Prologue: To save one life
Frigid wind that cuts like swords blew fiercely in front of the window that I was staring out of. I couldn't see anything besides wind and snow in this frozen world. I wonder how beautiful it would look on a clear sunny day. I never thought that my first internship would be in a place like this. After all, my previous job was at a bar that never had this kind of weather. I scratch my head think about how ridiculous my situation is and imagine the look on Fuji-nee's face if she knew where I was. The thought of her brings back the last time I saw her—
A face filled with anguish that wasn't too surprised that I would be leaving in order to travel the world. It seems like she was used to hearing such news before. She holds herself together and hugs me tightly so that I won't leave. Time pass as the leaves blow past us to announce the time of parting. She eventually lets me go and tells me to promise that I'll come back home from time to time in order to never forget her. I agree and take off keeping that promise deep in my heart.
"Fou!"
—A squirrel-like animal tackles my leg while I was stuck in my thoughts. I really was rusty from combat if a small animal like this took me by surprise. I gently pet his head with my right hand and he starts to lick my hand in response. He was an animal that I have never seen before, but he was cute enough.
"Oh Fou, there you are!"
A girl younger than me with purple hair and glasses yells in front of me before walking towards me in pursuit of this animal named Fou. She looks at me petting Fou and smiles kindly.
"Fou is never this nice around strangers, you must be a good person, Senpai." said the lilac-haired girl with a gentle voice that reminds me of Sakura. She wore a comfy-looking gray hoodie over a white-collar shirt and red tie with black skirt and tights and brown boots. She was dressed quite casually for the professional looking lab we were currently in. Fou stops licking my palm and jumps up to rest on her shoulders.
"So, his name is Fou, huh? That's an unimaginative name for him, but it fits." She frowns in response to my light jab at her creativity before looking to Fou who licks her cheek in morale support. I beam warmly at them and asks, "Speaking of names, what's your name? My name is Shirou Emiya; it's nice to meet you." I stretch out my right hand in order to greet her properly.
"Ah, my name is Mash Kryielight, I work in Chaldea assisting Team A with their work, it's nice to meet you as well, Senpai." She reaches out with her left hand and gently shakes my hand with a gentle squeeze that's filled with strong conviction. I'm surprised by her strength considering how demure she looks. Her striking lavender eyes match stare at me without flinching...until she flinches her hand back from the handshake.
"What's wrong, are you alright, Mash?" I ask, concerned that I may have done something wrong.
"No, I-I'm fine, Senpai it's just that your hand is-" I look down towards my right palm and see how wet it is, I then realize that Fou had licked my hand when I was petting him. Sensing danger, Fou quickly leaps out from Mash's shoulder and runs away after pulling off his prank.
"He's smarter than he looks." I jokingly reply to try and cheer her up.
"You may be right, Senpai. He's always messing with the staff here and doing these kinds of pranks." Mash utters in a despondent voice while looking at her hand before looking to me with a questioning gaze. It looks like to me that she's thinking about how to clean her hand; she looks like a lost puppy. While I'd like to tease her since she looks so cute, I'd be a bad senpai if I messed around with my kouhai too much. I took the handkerchief that Sakura gave me as her farewell gift out of my pocket and gave it to Mash. She blinks in surprise before bowing in thanks and using it to clean her hand.
"Thank you, Senpai. I'm surprised that you have something like this with you, are you perhaps a butler from a mansion?" She playfully says something outrageous to me and hands the handkerchief back to me.
I take it from her hands and think that she isn't too far off from the truth. Tohsaka used to call me her butler when I was in her home receiving magic lessons from her. As payment for giving me free lessons, she would boss me around like a butler and make me clean up her house and make her tea. She would always say that I'm not as good of a butler as her previous one was, but she told me that I'd grow up into a great butler like him one day. I chuckle at the memories before focusing on answering her question.
"That's a good guess, but no, I'm not a butler from a mansion in Europe or something that sounds like it came from book." I tease her as she looks like she reads those kinds of books.
She looks crestfallen for one second before returning to her usual bright self.
"So then where did you get such a nice handkerchief?" While she asks me innocently enough, I debate over whether I should tell her something about my past. Rin did warn me about revealing any information from my history to any mage. I know that Chaldea is a place that is filled with mages, so it could be a bad idea. However, I look back at Mash and see her curious eyes that are pure of any ill intent. Someone this innocent can't be a cunning mage, could she? Risking a complaint from my teacher, I go ahead and tell her the truth.
"I got it as a farewell gift from my friend when I left my hometown. It's quite lovely, isn't it?" I look at the handkerchief and notice how pretty it is. It's a mainly white handkerchief that is lightly tinted pink, which makes sense since Sakura seems to like the color pink.
"That's a thoughtful gift to give to someone as a farewell gift, it could mean that your friend may want you to give it back." She expresses in a tender voice that praises Sakura's thoughtfulness. Mash was quite insightful to know so much about my past with knowing nothing about me.
"You're right once again, Mash. Sakura did want me to give it back to her once I came back home." She also told me to use it when wrapping my lunches for work in order to remember all of the meals that we had together. She'd probably get mad that I used such an important gift on helping clean a squirrel(dog?)'s saliva. Realizing how important the gift is, Mash looks at me apologetically.
"Oh, I'm so sorry for making your precious gift dirty, what was I thinking?" She mutters depressingly and looks downcast to the floor awaiting my punishment. I wonder if it's a habit of hers to accept discipline when she does something wrong. I remember that this place probably has mages here so it isn't too surprising that she's used to getting scolded from snobby mages.
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure Sakura wouldn't mind me helping you." I think they'd get along as fellow kouhais' and be fast friends. I didn't think I'd be taking about Sakura so much in Chaldea...Sakura—
A face filled with utter despair before going back to her usual fake smile. She thinks that fate is too cruel for her to part with another important person. She looks at the boy that she loves and tries to come up with any kind of reason to keep him her with her.
...She can't tell him the truth about her situation, she's fine with him never finding out about it. She realizes her hypocrisy of previously being fine with him leaving her behind in order to fulfill his dreams. His home was a beacon of hope to her and she realizes that she doesn't want him to leave. He was different after the Holy Grail War. His eyes looked off far into the horizon and beyond it in order to go someplace where she couldn't reach him. She always knew that their time together was a temporary paradise, a fleeting dream that she would one day wake from. She has many questions to ask, but stops herself from doing so. She knows how stubborn he is and that he would never change his goal. All she can is ask him is to come back home one day.
He'd probably forget it if she just asked him to promise, she needs something more memorable. She thinks of giving the ribbon that her sister gave her, but she quickly dismisses that thought. She's still waiting to give it to back to her sister once she saves her like in her dreams. The only other thing she has that she's been wanting to give him is her handkerchief that she planned to give him in her bento box. She had made many lunches for him before, but she never had the courage to give him one that was wrapped with the handkerchief.
"Before, you leave Senpai, I have something I want to give to you." She looks at his surprised face, before she continues on. "This is a promise between us, please return this to me when you come back home. I'll be waiting for you, Senpai." She looks to his bewildered face, before he responds.
"Okay, I'll promise to come back and give this to you. I'll come back home for sure one day."
She smiles brightly at that, she knows how strange this all sounds, but it's the best she could come up with on such short notice. Besides, this reminds her of the fairy tales that she used to read when she was younger. She hugs him tightly so that he won't forget her and he takes off to the distant, distant, horizon beyond the sky that he yearned for.
"—Senpai, are you listening to me?" Mash stares closely at my face questioningly. I step back in surprise at how close she is to my face before nodding. I blink and focus on the present; I really do get stuck in my musings of the past way too often. Guess I must be homesick, I'd be pretty pathetic to get homesick so early already.
"Sorry for spacing out, Mash. I was reflecting on how much I miss my friends back home." I reply casually in order to move past me not listening to her. She looks at me quizzically and is ready to ask me about them before someone else speaks first.
"I'd normally scold you for walking around without permission, but it looks like someone else is with you. You're the rookie who just got assigned here, right?" The older man states, who is dressed in a green top-hat and green coat with fancy black pants and boots. He approaches me while Mash steps back from us and stands next to us.
"I'm Dr. Lev Lainur, one of the technicians employed here. And you're Shirou Emiya, correct?" He confidently brings out his hand in order to shake it just like Mash did. I wisely bring out my left hand in order to greet him. His handshake is much stronger than Mash's, it feels like the handshake a bigwig would make in an important corporate job interview. It's funny considering how wig-like his hair looks. It looks like a shoddy prop wig that would be seen in a cheaply-made B movie.
"Hmm, Emiya. So, you're the last of the 48 Master candidates. Welcome to Chaldea. I'm glad you're here. I heard you were selected out of many public applicants, how long was your training? A year? 6 months? 3 months?" Dr. Lev plainly states with little interest. I wanted to snidely reply that my training was the Holy Grail War, but I quickly dismiss it.
"I went through some training during the application process and got hired due to having the aptitude to become a Master." I respond clearly, I'm pretty confident in my ability as a Master due to my previous "work" experience after all. Dr. Lev is clearly surprised by my statement as his interest in me has suddenly increased.
"Really? Fascinating. Normally it takes most people months to summon a servant, but you had the ability to do so in only a couple of hours?" His eyes bore into me as if he's trying to solve a complex puzzle. It's the same kind of look that Tohsaka gave me when first discovering how strange my magic was. Although, her reasons for doing so were for how absurd my magic training was at an early age. I try to act dumb in order to not arise suspicion,
"Yeah, I guess I was lucky." I say so with my best bluff. It doesn't look like he buys my excuse, but he doesn't seem too bothered by it.
"If you really were lucky, then you'd be a part of Team A and applied earlier. Well you're still a valuable member of our operation so if you have any questions please feel free to ask Mash or myself." He attempts to say this with the most reassuring smile he could muster, but even Mash must've seen through his facade.
"Yes, Senpai, please feel free to ask me any questions and I'd be glad to help!" Mash energetically replies like a dog wagging its tail. I guess she really does trust him, she may be too naive if she doesn't think this guy looks suspicious. Or maybe I've grown more cynical over the years, I mean my skepticism about Kotomine were true in the end, and this guy isn't nearly as intimidating as that fake priest. I look at Mash and ask a question that I've been meaning to ask, "So where is the orientation? I heard from the person that brought me here that it'd be starting soon."
She looks at me and jolts in surprise. "Ah! Good question, yes the Director's orientation is about to start soon, follow me, Senpai." Mash starts sprinting down the hallway.
"Well, looks like I should go, goodbye Dr. Lainur." I hastily say so before getting past him in order to catch up with Mash.
"Goodbyes aren't necessary as I'll be joining you two for the orientation."
He starts to follow behind me as we head down the hallway. As we're both walking, I look around in order to assess where I'm currently located. It really is the ideal picture of a sci-fi lab with futuristic-looking glass structures in the right side of the hallway. I still can't believe that I'm here considering how ordinary my hometown is in comparison. I shake my head to clear away my old memories of simpler times and focus on following Mash in order to get to the orientation on time.
"Looks like we barely made it in time, Senpai. Please follow me, you're in the front row." Mash briskly says so and takes a seat next to me.
I follow her example and sit down and look all around me. The auditorium is filled with people who look to be around the same age as me, the people around me lose my attention as I stare at the large telescope in front of the stage. Using Structural Grasping I start to analyze the telescope before quickly regretting that decision. It's hard for me to understand anything that isn't a weapon and complex magical architecture like this is way too difficult for me to understand. I'm good at understanding most home appliances like air conditioners or bikes. I can only grasp the simple details like the name of it which is Sheba.
"Interested in Sheba, hmm? That makes sense considering what a marvel of magical ingenuity it is." Dr. Lev takes a seat next to me and starts to praise Sheba. "The Near-Future Observation Lens "Sheba" is best described as an environmental observation satellite that observes all of Earth or Chaldeas in our case." He speaks proudly of Sheba and continues with his explanation.
"If you picked up on the meaning of Near-Future then you can guess that Sheba is used to observe the near future of Earth with the miniature pseudo-planet known as Chaldeas."Dr. Lev puffs up with pride once again. "It basically lets us know if humanity still has a future as this facility is used to determine the survival of humanity in the near future." He finishes his explanation and waits for my reaction with rapt anticipation. I don't fully understand most of what he said, but it seems like it's really important for the future of humanity. The most surprising thing about his speech is how passionate he was in comparison to our first chat.
"Wow, it sure does sound impressive, my question is why were you so invested when speaking about Sheba; did you work on it? I ask with genuine interest.
He looks at me and boasts, "Well of course I'd be interested in it, I invented Sheba after all."
I look at him with a slack-jawed expression on my face. My impression of him just went up. He really is a genius to have made something so impressive.
"Dr. Lev and Senpai, Director Animusphere is about to start, so please be quiet." Being as polite as she could, Mash asks us to stop talking so that the Director could begin her speech.
It looks like we were the only ones left talking as all the other Masters' are looking at us, or more accurately, Dr. Lev. He looks around and at the Director before blushing from embarrassment and giving a meek apology to everyone. I don't think I'll ever see him looking so flustered ever again.
"Thank you, Mash. Now that Dr. Lev has graciously explained the basics to the newbie I'd like to start with introductions." The Director spoke with all the respect she could towards Dr. Lev, but put as much venom in the word newbie.
She stood straight with her arms crossed and an angry glare towards me. She wore a black sweater over a white-collared dress, red stockings, a red bowtie, and black-high heeled shoes. She had long white hair tied into a small braid on her left side while the rest of her hair fell past her shoulders. She reminded me of Illya, due to her hair color being the similar, but she reminded me more of Rin with her posture and general aura. She looked like she'd be a lot of trouble to deal with.
"Welcome to Special Organization, Chaldea. I'm the director, Olga Marie Animusphere. You have been selected, or discovered from each nation for your rare—" She really was like Rin, although Olga seemed to be trying to hide her nervousness. That's what made them different. Tohsaka would always believe in herself...Tohsaka—
A face filled with desperate worry, before turning into one of her usual grins.
"While you're travelling the world, I have a job for you. I got a letter to join a security organization called Chaldea, it's currently looking for Masters who have the ability to summon servants." She looks towards me with concern. "I don't know much about them besides that, but it seems important. It could be a way to help other people."
She grins boldly and declares without regret, "I'd love to go, but I'm going to London soon, so I can't go there. I don't want them to think you're someone tied to the Holy Grail War so I can't give you this letter of recommendation." She looks away from me for a moment before looking back towards me reassuringly.
"However, it has the recruitment address so you can go there and apply with the excuse of finding a recruitment ad in a newspaper." She comes towards me and holds her hand out in order to confirm our parting. Coming close to her, she doesn't look to sad about me leaving, but she's probably trying to act strong in order to stop me from worrying me about her. That really was like her, I reach out with my hand laughing that she really would act strong even when we say farewell. She glares at me before quickly giving me her most brilliant smile in the hopes that I would never forget her.
"—Senpai, the orientation is over, Team A is going into their pods now, I'll see you later." Mash stands up from her seat and starts walking over to the pods with the other Masters.
I stand up to see them off before hearing Dr. Lainur from behind me, "Wait, Mash, could you please take Emiya here as a backup Master? His Spiritron Dive times were quite impressive from the files I've reviewed during the orientation." He stands up from his seat and gives me a gentle push forward. I look back towards him skeptically before he stands next to me and whispers—
"You really are lucky."
—to me before walking away from me. I furrow my brow at his retreating back and then stand up to catch up to Mash.
Something doesn't feel right.
Getting closer to the pods, this feeling of foreboding keeps increasing. My intuition of danger from life or death battles during the Grail War were blaring in my mind like a fire alarm.
My premonition was right as I start to smell a faint hint of magic in the air around the coffin-like pods. Rin had told me that my nose in detecting magic was better than most mages. Before I could warn Mash, someone yelled before I did—
"Hey, you, get in your pod already!" Director Olga yelled at me before she entered her own pod. "You're wasting time, everyone else is already in their pod! Hurry u—
"GET DOWN!"
I yelled at the top of my lungs and tried to reach her, but I didn't make it in time.
*BOOM*
A huge explosion blew me away and blasted everything into hell. I couldn't see what happened to Olga, but I feared for the worst as I started to pass out.
Fire
That is the first thing that I ever saw.
Fire
That is the first thing that I ever heard.
Fire
That is the first thing that I ever smelled.
Fire
That is the first thing I ever touched
Fire
That is the first thing I ever tasted.
Fire
That is...the reason why I'm still alive…
I often dreamt of fire when I was younger, after surviving the fire I dreamt of it all the time as a kid. I was scared and could never stop shaking when it happened. I was scared of seeing the hell that killed everyone and saved no one. I was afraid of losing hope like all the others did during the fire. I was terrified of losing myself in that fire. I had already died once before in that fire. However, my strongest emotion I felt the most during the fire...was admiration.
I could no longer see anything.
I could no longer hear anything.
I could no longer smell anything.
I could no longer touch anything.
I could no longer taste anything.
I...am the reason that everyone else died…
My hand in the sky felt his hands grasp me like an angel from the heavens.
He burst into tears of joy that someone could be saved from this hell
My eyes that had already burned away looked at the man that had saved me and—
— Saw the happiest smile that I will ever see in my life.
I was jealous of that smile...since he had been given the hope that I had lost.
The biggest miracle that happened there wasn't me being saved—
No, it was
—that someone else was there to save me.
I admired the smile that saved me.
I admired the man that saved only me. It was the only emotion that I could feel.
To save someone is the only emotion that I ever felt and will feel for the rest of my life.
I wake up from the dream of hell and enter another kind of hell. I shield my eyes from the flames around me and cover my mouth in order to keep breathing. Fire was everywhere in the Command Room and all of the alarms were blaring loudly. I felt bruises on my back and blood all over my body from the cuts of debris and the explosion. Honestly, I truly was lucky to even be alive. I quickly focus and tried to look for Olga, but I couldn't see much of anything in this fire. I decide to try and look for other survivors in the hope that anyone was still alive.
"Is anyone else still alive!?"
I yelled as loudly as I could while digging through piles of rubble in order to save anyone. I didn't hear any loud voices beyond a small voice that I picked up on using reinforcement on my ears for better hearing. I carefully walked past the others that died in order to save someone. The ones that I let die in the Fuyuki fire are all judging me for falling to save the others that died here. I'll pay for my sins at another time. I could only hope that the pods would be able to keep them alive somehow.
"help..me.."
I heard a weak voice that sounded like Mash's. I couldn't believe that her bright cheery voice from earlier was so weak and lifeless. I rapidly followed the trail of the voice like a moth to the flame and went to Mash's pod. There I found—
—A small boy that was already dead
I blink and focus on Mash; I can't be stuck in my thoughts right now. I pick up the debris that were on top of Mash's pod. I reinforce my hands and try to do it remove the rocks swiftly so that I can save her. I wince in pain from being burned by the burning rocks. I struggle to get all of the junk out of the way, and start feeling hopeful as I finally free Mash. As soon I see her, I curse myself for being too slow in saving her. She doesn't look like she'll live for much longer.
In fact, she didn't look alive anymore. She was buried under large rubble and her lower body looks like it has been crushed. Blood is everywhere and she looks up to me with her hand raised high in order to touch the sky—
—I reached out and grasp her hand with all of my might.
I have to save her no matter what.
She looks at me with dead eyes and speaks in a deathly weak voice—
"...Senpai...?"
I look at her face and knew she doesn't have long. I swiftly moved to the rubble and reinforce my body with all of my strength and tried to save her.
"...It's all...right. You can't...save...me."
I keep pushing with everything I have; I didn't care about the searing burns that scorch my hands and body. I was used to fire after all. If this was the price to pay in order to save someone's life, then I'd gladly take it. I was a sinner after all and I deserve this punishment from those that I did not save.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
I scream out due to the pain and try to push the rubble off; It wasn't working. I didn't have enough time to project anything. "Shit...hold on Mash, I'll save you." I try to comfort her and focus again on pushing the rubble that pinned her away.
An announcement was going on about containing the area and something about a Rayshift. I didn't give a damn about that at the moment, I have to save her.
"...Please stop...Senpai. Save...yourself."
No. I couldn't leave her to die here.
I heard the rubble fall away from her as I finally freed her. I smiled from being able to save her, before looking down and despair when seeing all of the blood. She wasn't going to make it.
Warning all observation staff. Chaldeas' state has changed. Now rewriting Sheba's near-future prediction data. Unable to detect the existence of mankind 100 years in the near-future of Earth. Unable to confirm human survivors. Unable to guarantee mankind's future
"...No,..Chaldeas has turned bright red..."
Mash spoke in a defeated voice. From what Dr. Lev told me it meant that humanity's future was gone. I almost lose to despair and break due to all of my friends dying, but before do I hold it all in. These are Mash's last moments alive; I have to smile through this pain that breaks my heart of glass.
Masters Baseline not reached.
Rayshift requirement not met.
Searching for qualifying Master...found.
Candidate No. 48 Shirou Emiya reset as a Master.
Unsummon Program, start.
Spiritron Conversion, start.
"...Um Sen...pai? Would you please...hold my hand?"
Mash spoke in a voice filled with admiration. I didn't know what was going on with all of the announcements, so I looked at her and fulfilled her dying request.
"Sure...I'm sorry I couldn't save you Mash. I'm still too weak to save all of those around me..."
Rayshift starting in 3... 2...1.
"...No, you did save me Sen...pai. You really did..save me."
I looked down at her and gave my brightest smile, one that was filled without regret.
With this all of the sins that I've caused can be repaid and I can die peacefully...
All procedures clear. First Order, commencing operation.
A flash of light occurred and all of my senses were out of control. It felt like my soul was escaping from my body. I closed my eyes and awaited my death. I wish with all that I have that Mash makes it out alive somehow. I curse myself once again for being too weak to save anyone. I close my eyes and await the end of my life.
I didn't know that this would be the start of everything.
The fight to save humanity as the last Master.
