As I said before, this chapter is just the church's scene. I could not think of a better scene that would take as much time as Kotomine's big speech, so I deliver the slightly altered from the Novel conversation here. Next chapter, real changes start happening, I needed to get this out of the way and I wanted to build muscle-memory on Kotomine's character.
Fate/Stay Night – Snow Princess Requiem
Chapter Two – Kotomine Church – Alter-Ego
A large, impressive chapel.
So large that Shirou was sure it was crowded during the day. Basing himself on the church, Shirou's first impression of the priest was that he was a man of character.
"Hey, Tohsaka. What kind of person is the priest here?"
"The kind that's hard to explain. I've known him for ten years and have yet to grasp his character."
"That's quite a long time. Are you relatives or something?"
"He's not my relative, but he was my senior as an apprentice and my second teacher."
"Eh… Wait, you mean apprentice as a magus?!"
"That's right, why are you so surprised?"
"Because he's a priest! Aren't priests forbidden from having anything to do with magic?!"
This was from the scraps of knowledge that Shirou got from Kiritsugu. It was in their very nature. Magi and the church cannot be in harmony.
As a whole, the group that magi belong to is called the Magic Association. And there is the hidden side of religion, called the Holy Church.
They are barely similar. They cooperate in name, but are always trying to kill each other off.
The church hunts heretics. For them, miracles are blessings given to the faithful. Any form of manipulating miracles puts whomever did in the curch's sights. That means they would target magi as well.
Based on all that, the higher in rank one is in the Holy Church, the further from magic should he stay. And for a priest entrusted with such a church to be involved with magic?
"No, first of all, is the priest here on our side?"
"Yes. After all, he is the one supervising the Holy Grail War, a real Agent… Well, I'm not really sure if he has divine protection."
Rin's footsteps echoes while she walks towards the altar. It's bad manners to do so without a priest present, but, at this time, if he isn't in the chapel, he should be in the room in the back.
"… So, who is this priest? You mentioned a name like Kotomine before."
"His name is Kotomine Kirei. He was a student of my father, and we've had an inseparable relationship for ten years now. I wish I'd never met him though."
"— I feel the same way. I did not want an apprentice who does not respect her teacher."
A footstep. He had obviously noticed their entry. He appeared from the other side of the altar.
"You didn't answer my repeated calls, and now you bring a strange guest... So, he is the seventh one, Rin?"
"Right. He is a magus, but he's such a beginner I couldn't let him be. I believe there was a rule about reporting when one becomes a Master, right? Even though it's a rule you made up, I'll follow it this time."
"Very well. Then I must thank him."
The priest called Kotomine turns to Shirou.
"…"
Shirou takes a step back unconsciously. The priest is not scary, nor does he irradiates any hostility. Still, the air around him feels heavy.
"I am Kotomine Kirei, the one entrusted with this church. What is your name, seventh Master?"
"Emiya Shirou, but I haven't agreed to this Master thing yet."
Shirou desperately glares back at the priest, trying not to lose to his presence.
"Emiya… Shirou."
Shirou suddenly feels a chill. The priest smiles as if he has met someone amusing.
That smile—
"I thank you, Emiya. You brought Rin here. I doubt she would have come otherwise."
The priest moves towards the altar while Rin moves away from it and go stand beside Shirou.
"Then let us start. Emiya Shirou, you are the Master of Saber, correct?"
"Wrong. I made a contract with her, but I know nothing about this Master and Holy Grail War thing. I think another person should be chosen if a proper magus would be better."
"This is serious. Rin, does he really know nothing?"
"I told you he was a beginner. Guide him from the very first steps, okay? You're really good at that, aren't you?"
"… I see. So that's how it is. I understand now. You have never depended on me before. Emiya Shirou, I can never thank you enough."
Father Kotomine laughs. Their exchange causes an inexplicable uneasiness on Shirou.
"First, you need to have some misunderstandings corrected. Listen closely, Emiya Shirou. The role of a Master is not something you can simply give away to someone else nor is it a role you can just stop playing once you are chosen. Those with the Command Spells carved on them cannot resign from being a Master. This is a fact you must accept."
"What makes it so unconceivable for me to quit?"
"The Command Spell is a holy mark. To be a Master is a trial placed upon you, and as such, it can't be avoided simply for being inconvenient. You cannot be released from that pain until you obtain the Holy Grail.
"If it is your wish to retire from being a Master, all you can do is obtain the Holy Grail and wish it. Doing that, everything will go as you desire, Emiya Shirou. Your wish, even cleaning up the mud inside you; yes, it is even possible to start all over again.
"Therefore, you should make that your desire. If that time comes, you will appreciate being one of the chosen. If you want to heal those unseen burns, all you should do is accept this holy mark"
"What?"
Shirou felt dizzy. The priest's words don't make any sense. He just feels them confusing him even more.
The priest's words don't make any sense. And yet…
His words soak into Shirou's brain and proceed to clot like blood.
"Kirei, stop doing that. You're supposed to explain the rules, not open up his old wounds."
"Tohsaka?"
Hearing her voice, Shirou dizziness goes away.
"I see. It's pointless to talk to this kind of people, so I tried to take away his morality first, while he still misunderstood. Heh, I guess compassion really isn't good for others. And I rather enjoyed that too."
"What? Does it do you good to help him?"
"Of course. Helping people is the way to be saved yourself in the end. Well, I suppose it's useless to preach to you.
"So, returning to what brought you here, Emiya Shirou. The battle you have just been dragged into is called the Holy Grail War. Have you learned from Rin that it's an all-out war between seven Masters, using Servants?"
"I did. Some ridiculous thing where seven Masters kill each other, right?"
"Indeed. But it is not our will that makes us commit these inhuman acts. It is all a ritual to determine who is the most suitable to receive the Holy Grail. Its greatness is such that we require many trials to determine its owner."
Trials? So this whole war was supposed to be some kind of trial? Nothing could convince Shirou of this.
"Hold on, you keep saying 'Holy Grail War', but what really is it? You can't actually mean the real Holy Grail, right?"
The Holy Grail. A mythical item, said to have received the blood of Christ. It is said to be capable of many miracles, but even its existence is uncertain. Miracle granting Holy Grails are common place in folklores and legends.
Something as grand as cup that grants wishes. Something as omnipotent as that could not possibly exist.
"So answer, Kotomine Kirei. Are you talking about the real Holy Grail?"
"Of course. The Grail that appears in this city is real without a doubt. If you want proof, simply gaze at your Servant. To summon and control past heroes. It is a miracle close to resurrecting the dead, that kind of sorcery. A Holy Grail with this much power will clearly grant its owner with unlimited power. The object's unreality is worthless before all the proofs of its existence."
Shirou thought process was at full speed.
So, what he actually means is that it doesn't even matter if it's a fake or the real thing, as long as the fake can grant even more power than the original, huh?
"All right. So, assuming the Holy Grail does exist. Why should we kill ourselves for it? If its power is so great, we could all easily share it."
"A fair argument, but such freedom is not given to us. Only one shall obtain the Holy Grail. That is what the Grail itself has decided.
"The Grail chooses seven Masters and summons seven Servants. I said it before, it is a ritual. The Grail chooses those suitable to hold it and make them fight for it. This is the Holy Grail War— a battle where those chosen by the Grail kill each other to obtain it."
The priest answers without a beat. Shirou finds himself with no rebuttal.
Shirou looks solemnly to his left hand. Engraved there, the Command Spells. The mark that defines him as a Master as long as he carries it.
"I'm not convinced. Even if one is chosen, I see no reason for the other six to be killed."
"Huh? Wait a second, Emiya-kun. You're misunderstanding something. There's no need to kill the Masters."
"What? But, besides Kotomine just now, even you told me before that we would have to kill each other."
"You will kill each other."
"Quiet, Kirei. Listen, the Holy Grail of this city is still in spirit form. It's not something tangible, so we must execute a certain ritual to materialize it. As magi, it's possible for us to call it, but we can't reach it. Do you understand that?"
"Yeah. Only spirits can touch other spirits, right? Ah, so that's why the Servants are needed!"
"Exactly. The objective of this war isn't to kill Masters, but to eliminate every Servant except your own."
Shirou feels frustrated and relieved at the same time. Rin should have just told him that sooner. Even if he enters the war, there would be no need for Rin to die.
"I see. That's one interesting way to think. Then let me ask. Emiya Shirou, do you think you can beat your Servant?"
"What…?"
The answer was clearly "impossible".
"Then let me ask a boring question now. Do you think of yourself as superior to your Servant?"
Shirou is speechless. Again, the answer is obvious. He is inferior in any way to Saber—
"Oh."
"Exactly. Even using your own Servants, Servants are difficult to defeat. So what do you do? It's a simple solution, really. No matter how strong the Servant, it loses its link to this plane when its Master dies. So…"
It's simple. Why take the hard way when you can simply aim for the Master?
"Okay. I get the effectiveness of going after Masters first. But what if the opposite happens? What if a Master loses his Servant? If only Servants can touch the Grail, isn't it pointless to be a Master with no Servant?"
"No, you remain a Master until the last of your Command Spells has vanished. As long as you have one, you can form a contract with another Servant. When a Servant's Master is killed, they remain in this world until their magic energy is spent. If a Master with no Servant meets a Servant without a Master, they can form a contract. That is why Masters kill each other. There is no risk of a defeated opponent coming back."
"And what if you use all your Command Spells? You'll no longer be a Master and there will be a freed Servant, right?"
"Wait, that's—"
"You're right. That way, you stop being a Master. But I don't believe a magus that uses the Command Spells, capable of such powerful magic, exist. He would not be even a beginner, but a chicken."
Shirou felt as if his mind was being read as the priest laughs, clearly noticing his intention.
"You must understand now, so let's return to the beginning. Emiya Shirou, you said you had no intention of being a Master. Do you still feel that way?
"If you seek to abandon your duty, all you must do is use all your Command Spells and break your contract with Saber. If you choose to do so, I will guarantee your safety until the war is over."
"? Why do you need to guarantee my safety? I can take care of myself."
"I don't have enough time to take care of you either, but his is a rule. I have been dispatched to supervise the repeating Holy Grail War. For that reason alone, I seek to minimize the victims. Protection of Masters who are no longer active in the war is one of my most important duties."
"… Repeating?"
Shirou freezes at that word. What does he means by repeating? This madness happened before?
"What? You mean the war didn't start now?!"
"Of course not. Do you think a supervisor would have been sent if that were the case? This church's duty is to recover holy relics. Our original goal was to recover the Holy Cross, but here, our duty is to investigate the Holy Grail. We have to investigate the 726th Holy Grail that has appeared in this eastern land. We must recover it if it's real and dispute it if it's not."
"726th… There has been that many Holy Grails?"
"Who knows? That number merely represents the number of things that seemed like one. And one of those Grails is from the Holy Grail War observed in this town. According to records, the first battle occurred about 200 years ago, with each successive battle happening every 60 years. This is fifth war, marking the shortest cycle yet, since the fourth happened 10 years ago."
"What the— How insane are you guys?! You repeated this four times already?!"
"I feel the same. Yes, this event has repeated itself four time already. In the past, the Holy Grail Wars were terrible. The Masters, driven by their desire, forgot completely about their teachings as a magus and just killed one another.
"I think you already know, but the highest crime for a magus is to use magic in public. This rule has been violated before. The Magic Association sent a supervisor to caution them, but they were just in time for the third war. The one sent then was my father. Do you understand now, boy?"
"Yeah, I understand that we need a supervisor. But, judging from what you told me, isn't this war fundamentally bad?"
"Oh? How so?"
"Because past magi broke the rules, right? Supposing the Grail exist, what if the one who remains is one who would use it selfishly? It would be really bad if such an object fell on the hands of someone who has no problem killing people. If it's the job of the Association to look after magi, shouldn't such persons be punished?"
Shirou's question is deliver with little hope. As was expected, Kotomine just laugh it off.
"Of course not. There are no magi who acts just out of self-interest. We supervise the war, but the Association doesn't care what happens afterwards. It's not of our concern what kind of person gets the Grail."
"Bu that is ridiculous! What happens if the winner is the worst guy possible?!"
"I would surely be problematic, but we can do nothing about it. The Grail chooses its Master, and we have no power to stop the one chosen. After all, it does grant wishes. The one who get it will be able to do as he pleases. If you don't want that to happen, you just have to win it yourself. That is surely the most reliable way. Besides, don't you have a wish you want granted yourself?"
Shirou stopped. He could not outright deny it. Saying he had no desire is the same as saying he didn't really care about finding his sister. How could he live with himself if he did such a thing?
If he was to participate in this war, his wish was clear. But still, even without it, what was to stop him from reaching his goal by himself?
What a joke. The last five years weighed heavily upon him. They were five years in which he could do nothing by himself. Who was he to do something as arrogant as to deny a wish granting machine in order to fulfill his dream by himself if he couldn't do so in the last five years?
"What's wrong, boy? Aren't you interested in what happened ten years ago as well?"
"— Ten… Years ago?"
"Yes. For a moment in the last war, an unsuitable Master touched the Holy Grail. I do not know what his wish was, but all we got was that disaster."
Shirou gasps. For a moment, the image of hell itself passes through his mind.
"You can't mean…"
"Of course. It's an event everyone knows about. Five hundred killed or wounded. A hundred and thirty four buildings burned down. That unexplained inferno was the final result of the Fourth Holy Grail War."
Shirou feels nauseated. His vison blurred, he clench his teeth, holding on to his consciousness with all his will.
"Emiya-kun? What's wrong? You're pale white. I know it's unconfortable, we can take a break for a while."
"… Don't worry. I feel better after seeing your weird face."
"… And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, I have no hidden intentions. I meant it literally, don't worry about it."
"Well, fine… Hey, that's even worse, you oaf!"
The school idol, Tohsaka Rin, smacks him in the head. Thad did the trick. Shirou's nausea goes away.
"Thank you. You truly helped me, so please don't bully me too much. I have more questions."
"More questions? Let everything out then."
"Then I'll ask. If this is the fifth war, has anyone ever obtained the Grail?"
"Of course. Such annihilation is not always the end result."
"Then—"
"Do not be hasty. The Grail itself is managed by this church, so just obtaining it is easy. If you're talking about touching it, I do so every day."
"What?!"
"Of course, it is simply a vessel. As Rin said, the Grail is in spirit form. This is just a replica used as a catalyst to draw the Grail's power. It's just like the relation between Master and Servant. Indeed, there was a man who once obtained the grail for but a moment."
"Then, was it real? And what happened to him?"
"Nothing. The Grail was not complete. It was the result of the man's foolishness, he himself affected by sentiments."
"… What are you saying? Didn't it appear?"
"It is easy for it to appear. You just need the seven Servants. But that thing chooses its master. There was no way for a man who avoided battle to obtain it."
"Heh, so it's useless to just obtain the Grail without settling the matches between Masters. The Master in the last war was probably just a chicken who ran away from the Grail not wanting to kill the other Masters."
Saying that, Rin turns away from Kotomine.
"— No way."
Could Kotomine have been the Master who obtained it in the last war?
"… Kotomine. You didn't fight?"
"I did until halfway, but, as result of a bad decision, I obtained an empty Grail. I suppose that was my limit anyway. The other Masters were monsters. I lost my Servant first and was taken under my father's protection. Thinking about it now, it was inappropriate for the supervisor's son to be a Master. My father died at that time. Since then, I inherited the role of supervisor."
The priest called Kotomine Kirei turns in the altar direction. Before him, the symbol of worship.
"This is the end of this conversation. Those who have Servants are the only ones fit to get the Grail. When a single one of you remain, the Holy Grail shall appear before you. Tell me now if you want to join this battle, the Holy Grail War. Do you have a wish strong enough to rely on the Grail's power?"
Again, Shirou's wish swims through his mind. His sister. Not only that, but he is now determined to stop the Grail from falling into wrong hands.
Still, it is not an easy decision to make.
"Still undecided? Listen, many magi, like Rin, train for years in order to be selected as a candidate. That might not make a difference at all. All you can do is train in case you are selected. Only magi are chosen. If you are a magus, you should be ready. If you are not, you are a failure along with your teacher. It is only annoying for such a person to be fighting. Get rid of your Command Spells."
Shirou had already made his decision. He might not have entered this kill or be killed battle before, but his reasons to do so were growing by the minute.
"I will fight as a Master. If the fire form ten years ago was the result of a Holy Grail War, I can't just leave it alone. And besides, I do have a wish of my own."
The priest smiles, more than likely liking his answer.
"Then I shall approve of you as Saber's Master. In this instant, the Holy Grail War is accepted. The battle in this town is approved until only one of you remain. Everyone shall follow their pride and compete fully against each other."
His meaningless words echoes through the church. His grand speech is heard by only two persons. After some time, Rin breaks the silence.
"So it's decided. I shall be going home, but can I ask a question as well?"
"I don't mind. This might be the last time after all."
"Then I'll ask. Kirei, as the supervisor, you should have information on the other Masters. Since I followed the rules, can you tell me?"
"That's troubling. I wish I could tell you, but I don't have such information either. There seems to not be many legitimate magi this time. I know of only three Masters, including you both."
"I see. Well, you should at least know the order they were summoned."
"Hmm. Berserker was the first. Caster was the second. The others were summoned pretty much at the same time a month ago. Archer was summoned yesterday, and Saber a few hours ago."
"I see. That means it has really started."
"Yes. From now on, you can no longer visit this church unless you are asking for protection after losing your Servant. If you do so, even if you win the war, the Church will take the Grail from you after a boring discussion. I think that's the worst case scenario."
"You fake priest. A member of the Church supporting the Association?"
"I am serving God. That does not mean I am serving the Church."
"Whatever. That means you're fake."
"Wait a second."
Shirou finally butts in.
"Do you have further questions, Emiya Shirou?"
"I do. Kotomine, you mentioned three Masters. Do you know anything about a little girl?"
"You seem to be describing the Master of Berserker, the one sent by the Einzbern."
"Damn. Even kids are being dragged into this."
"You would be surprised, Emiya Shirou, if you were to underestimate Illyasviel for being a child."
Something clicked in Shirou's mind, but he quickly dismisses it. It was impossible, right? She was supposed to be older or at least his age, not a child. But Illyasviel? Illya… And of the Einzbern as well.
Kiritusgu hadn't really explained much, but the Einzbern were the family he was associated with before. Why and in what manner were further things that Shirou had no way of knowing, but… He shook his head again to clear his mind and get rid of such thoughts.
How could she be his sister when she was, at maximum, ten, maybe twelve, years old? And that was stretching it.
When he noticed, Rin had already left. He starts making his way to the door as well.
Suddenly, he feels a presence behind him. Turning around, he finds the priest looking down on him.
"What? Do you have anything more to say? If you don't, I'm leaving."
He feels uncomfortable near the priest. It's hard to describe.
As he goes.
"Rejoice, boy. Your wish will finally come true."
The priest declares like an oracle.
"What are you saying, all of a sudden?"
"You should know. Your wish will not come true without true evil. Even if you don't approve of it, a superhero requires a villain to defeat."
So, this chapter was only the church part. Does Kotomine talk too much or way too much? Anyway, I'm posting these two chapters together because the deviations I plan from the original story will start making themselves more evident next chapter, so I wanted to finish the "common route" first. Evidently, I wish for reviews on both chapters. I'm uneasy about that battle scene and about Kotomine talking too much.