Fate Loops (Oneshot)

by AcausalTrilby

When Shirou died he found himself alone in a strange room with the ability to go back in time and change his actions. Now entered into a war that he doesn't understand and surrounded by those who wish him harm he must travel backwards in time to move forward and find his perfect Route.

Loop 001

When Shirou Emiya died his last thoughts were that he would never finish cooking tonight's supper. He had already taken out the ingredients (carefully selected as part of a balanced meal) memorized the recipe (taken from a new TV chef that he really liked and had been watching recently) and set out the needed cutlery (carefully selected from a series of his favorite shops and had treated with care). Thus when he was stabbed through the chest by a mysterious man in a blue bodysuit after witnesabsing a supernatural fight his last thoughts were of mundane concerns such as the next meal left uncooked rather than the people that he had never got to save or the friends he would never see again or even just the unanswered question of what was happening in Fuyuki. It was all in all an anticlimactic death although not bad for a first try and a judge would have to be rather generous to award it anything greater than 4/10.

A timeless second after that mediocre death Shirou opened his eyes (a feat most unusual for the recently departed) to find himself standing in an area that resembled his shed and the place that he had practiced his magecraft day in and day out until his muscles and circuits both ached. Although it looked like his shed at first glance it was noticeably empty and there was no light coming from the windows, instead the whole room seemed to simply be pervaded by a lack of darkness due to an invisible light source.

"What just happened," Shirou said to himself with a rather dazed look like somebody who had just got a spear through the chest from a mythological warrior. The boy struggled to his feet in a rather uncoordinated manner (inferior to the zombies raised by even the most drunk of necromancers, a profession in which high levels of alcohol is all but a necessity). Still dazed the boy reached towards his chest looking somewhat amazed in a dopey sort of way at the lack of extra ventilation before his eyes widened and he looked lower down.

"Eep," he said in a most unmanly fashion as he came to realize that wherever force had transported him here completely unharmed hadn't cared as much about proper outfitting. If he ever met whichever being had decided to move him to his workshop, he would have to inform them that his birthday suit was not appropriate attire. His hands went down towards his crotch covering himself as he whirled around to see if anybody else was there to witness his embarrassing state of undress.

After a moment of ascertaining that he was entirely alone he placed his back to the wall and started getting a good look at the room. While his initial assumption was that the room was empty this assumption didn't hold up to further scrutiny. To be precise the three walls of the shed each had their own accoutrements. The wall in front of him had a single line leading to a point and as soon as his eyes landed on that point, he got a disturbing flash of the moment of his death. The wall to his right held a simple stone basin filled with a clear liquid with a weird but alluring smell. The wall to his left was the most unusual of them all.

Died and entered ? for the first time – 50pts

The wall had only that one line written while it had space for hundreds giving Shirou an impression of a book just barely opened. At the top of the wall a total with that same declaration of 50 points was reiterated as if to help the mathematically challenged.

"I died," Shirou said to himself, still somewhat off balance as he read the line that dispassionately informed him of his demise. This didn't feel like heaven or hell or any one of the various afterlives that he had heard of. Was he being reincarnated? If that sad-looking scoreboard of fifty points was all that his life amounted to then he would be very disappointed. Just as he was thinking of doing something (maybe walking away from his position against the wall) the illustration opposite him lit up. Beneath the line and point words in a white plain font lit up drawing his eyes decisively towards them.

Start Again.

The sentence was a powerful command and by simply laying his eyes on the writing he felt compelled to obey. His thoughts blanked as he walked towards the writing before he reached out and touched the letters, almost hesitantly. In an instant he was gone from the room.

Loop 002

Shirou's second experience dying was far more unremarkable than the first or at least it probably was considering the fact that he didn't remember how he died this time. He had in fact done the sensible thing and stayed home during the nights and kept himself inside and away from the conflict between superhumans. The writing on the wall had brought him back to a few days before his prior death and he had been trying to slowly get information without having to run into those superhumans again. It had been rattling not to have the ability to do anything but he had almost died once without being able to fight back and he had no belief that a second fight would go better.

He looked down to confirm that once again he was without clothes, but this time he noticed something different as well. Beneath his feet, rapidly fading from his sight was a magic circle, and one that he vaguely recalled having seen once before. That thought had become a pain in his bare ass as the circle disappeared before he could get a good look, less than three seconds since he had arrived there again. A quick look to the illustration wall revealed no more dots and lines, as if to deride him that this attempt even deserved a spot on the wall of failure.

On the objective wall a new line was added.

Made a sensible choice for once in your life. Too bad it was the wrong one – 30pts

This wall was just mocking him now, but he would gladly take the total of 80pts, whatever they are worth. Hell, maybe after he gets to one hundred, he will get to keep at least his undergarments next time he dies. Still where would he spend the points if they are spendable in the first place. He carefully walked to one the sides of the room and timidly poked his head out in front of the window, only to be confronted by an endless void, darker than even the most harrowing of his father's cooking.

Seeing that attempt was a bust he walked towards the door leading out of the shed and tried to open it up a crack, only for nothing to happen as the door stubbornly refused to even shake a fraction, showing that it wasn't just locked but sealed. The only thing that he hadn't yet examined was that pool of water and it was that pool that he turned towards just in time to see a familiar set of words light up again once more.

Start Again.

The control this time was nowhere near as absolute but it provided a powerful incentive and he felt his will wavering as he stared upon those letters. His inclination to examine the pool was overwritten by his craving to go to the letters to run his hands over them and to live again. He wouldn't be able to concentrate on the pool with this persistent desire anyway, he reasoned and then his last piece of resistance was shattered before as he turned and greedily pressed his hands again the wall before disappearing from the shed.

Loop 003

Shirou woke up once more in his shed before screaming in non-existent agony. His last image was that of a silver-haired girl threatening to keep him alive regardless of his injuries. That didn't happen or at least he didn't think so. Whatever force seemed to snatch him here at the moment of his death seemed to activate regardless of whether he actually died or not; although he had no desire to find out the exact conditions required. Despite the sheer pain and distress of having his entire backbone smashed into shreds he felt not one whit of discomfort. In fact, he felt better than normal as if the everyday aches and pains had no place here; he didn't even feel cold despite his situation.

The wall this time had far more writing then previously, telling of the sudden burst of knowledge he had received.

Survived first encounter with a servant-50pts
Summoned your own servant Saber-50pts
Met servant Archer and Master-20pts
Met servant Berserker and Master-20pts
Officially discovered and entered the Holy Grail War-100pts
Met the officiator of the war Kotomine Kirei-50pts

That was interesting and nicely summed up as well even though it did gloss over some of the important points. Even if he died there was still much that he had learnt from the situation. His points total sat at a nice 370 points much higher than normal and his mind was full with questions. Why did that girl Illyasviel know him? What did Kotomine know of his father? Who were the other masters and servants? How did he survive getting stabbed through the heart and just who left that jewel pendant anyway? What killed him if he refused to participate and who was behind this room anyway? Almost, dazedly he sat down on the ground trying to get his thoughts under control. At least he got to spend time with Rin, something that he didn't think he'd ever get to do before this war. He had to make up for the fact that Saber wounded her servant after all.

In front of him lines were carved out leading to one point in the objective wall and the sudden thought that he could either choose this point or start again slid into his brain so smoothly he barely even noticed the new knowledge. The words Start Again appeared once more but this time the compulsion was so weak, that he could easily ignore it. It seemed that the wall was in some way satisfied with his progress and now suddenly content to allow him to explore it on his own terms.

Maybe he would Start Again and see if he could summon Saber right at the beginning on day 1. Maybe he would see if he could summon her properly this time; he grimaced at the remembrance of his botched summoning under pressure. He might not do it better this time as well; it's not as if he suddenly got knowledge on how to perform the ritual. It didn't matter in the end, if he could keep looping and it didn't run out then he could just keep trying again until he managed to save everyone.

Besides there was something he had to do before he restarted. On the second loop he had meant to try and take a look at the pool of water before he was stymied by the insistence of the illustration wall and now that the urge died down, he managed to walk towards the pool instead of just immediately leaving the room. As he got closer that smell got clearer and clearer, enrapturing his senses, it smelled refreshingly sweet. Arriving above the basin he saw himself reflected in the clear water before he instinctively plunged his head down beneath the liquid.

Activation and restoration of dormant Magic Circuits – 250pts
Knowledge on Servant Summoning-140pts
Activation of Dormant Pure Eyes-350pts
Basic Magic Resistance (Rank E) - 400pts

With a gasp Shirou lifted his head from the water suddenly feeling very poor once again. Those points that he had accumulated and died for would only be able to buy one of the first three things on the list and not more than one of them. Dormant Magic Circuits was the first thing that popped into his head. Just what did that mean? He was able to create Magic Circuits even though it hurt him. Just what did dormant circuits have to do with anything? Would that create his circuits automatically? Make it easier? As a thought he tried to create a circuit only to immediately find out that it was impossible. That feeling of having an iron rod in his spine just would not come regardless of what he did.

"I'll save my points for now," Shirou said deciding to take the frugal option before he turned towards the wall for his last decision of the day; namely to go back to the fight with Berserker or to the beginning. He regretted his decision to leave instead of fight against the servant, the Greek hero's presence overwhelming his reason. If he left Saber to die at the hands of an enemy servant while he simply ran away he would not be able to live with himself. Thankfully he was given the ability to change the decision by this room; he could save everybody. If the situation didn't work out he could just die and try again.

Without hesitation he strode forward and pressed the small point and felt his consciousness begin to fade away.

Loop 004

"I died again huh," Shirou said as he looked down to see the magic circle fade away once again before he turned to look at the objective wall. It had been a good three days without anything more dangerous happening. On the downside that meant that fewer objectives had been created; only four to be precise that were now proudly displayed on the wall.

Survived a fight against Berserker-40pts
Healed from a fatal wound by yourself for the first time-30pts
Met servant Rider and her Master?-20pts
Met the culprit behind Ryudou Temple-50pts

His new point total now sat at 510 points. More than enough to buy that E-Rank magic resistance if he wanted to. Considering the fact that he had died specifically because his magical resistance was so low he was tempted to go ahead and make the purchase. The one downside was that E-Rank was so low according to the system that Rin had told him. Would he even be able to make a difference with that level of magic resistance? That servant was likely Caster so there is no doubt that her magic was powerful and he didn't know if Magic Resistance would help.

Still despite the damage done I had learned a lot during the loop. Just as he was ruminating over all that he had learned and planning how to further proceed a new list appeared on the other side of the objective wall and Shirou immediately walked over to read it.

Quest wall

Discover the culprit behind the bounded field on the school-90pts
Discover the True Name of Saber-100pts
Discover the true Master of Rider-60 pts
Discover the method by which you heal-80pts
Discover the Master of Caster-30pts
Unlock your circuits-50pts (Reduction in cost of activation of circuits)
Invade and conquer Ryudou temple-150pts

That was a huge amount of points to be earned although he was a bit concerned that apparently Shinji wasn't Rider's true Master. If he completed those quests then he would earn far more than he already had. In addition the reduction in cost of activation of circuits was tempting. Could he earn the reward if he purchased the option now? His instincts told him that he wouldn't and he would lose the opportunity for the reduced cost.

He would try and ask Rin; although she might be suspicious of how he came to know that considering his lack of knowledge. He couldn't tell her about the time loops. He had tried twice before but both times his brain had locked up and he had found himself talking about something innocuous getting a strange look from the magus. He hadn't given it another go since then.

Should he call off the attack on the temple for now then? He would have to try and do that if he didn't take the magic resistance. He would have to wait for both Saber and Archer to recover which meant there might be more victims. Still he could always start again this time and fix so many of the mistakes he made previously. Still, he resolved to give it one more try before he gave up and tried again. He would see how much further he could go. Taking one last deep breath he pressed the point in which he had died and disappeared from the room.

Loop 005

"Shinji," Shirou spat out as he felt the pain disappear as if by illusion. His death to Rider was fulling him with a strange cocktail of emotions that swirled within him. He felt rage at his former friend for his actions and himself for not seeing through him in the first place. He felt sorrow at his failure leading everybody in the school to be melted down. He felt helplessness retreating and immediately being killed by Rider as if all his preparations and training amounted to nothing. Berserker was one matter but it was repeatedly drilled by experience in his head that if he met a servant without Saber he would die.

Still besides that horrible experience he did get to spend some time with Illya on that loop, outside of the times that she tried to kill him off course. He couldn't quite figure out that girl but his fear of her was slowly turning into a form of pity. She didn't seem to have a choice in her position and she didn't seem to actually harbor that much hatred despite the initial death she had given him. He was finding it harder and harder to consider her an enemy. She hadn't killed him when he had stood up to Berserker after all.

On the plus side he finally got some training in magecraft and even figured out just what his circuits' activation did. This whole time he had actual circuits like a proper magus and he hadn't even got the opportunity to use them. There was a hardy irritation at his father for not teaching him properly and for himself as well for just practicing the same wrong thing day after day tempered with a hearty relief that now he would be able to use magecraft.

His eyes drifted towards the objective and quest boards to see if anything had changed in response. On the objective board the following records were written down:

Discover the culprit behind the bounded field on the school-90pts
Unlock your circuits-50pts (Reduction in cost of activation of circuits)
Met the False Assasin-20pts

Two of those were originally on the quest board where they were now conspicuously absent. The total of 670 points a testament to his efforts. Still would the activation of the circuits change anything now that he already got them unlocked and was it worth it. The option did say restoration so maybe it would help his circuits adapt quicker rather than have to wait days or weeks during the middle of the Grail War. That was something that he would have to select regardless. Turning away from the wall he headed towards the pool, easily ignoring the Start Again option and dunked his head inside the sweet-smelling liquid.

Activation and restoration of dormant Magic Circuits – 170pts
Knowledge on Servant Summoning-140pts
Basic reinforcement-150pts
Activation of Dormant Pure Eyes-350pts
Basic Magic Resistance (Rank E) - 400pts
Basic Martial Arts-150pts

Those four choices seemed almost oppressive in their simplicity and there was a stern instinct telling him to pick one. That nothing could be taken before he picked one of them. The big change was reinforcement and martial arts, although surprisingly enough he didn't get one for swordplay; especially considering the amount of training he had done with Saber. He hadn't even heard of Pure Eyes before and he resolved to slip it into the conversation with Rin the next time that he got the chance. Maybe the pool couldn't or didn't want to teach him swordplay. Making a decision he picked the one that activated his circuits, the knowledge on servant summoning, and basic martial arts and reinforcement, leaving dormant pure eyes and basic magic resistance alone.

His body didn't feel any different as he lifted his head out of the pool but the 60 points recorded above the objective wall indicated that he had truly spent them. For a moment he just stared at the wall trying to feel the difference before suddenly writing flashed before his eyes, engraving itself ito his brain.

Unlocked Mid-Loop Return: Request to return to room at any point during the loop when no observers are around.

That was an interesting ability and one that he wasn't sure how much he valued. On the one hand having the ability to return to the room didn't do anything unless he was willing to buy options. Maybe he could use the room to set up points where he can more easily try different things besides the fact that he was forced to die whenever he wanted to use the room was starting to wear on him.

He looked at the illustration wall before deliberately abandoning the past point for now and choosing to Start Again. Instead of bumbling into the war like he did the last time he wanted to try and enter the war as a competent master. Without any more waiting around he pressed the writing on the wall that implored him to Start Again.

Loop 006.1

Shirou sat down on the floor as soon as he arrived back at the room in which he had spent so much time lately; taking advantage of his newfound ability to do so at his leisure. When he wanted to enter the war as a competent master he had expected to do the same things as usual and meet up with Rin and her servant on day 3 by helping her against the archer. That should buy him some goodwill even if Rin may be more wary of him. However he didn't even manage to get to day 3 before strange things started happening. Maybe it was his fault, he had been more cautious when it came to letting Sakura go home, escorting her to her house.

Somehow after this seemingly normal event she had become ill and when he had used his free time after work he had ran into her grandfather who all but implied that he knew Illya and that he should as well. The situation was puzzling for him and he decided to relax and think about it for a moment before he summoned Saber tonight. He looked casually at the combined objective/quest wall before he gave it a second look then a third one.

Objective wall
Survived first meeting with Zouken-50pts

Quest Wall
Kill Zouken-500pts

That was the single highest point score that he had seen so far; granted it was the first quest that deliberately told him to kill somebody. Normally he would be revolted over the situation, but he was more overwhelmed by the strangeness. Just what is Zouken that the room would go out of its way to get him finished off? Strangely enough it claimed just surviving him was a feat. Shinji had claimed that the Matou were formerly a magus family before he had killed him. Could Zouken be a real magus?

Suddenly Shirou found himself a lot more concerned about Sakura's situation. He had misread Shinji entirely and even that old man who seemed so warm and kind might be a monster. While he wouldn't trust the room's judgement indiscriminately he would be more wary of him in future and he definitely wouldn't kill him.

Getting up and stretching his body Shirou resolved to return and summon Saber. While in the room the options that he selected had no effect he could perfectly feel them when he got back into the real world. His twenty-seven circuits worked perfectly for him and he was easily able to reinforce both objects and himself with no chance of failure. While he hadn't tried out Martial Arts he did feel as if his body was slightly more instinctive; as if it was prepared to draw out motions at the slightest hint of a fight. Finally he knew exactly how and when to summon Saber to ensure that the ritual went off perfectly. Walking up to the wall he noticed that a second series of branching lines had appeared with one point symbolizing the night two days after the initial start date. With a quick tap of his fingers he disappeared from the room.

Loop 006.2

Shirou stared at the objective wall contemplating the last few days. They had been busy and while he felt like he was doing better overall than his first attempt that didn't mean that he had no regrets. While two servants had been defeated by Saber the objective wall reminded him that they were unmistakably not at their best.

Learned the truth about Kiritsugu-80pts
Met the Golden Man-40 pts
Defeated Rider when starved of mana-50pts
Discovered the Book of False Attendant-50pts
Defeated masterless Caster-30pts
Discovered the Master of Caster-30pts
Obtained Saber's vow-50pts (Required 1/2 for Saber Unlock)

In fact it had been troubling time for his sanity in general. He had learned that his father who had been so warm to him was a ruthless assassin who betrayed the Einzberns; somewhat explaining Illya's hatred of him. He had it confirmed that Zouken was a magus although he didn't really trust his words regarding Shinji's independence and Sakura's safety. Saber had sworn not to betray him when they were fighting to end the war which was a far cry from her attitude the previous time.

He hadn't spent much time with Rin this time; the magus had been more suspicious of him now that he was apparently competent and had not extended an offer to team up; although she did give him some advice about Sakura and the temple that he already knew but only this time could act on it. This time Saber was fully healed and he decided to risk it again only to discover the gate unguarded and Caster standing over the body of a teacher at his school who was apparently their master. She denied killing him and something within Shirou urged him to believe her before Saber jumped the gun and put her down.

The whole situation left a bad taste in his mouth but the only seeming difference in this timeline was his interaction with Zouken and he was a bit reluctant to place all of the evil happenings in Fuyuki on that man's head at least without evidence. The golden man had been something that he had forgotten about although since the room thought of it as important he would have to keep it in mind.

The real reason why he had come here to cool off was the fact that he had just had an intimate dream involving his classmate; the kind of dream that you awkwardly have during puberty when you start to notice just how attractive Ri-some of the girls around you are. The problem and the reason that it felt so incredibly odd was that he had no dreams like this on the other timelines when the same classmate of his was actually staying over at his house. Isn't that normally when these kind of dreams crop up. The experience was so… disconcerting that he automatically activated his ability to return here just as soon as the vision ended and he felt the option.

At the reminder of the activity in his dreams Shirou looked down in embarrassment once again, feeling relieved that he had finally regressed from full mast. It felt…wrong to take advantage of that dream to relieve himself in any other way, especially thinking about R-his classmate. To distract himself further he decided to walk over to the pool and take a look to see if the two options had changed in any way. He had 440 points to spend after all. There were a few more differences than he was expecting.

Activation of Dormant Pure Eyes-350pts
Basic Magic Resistance (Rank E) - 400pts
Breathing and Walking- 300pts
Upgrade Circuit Rank (E to D)-500pts

Upgrade Circuit rank must have appeared right after he had unlocked his magic circuits but he had no idea where breathing and walking had come from or what it actually was. Were there no options to make him faster or stronger? According to Rin circuits were fixed at the rank from the moment of birth. If this room could offer him options to improve that then why couldn't it make him faster or stronger? The limitations were weird and Shirou wasn't entirely sure how it worked yet.

Still he would select one of the options and it was the basic magic resistance. While upgrading his circuits may be valuable he currently couldn't afford it and he currently had no magic resistance in the first place, a dangerous place to be in considering the war going on. Pressing the button he removed his head from the pool and was just about to leave the room before he saw another set of writing on the wall next to the door this time; the one wall of his shed that hadn't been vandalized.

Loop Inhabitants

Shirou Emiya was at the top of the wall and below that was the words "Saber (1/2)" which reminded him of the extra writing that he had seen when receiving Saber's vow. Beneath that writing there was a set of four question marks with no further information.

Shirou inspected that for a moment before he turned the handle of the door briefly and discovered it was still locked. He would have another thing to keep track of but he could worry about that later. Without any idling he walked over to the illustration wall and pressed the point at which he left before disappearing from the room.

Loop 007

"Things have gone severely different this time," Shirou said as the pain from his death instantly disappeared. He now understood completely why the room seemed to want Zouken dead so badly and he was grateful for Rin suggesting that he take Sakura into his house, where she had spent the past few days with him. His death at the old Magus' hands would be hellishly traumatizing if not for the knowledge that the pain would soon be gone and his life would not yet reach its natural conclusion.

Still Saber was dead and he had little desire to continue that route despite the point stubbornly staying up there. Apparently the old magus was likely behind all the comas in Fuyuki and his worms were something that he couldn't defeat even with reinforcement or his new martial arts skills; the inherent weakness Shirou had against that many small opponents was not something he could face and his newly found magic resistance had no effect against. His assassin was somehow able to defeat Saber and once again Shirou wondered just why he had no presence in the other timeline.

Discovered the Master of Lancer-50pts
Met True Assassin and his Master-20pts
Discovered the true nature of Zouken-30pts
Discovered Illya's heritage-80pts (Required 1/3 for Illya Unlock)
Met and survived the Shadow-50pts

Yeah, the thing I didn't want to think about. Illya was his adopted sister and Kiritsugu's real child. She didn't say anything but he had worked it out himself and he had not yet come to terms with the situation. He didn't hate the girl, instead even before he knew of their common links he liked her and now the thought of her as his enemy felt like a physical weight. Kirei actually being the master of Lancer at that point was a mere afterthought, a slight change of perspective in comparison.

230 points added to the 40 he had already possessed left him with not enough to buy anything that he wanted; even breathing and walking cost 300 points however he didn't need anything to help him with what he was doing next. The room seemed to like him doing things differently so that was what he was going to do. He knew the locations of Berserker, Caster, Rider, Lancer, Archer, and both Assassins. Before the war had already begun he knew where most of the classes sat and had the ability to fight them. In addition with his circuits now fully running they gave him an output of 10 units of magical energy each, enough to summon and sustain Saber for a short period of time.

"Caster first," he said to himself pressing the Start Again writing before he vanished from the room.

Loop 008

"Alright that was not that great," Shirou said to himself as he arrived at the room again. It could have gone better although it could also have gone worse. He had summoned Saber on the first night and confirmed his desire to have her assault the temple. Saber had seemed to take to his decisiveness a lot better than some of the other times he had spoken to her and it had taken little convincing her to attack the temple before Caster started leaching mana from the city. He had warned her previously about the existence of False Assassin and while she had enquired after the reason for his knowledge, which he wasn't able to provide, she had accepted his information.

The resulting fight had been amazing and one that he couldn't take part in. Even with his knowledge and a proper summoning this time, Saber had barely managed to win. Thankfully Saber in the first timeline had given him an appreciation of his weaknesses and by forcing him on the defensive and breaking his blade Saber was able to win in a battle of pure force.

That was where his luck ended as Caster appeared along with Kuzuki, a well-liked teacher at his school and a corpse in the second timeline. He directed Saber to fight Caster while he chose to fight his teacher himself. That was where he died. He still had only the briefest idea of what killed him. The moment he stepped forward his head became overwhelmingly filled with Martial Arts knowledge and he paused for an instant to make a decision. His arms moved at strange angles as Shirou tried to block and a punch that came from seemingly nowhere crushed his throat. It was a weird martial art…that he had definitely got knowledge of.

The knowledge granted to him by the pool resurfaced informing him of Snake, an assassination technique. He really didn't know Kuzuki before today did he. That was quickly becoming the theme of these past few days wasn't it? Rin, Sakura, Saber, Illya and his enemies as well; all of them had hidden sides to them that they exposed or didn't depending on the circumstances. Shirou took a deep breath and let it out before he did what he hadn't for a while and sat in meditation.

Snake was a style that was powerful, but relied on the element of surprise. Even so his teacher was excellent at it, reaching a level beyond an average human. Caster might have helped him a bit but that type of natural movement couldn't have been fully given by magic or at least Shirou didn't think so.

"Bajiquan," Shirou said as he started rifling through the information, trying to turn it into knowledge. "No it wouldn't do well against Snake and I don't like it." While the last part may seem frivolous only the act of enjoying a martial art would allow its full ability to be naturally used. If he were to pick the Chinese style then his conscious and his movement would be at odds. "Pankration, Baritsu," he called out as the words stuck in his mind. He liked the former more than the latter but both were set aside for later eventuality. "Kalaripayattu is too defensive," he admitted to himself. He wasn't a defensive person naturally. "Liuhe Quan would require far too much time. Jacob's Limbs," he hummed. It was a toss-up between Jacob's Limbs and Pankration but in the end he chose the former. Pankration included both boxing and wrestling techniques while Jacob's Limbs was purely hand to hand.

Without further ado Shirou got up from his meditation and began to practice, engraving every move from the Martial Art into his mind. He performed the moves again and again feeling as his muscles 'remembered' the martial arts as if he had already learnt them. As he performed the moves again and again he realized something about the room he hadn't considered before. As the repetitions blended together in the hundreds there was no fatigue, nor did he get thirsty or tired or even out breath. Instead he remained in perfect condition even as he finally started to get the hang of the motions. He had no idea how long he stayed there in the room practicing but he finally stopped when he felt himself reacting more naturally the moves that had felt so foreign gradually becoming custom to him.

Taking one last unnecessary breath he turned towards the illustration wall, not even bothering to look at the objectives when his job was half done. A brief press on the Start Again and he was gone from the room.

Loop 008.1

"I did it," Shirou said to himself as he stepped into the room. He couldn't beat Kuzuki but by knowing the trick and reinforcing himself to his limits he was able to use his newfound martial art to stall him out until Saber was able to take out Caster. While he put that rather simply the whole affair was rather harrowing with Saber chasing down the powerful magician until she managed to finally catch her. Whenever she teleported too far away Shirou would simply call for Saber to help him and she was forced to come back. Twice she had tried to use a spell on him, but his weak magic resistance slowed down the process slightly and that was more than enough for Saber to nearly catch her.

Shirou was sleeping now with Saber in the next room; he still would not permit her in his bed. The rest of the night he had busy as he had called Kirei and informed him about the loss of Caster and the possible damage at the temple as well as planned out the next attack for the following night. The next attack was…Shinji.

Any friendship that Shirou had naively believed that he had possessed with that man was now well overwritten, but he was still a bit reluctant to kill him. He hadn't even killed his teacher…instead Kuzuki had attacked Saber and been struck down immediately by the less soft-hearted servant. Tomorrow he would kill Rider and burn the book but he wouldn't kill Shinji. Tomorrow he would also take the day off school and try sparring with Saber for a bit testing his Martial Arts instead of his swordsmanship.

Tomorrow's plans resolved Shirou walked to the Start Again wall, once more not looking at the objectives before he pressed the writing and disappeared.

Loop 008.2

The plan went off without a hitch. Shirou and Saber had watched the streets outside the Matou residence and when the master and servant had left they had ambushed him together. Without preamble or even any talking Saber had attacked and cut down the servant while he had incapacitated Shinji and taken the book. Shirou then warned him, more coldly then perhaps he should have… no probably not harshly enough. He had informed him that if he tried to re-enter the war again he would ask Saber to relieve him of his arms. It was a bit too cruel by his standards but seeing Shinji, seeing his true actions made him see the danger that he could be to those around him. Shirou would give him one chance before he resorted to more drastic measures.

He decided not to attack Zouken yet. The man honestly unnerved him and his proximity to Sakura made a full on invasion a dangerous prospect. Tomorrow he was going to target the most dangerous person in the war besides Berserker and his master. Kirei Kotomine. He would attack at the same time that Rin was attacked by Lancer and force him to recall him. Even if he recalled him then he would be one command seal down.

He had already informed Saber about the abilities of Lancer and she was prepared to face him while he fought Kirei. Afterward the only remaining servants would be berserker and Rin's servant who he knew very little about. Still that servant seemed to go down easily against Saber, and operate mostly from long range. Saber could beat him and if he couldn't then he could try again. He still had no idea how to beat Heracles but maybe Saber may have a Noble Phantasm that could overcome his absurd defense.

There should be no problems and if there was he could try again. With confidence and the end of a Grail War within sight Shirou pressed the Start Again button just before vanishing from sight.

Loop 009

'That went horribly,' Shirou thought shivering slightly at the last loop he had been in. The plan had gone as expected and he had invaded the church forcing Kirei to summon Lancer back. From then on Saber had engaged the servant while he had fought against Kirei. The priest had been absurdly good at a style that Shirou recognized as Bajiquan and he was forced to play defensively for a bit hoping that Saber would be able to defeat Lancer. That plan had failed when the Golden Man he had met previously entered the church and the fight went downhill from there.

Luckily he didn't join in the fighting initially only watching but the situation didn't sit well with Shirou and he commanded her to go all out in killing Lancer while he took the initiative in fighting Kirei. His skills had improved but there was a deadlock that he just wasn't able to break through in facing the priest. Luckily Saber with the command seal was enough to finish off the servant and she was just returning to get rid of Kirei when the Golden Man stopped her before introducing himself as Gilgamesh and summoning wave after wave of Noble Phantasm's to strike down his servant. Shirou burned a second command seal at that point commanding Saber to go all out, which resulted in her finally releasing her Noble Phantasm, which contrary to all of Shirou's best guesses was actually the golden sword belonging to the King of Knights himself…no herself.

Saber was actually King Arthur and yet they still lost against the weapon summoned by Gilgamesh. The sword he called EA, no not a sword, he couldn't call that a sword was drawn and Saber lost. After that he had fought till the end but his resistance wasn't anything towards Gilgamesh and he still had no clue how to beat him.

"Gilgamesh and Berserker," Shirou said to himself taking note of the two behemoths that he had no ability to defeat before he looked at the wall his eyes widening at the gains from the three days.

Defeated False Assassin-500pts (Gained Concealment)
Defeated Master of Caster-300pts
Defeated Caster-500pts (Increase in Magic Circuits by 1 rank)
Invade and conquer Ryudou temple-150pts
Defeated Lancer-500pt (Increase in Magic Resistance by 1 rank)
Learned the identity of the Golden Man-80pts
Discover the True Name of Saber-100pts (Required 2/2 for Saber Unlock)

That was a lot of benefits in those three days, although there seemed to be no reward for defeating Rider again. The extra rewards for defeating servants were also great and he couldn't wait to see what D rank circuits and magic resistance amounted to. Although nothing had happened with that Saber Unlock reward would it only take effect in the real_

Shirou's thoughts were cut off as he felt a hand grasp his neck with steady force, restraining him, but not crushing his neck yet although the implications were there as well. At the same time he heard a familiar voice speak to him a few right next to his ear in a voice above a whisper.

"Speak calmly and slowly and don't try to call for help," Saber's voice stated coldly. "Who are you and where am I right now."

"Saber," Shirou began only to feel her small, delicate looking hands squeeze down with a grip of iron before relaxing.

"You know my title," she said. "But you haven't answered the question yet." He was surprised by her sudden presence before he realized that she didn't seem to remember him for some reason. Would she even remember all of the loops if she was here?

"It's a really, really complex story," Shirou said. "I can explain but it might take a while."

"I have time," Saber said refusing to release her grip.

"I summoned you," Shirou said only for the grip to tighten.

"I don't see command seals nor do I feel like I have a master," she responded.

"I said it was complex," Shirou said doubling down. "I can't explain if you keep strangling me every time I speak." There was silence for a moment before the grip released and Shirou was able to breathe properly. He turned around before he froze as he saw Saber and remembered his own situation.

Saber stood in front of him wearing nothing but a cautious expression. Even the ribbon in her hair was gone letting her golden hair fall down past her shoulders. A brief second was all it took before Shirou remembered his own nudity and hurried to cover up. Saber looked down briefly but aside from a brief reddening of her cheeks she quickly refocused on his face before she met his gaze.

"I apologize," she said firmly with. "Please explain entirely and I shall listen to your explanation."

So Shirou did, explaining the whole situation or as much as he could remember of it. Saber didn't interrupt him the whole time, only occasionally nodding or shaking her head. When he got to the part where he had arrived here she raised her hand to forestall the conversation continuing.

"I believe you," she said, her words sending a burst of relief through Shirou. "And once again I must apologize for attacking you. The fact that you are my master makes the action twice as unforgiveable."

"That's fine," Shirou said raising a hand in a gesture that stated he was ready to brush the whole thing off before remembering his predicament and covering himself again. Worse his time spent talking to Saber had done a number on his hormones and he found himself standing more at attention than was strictly gentlemanly. He immediately turned his head away only to receive a huff from Saber.

"Shirou, I am a servant," she said. "Have I not informed you of this before? Furthermore if we are going to spend much time here together then attempting to avoid looking at each other the entire time is foolish. Tell me about the points you have available."

"Wait you can't see the points?" Shirou asked still looking away from Saber despite his servant's exasperation. The points were displayed right at the top of the objectives. He currently had 2400pts which was by far the most he had ever possessed. He told Saber as much and she nodded to herself.

"What options do you have in the pool," she asked. "Have you looked yet?"

"I haven't," Shirou said. "Can you…"

"This is going to be an issue if we have to go through this multiple times," Saber said before she walked forward and grabbed Shirou pulling him easily towards the pool.

"Wait, wait," Shirou said. He could feel the softness of her skin as she grabbed him and he definitely felt his body heat up at the close contact. "I'll walk." His words were too late as he had already arrived at the pool by then. "What happened to not laying hands on your master?"

"I reserve the right to do so if my master is being a fool," Saber said none too gently. "Are you going to place your head in the pool now or shall I?"

"I'll do it," Shirou said immediately before dunking his head into the sweet pool again.

Activation of Dormant Pure Eyes-350pts
Basic Magic Resistance (D to C) - 600pts
Breathing and Walking- 300pts
Upgrade Circuit Rank (D to C)-600pts
Additional Magic Circuits -50pts each
Mana Burst-800pts
Dragon Bloodline-2000pts

"Those are from me," Saber said after he had told her about the last two items. "You will not be able to handle Prana Burst with your level of energy; although if Dragon Bloodline also gifts you a Magic Core it could be possible. I would advise against Dragon Bloodline for now. Breathing and Walking and Dormant Pure eyes I would recommend at the moment before upgrading your circuits. If you eventually reach the level at which you can handle Mana Burst I will teach you it myself."

"Do you know what they do?" Shirou asked getting a slight nod from Saber.

"Breathing and walking is just the process of becoming attuned to nature I think," she said trying to remember magecraft lessons given to her by Merlin long ago. "Pure eyes are the ability to see extra things that normally can't be seen."

"I'll take both of them," Shirou said. While Saber's explanation didn't immediately sell him on the benefit it was a gamble that either of them would have a use and they may even unlock new options. "I have 1750 points left."

"I can do basic math Shirou," Saber said. "You should then upgrade your circuit rank before anything else. The only other magus in this war seems to be Rin who is your ally and Illya who is reliant on Berserker. Magic resistance will only help against Caster who I can defeat already if what you say is correct. Better circuits will give me more magical energy to work with."

"Alright," Shirou admitted before dunking his head and pressing the option. As soon as he did another option popped up.

Od increase (30 to 100 units) – 500pts

"Get that," Saber commanded as soon as he brought that up. "If you ever want to learn Mana Burst then you will need a large amount of life force. That's nowhere near the amount but it is a start."

"650 points left," Shirou said once he had withdrawn his head from the pool for the last time. "How much more do I need to get before I can use that."

"About ten times the amount," Saber said crushing his hopes. "You can supplement it with mana from the environment but it is slower if your circuits are not of a great quantity or quality. Taking both into account you still fall below the standards."

"Well I'm stronger now," Shirou said. "How do you think I should proceed? There's three timelines now that I've started and I'm not sure how you will interact with the loop."

"Realize that this is not natural," Saber said. "This room defies all my expectations of what is possible and I think solving the nature of this time loop is just as important as obtaining the grail. Why don't you continue the first time line but before you are killed by Rider, summon me and see if I remember anything. Then we will decide how to proceed."

"That's a good idea," Shirou admitted turning around to press the button but before he could he was interrupted by Saber once more.

"What's that door?" Saber asked.

"Oh it doesn't open," Shirou said turning around and pointing at the very open door before he lowered his hand and just stared. "Should we go and check it out," he said blushing more than he already had been.

"That might be wise," Saber said walking ahead and Shirou had to keep his head above waist height as he followed the servant into through the door and into a room with five other doors, one of which was slightly ajar. Still with no hesitation Saber walked to the slightly open door and stepped forward into the room. A few seconds later Shirou stepped into the room and froze.

Magic Circuits, Od increase, walking and breathing and Pure Eyes came into existence simultaneousl and he felt his body literally reshaping itself becoming less and less like a normal human. His movement changed and he could feel his vision warp while energy from a place that he could barely understand wrapped around his Magic Circuits as if begging to be let loose. At the same time Saber stiffened up before relaxing as he looked at him.

"This place," she said. "I feel like I have a body once more." That was a weird way to put it, but he understood the feeling. His eyes locked onto Saber and they immediately widened as he saw a glowing draconic entity that lay within her and yet someplace else. Whatever words he used were insufficient to even describe it and he forcibly blinked closing his second pair of eyes to shut out the sight.

"This is a place to train your new improvements," Saber said humming before she nodded in determination. "If you have received awards for beating other servants I wonder if you will receive an award for defeating me. In deference to your fighting style I will not use a sword but I will not be holding back."

"Wait Saber," Shirou said as Saber turned around to face him. "Can we not do this when we're both like this?"

"Haven't I already told you that I am a servant before I am a woman," Saber said in clear annoyance as she stepped forward and Shirou could feel the power radiating off her svelte body. "I'll have you display your technique to me, Shirou."

The looming threat of death spurred him onto fight against his servant but even the with his newly improved body and his Martial Arts and without Saber's sword the mêlée was brief and disappointing and it was with an aching body that Shirou was forced to press the point that would place him in his first timeline.

Loop 010.1

"Okay," Shirou said to the nude servant who was sitting opposite him. "So it doesn't work like that. I still can't explain it to you and you don't remember."

"Do you think that it requires a new loop?" Saber said speaking up. "You can't use your pure eyes or even your improved circuits without starting a new loop right."

"Yeah," Shirou said. "It was something that he hadn't expected until now, but it made sense in a consistent way. If he wanted to use all his new powers then he would have to start a forth loop, something he wasn't in a hurry to do. The objective wall had only one more achievement but it was one that Shirou took some pride in.

Deactivated the Bounded Field at the School-100pts

"I think I am getting some flashes of memory whenever I stare at this wall for a while," Saber said causing Shirou to look at her before he almost instinctively stared away. Saber just sat there looking at the objective wall. "Tell me Shirou did we meet in a place like this, under the moonlight."

"We did," Shirou said thinking back to that time that seemed so long ago. It was probably two weeks by now. He had found it hard to keep track entirely.

"Did we beat Rider this time?" Saber asked.

"Yeah you killed Rider," Shirou said. "Although it took Excalibur to do it. You don't have a lot of mana left."

"Try to go as far as you can then," Saber said. "You only were gone for about two hours. When you back we can have another sparring session."

"I look forward to it," Shirou said grimacing before he disappeared from the room."

Loop 011

"I can't beat Berserker," Shirou admitted as he arrived at the room once more. He saw Saber and the blushed the thought of the method that he and Rin had both used to replenish his magic still in his mind. "At least not without my updated abilities," he elaborated. "As I am then my circuits are barely working and you don't have enough magical energy to use Excalibur properly." Shirou looked over the board before he blushed at the results.

Scored with Saber-250pts
Learned about the Noble Phantasm of Heracles-50pts

"Hmm, that makes sense," Saber said. "Come let's have a quick spar."

"Is it really the right time to be training," Shirou asked.

"We have all the time," Saber said. "There's no need to panic and you do still need to work on your skills. Now come and follow me," Saber said getting up from her place on the floor and heading towards the dojo. With a hercu_ decent amount of effort I managed to keep my eyes straight until we got to the dojo.

"I think I'm going to start a forth route," Shirou admitted as he got into the basic stance required for Jacob's Arms. "I'm going to meet up with Rin on the third night. Trying to reenact my initial brush with Lancer where I barely survived would feel too deceitful especially with how I am now." He moved forward lashing out with a textbook trio of punches that could have crushed concrete but were deflected by the servant in front of him,

"You could likely survive for a brief while against a weaker servant," Saber agreed as she moved forward and rocked a hard punch right into his ribcage causing Shirou to retreat.

"I'm not that certain," Shirou said as he rolled with the blow that hurt him even through his reinforcement. "Most of the servants that aren't strong have some powerful abilities. I don't think there is a single servant in this war that couldn't beat me easily." He bounced on the tips of his toes moving forward and throwing a feint towards her face that Saber didn't react to while the real blow aimed towards her abdomen was blocked.

"You are better than you were last time we fought," Saber said brushing off his blow effortlessly as she lashed out towards his feet in a move that he barely managed to avoid. His retaliating blow barely caused her to move at all as he landed a hit upon her chest; pausing in embarrassment before a punch to his face knocked him off his feet. He instinctively rolled with the punch springing to his feet and getting back into a ready stance.

"I'm going to try the second timeline again," Shirou said as he stepped forward throwing hands against his servant who responded to force with force.

"Is that the one in which I'm dead," Saber said. "How do you intend to defeat Zouken?"

"I'm going to simply see if I can take it from a further back point and stick with you this time Saber," Shirou said. "The two of us will confront True Assassin together. I don't see how you could have lost. I was providing you mana after all. It wasn't the greatest but it should be sufficient to defeat an Assassin."

"Very wise," Saber said as her elbow struck his sternum taking the fight out of him. "I'll look forward to seeing your results."

"Alright," Shirou said slowly getting to his feet. Quickly stretching out his muscle fatigue he then headed to the illustration wall and chose a point a bit further down the timeline.

Loop 011.1

"The shadow killed you," Shirou said to Saber the next time he arrived.

"The one that put you in a coma," Saber stated. "It must be a powerful creature to be able to defeat a servant."

"I don't think it is a living being," Shirou stated. "I got a good look at it with my eyes and I can't see anything from it. Servants, humans and even animals all have a…image but this shadow has none."

"Did the shadow kill you," Saber asked only to get a firm shake of the head in response.

"No I got away," Shirou said. "Rider protected me for some reason."

"Interesting," Saber said. "So her true Master must wish you alive contrary to the Matou boy and even Zouken."

"Rider's true Master," Shirou said to himself, realizing there could be only one option and one that he had avoided thinking about.

Discover the true Master of Rider-60 pts (Required 1/3 for Sakura Unlock)

"I will speak with her about this tomorrow," Shirou resolved. "I owe her that much at least and she did save my life."

"Before that how about some more training," Saber said. "Your improvement so far has been incredible. Another few days and I might actually have to work for my victories."

"Thanks," Shirou said feeling a sense of pride. "Let's go then." It was a painful few hours later that he was finally ready and able to go and resume this timeline.

Loop 012

When Shirou arrived at the room once more he remained quiet, just sitting there for a while. Saber sat at the opposite of the room staring at the illustration that depicted his progress.

"I managed to see the loop this time," she said calmly. "If I stare at the wall for a while then I get a view of you. Would you like to talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about," Shirou said. "I didn't talk to Sakura in the morning because I was sick. That garbage," he clutched his fist at the thought of his former friend. "Kidnapped Sakura while I was speaking to Rin. He held her hostage while I was forced to fight Rider. The servant was nowhere near as strong as she was previously was and she didn't want to kill me anyway. Shinji slipped and I was able to get into range… where I tore his head off of his shoulders."

"Do you think you did the right thing?" Saber asked.

"The last time I let him go, he came back," Shirou stated defending himself. "If I let him go once more who knows what he would do to Sakura or anybody else. He already attacked others with Rider to gain magical energy for his servant. Even without a servant he may do something heinous once more. Logically I think I did, but…"

"A first kill is never easy," Saber started only for Shirou to cut her off.

"No it's different," Shirou said. "I chose to let Shinji…I chose to kill Shinji because I would rather he die than any others. I chose to not save everyone. I failed Kiritsugu's dream."

"Didn't you save people in killing him," Saber said. "Regardless of your inability to protect him as well; I would say that you have done a lot of good regardless. You've saved everybody in your school from the fate of being melted alive."

"Well momentarily," Shirou said. "Somehow Shinji's death triggered a failsafe in Sakura's earring and she went out of control which lead Archer to try and kill her and Rider to protect her. The two of them fought before Rider removed her eyepatch. Do you think that you could beat Medusa?"

"It would be a hard fought victory if she was fully supplied Shirou," Saber said.

"Yeah, I guess," Shirou said. "She was a gorgon from Ancient Greece. I can barely imagine it."

"And then you stood there as she petrified you," Saber said somewhat accusingly.

"I was overwhelmed at the end," Shirou admitted. "I wanted to get my thoughts straight before I go back.

"And you will do something different this time," Saber asked receiving a nod.

"I will," Shirou said. "Hey can I have a spar with you? I think I figured out somethings when fighting with Rider."

"I will always be available," Saber said standing up and the two of them engaged in vigorous exercise before Shirou returned.

Loop 0012.1

"It worked I see," Saber said as Shirou returned to the room once more. "It was a textbook incapacitation. I doubt she felt even a moment's pain."

"Thank you," Shirou mumbled. While Rider and Archer began fighting he just walked forward and explained to Sakura that she just needs to be unconscious for a bit. That she won't feel a moment's pain and that she will feel better when she wakes up. Rider looked like he was about to stop her but a desperate plea from Sakura paused her and after a split-second hesitation she concentrated on fighting Archer. He had knelt down and placed his hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her before he knocked her unconscious using Jacob's Arms. Shirou wasn't a person to brag but the move was well-executed by anybody's standards.

"I just came to look at the objective wall while waiting for the report from Kirei," Shirou said.

"You do realize that time doesn't pass while you're in here right," Saber said. "You also won't get the benefits until you start a loop anyway."

"Well maybe I just wanted to see you, Saber," Shirou joked before he immediately turned away as he realized the implications of his words.

"It's nice to see you also Shirou," Saber responded. "I am a lucky servant in that I can still talk to my master after death.

"Alright," Shirou said nodding. A lot of the time he would forget that the both of them were not wearing anything and then sudden feelings would spring back at the worst times.

Put down Shinji Matou-300pts
Learned the True Name of Rider-100pts (Required 1/2 for Rider Unlock)

"Four hundred points," Shirou admitted looking at his gains. "I now have a total of 1510 points. Any advice on what to buy next.

"Take a look at the pool," Saber advised. "See if there's anything new."

Basic Magic Resistance (DC) - 600pts
Upgrade Circuit Rank (CB)-700pts
Additional Magic Circuits -40pts each
Od increase (100200 units) – 500pts
Mana Burst-800pts
Dragon Bloodline-2000pts
True Ancestor Bloodline-1500pts
Upgrade Pure eyes to Mystic Eyes-800pts

"Do not get the True Ancestor Bloodline," Saber said immediately when he informed her of the new option. "They're one step above Dead Apostles. Dragon bloodline is a better option in all circumstances. Do you have a guess in how much of an increase in magical energy an improvement your circuits give you?"

"About ten units per rank," Shirou admitted. "E-Rank was 10 units and I'm now sitting at 30 units."

"So a total output of 810 units," Saber said. "An additional rank will put you at over 1000 units of mana. I would recommend that but I realize that is my own biases. I am still your servant Shirou and I need mana. 810 units should be enough to support my needs.

"I don't really know if I want to upgrade my pure eyes," Shirou admitted. "There's no information here. What if it makes it worse?"

"There's no immediate benefit, Shirou," Saber said. "Wait until before you start a new loop before you make a decision if it makes you feel better.

"I will do that Saber," Shirou said. "More training?"

"Yes I think I'm about ready to step it up," Saber said giving Shirou a sinking feeling as she stood up from her sitting position and proceeded to beat him senseless for the next hour or so until even going back to the church was a better option than taking another beating from Saber.

Loop 012.2

Discovered Rin's Lost Sister-100pts (Required 1/2 for Rin Unlock)
Discovered Sakura's Terrible Fate-200pts (Required 1/3 for Sakura Unlock)
Reflected for once on your Flawed Ideal-300pts

"Hey Saber," Shirou said feeling downcast. "What would you do if…" he stopped at that. There was no need to know what she would do. The choice was his in the end and he would make it. He had no right to coerce his servant into justifying his decision. Besides Illya was waiting for him; the minute that he had begged to make a choice was wholly unnecessary. His mind had already been made up.

"Make a choice and see how it turns out," Saber said. "Would you accept a timeline in the end where Sakura does not exist?"

"I wouldn't," Shirou admitted reluctantly. "The room called this my flawed idea," he said. "Do you think the room dislikes my dream?" It did seem to in a way. His dream to save everybody was undermined by the room incentivizing him to kill certain masters. "Hey room," Shirou said. "How many points would I get for killing Rin?" The horrific question that he had posed was answered in a single line of the Quest Board.

Kill Rin-0pts
Defeat Rin in battle-300pts (Required 2/2 for Rin unlock)

"I see," Shirou said nodding his head as he finally got it. The room was trying to change him. These objectives and gifts were given to him in to help him but also to guide or control his path. By accepting them they destroyed the option for him to be a Hero of Justice and Shirou had a feeling the Dragon or True Ancestor bloodlines would make the task even more impossible. Still knowing that he was being manipulated didn't make it any less successful. If being a Hero of Justice meant that his friend would die at the hands of her own sister, his friend; well that wasn't a definition of Justice he would tolerate.

"Alright room," Shirou said. "I will save Sakura regardless of the consequences. I want to save Sakura." His father's dream for all its beauty was not his own and he couldn't act like his father. His experience over the past few days had changed him too much. If he were to let Sakura die right now then he wouldn't be able to call himself a hero or a human. "Did you hear that room? I can no longer follow my dream. You've broken me. I give up. I can no longer call myself a Hero of Justice."

Congratulations! You have learnt the value of selfishness and have graduated to the rank of Human. Thanks to your wise choice Sakura has the chance to live-1200pts

The words written on the wall had more than a hint of sarcasm, but there was a simultaneous undeniable hint of pride and approval, as if he had passed some test that he didn't know he was writing. His annoyance at the words peaked before he suddenly felt a burning pain in his circuits. His Pure Eyes flared up turning upon himself and for a brief instant he saw an armory of infinite weapons before steel started to crack and poured down; a world shattering in an instant.

Shirou came to a second later as wet lines ran down his eyes and he felt that in an instant he had lost and gained everything in that instant.

+100pts
+100pts
+100pts
+100pts
+100pts
+100pts
+100pts
+100pts

That world shattered and became points leaving him with another 1000 points to use. Shirou fell to the floor just as one last piece of writing appeared on the objective wall.

Decided to save Sakura-200pts (Required 2/2 for Rider Unlock)

That was his last thought before his consciousness faded.

Loop 012.2 (still)

When Shirou awoke it was to the feel of sand on his back and the sound of the ocean waves. He could breathe in the warm air and even feel the heat of the sun on his body; all over his body. With a start he opened his eyes and shot up from his place of rest, looking around to grasp his situation. The first thing that hit him was just how blue the skies were in the place were; an unreal shade of azure that honestly stung his eyes for a bit before he adapted. The second thing was the level of mana in the air; it exceeded Fuyuki's by a factor of over a dozen; there was so much mana in the air that he found it excessively hard to breathe.

The third thing that he noticed was the two figures standing a distance away, engaged in a blur of strength and violence. The shockwaves from their punches could be felt from his position and Shirou had to close his eyes to protect from the blowing sand before he reinforced his eyes and opened them once again. The two combatants were Saber and…Rider and Shirou looked away, due to their lack of clothing, before he forced himself to face forward and run towards them. No matter the reason they were fighting for he would stop it.

He needn't have bothered as the fighting ceased as soon as he started running and he arrived only to see two really attractive servants who were dressed in the salty ocean air and nothing else. The problems worsened as Rider walked towards him and for the first time he took in her appearance without her trying to kill him. Her piercing eyes that could stop his heart and her long legs that could break his bones gave off an entirely different emotion bathed in the golden rays of the sun. She stopped a couple of meters away from him and Shirou braced himself before she bowed deeply towards the ground.

"Thank you," she said. "For choosing to save Sakura you have my eternal gratitude."

"I haven't even done anything yet," Shirou said downplaying his decision.

"I will support you as long as you aim to save Sakura," Rider said slowly raising herself from her bowing position. "In fact if you want some assistance now I would be prepared to help," she said stopping her ascent. "You look a little pent up."

"What," Shirou said before he remembered his own position and he immediately covered himself. Rider had a mature sultry beauty that when combined with Saber's elegant beauty moved blood to places that were immediately obvious. "No, no that's fine," Shirou said, partly panicking. "Where are we?"

"We are in the second room that was unlocked when Rider arrived," Saber stated. "I have already explained the situation to Rider."

"This place is a reflection of my homeland the Shapeless Isle," Rider said. "Once again as long as you protect Sakura you have my support.

"Not Shinji?" he asked, already half-knowing the answer getting a serious nod from Rider.

"I am perfectly content with the manner in which you dealt with him," Rider said giving a small smile that unnerved Shirou slightly.

"I'm going to continue in that timeline," Shirou said getting a nod from Saber and Rider. "Can you help me get out of this room?" From what he had seen there were no doors or anything.

"This way Shirou," Rider said before with a frankly absurd burst of speed she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and began directing him in a specific direction while Shirou had to determine whether it was beneath his dignity to ask Saber for help in this situation. It was a long three minutes until I eventually touched the next point and vanished from the room.

Loop 013

"You have done a good job fulfilling your promises," Rider said as soon as Shirou. Both Saber and Rider were sitting on their knees together staring at the illustration wall.

"Although you should probably stay away from diving into the shadow, Shirou," Saber said frowning. "Honestly you can leave it up to Archer. He is a servant after all. I think you are starting to take your current immortality a bit too lightly."

"I know very little about that servant," Shirou admitted. "He seems unreliable and something about him just sets my teeth on edge; although if that Shadow couldn't even kill me I doubt anything could. You should have seen the inside of that Shadow, it was…" he trailed off at the thought of what he had seen.

Scored with Sakura-250pts
Met Saber Alter-50pts
Witnessed the inside of the Shadow-80pts

"I have 4890 points," Shirou said to both himself and the servants next to him.

"Are you thinking of restarting?" Saber asked only to get a shake of his head.

"I think I can learn more from this loop," he said. "If I can figure out a way to cure Sakura now then I can implement it in the other loops."

"I think I might have a way," Saber said nearly giving both Shirou and Rider whiplash as they looked towards her causing her to blush slightly. "Shirou your quick healing only started when you summoned me correct?" At his nod Saber continued. "And you summoned me as well. I think that inside you is my Noble Phantasm Avalon that I had previously lost. Your father had it the last time I was summoned. If we can extract it and give it to Sakura then we can tear out the worms and Avalon will just heal the damage." There was a pause. "It's a bit brutal I know…"Saber started to defend her plan only to be wrapped in a hug from Rider.

"Thank you," she whispered and Shirou looked away from the scene focusing on the objective/quest wall.

Discover the method by which you heal-80pts (Completed)
Heal Sakura of her Infection-400pts

"It checks out," Shirou said, feeling a large grin overtake his features. "It might work." He reached into his chest to try and retrieve it only to come up short.

"Wait until you are actually in a loop, Shirou," Saber said having left the hug. "Now are you going to try out the pool or continue the loop?"

"See you in a bit," Shirou said nodding at the two servants before he pressed the button and disappeared from the room.

Loop 013.1

"That…" Shirou said his need to get the appropriate words out, contradicting his desire for politeness. "Arrgh," he said growling in irritation at the revelation. He still recalled the red-coated servant's words that repeatedly drummed in his head as if mocking his ignorance.

"I will disappear if I do nothing in the first place. This body is finished anyway. It will not make a difference if I lose my arm. While any other will die, he can continue onwards. Let's see how much further Emiya Shirou can go in this loop."

"He knew," Shirou said with an amount of venom that even surprised him. "The whole time he knew." All the timelines and times and every time he went back in time; Archer was aware of them all."

"I saw," Saber said. "I know very little about Archer," she admitted. "We met very briefly in all timelines."

"He gave me his arm," Shirou said. "Magical knowledge, battle experience, weapons," he paused. "I'm going to have to take a look into the pool," he said moving towards the fragrant pool of water and placing his head inside.

Basic Magic Resistance (D to C) - 600pts
Upgrade Circuit Rank (C to B)-700pts
Additional Magic Circuits -40pts each
Od increase (100 to 200 units) – 500pts
Mana Burst-800pts
Dragon Bloodline-2000pts
True Ancestor Bloodline-1500pts
Upgrade Pure eyes to Mystic Eyes-800pts
Projection Magecraft-300pts
Eye of The Mind (True)-300pts

"Projection Magecraft and Eye of the Mind," Shirou said as he withdrew his head from the pool. "Each is worth 300 points."

"You can still decide at the end of this run," Saber reminded him. "Did you receive anything for gaining the arm?"

"In terms of objectives," Shirou said looking at the wall. "No I didn't," he said. "I guess the room doesn't like me receiving the arm or doesn't see it as an achievement." In a way he could agree as his failure lead to this outcome but it was strange that the room had given him more points for less in the past.

"Can you survive using the arm," Rider said speaking up for the first time.

"My circuits were unlocked at that point but the quality is low," Shirou admitted. "It is the arm of a heroic spirit which isn't easy. I can survive a bit of use but there is a strong possibility that if I open the shroud too much it would make me disappear."

Gained Shroud of Martin-80pts

Yeah surprisingly he received more points for the shroud than the arm itself. He wondered just what that said about the stupidity of actually receiving and using it.

"With your current abilities," Saber said, causing Shirou to shake his head.

"I can't tell," he admitted. "I'm much stronger than I was when I started this loop, but it's been a while since I've started a new one. Training," Shirou asked.

"Rider is better at hand-to-hand combat so she will be training you from now on," Saber said, still getting up at the same time as Rider. "Let's see just how much stronger you are with all your new advantages."

Not enough to beat Rider apparently. After an hour of brutal combat, Shirou Emiya dragged himself back to the illustration wall before disappearing from the room.

Loop 013.2

"Sakura is the Shadow," Shirou said as he appeared once more in the room. He had just had a heart-wrenching conversation with her about her condition and he wasn't feeling up for much talking right now. Instead he just wanted to punch something.

"Does that change your resolve to protect her," Rider said getting a vehement shake of the head in response.

"I will use this knowledge to change the situation so that Sakura never has to suffer that fate," he said. "It's the very least I can do." His words met approval from Rider and he turned to look at the objective wall.

Learned the truth of the Shadow- 250pts (Required 2/3 for Sakura Unlock)
Learned the truth of the Einzbern Grail-250pts (Required 2/3 for Illya Unlock)
Replicated Archer's Magecraft-0pts (Reduction in Projection Magecraft)

"This room really does have an agenda," he whispered again. "While it seemed to approve of projection, replicating the red-cloaked servant's magecraft was a taboo area."

"Shirou I wish to challenge your strength," Rider suddenly said standing up. "Please meet me in the dojo." Her words were brusque and she stood up without waiting for a response, not that Shirou would deny her.

"Okay," Shirou accepted. He understood that Rider wanted to test his abilities given that she was depending on him to save Sakura. He followed her into the dojo and once again immediately paused upon entering it. The rooms always relaxed the restrictions that existed in his shed and he could feel his circuits pulse as his movement changed in a manner that allowed him to attune to the surrounding nature. His Pure Eyes activated and met the Mystic Eyes of Rider and he saw through her body into the image of Divine Snake with sharp eyes, hued in purple and imbued with a powerful curse and then he looked away before he took a stance again.

The first kick was perfectly telegraphed and Shirou dodged back lashing out with a punch that landed and impacted Rider's hit causing her to be knocked off balance. His shock at an actually successful attack was so great that he barely managed to block the second kick that knocked him backwards. His magic circuits opened fully and he ramped up his reinforcement before punching forward with heavy blows that all connected by a hairs breadth. Every attack of his was just successful and every attack from Rider was a glancing blow. It felt like despite the speed and strength of Rider the situation was just not working out in her favor at all.

A blow that would have torn a normal human in two landed on her ribs throwing off a punch that would have broken his bones. A blow to side landed on her sternum and it was only when a blow perfectly caught her on the throat, sending her to the ground, that Shirou worked out what was happening.

"You let me win," Shirou admitted the truth watching as Rider tried to stumble to her feet before she raised her hands in surrender.

"I used my full strength against you," she said. "You got lucky and actually managed to injure me. Saber could kill me now. I accept my defeat."

"Do you think that would work?" Shirou asked turning towards Saber and Rider at the same time.

"Let's go check Shirou," Saber said turning around and leaving the room. Shirou was about to follow her when he paused and helped Rider to her feet. The servant had taken a hard blow when helping him and the least he could do was walk her back.

"I'm fine," Rider said, still accepting the arm he had offered her and pulled herself to her feet. "Let's go see the fruits. Seeing that she was able to walk Shirou didn't hesitate any longer, instead walking through the dojo door and catching up with Saber right before the entrance to his workshop. A brief glance at the objective wall was enough to ascertain the success of his objective and his eyes widened.

Defeated Rider- 500pts (Pure Eyes have been upgraded to Mystic Eyes) (Required 3/3 for Sakura Unlock)

A slight glow was all the warning that he received before with a flash Sakura Matou appeared in the room; skyclad. There was a brief moment of absolute disbelief as her eyes met Shirou's before they dipped lower and then there was a second's pause before she screamed falling to her knees and covering herself.

"I'm going to let you take this one, Rider," Shirou said retreating from the room as the tall servant crouched down to talk to Sakura.

xxx

"I understand," Sakura said still trembling as she covered herself. Shirou himself was looking away and covering himself equally. "Right now when you left me. I wasn't in a good place."

"It's not your fault," Shirou protested immediately facing Sakura forcing the purple-haired girl to blush. "It's my fault that I didn't see you were suffering. That I didn't help you sooner."

"You did all you could, Shirou," Sakura said. "I was happy there. If it comes down to it…"

"No," Shirou rejects immediately. "I am going to save you. I am going to save everyone. I said I would rebuke you if you were to commit evil. Well I'm not going to do that. I'm going to prevent you from doing it in the first place."

"I don't want you to see me like that," Sakura said; definitely not talking about her nudity.

"Then I will end this timeline," Shirou said immediately. "It's not worth learning a few more things if I have to see you like this." Sakura paused at that.

"If…if it will help you," she said shyly but with determination in her voice. "You can continue if you promise me one thing."

"What must I promise," Shirou said in a measured tone. Depending on the request he would give serious thought.

"Do it all at once," she said. "Please don't come back here until it's over." She flinched as if hearing her own words. "I'm sorry, Shirou. I…"

"I agree," Shirou said. "I will not die or return here until I save you."

"Are you sure you can," Saber said. "If you rely on that arm then it will kill you."

"No I'm not sure I can win when relying on the arm," Shirou admitted. "Besides I think this room doesn't like me relying on the arm and I think this place has some of my interests at heart in a twisted way, but I will use anything that I have in order to win. Is that understood?" A pause in the air and then:

Unlocked Hero of the Present: Summon forth the full abilities gained from all of your options chosen at anytime during your run.

"Shall we go shopping Saber," Shirou said with a grin.

"Is there any place to get clothes," Sakura said causing his face to fall and him to cough out a brief negative. "Well maybe it won't be so bad," Sakura said before her face turned red and she turned away. Shirou's face was equally red at that moment and he took the opportunity to cool off by dunking it in the pool.

Basic Magic Resistance (D to C) - 600pts
Upgrade Circuit Rank (C to B)-700pts
Additional Magic Circuits -40pts each
Od increase (100 to 200 units) – 500pts
Mana Burst-800pts
Dragon Bloodline-2000pts
True Ancestor Bloodline-1500pts
Projection Magecraft-200pts
Eye of The Mind (True)-300pts

6050 points would improve him by leaps but with no servant on his side it might not be enough. He immediately took Projection Magecraft and Eye of the Mind as they were the most complete skills. They would give him an immediate advantage rather than just improving his capacity. He then raised his magic circuits up to forty expending 520 points. He then upgraded his circuit ranks to B for 700 points and then to A for another 800 points leaving him with a total of 3530 points left. He withdrew his head from the pool for a moment. Judging by the natural progression of his A-Rank circuits he should have a total of 2 000 units of magical energy. The question was if it would be enough to use Mana Burst. He phrased that question to Saber and received a disappointing reply

"You still need to boost up your Od," Saber replied in response to the question. "If you do then I can teach you how to perform it. It's really more instinctive than anything else. A few hours and you can probably get the basic hang of it."

"Agreed," Shirou said reluctantly before he submerged himself again and purchased the Od upgrade four times. Unlike the magic circuits the cost didn't increase and so he was able to raise his life-force up to 500 at the cost of only 2000 points. He might have gone further if it wasn't for the notification that popped up when he reached that level.

Magic Core-1500pts

The option absorbed nearly all of his remaining points and as soon as he mentioned it to Saber he was told to immediately go for it. When he tried arguing, he did still want to purchase Mana Burst from the pool; Sakura gently gripped his arm and with dead serious eyes told him to go for it.

With 30 points left Shirou exited the pool only to see a new notification pop up in front of him.

Basic Magic Resistance (D to B) Feature of Magic Core

"Huh, that was nice," Shirou said more to himself than anybody else. From what he had learnt so far that would mean that any magus in the modern era would have a problem fighting him. The only issue that he had was that he lacked the desired Mana Burst and there was no way that Rin and Illya wouldn't notice anything going on. Still it wasn't as if he could tell them. He would just tell them that he couldn't explain the source but it was power given to him to save Sakura which was technically true.

"Come on, Shirou," Saber said dragging him with Shirou desperately trying to maintain cover, a job that he was having difficulty with. "I am going to teach you how to use a large amount of mana in a fight and then Rider will spar with you some more."

"Sakura will cheer you on," Rider said following along with a hint of mischief in her voice. "You need to be as strong as possible so you don't make Sakura cry,"

"Wait, that's not necessary," Sakura said following just behind. "You don't have to worry about me Shirou."

He did worry about her. That's why he spent hours and hours of time when his muscles ached and his Magic core had outputted enough mana to power a couple dozen servants until Mana Burst was engraved into his body. It was only when he finally landed a blow on Saber that knocked her off her feet did he have the resolve to press that button and make his motion.

Loop 014

The first thing Shirou felt when he arrived back in the room was him being tackled to the ground by a sobbing Sakura. He tried to move his hands out the way when it was useless when both of their unclothed bodies were rubbing together and so he endured it forcibly trying to yank his mind off course from the proximity of his attractive…did she count as his girlfriend. Technically this wasn't the Sakura he had fallen in love with and yet she was so similar. He felt conflicted when he thought back to the end of the loop.

The loop hadn't ended with his death but as he tried to prevent Avenger being born the consciousness inside the Grail had connected with him asking him if this was The Ending with disconcerting interest. When he had hesitated for a second longer as he contemplated the question given by the pseudo-god, the being inside the Grail withdrew and the loop immediately ended. He didn't die (he thought at least) or give up but the loop ended regardless, simply because that wasn't the ending; it wasn't the right way to exit the Holy Grail War.

"How did you free Sakura from the Grail?" Rider asked looking down at his incredibly awkward position and ignoring it.

"I was going to try one of Archer's projections," Shirou admitted. "But my Eyes," he said trying to point as his Mystic Eyes but not quite getting the angle. "Something happened with them and the contract was severed." The image of a bleeding, suffering maiden speared through the heart briefly touched his eyes before the contract broke but he didn't feel like sharing his vision obtained from Sakura.

"Have you figured out what they do?" Saber asked crouching down and really not helping the situation with Sakura at the moment.

"They can forcibly deactivate Magic Circuits," Shirou admitted. "I have no idea how they could sever the contract or what the link is."

"That sounds powerful, Shirou," Sakura said finally releasing him and pulling back. She was blushing up a storm as she briefly scanned him before quickly getting to her feet. "They must be very powerful."

"I agree," Rider said lending her expert opinion on the matter. "Those eyes when properly used should be comparable to my own." That was an amazing endorsement, although since he received them from 'beating' Rider in a fight he shouldn't be surprised they were so powerful.

"You also managed to defeat two servants," Saber said. "Including an evil version of myself. You have grown powerful Shirou. You should be proud."

"I couldn't have done it without you," Shirou responded. "Or Rider in this case." It had been a strange situation to the two human magi. Both Illya and Rin had questioned how he could radiate mana an order of magnitude greater than before and it had taken quite some effort to convince them that he was even the same Shirou as before. Still they had accepted, perhaps due to lack of time or necessity; although they undoubtedly believed he would pay for his improvement later.

"So how does it feel to win the Grail War," Sakura spoke up causing Shirou to contemplate his answer.

"Unfulfilling," he said after a while. "You were right Saber. Finding the truth behind the loop is just as important as ending the war. I think these loops will continue onward forever unless we find a way to stop them. By the way what is that smell," Shirou said finally taking the moment to ask just where that smell of cooking beef that he had been noticing since his arrival had come from.

"I cooked some Yakiniku, Shirou," Sakura explained.

"Wait, we have a kitchen now?" Shirou asked.

"It was my room," Sakura said pointing towards the door leading into the island and dojo rooms. She stepped towards the door expectantly and Shirou had to admit that she read him right. Next to the open door were the words that he briefly glanced at before he turned to Saber.

Loop Inhabitants
Shirou Emiya
Saber
Rider
Sakura Matou

"I could really, really use some cooking time now," Shirou admitted. "Is there any space for dessert?"

"There's space for dessert," Saber said immediately before she turned her head away. "Dessert is a very important part of keeping up an army's morale Shirou."

"Then I better go and make it," Shirou said following Sakura. He turned his head briefly towards the objective wall reading the many achievements he had accumulated before his eyes dilated as he got to the last one on the list.

Discovered the True Nature of the Grail-300pts
Learned about the True Aim of The Grail and the Third Magic-500pts
Created the Jeweled Sword-500pts
Defeated Saber Alter-200pts
Sever the link between Avenger and Sakura-400pts
Defeat Kirei Kotomine-300pts
Meet Avenger Again-500pts
Defeated Berserker-500pts (Gained Valor) (Required 3/3 for Illya Unlock)

"Oh no," he said as a flash of light from the corner of his eye appeared and an incredibly dangerous sight appeared in front of him. "Saber, Rider, handle it," he uncharacteristically commanded as he broke into a sprint at the same time as the short magus of the Einzbern family gasped in visible panic.

xxx

After about half an hour preparing some sweets Shirou and Sakura were called back to the main room where he was confronted by a trio of woman sitting around a low table. He immediately sat down behind the table hoping to give him some cover before he had to speak to Illya. His eyes wavered around the room trying desperately to find a not dangerous place to rest and it even got worse as Sakura sat down next to him causing him to desperately shuffle over.

"Hi Big Brother," Illya said. "Although I guess we've already met before." Shirou instinctively looked over and then looked away at the sight of pale flesh causing Illya to huff. "I am older than you," she said.

"Illya…" Shirou began trying to figure out how to defend himself only for Illya to shake her head.

"That's not as important right now, Big Brother," Illya said her voice uncharacteristically mature. "What's important is we need to figure out how to escape these loops. What have you figured out about the room so far?"

"It allows me to enter loops and when I achieve objectives I can gain points that allow me to improve myself like gaining magic circuits or techniques," Shirou began watching as Illya's face morphed into one of contemplation before she stood up causing Shirou to squawk as his eye level immediately dropped.

"Wait, what are you doing Illya," Shirou said stumbling backwards only for Illya to reach him and place her hand on his chest.

"No obvious signs of any magical circles. In this place I can't feel my magic circuits as well," Illya explained as she continued to inspect Shirou making him feel very self-conscious.

"There's no hunger or thirst and we don't get tired in this room," Sakura pointed out and Illya shot her a sideline glance before returning to her inspection. "Although we can eat," she said putting the treats down and Saber immediately took one.

"There's only one explanation," Illya said biting her lip as she finally let off of him. "Our bodies aren't here." That sudden sentence was enough for even Saber to drop the cookie and Illya quickly followed it up with more shocks. "This room contains just our souls. Our bodies are someplace else."

"Or at some other time," Rider stated getting a nod from the Einzbern heiress.

"Does that mean that whenever I go into a loop, I'm overriding the others," Shirou asked receiving a shake of the head in return.

"How can there be so many Shirou souls flying about," Illya refuted. "There probably isn't a timeline until you arrive. The other room inhabitants are likely the same soul but without the memory. It might be possible to restore those memories in us," Illya said reluctantly. "But it's far too difficult for me."

"Thank you anyway," Shirou said trying to wrap his mind around the situation. His feeling of gratitude was immediately overwhelmed when Illya sat down on his knee.

"Honestly the most fascinating aspect is still that pool," Illya admitted. "The ability to modify a soul like that isn't magecraft. I think you should be able to already guess what that particular miracle is."

"Saber, help," Shirou said trying to back up from Illya's over closeness. His servant was quick to respond and in a second Illya was picked up under the arm of Saber who carried the kicking and struggling girl away.

"Archer knows," Shirou admitted getting the rest of the souls to look at him. "He was aware of the loops. He might know what causes them and how to get through them."

"In the first loop Archer has died," Saber asked. "Are you going to head back to the third loop?"

"There's no point," Shirou admitted. "I used the third loop to see if there was a way that I could win the grail war with the new advantages I had. I'm much stronger now and yet I'm still concerned about Gilgamesh. I'm going to start a new loop as I am now."

"With more mana than most of the servants," Sakura pointed out.

"Fair enough," Shirou admitted. "In addition I am going to try and extract Avalon. Let's try healing Sakura this time."

"We should also appear at the beginning of the loop, Shirou," Saber said. "We haven't yet tried that."

"I know," Shirou refuted. "I just have a feeling that it works that way. The same applied with the boons before the last upgrade."

"Wait we're going to start the Holy Grail War again," Illya said suddenly sounding excited. "Alright I challenge you Shirou. The last time you defeated Berserker it was a fluke. This time I will have you fight Berserker when he's at full power."

"Is this really the time to be talking about this," Shirou said trying to dissuade his determined adopted sister.

"I will try summoning Saber as soon as possible on the first day," Shirou said.

"Rider and I will go to your house then," Sakura stated, her voice far more determined now that there was a glimpse of hope.

"We can trade servants," Shirou said ignoring Saber's resigned glare. "I will give you Avalon and we can extract those worms." He was still concerned about that part of the plan. "Are you sure you don't want to try and get Kirei. I don't trust him but Rider, Saber and I have no skill at this. Our attempt would likely be brutal and painful."

"I am used to pain, Shirou," Sakura said, her words were straightforward and matter-of-fact and far more convincing than anything else she could have said.

"I understand," Shirou said at a loss for anything else to say. "Illlya what are you going to be doing while this is going on."

"I will be helping," Illya said determinedly. "I may not be a specialist but I can do a better job than any of you butchers." She huffed pointing out her chest causing Shirou to reflexively turn away from. "I don't like you," she said pointing to Sakura, but since you're friends with my brother I guess I will have to save you. "You should thank me as the Einzbern Master having to step in and solve Matou problems."

"Thank you," Sakura said immediately bowing her head and the level of gratitude seemed to take the smaller girl aback.

"Well as long as you know," she said before turning to him. "Come on Shirou. Let's go mess with a bunch of Matou."

"Wait, aren't we just removing the crests?" Shirou said only to receive a look from Illya that said 'Really?'

"If we're going to save Sakura then what good would it be to keep that old monster alive," Illya replied. "We should just squish him."

"That would be advisable," Rider immediately backed her up.

"If we know our enemy then we should attack them with speed," Saber responded.

"I agree," Sakura said softly making the decision unanimous.

"Okay," Shirou said making the plans in his head. "Save Sakura, kill Zouken. We can meet up after those tasks are done. If we fail to kill Zouken then I can end the loop and set it back to the point where we saved Sakura. A round of affirmations came from the room and with the unanimous consent of everybody Shirou stood up from his position at the table, trying to ignore the gaze of certain people and headed towards the Illustration wall. As soon as he pressed it the room became empty.

Loop 014.1

"That actually worked out perfectly," Shirou said as he appeared in the room once more. The other four members were there as well slowly shaking themselves awake as if they had just woken up.

"Oh yeah," Illya said, before she turned to Shirou. "Don't end the loop so suddenly. Did you get Zouken at least? Those worms scattered everywhere."

"We did," Shirou said. "Rider, good job on catching them all though."

"I would not have been able to track them down if it wasn't for your eyes," Rider admitted easily.

"Yeah I was surprised," Shirou admitted. "Apparently once I see them once with my eyes I can track down all the pieces."

"Your eyes are most likely looking at the soul of the being," Illya pointed out suddenly capturing everyone's attention. "You said you can stop Magic Circuits. Most likely you are freezing the soul of a being."

"Then how did he break the contract between the Grail and me," Sakura said causing Illya to think for a bit.

"If the Grail is linked to the soul then by freezing the parts of the soul that were Sakura the parts that were not may have snapped off," Illya replied. "For a brief moment you starved the Grail of any link causing it to slip away from Sakura. I hope you realize that this discovery is not something to go and throw around."

"Definitely not," Shirou agreed. "Winning the Grail War and then being arrested by the Clocktower is not what I want."

"How did it feel to be worm free," Illya said changing the subject as she looked towards Sakura. The callous question still brought a smile to her face.

"It feels incredible," Sakura admitted. "The surgery went perfectly," she continued smiling.

"It did look a bit…" Shirou said trying to find the words.

"It was a bit more of butchery than a surgery," Illya concurred. "Thank goodness for Avalon."

"I was happy that my scabbard could provide help," Saber admitted smiling and receiving a nod of gratitude from Rider, who had become Shirou's new servant as Saber had become Sakura's.

"Are you sure that Zouken's dead though?" Sakura asked somewhat nervously.

"That's what the wall says," Shirou said pointing at the objective wall which had provided him 1100 extra points to use.

Heal Sakura of her Infection-400pts
Forged a Contract with Rider-100pts
Kill Zouken-500pts
Discovered the Truth Behind your Mystic Eyes-100pts

"Perfect," Sakura said and Shirou noticed with some trepidation that her eyes were watering. He hurriedly leaned over to pat her on the shoulder which she turned into an exuberant hug that immediately did certain things to his anatomy. He almost decided to enjoy the hug when another pair of arms wrapped around him and he turned to see Illya who had decided to join in. After almost a minute he managed to return things to normal again with the help of Saber.

"Next plan is to defeat Archer," Shirou admitted. "Are you up for that Rider?"

"I am provided with a surplus of mana in this loop," Rider said. "I am confident in my ability to take in any other servant?"

"Is that a challenge," Saber replied giving a dangerous look. "I will gladly spar with you for the time being." Rider stood up as if to meet the challenge. "Shirou, can you just hold off pressing the button for a while longer."

"I will make some snacks," Sakura said standing up.

"I have to talk to Shirou for a bit," Illya spoke up. "You can go ahead."

"What would you like to discuss," Shirou said looking away from the girl and trying not to feel like he was committing a crime.

"Come on, Shirou," Illya said. "I'm older than you," she said teasingly before her voice took on a more somber tone. "Have you found any way to," she pointed at herself. "Prolong my life." There was a tone of desperate hope in her voice covered by clouds of fear. "I never dreamed to live past the war."

"But now there is a possibility," Shirou said. "For the first time there may be a way for you to live a long life and it's scary, right?"

Illya just nodded and Shirou felt like the largest jerk in the world. All this time he was focused on saving Sakura and ignoring Illya in her entirety. He would not lose either of them.

"We saved Sakura," he said determination bleeding into his voice. "We faced down a god to save her. Do you think we couldn't- do you think we couldn't do the same thing for you?"

"We?" Illya said still dumbfounded.

"Sakura, Saber, Rider, me and even Rin; who isn't here," Shirou explained. "We are not going to let you die Illya."

"Shirou you dummy," Illya said and Shirou was once more panicked to see tears form in her eyes. Just at that moment the door opened and Sakura walked in carrying a plate of biscuits and placing them down on the table.

"Haven't you learnt to knock," Illya said desperately trying to wipe them away. "What if Shirou and I were doing nau_" She was cut off at that moment as Sakura hugged her tightly.

"Shirou's right," she said. "All of us will do our best to help you; and we will succeed. You won't ever have to cry again."

"I wasn't crying," Illya sniffled before visibly relaxing in Sakura's embrace. "I want to go look in my room now," she said. "Come on Shirou, let's go. You can come also," she said to Sakura. "I bet I have nicest room so far."

She was correct in the fact that Illya's room was an immensely beautiful snowy forest that Shirou would have much more enjoyed if he was wearing winter clothes or at least knew a spell to warm him up. Illya had offered a spell but according to her it required full body contact and that was something that he couldn't accept. After ten minutes in the freezing forest and a steaming cup of tea, Shirou was ready to continue the loop.

Loop 014.2

"Please deal with this," Shirou said as he entered the room and immediately glanced towards the objective wall. By the time he had heard the familiar start noise of the circle appear he was already out the door and closed it behind him.

Defeated Archer-500pts (Gained Clairvoyance)
Defeat Rin in battle-300pts (Required 2/2 for Rin unlock)

"What, where am I? Where are my clothes," Rin's voice sounded out, panicked. He couldn't blame her. He was in the same position more than a few loops ago. Although he might have taken it better. It wouldn't be good to judge everybody by his standards; he had become increasingly clear throughout the course of this Grail War just how abnormal he was.

"Its okay, Rin," Sakura said calmly causing the apparently bewildered magus to focus on her as she responded to her next.

"Sakura," she said. "Is this some plot by the Matou to defeat me before the Grail war?"

"The Grail War has already started Rin," Sakura replied with a hint of mischief that was less than appropriate. "It has started a few times already. Meet the master of Berserker, Illya."

"We meet again Rin," Illya said, likely further confusing the Tohsaka magus.

"We've never met before," Rin refuted and Shirou could imagine her scrutinizing the Einzbern magus, reaching for a jewel that was obviously not there.

"This is Saber and Rider," Sakura said and Shirou could hear a sudden intake of air from Rin at the thought. That was interesting; she hadn't figured that she didn't need to breathe yet.

"Whose servants…" Rin said.

"Rider is my servant normally and Saber is Shirou's," Sakura said drawing another gasp from the twin-tailed magus.

"Shirou Emiya?" Rin asked. "Is he here as well? Why did you abduct me into your little nudist club in the first place. You haven't answered."

"Yes Shirou's here," Illya said. "And I'm fairly certain there are no clothes because you're only a soul at the moment; or at least that it how it goes in Sailor Moon."

"What's Sailor Moon," Rin said receiving a gasp from Illya.

"You…are you even Japanese," Illya said her voice rising in pure shock.

"Never mind that," Rin said. "So you claim we are souls now. I see. I don't feel pain." A few seconds passed. "I can't access my circuits though."

"There are other rooms where you can access your Magic Circuits," Sakura said. "Just not this room."

"Okay," Rin said. "I'll accept that. What do you mean that the Grail War has already started? Did I lose my memories? How long has the Grail War been on for? Did I summon my servant?"

"We all lose our memories when we first arrive here," Sakura said. "The last day that we all remember was the 31st January. From then onwards we can proceed or restart. Well when I say we; I mean Shirou. He was the first one in this position and the room seems to resolve around him."

"So Emiya was the one who dragged us here," Rin said. "Just what is he planning? What is your goal?"

"To find out just what this loop is in the first place, Tohsaka," Shirou shouted from behind the door.

"Wait you're eavesdropping?" Rin said. "Wait, do you really have no idea what this is? What do you mean by restart?"

"I have very little idea," Shirou stated. "Although I think it has something to do with the Grail. I can start from the 31st of January and if I die or return to the room I can choose a certain date and time and make different choices."

"So you've been rerunning these last days trying to win the Grail War?" Rin asked.

"I've already won the Grail War once," Shirou admitted getting another noise of shock. "It didn't end the loops."

"So then why did you get me into this?" Rin asked moving closer to the door.

"After certain conditions are achieved people are automatically brought into the loop," Shirou answered. "The two requirements for you were discovering that Sakura is your sister and defeating you in a fight."

"Sakura was adopted," Rin said after a while in a weak refutation. "We're no longer sisters."

"The problem with you saying that is that I've seen instances where you discarded your duty as a Second Owner before giving up on Sakura," Shirou stated. "I've seen you at your best Rin. You can't try and hide that from me."

"Damnit," Rin said after a long while and Shirou came to the conclusion she was right on the opposite side of the door. "Do you know how weird that feels?"

"If it makes you feel better than in that same loop you recreated the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch," Shirou said.

"That does make me feel much better," Rin admitted shamelessly. "I'm sorry I need some time to think. Is there a place I can be alone for a bit."

"You have your room," Shirou said. "Someone can show you the way. I'll just pop into the Dojo for now."

"Wait a moment," Rin said causing Shirou to pause for a moment before she swung the door open and he froze in shock. Rin stood in the doorway displaying every inch of her skin with the confidence of a model. With one motion she looked up and down scanning his body in return with piercing eyes that commanded him not to move and so he didn't, freezing like a mouse eyed by a hawk.

"Tohsaka, what..?" Shirou began after a while.

"Call me Rin," she said crossing her arms beneath her breasts which drew Shirou's eyes despite himself. "Now we're even. I'm now part of this nudist club of yours so we should be on first name terms at least. Which of these rooms is mine?"

"That one," Shirou said pointing blankly at the unclaimed room. His brain had defaulted to just staring into Rin's eyes.

"Then I will see you later, Shirou," Rin said. "I'm sorry really have to think." The last sign that Shirou saw was Rin's gorgeous back retreat into her room before the door closed behind her.

"Let's go to the beach now, Shirou," Sakura said firmly grabbing his arm and holding it against her chest. Her voice sounded a little scary for the moment.

"Yes, let's go Shirou," Illya said grabbing his other arm and holding it against her own much smaller chest, alarming Shirou. While he instinctively knew that she was older it made him want to look around for any arresting policeman.

His protests were ignored and despite being able to defeat actual servants he found himself easily shuffled into Rider's room without even the ability to resist.

xxx

"We're inside the Grail," Rin dropped the bomb as soon as our break had ended before she sat back as if waiting for a response and for a moment nobody gave it to her.

"Are you sure?" Saber said after a moment with an odd look upon her face.

"It makes sense," Illya pointed out. "How many other repositories of souls are there? But how did we appear in here? Who became the Grail in the first place?"

"We don't know," Rin said but I can make a guess considering who arrived first. All eyes suddenly locked onto Shirou making him feel self-conscious.

"Shiroooouuuu," Illya said deliberately extending his name. She looked a combination of irritated and eager.

"He doesn't remember either for some reason," Rin said. "Or at least I think so. Is Shirou a good liar?"

"No," every single other person in this room said borderline simultaneously. Shirou actually felt quite put out at that. It wasn't as if he kept his secrets of magecraft for years.

"Do you get other benefits, Shirou?" Rin asked and Shirou told her about the pool, holding nothing back as he explained all the upgrades that he had received. When he had finished Rin was looking at him with a combination of amazement and bewilderment in her eyes.

"Shirou, modification of the soul is the Third Magic," she said. "Didn't you tell him," she said to Illya looking accusingly.

"I thought he would figure out himself," Illya said defensively. "I explained the Third Magic to him in one of the loops."

"You have to be very direct to Shirou," Saber pointed out, casually insulting him.

"So we're in the Grail and a person with the Third Magic is behind this," Shirou said. "Why?" That was the question. The whole series of events felt somewhat random as if something was missing. "What triggered this?"

"Whatever triggered this was probably in the first loop," Rin concluded. "Shirou is there a way to get the memories back. Have any of you recovered your memories so far."

"No," Saber said immediately.

"No," Rider said regretfully.

"No," Sakura said chirpily.

"No," Illya said chirpily.

"Not yet," Shirou said. "But I have an idea," he continued immediately getting their attention. "Your servant Rin once let slip that he was aware of the loops. I hadn't yet had time to confront him about that. Saber defeated him though so I should be able to ask him questions about the matter."

As soon as Shirou resolved the matter a sudden shift appeared and Shirou's head whipped towards the objective wall which was bleeding as the writing of his achievements and quests dripped like wet ink. His points disappeared as well; the number representing his achievements rolling back down to nothing until they were replaced by five exclamation marks.

THE RED SHADOW IS COMING!
DEFEAT THE RED SHADOW!
REWARD-VICTORY

The world broke away and the room collapsed sending Shirou, Sakura, Rin, Illya, Rider and Saber into blackness.

Outside The Room?

Shirou shot out of bed in the real world once more before a spur of panic immediately shot him to his feet. The last words that the room had spoken to him pounded inside his head.

THE RED SHADOW IS COMING!

Victory felt uncertain and hazy but defeat felt very near as if hovering at the end of his consciousness and he could not afford to slow down or make a mistake or the specter of failure would tear him in two. He immediately darted through the hallways. He was early, he could still do this. He just had to summon Saber, before the world exploded into a haze of pain and he felt Fuyuki start to die around him. This felt as bad as when he was stuck in Bloodfort Andromeda; no worse. Even with his magic core sucking huge amounts of energy which was funneled into his reinforcement he felt as if he was being crushed by the pressure. A hundred steps lay between the magic circle and him but every step was like walking through tar.

Taking his first step outside the house he froze for a moment at the vermillion haze covering the city, crushing it to death.

"Hold on," a familiar voice said as Rider appeared grabbing him and dragging him to the shed with more ease than him. In a few seconds she had penetrated the haze and placed him down on the floor besides the circle. "Summon Saber. I'll go get Sakura," she commanded and Shirou nodded back weakly even as he did his best to gather mana. This was going to be a rough one. A chant left his lips, barely audible as blood dripped from his mouth from where he had bitten his tongue. Still she would listen, she had to listen. Light exploded from the circle and…

"I'm here Shirou," Saber said. "Where's Sakura?"

"Rider's bringing her," Shirou said. "This atmosphere…"

"Something big is coming," Saber said going alert at the same time as Shirou did. A second later she was above Shirou and had released the winds from her blade as his Shed/Workshop exploded. The force was mostly blocked by Saber in her full armor and Shirou's own reinforcement was enough to prevent him from becoming meat paste. Without a second's pause Shirou grabbed Saber's arm, using it as a crutch to stand up despite the pressure.

Far above the two of them standing in the air, as if defying gravity itself was Rin's servant who was slowly notching another arrow to his bow. There was something different however as the very air rippled with unreal amounts of prana causing Shirou to finally realize the horrible truth. This whole red mist was just part of the mana he was giving off. He had more than the Grail.

"Where the hell did Rin get that servant from," Shirou said not expecting an answer.

"Do you think I summoned this on purpose," Rin said shocking him quite a bit. "Why couldn't he fight like that when he was with me? Another arrow came down and Rin held out a jewel containing ridiculous amounts of prana that just formed into a shield. The arrow hit the ground and the shield held, barely, but everything else was vaporized leaving the three of them standing on a spire in the middle of a crater.

"What did you use to summon him?" Shirou yelled just as dozens of swords appeared around him before raining down on the trio in a manner eerily reminiscent of Gilgamesh. Shirou's clairvoyance predicted the direction of the strikes and he reinforced himself battering the ones that came towards him and were out of Saber's field. The two of them moved around protecting Rin but even the both of them were easily being overrun by the seemingly limitless storm of blades.

"I just used my pendant," Rin said holding up a familiar jewel. The reply was swift but the answer captivated Shirou's attention at a poor time and Shirou took a nasty cut to his arm, nearly severing it entirely.

"Shirou," Saber said taking a step back and covering him as well.

"I'm fine," Shirou said. "I have Avalon. You saved me," he said to Rin.

"I did… was this something I do in a future timeline?" she asked Shirou.

"Yeah…" Shirou said only to have to dodge as two swords got past Saber.

"Any plans," Saber asked as the swords grew in number and power. Saber's Magic Resistance was amazing but many of the Noble Phantasm's were bypassing that and her armor and body began to look increasingly more damaged as time wore on. Suddenly the skies lit up as Archer was knocked out of the sky by a white beam of light. A second later Rider dropped to the ground holding Sakura.

"Bellephron's dead," Rider said. "He killed Bellephron near instantly."

"Going just by bone structure," Shirou spoke with some trepidation. "Who do you think he most resembles." He didn't want to think that way but the evidence was adding up. Damnit, he should have seen it when Kirei had managed to transplant his arm.

"He's you Shirou," Saber said getting a nod in understanding.

"What?" both Rin and Sakura asked simultaneously showing that beneath everything they really were sisters.

"Careful," Rider said causing a sudden turning of heads just in time to see Archer appear at the edge of the crater again. His bow appeared in his hands and a spiral arrow appeared from it that he immediately drew back before the ground cratered as he dodged an enraged Berserker.

"Get him Berserker," Illya said from her position outside the crater as the looming bundle of muscles bore down on the Red Shadow. The terrifying pressure from Berserker met the red mist coming from off of Archer and was misdirected as a familiar pair or white and black swords appeared in his hands. The maddened rage of Berserker went up against the precise strikes of Archer and was deflected easily. In the space of a breath Archer pulled a black sword straight sword that stabbed into the body of Berserker drawing more and more blood as it automatically positioned itself to bite into his weaknesses turning the blade red.

"Saber," Shirou said at the same time as Sakura called for Rider and the two servants obeyed leaping the entire length of the crater in a moment and joining in the fight. The momentum was met by Archer who didn't even flinch as he drew a second sword catching it against Excalibur and stopping Saber's momentum dead. With both hands occupied a kick from Rider impacted his chest with the sound of crunching steel and he staggered a bit before his body clacked together like steel and countless blades exploded from his position skewering through the feet of Rider.

The blades disappeared and there was a brief moment before a familiar red-tipped spear appeared curving at impossible angles and aiming to pierce the heart of Rider. The spear was stopped as Excalibur came down upon it breaking off the attack and Berserker took that moment to land a blow with his monstorous weapon which sent the Red Shadow tumbling backwards.

Barely had he separated for a moment when a massive sword the size of a skyscraper fell above the three servants where it was met with a burst of light from Exaclibur that pushed back the massive projection before a second different sword equally monstrous in size fell upon the three servants.

"I'm getting in there," Shirou said, realizing something. He could predict Archer's movements. Whatever the Archer pulled he was in the best position to defeat him.

"Stay safe, Shirou," Sakura immediately said and Rin gave him a nod that promised pain if he was injured. Shirou opened up every one of his Magic Circuits ramping up his reinforcement before with a Mana Burst that he had learned from Saber he launched himself forward. The three servants had split up haranguing Archer when he arrived and Shirou's fist enchanted with the same power that good give and Angel a nasty whack impacted Archer's chin, catching him completely off guard and sending him backwards with a sickening crunch.

"He's a Counter Guardian Shirou," Saber said making Shirou's blood run cold at the thought of the dogs of Alaya, the mindless protectors of the balance. Shirou opened his Mystic Eyes only to be flattened by the sheer mountain of regret or remorse that the man was buried under. Like a child that knew only evil being scarred at the learning of good he could no longer choose that path. The very fact that he once did made his skin crawl. Shirou fell on his knees before he threw up, his body physically rebelling at the sight he had seen.

"I'm sorry," he said trying to get to his feet again. "I'm so sorry. His Magic Circuits flew open converting mana. I can't help you I'm sorry." He stood up and reinforced himself already. I'm sorry but I'll never be you.

The world exploded into illusory fire in front of him and he winced as he saw a dead world surrounded by crumbling rubble and adorned by tombs in the form of swords. Far above the sky hung great monolithic gears slowly turning which gave of a dull, listless feeling. This was a dying world.

"I hate this world," Shirou stated as he stared at the red-covered sword. "It was you the whole time. You never wanted me to have this. You never wanted me to be this. That's why no swordplay, that's why no projecting swords."

No words came from the Beast of Alaya but Shirou could determine a slightest spark of approval before he drew the black and white swords.

"Shirou," Saber said warily.

"Let me please," Shirou refuted as he walked forward before he charged. His entire body was so full of mana he felt like he was overflowing before he threw a punch that exploded against the swords. The point of impact exploded like a bomb hit it as waves of Archer took a step back losing his stance for an instant before rapidly regaining it. Jacob's limbs met Archer's unnamed sword style and the air warped from the forces involved. The exchange lasted for a second as Shirou was forced to dodge and unnamed sword. A few dozen swords flew towards Shirou only to freeze at that instant, his Mystic Eyes causing portions of the Reality Marble to stagnate until they were unmoving.

As fist of Shirou met blade of Emiya images flashed through Shirou's head. No not images, but memories. Visions of him summoning Saber, fighting with Rin… and of getting intimate with the magus, Rin dying against Berserker, Berserker dying against Archer and Saber, Saber dying against Gilgamesh and Caster forming a deal with him and Archer to seize the Grail. The trio of them beat Lancer; they beat Gilgamesh and they beat Kirei, the last master and then when they finally recovered the Grail.

Shirou saw an image of a dead Caster fading away into mana and a dying Archer already mostly subsumed by the Grail. The sudden presence of hateful half-thought on his part to see just what sort of prize required so many of his friends to die and so he did. Perhaps the most spectacular thing in this whole ordeal was just how he could ever forget the image of the Root, of Akasha.

"You did that didn't you," Shirou stated as he watched the Red Shadow the embodiment of Alaya's will.

"I wish that he would have the opportunity to make better choices," the words came out of Archer's mouth briefly, unaccompanied by his normally cocky grin or tone of voice. Instead he sounded tired, like a machine that stoically continuing despite parts of it breaking down; running on the fumes of regret.

"But the Grail didn't have the power or desire to grant this wish," Shirou admitted. "The Path to the Root got granted because that was the Grail's whole purpose. No matter what corruption it undergoes it will always be built to open a path there. But saving lives, making better choices is not in this Grails nature. Unable and unwilling it trapped us in here in a brief island against the mud in a time loop while Angrai Manyu was born, fulfilling the letter but not the intent. If I had accepted the ending then I would have died and Avenger would have destroyed at least Fuyuki?"

"Destroy the Grail," the voice said. The tone was not devoid of humanity but there was instead an intolerable surplus of humanity. The level of humanity was so high that the voice from the Red Shadow became Inhuman.

"Not going to happen," Shirou stated. "I'm in the Grail I'm afraid and so are all my friends."

"You would sacrifice humanity," Alaya said and Shirou responded with a glare as he activated his Mystic Eyes and stared past the Red Shadow into the writhing collective, the dregs of humanities fears and hopes. "I will no longer sacrifice my humanity," he stated as the Red Shadow, a symbol of his failings, stood in front of him.

"You would do poorly as a Counter Guardian," Alaya said and I couldn't tell whether its words were spoken in approval or disapproval. A deal appeared in his mind. If he would provide the equivalent amounts of five times the prana to power the Grail then Alaya would use an alternate dimension Grail to send him back once more outside of the loop to prevent Angrai Manyu from being born and the Grail from being born into the wrong hands.

"That would be sending my soul back right," Shirou said. "So I would still retain the Third Magic." He shook his head at the thought. Despite his ineptitude with magecraft he instinctively knew that being a Magician was not something one stopped becoming. "What about the others." He barely needed to say anything at this point, the contract was clear but he wished to make sure.

"You are the so-called Master of Souls," Alaya exposited. "It was your power that drew their Souls into the loop and your power that sustained it. The room was managed by EMIYA and the Loops were provided by the Grail. All else was you. When you return you may take their souls as well. The cost is seven times the Grail prana."

"Can I practice a couple times more with the loops first," Shirou said.

"Granted," Alaya said before the world disappeared and the loop ended.

Shirou found himself in the middle of the room once more with all five of his companions still a bit off balance from the awakening. While they were still recovering he took a look at the now blank objectives wall before walking over to the pool and dipping his head inside. All of the techniques, knowledge and improvements that could be made had disappeared leaving only one line in its place.

The Third True Magic-Already Yours

With a mental press Shirou was again remembering what he had forgotten in the beginning. His soul clicked into existence and he felt the endless abyss filled with infinite prana. He existed with or without a body and he could allow those around him to exist with or without a body or perhaps more. He hadn't experimented with that but he knew for sure that Rin would con him into testing in future.

"Hey," he said as he lifted his head from the pool. "You won't believe what just happened.

In the Real World

Ryuudou Temple

"Archer, Rider, Berserker and Saber are on our side," Rin said plainly sitting opposite her opponents. Kuzuki had offered some tea when they had arrived and announced themselves as Masters in the war and while Caster may have planned to be duplicitous originally her plans were scuppered by their overwhelming advantage. "As of this morning we have defeated Lancer and an extra servant summoned by the Grail System. The only two remaining servants are you and the Assassin you summoned.

'It had actually been easy,' Shirou reflected. They had Saber plus Avalon with more mana that she could ever conceivably use plus Berserker plus Rider with Archer covering the weaknesses in the formation. They had practiced over a few dozen loops and the process of defeating Gilgamesh had gone from an unsurmountable obstacle to a chore. No matter how strong you are having four unfettered servants jump at you and starting a beat down when they know of your abilities was just not something you could survive. Well maybe he could. Shirou still wasn't entirely comfortable with his apparent immortality yet.

"So what do you desire from me," Caster said and Shirou focused on her. He actually rather liked her, platonically of course. Despite her epithet of the Witch of Betrayal when she was treated reasonably she would become a steadfast ally. In addition she blew both Rin and Illya out of the water when it came to her knowledge of magecraft.

"The Holy Grail is corrupted," Rin stated clearly. "It's infected by an evil god and has the possibility of exploding either now or in the future." Caster's posture had become more serious at that. The woman had no love for the gods either good or evil. "In exchange for dismantling the Holy Grail we will help protect your autonomy and provide you with more than enough mana to survive comfortably for as long as you wish it."

"You clearly have the upper hand," Caster stated with what sounds like gritted teeth. "I have no idea how you managed to gather so many servants to your side but there is no way you will be able to supply them once you dismantle the grail."

"Have you ever glimpsed the Root Medea," Shirou suddenly said quietly, yet his words drowned out the conversation. In an instant all of his magic circuits opened dragging in the surrounding mana from the air and pumping it into his circuits before releasing it as prana. Such waste that it would make a magus of the Clocktower break down in tears and yet it was effortless as his core took more and more of the mana around him and then he stopped; but the prana output didn't as his circuits pumped out more and more prana until the room was saturated in the energy.

"I understand," Caster said after a brief moment. "I can work something out that should be able to siphon some of your magical energy in exchange for dismantling the Grail. Souichiro will still be my master."

"That's perfectly acceptable," Shirou said. "I'll trust the quality of your work." He had B-Rank Magic Resistance, his servant had an A-Rank Magic Resistance and there were a few ways that he could get out of any unwanted magecraft that she tried slipping in; but he genuinely didn't think she'd do it. Besides there was no need for him them to be enemies and Shirou was fairly certain Caster agreed. While she was undoubtedly powerful; there was no shortage of fools or monsters in the world, especially when you are a magus from the age of the gods. It was always better to have somebody who had your back.

"Then I shall endeavor not to disappoint," Medea said taking a delicate sip of her tea. "When should I expect the rest of your entourage to arrive?"

"They should be here in the afternoon," Rin said. "We have members from the original founding families who should be able to assist with the dismantling."

"How cute," Medea said with a smile. "You can come over and watch. I'll even do it slowly."

"That would be much appreciated, Caster," Shirou said as it looked like Rin was going to blow a gasket. "I can lend my expertise as well. While I'm the worst at magecraft I do have a unique perspective on the matter."

"I'm sure you do," Caster said less flippantly. "Alright I'll be looking out for it."

"I can't stand that woman," Rin said as soon as they left the temple and Shirou decided to diplomatically keep quiet. "What do we still have to do?"

"Got Zouken, got Kirei and Gilgamesh," Shirou said ticking off on his fingers. We helped Sakura. We're dismantling the Grail this afternoon. We still need to fix Illya. I'm not sure if Caster can help with that, but we need a new body. We can try and find a magus to get a really good puppet body and I can transfer her soul myself. Otherwise I can maintain her soul if she dies before then."

"Deal with the Einzberns," Rin said getting a scoff from Shirou.

"Screw the Einzberns," he said. "Unless you meant deal with as in 'we let Excalibur deal with them'."

"I didn't," Rin said. "Do you think we'll have problems with the Clocktower?"

"Almost certainly," Shirou admitted. "But I don't think they will be overtly hostile. For all intents and purposes we completed the ritual. They should be happy about that."

"I haven't seen Archer for a while," Rin said changing the subject. "Do you know what happened with him?"

"I still owe him 50 million units of prana," Shirou admitted. "I'm going to be frank and say that I want him gone. I do pity him but he's still a hand of Alaya and I want that thing's eyes as far away from me as possible."

"That's reasonable," Rin said with a face like she had just swallowed a lemon. "Still it bites being the only master without a servant."

"I'm sure we can ask Caster to summon you another one," Shirou said. "Hopefully one that isn't a version of me who made a bad deal." Shirou paused for a moment. "Do you know I think that if he hadn't mechanically focused on causing the least amount of death Alaya wouldn't have offered him that deal or at least his job wouldn't be an endless cycle of killing? If you train as a butcher than you shouldn't be surprised if people invite you to a slaughterhouse." That was a dark topic that Shirou didn't want to think about and while the servant had helped him he was an aching reminder of parts of him that he really didn't like at the moment.

"With your current luck isn't it far more likely to be an attractive woman," Rin said only half-teasingly. "Is there anyone in the loops that you haven't actually slept with?"

"Illya," Shirou said immediately. "Not with Illya."

"But it wasn't for lack of trying on her part," Rin said. "Tell me what age body are you trying to get her. Do you think she'll ask for any modifications?"

"Please don't ask me that question," Shirou said.

"Oh well I'll ask her then," Rin said as they arrived at the Emiya House and she pulled out her key and unlocked the door.

"That's going to be an uncomfortable lunch then," Shirou said as he opened the door a step behind Rin following her into the dining room and then froze. Every single one of the loop collaborators were sitting around the table chatting and enjoying tea. This was not such an unusual event as they had been doing this the past few days on the brief occasion when they were together and had time.

The problem was that all of the collaborators were wearing their loop clothes i.e. absolutely nothing. Shirou took a moment before he rubbed his eyes. He had been having a few long days recently, maybe he has been hallucinating. Nope that was definitely still them outside of the room wearing not so much of a stitch between them.

"Good day Shirou, Rin," Saber said seeing them as she placed her tea down. "How did the negotiations go?"

"They went fine," Rin said as she took off her coat before she started working with the rest of the garments.

"Wait, what," Shirou said as she assumed the standard uniform of this gathering. "What's going on here?" He tried to avert his eyes only to get a set of exasperated looks.

"It's actually rather comfy, Shirou," Sakura said.

"You've spent how many weeks in the room, Shirou," Rin said. "Just take off your clothes before I get Illya to do it for you."

"It's no trouble," Illya said getting up. In one motion Saber grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down.

"It's fine, it's fine, I'll do it," Shirou said hastily divesting himself of clothes before the handsy loli got her chance. Illya pouted as Shirou sat down between Sakura and Rin feeling like the proverbial sheep among the wolves. They were so close to him that he could feel their bare flesh against his thighs and it was once more doing things to him that he didn't really feel like happening in front of Illya.

"Just so you know, Shirou," Rin said with a not-insignificant amount of teasing in her voice. "Memories over all the loops have been trickling back to us over the past few days and we've been arranging little counselling sessions for sharing information and feelings and the like." She leaned on his shoulder and Sakura did the same.

"Congratulations Shirou," Sakura said as she leant on his other shoulder trapping him between two soft, sweet-smelling places. "You have managed to get romantically involved with everybody in this room."

"Except me," Illya interrupted huffing at that.

"Yeah, except Illya," Rin said.

"Wait what about Rider," Shirou protested only to receive an affirmative nod of the head from Sakura's servant. Wait she wasn't Sakura's servant at the moment, she was his. Saber was still contracted to Sakura due to the necessity of Avalon.

"Wait when..?" Shirou asked trying to rack his brain.

"The point is that you have somehow got into a relationship with literally everyone here with the exception of Illya who will be rectifying that as soon as possible," Rin said grimacing slightly. "And while it technically didn't happen; I'll be damned if it didn't count."

"Yay, Shirou got the harem route," Illya said yelling out causing Shirou to blush.

"Illya that's not_" he started.

"Nope, that's exactly right, Shirou," Rin said with a smile. "Congratulations and my sincere condolences. Now if you don't mind I would take you to my room," she said with a grin. "But Sakura beat me at Hanafuda. Good luck."

It was only much, much later that the two of them left the room and the Grail dismantling had to be postponed until the next day. Figures out dismantling the grail would be more strenuous than managing his relationships.

Author Note: Alright due to some stuff this story ended up unbetaed (is that the right word) despite my best attempts, I finished it about a month ago. This is the first one shot I've ever completed and I tried a bunch of new stuff I've never attempted before; the result is that it is probably (certainly) quite rough. I will accept any criticism as long as it is with the result of improving the story or future stories.

Lastly, I will admit that Heaven's Feel is my favorite route in Fate/Stay although Sakura isn't my favorite heroine. The Third Route retroactively kills the happy nature of the first two routes in an almost mocking fashion saying 'Hey Shirou, you believe you can save people. You can't even tell that your friend is suffering.' Servants portrayed as godlike are shown to be just as human and mortal and in the end having learnt the truth behind the Grail War and behind Sakura and Rin and a dozen other truths Shirou gives up on his dream to become a hero and settles for becoming a human.

It almost brings a tear to my eye. If you have time after criticizing my story please tell me what your favorite route is?

Edit: Thanks for advice on some changes. I might cross post to AO3 soon where I don't have to skirt around certain subjects