So, at the time of posting the last chapter, this chapter was finished. I struggled for far too long with the chapter proceeding this one, but that one I finished two weeks ago. I haven't heard from Talndir and I'm getting a little anxious myself with being so long after the last update so I can't imagine what you guys are like. So, after a bunch of self-deliberation, I've decide to push this chapter through without proofing through Talndir. Also trying to deal with author-envy and the like. Reviews still down in number though some of you are kind enough to leave them (you know who you are and I appreciate all of you greatly, know that your reviews always inspire me to write more and bring smiles to my face everytime I see the notification on my phone, big or small.)
Being so far ahead, I've actually been writing a little bit on EoE and a little bit on a new project I got some inspiration for that's entirely out of my specialization. It'll be SoL and romance based between two characters (who are well known) that haven't been paired before, yet share many similarities.
Before I can finalize that though, I have to do some extensive research on one of the characters in question so it might be some time (Few weeks to month+) before it will premier. Make your guesses on the characters in the reviews if you like and give Talndir some love in the hopes that his schedule opens up so he can edit the next chapter.
"You're giving up the chance of a lifetime, Rin." The cool, monotonous voice in her head had been damning her to the pits of hell all night. How long was he going to keep pestering her when he knew she wouldn't change her mind?
"Shut up or I'll use a command seal on you, idiot." Blinking in minor frustration before letting out a sigh, the magus looked over her patient with some concern.
"He appears injured, killing him now would be trivial."
Rin bit her tongue. "I'm not going to kill him, my decision is final."
"You can at least admit I was right about his servant. Saber, King Arthur herself."
Rolling her eyes, the girl made an annoyed huff. "Alright, fine, you got one thing right. That doesn't mean you have to rub it in my face."
She could have sworn he heard him laughing but before she could berate him, the man spoke. "It's interesting that Illya's servant didn't decide to come along as well. It's unusual for a Shirou Emiya to lie and keep any of his cards hidden. I'm used to watching him lay his cards openly on the table for any and all to view."
Taking a deep breath, Rin reminded herself of what a strange servant Archer truly was: A counter-guardian that had experienced an infinite number of timelines. He knew "Shirou Emiya" more than the boy knew himself but at the same time, Archer knew nothing of the Shirou Emiya she was familiar with. "We can only work with what we have."
When the servant neglected to respond, she assumed he had grown tired of speaking with her. With silence in her mind, she carefully went to work preparing her own mental state for the procedure she was about to attempt.
Rin even went so far as to cut off her mental connection with Archer. She needed absolute concentration for the operation otherwise she risked injuring Illya and then they would have no choice but to kill Shirou when he inevitably lashed out at her. She wasn't clueless. She knew her place in Shirou's mind and while it wasn't first it was somewhere close.
So for her own health, she had to make sure her meddling didn't break anything. Approaching her patient from the head of the table, Rin softly closed her eyes and placed both hands on either side of Illya's head.
Her father's books had taught her a great deal, including spells to render magi unconscious and warnings on how difficult it was to dispel them forcibly. The best option without any possibility of harm was to let them awaken naturally, though sometimes that was months or years in the future; unless the caster removed the affliction themselves.
From what she knew, spells that rendered magi unconscious manipulated a simple biological feedback loop on the same system as a pain-induced shock. Mana told the brain the body was in too much pain and each time the brain checked to see if it could awaken, the mana continued to tell it no.
But a spell of that type was absolutely useless when the subject had better circuits than the caster. It was a well-known fact that magi rejected foreign mana signatures within their own body and such a property extended through all fields of magecraft. It was why magi couldn't hypnotize other magi among other things.
Illya had the best circuits and greatest mana capacity that Rin had ever known. It vastly exceeded the reserves of every mage in Fuyuki combined, so what sort of person had been able to break through a defence as great as that?
Taking a calming breath, the Tohsaka recalled the words scrawled in her father's old tomes and searched the darkness of her eyelids for the thread that would lead her to Illya.
… … …
… … …
It was deathly silent in the house. Sitting on a luxurious looking chair that was much stiffer than appearances would inform, he actually wondered if he could hear mice in the walls or if something was clawing its way out from inside his skull.
Saber cleared her throat softly, directing the attention of the two men in the room. "It appears Rin's servant does not wish to show themselves."
"Quite rude, is it not?" Lancer added, pacing around the room slowly.
Exhausted, Shirou could barely keep his eyes open, but sleep refused to let him drift off. "She might be purposefully keeping them away. They didn't seem to like me very much."
Saber made a small hum. "It's fortunate the girl does, otherwise-" she paused as if a taser had just been jammed against her spine. "Shirou, how did Rin's servant attack you?"
The question was odd, odd enough to make the boy open his eyes and focus on his servant for a moment. He had never thought to tell her the details of the encounter beyond that it had happened. He had expected Lancer to handle that. "With a projectile of some sort. I'm pretty sure it was a sword."
Saber bolted upright. "We must leave immediately."
Confused by her panic, the boy tried to sit forward but a sharp pain forced him back into the chair. "What are you talking about, Saber? I told you Rin was-"
"Rin Tohsaka, correct. In the last war, another Tohsaka acted as a master as well." To Shirou it was obvious but it seemed to be some great revelation to the servant. "This man commanded one of the most fearsome servants, Archer, a man capable of killing everyone involved in the Holy Grail War without taking so much as a single step or lifting a finger." The gravity in her voice was concerning but Shirou was still lost. "What does that have anything to do with right now?"
"We are in grave danger. It is likely the catalyst was passed down, and the only servant remaining is-"
"Archer," Lancer finished, face growing grim. "We know Assassin to throw small weapons, not swords and especially not ones as destructive as that had been." The servant's head snapped to look at the door he had carried his master through just moments prior.
With no small effort, Shirou found the strength to sit up and devote his attention to the conversation. "You think Rin summoned a servant that powerful but didn't kill Lancer and me when he had the chance and let us enter her home without showing himself?"
Lancer shifted subtlety, appearing ready to take on any perceived threat at the drop of a hat. It was very perplexing to see a woman as slim as Missy take on a pose only fit for a trained swordsman. "It is a tactical decision, luring prey until they are most docile and unexpecting before striking at full force."
"Rin wouldn't do that!" Shirou claimed, raising his voice as the annoyance and pain started to give way to anger. Calming quickly, he settled back into the chair once more. "I told you, she's not that kind of person. I trust her, so leave it at that."
"Shirou-"
"I said leave it. She's a good person and I…" he trailed off. He had wanted to say something, but as he thought about his words, his thoughts fell apart. Trying to think of the word he wanted to say only brought back an empty sensation as if it didn't exist. Even trying to determine which emotion he wanted to convey only returned with nothing.
"I understand," Lancer claimed, and Shirou was thankful that someone had at the very least. The servant straightened and returned to his formerly relaxed stance. "My liege, I believe we should put some faith in our master."
Before anyone could respond, the door Rin had been working behind opened and with a soft noise, she broke into a half-hearted smirk. "I've done what I can, now we just have to wait until she wakes up normally."
All at once, weight was removed from his shoulders and his next breath was far less painful than the last. Without thinking, he stood and cleared the distance between to wrap Rin up in a tight hug.
The girl flinched in his arms and the sudden contact elicited a noise of surprise. Hesitantly, she reciprocated and after realizing Saber and Lancer were watching, she hid her face in his chest and murmured "idiot. You're welcome but stop embarrassing me."
Recognizing his actions after the fact, he awkwardly released her and took a shaking step back as the pain in his body gradually returned. "Sorry, I was just-"
The girl caught his hand before he could fully step back and looked up to him with an embarrassed flush. "We need to talk in private, you can thank me then," she explained in the barest whisper.
Understanding her desire for privacy, Shirou bit his tongue to hold his words for that time. With Rin still holding his hand, she led him through the door into the room she had been working in.
It was small and simplistic with an unused appearance. An ornate wooden counter with a few books and sheets of paper onto sat at the far wall, past a large flat table of similar design that made up the majority of the space and contained Illya's unconscious form. Based on the stacked chairs and unlabeled boxes stacked into the corner, it was a room designed for storage though it was kept clean and ordered regardless.
Being led in, the boy dropped Rin's hand and shifted past her to approach the table, certifying that she was alright with a contact-enhanced trace. There wasn't much he could determine in the way of foreign mana, but he could detect physical abnormalities. She was fine but the copy of Avalon he had implanted within her had disappeared some time ago, as he had expected.
The door behind him made a soft click and with a stream of breath, the Tohsaka joined him at this side. "Should I ask what happened or are you not going to tell me? We're enemies in this War but at the same time..." She trailed off, staring at the side of his face for an answer.
"We don't have to be enemies. Nothing says that the masters need to be killed." Sharpening his eyes, Shirou focused entirely on Illya as he recalled the events. Even though it happened just a few hours ago, it felt more like days. Words came as they were thought, starting from when Lancer first told him of the Einzbern's arrival. He even told Rin about both times he used his reality marble and what he knew about Rider.
Once he was finished, he gave the girl a look and found her staring at him in blatant concern. "Shirou, you can't push yourself so far with magecraft like that. Reality marbles are mostly undocumented, there's no telling what sort of repercussions using an incomplete one for so long can do to you." Her hand shifted to cover his own but her eyes moved to stare away from his face.
With an unnatural coldness, he responded before his brain understood his own answer. "So long as it lets me protect her it doesn't matter." Hearing himself in such a manner not only disturbed Rin but himself and while he questioned where the thought had originated, Rin asked him a question he was already sick of hearing.
"Are you feeling alright?" Hesitating when he didn't answer, she continued with obvious care in her tone. "You needed help to walk in and you look like you haven't slept in days."
Trying to avoid eye contact, he ran a hand down his face. "I'm fine, I haven't slept in a day so I'm just tired."
"It's more than that. You look different and even your skin feels weird." To familiarize herself with it, she ran her fingers along the back of his hand and almost flinched. "It's coarse like sandpaper."
Pulling his hand away at what he could only call an insult, the boy examined his own digits, finding nothing with his eyes. A trace revealed something more. Despite not having his reality marble active, portions of his skin were beginning to heal normally with a microscopic lattice pattern like sword flesh.
It was a subtle mutation but it was horrifying nonetheless. His reality marble was starting to override his own body. Just how damaging had his actions been?
He struggled to get out a single word, unable to focus on his newfound mutation and Rin. "If you keep putting yourself in danger you're going to wind up dead." The cold comment brought him back to the conversation. "And then you won't be able to protect anyone." She was right, if he got himself killed, nobody would be there to protect Illya.
"I-"
"You never think about what your reckless actions do to others," she continued, drawing Shirou's gaze.
Her face was contorted in a blend of emotions. Sadness, concern and fear all wrapped up in hot, wet anger. She didn't cry, Rin would never let herself, but her eyes were wet and on the edge. His hand hesitantly reached out to her but stopped partway. "Rin, I-"
"I couldn't sleep last night because I thought you were dead." Reaching beneath the collar of her sweater the magus retrieved something and roughly jarred downward to break the silver chain it was attached to. Thrusting her hand forward, he reflexively reached out to take it.
Examining the broken piece of jewelry, Shirou couldn't see anything beyond a simple rust coloured teardrop-shaped gemstone. The rust coloured darkened in shade as it neared the center but otherwise it was rather simplistic and far from anything noteworthy. "What is this?"
"It's what I used to keep track of you," Rin stated matter-of-factly. "I mentioned it to you before, but that was my way of knowing you were safe and alive. Before last night, there was something inside that reflected the strength of your heartbeat."
Turning it over in his fingers, the boy couldn't find anything to that description. "It's not working."
Rin stared up into his eyes resolutely, blinking rapidly to keep the wetness of her eyes from leaking. "Whatever you did last night broke it. I thought for sure that something had happened and you had died, but I couldn't bring myself to believe it. There was so much I wanted to say when I saw you standing at my door but I couldn't believe you were alive either."
She was in pain. There wasn't a cut or bruise on her but she was hurting almost as much as he was. It only exacerbated his own suffering to see someone he was close to in such a condition, but there was something wrong. He wanted to reach out and hold her, comfort her with words and promises but his brain wouldn't let him. Something was telling him that it was a waste of energy.
That she was superfluous.
He tried to force himself to consider her as important but a sharp stabbing pain struck the front of his head. Clutching at his forehead, the edges of his vision closed in and a single pervasive thought refused to leave.
She's an enemy master, killing her is just putting me one step closer to the Grail.
Gritting his teeth, Shirou forcibly ejected the thought and tried to understand where the hell it had even come from. It was as if there were two people fighting in his brain and he wasn't quite sure which one had the most control.
Absently, he noticed the warmth of a hand and a set of concerned eyes peering into his. "If you tell me what's going on I can try to help fix whatever it is."
Staring into those glassy aqua eyes, the boy debated with himself on what to do or how to even explain what he was experiencing. The evidence told him that his body was being altered by the use of his reality marble, but was such a thing even possible? And what if it was, and these mutations were permanent and would it only get worse? Would she think of him as some type of mutant and abandon him?
There was a pit within his stomach that made him feel sick, even while lost in Rin's eyes. She had always been for him before, would she still be now? "I think something happened with my reality marble," he admitted.
Rin blinked, understandably missing his meaning. "Did you figure out the next line?"
"I think I went too far with what I already have," he admitted. "A lot happened last night, there's a lot to tell."
"That's fine, we have all night," she responded automatically. "I might as well do it now, but I was going to ask if you wanted to spend the night and," she paused to take a large breath. "We can talk about it later."
"What about Illya?"
Rin was quick to respond. "Saber can take her to a bedroom, all of the guest rooms are available." He was in no condition to transport her himself, so he nodded absently and found both hands gripped tight to direct his entire body toward Rin. "The last time I saw you, you wanted to work together, right?"
Shirou blinked and looked down at their conjoined hands and a flickering, clear glimpse of the memories he had last night returned to him. Had Rin been at the Einzbern castle or had that been some sort of illusion? His mind was such a jumble that it was impossible to tell.
His memories drew him further, drawing him out of the Tohsaka manor and into some strange, sun-baked land of red. Feeling himself dissociation, the boy roughly yanked himself back to reality by tightening his grip on Rin's hands. Stumbling with an answer, he cleared his thoughts and nodded. Why was it so difficult to speak? "That's what I wanted to do, but your servant-"
"Won't be a problem anymore," Rin finished. Watching him struggle to form a response, Rin grew increasingly concerned. "You really need to sleep, Illya can rest too alright?"
There was a fog closing around his skull. His entire body felt heavy and it was difficult to concentrate on just standing upright. His eyes drooped closed and when they re-opened he was being led into a room on the second floor. As soon as the bed was within reach, the boy collapsed onto the soft surface and the fog eclipsed his mind, drawing him into that wicked heat.
… … …
… … …
The Magus Killer looked down at the digital watch strapped to his wrist, released a sharp breath, then looked toward Missy. "It doesn't look like Shirou is going to make it back in time, we're leaving without her."
Missy flinched violently and beamed at him with wide eyes. "But master, what about your plan?"
"You'll have to come back tomorrow to see if he returned. It's too dangerous to stay here any longer. I need you to grab one of my notebooks before we go." With a goal in mind, Missy quickly to complete it.
Looking out of the yard, Kiritsugu watched the sunlight climb up his legs before looking up to the sun as it fully disappeared behind the horizon. In a few minutes, total darkness would cover Fuyuki. Night-time had never been particularly frightening to him. Some said that monsters came out with the darkness, and in the time of the Grail War, they were right.
But monsters that came out at night weren't anything scary. Kiritsugu was more afraid of the monsters that strode around in broad daylight. Impatiently looking at his watch again, the man stuffed both hands into his coat and waited for Missy's arrival.
A hand landed on his left shoulder. It was odd coming from Missy but with stress so high it wasn't unexpected for people to act strangely. "Did you get the notebook?"
"I did, where did you say Shirou was again?"
Kiritsugu furrowed his brow. It wasn't like Missy to forget. Turning to look at her, he was met with something ivory and violet. Instincts kicked into overdrive and without hesitating, the same elbow that strange hand rested on raised up and shot back to strike the individual in the face.
There was no impact against his arm, so the attack had missed but he was already moving to make a second strike. Both hands worked simultaneously. The elbow that had just shot back stuffed itself into his coat to wrap around the grip of his second favourite weapon and his remaining free arm, the right, hooked sharply to collide with the side of the assailant's face.
His punch landed, but it glanced just slightly and didn't do any damage. Snapping the hand holding his gun up and out, something sharp and metallic embedded itself in his hand, forcing him to drop the weapon to the ground as his joints and muscles failed.
Despite the pain, his eyes had a chance to examine his assailant. It was a woman with charred, blackened skin of very lithe build. She was short, clad in soiled bandages and had flowing violet hair that descended to the back of her ankles. The only point of notable concern was the conversely clean ivory mask sat upon her face.
The realizations came all at once. There were no doubts that the person he was looking at was Assassin. They were similar to the one he saw during his War, but unmistakably different all the same. Their skin colour was far darker and their eyes were dominated by two orbs of blue flame that followed their face as it shifted. As far as he could tell, it wasn't a simple magecraft trick with the mask, as the flame poured from the eye slits themselves.
The servant wasn't moving yet and since he wasn't dead, that obviously wasn't their intention so he spared his wounded hand a glance. It wasn't pretty and he would bleed out if he didn't staunch the blood flow.
The voice he heard had unmistakably been Missy's, so the servant was capable of imitation to some capacity. Speaking of, where had she gone?
With a flick of the wrist, the glint of sharpened steel flashed to the night. Expecting another attack, he was surprised when she merely spoke. "We do not care for ancient warriors, we only search for the champion."
Not even bothering why trying to understand whatever riddle the servant spewed, he detailed the situation. With one hand down and one of his primary weapons on the ground, it wasn't the best start. He had a knife, a grenade and his Contender but none of those would be enough to cause any damage, let alone fast enough to land a hit.
"The warrior with no tongue is often soft of mind," the servant claimed, tossing the blade from one hand to the other. "Be careful not to hold your tongue too long. When next you try to use it, you may find it removed."
Listening after realizing he would be dead if she wanted him to be, the man narrowed his eyes. "What do you want from me?"
"The dormant weapon speaks. Tell us, where is the champion?" Glancing over the servant's shoulder, Kiritsugu spotted Missy who was watching from the edge of the doorway. Seamlessly, the assassin turned her hand to point the blade in her direction. "Without sight in the light, when the night falls we see all."
Clenching his jaw in frustration, the Magus Killer decided their best option was to cooperate. "What champion?"
"The champion," the servant confirmed, producing a ghostly laugh. "A champion exceeds expectations, this man has done precisely that. An heir, but not of blood and flesh."
Kiritsugu's eyes narrowed further before he realized what the servant was trying to ask. "You want to know where Shirou is," he stated more than asked. After the servant nodded, Kiritsugu asked why.
"It is easier to glean knowledge from others than it is to forge it alone." The assassin tilted her head when he hesitated further. "We will acquire his location regardless, it is only a matter of time." Holding his silence, Kiritsugu tried to figure out a possible way to escape this confrontation. If they tried to escape, would the servant simply kill them?
"What are your intentions?"
"We wish only to observe, nothing more and nothing less." Something about their tone was shockingly genuine, though trusting an assassin was a total leap of faith. As if sensing his uncertainty, the woman placed her empty hand on her chest and bowed. "Honour among thieves," she claimed.
If he didn't tell her, she would kill him, it was obvious. What scared him was the uncertainty of what she would do if he did. "My knowledge has a condition."
The servant merely nodded.
"Do not harm Lancer's master, my daughter."
The servant picked up their form immediately. "To harm the vessel defeats our very purpose of existence."
Huffing out a short breath that was a mix between a laugh and disbelief, Kiritsugu lightly shook his injured hand as if to throw the pain away. Would answering the question involve himself in the War or were his actions necessary to ensure something? "The Tohsaka manor."
With those three words, an eerie laugh echoed from the servant. "The forgotten weapon is compatible with others, a stirring development. We will be in touch and do not worry, we will come to you."
The servant faded away, but rather than become a cloud of mana sparks like Lancer, the servant seemingly became one with the darkness itself and vanished from sight.
Once certain they were gone, Missy exited the house. "Master?"
Kiritsugu reached down to collect his dropped weapon. "The plan stays the same," was all he said.
Approaching, the woman watched and stared into his eyes when he stood upright. "May I tend to your injury before we leave?"
… … …
… … …
Not only was Rin refusing to listen to him, but she wouldn't even let him hear through her ears. Maybe it had been a mistake to lay all of his cards out on the table, but this War was a first and his resentment had nearly compelled him.
There was an intense amount of hate for Shirou Emiya barely being contained by his own sense of will. Rin had told him that they were different, that the dissimilarities were obvious but it hardly mattered.
A Shirou Emiya was always a Shirou Emiya. It didn't matter whether they were from one world or the next, the inevitable transformation into a Hero of Justice, a counter guardian, was assured.
He had considered appearing and murdering Shirou before Rin could say a word. Though, if her desires were strong enough, she could enact a command seal with just a simple thought. He would know, he had done exactly that himself.
If she was refusing to let him listen in, he would simply forget to inform her he was leaving to fulfill his other obligations. He had said he would meet with Luvia every day and he was rather interested in hearing about what they found at the Einzbern castle.
Taking a step off the top of the roof, his entire body suddenly screamed in danger. Snatching his foot back, the servant followed his instincts and span on the spot, kicking out his foot as he did to strike whatever had snuck up on him.
His leg collided with something, but rather than follow through it abruptly stopped. Something sharp clenched down, threatening to break his reinforced bones through pressure alone.
Before they shattered, the man pulled his other leg up to let his upper body fall. Cushioning the impact with the roof by bending his arms, he roughly forced himself toward the attacker and used his other leg to kick the foe at where he suspected center mass would be.
With a sharp grunt, his opponent was toppled backwards, but his grip was resolute. Being thrown in a large arc, Archer was released at the apex and tossed clear from the roof into the backyard of the Tohsaka manor.
With a quick shift of his weight, the man landed on his feet and immediately projected a bow to fire at his former location. Before he could, something solid and robust collided with his side and sent him sprawling across the ground and his bow out of his hand.
Rolling with the blow and reinforcing his arms, the servant launched himself into the air. Another bow filled his hands and dozens of broken arrows littered his previous location, exploding violently as they struck what appeared to be absolutely nothing.
Landing on the ground, Archer traced the ground and air to try and find disturbances but came up entirely dry. It was as if his enemies didn't exist but that was obviously false. The servant reinforced his eyes but couldn't see anything either despite the night being illuminated with a quarter moon. Just as he considered his own insanity, something at the edges of his vision shifted and brought forth a hail of arrows.
Predictably with the explosions, Rin's panicked voice filled his mind. "Archer, what's happening out there?"
"Company," was all he had time to respond with before another shifting shape forced him to release another volley of arrows.
His instincts were screaming so many directions that it was starting to become a blur. It was as if he was under attack from a hundred different directions but it was obvious most of them were false positives.
The strongest signal was from directly behind and a quick duck only made him look stupid as no attack came.
Halfway through standing upright, something sharp pierced the armour protecting his midsection. Grimacing at the burning pain, his arm snapped down to slam the upper limb of his bow upon the target.
He managed to actually hit something this time, and with a soft thump, a humanoid figure gradually appeared on the ground from the darkness. Their skin was blackened and their head was covered with some sort of hood, but it was undoubtedly a servant. Assassin, if the tactics, coordination and number of attacks were any indication.
"Stay inside, the servant is Assassin, an expert at killing masters." While it might have been redundant to tell Rin such a thing, there was no harm in being extra cautious.
Scanning his perimeter for the next threat, an eerie silent stillness descended upon the area. Archer couldn't help but feel as if he was being watched by a thousand hungry eyes that all wanted to tear him limb from limb. Seconds passed but he couldn't see so much as a shift in the darkness. Then something struck his back.
It was incredibly thin and the impact had been nonexistent but it still managed to cut straight through his clothing regardless. It hadn't been particularly deep, but like a cat's scratch, it had torn rather than sliced and caused more pain than anything. Before he could fully turn to face whatever had attacked him, he received another lashing in the same spot.
Gritting his teeth, the servant snapped his bow in the assumed direction of the attack and launched a half dozen replicating arrows in a blanket strike. While the innumerable minor explosions echoed through the night, another slash sent his back arching backwards. While not life-threatening, it was certainly annoying as all hell.
Growling, Archer whipped his head around, catching a haunting laugh he recognized all too well. "You want to play dirty? That's fine by me."
Rather than direct his bow to some target on the ground, the man shifted his attention directly upwards and pulled a very unique sword from his reality marble.
The sword materialized and upon completion the archer let it fly. With a rather unique whistle, it flew straight up into the sky, seemingly doing nothing at all and eliciting another sickening laugh from around him.
Archer couldn't help but smirk in self-satisfaction. With smooth movements, the man locked the bow horizontally and drew the string back without a nocked arrow. Closing his eyes as another slash struck the same exact spot on his back, Archer began a countdown. "Three," another slash. Blood was dripping down the open wounds on his back. "Two," there were shuffling noises at his sides. "One," he could hear the whistle of his weapon returning.
Opening his eyes to a squint, a brilliant flash of pure white light illuminated the entire backyard as if it were noon. More than a dozen cries and screams of pain resounded at the same time and at least a hundred figures became known to his eyes. They all dressed in similar fashion, ivory skull-like masks iconic to the Hassan-i-Sabbah but had different body shapes. As the light continued bathing them all, dozens vanished into clouds of black smoke though dozens of slightly similar ones remained.
Deciding to start somewhere and go from there, Archer materialized an arrow so that it was already notched in his bow and released his fingers on the first target. It was a man, or so his body shape would suggest. In the time it took to blink, the arrow landed within center mass and exploded, blasting the target backwards through hedges into the wrought iron gate surrounding the property. The light was fading already, but it was more than enough for him to see every target surrounding his location.
There were exactly twenty-seven still standing, and they all appeared to be in intense writhing pain under the light. A handful searched for growing shadows to hide within but they wouldn't get the chance. Moving and drawing his bow at the same time, an arrow was formed and fired as soon as it possibly could be. Another enemy was blasted to the wall and the cycle repeated for five more assailants.
On the eighth, something strange happened. With his sharp ears, he could hear the remaining assailants chant an incantation in unison. "Zabaniya: Febrile Inspiration."
It was a noble phantasm undoubtedly, though it was different from the one he was used to. The Assassin he had dealt with had a similar phrase to activate his noble phantasm, but that had been "Delusional Heartbeat". Obviously he wasn't fighting the same servant, but it was still something of note regardless.
The light had faded to a level around that of a full moon, offering decent visibility but nothing spectacular. Squinting to locate his next target, he could have sworn that their skin had taken on a glimmering quality. The thought didn't prevent him from nocking another arrow and firing it away.
Blinking, he heard the impact and opened his eyes to the explosion, but his target remained standing. In fact, they hadn't even moved from the spot and they had started laughing.
Scowling, Archer drew the string back again and replaced his arrows with a sword; simple ones, to test his opponent's new defences.
String drawn, weapon projected, the synthetic bow groaned as if anticipating the stress it would undergo. His fingers released and the bow fought to escape his grasp as it flung the projectile. Holding steady, the sword-arrow streamed through the night faster than the normal arrows he had fired before. Considering the fact his bow had been made to fire blades, such a thing was to be expected.
What wasn't expected, was for Assassin to deflect the new weapon with the back of their hand. Archer felt his eyes widen in surprise of their own volition and as the weapon exploded harmlessly in the background, blue orbs of flame blossomed upon the servant's mask.
The one that had deflected his sword spoke. "We had expected such childish tricks from the shadow's imitation. We expect many more as well. You fail to meet even the lowest expectation."
"I expected you to be less of a pain in my ass but it seems like we're both out of luck."
The remaining Assassin's spoke in uncanny unison. "You will die this night. Find salvation in dying quietly with dignity, in lieu of fighting toward a miserable, hopeless demise."
All at once, the Assassin's fell silent, leering at him as the light returned to its original darkened state. With the darkness in place, the Assassin's were only identifiable by the flick ring orbs of flame. Getting flashbacks to the night prior, the Assassins rapidly multiplied until the number was overwhelming.
For overwhelming numbers, he needed overwhelming offence and only one asset in his arsenal provided such a thing. Activating all of his magic circuits, a rush of heat and mana flooded through his veins. "I am the bone of my sword."
The Assassin's collectively laughed, eyes shifting over one another as the perimeter they made steadily contracted. Softly, beneath the sound of cackling laughter, there was the unfolding of heavy cloth and a disgusting crackle of disused joints. "Zabaniya…"
There was no way he could enact his reality marble before Assassin used whatever noble phantasm was at their disposal. Grimacing, he considered his options and found he didn't have very many; fewer still that he would willingly choose. Trying to continue his aria was a fool's errand at that point, so he would have to change tactics again.
Before he could, a decidedly womanly cry broke his concentration. Several pairs of flaming eyes shifted to the source before leaping away like cats from a pool of water. One side of the circle had fled and it had been a good decision. A wall of compressed air rapidly flew through the area, levelling the delicately trimmed foliage of the backyard and flinging loose objects about.
Archer didn't even need to look to know who it was, and it was only due to quick thinking that he prevented an absolute catastrophe. Using the mana that would have been devoted to his reality marble, the man projected a thick white cloak he had used many years ago. Materializing in a mere moment, the garment covered his features and allowed some decent anonymity in the night.
Not about to waste the exit created for him, the servant quickly shifted mana into his legs and leapt through the gap into the cleared patch of the yard. Swift, clanking footfalls sounded from behind him as he tried to lock onto the moving Assassins. Unfortunately, they had all returned to the shadows and the flaming eyes once acting as his markers had disappeared.
Within a moment, the metal clamour was at his side and a regrettably familiar voice reached his ears. "I apologize for being so late. There was a complication with my master's sister."
His back unconsciously straightened at the excuse. Something was wrong with Illya? Was she in pain or at risk of dying? Blinking and refocusing on the matter at hand, he quickly scanned the perimeter to find dozens of shifting shapes surrounding them. With an agreeable grunt, the servant haphazardly tossed his synthetic bow to the night and used some clever sleight of hand to make it appear as if he had drawn his tested swords from within his cloak.
With a soft clatter, something cold and hard pressed against his wounded back. Without having to look, the man understood what the King of Knights was doing. Surrounded on all sides, their best option was standing back to back and handling enemies as they came.
The night was deathly still beyond the shifting shapes swirling around them. Archer was curious as to why they refused to attack with Saber present, but the answer was more or less part of the question.
A voice from behind opened his ears but his other senses were devoted to watching his side. "Dragon of Wind, why is it that you protect the false shadow? His death is of no concern to you."
Saber remained resolute, and memories from a time long forgotten came flooding back anew. "Archer's master and my own have entered an alliance," the woman said bluntly. "It would be a grave mark against me were I to allow him to fall."
Saber was nothing if not perceptive. Shirou and her had obviously narrowed down his identity to a single class and she had discovered he was a male simply from a grunt, though the latter was less surprising. Looked over his shoulder, a single motionless pair of flaming eyes stared back at him.
The Assassin's hissed like a snake ready to attack. "The champion and the heartless mistress, how foul a taste." A rancorous disjointed wave of aggravated noises swirled around them and continued like a swarm of angered hornets. "Foul, foul, foul! How foul to have such meticulous planning ruined by Helios!" There was unhidden rage in the servant's voice, the first genuine emotion Archer had ever seen. "Perhaps our role is less of the playwright and more the actor?"
With a soft rush of air and a loud clank, Saber drew attention to herself. "I know nothing of the riddles you speak, Assassin. If you have no desire to fight us both, your only option is to leave."
The servant in the shadows paused. "We see, we see. Sophocles then, it is unavoidable. We are to draw the champion as the sun did Icarus." The blue orbs shook vigorously up and down. "This has been a revelation, something imperative and we thank you humbly."
Rolling his eyes beneath the brim of his cloak, Archer wondered if Assassin would ever shut up. Saber appeared to be listening intently as if she understood the message entirely though Archer couldn't help but remain focused on Assassin.
The servant's eyes drooped until they were nearly out of sight, was the servant bowing in the darkness? "As punishment, your pitiful existence will last another day."
In the time it took the blink, the eyes vanished and Archer's sense of danger left with them. Breathing out a soft sigh that steamed in the night, the man "replaced" both weapons beneath his cloak before turning his back to Saber.
He knew what this Shirou Emiya looked like - like Archer himself - but had no idea what he sounded or acted like. Anything he did had a chance to clue her in to his identity and there was no telling what sort of disaster that would result in.
With the threat gone, expectedly the woman turned to face him and offered a stiff respectful nod while lowering her weapon. She was waiting for him to speak, but when he neglected to say a word, she narrowed her eyes and spoke on his behalf. "You're welcome," which was far less warming than it ought to have been with a blade in her hand.
Keeping his head down, he made an exaggerated nod to ensure Saber would see that was what he was doing. "Being our first encounter, I should inform you that I have not forgotten your attempt at my master's life."
He couldn't respond to that with any sort of gesture unless he wanted to shrug. There was a high chance that would lead to a battle though, so he remained motionless.
Saber continued despite the silence. "Our masters have decided it best to work together. Even so, I do not trust you with my master's life and will not allow you to be out in a position that could control it. If you have any complaints with such a notion then feel free to voice them right now." Even through the thick cloak, he could feel Saber's burning emerald eyes bore holes through him.
The King of Knights was subtly challenging him to a battle while pretending to be defensive, though he wasn't falling for it. Keeping silent, Saber eventually turned to walk away. "Very well, then I hope that we may find victory together, Archer."
He nodded once more, releasing a breath he didn't know he had been holding as he did. Lifting his head, he watched as Saber strode confidently back to the Tohsaka manor, dispelling her armour and donning a suit as she did.
He blinked and grew confused. Not only did he not have a suit for her during his war, but he also didn't have the mana supply to support the on-demand formation of her armour. Thinking about Shirou and himself, Saber's comment on Illya struck him in the face.
"Rin is something wrong with Illy-"
"Just shut up for a minute!"
Flinching like a whipped dog, Archer rubbed the side of his skull in pain as the sound of Rin's angered voice bounced around. It seemed that nobody wanted him around, which wasn't entirely a problem. Letting out a sigh, the man turned away from the manor and looked off into the nearby forest. He still had to meet with Luvia and he had gained an excuse to be away from the manor.
… … …
… … …
The girl's eyes flickered open to a strange room. It wasn't the same one she had fallen asleep in and it definitely wasn't a place she remembered.
Eyes fully open, the girl realized she was in a different bed entirely and that she wasn't alone in the room. Twisting to peer at her watcher, a familiar face met her eyes.
"It is good to see you are awake, O master. We hope your rest was peaceful at the very least. We tried to be quiet while moving in your affairs." The voice from behind the ivory mask was soft, surprisingly so.
Looking around while clearing her eyes for sleep, Sakura drank in the layout of what was supposed to be her new room for the remainder of the War. Shockingly, it was far more luxurious than her real room back in the Matou manor. With hardwood floors and cloth-based partitions for walls, it was illuminated by flickering candles spaced on the various pieces of furniture. On that same notion, it was fully furnished with a standing wardrobe, dresser, night tables and even a large vanity; all of which appeared to come from the same set. Through the gentle firelight, she could see an extremely familiar swan statue resting on the center of the vanity, carefully watching over her.
Looking down at herself, Sakura realized she had been sleeping while fully clothed but she didn't remember falling asleep. All she could remember was a strange dream where she was watching people fight at Rin's home. Had that been real?
Throwing the covers off herself, the girl kicked off her bed in search of her servant. As the dreaminess left her, she realized that the ceiling, formerly thought to be nonexistent, was a large swatch of black cloth strung across the area. If the objective was to make it appear invisible, it had been a success.
The door was set far from the bed, interestingly made of wood and joined to the cloth walls with clumsy craftsmanship. The well-made room made such a simple thing seem so much worse than it actually was. Opening the door, Sakura was greeted to pitch blackness. Blinking in confusion, she reached her hand out tentatively, as if the mere lack of light would somehow bite.
Glancing between the room and the pervasive darkness, Sakura collected one of the candles from her room and stepped out into the darkness.
Even with a source of light, she couldn't see very much at all. On the first step, she had a minor heart attack as the edge of the door dropped off a few inches onto solid stone. Stumbling from the act, Sakura realized just how dark it really was outside of her room.
Every direction beyond that which lead toward the door was pitch black. Even the candle did nothing to reveal any definitive boundary beyond the floor, a cold blackish gray.
If the stone floor, dampness, darkness and echo of her footsteps were anything to go off of, she was in some sort of cave. Thinking back to Assassin's comments earlier, it made sense. This was supposed to be their new home for the War but how could it be considered anything of the sort when it was so inhospitable was beyond her.
"Is the residence suited to your stature?" The hollow voice from behind her nearly gave her a heart attack. Whirling around she saw a copy of Assassin looming over her like a predator over prey. "Custom tooled for your comfort," the imitation claimed, tilting its head to an awkward painful angle.
Awkwardly, Sakura nodded. "It's nice, but how did you get all of it down here?"
The Assassin snickered and its head descended to her eye level in a gradual, fluid motion. The only thing she could see was the ivory mask being bathed in blue light from the servant's eyes. Its body was concealed in total darkness, further contributing to the creepy appearance. "Thieves of the night work best with secrets closely guarded."
Translating the riddle as, "I'm not telling", Sakura decided that she was better off not knowing anyway. It was strange to see other versions of Assassin beyond the Original greeting her but before she could ask the question, Assassin spoke again. "We must speak of your betrothed."
Sakura blinked and asked, "Shirou? Is there something wrong with him?"
The assassin softly shook its head. "The champion holds no physical ailments, however, he is within the company of a siren." When Sakura didn't express any sort of comprehension of the message, the servant tried explaining it in a new way. "With a rival of the heart?"
Jerking to attention, Sakura caught on. "Shirou is with Rin? But they're both masters, are they working together somehow?"
"We have deemed cooperation highly likely," the servant bobbed its head in agreement. "The means of which it was achieved are beyond our capabilities."
Sakura struggled to comprehend the thought. Why had Shirou decided to work with Rin over her? Both of their servants had tried to attack him, but Rin's had been far more aggressive. Was there any specific reason that he had chosen Rin over her? Did he love her more?
"O master?" A voice echoed from deeper within the cave. Turning away from the first copy of Assassin, she spotted another looming mask slowly approaching within the darkness. "I should have expected you to be curious upon waking, but your best interest is remaining within your room, lest you get lost."
"What do you mean?" Sakura began, turning to look toward where she knew her room would be. She was taken aback after finding empty darkness where the room should have been. Had her sense of direction been that far off the mark?
"Losing focus on one's surroundings is often fatal." Hands landed on her shoulders before she was abruptly turned thirty degrees to the right. If she squinted, she could just barely see the flickering flame of a candle through an open door.
Biting the inside of her lip due to the embarrassment of being treated like a child, Sakura couldn't conjure a reasonable response. Deciding to obey her servant and return to her room, she carefully stepped through the darkness toward the light. "One of the other Assassin's told me about Shirou."
"We know, our eyes are shared. The development is unfortunate but we must react regardless. The false imitation, the Dragon of Wind and the white knight are operating in unison. We need to change our way of operation, but we need your permission."
"As long as Shirou doesn't get hurt, do what you need to,' Sakura claimed. There was a chance that Assassin would have to kill Rin to separate the two, but a part of her thought such an outcome was good. That part of her wanted Assassin to kill her so she wouldn't have to fight for Shirou any more.
At the same time, an opposing part considered Rin a friend and she was her sister. Had Kiritsugu managed to kill Zouken or keep her safe, there was no telling how different things might have been.
Assassin produced a hollow laugh over her shoulder, squeezing with their nightmarishly long fingers. "If that is your desire, we will conduct ourselves accordingly."
… … …
… … …
Stepping out from behind a tree, the blonde woman nearly leapt out of her skin. "Shirou? What the hell are you doing here?" Baring her teeth angrily, Luvia raised one hand to form small crimson and black orbs at each fingertip.
Rearing up one hand in a display of friendliness, Archer wondered what could have caused such a spontaneous reaction. "Coming to speak with you as we agreed."
Luvia blinked sporadically. "Are you thick?"
Before he could try to discern what she meant, something bright and pink landed beside the girl. He recognized that it was a servant, another woman, and warning bells chimed in his mind. There was more to her than he could sense and with his luck, it was anything but good. Donning a picture-perfect smile, she spoke. "I told you he'd be back. No matter what men always come back for me." With unflinching hazel eyes, the woman lecherously leered him from head to toe, forcing an unconscious shiver through his body as he felt sullied by her mere gaze.
Something was wrong and the only explanation was Shirou Emiya. Why was it always his former self that landed him into deep trouble? Had Assassin not attacked, he could have watched over the Einzbern castle and witnessed what went on within but of course, he had no such luck.
Was that what the strange servant had meant? "A man who worries too much about the cobra cannot see that he is trapped in quicksand." It made sense when the meaning had struck him in the mouth.
Going against every instinct he had but following what little information he could gather from a mere glance and sentence, the man bowed his head. "It is as she says, I have returned."
The servant produced a giggle that grated on his nerves. "Of course you have, silly, but where are your servants? I doubt they would be so lenient on allowing you to leave." His head snapped upward to spot the snake-like grin of Luvia's servant. "I don't believe we've met," she claimed with icy transparency.
Archer made a soft tsk and narrowed his eyes while standing tall. The servant had seen straight through him, but how was such a thing possible? Caster hadn't realized his servant-status, but he hadn't observed him in spirit form either. The invisible form provided additional insight to other servants, namely that they were servants. "I can't say it's very nice to meet you," the man grumbled, bringing Kanshou and Bakuya to the forefront of his mind.
Rider took a step ahead of her master, unable to even conceal the blonde due to being both shorter and thinner. "I knew there was something special about you, or- well, the other you that is."
Luvia looked clueless behind her servant, staring between the two as if they were both insane. "What are you talking about?"
"Can't you tell? He's so much different; the cold eyes, the lifeless expression and his entire aura are nothing like they were," the woman gestured widely with her hands, face split wide like a child marvelling at some magician.
"Are you saying-"
"This isn't the boy you know, this is a servant of the boy you know." Archer made a tsk and prepared to form his weapons at a moment's notice. "He's been messing with you for some time now, I wonder why."
The man narrowed his eyes. "Would you believe me if I said I was a future version of myself just trying to fix a mistake I made in my past?" As unbelievable as it sounded, that was almost precisely what he was trying to do, but the mistake just happened to be his entire past self.
The two women responded simultaneously with opposing answers. Rider had agreed while Luvia had not though both glared at him for an answer. Rather than provide one, Archer made a soft noise with his mouth again. "This has been a waste of my time. Are you going to let me leave or am I going to have to fight my way out?"
Rider's smile turned to a pout. "That's it? You're not going to try and kill us now that we've found out your secret or well, I dunno, try and do anything?"
Archer crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "Not interested. You won't have a chance to tell Shirou Emiya anyway, so it hardly matters."
Rider blinked and without changing her expression merely said, "Spooky. Well, you don't seem like much fun so I'll let you go. Next time I might not be so generous though." As Rider's smile widened, Luvia only grew more confused.
Archer's goal in toying with Luvia separate from Rin had been to make life harder for Shirou Emiya. With Luvia being both a master in the War and aware of his situation, any option he might have had was out of the question.
"You're seriously not going to do anything?" Luvia's voice was questioning her servant, but Archer cared little. Turning away and slipping back into the trees surrounding the Edelfelt manor, the man wondered if it had been a sign. Perhaps it was time to start being more direct in his involvement with Shirou Emiya.
… … …
… … …
"What do you mean Shirou isn't waking up?"
She could feel her blood begin to boil standing before Rin and the Tohsaka seemed to actually shrink beneath her vicious gaze. "Exactly what I said. He's out of mana and he's exhausted beyond the point of consciousness. I don't know how he managed to even stay awake for so long in his condition and it's a miracle he even made it here."
"Is he going to die?"
Rin shrugged. "Shirou has survived a lot, but this isn't just a cut or stabbing that can seal itself over time. Because he has to keep supporting Saber, his mana has no chance to restore itself, so he is being constantly depleted. If we don't do something there's a chance he'll die."
Less than ten minutes ago, she had woken up in a strange room with her mind back at the Einzbern Castle. Thankfully Lancer and Rin were there to fill her in but it hardly helped ease the jarring transition regardless. Allegedly she had been under some sort of spell and it had been quite difficult for even Rin to remove completely. The details of the time during her consciousness were sparse, but she understood the overall picture.
Rin had quickly left her alone with Lancer to handle something else. The time had given Illya an opportunity to restore her servant to peak condition. While their overall team still wasn't at full strength without Shirou, with the addition of Rin's servant they were close.
While the Tohsaka might have had a servant, Illya heavily doubted that they could be as versatile as Shirou; he had held off Berserker single-handedly after all. Saber and Lancer couldn't do that together. Waking her brother was the highest priority for reasons beyond his strength in combat.
Illya planted both hands on her hips. "How can you call yourself magus if you can't fix a little problem like that?"
The glare Rin show back could have melted steel but Illya remained cool as a winter breeze. "Healing magecraft is an incredibly intricate field very few magi can master. Our family didn't care about healing cuts and burns. We were more concerned with reaching the root, something important."
Leering up at the taller woman, the two battled one another with their eyes. It was an intense war and neither of the two were prepared to back down. Her body warmed by several degrees in a snap as her circuitry jumped to life. Illya prepared to threaten Rin into doing something when a soft noise of air sounded over her shoulder. "I hate to intervene, but the amount of mana you're sending my way is getting hard to manage."
With a growl, Illya turned off her circuits and took a deep breath to relax. "So how are we going to fix Shirou?"
Rin sighed, closed her eyes and leaned her back against the nearby wall. "I can try a few things, but there's no guarantee they will work. In a pinch, you could use blood to restore a little bit of mana but it won't work on someone who's entirely empty."
Illya huffed air from her nose. "Well then let's start. I'll help where I can but nothing from the Einzbern's alchemy can restore mana on such short notice."
Rin moved off the wall and donned a look of spontaneous clarity. "Lancer, did you say that Illya almost overwhelmed you with mana?" The servant nodded, and Rin placed a hand beneath her chin thoughtfully. "How much mana do you have, Illya?"
The girl shrugged in extreme uncertainty. "I know I have a limit but it's practically infinite I think."
Rin shot the hand beneath her chin forward in the shape of a gun. "Then I have a new idea that should work perfectly."
Illya made a noise after being taken aback by the sudden shift in enthusiasm. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes."
A grin spread across the Tohsaka's face that sent cold shivers down Illya's back. She made it all the more menacing by raising her hands and cracking her knuckles. "I'm so glad you said that; now take off your clothes."
When Illya merely gaped and blinked, Lancer made a soft awkward chuckle. "I'll give you two some privacy." Whipping her head around to beam up at Lancer desperately, the servant was already gone, leaving her alone with the malevolent Tohsaka.
Hesitantly twisting back to face Rin once more, Illya couldn't help but feel like the last tempura shrimp on a table between Saber, Shirou and Taiga. Rin had already approached, standing just behind her with a look of pure malice. "You said you'd do anything after all."
… … …
… … …
Shirou woke up.
The transition from empty unconsciousness to being awake had been instantaneous. He remembered passing out on Rin's guest-room bed, and then his eyes opened wide to a point obviously much later in time. He knew it was later for several reasons:
It was dusk when he passed out and he had barely hit the side of the bed. After reawakening, it appeared to be sunrise, he was sleeping normally and there was someone else in the bed beside him.
Turning his head softly, he spotted snow-white hair, a small, elegant face and closed long-lashed eyes. There was only one person he knew with such discernible features. He had woken in soreness but the sight of her resting peacefully was enough to wash it away. If she was beside him, she had obviously woken up which meant Rin had removed whatever magecraft had been keeping her unconscious.
He struggled to move his body onto its side, every muscle protesting fiercely with a soreness more than any he had experienced after training. Even after sleeping for some time, his body and mind were exhausted though something told him that sleeping more wasn't going to help.
With his right arm freed, he gently reached out to touch Illya's head and move hair away from her face, holding short as he remembered something important. It had been days since the girl had been gifted with a copy of Avalon. Their time apart had wasted an opportunity for him to give her a longer life. He had the chance now, he wouldn't squander it.
Closing his eyes and sucking in a painful breath, he visualized Avalon from deep within his body. Before activating his circuits, he ran a quick trace of his own body to ensure he had enough mana for the operation in the first place.
He did, but only just. Activating his circuits to warm them up while he whispered the tracing aria, a stabbing pain began at the base of his neck and spread across every point of skin his circuits lied beneath. He could tell something was wrong with him immediately, but the job before him overwrote any concerns.
Tracing aria finalized, the wireframe of Avalon steadily filled itself in from top to bottom. With each inch filled with material, the pain grew more intense and the heat from his circuits magnified. Once complete, the boy opened his eyes to a pair of crimson ones staring right back at him.
"What are you doing?" She whispered, eyeing him with a steady, unblinking glare. "What are you doing with that specifically?" Her eyes flickered down to the radiating projection of Avalon within Shirou's outstretched hand.
Shirou couldn't speak. There was so much that was wrong with what he was doing and he had never considered what Illya would say or think if he caught him in the act. "I was-"
"Giving me a projection of Avalon," Illya surmised on his behalf, further stunning him into silence. "But why?"
Opening his mouth released a small wisp of steam. "With Saber's mana it-"
"-Would let me live longer and keep me safe," Illya finished again. When he could only stare in befuddlement, she continued. "The first time you did it, I was just pretending to be asleep. I didn't really know what you did that night, but I put it together after a while. Breathing got easier and things didn't ache so much in the mornings." Likely seeing the question forming in his eyes, she continued. "I knew about Avalon and had watched your wounds seal themselves up so what else could it have been?"
She had known from the start? To think Illya had known exactly what he had been planning left him at a loss for words. "I'm sorry-"
"Why are you sorry?" She asked softly, taking hold of the floating relic between them. With a soft whitish-blue light, the surface of the artificial scabbard steadily phased through Illya's skin into her body.
Being honest with himself, he didn't entirely know why he was sorry. What he had done seemed like a gross invasion of privacy. Injecting a thousands-year-old relic into someone as they slept didn't seem like the most consensual thing. "I just wanted you to live a little longer."
Illya smiled warmly. "I was never supposed to live for a long time. Even when I was younger, Old Man Acht said I wouldn't make it to the next Grail War." Slowly, the girl lifted herself up in the bed to a sitting position and tucked loose hair behind her ears. "At least I proved him wrong." She was dressed in fluffy off-pink pyjamas that were blatantly several sizes too big. She had likely borrowed them from rin, as her hands were drowned beneath the lengthy pushed up sleeves.
Shirou tried to sit up in bed as well but after struggling to roll onto his back he decided that he wasn't about to move any time soon. "You'll live many years after too, I promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Illya shot back without remorse. "Not even a single servant has been killed so there's no way we can know how things will turn out."
The realistic side of Illya was far too jarring so early in the morning. She was right, but it was far too blunt and similar to Kiritsugu for his own tastes. "I promised to protect you, so I'll do whatever it takes to keep it "
Illya panned her eyes over his rigid form sorrowly. "Right now you can hardly move, you can't protect anyone unless you rest."
A whisp of anger and determination stirred within him. Willing energy through his body, he struggled to accomplish the herculean task of sitting up against the bed's headrest. Releasing a struggling breath once in place, he shot her sister a weak smile and said, "see?"
Sighing miserably, Illya shook her head. "Sometimes you scare me with how determined you are. I'm not made of glass, I can take care of myself you know."
He wanted to ask why she hadn't contributed in the battle back at the Einzbern castle but realized there were several reasons beyond simply being told to hide by Kiritsugu. The look of sheer terror on her face as he laid half-dead upon the ground was permanently etched into his memory.
"Are you alright?' Illya asked softly before he could make a response to her last comment.
The sudden change in topic was jarring but understandable. Looking down at the rest of his body he could understand her concern. His left arm had still yet to fully heal. There were still visible necrotic scars at both the point where it met his shoulder and along the upper and lower portions where mutations had burst from the skin. Pinpricks of pain sporadically danced across its entire surface but that had to have been from an improper sleeping position or something of the sort.
His arm wasn't Shirou's greatest concern, however. Flesh could heal, it would grow back in time with Avalon. Whatever had happened to his mind during his careless use of the reality marble might have been permanent. Even then, where he expected to be overjoyed at his sister's awakening, he only felt a flash of joy. It was as if his emotions had been numbed but how could such a thing even be possible?
"I think so," he murmured.
Immediately, Illya's face soured. "You know you can't lie to me, so why would you try?" Returning a look of cluelessness, her expression eased. "Unless you aren't sure yourself."
Whatever limit he could have possibly lied shattered on the Einzbern castle floor. He had been exhausted to the point of collapse before contacting Rider and she had somehow squeezed more out of him by sicking him on Berserker.
Blinking, he realized just how much of the night had come back to him. He could remember fragments of the night and sketchy details; far more than the heavy fog he had tried to see through the day after. He had tried to fight Rider and something had affected his mind. She had used him, manipulating what he saw and heard so he would work with her and somehow he had fought Lancer.
But then Lancer turned out to be Berserker. His reality marble had been the only option, but even if it was, it had consumed more than half of his body at its worst point. Even if it hadn't been for long, he had been more sword than man.
Both the recollection of a full-body coldness during that night and the mere thought of letting the reality marble conversion get worse brought a shivering chill to his body. He had never been afraid of much, but the thought of becoming a sword-statue terrified him to no end.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Illya claimed, snapping him from his thoughts.
Opening his mouth to speak, he had to clear his throat before he could, giving him a chance to change what he would say. "What time is it?"
"Sunrise, so somewhere around seven?"
"I've been sleeping for that long?" Shirou gasped, feeling a tight pain in his right kidney. With a soft murmur, Shirou wondered if Kiritsugu had called and painfully reached into the pocket of his pants to withdraw a cellphone.
As expected, he had three missed calls from a contact simply named "K.E." All of them were hours ago, so obviously whatever the old man had wanted, it hadn't been of utmost importance. He would have to return the calls later when he could hold his arms up for more than a few seconds. While his entire body was sore and stiff, there wasn't any pain if he remained motionless and everything appeared fine. "Maybe it'd be a good idea to get out of bed, moving might help. You can tell me if I missed anything on the way down the stairs."
… … …
… … …
"At least everyone is awake and somewhat close to living," Rin sighed, breaking the otherwise awkward silence that had lingered around the room for some time.
The Tohsaka had wrangled the two Emiya children under the guise of breakfast. It didn't take more than a single step outside of his room for Shirou to smell that no such meal would be waiting for them, even though his growling stomach demanded it. Instead, she had seated them beside one another and claimed a chair across like an employer evaluating an employee.
It was tough to call the room they sat in a living room. While spacious with bookshelves and cushioned furniture to sit on, it held a design more suited to business deals between greedy executives smoking large cigars. There wasn't even a television or coffee table to set things on either, making the emptiness palpable.
With Shirou lying half-way over the armrest on one of a loveseat and Illya planted respectfully on the other, Rin managed a miserable smile that failed to meet her eyes. "Where's Saber?"
Shirou managed to make a soft shrug. He knew she was around based on the strength of their link but otherwise, he was blind. A soft noise of moving air precluded the appearance of a knight in golden white armour. "My liege is enjoying the night sky within the rear courtyard."
Shirou caught a twitch at the bottom of Rin's eye. "I see, then Archer can enjoy her company."
Lancer tilted his head partly. "Archer left the property shortly after the battle last night. My liege has been maintaining the perimeter in their stead."
Another twitch. "I see, thank you." The girl let her eyes stare straight ahead toward the floor. Just as the awkward silence returned, the girl blinked and focused on Shirou. "I wanted to ask you both some questions."
"Assuming we'll tell you any answers," Illya snapped back before Shirou could even open her mouth. Twisting his head to glare at her in surprise, she threw back a glare that told him she was in absolute control. Were he in a better state, he would have protested but he still felt worse than garbage and it didn't seem to be improving.
If Rin was surprised by Illya taking control she didn't show it. "That's fine. While we are supposed to be working together, we will be enemies at one point so keeping your distance is to be expected."
Shirou opened his mouth to speak. "We don't have to-" Without any reasonable cause, a flash of immediate heat coursed through his entire body. It was as if every circuit in his body had turned on to fill output in the same instance. The pain silenced him mid-thought and allowed Illya to reply.
"I'm glad you see things the way I do, Rin. As heads of our own respective magus families, it's expected for us to discuss things so civilly." Shirou had to remind himself that Illya had two sides. One, the joyous girl whose maturity matched her stature and the other a royal-blood authoritarian that demanded respect and commanded attention despite her size. His sister and the last prodigy of the Einzbern family in one small body.
Realizing he was playing the spectator amidst a battle of bulls, Shirou bit his tongue and tried to determine why his body had reacted the way it had. "Are you interested in forming a contract as partners within this War?"
Illya spared a glance toward Shirou. "It depends on what sort of contract and the terms within. At this moment I wouldn't throw away additional firepower to our side but what will you do when servants begin to fall?"
"It would be best if we broke the contract after two servant deaths."
"That's acceptable."
Illya narrowed her eyes suddenly. "We agree that our servants will not attempt to harm either master or servant lest the contract be broken early?" Rin nodded. "You mentioned earlier that your servant is Archer, is he able to provide pinpoint support for Saber and Lancer from a distance?"
"Of course, the Archer class is made up of archers after all." Despite how stupid she sounded, Rin claimed the fact with absolute sincerity.
"Speaking of, none of us have even seen your servant. Are they scared of Lancer and Saber?"
Rin actually grew uncomfortable. "An Archer, like Assassin, works best from the shadows; or so Archer says."
Illya furrowed her face. "Sounds like something Kiritsugu or Missy would say to avoid talking to people."
The Tohsaka shrugged passively. "You never told me exactly what happened out there at the castle. Not only would it help me understand the War, but I could also help with more information."
Illya took a minute to explain what happened at the Einzbern castle. She omitted details but the overall picture remained the same. She explained what led up to her lack of consciousness and even relayed information about events while she was asleep that she had gathered from Lancer. Strangely enough, Rin seemed entirely unsurprised that Luvia and Rider had shown up but reacted visibly at the mention of Berserker. "I don't know why Shirou was acting that way, but he seems fine now," she finalized.
Rin hummed thoughtfully, looking at Shirou for the first time since Illya began speaking. "Do you remember anything specifically? Why did you act the way you did?"
Casting a quick confirmation glance at Illya, Shirou cleared his throat and explained his point of view. "The old man and I were planning on ambushing Rider and Luvia but it didn't work as planned. Rider did something to me," he paused, trying to focus on the hazy golden imagery and fragrant scents of his memories. "I don't remember what it was," he finished. There was a chance the old man would have known. He had been in the room at the same time so he had witnessed it all.
"Rider did something and it controlled you somehow?" He nodded, Rin hummed. "How did you break out of her spell?"
"By doing something stupid," Illya murmured.
Knowing she was right, Shirou made a soft huff and explained the excessive overuse of his reality marble. He shortened it rapidly as his throat started to parch and ended with, "I guess after reaching a point I purged whatever it was from my system." He shrugged, having only a sketchy guess at what actually happened. "I know that I wouldn't want to have it happen again."
"For now we can assume Rider has some sort of mind-controlling noble phantasm. We can hope that it doesn't work on servants but let's not try to test it."
Illya was quick to interject. "Wouldn't something like that be suited toward a Caster"
Rin fired back just as quickly. "Are you certain that Luvia has a Rider class servant?"
The homunculus nodded fervently. "We've seen every servant except Assassin."
Rin seemed marginally surprised that the fact but continued regardless. "I've seen Assassin and the name matches. In fact, we were just attacked by them a few hours ago. Thankfully, Saber and Archer were able to force them back without issue."
Shirou went to his mental link, figuring that it was better to gather information at the least while he was otherwise useless. "What sort of servant is Assassin?" He asked without any sort of greeting.
A response came quickly as if she had been waiting for him to ask. "They are as their name claims them to be. A servant of black that uses deception, darkness and trickery to achieve victory. Oddly, they inhabit multiple bodies so their description varies constantly. While we cannot expect when they will next attack, we can expect the method to be from the shadows."
The image of a stereotypical Assassin was his father, so all the comparisons of a servant to their class name weren't helping. Then again, was he expecting a full description of each copy of Assassin? His father's notebook had detailed Assassin from the Fourth War which brought up strange similarities. Kirei Kotimine had died long ago, however, so the chance of the servant actually being the same was slim. How many servants with multiple copies of itself did the Grail War have?
Saber's voice stripped him from his thoughts. "It is good to see you awake again, Master. I ask that you please do not overdo yourself again, but I assume that request falls upon deaf ears." Her concern pricked him as if it were sharpened. In the middle of assuring himself that he would do whatever was necessary to protect the ones around them, he stopped short and questioned if he really would become a living statue of swords.
If he reached that point, would he die? Would his consciousness flicker away like a dying flame or would he be trapped in an unmoving, unfeeling body rusting away for centuries? Death did little to unnerve him but being trapped in his own personal hell certainly did. "I'll try," he lied, focusing on Rin who was staring at him expectedly. Asking for her to repeat what she said, the girl produced an annoyed huff.
"How are you feeling? You were in worse shape than Illya so I'm not surprised that you're out of it."
Shirou looked down at himself, struggling to do even that. "I'm alive, just sore I guess."
Rin blinked twice. "You idiot! You think that all that's wrong with you is a little soreness?" The sudden outburst incited a painful flinch from the boy. "I don't know how you managed to stay conscious for so long but you were totally drained of mana when you are walked in here. All that soreness is from your body consuming itself to try and fuel whatever magecraft you were trying to use."
Examining his own cool, pale hand let him see Rin's cause for concern. He was barely mobile and just about as conscious and it had all been because of Rider. Had she not abused his body for her own goals, his condition would have been far better, though it was also possible that Lancer would not be alive were he not there to save him from Berserker. "It wasn't really my intention-"
"When has Shirou ever realized he's pushing himself too far?" Illya asked, giving the boy a chiding glare. "How many times have I had to haul you back to bed after you push yourself too far training in the shed?"
Shirou didn't think he could count every time but it was certainly on the order of several dozens. Growing uncomfortable as it felt as if everyone was prying on his every wrongdoing, Shirou shuffled painfully in his seat. "Why did things suddenly become about me? Don't you two have magus business to discuss or something?"
Rin looked as if he had grown an extra limb. "Have you not been listening to us? You are our business because you're the most valuable asset we have."
"Huh?"
Illya's hand audibly collided with her face. "Sometimes you catch the tiniest things and other times you miss it when slaps you right in the face."
Rin sighed. "Well it doesn't really matter, you hardly missed much and what you did miss I can fill you in on later once we're alone." Shirou narrowed his eyes. He wasn't aware that they had something to talk about but the tone in Rin's voice made it sound as if it were something obvious.
He had the feeling that what Rin had in mind wasn't going to be a topic he would enjoy. In fact, there was an odd sense of dread in the back of his mind, but he couldn't decide whether it was from her or something else.
… … …
… … …
… … …
A pair of slender hands gently laid a book upon the coffee table. "Have you heard from Lectra since she left, Flat?" One hand smoothly moved up to adjust a set of square-frame glasses and tuck a strand of long raven hair behind his ear.
The boy shook his head, donning a sad expression. "Nothing at all. It's been a few days but she still hasn't called."
The man hummed thoughtfully. "She must be busy," he passed off, settling into a chair and watching as Flat opened the book he had brought.
"I guess," the boy huffed miserably. As if to express his disappointment, he began reading with half his body laid across the table and one elbow planted to support his face. "I'm just-"
"Worried," Waver finished. Flat wasn't the type of boy to admit something himself let alone say it outright so filling in on his behalf sped the conversation up.
Flat appeared offended or shocked before deflating entirely and accepting the comment. "I mean, it's not like she's a trained warrior. Sure she's been Luvia's apprentice and fought in the Tournament with Blade but that's not really enough, is it?" Beaming up at him hoping for reassurance, Waver struggled to choose how to handle the situation.
He knew they were walking into the Fifth Holy Grail War but there was nothing he could do or say to stop them. He wasn't supposed to know, but an enforcer had given him the inside scoop. Luvia and Lectra had walked into one of the most dangerous places possible on Earth and to make matters worse, they were attempting to go after someone who had a high chance of being a master.
But maybe, just maybe, their arrival in Fuyuki was destined. "Luvia comes from a magus family known for creating top-quality mercenaries. The entire Edelfelt lineage has been called hyenas due to their enthusiastic expression during combat." Flat's eyes opened wide and he became encapsulated with the description. "I'm certain she can make up for any shortfalls Lectra might have. If anything, she should welcome the assistance."
While it hadn't been exactly what he believed, it had been reassuring enough to bring a smile back to Flat's face. "She's in good hands then, yeah? I should probably stop worrying about it, she'll be fine." With a self-assuring nod, the boy started reading from the book, studying with the same interest one might have watched paint dry.
Rolling his eyes over the brief drama of teenage love, Waver let out a relaxed breath and reached into his coat for a rounded steel cylinder. Within both hands, he carefully loosened and removed the top half to reveal a partly smoked cigar.
Plucking it from the container, the man deposited it between his lips and fished within the same pocket for a lighter. As his fingers wrapped around it, the door was violently flung open and a passive looking Reines snapped her gaze into him.
Based only on the look in her eye and the spontaneous entrance, something had gone wrong. It was even more obvious when she lifted a single hand to point toward the door of his office.
Sighing miserably, Waver carefully put his cigar back into the cylinder and returned it to his coat. He just couldn't have a minute to relax, could he? Making the act of standing seem much more laborious than it was, the man followed the shorter Archisorte into his office. Closing the door behind himself as he entered, the girl slapped a letter on his desk and instructed with a single word for him to "read."
He had tried to gather extra information from her in other similar situations and had learned first hand that she was resolute in her methods of delivering information. Collecting the letter and withdrawing the contents, he skimmed through.
It was from Luvia and featured her family's magic insignia as a token of verification. As expected from a mercenary, the letter was clipped and concise and it detailed only two things in single sentences: They were a master in the Fifth Holy Grail War and the magus known as "Blade" was supposedly alive.
Looking up from the paper, the man folded it without looking and waited for Reines to speak. "What do you know of this?"
Waver held back a recoil of the head. "This is all news to me, why am I suspect?"
"Because you were the one who brought him into the Clock Tower." Far from usual, there was not a drop of compassion in her voice. She had become a royal Archisorte through and through. "If he had died, I wouldn't care but since there is a chance Blade is still alive, it has become your problem. Faking a death within Magus territory raises eyebrows, especially mine, and why might that be, big brother?"
Waver clenched his hands tight at his sides. "Faking his death means he has something to hide."
"Precisely, and a magus that has something to hide is a very dangerous magus indeed."
When the Magus Killer first approached him, Waver knew nothing good would ever come of it. He knew dealing with a man wanted by every magus in the Clock Tower was stupid, but when he more or less owed his life to that very same man, could he really decline such a seemingly harmless request? "Have you gone to the Observatory?"
"Nothing, but that doesn't mean he's not about to do something."
If Shirou's name wasn't in the Carillon Observatory, he hadn't been labelled a sealing designate which was a weight off his mind. It was typical for even friends of friends of fresh sealing designates to receive at least some backblast. "So you want to fly to a foreign country in search of a man that may or may not be dead so that you can kill him before he becomes a possible designate in the future?"
The girl nodded.
"Why not just wait until he becomes a designate and allow the Enforcers to handle it? I'm the one who admitted him and I'm far from concerned with matters of status for any backlash to affect me."
Reines shook her head softly. "Because you essentially operate under me, to allow such an event would mean I lack control and would deface me within the Tower."
Waver wanted to roll his eyes but stopped himself short. Just like the man he replaced, all magi in the tower were focused on prestige and familial status. Heaven forbid they did something that could have been construed as wrong amidst their pompous, noble peers. "Should I pack my bags?"
Reines narrowed her eyes menacingly. "It won't be necessary. I'll investigate and determine whether he poses a threat. If not, it would be good to recover a thought-lost plaything. I've been looking for one ever since his alleged passing."
"And what if he refuses?"
Reines gently extended one hand and a liquid rapidly oozed out of her fur-collared wrist onto the floor. Within a second, the full shape of her maid, Trimmau, came into view looking as it always did. "There are a few things Trim and I have been experimenting on that we have been looking to test out in the field."
Waver set his jaw, understanding there was nothing he could say to change Reines' mind. If he had been able to accompany her, he might have been able to direct her path away from Shirou and Kiritsugu, but it was entirely out of his hands. "If you had this all planned out, why did you come to me at all?"
The girl raised a hand with two fingers raised. Waver felt a chill run up his back. When Reines requested something from him directly, it was always something foul. "Two things, I wanted to let you know so that you could notify anyone who might be looking for me, and I need your permission to bring Gray along for the journey."
You didn't really think that all those chapters ago was really the last you would ever see of the sadistic Reines, did you? With the odds stacked against them, everyone is prepared to pull out all the stops - Luvia not excluded.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Maybe with the notification of a new posting, Talndir will come back and beta the next one and I can get it out to y'all within a reasonable time. Midterms are also over for me so I'll be able to get some writing down and keep ahead while I can.
As always, remember to favourite, follow and leave a review!
