They are the shattered pieces of something greater, mere fragments of a goddess whose name once inspired terror and worship in equal measure. The wishes of Humanity shaped them as they fell from her, making them into what they are now.
The two eldest are perfect, forever frozen in ideal beauty. The third is not, for there has always been and shall always be a darker side to Humanity's desires. Of the three, she alone grows past the wondrous beauty of childhood's end, which the men of that era desire above all else.
The sisters are cast out by those who should be their peers, exiled to a small kingdom surrounded by the sea while their judges feast on ambrosia in their gilded mountaintop palace. But they are happy nonetheless. The love of the land sustains them, and they have each other, and that is enough.
Many come to the Shapeless Isle over the ages. Warlords and conquerors, seeking to claim the beauty of her sisters. Heroes after the glory of slaying her, the Isle's monstrous protector. Even a few scholars, those who in another Age will be called Magi, their common sense overcome by their greed for ancient lore and divine materials for their heretical craft.
All come to the Isle … and all fall before her. For just as her sisters inherited the perfect beauty of their origin, so too did she inherit her strength.
And as more and more fall, as the tally of her victims grows ever larger, so too does her strength, and so too does her hunger. Her desire to protect her sisters turns to obsession, turns to the pursuit of strength, strength at all cost, until -
Until she ruins everything.
Until she turns on the ones she loves most.
Until, in one moment of all-consuming hunger, she eats her own sisters, adding their power to her own.
Until she wakes from her fugue, and the realization of what she has done breaks her.
Until she stops being herself and becomes the Monster they always called her, and nothing is left for her but to wait for the hero who will kill her …
This is what the girl sees, when she closes her eyes and lets her mind wander through places that once were home to naught but nightmares. This is the past of Berserker, the source of her pain and her madness; the raw, bleeding wound that her Master's Command Seal has bandaged, but cannot truly heal.
This is the story of Medusa, youngest of the Gorgon sisters.
November 22nd, 2004 AD – Homurahara Academy
Sakura and Rin sat on the rooftop of the school, eating mechanically while their Servants kept watch in Spirit Form. The cold air of late November didn't bother them, and the two girls enjoyed that brief moment of peace and quiet.
As soon as they had arrived at school, Sakura had told the Archery Club about Senpai's 'sickness', and used a little Magecraft to ensure Fujimura-sensei wouldn't come check on him tonight – they needed more time to deal with Illya-chan's situation.
After that, the morning had passed slowly, every lesson stretching out in the way they had for millions of teenagers across the world since schools had been invented.
It had been a long time since she and Rin had needed to get food at the school cafeteria. Normally, Senpai and her brought boxed lunches from home, along with Rin's portion.
At least it helped sell the story of Senpai being sick, thought Sakura as she ate mechanically, swallowing another mouthful of the cafeteria's bread.
Is the food really that bad ? asked Berserker, who was picking up her distaste over their bond. The other students didn't seem to mind.
Sakura paused. No, she admitted silently to her Servant, it really isn't. I've just been spoiled by Senpai's cooking.
Ah. I understand.
It made her smile that Berserker could say that after just one meal cooked by Senpai. Her bond to her Servant was a strange experience : beyond the silent exchange of words, they could feel each other's emotions, though the Command Seal Sakura had used right after Berserker's summoning had dulled hers. If not for the fact it had been necessary in order for Berserker to function, Sakura would have felt horrible about forcefully changing someone else's state of mind like that.
She had actually checked that the seal of Berserker's fury was still in place that morning, after what she was pretty certain were the memories that had driven her Servant to madness had filtered through their bond during the night. With Senpai wounded, Sakura hadn't slept much, but her few hours of slumber had been haunted by the visions of the Dream Cycle, something Rin had warned them all about.
Thankfully, the Command Seal was still active. Perhaps Sakura had seen those memories because it was meant to keep Berserker from being driven crazy by them, not keep them from her Master.
"Alright," said Rin once they had finished eating. She checked her watch and said : "We have half an hour before the end of lunch break; let's make the most of it."
Sakura nodded and stood up. This was why they weren't at Shirou's side, even as he recovered from his wounds, so they had to do it right.
They needed to check the entire school for traces of Magecraft, as well as set up their own defenses, and they needed to do it before the end of lunch break. With Senpai supposed to be sick, Sakura couldn't stay after school without drawing suspicion, and it was safer for the two sisters to make the trip between school and home together.
They found no trace of Magecraft in the school, except what they had put there themselves. The Bounded Field Rin had almost two years ago to keep people from noticing the change in her sister had faded, and they had let it happen. By the time it had vanished completely, everyone knew Sakura lived with Shirou and was in love with him, even if the details of their relationship were subject to much debate and gossip.
They placed new wards around the school, to detect Magecraft and the entrance of large quantities of prana. It wouldn't work on Servants in Spirit Form, but Rin was confident enough in their skill to know that few Magi would be able to meddle with the wards without their knowing. Of course, it would be a different matter entirely if a Caster-Class Servant was involved. Even the Emiya and Tohsaka residence might not be safe then.
Senpai and Rin hoped that they would be able to deal with Caster and their Master peacefully, so it wouldn't come to that. And yet, Sakura couldn't help but wonder, as she knew they did too. They had Berserker, Saber, Rider and Lancer on their side – yes, even Lancer, for all that Rin had told Sakura she and Senpai were far too quick to trust his adopted sister.
She didn't understand. Senpai trusted Illya-chan because she was his sister, and because he felt guilty for not having known about her treatment by the Einzbern, but Sakura trusted the younger-looking girl because she knew what she was feeling. Unless Senpai turned on her – and Sakura knew he would never do that – then Illya-chan would stick to his side, even if she herself hadn't realized it yet.
That left Archer, Caster, and Assassin as possible enemies. One of those had somehow destroyed the entire Animusphere family in the heart of their power, something even a Heroic Spirit would have found challenging depending on the circumstances, or their specialization. Archer had used their Noble Phantasm on Senpai – she suppressed a twitch at the thought – and while it would have killed any Magus, it was a precision weapon, hardly capable of the destruction Lord El-Melloi II had described.
Which left Caster or Assassin as the ones responsible for the downfall of the Animusphere. Neither of the two Classes would have been her first suspects, but then, the Grail was corrupted, wasn't it ? The old rules, set down by the Founders, couldn't be relied upon now. And either Caster or Assassin would be able to enter the school without tripping out the mana-detecting Field.
So they placed another Bounded Field, which would warn them if violence occurred within them. The alarm would come too late for the first victim if a Servant went on a rampage, but hopefully its very presence would dissuade attackers in the first place. Both the mana-detecting and violence-warning Fields were simple things, something any Magus worth the name would detect immediately, but their simplicity also meant it was difficult to interfere with them without triggering another alarm embedded inside them.
With this, they were essentially telling any Master from out of town that the Academy was under their protection, and to keep the War out of it. Sakura hoped they weren't accidentally marking the school as a target.
Homurahara Academy covered a large area, and setting up a Bounded Field covering it all took the two of them the entirety of lunch break. They closed the circle together, erecting the field with power drained from one of Rin's jewels. That particular jewel had been full of Rin's own prana. They had experimented with combining Jewelcraft with Senpai's power, and while the results had been promising, it wasn't the sort of thing you deployed over a school full of hundreds of students.
At least, not if you didn't want the Church to send a squad of Executors after you. Although, given who the Church's representative in Fuyuki was …
Ding-dong ding-dong !
"Alright," sighed Rin, stretching before putting the various Magecraft implements they had used into her bag. "We got it done just in time. Let's go back, Sakura. We'll meet outside at the usual spot once lessons are over, alright ?"
"Yes. See you soon, Nee-san."
Sakura returned to her classroom, Berserker following her. A few more interminable hours later, she made her way toward the school's gates. Rin and her had to make their way out of the school on their own even if their destination was the same : people didn't know Rin was living with her and Senpai, and it was best to keep it that way.
Someone else was already waiting for her.
"Hey, Sakura-chan," greeted Ayako Mitsuzuri.
"Mitsuzuri-senpai," replied Sakura. "Is there something you wanted with me ?"
Mitsuzuri was one of Sakura's growing circle of acquaintances, the two having come in contact at the Archery Club when Sakura had joined it upon entering highschool. Their friendship might have surprised other people, given the fact that Mitsuzuri wasn't nearly as good at concealing her attraction to Senpai as she thought she was. But the truth was, Sakura enjoyed teasing the older girl about it, especially given how blind to it Senpai was. Much like when her sister had become Senpai's lover, Sakura had enough confidence in his love for her to know that he would never abandon or betray her.
There was more to it, though. Despite her best efforts to socialize, Sakura still couldn't find it in herself to make male acquaintances, let alone friends. She could tolerate them well enough to attend school, but Senpai was still the only man she could truly relax around. Around other girls, however, she had slowly learned to let her guard down and actually enjoy herself.
Combining that with the fact that, since she had been saved by Senpai, she had also slowly come out of the shell of shame and self-hatred she had associated with the unnatural desires Zouken's ministrations had caused in her, and, well … she had found that she enjoyed the female form in ways she couldn't imagine doing for any man except Senpai. She knew it wasn't exactly the most healthy of ways to deal with her trauma, but honestly, as long as she and her loved ones were happy, she was fine with it.
It wasn't as if any other man could ever compare to Senpai, after all.
"Well … It's about Emiya." The older girl fidgeted. "I know I don't need to tell you that, but watch over him, alright ? He's not nearly as tough as he pretends to be. This morning, you said he suddenly fell ill, right ? Well, remember last year, at the archery tournament ? The same thing happened back then. One day he looked perfectly fine and kicking ass on the range, and the next he looked like death warmed over."
Sakura nodded. "Yes, I remember." She could hardly ever forget the fear she had felt when Senpai had come back in that state, after all. "But don't worry too much, Mitsuzuri-senpai : it isn't nearly as bad this time. I think he will have recovered enough to come back to school tomorrow."
"Really ? That's good," sighed Mitsuzuri in relief. "It took him, what, a week last time ?"
"Around that," confirmed Sakura. Of course, he had been fine much earlier, but with the need to deal with the aftermath of the Enforcer's attack, his sickness had served as cover to explain their absence from school.
"Still, that's twice it has happened now," frowned Mitsuzuri. "Maybe he should go to the doctor and see if he has some kind of … I don't know, underlying condition or something ?"
"We're considering it, once Senpai has recovered," Sakura lied smoothly. She didn't like to do it, but there wasn't another option.
"You know, Sakura-chan, you really should call him 'Shirou'. You've been his girlfriend for, what, a year now ? No one would blame you."
In spite of everything, Sakura blushed. The truth was, even after all the two of them had gone through, even after he had saved her, after they had become lovers, after two years of living together, she still couldn't call her beloved Senpai by his name most of the time. She had only been able to a few times, in the throes of passion, when the joy and pleasure were enough to make her forget everything but his presence and love.
She wanted to, though. And one day, she would.
Mitsuzuri laughed gently at her expression, mistaking it for simple shyness, and shook her head. "Alright, forget I said anything. Have a good evening, Sakura-chan. See you tomorrow !"
"Bye, Mitsuzuri-senpai," Sakura managed to answer.
"She smelled nice," remarked Berserker as they passed through the school gates and toward the meeting point with Rin.
Sakura giggled at her Servant's words.
"So you are the adopted son of Illyasviel-sama's father," said Sella in a voice colder than the snowy mountains around Einzbern Castle. Illya smiled as her brother, who had faced Lancer without fear and taken a blow from Archer's Noble Phantasm without hesitation, visibly winced at her maid's words.
The two homunculi were dressed in identical maid uniforms. To the outside eye, they appeared to be sisters, with white hair and red eyes indicating their Einzbern origin, and the only differences between them being their haircuts and their bodies' proportions – for some reason, Leysritt was a bit more developed than Sella. Of course, they were much more different on the inside, each having been designed for a very different purpose.
After Tohsaka and Sakura had returned from school, Illya had finally contacted her maids, feeling guilty over leaving them to worry while she spent the day with her Onii-chan. After spending several minutes reassuring Sella that yes, she was fine, the Emiya siblings had left home on a pair of the bikes the Fujimura Group had brought during the afternoon. Saber and Lancer had driven, with Shirou riding behind his Servant and Illya securely strapped inside a sidecar attached to Lancer's own mount.
A car would have been more comfortable, but it would also have been more vulnerable to sniping by Archer, while Saber and Lancer could dodge long-range attacks more easily on bikes. The two aspects of the King of Knights were, unsurprisingly, supremely skilled drivers, despite Lancer never having piloted a modern vehicle before. When Illya and Lancer had gone to Fuyuki yesterday, using one of the cars at the castle (which they would probably need to recover at some point from where Lancer had parked it) the trip had taken just over an hour. This time, they made it in under thirty minutes – and that was with Lancer holding back to keep her Master comfortable.
It made Illya wonder how good Rider would be once she got on one of those. The King of Storms had eyed the bikes with a dragon's greed, and been even more difficult to convince not to come along than her Master.
Saber and Lancer had changed into biker outfits provided by her brother's Yakuza friends, once Illya had used Magecraft to adjust them to their size. Saber was a bit short for it, but Lancer made it work. Illya hadn't failed to notice how her brother was very carefully not looking at her own Servant in the skin-tight leather, and she could feel Lancer's embarrassment through the bond.
Part of her couldn't help but think Lancer looked cute when she was flustered.
The six of them – Shirou, Saber, Illya, Lancer, Sella and Leysritt – stood at the entrance of the Einzbern estate, to the west of Fuyuki City. A dark and foreboding forest stretched past the fence, keeping the castle Illya's ancestors had built when the Heaven's Feel had begun hidden from sight. A Bounded Field extended over the entire area, keeping mundanes from going inside.
"Yes, I am Illya's brother, Shirou Emiya," her Onii-chan replied with a bow. "I am happy to meet you, Sella-san, Leysritt-san, although I wish it were under better circumstances."
Sella didn't relax her scowl. "And you are the one who stalked her by having your allies ask questions about the Einzbern family in the Clocktower, aren't you ?"
"S-stalked ?" Shirou replied, taken aback by the accusation. Illya was fairly certain her maid hadn't meant quite what she had said : her knowledge of Japanese had been artificially implanted in her mind, and who knew how old the reference the Einzbern had used were.
"Sella, stop trying to threaten my Onii-chan," sighed Illya, ignoring Sella's own shocked reaction at the term of address she was using. She gestured to the luxury car next to the two homunculi maids. "Have you got everything I asked you ?"
The car was different from the one Lancer and Illya had used yesterday. That car had been mundane, the kind of which there were thousands in every Japanese city. This car, however, was the one they had driven in from the airport. Illya didn't know much about cars, but she knew this one was much bigger and more comfortable.
"Yes, Ojou-sama. I packed the clothes and materials you asked for in the trunk. But are you sure about this ? Surely this castle is the safest place for you in this country. Even your … allies would be welcome inside. We have more than enough space to accommodate them."
The suggestion wasn't without merit, even from a tactical standpoint. The Bounded Field keeping civilians away was only the first layer of the estate's defenses. There were several others, combined and keyed to Illya to let her detect intruders anywhere within the territory, track them, and support her Magecraft. All of that was sustained by the leyline running under it, which was the reason Jubstacheit had purchased the land and ordered the castle dismantled from the family's homeland and rebuilt there in the first place.
She had discussed that possibility with Shirou earlier today, but while her brother had agreed that the Thaumaturgic protections were likely stronger than those of his home, he had pointed out something else :
"This castle has also been uninhabited for ten years, Sella," Illya explained. "Its defenses might be compromised. With no one tied to the Bounded Fields, any Magus could have sneaked in."
"We checked everything when we arrived, Ojou-sama," Sella pointed out.
"You may have found any Magecraft that shouldn't have been there, but what about mundane explosives or technological devices ? I know you don't have any experience with that : there is more technology in one room of Onii-chan's house than in the entire Einzbern Castle." Something she had shamelessly taken advantage of during the afternoon, fascinated by the glimpses into the wider world the TV had shown her. "Anyway, I have made my decision. We might return here later, but for now, I will be staying with Onii-chan and our other allies at his home, and you are coming with me."
She didn't tell her the true reason as far as she was concerned : that the castle reminded her far too much of her family's ancestral stronghold in Germany, and that Shirou's place already felt more like home than that cold castle had for ten years. She especially didn't tell Sella that Shirou's cooking was better than hers.
"One of us should stay there, then," argued Sella. "To keep watch over the castle and keep it ready for your return."
"No. I'm not risking either of you like that. You're coming with us, and that's final."
"… Very well, Ojou-sama."
Sella drove on the way back, Leysritt at her side and Shirou and Illya in the back, while the Servants escorted the car on their bikes, ready to stop any attacks while also keeping an eye on the road. Saber had mentioned that, should a strange person appear on the road in front of them, they should just open fire with their Noble Phantasms and ask questions later.
"What are your intentions toward Ojou-sama ?" Sella asked Shirou as they approached the outskirts of Fuyuki.
"I intend to save her life and free her from her abusive family," replied Illya's brother.
Illya fought to keep a blush from reaching her face. He has said that so … so matter-of-factly, as if it were as obvious as the rising of the sun.
"That is a tall promise. Why should we -"
"Sella," interrupted Illya, "I trust Shirou. He put himself between me and a Noble Phantasm after I tried to kill him; he gave me access to his Workshop; and he told me secrets that would get half the Association coming after him. I trust him."
And oh, but it felt good to say those words and mean them.
"He … I'm sorry ?"
Ah, of course. Sella hadn't been exposed to Shirou's … uniqueness yet.
"It's a long story," sighed Illya. "Let me explain …"
By the time Illya had finished her summary of what had happened since she had left in more details than she had over the phone (according to her brother, phone conversations could be spied upon without even resorting to Magecraft, which was another reason the castle couldn't be used as a base), they had arrived. They parked the car in front of the Emiya residence and went in, Leysritt and Sella carrying their mistress' luggage without letting Shirou help them.
After the introductions were done, Illya went to take a bath and finally change into her own clothes, prepared for her by Sella, rather than what Shirou had been able to scrounge together for her in the morning. Everyone sat down for dinner inside the slightly crowded main room. Sella had to be ordered by Illya to join them, while Leysritt sat down as soon as she smelled the scents emanating from the kitchen. Sakura had prepared the food tonight, and it was just almost as tasty as the feast Illya's brother had cooked for lunch.
After the food was gone – with four Servants present, not a crumb was left behind – and the table cleaned up, the discussion turned to tactical matters.
"Everything went well at school," said Tohsaka. "We set up the Bounded Fields around the grounds, like we discussed. Shirou, how are you feeling ?"
"Much better," replied her brother. "I should be back to one-hundred percent tomorrow."
"I should stay with you tonight as well, Master," piped up Saber. "While you can activate Avalon on your own, my presence will accelerate your healing."
There was a moment of silence and exchanged glances between Illya's brothers and his two lovers, before Shirou nodded. "Fine. Every Servant should stay with their Master anyway, just in case. Let's go over the plan for tomorrow."
"You need to go back to school for the day, Senpai, or the teachers will start to suspect something is wrong," said Sakura.
Shirou looked at Illya. "Illya, will you be fine without us tomorrow ? You will have Lancer with you, as well as Sella-san and Leysritt-san, but if you want me to stay with you, we can make up an excuse …"
The half-homunculus wanted to say yes. The prospect of another day playing around her family's house with her big brother was a tempting one. But … no.
"Sella brought some documents from the castle," she sighed instead. "I want to go through them to see if I can learn anything relating to the Grail's corruption. I will be fine, Onii-chan."
"Alright," said Tohsaka, "then we'll all meet up here at the end of the day, and start patrolling the city for sign of Servant activity in the evening. Is there anything else we can do tonight ?"
"Yes," said Shirou. "We can start Illya's treatment. I may not be at full strength, but I can still Trace Avalon without issue, I think."
"… Forgive me, you can what ?!" shouted Sella, eyes wide.
"I can use my variation of Projection to duplicate the Noble Phantasm Avalon, scabbard of King Arthur, which protected her from harm," explained Shirou. "Then I can dissolve that copy inside Illya's body, and feed it prana so that it repairs the damage she has suffered."
Illya didn't miss the hint of steel that had crept in her brother's voice on those last words. Despite his calm demeanour and gentleness, she could tell that he was still livid about her treatment by the Einzbern.
"I told you, Sella," explained Illya, "Onii-chan has Avalon inside him thanks to papa. Somehow, his Magecraft lets him create copies of it, though I haven't seen him do it yet. But," she turned toward Shirou, frowning, "I thought your copies only lasted a few hours ?"
"She's right," said Tohsaka. "We tested this, Shirou. The longest you can maintain a projection of Avalon is nine days – until the sun has risen nine times since the Tracing. And Avalon wasn't active during those tests, while the copy inside Illyasviel would be constantly active, causing it to deteriorate much faster. We never tested what happens when Avalon vanishes half-way through healing something, but it can't be good."
"We also found that a constant flow of my od can reinforce the projection and slow the deterioration," countered Shirou. "And we do have a way to do that – one we have been using for months now no less."
There was a moment of silence, then Tohsaka and Sakura seemed to understand what Shirou was talking about.
"E-mi-ya-kun," began Tohsaka, a vein popping on her forehead, "you are NOT doing a tantric ritual with your sister, you … you … pervert !"
Oh. Oh. Wait, months ?!
What the hell had her brother been doing with these girls ?!
"Senpai," said Sakura with a conflicted expression. "I'm not sure …"
"What do you plan to do to Illya-sama, you ruffian ?!" shouted Sella, rising to her feet. Even Leysritt seemed a bit disturbed.
"Emiya …," growled Lancer threateningly, her fingers closing on the handle of Rhongomyniad, the Noble Phantasm materializing in rapier form.
"What ?! No !" protested Shirou, aghast. "No, I don't mean that ! When we established our contract, we had to do it quickly, and I wasn't in any condition to do something complicated. But you taught me about contracts afterwards, remember, Rin ? The … ritual, that we did, was because there was no other option. But I can make a proper contract with Illya."
"… I suppose," grunted Tohsaka, sitting back down after one last glare at Shirou. "It's worth trying, if only because she doesn't have many other options. You'll need to be careful about only sending her the od she'll need to sustain the projection, though. I saw how your power affected Sakura when it overflowed into her, and with Illyasviel's connection to the Grail …"
"I will be careful," promised Shirou. "And if that doesn't work, we'll figure out a way to take the real Avalon out of my body. I can use a Traced copy myself -"
"Absolutely not," interrupted Illya, only to scowl as she realized she and Tohsaka had spoken at the same time. She glanced at the other girl before continuing : "you've had Avalon inside you for over ten years, Onii-chan. We have no idea how it influenced your growth, or how it interacted with the Dark Angel. We aren't going to tinker with whatever cosmic alignment of coincidences and miracles resulted in you becoming whatever it is you are."
"She's right, Shirou," added Tohsaka. "I know you want to help her, but getting yourself killed will only make it worse for everyone. A Traced copy should suffice for now, and you are right : there should be no problem with the contract between you. Magi avoid using them because it requires a lot of trust between the involved parties, not because they are innately dangerous."
"I'm fine with making a contract with you to exchange prana, Onii-chan," added Illya. Part of her wanted to insist on using the same method the two other girls had used to forge their own contract, but she could read the mood of the room and knew that wasn't on the cards. Even if she managed to convince her brother, Lancer would never allow it.
You are very much correct, Illyasviel, Lancer sent through their bond, sensing her thoughts. Older than you look or not, that just would be wrong on too many levels to count, and your brother is aware of this.
You got to kiss him, Illya sent back. As did Saber, and Tohsaka and Sakura. It's not fair that I'm the only one excluded.
Th-that has nothing to do with this !
"… Fine," Shirou relented. "We'll do it this way. However, unfortunately I doubt Avalon will do anything about your connection to the Grail, Illya. Unlike Sakura, you were born like this, with the Einzbern's … tinkering solely aimed at enhancing your potential as a Master."
"As a Lesser Grail, my body absorbs the essence of defeated Servants," Illya explained in a clinical tone. "Once six Servants have been slain, my body will … break down, and, combined with Leysritt as the Dress of Heaven, I will turn into a cup-shaped Mystic Code connected to the Greater Grail and charged with enough energy to activate its wish-granting function."
"That might be a problem," muttered Shirou. "We were always going to limit the number of Servant casualties as much as possible in order to keep the Grail from activating and recreating what happened ten years ago – or worse – but it's likely we're going to have to kill the Animusphere Servant, at the very least."
"I can handle one Servant without problem," declared Illya with more confidence than she really felt. They were talking about the component energies of the avatar of a pseudo-deific force of nature, after all. "Remember, the Einzbern intended for me to defeat all the other Masters before Lancer brought my … the Grail back to Germany. They made sure that I could keep directing Lancer with up to five Servants' worth of mana inside me."
"And you agreed to that ?" Tohsaka asked the Servant of the Spear disbelievingly, Lancer looking distinctly uncomfortable.
"Don't blame her," Illya said quickly. "Grandfather made me use a Command Seal so she wouldn't have a choice, before she even knew I would become the Grail at the War's end."
"I should have destroyed that vile creature the moment you explained the truth to me, Illyasviel," said Lancer, eyes downcast.
"Maybe you'll get the chance in the future," said Shirou. "Avalon will keep Illya alive, but since it will be active at all time due to her condition, it will also stop her ageing. We're likely going to need the expertise of the Einzbern to ensure Illya can live a full and happy life, and I doubt they'll give it willingly."
"You would go to war on the entire Einzbern family to help Ojou-sama ?" It was hard to tell if Sella was impressed or appalled, probably because she didn't know herself.
"Yes." "Of course." Obviously he would." Shirou, Sakura and Tohsaka replied at once.
"But that'll have to wait until we have dealt with the situation in Fuyuki. Let's go to the Workshop for now."
By the time they were ready to begin, night had fallen. The Workshop was crowded : Sella had insisted she and Leysritt be present, and of course Saber and Lancer had to be here as well. Since Shirou's brush with death in the park, the Servant of the Sword had only let her Master out of her sight on the return trip from the Einzbern property.
Tohsaka was also present, as the closest thing to an expert in what Shirou was they had on hand, and Sakura was there to assist if something went wrong with Shirou's power. Rider and Berserker were still outside, keeping watch.
It was more people than any Magus would have ever let inside his Workshop at the same time, but Shirou didn't seem to have any problem with it.
The two Emiya siblings sat inside the Formalcraft circle at the center of the shed, with a pair of wooden cups and a single knife between them.
Tohsaka made them repeat the words of the contract's spell one last time, and then they started. Shirou extended a hand between them, eyes closed. Isolated from the world beyond the circle safe for her link to Lancer, Illya felt him activate his Circuits, one by one. She counted twenty-seven, an acceptable number, but nothing to boast about in the Clocktower.
Then Shirou drew upon the Dark Angel's power, and Illya drew in a sharp breath. Energy flooded through her brother from an unseen source, just as it had when he had faced her in the park. His eyes glowed under the skin of his eyelids, black lines spread on his exposed skin, and she could have sworn the shadow he cast under the shed's lightbulb was twitching.
Golden particles manifested manifested above Shirou's hand, forming a shape before coalescing into a large, magnificent scabbard. Illya heard Lancer gasp – it was one thing to know Shirou had Avalon inside him, another to see him create a copy of the legendary artefact so easily. To be honest, Illya was surprised as well. She hadn't doubted her brother's words, but she had expected the copy's creation to take more effort on his part, or to be … shoddier, somehow.
If she hadn't seen it just manifest in front of her eyes, she probably wouldn't have been able to tell the Noble Phantasm in front of her was fake.
"Alright," said Shirou, his voice still normal despite his altered appearance. He opened his burning eyes and smiled at her. "That's the easy part done. Try to relax, Illya. This shouldn't hurt."
Illya nodded, and Shirou gently pressed the Traced copy of Avalon against her chest. Again, the scabbard turned into golden motes, which plunged into Illya, passing straight through her clothes.
"How are you feeling ?"
"… weird. But not bad."
She couldn't think of another way to describe it. Illya's training had made her aware of her body's condition at all times, and now there was something else inside her. It was like she had grown a second liver, though of course even the Traced copy of a Noble Phantasm was in a much better state than her own organs.
Shirou nodded. "Good. We tested this before with Sakura and Rin. What you are feeling right now is Avalon settling into your body. Usually it doesn't activate until they draw my prana through our contract, but since you are Lancer's Master and we have two versions of King Arthur here, I expect it will -"
Illya gasped, cutting him off. With a trembling hand, she touched her chest, eyes wide with childlike wonder.
"I guess that answers that," smiled Shirou. It was strange, to see such a gentle expression share a face with the blazing eyes and black lines of Reinforcements.
But that strangeness was nothing compared to the utter alien sensation Illya was experiencing right now. She … she wasn't hurting anymore. The constant pain across her body, which had been a background to her entire life for years now, had stopped. She could feel Avalon's power radiate through her, filling her fragile body with warmth.
Even if that had been all it did, it would have been worth it just to live the rest of her life without pain.
"It … it doesn't hurt," she said.
Shirou's smile dimmed slightly, but he went on :
"Let's make the contract now."
After taking a few moments to get used to Avalon's presence, Illya activated her own Magical Circuits. Unlike most Magi, they covered her entire body, and using them had always caused the pain to spike in the past – it was only her extensive 'training' that had desensitized her enough that she could power through the agony.
It was just one more consequence of her alterations, along with her stunted growth and shortened lifespan. And yet … and yet this time, the pain was much weaker than usual.
They cut their palm with the knife in turn, spilling blood inside their cups. As Illya put the knife down, she felt the Traced artefact inside her slowly react. Shirou had explained to her Avalon could only heal one injury at a time, and if there was a way to direct it her brother hadn't found it.
In truth, the palm was a terrible place to cut oneself for bloodletting purposes : hand wounds were crippling, healed slowly, and it was far too easy to damage something important permanently. Fortunately, Magi had come up with healing spells for that purpose centuries ago, even if one didn't have the legendary scabbard of King Arthur to call upon. That would have to wait until after the ritual was done, though : for now, Shirou wrapped a bandage around her hand – and then another around his own.
"My strength shared with yours," brother and sister said together, trading cups and holding them to their lips. "My power bound to yours."
They drank, and activated the spell at the same time. Illya felt her Circuits flare, and then, just like that, it was done. She could feel her connection to her brother, not too dissimilar to that with Lancer, although only od could flow between them.
"It worked," said Shirou, staring at her with blazing eyes. She shuffled, feeling a little uncomfortable at how deep his gaze reached. "Avalon is stabilized, and the drain on my reserves is manageable."
"There should still be some degradation over time as Gaia becomes more aware of the duplication," said Tohsaka. "Do you have an idea of how long we have before it becomes an issue ?"
"Well, obviously we'll need to wait to be certain, but compared to our previous tests, I would say we have … at least a couple of months before I need to replace Avalon."
A couple of months. Sixty days during which she would not hurt, during which she wouldn't get closer to death. That was already longer than she had expected to live when she had left the Einzbern Castle. And at the end of those two months, all it would take would be another session with Shirou placing another Traced copy of Avalon.
The realization that she might actually live finally sunk in. Of course, there were still dangers. The Grail War was raging, and she was the Lesser Grail for it. And if Shirou were to die, then her treatment would stop, though she didn't feel too bad about following her brother in death (after she was done avenging him, of course).
But now, miraculously, she had a shot at living beyond the Grail War. She … didn't know how to react. She didn't know what to feel.
Happy ? Yes. Happy would do for now, until she figured it out.
As she stood up and left the circle, Sella and Leysritt rushed in to fret over her.
"Are you feeling alright, Ojou-sama ?" asked Sella.
"Yes, Sella, I'm fine. It worked. I don't know what the long-term effects of this will be, but I feel better than I have in a long time."
And then, to her shock, Sella turned and actually bowed to Shirou, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears.
"Thank you, Emiya-san. Please … please continue looking after Ojou-sama in the future."
"Of course, Sella-san," replied Shirou. "She's my sister."
As the sun neared the horizon, Kirei Kotomine stood at the pulpit of his church, a pen in his hand as he wrote down the whispers of the voice in his head. The Grail's influence within him had surged since the beginning of the War, and what had been a diffuse presence at the back of his mind was coming into sharp relief.
It was a blessing beyond compare, to hear the words of his god, even if his mind was still too feeble to understand most of them. And thus, it was his sacred duty to transcribe those words, which he took great joy in doing here, in the house of the false God he had forsaken ten years ago.
Some of what he wrote was in Japanese, although there were characters he had never seen before and which seemed to move and shift of their own accord. Other parts were in Latin, or Russian, or any of the many languages he had mastered during his training as an Exorcist, who needed to be able to navigate any environment anywhere on the planet. The words weren't his own : he was but a vessel through which some ineffable truth was struggling to express itself, and he could have wept at how insufficient an instrument he was for that task.
He had been at this for two hours now, the activity turning into a sort of meditation as he let the words of the one true god flow through him and onto paper. Even as he listened to the whispers, part of his mind contemplated the progress of the War. All seven Servants had been summoned, this he knew, with the last three having been called forth in quick succession the previous day.
There had been a battle at Fuyuki Park the previous evening, but no Servant had perished, which Kirei thought might be sacrilegious given where they fought. If he had read the signs of the battle correctly when he had gone there to clean up – thankfully there hadn't been any witnesses, so he hadn't needed to invent some asinine excuse for the damage – at least three Servants had been involved in the confrontation.
And yet, only one Master had come to introduce themselves to him, the appointed Overseer of the Holy Grail War. The man who had presented himself as Archer's Master was interesting, even for a Magus. That he thought to hide his true nature from Kirei was amusing, but then again, if Kirei had been serious about his role as Overseer, he would have been required to reveal to the other Masters that the Ainsworth Head held two sets of Command Seals, while his role as a priest would have demanded he exorcise the body-thieving abomination at once.
But Ainsworth had no way of knowing of Kirei's true allegiance, and so had carefully hidden his two secrets. If not for the gift that beat in Kirei's chest, it would even have worked.
Still, the fact that none of Fuyuki's local practitioners had come to formally introduce themselves as Master was worrying. That the three teenagers would be chosen as Masters was inevitable : their different ties to the Grail and what laid waiting within were too strong to allow otherwise. Did they know, or even suspect, what he had become ? Possible. Shirou Emiya saw much, even if his eyes had yet to be opened to the truth. Sakura Matou would follow Kiritsugu Emiya's heir anywhere, bound to him as she was by blind gratitude and adoration. And Rin … well, it wouldn't take much to convince her not to trust him. She never had, after all.
There was a knock on the church's doors, strong enough to resonate throughout the entire nave. It drew Kirei away from his reveries and writing, and he put down his pen and closed the book just before the wooden doors were pushed open.
A man in a pale coat over a grey suit entered. His features were European, though his plaited white hair and greyish eyes were unusual. His hands were covered by a pair of white gloves, and there was a smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes.
"Greetings, Kirei Kotomine," the newcomer declared in a soft but powerful voice. "I am Marisbury Animusphere, and I have come to introduce myself to the Overseer of the Holy Grail War as one of the Masters chosen to participate in it."
It was very well done, the priest reflected. The correct words, the correct names, even the correct intonation – respect for his position mixed with pride at having been chosen by the Grail, and just the touch of ambition even a Magus couldn't conceal when presented with the opportunity to reach the Root through the Heaven's Feel. The gloves concealed where the Command Seals would be, but Kirei could still detect a faint magical aura emanating from Marisbury's right hand.
If not for the boons he had received from his god, Kirei would have believed the charade. Well, that, and the fact that he already knew what had happened at the Animusphere Castle from his contacts in the Mage Association. His own knowledge of the Grail had allowed him to fill in some of the blanks, though the theory Lord El-Melloi II had put together was quite close to the truth, if missing what Kirei suspected was the most crucial detail of the affair.
"It is customary for the participants of the Grail War to introduce themselves to the Overseer in person," he said, smiling. "Not through familiars. Those are only meant to be used when the Overseer calls the Masters to attend him in order to make announcements relating to the Grail War."
All expression vanished from the face of the Magus – or, to be more precise, from the face of the thing that wore his corpse. A ghostly chuckle echoed around the two creatures that passed for men, and a third figure coalesced into existence before Kirei.
His skin was dark, and his eyes were glowing circles of red parted by vertical pupils inside black orbs. A mane of white hair crowned his face, arranged in a manner similar to the meat-puppet at his side. He wore an elaborate robe and cape ensemble of white, black, red and gold, which left his arms exposed, showing the elaborate black tattoos covering them.
The Servant – for Kirei knew him as such at once – chuckled, and clapped slowly. On each of his fingers was a magic ring, deceptively simple bands of gold within which dwelled unfathomable power. And on his right hand, almost undistinguishable from the black tattoos, were three red markings Kirei recognized as Command Seals.
"Well done," he praised Kirei. "I thought I sensed something special about you, and I am pleased to see that I wasn't mistaken. I am Caster, and this," he gestured at the possessed corpse that still stood immobile in the church, "was my summoner in this world, before I disposed of him for daring to presume he could command me and made something more useful of his flesh."
If not for the fact that he had lived with Gilgamesh for ten years, Kirei might have been intimidated from being so close to a Servant, especially one capable of the devastation his contacts in the Mage Association had told him had happened at the Animusphere Castle.
Before Kirei could reply, Caster flicked a finger, and the book Kirei had been writing in leapt from the pulpit into his hand. The Servant opened it seemingly at random, and his smile grew wider as he took in the revelations Kirei had transcribed inside.
"Ah," Caster breathed out. "Very good." He closed the book reverently, and held it back to Kirei, who reclaimed it reflexively. "You have received a great blessing, my friend. I have not seen such a collection of revelations in many years. You aren't just a puppet, are you ? No, you are much more. You are a true servant of the gods."
Kirei hesitated. There were many questions he wanted to ask, but he eventually settled on the most immediate one : "Gods. Plural ?"
Caster gave him a curious look, before smiling in understanding. "Ah, you have felt the touch of the Undivided. A great boon, to be sure, but the Pantheon is infinitely varied, Kirei. That which sleeps and dreams in the Grail is but one aspect of the True Gods. They are, after all, the true face of Mankind, and is our species not one of limitless potential ? But there will be time for philosophical discussions later."
"I … I certainly hope so," replied Kirei. "But if we are to be allies, then will you not tell me who you are ?"
"Oh, of course," chuckled Caster. "How rude of me."
Suddenly, as if a curtain had been removed from a window to let in the sunlight, power blazed from Caster, swelling until his presence seemed to fill the church. Kirei recognized that aura, though it had been ten years since he had last felt its ilk, in the brief, wondrous moment before the heretic Kiritsugu Emiya had interfered in the incarnation of the Black Grail. The heart he had received as replacement for the one Kiritsugu had destroyed lurched in his chest, beating faster in recognition.
"I am Solomon," intoned the Servant, his eyes burning with crimson fire. "In life, I was a priest, and a mage who stood above all others. Now I am much more, but a servant of the divine I remain."
"From the moment I entered this world," Solomon continued, "I sensed the slumbering power beneath this land, waiting for the hour of its awakening. After ages of exile, the true gods of Mankind will return to this world, and we shall usher in their coming !"
His proclamation finished, Solomon lowered his gaze to meet Kirei's, and smiled.
"But come, my friend. We have much to discuss. Do you have somewhere we could talk more comfortably ?"
Kirei smiled back, and gestured for Caster to follow him. Yes, they had much to discuss, and much work to see to. First, he needed to know what other assets Caster had brought along with him – the priest knew that Marisbury's corpse wasn't the only one that had gone missing from the Animusphere Castle. Then he would tell Caster about the other allies they had in their quest to manifest the darkness dormant within the Grail – one aware of it and the other not. He would probably need to find Gilgamesh and drag him back from his restless wandering across Fuyuki, which would be a trial by itself.
But in the end, he knew, with all the zealous faith his father had tried for so long to instill in him toward the hollow precepts of the Church, that they would succeed.
The gods' will would be done.
Omake 1 : What the Emiya family did on Monday afternoon
Shirou still wasn't sure how he had gotten himself into this situation.
Well, no. He knew exactly how. After lunch was over, Illya had refused to separate from him, so he had suggested they play some games together. The board games he had in his home were for three people at least, though, so Saber and Lancer had been roped in joining (not even the Servant of Swords could resist Illya's puppy-dog eyes, it turned out). Shirou had pulled one board game from the pile in the closet at random, and because this was Illya's first time playing any sort of "game" that didn't come with the looming threat of physical punishment, she and Shirou had teamed up while Saber and Lancer played on their own.
So far, so good. What Shirou didn't understand was why his living room had turned into a war room, where two rivalling monarchs glared at each other, occasionally speaking threats of retribution as they sent orders to their armies, locked in a perpetual war that forever dragged the world into some sort of dystopian nightmare.
Oh wait; he actually knew. That was because they were playing Risk, Britain was one of the game's territories, neither version of Artoria was willing to let the other hold it, and it was becoming increasingly apparent that they were both very competitive. Their incessant war for control of the island nation had left Europe a wasteland of which Illya and he had steered well clear. Dozens of troops had bravely given their lives on the shores of Britain, watering them with their blood.
Currently, it was Saber who held Britain, but Lancer was already gathering forces in America to reclaim it. Right now, however, it was Illya's and Shirou's turn. He looked over the board one last time, and winced. This … this wasn't going to be pretty, but it had to be done. He whispered into Illya's ears, who grimly nodded and gave the command, the dignity of her actions somewhat damaged by the fact she was sitting in his lap and couldn't quite suppress her giggling.
From the stronghold of Australia, the legions the two Emiya siblings had quietly amassed charged into Asia. The continent was liberated from the cruel grip of its King, the people rejoicing and adding their own strength to the revolution against the two warring tyrants. The armies went west, pursuing Saber's last troops, while Lancer launched her own attack on Britain early to take advantage of her rival's distraction.
Ten turns later, both Servants were looking at the board in shock – a board that was covered in the colors of the Emiya alliance. Really, the game had been over the moment Lancer had continued attacking Saber. Lancer may have had some good luck at the dice rolls (C-ranked Luck was still more than the common mortal could ever hope to enjoy) but there was a point even good tactics couldn't match superior numbers.
Illya turned to embrace her brother. "We did it, Onii-chan ! We conquered the world !"
Shirou laughed as he hugged her back, ignoring the glares of the two Servants, as well as the shock, disbelief and simmering anger he could feel from his link with Saber.
Yep. He had called it. Sore losers indeed.
Omake : Even In Darkness (FSN / Warhammer Fantasy)
At the end of the Fifth Grail War, Shirou Emiya perished, sacrificing his life to destroy the Black Grail that had sought to corrupt Sakura Matou, his beloved, and use her to be reborn and destroy the world.
A few months later, Illyasviel von Einzbern died. She was buried near her father's grave in the Fuyuki cemetery. Rin Tohsaka departed for London after dealing with the aftermath of the Grail War, becoming the apprentice of the Wizard Marshall Zelretch. She only rarely returned to Fuyuki afterwards, unable to bear what had become of her sister.
For several decades, Sakura Matou remained in the Emiya residence, guarded by Rider. She continued to wait for her beloved's return, never giving up faith that they would be reunited one day, keeping the house ready for him. Those few close to her tried to make her see reason, but she refused them all, until they gave up.
Eventually, she died of old age, still faithfully waiting for Shirou's return. Rider faded away soon after, mourning her Master's heartbreak as much as her demise.
But the universe is not so dark a place as not to acknowledge such love as had blossomed between Sakura Matou and Shirou Emiya, however brief it had been before the two had been separated by capricious fate. Beyond death, their souls were drawn to each other, bound by a force greater than any oath or True Magic. They tumbled through the Kaleidoscope of Worlds and beyond, and eventually, they found new homes.
2450 IC – Watchtower Karkan, northern Naggaroth
The Druchii soldier pulled his sword from the guts of a Beastman, letting the foul creature fall to the snow-and-gore-covered ground. His own armor was painted in blood as well, to the point where the red color of his hair, a rarity among the Druchii, was all but invisible under it.
The battle hadn't gone well. The accursed nobles had treated this – a Chaos incursion from the Wastelands led by the dreaded Brass Bull Taurox – as just another opportunity to play their games, leading to a total collapse of the Druchii leadership on the very eve of battle.
Now the battle had devolved into a thousands smaller confrontations across the wind-swept plains, and the superior numbers of the Beastmen were telling. He was the sole survivor of his unit.
There, close by amidst the madness, a Sorceress was fighting off another group of Beastmen, turning them to ash with fire magic and ripping them apart with living shadows. Her purple hair flowed in the wind, and the corpses of her guard were scattered at her feet. She was as beautiful as she was terrible, but her face lacked the expression of cruel joy he would've expected on a graduate of Ghrond upon inflicting such violence.
She turned, and their gazes met. Time slowed, then seemed to stop entirely as he felt himself fall into her eyes.
For as long as he remembered, there had been an emptiness in his spirit that he had never been able to fill. The petty cruelties of his peers had never appealed to him, though he had soon learned to conceal how he felt about the so-called 'pleasures' of Naggarond. The necessities of survival had kept him from searching an answer to that void, yet now, in that single exchange, he felt it fill, and a pain he had never realized was there suddenly ended.
He remembered the Fire. He remembered the War. He remembered their love, blooming between two broken souls under the machinations of evil incarnate. He remembered the pain, the betrayal of his very self he had committed for love of her, the blood of his comrade – his friend – he had spilled to save her.
He remembered how, in the end, he had died to save her, knowing she wouldn't forgive him for it.
Her face was different, as was his own. Whatever had happened to them had left them as Druchii, Dark Elves, but then, neither of them could really have been called human, could they ? They were sinners and monsters, who had found absolution and peace only in the arms of one another. Fitting then that they would be reborn as Dark Elves, and at last both his own distaste for the cruelty of his people and the hollowness of his soul made sense.
Her name left his lips before he could stop himself. She spoke at the exact same time, and despite the distance that yet separated them and the sounds of battle, they heard each other perfectly.
"Sakura ?"
"Senpai ?"
Dazed as if in a dream, he began to walk, never breaking eye contact, until he stood next to her. For a moment, they simply stayed there, looking at each other, not quite believing this was real.
An approaching roar broke the spell and made them both focus on their surroundings. Taurox's rampage was still ongoing, and the Brass Bull had seen them. He was charging in their direction, picking up more and more speed with every step while a troop of Minotaurs followed in his wake.
His axes burned with infernal fire, dripping with the blood of all those he had already slain. Once he reached them -
No. No, he would not allow it. He would not let this miracle they had been granted be taken from them by these beasts.
Shirou's body burned as he drew upon the Wind of Metal, his Dark Elf flesh far more suited to manipulating magic as his old human body had ever been. A rain of swords fell upon the charging Minotaurs, cutting them to bloody pieces. Only Taurox remained, the blades bouncing off his metallic hide.
With a shout, Sakura called forth ribbons of shadow that caught the Brass Bull's limbs and held him in place. Moving on instinct, Shirou charged the beast, pouring power into his own body to move faster than he ever had in this life.
His Naggarothi sword, which he still held out of habit, wouldn't pierce through Taurox's skin, that much was obvious from the sheer number of Druchii soldiers the Minotaur had slaughtered. And he had already seen that most of the blades from Archer's memories wouldn't, either. But he had something else in mind, something he had already used to kill a demigod.
"Nine Lives Blade Works !"
Again and again, the Traced sword of Heracles slammed against Taurox's chest, until, on the seventh blow, it broke through. The massive blade plunged through the exposed spot on the Brass Bull's throat, severing his spine and killing him instantly.
The skies shook with distant, otherworldly roars, which Shirou and Sakura heard with their souls rather than their ears. The Dark Gods of Chaos, it seemed, were displeased with the death of their champion.
Walking back to Sakura, Shirou glared at the skies.
"Try it," he said softly. "I have killed a god before, and I will do it again if I have to in order to protect her."
As the terrified Beastmen fled, the two lovers embraced one another, uncaring of the blood and sweat that covered them both.
They were together at last, and nothing would ever separate them again.
Malekith frowned as he lowered the latest report of his agents in the north. This … this wasn't what he had expected. The coalition of Dread Lords he had sent to meet the Beastmen's onslaught had been carefully selected in order to purge the latest batch of opponents to his rule, their forces precisely calculated so that they would be able to slow down the invaders long enough for his loyal vassals to arrive and finish both sides off.
Instead, the Beastmen had been annihilated, with their monstrous leader himself being finally slain, something Malekith had been certain would require his personal intervention – in fact, he had been looking forward to getting a good challenge for once. His commanders had interrogated the survivors of the first wave, and learned that everything had unfolded as Malekith had planned, until two Druchii had single-handedly turned the tide, slaughtering the Beastmen in droves and slaying Taurox, breaking the animals' spirits and sending them fleeing back to the Wastes.
It was a ridiculous story, but the number of survivors who had told the same tale under intense pressure proved that there was some truth to it.
He would need to find out the details. A red-haired male and purple-haired female Druchii were a rare combination. They would be found, they would be brought before him, and they would answer his questions. If their answers satisfied him, they would be allowed to serve, just as the abomination Malus Darkblade had been allowed to.
If they didn't … well. There was always room for more heads to decorate the walls of his tower.
As the Witch King gave his orders to his spymasters, part of him couldn't help but feel uneasy as it remembered one detail of the survivors' testimony. They had claimed that both Druchii had wielded powerful magic against the beasts, not just the Sorceress, and this caused the old words of the Prophecy of Demise to echo in his mind …
"… the child will be learned in the darkest arts … thus shall the Dark King fall, slain by neither blade nor arrow but a sorcerous power of darkest magic and so shall his body by consumed in the flames and for all eternity burn …"
AN : I LIVE !
Well, I'm back. It's been some time since I updated this story, hasn't it ? Good news, though : due to a ridiculously lucky gacha pull in FGO, I have been cowed into focusing on this story for the next two months.
(I had prepared over 700 quartz and 200 tickets and was ready to burn them all to get Artoria Ruler, only to get her on my very first pull, along two copies of Summer Okita. I got the message, oh mighty Random Number God. Please, let this meager offering satisfy you while I work on the next).
I have also put two omakes in this chapter, each in a different style, as you saw. The first is something that could technically be considered canon in ABR, while the second is ... well, it's more or less another fanfic entirely. Let's just say that I learned about the "Normal" End of the Heaven's Feel Route while researching this fic, and I refused to let it stand as such. What's the point of writing fanfiction if I can't give characters the happy ending they deserve ?
You may be thinking Illya's situation got solved too easily. To reiterate : she isn't cured by the Traced copy of Avalon Shirou put inside her. She just isn't dying anymore. Unless she wants to stay in her child body until Shirou dies of old age, she still needs more help.
Also, people who play FGO will probably recognize what's going on with Caster. To them, I can only say [ACCESS DENIED].
The next chapter shouldn't take anywhere near as long as this one did. However, I do have one question for you, dear readers (in addition to my ongoing demand for constructive criticism) : which of the two styles of Omakes do you like the most / would like to see more ? I have a lot of ideas for both types. And of course, if you have other suggestions, don't hesitate to inform me.
Zahariel out.