MidnightAce: I don't really understand what you're talking about. If this is a way of challenging Rin's talk about "the creation of the eternal Noble Phantasm", all that I have explained in this dialogue is 100% canon.
We see Fanfic of Shiro traveling to other worlds. And often sees Shiro giving permanents Noble Phantasms that he Projected to friends. The idea of the authors is that without Gaia and Alaya, there is no more erosion force and the Projected Nobles Phantasms are "eternal".
Alaya and Gaia, of course, erode objects whose existence disturbs the order of the world. Nevertheless, the primary reason for the impermanence of the projected Noble Phantasms is different.
An object created in Prana is not stable... imagine that the replicas made by Shiro are made of ice. The more imperfect they are the faster they "melt". No matter how long Shiro manages to keep a stable object, it will eventually disappear. I did not invent the principles of entropy. I advise you to do some research yourself on this subject if you want to contest because no energy (including matter) remains frozen in a given state. The Prana created by Shiro obeys these same rules. An eternal object is within the realm of the First True Magic, that is, outside the rules of physics. And for this it is necessary to create using Ether, a material is not affected by the rules of physics.
To say that Shiro can project an eternal object if he manages to have a pretty perfect representation of it is as silly as to say that a car can ride eternally if it filled the tank completely.
Reconstruction's blues
Wayrest seemed to rise from the plains of southern Menevia, like a white rock cliff carved by human hands. Around the fortified city, the ruins of the orc camp stood, burned, ravaged by the power of Excalibur, the testimony of the last day of the siege of the mighty citadel.
The news of the victory had spread throughout Hight-Rock. With the reopening of the roads, families, messengers, and merchants had arrived from the whole kingdom. The news they brought rejoiced the righteous inhabitants freed from the ruins of their city.
Even though the Orc invasion had rolled down the Wrothgar Mountains like a river breaking a dam, ravaged everything in its fury, the invaders had advanced directly on Wayrest, neglecting to attack the other coastal towns. Certainly, bands of Orcs and Goblins had burned farms and villages, looting the granaries. Nevertheless, the bulk of the population had been able to flee and take refuge behind the walls of the other port cities of the region. The most prosperous part of the kingdom was therefore more or less intact, and the king's worst nightmare was therefore not to be realized. With the siege lifted, he still had a kingdom to rule.
As dawn had just risen, it was impossible to escape the sound of the hammer. Everywhere, the population worked in carpentry. Trolleys continued to cross the ramparts, laden with logs destined for sawmills. Wooden frameworks were already replacing some burnt houses, while elsewhere the rubble accumulated in the ruins was evacuated.
The effort, of course, focused on the walls.
The quarries in the area were again occupied, extracting blocks that were cut and sent to Wayrest. Hoisted by hoists, they were used to close wounds inflicted by siege weapons. While wooden scaffolding brought workers and mortar to the top of the walls.
No matter where one looked, the inhabitants had set to work with enthusiasm. Because it was a return to the normality they had been waiting for almost eight months.
The council room was a simple rectangular room, especially remarkable for the long table that ran almost from end to end. Crest hangings alternated with tapestries depicting harvests, grape harvest, or deer hunts, covering the stone walls with rich fabrics embroidered with gold. A door of varnished wood stood at one end, guarded by two halberds, and a high armchair - almost a throne- faced it.
It was in that seat that King Eadwyre sat. Old and strong as an oak with leaves covered with snow, he wore a beard of silver threads. Clothed in a doublet decorated with a knotwork of virgin vines, bearing the heavy crown of his charge, he listened to one of his counselors:
"... it will take time to rebuild villages and farms, sow wheat. It is obvious that the quantities of food stored in large cities are insufficient. We're going to have to buy grain from Daenia and Camlorn."
Another of the counselors interrupted the speaker. The man, apparently an important merchant, seemed appalled by this proposition:
"But we don't have enough money to buy that much food all at once. Plus, we're going to cause a crisis. Give it some thought, if we start shouting things like 'starvation' or 'lack of food' we will literally encourage our competitors to defraud us!"
The Dark Elf Queen Barenziah, gorgeous in her long red satin dress, straightened her scarlet eyes over the merchant:
"Let it be clear, there is no way we are going to let famine finish the work of the Orcs. We must feed our people."
The merchant nervously blotted out the sweat that covered his face with a large checkered handkerchief:
"I... didn't... mean it that way, Your Majesty. Just... just... it was better to make sure we knew first how much grain we really needed. Then, only then, send several merchants separately to discuss purchases in different cities. Buying in bulk would cause a shortage in the market and, almost mechanically, would result in an increase in prices. There are always people to take advantage of it, my Queen. I just wanted to warn you. The last thing we need is a bunch of smart guys stockpiling crops to see how high prices can go. As you pointed out, my Queen, we cannot let people die.
As the intervention of his wife had stifled all dissent, King Eadwyre turned to the only imperial officer present. He was not, strictly speaking, an adviser to the sovereign. Nevertheless, in recent months, he had, in fact, led the defense of Wayrest:
"All right, that's a given. Let's move on to the next question. General Ceberhas, tell us about the military situation."
The Aldmer straightened up with military stiffness:
"Your Majesty, two weeks after the end of the siege of Wayrest, the situation is still, to say the least, confused. The death of the warlord Agraggush and the loss of a third of their army caused a panic rarely seen in an Orc army. Unfortunately, we did not have - and still do not have - the strategic reserves to exploit this vulnerability in the form of a grand style counterattack. The reinforcement army is just cleaning up the south of Menevia. That's all they can do as well. You can't count on your recent allies to launch an assault on the Wrothgar Mountains."
Valendil had left a hint of irony to filter and several counselors grimaced. Many of the great lords of Hight-Rock who had sent their armies to help the King Eadwyre had moved only because they were themselves on the list the enemies of the Orcs... and preferred to fight in Menevia now rather than see their own lands ravaged later. The kingdoms of High-Rock were divided by centuries of intrigue and conflict. It was obvious that the current weakening of Menevia was very well regarded by several great rival kingdoms... starting to Daenia.
The High-Elf coughed in his fist to redirect the attention of the king and his advisors to him:
"Do not forget that the enemy army, in spite of its losses, remains more numerous than the coalition of the Bretons lords. Furthermore, the Orcs and Goblins are under the sole command of King Gothwog."
Eadwyre furrowed his bushy brows:
"What do you propose, General?"
"In the short term, there is nothing we can do, Your Majesty. Nevertheless..."
Valendil Ceberhas smiled, leaving his sentence in suspense:
"You see, the defeat of the Orcs at the siege of Wayrest has turned the tide of the war. Your armies have nothing to do, just admiring the show. As I explained to you when I arrived, I only came to help defend Wayrest. The plan adopted by his Imperial Majesty, Uriel Septim VIII was to send three legions to attack the Duchy of Morkulduin from Skyrim. As soon as the Druadach mountain passes are snow-free, the invincible Imperial Legions will be able to win the war."
Normally, the Empire of Tamriel was hardly popular at the court of King Eadwyre, but the help provided by General Ceberhas had accomplished miracles that even centuries of diplomacy did not equal. Several councilors also applauded this short speech.
"We are finally going to be able to crush these swine offspring!" cried one of the most enthusiastic.
Ceberhas cast a stern look at him:
"His Majesty Emperor Uriel cares about the lives of the people of the Empire. The legion will restore order in High-Rock, put an end to the looting of cities and the massacre of the citizens of the Empire... of all its citizens!"
The last words froze the enthusiasm of the councilors... the Orcs were also citizens of the Empire. The following statement of the general was even more striking:
"Agents of the Empire have reported in recent years an increase in abuses against Orcs. The Council of Elders (1) received several messengers from King Gothwog imploring the help of the Empire... at the time there was no inquiry. This has since been considered serious misconduct whose consequences we see. Pushing the Orcs has not been a very good idea. Before my departure, Emperor Uriel expressed the wish to organize diplomatic talks as soon as a terrestrial link was re-established between the Empire and the Illiac Bay. King Gothwog of the Orcs, the corsairs of Dragonstar, the Reachmen, and all of you, my dear friends, would be invited to speak. You will all have the opportunity to make known to the Emperor your grievances. It is high time to seek a peaceful solution to the endless wars that blood the region.
The general nodded to those in charge of the supply:
"You can take this opportunity to contact the Commission for the Construction of Lord Vaneth and the Commission for the Planning of Lord Atrius (2). These two administrations will be responsible for rebuilding roads and cities after the war."
"For a comfortable profit!"
Valendil Ceberhas smiled at the aggressive repartee of the counselor who had just spoken:
"These are imperial contracts partly financed by the taxes of the Empire. You will not pay much out of your pocket, my lord."
The city wall had suffered heavy damage. But, attacks after attacks, the war machines had always concentrated on the same sections of the ramparts. After all, it would have been absurd to waste time throwing stones at an intact wall. And the attacks on already damaged areas were more likely to succeed.
This is why most of the ramparts remained standing and almost untouched.
Staring into space, Shiro Emiya stood at the top of the fortifications. His expression was sad and troubled. The Amber's Eyes Blacksmith reflected and his thoughts were morose. At the top of the tower stairs, a little woman looked at him.
Artoria Pendragon made up for her diminutive size with a charisma that left no one indifferent. Especially not the people of Wayrest, each of her public appearances moved crowds to cheer and admire her.
Her many exploits throughout High-Rock were already legendary... even though she was unknown a year earlier! Besides, she was so beautiful.
Dressed simply in the blue dress that she wore under her armor, and wearing brown leather boots, Artoria advanced to his lover and leaned on Shiro's neighboring niche.
The young Japanese looked at her and quickly sighed:
"Does that mean I've been here too long?"
Saber had a slight smile, looking at him from the corner of her eye:
"You know Rin. She started stomping on the floor with her hands on her hips and yelling something about ' bringing you back by the scruff of your neck if you don't decide to go down within three minutes'. I somewhat managed to convince her not to destroy this section of the ramparts and let me go."
Shiro rubbed the back of his head in a familiar gesture. His clumsy laughter betrayed embarrassment rather than true humor... Rin often had this effect on him.
Her friend smiled briefly at his reaction and returned to the contemplation of the workers repairing the hoardings:
"No one was more worried than you during our trip. Were we going to arrive in time to save Wayrest? It's done, the city is saved. So what's the problem? "
With one hand, Artoria showed the streets behind them as well as the houses that were being rebuilt. Even though they were isolated on this corner of the rampart, it was impossible for them to escape the sound of saws and hammers that went up to the covered way.
"You seem to be the only person here who isn't happy about our victory. So? What's happening to you?"
Shiro returned to the contemplation of the ravaged countryside and raised a deep sigh:
"I think I'm starting to understand some things..."
Artoria's eyes narrowed. She continued to stare at his friend, but his disillusioned tone was something new to her. Shiro stared at the sky and the white clouds that passed over the infinite blue above him:
"My earliest memory is the fire at the end of the Fourth Grail War. I was walking through the burning ruins... around me, people were calling for help... and I kept walking, leaving them to their fate. Until I collapsed! It was on a heap of smoking debris that Kiritsugu found me. And as I was about to abandon myself to death, the one who was to become my adoptive father took me in these arms. I have never seen such an expression of joy in anyone... He was crying for only saving one person."
Saber spoke:
"But now you know what it is. Kiritsugu felt guilty. Because he used his Command Marks to force me to destroy the Grail, the contents of this corrupt chalice had spread into Fuyuki causing the fire that killed hundreds of inhabitants... including your parents. Saving you was a sign to him that he could atone for his sin. If he adopted you, it is because of his remorse. You know that now."
The Saber of the Fourth and Fifth Grail Wars of Fuyuki had insisted heavily and the little affection she had for Kiritsugu Emiya had not failed to show. Artoria remembered the man as an ordinary Magus, eliminating those who bothered him. Of course, he was not cruel or evil. He would have nothing to do with killing innocent people. He had shown it during his first attack against Archibald El-Melloi, ensuring the hotel where the enemy Magus had settled had been evacuated before blowing it up. But Kiritsugu had always sacrificed everything to his goal. When he discovered that the Grail was corrupt, without explaining anything, Kiritsugu forced Artoria to destroy the Grail what she had sought all her life. Invoked again in the next conflict, she had discovered in Shiro another victim of her previous Master...
The back of the Amber Eyed Blacksmith stiffened. By reflex, he wanted to defend his adoptive father but... Saber was right. He turned to her:
"Yet I always thought that borrowing my father's ideals was the right thing to do. I did not even listen to him when he explained to me that a hero cannot save everyone. Kiritsugu took the example of a hostage situation, where to save the hostages the hero had to kill the villain."
Artoria laid her hand on his arm. As he stared at her, the woman knight offered him a reassuring smile:
"You were a child."
Shiro agrees:
"Yes, I was a child... and that excused me at the time. Nevertheless, I should have grown up, understood that it was an infantile ideal. Instead, I continued to 'borrow an ideal' as Archer mocked!"
Saber became tense:
"Archer? Is it because of him that you're in this state?"
Shiro shook his head:
"No, it was the memory of an old conversation we had as he brought me home on Rin's orders... back to Fuyuki. At the time, he wished that I drowned in my borrowing ideal. Archer made me understand that my ideal was absurd and that it wasn't even mine, it was my adoptive father's. Rin made me understand that Kiritsugu never intended to teach me Magecraft and put me in danger by letting me use my nerves as substitutes for Magic Circuits. And finally, after Gilgamesh killed Caster, you revealed to me that it was my father who caused the destruction of Fuyuki. And yet... yet... never until then have I questioned my dream of being a hero who saves the innocent."
Artoria Pendragon looked at his friend with concern:
"But, Shiro, borrowed or not is not a bad ideal. We must try to save everyone. Only..."
She hesitated and the reincarnated Japanese ended up in her place:
"Only, you can't save everybody. I finally get it. If I'm here saving a stranger, I'm not there protecting a family member."
Shiro struck the battlements in front of him with a powerful punch, without worrying about the pain:
"If I had understood this earlier, I would have immediately gone to the king's castle to look for Sakura. Sakura is my family; she's like a little sister to me. In my childish desire to be a hero, I forgot that Sakura was among the population encircled in the city. If I had gone to protect her, she'd still be here! I would have saved her... but I was too concerned about saving complete strangers to help someone I care about."
Saber took Shiro in her arms. Her hand landed on his neck, and he gave himself up, his face on her shoulder. Trembling like a leaf, he was divided between cold anger and a deep disgust of himself. Tears would not appear on his eyelids.
At the top of a tower, Archer sat, gazing at the couple on the walls.
In the shadow of his hood a sad smile appeared:
"Tell yourself you're lucky, Shiro Emiya... you didn't realize the absurdity of your existence after becoming a dog of Alaya."
Prisoner of Unlimited Blade Work, the hero Emiya had planted swords for each of his victims. In the desert of his soul, there were only these blades under a sky of gears... a blade for each tomb. All his victims... condemned by order of Alaya. This vain massacre that had never made the world a better place had been the ultimate culmination of a journey that began when Shiro saw Kiritsugu smile through his tears.
Didn't that make sense?
A web of lies had spawned a lifetime of lying.
Near the palace of the king of Menevia was a garden of pleasure. Hedges of carefully cut boxwood formed a labyrinth sown with stones benches, statues of the gods, and some daedras. In its center was a large fountain of marble bench.
Sitting on the edge of the marble fountain was a figure with long, light hair, not really white, rather the color of snow at dawn, vaguely rosy. His long mage dress had something timeless... No, his entire appearance had something timeless and vaguely inhuman. He was playing with a big black staff in the shape of a Z. But at his feet, the spring grass seemed crazy. The humble flowers of the fields and those cultivated by the gardeners formed a true carpet. The colors and fragrances mingled in a heavy symphony.
Merlin, the Magician of Flowers, looked with a half-smile at the teenager who was pacing in front of him.
Rin Tohsaka had only one thing in common with the legendary spellcaster. Like him, she practiced Magecraft. For the rest, we could not have imagined a more different person.
Crossing her arms on her chest, the Red Devil, uttered a grunt worthy of a bear:
"But what are they doing? Why didn't Saber bring this idiot back? I thought he wanted to know where Rider took my little sister!"
Discerning a movement, she displayed for a brief moment an expression of contentment... which disappeared when she recognized Archer coming out of the vegetal labyrinth:
"Ah... it's you, I was hoping it was Saber and Shiro."
Her former Servant spread his arms in a gesture of false surprise:
"You're not going to confuse me with Saber every time we meet? Still, I hope you have a little more memory."
Without paying attention to the angry red that appeared on the face of his former Master, he collapsed on a bench, legs spread, hands crossed between his thighs.
"Why are you here, Archer?"
He opened his eyelids again, staring at Rin with his colorless eyes:
"I'm coming with you."
As she blinked without understanding, Archer quickly added:
"I want to know where Rider brought Sakura. I'm worried about her too."
There was not an ounce of the usual arrogance of the Servant of the Bow. In fact, his voice was a little bitter. But this lasted only a brief moment, the hero Emiya poured a sardonic smile to his former Master:
"And if you're looking for the stupid redhead, he's on a date with Saber... Oh, they forgot to invite you? "
This time, Rin became as red as her usual sweater.
"It's none of your business! Where are they?"
The Servant quickly described the tower and gave her direction.
The Magus had scarcely disappeared in the labyrinth that Archer regretted not having accompanied her. Merlin did not let go of his gaze. He pretends for a moment not to notice anything, but even an idiot like Shiro would find if someone stared at him with such intensity. With regret, the Servant in red cloak opened an eye:
"What?"
The Magician of Flowers did not seem to be put off by the introduction of Archer. On the contrary, he smiled:
"I love the different worlds that humans have created. But individually, humans are just as amazing. The slightest variation in events and their destinies goes in very different directions. So, in two universes, the same individual gave birth to two completely different personalities. Isn't that... Shiro?"
The hero Emiya sighed as he looked up at the sky. Obviously, how could he have believed that he would succeed in hiding his true identity from Merlin?
"How did you understand?"
Merlin pointed his staff at Archer's chest:
"Each Reality Marble is unique as it is the materialization of the soul of their invocators. And here I feel Unlimited Blade Work! So you're Emiya Shiro."
When Rin returned, she stood between Saber and Shiro, embracing them... the heiress of the Tohsaka seemed particularly happy while her two friends had red cheeks and fled the eyes. Archer muttered a swear word to the indifferent heaven. He did not want to know what they had done together.
Merlin content himself with irony:
"Oh, I see the three of you are very happy to start. Perfect, I don't like to exercise my talents in front of an audience that thinks of something else, do I?"
The three young men stopped with the same look of guilt.
After a last mocking smile, the Magician of Flowers leaned over the fountain:
"Ffynhonnell gwên arna i!" (3)
The fingers of Arthur's teacher touched the shimmering surface as he uttered the magic words. Immediately the water shone and a scene appeared.
Shiro could not hold back a cry of surprise by recognizing Sakura Tohsaka sitting on a bed in a vast room with bare walls that resembled a cell. As might be expected, the door was replaced by a locked gate and there was no lack of even the icy moisture oozing from the ceiling.
Using his clairvoyance power "The Eyes Which See through the World", Merlin showed them proof of his supreme art among other Magecraft users. For whatever the quality of its Magic Circuits no Magus could guide the peoples, protect the countries without this power received from the gods. Merlin's Ex Rank qualified him as one of the greatest users of vision beyond vision. Nevertheless, his power was limited to the present. The Magician of Flowers could have no vision of the future, or of the past. However, his talent was sufficient to guide him to the first fragment of the Corvus Crystal, then to Shiro.
Rin examined her little sister with concern but reassured herself somewhat. Sakura did not seem to be hurt. She turned to Merlin:
"Where is she imprisoned?"
The Magician waved his staff and the vision changed, revealing a mountain range. The sky was grey, full of clouds and snowflakes dancing in the wind. On the side of a high icy peak, a construction was clearly distinguished. The elegant walls were decorated with multiple geometric reinforcements. The rampart surrounded several towers similar to crystalline twins. The highest of them was dominated by a golden bronze statue representing a humanoid holding the sun in his raised hands. The fortress was worn out by millennia of bad weather. Here and there, arches had collapsed and the surrounding area was littered with blocks unsealed by the frost.
Shiro recognized this type of construction:
"It looks like elven architecture. Besides, the statue is a representation of the god Auriel."
Merlin approved:
"More precisely, Auri-el, the sun god of the Snow Elves. This species unfortunately disappeared more than five thousand years ago, leaving behind only twisted and degenerate creatures. The fortress of Klaysha has new residents... and they are not as friendly as the builders."
The scene changed revealing the interior of the ancient fortress. Primitive-looking men, dressed in fur and feathers, walked through the worn-out corridors. Some wore hideous masks, a mixture of skin and bones, decorated with antlers. While others showed pale-skinned faces marked with war paintings. The eyes were blue or green, the hair blond, brown, sometimes red. They were all armed with primitive weapons of bone, wood, and stone: axes, machetes bristling with teeth, bludgeons decorated with feathers, coarse bows, and barbed arrows. Their outfits did not give them a really reassuring look.
Artoria had already faced these barbarians and recognized them immediately:
"Reachmen! They live in the Druadach Mountains, on either side of the border between Skyrim and High-Rock."
The Wizard of the Flowers smiles:
"That's right, my king!"
Only a slight tension betrays the annoyance of Artoria who did not like that her former teacher gives her "My King" on all points. Nevertheless, she focused on what she saw:
"Merlin, show us who leads them."
The Caster bowed with exaggerated politeness:
"As Your Majesty desires."
The scene changed again, revealing a throne room cluttered with a jumble of books piled up in unstable columns, mixed with scrolls of parchment, elements of an alchemy laboratory such as stills, retorts, and an athanor. Here or there, we saw sticks adorned with large soul gems, or by dragon heads. Elsewhere, bags were full of exotic ingredients, and open chests showed a shambles of amulets and magic rings.
In the center stood a stone pyramid with a staircase on one side. At its top was a simple stone throne with little decoration. A slender figure stood there shriveled... like a spider in the center of its web.
Dressed in a luxurious mage dress, wearing magical rings on every finger and more than a dozen necklaces or fetishes hanging around his neck, he leaned on a large black staff. Merlin had to manipulate the image so that those present could recognize the face in the shadow of the hood:
"Shinji!"
The heir of the Matou behaved like some great magician lord... Moreover, the Reachmen present bowed down to the ground while the teenager hounded them from the top of his throne. His voice was not heard, but Rin Tohsaka, Artoria Pendragon, Shiro Emiya, and Archer had all witnessed his hare-brained ideas and violent whims.
The most furious one was Shiro:
"Saber, I don't think Shinji understood the lesson Berserker taught him."
His old Servant simply nodded, without vocalizing the anger on her face.
"I believe Matou must understand that my family and friends are not for being attacked."
At one time, Shinji was one of the friends he defended so fiercely... But the Shinji he had known was not that young man with deranged nerves and demented eyes who struggled on the throne of the fortress of Klaysha. Too many times, Shiro had left the benefit of the doubt to his former friend... not this time!
(1) Governing body of the Empire.
(2) Those familiar with the T.E.S. will probably have recognized the name of these two administrations. Decumus Scotti worked for them in the Black Marsh and Valenwood. Read "The Argonian Story" and "The Dance in the Fire", stories in several volumes that are found in the video games Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim. These books are very fun to read. But do not make you want to conclude a reconstruction contract.
(3) "Spring, smile at me!" (In Welsh).