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The following is a fan-based
FICTION
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Chapter 21: Chariot (4)
Waver Velvet was starting to feel cold as he turned the corner of that desolate street, his eyes slightly-wide open as he ventured deep in what looked to be one of the worst situations he could have ever been forced to do.
It's been so little since the Holy Grail War, yet the tension he was feeling was rightfully the same as back then.
After all he was directed to the house owned by one of his former enemies and… infamous killer of Magus families.
Of all Masters that had been taking part to the competition, the young man considered the Master of Saber to be one of the worst nightmares to face during the War, one of the many men that he didn't even dare to approach out of legitimate fear.
While Saber herself proved to be a reasonable fighter that preferred something 'fair' compared to 'efficient', Kiritsugu Emiya had been responsible for utterly demolishing his former teacher; Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald had been considered one of the greatest prodigies in Clock tower, his prowess in fighting making him a perfect candidate as a Master… but a poor strategist because of two horrible weaknesses.
The first flaw was that the infuriating idiot had been over-confident, thinking that this was a duel rather than a battlefield.
That genuine comment was something that Waver could dare to say days after the competition was over; After everything had come together in his mind about the real existence behind someone like the high nobleman, his initial assessment having Kayneth more of a foolish and arrogant man than a truly dangerous opponent…
But that was a mere opinion, he was sure of it.
An opinion influenced by months of frustrations born from constantly headbutting with this individual for conflicting thoughts over Magecraft itself, birthrights and other politics that made the Magus Association a horrible place where to live and try to succeed in life.
Now that he was free from the responsibilities behind War and the happenings in London, Waver was granted the clarity of seeing how the arrogance was mostly dignified by an impressive arsenal and preparation.
Kayneth didn't come in Fuyuki without some contingencies over the possible unfairness of the Holy Grail War, rather he was so sure that 'honor' would have been kept by both the Tohsaka Clan and that the Magus Killer wouldn't go as far as to demolish the hotel he was staying in with his fiancé.
Pride was a curse, but one conceived by nurture than by birth itself. The Archibald family was a prideful bunch, having all settled with important roles within Clock Tower, Kayneth being the culmination of their ambitions…
And now the man was dead, losing dignity, body and soul because of his short-thinking, of his 'trust' toward Kiritsugu Emiya's expected limits as a Master.
Now that the former Lord of the Mineralogy Department was deceased, the family was supposedly decapitated and left without a 'figurehead' to work as a leader.
It was a morbid thought, one that saw Waver musing over the comparison of the renowned group as a body, still trying to figure out that it was now headless and wandering into a terrible pit of doom.
Partly amusing, but the political effects once the news was given to them would be… massive.
The repercussions of seeing an entire illustrious family go down so suddenly and without a clear explanation would surely see a weakening of the Bartholemoi Faction within the Association, a minor setback and lessening of influence.
And yet the family and the Association were unaware of what had happened here.
The Holy Grail War wasn't a competition that was well-displayed back in London, only the survivors can tell of the events transpiring from those horrible days and…
Waver was one of them.
Tokiomi had died, his decease having been reported for days after the War by numerous local news outlets.
Uryu Ryuunosuke was dead, the serial killer having perished just a little before the end of the competition and his Servant having tried to do… something with the Grail.
Not even the young man was sure of it.
Kariya Matou, the dying husk wandering Fuyuki with the terrifying Berserker had died… or something.
His current whereabouts uncertain to the Magus, but the Matou had not given news about their victory.
The Master of Assassin was reportedly killed by Kiritsugu Emiya and…
That left only him and the Magus Killer.
The older man had survived to the end and surely gotten his wish from the Grail.
Or maybe not?
There was just so much about the Grail, why the Fire even happened and how could a wish cause this damage to the city itself.
Surely, it hadn't been the wish itself, but something happened back then, when the Emiya was so close to the complex construct, that ended up sparking that massive disaster.
Gulping nervously, Waver slowly paced inside the courtyard that led to the traditional Japanese house. The young man had been careful enough to pick this particular day and hour to try and establish contact with the Emiya.
The red-haired child, the alleged son to the Magus Killer, had left the premises of the district with a curious number of girls at his tow, their final step being the nearby park and… that meant that Kiritsugu was left without many individuals staying at the home.
Another step and Waver was now standing the porch, he was right in front of the main door and his hands were trembling just a little.
It was just so… so close to that kind of dread.
Back when the War was still ongoing, back when Rider was here to cheer him up and get him going through the hellfire around him.
But now the burly giant wasn't here and… this wasn't the monumental castle that the now-former Master of Saber had been hiding for most of the competition.
He took a simple breath of air, trying to find at least some balance before going forward with his plans.
His hand lifted from its initial position, away from the safety of his pants' pockets and into the doorbell by the door's side.
The index pressed for a moment the button, just enough for the common bell to ring and alert those still inside that someone was visiting.
As his ears caught the sound, his hand retreated back to the pocket and his eyes widened at the distinct noise of someone approaching, the wooden floor behind the door creaking and giving further signs that someone had indeed heard the bell.
He gulped again and, before the final moment for this nervousness, the climax of his bad feelings, Waver felt his brain yelling at him to run away, to try something else and-
The door opened.
It was already too late for second thoughts, the young Magus thought and his eyes were bestowed with quite the unusual sight.
Instead of the all-black formal-wearing clothes that the tall man was known to don all the time, Kiritsugu Emiya was now wearing a simple kimono and his back was slightly slouched and relaxed.
It was the Magus Killer, the man still appearing just like he did in the War but… he seemed also incredibly tired.
It was fatigue, but it wasn't a physical activity that saw the professional mercenary this much weakened compared to before; it was something much complicated.
The Emiya's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the young man, almost ready to back-pedal inside and close quickly the door but…
Waver bowed respectfully, something he had heard his quirky colleague talk about as a gesture of utter respect.
His eyes were half-closed, panic rising even from the deepest corner of his heart as his lips moved and-
"I-I don't wish to cause trouble, Kiritsugu Emiya-san;" The English foreigner stated, praying that the honorifics wouldn't be a touch to much. "I- I wish to- I want to understand what happened in the War."
It sounded like an outburst, a childish demand from a foolish moron trying to make sense of something that was supposed to be easy and-
"What?" The weary man said with a confused tone. "Why… why are you still here?"
A legitimate question, he should have left Fuyuki days ago, maybe even through a raft but… money was important and he had spent everything to just come here in Japan.
It was all loaned, of course, his miser account hardly capable of withstanding the price of traveling to such a distant place as the Land of the Rising Sun.
"I-I can't leave Fuyuki," He admitted out of panic. "M-My current economic situation is-"
"Quiet," The man ordered so suddenly, the Magus Killer's eyes narrowing dangerously and causing the former Master of Rider to flinch and tense up. "Enter inside, now."
The order was so forceful and, knowing of the reputation behind the mercenary's bluntness in terms of demands, Waver didn't have much of a choice.
Sure, Kiritsugu looked weak but… maybe it was a trick? Maybe this was all an ambush to kill more of his enemies.
It wouldn't e a terrible suggestion, after all the Emiya did make an entire hotel collapse for the sake of killing just a man.
The English youth entered quickly, following the Emiya inside the initial corridor and right into… a medium-sized living room.
He had seen one of these back when Otoko had gone out of her way to make him see pictures of her house while he was busy helping around at the liquor bar, as to prepare him for eventual invitations.
Maybe it was a helpful advice as, if the young Magus was ever to be invited in that household, he would have to deal with an over-protective father and… he would need all possible means to leave the place if things happened in that possible situation.
He took a seat nearby the short table, right on the opposite side where the Emiya was sitting and he waited for… something to happen.
Nervousness was a powerful deterrent from trying to get a conversation going, especially if it could end up with the young man clumsily pointing out things he wished to have nothing about.
"You were the Master of Rider, Waver Velvet," The professional murderer stated, eyes fixed on the foreigner. "You were last seen sending your Servant to fight Archer. He lost."
The last comment left him furious as… the situation here given was mostly wrong.
If he had the chance to genuinely stop an unstoppable force like Iskandar, the young Master would have done that.
Command Seals? Rider would have hated him, even caused him to lose and suffer for forcing the exuberant giant to stand down from a monumental fight like the one presented by the golden fool himself.
So, instead of ignoring the obvious bait, the young man merely nodded and let the Magus Killer continue.
"You have yet to leave the city… you mention economic problems," Kiritsugu mused quietly, his hand slowly lifting to the wood of the table, tapping twice. "How much would you need to get out of Japan?"
...What?
Maybe he had entered a different dimension, maybe this was… just a dream or even the worst nightmare.
But he still heard what the man just said.
It was an offer to give him money required to leave this part of the world.
And the reason? It was blatant that the assassin wanted him to leave the proximity of his cover… or was that his real family?
He did remember seeing a young girl with pale hair and red eyes, Einzbern traits and Saber had mentioned something about the Emiya being married to that… kind woman.
I wonder where she is now…
"I-I don't need money," The Magus replied cautiously, eyes away from meeting with Kiritsugu's stern orbs. "I'm planning to get enough to leave soon and… this is not the reason behind this visit-"
"Then speak your request," The Emiya interjected coldly, tapping again. "My patience didn't chance from the War and I will not tolerate any annoyances-"
"I want answers." Waver jumped in, his voice gaining some more bravery much to his own surprise. "I want to know what happened when-"
"The Grail is corrupted."
The four words were quickly proposed, the statement initially feeling as lightly as words were meant to be but… then the meaning added an unfair amount of weight to it.
Eyes going wide open and jaw gaping at the sudden blunt comment, Waver couldn't help but speak.
"W-What?"
The Magus Killer held the silence for a few more moments… and then he replied.
"The Grail is corrupted, contaminated, polluted by the presence of a being that has twisted its wish-granting magecraft to a deceitful and destructive degree."
The explanation was logical, reasonably so, but then again Waver couldn't help but see it skeptically.
He had studied intensively the known details of the grand structure, the basis of information Zelretch had been keen to divulge about the grand object without giving enough instructions to make a new Grail from nothing.
Everyone would jump at the occasion of replicating the incredible deed committed by the Makiri, Tohsaka and Einzbern clans, the Three Founding Families having still a relevant spot in Clock Tower even after recent isolation and weakening committed by most of them.
The Makiri was mostly killed and only the Matou branch continued to hold the torch of their reputation, a group that had developed in Japan and away from the Russian homeland their founder, Zolgen Makiri came from.
Yet, despite the essential information missing about the overall functioning of the Greater Grail, the books in Clock Tower clearly allowed some insight over the foundations that made the Grail work so well after almost two centuries of existing.
The system was forcefully made to abide to specific prerogatives that made it impossible for something to corrupt and cause a general destabilization of the main function.
So why should he believe to-
"What happens to the souls of the Servants that die during the competition, Waver?" His mind was forced to shift its focus back to reality as he felt two more taps from the Emiya's finger on the wooden surface; the question entering so quickly and unexpectedly that now he was thinking about it and Waver promptly answered.
"They would be sent back to the Throne of Heroes, their souls are still tied to it and, without a proper connection to the real world they-"
"What if it's not a Hero to die during the Holy Grail War?" He was interrupted once again, the query surprisingly garnering immediate thought as he evaluated it with a perplexed belief.
The Grail couldn't theoretically be able to grant the summoning of a non-heroic being, the main purpose of the Servant-Summoning process based on the fact that the souls of heroes came from the Throne.
There wouldn't be any mean for a non-Hero to be summoned, the process had to be rigged and that wouldn't be an easy feat to commit.
The young man felt ready to reply at that question too, but stopped as he realized that it wasn't the answer Kiritsugu wanted out from him.
It wasn't 'if the process is possible', it was 'what if this happened'.
And that kind of inquisitive look would be an absurd scenario, especially since the Grail wasn't made to have non-heroic spirit.
The issue itself would manifest in two tangents, with the first one being the representation of said individual.
Whoever was summoned, their new bodies would be 'buffed' or 'depowered' considering three factors, which were the 'Original Body' of the hero, the 'Legend' of said hero and the following behind the figure.
These three factors were primary queries that the Grail would 'ask' to the Throne, to try and get a proper and balanced being out for the competition.
If the individual summoned isn't a Hero and lacks a presence within the Throne, the 'reply' would be none.
The Grail would be forced to create a 'default' body for this being and thus… make the Servant as weak as a regular human being.
It would be incredibly impractical and horribly difficult to manage this Servant without it dying against the 'far too strong' super-humans summoned by the Grail.
The second issue that would surely create catastrophic events would be… the soul of this non-heroic Servant.
If the non-hero perishes, their soul would be directed back to the Grail but it wouldn't leave for the Throne because it's not a hero.
It was confusing, terribly so, but the simplicity of the matter was one and only one.
The soul would be sent to the Grail but wouldn't never leave it. It would be stuck inside of it and-
Waver paled a little, thinking back at the presence of beings like Caster, Berserker and Assassin.
"W-Who was the Servant?"
He didn't reply, the young man was sure that the Magus Killer was perfectly aware of the matter or he wouldn't have given him this question.
The man smiled for a brief moment and nodded. "Angra Mainyu, the Zoroastrian God of all Evil. He was summoned as Avenger, a new class conceptualized by the Einzbern Clan as a mean to replace the Berserker card during the Third Holy Grail War."
There was a brief pause, enough silence to give Waver the time to understand the full ramifications of such development, his eyes widening even more and his skin paling further.
Not only the being itself was a completely different class, this development already causing issues with the Grail's matrix, but the fact it was the goddamn God of all Evil should have been a giant red flag to consider.
And to think it had all been caused by the Einzbern, the family that proposed the Holy Grail War as a mean to provide a somewhat fair competition to everyone interested to it.
Now the system was obviously damaged, 'polluted' as the Emiya had just called it and… and then the Magus realized something far bigger.
"I-Is that why the Grail started to spill fire and mud?" Waver asked, his mind almost burning at the dreadful situation he had just avoided.
Something that reeked of world-ending scenarios and… that would warrant a seal designation.
Heck, the Holy Grail War should have warranted one decades- if not centuries ago!
The process itself was too risky, people were dying for some invisible pleasure and honor from those witnessing partially and from the safest distance possible.
Such a terrible concept of the past still considered modern enough to be kept alive.
All for greed, there was no doubt about it, but-
"Yes, the Grail was trying to 'realize' my wish and it created a destructive version of it," Kiritsugu answered with a tired sigh. "I made sure to neutralize another War by destabilizing the Leylines, there will not be a Fifth Holy Grail War."
There was determination and some steel in this proclamation, enough to almost have the young man to believe him.
Almost, as Waver knew that destabilizing the Leylines wouldn't have been enough to prevent an eventual Fifth War from erupting.
It would skip a cycle, the Grail being rendered unable to fully connect to the proper energy lines, but that wouldn't mean that the Leylines would never return back to their original setup.
Kiritsugu only ended up buying time… or maybe he didn't.
While the means to cause the destabilization were unknown to Waver, skipping a full cycle would cause the Association to make numerous assumptions at the lack of the Grail's resurface.
Many would question visiting and study the construct for the sake of confirming its integrity, but the process would definitively die through the bureaucratic process; the hassle to bring an investigation in Japan to study the grand situation would be an expensive route that would be certainly dismissed for budget issues.
Rumors would rise and fall, but only the easiest guess would persist as the 'truest' fact:
The Grail had ceased to function and there wouldn't have been anymore Grail Wars.
The deception working only if there wasn't any Magus living in Japan in about 120 years, something that was doable considering the dwindling number of people associated to the Moonlit World still living in this specific spot of Asia, many already moving out to China or returning to the United States to join the US-sanctioned Association's counterpart.
That would explain why Kiritsugu was so certain of having stopped the threat created by the Grail once and for all with this attempt but… why would he be still cautious with a Master still wandering around? Why wouldn't he just… let him go away and don't mind his presence?
Sure, Waver was a Magus but, like the Emiya had proven until now, the young man was still spineless enough to submit to this terrifying predicaments.
A Geis would have worked too but… maybe it was for the best that no magical contracts were involved in that moment.
Waver had already enough issues to deal with and a soul-binding development would only see him screwed to an unfunny degree.
"What is your current means to survive here?" Kiritsugu finally asked, tapping again at the table and getting the young man off from his thoughts. "Hypnosis or-"
"I-I've a part-time job as a handyman for… a liquor bar." The Magus held back from giving out the true names that could endanger the small family owning the establishment, knowing full well of what the Magus Killer was capable of.
"No tricks or illusions? You were assumed without Magecraft?"
Waver nodded, his skin regaining some color at the lack of horrible topics to think and talk about to the still-calm mercenary.
The Emiya leaned on the table and blinked. "What kind of shifts are you meant to do there?"
"From lunch until dinner," The rest of the early morning was spent helping around the elderly couple still housing him in their house. "Monday, Wednesday and Friday."
Kiritsugu nodded. "And what would you think of another part-time job?"
…
Waver blinked, confusion rising once more as he thought of the current predicament and he felt ready to pale again.
The Magus Killer had a job for him. A professionally-trained murderer had a task for him.
"I-It depends on the requirements and… the task itself."
The Emiya sighed and nodded again. "I have… a family here," The mercenary started to say. "Some are children of mine, Shirou and Illya, while other are a group of youths that are mostly under my responsibility. I need someone to take care of them while they are outdoors."
The young Magus blinked. "As a babysitter?"
"As a guardian," Kiritsugu replied quickly, sparing no doubt in giving this much information out.
"B-But why me?" Waver blurted in utter confusion. "I-I'm just a stranger-"
"That wishes to live for a long time," The Magus Killer muttered back. "Especially since there are some interesting individuals still lurking around in Fuyuki."
The Magus paused just a moment, eyes widening at the comment and mysterious note at the end, his mind burning again as to understand the underlying context of those 'interesting individuals'.
And what was this about his survival? Was the mercenary giving him an ultimatum of sort?
"W-What? A-Are you threatening me?"
"No," Kiritsugu replied smoothly. "But you should be aware that Fuyuki is far from safe even though the War is now over."
Waver blinked, his confusion increasing at the suggestion pushed forward by the tired man.
He had been around the town to know that the place was now a little haven, there was nothing lingering from the previous Holy Grail War and-
"Kirei Kotomine was the Master of Assassin, he was allied with Tokiomi Tohsaka and was the 'heir' to the ownership of Fuyuki's church." He leaned back and sighed. "Have you noticed that the Church hadn't sent any representatives after the conclusion of the War?"
...No.
There was no way that… that another Master was still alive. Especially one as elusive as Assassin's.
"I was the one to place a bullet straight into his heart and..." The mercenary paused just a moment and then continued. "The Mud, the substance that leaked from the Grail and sparked the Fire was the corruption within the construct and it did more than create flames."
That was just ridiculous! H-How would a man that was dead be able to be- No, there has to be another reason to-
"And he wasn't the only one surviving the War."
Waver blinked, before the worst guess came to his mind. "I-Is it Uryuu-"
"No, the child killer is long dead," The Emiya interrupted with a slightly-irritated tone directed at that name. "Just like Kariya Matou, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald and Tokiomi Tohsaka are."
Those are all the Masters, further dismissing the trouble of facing his former teacher once more after his gruesome death and-
No.
Nonononononono.
NO!
"I-It can't be a Servant… right?" Waver asked with some desperation. "It can't be that-"
"A golden-haired, red-eyed individual has been spotted lurking around the Church's premises."
And with that mere comment, the young Magus felt the world come crashing down as Iskandar's sacrifice had meant nothing as that bastard was still walking well and healthy.
Anger rushed through his chest and onto his face, his entire expression displaying the inner fury but seemingly leaving the Emiya unfazed at the display.
"Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, is affiliated with Kirei Kotomine. That is why, I need your service, Waver Velvet."
There was a pause, a moment of inner turmoil rising within the Magus as he thought deeply about the offer now presented at him.
It wasn't a mere job now, it was personal business he had to make sure to conclude.
The plans offered to Iskandar, the promise had to be delayed once more.
Just enough to see the end of the Golden Fool.
AN
Long Waver-led intermission that is actually a chapter.
Why I did this much of a big interjection… well, next chapter will see some tense but surprisingly bittersweet moments.
Expect some surprise feelings from the worst people and… yeah, Waver is now official! :)
P.S. Chapter 3 and 4 have been revisited and polished of any mistakes, and expanded upon.
P.S.S. Many are expecting horrible things from the 'Fate is Sealed' thing about the mission and… the kind of Fate that is mentioned it's not the Canon Archer one, nor any of the other Canon Routes.
So what is this 'Fate' that is now sealed? (Yes, this isn't meant to be a dreadful outcome, rather a completely different Route… about Shirou's life rather than HGW routes.)
P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin
k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin
REVIEW Q&A!
Paxloria: The question would be 'Would Kiritsugu bothered to make Shirou an equal partner in this situation'? As much as Shirou did many things, Kiritsugu isn't certainly invested in divulging the plan he has in mind to exact as it would easily be 'twisted' by a child's mind. Shirou's morality wouldn't just condone what Kiritsugu's pragmatism would consider a success about this plan. And no, Shirou didn't overlook Rin's hopes of being 'saved', rather he is trying to go a more heroic route. And that is to save everyone (which is flawed, I'm aware of that).
Arsur3215Loki: Why should I rewrite Fate Stay Night?