Chapter 103: Dreams, Stigmata, and the Puppeteer

Words : 1298 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

The sound of snow falling. The green forest was painted with frost, and golden sunlight dotted the silver sea of trees. A young man walked through the endless white world, his short hair as white as snow, his eyes devoid of the morning light. Was he lamenting? Or was he resentful? Did his roars dissipate into the sound of the wind and snow? Heaven had mercifully granted him a second life, yet it had also mercilessly turned over the hourglass of his life. Thus, in the transparent bottle, the quartz sand fell. Unstoppable, unavoidable, irreversible... ultimately futile. The snow continued to fall, the wind continued to blow. When a ray of sunlight swept across the young man's handsome face, it seemed to pause in awe. At that moment, the young man's lips curled into a smile, fully conveying his emotions. He was laughing. Laughing at fate's unnecessary meddling, laughing at suffering's redundant additions. Since he had already been allowed to live, why did fate insist on letting him know the limits of his life? Did it want to crush his spirit, or did it want to savour the sight of him struggling to survive? Ridiculous! If you truly want to defeat me, then shackle my will, seal my soul, bind my body—let this existence meet its end in ignorant chaos! As if mocking the foolishness of fate, the young man raised his right arm high, his dazzling, almost arrogant smile spreading across his face as he exhaled and declared. "I declare—I exist here!" And so, thousands of miles away in the Far East, across mountains and seas on another continent, the black cauldron of wishes bestowed its favour. And so, in the icy, snowy world, on the young man's right hand that seemed ready to pierce the heavens, a burning stigmata began to shine. I still exist, I still live, I can still touch this world. Those who live have the right to contend for everything, those who exist have the ability to obtain everything, and those who can touch this world will surely announce their arrival with a grand ceremony! Gently stroking the fresh mark on the back of his hand, the young man closed his eyes and quietly listened to the pulse and throbbing conveyed from his soul. That was the beginning of the war— *** I seemed to have had a strange dream. Because I woke up too early, when Miyu got out of bed, she was unusually groggy. Ignoring her slightly messy hair, Miyu instinctively called out in a coquettish tone. "Onii-chan, help me change..." Her voice abruptly stopped, and her eyes widened. The face of the young man from that hazy dream suddenly became clear. That was... her brother! The young man whose lifespan was running out, the one who had called upon the stigmata, was her brother, Sakatsuki! "I've heard that in the Holy Grail War, Masters who form contracts with Servants sometimes glimpse the Servants' memories through dreams." The artificial spirit Sapphire, from the blue gemstone staff on the bedside table, said softly. "But, I'm the Servant." Miyu murmured, suddenly realizing something. "Sapphire, did you see that dream too?" "Yes, Miyu-sama's brother is truly remarkable. Not everyone can pull themselves together after learning that their lifespan is running out." "Is that so..." Miyu hugged her knees. Even though Sapphire was praising her brother, she couldn't feel happy at all. Not only had she confirmed Sakatsuki's dire situation, but also because of the unfamiliar expression on the white-haired, golden-eyed young man in the dream. Though she couldn't remember clearly, her brother shouldn't have been so... flamboyant. His heart should have only wanted to protect a small home and the people around him. Such a man would also challenge fate, but never in such a manner. Come to think of it, from the very beginning, she had felt that her brother's hair and eye colour weren't like this... With a thousand thoughts swirling in her mind, Miyu, unable to sleep, got out of bed, washed up briefly, and then slipped on her slippers, heading toward the courtyard. If she wasn't mistaken, at this time, her brother should be doing his morning training. In the open space of the courtyard, she saw the figure she had hoped to see. However, the courtyard wasn't empty. Besides Sakatsuki, there was also a magical projection standing before him, seemingly in conversation. *** Bang! After a series of fierce spear techniques, the training dummy created by projection magic could no longer hold up and was shattered by a final thrust. The force of the spear transformed into a strong wind, flattening the grass. After a brief pause, the white-haired, golden-eyed young man retracted his spear and slowly exhaled a breath of white air. In his hand was the real crimson demonic spear—'Gáe Dearg: The Red Rose of Exorcism.' The Fate Compendium was as miraculous as ever. After the rewards were distributed, Sakatsuki's projection of Diarmuid's twin spears became as natural as using Kanshou and Bakuya. Although, without activating "Unlimited Blade Works," these two demonic spears couldn't be projected infinitely, and each projection required time to recover, the fact that these two Noble Phantasms weren't weakened at all was more than enough for Sakatsuki to use. However, after some consideration during his morning training, Sakatsuki ultimately decided to abandon the dual-spear combat style and instead chose the longer 'Gáe Dearg' as his sole weapon. As the chief of the Knights of Fianna, Diarmuid's skill with a single spear was no less than his skill with twin spears. And compared to the agility and finesse of dual spears, Sakatsuki preferred the thunderous, unmatched might of a single spear. Well, actually, it was because, in Fate/EXTELLA LINK , Scáthach's combat feel wasn't as satisfying as Cú Chulainn's... After a quick cleaning with magic, Sakatsuki's expression shifted slightly as he received a communication from his Servant. It was from the Assassins he had sent out to find someone, outside of Fuyuki City. "My lord, Miss Touko Aozaki requests communication." "Granted. Tell her the spell I've prepared." Holding a cup of hot tea, Sakatsuki sat at the stone table in the small pavilion, the twin spears placed behind him, waiting for the arrival of a certain puppeteer. As the magical glow emerged from the ground, a figure was sketched out from another city and presented before Sakatsuki. She was a woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties, wearing glasses, and her red hair tied into a ponytail that hung down her back. A simple white shirt accentuated her curvaceous figure, which was uncommon for an Eastern woman, giving her the aura of a city professional. Notably, her nails were painted orange, and she wore orange earrings and an orange necklace, with an orange coat draped over her shoulders. Sakatsuki would bet that her mug, handbag, and furniture were all orange as well. Was this some kind of revenge? Or had she truly moved on? Studying the magus who had grown her hair back, Sakatsuki's unabashed gaze naturally provoked her displeasure. Removing her glasses, the magus's aura turned icy as she coldly asked. "Sakatsuki?" "That's me." Facing the frosty Touko Aozaki, Sakatsuki responded with a calm smile. From the timeline, the Fourth Holy Grail War takes place after Mahōtsukai no Yoru but before Kara no Kyoukai, meaning Touko's hair had already grown back by this point. *** Hey readers! Want to read ahead? ???? Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster. ????patreon.com/aarvan???? Thanks for being awesome! ❤️

Chapter 103: Dreams, Stigmata, and the Puppeteer

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