Emiya goes through the Gate to the special region shenanigans ensue....
Words: 95k+
Link: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/anomaly-gate-jieitai-x-fate.1125539/
https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12732586/1/Anomaly
(An anomaly has opened up, and Shirou just happened to be there.)
Chapter 1
When Shirou Emiya awoke that morning, everything felt fine. He ate and cooked his breakfast with a side of coffee, the apartment's water heater was finally fixed, and it was the day of the weapon exhibit in Akihabara, though that wouldn't happen till around four in the afternoon. With that in mind, Shirou was prepared for a rather calm day of advancing his skills when he found something that needed his full attention.
He ran out of cooking supplies. At that point, all other plans were secondary. Groceries were the immediate concern now.
Perhaps, Shirou was just unlucky that day. It wouldn't have made much of a difference from the norm, really. Still, who would expect that he would encounter something like this while buying groceries?
The thing in question was a large distortion in space, held seemingly aloft by marble pillars. Honestly, it reminded him of the Second Magic, though without the multitude of colors that accompanied it. That only made things worse. Had some Magus tried to mess with forces that were obviously beyond their capabilities again? If that was the case, then it looks like Enforcer Emiya was needed on the scene.
With a sigh, he dropped his heaved his groceries towards the nearest alleyway as inconspicuously as possible. He needed to do some recon, and possibly find the idiot that deemed this a smart idea. Shirou glanced around. Everyone was too focused on the distortion to look in his direction. Perfect.
"Trace, on."
The trigger in his mind slammed. With a flare of Prana, his legs were Reinforced to near-Servant levels. A hop upwards, and he was on the roof of the building. He looked back down the alleyway, almost forlornly.
Hopefully, his groceries would still be there when he came back.
Perhaps Shirou was just tired, but he couldn't help the frown of irritation that marred his face. The crowd around the distortion was growing by the second. Cameras were flashing all over the place, and his Reinforced eyes could see several news vans heading towards the scene. This was bad. Not even the Association can modify the memories of the internet.
He needed to stop this, right now. The amount of Prana building up in the air foretold how the Mystery was almost ready to be deployed. Yet, despite that, he couldn't find a hint of the Magus responsible. Were they in the buildings near the anomaly? If that's the case, it would prove more difficult to stop this, but not impossible. If all things were go to hell, he still had his trump card – Rule Breaker.
The only problem is that this would probably earn him a Sealing Designation if the secret of Magecraft were to be revealed to everyone. Most people would think twice before doing anything when they think of that, but Shirou wasn't most people. No, all he wanted to do was to save people, and if that meant painting a target behind his back, then so be it.
Perhaps Shirou was just imagining things, but had he just seen a man in Romanesque armor step out and back in through the distortion? This was now beyond bad. People had seen that, caught it on camera and spread to everyone they knew even.
The secrecy of Magecraft was the goal of the Enforcers, and if he were to fail in keeping everyone quiet, the others would have to act. Dozens to hundreds of people would be killed off silently, their identities wiped clean from every known database. People would die without anyone ever realizing it.
Shirou didn't want that. He could make up a story with about this being a movie set, but not if the Magus finally decides to act. It was nearly thirty minutes since the first appearance of the anomaly, and even from his view, he couldn't find the soon-to-be Sealing Designate. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice him from atop of the building despite there being at least five news stations covering the situation live.
He was now in his 'work clothes' as Rin had called them. Honestly, they reminded him a lot of Archer's armor during the War. The appearance of the possible scout set him on edge. He had heard from Lord El-Melloi II, as well as several journals of one Tokiomi Tohsaka, of a somewhat similar ability of the Iskandar, the Rider of the Fourth Holy Grail War.
Was this then an actualization of another irregular Reality Marble? Shirou wasn't sure, yet being on guard never hurt anyone.
Perhaps Shirou was just in shock, but when a large battlecry rang out, he hadn't drawn back his bow. Soon enough, hundreds of cavalrymen swarmed through the anomaly. The spectators didn't seem to understand what was going on, until the first few deaths via decapitation snapped them out of their confusion. Panic settled throughout everyone, Shirou included even as he fired arrows into the enemy. There were too many horsemen, and too many people to try to protect. People would die, and he wouldn't be able to anything about it.
While he instinctively knew that firing his arrows would spell death to anyone that gets hit by them, he also knew that these people were killing innocents left and right. He needed to prioritize the lives of the innocents. He didn't want to think like Archer, but for this, he didn't have a choice.
To save one person is to sacrifice another.
Shirou gripped his bow harder. He had vowed that he would never go down that path, yet Fate had other plans for him apparently.
This was war. The roar of the men behind you, the feeling of having fresh blood cling to your blade as it sliced through your enemies, the wind in your face as you rode to what could be the last fight you'll ever encounter. The pride that Tristan Cornwall felt for his men couldn't be expressed into mere words. They, the Imperial Army that is, hadn't been able to do anything but twiddle their thumbs for the past few months. Just the opportunity to spill blood was being honestly decided amongst the soldiers.
Still, Tristan couldn't help but feel uneasy about where they were. The enemy was advanced, obvious from the sheer size of the structures in the area. The fact that they hadn't encountered any resistance only added kindle to the burning sense of danger in his mind. You don't become a commander without honing some battle instincts after all.
It seems his fears were proven true as a hail of arrows assaulted the army.
"Archers! Shields up!" Tristan ordered the army, even as he himself held his greatshield in front of him. Damn, he was afraid of this. The structures were perfect spots for archers to fire arrows from, as they provided the bowmen the perfect height and cover advantage. Not only that, but it seems that the basic layout of this foreign land made it so that they would have to funnel through the streets, exposing them even further.
Thankfully, most of their shields were lined with runes made to reinforce their strength, "Forward! Don't let the enemy see weakness!" With a shout, the soldiers charged. Nothing would stop the Empire from conquering this country.
This was Tristan's last thought as an arrow burst open his shield and struck his head.
Perhaps Shirou was merely channeling his inner EMIYA as he struck down the invading army's apparent leader. He didn't like it at all, but he knew that it had to be done. With grim satisfaction, he watched as those nearest to his target immediately panicked.
He let loose a few more arrows into the wall of shields. Dozens were killed just from the shockwaves of his arrows. He didn't let up. By his estimations, there had to be at least a hundred thousand soldiers here. Despite his own admitted stubborn disposition, he wouldn't be able to incapacitate them all. No, he'd run out of Prana long before that. Of course, he could use an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm, but the collateral damages would be too much. The best way to end this would be to destroy whatever Magecraft was bringing them here. For that ho-
Shirou's eyes widened as flying creatures flew out of distortion, each with a soldier riding on them.
Dragons.
They shouldn't be here-they couldn't be here. The Phantasmal Beasts were supposed to be long extinct. Yet, the roars and the flapping of wings shattered that preconception. Biting back a curse, Shirou redirected his aim towards the Beasts. This was beyond anything that he had expected. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something else that made him question the stupidity of mankind.
A news helicopter.
A goddamn slaughter was happening, and all they could think of was sending a news helicopter?
It seemed that he wasn't the only one that noticed the media. Several of the dragon riders had turned around and were heading straight for it. He drew back his bow as far as he could before stopping. His arrows wouldn't reach them in time. This was due to the inherent properties of his arrows; that they were still bound to the laws of mundane physics. Trying to fire an arrow that fast, at that distance would only vaporize the entire projectile. Had he been a Servant, then that wouldn't be a problem, as his arrows would then be fueled by his legend to beyond human capabilities.
He would have to use something else then.
"I am the bone of my sword."
Judging the concept of creation.
A sword born of the legend of a Hero of Old. Gifted in the hopes that it may be the tool to hunt down unholy beasts-to slay that which had slain so many others before him.
Hypothesizing the basic structure.
Though it may be a sword, it had been modified to suit the purpose he needed. Instead of an edge, the sword now held a twisted, almost menacing look, making it unwieldy for conventional sword techniques, yet perfect for piercing.
Duplicating the composition material
It was made of wrought iron, but the Magecraft grafted onto the blade made it nigh impossible to destroy.
Imitating the skill of its making
Though its forging process was lost to history, the process itself lied still within the blade. Forged by the best blacksmith at the time, through processes that even he couldn't fully understand, then enchanted by the greatest Magus in the land, the sword was supposed to be the pinnacle of blacksmithing. A sword fit for a king.
Sympathizing with the experience of its growth
Though the Hero only held it for a brief time, it was enough. The sword had done its job, leading the Hero towards the danger that loomed over the horizon.
Reproducing the accumulated years
It had lay broken in the lair of the monster it was supposed to slay for hundreds of years. Regardless, its brilliance shone through the days and nights, until the Magecraft holding it together finally faded, and with it, the blade was destroyed.
Excelling every manufacturing process
This was the sword that lead the Hero Beowulf to the Mother of Grendel. A sword whose name was passed down from generation to generation. It was…
"Hrunting."
"We're live in three, two, one."
"Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do."
"Uh, Kuribayashi-san?"
"Do, ti, la, so, fa, mi, re, do."
"Kuribayashi-san, we're live."
"WHAT! Oh, um," Nanami coughed into her hand as she blushed in embarrassment. Great, she just made herself the biggest laughingstock on live news. Normally, she would fuss about it even more, and to be honest, she had to restrain herself from doing so. The news came first.
"We're here live at Ginza to show to you what's been going on. As you can see, hundreds upon thousands of soldiers have been appearing through what early reports say to be a gate of some kind. The soldiers then proceeded to kill any and all people within the vicinity. As of right now, the amount of casualties is unknown."
Nanami was glad that she had memorized her script, as she had almost hitched as the helicopter dove in for a closer look. Her cameraman was having a field day it seemed.
"As you can see, almost all of the soldiers have weapons from the Medieval era, though why that is is also currently unknown. For now, all civilians in the area are ordered to head to the Imperial Palace for evacuation. I repeat, all civi..li..ans…" She dropped her mic. Her face turned from focused, if not slightly nervous, to complete terror.
"Kuribayashi-san? What's wrong?" Her cameraman whispered to her. He didn't see what she saw. Of course he wouldn't. He was too focused on getting that story.
"D-Dr-DRAGON!" She screamed as she pointed behind him. The cameraman whipped around, camera with him, to see a man riding a dragon, spear in hand. They were close, too close. The pilot seemed to notice that too. The helicopter swiveled as it tried to avoid the oncoming blow. The dragon merely slammed into the body.
"We're going down!"
Her cameraman cursed in frustration, "Can you get us down to safety?"
"The only place I can land this thing is on that building," the pilot gestured towards what looked to be an unfinished skyscraper, "Anywhere else, not so sure." The dragon was circling back around, and this time, it wasn't alone. There were around half a dozen dragons, each one of them as terrifying as the last.
"Fuck. Do it, just do it!"
With a wordless cry, they swerved downwards, but they wouldn't make it, Nanami was sure. The dragons were too fast. They would get to them before they landed. Hell, if they did manage to land, then what? They would just be sitting free food the moment they stepped out.
They would die here, this much she knew.
At least, that was what she thought before a red light streaked through the sky.
A flash, a blink, the sound of roaring. Then, nothing. The dragons were gone, just like that, "What…"
"Amazed, are you?" An unfamiliar voice resonated through the falling helicopter. Nanami turned. An old man in a suit sat down, far too calm for what was happening. The old man rolled his eyes, "Land this damn thing first and then we'll talk. I'm sure that you have a lot of questions."
Nanami could only nod.
Shirou sighed as Hrunting killed the dragons. Hopefully, they'd be able to land safely from that hit they took. Suspiciously though, the dragons had been felled quite easily. Had he underestimated the power of the Phantasmal Beasts? Shirou wasn't sure, but didn't want to take any chances, not with more lives on the line. Instead, he Traced another Red Hound, and aimed towards the rest of the dragons. With a breath the arrow Broke, and was fired upon the unsuspecting riders.
In an instant, another group of the Beasts were destroyed by the power of the Noble Phantasm.
This forced the remaining dragons to retreat into what Shirou was now sure to be a portal. At the same time, Shirou nearly collapsed from firing the Phantasm. The number of arrows he had fired beforehand, while keeping up his Reinforcement had barely dented his reserves. Two Broken Phantasms though? It was too much. Too much Prana, too much strain on his mortal body.
He'd be damned if this were to stop his goal.
"Steel is my body,"
While Shirou Emiya was not Counter Guardian EMIYA, Counter Guardian EMIYA was most definitely Shirou Emiya. It was inevitable then, that similarities would pop up, especially in their ideals. After all, if Shirou was merely a hypocrite for following his ideals to the letter, then what was EMIYA but the biggest hypocrite for following his ideals till it dragged him to damnation?
"Fire is my blood."
His muscles were reinvigorated, and his Circuits burned. His Aria had done the trick, it seemed. Shirou looked out to the city below. With a curse, he realized that while he was focused on the dragons, several cavalrymen had made it through the chokepoint. He wouldn't be able to fire upon them without risking innocents. He would need to engage them upfront. He didn't like it, as he could be seen and linked back to Magecraft, but there was no way that those dragons were somehow missed by the cameras. Magecraft would probably be revealed to the world within three days, knowing the internet.
To hell with it then. The bow vanished from his hands, and replaced by twin black and white, curved shortswords. He looked down to the ground below. Around forty meters away, a group of civilians were running for their lives, a member of the police force frantically shooting at a single horseman.
Shirou jumped down.
Was her mouth open? Nanami was sure her mouth was open. Her cameraman's mouth was open, so why wouldn't hers not be?
The old man who had said he'd explain things was sitting in a recliner (on the roof!), a smirk on his face. Magic-Magecraft-whatever it was called, was real? The old man rolled his eyes.
"What, you need more proof? I'm pretty sure those dragons would really like to reintroduce themselves."
Nanami fumbled with her microphone as she fumbled out a stuttering 'No'. They had caught everything on camera, from the man's explanation of Magecraft to his demonstration of said Magecraft. Though, he had said that it wasn't really Magecraft, but True Magic, even as he pulled out the recliner from a portal that looked to be a swirling mass of colors.
People would no doubt be skeptical about what they just heard, but social media would be rampant with her interview with the man in front of her – already was going by how much her phone was vibrating. Speaking of which, she had one question for him.
"Why would you tell us this?" The question left her mouth without the usual stutter or nervousness. She couldn't afford to be nervous now. The white-haired man shrugged in response, leaning back on his seat, "Honestly? I was bored."
The buzzing in her phone stopped as silence reigned. The man just revealed world-changing secrets because he was bored? Nanami must have voiced her opinion because the old man snorted his response, "Yep. I mean, I'm pretty sure that most people would get bored when they've seen every single possibility out there, just to stumble across something that hasn't happened anywhere else." The man looked up to the sky, "So, forgive me when all I wanted was for the plot to move forward without the entire 'explain this shit to these shitheads' over and over again."
"What the hell…'plot'? Is this some fucking story for you? People are dying left and right, goddamn dragons almost killed us, and you just want to advance some fucking 'plot'!?" Nanami's cameraman screamed at the man. She couldn't blame him. If she were more confident, she'd probably do the same.
The old man stood up, "Boy, do you even know what I mean by when I say anywhere else." He slapped his forehead, "What am I saying, of course you don't!" The man sighed as he relaxed back into his recliner, "Let me just tell you this, and this goes to every brat watching right now: When I say anywhere, I mean anywhere in the entire multiverse. I've lived for who knows how long, and this is the first time that – dare I say it – any Zelretch has seen this!" A throaty laugh escaped from the old man, which Nanami concluded to be this Zelretch, "Well, Magi of the world, cat's outta the bag. Better get to politicking your way out of this one."
"Then why save us?" The cameraman continued, undeterred from Zelretch's answer, to which said man merely raised a confused eyebrow, "If you're oh so powerful, why the hell would you save us? You could have done anything with that fancy magic of yours, probably better than us even."
Zelretch seemed to find what the cameraman was trying to say, "Oh, I didn't save you. I just hitched a ride on your helicopter. Man, how the hell you didn't notice me sitting there for over half an hour is beyond me." He gave a small, smug, mischievous smirk, "Nah, the guy you want is the one that's been shooting at the enemy for over twenty minutes now." He points in a seemingly random direction. Nanami follows it, and sees absolutely nothing.
"Right, your eyes aren't able to see that far." Zelretch mutters something to himself as he once more stands up and grabs the camera. He ignored the cameraman's prostest as the camera glows bright blue before fading. Zelretch hands back the camera to the still distraught cameraman.
"Try it now."
Suspicious of the old man, the cameraman slowly pointed the camera to the direction where he first gestured to. To both his and Nanami's shock, the camera was now zoomed in to view a man in black armor wielding a black bow almost taller than him, kneeling on the roof of a building. This was impossible. No camera should be able to do this. It was almost like…
Nanami felt silly. It wasn't like magic, it was Magic, with a capital M.
"Meet Shirou Emiya, probably the most reckless, altruistic idiot on this side of the world."
They watched as the red-clad man mutter something to himself. The bow disappeared, and in its place, were two swords. What were two swords going to do at that distance?
They got their answer as he abruptly dropped from the building he was on. Nanami heard a scream. Maybe it was hers, but she didn't care. The man who supposedly saved her just committed suicide. No one would survive from a fall from that height.
They watched him land on the ground as if it weren't made of solid concrete. How-
Right. Magic.
Perhaps Shirou didn't want to see them, but see them he did. Corpses. Piles and piles of corpses, both enemy and civilian, were strewn carelessly on the road. Victims. He pressed on, just like he did all those years ago.
"Help!"
Shirou didn't have to think before launching in the direction of the shout. There, two women, with a man on a horse right on their tail. He fueled more Prana into his legs, nearly tearing them in the process.
"Gah-!"
The enemy soldier went flying forward, his momentum carrying him right over the two women, who shrieked in surprise. Embedded in his back were the Married Blades, though the women didn't know that. Instead, they were focused on their savior, who was absentmindedly calming down the horse. Shirou cast a concerned glance at them, "Are both of you okay?"
They could only nod dumbly. The Magus smiled, "Then please, head to the nearest safe area. If I recall correctly, the police station is that way." With two stuttered 'Thank you's, the two were gone. His smile faded. There was, after all, more people that needed to be saved.
Plucking Kanshou and Bakuya from the still corpse, he started to make his way towards the more populated areas of the district.
His blades would get more than a taste of blood that day.
Lorelei Barthomeloi was rightfully pissed. She had just gotten word that a portal had opened up in the middle of Tokyo, and was now spilling out hordes of soldiers dedicated to killing everything they saw. She immediately called in an order to contain the area, to minimize the amount of witnesses that they had to 'silence'.
Then, the dragons came. People would inwardly say that the Vice Director looked shocked for but a moment when the news came. It went as fast as it came. Soon enough, new orders were delivered, this time to the best Enforcers that they could spare. They were to kill everything unaffiliated with the Mage's Association. They were to act as Counter Guardians, essentially, for the Clock Tower.
At least that was the plan, until even more news was stumbled upon. This time, it was of none other than Zelretch himself spreading his knowledge on Magecraft to the entire world. They wouldn't be able to contain this. The entire thing was broadcasted live for the world to see. While not everyone would have been watching at the time, it still left a healthy portion of the world knowing about the now open secret.
The worst part was because Zelretch was the one that did all the revealing, they couldn't even persecute him. If they even tried, he would probably kill them off while laughing in honest incredulity. No, even that scenario was farfetched. Instead, it was far more likely that if they were ordered to apprehend the Magician, most of Enforcers would abandon their post and flee for their lives.
Yes, Lorelei Barthomeloi was pissed, and she had every reason to be pissed. Without the Director, who was apparently taking an extended leave, all decisions would have to be made by her.
"Where is Emiya?" She ground out. Everyone in the meeting room gulped. It seemed that only Shirou Emiya was the one person that can calm down the Vice Director when she was in a rage, mostly due to his superb cooking skills. People would often joke about how Emiya and Lorelei were already married, with Emiya being the housewife. (Unbeknownst to them, Lorelei had heard each and every one of them, and inwardly admitted that she wouldn't mind being married to Emiya.)
Unfortunately, the man was on a paid leave right now, and would not be back for the next few weeks. Lorelei clicked her tongue as nobody said anything. She sighed in frustration. The situation was already dire, and without possibly the best Enforcer on her roster, the Clock Tower would have to prepare for the incoming witch burnings.
"I'm going to skin that Dead Apostle's hide." She murmured under her breath. There was no need for pride at this point. Pride would only get you killed, something that she personally learned from Emiya himself.
The doors burst open, and a messenger rushed in, pale-faced and out of breath.
"V-Vice Director, I believe that you'd want to see this."
When she got up to follow the messenger, she didn't expect to watch him frantically set up what she knew to be a television. The others behind her were unamused, going by the disgusted whispers. They were traditional Magi, after all, and while the Bartholmeloi were traditional, Lorelei could see the benefits of modern technology. Despite the opposition, the messenger tried to get the machine to work, muttering about having no signal here.
Finally, an image appeared. Said image only reinforced Lorelei's anger towards her fellow Wizard Marshall.
The image was that of a white-haired man fighting amongst a sea of armored soldiers.
The black and white blades sang of war that day, yet no satisfaction came from the wielder. How, after all, can one be happy with killing? Even though these people had kill innocents, a life for a life should not be how the world works.
Despite this, Shirou continued to kill. And kill. And kill.
It was completely against his nature to be a Hero of Justice, yet he still kept killing.
As the last horseman gurgled to his death, the blades fell from Shirou's hands. It was over. He looked over to the mass grave that was the street. Blood was splattered all across the hard concrete pavements, while some still moving bodies tried to unsuccessfully patch their wounds.
They'd be corpses soon enough.
Shirou looked upwards to the midday sun, his Reinforced eyes allowing him to stare endlessly. Is this what Archer had to go through for an eternity? Senseless violence for the survival of everyone else? Shirou knew that if this were to happen again, he would break. Sure, he had killed before, but those times were against things beyond human. These men, these people, didn't deserve this. His gaze slowly drifted back down, until he saw something in the distance.
Four people on a building. A man trying to fix a smoking helicopter, a cameraman pointing his camera directly at him, and an open-mouthed woman with a microphone dangling loosely with her arm. Had they recorded all of that? Normally, there wouldn't be a chance in hell that they'd manage to do that. He would have ignored them had it not for the one next to them.
The last person couldn't be truly called a person. After all, who in their right mind would call Zelretch a person?
"Fuck."
The uncharacteristic curse spewed from his lips. Zelretch probably had something to do with this. He couldn't do anything, however, as the Magician held far more power than even a Servant like Saber. This must be exactly how Rin feels every time Zelretch does something.
Gunshots.
Shirou's head snapped to his left. The Imperial Palace? What-
A hail of battlecries.
It hit him even as Shirou started to run towards the Imperial Palace: He hadn't managed to kill everyone, and now the mundane had interacted with the enemy, with violence it seems.
It took him not even a minute of sprinting to arrive at his destination. What greeted him was a hail of gunfire to the chest.
The white-haired man fell under the wall of soldiers. Itami sighed in relief at that. The man had appeared from almost thin air the moment the last of the cavalry fell. He had been worried that the man would suddenly do some weird anime-styled magic and kill them all. Thankfully, either he didn't cast anything, or magic was as vulnerable to bullets. Both thoughts eased his mind. Still, as Itami scoured the area, he couldn't help but compare it to the game he had just been playing.
A massacre. There was no other word for the death that he had witnessed.
"Check the bodies," ordered one of the soldiers, apparently the highest ranked one with how everyone deferred to him, "And if any are alive, take them to the medics to get patched up." No one argued with him, and no one questioned what they had to do the moment that they recovered. After all, questions needed to be answered, and only these guys had the solutions.
At least, that's what Itami thought.
Addressing him, the soldier spoke, "Sir, you best step back." Itami complied, seeing as this was technically his day off, and he wouldn't mind not doing anything. Despite his position in the military, he was still an otaku first and foremost.
The soldiers went to work, weapons still hot from the gunfire. They approached the bodies carefully, keeping all eyes on them. First body; dead, bullets had punched straight through his skull.
Second body; dead, bullets had seemingly torn through his side, reopening an old wound.
Third body; dead. As was the fourth, and fifth, and sixth, and so on. Fortunately, some of them had survived, though in very critical condition. They were immediately rushed to the holding cells where the medics would be awaiting their prisoners of war.
Finally, they came upon the body of the white-haired man. The bullets had hit his chest, but had failed to pierce the armor. Another soldier bent down to cautiously check his pulse.
A beat.
"Got another live one here!"
As a pair of soldiers came in, ready to heave the man, a twitch in the air caught Itami's attention. Unfortunately, the soldiers were too focused on the dead weight to notice it. Another twitch.
And a kaleidoscope of colors assaulted his vision.
Colors, colors as far as the eye can see. Never ending, but it had never started. Shapes that he couldn't comprehend, memories of himself that he had never remembered. Otherworldly creatures that burned his mind just from looking at them. An unending cacophony of chaosorderlifedeathjoysorrow -
Then, it was over. The colors faded back into nothing, and in its place, an old man, along with what looked to be a very dumfounded news crew. The soldiers shakily drew their guns. Clearly, they too had seen what Itami witnessed. He could feel his hands tremble, though for what reason, he couldn't accurately tell. It could have been fear, it could have been anticipation, but right now, that didn't matter.
What mattered now was the old man that was kicking the red-clad body.
"Get up, you lazy bum. I'm not paying you to lie around on the job."
"You're not paying me anything."
Everyone, save for the old man, looked on in disbelief. The white-haired man calmly opened his eyes as he sat back up. He had taken what looked to be at least a dozen bullets to the chest, yet here he was as if nothing had happened.
"Did you really have to record everything?" The red-clad man sighed in frustration, to which the old man shrugged.
"Come on kid, what's the fun in life if you don't live a little?" The old man replied, a grin spreading on his face, "Besides, don't tell me that those damn dragons wouldn't have revealed everything eventually. I just sped up the process."
The darker skinned of the two crossed his arms in irritation, though didn't say anything else. The camera crew was busy still filming the entire interaction. For a moment, his eyed the camera as if he wanted to destroy it, that is until his eyes caught that of the older man's. He turned away. He stared at the corpses in front of him. His eyes hardened as he turned to face another direction.
"I'll be off then. That anomaly needs to be righted." As he started his stride in another direction, he was stopped by the older man as a cane was lifted to block the white-haired man's path.
"Emiya, if you're about to do what I know you're about to do, don't. You'll regret it for the rest of your life." The newly named Emiya frowned in response. Itami meanwhile was still trying to process what was happening.
What in the hell were these guys talking about?!
Perhaps Shirou was pissed off at Zelretch, but despite this, he couldn't do anything against the might of the Magician. What the Dead Apostle Ancestor just said had proven his fears true. While mischievous, Zelretch still had the best intentions for humanity as a whole. It took to reason then, that when Zelretch warns someone, then you should abide by it.
When he realized that there were no more enemies in sight, Shirou deigned to destroy that blasted anomaly once and for all. He had grasped the weapons within the Gates of Babylon, and as such, he had a multitude of Noble Phantasms suited for the job.
Still, the anomaly was pushing out too much power in very short period of time. He had feared that had he hit them with any of his Anti-Magic Noble Phantasms, then that power would become completely unstable as they tried to escape through the gap, most likely in the form of a large explosion.
Damn. What to do now? He couldn't just leave it to the hands of the mundane. They had no idea how to handle this!
"Oh, just leave it to these guys. They can handle it."
By the Root, did Shirou hate Zelretch right now.
Meanwhile, the quaint atmosphere of Fuyuki City was broken by eerily similar shouts.
"DAMMIT SHIROU!"
Spoiler: Author's NotesAs you can probably tell, this is not the best first chapter, especially on the Fate side of things. This was written well before any of the other stories I have ongoing, back in around 2017. This chapter, along with 2 and 3, were very much influenced by gabriel blessing. Some terms like Prana, for example, are still here, though I've moved away from that in more recent chapters. I will not be changing this as of now. Maybe I'll clean this up, but I do like coming back to this and seeing just how different and how similar things have gotten when it comes to my writing.
On another note, in case this looks familiar to some of you, this story is being crossposted over to SB from ffnet. As it is, this, Chronal Disassociation and Living Life will be all crossposted with a couple of days in between, just so that I don't spam the boards.
If you like what I do and want to support me, check out my P-atreon at P-atreon•com(slash)Almistyor.
And a special thanks to: Oliver vazquez, brutalcrab, and Tassimo.
Chapter 2
"-and that's why I got banned from the flea market run by talking celery sticks. I mean, how was I supposed to know that that was their grandfather? Anyway, that reminds me of the time when I banned a couple of bipedal crabs-"
Saika had had enough. The old man, Zelretch according to the whole news fiasco, had not stopped talking ever since he and another white haired man had been taken into custody in the heavily armored truck.
Beside him, the driver of said truck, Ishida, was listening intently (was he really that interested?) as they made their way through traffic. Saika didn't know how he could put upwith this. The old man's ramblings were downright insane!
But, given that there was just an invasion in the heart of Ginza, the revelation that magic was real, maybe there was some hint of truth there, regardless of his own skepticism. Hell, even seeing it with his own eyes, and he still couldn't believe it.
After all, if those two really were some sort of wizards, wouldn't they just break out of this truck?
This was perhaps one of the closest to True Magic that any third rate Magus like him had ever gotten.
Literally.
His arms, but not his arms, were crossed as he listened to Zelretch ramble on, while Zelretch watched in the same spot as that Zelretch. It was confusing to look at to Shirou, but his own disregard to common Magi practices let him just shrug it off as Zelretch being Zelretch. He was still curious though, as would anyone in their position.
"Like it? It's something I came up with a while back. Hypnosis is great for people, but cameras can be a pain."
Shirou could understand that reasoning. A person can be directly hypnotized, but those behind a camera cannot. They would see everything that they did without anyone being able to do anything. What Zelretch was doing was circumventing that.
An application of the Multi-Dimensional Phenomenon he first saw used by the false Assassin of the Fifth Holy Grail War. By tapping into parallel universes, one can force two or more realities into existence in the same universe, having them both happen at the same time.
The difference with how the master of the Second Magic was using it was that instead of letting events fully materialize into the World, he was instead taking the top-most 'layer' and placing them just above their own selves, allowing everything around to perceive their alternate selves as the them of this universe, while they were encased as what Shirou could only describe as a 'bubble' of Magic.
Thus, the two of them could speak freely about anything without anyone the wiser. Anyone who did try would be subject to the Dead Apostle's stories.
"You let yourself be detained." The comment came out more hostile than Shirou wanted. The Magician didn't mind, much to Shirou's internal relief. An angry Magician is one that could rip you to literal shreds after all.
"It was the only way I could talk to you without breaking some laws." It needn't be said that using the Second Magic was a loophole in that scenario. Shirou could only nod for the Apostle to continue.
"I told everyone about Magecraft on live TV."
Shirou choked on his own spit.
It was over an hour later that they arrived at their destination. Curiously, said destination was not a jail, or holding center, but an office building in the middle of Tokyo. Neither Shirou nor Zelretch were actually cuffed, which in of itself was a puzzling occurrence.
As they were escorted off of the vehicle, the Magus saw that people were actually being held back by police barriers, and many more were shouting and holding their phones out towards them.
He paid them no mind, as if he were in the same position, he'd want to see the person who'd defended Ginza, regardless of his own distaste at being revealed without consent.
He only wished he didn't see the signs with 'Marry me Emiya-senpai!' plastered on them.
As they moved into the building, Shirou used Structural Analysis among the people they passed. No Magi in sight. He'd think that the Clock Tower would send Enforcers right about now, but considering the typical Magus' lackluster ability to operate modern devices, he assumed that they haven't heard of the situation.
Yet.
He started Analyzing the building itself. Relatively new, only ten years since it was first built. Typical composition too. Owned by th-
Shirou paled. Zelretch obviously knew about this, as he was laughing his ass off as Shirou came to the realization.
Both of them were pushed through a set of double doors.
Dozens of people, hundreds of flashing lights, and two podiums at the center. Shirou blanched.
A press conference. He'd been brought right to a press conference.
Zelretch continued to laugh with a shit eating grin.
Shirou dreaded the situation he was in. He'd honestly prefer a jail cell to this. But he couldn't refuse now, not when the exits were guarded by heavily armed men.
Oh, sure, he could go through them with ease. But what about the civilians? They would get caught in the crossfire, and he couldn't guarantee that everyone would be protected.
Cornered, that's what this was.
"Emiya Shirou-san, I presume?" A voice to his left called out. An older man, hair graying and wrinkles pronounced. Shirou recognized him, though only through news and reports.
The current Prime Minister of Japan. Hojo Shigenori.
"Yes, that would be me." In the corner of his eye, he could make out a few reporters scrambling to take a picture. The Minister bowed low, and the Magus reciprocated with a similar one.
"You have my gratitude, Emiya-san. I-no, Japan is in your debt. If there is anything you would want, then please ask. We will be happy to accommodate you." Shirou had never heard a shadier offer than that. There was no possible way that the government would be that lenient to someone with his capabilities. For now though, he shoved that thought aside.
"If I may be so bold, what exactly am I doing here?" Shirou asked calmly.
Why haven't you thrown me into a jail cell for interrogation?
The Minister coughed, "Your actions have provided the people with a modicum of safety, and as such, you have been bestowed clemency for the time being."
Imprisoning you would cause the masses to panic. Do anything wrong though, and you'll be shackled in chains before you know it.
Shirou hated politics, but the Clock Tower required him to get at least a basic understanding of it, with a lot of help from Rin.
If this was the way they wanted information without overtly pressuring him, then he was fine with it. Hopefully, they don't ask anything too difficult.
With a resigned sigh, Shirou marched up to the remaining podium, the Dead Apostle already occupying the first one.
The crowd started getting even more agitated as more questions flew toward them. Finally, Zelretch seemingly had enough.
"Alright, all of you, quiet." Though he only said it, thousands of other voices came from the very walls themselves, saying the same thing and drowning out all of the noise.
Soon enough, quiet ensured, the reporters terrified. Zelretch grinned, "Now that's better. One question at a time."
It took another moment of silence before anyone dared to ask. The old man had just made voices talk from everywhere at once. It was no doubt magic, thought the believers. The skeptics on the other hand, thought that it was a cheap parlor trick. Obviously, there were speakers in the walls, and this Zelretch had the remote for it.
In the end, the Prime Minister held up his hand.
"You claim that magic is real, but have you no concrete proof? While video evidence may be used, it could have been fabricated."
Show us how to do it.
The question was directed at Zelretch, who in turn looked at the white haired Emiya. The crowd followed his gaze, and Shirou let out an internal sigh of annoyance. The Apostle wanted him to answer.
"First things first, Magic and Magecraft are fundamentally different. Magecraft is anything that can be reproduced using science and technology. This, for example," he Traced a simple steel sword, and once more, flashes of light shone as people took pictures, "is Magecraft. While this sword is made of Prana, a real sword can be made with time and the right materials.
"Moreover, as I constructed this blade using said Magecraft, the World itself tries to erase its existence, as it didn't originally exist. This means that this sword is merely temporary and will break down eventually." To prove a point, he crushed the sword with his other hand. More flashes.
"If you see here, this is hollow inside. This is due to Gradation Air, the Mystery used to perform this, only copying the external features of whatever you're creating." The sword faded back into blue particles.
"Magecraft, in short, is nothing more than a branch of science, a branch that a few can perform, and will mostly be temporary." Shirou nodded to himself. That should do it. Hopefully, he'd downplayed the effectiveness of Magecraft enough. He didn't want people to suddenly start trying to learn Magecraft without any Magic Circuits. That would just be disastrous.
"Magic on the other hand, is quite different. If Magi are less than a percent of the total population, then Magic users would not even be visible in that spectrum. Magic are Mysteries that cannot be recreated using science. Because of this, they are not bound to the common laws of physics that we observe here. Time, space, matter, they don't entirely exist when it comes to Magic users."
"However," he almost shouted, as people started to tell again, "Magic is difficult to obtain, requiring not just a lifetime's worth of study, but generations upon generations. I will warn you now, trying to learn Magic will be impossible for the normal man, and will possibly severely hurt, or even kill, you and everyone around you."
Another hand was raised, "Y-You said that Magic users are rare. Where are they now?"
Shirou snorted, "You're looking at one." He nodded toward the Ancestor, who had been silent for his entire explanation. Zelretch raised his eyebrow, "What, didn't I tell you people? The name's Kischur Schweinorg Zelretch, Master of the Second Magic, the Kaleidoscope, the Operation of Parallel Universes."
The ancient man held his hands together, not unlike a stereotypical villain, "And that's exactly why I'm here." He'd silenced the crowd before they even started this time, "What happened in Ginza didn't happen in any other parallel world. It was completely unique, and those that have read about the multiverse theory knows that this should be impossible."
At this, Zelretch's face turned grim. His earlier grin snuffed as if it wasn't there in the first place.
"No situation can be unique. Everything must have happened everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Yet this event only happened here. Which is why I propose that we have a joint expedition into the anomaly. For the first time in millennia, I don't know whether humanity will see the light of tomorrow. And honestly, that scares me."
The Apostle relaxed slightly, even as Shirou mulled over his words. During the trip, Zelretch had told Shirou of his lack of insight in the future. While the masses would never be able to grasp the real meaning behind his words, the Wrought Iron Magus could.
Humanity is in trouble, and it's only a matter of time before It gets involved.
"That is all I have to say. If you have more questions, please direct them towards Emiya Shirou." Zelretch sat down on a rather comfy looking bean bag he'd taken out of some portal. The reporters had no qualms with going forward with even more questions.
'Goddammit Zelretch.'
All in all, he had been forced to answer nearly a hundred questions before the conference was over. Most of the questions were easy, as he was under a Geas to not answer them. Even then, it had lead him to answer what a Geas was in the first place.
Then there were the questions that he knew the answers to, and could tell others. Like what a Dead Apostle was, as well as the Ancestors. This just meant that people looked even more scared of the Wizard Marshall when they realized that he was near the top of them.
The questions only went downhill from there. His identity as Shirou Emiya was relatively unknown until then, but the reports of a red clad man going around the world and saving people from disaster after disaster that had been brought up had Shirou pause. Zelretch, in his infinite wisdom, 'graciously' provided a 'screen' to view all of his exploits as an Enforcer.
That fire in the middle of the Amazon? Set off by a rune sequence improperly triggered by a Sealing Designate. Shirou had to escort a team of explorers back to civilization amongst the burning forest.
Those terrorists in the Middle East that used swords and ran into gunfire with no remorse? Wraiths that became slightly corporeal due to a fractured ley line leaking out massive amounts of Prana. Shirou had been sent to diffuse the situation as some bullets went through and almost hit civilians without his intervention. Thankfully, the ley line had corrected itself just a day later.
Those murders in London resembling Jack the Ripper's modus operandi? A Dead Apostle who had been turned during that time, and had been hibernating ever since. Shirou and a team of Enforcers had been sent down to take him down when the Clock Tower found out that he'd awoken.
And many more. His exploits as an Enforcer, events that he'd not normally tell due to his own perception of them as largely unimportant, were in full display. He didn't expect praise from people, he didn't want it even. All he did was devoid of pride, just his goal.
Yet the people around him ate it up.
Instead of the questions being about Magi in general, it became all about Shirou himself. Questions ranged from 'How did you start?' to 'Are you married?'.
When he'd said no to that last one, he swore that he'd heard some women squeal in the back.
As the both of them were escorted to the back, Shirou could only stare with a wry glare at the Ancestor, though it was tame due to the exhaustion he felt. Behind them, he noticed the Prime Minister stepping up onto one of the podiums, no doubt to make his own statement on the matter.
Really, you'd think that he would have made his own announcement before basically forcing two unknowns onto the stage.
"You know, I was serious about the whole joint expedition thing." Commented the Kaleidoscope, almost off-handedly. Had it been a normal man who'd said that, it would have been taken as a joke. But it wasn't. Instead, the man who said it was one of the most dangerous things to ever walk the planet. Zelretch may have been prone to a few practical jokes here and there, but never had anything he said was unimportant.
In that moment, everything clicked in place for Shirou.
Let it not be said that the third rate Magus had gotten his position due to his physical prowess alone. Against Magi, a twisted way of thinking must be adapted. Every single tile on a floor may trigger a trap, the very air you're breathing may be poison.
Despite his status as a Magician, once upon a time, Kischur Schweinorg Zelretch was a Magus.
This entire thing had been set up by him. It would have been easy for him, even with the lack of clairvoyance coming from being the Master of Parallel Universes. The reason for doing this was simple.
Knowledge.
The inherent greed of all Magi for knowledge, barring himself of course, had driven Zelretch to do what he did. For the first time in perhaps eternity, Zelretch didn't know the answer.
He was afraid.
Knowledge that should have come as easily as breathing was somehow not present. It would be akin to a man spontaneously going blind while walking. He didn't know what had happened, therefore fear was prevalent. To assuage that fear, he needed to know what was beyond the anomaly.
He wanted someone that wouldn't withhold that sort of knowledge from him, who would have no qualms with parting with precious information. Someone who had enough skill to get through whatever may lie ahead.
The only candidate among the Magus community was none other than Shirou Emiya.
The events at Ginza provided Zelretch the perfect opportunity to act. By portraying Shirou in the best light possible, he had shown that he was one of the best the Moonlit World can offer. His announcement of a joint operation would then have to include Shirou as at least a guard, if not as someone with higher authority.
The Ancestor had pulled all the strings just enough to guide everyone to his tune, his hands unseen by anyone else.
Terrifying. Despite the man's facade, a normal man would call him terrifying. To know that you had done exactly what he'd wanted, to know that you don't know if you finding out was also part of his doing, was a concept most weren't ready.
But Shirou wasn't most people. Coupled with his tiredness, the white haired man spoke without thinking, "This was just some PR stunt, wasn't it?"
Zelretch could only laugh.
Night had fallen when the pair were able to leave the building. It wasn't that they weren't allowed, but rather even as they walked, they were accosted by random people wanting interviews, autographs, or both.
Shirou knew that the only reason that they were even walking was because Zelretch found it amusing.
Nevertheless, as they reached their vehicle, graciously provided by the Minister, a thought came to the Magus.
Among the residents of the Clock Tower, there were only a few people that used technology. One of them was Lord El-Melloi II, who was infamous for his addiction to strategy video games within the Association.
Another was himself, but his was mostly for communication purposes, particularly with Sakura and Taiga, though he recently had been talking with both Issei and Ayako again.
The one that worried him, however, was one person.
"Rin is going to kill me." He groaned out loud. Despite Rin's general bad luck when it comes to modern technology, she knows well enough to keep track of the local news. More than likely, she had seen the entire happen live.
"Should I just skip going back to Fuyuki?" Shirou seriously considered it. He was only supposed to be in Tokyo for the rest of the week, then he'd go back to Fuyuki to pick Rin up and they'd both head back to London together. Skipping Fuyuki altogether would have him avoid Rin's wrath for now.
But that wouldn't work with her. Rin was vindictive enough that she'd just find some way to punish him for avoiding her in the first place.
"Going back to Fuyuki then." He was already dreading the encounter. He nodded to the driver of the vehicle, and they were off.
Something he said apparently caught the Magician's interest, as his head snapped to Shirou's direction, "That does remind me..." Zelretch tore open a rift and pulled something out. As the colors faded, Shirou could see exactly what that 'something' was.
A book, weathered as if it had been fingered through countless times. Shirou tried to Analyze it, and immediately gripped his head as a headache erupted. An object that shouldn't exist and is existing. A book written between the folds of reality itself, with materials that he could not comprehend.
"Read this. Normally, you wouldn't know of these events, but the timeline's already unpredictable. Why not add a little more chaos?" Zelretch ignored Shirou's visible pain and handed the book over to him, who gingerly took it in his hands.
"We have a few hours till we get to Fuyuki. I suggest you get started on that."
And so the idealistic hero who wished for a beautiful dream read a story of great heroes and great evils, of heroism and corruption.
The story of a boy who would sacrifice the world for the one he loved.
When Ayako woke up, she wanted to go back to sleep. Really, who could blame her? It was her day off! Being the assistant manager of the Homuhara high school archery team was hard work, you know. Especially when the people who joined the team only joined because it looked cool.
Man, she wished Emiya would come by to help whip those kids into shape. The man was an expert in archery, no matter what he said about himself.
Begrudgingly, Ayako dragged herself out of bed. She flipped on her television as she rummaged through her cupboard for her morning coffee, though to be fair, it was a little bit after lunch. She looked behind her, seeing a news report about people, dragons, and dragon riding people attacking Ginza.
"New movie?" She muttered to herself as she waited for her water to heat up.
That was when she saw him. Shirou Emiya. White hair, darkened skin, and wielding a pair of short, curved blades of black and white. He was fighting people, killing them as he carved a path through the heart of Tokyo. Immediately, she knew something was wrong. Emiya always helped people, but even she didn't think that he'd appear in some random movie. She grabbed her phone, and saw that she'd missed a over half a dozen calls from one person.
Taiga Fujimura. Fujimura-sensei. Sister figure of Emiya.
She checked her messages, and saw that Fujimura-sensei had left four.
'Mitsuzuri, turn on ur tv, its imprtnt'
'Cn u call shiro? Hes not picking up'
'Wht abt tohsaka? Cn u call her? I dont have her nmbr'
'Mitsuzuri u der? Im coming over.'
Ayako frowned. Fujimura-sensei was being a lot more vague than she usually is. And wasn't that last text sent just five minutes ago? If Fujimura-sensei was coming over, she should have arrived by now.
As if on cue, her doorbell rang.
Blinking to herself, Ayako made her way to the door. Opening it, she found her former teacher standing, sweaty, panting and eyes darting everywhere.
"Have you-have you seen Sakura? I need to-uh, to talk to her."
Unceremoniously, Taiga fell to the ground, heaving deep breaths. Ayako, alarmed, hesitated for only a moment before going to help her old English teacher. As she dragged the tired Taiga onto her couch, Ayako could only wonder what the hell was going on.
To say Tohsaka Rin was annoyed would be an understatement. Here she was, just wanting a vacation from the hectic life she and Shirou had within the Clock Tower. With her at Fuyuki, she thought everything would be fine.
She should have known Shirou would stumble into something completely insane. And not even the normal insanity that came with the job of being an Enforcer. This time, it was something world changing, something that would change human history forever.
That, and Zelretch. True, she was annoyed that Zelretch did what he did, but if her time as his student has taught her anything, he did it for a reason. That said though, did Shirou really just HAVE to be in the middle of everything.
Rin grumbled to herself as she worked. Well, no use dwelling on it now. She'd just have to beat the shi-reprimand the other Magus later. Right now, fortifying her home was priority. Magi were normally uninformed about modern news, but that didn't mean normal people were.
She may be a top tier Magus, but eventually, someone will find out who she was, either through government records or even through personal interaction. She knew her school records were still in Homurahara, and the multitude of people that admired her in high school would certainly remember that she and Shirou were close.
Still, she had to make the Field around ber house just a fraction stronger. The Bounded Field around her home during the War had been irreversibly destroyed after a Sealing Designate Shirou was after found out her connection with him, and tried to use her as a hostage.
Needless to say, when Shirou arrived that day, the Designate was a whimpering wreck that begged to die. Rin chuckled softly at that memory.
After that, she had decided to copy the Bounded Field that was around the Emiya household, the very same one that even she didn't notice. It was a masterwork, if she was being honest. Due to the persistent Prana fueling Bounded Fields, they would normally be felt out by a Magus when near it.
Yet, she had stayed there for months on end and she hadn't noticed a damn thing.
Rin shook her head in exasperation. The Emiya family truly was one of the most headache inducing families she had ever encountered, and that counted the Edelfelts. The thought of Luvia made her grip just a bit tighter. Unfortunately, the gem she was currently holding was already deteriorating due to the Prana going through it.
As such, the gem exploded in a violent display of colours, knocking Rin back a few steps. She stared blankly as gem dust flew helplessly in the air. Intellectually, she knew that this was no one's fault but her own. Still, she couldn't help but scream out loud in frustration.
"DAMMIT SHIROU!"
"DAMMIT SHIROU!"
Ayako jumped up in surprise. It had been half an hour since Fujimura-sensei collapsed in front of her. She had successfully dragged the older woman onto a relatively comfortable sleeping position on her couch. She had spent over fifteen minutes just doing that. The rest of the time, she had spent looking at every single piece of information she could find.
Apparently, everything had happened while she was asleep. The entire thing had been broadcasted on live TV, where soldiers and dragons invaded Ginza, where an old man had revealed that magic was real, where Emiya Shirou was shown to be fighting them with the JSDF. It was absolutely surreal.
Yet, an empty pit formed at the bottom of her stomach. How long had Emiya been part of this? Had he been keeping this from everyone since his time in high school? Were she and Ryuudou not trustworthy enough? But a bigger, more important question was, did Sakura know?
As she tried to answer these questions within her head, Fujimura-sensei had awoken abruptly.
"Wahhhhh, Shirou you dumb idiot what the hell did you-huh, Mitsuzuri? What are you doing here? And where's Shirou?" Ayako could only laugh as her old teacher frantically look around for something, "And where's Shirou? I swear he was here a minute ago."
"Fujimura-sensei, remember, you came to my apartment and passed out at the front door?" The Tiger furrowed her eyebrows as she thought about it. As if a lightbulb flicked on in her head, she palmed her fist.
"Right! Sorry about that Mitsuzuri. But man, I just had the craziest dream. Shirou being some sort of wizard on live TV? Like that would ever happen!" With a sigh, she lied back down on the couch. When silence met her, Taiga could only swallowed audibly, "Hey, Mitsuzuri, that was a dream, right?" The panic in her voice was so unnatural that it made Ayako's previous mirth vanish in an instant.
Silence.
Then, a groan of frustration escaped from Taiga, "Dammit Shirou. Only you." Within a moment, she was standing up from the couch and walking toward Ayako, "Thanks for the save, Mitsuzuri. I owe you one. Now, I gotta ask, do you know where Sakura is? I couldn't contact her at all earlier."
Ayako furrowed her brow. It was very much unlike Sakura to ignore anyone. Not unless something came up, that is. Or, maybe…
"Give me a minute, Fujimura-sensei." Ayako began scrolling through her own phone. She remembered Sakura mentioning something, but she couldn't recall the details. Nearly three minutes pass, before she finds it.
"Here."
Taiga hadn't even finished reading the message when they both were readying to head out. Ayako knew she had to come along. Both of them knew their destination.
Ryuudou Temple, and the grave of one Matou Kariya.
A soft breeze flitted through the temple. The sun today wasn't as harsh, and the wind provided a comfortable chill to the air. Ryuudou Issei sighed in contentment as he meditated. The temple was silent, and nobody else was inside. The others had been invited to a wake and Issei had decided to remain behind in case any worshippers came by.
Honestly, Fuyuki's air had never felt so peaceful. At least, the air he had breathed in ever since the fire nearly two decades ago. Now, it felt as if a great burden had been lifted from the shoulders of every person in the city. A return to normality almost.
The peace wasn't to last.
"SAKURA! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" Issei sighed. He recognized that voice. He stood up from his position on the front porch to greet the people coming through the gate.
"Fujimura-sensei, and Mitsuzuri? To what do I owe the pleasure?" Issei felt a wave of confusion hit him as both women looked particularly distraught. It took a moment for him to remember what his old teacher said.
He remembered seeing Matou Sakura as she entered through the gate, and greeted each other with a nod. While Shinji was someone that deserved no respect, Sakura was a kind soul. She and Issei may not know each other all that well, but their mutual friend in Emiya was a common ground they shared, and that itself was enough.
Regardless, like with Tohsaka, he felt as of the younger girl was hiding something. However, unlike Sakura's upperclassman, Issei didn't think that her secret was something that everyone should know. He's seen her, at times, before she met Emiya Shirou.
Hollow and empty. Her eyes were black pits of nothing. It was as if she didn't even want to live. Yet, the moment that the then redhead came into the picture, her eyes started to shine bright, and her lips formed into a gentle smile that would captivate just about anyone. It was at that moment the Issei knew, Sakura had been hiding the sadness she once held in her heart, cured only by the constant presence of the resident Homurahara Brownie.
He didn't say anything, but seeing Emiya's oblivousness to her advances made him want to tear his own hair out. In all honesty, Issei was rooting for her. Better Sakura than Tohsaka.
When he saw her earlier, he saw that the hollowness had returned, if only slightly. He noticed that she held a small bouquet of flowers as she walked toward the cemetery. He didn't say anything. He already knew what she was here for. One of the tasks he wast first assigned to was to periodically tend to the graves. Several names had caught his eye in the process, and he'd deigned to at least remember them.
Tohsaka Tokiomi, Emiya Kiritsugu, and the important one right now, Matou Kariya.
Sakura had passed him by as he continued his silent meditating. The pain of loss was one that all needed to come to terms with. Sakura just seemed to finally be doing so.
"Ah, if you're looking for Matou-san, she's still in the cemetery, if I recall." Taiga nodded in thanks, and headed off immediately. Now Issei knew that something was wrong. The Tiger of Fuyuki would never act so subdued when thanking someone. As Ayako made to follow, Issei voiced his concern.
In response, Ayako looked at him in shock, "You...haven't heard?" The monk-in-training frowed and shook his head.
"I'll assume you're talking about something on the news? Then no, I haven't." It was true. Issei had decided when he started training full time, pleasures such as television could come after everything was done. As such, he hadn't even touched the television for today. Ayako shook her head, and motioned for him to follow.
He hesitated. He was the only one here after all. If someone did come by, they'd think that the temple was just closed and leave.
"I'm sure that no one will want to leave their house today. Seriously, come on." Ah. He had said that out loud, hadn't he. Emiya must be rubbing off on him.
When he failed to respond, the shorter girl grabbed his collar and dragged him along despite his protests. Then, she started to explain. The first few minutes, he thought she was joking. Then, as she showed him pictures, then videos, his eyebrows kept going higher in disbelief.
Issei didn't even notice when he started walking with the archer instead of being dragged by her.
Finally, they reached where Taiga and Sakura were. Yet, it seemed that the confrontation was already over. Sakura's eyes were back to what they were years ago. Cold, lifeless, with tears at the corner. Without another word, she pushed past the two of them and ran.
"Fujimura-sensei?" The unasked question came from Ayako, though he himself wanted to ask as well.
What happened?
The Tiger looked as if she had aged years in that instant. With a sigh, one full of sadness and regret, sue stared at the grave of Matou Kariya, a bouquet of flowers sitting innocently as if nithing was wrong, "Sakura…Sakura just needs some time, is all. I'm gonna check on something here. Thanks for your help, Mitsuzuri. You too, Ryuudou. Both of you should head back." She started walking in the opposite direction of Sakura.
In silence, Taiga's back disappered among the graves. Soon enough, the both of them headed home in a similar fashion.
That night, they would be in for a surprise.
Shirou's hands gripped the book hard enough that you could practically hear the book groan in pain.
"How different is this world from the one written here?" His voice was icy, with a rage that he didn't think he could have felt before. He was well and truly angry, but he couldn't help the shame that rose from his stomach.
How had he not noticed?
"Not a lot in the way you're asking." Zelretch's response was clipped. His face was akin to stone. The Apostle gave no more signs of the jovial old man he portrayed himself to be. With his words, the Wrought Iron Magus' grip tightened even further.
"And you haven't done anything?" A hint of accusation seeped into his voice. The rational part of him was telling him to shut up, but the part of him that made Emiya Shirou who he was didn't care.
The Magician shrugged, "Part of the deal that old fossil made was that I couldn't directly interfere with his plans. Even this right now is a stretch." He leaned back and stared out the window, "As it stands though, I believe that this is the right course of action."
Shirou was silent as he contemplated the choices laid out in front of him. It took only a moment. He was a Hero of Justice, or at least a man who aspired to be one. He looked down at his armrest. There, innocently laid a single phone. He asked the driver to confirm his suspicions as to who it connected to.
With that out of the way, he picked it up and let it ring. Once, twice, thrice.
"Hello?"
"Good evening, Hojo Shigenori-san. I would like to call in that favor." On that night, it wasn't the third rate Magus that called. No, to call him that was to do him a disservice.
That night, the Prime Minister recieved a call from the Second Magus Killer.
After all, Emiya Shirou was now on a mission of retribution. Many years ago, he promised to save everyone he could, yet he missed the suffering of those closest to him.
On that night a new promise was born.
Matou Zouken would die.
Spoiler: Author's NotesIf you like what I do and want to support me, check out my P-atreon at P-atreon•com(slash)Almistyor.
And a special thanks to: Oliver vazquez, brutalcrab, and Tassimo.