A magus who finds himself caught up in a Holy Grail War upon waking up one morning. The one who wakes him is his newly contracted Servant, and Command Seals are now visible on his right hand. Though he has no memories of his past, he strangely remembers everything he needs to know about being a Master and the workings of the Holy Grail War.
Over time, as he fights in the war, he slowly remembers the details of his past.
There was a magus family (unaffiliated with the Mage’s Association) that, like the rest, wanted to reach the Root — they would try to experiment in different ways to create a ‘perfect/ideal’ magus who could do so.
Forneus, who was heralded as a prodigy and genius during his time, thought to research Dragons (the highest tier of Phantasmal species) to achieve this goal. Through a series of underground dealings, he obtained a sample of Dragon (Vortigern) blood. Although its origins were unknown, he didn’t care, for his research was the most important.
Although he successfully created a solution that could be injected in human blood, he had used it on himself. Unaware of the sample’s source and that it was somehow mixed with the primeval curse of the British Isles, his sanity began to deteriorate because of his incompatibility. In a lucid haze, he tried to destroy his research but was unsuccessful in completely erasing everything. His last ditch effort right before the clan executed him to contain ‘the monstrosity’ was to seal the rest of his research away. The clan henceforth forbade all research into mixing humans and Dragons.
A descendant of the same clan, Validar, stumbled across the sealed research generations later. He found incomplete notes and a small vial. Not knowing what it was, he looked into the research and realized that it was what had been forbidden by the clan’s ancestors.
As the current leader of the clan, Validar decided to secretly carry out the research again — even more so after gaining knowledge about King Arthur’s and Siegfried’s Magic Cores. He hoped to find the most compatible human to test the sample on but was unsuccessful in finding the ‘ideal’ person. Driven to madness from not being able to complete the research, he injected the vial into his newborn child without his wife’s knowledge. This child was Robin.
Realizing that Robin was fully compatible — which gave him a high quantity of Magic Circuits, multiple Elemental Affinities, and unbridled talent in magecraft — Validar was overjoyed and enthusiastically taught his child all there was to know about magi. At age 18, Robin and his parents moved to an obscure area, located in the same city as the upcoming Holy Grail War.
Two years later, shortly after Robin’s 20th birthday, what Validar had done to him was accidentally found out by his mother. Validar tried to calm his wife by telling her the greatness of what they could achieve. Horrified to find out that this man only saw Robin as a tool, she tried to run away with her son. The confrontation took a violent turn, and Robin tried to step in and stop his parents from fighting. However, the fight resulted in his parents’ deaths and him falling into a coma.
When he woke up, he was in a hospital — with Command Seals on his hand and not remembering anything about his past.
Miscellaneous Details:
His Command Seals are located on the back of his right hand, but they are usually covered by the gloves that he wears.
@fellbranded : ❛ politics is like a complicated puzzle. every piece may prove useful. ❜ (pick a verse any verse! *spins wheel*)
“ How would you then know, Robin? ” He didn’t disagree, but was it really that simple? His Master was wise; a genius whom Hijikata Toshizō would’ve LOVED to have him at his side back in that messy era. And he wasn’t one to be wishy-washy as what has happened has already been done. The Land of the Rising Sun continues to shine to this day and his Shinsengumi, the belief in its Makoto shining even greater. It is just he couldn’t help but asking, eyes redirecting away from the sunset that illuminated the tactician’s study and fixated intently, brimming with curiosity at Robin, “ Know what every piece entails when all sides are conniving with tricks up their sleeves? ” Ever persistent in veiling their true colors, masking greed and hunger for power as the greater good. Layers and layers of webs with their intricacies.
“That may be something you can answer better than me. What I know are only theories and notes left behind by those who have seen and experienced much more than I have.” An almost sheepish smile on his face, he slowly ran his fingers over the pages of the book laid out on his desk. It was one of his favorites: a book detailing some of the most well thought out formations used in warfare, those that were employed by either militias or trained armies. Some were even from civilizations long past their twilight, leaving room for the rise of something else to take its place. From his perspective, transitional periods like these told stories and taught lessons that could never be found during times of stability. He knew full well the identity of his Servant, and to have his thoughts valued by a leader from one of these eras, Robin was left feeling mildly embarrassed. However, he also knew that he should answer, rather than evade the topic, and it was with thoughtfulness that he replied.
“No matter how many pieces of the puzzle you have in your possession, I don’t think it’s possible to see the full picture. Your hands can only carry so much, yes? Some things are bound to be lost or overlooked the more you obtain, and then... by the time the puzzle is complete, it will not be the work of one person alone. But by then, will the bigger picture still be visible with absolute clarity, when time has worn out the colors? Making do with what you hold in your hands, putting together all the pieces that you can, and choosing the path you find best fit, I think, is the best that can be achieved. Oftentimes, trying to do too much will distort everything further. It will be like scrambling all the pieces together into a pile.”
“ huh ? ” now he’s a bit confused. if he was just laughing with him, why didn’t robin just say so ? “ tch, what a pain in th’ ass … next time, ya gotta be more clearer ! i ain’t needin’ t’ make a fuss fer nothin’. ”
How unexpectedly... easy it was to pacify Izou. Fortune might not always be in his favor, but at least, perhaps he could try a preventative measure for the future --- such as asking, "Did you... consider not making a fuss first? I wouldn’t make light of you after you’ve shown me more than once just how skilled you are with the sword...”
“ … ” was that a praise ? “ oii, then why th’ hell it looks like yer ‘bout t’ start laughin’ any minute now !? ”
"I, uhh ... ---” Think, Robin! There had to be a way to save the situation! Although, why was Izou taking this the wrong way in the first place?! “Well, you looked so cheerful that I couldn’t help but feel happy too...?”
beresu often lent a hand to local villages, even if she wasn’t hired. it was fortunate she’d passed by this one for supplies, but thieves and ruffians always wanted trouble. however, for once, she finds herself assisted by a new group.
❝ — i’ve heard word of your group, the shepherds. ❞ she says. they’ve been making themselves known, nowadays: but the girl had no complaints. they were doing their part in helping whom they can. ❝ my name is beresu … and you are? ❞
“I’m Robin, the tactician for this group.”
Her skills were sharp enough to be boasted about, and yet she evidently wasn’t inclined to flaunt her feathers. It could very well be that this was an elaborate ploy to infiltrate their ranks — but would a spy be so hasty, as if acting on instinct, to jump to the aid of a village in the mountains?
"Our commander will be happy to hear that word of us has spread all the way here. Have you had a chance to speak with him yet?” The Shepherds had grown since Robin first joined, but they were still few in number, while the threats to peaceful times increased exponentially. If a mercenary of Beresu’s caliber could be convinced to join their ranks, perhaps the odds would be more in their favor.
granted the notes had only caught his eye in passing. there was a latent curiosity that rose to the surface after witnessing his master scribbling intently upon this desk time after time. and seeing them now, laid out in tandem, he becomes aware that they were complicated sheets filled to the edges with written diagrams and formulas that only seemed to make sense to their creator.
fingers carefully shifted the papers around, revealing more graphs and nonsensical wordings. no matter how hard he tried to pick out some form of information or meaning, his efforts sadly ended in futility. frankly, he was not cut out for these kinds of things. robin was smart, arguably too smart, and it irked him to feel inferior to a mage in that aspect.
his attention shifts momentarily, eyes gliding over to gaze upon said master. were furrowed brows and the uncomfortable look upon his face not enough of a tell that he did not understand a damned word ?
“ tch, i can’t make ‘eads or tails ‘f these —– !! ” izou gripes and nudges his chin at the desk, regarding it with just a hint of disgust, “ oi, quit wastin’ yer time wit this stuff an’ jus’ tell me the next target. i’ll kill ‘em, plan or no plan. ”
Robin glanced at his Servant awkwardly, lightly scratching the tip of his nose as he held out a tablet computer with his other hand. "Uhh... I was asking if you preferred this Plan A...” The screen displayed a rough itinerary for an outing in the city, with a few shops of interest — dessert shops, namely — listed and some important landmarks. The title of the document actually said: 「 Plan A 」. “Or this Plan B?” He then swiped the screen for a second document, the contents of which were the same, but arranged in another order and titled 「 Plan B 」.
But it wasn’t more than two seconds after his repeated question that he sputtered, unable to maintain a straight face. What was he doing, ruining his own joke by laughing as soon as he delivered the punchline?! And after he managed to quickly change the document titles while walking in, too...
“Sorry, I had a whim for some lighthearted humor. Maybe I really have been spending a little too much time on these.” Actually, he wasn’t as tired as he seemed to imply, even if he did stay up later than usual last night to analyze the clues gathered thus far about an enemy Servant. Though their identity was still unknown, he at least knew the class and was able to gather up a sizable amount of information about the Master.
“I will be counting on you tomorrow, but for now, let’s head into the city to unwind and familiarize yourself with the environment.” Robin gestured towards the tablet again. “After you pick an order to go about it in?”
“Being here is hardly my choice, little bird. Had I my way, I would free myself of the constraints of this… contract immediately.” But he cannot, without ending his own existence, and so alternatives must first be sought out. “At the very least, watching them cower is entertaining.”
What a piercing shade of red, carrying boundless contempt for humanity — it was both enrapturing and terror-inducing at once, the sort of duality found in gods that drew humans towards them. For Robin, he felt fear, but also defiance. “Then... if the possibility exists for you to do so without repercussions, will you change sides?”
“A mercenary? I didn’t expect to find one in these parts. Oh, I don’t mean that as a bad thing — if not for your timely arrival, I may not have made it to this village in time. Thank you.”
“Here I thought I would be bored in this place. Did you volunteer yourself? It seems like the sort of thing that would suit you.”
“...and what of you? Why do you mingle with the very kind that you loathe?” In the same place that he was, wearing the same face but with an expression that was so... wrong.