I walk through the dark woods while shivering from head to toe, using only the general direction of where the star was and the fumbling of my hands against the trees and underbrush to guide me. Reinforcement on my eyes so that I can see through the darkness. A coating of fire on my hands to keep me from freezing. I could easily use my magic to guide myself more easily to the city, but I have to overcome this. If I need to get stronger, I'll overcome the things that make me weak… So, I trudged on through the woods while cold air nipped at me and my head grew to ache from my eyes struggling to see anything in the total darkness.
After trekking through the north end of the woods for what felt like forever, I finally reached the barbed wire fence that separated them from the spanning pastures of the countryside. After seeing it once more, specifically how huge it is, I realized how stupid what I'm doing is. Even so, I have to get to him as soon as possible, and the nighttime is the only period I have when I'm not under the watchful eyes of Luvia and Auguste. They may come clean on their part, but that's not to say they'll approve of me seeing the priest or learning anything I don't have to. I grab the spiky wire on top of the fence and lift myself up and over in one go, trying to position my hands to where the spikes on the wire won't poke into them. The tall grass of the field comes up to about my knees, but it looks like further out it will come up even to my waist. After staring out at the expansive fields, I soon feel myself trembling from how cold it is, and I decide to stop worrying and just focus on walking forward so that the physical exertion will give me at least a little warmth.
Once I walked for what seemed like about an hour, I was discouraged to still be unable to see London in the distance. I'd been able to keep the direction mostly accurate because of the few houses scattered throughout the fields, some of which still had lights on, but the direction and location of the city wasn't the problem; it was whether I would have enough time to make it or if my body could withstand the cold before I reached it. I just finished walking along the edge of the giant lake, putting the beautiful landmark behind me along with the woods that contained Luvia's mansion, but I once again doubted myself. It's already been at least an hour. That means it's a bit past 1:00 am now… Considering the time it took for Luvia to reach the lake from the mansion during our car ride, I'd assume that at the current speed I'm walking, so long as it remained constant, I'd arrive in London after at least another two hours. That means 3:00 am. I would have almost no time to talk to Kirei if I wanted to make it back to the house at 6:00, which is when Auguste will arrive to wake me up. Not to mention that with how cold I'm getting, I'm going to have to use magic soon if I hope to be able to get there. And this is all assuming Kirei truly will be there. He said he would if I ever returned, but for all I know he could've skipped town right after he left that café. All while thinking this, I continued to walk onwards to my destination. Worry as I might, I'd die along the way there before I'd give up and turn around. As I kick each foot in front of the other through the tall, dead grass, I soon feel cold splotches hitting my bare hands and my face. No, please, don't rain. I look up and around me in horror, anticipating the cold downpour of the water, but I instead find soft, fluffy specks descending all around me. I'm grateful these cold specks came in the rain's stead, but I grow fearful as the chill they deliver resonates throughout my body while walking forward.
Freezing. I was beyond the point of just "cold" now, I was freezing. There were more things wrong with my body now than I could allow myself to think about. I was afraid to bring my casual, day shoes in case they got ruined from the journey, so I opted for my slippers, and now I'd give everything to go back in time and choose the shoes instead. The heavy layer of the frozen rain matted down the tall grass, making it easier to walk, but at the same time making it to where I plunged my feet into the ankle-deep frost with every step. It didn't take long for it to cling to my cloth slippers, melt, and soak them and my socks thoroughly. My feet started screaming out in pain, especially the part with the puncture wounds from the wolves, just as the one on my right thigh soon imitated in doing so. It felt as though tiny knives were being inserted throughout my legs and twisted all around. They screamed out in pain, that is, until my feet grew more and more numb until I eventually couldn't feel them. Had they frozen, I didn't know, but I still stomped one down in front of the other, occasionally falling over from not getting a proper footing with each step. Soon the numbness rose from my feet and to my calves and thighs and then the soreness of the bite on my right thigh plagued me no longer as well. I lift up my right foot, but before it even falls down to the ground to take the next step forward, my left leg gives out and I fall back onto my rear.
I stay seated for a moment, wondering what in the world I could do to save myself. Fire… magic. I'll use my fire magic. No. I didn't know why, but I remember I told myself I couldn't use it to fall back on if I decided to do this. I guess then… I'll just freeze here. I'll just freeze and die here in this beautiful, yet deadly, white field. My mind itself felt as though it was growing numb, as though the spreading sensation of my loss of sense had finally reached my head. Then, I looked up again and saw it in the distance. It was just barely, oh so barely, but I could make out the glowing lights of the urbanized area on the outskirts of London. This made my senses rush back to me and a fire was lit inside of me; a blazing, metaphorical fire. I remove my jacket and rip off each of the sleeves before pulling out my pocket knife and cutting the sleeves into thin wrappings. I remove the slippers, wrap the makeshift stockings around my feet, and then slide the slippers back on before wobbling back up to my feet. I march on. As I walk, whenever I feel my head getting hazy, I bite into my tongue and clench my teeth to help me focus on continuing. On and on, until I can make out the bright, beautiful structures of London.
The houses on the outskirts of the big city were still mostly lit up, but there were no people on the streets, and from what I could tell, there was no activity in the multitude of houses either. After I walk across the giant bridge and into the city, except for a few passing vehicles, I see there's no one up and about here either. I suppose it is late… what time is it exactly? I look around, wondering how I'd be able to tell and then I remember the clock tower. I turn and look up to it and… 4:38?! I underestimated how long it would take me to get here… though I suppose I did still get here, and without any form of magic, just as I declared I would. I limp along the sidewalk of the street as streetlight after streetlight passed me by. I make my way to the café based on the familiar places we visited while here, being careful not to slip on the slick concrete with my unstable legs. Eventually, I finally arrive at the familiar firm where Luvia took care of some business regarding the mansion.
I turn my gaze back to the street after glancing up at the building to see the side of the clock tower in the distance and the café right across the street from it, which I could immediately make out from the familiar umbrellas which were covered in the white, fluffy frozen rain. I continue forcing my weary body down the street, but I soon feel myself turn extremely disheartened and full of dread. The lights of the coffee shop were off and there was no one amongst the umbrella-covered tables, much less Kirei himself. Even so, I continue until I finally reach the front of the café. I press my face against the glass and peer inside thinking maybe he lies within, but I, of course, can't see anything. I knock on the glass a few times and call out his name, but after waiting a few minutes, no one responds. I refuse to give up now though, and I choose a chair amongst the tables to sit in and wait. I waited for a few minutes rubbing my hands and shivering while my head pounded, and my teeth chattered together. For an instant, I doubt Kirei's words and think he might actually not show up, but as soon as this thought crosses my mind, I hear footsteps approaching behind me in the distance, sloshing and crushing the packed, frozen specks as they treaded. I turn my head and as soon as my eyes fall upon him, relief floods over me and any regret I had about making the trip melted away. He continued walking with his hands behind his back and he smiled at me when he saw I noticed his presence.
Once he arrived at the table where I'm sitting, his smile disappeared, and he looked at me with a serious, stern gaze. "What… happened to you, young Emiya?" I was practically vibrating where I sat from how much I was shivering now in my frost-covered, soaking garments.
"Ah… y-y-y-you know, s-stuff." I attempted a joke despite how horrible I felt, and while he didn't laugh at it, he did offer a smile. I must've been quite the sight. My skin had grown pale, my hair was covered in the frozen rain and it had even clumped together and froze in a few spots, my clothes were also covered in the frost and where they weren't, they were soaked through, while the corners of my mouth and my chin itself had dried blood from my tongue which I bit into relentlessly throughout the end of my journey.
"Well… before we talk, I think I should patch you up a bit. Come." Upon beckoning me, Kirei walked to the door of the café and knocked on the glass as I did, but he instead followed a certain pattern or rhythm in the way he knocked. After the very last knock in the sequence, the lights instantly flicked on and the old man opened the door, dressed in his butler outfit as though he never changed after his shift today. I jump up from my chair and shuffle over to the doorway to follow Kirei in and then realize that this old man was probably awake when I was banging on the door and he probably saw me as frozen as a popsicle, and yet didn't let me in to help me. What a jerk…
I lay on the bed in the upstairs of the café which is apparently the old man's living quarters, almost completely in the nude, save for my pair of boxer briefs. I tell Kirei what happened and how I got here while he inspects my body to see the damage I ascertained. "Are you telling me you walked here?! Through the hayfields?! How you accomplished that in just four and a half hours is impressive; it would take any normal person all night to get here, if they didn't collapse from fatigue first. Not to mention you accomplished it at night, in below freezing temperatures, and amidst a snowfall. Truly… an impressive display, my boy." Snowfall? So, those white specks must be called snow. His compliments ebbed away the pain of the journey and fueled my ego up a bit, but I was still embarrassed to be lying practically naked on a bed for him. "Hmm… frostbite in several areas; most prominent on the feet, specifically the toes… several severe puncture wounds, one on the left foot showing signs of infection… burn marks over the gashes; third degree on the right thigh, second degree on the pads of the feet. Hmm. Boy, lift up your head, open your mouth." I do as I'm told, not wanting to interrupt his diagnosis. He grabs a flashlight from the nightstand next to the bed and shines it into my mouth while looking in inquisitively. "Hmm… incisions on the tongue because of the teeth… not too severe, but bad enough to make eating and drinking difficult as well as talking; it'll be prone to infection too… Alright I think that's about it, now prepare yourself, I'll have you fixed right up, but trust me when I say it won't feel pleasant at all. Though, considering you were able to withstand getting these injuries to begin with, I'm sure you can handle it." His words unease me, but I don't object as he positions himself next to me on the side of the bed and rolls his sleeves up. I stare at him through the corner of my eye and I look on in awe as he unveils an intricate array of red markings on his right arm with a few of the markings looking as though they've faded away for some reason. Kirei holds his hands out in front of him and points them down at me while inhaling deeply. "…HNNGH!" He lets out a grunt as though whatever he's about to do is taxing on him and as soon as he does, a white light with green hues pours out of his hands and covets my body. What?! Magecraf-
"AGHGH!" I scream out and contort my body in pain as whatever spell he's casting causes immense agony to wrack me throughout my entire being. The pain dies down a bit as he continues, but it's still so immense that I feel like screaming. This pain… it's as though he's breaking my body apart and putting it back together. It's just like when I seared my open wounds shut; it hurts so much, but it'll help me.
Soon, the pain goes away entirely and the light being casted off Kirei's arms dies off and subsides, revealing to me his giddily grinning face that had been covered by the glow of the spell. I take a moment to catch my breath before sitting up on the bed, wondering why he looked so pleased by my suffering. As soon as I'm back in a sitting position, I realize that I felt good as new. No, literally as good as new. The pain from the bites, burns, "frostbite", cuts, scratches, everything. I even find that the aching in my right hand is now gone and I look at it to see, despite it still being scarred just like my left arm, the fingers were now straight and no longer slightly crooked. My skin is once more flush and full of life and the punctures in my thigh and feet from the wolves were now sealed, leaving only small, pink scars and any traces of the burns were completely gone. I jump up and stand firmly on the floor, feeling as though I could run back and forth from here to the mansion twice before morning broke. Kirei watches me ecstatically jump around for a bit before turning around and walking down the stairs with the butler and back into the café. I only notice he's gone when I go to ask him what he did and see that he's not in the room anymore. I quickly wrap the blanket around me after seeing my clothes weren't done drying by the electric heater and I run downstairs, thinking he might've up and left me.
My worries were misplaced, as when I walked down to the café, Kirei was seated at one of the few tables with his fingers interlocked and resting on the table, his eyes closed and the chair across from him pulled back, inviting me to take a seat. I do just that, and as soon as I sit down and scoot up, he opens his eyes and stares deeply into my own. Those eyes… I realized it earlier; when I thought I saw Shirou's eyes somewhere before, it was because I have. He had the same piercing, yet empty look as Kirei. "Don't worry, young Emiya. I already ordered Charles to bring out some refreshments for us. And I made sure to order a whole pot of coffee, just for you." Charles must be that butler… I look at him warily, displeasure apparent on my face. He sighs. "With cream and sugar, of course." I feel relieved that he remembered how much I hated the vile fluid by itself. Kirei clears his throat and leans forward, his rugged face somehow becoming even more serious. "Now, judging just by how torn up your body was, I'm sure you've been through quite a lot and have many questions to ask me; as that was the only reason I told you to come back here. I won't waste any time on asking you any of mine then, if that's the case. Let us jump right into it; go on, ask away." I was surprised by his directness on the matter, but also pleased to be able to get right to business.
"It's about my father, Shirou Emiya. Needless to say, I found out a lot of confusing things in the short time we've been apart, Mr. Kirei. I remember how you reacted when I mentioned the name Emiya to you, so I know you know something about my father, and I would like to hear everything you do." Kirei stared at me with his unchanging face and then allowed a grin to crack once more while lightly chuckling.
"Is that all?" "Is that all"?
"Uh, I mean yes… I do have some other things maybe, but my father is the main focus. I guess I'm also interested in knowing what the Holy Grail War is, if you know anything about that…" The spark I lit in his eyes the other day reignited and his grin became that maniacal smile once more.
"Yes, yes, there it is. The proof I was waiting for. I knew it, I knew you were just too interesting to pass up. You've breached my expectations once more and found out another key component to yourself that's important, very important indeed. I'm sure to you, 'Emiya' and 'the Holy Grail War' are two completely different things that you only happened to hear about by chance, but oh how wrong that is. In reality, the two are so closely related and intertwined by the threads of destiny that you could run your entire life and still end up being caught in the web." Destiny?
"A 'destiny'? I-I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with the term, but are my father and I really that involved in this 'Holy Grail War'?" Kirei doesn't answer me and instead laughs; not a chuckle like earlier or every time before this, but a hearty laugh I would've never thought the man was capable of.
"Yes… your destiny. I'm interested to see the road you end up walking, Emiya. So, tell me, do you really want to dive into the truth? Even though risks will most certainly be involved?" The way he was acting makes me doubt for a moment. And knowing what happened last time and how hectic and strange things became; would it really be for the best if I do? No, it's too late to back out now. I made my decision when I leaped from that window hours ago. I don't voice out my response though, I wasn't sure my answer would be the same if I did, so I instead just nod my head once. "Very well… Rejoice boy, because for you, and you alone, I will give to you the complete truth, and nothing less. It is indeed what you've asked me for, so I shall deliver it now regardless of if you're capable of handling it or not. Prepare yourself, boy… your wish will finally come true."
The butler, Charles, walks up to the table before Kirei begins his explanation, and he places down the pot of coffee, two mugs, a plate of shortbread cookies, and a candelabrum. I look at him in confusion, wondering what the candles were for, but he just walks away and heads back upstairs. "Charles is being kind enough to let us use his café to conduct our little meeting, but he still does need to sleep, and he would rather us talk under candlelight than keep his shop's lights on and give the impression it's open." Kirei explains it for me and I remember his words about the city being a big, dangerous place and I'd imagine that's all the truer at night, which makes sense he'd want his shop to not stand out. Kirei stands up and walks over to the base of the staircase. "I'll just switch the light off and go grab Charles' lighter under the counter so we can get started." He switches the light off and when I hear him start walking over to the counter, I suddenly remember my magic.
"Hold up, Kirei, I can take care of the candles, just retake your seat." He doesn't say anything and just instead changes course back to the table, as I could indicate from the sound of his approaching footsteps behind me. Before he even sits down, I casually waft my left hand over the candles, lighting each and every wick with one swift stroke. Kirei looks at it, intrigued, while sitting back down on his chair.
"What a nice little display of flame magecraft. It reminds me much of my old master, Tokiomi. He was a great teacher and by far the best manipulator of fire I've ever met. Perhaps he's where you get it from…" I wonder what he means while I pour each of us some coffee and start adding some cream and sugar to my own. Once I hand him his cup, he takes one long, drawn out sip before placing the now half-empty mug back on the table and returning his hands to being clasped together on the tabletop. The dim candlelight illuminated his face and casted shadows on it in a scary manner while I stirred my coffee. "Alright Emiya, I'll start with your parents."
"In all honesty, I didn't know your parents were Shirou and Rin when I first met you. After you told me your name was Emiya and I realized the features you shared with them, I inferred it as such, and my suspicion seems to have been correct based on how tonight you apparently found out on your own what I had been suspecting; that Rin and Shirou are indeed your parents. I assume you coaxed that gem mage and her butler into spilling what they knew to you. Well, now I'll do my part. Are you aware of how you were 'born'?" I shake my head. "I see. Well, I'm sure you and your mansion dwelling companions were able to at least conclude you have the body of a young man the same age as, if not older, than Rin and Shirou. If that's not strange enough, prior to five months ago, you didn't exist. The Clock Tower keeps very close watch and regular inspections on all its mages, and not a trace of you was present before Shirou Emiya was imprisoned. My point in saying all of this is that, if you thought maybe you existed on this planet for the roughly 20 years of age your body has, you're wrong; either that or Rin and Shirou are somehow smart enough to slip one under on one of the world's most influential, covert organizations. You, Emiya, did not exist until about five months ago, so it's wrong if you think you're 18, 17, 20, or whatever you think your current age is; you're only around four or so months old."
What I'd been dreading to be true finally came crashing down on me. It wasn't amnesia or some type of magic blocking my memories; I'm just somehow an almost newborn child in the body of a man. "How'd they do something like that, Kirei?" He shrugs his shoulders and looks down at his steaming coffee.
"There's only three ways it could be possible from what I know, and I only see one of them being somewhat achievable. As for the two others, that I don't think either of those buffoons could accomplish, it would entail manipulation of time or interference with parallel worlds via a multi-dimensional refraction phenomenon, but both of those would be only one step away, if not within, the realm of 'true magic'. Because of this, even though this method is extremely hard and probably also beyond the skill of those two, I can only assume you are the end result of them trying to create artificial life using their own DNA; a homunculus." I didn't know what a homunculus was, but being told I'm artificial life struck a bad cord in me.
"Are you saying I'm not a real human?! I'm just a faker?" He doesn't react to how shaken up his comment made me and instead reaches across the table and grabs my arm, pulling it to him slightly. He inspects it and I feel the pain shoot up and through it once again while his hand holding me starts to glow. I clench my teeth and press my forehead down and onto the table, but I don't scream or rip my hand away.
When the pain finally stops, I retract my hand and look up at him dizzily to see what that was all about. "It doesn't seem that's exactly the case, Emiya. The magic I used on you just now is the same one I did earlier when I healed your broken body. It's a form of healing magecraft known as Spiritual Healing. It's actually a curse that's fairly hard to master, as one uses actual spirits to conduct the healing. Anyways, when using that magic I can see all the makeups of your body and I can say with the utmost certainty, that you are not a homunculus. Before even using the magic, it's evident that you have emotions, a trait that almost no other homunculus has, but when I looked within you, you had the most important component belonging only to humans, a soul. Other than that, while you do have the insane Od capacity and powerful, abundant magic circuits of a homunculus, I don't see any indications that your body is physically weak or that you have a short lifespan. Either you're something other than a homunculus, or those two mage apprentices somehow created the most perfect one to ever exist." His words were confusing, but they did make me hopeful I might be a human. At the same time, they also indicated the third possible explanation to my existence is also wrong.
"So, if I'm not a homunculus and I wasn't created using true magics, what can explain me then?" Kirei rubs his chin for a moment, thinking, and then shrugs his shoulders once more before reaching to the coffee pot to refill his mug.
"If it's something other than those three methods, it's beyond my understanding. We won't get anywhere dwelling on this, so let's move on to the next topic… the Holy Grail War."
The plate of shortbread cookies is now considerably emptier because I'd been shoving one after another into my mouth without even realizing while Kirei educated me with all this information. "Let's start with a comment I made earlier, about my master, Tokiomi Tohsaka. Now that I've told you his last name, I'm sure you can guess who he was; the father of Rin Tohsaka. As I also mentioned, he was an amazing fire mage, so it wouldn't be a stretch to consider any inclination you have to that magecraft is thanks to him. One thing I thought when you first sat with me at that table to drink some coffee, actually, was 'this boy looks so similar to Tokiomi. I bet as a young man, Tokiomi was the spitting image of this boy.' You do look a bit more fresh-faced and rebellious in the face than him, a trait surely taken from your father, but it is a moot point. Back to what I was saying, Tokiomi fought in the Fourth Fuyuki Grail War and I was his student prior to it and right during the beginning of it. Your mother and father, Rin and Shirou, were only little kids when this war took place. There was another involved party, however; the foster father of Shirou Emiya: Kiritsugu Emiya. He was an interesting man, and he instantly caught my eye the moment Tokiomi informed me he was one of the seven masters. I wanted to know what he was fighting for… why, I didn't know, but now I do. He always had the same look in his eyes and the same feel about him as I. I didn't realize it at first, but I thought if I could learn what drove a man that was so similar to myself, I could find out what in life I could use to gain a sense of purpose." Kirei's words hit me right in my heart. I'm sure he knows, but my situation isn't so different. I too am looking for what my purpose is… "Yes, I was intrigued by him… that is, until he slighted me in a way that's unforgiveable…"
"You see, Tokiomi was a great mage and was well acknowledged amongst all the others. In the short time I spent under his tutelage, I thought 'this man must be the greatest mage ever, he surely will win this war.' And I wasn't the only one who was aware of that fact. On top of potentially being the best mage in the war, he had also summoned the strongest servant, the hero from the Mesopotamian epic: Gilgamesh." I lost track all at once of what he was saying.
"W-Wait, Kirei. Gilgamesh? Summoning servants?" He realizes what I mean, about how I didn't know what terms he spoke of, and then continues.
"I forgot to mention that crucial part. The way the war is played out as follows: there are seven mages who are chosen by an omnipotent device called the Holy Grail, which is capable of granting wishes, and they each then conduct a ritual to summon a powerful entity who's called a 'servant' or a 'heroic spirit'. These servants fight each other alongside their masters, and once only one servant remains, their master is awarded the Holy Grail for whatever they so desire. As I mentioned earlier, Tokiomi's servant is what many consider to be the most powerful servant; the oldest hero of mankind: Gilgamesh. Early into the war, Tokiomi thought it would be advantageous to give a small display of Gilgamesh's power, as well as make the other participants of the war believe he took out the servant Assassin, which was my own, by faking its death at the hands of Gilgamesh. For the most part, the tactic worked, scaring everyone with the daunting truth that Gilgamesh was far superior to their own servants. The only one who wasn't blinded by fear was Kiritsugu Emiya. Where everyone else saw the devil himself being guarded by a demon who just effortlessly struck down another powerful servant, Kiritsugu saw an opportunity and he saw straight through our ploy and decided he'd strike then and there when it'd be least expected. As his servant, Saber, attacked Gilgamesh head-on outside of Tokiomi's mansion, Kiritsugu snuck in, undetected… and murdered my teacher."
"It was a fairly downhill battle from that point on for Gilgamesh. Without a master to sustain him, no command seals, and no foreseeable future of being a winner of the Grail, Saber beat him. By the time I finally returned to the mansion from where I was stationed with Assassin further away, they were dead, and Kiritsugu and his servant were nowhere to be found."
I was shocked my grandfather could do something so underhanded and evil, but then I remember Kirei saying the whole point was to kill the other contestants, so it probably didn't matter how it was executed. "Needless to say," Kirei continued after drinking a bit of his coffee "I developed quite the grudge against Kiritsugu. If that grudge wasn't already strong enough from him killing my teacher, it certainly became nothing more than pure hatred for the man when he decided to assassinate the current overseer of the war, my father Risei." I felt heartbroken at what I was hearing and couldn't believe Kirei wasn't tearing up or even displaying any anger as he told this story; he just sat there with his nonchalant expression and cold eyes.
"I'm sorry…" I said it out loud, not even realizing it at first. It felt necessary for me to say because I'm sure my predecessor never said the words himself. Kirei shakes his head at me.
"For what, boy? You're as innocent as a baby, literally. Now, after Kiritsugu killed my father, I retrieved his overseer command seals and-"
"Wait, what are these command seals you keep talking about?" Kirei realizes he's managed to not explain something else important and clears his throat.
"Another important aspect; command seals are spells given to a master that gives them complete control over a servant by issuing one command per seal. Every master gets three, and whatever remaining seals there are after the war are transferred to the overseer issued by the Church. Now, as I was saying, once Kiritsugu took away these two important people from my life, I decided to abandon the interest I had in him. Whatever drove him, should I find it out, would drive me as well; it would drive me to a place where ambition would destroy me. I knew my next move had to be to find an ally; it was the original plan of Tokiomi, to have me assist him so that his victory would be ensured, so I decided I had to fall back on that same tactic. I didn't care about winning at that point, the only thing I cared about was ensuring Kiritsugu wouldn't win. I knew any sane person would jump at the chance to form an alliance with someone if it ensured their servant would win, so the only problem would be choosing who. That person would be the master of Berserker, Kariya Matou."
"I don't know why I chose him, but after finding out his reasons and the situation he was in, I took a fondness to him and knew he had to be the one. It took a lot of convincing, especially when I mentioned I was the pupil of Tokiomi, but he apparently had a grudge against Kiritsugu now that he'd killed Tokiomi, as Kariya said he had business with him that Kiritsugu had now prevented him from being able to finish. That, paired with the fact his Berserker reacted too strongly to the Saber of Kiritsugu, made him desperate to deal with both of them as quickly as possible. After we allied, everything fell perfectly into place. Lancer was dispatched by Saber, as was Caster, and Kariya's Berserker and my Assassin disposed of the Rider. My Assassin, sadly, was lost in the process. Kariya and I decided the best course of action from there would be to have me transfer a few of the command spells I took from my father and gift to Kariya, so that he could be sure to control Berserker enough, allowing his body to survive till the end of the war. You see, he was currently being plagued by magic crest worms in his body which allowed him to have a servant as strong as Berserker, but at the same time, it slowly ate away at him and destroyed him; and did so even quicker when he lost control of Berserker. He made Berserker engage with Saber while I did so to Kiritsugu. At some point, Saber began to lose, so Kiritsugu ran from our fight when he had an opening, upon which I returned to Kariya. He was within an inch of death and out of command spells when I found him in the alleyway he was positioned in. I gave him one last command spell so that his contract with Berserker wouldn't go void and then healed him to the best of my capabilities while the worms within him ran rampant. Soon, the crest worms in Kariya stopped raging and the healing took root, indicating the fight was over, regardless of which servant won. Not long after the worms stopped freaking out, a bloodied and tattered Berserker happened upon the alleyway and fell down to his knees next to his master. By some miracle, Kariya actually stood victorious among all the other masters."
"We made our way to where the Grail had been resting and from it was flowing a black sludge which had covered the floors of the entire area. I knew not what it was, but I could only assume it wasn't good. I thought for a moment whether I should tell Kariya to not cast his wish upon the strange thing, but then I remembered it wouldn't be him doing it, but instead the person he promised to give the grail to: Zouken Matou. The old man, Zouken, had followed us to the Grail's resting place and unveiled himself from the darkness, thanking Kariya for all his hard work. But… right as he took his first step forward to the Grail, Kariya suddenly screamed out his wish to it with all his might. Do you know what it is he wished for? 'Holy Grail, I beg of you! Remove the scourge known as Zouken Matou from this world! For the sake of this planet, the sake of its people, even for his own sake; wipe away his existence! Free Sakura and I from the chains he binds us with!' The old Zouken stared at him in shock and before he even let out a word, the slime covering the floor rose up quicker than I could process and took form to encase itself around him. Once all of the black sludge surrounded him, it compressed itself until it was but a small orb, big enough to fit in the palm of my hand. I had thought it was over, but then it shrunk further still and further and further, until the man known as Zouken Matou was gone. Once the ball of sludge that consumed him had vanished, I turned to Kariya screaming as the worms churned under his skin, but they weren't just acting up as they were before. The worms were disappearing from him, one by one. Not falling out of his skin or shriveling up and dying, but squirming as their forms turned to nothingness. Once Kariya had stopped screaming and the last of the worms vanished, he stood to his feet and the color of his flesh turned peachy, his eyes regained their brown color and the haziness was gone, his hair even came back to life, its color returning. He stood before me, the man he once was, as though the afflictions Zouken cursed him with never happened."
"Once this happened, Berserker himself finally moved from his gazing on the sidelines and went to the grail and whispered to it in his incoherent tongue. I didn't know if the grail was capable of granting more than one wish, but it must've been so, as whatever Berserker wished for caused the Grail to erupt in the black goo and rise from its resting spot and into the sky above Fuyuki… or at least, at the time I would think it was Berserker's wish that caused it. Kariya and I escaped the enclosure before the sludge swallowed us and when we reached the surface of Fuyuki, we saw what the grail was doing. Above where it rose from, the Grail was making fire spread across the city and the sludge run wild throughout, surely killing anyone unlucky enough to live in that area. I had no idea what could be done, I was just horrified that Berserker would wish for something like this, even more so that the Grail would actually grant it. Kariya though, he knew what to do. He ordered Berserker by his last command seal that I gave him to destroy the Holy Grail. And well, that's all she wrote."
"We would later find out that Sakura, the young girl Kariya was fighting to save, also had Zouken's worms removed from her body and the physical changes it caused her, such as her hair and eye color changing, much like Kariya's, also reverted to normal. It was a miracle, but something strange and dark happened as well. To all the people who once knew Zouken, other than Kariya and myself, their memories of him vanished. Any trace of him left on the world other than Kariya also vanished. Even his other son Byakuya and his grandson from Byakuya, Shinji, also disappeared, living only in the mind of Kariya and my own after he informed me of their previous existence. It was… sickening to see how horrifying the extents of the Grail's powers could reach. I knew it was omnipotent, but I didn't expect things to end up the way they did. Regardless, Sakura was just as she was before she was taken and defiled by Zouken, having no memories of him and no lasting scars, marks, or worms on her body from him. Kariya returned her to her mother, Aoi, who was also the wife of Tokiomi before he died. Not even a year after Sakura was reunited with her family, Kariya married Aoi and his wish, his true wish, was finally fulfilled. He encouraged them all to cease their magecraft so they could live together happily as a normal family, upon which Sakura and Aoi happily threw it to the wind. There was one who didn't give up their magecraft however… the other young daughter of Tokiomi and Aoi, Rin Tohsaka."
"Rin greatly resented Kariya, saying he was the man who hated her real father and that he barged in on their family, demanding the precious magic of her father to be discarded. It was such a drastic change, as before her father died and Kariya married her mom, she considered Kariya as much a father as Tokiomi. Kariya at first wouldn't budge, wanting her to live happily and be a part of the family he wished for, but after seeing she would never give it up nor would she ever approve of him, he conceded under the condition it be me who becomes her teacher." I drop my mouth open and my eyes widen upon the revelation.
"You were my mother's teacher? I had no idea you were that affiliated with her…" He nods and rubs his temples as though he has a headache, indicating the title of "Rin's teacher" is not something to take pride in.
"Yes, I was her tutor for the remaining years of her studies in the stead of her father. When Kariya decided to move he and his family off somewhere in the United States, Rin demanded she be allowed to stay in Fuyuki with myself and continue her studies. None of them wanted her to do so, but Rin continued to push them away, saying she would choose her father's magecraft over them any day. And so, Kariya, Aoi, and Sakura headed to the US to start their new life, leaving Rin with me. It didn't take long for her rebellious streak to kick back up again and she started living all by herself, without any supervision from me. As for Kariya, I still keep in touch with him. The three of them live happily outside the world of magic now." So that's the story of my mother, Rin. And her father, my grandfather, Tokiomi...
"Well… that does it for how I got to know your mother Rin. Now… do you remember the fire of Fuyuki the grail caused?" I nod my head, recalling the horrifying image he put in my mind. "Well, among all who were in the fire, only a single person survived. A single person was rescued by the man who was the last master besides Kariya in the Fourth War. Yes, Kiritsugu Emiya rescued a young boy from the flames of Fuyuki who he would then adopt and raise as his own. This boy was your father, Shirou Emiya."