There was once a trickster.

A warrior.

A nameless eldritch thing, stained in the blood of eternity itself. The most feared being in all creation, perceived by the universe as a beautiful monster. Nothing could reason with it. One day it would simply materialize from out of nowhere, shattering all tranquility in the name of being a 'healer'.

An 'avenger' of Time itself.

The man formerly named the Doctor staggered onwards with the Gray`s fragile corpse in his arms. This entire journey...it was all meaningless in the end. A man who was suppose to be the living symbol of hope throughout all creation, although the one person who he was unable to save was himself. He had been blind, knowing since the beginning there was an inner darkness within. An unforgivable shadow with many names, known previously to himself as The Valeyard. All the Dalek did was manifest that shadow into existence as a Servant, bringing upon the end of Akasha itself.

The name of being a healer did not matter. There was no simply redemption. This was his punishment, for all the mistakes of his past incarnations. A man whose inner self was slowly stabbing him from the inside out. All that remained was to become a Time Lord Victorious, one who shall force salvation to descend upon these sorrowful wounds.

The Laws of Time have become meaningless. He was going to bring his companion back. After reaching the TARDIS, he could use the time-machine to resurrect Gray from her death. Then, he was going to destroy his Avenger-Class self along with his Dalek-Master. The Alter will die for this. The Alter will die for this. The Alter will die for this -

"Doctor!" a voice called.

The Doctor stopped, looking on coldly as EMIYA the Archer materialized with the First. "Doctor, are you - " Archer froze, stared in dread at Gray`s corpse. "No...it couldn`t be...what happened - ?"

"The Shadow of Eternity finally revealed himself to me, EMIYA." the Doctor spoke calmly, never raising his voice. "This is my punishment, for being blind to his true identity." The First too was frozen, although not at Gray`s death. Rather, the 'Alter-Ego'-Class Servant was rather staring distraughtly at his successor instead, recognizing the man`s spirit was finally broken. At this moment, the greatest enemy here was not the Shadow...it was the Doctor himself.

"You...know the Shadow`s true identity?" Archer stepped back, mortified. "Then tell me, who is it? What kind of being would mastermind all this darkness for the - where are you going!?"

The Doctor continued walking away without giving an answer. "Where does it look like I`m going? I`m going back to the TARDIS to bring Gray back."

Archer thought he misheard. "...What? I don`t understand... You...want to use your time-machine to resurrect your companion? Wouldn`t that create a time-paradox? One that could potentially destroy the World itself?"

"It would..." the Doctor muttered without regret. "Although I don`t care about that anymore. The Laws of Time of mine to command, therefore nothing is going to stop this old man from saving a young girl`s life when it matters, don`t you think - ?" The sound of a blade being unsheathed made the Doctor look behind.

EMIYA was pointing his signature blades resolutely. "Then I`m afraid I couldn`t let you do that, Doctor." The Iron-Wrought Bowman growled bravely. "What is the matter with you? I thought a Time Lord was suppose to heal Time itself, not disgracefully force it to his will. I understand what you must be feeling, only that does not mean you - "

The Doctor gave a hollow laugh, sending shivers down everyone. He gently set Gray`s corpse on the ground before glaring back at Archer. "A 'healer' is not what I am anymore. All my incarnations I have saved others without regard for myself. Therefore, the universe deserves to listen to me for once! All I want is to bring my precious companion back, is that not too much to ask?" The man looked at the First, who was watching all this in absolute bewilderment.

"You are about to forsake all of humankind for one girl!" Archer responded furiously. There seemed to be no reasoning with the man anymore... The Counter Force itself was screaming inside EMIYA`s mind that he needed to stop the Doctor before all was lost. "Doctor, I do apologize...only you gave me no choice." With this, the bowman launched forwards, intending to knock the Doctor unconscious.

Although Doctor discerned this would happen. The Oncoming Storm (Legend of Time Victorious) went into overdrive as the man hastily chose an arsenal of abilities from his mental library to defend. One Noble Phantasm to maneuver away from the bowman`s slash, another Skill to counter-attack with lightning-speed.

A single moment later, Archer unexpectedly crashed down onto the ground, completely disarmed from his blades. It seemed the Doctor was an extraordinary warrior when he was not normally restraining himself as a healer...enough to rival the exalted heroes of foregone on the battlefield. A nameless soldier indeed...

"My dear EMIYA, was that truly necessary?" the Doctor began coughing up blood. It seemed the strain of activating more than one ability from The Oncoming Storm was taking its toll on him... "There is no need for anyone else to be wounded at the moment."

"Doctor, look at yourself!" Archer picked himself up. He once secretly admired the Time Lord for his ancient wisdom although to witness him become like this... "You are betraying everything that you have been all for nothing! What is going to happen after you save Gray then? You think a girl like her would want to continuing journeying about with a madman who burned everything to ashes? You will become an enemy of all creation like the Shadow is himself!"

The Doctor hesitated. This was indeed a victory for the Doctor Alter`s psychological warfare. Gray`s death was slowly breaking his spirit to the point of becoming like the Avenger-version of himself. A man who was willing to break the promise of a healer so as to have his vengeance on all... Although...what does it matter? It was all for naught. What he truly wanted in the beginning was another memorable journey in the TARDIS. Only for it to end with this sorrowful crisis... He was truly a symbol of false hope, one who could never be forgiven. "Then so be it."

EMIYA grimaced, acknowledging the worst finally came. "I...I see... Fine..." The Doctor was too enshrouded by despair to save him anymore. As a Counter Guardian, all he could do was to end this. The Iron-Wrought Hero readied himself to activate Unlimited Blade Works (Infinite Creation of Swords). Everything was lost...the only salvation was he will hopefully give the Doctor a merciful death...

The Doctor sneered ominously. With The Oncoming Storm, he would be more than capable of defeating this little Counter Guardian in battle. Not all the Magic in this entire multiverse would be enough to extinguish his fury. Not the Root of Akasha itself. All that remained was -

"My dear boy, you truly should calm down...for my sake, hmm?"

Archer looked bewilderingly at the First, who had finally stepped forward. "What...you could speak after all!?"

"Hmph. Obviously I could!" the elderly First Doctor sighed. He was indeed able to speak as an false Servant Summoned by the Doctor`s Noble Phantasm only simply chose not to, rather standing by as a silent watcher. After all, this was his successor`s story as a Ruler-Class Heroic Spirit, not his. "Although at this moment, it seems it is finally time for me to interfere..."

The First sternly pointed his wooden cane at the Doctor. "You. My successor. I think this has gone far enough. What on earth do you think you are doing? The death of young Gray is indeed lamentable only for you to abandon your name as a healer is the one thing I could not accept. There is no indignity to grieve from death, although it is a terrible shame to being afraid of moving on. The Time Lord Victorious is a name none of us should have...after all, remember the promise our incarnations made? Never cruel or cowardly - "

"One does not deserve the name of a healer when you could not save what matters above all!" the Doctor snapped viciously. At this time, nothing, especially not an incarnation of the past like the First is going to stand in his way of being Time Victorious. "Move aside First, otherwise I - "

No one will ever know what the Doctor would have done. The vengeful fury of the Time Lord had been so horrifying everyone temporarily forgot the Holy Grail War was still happening within the darkness of the battlefield. A battlefield where the promise of victory had finally fallen.

"My...this is unexpected..." a girl laughed, the sound of her voice radiating immeasurable malignancy. "Although as Saber Alter herself is too wounded, I suppose I had no choice other than come here myself. The night is certainly attracting plenty of unwanted visitors..."

Everyone looked behind bewilderingly to watch as Sakura Matou materialized from the shadows, wearing a blackened dress covered in tainted blood, the manifestation of All The Evils In The World within its corrupted host.

"No..." Archer paled, staggering backwards in dread.

Dark Sakura was here.


When everything could not be any worse, the universe itself seemed to laugh in answer.

"What is the matter, Doctor?" Dark Sakura smiled gracefully, void of kindness. "You aren`t looking all that jubilant to see me...especially when you are going about, creating chaos everywhere in this Holy Grail War. Oh...is that your dead companion I see on the ground? What a killjoy this is..." The girl laughed spitefully once more, the eldritch calamity of Angra Mainyu finally wilting this beautiful flower.

EMIYA made to Project his blades only the First quickly stopped him. "Archer, my boy...I need you to take Gray`s corpse back to the TARDIS. I will stay with my successor to distract young Sakura here."

Archer hesitated. The First was merely a 'Alter Ego'-Class Servant with no Skills/Noble Phantasms at all. The elderly lunatic would not last a moment in a battle, although...the man seemed to know what he was doing. "I...understand. Good luck then." Without another word, EMIYA carefully picked up Gray along with her fallen Grim Reaper scythe before hastily retreating.

The Doctor barely noticed this, glaring murderously at Sakura...no...rather, the anathema rising within her. "Angra Mainyu...you are the reason Artoria was corrupted, eh? Without you, Gray`s death would never happened..."

"Hmph." Sakura snarled coldly. "I see no matter what happens you are still doing everything for yourself`s sake, Doctor. An interfering outsider, aren`t you? One who destroys others while wearing the disguise of a healer."

"...A healer is not what I am anymore!" the Doctor`s voice was so furious that the girl stepped back in hesitation.

"You...don`t think of yourself as a healer?" she gave a nightmarish smirk. "Ah...then...you truly are useless to me after all. I suppose you should merely disappear. It would certainly make me the happiest girl in the world to watch you fall into oblivion."

Blood-red tendrils of unholy shadow bursted from the ground, stabbing towards the Doctor. The man did not hesitate, maneuvering at hyper-sonic velocity while readying The Oncoming Storm. The First himself disengaged much slowly, quietly lamenting his old age.

One tendril scratched the Doctor, piercing him in unspeakable agony. With a howl, the Doctor suppressed his Time Lord nervous system to feel no more pain. It was indeed deadly to do this, only the man simply did not care. Nothing at all mattered to him anymore.

"Time`s Champion (Knight of Temporarilty)!" A Noble Phantasm from the library of The Oncoming Storm activated, slowing down Time itself to the Doctor`s advantage. The First watched in horror as this continued, hundreds more Skills/Noble Phantasms activating to begin a counter-attack. A blood-vessel on the Doctor`s face bursted from over-straining himself although the man disregarded it, launching forwards like a berserker. The landscape itself screamed as an ocean of shadows materialized by Sakura`s command, surrounding all in an onslaught darker than night. With lightning-speed too quick for anyone else to observe, the Doctor shattered the corrupt anathema, wielding the legacy of all previous incarnations as his blade.

"No!" Sakura gasped in despair as the man approached, stabbing valorously through the accursed blackened mud until he was nearly upon her. At this time, the nameless warrior resembled more of a demon rather than a mortal. "You...this couldn`t be!" No time to think of anything else, the Doctor must have one weakness she could save herself with. What was it? What could be precious to a man like him from the bottom of his hearts? His home planet? His time-machine? No...the answer to this was obviously... "Gray would be disappointed with you!"

It was with this that sounded the Time Lord Victorious`s defeat.

The man stopped, hesitating for one single moment at his fallen companion`s name. A moment that Sakura used to stab a hundred unholy tendrils throughout him, drowning the man in his scattered blood as regeneration energy slowly gathered. "You...unforgivable...I..."

Sakura laughed deliriously, enjoying the absolute dominance. "Unforgivable? Ha! I love it when my prey is a rebellious one! You will certainly be a delectable as I swallow your miserable soul, Doctor. I`m quite hungry after all..."

The unholy tendrils began to cover the Doctor, absorbing him completely underneath the darkness of Angra Mainyu. At last, the ancient 'healer' was finally gone.

"I haven`t forgotten about you too, old man." Sakura called disdainfully at the First, who was watching all this in horror from a distance. "I don`t know who you are, only come celebrate the Doctor`s death with me!"

"Celebrate!?" the First staggered hopelessly. "Good gracious me, young lady! What nonsense are you - " Angra Mainu`s shadow enshrouded the man, sending him unceremoniously into oblivion too.

The last thought the First had was questioning why he was not Summoned into a younger form.


Nothingness.

The Doctor was floating gently in an ocean of nothingness. Darkness was all he was able to see.

Then, a vortex materialized. An almighty windstorm, sending him flying helplessly into the shadows like the TARDIS did in the time-vortex itself. An ecstasy of infinite darkness. An overwhelming desire to burst into the outside, manifesting upon the Earth as an eldritch calamity from time immemorial.

Cruelty. Cowardice. Vanity. Sorrow. Regret. Guilt. Destruction. Lust. Deception. Insanity. Wrath. Despair. Hatred.

Never-ending. Forever burning from within. This is what he truly was on the inside, was it not?

He could not discern the answer, the agony of the vortex was deafening every thought. When would it end? The howling of all the curses of this degraded Earth. The indomitable malice within the bleeding hearts of humankind. Immortal. What was he anymore? A man? A monster? What was his name? The answer is not coming...

Eternity itself was meaningless to him at this moment...

Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity.

"Ah..." the Doctor faltered, willpower unexpectedly rising from within his broken spirit. "I`m...inside Angra Mainyu, aren`t I?"

The vortex disappeared, surprised at this one lone voice. What strange outsider would shatter the infinite oblivion of the abyss?

Silence.

"...It...is." Another voice seemed to answer hesitantly. The collective voice of All The Evils of The World. "Who are you?"

The man gave a hollow laugh. "Me? I was once known as the 'Doctor'...only at this moment I`m no one, I think."

"...A 'Doctor'? What is a 'Doctor'?" Angra Mainyu was curious despite itself. It had been dreaming of the day it would awaken to descend upon all, although for this abnormal stranger to be absorbed by its host was certainly a surprise. A stranger with such beautiful inner darkness...

"A healer. One who makes people better...at least, in theory." the man answered simply.

Angra Mainyu was quiet. "I...I see...I was once chosen to be a make others better too...although all that remained when it was over is that I became the one who lost everything..."

The Doctor sighed, remembering the ancient legend of the ordinary young boy forced to become All The Evils In the World as the solution to save humankind. When he chose the name of being the 'Doctor', had he thought it would become like this too? One who was a healer, foresakingly carried the burden of all the universe within him throughout his incarnations. An infinite burden that finally destroyed him. All he truly wanted was for no one to be hurt...only the man himself was the wounded one in the end. There was no salvation for the boy. No salvation for the 'Doctor'.

All that there was timeless darkness. The cruel, cowardly punishment for his unforgivable inner self.

"You certainly are unforgivable." Angra Mainyu spoke calmly like he knew what the man was thinking. "Whatever kindness you have. Whatever courage you have. It does not matter, as the things you did could never be undone. It is all for naught, was it?"

Another silence.

"I..." Memories flooded into the Doctor`s ancient mind. Sentimental memories of being born on Gallifrey. Having a granddaughter. Running away in an old TARDIS. All his past incarnations` lives. Walking forever in eternity.

Kindness. Courage. Self-sacrifice. Joy. Glory. Forgiveness. Protection. Resilience. Wisdom. Knowledge. Mercy. Hope. Love.

Never ending. Forever burning from within. This was what he truly was...one who makes others better. All of creation able to live on because of him.

Indeed, the things the man did as a destroyer could never be undone.

Although all the good things the man did as a 'healer' could never be forgotten too.

This was simply who he was.

A strange peace materialized within the Doctor. The first atonement he felt since Gray`s death. The vengeful fury was still there too, only more restrained. This paradoxical revelation was what gave him meaning. Although...with his promised name abandoned, what would he do afterwards? It was a question for another time. At the moment, the man needed to see what he could do about this infinite darkness.

"You...what are you doing!?" Angra Mainyu bewilderingly noticed a faint, sorrowful smile on his face. "I have already absorbed you within, what is there to be jubilant about? Your life is mine, as all lives on Earth shall be."

"...Then I do apologize." the Doctor gave a roguish smirk. "My life already belongs to someone else. A lovely girl too... I`m afraid you have to leave me be, otherwise - "

The endless vortex materialized once more, sending him flying helplessly in a windstorm of ultimate chaos. "Leave you be!?" Angra Mainyu snarled viciously. "Never! I am this Earth`s original sin. You could not hope to defeat me, for I am eternal! Not all the light in the world is enough to stop me!"

The man merely yawned, only his consciousness remaining in the endless cacophony. "Hmm...I`m certain you are. Although have you truly absorbed all of myself? I don`t want someone to be hungry after an eternity. Would you like a jelly baby too - ?"

Angra Main howled in unspeakable fury. Of all the beings it had swallowed in its miserable existence, none were so abnormally obnoxious as this 'healer'. The man was indeed valiant in the face of All The Evils In The World, only it was good for naught to protect him from what was coming. "Die, Doctor!"

"Oh dear..." the man sighed before Angra Mainyu completely devoured his consciousness too. Nothing remained at all of the former Time Lord. He was absolutely erased from existence itself, absorbed as one into the eldritch calamity...

Although...

"What is this...?" Angra Mainyu hesitated as memories from the Doctor`s absorbed soul began flooding into its mind, revealing all that there was about his life. All of space-time. Everything. Nothing. Past. Present. Future. The beginning. The end. Eternity. Infinity. An overload of knowledge, more than Angra Mainyu could handle despite its almighty malice. Therefore, it hastily forced the Time Lord deep within itself where no more harm could come.

Only...another scrap of the man`s consciousness unexpectedly materialized. This time, revealing more memories from the man`s life...no...'lives'? Angra Mainyu quickly devoured the scrap although more of the man`s unconscious materialized. "What is happening?" Unknown to it, the Doctor`s previous incarnations continued to reside within the Time Lord`s mind after their deaths. Therefore, despite being absorbed himself, other remnants of the Doctor`s soul existed outside of Angra Mainyu`s reach.

"No! I shall not be defeated!" All The World`s Evils shivered desperately as it continued absorbing the Doctor`s incarnations. There was too much memories for it to contain...please...no...make it stop...

One particular memory from the Doctor`s soul caused it to hesitate.

The Final War of the Temporal Heavens. 'The Last Great Time War'. An endless battlefield where creation itself howled in agony. Eldritch, unspeakable horrors born into the onslaught. Horrors that made Angra Mainyu seem like nothing. The Nightmare Child. The Skaro Degradations. The Horde of Travesties. The Could've Been King with his Army of Meanwhiles and Neverweres. Planets. Stars. Galaxies. Universes. Annihilated into oblivion a thousand times over only to be resurrected once more. Chaos crowned sovereign. Timelines shattered. Paradoxes coming into bloom.

Hell itself descending upon eternity.

Then at last, the War ended...obliterated in less than a single 'Moment' by one lonely warrior.

A warrior named -

No More. No More. No More. No More. No More. No More. No More. No More. No More. No more. No More. No more.

No More...

Angra Mainyu itself screamed in absolute fear.


The Earth...

The Doctor slowly awoke, staggering up from the ground to discern he returned to Earth. "I...I`m...alive?"

Indeed he was, covered in blood although seemingly alive. Interesting...

"No!" a girl`s voice shrieked bewilderingly. "You...what are you!?" The Doctor looked behind to see Dark Sakura collapse, her face pale from horror as the ocean of darkness retreated away. After witnessing the overload of the Time Lord`s infinite memories, Angra Mainyu had resurrected the man out of fear for its life.

"You defeated All The Evils In The World using nothing more than sheer force of will...?" Sakura whimpered dreadfully. "You truly are a demon..."

The Doctor carefully inspected himself. His wounds had stopped bleeding, only it was only a matter of time before he was going to regenerate - no...it seemed despite regurgitating him, Angra Mainyu had drowned him within its poison too... Regeneration not going to happen after all... Death was certainly going to reap him unless he returned to the TARDIS...

The demi-Heroic Spirit looked sympathetically at the girl, sobbing helplessly on the ground in terror. A wilted flower who cursed her existence...another life he was unable to save. Not with himself about to die here too... "No! Stay away!" Sakura cried as the man slowly approached. "I never knew...please..."

The Doctor sighed. "Calm down, Sakura...could I speak to Angra Mainyu within you? I`m certain it`s hiding from my presence."

"What...what is it?" the girl whispered pitifully. "What do you want to say?"

The nameless Time Lord simply smiled. "Hello. I`m the Doctor...basically...run."

Sakura hesitated, understanding slowly descending upon her face. Then, the young flower ran away without another sound. Indeed, the concept of 'mercy' was one Angra Mainyu would never be able to discern. One last victory for the Doctor before the end...

Although...

With another cough of blood, the Doctor collapsed onto the ground. Everything was going dark... He did not want to go... The Time Lord Victorious was about to die...

"You are quite the loony fool I would become, hmm?" an elderly voice called.

The Doctor looked up to see the First staggering from the shadows. "What...you...are alive too!?"

"I certainly am!" the First snapped grouchily, kneeling down beside to administer first-aid. "I thought I was dead myself until that dastardly Angra Mainyu resurrected me too. It seemed that eldritch calamity was unable to discern which of us was the true 'Doctor' as our life-signatures resemble the other." Although what the First did not mention was he had not been truly returned. Rather, the accursed Holy Grail had absorbed nearly all of the First`s prana as an 'Alter Ego'-Class Servant instead, therefore giving him only about an hour more to continue his existence.

"Ah..." the Doctor understood. "Then...I do apologize for everything... All I wanted was to save Gray, as a 'healer' to the end. Only for it to be over...what a hopeless man I am, eh?"

"Nonsense!" the First answered, his face valiant. "You have forgotten yourself, my successor. This is not over. It is far from over. A utopia is at the end of the world for you, remember?"

Darkness was about to claim the Doctor, although the man slowly looked at the elderly gentleman in bewilderment. "The...utopia? Ah...I... I understand. Fine...I leave it all to you..." The First of all Doctors watched as his successor sighed, falling into the oblivion of a healing coma.

Gray`s death would be the last in this Holy Grail War. On this night an unspoken promise was made by the Original One, the other healer who shall temporarily rule the battlefield. A promise never cruel or cowardly.

The promise to save everyone.