AN: I do not own Genshin Impact or anything regarding the fate series. Please support the original creators Mihoyo for Genshin and Type-moon for Fate.

Broken Blade ACT I: Smelting Process

He dragged himself through the hellish landscape, walking past the burning villagers as they yearned for him to help them. He didn't and just kept on walking… and walking until he could walk no more and collapsed onto the blackened soil of this once beautiful village.

He turned his body to face the dull sky and closed his eyes. He suddenly felt something pelt against his face and he opened his eyes sluggishly, revealing to him rain. Heavy rain dropping from the sky and snuffing out the fire all around him.

"Great… Shogun?" the young boy croaked out to the sky.

But the rain didn't respond and continued to pour down onto him even when it had killed the fire. It felt as though the rain was also trying to kill him, suffocate him from this life. Maybe that was good thing, maybe… it was mercy from the eternal shogun.

There was a scraping noise nearby, he didn't know who or what was causing the noise, but he ignored it. After all they're going to die anyways, so what's the point?

"Oh, thank god!"

He saw a silhouette above him, covering him from the rain. It was a person; he could barely make out his face except for that solemn smile. Why was he smiling? He wondered.

"Thank you…" he whispered "Thank you…"

The man continued to mutter these words as he held onto the boy's hand, tears streaming from his eyes except they weren't one of grief but rather one of gratefulness. But… why was he thanking him – the boy? Why? What could he possibly have done that could earn this man's thankfulness?

He envied him – the man. Even when he was on the brink of death, the man was so grateful that it made him envy him.

"Thank god… thank god I found someone" the man cried.

So that's why. The boy now understood why he was so happy. It's because the man had finally found someone that he could save, someone who was still alive. The more the man smiled the more he looked as though he was the one that was saved instead of the boy.

'I wish… I could be that happy' the boy thought as his vision slowly faded.

~~Fragmented Star~~

The boy sat up right in a mysterious room. But from he can see, he's currently in an infirmary of sorts. There were also other patients lying in beds near him, some of which were children around his age and were either sleeping or lying down with nothing to do.

"He should be awake by now" someone said "You can go see him"

"Yes, thank you, Alchemist"

Curious, the boy turned to the source of the conversation, which was near the room's door, wondering who was it that was visiting. It was definitely a patient in this room but who?

A man stepped through a sliding door. He wore an all-black outfit, trench coat and everything. It made him look like one of those… what were they called again? Fa… Fa… Fatui? Why can't he remember? Now that think about it, he can't really remember anything.

What was the name of his parents? Where did he live? Does he have a sibling? What was the name of the nation he lived in? Why? Why can't he remember-

"Hey there" the man called.

The boy looked up to see the man in black smiling at him. He recognizes someone who had a similar smile too, the one from the fire, the one who saved him. The boy's eyes widened in realization; he was the same person.

"So… my name is Kiritsugu" the man introduced "What's yours?"

"Shirou" the boy said without thinking.

It was the only thing he could remember.

The man – Kiritsugu put down a bag he didn't notice before, opened it and started to rummaging through it.

"Okay then, Shirou" he said "I'm going to ask you a question"

"Hm?"

"Would you like to go to an orphanage?" he asked pausing "Or come with me, a man who you've never met before in your life?"

Shirou blinked owlishly. His posture changed to one of a thinker, contemplating his decision. He could live with in a place where he'll be with kids who are orphaned like him, waiting for someone who will adopt him into a family. Or he could go with the man – Kiritsugu, his saviour whom he has just met and be adopted now. He chose the latter.

"Great!" he chuckled.

Kiritsugu went back to rummaging the bag and pulled out a set of clothes but then paused and turned to Shirou.

"Oh, by the way. I'm a magic user"

AN: So, this is actually a side project I've been working on because it was interesting and seemed really fun.

I'm going to go now… see you all in the next prologue.