Chapter 17

Mark didn't know how long he had flown. He took off from Moscow, away from the dreadful scene and the flaming eyes of Trollhunter, and he flew at a hasty speed. However, he snapped back to reality after he felt wet coldness on his cheeks. The hero blinked and found himself flying through a rain cloud. A disturbed frown formed on his face before he made a barrel roll to the right and dove below the clouds.

I should've arrived at our meeting place by now. Mark thought as he remembered the rendezvous point that Illya 2 had given him, and tried to forget the deeds that he had done back in Russia. The clouds suddenly parted and the Hero was met with darkness. He was now flying above a dense forest of in the countryside. His black eyes noticed a structure.

The structure was a castle on top of a hill. Mark didn't know about the castle, but he got a feeling that the Mage owned it. He zeroed in immediately, but he quickly slowed down after he got a clear view of the palace. The castle, though it looked majestic and noble, was run down. The roof was in a dilapidated state. Its once white and pristine walls were cracked and charred as if it was destroyed by a fire. All of the windows were blackened by soot and dust. Some were completely gone. It doesn't look like a castle to me.

"This is the Einzbern Main Castle?" Invincible thought that the girl's home was beautiful since she previously told him that she had lived in a castle before. However, Mark didn't imagine that it was in such a ruined state. It made him gulp as he hovered forward and entered one of the holes in the castle's roof.

The inside of the castle was much worse than the outside. The walls were all black and charred by a fire from a long time ago. The furniture was all broken and in disrepair. Portraits and paintings were covered in soot and broken on the floor. The Hero was in some kind of a lobby of the castle. The room was wide. The ceiling was high. A grand staircase that led to the inside of the castle stood in the middle, dominating the whole floor, and on top of it, sitting pleasantly and completely out of place was Illya 2.

"Oh, Mark-nii-san." Illya 2 eyes lit up in gladness as she watched the familiar Hero softly land on the broken floor. The girl didn't move as Mark made a victorious smile at her.

"Sorry if I'm late."

"No, no! You're just in time." Illya 2 said without moving from her spot. Mark stared at her, puzzled on why she wasn't moving, but he didn't bother. He walked up the stairs, each step making a soft thump along the hollowed broken walls. "I'd receive the souls of Rider, Saber and Assassin." The girl said cheerfully and tilted her head to the left. Invincible, however, stopped dead on his tracks.

'I will stop you!'

'Thank you for using me...Master.'

The words ran across his mind and they made his gut feel sick all of a sudden. The image of the Trollhunter's valor face flashed before him and the last words of the Assassin-Class echoed achingly inside his head. A disgraced scowl formed on his lips.

"Y-Yeah...I killed Saber. Rider has been defeated...and Assassin was killed." By me. He thought in shame as he glanced down at the girl and her heart. The Homunculus's heart floated inside the jar beside the girl. It was now glowing gold. Invincible could feel that his wish was within his reach. However, he felt an agonizing pang on his chest. The things that he had done that led him to the Holy Grail loomed gigantically against him. All the things that I've done. All of it is evil.

"Illya 2…" he called the girl and showed his smile that shifted into a guilty one.

"What is it?" Illya 2 tilted her head again and asked in a curious manner.

"I-I've done terrible things. I made the Assassin Servant kill himself. I killed Jim's Servant whom he had liked very much." Invincible spoke in infamy. He kneeled on the stairs in front of the girl. The smile on his face disappeared and was replaced by a suffering look. "I don't want to become a villain...All I want is for my wish to come true. And yet...I hurt someone and I almost endangered this world." the hero said as he glanced down to his gloved hands. For a moment, he saw it was stained with blood. He knew that blood came from the actions and decisions that he made that led him to this place and to his current state. Is it all worth it? Is my wish worth all of the things that I'd done? He thought hard with his strained mind. The man blinked again and the blood disappeared.

"You're not the villain, Mark." Illya 2 answered with a doleful tone. Invincible looked up and saw the girl staring at him, a sympathetic smile spread on her lips. "I understand what you mean. You're not who you think you are. You're a Hero because your wish is for everyone's betterment."

She leaned in closer to him and added with cheerfulness. "All good intentions...will eventually bring forth good outcomes. The fact that your intention is the betterment of all lifeforms' future means that all of your actions, even if bad, would be considered good just as long as you fulfill your goal." The girl tilted her head again and happily added. "You're a good person, Mark, so it's ok. I believe that what you're doing is right. I believe what you've done is correct."

Illya...Mark's eyes widened as he gnashed his teeth. Tears started to pour out of their eyes as Invincible broke down into a cry. A sorrowful wail echoed through the walls as the Hero let go all of his sadness to the floor of the abandoned castle. The homunculus closed her eyes while retaining her pitying smile. Slowly, Illya 2 moved her hand and caressed his hair.

"Poor, poor, Mark. The Tragic Hero of mankind. Do cry with all your heart. Tonight will be the last time that you'll ever cry." Illya 2 whispered in pure gentleness. "Weep no longer...for your wish is about to come true." she added as her eyes caught a glitter of blue mist from the corner of the lobby.

Heracles, the Berserker Servant, materialized and shifted his head at his Master and the girl. A disgruntled and sad frown formed on his face. His eyes that were no longer gold and lifeless, but of light blue and sharp, stared at them. The Servant balled his hand into a tight first as he saw Invincible's remorseful face.

Jim, I thank you for making me happy. You're a great friend.

Keep moving forward, Trollhunter. I will always watch you from the Throne of Heroes.

Saber...I will. Jim finally opened his eyes from a dark dream. The Trollhunter could see the sky turning blue. Birds sang cheerfully and the clouds moved at a slow pace. The world was moving uncaringly to his situation. The boy felt that he was lying on the opened back part of the jeep. There was a coldness on his skin as he raised his hand, only for him to stop. His right knuckle was blank and it felt new to him. The tattoo that bound him to Artoria, the King of Knights, was gone.

Artoria was defeated.

The Trollhunter closed his eyes and a forlorn frown formed on his face.

"You're awake." Jim glanced to his right and saw the familiar face of Shirou Emiya. A soft smile of sympathy formed on Emiya's face. "How's your injury? Are you still in pain?" Emiya asked with a hint of worry.

Jim slowly sat straight up and looked down. He was back to his human form and he was half naked. A clean and glowing blue-green bandage was wrapped around his chest. The light illuminated his face even as he shifted his eyes and looked around. The jeep was parked at a convenience store in front of a highway. Across from them was a fence and a small airport.

"Are we at an airport?" he asked.

The Terrorist Mage nodded. "After the battle, Waver concluded that Moscow isn't the last place that has a working Einzbern workshop and activation site."

The Trollhunter turned to Emiya, his frown shifting into a serious one. "Where's the last activation site?"

Emiya glanced at him, taking note of his expression. "That would be the Einzbern Family Castle in Germany. Underneath their home was the first workshop that Justeaze built," he turned to face him completely before he added. "It was also, allegedly, the place where the Homunculus Mage had constructed the Prototype version of the Greater Grail before she ventured to the real world."

Prototype? "Is it functioning?"

"Yes, the Einzbern would never construct anything that doesn't work...but I don't think it's complete."

That's bad. Throughout history, Jim knew that when things weren't complete, they often malfunctioned. If the Greater Grail was a prototype and was incomplete, how would it grant Invincible's wish? Something would surely go wrong. "Say, Emiya. In all of the Grail Wars, was there someone who had won and used the grail to grant their wish?"

Emiya closed his eyes and thought for a moment before he answered the boy.

"There was someone. His name is Marisbury Animusphere, a powerful Mage. He was, technically, the winner of the Third Holy Grail War, but he won out of pure luck. Before the Einzbern could replace their dead Homunculus, he used the Grail and told his wish on it."

"What did he wish for?" A surprised look formed on Jim's face. He wasn't expecting that someone had already used the Grail.

"He wanted a huge abundance of money and when I say huge, I mean a really humongous amount. His wish was to attain enough money to start his project that could save mankind from future conflicts and beyond." the Terrorist Mage explained as Jim's surprised eyes shifted into a puzzled one. The wish was too simple and almost selfless.

"Well...what was the effect of his wish?"

"The Great Depression."

Whoa, I know that event. Jim recalled one of Strickler's history lessons, regarding the Great Depression. It was a time when the economy of the world plummeted to the ground. Businesses, stores and welfare were all affected. Dreams of attaining financial success were all lost. Some even say that this was the reason why the Second World War broke out. Countries wanted to conquer other countries for resources just so they could start back their economy. Jim didn't, however, expect that the great financial deluge was the cost of a single man's wish.

"What happened to him?"

"He did successfully build what he wanted...but he committed suicide after that." Jim couldn't help but feel startled to the revelation. The man had indeed obtained his wish, but his wish didn't make him happy. It only led the man to his demise.

His wish was noble, just like Mark's. Does that mean Mark will neve be happy with his wish? The Trollhunter compared the Hero and the Animusphere Mage. Both men wanted what was best for humanity, and yet the Grail ruined the wish of the powerful mage. And that would mean, Invincible's wish was doomed to fail from the very beginning.

There's only one thing to do. "We have to stop Invincible." Jim muttered tenaciously as he looked to his left and saw his blue hoodie.

A small approving smirk showed on Emiya's face as the boy dressed himself in his old clothes. The Terrorist Mage closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning on the jeep with a thoughtful look emerging. "If you think about it, Mark's wish is very noble. Mankind would lose the ability to do evil. Are you saying it's wrong?"

"No, Mark isn't wrong with his wish." Jim answered immediately as he took out his amulet and continued. "However, evil has many forms. Mankind has gained a lot of wisdom, which has led to multiple ideologies and interpretations of the good and evil." Jim paused as he pulled his duffle bag and opened it. His hand began to look for something inside. "What is right for a certain person is wrong to another and what is wrong to a certain person could be right to another. The interpretation is almost endless and not at all linear."

Jim finally found what he was looking for and slowly took it out. It was a small bottle with a piece of paper wrapped around it. Inside of the bottle was glittery dark purple sand. The Trollhunter recognized it. Gravesand. Gravesand was a magical dust created from the bones of Gumm-Gumms. It strengthened one feral instinct. Emiya noticed it as the boy glanced at him and spoke with resoluteness. "Mark's wish will go wrong and he will be sad because his hands would be stained with the blood of innocents. He may be a Hero, his wish is selfless, but he would kill the whole world unintentionally."

Emiya nodded in agreement, but he asked more with a hint of warning. "So, what will you do to him? He most certainly won't back down."

Jim looked down to the powder. It shone brightly to his eyes. "I will stop him even if I have to cut off his arms, legs and even his tongue just so he won't say or write his wish...and then I will destroy the Grail." The Terrorist Mage looked at Jim with a disturbed expression on his face. "The Grail is nothing but trouble...It will be my last heroic act for Toby and Saber."

His friend's face flashed before his eyes and then was followed by Saber, the King of Knights who had given Jim hope and helped him through his hardships.

Emiya stared at him with his enlightened eyes. The boy was brave and courageous. A nostalgic feeling burned in his chest as he recognized Jim's look. Emiya had the same expression before when he was a young Magi. He wanted to become a superhero and when he wished, he also displayed the same determined look. It was the look of a man who would do anything just to save everyone and the world. Spoken like a true Hero, Jim.

Just then, they heard a low snort beside him. Kairi walked to them after exiting the convenience store. Behind him was Ishtar, who had an energy drink in her hands. The two had heard their conversation. It made them smirk in gladness. "Glad you aren't quitting yet, Jim." the Bounty Hunter said with amusement as he took out his usual cheap cigar and blew out smoke.

"Well, I would like to land at least one punch on either Mark or his Berserker." Ishtar smiled, but her smile was a vengeful one. The Goddess was truly determined to get even with either of the two.

The door of the store opened Gin and the familiar sour-faced Mage, Waver, walked into the parking lot. The man took out his cigar, but he stopped after he noticed the strong-willed faces of his companions. "So, I'm going to guess that Jim isn't backing down." he said in a confused manner as the Trollhunter hopped out from the jeep.

"I will stop Invincible and destroy the Grail. I need your help, Mister Waver."

That determined look. The Mage noticed the boy's strong resolve. Jim's response made Waver excited. "I just reserved a plane for all of us. We'll be going to Germany, to the first activation site of the Greater Grail." The man glanced down at his watch and noted the time. "If the Grail is a prototype, then it's an unfinished one. They need at least three to four hours before they can activate it. The Homunculus body needs to gather more mana before the Lesser Grail can appear and materialize into this physical realm." Waver explained as he lit his cigar and blew the lavender smoke to the air. "We're still in Russia...getting there will be one hour, and we also have to jump from the plane and land on the castle. Are you up for sky-jumping?"

Jim nodded before he said with a steadfast smile. "Yes."

It's good that he still has the spirit to go on. Rin thought with gladness as she took a peek from the corner of the convenience store. She was expecting the boy to recover and she was correct. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. The girl then retreated back and shifted her focus back to her phone. "As you can see, Moscow is in ruins. As for my decision, my final word is 'yes'. I would like to work under your organization." A hesitant frown formed on her face as she took a deep breath and spoke with a serious voice. "But in return...I would like to borrow one of your Servants."

The man spoke from the other end of the line and she nodded in agreement.

"Yes. Gilgamesh, will do." she said before she ended the call joined the group.

-Cave Entrance to the Einzbern Workshop-

After Mark cried and let go of his sadness, the man was left with nothing but a hardened resolve. The Hero, now calm and at peace, and the homunculus slowly took a step along a spiral staircase. The stairs were narrowly thin and were only jutting out of the rocky wall. Illya 2 glanced down to the side and saw the ground below. They were almost at the bottom.

"Will be there soon." she said with assurance as she turned back. However, her left foot suddenly went limp and she gasped in shock as her body fell forward. Mark quickly reacted and caught her by her black coat and pulled the girl.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a worried manner as the girl suddenly sat down on the steps. A difficult frown formed on her face as she looked down at the jar where her Heart was. Her heart was still glowing in gold, but she could see that its hue was getting brighter and brighter. It could only mean one thing for her.

Her end was nearing.

"Mark...I can't move my legs."

"What?" The Hero was startled by the girl's words as Illya 2 looked up to him. "My conversion is almost up. I will soon become the Lesser Grail. My mana is being diverted and is currently undergoing Materialization, so I can no longer cast any control to my puppet."

Mark frowned more, bothered by the state of the girl. However, he couldn't help but feel relieved. The Lesser Grail would soon appear and his wish would soon be granted. Illya 2…

"What should I do?" he asked in a calm manner as the girl pointed out below.

"Please carry me towards that door." she instructed.

Mark slowly lifted her to her arms. The girl cradled the jar of her own heart to her chest. The Hero proceeded to walk down and soon reached the bottom ground. As soon as he took a step on the ground, a large set of dual doors glowed blue-green in front of him. The doors bore ancient drawings of a woman clothed in a white gown with white, long and elegant hair swirling around her. Words began to appear on the upper portion. He couldn't understand it because the symbols were ancient and unreadable. The door made a huge thud before it swung noisily and opened to the Hero and the Homunculus in his arms.

"Enter." Illya 2 commanded him. The Hero obeyed as he entered and vanish within the darkness.

After the door closed behind them and they trudged for a minute down a dark hallway, the Hero arrived and stood on a landing. His eyes widened with surprise. The whole place, despite being a cavern, was like a cathedral. Pillars made out of silver and stone supported the mighty ceiling above. Rock formations of limestone and granite formed the pristine walls. The ground was smooth and glowed blue-green, which was the only source of light inside the cavern.

"This is the first workshop that the Einzberns built." Illya 2 explained with a hint of pride in her voice, a small smile spreading on her lips. "And this is also the place where Justeaze had built the ritual spell for the Greater Grail. Her first prototype is here." the girl stated as her eyebrows twitched. A numb pain started to crawl inside of her.

"Illya 2?"

"Please put me on that tabernacle." she said as her voice cracked and her tone became almost inhuman.

She's dying...Mark thought with sadness as he hovered her to the back of the cathedral. Even though it was a short time, he understood the girl and her purpose. He felt bad that she was going to turn into a Lesser Grail. However, his wish was almost in sight. He mustn't turn back now or everything would be wasted. Mark arrived at a table. The table was made out of stone. The sides were decorated with ancient symbols and dust that had accumulated over time.

"Mark…" Illya 2 said weakly, her voice slowly softening in an unnatural way. "Let me give you my last instructions." She shifted her red eyes at him, which were slowly turning glassy and lifeless. "Once you put me on the table, I will lose the connection to my puppet. My mana will connect directly to the leylines in order to gain more energy for conversion-" she recited as a hopeful and joyful smile spread on her lips. "It will take me at least three hours before I turn into the Lesser Grail. Until then you must guard the door and let no one enter."

"I got it, Illya 2." Mark said with sadness as the girl closed her eyes. Invincible listened and memorized what she had said. He still felt deplored to the state of the girl, but he knew that she had reached her final destination and that she had truly accepted her fate. He slowly lowered her down and as soon as her back made contact, the table lit up.

Gold flashed out of the sides as lines trailed down from the surface and onto the ground. Dust and soot were blown away after a short gust of wind blew out of the table. Illya 2 opened her eyes and spoke with happiness. "At long last...my purpose will be fulfilled." she whispered in satisfaction before she moved her hands from her jar and put them on her side, the girl slowly closed her eyes once again. This time, she never open them again.

Rest in peace...Illyasviel Von Einzbern II. Mark clasped both of his hands on his face and bowed at the girl. He acknowledged her sacrifice and her determination to fulfill it. "Thank you, Illya, for everything." he whispered solemnly. The hero was grateful to her for his wish would soon come true.

"Heracles." Mark said as his Servant materialized behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and showed a thankful smile. "I thank you, buddy, for being there for me." The Master moved his right hand, the command seal of the Berserker-Class glowing in crimson red. "The Grail needs seven spirits in order to reach its full potential…" We've reached the end of the line, buddy. He thought as he raised his right hand. Mark was about to utter a command when he stopped after he saw the Servant look down on him and cast a kind smile.

No. not like this. "Heracles, I want you to guard that door and let no one inside." If he's going to die, then let me send him off with a proper battle, with his dignity still intact. The face of the Assassin-Class Servant played again in Mark's mind. He didn't want to cast the same gruesome command to Heracles because the first Servant truly helped Mark on his quest for the Holy Grail. It would be truly undignified to the Servant if he commanded him to take his own life.

The Hero made a half bow and proceeded to walk away from him.

And then, Jim's determined face appeared. "Heracles, wait." The Servant stopped on his tracks and turned to his Master. I do not hope that he will appear, but... "Let no one inside of this cavern...except for Jim, the Master of Saber. I will face him personally." The Servant made a half nod before he resumed his walk towards the door.

He will come...I know that look. He will come and try to stop me. Invincible had hoped that the Trollhunter wouldn't come. However, that hope was now faint and weak. The more the Jim's face flashed before Mark, the more that the Hero knew that the boy would certainly never stop chasing him until he succeeded in stopping the wish. Mark couldn't help but feel alarmed and gladdened at the same time. The nostalgia of Jim's reaction sent chills down to Mark's spine. Jim looks were a faint trace of Mark's once invincible bravado against the cruel Emperor Thragg.

And so, there was only one thing for him to do. "I admire you, Jim. You've become the hero of this story and me the villain." A small resigning smile formed on Mark's lips as he acknowledged the boy's courage in facing him. "However, this story isn't a fairy tale and it has a cruel twist. I won so the only thing that you can have is a consolation prize – a fight against me." Invincible thought that, by giving the Trollhunter one more chance to fight him, then he would show that all of Jim's actions were futile.

The Grail was Mark's to use and there was nothing that Jim could do except to watch Invincible use it. "Come to me, Jim...and I'll show you that you truly lose. I'm the winner of this war and I'll hit you with that fact, all over and over again, until you acknowledge me as the winner and you as the loser." Mark said as his frown darkened into a rageful one as he added more while his eyes flashing with fury.

"The whole world will soon change into a peaceful one. Evil will forever disappear."

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Invincible, Fate/Stay Night and Tales of Arcadia.

Special thanks to Pure Red Crane for beta-reading and proofreading.

New Chapter is up, leave some reviews if like to or some suggestions on how this fanfic could still improve. So what can you about this chapter?