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Chapter Text

This story will explore the idea, What if shirou had the memories of all the routes of Fate/Stay Night.

This story may be fast or slow depending on the reader's perspective.

It will start in fate/stay night and will slowly make its way into Grand order and beyond.

Chapter Text

Fuyuki City, 2004.

Day 1 HGW

Shirou Emiya.

He was a rather simple minded boy with the dream to become a Hero of Justice and save Everyone.

But he had a flaw, a big one, he was far too kind.

Which people happily exploited.He knew that too but was happy to be able to help someone nonetheless. 

But Why? Because he was tied down by the survivor's guilt,his kindness and his promise to Kiritsugu Emiya,his adopted father and saviour.

That was also the reason that Shirou's dream were usually the fire and heat or being saved by Kerry or Dreamless nights.

But today was different, Just as the clock hit 12:01 AM, an intense amount of pain penetrated his body, light up his body in green circuit patterns as his back arched from the pain unable to make a single sound.

His head thundered as if his very soul was being torn apart, a pain even worse than the day he lost everything. 

Then as if a Dam had broken Memories flooded his head,further increasing the growing migrane as his past flashed before his eyes. Some of which he had thought lost, a happy couple holding his hand and a girl with same age and face as him except she had black hair. 

'Am I dead? Or Am I dying?It's rather painful' Shirou thought in a moment of clarity as his pain eased a little and the memories reached present day.

Then continued much to his shock as he witnessed his death, revival, saber,rin, archer, illya,Sakura, Holy Grail War and more and this time he felt the emotions of the other him through this 'dream'. It was a rather agonizing and sad experience for Shirou, just a spectator, unable to do anything. This feeling of useless was even more difficult than even the pain. And then the memory ended abruptly on Day1,2005. Exactly one year from now.

Shirou weakly opened his eyes drenched in sweat and magic circuits opened and blazing across his body.

"It was not a dream then..." Shirou muttered weakly, trying to under the significance of what had happened.

Even though this was the world of magecraft and mysteries, what happened to him was nothing short of time travel. Kind of.

Just a few minutes ago he was less than even a third rate magus but now he had his circuits open and around a year worth of clock tower knowledge. A stable foundation for magecraft.

When Shirou was about to stand up another memory assaulted him as if mocking him. The pain even worse than before.This time Shirou's confusion skyrocketed as he stared at the alternate memories, these ones still follwed the previous set of memories till Day 1 but from then on it was a different future, a different sadness,a different path and a different love. This also followed till the one year anniversary but this time he chose different subjects to study. Unintentionally providing Shirou with more information.

When the pain ended Shirou opened his eyes and waited with a dry mouth for the last bout of memories.

' Wait... How do I know there's another set of memories waiting for me? And how do I know it's last?!.... Ugh'

 Shirou was forced to stop his thinking as he was welcomed by a normal headache. But even this was comparable to the soul wrenching ones due to how spent he was mentally and physically.

'Illya...Sakura...Saber..' Shirou muttered as he waited and waited and waited and just when he had relaxed a little the fate decided to backstab him with more memories and extreme pain.

That was the last thing Shirou Emiya remembered before he passed out.

Unbeknownst to him, the pain was truly soul breaking as four reality marbles of simmilar size and colour clashed inside his body trying to rewrite his very soul. Into one of the Shirous from the memory attacks or Protect his soul from being re written for the last orb. 

The Orbs just kept clashing into each other for dominance as his temperature soared. Finally after what was a few seconds or an eternity cracks started appearing on the Orbs one by one as they broke down in fragments, if left unchecked Shirou's soul would be lost rendering him brain dead forever.

But it was not to be as a seath in his soul, tried to heal him as much as it could with its remaining strength and even it's very existence. Because this boy was the one who made its original owner so happy, so full of life. And with a golden flash the seath was gone, no longer in the young man's body or even the world.

It had fulfilled it's purpose till the very end and it had succeeded. But for now, Shirou Emiya would remain ignorant of it's sacrifice.

With the Avalon's help, the four reality marbles's fragments fused with each other and created a larger marble ,which then started to get compressed and only stopped after it had reached normal size.

It looked just like before but now, it was.....more complete. Shirou Emiya's soul had become more complete, ideals,memories and knowledge of the three timeloops trying to fill the gap in his soul.

And it worked.For the first time in many years,Shirou Emiya was complete. But complete didn't mean he was safe.

Avalon may have protected his soul from shattering but it was also protecting his soul from somthing foreign, a piece of black mud which had touched the young boy, a decade ago. Trying to be reborn through him.

As the mud sensed it's disappearance, it tried to once more attempt to be reborn. But the reality marble won't let it, after all it was the host's conciousness, unconsciousness and subconsciousness given form.

And right now, Shirou Emiya's instinct wanted to destroy and expel this filthy mud from within him.

The reality marble responded to the host's instincts and started releasing a golden light which looked suspiciously like the Excalibur's Noble Phantasm attack.

It worked like wonder easily erasing the filth but mud was tenacious as well. If it couldn't take over the boy then it would show him the truth instead. 

The truth of how evil humans truly are, maybe that's when the boy would realise that all the humans needed to die and pay for their sins.

And to do so it sent the boy the memories of its core and even considering how fragmented and little the memories were they would get the point across. 

And with that the last piece of the mud was destroyed.At least the piece inside Shirou Emiya.

But it's real self would wait for the boy to realise the folly in his ways and come to it.

 ...........

There is nothing but despair in this world.

It is a hell of a world where constant malice and everything that accelerates destruction are boiling at the root of the world like a poison.

A world where innocents like Sakura Matou have to constantly suffer for no crime.

A world where Humans kill humans, Mages kill Humans, Monsters kill humans, even gods like Alaya and Gaia kill humans.

Is there any reason to protect such humans? 

This was the thought with which Shirou Emiya woke up. His mind a buzz as the memories from other loops turned hazy and disappeared into the subconsciousness.

He looked up to see Sakura sitting near him asleep. And an Ice Pack on his head. And instantly the answer became clear to him.

Humans are sinful creatures made up of base desires. That's why one should always cherish the ones who are able to overcome their base desires and show kindness to others.

With that Shirou had decided a path, a path which may be common for other- normal people but for people like Shirou Emiya, especially Shirou Emiya, it was a new path. A path he hadn't ever had time to consider.

He wouldn't become a Hero of Justice For Everyone like he and his other selves had always dreamt. 

Nor Would he become the Hero of Wrought Iron like Archer and kill one to save ten kind of person.

Neither would he become like Angra Manyu wishing the destruction of humanity.

Neither would he just up and abandon them.

No,He had long realised the error of his ways from Archer's,Saber's and Angra Mainyu's and His timeloop counterparts's memories. He couldn't save everyone and his ideals themselves were flawed.

But this was a world/time where corruption and evil ruled and with such people as the core, people's suffering would only grow.

So, the only way forward was by becoming a Hero for his family and friends and Vengeance for the innocent. He would not justify his killing as if it would save others, that it was the best choice.

No, He would only hunt those that have become monsters.Nor would he ever kill innocents, even for the greater good. He would never seek to help people forcefully. And would only help those he can.

This was his new way of life.

Let's see if he is able to stay true to it.

.........................

Looking at the sleeping face of Sakura, Shirou quick dispelled all those thoughts.

Poor Sakura. She had suffered unjustly for so long.Just thinking about what he had learned about her made Shirou's blood boil.If there was someone whom Shirou had to murder in cold blood, Zouken Makiri would be at the top of the list. With second place belonging to whoever/whatever made this time loop, forcing Sakura to go through this again and again.

'Deep breaths...Deep Breaths' Shirou mumbled to himself as he tried to calm himself.

Shirou did one thing that would bring him comfort and that was, patting Sakura's pretty head and caressing her beautiful hair.

It was a slow start but he felt calmness come to him as he patted her head.It was strange how much comfort one person could bring to another.

It was even stranger that he never noticed her feelings or realised his own. That brought up a rather uncomfortable topic, his feelings for Rin Tohsaka and Saber/Arturia.

Although he had never met them in this life, he had the time loops memories and each time loop he had feelings for both of them as well as Sakura. Was he really such a pervert that couldn't even love properly.

.......

He was brought out of his musings when he felt the weight in his arm shift, looking down he saw Sakura awake looking at him with trembling eyes.

"Good Morning Sakura" Shirou said with the best smile he could muster on his embarrassed face.

"G.good morning Sempai" Sakura managed to say "Are you okay now? When I came in the morning the door was locked and you were not in the shed, so I checked and you.. you were burning with fever and sweating a lot. So I...I..I am so sorry for coming in uninvited." 

Sakura hurriedly tried to explain as if she had done something wrong.

"Sakura."Shirou said in firm tone causing the girl to flinch a bit but he continued "Never say or think like that. I gave you the spare key for a reason. I trust you. You are my friend. You are family. And promise me that you will never belittle yourself like that."

Shirou looked at her expectantly and realised that something was wrong. For one, Sakura was fidgeting in her seat with her face flushed red and steam rising from her head and ears.

As if feeling his gaze, she lowered her head ever further and then removed his arm( which was still petting her),stood up and left (ran) as if a devil was on her tail. All in a matter of seconds, leaving Shirou bamboozled.

Shirou blinked his eyes and looked at his arm as he tried to process what just happened.Then realisation hit him. Fuck.I was too intimate with Sakura. What if she hates me and thinks I am some kind of creep. I hope not.

As Shirou tried to stand, he staggers unable to control his own body properly. His body felt strange.It felt same as one sleeps wrong on their arms but worse. As if the body wasn't his own.

Shaking his head Shirou looks at time. It's 9:17 Am.

'Hmm...It's a little late but I will be able to attend the second half of the classes. And the Archery club.'

Thinking of Archery club Shirou was reminded of that bastard Shinji. He couldn't believe that he was friends with that piece of shit who did such atrocities.... Sakura. 

Sakura!!!

'Fuck. She still has that worm in her.I need to do something and soon. But what? Rule Breaker? Possible but too dangerous. Flash Air? I still haven't mastered it. No wait.. don't panic.. first we need to assess her situation. Thankfully my Structural grasping is invisible to other mages.'

................

With that in mind Shirou quickly freshened up and thought about all the reasearch HF Shirou had done to make sure it never happened to Sakura again and to cure someone else in simmilar circumstances. But something in him was telling him that most of those won't work . And he decided to trust those feelings, especially since they had saved his life many many times.

Thinking of those loops Shirou frowned because he was accepting them too easily, he didn't even know if they were mere dreams or what and even if they were true, they had too many holes. It was like having three jigsaw puzzles and instead of being solved, someone decided to put all the pieces of all three puzzles in the same pile.

Meaning although he had all the knowledge, he didn't know how they connected to one another.

*Splash*

Shirou splashed some water on his face to clear his mind. Every time he began thinking about those things, it seemed as if..as if.. something!

'Food first, rest later' he decided.

.................

"Good morning Sakura" Shirou once again greeted her on habbit.

"Good morning Sempai!" Sakura greeted with a little more force than normal with her head still lowered.

"Ah.. about earlier..-"

"It all right Sempai! Hurry up and eat breakfast. Food is Important Sempai!!"

"Huh" was all Shirou said as he scratched his head and went wild on food with 'Itadakimasu'.

Looking at the amount of food he ate, he was Saber level of hungry.

"With that out of way" Shirou began " Sakura. Do you trust me?"

Sakura lowered her head at her name being mentioned but the speed at which it snapped back up made one wonder if she really had any bones in her neck.

The look Sakura gave him was par offended? as if he had questioned her very faith and part confused as if what bought this on. But she nodded nonetheless.

Seeing this Shirou sighed in relief and walked up to her.

"Then thank you Sakura and sorry this may hurt a bit"

Sakura had just opened her mouth to say something but then her vision went black and she fainted with Shirou's hand on the back of her neck.

Looking at her fainted form, Shirou felt a little bit guilty but hardened his heart and took her to a spare room. This had to be done.

Laying her down gently, Shirou drew the necessary magic circle with runes to be as precise as possible.

Then he used Structural grasping on the girl's sleeping form. His use of this magecraft was also just as mutated as his projection magecraft, since this magecraft of his was impossible for any mage to detect unless they knew what they were looking for.

The result was this: 5 crest worms, one near heart, 2 near lungs and 2 in each kidney. Forming a pentagram like magic circle, using the life force and magic of Sakura.

Shirou frowned as he tried to keep his anger under control and projected the 3 weapons needed for this task.

.................

Chapter Text

Shirou tried to keep his anger under control as he projected the three weapons needed for this task.

First was the Azoth blade, he had once gained from Tohsaka. Second was the weapon of Hero Roland, and Last but most important the rule Breaker.

Taking a deep breath, Shirou laid down the two Noble Phantasms and slashed at his left palm with the Azoth blade.

He winced at the pain but using his index finger and blood, Shirou drew a runic circle around the unconscious form of Sakura.

With his origin and attribute being the same he wasn't able to learn much magecraft other than improving his proficiency in projection and reinforcement but thankfully he wasn't without hope as he was still able to learn the basic attribute less magecraft like Repair, Displacement,Set and Runes.

All of them things which most mages considered useless or petty tricks but to Shirou Emiya, they were invaluable as he didn't have much talent or versatility.

Shirou sighed as he finished the runic circle, now it just needed a core and mana to activate.

As for the core it was obviously the Azoth blade. As for mana,Shirou hoped he had enough, if not he will just sacrifice a few years worth of prana. That should work as well.

Shirou frowned even more as he looked at the slashed palm. It had stopped bleeding but it was healing so so slow, despite him possessing the strongest defence and self healing type Noble Phantasm, the ever distant Utopia, Avalon.

But he didn't have time to worry about this as he was focused on something far more important.

With everything ready, Shirou held the Durandal in his left hand and Rule Breaker in his right hand as he activated one of the three miracles stored in Durandal, it's power decreased due to being a replica and needing the blade's permission for its activation.

Thankfully, his wish was granted as the miracle unfolded, the Crestworms in Sakura Matou suddenly vanishing from inside her as they appeared in front of Shirou in confusion. 

Shirou didn't hesitate as he attacked the worms with Rule Breaker, a Noble Phantasm which was barely considered above average in its time where magics were all about Mysteries but in the modern world which was based on Logic and Order, it was the nemesis of all magics.

To use it you just needed to know what you wished to cancel as it only worked on one thing at a time. But Shirou Emiya already knew what he wanted as he Slashed at the nearest crest worm, targeting the very magic which bounded Zouken Matou's soul to physical world when he should have died a long time ago.

The move working as the worm let out a human shriek before dying as it's two seperated halves moved turned into dust. The other worms also let out shrieks as they too faded.

Before Shirou could relax though he the temperature seemed to drop as he felt a chill the mud activating and trying to take over Sakura's body. 

But not on Shirou's watch.

He hurriedly activated the runic circle, chains of light coming as they bound Sakura's body tightly.

The Runic circle then started to give a holy aura as a light of exorcism appeared, trying to purify the mud but only being able to supress it for a while.

Shirou moved again as he hurriedly stabbed the Rule Breaker in her stomach activating the Noble Phantasm once again as he seperated the mud from Sakura. The Noble Phantasm turning illusory not harming physical body of Sakura and only affecting the mud, sensing it's masters intention.

His mana reserves running dry as they tried to provide more mana his eyes darkened with a need for rest but he pushed through it. 

It wasn't done yet as the familiar form of black-red mud girl appeared on top of Sakura trying to run from the light of exorcism, Shirou would give it no time though. As he pushed his very life essence, his prana in the runic circle.

"Haaaaa!!!!"

The fragment stood no chance as a decade worth of life energy powered the runic circle as more and more white hairs appeared on Shirou's face. The Azoth blade replica turning to spiriton particles from overuse and the burden on it from all the prana.

Light faded as a sweaty and tired form of Shirou appeared Durandal and Rule Breaker disappearing on their own.

And then he passed out on top of Sakura.

...........

If someone were observing this series of events, especially a well trained mage, they would shake their heads in exasperation as even putting aside the fact someone so wantonly using their life force, the fact remained that Shirou Emiya overestimated his enemy and used too much of his life force uselessly. If it were a normal mage they could achieve the same feat in just 2 yrs worth of life but this was Shirou Emiya who had Avalon in him since his childhood. He was only required to pay 2-3 months of life energy, 6 months at most.

But as the law of conversion of energy goes, energy only changes forms. After the mud was exorcised the remaining amount of energy went into Sakura's body in a rush as it healed whatever damage to her body Zouken and Shinji had done.

Even hidden scars and internal injuries were healed in a matter of seconds. Undoing all of his spells since they were of Curse and Dark attribute and the energy was from an exorcism circle. 

This continued as the command seals which would have originally belonged to Sakura, through this wondrous connection appeared on Shirou's right hand. 

Becoming a master once again but with different set of command seals.

........................

In Matou Household's Basement.

Sensing the passing away of Zouken Matou, the worms which would normally be used to 'mold' ( read torture) became berserk without any supply of mana and turned on each other.

Such was the nature of these worms.

As these worms attacked and killed eachother a phenomenon similar to a dark art called Kudoku appeared. 

Just a single difference being that these worms were carnivorous mana eating insects instead of poisonous one.

Considering the numbers and rate at which they killed eachother, this event would go on for more than a day.

If left unchecked.

...........

Elsewhere,

One Waver Velvet or now known as Lord El Melleo II of the Clock Tower and his student Gray had just arrived at the Fuyuki City.

Waver was lost in thoughts reminiscing his time with Iskander,Rider of the fourth Holy Grail War when a yelp of pain brought him back.

Looking to his disciple, he saw the girl rubbing the back of her hand.

Immediately many thoughts passed his mind as he hurriedly checked her hand and his guess was proven true as there it was in all its glory.

The brightly shining red command seals.

Hisss 

He inhaled sharply as he realised that although he dearly wished to see his friend and mentor Iskander, his disciple would have to participate in the holy grail war, the same holy grail war which traumatized him to this day.

He opened his mouth to say  something but didn't know what to say.

......................

Meanwhile all the slots for grail war were filled.

1) Shirou Emiya ( Sakura's Command Seals)

2) Gray

3) Rin Tohsaka 

4) Bazett Fraga

5) ?????( Medea's former Master)

6)Illya Von Einzbern 

With last slot going to a 14-16 yrs old homeless or run away looking black haired girl, who had let fate guide her here.

................

Chapter Title:  Butterfly's Flap

Chapter Text

Trigger Warning.

Author's Notes: 

I hope you guys like the chapter. If you guys are sensitive then you can skip this one, I will create a summary for those people who can't read it.

But I will only do so, if you guys ask for it in the comments. Because I can't be certain if sensitive people are reading this or not. Especially, considering how dark Fate series is.......

Sakura Matou.

When she woke up, for a second she wondered if she was finally dead. Her reason for thinking this? Simple. Because after her father that man sold her to the Matous, her life was nothing but pain and suffering. The cruel experiments, the bugs and then as she grew older some rather unspeakable things which her supposed brother did to her.

One day when she was still a child she had reported these things to the mother of a friend she had made in school. The kind lady had come with her husband to confront her grandfather and in the end she was forced to watch as those two along with her friend became worm food infront of her very eyes.

That was the day she understood no one was coming to save her and became an introvert in the public eyes, in case she brought a disaster on another innocent victim.

She must surely have done something horrible in her past life to recieve such a horrible life, if one could call it that.

She had even considered suicide multiple times as well but when she was told that her grandfather would just use another person if she were to die, quickly crushed that desire for death.

If her grandfather restarted the process on some poor person, won't it mean that all the pain she had to endure till now was useless. Her very existence which was pain and suffering itself was useless!!!!!!

Thankfully she was still able to hang onto a single thread of sanity in form of Emiya Sempai.

He was just like a sun warm and bright. He was such a kind person that he helped everyone so much that he ended up with the title of Fake-Janitor. He was so kind that he would even talk to and help a monster like herself. 

Yes that's right. That's why she thought she was dead.She was feeling warm and safe and healthy, all the wrong emotions for someone like her. No to mention Sempai sleeping on top of her sleeping while holding her like a body pillow.

She tried to remember what happened but the only thing she remembered was Sempai asking her if she trusted him? As if it could be anymore obvious, he was the only person she trusted unconditionally. Then nothing...

While she was thinking this Shirou's form twitched.

Shirou Emiya.

Shirou's nose twitched as he smelled Sakura's gentle scent along with the oppressive scent of mana.

Suddenly he remembered what had transpired earlier and his eyes flashed open. The sight which greeted him was surreal to say the least.

He was hugging Sakura tightly and she was staring at him with her large eyes. And for some reason Sakura looked even more beautiful than before.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, his breath got caught in his throat as his eyes met hers and Sakura spoke in a trembling voice 

"S.sempai... umm ...I... You .."

"Ah.. Sorry Sakura" Understanding something Shirou quickly apologized to Sakura before getting off of her.

After Shirou and Sakura both sat down. Shirou opened his mouth and asked a question...

"How are you feeling now, Sakura?" 

'Its such a gentle tone' "I..I am feeling alright S.. sempai" Sakura replied while thinking of something else 

"Haaa...That's good then.... About the Worm and Zouken....." Shirou had barely started in an awkward voice when Sakura started trembling and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

'Sempai knows......he must hate me...I am a monster after all....' Sakura thought tearfully 

"Ra ...Sa....Kra ......SAKURA!" 

The shout finally brought her back to reality 

"I am sorry for bringing up that man but you don't have to worry anymore, I have taken care of him" 

Shirou stated in his usual, casual yet matter of fact tone.

"Huh..." was the only intelligent response she could think of, it felt like her brain was overheating.

"W..what do you mean? S..sempai??" 

Sakura wondered if it was all some dream. Yeah, that must be it.

"Listen Sakura. I know this must all be very confusing for you but I don't know how else to tell you. But I am magus as well. I..well.. I used a sacrificial ritual to free you of the Worm and eliminate Zouken"

"...Why?" Sakura knew how dangerous sacrificial ritual was to the user so, Why would he help her? If he knew what kind of monster she was? Why would he care for her? Why did she want him to do all this again and again despite knowing what she was? Why ...Why?

.......

It was at that time that Shirou's entire demeanor changed to an extremely serious and solemn expression. 

" Because you are worth it." 

He said a single sentence but it caused her entire body to heat up. Unbothered Shirou continued 

"You are so kind and nice and pretty. I believe with all my heart that you deserve to be happy. I will make sure you are happy"

Having said his piece Shirou walked over to Sakura and gave her a small hug. That small hug seemed to have broken a dam as Sakura hugged him tight and broke down crying.

' I am not worth it sempai.' Sakura wanted to refute Shirou's claims but a part of her, a selfish part crushed that thought as she cried harder.

'Sempai must have suffered a lot, I will do anything sempai wants. I will do anything to protect Sempai'. Sakura decided as she planned to pay her Sempai back for being so kind towards someone disgusting like her.

But she still wanted to bask in her Sempai's warm embrace as he slowly patted her back. What a sinful girl she was.

..............

Looking at Sakura's trembling back as she cried, made Shirou want to smack himself as this whole morning he has been doing things weirdly. 

First, he removed Zouken worm from Sakura in such a rush, what if something went wrong? He even fainted due to overuse of mana and prana, if it had happened a little earlier everything would have been ruined. And he didn't even know if another loop will even grant him the memories.

Secondly, He had revealed Zouken and Worms topic too rashly. It was a matter of great trauma to Sakura but he had just up and opened that can of worms with all the delicacy of a freight train.

It was as if he was acting on his impulses, then....he better not go to school until he returned to normal otherwise Shinji and some others at the school will be visiting their graves early. If news he learnt in the future was anything to go by.

And so the plan to visit the school was cancelled.

Medea/Caster.

Master- None right now.

...................

Medea, The witch of Colchis/The witch of betrayal, was at her limits now.

She was summoned forcefully a whole month before the start of holy war by some random third rate magus using one of her former artifacts.

To make matters worse her Master was both weak and disgusting, using innocent humans and children as mana batteries. The bastard was so weak that she couldn't even use her Noble Phantasm to break free from the contract without killing all the poor innocent children.

She had no qualms about killing scums but even she had a line she would never cross. Killing children without any reason was one such reason.

Though she was able to take that bastard's pride and ego to act like a puppet and make him waste his command seals on meaning less tasks. When he wasted his first seal, she just resisted the second seal even though it pained her a little. Then when he used up his third seal, she betrayed him just like she always was.

After destroying his laboratory and freeing his victims after a memory wipe, she became a free spirit. Literally because the cost of maintaining a physical form without the Grail War or a Master was a task no one could do. 

But she was not one of the strongest witches for nothing. Finding a ley line and connecting to it lightened her burden immensely. She now only had to pay only same mana as a masterless Servant.

She just needed to maintain ghost state and wait for grail war to start and select a suitable master and hide until the end before defeating the last one standing and winning the war.

It was such a simple and perfect plan, but unfortunately nothing goes as planned in this accursed world. Somehow, just a week before Medea suffered from a backlash which left her for the dead in the mountains, without mana at that.

Someone or something had disturbed her connection to Mount Enzo's ley lines.

With her spiritual body on the verge of dissipating, she stumbled upon a man at the foot of the Ryuudou Temple. This was her only chance at survival.

Caster begged ( pretend to) this stranger for his help; the man obliged without hesitation, much to Medea's shock. He then brought Caster into the temple and attended to her recovery. Although human recovery methods were mostly useless, they still had some uses on Heroic Spirits and managed to stabilize her body somewhat.

Enough for her to form a new, hidden connection to the ley lines.

Medea was more interested in the man, Souichiro Kozuki, as he introduced himself. He was a teacher apparantly. To her, he was a strange amalgamation of Herakles and Achilles. A tough and serious exterior and a kind inner self.

Caster was quick to fell in love with Kuzuki, for he was the first man to show her genuine kindness, dedication and loyalty. 

Alas, she was still very wary of these emotions, she had to question whether it was another fake love caused by Aphrodite or some other kind of spell. She casted many types of self checking spells at her mind, soul and body, some even at Kozuki.

When she realised that her feelings were indeed true, she was still hesitant whether she could trust him or not. But knowingly or unknowingly her heart which had been frozen for so long,started to beat again.

Subtly her primary objective shifted from obtaining the Holy Grail for herself to simply preserving their short time together.

When caster recovered enough to move, it was already the day before the start of the Holy Grail War. This should have been a happy occasion as soon she wouldn't have to suck any more blood from him.

(Oh yeah, she had decided to reveal about herself and HGW, not knowing about the current rules regarding the Moonlit World's secrecy and Kozuki had willingly offered his own blood or blood from blood banks if needed.)

But this put her in a strange dilemma which she had been trying to avoid till now. Whether to turn Kozuki into a Master or not.

Being a Master was a dangerous thing as it guaranteed death to 90% of the participants, plus Kuzuki despite being a peak Human was an ordinary Human none the less. On the contrary, if she chose someone else there's a chance that, they may hurt or kill him to keep her in control. There was also a small voice in her heart which wanted to be together with him.

To clear her mind Medea went back to where she met Kuzuki for the first time, the foot of Ryuudou Temple but she didn't expect to see an unconscious girl there. 

For a while she considered ignoring the girl, she wasn't some kind hearted saint after all, but the memory of Kozuki saving her from a similiar situation kept coming to be mind.

As she went closer she noticed that the girl had pink hair and was wearing one of those suit things, though this one was obviously in a bad condition even though it looked expensive, most importantly the girl's left arm was missing from a little below the elbow.

"Interesting" Medea muttered as she examined the stump, it was radiating magic. Someone must have cast a healing spell.. wait no, a healing rune on her just as she lost her arm. Enemy? Ally? The girl herself? Hmmm.... Until she recovered it was all up in the air.

Thinking of something, Medea pressed her hand on the sleeping girl's stomach.

"As expected... She is a Mage."

A mage delivering herself unconscious at her doorstep when she desperately needed to find a new master was obviously a sign. But good or bad? Either way Medea didn't care bout gods and their signs in the least.

On the other hand, if only this girl had come a few days earlier. Then, she would have had enough mana to put her in a thrall for the entire duration of the war. The master in control of a Servant,Huhuhu.

Putting mortals in a thrall was way way easier than putting a mage in it due the existence of mana circuits.

Infact,when she had first met Kuzuki Souichiro for the first time. She was ready to put him in a thrall if he showed any malicious intentions towards her.

But back to the pinkette, it would be good idea to bring the girl with her if she wanted to be able to function properly in grail war by making her into a master.

On the other hand, she didn't know anything about this girl other than the fact that she was a magus and was attacked.Probably by a very sharp weapon.

She had a feeling that if she chose this girl, then the grail war would completely change, for better or worse. But did she want to take a gamble?

Medea contemplated the options available to her.

Suddenly, she realised there was a way to make the best out this situation.

Carrying the young woman with telekinesis, Caster disappeared deep within the forest.

Kiara Sessyoin.

<Backstory>

Kiara's childhood was rough to say the least. She had been forced to be bedridden since a very young age due to her strange illness.

Even her home life left a lot to be desired, considering her father was leader of a particular religious school of thought, which was derived from a different interpretation of Buddhist teachings, to explain it simply, it was a cult that that believed that Nirvana can only be achieved through letting out one's emotions rather than bottling them up. At least that was what most people including followers believed.

But Kiara had seen the sudden change in her father despite how much he tried to hide it, because although the sickness made Kiara bedridden it also granted her the ability to sense and manipulate other's emotions.

She wasn't very proficient in latter but the former was like a passive ability. It had allowed her to sense how her father became corrupted by pleasure, that was all on his mind, and slowly in the shadows the Shingon Tachikawa School of Thought was being corrupted into a sexual cult.

But what scared Kiara the most was not these cult members forcing themselves on eachother but that each of them developing perverted desire towards her, including her father. It was only due to her frail body and disease that no one had forced themselves on her yet. But she knew it wouldn't last long.

That was the last straw, not even her beloved Little Mermaid could provide her with any hope, losing her hope Kiara prepared herself for her inevitable fate.

But then her father brought in a traveling doctor who was able to somehow cure her disease, it was most likely to integrate her in the cult and relieve the desires.

But she won't let that happen, when she was in despair, a small light of hope appeared, which she won't let go.

Even though her body was still frail she could move a little at least thanks to the treatment, so when no one was paying attention to her she used emotion manipulation to Max all the believer's emotions as much as possible. If there was one thing she was confident in, it was her mana. So she poured as much mana possible without passing out. 

Ofcourse, one can simply imagine the chaos that followed from the sounds of moans, shouts of anger and screams of grief that followed as well as incessant banging on her door.

Silently apolizing to the people and asking for God's forgiveness.

Kiara used a cloth rope to escape through the windows. Then she just had to play hide and seek and escape through the sewers.

After that incident she had always been on the run, using emotions detection to stay away from bad and dangerous people and using emotions manipulation which she named spiriton hacking to manipulate good people's kindness for food and roof, some genuinely good people provided her these and more even without her using her ability.

 She had run away from her home when she was 12 and now she was approaching 15 yrs old.

She had been on the run for more than 2 years already. She could have applied for foster home or something, but her instincts warned her that staying at the same place for longer than a week was very dangerous. That's why even when geniune good people offered to help her, she had to unfortunately decline. But she memorized those people, hoping to help them somehow in the future.

But now her Instincts had brought her to Fuyuki City, the sense of urgency to reach before Day 1, only caused Kiara untold problems, but she was able to safely arrive at Fuyuki despite her haggard state.

<Backstory End>

Meanwhile,

Even in a distant Utopia, where the world was a paradise, the sounds of the King of Knights crying and sobbing echoed in all directions.

Causing the few residents, including a certain pervert mage to stare in shock at the grief being displayed by someone with such a strong heart.

Yet, what perplexed the people was why all of a sudden? When she was fine till now.

The story continues....

I hope you guys support me and share your thoughts..... I need all your constructive criticism and praise if I want to be even better writer.

Then, See ya.

Chapter Text

Question and Answers:

Before we start the Chapter, I thought I should answer the most popular questions.

1) Command Seals

Answer) I have answered each reviewer but let me answer it again for our readers.

I know how Command Seals works, they are only restrictions and boosts for the Servants and they don't determine which servant will be summoned.

But I have given Shirou's seals Sakura's design because it will be a necessary plot point in the upcoming chapters.

2) Why Kiara?

Answer) Well, the reason I chose Kiara is because her actual backstory is pretty sad and even in Grand Order, they just had to screw her over by overwriting her personality and memories. I want atleast one version of her to be happy and normal.

3) Avalon

Answer) I know many of you are upset about what happened with Avalon but worry not because it still has a role to play. I won't explain further because well... Spoilers.

So without waiting any further.. let's dive right into it.

Chapter 5: Sorting Memories

Shirou was seated in the Lotus position with his eyes closed.

'Clear Your Mind. Rid yourself of all thoughts. Make your mind blank and calm.'

Shirou repeated these words like a mantra as he tried to gain even a little of his former mastery with Occlumency. 

Shirou had always thought that he would never be able to learn or master anything other than the 3 he already knew.

But the off hand comment of one of the mages of Clock Tower about how he was unworthy of the reality marble he possessed and would be better off as a research material reminded him of how great of tool the reality marble was, it was only thanks to this that he was able to counter the King of Heroes. From then on Shirou Emiya went the path opposite to that of normal mages.

While other mages wanted to evolve their magic to the level of true magic and reach the root. Shirou had no interest in the so called root, therefore to increase his versetality he started searching for magics derived from the reality marbles such as Flash Air aka Displacement which was usable but a little difficult due to it it being mostly focused on Alchemical Principals then there's Occlumency which was basically a watered down version of the Marble. But it did it's work well enough that the mages created a whole art with it. Just because something was derived from something, it doesn't lower it's value.

And trying the derivative and beginner magecraft worked, even Rin and Luvia were impressed, according to her, if before his potential as a mage was 10 then it just skyrocketted to somewhere between 25-30. And when they asked how he came up with idea, so Shirou was forced to recount what that mage said and then Shirou's entire thought process.

Well, probably Shirou should have kept quiet because that mage had to face the wrath of both Rin and Luvia.

Just remembering it made Shirou shudder.

'No... Clear your mind... Remove useless thoughts...you are blank...'

Occlumency might be great against mental attacks but that's not what Shirou needed right now, he wanted the ability to sort through the memories as he could feel that those memories were fading as if a dream. Only memories not Knowledge, how ? he didn't know but he knew one thing i.e the memories may contain clue as to what happened. And he was in a hurry which inturn messed up with Occlumency training a little.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity Shirou felt his mind finally connecting with his Reality Marble.

Why waste time building a Mind Palace when you have a Reality Marble? The superior object.

However the scenery of the Reality Marble left his mouth gaping in shock.

Einzbern Castle,

On the outskirts of the Fuyuki City is a huge forest and in the middle of that forest is a Castle hidden from the prying eyes of humans.

The castle is a property belonging to the Einzberns, one of the 3 creators of the holy grail war.

That was also one of the only reason for their survival in the Moonlit World despite their decline.

Einzberns were surely one of the stronger mage families but with the amount of knowledge they possessed about alchemy or even themselves as materials for magecraft, it wouldn't be shocking at all to see them being attacked by multiple families banding together or even the association itself.

However their control over 3rd True Magic, managed to keep the Greedy ones in check.

By providing the lesser holy grail for each war they gained the temporary protection of the association till a final winner for the war was finally decided after so many battles.

However, one must not discount the castle itself, it was brought to Fuyuki during the 4th Holy Grail War from the Einzbern's home land to serve as a base for the mages of Einzbern family participating in the HGW.

It was equipped with all sorts of defensive and offensive spells capable of withstanding many thing and dish out plenty of damage.

Even hundreds of mages are not enough to fell this single castle.

Right now, in the main hall of the Castle there was flash of light as a white magic circle materialized on the ground and 4 people walked out of the the Magic Circle.

Two of them were maids in matching attire, one was a cute little girl, and finally a Giant the size of a small Mountain.

However, looking at the way they were standing it seemed like the little girl was the one in charge.

"Wah..we're finally here~ Now I can finally meet onii-chan and then I CAN FINALLY TEACH HIM THE DESPAIR PAPA MADE ME FEEL- *Cough* *Cough* *Cough*"

Who would have thought that this little girl was hiding so much malice inside her but her villainous rambling was interrupted by her incessant coughing.

"Aaah.. Why's there so much dust here?!" Illya yelled at no one in particular

"It seems the cleaning spells have worn out, ojou-sama" One of the maids replied.

"I want it cleaned now!! I am going to pay onii-chan a visit and by the time I come back, I want it to be clear as a Mirror. Come Berserker!"

With that the giant and the little girl disappeared before Stella could stop her from going on her own. Even though she had Berserker one of the strongest Heroes from myth, his rage induced mindlessness only worried Stella further.

"We have to clean." Leysritt kindly pointed out to Stella.

*Sigh*

In the Reality Marble,

Shirou could not even believe his eyes as he gazed at his supposed Reality Marble.

It was just too... different. Good king of different but different.

How would one describe something they found so beautiful and grand that no words came to their minds?

How would you describe something that looked exactly like what you imagined a paradise would be like?

That's how Shirou felt at the moment.

His Reality Marble, called "Unlimited Blade Works," which was a manifestation of his powerful and unwavering ideal: to become a hero of justice.

This ideal usually took the form of an endless hill of swords. Barren and with the glow of the sunset.

But this, this was way too different, although at the base it was still a hill serving as a grave of swords. It was no longer barren.

Everywhere he looked Shirou found flowers the entire reality marble looked like a beautiful garden instead even with all those swords sticking out.

Shirou looked around trying to search for the reason but the only conclusion he came to was that it was all because of the memories.

Instead of finding answers he only found more questions.

'Hmm...what's that sword?.....wait, what?!'

Shirou immediately grew tense, this was his Reality Marble, his mind, he should know everything here. 

The moment he touched the swords all its came rushing to him on its own without even using structural analysis as if it was waiting for him.

Just to be sure Shirou touched a few more and the same thing happened again and again.

It was as if all the information regarding these thousands upon thousands of swords were sealed unless he accessed them personally.

Why? Just as Shirou was wondering why and who? He suddenly remembered how he regained the memories of the loops, it was all just shoved into his brain causing so much migraine.

What if he was shoved all the knowledge of these swords as well? Shirou doubted he could survive.

It was as if someone or something had filtered what would harm him and what would not.

Shirou sat down on the ground and created three ethereal swords.

And willed his memories to flow into the three swords. Each sword representing each loop.

That was it. What else did you expect? That's magic for you. Not to mention the fact that he is inside his reality marble where he's the god.

Slowly three tendrils of energies escaped his brain into the swords. Each a different colour. One was Red, one was Blue and the last one was Purple.

As the memories were slowly sorted out and placed in each sword their forms began to twist to change. The red one's form was somewhat similar to that Caliburn while the Blue one looked a lot like Excalibur as for the purple one it also looked similar to Excalibur but the colour reminded one of Excalibur: Morgan instead.

With his memories finally being sorted out, Shirou let out a sigh of relief as if a lot of weight had been removed from his shoulders.

Now his mind felt clearer than ever and he realised even this Occlumency idea was also planted in his mind. He doubted he could have recalled about the Occlumency so fast if he was thinking normally.

But who was this being manipulating his actions and why? Also, doesn't using Occlumency increase his mental defence instead? What even was the being's end plan?

'Ughh...I will solve the problems on the first comes first basis.'

First of all he needed to to deal with his memories.

Occlumency will take care of sorting it and then he just needed to reabsorb them.

Grasping the hilt of the red blade Shirou looked into his memories and saw as his life flashed by him arriving at HGW and Shirou couldn't help but feel his heart tighten when he saw Gilgamesh kill his sister as he could do nothing but watch but this time Shirou would be sure to pay that bastard back everything with interest. Even his fight with Archer was less painful than this. But no matter how much he searched his memories of this timeloop he couldn't find something worthy of triggering the loop other than breaking the grail but if that was reason then it should have happened instantly not so late.

Grabbing the hilt of the Blue blade, Shirou was still dissatisfied as even this loop didn't seem to contain any clue. Although he was glad that Illya survived this time.It meant nothing since it was just a loop. But there was one thing which did surprise Shirou, Archer's little hint was the sole reason he could even learn Projection and later Tracing in this world unlike the last loop where it was all instinct through the resonance, this time he learned them on his own. Even if one considered that Archer's pity or something, it didn't hide the fact that Archer was acting weird.

If Shirou didn't compare the actions of Archer in two loops, Shirou doubted anyone could see through his perfect acting,even Shirou was only able to see the discrepancy due to the fact Archer was his another self.

Slowly a theory was beginning to form in Shirou's mind. But he needed to confirm it first.

Grabbing the Purple Blade, Shirou dived right into it, this loop was way way different than the previous ones. For one, he learned a lot more about Holy Grail than the previous loops. Secondly, Why did Sakura go berserk only in this loop? As much as he loathed to say it. Sakura suffered just as much in the previous loops. Could that be a clue? Maybe. Another point to note was that Archer was acting weird in this loop as well. Even going as far as to give him his left arm.

Illya died in this loop as well, but somehow she was able to use 3rd Magic to create a temporary vessel for him using her own body. Illya...Thank you.

As for Shirou, he was by far at his weakest in this loop, only surviving thanks to Archer's Arm. Even after gaining the puppet body, Shirou wasted most of his time learning how to properly control it. The only positive was that this caused his mana control to reach it's peak. 

Going over his memories once again, Shirou finally had a working theory of how he remembered the past loops. It either had to do with Archer's Arm as he suspected that Archer atleast knew that something was wrong or probably even had all his memories, especially considering that he was a Counter Guardian. Or it could be because of Illya using 3rd Magic on him, the reason he thought so was because the magic had strengthened his soul..by a lot.

But this theory only worked if that world was indeed the last loop before this one but for some reason Shirou's knew that it was so.

Now, that one mystery was solved, Shirou turned focus to this loop's memories. Due to the chaotic memories he wasn't able to focus on them at all as they were hidden behind three different layers.

Shirou closed his eyes and started recalling from when he had fallen asleep yesterday.

"Hmm~ Onii-chan wasn't at his school." Illya hummed as she walked on the streets next to Berserker in his spirit form. "What do you think we should do now? Shall we go and pay him a visit?"

Illya asked Berserker but she might as well have been talking to air as Berserker was barely sentient enough to follow orders but not enough to talk.

"Maybe I should? Let's go check where papa used to live." Illya decided

Sakura was very nervous right now. She had to go talk to her sister after all. Sakura didn't know why but Sempai had asked her a favour to bring Rin to Emiya House. This caused all sorts of questions to pop in Sakura's head as she even wondered whether Sempai was tired of her already? But she quickly dispelled those thoughts.

It was about time for school to end. So should she go to the school? No, if any teacher or brother saw her it will be very bad. So, she should just go and wait outside Tohsaka Mansion for the only Tohsaka child to return.

In an abandoned shack in the mountains, a pink haired lady in a suit opened her eyes.

"Ah... I see you are awake already. I am really lucky that I found a prodigy like you. Hehehe"

"Who are you? What do you want?" The pink haired girl said strongly.

"Oh my~I forgot to introduce myself, You can call me Caster, O' defeated Master."

Hearing the terms used by Caster, Bazett's expression hardened.

"Now I believe I have a proposal for you~ What say you? Fufufu"

"You don't need to panic Grey" Waver sated to calm Grey's heart which had been in turmoil since finding out that she had been chosen for the grail war, instead of Waver.

"Right now you can easily give up, your right participate in the Grail War. You don't need to force yourself to participate."

"N-no, Master wanted to participate in this war and I can't just give up. Even...even if I have to use..her...as my servant. You have done too much for me.. it's my time to repay you."

"You don't have to... either I mean. You have already paid me back enough. If you want to participate in the Grail War, you should do it for your own wishes and desires. But you should think carefully as due to the rules, I won't be able to help you much in the war. Also, you don't have necessary have to summon her... I have an artifact..."

"Hehehe... Little girls, should not wander in the deserted areas.. Let this Uncle teach you what happens to bad girls like you.....hehehehe"

A middle-aged, gangster looking man chuckled looking at Kiara and licked his lips deviously.

Kiara was terrified looking at the man, when she didn't feel his emotions she thought he was like other average people, neither good nor bad.

But who would have thought this man had some sort of Mystic Code protecting him.

Due to that Kiara had mistakenly asked this..this.. villain for help and was led here. 

'Why? Why must all the bad things happen to me only? Did I commit some great crime in my past life? Why?!?!' Kiara raged inside as tears fell from her eyes.

"Hahaha Cry... Cry as much as you want. Even your crying face is cu-------"

*Puchik*

There was sound of something falling as the man's words stopped mid sentence.

Terrified and Curious, Kiara opened her eyes to meet one of the most beautiful people she had ever seen before. The Beautiful Lady Knight bowed and spoke to her.

"I ask of thee.. Are you my Master?"

To be continued.....

Also, if you have any questions just ask, I will answer them in the next chapter.

Chapter Text

[A/N] Sorry for the late Update. IRL Reasons. So to make up for it I will release another chapter mid month.

Now onto Chapter 6-

Sakura was feeling a little restless as she waited outside Tohsaka Family Home. It might have used to be her house, but she hadn't returned once after being sold to Matous, and being here once again made her feel all sorts of strange emotions. She wanted to burn this place down, but she also wanted to feel welcome here once again. Thankfully, there were no more worms inside her, or she might have been more than just a little bit sad.

"Sakura! What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you it's outside the rules? It might cause a conflict with Matous."

Sakura was a little startled when she heard her sister's voice, but all the nervousness in her died down when she processed what her sister said. Rin had always been like that with Sakura, especially after their separation – all businesslike. She didn't care about how Sakura was, but more about the fact that it might cause a conflict with Matous.

"Rin-Sempai," Sakura spoke with as little emotion as possible, "You don't need to concern yourself about Matous, Zouken is dead."

Sakura spoke simply, not giving Rin time to process it before she continued, "Emiya-Sempai asked me to call you. He wants to discuss something important."

"Emiya-Kun? No, wait-wait-wait, go back. What is it about Matou Head being dead?"

"As I said, you don't need to concern yourself about that. Sempai invited you, you can come when you wish. I will be going now then."

"Sakura, wait—" Rin said flustered as she put her hand on Sakura's shoulder to stop her, but with a jerk, Sakura easily removed her hand from her shoulders.

"Oh—" Rin spoke softly as Sakura disappeared from her sight. What she didn't know was that Sakura ran away in shock and embarrassment as removing Rin's hand was more of an instinctive reaction than anything.

After a few seconds, Rin once again composed herself. Looking at where Sakura disappeared, she spoke to empty air, "Archer, what do you think?"

And the air rippled as a figure materialized next to her in black and red clothes.

"Why are you asking for my opinion on this? Just do as you wish," Archer spoke, but inwardly, he was glad as his gamble in the previous round had paid off and it was already causing butterfly effects. He didn't know how Zouken died nor did he care, but he sure was glad that old piece of shit was dead.

"Hmm... you are right. Well, I planned to go information gathering tonight, but I guess it can wait. I wonder why Emiya-Kun of all people invited me?" Rin thought aloud as she followed after Sakura toward the Emiya Mansion.

Meanwhile, Archer suppressed a snort as he turned back into spirit mode. 'That brat probably wants an alliance or something, I guess.'

Meanwhile, someone was already on their tail and coming to attack them.

Shirou wiped the tears from his eyes as he realized what a great sacrifice Avalon had made to protect his sanity and body. In a sense, Artoria was protecting him even when she wasn't there.

While he gained great knowledge about the previous loops, that wasn't something a mortal man could handle. And to make matters worse, these weren't the memories of the mind or body, but from a person's soul. Changing or even touching someone's soul was walking a fine line between permanent oblivion and life.

Clenching his fist, Shirou felt the strength coursing through his body as minuscule fragments of Avalon now residing in each of his cells provided him with the power to keep his body stable as it strengthened itself repeatedly to match the Sword Body he had obtained in the previous cycle.

And if due to some unfortunate reason or another, he lost those fragments, he would once again turn into his hideous Monster of Blade form.

Shirou took a deep breath, trying to soothe his mind as he confronted a crucial dilemma - whether or not to summon Saber. Don't get him wrong; he loved Saber just as much as he loved Rin and Sakura, but two crucial details kept stopping him from attempting to summon her.

Even now, as he cleared his store room and stood in front of the summoning circle, he couldn't decide what to do.

Shirou wanted to be reunited with Saber again, but he didn't know if he could still summon Saber or not, especially since Avalon was fused with him completely, or if it would have some unintended consequences. In the previous rounds, Avalon helped in summoning Saber, but due to it being a conceptual weapon, it caused her summoning to be imperfect, and now it was fused with him. Not to mention that his Command Seal was eerily similar to that of Sakura; it may very well summon Rider. If that were the case, he would be okay with her too, especially since he spent almost a year alongside her; she had become a treasured friend (Nakama).

In the end, Shirou decided to just go with the most basic method of just leaving it up to fate and summoning with just chant and ritual.

Holding up his right hand, Shirou let it bleed a little as he chanted:

"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg. The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulates. Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Repeat every five times. Simply, shatter once filled. ――――I announce. Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword. In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer. Here is my oath. I shall become all the good in the world; I am the one who destroys all the evil in the world. You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!"

"Shirou..." A female voice was heard before a flash of light blinded Shirou for a second.

Back with Sakura,

Sakura finally stopped after reaching halfway to the Emiya Mansion. She breathed hard as her face was red from exhaustion and embarrassment.

She didn't want to overreact so much at the Tohsaka home, but for some reason, Rin's nonchalant behavior due to her ignorance irritated her to no end. While she had to suffer so much, Rin was living her dream life.

Unfortunately, her lampooning was interrupted when she heard clashing of steel.

Looking around, Sakura was concerned when she found no soul around her. It was as if they had vanished, even though it was early evening.

"A Barrier..." Sakura muttered as she looked from where the sound came from. It was coming from the same direction where she came from. And despite herself, Sakura found herself going towards the sound.

A few minutes later,

Sakura felt her eyes going wide as she witnessed two men fighting, moving at speeds where she could only see blurs of red and blue.

Most shocking was that her onee-san was in the

 middle of their battleground, looking completely unfazed. Instead, it was her feeling dread for her safety; it was a feeling Sakura never thought she would feel towards her, who was only an object of jealousy, envy, and admiration.

And then Sakura did something admittedly stupid, something which would better suit a certain other Sakura, and picked up a stone and threw it towards the two men, yelling at the top of her lungs.

"Run!!!! NEE-SAN..."

Well, that seemed to get everyone's attention as the two men stopped fighting, and Rin's face contorted in horror.

Realizing the mistake she just made, Sakura tried to run away, but the man with the spear was already on her.

"ARCHER!"

Sakura heard Rin's yell and saw the spear about to pierce her, so she instinctively closed her eyes, and good thing she did because there was a flash of light along with the yell of "Excalibur."

Gilgamesh, aka Archer of the 4th Holy Grail War and King of Heroes, was having a very strange day. First, he woke up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason, and a feeling of wrongness gnawed at his being. Again he was not able to find the reason; it seemed as if the whole world itself was wrong.

Now it brought him to the current situation where he was undecided whether he should use one of his Noble Phantasms, "Sha Naqba Imuru," or not. This could easily allow him to see the truth and even predict the Future. But for multiple reasons, he didn't wish to use it, one of the main reasons being that as a Perfect King, he should face everything head-on.

But at last, he could not take it anymore and activated the Noble Phantasm after all. Once he did, he finally understood what had happened and started chuckling, which soon evolved into a full-blown laughter, as if he had heard the world's best joke.

But looking closer, one would see that his laughter contained both extreme amusement and rage.

"Hahahahahaha... Well done, Faker. Well done. I will be waiting for you. Come at me with your best; only then will it be fun to crush you. I will even be generous enough to wait. Don't disappoint me. Hahahahahaha."

TO BE CONTINUED

Chapter Text

Chapter 7 : Saber's Changes 

"I ask of thee... Are you my master?" Saber asked as she turned to face her master. But was given the shock of her life to find that it was some scared little girl, instead of Shirou.How could it be? But now that she looked around herself it was a completely different area from where Shirou lived.

'Did the plan fail afterall?' Saber wondered.

-------Flashback-----------

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Merlin asked with a stern voice. His usual personality nowhere to be seen.

But Saber knew that she had to do this no matter what.

"Yes, I must do it." Saber aka Artoria Pendragon noded her head resolutely.

*Sigh* "I don't know what memories you got from that soul fragment, but you must understand that leaving Avalon is a choice one must not make easily. The place you are trying to go back to is in a time loop,  it's already a miracle that you managed to escape with most of your soul, leaving only a tiny fragment behind and now you want to enter that space-time again,?"

"Please Merlin, I must go back. Dont stop me." Artoria said in a trembling voice.

Throwing his hand ups, Merlin just sat down on the ground.

"Fine, I will help you. But must understand that space time of that particular event is very very messed up currently and even if I send you there you can end up as someone else's servant or maybe even get sent back to past or future. Who knows? Anything could happen."

"Is there no way? I know you must have some tricks up your sleeve."

"Yes I do but I doubt you would agree, the price is too steep."

"No, I will do anything. Just tell me what it is that I must do."

" The price. It's your morals and honor. Your very being." Seeing the shocked look on Artoria's face he clarified "Earlier you mentioned something about the soul fragment being inverted turning into a Tyrant instead. For this magic to work you must blacken part of your soul.Also, traveling the corridors between space and time will stretch your body to all the possible versions of you, even changing your very body.Even then the chance of success is only 25-26%. Do you still want to do this?!" Merlin almost exploded at the end while explaining it to her.

Artoria lowered her head and remained silent for a while.

"What will happen to me if I blacken part of my soul?"

"Wait-Whaat?!! Don't tell me you of all people are considering it. I don't even know what will happen if you do this?? Are you seriously out of your mind."

"Merlin. I have decided. Just tell me what I have to do"

-------------------Flashback End---------------------

Artoria then looked at the young girl, who was looking at her just like she used to look up to knights as a child.

"Umm...Thank you for saving me earlier, but who are you?"

"Servant. Saber. I shall ask again Are you my master?"

"Servant ? Master ? What does that mean?"

"Did you not summon me for the the Holy Grail War?"

"Holy Grail War? What's that? Are you a cosplayer Onee-san?"

That's when Artoria finally noticed her body and attire.She definitely looked older and bigger. Her height had also increased. In terms of attire, it was her usual Blue and white dress, fitted to match her new body. Her Hairs also turned the same shade as her sister Morgan. The biggest change was her Holy Sword, she didn't even know if it was fit to call it such. Considering, it had turned pitch black with blue runic designs.

"Ummm... Saber-san?" A gentle voice snapped Saber out of her thoughts with a tug on her skirt.

Turning to address the young girl, Artoria thought for a moment before speaking.

"Are you sure you don't know any of the terms I mentioned earlier?" When the girl nodded Saber continued "Then can I see your hands for a moment?"

When she held the girl's hands and inspected them, Saber was once again shocked. Sitting there innocently on the left hand of the girl was the Command Seal the very symbol which symbolised the bond between her and Shirou. But that was impossible, every person had their own personal and unique command seal design. It was impossible for there to be two similar looking ones.

'What if-? Could it be? Is she-?'

With a trembling voice Saber asked " W-what's your name?"

"Kiara Ses-. Kiara. Yes. My name is Kiara." 

Hearing her name Saber heaved a sigh mixed with Relief and Disappointmen. 

"Then do you know when the symbols appeared on your hands?"

Kiara, however,was getting confused. Why was this lady's emotions changing so rapidly? And what's with the random questions? 

Keeping the thoughts to herself Kiara obediently replied "Just today when I entered this city. What was it called again? Ah, yes. Fuyuki City. Yes, when I entered Fuyuki City."

Saber seemed to have been taken aback by this as she scanned the area. 

"This is Fuyuki?"

"Yes, well it's outskirts anyway. The main city is still a little faraway."

'If this is Fuyuki, then whether I am in the right world or not can be confirmed once I meet Shirou.'

Then she looked at the girl, just now noticing how malnourished she actually was despite her beauty and even then her clothes were a little too small. Clearly hand me downs or something similar.

"Do you have a home?" She blurred out before she could stop herself. In response Kiara lowered her head in shame. Even though it was nothing shameful.

"I might know a place where you can stay for a while." Artoria once again blurted out.Clearly, Shirou's personality was rubbing on her.

"Really!?" Kiara's mood immideatly brightened when she realised there was no false hood in Saber's words.

"Hmm.. " Saber just nodded

'She said that the main city is still far away, then we would need a vehicle. Kiara likely doesn't have any money then that means, I must Borrow someone's vehicle.' Thought Saber before realising how easily she was considering stealing, something knights frowned upon.' Is the the cost of blackening my soul?'

Tak.tak.tak.

Hearing the sound of footsteps Saber turned to see Kiara bending over the Predator she had disposed of earlier checking his body. Looking for something. 

"Found it." Kiara cheered as she slipped a necklace off of the corpse. Then her presence vanished as if she wasn't even there, she was visible to her normal senses but to her instincts and mana sense, she was invisible. Then just as quickly she was back in her senses as soon as she put it down.It must have been a Magic code!!

The she continued to search the corpse. Saber for a moment thought of stopping and reprimanding her but then stopped, for in kiara's hands were keys,  Bike keys.

Looks like the transportation problem was solved.

Now, she just needed to convince Kiara to waste the Command Seals or cancel their contract. Then she could once again forge a contract with Shirou.

"Wanna go for a ride?" Saber asked as she approached Kiara

To be Continued 

A/N: For the sake of stakes Saber has been aged a few years. Looks wise 17-18.

Anyways, please continue to support me.

Chapter Text

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Chapter 8:Forged in Steel

The world turned to light.

A roar, not of sound but of pure, unadulterated power, erupted from the tip of the blade Shirou had instinctively projected. It was a golden radiance that consumed everything, a pillar of divine judgment that tore through the unnatural twilight of Lancer's barrier.

"EXCALIBUR!"

The name tore from Shirou's throat, a desperate, instinctual cry. The beam of concentrated light, far thinner and less majestic than the true article but blindingly potent nonetheless, lanced across the short distance. It wasn't meant to eviscerate Lancer, but to intercept, to protect.

The tip of Gáe Bolg, mere inches from Sakura's heart, met the searing heat of the stolen sun. For a single, crystallized moment, the two forces warred—the cursed spear of certain death against the brilliant light of promised victory.

And the light won.

With a deafening crack that was more conceptual than physical, the manifested curse of Gáe Bolg was forcibly unraveled and vaporized. The shockwave threw Sakura back onto the pavement, unharmed but stunned. It flung Rin's hair back, her eyes wide with an impossible disbelief. Lancer was forced to skid back several meters, his boots scraping asphalt, a look of sheer, unadulterated shock on his face.

Then, silence.

The golden sword in Shirou's hand flickered, its divine light stuttering like a dying star. Cracks, black and spiderwebbed, raced up its length from the hilt. With the sound of shattering stained glass, the legendary blade dissolved into a shower of fading motes of golden light, leaving Shirou panting, his right arm smoking and covered in lacerations that wept tiny sparks of prana.

"...The hell was that, kid?" Lancer's voice was low, all previous mockery gone, replaced by a wary, predatory curiosity. He didn't even glance at his failed kill. His entire focus was on the red-haired boy who had just manifested a fragment of a Divine Construct. "That wasn't any normal projection. That was... the real deal's power, for a second there."

Archer reappeared beside a speechless Rin, his crossed arms now dropped to his sides. His steely gaze was locked on Shirou, analyzing, calculating, his usual smirk utterly absent. He had seen this before, in another time, another place. But it had never been like this. It was crude, unstable, and it nearly tore the boy apart, but the sheer, terrifying concept had been there.

Shirou ignored them both. He took a staggering step forward, placing himself squarely between the two Heroic Spirits and the dazed forms of Rin and Sakura. His body thrummed with a pain he expertly shunted away, his mind a storm of three lifetimes of combat experience violently syncing with his current body.

"Rin. Get Sakura out of here," Shirou commanded, his voice a low, steady growl that was utterly foreign to the boy they knew. It was the voice of a veteran who had seen countless battlefields.

"E-Emiya-kun? How did you—" Rin stammered, her magus brain struggling to process the theological violation she had just witnessed.

"There's no time! Now, Rin!" he barked, the order leaving no room for argument.

It was the snap in his tone that broke her paralysis. Nodding mutely, she scrambled to her feet and pulled a trembling Sakura up, dragging her towards the relative cover of a nearby alleyway. Sakura's eyes were glued to Shirou's back, wide with a mixture of terror, confusion, and a dawning, awe-struck hope/admiration?.

Lancer made to move, a flicker of irritation at his prey escaping. But a new sword—a simple, well-made Chinese broadsword—appeared in Shirou's hand in a flash of blue light. He didn't thrust or slash; he swung it in a wide, powerful arc, forcing Lancer to halt or have his legs swept out from under him.

"Your fight is with me, Lancer," Shirou stated, his breathing already steadying. "Or did you come here to bully children and women?"

A fierce grin split Lancer's face. "Cheeky brat. Fine. Let's see if you can back that up!"

Gáe Bolg became a blur of crimson. Shirou didn't try to match the speed directly. Instead, he moved with an impossible, preternatural efficiency. He parried, not with the strength to block, but with precise, minimal deflections, using Lancer's own immense momentum against him. The broadsword shattered under the force of the fifth strike, but another—a nameless medieval longsword—was already in his hand, meeting the sixth.

He was a machine. Trace. Project. Break. Repeat. The ground around him was littered with the glittering dust of shattered Noble Phantasms. He wasn't winning; he was surviving through sheer, relentless output, each projection draining him but buying a precious millisecond.

Archer watched, his confusion mounting into a deep, unsettling wariness. This wasn't the flailing, idealistic fool he knew. This was someone who had already accepted the reality of a fight to the death. This was someone who had already been broken and reforged in a fire Archer couldn't fathom.

Seeing an opening, Lancer thrust forward for a sure kill. But Shirou was already moving, not away, but inside Lancer's guard. In his hand materialized Kanshou, the dark, curved sword of his future self. He slammed the flat of the blade against Lancer's wrist, not to cut, but to disrupt the thrust, before following up with a brutal kick to the Celtic hero's midsection.

It was like kicking a steel beam, but it forced Lancer back a step. The Servant of the Spear actually looked impressed.

"Not bad, kid! You've got some real fight in you!"

Suddenly, Archer moved. Not at Lancer, but at Shirou. Two new swords, Falchion and a nameless axe-sword, appeared in his hands as he descended on his past self with silent, deadly intent. He needed to test this. He needed to understand.

Shirou didn't flinch. He dismissed Kanshou and in a twin flash of light, Bakuya appeared in his right hand and a perfect replica of Archer's own Falchion appeared in his left.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The sound of steel against steel became a staccato rhythm. Shirou met Archer blow for blow, the echoes of their conflict ringing through the deserted street. It was a mirror match, but a distorted one. Archer was stronger, faster, more refined. But Shirou was… relentless. His movements were less graceful but more direct, infused with a raw, desperate fury that Archer had long since buried.

Rin and Sakura could only watch from the alley, their hearts in their throats. Rin saw the impossible: her mediocre classmate holding his own against two Servants, his body moving with a skill that belonged on a ancient battlefield. Sakura saw her savior, bathed in the light of countless dying swords, protecting her with a ferocity she had never dreamed possible.

Finally, with a grunt of effort, Shirou parried a simultaneous thrust from both opponents and leaped back, creating distance.He nearly forgot Lancer was there too. His chest was heaving, sweat and blood mingling on his arms. The projections were taking their toll.

Lancer lowered his spear, his grin fading into a look of thoughtful assessment. He glanced between the panting Shirou and the silent, grim Archer.

"Tch. This is getting messy," Lancer muttered, scratching his head. "Fighting alongside a faker to take down a third-rate mage who fights like a cornered wolf… leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Not my idea of a proper battle."

He shrugged, the tension bleeding out of his stance. "I'm out. This stopped being fun. We'll finish this another time, kid. You've earned that much."

With a final, unreadable look at Shirou, Lancer dissolved into a shower of blue spiritrons and vanished, the bounded field collapsing with him. The normal sounds of the Fuyuki evening rushed back in.

Leaving Shirou and Archer alone in the street, facing each other.

The air was thick with unspoken history. Archer finally spoke, his voice cold and sharp.

"You have given up."

It wasn't a question.

Shirou met his gaze, his golden eyes burning with a conviction that was entirely new. "I have given up a lie. The dream of a child who knew nothing of the cost."

"You have my memories," Archer accused, though the pieces didn't quite fit. "You know the hell that awaits. And yet you still pursue it?"

"I know the hell that awaits a 'Hero of Justice'," Shirou corrected, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "I've seen it. Three times over. I've seen the compromises, the betrayals, the mountain of corpses built on a beautiful ideal. I saw what it made you. A counter guardian, a slave to the very world you wanted to save, forever cleaning up its messes with blood. A hypocrite who hated himself so much he came back to kill his own past."

Archer recoiled as if struck. No one, no one but him, was supposed to know that.

Shirou took a step forward, his presence suddenly overwhelming, no longer that of a boy but of a king pronouncing a sentence. "I will not walk that path. I will not become a hero."

He raised his head, his eyes holding a terrifying, absolute certainty.

"If being a hero means upholding a world where innocent girls like Sakura are tortured for a decade, where monsters like Zouken are allowed to fester, where the 'greater good' is an excuse for endless sacrifice… then I want no part of it. If the system is so rotten that it can only produce heroes like you and monsters like him, then the system itself is the enemy."

He clenched his fist, the Command Seals on his hand glowing faintly.

"I will not be a hero. I will be something else. I will tear down this rotten world and build a new one from the ashes. I will become a tyrant. A demon king. I will wield power not to save everyone, but to protect the few who are precious to me and scour clean the evil that preys upon them. I will bring a true peace, even if I have to drown the old world in the blood of its sins to do it."

The silence that followed was absolute. Rin felt a chill that had nothing to do with the evening air. This wasn't the Shirou Emiya she knew. This was something new, dangerous, and terrifyingly resolute.

Archer could only stare. This was not in the script. This was not the self-righteous boy he was here to contradict and destroy. This was a heretic. A deviation. A Shirou Emiya who had looked into the abyss, seen the failure of every possible path, and had decided to carve a fourth one with his own hands, no matter how stained they would become.

He saw no lie in those eyes. Only a cold, hardened will that mirrored his own, yet pointed in a completely opposite direction.

For the first time since his summoning, EMIYA, the Heroic Spirit of Counter Guardians, felt not contempt, but a profound and chilling sense of dread.

The boy in front of him wasn't just a failed idealist.

He was a potential calamity.

Chapter Text

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Chapter 9: The Master of Rider

The tense silence following Shirou's declaration was shattered not by Archer's rebuttal, but by a new, chilling presence. The air grew heavy, and the faint scent of ozone and petrichor filled the space between the houses.

A figure materialized from the deepening shadows of a nearby rooftop. She was tall, ethereally beautiful, and moved with a serpentine grace that was both captivating and deeply unnerving. Her long, flowing purple hair seemed to absorb the fading light, and her eyes, though hidden behind a unique blindfold, were fixed on Shirou with an air of profound annoyance.

"To think I was ready to intervene," she said, her voice a low, mesmerizing hum that seemed to vibrate in their bones. "It seems my Master is far more capable than he appears. And far more reckless."

Sakura gasped, instinctively shrinking back behind Rin at the appearance of the formidable Servant. "M-Master? Senpai, who is that?"

Archer's eyes widened imperceptibly. Rider? Medusa? And she's his Servant? This was wrong. This was all catastrophically wrong. In every iteration he remembered, he was the one summoned by Rin, and Saber was always the Servant of Emiya Shirou. The foundational bedrock of the Holy Grail War had been upended. The pieces were scattering, and the board was tilting into an abyss of the unknown. A cold, unfamiliar sensation—pure, undiluted panic—began to churn in his gut.

Shirou didn't even turn to face her fully, keeping his wary gaze partly on Archer. "Your intervention wasn't necessary, Rider."

"Wasn't it?" she countered, her head tilting. "You pushed your body to its absolute limit. You used a power that clearly seeks to destroy you from the inside out. For what? Pride?"

"For data," Shirou replied coolly, finally glancing at her. "I needed to measure the gap between myself and a true Servant. Theory from... past experiences... is one thing. Practical application is another. I couldn't do that if you intervened."

"You used a battle for your life as a training exercise?" Rider's voice was flat, dripping with disbelief. "You are a fool."

"And you are wasting your energy stating the obvious," Shirou shot back, a flicker of the stubborn teenager he used to be surfacing through the hardened exterior. "I'm your Master. Trust my judgment, or did you miss that part of the summoning?"

Archer could only watch the exchange, his mind reeling. This was a Master and a Servant, but their dynamic was all wrong. It was blunt, pragmatic, and lacked the formal distance he would expect from Rider of all people.They spoke with the blunt efficiency of partners who understood each other's roles, but not the history that should have taken weeks or months at the very least to build. How? How could he have summoned her? Where is Saber?! Where is Artoria Pendragon?!

"Enough," Archer's voice cut through the night, sharp and demanding, his internal panic sharpening his tone into a weapon. All eyes turned to him. He pointed a finger at Shirou, his projection knives shimmering into existence around him. "What happened to you? This isn't the path. This is not the war you are supposed to fight. Explain yourself. Now."

Shirou met his gaze, his expression unreadable. "I don't answer to you. You are a relic of a failed dream, a ghost of a future I have already rejected. My path is my own."

"That is not an answer!" Archer snarled, the knives humming with lethal intent. He took a threatening step forward. "I will have the truth, even if I have to carve it from your—"

He never finished the sentence.

In a movement almost too fast to see, Rider was on the ground, standing between Archer and Shirou. Her chain dagger, the nail of her Noble Phantasm, was uncoiled and held loosely in her hand. She hadn't assumed a combat stance, but the threat was implicit and overwhelming. The air grew colder.

"You will not lay a hand on my Master," she stated, her voice losing all its melodic quality and becoming the dead hiss of a primordial predator. "Attempt to force him, and we will see if your projections can withstand the gaze of the Gorgon."

The standoff was absolute. Archer, the Heroic Spirit from the future, faced down the Gorgon from the past, who was defending a version of his past self that had become an utter enigma.

Shirou broke the deadlock. He turned his back on Archer entirely, a gesture of such profound dismissal it left the Counter Guardian speechless.

"Sakura, let's go home," he said, his voice returning to a semblance of normalcy. He then looked past them to Rin, who was watching the scene with wide, bewildered eyes, trying to process a Servant calling Emiya Shirou 'Master'. "Rin. You should come too. We need to talk. Your Archer can follow or not. I don't care."

He began walking towards the Emiya residence without another glance back. Sakura, after a hesitant and confused look at the mysterious purple-haired woman, hurried after him. Rider, after a final, warning glance at Archer, fell into step behind her Master, a silent and deadly shadow.

Rin stood frozen for a moment, looking from Shirou's retreating back to her own Servant, who was a statue of confused fury. Muttering a curse under her breath about "insufferable, secret-keeping jerks," she made her choice and jogged to catch up. After a moment longer, Archer dematerialized with a soundless snarl, compelled to follow his Master.

---

The atmosphere in the Emiya living room was surreal.

Shirou moved around the kitchen with practiced ease, placing cans of cold juice and a plate of store-bought cookies on the table. He placed one directly in front of the space where Rider had chosen to rematerialize, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed.

"Here," he said to Rin and Sakura.

Rin took the drink numbly. Sakura accepted hers with a quiet "thank you, Senpai," her eyes constantly flicking to the intimidating Servant in the room. Rider ignored the offering.

Archer remained in spirit form, a silent, seething observer.

Rin still couldn't properly process what in the actual hell was even happening, everything was moving too fast. One second her mediocre classmate was fighting on equal with Heroic Spirits, HEROIC SPIRITS and now she had barely sat when he asked to withdraw from the War. HER!!.

Rin finally found her voice, the indignation overriding her shock. "Alright, Emiya-kun. Start talking. What was all that? And since when are you a Master? And what do you mean, you 'don't want to eliminate me'? Are you offering me pity? Do you have any idea how insulting that is? I am the Second Owner of Fuyuki and the heir of the Tohsaka—"

"I know who you are, Tohsaka Rin," Shirou interrupted, his voice calm as he took a sip of his own juice. "Which is why I'm offering you a chance to walk away. This Grail is corrupted. It's a lie. It won't grant any wish except one: annihilation. Participating only leads to suffering and death. I'm not eliminating you because you're not my enemy. The system is."

Rin's mouth opened and closed. The sheer certainty in his tone was unnerving. "C-corrupted? How could you possibly know that? That's a monstrous accusation! And you can't just expect me to—"

The argument was cut short by the sudden, sharp screech of tires right outside the house. It was the sound of a vehicle—a motorcycle, by the pitch—stopping with violent, urgent haste, followed by the heavy thud of boots hitting the pavement.

Everyone in the room froze. Rider's head snapped towards the door, her body tensing. Rin's hand instinctively went to her gems. Sakura jumped in her seat.

Shirou alone remained still, though his eyes narrowed. He placed his juice can down on the table with a quiet, definitive click.

At this hour, the chances that it was someone with good intentions were very slim. And Taiga didn't use Motorcycles anymore.

Before anyone could move, the front gate swung open with enough force to rattle the frame. Firm, confident footsteps marched up the walkway to the porch.

The doorbell rang, not a polite chime but a long, insistent buzz that demanded an immediate response.

Chapter Text

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Chapter 10: The King's Unexpected Return

The insistent buzzing of the doorbell was a drill boring into the tense silence of the room. All eyes were fixed on the door. Rider’s form had gone taut, a coiled spring ready to unleash violence. Rin’s fingers were white around a jewel. Sakura looked to Shirou, her face pale with anxiety.

Shirou’s expression was unreadable, but his mind was racing. An enemy wouldn’t ring the bell. An ally? He had already told Taiga to not come today. Also, It didn't feel like her.

With a slight, almost imperceptible nod to Rider—a silent command to wait—he gestured for Sakura to answer it. He needed to see who it was before deciding on a course of action.

Hesitantly, Sakura approached the door and slid it open just a crack.

Standing on the porch was a woman. She was tall and strikingly beautiful, with regal features and eyes the colour of a serene lake. Her golden hair was tied back in a familiar style, but she was… older. More filled out. Her presence was not just one of knightly resolve, but of a mature, formidable woman. She wore a dark, modern coat over what looked like armour, and she held herself with an air of weary authority.

And half-hidden behind her, clutching the fabric of her skirt with a white-knuckled grip, was a young girl with pink hair and wide, terrified eyes.

The woman gave a shallow, formal bow. “Good evening. My apologies for the intrusion at this hour. My name is Artoria Pendragon. I was… a friend of Kiritsugu Emiya. I find myself in need of lodging. Would it be possible to trouble you for a place to rest?”

Sakura was utterly stunned, both by the woman’s imposing presence and the mention of Shirou’s father. “Kiri… Kiritsugu-san’s… friend?” she stammered, her brain struggling to catch up. She was so disarmed by the polite request and the sight of the frightened child that she unconsciously opened the door wider.

That was when Artoria’s gaze moved past Sakura and into the well-lit living room.

And the world stopped.

Her serene composure shattered. Her eyes, previously calm, widened in a wave of successive shocks.

First, she saw him. Shirou. Her Shirou. The reason she had torn her very soul and braved the corridors of time. A wave of relief so potent it made her knees weak nearly washed over her.

Then, the second shock: the vibrant red Command Seals on the back of his hand. The marks that should have bound him to her.

The third shock: the woman standing protectively behind him. The purple hair, the blindfold, the palpable aura of a Divine Mystic. Rider. Medusa. A Servant. His Servant.

The relief curdled into a cold, sharp ache in her chest. The price she had paid—the partial blackening of her soul, the alteration of her spirit origin, the agony of temporal displacement—it all rushed back in a dizzying wave. She had arrived, but she was too late. He had already chosen another. The hurt was a physical thing, a lance through the heart she thought had long been fortified against such feelings.

Her eyes finally swept over the rest of the room, noting a bewildered Rin Tohsaka and the fading, panicked spiritual signature of another Servant that had just vanished.

Meanwhile, inside the room, the shock was mutual.

Shirou felt the air leave his lungs. Artoria. But not the Artoria from his memories. This was not the stoic, boyish king. This was a woman, full and realized, bearing the weight of her years not as a burden, but as a part of her strength. The sight of her sent a jolt through his system, a chaotic mix of longing, guilt, and confusion from three lifetimes of affection.

Rider’s reaction was immediate and visceral. Her lips drew back in a silent snarl. Her posture shifted from protective to outright hostile. This was the King of Knights, her natural opposite, a beacon of light to her shade. But something was different. The saintly aura was tinged with something darker, something ancient and weary. And she was… developed. The sight ignited a confusing mess of emotions in Medusa: old battlefield resentment, a bitter envy of the knight’s legendary purity, and a strange, unwelcome curiosity about this new, unknown version of her. Her chains tightened in her grip, ready to strike if this Saber made a single move toward her Master.

Shirou, forcing his shock down with sheer willpower, was the first to speak. His voice was slightly hoarse. “... Artoria Pendragon?”

The name, spoken aloud, broke the spell. Shirou took a step forward, his manners as a host overriding his turmoil. “Please, come in.”

It was then he noticed the small girl hiding behind Artoria’s legs. His eyes dropped to the child’s hands, and his blood ran cold. There, on her small, delicate left hand, were the Command Seals. His Command Seals. The three symbols that symbolized his bond with Saber. A surge of irrational, possessive anger flashed through him so intense his vision tinged red for a second. Mine. That is mine. He took a slow, deep breath, his nails digging into his palms. He forced the feeling down, locking it away. She was just a child. A terrified, malnourished child clinging to a stranger for safety. His anger was not for her.

As Artoria stepped inside, guiding the girl—Kiara—in with her, a new chaos erupted.

“Archer?” Rin whispered, her face a mask of confusion. She could feel her Servant’s presence through their bond, but it was a maelstrom of panic, recognition, and utter turmoil. Then, abruptly, it vanished. Not just into spirit form, but… muted. Suppressed. As if he had desperately cloaked himself and fled from his own Master’s senses. “Archer!?” she called out, more forcefully, but there was no response. He was gone.

Everyone was left confused by the Servant’s sudden and complete disappearance.

Artoria stood awkwardly in the genkan, her own confusion mirroring everyone else’s. She looked at Shirou’s Command Seals, then at Rider, then back at Shirou. The boy… no, the young man… felt different. The innocent, blazing idealism she remembered was banked, replaced by a grim determination that seemed far older than his years. The air around him crackled with contained power and a sorrow so deep it felt like a void.

The home of Kiritsugu Emiya, which she had hoped would be a sanctuary, had instead become a crowded stage for a drama none of them understood. A Master with the wrong Servant. A King who had arrived too late. A girl bearing a stolen bond. And a Counter Guardian who had just seen a ghost that shook him to his very core.

The Fifth Holy Grail War was only just beginning, and it was already nothing any of them could have ever predicted.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: New Order

Waver Velvet’s sharp inhale wasn't just about the Command Seals; it was a visceral reaction to the past crashing into the present. The sight of those marks on Gray’s hand forced him to relive the trauma of his own war—the roar of the Gordius Wheel, the grandeur of Ionian Hetairoi, and the devastating loss of his king and friend, Iskandar. His immediate offer for Gray to give up her right to participate was born from this trauma. He had seen the horror of the Grail War firsthand and wanted desperately to protect his disciple from the same fate.

Gray’s refusal, however, stemmed from her own profound loyalty and complex history. Rescued by Waver from a Welsh village where she was raised only to be a vessel for King Arthur’s return, Gray saw this as her chance to repay the man who gave her an identity beyond being a living relic. The man who saw her Gray, not a reincarnation of the Knight King, even though he seemed to hate the face Gray wore now, it didn't matter to her because she also hated that face.

The light from the summoning circle faded, leaving the scent of ozone and spent magic in the cold basement air. But the figure that stood within the intricate lines was not the majestic King of Conquerors Waver had half-expected, nor any other Heroic Spirit he could readily categorize.

It was a girl.

She clutched a massive, cross-shaped shield that seemed too large for her frame, her knuckles white. Her lillac hair was disheveled, and her wide, lavender eyes darted around the room with a panic that was raw and immediate. This wasn’t the calm dignity of a Servant, but the desperate confusion of someone ripped from their reality.

“W-what? Where…?” she stammered, her voice trembling. “The Rayshift…! Senpai! This is an error! The coordinates are… Fuyuki? But we just left! This isn’t right!”

Gray took an involuntary step back, her own nervousness forgotten in the face of the Servant’s palpable distress. “Shielder…” she whispered, the class name impressing itself upon her mind through their nascent bond.

Waver’s mind, however, was racing ahead, his lecturer’s instincts warring with his trauma from the last war. A Shielder-class Servant? The Grail War typically consisted of seven standard classes; this was an anomaly. And her words… “Rayshift”? “Senpai”? She spoke as if she had just been in Fuyuki, which was impossible. Unless…

“Calm yourself,” Waver said, his voice firm, a tone he used to steady anxious students. He stepped forward, but cautiously, his every sense alert for deception. “You have been summoned as a Servant in the Fifth Fuyuki Holy Grail War. I am Lord El-Melloi II of The Clock Tower. This is your Master, Gray. Identify yourself.”

The girl—Shielder—flinched, focusing on Waver as if seeing him for the first time. “Holy Grail War? But… that doesn’t make sense. I was returning/rayshifting back to Chaldea. My name is Mash Kyrielight. I’m a Demi-Servant of the Chaldea Security Organization.” She looked down at her own hands, then at Gray, a fresh wave of horror crossing her face. “A Master? But I already have a contract with Senpai! What is happening?"

“Chaldea?” Waver repeated, the name striking a chord. He had heard whispers of it—Marisbury Animusphere’s pet project, an organization dedicated to the preservation of humanity, still in its nascent stages. To hear it described so concretely, and by a Servant no less, was deeply unsettling. “Explain. Slowly.”

Mash’s story tumbled out in a frantic torrent. She spoke of an organization called Chaldea, of Singularities that threatened human history, and of her recent mission to resolve the first—Singularity F, a Fuyuki City consumed by flames, a distorted version of a Holy Grail War. She described a battle against a corrupted King Arthur, a Saber Alter, whom she had barely held off with her Noble Phantasm.

“The Fourth Holy Grail War recorded in our databases,” Mash continued, trying to grasp a solid fact in the swirling confusion, “took place in 2004. The founder of Chaldea, Marisbury Animusphere, was the victor, having summoned the Caster, Solomon.Using the resources acquired via the grail to create Chaldea.”

The silence that followed was absolute. Waver felt the blood drain from his face. He could see Gray staring at him, her eyes wide with confusion behind her hood. This was not just an anomaly; it was a fundamental contradiction of reality as he knew it.

“That’s impossible,” Waver stated, his voice low and sharp, cutting through the tension. He removed his cigar, grinding it out with a force that betrayed his calm exterior. “I participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War in 1994. I was the Master of Rider, Iskandar the King of Conquerors. The war was won by the Mage Killer, Kiritsugu Emiya, who commanded the Saber Servant, Artoria Pendragon. Marisbury Animusphere did not participate, and no one summoned Solomon.”

Mash stared at him, her confusion deepening into something akin to terror. “1994? But… the data… the Grand Order records are very clear. How can… how can the history be so different?” Her legs seemed to give way, and she slumped to her knees, the heavy shield clattering beside her. “None of this is right. This world… it feels stable, not like a Singularity. But the history is wrong. Is this… is this another distortion?”

It was Gray who moved first. Hesitantly, she approached the distraught Demi-Servant. She recalled her own fears, her own feelings of being an outsider because of the face she hid. Seeing Mash’s utter despair, a surge of empathy overwhelmed her shyness.

“Mash, was it?” Gray said softly, kneeling before her. “Please, don’t be afraid. Lord El-Melloi II… my teacher… he is a great and knowledgeable magus. If anyone can understand what is happening, it is him.” She placed a tentative hand on Mash’s armored shoulder. “You are safe here.”

Mash looked up, meeting Gray’s gentle gaze. The kindness seemed to anchor her slightly. “But the data… my memories…”

“Are your own,” Waver interjected, his mind working furiously. He paced a short distance, the pieces clicking into a terrifying puzzle. A Servant from a future that should not exist. A Holy Grail War with different participants. This was far beyond the scope of a standard war; it hinted at a manipulation of time and reality on a scale he could not even theorize about.

“Listen to me, both of you,” Waver said, turning back to them, his expression grave. “This discrepancy isn’t a simple error. Mash, you possess knowledge of a timeline that does not align with the history of this world. Your very existence here is a paradox. The implications are… severe.”

He looked from Mash’s frightened face to Gray’s determined one. His apprentice was now a Master, entangled in a conflict that was infinitely more dangerous than he could have imagined. The simple goal of winning the Grail War had just been eclipsed by a mystery that threatened the very foundation of their history.

“Something else is afoot,” Waver murmured. “The Fifth Holy Grail War is not what it seems. Mash Kyrielight, your arrival here is no accident. It is either a catastrophic failure of your ‘Rayshift’ or a deliberate intervention by a power we cannot yet comprehend.”

Chaldea Security Organization – Command Room

The silence in the command room was deafening, broken only by the frantic tapping on keyboards and the low, anxious hum of the Sheba system. Ritsuka Fujimaru stood before the main console, her knuckles white as she gripped the edge of the panel. On the screen, where Mash’s vital signs and Saint Graph data should have been, was a terrifying, flat line reading: SHIELDER - SIGNAL LOST.

"It was a standard Rayshift return trajectory," Da Vinci repeated, her usual playful tone replaced by a sharp, clinical urgency. She was cycling through diagnostics at lightning speed. "The Coffins registered a successful departure from Singularity F. But somewhere in the leylines of time and space between the past and our present... she vanished."

Ritsuka couldn't speak. Her mind was a whirlwind of fire and memories. She saw Olga Marie’s face, contorted in fear and betrayal as she was consumed by the void. She had been powerless to save their Director. And now, Mash—her kouhai, her shield, her best friend—was gone too. The guilt was a physical weight on her chest, making it hard to breathe. I promised to protect her. I promised we'd see the future together.

Dr. Romani Archaman placed a hand on Ritsuka's shoulder. "We'll find her, Ritsuka. Her contract with you isn't broken. It's... muffled. That's the important thing." But the worry in his eyes betrayed his reassuring words. He turned to Da Vinci. "Any luck with the spiritual particle tracing?"

"Nothing conclusive," Da Vinci admitted, frustration edging her voice. "It's as if her Saint Graph was plucked from the temporal stream. The energy signature doesn't match any known phenomenon—not a Singularity, not a standard Servant disappearance. It's closer to a forced summoning, but the scale is all wrong."

Hours bled together. The entire support staff was mobilized, but every lead hit a dead end.

The sole piece of evidence was Ritsuka's Command Spells. A faint, ghostly warmth still pulsed from them, a testament that the Master-Servant bond with Mash persisted. However, when they tried to use the spells to locate her or even transmit a message, the signal scattered into static. It was like trying to tune a radio to a station in another dimension.

The Near-Future Observation Lens, CHALDEAS, showed a the same unstable world as before. SHEBA, designed to detect temporal anomalies, scanned every corner of the globe and the past century. It found nothing. Wherever Mash was, it wasn't creating a divergence that their instruments could recognize. This end of humanity was making it difficult to pinpoint her location, for all intents and purposes, "invisible" to their primary sensors.

 The small creature, Fou, was inconsolable. He scurried around the Rayshift Coffin Mash had used, chirping and crying mournfully. He would periodically leap onto Ritsuka's lap, pawing at her Command Spells as if he could sense the connection she shared with Mash but couldn't understand why she wasn't there.

Sitting alone in the cafeteria, Ritsuka stared at a untouched meal. The guilt had solidified into a cold, hard knot in her stomach. First Director Olga, now Mash... How many people do I have to fail? She remembered Mash's smile, her unwavering determination, the way she always called her "Senpai" with such absolute faith.

A tear finally escaped, tracing a path down Ritsuka's cheek. But it was followed by a surge of defiant anger. She wiped her face roughly. No. I'm not giving up. Mash wouldn't give up on me.

She marched back into the command room, where a tired-looking Da Vinci and Romani were reviewing the same data for the hundredth time. "There has to be another way," Ritsuka stated, her voice firm despite the tremor underneath. "If our technology can't find her, we use magecraft. We use everything. What about the leyline shift records from the exact moment she disappeared? Can we cross-reference them with any known Throne of Heroes interference?"

Da Vinci looked up, a spark of admiration in her eyes. Romani nodded slowly. "It's a long shot... but we haven't tried that. The energy might not be a Singularity, but it could be a localized Grail War phenomenon. If someone or something intercepted her..."

Da Vinci seemed to realise something and slowly said "Ritsuka...Finding Mash is important.But the incineration of the humanity won't wait. If we can't locate her within the month we may have no choice but to proceed."

She felt terrible for saying those words in such a situation but it needed to be said.

However, She couldn't meet Ritsuka's eyes and instead chose to look at the screen trying to find Mash.

The search was far from over. Chaldea's greatest challenge was no longer a Singularity burning in the past, but finding a single, precious light lost in the vast, uncharted spaces between worlds and It was a race against time.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: Under One Roof.

The silence in the Emiya living room was profound, broken only by the tense rhythm of Rin’s finger tapping against her arm. The shock of the new arrival had subsided, leaving a thick, awkward haze in its wake. Shirou’s mind, however, was working analytically, piecing together the puzzle before him.

His eyes lingered on the blonde woman. Her regal bearing, the sheer density of her magical energy, and the name she gave—Artoria Pendragon—left no doubt in his mind. This was the King of Knights. The legendary King Arthur. The Servant Saber.

So, this is her, he thought, a flicker of awe quickly suppressed by cold logic. The Saber class Servant from the Fourth and Fifth Grail War. Kiritsugu and Shirou Emiya's Servant. The memories from the "loops" were sometimes hazy and sometimes clear  on the details, but the fundamental facts were clear. It made a strange kind of sense. If any Heroic Spirit were to seek out Emiya State after all these years, it would be the one whoose fate entwined with him, but why now?

But as he studied her, something felt… off. The Saber from his memories—his Saber—was a girl of short stature and an aura of unwavering, almost brittle, chivalry. This woman was taller, her form more mature, and the energy she radiated carried a heavier, dusk-like quality, a faint echo of something weathered and dark that he couldn't place. The difference was just significant enough to create a disconnect. He saw Artoria Pendragon, the historical figure, not the specific spirit he had fought alongside and loved in other lifetimes.

His gaze then shifted to the child clinging to her, and the puzzle gained a new, concerning piece. Kiara’s expensive but torn clothing, the grime on her face, the hollow look in her eyes—it all spoke of a prolonged struggle far beyond a simple misadventure. He shot a quick, puzzled look at Artoria. Why did a Heroic Spirit of her caliber bring her master here? Surely she could sense the servant energy? Why give her actual name away? His saber was particularly fierce about keeping her identity secret from other servants as long as she could. He filed the questions away, his primary instinct shifting to the immediate, tangible need.

The silence had stretched too long. Shirou cleared his throat, the sound unusually loud in the quiet room.

“You must be exhausted,” he said, directing his words to Kiara with a softness meant to soothe. He offered a small, gentle smile. “There’s a bathroom down the hall. A hot bath would probably help. And… we can find some clean clothes for you.”

Kiara looked up at him, then at Artoria, seeking reassurance. Artoria gave a single, regal nod.

“Sakura,” Shirou turned to the girl who knew his house almost as well as he did. “Could you help her? Find one of Fuji-Nee’s old yukatas. It should be in the back room.She never throws anything away.”

“Of course, Senpai.” Sakura rose gracefully, her own nervousness masked by the familiar task. She offered a kind smile to Kiara. “This way. The bath is very nice.”

As Kiara stood, she paused in front of Shirou and gave a small, formal bow. “Th-thank you for your kindness. My name is Kiara Sesshoin.”

“Shirou Emiya,” he replied with a nod. “You’re welcome here, Kiara.”

Artoria watched them go, then stood abruptly. A complex emotion—duty, protectiveness, and a need to escape the uncomfortable silence with the man who didn't know her—compelled her to action. “I shall… assist,” she announced, her tone a mixture of formality and awkwardness. She followed Sakura and Kiara out, leaving Shirou and Rin alone.

A moment later, the air shimmered. “I will patrol the perimeter,” Rider’s voice stated coolly from an empty corner. “The concentration of power here is a beacon.” Without another word, she vanished into spirit form.

And then, there were two.

Rin felt the silence become suffocating. Her day had been a cascade of impossibilities. Summoning a cynical Archer. Discovering her mediocre classmate was a powerful Master. Witnessing him fight Servants and project Noble Phantasms. And now, hosting the actual King of Knights, likely she Saber Servant, who she had tried to summon and failed,who was apparently giving a child, her master,a bath. It was too much.

She stood up, brushing down her skirt. “Well,” she said, her voice tighter than intended. “This has been… an eventful evening. I should be going. We can… figure this out tomorrow.”

She took a step towards the door, but a hand gently caught her wrist.

The touch was warm and firm, sending a jolt up her arm. She froze, a blush instantly heating her cheeks.

“It’s not safe, Tohsaka,” Shirou said, his voice low and serious. He released her wrist as soon as she stopped. “It’s dark. Your Servant isn’t responding. After the fight with Lancer, walking home alone is asking for trouble.”

Rin wanted to argue. She was Tohsaka Rin! But the memory of Cú Chulainn’s spear and the silent void where her bond with Archer should be made her hesitate. He was right, and it was infuriating.

“We have a spare room,” he continued, pragmatic as ever. “It’s no trouble. You can leave first thing in the morning.”

Rin hugged her arms, looking away to hide her burning face. “I… I suppose it would be irresponsible to risk my life out of pride,” she conceded, trying to sound haughty. “And… your cooking is passable. It would be a shame to miss breakfast. That’s the only reason I’m agreeing!”

Shirou, completely oblivious to her flustered state, simply nodded. “Okay. I’ll get the room ready.”

As he walked away, Rin let out a shaky breath. She was staying the night at Emiya Shirou’s house. Nothing was simple anymore. And a small, secret part of her was deeply, undeniably relieved that she wasn’t going back to her empty mansion alone.

A short while later, the sound of footsteps and quiet chatter signaled a return. Sakura led a freshly washed Kiara back into the living room, with Artoria following closely behind. Kiara was practically swimming in one of Taiga Fujimura’s old yukatas, the fabric swamping her small frame. But her lavender hair was clean and damp, her face scrubbed pink, and a faint, shy smile graced her lips for the first time. She looked like a different child—vulnerable, but safe.

“She looks much better,” Sakura said softly to Shirou.

Before Shirou could respond, the front door slid open with a dramatic crash.

“SHIROU-KUN! I’m here for dinner! And you better not have eaten all the… oh.”

Taiga Fujimura stood frozen in the doorway, her cheerful grin morphing into a comical expression of wide-eyed shock. Her gaze swept over the room: Rin Tohsaka, the school idol, sitting stiffly on a cushion; a tall, stunningly beautiful blonde woman she’d never seen before; a small, pink-haired girl swimming in a familiar yukata; and her own student, Sakura, looking placid as ever.

“Wha… what is this?” Taiga exclaimed, pointing a dramatic finger at Shirou. “A secret party! And with so many girls! Shirou, you devil! When did you become such a playboy? Is my Shirou a lolicon?!”

Shirou sighed, a long-suffering sound that was pure fondness. “Fuji-Nee, it’s not like that.”

“Then what is it like? Explain yourself!” she demanded, marching in and planting her hands on her hips.

As Taiga buzzed around the room, peppering everyone with questions, Shirou felt a familiar warmth spread in his chest. Her chaotic, over-the-top energy was a grounding force. In a world of Holy Grail Wars, Heroic Spirits, and his own fractured soul, Taiga was a constant—a loud, loving, and utterly normal anchor. She felt less like a teacher and more like the goofy older sister or even the mother he’d lost, always filling the house with life.

He managed to gently steer her by the shoulders towards the kitchen. “Fuji-Nee, calm down. This is Artoria,” he said, gesturing to the Saber Servant, who watched the exchange with polite confusion. “She was a friend of Kiritsugu’s. She’s visiting Fuyuki and needed a place to stay for the night. And this is Kiara,” he added, pointing to the girl who was trying to hide behind Artoria’s leg. “She’s… under Artoria’s care.”

Taiga’s expression instantly softened at the mention of Kiritsugu. “Oh! A friend of Kerry’s? Why didn’t you say so!” She beamed at Artoria. “Any friend of his is welcome here! This old house could use more life in it!”

The tension broken, Shirou retreated to the kitchen and began preparing a simple but hearty meal of curry rice. The familiar motions—chopping vegetables, stirring the pot—were a meditation. Soon, the rich, spicy aroma filled the house, a universal language of comfort.

They ate around the kotatsu, the scene a bizarre but peaceful tableau. Taiga dominated the conversation with cheerful stories about school, completely oblivious to the magical undercurrents. Rin ate with a thoughtful silence, occasionally shooting glances at Shirou. Sakura helped Kiara with her food, while Artoria ate with a quiet, focused intensity that spoke of genuine appreciation for the meal. Shirou watched them all, this strange, temporary family, and for a moment, the weight of his new path felt a little lighter.

Eventually, Taiga patted her full stomach and stood to leave. She pointed a stern finger at Shirou, but her eyes were twinkling. “No funny business, Shirou-kun! I’ll be checking in tomorrow!” With a final wave to everyone, she was gone, her energy lingering in the air.

With the meal over, the question of sleeping arrangements arose.

“Artoria and Kiara can take the guest room,” Shirou stated.

“I shall remain with my Master,” Artoria said, her tone leaving no room for argument. As a Servant, she had no need for sleep, but the idea of leaving the frightened girl alone was unthinkable.

“Rin, you and Sakura can take my room,” Shirou continued.

Rin’s cheeks tinged pink, but she merely nodded. The prospect of sharing a room with her sister for the first time in over a decade was daunting, but she was too tired to protest.

“And I’ll be in the dojo,” Shirou finished.

As the household settled down for the night, an uneasy quiet descended. In the guest room, Kiara fell asleep almost instantly, comforted by the silent, vigilant presence of the King of Knights seated by her side. Down the hall, Rin and Sakura lay in the same room, a chasm of unspoken words between them, the events of the day making their usual distance feel both vast and strangely small.

And in the quiet of the dojo, Shirou lay on a thin mat, staring at the ceiling.The warmth of the meal and Taiga’s visit had faded, replaced by the cold reality of the war ahead. But for one night, at least, the house was full, and his charges were safe. It was a small victory, but he would take it. Sleep, when it came, was dreamless. Perfect.

The lights were off in Shirou’s room. Two futons were laid side-by-side, a narrow gap of tatami separating Rin and Sakura, a chasm that represented a decade of distance. The silence between them was heavy, filled with all the words they had never been able to say.

Sakura’s voice, small and hesitant, finally cut through the dark.

“Nee-san?”

Rin stiffened. The title, so long unused, felt like an accusation. “Yes, Sakura?”

“Why… why did you never come to see me?”

The question hung in the air, simple and devastating. Rin felt a cold wave of guilt wash over her. She took a slow breath, choosing her words with a care she rarely showed. This was too important for bluster or deflection.

“It wasn’t because I didn’t want to,” Rin began, her voice soft but clear. “After Father… after he gave you to the Matous, it was a formal adoption. In the eyes of the Mage’s Association and the other families, you were no longer a Tohsaka. You were a Matou.”

She turned on her side, facing Sakura’s shadowy outline. “If I, as the Tohsaka heir, had tried to contact you, it would have been seen as a political move. An attempt by the Tohsaka family to covet the Matou’s magecraft secrets. It could have started a conflict. Zouken… he was a powerful and dangerous magus. Father believed—and I was taught—that any interference could put you in even more danger.”

It was the cold, logical truth of the moonlit world. A truth that felt utterly hollow in the face of her sister’s quiet suffering.

Sakura was silent for a long time, digesting this. The reason was so… clinical. So detached from the little girl who had waited, year after year, for her sister to save her or at the very least meet her.

Then, gathering a courage forged in hell, Sakura spoke again, her voice barely a whisper. “The Matou magecraft… it was worms, Nee-san.”

And the dam broke. In a flat, emotionless tone that was more heartbreaking than any sob, Sakura described the horror. The dark, damp basement. The feeling of Crest Worms slithering under her skin, burrowing into her magic circuits, feeding on her life force. The cruel, invasive experiments by Zouken. And then, as she grew older, the unspeakable things Shinji did to her, using her grandfather’s hold over her as his right.

Rin listened, her body growing colder with every word. The political justifications, the rules of magi, all of it crumbled to dust. She had pictured a life of strict training, of loneliness, but not this. Never this. Her hands began to shake, then her whole body trembled with a rage so pure it was blinding. Hot, shameful tears streamed down her face, soaking her pillow.

“Sakura… I… I didn’t know… I’m so sorry…” The words were choked, inadequate. She couldn’t bear the distance any longer. In a sudden, desperate movement, she scrambled over the gap between their futons and pulled Sakura into a crushing hug. “I’m so sorry! I should have known! I should have done something!”

For the first time, Sakura broke. The flat recitation of her trauma gave way to ragged, shuddering sobs. She clung to her sister, her own tears soaking Rin’s nightshirt. They held each other in the dark, two sisters mourning a stolen childhood, their shared grief a bridge across the years of separation.

When the storm of tears began to subside, Rin’s voice was low, laced with a venomous fury. “I will kill them,” she whispered, the promise absolute. “Zouken and Shinji. They will die screaming for what they did to you.”

Sakura sniffled, nestling closer into the hug. “It’s okay, Nee-san,” she murmured. “Shirou Senpai… he already killed Zouken.”

Rin froze. “What?”

“Senpai told me today. He used magecraft to remove the Crest Worms inside me. He said he eliminated Zouken. I believe him.” Sakura’s voice held an absolute, unshakable faith. “Senpai wouldn’t lie about that.”

Rin was silent, her mind reeling. The sheer power and will required to confront and kill a monster like Zouken… It was another staggering piece of the puzzle that was Emiya Shirou. The guilt was now mixed with a staggering sense of awe and debt.

“Then Shinji,” Rin vowed, her voice cold as ice. “He will pay a thousand times over.”

This time, Sakura didn’t stop her. She simply nodded against Rin’s shoulder. The forgiveness for her brother had long been exhausted.

For the next hour, they talked. Not about magecraft or wars, but about small things. School. Hopes. The years they had lost. The conversation was quiet, punctuated by sniffles and soft laughs, slowly knitting their fractured bond back together. Eventually, exhaustion claimed them, and they drifted into a peaceful sleep, still holding onto each other.

Sometime later, the air in the room shimmered. Medusa materialized silently, her form barely visible in the darkness. She looked down at the two sleeping sisters, her expression unreadable behind her blindfold.

Her gaze lingered on Sakura—the girl who had been her Master in another time, who had suffered so much. Seeing her finally safe, finally at peace in her sister’s arms, stirred a complex emotion within the Gorgon.

It was a mixture of relief, sadness, and a faint, distant envy for a bond she could never truly have. After a long moment, she dissolved back into spirit form, leaving the sisters to their hard-won peace. The night watch continued.

To be Continued

Chapter Text

Chapter Extra: Two Shadows One Life

The battlefield was quiet.

It always was, once the screams ended.

Shirou Emiya stood amidst the ruins of a church compound, his blade dripping red in the moonlight. The bodies of Kiara Sesshōin’s followers lay scattered at his feet—men and women who had begged for salvation, twisted into zealots by promises of miracles. Their eyes had been filled with hope, even as they raised weapons against him.

And he had cut them down.

The rule he had lived by for so long—never kill the innocent—had shattered here tonight. Because innocence was no shield for madness, and madness was no shield against Kiara’s poison.

For once, he told himself, he had to be merciless.

His hands trembled despite the steel resolve in his chest. He had become efficient, surgical. A vigilante. A mercenary blade that struck only at evil. But this was different. This was slaughter, painted in the colors of necessity.

“Shirou…”

The voice froze him.

He turned.

Taiga.

She stood at the far end of the desecrated altar, clad in the pale garments of Kiara’s cult, her eyes wide and wet with tears. In her arms, cradled against her chest, was their son.

Their boy.

Shirou’s breath caught. His son’s body was pale, skin sagging, breath shallow like paper crumbling under its own weight. And his eyes—there were no eyes. The sockets stared blank and empty, vessels of flesh animated by magecraft.

“Don’t,” Taiga whispered, her voice breaking. “Don’t hurt her. She’s the only one who can save him.”

Behind her, Kiara stood, smiling softly, as though the chaos around her was a symphony. Her hands folded like a saint, her gaze dripping with the poison of divinity.

Shirou’s gut churned. He could feel it—there was nothing left in that boy but a body. The soul had already fled. Whatever Kiara had done, it was no miracle. It was desecration.

“Taiga…” he rasped. His hand shook on the hilt of his blade. “That’s not—he’s already gone.”

“No!” she screamed. Her voice was wild, feral with grief. “He’s breathing! He’s alive! Look—he’s right here!” She pressed their son’s body tighter against her chest, sobbing into his hair. “You don’t understand. You’re always chasing after the world, after strangers. But this is our family! He’s our son, Shirou! Our son!”

The blade in his hand felt like it weighed the world.

Kiara’s smile widened, the shadow of victory blooming across her lips. “Do you see, Emiya Shirou? Even love can be corrupted into despair. Even the purest bond can become a chain.”

“Shut up,” Shirou snarled, his rage cracking against the hollowness inside him.

But Taiga stepped forward, blocking his path. Her arms spread wide, her eyes wild with devotion. “If you kill her, you kill him. Don’t you see? She’s the only hope left. Please. Please, Shirou. Don’t take this from me. Don’t take him from me.”

Her knees buckled, her forehead pressed to the floor, her body trembling as she begged. “Don’t make me your enemy. I can’t lose both of you. Please…”

Shirou’s heart broke.

The image of her laughing at the breakfast table. The warmth of their son’s tiny hand in his. The nights of exhaustion, of hope, of trying to live in the cracks between bloodshed and peace. All of it screamed at him to stop, to relent, to surrender just this once.

But the truth was right in front of him.

The boy was gone. Taiga was already lost. And Kiara—Kiara was a cancer that would eat the world.

Shirou’s hand rose. His blade gleamed.

Taiga’s head lifted at the motion, horror dawning in her tear-swollen eyes.

“Shirou—”

Steel fell.

The sound was final.

When it ended, Kiara lay in pieces. Taiga’s sobs had gone silent, her body crumpled across the flesh of their child. Blood pooled across the altar, staining holy stone with the ruin of everything Shirou had loved.

And in the echoing silence, the weight of what he had done crushed him flat.

---

Aftermath

They found him later, standing amidst the corpses.

Not Rin. Not Sakura. Not Rider. No familiar faces, no comfort of old bonds.

Just allies—mercenaries, fellow vigilantes, scattered magi who had fought beside him in the shadow war. Faceless figures who had called him “friend,” who had trusted him as their blade.

“Why?” Ally A asked, his voice trembling.

“Why would you kill them?” Ally B’s voice cracked, shaking with fury.

“Your own family! Emiya, what have you done?!”

He tried to explain. He told them the truth: that the boy’s soul had already gone, that Taiga had been consumed by grief, that Kiara’s evil had to be cut out no matter the cost.

But the words tasted like ash.

And no one believed him.

Every protest sounded like justification, every reason like madness.

They looked at him not as a comrade, not as a hero, not as a man who had sacrificed everything for them—

but as a murderer.

A war criminal.

He fled.

He kept fighting. He hunted evil, cut it down, painted his hands with blood to balance the scales of a world that refused balance. The Church hunted him. The Mage’s Association marked him for death. Governments declared him an enemy of mankind.

Still, he fought. Because if he stopped, then the deaths of Taiga and his son would mean nothing.

And when they caught him at last—bound, beaten, dragged before the executioner—he looked his faceless comrades in the eye and begged them to understand.

They didn’t.

The blade fell, and Shirou Emiya died.

---

Twin Choices

In the void that followed, the Counter Force reached out.

A bargain was offered. A contract of eternal servitude in exchange for a chance to give his suffering meaning.

And in that moment, faced with the unbearable weight of memory, Shirou Emiya made two choices.

In one world, he begged.

“Erase it. Please. I can’t… I can’t carry this. Not her face. Not his. Let me forget.”

The Counter Force obliged. The memories were sealed, locked away in the deepest vault of his soul. He became EMIYA, the cynical but steady Guardian, fighting endlessly while never knowing the root of his brokenness.

In another world, he refused.

“No. This is mine. This pain is mine. I’ll carry it, even if it crushes me.”

The Counter Force accepted. The memories festered, blackened, carved into his very bones. He became EMIYA Alter, a darker Guardian whose every blade sang of grief and self-loathing, who wielded vengeance not just against evil but against himself.

Two roads diverged in the same hell.

Two guardians born of one tragedy.

Both doomed to fight forever, neither whole again.

A/N: I myself don't know why I wrote this, but i had to write it. 

Chapter Text

Chapter: Shadows at the Water's Edge

The world dissolved into a smear of colour and sound as Archer fled the Emiya State and ran, not as a spirit, but in a raw, physical sprint that tore up the pavement beneath his ephemeral form. The command to escape was not a conscious thought but a base instinct, a primal scream from a part of him he didn't know existed. The image of the pink-haired girl—Kiara Sesshoin—was burned onto the back of his eyelids, and with it, a feeling of profound, soul-deep violation, as if something ancient and filthy was trying to claw its way out of the tomb of his being.

When his senses returned, the cool, damp air of the forest and the still, black water of the lake registered. He was near the Einzbern castle, a place of painful memories, drawn here subconsciously. He clutched his head, the thunderous pain finally receding into a dull, persistent ache.

What was that? he thought, the question a roar in the silence of his mind. I don't even know that child.

Yet, the sight of her had felt like a key turning in a lock he never knew was there. It wasn't a memory; it was a sensation—a deep-seated, instinctual recoil, the kind a predator has for a greater, more ancient predator.

---

"Trace, on."

His internal world, the infinite hill of swords under a setting sun, materialized in his mind's eye. He stood at its center, his form glitching with green circuit patterns as he ran a diagnostic on his very soul.

"Structural Analysis," he commanded.

The results returned instantly.

Spirit Origin: Stable.

Mana Core: Nominal.

Memory Partition: No Foreign Data Detected.

The facts were clear, yet they felt like a lie. The panic had been too real, too personal.

"Again," he growled, pushing his power further. He scanned for cognitive viruses, for temporal parasites, for any shred of data that could explain the reaction. He found nothing. It was like searching for a ghost that had left no footprint.

Frustration mounting, he did something he rarely ever did. He opened a direct, painful channel to the source of his power. He looked up, not at the stars, but at the fabric of the world itself.

"Counter Force," he pulsed the thought into the void. "Report. Is there an anomaly in this unit?"

The response was not in words, but in a flood of pure, unadulterated data—a cold, impartial stream of information that affirmed his operational status. He was Archer. He was EMIYA. He was as he always had been: a weapon for slaughter, a guardian of humanity's continuation, a cynical killer burdened with the memories of a failed dream. The Counter Force denied any error, any tampering .

The confirmation should have been reassuring. Instead, it was the most terrifying answer of all. If nothing was wrong with him, then what did that say about the girl? The fear was not an implant; it was his.

---

Letting the connection sever, Archer finally stilled. The frantic energy left him, and he sank to one knee by the water's edge. The star-filled sky was reflected perfectly in the black mirror of the lake, a vast, cold beauty that mocked his turmoil.

He looked at his reflection—the tanned skin, the white hair, the hard eyes of a man who had seen every hell humanity could conjure. Everything was slipping from his control. His younger self was not following the script. He wasn't just naively clinging to his ideal; he was forging a new, more dangerous one.

"A tyrant..." Archer muttered to the night. "A hero for his friends and vengeance for the innocent. You fool. You think that's a middle path? It's a tightrope over an abyss."

This philosophy was even more volatile than his own. Without the anchor of "saving everyone," however impossible, Shirou's justice could easily become a self-righteous crusade. He could become the very calamity the Counter Guardi— The death of Zouken Matou.

The thought cut through his musings like one of his own projected blades. Sakura had stated it so simply, so matter-of-factly. And then, his own voice, an echo from a previous loop in this twisted timeline, whispered in his memory. A secret he had buried, a piece of knowledge about the nature of these repetitions...

His eyes widened. The two facts connected, forming a horrifying picture.He was about to grasp the pattern, the fundamental truth shaking the foundation of this world...

__

"I was just about to go pay Onii-chan a visit. Who would have thought a stray servant would offer himself on the platter, right, Berserker?"

The voice was sweet, lilting, and utterly out of place in the tense silence. A voice he knew all too well.

The thought brushed against the surface of his mind.

And was gone.

Like mist in the wind.—only the quiet absence where something might have been. His attention slid past it, untroubled, as though nothing had ever stirred there at all.

The unease remained, faint and formless, and he believed it belonged to Berserker’s presence.

His will was steady, his mind intact. Nothing had touched him.

The secret endured.

Not hidden. Not lost.

Simply never there.

For what could hunt something that didn't even exist.

Standing at the tree line was a small, snow-haired girl in a pristine white and purple dress. Beside her, a mountain of a man, a black giant whose mere presence radiated enough pressure to make the air itself feel heavy. Heracles, the Berserker .

Archer placed a hand over his heart and gave a shallow, theatrical bow. "Hello, little lady. I am the Archer-class Servant. You may call me Archer." His voice was calm, a stark contrast to the storm that had just been raging within him. He knew this child. He knew she loved to play games, to be the princess in her own fairy tale of death. "And you, milady? How should I address you?"

Illyasviel von Einzbern beamed, a genuine, childish smile that belied her role as a Master. She puffed out her chest with pride. "I am Illyasviel von Einzbern! And this is my Servant, Berserker! The strongest of them all! Amazing, right?" She looked up at him, her ruby-red eyes sparkling, genuinely seeking praise.

Archer played his part perfectly. He let a small, almost imperceptible smile touch his lips as he looked from the tiny, proud Master to the terrifying guardian who would move heaven and earth for her. "Indeed, milady," he said, his tone laced with a sincerity that was only half-feigned. "Both you and your... friend are truly amazing."

Illya clapped her hands suddenly, snapping him from the thought. “Well, Archer, you were polite, so I won’t kill you today. But be careful, okay? If you make me mad, Berserker will smash you to pieces. And no amount of lying will save you then.”

Her words were sweetly cruel, like a child threatening to break a doll she owned. Archer bowed again, the perfect gentleman to the perfect little tyrant.

“I shall take your generosity to heart, milady. May your reign be long and entertaining.”

Her ruby eyes glittered at the compliment. For a heartbeat, she looked every bit the princess she fancied herself to be—innocent, untouchable, adored.

And then she turned her back, walking deeper into the forest with Berserker trailing silently behind. The trees seemed to bend around the giant’s frame, unwilling to touch him.

When their presence finally receded, Archer let the mask fall. His breath left him in a controlled exhale, his hand drifting unconsciously to his chest.

He didn't want to fight Illya,not now.

To be Continued 

Chapter Text

---

Chapter: The Inheritor of Filth

[Author’s Note: This chapter contains intense body horror, graphic violence, sexual assault references, and psychological trauma. Reader discretion is strongly advised.]

The door to the Matou mansion slammed shut with a hollow echo that rattled the bones of the house. For a moment the sound lingered, then the silence returned, thick and oppressive.

Shinji Matou swayed against the wall, the alcohol still bubbling in his bloodstream. His head spun, his feet scuffed clumsily against the wooden floorboards. Cheap beer mixed with whiskey curdled in his stomach, leaving a sour burn climbing up his throat. Normally the haze of liquor made him feel untouchable—loud, arrogant, bigger than the shadow always looming over him. Tonight it only made him unsteady.

“SAKURA!” His voice cracked the silence, too loud, too slurred. He slapped at the light switch, bathing the entrance in harsh, sterile brightness. “Where the hell are you, you useless bitch? Get out here!”

No answer.

The house remained still. The silence wasn’t absence; it was defiance. The emptiness was like a slap in the face, a reminder that the only thing in this rotten place he could claim control over had slipped through his fingers.

His lip curled. Of course she wasn’t here. She was probably at that faker’s house again, smiling at Emiya Shirou, that self-righteous loser who somehow kept stealing things from him. His sister. His property.

Rage cut through the haze in his head, sharpening his thoughts like glass. He stomped down the hall, fists clenching, every step fueled by the familiar fantasy: her pain, her helpless eyes, the way she looked so small beneath him. That had always been the only thing that made his pathetic life feel worthwhile.

He flung open her bedroom door.

The door swung too easily, without resistance. Inside, the same bare room greeted him: a bed, a desk, and almost nothing else. Minimalistic to the point of sterility. No posters, no books scattered, no life. It was a prison cell. And the prisoner had escaped.

The emptiness enraged him more than her presence ever could have. With a final, hate-filled glare, he slammed the door hard enough to splinter the frame.

The violence didn’t ease the cold dread creeping up from his gut. There was only one other presence in this house, and Shinji knew better than to shout for him.

His grandfather.

No—“that thing.” The word grandfather was too human for what lived in the basement.

Matou Zouken. The source of the rot. The reason his father was gone, his mother a husk, and his own future nothing more than scraps. Shinji knew—had always known—that thing was no man. He was older, darker, and hungered for things no human mind could endure.

And Shinji feared him. He always had. His hedonism—parties, laughter, cruelty—wasn’t joy. It was desperation. A frantic, hollow attempt to put others beneath him, to prove to himself that he wasn’t already at the very bottom of the pit Zouken had dug.

Room after room came up empty as he searched. The silence grew heavier with every step, thick with something close to inevitability.

He found himself at the basement door.

---

The air changed as he descended.

It grew damp, heavy, and cloying. The smell hit first—sweet rot that coated his throat and nose, mixed with the nauseating musk of insects. His stomach lurched violently, but he pushed on.

The basement was his personal hell. He hadn’t touched Sakura since Zouken started throwing her into the pit two years ago. Not because of guilt, never that. Because the worms’ stink and the squelching filth down there made his skin crawl. Even his cruelty had limits, and the pit was a place that made him feel less like a master and more like prey.

The bulb above flickered, swaying on its cord. Shadows danced across the stone walls, twisting into monstrous shapes. Each step pressed into floorboards soft with rot, squelching with wetness beneath his shoes. The skittering sound was everywhere, the dry click of countless legs, the twitching whisper of countless bodies writhing.

He swallowed bile.

And then he pushed the heavy door open.

The sight inside turned his blood to ice.

---

In the center of the pit lay a husk.

It wasn’t a body. It wasn’t flesh. It wasn’t even a corpse.

It was an empty shell, brittle and papery, vaguely humanoid in shape. Like an insect’s molted skin—except this one had been worn by something that had once pretended to be his grandfather.

From its hollow sockets and gaping mouth, a sluggish stream of worms crawled out, weak and dying. The rest of the chamber was chaos. Crest Worms twisted and writhed in frenzy. They tore into one another with blind hunger, gnawing at their own kind. Dozens lay already dead, their bloated bodies carpeting the slimy floor.

Shinji froze, staring.

The thing that had ruled his life—the monster he had feared more than death itself—was nothing but a discarded shell.

His legs buckled, and he fell hard onto the slime-coated stone.

The sound cracked the frenzy.

Seven worms turned as one.

They stilled, twitching, their blind heads snapping toward him with unnatural unity. In that synchronized, intelligent movement, Shinji saw it—something alive, conscious, and hungry.

He scrambled backward on hands and heels, but he was too slow. Too drunk. Too human.

They surged forward.

One rammed itself into his open mouth, choking his scream. Another drilled into his ear canal, sending a lightning spike of pain through his skull. Another wriggled into his nostril. They forced themselves into every available orifice, cold and slimy, burrowing into his body.

Shinji’s eyes bulged. He gagged, clawing at his face, trying to rip them free. Their slick bodies writhed past his fingers, plunging deeper. One pierced his throat. Another slithered down his spine. He felt them invading, colonizing, claiming him.

And in that violation, he finally felt it—the same absolute terror, the same despair he had so loved to watch in Sakura’s eyes.

Every cruelty flashed back at him like lightning. Her screams. His laughter. The way he had delighted in her pain. Now, for the first time, he understood it.

And he hated it.

His last thought before the world went dark was pure, wordless terror.

His heart stopped.

---

It started again.

A single, thunderous beat that shook his whole frame.

His eyes snapped open, bloodshot and wild. His scream dissolved into ragged laughter, wet and manic.

The seven worms had settled.

One in the base of his spine. Another in his gut. A third in his solar plexus. One in his heart. One in his throat. One in his forehead. The last crowned his skull.

Seven points. Seven roots. A parasitic Magic Crest etched into living flesh.

Agony became clarity. His life force had been stripped down to nearly nothing—one year left, no more. But in exchange, knowledge surged into him. Magecraft circuits, perfect and strong. His body hardened, his veins burned with energy. Every nerve hummed with strength.

And with it came hunger.

Not for food. Not for drink.

For humans. Living humans.

The worms whispered it into him. He would endure only if he fed them.

Fragments of memory not his own spilled into his head: the last moments of Zouken. A golden blaze, a sword that burned without fire, the stench of ozone, and Emiya Shirou’s face in the light.

It should have filled him with terror. Instead, the intoxication of power drowned everything else.

Euphoria. He had never felt anything like it.

“Finally…” he croaked, the grin tearing at his cheeks. His laughter grew, manic and echoing through the pit. “Finally… FINALLY I HAVE POWER!”

Rin. That smug bitch. Sakura, that whore who dared to leave her cage. Emiya Shirou, that pathetic faker who had somehow ended everything.

He would break them. He would feed them to the hunger inside him. He would take everything they had. And in their death, he would find immortality.

Black-brown energy erupted from him, reeking of rot and corruption. It pulsed outward like diseased blood, shaking the foundations of the estate.

Far below the city, the corrupted Grail stirred.

It felt his hunger. His madness. His filth.

And it gazed at him.

---

To be Continued

Chapter Text

A/N: This scene takes place right after Archer's meeting with Illyasviel Von Einzbern from Chapter: Shadows at th Water's edge

Chapter 16

-The night air was cold and still as Illyasviel von Einzbern stood at the forest's edge, the lights of the Emiya residence twinkling in the distance. Beside her, Berserker was a mountain of silent, protective fury. Her initial plan had been simple: a dramatic, midnight surprise for her dear Onii-chan.

But that was before she felt them.

Her role as the Holy Grail vessel made her exquisitely sensitive to the presence of Servants. And now, from within that seemingly peaceful home, she sensed not one, but three distinct and potent spiritual signatures clashing and intertwining in a silent symphony of power. One was very likely to be a Rider-class servant. Another was a brilliant, kingly light that felt oddly reminiscent of something from her past. The third was a sharp, cynical aura that seemed to cut through the others. Yet it felt strange, servant-like yet not.

A pout formed on her lips. She had absolute confidence in Berserker, the strongest Servant of all. In a straight fight, she was certain he could crush any of them. But a three-on-one battle, in a confined space, against opponents of such caliber? That wasn't a glorious victory; it was a messy, unpredictable brawl.

Despite her cheerful and often mischievous exterior, Illya was not an idiot. The Einzbern family's harsh training had beaten that particular foolishness out of her. Charging in blindly was the act of a soon-to-be-dead Master.

"Looks like Onii-chan is having a party without me, Berserker," she murmured, her voice a mix of annoyance and grudging respect for the tactical situation. "It's too crowded in there. It wouldn't be any fun."

She made her decision. The surprise would have to wait. Let the other Servants weaken each other first. She would return in the clear light of day, when she could properly assess the situation and have Shirou all to herself.

"Come on, Berserker. Let's go home." With a final, lingering look at the house, the little giant and her colossal guardian turned and melted back into the dark forest, leaving the Emiya household to its tense, temporary peace.

The Next Morning,

Sakura moved quietly in the kitchen, the gentle clatter of dishes mixing with the faint scent of miso soup. A new kind of glow was on her face after reuniting at last with her sister.

Shirou was outside, cleaning the porch with mechanical focus — the same way he always did when his mind was too full to rest.

Artoria was helping Kiara bathe and get ready.

And Rin… Rin was inside waiting for her servant to return.

Dew glistened on the tree branches in the yard as a figure materialized at its edge, the faint shimmer of a spiritual form collapsing into flesh and fabric.

Archer exhaled quietly. The world always seemed too alive after he rematerialized — the chirping of sparrows, the wet scent of the earth, the subtle creak of the house behind him. Things he used to find comforting now felt... foreign. Too fragile.

He'd been gone only a night, but he could already feel her coming.

The door slammed open.

"There you are!"

Rin Tohsaka's voice cracked across the quiet yard like a whip. Her hair was a mess, her coat half-buttoned — she had clearly stormed out the instant she'd felt his presence again.

Because he was late.

Not late as in hours — but late as in he'd muted their link, vanished, and reappeared only now after a night of silence.

Archer's dry voice carried no apology. "Good morning to you too, Master."

Rin looked at Archer, her expression flat — the kind of expression that made even Shirou tread carefully. "Don't you 'Master' me. You muted our link out of nowhere and ran away," Rin bit out, her voice dangerously low. "Care to explain where you've been?"

Archer didn't even have the decency to look chastised. He merely shrugged, an infuriatingly nonchalant gesture. "Reconnaissance. The city is full of interesting developments. I trust you managed to survive the night without me?"

"Don't you dare," Rin snapped, taking a step forward. Her voice rose, losing its carefully controlled composure. "Don't you dare be glib with me! What if I had been in real danger? What if Saber or Rider had turned hostile? I was left blind and vulnerable!"

"It all worked out in the end, didn't it?" he deflected, his tone cool and dismissive. His grey eyes met hers, and in their depths, she saw not remorse, but a weary, cynical amusement.

Her composure cracked. "That's not the point! You left your Master defenseless! You broke the most basic tenet of our contract! Your job is to be my sword and my shield, not to wander off on your own whims whenever you feel like it!"

From the veranda, Shirou paused mid-sweep, pretending not to listen.

Sakura glanced up from inside, brows knitting with quiet worry.

Rin took a step forward, her hair glinting crimson under the sun. "You think just because it worked out, it's fine? You cut me off, ignored the bond, and expect me to— what? Smile and say 'good job'? I didn't even know if you were okay!"

Archer tilted his head, expression unreadable. "I've survived worse."

"That's not—!" She stopped herself, her breath sharp. Her hands curled at her sides, her magic crest flickering faintly through her sleeve. "You're my Servant. I have to know where you are, what you're doing. I— I can't coordinate if you're gone."

For a moment, his eyes softened — almost imperceptibly. "You were never in danger," he said quietly.

Rin's glare didn't falter. "That's not your decision to make."

They stood there in silence, the air between them charged, neither willing to back down.

Then Rin's voice lowered, trembling slightly despite herself. "You can't keep shutting me out, Archer. Not like that. Not when—"

He raised an eyebrow. "When what?"

Her jaw tightened. "Forget it."

He almost smiled. "It seems to have all worked out regardless."

That was the final spark.

The crimson glow of a Command Seal ignited on Rin's hand before Archer could say another word.

The first of the two remaining seals ignited with a searing, crimson light. The air in the dojo hummed, pressure spiking as an immense, binding power surged forth, wrapping around Archer's spiritual core.

"By my Command Seal, I order you!" Rin's voice was amplified by the raw magic, echoing with undeniable force. "You will never again sever our mental link without my express consent! This is my absolute command!"

The magic flared — a flash of scarlet light that twisted through the morning air. Archer's eyes widened slightly before he grimaced, the compulsion biting deep into his core. The glow faded, leaving silence behind.

Sakura peeked from the doorway, startled, and Shirou exhaled quietly, muttering under his breath, "They are at it again." A trace of slight envy at their bond.

When Archer finally straightened, his usual mask of indifference had returned — though there was a faint edge to his voice. "You really shouldn't waste those, Rin."

"Better wasted than useless," she snapped back, her heartbeat loud in her ears.

For a moment, he simply looked at her — and she hated how unreadable his expression was.

Then he gave a faint, almost weary smile. "Understood. I'll follow your command."

"Good," she said, crossing her arms and turning away. "See that you do."

Archer lingered for a second longer, his gaze flicking toward the porch where Shirou pretended to sweep.

"Your new ally seems… spirited," Archer commented idly.

"Don't change the subject," Rin said over her shoulder.

He smirked faintly — then dematerialized in a shimmer of red light, leaving the faint smell of ozone in the air.

Rin stood there for a moment, her anger slowly ebbing into exhaustion. She stared at her hand, where the Command Seal's glow had faded to a dull warmth.

"Idiot," she murmured.

"Breakfast is ready," Sakura called softly.

Rin sighed, smoothing her hair back. "Coming."

She stepped inside, her voice steady, but her thoughts still tangled in the silence Archer had left behind.

A few minutes later,

Taiga Fujimura burst in with her usual energy, her joy multiplied by the fact it was a Sunday.

"It's a work-free day!" she declared, zooming into the dining room where everyone was finishing breakfast. Her eyes fell on Artoria, and she beamed. "Perfect! Kiritsugu's friend! I'm taking you shopping today. You have to tell me everything about him! All the stories he never shared!"

She then scanned the room, her gaze landing on Rin, Sakura, and the small, quiet Kiara. Her expression softened into one of genuine, if overwhelming, kindness. "And you know what? You're all coming too! A full girls' day out! We'll get lunch, buy clothes, the works!"

The proposal was met with a mix of surprise and apprehension. The previous evening, Shirou had managed the introductions. Medusa, standing silently in the corner, had been introduced as a bodyguard Artoria had brought along, citing concerns that Kiritsugu's old enemies might target his son. A perfect lie in Shirou's opinion.

However, he didn't realise something else that happened due to his lie.

Flashback

After dinner on her way home, Taiga had pulled out her phone, a serious look on her face—a rare expression for her.

"Jii-chan," she said into the phone, her voice low. "It's about Shirou. Kiritsugu's friend is here, and she says he might have made some dangerous enemies... people who could come after the boy. Yes... yes, I understand. Thank you, Jii-chan!"

She hung up, smiling again.

"Don't you worry, Shirou! Gramps (Raiga Fujimura) might be a scary yakuza boss, but he's a softie when it comes to family. He'll have some of his men keep a quiet watch on the house. No one will dare bother you!"

End Flashback

Back in the present, Medusa gave a slight shake of her head. "I will remain. My duty is to guard Shirou." Her tone offered no room for argument.

Taiga, slightly deflated but undeterred, clapped her hands. "Alright then! The rest of you, no excuses! We're making Shirou's wallet cry today!" And with that, she began herding a very mixed group of magi, a king, and a troubled girl out the door. When Taiga decided, everyone else, however grudgingly, followed.

She turned the early afternoon into an expedition.

Rin huffed at Taiga's logistics; Sakura pretended not to enjoy the sweets she kept insisting everyone try;

Artoria, politely dragged into "modern" clothes, walked with an awkward composure that made half the shopkeepers stare.

And the smallest of them, a hand tucked into Sakura's sleeve, watched everything with wide, careful eyes.

Kiara laughed at the arcade machines. It was a small, hesitant sound, and it cleared the air better than a gust of wind. For a few hours, she had nothing on her mind but bright lights and sticky fingers and the small thrill of being among other children, even if they were older and complicated.

It was only at a café — while they shared a plate of crepes — that the day turned quieter. Taiga asked the easy question in a way that wasn't really easy: "So, Kiara-chan — you don't have anyone watching you? No relatives? Don't you miss home?"

Kiara's spoon paused mid-air. Her smile tightened like a net. "My home… wasn't safe," she whispered, and the words came out too small for such a big thing. "They did and worshipped weird things. They called me a child of the light. I ran. I hid. I'm… I'm scared sometimes."

Sakura reached over and fit her hand around Kiara's. The gesture was simple and ordinary and solid — everything Kiara had been missing. Rin, who otherwise refused to let herself soften, kept her jaw set against whatever anger the story sparked.

Medusa, in her spirit form and sent by Shirou as extra protection, watched the little scene with a complexity that had nothing to do with childlike pity or with the occult curiosity that sometimes shadowed her. Used. Worshipped. 'A vessel,' she thought, the phrases like small, cold tools in her mind. She had met people who tried to use her via the act of worship, genuine or fake; this child seemed to be in a similar situation.

Artoria's gaze was quieter than the others' — not the commanding pose she wore on the field, but the softer look of someone who had seen too many promises made of steel and broken by human weakness. A child who fled a cult, she thought, and her armor felt heavy around that thought. There are too many ways for a child to be consumed, traumatized, broken.

They finished the day with small purchases and lighter spirits, but the thing that had happened at the café stayed with them like a shadow that would not quite leave.

That evening, Taiga retired early, claiming exhaustion and a moral victory. The rest of them sat around the low table in the Emiya house, eating, talking, and letting the ordinary domestic sounds stitch them tighter. Kiara sat between Sakura and Rin, her knees almost bouncing with the tension of trying to be brave. The mood was candid but gentle; Taiga had pulled them out of the orbit of worry, but the worry had not been erased.

Unbeknownst to them, Taiga was currently on her way to her grandfather. Using his Yakuza connections, she would find Kiara's home and get a police raid on the cult, ending a disastrous cult that would have destroyed her own and thousands of other people's lives in an alternate world prematurely.

At the dinner table, Shirou and Rin explained the workings and dangers of the Holy Grail War to Kiara. Shirou, having tuned in with Medusa, had watched the entire "girls' day out," as Taiga called it.

Rin set down her chopsticks and said the thing that needed saying. Her tone was practical — sharper than gentle, but not cruel. "We need to decide whether Kiara stays as a participant."

Sakura's reply was immediate. "She can't. She's a child."

A breeze tugged at Kiara's short hair as she fidgeted nervously, clutching the hem of her tunic. Her wide, innocent eyes darted between Rin, Sakura, and Saber, unsure why adults were speaking about her like she was a fragile vase ready to shatter.

Artoria Pendragon stood by the garden door, her new, slightly taller frame and the subtle, darkened aura that clung to her since her summoning making her seem like a stranger even to herself. Her voice, when she spoke, was absolute.

"You will not be participating in this war, Kiara." It was not a suggestion. It was the decree of a king, forged in the fires of Camlann and tempered by the despair of repeated failures. "This war is a slaughterhouse for monsters and fools. I will not allow her to be another victim."

Across the room, huddled between Sakura and Rin, Kiara Sessyoin flinched. Her small hand, marked with the faint, fading red of a Command Seal, clutched at Sakura's sleeve. "I… I want to be strong. I want to help," she whispered, a frail sound swallowed by the room's tense atmosphere.

Rin Tohsaka, ever the pragmatist, nodded, her arms crossed. "It's the only logical choice. We'll go to the church. I'll register as Archer's Master, and Kiara will formally forfeit her Command Seals to the Overseer. It's the proper procedure."

Sakura said nothing, only pulling Kiara closer, her silent embrace a shield against the world's cruelties.

"But you..." Kiara looked at Artoria, searching. "You're my Servant. You said you'd protect me."

That tugged at Artoria's chest in a way she had not expected. She had sworn herself to the protection of one Shirou on a hill of salt and blood — the memory of that oath was not simple. Without Kiara's seals, her anchor line would blur; without a Master, she could not stand forever. And at the same time, her knight's instinct burned like a coal: she wanted to be at Shirou's side, to defend him as she had in other memories. But she also didn't want to endanger an innocent child for her selfish desires.

Shirou watched them all, his mind a fusion of three lifetimes of experience. But his gaze lingered on Artoria. He saw the conflict in the rigid line of her shoulders, the slight tremor in her clenched fist. She was a knight being asked to sheathe her sword, a king abdicating her throne—all to protect him. The selflessness of it, so like his own, struck a chord of painful empathy. His gaze lingered on Artoria. This isn't right, he thought. My Saber was desperate to win the Grail. This self-sacrifice for a stranger's sake... Who is this version of her? The ghost of his countless deaths in previous loops—a history only he and Medusa fully shared—hung between them.

"There's another way," Shirou said, his voice cutting through the silence. All eyes turned to him. He focused on Artoria. "You want to fight, don't you, Saber? For Kiara. For the Grail."

The question landed like a physical blow. Her former desire for the Grail flashed across her eyes.

Artoria's composure fractured for a split second. "The Grail is irrelevant," she stated, her voice like chilled steel. "My duty is to ensure the safety of the innocent. That is the only priority."

Her tone was formal, a shield against the hope he was offering.

The answer was so far removed from the Saber of his memories that it left Shirou momentarily speechless. Irrelevant? The artifact she had sacrificed everything for?

"I know," Shirou said, recovering. "And I'm telling you, you can fulfill that duty without surrendering your sword."

He raised his right hand. The air thickened, humming with a power that was both alien and intimately familiar to every Servant present. Azure motes of light swirled, drawn from the boundless garden of his Reality Marble. The process was too swift, too flawless. This was not the strained, painful projection of the boy who had faced Berserker with failing traced blades.

This was the work of a master.

With a final surge of light, the energy coalesced. In his hand lay Rule Breaker, its spiral blade pulsing with a conceptual power that made the very air reject its existence.

Rin jolted. "Shirou! What in the world is that? The thaumaturgical signature… it's a Noble Phantasm!"

Archer, a brooding statue in the corner, went perfectly still. His cynical facade cracked, revealing a deep, unsettling recognition. This wasn't just a simple projection; it was a perfect replica of its foundational mystery. A Projection almost on par with his own. It should not be possible; his own required countless battles across time and space.

Once again, this version of Shirou Emiya was proving to be an anomaly.

But it was Artoria's reaction that was most profound. She stared at the dagger as if seeing a ghost. Projection? A Noble Phantasm? So perfectly? Her mind, a fortress of knightly honor, reeled. This is not the magecraft of my Shirou.

He should not be capable of this. Not yet. Not ever. The foundation of her understanding of this world shook. This is another world's Shirou Emiya, she concluded, the realization a cold stone of despair in her heart. My journey... for naught. Yet, her vow was iron. Even so. I will protect this version of him.

Seeing her hesitation, which he mistook for reluctance, Shirou pressed on. "This is Rule Breaker. It severs all magical contracts. I can use it to dissolve your bond with Kiara and form a new one with me. You can be my Servant, alongside Rider. We can fight this war together."

The offer hung in the air, a lifeline and a challenge. He was not offering to hide behind her shield, but to stand at her side.

Artoria looked from the impossible dagger to Shirou's earnest face.

This 'other' Shirou was not a master to be protected, but a partner to be trusted. The thought was as terrifying as the fall of Camelot, and as liberating as the wind on a battlefield.

She would fight by his side and then...

"A king does not shy from a rightful contract," she said, her voice regal, the internal tempest masterfully concealed. "I accept your terms, Shirou Emiya. I shall become your sword."

The transfer was swift. Rule Breaker's blade flashed, severing the nascent bond. The Command Seals on Kiara's hand faded, and a new set, the distinctive markings of Artoria Pendragon, bloomed on Shirou's right arm. A moment of concentration, a new contract formed, and it was done. Shirou Emiya was now the Master of both the Saber and the Rider.

"It is done," Shirou said, the dagger dissipating into light.

"Now, we go to the Fuyuki Church. All Masters must register with the Overseer. It's a formality that provides a temporary ceasefire on the grounds. It will be the safest place to discuss our next moves." Shirou said as he projected and put on a new pair of gloves, hiding the fact that he had Command Seals on both hands, each for a different servant.

He then turned to Artoria, his expression turning strategic, the boyish uncertainty replaced by the demeanor of a veteran. "Saber, I need you to remain here."

Artoria's eyes widened slightly. "My place is at my Master's side."

"You are our strongest asset, and Kiara is your former master," Shirou countered, his voice firm. "This house cannot be left undefended. Sakura and Kiara are vulnerable if a Servant attacks. We can't take them with us; if other masters find their involvement with us, they will be targeted. With you here, this place becomes a fortress. Rider's mobility and scouting abilities are better suited for the church mission."

He was thinking tactically, pulling from the few Counter Guardian memories he had received from Archers of previous loops. Artoria saw the cold logic in his eyes and recognized it not as a dismissal, but as a command from a commander.

This, too, was proof he was not the boy she knew.

After a moment's consideration, the King of Knights inclined her head. "Your reasoning is sound. I will guard this territory with my life."

"Good," Shirou said. "Then Rin, Archer, and I will go. Rider will accompany us for protection."

"The Church? That means Kirei Kotomine," Rin muttered, a familiar distaste on her face.

Shirou's own eyes hardened.

Internally thinking about the cold, certain knowledge in his heart—the memory of a basement, of countless dying children, of a man who found joy only in suffering. Kotomine Kirei was a cancer. And Shirou Emiya had become a surgeon. But this was a surgery he would not announce. Not yet.

To be Continued