This is Chapter 7. It's been almost 1 year since I began this story and I'm still not at the war. Hopefully I will get there soon. This chapter will be mainly more background information.

This chapter will be going from past to present. Just to clarify, anything italicized happened in the past, anything not happened in the future.


Chapter 7

Rebirth… Rebirth…

The golden cup pulsated. The cracks deepened and spread throughout the metal, coating the plating like veins on aging skin. Slowly, gradually, its size increased with every horrid pulse.

Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth…

The night sky opened up, and reddish-black miasma seeped out from the dark sun that peered out like an eye peering through a veil. Occasionally, black liquid would seep out, and fall onto the streets bellow. With it, gusts of wind would blow as if the sun was trying to let out long gasps of breath.

Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth… Rebirth…

The chalice pulsed again and again as it grew in size, and like the dark sun that shimmered above the Town Hall, dark liquid seeped from it, spreading out, and covering the stage. From within the void in the sky, the Holy Grail, the true Holy Grail, was trying desperately to be summoned.

From inside the auditorium, two magi and a Servant moved away from the dark liquid. Carried in the arms of her husband, the weakened Irisviel watched in awe and revulsion as she saw what was once apart of her transform into something horrible and unshapely. Near by, Saber observed the liquid with watchful eyes as if half expecting something to pop out and strike.

"This cannot be!" Irisviel exclaimed as she observed the liquid bubble and simmer. She looked up and the ceiling… no… she looked past the ceiling, looking up at the strong, ungodly malevolent thing floating in the sky. Thoughts ran through her mind as she tried to figure out what was going on.

This is what she knew. The Grail was trying to summon itself with only four Servants. Normally this could only happen when five Servants have been defeated, but she feared that because of the separation there was some kind of mistake or glitch that caused the ritual to activate prematurely. Or was the Grail, or whatever was inside it, so desperate it was trying to activate itself with just the four servants it collected? Whatever the case, the Grail was trying to invoke itself early and it was clear her own separation was responsible for it. Considering it only had four servants, she did not believe it would work. It may work succeed in bringing forth the Grail, but it could also cause a lot of damage in the process.

While this was going on, she sat in a theater seat attempting to recover from her violent separation from the Grail. In this moment of respite, she told her tale about what happened to her in the dreamlike state, and from what she could tell so far, her audience did not like what they heard. If she knew what went on in Kiritsugu's mind, she would see the mind of a man who was analyzing the situation, trying fit the pieces together and better understand what it was Irisviel was trying to convey. It was not that he disbelieved her words; it was more that he was having difficulty believing the Einzberns would willingly allow such a self-destructive ritual like this to occur without foreknowledge. Then again, the Einzberns were never ones who seemed to care for the well being of others, let alone humanity in general.

If she knew what went on in Saber's mind, she would discover a more emotional analysis. Saber felt deceived, humiliated, betrayed, and every other negative emotion that could be applied. It was unfair. After everything she suffered, this was her reward? This was the Holy Grail she sought? A corrupt, wish-granting demon that made your wish into a living Hell for everyone?

"Irisviel…" Saber said through gritted teeth. She stared directly at the white haired homunculus who sat in place trying to recover her stamina. "I have gone through so much for you. I have fought many battles, suffered through heinous sights, put up with some… questionable activities from my allies." It took much of her will power to not glance at Kiritsugu who stood next to the weakened homunculus. "All of it was to seek the Grail and grant my wish, but now you tell me that should my wish be granted, this creature, this… Angra Mainyu… will do so in a way that will cause the most destruction possible?"

Irisviel shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She knew how much this war and seeking the Holy Grail meant to Saber. She fought along side the Servant of the Sword, knew her passion, her desire, and how much she saw the need to redeem herself for what she preserved as a failure, and now here Irisviel was, telling her friend it would be not only futile, but also destructive.

"I am afraid so." Irisviel confirmed. The Servant looked more pained as Irisviel felt, but she needed to know the truth. Worst yet, she needed to know the significance of what it was Irisviel was trying to convey, and that meant further taking apart her wish. "The Grail will always choose the most destructive way possible in order to grant a wish. It does not matter what the person's intentions are, because of the presence of Angra Mainyu, its own desire to cause destruction is mingled in with the Grail's wish granting function making it so that it interprets every wish as a desire to cause destruction. Let's say you were to ask the Grail to relive your life and once make it so you never become king. What do you think the Grail would do to make it as destructive as possible?"

Saber thought for a moment. "I wouldn't have to become king," she paused for a moment. "If my country doesn't exist." She said out loud in bitter resentment. Nobles fighting over the crowns were already at conflict with one another; the logical conclusion she drew was that the country would destroy itself in civil war thanks to her wish even if there were a strong ruler to take her place. What kind of disgusting irony is this? Did she really go through all this to save her people just to kill them all over again even earlier than before?

"And our wish?" Kiritsugu asked. He had been silent but attentive as Irisviel told her story, now he spoke, giving no hint of his emotions.

"It will give world peace." Irisviel confirmed. "It will make a utopia where you and Illya can live… by killing everyone in the world except you and Illya." Again, if Kiritsugu was affected by that revelation in any way, he showed no outward sign of it.

"It even twists a wish for world peace into a perverse mockery." Saber stated bitterly.

"Kiritsugu," Irisviel said weakly, turning her body towards the freelancer. "I know it was your dream to create a world where people need not die needlessly, but the Grail is not the way. All it will do is create an empty world where all we accomplished will be nothing but a sick joke. Please Kiritsugu you must understand, we must not use the Grail."

Kiritsugu looked at the pleading eyes of his wife, still weak with exhaustion. Then he looked over at the Grail, now malformed and taking on the shape of something grotesque, like a metal shop's apprentice's failed product, an ill-proportioned, derision of the art come to life and trying to avenge itself on its creator by spewing out obscenities in the form of black mud. Kiritsugu made up his mind.

"I believe you." Kiritsugu said flatly turning back to his wife. Irisviel sighed in relief, grateful her please did not fall on deaf ears.

He looked over at the alter where the cracked and pulsating Grail lay once more. Much of his conclusion came from logic, but much also came from intuition. Normally he was not a man who would rely on something as unreliable as intuition but there was just so much about this situation that did not sit right with him. He saw no reason Irisviel would lie to him, not after coming this far, not after everything they been through. Plus Irisviel admitted her own connection to the Grail. If anyone knew what was inside the Grail, it was Irisviel herself. He could think of no reason to doubt her, so her story, so as amazing as it was most likely true. That means this whole war had been for nothing. How much does old man Acht know about this? Kiritsugu would have to question him once he took care of this problem.

"Irisviel…" Saber said, interrupting Kiritsugu's train of thought. "I do not doubt your story, but I must confirm your story. Are you sure that the Grail is tainted?" The Servant of the Sword asked in a desperate voice. She knew she sounded less like a dignified knight and more like a pleading child, but she did not care. She needed clarification. "Are you absolutely sure is nothing that can be gained but destruction?"

Irisviel looked back at the Servant who served her loyally throughout this war. Since the beginning she not only regarded Saber as a loyal knight, but as a dear friend, and now here she was, rewarding that friendship by revealing to her that if she used the Grail, it would grant a futile wish. She knew she was doing the right thing, but it did not feel any less like a betrayal.

"I'm sorry." Irisviel apologized in her most sincere tone. She did not have to say more.

All was silent as the blond Servant took in the confirmation. Saber chuckled bitterly. She may as well have lost the war at the very beginning and been done with it. At least then she would have fallen in battle with honor and been spared from this knowledge. "So then that's it. Everything I've been through has truly been for nothing."

She wondered about what the other Servants who fell in battle would have thought about this news. Would Lancer have been satisfied that his dying curse had been fulfilled? Would Caster have been thrilled to know that the Grail would cause such misery? And what of Rider and Archer who were still fighting in the war? How would they react to the news? Archer did not care for the Grail, but no doubt Rider would be furious to know that his dream of being incarnated would cause destruction Regardless, one thing was clear. Her own wish, her own straggles had been completely fruitless.

"That's enough." Kiritsugu interrupted he train of thoughts. "We have no time to sit around and brood."

"Kiritsugu!" Irisviel exclaimed preparing to scold the freelancer.

"I know Iri." He said in his usual monotone, although both women did notice this time around there was a barley noticeable edge to his voice. "I'm frustrated as well, but right now, we have to end this war. We can lick out own wounds after we dealt with the immediate threat."

Saber was fully prepared to throttling Kiritsugu for his lack of empathy, but he was right. They had no time to waste and Saber knew if she gave him a tongue lashing now it would just be her pointlessly taking her own anger out on him. Why should she, when he was just as oblivious as her? No, she couldn't be angry at him at that moment when there was work to be done.

"He's right." Saber agreed cooling her head. "We cannot let this ritual go on." She looked away, obviously still bitter. "No wish is worth it."

"Saber." Irisviel said in an attempt to comfort the girl. "I…"

"Don't, Irisviel." Saber interrupted, he voice still carrying frustration. "I don't need any comforting words. All I need is to perform my duty as a knight." She turned to her Master. "Kiritsugu. As a Servant it is my duty to retrieve the Grail. It is engraved into my very being, so I cannot destroy it of my own free will. So you will have to use your final Command Seal. Make me use my Noble Phantasm to destroy the Grail."

"Very well," Kiritsugu agree. "Iri, let's get some distance away before…"

"No!" Irisviel interrupted both Servant and Master, surprising them both. "Do not target the Grail!"

"I-Irisviel?" Saber questioned. "Why would we…?"

"There are actually two Grails." Irisviel revealed. "The first is the Greater Grail which is kept in a cave at Mount Enzo. That is the wish-granting device, kept safe until the end of the ritual. The Lesser Grail is what is used to summon the Greater Grail. It creates a magic circle that opens up a void to summon the Greater Grail to the winner and at this moment the void to summon the Grail is opened. If you destroy the Lesser Grail, you'll end the ritual, but the contents will spill all over Fuyuki. Hundreds could die."

Saber shutter at the thought of that. It's a good thing they had an expert on the ritual here. They just nearly made a fatal mistake. Kiritsugu pointed to the Grail, which was now a two-meter tall pulsating metallic mess which now only barley resembled a chalice. "So then that's not the Holy Grail?"

"No, it's just the tool to summon it." Irisviel then pointed upward. "If you wish to end this war safely you should aim above us and target the void."

"You have my gratitude." Thanked Saber. She then looked up at the ceiling of the theater. "Unfortunately the building is in the way. Because of the power of my Noble Phantasm, I doubt aiming would be too much of a problem, but I would rather not take that chance. That aside, with you two close by if the shockwave of my attack doesn't harm you debris from the destruction will."

"We should leave the building." Irisviel instructed. She looked over at the Grail that pulsated and released dark liquid. This was all wrong. Whatever was happening to the Grail, whatever flaw it was trying to correct, it was not working. She just prevented Kiritsugu and Saber from destroying the Grail, but she feared that it did not need their assistance in that regard. "The Grail is unstable. We need to end this war quickly before anything happens to it."

"Then let's…" she cut herself off as she suddenly turned toward the entrance. "No, not now!"

"What is it?" Kiritsugu asked, looking her direction.

"It's Archer! He's on his way!"

Kiritsugu cursed under his breath. They waited too long, now the most troublesome Servant is coming. "That's right. I forgot about him. Kotomine Kirei is also in this building."

"That man is here!?" Irisviel asked horrified. Irisviel had encountered the man a scant few times, the last time when he had attempted to take her own life. She could still feel the man's hands around her neck as he applied pressure, slowly and surly, and the quick jerk he made as he snapped her neck, breaking the bones in her spine. In that moment, looking into the man's eyes she saw the wickedness within the man's heart. Kotomine Kirei was a sick man in mind and soul. Whether he was always this way, she could not say, but this war gave him an opportunity to act upon those impulses.

"Iri," Kiritsugu said after a moment of consideration. "How well can you move?"

Irisviel stood up gradually. She was still feeling groggy, but she could tell she was recovering well, better than well actually. Even her neck that had been snapped by Kotomine Kirei had regenerated. She suspected that now that the Grail was no longer apart of her, Avalon was healing her with little interference. She was not fit enough to participate in battle, but she certainly felt better than she felt in days.

"Relatively well." She confirmed.

"Good." Kiritsugu said. "We need to get you out here." He paused in consideration then corrected himself. "No, Archer will spot us the second we leave the building. You find a place to hide, create a bounded field."

"What about you?" Irisviel asked concerned.

"I suspect Kotomine Kirei may already be already be on his way up here to investigate. I must confront him and make sure he does not leave this building alive or give Archer any support." He turned to Saber. "Make sure Archer does not enter this building." He ordered. Saber nodded in affirmation. She turned to leave, only to be stopped by Kiritsugu's voice once more. "Wait. Before you go, there is one more thing I wish to do." He turned to Irisviel. "Iri…"


A loud ringing came from the side of Waver's bed. He recently returned from one of his many business trips and was planning to sleep in his hotel room for a few more hours, but it appears as though his plans had changed. At first he was annoyed like any rational person who had just been disturbed from a decent sleep, but once it registered that it was the phone ringing, his annoyance changed to a surprised urgency, and he was fully awake. There was only one person who would be calling him at this particular time, and he knew the reason.

"Hello?" he answered by the fourth ring

"It's me, Waver-kun." The female voice on the other end of the line greeted. "I don't have much time, we must keep this brief." Explained getting straight to business. "How is the Project on your end?"

The 'Project,' as it was called was about to be put into use. After the time and effort setting it up on Waver's part, it was time. With him doing most of the legwork and his partner's careful instruction on how to perform certain rituals and careful placement of the materials, they were finally about to be put the plan to fruition. Understanding how pressed for time she is, Waver got to the point.

"Are you in Germany now?" he asked the voice.

"I just finished on my end. Just to confirm, you made sure that you have a solid alibi, so there should be no connection between you and what is about to happen in England?"

"I did." Waver said. "And everything is set on this end."

"Then it's time." The voice said. "All the pieces of set up. We can now begin the operation."

"Good. I hope all goes well for you."

"Do not worry, Waver-kun." The voice on the other end assured. "This is your strategy after all."

It was true. Waver was the strategist who outlined most of the operation. It had been him who came up with exactly how they frame Matou Zouken, something he took particular satisfaction in when he found out what he was doing to his adopted granddaughter. And when he was faxed those Tohsaka documents to him, he was the one who sorted them out and strategically mailed them to the right people. He had no way of knowing the results, but both Waver and his partner were pleasantly surprised by the results. But these events had just been to open the prelude to what was to come. Behind the scenes, Waver had been traveling the world, meeting with various people, setting up rituals, and gathering materials for what was to come. It was hard to believe that it would come to an end so soon.

"I'm glad you have so much confidence in me. But I'm just the gofer. You're the one doing all the dangerous work. I just wish I could do more for you."

"You're doing more than enough." The voice on the other end assured in a comforting voice. "Your strategy is far better than anything I would have come up with on my own. It will assure your anonymity and the best results possible at the same time. We both agreed on that months before." As an after thought, she decided to add one more compliment. "Honestly, I feel a lot better knowing I have this plan came from you."

That embarrassed him a bit. "I had a good teacher." Waver stated modestly.

"Rider would have been proud of you." The voice said.

Again, Waver smiled a bit. "Thank you."

"I must go now." The voice said. "Expect my call around midnight at the earliest. If you do not hear from me by the time the sun comes up, assume the mission has failed and perform the 'Last Resort.' Afterwards, separate yourself from the whole affair and move on with your life. Agreed?"

Waver was put off with that last part and how she calmly told him to just abandon her. Then again, she did make things out so that he had as much plausible deniability as possible. He was grateful that she was going to such lengths to protect him, but it did make him feel guilty.

But as much as that put him off, it did not disturb him nearly as much as the first part of the order. 'The Last Resort.' If everything else fails, it would be up to him to deliver this. If nothing else, this would assure the end of the Holy Grail War for good, and probably the Einzberns. Of course, this would not assure Illya's safety, so like its namesake implies, his partner made this the absolute last resort if everything else were to fail. Waver was almost tempted to curse her for putting so much pressure on him. Instead…

"Agreed." Waver confirmed. He knew what he was getting into from the beginning, including the risks and what was at stake. Iskander steeled him for such difficult situations during the war, and now he had to deal with difficult decisions in real life. Hopefully he'll never have the opportunity to use it. "I'll be in my hotel room asleep all day waiting for your call all night."

He sensed, rather then saw a feeling of gratitude coming from the other end of the telephone. "If there's nothing else, then I'll begin." The voice on the other end said. "Thank you for everything up until now, Waver-kun." A slight pause could be heard over the phone. "Goodbye."

"Right." Waver said with reluctance. "Goodbye,., Emiya-san." With that, the two individuals hung up their respective phones. Waver sat there on the edge of the bed, his hand still on the phone, looking at it. He inhaled deeply, and then exhaled in finality.

"Why in the world did I get involved in this mess?" He asked himself falling back into the bed. He could hear the ghost of his fallen friend Iskander echo in his mind.

"Because she's a beautiful woman and you're too much of a soft hearted fool." The voice in his head mocked, partly his own, partly that of his fallen friend. "Face it boy, you're way to human for your own good."

"Ah, shut up! What's wrong with being human?" He asked the person who wasn't there. Not expecting a reply, he crawled back into bed hoping to catch a few more hours of sleep. The unfortunate young man found himself unable to, his mind going back to thoughts of the entire mess.

He could easily go to the Mage Association or the Church and reveal what he knows, but that would almost certainly condemn the daughter to her fate. And after all the trust Irisviel put into him, was that something he really should be doing? All his life he was told that clinging to such aspects of one's humanity is seen as weakness in the magus community, and lately, he had been wondering if maybe if those critics weren't accurate in their assumptions.

Then he remembered it was the less then human magi like Einzberns who created this mess in the first place and refuse to do anything about it, and that wasn't even taking into account what was happening during the war such as what the psychotic Caster was doing to his victims. Then he recalled it was the more humane individuals like Irisviel and Waver himself who were actively fixing the mess made in the aftermath and decided that maybe his humanity wasn't such a bad thing after all. Hopefully some good can be done and if he can't reunite mother and daughter then at the very least he can prevent some foolish magi from destroying the world. He nodded to himself and decided that in the end, he is doing the right thing. Maybe it's not the smart thing as a magus, but yeah, it is the right thing as a person.

With one last sigh, he shifted in his bed and stated out into nothing. "Good luck." He said to the empty room, as though she could still hear him. Strangely enough, he felt like she could.


From the Town Hall entrance, Saber cautiously left through the door and turned her attention to the skyward. A black sun hovered high above Fuyuki Town Hall. Occasionally, it would seep out a dark vapor and black liquid that would pour into the streets and onto the building. She did not know what she was expecting when she would see the Holy Grail if she won the war proper. Maybe she expected a bright light or a cherub like construct to accompany a shiny relic, but certainly not this, certainly not some black sun spewing out dark mud.

"So that is it." Saber commented watching the void in disgust. If she had any doubts before the Grail could do no good, there were none now, not when she saw a large glob of the black mud shoot out and burn a large portion of asphalt. Irisviel mentioned that the mud was apparently corrupted mana. It represented the curse of Avenger, All the evils of the world burning everything it touches. She would have to be wary and make sure none of that obscenity lands on her.

"A truly unusual sight." Boomed a proud voice. In stark contrast to the darkness seeping from the void, a golden light appeared before her. Accompany it, was the Hero of the Bow himself. Archer, arrived in all his glory, arms crossed, his treasury proudly displayed behind him as various weapons appeared in golden ripples.

"Archer!" exclaimed Saber standing her ground. She had her weapon drawn, Invisible Air covering it, concealing its identity, length, and much of its power until it was ready to be used.

"I see the Mad Dog is still alive." Archer stated referring to Berserker. "It couldn't be he was too much for you, was he?"

Saber took a quick glance up careful to not keep her attention away from the golden Servant. She was far too close to the Town Hall and nearly directly under the void. This position was no good. She needed to get to a spot where she could accurately aim at the void and not damage the building where Kiritsugu and Irisviel still hid. All she needed was to get in the right spot then send out a signal through the connection with her Master to give her the command. But to do that, she would have to get past Archer.

She swung her sword cloaked in invisible air. "Prepare yourself Archer! Tonight, the Holy Grail War ends."

Archer simply chuckled. "So fiery. I know you must be eager to witness my riches in all their glory, but please show some restraint. Such an undignified expression is tasteless like a starving dog."

Ignoring his words, Saber noticed that he was completely unharmed. No doubt he just came back from defeating Rider who himself was one of the most powerful Servants in the war, yet Archer didn't even have a hair out of place let alone a scratch on his armor. Was he really that powerful? Made even worst by the fact that she still didn't now his identity. She on the other hand was a bit worn from her brief, but tiring fight against Berserker. She was thankful Kiritsugu used a Command Seal when he did. Who knew how that fight would have turned out?

Well, there are two things going for her right now. First, while hurt, she was still able to move affectively. Second, her objective is not to defeat Archer. It's to destroy the void. Hopefully she would live long enough to accomplish that goal before Archer figured out what she was planning. So she made her move.


Kotomine Kirei found himself surprised when he made his way back to the auditorium. He was expecting Emiya Kiritsugu to have arrived at this time, ready to face him, yet he was later then expected. Then he kept hearing unusual noises coming from the auditorium, so he came to investigate, and low and behold, a giant, pulsating metal figure lay before the stage.

"This is the Holy Grail?" Kirei questioned. There, where he left the corpse of the homunculus he killed was a giant glob of copper and gold colored metal that looked both organic and metallic all at once. It was four meters tall, and two meter wide all around, though there was a lop sidedness to it that made it curve from the top to the right as though it had a growth or it was malformed in some kind of unnatural birth. Black crack like figures spread all around the surface and from them either thin streams of black smoke or trickles of dark liquid were trickling out. As for the shape, if one looked very closely, one could probably make out the shape of a chalice, that person would have to squint their eyes and look very closely, provided they dared get close enough.

Kirei was puzzled by its appearance. According to his late teacher, the vessel was supposed to turn into the Grail, but he was not expecting it to be so… deformed. He briefly wondered if it was because he murdered the vessel in the way he did that caused this. And what was that black liquid it was spewing? Well, he did not truly care for the Grail anyway. Whatever this was did not matter to him. What did matter was Kiritsugu himself. He should have been here by now. Where could he…?

Kirei suddenly ducked and rolled as bullets zoomed by his face, those he could not dodge, he blocked with the Black Keys. Now completely alert, the priest turned to the direction of the surprise attack and saw his target. Emiya Kiritsugu pointed his Calico M950 at Kirei, ready to fire once again, in his other hand, his Thompson Contender ready to be used when needed.

Both men glared at one another, Kirei in anticipation, Kiritsugu with a cold calculation. Kirei had given into his own desire for destruction while Kiritsugu has detached his desires and become a killing machine. Both men have readied themselves for what was to come.

From a balcony seat, Irisviel finished setting up her bounded field and looking out at the stage. From this vantage point, unless Kotomine Kirei happened to be looking up, he would not see the white haired woman. It was unlikely considering the opponent before him. In the mean time, Irisviel had her own duty to perform. Her attention turned briefly to the malformed embryo like form of the Lesser Grail, and then to the two men prepared to fight.

"Kiritsugu… Saber…" Irisviel whispered under her breath. As if they could here her, she "Be strong. Everything depends on you." She clenched her fist in frustration. "And probably…"


The snow blew fiercely. It almost blinded Irisviel as she drove the truck through the forest. It however was but a minor annoyance as she made her way. She was used to the cold weather of the German mountains. Even a strong snowstorm like this was no more unusual for her in the first nine years of her life than rainy weather in Fuyuki, so she did not mind the drive up the mountain. It would be when she finally got to her family's territory where things will get difficult for her.

The objective was in sight. Just a few more yards, and she would be at the border of her family's territory. She stopped the truck she rented just short of it and exited the vehicle. Walking past it, she only took the briefest notice of the any dinks and dents of the once pristine paint of the truck. She admitted to herself the snowstorm was not entirely to blame for the truck's condition. Not for the first time, Irisviel began thinking she wasn't that good of a driver. The thought first began when she first took the driving test in Fuyuki and her driving instructor, in not so many words, said she had no business on the road. Well, she proved him wrong when she earned her driver's license. Sure it took four more tries and a few thousand yen of repair costs to the test vehicles, but she made her point.

Putting that aside, she made her way to the very edge of the barrier, looking out at the direction of her old family castle. She was wearing the clothing she wore when she left, the expensive looking red and white winter clothing she wore throughout the Holy Grail War. She could think of nothing more appropriate other than what she wore when she left for that haunting battlefield. So what if it was worn out? So what if there was still the scent of the great fire? It felt right to her, just as the addition to her outfit felt right. Visually, it was out of place in her fashionable garb, but it felt right.

Over her usual clothing, she did not wear her expensive white fur coat. Instead, she wore a long black trench coat. Not just any, it was one that her husband wore in his final days in the Holy Grail War, one of the few mementos she had left of him. The trench coat was oversized over her delicate frame, but she did not mind. It gave her comfort, as if Kiritsugu himself was putting his own arms around her, giving her his strength. She knew she needed all the power she could muster at this stage, and it gave it to her as it blew in the cold wind along with her long white hair.

Taking a deep breath, she turned her gaze towards the horizon. To an outsider looking in, they would see nothing but a blinding veil of snow and wind. Behind it however was one of the most heavily protected magic castles in the world. So how was Irisviel, a lone homunculus to get in? It was simple. She would ask to be let in.

"I know you are listening!" Irisviel called. "I request an audience with Jubstacheit von Einzbern!" She paused, not because she expected the snowstorm to let up suddenly, but because she wanted her words to sink in. Once more, she took a deep sigh. No more turning back now. All she had lay on this. "I have something you'll want! If you wish to possess it, you'll need me to enter!" and with that, she showed her bargaining chip.


"Are you sure you want to do this? Irisviel asked her husband. She stood in the balcony setting up various charms to create her bounded field. Some distance away, Kiritsugu stood on look out at the Balcony entrance scanning the theater auditorium.

"I have to." Kiritsugu confirmed. "Once Kotomine shows himself, I'll end him once and for all."

Irisviel was still apprehensive about the plan. Saber was on her way to confront Archer outside leaving Kiritsugu to confront Kotomine, but the latter confrontation seemed unnecessary in her mind. She let Kiritsugu know of her worries. "But why face him? Is it really important to make sure he's dead?" True she would not shed any tears for the man if Kiritsugu killed him, but she is not so vengeful she would actively want Kiritsugu risk his life, especially knowing how dangerous and deranged the priest truly was.

"Truth be told, confronting him is not all that necessary." Kiritsugu explained. "If he does not come it's probably for the best, but with the commotion being made up here I fear curiosity will eventually get the better of him. A confrontation will be inevitable and I will eventually have to fight him here in the theater."

That alarmed Irisviel. A confrontation here could risk damaging the Grail and it was already unstable as it is. A battle between two magi, even a small one, could be the final push it needs to completely collapse. Again, she voiced what was on her mind to Kiritsugu. His replied stunned the already frightened homunculus to disbelief.

"That's the point." Kiritsugu stated flatly.

Irisviel tried to figure out what it was Kiritsugu was trying to accomplish, but couldn't. He had to understand the dangers of destroying the Grail, so why would he willingly risk it in a battle with Kotomine? This time she did not have to ask the obvious question. Kiritsugu explained himself.

"I'm fully aware of the danger." Kiritsugu stated. "But if what you say is true then billions could die if we don't act." Irisviel silently took in his words with painful acceptance. "I am not so foolish as to not take a chance to save as many lives as I can, but I am also a realist. I will allow Saber one chance to destroy the void, but her opponent is the strongest Servant in the war, and as arrogant as he is, Archer is no fool. It's very likely that he may come to the conclusion Saber might wish to destroy the Grail instead of face him and Saber is too set in her foolish code of honor to deceptively destroy the Grail. But as I said, I will give Saber a chance, but only after a certain amount of time has passed. If she cannot destroy the Grail from the void, I will destroy the Lesser Grail. I will kill hundreds of people to save billions of lives but only if Saber fails, and considering who her opponent is I am not taking any chances. That is the truth of the matter."

"Kiritsugu." Irisviel said, pain tugging at her heart. It hurt her how little faith he had in Saber despite how many times she proved just how loyal she truly was. But as he said, he was a realist.

"You've seen the kind of man Kotomine Kirei is." Kiritsugu stated. "You said yourself he is a man who revels in the pain he causes. Imagine what would happen if he were to obtain the Grail." Irisviel did not want to imagine, but tried and did not enjoy the images she conjured. "I cannot allow it. If Saber cannot find the opportunity to destroy the Grail, I will take matters into my own hands."

Irisviel thought for a moment about what to say. Logically, it made sense, but she could not agree with him completely. Not if it meant he had to stain his hands with the blood of hundreds of people. She needed to say something more. "It will work!" She exclaimed. "Please believe Saber will pull through, Kiritsugu. She's been there for us throughout this war from the very beginning; she will in the end. She's King Arthur, a hero."

The freelancer remained silent. Irisviel hoped that her shine of optimism would be enough to win over the normally gloomy man. Unfortunately, it looked like it was not as affective as she wanted it to be. "We don't have the luxury to believe in heroes." He calmly replied. "Heroes can't be relied on when it matters."

While he did not acknowledge it, a small part of him wishes he did. He was a man who once wanted to be a hero. But then the reality of the world got to him and he realized just how out of place a hero was in the cruel world of modern man. For every life he took, he had to take many more just to save more lives. That in turn made him into the cold, calculative killing machine he was today, his dream of becoming a hero long forgotten until recently. In fact, the very reason he entered this was because maybe, just maybe he could give his wish of being a hero one last chance, but this new development, this whole war itself told him one more cruel truth of the world. Heroes were not needed.

Irisviel looked down sadly. She pitied her husband who lost his faith in heroes. No, maybe there was a way to get him to see heroes still exist even today.

"You're my hero, Kiritsugu." She explained. For the first time in a long while, she saw what appeared to be genuine surprise pass on Kiritsugu's face. "When you helped separate me from the Grail, you acted more heroic."

"I was… just relieving your pain." Kiritsugu explained with some hesitation in his voice. He seemed uncomfortable with the whole topic as if he was trying to justify an answer to a problem that had been eluding him for so long.

"But you still saved me." Irisviel countered. "It was not the logical thing to do, and you still saved my life. You acted without a plan, without thinking, you just acted on instinct to save my life, just like a hero, and because of that…" she paused for a brief moment in consideration. It did not occur to her until that very moment but a sudden realization dawned on her. "I can live to go home."

Home. That's right. With everything else that went on, she almost forgot that she was supposed to die in this war. Now things have changed. Now she was facing the possibility that she could survive this war and… return home to Illya. She could actually live through this and go home to her daughter. In a fit of joy, she embraced her husband who just stood there with a puzzled expression on his face, unable to process or understand how to affectively respond to this display of affection.

"We can be a family again, Kiritsugu!" Irisviel exclaimed with joy, tears running down her cheeks. "You, me, Illya, all of us together! I can actually see her grow up! I can…" A fresh stream of tears ran down the woman's face as the realization of her extended life and the time she could spend with her daughter began to become clearer. Kiritsugu, still unable to cope with this sudden outburst just stood there, allowing his wife to embrace him. He looked around guarded, ready to scold Irisviel for allowing this moment of weakness, ready to warn her Kotomine could launch a surprise attack while they were like this, but didn't. Not sure what else to do, he choose to respond in what felt like the most natural way and raised his own arms to hug her back. He was ready to put his own arms around, her, but he stopped himself. Now was not the time for sentimentalities when he had his duty to preform. He had to become a killing machine.

"I know." Kiritsugu said composing himself. Gently, he took her arms away from him and motioned her away. "But for now, we have a job to do. We need to finish the task at hand before considering going home."

"Oh, right." Irisviel almost forgot she was celebrating prematurely. They still had to finish this war. She wiped away the tears from her eyes as Kiritsugu turned his back on her, preparing to leave. "But for what it's worth, you really are my hero."

With a view of Kiritsugu's back, Irisviel was unable to see if any o her words were able to have any affect on the freelancer. All she was able to receive from the man was a curt response. "All my life I extended lives without truly saving them." He stated. "Tonight is no different." His statement was clear. He is simply doing was he always does. He is making a logical choice based on what course of action will save the most human lives, nothing more nothing less. He was no hero.

Saddened by his refusal to acknowledge her gesture. But would not allow him to be put down by his self-deprecation. "I'm a life you truly saved. Even if you do not see it, you really are a hero in y eyes. And when we return home, you'll be Illya's hero too."

Silence fell upon them once more. Irisviel waited for a response, watching Kiritsugu's back. When a response came, it was brief and business like. "I'll be off." Kiritsugu said plainly as he walked away, leaving Irisviel in her bounded field.

A cold chill ran through Irisviel. This was eerily similar to how she and Kiritsugu separated in the storage house. They just nearly separated in a very professional and very anti-climatic way, and it just occurred to her she did not want that at all. She felt as though there had to be more than just seeing him off to battle, but what was there? It was not like last time. Last time, she believed she was going to die.

But what was she afraid of? She was sure Kiritsugu and Saber would come out on top. Kiritsugu would successfully defend the Grail, and Saber would find a way to overcome Archer. She was sure of it. And besides, it's not like they had to defeat their respective opponents. They just had to stall until Saber had a clear shot at the void. Then, Saber would send a message to Irisviel herself, and Irisviel would give the command to Saber to destroy the void.

Irisviel rolled up her sleeve and looked at the Command Seal that once belonged to Kiritsugu. She recalled how Kiritsugu insisted Irisviel make a contract with Saber and become a stand in for him while he deals with Kotomine.

"I need to make sure Kotomine Kirei stays put." Kiritsugu explained. "I can't do that and wait for Saber to tell me when she is ready to fire her Noble Phantasm. That's an unnecessary distraction in an already unusual situation. So I'm giving her to you to control." She recalled how Saber was initially offended upon being referred to as an 'unnecessary distraction,' though she did managed to hold her tongue.

Irisviel smiled to herself as she looked at the single Command Seal trusted to her and a thought occurred to her. If Kiritsugu truly did not believe in Saber, he wouldn't have given this task to Irisviel in the first place. Kiritsugu rarely does things without meaning. The fact that he did this much means he does at the very least want this war to end with the fewest casualties as possible. It all hung on Irisviel and Saber to make sure Kiritsugu did not have to force his hand. Once Saber was ready, she would signal Irisviel through their link and Irisviel would use her final Command Seal to give the order, destroy the Grail, and end the war. She would have to say goodbye to her old friend, but afterwards, she and Kiritsugu would return home to Illya.

And so Irisviel took on the role of Master and waited for Saber's signal. In all, she was confident everything would work out well. She rubbed the newly applied Command Seal with confidence. "We will not fail."


Irisviel looked at her own wrist and sighed deeply. "Funny how plans never turn out the way one hopes." She mused. "Just one, or maybe a series of unforeseen events can change everything." How optimistic she was in the past that things would turn out so well. She should have known better. Even the most well laid out plans can seem flawless in the eyes of the planner only to change when that eye blinks. And even worst, she actually believed she could simply return home to Illya after failing in the Heavens Feel. She was so overjoyed with the idea that she was going to live long enough to actually meet Illya again she disregarded the fact that her own family would be so furious with her they would disown her and forbid her to see her own daughter. It was not even optimism anymore; it transcended to naiveté.

She stared at the unused, inactive Command Seal that lay on the back of her hand, what was once a bright red color now a grey splotch. Her gambit worked. As she correctly deduced, with all of the extra Command Seals lost, there was no way her family would pass up the opportunity to collect what is possibly the last remaining extra Command Seal for themselves, especially if the Church is completely unaware that one last Command Seal still exists. And since she was hand delivering it to them, of course they would release the barrier and let her in. Of course, that was the risky part. She says risky, because what follows is not so much risky as it is dangerous.

There were so many ways this plan could backfire. If Kiritsugu were here right now he would probably scold her for her lackluster planning. There were to many 'what ifs' and not enough certainties. Kiritsugu never liked uncertainties. But it was the best she could do by herself. She was no strategist, and Waver himself while respectable was still an amateur. Regardless, both of them seemed confident this was the best course of action.

She rolled down her sleeve and looked up in recollection, not in the nostalgia of a child returning to her childhood home, but of the remembrance of a prisoner looking back at her place of confinement. There, standing tall as if straight from a fairytale was the castle of Einzbern. There was a time she remembered this as her home, but now it was nothing more than a bad memory for her. Now it was a prison all over again, this time not for her, but for her daughter.

"Illya is in there somewhere." She thought to herself. She did not believe Jubstacheit von Einzbern would willingly let Irisviel see her daughter. That much was all too clear. She had to prepare for the worst possible scenario. Luckily, she already had. Fixing Kiritsugu's old trench coat over her shoulders and advancing towards the castle, she braced herself for what was to come.


From within the castle, Jubstacheit von Einzbern looked out the window at the approaching homunculus. He was half amazed that she had the audacity to show herself, but half more amazed that she was still alive. Considering her purpose and how forcefully the separation process had occurred, she should have been dead long ago. After her initial failure, he left the failed product to her fate. It amazed him she managed to live this long, and amazed him more that she actually managed to make herself useful and recover a lost Command Seal. He was unsure what she did these past few months after the war, but her activities were not a concern to him, what intrigued him more was how she managed to live that long to accomplish those activities. This required further study, but that was secondary. What was important right now was retrieving the last Command Seal, which should be no difficult task. It was not like she was a threat anyway. From what he knew about what she went through, her magic along with her physical body should be significantly weaker than what it should have been, so even if she did cause trouble, she should not be too difficult to subdue.

Still, he could not help but feel there was something off about this situation. Lately there have been a lot of odd happenings after the conclusion of the Holy Grail War, and it was centering around the three families. He momentarily entertained the idea that the woman walking towards the castle was responsible but brushed that off as a bad joke. What could this hopeless homunculus do? She could not even die properly let alone cause Zouken to go into exile and publicly humiliate the late Tohsaka brat. Still, something, some sense of foreboding made him feel uneasy. Maybe he was being overly cautious, but he thought he should set up a contingency plan, just to be on the safe side.

He opened up a telepathic link to one of his serving homunculi. "I need a certain ritual prepared. Gather the materials I am about to list." He listed the materials and instructed the servant to take them to a location within the castle. "Bring them to the girl's room."


A/N

Things won't ever be that easy. This is the Fate universe after all. Next time, the fateful confrontation begins. Hopefully, I will update the next chapter soon.