An Oath
Prologue - An Oath made under the Winter Snow
His life was full of regrets
Mistakes made one after another
Once gaining something, losing it was inevitable
Truly it was an endless cycle
Yet these flames burn ever so brighter
"That goes without saying."
"I'm an older brother. So I have to protect my younger sister don't I?" He answered softly
Miyu's tear-filled eyes widened in surprise
"I've been trying to figure out what to do." He took a few steps forwards
"It's been one mistake after another with me, so this might be one too." These hands yet still hold one last thing
"But, for this alone is true," He held her hands firmly yet gently
So as I pray...
"I wish upon the Holy Grail." Enormous amounts of magical energy swelled up in the area
"I pray that you find a world where you won't have to suffer any longer." The glittering light as if the specks of dust of the stars
"I pray that you meet kind people. I pray that you find friends you can laugh with." A wish for the happiness of one
"I pray that you find a warm small… share of happiness." His wish of hope and sincerity condensed into a formation of magic circles
"O… Onii…" Miyu held her words as their hands gradually separated
Her body levitated as the spell prepared for her transferral to a different world.
There's now only one thing left to do.
He walked away to confront his final obstacle to his sister's happiness
Each step led him closer to his final adversary
The first and last one he will meet in this world.
He eventually stopped, his eyes dwelled upon her mechanical form, covered in armour symbolizing wealth and her stone-faced expression.
"Sorry, but my little sister is working her hardest right now. Could you wait just a little longer?" He already knew her answer, but he couldn't help but ask
"I cannot… Your wish will not be granted." She coldly gazed upon him
"A faker who slipped into the Holy Grail War shall not seize the miracle!" She spoke with subtle anger
The True Archer Card
"Gilgamesh." Dozens of portals manifested behind her…
And fire Noble Phantasms towards his way
He nimbly evaded the first wave, yet when a stray blade hit him…
"Ugh!" A small groan escaped his lips, as that single hit knocked him back dozens of feet
"For a mere flesh and blood human, standing against the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, is the epitome of foolishness." Her voice cuts through the air
"You may grovel on the ground and beg for forgiveness. But if you stand up once more-" Her tone considers him as if nothing but a nuisance
"I will show no mercy." She threatened
"Now I remember… I see... So you're the one from back then..!" At the time when Miyu was kidnapped, a rain of blades immobilized him and he would've died from bleeding if it was not for the help of that fake priest.
Now he understood, every weapon she casually flung at him was a Noble Phantasm, with the treasury coming from all corners of the world.
"I see so that's why Sakura called it the 'Strongest Card,'" He lamented, thinking back to his Kouhai.
"You.." Her tone low, she's ready to punish him for his impudence
But… "Humanity, huh? That's big, bigger than words."
"But you know... I've got someone I'm responsible for too." As long as his body still works, he will never be stopped
"Be it personal feelings or sentimentality… Both are completely worthless in this world." A barrage of weapons shot out of the portals
However, he is not as helpless as the Ainsworths would've predicted.
Far from helpless, linking himself to a Heroic Spirit none other than himself, each time he fought, naturally his body would be invaded by the Heroic Spirit EMIYA.
"TRACE ON!" The familiar pair of Chinese falchions manifested to his hands
His combat instinct inherited from the nameless Heroic Spirit took over as he effortlessly cut down the Noble Phantasms in the air.
"Swords…!? It can't be. That's… That fighting style…!" Although her voice remained neutral, the way she spoke exposes her shock
"What was that about a mere flesh and blood? You're slow on the uptake King of Heroes." Behind him manifests the same swords he cut down, now his own.
"The one you're facing is a true imitation of a Heroic Spirit!" He yelled as he dashed forward, his swords followed him in pursuit
"Calling oneself a fake of a fake in front of an Ainsworth? For such a sin… You shall pay it with your life!" She shot her volley of blades
Both of their blades clashed, with him projecting new ones every time one of his breaks, while the other fired more from her boundless treasury.
He leapt and swung down his blades towards the girl, only to be blocked by her longsword.
"Lowly… Faker!" Beneath him, a portal manifested and fired a large broadsword
He barely evaded by twisting his body mid-air, only to be met with raining blades
The Noble Phantasms exploded upon impact with the ground, yet once more he barely rolled away from all of them.
"...You should be well past the point of no return. And yet, the strength of your attacks and the speed of your projection is increasing." He struggled getting up, half of his body was burnt from the resulting Noble Phantasms exploding practically point-blank
"The only thing that awaits you… Is certain ruin." She stated a fact
"You know, you're surprisingly cute." Yet at times like these, he still manages to compliment his enemy
"What?" Angelica suddenly froze as if hearing something absurd
"Are you worried about your opponent? Or are you just hesitant to kill?"
"I never had time for such thoughts. If I did, I wouldn't have survived. If I did, my wish would've never been granted." The final resting place of a Nameless Guardian
"I'm standing here now to use up what's left of my life!" His days numbered
"I am the bone of my sword." The end of the ideal of a thankless hero
"Steel is my body and fire is my blood." The False King rained upon him a horde of weapons
"I have created over a thousand blades." The shield of Ajax manifests and protects him, even for this short while
The nameless man cut himself from the world, losing something with each person he saved.
"Unaware of the beginning, nor aware of the end." Until all was left, was an empty world
"Withstood pain with inconsistent weapons." Yet...
"My hands will never hold anything." Yet…
Yet it seems he will still follow the same path.
"Awaken, Ea."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his adversary pulling something out of the treasury
And looking at it… Ground his thoughts to a complete stop
An impossible object. Something that shouldn't exist, but does. A weapon before creation itself. A sword but not a sword.
"Return to the beginning, Enuma Elish!" That split-second moment cost him everything
His perception of time slowed as his death slowly approached him as if to mock him of his helplessness in this situation.
Nothing in his arsenal can overcome such armament, he knew that for a fact…
But it's a fact he couldn't accept under any circumstances.
If he loses here, Miyu will never gain a single share of happiness…
That's why…
That's why he's prepared to repeat the cycle…
"Let me make a contract. I shall give you my life after my death, grant me the compensation now."
Recalling the same action that led to the ascension of the Heroic Spirit EMIYA, he weaved the words of the contract.
As if accepting his offer, a surge of magical energy rushes into him, and a wavering blueprint of a sheathe appears in his world for just a moment.
"Trace On!" At the last moment before his inevitable destruction, it was averted by the manifestation of a majestic sheathe embodying his ideals... her ideals...
A dream that he had abandoned for the sake of his sister, for the first and last time protected him from all harm.
That inevitable blast that embodies the act of creation itself avoided him like a plague.
He could hear someone gasping in disbelief, but he couldn't care less.
"Yet, my flame never ends."
"My body was still… Unlimited Blade Works!" The world of blades manifested as the line between fantasy and reality blurred
The cold wind expands from his feet and the world itself is overwritten.
It was a miracle created by the ability of a higher being that saved him, now he has to finish the task himself.
"Unbelievable… Impossible… Nothing can overcome Ea!" He could now see his adversary, she's in utter denial
She prepared to charge another blast… Yet now with Avalon gone from his world as it was before the contract, he could not afford to take another one head-on.
With a simple command in his mind, swords that were next to his adversary rose and flung towards her arm.
They catch her by surprise, she attempts to move to block them, yet it's now too late as the ultimate blade was knocked out of her arms.
Now with the power to create miracles, he will protect Miyu.
With his newfound strength, he moved at inhuman speeds, exceeding even the time he was using the class cards.
This is the true power of a Heroic Spirit, the true beings empowered by the myths and legends surrounding them…
Though his case is a little special, he has no legend, he has no achievements, yet with the contract, he gained the strength of one by ascending via the help of the world itself.
Though it comes with a great price, being a Counter Guardian is essentially the same as giving oneself's afterlife up for the protection of humanity, which means he only has one shot for this.
"Trace, On." He chanted, creating the familiar twin blades
His adversary attempted to open Gates of Babylon, however, this is his world, all of the weapons at his disposal are already ready to be used, which means…
His swords swiftly eliminated the portal's manifestation.
This is the only thing the Heroic Spirit EMIYA has, he neither possesses a holy sword nor a demonic one, only a world that can contain limitless blades.
The conclusion both the man and the boy saw… Was this reality marble...
"Faker!" She yelled in anger, finally processing what had just happened
"So what do you think? About this world which encompasses an unlimited number of blades?"
His adversary gritted her teeth, unable to respond as in that moment she was completely outmatched in every category.
Whether pure statistics, willpower, and even now her treasures were outmatched.
For this world contains the full strength of a Heroic Spirit, for her only partially manifesting the strength of Gilgamesh would naturally possess weapons of inferior qualities even against his imitations.
"Don't get cocky!" Angelica attempted to manifest more portals, yet…
Just as quickly as they appeared, her portals were disabled by the Faker's blades
"The 'mere' human you're facing has made you his match!" The next instant, Shirou surged forth to cut down his opponent
Yet, his blades pass through and didn't contact anything.
"Fool, do not make light of the Ainsworths." She laced those words with venom
'Displacement magecraft!' Shirou immediately halted himself, but he was displaced again the next moment
Falling through the sky, he saw two enormous blades coming after him, with their size, it's impossible to dodge.
"Trace On!" With the eyes of EMIYA, he swiftly analysed the blades and manifested his copies
"Ig-Alima! Sul Sagana!" They were mostly hollow imitations, of course, analysing Divine Constructs takes more time than he could spare
But even poorly made fakes of Divine Constructs are still Divine Constructs
The two pairs of Divine Constructs clashed with each other, resulting in both being immobilized mid-air
It's time to end this
"Trace… On!" The bow of his future self manifested on his left, and the spiral sword on the other
Falling through the snow-filled sky, he drew back the arrow to its limits before finally-
He felt an important connection cut from him but ignored it.
"Caladbolg!" He uttered the true name of the sword turned arrow and filled it with an almost uncontrollable amount of magical energy before releasing it
The red bullet surged to meet its enemy, the counterfeit King noticing it put up a displacement barrier between them.
"You should already know such tricks don't work on me." She calmly said with confidence
Unfortunately for her, she didn't understand the true scope of its abilities.
Caladbolg II, a modification made to the original Caladbolg by the Heroic Spirit Emiya to fit his needs of a powerful arrow.
Due to it being the same armament as "Caladbolg" this version wasn't included in her treasury, and as such she knew nothing of its secondary ability only noticeable in this form.
For the reason it's one of his favourite Noble Phantasms is that when shot like an arrow, the tip would distort space itself and reach any target by drilling through any magical defences.
It wasn't until it was right in front of her did she notice her mistake, the displacement spell was twisted and created an opening where the arrow could slip through.
The spiral sword drilled directly through her and punctured her spirit origin. Before finally exploding into a rainbow dome of destruction.
Shirou landed safely, only looking towards the resulting explosion. He mourned her loss, however, he did the only thing that he could do.
Although-
He felt lightheaded, only now he noticed the extreme burning sensation throughout his entire body, yet at the same time, his entire body was numb. The magical energy in his body suddenly became chaotic as if saying that there wasn't enough room within him.
Looking down to his arms, it was half darkened as if they were burnt inside this winter world.
There were also some burns that were extremely severe from the fact his flesh was completely nearly black, though the odd thing is it's in the shape of a-
Ah… It was only now that he realized what those lines are, he must've fried his circuits without noticing it.
Of course, taking in the strength of a Heroic Spirit when he only had assimilated the strength of EMIYA for a day would be too much for his body to adapt to, and to push it after his connection to the Grail cut would mean he's running on pure adrenaline and whatever scraps of magical energy he could make his circuits produce right now to keep this Reality Marble manifested.
His vision darkened…
He finally understood that the one who kept him going was Miyu all along, without her help, he wouldn't have lasted long enough to unleash his Reality Marble, and without her helping to regulate his power, he wouldn't have been able to defeat the King of Heroes.
Thankfully, his wish had come true. The moment the link to the Grail was cut was the time Miyu had disappeared from this dying world to another one where she could be happy.
Although he's worried that he couldn't see her off himself, he trusts whoever is on the other side to take care of her well.
"Ah… I totally forgot about our promise to see the ocean together… "
"Well, I gave my all, you know. So you'll let me off easy won't you…?"
"... Please, just be happy. Wherever you go."
Looking at his empty hands, he thought back to his father.
"I won, Kiritsugu…" Although he couldn't become a hero for others, at least he could pride himself as a brother who was able to protect his sister
Kiritsugu should understand, right?
"..."
"I hope so." He muttered
His flame continued to burn under the winter snow, his hands held nothing at the end of his path. Yet at the end, he stood on the hill of swords, and perished with a satisfied smile…
Well, that's what everyone else thought anyway.
The moment before his death he had received an unknown call.
.
Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let blue the colour I pray tribute to
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching the Kingdom rotate
.
Who's speaking right now? He didn't know, and this incantation is unfamiliar to him, and the voice sounds eerily familiar.
.
I hereby declare.
Your body shall serve under me.
My fate shall be your sword.
Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail
If you will submit to this will and this reason… Then answer!
.
"The Holy Grail? This world no longer has the Grail, so whatever you're doing is pointless. Besides, you wouldn't want to trust someone like me who would abandon the world to save a single person."
.
An oath shall be sworn here!
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven.
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!
.
"I have already sworn an oath, no.. two actually… What could swearing another one do good for anyone?"
.
From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three greet words of power,
Come forth from the ring of restraints,
Protector of the Holy Balance!
.
Being barely conscious, Shirou fainted before he could witness what happened afterwards.
The Holy Grail War…
It is a war between seven great magi and equally as glorious servants for a single omnipotent wish.
A fight to the death, there is no other rule, as only one pair may obtain it.
This is what the magus, now husband Emiya Kiritsugu signed up for eight years ago.
This single device holds properties to grant his impossible wish to bring peace to this world.
Just this morning he had received the catalyst for who he does not doubt to be the strongest of sabers.
A holy relic that would be the catalyst for the famed King of Knights which would protect its user from all harm that may come.
Yet even preparing for all these years could not prepare him enough for what comes next.
"Come forth from the ring of restraints, Protector of the Holy Balance!" He shouted the last line of the ritual
In a forest in the night, on a stone pool enveloped by the darkness, arrives a legendary illusion wrapped in tornadoes and lightning.
Gusts of winds pulled on his coat as the magical power swept around him before cooling down.
Yet what he saw him shocked him,
"I ask thee, art thou the Master that called me?" A voice called out
The tone of a majestic king, wearing a silver armour fitting for a knight... And yet-
"Who are…" He knew the person's identity, yet he had an internal debate raging within him
For the one standing before him was a woman… No, judging by appearance alone even a "girl" would suit her.
Possessing jade-like eyes, and hair of golden stardust, she looks very much unlike the legendary king from legends he expected.
'I suppose history shouldn't be trusted.' He mused
Although he's a little concerned that there wasn't a single drop of magical energy going to the Servant in front of him, yet it's still draining.
He checked for the command spells, it was always where it has been on the back of his hand,
'So where could all of this magical energy be flowing to?' He thought, but suddenly a loud crash coming from above was heard
"Kiri?" Irisviel's voice called out towards him
"Something unusual happened with the summoning, I can't feel any connection with Saber. I feel it is connected to whatever the source of that sound was." He prepared his Thompson Contender and aimed at Saber
Without knowing who she was summoned by, he couldn't take any chances, readying his Contender, at any sign of sudden movement he's ready to pull the trigger.
Saber at the same moment prepared to cut the man down at this near point-blank range.
"Both of you wait!"
"What do you mean Iri? Saber has now become an unusual factor, measures must be taken." He barked without moving his gaze at the Servant
"Uhm… Maybe, this could explain it?" Her voice was a little sheepish
He turned back to his wife.
With her left hand raised, the clear holy symbol of the command spells was engraved on its back.
Kiritsugu stared for a moment to check if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but lowered his gun and sighed.
"While I believe it was rude of you to be ready to attack right after my summoning, I do trust that this was the result of a misunderstanding." Saber lowered her blade at the sight of her Master's command spells, although her look of cautiousness towards the armed man beside her only wavered for a little
"Iri, let's go upstairs and check what that was about." Kiritsugu turned his back and left without addressing Saber
It certainly does wonders to her impression of him, but he couldn't care less as she's merely a tool for the ritual.
Walking upstairs, the two other women caught up to him, and while Saber was still giving him a look behind his back, he cautiously entered the room of the sound's origin.
The room, originally filled with all kinds of furniture, was now trashed by what he could see was swords laying around everywhere, and atop the only couch that was not completely covered in broken furniture was…
Whoever he summoned by accident.
It was a man or even a boy, with hair mixed between white and red, his skin was equally as chaotic between light and dark tones.
Burns marks covered the person's body in a consistent form of a line.
The man in front of him certainly has a torrent of magical energy emitting from him, enough to be on the same league with Saber, yet at the same time, it felt like the oddly coloured man was depleted of mana.
"That's certainly not a Servant." Saber suddenly cuts into his thought process
"How is that possible? His magical energy is not too far from your own." Kiritsugu questioned with suspicion
"Kiritsugu, I think Saber is telling the truth. I can't feel any connection between him and the grail." Irisviel said with a hint of concern
Certainly, this must be the most bizarre thing he has encountered yet.
"You stated earlier that you felt a connection with him, correct?" He responds with a nod
"Then try gleaning into that being's parameters or information you could obtain." Following Saber's suggestion, he delved deeper into the connection everyone has between Master and (Not)Servant.
Class: (N/A)
Master: Emiya Kiritsugu
True Name: ?
Sex: Male
Height/Weight: 167cm 58 kg
Alignment: Neutral Evil
.
Parameters:
Strength: D
Endurance: C
Agility: B
Mana: A
Luck: E(A+)
NP: ?
.
Personal Skills:
Clairvoyance: C
Mind's Eye(True): B(B-)
Projection Magecraft: A
[Hidden] Affection of the Holy Grail: A+(B+)
Author's Notes:
I actually rewrote the notes because it was really long, and I don't wanna make it too boring so I'll cover only the important things.
Firstly, the next update would probably the other story I wrote, depends on how well this is received, I put an update about the chapters, but in case you haven't read it, I'll be releasing a few more chapters soon to complete the current "day" of the fic before doing the rest.
Secondly, the story is basically if Angelica pulled Ea after noticing how absurdly long his spell chant was, then Shirou forced to make a contract to win, and then shenanigans happen that Kiritsugu summoned a half-dead Shirou while Saber got transferred over to Irisviel, and as usual Saber's thoughts are being ignored.
As Shirou is summoned with his true body, he's not a Servant, but the Heroic Spirit, which means his body produces his own mana supply and he doesn't really need a Master to remain anchored in this world, and also his parameters due to not being limited by class containers is basically his true strength as the Heroic Spirit. Lastly, his additional skill 'Affection of the Holy Grail" is because of his close relationship with Miyu, though because now they're in entirely different worlds it's de-ranked, and what originally would've been [hidden] EX luck is now A+ rank. (Initially set at A)
There are more things I'd like to address, but they're not really important, more like additional explanations to some of the things I wrote. Keep in mind I'll need to watch or read Fate/Zero first before continuing, so don't expect chapters coming here anytime soon.
This is also the first thing I wrote in a while, so I don't think it's on par with what I usually write.
And also the app for this website is having trouble adding +/- for some odd reason.