A Moon's Reflection

by TheArrowblackcabary

An ending often leads to a new beginning, and even the most tragic end can give way to a happy beginning. Shirou Emiya has been reborn and must now live in a world where gods and monsters still exist. This is the story of the impact one person had on the world around them, while on her quest to not only find a new purpose in life, but to also make peace with who she is. [GenBend]

1. A New Moon

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Sorry for the changes in perspective; the following chapters won't be like that.

---

A Moon's Reflection

A young girl laid unmoving in the air as the magic circles around her moved and glowed, signifying the activation of her powers, the ability to grant any wish. That did not matter to Miyu Emiya, though, as her attention was focused on only one thing, or rather one person, who means the world to her.

Shirou Emiya was on the ground of the cave surrounded by blades of all kinds; his body was cut up, and the wounds were steadily bleeding, leaving him near death. But still, there was only one thought going through his head.

'Not yet; I've sacrificed too much to fail now.'

Standing right in front of him was the most powerful doll made by the Ainsworth family, created through the Ainsworth family's unique spatial magecraft, which forces the soul of a recently deceased person into a special human-shaped container. The container then takes on the form of the person, gaining their abilities and personality while also forcing the person into the servitude of the Ainsworth. The Ainsworths were able to make themselves the sole participants in this Holy Grail War, ensuring they would be the ones to use Miya's wish-granting abilities.

The only issue with dolls is that when the spirit of a dead person is transferred to the special container, something is always lost. Some of the dolls lose their memories, others lose their rationality, and for the doll before Shirou Emiya, Angelica Ainsworth, it was her emotions.

Angelica was fighting to ensure her brother's wish was achieved, but in the end, she was doing it not because she felt it was right but because she thought it's what would feel right.

"This battle is over, faker," Angelica spit out towards her opponent, pretending to feel anger towards him. After all, Shirou Emiya did kill her father and betray her brother's trust; who won't hate someone like that?

"Why don't you stop projecting your fake emotions onto me? It ruins your appearance," Shirou managed to rasp out from his place on the ground.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"A faker can see another faker; the only difference between us is that my bond with Miyu makes me real, while a tool like you will never stop being a fake."

Angelica turned away from Shirou without responding. She was not at all concerned about him; his body was beyond damaged from trying to block EA, the greatest noble phantasm in existence. His skin was even tan in some places, and parts of his hair turned white, both signs of overexerting magic circuits. While Angelica was right that Shirou Emiya's body was broken, she failed to understand how far past one's limits love can push someone.

As Angelica turned to stop the grail ritual before it cast Shirou Emiya's foolish wish, the love for the only person that validated his existence and provided him a purpose beyond being a tool for justice gave Shirou Emiya the will to make one final attack on Angelica despite the pain he was in. He used his tracing magecraft to project Rule Breaker, the noble phantasm of the caster card servant Medea of Colchis, which is the ultimate anti-magecraft noble phantasm capable of resetting the condition of the target to the state before magic was used on it.

At the same time as he was tracing Rule Breaker, Shirou jumped up towards Angelica, reinforcing his body as much as he could to close the distance before she could realize his plan. He aimed Rule Breaker not only at Angelica but the space around her too.

By targeting the space around Angelica, Shirou removed her omnidirectional defense spatial magecraft, preventing Angelica from teleporting him away. Due to being surprised by Shirou's sneak attack and her body's weakness after using EA, all Angelica could do was watch as Rule Breaker pierced her chest. This caused Rule Breaker's ability as a noble phantasm to activate again, severing the contract between Angelica's archer card and the heroic spirit inside and the contract binding her soul to her body, causing her soul to start dissipating.

Meanwhile, Shirou collapsed on the ground, unable to move, his last attack having made his wounds even worse. Even in death, Angelica didn't give up on ending Shirou. Using the last of her strength, she used a simple Flash Air spell to teleport one of the nearby swords high above Shirou before releasing it to allow gravity to finish the job. As the sword plunged into the faker's chest, Angelica's sight turned black; she embraced the darkness, knowing she did all she could.

As her soul dissipated, though, flashes of her life before becoming a doll played, leading to something she had not felt since becoming a doll, happiness.

She didn't feel happy because of her death or Shirou's, but because of a memory of her and her brother Julian practicing their family magecraft together, ignorant of the pain, they would have to endure. With her last thoughts being of her brother, the person known as Angelica Ainsworth died for a second time.

The same can be said for Shirou Emiya, the sword in his chest fading with the destruction of the true archer class card.

'Even if I'm a villain who would kill and sacrifice an entire world for the sake of one person, I don't regret a thing. I can pride myself on being a brother who was able to protect his sister. I won Kiritsugu.', Shirou thought as his attention turned to see his sister floating in the air, her powers about to activate and grant his wish, for her to be brought to a place where she could live happily and claim her own little slice of happiness.

As Shirou's mind turned to darkness, his head shifting to see the full moon overhead, the battle having destroyed just enough of the cave roof for it to become visible, causing one last image of his sister sitting next to him under the light of the full moon to reappear in his mind, even as he died.

'This can't be; I can't let it happen,' Miyu thought as she looked on in horror at her brother's corpse, panic and despair filling her. 'Please, save Big Brother,' Miyu earnestly begged her powers to find some way to save her brother, tears streaming out of her eyes.

Miyu then felt part of the energy used to grant her brother's wish to be rerouted, which could only mean one thing. She managed to control her powers, and her brother's life would be saved. Miyu started to smile, her conscience fading as her brother's wish was granted. 'At least now I know Big Brother will live; Big Brother deserves a life of happiness more than anyone else,' Miyu fell asleep, happy that she got to protect her Big Brother for once.

Unfortunately, things were not that simple. Shirou's wish to transport Miyu to another world used up a vast amount of the magical energy collected to power Miyu's abilities. And, while Miyu's wish asked to save her brother, his physical body had already died, the effects of multiple Noble Phantasms leaving it unable to be repaired. Miyu's power was only able to save his soul. To save Shirou now, his body would have to be restored, and the third magic would be required to return his soul to his body.

It might have been possible to revive Shirou at the cost of Miyu's life, but that would conflict with the first wish of finding happiness, as one can't find happiness if they're dead. And that wish takes priority due to it being the true wish. The only way to save Shirou Emiya, without killing Miyu, was to allow his soul to reincarnated while maintaining his memories, even though it won't save the physical Shirou Emiya; it will keep the mental and spiritual part of the existence that was once known as Shirou Emiya.

The intelligence behind Miyu's wish-granting power released Shirou's soul into the cycle of reincarnation surrounded by magic that will protect the core of Shirou Emiya. To ensure whoever Shirou becomes survives after being born, Miyu's power guided Shirou's soul to reincarnate into a world that's much kinder than their world.

And with this, Miyu's abilities dissipated, having granted both wishes they were meant to, and all the energy gathered from the holy grail war having run out.

Thus ended the tale of Shirou Emiya, as he and the others in the cavern disappear from their world, all enjoying one last moment of relief at the end through their familial bonds, one who found happiness in the past, the next taking pleasure in knowing their sibling was ok now, and lastly the little girl who thought of the future happiness of her sibling.

---

A new mother was sitting in a hospital room, having given birth to her first child a few hours ago. Her baby was cradled inside her arms, fast asleep. The father watched from the sidelines, wanting to hold his child but not acting on this desire. He felt it was better to let the mother keep their child since she would have to separate from the baby soon enough. Besides, waking up the baby right now would distract them from the conversation they would need to have.

The Mother looked to be in her early twenties with black hair. Her appearance was enhanced by the contrast between her black hair and her silver eyes, making her look beautiful beyond compare. Her face was primarily expressionless, yet it seemed to convey an aura of serene natural beauty that gave the sense that her being very expressive would be wrong. Yet, despite the lack of emotion on her face, there was no denying the warmth in her eyes as she held her daughter.

The Father also looked to be in his early twenties but had a more average appearance, wearing a bright blue shirt and blue jeans that contrasted heavily with the subdued all-white outfit the other occupant in the room was wearing. He had a stressed look on his face as he thought over everything, mentally making sure he prepared everything necessary to bring his newborn daughter home.

'Oh well, no matter what, I won't be ready to be a father, but still, I need to do my best,' a smile formed on his face, 'especially since I'm going to have to make sure our daughter takes more after her father than her mother. Otherwise, she's never going to smile.'

After a couple more minutes of silence, the father decided to start a conversation with the woman in front of him. They need to discuss their plan for raising their daughter.

"Artemis, how long are you going to be staying with us? I might need your help. I wasn't expecting you to show up out of nowhere saying you're about to give birth."

Artemis, in turn, only gave him a withering emotionless stare. Her eyes had lost their warmth; she was angry that her time with her daughter was being interrupted. "Poly, I told you months ago that I was pregnant; you should be prepared."

"How do you expect me to get ready to raise a Demigod?! Besides, I have to do a lot of damage control to make sure our daughter grows upright. And, there are some things I won't be able to teach Atalanta."

Artemis just looked at Poly with a severe expression, clearly worried about her daughter, "What do you mean damage control, and what things will you need help teaching Atalanta?"

"I'll need to undo all the damage being your daughter will cause to her personality. And I'll need to try and teach Atalanta how to control her powers."

Artemis glared at Poly, "demigods naturally take after their godly parents, and while some gods, like Aphrodite, may cause personality defects in their kids, my influence won't. And traits caused by being my daughter will be intrinsic to her and are brought about from her very soul. You won't be able to change them without changing the very fabric of her soul."

"Well, then I just need to hope she does not inherit many traits from you. But that does not answer my question on how I will teach Atalanta to control her powers? Or hell, how am I going to get her to listen to me in general?"

"Camp half-blood will train her. And are you so pathetic as to not be able to get your child to listen to you?"

"Hey, the reason I'm worried about Atalanta listening to me is that she's also your daughter. What if she inherits your hatred of men? Even though I'm her father, she'd hate me for being a man," Poly responded indigently.

"Poly, what's Atalanta's name?" Artemis asked though she was not happy about having to help Poly.

"Well, since you decided her first name by yourself but didn't have the last name, I'm going to guess she's taking mine. So, her name is Atalanta Moonlit."

"That is right. Her first name is from me, her mother, while her last name is from you, her father. Her last name stands as proof that you are her father, and like her father, Atalanta will respect and listen to you, just as she will for me being her mother. All you need to do is make sure you don't do something to destroy that respect." Artemis's forehead was starting to wrinkle slightly, a clear early warning sign of an early-stage Artemis anger attack. It seems that in trying to make sure Poly was the best possible father for Atalanta, she had accidentally said something that could be misinterpreted as saying Atalanta will love and respect both equally.

A petty part of Artemis could not allow that, especially since Artemis is the one who went through the pain of childbirth and, as a goddess, was clearly above Poly in everything. But Artemis was still worried that Atalanta would love Poly more than her since Poly would have far more time with Atalanta, thus more time to gain her affection.

'Stop that, focus on now instead of the future,' Artemis berated herself before feeling a slight movement in her arms. She quickly looked down to ensure she didn't accidentally wake her child. Only to find out she had unfortunately had, Artemis looked into her daughter's small silver eyes.

'Maybe I should check her soul and make sure there are no irregularities since I last checked,' Artemis thought while ignoring Poly, who was staring shocked at Artemis. He needed more time to process Artemis, willing to give him good advice.

The baby was looking confusedly at her mother, wondering what her mother was saying. She might have been able to understand her mother if only she had access to the memories of her past life, but right now, she doesn't even know they exist. Her newborn brain was not yet developed enough to access her past life memories from her soul.

The only aspect of Atalanta's past life currently being expressed was her personality. It will take three or four more years for her brain to develop enough to access memories of her life as Shirou Emiya.

Artemis moved Atalanta from her cradled position to a laying down position on the bed in front of her. Atalanta had a cold expression, but her eyes were looking around everywhere until they settled on her father. Poly, noticing his daughter's eyes, smiled back, deciding to take Artemis's advice to heart.

Atalanta didn't start to giggle, nor did she have a giant smile, but the sight of her father's smile caused the baby's lips to curve upwards slightly.

"Thanks for the advice Artemis," he politely thanked her, "by the way, what are you doing?"

"I'm checking her soul, just to make sure everything is alright," Artemis responded while ignoring Poly's thanks.

"Hey, is that safe? I mean, you're not a god with powers over the soul, right?! I'd rather you not mess up Atalanta's soul."

"Do you think I would risk hurting my daughter, no, any girl, like that?" Artemis responded while reaching out to Atalanta's chest. Atalanta looked back at her mother and tried to grab her mother's hand. Artemis let out a small smile in response, "I normally would not be able to check someone's soul, but Atalanta is different since she falls under my authority over maidens, and since I used my authority over childbirth to check her soul before she was born and during her birth, giving me a basic understanding of her soul's layout. Besides, her soul should be compatible with my powers since she's my daughter."

Artemis focused her powers into her hand, causing it to glow slightly white as her hand touched her daughter's chest. Artemis could feel the baby's heartbeat as her energy entered Atalanta's heart. Atalanta started to involuntary smile at the pleasant feeling caused by Artemis's powers resonating with her soul.

Artemis dived into her daughter's soul and smiled at what she found.

'Good, nothing is out of place. It seems that Atalanta Moonlit has already been engraved as her true name. Oh, we forgot to choose a middle name. I'll need to pick one and get it on her birth certificate without that idiot realizing it.'

"Hey, stop smiling. It's creepy."

Artemis continued to look at her daughter's soul, hoping to see what kind of authorities she might have inherited—ignoring Poly, who was still trying to mess with her.

'This feeling, the white glow of her divinity, is extremely strong, but it feels so cold, almost like I'm walking through a field of snow. Maybe that's caused by her strongly inheriting my authority over the moon? Authorities over the moon are naturally colder, to the warmth of authorities over the sun,' Artemis guessed, not realizing she was feeling the cold air of the world that existed inside Atalanta's soul. Artemis continued further into the little girl's soul to see what powers the girl might manifest.

'Good, it seems like Atalanta managed to inherit all my authorities, just like I would expect from my daughter. Without a doubt, she has most strongly inherited my authority over the moon. The serine feeling of her moon authority alone is stronger than any of her other authorities. It seems though that her authorities over the wilderness and forest, along with the authorities over hunting and archery, seem to have mixed, they are still the same authorities as mine, but it seems like the formers almost devour the latter ones when Atalanta's authorities were being developed. At least her inherited powers over radiance, maidenhood, and childbirth are normal, though slightly stronger than her authority overhunting. But it feels like there's something more to her soul; it feels like I'm being pricked by something when I dig too deep into any one of her authorities.'

"Uhm, hello, Artemis. Are you just going to keep sitting there, with your hand on our kid's chest, while staring her in the eyes? It's actually starting to get creepy."

Artemis let out a sigh of annoyance at Poly and retracted her powers from Atalanta's soul, deciding that everything was alright with Atalanta's soul and that the pricking feeling wasn't anything to worry about. Atalanta, meanwhile, had a cold neutral expression on her face, the good feeling from her mother's power no longer causing her to smile.

"Will you quiet down?! I've reached the limit of my ability to endure your stupidity." Artemis coldly told him while picking up Atalanta. she laid back on her hospital bed and cradled Atalanta in her arm.

"So, what're the results of your test."

"Her soul is perfectly fine; in fact, her soul is very powerful. It must be very compatible with the divinity she inherited from me."

"What's, does that mean? And can you explain souls to me? I don't understand what they do?" Poly asked while he walked and sat in the chair next to Artemis.

"A person is made up of their body and soul, both of which are intertwined with each other and affect the other. Their relationship begins in the womb when a person's body starts to form. Early on in the pregnancy, a random cleansed soul enters into the womb, becoming bound to the body, thus uniting the two parts that will make up that person for the rest of their life. The blank soul and the still-forming body then grow together in the womb, with the soul serving as the blueprints for the growing body," Artemis stopped to take a breath. She took a second to look down at her daughter, taking a deep look at Atalanta's face.

'It's a good thing that it looks like your going to grow up to look like me,' Artemis thought smugly.

"Wait, that doesn't answer my question! And how does the soul serve as the blueprints for her body?" Poly asked again before Artemis had a chance to start to resume her explanation.

"Stop being so impatient; I'll answer your questions. The soul takes on traits from both parents to form a blueprint that shapes the child's body. Even if a soul is moved to a new body, the new vessel will try to take the form imprinted on the soul. The most important thing you need to understand is how divinity ties into the soul. Not all souls are the same; even blank ones may have their own unique traits or compatibility that makes them exhibit some of their parents' characteristics more or less strongly than others. Atalanta's soul just so happens to have strong compatibility with my divinity specifically, meaning her divine powers are going to be powerful. But it also means she's going to attract monsters more than weaker half-bloods, and it will be easier to identify her as my daughter.", Artemis said, not realizing the irony that Atalanta was just about the only person born without a blank soul.

Atalanta's soul is filled with memories of her past life and her past personality. The memories in her soul remain unchanged, and her character from her past life is already in effect. What has changed is the true name engraved on the soul, and the divinity and authorities she gained.

The name on her soul has changed from Shirou Emiya to Atalanta Moonlit. Her soul's previous name started to be removed from her soul when his soul returned to the root, where most of the energy protecting the soul was around his memories and personality. The name Shirou Emiya completely faded off the soul after it was anchored to the body, being worn down by the influence of Artemis's divinity and authorities during that time. And while that was happening, Atalanta's soul was also changing as it bathed in Artemis's divinity, taking on similar characteristics to Artemis's soul. In many ways, this was when Atalanta truly became Artemis's daughter. No matter where Atalanta goes now, even once she dies and goes to the underworld, the silver glow of her divinity will permanently mark her as Artemis's child.

"So, when you say more monsters are going to attack her, just how many more monsters will attack her?" Poly asked after thinking over what Artemis said and deciding that was the most important part

"The more powerful the Demigod, the more monsters try to attack. Monsters determine their strength based on the smell each Demigod gives off and what they smell like. A weaker Demigod, born of a weaker god, might go unnoticed or just be simply ignored by monsters. Most children of Aphrodite are like this since all they can do is speak French and put on makeup," Artemis said while making a dig at the Olympian she might hate the most. On the other hand, " Atalanta is a child of a powerful goddess and is a powerful Demigod. Thus monsters will attack her often."

"If the issue is just her smell, can't we just put some perfume on her or something?"

"No, you idiot, that won't work. I am trying to create a magic item to give to her that'll slightly mask her smell, but it'll take a while to create. But there is no way to completely hide a Demigod's smell forever," Artemis responded angrily, annoyed at the fact he thinks there is some easy solution.

"So, does that mean monsters are going to be banging on the hospital room doors any minute now?" Poly asked while looking at the door wearily.

"If they did, I would throw you towards them in a heartbeat," Artemis responded with an annoyed expression on her face, "Atalanta has a strong divinity for a Demigod her age, but she's still a newborn, so her divinity is still too weak for monsters to come after her. The issue is that Atalanta's divinity will continue to grow with age, and eventually monsters will start to come after her."

"Which is where that Camp Half-blood place you mentioned earlier comes into play, right?"

"Yes, Demigods go to Camp Half-Blood once monsters start to attack them. They receive training to survive in the world. I don't know when Atalanta will have to go to Camp Half-Blood, but I think she might have to go when she is around 9 or 10. But that's only if we make sure she does not learn about her godly heritage. And before you ask, a Demigod's scent grows when they learn they are a demigod."

"Ok, what happens if a monster attacks before then? I don't think I could beat a monster."

"Of course, you couldn't; I won't be surprised if Atalanta could beat you by the time she was five," Artemis told Poly, "When I visit Atalanta, I will try to see how strong she is and try to train her without her realizing it. Her natural battle instincts should allow her to survive against weaker monsters."

"Hey, you make it sound like Atalanta is the only reason you're going to visit. Do you really hate me that much?"

Artemis just ignored Poly, choosing to poke Atalanta in the stomach instead, enjoying what little time she will have with her daughter. Atalanta, meanwhile, had a neutral face, but Artemis could tell she was annoyed.

'Good, you should always keep a cool face in the presence of annoyance,' Artemis thought proudly, happy her daughter is already showing the same cool head personality she has.

"Just how many times are you going to visit?"

"I don't know, I want to visit Atalanta whenever I can, but I can't let the other gods find out about Atalanta."

"You can't, or don't want them to know?", Poly asked Artemis, whose face had was, even more, blank and cold than normal, "Listen, Artemis, I understand that this is hard for you, but I need to know if you don't want the other gods to find out about Atalanta because they will react badly to her, or if its because you don't want them to know," Poly ask her, being truly serious for the first time in the entire conversation.

"It …", Artemis started, thinking as her face became conflicted, "If the other gods learn about Atalanta's birth and the circumstances around it, then it will cause issues that I can't deal with. Not only that, Hera and Aphrodite might try and use this as an excuse to take away my authority over maidens and virgins. Still though, when the time finally comes, I will claim Atalanta.", Artemis said resolutely.

"Good! One day, it would probably hurt Atalanta if you decided to denounce her or refused to acknowledge her as your daughter. As for visiting, why don't you try to visit on special occasions?"

"You make it sound like I have a choice of when I can get away from everyone, but I will do my best to visit on her birthday. It should be easier since her birthday is on the winter solstice, and everyone will be preparing for the winter solstice meeting of the Olympians. Other than that, I will try and visit Atalanta when I can, but that might only be three or four times a year since I also have to go around my hunters."

"How are your hunters?"

"That is none of your concern," Artemis responded coldly, "I'm only answering your questions that are about Atalanta, and even then, I'm only doing it so that you can be prepared to be a father to a Demigod."

"Wow, that's some big talk about preparing me to be a parent, from the lady who's not even going to be paying child support."

"No god would ever pay tribute to a human. Besides, I already helped to make raising Atalanta easier."

"It's not tribute, and I won't call brainwashing everyone I know into accepting you and Atalanta as helping raise our daughter."

"I also prepared Atalanta's baby room, and I answered all your questions. That should be more than enough for you to raise Atalanta when I'm not around."

"Wait, Atalanta's baby room? What do you mean by that?"

"I prepared some things for her room."

"And where did you place all these things?" Poly asked reluctantly, his warning sense going off.

"I put them in the room you were using as a man cave. I figured the space would be better used as Atalanta's room than as your man cave. As for the old stuff in the room, I figured you did not need any of it, so I threw it away."

"When did this happen? I was just in that room yesterday, and all my stuff was still there," Poly asked while slumping down at the loss of his man cave.

"I did it while I was telling you I was about to give birth," Artemis responded without any shame. She honestly didn't feel like she did anything wrong.

"How?"

"I'm a goddess; such things are easy for me."

"You know, I already had a room picked out," Poly muttered with a pout, "and what if Atalanta was a boy? Then she would have approved of my man cave."

"I would never give birth to a boy."

"What? Wouldn't you love our daughter if she was a he?"

"There's no point thinking about something that won't happen."

"Either way, you must be relieved that Atalanta is a girl. Imagine the other gods' reactions to your only child being a boy," Poly laughed. "They would never let you live it down."

"One more comment and I will curse you," Artemis growled.

Atalanta frowned at her mother's hostile expression.

"Fine, sorry. I didn't realize you were so touchy," Poly tried to inch away from the goddess. "But you should calm down. You're bothering Atalanta."

Artemis looked down to see Atalanta's frown, guilt crossing her face.

"Sorry, little one," Artemis gently cradled her daughter. "I'm not mad at you but your stupid father."

Poly had an annoyed expression on his face. "Anyway... are there any other things I need to know about raising our daughter? Will she be super strong? Maybe super-smart?!"

Poly became excited at the benefits of having a genius daughter. "Please tell me she'll skip potty training."

"Atalanta might end up getting smart very quickly since I grew up fast enough to help deliver my idiotic twin brother."

"Good, I hope that I don't have to potty train her."

"Just make sure you do your duties as her father."

"You don't have to tell me that. I will do everything that I can to be the best possible father."

Artemis didn't react to Poly's resolve.

"Poly, I have to go to the meeting between the Olympians tonight, but I will come back for the next three or four days."

"Great, so I get to deal with the goddess of grumpiness for the next half week. Let me guess; you're going to take my bed?"

"Never," Artemis growled. "I would rather die than sleep in your bed. I am going to be sleeping in Atalanta's room."

"That's good. I don't want you in my bed either."

Meanwhile, Atalanta's eyes were starting to droop, her tiredness beginning to overtake her will to stay awake. Her newborn body required lots of sleep. Her bright silver eyes were looking around the room, seeing her father sitting across from her, and then eventually looking into her mother's matching silver eyes.

Atalanta's last sight, before she gave in to her drowsiness, was her mother's face.

Within her, unknown to anybody, a singular flame was starting to burn anew in Atalanta's soul.

Her inner world was in a state of flux, changing in response to this flame. The empty sky of her inner world was being filled as a new moon started to form, its gentle light covering the darkened world. A promise to protect that moon, no matter what, was etched onto her very soul.

---

Years later.

A five-year-old, soon-to-be 6-year old Atalanta was lying on her side, a white comforter covering her tiny body as she slept. She turned in her bed as she started to stir from her sleep.

'Ugh,' Atalanta mentally moaned as she started to wake up. The child wasn't ready to wake up yet. She sat up and grabbed a cup of water from her bedside table. After taking a sip, she placed the water back down and started to stretch in bed.

'What's today?' Atalanta started to rub her eyes, 'Wait, it's the 20th, right?'

She got up and grabbed her calendar.

'It is. I gotta get ready for Mom's visit,' Atalanta thought dryly while setting her calendar down.

Atalanta walked towards her bedroom mirror and looked at her reflection.

Looking back at her was a young girl with shoulder-length black hair. She had a small patch of white hair.

Atalanta's face was almost an exact match for a younger version of her mother's face. The only difference between the two faces was their eyes. Atalanta's eyes may've been a similar shade of silver to her mom's, but their shape was completely different.

Atalanta inherited her father's large, round eyes. Ironically giving her a far gentler appearance than her mother, whose sharp eyes gave her an aggressive aura.

She was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and white pajama pants with green lines on them.

'Damn it, why does my hair keep getting tangled up?' Atalanta thought as she pulled out a hairbrush from her desk and started to brush her hair. 'I never had to brush my hair so much in my past life...'

The daughter of Artemis stopped moving for a moment.

'That's right; tomorrow's my sixth birthday—the sixth year of my life as Atalanta in this new world.

'Tomorrow's going to be my sixth year in this world, my sixth year as Atalanta. And I still haven't found out why I can remember my past life, nor have I figured out what I want to do with this life.' The former Shirou Emiya grimly thought. She had no idea why she could remember her past life, and she hadn't figured out what she wanted to do with this new life.

'The only thing I want to do right now protects Mom and Dad; I refuse to fail them like I failed Miyu and Sakura,' Atalanta frowned. 'But will that be enough to give me purpose? Will that help me feel real?'

Atalanta spent the entirety of her last life trying to be real. To be something beyond a hollow shell. Family, friends, justice, these were all things she pursued in a desperate attempt to become something real, eventually dying in the process. At the moment of her death, she felt like she was finally an existence beyond a hollow shell; she found her answer as a big brother.

But now, that answer has been taken from her; she was left with nothing but the regrets she built up to get it in the first place.

That was the horrible truth Atalanta came to as she slowly regained her memories as Shirou Emiya and lost her sense of self.

Atalanta has found herself unable to move past this; every day, she finds herself being swallowed up by these thoughts and the feelings they brought.

'The magical energy in this world is far greater than in my past world; I'd only expect this much mana during the Age of the Gods,' Atalanta mused as she finished brushing her hair straight. 'If the world is still in the Age of the Gods, then there should be monsters and gods in the world. Mom and Dad will need my protection. My happiness... becoming real comes second.'

Atalanta took one last look in the mirror as she put her hairbrush into her desk. 'Huh, I wonder if I'll ever get used to this appearance.' Atalanta placed her hand on her reflection on the mirror, 'It feels wrong to part of me, like this is not my true face, while another part of me can't see anything else as my face. It's like part of my soul refuses to accept me as Atalanta Moonlit, while another is telling me that I am.'

Atalanta took one last breath and removed her hand from the mirror.

'I need to change out of my pajamas," Atalanta thought while looking down at her clothing. She went to her closet and picked out an outfit for the day.

'It might be possible for me to become a hero of justice in this world without hurting my family. Unlike before, where I had to choose between my sense of justice and Miyu,' Atalanta shook her head at that thought before taking off her shirt and switching to a clean one. She put on a small white jacket that she got from her mother. It had a crescent moon embroidered on the back.

'I have no right to claim or even try to become a hero of justice after I chose to protect a single person and doomed an entire world in the process,' Atalanta took on a depressing stare as she finished changing. She changed into a pair of white pants that matched her white shirt and white jacket.

'Mom must be obsessed with the color white. I mean, all the things she gets me are either green or white,' Atalanta questioned as she put her dirty clothes in the hamper she keeps in her room for dirty clothing. She then went to her window and opened the curtains covering it. Atalanta took a long look outside.

The sky was still dark, but the sun was starting to rise, and dawn was starting to break. She looked at the forest outside her home, feeling a warm feeling in her heart from the view.

'I should go make breakfast before Dad tries to cook,' Atalanta thought as she walked towards her door.

'Maybe instead of trying to be a hero of justice, I could try to help the people around me. But some part of me doesn't feel satisfied with that; it's like there's something else I want to do. Still, being a doctor would probably be something Miyu would approve of.'

Atalanta's mood dropped even lower as memories of her little sister played in her mind.

'It's been over half a decade since I last saw Miyu. I'll probably never see her again; she's most likely not in this world, and even if she was, what are the chances I run into one person among billions?'

'Miyu could be dead for all that I know if only I could find a way to che….' Atalanta's regularly scheduled chain of depressing thoughts was interrupted by her father standing on the far side of the hallway outside her room. She quietly looked at him for a couple of seconds before he noticed her.

The black-haired girl let out a sigh as she looked at her father with a blank expression. Instead of his normal working uniform, he was wearing a red Santa hat and the tackiest Christmas sweater Atalanta had ever seen.

Poly was happy to see his daughter awake. "What's up, my little moon?"

"What's with that jacket?" Atalanta dully asked.

She was used to her father's silliness, but wasn't wearing that horrid jacket a bit much?

"There's an ugly sweater competition at work, and I ain't losing," Poly answered with a smile.

"But do you have to go so far?" Atalanta felt a small headache forming as she tried to understand her father, but she never could get his competitive streak.

"Of course I got to. My only other option would be to steal some of your mom's clothing."

Her father looked amused at Atalanta's reaction. "So, my little moon, how's my jacket?"

"It has way too much going on," Atalanta appraised with the objective eye of an artist. "It's way too ugly. I won't want to be seen in public with you."

Poly looked happy until Atalanta said she wouldn't want to be seen in public with him. "Hey, I got one for you as too; I thought we could be jacket buddies..."

"No thanks, Dad," Atalanta walked past her father and made her way towards the kitchen. She needed to cook their breakfast and prepare her father's lunch.

"Hmm," Poly moaned as he followed behind her. "So, how'd you sleep?"

"I slept like a baby."

"Makes sense, after how much you helped me yesterday."

"You shouldn't take up so much work," Atalanta said as they reached the kitchen.

Her father worked at a local state park, and he had to work long hours during busy seasons.

Since Atalanta was out of school, she spent her break helping Poly at work. She helped him clean up litter, direct lost people, and observe the wildlife. Yesterday was a specifically physically tiring day due to a large group of teens living litter everywhere. The father-daughter pair had to spend their day cleaning up their mess, leaving them both tired.

"When's mom visiting?"

"Same time as last year."

The silver-eyed girl nodded at her father's words. She remembered last year, and how little time she got to spend alone with her. "Can I wait for her here?"

"Are you sure? Staying home alone is a big thing."

"I can handle it," Atalanta assured her father."

Poly rose his hand and scratched his head. "Fine, but only because your mother should be here in a couple of hours, got it!"

"I know."

"Good," Poly said as he reached down and rubbed his daughter's hair.

"Stop that, you're going to mess up my hair."

Poly started to laugh at that.

"Now, what's so funny?"

"It's just that you almost sound like a girl just now instead of the tomboy you normally act like."

Atalanta's blush deepened, causing her to be redder than a tomato. She removed her father's hand and grabbed a frying pan to begin cooking.

"Whatever, I'm going to make breakfast, don't distract me."

"Ok, sweetie."

And just like that, the father and daughter pair spent their morning in each other's company.

---

A short while later, Atalanta 1st person point of view-

"It's time for me to get work. Your mother should be here in an hour or two," my annoying father told me as he finished putting on his shoes.

"Ok, have a good day at work," I told him while he grabbed his car keys. He started to make his way out of the house. "You're about to forget your lunch!"

"Thanks for reminding me, my little moon," he thanked me while walking around the counter to grab the lunch that I had in my hands. I had to look up to see his eyes until he kneeled in front of me.

He took his lunch out of my hand. My body tensed, knowing what was coming next. I felt him kiss me on the forehead. I still can't deal with a fatherly kiss on the forehead; it feels way too awkward, especially since Dad is only slightly older than me mentally.

"I wonder where you get your cooking skills from. I mean, I know you don't get it from your mother. Especially after the last time she tried to cook."

Dad's statement caused me to wince. Just the memory of that day sends shivers down my spine.

"It's not like you're much better. The two of you together could make a piece of toast."

"Hey, that's... probably true."

"And that's why I handle the food. By the way, you're going to be late to work if you don't get going." I told him while looking at the clock on the oven.

"Oh yeah, I can't be late! Stay safe till your mother gets here, don't burn down the house. Love you!" Clearly, he needs to leave for work earlier if he has to run out of the house to not be late. In fairness, though, work does start later for him today due to it being the Christmas season, and it's not like anyone will care if he's a little late.

"Love you too," I responded to him as he shut the door. I let out a sigh of relief and started walking to my room.

It just gets so hard to deal with him when he keeps messing with me; sometimes, it feels like he's the child. It's like his ultimate pleasure is drawing reactions out of me, whether they're good or bad. Still, I can understand why he does what he does... It's just like my relationship with Miyu, I tried so hard to turn her emotionless face into one that's always smiling, and that's Dad's goal. To see me smile.

From his perspective, I, his child, must look like I'm depressed, or at the very least different from other kids, normal kids. All his jabs, jokes, and goofiness is his way of trying to help me enjoy my second childhood. The thing is, I don't see the point in faking my emotions, and Dad's perceptive enough to know if I was faking my emotions or trying to hide them away. Truthfully, my idiotic father isn't funny enough to make me laugh, but I do appreciate the effort. Besides, he does manage to get a pity to laugh out of me every once in a while.

He's the exact opposite of Kiritsugu and has been a better father to me than Kiritsugu ever was. Not that being a better father than Kiritsugu is a high bar. But it is still annoying impressively how far into my heart. Dad's managed to worm his way in. He's reached so far into my heart that it's impossible for me not to say, "I love you too." Even if he's constantly dragging me into his antics.

I reached my bedroom and opened the door before quickly entering and locking my door. I don't want Mom to enter my room while I'm testing my magecraft.

I walked over to my window and pulled my curtains to cover the window. Then I sat down on my bed with my legs crossed.

Since getting to this world, I have been constantly watched by someone, making it impossible for me to check the state of my magecraft. Now that I have an opportunity to test it, I'm going to try and make the best of it.

First, I imagined the hammer of a gun, the mental trigger activating my magic circuits. I felt the sensation of my magic circuits opening; I continued to focus until I felt all my magic circuits open in their entirety. It felt like I was opening them for the first time. A bluish-green circuit-like pattern appears across the left side of my body.

An intense burning sensation spread throughout my body; I started to sweat. It became harder to breathe, and my chest started to feel tight.

Magic circuits are an unnatural existence; they aren't meant to be part of the human body. As such, the human body rejects them causing pain to magi when they open them.

After a couple of seconds, my temperature started to cool, and the pain began to dull. A pleasurable feeling suddenly replaced the burning pain; the feeling was so intense that I started to blush. It felt as if my body was adjusting to my magic circuits, causing pleasure to spread out from them.

My breathing slowly returned to normal as the pleasurable feeling started to retreat into my magic circuits before spreading back out again. The rhythm reminded me of the ocean's tides. Each time my body became more in sync with my circuits.

Once the pleasure started to dull, I tried to come up with an explanation for why my magic circuits felt so different.

I could only come up with three possibilities.

The first possibility is that my magic circuits were supposed to be like this but were messed up due to living in a dying world. Or, alternatively, they've changed because of how strong mystery is in this world. The issue with either of these theories is that magic circuits are painful for humans because they are unnatural to humans. Meaning all humans should feel some sort of discomfort when using their circuits, regardless of the strength of mystery.

The second theory is that whatever force responsible for my reincarnation also messed with my magic circuits. But I don't know enough about reincarnation magecraft to know if this is even possible. I can say that this theory is unlikely, though, since I only know of one user of reincarnation magecraft, and he's dead.

The last theory is that my magic circuits were influenced by my bloodline. My bloodline having non-human blood in it would explain why my magic circuits feel so different. There is also the possibility that my bloodline is fully human, but we possess special magic circuits. I'm not sure which possibility is worse.

My body finally finished adjusting to my magic circuits. The pleasure was still there, but it was muted.

I focused on my internal magical reserves, guiding them towards my magic circuits to be converted into magical energy. My magic circuits started to change again, their soft glow becoming a silvery-white as the energy from my life force spread throughout them.

The size of my internal energy was greater than I ever thought possible. A vast majority of magus will, at most, use their internal life forces as a lesser source of magical energy, only meant to start a spell before switching to a greater source to maintain it. This is because a person's life force is simply unable to support costly spells, and overuse of one's life force can have serious side effects, including death. But my current internal energy is enough to support several high-level spells.

Despite that shocking revelation, there was the thing that had all of my attention.

Why are my circuits white? Could it have something to do with my internal magical energy being so large? Is it some sick cosmic joke?

I shoved those thoughts to the back of my mind. I turned my focus outwards, switching my magic circuits to absorbing the mana of the world, my magic circuits quickly converting it into magical energy.

The rate at which I was absorbing mana from the world was extraordinary, and it was refined in an instant. The refined magical energy gathered inside of me, merging with the magical energy I converted from my od.

Even after keeping my circuits running at full speed for almost five minutes, my magical capacity wasn't even close to being filled.

And just like with my internal energy, the rate I was absorbing mana from the world and refining it was extraordinary. Not only that, but my capacity to store magical energy has gone up exponentially.

If I had to guess my maximum magical energy capacity, it could be as high as A++ or EX. At the very least, my magical energy capacity is greater than a high-tier caster.

I still only had 27 magic circuits in terms of circuit quantity, but I think the sub-circuits inside my magic circuits have increased greatly. The quality of my magic circuits was, without a doubt, top tier.

This is not normal. I need to be careful if I encounter any magus families. They might try and force me into an arranged marriage.

I still remember what Kiritsugu taught me about magecraft inheritance. A magus's magic circuit quantity and quality are set from birth. It's almost impossible to increase those things, so magus resort to breeding better heirs.

When trying to breed better heirs, those sick monsters look for magic circuit quantity in men and quality in women. A magus's magic circuits are influenced by their parents' circuits, but men more strongly influence magic circuit quantity, while women have a greater influence on quality.

And given the quality of my magic circuits, many families would kill to get their hands on me. Whether I like it or not.

My face contoured at that thought, disgusted at the mere idea of my body being used that way.

I need to check my projection magecraft and reinforcement. If only to distract me from that thought.

I'll check my reinforcement first. I grabbed the empty cup of water from my bedside to test my reinforcement. It's best to run the first test on something other than myself. After all, it would be much easier to explain why a glass cup broke than for me to explain why I had a broken arm.

I focused my magical energy on analyzing the cup and then reinforcing it. Reinforcement was one of the first spells Kiritsugu taught me; it's a basic magecraft that's simple in principle but difficult in practice. It works by filling an object with magical energy to enhance the existence of an object; it allows a magus to make a knife sharper, make food more nourishing, and in people, can make them stronger.

But adding too much magical energy will cause the objecting being reinforced to break, like a balloon being filled up with too much air.

I tried my best to limit the amount of magical energy I put into the cup, but too much magical energy was coming out despite my best effort. The glass cup broke into pieces on my bed.

I looked at the broken pieces of glass on the bed; at least, I chose to practice on something else first. Otherwise, it might have been my body in pieces. I don't want to imagine what Mom or Dad would think if they found me in such a state.

It seems that the control of my magical energy is not good enough to manage the vast amount of magical energy I now possess, especially with how quickly it is refined and released.

If we were to compare it to a car, like Shirou Emiya, I was driving a minivan, but now I'm driving a race car. If I put the same amount of pressure on the pedal to go 60 mph in the race car as I did in the minivan, then I'm going to end up going way over 60 miles per hour. And the petals of the race car are so much more sense than they're going to take a while to adapt to.

I am going to need to practice reinforcement and refine my control for several years, at least until I reach the level I was at as Shirou Emiya.

Either way, I need to test my projection magecraft. Even if I can't use reinforcement, I can rely on my projection magecraft to fight.

I should probably practice with normal objects first. I tried to project a butter knife; I felt a shocking amount of magical energy being pulled from me to project the knife, which took a surprising amount of time. This went beyond just my lack of control; the cost was too high for a simple butter knife. Not only that, but it feels like I'm missing something when I'm creating the knife. But I don't know what I could be missing.

Even if I don't know why I feel like I'm missing something, I can at least confirm my reality marble's existence since I can only use projection at this level due to Unlimited Blade Works. Maybe my rebirth somehow affects my reality marble?

Either way, all that matters right now is getting strong enough to survive and protect my family.

I need to test my projections for other non-sword-related objects. Sword objects are easier for me to copy due to having an aligned origin and element of [sword], making the projection of blade weapons far easier than anything else.

I looked around my room to see if there was anything I needed, then I remembered the broken pieces of the glass cup sitting in front of me. I need to throw them away, and I don't want to cut my hand on them.

A towel should do fine; I decided to project a towel to pick up the pieces. I focused my mind on the production and projection of a towel. And after a couple of seconds, I felt a white towel in my hands.

White, why did my mind default to making the towel white? Has Mom's obsession with the color white infected me?

Color aside, it was strange that the cost of projecting the towel was the same as the cost of the butter knife when it should have cost more.

I let out a sigh as I picked up the pieces of the cups I broke and threw them into the trash, along with the towel. Then I dispelled the towel. I could see silver motes of lights coming from the towel being dispelled. A small headache started to form. Why did the motes of light of my ability change from blue to silver?

Not that I don't like the color white; in fact, I like it, but in no way should everything around me be white.

I decided to try and project some other objects, including a green notebook, some pencils, a shirt, and a glass cup to replace the one I broke. The objects were solid and stable, but just like with the butter knife, it was like I was missing something critical when creating the objects, but I wasn't doing anything different than what I did in my past life.

Then I tested my ability to project Noble Phantasms. Next, it would probably be best to try and practice with a Noble Phantasm I'm familiar with.

Weapons like Rho Aias, Harpe, and Durindana came to mind. Wait.

Why would Harpe and Durindana come to mind, they may be in my reality marble, but I've never projected them before.

The weapons that should have come to my mind were Kanshou and Bakuya, my most used projections.

I just ignored my brain going straight to Greek weapons and decided to trace Kanshou.

The image of the familiar black blade appeared in my mind. I started to trace the Noble Phantasm; my magical energy was decreasing rapidly. It cost way too much to project Kanshou; it's the same thing that happened with the butter knives. I finished projecting the Chinese sword and looked at it with a bead of sweat beating down my head.

At this point, I can probably trace ten sets of Kanshou and Bakuya. I need to deal with the high waste of magical energy whenever I'm casting a spell. And the time it took me to trace Kanshou was too long; it took ten seconds for the blade to be completed when it should have been instant.

The issues with my trace must be linked to the feeling that I was missing a step in the tracing process. If I'm going to get strong enough to stop any threat to my family, I must fix my tracing and magical energy cost.

I tried to pick up the blade with one hand but found that it was too heavy for me to pick up with one hand. I really need to start working out, especially since I don't want to risk breaking my body with reinforcement yet.

Using both of my hands, I managed to pick up the blade. It took a couple of seconds, but a blueprint of the blade appeared in my mind. Structural analysis is always a magus to grasp something by sending magical energy through it. Due to my reality marble, it should be very easy to grasp Kanshou, but it wasn't. I had to concentrate far more than I should have to analyze the blade.

I let out a sigh.

Why can't things ever be simple?

I dispelled Kanshou, it would not be easy to explain where I got an ancient Chinese sword from, and I don't want to use memory manipulation on my own parents.

It's going to take a long time to get my abilities up to the level they were in my past life, but I still have the combat skills I gained from the archer class card.

Either way, at least I know where I stand in terms of power and what I need to improve on. Now I just need to find a way to train without Dad realizing what I'm doing.

I got up out of my bed to put my traced objects up when I heard a knocking at my door.

---

Artemis's 1st person point of view, A short while earlier

The Mall of America is one of the largest, if not the largest, malls in the United States. It's the perfect place to fulfill my goal, finding a gift for Atalanta.

Last year, I gave Atalanta some books on endangered species, which ended up being a horrible idea. Apparently, I overestimated her reading ability by getting her college-level books. The worst part about it was how she tried to act as she loved them.

Knowing Atalanta, she would rather do something practical. But what?

I walked past several clothing stores, not even sparing them a second glance. Atalanta should already have enough clothing, and I don't think she would want a clothing for her birthday.

There was also a cooking shop that sold cookbooks and cooking utensils. Atalanta did try to help me cook last time I visited, and cooking is a skill that will be useful in her future when she's questing.

No, Poly should have any of the utensils they would need to cook, and Atalanta probably wouldn't sit down to read a cookbook, especially if she has ADHD or dyslexia like most Demigods.

Besides, while I think Atalanta likes cooking, she only really needs basic cooking skills in life.

After wandering around the mall, I eventually stopped at a hunting goods store.

It's about time I test Atalanta's abilities to see how strong she is. I could get her a bow; it's never too early to start training. Not that my daughter would need much training in archery.

I walked into the store, looking at the store's stock. I walked past the clothing at the front of the store and looked for the archery section.

The archery section was at the very back of the store and only had a small handful of bows, arrows, and targets. It seems that the idiots in charge of this store think guns are better than bows.

Atalanta better not ever use a gun; those are only for the weak and unskilled. Using a gun is an insult to archery, and therefore it would be an insult to Atalanta and me.

It might be time to punish gun manufacturers again; driving Sarah Winchester insane did satisfy my anger for a while.

I finished glaring at the gun section as I reached the archery section. Looking at the small selection of bows, I determined their quality with a single glance. And my eyes fell on a small bow that was on the bottom shelf.

I picked up the small bow; Atalanta should be strong enough to use the bow. The bow was also sturdy enough for Atalanta to train with for a year or two.

This bow would make a fine birthday gift for Atalanta, and I grabbed two dozen arrows to go along with the bow. There is no point in buying a target since Atalanta can practice by shooting into the trees outside her house.

I walked towards the counter with the items and saw that the cashier was a guy in his early to mid-twenties. The man had a disgusting lecherous glare, pointed directly towards me.

It seems that he wants to die young.

"Hi! How are you today?"

"Fine," I said while putting the bow and arrows on the counter. I'll give the man one chance before he feels my wrath.

"Are you trying to get into archery? You know this bow is a little small for you. I can help you pick out a good one. I also have some skills in archery if you need any help."

Implying I chose the wrong bow, saying he could help me with my archery and trying to hit on me.

I placed a curse on the cashier, making it so that all wild animals in the area would try to kill him for the next 24 hours. If he can survive until the curse ends, then I will forgive him for his transgressions.

"No, this bow is fine. It's not for me."

"Oh, is it for a younger family member? A little sibling or cousin?"

"No, it's for my daughter; her sixth birthday is tomorrow."

I took in a great amount of pleasure in the way his smile disappeared in an instant.

"Wait, you have a six-year-old. Just how old …" the foolish cashier said while he finished scanning my things, stopping himself from finishing that statement.

Maybe I should double the time to 48 hours?

"I'm sorry, it was wrong of me to ask that," the man lowered his head in apology.

"Fine," I said while paying in cash, deciding not to increase the curse to 48 hours. There's no point in wasting my godly powers on him when he won't be able to survive the initial 24 hours.

"Thank you for your patronage; please come again."

The cold expression on my face never changed. I didn't honor the cashier with a response.

I walked out of the store, where a realization then hit me. I could have just made a bow for Atalanta, and I wouldn't have had to spend any money on a gift.

Whatever, I'm sure that Atalanta will be fine with this bow. And I'm willing to spend money to make her happy.

I exited the mall and focused on the mist so that mortals wouldn't notice me. Using my scenes, I reached out to see if Poly had gotten to work with Atalanta yet.

Ugh, I have to deal with Poly first before I get to spend any time with Atalanta. I was surprised to see that Atalanta was not at Poly's workplace. Maybe Poly decided to stay home with Atalanta until I visited.

As soon as I found Atalanta's presence at Poly's house, I teleported over to the front of the house.

It seems Poly can do something right occasionally after all since now I don't have to stop by his work and deal with his co-workers to pick up Atalanta.

I looked around his drive and noticed something missing.

Where's Poly's car? Did he leave Atalanta home alone?!

Spreading out my senses as I entered the house, I didn't sense anyone home other than Atalanta.

That idiot really did leave a 5-year old demigod home alone! I must have been out of mind to think, even for a second, that Poly can do anything right!

I hid the gift I got for Atalanta as I walked towards her room at the back of the house.

The house was suspiciously clean. There was no sign of dust anywhere, and the floors were spotless. I know that Poly couldn't keep anything this clean, and I know he wouldn't hire someone to clean the house. Is Atalanta doing all the cleaning?

humph, I don't know how I feel about that. Atalanta enjoys housework, for some strange reason, so I'm glad that she's doing something she enjoys. At the same time, I'm annoyed that Poly has Atalanta doing the housework. It's unbecoming of my child.

I could sense Atalanta's divinity better as I got closer to her room. It seems that its presence has increased since the last time I visited. She probably only has two or three more years before monsters start to attack her regularly.

A slight chill ran down my spine at that thought. I wish I could let Atalanta live in safe ignorance for the rest of her life, but that's not possible. She'll never know a life of peace because she's my daughter.

I reached Atalanta's door and went to open it but found it locked. Why did Atalanta lock her door?

Knocking on the door, I called out to Atalanta, "Atalanta, open your door."

I hope that didn't come off as commanding; maybe I should have asked nicer, but then she might not respect my commands if I'm too nice. No, Atalanta would not stop respecting me; our bond is too strong for it to break down that easily.

"Coming," I heard a familiar voice respond to my statement. I shook my head as I heard Atalanta unlock her door and begin to open it.

I need to stop worrying and just let raising Atalanta to come naturally. I won't fail her, as her mother, I'll raise her right. I'll make sure she can stand firm against anything life throws at her.

There can be no other outcome. I've already lost too many of my huntresses to lose anything else.

---

3rd person point of view

Atalanta quickly threw her traced items under her bed.

"Coming," the silver-eyed girl responded to her mother, moving quickly to unlock her bedroom door.

"Hello, mother," Atalanta told her mother after opening the door. She awkwardly stood there looking up at her mother.

"Hello, my daughter," Artemis responded while reaching down and hugging her child. Atalanta blushed and hugged her mother back. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks."

"Are you alright?" Artemis asked as she released Atalanta from her hug and stood up. The goddess of the hunt moved towards Atalanta's bed.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Your door was locked," Artemis replied as she took a seat on her daughter's bed.

"Oh, sorry, I must've locked it on accident," Atalanta lied with ease as she sat down next to her mom.

Artemis clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Then you need to be more mindful of that in the future."

"I will," the daughter of Artemis agreed.

A small smile graced Artemis's face washing away her disapproval. "Has anything happened since the last time we spoke?"

"Nothing," Atalanta answered with a dry expression. "I've been waiting for your next visit."

Artemis looked at her daughter somberly, wishing that she didn't have to stay away from Atalanta all the time. "I've missed you."

"I know you do," Atalanta shook her head to the side. "Don't worry about it, you have more important responsibilities than spending time with me."

"Atalan-," Artemis began to call out to her daughter with a guilty expression.

"It's fine," the black-haired girl waved off her mother again.

Artemis looked at her daughter bitterly before sighing. "Understood... how has school been? I assume you're excelling."

"Yeah, I've gotten perfect scores on almost everything except English," Atalanta told her mother. "English is still giving me some problems."

"Why?" Artemis asked, seeking confirmation for her theory.

The brains of Greek demigods are hardwired for Greek, making it hard for them to read any non-greek language. This is also the cause for their ADHD.

"Some of the letters get mixed up, and I just can't understand some words. It feels like I'm trying to read a different language. The doctors said it's dyslexia."

"It's alright; plenty of people have dyslexia. If you can't get rid of your dyslexia, then you can learn to live with it," Artemis tried to comfort her daughter.

"Thank you, but don't worry, my teachers are helping me," Atalanta responded. 'I don't want to bother Mom with my problems. No, I don't even have the right to.'

"That's good, but don't grow complacent; you must always try to improve."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Artemis's mouth pulled into an arrogant smile. "Excellent, you should always take my advice to heart."

Atalanta quietly shook her head, amused by her mother's arrogance.

"I just remembered, where's your father?"

"Dad left for work a couple of hours ago."

"Without taking you along?" Artemis asks in shock.

"I asked to stay home alone and he agreed since you'd be coming home soon," Atalanta innocently answered as she rubbed the back of her head.

'That idiot left Atalanta home alone just because he asked her? Doesn't he know he should just agree with what Atalanta wants?!'

"Mom?" Atalanta innocently called out as her mother unconsciously gave off an invisible aura of anger.

'Mom's really mad... I guess Mom and Dad are going to be themselves tonight. I wonder if they can go a single day without getting into a debate.'

Artemis took a breath to help calm herself. 'I should enjoy my time with Atalanta. Poly will get what's coming to him.'

'Atalanta hasn't grown since the last time we saw each other. In spite of that, she has continued to grow even more similar to me. In a few years, we might even start to look less like mother-daughter and more like twins. Even now, the only difference between her and my younger form is that small streak of white hair and those slightly different silver eyes. She might need a new white moon jacket in a year or two. By then, my special divine gift for Atalanta should be done.'

Atalanta squirmed under her mother's stare as she was filled with embarrassment.

"Do you have an issue with people staring at you?" Artemis was maintaining a cold exterior, not letting her amusement show.

"Only when I feel like I'm being judged," Atalanta started with an annoyed tone.

"Then you shouldn't worry, I would never judge you. I was just taking in how much you've grown."

"You could have just asked," Atalanta looked down with an embarrassed expression. "I've grown an inch since the last time you visited."

"Height means nothing," Artemis assured her daughter as she instantly realized how much it bothered her.

"That's easy for you to say," the silver-eyed child looked up at her mother. "You're tall after all."

Artemis didn't deny her daughter's statement. Her adult form was tall by the standards of women in this era.

"Then you should look forward to growing tall in the future."

The black-haired girl gained a sour expression. "Even if you and Dad are tall, I won't necessarily be tall."

"You're being overly pessimist," Artemis dismissed the concerns of the sole soul bearing her divinity. "I think you could be as tall as me one day. The rest of your physical appearance was inherited from me, so why not your height as well?"

"I don't know, physical appearances are weird," Atalanta retorted before glaring at her mom. "Just look at you, I wonder how you look so young despite being old. Are you naturally super youthful?"

"I guess you can say that," Artemis evasively agreed.

"Then the correct response would be to hope you passed that down," Atalanta looked away from her mother.

"You shouldn't worry," Artemis glanced towards the window of her daughter's room. " A walk through the woods would be good. Why don't you go put on some heavier clothing? Afterward, we can eat lunch and watch a movie. Poly should be here with your birthday cake by the time we're done with that."

"Ok, I'll cook lunch," Atalanta stood up with the shadow of a smile.

"Are you sure? The last time you cooked the food was mediocre," Artemis teased her daughter with a gentle jab. There were only a few things she'd ever seen her child get passionate over and cooking was one of them.

"Yes, at least my cooking is mediocre, not inedible like yours," Atalanta took a shot at her mother.

The goddess of the hunt was pleased with her daughter's response. She always enjoyed it when Atalanta showed pride and took offense to insults.

"Then I can't wait to see how much you've improved since last time." Artemis thought back to the last time she had some of Atalanta's cooking.

'Her cooking was decent, nothing compared to Hestia, most nymphs, or Athena's kids. But she's still young; she has time to improve. She could surpass Athena's kids or Aphrodite's kids. Ha, Atalanta is probably smarter, stronger, and more vicious than any of Aphrodite's kids.' Artemis's face broke into a smile as her thoughts trailed off to imagery of her daughter beating Aphrodite's kids.

"Mother, I'm ready."

Artemis's mind returned to reality, having missed Atalanta putting on a scarf, an extra jacket, and shoes.

"Then let's get moving," Artemis walked beside her daughter as they left Atalanta's bedroom to spend the day together.

---

3rd person point of view

It was around noon when Artemis and Atalanta finally finished their walk through the woods.

"Atalanta, I'm going to help you cook," Artemis told Atalanta, not feeling comfortable letting her child cook her lunch while she sat around doing nothing.

Artemis remembered her own upbringing with her mother Leto. Leto had always cooked for her and Apollo, so she should do the same for her own daughter.

"Fine. But I'm in charge," Atalanta responded in a tone that left no room for debate. She would not have any insubordination in her kitchen.

The goddess smiled at her daughter's arrogance. She wouldn't have acted so brazenly with her mother even now that she was an adult. It made her feel so proud, to the point that she wanted to pat her daughter on the head.

Atalanta stared at her mother with cold eyes; all love gone. "Can you grab me a bowl from that Cabinet?"

She pointed at a cabinet that was far out of her reach. "Dad placed all the cooking equipment out of my reach."

Artemis opened the cabinet and grabbed the bowl, a serious expression on her face. She didn't want to disappoint her daughter.

Atalanta grabbed the bowl from Artemis. "Huh..."

"What?"

"I expected you to mess up somehow. I'm happy to see I was wrong! Now let's get to work," Atalanta cheerfully responded while wiping her hand on her apron.

The mother-daughter pair got to work making lunch, Artemis following her daughter's orders, not realizing that Atalanta was giving her pointless orders so that she wouldn't mess up lunch.

It took them an hour to cook lunch and set the dinner table.

Artemis pulled out a chair from the dinner table to sit down.

Atalanta had a prideful aura around her. 'I've been working hard to improve my cooking skills; there's no way Mom doesn't love it.'

"The meal looks decent, Atalanta."

"Thank you, but what really matters is its taste."

Atalanta and Artemis started to eat lunch.

'It's alright; it's nowhere near the food served on Olympus. Hestia's cooking is way better, so are most nymphs, but it's still decent and far better than what I would have expected from my daughter.' Artemis reviewed her daughter's cooking from a neutral standpoint, not letting any emotion appear on her face.

Atalanta, meanwhile, was looking at Artemis in disappointment, having put her all into cooking their meal, yet she hadn't been able to get a single emotion out of her mother.

'I put everything I had into making that, yet Mom didn't look impressed. Everyone has always had a positive reaction to my cooking. Miyu, Sakura, Julian, even Kiritsugu enjoyed my food. What kind of food is Mom used to, that it makes my food looks average?!' Atalanta thought as a small pout to form on her face.

"The food was better than I expected," Artemis said upon seeing the small pout on her daughter's face.

The pout on Atalanta's face slightly dissipated, but she was still dejected.

"You didn't show it."

"I'm used to good cooking at my workplace."

"Yea … aaahhh," Atalanta started to yawn, interrupting her statement.

"It sounds like you're tired, well no matter, you can take a nap while we watch a movie."

Artemis walked to the living room while Atalanta followed behind, fuming about how tired she suddenly was.

'Damn, this young body is making me tired so easily. I hate having to take naps every day, especially when I have so much to do,' Atalanta thought, thinking about the main negative effect of this new body.

"You should stop fuming, or the rest of your hair might gray."

Atalanta tried to respond with a scowl, but a yawn stopped her attempt. Her eyes grew heavier.

"Now, what movie should we watch?" Artemis asked herself.

"How about we watch Bambi?" Atalanta asked jokily, not really interested in any of the children's movies they have at the house. She prefered cooking shows.

'I wonder how Mom would react to Bambi's mom being shot. Mom likes animals a lot after all.'

"Ok... oh, the movie's about wild animals and the forest, seems interesting," Artemis stated while looking at the DVD cover.

'Yeah, I hope I can stay awake through the whole movie. Just to see Mom's reaction. Afterward, we can watch Brother Bear.'

Atalanta went to grab a blanket from her room, grabbing her white comforter off her bed; while she was doing that, Artemis put the movie into the living room DVD player and turned off the lights.

"Are you ready to watch the movie?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," Atalanta said while her eyes started to become droopy; her tiny body was wrapped up in the comforter; she was using her mother as a pillow.

Artemis started Bambi using the TV remote, and she placed her arm around her daughter.

Atalanta's eyes were already closed, but she was still slightly awake.

This is why she got to enjoy her mother's reaction to the beginning of the movie.

"Is she dead?" Artemis was shocked but was then disgusted, "They killed her for no reason."

'It seems that Mom felt the death of Bambi's mom, ha." Atalanta smiled as she fell asleep, enjoying the warmth of her mother's embrace.

Artemis turned and glared at Atalanta, about to complain to Atalanta about her movie choice, only to see her sleeping. Artemis's expression softened at the sight of her tiny child.

'She looks so adorable and innocent right now. If only she could stay this way forever... and I wish there wasn't such sadness behind her smile.'

Artemis quietly watched the movie with a neutral look on her face. She held no interest in the creations of the human race.

This lasted for a couple of hours until a certain man entered the house.

Poly walked into the home and yelled into his home, "Atalanta, I'm home!" He continued into the house, only to see Artemis glaring at him.

Atalanta started to wake up upon hearing her name, rubbing her eyes.

"Huh, Dad?" Atalanta yawned after saying that, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, sorry for waking you up."

"Try to make sure you don't do this again in the future, Poly."

"I already said I was sorry."

"You did, but you haven't apologized for leaving Atalanta home alone."

Atalanta looked between her mother and father as the fog of sleep slowly faded.

Poly had a tired look on his face. "Wait! I left her home alone so you could spend more time with her, and I knew you would be here soon."

"That's not what Atalanta said; she claimed that you left her alone because she asked you."

"Hey, that was just me messing with her; even you should be able to understand that. But I guess it is too much to ask for your brain to match your beauty." Poly's expression becomes one of complete regret.

Atalanta looks between her mother and father. 'I wanted to mess with Dad, but I didn't want for it to go this far. I need to put a stop to this. Wha- what is this?'

"Atalanta, I need to speak to your father alone; go to your room until I call for you."

The silver-eyed girl shuddered in terror. She quietly got up, following her mother's orders. Her final act was to look pitifully at her father.

She knew who she would bet money on in a fight.

"Hey! Why are you looking at me like I'm already dead?"

"Dad, I want you to know that I truly loved you," Atalanta then walked out of the room with her white comforter. Ignoring her father's calls to her, fearing he would drag her into any punishment he got from her mother. He had a good run.

Poly's eyes almost started to water at the sight of his daughter's retreating form, and one thought formed in his head as he felt a cold hand grab his should.

'Why me?'

---

Atalanta's Pov

I was sitting in my room quietly, meditating on my bed.

How long is Mom going to, uhm, talk with Dad? Mom has to leave tonight, and I would rather spend some more time with her.

I've really enjoyed today; getting to spend time with Mom is fun, despite some of the moments where she mocked me.

I enjoyed walking through the woods, despite the snow, which should have made it hard to walk, but for some reason, mom and I didn't seem to be affected by it at all.

Besides, I found a new goal today, cooking a meal good enough to make Mom smile. My dignity as a chief is on the line.

It was kind of embarrassing when I unconsciously snuggled up to Mom like I was some sort of kitten. It just felt like everything would be alright. I couldn't resist the warmth that came from it. I guess these truly are the feelings caused by a parent-child bond.

"Atalanta, you may come out now," Mom interrupted my thoughts, finally calling out to me to leave my room. I'm almost scared to leave my room; who knows how bad the carnage is.

I walked out of my room, moving to the living room. I found my father sitting in the leather armchair; his head was down. Mom must have really dug into him.

"Huh, I thought it would be worst."

"I decided to have mercy on him after he started to beg for mercy."

"Wow, Mom, you really are merciful!" I exclaimed to my mom with mocked excitement.

Now that I know my father is ok, I can now make fun of him for this.

"Yes, I am. Now it's time to celebrate your birthday."

"Oh, did Dad get the cake?"

"Hey, I wouldn't forget something that important!"

"Of course, your father did his job for once and didn't leave your cake alone for an hour."

"Ok, let's go eat."

"Hey, are you guys ignoring me? Stop it!"

"Sorry, thanks for getting my cake," I sincerely thanked my father, even if I didn't care about my birthday cake.

I'd much rather spend this time making a 'thank you' cake for Dad than eating one meant for myself.

Mom moved to the dining room while my father and I followed behind.

I saw a cake on the dining room table. It was mostly dark blue, which was meant to represent the night sky. It seems like there were lots of white dots around the cake, meant to represent stars. And on the middle of the cake was a white moon with a green six on it.

I really liked the cake's design.

Dad smiled, "Your welcome."

My family and I sat down to enjoy the birthday cake. It tasted really good, but I know I can cook better. I'll pay Dad back for my birthday cake by making him a great birthday cake. But for now, I am going to follow Mom's lead and ignore his babbling.

"Alright, it's time for you to open my gift," Mom left the room and came back with something wrapped in white wrapping.

I was interested in what kind of gift she would get me since she seemed really excited, at least for someone with such a cold exterior. I could easily understand her because I have experience with cold exteriors from dealing with people like Kiritsugu and Miyu.

Mom set the gift in front of me on the dining table.

I moved to open the gift and started to unwrap the I...

My mind stopped at the sight of what Mom had got me.

It was a bow with arrows. My mind flashed back to memories from my past life, of the last time I held a bow. I killed Julian's father, the user of the saber card. But he was just one of my victims.

"It's too dark right now to go practice, but I'm sure you'll do fine. Once you get good enough, we can go hunting together."

My heart was confused by the feelings; on the one hand, the guilt for my actions in my past life was causing me to feel horrible. While my heart also started to beat in excitement when I heard her say she would take me hunting. Why did I feel this way? I've never enjoyed hunting before. Why would I enjoy killing other things now?

My confusion must have shown on my face because Mom had a concerned look on her face.

"You don't have to go hunting if you don't want to."

"No," I said before I realized what I was doing. "I want to go hunting with you."

Mom gave me a motherly smile as she reached out and patted me on the head.

"I bet you'll do great."

Of course, I'll do great, I'm skilled enough with a bow to qualify for the archer class, and the last thing I hunted was far more dangerous than some wildlife.

I looked at my family in this life with the neutral expression I usually have.

I wonder if they would still love me if they knew I was a murderer. I wonder if they would fear me if they knew; while I feel guilty about the killings, I don't regret my actions in the least. I would kill all those people again without a moment of hesitation and doom a hundred worlds for the sake of my family.

I started at Mom and Dad; all I really know is that I don't want to lose this.

"Thank you. Both of you for the cake and birthday gift," I said with slightly watery eyes as I enjoyed the night with the two people I care about most in this world.

---

RWN (rewrite notes)- this section is going to be added to each chapter as improvements are made to them. Most of these will be on the shorter size, with a majority of the info on the rewrites found in chapters 9 and eventually 10.

To first-time readers of the future, Hi! You guys can read this if you want, but it'd probably just be better to read the author's notes under this section.

This chapter will probably have the least changes out of all of them. Several grammar mistakes were fixed.

The biggest change for this chapter is the removal of the scene where Atalanta and Artemis were walking through the woods, as with weighted way too heavily into -the child of Artemis- aspect of her. It was so bad that the scene couldn't be salvaged without rewriting the whole thing. That didn't seem like it was worth the effort. especially since that scene was written/added in much later. In fact, there's a good chance a number of you reading this never saw this scene. but you're not missing much. All the scene was mostly about the mother-daughter pair walking through the forest and talking over a small dying tree before Artemis subtly healed it.

For Atalanta's character- a couple of her lines with her parents had the jerk edge removed from them, and an attempt was made to emphasize the fact that Atalanta isn't really bullying her father but tensing him. Artemis is bullying Poly. The thing, though, is that Atalanta thinks the fighting is all fun and games, as she hadn't had a stable family life in her past life since her parents died in a disaster, and Miyuverse!Kiritsugu didn't really take Atalanta/Shirou in as a true son. Atalanta's forgotten what a normal family looks like.

The intro section is unchanged, while the following scene with Artemis and Poly has minimal changes. The scene with Artemis in the mall was rewritten before I list of faults in chapter 9 (as I'd already been editing bits and pieces of chapters before them, as stated repeatedly in some other AN., but they weren't published yet.)

---

AN:

This is my first fic. Sorry for any errors in the writing or grammar. And I have not edited the author's notes at all, so I'm double sorry for any grammatical errors following this.

This fic will diverge from canon; the only three things that I plan on happening are the lightning thief, the final battle for Olympus, and the start of the Kane Chronicles.

Yeah, this fic will include the Egyptian gods, Greeks, Roman, and possibly the Norse gods (I'm not sure at this point on the last one, I've never read their book series.)

Right now, Carter Kane appears before camp half-blood, and Jason appears before Percy.

The seven heroes of Olympus will be different from the canon one sense I found the plot lacking. I want to make the battle between the giants and gods seem more like an actual war.

I was influenced by all the other fanfics (like Auburn Hair, Son of the Huntress, The place I belong, etc.) with Shirou as the child of Artemis, but I saw most of them don't talk about it affects him, or they skip ahead to the start of the lightning thief. And I wanted to write a fic that focuses on the mind and relationships between characters over fights. (Not that there want to fight, in fact, the first fight should be in the next chapter.)

Oh yeah, I don't plan on having any other Fate characters crossing over.

Also, sorry for all the changes in perspective; when I first wrote the chapters, I accidentally changed the perspective a lot. I try not to do that in the future; I don't think I will do it again following this.

Lastly, I killed off all the dolls so that Miyu could live in peace. Miyu and Shirou's world will now die without any chance of being saved, and Miyu will live her life without ever seeing her brother again. Just in case you were wondering why I changed that.

Have a great day, and thank you for reading.