It was the day after the battle with the self-proclaimed king, Gilgamesh. Shirou was standing in front of Sakaki's lab, prepared to recount the events of the battle and answer any questions. He had questions he wanted answered as well. Another part of him, a much smaller part, was wondering what the Operation should be called, seeing as he had a hand in naming, and writing, the reports for others.
They would have held the meeting the day before, but everyone restricted Shirou from getting out of bed, worried for his health. Even if he had a great healing factor, his sudden crying brought his condition into question. Despite explaining, without any mention of Archer, why he was crying, they still kept him in bed. Now fully rested, Shirou was prepared for whatever was thrown at him.
As the door slid open, Shirou saw Sakaki at his desk, Saber and Rin sitting adjacent to him with a third seat between them. The three looked over at the sound of the door opening, and smiled when they saw it was Shirou. They all said hello, with Sakaki directing Shirou to the spare seat. Doing as directed, Shirou gave his own greetings before waiting for Sakaki. Looking down to his tablet, he began.
"Now that we're all here, let's begin. Yesterday, the three of you went on an operation to clear out an influx of Aragami in the Wailing Plains. The reason for the operation was because of the potential for the Aragami to migrate towards Fenrir Headquarters, as they had been detected migrating in this direction for the past few days," looking up from the tablet, Sakaki continued with a tone of confusion. "Despite it being a literal Aragami den, only the three of you were sent, with the allotted reason being... training?"
Looking up, Sakaki waited for an answer to his unasked question. It was Rin that responded.
"Shirou had come to the two of us to ask about Oracle control. He had recently been developing a combo attack that involved manipulating his Oracle into extensions of his God Arcs, but he had issue keeping it stable. So, we decided to take on a mission to get him to practice while we offer advice. We picked that mission because it offered the greatest time limit and the most practice dummies."
Ignoring her referral to the Aragami as 'practice dummies', Sakaki asked what really confused him.
"Okay but, how did you convince Hibari to let just the three of you participate in the operation?"
A wicked giggle, not unlike that of a witch, was his reply. "I have my ways." Behind her smile every bit as wicked as her giggle, Rin was actually sweatdropping at how easy it was to bribe Hibari. Who would have thought that the main Operator for the Far East Branch was such a stressed woman?
Masking his curiosity (and discomfort) Sakaki coughed into his fist before continuing.
"According to Hibari, the three of you had just defeated the remaining Aragami when a sudden influx of readings appeared, all of them moving in your direction. Just as suddenly, they all disappeared. Hibari gave you one last warning before going radio silent. She apparently attempted to contact you soon after, but received no response. It was only after the conflict when her call was answered with a request for aid."
Leaning forward with his hands clasped, Sakaki finally asked the core question.
"What happened after Hibari turned off the radio?"
Once more, silence greeted his question. This time it was Shirou that answered.
"When Hibari turned off the radio, we waited for whatever killed those Aragami. A dead Quadriga came flying off of the cliff, and then a man walked to the edge. He was blond, and wearing golden armour. He introduced himself as... Archer. The last Prototype God Eater."
He gave Sakaki a look. Sakaki sighed before divulging what he knew.
"The Far East Branch wasn't responsible for the development of the Archer. The development of the Prototypes is shared by Branches worldwide, with our results all being collated by the core of Fenrir. The one we most recently handled was the Assassin, but that didn't pan out. Ignoring you, of course, Shirou. If my memory serves, the most recent Archer was made by the Middle East Branch."
Before he could continue, the three interrupted him.
"What do you mean, ignoring Shirou/me?"
Sakaki blinked at the synchronised question, before giving a brief answer.
"That Armlet on your wrist is proof of your status as a Prototype God Eater. Even without that, your unique ability to manipulate your God Arcs and your ability to wield other God Arcs would have pegged you as one."
As Shirou digested that, Sakaki asked what was on his mind.
"What did the supposed Archer do? What was he capable of?"
Before Shirou could answer, Saber beat him to the punch, speaking up.
"The 'Archer'", she said with distaste, "had the ability to create and manipulate blades of Oracle at will. Instead of manifesting as Oracle, they instead took on a more solid form, appearing as strips of metal."
Putting his hand to his chin, Sakaki thought on that. The abilities of this supposed Archer sounds suspiciously similar to Shirou's own, but there are a few more questions he would like to ask.
"What happened to the Archer?"
Shirou looked away, scratching the back of his head.
"I... I uh... I may have cut his arm off. The arm with the armlet."
Sakaki blinked. That was... unexpectedly brutal. He would have never taken Shirou for the dismemberment type, even if it was a fair option. Shaking his head, Sakaki asked the other question he had.
"If you cut off his arm, then does that mean the God Arc we recovered was his?"
Shirou tilted his head at that, while Saber and Rin both nodded. They went on to explain that his God Arc was formed from a combination of his energy and several of his produced blades. Sakaki found this intriguing, but maybe not impossible. If the God Arc itself was made of Oracle, then it wouldn't be impossible for him to siphon it into blades. But how could they make a God Arc entirely of Oracle? That would involve--
Before Sakaki could go too deep into unravelling the mysteries of the bizarre God Arc, he was asked a strange request.
"Would you mind if I resonate with his God Arc?"
Sakaki blinked before nodding. Honestly, he was going to ask Shirou if he would, but this saves him time. Standing, he gestured for the trio to follow him to the God Arc Research Bay.
Within a chamber that had slowly become familiar to him, Shirou stood in front of Gilgamesh's God Arc. Looking to his left, he saw Sakaki, Rin, Saber, and one of the Engineers standing behind a glass panel. The Engineer was someone he was vaguely familiar with, having met her when he first had his God Arc. She also apparently had a hand in fixing his God Arc.
The crackle of an intercom brought him back to the situation at hand.
"Okay, Shirou. Just like previously, take the God Arc and resonate with it. While you do, we'll keep an eye on your vitals."
Shirou nodded, feeling the resistance of the nodes on his body as he did. Slowly, he reached out his hand and grabbed the God Arc's hilt. There was incredible pain, and a burning through his skin, much more than normal, but he focused on the Oracle flowing through him, focused as it flowed through the God Arc, felt as it was stopped at every turn, and then felt as it slipped past the opposing Oracle and reached the core.
Suddenly, he was within his infinite plain of blades. But something was off. Instead of being on his hill, he was somewhere deep in the plains. Not just that. He wasn't anywhere near sand or grass. He was in the centre of the blank part of his world. Around him were hunks of metal, and the sky was black and empty. But he wasn't alone. The shifting of whatever they were standing on proved that. Turning, he saw a person, with long green hair going down past their waist, wearing a white poncho that went down to their ankles.
The figure wasn't obviously male or female (if God Arcs even identified as genders), but was undoubtedly beautiful. Now if only their golden eyes weren't glaring at him with malicious intent. They took a step, before running at him full force. Shirou stepped out of the way in surprise, before looking for a weapon. He wasn't too interested in fighting with his fists, nor was he very experienced, aside from that one time with the Ogretails. But he was out of luck, as the chunks of metal around him didn't seem very wieldable.
Caught up in his analysis, he didn't notice the kick coming for him until he was on the floor with his side aching. Turning over, he was suddenly straddled by the person, their hair creating an verdant curtain. As such, he was looking right into the person's pale blue eyes. With a snarl, they spoke.
"Bastard. You bastard. You took my wielder. You bastard!"
With a roar, they brought a fist crashing down on Shirou's face. Beyond the stinging pain, there was suddenly a buzzing in Shirou's head.
The God Arc was forged alongside several others, with the intention of being the strongest of its kind, for the strongest wielders-- Stolen, taken from a lab, patched together experimental technology, bonded to him.
"Aah!"
The God Arc reared back, hands clutching their head as they cried in pain. Shirou, ignoring the buzz that turned into an ache, launched his head forward, catching them on the nose, launching them off him.
The first time it was held by its wielder, the wielder was young, 15 years old, and hardly screamed, despite the painful process of-- Standing in flames, he took the deal with the devil, his dead eyes shining in the light.
He was a Prototype God Eater, designated as Archer-- Taking on the name, seeking power to never again be as pathetic as he was.
When the three-bangled Armlet, reminiscent of a handcuff, was attached to him, he was congratulated on his surviving the experiment. He was proud, smiling widel-- A hollow feeling, and a promise. A double-edged euphoria for his newfound power filling him.
"You... son of a bitch."
Rolling on their back, the person slowly pushed themself up, a grimace on their face. Shirou did the same, but faster. By the time they stood up, Shirou had tackled them down, holding their wrists far away from him. With a deep breath, he asked,
"Who are you?"
The God Arc only growled, something akin to "Fuck you" coming from them, before they started tugging their wrists, trying to escape Shirou's grasp. Shirou sighed before asking again, this time with more force.
"Who are you!?"
The struggling only intensified, and Shirou just sighed again. He wasn't sure what he should do. It wasn't in his nature to force information out of people, nor was it to hurt them without purpose. I wish Archer was here, Shirou thought to himself. Suddenly, the struggling below him ceased. Looking down, he saw that the person had just given up. They were just lying there staring straight up, their eyes having gone dull and blue. They whispered something, and Shirou had to strain his ears to catch it.
"...why?"
Shirou had an idea of what they were asking, but wanted them to say it first. So, he gave them some prompting.
"Why what?"
Looking to Shirou, some of the anger returned to their eyes, but it just as quickly faded. Louder this time, they asked a reasonable question.
"Why did you take me from him?"
Shirou blinked. He expected a question on why he killed Gilgamesh, not why he separated the God Arc from the wielder. Taking a breath, he answered with something that was admittedly cruel, but a fair question.
"Why do you care? He's already dead, isn't he?"
Immediately, he felt them stiffen, and wondered if he said the wrong thing. The sinking feeling in his gut seemed to point to that being the case. But instead of anger, or anything explosive, they just looked Shirou dead in the eye.
"He's not dead."
Shirou paused. He paused so hard, that even the gears turning in the distant sky stopped for a moment. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. How could he not be dead? He doesn't have an Armlet anymore. At worst, he'd turn into an Aragami. So Shirou said the only thing appropriate.
"What."
Their expression didn't change in the slightest, but Shirou couldn't help but feel there was amusement in their eyes. Suddenly, a shock seemed to course through him. He seized up, and without any prompting of his own, closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes, he was back in the lab. Only, his right arm felt like it had been bitten to hell, and he was being pulled away from Gilgamesh's God Arc. He opened his mouth, but all that came out was a strangled cough. Coughing some more to clear his throat, Shirou watched as Engineers walked into the room and began to do something to the table the God Arc was on. Feeling a tug on his shoulder, Shirou looked over to see Sakaki, gesturing for him to follow.
"What happened?"
Within the observation room, Shirou sat while everyone looked at him with some measure of concern. He was looking at Sakaki, waiting for an answer to his question. Sakaki looked at Shirou before answering.
"Your readings started to go beyond acceptable levels. We pulled you out. The most curious part was how the God Arc seemed to attempt to Devour you, but stopped partway up your arm. It let go when we pulled you away, however. Now, can you tell me what you learnt?"
Shirou nodded at the information before giving a shrug at the question, looking away and scratching his cheek.
"I-uh-didn't learn much. I don't even know the God Arc's name." He wondered on whether he should mention the strange memories he saw, the ones that seemed like they were covered over, but decided to keep it to himself. Adopting a serious expression, he fave the more important piece of news. "But, according to the God Arc, Gilgamesh is still alive."
At that, Sakaki blinked in confusion, while Saber and Rin looked over in shock. Shirou was confused by Sakaki's confusion, before realizing why.
"Gilgamesh was the name of the God Arc's wielder."
Hearing that, Sakaki made an expression of understanding, before immediately going to thinking. While that was happening Rin seemed to be freaking out a bit. Mostly a lot of mutterings of "How can that be?" and "People die when they are killed." Shirou wasn't sure about that second one, but Sakaki seemed to be done thinking.
"It is possible," he brought a finger up to his glasses, pushing them up, "that Gilgamesh has turned into an Aragami. It's not unheard of for God Arcs to still carry a connection with their God Eaters, even after becoming Aragami."
Shirou nodded, seeing the merit in the hypothesis. But, even with the logical explanation, Shirou couldn't help feeling as if that wasn't the case. It was something in the way the God Arc acted, and the impression Gilgamesh left on him. With a sigh, Shirou decided to shelve the thought and find a way to talk to Illya later. And come up with a name for the Operation.
The pain from his arm was the first thing he was aware of. After that, it was the discomfort of his position, unworthy of a King such as him. That damn Kirei should know his place by now. For he was the unbeaten Ki-- Wait. That's right. He was beaten. Beaten by that damn Faker!
Forcing his eyes open, he could only see shades of dark grey, his vision blurring. Letting out a groan, he tried to push himself off the floor, only to lose his balance and fall onto his side. A grunt of pain left him as he attempted to push himself back to a seating position. As he did, his attention was drawn to his right arm.
"What the--"
Instead of the bloody stump that should've been there, or even his whole arm that he had hoped was still there, what he got didn't make sense. It was black, and seemed to shift, and burnt. Something deep within him, a part of himself he locked away, recognised it, and was reviled by it. The 'arm' continued all the way up to his shoulder, far beyond where the Faker had cut him.
As he investigated his replaced appendage, the sound of footsteps echoed. A deep chuckle followed, one that was annoyingly familiar. Looking up with a glare, Gilgamesh saw Kirei looking down on him, a sinister smile stretched across his face. Before Gilgamesh could say anything, Kirei mocked him.
"Oh? Is the King kneeling before a mongrel such as I? How interesting."
Gilgamesh would have given a retort, but the burning in his right arm pushed him to more pressing concerns. Clenching his teeth, Gilgamesh hissed out,
"What is this?"
"What is what, my King?"
The smile on his face only widened as Gilgamesh's anger grew. Gesturing to his right 'arm', he asked again.
"This. What is this?"
"Why, my King, this is the solution to your problem. Do you not remember?"
At the confused expression on Gilgamesh's face, Kirei's smile once more got wider, impossibly so. He then began to explain how he came across Gilgamesh in the forest, as he had decided to leave for the Far East Branch early. Gilgamesh was on the cusp of death and muttering about a damned Faker. Kirei, 'faithful follower' that he is (Kirei's words), helped Gilgamesh by giving him a new arm.
"But this is the arm of a beast!"
"Yes, but it can also be the arm of a King. A King that conquered beasts, and uses their powers for his own reasons. Does that not appeal to you?"
Gilgamesh couldn't disagree with that. This was the potential for more power, to rule over all. It physically pained him to agree with Kirei on any point that he makes, so he opted for stoic silence. Kirei saw it as sulking. With one last chuckle, he put one hand to his chest and his other was gesturing behind him.
"Well then, my King. Shall we see what you can do with this newfound power?"
Gilgamesh couldn't be happier to oblige. Unless it involved killing the Faker.
Thanks for reading. This is Cee and, oh God my mind.
First I had an epiphany on how my characters are barely who they should be, that I'm just writing my own characters with the appearance of other characters. I'm basically playing dress-up with words. This seemed to drag on my ability to write for a day.
Second, I'm kinda upset with this. I'm just writing to bridge my ideas, and I know I don't do it well. I seem to have an easier time writing a fight scene, honestly.
Don't worry. Hibari just got like a bottle of sake or something. Maybe a pass to the local hot spring.
Thank you to , Lucifer's Remnants, xMetalOverlordx, and DebraLove for favouriting or following.
Goodbye.
Word count: 3120