Fate: Player Online (FSN Gamer!Fic)

ARC 2 - Chapter 1: School Days (1)


Three months had passed from what could be considered one of the strangest months Fuyuki had been the grounds for.


The Emiya ‘family’, having acquired even more members in those few weeks, had long regained a semblance of peace as the ‘final’ issue in their lives had perished.


Many of the inhabitants were still having some trouble to properly understand the interesting group of people making part of that spacious household, but just a few could actually understand the sheer complexity and mystery that the entirety of that house was surrounded in.


Despite the overall sense of confusion, Shirou still couldn’t help but be happy with how most of the things had ended up getting resolved. Starting from one of the pressing issues that had taken him time to fix rather than his unique abilities.


After months of being helped around and being carefully pushed into making some progress with her mental regression, Aoi had made serious steps in the right direction. While the lady was still incapable of entertaining long conversations, she was now able to speak a couple of words. Nothing much coherent but still enough to make her thought understood by her interlocutors.


Rin was the one that monopolized her attention once this milestone was reached, with the young girl obtaining a sliver or more to her usual cheerfulness. The edges of her personality, those that were connected to her general distrust for people, had gone softer and more refined. She still had a fiery and quick temper, but it was somehow mellowed by the bizarre lifestyle that was now her present.


The twin-tailed Tohsaka would allow only a couple of individuals to interact with her mother, with a priority for either Shirou, Sakura, and Waver.


With the young redhead being the main catalyst of her remaining parent’s recovery, and someone that Aoi had slowly started to approach with motherly terms. It was… fairly awkward at first. Since the green-haired woman had yet to return to her ‘prime’ self, her understanding of affection was incredibly childish.


Nothing that the Gamer was incredibly shy about considering how much time had passed since he got to know the lady, and how much had gone by since he had grown accustomed to her quirky mannerism.


Sakura was actually a fair decision. With the younger girl being her former sister, Rin was all too interested in seeing the shy girl returned back as a ‘proud member’ of the Tohsaka clan. The situation was… fairly uneasy since the plum-haired girl didn’t know what to do about such an offer.


She was freed from the Worms because of Kirei (which was still odd to digest even now that months had passed since Caren was ‘gifted’ the dangerous priest), and she was left in an emotional and psychological limbo.


The issue wasn’t that she was unwilling to return in their family, but rather she was unwilling to think back about what had drove her out from them. The horror of being consumed by the Worms… Kiritsugu had just mentioned to him the full extent of what Zouken could do. It was sickening, and the cruelness only added a stronger amount of worry towards the young girl.


Rin had reacted poorly to that ‘refusal’, but her mind just hadn’t conceded her one of the usual outbursts. She was still angry, but the one thing that spoke the loudest was the tears that had fallen at that soft denial.


Sakura was confused, but sad. And still incredibly confused.


She was aimless now that Zouken was dead as she was stolen from the first purpose a person should have. A family.


To her, both Rin and Aoi, were but strangers that had rejected her once. She faulted them, but would never say it out loud.


Her spirit dwindled to a flickering light, Shirou found himself staring at a tragic mirror. The horror of the fire… it was still there.


The screams, the pain, the burns, the smoke…


Death tasted odd. And he was sure that Sakura had the chance of feeling that dreadful sensation too because of the unfairness of how things had gone by.


Instead of letting silence devour the entire effort put forward by the broken family to try and return whole, the young Emiya had decided to make a move and bring both girls close to each other.


Rin almost yelped at the sudden push that saw her softly slamming onto Sakura, but her sister seemed quite restrained with her own surprise. Before both could’ve asked for answers behind that sudden action, Shirou muttered a single word.


“Hug.”


It sounded so stupid. It sounded so overly-childish. But the redhead had noticed a curious gleam coming from the mostly impassive eyes that were Sakura’s.


In fact, before the twin-tailed girl had the chance to protest at that sudden demand, she stopped as her younger sibling wrapped her smaller arms around her waist. With her blue eyes widening at the quiet but genuine embrace, some understanding flared from within her mind.


There was silence at first, but soon much to the surprise of the rest of the occupants to the room, Aoi had moved from her seat and crouched down in a tentative hold to grasp both her daughters.


The floodgates broke at that point, with even Sakura crying at the ‘strange warmth’ coming from her chest. She thought it being the worms, but it was too nice to be the hideous creatures.


At that point, Shirou was already out of that room and leaving the three individuals enjoy that moment of familial bond on their own and away from any distractions.


Waver was an odd choice, but one that was motivated by the fact that he had a decent understanding and patience over people stuck in Aoi’s state of mind. He was by no mean unable to snap at others at the minimal issue correlated to Magecraft, but after weeks spent in their home, the young Magus had also grown happier with how things were going for himself.


Just as promised, Kiritsugu had allowed the young man to pursue some oversea journeys to improve his cultural understanding of the world. At first, Waver aimed at the typical locations in Asia, but then he started to move westward, from the Middle East to Europe proper.


He used to return back in Fuyuki with souvenirs and curious trinkets he would end up buying during those trips… but that was until two weeks ago to the present day.


It was right as Waver was visiting Paris for a conference for Magi that he ended up facing quite the troublesome situation. Members of the Clock Tower had been searching for him for some time now, but their motivations turned out to be mildly annoying rather than bad.


With the death of his former teacher, the young Magus had been recognized as a good candidate to replace him in the Archibald Clan. And since ‘Kayneth El-Melloi’ having no proper heir and no designed replacement among his peers, Waver was the one that was chosen out of the rest of his classroom… because of his perfect grades back when he still studied in London.


Despite the reluctance to pursuit such a dangerous and frustrating role, Waver was ultimately convinced by a lengthy letter from Kiritsugu to first consider and possibly accept. It was an advice, one that was advanced on the fact that the Archibald Clan would’ve faced political death in case he refused and… Magi tended to swear serious oaths of revenge at the first slight thrown at them.


To allow this circumstance to happen? The Magus Killer wasn’t ready to shelter the young man if things went south for him.


Between a hammer and a harder place, Waver had no choice but to ‘accept’ the ‘kind’ offer and present himself at a meeting set by the ‘unready’ heiress that had yet to reach the proper age to rule.


He was a regent, that much he had understood when he first discussed with Kiritsugu about it. But he soon found another reason to complain in the form of the arrogant twelve-years old girl that was Reines El-Melloi Archisorte.


The little blonde was upstartish, but terribly polite and careful with the words picked to insult him. She didn’t ‘mean to offend’, nor to ‘dismiss his qualities’, yet he was still a lucky candidate that got quite the ‘most important charge’ to his name.


And while the girl was so certain of having ‘established dominance’ over her new ‘brother’, Waver had a set of conditions that were as brutal and as annoying as the ones pushed by the family.


The Archibald family wasn’t going through a good period. With instability having increased the moment contacts with Kayneth had ended as the Holy Grail War intensified, the worst started to happen when the man’s dead was implied through the fact that the competition was concluded without him contacting back home.


The only thing that ended up saving the clan to utterly collapse on itself and become a juicy carcass for political rivals and branch lines to the family alike was Waver’s sudden resurgence. The ‘El-Melloi’ faction was all against the splitting of the clan’s richness and a good group had rallied behind the only individual that represented a legitimate successor to Kayneth.


Reines was the ‘blood-related’ choice being the only young and ‘fresh’ member of the family that had a legitimate claim to the ‘throne’. But she was still too young and incredibly inexperienced to take on alone the muddy lake that was Clocktower’s political ground, and many had already mentioned some displeasure at the thought of ‘following the orders of a silly girl with an inflated ego’.


Which meant that Waver still had some weight to exploit in the form of few clauses related to Reines’ own education. It was surprising when he apologetically mentioned how he would’ve been able to guarantee a safer environment to the blonde by bringing her to Fuyuki rather than keeping her in London.


There was reluctance from the various figures backing the girl, and an outright refusal from Reines herself at the prospect of going to live in ‘some backwater town filled with barbarians’… but the reasoning brought up by Waver was quick to grasp at their own worries of losing their standing in the Magus Association.


The shove was decisive as Waver also managed to delay his ‘acquisition’ of the Lordship for Mineralogy Department for two full years. ‘The time to get properly re-acquainted with the subject, perhaps even bring up some ambitious changes for the best of the family’.


Once he was back in Fuyuki, the young man was afforded some funds to set up a ‘proper place where to keep their only hope of success’. Reines wasn’t amused when he decided to pick one of the largest flat in the city. It was nice, just like Otoko had mentioned about while blabbering about the place during their work shift.


Speaking of the daughter of the owner at his ‘former’ workplace, the young woman was… incredibly unnerved by the sudden lack of ‘Wave-kun’. When she ended up meeting the young man in a ‘casual stroll through the city’ (read as ‘stalking around aimlessly and like a feral animal through the streets of Fuyuki) as he had finally returned from his ‘longer-than-usual’ trip, things worsened to a dreadful point for Waver.


At ‘gunpoint’, the young man couldn’t elaborate a good excuse and it was at that point of utter stress and pressure that the young man made the serious mistake of mentioning Reines as his ‘little sister’ coming to visit for a couple of years as the reason of his lengthy journey to England.


A sudden need for proof ensued from the dark-haired girl and… things would get fuzzier from this point onward.


Even Shirou was unsure how Otoko had accepted Reines… and how Reines had happily accepted the woman as her ‘guide’ in this strange land. But things were now like this, and both females were more than happy to combine forces against their mutual interest/annoyance.


Waver wasn’t amused. Not at all.


But things were far from over from ‘worsening’ for the young man. With his promise to actually take Gray as his apprentice in the usage of basic Magecraft, the shy girl quickly became accustomed to being… teased by Reines.


The young heiress was just endeared by the blunt politeness and general sense of innocence coming from the older girl. It didn’t help that she soon learned about the reserved young woman’s ancestor, thus driving even more interest from the blonde right onto her new ‘friend’.


It was an odd situation which would eventually see both ‘ladies’ bonding up while interacting with each other each time Gray would come to visit the two at the flat.


Shirou had met Reines on a single occasion, but this very circumstance saw him dismissed as a ‘third-grade Magus’ with no important connection to some important family. She didn’t even bother to listen at his introduction, going as far to interrupt him before he could even mention his last name.


Quite ironic considering how Waver himself had told him of the ‘importance of names’ for Magi, especially those that cared for people’s blood status.


But while the new arrival had caused quite the interesting upheaval with Kiritsugu, with the Magus Killer taking preparations over the close presence of an important member from Clock Tower in case Reines ended up realizing that he was there and contacted other Magi back in London.


With that chaotic shift of situations, Shirou couldn’t help but feel that his first days at school were going to be quite interesting. Especially with how complicated his life had turned into in the last three months.


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The school bell rang its soft and calm jingle, deigning the fact that the first day at school for Shirou had come to an end. The classroom was fairly packed with peers of his age, and some of those were people he already knew about.


He already knew that Rin was going to be in his same classroom, but he was surprised to learn that both Julian and Shinji had been assigned to it too. And while the young Ainsworth had been elated at the fact that one of his newest friends in Japan was going to share his classes, the ‘rightful heir’ to the Matou household was less enthusiastic about it.


Shinji was… different from Sakura. And not just because of their non-existing blood-relation.


It was something that had to do with the overconfidence that domineered in his personality. Something that reminded Shirou much of Zouken, but the comparison was rather difficult to truly trace out from the minor similarity.


While Zouken had been incredibly confident, but dreadfully prideful over his ‘might’, Shinji was quite the opposite.


The boy was overconfident over his ‘undeniable skills’ as a Magus, but incredibly dissatisfied with what was the legacy of his family.


Zouken, once feared as much as respected, was now considered a taint that had corrupted the ‘good name of the Matou Family’. This mentality had prompted a degree of interest in the boy to expand upon his limited knowledge of magecraft.


His real issue was the fact he lacked the means, the Circuits, to achieve even the most basic elements of Magecraft. He was a Magus only by name. Or at least that was the truth only a few weeks after the boy had been taken in by Kiritsugu.


It had been a mistake. Or so Shirou wanted to define it as this event turned out to be suddenly after he had intervened.


It had been a strange event to begin with; One that was caused by a sudden mission to try and ‘befriend’ the young Matou.


The logic was simple: Most of Shinji’s Magic Circuits were atrophied, the Game offered Shirou a chance to fix that.


Mana Impulse became a new skill at the activation of the new Quest and, differently from others he had unlocked in the last few months, this one didn’t have levels… and was considered a sub-skill to Observe.


The main idea behind the skill was to release a minor amount of Mana out of his body to let it travel all around the area he was within. The impulse would then return ‘minor info’ about his surroundings. In layman’s terms, he now had his own personal radar.


But the function it had in this specific situation wasn’t to study or understand his proximity. Rather, he was supposed to ‘inject’ some of his Mana into Shinji’s body.


An action that could be done through mere touch. A little bump, nothing that would make his efforts noticeable at the distracted Matou.


And he was successful… much to his following grimace.


Shinji was confused when he noticed that he felt ‘healthier’ than usual. Kiritsugu had noticed the strange energy pattern coming from the boy as he checked for any surprises left around by the child’s grandfather, muttering some comments about it to Shinji.


At the mere suggestion that he had been ‘graced his rightful skill as a Magus’, Shinji’s overall personality soared in a moment of brightness and… cockiness.


Bragging around his newest situation didn’t make him look good to the other occupants of the household, especially Rin. He seemed rather interested in ‘showing off the Tohsaka’, only to cower away at the mere attempt of the fiery girl to retaliate physically at any ‘stupid harassment from the boy’.


Thus Shirou did make the young Matou’s life a little brighter, but still at the cost of having someone that was now actively trying to ‘outperform him as a good rival should’.


Even there at school, the situation had persisted within the way the seats had been picked.


Julian had decided to pick the desk on the young Emiya’s left, while Rin had chosen the one at his right. Shinji had settled for the free chair beside Rin, trying to gain her attention thorough the day, only to get reprimanded a couple of times from the teachers.


But while the young Matou whined about the chiding he was gaining, both the young Ainsworth and Tohsaka kept particularly quiet during the lessons, restraining themselves from throwing glances at the Gamer. It was only during the pauses between the lectures that some interesting discussions… which were interrupted more than once by Shinji.


It was irritating at times, but for some reason Shirou couldn’t exactly scold the fellow boy during those times. The strange elements was also intensified by the fact that Shinji would adopt a completely ‘friendly’ demeanor at the redhead’s requests of listening to the others.


The only hint that suggested that things weren’t as bad as he had suspected early on about this was from the Game itself. Specifically from one of the new features that had appeared in those few months.


Relationships Tab:

Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern (Step-Ancestor) – (80/???)

Kiritsugu Emiya (Step-Father) – (67/100)

Taiga Fujimura (Surrogate Oneesan) – (74/100)

Emrys ‘Merlin’ Myrddin (Magical Guide) - (64/100)

Rin Tohsaka (Close Friend) – (77/100)

Aoi Tohsaka (Surrogate Mother) – (71/100)

Kischur Zelretch von Schweinorg (Mysterious Mastermind) - (50/100)

Gray Pendragon (Close Friend) – (74/100)

Caren Hortensia (Close Friend) – (79/100)

Illyasviel ‘Illya’ Emiya (Oneesan/Imouto?) - (81/100)

Sella Emiya (Close Friend/Ward/Protector) – (75/100)

Leysritt ‘Liz’ Emiya (Close Friend/Ward/Protector) – (76/100)

Julian Ainsworth (Close Friend) – (64/100)

Gilgamesh (Confusing Mentor?) - (40/100)

Francesca Prelati (Strange Friend) – (81/100)

Sakura Matou (Close Friend/Surrogate Imouto) – (76/100)

Shinji Matou (Rival/Friend) – (67/100)

Kirei Kotomine (Unpleasant Acquaintance) - (24/100)


From the tab, Shinji wasn’t someone that Shirou should be fearing anything dangerous from. A minor relief considering how worried he had been for Zouken having done much more damage that he had initially thought.


Still, the odd rules of their friendships made for quite the confusing situation to face on a daily face. Insults from the young Matou were moderated to a fair touch, never going too far with those for some reason, and the boy seemed to accept the Emiya’s words with a mix of understanding and reluctant acceptance.


With that strange compromise of ‘hate’ and begrudged interest, the situation was set in an uneasy standstill that Shirou didn’t exactly know how to touching without messing things up.


But while the Gamer thought about this very instance as he put the school material he had on his desk back on his schoolbag, his attention was taken by a renewed discussion between Rin and Julian.


“Can I pass by after lunch?” The Ainsworth asked with a curious tone.


The twin-tailed girl frowned at the request. “Why?”


“Since we have the same homework, I thought that it would be nice if we worked together as a group so we can finish those quickly,” The boy replied. “Plus, I was thinking about going at the park. Dad bought me a basketball and I wanted to play a little bit with you guys… a girl.”


Rin smiled at the little addition. It wasn’t a must, but she appreciated the little attention she got out from that.


“I suppose-”


“We will refuse!” Shinji interrupted with a pompous tone. “Why, I don’t see any reason to spend more time with you beyond school, Ainsworth. From what I see, I think Rin-chan would agree with me that we can’t trust foreigners with-”


He stopped, but it wasn’t out of any inner distraction. The issue could be identified in Rin reaching for his shoulders and grasping tightly at those, forcing him to silence.


“Matou-san, I don’t remember granting you the right to call me ‘-chan’, am I right?” She asked rhetorically. “Also, I don’t see why we shouldn’t accept Julian-san’s proposal since it would save us all time.”


She turned to look at the quieter friend. “Am I right, Shirou-kun?”


For a moment, Shirou saw a smile he had seen more than once appear on Taiga’s face when she was politely asking for a positive response. He nodded instinctively at the question and the girl’s smile widened and softened to a genuine one.


“See? It wouldn’t be bad.”


“B-But Rin-chan-” He froze as the squeezing resumed. “I-I mean, Rin-san, your words are the wisest! By the way, your eyes are dazzling-”


“I’m not interested~.”


Shinji almost seemed to deflate to nothingness at that deadpan, and Shirou offered a sympathetic smile… only to be met with a pout that had irritation and self-disappointment in equal measure.


“Also, I think I should tell you all that… I wanted to invite my little sister and her newest friend too,” Julian added, drawing attention back at me. “I know it sounds sudden, but dad had been busy and Erica has been feeling quite lonely at home. Plus, she’s good at sports.”


“I don’t see any issue with that, Julian-kun,” Shirou said happily. “But, can I ask why her friend has to come too? Not to sound opposed or anything but-”


“Oh, it’s just that… this girl looks strangely lonely, and I think she needs friends,” The boy mentioned with a little blush. “Plus… I think she’s nice and I would like for you all to met her.”


The Gamer blinked at the odd request, but he couldn’t see anything wrong with that.


“How about you tell us her name, Julian,” Rin huffed at the Ainsworth, pressing him to talk more about a possible teasing topic to bring up in future discussions.


It was one of the strange things between the two. Rin just loved to tease Julian about his crush on Taiga, finding it ‘highly amusing’ that he would usually turn in a stuttering mess when the brunette was brought up in their conversations.


Still, the boy nodded and seemed to consider it for a couple of seconds. Then… he spoke.


“I think Erica-chan said that her name was… Miyu. Miyu Edelfelt.”


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AN


AHHHHHHHHHHHHH~!!!


Guys, Miyu is here! The cute chibi is here! And-


I bet there are readers frowning at a couple of situations within this chapter. The first and foremost being Reines in Fuyuki. Why? There’s a reason. A big one at that. Other than pure comedy gold of course. Who would’ve thought that Reines could work so well with someone like Otoko.


The four kids aren’t the only one at school. Illya-chan has been enrolled in Homurahara too and… boy, oh boy, I think I’ve to say this single clue to make everyone understand a single ‘mistake’ that I made.


Miyu’s last name. I didn’t make a mistake about it, and I’m aware that her real last name is Sakatsuki… but~!


Have fun with that clue ‘cause things are going to take a weird turn in this early part of the Second Arc!


Lastly, situation with Gil-kun and Kirei will be expanded next chapter. Just like the introduction of a possible foe for Shirou.


News that aren’t related to this story- New Stories! 1) Sidekick (PostSecretInvasion!Spider-Man-616/Worm); 2) Fate/True Bizarre (Part 3-4 (before DiU but after SC) Jotaro Kujoh in the Fourth Holy Grail War)!

 

ARC 2 - Chapter 2: School Days (2)


“You know. If you keep up with that scowl any longer, your face might end up stuck like that forever.”


She huffed, her arms now crossed by her chest tightened more at the umpteenth infantile comment she was forced to listen to.


The strange vehicle that Zelretch was driving was something marvelous, and while part of her wanted to study more the fascinating means that makes it capable of moving without the need of magecraft or horses, the situation just didn’t offer her that much reprieve.


Japan was an odd place.


While Arcueid Brunestud had long learned either from both her past tutors or from the smiling fool sitting beside her to not judge a book from its cover, the strange mentality that was ingrained in this ‘eastern’ society just failed to sit well in her stomach.


The island itself was just a little bigger than the main British Isle, but the people and the culture there was severely different from anything she had seen in Europe.


The language was also an aspect that got her to actually suffer, as it’s been way too long since she had been compelled to learn a new one and… three alphabets were fairly difficult to get grasp.


It took her a solid month to gain fluency in Japanese, both in speaking it and writing in Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji.


But the real issue here wasn’t the hassle that she had been burdened with by Zelretch’s own decision. The quandary was the one related to the fact she had been taken by him for this sudden trip away from the safe walls of his office.


While that big room was hardly spacious with how many shelves and artifacts kept in a disastrous order, it was at least devoid of chances of her ending up facing some of the ambitious magi that lingered within Clock Tower.


But while the Wizard Marshal looked as happy as he could over the ‘exciting father-daughter experience’ that waited for them, Arcueid had decided to employ her own arsenal of nagging terms and words that she knew would work on the smiling old man.


“Are we there yet?”


A sigh. “Not yet~!”


It sounded a simple remark with little attention given to it, but the little blonde knew perfectly of the mindset of the driver and she knew that a little more than a hundredth queries of the same topic would push anyone to a state of mental exhaustion.


The ‘car’ was enchanted with some runes applied by the glasses that nullified the effects of sunlight on vampires, but Arcueid hardly cared for the usual tree passing by as they proceeded with their trip.


It was absurd to believe that the man responsible for the kill of her ancestor would actually need her presence on the field. It was just… asinine to believe there was actually a threat capable of pushing the Kaleidoscope himself to move together with someone that was slightly weaker than him in terms of raw magical prowess.


But the little blonde didn’t mind. In fact, something about this ‘worry’ just felt amusing to look at. It was the first time she saw Zelretch freak out this badly, and whatever had set him like this, it had to be an opponent worth of her attention.


Which was good news to her since she was starving for a proper fight. A bloody one too if things went according to her deep desires.


But instead of humming happily at this possibility, Arcueid merely stared at the sight offered by the frontal glass and… the strange dark clouds that were forming right by the city they were slowly approaching.


It wasn’t the color that got her blood-red eyes to stare fixedly at those, but the unusual amount of magical energy intensifying within those.


“What’s that?”


Zelretch was silent at first, and his smile was already gone as he pressed on the pedal to accelerate the vehicle.


“Something I had predicted… but I wasn’t expecting it to happen so quickly, or at least not before we had the chance to reach the Grail.”


A surprised eyebrow lifted at that. “We’re actually dismantling it?”


While the girl had zero contacts with other people, some of the letters sent by the various representatives from Clocktower had kept her busy during her lonely self-exile in that gloomy office.


The Holy Grail War sounded like something precious if handled correctly, but since it was created by Magi to be used by other Magi, it was correct to think that nothing good would ever come from such a complex construct.


Curiously enough, Arcueid was slightly reminded of the concept behind any Reality Marbles. But instead of imposing numerous personal-driven rules within a limited zone of the World, it was a single rule (the wish) getting translated into the common laws imposed by Gaia.


It was a silent strike at the Will of the Planet, one that surprisingly enough stabilized the very moment that Gaia itself took note of it and actually accepted it as a newer truth.


A brilliant work, but one completely wasted by leaving it at the hands of numerous unknown individuals. The fact that none had actually managed to get a proper wish out of the device was a sign that it was best to confiscate it or even dismantle it.


Too powerful, too dangerous, too irritating to even think about.


But just as her mind had slowly wandered away by the confusing sight, Zelretch had seen fit to finally answer to her inquiry with more information.


“I hope you understand that you will have to stick close to me once we’re inside the town,” The Wizard Marshal pointed out. “While you could easily kill anything that’s getting created by the Grail, I think the real problem is the corruption causing this kind of phenomenon.”


She huffed, rolling her eyes in a moment of annoyance. “As if I would allow some disgusting taint to corrupt me.”


“It’s not an attempt to diminish your worth, little Arc,” The fellow Ancestor pointed out. “But I think you’re missing the big picture about it. I can easily say that Type Moon herself would’ve some trouble dealing with that kind of situation. Especially when she is not prepared to face something that is beyond the limits of mortality… and divinity.”


…


“What?”


Disregarding the absurd claim that Brunestud of the Crimson Moon would’ve possibly been the strongest entity within the planet, the fact that he was suggesting that whatever was behind this bizarre development was beyond a Deity of old?


Should she worry that her guardian had finally gone senile?


“While Angra Mainyu, the Servant that was ‘created’ out of the Third War, was weaker compared to many other Heroes, it would be wrong to assume he is still a weakling now that he had taken over the Grail,” The old man answered tensely. “He has a large input of mana that he can manipulate at his whim. And now that he has gone safely to channel more and more energy, I would dare to say that we might end up embroiled in a Grail War.”


“Sounds like rubbish,” The princess rebuked earnestly. “While I might not remember properly the basis of human magecraft, I do remember that to manipulate any immense amount of energy conceived by the large leylines available in Fuyuki Town would require a reinforced body. Something that this ‘God of Evil’ doesn’t have since his body was destroyed before getting thrown back in the artifact.”


…


…


“I know I’m right, so why-”


“You recited the rule correctly, but you failed to grasp an important detail that makes your theory collapse completely,” Zelretch interrupted quietly. “The issue is that he does have a proper body to make things happen with the energy he’s absorbing. The lesser Grail used for the Fourth Holy Grail War.”


There was a pause, and the girl froze at the realization offered by her guardian. She had been thinking from the first war to the third one, but she had barely given attention to the fourth one considering how little was known to her about the event.


“The Lesser Grail was taken?”


The fellow ancestor sighed. “Yes. And the thing is that now that he knows things are slowly turning against him, his plans are going to drastically speed up to match up to those that threaten his existence.”


“So things are going to get ethic right as we arrive in Fuyuki?”


“Perhaps,” The Wizard Marshal replied with a minor degree of uncertainty… and that confirmed that things weren’t going to be as funny as she expected those to end up.


A huff left her lips. “Then I suppose I shall be ready for any aggression. But I will not defend you if you falter in your steps.”


“I wouldn’t demand such a privilege from you, young heiress.”


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Things were really taking an irritating twist now that he was forced to deal with this.


It’s been months since he had decided to finally offer some assistance to Shirou Emiya. The boy was far from reaching his peak, but he represented a chance to revert a ‘minor’ mistake the blond had committed during his ruling. One that could just be ‘fixed’ just as he saw fit.


The Age of God, as he could remember it, wasn’t something that he was aiming to restore to the fullest. The state of anarchy among the tribes, the greedy emotions of certain deities, and the troublesome lack of proper power consolidation-


His memories of that era weren’t ethereal as he would’ve liked those to be. It was a better time compared to the one he was living now, but there were already problems rising with the way Gods considered their creations and worshipers.


The slaying of the Titan from the stars had coaxed a large majority of deities into a sense of self-absorption that eventually saw Gilgamesh pitted against them.


But while he himself was still uncertain if he would’ve been able to win a fight against his ‘founders’ without suffering lethal and deadly injuries, he would never try to even think of regretting his final decision.


Revealing the truth of their existence to their believers sparked the fiery crescendo that eventually mortalized deities into machines. From that point onward, humanity gained prominence and ‘priority’ over the declining Gods and… things ended up like this.


With mankind prospering over the ashes of long gone deities.


The punishment the Gods were subjected to made his stern action worth to a fair degree, but the final development, the one that led to this current timeline where humanity had strayed away from its glorious feats, rendered this effort quite a bitter issue he was responsible for.


His only mistake, he would say reluctantly if he felt in a good mood.


And while the world was rolling the way he deemed correct, things were far from reaching true completion.


Shirou’s ability, the Game, was something that had to be preserved at all costs now. Not at his life’s expenses, but still enough to warrant the King’s guarantee and loyalty to the young boy.


He was meant to represent the change, but whatever it was going to be for good or bad was going to be dictated by one individual only… and that was the King of Heroes himself.


Yet, peace wasn’t meant to last as he had completely forgotten that something- or someone was still lurking and waiting to strike at the best opportunity.


Gilgamesh was unsure how things had suddenly changed away from the peaceful context he had been living in.


One moment he was sitting alone by the park, questioning with an annoyed thought or two about the clouding of the sky and why his omnipresence was starting to have trouble understanding what was happening within the city. Then two dark figures rushed for a quick brawl.


But if he had to be honest, the King of Heroes was quite impressed by the way both sword-wielding attackers were handling the first barrage of his treasury.


Fergus mac Róich was one of the known heroes in the Ulster Cycle, his presence seconded only by names like the one held by Cu Chulainn and Queen Medb. His swordsmanship was still on point as he bravely tried to defend himself at the onslaught of blades raining upon him.


Caladbolg, his blade, easily handling most of the treasury, but soon finding trouble with the other swords of higher origin and purpose. Truly a pity that he was silent and unwilling to spare his target any of his suffering.


His companion, albeit slightly weaker and less experienced than him, was faring as well as the Irish Hero was. Donning a silver armor with numerous references to the religion he had ‘believed’ during his activity in France, Gilles de Rais didn’t have any magical weapon to resist the iron rain falling upon him.


His quick feet were his only saving grace, but his curaisse was already getting torn apart by some swifter blades falling near to his face.


To think that the disgusting interpretation that was Caster would return in its younger self, before the deformation into the demented fool…


Gilles was a mere soldier in this version of the legend. One that had followed closely the deeds accomplished by Jeanne D’Arc, offering her friendship and advice whenever she needed any of those. A fervent follower, but one deviated by personal desires upon the maiden, ultimately betraying the idea left behind by the very idol he loved so closely.


The foolish men, corrupted by the Grail, were desperately trying to kill Gilgamesh, and the former Archer was almost bored by the fact they looked so uncoordinated and unfocused. If they had been given more of their personal willpower, things would’ve been surely ‘funnier’ for him to deal with.


But right now he was facing two brutes that hardly gave him a challenge to fight against. And it frustrated him to no end.


It was like looking at two Berserkers without the two actually having a fraction that the class should bestow to the Servants assigned to the label.


With a sigh and a quick wave of hand, the two Servants were ultimately decimated by numerous other portals opening and dropping more of the Golden King’s treasury upon them.


The gruesome sight wasn’t something that Gilgamesh lingered for too long as he soon perceived two more individuals rushing at him.


Several blue bolts rushed through some of the bushes nearby, trying to hit the annoyed blond from behind.


With his eyes turning to grace his new harassers, the King of Heroes moved away as Fionn mac Cumhaill rushed at him with his lance, Mac an Luin. The golden-tipped spear failed to find its target, and the owner of the weapon was forced to swiftly engage against a furious Gilgamesh.


One thing was attacking him through fair means, another was trying to cheaply get a hit on him without properly introducing themselves.


The two blonds were relentless with their respective attacks, but the former Archer was far faster and decisive with his blows. Fionn tensed up as the sword held by his opponent plunged deep through his chest.


Surprise filled the puppet-Servant, but the moment of peace was interrupted when more blue bolts started to rush at them. With a single move, Gilgamesh turned the dying Servant into the approaching magic bullets, speeding up the process of his opponent’s death.


His red eyes soon were over the tiny red-haired archer throwing even more bolts at him.


Robin Hood, the legend that materialized in the form of an infuriating trickster.


But the King of Heroes wasn’t up for any plays for today. Especially with his Sha Naqba Imuru getting disrupted by what seemed to be an ordeal caused by Angra Mainyu. The signs were there and he didn’t need his clairvoyance to notice that it was all connected to the frustrating taint still lingering his domains.


Enkidu flew through his portals, the chain mercilessly wrapping around the shocked Archer and slamming his form off from the tree branch he had been crouching by and painfully on the ground, breaking his neck in the process.


He looked around, feeling only feeble energy pattern that indicated that there was much more than just four weaklings.


“I can see that there is more of you, mongrels. Please, indulge with your own assault… in the end my punishment will only increase to the one that is sending you all against me,” The Golden King brazenly called out. “I will not cower before your assault- in fact, I rejoice at the chance of proving my worth before you worthless selves.”


He didn’t need to wait much longer than someone did heed his call and… He snarled as Enkidu moved just in time to intercept the fast-paced monster rushing at him.


Roaring furiously, the inhuman giant tried to break free of the restrictions failing just like it had happened ‘before’.


Gilgamesh sighed, looking at Herakles with a scowl.


“I think your controller is genuinely trying to aggravate me,” He seethed under his breath, staring furiously at the groaning behemoth as it continued to break away from his limitations. “And I will make him taste the full fury of my soul and right as a king.”


There was no reason to spare more words to the brainless monster, and Gilgamesh prepared to unleash Ea upon the creature. He knew that dealing with the Berserker’s God Hand was going to be just annoying and time-draining, something that as a King couldn’t help but find unacceptable before these circumstances.


But before he could get the key prepared to deploy the ultimate Noble Phantasm, his attention snapped at a sudden and loud exclamation.


“Kazikli Bey!”


Vlad Draculesti’s unique ability, the crystallization of his victory over the large ranks of troops dispatched by the Ottoman Empire to punish the rebellious ruler of Wallachia.


Just as it was called upon, numerous stakes emerged ferociously from the ground, the path looking to be directed right at the calm-looking King of Heroes.


The former Archer jumped away quickly deploying his Vimana. The golden vessel soared quickly to catch its owner, letting the King rest by the throne-like chair available atop the ancient vehicle.


“An admirable effort from your part, Lancer. But one that fails to match with the limitations imposed by your own Noble Phantasm,” Gilgamesh complimented. “Sadly enough, I’m not in the mood of playing with either you or your fellow monster.”


He stood up from his seat as Enkidu quickly rushed to subdue the incensed Impaler, the white-haired fiend fending off the chains with his lance, but failing to properly defend himself as he was soon overwhelmed by the unbreakable weapon.


Snarling and struggling against the restraints, the vampire soon was sent slamming onto the limited Herakles and Gilgamesh deployed his final strike against them.


“I shall strike and call it a ritual of separation-


The Sky and the Land divided,


the nothingness praising the conception,


and my blade ruptured the earth,”


Ea’s cylinders started to rotate, the input of energy running through the weapon intensifying as Gilgamesh started to lift it above his head.


“Destroyer of Stars,


Heaven’s Hell shall be the prelude of creation’s celebration.”


The world stilled, and Gilgamesh felt a tingle going through his body as he now remembered why Ea was special to him. A smile twitched by his lips as he brought forth his fury upon his enemies.


“ENUMA ELISH!”


And light bathed the land as the powerful blast tore down at the panicking Servants. Enkidu had moved quickly out of the way as the beam struck its targets and the world was blinded by the glorious energy released by the Sword of Rupture.


There was peace… there was calm.


Gilgamesh returned Ea back in his treasury, an impassive look settling by his face instead of the gloating one he had planned to let out.


Something was off. Incredibly so.


And he decided to move back to the only chair available in the Vimana… only to quickly find that he was now… stuck?


He couldn’t move, or rather his body was paralyzed by what felt to be a sudden curse placed on himself.


A blink, then two- finally he got sight over his final attacker and the tall woman advanced towards him. Her blindfold was off, and her mystic eyes were pressuring his will to a stalemate as he tried to back away from the approaching Rider Servant.


“You weren’t ready as you planned, your highness,” Medusa smoothly commented, but Gilgamesh quickly recognized that it wasn’t her voice leaving her lips.


“I suppose the prime cur would need to manifest to gloat. Truly a shameless sight that you would seriously think this will actually work,” The Golden King rebuked, only to be met with a bored sigh by the woman.


“Oh, but I’m aware that Medusa here can’t kill you,” Angra Mainyu replied with a happy hum. “In fact, she is just meant to delay you for his moment.”


What?


Something soared off from the ground. The figure was fairly short, but his armor and clothes were quite bright. His arrow burned brightly in his bow and soon… he let out his Noble Phantasm.


Gilgamesh felt panic rise at the immediate realization of what was happening… but it was too late.


“STELLA-AH!!”


Or was it?


An explosion shattered the frame of Arash, interrupting his highly-destructive and suicidal final move and making Medusa stare in shock at the failure of that simple plan.


“W-Who dares to-” Her body went tense before she could finish, a presence staring behind her.


“I expected to find the Devil in here… but I was regaled with a mere puppet that can hardly move against me,” The new arrival commented dryly. “A pity- no, an outright sin against my mission. I shan’t forgive you for bringing torment to the living world!”


Gilgamesh was quiet as he stared at the young man, donning a simple red robe and a matching hat under what looked to be a laurel wreath, slammed his staff onto the woman’s head and sent it flying away.


The corpse burned in a dark fire, enveloping the entirety of the dead Servant before their eyes.


There was silence… and Gilgamesh was incredibly confused as he couldn’t recognize this Servant specifically.


The unknown man, once incensed by the presence of the Evil creature, now sported a relieved smile as he turned to greet the blond.


“Salutations King of Heroes, beholder of the absolute rule over the world,” The smiling figure bowed respectfully while saying so. “Your presence is as radiant as expected, and your virtue is evident in all of your features. Like a perfect representation of a true King and-”


“Who are you.”


It wasn’t a question. While the sudden compliments hit the former Archer in the proper spot, there was just something strange about the figure that made the King of Heroes stand tensely around him.


Something about him was just… different from the usual Heroic Spirit.


“Oh! Forgive me, oh kind lord, it’s just common modesty to be polite before a true monarch.” Another bow, his smile hardly looked fazed by Gilgamesh comment.


“My true name is Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri, but I’m mostly known as Dante Alighieri, the Sommo Poeta(1),” He introduced himself with a cheerful tone. “I’m a Foreigner-Class Servant… and I’m seeking to find the one that will finally materialize the prophecy I’ve long waited for!”


…


“What?”


----------------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d---------


Shirou patiently hummed as he started to prepare his textbook by the large table in Julian’s room.


The study session had yet to begin, and they were still waiting for the arrival of the curious guest that their friend had invited for the occasion.


Miyu Edelfelt… that name didn’t remind him of anyone he had met before.


It wasn’t that much odd that he was still unaware of most of the inhabitants in town. But for this specific person to be a frequent visitor of the nearby park… it just felt confusing as to why Shirou had never noticed this individual before.


The park was frequented by many children during the morning, but Julian had described the girl as a young teen with short dark hair and amber eyes.


The depiction had offered very little insight about who she could be as the young Emiya would’ve remembered someone like her. And yet nothing, there was zero recollection of such an individual.


Rin had already deployed the entirety of her bag over her space, with her attention now taken completely by her attempt to fiddle around with her pens.


Shinji was huffing, his legs waving around but avoiding kicking any of them under the table, with his part of the desk completely missing of anything other than a pencil and a piece of paper.


“Why is she taking this long?” The Matou whined, his head crumbling by the table as the young Tohsaka glared back at him for being this blunt over the issue.


It’s been twenty minutes now since they had been waiting for the teen to arrive and Julian was still waiting by the lower floor, by the entrance as they continued to patiently stay for any new developments.


“Do you think he tricked Ainsworth?” Shinji asked quietly at Shirou. “It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if the girl was just one of those that just bait people and then prank them like this.”


“That doesn’t sound much… of a fun thing to do,” The Emiya commented. “Aren’t pranks to give… amusement?”


“Not everyone has the same degree of entertainment as we have, Shirou-kun,” Rin pointed out quietly. “Think of Matou-san- he likes to be annoying whenever it’s possible. There, that it’s an odd way to draw entertainment from.”


Shinji gawked at that comment, but he failed to compile an answer at the mean shot thrown at him ‘so unexpectedly’.


There wasn’t much to do with the fact that Rin herself was starting to get annoyed too, and becoming a target to her irritation by stating out the obvious felt like a dangerous game around her.


So Shirou kept quiet and focused on the homework for today.


“Still, do you think she will be nice or… maybe Ainsworth is being lead around by her possible beauty,” The blue-haired boy inquired about, now sporting curiosity instead of annoyance for the host of this house.


“She’s probably nice,” The Gamer hummed calmly. “Julian said that his younger sister seemed to like her a lot, and that they played at lot by the park. Maybe she had some troubles, that’s why she’s late.”


“Still, it’s quite odd.”


“What? Don’t you think people can have other things other than visiting people?” Rin pressed on with some irritation now clear in her tone.


Shinji seemed to finally understand that continuing through that path wasn’t going to end well for him, and he finally kept a silent for the remainder of the situation.


Another ten minutes passed before Julian actually returned with a happy smile… and the guest that he had said was going to come was right behind him as he entered the room.


“Rin-chan, Shinji-san, Shirou-kun,” The boy mentioned with a polite tone. “I introduce you to Miyu Edelfelt.”


The bespectacled boy made way, offering a clear sight over the girl and… she looked incredibly familiar now that Shirou had a clear glance over her.


Miyu had her hair kept short through some ribbons tying part of her locks behind from falling beneath her shoulders. Her vibrant amber eyes matched his for a moment-


The young Emiya had to hold back from shivering at the strange electric shock that he got from that mere look. Something felt surprisingly intense about her staring before she actually gave a quick bow and a shy smile.


“Julian-kun and Erika-chan told me you three are good friends of his. Nice to meet you.”


“Likewise, Miyu-chan,” Rin quickly replied with a vibrant smile and… relief dripping from her words. Maybe it was because she was no longer the only girl in that small group of friends… or perhaps she was glad that she could ‘learn more stuff’ from someone older than them.


The study session started shortly after, with Miyu keeping away from actively helping the four children with their homework and only staring at them silently.


She lingered a little too much at Shirou, making it easy for the redhead to understand that the girl was interested at him for some reason.


Frowning a little but keeping his stare over his calculations, Shirou thought of the command while sparing a swift look at the distracted Edelfelt and… he got even more confused at the stats he got back.

Name: Miyu Emiya (Formerly Sakatsuki)


Title: The soft-spoken Magician Girl


Age: 14


Level: 12-?


HP : 1200/1200-?


MP : 2000-?​

Emiya? Why- when-


Surely Kiritsugu had hold anything from him about other members of his family. And Shirou believed that it was truly the case… despite the odd revelation provided by such a sight.


His adoptive father was orphaned, and had a single standing relationship with Irisviel von Einzbern. Illya was his only daughter… and yet Miyu was a Emiya.


The Game was suggesting this despite the fact that it was impossible for it to be true.


And… what kind of title was that?


While he had been seeing strange animes about magical girls because Illya had forced him to see these shows with her, he couldn’t see how this would make sense in a normal context.


Was she really a magical girl? One related to him and Illya?


The redhead could see his older sister squeal at the thought that part of her family was able to become something she had started to idolize just recently. He let out a sight at that adorable image, only ending up catching Miyu’s attention with that.


“Do you need some help, Shirou?”


He blinked, glancing up at the girl with a confused frown.


“Oh? Oh- I wasn’t- I was just thinking about something back home,” The Gamer replied with some mumbled words.


“Are you thinking about Illya-chan? You know that she is probably done with her homework already by now,” Rin pointed out with a minor grimace. “Truly, she is super-smart about school.”


Much to the surprise of many, especially Shirou’s, the young Einzbern easily became one of the smartest girls in the Elementary School section of Homurahara Academy. She had been picked on in the first few days, but she had bravely lasted those and obtained quite a following with her kind words and adorable accent.


“Illya?” Miyu inquired curtly, making Shinji sigh.


“Shirou’s older sister. She is quite nice and really kind,” The Matou explained calmly. “Still, she’s an Einzbern and so I’m just respectful with her.”


There was silence after the girl nodded at the response, but Shirou quickly noticed that the Edelfelt was muttering silently the words ‘older sister’.


He felt nervous, perhaps this individual was trying to dig more on his life- maybe she was related to Kiritsugu through other means and… she had come to Fuyuki just recently.


He continued to work on his paper, hoping that things wouldn’t escalate from that point onward and… they didn’t.


The study session lasted for a couple of hours, stopping just some minutes away from dinnertime.


Julian bid them a warm goodbye as they all walked out of his house and back home.


But just as Shirou started to turn and walk together with Shinji and Rin back to the Emiya household, the boy stopped to notice something moving by Miyu’s backpack as the teen retreated on the opposite direction.


He blinked at the strange looking short staff with a bright yellow star at the center and a pair of blue butterfly wings on its side.

Name: Sapphire


Title: Kaleidostick Beta



​

What was that?!


---------------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-----------


AN


So much is happening at once and… I’m starting to experiment with multiple POVS happening within my stories. Kind of odd to do now but… I feel like writing in this matter is easier than before.


Less troublesome, I dare to say.


But yes, Miyu is that Miyu and… the reason why she’s there is connected with what’s happening to this Fuyuki.


Stay tuned for what’s going to be a complicated mindfuck that one would find only in a canon story from the Nasuverse.


GLOSSARY – (1) Sommo Poeta is a title bestowed to Dante Alighieri by Italy, it’s roughly translated as the Supreme Poet, yet I think The Wisest Poet matches is better on a meaning-related connection.

Let's just say that Chibi!Rin will met with Prillya!Rin and see her battle against Prillya!Luvia... her reaction will be brilliant!

 

ARC 2 – Chapter 3: School Days (3)


Silence was a notion that she had long learned to accept.


Taking a moment to sigh and stare at the progress of her hard work, she smiled maliciously at the runes she had just finished writing.


It took her a large amount of her already-limited time to get these to work, but she knew that the final results were all worth this excruciating waiting. The dampness of the cave she had been forced to stay into in the last months had sharpened her patience.


…


But the presence of that stupid moron to dictate directions left and right in such a chaotic and senseless manner was enough to deprive her of any hope of being left at peace.


Especially when this very moron was now whining in the background.


“I told you to give me the strongest Servants, and you gave me cheap Spirits,” The dark-haired boy pointed out with a dull tone.


“And I did. But I also mentioned how these Servants were what I could muster right now in these conditions,” She rebuked with some annoyance. “You could’ve won if you had placed some seriousness in your planning. And yet you had to waste that precious energy away to harass Gilgamesh.”


The short figure groaned, his tattoos glowing a soft blue. “Well, I did pay plenty of attention on the blond bastard and I almost got him killed… but then that Foreigner bastard had to come out and spoil my fun-”


“Foreigner?”


Curious name. Another class? One beyond this dimension’s standards of Servants?


“This guy I… I couldn’t truly understand him,” The boy explained. “At first I thought he was a Caster with his magical prowess but… then I felt something wrong about him. Something that… that actually brought me to retreat.”


The woman paused, her red eyes finally addressing the nuisance as it continued to rant about this strange encounter.


Something that frightened the embodiment of evil? Now, that was going to make things a little bit more complicated than hoped for.


Sure, their plan was so big and threatening that she had expected for ‘outsiders’ to appear and raise hell over their current ‘strongholds’, but to think that a completely different Servant was here? That actually left her perplexed and unsure how to handle this new player.


She had expected the Counter-Force to snap back at the little trickery she was trying to accomplish thanks to the Grail and the still-active leylines in Fuyuki Town giving the artifact the necessary fuel to sustain itself.


By altering some of the old matrix, the woman wanted to shift the primary role of the grail to something completely different from simple wishcraft. Albeit the Einzbern might have been conscious of part of the true potential this artifact offered, it was only Justeaze that had been aware of the full might of the construct.


The Grail was something with far more potential to its original purpose, and Angra Mainyu just wanted only one thing out of it.


The Core of everything.


The perfect Hyperuranion.


The Akashic Record.


So many names, but just a single entity truly representing the final end of their ambitions.


But while many had already tried to reach the highest plane of existence, the reason behind their little crusade was to corrupt the world of idle ideas. The place where the unknown hid from the living, transcending the concept of existence for the sake of attaining true secrecy.


By corrupting the idea of mystery itself, they would’ve been able to turn everything that existed in all dimension in toys for them to use and destroy whenever they thought or felt like.


They just needed this Grail to create a bridge to all Roots to actually win. They didn’t need to kill anyone or anything as a requirement to their success.


But the temptation of actually removing from the big picture the main issues within this dimension? That was just a precaution she knew was necessary.


Three individuals were close enough to their lair to provide some disturbance, and each were going to be particularly difficult to deal with on an individual level.


Shirou Emiya had been a curious element to keep her eyes on while they quietly prepared for this important event. The young boy was inexperienced, naive, and easy to lead around with proper attention given to any plans made about him.


The real issue was what he was holding within himself.


The Game was something that Angra Mainyu only knew since it had been there to witness its integration within Shirou’s body.


It was pure coincidence that saw the Avenger taking notice of this occurrence, having approached the young redhead with the purpose of leaving within him part of his true essence.


A fail-safe in case things went awry with any of those that could’ve gone to destroy the Holy Grail.


The God of All Evil was unable to grasp at the complex nature of its functions when the scene first unfolded before him, with Justeaze’s masterful work frustrating him over its true nature.


It didn’t help that even when he went through with the process of splitting part of his pure self into the Einzbern husk had provided him with the insight he was seeking for.


Something about the young Emiya made him alluring to his need of a corporeal body beyond the rules of Gaia, but the chances of taking over the child’s mind weeks earlier had resulted in a sound defeat.


Whatever Justeaze had left behind to protect the Game, it had been strong enough to shatter any efforts to probe at the young Emiya’s thoughts and body.


Thus Shirou Emiya was considered a threat with the potential that this Game was unlocking within his body.


Iri didn’t mind. She couldn’t care much if the threat was to be absorbed in the greater entity or become a victim to their outstanding ambition.


The real issue about him, in her humble opinion, was why her mind would try to bring up silly plans about ambushing the child and give him a hug.


The very notion of embracing another being sounded so stupid and senseless. It didn’t fit with her priorities and didn’t offer Iri anything that could help with the big picture.


Ignoring the strange urges this body would push onto her mind, the woman turned her attention at the second obstacle to their plans.


Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg was possibly the most dangerous of the small group. The Wizard Marshal, despite having lost most of his might when he was forced to become a vampire, was still powerful enough to interrupt the lengthy process that she had to focus most of her attention into.


The Kaleidoscope’s capacities allowed its user to intercept and disrupt any inter-dimensional magecraft. Right now the secrecy of their true plans had hindered the old fool’s chances of stop their plot early on, but the accumulation of this much magical energy within the Grail had caught Zelretch’s attention.


The old geezer was surely en route to arrive in Japan as soon as possible, maybe even bringing up someone else to help him with the dismantling of the device.


The mere thought that the vampire was going to come personally to deal with this matter was more than enough to worry Angra Mainyu’s collective mind.


Zelretch represented the perfect counter to any chances of succeeding with this kind of operations, and that warranted the need to deploy the strongest Servants they could conjure to find the fool and kill him before he had the chance of finding out what was going on in Fuyuki.


Finally, the last issue standing between them and their ultimate goal was the unknown forces that might rush at any issues reaching for their own dimensions.


There was no clear info over this cast of people, but Iri knew that if they took too much time trying to get the process done, the world itself would end up becoming a hub of numerous dimensions at once.


Foreigner just confirmed this little concern, especially if said individuals were meant to hunt down people like Angra Mainyu.


Without paying any attention to the still ongoing whine coming from the fellow Avatar, Iri carefully continued with her own work, knowing well enough that wasting more time on this first step was just going to penalize them more than they were now.


With the wishful thinking that things were going to keep calm until her counterpart decided to wander around again, the fragmented mind of Irisviel von Einzbern grew duller the closer the evil duo came to the fruition of their plans.


----------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d-------


It was already nighttime, but she couldn’t afford to stop at any time now that she was in this new Fuyuki.


Perching from the roof of a tall building, a silent individual peeked over the damage caused by the ‘Great Fire’ that had devastated the city a while ago.


A grimace appeared on her tanned face as her bright orange eyes scanned over the similarities this dimension had with the one both Miyu and her brother came from.


The damage was indeed close to the one caused by the Ainsworth Holy Grail War, but in this version there had been an actual fire consuming a good chunk of Fuyuki.


It was still the result of a Holy Grail War, but this one felt more like the ones she knew thanks to her ancestor’s memories.


To think that their dimension had been spared by the damage caused by the Fourth War all because of the Wizard Marshal personally coming in town to dismantle the Grail.


The mere thought that they had been spared this much loss of human lives was more than enough to remind the girl how lucky she actually was despite her flawed body.


“Kuro!” A familiar voice called from the other side of the building, prompting the tanned Archer to glance back at the yelling individual.


Approaching her with a quick pace, a certain magical girl offered a nervous look at her counterpart. Closely behind her, a taller fellow offered a quizzical look at Chloe, prompting a sigh from the ‘serious’ Einzbern’s lips.


“I think this is quite similar to Miyu-chan’s world,” She concluded with a nod while she addressed both Illya and… Shirou.


It was odd to call her Oniichan by his proper name. But the correction was a must since the young man wasn’t her big brother despite their identical appearances.


Well, mostly identical if she had to take into account the white patches on this Shirou’s hair and the tanned spots on his skin.


The result of burning some of his Magic Circuits by overusing his Tracing ability. It was still ironic how the young man had long ditched the ideals that made EMIYA a proper Counter-Guardian, yet he was the closest version to the Hero of Justice.


But the reality of the situation didn’t offer space for any comedic relief much to her growing chagrin. There were so many chances to make some joke to ease up the tension, but Kuro herself couldn’t help but feel worried about this new adventure.


Differently from the one they had just a couple of months ago against the Ainsworths, this one was far more complicated and difficult to understand without exploring some more.


Back then they knew who their enemies were. Now they were dealing with complete unknowns that had no correlation to their dimension up until Miyu was taken away from them.


“I think we should check the house where Miyu and I used to live in,” Shirou muttered curtly. “It’s 1994, and I think Kiritsugu is still alive.”


Kuro frowned at this, remembering how Shirou’s father had died because of some rare illness.


“You think he will help us?” Illya inquired with a note of nervousness, once again pointing out how she was ill-equipped to go through this kind of complex adventures on her own.


“He will,” Chloe replied calmly. “Papa is still a good man at heart. Whatever version this one might be, he’s someone that strive for justice.”


“It all depends if his concept of justice is like your father’s or if it is closer to mine,” The redhead commented with a distracted voice.


The tales provided by the young man about the ruthlessness the Magus Killer used to be brought up the chances of this dimension’s Kiritsugu actually refusing the need of help.


The very scenario was grim to conetmplate, but while both individuals connected to Emiya pondered over this case, Illya perfectly acted as positively innocent as possible about the matter.


“Still, we need to try. Maybe this Kiritsugu is as nice as Dad. And Dad would help us if he was here!”


It wasn’t top-grade pep-talking, but considering how lucky the simple girl had been in the last few months, it wouldn’t have been much of a surprise if she was correct even in this very case.


They finally moved away from their temporary setting, with Illya flying around while Kuro and Shirou followed her by jumping from roofs to roofs. The pattern soon changed when they reached the part of town where there weren’t many tall buildings and so they were all forced back on the streets.


Running around these familiar dark roads increased the tanned Archer’s uneasiness over what was going to happen once they arrived at their destination.


Is there going to be a Emiya family waiting in there? What if they never settled here in Fuyuki and actually moved out of town much earlier?


The more thoughts came to her mind, the more burdened she felt as they continued silently with their rush.


That was until they finally arrived at the familiar compound and they stopped at the mail box outside.


Emiya.


Yes, they have to be here.


With a smile slowly creeping on her face, Kuro carefully opened the main gates that led to the compound. Lockpicking the mechanism was easy, and soon they were walking inside the building in the hopes of finding refuge in there.


There was silence within the walls of the house, something that was pretty normal considering the late hour they had decided to ‘visit’.


Her eyes looked left and right as she checked for anything worth of suspicions. Nothing jumped to her attention and soon the trio wandered off until they ended up entering the… kitchen.


Chloe blinked in surprise when she noticed that the light was on, but while her senses continued to search for anything worth of attention, she failed to notice that there was actually someone waiting in the room.


Three people to be precise.


Tensing up as she noticed the calm-looking Kiritsugu Emiya finishing lighting a cigarette, her eyes fully widened when she noticed that the other two occupants were a battle-ready Sella and Leysritt.


...How?!


Illya eeped a little bit at the standoff while Shirou looked slightly surprised at this scene himself.


“The boundary fields alerted me of your presence when you graced the gates,” The Magus Killer explained dully. “I don’t know what is going on, or why two of you decided to try and appear like my children, but I think I will just ask about your identities.”


There was a pregnant pause at that, with the intruders sharing some looks as they tried to think up about something to resolve this unnerving predicament.


Ultimately, it was Illya that spoke up.


“Pap-Kiritsugu-san, I can assure you that we’re not here to cause you any harm-”


“Yet you entered my home like criminals, breaking the lock,” The dark-haired Emiya pointed out blankly. “I think your position isn’t a pleasant one considering all elements and-”


“She is saying the truth, Kiritsugu-san,” Chloe decided to intervene, knowing that things were favoring them at all. “While I understand your distress at our sudden intrusion, I can assure that we really are not here to hurt you or your family.”


The tanned Einzbern paused to glance at Illya, or rather at her magical stick. “And I know the best way to show you that we’re telling the truth.”


Kiritsugu blinked as the girl’s smile turned at the strange prop.


“Ruby, can you please… bring out a family photo?”


At first there was silence, but then the Kaleidostick wriggled a little bit, huffing left and right.


“A family photo, Kuro-chan? I guess I can offer it but… can I also give him some cute Illya-chan’s photos? I’ve plenty of her Beast Mode form~!”


The other Einzbern looked terrified at the prospect of that embarrassing experience being shown to someone else, but Kuro merely sighed. “Just the family photo.” For now.


There was no way in hell that the devious girl was going to miss the chance of teasing her naive counterpart before this version of the Emiya Family.


The picture was carefully placed by the table, leaving Kiritsugu to reach for it and give it a proper look at it.


He froze instantly at the sight, his eyes widening at the scene displayed in there.


It was an old photo that was taken a little after their Kiritsugu had returned back home from his oversea job. They had decided to visit the beach for the occasion, and they had taken a big family photo to remember that situation.


But while the older Emiya was surprised by the presence of so many individuals in there, some he could recognize and some he couldn’t, his eyes couldn’t peel off from the presence of a single individual that caused his heart to pang painfully.


Irisviel looked so lively and happy. Her smile was so bright and so at ease.


He would’ve trembled at that display, but he managed to hold back the tears at that absurd picture. If before he had been confused by the intruders’ appearances, now he was stomped by the proof he was given.


“Who… Who are you three?”


Kuro nodded slowly at the uneasy question, deciding to be the one to make the introductions.


“I’m Chloe von Einzbern,” She started with a careful voice, soon turning to look. “The one dressed like a silly magical girl is Illya von Einzbern-”


The white-haired girl looked flustered at that annoying comment, but the tanned Archer was now looking at the young man behind them.


“And this is Shirou Emiya-...”


The girl stopped for a moment as he noticed that the redhead had his attention diverted elsewhere.


She slowly followed his stare up at the doorstep they have entered from and, standing there, she blinked at a young boy with red hair and amber eyes.


The young Shirou Emiya stared in pure shock at his older counterpart and… Miyu’s brother mirrored this very expression back to him.


While the scene had a degree of seriousness and revelation, the two young Einzberns found themselves staring at the ‘tinier’ Emiya, sharing a single thought.


This Shirou-chan is so cute~!


-----------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d-----------


AN


Fuck, this was supposed to be a full-fledged chapter, but I ended up getting distracted and create something that resembles a big Interlude.


I know, what’s the difference? Words-wise, it’s shorter compared to other chapters. Today I got plenty of distractions in the form of me working out seriously.


Yes, I’ve starting some training to get myself back in shape (got a little bit of belly back because of the quarantine and I’m following a careful schedule to not burn anything else in my day.).


Still, back on the chapter: This is slowly turning in a Illya-face fest. Miyu does technically count as Miyuverse’s Illya considering her role as Lesser Grail and Shirou’s Imouto.


I think we just need another version and we should have all Illya-face here-


*A certain Alter Ego peeks over from the corner together with her polar bear*


Sorry sweetie, I don’t think I have logical means to get you to play in the story this early. Maybe later on.


*Cue Illya-like whine and slow retreat of sad Alter Ego and Polar Bear*


...That’s just so sad...


Also considering how short this chapter is... here is a minor expansion to Dante's character!

 

ARC 2 – Chapter 4: School Days (4)


Shirou stared at… Shirou. The phenomenon persisted for a noticeable amount of time.


One was tall, the other was quite short… but both were looking incredibly surprised of finding each other involved in this circumstance.


This wasn’t the most bizarre thing that has happened in their respective lives, but this was a development both hadn’t expected to be embroiled into.


The Gamer blinked first out of that shock-induced glance, but his counterpart took a little more than that because of the opportunities behind this odd circumstance.


With the younger of the two finally out of that strange exchange of looks, he finally gave a proper look at this individual – this version of himself from a possible future – and tried to catch as many differences as he could.


The first thing was, of course, that the teen before him was taller and had completely lost all of the baby fat by his face. He looked… refined, sharpened by future events that saw him become this ‘gritty’.


It was strange to think this at first glance… and yet this Shirou Emiya had something already in display that made the younger redhead worried about what will happen in a couple of years from now.


Surely this ‘Shirou’ had to be from the future. It was his first thought and, before the lack of proof that detached him from this perspective, this was the absolute reality of things.

Name: Shirou Emiya


Title: The Mended Sword


Age: 17


Level: 21


HP : 4000/4000


MP : 100/100​

The Observe offered little understanding over this scene, except for the fact that this Shirou’s level was… lower than his own?


And his Mana Points were far lesser than the one at the boy’s current disposal.


It was in that moment that he glanced at the two other intruders and-


One was an older looking Illya. It was just a small age increase to his older sister, but she looked taller and-


Another Illya?! This one had a tanned skin, white-rosé hair, and glowing amber eyes. He could remember her presenting herself as… Chloe?


…


What’s going on?!!


“I suppose you’re… confused,” The older Shirou finally muttered, drawing the younger Emiya’s attention back on him. “This situation is-”


“Complicated,” Kiritsugu interrupted dryly. “Yes, you three have already mentioned this. I think you should elaborate a little more now that you’ve confirmed that you mean ‘no harm’.”


The emphasis on the last words was… worrying. But the Magus Killer’s adopted son decided against making a stand about this since the situation was indeed messy as it was right now without an explanation.


Chloe continued to stare at the Gamer with a ‘curious’ look while her counterpart turned to the older Emiya.


“We’re from a different dimension, Pa-Kiritsugu-san,” She looked uncomfortable in addressing her ‘father’ in such an informal manner. “We’re here to recover someone that got lost in this Fuyuki and… we care a lot about her which is why we came a long way to rescue her.”


…


“Kiritsugu-sama, if I may… advance my opinion about the situation,” Sella interceded with an uneasy tone. “I don’t think a picture would be enough to… convince about their intentions.”


Illya gave a surprised look at that, not expecting to be pressed on that matter once again… and so quickly.


“W-Well, if I have to say something more...” The girl started with an awkward look on her face. “T-Then I think it’s right to say that Sella is the one that does most of the work and… Liz is the one that watches the TV all day!”


Determined, yet nervous. Never in his short life, Shirou had met a curious contradiction as this version of his older sister.


But the comment was spot on, something that both maids recognized with their own reactions. With Sella gawking at the unexpected reply, while Leysritt looked away with her usual impassive look, the action being more than enough to dignify her ‘guilt’ over the comment.


“Plus, you were the one that told us what to do in case we ended up ‘finding’, Papa,” The tanned Einzbern added with a nod. “You said that you would’ve been reluctant to believe that we were saying the truth, but then he mentioned one thing to me that I had to say to confirm our legitimacy.”


Kiritsugu frowned at this, but allowed this counterpart of his daughter to approach him and reach for his ear. She whispered something that the boy couldn’t hear from where he was, but the sudden shock-filled expression replacing the intrigued one in the man’s face was enough to cement the fact that it was something serious and undeniable.


“So he told you about-”


“He said that he spent years beating himself over that. But then, with time and peace, he learned that it’s better for the memory to not become a burden,” The girl mentioned happily. “And that she wouldn’t have wanted to be remembered with tears.”


There was quiet for a while, with the man digesting what he had just heard and… then he nodded.


“I… see,” He commented with a calm hum. “And I suppose your friend, the one you’re searching for, has a name.”


The other Illya nodded. “Yes, her name is Miyu and she disappeared from our Fuyuki about two days ago.”


The young Emiya’s eyes widened in realization. “Miyu-san?”


The rest of the room turned at him with mild interest.


“You’ve seen her?” His older version inquired with interest. “Did you?”


‘Why the insistence?’ The boy thought confused.


“I mean, she was introduced to me as a friend to Erika-tan,” The redhead elaborated. “Julian-kun said that he found her by the park, so she has to be there and-”


“Julian?” The older Shirou pressed on with a sterner voice. “Julian Ainsworth?”


...Why he looked angry?


“Why do you want to… know?”


The older redhead gritted his teeth and it was the ‘older’ Illya that spoke. “Let’s just say that we had trouble with the… Ainsworth.”


“How?” Kiritsugu asked in return, drawing the two short Einzberns’ attention on him.


“The Ainsworth family was responsible for hijacking the Holy Grail Wars to try and get their wish through,” Chloe answered. “I can’t spare too many details, but I can say that Shirou-san’s uneasiness is warranted, Papa.”


“But,” The gamer interjected with a frown. “Julian and his family are nice. Are you… planning to hurt them, Shirou-san?”


His older version blinked in surprise at the evident threatening tone adopted by the boy.


“I didn’t say anything about this but… I would need to check if they-”


“If you’re planning to harm them, Shirou-san, then I will have to stop you.”


With his eyes wide and the calm situation suddenly escalating, panic drove them both to make drastic decisions.


“Trace on,” The taller Shirou muttered, allowing for two familiar-looking swords to appear within his hands’ hold.


The Gamer didn’t need any verbal input to project two reinforced blades to match up the unpleasant escalation…


The tension grew as the rest of the room prepared to stop both from destroying the kitchen, and before anything dangerous could’ve been conceived out of that troublesome instance, someone finally decided to step inside.


“Papa, I made a strange dream and-”


Little Illya stopped by the doorstep, her red eyes widening as she noticed that there was a tall ‘Oniichan’ and two lookalikes that were slightly taller than her.


“Papa, is family visiting?” The naive Einzbern inquired eagerly. “Do I have cousins?”


Kiritsugu looked perplexed and unsure how he was supposed to answer that without shattering her daughter’s hopes of a bigger family.


…


“You’re… older than Shirou?” The tanned Einzbern inquired with a surprised but oddly calm tone.


Little Illya frowned at this and nodded. “O-Of course, I’m his Oneechan!”


At this proclamation, both counterparts appeared struck by a sudden case of… realization. The heavenly state of enlightenment was just enough to gain a frown not only from the confused Illya-chan, but also the rest of the room.


“Their Shirou is older than them,” The young man muttered dryly. “And I think it’s awkward when it’s brought up.”


“Oh? Do we need to bring to the attention how much Miyu is attached to you, Shirou-san~?” Chloe rebuked mirthfully, only to be met with a confused look from the redhead.


“What’s wrong with a brother and sister being that close?”


...And now, why did the Gamer felt the need to question his older version’s intelligence all so suddenly?


“Also… are you two my cousins?” Little Illya inquired eagerly. “And is he Oniichan’s cousin too? Does that mean he is my cousin too?”


“Uh,” The older Shirou looked surprised at the sudden pressure and he was certainly unprepared when Illya-chan rushed up to him and started to jump. “Lift me up! You’re so tall!”


Looking around for support but finding none by the rest of the room’s occupants, the young man couldn’t help but comply with the cute demands and thus lifted up the giggling girl.


“You’re so tall and-” Her red eyes ended up to look at her counterpart. “You look just like me!”


The older Illya looked nervous at that comparison.


“You know, I hope I grow up to look up like Mama was,” The happy Einzbern stated determinedly, ignoring the frown now on her Magical Girl version.


“W-Was?” The girl deflated, maybe realizing just now that someone was actually absent from the… big picture.


Chloe glanced at her with an unsure look, failing to come up with something to cheer her ‘happier’ version up.


Then she noticed that a certain Kaleidostick had slipped out of her Master’s hold and was now hovering over a certain unsuspecting boy.


“Hmm~,” The noise of humming drew Shirou to look up and at the Mystic Code. “Ne, Shirou-tan, do you want to become a Magical Hero of Justice?”


The young redhead frowned, took off-guard by the sudden query, but swiftly ‘saved’ as Illya realized just in time what was happening.


“R-Ruby, don’t corrupt Shirou!” The Magical Girl stated, coming close enough to hug protectively the confused child and to emphasize her unwillingness for ‘things’ to happen in this scenario. “He’s too young to be tainted by your pranks!”


The Kaleidostick huffed, but nodded at the request flying over to entertain the younger Illya.


“C-Corrupt?” The Gamer inquired, a nervous shiver going down his spine as he noticed how close and warm the embrace felt. “Illya-nee, what do you mean?”


Instead of offering some enlightening explanation, the pink-dressed Einzbern looked… relieved- no, she looked outright happy with his words.


But I didn’t say anything strange… did I?


Before he had the chance of inquire some more about the situation, Shirou found himself drawn in a deeper hug from the pleased Magical Girl, prompting for one last question.


D-Did I just hear the sound of switch being turned on?


-----------d-d-d-d---------------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d---------


Miyu huffed as she unloaded another charged mana burst onto the swift-moving Assassin. The white-haired young girl had managed to keep her busy as she had tried to catch up with the strange anomaly Sapphire had noticed.


The sudden appearance of the strong Servant had delayed any attempt to approach her newest destination, but the ‘adopted’ Edelfelt was glad that her Magical Sapphire form was enough to keep up with the Heroic Spirit.


Her greatest advantage was that she could fly away to evade any quick rush from her opponent, which meant that there was no mean for her getting hurt in this kind of ‘fair fight’.


Green eyes shone dangerously against her dark amber ones, but the furious Servant hardly managed to put the magical girl in a corner. The powerful blast conjured by Sapphire were not only killing it, but also making sure that any healing factor was denied from curing her wounds.


She was winning, and soon she would’ve had the chance of checking on this anomaly.


But just as her hopes were at the highest, her bliss was cut short by a sudden arrow trying to rush at her from behind. Thanks to a quick alarm raised by Sapphire, Miyu dodged the projectile quickly and… looked at the violet-haired archer shooting heart-shaped arrows at her.


Ignoring the daggers-wielding Assassin, the Magical Girl rushed to eliminate the darkened Archer before she could turn in a genuine problem.


She evaded another arrow, and then another one as she finally zeroed the distance to reach her target. Charging up a full-powered Mana Burst, Miyu slammed Sapphire’s upper bit onto her belly, allowing the Kaleidostick to unleash its accumulated power in a scattershot effect.


The decision proved to be effective as the attack quickly shredded through the darkened Servant and destroyed it in the process.


This victory was short-lived as a blast of purple magic forced the girl to conjure a Shield to avoid getting hurt by it. The distraction was enough for Assassin to strike and put the pressure onto Miyu.


Gritting her teeth, Magical Sapphire moved quickly to match up with the sudden swipes of the strong knives in Assassin’s hold, managing just barely in repelling the assault.


The exchange was fierce, but Assassin was also unable to stop Sapphire from applying ‘slowing’ debuffs on her. Eventually Miyu managed to get a killing blow on her opponent, dispelling another of the corrupted Servants.


Just as she started looking around, her body started to slow down into a sudden paralysis. Eyes going wide in shock as she found her stare fixed onto an approaching Servant, this one similar-looking to the Archer she had eliminated earlier on.


A smile adorned her enemy’s face as she stood there, looking at the paralyzed Miyu and… the ground started to rumble. Something was rushing at her, no, it was someone and… he was incredibly big.


White hair trailed down his back and a menacing iron mask covered his visage as the behemoth kept up with his rapid charge. Considering his size and speed, panic started to dramatically increase within the poor magical girl.


But just as she struggled against that sudden restraint, a volley of mana-infused explosions tore right onto the approaching monster. The attack was devastating, and the dark mist that drifted away within the simple dust confirmed the Servant’s death.


The plum-haired girl stared at this development in shock, but soon noticed that this was the opening Miyu needed to put an end to this assault.


Once the last Servant was destroyed, her attention turned at the figure that was diving down on the small opening near to where she was. With her guard up and ready to take this possible new enemy, she glanced at the smiling looking man that was regaling her with a happy look.


“Greetings, young lady. I hope that I didn’t frighten you with my sudden appearance,” The Servant greeted politely. “I hoped to introduce myself either after or even before this much chaos happened but… here we are.”


Miyu continued to frown, but surely enough her confusion was starting to pick up at the state the man was presenting himself.


There were large cuts across his clothes, blood pouring out of numerous wounds all over the exposed bits of his bloody and a couple of arrows stuck on his shoulder.


“A-Are you alright?” She blurted out, feeling like this individual was hardly in the proper shape to entertain a fight against her.


“I’m just a little bit… tired. I’ve been battling for hours now...” He admitted with a shrugged. “Ever since the Wise king Gilgamesh bestowed me with the task of waiting for someone else to ‘mind my strange mission’, I’ve been keeping up with the various assaults of dangerous threats to this lovely town.”


“You’re not one of those corrupted Servants, are you?” The girl pressed on, now interested by such a strange individual.


“I’m indeed not one of those fiends ambushing innocent people,” He replied with a nod. “I’m Foreigner-Class, Dante Alighieri and… while I would want to offer a more detailed introduction, you can understand that I might not have the strength to accomplish that-?”


He paused as light-blue energy coaxed his entire body and properly healed him. Even the arrows were pulled out carefully off from his shoulder, fully curing him of any injury Foreigner had on himself.


Once the light simmered down to nothingness, Dante regarded the young girl with a surprised look… before twitching and starting to cry.


Miyu frowned at the response for her kindness, kind of shocked by the sudden bawling the man was displaying.


“S-So kind! Young lady, thank you for your pure soul and mind.”


She frowned at this, quite sure that both claims were false on a single instance. Part of her, in fact, still wondered if Illya would’ve liked if to celebrate her return she would’ve allowed the ‘Edelfelt’ to keep her short-skirted Maid clothes on.


Aaannd now her cheeks were burning.


“A-And now you’re regaling me with humbleness with your embarrassment,” The Servant pointed out, his tears coming to a conclusion. “It’s- It’s so angelic. I’m sure you too have gained the affection of someone that wish to devote their life to you!”


And hopefully that’s Illya- But then again, she was getting distracted too much right now.


“I-It’s alright,” Miyu finally admitted with a nod. “You deserved a reward- yes, a reward for helping people.”


“But I didn’t do this out of a desire, kind lady,” He rebuked politely. “I’m but just a humble servant of what is right and holy. I serve a merciful God that wishes to bring peace and safety in all worlds and creations.”


She blinked. “A God?”


He nodded, looking up in the sky with a bright smile.


“A God of love, of justice, of peace… the greatest representation of what is just and most beloved for us humans.”


The words felt odd to listen to, but maybe it was because she couldn’t get a proper grasp of which Deity this Servant was speaking about.


In the end, it was Sapphire that explained.


“I think he’s talking about the Christian God, Miyu-sama.”


Dante nodded. “That’s correct, oh Wise tool of Betterment.”


“Dante-san, I don’t know how to say this but… I never thought much of religion and-”


“It’s alright, my fair lady,” He interjected mirthfully. “If you have someone to care for, to love and that brings you utmost happiness, then that’s more than enough for the Lord. Be happy, and be peaceful.”


...For some strange reason, Miyu felt the need to stay at ease before these words. Something about what she was listening to was… warming up her heart.


What a strange approach to religion, she pondered with a hint of surprise… and relief.


It was strange, but she wasn’t going to refute the freedom the man was allowing with the way people lived.


“Still, if it’s not asking you too much, fair lady,” Foreigner then continued. “May I inquire if you can help me find the person I’ve been searching for so long?”


She blinked. “I can… try?”


“If you can, please do,” He said while nodding. “I’m searching for the young fellow that will bring balance in this peculiar world. You see, while the Lord isn’t always present in the entirety of his creation, his prophecy is eternal and undeniable. In the end, the Veltro, the hunter of evildoers, shall appear and shine the light of justice and understanding to the world.”


…Does this mean that it happened in her world? Maybe it was… Illya? Or maybe her Oniichan?


“I… I can say for sure but… maybe I know who it could be.”


If this dimension is similar to her world and Illya’s, then the bringer of stability should either be Shirou-kun or his older sister.


It was in that moment that Miyu’s mind reminded her that if she followed Foreigner’s request and helped him with this task, she might end up finding out how ‘young’ Illya looks like.


Something about that possibility made her heart quiver giddily, and that has been ever since little Shirou-kun mentioned that his sister was actually older than him.


Dante’s smile widened as he bowed respectfully. “So much kindness and so much helpfulness. My mission has been blessed twice, I can tell!”


Miyu blushed at that indirect compliment, but she allowed a polite smile as she started to lead the man out of the park and right to where the Emiya household was supposed to be.


Hopefully, things were going to not escalate if she approached peacefully and diplomatically.


It wasn’t in her heart to introduce herself rudely by entering without alerting the occupants of the place she was going to visit after all. Who would be that much silly to do that?


-------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d-------------


“Old man,” Arcueid started dully. “How close are we from the blasted artifact?”


Zelretch sighed, retracting his whole right arm from the chest of one of the Sabers that had picked a brawl with him.


“I would say… close,” He mirthfully replied. “And I think it’s 145 times you’ve asked me this, princess.”


The blonde huffed, sidestepping as a Lancer pushed forward to plunge its lance onto her, only to get a sudden kick on its helmet sending it flying.


When the Wizard Marshal had mentioned that things were getting this messy, the young Vampire hadn’t expected for things to be this much complicated.


It wasn’t like the opponents between them and the stupid cup were problematic on their own, but the number and the intensity of the assaults were starting to leave a dent on her patience as the more they advanced, the more the fiends would increase with their vehemence.


Anger was bubbling as some actually managed to leave some shallow cuts on her. This shouldn’t have been this much of an irritating trip, especially when Zelretch himself had failed to bring up how frustrating this task was meant to be.


Maybe staying shut in his office would’ve been a ‘funnier’ experience instead of being forced to deal with this trash. Maybe she would’ve been able to get her dress to survive the few cuts it was receiving too if she had been careful enough to not allow the mongrels to get too close to her.


Was she sounding a little bit too angry? Possibly.


Did she care at all if she displayed her emotions so eagerly before hordes of mindless enemies? Not truly.


The real issue was that Zelretch had taken the temporary hobby of pestering her about needing a ‘time out pause’ to get her mind sorted out.


Not the brightest thing to say to someone that was clearly having a mental breakdown over the annoying task at hand, but Arcueid could tell that the Kaleidoscope was just having a blast throwing shades at her and… that was irritating her to a boiling point.


Actually, maybe she should start erasing these easy targets to soothe her growing bloodthirst. Or need for murder.


Both were quite close to one another, but then again she wasn’t feeling thirsty just yet, and she was more angry than in need of the delicious red life nectar.


She had nothing to check her hair on, not a single special mirror, but the blonde was quite sure that she had the worst of hairstyle because of the cave’s unpleasant humidity.


This entire trip was… a terrible mistake.


One that she was surely going to remember so that she had a reason to come back at the smug-looking Wizard Marshal.


The old man wasn’t anywhere slow compared to her quick-paced killing spree, but he was being more logical and less cocky about it compared to the younger vampire.


Age was known to bring wisdom to those that lived through the years by sharpening their skill against real targets. And Arcueid was blessed with years of relative peace in her blissful sleep instead of chances to heighten her current understanding of this world’s threats.


Maybe she should’ve done set some specific wake up sessions which could’ve been used to broaden her understanding of the growing society. And yet she had preferred her ‘long-term napping’ to some legitimate culture shock.


“Do you think that Servants dream of Divine Sheep when they die?”


The girl actually paused and gave a serious look at Zelretch. “What?”


The old man sighed with a sad look.


“Nothing.”


What was that? Why was he being so difficult to understand?


Wisdom and senility were impressively enough wrapping well in Zelretch’s psyche.


Sometimes she genuinely doubted that the elder was actually interested in the action, merely displaying interest in being indirectly involved in fights against threats.


Maybe it was the time gaining on him? Or maybe the haunting memories of his fight against her ancestor had led to some unwillingness to actually seek the blood-spilling.


Many were the reasons that could’ve led such a brilliant warrior to actually abandon any chances to be in the first lines of a battle for Humanity’s sake.


And right now, as Arcueid paid close attention to Zelretch’s actions, she could tell that there was no passion in his attack. No emotion.


She had seen people being disheartened by battling others, but this just felt more like a bored approach at life. It was odd and yet… humanizing of the man that had conquered the Crimson Moon.


The beautiful moonlit garden was shining a bright white. Giving a pleasant but unnatural life at the flowers that made it whole. Arcueid was mesmerized by the beauty, a sign of her noble house’s strong standing… but also a sign of decline from the days when war was part of their bloodline.


He was there, standing silently as he watched over her actions.


Then she looked up at the bizarre stranger and she pondered over the sight. The man had a polite smile, one that exuded kindness and friendliness.


But also a sense of sadness. It sounded so… impolite. Nobody should be sad before the purity of this garden of pristine silver and peace.


And yet there wasn’t much to say… except staring and-


Arcueid dropped to her knees, dodging in time a long-sword from cleaving her in half. Snarling, the blonde headbutted the sudden attacker and shred him with a single punch at its head.


“Something caught your attention?”


She didn’t reply, merely bracing as they finally vaulted over the last obstacle before their destination.


But none of her mental experience could prepare her from the disgusting sight she was bestowed with.


The entire opening in the mountain was dripping with the taint created by Chaos itself. It felt so dreadful to be standing so close to the miasma and the corruption.


Something about the scene just made her felt horrified about the spread of the tumorous threat.


The leyline, a combination of the three major ones in Fuyuki, was pulsing with life and energy, all of it being siphoned into the large dark-colored chalice. Red cracks were visible all over its surface, and Arcueid didn’t require any verbal depiction to understand it was the main source of the trouble.


Then her red-eyed stare floated to the single individual that was responsible for the energy-channeling operation happening in that natural chamber.


She knelt quietly, her legs accumulating strength and momentum. Soon the blonde was flying towards her prime target, ignoring Zelretch’s words of waiting.


There was no reason to wait, she couldn’t perceive anything that could poise a threat to either her or the Wizard Marshal.


But just as she proceeded swiftly in her flight, her sight noticed a curious blur jumping off the ground, putting itself between her and her target.


The figure was wearing a red half-jacket over her blue kimono. Her hair were kept short, enough to offer a clear sight over her-


DEATH. Arcueid felt DEATH suddenly shock her in a stunned and mesmerized look as her momentum was ruined mid-air.


The obstacle started to move her tiny knife, confusion building up as she saw- something crash onto her and punch her toward the ground.


A strange vibration-like noise tore through the terrifying silence and blood exploded. It wasn’t hers.


Arcueid rolled for a while once she reached the rocky floor, but she got a glimpse of the severely wounded Zelretch landing close to where she was.


Fear. She tasted fear in the worst of the ways possible.


The figure finally descend on the ground, her knife aimed at her but… the vampire was too far from the range. Her mind could tell, but there wasn’t any logic with that supposition.


Only primal instinct.


“My, oh my~,” The being responsible for the siphoning stated as she turned to finally glance at the intruders. “To think that the Wizard Marshal would come here with the Tsukihime herself… and to think that he would waste his life to protect such a wasteful brat. Truly, truly shameful.”


The elder trembled, but managed to stand up. “Hehe, look at you, already taunting when you’re not in a position to talk.”


“But really? I’m not the one closest to death, Kaleidoscope,” The white-haired woman pointed out. “Maybe the fleeting years eroded your common sense, Kischur?”


“Only barely,” He admitted with a bloody grin. “But I can really assure you that you still don’t match.”


“Such an arrogance,” The mysterious woman mentioned. “Maybe I should go ahead and try to summon Brunestud. Maybe that would be enough to sate your boredom, silly fool?”


The air grew tense and difficult to breath after this query.


“Try it, Avenger,” Zelretch said as his grin grew madder and furious. “I will offer you a hastened death than the one planned by the World’s own desires.”


Instead of cowing under that much pressure, the woman smirked. “If only the Spirit itself wasn’t sealed, I would’ve tried. A pity that you didn’t kill her when you could,” She stated brazenly. “But between liars, I have to ask: how do you feel after being subjected to the Mystic Eyes of Death?”


He sighed. “Peachy, but I guess it could be better.”


“You could be dead-”


“So would you if my little assistant wasn’t that much impatient.”


Arcueid was already nursing her wounded pride after that encounter. The comment didn’t help her in that. Not at all.


“Pity then for both. But for now, let’s battle the greatest of fights and-”


“Nope,” The Wizard Marshal said, mana surrounding both him and the younger Vampire. “This now beyond my current capacity to work. I will leave it to others.”


“As if I would let you-”


The mana grew brighter and… both were gone.


…


…


“That fucking son of a-!”


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AN


Had to delay the update by one day. I ended up working myself too much over my RL schedule and ended up free to write on an unholy hours.


At least Illya-tan and Miyu got things easy and happy.


Also… 1600 followers in FFN passed already. I feel eternal gratitude for the readers of this story. It warms my heart that there are so many of you and- I might try to make something special at 2000.


Something something, streaming writing, something something.


Nothing too certain about this as I never streamed.


…


Yeah, I never streamed before. There’s not a ‘but’, nor a ‘butt’ in it.


Still, I will give it a shot.