A/N: Double Feature! Smashed out a second chapter in less than 24 hours! Woo!

Don't expect it to keep, however! This speed is one born of repressed creative power, saved up during long hours of studying and released by the immense power of unbridled freedom! It is very likely that this will never happen again!

That said, I've already started on the next chapter even though I should be sleeping.

Next chapter is an Illya chapter. Look forward to it!


Heaven's/Feel Alchemist - Ch008

Memory 02


Illyasviel von Einzbern is a relatively carefree girl. Why wouldn't she be? She has the political and financial backing of the whole Einzbern family. Combined with her magecraft, there's very little in in the world that can hope to oppose her.

She doesn't mind the purpose she was created for. It allows her to play- er, research alchemy all day. If she has need of something for her experiments, her family will spare no expense to get it for her.

There's something that's been troubling her recently, however.

As she continues to delve into the mysteries of Einzbern alchemy, the more she wonders about the alchemic achievements of others. She wants to know what the other mages have accomplished, what they have created, how, and why. What other products of alchemy are out there, known but kept secret from her? Could they be useful for retrieving the Heaven's Feel?

More importantly, are they any fun?

She's reached a point in her research where she can appreciate the wonders of the lauded Philosopher's Stone. Whether it's Azoth or Alkahest, nothing measures up to the recorded feats of Paracelsus von Hohenheim's stones. As their only known creator and the founder of modern alchemy, even the thousand year old Einzbern family took notice when he started making a scene back in the day.

Though the chance of meeting someone as gifted as Paracelsus is so small as to be negligible, knowing there might be other such geniuses out there is still exciting.

If she, the Master of Northern Alchemy, were to meet up with such a person, what would be the result? Would they be friends? Rivals? Enemies? Maybe some complicated mix of all three?

She has no idea, but she's eager to find out.

So eager, in fact, that she's holding interviews. Anyone who can bring her new achievements in alchemy will be rewarded with money. If the achievement is interesting enough, they will also be gifted an Einzbern battle homunculus. The grade of homunculus will vary depending on the achievement, but everyone who comes gets what they deserve.

The man standing before her is a little shabby and scraggly, speckles of unshaven facial hair halfway done forming a 5 o'clock shadow. His form of dress is formal, yet doesn't restrict his movement. The long coat he wears is befitting of a mercenary with many enemies and knows he could need a weapon at any moment.

His face is blank and his eyes are vacant, yet there's something about him that makes you feel like there's more. Him just walking into the room drew all eyes within three steps. None of the previous participants had that kind of effect.

"I hear your a mercenary," she says in her non-native English, "who fought in the American War of Independence."

The man's gaze slowly narrows. He's puzzled by something. Perhaps it's her choice of language. It's not very becoming English of a lady with her social position.

"How did you do that?" he asks, also ignoring proper decorum, "You used the wrong 'you're.' Even though I shouldn't be able to tell because they sound the same, I was somehow able to hear the difference. Just what did you do?"

She just smiles proudly.


Illyasviel von Einzbern is young, but that's okay. She's a particularly well-made homunculus. Her only flaw is that her bones are weak and break easily. That's fixed easily enough with her Bernard.

Really, everyone should have a Bernard, but they're hard to raise without them delving into Dead Apostle research.

Even if her Bernard is busy for some reason, like now, she can usually fix herself up with Wishcraft. She has a needlessly high amount of Prana, and her Magic Circuits are more efficient than humanly possible. Her one flaw is painful, but easily overcome.

Unless something like the French Revolution happens while you're in France.

"Tell me how you do it," the scruffy black haired man says from his place on her lap. While normally she would object to giving the man a lap pillow, he's earned it after saving her life. Well, she might normally object anyway, but her legs and arms are broken.

You'd think with the need to keep magic hidden there would be fewer magi throwing around explosions.

"Stop talking and save your strength. Bernard will be back soon, and then you'll be fine," she orders him with teary eyes. She'd use Wishcraft to heal him herself, but she had already used most of her Prana killing their attackers. They were skilled, but not normally enough to cause her trouble. It's just that they were smart and used a lot of underhanded tricks.

So now her bodyguard, fellow alchemist, and best friend is dying on her lap.

"I won the bet," he reminds her with eyes far infinitely more alive than when they first met.

She decides she hates irony.

"It's a trick I learned from an Atlas researcher. You do it by transmuting the phenomena known as 'Language' from written to spoken," she says with a quivering voice. He chuckles. He coughs up blood.

"Idiot! I told you to stop talking!"

"Didn't say a word," he smiles with bloody lips, "Besides, you make it sound so easy."

"What? The alchemy? It is. It's so simple that when Bernard heals you up and we get home and I show you the formula, you'll smack yourself with with easy it is. Now stop talking and save your strength. Bernard is on his way. We'll get you healed up-"

"Not that," he finally gets a word in, still grinning. "Living. You make it sound so easy."

"Of course," a tear falls from her face to his, "You promised, right? You won't die until you save the world?"

The smiling man-

"I think..."

-takes a raspy breath-

"I already did."

-and dies.


Illyasviel von Einzbern is a beautiful young lady. She knows it well. From her flawless hair to her well-shaped feet, every bit of her was designed to be peerless.

She finds it to be a surprisingly useful weapon in the Clock Tower. Never did she imagine that a building full of mostly male holed-up academia fanatics would be so susceptible to the subtle wiles of a beautiful, powerful, rich woman of high society. Really, shouldn't they be focusing on their research?

So she finds it interesting that the man before her seems unaffected by her looks. Either he has no interest, or he's quite the expert at hiding it. Given the dumbfounded look on his face, she's almost certain it's the former.

"Saving the world?" the man shakes his head slowly as if unable to comprehend the words. "Einzbern, we're close enough friends that you know why I know it is impossible."

Additionally, they've been friends for a while.

"Saving the world would require the creation of utopia, and that cannot be achieved with human hands," he stresses, his finger firmly hitting the table between them for emphasis.

"I'm going to have to agree with Makiri on this one," a man sitting beside the first raises an open hand, "Heroes greater than we have tried. All have failed."

"That's right," she nods knowingly. "All heroes of the past have failed. No human hands can create utopia."

She pauses for dramatic effect.

"Please don't pause for dramatic effect and just tell us," the Makiri sighs, rolling his hand for her to continue.

"So, we're going to borrow the hands of God!" she informs them gleefully, as if her ancient friend hadn't just ruined the mood for her dramatic reveal, "With the system I've designed and the research you two have made on the Philosopher's Stone, we can-"

"We never researched the Philosopher's Stone, though," the second man raises his hand again to interrupt.

"-save the... What?" she blinks. She closes her eyes, shakes her head, gives him a long look before speaking again. The look is positively murderous.

"Why the hell not?!" she thunders, "Tohsaka! You use Jewel Magecraft! Makiri! You've seen von Hohenheim's stone in action! Both of you know this! Researching the Philosopher's Stone is the obvious conclusion!"

"Because Paracelsus made his stone from True Ether," Makiri raises a cobalt-blue brow. "How do you expect any research to bear fruit when the base material doesn't even exist anymore?"

"One made from Ether should still be useful!" she insists.

"Let's be honest," Tohsaka sighs, "I'm not a very good magus. Even if I knew how, I doubt I could make one."

"You'd never figure it out anyway," Makiri consoles(?) his friend, "It's some sort of photonic crystal that doubles as an impossibly powerful calculation machine. It's how his Azoth Sword allowed him to cast almost any spell instantly."

"Like a magic crest?" she interrupts, her curiosity killing her rage cat.

"No," Makiri denies instantly, "They're in completely different dimensions. If the Philosopher's Stone has three dimensions, then a magic crest has only one."

"Damn!" she bites her lip in frustration. "How am I supposed to power the ritual now? I can't use a leyline! Even going to America wouldn't get it out the reach of the Association or the Church! Everything will be ruined before it has a chance to start!"

"If west doesn't work, why not go east?" Tohsaka suggests, "You do remember I'm from Nihon, right?"

"Hm... I don't know," she thinks it over seriously, "I designed the system with the west in mind..."

"Why don't you tell us the details of this ritual of yours?" Makiri follows up, "Saving the world by 'borrowing the hands of God' sounds like something that could call down the Counter Force."

"It won't!" she pouts, even as her friends laugh at her expense like good friends do.


Next: Heaven's Feel 05 - Part A