He keeps moving forward, the world itself is made from metal, there is no end in sight, no goal, no hope, a land of desolate steel.
Yet, he keeps moving forward, he who alone is human travels this world of steel, never faltering, never wavering, but as he walks all that he leaves is blood.
I try to call out to him, to tell him to stop, there is nothing here, but he keeps moving forwards trying to see something past the metal.
Why doesn't he listen to me? Oh, because that fool is me.
I keep looking in front of me, walking towards "it" step by step.
I'm sure that as long as I never stop I will reach it someday.
"My body is made of…" That man was made of metal all along, he just ignored the rest of the world to keep his idiotic vision.
What a fool.
I wake up with a scream, and then I feel...
Numb? Sad? I don't know how to describe it, the old man is dead, it's not like I'm not used to it so...
So I feel nothing...
I think I'm going to vomit.
No, calm down, don't think about it.
Don't think about it...That's wrong, I can't just ignore this... Kiritsugu, my father is dead, just like that his life is over, and is all because of me...
Because I was arrogant, naive, foolish to the extreme of thinking I could actually accomplish something so big.
Yet again the old man saved me, but this time there are no ifs...
It's my fault...
"I see you're moping already." Oh, right I don't know where I am, nor do I know who just talked to me.
White walls, white bed, they aren't too clean so it can't be a hospital.
Besides the man who just spoke with me gives an obvious clue, he is dressed like a priest, like Dulio, brown hair and...
His eyes, there is something that pisses me off about the way he looks at me. "And you are?" rude and short, I don't know why, but I don't like him.
"Me? I'm a simple priest, my name is Kirei... Kotomine ." There is something about him, I can't quite find what' wrong, but...
Even if this man doesn't have a killing aura like Blackmore I still feel like I'm in even more danger here. "What... What happened?" I guess that he must be the same as Dulio?
"It's quite simple, I went to scout the area where the fight happened, there I found you and the other two Longinus users..." A smile, one as true as the one the old man used to give me. "I also found your father's corpse."
"I see."
So that is it? What about Blackmore and the apostles? Is everyone okay?
The priest simply walks out, with no explanation, as if he enjoyed my discomfort, but as he reaches the door he says. "Tobio and Dulio are fine, I could not reattach Dulio's arm and Tobio will be recovering for a while, but that's about it."
Good, that's good, it doesn't answer all my questions, but it's better than nothing.
Kotomine leaves, and once I'm alone I do something I haven't done in a while.
I cry.
Time passes slowly, but surely, the world moves on, the deaths at Ryuudou Temple becoming nothing but a statistic, and the explorations nothing but accidents.
Time passes slowly, and three months later they are still trying to decide what to do with me, which now brings me to my current three options, the orphanage, which is a big no, Kotomine which is an even bigger no and Raiga, which is probably what I'm choosing.
I don't even know why Kotomine offered to adopt me, I dislike and I'm pretty sure he knows that, but then again maybe that's exactly why he offered.
I guess I can see the positives that would come with that, Kotomine has contacts with the church, and as such could help me, he was also to my annoyance very strong.
He proved that when he beat me in every single spar, so even if he is annoying as hell I keep coming back to train with him.
In the end, though I decided to go with Raiga, while I have grown to respect the priest I feel like we would murder each other eventually.
As for the other problem well... I still have Tobio's card, which is why I'm currently sitting on a bench in Fuyuki's park.
Yes, that park, this will be my first big step so I choose this place to start.
Time passes, slowly but surely, and when I blink he appears... Behind me.
"Yo." I turn around, there is no need for him to introduce himself.
Edgy clothing, blonde and black eyes, and violet eyes even scarier than Gransung.
He walks and sits on the same bench as me. "Sup." that's right, there is no need for introductions.
He knows about me and I know about him, this man is Azazel, the leader of the Grigori and quite possibly one of the strongest beings alive. "So, this is where it starts huh?" I look to the sky, there I see it.
My destination, my path is already decided. "Yep, I'm glad you choose the Grigori kid."
It is nothing special, I'm just following my father's advice, but before that... "Hey, I have a few questions." If there is someone who can answer me is him.
"Sure, as long as it's nothing too confidential."
I nod my head, the answers I'm seeking aren't quite common knowledge, but they shouldn't be difficult to answer. "First, what happened to the vampires?" I have to find out, this is surely the most important one.
"Pretty much nothing." He says casually with a shrug.
I feel my anger rising, but still, I keep calm. "What to do you mean nothing?"
"It's pretty much what you think, they were just poking after all." He says as if that means anything.
"What does that even mean?"
"You know... The fighting game term, poking, they were just testing our defenses, trying to see if this time we would slip and another great war out erupt." Why does a faction leader use fighting game terms?!
"So you just let them go?!"
"It isn't like that, we fought, kicked their asses and they escaped." Azazel gives an annoyed sigh. "It's frustrating, but it is what it is, to be honest here in Fuyuki is where the bloodiest battle happened, most other places just ended up with a few skirmishes here and there."
Ah, just like that huh? This is... is wrong, but I guess this is why I'm training in the first place, to fix this world.
To become a hero of justice.
The fallen angel looks at me and smiles. "I'm glad you guys put Gransung down, I'm sorry for your father as well."
"It's fine, thanks..."
Now he looks at the sky, I wonder... Where does he want to reach? "I'm serious here, I will even pay you as if you completed a mission."
Money? I guess that's nice. "Thanks, how much?" I show my greedy self, money is useful after all.
"Eh, about twenty million dollars." Huh?
What? Twenty million? That's?! "You serious?!" that is more than the average guy makes in like five lives.
"Yep, you did fight against an Ancestor you know? It is a big deal."
I guess it made sense, I didn't quite understand how important they were until Kotomine told me.
"The second question then... From what I know you know a lot about Sacred Gears right?"
"They are my favorite hobby..." He looks like an otaku who just got caught watching sometimes embarrassing.
"So I have been having these dreams..." The red man is common nowadays. "I know it's weird, but ever since I awoke my Longinus my dreams get weirder and weirder."
"That's easy to explain." He now stands up and does a lecturing pose, it reminds me of that arrogant girl Kotomine takes care of sometimes. "You see, every Sacred Gear and especially Longinus is connected to Alaya, sometimes the users get affected by it, it can be all manner of fuckery, prophetic dreams, visions of the past, Alaya sometimes even helps the user by giving magical energy or summoning guardians, that only happens if it's someone is threatening the entire human race though."
"Why would Alaya do that? From what I know it tends to just explode things, not exactly subtle work."
"That's what most people think, that Alaya is just some red button that gets pressed and countries disappear." Why do I get the feeling that he's calling me an idiot? "The truth is that Alaya works in a variety of ways, most of them hidden, the fact that you were even born with a Longinus in Fuyuki will probably be relevant in the future."
"Longinus huh?"
Yeah, that's right, I was given a duty, one to become a hero who saves people, no matter what, I may have not chosen this path, but I walk on it nonetheless, in the end, I will change this world of steel which surrounds me.
I am a forge.
One who keeps moving no matter what.
I turn clean white steel into red.
Flashes of a man wearing red in a hill of swords.
That's right, I will keep moving forwards, and one day...
Slowly but surely...
Become a hero of justice.
For one Waver Velvet's life was stressful, it had been already seven years that he had participated in that shitty war.
That he had met his king and changed his life forever, that he had decided to become something that he could be proud of.
It also had been a few years since he had become the famous Lord El-Melloi II.
That's right, the pathetic little magus of the clock tower became a lord, even if a temporary one.
That said all he was feeling right now was stress. "Damn it, Reines."
That's right, Reines his "little sister" who even though was as smug as the Archer of the fourth war and as scary as the priest still managed to somehow become an important person to him.
She was also the little girl who had gone missing without a trace a few days ago.
It started about a year back, the kidnappers of multiple heirs, the culprit even announced that it would happen, sending a letter saying it would happen.
Of course, nobody cared, this is the Clock Tower, and since only heirs from families without prestige were disappearing nobody bat an eye.
Probably just some weirdo who was going to get hunted down eventually they said, nobody to pay attention to.
That was until a few days of course, where some nutjob had the balls to do the same thing to Reines.
Just like that, someone as important as her disappeared, poof, no trace, and of course, the Clock Tower tried to ignore it again, they very much didn't like her and if she went missing then good.
"I can't though..." The young teacher's head was on the line after all.
So he began his search with his trusty discipline Gray.
Alone, with no support from the Mage's Association, that was until...
"It should be here Teacher..." Waver only grunted in response and looked around.
Until he found him that was a yellow eyes boy with red hair with white streaks in that same hair.
"Emiya..." This was going to be such a pain...
That's right because the same man decided to start kidnapping children from the Grigori faction.
Children with Sacred Gears, and so Shirou Emiya was dispatched to help one lord of the Clock Tower solve the case.
Waver Velvet didn't know if he should feel unlucky or not, he could only hope this one wasn't as intense as his father.
Ah, who was he kidding, knowing his luck this one was going to be even worse.
Author's Note: Yeah baby Lostbelt six is coming! I'm throwing everything at Morgan so wish me luck.