Epic of Remnant

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Offer

Emiya Shirou was a troubled kid.

That wasn't all that surprising, really. When he was only five years old he'd lost his entire family and previous life in something now widely called the Great Fire of Fuyuki, a freak accident that had incinerated an entire city block and killed over five hundred people.

After that, his father, Emiya Kiritsugu, the man who had saved him from the blaze and then adopted the then orphaned child, had unexpectedly passed away a little over two months ago, a little after his tenth birthday. Truly, it was as if bad luck and ill tidings seemed to following him around like a lost puppy.

But that wasn't what was troubling him at the moment. True, he was still mourning the death of his father, but he had other things on his mind right now.

"Ha... ha..." the sound of harsh breathing could be heard.

Emiya Shirou was quite a troubled kid, however that wasn't because of his personal situation or his past for that matter. No, the unassuming metal bar laid out in front of him on the ground of his Workshop was the cause of his troubled mind. Well, that wasn't entirely correct either, but that was neither here nor there.

"Just one more," the kid's breaths came out in harsh pants as he sweated profusely, his limbs shaking from effort. "Just one more try..."

A feeling of frustration and helplessness coursed through him as he stared at the unassuming metal bar. He took a deep breath through his nose before releasing it slowly in an attempt to expel said feelings. He did this multiple times in an effort to calm himself; if his mind was not clear he would definitely fail at what he was trying to do, not to mention put himself through more pain than he was experiencing all ready. When he judged himself ready to give it another shot, Shirou clenched his hands in determination. "Here we go," he muttered to himself, just as his hand very slowly reached out for the metal bar.

"Trace, on."

Shirou murmurs as if the hypnotize himself, his personal Aria succeeding in sharpening his mind to a razors edge and deluding him into thinking that what he was about to do was indeed possible. That was the easy part, something that came virtually like second nature to him. Now for the hard part.

He broke out into shivers and goosebumps, his body temperature beginning to slowly heat up as the artificial Magic Circuit he was arduously making began sliding into place. Shirou bit his tongue and kept going, fighting to keep his breathing even. Losing concentration now could mean death. "Ugh," he groaned to himself, shaking and feeling as if a hot metal poker was slithering through his body.

In short, the pain was immense, unfathomable even. But it was as nothing compared to his will of iron. And that was what Magecraft was all about in the end. Will. The will to endure the pain that came with Magecraft. The will to put yourself in harm's way for your goals.

But, more importantly...

Shirou, never forget. To be a Magus is to walk with death.

...the will to endure the ever close by specter of the grim reaper looming over your shoulder whenever one performs Magecraft.

Most adults, not even mentioning ten year olds like him, would balk at the mere idea of walking hand in hand with death, and his father had been against teaching him for exactly that reason. But he'd persisted for a whole year, constantly begging and pestering Kiritsugu to teach him what little he knew, and not because he'd thought Magecraft was cool or anything like that, but simply because he admired his father and wanted to be more like him: a Magus.

That is why he had originally preserved in his goal to learn Magecraft when it had become painfully clear he had no talent for the discipline and in spite of the pain. Even now, ever since the faithful night of Kiritsugu's passing, he still practiced diligently every day in his Workshop, even if his reasons for doing so had changed since that night.

"Argh," he gritted his teeth at the pain, but with a final mental effort he finished constructing the Magic Circuit and attached it to his nerves.

Magecraft, at its most basic, is a way to release magical energy, and can be divided into two sources: the large source, "mana", that floates in the atmosphere, and the small source, "Od", that's created within oneself.

It goes without saying that the large source is superior to the small one. The power of "mana" is on a completely different scale than "Od". Whatever form of magic is used, a spell using the large source far exceeds one using only one's very own power. That's why superior Magi excel at drawing magical energy from the world.

It's like a filter. A Magus turns his body into a filter, sucks up the mana from the world around him, and changes it into something that he can use. That filter is called a Magic Circuit, something that changes either one's Od or the surrounding mana, the raw resource, into energy that the Magus can use, called Prana.

And now that he's finished constructing the Magic Circuit, a proces that took about an hour, he can finally be considerd a Magus who can perform Magecraft.

"Trace," he said outloud, his inner Od being processed by his Circuit in preperation for one of the only two spells he was any good at, "On."

A detailed blue print of the metal bar appeared in his mind, his magical energy having recorded all the associated data of it's structure and internal composition. That was the power of Structural Grasping; the most basic of basic Magecraft that had come naturally to him when he'd first begun his studies as a Magus.

Shirou could still remember his father's surprised expression when he'd performed the spell on the first try. What a useless ability, Kiritsugu had exclaimed, something he was still smarting about to this day.

Not that something like that mattered, though. Analyzing the basic structure of the metal bar was only the first step. Now he needed to Reinforce it.

He carefully began directing his magical energy into the gaps and faults in the structure of the metal bar that his Structural Grasp spell had revealed to him. By filling in those gaps with his magical energy, he could strengthen the metal bars durability and function far beyond what should be possible.

"Uh, gah," a moan of pain escaped his mouth as the Magic Circuit warmed up even more and seared his insides. It almost felt like he was being boiled from the inside out. He clenched his hands and gritted his teeth, willing the pain away and stubbornly continuing on.

Reinforcement was another very basic spell, but to Shirou it was infinitely harder than merely grasping the structure of an object. Besides the pain, channeling magical energy into another object is no different to pouring poison into that object. Too much energy and the object he is trying to Reinforce would just break, too little and the spell wouldn't take effect.

It was a very delicate and precise process. It would be easy for a skilled Magus, but to him who had no talent, couldn't even produce sufficient magical energy on his own and was no good at taking it from the surroundings, it was almost like looking in two opposite directions at once. In other words: damn near impossible.

That is why it did not surprise him when the metal bar under his figertips suddenly fractured, breaking apart underneath the stress of having too much magical energy poured into it.

"Damm it..!"

Frustration once more welled up inside of him, almost enough to blot out the pain of the still active Magic Circuit as he clenched his teeth together in anger. "How many failed attempts does that make now?" he hissed to himself.

He had long since lost count. His best guess was somewhere in the one thousand or something range.

Normally he wouldn't become angry at himself like this. It wasn't in his nature, but after failing so many times it was beginning to grate on him. Not so much the fact that he had failed again, but because he hadn't made any progress in spite of all his efforts. No matter how much effort he put in, he just wasn't improving.

He could have dealt with failing if he had improved just a little bit after all that pain and effort, but it was clear that he was stuck somehow. Incapable of honing his skills any further, his goal seemed impossibly far off. Where he was now he wasn't even at the damn starting line.

Sighing with dissatisfaction and frustration as he steadied his breathing again, Shirou shut down his Magic Circuit. "Another attempt, another failure," he mused to himself in self-deprecation.

How could he possibly achieve his dream if he couldn't even perform such a simple spell like Reinforcement?

"What should I do, dad?"

Naturally, there was no response to the plea in his question.

Not that it mattered. He already knew the answer; he was simply giving voice to his frustrations. He would just have to keep trying, no matter the pain, effort and time that it took. If he just kept practicing he would improve some time, right?

Right?

Shirou got up from his cross-legged position on the floor and wiped away the accumulated sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand, stretching his sore limbs as he did so. Better take a quick bath before going to bed, he thought to himself. Hopefully the warm water would soothe both his aching body and mind.

He left his Workshop; a storehouse on the edge of Emiya Estate's expansive yard. The full moon overhead bathed the yard in pale blue light so he'd no trouble seeing even in the dead of night. He locked the storehouse, slipped the key into his pocket, and let out a short breath at the finishing of another long day. He turned around...

Someone stood before him, a mere five meters away from him, someone he swore hadn't been there a mere second ago.

Alarms blared in his head as he jumped back on reflex, pressing himself against the door of the storehouse as his heart skipped a beat. How had the man gotten so close to him without him even noticing? Scratch that. How had he even gotten onto the premises without tipping him off? Shirou might just barely be considered a true Magus but the house he lived in was still the house of a Magus. The Bounded Field surrounding it should have alerted him the second the man had stepped onto the grounds.

And yet it hadn't. The man had somehow marched straight through the mystical barrier without setting it off and suddenly appeared only a few shorts steps behind him. The questions of how and why escaped him for the moment, lost in the sudden fear of the stranger that had invaded his house for who knows what reason.

"W-who," he stuttered, "who are you?"

The man, in contrast, merely smiled genially at him.

"Now, now," he said in an unexpectedly kind and gentle voice. "There's no need to be afraid, lad. I don't mean you any harm or some such. I'm only here to give you… well... let's call it an offer of sorts."

A wave of confusion passed over him at the man's response as he slowly began to calm down from his scare. The man's words, while strange, didn't have any falsehoods as far as he could detect. Shirou stepped away from the storehouse and he narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the stranger. "What kind of offer?"

The man's smile widened even further, looking almost predatory to Shirou's eyes.

"An offer that you won't be able refuse."

Shirou sat down on the opposite end of the table and tried not to fidget. The man on the other end looked around the room with clear interest, ignoring the cup of tea in front of him that Shirou had brewed as an almost automatic gesture of politeness.

Confusion was the primary feeling Shirou was experiencing as he studied the man sat on the other side of his livingroom table, though there was also a not unhealthy dose of suspicion and wariness too. Usually he was a rather trusting person by nature, someone who really trusted too quickly and expected the best of everyone around him, but the situation had put him on edge. And rightfully so, he thought.

What did the man want from him? The man had said that he had on offer for him, one that he wouldn't be able te refuse, but what did that even mean? Such questions rolled around in his head, but all of that took a backseat to one very important conclusion he had come to.

The man in front of him was a Magus, or the very least aware of the Moonlit World. How else could he possibly have detected the house's Bounded Field and then passed it without tripping it? That, above all else, made him wary. He'd never interacted with any other Magus except for Kiritsugu, and going of off what his father had told him, most Magi weren't very nice or moral people for that matter. It would not be wrong to say that most ordinary people would consider your average Magus a monster.

So did he, by the way, though he wouldn't judge someone without getting to know them first. Nonetheless, he felt that he had a right to be wary, even when he did not take into account that the man across from him was a stranger that had forced his way into his home for some reason Shirou didn't even know of yet.

"You," he began hesitantly. "You told me that you had some kind of offer for me?"

"Hmm," the man finally turned his attention to Shirou, scratching with one white gloved hand at his full, grey beard as he raised a surprised eyebrow. "That I did, but you are rather more direct then I expected you to be, lad. Are you not even going to be polite and ask my name first?"

Shirou's eye twitched, belying his nervousness. "It's also not very polite to force your way unnanounced into someone else's home," he observed. "And you haven't asked my name either."

The grey bearded man chuckled. "True, true," he allowed, which was followed by a short, hearty laugh and a friendly grin. "But then again, I do not need to ask to know your name, Emiya Shirou. I already know everything that there is to know about you," he said, staring at Shirou with an intensity that made him squirm in his seat.

"Such as?" he asked, though he felt an odd chill in his gut at the man's words. Is this what it felt like to have a stalker?

The man closed his eyes, humming in thought. "Emiya Shirou, adopted son of Emiya Kiritsugu, the former fifth head of the Emiya clan. Original family presumed to have died in the Great Fire of Fuyuki. He remembers nothing from before the fire, the trauma caused by it resulting in memory lose. Guardianship currently held by one Fujimura Taiga, heir to the Fujimura Group. Country of origin: Japan. Age: ten. A first year Student at Homurahara Gakuen middle school, where he's currently ranked sixth in his class on academic performance and first in physical. Having joined a local archery club a little over two years ago at the urging of his guardian Fujimura Taiga, it was quickly noted by the instructors that Emiya Shirou was a natural at Kyuudou, and never seemed to miss a shot unless he wanted it to miss."

Shirou's heart hammered in his chest like a drum. Everything the man had said was spot on and the knowledge that the man had apparently done a full background check on him did nothing to soothe his nerves. He clenched his hands underneath the table, trying to keep his calm. "So what?" he challanged. "That's nothing more that just publically available information anyone could find with enough effort."

"Having been Emiya Kiritsugu's apprentice when that man was alive, Emiya Shirou is a Magus," the man continued, ignoring his interruption entirely. Shirou tensed at the fact that the man was aware of his involvement with the occult. That part, certainly, wasn't publically available information. "Though it would be more accurate to call him a Spellcaster. At first Emiya Kiritsugu had not wanted to teach his son Magecraft, only agreeing after being worn down by constant pestering for over an entire year. Even then, his teaching skills left much to be desired, and the information that he imparted on his son ended up being very basic and incomplete."

A flash of something like shock traveled down Shirou's spine as he straightened in his seat, narrowing his eyes at the man. Basic and incomplete? What did the man mean by that? "Excuse me," he began, "but I can't let go of what you just said. Dad might not have been the best teacher at times, but he taught me-"

"Almost nothing at all," the man interrupted, opening his eyes, and Shirou realized with a start that the man's irises were a deep, unnatural red. How had he not noticed that? "And what little he did teach was either conveyed wrong or incomplete. You have most of the basics," the man admitted, "but you are missing some of the fundamentals of Magecraft. You do not know your Element. You do not know your Origin. Hell, you do not even know how to operate your Circuits correctly. How your father even allowed you to practice with such a lacking understanding of Magecraft is nothing short of mindboggling."

Element? Origin? Operate his Circuits (plural) correctly? The term Origin did sound vaguely familiar to him, his father having metioned once to him that every person would be able to draw out a kind of Magecraft they would be compatible with from their Origin, but the rest the man had mentioned was new to him. The man before him was most definitely a Magus of some sort, and Shirou briefly wondered what more the man would be able to tell him if he was so inclined.

And how did the man know what he had been taught and hadn't been taught in the first place? How did he know all of that other stuff? The more Shirou talked with the man, the more questions he had.

The man seemed to be able to read his mind, however, because he smirked briefly at him.

"Now," the man said, his face that was wrinkled heavily by age became more serieus, almost official even. "As I am sure you have many question I'll get to the point so that I can adress your concerns."

The man inclined his head at him.

"Emiya Shirou, would you perhaps be interested in becoming my unofficial apprentice of sorts?"

His jaw dropped, eyes opening wide as his face grew slack. Whatever Shirou had been expecting, that certainly hadn't been it.

The man seemed to enjoy his slack-jawed expression at the highly unexpected offer, looking at him with clear amusement. Shirou shut his mouth with a click before he started catching flies with it, flushing a little.

"Why would you want me to become your apprentice," he questioned, clearly skeptical. "If what you're telling me is true about what little my dad taught me, than why would you ask a barely trained Magus to become your apprentice? Why not someone better trained?"

The man chuckled. "You're asking the wrong question, lad. It's not what I can do for you, but what you can do for me. And what you have to offer is worth much more to me than merely experience and talent."

"So you want something from me," Shirou said, shifting uneasily in his seat at that confirmation.

"Of course. I wouldn't give someone the chance to become my apprentice without something in return. Equal Exchange is more than just a core principal of Magecraft, lad."

The man's words carried a certain sense of finality to them. They were clearly non negotiable, intended more as a statement of fact.

His nerves were beginnig to bubble up again, and beneath the table Shirou's hands had fisted into his jeans so hard that his knuckles had turned white, his eyes flitting about the room nervously. The situation had come out of no where for him, completely out of the left field with no warning what so ever.

He was completely out of his depth and he was painfully aware of it, and the boy had no idea what he should and shouldn't do in this situation.

"Why would I accept such an offer?" he asked, because he wouldn't have to give an answer of he was asking questions instead.

The man grinned at him, showing teeth that were considerably sharper than normal. "How about the chance to fill in those missing pieces of information concerning Magecraft that you'll probably won't be able to get from anyone else? It'd be rather difficult become a Hero of Justice if you don't correct those holes in your knowledge."

Shirou's breath hitched.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, I'm also aware why you persue Magecraft. An odd goal, I'll admit, but that just makes you perfect for my purposes."

The man raised his hand, forestalling Shirou's obvious question. "You're of course wondering what I exactly mean with that," Shirou nodded, looking uncertain, and the man continued. "The answer to that is rather complicated all things considered, but to greatly simplify it, what I desire from you in return for my tutelage in Magecraft is a promise to do something that most sane and reasonable people would dismiss out of hand."

"And you think I would agree to such a deal while most people would not, because...?"

"Because you aren't exactly what you would call sane and reasonable, lad," the man rolled his eyes as if it was obvious. "Most people wouldn't genuinely want to become a Hero of Justice and be willing and able to put in the effort required to become one. You are. And considering what I am asking of in return for my knowledge, it wouldn't even be all that great of a sacrifice on your part either."

Shirou was slowly getting annoyed at how the man was constantly dancing around the answers to his questions without actually giving them, something the man was clearly enjoying quite a bit. Finally, even though he wasn't even sure he wanted to know, he asked the question that had been on his mind the second the man had appeared.

"What do you want from me?"

"Why, lad, I thought that would have been obvious by now," the man gave him a Chesire grin, a gleeful, if not mischievous glint to his eyes. "I am in need of a hero, and you are perfect for the job."

Shirou blinked. Twice. Then his mouth slowly fell open.

"...What?" he croaked.

"You heard me," the man said flippantly, rolling his eyes again. "I'm a need of a hero, a person suicidally crazy enough to risk his life to save others just because he can. You, lad, fit that bill to a T."

Shirou shut his mouth, then opened it again, only to close it for a second time when he could not think up a response. This repeated a few times before he finally managed to reboot his mind after several tries. "Whatever for would you need a hero?"

"Hmm, let's just say that I owe an old friend of mine a favor," was the response. "This friend of mine works for the betterment of humanity, but he also has many enemies with opposing goals, and I do worry at times. So I thought 'hey, why not lend a hand?' and at the same time repay my debt? The problem is that I'm a very busy man who is constantly traveling, so I can't do it myself. Considering that, there's only one logical solution."

"Get outside help," Shirou concluded, receiving a nod from the strange man.

"Got it in one, kiddo. But that isn't the only reason I came to you. You see, this friend of mine lives very far away, and very few people would be willing to travel so far to help out a complete stranger no matter what you offer them. You, on the other hand, would. As a matter of fact, you are the kind of person who would jump on the chance to do so, especially if doing so would allow you to save people."

"That doesn't make any sense," Shirou protested, frowning in obvious skepticism. "There must be more people willing to do that. Even if this friend of yours lives on the other side of the planet-"

"That just it, lad. He doesn't live on the other side of this planet. He doesn't even live on this planet."

"...Excuse me?"

"You heard me right," the man said and fixed Shirou with a look. "Have you ever heard of the multiverse theory? The theory that states that there are many different realities besides our own? Yes? Well, I can tell you, lad, that theory is very true, and my Magic allows me to travel between these realities at will."

Shirou once again stared at the man with sheer disbelief and incredulousness. Of all the things he had been told this night, this was the hardest to believe by far. True, he didn't know of the true depths of what Magecraft was capable of, but what he had just been told was simply too fantastical, far too outlandish, to simply accept on faith alone.

Hell, just the concept of the multiverse boggled the mind, much less the power to travel through it at will.

The man seemed to notice this, because he gave Shirou an understanding nod. "I understand this is hard to believe. Almost no one who doesn't know who I am and what I'm capable of before meeting me believe me when I first tell them this. As such," he smirked and raised a hand. "I believe a demonstration is in order."

Suddenly wary, Shirou drew back in his seat. "U-uh, no," he stuttured as he realized the man's intent. "That's alright-"

"Aww, but it will be fun, promise," the man said, obviously taking amusement in his discomfort.

Shirou didn't get the time to say or do anything else. Without any warning, a kaleidoscope of color burst forth from the man's raised hand, dazzling Shirou. The cloyingly thick Magical Energy, denser then anything he had ever experienced before, rapidly expanded, swallowing the room, the man and himself whole within the blink of an eye.

And whisked him away from the only reality he'd ever known.

Shirou floated in the empty void filled only by a constantly shifting kaleidoscope of colors, body suspended on nothing. Space was but a subjective term in the unending nothingness he found himself in, and time had lost all meaning for the same reason. As far as he knew, he could have been floating there in that spot for centuries, or maybe less then a second.

On all accounts he should have been panicking, having been abducted from his home, but everything from the sensations of his body to his emotions felt oddly muted. It was as if someone had taken the remote to Emiya Shirou and hit the mute button; he could barely feel his arms and legs, and even though he was intellectually aware that he should be doing something, his mind and emotions, while there, had been slowed down as if coverd by a thick layer of molasses. All he could do was stare out into the far off distance as the odd reality he found himself in seemed to be intent on drowning him in its fastness.

For all intents and purposes he was a lost, disembodied mind, not capable of reacting or acting on his own. In his current state he was only capable of observing.

And that's exactly what he did, as the emptiness around him twisted, the kaleidoscope of colors pulling away and rearranging themselves, showing him images of a select few of the infinite realities, possibilities and eventualities that surrounded the existence known as Emiya Shirou.

Growing up with Kiritsugu who usually died early on or very rarely lived to raise his son into adulthood. Sometimes a white haird girl or woman was present, and the rarest of the rare situations both were present, living with him and Kiritsugu and being a family. A complete family.

Going to high school, making friends, attending a variety of clubs, though usually the archery or the kendo club. Doing work around school, helping anyone who asked him, a behavior that never seemed to change no matter what reality he glimpsed.

He saw a pigtailed girl with brown hair who he either admired from a distance, grew up to be friends with from childhood or being mere acquaintances.

Being woken up on the regular by a kind, gentle girl with violet hair and a soft demeanor. Sometimes she wasn't present, but he was hard pressed to put the gentle mornings out of his mind where she was either helping out around the house, cooking together with him in the kitchen or sharing breakfast.

Taiga being her crazy, flamboyant self, being the life at the livingroom table and always causing chaos. That one seemed to be a constant.

All of them were happy and precious memories of possible future days he had yet to experience. He would have gladly continued watching them for some time longer without complaint, a constant feeling of warmth in his chest.

Then the scenes changed.

Horror.

Violence. Killing. Death and destruction. Bodies being piled high, Fuyuki city burning in the far of distance. The scenes seemed to change wildly without rhyme or reason from place to place and from time to time, and though not all the scenes depicted violence, all of it seemed to center around the possibilities of a future conflict in Fuyuki.

A girl in royal blue armor, her hair of powdered gold shining in the moonlight as her steely green eyes bored into his, a question on her lips.

Him being chased by a man in blue through the halls of a school, wielding a demonic red spear. Eventually being cornered and having his heart carved out.

A man in shining gold armor, arrogant crimson eyes regarding him in pure disdain as weapons - weapons of such beauty, make and authority that he couldn't help but admire them even as they were aimed at him - emerged from golden ripples behind and over the man's shoulders.

Words that repelled and disgusted him on every possible level being told from the lips of a man in priestly robes, his eyes hollow and empty as short, straight blades emerged from his sleeves, his intent to kill him for his purposes clear for all to see.

A sensual beauty, with long purple hair, darting like a pinball over the room, bouncing from surface to surface as her nails and chain darted about her like a snake, seeking an opening in his guard to exploit. A single mistake, a single misjudged counter, and he would die.

Stumbling back in pure terror as a black giant leapt at him, roaring like a mad beast as it descended on him, the massive axe-blade in its hand seeking to crush him into little more then a pulp. Being saved by the girl with a golden mane, her invisible blade kicking up sparks as she traded blows with the creature over a dozen times her size.

A dark chamber outlined in poisonous red light, the entire room shaking and trembling as he dragged his bleeding, broken body towards the dark tower in the distance where two figures were fighting, the only thing keeping him going being the promise that he had made in that rain soaked night.

Incomprehensible words were spoken and a rain of violet light rained down on him in response, his surroundings exploding as the woman that rode the wind and hid her face with her robe carpet bombed the area in an effort to finally be rid of him.

Short knives flying at him with the speed of bullets, black against the black night and nearly impossible to see because of it. The constantly moving man wearing a skull laughed at his feeble attempts to defend himself and the person hiding behind him. Behind the skull masked creature a decrepit old man watched the scene with apathy from the shadows, the chittering sounds of bugs and insects filling the night.

A man in red regarding him with disgust and hate, even as he himself rejected the man and everything he stood for on sheer principle.

The samurai at the top of the steps regarding him calmly as he picked up the unconsious girl with golden hair, his blade hidden once more in its scabbard and no longer intent on fighting.

That same girl, now twisted and dark, looking down at him cold aloofness. She was clearly contemplating if killing him on the spot would be a kindness.

Dozens, hundreds, thousands of such scenes played out in front of him so fast that he could barely keep up. Nearly all of them were of terrible danger, not just to himself, but also to third parties and innocent bystanders. All of those scenes blurred together in his mind, painting a picture of something that revolted him to the core.

He thought he might go mad as he was forced to watch those scenes.

And then it thankfully, mercifully, ended, the scenes stopping suddenly as a hand landed on his back-

Shock traveling through him at the sudden touch from his previous sensory deprivation, causing him to stumble, and as if his body and mind had suddenly been rebooted, he tore his eyes away from the fastness ahead with a gasp and snapped around.

His body was once more under his command, his mind back to normal.

The man stood there, now holding a cane idly in his hands. He looked utterly at ease at the alien environment they found themselves in.

"Easy there, lad," the man claped a hand on his shoulder to keep him steady. "Though I had made sure you did not come to any harm, downloading information like this from other realities is not pleasant by any means unless one is experienced with the act. There's precious little I could do about that, I'm afraid."

"What just happened?" Shirou asked as he calmed down... from whatever just happened. "Where are we?"

"I'll answer those questions backwards, if you don't mind. It will make more sense that way," the man spread his arms. "This place has many names: the Dimensional Gap, the Endless Sea, the Nothingness, etc. They're just fancy names for the Void between the uncountable realities of the multiverse. I brought us here to proof my claims and to show you some important things."

"Ever heard of chaos theory and the butterfly effect, lad?"

When Shirou answered in the negative, the man slipped into the role of a teacher with unnatural ease, idly twirling his cane as he explained.

"No? To keep it short and simple, chaos theory is a branch of mathematics focusing on the behavior of dynamic systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions. 'Chaos' is an interdisciplinary theory stating that within the apparent randomness of chaotic complex systems, there are underlying patterns, constant feedback loops, repetition, self-similarity, fractals, self-organization, and reliance on programming at the initial point known as sensitive dependence on initial conditions. The butterfly effect, on the other hand, describes how a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state: a butterfly flapping its wings in China can cause a hurricane in Texas."

Zelretch sighed as Shirou just blinked confusedly back up at him. "How much did you get from that?"

"About a third."

"Hmm, I was afraid of that," the man admitted. "But don't worry, if you agree to be my apprentice, I will make sure to work on the foundations first."

"That doesn't inspire much confidence," Shirou muttered to himself.

The man rolled his eyes. "Anyway, the point of me bringing us here is that it is considerably easier to glimpse and download info from other realities from the Void then inside one of said realities. The realities you saw will have either been exactly like yours or will have differed subtly or substanially from your own reality because of the principles of chaos theory and the butterfly effect," the man tapped his cane on the ground with authority. "I hope that was enough to convince you I'm speaking the truth?"

To be honest, Shirou's suspicion and disbelief was alreading ebbing away as he looked around the bizar environment he found himself in, his hands clenching in unease at the utterly alien 'landscape', if you could even call it that. The man had whisked him away to what seemed like an other reality, or the void between said realities, with nary a gesture, and while this still could be an elaborate trick, he doubted it. Why would the man want to trick him? He was a real Magus and Shirou was, while aware of the Moonlit World, for all intents and purposes an ordinary kid. If the man wanted something from him he could simply take it or force him and be done with it.

There was simply no need for such an elaborate hoax, and yet the man was still going through the effort. That, more than anything, told him the man was telling the truth, as crazy as it seemed.

But now that he thought about what the man claimed he could do and what he had told him earlier...

"Glimpsing and downloading information from parallel worlds…." Shirou muttered to himself in realization. "Is that how you knew all that stuff about me? Even all those things no one but me and dad knew?"

"Correct," the man said, looking pleased that he had figured that out by himself. "All realities, including yours, are available for me to plunder both for information and energy as I please. That is one of the core abilities of my Magic."

Shirou felt a shiver go down his spine that had nothing to do with the bizar environment. Besides the fact that it was another measure of proof for the man's claims, the sheer range of options such an ability could potentially have and all the ways it could be abused…

Shirou shook his head. He had bigger concerns to deal with.

"Those last scenes..."

"Hmm, yes, I expected those would make you feel rather... uncomfortable," the man regarded him calmly, leaning on his cane. "I'll be honest with you, lad. I've got no idea if those events will come to pass in your world or not. My Magic gives me many abilities and options but gazing into the future is unfortunatly not one of them. I can extrapolate from other similar worlds that are farther along than yours, but that is no garantue, and I have been known to have been wrong before on such matters."

Shirou stared at the man. "So, basically, if I'm understanding this right, there is a very good chance that such a disaster might occur in the near future… and the way I'm now I am basically helpless to do anything about it?"

"That's the long and short of it," the man agreed, not looking all that bothered. "Yes."

Revulsion both at himself and the situation twisted his gut as bile rose up in his stomach and he clenched his hands. He'd seen those scenes, memories, whatever they were, and in each and everyone one of them he'd appeared weak and overwhelmed while the people around him, loved ones and strangers alike, had been in constant danger while he was pretty much useless to do anything to protect them, having to rely on luck more then anything to make sure that they made it through alive.

The worst scenes were the ones where luck didn't carry the day, and he had to watch people be slaughtered like cattle.

"What is your answer, lad?" the man asked, regarding him with a neutral expresson. "Will you accept, or decline my offer? The choice is entirely up to you and only you."

Pathetic.

Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic, pathetic, pathetic! His mind screamed at him in rebellion and utter disgust, his entire being rebelling at the mere thought of being helpless to do anything while other people suffered and died around him. He could not stand and would not accept it, never in a million years. It was competely anathema to his person and ideals. Such was his anger at himself that didn't even notice his nails digging through his palms and the blood dripping from between his clenched fingers.

Clearly, his training hadn't and wouldn't bear fruit in the future. That realization just made him even more disgusted with himself.

His gaze snapped up at the man before him who regarded him with interest. Shirou might not be the sharpest knive in the drawer, but neither was he stupid. The man before him had admitted to basically knowing everything about him, and the man had to have known how he would react to being presented with those scenes in which, if he did not change or do something, he had and would probably remain helpless just like he had always been and innocent people would die because of his inability to save them.

Unless, that was, if he took the man up on his offer and became his apprentice.

Presenting or pointing out a problem to someone and then giving them the solution on a silver platter, for a price of course... the oldest and most succesvol sales pitch known to man. And as Shirou stared up at the man who held to solution to his problem, he was sorely temped to just accept said obvious sales pitch and damn the consequences.

But in spite of that, he hesitated, lowering his head in indecision. The man had shown him more then just scenes of horror and death. Normal, insignificant but heartfelt days had been among them as well. Days spend with family, friends and other people he had yet to meet. Cooking breakfast, attending highschool, being a member of the archery or some other club, fixing things when requested and bickering with Taiga over dinner.

He would have to give up on all of that, his current life and future, in exchange for the man's offer. He would be send to another world, where he would have access to all the knowledge that he needed to become a proper Hero of Justice, and even the opportunity to do so on top of that.

It sounded perfect, if only the price wasn't so high.

"I..."

Could he really do it? Abandon everything he had ever known, throw it all away to go to another world for the chance to attain the skills he needed and persue his dream? He thought of the few people that were close to him, Taiga and her grandfather chief among them, and gave the only answer that he could give.

"...accept," he said as he raised his head, causing the man to smile, before he quickly continued. "On one condition."

Far from looking surprised, the man leaned on his cane towards Shirou, a knowing look on his face. "Ah, I see, I suppose this is the part where you make me promise to bring you back to your world when you either finish your task, or at that moment - if it were to happen - what I just showed you goes down, isn't that right?"

Shirou blinked. "How did you-?"

"Please, lad. I basically know everything that there is to know about you. I told you as much didn't I?" The man chuckled. "I know both how your mind works and what drives you to go to such lengths to achieve your dream. You are, at your core, a person who cares more for others then for yourself. It was not difficult to figure out that even if you saw the merrit in my offer that you would not be willing to just abandon the people in your reality either, especially given the very real danger they might be in."

It was blindingly obvious that the man was manipulating him with his knowlegde and insight into his character and personal situation to get him to do what he desired. But that didn't matter. Everything what the man had said had been nothing but the truth. As he was now Shirou could not even protect himself, much less someone else. In order to change that he had no choice but to take the man up on his offer.

If he wished to be a Hero of Justice and be able to protect people in the first place, including his few loved ones, he would have to abandon them for a time first.

"Considering that, I made sure to come prepared," the man said and reached into the expensive looking black shawl he was wearing, pulling out what appeared to be a rolled up scroll. "Here," he tossed it towards Shirou, who was caught unprepared and fumbled in catching the scroll, almost dropping it. "I'm sure I do not need to explain what that is, right?"

"A Self-Geis Scroll," Shirou breathed. "Dad mentioned them sometimes..."

"Then you should know how they function," the man explained as Shirou unrolled the scroll. "It's a single use Mystic Code used by Magi to create what's essentially an unbreakable contract, one that will bind the target even in death, using a curse enforced by one's very own Circuits to insure that the terms of the contract are met no matter what."

Shirou stared at the man for a moment before looking down at the contract. It was short and to the point.

Contract used by Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.
Binding magecraft: Target – Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg and Emiya Shirou.
The House of Schweinorg hereby command: Provided that the following conditions are met, this oath shall become a commandment and bind the targets without exception.

Oath:
To the thirty-sixth head of the House of Schweinorg, Zelretch, son of Kischur: regarding the defacto sixth head of the House of Emiya, Shirou, son of Kiritsugu, will be sent to the world of Remnant and will be provided all the materials and knowledge neccesary to advance on his chosen path of Magecraft. Addendum: when the below mentioned conditions are fulfilled, or when and if the Fifth Holy Grail War were to commence in Emiya Shirou's home universe, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg must transport Emiya Shirou back to his home universe.

Conditions:
Emiya Shirou will agree to and hold himself to the protection of the world of Remnant and its inhabitants. Until the threat that seeks to unmake Remnant in its current form is no more, Emiya Shirou will be bound to this contract.

At the bottom of the page there are two seperate lines where the effected parties could sign. The left line was already filled in, signed in blood that glowed faintly blue, the mark that showed that the contract, at least on one side, had been activated. The only thing that he himself would need to do to activcate it fully and make it binding forever more was to sign it himself.

Shirou did not hesitate. He had already ruminated on what this would mean, what it would cost him, and what it would get him in return. In the end, at all boiled down to one simple thing: this would allow him to protect and save people, that's all that mattered.

He bit down hard enough on his thumb to produce blood. Then he scribbled down his name with the bleeding finger, and signed away his fate.

The contract flashed blue the second he did so. The Self-Geis Scroll rolled itself back up again, before vanishing in front of his eyes. Shirou didn't even bother asking how that was possible. He had bigger concerns on his mind now.

"Are you ready, lad?" the man, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, grinned at him, idly twirling his cane. "In order to insure that you will be in a position to help my dear friend in the future time is of the essence, I'm afraid. You better prepare yourself. I'll warp us straight to Remnant now, and a task will be waiting for you there the moment we arrive. Think of it as a trial by fire, your first step toward becoming a Hero of Justice."

Shirou took a deep breath, then released it slowly. This… this was it. This was either the moment where he lived up to his ideals, or he failed and did not.

God, he was scared, both at the prospect of leaving behind everything he had ever known and what laid in wait for him in this other world. But he'd made his choice, the only one he could have made if he wanted to protect people and live up to his ideals. Thinking of it like that, he hadn't had a true choice from the very beginning.

Zelretch had been right. Emiya Shirou hadn't and never could or would have been able resist his unexpected offer.

"I'm ready."

Kill Joy no Jutsu (A.K.A) Author's notes: And that's chapter one. I hope everyone enjoyed my first foray into RWBY and crossovers in general. It has been an idea I have been toying with for a while and I have finally worked up the nerve to try it. That said, this chapter is more of a pilot chapter then anything else, and I'd like to hear what you guys think.

This story is also my first real serious attempt at writing a fanfic of my own (though I have dabbled in it for years by now). It's because of this that I request that anyone who reviews or PM's me be honest and fair, even if you do not have anything particularly kind to say. My goal as a fanfic author is to improve my writing skill over time, improving and pushing myself to be better with each and every new chaper that I post.

To do that I need constructive critisism. If you just want to say you enjoyed what you read and write down your speculations of my fanfic in your reviews, that's fine too. Lord knows I would enjoy reading those, but I'd really appreciate anyone who would take the time to help me grow as a fanfiction author.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this first chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. I will answer any (reasonable) questions so long as it doesn't partain to any future spoilers in the next chapter's A.N.