Author's Notes: Short note this time. I'm bad at maintaining any sort of commitment to a set schedule when new games suddenly are factored into the equation. Let's hope I fix it before the next arc's draft is complete cuz this one is turning into a slow burner. Hope you stick with me regardless. Enjoy.
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Zolgen Makiri has always been a patient man. Decades of lifetime experience didn't change that. Even before the family adapted to their new territory and named themselves Matou, the Head has been careful not to mess with things they couldn't afford to.
And any risks that the Family Head took were also carefully calculated.
Which is why when Zouken Matou decided to invite the Magus Killer and his family to his home, he did so knowing that the benefits far outweighed the risks he would be taking.
One of them had been young Sakura. Regrettably, her recent disposition was nowhere stable enough to actually be presentable for guests. Though he wouldn't say her behavior was uncalled for. The training she was undergoing to assume the position of Family Head was after all gruesome and cruel.
If his rotting soul had any room for empathy, he would have actually lessened her load.
Instead, Zouken Matou had been hard at work preparing her into the perfect vessel. A Holy Grail to surpass all the ones before it. And it couldn't have been done without his soon to be guest.
Kiritsugu Emiya. The Master of Saber and final opponent of the Matou Family in the last Holy Grail War.
His reputation was not something the Worm Magus could easily ignore. Even if his ties to the Clock Tower were practically nonexistent these days, word of the Magus Killer reached even his ears.
So he wasn't surprised that the mercenary managed to eliminate the Einzbern Family completely. He was surprised that he did it in the first place.
From Zouken's research it seemed as if the Einzberns had given him everything he needed to win the Grail War. Never had they given him any reason to betray their goodwill. And his Servant, being the honorable King Arthur, wouldn't have given him any ideas like that either.
Not to mention he apparently managed to obtain the Grail. However, he refused to activate Heaven's Feel.
"Good grief. You eliminate that fool Kariya's chances at winning and yet abandon your own…"
Whatever reason Kiritsugu Emiya had to seek out the Matou Head didn't matter so long as the questions Zouken had were answered. In that regard, their meeting would be equally beneficial to everyone. A strange occurrence when dealing with Mages. However, Zouken guessed it was only fitting for an individual such as the Magus Killer.
Now all he had to do was ensure Sakura stayed in her room. He didn't need to worry about Byakuya or his son, Shinji. They would both be on their best behavior. For their own sakes.
After everything had been prepared, Zouken moved to greet his guests when their presence was felt in his Boundary Field.
"Welcome to my home, Kiritsugu Emiya. And greetings to you all as well. It is my pleasure to host you for today." the Worm Magus put on a fake smile and greeted the family on his doorstep before letting them in.
"We appreciate your hospitality, Zouken Matou. I hope we will not be staying longer than we have to though. We would hate to overstay our welcome." Kiritsugu spoke calmly while ushering Shirou and Illya inside. Artoria remained beside him, her watchful gaze studying the old Magus intensely.
"Do not worry about such things. It has been too long since I've hosted anyone anyway. I'm sure it will be a pleasant change of pace for this old man."
Zouken's eyes met Artoria's and he stopped to study her for a moment. Kiritsugu raised an eyebrow.
"Is something the matter?"
Zouken sighed before turning to the Magus Killer.
"I was under the impression that I would be hosting you and your family this fine evening. I'm afraid to say that the preparations I have taken for today might not be up to a Servant's standards. Much less the esteemed King Arthur's…" he spoke with a wry smile and Artoria's eyes widened.
"How did-
Kiritsugu however stopped her mid sentence and turned his attention to her.
"Saber. It's okay. You can wait here. I don't suspect we'll take all that long anyway."
The King of Knights was surprised. It had been a while since anyone called her by her Class name. Long enough that she didn't know quite how to feel about it. She understood however the implications of using it instead of her name in front of another Magus.
'We don't trust eachother. Stay on guard.'
Artoria nodded in understanding and Kiritsugu gave her an appreciative smile in return before turning to their host.
"Shall we head inside then? I'm actually quite famished to be completely honest with you."
"Yes, we shouldn't keep the others waiting any longer."
Artoria remained outside while Kiritsugu and Zouken finally headed towards the dining room, closing the door behind them. Like the Matou Head said, it was obvious that he hadn't hosted anyone for a long time. The furniture looked hastily dusted and the atmosphere of the halls felt almost cold.
'Truly a typical Magus Family's household…' Kiritsugu thought.
When they finally made it to the Dining Room, everyone else had already been seated. Shirou and Illya were sitting across a young boy and what could only be his father. Their appearance was all too similar to be anything else.
'Byakuya and Shinji Matou.' Kiritsugu hadn't forgotten what he did to the kid's father on his last visit during the war. However, none of them seemed to even recognise him. How odd.
Zouken slowly moved towards his seat at the head of the table while Kiritsugu chose to sit on the opposite end of it, across from the old Magus.
Introductions were made and names were exchanged before the food was served by what seemed like a simple maid. Kiritsugu however didn't miss the glazed look in her eye. Poor girl had probably been hypnotized. He didn't mention anything but he hoped the girl would be fine after today.
Everything was great by his standards, and Illya wasn't one to complain. Shirou clearly had some gripes with how certain dishes were prepared but he was smart enough to not voice his thoughts. It would be both rude and confusing to their hosts. He certainly didn't want to have to explain how his son was practically the reason they didn't live off of delivery and fast food.
Shinji had asked if Shirou and Illya would be going to Homurahara Academy come next spring and they both turned to look at him expectedly. Admittedly, the simple concept of tuition had been far from his mind, especially with everything else they had been dealing with recently. As such, he could only give them a simple "We'll see." before they dejectedly turned their attention back to their plates.
Kiritsugu wasn't displeased with how things were going so far, even if his original objective for coming here was far from complete. Even Byakuya had seemingly avoided any direct conversation in favor of focusing on his drink. Kiritsugu wondered if it played any part in his lack of recognition. However, he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
It was after everyone had eaten their fill that Shinji suggested that he and Shirou relocate to the boy's room, claiming that if they stayed with the adults any longer he would die of boredom.
Shirou looked at Kiritsugu expectedly as if asking for permission and Illya excused herself to go to the bathroom.
"Fine, go ahead but don't lose track of time. We'll be leaving soon. Be ready for when I call for you and your sister."
After that, the two boys also left the dining room, leaving only Kiritsugu, Byakuya and Zouken behind.
"Well, now that that's out of the way, I believe it is time we move on to more important matters. Byakuya. Leave us." Zouken spoke with a commanding tone that gave no room for objections.
The younger Matou simply sighed and turned to leave with his wine bottle in hand, but not before shooting a glare at the Magus Killer when he thought he wasn't looking.
"Well, Kiritsugu Emiya. You have my undivided attention. Any questions you have, I'll be happy to answer. Assuming of course that you'll allow me to do the same."
"I see no issue with that."
"Very well. Ask away then." He said with a condescending smile and Kiritsugu stared intensely.
"First Question. Why would the Einzbern, Tohsaka and Makiri Families continue to pursue the completion of Heaven's Feel when it's obvious it can't fulfill your wishes?"
"Oh, it's obvious eh? How is it obvious? As far as I know, the ritual we created is perfectly capable of allowing us to reach the Root, just as we intended when we first created the system."
"But isn't the Grail limited to the wielder's understanding? If you don't know how to reach the Root yourself, how can the Grail, a simple Mana pool, be able to do it for you?"
Zouken nodded with a satisfied smirk before placing a hand on his chin in thought.
"What you say is true. In that regard the Heaven's Feel ritual can be considered our greatest failure. But the idea of Magecraft in general has always been the same, has it not? If something can be achieved through normal means, it is made easier and achieved faster through Magecraft. If it is impossible, then only True Magic can make it possible. But isn't what we do also a constant test of what is and isn't possible?"
"I don't follow." Kiritsugu looked lost and Zouken sighed once more.
"It is quite simple to explain really. Mages live and die collecting knowledge and power that can eventually lead them to the Root. However, the necessary knowledge and power that is needed can not possible be amassed in a single much less multiple lifetimes. So Mages entrust that knowledge and power to their families. In other words…"
The Worm Magus inched closer, clasping his hands together with a smirk on his face.
"The Heaven's Feel Ritual would act as the battery. A battery capable of storing enough energy to allow the use of Magecraft so powerful it's just short of True Magic. The only thing they would need at that point is the knowledge."
"So the wishes. The Holy Grail. It's all just a cover up. A fancy story to draw in unsuspecting Mages." Kiritsugu spoke with barely contained anger yet Zouken did not seem to mind.
"Of course. We needed more than just three Mages after all. The amount of energy required to power the ritual would have been too great otherwise. And we also needed then to act as anchors for the sacrifices. The Ghost Liners would simply dissipate before being absorbed by the Grail had they been summoned in any other way."
Kiritsugu stopped to ponder all the information he was getting. It was true that Gaia would erase the Servants without the Masters to act as anchors to the world. And as such the Grail would not be filled with their essence upon their defeat. But that was probably the reason why they created the Command Seals in the first place. So that the Masters could sacrifice their Servant when they were the last one standing.
"Ho, by the look on your face it seems you're catching on…" Zouken sounded amused.
"It all sounds exactly like you planned it. I can't imagine how things must have turned out for the ritual to still be incomplete to this day. If Command Seals were given only to the founding families instead of every Master, they would have been able to sacrifice all the Servants and complete their goal just like that…"
"An excellent point. But those are the sacrifices one needs to make when organising something of this scale under the pretense of a fair competition between Mages. Otherwise, no one would participate."
"I see." It made sense honestly. No one would want to participate in a game where only a few people hold all the cards.
"Any other questions?"
Kiritsugu abandoned his train of thought to look at his host. The old man actually seemed like he was enjoying himself.
"Yes. My second question concerns the Matou actually."
Zouken raised a brow at that and motioned for the Magus Killer to elaborate.
"Did you or your family know that the Grail is corrupted? And if they did, why didn't they do anything about it?"
Zouken's eyes widened. Were his plans for the next Grail War already being faced with obstacles?
"What is this accusation based on, if I may ask?"
"My personal experiences for one."
"Well this is the first time I've heard of such a thing."
"In any case, what I said is true. The ritual, should it be activated, will do so in the worst way imaginable. For example, if one were to wish for the salvation of mankind, they would be wishing for it's extinction."
Zouken studied the Magus Killer's disposition intently. The man was obviously not convinced with his dismissal. He was looking for anything that might indicate he actually did know about Avenger's influence. It was annoying, but he would remain on guard.
"If what you say is true then the only ones capable of purifying the Grail are no more. By your hands no less. The Einzbern Family has always been responsible for managing and providing for the Grail, the Tohsakas have provided the playing field and the Matous the Command Seals. I'm afraid tampering with the Grail's inner workings would be beyond my capabilities."
Kiritsugu looked disappointed, but it only lasted a moment.
"Then, if you don't mind, my final question would be how do we stop the ritual…"
"Stop it you say? Why would we do that?"
The elderly Mage's tone was playful, yet there was an underlying cruelness displayed through his wide grin. It was obvious that he wouldn't go through with Kiritsugu's suggestion.
"Without the Einzberns to provide for a Lesser Grail, the risk of the ritual causing another disaster is too high. No, even with a vessel, the dangers of a corrupted Grail are-
"I'm going to stop you right there, if you don't mind. I said I would be unable to do anything about this corruption you keep going on about. I never said anything about providing a vessel."
The Magus Killer's eyes widened and the implications of that statement hit him like a ton of bricks.
"You mean…"
"Well, it might be a little rough around the edges compared to the Einzbern's work but it should still serve it's purpose as a Lesser Grail. I can at least manage that much."
"It would still be too dangerous! What if another disaster like the fire appeared? Fuyuki wouldn't recover from something like that again…"
Although it seemed impossible, Zouken's grin widened even more at that.
"And when has that stopped Mages from pursuing their goals? Surely you must understand this is a ritual between Magus Families. Things like compassion and empathy have no place in our journey to the Root."
"So, no matter what I say, you are set on continuing with this farce…"
"Until Heaven's Feel is achieved, the Matous will fight. That is all there is to it."
Kiritsugu didn't say anything more. He simply stood up from his seat and gave a respectful bow to his host.
"I appreciate your hospitality. Everything has been great but we'll be taking our leave now, if you don't mind."
"I believe it would be for the best, yes."
Kiritsugu then promptly left the dining room before heading towards the main hall. There he sent a message for both Shirou and Illya to let them know that they were leaving.
It didn't take long for Shirou and Shinji to return, the younger Emiya giving the other a wave before joining his father in the hall.
"Shirou, did you have fun?"
He nodded his head enthusiastically and started listing off the things he and Shinji did, from talking about how school would be fun, listening to music and playing video games. It actually warmed Kiritsugu's heart to know that Shirou could enjoy himself with such simple things. Sometimes the kid was too mature for his own good. Illya would help him with that, he was sure of it.
"Hey, where's your sister? I called for both of you."
"She's not back yet?" Shirou raised an eyebrow and Kiritsugu was instantly worried. Wandering around in a Magus' Household was never a good thing.
"Shirou, stay here until I get back. I'm going to look for Illya."
Kiritsugu left the hall and headed back towards the deeper parts of the Household when Zouken blocked his path.
"I'm surprised to see you're still here. I thought you'd be gone by now."
"I apologise for taking so long, I'm just gathering everyone so we can be on our way." Kiritsugu replied calmly and Zouken sighed.
"Fine, but I need not remind you that this is my home, Emiya. Do not take longer than you need to."
"I'll make sure to keep that in mind."
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Illya didn't plan on getting sidetracked. She was already on her way back when she came across a very distinct sound. It shouldn't have been important enough to get her attention anyway.
Only when she realised the sound was actually a young girl's cries did she stop to look for the source.
She moved down the hall, towards the direction of the crying and came to a stop before a room with it's door locked.
Surely it was none of her business. So what if some kid was crying. It was probably their room anyway and they were just grounded or something.
"Please, someone… anyone… let me die already…"
In between the choked sobs and cries, Illya was able to make out those words. It was the only thing she needed to hear to know that they needed her help.
Without any hesitation, she channeled prana into her legs and used reinforcement to kick down the wooden door in her way.
She stood there, motionless, as the young girl inside stared at the Einzbern in shock, her face stained with tears and her eyes wide and bloodshot.
"Y-You… you just….."
Illya watched the purple haired girl struggle with her words before kneeling down to meet her gaze on the floor.
"My name is Illya. What's yours?"
"I… I'm… My name is Sakura…" she finally managed to form a sentence and gulped when Illya inched closer to her face.
"Nice to meet you. Is it okay if I give you a hug?"
"Eh?"
Before Sakura had any time to object, Illya wrapped her arms around the girl, gently rubbing her back. All the Matou girl could do was simply stay there in shock.
"You shouldn't say such sad things you know. You seem nice. At least nice enough that I'm sure you don't deserve what you said."
"You… Y-You don't know anything…"
"That's true. But I've felt alone too. It makes you think you're not wanted, or that you don't deserve to feel wanted. It's the worst feeling there is, and that I know for a fact."
Sakura's eyes widened and she felt herself calm down in this girl's- Illya's embrace.
"I see you're feeling better. Why were you locked in here?"
"I'm… Grandfather said I-I wasn't allowed to be out tonight. Illya…"
"Hm?"
She let go of Sakura to look at her face again, noticing a fierce blush now on the girl's face. But before she could say anything, footsteps were heard approaching them.
"Illya, where have you- what happened here?" Kiritsugu stood in shock at the sight in front of him.
"An accident. Illya here isn't responsible for this, really." Sakura instantly covered for the young Einzbern and she turned to look at the Matou with surprise.
"An accident." Kiritsugu repeated and the girl nodded again.
"Dad, this is Sakura. I was on my way back when I met her and I guess I got a little sidetracked." Illya stood up as Sakura did the same.
"It's fine I suppose. If you are done here, we're leaving now. Nice to meet you, Sakura."
Illya moved to Kiritsugu's side before turning to give Sakura a beaming smile, earning another blush from the purple haired girl.
Even moments after they were both gone, Sakura stood there, thinking of the silver haired beauty that reached out to her on one of her lowest moments.
For if she too understood the pain of feeling alone, she could take solace in knowing that she wasn't completely on her own after all.
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Artoria should have been used to staying on guard duty. She had spent many nights in her lifetime keeping watch at night during her expeditions as King. And due to her peculiar nature, she didn't need as much sleep as her Knights did.
And while drowsiness never bothered her, she could never get used to the feeling of being watched. It made her feel exposed.
So when that familiar feeling washed over her as she stood outside of the Matou Household, she instantly went on alert, her senses looking for any potential dangers.
Although her Servant abilities were diminished, she could tell that the feeling of another Servant nearby was responsible for her current nerves. But that should have been impossible.
After all, she was the only Servant to remain in this world after the war, right?
When the oppressive feeling of being watched finally retreated, Artoria made a mental note to watch out for anything else that would point towards another Servant in Fuyuki in the future.
But before she could ponder on her newfound issue, the front door was opened and Kiritsugu, Shirou and Illya approached her.
"I take it that discussions went well?" the King of Knights inquired but Kiritsugu shook his head.
"Not quite. I'll get you up to speed later though."
"I understand. Shirou, Illya, what about you two?"
"Shinji's nice. He tries to act cool but he's still fun to be around so it's okay." Shirou explained and then turned to look at Illya who was still staring at the direction of the Matou household. More specifically, a window on the upper floors with it's light on.
The girl glanced at her window and felt the urge to look outside, standing up to do so when her violet eyes met bright red.
She didn't understand the feeling that took over her at that point. The last time she ever felt like this had been in the company of her sister. A now forgotten dream she was forced to let go. Yet, this feeling of warmth was not quite the same. It was reassuring.
Sakura knew she had to meet Illya again. For that feeling was too precious to let go again.
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Review Corner Time:
Ash the Aura Guardian: Sakura did make her appearance, though I suppose not in the way most were expecting... ;)
In any case, she will have a big role to play in the coming chapters and I hope everyone can get behind some of the things I have planned for her. I should also mention that her meeting with Shirou is coming soon too, along with another really important character. As for him being a helpless bystander, I would argue that no matter how well equipped one is, they would be in the same situation as Shirou were they to be thrust into a mess like the Grail War without knowing anything about it. This is going to be the biggest change one should expect when it comes to the future. As for Gilgamesh, I can't say anything regarding his role yet that I haven't already. He is a wild card that one...
Franz Myers: Well, Zouken is a strange old worm dude indeed. It was obvious that some of the skeletons he keeps in his closet would be revealed. Hopefully more will come later. Who knows...
As always, I hope you enjoyed and pray that you stay safe.
Until next time :)