133 innocents.

The casualties were mounting, and I was still couldn't say when it would come to an end. It was not right. It was not fair. But all the same… it had to be done.

That's all those people are to you, then? Statistics?

Every time I thought back to that moment, to the smirk that signified a complete lack of care, shame or responsibility-

"Uh, duh."

…It made my blood boil. Master was right on this: he had to die. The man was devoid of civility; a curse upon the world and a stain on the legacy of humanity!

The appearance of one of the assassins claimed my attention as he presented a slip of parchment. As soon as I took it from his grasp he disappeared back into the night, resuming his mission.

…142 innocents.

It had been reported that Archer's master had been providing assistance earlier, but since she'd expended herself the number of casualties has rapidly increased in rate. Assassin's master was skulking around, choosing to merely spectate rather than provide assistance, and the children…

…They were not at fault for this tragedy, this I recognized. But they had also chosen their side, and as such, they too would-

"…Let us bring an end to this bloody night."

Lamentation. Contemplation. Reflection. It was all that occupied my thoughts as I continued my patrol of the streets in spirit form. Looking around, day after day, night after night, since my summons, I'd marveled at the advancements man had made since my day. In many ways, great strides had been made. Continued to be made.

…Yet in the area of most importance, man still fell short.

That's all those people are to you, then? Statistics?

…How did civility still manage to be so fragile and difficult-

"-running from yet?"

I stopped. That voice. That was his voice. He dared still lurk the streets at this hour?!

My ears did not deceive me. He did dare, for there he was. Sitting in one of those bus shelters. Alongside-

…Alongside a… child?

"I-I-I don't- I d-don't think I can- I-"

"Hey, easy does it" he spoke soothingly to the child. "Remember what I said? I'm here to hunt those monsters. But I need to know what I'm up against, and you're the only one around who saw them."

A sword rested upon his lap, as if to provide credibility to his claims. But what-

"Think you can do that? Help me?"

"I-I'll try… But… But…"

"…Here, start from the beginning. What were you even doing out here in this storm? Why are you out here all alone?"

…And so, the child spoke. About how he'd snuck out late at night with some friends. About wanting to go and get a view of the dirt spires they'd heard about at the park that had just magically appeared. About how they'd thought magic was real, and that this would be the night they'd find their proof.

…About how they'd come across two people fighting; one with swords that appeared out of nowhere and fists nearly too fast to see, the other with flying strips of paper that emitted fire. About how they had proof of it on their phones. About forgetting all about the dirt spires, and wanting to rush home with their discoveries.

…About a cloaked figure leaping from the shadows and killing the first friend. About the fear and panic as they split and ran. About how he hid in the bushes of someone's garden until he felt certain it was safe, only to realize his phone was dead and he was lost.

"-certain I saw a white mask. In the shape of a skull. I'm certain of it! I swear, I'm not making it up and-"

"Hey, it's alright. I believe you. Certified monster slayer here, remember?"

"…T-Then… This isn't a dream? My friends… They're really-"

"I don't know. If they're still alive, I'll find them. But this isn't a dream, which is why we should keep moving."

"Keep moving? But where-"

"Get you home safely, of course."

"No! You can't! You have to kill them! Those- Those things with the masks! My friends- They-"

"Don't worry, I won't let them get away with this. Neither will my fellow hunters. But, let's make sure you get home safely first, ok?"

"…Ok."

"Where do you live, kid?"

"263 Siltspring Road."

"Let's see… Ok, yeah, I know the place. Come with me, kid. Let's get you home."

"T-Thank you…"

…No… No, the child had seen too much. He couldn't be allowed to leave. The only comfort I found in knowing this was that he, too, would die. From this night onward, there would be no more tragedy in this war.

Before I could even act; shift from spirit form, draw my sword and cut the two of them down…

"Hey, kid?"

"Y-Yes…?"

"What's your name?"

"…L-Lucas. My name is Luc-"

His movements came so swiftly, I froze. His sword plunged right through the child, with a hand covering the child's mouth to muffle his dying cries. Pushed back down into his former spot on the bench, I watched as the look of terror and pain froze upon the child's face, the last vestiges of life leaving him.

That's all those people are to you, then? Statistics?

"You" I roared, exploding with anger and surging forward, weapon drawn and ready. "Are you so unsatisfied with the devastation you have already caused, that you yet prowl the streets for more?!"

He looked completely unfazed as he pulled his sword out of the child's body, turning to face me. Seeing him standing there, holding that sword, stained red with blood…

"Rider" he spoke completely devoid of emotion. "Just my luck, to bump into you as I'm doing this."

"That's all you have to say?! After killing a child?!"

"He had to die, Rider. He knew too much. Don't act as if you weren't going to kill him yourself."

"You dare-"

"Dare what? Accuse you of exactly what you would have done" he raised an eyebrow, as if to question. "Even if you don't like it, your master has given you orders, yes, and you're carrying them out? Or do you consider the assassins killing people not your kills? Would you have traumatized the child further by hunting him down with one of them, rather than do it yourself?"

"I will not be questioned by someone like you, who thinks of others only as statistics!"

"Is that how you really think I see people, Rider?"

"Don't try to deny your previous statement!"

"I don't deny my previous statement. You came at me with a number of… 27, I think?"

"You think?! You couldn't even be so much as bothered to remember how many you have killed?!"

"Why would I bother to remember a pointless statistic?"

"You-"

"You want me to care, Rider, then come at me with people, not numbers. You said 27 people died. Then tell me: who are these 27 people?"

He was within arm's length now. It was an easy kill. He was only a human; couldn't possibly match the strength or speed of a Heroic Spirit. He had no way to defend himself.

…So then, why did I not strike him down that instant? Why did that question… cause me to hesitate…?

Who are these 27 people?

"…You don't even know, do you? Their names. Their faces? Their wants, dreams, desires, aspirations? The assassins don't report that kind of information, do they? They only bring you back a number. A statistic."

"…"

"I don't know these 27 random people. I have no connection to them; no emotional attachment. I don't care about them, just like how they don't care about me. For how could we care about one another, truly, if we don't even know of each other's existence?"

"…"

"So no, Rider. I don't consider the deaths of those 27 random people to be a tragedy. It would be disingenuous for me to even humor such a notion. All they are to me is a number. A statistic. It's the exact same for you, too."

"…Don't act as if you understand me."

"It's not about me understanding you. I wouldn't dare be so bold as to pretend to understand you who have risen above the rest of us as the greats of humanity; you Heroic Spirits. Merely stating a fact…"

"…Explain."

He turned his focus back to the body of the dead child.

"Do you think there are things worse than death, Rider?"

"I'm not here to debate philosophical thought."

"I do think there are things worse than death" he continued. "Love, for example, is a punishment worse than death, though that is besides the point in this case. To be forgotten is a fate worse than death, and its this one here which is applicable."

"So that's why you're out here, killing the innocent" I felt my anger flair up again. "All so you won't be forgotten?!"

"You misunderstand, Rider. I do it so they won't be forgotten."

He pointed with his sword towards the child as he turned back to face me. The emotion plastered across his face was unquestionable.

Anger.

"All of you… you Heroic Spirits and magi, running around and killing people to keep your little secrets safe… turning living people into nothing more than statistics! You would condemn them all to a fate worse than death! I don't care about your secrets. I think humanity should be made aware of the truth. But if you all are going to kill anyone who so much as even thinks they might have seen something you deem they shouldn't, then I will do what I can to save them from such a fate!"

"You call this saving people?! All you're doing is killing them; same as everyone else you claim is wrong!"

"You all turn them into numbers! You think your master cares about the people he's killed tonight?! You think he'll remember any of them in a week's time?! Do you?!"

"…"

"You think the assassins give a damn who they kill?!"

"…"

"You think Archer or Archer's master see this as anything other than something that simply must be done; just another cover-up operation?!"

"…"

"The kids can't even face death! You think they won't try to purge everything from their minds?! Won't try to block it all out?!"

"…"

"…I can believe you, Saber and Lancer are different. That you three would try to remember each life you took. But you can't. It is simply the truth. You. Three. Can't."

"And why is that?"

"Because you three are Heroic Spirits. Partial copies of people from bygone ages summoned to the modern day. Clean slates of bygone people, who, upon their return to this throne thing, will once again be turned into clean slates. Do you remember ever being summoned before, Rider?"

"No."

"Do you know if it is because you haven't been summoned before?"

"No."

"Will you remember the events of this war if you are ever summoned again?"

"…No."

"Exactly, which is why I said you can't. The moment the war ends, they would be forgotten; their existences rendered meaningless."

"…"

"…There is no beauty in humans, Rider. But… there is beauty in humanity. I care about humanity. I may find death and destruction beautiful, but life and creation are just as beautiful."

The anger in his voice subsided as he turned his attention back to the child.

"The death of Lucas, tonight, is a tragedy. He should not have died tonight, but for the sake of our ways of life, he must. So, I killed him. I looked him in the eyes, and I killed him. I will remember his name. Remember his face. Ensure that his existence is not forgotten, that his existence has meaning, for as long as I can. For as long as I live. That… that is all I can do for him now."

"…"

"You can kill me now if you wish, Rider. I accepted that, should I be caught out like this tonight, I would most likely die. But I had to do this; save at least one person from becoming a number. Of course, in doing so, you render all of tonight meaningless, as my file leaks out around the world, revealing the secrets of magecraft to everyone anyways."

"A cowardly method in ensuring your own preservation."

"You are not wrong" he agreed as he turned to face me. "I don't deny that I am cowardly. That you, nay, the entire world, thinks lowly of me. But that has always been the case, and would have been the case regardless of if this file of mine existed or not."

"To speak as if you are a victim of anything..."

"Victimhood is all a matter of perspective, as the notion of being wronged is pure subjectivity."

"This conversation is pointless."

"Perhaps… but perhaps not. You plan on killing the children, don't you? The next time you face them?"

"Why should I disclose anything to you?"

"Because I want to make a deal with you, Rider."

"…"

"…"

"…As if I could ever trust a word you say. You insult me."

"Do you truly believe I can't keep my word?"

"Give me even a single reason as to why I should trust you."

"I can't."

The answer was swift. Immediate. Not even the briefest moment of thought put into it. Spoken as if it was the most natural answer in the world. To be expected.

"You shouldn't trust me" he continued. "Nobody, frankly, should trust me. I am a dishonest man, and a dishonest man can always be counted on to be dishonest. I spin web after web, trapping all I can. But we did speak once already, with no lies between us. I offer that once again, here and now. No deceit. No lies. A final negotiation, in which I dictate the terms."

"…"

"…"

"…Speak."

"The children participate in something larger than themselves, set in motion not by their own hands, but those of their parents. They had no part in orchestrating tonight's tragedy. They are ignorant to much, yes, and while I believe they should drop out of the war by their own volition, I don't believe ignorance should condemn children to death."

"Get to the point."

"I propose an exchange: the lives of the children, for my own."

"You offer up your own life freely?"

"No. Of course not. I'm not suicidal. What I offer you is this, though: you agree to spare their lives, even from your own master, to the fullest extent of your capabilities. In return, I will delete the file this morning, rather than reset the timer."

…His face and voice alike were flat; emotionless.

"Of course, I am well aware that a command spell could force you to act against them. This neither you nor I can control, and I won't hold such a thing against the agreement. Should that come to pass, it is on the children to keep themselves alive. However, I expose myself to you and your master, and you and your master alone. You and your master will not tell Archer's master or Archer, Assassin's master or Assassin, nor the children or their servants, that the file no longer exist. Should I even begin to suspect that you or your master have spread the word, I will recreate the file immediately. It would not even be hard to do. That is my proposal."

"…How would I know that you truly have deleted this… file of yours?"

"You wouldn't. Likewise, I wouldn't know if you spread the word or not. Not unless whoever you tell is cripplingly stupid, though I suspect that if that were the case, they wouldn't still be in this war. An arrow through my skull from Archer would probably be swifter than my capability to sleuth out such a thing, I suspect."

"…"

"…This is an agreement neither side can hold the other truly accountable to. An agreement in which we must trust the other on their word alone. Knowing that… do you accept?"

"…"

"…"

…Was he lying? I found myself unable to say. Truly, standing before me was the greatest serpent that perhaps ever lived. I should not take him at his word. By his own admission, nobody should take him at his word.

…But even serpents could speak truths, when they desired. The one standing before me had already done so, once before…

His eyes… I could see neither honesty nor deceit in them. Nor could I find civility. All that existed was… understanding. Of who he was. Of what I stood for. Of what either answer to this final offer of his signified…

"…The next we meet" I warned.

"…Will be the last" he nodded, seemingly understanding. "A final battle."

Taking a final look at the child he'd killed, he turned and left the shelter.

"I await you at our end, Rider" he called out as he began walking into the remnant of the night.

…He was still in range. It wasn't too late; to strike him down, ensure he died. Right here, right now.

But he had spoken the truth: should he die now, and that file of his be released, then all those who died tonight would have died for nothing.

…Such a cruel fate could not be allowed to pass.

I could not trust that man. His words were meaningless; empty. But to reject the agreement was to invite further tragedies. Accepting only potentially invited further tragedies…

…A great serpent indeed…

Resolving myself in my decision, I faded back into spirit form, watching as he finally disappeared from sight.

Let us bring an end to this bloody night.


A/N

Well, this is coming out way later than I'd originally wanted. Winter break, as it turns out, was less a break and more a nightmare for me, but oh well.

Such is the way of life, I suppose.

School starts up for me tomorrow as well... damn it all...

But! But... with this post, I hereby decree this night of the story over! Hard to believe we're closing in on 9 whole months since the beginning of this tale, and I'm only at this point.

Wonder if it'll actually take me over a year now... o.O

Anyways, here's to the first post of 2022 y'all, and may 2022 be a far better year than the shitshow 2021 turned out to be \o/

See y'all in the next post o7