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FICTION
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Chapter 29: Madness (4)
It was the morning of a pleasant day… and things weren't going as smooth as he had hoped for. The gun aimed right between his eyes should've terrified a normal human.
But Kirei was far from normal. Especially with the kind of twisted soul that he had been living with since his birth. Yet the true reason that got him to actually be calm before the furious and deadly stare of his one and true rival was connected to the godly chains currently wrapping painfully around his arms and waist.
He was forced to kneel as he stood a couple of steps beyond the gates that led to the frontal courtyard that was the Emiya household. The place had been keep deserted for the reminder of the previous day, enough for the Magus Killer to elaborate if Zouken had been truly killed or not.
To be fair, he should've expected this kind of escalation to happen. Maybe it was the nervousness of his pawns getting dissolved because of the young and unconscious redhead that was currently being guarded by quite the cast of individuals. Even Caren, albeit a fragile but intelligent child, was placing herself as an obstacle to any attempt from the fake priest.
Quite the annoying sight, but there was hardly anything he could've done with the circumstances that literally brought him there. He had tried to play the King, to avoid getting slaughtered by the need to ditch him away to pursue a brighter path, and the King had 'humbled' him with the ultimate humiliation.
His plans to have Zouken becoming the 'greater evil' and thus lessen the perception of hatred the Emiya family had over Kirei had back-fired horribly when Gilgamesh had decided to personally intervene and muster up a way to outmaneuver the now uneasy-looking man.
The prime element of his success, the key to survival, had been little Sakura's plight. The young girl had been with Gilgamesh prior to the priest's capture, and she was standing beside her 'older' brother as she nervously tried to understand the ongoing standoff. He could still remember Tokiomi bemusing the dreadful fate he had commented his youngest daughter to, but he could also remember the lack of initiative to protect the child from the horrible demise.
A powerful man, Tokiomi Tohsaka was still a worthless human being. It didn't take Kirei long to understand where the 'might' truly came from. It wasn't his magical power that had set him as an influential individual within Clock Tower and the Church.
The greatest aid came from his ancestor and the founder of the Toshaka Clan, Nagato Tohsaka. The man had brilliantly created a harmonious congregation for both opposed sides. He had been there to exploit hate and cravings from the two factions in the Moonlit world to build up a political power-base. Tokiomi had inherited the mighty machine, but he quickly proved to be unable to withstand pressure from something as complicated and deadly as the Holy Grail War.
Despite the knowledge regarding Sakura's infestation and that he was the only one capable of solving this unpleasant issue, Kirei had overestimated his ability to avoid getting stomped by Gilgamesh's clairvoyance. The King's own Treasury and his greatest sword might represent some of the strongest Noble Phantasms within the range of Servants that could be conjured from the Throne of Heroes, but there was a single power that wasn't known to anyone that didn't have a chance to see it through.
Sha Naqba Imuru. The capacity to foresee the future, to predict the next moves of those acting around the golden-armored Archer.
It had been useful when the Servant had successfully belittled and played his first Master to give him utmost control. Then it was used to avoid the full control from the corrupted mud, leaving the King to deal only with the 'minor' hindrance of sustaining his unstable body with new energy from… unused cores.
Despite these distant musings, Kirei's mind was still directed at the present. Things weren't just going to favor him as they were now. He could see young Waver Velvet ready to snarl at the murderer of his former Servant, but such a distraction would only be scoffed and faced easily and without the disposal of the chains forcing him unarmed.
"Your demands-" Kiritsugu tried to say at Gilgamesh, only for the Archer to interrupt the Magus Killer with a snort.
"Are merciful considering the situation as it is," The blond rebuked with a tired tone. "Mind you, I'm not being kind over your plight, murderer. I want to see a new path unfold, and the only way to achieve so is by stay there and be there to guide the boy into the proper road of glory."
"What should make me believe you truly mean well?" The old Emiya commented dryly. "Kirei was your minion. You're deranged to think that-"
A couple golden portals opened by Gilgamesh, the prelude of a volley of blades from his seemingly-endless treasury.
"Spare me the stupid comments born from your demented brain, mongrel," The King of Heroes retorted with a hint of fury. "I've already showed you mercy by not striking you down like the insect you are. I'm well-aware of the contempt that a few among your group have in my regards, but I believe that the fact I've been diplomatic about this should've cleared any doubt of deception. Especially since I don't care for your survival or not."
Red eyes trailed away from the former mercenary and right beyond the entrance of the house, probably fixing his attention onto the precise direction where his target of interest was currently resting by.
"Shirou Emiya, as he is right now, has the chance of becoming much more than your feeble mind would comprehend. He can make good service of the disappointing state in which Humanity as a whole currently exist as," The Archer explained with a note of fascination. "But the very moment he is left without stern guidance, the kind of guidance you can't allow yourself to have to deal with an element that is well beyond your mental capacities, it will see the boy fall into two unpleasant routes that can end up with an early death."
"W-What?" It was Gray that exclaimed in shock, drawing Gilgamesh's attention to her. The King smiled, but it wasn't a normal one. It was a slightly irritated one.
"Your ancestor, the one that owns the majestic sword that still defies my desire of dominance, was once guided by someone that wanted to make her a hero, a submissive king to her own subjects. Terribly unacceptable," He dismissed coldly. "The foolish magician wasn't capable of realize that no one can actually unite heroism to the divine nature of kingship. A king rules as they see fit, but a common hero is a stupid mutt that can't live without the praise and selflessness of kind deeds."
…
"I-Is that connected to what-"
"Your Servant once said at the Banquet?" The King interjected, this time sporting some interest at the example. "Indeed. If there is something more than confidence that I can praise of that pathetic excuse of a ruler, it's the fact that he recognized that a King can't be a hero. Nor a hero can be a king."
"Aren't you the King of Heroes?" Kiritsugu inquired with a confused voice.
"I'm a King that ruled benevolently over the fief I considered mine. I considered all my subjects equal before my eyes, without allowing inefficiency to foster. There wasn't favoritism, and I curbed any clues of corruption developing within my advisors and priestesses," He described with pride. "I fend off against demons, I refused the Gods' wrath and prevented the fall of Uruk more than once. I managed to embody the nature of hero and king only because I followed diligently in keeping up with the latter figure rather than fawn over the melodramatic truth of heroism."
There was silence after this development was delivered. Not many were able to fully grasp the scope of the explanation, but Kirei had a gleam of what the King of Heroes wished to attain through careful talking.
While the golden-armored Archer was well-capable of slaughtering the group in front of him, and to kidnap his objective away from these people… there was the issue behind Shirou Emiya's own determination. If Gilgamesh went through with the massacre, he would be rendered incapable of influencing the redhead to accept the current state of things. It would be futile and particularly frustrating.
A grin almost appeared on the priest's face, but the man managed to restrain himself from flashing anything even so remotely worth of attention and hate. Sadly, someone had 'perceived' his mood and now two red orbs were glaring at him fiercely.
"Don't think just yet that your life has been spared indefinitely, Kotomine," The golden-haired Servant reminded with a stern tone. "Your worth to me is restricted to the surgery needed to cure the girl's issue. Once that is solved, your fate shall be judged..." The King's voice trailed up until his stare found a golden-eyed pair of jewels staring back at him. "By your own daughter."
Kirei frowned at the decision, but he soon noticed the surprised eyes of the girl now directed at him. He expected silence at this, he expected fright at trying to keep a stare with him. But once again, his daughter surprised him by scowling at the offer, turning her attention back to Gilgamesh.
"I don't want that responsibility."
The response elicited a rare perplexed look from the blond, but soon the stare hardened in an annoyed frown. There was much room for misunderstandings and mistakes, but there was no attempt to end the conversation there. It wouldn't just fit well with the intrigue displayed up until now by the Servant.
"And why so? Is that a slight against me? Or does the idea of judging your depraved father weight on your soul so much?"
Her eyes were back at the priest. Claudia's eyes, he almost mislabeled in his thoughts when he noticed the renewed staring. It was almost poetic how it was his own child that was going to bring an end to him. Kirei had tried his best to keep her away from ever discovering the kind of monster he was, and now things were set against him.
"He isn't worth it… your highness."
Cold, curt and… painful. Surprisingly enough, the lack of warmth in her tone in addressing him and to give him such a dreadful comment was enough to rouse surprise within the priest's core.
His heart was beating a little faster, but he knew it was the corruption growing impatient with what was going on. The inner darkness was following this situation with gleeful attention, but the extent of what was happening countered and overwhelmed the interest with disgust and uneasiness.
Gilgamesh… didn't sound like an ally to it anymore. The mere thought should've lifted confusion and shock at the fact that the King of Heroes had managed to shake off the allure of the corrupted mud. But it was the dread of facing a quick death that troubled the Kotomine the most.
"Polite," The Archer remarked with a tiny smirk. "And I find your response particularly fit with the mess your 'parent' is. It would be a waste to draw enough strength to strike him down and… perhaps he could be put to other uses with the proper manners."
...What?
Before Kirei could've genuinely inquired about this unnerving situation, the King nodded to his own proposal, still addressing the little girl. "Caren Hortensia, please approach. I wish to bestow you with a gift and a responsibility."
The girl tensed up at the comment, and the others took guarded stances at the last words coming from the golden-armored Archer. Gilgamesh merely scoffed at the defensive reaction from the group, and shook his head.
"I can guarantee that the gift shan't be a slight to the child."
There was no further request, and his stare intensely drew back to the little girl. Caren tensed up before the pressure, but she didn't falter nor shiver at the implicit demands behind the 'assurances for the King'.
Still, she moved towards the Servant, her pace slow and uneasy. The group stared at the scene with conflicted thoughts. The two other girls were almost ready to intervene and stop their friend from going through that dangerous approach. Yet they didn't act to these thoughts and the child stood in front the blond with a nervous posture.
Something appeared in Gilgamesh's right hand, and the King showed that it was a small dagger. It reminded the priest of a simple knife used to cut Parmesan cheese because of the tiny form of the blade.
"Present one of your palms," The blond calmly requested, waiting for a moment as Caren slowly complied to the order. The silence was incredibly heavy despite the lack of true violence, but then surprise filled Kirei's mind as the dagger quietly but surely started to cut across the child's small hand… but instead of leaving an injury behind, the cut would close at the retreating blade.
The knife's edges were glowing a warm red, and Gilgamesh returned his attention to Kirei, ignoring the girl's shocked look as she studied the lack of wound by her palm. "Before I cut the connection to the abomination that has been trying to take over my mind… tell them that I will see it for myself to erase their existence the moment they will be the most terrified possible."
His heart's pace picked up swiftly and painfully, enough to make his body tense at the agony… but the reaction from the mud barely held a candle to what the King of Heroes did next. It was a golden blur, but the Servant's left arm slammed from behind and deep through Kirei's back. He could feel his heart reached and squeezed by the cold hold of the Archer shortly after his rib cage had collapsed under that brutal rush.
He didn't even have the time to scream at the horrible display of gore, the rest of the people in there staring at the scene with pure horror at the dreadful sight, and his body went limp as he felt the aching and throbbing heart getting squished by the unforgiving grasp of the King.
His mind went blank, his emotions died instantly as he felt the entirety of his life squashed the very moment the important organ was destroyed once again.
There was just a thud, then nothingness.
…
…
…
He felt cold, but far from leaving his corpse as Gilgamesh plunged the dagger behind his head. At first he felt nothing from it, his touch having been numbed by the killing blow… but then unpleasant warmth reached from within and spread to his entirety.
Kirei slowly stood up, his mind aching as he couldn't remember exactly what was going on and… what's going on? He blinked, he tensed up and… he looked at the people staring at him with morbid shock. Confusion swelled within his chest as the young priest tried to make sense of what was happening and-
He froze as he spotted the young girl staring at him with her jaws dropping in a display of fright. Claudia? No, that couldn't be. He knew that his wife had died. But the snow-white hair, the honey-colored eyes and… that was his nose?
…
Panic replaced confusion. "C-Caren? Wh-What are you-"
"Hahahaha!"
Kirei's fright froze at the familiar laugh, and his wide eyes turned to look at… Archer?
"To think that the shock would've made this happen… again!" As he concluded this sentence, there was another round of laughing. "Hopefully, this prove as entertaining as what had happened last time."
Again? Last time? What kind of madness was Gilgamesh sprouting about? Where was Tokiomi? What about his father and-
His trail of thoughts was interrupted again as he noticed another familiar face staring at him with a mix of confusion and hatred. He trembled, remembering perfectly about the dossier about him.
Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer. Why was he there? Why was Gilgamesh talking to him and… who were these other people? Other Masters? What about the War and-
"Still, your gift has been delivered. Kirei Kotomine shall be your servant until you desire so. Once his futility has expired by your own demand, he shall leave the realm of the living and never linger any further in this world."
...WHAT?!
This… wasn't the usual heaven-on-Earth garden that Shirou had grown accustomed to in these circumstances. The place looked to be a somewhat familiar courtyard, the walls around the area reminding him of a castle.
His mind would've easily connected these thoughts and probably have discerned where was this place… yet there was something else that was currently distracting him from making any serious thoughts over the matter.
The embrace was also familiar, yet the giggle and the cooing coming from the woman currently hugging and twirling around with him was complicating his capacity to make sense over this insanity.
White-haired, red eyes. The Gamer could recognize the elements that were mostly known about the Einzbern family, yet he was fairly sure this was neither Sella nor Leysristt. Both maids had specific elements that differentiate them from each other and… this stranger had elements from both.
Long hair and… a noticeable bosom.
"Uhhh," He would let out a few noises to try and get the woman's attention, yet the lady was far too endeared by the aimless activity to truly pay him any attention. And in that iron-like grip that was pushing him more and more in that cushioned chest, Shirou couldn't do much but hope for someone to wake him up from that comfy nightmare.
His prayers were mostly hopeless considering how there was nobody else around to interrupt that one-sided dance, but then… something did change within the scenery.
It was subtle at first, but the redhead spotted several pink flowers appear by the edges of the courtyard. Then the sudden blossom spread up to the center of the clearing, right where the woman was giddily 'playing' with him.
Footsteps approached, and a familiar huffing was heard by the two of them as a certain white-haired magician decided to finally barge into that strange scene. Merlin looked mildly irritated by the situation, but his furious state was softened by the calm-looking Fou nestled by his shoulder.
The woman stopped. Her body tensing up as she finally noticed the irked wizard giving her a stern look. Still, her hold over Shirou intensified, as if to challenge the magician. At first there was silence between the two adults, but soon enough the woman broke the ice.
"Merlin."
"Justeaze."
Both addressed each other with a similar amount of poison, as if opposed to one another. The redhead couldn't tell whenever or not it was some serious opposition or something childish, yet he could feel from Fou's placidity that the situation wasn't anything to be worried about.
So he kept at ease as the two exchanged irritated looks. It didn't take long for them to finally rekindle the exchange of 'blows'.
"I see that you've finally managed to get through with one of your little objectives, fraulein," Merlin commented with irritation. "By exploiting a situation that could've killed young Shirou."
Justeaze scoffed at the jab thrown at her. "As if you haven't done worse. Like sending him in an errand to deal with the current descendant of your failed project," She retorted. "But differently from yourself, I had some contingencies to keep him safe from true danger."
"He was almost kidnapped by-"
"Differently from what you think, I had plans over that very circumstance too," The woman didn't let the magician finish his reprimand, a small smile adorning her beautiful face. "I've yet to fail him, but you still deem me unworthy of trust in helping him grow and become a beacon of hope."
...What were they talking about?
Shirou was confused by the turn this conversation was taking, yet he couldn't do much as the two continued with their heated discussion. Things sure weren't getting peaceful in that pretty place now.
"You've yet to fail?! What about the Grail? What about the 'family' you've left behind?!" Merlin pointed out, his low end of the staff slamming twice to highlight the frustration in these words. "And don't think I'm just trying to keep you out of this because of mere paranoia. I know what you can do if given too much control over The Game. You need to be monitored."
"As if you can actually put a limit on my capacity to do things through the Game, half-Incubus," Justeaze chided softly. "While you might be older than me and more experienced with Magic, I've long elaborated something that can't be comprehended by those of the old ordainment. Something that was finalized by the memories I've received from the Lesser Grail of the Fourth War."
At that the young Emiya blinked in recognition, remembering about this individual from his discussions with Kiritsugu, Illya and the maids. A kind mother that was meant to be the sacrificial lamb to the twisted ritual of wishcraft.
"Are you talking about... Irisviel?"
In a moment of brief silence, the two adults finally remembered that they weren't alone in that precise moment. Red eyes widened in sheepish realization before the woman gave a nod to the boy.
"Yes, that was her name. I suppose little Illya told you about her?"
Shirou nodded silently, letting the lady sigh at the curt response as she elaborated the followup to it.
"Well, Irisviel was… quite quirky," The founder of the Einzbern Clan started to explain. "She was inquisitive over the world outside of the castle and one of the few things she discovered in her first few days of peace in Fuyuki Town was… the local arcade."
"She… learned about games?"
That could explain why the overall system was just like a JRPG but… why? Why would this be important to the construction of something that was meant to change things? What could make a game-based system help in 'helping' with Magecraft?
"She did a little more than learn. Admittedly, modern games are… endearing. Simple but incredibly satisfying," Justeaze answered with a grin. "Still, what truly makes the Game unique compared to previous attempts to create a true mystery out of simple magecraft is… the Quest section."
"More like the blatant exploitation of a rule that survived the Age of Gods," Merlin reminded with a sigh. "You were just lucky enough to find this hypothetical road to the Root. Then you used a system that worked on abusing Gaia's ingrained mentality of action equal a specific reaction-"
"While also altering which reaction an action can make- That isn't an easy feat. Don't diminish my genius just because I did something you've tried and failed to achieve," The Einzbern interjected coolly. "Or maybe it has to do to the fact that Shirou will easily surpass Artoria with the path before him?"
...Artoria? Wasn't that the true name of King Arthur?
"As if I would go that far to regret what was done- It was a must! Something that couldn't have been avoided despite my reluctance. The world needed hope."
"And you decided to bring 'hope' by pushing a young girl to delete her own identity for the sake of creating a perpetual idea of heroism," Justeaze almost growled while saying this. "You're so stuck in your own pretentious self that you've yet to accept the fact that your current imprisonment was warranted by your own actions."
…
As Merlin keep quiet at the remarks, the woman turned her attention back to Shirou, this time her face displaying a sad expression.
"And now… let's talk about what will happen from now on," She muttered quietly, drawing a curious and confused blink from Shirou.
"W-What do you mean?"
The Einzbern sighed. "Shirou, how old are you?"
…
What was she trying to say with that?
"I'm… I'm seven. But why do you-"
"While I understand this might surprise you- especially after so many dangerous situations had happened in the last few months, I want you to know that what I'm about to say isn't meant to be a lecture or… some attempt to diminish your accomplishments. Actually, I can say you make me and many others proud of what you've done with the Game," Justeaze started to explain with a nod. "But as much as I'm happy for the leap you've made from the way you were at the very beginning, I've to beg you to not push yourself too much with the Game. To train too much- nor try to breakthrough the limitations you might encounter along the way."
She squeezed him closer, forcing him to frown both at the words and the followup action. "B-But why?"
"The reason why I've given you more than just the Quest System is correlated to the fact that you've been bestowed with the important job of preserving the System from ever falling into malicious hands. The Game… is a measure to prevent the loss of the Mystery. This is the chance for the world to not die in a couple of decades from now, and this is why I'm giving you this discussion. You're already a hero to the world as a whole."
… "You don't want me to… become like Artoria?"
"Artoria was a flawed case. Someone that could've been helped way before her own fall," The woman replied while giving a quick glare to a distracted Merlin. "But no. I know that you wouldn't have the chance to experience her specific plight."
"So… what? What can't I do with the Game?" The boy finally asked. His mind was failing to grasp the uneasy mess created by the Einzbern, yet he could feel that it had something to do about overusing the Game or something similar to that.
"You can technically do everything and more with it," Justeaze commented with a sigh. "But the Game itself is limited by the very rule it's based from. Everything has a price. May it be something material or something abstract. Sometimes the price is made by objects… or deeds."
"Just like Quests?"
She nodded. "Just like those- which is why I've based the idea of manipulating a Mystery behind this very concept. The World - The Will of the Planet at least – recognize this element as part of the Natural Laws that dictate the existence of modern Magecraft." There was a pause, her red eyes staring away for a moment as she thought of what to say next. "But while the project is ambitious and, most of all, important to restore Magic to the world, I ask you to not put yourself at risk because you wish to make the difference in saving people."
… "I will not stop saving people-"
"And that's not what I'm asking you to do," She chided softly, squeezing him in the embrace. "But I want to at least remind you that it takes a single mistake to jeopardize the world around you. If you believe that you can save someone, and I don't mean just by heart but also by logic, then you can go through with these plans without me ever questioning your own perception of hero. Still, I want you to promise me that you will not devolve your life from now on in just learning how to play the 'Game'. I want you to bond more with your friends and… be a child."
"I… I don't want to sound ruse," Shirou remarked quietly. "But I lost my childhood when the fire-"
"When I saved you, I saw a young boy close to death," Justeaze reminded calmly. "I didn't save you for you to become a Soldier. I don't want you to make the Game your first priority. I don't wish for you to think of it like that."
"But- But what about Zouken and-"
"Zolgen Makiri, Jubstacheit von Einzbern and… Kirei Kotomine. They were all dangerous threats within your own home, Shirou," Merlin interrupted, seemingly done with his own inner musings. "Mind you, there is still the issue presented by the Grail. But right now you're not prepared to take on the threats lurking by the Grail's holding grounds, and the Grail itself can't be activated before a couple of years from now had passed."
Now things were starting to make sense. Shirou was still confused over some topics, but he felt that he was getting close to the truth.
But just as he prepared to inquire some more about this conversation, the young Emiya felt the world starting to crumble around him. He knew he was waking up and…
Wait, what did Merlin mean that Kotomine wasn't a problem anymore?
AN
To those wondering about Kirei's current situation: Kind of like an Ainsworth Doll, but his essence is tied to Caren's current one. He can produce energy through his own Circuits, but the new 'bond' makes it so that the girl has the final say in whatever he does around. Why an Amnesia? There is a funny answer and a serious one – 1) Fate/Tiger Colosseum Upper (Businessman Kirei was created by Caren- kind of ironic to replicate the situation now); 2) Emotional growth for Caren!
Justeaze telling Shirou to 'slow down': This doesn't mean that Shirou will not advance from now on, but that he will be limited from Leveling up too quickly. While Justeaze mentioned 'childhood' as a reason, the truth is much bigger: Important People are noticing that something is happening in Japan. People that could make trouble with their mere presence around Shirou.
P.S. Justeaze and Merlin's estimations might about the Grail be dashed away in a chapter or two. Can't make any promises just yet.
Last but the least: I've been thinking about creating a Twitter account to post news over my updates, warn about delays or situations, and other stuff (I dunno myself, I might entertain Curious Cat stuff too). It's not important for this to be done, I understand that many don't have Twitter because of how much crap has been going in there in the last few months, but I wish to bring up the fact that notifying my readers when I find myself incapable of writing chapters can be… difficult on some platforms. I leave you this little situation, I hope I receive some feedback so I can move to deal with the problem.
P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin
k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin
REVIEW Q&A!
Surya: Maybe she will be there. I don't know yet.
ServantDreamer: I understand it might be repetitive in the way I'm doing that, but considering the biweekly updates, I tend to forget the current stats of Shirou, and I don't to mess up with the overall data of the situation.
LegendaryMob: There is a fun-wagon filled with Fluff coming up by the first chapters of Arc2. But I guess it can get pretty dull when I focus too much on the Gaming part and on the Protagonist. I understand the situation, but I plan to solve this soon.
Isaac LB: Luck stat isn't about Life Luck, but Battle Luck (The one correlated to Crits and Loot Rarity).