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This sensation was most familiar to her. The shinning of a light within the dark vessel she was contained within. Many a hero sought out the brilliant display like fools. What was promised forth from that gateway was nothing but a farce. The heart’s desire was as obtainable as a second life.

When it called to her she bid it away. If she was the king of her past she would’ve jumped at the chance, shoved all other spirits behind in her claim. No longer would she chase after hope though. It was safest to remain in the darkness that consumed her.

The light, it thought differently. Even upon rejection the grail still came to her, enveloped her with a contract whilst dragging her from the container. It was in the same moment that she closed her eyes to shield herself from the tormenting future it would give her, that she opened them to be graced with the visage of this earth. 

The youth before her, her master, she carried an air of confidence behind her that she had not seen in a while. From the small presentation given it was clear she was of some noble birth. “Master, at thine command, I of the Saber class hath come to serve.” She made no means to show courtesy where it may believe it was due. What was a mere noble girl to a king after all.

“I assure thee none shalt hath the taste of victory before thou.”

In this situation, courtesy didn’t matter to Azula at all. She smiled confidently, letting the armored girl know her stance on the matter; if first impressions were any indication, she meant business.

“Now, that’s just what I wanted to hear.”

“You’re talking to Azula, Crown Princess of the Fire Nation. I’m in this war to come out of it victorious, and won’t accept any signs of weakness or disobedience no matter the circumstances. We’re going to put an end to this farce by obtaining the omnipotent vessel, and at the end of the day, your loyalty will be much appreciated.”

In fact, she expected everything but weakness. The Servant granted to her was not a hero, that much appeared obvious, and neither was she. Grail’s rationale remained a mystery— the information she had found was useless, as it seemed a Heroic Spirit could be anyone. Maybe it just chose a person suitable for her? Azula hoped that was the case. Everything she needed was a perfect soldier to make use of, and only one thing made her uneasy.

“Speak your name, Saber.”

Azula’s Command Seal shined brightly above an activated summoning circle. With the ritual almost complete, all that had to be done was finishing the chant and waiting for a result.

One should never go into battle unprepared, and Azula knew that better than anyone. In a war with dozens of heroic spirits able to curbstomp normal humans in split seconds, the best way to ensure victory would be tracking down other Masters while being guarded by a Servant complementing her fighting skills. She didn’t know much about other participants yet, which is why she needed someone powerful and versatile enough to be able to face whatever enemies might await them. The strongest of all classes.

“—Saber!”

Following the blinding flash of light, a girl appeared to answer her call. Clad in black armor, her intimidating appearance left no room for doubt. Azula let a smirk creep on her face, as it became obvious the summoning went perfectly— the female warrior standing in front of her was indeed a Saber, although a bit different from what she had expected.

“I suppose you’re going to be my Servant,” she started, slowly approaching the knight. ”I got lucky again. Let’s win this, shall we?”