Chapter 95 - Denial, Depression, Rage, & Reconstruction
"Rider! Slow down!" Shiro yelled, even as she hung on for dear life to the giant lion Artoria had summoned, and the winds whipping around her threatened to send her flying away.
"There's no time!" Artoria yelled, easily handling Shiro's bike with her Class-boosted Riding Skill even as she spared a look down at her left hand, and the fading sigil at the back of it.
Shit.
Where was Merlin when she needed him?!
Did the sigil fading mean that he no longer needed magical energy from her?
Or did it mean that he could no longer draw magical energy from her?
No.
Nonononono.
She couldn't think like that.
It was him, after all.
... but it was him, after all!
Where was he?
How could he even have been here, now?!
Was this where Morgan had banished him to?!
What had he been up to all this time?!
And most of all... what had happened to him?!
She didn't know.
But she would find out.
Leaning forward, she pushed the bike even further, as she headed in the last direction she'd felt his presence in.
"Rider!" Shiro shouted once again, as the giant lion carrying her caught up to its master. "What- what's going on? What happened to your hand just now? And what was that name you said?!"
"Jaune Arc, the Knight of Compassion!" Artoria shouted back, desperation tinging her raised voice as she made sure her Master could hear her. She knew she was being impolite, but at the moment, her patience was all but worn out. "He was summoned by Merlin to be my familiar! And he's here now!"
"Was that what happened to your hand?" Shiro asked, before she finally registered the Knight of Compassion's name. "Wait, did you just say-"
Shiro's words died as she and Artoria crested one of the last hills between her house and Issei's temple, and she finally got a good look at Mount Enzou.
The temple itself looked fine (as far as she could tell).
Everything around it, however, did not.
Smoke rose from the burning forest, giving Shiro flashbacks of the Fuyuki Fire, and she immediately felt worried about Issei and his family.
Even from this distance, she could see that the Mountain Gate had been all but pulverized, shattered and broken.
And, most concerningly of all...
A section of the forest was just gone.
As in, there was nothing in that area.
It wasn't like the trees in that area had been scorched clean of all their leaves, or that they had been felled.
There was just an empty crater in the middle of the forest, that she knew hadn't been there before.
"Saber, take Shiro and look for survivors!" Rider immediately instructed, even as she headed straight for the crater, knowing full well that, if her familiar had to be somewhere, it would be at the center of the disaster.
The lion chuffed, and sniffed the air, before turning to Shiro with a waiting look.
Shiro blankly stared at it.
The lion snorted again, and jerked its head towards the temple, before looking at Shiro again.
"..." Shiro finally realized it was waiting for a response for her, and hesitantly tried: "Uh, let's goooo-!"
The lion shot off as soon as she gave the signal, and she was once again forced to cling on for dear life as it sprinted up the mountain.
Finally, as it reached the temple and came to a stop, Shiro shakily released her grip, and stumbled off of its back, before looking around.
The temple looked... well, mostly fine.
She didn't see any signs of damage, and the air didn't smell metallic.
Of course, seeing as how a chunk of the forest had been vaporized, she didn't know if that meant that meant nobody had died, or if there was simply nothing left.
"... hello?" Shiro hesitantly called out, as she walked around the temple, heading towards the main building.
The building's doors were closed, and she found a sign hanging on it, saying that the monks were out.
Shiro breathed a sigh of relief.
Even if Issei Ryuudou hadn't been one of her friends in Homurahara Academy, she was still glad to see that it didn't seem like anybody had gotten hurt.
Well, at the very least, it seemed like she'd find nobody who needed help in the temple itself.
As she stepped back out, she took a look down at the ruined mountain gate, and the burning forest around her.
Once again, images of smoldering ruins and collapsing buildings came to mind.
"..."
The lion was waiting for her as she approached it, and this time she made sure she was holding on tightly before she directed it towards the mountain gate.
The stairs leading down were littered with craters and potholes.
She knew the Ryuudous were very diligent when it came to maintenance.
Something had to have happened here a few hours ago, probably related to the fire.
Then she reached the gate itself, and her jaw dropped.
The destruction was almost total.
Massive craters, gouges in the earth, and blood.
For some reason, she remembered the battle that had taken place outside her house, when Berserker had attacked her.
... had that been what had happened here?
A battle between two Servants?
But why?
Then she saw it.
A figure lying face-down against the floor in a pool of blood, at the base of the stairs.
Quickly, she approached it, and carefully turned it over, ignoring the metallic smell.
The lifeless face of Souichirou Kuzuki, her former teacher, greeted her, as did the hole in his chest.
She knew just enough about anatomy to know that the hole was where his heart should have been.
She placed a finger under his nose.
Nothing.
She gently lifted his arm and pressed the back of a finger against his wrist.
Nothing.
Gritting her teeth, she slowly lowered his arm.
She was too late.
She couldn't save him.
"..."
The lion, sensing her distress, quietly came over to her, and rubbed its massive head against her hand comfortingly.
"..." Quietly, she looked down at it, and smiled weakly. "... thanks."
The lion simply chuffed in response.
"Can you smell any other survivors, lion?"
The lion shook its head.
Shiro was about to ask it another question, before she realized she was holding a conversation with a giant magical lion.
... was this part of being a first-class magus?
She'd have to ask Tohsaka-senpai that later.
She'd also have to get used to actually being able to talk to someone about being a magus.
Kiritsugu had told her that magi were supposed to hide their identities, but he'd never told her about what to do when dealing with other magi, especially when they were related to you.
... she'd also have to get used to having a sister, wasn't she?
Idly, she wondered about that Illya girl who'd tried to kill her, before shaking her head.
Now wasn't the time.
Respectfully, she closed Souichirou's blank eyes with the edge of her palm, before getting to her feet.
Saber nudged her once more, eager to return to Artoria, and she sighed and got on, saying a prayer for her former teacher.
As the two left to look for Rider, however, a loud, keening wail suddenly shattered the still air, momentarily drowning out even the sounds of the blazing fire.
It was a mournful sound, full of raw emotion.
Saber whined in response, sensing his master's distress, and quickly picked up the pace.
The two reached the crater, to find a very disturbing sight.
Shiro may not have known Rider for a long time, but she'd seen her confidently weather an all-out attack from Berserker, deliver a lethal blow against the giant (before he'd resurrected himself), and learned that she was the King Arthur.
In short, if she had to describe Rider, she'd have only spoken of a confident, dignified, and prideful warrior king, an unyielding and noble figure.
The woman in the crater was none of the above.
The lion whined once more, and Shiro quickly jumped off of its back to check on the defeated-looking Artoria.
As she cautiously drew closer, she found the woman clutching something in her hands, something that she was staring at with horror even as she sobbed uncontrollably, and kept repeating the word "no" over and over and over again.
Shiro almost felt her own break by mere proximity to the sheer grief the older woman was radiating.
Then she caught sight of the object Artoria was gripping on to, and her heart froze.
In Artoria's hands, lay two broken halves of a very familiar non-metallic sword, while a scorched shield rested by her knees.
-OUTSIDE JAUNE'S APARTMENT, FORTY MINUTES LATER-
A grumpy and tired Rin fought down a yawn, as she and Saber walked towards the unfamiliar address Shiro had given her, grumbling all the while about lousy little sisters and sudden calls in the middle of the night.
Sure, she was thrilled she'd found Sakura (or as she now called herself, "Shiro Emiya"), but did she really have to call that late?
A small smile graced her lips, one that she'd deny ever having been there.
She was complaining about lousy little sisters calling her in the middle of the night...
Because she could actually complain about lousy little sisters calling her in the middle of the night.
Even now, it still hadn't fully settled in.
She still couldn't fully believe Sakura had actually survived.
Then her smile turned into a frown.
What had Shiro been so worried about, that she'd made that call? She'd sounded pretty distressed on the phone...
And why meet up at this address?
What even was this address, anyway?
Finally she reached the building she'd been told to come to, and found Shiro in the parking lot, according with a defeated-looking Rider slumped against the wall, clutching something tightly against her chest.
Immediately, alarm bells began ringing in her mind.
Had they been attacked by Berserker again?
Had it been another Servant?
As Saber immediately went to check on Rider, Rin approached Shiro, and said: "Hey, Shiro, I'm here?"
"Hey, Tohsaka-senpai." Shiro replied weakly, looking up at her. "Thank you for coming."
"It's no problem." Rin lied through her teeth. "What's wrong?"
"... remember that foreign student that transferred in last month?" Shiro finally began, after wondering how to start.
"You mean your friend jaune Arc, right?" Rin raised an eyebrow.
"... I'm sorry, did you just say "Jaune Arc"?" Saber immediately interjected, turning towards them. "Like blonde hair, blue eyes, and tall and muscular?"
"... okay, how do you know Arc?" Rin couldn't help but demand, head spinning to face Saber.
"... shit..." Shiro couldn't help but murmur. Between Artoria's initial explanation about the Knight of Compassion and the broken sword, she'd begun to piece it together. But Artoria had been completely unresponsive since she'd found it in the crater; it had been all she could do to even get Artoria on her lion, get them back home to call for Rin's help, and then direct them to Jaune's apartment to check on him.
Velvet's reaction, however, was the final nail in the coffin.
"Tohsaka-senpai... did I ever tell you how Arc and I met?" Shiro asked, before Rin or Saber could continue talking.
"No, you didn't." Rin shook her head as Saber leaned forward. "Why?"
"... I found him in the forest on the edge of the city six weeks ago, wearing a suit of medieval armor, and carrying a sword." Shiro explained. "He didn't know where he was, or what he was doing there."
"... Morgan..." Velvet hissed in realization.
"And since he needed help... I gave him a place to stay, and helped him get back on his feet." Shiro continued on.
"... wait, so you found a homeless guy in the middle of the forest... and led him to your house?!" Rin all but shrieked. "Are you nuts?!"
"He needed help!" Shiro defended.
"What if he was dangerous?!" Rin demanded.
"... well, Fuji-nee approved of it... and it all worked out in the end..." Shiro looked away, wincing as Rin's eye began twitching.
Fortunately, before Rin could explode, Velvet interjected: "If it was Sir Jaune, I'm sure there was nothing to worry about."
"And that's another thing!" Rin once again turned to Velvet. "How do you know Arc?!"
"Because he was the Knight of Compassion." Shiro spoke up. "Wasn't he, Velvet of Caerbannog?"
Saber winced, but nodded, before adding: "He was more than that, though. Sir Jaune was my mentor, and the Chancellor and Steward of Camelot."
""..."" Rin's jaw dropped, and the only reason Shiro's didn't follow suit was because she'd at least guessed that Jaune was the Knight of Compassion already.
Finally, though, Rin found her voice, and tried to summarize the situation: "So... you're telling me that the foreign student that transferred in last month... was a homeless guy that you found in the forest one night... who also happens to be a Knight of the Round Table from 1500 years ago?!"
"... pretty much, yes." Shiro nodded.
"How?!" Rin couldn't help but ask. "If he was a Servant, he should've needed a Master to maintain his existence here..."
"My mother, Morgan le Fay, held Merlin hostage, and used him as leverage, as well as a suggestion spell, to banish Sir Jaune, one and a half years into the King's reign." Velvet explained.
"... and so you think this is where he must have ended up?" Rin's eyebrow rose once again.
"Unlikely as it might be, it would make sense..." Velvet murmured, before looking around hesitantly. "... has... has something happened to Sir Jaune? If he was here, this would be a cause for celebration! The King would not be reduced to that state!"
"The King?" Rin echoed incredulously, before looking at the only other figure in the parking lot - the still-unresponsive form of Rider.
"Oh, right... that's King Arthur." Shiro explained off-handedly. "You know, King Arthur, Velvet of Caerbannog, Battle of Camlann?"
"... HOW?!" Rin howled, pointing to Rider.
"The King pretended to be a man for the sake of her Kingdom." Velvet added helpfully.
"How did anybody mistake her for a man?!" Rin shrieked, pointing harder at Rider. Then, remembering something, she turned back to Saber and asked: "Also, didn't you cause her death, Saber?!"
"Look, can we focus on what's important right now, Tohsaka-senpai?" Shiro interrupted. "You remember the earthquake just now? And the fire around Mount Enzou?"
"... yes, I saw it from my window." Rin answered, after taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Why?"
"Well... Rider and I went to check it out... and in the middle of one of the bigger craters in the forest..." Shiro reached down, and pulled out the blackened shield that she'd hidden under a car. "We found this, along with Arc's sword, broken into two."
""...""
Shiro continued on, ignoring the shocked looks on Rin's and Velvet's faces: "I... we think something may have happened to him, possibly involving the Huntsman as well..."
"..." Rin simply stared at the blackened shield, even as she reflected that this was why she disapproved of vigilantism; usually, they were only humans, and in this city that usually wasn't enough.
Velvet, meanwhile, reverently took the shield, and gingerly wiped some of the ash off even as she off-handedly asked: "The Huntsman? You mean Sir Jaune?"
"No, Arc isn't the Huntsman..." Shiro shook her head, watching Velvet.
"But this is Sir Jaune's shield." Velvet pointed out matter-of-factly, as she revealed two inverted and tarnished yellow crescents on it, before flicking it back into its sheath configuration.
Shiro's jaw dropped, and even Rin did a double-take, as Velvet transformed it back into a shield, before turning it back into a scabbard.
"... Arc was Fuyuki's shield-using vigilante?!" Rin finally asked in disbelief, before turning to Shiro. "... did you know?"
"I never even knew he had a shield!" Shiro defended herself, before muttering: "If I'd known I'd have asked him for lessons..."
Then she remembered the person who'd saved her at the school, when they'd tackled the blue spearman out of the window.
"He was there... at the school that night..." Shiro murmured in realization. "The Huntsman... he saved my life when he distracted that guy Velvet was fighting..."
"He was at the school that night?" Rin blinked. "Wait, wasn't he sick that day?"
"Yes... he said he wasn't feeling well since our... history class... the day before..." Shiro's voice trailed away, as she put two and two together.
Oh god... he hadn't known what had happened to Camelot, had he?
He'd been banished at the height of Artoria's reign, and the next thing he'd known, her Kingdom had collapsed...
Because Velvet and Artoria had disagreements regarding his disappearance.
Velvet, for her part, continued staring at the shield, as she realized he'd been the other Servant she'd felt.
He'd been close... so close...
Her gaze travelled back to her aunt, who simply continued staring blankly at the broken sword in her hands even as she clutched it tightly to her chest.
A wave of self-loathing hit her once more.
To think, she'd ever thought that the King was cold and emotionless, and had only ever wanted Sir Jaune as a tool.
She ignored the two Masters as they continued discussing matters, in favor of walking back to her King once again, and kneeling by her side.
After all, when she'd laid dying at Camlann, even after everything she'd done...
Artoria had fought to protect her from King Beowulf, had remained by her side, and had even apologized for everything (even though it hadn't been her fault).
Even when Artoria herself had been run through by her blade, and had been dying of the poison, she'd still remained by her side.
Velvet knelt down by her King's side, and gently placed the scabbard in her lap, before embracing her tightly.
Artoria looked up quietly, to see Velvet openly weeping, as she apologized: "I'm sorry, Artoria..."
"..." Artoria simply continued looking at her.
"... if I hadn't sabotaged that ritual... I'm sorry, Artoria... I'm so sorry..." The words that Velvet had wanted to say, as Artoria's hand had gripped hers at Camlann, but that she'd been too weak to say, finally came out.
"..." Artoria looked up and down, between Velvet, the scabbard, and the sword, before gripping Velvet's hand tightly, still unable to speak.
Before Velvet could say anything else, however, Rin called her over: "Saber, could you come here for a bit?"
Velvet looked back down at her King, who simply patted her hand lightly, before releasing it.
She nodded in understanding.
No matter what they felt...
They still had a duty right now.
"Yes, Master?" Velvet asked, approaching Rin.
"Saber, could you go into spirit form and enter his room?" Rin instructed her. "Something might have happened to him... or Arc might have escaped, or simply had his stuff stolen, or this might all be one big misunderstanding. Either way, let's... let's just make sure we're not jumping to conclusions, alright?"
"..." Velvet wordlessly nodded, and complied.
Rin watched her Servant leave with a complicated expression, before turning to her younger sister.
Who could ever have guessed that her younger sister had not only survived the Fuyuki Fire, but would pick up a homeless guy in a forest, who would turn out to be a vigilante, and a Knight of the Round Table from 1500 years ago?
Hopefully, this was all just one big coincidence, and the man Velvet was talking about wasn't the same transfer student who her sister had befriended...
... despite apparently sharing the same name, description, and possessions...
... well, there were more unbelievable things, like her classmate being 1500 years old.
Saber reappeared next to them a moment later, and shook her head.
"The room is empty." Velvet solemnly reported.
Well, there went that hope.
-EMIYA RESIDENCE, THE NEXT DAY-
There was no movement in the house.
Other than the sound of the clock ticking, the house was quiet.
Then again, since it was noon on a Monday, there shouldn't have been anyone at home.
Shiro had gone to school, and Taiga hadn't dropped by this morning either.
But there was an occupant in the house.
A lone figure sat at the table, staring at the broken sword on it, and the blackened scabbard, as cherished memories flashed through her head.
Their first meeting...
Experiencing his cooking...
Jaune's agreement to help her...
Her training with him, and the joy of finally finding someone who would win (or lose) with grace...
Adventuring with him across the land, learning how to be King and assisting her subjects as they travelled with Kay and Merlin...
Joking about the other two members of their party...
Slaying the Questing Beast...
Being comforted about Caliburn...
Being told that she was just like him...
Learning how to dance from him...
Dancing with him...
Raising Saber with him...
Planning on how to make peace with the Saxons and retake Londinium...
Slaying Vortigern with him...
Rebuilding Camelot with him...
Watching him uplift the people of Camelot, and turn it from a ruined old city into the heart of a booming Kingdom...
Continuously trying (and failing) to properly knight him...
Receiving counsel from him...
Being reminded by him that she was human...
Finding out from Merlin that Morgan had gotten to him...
Finally, the figure moved.
Artoria clenched her fists, as pain and grief threatened to overwhelm her once more, as she remembered that moment.
The moment her dreams had shattered, and she'd lost him.
The horror of finding that empty room, and that note in that book.
The month she'd spent holed up in her room, weeping over the book and the note...
Even now, after all this time, that wound had ached.
But even then...
Even then...
She'd still always had some hope.
Hope, that she'd find him.
Hope, that she'd get him back.
Hope, that he'd have been fine despite everything.
Despite her failure to notice what had happened in her own castle.
Despite her failure to intervene fast enough to protect him.
Despite her failure to get the Holy Grail from King Pellinore and return him.
Hope, and duty, had been what had driven her for so long, to continue to rule the Kingdom.
The hope that he'd return, return to take his rightful place, had kept her going, enabled her to continue embracing her emotions, to continue making sure there would be a Kingdom for him to return to.
That, and the fact that she knew he would be horrified if he'd abandoned her duty to her people just for him.
But now...
But now, seeing the proof in her hands...
His banishment had gotten him tangled up with something, likely a Servant, and...
And worst of all, she'd failed yet again.
She'd been here, in the same place and same time as him, and once again...
When he'd needed her, once again...
She'd been too slow.
And once again...
He was gone.
Even the thought of winning this Grail War felt hollow to her.
After all, she'd won the last one, and look how it turned out?
Her wish hadn't been granted then.
She'd been returned to Camlann again.
She'd failed again.
He'd taught her how to deal with losing her sword...
But not how to deal with losing him.
Artoria sighed, and the temptation to simply cut herself off from her emotions grew once again.
But she couldn't.
Because he'd believed in her.
She grit her teeth, as she remembered their last conversation.
Who had truly been the massive idiot, Jaune?
Who was the selfless imbecile?!
Who was the complete idiot who'd been kicked into an unfamiliar world, in an unfamiliar time, and immediately gone about being a hero once again?!
Why?!
Why wouldn't he allow her to cut herself off from her emotions?!
"Well, I would be foolish to ignore your advise, Jaune."
"Yeah, you would be. After all, that's why you summoned me and all, right?"
...
It hurt.
It hurt so much...
...
Curse him.
Curse him for making that deal with Morgan.
Curse him for once again being a hero.
And curse her for falling in love with him.
It would have been so easy if she could just throw away her emotions, and disregard his advice.
And all it would take, was killing her humanity.
Killing the part of her, that had learned to love dancing.
Killing the part of her, that had learned to love eating.
Killing the part of her, that had made her a good King.
"Arthur, you're just like me; we're both complete idiots, who can't help but act!"
Killing the part of her, that was just like him.
He'd have never given up, even after everything.
He hadn't even let death stop him from being a hero.
Multiple times.
How could she, the Rightful King of England... his Master, his student, his friend, do any less?
How could she dishonor his memory?
How would he react, if he found out?
The thought of him being disappointed in her renewed her determination to see him once again.
...
What was she doing?
She'd been in such a bad state that her current Master had even insisted she stay behind to "guard the house", while she and the Tohsaka Master would be guarded by Sir Velvet.
If Jaune could see her now, he'd certainly have words for her.
Kind words, granted, with snacks and a drink, but words nonetheless (and that would be better than what Kay, Merlin, or Sir Ector would have for her).
Either way, at the moment...
She definitely couldn't stand proud and call herself the Perfect King he'd believed she was, if she continued to act like this.
Even if she had confirmation that she was gone...
The situation was the same as it always was.
She'd be allowed to endure until she got the Grail.
Her wish, to stop Morgan from banishing Jaune, would stop his death here.
And Shiro Emiya was not Kiritsugu Emiya.
She didn't seem like the kind of person that would suddenly betray her, and order her to destroy the Grail at the cusp of victory.
Slowly, she rose from the table, as she forced herself to focus on the war.
She'd have to thank Sir Velvet and apologize to her Master later.
Her Master...
Artoria couldn't help the thoughtful look that appeared on her face, as she remembered how frantic her Master had been when she'd realized something had happened to Jaune.
She definitely hadn't expected her Master to apparently know Jaune, let alone be friends with him.
Then again, though, it was Jaune; her familiar could probably befriend a dragon if he wanted to.
At the same time, though...
Was it normal for people in this era to ask criminal gangs to keep an eye on local hospitals?
... she was probably overthinking it.
She shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, and just be thankful that he appeared to have such a good friend.
... at the same time, though, even Sir Velvet hadn't realized her emotions were much stronger and deeper than the affection a student held for their mentor.
Artoria herself had only realized it when Sir Velvet had ranted about how Jaune deserved to be with someone who loved and cared for him.
... it didn't help that she knew she wasn't the most attractive and feminine person around.
... well, it didn't matter.
Jaune wasn't here any longer.
Distracting herself from that fact by wondering if Jaune would have enjoyed a political marriage (officially) with her rather than someone else was just folly.
"... maybe you should take a break..."
"What makes you happy, Arthur?"
Instead, knowing she couldn't suppress it, she chose to confront it as Sir Gawain would have (at least until it was manageable enough for her to control and harness once more).
When her Master returned, she'd ask if she and Sir Velvet could have a small feast to share Jaune's deeds, commemorate his passing, and honor his memory.
She still remembered how he'd close his eyes as he recounted his tales, and a smile would grace his lips.
And based on what she'd heard, while she'd been in Gwent (and Jaune had been forced to remain in Camelot), he'd ended up sharing tales of his previous lives almost every dinner.
Hell, since her Master and the Tohsaka were also apparently schoolmates of his, they could share some stories of how he'd been in school (he'd always said he wasn't the best student, after all).
That sounded like a plan.
... hopefully her Master could cook better than the Tohsaka did; even Gawain would have struggled to burn a kitchen down.
And if another Servant came to pursue the Grail War...
Well, Sir Velvet and her could certainly use a target for their anger and grief.
And then she suddenly felt a strong presence approaching the house.
A Servant with a presence almost as strong as Berserker's was approaching.
Immediately, she tensed up, and prepared to summon Rhongomyniad and Saber.
The presence stopped outside the door.
And then, to her surprise, the door bell rang.
-MOUNT ENZOU, TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE ARTORIA AND SHIRO ARRIVED-
For it is in passing that we achieve immortality.
As the energies from Ea, the Sword that Ruptures, the Star of Creation, washed over Jaune's increasingly-diminishing Argent Energy shell, prana from Artoria's magical core began to flood his weakened body and broken Aura, drawn in from the long-faded-and-forgotten symbol of two inverted crescents hanging over a dragon's head on the back of his clenched right hand.
"Come on! I know you get frustrated, but you must keep trying."
And as the draconic magical energy refilled his exhausted soul, the Semblance he'd never known amplified it like it did to his Aura, and anything he channeled his Aura into, powered by his determination and survival instincts.
"Jaune, everybody needs a little push from time to time."
At the same time, the Nameless Blade in his hand also responded to his spirit's desperate gambit, and the magical spell within it was absorbed into his Aura along with Artoria's prana like a vacuum.
Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all.
And in a manner that neither Akatosh nor Merlin nor even the Brother Gods could have foreseen...
"Your team really misses their leader, you know."
The Semblance of a naïve boy who was determined to never give up, that had unconsciously strengthened his Aura...
"... you can still be a hero, you know."
The fragment of the Dragonborn's soul that had latched itself to his Aura...
"Do... do you think you could help me be less of a failure, and more like you, Jaune?"
The blood of Vortigern, the White Dragon, that had bathed his Aura...
"Hey, fuck you, Arc-"
The Chaos enchantment of Serana, that had been housed in the bones of a dragon and consistently exposed to his Aura...
"You're not just an advisor... you have done so much more than I could have ever asked for."
"You truly are too modest and humble, Sir Jaune! ... I dare say that I consider myself fortunate, to be serving as the Squire of the Architect of Camelot!"
The prana of Artoria, the Red Dragon, that was flooding his Aura...
"Sir Knight! I know we have just met, but please! Help me save my people!"
All of these things began to react.
Infinite in distance and unbound by death
And then the last of the Argent Energy dissipated, either fed to Artoria's magical core or worn down by the final remnants of Enuma Elish, which proceeded to do its task.
I release your soul
It performed the miracle of genesis.
And by my shoulder
Jaune's Aura had been shattered.
I protect thee.
Jaune's Aura was reforged by the Star of Creation.
And as the tumultuous and chaotic energies catalyzed its reformation, something awoke, far greater than the sum of its individual parts.
The power of Ea once again faded, its mission complete, and the dust finally settled...
Revealing the still-intact body of the Servant, lying lifelessly in a crater.
Gilgamesh tentatively took a step forward.
Then the golden glow suddenly erupted into existence around Jaune, so suddenly and forcefully that, for a moment, Gilgamesh had to look away from it.
And then Jaune's eyes burst open, and he Shouted: "WULD!"
The next thing Gilgamesh knew, the Foreigner-class Servant was suddenly right in front of him.
Immediately, he attempted to swing Ea down at him, not even having the time to let it spin up again.
The exhausted and barely-conscious Jaune, still adjusting to what had just happened, was running purely on instinct, and his instincts knew that letting that sword-lance-thing touch him was a bad idea.
Instinctively, he swung his dragonbone sword up to intercept the weird weapon.
The two blades met.
There was a brief moment where the pair locked blades and struggled to overpower the other.
Then Jaune tossed aside his shield and gripped his weapon with both hands, before pushing with a roar.
And then the Nameless Blade, its magic spent, its blade having endured countless blows, from nuclear fire to the teeth of dragons to the talons of demons, finally broke against the strongest Noble Phantasm.
But not before it did its final duty.
Even as it shattered, it still overpowered Ea, and sent it flying into the air, knocking it out of Gilgamesh's grasp.
And then Gilgamesh was unarmed.
Jaune didn't miss his chance, and he tossed the broken sword away, before following his instincts.
Jaune's determination to survive activated Dragonborn Yang's aggression, and his fists flew up into a simple brawler's stance.
Artoria's Instinct Skill identified the best personal course of action, which in this case meant where to punch the Servant, in order to take him out before he could summon more exploding weapons from glowing portals.
And the Doom Slayer's training ensured that the punch Jaune threw, aimed at the gap between Gilgamesh's head and neck, snapped his enemy's neck, crushing his windpipe and shattering his vertebrae.
As Gilgamesh fell to his knees, unable to move, choking on his blood, Jaune collapsed as well, body spent, as his instincts registered no further threats.
Then, darkness claimed him...
-? ? ?, ? ? ?-
The sun was shining brightly, when Jaune finally woke up.
Yawning, the exhausted blonde took a moment to stretch, even as he ruefully wondered why he'd forgotten to close the curtains the previous night.
As he casually reached for the blinds, however, his hands met empty air.
Groggily, he looked towards the window with bleary eyes, looking for the cord to lower the blinders.
Then his eyes widened.
He took a moment to rub the sleep from them, and blinked a few times, before looking once more.
This wasn't his room.
He immediately shot out of bed, his eyes wide.
Where was he?
What was he doing here?
What had happened last night?
As he tried to recall what had happened, flashes of... something, began to return to him.
He'd been out on patrol, and then...
Craters...
Blood...
Some guy using exploding swords as projectiles...
A red torrent...
Familiar whispers...
Something reassuring him, before awakening...
He groaned and shook his head, wondering whether it had all been a dream.
He'd seen a lot in the past few years, but a guy who could summon infinite exploding swords and throw them with his mind was definitely a first.
Just what had happened during his patrol last night?
Had he been robbed or something?
Idly, he reached for his pocket, making sure his wallet was there, when he noticed something was missing.
It wasn't his wallet.
It was his sword and scabbard.
Quickly, he began looking around his unfamiliar room.
Nope, no sign of it.
He began to panic.
Had it been stolen?
Had he simply dropped it somewhere?
... maybe he'd just been mistaken, and hadn't actually gone on patrol yesterday?
That was certainly possible.
And hopefully, that was what had happened.
Yup.
He'd just go home and check.
As he attempted to convince and reassure himself, his eyes wandered towards the room's clock.
It was eleven o'clock on a Monday morning.
His eyes widened.
Shit.
He was missing school!
Hell, forget about school, that was the third day in a row he hadn't cooked for Fujimura Taiga, having spent Saturday morning laying in bed and thinking about Arthur's death, and Sunday morning studying the Wasteland Survival Guide!
This was bad!
Shiro was going to kill him for that!
Hell, Shiro was probably going to lecture him for not talking to her for three days straight!
Oum, he needed to get back home as soon as possible, and figure out what to do!
Making sure he'd grabbed everything, he left the room, and took the elevator to the ground floor...
... and found out he was in some fancy hotel in the downtown area of Fuyuki City.
Even weirder, he'd apparently already paid for the one night stay.
Even though none of the money from his wallet was missing (he'd have to check his card's statement later).
... what in Oum's name had he been doing last night?!
He decided not to question it, between the prospect of a starving Taiga, an angry Shiro, and a missing dragonbone sword and Arc family scabbard, and instead left the receptionist a decently-sized tip as he hastily left for his apartment.
One tense twenty minute brisk walk later, he was at his apartment, as his mind continued to think up more and more explanations, theories, and suggestions for what had happened last night, why he'd been in a hotel, and where his sword was.
Fishing for his keys, he finally pulled them out, and unlocked his door, before quickly entering his apartment and looking around.
...
Nope, his sword and scabbard were not here.
...
Shit.
Just what in Oum's name had he done last night?
His mind frantically raced, even as he idly wondered just how bad it could be, if somebody got their hands on it.
... the thought of some kid accidentally freezing, burning, or electrocuting themselves (if they didn't just chop their hand off) had him jog his memories even harder.
Where had he been?
How had he even lost it?
Before he could think himself in circles, though, his eyes spotted a piece of paper under his phone.
Walking over to it, he picked it up, and read it.
Arc,
Found your sword and shield.
WE NEED TO TALK.
- Shiro
Jaune breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank Oum for Shiro.
He really owed her big time...
... wait, shield?
He read the note one more time.
Indeed, it did say "shield".
He knew for a fact that he hadn't shown her his shield.
Why did Shiro even had his sword and shield, anyway?
Hell, come to think of it, how had Shiro even left him this message anyway? He hadn't seen her for three days!
... had he seen her yesterday, and... somehow, for some reason, left his sword and shield with her, along with his keys, before she'd... dropped him off at the hotel?
... that made absolutely no sense.
Why would he do any of that?
If they had met yesterday, why would she leave him a message?
Why did she want to talk now, instead of having talked when they'd left?
Good news - he'd answered the question of where his sword and shield were.
Bad news - now he had a thousand questions.
Jaune sighed.
He really couldn't ever catch a break, could he?
At the same time, though...
The white-haired girl had helped him, given him a place to stay when he'd had nothing.
The pair hung out, cooked together, studied together.
He trusted her, thought of her as a friend.
He really couldn't imagine her doing something like what Cardin had...
Worst case scenario, she'd figured out he was the Huntsman, and wanted to confront him about it.
That was still bad, but if pushed he'd simply tell the entire truth.
She'd more than earned it, as far as he was concerned.
And if she didn't believe him (a likely scenario; as far as he could tell, in the current day and age they didn't believe in magic)...
Well, if his Aura couldn't convince her, he'd just ask what she wanted.
If she wanted him to leave...
Jaune shook his head.
No point wondering about it anymore.
The situation was simple.
She had his sword and shield, and she wanted to talk to him.
All he could do, was face the music.
He checked the time.
She should have been in school now.
But if it was urgent... if she was waiting for him...
...
Yeah, he should probably just drop by the Emiya Residence right now.
It was like dealing with Glynda or Weiss; the longer you delayed, the worse it was going to be.
And he'd just gotten home, too...
His feet were heavy, as he dragged himself up the hill and to Shiro's house, and his mind distracted itself from considering what lay in store for him by wondering why Shiro had his sword and shield.
Even now, he still couldn't figure it out.
And then, finally, too soon for his liking, he found himself standing outside the door to the Emiya Residence.
He took a deep breath, and his finger reached for the bell.
He pressed it.
He waited for a few moments.
There was no sound.
Just to be sure, he tried it again.
... phew, seemed like she wasn't home-
His ears perked, as he heard footsteps on the other side of the door.
... shit.
Well, no backing out now.
He took another deep breath, and prepared himself.
The door knob clicked.
"Hey, Shiro, I got your message about my..." Jaune began as soon as the door opened, before his voice slowly died away.
Instead a white-haired girl glaring at him, the first thing he saw when the door opened was a golden lock of hair at his eye level, which twitched repeatedly in distressed agitation.
He'd only seen something like it once, in all his misadventures, and he couldn't help but blurt out: "Arthur?!"
The lock of hair stiffened as his view slowly descended.
Instead of a young and rather-feminine boy with long blonde hair tied into a bun and warm and vivid green eyes, however...
What he saw was a beautiful and mature-looking woman with long blonde hair tied into a bun and cold and sharp green eyes staring wordlessly at him in shock.
As his gaze continued to go lower, he couldn't help but notice the woman's impressive chest, which was threatening to spill out of her regal blue dress.
Without a doubt, the person in front of him was not a young boy (which Arthur should have been, since Avalon should have kept him ageless), but a woman.
In fact, if he had to guess, he'd have said he'd run into this world's version of Yang Xiao-Long.
Tears began to roll down the woman's face.
Between that, and the utterly aghast look on her face when he'd mistaken her for Arthur, he could only assume he'd accidentally messed up.
Before the awkward silence could drag on any longer, Jaune decided to cut his losses and run, and made to slowly close the door even as he attempted to apologize: "I'm so sorry, I must have gotten the wrong address..."
Author's Note: Something something Jaune goes Super Saiyan something something why is there so much dialogue in this arc something something.
Or rather, even though I say that, I'm still mostly skipping over the more depressing parts, if only because I kept tearing up and feeling emotionally exhausted while writing them.
Naturally, I'm sure most, if not all, of the readers would have seen Jaune's Aura become a dragon soul coming. After all, it's something that's been teased and built up since... I don't even know, 90 chapters ago?
I'm sure people are more surprised by the fact that, unlike the Wasteland, Artoria and Jaune are actually having a face-to-face meeting before 14 chapters. Well, unlike the Wasteland, where the Brotherhood of Steel were purposely hiding their identities while Jaune and the Courier were running around all over the damn place, over here Jaune, Shiro, and Weiss go to the same school. And not only that, Jaune usually comes to Shiro's house in the mornings to cook breakfast for her and Taiga, and Shiro was already planning on dropping by Jaune's apartment to check on him if she couldn't reach him by phone before the Grail War kicked off. I couldn't keep them away without things getting too ridiculous and contrived (though that's never stopped me before, admittedly).
Don't worry, though. There's bigger questions that need answering, like whether Jaune can escape before Artoria stops freaking out and Shiro, Rin, and Velvet return to the Emiya Residence after a yakuza member tips them off that someone was spotted entering and leaving Jaune's apartment, before heading to Shiro's house (among other things).
On that note, enjoy this ending/feel free to continue roasting me, while I disappear for a week or two.
