"You have won... Emiya Shirou..."
Two individuals on the brink of death stared at each other as they stood upon what could be called hell. One, a boy who wanted to become a hero, and another, a man who wished to realize his purpose in the world.
The two of them were opposite sides of the same coin, their goals different yet the same. The way they worked, however, could not be more different. Damning the world or saving it... they both had fought for the right to decide the fate of the world.
"A simple difference in time was the deciding factor. A shame." Kotomine Kirei breathed out with an emotionless look on his face. Despite the fact that his dream was crumbling around him, he neither cared nor felt any sense of displeasure.
"Kotomine..."
The priest closed his eyes, resigning himself to his inevitable fate. "Congratulations, Shirou Emiya. You are the winner of the Fifth Holy Grail War. The right to wish upon it has been granted to you... Though I suggest you do it soon before anything... unfortunate were to happen."
Shirou Emiya, his body slowly turning into swords, could only nod in acknowledgement as his final enemy breathed his last breath. The priest sunk to his knees and toppled the side, finally free of the burdens life had placed on him as the last of his strength ebbed away.
And soon... he would follow suit.
Using the last remaining amount of strength he had, he forced himself to stand tall and confront the monstrosity in front of him.
The Holy Grail, a wish granting cup that was created by three of the greatest minds in the history of magecraft, pulsated with an ugly purple hue as black liquid spewed out of the top. It looked more like a living monster instead of a cup, having formed flesh and numerous eyes that lashed out crazily as it became closer and closer to birthing the monster that laid within.
"Even after everything that has happened, I can't help but feel sorry for you." Shirou muttered as he stared at the monstrosity. "Anger and hatred is all you know, but I am going to set you free."
He exhaled slowly as he returned his heartbeat to a slow pace. As he was right now, there was no way he would be getting out of here alive. The only thing he could do right now was finish this horrible nightmare.
"Trace... On."
He needed a weapon. A powerful weapon. As his mind became even closer to completely eroding away, he quickly searched for the weapon he needed. A weapon suited for destroying massive fortresses.
Her weapon.
He opened his eyes, which were burning with determination, as a golden sword appeared in his right hand. The holy sword excalibur, the sword of the once and future king, was the tool most suited for the job.
Shirou took an overhead stance as he fought to lift the sword above his head. Sweat poured down the side of his face as he exerted as much effort as he possibly could. Even if the action was a simple one, his body had almost completely broken down.
His arms burned and throbbed as he fought to maintain consciousness. Just a little more... Just a few more inches...
Triumphantly, he finally managed to get the blade above his head. The weapon hummed with power as it began absorbing the last amount of mana in his system, glowing with golden light that pushed away the darkness.
The cup screamed and howled as it sensed the presence of the holy sword. It was mere seconds away from being incarnated into this world... it would be damned if it was stopped now!
The corrupted mud swirled about in a chaotic matter as the grail was whipped up into a frenzied state. It hoped to drown him before he could release his noble phantasm and obliterate everything here.
But just like him and Kotomine's last fight, it had come down to a minor difference in time.
"EXCALIBUR!"
Shirou roared the name of the sword that defended the planet as he toppled forward, his body having finally collapsed as the last of his energy was sapped away. The fall had done its purpose wonderfully, however, as the holy sword discharged all of its stored up energy in a beam of light that began evaporating all of the mud in its wake.
The monstrosity could only wail in disbelief as the holy light smashed into it, atomizing it down to nothing to make sure that no trace of its corruptive influence would remain. Even so, it wouldn't give up. It was so close... all it needed was a few more seconds!
Shirou's body hit the ground with a thud, and the last bit of his life was beginning to ebb away. His life would end early, but at least he could save the things that were worth saving in the end.
Unfortunately... Angra Mainyu had other plans.
"This isn't over, Emiya Shirou. I may not be able to fully incarnate, but I have the capacity to do anything I please. This war may be over for me, but the grail is not done with you. It will be born, no matter the cost! You will see it with your own eyes... as you fail!"
As the last of the grail's essence was blown to bits, its entire stockpile of mana exploded outwards in a torrent of raw energy. The last thing Shirou saw before passing away was the flash of light as it engulfed him.
And then everything went white.
"No matter the cost!"
Shirou's eyes snapped open as he sat up in bed. Gripping his head with a tired hand, he replayed what should have been the last few moments of his short life.
"Damn it all..." He muttered as he threw the covers aside in frustration and stood up. He was currently in a small apartment near the clocktower of London. As for why he was there and not in the afterlife, it all chalked up to bad sportsmanship.
He awakened in this world a few weeks ago and could already tell that something was wrong. For one, he wasn't dead. Two, Archer's arm was no longer grafted to his body and was instead replaced with his regular arm. It was definitely more comfortable, but it had initially caused him to panic.
Thankfully, he awakened close to the Mage's Association. He had heard Rin talk about it a few times, saying that it was one of the central hubs of magical knowledge in the world. Using this information, he had wormed his way in and managed to dig up some records about the Holy Grail War.
From what he could figure out, he had been sent to a different world with a different history. While his world and this world were similar in some aspects, they vastly differed with one crucial disturbance. The Holy Grail was no longer in Fuyuki city, and has been lost ever since World War Two. No one knew where it was, but everyone was certain that it was out there.
Putting the information together, he realized that the Holy Grail from his world must have used all of its stored up energy to send him to a new world where the Holy Grail has yet to be born. If it couldn't be set free in his world, it would send him to a world where it still had a chance to do so. Effectively, it had given itself a second chance to succeed.
As for why it decided to send him along... he could only assume that Angra Mainyu wanted him to fall into despair should he fail to find the grail. It was the ultimate chance for him to comeback, destroying his morale in the process. It may sound petty, but that was all he could come up with.
Then again, Angra Mainyu only knew hatred and anger. Both of those tended to make people do questionable actions, so it was best not to think about it too hard.
He exhaled. That's right. All he needed to do was find the Holy Grail. Once he did so, it would be a simple matter to destroy it. Whether he lived or died, it did not matter. He must not let that evil be birthed into this world.
*RING* *RING*
He glanced upwards as the phone nearby began to ring. Standing up, he quickly picked up the receiver and held it to his ear.
"Hello?"
"This is Rocco Belfaban. Come to my office right now. There is an emergency that I believe you will be interested in."
Shirou paused for a second as he realized who exactly was calling. Rocco Belfaban was the head of the Department of Summoning. They were regarded quite highly, but they usually kept to themselves. He had done business with them before, but they had been simple missions like excavating a magical artifact or breaking into a museum.
"I'll be right there, Sir."
In truth, Rocco had long since stopped asking him if he would take the mission or not. As he was the department who mostly dealt with magical artifacts, Shirou always worked with them in the hopes of getting a lead on the Grail. He had a couple leads, but nothing conclusive.
He quickly grabbed his jacket and threw it on as he rushed outside. Perhaps this time, he'd find something useful.
"You've found it?!"
Shirou's excitement reached sky high as he stood up from his seat. The old man in front of him raised his eyebrows at his reaction before sighing, motioning with his hand for him to sit down.
"Yes... we did. Though I suggest you hear the whole story before getting excited." The man muttered, earning an embarrassed look from Shirou as he sat back down in his chair. "Indeed, we have found the grail. Or rather, we know exactly where it is. It is in the city of Trifas, which is in Romania if you did not know already."
"Romania..." Shirou muttered, a perplexed look on his face. How did the grail move from Japan to Europe?
"However, the circumstances around it are complicated." Rocco suddenly scowled. "A large magus family known as Yggdmillenia has complete control of the area. They are led by Darnic Prestone, a former member of the clocktower who was known for being quite the swindler. He has currently left the clocktower along with the rest of the family."
Shirou blinked. "Wait... he left the clocktower?"
Deserting the clocktower was something most magus would not even consider of doing. Should someone do so, they would be hunted down by numerous magi as retribution and to make sure that one did not spread magecraft out to the public. In their mind, whoever they couldn't keep tabs on were too dangerous to be kept alive.
"Indeed. It is an action that the higher-ups are not taking lightly. It doesn't help that they have control of one of the most powerful magic artifacts that have ever existed." Rocco grumbled with obvious displeasure. "The Yggdmillenia have not been subtle about their hold on the grail. In fact, they're actively advertising that fact. They plan to start a magic organization of their own, possibly to rival the clocktower in strength."
Shirou's look matched Rocco's own. "With the grail under their command, people will see them as the strongest magus family. They'll gain more followers every week."
"Right on the mark." The old magus slid a crystal ball onto the table. "We immediately decided to strike at them. We had to reestablish our position as the dominant magical institution. 50 of our best combat mages were sent last week to teach them a lesson. Unfortunately..."
An image in the crystal ball formed and Shirou felt his stomach drop quite a bit. Numerous people had been impaled on wooden stakes. Some were still alive but in a constant state of agonizing pain if their facial expressions were anything to go by.
"...They have all been slaughtered." Rocco finished. "The elite task force had all been slaughtered by a 'servant' as the Yggdmillenia called it. Only one person managed to return, but he has been so traumatized by the event that we fear he is nothing more than a vegetable now."
"A servant..." Shirou muttered, visibly disturbed. "Are you saying that the Yggdmillenia have already summoned servants and have completely forgone on making a wish?"
"We do not know. Even so, this has taken a disturbing turn. The church itself is willing to cooperate with us to defeat this threat though, so there's something worth having." Rocco gently picked up the crystal ball and placed it back to the side.
"With all due respect sir, I doubt the Chuch can do anything against the likes of servants." Shirou said with a frown. "Even if they used the scriptures, I'm not sure they could ever attempt to kill a heroic spirit. Attempting to fight one is tantamount to suicide."
"Right you are. However, we already have a second plan." Rocco declared as a cheeky grin wormed its way onto his face. "You see... the last Magus who lived was able to make his way to the Grail and activate the reserve systems implanted in it."
"Reserve systems?"
"It's a system that's put in place to prevent an alliance of all seven servants. If they did so, the Grail would allow for the summoning of another seven servants to oppose the original seven." Rocco elaborated, earning wide eyes from Shirou.
"So you're saying..."
"An all out war with seven servants of our own." The elder nodded cheerfully, enjoying the continued look of shock from Shirou. "I have been placed in charge of picking worthy candidates to participate, and so far you have been the second person I've called upon."
The old man reached down and pulled open a drawer. He rummaged around for a bit before coming back up with an apple. It was slightly faded, but it was oddly not rotting. Its skin was also an odd color, not being red or green. Rather, it was a shade of bright yellow that shone and sparkled despite its age.
"Should you choose to accept, I will give you this catalyst free of charge. It's straight from our treasury, so its value is quite high. It will no doubt give you a top tier servant if my sources are correct." Rocco promised with a smug smile, no doubt proud about that fact. He was still a mage, after all. "So... Do you accept?"
Like he needed to ask. This was the opportunity he was waiting for!
"I accept." Shirou declared without skipping a beat as he gently took the apple. "I'll depart immediately."
"Of course you will." Rocco chuckled as he stood up. "Our team will meet you in Trifas. Until then, make your preparations. The clocktower will help fund anything you need... unless it's above our pay grade."
"Thank you sir." Shirou bowed politely as he stood up and quickly departed, the catalyst clutched tight in his hand.
He finally knew the location of the grail. At last, he can finally be put at ease. All he needed to do was destroy the grail before anything could happen. Easy as buying groceries.
Of course, fate would never make it easy for him.
"This should do it."
Shirou nodded triumphantly to himself as he stared at the magic circle in front of him. He had returned to his apartment after grabbing the necessary materials that would be needed for the summoning and quickly began drawing his own magic circle. A couple times he had to restart from scratch due to the complexity of the ritual, but he was finally satisfied after the third attempt.
Rin would probably be screaming at him on how it took him more than one try to do this, but she wasn't here right now. Truthfully, he was kind of glad for that.
Now all he needed to do was get through the speaking part... without killing himself.
He closed his eyes and flared his prana up as he opened his mouth to chant.
"Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let red be the color I pay tribute to.
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."
"Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again.
Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling.
I shall declare here. Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be with your sword. Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail.
If you will submit to this will and this reason… then answer!"
Upon the completion of his chant, the summoning circle began to glow with an ethereal light as the mana in the air intensified. Within seconds, the light had become so blinding that it forced Shirou to avert his eyes. When the light finally began to die down, he looked up with excitement to see what kind of servant he had summoned.
It was a girl. A girl with very feline features. She looked close to her early twenties, sporting a very lithe figure and a firm look on her face. Her top was clad in verdant green with cold, sharp eyes containing a beastly glint. Her hair is stretched out long and unkempt, and it is completely lacking in the silkiness that would be found amongst those of noble birth.
What drew his attention, however, were the very cat-like features that she sported. Not only did she have a pair of cat ears at the top of her head, she also had a tail that flickered back and forth like a real cat.
To be honest, this wasn't what he had been expecting.
"Servant Archer has answered your summons." The girl declared her bow held proudly in her hands. "With my bow in hand, I will win this Holy Grail for you, master!"
Shirou smiled, quite happy that he got the class he wanted. His pool of prana was just barely above average, so he wanted a class that would have a lower cost so that the both of them could fight at maximum capacity. Assassin would have been fine too, but this archer looked promising.
He extended his hand in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Archer. I am your master, Emiya Shirou."
Archer grasped his hand with an approving look. "Hm... You have quite the backbone. A firm grip. Though I wonder if you can keep it up in the future."
Shirou found himself smirking. "We're partners. So long as you promise to watch my back, I'll cover yours."
"Bold words... but I see no reason to doubt you." Archer's eyes twinkled with some sort of light. Whether it was amusement or approval, he didn't know. He did feel like this interaction was going quite well, though.
She let go of his hand before glancing around the room. "A very modest living space I see."
"Not used to such living conditions?" Shirou asked as he watched her move about the room.
"Far from it. A small little space is a great place to think or rest. If it had been a bigger room, I wouldn't be able to calm down." She shrugged as she continued to look around the room. Her eyes suddenly drifted over the golden apple that sat in the middle of the summoning circle and frowned. "Is that the catalyst you used to summon me, Master?"
"Just call me Emiya." Shirou said quickly, earning a look from the huntress. "And yes, that's the catalyst I used to summon you. Why? Is it something important to you?"
"Important..." She murmured as she gazed at the apple. Slowly, she bent over and picked the apple up with a scrutinizing gaze. "In a way, you could say it was important to me... though not in a good way." She glanced at him. "Do you know of my legend?"
Shirou scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed look. "Sorry... I can't say that I have. I was simply given the catalyst and my benefactor didn't really give me any details on who it was associated with."
"Hn. I see." Archer murmured as she returned back to looking at the apple. "Well, this apple you could say was the cause of my downfall. Truthfully, there were many circumstances surrounding it, but the golden apple was the main object someone would associate with me." She laughed, a hollow sound that held a hint of regret. "This apple is a priceless treasure. It doesn't really surprise me that it has lasted through the eons."
She tossed him the apple, which he promptly caught. He glanced at it for a moment before giving her an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry about that." Shirou said truthfully. "Painful memories aren't something I want you to remember."
Again, she gave him a weird look. "For a male, you certainly apologize a lot."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Not in a bad way." Archer quickly clarified. "The men from my time were more... brutish. They prided themselves on their muscles and power, flaunting their strength as they pleased. It's quite annoying to tell you the truth. You're the first male in a long time that has ever given me an apology that felt so... truthful."
She gave a pure smile and Shirou could feel his heart nearly stop at her beauty. She didn't look like the type to smile much, which honestly made it that much more satisfying.
"You are a good person... That much I can see. As such, I feel comfortable with revealing my true name." Her posture straightened up and he could see a small glint of pride in her eyes as she did so.
"My name is Atalanta, The Chaste Huntress. My heavenly bow shall shoot down all of your targets. I look forward to working with you, my master."
I know this chapter is a bit short, but please bear with it. The second chapter will be longer, I promise! Since school is coming up, I won't be able to update as frequently. I can only promise to try, though!
In the meantime, leave a favorite and a review! If there's any mistakes you see, feel free to point it out to me!