The Overlord of Mysteries

Hello, this is my first time writing a fanfiction. If you notice any errors, please feel free to give me constructive feedback. English is not my first language, so if you notice any mistakes, please mention them in the comment section at the end of the chapter. Let's begin the story!

Word Count: 3550 Words

Note: Just a reminder that I've changed the Guild Auxiliary chapter. I've made some changes to it. I've removed a couple of NPCs and added a few.

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Fuyuki City, Japan

In the silent area of town separated from the hustle and bustle of the daily lives of the town was a Church.

In the cover of the moonlight, a dark portal opened up beside the gate of the church. Through the gate, Bruce along with Sakura had come to the church.

Sakura was shocked to find herself in the church compound, one minute she was in her home and now she was in the church.

"Teleportation.", she guessed.

"It is Gate similar to teleportation. It connects two locations, making a gateway for the caster to travel with companions."

Bruce looked at her reaction, quite enjoying the spectacle.

"Yes", Sakura replied to him as she looked around taking in the sight. Not daring to enter the premises. She was scared to find out the truth. Even more scared to face the priest. She hadn't heard any nice rumours of him from her Grandfather when he gave her instructions for the War. Neither did she have any good memories of him.

"This is a neutral area during the Holy Grail War. At least they say that. You should go ahead Sakura. I am not interested in meeting the priest."

"Where are you going?", She was getting a hold of the character that the Fool was. He played this Holy Grail War as a chess game. There were all his pieces on a chess board. He would go wherever it pleased him.

'He is whimsical. There's no beating him or could anyone force him.

Now that I think about chess, No one would have guessed a God to be playing in a chess tournament in a mall. Even to win the regional finals and move to nationals. Does he wish to win the Grand Master title?'

Sakura thought as she looked at the Fool, wondering his destination for today.

"I've somewhere else to be. Don't worry, I can teleport. Just break the doll I gave you and I'll be there."

"Okay"

Sakura regained her confidence by His very presence. His presence assured her of her safety and assurance that she wished to hear for the longest time in her life, she just wished to hear it, that everything was going to be alright.

She tightened her grip on the doll in her hand, feeling nervous at what she would find out at the Church. She looked at The Fool one last time before stepping into the Church.

As soon as Sakura had entered the Church, Bruce turned to his shadow.

"Protect her. Call me immediately if anything were to happen to her. I take it you can handle it, Shadow."

Responding to his instructions, The Arch Shadow Demon rose from The Fool's shadow. The Demon took a knee, accepting the task its Master had assigned it.

"I will protect her with my life, Oh! Supreme One. You have nothing to worry about here."

"Good"

Saying what he had to, Bruce teleported to the location the Arch Shadow Demon had provided him with. The Demon had his familiars scouting out the area lying in wait for Rin or Shirou to appear.

Sadly the low-level shadow demons they were, they couldn't tail them. Had they, Archer or Saber would have taken notice of them. When Bruce teleported to the intersection, they were long gone.

'Damn it. Was I late?'

Noticing his presence the Shadow Demons gathered around him, bowing to him. They didn't have the ability to speak yet he understood them. It was a mystery to him.

'So, I was late huh!'

{Fly}

Casting Fly, Bruce took to the skies to find the Protagonist and the Main Characters of the show not before casting Perfect Unknowable. A spell that isolated himself in a barrier. Isolating him from all the senses of the observers or outsiders.

Bruce flew up high enough to get the whole view of Fufuki City. From up above he could see it all, the city in its all glory. His eyes wandered blocks admiring the view. The lights in the buildings glowed like tiny stars sparkling in the darkness of the night. Admiring the beautiful view, his eyes wander to the dark part of the city, away from the nightlife of the city.

He spotted sparks flying in a cemetery near a hill. Seeing it, he wasn't able to control his urge. He drove right through the clouds as he made his way to land just a couple of meters away from the hill.

Landing near the forest, he walked with Perfect Unknowable still active. He passed right through Rin's and Illya's battleground.

He stopped in his tracks as he neared the cemetery. He could see Shirou from his current position. Flying up to a tree, he sat on a branch to watch Saber fight Hercules.

He had come just in time. Sooner had he sat on the branch, a light streaked through the sky, ripping the clouds apart and heading towards the cemetery.

"Just in time to watch the ending. I should have come sooner. Hmm!"

The light which was a weapon fired by Archer as an arrow using his bow, struck Hercules creating a huge explosion as the result. Shirou like in anime rescued Saber just in time. The weapon got destroyed in the attack and disappeared as its time was over.

'Projections huh!'

Bruce watched the explosion intently, admiring the show. Hercules was pierced by the weapon. Resulting in his death.

Shirou and Saber turned to check on Hercules when he started healing. Hercules had come back to life.

'Ahh! God's Hand. One of the Nobel Phantasms that even Gilgamesh doesn't possess. I wish I had it. Life would be so easy. Who doesn't wish for extra lives.' Huh! Bruce sighed as he ranted, 'I find the very idea of twelve lives absurd. It is absurd, especially in the hands of your enemies.'

Bruce once again sighed as he watched the scene play out the same as in anime.

Illyasviel summoned Hercules back when Shirou jumped in front of Saber to protect her from the Monstrosity that Hercules was. The Strongest Warrior of Greece.

'With this, I'm sure of it. This is Rin's route, Fate Stay Night Unlimited BladeWorks. But I still have my doubts. Huh! Zouken you trouble me even in your death. '

With Illyasviel gone, Rin along with Shirou and Saber left the area. They had sustained quite a loss, the injuries and their strength and stamina dwindled. Now, that they or Shirou had his first battle as a Master except for his fight with the Lancer. He was quite shaken up.

With them gone, Bruce jumped down the Tree he had climbed to watch the fight. He walked on his way back, trying to remember every detail he could from the anime. Perfect Unknowable was undone.

Concocting plans for future scenarios. After all, this is what overthinkers do. Plan for situations ahead and think of various situations and their plan of action for each of them, trying to guess their actions and reactions to his moves.

He walked through the forest Admiring the view as he thought further for his plans. He soon was out of the forest and had arrived at a road leading to the city.

'Today was a fruitful day. I'll guess I'll use the Cube for a car, to head back to the Church to pick up Sakura. Teleporting is boring and I'm not in the mood to fly. So, a car it is. Last time it was the Mustang 1969. Or better called as John Wick's Car.'

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Unknown POV

In the silence of the night, covered by the darkness of the clouds in a house in the residential area of Fuyuki City. Near the Old Park, the old remnant of the Fourth Holy Grail War. Though the Fourth Holy Grail was over, its scars still haunted the World.

In a secluded area near the Park, in the corner house, late at night, a Woman quivered as a child of ten to twelve years old stood behind her trembling, holding onto her.

Still trembling looking at those men he held onto the woman's cloth, tightening his grip trying to find comfort and solace, the woman who looked to be his mother sheltered her son in her shadow.

The Woman and the child were trembling, on their knees in a corner of their living room. Five masked men roamed around the house, searching.

While another man stood before the Mother and Child holding a gun, threatening to shoot, should they move.

While the five men were trying to find some mysterious object their leader had instructed them to, their leader sat on the sofa in the living room eating the hot food which the Mother should have cooked for dinner.

Garios the leader of this mission was enjoying his food, waiting for his goons to find the item. They were from overseas and had come to Japan in search of the last of the living members of a certain Mage Family. He had been here by his Family's order who wished to get their hands on the Fake Wish Granter.

Garios enjoyed the food and finished it soon enough. As soon as he was done with it he put the plate down on the table.

He got up, stretching his body and loosening his joints, he tiredly turned to the mother and son duo.

"Just tell me where the Grail is. I'll even spare you both. You are a beautiful woman, if you wished I would be ready to even take you as my concubine. Then you can have my protection, my family's protection. As long as you hand it over to me."

The Woman maintained her silence, not looking the man in the eye. Losing his patience the man kicked the table, scaring the child. The woman was helpless there was nothing she could do in this situation. She knew what fate awaited her and her child if she were to hand it over.

Even if the man remains true to his words, he will take her and in the end, he will kill her son. He did not need another's child, especially if the child possessed no mana. She had to protect him, with whatever the price she had to pay. She was sure of it.

As soon as they got their hands on it, they would kill them and until then, they wouldn't harm them.

She had made sure of it when they had walked into her home, she had put on an act to compel them from killing her son.

She had tried her best to hide but the recent Holy Grail War had attracted a lot of attention. It was her fate, though she wished to leave the city and move far away but those of her family who did leave the city never made it to their destination alive.

She had bluffed her way to them. They dared not risk harming her or her son unless they wished to give up on the False Grail.

She watched as their boss yelled orders to his subordinates. Hurrying them to find it.

She thought back to the golden era of her family and the reason they were stuck like this. It wasn't always so bad but recent events had been influencing and worsening their situation. Their family wasn't strong or wealthy.

Despite their powerlessness, they had grand ambitions. Observing the Holy Grail War, the wish-granting Chalice had twisted and corrupted the minds of her family. They sought the Grail but it was all in vain. They weren't Masters of the wars.

Seeing as it was the initiative of the Three Families, they thought of creating their own Wish Granting Chalice.

In their search for prowess, they weren't as strong as Einzberns nor were they as resourceful as them or Makiri. Neither were they as wealthy and powerful as Tohsaka.

The Holy Grail, a wish-granting Chaice, redirected their efforts towards reaching The Root. Their line of thought was quite simple, The Root is the source of all prowess.

As they went through researching Gods, they furthered their research on Beasts. Beasts the enemy of the World to try and reach the very Root. Even true magic was a focal point for their research.

Though their research failed, they were still successful in detecting the existence of different Beasts and they were successful in discovering a class power. Outside of the usual Seven classes of the Holy Grail except for Beasts, Grand Classess, Avenger and the Ruler. It was Foreigner. It was not their creation, the Root had answered them albeit indirectly.

Their efforts did not go unnoticed. Now, with the Foreigner class, they were successful in their search for beings as powerful as the lesser Holy Grail or maybe even the powerful and maybe powerful enough to offset even the true magic, Alien Gods.

It was late but they were onto the Outer Gods and the Great Old Ones. As they were making progress, one day every clan member involved in the research disappeared leaving no trace behind.

The rest of them were too weak to fend off themselves. After all, by then a certain mage family had come to know of their research. Though they were in the dark, the intel they had pointed them to the family having a source of power far stronger than the Holy Grail itself.

One that has no constraints compared to the likes of the Holy Grail. Holy Grail was powerful and an Omnipotent Wish Granting Chalice but it is not without its flaws. The Item was rumoured for it to be something that could be used to build the Ultimate Grail.

Oblivious to the truth they had arrived Garios ordered his men thinking of his family history. "Fuck this! Slice the bitch, as for the boy. I'll give him a slow death. It might have been a fake rumour after all. We have been searching for so long and killed many of their family. Yet we have nothing. Let's get this done with. Though I'm not in the mood, you guys can do whatever wish with her before finishing her off. Just make sure to complete the task. After all she deserves it for all the trouble she gave us."

Garios got up from the sofa as he instructed his subordinates. Fearing for her child, the mother grabbed the locket hanging in her son's neck as she activated it. It was a simple locket with a piece of gem attached to it.

The light shone from it as the magic activated trying to connect to the forces beyond The Root, that which is the source of everything.

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The False Holy Grail

Despite their search for powers, and even after finding Alien Gods, their ambitions didn't end there. Holy Grail was a project to connect to the Root. They knew that for a fact that through their research. But they wished for more, they believed if there exists Eldritch Beings then what of beings outside of the influence of the Root?

The Root was the source, beginning and the end of everything they knew but what about the unknown?

If the Root created everything, then what was its origin?

"There exists a world beyond Root. If so, there exist beings stronger than the Root."

It was all they could think. It was an assumption on their side. A fool's errand is what most of their family members called it. They had achieved something that all of the mages could only hope for. It was but for a fraction of a second, they got a glimpse of the root.

It was also the last of the root they had seen. They achieved it, the foreigner class. They could connect to Alien Gods And Eldritch Beings to fulfil their wish at a price. But their greed shadowed what they had achieved. When they saw it, they could feel it. The Root was the origin, beginning and the end. It was everything and nothing, it was paradoxical. Having seen it, they wished for more, hoped for more.

Jaris was a fanatic for this research. Despite refusals and admonishment for his research by the family, he persisted. They knew the price for summoning the Eldritch Beings, they reflected.

Jaris continued and so did some members of the family who believed in the same. Until there were none left, his research did bear fruit but it was deemed a failure by those of the family who survived.

He left a locket, the remnant of his research for being called a fool for his persistence on the impossible.

Only a Fool could imagine a being stronger than The Root.

So, came to existence of The Fool's Locket. It is what they called it, after being this research being addressed as the Fool's errand.

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The Fool

Fearing the summoning the Man used his gun to shoot her. It was fast and quick but before taking her last breath she pulled her son and activated the failure of a locket. She had stood her ground with what little mana she was born with.

She was born with low mana, Shirou was a mage with very less mana. Here, she had a fifth of his mana.

She was quite weak.

Losing his patience, the Garios was ready to shoot her down. He panicked watching the woman pull out a locket from her son's neck.

He lost it, watching the Magic Circle formation.

He shot her afraid of the consequence of the magic activation. The blood dripped down as the woman fell, still holding on to her child, covering him from the attackers.

Her child screamed for his mother, as blood sprayed over him.

"Mother MOTHER.. MOTHER"

Having enough of this charade, Garios moved ahead to snatch the locket and stop its activation. He was relieved to have found it. However, it ended up being activated if he could kill the son. He could still salvage the situation.

Even the magic circle had died down.

Only a couple of steps left for him to claim the locket. An item they had been searching for almost a century now. It had been a horrendous path to finding it. After all, they were lucky to come across it because of the woman from this family who had married into theirs.

So they were lucky to find it out. Even more so since they did not have any competition for it. The woman had hated her family, she resented them.

After all, she was also initially involved in the research before her marriage. Despite her futile attempts, she came out nought with her research. She had deemed the research to be flawed.

She had given up on it and married a man she fell in love with. Later when she came across the project having achieved success, more so from the man whom she considered as a clout. After all, she was considered the genius in her family, the best mage of her generation.

'Her hate for the man for surpassing her allowed us to get our hands on it. We should be eternally grateful for her. With this, I'll have more power in the family.'

Since she had married the man against her family's wishes, she was cut off by them. Yet, there were still few members of her family who stayed connected to her.

Garios walked towards the child, thinking of all that he could get by this false Grail. However, they had assumed it to be something similar to the Holy Grail as it was called as False Grail by their family for so long. In the end, it was a locket.

He was too concentrated on the locket and the boy that he ignored the honking of a vehicle. After all, why would he bother with a car's honk? He was after all in a house.

But sadly fate wasn't favourable to him. He felt the force of a bull crashing on him, throwing his body across the hall. In his vision, all he could see before was the child but now the roof covered his vision.

He felt blood trickle down his forehead. His body ached as he lay on the ground with a few broken bones, unable to move.

It was difficult for him, but he turned his head to see the reason for his situation. The wall of the house had been torn down with a car parked across the living room.

'Diablo huh! Who the fuck drives their car down like that. That maniac, I was careless, the false holy grail clouded my vision.'

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**The End**

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