Singularity Short-Snippets
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Singularity Candidate: Fuyuki 1994 (After Camelot) II
In the garden of the Einzbern Castle, Shirou stood there. Waiting for someone.
"You came, old man." Shirou couldn't help but look sad.
This was how he was before he saved Shirou. He was not the gentle, kind person that saved him from the fire that birthed him, rather a cold and merciless murderer for the sake of justice. He did not have the same gentle smile with loving gaze, rather a calculative gaze to predict your next move. This was not Kiritsugu Emiya that died with contentment. This was the magus killer that was never saved in the end.
He did not react to Shirou. Why would he? He had never saved him, never fell in love, was never happy for once in his entire life. They never even met.
Still, it hurt him seeing his own father figure like this.
A human could not keep up with a Servant, but this battle was not about that in Shirou's eyes. Not that the Assassin class Servant would care. This was no battle to save the world, no battle to protect what's precious, not even a duel between warriors.
This was an argument between father and son. What does it mean to be a hero? What does it mean to save someone?
Shirou wanted to convince Kiritsugu to join his side and find a better way. Kiritsugu simply wanted the most efficient way to solve this crisis. Both were against each other in how they wanted to save the world.
There was enough distance between them for Kiritsugu to draw his gun and shoot him, but there was also enough for Shirou to rush in to disarm him.
Mash and the others were there. They were watching what was going on, but even Zhuge Liang told them to stay back. Now that Rider was their enemy along with the last Berserker, they needed help from the Counter Guardian.
And since his target is Irisveil von Einzbern, perhaps Shirou Emiya could convince him. But as it turns out, this is what it had all led to.
A standoff. Whatever happens in the next few moments will decide what path each of them will walk.
It was surprising. For someone without honor he seemingly agreed to this. Was this perhaps due to their relationship as father and son? Or Shirou knowing his true name?
It no longer mattered. They were there, ready to face each other off.
They star at each other. One person not saying a thing. The winds of the air were blowing about and that was the only noise that rang throughout the area.
Shirou is the first to speak.
It was the words that got him to fight, the words that got him to move, the words that got him down the path he chose.
"Can you keep up with me?"
He couldn't tell what Kiritsugu was feeling. If he was being glared at underneath all that cloth and hood. He couldn't even tell if he was going to reply.
But that was enough to set them both off.
Shirou openes one hand.
Kiritsugu tightens his fists.
"Trace…"
"Time alter…"
In a flash, Kanshou appeared on the left hand of Shirou and Kiritsugu reached out for his knife.
"…ON!"
"…double accel."
In a burst of speed Shirou throws the sword and rushes forward, closing the distance to have them face off in close quarters.
But the sword was redirected. Kiritsugu had thrown his knife in order to block it so he could jump back and grab his gun from his back. Soon the sword missed him by a graze and did not even faze him.
Shirou would not be fast enough to block a bullet from him. He had heard from El-Melloi that his bullets can destroy magic circuits should it reach the opponents mana. His swords were made from his mana so it could split apart his own nervous system if he traced a Noble Phantasm. He didn't even know what would happen should the bullet reach Archer's arm.
Yet he still rushed forward tracing Bakuya on his right.
Beneath his mask, Kiritsugu frowned. He brought out a similar sword to the one that was thrown, why would he-?
He heard it, coming from behind him. He twisted his body in time to dodge the sword that was thrown at him earlier. Shirou caught it as it missed its target.
"Does that sword have magnetic properties. Then…"
He began to form a plan, but his thoughts were interrupted as Shirou closed the distance between them.
"He's fast."
He saw the look in Shirou's eyes. A golden fire burning with determination that will not yield. Unlike his calculative self, this was the look of someone younger, someone with a goal.
He honestly didn't seem like somebody who was as broken as he is.
Kiritsugu was caught right where Shirou held a superior advantage. Close range. "Got you."
"Tch. Time alter…"
But before he could finish his spell, he noticed the swords disappear into motes of light.
'What the hell is he plan- "
He felt it. Pain.
He felt his cheek collide with something solid and he was sent off by a few meters. He was a Servant, so it would not be enough to break any bone or muscle but it was something that still managed to hurt him.
Shirou, after having punched his own father, still had to find a way to get him to join his side. He seemed too focused and could not be convinced in this state. That meant that there was only one way of doing so in that regard.
"Rule Breaker."
The Noble Phantasm of Caster in the 5th Holy Grail War. It allowed for the breaking of contracts. If he could use that on Kiritsugu…
"UOOOOOAAAAGH!"
… Then he would be able to join their side. He had to find the right time to stab him with it. Yet, he had an inside struggle on whether to use it first or not. But at this point, he had no time to properly think.
Kiritsugu's arm was brought up. A loaded Calcio M950 in hand. His finger was on the trigger.
"Damn!"
Shirou had no time to shield himself.
And so Kiritsugu pulled the trigger.
A spread of bullets hailed in Shirou's direction as he attempted to dodge. Finding cover behind one of the stone that held up some of the bushes.
Then a silence came. It seems that he has run out of bullets. But both stayed where they were. Kiritsugu noticed his knife nearby and picked it up while Shirou was catching his breath.
Lord El Melloi could only watch as he had no right to interfere. This was something his student had to do. He would not interfere in something so personal after all.
But he did note something. Both of them seem to be on equal standing.
He will not downplay Shirou as he is fully capable of keeping up with a few Servants, but not enough to defeat them. His skill with several different types of weaponry ranging from a sword to a bow and arrow is not something to laugh at.
Add to that he had multiple Noble Phantasms thanks to his journey and to Archer's arm, he was certainly a powerful ally.
But Kiritsugu was equally skilled. He may have never met Kiritsugu in the Holy Grail War, but he knows enough from the stories they tell about him. How calculative and efficient he was in taking out his targets. How he mercilessly murdered his teacher, how he destroyed the Holy Grail, how much of a monster he was. Not only that but Shirou is a magus.
A magus going against the Magus Killer was basically suicide.
And since Kiritsugu was a Servant, it was fairly obvious to guess what his Noble Phantam is.
He knew that was why Shirou isn't using any of his stronger blades against Kiritsugu.
He sighed at the headache that came over him.
Both Shirou and Kiritsugu where highly adaptable to whatever situation they were in. Both had a wealth of experience to pull from to aid them in this fight. Both are stubborn as hell to what they believe in. At this rate it would be a stalemate. Even though this battle was at the start, the pace they were going was too slow.
Somebody has to take a risk.
Suddenly, Shirou leaps out of cover while Kiritsugu rushes forward with his knife in hand.
"Time alter, triple accel."
Suddenly, he was in stabbing distance between him and Shirou. All Shirou could rely on was his luck and speed to dodge his knife.
"Fast."
That's all Shirou could think of while dodging the multiple slashes thrown against him. Unlike the likes of other Servants, he could not take that risk and have Kirtsugu's knife cut against his Noble Phantasms to block.
This was where Shirou was cornered. Kiritsugu excelled in taking out foes that specialize in magecraft. Shirou was specialized in recreating Noble Phantasms. If he were to use his magecraft, it would be his downfall.
But that did not make him useless in this situation.
"Trace on."
He reinforced his brain and forced his reaction speed to become much faster to keep up with Kiritsugu. It was certainly not the best method, but it was the only one he could think of on the spot.
Slash after slash, Shirou defended himself by redirecting where Kiritsugu was going to stab into nothing but air.
He could see that it was putting a strain on Kiritsugu as veins were popping out. But even Shirou could feel his own magic straining him at this point.
One of them was going to give out.
"Hrooooooaaaaagh!"
Shirou decided to do something stupid again and Kiritsugu noticed too late. His eyes widen at the risk the boy was taking.
His knife was redirected to Shirou's shoulder and it was stuck deep in.
"What the-?"
It didn't matter. Shirou was used to pain. He didn't need to scream. He was lucky that it was redirected to his right shoulder. Using his left, his hands form a fist once more.
"Grit your teeth."
Kiritsugu felt the force again on the other side of his face. This time with more impact on his face. He was punched with a reinforced fist.
Shirou was not thinking completely straight. One would have normally used this opportunity to use their advantage to win immediately but something about this Counter Guardian version of his father pissed him off to no end.
"I wanted to be a hero of justice."
This was no justice. He was not saving people at all. He was only taking lives and hurting himself in the process. He was becoming empty, unhappy, and uncaring of the world. All he had was the goal of taking out threats before they existed.
This was a hypocrisy worse than Shirou's own.
Shirou fought for his old dream to seek happiness. It was selfish, it was selfless, call it what you would like. But in the end, Shirou chased after Kiritsugu's dream because he sought to be happy.
This was the result? This was the result of the dream?
It hurt Shirou. Knowing that if he had not strayed from his own path, he would have ended up like that. A husk, an empty shell.
This aftermath mirrored Archer's own. Only while one was cynical and sarcastic, the other was cold and emotionless. Both have chased a futile dream in a search of happiness or a form of peace only to be misled into chaos and suffering. In the end, it was not the result that either had desired.
Because of that Shirou was angry. Even though he had abandoned his dream as he kept trying to find a new source of joy, this was something personal to him.
The force of the punch launched Kiritsugu a few meters away and onto the floor. He got up as he noted the Shirou did not take out the knife lodged in his shoulder.
"Is this really what you wanted… Kiritsugu?"
Kiritsugu's eyes narrow as Shirou asked him that.
Shirou did not know much of his own foster father's past. He only remembered him being that gentle old man that took care of him before he passed on that balcony. This image of Kiritsugu was already established by Kirei and Saber before… but seeing it in person unnerved him to no end.
Kiritsugu slowly tried to get up. "What do you mean by – "
"You know full well what I mean!"
Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes even further. "You mean this? This is what it means to be a hero." He chuckles bitterly.
He gets his Contender from his pocket once more and aims it at Shirou. Knowing full well that this was loaded, Kiritsugu's hands were on the trigger.
Shirou understood that there was danger. He sees the gun aimed for his head. But he did not cower from it. This was not at all what Kiritsugu sought after. He did not seek after his own happiness and instead deepened his own despair.
Kiritsugu began to force his own point forward. "Saving someone means being unable to save someone else. If I were to pick the majority for the minority then I'd take it."
Yet Shirou rebutted against that statement. "But that does not mean you can't try. That does not mean you have to toss aside your own happiness too."
Shirou recognized his own hypocrisy. What he says is contradictory to what he believes in now. He would risk the entire world to make Sakura Matou happy. He would save the world to make Sakura Matou happy. He was doing all this for a single person.
But who did Kiritsugu do this for? Why was he dragging himself through all that pain, all that suffering, all that hardship? It did not make sense to Shirou.
Kiritsugu's grip around his gun slackened for a bit before tightening it once more. "I… do not deserve to be happy. I'm simply a killer that cleans up messes that humanity makes."
"But even so-!"
Kiritsugu's eyes widen as he sees Shirou's face.
"Why did you have to end up like this old man?"
Tears.
They were flowing down the kids face.
Someone was… crying for him.
He thought himself void of emotion. He thought of himself as used to seeing dead bodies, crying children, suffering, and the like.
But never had he seen someone cry for him before. It was odd for him.
"I…"
"Is this really what you wanted, Kiritsugu?"
Kiritsugu didn't know. This was supposed to be a meaningless conversation to him. This was supposed to mean nothing to him.
Yet…
"Oi, what are you-?"
"I'm sorry. Please stop."
Shirou and Kirtsugu turn to see the Einzbern doll put herself in front of them. It seems that she ran past Caster and Saber.
This was Kiritsugu's target. Should he kill her, then there could be no risk of the Grail War going out of control. It would have been so easy. Redirect where he's aiming and pull the trigger. It would have only taken a few seconds. It would be much faster than taking out the boy.
However,
"Kiritsugu… I…"
At this moment alone he couldn't take advantage of the situation.
She looked at him. "I don't really know you two so well. It might not even be my place to say anything about this situation."
Then her gaze completely solidified towards Kiritsugu. "But… I have this feeling that the two of you are not supposed to fight. I don't know why… but it's just… wrong."
She puts her hand towards her chest. "That's why I would like to ask you to join us. Please."
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He could not understand.
This fight was quick. It barely lasted five minutes, not even three.
Yet so much conflict, so much confusion came from him. So much he could not understand popped out from the boy and from his target. So many thoughts he did not have before began to pop out, so many emotions came out from his own husk of self. He did not understand.
"Even if the whole world condemns you, Kiritsugu, I will…"
"Just leave it to me! Your dream is in good hands!"
He cringed uncomfortably.
Then a thought crossed his mind.
It was only a thought, one that could have been discarded and ignored.
But he thought it would be better to join these people.
And maybe… perhaps… he would not have to sacrifice everyone else…
That was all. It was just a thought.
Before he could even rationalize it, his mouth moved. Before he could even think, he spoke.
"Fine. I'll listen to what you have to say."
With that the woman shows a beautiful smile and the boy sunk to the floor deflated and tired. It seems that this was the result they were hoping for all along. It was their victory.
Mash runs to her Master, preparing to berate him for his recklessness and to tend for him. He removes the knife on his own while grimacing in pain. "Master! Are you alright? That knife wound is..."
"I know Mash. I'll get to it. Thanks for worrying about me." Shirou says with a small smile.
Kiritsugu stands there for a solid minute before fully accepting what had happened to him. It seems now that he would have to go along with them.
Lord El-Melloi sighs as he finishes his cigarette. It took a tiring, few minutes to get to this point, but it was over. This was the result they were after. Now to continue with the newer plan.
He had to defeat his own king after all.
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Servant Summons
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Class: Caster
Date: Post Fuyuki 1994
"Servant Caster. I have come from the Holy Grail itself. I serve as a terminal."
She was far too similar. The same clothes, the same hair, the same gentle gaze. It hurt Shirou more than expected. Even though she was brought to Chaldea, this still surprised him at how close they looked.
To think that this could have been his mother had she not been sacrificed to the Greater Grail in the fourth Grail War. No, he may not have even met her in the first place.
He shook his head before she walks up to him.
"This is a temporary form. I am a temporary servant. You who never met me, and I who never met you."
She hugs him. It was sudden and out of nowhere.
"Please call me Irisveil. And I would like to thank you for taking care of Illya."
His chest tightens as he falls to the floor and lets his weight push him down. He felt like he did not deserve this. This was not something he deserved.
"I… I didn't save her. I… she… she died to make sure I was alive… I… I couldn't…"
With this Irisveil simply shook her head. "No. You definitely saved her."
Shirou stares at her with a shaking body and wet eyes to demand to know what she meant.
Still, she held her gentle smile as she spoke. "After all, you made sure that she smiled."
"No. You told me that an older sibling protects the younger one, right? Then I should protect you. I'm the older sister after all. I have to protect my younger brother."
For one final moment, a vision appears before him.
He sees a small girl with red eyes dressed in white robes. She looked like a princess from a fairy tale. The small girl turns her head towards the young man and gives him a small smile.
That was the last he ever saw of her.
"I… I… I… You're wrong… I…" Words could no longer form as he remained in tears. His heart was broken. He only had one path ahead of him.
Yet looking back on the path travelled was more painful than he had realized. How much had he lost? How much had he gained? How far was he willing to go? He didn't know. For now, he let the tears flow.
If one were to look into the summoning room right now, they would see this image. It's nothing like they would expect from a legendary hero or a powerful myth. This was another simple image that came to pass.
A mother comforting her hurt child.
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Class: Saber
Date: Post-Camelot
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They looked so similar.
The same eyes, the same face, and what appears to be the same body type. Yet he could instantly spot the differences between the two of them.
Her hair seemed shorter and colored pink. Her eyes a color of steel grey. Instead of that blue and silver steel armor, she wore a pink and purple kimono. Instead of sword covered by the winds, it was a traditional Japanese Katana.
An image that comes to mind when he sees her are falling Sakura petals.
"Servant Saber, Shinsengumi's First Unit Captain, Okita Souji. Are you my master?"
Her tone seemed to be more feminine. It feels like it was hiding some hyperactive character in there just waiting to pop out at some random given moment.
Shirou extends his hand. "Yeah. I hope to work well with you, Saber."
Smiling, she takes it. "I do hope we do well together, Ma-BWEEEGH!"
Only to vomit blood on her Master.
"Waaaagh! I'm so sorry! I have weak constitution so I…"
Waving it off, he chuckles for a bit. "It's fine. It's fine."
This was just another colorful character to add to the cast.
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AN
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Holy fuck balls I just realized I'm at 500+ follows. Thanks for following my shitty fanboy unoriginal ideas. Although there are better works than mine out there, I'm still kinda happy with the number I have right now.
I kinda forced this chapter outta my system. Sorry if it's not to your liking at all. The fight does not seem organic at all and the ending feels kinda lackluster for me even as I reread it.
I do not feel happy with this chapter at all. I had the fight with Shirou and Kiritsugu saved, edited, rewritten, edited, rewritten, edited, and the cycle was going on over and over. I wrote myself into a corner with this one.
I would say this was one of the worst ones I wrote so far.
The only thing I feel like is alright is the Irisveil part.
Also, yeah. To go over to the reviews, I get that this is not a "story" and somewhat a template of one for some people, but doing it in this style helps me stay motivated to keep on writing about it. If you don't like it, I apologize for my style. There are other great stories out there that are better than this though. Paracasious is writing one (I understand people don't like my opinion that I think he's the best, but he's certainly better than me.) and there was another one called Shirou Emiya, The Last Master of Chaldea. A really well written story too so far.
If you want to stick with me, then thanks for putting up with me. If not, then it's fine. I get your point.
I don't know what I'll be writing next. GudaGuda? Summer? Not one fucking clue.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed it! If not, then thank you for your time.
