Chapter 12
For Toby, I would fight even superheroes with God-like powers.
For Toby, I would even defy this cruel fate.
Cruel Fate!
Jim gasped sharply as his blue eyes opened to the world. He was sitting in front of a table and he was looking right at a green wall that was very familiar. He slowly lifted his head and started to look around. He recognized where he was. He was back at his home. The sky outside was already pink and orange and the sun on the horizon was already setting.
The boy was sitting inside his dining room and it was already late afternoon. " Jim?" a voice, one that was oh so familiar, was perceived by his ears. He slowly turned to his left and saw Toby, sitting across from him, a confused smile on his lips.
"Jim, did you actually sleep?"
Wait...did I? "Sorry, Tobes. I'm a little bit tired here." Jim said with a lost look that contrasted the sheepish smile on his face as he looked down on the table. Comics, manga and other sci-fi and fantasy novels littered most of the spaces. He quickly recalled that he had invited his friend to come here and sort some of his things out. "Wow...I sure collected a lot."
"Yes, and now I'm choosing which one would I get. Some of these things are novelty!" Toby said energetically. His smile shifted into an excited grin after he opened a comic book with the title 'INVINCIBLE' on the cover.
Toby...Jim couldn't help but feel happy to see his friend's peaceful reaction. The cheerfulness of his voice, the mannerism of his fingers as he flipped through the comic book, alive and in eternal joy – Jim wished that his friend would remain like this forever.
"Toby...you're awake."
"Hmm? Of course, I'm awake-" Toby glanced at him and paused, a strange look forming on his face. "Jim, you're crying."
The Trollhunter blinked at him before he touched his cheek with his hand. He felt tears, still fresh, flowing down his face. A sad and startled look formed on his face. He didn't know why he was crying. All that he knew was that he woke up from a very bad dream.
"Hey. You ok?" Toby stood and walked to his side, He put his hand on Jim's shoulder as he leaned and moved his face closer to him. "Jim?"
"I'm so sorry, Tobes...I-I just woke up from a bad dream." Jim wailed and explained as tears fell uncontrollably from his eyes. "In my dream, you were in a coma and you will soon die. So, I joined this mystical war, and the prize was an omnipotent device called The Holy Grail that could grant any wish." The boy talked fast as his voice increased in despair.
"I almost got lost in violence, Tobes. I felt so scared that I might get corrupted because of my wish." The Trollhunter hugged Toby tight and wept on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry that I gave you the amulet. I'm so sorry that you suffered because of it." the boy wailed in a heartbreaking voice. Silence loomed between the two as the sun finally set on the horizon and enveloped them in darkness.
And then Toby spoke, but with a cold and lifeless voice. "But you did give it to me, you did make me suffer."
A surprised look formed on Jim's face as he moved his head away. His blue eyes locked straight with his friend, but his face had changed. Toby's eyes were no longer joyful, but bloodshot and filled with fury. His face was no longer radiant, but dead ashen white. Blood was now pouring out of his open mouth as he snarled at him.
"GET THAT HOLY GRAIL AND UNDO WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME!"
The Trollhunter's eyes widened in terror as he backed away and let out a horrified scream.
-Express Train - Austria-
"Ah!" Jim screamed as he jolted up right. The first thing he saw was a grey ceiling and a small, but elegant light in the center. The room was small and he could feel that it was swaying. The boy was lying on the lower bunk of a double bunk bed. The walls were colored beige and were pleasing to his eyes.
"Jim."
At his name, Jim turned slightly to his right and saw his Servant, Saber, sitting on a chair beside a window with a small table below it. A fearful tense look was on her face as she immediately stood up. "Saber?"
"Jim, I'm glad you're ok." Saber said and bowed her head at him. "I'm sorry. I should've defeated Berserker back there. I should've supported you-"
"Saber, please. There's no need to apologize." The Trollhunter made an amiable smile as he tried to move, only to feel a slight tender pang on his back, making him sharply gasped.
"Try to move gently." The King of Knights took and supported him by his arm, slowly lifting him up. The Trollhunter looked to his right and through the window. Green hills and meadows swept past followed by trees and bushes. They were moving at a rapid pace, a consistent thud reverberating beneath them. "Are we on a train?"
"Yes," Saber said. She looked behind her as the door opened.
"We're going to Russia. The next battle is in Moscow." Ishtar said as she entered the room and sat across from Saber at the table, followed by Shirou and a girl that looked extremely like the Goddess, but more mature and beautiful.
"It looks like you're ok now," Shirou greeted him with a cool smirk.
The girl on his right glanced at him and asked in a gentle way. "Does your back still hurt?"
"Yeah, just slightly."
"Well, treating your spine was no joke. It was completely broken into three parts when Waver-san found you. Plus, you suffered four broken ribs. Your thighs and lower legs were completely fractured. It's a miracle that your neck isn't broken though." the girl explained simply while brimming with confidence. The boy blinked, appalled. He couldn't believe that he had survived such injuries. His troll body form and extreme luck was what had kept him alive.
"All thanks to your troll form. Truly amazing, by the way." Shirou commented as he crossed his arms on his chest. The girl shifted her aqua eyes back at Jim before she smiled gladly.
"By the way, my name is Rin T. Emiya, nice to meet you, Jim the Trollhunter." Rin introduced herself before she put her hand on her chin and began to analyze the boy with curiosity.
"So, you're the Trollhunter who defeated those Arcane Order, huh? Truly astounding. The Magus Assoc had been hunting them down for years. It seems their end came when they met you."
Yeah...but I wouldn't celebrate it that much. Jim would have been happy with his feat, but he couldn't because of what had come after. A saddened gloom formed on his lips.
Just then, the door opened, making Jim look up. He blinked in surprise as a familiar face entered the room and closed the door behind him. Lord El-Melloi II looked at him inquiringly, taking note of the boy's expression, a disappointed and chagrin sigh escaping on his lips. "Based on your expression you might be thinking 'what am I doing here?' Because you already 'met' me before, am I correct?"
Uh...spot on. The Trollhunter was indeed thinking about the question, but he just sat quietly as the man sat down on the bed, across from him. "First of all, the name 'Lord El-Melloi II' is just a title that I carry in Magus Association. My real name is Waver Velvet. Second...I neither met you nor gave and invited you to this Holy Grail War. This war is dangerous and very risky."
Huh? "What do you mean by that?" Jim asked in a bothered manner. He was puzzled by what the Magi had said to him. He had indeed met him, and accepted his invitation – or did he really?
"What you had met was, most probably, a specter or a 'Puppet' that looks and acts like me." Lord El-Melloi II, now named Waver Velvet, slowly turned to him and glowered sympathetically at the boy. "You and Mark were fooled by someone who wanted to start this war."
Fooled? A heavy dreadful feeling slowly formed inside his chest. He couldn't understand what the Magi said to him. Tricked but by whom and why? "What do you mean by that?" he asked again in a foreboding tone as Waver fixed his square glasses on his eyes.
"Before I answer your questions, you should answer to your loved ones first. They are extremely worried about you." The magi took out a smartphone and handed it to Jim before he adding with an irritated voice. "Your friends, Hisirdoux, Claire and the so called 'King in Waiting,' Krell, had barged their way into the Magus Association in London and warned me that If I fail to make contact with you, they'll bring down my workshop."
Hisirdoux? At the mention of his friend's name, the boy's eyes lit up in recognition. A feeling of longing for the warmth of his friends filled his chest. The boy looked down at the smartphone and then hesitated. What would he tell them, other than that he chose to enter this deadly war all by himself and leaving them out of the loop? For sure they would be mad. Oh Fuzzbuckets… Jim, however, let out a deep, tired sigh. If his friends wanted to scold him for leaving them, he deserved it.
"The room is yours, little kid." Ishtar said as she walked and opened the door of the cabin. Rin tagged Shirou and the couple followed the Goddess. Waver stood up and made one last contemplative glance at him before he walked out of the room.
"Jim, I shall give you some privacy." Saber bowed at him before she left. Her black coat over her all-black casual clothes rustled softly as she closed the door behind her.
Jim looked down timidly at the lit-up screen of the phone. A number that he knew was displayed on the surface. He felt very skittish, but after he gulped down and mustered his courage, he pressed the call button. The phone rang once, and the boy tapped his left thigh with his left index finger anxiously.
"Hello?" a girl's voice answered and he knew whose voice it was. He felt his chest swell with gladness.
"Claire?"
"Jim! Oh my God, what is happening?! Where are you now?!" Claire, the love of his life, berated many questions at him in a loud and upset manner. Even though he couldn't see her face right now, Jim could imagine how her face glowered in worry. To Jim, however, he felt relieved that he could hear her voice. Even though Jim was only gone for a couple of days, he felt that he was away for a very long time.
"Claire, slow down-"
"Don't tell me to slow down! Where are you now? I saw the Golden Gate bridge and then Venice, yesterday! What is this mystical war anyway and why did you leave us all out of the loop!?" she asked a barrage of questions again, this time in a perturbed manner.
The Trollhunter took a deep breath and calmly said. "Claire, I would explain it to you-"
"No, you will also explain it to me too!" a familiar male voice shouted on the other end of the line. It was the voice of Hisirdoux. Jim could tell that he was distressed and filled with ire at the same time. "Excuse me, Jim, is that you? Seklos and Gaylen! Invincible really did beat you to pulp, didn't he? I saw the traffic cam in Venice. You two are all over the news, pal!"
Oh no...Douxie and Krel. Jim wanted to sink further down into the bunk bed. He only expected to answer and explain himself to Claire – not to most of his friends. "Hey, Douxie and Kleb-"
"Don't hey us! Jim, why did you join this Holy Grail War? Merlin told me that this ritual isn't a good one!"
Merlin knows about the Holy Grail War? The Trollhunter was startled for a moment, but then he quickly brushed it off. He must answer them. They deserve an explanation from him. "Claire, everyone, please let me explain. I will start from the very beginning." Jim said in a collected manner as he took a deep breath and began to tell the whole story from the start.
"And that was it…" Jim finished explaining what had happened for the past few days. His explanation was met with a dead silence from the three. The Trollhunter, however, had clearly imagined what their reactions were – completely shocked.
"Wow…" Kleb, the King-in-Waiting of Akiridion-5, was first to break the ice. He was clearly lost at words before he continued. "That was...intense. But it sounds like a very suspicious device."
"And it's dangerous Jim. Merlin had told me that the Holy Grail War had happened five times already, and it always ended in failure for some reasons." Douxie said with a hint of fury. "It's those Magus Assoc again, they always want to control things that they don't understand. Bunch of magical bureaucrats!" he spat the words as if it was a disgusting insect.
"Jim…" Claire then called him, her voice this time was weak and sad. "You're doing this for Toby?"
Yes, Claire… Jim closed his eyes. An image of his best friend flashed across his mind, his last scream of pain and then his last smile at him as he closed his eyes entered a deep slumber.
"I'm so sorry everyone. But I'm doing this to save Toby. I know that you're all doing your best...but I have to bite this one." The Trollhunter explained in an arduous tone. Jim was desperate to save his best friend and he was willing to grab any opportunity to make it happen. The miracle of the Holy Grail – he couldn't help it but to believe in it. He believed it would cure his friend.
"Jim, at least let us come with you." Claire said in a desperate manner.
No. You can't, this is too dangerous for you. "No. Please no, Claire." Jim answered immediately. He doesn't want to endanger his friends anymore. He had started this journey. He must finish it all alone. That was what Jim thought. No one would ever suffer, except for him. The Trollhunter at least felt at ease with that thought.
"Jim-"
"Please, Claire, everyone. Please let me continue this alone." Jim pleaded more, but Krel butted in.
"Jim. You might face Invincible again. Me and my sister are ready to fight with you, " the King in Waiting paused before he continued. "In fact, she already contacted the Earth's world leaders. The U.N. has issued an arrest warrant and an international manhunt against him has begun."
Queen Aja. Jim smiled at the thought of Queen Aja, the Queen of Akiridion-5 and one of his best friends. He could imagine how furious she was after learning that Invincible had almost beaten him to pulp.
"Yeah, mate. You need us to defeat him. He almost disrupted the peace accord between Viltrumites and the Earth's human government." Douxie cut in and explained.
Guys...Jim felt so happy and at peace after hearing his friends' support. He wanted to say yes to their offer, to let them help him in this quest for the Holy Grail, but he knew that he must not. This was his choice. He chose to walk on this path, and because of that, he should be the only one who should see his own end.
"I thank you all but no." Jim said with gentle grimace, hiding his disappointment. "I chose this, to join this war. I'm so sorry everyone, I don't want you all to get hurt because of my selfishness."
"Jim-" Claire was about to make another outburst of her frantic panic, but the Trollhunter quickly stopped her.
"Please, everyone. Please trust me. I promised that I would come back. I must win the Grail for Toby, even if I have to defeat Invincible or even defy this cruel fate." the boy said with a determined tone. The three were silent in the background. They all felt the determination of the Trollhunter. Jim could sense that his friends wanted to stop him, but then he heard a sigh.
"I guess we should believe him."
"Krel?!" Claire rebutted, but Douxie immediately intervened.
"I don't want to say this, but...we have to believe in him. Jim...please promise us that you will come back and that, if you're in trouble, you will call Shirou. That man promised that he would protect you, even though he is a Magi agent of the Magus Association." the wizard said with a fretful tone.
Finally, he heard Claire speak. "What will I tell your parents? They're both extremely worried."
Ah that...Jim couldn't help but feel dispirited. He already knew what his parents were feeling right now. Strickler would be extremely anxious while Mother was likely depressed with his sudden disappearance. However, Jim knew that both of them were stronger when they were together. "Claire, tell them that I'm alright and I will soon come home. I'm going to be okay." Jim said soothingly and the girl only let out a defeated sigh. It was all clear too for the girl that she couldn't stop him.
"Jim...promise me that you'll come back."
"I promise, Claire." Jim sincerely said with a sad smile while his eyes looked through the window, faraway to the clouds. He wanted to say more to them, but his mind had drawn a blank. He had reached the end of their conversation as he could no longer share anything with them.
He bid farewell and ended the call. Silence enveloped him and seemed to pierce his ears without even trying. He didn't like this kind of silence for it emphasized that he was all alone. A soft knock echoed from the door which slowly slid. It was Waver who peered at him with a curious glance. "I'm sorry, are you done with your phone call?"
"Yes, I'm done." Jim replied.
The Magi entered and was followed by Rin and Shirou. The girl closed the door behind her and the Trollhunter glanced up to Shirou. He noticed that the man had a disheartening and gloomy look. Waver sat on the chair by the table and glanced at him. "Saber and Ishtar are outside, guarding the whole train car. I reserved this train car just for us." the Magi explained as he took out a cigarette case, took a cigar out, and put it in his mouth. The cabin was immediately enveloped with strong fragrance of tobacco and perfume, making the Trollhunter shift uncomfortably on the bed. He didn't like the smell at all.
"We heard your conversation. I'm sorry for eavesdropping." the Magi explained as he blew smoke out of his mouth.
"You guys really have a habit of eavesdropping everyone, huh." Jim noted simply, making Rin smirk at the boy's judgemental humor.
"Jim." Shirou then spoke, his voice heavy and saddened. "Are you really going to use the Grail to cure your friend's ailment?" he asked as the boy nodded.
"Yes, Shirou. I will get the Grail to cure my friend." Jim answered with a look of fortitude and noticed that man's frown deepened more to sorrowful one.
Waver blew out smoke again from his cigar and cast a calm look at the boy. "Jim. You have a very noble wish.'' The Magi commented and continued. "However, it's best for you to know what the Holy Grail really is and how it really functions." Waver paused again as he rubbed the cigar on an ashtray on the table. "Jim, would you like to hear the History of the Grail?"
The History of the Grail? Jim thought and it picked his curiosity. He had been fighting for the omnipotent object, but he didn't know its history or how it really worked. "I want to hear." he said out of enlightened interest.
Waver stared at him for a moment, a thoughtful look forming on his face before he closed and leaned his back on the chair. He began to tell a tale.
"It all started with three powerful Mages: The Einzbern, Makiri and the Tohsaka." Einzbern, Makiri...and Tohsaka? Jim noted the name as the Magi continued his story. "Long ago, there was a powerful Magi who performed an amazing magic called the 'Third Magic'. The magic was said to 'show the future' of whoever casted it. However, it has another purpose: the materialization of the soul." Waver puffed his cigar, the ember glowing bright. "The Disciples of the Magi then lost it for some unknown reason. They all tried to recreate it, but even after a thousand years of trial and error, they all failed."
Lose it? Jim raised his right brow, perplexed. How did the Disciples lose such important magic? "Don't think about it kid, it has no relevance to the story." Rin reminded him and the boy only brooded discreetly.
"And then, one of them thought of an idea. Why don't they create a Homunculi, one that could carry their mission for many eons to come, until it becomes successful? And so, they did it. The Homunculi is a girl named Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, a very powerful Homunculi." Waver paused as his black eyes gazed to the window. He could see that the sun had finally set, the sky now reddish pink. "Einzbern tried to recreate the same magic, but she too, after thousands of years, failed that task...However, she discovered something."
The man shifted his black eyes at Jim and spoke. "It's physically impossible to recreate the Third Magic without a humongous abundance of mana and the only way to get such supply...was to access 'The Root'."
"Root?" Jim blinked in wonderment.
Shirou answered him after he noticed the boy's piqued reaction to the term. "It was a place outside of this reality and universe. The Root is what you normal folks call 'God,' but it's actually a tree that holds all of the universes that have life. It is where everything was created and everything will return to after they die."
Whoa...I never thought that God was a Root. Jim wasn't much of a believer, but he always thought that God was a person, a male even. He didn't expect, however, that God's true identity was called Root and it wasn't a person.
Waver continued as he tapped his cigar on the ashtray on the table. "In order for the Einzbern girl to access the Root, she created a ritual spell that could create a Gate towards the Root. The Gate was called 'Greater Grail,' and in order for the Greater Grail to manifest within this world, it needed a land with a huge ley line connection underneath."
Ley lines…Douxie and Merlin had told me that's where the power source of magic comes from. The Trollhunter fondly remembered how the two Wizards had explained it to him, but he quickly brushed off the nostalgia. He needed to hear the end of this history. "Greater Grail, it sounds like-"
"Holy Grail, you haven't heard the entirety of it, Jim." Shirou said with a calm smile as Waver took a whiff of his cigar again. "So Justeaze then travelled all over the world, searching for a perfect place to anchor the Greater Grail's ritual magic. And during her travels she met another Magi named Zolken Makiri. They both met in Russia, and during that time, the country was persecuting people who practiced magic, so in exchange for escaping his homeland, Makiri offered his knowledge to help the Homunculi on her quest to attain the Third Magic." The Magi looked down at his magical cigarette case that slowly manifested another cigar, refilling it. "Finally, Zolken told the girl that he knew a place where there was a very strong connection to the ley lines. That place was in Japan – Fuyuki City, to be exact."
"That's where I was born." Shirou said with a distant voice, making Jim turn to him with startled eyes.
"When they got to Japan, they met another Magi, Nagato Tohsaka, who was a Christian that practiced magic. He too was a foreigner of the land, escaping the Christian persecution against people who practiced magic, but he earned the respect of the locals." The Magi paused as he extinguished his cigar on the ashtray and calmly breathed the cold air.
"The Tohsaka Magi then offered the whole Fuyuki land to them after he too was enticed into the Homunculi's mission. And thus, Einzbern acquired a place to anchor her Gate to the Root, the Greater Grail." Waver said as he took out a mint case and popped one into his mouth before he continued. "However, during her research, she discovered an error within her works. She indeed created the Gate to the Root...but she'd forgotten to create a 'Key' for it."
Whoa...sounds like a lot of work was about to go to waste. The Trollhunter couldn't help but feel pity for the Einzbern girl. He imagined that the girl must have panicked after she discovered the error in her works. Waver then continued his story to him.
"The 'Key' to opening the Gate was to use the energy of seven spirits that had left 'strong impressions or had done a tremendous good deed and had shaped or strongly influenced the history of mankind.' Those individuals must heed the call of the Greater Grail. That includes Mythological beings and Heroes of the past, present, and future of this Earth or different dimensions. And so, the Servants that were summoned were called 'Heroic Spirits.'"
So that's why they are called that. It literally uses the souls of Heroes and other great and divine beings. Jim recalled the enemies that he had faced. All of them, be they gods from epic stories or humans with cruel or heroic pasts, had left a mark in the history of mankind. Waver noticed his enlightened look and noted that the boy was catching up to him. He was gladdened by it.
"And in order to collect the Seven Heroic Spirits, it needed a special container. The Einzbern created a container that bore the likes of the Greater Grail. She called it the 'Lesser Grail' and she fused it with her body so that she could protect it against foreign elements." The Magi stopped as he pulled another cigar and flicked his left index finger, producing a flame on the tip, and lighted it.
"The 'Holy Grail' that you and Invincible are fighting for is the 'Lesser Grail,' the one imbued inside the Einzbern girl." Jim's eyes widened in shock. The Grail that he was fighting for was inside a girl. It confused him more.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked in a disturbed voice as Waver blew out the smoke.
"The Tohsaka, Makiri and Einzbern were the three founders of the Holy Grail War. When Justeaze died, she made sure that only the Einzbern family could carry the Lesser Grail, which is why every time there's a Holy Grail, a representative of them is always present."
Representative...but other than Invincible and Shirou, I didn't see another master after them. "I haven't seen another Master besides Mark and Shirou." Jim thought in perturbed. He didn't know what the representative of the Einzbern looked like. Shirou spoke after he noticed the confusion on the boy's face.
"I know who the Einzbern representative is...She was my sister, Illyasviel." Jim looked up to Shirou and saw the man glower depressingly. "Jim, I was a master before, during the Fifth Holy Grail War. Illya was a Master too and she was a sweet girl. She was the biological daughter of my adoptive Father, Kiritsugu Emiya, who was also a Master, during the Fourth Holy Grail War." Shirou paused as if a painful memory emerged from within the dark and deepest part of his mind. "She sacrificed herself after she found out the true purpose of the Lesser Grail and the Greater Grail." The man paused as his expression shifted into a despairful one. Jim couldn't help but feel tense. There was something wrong. He could feel it and it had something to do with the Holy Grail War. He wished that Shirou wouldn't say what he was expecting – that the Grail didn't truly grant wishes.
"Shirou, it's better to tell him the truth. Jim doesn't need to suffer further if he learns the truth the Grail right after he crossed the finish line." Rin stated in a gentle, but downcast voice. Waver let out a resigned sigh and closed his eyes.
No, please don't say that the Grail doesn't work. Jim wished as his blue eyes watched.
Shirou looked straight to him and said, "Illya had discovered that the Greater Grail is just a Gate to the Root and that the Lesser Grail was just a Key. The Lesser Grail...isn't as omnipotent as they'd described. Einzbern, Makiri and Tohsaka lied to the world of Mages about its alleged almighty power." The man paused and continued. "It can still grant wishes, but it only amplifies the scale of realization of the wish within working methodologies and is truly incapable of granting miracles. They just want more Masters to come and summon Heroic Spirits, which they would use as sacrifices to open the Gate." Shirou closed his eyes and then added.
"It was never about granting wishes, Jim. They just wanted to open the Gate, tap the branches of Root and gain an infinite supply of mana to manifest the Third Magic, the materialization of the human soul which would lead to eternal life."
No...No...No! Shirou had said it. The Grail didn't truly grant wishes. He wanted to deny it all for he was sacrificing everything just so he could obtain it.
"Sh-Shirou...you're wrong-" Jim stopped. He couldn't find the right words. His eyes were wide and looking everywhere as if the answer to negate what the man had said about the Grail was somewhere in this tight room. "Wai-Wait, you told me that it could still grant wishes. I wish for Toby to wake up...I mean, that could still happen right?" he said in a doubtful and desperate voice.
Rin looked at him and took note of his reaction. It saddened her to her very core. "Jim, let's just say that you're the winner and you did get the Lesser Grail. You wished for your best friend to wake up. What do you think would happen?"
The question made Jim stand up and answered her with a denying tone. "He would be okay and that he would live until he died of old age-"
"Wrong." Rin answered bluntly and it made the boy gasp in sorrow. He wanted to berate her more, but he could feel that the girl knew more about the Grail than him. The girl crossed her arms over her chest and said with a heavy tone. "If your best friend is most likely 'fated' to die, no matter how much you reverse the time, and if you wish for him to live again...then the Grail would simply make him live again...in exchange for someone's life." She leaned on the boy and pointed at his chest with her right index finger. "It could be yours, Claire, Douxie, your mom or even your Strickler. Either way, the Grail would make someone, within your circle of loved ones, suffer the same sickness that your best friend has."
Jim wanted to deny her words, but he couldn't find the right words to do so. What's worse, however, was that he couldn't detect any lies at all. What the girl had said was completely true. The boy slowly sat down on the lower bunk. Grief was displayed on his face. Waver Velvet observed his downcast frown. It was a sign that all three of them must leave.
"We'll leave you, Jim. We will give you some privacy."
No...please...don't leave me...Jim wanted to plead, but the man pulled the door open and all three of them left him alone. Shirou was the last one at the door. He cast a very depressed frown as he left. The boy wanted to hold onto someone so that he knew that there would be someone who could lift him up from falling into an endless pit of despair. However, right now, the Trollhunter had felt that he had already reached the bottom of it.
Silence enveloped the room. It was too eerie for the boy. He felt that everything was ending for him. Jim crawled onto his bed and sobbed on the pillow. A muffled anguished howl echoed through the room as the boy cried loudly.
"Toby, Toby, Toby!" the boy called for his friend's name in lament. It was now all too clear for him. Toby was going to die and he fell for a lie. There was nothing he could do about it except wallow in despair about his mistakes.
Toby, my God. Please someone tell me what to do! Jim thought in an agony of hopelessness. Toby, my friend, please wake up! I'm so sorry! The Trollhunter had apologized and had hoped that, even if he was far from him, it would reach his best friend and somehow, miraculously, wake up to brush his tears away. However, the silence of the cabin only told him that his cries would never reach him nor to anyone else except him, that there was no miracle that would wake his friend up. The boy was still weeping by the bed when the door of the cabin opened silently. Saber slowly entered and saw Jim's state, a painful look formed on her face as she closed the door.
"Jim."
"Sa-Saber…" A grieving Trollhunter looked back at the King of Knights. "I-I failed. I'm so sorry. Toby will never wake up. I'm so sorry." Saber could no longer bear her heartache for the boy. She quickly lunged and lay on top of him as her arms wrapped around the suffering Trollhunter.
"Jim...please, it's ok. If you want to cry more, then cry. Let it all out." Let it all out. The lights of the cabin slowly dimmed. The darkness had eaten the Master and the Servant. Saber had felt the sorrow and despair of the boy. It was very familiar for her. She had the same feeling before. She had also let out the same tears back on that hill, on that dreadful day, after she killed her son and realized the error of her choices on becoming the King of England.
She didn't do anything that fateful afternoon except for one thing: cry.
"Cry, Jim...and let the darkness sweep your sadness away...under this bright moonlit night." she whispered to the boy, softly and caringly, as she hugged him from behind.
-Dining Car-
The train rattled softly along the rails. Waver heard it as he looked down at his black and blueberry cheesecake with a solemn look. After the ordeal with Jim, all of them went to the dining car to eat their supper. Sitting across from him was Rin, who was taking a small sip on her clam chowder soup.
The dining room was almost empty, except for the waiter and the bartender in the bar area behind them. They were the only ones inside. The night was already deep and the dining car was open twenty-four seven. The two felt pity for the Trollhunter. They knew that the boy was just enticed and seduced to participate in this Holy Grail War by whoever was behind it. They also knew that Jim was only doing it for his best friend. And now that he knew the truth, they couldn't imagine how much anguish the boy was feeling right now.
"Yum, this steak tastes good." Ishtar, however, wasn't sharing the same sullen mood as the others. The Goddess was sitting her chair and gulped down her third T-Bone Steak with mashed potatoes while plastering a jovial mood. The actions of the Goddess clearly irritated Rin.
"Can you read the room, you cheap Sumerian gender bent peter pan knock-off." the female magi said with a dark glare at Ishtar, who then began to eat her tenth vanilla ice-cream.
"Why?" she asked while playing innocent. You know why. Rin's brow twitched in anger. The Goddess clearly knew why everyone was sad.
The goddess gulped down her food and shrugged her shoulders. "If this is about Jim, I'm sure he'll be fine."
"How can you call it fine? The boy will be traumatized forever by this."
"Oh, aren't you feeling too much for the boy, Rin? Growing up in a secluded mansion and having no knowledge of understanding other people's feelings, you trained yourself not to care at all."
"I am not that insensitive, unlike you." Rin said and shot her glaring eyes at Ishtar, who plastered a mocking smirk at her.
"Look, Rin, he'll be fine. I never said that the boy shouldn't cry or be saddened by his cruel fate. It's ok for him to cry and lament. It's just that I can't stand people who pity the boy as if he will never recover." The girl's face shifted to a confused look as the Goddess pulled out a green gelatine dessert from the table, closer to her. "At first glance, I thought Jim was a weak man, but turns out I was wrong. He's extremely strong...You could say he's an ideal hero. A very good ally of justice, just like your hubby." Rin's face immediately went red as a tomato at what the goddess had implied about Shirou to her. It was true though. She had liked that side of the man, to become a Superhero of justice.
"Hmm, what are you two talking about?"
"Ah, Shirou!" Rin almost jumped in her chair after Shirou appeared and walked behind her. A confused look formed on his face as the girl's face ripened more in red. "I-It's nothing, really." the girl said and looked away while Ishtar giggled mischievously.
Shirou, dumbfounded still, quietly sat down beside Waver Velvet, who glanced at him. "How was the boy?"
"He is asleep. Saber is with him, comforting and consoling him." The depressing mood returned after the man reported the condition of the boy. The boy had really gotten hurt from the truth that they had spilled to him. However, they must deliver the truth to him because it was better for the Trollhunter to know about the real Holy Grail rather than letting him discover its true purpose at the end. That would devastate him more.
"In any case, let's go to another topic." Waver said as he took out a cigar and lit it up with his fire magic. "Are you sure about what you saw, Emiya? Because that would certainly contradict what you've told us before about the Fifth Holy Grail War."
"I am not wrong." Shirou said, his brows crossed as the image of the white-haired girl flashed before his eyes. "It was definitely Illyasviel von Einzbern." he said the words as if it hurt him. Shirou looked down and frowned in grimace.
"But that's impossible." Rin replied as a similar reaction formed on her face. "Illya sacrificed herself in order to close the Greater Grail, which we, Waver-san, had dismantled."
"Indeed." Waver whiffed out the smoke inside his mouth. "Which brings me to my next conclusion." The magi tapped his cigar on the ashtray, his frown deepening into contemplation as his mind ran scenarios as to why Illya, the girl who supposedly died in the Fifth Holy Grail war, was alive and was seen by Shirou. There's only one possible explanation.
"Do you two remember the fire of the Einzbern main family castle in Germany?" The two nodded. Shirou and Tohsaka were assigned together with Waver Velvet before and their investigation was into the fire of the Einzbern main family estate. All of the family members were dead and that included their many Homunculi servants and staff. The case ended up cold since they didn't know who or what started the fire. The flames had eaten most of the evidence of foul play, if there was such.
"Something tells me that the fire and that Einzbern girl are connected." Rin remarked in a collective manner as Waver fixed his glasses. "However, have you heard of the rumors that the Einzbern usually prepare two Homunculi whenever they participate in the Holy Grail War?" the magi asked. Rin nodded. She had heard about the Einzbern before since she was a descendant of the Tohsaka family, one of the founders of the Holy Grail War.
"Apparently, just in case their main Homunculi malfunctioned during the passage and implanting of the Lesser Grail onto it, they would always have a back up body should something go wrong."
It was a crazy rumor only, but it sounds logical if I were in their shoes. Rin only agreed and asked in a curious manner. "Why do you ask sir-? Ah!" Suddenly, an idea hit her and, at the same time, Shirou's eyes widened. The two had reached a conclusion.
"Waver-san...are you saying that there's another Illya?" Shirou couldn't believe the conclusion that he had reached and it seemed to be the truth as the magi nodded.
"I'm afraid you two are right. There's only one possible conclusion." Waver fixed his glass and blew smoke from his cigar before he said with a dreaded voice. "There is another Illyasviel von Einzbern, and this girl is also a Lesser Grail. She orchestrated the fire in Einzbern castle one year ago, and the massive theft that occurred in the Animusphere Library of Artifacts at the Clock Tower Magus Association Headquarters in London six months ago."
Rin blinked her eyes at Waver in surprise. "Wait, she also caused that?"
"There's no other explanation, Rin...If she's the one behind starting this Sixth Holy Grail war." the Magi explained as he recalled what happened six months ago, back at the Magus Association headquarters. There was a theft. Seven artifacts that could summon Heroic Spirits were stolen from the Animusphere Library. The event caused a huge uproar since no one could ever steal from the ancient magus's library of artifacts for the whole place was protected by high-class magical security measures. And during that time, much to his dismay, Waver was also assigned to investigate it.
And now we know who overthrew the magical security measures. Einzberns, really. Waver, sighed in an exhausted manner as he rested his back on the chair. "Really...the Magus Association is pushing me to the brink of resignation. And now they have assigned me to stop this Sixth Holy Grail War. What is her whydunit anyways?"
Rin smiled in a sympathetic manner at him. "Well, that's because you're the best mage out there, Teacher." Waver only grinned at her remarks.
Shirou, on the other hand, looked down to his glass of water as if he was looking through another world. His grey eyes reflecting back at him and his frown deepen more. Illya...I wonder how you are doing over there? He thought with worry as he closed his eyes and calmly thought for his next action.
Latest chapter guys! I would like to thank the people who read my fanfic. You guys are the best and I hope all of you are doing well during this pandemic. So in this chapter we learned more about the Holy Grail and how it really functions. Jim had learned about tis truth and was completely devastated. He thought it was all powerful but he was tricked. What do you think the endgame of the true enemy? And what do you think would happen, if Invincible won the war? Stay tune for more, Thinker out.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Tales of Arcadia: Trollhunter, Fate/Stay Night and the cartoon Invincible. Names, places and events are all purely fictional, if one exist in real life then its purely coincidence.
Special thanks to Pure Red Crane for beta-reading.