Prologue
"My body is made of swords
Iron is my blood and glass is my heart
I have overcome countless battlefields undefeated
Not once have i retreated
Nor once have i been understood
Always alone on the hill of swords
intoxicated with victory
Thus this life has no meaning...this body was surely...
Made out of blades..."
The night is dark, unusually dark. The moon and the stars have hidden themselves from view. I feel the breeze, mockingly whispering to me. I look at the lifeless body next to me. Blond hair is soiled with blood, extremities bent haphazardly. I manage a weak,
"S-Saber…"
There is no response. Words will never come out of those lips again. As I watch her corpse be consumed by light, my consciousness begins to fade away.
When I come to, terrible pain grips my body. The blood, my blood, has thankfully stopped gushing out and somehow, I find the strength to get up. Tohsaka needs me. Yes, Saber may be gone but my responsibilities to Tohsaka have not yet ended. I stumble towards the cave, hoping against hope that I'd find her there.
However, the only person I see is her. She is sitting on a boulder, her arms neatly folded on her chest. With a wry smile, she says, "You're late, Senpai." She looks at me as if she were reading into my very soul. "So, you actually defeated Saber. Surprise, surprise. Who would've thought that you were this strong?"
"Sakura," I begin in a controlled voice, "What have you done to Rin?"
Her smile widens. "Nee-san? Oh she's just fine." Sakura pats her stomach in satisfaction. "She's being consumed right now in here. I must say, Nee-san is quiet the delicacy."
I am at loss for words. Rage threatens to devour me. I was too late. Her madness had eaten away the Sakura I knew. In the end, the only way to save Sakura is to kill her. The blood of one more loved one must be spilled. I close my eyes and push all thoughts of regret and anger away. My mind's eye visualizes the familiar image of twin swords.
"Trace on." I can feel Kanshou and Bakuya projected into being. "I'm sorry Sakura. This is the only way I can save you."
Sakura jumped to a defensive position. "You've made up your mind, I see. You're going to kill me, just like what Nee-san tried to do. And I'll consume you too. But don't worry; the darkness isn't a lonely place. She's waiting for you."
Her words are poison and I know better than to listen. I grip my swords as hard as I can and towards her. Sakura unleashes her shadows at me and I feel them scratching and tearing at my arms. I try to slash at the dark forms but there are too many. I realize that trying to fight off her minions is futile. I have to stab her. Just one clean thrust and this nightmare will be over. Suddenly I am in front of her. Without any second thoughts, I bury Kanshou in her chest.
Her look of surprise will haunt me forever. Tears stream down my face as I drive Kanshou deeper in. unexpectedly, my vision is filled with a blinding light. A strong force pushes me back; making me hit the cave wall.
"Thank you, Senpai," I hear Sakura whisper. When my vision finally returns, my friend was no more.
"It's too bad I wasn't able to witness the grail's grand performance." A familiar voice startles me. I whirl around in surprise.
"K-Kotomine….K-Kirei" He offers me a grim nod.
"You have done well, Emiya Shirou." With that, he falls down lifeless.
…
I cannot think straight anymore. I had dragged myself out of the cave and am once again lying in an exhausted heap under the stars. Ever since Saber appeared in my life, my world had become topsy-turvy; but now that the whole Holy Grail business is finished, I find myself feeling incomplete.
All of sudden I realize that my view of the heavens has been blocked by a girl.
"You…"
"Do you want to see a miracle?" she asks me. I scrunch my forehead in confusion.
"I can give you your life back. But this container's too cheap for that kind of magic," she tells me with a pout. I am puzzled even more.
"What are you talking about? Who are you? What container?" She heaves a sigh and then smiles at me. "It's okay, Shirou. As time goes by, I'm sure you'll be able to handle it."
The strange girl gets up and starts walking towards a gate that hadn't been there before. "Wait!" I call to her. "Where are you going? Come back here! This place is dangerous. You shouldn't be alone" I don't know who this girl is but my mind is telling me that I need to keep her safe.
She turns back and once again gives me a smile. "You once told that it is the responsibility of the elder brother to protect his siblings. Now I'm telling you that as the elder sister, it is my job to protect you. Goodbye, Shirou." With those parting words, she closes the gates behind her.
Then it hits me. Ilya. That little girl was Ilya!
I want to follow her but my body can't handle it anymore. Instead, I shout out desperately, "Ilya! Ilya! Ilya! Ilya!" But she doesn't come back.
"The sage cries out.
'Open, Gates of Heaven. Bless us and bestow miracles upon us!'
The sage cries out in regret.
'Close, Gates of Heaven. Save us from all our sins and evil!'
The curtain closes.
The millennium comes to a standstill.
Our dreams, our hopes... were failures from the start."
