This story contains spoilers from Vol.17 up until 19. Do not proceed unless you read said volumes or do not want to be spoiled.
Disclaimer: Date A Live is a series written by Koushi Tachibana and the Fate series is owned by Type-Moon. The characters mentioned here belonged to their respective proprietary. I do not own anything here aside from the plot.
The Spirit Formula.
A plan that they will use to gather up all of the world's mana in one location, overwriting this reality. Everything that has led to this point was to create a world without humans in it with only a select few to live.
Such an act was despicable… yet they were willing to do so for their dream to be realized.
A world where magicians and sorcerers can do their craft without worrying about persecution.
Two men stood in the middle of the vast green fields with one of them about to finish the magical circle where the ritual will take place. The other was on standby, preparing to cast a defense ward in case things go awry.
"Ike, preparations are completed on our side, how about yours?" a woman spoke through the radio and the man who drew the circle responded.
"I'm finished as well," Ike hurried along to the other man on the field, his expression that of a giddy child wanting to show off to his friends.
"Shall we get started, Elliot?"
The man named Elliot who was deep in his thoughts snapped out when he heard his name being called.
"Y-Yeah," he quivered a bit as he began to start a mantra of his own. A protective barrier surrounded him and his companion.
Elliott, Ike, Karen, and Ellen had spent 10 years to get to this point, being descendants of magicians, they wanted to continue their craft. With their only sanctuary destroyed, their fellow magicians and sorcerers were killed back when they were young. They never found out who burned down their village but… to do something as drastic as this.
"Are you having second thoughts?" Ike said.
"N-No… it's just that," he paused, unable to continue whatever is that he wants to say. "Nevermind, we're already at this point, there's no turning back now."
A smile formed in Ike's features as their surroundings slowly begin to change, the wind dies down and the clouds form a funnel at the center of the circle. The energy that resides in every substance in the world turned into light, swirling and coiling around the surroundings.
"The moment where fantasy becomes reality," Ike raises his hands welcoming the very existence that is about to come out. "With this, the Spirit will be born, and alongside it, a universal space that should only exist in humanity's imagination is being changed into reality. If the calculations are correct, the space of the Spirit being born is to the extent of covering the entire planet enough to be called another world."
Elliot stared at his friend; he has the same whimsical look back when their village was destroyed and it somewhat unnerved him.
The ground beneath them began to shake and their vision was filled with white. As if being struck by a missile, he struggled to keep his balance and covered his ears. A deafening explosion accompanied next and if it weren't for the barrier, he and Ike would have been caught by it.
As the vibrations stopped, Elliot dismissed the barrier and the sight of the destruction made him speechless.
All of them: mountains, towns, fields, and even the cities… disappeared altogether. Nevertheless, there was something at the center of that destruction.
"Hahahaha!" Ike's laugh echoed on the barren earth.
A girl whose beauty can be described as inhumane. Glossy hair that resembled silk thread, translucent white skin, even the languid expression projected by her pair of eyes seemed to only add further luster to her beauty.
The Spirit was born.
And with it came one of the deadliest disasters in the 20th century, totaling deaths of over 150 million in the Eurasian continent.
No one ever knew what happened as to why or what cause it but with it also came what people would name spacequakes.
Two months later…
She stood against her opponent, holding the wooden sword in her hands. While she was donned with proper equipment to protect her from any hits that her opposition would do, she wanted to land a solid hit on him.
She wasn't a pushover, of course, being a member of her school's kendo club, she knew how to handle a sword. However, facing him is a different matter altogether.
Both of them assumed their stances and engaged, warily sizing each other up. Then the assaults began, a lunge, parry, and a feint - and she was tagged by his opponent's weapon. The young girl clicked her tongue and she assumed en garde. Her opponent did the same and the bout began again. She immediately engaged the wooden sword with an envelopment, a maneuver that swept the opponent's sword through a full circle.
However, he counter-parried, a move made in the opposite line to the attack. Doing so knocked her sword away and the young man quickly lunged and scored a hit.
They both lowered their swords and removed their protective gear. The young girl had long blue hair that was fashioned into a ponytail and she wiped off the sweat from her forehead. She has brown eyes and one of her distinctive features was a mole under her left eye.
"What was that, Mana?" the young man asked, his golden-brown eyes frowned at the sudden move that his younger sister had done.
"Hehe, just something that I saw on the television," she scratched her head in embarrassment. "Thought I can pull a fast one on you, nii-sama."
"Hmm… I did saw you watch a fencing match a few days ago," he hummed in response. "Still to use such move against me is surprising, to say the least."
Mana huffed and stretched her body altogether, they've been practicing in their dojo since morning. With both of their parents gone on a business trip abroad, they were the only occupants in their home. Their abode was one of the many expensive ones around the district.
"Let's have breakfast! I'm famished! I'll help you prepare!" Mana offered and her brother nodded.
"Umu, ready the vegetables, I'll follow suit once I finished here."
His sister went on her merry way to their living room, leaving him alone. He grabbed the wooden swords and put them back in their proper places. With a towel in his hand, he gazed at his reflection in the mirrors and felt that all of this was an ephemeral dream.
Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise, with him rejecting the will of humanity, he was forced to become one of its agents. Force to continue living a life that should have been someone else's.
Life wasn't that good for Shirou Emiya or known to his friends and sister as a Takamiya.
Born into the illustrious family, Shirou is the oldest with Mana following behind. They weren't born poor, not rich, just enough to get by through their necessities. Their home had similarities to what he had back in Fuyuki. Design-wise, it reminded him so much of his home that he doesn't feel alienated at all.
The world itself share similarities in how human history panned out except for one.
He joined in on Mana who had already cut the ingredients necessary for his stir fry meal. His sister is now watching the morning news and the topic is still the same: the mysterious explosion that occurred in Eurasia. It was one of the biggest disasters of the century, claiming the lives of over 150 million people. Some had speculated that it was some kind of nuclear incident but it was ruled out since no trace of radiation was found. One of the weirder theories was that an asteroid struck the area and somehow the authorities covered it up due to reasons.
'That is such an outlandish speculation.'
Nevertheless, investigations are being conducted by every nation to search for its real cause. Humanitarian aid was also being done to places near the blast radius. After its appearance, also came what scientists called spacequakes.
"So, any plans today, sis?" he questioned, readying the plate of food.
"Homura-san invited me to go shop for clothes, how about you? Off to work, I assume?" Mana grabbed her share of the stir fry vegetables that her brother made.
"Yep, with the upcoming holidays, the cafe will surely be packed with customers. Marie-san will need all the help he can get."
"Can we come to your work? I'm sure Marie-san wouldn't mind," she quipped. "We'll get a discount for sure!"
"Unless you agree for him to dress you up as a maid, you'll pay the usual rates," Shirou added and his sister pouted at him.
"But you're one of his hardworking employees around! I like the calm atmosphere in there as well as the food and drinks." Mana continued.
The young man sighed, sipping some water from his glass before finishing up his breakfast. "With all of these spacequakes randomly occurring across the globe, the owner decided to invest in some building improvements of the restaurant."
"Well, I wouldn't blame him, spacequakes leaves nothing behind but rubble and destruction. Speaking of which, what do you think about its origins?" she asked, wanting to know what her brother's thoughts about it.
"Leaving aside conspiracy theories, my initial thoughts about it is that… it is not man-made. Perhaps magic?"
The young girl chuckled at his response. "So like a bunch of robe-clad people with their star tipped wands, did it? If that were the case what would they accomplish?"
"That's just a guess anyway. The authorities will be able to give us a satisfactory answer… hopefully." Shirou began to put away the plates whilst his sister ready for her friend.
As he washed the plates and glasses, his mind went back to their talk about spacequakes. It just doesn't make sense to send an agent of the Counter Force here after a disaster happened. Perhaps he was to avert something else? He wished that he was given more knowledge as to what to do next, being kept in the dark doesn't really help him at all.
"Good morning!" a booming voice echoed, breaking him out of reverie. "Eh? Did I miss breakfast?"
"By an inch, yes," the red auburn teen replied and the visitor helped themselves in. They both share the same tint of hair color albeit hers was more refined with it tied into twintails.
"You love lollipops don't you, Homura-san?"
"You know it, Takamiya!" Haruko Homura eagerly said, leaning and watching back on the counter with a sweet on her mouth.
Both of them were currently classmates in their second year of high school. She often hangs out here in her free time, either loitering or having girl talk with Mana. Though he had a hunch that she's here to get free food but the girl wouldn't admit to it of course.
"You're quick," his sister called, all dressed up and the girl gave a grin in response.
"Thought that I can take part with breakfast with Takamiya here. Anyways, let's be off, shall we?"
"I'll see you at work later, nii-sama." Both girls bid farewell and he was left alone once more though he will mostly follow them.
After making sure that everything is locked down, Shirou made his rounds to the cafe he worked in. He rode on his bicycle and pedaled to the shopping district of the city. The volume of people isn't that much due to fear of a spacequake suddenly appearing.
Moments later, he arrived at his destination, locking his bicycle at the back of the restaurant. He went to use the backdoor that employees used and found one of his upperclassman already there.
"Good morning, Itsuka-senpai," the redhead announced, hanging off the coat he's wearing in one of the racks.
"Same to you as well, Takamiya-kun." Tatsuo Itsuka greeted back. Despite having a bad posture, his expression was slightly melancholic. He reminds him of Issei Ryuudou with their glasses and intelligence albeit without being stern.
"Marie isn't here yet? That's weird… he always gets here before us," said Shirou as he walked towards his locker to get changed.
"Oh yeah, he mentioned in a message that we should go ahead and opened up. He has some things to take care of." Tatsuo informed, flipping the 'close' sign to 'open".
There aren't that many people coming into the café so the two high school students got it easy. Shirou was in charge of the kitchen and his upperclassman of the orders.
"You seem troubled by something," the redhead noticed how distraught the guy was, messing up some orders in the process. "Keep it together, alright? It's not the first time we were in charge here."
"I-It's not r-really about work," he adjusted his glasses a bit. "You know about Homura Haruko, correct?"
His underclassman nodded in recognition.
"Well… the thing is… we're dating." a blush formed in his face at the thought of such thing happening for real. "Anyhow, you know the things she likes?" he inquired.
"What makes you think I know about the kind of stuff she likes?"
The third-year student fidgeted at his spot, confusing his underclassman at the kitchen. He always thought that Shirou and Haruko were close since she talks about him… most of the time.
"You know? Like the two of you always going to school together... you're bound to know… right?"
"Hahhh… senpai," he paused when he said those words, somehow calling others his upperclassmen reminds him of her. He just wasn't used to it, normally, he would call his superiors by their names alone.
"Takamiya-kun?" he was broke out of his reverie when Tatsuo called him.
"Where was I? Oh, the thing about Homura… she's more or less a freeloader in our home but," Shirou gives his coworker a reassuring smile. "Rest assure, nothing's going on between us."
"Is that so? I'll hold on to that then," a sigh escapes from his lips upon hearing the redhead's words. While that one is out of the way, he didn't answer his initial question.
"Why don't you try asking her directly?" Shirou suggested. "She and Mana will come here to eat anyway."
As if on cue, the doors of the café opened and both employees welcomed them. The resident cook kept a cool head while his coworker didn't fare well when he saw the two customers.
"Hey, nii-sama," Mana greeted her elder brother with several bags in her hands.
"How are things going on here?" Haruko added as both girls found a table for two. They settle down their things on the wooden floor and made their way to the counter.
"Just the usual stuff, you know? Anyways, what can we get for you?" Tatsuo asked, trying to keep his calm composure.
"What does the handsome cashier would recommend?" the second year teased and Shirou just chuckled at his upperclassman's flustered expression.
Nighttime falls onto the streets and the lone redhead is about to go home. Tatsuo was left to do some item inventory and urged him to let him do it. He reluctantly agreed and left his coworker in his crevices. He treks the hills towards the manor with a steady motion and from the distance, the gates of the manor were sighted.
"Mana's still awake?" he mused, seeing that the front porch is still lit up. He came to a halt and park his bicycle in a corner. "I'm home."
Shirou announced and was greeted by his sister, clad in his apron. "I made dinner for both of us."
"Oh, you didn't have to," Mana pouted at his response and he immediately changed his response. "Still I appreciate the thought."
"Good, now get changed, the food will get cold if you don't hurry." the girl urged, pushing him towards his room.
"I get it!" he could sense Mana's excitement and while he has been working inside the kitchen for most of the time, he was unsure what to expect.
As he set foot in the living room, the food was laid out before him.
"Ramen, huh?" he murmured, taking a seat opposite of the girl.
"Yep! Learn that from our home economics, rest assured that it won't be a disaster like the previous ones."
The last time that he left his sister in charge of cooking nearly end up with the stove burning. He wouldn't settle to eat charcoal food and from then on, Mana would find ways to seize control of the kitchen.
He examined the ramen and while the broth was a bit thick for his liking, the noodles were really thin. As he took a sip from it, the taste wasn't so bad from what he initially thought it would be. The blue-haired girl watched her brother's reaction, a bit scared that the redhead might not like it.
"This is tasty and what did you use as your base for the broth? I can't see meat nor fish here."
"I used some Indonesian delicacy called tempeh. I was unsure of how it will turn out but I'm glad that you approve of it."
The two siblings merrily consumed their dinner, talking about things that caught their interests. It's just one of those peaceful days that Shirou wanted to last for long as it can.
He was enthralled by her beauty when he first saw her, descending in their realm like a goddess. Ever since he saw the Spirit, he can't seem to get her out of his mind. Not only that, their project had killed more than 150 million people, even more so than the two World Wars combined. What's even worse, smaller scales of that disaster that scientists dubbed as spacequakes occurred randomly all over the globe.
Just like they said: there are no first regrets, only last ones. But it doesn't mean that he cannot do something about it. As one of the founders of Deus Ex Machina Industries, he began to conduct another project that would allow him to track down the Spirit.
"How're things going on your side, Elliot?" the man inquired, watching his friend working on a machine.
"The data we gathered from the girl to create the Realizers was a boon," he paused, showing the DEM director, Isaac Westcott one of the monitors. "However, it'll take time for us to move forward with our plans."
"Hmph," Isaac hummed.
What they created out of the magical energy harvested from the Spirit was impeccable. These machineries would boost the strength and parameters of whoever wears it. He cannot wait to see who among his staff can use it.
Right now, some pressing matters needed attention.
The Spirit of Origin escaped from their facility and the dark blonde haired man admitted that it was a miscalculation on their part. Back when they capture the girl, confusion was evident and her movements are unsure.
The Spirit was also incapable of speech, perhaps… incapable wasn't the right word to describe it. Nevertheless, whether she can talk or not didn't matter for Isaac as long as she serves her purpose.
"While it is a bit concerning that she escape our grasp, there's nothing we can do. Not until she shows up again." he was unexpectedly calm at this situation, if it were others, they would have been furious to lose such valuable specimen.
Isaac glances at his friend whose focusing on the Realizer. Ever since his blonde-haired companion got a look of the Spirit, he can see Elliot's infatuation with it. He doesn't have any problems with it, rather he saw that as a chance for the girl to open up with them.
"Yes… until we find her again." the man murmured.
"The laid-out plans are the best ones, eh?" Isaac added.
"I want you all to study the Neo Moorish architecture, we'll discuss those tomorrow." their homeroom teacher said, concluding their classes for today.
Shirou stretched his body and began to pack his things. Truly it was weird that he would study yet again in Homurahara once more. What's more, is that this city has similarities to Fuyuki as well and everything is just like he remembered back in his homeworld. Despite the familiar scenery around, he found out that the name Tohsaka nor Matou existed to look out for the leylines. Then again, he did not know whether mages exists here in this world.
The redhead then continue living his life here, being on the lookout for the spacequakes while also being a law abiding citizen.
He was also a part of the Go-Home club, students that don't have any clubs to attend on afternoons. It's not like he didn't want to participate in anyone of them. He could join the Archery or Home Economics club for a change of pace but found them a bit tedious. It may seem a bit contradictory to say such but he wanted to be ready.
As to what he needs to be ready for, he doesn't know yet.
Just when he was engrossed in his thoughts when some kind of explosion rocked the place. Shirou grabbed onto a rail, feeling the ground beneath him rumble violently.
"What is this!?" he exclaimed and it took a while but the shaking eventually stopped. He opened his phone to try and contact Mana but to no avail, service is currently down. The auburn-haired teen began to run to where the explosion took place to check things out.
It may seem crazy to go to such a place, considering the dangers that might happen. Perhaps some gas leak occurred, a terrorist attack, or worse…
"A spacequake?"
He hasn't seen one yet up close and he sure as hell doesn't want to be in one. The images he saw in the news of how destructive they leave in their wake. People displaced from their homes…
The buildings, houses, cars, telephone poles, traffic lights, roadside trees, and streets. Shirou slowly treads his way through the rubble, his expression remains neutral as if he's somehow used to seeing such. The teen knelt and grabbed a dirtied doll from the ground, noticing that only a hand remained with the body missing.
His face scrunched up, following a mantra of his to the poor souls that were caught. As he continues to survey the area, a torrent of magical energy waved over him. This feeling was the same one he had felt 2 months back when that Eurasia incident happen.
This one, however, has a slight difference… it's as if all the maryoku converge in this circular space. Further ahead, in the center of the crater, he noticed a silhouette, and the energies emanated from there. The possibility of any human surviving is slim to none and it makes him wary of who or what it is.
Shirou slowly approaches it, still cautious, and then…
"Eh?" his voice croaked out and the reason for that was simple.
In the center of the circle of destruction lay a girl stark naked, squatted down. Somehow his senses scream that this girl is no more than an ordinary one. Now that he got a good look (averting his gaze at the body), she was a beauty to look at. Shirou is no stranger to seeing beautiful women but this one is rather… inhumane to behold.
The girl raises her head and upon seeing him have a fearful look on her face. She cowered away from him and found unable to do so, her entire body trembling at his presence. He looked around and being the only living human around, he approached her carefully. Shirou didn't have the time to feel embarrassed at the prospect of seeing a naked woman.
"Here," he removed his uniform and threw it over to the girl's shoulders, an action that causes fear and confusion to her. "I honestly don't know who or what you are but it's not safe here."
The girl opened her mouth and he expected her to say something. Only a groan came out of her throat
"Can you walk?" he inquired though with the girl not wearing anything, he shouldn't have asked. The girl stared at him with a startled look. "You can understand the words coming out of my mouth, right?"
He waited for a few seconds but he only heard her whimpered further.
Shirou let out a sigh and bend to his knees, offering the girl to ride on his back.
Which leads them to this point, with the young man carrying the girl behind. The auburn-haired teen has no plans to bring him over to their home as he wanted to have the girl checked out to the hospital. Fortunately, it was out of the blast radius and it would only take him about 15 minutes to get there.
Silence permeated between him and the girl; truth be told, he wanted to ask her many things.
Was she the one who cause the spacequake?
What was she doing in that crater?
Was she human?
"Hmmm..."
Shirou heard the grunt of the girl behind him as if she wanted to convey something.
"Ah…" his brows quirked at her attempt to speak. Was she that shell shocked from the explosion earlier?
"Don't worry, once you get to a hospital, they'll be able to get a good look on you." he declared and while his legs wobbled a bit due to the added weight on his back, he stood firm and continued onward.
Sirens rang out to the once quiet streets and the young man saw numerous vehicles. Ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks dashed towards where the spacequake occurred.
With the occurrence of such, the Japanese government is always on high alert. Emergency services from nearby prefectures are also on alert to assist others.
One ambulance stopped by and called both of them. "Hey, you two alright? Looks like you may need help."
"Yeah, my companion here was near the spacequake and she was a bit shell shocked," Shirou said, prompting the driver and his companion to take a look at the girl.
He waited for the driver and the nurse to finish the check-up. The girl was hesitant and whimpered when the nurse took out her stethoscope. She's becoming more of a mystery to him.
"She's fine for the most part," the driver reassured him. "She may need to see a psychologist after this. Victims such as her will need all the help they could get. By the way, do you know each other?"
"Oh… um… not really. I was on my way to buy ingredients to the shopping district when the spacequake happened," he explain and the male driver shot a look of suspicion to him. "I'm not a deviant or anything, she needed help and I'm not gonna stand their and do nothing."
"I'm not here judge you or anything but that girl may have a family looking for her. I urge you to contact local authorities and report her their, got it?"
"Yeah, I'll do that."
The ambulance went on to ground zero, leaving him and the girl behind. Conveniently, she was dressed in a patient gown and shoes as well.
'Where did she put them on? In the ambulance?'
The girl walks towards him and while she isn't that much shaken from before, there's still uncertainty present. Her eyes bore on him as if asking what to do next. Shirou scratched his head, thinking of the best course of action he will do.
The moment that their school ground violently shook on the ground accompanied by a loud explosion, Mana Takamiya who is in the middle of packing her things grabs onto her chair. Her classmates were all reduced to panic and ducked below their tables. She kept her composure and waited for the quake to subside which lasted for a couple of minutes.
"What was that!?"
"It's a spacequake! I know it's just a matter of time before it gets here in the city!"
"Ahhh… what about the people who got caught on it!?"
The classroom erupted into chaos and their homeroom teacher tried to calm them down. All of them knew that there will be a time that a spacequake would appear out of nowhere. It's because of this disaster that people all around the world are in a constant state of fear.
She gazed out the classroom windows and saw the smoke from where the spacequake occurred. A feeling of dread came over her all so sudden.
'Surely, he wouldn't go shopping at this time, right?' she mused.
The reason for such thoughts to occur is that Shirou has a habit of watching out for sales in the shopping district and the smoke is coming from the same area. She just can't shake that feeling off her chest, her brother would go home first since he doesn't have any clubs. Hers would likely be canceled because of this incident.
'Better check on him!' she dashed out of the room, ignoring the calls of her teacher.
As she made her way back home, she pulled out her phone and attempted to contact him. Unfortunately, services are currently unavailable. Mana put all of her strength into her leg and she was a bit thankful that their home is near their respective schools.
She saw the familiar gates of the manor and opened the sliding door with haste.
"Nii-sama!" she called out, pausing for a bit to catch her breath and settling down her bag. She didn't even notice that her brother's shoes are in the doorway.
The blue-haired girl checked the living room and the adjacent kitchen only to find it empty. She heads towards the corridor leading to their rooms and finds someone sitting on the veranda. The stranger has long silver locks and is wearing a hospital gown though what caught her attention is the beauty of said stranger.
She shook her head immediately, there's no time to be dazzled by such!
"Who are you and what are you doing here in our home?" she asked and the girl who sat gave her a look of confusion.
"Answer me!?" she raised her voice a bit and the girl cowered at her.
"Okay, I got some clothes that my sister used to wear though I don't know if it will fit you…" Mana heard the familiar voice of Shirou who is now carrying some of her garments. "Hey, you're back, are you okay? I was trying to contact you but I couldn't."
She breathes a sigh of relief upon seeing that the redhead is safe and sound. It would seem that her worries are unwarranted after all.
"Yes, I'm fine," she then gestured at the unknown girl. "Mind telling me who this stranger is and why she's here?"
Shirou pondered a bit, there's so much that transpired today and it would take a while to tell. Better start from the beginning then...
But before he could open his mouth, the silver-haired girl made a little sneeze and rubbed her nose.
"Better replace that robe with these," the young man offered but the girl stared intently at Mana.
"What you're looking at?" the blue haired girl didn't like the way that the stranger looked at her. Only then Mana realizes that it is her uniform that the silver-haired beauty is looking at.
A few seconds later, the girl closed her eyes, and motes of light formed on her body. Instead of the hospital robe, she's now wearing a replica of Mana's uniform.
The Takamiya siblings looked at one another and while the younger one had a stunned expression, the same couldn't be said with the eldest.
