While they were eating breakfast, Elias looked around the table.
He was curious about something.
"With all of the powerful Devils and Angels we know,"
Elias asked calmly, looking at Rias.
"Why don't any of the other factions just step in and take the Holy Grail? It would be very easy for Sirzechs or Azazel."
Rias gently set her teacup down and smiled at him.
"There is an unwritten rule about the Holy Grail War, Elias,"
Rias explained softly.
"The war is strictly for humans only. No other factions are allowed to interfere."
Rin nodded and swallowed her bite of food.
"It is because of the system created by the Biblical God,"
Akeno explained with a sweet smile.
"It is exactly like when a Devil tries to say the word 'God' or pray. The system automatically attacks us, and we get hurt very badly. That same system keeps all non-humans completely out of human miracles."
"And honestly, it isn't worth our time anyway,"
Rias chuckled.
Luvia looked surprised.
"A cup that grants any wish isn't worth your time?"
"The wishes have to follow logic,"
Rin answered for Rias.
"You cannot ask for something completely illogical. You cannot wish to instantly become an all-powerful god. The Grail simply does not have the power to do that."
"You can ask for immortality,"
Rin continued, looking very serious.
"But it is a limited kind. It only stops you from aging. You won't die of old age or sickness, but you can still be killed if someone stabs you with a sword."
"Devils already live for thousands of years,"
Rias smiled.
"Getting a cup that gives limited immortality has way too many restrictions for us. It just isn't worth the trouble of fighting."
Rin looked down at her plate. Her voice became very quiet.
"But for a normal human with a limited lifespan,"
Rin whispered.
"Getting unlimited time for themselves is incredibly enticing. People will do terrible things to live forever."
Far away from the warm, happy Kuoh mansion, deep inside a dark, damp basement in Fuyuki City.
An incredibly old, rotting man sat in the shadows.
He looked like a walking corpse. His skin was gray, and his breathing was rough.
He was dying right now, his body slowly crumbling away.
This was Zouken Matou, the terrifying ancestor of the Matou family.
Sitting across from him at a small wooden table was a stern, serious man wearing traditional Japanese robes.
It was the head of the Himejima clan.
"The war is starting, Zouken,"
The Himejima head said coldly.
"And things are getting complicated. Rin Tohsaka and Luvia Edelfelt have officially stopped fighting. The two families are now working together."
Zouken let out a dry, evil chuckle.
"Let the little girls play together,"
Zouken rasped, his voice sounding like dry leaves.
"They are not the real problem."
Zouken leaned forward, his hollow, creepy eyes glowing in the dark.
"The real problem is the boy they are hiding behind,"
Zouken whispered.
"Elias Thorne."
Himejima's family head frowned deeply.
He gently hit his fist on the wooden table.
"We have tried to gather as much information on him as we could,"
The clan head explained, sounding very frustrated.
"We sent our best spies. We looked into every record. But every single time we try to dig into his background, we hit a massive, invisible wall."
"Someone is interfering,"
Zouken stated simply.
"Yes,"
The Himejima head nodded in agreement.
"Someone is actively erasing his tracks and blocking our spies before we can even get close."
Zouken narrowed his old, dying eyes.
He knew all the powerful groups hiding in the world.
"The Devils do not use that kind of advanced tracking magic,"
Zouken whispered softly.
"It must be the Fallen Angel Faction. Azazel is personally protecting the boy's secrets."
Zouken coughed violently, holding onto his wooden cane with shaking hands.
"It doesn't matter who is protecting him,"
Zouken growled, his voice full of dark, desperate greed.
"I need that Holy Grail. I need unlimited time. I will crush anyone who stands in my way."
The Himejima head looked at the old, dying man with a serious expression.
"You are too weak to fight, Zouken,"
The clan head pointed out directly.
"Your body is falling apart. How do you plan to win this war?"
Zouken let out another dry, rattling laugh. He leaned back into the dark shadows.
"I do not need to fight directly,"
Zouken smiled, his voice full of cruel confidence.
"I have my foolish grandson, Shinji, to do all the dirty work for me. And he has already succeeded. Shinji successfully summoned a Servant of the Lancer class."
The Himejima head raised an eyebrow.
"Lancer is a very strong class,"
He noted.
"Yes,"
Zouken agreed, his hollow eyes gleaming.
"With Lancer under our control, our chances of winning the Grail are incredibly high. The boy thinks he is the true Master, but he is just a puppet on my strings."
Zouken's smile slowly faded. His face twisted into a look of deep, ugly anger.
"But there is still one missing piece,"
Zouken growled, tapping his wooden cane hard against the stone floor.
"Tonsaka Sakura."
The Himejima head remained quiet, listening closely as the old monster spoke.
"If it wasn't for that annoying Tohsaka Rin,"
Zouken hissed, his voice dripping with venom.
"I would already have her. My plan was perfect. I was going to take Sakura and twist her body's magic. I was going to turn that sweet little girl into a lesser vessel for the Holy Grail."
He clenched his shaking, gray fist tightly.
"But Rin stepped in and took her away before I could finish,"
Zouken coughed, catching his breath.
"However... I still have plenty of time."
"Do you know where she is hiding?"
The Himejima head asked calmly.
Zouken's evil smile slowly returned to his rotting face.
"Oh, I know exactly where she is,"
Zouken whispered darkly.
"Rin hid her far away. She took Sakura to live in Kuoh Town."
Himejima's head frowned deeply.
"Kuoh Town?"
He repeated, clearly surprised by the location.
"But the Gremory and The Sitri family completely rule that area. It is heavily protected Devil territory."
"Exactly,"
Zouken laughed, a cold, terrible sound that echoed in the damp basement.
"That girl thinks she is smart. She thinks I wouldn't dare step foot inside Devil territory. She believes the Devils' magical barriers will keep Sakura completely safe from my reach."
Zouken slowly stood up, leaning heavily on his wooden cane.
His creepy, glowing eyes stared into the darkness.
"But she is very wrong,"
Zouken promised, his voice full of desperate greed.
"I am a dying man, and I have absolutely nothing left to lose. I will gladly walk into the Devil's den to get my vessel back."
Back in the bright, warm dining room of the Kuoh mansion, breakfast was almost over.
Rin sat quietly, staring down at her empty teacup. She looked very nervous.
She kept opening her mouth to speak, but then she would quickly close it again.
She had a very heavy secret weighing on her chest.
She had brought her little sister, Sakura, to Kuoh Town.
Rin knew that the evil old man, Zouken, must have figured out where Sakura was hiding.
But Rin also knew that if Sakura lived inside this mansion, protected by Elias and his broken power,
Zouken would never be able to touch her.
But how could she possibly ask Elias for such a massive favor?
She had already brought trouble to his doorstep.
Before Rin could find the right words,
Dee suddenly leaned forward.
Dee rested her chin on her hands and looked directly at Rin.
Her endless dark eyes seemed to look right through the young mage.
"Rin,"
Dee said softly, her voice completely calm but carrying a heavy chill.
"I smell death on you."
The entire dining room went completely quiet.
Everyone stopped eating and looked at the pale girl.
"What... what do you mean?"
Rin asked, her voice shaking slightly.
"I don't mean that you are going to die,"
Dee explained sweetly, tilting her head.
"But I can smell the cold shadow of the grave clinging to your clothes. Someone who is very, very important to you is in terrible danger. They are going to die soon if we don't help them."
Hearing those words, Rin's strong, proud wall completely crumbled.
She gripped the edge of the table tightly.
Tears filled her blue eyes.
"It is my little sister,"
Rin confessed instantly, her voice cracking with pure desperation.
"Her name is Sakura. I hid her here in Kuoh Town. A terrible, evil old man named Zouken Matou wants to take her away and turn her into a magical vessel for the Holy Grail War."
Rin looked directly at Elias.
She didn't act proud or bossy anymore.
She looked like a terrified older sister begging for help.
"Please, Elias,"
Rin pleaded, bowing her head deeply.
"I know this is a lot to ask. But please, let Sakura come live in the mansion. I need your protection to keep her safe. I will do anything. I will pay any price you want!"
Everyone around the table turned to look at Elias.
It was his mansion. He was the one who protected Kuoh. Only he could make this choice.
Elias didn't even have to think about it.
"You don't have to pay me anything, Rin,"
Elias answered kindly, his voice solid and deeply comforting.
"Your little sister is more than welcome to live here. I will personally make sure that Zouken never lays a single finger on her."
Rin let out a massive sob of relief.
She covered her face, crying happy tears.
"Thank you,"
Rin cried softly.
"Thank you so much, Elias."
But as Elias said Zouken's name, something very strange happened to him.
A sudden, intense feeling of pure, burning hatred exploded inside his chest.
It was a dark, heavy anger that he had never felt before.
He frowned deeply, grabbing his own chest in confusion.
He had never even met Zouken Matou. Why did he hate him so much?
"Do you feel it?"
Dee asked quietly, noticing his sudden anger.
Elias looked at his pale girlfriend.
"I do,"
Elias muttered, his eyes narrowing.
"Why do I suddenly feel so angry just hearing that old man's name?"
Dee reached out and gently rubbed his arm to calm him down.
"That is my blessing working inside of you, Eli,"
Dee explained simply.
"I am Death. And because you are connected to me, your body is now incredibly sensitive to anyone who cheats the natural rules of life."
Dee's sweet smile faded, replaced by a cold, ancient seriousness.
"That man, Zouken, should have died a very long time ago,"
Dee said, her voice dropping into a dangerous whisper.
"He is using twisted, forbidden magic to rot away other lives just to keep his own dead body walking. He is a thief stealing time. Your soul naturally hates him because he is breaking the absolute laws of nature."
Elias placed his hand over his heart.
He could feel the heavy, angry beating in his chest.
It felt like a deep, natural duty to hunt down the old monster who was cheating life.
He looked back at his pale girlfriend.
"Do you want me to get rid of him for you, Dee?"
Elias asked quietly.
Dee smiled and gently cupped his cheek with her cold, pale hand.
"I could easily kill him myself,"
Dee whispered sweetly.
"I could just snap my fingers, and he would turn to dust. But I want you to do it for me, Eli. Think of it as a small payment for the true immortality we share. I want my brave partner to be my reaper."
Elias smirked and gently kissed the palm of her hand.
"I don't mind at all,"
Elias promised her.
"I will personally turn him to ash."
Rin quickly wiped her tears away.
She stood up from the dining table, her face full of absolute determination.
"I have to go get Sakura right now,"
Rin announced.
"I hid her in a safe house just a few blocks away. I am going to bring her to the mansion."
Rin turned to run out the door, but Elias quickly stood up and grabbed her shoulder.
"Wait, Rin,"
Elias said, his voice suddenly very serious.
"I am coming with you."
"You don't have to do that,"
Rin said in surprise.
"It is just a short walk."
"No,"
Elias insisted, his dark eyes narrowing as he looked toward the front door.
"My instincts are warning me. Something feels wrong. Something dangerous is about to happen out there, and I am not letting you go alone."
Hearing Elias's warning, Rias immediately stood up from her chair.
Her beautiful face turned incredibly cold and strict.
She was no longer just a friendly girl eating breakfast; she was the true ruler of Kuoh Town.
Rias raised her hand, and a glowing red magical communication circle appeared near her ear.
"Sona,"
Rias spoke clearly into the magic circle, calling the other Devil ruler of the town, Sona Sitri.
"Put your entire peerage on high alert immediately. We might have human mages trying to attack our town."
Rias lowered the magic circle and looked directly at Rin and Luvia.
"Listen to me very carefully,"
Rias said, her voice echoing with absolute authority.
"Kuoh Town is Devil territory. If the Matou family or the Himejima clan dares to step one single foot inside my borders to kidnap an innocent girl, we will treat it as a direct act of war."
Rias crossed her arms, her crimson aura burning brightly around her.
"If they attack us, we will not hold back,"
Rias declared fiercely.
"We will completely wipe both of their families off the map. We will destroy them so badly that there will be nothing left."
Luvia swallowed hard.
"But Rias,"
Luvia warned nervously.
"If you wipe out two ancient mage families, the leader of the human mages will get involved. The Master of the Clock Tower is incredibly powerful. Some say the Master is as strong as a Maou, a true Devil King!"
Rias didn't flinch. She just smiled a cold, confident smile.
"I know how strong the Clock Tower Master is,"
Rias answered simply.
"But even if they are as strong as a Devil King, they won't be able to do a single thing about it. Because it is self defense according to their law."
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