[center][img]https://s21.postimg.org/e2epsdqtj/Header_3.png[/img] [h1][i][color=#0EB94D]Lancer[/color][/i][/h1] Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ [color=#0EB94D]#0EB94D[/color] [color=#FFFA90]||[/color] Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ [color=#FFFA90]#FFFA90[/color] [/center][hr] The radiant spear blurred forward, crossing space in an instant with overwhelming force. In that instant, Lancer's enhanced eyes could see clearly the outcome of the battle. A momentary look of shock, then dismay, and then finally, acceptance appeared upon the face of her adversary. He, who had been so sure of his victory, now had no choice but to accept his defeat. This Servant whose name she knew not... He had been a formidable opponent. If he'd gone all out, she had no doubt that she'd have been defeated utterly. However, his overconfidence had been his downfall, and now, perhaps her strongest enemy would fall before her, leaving her path clear to claim the Holy Grail! Yet at the exact moment her triumph should have been sealed, something changed. A momentary flicker of [i]something,[/i] and then... Gone. Archer was gone. In an instant, she knew what had happened. His Master, watching from somewhere distant, must have used a command spell so that he could escape his certain death...! She'd spared no effort and held nothing back, had delivered a blow with as much power as she could give it. He should have died, she should have won, and yet...! [color=#0EB94D]"DAMN IT!"[/color] She roared in rage as her spear returned to her hand, its power fading just as quickly as it had appeared. All of that effort, and for what?! She'd revealed her identity, had shown close to the full extent of her power, and her enemy had simply escaped?! Worse yet, he now knew not to underestimate her. The same trick wouldn't work again. She'd missed her one chance to defeat this enemy, and now... She wanted to scream, wanted to roar her rage to the night, wanted to unleash her power on something, anything, and tear it utterly apart to relieve her mind of this humiliation and failure! In an instant, the scales of fate had tipped away from her victory right before her very eyes, and there had been nothing she could do to stop it from happening. The odds had been snatched from her, and now... and now... She took a deep breath. No, she hadn't lost yet. She was getting ahead of herself. Just because the odds didn't look favorable didn't mean she'd suffer a repeat of her life's greatest disappointments. She could still grant her wish. She could still save him...! Her Master was watching. It was uncouth to be such a sore loser. It was regrettable that she hadn't killed her target, but nevertheless, she had demonstrated her full might for her Master's sake, and had won a glorious victory over a powerful adversary. Even if she hadn't ended his life for good... even if she hadn't returned bearing a prize for her master, that could not be helped. Perhaps he'd forgive her recklessness. So, her spear vanishing from sight, she gave one last glance towards where her enemy had disappeared, and then hastily leaped away, soaring across the sky and back to her Master's side... [hr] That night, Edward's mind would be filled with disjointed images. Eyes that were not his own, and a body that wasn't his watched as a life he shouldn't have known unfolded. Nine figures danced in the sky over a cloudy hill. A sword glistened within the darkness. And then... he met [i]her.[/i] [i]The radiant woman reached out her hand toward him, a gentle smile upon her face. She spoke his name, and in that instant, he was whole.[/i] The cries of men and ringing echoes of steel slowly drowned out the wind upon the hill. Sword clashed against sword amidst royal halls, fires burning brightly as the world seemed to come tumbling down. Warhorns resounded across countless battlefields, and toasts were drunk and oaths were sworn to glorious victory. Triumph, the royal crown, and a solemn procession. A ceremony of some kind, but before its nature could become clear, the images continued. Scene after scene appeared and receded just as quickly, but through all these moments, one thing held constant: [i]she[/i] was always there, by his side. A life not his own, yet as familiar to him as his own fondest recollections would flash before his mind, until in one instant, it was cut short by a lone enemy. And as he lay dying, the last thing he saw was... [i]The radiant woman clung tightly to his hand, tears streaming down her face. She cried out his name, but only silence answered her.[/i] As he woke, her screams of despair would still be ringing in his ears. [hr] Lancer sighed, staring once more over the edge of the balcony as the cool breeze washed over her, rustling the hem of the thin white silken bathrobe in which she'd draped herself. Her hair was still damp from her earlier shower, but she was too preoccupied right now to worry about drying it. Her arm had mostly healed, in that she was able to move it... but it still felt stiff and sore, reminding her of her close scrape with death the night before. The war had only just begun, and already, she'd been pushed this far... Inwardly, she cursed her misfortune. It was only to be expected that something like this would happen, but still... Biting down angrily on her thumb, she turned and shambled back into the apartment. Fretting about it wouldn't change anything. Maybe she'd go seduce her Master a bit to take her mind off her anxiety... Speaking of which, her dear Edward had been sleeping an awfully long time, hadn't he? Probably, his body was still trying to cope with the exertion of the last night's battle. A Noble Phantasm wasn't easy to power even with time to prepare, but she'd gone and used hers without even consulting him. She'd understand perfectly well if he was angry with her for that. Nevertheless... [color=#0EB94D]"Master?"[/color] She cooed quietly, creaking open the door and peering into Edward's room of the penthouse. Really, he couldn't be angry waking up to see a beautiful girl fresh out of the shower, clad in a loose robe and awaiting his every order, right? ...She sighed at the thought. A normal, happy life like that, loving and beloved in equal measure... It was nice to pretend, in any case, but she wouldn't stop until her fantasy became a reality. [@Seirei no Hai]