"So, young Emiya, what do you want to know?" asked Kirei. Shirou hesitated, not sure if he should trust this person. There was something lifeless and empty about him. Unless Kirei was looking at him. Then Shirou asked, his voice getting louder with every question. "What's going on exactly? I know that servants and masters are fighting, but why? Lancer nearly - well, did - kill me. But what's the point of all this?" Kirei looked at Rin. "You didn't tell him everything."
A statement, not a question. "About 200 years ago, three families wanted to bring a miracle, and thus created the Holy Grail War system. The goal was to have the Grail manifest in the physical world, but as it is a spiritual object, only a servant can hold it. it will only appear when it seems a human and there servant worthy. But the Grail never deemed a person worthy, and the ritual failed four times. This is the fifth attempt."
"You've done this four times!" Shirou exclaimed, horrified. "Yes." said Kirei simply.
Shirou took a deep breath. "But why? if innocent people are gonna get killed, what's the point?"
Kirei looked at Rin, who glared menacingly. This made Kirei smiled in an odd way. It was like a father who caught his child doing something wrong and was too endeared by it to punish her. "You get a wish. Any wish you desire. fame, money, love, or, if in the wrong hands, the world to burn."
Shirou took a second to think. his eyes widened as a sense of horror gripped his heart. "The fire from ten years ago."
Smoke. Blood. The distant cries begging for help. Shirou had seen something glow in the distance, and then, with an impossibly loud sound, his house was destroyed. He had been angry at his parents, and hid in the basement. he was sure they were dead. as the weight of the flaming timbers pressed on him, he saw something in the his swimming vision. A man in his thirties, wearing a gray coat, and his face...
his face was of absolute relief. It was a look of a man in despair finding hope. As the young Shirou fell unconscious, the man picked him up, Shirou's last memory being a strange glow on the man's arm.
The adoption and recovery process took months, but Shirou was a mess. A seven year old boy had lost everything. His family, his friends, his home, all reduced to ash. And yet...
kiritsugu was a very good father. he knew Shirou was broken on the inside. He was patient, kind, letting Shirou recover at his own rate, adapting to his new home.
Shirou remembered that day well. Kiritsugu Emiya, the man who had saved him, a hero of justice. A man who Shirou idolized even in death.
He took a deep breath. "Okay. So how do I win the war?"
"you've decided to fight? asked Kirei. "Yes. If the Fuyuki fire happened ten years ago because of the Grail, I'll fight."
"To prevent another tragedy." Shirou thought.
Kirei smiled. "Very well. All you need to do is destroy all the other servants. The Grail will be obtainable for your servant after that."
"I don't have to kill the other masters?" Shirou asked. "No, you do not. But killing a servant is incredibly difficult, much more difficult then killing a Master."
"I'll do it. I don't like having to kill anyone, but if I don't, more people could get hurt." "when you save someone, you have to fail at saving someone else." Kiritsugu said that to him when Shirou learned about magecrafts existence. Shirou begged for kiritsugu to teach him, and after months of begging, at the age of nine, Kiritsugu thought him. Or so Shirou thought.
"Thank you...Father." Shirou said politely, though awkwardly as he wasn't sure how to address a priest who practiced magecraft. "Rejoice boy. You will do great things in the near future." Shirou shivered.
"So, where ya from?" Asked Mordred, bored beyond belief. Seriously, how long was her master gonna take.
Acher glanced at her suspiciously. She shrugged. "I'm not asking who you are, but you don't look like anyone I've seen. Clearly not British like me." Mordred knew she was playing with fire, giving hints to this guy who she was, but sometimes you had to compromise. "Something her father hadn't learned." She thought with a surge of anger.
"Japan" Archer said shortly, resuming his vigil. The idea was simple, if it was a long range or stealthy class, like Caster or Assassin, Archer would immediately spot them, and if Saber saw them, she would immediately hack them to pieces. Even Lancer, who they had both gone up against, would have little chance against both of them. Mordred growled and started to roll on the ground. "Can't you talk more! It's so boring in this Church!" "this woman is supposed to be a Knight?" Archer thought, slightly annoyed. "Ah."The boy and Rin had come out, surprisingly intact. "'Bout time. It's been a while."
As they walked back, Archer tensed up. Mordred instantly turned towards the source of the soft, innocent voice they both heard.
"Hello. Onii chan." A small girl of about ten, with pale skin, white hair, and large, red eyes, stood there, a soft smile on her face. She was looking at Shirou, but there was a sense of hostility so thick it could be cut with a knife. Shirou caught it.
"Onii chan? I'm not your brother. Is something wrong? You seem pretty mad." Her smile widened. Shirou's eyes bulged. Out of nowhere, a massive creature appeared. It could only be called a creature, as servant could not describe this being. It stood twelve feet, easily five hundred pounds of grotesquely oversized muscles, wild black hair, and eyes red with bloodlust, a stone cleaver in his hand. It's wasn't a servant. It was a Monster, no thoughts, all killing intent. "Kill them, Heracles."
Ok, I'm exceptionally sorry this took so long. I'm also extremely grateful for all your patience and support.