-Base Sequence: Human Genome Confirmed.
-Alignment: Lawful-Neutral.
Welcome to the data center for the future of humankind. This is the Security Organization for the preservation of humanity, Chaldea.
Fingerprint, voiceprint, and DNA authentication cleared. Magical Circuit assessment complete.
-Username matched. You are recognized as a member of the primates. Nice to meet you. We hope you enjoy your time here. We are waiting on one more visitor.
The mechanical drone of an automated voice echoed throughout a square chamber where a red-haired man stood alone under assessment. He wore a green button-up sweater over a white long-sleeve, and wore faded jeans with black sneakers. His bronze coloured eyes furrowed unmistakably as he stared down towards the entrance of a long hall opened from a rectangular side-door ahead of him.
So, this was it, Chaldea?
The man's name was Shirou Emiya, and his first impression of the magical institute dedicated to the preservation of humanity, was that it was cold. No literally. 'Surprised' would be the first of many words to take root in his mind when he'd first heard that Chaldea was in Antarctica.
It was an underground workshop built on a snowy mountain 6000 meters above sea level.
The Central Command Room which was in front of the Main Chaldea Gate was just ahead of him down the long hall he'd just walked down through.
He'd been called in as a technician, but after learning of Chaldea's purpose he'd 'applied' and been approved to be part of the group of thirty-eight elite mages and ten public applicants. By applied, he meant unexpectedly strong-armed. You see, he had an uncanny aptitude for something called Spiritron Dives which was inadvertently discovered in the assessment tests conducted on all Chaldea staff.
Shirou had a sneaking suspicion that his aptitude had something to do with him being a former Master of a Holy Grail War that he'd never disclosed to anyone not in the know. Holy Grail Wars were spiritual rituals conducted by magi that pitted seven Servants and Masters in a free-for-all to obtain a chance at a wish. Masters were those who were in contract with a Servant, and a Servant was one of many familiars selected from the Throne of Heroes, a pool of mankind's greatest legends immortalized in spirit.
Shirou was one such Master who'd participated in the Fifth Holy Grail War with the Servant Saber, one of seven classes of Servant. The rest were Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Berserker, and Assassin. However, he wouldn't voice his prior participation in a Holy Grail War as it was only speculation.
What mattered now was that he'd been discovered to have a high aptitude for Spiritron Diving.
Spiritron Diving itself was the concept of Rayshifting into abnormalities in a timeline through conversion of the body into spirit particles that generally constituted a Servant's body. He wouldn't go into the details of the operation as magical terms were way over his head, but the important factor was that he was unable to refuse.
Word was that all those that were capable of Rayshifting had been brought to Chaldea. Of course, that included himself, but at this point there was no use in complaining as the order had come from one of the highest ranked families in the Mage's Association, House Animusphere.
Shirou was a third-rate magus and he'd somehow gotten himself involved in something big again that had Rin, a dear friend and perhaps something more, overly concerned when he'd told her of his sudden departure. Needless to say, she wasn't amused, yet even she had no power to veto the command already given.
Here he was now, walking down towards the Command Room where he was supposed to meet the rest of his comrades in Chaldea for an orientation.
Well, that's what he was doing until he'd ended up bumping into a woman chasing after a white squirrel? A dog? It was difficult to tell, but it was some sort of animal, and she wasn't paying too much attention to what was in front of her. It didn't help that they'd collided at the bend of a corner as the animal made a quick get-away.
"Sorry. I-I wasn't watching where I was going," the girl apologized quickly despite being the one who'd fallen on her butt from the accident. She had bob-cut styled lilac hair, lavender eyes, and was fair skinned. She was wearing square-framed glasses, wore a grey hoodie over a white collared-shirt, a red tie, black skirt, and brown shoes.
"No need to apologize," he kindly offered a hand towards her, but she seemed confused at his actions at first before a bright smile came to her face.
"Thanks," she sounded genuine while taking his offered hand and pulling herself up. "You aren't mad?" She seemed like she'd expected him to yell at her, or at the very least glare.
And then Shirou promptly remembered what sort of facility this was and that it was run by magi. They weren't known to be the courteous sort, and it suddenly made sense. "I'm not like most magi," he was quick to clarify, much to her relief as she placed a hand over her chest.
"I can already tell," the woman said as her eyes seemed to brighten.
He smiled wryly, a hand scratching the back of his head as he decided to introduce himself. If the woman worked in Chaldea, then they were going to be comrades anyway.
"Shirou Emiya," he said with a light smile. "Sorry for bumping into you when you were in such a rush."
"No-no, it was my fault! I wasn't looking where I was going." The woman shook her head vigorously and then seemed to stutter before finding her voice. "I'm Mash Kyrielight, a member of Chaldea."
Shirou could see that Mash wished the conversation to go on, as he assumes that she didn't have many people she could talk with in the facility, but he decided to remind her of what she was doing prior before it was too late. "I think it's going to get away," he said flatly.
"Ah, Fou," Mash nodded and ran off down the hall. "Bye, Emiya Senpai!"
He almost stiffened due to the manner in which Mash said farewell to him, as it hit too close to home about another girl that he used to know that called him by the same formal title. However, he didn't have the time to reminisce. He was already in front of the Command Center, and didn't want to waste time standing in front of the automated doors just for everyone to stare at him.
Single digit, front row. He recalled his seat position and made his way over. There was no designated seat so he supposed he could just pick any. Around him where the other candidates selected for Chaldea, but all he could stare at was the miniature planetary projection in front of him.
From what he remembered from the small briefing he had, it was called Sheba, a telescope used to observe the pseudo planet Chaldeas. It also served as a surveillance system for the facility and was used as a near-future observation device.
Near Sheba was a stage platform where a woman clearly no older than him stood waiting with a straight back, crossed arms, and an indifferent gaze. She wore a black sweater over a white-collared dress, red stockings and bowtie, and black high-heeled shoes. She had long white hair tied into a small braid on her left side while the rest of her hair fell past her shoulders. Her eyes were of similar colour to Shirou's own, and she was practically glaring at anyone who dared make light of her.
Shirou however saw it differently. He'd been around Rin long enough to know when someone was putting up an act, and the woman was clearly putting one up to mask her nervousness.
Her name was Olga Marie Animusphere, the director of Chaldea, and one of the reasons he'd been summoned to the facility. She was evidently waiting for all forty-eight candidates to arrive before beginning orientation, but candidate forty-eight was running late.
"Candidate forty-eight, Ritsuka Fujimaru, has anyone seen him?"
A tick mark was forming on Olga's forehead, and she was quickly losing patience. Fortunately, Mash came in to escort candidate forty-eight into the seat directly beside him, candidate forty-seven.
Ritsuka was a man who looked distinctly on the verge of falling asleep, and to make matters worse, there was no way Olga wasn't going to notice as she began her orientation speech.
Shirou watched as Mash who sat in the third row and leftmost seat gestured for him to help out Ritsuka, but he already knew it was too late.
Shirou shook his head in condolence. The look on Olga's face was almost identical to the way Rin appeared when she'd far surpassed her tolerance point and was only smiling to maintain her image.
Yeah, well, Olga wasn't Rin who'd just smile.
Walking right up to Ritsuka, she slapped him in the face and Judo threw him out of the room. "B-Team it is," she scowled before eyeing everyone in the room like a hawk. Mash flinched. "Anyone else?" Her brow was twitching.
No one answered, and as if she'd never just thrown a Master candidate out of the Command Room, she resumed orientation and told everyone to begin preparations to enter their respective Rayshift pods lined in a semi-circle across the room.
Mash, bless her, took the initiative to check up on Ritsuka before Shirou could do so himself. Seeing as Ritsuka was in good hands, Shirou allowed himself to go through procedures. Twenty minutes later, just after almost everyone got into their pods, his intuition from life and death battles kicked in. Something felt off.
Mash nodded towards him as she entered her pod, but he barely registered her actions. An ominous feeling was flooding his system.
For the life of him, he couldn't put a reason as to why until it was staring him right in the face. The Rayshift pods, coffin-like devices, had been planted with magical bombs which he'd only been able to sense as he'd drawn closer to his own. The scent of potent magical energy was impossible to ignore. He was cautious from the start and didn't immediately enter his Rayshift pod which perhaps changed the future of even just one person.
"Hey, you! What are you waiting for?" Olga called out to him, pausing on her way to her own pod in order to lecture him. "You're wasting time. Everybody's already in their pods and Lev already left to start the activation sequence. We don't have time to waste. What if we're left behind?!"
Olga's point was the last of Shirou's concern. As far as he could tell, the pods were a death sentence waiting to happen, and it was sooner than he could have ever expected. He didn't even have enough time to yell a warning to everyone. The magical energy built up way past the point of becoming volatile that a significant explosion was inevitable.
He had to act now.
"Shit," he swore before tackling Olga to the ground, the two falling sprawled with Shirou on top. Olga bristled and glared at his abrupt action, but she quickly faltered as everything went to hell. Her eyes widened as fire and heat erupted everywhere and all she could see was him shielding her body with his own while activating his magecraft.
It was this one difference that allowed him to survive using Reinforcement and the lingering innate healing factor in his body to recover from wounds. Even now, the memory and actions of a woman he once knew still watched over and protected him despite his growth as an individual. He'd never forget, nor belittle the experiences they'd shared together. He was her Master, and in turn, she was his Servant; the both of them sharing a bond in their determination to carry out their dreams and ideals.
For the sake of a promise he'd made, he would never stop walking forward.
He groggily opened his eyes as he registered the ringing in his ears from the explosion. His vision was spinning, a numbness in his limbs as blood trickled down the side of his face from a cut over his forehead. He carefully forced himself up and looked beneath him to see Olga passed out with only minor burns and injuries on her person. He'd been able to save someone with his actions and that was all that counted in his mind.
Fires raged around him, alarms blaring red, and sending him into hyper focus. He put Olga somewhere safe where the flames would not reach her and scanned the room for life.
"Is there anyone else alive!" He yelled out while digging through piles of rubble in hopes of finding anyone trapped beneath to no avail.
"Over here! I need help!" A voice echoed out, causing Shirou's eyes to sharpen.
Directly adjacent to him, two men had rushed into the Command Room, one of them Ritsuka Fujimaru who stopped at Mash's Rayshift pod.
Shirou didn't waste a second and ran over to assess the damage.
Mash Kyrielight. She didn't look good. In fact, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to call her dead already. She was buried under rubble, one look enough to tell that her lower body had basically been crushed or blown up to the point that there was blood everywhere. She could hardly speak, and by the time he'd arrived, she could only signal to him with her eyes to get Ritsuka out of the room before they all died.
She was asking him to leave her without even trying to help.
Not a chance.
Laplace's shifting protection established.
Singularity's additional factor slots secured. Please start final judgements.
Announcements were ringing out from all around him, but he wasn't necessarily listening to them. There were people before him that needed to be saved, and that alone was priority.
"W-We have to dig her out if we want to tend to her wounds," Ritsuka, though clearly nervous, put Mash's well being first and proposed a plan of action.
"I'm on it."
Shirou didn't care for the fire and directly placed his hands over the searing metal pieces of rubble. Fire was nothing knew to him, and if burns were the only price to save another's life, then so be it.
No longer able to verify the existence of humanity a hundred years in the future.
Across from Shirou and Rituska, the latest announcement had Chaldeas turning completely red at the center of the room. This time, Shirou heard what the announcement had said and stiffened in shock.
"Hurry!" Ritsuka called out. "We have to stop the bleeding."
R-Right. Maybe he'd just misheard. Shirou focused by putting all his attention on the life he could save in front of him. The rubble was off. They just had to keep her alive somehow.
The announcements continued unabated.
Rayshift requirements not met.
Searching for qualifying Masters…Found.
"Help me lift her. We can't leave her like this," Shirou said while carefully hoisting Mash up from her arms without aggravating her injuries.
Ritsuka nodded without any complaint and moved to her lower body.
Candidate No. 1, 47, and 48, Olga Marie Animushpere, Shirou Emiya and Ritsuka Fujimaru reset as Masters.
Unsummon program, start.
Spiritron Conversion, start
Rayshifting starting in 3…2…1.
Oblivious to what was happening around them, both Shirou and Ritsuka soon froze in place, Shirou more so. This sensation; the sight of a sea of sand-like golden light surrounding the area, it was all too familiar.
All procedures clear. First Order commencing operation.
This had been it. The start of everything.
-Grand Order.
------------
Hellfire scorched the very ground of a ruined city devoid of life and covered with a tainted filth. Skeletons of once tall skyscrapers now stood warped and bent, eaten away by the fires that lapped at their foundations beneath.
The odorous scent of burning tar and charred flesh was the first to register in Shirou's mind. Then came the sickening feeling that everything around him was all too familiar.
This place, this flame…it couldn't be!
He was sprawled on the ground, but he quickly pushed himself up with his hands and worked his way up to his feet, eyes darting back and forth. His pupils had dilated, a bout of nausea assailing him and causing him to stagger.
Singularity F, Olga had called it during orientation. An alteration in humanity's proper timeline that had to be corrected, and Shirou could already guess what had happened here in this ghost-town of Fuyuki. The tainted Grail must have been unleashed.
Whatever it was that had brought him back to this godforsaken place, the effects seemed only temporary. Minutes later, and the nausea disappeared, replaced instead with ironclad determination.
This city was the place where it all started for him and a reflection of what it would look like had he failed in his task at the conclusion of the Fifth Holy Grail War.
Everyone he'd ever known growing up had probably died in the blaze, and this fact caused him to tightly ball his hands into fists.
He had no time to make sense of it all, but now Singularity F had become personal.
"Don't do anything stupid," he reminded himself in a whisper. Rin had at least managed to curb his impulsive tendencies through sheer persistence.
Shirou began to assess himself. Currently, he felt fine despite the injuries he remembered sustaining in the Command Room. He was also alone, having been Rayshifted at random. He couldn't have been the only survivor. He refused to believe so, which meant that it could be likely that he'd have to find everyone.
Fortunately, Fuyuki was a city that he was all too familiar with.
He didn't waste any time and quickly began running towards the tallest high-rise building he could see. It would be foolish to blindly run through the streets when a vantage point offered a better alternative.
By the time he scaled a particularly large building, he stood on the edge of the roof and peered out to his surroundings…and there it was.
A flash of magical light drew his attention towards where a fight was brewing further ahead of him several streets down. He squinted his eyes and made out the form of Ritsuka and Mash defensively standing in front of Olga Marie while defending against skeletons.
That was easier than he'd expected, which didn't bode well, as it meant he was actually having good luck.
He shuddered, but didn't think too much about it before heading forward for a rendezvous.
And what do you know? A Servant showed up just as he arrived. Good luck was too much of a foreign concept to ask for, but no matter. He was used to misfortune at this point.
"Get behind me!" He yelled as soon as he was in hearing range.
Mash was doing her best with the shield in her arms to block the enemy Servant's attacks, yet it was clear that she was nearing her limits.
Ritsuka wasted no time in heeding Shirou's request, while Olga seemed a bit more hesitant, but complied. Mash closed the distance between herself and Shirou by using the force of her opponents strikes to send her back.
Finally, they all stood together, and Mash, Olga, and Ritsuka watched in confusion as the Servant stopped in her tracks upon sighting Shirou. Her long purple hair that reached past the enemy Servant's ankles hovered in the air as her magical energy momentarily grew restless. She tossed aside the cloak on her body and revealed a black form fitting attire that exposed the sides of her legs and arms.
She was a Servant that Shirou had once opposed before, but in this irregularity in human history, perhaps something different had occurred.
"But you were dead," the Servant whispered, the bloodlust and mud-tainted aura around her weakening if only for a moment as her features cringed sharply in pain.
"Rider."
It must have been the manner in which Shirou called out the Servant's class, but some mental block seemed to give and she just started laughing hollowly.
Olga, Mash, and Ritsuka tensed, beads of sweat forming over their brows, and Shirou saw this. Even now he knew he wasn't fully a match for any real Servant other than a certain Archer, but he would try nonetheless.
He stepped forward, circuit-like patterns of magical energy glowing over his skin.
"You fool! What do you expect to be able to do against a Servant?!" Olga's eyes widened in disbelief. "We should be running in the other direction!"
To this, he gave only a single reply. "What makes you think we'd be able to run?" He was talking from experience.
That statement alone caused Olga to purse her lips, and grudgingly ball her hands into fists.
"Mash," he called out while observing her current changes, a new body suit, a large shield, and the fact that she feels like a Servant. He had many questions, but finally settled on a single imperative. "Protect them," he said. He didn't expect her to fight with the injuries he could see all over her.
"Yes, Emiya Senpai!" Mash hardened her resolve.
"Mash," Ritsuka acted in correspondence, the Command Seals on the back of his hand flashing. "We can do this!"
"Yes, Senpai!" Mash tightened her grip on her shield.
Without having to worry about those behind him, Shirou readied himself. However, when it became clear that he was stepping forward with every intention of going alone, Olga could keep silent no longer.
"Wait! What are you even doing?! Take the Demi-Servant with you!" Olga looked nervous. "Don't you know how to fight a Grail War? Servants fight Servants. Masters provide support not engage! Look at Fujimaru! We can't just lose another prospective Master! You don't even have a Servant, and you think you can defeat a Servant on your own? You've never fought a Servant before; you're taking their capabilities too lightly!"
O he knew what they were capable of alright, and this wasn't his first time fighting this particular one.
Shirou didn't voice his thoughts aloud. Olga already looked to be at her wits end. She didn't need anymore stress, and in fact, just desperately looked like she wanted acknowledgment and to prove her worth as the heiress of the Animusphere family.
Shirou took a step back. "Then will you help me?" He asked Olga. "Please lend me some magical energy."
She looked baffled; her mouth hung open as her words seemingly left her. Finally, she spoke. "What good will that do?"
"Trust me."
"Trust you? I just met you! What kind of Magus are you?" Olga's skepticism was not unfounded considering the ethics of other Magi, but Shirou wasn't an ordinary Magus.
"One who needs to fight a Servant," he dodged out of the way of a thrown chain that cratered the concrete beneath him. Rider had stopped laughing an instantly went on the attack, "Can you help me or not?"
Wordlessly, Olga just extended her hands outwards as the Magic Crest of the Animusphere family glowed over her forehead. There was little choice to be had in this situation, and she could only hope that she wasn't supporting a fool.
In some ways, she wouldn't be wrong to call him a fool. She was right that a Master should ordinarily stay away from Servants, but here he was doing the opposite.
She was trusting him by not abandoning him to act as decoy. Who was she not to meet that trust, forced as it was?
He was a Hero. An Ally of Justice.
Magic power flooded around him in a storm, arcs of magical energy writhing and scorching the ground as he brought his hands forward in front of him.
The magic of his craft actualized within him. The thrum of his magic circuits, conduits that converted mana in the air into usable energy, reaching a new high.
Once he saw any weapon even once, everything down to the history, composition, and make of the weapon was stored in the recesses of his inner world.
To materialize the armoury of his inner world was the root of his power.
"Trace. On." The words left his lips, a declaration, a mantra to hone his focus. This was all it took.
Every weapon had a story. Every story had a grain of truth. And sometimes, stories become Legends crystalized through time.
Mots of blue light converged on his outstretched palms, taking shape and form. Suddenly, an aura of crippling bloodlust erupted from the forming weapon in his hands, followed by an imposing presence that could not be ignored.
From the isles of the land known as Ireland, Heroes lived and died, and only the best remained remembered. Their achievements glorified not only through myth, but through conception of the very weapons they once wielded.
"N-Noble Phantasm." Olga looked stunned, her grip on reality becoming skewed as her shoulders trembled.
Mash and Ritsuka gasped, but Shirou could pay no one else any mind. His thoughts were running a mile a second. Olga was right that a Master could not compare to a Servant. Even if he had a weapon that could stand up to Rider, it didn't matter if his body didn't have the physical capability to use it to maximum efficiency. This was why he generally preferred using his married blades; however, he'd spotted a certain individual quietly observing in the distance, and since he knew the man's personality, there was one sure way of getting him to help.
He fully Traced the Noble Phantasm projected into his mind, and felt the air shift through the sheer intensity of one man's gaze.
A crimson spear manifested, riveted with barbs and with vein like designs down the shaft.
Gae Bolg, the Barbed Spear that Pierces with Death.
It's malevolent presence alone caused Rider to grow weary, but it also caused another to be unable to sit out for any longer.
"That's a nice spear you're carrying there." A voice broke through the air. It almost appeared strained, bordering on deprived of something essential. "Want to make a deal? Give me the spear, and I'll help."
It sounded less like a proposition, and more like there was no decision to be had in the matter.
Shirou turned to the voice to see the face of a man he'd not seen in years, though he was a bit different from before. Rather than a blue jump suit, he saw instead, a sage-like cloak and Celtic runic marks drawn directly on the air.
It was Cu Chulainn, the Lancer Shirou knew of in his version of the Fifth Holy Grail war, and owner of the cursed spear Gae Bolg. He was the Shield of Ireland also known as the Hound of Ulster, and presently, he was a Caster if the wooden staff was anything to go by.
Knowing Cu however, the man was probably hating his current class.
Cu's short blue hair and long pony tail swayed as he made his way to appear directly beside Shirou with bloodshot red eyes.
One look, and Shirou knew what would happen if he refused Cu's request.
"She's all yours," Shirou tossed the spear over and watched as anticipation gleamed from Cu's eyes.
"Caster," Rider called out darkly after composing herself. She clearly had the class advantage. "You can't win."
"Caster?" Cu laughed, all but smiling at this point as he twirled the crimson spear in his hands in an experienced manner. He gave a roguish grin.
"Who's Caster?"
He took off his sage-like coat and took on a forward stance, his legs parted and held fast on his spear.
"I'm Lancer."
Silence.
Somehow, Olga felt like she was having an aneurism. That's not how class change works!
A Magus who would go head-to-head against a Servant, had access to Noble Phantasms, and now this? If her perception of what reality should be was actually in the wrong then…was she actually the ignorant one?
Olga looked utterly lost while Ritsuka and Mash had stars in their eyes.
Heroic Spirits were heroes of mankind whose legends and feats were forever remembered and enthroned even in death. They are woven from the ideals of humanity and are spirits made of particles of energy focused around a power source known as a Spirit Origin. As beings of a higher existence, they are categorized more as an Elemental rather than a lingering ghost or wraith. They range from a variety of seven classes and extra classes, and all have parameters far beyond the capabilities of a single human.
They disappear without a power source to tie their Spirit Origins down which was why Magi thought of Heroic Spirits as glorified familiars of the strongest calibre, but each Heroic Spirit is their own person. They have emotions, ambitions, desires, and ideals that act as their own motivational drives. Hence, the reason for Seven Servants to fight for a wish granting grail alongside their respective Masters in what was known as a Holy Grail War
Fuyuki was the location of the stage, the combatants duking it out in a free-for-all where only the last team standing wins. Or at least, that was how it should have been. Now there was only ruin.
Flames flickered ominously, warping metal into maligned shapes that tore and dripped smoldering drops of metal that mottled the ground with holes. The scent of bubbling tar from the pavement masked the acrid scent of human flesh burnt down and stripped away into blackened bones. Glass from overhead buildings came loose and shattered over the street, the shards reflecting the devastation all around. Amidst it all, a battle beyond human limitations ensued.
Servants. Heroic Spirits of humanities greatest individual immortalized through legend.
Cu Chulainn, the Shield of Ireland and the Hound of Ulster. He was an Irish hero who alone had stood up against an entire army. Opposed to him was the enemy Servant, Rider. A woman whose petrifying Mystic Eyes could belong only to one woman of myth.
The glow of sparks showered over the ground as the clang of steel resounded.
Shirou watched as Cu flourished Gae Bolg with practiced ease, bypassing the disadvantage between Caster and Rider Classes through sheer force of skill and augmentation from his runes.
In comparisons, Rider was remaining oddly silent.
The two hacked, stabbed, and slashed, but weaved in and out of each other's attacks with the fluidity of water.
"This isn't happening. How is a Caster fighting against a Rider with a spear? Class change? There's no way this is a proper class change. The stats don't change." Olga looked dazed, a hand resting over her temple as she swayed.
"Uhm, isn't that a good thing if he's holding out against Rider?" Ritsuka asked while Mash nodded along.
A tick mark formed over Olga's forehead before something inside her snapped. Ah, it was no big deal. It was just her grip on reality. "That's not the point! I'm not the one that's lacking common sense here. It's you people! The least competent Master gets the Demi-Servant, and a random Master candidate pulls out a Noble Phantasm with the nonchalance of pulling out cabbage! Now this!"
Shirou ignored Olga's venting and focused his attention on the fight ahead of him.
Cu was no longer playing around. He'd refamiliarized himself with his spear enough. The iconic stance of his legend was once more assumed. His knees were bent, and his body angled forward as if ready to sprint. The blade of his spear was pointed downward diagonally, hands gripping along its shaft a shoulder's width apart.
Runic patterns flashed directly in the air, surrounding Cu in a maelstrom of ancient magics. He wasn't truly a Lancer; he was a Caster. His reserves of energy were beyond the parameters of a Knight Class, and to substitute, his physical capabilities were lowered. Hence, why Casters had the stereotype of avoiding direct confrontations. The thing was, magic was the root of all mystery. What the body lacked magic could augment.
What is a hero?
Wind began to blow, gaining in strength from the sheer release of magical energy.
Was it not a being that circumvented preconceived norms?
Summoned as a Caster, Cu had lost his famed spear, but the situation had changed. A single shift in stance sent a powerful shockwave out in all directions, red vein-like patterns flashing over Gae Bolg's shaft.
Cu was no Lancer, but right now, Shirou and everyone else could see the image of an ancient warrior of old.
-A stifling pressure. A feeling that crushed any notion of bravery through overwhelming bloodlust. Ever stronger it grew to the point it became manic.
Man revered power. The greatest legends said to accomplish miracles by virtue of their strength.
Cu was one such man that exuded a presence no longer that of a human, but of a ferocious beast.
One step forward, and Olga flinched back, Mash subconsciously raising her shield in front of everyone. Right here, right now, Cu appeared to be the most dangerous especially since he'd yet to declare himself an ally.
Shirou saw things differently. The man in front of him was without doubt the Lancer of his Holy Grail War. Cu Chulainn, Hound of the Bloody Plains, destroyer of armies.
Caster or no Caster, Rider could no longer ignore the change to Cu and readied her own Noble phantasm. However, Gae Bolg was not to be underestimated.
It was the cursed spear of piercing death.
It aims for the heart.
Once thrusted, it rewrote the properties of cause and effect from 'he thrusts, he stabs' to 'he stabs, he thrusts.'
Within a certain range, there was no getting away unless you were lucky, and Rider must have understood this point by instinct and forewent her Noble Phantasm in order to run. Her agility was remarkably high, and even Cu clicked his tongue as he readied himself for a chase.
The clang of metal resounded as sparks glimmered from the metal heel of Rider's shoes. Legs bending, Rider retreated backwards, the soles of her feet leaving craters on the ground where she pushed off. The chain attached to her weapon was tossed and wrapped around a distant street light before she pulled, dragging herself for increased speed.
Cu immediately gave chase, his own agility not to be underestimated; however, the expected chase did not happen.
It only took a single moment, but Shirou and Rider made eye contact again, and then she just abruptly froze. There was something about Rider that had been different from the beginning. She wasn't the same. The Rider Shirou knew never actively participated in murder nor relished in it with vindictive glee. She was blackened, tainted, but there was still something inside her fighting against her skewed Spirit Origin.
Of all present, only Cu seemed to understand what Rider was going through. Cu lost the thrill of battle that he'd been reveling in, and sighed before his features grew solemn. "Tch, there's goes the fun."
Cu did not hesitate. He was a warrior that had been through wars and fought many battles. Once an opportunity found itself in combat, only a fool would refuse to take it.
"Goodbye Rider," Cu's voice dropped in tone, the magical energy around him condensing over his spear. "This is the spear that no knows no good nor evil. An unfeeling weapon made for the sake of safeguarding the boundary between the dead and the living. Let me show you its might!"
The barbs over the red spear grew more prominent, resembling the likeness of fangs; the howling of the wind sounding like that of a rabid dog, the killing intent palpable.
"Your heart is mine!" Cu's crimson pupils shone, his arms thrusting the spear forward.
"Gae Bolg!"
Time seemed to freeze, the world going into a standstill and shifting into shades of grey. Bathed in blood, Gae Bolg carried the resentment and grief of its victims in the form of a curse. No wound would heal so long as Gae Bolg existed.
Mash gasped while Ritsuka and Olga watched Gae Bolg pierce through Rider's chest with certainty. It stabbed her in the heart and then proceeded out through her back. There was no escape once Gae Bolg had been invoked, and surely Rider understood this point which was why she'd ran. Yet she stopped.
She could have escaped Gae Bolg's range. Shirou had no doubt about this as he'd once seen Rider's speed first-hand. For some reason, she simply chose not to, and this was the most confusing point. Even now, Rider was still staring right at him, the bloodlust and taint clouding her features clearing away to reveal a bittersweet expression.
Rider then shifted her attention to Cu.
"Caster," she said hoarsely, blood leaking from behind her lips. "…That boy." She staggered, her weight pushing Gae Bolg deeper through her chest as her body began to fade into mots of golden light.
"I know," Caster pulled back his spear, catching Rider before she could hit the ground. His other hand was scratching at the back of his head while a grimace formed over his face. "It won't happen again."
"Ah…I failed, didn't I?"
"…"
Slower now, as she could feel her strength leaving her, Rider smiled begrudgingly. Cu had shattered her Spirit Origin with his strike, freeing her from the darkness that tainted her mind even if meant her death.
She wasn't looking at Cu or Shirou any longer. She was looking to something more distant, unseen. "Sakura, forgive me," she whispered, and then she was gone, nothing more than particles of golden sand fading in the wind.
The name Rider had uttered caused Shirou to perk up, but he didn't voice the question to Cu as the man seemed a tad disgruntled. Shirou said disgruntled, but it was more like his mood soured which made pressing for answers like poking a lion with a stick.
A minute passed before Cu eased his stance and turned back to stare at the group he'd just saved.
Cu's expression was unreadable as his gaze hovered over Shirou, but he soon sighed before smiling wryly. Cu flourished the spear in his hands and rested it over his shoulders. "For the record I'm not giving this back," he said flatly.
"I didn't expect you to," Shirou crossed his arms. "I just didn't think you'd be a Caster." I didn't remember you to be a Caster.
"I know, right? Of all classes, why Caster? Though I suppose I can be considered something of a druid in my legend, but damn I missed this spear."
The two fell into silence again while silently assessing each other. There were things that weren't being said between the two, each trying to read between the lines and coming up with nothing but more questions. The thing was though, Shirou seemed to understand that Cu wasn't in the mood for questioning. Frankly, he half-suspected that Cu was more interested in finding another enemy to fight with his spear.
Mash, Ritsuka, and Olga who'd huddled closer to each other noted that the Caster Servant wasn't viewing them as enemies because of Shirou.
"It could just be me, but it seems like these Servants know Shirou?" Olga whispered, trying to remain as discreet as possible by keeping her expression neutral. Her shoulders were trembling though. She was still shaken from the bloodlust Cu had released earlier. There was no way a human could withstand that.
"Emiya senpai sure is popular," Mash remarked while resting her shield on the ground. She was still exhausted from facing Rider earlier and was panting because of it. "It must be because he feels warm and welcoming."
"He also seemed like the kind sort, as he moved to help me rescue Mash despite his injuries. You guys might not have seen it, but his back was badly burned and he didn't even seem to realize it," Ritsuka recounted.
Olga pursed her lips at the information, recalling Shirou's figure shielding her from the blast in the command room. It wasn't difficult to understand where Shirou had gotten those injuries from and it irked her with guilt. "T-That's beside the point. I mean, do you think he knows anything about what's happening in Fuyuki?"
Mash and Ritsuka had no answer, but even if they did, they were too busy frozen in place to answer.
"What are you all whispering about?" Cu suddenly made his presence known. "I know the kid over there somewhat, but I have no clue who you guys are."
Olga coughed into her hand and straightened her back. "C-Caster," she said, putting on a brave front despite the stutter in her voice.
Cu's expression was deceptively blank.
"L-Lancer?" Olga tried again.
Cu gave a roguish grin, twirling his spear in his hands before jamming its butt into the ground and leaning over it. "Hey, you're not so bad after all, but we should save the explanations for later. For now, lets look for somewhere safer. No doubt the magical energy and the Servant presence in the area will attract more trouble here."
It was a valid point. No one disagreed, and with Cu in the lead, they soon found a place to rest.
----------------------
Olga took the better most part of half-an-hour to explain to Cu about Chaldea and the current situation. She could have finished explanations in less than ten-minutes, but her nervousness around Cu kept her from speaking properly. She was jittery, and constantly tapped her finger over her crossed arms. Worse yet, she should have realized just what sort of person she was talking too sooner instead of wasting time with an explanation to begin with.
"So, that means I just have to fight, right?" Cu cut straight to the point, one finger picking at his ear before he smirked in content.
Olga's brow twitched, her irritation momentarily outweighing her caution. "Essentially, yes,"
"Good, that's all that matters." Cu made a shooing gesture, and all Ritsuka could do was try to dissuade Olga from lashing out at Cu. A vein was throbbing over her left temple, and the Animusphere magic Crest lit up over her forehead.
"L-Let it go, Director. It's not worth it," Ritsuka dared not get close. He considered physically holding Olga back, but Mash warned him it was Olga who'd threw him out of the Command Room in the first place during orientation. She'd definitely overpower him in an instant.
"Emiya Senpai," Mash called out for assistance, her gaze shifting furtively from Olga, Cu, then to Shirou. She blinked, and hoped, not knowing what else to do.
In response, Shirou rolled his eyes at Cu. "What's the point in picking a fight now?" He asked while pinching the bridge of his nose.
Cu hummed, his arms falling to his side before he whistled. "Sorry. The director of Chaldea reminded me of that other woman you used to partner with. If anything, neither of them can be true to what they're really feeling."
At this explanation, Shirou fell quiet, knowing full well who Cu was referring to. The others noticed, but they didn't bring it up in favour of giving some time for Olga to calm down.
"First things first." Olga placed a hand over her face and rubbed at her temples. She then took a deep breath and straightened her back, her thoughts clearing and returning to focus. "We need to find a leyline and set up a summoning circle."
"If you're looking for a leyline, there's one right beneath you," Cu pointed out languidly for Olga. His True Class was Caster making his discernment of magical energy several levels above the rest. Being a druid, he was even more in tune with the energies of the earth.
"Uhm, oh right! I knew that, I knew that, of course!" Olga grew flustered, and had to take another minute to compose herself. She was glaring at Cu by this point, Servant or not. The bastard was doing this on purpose to rile her up...and it was working.
Cu raised a brow and shrugged. It wasn't his problem to deal with anyway.
"Mash, place your shield on the ground, and with your Noble Phantasm as a catalyst, I'm going to set up a summoning circle." Olga decided to ignore Cu at Ritsuka's shaky suggestion. "It should enable us to set up a connection with Chaldea's Command Room."
"I'm on it," Mash did as was instructed after giving a tentative look to Ritsuka for confirmation.
As soon as the shield was placed on the ground, Olga got to work and began creating matrix of patterns that formed the foundation of a summoning circle. Inwardly, Olga was praying that if things go well, she'd be able to summon another Servant to fight alongside them. Infusing her magic energy into the drawn circle, she waited with baited breath for a response as several orbs began to spin around the perimeter of Mash's shield.
"Perfect. I'm getting a transmission." Olga's face visibly brightened. Finally. Things were going her way.
"Right, I finally got through on this end! Hello? This is Chaldea's Command Room? Do you read me?"
An unexpected voice caused Olga's expectations to plummet. "Romani? What about Lev? Where's Lev? Put Lev on!" She demanded.
"D-Director, you're alive?" Romani, the man in question sounded startled. The way his voice cracked almost reminded Shirou of his adoptive older sister's cracking wails whenever he threatened to no longer supply her with his cooked food.
In any case, a holographic projection of Ramani appeared floating above Mash's shield. It was tiny, but Romani's features could still be seen. Long messy blond hair tied up into a ponytail, and a face that looked like the man would rather speak to anyone other than Olga. Romani was cringing. He wore a white lab coat with the zipper and high colour tinted teal over white pants and shoes.
"What does it look like? This is Olga Mari, overseer of Chaldea." Olga's patience was running thin. Everything was just going wrong for her from the start. "At this time, I've somehow completed the shift to Singularity F." She paused here, disbelief and anticipation written all over her face as she'd Rayshifted despite her shortcomings. Either something must have happened, or something about her had changed. In any case, she'd find out later.
Olga shook her head and focused her mind. "I have grouped up with Master Candidates Shirou Emiya and Ritsuka Fujimaru. We've recruited a Cas-Lancer Class Servant, but more importantly, what's the head medic doing in charge?"
"O thank God there were more of you alive," Romani sounded weary, but the relief in his tone couldn't be missed. "Anyway, I know I'm not cut out for this job, but there's nobody else. The surviving staff of Chaldea is less than twenty including myself. I'm only in charge since I possess the highest rank among the survivors. About Lev, he was in the Command Room when the blast hit…presently his condition is presumed dead."
Olga looked stricken, her teeth biting down on her lower lip hard, but she pressed on and asked about the remaining Master candidates all in critical condition. When Romani informed her that they were being treated with dwindling medical supplies, she took a hard stance.
"Don't be ridiculous and cryopreserve them immediately! Your priority is to make sure that they don't die!" Olga knew she was breaking human right laws even among magi, but lives were more important. She made the decision without hesitation.
"R-Right, I forgot the coffins had that sort of function." Romani fumbled on his end before radioing Chaldea staff to begin the cryopreservation process. "Sorry, it slipped my mind. It's been hell up here. The fires have been contained and I was almost at my wits end trying to keep Ophelia alive. Miraculously, she was somehow able to escape fatal injuries from her coffin's blast."
"She did?" At this piece of good news, Olga blinked.
"There was an unexpected delay in her coffin's explosion allowing her to cast a few protective magical wards over her vitals. We took her out from her coffin earlier and moved her to Chaldea's infirmary."
Romani paused and looked around before his attention settled on Shirou. "Shirou Emiya, correct?" He asked.
Shirou nodded. His name and description were recorded in Chaldea's records, but even he didn't know why Romani was singling him out. Fortunately, it wasn't anything bad.
"Ophelia sends her gratitude." Romani nodded in acknowledgment. "She was vague, probably delirious but she said that your actions and presence right before the blast allowed her to see the possibility of survival. She's currently in a coma and in intensive care. She will need several days before she can get up on her feet again or even wake up for that matter. Honestly, she's just lucky to be alive."
"About that, what's the state of Chaldea?" Olga cut in.
Romani took on a solemn expression before he began briefing Olga on everything. Meanwhile, everyone else just listened quietly, Cu paying more attention to his spear and their surroundings.
As it would turn out, Chaldea had lost eighty percent of its functionality. Its available manpower was being used to maintain Chaldea and Sheba's current status meaning there wasn't much magical energy that could be provided for Shirou, Olga, and Ritsuka.
This meant that summoning a new Servant now wasn't the most feasible option. Moreover, it was a gamble. The saint quartz, materials consumed for a summon, were of limited quantity, and there was no guarantee a Servant would come even when used. The chance of simply getting a random craft essence used to bolster the ability of a Servant instead, was likelier.
Olga's hopes of gaining a new ally were dashed at this point. The prospect of making an emergency return to Chaldea crossed her mind, but the thought of repercussions from the Clock Tower forced her to stay until adequate results were obtained.
"By the orders of the director of Chaldea, we will investigate this singularity on our own," Olga concluded, nodding to Ritsuka and Shirou.
It was here that Cu spoke up. "What's there to investigate? I already know the problem and I can take you there. All we have to really do is win anyway."
Noticing the relief that flashed across Olga's face at the information, Cu was almost reluctant to ruin it. Almost. "Not so fast. It's not that easy." Cu watched Olga's features stiffen before continuing. "Even if we have a destination in mind, it means nothing if we all aren't prepared for it."
Here, Cu's attention fixated primarily on Mash and Ritsuka before going back to Olga. "Would you mind if I take those two off your hands for a while and get them into shape first? I watched the lady fight against Rider and the lady doesn't seem very sure of herself." He said.
Hearing Cu's words, Mash flinched, her body hiding behind her shield which she'd picked up before Ritsuka placed a hand on her shoulder for encouragement.
Shirou knew Cu's personality, so he easily consented. Cu could be rather ruthless on a mission, but as a person, he could be trusted.
Olga had to consider the wisdom in Cu's words. He wouldn't bring up an issue unless it could prove disastrous further on.
"Just make sure you guys are back here in a few hours." Olga relented and crossed her arms in a bid to hide her growing anxiety. "You can't expect us to be able to survive on our own without a Servant."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Cu was staring directly at Shirou. An action Olga certainly did not miss. She frowned, and stared at Shirou with a layer of suspicion. The Noble Phantasm Shirou had pulled out was still on her mind, the question 'explain?' Left unasked.
Shirou Emiya, Master candidate forty-seven. Olga began to recall everything she'd read on his report. Despite her personality, she was meticulous and actually cared about the well being of those around her. Regardless, the only thing of note she remembered about Shirou on his report, was that he'd been admitted to Chaldea as a technician before his Rayshifting compatibility was discovered.
Now here he was able to manifest a Noble Phantasm from seemingly nowhere. It wasn't Gradation Air, a form of projection magecraft either, as the spear still in Cu's hands showed no signs of defects or that Cu was unhappy with it. In fact, Cu was downright beaming as he held the spear in his grip. What a battle freak. How was he even a Caster?
No, stop that.
Olga inwardly berated herself. She was going off on a tangent when her main focus was Shirou.
She wanted answers, but recalling the way Shirou had saved her, something inside her softened. She still wanted answers, but perhaps she wouldn't be so forceful about it?
Olga Marie Animusphere never forgets a favour.
------------------------------------
Cu left with Mash and Ritsuka, leaving Shirou and Olga to temporarily investigate the abnormality of Singularity F on their own. Nerve inducing as the thought was to Olga, she somehow consoled herself with the root of her worries in the first place.
Since neither she or Shirou had a Servant of their own, it was likely that the other Servants in Fuyuki wouldn't actively search for them, not when they could feel Mash and Cu's presence in the vicinity.
With this thought in mind, Olga finally began to relax, not noticing that for Shirou, it was the opposite. He'd been quietly observing the burning city of Fuyuki since he'd arrived. This was clearly an alternate Fuyuki than the one he remembered. Presently he was only sure of two things, one, a 'Shirou Emiya' existed in this time line, and two, the Holy Grail hadn't been destroyed; it was the only logical conclusion since Servants were running about Masterless in Fuyuki.
Shirou did not have much else to go on, but it was evident from the way Olga's eyes were boring holes on his back that she thought he knew more than what he actually knew. "If you have any questions, I'm free to answer them if you just ask," he replied, a hand scratching the back of his head. He could see that Olga was having trouble bringing up the topic so he might as well help her out.
She actually blanked at him in confusion before his words processed in her mind, and she began puffing up her chest and huffed in an attempt to mask her blunder. If anything, though, the awkwardness around her faded somewhat.
"It's only natural to answer the questions of your director. I commend your forthcomingness." She tilted her chin up haughtily, the image ruined when he noticed her twiddling her thumbs at the same time. "How are you related to Fuyuki and what's happening here?"
Olga began probing, starting with her main concern.
The problem was, even Shirou himself was not fully certain of the answer.
"If my assumptions are correct, a Holy Grail War is occurring in Fuyuki," Shirou decided it was best to share his thoughts. As he explained, his feet carried him forward as he reminisced of the past. "As for how I'm related, Fuyuki is my hometown. Several years prior, I was the Master of Saber and I was part of this Holy Grail War."
"That's not possible," Olga denied with logic. "Singularity F occurs in the early 2000s, and the present year is 2017. You don't look that old and there were no records of a Holy Grail War taking part in Japan in the given time period."
It was the truth.
"I'm just as confused as you are. Isn't that why we're investigating?"
Olga closed her mouth in silent agreement. She frowned and bit down on the nail of her thumb as she fell into contemplation. "If this is a Holy Grail War, it narrows down what we need to do. The Holy Grail should be the answer to correcting this singularity, meaning that Caster had it right that we have to fight to win. This should be enough to fill a satisfactory report for the Clock Tower, but heading back to Chaldea now isn't an option. Just what sort of situation is this?"
Olga began to mutter openly, assuming that Shirou was paying attention to her analysis.
-He wasn't.
"Speaking of which, where did you get a Noble Phantasm from? Hey, are you even listening?"
At the moment, no. No, he was not. He was too busy staring at a burning house and the silhouette of a figure he'd never be able to mistake. As Olga had been contemplating what could have caused the situation, Shirou had ended up walking down the road towards the house he used to live in at Fuyuki.
It was the Emiya manor bought by his adoptive father Kiritsugu.
The entire manor was up in flames at this point, the bonsai trees and shrubs growing in the open garden nothing more that charred wood and ashes. The walls around the complex had also toppled, allowing Shirou to walk inside without circling towards the front gate. This also meant that he'd been able to see directly into the house way before he'd gotten close.
There sprawled on the ground at the entrance of the Emiya residence front door was none other than Rin Tohsaka, a woman Shirou held dear. He could not mistake her iconic twin tails, short skirt, and red blouse for anyone else. Her condition wasn't good, no; it was awful. Black mud surrounded her on all sides, submerging her in a thin layer over her legs. Purple-like veins were crawling up her skin, flaring red with each pulse from the mud. She had herself propped up on her elbows, but more than anything, the reason Shirou suddenly burst into a sprint was because of a single observation.
Rin was breathing.
"Hey wait, why are you running!?" Olga called out in alarm; however, he was too rushed to respond.
Gritting her teeth, Olga gave chase with a small whine of protest. This all changed when Olga noticed Rin and the fact that Shirou all but froze once he got within sight of her.
Olga slowed her steps and waited at a distance to observe.
Shirou stared at Rin, and she stared back, stiff as a statue before the silence shattered.
Despite her condition, Rin just stared before laughing then laughing even harder to the point where it turned into weeping. One careful look at Rin was all it took for Shirou to determine that Rin was dying. Yet even if she was dying, she made it look like she was winning the lottery. "…Yes! I knew that fools don't die!" Vigour returned to her listless face. Regardless, she looked like she'd seen better days. Her features were sunken, gaunt to the point that wrinkles had formed over a pale complexion.
Shirou didn't know what to say, but Rin clearly had a lot to vent. The tears trickling down her cheeks glistened in the light of the fires burning throughout the city.
"You Goddamned idiot!" She choked out hoarsely, the sheer volume causing him to flinch from the sheer heartbreak. "What were you thinking going off on your own?! No never mind you don't think in the first place! I tried to save everyone, I damn well tried, and I even lost Archer for it." For a moment she looked defeated, crestfallen, but there was joy in the way she looked at him. "I thought it was all over and then you just waltz up to me alive after I thought your stupidity got you killed..."
Rin tried to wipe away at her tears, but it was taking all her strength just to keep her upper body propped up. She was sniffling, eyes misted over.
"Thank goodness. Thank goodness," she muttered softly, her lips quivering.
It's said that in death a person is the most truthful, but Shirou did not know how to react to such raw emotion.
Moreover, Rin was clearly getting the wrong idea.
Shirou shifted awkwardly on his feet. If this was a parallel timeline of the Fuyuki Grail War, then the Shirou of this world probably did die already. Shirou wasn't a fool, no he was just impulsive and often threw logic aside in favour of saving others. This meant throwing himself at danger. A lot of danger to the point he questioned how he was even alive.
Shirou digressed, more to the point, he'd seen the way Rider and Caster had looked at him in surprise. Rin was no different. The hollowness in her gaze had vanished completely upon sighting him, replaced by indescribable relief.
The thing was, he wasn't the Shirou she thought him to be.
"Rin, I-"
No, Shirou stopped himself. Was it worth telling Rin the truth at this moment when her eyes were filled with such hope? He couldn't do it. Not after seeing just how much pain she was enduring just to talk to him. He shut his mouth, ignoring the questioning stare he could feel from his back where Olga stood. Either Rin was ignoring Olga, or her vision had deteriorated to the point that she could no longer see past certain distances. He was leaning towards the latter option. Rin had never been too friendly when other women approached him.
"Rin what? Just shut up for now. I don't have much time left!" Rin coughed into her hand, blood coating her palm as she wheezed from the exertion of staying conscious. She trembled and shivered, eyes pursing shut in order to just endure.
Shirou stepped forward. Rin heard, looked up at his face, and noticed a distinct gleam in his expression, prompting her features to shift into a glower. "Don't even think about it! There's no saving me. I couldn't escape the mud, and the curses flowing through have long since gone beyond saving."
Right, the cursed mud. That's what was surrounding Rin. It was also the perpetrator of the Servants undergoing 'blackening.' But so what? He'd still try to save her. Yet Rin would not have it. She lost her temper.
"Do me a favour and just listen!"
He paused in his steps, stunned by the sheer determination on Rin's face. "As long as you're still here, then there's still a chance to save everything else." She began coughing again. When she stopped, she continued. "We were so close," she stressed. "The Greater Grail should have been destroyed, but out of nowhere some random man carrying a strange shard just up and ruins everything." Rin's rage was simmering despite her pain, masking the sheer grief she'd buried inside her. "I-I saw him kill you, and then proceed to kill everyone else in the city. I-I thought I was the only one left after days of trying to stay alive. I couldn't believe it, so in the end, I made a bet that you'd survived and dragged myself here. It paid off to keep myself alive for as long as I could just to see that stupid face again."
Rin's voice was fading, her eyelids growing heavier and heavier, but like the headstrong woman Shirou knew she was, she forced herself on. "I don't have much else to say, but at the very least, I'd like you to take this," she fumbled with her hands and produced a red gem filled to the brim with magical energy. She tossed it to Shirou with what little energy she had left. "If that bastard Lev comes out, then use it to give him hell as my gift from me to him. If it's you Emiya, I'm sure you can do it. The Tohsaka pay back humiliation ten-fold. Do you here me Emiya? Ten-fold…" She trailed off; her complexion rapidly whitening.
It would seem that the relief of seeing Shirou had reduced Rin's tenacity to stay alive after she'd been able to see and entrust Shirou with everything that mattered.
"L-Lev? Did you just say Lev? He's here? He's alive? That's perfect he always helps me!" Olga could keep quiet to the conversation no longer.
No answer. Rin had died with a vindictive smile over her face, fully trusting in the Shirou before her. It was exactly like the Rin that Shirou knew of, which made it all the more personal.
"Wait you can't just die. At least answer me first! The nerve of eastern magi. I waited politely; shouldn't I get a turn to ask questions!"
It was no use.
"Let's go," Shirou clutched strongly onto the gem Rin had given to him, features tightening. She was a dear friend, and perhaps something much more that he'd been ignorant of in the pursuit of his ideals, but one thing was for sure.
If he knew Rin as a person, then Rin definitely knew him as well.
He'd make good on her promise.
----------------------
By the time Cu, Ritsuka, and Mash returned to the specified meeting place, they could all tell that something had changed about both Shirou and Olga. They stood apart from each other, Shirou leaning his back on the wall of a ruined buildings, and Olga pacing back and forth. If anything, Shirou looked a lot more determined and invested into the situation than he did before.
Shirou had just seen someone that he cared for die right in front of him, and there was nothing that he could do. Of course, he wasn't unaffected. Then there was still the issue with Sakura and the realization that she was probably dead as well. Everyone he knew in Fuyuki was probably dead right now. His hands were balled into fists so tightly that his nails were beginning to dig into his palms. None of this was making any sense from what he remembered.
Olga just looked troubled in comparison. Her lips were pursed, and she couldn't get the idea that Lev was still alive out of her head.
Mash and Ritsuka could sense the tension in the air, and lost much of their enthusiasm after Cu had helped Mash learn to activate her Noble Phantasm by pitting her against enemy Servants and Cu himself.
Unlike Mash and Ritsuka, Cu was not so reserved.
"Seems like we missed some things," Cu said flatly before grunting. "Honestly, I won't pry, but all I ask is whether or not this will effect your combat abilities?"
Shirou shook his head. "I'll manage," he replied. Olga snapped back to attention at Cu's voice and hurriedly composed herself. "Of course, I'm fine," she said unconvincingly.
Cu didn't comment. There was no use. Instead, he sat everyone down and began telling him all he knew about where the Holy Grail was and who to expect to fight.
"There's no getting around fighting Saber, but the Archer's going to be a problem if no one handles him." Cu's gaze flicked up to Shirou who stilled when Archer was mentioned. "It seems you know who I'm talking about."
Shirou simply nodded. He could hazard a guess. "I should be able to deal with it if Olga can help supply some magical energy."
Cu looked to Olga who flinched at the attention, though she'd never admit it. "As the director, I won't leave someone in need of my assistance behind."
A gasp echoed. Mash looked like she was looking at Olga for the first time. She'd always thought that Olga was 'downright evil' for her unsavoury ways of firing those she disliked.
"D-Director, I didn't know you were this nice," Mash seemed genuinely moved, much to Olga's irritation, but she was better than snubbing Mash back for making her feel self-conscious.
Cu clapped and smirked. "Good, then it's sorted out. You two," Caster pointed to Shirou and Olga. "You'll form one team and defeat or stall the Archer, and I'll go with the other two to take on Saber and retrieve the Holy Grail."
Saber, huh? For a moment, the image of a knight in blue appeared in Shirou's mind. Bitter memories of her parting came next, but through it all, he cherished the good times that he could remember.
Focus.
Shirou shook his head, his features hardening. He had a goal, a motive. Even if this Fuyuki Grail War differed from his own, he was determined to set it straight, not only for himself, but for all those that have died as a consequence.
"I'm ready to leave when you guys are," Shirou pushed off from the wall he was leaning towards and gestured towards Cu.
"Quick to action, I like it." Cu said as he adjusted his spear to a onehanded grip for him to carry. "I'll take the lead and kill off any skeletons I see. This spear is particularly effective against undead and demonic entities."
The group took another minute to go over the details of the plan, and soon enough, they were running towards the mountains of Ryuudou Temple where Cu had specified the Grail to be. Although no one questioned why Caster was helping to begin with, Shirou suspected that it was either because Cu enjoyed the thrill of battle too much, or he was following an obligation from Rider that Shirou wasn't aware of.
Honestly, there many things about this Fuyuki that Shirou wasn't aware of, and in a way, it was irking him. The people he'd cared for; the things that he'd wanted to save; all of it was gone in this world. He couldn't understand how this had happened, no; more than that, he couldn't accept it.
"We part ways here!" Cu yelled out to him, snapping Shirou out of his thoughts.
Right. They'd do things just as planned.
Shirou and Olga continued ahead towards the location specified by Cu where Archer was guarding. Meanwhile, Cu and the others took a longer route in order to head towards the entrance of a cave in the mountainside.
Shirou took in a breath, and calmed his breathing. He couldn't be certain about what to expect about the Archer he was going to meet, but beyond all else, he was inwardly seething.
"Are you sure that you can take on a Servant? You gave your Noble Phantasm away to Caster, this is crazy!" Olga said, her anxiety showing over his recklessness now that Cu was gone. Regardless, Olga was true to her word and she was channeling magical energy to Shirou as they moved.
Shirou was too preoccupied to answer. He moved through the underbrush of the forest around Ryuudou temple without regard for stealth, Olga clambering behind him. The fact that he wasn't getting shot at right now meant that the enemy Archer had no intention of shooting.
A direct confrontation it would be then.
It was exactly what he wanted.
Flooding his body with magical energy, he reinforced his legs, leapt through the cover of the trees, and out into an open clearing by a ridge where a man stood waiting. His features were identical to Shirou's own aside from the height, silver hair, and tan skin. Red web-like patterns were corroding Archer's skin starting from his left eye, pulsing with tainted magical energy. Archer too had been blackened by the Grail's mud. The largest difference between the two was the light in each of their eyes.
While Shirou's eyes burned with purpose, Archer's looked defeated and guilty. Oddly though, there were traces of resoluteness.
"Archer," Shirou was the first to break the silence, but Archer had no words to say but one.
"Leave." Archer said flatly, much to Shirou's ire.
For the longest time, they just stared at each other until Olga stumbled onto the scene. However, the sight of Shirou and Archer standing opposite to each other prompted Olga to freeze, the pieces of a puzzling falling in place in her mind; however, Shirou didn't take notice, too busy with the adversary in front of him.
Relief upon seeing him was the last thing Shirou could have ever expected to see from Archer's face, but his words and actions contradicted his expression.
"You wish to fight?" Archer raised his arms up in confrontation. "You know nothing of what transpired here. Of what I'm protecting."
"Stop making excuses!" Shirou gritted his teeth, veins popping over his skin. "I have a promise to keep. One that you should be able to understand!"
You failed.
How long did Rin suffer before she died? What of innocent Sakura and all his friends from Homurahara Academy who'd surely died from the ominous flames? Why? Why? The rage simmering within him was finally let loose. Archer was strong, stronger than Shirou could ever hope to be, so why did he let this happen?
You couldn't protect them!
For a moment, Archer seemed to falter at Shirou's stare, but quickly found his resolve.
Magical power flooded around Shirou while circuit-like patterns formed over his skin. He stepped forward, and Archer followed in tandem, their gazes meeting eye to eye. Oddly, Archer did not try to reason with him as Archer himself appeared solemn.
"I know that I failed to save the others, but you will regret this once you see what lays beyond me," Archer readied himself. "For her sake, I can't let you and especially you pass after she's taken so long to resolve herself. This ends now."
Two pairs of hands extended forward, two swords readying themselves for combat.
"Trace. On."
A clash of past and future.
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