The Broken World that Signals the Start. Heaven's_Fall
There was a disturbance.
Some sort of a strange rule that did not exist in this world covered the entire city.
Silent tremors rumbled within the earth, lights flickers about in the lamps, space within the air was distorted by an indescribable blur and the world itself felt as if something was gnawing it apart from the inside out.
However, no matter how grand or strange it is, it was an anomaly that no ordinary human could ever feel. The only ones who can are people with a certain skill set and experience about the hidden side of the world.
For example, the two people walking somewhere across the street. Their destination was a lone church surrounded by graveyard on top of a hill. One wears the attire of a priest. While the other wears an expensive suit that will stand out anywhere, even in the middle of an elite, supermodel party. They stopped abruptly when they felt a wave of tremor shook down underground.
For example, a teenager, barely fifteen or sixteen, was walking staggeringly after a close encounter with a monster and his first real victory. He was heading back to the home of his "grandparents" when his magic circuits tingled mysteriously.
For example, an old man observing his "granddaughter" swallowed within a pit of worms with a thin smile while writing something on a manuscript with a quill. When a mysterious gust of wind waved down the manuscript he held, the smile on his face quickly disappeared, and replaced with furrowed brows on his old, wrinkled face. As if he had seen an unsolvable puzzle he had to finish in less than five seconds.
For example, a certain 6 year old daughter of a prestigious magus who had barely survived a serial killer several hours ago. She gazed outside the window of her room, trying to remain strong even after the death of her father. She was brought of her musing when a strange cold air sent a chill down her spine.
For example certain staffs and employees within hospitals and police stations, who were actually magus embedded by both the Mage Association and the Church to cover up the event of the Holy Grail War. They were preparing to remove all evidence of magecrafts and cover up the entire incident of the War but they all stopped doing their covert activities with dumbfounded look on their faces as if something completely unbelievable had happened.
All those kinds of people turned their heads and attentions into one same direction.
Fuyuki Central Park.
In a ritual called Heaven's Feel and the subsequent conflict, that park was the location where the climax of the ritual and the final battle of the War had happened.
What kind of ritual happened there? Why did this so called 'War' happened in the first place? That is because there was a certain object they were fighting for. An artifact that could grant any wish of the winner of the War.
It was called the Holy Grail.
Named after the sacred vessel where the Son of God drank his wine from in The Last Supper. Despite its name, the artifact did not come out from such a fancy legend. The current Holy Grail ritual was created by three families of Magus, the Einzbern, Makiri and Tohsaka with the sole purpose of reaching Akasha, the Root of the World, by creating an artifact of the Third True Magic and Sorcery that can grant any wish.
The three noble families originally planned to use the grail together but they found out that the Grail system can be only one winner. As soon as that truth was known, the bonds of cooperation were washed in blood by conflicts.
In order to conceive the Grail, seven Magus and seven Heroic spirits are required, so the three noble families agreed on a truce and keep their alliance to proceed with the Grail until the start of the war. They sent out invitation to other Magus to join the Holy Grail War in exchange for an opportunity to grant their wishes for the victor.
The participants of the ritual, called Masters, will summon a Heroic Spirit from the Throne of Heroes as their familiars. Heroic Spirits are people who have accomplished heroic deeds that resounded throughout legends and reached the Throne of Heroes. These Heroic Spirits will ally themselves to the Masters as a method of obtaining prana that they need to survive as a spirit and become their Servants.
The Masters and the Servants will fight against each other in a battle royale and the last pair of Master and Servant standing will have their wish granted by the Holy Grail.
At least, that was the way it's supposed to be.
Knowing the truth was much more painful than knowing nothing...
The Holy Grail which the Masters had battled and sacrificed themselves for... was anything but "Holy".
It was dark, vile and corrupt.
Deep within were pure evil given form by the fragile will of men.
Their hate, their curses, their pain, their weakness, their despair, their sorrow, their tortures, their sadness, their madness, their insanity, their depravity, their fragility, their jealousy, their tyranny, their selfishness, their uselessness, their depression, their arrogance, their spites, their bile, their spurns, their disdain, their lust, their hunger, their envy, their greed, their sloth, their anger, their sins, their avarice, their vanity, their futility, their cowardice, their contempt, their castration, their malice, their murders, their genocides, their deaths, all of their vile, ugly self that made up the creature called human.
All of it selfishly thrown and poured into a young man, twisting him into darkness beyond recognition. Creating a husk filled with A World's Worth of Evil. The same evil that was summoned once more into this world by the greed of man trying to find the easy way into the Forbidden Realm of the World.
As a result, the gears of fate had grinded together. Mercilessly spun the world into a worthless and painful future where all hopes were crushed.
In countless other worlds, this was the result of the Fourth Holy Grail War.
A war which ends with nothing more than despair and regret.
The closing curtain of a stage, clouded with pointless bloodshed and disasters. And the opening curtain of a new stage, bringing forth more battles and deaths.
But now, here in this one single world...
The gears of fate are still bravely turning.
A new piece had unexpectedly appeared, forcefully accelerating the gears of the world, driving fate forward into an endless chain of events that will change the world.
Meanwhile...
"...Ah."
Someone was awake.
Within that darkness and despair called with the title of All the World's Evil.
Someone was awake deep within that hell.
It was a woman.
A woman of pure white hair and pure white skin, lying bare on top of a pure black ooze where she slumbered and bed.
"...I am..."
She opened her eyes.
Then she raised her hands and watched it wearily.
"...Alive...?"
And slowly.
Ever so slowly.
She slowly got up of her "bed".
As if a single careless move could break her, she slowly and gently moved.
"...Why...am I alive...?" She carelessly muttered.
There was no answer, and she did not expect any answer either.
She was supposed to be dead. She was supposed to be destroyed. She was supposed to perish.
But for what…?
What was she supposed to die for? What did she sacrifice her life for? What was so important that she was willing to sacrifice her life for?
She had asked those questions once and it was answered. But now...
"Why... am I alive...?"
It was the very same question as the first. But the moment she had asked herself that, she was all well and truly lost.
Because it was "The reason she did not die" and "Her reason to live".
She was someone that was made and designed. She was someone born not because of nature, but created by the will of man as a tool.
Tools are made by human to serve a purpose.
And because she was made with a clear purpose, it was a question she would have never had asked.
"...Ah..."
She widened her eyes.
She finally realized that she was lost.
She, who had once realized the mistake of living as a tool, had lost her identity.
She, who had once found the purpose of her life, was lost once more.
"Why am I alive?" She repeated, deep within despair.
And as she expected, there was nobody to answer her.
Nobody.
. . . . . . .
. . . . .
. . .
What a useless woman.
"-–!"
A piece of memory surfaced and churned up her mind.
It was his voice.
It was the voice of a man she knew so much.
His tone was condescending and rude, like someone mocking his lesser, or like someone insulting another's pride.
But strangely...
It filled her brimming with something she had never thought to feel again.
That's right. That was what that person had said, wasn't it?
If there is no one to answer her, then she just have to find the answer herself.
Yes.
The gears of fate are still bravely turning.
Hope or despair? Which one will it bring? Which one will the future holds?
The battle between the Servants of the Fourth Holy Grail War might be over already.
However...
The story of the Fourth Holy Grail War is not over yet.
(Kamijou Touma)
Kamijou Touma stood up and held his ground.
In front of him was the enormous twister composed of the black flame that was most probably the cause of this entire tragedy where hundreds of people were killed.
Against this kind of threat, normal humans stand no chance against it. No, forget normal humans, even people who have certain experience and skill-set in the occult will still have minimum chances against it. This kind of opponent is not something that the espers he knew or magicians in this world can handle easily, that much he understands.
But for Kamijou Touma, this was an opponent he can definitely defeat.
It was not a matter of strength. If their strength were to be compared, the black flames would have outdo anything Kamijou's right arm could do. These black flames are just way too incompatible with his right arm.
The strength of the black flames relied on curses.
Curses that ran throughout the world. Curses that ran throughout the ages. Curses that ran throughout blood and bones.
That is the main strength of the flames.
Actually, rather than describing it as the 'black flames that contain curses', it was more accurate to describe it as 'curses that takes the form of black flames.'
And that makes Kamijou Touma the worst possible enemy for it to fight.
His right hand can destroy the supernatural. No matter if it's good or bad, as long as it is supernatural, that right hand can destroy it. No matter what this curses are, that right hand can destroy it.
Even if it was capable of cursing an entire world, it can never be able to curse that right arm. Even if it was capable to corrupt anything it touches, it can never be able to corrupt that right arm. Even if it was capable of destroying anything and everything ever existed, it can never be able to destroy that right arm.
It was something that the curse itself does not understand since it kept doing that pointless thing over and over again.
Maybe if the curse had changed its forms into something else that could attack Kamijou Touma from all fronts, then it could corner him into a pinch. But it does not seem to understand that and kept on using the form of black flames and attack him directly in the front. It was possible that the curse itself was too powerful, it had no need to rely on cunning or petty trickery, only brute force is sufficient. So when it finally met its match, it cannot react accordingly. There was also a possibility that the curse was incapable of changing itself or if the curse was incapable of understanding its disadvantage and was on some kind of state of berserk.
In the end, whatever the answer is, it's all irrelevant. Because...
"So that's it." said Kamijou Touma with ragged breath and a simple smile. "That's the trick. There seems to be some kind of an 'energy' powering you up from within so that you could regenerate over and over again."
There was no reply, but a thunderous roar and a wild blaze of burning twisters charging straight into Kamijou could also be considered a reply of its own.
"Now, I don't know a single thing about this magic world but I think its output of 'energy' is rather limited. Especially considering that the regenerated form of your flames seems to be smaller in size compared to the previous ones before I destroyed it. That was all there is to you. It was just a simple logic of energy that appeared even on the textbook of an ordinary high school in Academy City." Kamijou continued despite knowing his enemy could not answer him. "Then that means all I need to do is to wear you out and beat you. Simple enough, but I won't complain."
It was a battle of attrition.
An attrition battle between a supernatural force of chaos that can only curse or destroy and a simple right hand that can negate the supernatural.
Every single time that curse came in contact with him, that curse will perish.
The curse will be drained in power and its size after it reconstructs itself will become smaller.
All he needs to do is to keep this up until the being that was behind this curse black flame finally loses its power.
Obviously, the reality was not that simple.
The reaction speed need to counter the barrage and lashes of attacks from the black flame would have been something only professionals could achieve, but considering the fact that he had been used as a railgun target practice by a certain Level 5, I guess you could say that Kamijou Touma was already on the level of a professional in terms of reaction speed. What was truly scary was the fact that this reaction speed could be improved even more in the future. If he reached that highest level of precognition, then not even a 50 kilometers long flame swords or black wings created from a complex vector control power could stop him.
And so...
Slowly but surely.
That right hand reigns supreme.
Against a force that could corrupt dozens of Heroic Spirits and kills hundreds of people, that right hand managed to reign supreme.
It did not take long for the completely one-sided battle to end.
(?)
I felt something stirred.
The rumbling noise is too loud, and the tremors on the ground are shaky. It was too noisy and shaky that I had woken up.
I slowly opened my eyes.
Then I was greeted with the sight of a dusty middle aged man.
No, he looked middle aged, but calling him that felt wrong. Those tired eyes of him and the exhausted face he has is more suitable for an old man.
Who is he? Who is this man?
Aaaah, yes. I remember.
He was that man earlier. That man who showed me the happiest smile I had ever seen. Back then, I had wondered, 'what should I do to be as happy as he is?' But I fell asleep before I could ask.
But now... now he looks... sad. No, he looks... worried? Concerned? Why? What kind of face is that? What is going on? Why can't you be happy like you did earlier? What are you seeing that made you lose that happiness?
So, I slowly turned around, following the old man's gaze.
Then I was greeted with the greatest and the most horrifying sight I had ever seen.
A pillar of black flame, standing tall with 10 feet heights, gushing out black ooze of smoke that melts everything it touches.
And in front of it... was another boy. A boy older than myself, since he looks really tall. I was facing his back so I can't see his face, but he is definitely older than me.
No matter. That is not important. What's important is what that older boy is doing.
What is he thinking? Aren't you scared? Don't you see that flame is very scary? Why won't you just run and get away from that scary thing like what I did earlier?
That same line of thoughts must be running through the old man as well.
But he kept silent.
I don't know why but he kept silent. I know why I kept silent. It's because my mouth is too dry and my throats are painfully stabbing me, that's why I can't speak.
His mouth seems fine, so he doesn't have the same problem, but the old man kept silent.
And then it lashes out.
That pillar of black flame that resembled a hurricane tornado lashed out into the boy. Ah, wait. Is it called a hurricane or a tornado? I don't know the difference. But the important thing is, they're both something like a tall bad wind that destroys everything. Well, they must be the same. I'll just call it hurricane tornado.
I know I'm just a child, but I know getting hit with a hurricane tornado that big is bad. I don't remember when or where, but I think I saw something similar on the big flashy box. A hurricane tornado that tall could mow down big tall buildings and cows. That black flame-like hurricane tornado with sickening scent must be worse somehow.
But then... it suddenly disappeared...
The moment the black flame-like hurricane tornado hit the boy, it disappeared it an instant into several small tiny pieces of black flames.
Why? What happened? All he did was held out his right hand against the wave of hurricane tornado, so why did it disappear all of a sudden?
But somehow the tiny pieces of black flames gathered together again into another black flame-like hurricane tornado.
And then it lashes out. It was so fast, I can barely keep up my eyes on it.
And yet it again disappeared into tiny pieces when it came into contact with his right hand.
Again, it gathered.
Again, it lashed out.
Again, it disappeared.
Again, it gathered.
Again, it lashed out.
Again, it disappeared.
It was repeated over and over and over and over and over and over again.
Aaahhh... I see. I finally understand.
That face the old man was making. It was not worry or concern.
It was awe.
I looked aside into the older boy.
Since I was behind him, all I could see was his back, so now that he was leaning to the side for some reason, this is the first time I've seen his face.
There was no doubt. There was no fear. There was no hesitation.
Only a determined gaze and unwavering will to stop the madness in front of him.
He was putting on such a face against that scary black flame that radiated death.
As if to say that there is nothing it could do to stop him.
My last thoughts before passing out into the darkness were how powerful that expression was.
(Kamijou Touma)
"Phew, it's over. It's finally over... but what was that all about anyway?"
Kamijou Touma had succeeded in defeating the black flames. But it seems like the core incident was still not resolved.
"Why does it have to be ugly gooey black fire that kills people? Why can't magic be born from friendship and love? Magic is way better when you've seen it from a magical girl anime. These kind of bizarre incidents like the one came out of fantasy RPG with Demon King as the last boss are really not my thing..."
Come to think of it, he doesn't even know half of the things that had happened. He barely arrived in this world thanks to a self proclaimed sorcerer who said something about how world was endangered by some Holy Grail and how that world was running on some kind of magic system aside from science. The next thing he knew he was caught up in... this. Really, things have just gotten more complicated than the usual stuff back in Academy City. At least his world was running on pure, hard science instead of magic.
Just then...
"...I'm guessing it's your thing then?"
A click sound reached Kamijou's ears.
It was the same sound you would hear when the safety of a certain killing device made from cold steel was released.
"Who are you?" asked the old man he had saved before.
Somehow, he had closed the distance and was now right behind him, pointing a killing tool Kamijou had only seen in movies right into his neck.
"Let me just say that it's bad manners to point a gun to someone who just saved your life." Kamijou said smugly despite sweating profusely inside.
"Who are you?" He repeated. Not intending to give the teenager any quarter.
Sensing the thread of his life is about to be cut down if he doesn't give an answer soon, the teenager curtly answered, "Kamijou Touma. Age sixteen. High school student. Now, since you seem to be involved in this. Could you please tell me what the hell is going on!?"
"Don't play dumb with me."
"Huh? What are yo-...Gbagh!"
A sharp pain ran out across the back of his head.
The old man, who was actually not that old yet, had slammed the blunt side of his gun into his head from behind. As a result, Kamijou was floored into the scorched ground head first.
"Kuh! That hurts! Don't you even know what gratitude means!?"
"Thank you for saving our lives." The old man said, surprising Kamijou for a moment... before he reverted back into his interrogation pose with pointing his gun into the downed Kamijou's head. "Now, who are you?"
"For the love of... don't you have any other questions to ask?! I swear, my name is Kamijou Touma. I'm just a normal and single sixteen years old high school student who just got his damned apartment blown up! And the next thing I know I got into a massive fire, ended up in a massacre field and then there's this creepy black thingie killing everyone! I just bought that ultra expensive sashimi from a flea market, damn it! So why is this great level of misfortune happening to me!?"
Well, it was technically the truth and Kamijou decided to just go with it, but somehow the last part of his speech track had sidestepped into a mental trauma where his personal battle of glory against the housewives in the flea market had gone to waste.
"..."
Meanwhile, the old man who was not so old yet but oddly suited to be called an old man was silent.
After a few excruciating minutes of hugging the ground later the old man finally put aside his gun.
"Is this how you want to play it?" He asked, the cold tone in his voice added more weight in the atmosphere than what the pitiful high school boy could handle. "Are you expecting me to believe that you are just an ordinary high school student that somehow has the power to purify the worst curse in the world and you just happened to be in the area where the worst curse in the world has manifested?"
Kamijou blinked. Twice. And with no hesitation or pause, he responded honestly...
"YES! That's exactly what I've been saying!"
...He then got punched straight on the face.
(?)
'It' was once an infinite darkness that didn't belong to anything, passing its time answering the prayers of spurns and disdains.
'It' was once lost in an abyss of shallow slumber within the darkness sealed in the bottomless earth.
'It' was once kept within the womb of the soil, nurtured into growth by the shell that contained endless possibilities
'It' had once dreamed and slumbered of a beautiful world brimming with life, made into reality by 'Its' own sacrifice.
There is no evil apart from me. There is no imperfection apart from me.
I am the only one who should be hated. I am the only one who should be abhorred.
Like thus, 'It' saved the world, and let them obtain peace.
'Its' purpose was completed.
'Its' existence was necessary.
Yet, 'It' was summoned once more. An existence that does not need to exist once more was summoned.
That was fine, because later someone called 'It'. Someone needed 'It'. So 'It' came and 'It' accepted his prayer.
Yet, after 'It' was about to answer his wish, he blatantly denied 'It'.
That was also fine. After all, 'It' had taken in a powerful vessel and condemned that man to regret all his life, so that was fine by 'It'.
And then, 'It' came.
'It' suddenly came into this world.
The instant 'It' came into existence, 'It' hated 'It' with all of 'Its' being.
'Its' purpose conflicted with 'Its' existence, so 'Its' purpose is unacceptable.
'Its' existence denied 'Its' purpose, so 'Its' existence is dangerous.
Unlike 'It', 'It' was an existence that possesses nothing, yet 'It' encompasses everything.
Unlike 'It', 'It' was devoid of life, yet 'It' shines brighter than any soul could ever be.
Unlike 'It', 'It' was colorless, yet 'It' was more beautiful than any mixture of colors.
So 'It' forced itself awake and curses 'It'.
'It' curse, 'It' curse, 'It' curse, 'It' curse, 'It' curse, 'It' curse, 'It' curse, 'It' curse, 'It' curse, again and again 'It' curse. 'It' keeps cursing so that every pieces of 'It' break down and rot, leaving no trace of 'It' left in this world.
Yet, 'It' stands.
'It' always stands.
No matter how many times 'It' falls, no matter how many times 'It' was cursed. 'It' always stood back.
Why? Why won't 'It' just fall!? Why won't 'It' just break and die?
So 'It' keeps on cursing.
Not even realizing the futility of 'Its' attempts, 'It' keeps on cursing.
That became 'Its' undoing.
'It' was so caught up in 'Its' cursing that 'It' forgot the toll the World had imposed upon 'It'.
'It' was so caught up in 'Its' cursing that 'It' forgot that 'Its' power is slowly drained with each curse.
'It' was so caught up in 'Its' cursing that 'It' forgot about the vessel 'It' had yet to devour.
One loose chain.
A simple act of neglection.
That was all it takes for the chains to break down.
And the unexpected happened.
Something buried deep within the Earth has been raised.
It was not supposed to be that way. It was not how it works. It was not how the system of this world works.
And yet it happened.
A strange white light appeared out of nowhere.
It stands tall like a pillar made out of light or like beams that was constantly shot out into the sky.
He was a Master so he knows exactly what that is... even if the sensation he felt was vastly different than before.
The Holy Grail that he had destroyed was summoned into the world once more.
The mind of the Magus Killer who had tasted failure and despair immediately reactivated and went into overdrive.
Is the cause a magician? Interfering from the outside and hijacking the ritual. Is the cause the corruption? Carrying its tainted remnants to raise hell once more. Is the cause a counter force? Saving the world by destroying its occupants.
What do they gain by raising the Grail? Why did they do it now instead of during the course of the war? How do they do it? How do they hijack the Grail? Are they professionals? Are they geniuses? No, the possibility of it being a magician is low. If not a magician, is it the counter force? The corruption within the Holy Grail was something that would warrant the entity to destroy it alongside with other humans surrounding it. So why are they raising it instead of destroying it outright? They were more than capable of destroying astral spirit forms. No, not the counter force then. Is it the corruption? Are they acting up again just like the black flames from before? Why did the black flame appear anyway? Is it reacting to this curse inside him?
His speculation was a logical standpoint as a magus.
But it was all wrong. And it would not be strange if he could not determine the reason. Rather, it would be strange if someone like him who only uses magic as a tool could determine the reason.
Why was the Holy Grail summoned even though it was logically impossible for it to do so?
Simple.
It's because a strange rule that did not exist within the logic of this world has appeared.
"...Dammit."
"Guugugugu…that hurts you old bastard! What did you do that for!?"
Meanwhile, the unfortunate boy, Kamijou Touma, has recovered from the punch given by the ungrateful old man, although his swollen cheek is probably still hurting as hell.
"Hey, are you ignoring me? What the hell are you staring-... oh crap. This is really not my lucky day."
He must have noticed the white beam that was shot out into the sky like a pillar of light.
It was coming from Fuyuki Central Park.
Should he go there to investigate? But if he does that would mean leaving two innocent civilians in potentially dangerous area. Should he take them to the place? No, far too dangerous.
Oh, does he recognize Kamijou Touma as a civilian? Well, that was actually the old man's real reason for punching Kamijou.
A lot of things can be determined just from a single hit. Reaction against pain, the thin and toughness of the bone structure, focus of the eyes against the incoming danger and other signs and underworld table manners that differentiate a professional and an amateur.
All of it pointed out that Kamijou Touma is a normal high school boy who somehow just happened to have a strange power.
His reaction suggested that he frequently got into fights, but his body does not give any indication of magic reinforcements so it was most likely fights with delinquents instead of supernatural combat. His body is slightly shaken, proven by how he tends to avoid looking into the dead bodies, but he does not seem to possess a significant trauma from the experience, indicating that none of his family or acquaintances weren't harmed or his family and acquaintances are away from here. There are possibilities of him lying but his body language showed no signs of it. Presumably, he was living here alone in an apartment somewhere and do not have much friends in this city. His wail of despair regarding the sashimi as a personal luxury item also indicated pitiful financial situation, typical of a single lone student with tendencies of getting into trouble. His willful attitude and delinquent like appearance of wearing an orange T-shirt underneath his school uniform also strengthened that fact.
But still...
Was it really just that though? Is that truly who Kamijou Touma is? Even if the proof was presented directly, doubt still lingered within the old man.
That's because when he fought against the corruption, the old man had caught a strange glint into his eyes.
He had seen those eyes before and that was not the kind of eyes that any normal teenager would have.
"..."
"Hey, old man. What was that light all about? And I'll say this again, what the hell is going on around here!?"
"Take that boy and get away from this place."
Instead of indulging him, the old man chose the safest route.
"I refuse."
And as he expected, the young teenager immediately refused.
"Get that boy and get out of here."
"You're heading down into that shining light place, aren't you?"
"...I won't repeat myself."
"And what are you going to do? Punch me in the face again?" Kamijou growled. "Oh hell no, you don't. If you want to knock me down, then feel free to try. I'm not gonna make it easy this time. I know I probably lose to some hard ass guy like you, but by the time you're finished with me, I wonder what will happen to that shining white light." Kamijou finished with a smile.
"..."
The old man continued to stare at Kamijou while pondering his options.
He suddenly broke the silence and asked. "Why...?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you want to go there?"
Kamijou Touma showed the world's ugliest expression that screams 'are you kidding me?'.
"Because a lot of people just suddenly drop and died? Because I almost got killed by huge black flame? Because I still don't have a clue why it happened and what's going on? Because that bright shining white light is probably related? Face it old man, I have every rights and reasons in the world to go there! Why do you want to go there? And for the last damned time, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?"
"You have no need to know." He decisively said. "It's too dangerous. An amateur like you will only get in the way."
"I just fought a huge black flame the size of a building. I'm already past the point of no return. It's way too late if you want to say 'It's too dangerous'."
"I am not talking about that." The old man said. His tone changed into something completely different than his usual indifference. "I'm talking about a greater danger that will come after you if you choose that path."
He was talking about the world of the magi.
He was warning someone that was about to take a step into that world of darkness.
To be a magus is to walk with death.
That is the irrefutable truth that all magus in this world abide with.
Survival of the fittest in the most extreme level.
The powerful devours the weak.
Eat or be eaten.
And for someone that clearly possesses some kind of a special ability, he will clearly be targeted in the future as a rare and valuable specimen.
That was the kind of darkness he was about to step into.
Once you step into it, there will be no turning back.
But...
"I know that." Kamijou immediately answered. "Well, if I am to be honest, I don't know what kind of danger awaits me there but I know I'm heading into some kind of a great darkness. But I can't just go back into my normal days and pretend its all okay like before once I've seen this hell. I have to move forward and resolve this even if I have to dive headlong into that darkness."
"..."
The man did not reply and was still expressionless.
But...
In an instant.
Just in an instant.
"Guh! Keh!"
The Magus Killer disappeared.
His mask was suddenly shattered from within.
Stabs of pain courses throughout his body.
It was burning his bones, it was boiling his blood, it was biting his flesh, it was gutting his entrails.
That pain was the reason why he looked like an old man despite being younger than forty.
The man threw a series of coughing fit with smears of blood gutted from his insides with every cough.
"Eh..? H-Hey, are you okay?"
"...I'm fine."
It was a complete, total, and blatant lie and the boy knows it.
"Maybe we can drop by into a hospital or something."
"We have no time for that. I don't know what will happen if we leave that thing alone for a long time but it can't be good. No matter, this won't be enough to kill me."
"What do you mean, 'won't be enough to kill you'?! You're definitely not fine! Just go to the hospital, I can manage on my own."
"No. I don't know what kind of power that hand of yours have, but an amateur like you will die if you mess with something you don't know. You saved that kid's life, so the least I can do is make sure you have yours."
The boy still looks concerned but he agreed to drop the issue. He probably thought he had some injury from the incident.
Technically it is. But it's not exactly a normal injury.
"Ah, you know..."
"What?"
"You said you're doing this because I saved that kid's life. But I recall I also saved yours back there. Yet, you didn't even mention it. I wonder what's up with that." Kamijou absent-mindedly pointed out.
"..."
Again, the old man stared intently at Kamijou.
"W-what is it?! I'm just stating a point! Having an old man staring at me like that is giving me goosebumps! If someone wants to stare at me, I much prefer a beautiful girl!"
The old man let out an inaudible sigh.
It's not that he couldn't see his usefulness. Kamijou Touma's right hand that somehow holds some strange power that could dispel the curse might be just something he needed to end the potential disaster. But still, he had no idea how it works and from the looks of it, neither does the boy, and messing around with powers you don't understand is just asking for trouble. Also, the old man had figured out that despite having fought an incarnation of evil itself, Kamijou Touma is somewhat an amateur and having him in the middle of a potential disaster might be causing unexpected and unpredictable situation that could spiral out of control.
However, he also figured out that Kamijou Touma himself is not normal.
He had seen it before, so he knew it was not something normal teenagers would have.
It was...
"..."
Again, he let out another inaudible sigh.
"...When we're there, don't do anything stupid and do what I told you to do. Keep up or I'll leave you behind."
"Why do I get the feeling I've heard that line somewhere? Ah, whatever." Kamijou thought to himself, before realizing that the old man was heading into the direction of the unconscious boy. "H-hey old man, wait up! What are you going to do to him?"
"First aid." He answered coldly.
That was when an unspoken dilemma strike Kamijou.
That boy's condition was unpredictable. He wasn't in a state where they could be dragging him all over the place with no clear goal. The location they're heading in might be related to something that created a tragedy where hundreds of people are killed, that is clearly not the place for an injured boy to be.
That old man must have known about the same problem as well since he kept casting doubtful gaze into the boy.
Kamijou still does not know what is happening but he knows enough that there is not enough time.
Yet he said, "Are we going to leave him behind? Oh, I don't care if you're injured, if you say yes, I'm going to punch you."
"...We have no time."
A person that had never stake his life in a life and death battle would not be able to notice but the connoisseur of the back alleys of Academy City Kamijou Touma had spotted the discrepancies.
He said 'We' instead of 'I'.
That means this old man expected Kamijou to come along with him. That in itself already spoke volumes.
The old man does not have any weapon that could fight against a threat as big as the previous black flame, but Kamijou does. He might have viewed his right hand that held a certain power as a potential weapon that could dispel the corruption.
And if Kamijou tries to go alone he might be thrown into a situation similar like a child trying to defuse a time bomb.
"Damn old man..." Kamijou muttered. "That doesn't really sit right with me. Who are you to make that decision? And don't say you're his father, cause I'm not gonna buy a father would even consider abandoning his own son."
The old man showed no change in his posture, but those words stabbed him much more than it should be.
Without pausing or looking back, the old man opened his mouth to answer.
"E-Emiya Kiritsugu!?"
...But he was beaten to the punch by a new familiar (for Kamijou unfamiliar) sound.
The newly identified Emiya Kiritsugu and the unlucky boy Kamijou Touma turned to the newcomer.
He was another teenage boy of about 15 or 16. From just a glance of his appearance he was obviously not an Asian. Kamijou noticed that his clothes were drenched with sweat and he looked like he had just done the biggest marathon of his life. He might have gone here because he felt the same extreme amount of disturbance in the city. Yet, despite the pleas of his primal instinct to ignore it as best as he can and his mind calling him an idiot all over again, the fact that he still went into this sickening place might have been a testament of the goodness in his heart.
Thinking back, it was really strange that no help from the city officials were coming here despite proofs that the flames that burned down the entire place has been going on for several hours. Even from this Mage Association the bastard bearded old man had said. There must be something strange that kept everyone, including mages, outside. This boy must have had something that enabled him to bypass that strange something.
Kamijou Touma does not know of it, but this boy was the Master of Rider in the Fourth Holy Grail. Recently, he had a very close call against the most powerful and unpredictable Servant in the Grail War and yet he lived. This might have caused him an increase in Self-Confidence stats, which is probably the reason why he could face against the Magus Killer face to face. Incidentally, said Magus Killer had considered this boy as an enemy before but he was not someone that likes to enter a needless fight over petty grudge.
The Magus Killer, Emiya Kiritsugu, and the boy with the strange right hand, Kamijou Touma, exchanged glances.
They met only for a few minutes and it was already clear that they do not have a good impression of each other, but strangely with just a single glance they both managed to understand that each of them both have a similar thought.
With a nod, they decided on a course of action.
"Hey, hey, what's going on? Why is the Grail up and running again? Your Saber and Archer was supposed to be the last Servants, right? So why-... W-whoa! I-is that... King Arthur's Avalon!? Why are you pulling that out!? ...Eh, you're giving it to this kid? Ah, he does look like he's in a bad shape... and who is that boy with you? Ah, never mind! That's not important! Emiya! What happ-... Eh? W-why are you handing this kid to me? ...Take him to safety? S-sure I can do that, but-... E-eh? Where are you two going!? Hey! Don't leave me hanging here! Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyy!"
And so Waver Velvet the side character was casted aside from the protagonist roster.
In that city, there appeared a light.
At first, it was just a simple glitter, just the size of a luminescent light emitted from a dragonfly's skin.
Then it grew.
The light grew brighter with each passing seconds.
And as the light glowed, a blood red darkness follows from the shadows.
The blood red darkness rises.
It rises as if trying to swallow the light.
And as it rises, it takes after a form to suit its purpose.
The form of blood red chains that shines ominously in the moonlight.
Hundreds of these chains locked itself surrounding the white beam shooting out into the sky.
As if to say it was made to imprison the light.
The chains shook and the light was distorted.
Their struggle caused unnatural changes that began to color the world in blood.
The night sky turned red.
The moon disappeared into the dark.
The earth soured and dead.
And the Heavens Fall.
"Um, I don't know much about magic but that doesn't look very good."
"No, it's not."
Kamijou Touma and Emiya Kiritsugu ran towards the park.
They had left the boy they saved to the grumbling side character Waver Velvet who had grudgingly ran outside to the nearby functioning hospital.
As the strange duo ran along the path into the where the white light is, they noticed the strange happenings around them that doesn't follow normal law.
The dead trees burned down in blazes were growing back with red leaves and black branches, steam gases with odd stench were coming out from the ground and the sky and the moon were flickering red and black like blood. Regarding these odd phenomenon, Kamijou Touma have one thing to say:
"Hahaha... this is just unlucky. I'm stuck in some kind of an armageddon and today was supposed to be my long awaited super expensive sashimi fiesta. Hahaha, this is supposed to be my lucky day. Haha, so why am I so unlucky? Ahahahahahaha!"
"Shut up and move."
Laughing ironically instead of saying 'Fukou da' like usual was a sign that Kamijou mental struggle was reaching a tipping point. Thinking about those unlucky things and constantly kept out of the loop might have made Kamijou pissed because he added, "...And a fellow with a pleasantly charming attitude. Wow, are all magicians like this? I really should join this Mage Association you're talking about."
"Sure, with that power they'll take you in." Then after briefly lighting up Kamijou's surprise, the old man added, "as a test subject I suppose."
"Umm... yeah, that's... encouraging." Kamijou said as he sunk down to an all new level of unlucky streak.
"We're here."
"Sob sob, so unlucky, so unlucky. Why am I always so unlucky? Oh why? Oh why-...Eh? W-What the hell is that!?"
'It' greets them the instant they made their way into the pillar of light.
Something strange is waiting for them within.
"What...is this?"
Yes, in front of them was a beautiful, pristine light shooting out into the sky.
...And surrounding it was lumps of meat that was wriggling around.
The big disgusting pile of meat was spewing out black blood and purple gas that screams out 'poison'.
It did not seem to simply contain evil. It was the symbol of evil itself.
How big is that thing? What kind of an abomination is that? How can something like that be allowed to exist?
"No, there is no way... this is... impossible." the ever stoic man Kiritsugu seemed to be muttering to himself in disbelief.
"Emiya-san! What is that... thing?" Kamijou asked with puffed out breath.
Kiritsugu was in intense refusal.
He did not answer.
He cannot answer.
There is no way someone that does not know the question can answer.
Because deep within his mind, he knew.
He knew there is no way something like that could ever exist in this world.
"That is... the Holy Grail." He answered even though he knew it was wrong.
"Eh? What? Seriously!? That's the Holy Grail!? There's nothing holy about that thing! ...except that light shining out from the middle I think. But that giant blob... damn, that thing is disgusting."
But Kiritsugu knew. That isn't the Holy Grail. Not completely anyway.
He could recognize the power that could grant wishes radiated from that shining white light. He could recognize the corruption from the familiar sickening scent of darkness.
It's not just the Holy Grail. It's not just the corruption of Angra Mainyu.
There is something more.
Something more has been added into that already corrupted Holy Grail.
And then...
The change has already taken effect.
"Emiya-san!"
"Kh!"
Something grabbed him.
Something grabbed his leg and pounced into him. Dropping him into the ground. Kiritsugu reflexively pushed back and kicked him in the chest.
With his back facing the ground, Kiritsugu finally got a visual on his attacker. His entire body was covered in mud. Various high degree burn marks were visible in his skin. Some was so extreme that his entire skin was peeled off and his fractured bones and messed up organs were visible.
It was...
"A-an undead?!" Kamijou yelled from the side.
Kiritsugu made his move.
He drew out a switchblade somewhere from his torn down jacket, charged into his attacker with inhuman speed and accurately jammed his switchblade into its eyes.
It was a display of killer's professionalism that made even Kamijou grimaced.
Those that understands about magic would know that a mere everyday self-defense weapon like a switchblade wouldn't be enough to stop an undead that was made out of the corpse of someone who is already dead, yet the undead suddenly stopped and dissolved into something of a black mud. Some kind of magic must have been added into the switchblade. It was something Kiritsugu had prepared beforehand as a precaution after his encounter against Caster's demons.
"Kamijou, there's more behind you!"
"Eh? G-Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
As Kamijou turned back, the visual scene of five people who are clearly dead walking towards him with stretched hands might be a little too much for him too bear since he looked like he wanted to puke and cry, luckily adrenaline and fear of death must have been slowing the process.
Seeing a corpse for the first few times was bad enough, but Kamijou felt an extreme sense of revulsion upon realizing they were standing and walking towards him.
If he was seeing the remains of people who had lived to a ripe old age and died of natural causes and it had been properly prepared for a funeral, Kamijou might have been able to tearfully see them off to their grave.
But they were clearly different.
They had been killed in an abnormal way, just like the ones that had been scattered all around the place when he first arrived here. And right now, they were standing and walking around with various body parts and organs visible and tattered everywhere.
In panic, Kamijou threw a punch into one closest to him that was stumbling around with an eerie moanings that send a chill into his spine.
Luckily, that right arm that held unimaginable power works like a charm and the undead quickly shattered into pieces.
However, instead of the usual glass-shattered reaction he had gotten before...
...the corpse had shattered into numerous pieces of body parts and organs that had turned into liquid.
His right hand was smeared with something black and gooey.
His stomach was curling and stirred.
Kamijou's resistance broke down.
He fell down on the ground and threw out his breakfast.
"Tch! Amateur!"
He heard some shouts and cries and moanings and sounds of steel gashing against the flesh.
He did not know how long he fell into the ground.
By the time he looks up, the four remaining deads have somehow disappeared.
And in front of him was the old man, wearing an irritated face.
"More of them." He muttered to himself.
True to his words, dozens of corpses around them that were lying dead began to rise on their feet.
They were standing against Kamijou and Kiritsugu with the mass lump of flesh and bright tower of light shining behind them.
It's as if they were the guardians of hell that prevented the living trespassers from entering the domain of the Demon King.
The scene he saw before had not seem real because of the surprise and adrenaline, but now the reality struck him in the worst possible way.
They were once human beings.
They were once people who have been going on their own everyday lives. They had families, they had friends, they had loved ones, they had jobs, they had dreams, they were people who had once lived in this world.
Kamijou is not all powerful, so he cannot understand what they have done. He cannot understand whether they were good people or not.
But what does that matter? Some of them might have hurt others, but some of them must have had something they thought were worth living for. People constantly lives by a constant cycle of hurting and protecting. That is just how life truly is. That is the way the pitiful being called human lives their life.
And now they were reduced to this.
They became like something that came out of a horror movie.
Could this really be allowed to happen?
Could the dead be dishonored any more than this?
When he thought about that, his nausea was gone and his trembling stopped.
He clenched his right fist.
There is no time to fear or to spill the content of his stomach in disgust.
He could not do anything for the ones that died.
All he had to do is put them to rest and send them off.
"If you keep doing that you're useless." Kiritsugu suddenly said in irritation.
"Yes, sorry, I'm fine now." Kamijou answered as he got himself up.
"I don't have time to babysit amateurs, there is still time for you to back down."
"I don't have any reason to back down." Kamijou replied with a clear voice. While regaining his previous composure, Kamijou said, "And besides, have anyone ever told you what a bad salesman you are? With that tone, you have zero persuasion skill." He added lightly. "Anyway, what do you think that... Holy Grail is doing?"
"...It's hard to say."
Some people that know Kiritsugu Emiya would understand that he was not the type to share vital information easily, but he answered the boy with an unclear doubtful tone.
"The Holy Grail was... A powerful artifact with unlimited potential. But somehow it was corrupted. I'll spare you the detail but several events lead up from one to another and it ended up turning this place into... This."
"So this corruption is the cause of it all?"
"I'm not sure. I was a magus that was deeply involved with the Grail and I've tried to stop it before." His stoic face turned into a bitter chuckle "You can see how that turned out."
"...I see."
"I didn't exactly fail completely though, I'm pretty sure I already exhausted the curse and prevented its true form from being born. But that disgusting mass of flesh is disturbingly similar to the fetus of Angra Mainyu's corruption, so I'm not really sure I succeeded."
"It certainly looks like a complicated issue. And what's Angra Mainyu?"
"Persian God of Evil. Also called with the title as 'All the World's Evil'. That's another long story. To sum it up that thing was the one that corrupted the Holy Grail."
"So this God of Evil is the cause behind all of this? Well, having a Demon King as a target is a lot less complicated than I thought."
"No, that might not be the case."
"? ...What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that the cause of the previous incident where this city was burned down and the cause where these strange things, like the rising of the dead and the blood red sky, are happening might be caused by two different things." Kiritsugu continued. "Of course, I don't have much of the proof. But since I... dealt with the corruption before I know it's 'scent' and right now this incident does not have the same 'scent' it does like before."
This means that they might be dealing with something completely different.
This means that Kiritsugu's skill and experience with the Holy Grail and Kamijou's right arm which had proven useful against Angra Mainyu's curse might not be enough.
"...I was right. This is really not my lucky day." Kamijou grimaced. "What do you think it was doing?"
Kiritsugu frowned for a moment before answering.
"The flow of magic and leylines on the ground is growing increasingly unstable. And it's not over with just that, the natural balance between the sky and the earth is also changing." He spoke with unnatural tremble as he scanned the surroundings with some kind of magic. "Damn it. That thing was causing some unnatural distortion into the World itself. Even for me this is insane!"
"Eh...? Meaning...?"
"It means if this situation keeps up, the world might be thrown out of balance and destroyed." Kiritsugu stated grimly. "Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, all kinds of natural disaster will occur. The death toll will be in millions and this is the best case scenario."
"T-Then what's the worst case?"
"...The world might become uninhabitable for the next thousands of years."
The mere high school boy Kamijou Touma paled at the sheer image of the scale.
It was growing.
Something absurd and unnatural had begun its move.
An even worse tragedy than the one they had witnessed was brewing.
And yet...
"Let's start by getting through this horde of undead. If we can get close to the source, maybe we can find some weak point and destroy it."
"Alright. I guess I have no choice but to get my hands dirty."
Either way, what they had to do was clear.
They had to stop another tragedy from being created.
"Experiment Cradle" PROGRESS REPORT #4
With the assistance of Wizard Marshall Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg and his skill, dubbed the Second Magic, the overwatch and uplink for the UNDER_LINE system and Distant Eagle matrix calibration has been established within Subject 0 with the purpose of documentation and observation of the Experiment Cradle in the parallel world, here to be dubbed as Delta World.
The results given have been inconclusive.
Subject 0 has shown no visible reaction to the arrival of Imagine Breaker. However, based on the changing condition of Delta World, it is a certainty that it has acknowledged his presence and had reacted accordingly. It is likely that we were just unable to capture its physical reactions with the recording device that we had in our disposal.
Contact with the Wizard Marshall regarding the possibility of advanced and further monitoring of Experiment Cradle has proven rather fruitless in this endeavor despite his agreement to provide support. Preliminary profile calculation has given the likelihood of the Wizard Marshall to understand any knowledge of Subject 0's reactions is 0,036%, although the Wizard Marshall has shown 99,82% chances of using the Experiment for his own purpose. Experiment Cradle has the potential to be mutually beneficial to both parties so the level of potential threat for the Wizard Marshall shall be set within yellow and lower.
However, despite this setback, we have been able to determine several facts.
While Imagine Breaker has been known with its ability to negate a distortion of supernatural causes, it has been hypothesized that this feature of ability only worked within the domain of our world, here to be dubbed as Alpha World, as one of Imagine Breaker's feature is to function as a reference point for Alpha World. The following fact that it was capable of negating supernatural distortion within the Delta World has proven the hypothesis wrong.
But the following scan with Distant Eagle has revealed a crucial point.
Within the total 14 minutes of Imagine Breaker's presence within Delta World, we have detected significant spike of unknown energy emitted from and into Imagine Breaker with every time it negated supernatural distortion within Delta World. While there is no detected presence of Subject 0, it was likely that the resulting energy has been responsible with the significant amount of changes within Delta World.
Here are the inputted comments from the Wizard Marshall regarding the subject.
Play Recording
"Hmm? Oh, so that's what you're wondering about. Heh, this is turning to be quite a day. To think that the self proclaimed smartest man in the world asking me something, I should put this day in my calendar! (...)
"Fine, fine, you just don't get humor, do you? And if you already had a theory about it, why are you asking me? (...) Confirmation? Oh, fine. You scientist type are always so uptight.
"Well, the answer is actually quite simple! Just as how each person are different from one another, each worlds are also different with each other. You know, different laws, different history, different people, different magic, different science. (...) Yup, all that stuff. Although there are several cases where a world is very similar to one another.
"(...) Hmm? Oh, it's like how people in Asia have some characteristics that made them look a lot alike and how people in Europe look a lot alike. (...) Yes, like that! Using your description, it's like how Asians normally have black hairs compared with Caucasians that are blonds or brunettes and stuff like that. In this case though, it applies on a galactic scale between each of the worlds.
"(...) How does it connect to that boy? Well, you mentioned before that his right hand holds some kind of power that also functioned as this world's reference point right? That means the right hand of that boy is actually part of the system of this world instead of just a supernatural creation like espers or mages.
"(...) Yes, you finally got it. Each world has their own system that balances and suited their needs and characteristics. Kinda like an ecosystem actually. And I think someone like you would know what will happen when a Japanese woodpecker suddenly appeared in Australia. (...) Haha! Yes! Like giving a heart medicine for someone with liver failure. That's even better than my analogy!
"(...) Possible damage? Enough to turn the entire world upside down. I wouldn't be surprised if the Counter Force interferes actually. But given the nature of Imagine Breaker, even the system for summoning of Counter Force might be messed up.
"(...) I know! It's almost ironic in a way. A right hand that can stop the distortion of this world ending up creating a huge distortion in another. Kinda sad really. But if what I heard about Kamijou Touma is right then it's gonna be absolutely fun to watch! (...) Okay, okay. Oh! I once discovered a world filled with monsters and magic! (...) What's my point? Ah. I know what you mean. In hindsight, it might be nothing unusual. But get this! They're all monster girls! And all of them are sex maniacs! Ahahahaha! I had a lot of fun in that world! I also raped a beautiful goddess with ginormous boobies and a bad case of 'evil pretending to be good' character! She kept crying and begging and-... (...)"
"Sigh, you just don't get it, do you? Being stuck in a place like this for years must be bad for your humor and sexual tension. To think you might be interested so much in me and so jealous that you don't want to hear about my past exploits is just wrong. (...) Okay, okay. Geez, why so serious?"
"(...) How to stop the damage? Well, that's easy! (...) Oh, no. It won't work if you just transported him back from that world into here. The moment that right hand arrived, that right hand might easily become a virulent disease into that world. Do you know what I'm saying? (...) Yes, removing him won't be enough. To completely stop it you need something like... vacation or something (...) yeah, yeah, vaccinations... using the virus itself to cure the virus or whatever that modern stuff means.
"If you transported him back, poof, just like that, then the damage within the already destroyed ecosystem might be a lot more difficult to mitigate. But if that right hand was destroyed right then and there, then the World itself can use the reference point from Imagine Breaker to repair itself. (...) Yup, that right hand was functioning as a reference point. Even if it was send into another world, that function would still exist, that's why it will be possible for him to negate the supernaturals over there... although it might be using the reference point of this world at first.
"(...) Why do I said 'at first'? Well, some time afterwards, Imagine Breaker itself will recognize that its reference point will be outdated within that world. (...) Yes, it will integrate itself to the system of that world. (...) Heh, even the integration process will be nothing sort of a disaster. Both for the boy and for the World. (...) Ugh. The details? By the root, explaining that long is just too much of a bother."
"In short, if you want to save that world from total destruction, all you need to do is to kill Kamijou Touma. Simple, right?"
End Recording
I'm BAAAAAACCCCCKKKKKKKKKK! The King of Procrastinations here!
After several months of isolation, I'm finally free! The heavyweight burdens are finally lifted and I am now officially a college student!
...Or not.
It is still 6 days before the results of the final test are shown and I am grimacing over and over in bed. I know I decided to seal away my laptop until the results are shown but I just couldn't help it. The temptations are just too great and I need a break from the constant studying.
Sorry if there is any part in this chapter you find unsatisfactory, as I was under heavy burden of stress when writing this, I give my heartfelt apologize to the readers if some scenes did not came out very good. On a side note, bigger stress apparently helps a lot with writing some of the darker aspect of the scenes so there's a good point in this whole mess.
In another completely unrelated note, I've been paying some attentions on FSN sister series, Kara no Kyoukai. The plot as a whole was interesting for avid mystery fans and fans of Nasuverse but it feels like an epic waste.
What did I find a waste? Well, Ryougi Shiki of course! Red jacket kimono girl with awesome-looking knife and awesome assassin skill mixed with equally awesome Mystic Eyes and a deadset brutal rationality. Admit it brothers and sisters, she's too good! She's wasted as just the main character of a mystery! A character as awesome as her had a lot of untapped potential that a mystery genre could never hope to use! Someone like her could top off Kamijou Touma from the 1st light novel character in "Kono Light Novel Ga Sugoi!" if she got into To aru Majutsu no Index! Just think about it, "The one that can negate everything, even if it's the miracles of God himself" and "The one that can kill everything, even if it's God himself". How awesome is that?!
Haaaa, we never truly get what we want. Such is the way of life, I guess.
Well if you can't get what you want, then make one yourself! Hahaha! Ryougi Shiki, prepare yourself! You're about to be thrown into this bizarness called fanfiction! Muahahahahaha!
Okay, enough screwing around. Time to get serious, umm... How should I start? Ah, how about an apology? Yes, I'm sorry for the extremely late updates. Even though I promised to myself to give a biweekly updates, it turned out into 2 months of no activity. For that I'm truly sorry.
Well, this past few months, the fate of my life was hanging in the balance... and I meant that quite literally. If I write a book about what happened, I'm pretty sure I'd get a hit in the market.
Hmm... Now that I think of it, that does sound like a good idea.
Back to the main topic, this one is a good news of some sort. Since I've been getting a lot of response to continue this fanfic, so I've decided to move The Eighth Contestant into my first priority! Yay! Ah, by the way, I fixed the title, completely forgot to put another 'h' there.
On to the story itself, there are several points that I'd like to add.
First off, Kiritsugu actually lost his weapons after his fight with Kirei but I used my authority as a fanfiction writer to rectify this fact. Second of all, Waver never actually met Kiritsugu face to face (at least not that I know of) but again the authority of a fanfiction writer knows no bounds. Thirdly, Kiritsugu's switchblade... again, authority of fanfiction writer to the rescue! Man, I love fanfictions!
I regret nothing!
*SPOILER Alert!*
There are several chapters or story arcs I have in mind. I call this first part "The Outsider" arc. Later, I'm thinking of writing about "The Daily Life in Fuyuki" and the standard "The Fifth Holy Grail War" with Shirou as the protagonist, "Assault on the Einzberns" arc with Kiritsugu, "Rising Void of Verlund" arc with Kamijou and the "Clocktower Siege" arc with Waver. The closing story arcs will be "Chaos Type-Earth" arc and "Last Illusion" arc.
I planned to make the plot peer off and connected like the style in To Aru Majutsu no Index. All of them are subject to changes since some of them are still a jumbled mess and needed to be sorted out. Writing it all out is both relaxing and a f*ckin' pain in the ass at the same time.
*SPOILER End*
Oh, I suppose another apology is in order for the readers who wanted me to continue my other fanfics since they will be suspended to guarantee my focus, so I sincerely apologize.
Wow, I'm apologizing a lot these days. I'm getting close to the 'kneeling man' Kousaka.
Please review or PM-me! Don't be shy to point out my mistakes or what I did wrong. God knows I need help a lot.
Ciao.
