Paris France. May 17th, 2018.

- Where is our money? - Asked one of the thugs who had cornered Yubin in the small and secluded alley. - You're making us wait and, in case it wasn't clear to you last time, Boss does not like to wait.

Things have never been particularly easy for Yubin. Barely a child, her mother left home, leaving her with a man whose only priority was his job, so she had soon had to learn to take chestnuts out of the fire alone. However, everything had gone from bad to worse since her father had decided to "expand" his business to foreign lands, forcing her to leave all her friends behind.

To make matters worse, unsurprisingly, this had resulted in utter failure, leaving them drowning in debt, until, in the end, their father had turned to wrongdoers for money. The worst thing was that, not happy with all that, the bastard had disappeared from one day to the next and Yubin had had to take care of the complicated situation.

- I need a few more days. A-a week, yeah! J-just one more week, and I'll have your money, I promise. - The young woman was terrified, although she knew that they were not going to kill her, since, if they did, they would never receive their money back. Last time she had fallen behind in one of the payments, the beating she had received had been such that she had had to remain hospitalized for more than a week.

- Sure, princess, take the time you want, but ... what are you going to do? Are you going to rob the Bank of France? - Asked another of the men sarcastically.

- N-no, t-the national archeology museum. - She answered, hesitant.

- Are you going to pay us with the money from ticket sales? I didn't know there were so many geeks ...

In another situation, at a time that wouldn't cost her a punch at least, Yubin would have laughed blatantly at the ignorant comment. However, she chose to suppress any iota of laughter, and shook the bully out of his doubts.

- Two weeks ago they put on an exhibition on the history of the Asian continent with some pieces of great value. I've been studying museum security, and it leaves a lot to be desired, so I might ... well ... I'm sure I can sneak in and get your boss something, he's probably going to be able to get a better price than me.

A bluff, it was all a bluff. She had no idea how she was going to get around the museum guards and cameras, nor did she understand the monetary value of the objects on display, but she hoped she had been convincing enough to be left alone for, at least one more week.

---

Clock Tower, London, England. May 18th, 2018.

Three timid knocks on the door brought Lord El-Melloi II out of his thoughts. That morning he had called Handong, one of the Association's brightest students, hoping to find an ally in which he could rely on during the difficult times ahead.

- Come in, the door is open. - Said in a sober tone the respected sorcerer after taking a last sip from the coffee cup that rested on his table. He had spent the whole night trying to find the right words and ways to not scare the girl away.

- Good morning professor. Did you want to see me? - Handong asked as she entered the room, and, then, she closed the door behind her to await further instructions.

Yes. Please, sit down. - The man replied pointing to the chair that was in front of him, on the other side of his table, with his hand. - Before we begin, I thank you for your promptness. Can I offer you something? A cup of tea? A coffee, maybe?

- No, sir, I'm fine. - The young woman answered politely. - What did you want to talk to me about?

- As direct as ever. - El-Melloi joked, something rare to see, since it was known by everyone that the professor was not particularly prone to get along especially well with the students of the Clock Tower. But, of course, it had to be said, Handong could not compare to that bunch of smug, self-centered idiots. After a short moment of relaxation, the wizard regained his serious expression. - I want you to understand that what we are going to talk about is a matter of vital importance, about which no one should know beyond the doors of this office.

- Sure, sir, you have my word. - The redhead intervened, intrigued.

- Ok. I assume you have heard of what happened four years ago with the Great Grail, right? - Asked the man and waited until he received the assent of the student. - You see, yesterday I received some news that I wish I had never received. As you know, four years ago when Tohsaka, Kim, and I tried to destroy the Grail, after an uphill battle against the Mage's Association itself, which considered us traitors, we were ambushed. Although we won the battle and, a priori, we managed to dismantle it, it seems that things did not go as we thought, and some of the assailants were able to extract the core of the Grail, and duplicate it. - His clenched fist on the table showed a true reflection of the anger he felt. - When it was all over, and the Association did the "cleaning", they thought that expelling all those who participated in the attacks in one way or another, and their families, was enough punishment. Only the Lee family maintained their position after the patriarch knelt and publicly disowned his firstborn, although they were completely discredited, despite being one of the oldest lineages in South Korea.

- And you think that-

- Indeed. While I don't know exactly who it was, what I do know is that he or she was present at the ambush, and that he has had four years of freedom in which no one has been watching. And now a new war is coming. If only they had listened to us! But everyone thought it was our paranoia ...

- And I guess you want me to p-

- I'm afraid so. - The wizard interrupted for the second time in a row. She didn't want to admit it, but it was starting to wear out Handong's patience. - I tried to destroy it, so it is impossible for me to be summoned again, and you are the only person I know with enough integrity to not be corrupted by war and the Grail.

Saying this, El-Melloi let out a long sigh and massaged his temporal muscle, trying to ease the headache that had accompanied him since the day before.

- I know that I am throwing you directly into danger, but we have no other choice, surely the Grail will summon sorcerers willing to use its power, and that never brings good results. If you agree, despite the risk, I will support you as much as possible, and make sure you get a top-tier Servant.

Perhaps someone else would have been shocked at the request and ran out of the office, but not Handong. No, she possessed a great sense of responsibility, and after reading as much as she had about the Grail Wars, she knew that the artifact must be destroyed again, even if it could cost her her life.

- All right, sir. I'll do it. - She said full of conviction.

---

Residence of Yoohyeon, Seoul, South Korea. May 18th, 2018.

Yoohyeon had been unable to sleep. She had spent the whole night repeating in her mind, over and over again, everything that had happened the day before, especially when, feeling bold, she had kissed Minji and her, far from rejecting the advance, had reciprocated.

If it weren't for the fact that she perfectly remembered the touch of her soft lips, and for the little stuffed animal that rested on her bedside table, she'd think it all had been a dream, an impossible. But no, it was real, it had happened. Finally.

With a sweet smile on her face, she began to remember the path traveled until they reached the point where they were now. She thought about the sadness in Minji's eyes the first time their gazes met on a cold December night through the streets of Seoul, and the tingling that appeared in her stomach when she heard her laugh for the first time.

She also remembered that day when the young sorceress opened up to her for the first time to tell her about her family, about that strange artifact that until then she had considered only a legend, and about the death of her mother to, then, begin to cry inconsolably.

The truth was that she had always been somewhat skeptical when it came to supernatural and magical subjects, but Minji was not an inventive person and, far from looking like she was trying to impress Yoohyeon, her way of acting denoted nervousness. As if she was afraid of being judged and abandoned by the person she was trusting on.

A little over a year had passed since that time, and Minji, although always diligent and somewhat strict with herself, perhaps too strict, had made a big change. Although Yooh continued to treasure each of her smiles as if it were the most coveted jewel in the world, these were no longer something extremely rare to witness. Little by little she had recovered the happiness that was stolen from her years ago.

Caressing her lips for the umpteenth time, she straightened up on the bed and stretched to loosen her muscles. After a quick glance at the clock, she thought about writing a good morning message to Minji, but the truth was that it was still quite early and, although part of her hoped that the other girl would feel as excited as she was by the kiss they had shared. She also wished that the other had managed to rest more than her.