The Lost Knight

Chapter 5

With only Ragna and the silent shadow currently in the house, it really feels empty.

There used to be a whole family here but in the span of 6 years, they all joined the afterlife.

Or at least most of them.

Akim and his father have not yet found true peace, the first floating around the house, the second trapped in the harvester's prison.

If it was not for the shadow, her son would have joined his paternal into indefinite damnation.

She is a being of great power, no one could have fought better than her in that situation.

And since it was clear that her objective was to retrieve Akim's soul. Ragna does not know what would have happened to the inhabitants of the isles.

Anyway, the mother should try to rest a little, even if her mind is not ready for this.

The shadow is looking out of the window as noon is still an hour away.

She knows that if she goes outside, she will become the center of attention and, with a silent sigh, she makes her way toward what she presumes to be the kitchen.

Akim joins her and stays over the big pot over the dead fire, waiting for her next course of action.

Blue lines appear all around the kitchen, the origin being the entity's hand resting on the counter. They die down before disappearing entirely as she approaches one of the drawers.

The knives inside clink against each other as she takes them out with an invisible frown.

They are not very sharp and the blades are in quite poor condition.

She has work to do.

---

Ragna wakes up to quite the pleasant sound but frowns when she remembers that she is not alone.

The mother approaches the kitchen and witnesses her guest with several knives at her side.

While the handles are as dirty as before, the sharp edge of each blade shines as if brand new.

The shadow glances at her before resuming her activity, she is grinding the knife against a stone, adding water every now and then.

Watching her work is surprisingly relaxing and Ragna can not help but observe without a sound, the iron sliding on the whetstone the only thing they can hear.

Once finished with the last knife, the shadow uses a brown piece of paper to even the handle surface, leaving wood dust on the floor.

She puts all of the kitchen instruments back in the drawer and waits for Ragna to put down the knife she has been holding before closing it.

They wait in silence as the shadow has finished her activity.

"Do you want for me to measure you?" Ragna asks her but does not get a real reaction out of it. "Measure, height." The mother puts a hand on top of her head, trying to make herself more understandable.

The shadow hesitates before giving a small nod.

Ragna gestures for her to put her back against a wooden pole where marks have already been carved. When she turns around to grab a knife, the shadow's figure gets smaller, her armor vanishing to reveal her childlike shape.

The knight does not move when Ragna puts another mark on the pole.

"You are quite small." She smiles as she measures her height, around (151 cm). "How old are you?" She asks herself as she puts her knife away.

Ragna sits down after giving a chair to her guest, Akim floating above the small table between them.

"Me, 39." She looks around before grabbing her pouch and putting 39 coins on the table. "Me." She repeats as she looks at the shadow.

The figure takes a handful of coins and organizes them into a group of ten and a group of eight, putting a hand on her chest.

Ragna smiles motherly. "You are so young too. It must be hard."

How could such a young child fight against two of the most feared monsters without hesitation? 

With some hesitation, Ragna rearranges the coins to form a certain shape. "Can I see the sword?"

The shadow stares for a moment, making the woman think she did not understand but the guest stretches her hand over the table. A sphere of red energy grows in front of her hand and as she takes hold of it, the sword takes form with a 'wram'.

With its (110 cm) in length, hilt taken into account, the black and red weapon easily protrudes from the small table. The faint red aura surrounding the blade reveals the knight's arm details.

Ragna extends her hand but the shadow brings it closer to herself, showing the way she is dressed in the process.

The mother stands, the knight mimicking her.

One wants to defuse the situation, the other is confused by the older woman's actions.

A knock grabs both of their attention as the door slowly opens to reveal Akan with an unknown woman carrying a big weapon over her shoulder. "Excuse us Ragna, but..."

He is interrupted by the stranger who pulls him back and readies her weapon. "You need to step away from it." She tells Ragna.

The shadow spreads her legs and bends her knees while pointing her sword in the direction opposite to the new woman, the armor that was lying on the floor now around her body.

"No no no no no." Ragna puts a hand on the girl's shoulder, looking toward the chief with a glare. 'Do something!' She mouths out.

Before he can say anything, both he and Ragna fall on their knees as the armed intruder flinches from the aura released by the shadow. 

The knight looks down at her host who whispers frantically with her eyes wide open as if she has seen an abomination. She takes a step back and outstretches her hand.

"Stop where you are!" With deep breaths, the armed woman threatens the shadow who stands protectively between her and Ragna, much to her surprise.

Akan pulls on her clothes. "Miss Senna, there seems to be a misunderstanding." He smiles softly despite still shaking on his knees. "She might be... alarmed?"

With a sigh, the now named Senna puts her weapon on her back and reluctantly puts her hands on display. "Put away your weapon now."

The shadow slowly lowers her weapon, still ready to strike at any sign of aggression.

Akim floats in front of her face to catch her attention before going over his mother's head.

The shadow takes a hand off of her sword and shakes the woman's shoulder, trying to catch her attention.

Without much success, she has now closed her eyes and has started to mutter to herself.

*Smack*

Ragna looks up at the armed knight, whose hand just slapped her face, with a shocked expression.

The shadow grabs her by her armpit and puts her on her feet with a nod before facing Senna.

Seeing that the situation has calmed down, Akan chuckles nervously to hide the distress he is still feeling from earlier. "Now, why don't we all sit calmly without harming each other?"

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C̶h̶a̶r̶i̶s̶m̶a̶ ̶(̶E̶)̶  -> Emergency Prerogative (B):
All creatures around this Servant feel their anxiety flying through the roof. In the case of weak-minded people, trauma may resurface.
Servants with a Charisma of level C or above are immune to this ability.
Kamui Emiya Pendragon does not seem to know about the existence of her ability.