificed his own humanity for his people, and a holy maiden that gave her very life for the sake of her country.

The latter was betrayed and labeled a heretic. A selfless person that was consumed by a cruel world. Poor girl.

In a Holy Grail War, knowing the identity of an enemy Servant can give you a huge advantage over them since you can discover their weakness in their history or legend. At any rate, fighting a Servant on your own is highly dangerous if not suicide. Hence why taking out the Master is the quickest and easiest way.

I booked a hotel where I will store my gear while I'm staying in Fuyuki. After all, it's not guaranteed that whoever this illusive client is will contract me to help him in the war. All I have to do right now is to wait for this person to show up here and give them the relic.

The docks are abandoned right now. I stand on the edge, looking out towards the sea as the cool breeze goes by and the waves crash against the land. It's pretty quiet. These calm moments where I'm all alone put my mind at ease and almost make me forget the past in this tranquility.

...

I've been waiting here for over an hour now. Where the hell is my client? Patience is a virtue but it has its limits.

Luckily, there was a phone number deposited in the file that I could call, so I whip out my phone and select the contact. My phone is one of the newer models to help me with the logistic side of this business. I used to have personal data on it such as pictures but those are all gone now.

"The number you're calling is invalid," is the only thing I can hear from an automated voice on the other end. I end the call with slight irritation.

Something is very wrong here. The contracts from the Mage's Association are always legit.

My eyes dart over my surroundings, carefully eyeing every possible hiding spot in the vicinity. I look toward the narrow walkways between the storehouses, the top of the stacked containers, and the crane that is used to move them around but there seems to be no one present. Still, I can't be careful enough, seeing that my client seems to have bailed out. I call the person who got me this job in the first place, Lord El-Melloi II. It's afternoon over there in London so he should still be at the Clock Tower.

The phone rings for a few moments before he picks up, "Hello?"

"It's me. Zayne." I reply.

"I'm really busy here, what do you want?" Lord El-Melloi II says snarky and to the point, just as he always does.

"I'm in Fuyuki now and the client of the job you got me yesterday isn't showing up," I state, letting my gaze wander in case someone shows up.

"What are you talking about? I didn't give you any jobs yesterday," he responds.

"Of course you did!" I protest. "You literally came to the lounge in person to hand me the damn file!"

"And I'm telling you that I didn't," he sighs. "Look, I'm really busy right now, so I'm going to end the call."

Before I'm able to interject, he hangs up. I put my phone away in frustration.

"Great, now what?" I silently curse to myself.

I reach into my bag and take out the file in the hopes that I can find something there. Upon opening it, however, I freeze as I discover that all the pages are blank. Then, they just vanish into thin air before my own eyes, leaving a flower with pink petals and a yellow center.