Aftermath (11)
{The rules in this place are quite simple. You answer our queries, you proceed onwards. You fail to respond satisfactorily, we take your soul and subject it to an early cycle of reincarnation.}
Illya blinked, gazing around what seemed to be a misty, swirling mass of chaos that stretched endlessly in all directions but one, a narrow corridor that seemed to open into a star field with a gently rotating construct of light at its center.
She'd have a better view of it, were it not for the red-cloaked figure standing directly in her path.
"...I was just trying to successfully graft a magic circuit on that damn monkey's soul, not get sucked into this life-or-death situation!"
{Then congratulations, you have graduated early.}
The Homunculus swallowed, very much aware that her life now hung in the balance when she hadn't been ready for this scenario at all.
All she had been doing was carrying out experiments as always! The only alteration she had made to standard procedure was trying to attach parts of her soul to the leftover magic circuits of the cadavers, 'tagging along' for the ride to the monkey so that she could more accurately get a sense of what was happening after months of failures with little progress to show.
"Umm...can I go back for another semester?"
{No.}
"Oh."
Shifting her weight on her foot the albino shakily asked, "Can...can I ask what it is about what I did that landed me here? I didn't really succeed at making use of the Heaven's Feel, did I?"
{Perhaps we truly are making an inquiry too early, if you remain unaware of what it is you have accomplished. Tell us, Emiya, what is the ultimate goal of the Third Magic?}
Giving the Guardian of the Akashic Records her complete attention Illya quickly replied, "To ascend the soul beyond the physical plane, achieving true immortality while not losing its...cohesiveness?"
{A prospective True Magician, explaining her potential abilities in a tone that suggests she herself is unsure? The quality of Magi seems to have declined in this reality.}
Eye twitching in annoyance Illya opened her mouth to retort-
-and decided bad mouthing a universal force of nature probably wasn't the best of ideas. It was welcome to its snark, as long as that meant she wasn't being erased from existence.
"Was I wrong?"
{No. But the fact that you still do not recognize what you have done is of worrying significance.}
"Look, all I did was remove a bit of my soul and attach it-oh."
Ruby eyes widened in sudden comprehension.
"Ohhhhhh..."
{Indeed. Oh. The act of removing one's soul from the body to a higher plane of existence—all while keeping it intact—is the hallmark of the Third. You accomplished a very important milestone in that process.}
Illya felt like she had to sit down for a moment, except she was in a strange plane of being where furniture was unlikely to be found and collapsing was probably a bad idea.
"I...I hadn't even thought about what I was doing. I just cut off a piece of my soul with the absolute certainty that I could retrieve it later, put it back into my body. How did I manage to do that?"
Lost in thought the red-cloaked guardian allowed the Homunculus a moment of reflection before stating, {What follows now is ascertaining whether you are deserving of your position as master of the Third. Of all the True Magics, it is what you refer to as the Heaven's Feel that is most potent.}
Illya blinked, replying, "It...it is? But they all seem pretty equal in-"
{The First denies the void, breaking the universal law 'matter cannot be created or destroyed'. But the First cannot deny its own mortality. The Second affords a true understanding of reality, of the many facets of the Akashic Records...but there is only one individual that possesses the Second, no variant of them to be found in all their searches for the universe forbids an operator of parallel worlds to encounter another. The Fourth denies the First, possessing the ability to erase on such a fundamental level that the very record of an object's existence is rendered meaningless. The Fifth alone is the key, the artifact that turns back the clock when the heat death of the universe inevitably comes, restoring what was once lost and starting the world anew.}
Illya blinked, more than a little flabbergasted that this being was freely imparting details of such esoteric practices to her...as well as revealing the nature of the Fourth Magic, which had been thought long lost to the world.
Because, you know, that wasn't important or anything!
{The True Magics, as you refer to them, could also be aptly described as the progenitor of the Ouroboros Cycle.}
One finger—or whatever was beneath that crimson robe—poked the fabric upwards.
{The First creates. The Second observes it. The Fourth destroys it. The Fifth renews it. All repeating in an infinite cycle.}
Illya froze as she felt the being's 'gaze' land solidly upon her.
{Now...can you perhaps tell us why we did not make mention of the Third? Seeing as how you are—should you answer satisfactorily—the newest wielder of it?}
Taking a deep, calming breath the albino gave the question honest thought, trying to suss out just what the crimson figure was looking for. Could she maybe answer in vague terms and-
"Yeah, let me try lying to the primordial Counter Force. THAT will go great."
Resigned to telling the truth and hoping for the best Illya faced the hooded being head on, stating, "At first I didn't have the slightest interest in learning. My family's legacy meant nothing and I just wanted to have my revenge on those that doomed me to a painful and loveless upbringing...but that quickly fell by the wayside."
Taking a deep breath she continued with, "I would have died were it not for the intervention of Justeaze herself, I owe her my life and the least I can do is achieve the Third in her memory. And that very same ability is what managed to keep my Shirou mostly intact when he was being turned into an Apostle. If I can keep learning more about it, keep amassing power...then I'll be able to help him, keep him safe just like I did before. And, finally..."
The Homunculus filled her tone with confidence and desire, boldly proclaiming, "Both of us were kept from having normal lives during our childhoods...if I can discover the method to ensuring the soul retains its cohesiveness even after the body dies, well...we'll have eternity to make up for lost time."
{And could you elaborate on why that may be a cause for concern?}
The Homunculus carefully replied, "The way you speak of the Third...it transcends this 'Ouroboros Cycle', doesn't it?"
{Correct. To remove the soul from the physical plane, to ensure it remains outside the grasp of the Akashic Records is a providence not granted even to the other True Magics...a Magic that is beyond the Counter Force's ability to directly interfere with. Its wielders must necessarily be vetted for any potential signs of causing difficulties for the Akashic Records.}
Illya clasped her hands behind her back, hiding her nervousness as she asked, "So...where do I stand? Because I really don't care about the Swirl of the Root just behind you?"
The silence grew, the Homunculus desperately trying to hide her apprehension...and almost jumped as a raspy chuckle reached her ears.
{We have heard worse responses. Your time is appreciated, Illyasviel Emiya.}
The jolt of adrenaline that accompanied suddenly falling backwards struck the albino-
-and she awoke to the concerned face of Shirou, staring down at her as—somewhat surprisingly—Tohsaka wasn't too far behind him, both breathing easier as her ruby orbs flickered between them.
"I feel like death. How long was I out?"
"About two days, little Emiya."
Bolting upright—a poor decision, as fuzziness raced through her head—Illya turned to Zelretch as he perused a book, shouting, "Two days?! It only felt like two minutes!"
"Well who's to say time doesn't fly when you're speaking to the guardian of all things?"
While Shirou seemed far more interested in making sure the Homunculus was in no immediate danger Rin did a double-take, stammering, "W-wait, when you say 'guardian of all things' do you mean..."
Rubbing the side of her head as a minor headache pounded within her skull Illya nodded, grumbling, "A red-clad jerkface? Yes, that's the one. Who would have guessed the Counter Force is such a prick?"
The Kaleidoscope chuckled, remarking, "It certainly isn't what one would expect of the supernatural bodyguard of reality itself. Although I suppose a little bit of brusqueness and irreverence is to be expected and forgiven in an all-knowing sentience."
"Irreverence?! It basically revealed all of the secrets and purpose of each Sorcery like it was no big deal!"
The Apostle's eyes met her own with a bored expression, blandly replying, "It did the same to me, yet the only True Magic I've ever been proficient with is the Second. The safeguard of the Akashic Records wouldn't so glibly pass out information such as this if it wasn't confident or assured that further destruction and chaos wouldn't be an end result. And what do you have to complain about? You're here hale and healthy, with two strapping young folk worrying over you while you slept the whole time. Wish I could pull that off. Ahh, the days when I was still a swashbuckling young lad the envy of fine ladies the world over..."
The albino merely settled onto her back with a huff of irritation, said irritation swiftly mellowing out into bemusement as she asked, "So two days straight, hmm? I get why you were here, Shirou, but didn't that disrupt your whole schedule, Tohsaka?"
The Asian Magus gained a healthy tinge of pink on her cheeks as she swiftly responded, "D-don't read too much into my actions, I just didn't want one of my research partners to fall behind in our experiments and calculations!"
Highly dubious of Rin's proclamation—the girl had trouble being honest with herself in all but the most emotionally charged of states—Illya was more surprised at how quickly Shirou was to state, "She's right, you shouldn't put too much stock in what leaves her mouth. She only cares about you in an academic sense."
"W-w-what did you say?!"
Turning to meet Tohasaka's indignant sputtering with an oddly possessive glare the Ancestor retorted, "You heard quite clearly what I said. Or were you lying about your previous words?"
"I-I'll have you know I care about Illya-chan a perfectly healthy amount and I won't have you questioning that!"
"I'm her lover, I have every right to question your intentions."
"Hah! Those are the words of a possessive or abusive partner, not a significant other!"
Illya held back a sigh at the strange behavior exhibited by the two and instead reflected on the fact that, for the time being...she was well on her way to mastering the Third Magic, if only by small steps and minor advances.
A sideways glance to Zelretch as her Shirou and Rin continued to bicker revealed him watching the exchange with great amusement, muttering, "Well this is quite the reversal of roles...and yet an Emiya still remains the prize for all sorts of bachelors and bachelorettes. How curious..."
I suppose it's a universal rule that the Emiya name draws in three things. Waifus, Husbandos and misery. All good things come in threes, after all.
