Remaining Days: 4
My decision last evening is easier said than done, though I should have expected this. I have been trying to shake Saber awake for full five minutes now, to no avail. She just will not wake up, not even grumble or show any reaction. If I would not hear her breathing, I would worry if she is even still alive.
This does remind me of one fairy tale I have read in the library lately—I did not look for tales to begin with, but for information and I just stumbled upon it, it seemed interesting and was short so I read it. In this fairy tale which's name I cannot seem to remember, a prince found a sleeping princess who was doomed to eternal slumber, nothing would wake her—except for this prince's kiss.
Of course, I am not any close to a prince, neither is Saber. And I would believe no one who told me Saber is a princess or of royal blood but I am so out of options, it cannot hurt to try.
Well, that is really optimistic, because I am almost sure Saber will hurt me for trying. "If you don't wake up now, I'll kiss you… Saber. Are you fine with that?" I ask as to make myself feel less guilty for what I am going to do, considering I am not sure if she would be fine with this. I hope she understands after I explain, if she lets me.
There is no answer from her, of course, so I lean in until our lips touch. No matter how many times we would do this for the sake of strengthening Saber, it would feel just like the very first time, albeit not entirely as awkward and I am not as unsure as to what I am doing anymore.
Without appearing to wake up, Saber reciprocates the kiss which, honestly, surprises me. In her sleep?! But before I can pull away, her eyes flutter open and her soft cheeks are decorated with a delicate blush. "M-Master?" She does not seem as mad as I feared she may be, thankfully, but more confused. Though, so am I.
I clear my throat, before explaining myself. "You wouldn't wake up and I was out of ideas… Sorry." Saber gets up and does not bother much for being mad or telling me what else I should have tried. Maybe she is just self-aware enough about her heavy sleep to know that she could not blame me for trying such measurements. Besides, she was the one who wanted to not let me go anywhere by myself anymore.
It takes her a moment until she sobers up from her morning drowsiness, though at least she did not seem to be in any bad mood despite that. Then, suddenly, she seems to remember something I said last evening. "Wait. Alice has a twin ? How?" Finally, she wonders about that as well.
"I don't know, can siblings share a Servant?" Saber appears to consider this possibility, then shakes her head. "Never heard of such an occurrence. But I never heard of an amnesiac Master before either…" Well, she has a point there. Alice and her twin being two Masters may not be much more unlikely than me being a Master. "Rin also said they seem similar to me, being probably some kind of anomaly as well."
As soon as I say this, I instantly regret it. "Rin? How come she always knows such crucial things before me?!" She got it all wrong, really… But then again, I should have talked to Saber before going along with the Hide and Seek play, especially since I failed there. "I met her on the way to my room… I figured she may have a tip or two, or know something about there being two Masters as one participant."
This seems to ease Saber's mood a bit, though not completely. I do not understand why she would get angry over this, why does it matter whether I tell Rin or her about something before? Does she think Rin would betray us, and sell us out to an enemy? Or gain my trust to backstab me, should I face her? I really do not think Rin is a person who would do such a thing.
"Let's head for the Arena today. I need some training," Saber decides, but I am sure she just wants to blow off some steam. Usually I would not discuss over training, especially since we still need the first Trigger, but Alice's twin's words echo in my mind. Better not think about fleeing into the Arena.
"I'm not sure," I tell Saber, "Yesterday Alice and her twin kind of warned me about going into the Arena. There might be traps or—" But, as she does so often lately, Saber interrupts me. "Or what? Even if their Servant is waiting there for us, they couldn't really fight us, the SERAPH wouldn't allow it. Let's just go."
Since Saber is growing impatient and I would not want to get on her bad side, I stop discussing. Besides, I trust her. And I also have faith in her strength. She is right, there cannot be much that would really harm us badly.
As soon as we step into the Arena, Saber seems more on edge than usually. "Something wrong?" I ask her. I know she would hate and try not to admit any sort of fear or concern, but in really important moments she would rather inform me than to risk our lives. "Kind of. Something pretty strong and aggressive is here, might be a Servant."
So, their Servant really is waiting for us here?
"Let's go," I say and step forward, but Saber holds me back. "Just have my back, 'kay, Master?" I nod and cannot help a slight smile forming on my lips. She knows a dangerous opponent is probably ahead, so she would prefer me to be behind her so she can protect me. In her own way, she is really protective and I find that cute. I know that I would not be as comfortable with any other Servant, this must be what it feels like when you and your Servant are a really good match.
We do not have to walk much until we face a really big form that reminds of a human body, though seems slightly inhumane. Its cry upon noticing us is just as inhumane, after which Alice's twin, the girl in the black dress, appears right next to him. Did she use a Code Cast to make herself invisible?
"Oh, I thought I told you not to flee from playing," she says, genuinely disappointed I would abandon them, then she looks at Saber. "You brought your friend to play with Jabberwock ?" Before I can reply, Saber does in my stead. "If by 'play' you mean 'cut his neck', then yeah, let's play."
Alice's twin chuckles. "Just try, but Jabberwock is really, really strong. You won't get past him to get the Trigger, I'm sure!" This is bad news. Saber glances at me, and I nod to sign for her to attack—I will have her back, just as she asked me to.
Saber charges forward and strikes, but Clarent cannot break Jabberwock's skin. A single swing of its arm is enough to send Saber flying into a wall. "Damnit, it's strong," she mumbles as I run towards her to heal the bruised rips. "Told you, told you," Alice's twin says in a sing-sung voice. "At least we can be sure that thing's a Berserker," Saber says. I nod, there is probably no other Class fitting for this thing.
But that would mean our only way to win is a really good strategy—which we have yet to develop. On the other hand, Alice's twin already gave us its True Name—Jabberwock. It should not be too hard to figure him out, we just need to hope there is a weakness to exploit. I support Saber's stance and lead her out of the Arena.
As much as a loss pains her, she knows she cannot match this Berserker before we know what exactly to do, at least not with her strength limited as they are, thanks to me. "Oh, so you'll play with Alice after all? That's good, it'll make her happy! Bye, Big Sis and her friend," Alice's twin says, but before she can make herself invisible and go wherever again, I have a question for her.
"What's your name?" She seems a bit taken aback by this question. But nonchalantly, she replies. "Why? I am Alice, of course." And with that, she disappears again. No wonder I could not find them yesterday if they can make themselves invisible… With Saber's good instincts I might have been able to find them, but for now we need to worry about how to get past this thing.
"Ugh, I hate those brats already," Saber sighs as she lets herself fall back on our bed. I can sympathise with her, though I cannot shake off feeling bad about having to fight them. They do not seem evil or bad, just like children who want to play.
"That seems more creepy to me," says Saber as I voice these thoughts of mine to her. As if she knew the thoughts I kept mostly to myself (and Rin), she adds, "They're not like the peasant from the first Round. He was a jerk but didn't understand how fatal this is. By now, those children bloody do. Sorry to be harsh, but there is no time for empathy."
She says the same as Rin, but I just cannot be cold about killing someone.
I just cannot.