Nobody really knows where people go when they die. Though there are many theories from religion, a person's own view on death, and of course the famous heaven and hell the church speaks of. There are some that say otherwise that there is just nothing. Others themselves believe in reincarnation. Then there is the magus, who claim all souls travel to the Root itself.

Humans die, and then their soul leaves.

The soul. Yes.

Many hold a dear wish, even in modern times. From the past to the future. Their wish being, a peaceful world where everyone can live happily, and without problem. No thievery, no harassment, rape, manipulation, murder, any of those things.

A utopia one might call it.

However, such a dream could never be accomplished with humans around.

Time and time again, since the Age of Man began, one thing has been certain since the primates known as humans came around. That all they did was spread misery and sin wherever they walked.

Humans were creatures who factored the fundamental natures of good and evil. Saints can commit sins whenever they pleased, while sinners could show kindness to even the poorest of people. Where history itself shows just how much death humanity has spread across their little world known as earth.

Wars that have been brought on for greed. Murders for the pettiest of reasons. Thievery, not to survive, but simply because some enjoyed the thrill. Rejoicing over the suffering of others and their despair. Lording over their poor citizens to rule in tyranny and dictatorship. Stabbing one another's back because they were either swayed by the other side or simply to make coin. Hoarding of power for the sake of power.

So much sin, so much evil. All done by human hands where such actions have been committed thousands of times over compared to the good of mankind. For so long as humans exist, true utopia can never come to be.

The sad truth that many others also realized, in the form of three individuals from five-hundred years ago.

Tohsaka.

Einzbern.

Makiri.

Three families who were magus, individuals who used magecraft for their own goals. Yet at the time, the three heads were united on one fact. That humanity itself is a curse, as long as humans continue their rule, reaching towards utopia can never come true. Unless that is…humanities sins and evils itself could be wiped away.

"...all forms of evil eradicated." A man then said, as he overlooked three individuals' deep underground. Where the goal has been stated. The desire that these three wished for.

Yes. All forms of evil, if they could be eradicated, then surely utopia can be reached at long last. Because there was just too much sin.

For too long has humanity committed great evils against one another. From countries to neighbors to even within families. Magus were no better. Since the Age of Man began, many of these humans who study magecraft have decided humans had no worth at all, unless they were used for resources. No matter the atrocity or crime, magus were allowed to use average humans for the sake of discovering the truth, the Root itself. One could even call magus evil themselves. Criminals that are protected by the veil of secrecy.

However, how would one even eradicate the concept of evil itself?

For evil, the darkness of humanity, is forever linked with humans by their own nature. One cannot just exorcist these emotions like one would rid a ghost possessing a human. Even if possible, and a chance at ascending, a human without certain emotions could easily become callus and lack empathy for others.

As such, perhaps utopia couldn't be reached in this world at all.

Unless humans could change.

"This objective has my full support." A certain man said to three different people, from three different families. Accepting their goal, in attempting to reach the Root through their wish. Overseeing their cooperation from so long ago, and their contributions to the cause that would allow the salvation of mankind. A ritual that would lead to the Holy Grail War itself.

Yet it made one wonder. Just why did they do this? For what purpose did they create this war?

The answer was simple.

"There is no salvation in this world." Tohsaka said, having witnessed the errors of humanity. "As long as we're human, we cannot be separate from evil." Words that rang true. Similar to the concepts of yin-and-yang, light and dark, good and evil, humans cannot live without the other. Impossible to truly separate from it as it's something all humans are born with.

"We seek utopia," Makiri then said, someone who had hope in his eyes, and a person who wished to only help people. Not wishing suffering onto them. "But we know that it lies in a place that can never be reached by humans."

"We wish to surpass humans," Einzbern declares the three families' intentions. "To discover a new shape of humanity." Normal humans cannot reach salvation. However, what if, by working together, a miracle can be achieved to allow the birth of a new race of humans. They wished to exceed the limits of humanity by surpassing the body and reaching the soul, going outside the spiral of the brain and the limits of the body to reach the infinity, all while obtaining creation and knowledge where no human can reach.

"Yes." All three families then said. Allies, friends, they all spoke this deepest wish. "In order to eliminate all evil in this world, we promise we will risk our lives to achieve this dream." So came the vow of those three, as their hands were raised up and outstretched. As if hoping to touch what they believed could come true.

…

…

…

…

…

It was not meant to be.

A pair of eyes opened up, then closed. Then it opened again. Doing so time again and again and again. Starting all the way back to the journey, from when the Greater Grail was made, to when the war started. Eyes that held idealism and hoped that despite the sacrifice of Justeaze herself, once the war started, the miracle could come.

Only blood was left behind by the end of the first war. When the other four brother magus realized that only one wish could be granted to one of them. The lie that had been made to cover up the existence of how the Greater Grail and the ritual can reach the Root.

With this, nobody decided to work together. Still, even when watching, he felt that the miracle could come again in the second war. Once the magic accumulated properly, then surely the wish to reach the root will come and bless them all. The only thing required after all, is for people to work together.

Magus however, just like regular humans, held sins in their hearts. Where many magus refused to work with one another in favor of their desires. As such, working together wasn't meant to be either.

In the second war.

Nor the third.

The fourth war ended the same way.

Soon it became clear that nobody had any intentions to work with one another. The ritual devolved into nothing more but a massacre between the combatants. The ritual that should have granted ever lasting peace to the human world only brought bloodshed to the participants and the humans who had no idea what was even going on. All while those who fought wished not for any form of salvation for their fellow man, but just advancement for themselves.

Not that any of them would get the wish, as these Holy Grail Wars would always fail once the destruction of the lesser Grails homunculus Masters occurred. Seeing as they were the lesser Grails, their deaths caused the war to usually fail in that moment. Meaning all the fighting and spilled blood ended up being for nothing. An absolute waste of time ensuring the Greater Grail remained incomplete.

This would occur all the way to the biggest failure known as the fourth war. Where by then something within the Grail had changed since the unseen third war. One where despite yet another loss, a curse occurred that killed many people across Fuyuki City, the battle grounds for the ritual.

He didn't care.

All Makiri Zolgen cared for was that the sacrifice of the one he loved wouldn't be for nothing. Having hope time and again he could bear witness to the miracle. Yet seeing all these failures slowly made the man change as time resumed. Even worse, a flaw had been discovered within the 'immortality' he had given himself. One that caused the deterioration not just of the body, but of the soul itself.

With such pain upon his soul, the frustration of all these failed wars, and his age catching up to him, the man known as Makiri Zolgen slowly began slipping away. His idealism chipped until it had been forgotten. Until eventually, as the magus's former emotions faded away and recessed deep within his rotting soul, new emotions came up that took place.

The natural fear of death many humans felt, only amplified due to the suffering his soul felt.

Then…utter sadism to those he considered beneath him.

By that point on, Makiri Zolgen vanished. One could even say that in a way, he died. From then on, Matou Zouken took over and was born. A magus that seeks for immortality and just immortality. All while cruelly exploiting those under the Matou household with delight.

Devouring those he disliked or found useless, from the homeless to even those in the household. Only keeping a few members of the Matou family for the sake of pretending to be 'normal'. Having his worms eat as much as they can to keep his body, despite the constant deterioration he felt with his own body appearing older and older.

To ignore such pain, Zouken would inflict greater pain on others. From having his worms eat people alive, to mocking them as they despaired. Utilizing horrific methods on those such as his worthless 'son' and his beautiful 'granddaughter' to great extent. Not bothering the worthless ones like Shinji and simply manipulated him with contempt. Focusing on his wish for immortality and killing anybody that got in his way.

No number of lives is too great to fulfill the heaven's feel.

"Hahahahaha!" Zouken laughed as he kept walking over corpses without even looking back. All while viewing the corrupt light of the Greater Grail. An object that had once been colorless, now tainted in red that could wipe the human world. Incapable of even saving humanity, yet to Zouken, a way to manipulate and control for his unreasonable desire. Even if it meant the world and all that lived in it suffered for it.

All of this being witnessed by Ozpin and Zouken himself, as they saw the laughing rotting magus continue and try to reach that deadly light.

"...and so, we see what you have become." Ozpin softly spoke, shaking his head. Gazing down on the faceless corpses and blood, devoured and eaten by the countless worms that moved among them in this mental landscape. With Ozpin, Zouken himself watched where his face struggled to hold back denial and horror at the same time.

"This…no, this is a trick." Zouken then said, still trying to ignore the epiphany here. "An illusion. Trying to-to distract me! Yes! Distract me from my goal!"

"For your immortality." Ozpin talks to Zouken, as if he were a child. "And what has the first version of it brought you?" The scene changed, showing a mass pile of worms. Devouring and chewing a long dead person, squirming filthily in the alley as blood spilled all over. "All I see is you turning yourself into a sad creature that must always consume in mass, yet only delaying your inevitable death."

Up until the present, Zouken's form of immortality had a flaw not even the user himself knew about. That the soul would rot and decay, due to its prolonged time in the human world which it was not meant to be. By the time Zouken realized this, it was too late, as there wasn't any method, or an easily attainable one, to revert the decaying of his soul already occurring.

Which meant in time, had Zouken continued on in that state, he would have decayed until nothing of his soul was left. Not even enough to return to the Root itself.

The scene then changes to Zouken, in his wizened old man state, wailing as his body falls apart. Revealing the pathetic former human as his body kept on collapsing. Then desperately looking for a body to attain a body again. Even though it wouldn't last long while cursing his imperfect immortality.

Ignoring the fact that he did all of this to himself.

"I-It matters not." Zouken pried away from the lowly worms that was him. "Look at me now." He then confidently spoke while pointing out his youth. "Thanks to my brilliance, I have regained my former power, your power, and can reincarnate forever!"

"Then congratulations, you have won." Ozpin emotionlessly said. "So then, why did you even bother continuing the Holy Grail War when you had 'won'?"

All that smug confidence went away again, as Ozpin asked the question. Though in truth, this question had always been in his mind ever since he gained Ozpin's soul. The question being, why even continue on at all. It's as Ozpin and Zouken himself stated. He regained his youth. He was now capable of reincarnating in due time. He's now an immortal.

So then why? Why did he steal Rider from Shinji? Why did he try to break Sakura? Just why did he summon Salem herself? Why does he even need the Holy Grail, when he has achieved all that he wanted? The obsession of immortality is already his.

Up until now, Zouken ignored that question. Just cruelly continuing on to achieve the Grail, despite not even needing it anymore. One could say, he was wasting his time, and could have left the second he attained Ozpin's soul.

"..." Zouken said nothing, not even knowing the answer himself. Perhaps he continued on because he wished to hurt the rest of the competition. To enjoy their despair when he won, while tormenting Sakura as he joyfully did for all those years when he adopted her. Maybe the obsessed part of him just wouldn't let go of that immortality, as subconsciously Zouken just wanted more since one doesn't let go of an obsession like his so easily.

"Or maybe…deep down you seek the Grail, for a forgotten wish." The scene then changed away. Showing a beautiful woman, lying down as a magical pillar slowly descending upon her. One who simply seeked, to find salvation. For such a simple wish.

"...Justica." Zouken says as he watches her smiling, despite the fact she would 'die' when the pillar crushed her apart. Where her blood would flow, and she would become the core of the Greater Grail. A look of regret and devastation as the pillar finished killing her.

Zouken's mouth quivered. Emotions of old assaulting him, while he began remembering things long forgotten. Before he couldn't even remember properly as Zouken had been too desperate to fix his rotting soul. But now that Zouken's soul is merging with a youthful one, his focus and mind went back to the past. All the way to the ideal that not just himself, but that the one he loved and even Tohsaka all wanted. To risk their lives for.

"Yes." All three families then said, the memory coming back along with the scene. "In order to eliminate all evil in this world, we promise we will risk our lives to achieve this dream."

"Hhu..Hraa!" Zouken then fell on his knees as he saw this scene again. This…This beautiful scene from long ago. When he and those he considered allies made that promise, to risk their lives for the original wish that benefited them humanity as a whole. Zouken's head then turned, looking at another part of this mental landscape. Seeing the human worm that is him, just laughing madly at the torture of others.

That is a man Justeaze Einzbern would never recognize as Makiri Zolgen. If anything, she, and even acquaintances Zouken met in life, would only see a monster masquerading as a person. Something that needed to be put down. Shown no mercy whatsoever.

It was this reason alone, all the former emotions Zouken had scared, had come with such loathing towards the present version of him. The very remnants of Makiri Zolgen, showing absolute disgust towards Matou for everything he's done. As Matou Zouken had thrown away the precious wish he and the other two had made five hundred years ago.

On his knees, Zouken could only bend his head down. His current emotions clash with the past, causing emotional harm to him where physical pain he long forgotten. Ozpin then walked towards Zouken and said, "This must be quite…harmful for someone such as yourself."

"Harmful? Harmful!?" Zouken then glared at Ozpin, fury in his eyes. "This-this is your fault! Your fault!" Zouken shouts unreasonably.

"And how is it mine?"

"Because. Because." Zouken tried to say something. Having been such a selfish monster for so long, the man tried to find some reasoning on why it wasn't his fault. His mind, incapable of finding such a reason.

Even so, Ozpin showed no anger. "I understand."

"Understand. You bastard!" Zouken then stood up as he faced Ozpin, eye to eye. "What could some pathetic magus, who's lived less than a hundred, POSSIBLY know of the suffering I endured? Of what I had lost?!"

It was truly a misappropriate anger and question.

Ozpin wasn't obligated to answer such a thing. If anything, he could say nothing, and nobody would even blame him. Zouken didn't deserve an answer. If anything, many would say he deserved to continue living in guilt for all he had done, as simply realizing one's actions isn't enough for forgiveness or atonement.

So, Ozpin didn't answer.

"True. I don't understand how one would feel about falling from grace and entering sin." Instead, it was another man. One who wore armor and a crown and gave the feeling of a king. "However, I understand what it's like to fear failure when reaching an ideal."

"There are also times when running away feels best. Thus, abandoning the old duties and ideals once held" An old man with a feeble frame and long white beard came in, looking sick and weary.

"Yet even so, the duty and sense of justice held pushes us on." A settler came in with a dark skin tone and glasses arrived. "Continuing the duty, in spite of the traumas and regret held within."

"Even when facing answers, we never liked, making our task seem impossible, we kept going." A pale man with a trimmed beard appeared as well. "Even when knowing our enemy cannot be killed, we strived on."

"Because in the beginning…I suppose we were a hero." A man with medium-dark skin tone with messy brown hair and brown eyes came, wearing ancient armor reminiscent of older times and an ornament staff with an emerald gem on the top.

Zouken could only watch and see all the men before him. Dozens, over a hundred itself. Different individuals who were all Ozpin and yet not at the same time. The many incarnations who all led different lives and roles yet played a single part. The determination to finish their task and lead the world into a better place.

Suddenly, visions like before suddenly came. From fighting bandits to challenging tyrants themselves. Defeating those with magic and even the Grimm. These visions would go by rapidly, showing the battles, the tragedy, the loss, the hope, the despair, and so much more. Starting with a divine task set by the Gods, all the way to facing an immortal foe to the present day, despite how weakened he is. Then like so, the visions and all the men vanished leaving the current incarnation and Zouken alone, in an empty white plane.

Unable to speak, Zouken could only stare at someone who's lifespan clearly exceeded the 'simple' five-hundred-year age he achieved. How funny. In the current day, Zouken would be considered ancient. To this man before him, he's just older than most and nothing more. One, who while never faced the pain of a rotting soul, faced all sorts of other tortures ranging from battles to emotional scars.

"Hehe." Zouken then chuckled hollowly. "I'd ask you, how you can continue on this…mission of yours…but…you just showed the answer, didn't you."?

"...It's not always easy." Ozpin said. "Who knows, perhaps in time you too would have realized your errors. Not that it absolves you of the crimes done in your name."

"No…I suppose it doesn't." Zouken then stood a little straighter, as his eyes seemed to clear up from the conflict inside him. "And it seems…I have endangered my world, by bringing her here, haven't I?"

While Ozpin said nothing, he didn't have to. Because the answer is a frightening yes. "With Salem here, she can control the Grimm into a united force. And from what I've seen, the people of this world are less…durable than my own."

"We do have magus here, and I have no doubt the Counter Force may act eventually. But…if Salem along with Sakura attain the corrupt Grail…" No more words needed to be spoken.

In the end, Gaia and Alaya would deal with the Grimm, and even Salem if it comes down to it. Though by the time they acted it was likely all of Fuyuki would be gone, and Japan itself would discover the terror of the Grimm as they were hunted. Thousands to potentially all of Japan would be destroyed before the Counter Force actually acted. But if the Greater Grail is attained by Salem, then the death count will rise beyond a mere couple thousand. Chances are the corrupt Grail inhabited by Angra Mainyu would cause life even outside Japan to cease until it's stopped.

"The only choice…is to destroy the Greater Grail." Such words, haha, never did Zouken believe he'd even consider it. For years he wanted to attain it, even now he still did. But…the woman he cared for, resting as the core, certainly wouldn't want that. For her 'body' to be used for evil, which would doom humanity instead of saving them.

"I suppose it must be." Ozpin agreed, as the mental landscape began to dim and fade away. "I... You probably know what's about to happen…Don't you?"

"I do." Zouken says as he then looks down at himself and discovers his own mental self-fading in and out. "Funny. The ritual should have made it so that I was the dominant one. But with you awakening, and all your collective whole being greater than my own ego…the tables have turned." Zouken then looked up, at the fading whiteness. "Still. Maybe…This is for the best. My knowledge as Makiri Zolgen would be useful to you, and everything else I have learned."

"You won't truly be gone." Ozpin tells Zouken, as the latter starts vanishing away more and more. His feet were now gone, and it climbed upward.

"Perhaps so." Zouken nods. "But for now, it's best you leave." Ozpin, deciding to respect Makiri Zolgen last wishes, vanished away while the mental landscape here grew smaller and smaller. Zouken soon just had only a chest left. The former Matou then closing his eyes before opening them again, seeing Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern before him. With a sad smile, and just before Zouken vanished away as his entire being joined with the one known as Ozma, he said, "I'm sorry."

Then like so, Zouken Matou was dead, whereas Makiri Zolgen vanished away.

The worms took a new shape, having been inactive for quite a while. Suddenly they awoke though and made a new body that fit the current soul. It was very difficult though, seeing as the 'blueprints' for the current soul's state made things rather tough. Still, eventually a familiar body is made of a middle-aged man with tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes. He has a light complexion and sharp facial features and has black eyebrows.

"This…is certainly new." Ozpin then said, as he looked at his form. Thanks to all the knowledge he had however, he knew this body is far from being a human one. But in fact, comprised of phantasmal creatures of the lowest level.

When the time comes, Ozpin will gladly self-destruct to attain a proper body that doesn't need to feed on other humans. His version of immortality, reincarnation, may inhabit humans, but at least it didn't involve devouring them whole.

'But for now, I'll use this as best as I can.' Now that Ozpin was back at full health and even held five-hundred years of knowledge of magecraft alongside memories, the immortal wizard understood what he had to do. But before he could start the destruction of the Greater Grail, Ozpin needed two things. His cane the Long Memory…and clothes.

It's chilly outside.

I'm not all good with emotions and that sort of thing, so this might not have been perfect. Not that it changes the end results as Zouken is now gone with Ozpin's awakening. Realizing all the errors of his way, and quite frankly was lucky he could just fade out peacefully since he doesn't deserve it. Still, this will help as all of Zouken's knowledge is now Ozpin's.

Though not that Ozpin will have it all at his tips, as this merge was unnatural, so all the memories won't be available for a long while. Still, Ozpin has one thing that can immensely help. The Command Seals on Salem. But he better use them carefully, as once Salem learns about Ozpin and those seals...things won't be pretty.