Fate: Edmund

The night had been absolute chaos, and the cabin Waver had used as a refuge was now nothing more than smoldering ashes and rubble. As the group moved away from the scene of the disaster, Waver couldn't help but feel devastated by the loss.

"It was a good place..." he murmured, shoulders slumped, as he gazed at the now-devastated forest.

"Now we have nowhere to hide! We're completely exposed!"

Edmund, walking calmly beside him, sighed.

"Come on, Waver. It's not that bad. What matters is that you're alive. A place can always be found again, but your head doesn't stick back on if it gets blown off by a shot"

Waver frowned, about to retort, but then stopped and let out a long sigh.

"...You're right. There's no point in complaining now"

Rider, who had been silently observing them, crossed his arms and fixed his gaze on Edmund.

"Well said, but that leaves me with a question. Why are you here?"

Edmund, with his usual carefree smile, met his gaze without hesitation.

"I came to help my friend, of course. I saw Waver was in serious trouble and decided to step in"

What he didn't tell them was that his appearance wasn't just a coincidence or out of simple concern.

From the beginning, Edmund had been monitoring the situation, observing every change he had caused with his intervention in the selection of relics. He knew that by altering the original course of events, he had disrupted the dynamics of the Holy Grail War. Without Iskandar by his side, Waver was far more exposed to danger. Iskandar was a natural strategist, someone who guided his Master and protected him at all times. Perseus, on the other hand, though also a hero and a strategist, was more of a warrior who charged headfirst into battle.

That small detail had given Kiritsugu more opportunities to target Waver.

Without Edmund's intervention, Waver would probably be dead.

But he couldn't tell them any of this.

With a calm smile, Edmund replied, "I just came to help my friend, that's all"

Perseus observed Edmund for a few seconds, as if trying to decipher something in his expression.

Finally, he smiled and nodded.

"I guess that's enough for me. But let me tell you something, Edmund... I'm grateful you saved him. I wouldn't have liked to see my Master die in such a pathetic way"

"Hey!" Waver protested, offended.

Rider burst out laughing.

"Come on, Master, don't get like that. You need to improve if you want to survive this war"

Edmund simply watched the scene with a crooked smile. He knew the fate was already set, but he would keep making sure the pieces kept moving in his favor.

As the group moved away from the scene of the battle, Edmund couldn't help but feel a slight tension in his chest. It wasn't Waver's fault, nor Rider's. No, it was his fault. He had changed the relics, altered the flow of history, and now the balance that should have existed was teetering dangerously.

Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, though a formidable warrior, would have acted as a shield for his Master. He would have stayed by his side, guiding and protecting him with his overwhelming presence. But Perseus... Perseus was different. Though also a legendary hero, his approach was more direct, more aggressive. He didn't have the same protective instinct as Iskandar, which left Waver far more vulnerable.

Edmund sighed. He couldn't dwell on it now. What was done was done. He had gotten involved in the Holy Grail War in a way he had never planned. His role was supposed to be that of an observer, a shadow player manipulating the pieces from his hotel, not someone who burst onto the battlefield.

"Hah... what a pain" he murmured, shaking his head. He glanced at Waver, who was still frowning but had at least stopped lamenting. Good. He didn't need to deal with his Master having an existential crisis right now.

"Well, I'm off. I don't like staying in the forest for too long" he announced, turning to leave.

Waver, who had been lost in thought, blinked and looked at him.

"Oh... Ah! Well, take care"

Rider simply raised a hand and said casually, "See you later"

Edmund gave a faint smile before turning and disappearing into the trees.

As he made his way through the forest toward the city, the sky began to take on a soft orange hue. The sun was about to rise. They had spent the entire night in the forest, though the intensity of the battles made it feel like only a few minutes had passed. The fight between Rider and Saber had lasted much longer than any of them had anticipated.

Finally, after a peaceful walk, Edmund reached his hotel. He crossed the luxurious lobby with his usual calm demeanor and took the elevator up to his suite. Upon entering, he closed the door behind him and let out a long sigh.

"Too much activity for one night" he murmured as he began to undress. His jacket fell to the floor, followed by the rest of his clothes until he was left in just the basics. He collapsed onto the bed without even bothering to arrange the sheets.

He knew he would only be able to rest for a few hours before the war resumed its course. But for now, that didn't matter to him. He closed his eyes and let exhaustion take over.

.............

That's all... I was thinking about stopping uploading chapters until I reach 300 collections, but seeing that I'm missing half of them, and that it's taking a long time, I will only ask you for 20 more collections, to reach 270. If it reaches that number, I will upload the next chapter. Until then, see you...

I'm so close to 40 thousand words, if it reaches that number I will upload the other story that I was writing in my free time, I'm not going to lie to you, it was tedious looking for information about dishes that I had never heard of, and even more so when I had to look up their flavor, fragrance and presentation (it's because I'm writing a shokugeki no soma fanfic) well, I'll do my best.