"By the Root, what is the meaning of this?" voiced Rin, visibly frustrated.
"The amount of energy I feel is beyond imagination", added Illya.
"We will gain nothing by asking questions, so let's do what we come here to do in the first place", continued Rin with the tone of a lecturer, "everyone try to access your Magic Circuits and see if you can find anything abnormal."
The revelation they stumbled upon was significant enough to change not just their lives, but the relationship they shared with each other.
"It's strange", muttered Sakura ,"it's like I can feel each one of you inside of me"
"Me too", Illya chimed in.
"How is this possible?" asked Shirou.
Receiving no answer, Shirou turned around to see Rin trapped in deep thought.
"No way!", proclaimed Rin as she fixated her gaze on Shirou like a predator would regard it's meal.
"Shirou take off your clothes now"
"WHAT!?"
"Take of you clothes, it only needs to be your shirt, I need to confirm something", Rin repeated, more impatient this time.
"You know Rin, if you really want to make sure, maybe you take off all his clothes", Illya teasingly stated, eliciting a blush from Sakura.
"That won't be necessary", confirmed Rin.
"Now Shirou you know what to do."
With that Shirou proceeded to remove his shirt and noted Rin moving in closer and to ask him to channel mana through his circuits again. After a while she continued to ask the same of Illya and Sakura, but not before reminding Shirou of the world of pain that awaited him if we were to turn around.
"That confirms it", said Rin after she was done with her study on the girls.
"It looks like, for whatever reason, some of our Magic Circuits have been switched around. In other words, each of us now possess parts of each other's Circuits"
"I didn´t know that that was possible", stated Illya in disbelief.
"What does this all mean?" asked Sakura.
"To be honest I have no idea. Something like this has never happened before, or at least it has never been documented", Rin admitted.
"Umm … girls? Can I open my eyes now?", was Shirou's needlessly cautious inquiry whilst still faced in the opposite direction, hoping that it was finally safe enough for him to turn around.
What it came next was an adventure of re-discoveries and surprises for all of them. Deciding that the answers to their questions would not come that easily, each one of them decided to test their own powers to see how much they had changed, and the results were breathtaking.
In Shirou's case, his structural analysis and trace magic had improved greatly, and he was now able to project much more swords than he could before. Additionally, possible because of Shirou's Circuits now embedded whiting the girls, they had now gained the ability to mimic Shirou's application of tracing, and had become able to summon objects from within their Inner Worlds just like Shirou. Rin nearly broke down in tears when she had come to the realization that she could now simply project her own jewels rather than spend her life savings on acquiring them. However, regardless of that revelation, it was only Shirou who remained able to project these objects with 99.99% accuracy, and Rin herself could only mimic that feat with one fourth of his efficiency if she and the others girls try something that is not related to their own magic. Similarly, Shirou's use of the girl's magic stopped at around a fourth of their proficiency, leading them to the conclusion that that limitation was a direct consequence of only possessing parts of each other Circuits.
Still, Rin couldn't have been happier. Though only a fourth of their original power when it comes to Shirou´s weapons, she now had access to a limitless amount of jewels at her full power, fully charged and ready to deploy at a moments notice. Taking advantage of the strengthening magic she inherited from Shirou's Circuits, Rin slowly bridged that natural disadvantage. Similar to her jewels, Rin soon realized that any projected swords were greatly inferior to the quality of Shirou's near perfect replication, shattering her fantasy of wielding legendary swords in combat much like her former Servant did.
Illya rejoiced in the fact that she had now gained the ability to shape light into the form of her familiars, imbuing them with simple cognitive processes to act independently from her own actions. Though having grown accustomed to using strands of her hair due to it's unmatched practicality in combat, she was a girl after all, and as such her hair was another weapon in the race for seduci- … getting closer to her brother. Honestly though, constructing familiars out of pure light endowed them with a potential destructive power previously thought impossible by the Einzbern family.
The happiest of all must have been Sakura however. Since the very beginning she had been reluctant to use her magic tainted by the corrupted influence of Angra Mainyu, but with the support of her friends, she had finally discovered that her magic had gone through a fundamental change. She no longer drew energy from the Grail within her, but was now able to synchronize with the numerous spirits that existed in this world. In a sense, she could communicate with nature itself and shape it to her will.
After all of them learned the evolved nature of their new powers, they spend the next weeks training in their newfound abilities. It was during one of those training sessions that Illya had used tracing magic on a whim to review the structural information of a nearby rapier, probably to relish in the face that she was now capable of the same magic her belove-… treasured onii-chan. However, she hadn't expected the benefits that accompanied tracing. Having never experienced Shirou's magic herself, she was taken aback by bulk of information that permeated her mind, and scattered throughout her body. Unable to suppress the urge, Illya stepped froward to unsheathe the rapier from it's earthen sheath, and proceeded to execute martial maneuvers with unmatched skill. Rin's interest was sparked, and she too traced a nearby Jian only to be subjected to the same result. Shirou had never explained to them the benefits of reviewing the structural information of his projected swords, so Illya and Rin were amazed by the fact that, although only having access to around a fourth of the inherent power, they were able to instantly master the use of any weapon at a moments notice.
However, though Rin was more or less accustomed to martial arts, the toll the replication of expert movements took on their body was still beyond acceptable level, leaving their bodies sore and bruised after several hours of practice. In response, Rin decided to split their training sessions into two parts. The mornings would be dedicated to the mastery of their magic arts, while they would train their bodies in the evening.
-…-
"You should take it easy, it is not like if you have Avalon inside you to heal you". The poor Shirou haven finishes those worlds when Illia and Rin were over him with a surprised Sakura looking after them. "Did I say something wrong?"
The next day all the training plan was change to a special event that will test Shirou trace skills. He will trace four Avalon and with the help of the girls they would conceptualize them inside of each one of them. The process took lots from Shirou to the point that he could keep the Unlimited Blade Works after that, but the results were worthy because now the four of them have a copy of Avalon, and on the case of the girls thanks to the sets of magic circuits they had from Shirou the copies of Avalon linked with them allowing them to be permanent integrate inside them, and what was supposed to be a test for Shirou and an experiment to help them with their training ended becoming a great bless that will help them on their futures adventures.
-..-
As time progressed so did their mastery over their new powers and each day they became even stronger, which eventually lead them to a certain realization. Magicians in this world were generally viewed as organic weapons by a large bulk of non-magicians, a conclusion made out of ignorance and an unsightly inferiority complex. The fact that many magicians willingly pursued a military career didn't exactly disprove the general public's flawed views either. However, the truth remained that skilled combat magicians were in high demand and stronger magicians were highly sought after by their respective governments. While the government didn't necessarily force magicians to do their bidding, heavy restrictions on a magicians life were inevitable if he were to show signs of conspiring against his or her government, an extreme measurement necessary when taking the power of even a single stray magician into account. Similarly, the stronger a magician was, the harder it was for him to life a live free of governmental observation, so Shirou and the rest decided to keep their powers hidden for now.
However, at the same time neither of them wished to lie to their parents. While they deemed it unwise to tell them that they were travelers from a different world, they decided to at least reveal their true powers to their parents. So in the final week of their winter break, just after dinner, they proceeded to confide their parents in their abilities.
At first Iris, Aoi and Kiritsugu believed that their kids were simply joking around, but Shirou convinced them by tracing one of his numerous swords and presenting it to them. What came next was a barrage of question but thankfully Rin had thought of an explanation of her own already, leaving her to deal with their concerned parents. Rin also voiced her desire to keep her magic under wraps for now, to which their parents instantly agreed.
With that out of the way, the heroes decided to rest for the remainder of their holiday.
Finally, the day had come for them to return to high-school. As one would expect, the three girls, each of them possessing their own unique beauty, caused a rather large commotion, and were gradually placed at the center of the male students' attention. Regrettably, Shirou's experience vastly differed from the girls' warm reception, and he was instead ridiculed due to his close relationship with Rin, Illya and, Sakura. The nicknames "Ero Demon" and "Harem King" were frequently tossed around, and his reputation soon plummeted low enough that most girls started to consciously avoid him. Ironically enough, that development suited his female companions just fine.
-…-
After the first week however the UBW had one last surprise to show them that first weekend when they were about to finish with their training when Illya said something innocent.
-"You know, what about if the next time we also have a picnic, I know a place about a mile from her that have a beautiful view and a nice stream" Said Illya when they were about to leave the UBW after a day of training. But what happened was something that no one of them expected, instead of the same please on the forest where they have get into the UBW, they were on the place that Illya had just mentioned that was about a mile from their last location. After overcoming this new surprise that they just received, Rin got the theory that somehow the UBW reacted to the desire of Illya on the same was as a servant to a command seal that could even bend the space between two point to made a servant appear next to their master even if they were miles apart.
-…-
On one day, Shirou and rest had returned to their respective classrooms, when the topic of Merlin was briefly mentioned in class. Though not too relevant for Modern Magic, the existence of Merlin was still important for Northern European Ancient Magicians and was thus briefly touched upon in Magic Cultural Studies. Unbeknownst to this world's magicians however, Illya was aware of the location of Merlin's Scroll, as well as other powerful magical artifacts due to the vast influence of the Einzbern family and it's interest in ancient relics, one of the main reasons why they managed to secure King Arthur's sheath in the first place.
In response to that, for the next few weeks Shirou and the girls proceed to hunt down many of these artifacts, generally limiting themselves to the most powerful and influential. They didn't do so out of greed, but because of the reason that lay behind their label as Second Course Magicians. They found out that there were two types of Magic System on this new world, the more popular of which used Psions and Eidos, and a less known method that used Mana; in other words, the magic of their home world. Many people had an affinity for Psion based magic, and those that were specialized for Mana based magic generally had a hard time keeping up their peers due to the underdevelopment of their Magic Calculation Area. Instead, they often showed symptoms of the "Broken Window Phenomena", which Shirou and the rest eventually found out to be Magic Circuits.
Therefore, they began to gather the artifacts of their home world for the sake of advancing research in the field of Magic Circuits, a field that had remained untouched until now due to the inability for modern magicians to understand a concept completely foreign to their own magic.
It was at the start of their second semester that they published their findings through AvalonTech, an event that would revolutionize the understanding of magic as a whole. They labeled their study, "Magic Circuits - The New Magic System" and it's publication greatly shook many researchers across the world. Some of it's chapter were the following.
"Magic Circuits and what they are"
The revelation that the previously labeled "Broken Window Phenomenas" were actually energy conduits similar to a pseudo nervous system probably had the greatest impact of all, considering that the information breached a field of research previously deemed impossible to penetrate due to a lack of understanding. That chapter also included an account on the quantity and quality of Magic Circuits.
"The Differences between Magic Circuits and Common Magic"
This chapter outlined the major differences between the two systems, emphasizing the absence of Psions in magic that used Magic Circuits. Since Magic Circuits were able to channel a naturally produced form of energy within the body, a pure expression of energy called Mana, one was able to shape that mana as one saw fit to affect the world around them. Since Mana was a tangible existence, it directly interacted with the physical world, yet was unable to affect the Information Dimension. In other words, Psion-based Magic was a form of magic expressed through the Idea, while Mana-based Magic was a form of magic expressed through the World.
"How to Use Magic Circuits to Cast Magic"
The final chapter included a simple explanation of the functionality of Magic Circuits, and included simple instructions for simply spells such as Projection and Strengthening that was different to the Strengthening used by modern magicians.
University students proficient in the use of Psion-based magic paid limited attention to the news in passing, updating themselves on the recent developments, but preferring to focus on their own magic type after realizing that they either possessed weak Magic Circuits, or none at all. To those proficient in the use of Mana-based magic however, this was something akin to a blessing. Previously labeled "weak" magicians now found out that they had simply been attuned for a different type of magic, and thus became avid supporters of AvalonTech. Each new spell they learned filled them with an emotion they had previously been devoid of: Pride.
Once AvalonTech took the world in a storm, many researchers around the world approached the CEO of the company, Emiya Kiritsugu, and asked for the identity of the four lead researchers that made all this possible, yet he adamantly refused and stated that the four researchers involved wished to conceal their identities for the time being. In response, the media eventually devised their own codenames.
"The Blacksmith of Avalon" was responsible for the discovery of the mana conductive metal Urú, which became an integral material in the production of magic tools used by Mana practitioners.
"The Fairy of Avalon" was presumed to be an Ancient Magic practitioner whose awareness of nature spirits was said to be unmatched even by Traditionalist Magicians and Chinese Practitioners. She was mainly known for her research in the use of spirits for agricultural methods.
"The Apple of Avalon" focused more on the natural sciences, mainly chemistry and biology, to construct artificial body parts indistinguishable by the immune system. Using Mana to aid in her research, she soon succeeded in creating organic matter that was identical to human cells, a medical breakthrough believed to greatly reduce the casualties of war. Though a humanist group labeled her research unethical and feared for the eventual creation of a true homunculi, her research remained unaffected by ethical implications.
Finally, the "Lady of the Lake" was primarily famed for her study on the storage of mana in foreign objects. Additionally, as the figurehead that stood at the top of the research team, her name was the most widespread, and her identity the most sought after.
Each and every one of these achievements caused AvalonTech to become the authority of Mana-based magic, and the number one company of it's kind. Due to it's efforts in granting previously powerless magicians a new type of magic, it received support from all across the world, ascending it's status to that of a cultural phenomena.
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At the same time these events took place, in another part of the country, a completely different story was taking place. A story that would greatly affect the fate of the Clan currently deemed the most powerful.
The year had started like the all the ones before for Kogoru, and that sadly included the absence of news from Tatsuya's mother. While he had already gotten used to this, this year was slightly different from the rest. At the beginning of the year, his doctor confirmed something that he had suspected for a long time already, the fact that he was likely to pass away by the end of winter. Contrary to how others would react to this news, Kogoru didn't mind in the slightest. He had lived a fulfilled life, though if there was any concern weighing down on his mind, then it would have been the boy he had now begun to regard as his own grandson, Tatsuya that now is ten years old.
Over the years that Tatsuya had been under his care, he had never seen someone to achieve a level of intelligence and martial prowess that he had, and Kogoru could not have been more proud of his development. Yet, at the same time he was worried how long Tatsuya would have to live with the absence of a mother. Eventually he decided to intensify his training regime in hopes that the Yotsuba might welcome Tatsuya back as a guardian at least, a new system introduced to by Yotsuba after Maya's abduction.
It was in during the second half of the year that Kogoru was struck by a pleasant surprise. AvalonTech had just published their research on Magic Circuits, filling Kogoru with renewed hope. Tatsuya had initially been exiled from the family due to his inability to use Psion-based magic, so wouldn't he be welcomed back now that Mana-based magic had become a reality? Dedicating the rest of the year towards this goal, Kogoru and Tatsuya embraced the new possibility with great vigor.
However, unfortunately Kogoru's condition worsened and he was soon unable to hide his declining health from Tatsuya.
"Why this had to happen jiji" asked a tear-stricken Tatsuya.
"Is the nature of life. Not even magic can raise the dead" answered Kogoru.
He had taken Tatsuya for a walk so he could tell him about his situation.
"There is something I want to tell you Tatsuya. I sent a message to your mother to inform her of my situation. With a little of luck she will be pleased with your progress and allow you back into the family."
Kogoru had expected to see a happy response from the young boy, but when Tatsuya remained still he turn around to see the boy standing quietly with a lowered gaze.
"I don't think that she wants me back…"
"I know that things have been hard for you, but deep down I know that your mother and your family loves you", Kogoru assured in an attempt to provide Tatsuya with emotional support.
"Then why did they leave me behind, why did my mom say that I was a defective product?"
Taking a deep breath Kogoru answered him.
"Even a magician cannot see future, so I do not know what will happen between you and your family, but I know that no matter what happens, you are the most dedicated and intelligent boy that I have ever met", placing a hand over Tatsuya shoulders to attract his attention he continued, "and even if they send you to another place I am sure that with time you will meet people that will see you as the extraordinary boy that you are, and in time you will be able to have a family of your own."
As they arrived at their home, Kogoru noticed a car with a group of four people waiting for them, initially expecting them to be sent by Maya in response to his letter due to Aoki's presence, but he instantly felt something was amiss as he got closer. Neither Miya nor Tatsurou were present, and instead there was man Kogoru had always been on bad terms with.
Akira was a person that had fallen in love with his own power, and was a member of the Yotsuba's main family. When the time had come for Miya to marry, Shiba Tatsurou had been chosen in favor of Akira due to his lineage a high Psion count, something that Akira had never truly accepted. Kogoru never found out whether Akira had simply been striving for power or if he had genuinely been in love with Miya. After Tatsuya was born, it was Akira who was behind many of the troubling events that Tatsuya was subjected to in his childhood.
"Kogoru-dono, it is nice to see you again", said Akira with a false smile.
"Akira-sama, it has been a while", Kogoru responded as he placed himself between Akira and Tatsuya.
"We have come here in response to your message", Aoki stated.
"My message was for Miya-sama only, what are you doing here".
"Please, we both know that Miya-sama would never waste her time for a failure like him", mocked Aoki.
"Gentlemen, we are wasting our time. We still have things to do", urged Akira on a quiet voice.
"And what things are you talking about", Kogoru inquired, taking note of Tatsuya's pained expression as he was once again reminded of his mother's rejection.
"We are moving that failure towards another location", Aoki said.
"Miya-sama's order was to take Tatsuya under my care, and therefore she is the only one who can cancel that order", Kogoru determinedly stated.
"Yet we are here by her order", reminded Akira.
"Did my mom really send you?", Tatsuya spoke for the first time.
"Someone like you has no right to call Miya-sama your mother!", Aoki scolded.
"I am afraid we've waste enough time, so would you please just hand that boy over to me?", Akira stated once more, this time more impatient.
Something was wrong, very wrong. Deciding to follow his instincts, Kogoru unclipped a flash grenade from underneath his belt and rolled it right underneath Akira's feet. While lacking offensive power, this tactic was enough to buy him enough time to escape.
As soon as the small canister burst into fluorescent light, Kogoru grasped Tatsuya hand and ran into the opposite direction as fast as he could, aware that he only had seconds to place as much distance as he could between himself and his pursuers. Unfortunately his health and old age soon let themselves be known and forced him to a halt near a threatening cliff.
"It is true? Does my mom really want to send me to a faraway place?"
"I do not know, but I certainly don't believe they were telling the truth either. The best that we can do now is to escape so that we can find out the answers ourselves."
"Oh, I can give you your answers now if you want", Akira chimed in from behind the pair.
"Your sister Miyuki-sama has been chosen as a possible candidate for succession, and the only thing standing in her way is her failure of a brother. In order to secure the future of her precious daughter, Miya wanted to clean her past of the embarrassment that was her son, so she sent us to this mission. Do you get it now boy? Your mother never loved you and now we are going to remove this shameful stain in the history of the Yotsuba Clan."
Was unable to respond to anything Akira said, Tatsuya was still able to remember the day when his own mother had called him a failure and left him in the hands of someone he barely knew. Even though deep down he had kept hoping that one day his mother would come back for him, fragment of a dream had been mercilessly crushed by the man before him.
"suya.. Tatsuya!", Kogoru shouted until Tatsuya finally reacted to his voice.
"Tatsuya, I want you to remember what we talked about not too long ago. I want you to remember what I told you, that no matter what happens you would never give up and that one day you would find people that will see you for the wonderful boy you are. For that to come true, you need to LIVE!", just as he finished talking, Kogoru grabbed Tatsuya by the shoulder and pushed him over the cliff, regarding him with a final smile.
"Live Tatsuya … live."
"Looks like you just saved us the effort of killing the boy" whistled Aoki.
"I would never hurt him, and I will make sure to make you pay for your actions", Kogoru stated as he relied himself for a final battle.
"Even if that is the case, you will not be alive to make that happen. After all, we can't leave behind any witnesses."
"From the beginning this was your plan, wasn't it? Was Miya really a part of this?"
"Who knows? Anyway in a few minutes none of this will matter to you anyway."
And that was the start of Kogoru's greatest and final battle. As a warrior respected even within the Yotsuba clan, he had no intention of holding back in the slightest. It was an epic battle were magic and techniques of the highest levels were abused to their absolute limits, but unfortunately his age and health prevented him from utilizing the full extent of his power. Though he managed to kill two of the bodyguards that had accompanied Akira, in the end it was Akira himself who dealt the deathblow.
"That damn old bastard, killing two of the Yotsuba's magicians. How are we going to explain this?", asked the fatigued Aoki.
"I will take care of that. We just need to find the boy now."
However, after an hour of combing through the river without success, they finally decided that there would have been no way for Tatsuya to have survived a fall of that height, and settled with burning down Kogoru's body down together with his house to erase all evidence. While they wished to continue their search, they had already been away from the Yotsuba household for far too long, and it would have only gotten suspicious if they counted looking for Tatsuya. Because of that, they eventually gave up on finding his body and returned home.
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Two days later, Tatsuya was resting in a rather luxurious bed in a decoratively furnished room. Most of his body was covered in bandages, and it was only belatedly that he became aware of the presence of a maid silently reading a book by his side. Noticing him stir, the maid shifted her attention away from her piece of literature and towards the injured boy.
"Please do not move, your body hasn't fully recovered yet", the maid authoritatively reminded him.
"What happened? Where I am?", Tatsuya weakly muttered.
"The young masters found you next to the river and carried you all the way to the mansion."
"Kogoru-jiji… Where is he? I need to find him. He is in danger…"
"I am sorry, but you were the only one the young masters found", the maid calmly explained while informing the rest of the household on the updated status of her patient through her phone.
Within seconds, a knock resounded against the wooden door and four youths entered the room. Tatsuya didn´t know why or for what reason, but he instantly recognized them to be … extraordinary. There was no way for him to know just how special they truly were, or what role they would eventually have on his life, but this moment … the very instant their fates intertwined, marked the beginning of a legend.
