"Sorry..."
"Why?"
"I just feel like I need to apologize." Amakusa Shirou scratched his face awkwardly.
"It doesn't really matter anymore," Semiramis said, waving it off with a casual flick of her hand, one eye closed, completely unbothered. "You weren't wrong, I wasn't wrong—we just failed, plain and simple."
That was her. A mix of decadence and arrogance, giving everything when it mattered, but ready to toss it all away when she grew bored.
"I still feel... unsatisfied." Amakusa crossed his arms in front of him. "Back then, that pure white hero chose humanity over his own future. Now, I wonder... what would he pick today?"
"Seriously, stop thinking about him already," Semiramis huffed, pouting as she ruffled his hair in annoyance.
"I wanted to save humanity..." Amakusa whispered, his voice soft. "I wanted to save this hellish world."
He had seen that hell—the same one that birthed Jack. Just like in life, he was powerless, kneeling on the ground. He was the child of miracles, yet even he couldn't save the lost children of the past. He had seen both hells—the one from his past life and the one now. He no longer believed in the goodness of people, though he once tried. But he failed. And so, he decided that humanity should only retain its good parts.
Yet he failed at that, too.
"I see... But I, on the other hand, wanted to rule humanity," Semiramis tilted her head, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You lied to me, didn't you? A world where everyone's happy doesn't need a ruler. What would you have done if I found out?"
Amakusa fell silent.
Semiramis lowered her gaze, lifting a finger to gently rest against his throat. "Would you have killed me?"
"No way..." Amakusa gave her a weak smile. "At that point, I'd be at your mercy." He sighed. "But it's over now."
"Do you need some comfort? I'll even let you cry on my shoulder," she teased, poking his cheek.
"I'm not a child." He sighed again, wondering why she always had to mess with him, even at the end.
"You really are a handful, you know that?" Semiramis laughed softly, leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on his forehead. Faint particles of light began to fall from her, slowly drifting away.
The vast night sky above was beautiful. Amakusa realized he couldn't remember the last time he had taken a moment to simply look at it. Normally, he would've been lying there, staring up at it peacefully. But right now, his focus was entirely on the translucent figure beside him—Semiramis, who was even more beautiful than the night itself.
I really am... an idiot.
Amakusa reached out, his hand trembling, trying to touch the woman who had always been so close, yet somehow always out of reach.
"Thank yo—"
Before his fingers could brush against her, she was gone. All that remained were the shimmering light particles drifting from his fingertips. He closed his eyes as his hand fell limply to his side. The last of the light faded into the night.
"Red Faction's Assassin confirmed deceased. Red Faction's Caster... magical energy supply terminated. Deceased."
Cyd stood, hands in his pockets, watching the massive sphere before him without a word.
"Is that really your wish?" Kairi's quiet voice came from the corner of the room.
"Yeah... Sorry. Maybe I'm the real problem here," Cyd said, spreading his arms wide. "Come on out. You've had enough power by now, haven't you?"
"Hope will eventually be released from Pandora's box... but so will despair." Jeanne closed her eyes, her fingers clasped together in prayer.
In a distant world, one untouched by time, a pure white hero waited for the moment that Pandora's Box would open. But what would return with him could very well be the rule of the gods themselves.
Is this really what we want?
"He wasn't wrong..." Jeanne slowly opened her eyes, her armor and banner dissolving into the light. The girl named Laeticia awoke.
"Hope or despair, it doesn't really matter."
"And what's your wish?" A woman in a white gown appeared in front of Cyd at the Holy Grail, her long, pale hair glowing faintly. She cupped his face in her hands, her red eyes studying him deeply. "What is it that you truly desire?"
"Your destruction." Cyd raised his hand and swatted hers away.
"Is that really what you want?" The woman seemed puzzled, tilting her head. "Without the Holy Grail, your wish can't come true."
"I exist outside of time. I'm present in every moment, yet never able to reach any of them." Cyd lifted his head, looking past her toward the Greater Grail. "All I need is a ripple, a push toward the world. The destruction of the Grail, connected to the Root, will be enough."
"I see... so that's your wish," the woman murmured, floating toward the Greater Grail. Her slender fingers intertwined in front of her. "Welcome back, pure white hero."
"Crack—"
A fracture appeared in the Greater Grail, and like a line of falling dominoes, countless cracks spread across its surface. Pure white light burst from within, shooting through the ceiling and into the sky.
Cyd's body began to turn translucent—not due to his Saint Graph shattering, but because his hypothesis had been overturned. He had existed as a Heroic Spirit because he didn't exist in the world. Now that he was returning, his Spirit would naturally disappear.
"You're leaving again, aren't you?" Atalanta bit her lip.
"Yeah... I'm sorry. Close your eyes. Trust me, you won't have to wait long this time." Cyd didn't turn around, his eyes fixed on the column of white light. "When you open them again, I'll be the first person you see."
"I've always trusted you..." Atalanta whispered, her eyes closing.
"Boom—"
The doors slammed open. A tall figure stumbled inside.
"Cy... Cyd..."
Chiron, clutching his chest, staggered toward him. His bloodshot eyes could no longer see, and deep purple blood oozed from countless cracks in his body. His veins bulged unnaturally across his skin. He should've been dead. But whether it was due to the Command Seals or his Noble Phantasm, he was still standing.
It didn't matter. This time, he had to see Cyd's return with his own eyes.
"You... you've come back, haven't you?" Chiron reached out with his bloodstained right hand, stumbling forward blindly.
"Teacher..." Cyd turned and stretched out his own hand. But just as their fingers were about to touch, his body crumbled, the pure white light scattering upward with the column.
Chiron slowly closed his eyes, his massive frame falling forward. His blood-soaked hand drifted down in the air.
"Crack—"
A rift appeared in the space around them. Accompanied by countless shards of mirrored glass, a figure stepped through, catching Chiron's hand with a wrist wrapped in bracers, resting it on his snowy white hair.
"This feeling..." A smile tugged at the corners of Chiron's lips as his fingers gently combed through the strands. Even though he couldn't see, he understood. His wish, obsession, and regret were all gone now. He had nothing left to worry about.
Chiron collapsed against Cyd, his head resting weakly on his shoulder. He lifted his left hand, pressing it softly against Cyd's back.
"Welcome back, Cyd."
Faint light particles swirled around them, a warm feeling like being held in someone's arms. Cyd closed his eyes, stretching out his hands to embrace the empty space before him.
"I'm home."