Chapter 2: Astrea
Disclaimer: I own neither properties
A/N: To differentiate between everyone talking in Shirou's inner monologues:
- anything that is in the regular font is Shirou.
- anything that is bold and italicized is ( Shirou's CV self ).
- anything bold, italicized, and underlined is ( Cruz/Queen ).
For all intents and purposes, Shirou believes that any dialogue from his CV self is his thoughts alone. Btw, this is reflected in chapter 1 too.
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Most of the Frenzied dialogue is based on Sinding's quest from Skyrim. I figured it fit perfectly due to the circumstances. Also, most of the CV character descriptions are ripped straight off the code vein wiki.
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Thank you all for your interest in the story and I hope you continue to enjoy it!
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There's this saying he once heard from another country. "( It's often easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to get permission. )"
He hoped that was true because Fuji-nee would throttle him black and blue if she ever found out what he was doing right now.
After that experience on the porch, he had somehow wandered out of his house in a mindless daze; still adrift between dream and reality. Hell, the last thing he could faintly remember was an officer putting her hand on his shoulder as the sun dipped over the horizon...
But here he is now, wandering aimless and blood-starved through Miyama's night streets. Thankfully, it seemed to be at its outskirts, where only a few cars returning from work passed him.
To be honest, he knew exactly what he was becoming in pursuit of the truth. Every step he made towards it, he edged closer to that primal monstrosity he feared becoming... what he feared Sakura or Fuji-nee ever witnessing... ( They'll understand. )
'( You'll ) endure the pain, the lectures, and a thousand tora-shinai beatings from Fuji-nee afterward! ( There can't be progress if it's not achieved without a bit of sacrifice! )'
*Drip. Drip. Drip.*
It just took him biting his lips until it drew a stream of blood for him to maintain enough focus to walk straight.
But by God, everything hurt.
It wasn't just the Hunger. He felt as if countless worms were writhing under his skin and gnawing at his brain; rotting him from the inside out. His whole body had even become a sickly shade of bluish-gray, with his teeth sharpening to fine points, and his vision blanketed by a permanent haze of red.
Yet, the usual whispers somehow became clearer as he continued to shed his blood. It somehow sang to him the lives and interactions of a group of familiar strangers. All of which had centered around one location, a run-down chapel. ( Home Base. The only place where peace could be found in that world of constant, mortal danger. )
From its out-of-place bar ( ...where you drunk your injuries away with the Orphan and the Reaper. )
"Whew, I really thought we were gonna get ash'd against that thing! I'd say our win is cause for some celebration, don't you think?"
"A bottle of sake, huh? I'm surprised you even found one intact out there. Do you think you can handle it, though?"
"C'mon, I should be asking you that, old-timer. 'Cuz If you want to play, I'll up the ante with something special. I have a stash of aged brandy just for this occasion..."
"Heh, now you're talking. How about you, kid? You down to join?"
*CRACK.*
Or, the half-opened vault containing a multitude of weapons ( ...where you messed with the Blacksmith. )
"Hm, for all this equipment I'd say... 35000 haze. 33000 haze, friend prices. 31000 haze then. Okay, 30000 is my final offer. I still have to make back something, you know. Wait, what are you doing?"
"T-that... that's all for me? A Bugarally doll, Monopoly: Bugarally edition, and the 2045 Bugarally RPG?! Are you sure? ...T-thanks."
"...Alright, only 5000 haze... and here. What's with that look? You've gotten everyone else's at some point. I feel bad about not giving you at least something else besides a discount for these gifts."
"Huh...? What do you mean that you don't have any haze?! Why did you bother haggling in the first place if you spent it all on enhancements?! ...Give my back my chrome, you ass."
*CRACK.*
To the lounge, hiding the couch and piano ( ...where you rested next to the Sniper or played alongside the Survivor. )
"It's beautiful and it... sounds so familiar."
"The song is called Memory of the Lost. It was echoing in your brother's vestige, remember? It's strange that it had played there though because I only ever performed it to Cruz..."
"What was that?"
"Hn, never mind... I didn't realize you were getting so close to our leader there. Do your brother and I need to start decorating the chapel soon?"
"S-shut up, I'm just cold is all!"
"Mhm. You better hurry, the attendant is already ahead of you by a mile."
*CRACK.*
Finally, the makeshift hot springs ( ...where you looked up at the night sky and shared aspirations with your unlikely allies. All the while, holding Her in your embrace... )
"I thank you, my dear successor, for restoring the last of my vestiges. The attendant of the relics — I can feel all her memories and knowledge resting within myself. It's through her that I've begun to understand my true purpose and my identity."
"You've asked me what I wish to do after we finish our quest. I... I wish to stay by your side, not just for my duty as an attendant, but as your faithful companion. With you, I hope to travel beyond the mists and truly see the stars."
"Hm, did I say something wrong? You're hugging me quite tightly..."
*CRACK.*
"RrrrAaaRrrrGH" Those images shattered before being reformed into a monstrous reflection of himself. As that's the thing about burying your pain while simultaneously dredging up old wounds. There's a fine breaking point and it's only inevitable for it to all boil to a frenzy.
As that happened within himself, a dainty little thing suddenly appeared up the road from him at the worst possible time. And when he saw that girl too, he just... he could feel it coming on. He could taste it, the call to hunt! The sight of her white hair and ruby eyes only made that urge burn more fervently!
Despite all the years of being purposefully handicapped, his body never lost its ingrained ability to ( ...kill ). 'Inhuman strength and endurance. Bladed claws. Vicious fangs for tearing throats...'
He held it in as long as he could but the bloodlust screamed to be released! ( NO! Keep it together for a bit longer! ) She just looks so fragile, so innocent. Helpless prey.
However, as he continued to stalk toward her, she stood her ground without a speck of fear in her eyes. "To think you're the one he abandoned me for. While you're more interesting than I expected, in the end... you're just a rabid beast."
Her words were filled with such bitterness that he wondered if she was even a child at all. That hadn't deterred his feral thirst for long though.
"Grrrk!" Yet, as soon as he reared his arm to strike, a tail of blades ( Stinger-Type! ) coiled tightly around his neck and rocketed him into the asphalt.
That's when a fierce voice cut through his rage and pressure against his spine kept him grounded. "If you lay a finger on her, I'll carve out your heart!"
'( That voice! )'
"If you don't summon yours soon... you're gonna die, onii-chan~" The little girl's words fell on deaf ears, though, as he was too transfixed on the person above him.
A fair-skinned girl with a considerably petite build; her slim frame highlighted by a demure face, large green eyes, and most of her blonde hair pulled up in twin tails topped by a tall bearskin cap.
Matching the previous girl's winter scheme, she wore a spaghetti strap black ( white ) corset that hung off, over a lavender-colored skirt, purple ( turquoise ) thigh-high socks, and black ( pink ) fur boots. All completed by her thick, fur-lined long coat ( blood veil ) which her tail had formed from.
Yet, as she pressed his face further into the road, his inner voice screamed out to him. '( The Sniper! You remember her name, don't you?! What is it?! Say It! ) I-it... it's...'
"M-...ia... Karn-...stein..."
Immediately, she lifted the pressure off him and flipped him over to clutch his collar. After raising his face to hers, she gasped. "No... no, it can't be! You're-!" She let her veil slacken just enough for him to regain his breath before gently brushing his cheek. "Is it really you... EMIYA?"
"D-...on't..." Despite it being his father's surname, something about it being attached to him always enraged him... disgusted him beyond any degree! "( DON'T CALL ME THAT! )"
For a moment, she cringed back from hurt before putting on a warmer expression. "I see. You're on the verge of Frenzy... no, becoming Lost. That's why you were after her blood, isn't it?"
"Archer, enough."
"Master, please give me a bit more time!" She turned back to him and slid down one strap of her corset. "If you're truly him, then take mine! You won't be able to survive in your current state much longer!"
She then pulled him into her embrace; forcing his face to rest against the crook of her neck. Without much choice nor humanity left, he hungrily sunk his teeth into her and let the haze lift. With it, also came a brief glimpse of a somewhat similar scenario in an icy crypt, where an iron giant cheered from the side.
"Keep pushing through the Frenzy and never falter. I believe in you." In a surprising turn, he then felt her lips upon his head after gently pushing him away. "...EMIYA."
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The second his eyes shot open to her whisper, he somehow stood back on the porch; in the exact spot from earlier. Even the shattered blood vials and homework were as he left it.
Except that this time, his arms are void of injury, and replacing the golden, tear-shaped bead are the untaken pills Sakura had found. 'H-hah... ha... hahaha! Was that all just a dream?! It... it couldn't have been! It felt so real!'
His inner rage spiked and he unleashed it upon his home; thrashing walls and furniture into splinters as his manic laughter bounced throughout the empty halls. "Is this some kind of joke?!"
"That golden bead was supposed to represent hope—a key to the truth, didn't it?! A-and now what?! The same medicine that had been eroding everything about my past life is actually the answer?! ( Like hell it is! You're not sick, you're not crazy, and you certainly don't need to be goddamn drugged! )
Sure, the medicine slaked his thirst, but the dosages were only increasing as the years passed. When it used to be just one pill, it made him feel slightly dazed at most. Now, with the current three per day, it crippled even the most basic of body movements. He couldn't even form a coherent thought, let alone speak a simple sentence, without pissing and drooling all over himself.
( It's no way to live! ) His mind just refused this outcome. It used to scream at him to keep the faded vestiges that remained. ( You need to hurry up and see beyond the veil! You're running out of time! )
'But...' He stumbled to the main room and painfully crash his back against the dining table.
"I've had enough of this - you, me, or whatever my mind keeps conjuring up! I thought my visions were leading me to my past and with it, the power to change the present! But they're all just lies and fantasy!"
He stared into the flickering overhead light before raising his closed fist to it. "I don't care if these pills make me forget who I once was, because..."
"I'm done following false leads." He then opened up his hand to reveal the crimson medicine held between his fingers. In bitter acceptance, he tossed one down his mouth where it traveled past his throat and down his stomach before making a resounding...
*Plip.*
( What the hell are you doing?! You can't let yourself be weakened again! You're so close to realizing who you once were! )
"Is it worth losing everything I have in the present? No. In a single day, I hurt my family and broke their trust."
*Plip.*
( Y-...ou're mak-...ing a mi-...stake! )
"I already broke one promise to a dear friend. I won't break another and... I've given myself no valid reason to do so again."
*Plip.*
"It's time to finally kill the monster and embrace my humanity."
( Yo...u f...o-! )
'So, shut up already. This is MY choice and I make it for the sake of their happiness!' After closing his eyes for the imminent fog, he welcomed the silence that resumed once again.
'All it will take is one more year, and it'll all be over. Hah... by then, I wonder if I'll just laugh and ask why I even feared it happening.'
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The next time he awoke, it was under comfy sheets and a piece of paper taped onto his face. Oh, and the blaring rings of a phone call before it buzzed to an end next to his ear.
Yet, more surprising to realize is the fact that his mind isn't as cloudy as it should be. After taking those three pills, he should practically be a vegetable until the next dose. And as absolutely hellish as it is, he could always identify a passage of time even in his worst of states. That's how he knows that not much time has passed since taking them.
So, he ripped the paper off his face and blearily looked around to see that he was in his spartan-like room, with tons of the usual medical equipment keeping him company. "Nngh... What happened?"
Unfolding the paper, it was revealed to be a letter from Taiga-nee. "If you somehow read this the next day, I found you passed out on the table and tucked you back into bed. With how completely unresponsive you were, I know it could have only been from your medicine. So, thank you, I mean it."
'Well, that explains things.'
"But did you have to trash your place before that?! Don't worry, I told Jii-san it was all my fault (I know part of the damages are my doing too) but you owe me an expensive dinner, Shirou! The fixers should be coming the following day, so I'll bring takeout in case you're awake! Love you!"
'Well... I feel like an asshole. I totally forgot about that mess. I just hope my coherency lasts because I'll need it to make up to her with more than just a fancy dinner spread.'
Now, time to turn his attention toward the mystery caller. No one calls him much these days besides Fuji-nee and Sakura, so he could rule one woman out. '...Ayako Mitsuzuri... my old archery club captain? We haven't spoken since middle school. What could she want?'
Flipping open his phone and pressing return, he was met with a (strangely calming) tomboyish voice. "Oh, thank god someone answered! Er... so, how are ya doing, Em-... Shirou-kun?"
"I'm fine, sorry about missing your call. But I doubt you just wanted to ask how I've been doing, so what's up?" He didn't mean to sound rude, but he wasn't in the mood to play games. Especially, now of all times, when his inner emotions were still being tempered by the medicine.
"Saw through that, huh? Yeah, I need someone to clean up the dojo and take stock of our equipment."
"So... you call me? The guy who quit the club after a month, is an unofficial student, and is confined at home due to illness?"
"...yes? Okay, I know it sounds stupid-"
"Mhm."
"But the lazy ass who's charged with doing it today kept blowing off my calls and ignoring my messages. I tried turning to most of the other members but they're either unable to or haven't picked up. I'd do it, but I went home early due to a shoulder sprain. Pleeease, the equipment is super expensive, and with all the cases of break-ins/robberies recently..."
"Hah... well, how about the StuCo president or your friend, er... Tohsaka-San was it?"
"They both haven't been at school lately. Ryuudo-san had some emergency at the temple and Rin is out sick."
"...alright, I'll do it. You're lucky I've been feeling well enough to walk around again. Just rest up the injury on your end."
"Yatta, I owe ya one! Oh, and since you're feeling better too, will our third best think about returning to the team?"
"Hn, who's to say I haven't gotten better than you since back then?" He joked back to his old rival before taking on a more somber tone. "To be honest, I probably won't be back for a long while. While I still have you on the phone, though, who is the 'lazy ass' I am subbing in for? I might have to give them a piece of my mind if I find out they're there."
"Ah, I don't know if you remember him but Sakura has probably mentioned him to you before." With her next words, he felt a bit of the haze dissipate and his heart began to thump wildly. "It's her sleazy brother, Shinji."
"..." Just like before, a twisted smirk formed over his face at hearing the name.
"Hello? Shirou, you there?"
"Mhm, yeah. You don't have to worry, Mitsuzuri-san, I'll take care of everything. Just let me ask you one more thing..." While his head is still clouded, he had a decent amount of clarity left before the side effects fully kicked in. It isn't nearly enough to give Zouken a fight, but it didn't mean he couldn't give someone equally deserving a wicked haymaker.
"Do you know if Shinji is still there?"
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Blood Code: Astrea
Owner: Mia Karnstein (White)
"A blood code that appeared as a manifestation of a revenant's wish for happiness. It is filled with a desire to provide relief for weary comrades who have thankfully returned from the field."
- This code provides balance and stability in combat, and gifts useful for scouting/exploration.
- { Guardian Aid* } : Sacrifices HP to heal your partner and temporarily boost defense
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Author's Note:
Since I'll be going into when Shirou witnessed his first servant fight, I want to ask y'all if you want short interludes of servant summons after every chapter they're introduced. Otherwise, I'll only be injecting them into chapters when they're necessary. Thanks!
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Sorry, but I skipped a few days to speed things along for the main plot. Mainly because this Shirou has formed fewer relationships and has a lot less stuff going on. Please take the Ayako thing as a suspension of disbelief moment as she wouldn't realistically call him just to clean up the archery club's stuff.
Now for chapter explanations:
- Shirou was able to drink Mia's revenant blood because he's still classified as a Void-type/Successor of the Blood. He would have instantly become Lost otherwise.
- Shirou's pills only affect him until he turns 18 (when he'd be fully cured), that's why the side effects are so aggressive in the final year; it's combating/eliminating the last of his BOR parasites. It's also an excuse for why he still has all the benefits and negatives of a revenant but is weak enough to be destroyed by servants. Right now, he's a tenth of his previous strength.
- Apparently, Io and Ayako share the same English VA, Brina Palencia. So, I put in another VA joke because their appearances/outward personalities are the complete opposite of each other.
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Until next time, Peace Out