Outside the school, me, Choso, was leaning against a lamppost, arms crossed and watching the few students who were still leaving the building. The sky was already tinged with shades of orange and purple, as night slowly approached. "She's taking too long..."
Some students whispered among themselves as they passed me, casting curious and sometimes confused glances. Obviously my presence drew attention, and perhaps because of the intimidating air I emanated, or because I was clearly not a student.
Taiga finally appeared, adjusting her bag on her shoulder and yawning slightly. When she saw me, she gave me a small but tired smile and waved.
"Finally..." - I commented, uncrossing my arms. - "It took much longer than I expected."
"It's not my fault!..." - Taiga replied, stopping next to me. - "I had to go over some things with the kendo club students. I thought you were going to let me go back alone."
"You know I wouldn't do that..." - I replied with slight irritation, but my tone betrayed genuine concern. Then I looked at the school building. - "What about Sakura? Or Shirou? Have they left yet?"
Taiga shook her head. - "I haven't seen either of them all afternoon. But considering the time, I think they must have left by now. By now, only the club leaders or... those who don't have the good sense to go home early should be left." - she finished in a playful tone.
I frowned, as if something wasn't right. - "Strange... Sakura usually lets me know when she's going to leave early or late. And Shirou... he doesn't usually disappear like that."
Taiga shrugged, trying to ease the tension. - "You worry too much. They must have gone somewhere else or, I don't know, decided to go for a walk. It's not like they don't know how to take care of themselves."
Still, I didn't seem convinced. I felt an uncomfortable twinge, a restlessness that I couldn't explain. - "If they don't show up home soon, I'll go look for them."
Taiga watched me for a moment before lightly patting my shoulder. - "Relax, big guy. Let's go back home, and if they're not there, we'll figure it out. I bet you're worrying for nothing."
Despite her words, I still took one last look at the school building before starting to walk alongside Taiga. As I walked alongside Taiga, I tried to shake off the uneasiness about Sakura and Shirou. However, as we walked through the quieter streets, I glanced at Taiga out of the corner of my eye, and a small smile appeared on her lips.
"Hey, Taiga..." - I began, a hesitant tone in my voice.
"Hmm?" - She looked at me curiously.
I scratched the back of my neck, looking away for a moment before looking directly at her. "About... last night. When we slept together..."
Taiga stopped walking for a second, feeling her cheeks heat up. - "W-What? What's wrong?"
I let out a small sigh, trying to sound casual, but there was a trace of nervousness. - "I was just thinking... It was comfortable, you know? I mean, it was nice..."
Taiga blushed even more and tried to hide it with a forced laugh. - "You have a strange way of starting a conversation, you know?"
"It's just... well..." - I hesitated for a moment before continuing. - "I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me. Yuji told me you guys call it a date..."
The words hung in the air for a moment, and Taiga's eyes widened, clearly taken aback. "A... date?"
Before she could respond, a few girls who were walking a few meters behind them began to whisper excitedly, clearly listening to their conversation.
"Oh my God, did you hear that?!"
"She did it! Fujimura-sensei got such a handsome and kind guy! How did she do that?"
"He looks so serious! The Tiger of Fuyuki is so lucky!"
Their comments only made things worse for Taiga, who felt her entire face turn red. - "Hey, can you girls mind your own business?!" she shouted at the students, who began to laugh and jump with joy as if they were watching a live soap opera.
I, on the other hand, seemed more relaxed than before. I looked at Taiga with a calmer expression, although there was a slight blush. - "So, what do you think?"
Taiga took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. Finally, she looked away and muttered, "Okay... I accept."
The girls behind her burst into excited screams, jumping and celebrating as if they were the protagonists of the situation. - "She accepted! Fujimura-sensei accepted, that's so cute!"
"Will you guys stop?! Go away!" - Taiga shouted again, but this time there was a small smile on her face.
I couldn't help but smile. - "Great. We'll decide the day later."
Despite the awkward situation, the two of us continued walking side by side, with a lighter atmosphere now.
In the meantime...
As we both exchanged glances, I realized that Rin wanted to tell me something. Suddenly Rin backed up, raising his hand as a sign of "surrender." - "Emiya -kun ..." - Rin started, his firm voice, but without the hostility of before - "Can we talk?"
I frowned, still cautiously. - "Talk? What happened, Rin?"
Rin crossed his arms, his serious expression. "This is not something that solves only with questions, Emiya-kun. There are strengths much larger than you think." She looked at me, the weight of her determination coming back to her eyes. - "For what is coming. But, more important ... I want to propose a truce."
"Truce?" - I repeated still suspicious.
"Yes." Rin sighed again, as if she was carefully choosing her words. - "I realized that fighting you now would be useless. We have bigger enemies out there, and to face them, besides these reincarnated ones ... For that, we need to work together. At least for now."
I relaxed a little, but still confused. - "So you're talking about the Holy Grail War?"
"More than that." - Rin said, his tone serious. - "Something is affecting the very structure of magic and the world around us. I don't know the details yet, but there is something or someone manipulating everything. And if we don't come together, we won't have a chance."
I looked for a moment, watching Rin closely. I didn't know much about her, but I was ambitious, sometimes even reckless. - "Okay ..." - finally said. - "I accept the truce. But, Rin ... I hope you are being honest with me."
She nodded, her gaze softening a little. - "I am. And, as much as I get angry to say that, we need all the help we can succeed. Even yours."
I ignored the slight insult and reached out to her. - "So let's work together."
Rin hesitated for a moment before squeezing my hand. - "Yes, for now. But don't think that means that I will trust you completely or that we will become friends ... I will still watch you."
"Of course, Rin. As always." - I answered with an ironic smile.
As we left the tension of the confrontation backwards, a scream echoed through the empty corridors of the school, breaking the silence of the night. Rin and I freeze for a moment, our eyes met as the sound reverberated by the building.
"Was that ... anyone here?" Rin asked, his voice loaded with concern, but with the same caution as always.
"It seemed to come from the floor." - I answered already moving towards the stairs. - "But I thought there was no one else here."
Rin followed me, hesitating for a moment before accelerating the step. - "Emiya-kun, wait! It can be a trap."
"If so, I'll deal with it!" - Said without looking back. Getting down the stairs quickly, kept my senses on alert. The sound of the scream seemed increasingly distant, but could still feel a strange pressure in the air. It was as if something or someone was manipulating the energy around.
When I arrived at the first floor corridor, the vision before me made me stop. In the center of the hallway, a girl was lying on her knees. Her long hair partially covered her face, but she could see that she was pale.
"Hey! Are you okay?" I asked walking slowly toward you.
Before he could say anything else, Rin arrived close behind, panting. "Who is she?" Rin asked, evaluating the situation.
"I don't know ..." I said, still keeping the guard. "It looks like she just passed out."
"Please close that door for me." Said Rin.
Still a little warns of recent events, I approached the door, ready to close it as Rin had asked. The corridor was immersed in a disturbing silence, and the feeling that something was wrong didn't leave me.
When I reached out to push the door, it all happened in a moment. A sharp sound cut the air something fast and deadly coming toward me.
Rin realized the danger in the last second, his eyes widened as she began to spin to react. However, before I could make any movement, I had already placed me between her and threat. "URGH! ..."
With an instinctive movement, I raised my arm, and a sharp pain traveled my body as a dagger spiked my flesh, shattering the silent atmosphere.
"Emiya-kun!" Rin shouted, surprised and alarmed at the same time, seeing the blood running down my arm.
The dagger simply disappeared from my arm. - "Stay behind me!" I ordered as his analyzing the corridor ahead, looking for the origin of the attack.
Rin grinned his teeth, frustrated for being taken by surprise, but obeyed. She knew that despite her injury, she was incredibly capable of situations like this.
"This dagger ... came out!" - I ran toward the woods surrounding the school, leaving behind the dark corridor and the echoes of the battle. The atmosphere has changed rapidly; The forest was dense.
As I ran, I slowed down, taking deep breaths to try to calm my mind and focus. I knew that the presence I had felt earlier was still there, hidden among the shadows and trees. Closing my eyes for a moment, I tried to expand my magical perception, trying to track any sign of that peculiar energy.
"This presence... It's different from anything I've felt before... Could it be a servant?" I thought, frowning. There was something about the energy that wasn't merely hostile, it was intense, dense.
Suddenly, I heard a subtle sound, like the rustling of leaves being displaced coming from my left. I turned quickly, materializing my blades.
"If you're trying to hide, you're wasting your time!..." - I declared loudly, with a defensive posture and alert eyes.
From the middle of the darkness, a figure began to emerge. It was a tall woman, with long purple hair that seemed to flow like silk even when still. Her eyes were hidden by a black blindfold, but I felt her watching me deeply, as if she could see through my soul.
"You ran into the forest... how reckless." she said in a soft voice, but filled with something disturbing. She held a chain in one of her hands, which seemed to move on its own, snaking across the ground.
"Who are you?" - I asked, maintaining my posture. - "Why are you here?!"
The woman tilted her head slightly, as if she was analyzing me. - "She's not my target. But you... seem more interesting now."
Before I could react, her chain whipped toward me, fast as a viper. I jumped to the side, barely managing to avoid the blow, while the chain destroyed the tree behind me.
"So it's a fight you want?" - She said, planting her foot on the ground.
The purple-haired girl didn't answer, but her posture changed, making it clear that she was ready to attack. I tried again to feel her energy, but it was like trying to hold back smoke, it was there, but it escaped whenever I tried to fully understand it.
With a quick movement, the girl advanced, her chains whipping around like extensions of her body. I dodged as best I could, but it was clear that she had complete control of the fight. I needed a strategy, and fast.
"She's too strong for a direct confrontation." - I thought, blocking another attack with my blades. I knew I would need to be creative if I wanted to win or at least survive long enough to discover her intentions.
As I moved through the forest, dodging Medusa's attacks, I felt a strange force in her injured arm. The dagger that had "disappeared" earlier, seemingly harmless, began to glow faintly with a hidden energy. Before I could react, I was suddenly pulled upwards, lifted violently by the trees, as if I were a fish caught by an invisible hook.
"DAMN IT!" - I struggled against the force that was dragging me, trying to free myself, but the pull was relentless. I was hoisted up to the highest branches of the trees, where, suddenly, an imposing figure appeared before me, revealing herself.
She was tall and had a slender and graceful posture, but with a predatory aura that made her beauty seem dangerous. She moved with the elegance of a panther, each gesture calculated and lethal.
Her long, shiny hair, a vivid shade of purple, seemed almost alive, flowing like silk and shining faintly in the darkness. Even with her eyes covered by a black blindfold decorated with mystical runes, I felt that they were watching me penetratingly, as if they were seeing straight into my soul.
In one hand she held silver chains that seemed to have a life of their own. Each link shone with an eerie metallic sheen, and the chains moved as if they were extensions of her own body, snaking in the air around her.
Now fully revealed, she looked at me with an icy calm, even with the blindfold covering her eyes.
"You are more resilient than I expected..." she commented, her voice low and engaging. - "But this resistance will only prolong your agony."
Still suspended by the invisible chains of the dagger on my arm, I struggled to free myself, its blades shining as I channeled more cursed energy.
"Do you think you will intimidate me with this?" - I answered, gritting my teeth, but maintaining my composure.
The slender girl let out a light laugh, a soft sound, but full of sarcasm. - "Intimidation? No... That is just the inevitability of fate. You have entered the wrong territory, Master."
Before she could attack me again, I began planning a counteroffensive, determined to turn the tables on this Servant.
I gritted my teeth as the pressure of the invisible chain continued to pull me in. - "Come on... I can do what I can do." - My mind raced, searching for a way to free myself before Medusa attacked again. I focused my energy on the blades in my hands, imbuing them with all the strength I could muster.
"Trace... On!" - I shouted as the energy vibrated around the weapons. With a powerful blow, I cut the point of tension that kept me suspended, and the force of the break threw me backwards, making me fall onto a lower branch with a thud.
The Servant watched me from above, her purple hair floating as the moon illuminated her features. - "Interesting..." - she murmured, a small smile curving her lips. - "But it's better to finish this another time."
Before I could respond, the girl retreated, disappearing into the darkness of the forest with the agility of a shadow. The chains that had been used against him vanished as if they had never existed, leaving only an echo of their energy in the air.
Still tired, I carefully climbed down from the branch, landing on the forest floor. I knew she had chosen to run away, but the question remained: why? I didn't have time to think when I heard quick footsteps coming from behind.
"Emiya-kun!" Rin called, emerging from the trees with a worried expression. She ran towards me, stopping to quickly inspect the cut on her arm and its general condition. - "What happened? Are you okay?"
I sighed deeply, shaking my head. - "I'm fine. A servant appeared, but... she ran away before finishing the fight."
Rin frowned, crossing her arms as she processed the information. - "Ran away? It doesn't make sense. A servant who attacks without reason and then retreats... It's like she was testing you."
"Or maybe she was following orders..." - I suggested with a serious expression. - "She mentioned something about me being a 'Master'. So she was already watching us... It was probably the moment we entered the school."
Rin sighed, rubbing his temples. - "Great, more mysteries to solve... And you're all bruised up again. What were you thinking, running off into the forest by yourself?"
I gave a tired smile, trying to ease the tension. - "Well, you didn't exactly seem in control of the situation when she attacked either, you know?"
Rin rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile a little in response. - "Alright, alright. Let's get back to school before something even worse happens. We need to plan how to deal with this servant... and find out what she really wants."
As the two of us walked back through the forest, the tension in the air was still palpable. I couldn't shake the feeling of that threatening energy, nor the fact that the battle had ended without a conclusion.
Meanwhile...
As we walked through the forest again, the morning light barely managed to penetrate the dense treetops. The silence of the environment was interrupted only by the sound of leaves crunching under my and Saber's feet. We walked side by side, I was reflecting on the recent events.
Suddenly, I broke the silence, with a voice full of curiosity and a touch of melancholy:
"Saber..." - I began without turning my head. - "What is the limit of the soul?"
Arturia, surprised by the unexpected depth of the question, looked at me with attentive eyes. She remained silent for a moment, processing what I really meant by that.
"You mean... how far can a soul go?" - she asked, her voice calm but full of consideration.
"Yes..." - I answered finally stopping and looking at her. - "How much can a soul endure before it breaks? Or how much can it expand before it loses what it truly is?"
Arturia frowned slightly, crossing her arms as she pondered the question. - "That's a complicated question. The soul, at least for me, is both the source of our strength and our vulnerability. It can withstand unimaginable horrors, grow with the weight of our actions... but never without consequences."
I nodded clearly, contemplating something deeper. - "I just keep thinking... I once carried Sukuna inside me. But in the end, I feel like he never left me... My body, my mind... and maybe even my soul. But does that still make me me? Or will I, in time, lose myself? Will I stop being the Itadori Yuji that everyone knows?"
Arturia saw the seriousness on my face, and for a moment, she thought about her own life, the choices that led her to the throne and the battles she fought in the name of something greater than herself.
"Yuji..." - she began, her voice firm. - "The soul is shaped by our choices. No matter what you carry or face, who you are will always be defined by your actions, not by what's inside you."
"But what if I choose wrong? What if one day I can't take it anymore and..." - My voice low, almost fearful.
Arturia put a hand on my shoulder, a rare gesture of comfort from her. - "So you do what you have always done so far: fight. Even at times when it seems impossible, even when everything is against you. The boundary of the soul, Yuji, is not what it can bear, but how much you believe in who you are. "
I looked at her surprised, her eyes reflecting a mixture of gratitude and doubt. I took a deep breath, trying to process those words.
"You always have an answer to everything, right?" He said with a small smile, trying to relieve the weight of the conversation.
Arturia also smiled slightly. - "I don't have all the answers, but this one I learned the hard way."
We both kept walking through the forest, the sound of the footsteps again filling the silent environment. As he walked beside him, attentive to any sign of evil presence as the soft wind shook the trees around. I stopped suddenly, frowning the shadow.
"There is something here ..." - Said as he looked at the forest. - "Another curse, but I can't locate it. It's moving fast, or ... is hiding your presence."
Arturia nodded, the keen senses as she kept her hand near the invisible grip of her sword. - "It can be a trap. We need to advance carefully."
We continue to exploit the winding ground, attentive to any sign of danger. It was then that I noticed a figure ahead. I narrowed my eyes, recognizing someone familiar. A girl with purple hair with a very familiar high school uniform.
"Wait ... Sakura?"
End of Chapter 6