A sickening feeling dwelled in her chest as she gazed at the small golden ring resting on the palm of her tiny hand. Even now she was not certain whether this would work, but more importantly, a part of her felt it was inheritedly wrong. Even from her time talking to Manzo she came to understand a bit of the type of person the 'Fairy Witch' truly was. She who had sacrificed herself in a foreign land, doomed to die alone with so much left unsaid and undone.

And yet, what was it that had driven her so far? To go as far as doing this? She couldn't help but look down at the grave in front of her and clapped her hands together in an apologetic prayer. Hopefully whatever ruler watched over this world would forgive her for this transgression, for this was nothing short of a sin. To steal something of such value from the death...

She soon disappeared into the shadows of the forest surrounding Hargeon, preparing for what was to happen next. She had finally reached the clearing, a few feeble magic wards being all she needed to keep wild animals at bay and the average civilian from noticing what she was about to do.

She had been given the instructions, although one particular ingredient for the ritual had been more difficult to obtain. Most mages would have used an animal, or perhaps worse, a person's blood for the rite but she was too soft to kill an innocent little chicken for this, nor was she depraved enough to kill an innocent person for this. No, there was only one option. The structure for the magical circle had been prepared, the runes set in the right place and all that was left... Hesitatingly she raised the dagger to the palm of her hand and...

a soft wince came from the child as she started to chant for what would come next. "For elements of silver and iron" as she felt her blood starting to drip onto the circle the magic within started to redirect the flow of the tribute. "Foundation of stone and archduke of pacts." She whispered softly as she watched the ring she had placed at the center remain unmoving. "And for my Great Ancestor: Thorin Mapleshield..."

With each phrase of the chant more of her blood was spilled, and already she could see in the corners the runes starting to illuminate with a sickly red hue. "Close the four gates..." A momentary pause, she could feel her body weakening from the blood loss. "Come forth from the Crown and follow the Forked road leading to the kingdom." No, she could not give up here, not now when she was so close to reaching the start of her dream. "Fill, Fill, Fill, Fill, Fill!" With each call a rune started to light up as the blood started to cover the entire ritual circle. "Repeat five times but when each is filled destroy it." A feeble glow resonated from the ring, a hopeful sign for the dwarven mage. "Set." Now came the moment of truth, the moment that would show whether the spirit of yore would answer her summon or not.

"Heed my words! My will creates your body, and your sword shall decide my destiny!" Another surge of mana, yet she could feel her vision growing blurrier by the moment. "If you heed the Grail's Call and obey my will and reason, then answer me!" A final outcry, the dagger in her hand clattering on the dirt as she rested a hand on her chest. "I herby swear that I shall be all the good in the world! That I shall defeat all Evil in the world!" Almost... she was almost there... Just a little bit more... "Seveth Heaven clad in the Great Words of Power. From the Binding Circle, vow to me Guardian of the Scales... COME FORTH!"

And then... nothing? the mana that had build up started to diminish more and more as she felt her vision darkening. Had... she failed?

The moment her body staggered forward a sudden pillar of pure mana came crashing down from the sky, consuming the entire ritual circle as the dwarven child felt her body being cradled? She could barely see who or what it was, but she could undeniably hear a feminine voice call out to her. "To think you'd use your own blood for a summoning rite... you're even more reckless than I used to be."

A soft chuckle came from the voice, and oddly enough Therlin felt the pain in her hand starting to slowly subdue. Perhaps somewhat similar to having a sudden boost of energy, the girl felt her sight return to normal as she gazed absently in confusion at her hand. There was no longer a cut where she had damaged her hand mere moments ago, but this wasn't the result of a mere healing spell. It felt... different. Suddenly having her attention turned back toward the more important topic she turned her gaze at the woman that was holding her. "Are you-" Yet before she could finish the woman gently placed a finger on her lips. "Caster, I am Caster." Therlin could somewhat remember the fragments of the information she had received before: Caster was one of the name of the Servant Classes! Then did the ritual succeed?!

"Then does that mean you're my servant?" The woman smiled softly as she lowered the child back onto her feet. "That depends. Tell me something first little 'master': What is it that you seek from the Holy Grail?"

A question that came all of a sudden, one that made her freeze for a moment as she looked at the robe-clad Caster in front of her. Once more Caster asked that important question: "What is it that you wish for?"

A wish, it was something fundamentally different from an ambition. An ambition was something you could work toward, but a wish was something out of reach, impossible to obtain by normal means...

And judging from the way Caster was gazing at her it was clear she would only have one chance to answer... What... was her wish?

It was as if time itself had frozen. A wish... For a moment she could recall a familiar warmth in her hand, a warmth long lost, long forgotten. Her mentor, a powerful and kind dwarf among the militia, her caring mother, her proud father. Aye, even her cocky brother and carefree little sister. She had once held that close to her heart, that which at some point she had taken for granted, that which she had lost in such a cold and brutal way. She was among the last of the Dhain Dwarves, and not even a miracle would bring these days back. But if she could dream... If she could wish?

Tears started to roll down her cheeks, a soft sobbing following as the robe-clad Caster looked at her, not betraying any emotion behind her calm gaze. However, it was when that small word left the lips of that tiny girl that she knew her answer: Family.

It was the one dream, the one wish that Therlin Mapleshield held: To have a family to be part of. Even if she had tried to shoulder the burden till now, the realization of what she truly longed for have made the child break out in tears and then.

A sudden embrace. Caster had enclosed the distance between them, the gentle hug and the hand that rested on her head made it clear Caster was trying to comfort her. "What is your name, Master?" The child still sobbed, although her grief lessening little by little as she spoke softly. "Therlin... Therlin Mapleshield." Caster nodded her head lightly as she leaned down to whisper something into the dwarven girl's ear. "It is a secret you should keep close to your chest. A servant's true name is a powerful weapon, but also an immense vulnerability for an enemy to exploit. That is why, from now on: Please call me Caster."

Therlin nodded her head attentively while Caster gazed at her surroundings. "Well, judging from these woods and the distant presence of Manzo and Ali-sensei I think it is safe to assume we're near Hargeon. We likely should check in at the local church first."

Hearing these words caused confusion to clearly be revealed on the expression of the child's face. "Ara~ did they not tell you about what would follow? And here I thought I had it rough back in my early years." Caster laughed softly as she rested a hand on Therlin's head.

"Now that you summoned your servant it is time for you to make your presence known. Although it is more or less just a formality, the Church of Illumin sends an overseer as a representative of the Holy Grail War, while the Magic Council makes sure all the rules are properly followed. With me so far?"

Therlin nodded her head slightly as she trailed after her servant who was walking toward the exit of the woods. "You won't need to worry about being attacked just yet, rules forbid that but we certainly are going to need to consider some things for the future."

As she heard these words Therlin caught up with Caster as she gazed up at the hooded woman. "Things?" To which Caster hummed softly. "Yes, like the fact you're a pretty weak master right now. I'd say you likely classify as a low E minus, perhaps D at best." Upon hearing these words Therlin's cheeks flushed up lightly. "Sorry for being weak...."

To which Caster merely chuckled in amusement. "It's fine~ Having you as my Master makes it all the more interesting!" Yet despite Caster's laugh Therlin didn't feel too sure about her chances. Perhaps she should see if there were ways to improve her power? "Ah! Caster?" Seeing the magus turn around to look at her with a hint of curiosity the dwarven lass continued. "What is your wish?"

It was a question that made Caster stop her walk, a hand raised to her lips. "hmm my wish? mhmm maybe I'll tell you another time~" Yet the young dwarven girl was clearly displeased with that decision as she chased after Caster. "Puuuh! that isn't fair! I ever told you mine!" But it seemed that even with her giggle and smile that Caster wasn't about to change her mind about that. Still, for a moment she couldn't help but feel oddly safe. There was something about Caster that made her feel at ease. Whether it was the confidence the mage radiated in her mannerisms, in the way she walked, or the playful undertones that carried her words. But above all, even if she had a weak master Therlin could feel the overflowing magical power of Caster, there was no doubt that at some point this woman had been a powerful mage.

"Hmm?" Caster's gaze lowered as she felt the dwarven lass timidly hold her hand, earning a smile from the servant. "Well, I'll give you a little teaser since you been behaving so well: Our wishes are quite alike." And with a wink Caster considered the matter settled as she mused softly. "For now I'll return to my spirit form Therlin, if you need me just call my name."

And with these words Caster seemingly dematerialized, leaving Therlin to gaze around in bewilderment. Perhaps it was because they were nearing the city? Either way, it seemed that she would need to find this 'Church of Illumin', which likely was a place of worship so for now she decided to walk toward the inner streets of the city in search of the place Caster had mentioned.

Although her Servant had disappeared, for some reason Therlin could still feel her presence, a gentle faint warmth in the palm of her hand, and now she looked at the back of her hand it seemed the runes on it had properly manifested, but their nature was all still hidden from her.