"Once.. I had a dream."
Fate/Brave Shine
Chapter 8: Fervidus
Every once in a while, Shirō would feel the familiar thrum of Avalon, even though it had been years since it last rested inside of him. Between his practice sessions, he'd sometimes catch himself trying to share water with someone who was no longer there. These were remnants of the past. While he didn't lose everything in the Holy Grail War, he felt like he did.
His body had long since stopped requiring daily practice. His movements were ingrained into his every muscle fiber. He was confident he could defeat most opponents with a blindfold on. Yet, he found himself continuing to practice ever since the first day after he lost her. It had started as a habit. Get up early, practice, shower, eat. It was his routine.
However, as the days passed by routine morphed into an escape from reality. For a short time, he could relive those short moments of peace he had. There were times where he could almost feel her eyes on him, watching him, critiquing him. Over time, these practice sessions increased in frequency. Once a day turned to twice a day. Twice a day turned into thrice. Then, he'd practice whenever he had spare time. In those short moments, even if she wasn't there with him, he felt like she was. Just for a few moments. Then, the spare time he had would be gone, and so would she.
He knew it was only his imagination because if she really was there, she'd chastise him for overworking himself. She always did place importance on taking breaks when necessary. "Overworking yourself is just as bad as not training at all" She had said all those years ago. She was right, of course. He felt fairly sore nearly all the time because he'd practice so much. However, it was that soreness, that dull kind of pain that kept him grounded. It reminded him that the only reason he was alive to feel that pain was because of her.
Shirō told himself that if he ever got the chance to do things over, even if nothing would change in the end, he'd take it in a heartbeat. Even if he couldn't change the outcome, he could still be with her again if but only for a short while.
Emiya Shirō was important. She didn't know why he was important, but he was. Something he did, something he'll do, or something he is makes him important. That much had become clear to her.
Various things continued to fill her mind with thoughts, ideas, names, and images of people and places. She still had no idea who she was, but there wasn't anything she could do about that. Not now. She was still incorporeal and couldn't travel very far.
She did find out she was in a country called France, in the town of Rouen. She assumed that her identity was connected to this place somehow. Perhaps she was born here? She didn't know yet, but was confident that whatever seemed to be feeding information directly into her mind would get to that sooner or later.
Outside of Sakura's window, atop the slanted roof, Rider's senses were on high alert. Shirō was fighting again. There was no mistaking his energy now that she'd felt it so many times. It was like the brightest star in the night sky compared to other energies. In her mind, he stood out among them all.
Who he was fighting seemed to be the same ones he was fighting before he went along with that girl and her pet. However, there were more of them this time. They couldn't be normal Servants, since their energies were much too similar. Magical constructs, maybe? She didn't know. She did know that he wasn't fighting alone. That Servant he was so close to was fighting at his side, and so was the Servant that had confronted her and Sakura. Lancer.
She wasn't sure how Lancer was able to survive the attack from that monster, but a small part of her was glad he did. At the very least, he was honorable. That was more than what she could say for the thing that attacked him.
Two others were there as well. The same two that seemed to have a complicated relationship with Shirō and his Servant, though for the moment they seemed to be fighting together. Still, the odds were against them. Whatever they were fighting didn't seem to have any concept of what 'Stamina' was and showed no signs of fatigue or pause. Just a slow, constant flow of energy that would spike a bit every now and then.
She couldn't allow Sakura to come to harm. However, she knew that meant that boy would have to stay alive and well. If he died, she'd be devastated. She was already so very fragile.
Rider looked over her shoulder into Sakura's window where she slept peacefully and unaware any of this was happening. Then, something caught her attention. Down below, someone was approaching the house.
Shinji.
A scowl crossed her normally neutral face as she descended from the roof, her weapons in hand. She expected him to act surprised, or maybe even angry, but instead, he was relatively calm.
"Rider." He said, greeting her. Her frown deepened slightly.
Shinji's former Servant pointed her dagger at him. "You're not welcome here. Not while the War is still ongoing. Not while I'm here with Sakura."
A sad, guilty smile crossed Shinji's face. She didn't trust him. She had no reason to, especially not after everything she'd been made to do and watch. "I understand, but right now I need your help."
"Why would I ever help you?" Rider said, venom laced in her voice.
"I'm trying, Rider. I'm trying to figure out who I'm supposed to be, and I realized that I messed up with Sakura. She should've never had to deal with what I put her through, but I can't change the past. All I can do is start working towards a better future."
She didn't buy it. Shinji was a sadist and abusive towards both Sakura and her for the entire time she's known him. According to Sakura, he wasn't always like that, but she kept her own pain locked away from the world. She'd never lie for herself, but she would for the sake of others. Even if that was Shinji.
"Right now, there's a fight going on, right? I have no affinity for being a Magus, but even I can feel it in the air. I'm pretty sure Shirō is one of the people fighting. I'm not asking you to help me. I'm not even asking you to help him. I want you to help Sakura. Without him, she'd.. It wouldn't be good. Even I know that."
Rider couldn't believe she was hearing Shinji say all this. It wasn't like him at all. "I won't leave Sakura unprotected. Especially not with you. I don't trust you, boy. I never will."
Shinji shook his head. "I know. I wasn't planning on suggesting that. But, I also know that you're good with Bounded Fields. You could protect Sakura and keep Shirō from ending up dead. As for me, I'm worthless as a Magus. You could tie me up or take me with you. I can't hurt you, and even if you don't believe me I won't hurt Sakura. Not again."
Rider grit her teeth. Shinji seemed to have changed so drastically in such a short time. She didn't take him at his word, but she did want to help Shirō. To protect Sakura. As Shinji said, without him, Sakura would fall apart. Especially with the Crest Worms inside of her. She didn't want that to happen to her. Not ever.
Sakura wouldn't want her to kill Shinji, no matter how terrible he was. However, hurting him wasn't out of the question. Both Rider and Shinji knew this. So when Shinji caught a glimpse of a fist heading towards his face, half of him was scared, and half of him was hopeful that she'd help Shirō. Then, darkness enveloped his vision, and he was out like a light.
A bloody Ilya giggled as her two personal maids, Sella and Leysritt, ripped through the other maids that occupied the Einzbern estate like a hot knife through butter. The two of them were more or less unstoppable compared to the other, lesser Homunculi that made up the maid staff. Her own abilities far outclassed even those who were considered 'first-class' Magi. The blood that stained their clothes was not their own. So much had been spilled that the once sparkling marble floors were stained a deep crimson, the clothes on their bodies were soaked and heavy with blood, and they weren't yet done with their work.
The first one to die had been at the hands of Ilya herself, and she'd made it slow enough to convey a message to her Grandfather. A promise that she'd return to him and make him pay for the pain, the lies, and the grief he caused for not just her, but Kiritsugu as well. Most of all, she'd make him pay for trying to trick her into killing the only family she had left in this world.
Ever since Shirō had left, she'd been putting a new plan in motion. The Einzberns had betrayed her mother and father, and her as well. Her Grandfather had lied to her face multiple times. She'd called to confirm Shirō's story, not that she disbelieved him, and he had all but admitted he'd been lying to her the whole time.
Jubstacheit von Einzbern was able to see and hear through many of the maids' eyes and ears. He'd been expecting her call. However, what he wasn't expecting was for the call to end abruptly, and he really wasn't expecting for Ilya to start slaughtering the other maids within the estate in Japan. He had no link to Sella and Leysritt, but he never expected their loyalties to lie more with Ilya than him. What's more is that even if they had been loyal to him, they'd never stand a chance against Berserker.
At the Einzbern estate, riding atop Berserker's shoulders, Ilya watched as one by one her Grandfather's eyes and ears in Japan were eliminated with glee. She'd had so much anger, so much hate inside of her for so long, and now she finally had the chance to let it out to someone deserving of it. All of it.
Deep down, she knew Kiritsugu hadn't abandoned her, but she'd been fed lie after lie until she thought she believed differently. It had to be true because, in her mind, Kiritsugu wouldn't lose to anyone. So obviously he had to have abandoned her. It was the only thing that could make sense to her, because there were no other options.
Then, she'd heard he passed away, and feelings of doubt had come back into her mind. She'd spent weeks learning about what he had done with the remainder of his life, and that included learning about Shirō. At first, she'd resented him, feeling like he was the reason her father never came home.
But that wasn't the truth. Shirō had proven that. His embrace reminder her of Kiritsugu's. Honest. Genuine. Warm. Loving. If her emotions hadn't been running so high, it would have been much more comforting. Shirō was her family, and now that she had one again, family meant everything to her. What Shirō was to her, she hadn't decided yet. No matter what, though, he was family.
Berserker's heavy footsteps came to a halt, rousing her from her train of thought. The bloodbath was over. Sella and Leysritt stood in front of her and Berserker, awaiting further instructions. A small part of her wondered what the future had in store for her and her family, other than an immediate bath to wash the blood off.
A bead of sweat ran down Shirō's face, dropping onto the black asphalt below. Lancer's arrival had been a boon for them for a short while. However, he quickly became impatient and struck a blow against Tristan, who he had been keeping occupied. He'd learned what a mistake that was when suddenly Tristan's attacks not only increased in power, but in accuracy and speed. Not only that, Tristan became much more mobile than he had been before, easily moving and shooting his Mana Arrows, ensuring Lancer's attacks had a harder time reaching him.
Kay's arrival hadn't made things any better. Gawain had switched opponents, opting to fight Archer alongside Galahad while Kay dealt with Arturia. The shock she had felt at seeing the man she had grown up with hadn't fully faded and she'd remained unsettled ever since. Shirō could tell she'd been shaken. Her movements were sloppy and her parries didn't have any real force behind them.
He didn't blame her. He'd had a difficult time bringing himself to fight against her in another life of his. In the end, it came down to a desire to save her that brought out the strength he'd needed. Kay, however, was already gone. The thing she was fighting was nothing more than a phantom. An echo of the man that it represented. There was no way to save him.
Surprisingly, Shirō was more calm than he was before Kay's arrival. His focus and instinct was heightened for some reason. Perhaps it was because he was so used to unwinnable situations that he felt more at home within them than battles he could win? He didn't know.
What he did know was that Agravain was starting to wear him down. Relying solely on the twin blades in his hands was an issue. Agravain was simply too fast, too nimble, and too accurate for him to beat with what he was using.
He could beat him using many of the weapons available to him, or by giving caution to the wind and getting serious about beating Agravain, but he couldn't do that while keeping Archer in the dark.
Shirō winced as yet another of Agravain's slashes met his skin, tearing into his right shoulder, before he once again retreated into the darkness. He'd parried the first two strikes, but there was a third hidden in there somewhere. He'd need to find a way out of this fight before he was subject to death by a thousand cuts.
On the sidelines, Rin was getting worried. For some reason the phantom-servants were ignoring her. This meant she had all the time in the world to watch as Archer, Shirō, Saber, and now Lancer became increasingly injured and tired while their opponents showed no such traits.
She was amazed at how Shirō was able to fight on the same level at the others. She couldn't even follow most of his movements. Yet, his opponent was faster. She'd watched as cut after cut appeared on Shirō's body, soaking his clothes with blood. He seemed to remain calm, but she didn't have that ability. They were losing, and it wasn't even by a little. They were getting worn down more and more as time went on. It didn't help that not all of them were fighting.
Shirō wasn't a very good Magus. He didn't seem to know anything about even basic theory or application other than projection and reinforcement. She, on the other hand, was completely the opposite. She'd trained her whole life. Even if they were some kind of pseudo-servants, to be completely ignored was.. upsetting, for many reasons.
Within one of her shirt pockets, the one over her heart, were four jewels she'd been saving for whatever they were going to find in the Temple. However, at this rate they might not even survive the night.
She knew her Gandr shots weren't going to be very effective. As strong as they were, they weren't meant to fight Servants. Whatever these things were, they were strong enough to fight on that level.
Making her decision, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the most powerful weapon she had on her.
After a bath to clean the blood off of her, Ilya chose to sit by the fireplace within her room. She could still sense a battle going on, but she had faith in Shirō. He wouldn't have come this far if he were to be done-in before he'd make good on his promise to be there for her.
Berserker stood dutifully behind her, but she could tell he was.. antsy. Not just because he, too, could sense battle nearby, but for some other reason. There seemed to be some kind of connection between Shirō and Berserker, but Shirō didn't seem to know anything about it and Berserker couldn't speak to explain it to her.
Sella and Leysritt had performed admirably in disposing of her Grandfather's eyes and ears within the castle. They were two of the more powerful creations the Einzberns had, but their loyalty rested first and foremost with her and not her Grandfather.
Her cleaning wasn't done yet, though. Once the war was over, she'd return to her Grandfather like she promised and make him pay for all the pain he caused her. For all the lies he told her. She'd reduce the entire Einzbern family to ashes and return to her true family. Though they weren't related by blood or marriage, Shirō was her family, and she loved nothing more than her family.
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by an otherworldly chill that passed by her. Her chest felt numb and her heart went cold. She could sense a pause in the battle, as if something had happened. She turned to Berserker, who was staring at the only photo left in the room. The one she had taken with Shirō before he left. The glass covering the photo had cracked.
"No.." Her voice came as a whisper. Disbelieving.
It had all happened so fast. She'd struck the bowman with the most powerful magic available to her at that time, but instead of any damage being done, it was as if her attack were nothing more than a gust of wind. Then, the bowman turned his bow toward her.
"You fool!" Archer yelled, already moving. Rin could only look on as a Mana Arrow was released, heading straight for her. Time seemed to slow to a crawl in that moment as she wondered if this was how she'd die.
Archer knew he wouldn't make it in time. The battle had drawn him too far away. Rin was going to die. He wasn't fast enough to save her.
Shirō was. The second he saw out of the corner of his eye what Rin had prepared to do, he knew he had to do something. He was just a few feet closer to her than Archer, but that was all he needed.
"Time Alter – triple accel"
His body and mind sped up, breaking the limits of what was possible through natural means. He didn't have time to block the arrow. The only option was to hope it didn't hit anything vital or pierce through. A fraction of a second later, he appeared before Rin, standing in front of her. A fraction more and the Mana Arrow hit him dead-on, pushing deep into his chest. Shirō fell backwards onto the cold asphalt below, blood flowing freely from the hole in his chest.
Rider had managed to arrive at the outskirts of the battle just in time to see Shirō get hit by the arrow and collapse. She didn't even have time to take in all that was happening within the battle itself. Just Shirō falling backwards, a Mana Arrow sticking out of his chest momentarily before it dissipated. Likewise, Lancer was too engrossed within his own fight to see anything other than the boy his Master seemed to want to help fall, blood quickly soaking through his shirt and coating the ground below.
Archer processed what had happened long before Rin. He didn't know how his past self managed to move so fast, but he knew that what he wanted was done. Calling this battle a loss, he quickly scooped Rin into his arms and ran off. It wasn't until they were almost a mile away that she processed what had just happened.
Arturia had an equally difficult time processing what she'd just witnessed. Shirō.. Shirō had taken an arrow to the heart. Even Avalon had its limits. Her breathing became shallow and her eyes watered. The world around her deafened and she felt.. angry.
Merlin stared at his 'guest', unsure what to think other than that she was powerful. There was still a bright, white light coming off of her, but he could at least see her clearly now. White, flowing hair and crimson eyes that seemed to be perpetually curious. "What is it you're planning on explaining?"
She smiled at him. Waving her hand, an image appeared within the room. An image of Shirō. "I'm here to explain that you've stepped into something much bigger than you were planning to, Merlin. Shirō isn't just some boy who has incredible potential. What you set in motion had been waiting to happen for eons."
Eons? What exactly had he set in motion? What exactly was 'the plan' to this woman?
"Shirō plays a much larger role than you can imagine, Merlin. Whether he wants to or not. In time, he is going to be required to make a choice, a decision, and no matter what he chooses, it will effect the lives of not just those around him, but every life, and the world itself."
Choice? Decision? "What choice? What decision?" Merlin asked. His question went ignored, though.
"It was thanks to your.. meddling, that there would be a choice at all. Without it, there would be no say in the matter at all. One of the two would simply come to pass. Now, there exists one who can decide which one that is." She waved her hand, and the image of Shirō changed to a moving image. A Mana Arrow hit him, and he fell down to the ground. Blood poured out of his chest.
This alarmed Merlin. That wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to-
"Now, watch. Watch what he is capable of."
She had to do it. No matter the consequences. She'd unleash every bit of power from Excalibur and go to Shirō's side. With her close enough, she might be able to get Avalon to heal him quick enough so that he doesn't die. It was the only option. She'd pour every last bit of energy she had into her attack. She'd disappear after a short time, but at least he might survive. That was enough.
On the sidelines, Rider's body moved without thinking. A combination of her curiosity of Shirō and Sakura's unwavering affection for the boy might have been the root of that, but she didn't have time to reflect on why she'd even come out in the first place, much less started moving towards him.
Lancer wasn't sure what to do. His connection to his new Master wasn't strong enough to receive mental orders with all the other presences around interfering with their connection. If they kept fighting, they'd lose. Obviously Archer had seen that and made the decision to retreat with his Master. However, there was no guarantee they'd be able to escape anyways.
Before Arturia could charge her attack, the ground beneath her quaked and the air around her vibrated. Arturia and Lancer turned to see the air around Shirō being the center of this phenomenon. Moments later, a massive amount of blinding, golden energy burst forth from him, rising high into the sky, encompassing the entire area within it. It built upon itself, growing in size and scope, swallowing all those within the battle, growing larger still.
Shirō's body felt heavy. An overwhelming amount of weight seemed to be pressed down on him, since he couldn't even lift a finger, much less open his eyes. Shirō couldn't even hear anything. He also felt a rapid coldness spreading from a singular point in his chest. What was going on? What had happened?
'Oh, right. I was shot by an arrow.' He recalled, remembering what had lead up to this feeling. 'The battle isn't over yet. I have to get up.'
Yet, his body refused to move, and the coldness continued to spread. 'Am I dead? Did that arrow do so much damage even Avalon couldn't heal me?'
No. He retained some of his senses, so he couldn't be dead. Not yet, anyway. That's how he reasoned things. 'I'm dying, but I'm not dead. I can't die here. There's so much I need to do. I can't die. Not yet. Not here.'
Shirō struggled in vain to move, to get up and get back into the fight, but his body refused to follow his commands. 'Move, body. Move. I'm not finished yet. There's too much left for me to do. Move. Move! ARCURANT!'
Archer had gotten them almost a mile away before Rin had ordered him to put her down, stopping on a flat rooftop of a building. He didn't sense anyone coming after them, so it was safe to do so.
"Take me back, Archer!" Rin yelled, uncaring whether anyone could hear her or not.
Archer stared at her, unmoving. "That arrow pierced his heart, and then it dissipated. He's dead."
Tears that had already welled up in her eyes began to fall down her cheeks, yet her furious look remained. "He's not dead! Saber is still there! Lancer is still there! We can-"
"Save him?" Archer interrupted. "An enemy? Again? This is a war, Rin. He was going to die sooner or later anyways. Whether by your hand or by that arrow, he wasn't going to survive. After all, you-"
Next, it was Archer who was cut off. Not by Rin, however. By an absolutely blinding torrent of golden energy. Though his memories were foggy at best, he remembered enough of his past life to attribute such a display of power to Saber and her Excalibur.
Only.. This was different somehow. From what he remembered, Excalibur would unleash a similar burst of energy, build quickly, and then dissipate just as fast. This.. This was different. Instead, it continued to build. Not as quickly as Excalibur, but despite that it quickly dwarfed what he had remembered, continuing to grow in size.
That was not Excalibur.
That was something different.
The moving image, previously dim, exploded in a golden light, encompassing the entirety of the image and brightening the room considerably. It was so bright that he had to turn away, looking back at his 'guest'.
"What is that?" He asked, unaware of such an attack. It was similar to Excalibur, but seemed to be much, much stronger.
His 'guest' smiled at him. "That's the kind of power Shirō holds within him. It was weak and dormant for so long, for so many of his lives. Without your help, he'd never have been the one to awaken it."
That didn't make any sense. He should have the combined powers of his 'other' selves, but that was it. He was still a human boy. Wasn't he?
Then, Merlin noticed something. Were it not for his own power and heritage, and the fact that he had turned away from the blinding light behind him and his 'guest' had moved away, he'd have remained oblivious. However, his enhanced vision allowed him to see something at the back of the room. Focusing, he could make out what seemed to be the figure of a man leaning up against the stone wall. However, it was as if he were split almost exactly down the middle. The rest of his form seemed to be made up of complete and absolute darkness. In the hand that was corporeal was some kind of firearm, though he had limited knowledge of such things. The being's head tilted up, recognizing that he had been spotted.
Merlin turned towards his 'guest' for answers, but all he got was another smile, though there was a moment of surprise on her face, as if she hadn't been expecting him to notice his second 'guest'. If things were any different, he wouldn't have. Not even Agravain could pull that off. Merlin blinked and his 'guests' were suddenly gone.
He didn't know who they were, or how they had gotten into his prison, but what he did know was that they weren't his enemies. Not directly, at least. However, he wasn't entirely sure they could be considered 'friends', either. The woman with white hair and red eyes was cryptic and not at all forthcoming with information, and the man.. He was dangerous. Something about him made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
Merlin turned towards the moving image and saw the golden light quickly die down. As the overwhelming brightness faded, what came into view both shocked and amazed him.
A/N: This was a fun chapter to watch come together. Since this chapter has a lot of different things happening at once, I've done my best to pace things accordingly. It took a bit longer than I had anticipated to get it finished since there were a couple other things I wanted to work on, including an original work of mine, so I've been juggling a couple different stories at one time. Anyways, as always feel free to review, and thank you for reading.