Ideal x Answer

by LookItsADoggy

The man once named "EMIYA" realises something in the ruins of Einzbern Castle. No matter the people they meet, the place they're born, or the shape of their body, "Emiya Shirou" will always arrive at the same answer, the same conclusion; at "Unlimited Blade Works". It is a female Shirou who proves the worth of Kiritsugu's ideals to Archer, and is left to wander the Moonlit World.

5. Act 0 Chapter 4 - Promises And Future

Uh.

Awkward, huh?

Been a while, long story.

Lost my account, life happened so it wasn't high on my priorities. Got my account back. Life happened before I got around to doing anything, and I'm back now.

Not gonna promise anything because I'm obviously unreliable on updates but I assure you my interest in writing never fades. I'm just almost always tied down by something or other.

It's been a while though, and I've worked on some other stuff in the meantime that means I'll probably be dropping my other fic since I've gotten everything I wanted to get out of writing it from other places.

This one I still have a vested interest in seeing through to the end.

Writing style for this one was a real weird one so it might take me a bit to get used to it again. Also, it's been over a year and a half at this point. I've just grown and changed as a writer.

See you at the bottom.

---

"Ideal" x "Ans?

---

? (? since the move to London)

"How many times do I have to tell you, damn geezer, no means no! I'm not becoming your apprentice!"

Zelretch moaned. "Aww? Please?"

Rin pinched the bridge of her nose. "How many times have we been through this song and dance? No. Means. No."

Zelretch flopped onto the couch of her apartment. "Why do you keep rejecting me, anyways? Anything wrong with being my apprentice?"

He propped his feet up onto the c-

Rin narrowed her eyes at him.

"Get your dirty old feet off our couch."

Zelretch groaned, but nonetheless, listened to her words.

"And secondly,"

Rin's pointed glare harshened.

"Why do you want me as your apprentice so much, anyways?"

"Hmm…" Zelretch blinked.

To Rin, it appeared as if the man had never considered the question before.

"Well…" A frown filled with complex emotions…

"I thought it'd be fun!"

…was quickly replaced with a smirk of similarly complex emotions.

"…" Rin's eyebrow twitched.

That told her nothing.

"Well it certainly wouldn't be fun for me."

Rin's dry remark made Zelretch falter slightly.

"Why not? I think you'd have a jolly good time hanging out with your old man's old man."

"…"

"…"

Zelretch shifted uncomfortably at Rin's exasperated cringing.

"First of all, stop speaking like that. Secondly, don't call yourself my 'old man's old man', thirdly, don't call my ancestor my 'old man'. And finally…"

Rin stared at Zelretch dryly.

"I've heard the stories, okay? Don't think that just because I'm a newcomer here that I haven't heard the stories. I know what you do to your apprentices."

"Oh."

"…"

Zelretch awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"…You have. Huh…"

Rin rolled her eyes.

"The Department of Astrology still has a ban on crocodiles, by the way. And the Department of Spiritual Evocation is still forced to delve into the sewers once every year to clean up that mess… Anyways…"

She snapped her fingers, before pointing at Zelretch with her index.

"Don't try to avoid the question. Questionable fates of your apprentices aside, that still doesn't explain why you want me to be your apprentice so bad."

"You know, those kids were shoved onto me by the prissy nobles. I wouldn't treat you badly at al-"

"…"

Zelretch averted his eyes. "Okay fine, as badly."

"Still avoiding the question?"

Zelretch shrugged. "Can't I just check in on the progress of my old apprentice's family every once in a while?"

Rin snapped back immediately.

"Then why not earlier? Why not check in once every generation or few generations? If you wanted to check in, you shouldn't have waited until one of us actually moved to London. And if it was just that, you wouldn't need to offer an apprenticeship of all things to get an answer."

"…"

Rin tapped her foot on the ground impatiently.

"Well, you ready yet?"

"…"

Rin sighed.

"Fine, if you agree to tell me why you actually want me as an apprentice, I'll seriously consider taking your apprenticeship offer. If not, you can forget it."

"…"

Rin inspected her fingernails. "You know, Lord El-Melloi II reached out recently. We've been talking about the experience of the Holy Grail War and he's been thinking about extending his own offer."

"…" Zelretch closed his eyes.

It seemed that, for some reason, what got him in the end was the idea of handing Rin off to someone else.

…Why did she play such an important factor in his plans? And why did she have to be kept so close to him?

Was it really that much of a risk to not have her nearby?

"Fine." His lackadaisical manner disappeared. His voice was gravelly and solemn.

Zelretch stood up, straightening his posture to look at Rin directly.

"I did not think it would have to come to this, but I suppose it was inevitable. I would have liked to tell you this much later on in your apprenticeship, but this works as well. It's probably for the best that you hear this as early as possible anyways, since in this refraction of the Kaleidoscope, it's a deeply personal matter to you."

"…" Rin calmed down, eyes moving back to Zelretch as he started to speak.

He was starting to take this seriously. That's good. That was all she wanted from him.

Though, the last part of that sounded odd. It was as if he was saying that she had no choice in the matter, and no matter what, would inevitably give in to his offer.

"Tell me… what do you know of the nature of the Second Magic?"

Zelretch cracked his neck, loosening himself up.

"…"

Rin's eyes shut as she tried to recall what she could from her ancestor's notebooks.

"Not much, to be honest. I have what my… ancestor… left behind in his notes, but even those have been muddied because of the… detour… that the Tohsaka's research took in the last few hundred years."

The 'detour' referred to the Holy Grail War, of course.

When Nagato had passed and his daughter inherited the family, they had almost immediately completely abandoned any research into the Second Magic, focusing completely on Jewel Magecraft and winning the Holy Grail War.

Sure, they tried to use the knowledge they had to integrate it into their own Magecraft, but very little active expansion of knowledge happened.

"Aside from the things you left behind in the designs of the Jewelled Sword and personal notes from Nagato, I don't know much more than any other magus around here."

Zelretch nodded, humming noncommittally.

"By the way… how did that end up going?"

Rin blinked.

–Is he going senile? Didn't I just tell him my family didn't get anywhere?

"Ah." Zelretch caught the confused look on Rin's face.

"Sorry, should have been more specific. I was referring to you. Did you end up using those notes at all? The Holy Grail War is quite a dangerous situation to find oneself in, after all… It would have done you good to use every advantage you can find."

"…"

Rin's apprehension did not decrease in the slightest.

–That's… oddly specific.

"…No…?"

The slight glimmer of curiosity in Zelretch's eyes told her to continue.

…Great, now she felt like the one who was squirming.

"W-well…" Rin started hesitantly. "I had considered it at one point, sure… to help with my apprentice's prana requirements for her Rea-"

She shut her jaw tightly.

…That was incredibly careless of her, how did she get that sloppy?

"Ahem." She coughed once into her hand.

"…Her magecraft…" she continued. "But in the end, it was unnecessary. We resorted to… alternative… measures to create the necessary levels of energy."

Though she tried incredibly hard, Rin couldn't stop the red dusting forming on her cheeks. There were quite a few… "memories" … regarding her, Saber and Shirou that she didn't expect to be reminded of in a situation like this.

"…I see, and?"

Zelretch just waved it off, seeming rather nonplussed about all of it.

Almost as if he'd… heard about it or somehow witnessed it before.

–Weird. And creepy.

Rin shook her head to get back her composure.

"What do you mean 'and'?"

"Hm?" Zelretch quirked an eyebrow.

An expectant look was levelled at the heiress.

"…"

"…"

Zelretch frowned. "Wait a moment… sorry, my memory might be a little fuzzy. Remind this old man, would you? How exactly did you dismantle the Holy Grail here?"

"W-wha?" Rin spluttered.

That… shouldn't have been known by anyone.

The Fifth Holy Grail War was an extreme anomaly that shouldn't have existed. The Mage's Association wasn't even aware it had happened until after its conclusion and Bazett was able to return with a heavily limited report due to the anomalous circumstances surrounding it.

The amount of people who were still alive that knew about the true fate of the Greater Grail could be counted on one hand. Literally.

Herself, Shirou, Shinji, and recently – after Rin herself clued him in – Lord El-Melloi II.

Even the Einzberns and her estranged si-… the Matous… would only know bits and pieces…

But the way Zelretch worded his question, he was speaking like he knew exactly what had happened.

Rin inhaled deeply.

Why was this blasted old man so good at casually getting her nerves riled up?

…Whatever, she had to just suck it up for now and just answer the questions. She was sure she would get answers down the line.

"My contracted Servant destroyed the Grail's vessel. That's all there is to it."

"…" Zelretch nodded, closing his eyes and furrowing his eyebrows. He considered something deeply, mumbling to himself at times.

"…Was your servant and his contract not…?"

Rin's ears perked up.

…How much exactly did this person know about the Holy Grail War?

"Ah." Zelretch froze, clicking his fingers. "That's right. There was that series of events."

"Hmm… yes… yes." He continued to mumble to himself over and over, reaffirming something.

"Remind me, Tohsaka…" his head slowly lifted itself. "Did you have any troubles with… worms?"

Worms?

"Not that… I can… recall?" Rin answered apprehensively.

"How about shadows?"

Shadows? Worms?

Were these meant to be code for something?

Rin shook her head furiously, frowning. "Can we just get past this vague stuff already? Back on topic, please."

"…" Zelretch sighed. "Right, sorry… Forgive this old man and his fuzzy memory… He's seen a lot happen… it can get rather messy sorting through it at times."

He brought his hands together for a singular, solemn clap.

"Back to the topic of the Second Magic… the Kaleidoscope. As you are no doubt aware, it encompasses the realm of the Operation of Parallel Worlds. Practitioners draw upon the power of the 'Infinity' that exists beyond an individual's existence. One such example, of course, being the Jewelled Sword I entrusted your family with creating; it makes a pinhole through to another world, drawing upon the infinite wealth of extradimensional energy."

Zelretch extended his hand, materialising an object in his hand, accompanied by a blinding prismatic light.

Rin would recognise that object anywhere.

A short sword composed of a completely alien material. Its blade seemed to contain both no colour at all and every colour simultaneously. It seemed to be less of a weapon at first glance and more of a pretty gemstone that happened to resemble a weapon.

Rin squinted, trying to focus beyond the shining lights that the Jewelled Sword was emanating.

So this was supposedly their family's legacy…

How the hell was she supposed to recreate that?

She didn't need every last scrap of knowledge regarding her family's Jewel Magecraft to recognise that the gems that comprised the weapon were completely foreign to this world.

Zelretch paused briefly to observe the reaction of the Tohsaka heiress, evaluating something.

Satisfied with what he saw, he nodded, dismissing the sword.

"But…" Zelretch went on as if he never detoured from the topic. "It is one of very few branches of magecraft which extend beyond just personal responsibilities. Those who reach a certain level of mastery become intrinsically tied to the world on a grander scale… I pray that you Tohsakas never quite reach that level of expertise for your own sakes… but I was not lucky enough to avoid that fate."

Zelretch chuckled, long gone grievances and memories re-emerging from the depths of his memories.

"My fate is forever tied to the Kaleidoscope itself. I do not simply practice it, I am responsible for it. I must meddle in the worldly affairs of every world I wander across. Every world that could possibly end, every timeline that doesn't happen… It is my duty as the Magician of the Second Magic to ensure their stability."

"…" Rin's throat felt heavy. This was… far beyond anything she had prepared herself to deal with in her lifespan. The Holy Grail War was enough for her. "And what do I have to do with this?"

"…"

Zelretch's response was not instant.

His strange red eyes locked onto hers, searching for something deep within her soul.

"…Quite a few things." His voice was low and level. "The individual known as 'Tohsaka Rin' is always connected to various factors. There is the Tohsaka Bloodline, which I have a… personal responsibility… to oversee, who also must eventually create the Jewelled Sword, and return it to me in the future. There is her inevitable involvement in the Fifth War, no matter whether she summons Archer, Saber, Lancer or whoever…"

He trailed off, turning his gaze away.

The sun was setting.

"…But I suppose above all else, it is her ties to those two."

His mind was not present as he spoke. His eyes were glued to the window, gazing at some invisible image at the horizon, right underneath the setting sun.

It was something that reminded Rin of Shirou, and at times, that man.

–Oh.

It clicked. Finally.

That was why he was so interested in her.

She still didn't get what his plans were meant to be or why she had to be an apprentice of his, but she understood why it was Tohsaka Rin that Zelretch sought out.

But…

Still…

–The lone man stands at the edge of the mountain, at the time where the border of day and night blurs.

"I do not have a purpose in this world anymore… My struggles end here."

The girl opens her mouth.

"But-…"

…

'You won't be saved'.

The words are swallowed. They never come out.

He smiles.

And as the wind blows, his hair falls, painting a youthful image.

"It's fine. I'll do my best from now on as well. I'll find it as well…"

The knight departs, looking exactly as he did when he was young.

"…I-is…" Her voice wavered. "…Is he really that important?"

He wasn't some all-powerful hero. He wasn't someone who could endanger the world.

He was just a man. One who had a wish, just like anyone else.

"…" Zelretch could only answer her with a complicated smile. "It's… not really a simple issue. That man… Counter Guardian EMIYA… I have an obligation to keep my eye on him like I do all active Counter Guardians, as Alaya can be… problematic… to say the least… But it's more than just that. The Fuyuki Grail is a constant hotspot of trouble because of the being that it contains… and often times, in the impossible futures which both do and do not happen, it is that man who serves you…"

His eyes turned downwards, his wrinkled expression loosening, turning… almost mournful, in some twisted sense of the word.

"But, that isn't quite it either… It is not just his status as a dog of Alaya, not just his involvement in the Grail Wars, but the fact that he is… well, him… Or I suppose, in this refraction… her."

…Shirou?

"That boy… or, well, girl… is often at the centre of events surrounding the Holy Grail of Fuyuki. So often do I find myself observing the Fifth Holy Grail War to ensure that those worlds remain stable, witnessing hi-… her struggles, her life, her affirmations to her ideals, that I suppose at some point in time I just… got personally fond of her. It's the same thing with the Tohsakas, really. That boy, Nagato… he reminded me why I was right to take the side of Humanity, much like how I entrusted to him the design of the Jewelled Sword so he could one day return it to me, I watch over Emiya Shirou, observing the impossible paths she chases down."

…There was still one thing Rin did not get.

"Why this?" She blurted without thinking. "You're implying that you never take any action, direct or indirect. You just passively observe from… somewhere… Why seek me out as an apprentice? Why involve yourself directly? What makes her specifically, among the infinite sea in the Kaleidoscope, special enough for you to not want to let me go?"

"…"

Zelretch cracked a wry smile, his features appearing just a smidge younger, if only for a split-second.

"No matter what, Emiya Shirou will never succeed."

Rin froze.

Her eyes trailed downwards, and her hands balled into fists.

She knew better than anyone except the person in question that Shirou's endeavours were hopeless. They had both seen the path that man had walked down.

But to hear it like this, so plainly…

…It… well… it hurt.

A rough chuckle brought her out of her thoughts.

She blinked at Zelretch, trying to stop the tears which were slowly welling behind her eyes against her will.

"That's…" Zelretch's voice seemed… happy, in a way. "How it's supposed to be."

What did that mean?

"…" Rin silently urged for the man to continue with her eyes.

Zelretch didn't heed her gaze. He was going to continue anyways.

"Emiya Shirou is a person who will hopelessly chase down an 'Answer', never even once asking what the 'Question' is. Of course, with a twisted mindset like that, any 'Conclusion' Emiya Shirou arrived at will inherently be worthless. It's something that never changes. I've seen it countless amounts of times, in every not-future and every not-possibility. Yet I can never turn my eyes away from it… I thought that this world would be like them, but when I cast my eye upon the clash between the current ideal and its inevitable end… I saw… something different this time.

"When the two clash, the understanding is had that they are both the same person. Emiya Shirou, Archer… the names melt away, and all that is left are the forms of the ideal. But in this world, something… odd… happened. There was the girl who currently held the name 'Emiya Shirou', and the boy who once held the name 'Emiya Shirou'… Paradoxically, the two understood that they could never be the same person – they were different from the very core of their genetics – but still, they could be nothing but Emiya Shirou. Their ideals were the same, but they could never be reconciled. He had no hope of changing his past by attacking her beliefs, and she had no hope of changing her future by attacking his beliefs. But still, they fought."

…

Zelretch lifted a finger up to his eye, pressing against his tear duct lightly.

He held the finger out in front of him, observing the single, lonely drop on the tip of his index finger.

"…And from there, I saw something beautiful emerge…"

His voice was reduced to a whisper, highlighting the smile that slowly rose on his lips.

"The outcome is normally set in stone. It never changes because no matter what, Emiya Shirou is fundamentally a person who does not change."

He chuckled to himself, shaking his head.

"He reaffirms himself, and continues on his path as he always does. He utterly refuses to ever stray from his path, completely fine with the conclusion that is 'Counter Guardian EMIYA'. If a machine is what he will eventually become, then it is a machine he will embrace becoming if it means chasing the ideal."

That…

No, that definitely was not what Archer had passed to Rin, that definitely was not the reason he made her promise to stay by Shirou's side.

In this version of events, she-

"But this time, that did not happen. The two came to an agreement. 'Emiya Shirou', fundamentally, was wrong, was fake. It was the same conclusion they always came to. But, but…"

And finally, the old man turned back to face Rin.

His eyes, they were-…

"Even if her way of life had been shattered, even if the future she sought and would inevitably walk was proven to be utterly incorrect, one thing remained. He might have been 'Emiya Shirou', and he might have understood 'Emiya Shirou', even though they were fundamentally the same person…"

Proud? Joyful?

"He was not her. And she was not him. And so, she clung onto that fact, and retreated back to the very beginning, to the genesis of her being, and realised one fact."

A satisfied smile adorned his face, painting him with an oddly soft expression for someone with a face as sharp as his.

"The ideal was not wrong."

Yes, if nothing else, one thing could be taken from that night on the porch.

"Emiya Shirou might have chased it for the wrong reasons, they might have chased it the wrong way, and the ideal might have torn down everyone who yearned for it, but. The ideal was never wrong. That girl, your Shirou, took that fact, and swore to defend it with everything Emiya Shirou could muster, and everything she wasn't."

The possibilities that the machine known as EMIYA could never reach.

The lives he could never have lived.

The choices that would have compromised his ideal that he could never make.

All of the pain he abandoned to keep on walking.

"The things she didn't have, the things Emiya Shirou could never reach. That was what she defeated him with. Her answer to him was to put forward a conundrum, a problem, a question that a machine like him could never have asked."

Yes, what changed here was that Emiya Shirou asked a simple 'Question'.

A 'Question' which she would eternally seek an 'Answer' to.

"The ideal isn't wrong. Chasing it isn't wrong. But if Emiya Kiritsugu couldn't reach the end, if Counter Guardian EMIYA couldn't handle the path…

"Then who is the person that can do both? What is the kind of life that person must live?"

He rose to his full height, straightening his back and neck, slowly pacing towards Rin, until his shadow started to touch her body.

"You asked me why I needed you as an apprentice. I don't really. It's just a selfish request of an old man. I do not ask to be able to interfere. I just wish to witness it in person… I want to know how Emiya Shirou will find her way to cross the 'Question' and reach the 'Answer'…"

Zelretch extended his hand, inviting her to a handshake.

"I want to see with my own two eyes… an 'Emiya Shirou' who can proudly say 'I am alive' with golden eyes."

---

"Ideal" x "Answer"

Act Zero – "Journey" x "Belonging"

Chapter 4 – "Promises" | And | "Future"

---

A knock on the door woke Rin up from her mid-day nap.

"!"

She jolted awake, bumping the coffee table lightly.

She grimaced lightly.

She fell asleep again, huh?

That old man really could be a slave driver when he wanted to be.

Rin sighed, placing the ancient, weathered journal in her lap aside.

"Who is it this time? I swear, if it's another one of those professors…"

She grumbled to herself, getting up and stretching.

When she eventually got around to opening the door, she couldn't help but blink in surprise at who it was.

"Shi-"

"Ah."

Shirou cut her off, holding up a finger to her own lips, gesturing her to be quiet.

Rin frowned.

Her mind, often praised by others as being prodigal, started to race.

Why did she shush her? She was very clearly relaxed before she opened her mouth, and only reacted once she began talking. That meant she wasn't in a hurry and it wasn't a serious situation.

Then what set her off? Was it her name? Why would that be relevant?

"Contract? Curse? Job?" She fired off multiple possibilities towards Shirou.

Shirou blinked.

She smiled awkwardly.

"A promise."

…

Hah?

Rin deadpanned towards her.

Leave it up to Shirou to choose the option that makes the least immediate sense.

She sighed.

"It's not serious, is it?"

Shirou shook her head.

"No, it's fine."

Rin shrugged. If it wasn't anything immediately dangerous there probably wasn't too much to get over thinking about it too much. She was sure Shirou would explain it anyways.

Her troublesome friend looked to the side, beckoning someone to come towards them.

Her eyes followed along.

…A child?

He seemed rather frail. Way too little meat on those bones. Scrawny and pale as hell.

Clearly, he wasn't living his best life.

Relatively short pale blond hair, greyish-blue eyes. Aside from probably not being fed too well, he didn't strike her as someone special.

The boy met her gaze, narrowing his eyes rather impudently.

Rin's eyes twitched.

Oh, one of those, huh? A brat…

Shirou smiled, placing her hand around his shoulder and pulling him in.

"Rin, this is Isaiah. A remnant of our last mission. He's been through quite a lot recently, so forgive him if he's a bit… harsh. Please treat him gently. And, he-"

Shirou trailed off, her expression softening.

Rin paused, focusing on her expression.

That was…

A new look.

Warm. That was the best way to describe it.

It wasn't just simple happiness or satisfaction. It was definitely something… more…

Like she wanted to hold onto that moment, like she was… hopeful for the future. It was almost motherly in a way.

Certainly, it was not an expression she had ever seen on the face of the man in her memories.

Good. That was good. It meant she hadn't let Shirou slip during these nine months of relative silence.

Only God knew how much she worried during that time, constantly tossing and turning in her bed over the worry that Shirou was straying off her path.

She knew that to some level, she had to trust Shirou to be her own self and take her own course of action, but…

God, Archer would kill her if she let her go before even a handful of years had passed since that day.

Shirou continued, the smile on her face widening.

"He's made a promise. One day, he'll be strong enough to keep everyone he knows safe, strong enough that no one will need to keep a secret from him. On that day, when I don't need to hide anything from him for his safety anymore, I'll tell him my name."

…

So that was it, huh?

During a mission involving recovering and protecting outsiders for extended periods of time, it was protocol to take on codenames to secure yourself against any potential leak of information.

And during that time, a child made a silly promise.

Rin chuckled to herself, smiling.

Of all the things that could make her have that expression, it would have to be that, huh?

Just a child promising something silly.

"What did I expect? Really…"

She shook her head, quirking an amused eyebrow towards Shirou.

"So, what should I call you while he's around?"

"Orphan." Shirou responded simply.

"Really?" Rin drawled. "I guess it's better than calling yourself Archer, at least."

She snorted.

Her gaze fell down towards the child.

"Ah." Shirou nodded, following her gaze.

"Isaiah, meet Rin. She's my best friend, and she'll be taking care of you for a while."

Rin frowned at that specific wording.

"She's a lot gentler and nicer than she looks and acts."

Oi.

"You can trust her with anything."

The boy, Isaiah, looked up at her with suspicion still in his eyes, but made no immediate gesture signifying displeasure or denial.

Rin nodded her head towards the inside of their apartment.

"Well, come on in. It's afternoon, so I'll get started on lunch as fast as possible. Don't worry, I can cook just as well as-… Orphan can."

The child huffed, looking towards Shirou for some form of guidance.

In response, she just patted him on the shoulder reassuringly, flashing a warm smile his way.

The boy made a grunting noise and walked past the two of them without acknowledging Rin.

"…"

"…"

So, she had to address it, huh?

"For a while, you said… Still caught up in whatever mess you've been in for the last nine months?"

"…No… not quite." Shirou answered rather… hesitantly.

"?" Rin tilted her head questioningly.

"For the most part, that mission is over. The whole issue isn't solved but… we've handed it off to the proper authorities and the opposition's movements are restricted enough to where I can take him out of country without forcing him into hiding. I'd still take the proper precautions, though."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. The usual. Don't mention his name to anyone, set up wards, yadda yadda. I'll try to keep him indoors as much as possible, but… well, you never know children will act."

"Good. Thanks, Rin…"

"…"

A few seconds passed without anything being said.

Shirou's body was still rather tense. There was something that she wanted to air out to Rin, something which she felt at odds telling her about.

She wouldn't push her to it, though.

It would come out sometime in the next few seconds.

"I…" Shirou started shakingly. "You know how it is with me. It's never good enough. The moment my view expands, I can't let go of whatever has come into my vision. Like a selfish child with a new toy, I refuse to let go of it. I-… We're…"

Shirou exhaled deeply.

"We're going to be heading into the Reverse Side."

"…"

"…"

Rin smiled dryly.

"That's… that's so incredibly unfunny I can't even laugh at how stupid what I just heard was."

"You're angry, aren't you?" Shirou asked.

Rin scoffed.

"Really, you choose now of all times to be slightly aware?"

Her face scrunched up, and she let out a strange noise in frustration.

"Guh…"

She sighed, leaning back against the apartment wall and folding her arms under her chest.

"There's nothing I can do to change your mind. You already made that choice and you're never turning back on it. Just-…"

She let out a heavy sigh, wearing an expression of exasperation.

"Tell me two things. One… you are aware of exactly how much of a mess you may have just gotten into, right?"

"…" Shirou closed her eyes.

Images flashed through her mind.

–The man stood alone on the hill of swords.
The hill was made of bodies, each one impaled with a nameless blade.

Thousands and millions and billions.

One corner of the world to the next.
When every corner was swept clean,
They moved on to the corners that didn't exist.

And when those imaginary corners were wiped,
They flipped the world upside down to search for another corner to clean.

"That man was a Counter Guardian. His job was to defend the Human Order indiscriminately. It didn't matter who or what the target was, he would be there to wipe the slate clean. Sometimes, that enemy would be a direct threat from Gaia itself."

It didn't matter whether or not such a thing was 'likely'. If the possibility existed with even a millionth-percent chance, then that man had fought against it.

After all, how long had that man been suffering?

"And if that was the case, the most likely battlefield would have been… there."

A place where the world had since evolved in parallel to the Age of Man.

A place devoid of the common sense of man.

Sorcery there was not the result of an individual's battle of will against the common sense of the world, but sheer natural law – wrangling 'Mystery' with nothing more than a thought.

It was violent, primal and un-unified.

In that plane laid every single nightmare that Humanity had banished from its world to be able to sleep safely. The beasts that dwelled in the shadows that lurked around every corner, the arbiters of misfortune that Humanity had desperately tried to blame and pin their troubles on, great primal beings to whom Humanity worshipped to appease from fear.

"I know exactly how dangerous that place is. I know how much the lust for the blood of the Children of Alaya is embedded into the subconscious of every single creature there. But… there exists just the tiniest chance that millions could die if I sit by and do nothing. It doesn't matter who they are, if they're not even humans or innocents… if I can do something to stop it, I will."

Shirou opened her eyes, nodding to herself in affirmation.

Rin sighed.

Sadness crept into her eyes.

"Sometimes, I wish I was cruel enough to manipulate your emotions. I'm sure, if I just got on my knees, begged with all my heart, and cried until the well was dry, then you'd listen without a second thought, and not go out there… but, I can't do that to you."

She smiled bitterly.

"I'll never get you to stop, I promised that I wouldn't get you to stop, and I don't want you to. The best I can do is try to get you to make the most of whatever deadly situation you get yourself into. I can't let you stray from that path. You must live to meet that man again and one day present him with your 'Answer'. That's why, the second thing…"

Rin inhaled deeply.

–I'm sorry, boy.
I'm don't like it, but I'm going to have to use you as a tool.

But…
This is for your sake as well.

If I don't do this…
You'll never see that promise fulfilled.

"That boy, Isaiah… you care, don't you?"

"!" Shirou froze.

…

It might have been an odd thing to point out, but there were two things that were very important.

One, Emiya Shirou could not understand anything about her feelings. Happiness, pain, sorrow, regret, affection, love, jealousy, frustration. If it did not overwhelm every fibre of her being and paralyse her or punch her in the face, she was likely ignorant to it.

And two, Archer was the man who abandoned everything. That was the mistake that led him to regret the ideal. And Shirou swore to never let anything go.

"Yeah, it's obvious in that face of yours. You do care." Rin nodded to herself.

Shirou's eyes widened in shock, her lips parted lightly. Her body and expression went completely still.

"H-how…?"

…She really hadn't even processed that fact herself, huh?

Rin sighed.

"It was obvious. Anyone could have taken a single look at your face when you were talking about that boy and figured it out."

Well, it was a bit more than that, but it was still rather simple in the end.

It was not that Shirou could not feel happiness. She simply couldn't understand it. The only thing she knew of it was that the man who saved her at her moment of rebirth smiled when he did so. Therefore, that ideal would make her happy.

It was that misunderstanding that led Archer to abandon everything in search of it. Who knows, he might have actually felt some meagre form of happiness at some point in his life, maybe a night with a lover or whatever, but even if he did, he would cast it aside, thinking it was not the happiness he sought.

Shirou swore to abandon that thinking, but that didn't mean the moment she won over Archer, she was suddenly human. She was still broken and distorted, she still had to pick up the pieces and put the puzzle together herself.

She still didn't really understand what happiness looked like beyond chasing the ideal itself. It was likely she still thought and felt that Kiritsugu's happiness at that moment was caused solely by the supreme salvation that came to him and his ideal in that moment.

Anyways, the point was that the only thing she knew that could make her happy for certain was chasing that ideal. Saving someone would make her happy.

She had likely saved Isaiah during that mission of hers. And that fact, being able to succeed even just once made her supremely happy.

…But that wasn't all that happened.

She shouldn't have had a reason to care about him beyond that moment. In any other case, it was likely that she would have just moved on, only staying in that boy's memory as a faceless stranger, off to save someone else, just like Archer did.

Whatever the case might have been, whether it was a necessity of the mission or because of some inexplicable emotion that she might have tried to explain away as an extension of the ideal, they had spent time together.

And then came the nail in the coffin, and at that point, it was already too late to turn back.

The boy made that promise.

She shouldn't have had a reason to listen to it, she didn't need to accept being on the other end of it, but she did. It had nothing to do with saving someone, with living up to that ideal, but she did it anyways.

There was only one explanation; without even realising it, she begun to care about the boy.

She thought him to be inexplicably important.

When she was introducing him, the part she expressed happiness in wasn't saving him, that almost seemed to not matter.

Instead, the moment that she fondly remembered, the moment that came first in her head, was one entirely divorced from the ideal itself.

She smiled fondly when she was relaying his promise.

That single, simple moment was all Rin needed to see in order to know.

She didn't know how it happened, she didn't know why, she didn't care why, but it did.

That boy became something she could not turn her back on, like the ideal itself.

And so, Rin would utterly abuse that fact. She would wield it as a tool and weapon to make sure that no matter what, Shirou would come back home.

Alive.

"…Were you not even aware of that fact yourself until now?" Rin narrowed her eyes at Shirou, her voice lowering.

"I-I…" Shirou fumbled with her words.

Rin huffed.

"Really, that's just like you."

She shook her head.

"But."

She snapped her fingers.

"Now that you understand that, you understand the implication, right?"

She got off the wall, leaning forward to poke Shirou in the chest with a single finger.

"You cannot abandon him."

And she did it again, harder this time. She poked her so hard Shirou probably felt it in her heart.

"You can endure failure, you can endure suffering and pain, you can endure regret, you'll pick things up and lose things along the way, but if there's one thing you cannot, you must not, EVER… do, if you wish to avoid Archer's fate, it is abandoning, turning your back, on something."

Rin pulled her finger back, leaning on the wall again.

She made sure to reinforce her point by glaring at Shirou with as much seriousness as she could muster.

"So don't."

She told Shirou simply.

"I don't care what happens out there. I don't care how many people might die along the way, how many people you may or may not save, there is just one thing you must do."

She sucked in air through her teeth, inhaling deeply.

"Come back home alive. Do not throw your life away."

"…"

"…"

Silence rung throughout the street.

"Do not let his promise slip between your fingers. You have to be alive to tell him your name. Even if when you're out there, you see more people that enter your view, if there are more and more people you can't turn your back on, then just fail. Try, and fail to save them. And regret it. Regret it so much you'll collapse from the pain. And don't let that pain go either. And then, after all of that, Come. Back. To Isaiah."

Rin was aware that what she was telling Shirou in that moment might have been contradicting what she promised to Archer, she was aware that this might lead to Shirou betraying that ideal of hers, but in this moment, that didn't matter to her.

She had found a glimmer of hope, and selfishly, she would reach for it.

There was a chance, the smallest of chances, that she had found something that could prove 'Emiya Shirou' to be truly alive.

And that possibility's name was 'Isaiah'. She had to protect and nurture it as much as possible.

Shirou's face turned dark.

"Yeah. I get it. I'll come back alive, I promise."

"…"

"…"

Rin sighed.

"Good."

She got off the wall once more, and approached Shirou again.

"…"

"…"

The two stared at each other tensely.

Rin smiled softly, a tinge of sadness spreading across her face.

She wrapped her arms around Shirou, embracing her.

"…I'm sorry, Shirou. I-I…"

She trailed off, unable to express the depth of her pain and sorrow.

Shirou, perhaps without knowing it, mirrored Rin's soft, sad smile.

"No, it's fine… I get it. This path I'm walking… it'll never be easy for anyone stupid enough to decide they want to get involved, you included. Thanks, Rin… for everything. I mean it, really."

She returned her friend's embrace, relishing in the warmth one last time before they split again.

After what felt like minutes, Rin eventually broke from the hug.

She took a deep breath in, trying to find the strength to smile.

"So, this is it, huh? You're off to… there now."

"…Yeah, I am." Shirou nodded solemnly.

"Hey, Shirou."

"Yeah?" She smiled warmly.

"When this is done… bring all of your friends over. They've taken care of you in my stead for nine months, and probably more than that after this is over. If they can handle an idiot like you for that long… they must be really special. I'd like to meet them."

Shirou chuckled.

"Alright, it's a promise." She assured her.

"…Take care."

"…You too."

Shirou spun on her heel, walking off into the distance.

"Actually, one more thing!" Rin called out hurriedly from behind.

Shirou looked over her shoulder, tilting her head.

"…Is there anything you'd like for dinner?"

"…"

Shirou couldn't help it. She laughed.

Wiping a tear from her eye, she responded to her friend with joy.

"Yeah. Isaiah's been saying he wants to try cheesecake."

---

Shirou smiled as she made her way towards her destination, clutching her fist and staring at it.

–Home.
I'm going to come home.
And when I get back, we'll have cheesecake.

A warm, fluttery feeling she couldn't quite name spread across her chest.

A reason to come home.

Was that something she ever had?

Was that something Archer ever had?

That place back in Fuyuki… it was an empty one.

Taiga would be there every morning, and Sakura would join her as well.

But in the end, it was always just her.

No one was waiting for her.

No one would welcome her back with a smile on her face.

Every day she came back from school, she would say 'I'm home' to no one in particular.

No one would be there when she went to sleep and no one would be there when she woke up.

There was never a reason she needed to be there. It was simply out of habit, out of not having anywhere else to go.

But now…

Emiya Shirou was not alone.

She hadn't been alone since they moved to London. No, even before that, she hadn't been alone since the day Rin promised to Archer.

This realisation, this feeling… it was not painful.

It was not cold, it was not dull.

It was foreign, but… but…

She desperately wanted to welcome it inside herself.

This feeling… was this the reason Rin had forced that realisation upon her?

–An endless sandy plain of swords.
Giant rusted cogs, suspended by nothing, blotting out the sun.
Mechanically rotating eternally,
Without meaning or purpose.

A harrowing sense of loneliness and despair.

I hate it…
It's… scary.

This is scarier than the pain.
I'm more scared of this than I am of dying.

Archer… he never had this, did he?

She smiled, holding her hand to her chest, trying to place her palm as close to the feeling as possible.

"–I am the bone of my sword."

The words were heavy, as they always were.

But they were no longer as harsh, no longer as bitter or angry or hateful.

"…"

She lowered her hand, and let the steel fade from her body.

She raised her head and looked in front of her.

…

This was it.

She was here.

A classical old English manor lay in front of her.

This was the residence of Kairi's Reverse Side contact, one of the few Witches who still resided on this side of the planet…

Mordred Pendragon VIII.

Kairi had stayed rather tight lipped about her, but assured them that she was someone he trusted with his life.

"Oh, so we arrived at the same time, huh?"

A familiar voice called out from behind her.

Shirou swivelled around to greet her ally.

"Griselda."

The older woman nodded in acknowledgement.

"Shirou."

Griselda walked up next to her, folding her arms as she inspected the manor in front of them.

"The vaunted Pendragons, huh? I've heard a few rumours about them still hiding around England, but my job has never led us to cross paths. They seem to be fine just doing their own thing."

Her gaze flickered towards the younger woman.

"There's something on that face of yours… you run into them before?"

Shirou blinked.

Was it that obvious?

"…Yes, I guess you could say I've met a few of them." She responded blankly.

Griselda narrowed her eyes at her.

She huffed.

"You guess? What's that supposed to mean? Is it really that complicated of a situation?"

"…" Shirou scratched the back of her head. "Something like that."

Heroic Spirits. Legends of the past. A seven-way deathmatch. Counter Guardians, Evil Gods, ancient kings, severed contracts, an incomprehensible future, a twisted mirror…

It really was a rather messy situation, looking back on it.

"Well, whatever." Griselda shrugged, stepping forward. "Let's just get this over with."

The two walked forwards, stepping inside the manor's front yard.

Shirou shivered, an oddly intense sensation rattling the insides of her body, the sound of steel clattering vibrating in her ears.

–What…
Was that?

Trying not to alert Griselda, she slowed down until she was around three paces behind her.

Discretely, she held her fingers over her wrist, examining her body.

…Cold steel was poised beneath her skin.

Was her Reality Marble acting up? Why had it suddenly manifested its first layer without her conscious command?

This had happened the moment she stepped onto the manor's grounds. What did that signify? She… she must have passed through a Bounded Field of some kind.

So, a Bounded Field did this? That by itself didn't make sense. What was special about this Bounded Field, made by a descendant of the Pendragons, a Witc-…

…A witch.

That… could explain it.

Magi, Alaya's beloved children, manifested sorcery through the use of Magic Circuits. It was a strictly Human method of manipulating 'Mystery', brought into existence through intense mental prowess, requiring immense calculation and fortitude, all mixed together with strict precision to create a perfect result. It was a perfect expression and outlet for Humanity's greatest strengths; their indomitable spirit, their ingenuity, and the will to bend the world around them until they found success.

In contrast, Witches and Wizards were those who offered a portion of their Humanity in return for greater power; in the hole where their Humanity once rested, a 'Magic Core' was formed. They tapped into a much more naturalistic, primal way of utilising 'Mystery', using their bodies and spirits as natural conduits for the logic of the world, rather than a way to break through and fight against its common sense.

In other words, they were those who surrendered themselves to Gaia's will.

Her Reality Marble, Unlimited Blade Works, was perhaps one of the most 'human' forms of sorcery known; one of the purest expressions of a human's self to ever exist. It was an internalised Bounded Field whose threads and structure was comprised purely of a sense of internal logic and will so poignant and distorted that it could overwrite Gaia's own common sense and manifest as a separate world in the physical realm.

Any barriers that originated from Gaia's spawn would inherently clash with her very being.

Shirou clenched down on her fist, breathing in and out to try and calm herself down.

It wasn't too unbearable. The barrier was clearly not constructed with any offensive utility or intent, just a simple observation ward with a few extra charms to turn away outsiders and maybe a few contingency defence mechanisms.

As long as it was not going to try and outright attack her, she wouldn't have any troubles keeping her Reality Marble in check.

Griselda knocked on the front door.

From inside, a loud, harsh voice – presumably that of Mordred Pendragon VIII – shouted to someone else inside the residence.

Feet shuffled down stairs, and shortly after, the door was opened.

"Sorry about the noise." A voice belonging to a young boy greeted them at the door.

…Hm?

Shirou knew that voice.

That was-…

"My aun-" The voice froze.

A twelve-year-old child with firm sapphire eyes stared back her, those eyes wide with shock.

She smiled wryly.

"It's a been a while, hasn't it, Arthur?"

Upon hearing his name come out of her mouth, the boy immediately flinched and bowed deeply in respect.

"S-Ser Tristan! I-it's been quite some time. I-I wasn't expecting you to be one of auntie's guests."

Griselda simply quirked an eyebrow and deadpanned in her general direction.

She mouthed off to herself something along the lines of 'Complicated, huh?'

Shirou chuckled at both the responses she received.

"I knew there was a chance that there was a chance I could run into other members of the Pendragon family today, but Carlisle is rather far away from London. To think we'd meet under circumstances like this…"

"E-erm…"

The boy blushed.

"A-ahem…"

He coughed into his hand, straightening himself and regaining his composure.

He took a deep breath in, stepping back to pull the door open further, inviting the two swordswomen into the residence.

"I shouldn't be letting our esteemed guests wait outside any longer. Please, welcome yourselves in."

The pair stepped inside, instinctively surveying their surroundings as they entered foreign territory.

…It was surprisingly bland.

There was none of the expected glamour and flourishing of wealth one would immediately expect upon hearing a name as legendary as 'Pendragon'. Nothing quite so much as glimmered or shined with excessive amounts of sparkles, and the walls and floors weren't ornately decorated with a redundant amount of artisan pieces.

Griselda almost immediately bumped up her respect of this 'Mordred Pendragon VIII' figure upon laying eyes on the internal décor.

There was no eye-catching reds, golds or purples draped across everywhere with curtains and carpets, no metal objects polished so finely that any light reflected off of them would immediately make her eyes itch… none of the tell-tale signs of a prissy noble who wanted to just flaunt their wealth.

Shirou, on the other hand, was drawn to what was present on the walls.

The interior of the manor wasn't lacking in décor by any means, it just didn't exist with the intent to be shoved into a guest's face. It was refined, old, purposeful. Fine pieces of mahogany wood carved by experienced artisans, tapestries woven by honest men and women looking to overcome their harsh lives of squalor, murals of stained glass constructed with the sole purpose of worship.

It was a place built with the intent to honour and respect certain individuals.

…But it wasn't the furniture that told Shirou that.

She didn't have any kind of experience in interior design or any artisan's craft.

No, what communicated all of that to her were the swords.

Hung across the walls, lonely, old, battered swords stared back at her.

Shirou approached the walls, drawing the eyes of her two companions.

"…"

She traced her finger along the dull, rusted edge of a simple broadsword, hung at eye-level near one of the candles.

–A life lived abandoning everything,
All to defend the honour of England.
A coward to the end.

But he died not running away,
Not trying to protect some false ideal,
Some image made to hide his own regret…

But just a single woman,
An unrelenting truth who never backed down.

"I-is something wrong, Ser Tristan?"

Arthur called out hesitantly to her, wondering if something displeased the one he admired.

"…"

Shirou didn't respond, pivoting on her foot and wordlessly approaching a rapier on a distant wall.

She moved her thumb over its tip, pricking herself on it.

A small drop of blood fell from the finger.

–A knight's duty was to serve their king.
He had fallen astray once, protecting his own selfishness,
He would not do it again.

Even if it cost him his life.

…

What a cursed thing, this Reality Marble of hers was.

Its origin was the distorted machine that began as a child known as Emiya Shirou. A tool that had acted without purpose or meaning. The curse inflicted upon that machine by itself – Unlimited Blade Works – forced it to be able to instantly understand and sympathise with the purposes and history of every single of the swords – tools – it came across, as if taunting her with what she could not have.

"Your auntie…"

Shirou called out to Arthur suddenly.

"Mordred Pendragon VIII… she's quite the woman, isn't she?"

She cracked a small smile to herself, filled partly with admiration, partly with sadness and partly with bitterness.

"H-huh?"

Arthur made a rather inelegant sound in his confusion, seemingly forgetting his refined upbringing.

Griselda clicked her tongue.

"Ah."

She huffed, finally understanding what was going on.

"I forgot you could do that. You only showed that off once or twice when we were stuck on leads and needed any abstract information we could manage. But I suppose if there's one place there's gonna be a lot of swords with history, it'd be a Pendragon's."

Arthur blinked owlishly, looking lost.

Griselda's eyes briefly flickered between him and Shirou.

"Any sword that comes within her sight is immediately deconstructed in her mind and all of its components are processed within an instant. Its physical materials, the forging process… even its wielder's techniques and any accumulated history the blade may have gathered."

"I-I see…" Arthur frowned.

Griselda approached one of the walls herself, inspecting a small, rusted dagger hanging nearby.

"These definitely aren't just here for decoration. They've gone rusty, but that's not from lack of care. If anything, it's probably from too much care. Whoever hung them must have been worried about damaging their legacy. They seem to serve almost as… memorials."

She didn't have some kind of supernatural ability that allowed her to cheat and instantly comprehend any blade she came across, but she was still probably the greatest person to touch a sword that was still alive.

Honestly, it would have been sad if she couldn't gleam at much this much information from these blades.

She bent over slightly to meet the dagger at eye level, narrowing her eyes to focus on it.

"A parrying dagger, almost definitely. The wider guard for catching swords gives it away. It only has one chip in it. Probably only ever met a single blade in combat. Fresh, and short-lived. If I had to guess, some wide-eyed fresh youngster got in over his head. Lost his life trying to protect someone against an enemy he had no chance winning against."

Shirou glanced over in her direction.

She nodded, confirming her thoughts with a single look.

"Thomas Orwell. Seventeen years old. Twenty-seven years ago, he was assigned to guard an eight-year-old Mordred VIII. He gave his life to defend against an assassin. He failed to repel the intruder, but gave enough time for his ward to strike back."

Griselda scowled.

"Tch. The hell where they thinking? If they assigned a Pendragon a guard, they clearly knew the child would be a target. That guard should have been someone experienced, or at least had talent, not some kid who probably was less skilled than his ward. I'd almost say they wanted the girl to die."

Something about what she said made the boy flinch.

Hm?

That was a curious reaction.

"Th-that's…"

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows.

"…quite an impressive ability, Ser Tristan. The records of the Round Table and some of their various tales handed down to us failed to mention this. Then again, they've never been too trustworthy. They even failed to note down your proper gender."

He nodded to himself, thinking about the possibilities this new information presented.

"!"

Suddenly, he froze, his eyes going wide with panic.

"W-wait! T-that means! Y-you saw E-"

"Shh." Shirou cut him off, holding a finger to her lips.

She smiled cheekily.

"It wasn't new information to me."

She lied.

"I was one of the King's knights, remember? The fate of that sword's remnants has never been something I was ignorant of."

"…" Arthur nodded hesitantly. "R-Right."

He exhaled, letting himself deflate.

"Forgive me, Ser Tristan. I-It was rather unintelligent of me to assume you didn't already know."

He shook his head, slightly embarrassed.

"I-If there is nothing else, I have my own personal business I must attend to. You will find auntie Mordred at the dinner table, which is down the corridor to the right."

He bowed hastily, shuffling away and disappearing around one of the corners.

…

"So…"

Griselda drawled.

"Ser Tristan, huh?"

She raised an eyebrow towards Shirou.

Shirou just chuckled in response.

"A child's imagination is a powerful thing… Even if I wanted to, I doubt I would be able to break that fantasy of his. And besides…"

Her expression softened.

"That childish admiration and joy of his… I'd like to preserve it for a little bit longer, even if that is a bit selfish of me."

Griselda cracked a smile.

"Heh."

She closed her eyes, reminiscing.

"So that's it, hm?"

She was reminded of Xenovia, back home.

Often times when the kids at the Institute played around, it often resulted in Xenovia standing atop a pile of bodies, princess carrying some poor scared boy she had a crush on that day, declaring how no demon or foul sorcerer could stop her, the great daughter of Griselda Quarta, from claiming the prince for herself.

"I get it."

She smiled wistfully.

Those experiences… for her, they never lasted long. Those innocent days of hers were shattered far too soon.

At the very least, she wanted Xenovia's happy days to last longer than hers did. Even if she only managed to give that kid one more day than she had, she would probably die happy.

"So, what now?"

Griselda shook her head, remembering they were here for a reason.

"The kid didn't say anything about any other guests arriving before us. We can probably assume we were the first to get here. How are we gonna burn time until the others arr-"

"That won't be necessary."

A foreign voice interrupted from their right.

It was confident, strong, yet rough. Some would describe it as tomboyish, but that would serve as a discredit to the apparent maturity within the voice,

The two swivelled their heads to greet the assumed owner of the manor.

"!"

Shirou couldn't help but flinch lightly upon seeing them.

–I should have been prepared for this…
But still…

The resemblance to the person in Saber's memories,
It's uncanny.

Wild blonde hair that was tied back in a half-hearted ponytail. Sharp, almost bestial, green eyes that wouldn't be out of place on a predator. Her dainty, yet imposing figure was covered in a red dress that left much of her shoulders and abdomen bare.

"Shishigou sent me a message. There's seven of you in total, right? He's picked up four of you with him and he's only a few minutes away. No need to lounge around, we can get straight onto business."

The woman gave them a fanged smirk.

"Name's-"

"Mordred Pendragon VIII."

Shirou interrupted her with a blank smile on her face.

"Bastard child of the Pendragon family. Said to be cursed from birth, and given the name of the Knight of Betrayal to never let that fact be forgotten. Survived against all odds to adulthood and was given lordship over Carlisle, as an unofficial act of banishment and exile."

Mordred's eyes rolled over towards her, gleaming with feral interest.

Shirou went on.

"A knight with an unrelenting way of life. Standing tall and proud, compromising nothing. A beacon whom all lost moths in the shadows are drawn to, unable to help but desire to live in the light once more."

"…"

"…"

"Heh…" Mordred snickered.

"Hahaha… HAHAHAHA!"

She broke out in laughter.

"Oh… you're really something, aren't ya, girl?"

She narrowed her eyes at Shirou, her smirk widening.

A dangerous light reflected off those emerald irises.

"Red hair. Golden eyes. A deep sorrow entrenched in the very soul. An inexplicable sense of beauty you can't turn your eyes away from…"

Her eyes flicked down towards Shirou's wrists.

"…and the callouses of an archer. You're that Ser Tristan the brat keeps going on about. How'd you know all that? The kid spill that out to you? Couldn't let go of your King and kept your ears close to the Pendragons?"

"No."

Shirou shook her head, maintaining her blank smile.

"The swords told me everything."

"…"

Mordred stopped smirking.

A frown marred her face.

The predatory gleam in her eyes dulled.

Shirou simply looked back towards the dagger that Griselda had examined earlier.

"Thomas Orwell wanted to tell you something."

"…"

"He never got the chance to tell you that he was glad he could serve you, and he was truly liberated when he managed to protect you from that assassin. His only regret was that he wouldn't be there to see you grow into an adult."

Mordred's hair shadowed her face.

It was impossible to tell what she was thinking without seeing her face.

"…"

She lifted her head slightly, looking towards that same dagger.

"Heh."

A sombre smile adorned her face.

"God damn it, you piece of shit. If you wanted to tell me that, you should have lived and said those words to me yourself."

The notes of sadness in her smile faded.

She looked back towards Shirou, all signs of aggression and danger fading away from her.

Shirou still continued to just smile.

"Shirou Emiya. Codename Orphan."

Mordred let out a listless chuckle.

"Well, looks like I owe you one, Emiya."

Her gaze travelled over to Griselda.

The Exorcist nodded towards her.

"Griselda Quarta. Codename Blade."

Upon hearing that name, a feral light once again blazed inside Mordred's eyes.

And in an instant, as if the fire was never quashed, a dangerous smirk grew on her face.

"Hoh? The famous Griselda Quarta, in my home? Never would have thought Shishigou had connections like that. Say, how about you and I go a few rounds? You've always been at the top of the list of people I'd like to clash swords with."

Griselda shook her head.

"Maybe after this is all finished. For now, I'd like to just get this over and done with, without any distractions."

She smiled back at Mordred with a slight ounce of force.

Her golden eyes hardened slightly, meeting the ferocious emerald glare head on.

Mordred's smirk deepened even further.

"I'll hold you to it then. But that's for later."

From behind them, a knock could be heard.

"That would be the rest of your group. Come on, bring them in."

Shirou sighed, turning around to welcome in the rest of the team.

She pulled open the door.

"Come on in."

She smiled, greeting everyone with her best smile.

As expected, the remaining five members of Team Fogwalker had gathered at the front door.

"So, you arrived early. That's very much like you, Shirou." Ciel nodded to herself. "Is Griselda with you?"

Shirou nodded in response.

"Good. We can get this started immediately then."

Ciel stepped through the door, the four remaining members wordlessly following behind her.

Once everyone had gathered up, they all relocated to a more convenient location to have their talk, that being the dining room.

Mordred took her seat at the head of the grand dining table, gesturing to the mass of chairs around it.

"Come on, take a seat. It'll be much better than just standing around."

As the seven of them all moved to sit around the table, Mordred shifted around, leaning back and propping herself up on one of her fists.

"Time for introductions, I suppose. I'm familiar with Shishigou, and these two made quite a big first impression. I hope the rest of you don't disappoint."

She flashed a smile towards Ciel, who clearly took a position of leadership within this group of misfits.

Ciel met her predatory expression with professional stoicism.

"Ciel, Codename Curry. Executor #07 of the Burial Agency. Leader of this group of idiots and suicide mission. I must say, I'm still rather impressed Kairi has such good connections. To think of all people, his Reverse Side contact would be a vaunted Pendragon… I didn't think someone as scruffy as him could manage it."

"Heh." Mordred chortled. "I could say the same to you. Mordred Pendragon. Bastard child. Met Shishigou in a mission gone sideways in Romania and we've been pals since. How the hell did someone like Shishigou get close to the famed Griselda Quarta? If you ask me, that's far more impressive."

Her eyes wandered over to Bazett next, who she instinctively recognised as a hunter.

And just like Ciel, the Enforcer met her gaze with nothing but coldness.

"Bazett Fraga McRemitz. Codename Lancer. Enforcer. Tracking, demolition, and interrogation expert. It's not protocol to give out one's identity to outsiders, but I suppose these are exceptional circumstances, and I trust Shishigou enough to extend that trust to any of his acquaintances."

Mordred narrowed her eyes at her, silently evaluating what she saw.

After a tense moment of silence, she seemed satisfied, nodding to herself and turning to look at Mirana.

Unlike the previous two, Mirana almost immediately cowered beneath Mordred's intense gaze, curling up her shoulders and looking down.

"M-Mirana Sh-Shatarova. Codename Angel. Exorcist from the Russian Orthodoxy. I-I'm… not anyone special."

Mordred frowned, displeased.

"If that's the case, why the hell are you here? You are aware of how exceptionally stupid what you're about to do is, right? If you're not cut out for this, just go home. No one will blame you for it."

Mirana just curled up further.

"I-I…"

Griselda furrowed her brow in frustration, moving to stand up to oppose Mordred on the matter.

However, before she could, Ciel shot a glare towards her, giving her a clear unspoken order to stand down for now.

"…"

Mordred simply maintained her harsh gaze on Mirana, waiting for a response to come out of her.

Eventually, the younger woman stopped trembling, steeling herself.

She looked up defiantly, biting her lip to try and keep it still.

"I'm not going to just sit back and live a life of luxury and easiness while everyone around me charges off into the darkness. I-I might not have any grand ambition to save everyone, but I refuse to let everyone die just because I was a coward. I-I could never live with myself if that happened."

"…"

Mordred cracked a smile, satisfied.

"That leaves you, pretty boy."

Diethelm just sighed, not fazed in the slightest.

"Diethelm Waldseemüller. Codename Priest. I'm from the Catholic Church, non-combatant. Healer, negotiator, strategist, general voice of reason. I'm here to minimise the amount of trouble this group will inevitably find itself in, and try to bail us out with words if nothing else works."

Mordred huffed, peeved.

"Great. A reasonable man. That's rather boring. But, I suppose if this group of idiots wants to come out alive, necessary. Also, forget about that last part. Words won't work down there."

She sighed, leaning forward and propping her elbows on the table, resting her chin underneath her folded fingers.

"That's out the way. Last chance, anyone got anything they need to get out of their system before its no turning back?"

"…One thing." Shirou raised her arm. "I was under the impression Arthur was an important child to the Pendragons, I would even hazard a guess to say he's the current heir. What's he doing under the custody of someone whose been unofficially exiled by the family?"

The rest of the team, aside from Griselda, raised an eyebrow at her, clueless as to who she was talking about.

"Oh, that?" Mordred flashed her signature smile. "You're right. Brat's the heir, has the sword to prove it and everything. But his relationship with one of the lowly maids, an Elaine Westcott, has put him in hot water with the elders recently. They were gonna kick him out temporarily to deal with the mess, and so, to piss 'em off, I volunteered to take him in. I bet they sure loved that, the bastard cursed child taking care of their beloved shining boy."

Shirou frowned.

…Westcott?

That name couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

Shirou didn't know or care a whole lot about the society surrounding magecraft, but she wasn't that ignorant. If you spent more than a few months in London in that part of the world, you would inevitably hear of the infamous tale of Golden Dawn, a cabal that once opposed the Clock Tower, and grew so infamous they leaked into common history.

Westcott was a name that definitely belonged to one of their founding members.

She… she'd have to shelve that away for later. It wouldn't do to be distracted any further minutes before their mission.

"…That's all. We can continue."

Mordred glanced at Ciel, giving her the go-ahead.

Ciel nodded.

"To recap. While Mirana, Kairi and Bazett were investigating rumours of fallen angels' involvement within the Holy Sword Project case, disconcerting whispers of two natures were spread. One, the Six Excalibur Fragments within the three Churches' possession are under threat of being stolen of being stolen by some faction of the Grigori. Consequences include the destabilisation of the Churches' power, and an indirect declaration of all-out war.

"Two, Cadre Kokabiel is planning a rebellion, aiming for control of the Grigori. Consequence, a fracturing of the Fallen Angel Faction, heightened global tensions on both sides of the world, and again, an indirect declaration of all-out war. After reconvening, this group of numbskulls, me included, collectively decided to go on a suicide mission to try to stop these higher otherworldly powers, as mere humans, from potentially destroying the balance that keeps this fragile world together. And that leads us to today, and to here."

Mordred closed her eyes, pushing her chin further into her fingers, taking everything in.

"Good. It seems from that description I don't have to warn you how utterly stupid what you're attempting is. If you're all okay with the implications, then I don't need to feel remorse when I kick you all over there. Let's start with the basics, then."

She opened her eyes, sweeping across the table.

"I suppose all of you understand the very basics of what Fallen Angels and Devils are, correct?"

She was met with a full series of nods.

"Good. We don't need to go over that. Before anything else, the Underworld. That will be the location of your mission. Two thirds of it are owned by Devils, and the last third is home to the Grigori. My backdoor to that world sits in a town at the very edge of Devil territory, so you'll naturally not need to go very far to start your mission off. However, I can give you no further specifics. I don't have a map or anything like that. Your goal should be to immediately seek out a Fallen Angel Embassy. They're situated regularly at the border joining the two territories together. Once you're there, you're all going in blind."

Again, everyone nodded.

"Let's approach these things by the immediacy of their danger. Your first issue will be your mere presence as Children of Alaya. Even if it's not consciously, your mere presence in their vicinity will whip everything there up in a frenzy to immediately turn you into a blood smear. If you cannot hide Alaya's scent on you, you have no chance of even making it out of the starting town. I have several countermeasures, but none are particularly pleasant or convenient, so I'll hear from you all first, any suggestions?"

Everyone glanced between each other, silently judging each other's reactions.

Slowly, frowns started to appear across the board.

Mordred sighed.

"Then, option on-"

"Wait." Shirou raised her arm again.

All eyes shifted towards her.

"…I may have a solution. There is a sword I can project that acts as a high-grade stealth tool. Given its nature, and the nature of the Underworld as a realm, it is likely that it'll be sufficient to mask our connection with Alaya."

Mordred raised an eyebrow.

…Projection? That silly form of sorcery?

"…Well, girl, don't drag it out any longer. Let's see it."

Shirou closed her eyes, inhaling.

…She didn't like doing this.

During their last mission, she had made sure never to be too specific about the nature of her abilities, and when doing anything too conspicuous, such as tracing Noble Phantasms like Failnaught, she always made sure to do it from a distance where no one would quite be able to see her.

This… this wasn't really the time to be worrying about something as petty as the secrecy of her magecraft.

But, that wasn't the reason she was worried.

The weapon she was going to call on was…

"Trace on." She whispered to herself, firing her magic circuits.

A dagger materialised in her hands. Its blade was a black so deep that not even the sheen of metal could be seen on it. It was ridiculously thick as well, matching the width of her palm at minimum. A quaint golden hilt with a single ruby embedded in its centre joined the blade and a simple leather wrapped hilt.

"!" Mordred's back straightened immediately, instantly recognising the weapon in question.

…This was what she was afraid of.

"Carnwennan." Mordred bit out, staring at it intensely. "A dagger gifted to King Arthur. Said to be able to completely shroud its wielder in shadows, concealing them from all five senses. Last I checked that was still within our vaults for safekeeping. I'd know if it was stolen because I'd do nothing but egg and shit on the elders if it was, how the hell is it in your hands?"

Shirou sighed.

Exactly how much should she explain?

No, forget that, how much could she explain?

There was only so much she could reasonably talk away before they had to address the absurdity of Counter Guardian EMIYA and the dream cycle that attached her to Heroic Spirit Arturia Pendragon.

"I don't have it. This is just a highly advanced copy. My magecraft allows me to instantly comprehend and store any weapon for copying, with an affinity for bladed ones. Its function extends beyond just shape and form, but the forging process, stored techniques and accumulated history. All I need is a single glance to perfectly replicate any weapon and its associated Mystery."

"That doesn't explain anything." Mordred retorted instantly. "Carnwennan isn't just some random Mystic Code lying about. It's a heavily guarded historic Noble Phantasm belonging to one of the most storied and paranoid families about. You're what, twenty years old? The last time that old thing even got the chance to breathe was twenty-five years ago. I'll ask again, where the hell'd you see that, girl?"

"…" Shirou stared blankly at her.

She wasn't staying silent because she didn't want to answer. She just literally didn't know how to answer.

What was she supposed to say? She had dreams of King Arthur that were lifelike in accuracy? Some alternate version of her she had the memories of would one day come across it several thousand years into the future?

There was one option here that would stop further questioning, but…

That had its own associated risks, probably greater than the alternative, honestly.

But, they were much more straightforward to handle in case this ever backfired on her, so…

"All I'll say is the Pendragon family doesn't keep as close of an eye on its belongings as it thinks it does."

"And what makes you say that?" Mordred challenged her, having had personal experience trying to break into the vaults to steal something. If there was someone who knew how heavily those relics were guarded, it was her.

"…Avalon."

Mordred froze, her jaw dropping.

"…HAHAHAHAHA!" She broke out in full-bellied laughter, breaking her posture and slapping herself on the thighs.

Everyone else just looked on in confusion.

After a solid twenty seconds of a madwoman's laughing, the room eventually quietened down, and Mordred was left appraising Shirou with a very amused look.

"You know what happened with that? I doubt you were involved in that incident personally since it was what… twelve, thirteen years ago? But still, you have nothing but my full respect from now on, Emiya. The fact you have an answer at all to what happened while the elders are still scratching their heads to this day instantly makes you one of my favourite people. Ever."

She wiped a tear from her eye, shaking her head.

"Anyways, back on track. How would you rate the performance of your copies?"

Shirou pondered the matter for a second.

"…Normally, I would mark it half a grade down. Gaia's increased presence would bump it down a lot, but in this case specifically, the concealing nature of the weapon as well as the natural conceptual atmosphere of the Underworld as a place of 'shadows' and 'darkness' should counterbalance that fact at least somewhat. I would estimate maybe a full grade down? Extrapolating, I should be able to maintain each copy for around five to six hours and a full set of seven would take… a third of my reserves."

"That'll work." Mordred leaned forward again. "One full grade in performance down, all things considered, is still incredibly impressive and powerful. Its still a Noble Phantasm in the end. It probably won't be able to fully conceal you from all five senses, but it'll no doubt be able to mask your presence, which is the biggest concern. Moving on, the next thing on our list."

She lazily raised one of her arms, holding two fingers up.

"Second, after you've landed and concealed yourself, you'll need to find your way around town and figure out the location of the nearest embassy. You'll be there for at least half an hour. To avoid suspicion, I would recommend splitting up into at least two groups, one of three and one of four. And you will need to prepare for the worst-case scenario, getting into active combat against Devils. I recommend keeping at least one Christian combatant in each group to exploit their weakness of light."

"Got it." Ciel immediately moved to scan her team, considering their individual capabilities.

"Griselda and Mirana, you two will be in the group of three. In the smaller group, we'll need more concentrated firepower. Kairi, I don't like it but you'll have to join them if the other group wants to have a chance at surviving. That leaves me, Bazett, Shirou and Diethelm for the group of four. Shirou, we'll need you with high reserves in case this drags on for longer than six hours, so try to minimise your involvement. You'll play defence along with Diethelm, and if absolutely necessary, provide us with long-range support and artillery."

With that task completed, Ciel looked back towards Mordred, who raised another finger.

"Three. Communication. Phones won't work, nor will any conventional radio. Luckily, this is the one area I can assuredly provide you all aid in."

She reached under the table and pulled out a wooden box, slamming it on the table. She then pushed it across the table, applying just enough force to tip it over and spill its contents when it reached the end of its slide.

Seven silver bracelets rolled out onto the table. Each one was fixed with a small sapphire, likely where all the necessary runecraft had been engraved into.

Wordlessly, each member of the team put them onto their wrists.

Mordred raised her fourth finger.

"Number four. No solutions for this one, just keep it in mind. Sorcery in the Reverse Side doesn't work the way it does here. There will be no finessing your way around spells. You aren't going to be able to poke holes in their formulas, exploit gaps in the internal logic or find a case that the spell was not equipped to deal with. Their spells are incredibly dumbed down, but also incredibly brutal. You will not be able to stop a fire spell by depriving it of fuel. It burns on mana, not oxygen. Your only hope in a case like that will be to counter it with another element, either a strong wind or water, or to somehow split the core of the attack."

She raised her last finger.

"Five, what will you do once you arrive at the Embassy?"

Kairi was the one who answered this time.

"One of the rumours circulating we confirmed to be false was the Grigori actively collecting more Stray Exorcists. However, there was an increase in the rate of Exorcists going stray, and even without their influence, some would join their ranks anyways. Appearing to them, under the guise of Stray Exorcists wishing to join their ranks, directly in the Underworld would certainly draw suspicion to us, but it would not make them immediately hostile. Perhaps we could even leverage the oddity of our appearance for a connection higher up the ladder."

Mordred lowered her hand.

"Finally. Fallen Angels. They don't have any super convenient weaknesses like Devils have, but there are a few things you can aim for to make the job easier. First, they're incredibly emotional; that's why they fell from heaven. They're incredibly easy to provoke, so use that to draw them into predictable lines of action. Second, aim for the wings. Even though they lost their purity and lustre, they're still incredibly central to a Fallen Angel. Thirdly, they might utilise light, but it is of a far lower purity. If two sources of light clash, as long as they are both within the same general order of magnitude, the purer source usually wins."

Mirana nodded, clutching her fist and holding it tight to her chest.

They were counting on her there, it seemed. She was the most proficient in that area within their group by a long shot.

Finally done, Mordred leaned back, reclining in her grand chair.

"And that's everything. I'm not going to providing you any more direct aid. It'll be all up to you to get back to the starting zone and fire up the portal from there. Any last prayers you want to get out of the way?"

The team collectively shook their heads, standing up with solemn faces.

Mordred smirked one final time.

"Good. Then go give 'em hell. Pun intended."

---

In a flash of light, a group of seven hooded individuals appeared in the middle of an abandoned warehouse. Each one wore a black dagger on their belts and a silver bracelet on their wrists.

Immediately, they split off into a group of four and a group of three.

One of the figures took a step back to address the six other members at once.

"I assume you know how this all works, right?" Ciel whispered to them in a cautious tone. "Stay within the crowd, match their pace. Avoid meeting anyone's sight, and don't step inside any buildings unless absolutely necessary. If you can avoid communicating verbally through these bracelets, do it. First, we look for some kind of public square or centre, then, we'll be able to locate some kind of central information hub. We find the map, we get out, we regroup. Good?"

Everyone nodded.

"Then, Team Fogwalker, Operation Helldiver is a go."

The two groups left at once, immediately splitting ways the moment they exited the warehouse.

…

Shirou let out a heavy breath, trying to calm down the rattling beneath her skin.

The sheer presence of Gaia all around them was enough to rouse her Reality Marble.

She looked up to the sky as she walked, taking in the strange view.

…It was impossible to tell what time it was.

There was only purple.

There was none of the bright and cheery blues supported by the lazy, carefree clouds. No streaks of gold shined through as they pierced through masses of evaporated water, painting the land with a slight tinge of bright yellows.

There was none of the radiant golds or oranges that painted the sky at sunset.

There were not even the stars which broke the monotonous void of the night.

It was just purple.

Strangely enough, it was… comfortable.

None of the memories rose.

She could not see that man, always waiting at the horizon, staring into the sunset.

She was not reminded of that night on the porch, forced to constantly gaze at the loneliness of the stars.

It was just empty. And oddly, that put her at ease.

She lowered her head, keeping her gaze in line with the rest of the formless crowd around her.

The Underworld was surprisingly… modern.

People walked on dirt roads in both directions, surrounded by brick-walled apartments and aluminium piping. If she looked towards the distance, slightly to the left, giant stacks of smoke could be seen puffing out of tall stacks attached to what were likely factories.

…If it weren't for the solid purple sky, it would be hard to tell this place apart from a medium-sized city in a developing country.

Maybe, then, using tactics fit for a modern city would help here.

She looked from side to side, making sure to never turn her head or stray from her pace. The key to staying low-key here was to just always keep in step with the crowd. As long as they did that much, even the fact that they were a group of four individuals in hood could be blinked away. Carnwennan also helped in concealing them, at least somewhat.

There were more people walking towards the distance then there were walking away from it.

…That didn't help if they didn't know the time of day. If it was the equivalent of the 'morning', then that would mean the central district was up ahead as people commuted to work, if it was the equivalent of 'dusk', then that would mean everyone was commuting back home.

She needed something more.

…Right, the factories. That combined with the people probably suggested that the business district was somewhere out and to the left. The public square would likely not be too far away.

After several minutes of walking, the group came to an intersection.

Shirou pivoted to their left and started walking off, an action that was shortly followed by the rest of the team.

…A pit formed in her stomach.

Something was wrong. Something was incredibly wrong.

She didn't know what it was, but something was screaming at her to-

…What was that in the sky, falling towards them?

–Move.

Without warning, she tackled the closest teammate to her to the ground.

"Oi, Shirou, wh-"

BOOM

Before Ciel could get any other sound out, an object fell from the sky into the road, impacting the ground at a frightening velocity, creating a crater several meters wide they just barely made it out of.

…Not even five minutes in, and their mission was already potentially derailed.

The townsfolk warily stood at the edges of the roads, coming to a halt and murmuring to each other.

"…You think th…?"

"…o, not out he…"

"…n't had on…"

Ciel narrowed her eyes, surveying the situation.

Everyone was trapped in their own conversations; it wouldn't be suspicious for their team to start whispering to each other as well.

"Stay back." She commanded her team quietly. "We have no reason to draw attention to ourselves. There is no reason to believe this event has anything to do with our presence here. It's just an unlucky coincidence. Just follow the crowd."

Their team all took several steps back, fading into the middle of the gathering crowd, watching on as the massive cloud of dust cleared.

As the dust settled, the true nature of the incident revealed itself. It was a-…

Young girl?

Shirou froze.

She… for a moment, she thought she was looking at a…

Younger version of herself?

A small girl, looking no older than eleven years old, groaned in pain.

Bright red hair, like a blazing fire, fell messily to the ground.

She brought her wrists to her face, rubbing the dust out of her golden eyes.

The simple white dress she was wearing was getting dirtier by the second, picking up more dust and dirt from the air as time passed.

Brilliant, white-feathered wings sprouted from her back, spraying feathers into the air.

Immediately, the crowd gasped all at once.

That was… excitement?

The pit in her stomach deepened.

The crowd began to move, the whispers grew in volume.

Ciel moved an arm in front of her, stopping her from approaching.

"Stay back. We're observers. Part of the crowd."

The young girl got up on her feet, squinting as she regained her bearings.

"W-where… am…I?"

Almost immediately, she froze.

"T-the U-Underworld!?" She screamed out in panic, recognising the purple sky, her pupils constricting.

Her chest started to heave and her shoulders started to tremble.

"N-No… No, no, nononono, it-it can't… it can't be!"

…

Then her feathers started turning black.

The girl screamed in anguish, furling her wings inwards and desperately clutching at the feathers as if she could somehow stop them from changing colour.

"…y're rare ar…"

"…n't get many ch…"

"…st move befo…"

"…he's gonna ge…"

Time slowed down for Shirou.

Her heart pounded in her chest. Her fingers, tightly balled into a fist, started to dig into her hand.

And then, the crowd moved.

One of the men jumped forwards towards the crater, a bestial hunger in his eyes.

Something snapped inside her.

"Sorry." She briefly apologized to Ciel.

Her team leader spun around with wide eyes.

"What!?"

But she was already gone.

Ciel panicked, immediately swivelling back to face the centre of the commotion.

"Shirou!" The Executor shouted for her subordinate, but it was too late.

Before Shirou even knew what she was doing, the hands of that man reaching for the girl were sliced off cleanly.

"GAAAAAAAAH!" The man missed his target, falling to the side in agony over his lost hands.

Shirou blinked, suddenly coming back to consciousness.

She looked down, feeling a heavy weight in her right hand.

–This is…!

A nameless blade found itself in Shirou's hand. It was a ridiculous and unwieldy thing, with a thin curved blade that spanned over a meter in length. The ridiculously proportioned sword was a simple thing, not having a guard or even proper wrapping on the wooden hilt.

–A nameless child once met an old man and witnessed a beautiful thing.
He spent his entire life chasing a single, worthless goal.
It was something others laughed at, and yet, he approached every day with a laugh and smile.

Monohoshizao, the weapon of the faker who wore the identity of 'Sasaki Kojirou' in the Holy Grail War.

–Why…
Why is this the weapon that first responded to me?

It should have been Kanshou and Bakuya that came instinctually, but…

She snapped her head to the side, casting her gaze on the girl once more.

No, she didn't have the time to think about that.

She dismissed the nodachi, rushing to the girl and picking her up in her arms.

–I need to get her as far away from the flow of people as possible.

She immediately stopped in her tracks, turning around and running as fast as she could in the other direction.

And the crowd followed after her.

"Damn it!" Ciel shouted.

She looked to her side, trying to find the rest of her team in the madness.

"Bazett! Keep them off the girl! Diethelm, stay back in the crowd! You can't ensure you can defend yourself!"

Diethelm clicked his tongue, his face warping in frustration, clearly understanding that he wasn't the best equipped to deal with direct attacks, cursing his own powerlessness in this situation.

The two women leapt off, rushing to their wayward teammate.

As she ran towards the source of the trouble, Ciel brought her wrist up to her mouth, the sapphire on the bracelet flaring brightly.

"Team Beta, mayday. Commotion from the direction we went. Drop everything as fast as possible. I repeat, this is your TOP priority. Over."

Shirou came to a halt.

All directions were blocked off. Devils surrounded her on all sides. Bat-like wings started to sprout from their backs, rupturing through their clothes.

Her grip on the girl tightened.

She looked down at the face of the confused, crying and hyperventilating girl.

"Don't worry…"

She tried her best to smile.

"I'll get you out of here."

It probably wasn't very convincing.

The girl just blinked at her, probably still not fully cognizant of what was happening.

Shirou let the girl down onto the floor, standing over her protectively.

…She still needed to try her best to conserve her reserves, as per the mission parameters.

So, she had to stick to the weapons she felt most comfortable wielding.

She held out her hands, and-

–You…
Again?

Monohoshizao appeared with a brief flash of blue.

–Why…?

No, she had to stop questioning it. She couldn't let the girl slip out of her focus for even a second.

"Arise, shine!"

That was… Ciel's voice?

A blinding light erupted in the middle of the group to her left.

"For your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!"

A pillar of pure white burst up from the ground, carrying dozens of bodies into the air.

Ciel appeared on the aside, flying through the air with a massive leap.

The Executor landed in a roll, getting up with incredible swiftness, covering Shirou's back.

She reached underneath her cloak, pulling out a handful of Black Keys, all glimmering softly, likely pre-doused in holy water.

Bazett followed shortly, barrelling through the mass of bodies with much less grace.

Together, the three formed a perfect triangle, covering every angle from attacks.

Ciel glanced towards the corner of her eyes.

"Shirou. When we're done on this mission, I'm chewing you out thoroughly."

Shirou just laughed.

It was good to see things were still as usual. That was the confidence boost she needed.

"I'm counting on it."

She smiled, meaning it this time.

Ciel's eyes flicked in the opposite direction.

"Bazett. Your hands."

"Mm."

Bazett spread her hands out, awaiting her next action.

In her free hand, Ciel pulled out a bottle of holy water, dousing Bazett's extremities with as much as she could.

"Grant this, O Lord, for the honour of our Advocate and Mediator. Amen."

On the enemy side, magic circles of all different shapes and colours started lighting up, chants and rituals coming to life.

The thick miasma of a devil's mana filled the air.

"How many do you two count?" Ciel drawled.

"Sixty-five."

"Seventy-three."

"Eighty-two." Ciel added to her own count. "Good, looks like the odds will be even when Griselda arrives, then."

Bazett cracked a smile.

Some silent signal fell, and Bazett and Ciel shot off in opposite directions, charging straight into the crowds.

A fireball rocketed towards Shirou from overhead.

–A rejection of the future,
Denial of possibility.

Shirou swung at the spell with the sword once compared to a drying pole.

–It was an implausible sword.
Thus, it could do implausible things.

The air split thrice in front of her.

The mass of fire warped and distorted, dispersing into ribbons of embers that uselessly fell to the side.

…This wasn't how the technique known as Tsubame Gaeshi was meant to be used, but if there was one thing she was good at, it was bastardising other's techniques.

It was a technique made to kill swallows, but it was capable of so much more.

Multi-Dimensional Refraction Phenomenon. In short, the technique could break the laws of time and space itself to strike three places at once. It would bend and distort arcs in time and space to create a phenomenon that overcame the common sense of the world.

It was that aspect, the bending and dispersion of space, she was abusing here.

If she bent areas of space where the spell's core was contained, and replaced those areas with flashes of the sword, she could destabilise the core of the spell directly. It was a stupid, spontaneous solution to the problem that would almost undoubtedly make the man who honed the technique roll in his grave, but honestly, he made that ridiculous technique so he could hunt swallows, so who was he to judge?

A second barrage of spells flew at her. Water. Fire. Thunder. Pure energy.

Three, five, seven, eleven.

It didn't matter, though. As long as the threads of mana maintaining those spells were contained within the attacks themselves and not the cast point, she could bend the space and disperse the spell.

She swung.

"Ngh!"

She tensed up, biting back a scream of pain.

Tsubame Gaeshi wasn't a Noble Phantasm, just a human's technique that transcended reason, so it didn't cause any strain on her prana reserves.

But, all that meant was the strain was redirected elsewhere. Namely, to her arms themselves, which were needed to execute the technique.

Shirou's arms trembled as she prepared herself for another wave of spells.

–No.
I can't let go of this sword.
If I let go, I-

Something briefly flashed in the back of her mind.

–A castle covered in blood.
The little girl who shed tears of scarlet.
And the king who laughed.

She swung again, holding back another scream.

"Gh!"

–Not good. If this goes on for two more minutes,
My arms are going to break and give up.

A familiar voice broke through her thoughts.

"Incoming!"

It came from above.

Shirou's head snapped upwards.

–Griselda!

The nun impacted the great with tremendous force, causing a light tremor to shake the area.

–!

Shirou wobbled, struggling to maintain her balance near the epicentre of the quake.

–Sheer physical strength?

Griselda stood tall in front of her, ordinary broadsword in hand, cleaving through an incoming fireball with what seemed to be pure muscle.

–I-I heard from Ciel she was strong, ridiculously so,
But… isn't this a bit too unreasonable!?

Shirou snapped back to reality.

"Mirana? Kairi?"

Griselda gave a small grunt of acknowledgement.

Behind them, a horizontal flash of light tore through the enemy lines.

"That would be Mirana."

She then nodded her head backwards, gesturing towards the area she had come running from.

"Kairi's with Diethelm at the back. Not the best at direct combat, so he's standing back."

Shirou turned around to confirm that statement.

And sure enough, there they were.

Kairi and Diethelm stood side by side tensely, gritting their teeth with grim expressions on their face, their fingers twitching; ready at a moment's notice to provide support in case it was necessary. Carnwennan did a sufficient job at keeping them unnoticed within the madness of the crowd.

"You got that girl covered?" Griselda asked, casually deflecting a full-speed lightning bolt to the side.

"My arms will break before she does."

"Good enough for me."

With nothing further to say, Griselda charged forward, cataclysmic booms roaring with every swing of her ordinary sword.

Shirou sighed, briefly chuckling to herself.

It really was as Ciel said. The odds were evened the moment Griselda arrived.

She blinked.

A shadow hung directly over her.

–Now's not the time to get complacent!

She spun around, tackling the girl and sending them both away from the descending shadow. She got up as fast as she could, raising Monohoshizao from the direc-

–Shit!

He was already within arm's length of her. There was no space to swing that ridiculously sized sword.

–No good.
I need to invok-

Purple light flew over her shoulder.

SPLAT

The girl behind her gasped in horror as the devil's upper body was ripped from its lower half, spraying blood and guts all over Shirou.

–Fallen!?

Black feathers fell down throughout the battlefield, a tremendous, untold weight carried within each one. It felt as if each of them were heavy enough to create depressions in the ground if they were to ever land.

The battlefield fell silent at that moment, all eyes turning to face the sudden intruder.

A thin man wrapped in a black cloak floated above them, ten glorious pitch-black wings carrying him in the skies. He was incredibly pale, his skin almost pure white, and his sullen, tired expression seemed to pull his face down several inches.

Cold, blood red eyes glared down at every single one of the devils.

"S-shit! It's him! Scatter!"

The mass of devils immediately disengaged, disappearing as fast as they had arrived, leaving the street empty.

The sullen man simply let them.

Only a confused Team Fogwalker remained, its seven members still standing high on alert.

The man closed his eyes, his wings folding in.

"At ease." His voice was slow and deep, filled with gravel. Its speaker was clearly ancient, those words carried far too much age and experience in them.

"I mean no harm to the girl, or to you."

He slowly descended from the heavens (?), touching down on the floor with a dull thud.

Shirou stared at him for a few seconds, unsure of what to do.

She glanced towards Ciel.

"…He doesn't carry any ill intent. You can all lower your weapons."

With the command given, she let Monohoshizao fade away.

"…Who are you? What are you doing here?" She asked him, still wary.

The man closed his eyes, deliberating his answer.

"A representative of the Grigori Embassy. I felt the descent of a new child, and immediately came rushing to get her before the devils could reach her."

He gave a small nod of thanks to each of the seven.

"I must thank you for your aid. Were it not for your interference, I likely would not have made it in time."

Ciel narrowed her eyes, not quite ready to let go of her guard.

"Why? What would they have done with her?"

"…" The man cast a gaze of pity upon the still speechless, frightened child. "Fresh Fallen Angels are a commodity throughout the Underworld. The unsavoury seek them out to capture as slaves and… toys… Even more so when the fallen in question is one as… young and pure… as the one before you."

"…"

Ciel sighed, finally relaxing.

"So, what now?"

The sullen man turned to face her. "We bring her to the embassy. Can all of you keep up with flight?"

Their leader shook her head.

"We could, but one of us needs to preserve their energy as much as possible. We'll have to walk."

"I see." The man acknowledged without hesitation.

He spun on his heel, leading the group away from the streets.

"It'll be six to seven hours this way, through a forest."

He walked off, not waiting for the group to follow.

…

Griselda watched as he walked away.

"A strange personality, that one."

She begun moving to join him, slowly followed by the rest of the group.

All except for Shirou, who stayed next to the young girl.

"…" The young woman tried to put on her best comforting smile, kneeling to meet the girl at eye level. "Hey, are you alright?"

"…" She received a blank blink.

"…I'm Shirou. What's your name?"

"F-Fia-Fiamma…"

Her smile widened a bit.

Shirou reached out to ruffle the girl's wild hair.

"That's a good name." She turned around, offering the girl her back. "We'll take you somewhere safe now, alright, Fiamma? You can hop on my back, you'll be safe with us."

"I-I can walk…" The girl replied emptily, likely still half-catatonic from the prior events.

Shirou spun around again, standing up and facing her.

She held a hand out to the child.

"That's fine. If you want, I could hold your hand throughout."

"I-I…" The girl, at last, showed an emotion other than panic and fear.

A small pink blush crept up on her dirty cheeks.

"I'd like that, Sister Shirou."

---

Three hours passed in relative silence. They had made it halfway to the embassy.

"S-Sister Shirou…" A young, insecure voice broke through the silence. "My-… my feet are tired. Can we rest?"

Shirou paused, looking at the back of the man who had yet to turn around once in the entirety of their journey.

He stopped.

The sullen man looked around himself, judging their current location.

They were in the midst of a twisted forest, filled with hollow grey trees covered in murky brown leaves. Monstruous roots bulged upwards all over the dirt, tangling with each other and building up an unstable walking path.

"…We can rest for an hour or so." He said simply. "I will stand guard."

Those words brought the rest of the team to a halt. Each of them made different sounds for different reasons, but they nonetheless all went along with the man's words and the girl's wishes.

A few minutes later, they had found a nice clearing where they could carve away all the uneven roots preventing them from having a comfortable sitting position.

A fire was lit, keeping everyone warm.

Kairi, Diethelm and Mirana all laid next to the fire, getting in a quick nap while they had the chance. Ciel lied on her back, staring up into the flat purple sky with a bored expression. Bazett had chosen to sit still and meditate.

Griselda had gone off somewhere, presumably joining the man in his watch.

As for Shirou and Fiamma…

The older redhead stared curiously at her lookalike.

"You've done nothing but look at the sky, Fiamma." Shirou followed the child's gaze. "What are you looking for up there? …Heaven?"

"…Mm…" The child nodded solemnly. "But… it's useless. I'll never be able to return there. N-not…"

Fiamma's voice fell, tears pooling at the edges of her eyes. "Not after this."

Two black wings hung drearily from her back, drooping down and hitting the dirt lifelessly. She had yet to draw them back in a single time.

Shirou… didn't really understand. She probably wasn't supposed to. A human and an angel were two entirely different beings, and it was probably never intended for them to be able to share heart-to-heart conversations.

She would probably never understand what it was like to fall from Heaven and be denied entrance back in, due to a single mistake that would be forever marked on your most important body part for the rest of your existence.

And likewise, the little girl who looked like her, despite resembling her so much, would probably never understand how someone could exist hollowly, acting without value, meaning or purpose.

But still, something about the girl, whether that be her similar appearance or just the vulnerable look of a child, made her want to try.

"If… if you don't mind me asking…" She tried to approach the subject gently. "How… how did you fall from Heaven, Fiamma? You… you don't seem like the sinning type."

"I-I think…" Fiamma started off shakily.

…Right, it was only a few hours ago, and it had happened in an instant. It was likely she still hadn't fully processed it.

"It must have been… envy. And greed. A-and… my stupidity and childishness."

"…"

"D-do you know… a-about the rumours?"

"I've never been to Heaven, Fiamma."

"R-right, sorry, Sister Shirou."

The little girl seemed dejected.

For some reason, upon seeing that face, Shirou felt a pang of pain in her heart.

"Don't be." She reached over, ruffling her hair again, trying to comfort her.

"…T-they're saying in Heaven… W-we were finally going to be able to descend again. We'd finally get to meet humans again! I-I was never old enough to remember meeting one… I-I was so excited."

A second pang of pain thumped in Shirou's heart.

Guilt.

Was this… their fault?

"I-I heard a few of the older brothers m-managed to descend already! A-and they all looked so happy… I… I really wanted to see them too. I want to cuddle a baby and feed them food and play with children and bless couples… I wanted to see them struggle and laugh and hope and rejoice as well. I-I heard… I heard L-Lady Gabriel… S-she…"

The girl sniffled, her shoulders trembling.

"S-she even got t-to m-meet… L-L-Lad-Lady Gris-Griselda Quar-… Quarta…"

Choked sobs came out.

The girl tried to hide her shameful crying face, burying herself in her knees.

Shirou could do nothing but pat her on the back.

"There, there… it's fine. You can cry all you want. It's not shameful at all. Just let it out, just let it out."

Fiamma slowly lifted her head, her face a teary mess. Snot dripped down her mouth uglily. She tried to wipe it all away, but no matter how much she tried to clean it up, more and more poured down.

"I-I was so stupid and childish… I-I got so jealous of Lady Gabriel… I wanted to meet Lady Griselda Quarta too! I tried to sneak out of Heaven by myself and then, a-and then… w-when I opened the door I-I-I f-found myself falling down into the Underworld!"

The dam broke. Ugly noises were unleashed from her throat. Her intense wailing caused the three sleeping team members to toss and turn, and the sound almost snapped Bazett out of her meditation.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Her wails echoed throughout the empty forest.

Shirou shuffled in closer, wrapping an arm around the girl and pulling her in to comfort her/

"B-BUT NOW LOOK AT ME! E-EVEN IF I SOMEHOW DID MANAGE SEE HER, H-HOW C-COULD I EVER FACE HER W-WITH THE-THESE WINGS!? I-I'M AN IDIOT! I RUINED IT ALL! N-NOW I'LL NEVER GET TO SEE LADY GRISELDA EVER!"

The wails tore through the forest once more.

Footsteps approached the two of them.

Shirou looked up.

And she smiled.

"Fiamma."

The girl sniffled and sobbed, not quite able to hear her.

"Fiamma."

The girl looked up at Shirou, still sobbing and wiping away the tears.

Shirou looked ahead of her.

"Who did you say you wanted to meet?"

"L-Lady Gri-" Fiamma followed her gaze.

She froze.

The tears and the sobbing stopped.

A beautiful golden-haired woman with warm golden eyes, looking like she was in her early thirties, smiled gently at the young angel.

"LADY GRISELDA! WAAAH!"

Fiamma dived forward at the woman, the waterworks unleashing themselves in full capacity.

She buried her small head right into the figure's bosom, muffling her cries with the warmth of her chest.

Griselda closed her eyes, smiling.

She wrapped her arms around the young angel, gently stroking her hair.

"There, there, young one. Let it all out… let it all out."

…

Eventually, the forest went silent.

Griselda pulled the girl away from her chest, peeking at her face.

She giggled.

"Look at that… she's cried herself to sleep."

She bent down and turned around, hoisting the girl onto her back.

Shirou smiled with a faint trace of bitterness.

–…
What?

"I'm almost jealous."

–…?

She couldn't help the words that flew out of her mouth.

Griselda chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess if your long-lost daughter cried herself to sleep in another woman's arms, you'd be a bit peeved, wouldn't you?"

The two shared a small laugh over the eerie resemblance the young girl had to Shirou.

From in front of them, another pair of footsteps approached.

The sullen man appeared from behind the trees.

"…Can you carry the girl?"

Griselda simply hoisted the sleeping angel further up her back, shifting her into a more comfortable position.

"Not a problem. Can carry her for days, weeks, months. Hell, could probably manage the rest of my life without tiring."

The man just nodded.

"Good. Then we head off at once. Wake your team up."

Like he did before, the man spun on his heel and walked off into the distance, not waiting a single moment for anyone to follow him.

The pair of women sighed.

A strange one, that fallen angel was.

…

"We are here."

The team plus one arrived at an unimpressive concrete building.

"This is the closest Grigori Embassy. Thank you for taking her all this way, and for protecting her in her most vulnerable moments. You seven have my eternal gratitude."

The sullen man bowed deeply, bending as far down as ninety degrees.

Shirou shook her head.

"It's nothing. I just did what came to me in the moment, I couldn't stand the sight of those monsters ravenously swarming a defenceless child. My team just moved in to cover my recklessness."

"Nevertheless…" The man spoke, never raising his head. "You did not abandon her in her moment of need. That is enough."

"…"

After an uncomfortable amount of silence, the sullen man lifted his head, standing up straight again.

"You are not devils. That much is clear. You are certainly not fallen. Your presence is concealed, but the only reason you would have to take those measures in the Underworld is if you were human. Why have you come to the Underworld? It's not a place for your kind."

The team shared uneasy looks with each other.

"W-we…" Diethelm, the team's designated negotiator, spoke up. "We're Stray Exorcists. We're looking for safe haven within the Grigori. Could you let us in?"

"…" The man stared at him silently.

His gaze turned to the woman with a child on her back.

"Griselda Quarta."

Those simple words alarmed everyone.

Everyone immediately shifted their feet back, readying themselves for combat.

Ciel drew Black Keys from under her hood. Bazett raised her fists. Mirana clutched her rosary. Shirou fired her circuits. Kairi loaded his shotgun. Griselda stood her ground.

"…Fiamma's cries." Griselda let out through grit teeth.

"…" The man shook his head. "No."

He stared directly at Griselda, almost looking into her soul. "I knew from the very beginning."

"!" Griselda unconsciously tightened her grip on the child.

"Your tale and face are legendary in every part of the world. The unreasonable woman of infinite faith who goes around butting her head into everybody's business, keeping every promise she makes. Strength that shouldn't exist, will that never crumbles, a fire that can never be extinguished."

"…"

Suddenly, the calm atmosphere was destroyed, replaced by a tense stare-off.

"At ease." The man repeated the words he initially greeted them with. "I mean no harm. I merely wish for honesty. I have done that much for you."

Diethelm shared a look with Ciel.

"…" Ciel sighed in frustration. "Go ahead, Diethelm. He had ten black wings. Five pairs. That means he's a cadre, someone to be taken seriously. Shirou's probably at half her full capacity, Griselda can't fight with the child on her back. We're in the disadvantage here. And he's shown nothing but goodwill and honesty so far, he's right in that regard as well."

Diethelm bit his lip, sweating at the tension, and looked back towards the sullen man.

"A-alright."

He took a deep breath in, preparing himself for the worst.

"We're a team of Executors, Enforcers and Exorcists on an independent mission to uncover the truth of certain rumours. Namely, the Grigori's intent with the Excalibur Fragments… and whether or not a potential coup d'état is underway, headed by Cadre Kokabiel."

"…" The man closed his eyes, considering something.

Everyone tensed themselves even further, preparing for the outbreak of a fight.

"…Then you have found him." The man nodded.

…

–Huh?

A single noise ran through their collective minds.

"Kokabiel, Fallen Angel of the Stars, Feller of Babel."

The sullen man introduced himself, his expression unchanging.

---

There's a lot to say, obviously, since it's been over a year and a half of me updating this.

But there's one thing that's more important than anything else to mention about this part of the story.

Do not trust what this part of the story says about Shirou's progress in her life and ideals.

Do not trust the narrator, do not trust Shirou, do not trust Rin, Zelretch or Diethelm.

It will be misleading, it will be contradictory, it will be hypocritical. Some of it is just Shirou and Rin flat up lying to themselves. Some of the conclusions they'll reach around now aren't even remotely helpful or close to getting Shirou further along the path, and some of them will be outright detrimental to her progress at trying to become a person in order to properly chase the ideal.

And that is the point.

For lack of a better term, Shirou is getting 'drunk'.

She is getting drunk on the liquor known as 'life'. She irresponsibly and senselessly reaches for the fountain and guzzles down the substance with no second thoughts to quench the primal need inside of her.

Frankly, she doesn't understand a single thing about both living as a human and the nature of the ideal. During their fight, everything she thought she understood about those things was systematically destroyed by Archer.

She was reduced down to nothing, only coming out alive and winning against Archer by clinging onto the one truth that remained.

'It isn't wrong.'

And that's all she knows. Those three words are the sole thing that keeps her going as of now.

She has to start from ground zero, like a child, picking the broken pieces up and putting the jigsaw puzzle together herself.

And like any jigsaw puzzle, she isn't going to succeed on the first try.

She will stumble, she'll get lost, she'll put things together that, in retrospect, clearly don't belong. She'll build up a solid base then realise, with a single piece, that all the progress she made was fundamentally incorrect, all the way from the start.

She is getting drunk on living, and is currently basking in the high.

"–There were things that I had lost.
There were things that I had picked up along the way.
There were things I could not save.

So I swear… not to you, EMIYA, but to myself, Emiya Shirou…

I…"

Remember that.

Act Zero is first and foremost a character drama centring around Shirou.

And for the first half, she will be ruthlessly torn down.

The very fact that Isaiah is involved in this story, and his approaching inevitable fate of turning into a devil and losing that name, should be proof enough.

But, eventually, she will find her way again.

Anyways, welcome to the bottom.

Other things.

Uh, hello again, I suppose. Awkward.

Again, not going to promise anything about updates. But I do have a vested interest in at least seeing Act Zero all the way to the end. I can promise you at least that much – I will be making an active effort at all times to get Act Zero finished.

Acts One, Two, Three, however many after?

Frankly, I don't know. The only ones I have super super solid motivation for are Kokabiel and the Peace Treaty, since that's where the spiciest of ideas lay (and no, they have nothing to do with Excalibur).

As for Act Zero itself, things have changed a bit from my original plans for it. Not so much in content, just in depth of exploration and length.

I'd be very surprised if any chapter from here on out hits less than 20k words, aside from one or two brief cooldown periods/epilogues.

There will be five self-contained mini arcs/short stories that make up the rest of Act Zero.

First is the current arc, the Fallen Angel Rebellion arc, which will be two chapters long, including this one. Mostly setup focused, putting the spotlight on the circumstances that lead up to the Kokabiel Arc and the shifting nature of the Reverse Side's involvement with the Surface/Moonlit World.

And boy, let me tell you, no one is going to be able to guess what this interpretation of Kokabiel is going to end up looking like. I would offer like 50 bucks if someone guessed what is making this version act so differently from the original, but I don't want to clog the reviews up for that when the answer is going to show itself by the end of the next chapter.

After that will be a two-chapter interlude that mixes together the aftermath of this arc and tying up Arthur and Isaiah's involvement in Act Zero.

Following that up will be a two- or three-chapter Muramasa Arc. Not gonna give away too much there.

And then we'll get to the arc involving Valerie alluded to in the character tags. I see this as probably being three chapters? But it might also just be two really long ones or four regular length ones.

And then finally, we'll have a wholly original fifth story to wrap Act Zero up neatly. Not going to have any impact on the larger world or setup any characters or events later on, it's just going to be its own thing.

Oh, and then finally finally, we'll have a short little epilogue that takes place in present day, leading into Act One.

What else is there to say…

Ah, Mordred. Well, not the Mordred, but for all intents and purposes, basically just Mordred.

It might seem like I'm wasting words for a minor character here, but I'll just say that the Kokabiel/Excalibur Arc is going to be a lot more global and expansive than the original. After all, if there's one group who has a vested interest in those swords, it would be that family, wouldn't you think?

Fiamma. I originally wanted to put in a character that already existed but uh…

You know, there really aren't a lot of named fallen angels in DxD.

Like, seriously. Holy shit, there's zero.

A newborn fallen angel is a very interesting idea to play with. Because they're not 'newborns' in the typical sense.

Anyways, Elaine.

I've been rereading Index NT. Vol. 18 is cool. Doesn't have anything to do with this story and I'm not implying anything, just think Index's Golden Dawn is neat. Literally the only reason I make any mention of it in this story.

Not to say Elaine's not important. She is. We'll get there. But for different reasons.

Zelretch and Rin.

I've already talked about Zelretch before, and my thoughts largely stay the same there. Go back to A0C1 to refresh yourselves.

As for Rin, it kind of annoys me how little she ends up mattering in a lot of post-UBW fics. She's either just there as the main romantic interest or she just… kind of fails at her promise and Shirou either dies or breaks up with her.

I think it's especially annoying since to me, the most special thing about her as a heroine is that she has an active responsibility to Shirou that none of the other heroines have. They kind of end up just being there to receive his affection while he goes off and heroes and turmoils on his own.

Saber is literally stuck waiting without doing anything and Sakura isn't present when Shirou angsts himself into abandoning his dream. No, it's Kirei (read: best girl) who's there goading him into the decision, and after everything is over, Sakura and Shirou presumably just… like, kinda go and live their lives.

Not that they're badly written, their routes are bad, their relationship with Shirou is bad, or I don't like them; HF and Fate are great, but the nature of Rin's relationship with Shirou is fundamentally different than that of Saber's and Sakura's and that's never really represented anywhere on this site, aside from one or two instances where its briefly implied or mentioned that Rin has to search the Kaleidoscope for a Xover-displaced Shirou.

Speaking of, pairings.

Eh, not really anything. I don't really like genderbend fics where the protag ends up having a yuri harem, and I don't really see her clicking with any of the male cast of either series. Maybe if like, Kirei was still alive lol.

(that's a joke.)

The idea of romance is mostly going to be played for jokes, probably. Rin getting embarrassed over their past threesome, Shirou being dense as fuck with Shinji/Issei (Ryuudou), married/engaged characters being awfully friendly to the displeasure of their significant other, a Saberface joke or two, Arthur and Yuuto inexplicably having teacher/maternal figure fetishes, etc.

And if there is going to be a romance, I promise you it's not going to be this whole dramatic thing where the two characters go through life and death situations together and come to an understanding or whatever.

Not to say it won't be important, it'll just be important in a very different direction.

It'll be a thing where Shirou just casually goes to a café or something, coincidentally meets an acquaintance there, then realises 'Oh. Oh shit, I can have normal feelings,' they hang out a few more times over the months, then they start dating to the confusion of everyone around them, and eventually marry by the epilogue or whatever.

One Day They'll Understand, by Super Saiyan Cyndaquil, basically. If there is going to be a romance, it'll be something like that.

That's a big if though.

I somehow had the biggest of brainfarts while I wrote this fic the first time and kept calling Mirana 'Miranda'. Woops. I'll fix that in a few days.

Finally, last thing I can think of to mention is Monohoshizao.

It's not just a choice I made because I think its cool. Genuinely, genuinely, I could NOT think of a reason for this Shirou's main trace of choice to be Kanshou and Bakuya. While the story of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye might have meant something to Archer, a machine who lived a fundamentally broken way of life, that way of life and thinking was thoroughly destroyed in the Shirou we follow in this story.

Out of every weapon we know of, out of every Heroic Spirit and Noble Phantasm out there, I mean it when I say that the nameless man who wore the legend of 'Sasaki Kojirou' and his childlike dream and struggle was the single best fit I could think of.

It also doesn't hurt that there is one very peculiar detail about that man's history that will be relevant later. It's a very very old detail and by this point, likely outdated and retconned by certain events, but it is very interesting to note.

That's it. Future ANs probably won't be as long. Just a lot to air out since, again, over a year and a half.

See you all next time.

---

Next time: The red-headed girl with golden eyes.