Welcome to the Fate of the World! 2.0 I hope that you'll come and enjoy the journey as Shirou adventures across the past. For new and old readers, if you find yourself confused or interested about the historical context, there will be (eventually) a historical database of sorts at the end of the 1st Arc.
Anyway, enjoy the story.
Mid-1st Millennium CE
A nameless monk sat in an abbey, it combined the grand architecture of Ancient Rome, and Greece and reinforced with the grandest golden age architecture from the present.
He had received a commission from his king. To document the history of the nation. He was to gather everything he could and chronicle everything. Not exaggerations, not myth. He was the most respected chronicler and was writing fact, writing history. The king and elder advisors could remember some of the tales from long ago, but there was so much a single mind could recall.
He had gathered all of the primary and secondary documents he could get his hands on. He opened the great gold lined book that this was to documented in. Immediately the first entry was outrageous, but the king himself declared that this was fact. Having no reason or right to argue, he wrote it down.
This was the story of The Fate of the World.
February 15th, 2004 CE (Fate/Stay Night: Fate Route)
The growing glow of the dawn could be seen behind the mountain ridge that surrounded Fuyuki City. Towering over the rest of the city sat a mountain temple where our young hero stood. The 5th Holy Grail War had recently come to a close and Shirou stood atop it all, the mountain, the city, the war: victorious. It had been a long and arduous journey; he was battered, bruised, yet still alive.
He had managed to overcome that wicked and false priest and destroy him; his corrupted soul was dissolving into the faux grail. Never could have believed that such cruelty could manifest itself in a single being, but he had triumphed against the darkness. He was exhausted, both emotionally and physically; his body burning from the effort of just standing. He could feel the fatigue of the night catching up to him all at once, it's black tendrils forming around the edge of his vision. Despite the temptation to faint on the spot, he knew that there was one last thing that that he must do before he could rest.
Across the courtyard of Ryuudou Temple, the other victor of the Holy Grail War stood atop the city. After nearly one and ½ millennia of suffering and pain, she had accomplished what she had sworn to do so long ago. She had finally obtained the Holy Grail. Where all of her knights (and she herself in her mortal[sih] life) had failed, she had finally emerged victorious. It had been a long and winding journey, full of betrayals, grief and anguish, but she had done it. Victory.
Yet today victory had been a ridiculous and hollow notion; walking into this she had been fairly certain that this was not the cup that Jesus of Nazareth had drunk from, but in fact a fake. However, her promise to world had to be fulfilled. A second slap to the face was this false priest who had desecrated all things holy by merely existing. In her dreams she had envisioned a holy and powerful relic, but instead she was greeted by a black and corrupted illusion. The final insult still lay before her, for she had one final thing to accomplish. "I will destroy the Holy Grail, that is my role." her voice rang out across the temple grounds, despite the slight regret, she knew what must be done. It was her duty, if not for herself, at least for her Master and his world. She would fade from this world even if the grail was not destroyed, but the consequences of either of them wishing upon it would spell disaster for the inhabitants of this world.
Despite the request from Saber to complete her quest, Shirou's mind was assailed from all sides and torn by a multitude of emotions, he stood there unable to make a decision; so, in the end, he stood there, motionless, only able to simply observe her image.
Last time she had destroyed the grail it had been forced upon her by another master. The ultimate betrayal. She had understood nothing then and only time had healed those wounds. Things were different this time; this time she was in full agreement that she must destroy this abomination, but she needed her master to command it. She had to, she could feel it tempting her with its promise of unlimited power.
Not looking back, she asked once again, "Master, please give me the order. I cannot destroy it without your order. Use your last command spell" Her voice cut like steel through the cold morning air.
Wish upon me.
You can have anything you desire and more.
A new king.
Or perhaps another chance?
A chance for happiness.
Save everyone.
The grail so desperately wanted to be used. The magnificent glow of the artifact revealed not a trace of the taint held within. What simple human could even contemplate resisting the temptation of such a great prize?
Once again, Shirou found that he was unable to give the command to allow her to be finally free. As a King of Knights who fought with honor she had to right to finally die. Not a death where she would be forced back to that terrible place and being forced to anguish on that battle-scarred hill, but to go out on her own terms. Despite all this, he still found himself paralyzed by the situation.
Saber turned around slowly, her voice softening and looking into his eyes spoke, "Shirou. I want to hear you say it."
While he wanted to do nothing but shout for her to stay, to go on another date someday, to eat together once more, to run to her and hold her, but in his heart, he knew that he couldn't. To do so would be a betrayal of everything he felt, stood for, and most of all, a betrayal of her.
In the end he managed to gather his voice enough to choke out the dreaded words, "Saber. Please fulfill your role."
It was all she needed. All of the darkness, the corruption, the anger. It was blown away in an instant by the power of Excalibur.
As the light from the Holy Grail faded, the light of the new dawn quickly replaced it. As the boy gazed upon the figure standing in the golden dawn, her beauty, or perhaps the sunlight, blinded him.
Now this is not the end.
(Fate/ Hollow Ataraxia)
As the light quickly faded, it was clear that something was wrong. The grail as gone, but Saber was still here. Saber had a bewildered look on her face. While Shirou was equally stunned. His single command seal was still there, but why?
"Saber, did you destroy the grail?" he timidly asked.
"Of course, Shirou. I cannot sense it anymore. I don't know what has happened, but it seems that I am stuck here." Saber responded, obviously she had no idea of what was occurring either.
They found Illya in the temple court yard. She appeared uninjured; in fact, it seemed that she was in a deep slumber more than anything.
Nothing the two could think of explained what was going on. In the end, they had to go home victorious and confused. Maybe Rin would know what was going on.
When they got home, Rin had bandaged herself and was slowly helping herself to breakfast and a tall cold glass of milk. When the three, (Illya being carried by Shirou with protests from Saber) entered the living area, Rin's face contorted in rage as she got up from her seat. However, her wounds were still fresh, and the rage quickly contorted into pain before shifting back to rage. She settled for the verbal thrashing while seated.
Despite her rage, she knew that her calm voice would be much more terrifying, she sweetly asked, "Shirou what exactly did you do, and why is Saber still here?"
Shirou sensed that he had to tread carefully, for he knew his life was in danger. "I d-don't know what you're talking about, Saber and I destroyed the grail, but she's still here, we didn't do anything else." He nervously thumbed over to Saber who nodded to confirm his story.
Rin's eye twitched. "Nothing else? Then how do you explain this!", she finally dropped the act and shouted at him, rolling up her sleeve and shoving it towards him.
Shirou, couldn't believe what he was looking at, "Is that…" he began.
Rin cut him off shouting, "Yes it's Archer's command seal! And the fact that it exists proves that he's alive. He's cut off contact with me, but he's alive."
"Rin when I struck the grail, I felt a wave of energy flow through me and then nothing. It was like the grail was gone. I was completely unsure of what it meant, but that could have caused this." Saber explained.
Rin nodded, "Hmm, perhaps, but as overseer of this city it is my duty to find out what is happening to it. If there is a chance that the grail could still be out there it is our job to destroy it."
Once Rin had recovered enough, they set out to find answers. What they found shocked them. They found servants considered long dead.
Lancer, Caster, Rider, Berserker, Assassin the servants that they had once slew were now back. However, the killing intent in all of them was gone. A natural competitiveness was there, sure, but they all sensed that the grail was absent and saw no reason to fight. However, they did not find Archer (both EMIYA or Gilgamesh), the former in hiding and the latter dead. In fact everyone except Kotomine and Gilgamesh seemed to be accounted for and alive.
They searched all day, yet no answers surfaced and with no reason to fight they went home and decided to try again tomorrow.
However, tomorrow came and went, and so did the next. Soon it had been months and no signs of the grail war had resurfaced. Before they had realized it the servants and masters all fluidly settled into a semi-normal life. Dawns filled with good company shifted into evenings with good food and soon it was summer.
And all was good.
One week though came and went without any of the people living though it taking too much of a note, but it was the start of something new.
It had started in the Fuyuki Mall, Rin was doing some shopping and Shirou had come with her. They had exited a specialty foods store and were on the way to a jewelry store before they headed home. The two were talking about Rin's trip to London. She was going to try to get into the London Clocktower, the finest gathering of Magi in the world.
"I'm going to need a trump card when I go to London next year. They say there are a lot of weirdos this term, and since I will be going as a bumpkin from the far east, it'd be a good idea to have some dignity." She gave Shirou a smile and another bag full of shopping goods to carry.
What she actually intended to do was beyond Shirou's imagination, but she and Illya had spent countless hours and dollars meticulously planning the project.
However, when it came time to produce results, she had messed up completely and utterly, on a scale that mere mortals could never imagine.
The result: the temporary financial ruin of Rin Tohsaka and destruction of a good portion of Einzbern Mansion.
And unbeknownst to all, the beginning of a domino effect that would change Fate itself.
20XX (EMIYA's Route)
The next several years passed quickly for Shirou, he found himself moving forward in life against his will. Before he had realized it he had graduated secondary school and had moved onto university. Soon university had come and gone and he found himself a full-time mechanic for Fuji-nee. Raiga Fujimura and his son had died in an "accident" and Tagia had been forced to take over the yakuza. She had no desire to continue the more extreme elements of operating a yakuza and sought to moderate and turn to more legal means of commerce. However Rin and himself found themselves drawn deeper into the web of Japanese crime. He soon found himself way out his league. Risking his life almost daily to de-escalate every perilous situation his little family had found themselves in. However, he tried to save as many as he possible could on the way. Innocents didn't deserve to suffer because of this. However, somethings had never changed. Rin, Sakura and Taiga all came over and enjoyed dinner almost every night as if time itself was halted.
What had also halted was his mindset. He had never moved on from the King of Knights. Over the years he forgot some of her mannerisms, the exact sound of her voice, the way her facial features all came together perfectly, but he knew deep down that some part of him longed for Saber. But she was gone, never to return.
Nevertheless, time marched onwards.
20XX+Y (EMIYA's Route)
Onwards it marched. Over time the burdens of the world were brought down upon Shirou. Soon he found himself making a deal with The World. A pact to save people in exchange for his humanity. Yes, he could accept those terms.
A monstrosity
A beheomoth.
A dealer of suffering of death.
While once he had championed democracy and the rule of law, he had soon discovered that the only constant in his life was the use of human death as a means to an end. As long as a single human existed somewhere along some time line, Alaya was content. This is what he was now. He soon found the mere notion of existence unbearable. Forced to betray what he stood for, millions if not billions fell before him a cross many timelines. All in the name of the 'greater good of humanity'.
His existence as a human had nearly broken him and this was the tipping point. Over time he simply stopped caring and started accepting his new reality.
His new reality was also an alternate reality a factory of steel and iron that produced swords aplenty. Ceaseless mining, forging and casting all contributed to the wasteland of his Unlimited Blade Works. Yet it was his tool, to use in this insidious quest.
October 2004. (Fate/ Hollow Ataraxia)
Something was wrong, very wrong. EMIYA had spent countless millennium as a Counter-Guardian and he was able to recognize when something was off. It was if time itself was breaking down. It was hard to keep timelines straight anyway, but he was pretty sure he had lived this early October before. Many times, in fact. Yes, he remembered that he had finally killed the fool Shirou Emiya by putting an arrow through his skull and heart (that had been satisfying as hell), and he also remembered being sliced in two by Excalibur (Not as pleasant) just a few days/ weeks / timeline loops (?) later.
Whatever was wrong he would have to find out and eliminate the cause of it, but for now he would have to wait and see.
0 ∪ ∞ Holocene Era (Unknown Location)
EMIYA wasn't too surprised as he came to he found himself face to face with a small girl. Looking around at the cosmic realm, he tersely he greeted her, "Hello Alaya, it's been a while since we've talked in person. Exactly why have I been brought here?"
The girl greeted her Counter Guardian cheerfully, "Hi Shirou!" Then growing seemingly nervous she sheepishly said, "I may have made most of the timelines I had in storage incase humanity was about to go extinct uhhh… completely useless." Before EMIYA could interrupt, she cut in. "But I can fix it! I have a solution! I just need your help with something…"
Astounded, an eyebrow shot up and he asked, "Useless? And what exactly do you mean by 'incase humanity goes extinct'? Isn't that your one and only job? What happened?"
Alaya rubbed the back of her head, "You're not going to like it. Something has caused a majority of the timelines I currently hold to converge to extinction. I'm pretty sure I know what it was, but blaming Rin isn't going to fix my problems now. I'm not 100% certain yet, but it seems in her ritual she blew a hole in time and space and created a Causality Conductor. Basically, every timeline with a Fuyuki Grail War started to become corrupt. I didn't realize what was happening before it was too late, and unfortunately, those are the vast majority I keep now because it is where you exist.."
EMIYA let out a slow "Okay" as he rubbed the back of his head in slight confusion, "Where do I come in then?"
Like a small child promised candy, Alaya came up to him enthusiastically. Despite being physically shorter than him he still felt like a piece of meat or a prey that is being stalked.
She quickly spewed off, "Well, the easiest way to create a untold number of potential futures all revolve around when Shirou Emiya won the 5th Holy Grail War by defeating the priest Kotomine and destroying the grail. If the Grail hasn't been cursed from the 4th Grail War, and he wishes for Saber to stay it should work. I can feel it whenever I go back and observe the timelines, but every time he always has Saber destroy the Grail."
EMIYA's eyes widened in confusion and he asked, "But that's impossible, there are in infinite number of different outcomes in the univ…"
Cutting him off, Alaya started tearing at her hair. "I know that, but you just had to be one of those people," she shouted at EMIYA, dropping the separation between the boy and the Counter-Guardian, and pointing a finger at him.
EMIYA had no idea what she was going on about. Bewildered, he asked, "One of those people? What are you talking about?"
Clearly exasperated, she explained, "I just call them constants. They always share the same fate or take the same action across all universes. It is 100% certain to happen every single time. For instance, in all the timelines where Jesus of Nazareth is born, he always ends up being crucified. Similarly, if Rome manages to win the Punic Wars, it is destined for Imperium, the Republic always collapses and it happens with absolute certainty. Similarly, if Shirou Emiya wins the Holy Grail War with Arturia Pendragon, he always orders her to destroy it, cursed or not. Haven't you noticed that?"
EMIYA nodded he understood almost everything now, but the unknown uneased him. Growing terse he asked Alaya, "Then why have you called me here? I am no longer that boy nor can I help you."
Alaya sighed once more and continued explaining, "Every so often I have to cull timelines that look unpromising, it takes too much energy to maintain them all. However, with the turning of the century and the millennium being a sort of spring cleaning for the number of universes I kept meant the options became limited. With the grail wars between them, every time line I kept after the culling have all somehow bottlenecked into human extinction. Nuclear war, massive climate change, even a meteorite collision all somehow managed to find a way to wipe out everyone. There's even a couple timelines where humanity escapes into space into the 3rd millennium, but Gaia always found a way to win... " Alaya seemed down and pensive, her shame from the failure to keep humanity thriving showing. But she quickly became excited and pointed at EMIYA, "But we can change that If I just have you subsume Shirou and change the timeline, perhaps things will change."
EMIYA looked surprised and slightly confused, "You can do that? I thought you just said the decision was guaranteed."
Alaya just shrugged her shoulders, "Yea I don't know how it works. But it if Shirou is the constant, you just have to replace him. Whether you like it or not, you are similar enough to him to make this work."
As she went off into technicalities about the plan, all of which went over EMIYA's head, I thought she just said she didn't know how it worked, he thought wryly.
Suddenly she pointed at him, "Hey! I heard that! And your right, but what I do know is that you only have one shot at this. I know you and him are similar, yet fundamental opposites of each other, and it makes it taxing on my energy. The energy and effort I will have to put into this makes it a once an eon effort. At least."
EMIYA responded, suddenly wary of his heavy involvement, "I don't know about this. What if something unexpected happens? I don't fee.."
Once again, he was cut off, "Listen, you don't get a choice in the matter. You are my Counter Guardian, and you're going to help me. We wouldn't even be here if you had just allowed Shirou to live in the castle then, but no you had to kill him. Wish for humanity to survive and we'll both be done with this."
EMIYA grimaced at this and though, We're doomed, the consciousness of mankind acts like a spoiled girl. Fitting, considering she's a child compared to Gaia.
Yet another finger was pointed at him, I heard that too! Now begone!" Snapping her fingers EMIYA felt light headed and found himself fading away for the second time today.
Before he disappeared, he thought of one last concern, "What exactly is the plan when I get there?"
Smiling and waving she laughed as he faded for the second time today, "I have literally no idea. I've never been able to mess with a constant before. I'll figure something out. Just don't forget to wish for humanity."
0 ∪ ∞ HE (Unknown Location)
EMIYA found himself transported to the end of the 5th Grail war battered, bruised, yet alive and victorious. Instantly the fatigue rushed over him, he staggered forward, almost falling over. He reasoned that must have subsumed the body of Shirou, he had forgotten over the long years what such a weak body felt like. Suddenly a voice snapped him out of his reverie.
"I will destroy the Holy Grail, that is my role." Saber's voice rang out across the temple grounds, despite the slight regret, she knew what must be done. It was her duty, if not for herself, at least for her Master.
EMIYA stood in shock for a moment, obvious he had absorbed the idiot's brain as well as he could feel the emotions threating to overwhelm him. While he remembered Saber fondly as a Counter-Guardian, her memory had never affected his judgment. However, now he heard her voice in a new way, saw her in a new light. The constant nature of the situation demanded that he destroy the grail, he could even feel the grail whispering in his ear to wish, but this time he would forge a new path. A new history.
"Master, please give me the order. I cannot destroy it without your order. Use your last command spell" Her voice rang out again, she must have misjudged his delay as uncertainty.
She turned to the boy, her voice softening and looking into his eyes spoke, "Shirou. I want to hear you say it."
Shit. He had almost forgotten how much that look had gotten him when he was a mortal, but now it only made the following task so much harder. How was he supposed to bluff his way out of this situation now?
Saber. Please fulfill your role.
He had seen this in his dreams and visions an infinite number of times, it what he always said, but now it was different. Calling out, he changed fate forever, "No Saber, don't."
The grail thought that the boy had decided to wish upon it. Save her. Save everyone. Save her. It chanted an infernal mantra.
Instantly, Saber spun around and looked at him as if he was insane. Her eyes narrowing, she demanded in no uncertain terms, "Shirou! Order me to destroy the grail. It is what must be done!"
Giving her a smile. He attempted to lie through his teeth to the bewildered Saber. "Kotomine and Gilgamesh's tainted and insane ways corrupted nature tainted the grail. If you had slain me in the church earlier, and then used it, it would have only brought misery and destruction. But now, you can wish for what you want." Mind reeling, he attempted to convince her. Acting slightly down he added, "If you wish you can redo the selection of king of Britain."
It didn't make any sense, but it didn't have to either. All that he needed was for Saber to believe it. She was the king of Britain, and almost saintly in her values, but she was human and that is what he banked upon now.
Eventually the repressed hopes and dreams of the last millennium and a half came through and she smiled. "Thank you master, it was an honor to serve by your side." Turning to the grail, the King of Knights declared, "I Arturia Pendragon have completed the quest for the grail. I humbly ask for the Matter of Britain to be redecided in favor of a truly worthy king."
She began to glow and disappeared as suddenly as she had been summoned to him, the grail all too happy to send her back in time and relish in the death and bloodshed of a broken Britain once again. The grail would relish in the chaos and the bloodshed of Late Antiquity once again.
Inside he felt terrible, doing this was equivalent to desecrating all she stood for. To go back was to bring her eternal suffering. This was the price of his pact with the world. Now he would be forced to destroy everything he held dear for the sake of human survival. Millions of people were nothing but a drop in the bucket if it meant that humanity survived. But now he had to destroy his origin. Fuyuki City. Surely any wish here would destroy the region if not all of Kyushu. But he knew that his former friends and family lived below him.
EMIYA bitterly thought that if Saber had the opportunity she would still have sacrificed herself for the good of humanity. It was her duty as king, an oath she took to protect her people. Yet it made him mad, mad that it took such extreme measures for her to realize to live for self. It was something effectively unobtainable, for as it ultimately led to her destruction. They had too much in common. But he was much more bitter and broken than her. She was still strong and brave, full of spirit. He hoped that where ever she was she could one day be happy. It was too late for him.
A he watched the morning dawn, he found himself thinking, I hope that someday she can live for herself and be happy.
Instantly he heard an echo in head. He immediately came from the grail, Then Champion, your wish shall be granted. Before he could react. Black tentacles immediately shot from it and enveloped him. It too had plans for chaotic future for this young fool.
Instantly he heard Alaya's voice thundering through his head, rattling his skull, "You idiot! You had one job! That counted as your wish! That's not what you were supposed to wish for! I had to cull a ton of the timelines to insert you here! It was so easy, you just had to wish for the continued survival of man and the stupid grail would have taken care of it. You had one shot and you blew it!"
Now that it was too late to do anything, he could only smiling and chuckle to himself. "You trust an old, jaded, and cynical man who has openly mocked of being a Hero of Justice to save the universe? Perhaps I can finally fade away. Anyways, you said we were doomed anyways before, right? Anything I manage to change for the better is surely and improvement. Also, I don't ever remember agreeing to help."
As he and the King of Knights faded away in the morning rays, a voice could be heard, carried away on the breeze, "IDIOT!"
Now this is not the end.
It is not even the beginning of the end.
486 CE Dunmonia/Cornwall (Slightly southwest of the future site of Camelot)
As Shirou came to he wasn't sure where he was. All he knew was that he was in the middle of nowhere, in the most uncomfortable clothes, and that he had no idea what had happened. One second he had won the Grail War and had made a wish for Saber, now his head and arm were seating with pain. Not his hand either, his command spell was gone, but his entire arm burned. Unsure of what to do, he picked a random direction and started walking, maybe he could find someone to ask for help from.
A knight scouted the forests of Dumnonia, he was hunting for dinner for him and his friendsw for the night. It was still mid-day and the sun filtered down through the broad leaves of the ancient forests. Hopefully he would be able to catch a couple hares, or if he was lucky, he would find a deer. His thoughts were interrupted when he spotted Shirou in a clearing. Upon seeing the boy, his horse began to whine. Something was obviously wrong with this figure in the clearing.
Who was this strange boy? Instant he thought of a Saxon or Jute, after all. They were at war. However, closer inspection indicated a Pict, or perhaps a native of Éire, for his hair was redder than anything he had ever seen from a native Briton. However, there was something that had unnerved him, there was something wrong with his eyes, they were in a state of being half-way closed constantly. Maybe it was his imagination, but it made him seem suspicious. The man was traveling alone and wandering about as if lost. It was obvious that he was lost, as he was deep in his father's hunting territory. He didn't appear armed and seemed to be a peasant for he saw no sign or armor or any coinage or goods to sell. Nonetheless, this peasant was on his personal hunting ground, a crime against his father. He had been granted this land by the king and now some peasant was here? Not wanting to startle the peasant he hailed loudly, then rode up and asked, "Who are you?"
The look on the boy's face indicated that he either didn't hear him or was purposefully ignoring him. He frowned and drew his sword, he pointed it at the boy and repeated.
"Who are you?"
"Piw os ta?"
The first time the strange man had said the words, Shirou had come up to him to ask for directions. Upon closer inspection, he had to have been some sort of LARPer. After all, who goes running around Japan in armor and on a horse? He must have been transported to Hokkaido or something as he still saw no sign of civilization other than this man. It was all forests and wilderness in Hokkaido, right?
However, upon hearing the garbled mess of a greeting Shirou cursed his luck. It figured that the first man he met was intoxicated or something. But with the appearance of a sword, it was clear that the man was deadly serious. He assumed he must have been in a foreign country. After all, there was no way to possibly understand that throat gargling. Still unsure, he held his hands up and greeted the man. It was the only thing he could really do, with the sword in his face and all.
"Hello, my name is Shirou Emiya. Can I help you?"
こんにちは、私の名前は衛宮 士郎. どんな御用でしょうか？
As the boy spoke the foreign words, the knight was instantly alert and on guard. A foreigner? He himself was a fresh new knight, being knighted early due to the need for more knights to resist the invaders, but he had seen when the army had brought prisoners from Eire and Alba and Gaul, and this boy's words were absolutely not either of those languages. If it were, he would have been able to make at least something out, but this was a completely mystical and foreign language. Remembering his training from nearly a decade ago, only one thing came to mind.
Magic. It was something to be on constant guard for, and something to be feared. His father had stressed that this one thing that all the knights of his lands be wary of. He was unsure of what to do, sure he had fought bandits before, but this was something way out of his league. He was a little scared but mostly excited, the adrenaline rushing through his body. He would have to take this mage to father. The only question was how to capture him.
As soon as the man leveled his sword, Shirou moved into action. "Trace on" his Japanese mantra only alerting the knight more. However, he found that nothing happened. Looking inwards he found the sludge of the grail clogging his magical circuits. They sputtered like a car engine without gasoline and soon he found himself dodging the sword based off of pure reflex. It had been mere hours for Shirou since he had done this, but EMIYA's memory of combat was still fresh.
The two fighters soon found themselves at an impasse. The attacking knight able to swing his sword, but unable to connect, and the defender incapable of counter-offense.
Shirou thought about running, but his opponent had a horse and would quickly catch up to him, unable to defeat his opponent or flee, he chose to surrender. They could stand there all day and do this, and if the knight grew tired he would merely ride off and return with help. Plus, maybe he could figure out what was going on. The man he had been wary at first, but Shirou had managed to signal with him that he didn't want to fight. A set of ropes binding his hands was the concession that he paid.
As he trailed the horse he wondered what he had just gotten himself into.
Now this is not the end.
It is not even the beginning of the end.
…
But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
0 ∪ ∞ HE (Unknown Location)
Watching from beyond the pale, Alaya sighed, "Damn it, I knew I forgot something."
Gaia stood appeared next to her, observing mirage that stood before the two only sighed in exasperation, "I always told you that humans always find something to screw up. 'The Common Sense of Man' still leaves room for stupidity after all. No wonder I always find a way to win."
Alaya instantly began to pout with her cheeks puffing out as she took a swing at Gaia "Shut up! I am not a human!"
Gaia only laughed as he taunted Alaya, "Eh, close enough, you both seem to make the same mistakes."
"Shut Up!" the sound of the subsequent slap could be heard through the astral plane.
The monk put down his pen. A wondrous invention from the court of the king. He wondered why the king mandated that this fictional piece be placed at the very beginning of the legend. Even if it were declared fact, one cannot ignore the fact that it is impossible for this to happen. 2004 CE was over 1000 years from now. If the king declared that 2+2 =5 it would not make it so.
When he asked about it, the king just told him to write it down, but he had a strange longing in his eyes that the monk could not place.
It was not his place to question it, if the king wished for this to be here it shall be done.
And then he began the next piece.
Thanks for reading, Don't forget to drop a review! Feel welcome to follow or favorite.
Created 3/16/18
Edited 3/20/19
Fate/Stay Night is a brand written by Kinoko Nasu. This is a non-commercial work, and I do not claim any ownership over the characters or the world of Fate/ Stay Night.