Ok, I thought to myself as I patted the dirt on Archibald's makeshift grave. Let's review.

I should have died. Well, he said he wanted me alive for capture, so he probably had something to keep me from bleeding out, but my point still stands. I was completely out of magic, heavily injured and losing consciousness. And then… something happened.

I gave a tired sigh as I rubbed my forehead, on the spot where the glowing sunburst used to be. I still had no idea what this new power was or where it came from. It wasn't magic, or at least not quite. All I could tell was that it was some kind of energy, forming into a sort of pool inside of me, as opposed to my magic which was divided into circuits. Although I did most of it instinctively, I found that the energy could be channeled in a very similar way to magic, though the results were slightly different from what I was used to. I remember my form

Dipping Swallow Defense

as I blocked Archibald's attacks, the glow incasing my weapons

One Weapon, Two Blows

Which allowed me to cut through his Mystic code, and the physical enhancement

Lightning Speed/Increased Strength Exercise

I had gained.

I shook my head as if to clear the words that had been cluttering my mind for the past hour. All of those things I did with this new power apparently had names, though how I knew what they were was a complete mystery to me. The bundle of information that had come with this new power seemed to be just short of helpful at best and incomplete at worst. I knew the names of a few techniques, and I knew that the terms 'Solar', 'Dawn', and 'Exalted' now somehow apply to me, but I didn't know why or exactly what they are. It became particularly frustrating when I tried sort through all of this information and compare it to my own magic.

Mostly because when I did so, I somehow gained even more techniques.

While I dug Archibald's grave, I put most of my mental focus into analyzing this new power, particularly at the point where it seemed to 'touch' my circuits. I had paused in my digging to try Tracing a simple sword with the tiny amount of prana I recovered. As soon as I did, the other source reacted to it somehow, suddenly surging through me and causing a splitting headache. When it subsided, I found that my list of techniques had grown by a substantial margin. Judging by their names and the few I tested out, they seemed to all mimic my normal Tracing abilities in some aspect. Was it possible that this power can interact with my Reality Marble?

Most of what I found related into some way to battle or the crafting of objects, though I did find an odd one out. It seemed to be related to more to my general presence more than anything else. It was called The Harem Must Be Fed.

…Needless to say, I decided to ignore that one and hold off on the experimentation of the others till I got back to my workshop.

The… voice I guess I should call it was also disconcerting. It wasn't so much a voice as it was a presence, its nature being something I had processed into words. Both that and the information I had gained showed that there was at least some kind of intelligence behind this, even if it just was in my selection. I couldn't be sure, but I had a feeling that it was a sick joke on the Root's part that it declared me a Champion of Justice.

As I started to walk back to the inn, I prayed that my newfound abilities wouldn't get me into any more trouble than I already was.


Later that night I was in the kitchen making dinner, though I was barely paying attention to what I was doing. I had found out once I got back to the inn that the second stage of the Sekirei plan had started, and Minaka had basically put the whole of Shin Tokyo under martial law to keep any Ashikabi or Sekirei from leaving the city. I had been making some plans to do just that given that the Clock Towers seemed to have found my location, but it looked like that wouldn't be an option anymore. On the plus side, it would probably make it harder for them to get into the city, but that would only help in the short term. And that still left the Sekirei Plan to deal with.

My thoughts turned to Uzume, who I ran into after changing my clothes. She had a small bit of blood on her pants, both fresh and clearly not her own. I supposed that it's not surprising that some Sekirei didn't care to play by the rules of the plan, and it made sense for Uzume considering the state of her Ashikabi. However, as much as I didn't want to admit it, it made her a much more dangerous potential enemy. I was going to have to keep a close eye on her in the future, and try to keep things as peaceful as possible between us.

Adding these things to the mystery of my new found superpowers and I had a rather large amount of work ahead of me in the near future. I had hoped to do some analysis as soon as I got back to my workshop, but I had become distracted with everything else that was going on. I did find out one interesting thing while I was changing, though: I had no scars. I don't mean that I had no scar from Archibald's attack; I mean I had no scars at all. All of the mark I had accumulated over the years, even the matching starburst ones on my chest and back had disappeared. I wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. On the one hand I wouldn't have to answer any awkward questions from people who might see my torso, but on the other I had come to consider them marks of accomplishment, proof that I had fought powerful creatures and lived. A bit macho I suppose, but still.

As I decided to put all that aside and focus on the meal, I then realized that I had been cutting the vegetables without a knife.

I blinked in surprise as I looked at the edge of my hand, with which I had been making copping motions with. I saw that it was lined with a golden glow. Turning my attention inwards, I noticed that my other power was flowing through me again, though not nearly as much as this afternoon. What the…? Apparently, if I'm not careful, I can do this stuff reflexively. Just what am I doing anyway?

As if my mental question triggered it, a name came to mind: Craftsmen Need No Tools. Wait, I thought that was a crafting technique…You can use it for cooking too?! In spite of myself, I considered the possibilities my newfound superpower might have for the field of cooking. Sure, being unstoppable in battle was all well and good, but being able to cook food on a level known only to the gods? That was something truly worthy of my attention.

Don't look at me like that. A man's got to have priorities.

As I wondered just how long I had been doing this, I heard Miya enter the kitchen behind me. "Emiya-kun, how fairs di- oh my heavens!"

"Miya?" I asked turning around "What's wr- What the hell?!"

The entire kitchen was filled with prepared food, and it wasn't just plain dinner. It seemed like a full five course meal fit for a king and most of his court. There was duck, chicken and fish covered in sauces, along with soup, rice, and assorted fruits and vegetables, all of which arranged in the most artful manner on their respective plates. Just as I was about to ask where this had come from, I suddenly realized that I had memories of preparing all of this. I did all of this while I wasn't paying attention? I thought incredulously. I must have cleaned out almost all of Miya's stock! And it's only been 30 minutes! The duck alone should have taken a few hours to prepare!

Miya moved to the refrigerator and found that I had indeed cleared it out. She turned to me, a frown settling on her face. "Really Emiya-kun, I appreciate that you want to make a good meal, but this is just too much. There no way even the residents of this inn could eat all of this in one sitting. How do you expect us to eat tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry Miya," I said with an embarrassed look on my face. I was definitely going to have to pay more attention to what I'm doing from now on if I can use my new power reflexively. "I guess I got carried away. I'll go shopping tomorrow."

The landlady gave a huff as she walked around the kitchen looking at the spectacular meal I had prepared. "Honestly, your usually much more responsible than this. Though I have to admit, I'm curious as to how you prepared all this in half an hour."

"Uh…" I said as I tried to come up with an explanation that didn't involve my suddenly obtained and vaguely defined superpower. I briefly considered saying 'Magic' before I remembered I was trying to keep that a secret too.

As I was stalling, Miya idly took a small piece of fish off its plate and took a bite out of it. She suddenly when rigid, her eyes going wide and her face becoming flushed.

"Miya? Are you all right?" I asked with some concern. "Is there something wrong with the fish?" So help me, if I had somehow made all this food and it didn't taste good, it would be to my eternal shame as a chef.

My concern increased when I swore I could see tears welling up in her eyes, but that was dispelled when I heard her say in awe "It's perfect."

"What?"

"It's perfect!" she exclaimed in a very un-Miya like fashion. "It is the very essence flavor distilled into physical form!" She turned to me, her eyes wide and pledging. "You must teach me how to do this!"

I gaped at her, my mouth opening and closing as I tried to respond. "I… uh… I'm not sure I can."

"Sure you can! You must!" Miya then tilted her head to the side, and her tone changed to something smoother. And dangerous. "Or is motivation the problem?" she said as she moved slowly towards me, her hips moving in a rather interesting manner which I tried not to stare at. "I suppose there's no helping it, then. Takehito would forgive me if he knew what was at stake."

I fought down my panic as the incredibly powerful alien creature pressed herself against me and started to reach for places which I would rather not describe. As I tried to fend her off, I was certain that someone out there was laughing at me for this.


Zelretch laughed heartily as he saw the Emiya boy try to fend off the eldest Sekirei's advances. He observed the scene from a rooftop several blocks away with a pair of magically enchanted binoculars that ignored such petty things like 'distance' and 'walls'. He had managed to find the aftermath of the young man's fight with another magus and had observed him ever since the boy returned to the inn. Zelretch now had confirmation that the Exaltation had chosen him. The fact that the boy's first act with his new found abilities was to cook a meal so good that it caused the normally rather demure No.1 to try to sleep with him to gain his secrets almost made losing the Exaltation worth it right then and there. Of course, the sorcerer was sure that he would be getting plenty more entertainment over the next few weeks.

However, while the man was engrossed in the scene unfolding before him, one doesn't live as long as he had and not develop a rather keen sense for danger. It was for this reason (along with his multi-dimensional perception) that he disappeared in a flash of rainbow light an instant before the punch connected with the back of his head.

"You know, it's quite rude to interrupt a man as he's enjoying his entertainment." Zelretch said from his position at the opposite side of the roof. It was dark, but the vampire's eyes were able to see the figure clearly and they widened slightly in recognition. "Hmm, you were one of those people that was giving me such a hard time a few hours ago. I wasn't aware that you were capable of multidimensional travel."

The woman standing opposite from him was taller than average, with a long braid of ebony hair hanging to just below the waist. She was dressed in something similar to a dark blue monk gi, though it had an impressive amount of silver embroidery, as well as opening up around the bust and midriff. The woman herself had pale skin and dark eyes that seemed to glitter like stars in the low light. She answered him in an authoritative tone. "Neither was I, but you forced us to push our abilities father than we ever had to follow you. I never knew that sorcery could be used in such a manner, but I suppose it's of little consequence. Now, give back what you took."

Zelretch gave a sigh. "Really, I don't see why you're so mad at me. Those other ghastly fellows took 150 of them and I didn't see your lot bringing any wrath upon their heads. I only wanted one for study."

"The Deathlords shall be dealt with for breaking the Jade Prison, but that is of no matter to you." The woman retorted. "Just one Solar Exaltation can change the shape of the world. Fate cannot allow such an important power be removed from its design. It could potentially destroy the whole of Creation."

The sorcerer gave an amused chuckle. "You know, the thing about Fate is that there's a different one for each universe. And I've never listened to any of them." The woman narrowed her eyes in anger as he continued. "Besides, I couldn't give it back if I wanted to. It chose someone as soon as I got here."

The woman looked at him blankly for a moment before saying. "If I have to, I will kill the Lawbringer to obtain the Exaltation."

The old man's eyebrow rose at this statement. "You know what it means that it chose the person, don't you? They're a hero, someone who will use the power they have for good."

"It doesn't matter. The power of a Solar will corrupt them like all those before, and I doubt that there is anything in this reality that can stop a Solar Exalted mad with power."

The sorcerer frowned. "It looks like I can't convince you then. A shame. However," he said as the colors of the Kaleidoscope gathered around his person, "I have something of a vested interest in that person, so I'm afraid I can't let you do as you please. You should know better than to fight me. You saw what I did before and that's only a small part of what I'm capable of."

The woman merely gave a snort as she settled into a fighting stance. "Do not think you can cow me with your words, sorcerer. I am an unprecedented master of the Obsidian Shards of Infinity Style, and thus am well versed in the use of parallel realities as a weapon. It was the reason only I could follow you. This city of steel and glass shall be your tomb if you fail to tell me where the Lawbringer is."

Zelretch gave a smile as he ignored the fact that he still hadn't recovered from his fight a few hours earlier. "I assure you I have seen and survived far worse than you and your kind in my life, and I plan to keep doing so. However, if you could indulge me with your name before we begin?"

"I am Aethiana Salence, Sidereal Exalted and Chosen of Battles." She said as she gathered her Essence to bear. "And you do not impress me."

With that the battle had begun.