The Original Silver Hound

CHAPTER 1

Five Months After Klaus and Elijah Died

3rd POV

Many think that loss, that grief, that depression and denial never brought comfort to anyone. But it is the loss that tells us we have had joy; it is the grief that tells us we can still feel; it is the deepest depression that mirrors the most towering feelings of Love, and it is the denial that allows us to keep that hope alive until we find a genuine reason to live once more.

For hope to blossom once more, closure must occur. And for Hope Mikaelson, along with her two Aunts Freya and Rebekah, their closure was robbed by an ancient witch who wanted nothing more than to end their family for her own selfish reasons. They only wanted to hear their family members one more time.

Just before the time was right, a few moments before the witching hour reached its peak under the silvery light of the full moon, Freya double checked both the summoning circle and the chant that Hope would read, then looked from her little sister to her niece. Though she had modified this spell, it was still not entirely sure to work.

"Are you sure you want to try this Hope? I don't want to bring your hopes up just to have them shattered like the last hundred spells that we tried."

The auburn haired girl looked to her concerned Aunt and the resolve in her eyes shocked the blonde. With every successive spell, Hope had been losing just that, her hope to speak to her father, to her uncle, to her mother once more. So to see that fiery determination in her niece's bright blue eyes once more came as a surprise to the elder Mikaelson witch. Hope was quick to answer the concerned inquiry.

"I know Aunt Freya. I just…I need to speak to one of them, just one more time. But like you said, my expectations have been shattered so many times that I have decided that this will be the last attempt. So while I will put my all into this, I won't try another."

She turned her head so that she faced both of her aunts, one with medium length blonde hair and a face that usually spelled mischief, and the other with longer silky smooth blonde hair and a face that told of a hell of a woman, both when enraged, and when in love.

"Really, thank you two for staying with me this long. I know this must seem a little extreme when I barely knew them compared to how long you knew them, but…"

The latter Aunt, Rebekah slid off her seat with grace and poise that belied the potential killer underneath. She quickly slipped her arms around Hope and rubbed her back.

"Oh, Love, I understand. They promised Always and Forever and you just want a moment more. There is nothing to be ashamed of Hope. I would be lying if I said I didn't want you to succeed, just so I could tell them that I didn't take the cure, and won't, so long as my family needs me. And you, Love, are included in that."

She sighed as she rubbed her niece's back and looked at Freya.

"While my happy ever after isn't going as well as Freya's, as long as I have you two, I will happily continue it."

Hope had to wipe her tears away. When Freya joined the hug too, it felt right. Not quite whole, but the power of three was a sacred thing, from the Trinity to the Triquetra, from the Triskelion to the Tribrid. As the moon shone its silver rays down on them, a minor fluctuation in Fate occurred.

Though the original spell was from another dimension altogether, and normally would not work in this one no matter how it was changed, nor how it arrived here in this dimension in the first place. But the presence of a Tribrid, a witch blessed by the Earth, and an immortal under the silver light of the moon was like a butterfly, rippling through the Kaleidoscope to the old man of the Jewels himself.

Though thought to be insane and only searching for entertainment, Zelretch had a heart too. He felt love for the White princess he treated like family, and he remembered what it was to lose his family, only to be left alive as an undead creature forced to roam the world forever more. So in an action that he would deny to anyone who asked even his precious little girl Arcrueid, the Old Man of the Jewels did something entirely selfless and connected the ritual to the Throne of Heroes. He did not specify which Hero would be chosen, but he had an idea. And for once, he wouldn't watch for his amusement. He knew when grief should take precedence and he knew where the line was. This line, this line he would not cross. There was a chance they would be able to summon the Tribrid's parents, or even her uncle, but the way the connection worked, without a proper catalyst, the Throne itself would determine the best Servant for the Summoner.

And while Hope wanted her family, what she needed was a new hero, one who would always be her tower of strength, untouched hy death and with the strength to support her where she could not go on alone.

What neither Freya nor Hope accounted for but Zelretch understood was that this summoning, with its changed wording and the different rules of magic at play, was that the Throne took all the needs of all the Summoners into account. So Hope would get her hero to stand by her side, but Rebekah needed someone who would see her as more than the Original Sister. She needed someone who was a friend, who would shatter their being before betraying her. She needed someone who would be her friend, her ally, and would fight for her and never bend to the pressures nor the temptations of the cruel world and leave her behind for something greater.

Now that two of the Summoners' needs were accounted for, the information on what the third needed was addressed. Freya did not need a lover, for she had one. She did not need a hero, for she needed no salvation, nor did she need strength, for her wife gave that to her. She had no need for power, for she did not want it nor did she need it. The only thing that Freya could even qualify as a need would be her insatiable urge to learn more about magic and other supernatural entities.

Looking at all the needs of the Summoners, Zelretch allowed a genuine smile to grace his undead lips. There were few, very few in the Throne who could match those extremely specific requirements. But if his suspicions were correct, he knew a very specific variation of a Hero who would answer the call. Not only because of the requirements and the modifications to the summoning ritual, but also because even after everything, this Hero could never turn away from the cry of a powerful woman cloaked as a damsel in distress. For this Hero could never look away when someone was in need. He was a guardian who protected, a hunter, a predator, and a bastion of Hope for those who remained.

Nodding his head in satisfaction, Zelretch…for the first time in as long as he could remember, left well enough alone once his part was done.

Hearing the clock strike the midnight hour, also known as the witching hour, the three women seperated and Hope picked up the card that held the modified chant. With a final nod of support from both of her Aunts, Hope began to speak, and the supernatural world rumbled. It was faint, but the hand of a True Magician in all his glory does not go unnoticed, especially by Gaia, who was dominant here. It was her understanding of Magic that held away here, and it was her whims that allowed magic to retain its potency to the present day.

Hope's lips suddenly felt dry as she subconsciously felt the eyes of the World upon her. She licked them once and proceeded using her determination and resolve to keep her from backing down now. She had a feeling that this would be life changing, and she definitely needed a change in her life. Losing her parents and her uncle was hard enough, but practically all at once? She needed to reverse her luck and she had a feeling this was the way to do it. The feeling couldn't be explained, but she trusted her instincts and pushed on.

" Silver and iron to the origin. Nature and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone.

The ancestor is the Earth Mother Gaea."

Here was the first change to the spell. Because Freya had no idea who Schweinorg was and she wanted the spell to work, she acknowledged Gaea as the ancestor of all, something that pleased the Earth Mother greatly.

" The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate."

Power began to reach across the emptiness from one branch of the Kaleidoscope to the vaunted Throne of Heroes. Having been pleased, Gaea added her own energy to flavor the summon. Gaea couldn't have some third rate hero protect someone who had honored her. Whatever Hero the Throne decided to send, it would have to be one who had the blessings of the Planet.

" Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Repeat every five times.

Simply, shatter once filled."

Along with the energy that Gaea gave, the magical power of a Tribrid, a powerful magic user, and an immortal also flavored the summon. The Throne was given vague yet paradoxically specific requirements and the call was sent to all who had transcended reality to Sit upon the Throne of Heroes, in the position of Honor that guarded the Root of All Things. Many heard, but most did not pay attention. One however did. He fit the requirements, he felt the pull, not just from the summoning itself, but also from the information the summoning was giving him. Everything about the story resonated. So he listened to the voice of the Primary Summoner, awaiting to hear if there were any other changes to the usual Summoning.

" ――――I announce.

Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword.

In accordance with the will of Nature, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer ."

Immediately the Hero picked up on the difference. No holy grail awaited him there. But that was fine. He had simple regrets from his life, but none so horrendous that he needed the Grail to wish them away. Especially since that would take away the sacrifices of his odd family, of those closest to him, and would be going directly against what he had once told his Servant. He would be undoing her sacrifices and the life they had all lived together. That was not something he would do. So, as the Summoner asked for protection, he would provide it. They needed someone to stand by their side? He would be the immovable object, not leaving their side, no matter how much the world tries to break him. For he knows his steel will bend, but it will never shatter. They need someone to believe in them again? He had no issue with that. He had never thought he was worth loving, but someone believed in him, and a part of his distorted being was mended. Not reset, not fixed, mended. And he would in turn pass on that kindness that his loved ones bestowed upon someone like him.

" Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world, I am the one who destroys all the evil of the world.

You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ――― !"

At that moment, from within the Throne, a man rose and took a step forward from his eternal resting place to a Summoner who desperately needed someone to help. Having been forced to face an eternity of memories of massacres and unspeakable crimes, yet not breaking, this hero knows what the world is really like. It's dark, it's full of schemers and politicians and people out for themselves. The innocent rarely are left alone if they do not have the power to fight back, unless they had someone who was powerful to watch over them. His original dream was to create a world where no one had to cry. Due to the hardships of his own life and the forceful reliving of his Counter Guardian Self's memories, one by one, he understands that that is not possible, nor is saving everyone.

But in this dark world full of liars and cheats and powerful beings who view the innocent, the powerless, the weak, and the vulnerable as prey…he knew that he was comfortable slipping into the role of predator to remind the pompous fools who usually prey upon others for fun that there is one rule in a society like that.

You live by the sword, you die by the sword.

And as a living sword, who better to remind them of that fact than he? He knew this was a different approach to his ideals, but considering a midpoint between his own and his former Servant's way, he had found an answer he felt was good enough to dedicate his life to.

Protect what needs protecting. Defend what needs defending. Hunt those who hunt the innocent, and don't be afraid to do what needs to be done. Yet honor, honesty, and bravery need to be remembered. But the most important thing? Never forget who stands beside you. For ideals, dreams, and power are nothing without those who you've chosen to share it with.

It would be a tricky path for the Hero, but he isn't known as the Last Hero for nothing. He is the last Hero to Ascend to the throne without making a contract with either Aspect of the world, Alaya or Gaia.

With one last look at his own eternal resting place within his soul, the man turned and strode confidently through the corridor towards his new master. He smirked as he got the feeling that his new master wasn't the sort to react well to lazy Servants.

As the man walked, Gaea, the Earth Mother spirit of Hope's world, was able to get a real good look at him. In what wouldn't even be a fraction of a moment to even the fastest of individuals, Gaea had analyzed him down to his very core, memories and all. While she was hesitant to let such a deviant magic into the world she had kept in the balance that she preferred, the sheer amount of natural energy that he exuded, breathed even, was enough to tempt her, but it was honestly the memories that convinced her. Though it was impossible for a being such as her to connect to all the witch covens, or even many at all, she could give the seers and the spirits a heads up. She had sanctioned this anomaly. He was part of the natural balance. A new predator if you will, to break up the monotony and drive forth evolution.

This feeling spread out only from the boy, call it a blessing, call it a mark of the Goddess, but whatever you call it, she clearly marked him as an exception to the rule. And for that, even the ageless and usually emotionless Goddess took on a sense of amusement and glee. It had been too long since she had been the one to throw off known conventions and she was tired of it being the witches being the driving force in the evolution in her domain. For an omnipresent Goddess, even this was new. But she was also satisfied with her own interference for now and spread her attention once again to the vast reaches of her surface, seemingly done with this for now.

Rebekah POV

I knew the moment Hope started changing that the spell would work. I don't know how I knew, but I did. As she spoke, even I, an Original Vampire with an untapped witch's spark can feel the magic soaking the area with its potency and presence. But it was when she finished speaking that we actually saw something come of the spell. A bright silver light, blending in with the Moonlight for a moment before overpowering it, heralded whatever, excuse me, whomever Hope had summoned. I was waiting with a baited breath, because even if they were selfish bastards, my brothers are family. But as a figure stepped out of the intense light, I could tell it was neither of my brothers.

If it was Nik, he'd have walked out of the light with his arms spread wide and announced his presence. He wouldn't miss the opportunity to make a grand entrance. And as much as Elijah won't admit it, neither would he. Plus the figure wasn't in a suit, and for the last few centuries that has been the only thing Elijah will wear.

While it became clear to my sister and niece that the figure was neither Nik nor Elijah, I was busy looking at the figure trying to ascertain who he was. My mind was working overtime, at the speed of an Original Vampire. It hadn't even been ten seconds, but I had seen enough to get a general idea.

The figure was male, around 6 feet tall, and walked like a fighter, calm but measured, on the prowl. The light sharpened and enhanced his silhouette, showing off the tight clothing he wore that looked mostly like body armor on his chest, some sort of dark combat pants, and a silvery jacket of some kind. His armor clung to his muscles frame and from underneath his hood I could see shining silver eyes.

Well at least I know his favorite color now, what with all the bloody silver on him.

He seemed to be studying us just as I was studying us. His intelligence wasn't hard to see in his gleaming eyes. He cocked his head to the side and gazed at each of us in turn. I got a glimpse of spiky deep red hair, lightly tanned skin, and somewhat Asian features. His age was not discernable, somewhat like mine. He looked to be a late teenager, but if he wore the right clothes I bet he would look like he was an adult. With the muscles rippling within his form and his obvious intelligence, it wouldn't be very hard for him to look eternally young, yet mature.

But it was when I inhaled that I learned the most striking feature about him. Admittedly I'm absolutely bloody awful at detecting magic, but even then, I could taste the magic rolling off of him. But it was obvious that he meant no harm. Every body language cue showed only curiosity and calm confidence.

A moment from him shook me out of my thoughts and told me that he had finished his analysis of us as well. I would have gone on the offensive, or even the defensive, but he didn't move towards us, he merely squared his shoulders and… summoned a sword?

It was a majestic sword, with a blue hilt, a golden arc like cross guard, and with gold down the middle of the silver blade. Once again, he didn't do anything to spook us, no he did everything to show us that he was non-aggressive. Even though he had pulled out a sword, he had planted it into the ground. His hands rested on the pommel of the sword and he stared at Hope. It wasn't condescending, nor was it angry. In fact he seemed to be fond of something. It was in that next moment that he spoke and shattered the silence.

"Servant Class, Guardian, True Name Shirou Ashton Emiya, Silver Hound of the Fae. I have answered the summons to protect you and yours as requested by you and the Earth Mother who is the progenitor of my adopted mother, Lady Vivian of the Fae."

He looked deep into Hope's eyes after his own flicked to her command seals in the shape of her Tribrid Tattoo on her hand and back to her eyes. His chest seemed to swell with some kind of pride.

"I ask of you, are you my master?"

I looked at Hope, whose shoulders dropped at the vocal confirmation that it wasn't a member of her family in disguise. I could tell that she had the same stab of disappointment in her gut that I did. But, with an inner strength that I will always be proud of, Hope drew herself up and addressed him.

"I am your Summoner, but is there any proof you need?"

The man smiled, pulling his hood down as he pointed at the glowing red Tribrid Tattoo on her hand.

"That was all I needed, Master. An oath has now been sworn here. As long as you wish it, I shall be your sword and shield to do as my Servant Class suggests and be your Guardian. Your will is my command, your enemies shall be mine, and those you hold dear shall fall under my Aegis whilst your foes shall fall under my blade."

He paused to make sure Hope could digest his oath before continuing.

"But I wanted to confirm that it was you in charge. I understand having backup when you Summon, no, reincarnate a powerful spirit, but are the two powerful men in the shadows really necessary?"

It only took a millisecond for all four of us to realize that we were being watched. I was surprised that it wasn't in fact me that reacted first, even though as the Original I was, I should have been the fastest. Instead, it was this…Silver Hound, Shirou.

He summoned two more swords, but instead of the massive sword, they were small, almost rapier like with red crosses as hilts. He threw them with such speed and precision that I didn't even see anything but a flash of silver.

But to my surprise, Shirou merely smirked and relaxed.

"Potentially Hostile Dead Apostles captured Master. Shall I bring them to you?"

That really threw me for a loop, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. From the Phoenix Sword to the White Oak Ash daggers, weapons can definitely contain Vampires of any strength, even Originals.

Hope seemed to come to the same conclusion that I did and merely nodded to him.

Then in an instant, he reappeared with two men in his possession, held by the collar with what looked to be chains made of white ribbons with glowing golden runes written all along their length.

Annnd, bloody hell. Of course it's them. I groaned and facepalmed as I looked at the two chained and muzzled men before me.

One was my psychotic younger brother Kol, and the other was my dismissive and arrogant fiance Marcel. As I dragged my hands down my face, Shirou turned to me with an amused face before turning back to Hope.

"I assume you know these two? And might want them unbound?"

Before Hope could answer, Freya took control of the conversation.

"Yes to the first and no to the second. We still have to ask them why they were spying on us."

Shirou looked a bit doubtful, looking between the bound idiots and Freya.

"Are you sure? Will they not be able to do verbal magic if I remove the gags?"

Now it was my bloody time to be surprised.

"What do you mean by that you bloody idiot? Vampires can't do magic?"

Now he looked at me and he had a look of absolute glee written across his face as he practically jumped up and down with joy.

"So Dead Apostles cannot do magic here?!"

His winning smile was damn near blinding as he replied with a satisfied sigh.

"I think I like this place already. Well, if that's the case then I'll remove the Glepinir bonds from their mouths, but not their bodies. Does that sound acceptable, master?"

Hope was too busy trying not to burst out laughing to reply, so I replied in her place with a winning smile of my own.

"That would be great, Love, thanks!"

To my surprise, he merely waved a hand and the white ribbon-like chains slithered away from Marcel and Kol's mouths. But before they could protest, and oh boy did they look like they wanted to, Freya started talking to Kol like with a disappointment that only an elder sister could manage.

"Aren't you supposed to be out with Davina tonight? On a date I helped you plan…with a good chunk of my own time?"

Kol gulped and didn't say a word, but Marcel wasn't as easily cowed, not even by an Original Witch. He was struggling in the magic chains and he let his eyes shift and his fangs show as he futilely struggled against them.

"What is the meaning of this!?! Get these damned things off of me! Do you know who I…"

Before he could continue to bluster, a strong hand with the knuckles covered in a metal oval, probably for protection, snaked in and grabbed Marcel's chin. His face was wrenched to the side and up to look directly into the Silver Hound's glowing silver eyes.

"What I know, Dead Apostle, is that you were not invited by my master or her companions to this event, and if you hadn't been so easy to capture, you would be dead before they could conduct this facade in jest. I do not know who you are, but if you ever attack my Master or her companions from now on, I will show you why I am the one the Fae turn to when evil Phantasmal Beasts are on a rampage. I am used to hitting well above my weight class and succeeding. Do not test me."

He let go of Marcel's chin and softly patted the top of Marcel's head.

"Now shush, the adults are talking."

It was at that point no one could resist any longer. We all broke out into laughter, even Kol. Hope kept her giggling a little more reserved, but it was clearly full of mirth, making this moment worth it, even if I just knew Marcel would be brooding for centuries after this.

The first one to compose themselves was Freya, who brushed off the wrinkles on her shirt and addressed the man of the Hour.

"Well this is all fun, but you may release them and if you wouldn't mind, I would like to see one of those chains of yours."

He nodded, waving a hand and letting the ribbon-like chains shatter into motes of light, before producing a length of the same chain in his hand.

"I don't see why that would be a problem, so long as my master agrees. You were clearly invited to be here during my summon, and your magical scent is similar to my master's so you must be family. As she clearly isn't under duress, nor can I detect any mystical control upon her, you are obviously trusted by her."

Well we have a bloody Magical Sherlock Holmes here don't we? I shook my head at how quickly he deduced that and looked at my brother, who was actually seeming to take this in good humor, and my fiance, who was clearly not.

"I guess I should introduce myself then, now that we are not being watched."

With that, she shot the two guilty parties a look that kept them from speaking, before turning back to her…Servant he said?

"We aren't being watched any longer are we?"

He shook his head and replied.

"No, not as far as I can discern, Master. No one within a reasonable distance is looking at us, nor do I smell magic being cast near us or around us."

He paused, taking on a thoughtful look.

"Though with all the residual Mana here I am not 100% sure we aren't being watched by a long distance scrying Mystery targeted at this location rather than any one of us. Shall I erect a bounded field to provide us an extra level of security and certainty, Master?"

He shot an amused look at the two other males here before he continued.

"So that we are not…interrupted again?"

Freya waved him off before answering.

"No need, I can do what we need. But I am curious as to what a bounded field would be."

Then she faded off into low mutterings in a different language as she did her spell. Moments later she nodded and gestured for Hope to speak.

"Ah, uh, yes. I was introducing myself. I'm Hope Mikaelson, and these are my aunts…"

She pointed to us all as she gave out names in order of age.

"...Freya and Rebekah, and my Uncle Kol, along with the grumpy one being my soon to be Uncle in law, Marcel."

The red-headed spirit summon nodded as if he had suspected as much and smiled.

"Very well Master, other than do as my given class is made to do, am I needed in any other capacity Master?"

For some reason this felt like a trick question, but I felt comfortable enough letting Hope answer it. In fact, when I turned my gaze to her a smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I saw something rarely seen. My precious little niece was looking bashful.

"Well in all honesty, I didn't mean to summon you specifically, I was trying this spell to attempt one last time to speak with my recently departed father and uncle, or my similarly recently departed mother. I apologize if you were inconvenienced by this."

I turned back to the Summon and was surprised to see a knowing and empathetic look cross his face.

"I know what it means to do anything to try and connect and protect your loved ones. I personally razed at least three, no four great Mage families to the ground and slew countless Phantasmal Beasts who hurt my family or attempted to anyway."

To everyone's surprise, Kol spoke up.

"Are you sure you're not a Mikaelson? You sound like our kind of bloke."

Shirou faltered, with a grimace, before he answered with conviction.

"Not with 100% confidence, but I can tell you that I am not from this world with complete and utter confidence, if that helps."

Freya spoke up, curiously at this odd answer.

"What do you mean by that?"

Again there was a grimace, before Shirou answered.

"The first thing I remember was being a child in the midst of a cursed fire with no memories, no idea who I was, no name, and no idea why I was there. All I remembered was that I did not want to die. And even that was more of my baser instincts, because I had to sacrifice the rest of me to withstand the excruciating pain and agony of the cursed flames before my soon to be adoptive father appeared to save me as I had given up hope. I later learned after my death that my father was there, and held back the worst of the cursed flames and tried to draw them into himself, but in the end, even he couldn't stop an Evil God completely, and it fell to another to save the child he left behind."

He had clenched his fists so hard I heard his bones groan with the stress, but when he was finished, he let that tension go before continuing.

"And as for being from a different world I mean just that. If Dead Apostles as powerful as the three of you think that your own kind cannot cast and use Mysteries despite your innate powers, then I'm definitely on a different branch of the Kaleidoscope, and hence I blame Zelretch."

Seeing that none of us were familiar with his terminology, he explained himself.

"Ah, I see you are quite different if my terms for Vampire and the Multiverse, as well as the only known True Magician who can freely traverse the many different branches of the Multiverse aren't recognized here."

Hope chuckled wryly.

"I just won 15$ from Lizzie. She didn't believe the Multiverse existed."

Shirou took an amused facial expression as he heard that. In fact I think everyone, save for the still annoyed and grumpy Marcel, was amused with that odd comment.

Deciding to take the lead, I stepped forward.

"So you say you were summoned to protect Hope and her loved ones? How can we trust you?"

Instead of looking offended, or nervous, he merely pointed to the now faded, but still prominent red tattoos on Hope's hand.

"Simple, command seals. Each one has the ability to give me a complete and absolute command. They can either force me to do something, even without my consent, like tell me to kill someone against my will, or they can bend the laws of space and time to follow your absolute command. That can either be teleportation, or say if you use a command seal and tell me to win a fight, I would be empowered by the massive amounts of power in each command seal to be able to…"

Freya interrupted him here with a quirked eyebrow.

"To punch well above your weight class and win?"

He nodded, seemingly satisfied that someone understood. And now Kol seemed to want to weigh in.

"Bloody Hell! You may have wanted to summon Elijah, Kalus, or Hayley, but instead you summoned the lovechild between Elijah and Klaus Mikaelson with the sense of smell from Hayley!"

Sensing that may have been not the best thing for my psychotic younger brother to say, Shirou turned to Hope with an apologetic grimace.

"I do apologize about that, it seems that the location was not enough of a Catalyst to connect to your parents. I answered the call because your Mother Nature requested it after the Throne of Heroes determined me to be the most compatible Servant for you."

Then Marcel just had to open his mouth again.

"You are her servant , you say? Then what right do you have to bind me like some common criminal?!"

But instead of repeating his rather intimidating performance from earlier, Shirou looked unconcerned about an enhanced Original Vampire who was growling at him.

"Well stalking is a common crime is it not?"

To my immense amusement, Marcel had no answer to that. He dropped the shifted face and retracted his fangs in astounded confusion. And as if taking a cue from a higher power, Hope's stomach growled something fierce.

In response, Shirou's entire face brightened. He clapped his hands in naked excitement.

"Shall I prepare a feast? I am quite proud of my cooking skill!"

Well damn, he really wants to give us reasons to keep him doesn't he? Apparently that was enough for Kol because he perked up.

"I should probably call darling, she might want to attend this feast, especially since it's turning out to be a family affair."

Davina POV

When Kol called me to reschedule our date, which he left after receiving a text from Marcel of all people, I didn't think he would ask me to come over immediately, nor did I think he was being serious about a family feast…so late at night. But he was being totally serious. Not only that but his confusing explanation of why he had to leave and now why I also had to come eat with them was odd. Well it was until Freya got on the phone and informed me my husband and long time friend both were stalking herself, Rebekah, and Hope as they tried a final spell to talk to Hope's dead parents and or her uncle Elijah. And in the process of doing that, they summoned a being who humbled both Marcel and Kol…at the same time.

So when I arrived like thirty minutes later to see a rather tall teenager with what appears to be magical armor setting out a feast's worth of food that smelled amazing , I was a little surprised. But what didn't surprise me was the damn near visible aura of power around him. The joy with which he was cooking and serving food didn't match up in my mind with the idea of a being quick enough to take not only an Original Vampire, but also an Enhanced Original Vampire by surprise, and powerful enough to subdue them without much issue.

Kol was the first to notice me enter the Abattoir, because the rest of them were too busy taking in the smells of the food…not that I could blame them with how even I was drooling a little bit.

"Darling! I apologize for leaving you so suddenly, so I decided to invite you to what has turned out to be a family feast. I think the only one not here is dear Keelin…"

Freya turned to me, having apparently helped plan the date that Kol bailed on earlier, and nodded.

"Yeah, she's busy keeping an eye on Nik tonight. But otherwise, the whole family is here!"

She spread her arms wide, then quickly waved me to a seat beside Kol.

"Now quickly, sit down, the food's almost all set out. With how this smells, I don't think the Vampires will slow down if we let them get to it first, so be ready!"

I thought she was joking, until I looked around the table, and even Marcel, who was looking mighty grumpy, was gazing at the food like it was the Holy Grail. Which led to me quickly taking a seat next to Kol.

Not a moment later, the subject of this whole fiasco entered with what looked like the last plates that could fit on the table. He noticed me and smiled before setting the plates he had in hand on the table.

"That's everything! Dinner is served."

He went over to the side of the table, in a space between Hope and Rebekah, probably to have someone as a physical barrier between himself and the very grumpy Marcel. But just like everyone else, I stared down at the food and started to eat it.

He hadn't held back had he? The Ribeye Steak was seasoned in such a way that I honestly would have thought it came from a high class restaurant if I hadn't seen him bring them in one by one. There were a myriad of sides from mashed potatoes and seasoned rice to roasted vegetables that just seemed to disappear in a flash as everyone proceeded to annihilate the meal.

The only sound was of eating, and every once in a while a satisfied sigh. I couldn't blame them, and probably did the same, because the food was ridiculously good. By the time anyone said anything, the food was gone and the chef was already cleaning up the dishes. Once he was out of the room, I turned to Rebekah.

"Are you sure that's the badass you told me about over the phone and not some house husband?"

Rebekah gave a satisfied sigh as she slipped from her glass of wine and looked at me with a grin.

"Why not both, Love? He's literally from another world, why does he have to meet any of our expectations?"

I stopped short. I guess that is true, but damn.

By the time the man of the hour was done cleaning up, everyone at the table, including me, was watching him. He responded pleasantly, smiling at us and spoke. His voice was calming, though it had an undertone of power.

"Now that everyone is hopefully satisfied with a full stomach, I believe you have some questions about my summoning. Master, would you like to start?"

Hope looked a bit uncomfortable as everyone proceeded to look at her, but she sat back up and asked a question anyway.

"You said that you were the most compatible servant for me. What did you mean?"

The guy, Shirou I think Rebekah called him on the phone, responded easily.

"That's just the way the Summoning works. The man who was behind the creation of the spell and supervised the first usage of it made it that way so the Summoner would not have to constantly fight their Summon to get them to submit. There are two ways to get a Servant. The first way is to just summon, in which the spell, along with the actual Throne of Heroes analyzes the Summoner and their needs, wants and characteristics to determine who best meets the Summoner's need. The second way is to use a specific catalyst, which is used as a sympathetic link with the soul of the Hero in the Throne of Heroes to summon them specifically, and most of the time in a specific class. Such as Cu Chulainn. If you used… say a Runestone he made during his life, you'd probably get him as a Caster, a Servant of Magic, but literally any other Catalyst for him would give you the same man in the Lancer Class because that was a majority of his legend with his famed spear…"

Then he held out his hand and summoned a red, veiny spear with a viciously barbed tip. The thing that really spooked me was the cloud of bloodlust that just blanketed the room as soon as he summoned it. Almost no one spoke because of that, until Rebekah and Hope spoke its name simultaneously.

"Gae…Bolg."

Shirou nodded, a smile on his face that showed his pleasure that his master knew what kind of weapon that he…summoned? Created?

"Indeed Master, Lady Rebekah. I am pleased to know that you know the Noble Phantasm of Ireland's equivalent of Heracles. The more you know your mythological history, the better you'll be able to make use of my specialized skills."

Rebekah leaned forward, a sole eyebrow raised in skepticism.

"Don't you mean Mythology? Not Mythological history?"

I saw the twitch of a smirk on his face as he replied with a good bit of amusement.

"An ancient Vampire is really asking me that question? It may be a bit different between our worlds, but I would bet just about anything that you find in mythology had at least an analog in reality."

Rebekah nodded, a faint blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. But I was more interested in something else.

"You mentioned specialized skills. What did you mean by that and how does that relate to…mythological history?"

He glanced at Hope, who nodded, a curious look on her face as well.

"Now you are asking the right questions. Though I will get back to more info on servant compatibility afterwards."

He let Gae Bolg vanish and started to talk with a hand in the air, as if he was impersonating a teacher.

"I'm a unique existence. Before my birthright was returned to me, I was only allowed one magic and that which was complimentary to it. Luckily that speciality was useful. It is something called a Reality Marble. I was the seventh recorded human to have one in history. Reality Marbles are unique even among those of us that have one. It is an inner world that is the truest expression of your soul. With enough prana and will power, your inner world overwrites reality around you and those brought into it are subjected to your will. The powers and effects of the Reality Marble depend on the user. But inside of it the user is effectively the deity of that space. Because of the artifact used to save my life as a child that was left inside me, my Reality Marble centers around the Concept of Sword. Anything related to swords, like spears, daggers, shields, bows, chains, any instrument of war really that I see, I can understand them to their core and add a copy of it to my Reality Marble to use again later like Gae Bolg that I just showed you."

My eyes widened at the thought of that, as well as the implications.

"So you are purely a combat Witch?"

He turned to me with an eyebrow raised.

"Witch? Is that what you call all of your magic users here? I was known as a Mage until my birthright was returned to me, and then a hybrid until the day of my death when I was bathed in the blood of a dragon that I killed in retaliation for killing my last remaining loved one."

Freya caught on to something else he repeated.

"Ok, two questions. How did you see Gae Bolg, or any of the other weapons you've hinted at having for that matter? And you keep mentioning a birthright. What is that?"

He tilted his head from side to side before answering.

"The Heroic Spirit Summoning Spell was originally only supposed to be used when the world was in peril, by the world. Either Aspect of it: Gaia or Alaya. However, Zelretch, the Second True Magician, was convinced to use his knowledge of the Akashic Records, otherwise known as the Root, to create a ritual called the Heavens Feel, in an effort to let others reach the Root. The ritual was later called the Holy Grail War when the Church got involved because of the danger to the secrecy of Magic it posed. The ritual was for seven Mages to summon seven Heroic Spirits and fight until the last one stood. Then the last master would use a command seal to order their Servant to kill themselves and use the accumulated power of seven Heroic Spirits to breach a hole to the Root and gain the knowledge therein."

He paused to take a breath and make sure no one had questions before he continued.

"The fourth iteration of the Holy Grail War was what resulted in the cursed fire caused by the Evil God residing I'm the Grail. That cursed fire stripped me of the birthright, and the winner, who had denied the Evil God what it wanted was who rescued me and later adopted me. He died a few years later from the curses he sustained that day. I was unknowingly pulled into the fifth iteration of the Holy Grail War when the summoned Cu Chulainn impaled my heart for witnessing a fight between Servants. My soon to be lover saved my life by regrowing my heart, though it was the artifact and my own remaining constitution that kept me alive long enough for her to do that. During that War, I met an alternate version of myself who had made a contract with the Goddess of Humanity, Alaya, and had been used for eons against his will to murder innocents and evil men alike to keep the course of human history from being erased. He had seen practically every weapon in history and had them recorded in his Reality Marble. When we fought, a resonance between us transferred his memories, powers, and the contents of HIS Reality Marble to me and mine. What weapons he didn't have, I obtained between my battle with Gilgamesh, who had…and I quote… 'every treasure known to mankind in his Vault, called the Gate of Babylon, or in my later summons with the Wild Hunt and fighting for the Fae."

Then he tapped the table as if thinking of the next question to answer.

"As for my birthright, I was born to a mortal mother, who had descended from Senji Muramasa, a gifted magic swordsmith famous in Japan, and the Fae Elemental of Fire, known to me only as Ashton. Between the cursed fire of my first memories, and the Artifact used to save me, my mystical birthright as the next Elemental of Fire was taken from me and I became the living incarnation of the concept of Sword. My birthright was only returned to me at the age of 18 when Lady Vivian of the Lake adopted me and restored my Fae powers. But by then, I became the Elemental of Fire and Steel, since that is what's needed to forge…"

Hope interrupted with the answer.

"Swords…wow."

Then she looked a bit confused and curious.

"What was the artifact?"

He smiled and held out his hand, with a swirling vortex of golden sand, a beautiful scabbard of blue and gold appeared in his hand.

"This is the artifact, its name is closely related to the Fae and their champion in England."

I gasped, immediately putting the pieces together.

"That's Avalon! The scabbard of Excalibur for King Arthur! It was said to heal all his wounds and keep him from harm."

A smirk on his face preceded a shatter in my worldview.

"History got one thing wrong about that. King Arthur Pendragon was indeed real, but she wasn't named Arthur at birth. Her name was originally Artoria Pendragon and she was the most worthy of the throne. But at the time, women weren't given the chance to be strong or be leaders. So Merlin, that smug incubus bastard, cast constant illusions on her to make it seem like she was a man. But I can assure you, she was indeed a woman. She was my Servant Saber in the Fifth Holy Grail War. And even today, she is my role model to be a good Servant."

King Arthur was a woman ? That was definitely news to me. I mean the reason she hid her gender made sense, but still!

Shirou then looked to Hope.

"Now that I've answered the other questions, back to the Servant Compatibility. I'd have to know more about you to tell you how I match up to you, but one of the more symbolic ones I can take a guess at right now. I perceive prana, or magical energy through my sense of smell. That's how I could tell the boys were Dead Apostles…I mean Vampires, and how I could tell your magic and your Aunt Freya's magic were related. From you, I am getting three distinct scents too strong to be merely rubbed off on you from anyone else. The first is obviously the magic you share with your Aunt Freya. The second is rich in nature magic and has the scent of the magical wolves that ran with the Wild Hunt, which leads me to believe you are part werewolf. The last is quite weak, at least right now, but I definitely caught the scent of a Vampire like your Aunt Rebekah. Somehow, it seems you've inherited a Vampiric trait, but it has yet to activate. This you are a being of three parts. A…Tribrid if I'm not mistaken."

There was silence in the room as he deduced exactly what she was with ease. Hope was tense, but prodded him to continue.

"And how would that be important as a symbolic similarity or compatibility?"

He smiled at her, genuine and kind.

"Well, dear master, that is quite simple. I am also a Tribrid. I am a mage, or as you call me a Witch, I am a Fae Elemental both by birth and by returned status when Lady Vivian adopted me, and as I died, bathing in the blood of the resurrected Ddraig, who I had just killed to save the surrounding lands as well as get revenge for the loved one he and his master's had killed, I was given the aspect of the dragon. I have two magic cores, one of an Elemental, and one of the Dragon along with my normal Magic Circuits that allow the Magi of my homeland to use Magecraft. So fear not Master. I will not view you as an abomination, for I am just like you. Maybe not made of the same parts, but I will be feared just as you will. I will not abandon you because of racism or because your enemies believe us to be abominations."

Hope immediately sighed in relief after he said that. I know she's special and all, but she really is a loner and separated from her peers because she isn't exactly like any of them. Maybe someone like her will do her some good, and make sure she doesn't end up a huge dick like her father was. Yeah, that's a great idea.

Shirou then perked up.

"Also! I'm not exactly sure why I look like my younger self, probably that Old Man of the Jewels being a bastard and going on about a skill I refuse to believe I have, and to help blend in with you. But I was 25 when I died, and I have further been given memories of my summoning for an additional 15 years worth of experiences. But due to being mentally tortured by an enemy by being forced to live the Eons my alternate self lived under contract with a Goddess who uses him as a cleaner, killing and killing until he was so soaked in blood he could fill oceans with his victims blood. He made the contract so he could save people, and it broke him. I was forced to experience all of that time in moments. I didn't break because I had a purpose, someone I absolutely had to save. He did not."

There was silence as even I took in the weight of something like that. Not even the Great Evil Klaus Mikaelson could claim to be able to fill oceans with his victims' blood, nor forced to kill for eons, nor being forced to experience that all at once as a torture.

The silence reigned and even Marcel was tight lipped, until Freya spoke.

"Why are you telling us this?"

Shirou grimaced before gesturing to Hope.

"It is a part of the summoning. You really must have been desperate to use the spell without researching it. There is something called the Dream Cycle that allows Masters to get to know their Servants by experiencing the greatest turning moments in their Servants' lives. But as this isn't a normal summoning for a Holy Grail War, which only lasts two weeks normally, she will be forced to see more and more of my life. I have nothing to hide from my Master, but my life…and Archer's memories specifically, were enough to make him want to commit suicide by paradox and kill me to get out of the contract forcing him to kill and kill and kill by not allowing me to get old enough to make the contract in the first place."

He sighed and rubbed his face with a hand, obviously not comfortable talking about it, and if I was him, I wouldn't be either. I mean what he's just mentioning, as if it wasn't the worst thing in the world…it was worse than any of us around the table had gone through.

"Obviously, he failed. But in a way he succeeded. He made sure to make me promise never to take Alaya's contract. Along with rediscovering my birthright, I have many differences from Archer. One being my hair. He used our specific magic so much he over used it and it bleached his hair white and dyed his skin tan. My power was returned to me early and I didn't need to Brute force it, and my silver eyes are useful for my status as an Elemental of Steel, and therefore Swords. His are lifeless gray. He's a sarcastic asshole and I'm…ok I'll give you that one."

At this almost all of us had to smile at the self deprecating humor.

"But he was a smug sarcastic asshole. If there's anything I despise, it is smug assholes. Gilgamesh was enough of a smug bastard for me for a lifetime. I didn't need anyone else."

He turned to Hope, his hand on the back of his neck, scratching it nervously.

"If you would like we can try and see if you can gain awareness in the dreams and allow you to exit them at will. You shouldn't have to see my life if you don't want to."

Hope, Freya, and Rebekah nodded to each other then turned back to the man. Freya, as the authority on magic, knowing much more than even me, a Harvest witch blessed by the Ancestors, answered him.

"We will see if we can dig up some information on dream sharing spells and dream walking. I appreciate you telling us this rather than leaving Hope to experience it alone and terrify her, or scar her for life."

Shirou merely nodded.

"It is my duty to protect her, even from horrors such as my own memories. If I didn't do something as simple as this, what kind of Servant would I be?"

Hope POV

After a very informative and extremely delicious dinner made by…my new Guard/Butler (?) I went to my bedroom with Aunt Rebekah while Aunt Freya went to show Shirou a room of his own, as well as seal him in there, just in case what he said isn't true and he's some sort of mega killer. Not that I believe that he is evil. Has his life been arguably more shit than mine? Yes. But does that immediately make him evil? No. Especially if he can capture both an Enhanced Original and an Original in less time than it takes to blink. If there is a food chain here in this world, he would now sit firmly at the top.

I mean he's a Tribrid too, which is cool, but he's a dragon and an elemental along with what we would call a witch. That's just…over powered.

"Aunt Bex… I don't…"

She grabbed me into a hug and pulled me close. Her familiar scent was comforting. Ever since I'd triggered my werewolf side, my sense of smell is greater, even without trying to smell so much in my human form. It was one of the reasons that I was drooling so much during our midnight snack feast. I could smell it as soon as Shirou hit the kitchen. If I'm gonna eat like that every day, then it was almost worth it to have summoned him just for that.

"I know that it hurts when your last option to be happy fails you littlest wolf. I know."

And I could tell she meant it. Every word. I wasn't blind. When I came to visit her and Aunt Freya, I've seen just how bad her relationship with Marcel is getting. Not only that, her happiness has not planned out in the last thousand years or so.

"Would you mind staying with me Aunt Bex? I…I just don't want to be alone tonight."

And I really didn't. I promised I'd stop looking for a way to talk to my family. So this meant I had to accept that they are dead. And give up on talking to them one last time. I didn't even mean the likelihood that I'd see some of Shirou's awful life.

"You don't even have to ask, Love. You know I'm going to be there for you till the very end. Besides, you loved to snuggle as a little girl, I always found that cute about you."

She rubbed her cheek along mine and then pulled back.

"Come along. This way I'll be able to wake you if those dreams get to you."

It didn't take long for us to change into pajamas and climb into my rather large bed. To my surprise, it didn't even take long to get to sleep. But I guess that would make sense, it was nearly 2am when we went to sleep and the stress of it all must have gotten to us.

What didn't make sense was when I just kind of appeared next to Aunt Freya and Rebekah, standing in a meadow full of verdant green grass, a ridiculous amount of flowers, a lake off to the side, and swords, endless swords proudly sticking up from the ground as if they were monuments. I looked around in awe, seeing the sun and moon above us all, as I'd they were watching us. But the most prominent feature of this world? A lone hill in the middle of this land, larger than the rest of the rolling hills that faded into the forests that bordered this oasis of nature. Ascending the hill was a set of metal stairs bordered by a trickling stream on one side, a gently crackling fire as if it was a mirror image to the water. The rest of the hill was filled with weapons standing tall. From swords to spears to one mighty looking hammer and so much more. My gaze followed the stairs, which also had statues of what looked to be heroes from ages past, each holding a weapon of extreme power as I'd guarding the way up the slope.

When my gaze reached the top, I saw amazing statues along with an answer to where we were. The largest of the statues was a statue of a dragon, with scales etched in what looked to be rubies. From its mouth came the beginning of the line of fire that bordered the stairs. With its size, the tail curled around the top of the hill and at the other end, a statue of a beautiful woman stood smiling a motherly smile. From her outstretched hands came the water that fed the stream on the other side of the stairs.

Encircled by the dragon were a circle of weapons I could only imagine to be special to the creator of this place. But the most eye-catching thing was to see Shirou there in the middle, bowing to two reverently crafted statues. One held two swords, both with silver, gold, and blue color schemes, and both standing above even the powerful weapons proudly displayed upon the hill. The statue held the more plain, but more powerful sword in the air, while the other sword was stuck in a stone plinth at her feet. The silver and blue battle armor she wore was practical and modest upon the statue made of white marble, the eyes created of emerald, and the hair of spun gold. She was beautiful, but the crown upon her hair told me who she was, and the way she was honored told me all I needed to know. The blue and gold sheath strapped to her waist felt of the same magic that pervaded this place.

But the other statue, while having less of a royal feel to it, was just as beautiful. The statue itself, like the one depicting Artoria Pendragon, was hewn of White marble, but was adorned with precious gems to represent the woman in real life. Her hair, arranged in a tight ponytail, with a few strands falling over her face, was made of obsidian. Her sparkling eyes were crafted from sapphires, her red coat was made of Ruby, and her dark jeans made of onyx. Her expression was a devious smile, and in her hands, five gems were present. Each was giving off a single element, water, fire, earth, air, and pure magic energy.

From the prominence of the two statues, and the strength in their demeanors, I could tell these two not only meant a great deal to my new servant, but were as strong as he is, if in different ways.

He mentioned loved ones earlier, were those who were most special to him? I really didn't want to interrupt this moment, but Freya in her endless curiosity walked forth, brushing her hands upon the hilts of swords nearby.

"Be careful what you touch Lady Freya. Some of the weapons here in Unlimited Blade Works aren't forgiving in who they curse. I have made sure to keep this hill for my most honored blades, but even then, some of my most used ones appear close by. And I've used a good amount of cursed blades like Hrunting, Gae Bolg, and others of the like in my battles."

His voice had started off soft, but as he rose and turned to face us, his voice rose with him. He wasn't arrogant or rude, it was a bit more like a parent reminding a child not to run with scissors.

"Well this is odd. Did you already find a dream walking spell, Lady Freya?"

I looked at Freya wondering if she had really come through that fast, but she shook her head, indicating that she hadn't.

"Well then I can only think of two options. Either all three of you have the status of Master, or the bond you three share somehow strengthened the bond I should only have with Hope. Either way, I can only hold us in my Reality Marble for so long. I can feel the magic of the bond pulling us all into my memories."

He strode down the stairs gracefully and with confidence not accomplished by many our age, or who have the appearance of our age, and I remembered that he was a bit older than me. But since he had moved, I also saw a third statue between the other two of a smaller size. She was also lovingly crafted of marble with rubies for eyes and what looked like quartz for her long hair. She was a small albino child with a grin on her face that I couldn't tell whether it was childish glee or mischievousness. Maybe it was a sister?

As he reached the bottom, he grimaced as if he knew what was to come.

"Best prepare yourselves. You are about to see my very first memory. And it isn't a pretty one."

Recalling that he said his first memory was nearly dying in a cursed fire, I couldn't imagine it would be pretty in the least. So I nodded my acceptance as did Freya. But Rebekah had to say it out loud.

"Well, we might as well get this bloody nightmare over with so I can get back to real sleep. And my own dreams."

That seemed to spark an idea in Shirou, as his eyes lit up and she stood straighter while whispering something.

"Your own dreams huh?"

Then he looked at each of us and smirked.

"I think I may have a solution for this dream problem, which will allow you to have your own dreams, dreams that you control. Each of you have your own massive prana stores, even Rebekah, so you could definitely trigger it, and it works best on sleeping people. I'll show you what I mean tomorrow, but for now, I can no longer hold back the dream cycle."

It took only moments for the sword filled paradise to fade away to darkness and even then only a moment longer for that darkness to turn into hell.

I mean it, if you have ever imagined what hell looks like, what it sounds like, this was it. It was night time, but there was a black sun in the sky, leaking what seemed to be an endless tide of cursed mud, flailing about on its own.

Though I couldn't feel it on my body, I could see, smell, and hear the roaring fire around me and the curses that melded with it, burning people alive as they screamed for mercy. I heard children let out their last shrill cry of pain and agony, mothers begging for anyone to save their child, and the husks of husbands and fathers mumbling their loved one's names with their last breath before either being burned to a crisp or crumble to dust under the sheer miasma of curses present here. If Ric could see this place, he'd know that even my father doesn't deserve the title the Great Evil as compared to the being that did this.

But the worst thing I saw there was the little redheaded boy slowly placing one foot in front of the other, somehow walking through the flames without getting burnt. His silver eyes were lifeless, soulless almost as he tried desperately to take just that one more step.

After a few moments of him walking by us, I started to follow him, and silently the rest of the watchers did as well with Shirou bringing up the rear. It didn't take long for the little boy to lose all strength. I could see that now not only the cursed mud was burning him, now the fire was as well. He fell and out of instinct, I rushed to his side. I saw his silver eyes pulsing slowly before fading to a full golden brown color, devoid of emotion, but still alive, if his state could be called that. He laid there even as a stray piece of a building fell beside him, obscuring his form to anyone who didn't already know he was there.

I couldn't look at the kid, who I knew to be Shirou, anymore. I stood up and looked away, only to see Rebekah and Freya's faces reflecting the same horror I probably had on my face.

It felt like eternity as I gazed out at the dead bodies, the burnt out buildings and the sea of curses consuming the city around us. But it was the broken voice of the older Shirou with us that brought me back to the here and now.

"Old man…"

His voice was filled with feelings, regret and happiness, mourning and love. So I turned to see a man with scruffy black hair, dressed in all black with a full suit and a trench coat.

The little version of Shirou decided now would be a good time to put up one last effort to stay alive and try to get rescued. He raised an arm and the man rushed to him. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I could see the smile on his face. The same one I had seen on my father's face when he resolved to sacrifice himself to save me. The old man cried tears and brought the same sheath that Shirou had shown us earlier out of his coat and pushed it into Shirou's little chest. It dissolved into golden sand and seeped into his body. Then in a golden flash, it was like we were teleported somewhere else.

A hospital room with little Shirou asleep on the bed and the man in black seated in the corner of the room, waiting for the boy to wake. Only now did Shirou speak again.

"From here on where words are important I'll tell you what happened until you use a translator spell to be able to understand Japanese. It was in this room that my Old Man not only asked me if I wanted to be adopted I'd my parents couldn't be found, but he told me he was a wizard."

Shirou chuckled weakly as the boy version of himself woke and had a small conversation with the Old Man. Though it was in a rather monotone and robotic voice. Even if I couldn't understand the language, I could understand the inflections. Neither the elder male nor the younger one seemed to be able to express emotion well. After a short conversation with little to no emotion shown by either party, the Old man gave a small but genuine smile to the boy.

It didn't share the same desperate joy the first smile he gave the boy did, but somehow it seems more natural.

With that, the vision started to fade and we were brought back to the paradise of swords. At that, Shirou seems to sigh in contentment.

"Well it seems like that would be all for the night. I do apologize that you had to see that. Thankfully there isn't much like that for a little while, so even if my idea doesn't work, it won't be this traumatic for a while."

Rebekah and I looked at each other and shared a look. If there was still more to come that would be as traumatic as what he had to go through that night as a kid, it was a wonder that he was as well mannered and kind as he was.

But Freya was curious.

"What is your idea by the way? It seems like we might have some time here before we leave. What do you think will help?"

Shirou looked sheepish and held out his hand. What seemed to be a blindfold appeared in it.

"This is Gorgon Breaker. Archer was there in one timeline where the owner of this Noble Phantasm used it to…take prana from a teenage version of myself in that other timeline."

Freya raised an eyebrow.

"How does that help with dreams?"

Shirou blushed and rubbed the back of his head as if remembering something embarrassing.

"In my world it was rather easy to give prana, or magical energy to your allies, though most of the most efficient ways were a bit taboo. A servant could literally eat the soul of a person and take their energy, but kill them. At the time in that timeline, I was her ally. So she used this item to keep me in a dream she constructed while she took prana from me without having to have me awake to do it."

Rebekah and I raised our eyebrows at that. Something was suspicious, but Freya didn't seem to notice and blazed ahead.

"What ways did you have to transfer magical energy? If they were efficient, why were they taboo?"

Shirou hesitated, then sighed and mumbled something about "curious and clueless witches" before answering.

"What is magical energy?"

Freya seemed confused to be led to an answer using the Socratic method of questioning until the student reaches the answer, but went along with it.

"Life energy. Either from the planet or the person."

He nodded, still embarrassed, and I think Rebekah and I figured it out at the same time with his next question.

"What do Vampires need to live?"

It was a bit obvious, and rather…taboo I agree, but made sense as Rebekah and I shared a look. Freya didn't need anymore questions as she puzzled it out on her own.

"Blood. And blood is a bodily fluid. Blood gives Vampires their powers, and that leads me to think that magical energy exists in blood. But if that holds, then any fluid from the body would do. If that's the case…then…"

She looked up at Shirou, who was about as comfortable as we were.

"Oh… Oh! She gave you that kind of dream!"

Shirou was quick to protest.

"It wasn't me! It was an alternate version of my younger self! I was just forced to experience it!"

Half to save him, and half to end this conversation before it got even more awkward, Rebekah stepped forward with her own question.

"Does it have to be a sexual dream? I'd rather not have to escape horror with dreams that turn me on only to leave me high and dry when I wake up."

Shirou looked horrified at the suggestion. He shook his head vehemently.

"No! I wouldn't have suggested it if that was the case! The dream is created by the one who activates the Noble Phantasm. So you can dream what you want to dream."

Rebekah nodded, then gave the pool guy a mischievous grin.

"So, how was the dream?"

A look of confusion passed over his face as he thought through the question, only to be replaced by a scarlet blush on his face as he realized what she meant. Apparently it has been a blast. I just shook my head, but Shirou pushed down his blush to get revenge on Rebekah. He walked up to her, leaned into her ear, as if to answer with a whisper in the most personal manner possible. I had to strain to hear it, but it was worth it as he smirked at her

" Wouldn't you like to know."

Then he passed her and walked to myself and Freya. He started talking to us as if he hadn't just left an Original behind him, frozen in wonder and longing by his very own actions.

"I guess we can try that tomorrow, and so that you can pick and choose what you see I'll let you know when something really traumatic is coming if it works out."

He looked around as the world we were in started to fade.

"I guess we're starting to wake up. I'll talk to you ladies later. Goodnight."

He started to walk back to the hill when Rebekah finally unfroze and rushed over to him.

"Oh no you…"

Then we woke up and Rebekah sat up and finished her shout.

"Don't!"

Then she realized that we were in bed and looked over to me with a pout on her face.

"Your new servant is a bloody tease."

I giggled before answering.

"Well, I mean, you did tease him first. It's only fair."

She growled and laid back down, training away from me.

"Well I'm going to get him to tell me sooner or later!"

I grinned and laid down myself, looking at the ceiling.

Maybe I did summon the most compatible Servant for me. I may have wanted my family back, but in less than one day, he's made me laugh multiple times and brightened what would have been the extremely melancholic end to my quest to talk to my dead parents.

Who knows, maybe Shirou Ashton Emiya will brighten up the entire family, not just Rebekah and me?

A/n: Welcome! this is the first story I'll be uploading here on ! Though I have a profile on Wattpad of the same name, I'll be uploading different stuff here. I think that this is different enough content to want to separate it from the normal RWBY centered content I have posted there. I have a few other stories I would like to upload here, but I figured I'd start with this until I figure out how far I want to go with the other ideas. This one is new and I like it, so I decided to see what kind of reception it received. Feel free to leave comments on both the writing style and the story itself. I love to improve and I do that by listening to feedback and deciding what makes sense and what doesn't in the story with reader interaction. Thanks!

It has come to my attention that some of you saw the Ashton and Fire Elemental part of Shirou's backstory. I was waiting till I got to the Dream Cycle when he figured out what he was to make this note, but yes, that part, and that part only was inspired by one of my favorite stories, Fate: In Time by Percasious. The rest of it is my own idea just to make him a Tribrid. The part about him getting a Dragon Core from Fafnir is a bit too far, so I switched it to a different Dragon. He still needed a dragon core.