The steady ticking of the grandfather clock across the living room- it's the only sound occupying the quiet space. I enter through the doorway to see my master peacefully snoozing, resting her head atop the desk littered with notes and pictures.
"All tuckered out, hm?" I wave my hand through the air as I say this, conjuring up a red jacket in my grip. I quietly approach before setting the coat on top of her hunched over, sleeping figure. As I walk away from the sleeping woman, I notice her face twisted in slight discomfort, telling me she must be having a bad dream. Well, I imagine staying up all night till you crash would do that.
I tread across the room; towards the coffee table she drank tea at earlier. The dishes remain messily piled on top of each other. I know you're busy, master, but you could at least clean this up before passing out. I sigh before picking up the stack and walking out of the room to go wash them.
After making quick work of the dishes, I reenter the hall and make my way back to the room. As I walk, thoughts of Shirou Emiya and how his night went fill my head. It's very late. Or, rather, it's quite early now. Daylight is on the agenda, just an hour or so away. All night I've been staving off bad feelings and dire ideas. I don't know why I'm expecting to hear from the boy, but I should really try and reel back my paranoia regarding him.
As I step back into the living room, preparing to dematerialize until my master awakens, I hear something. An electronic jingle, coming from the desk Rin is sleeping at. Rin's phone…? As I hear the irritating ringing, a dreadful feeling grows in my stomach, nurtured from all the worrying and fretting I'd been experiencing throughout the night.
I move towards the desk to grab and answer the phone, but Rin beats me to it. She sits up in her chair and quickly grabs the phone, appearing to be, surprisingly, fully awake. She sympathizes with me in that her expression already appears very serious and nervous. Even though she doesn't have the phone on speaker, I can vaguely hear a woman shouting and hyperventilating. Oh no.
"I-Irisviel, wait." Rin hesitantly tries to calm her down. "Just slow down, I can't understand you. I-" My master stops talking, after having heard whatever Irisviel just shouted at her. Rin's eyes widen and her mouth hangs open, aghast.
After a short time passes with Rin just staring, dumbstruck, into the space in front of her, ignoring Irisviel, I hear another voice pick up on the phone. Saber? I quietly walk closer and lean my head down, right next to Rin's, to hear what she's trying to say.
"Meet us back at Irisviel's home, if you can." Is all Saber states before the call hangs up.
Only a short pause longer, and Rin jolts up from the desk, shaking her head. She drops the phone dismissively on the desk and runs past me, towards the doorway. Her eyes have gotten watery. Just what the hell happened? I already have a pretty good idea, but I dart towards the door, after her, just to confirm it.
"Rin?" I shout as I enter the hall and see her yanking on her shoes. "Rin, what's going on?"
"E-Emiya he-" she begins, with a weak voice "Irisviel said Emiya was just murdered." My eyes widen at what she states.
"W-What?" She doesn't respond to my awe-struck question and instead rushes out the front door, forgetting to even close it behind her.
I raise my hand and lightly smack myself on the cheek. No, now's not the time to be shocked and distraught. Whatever the case is with Shirou Emiya, I must remain level-headed for my master. I rush out the door after her, quickly shutting it as I do. I run down the street and, once I've reached her, scoop Rin up into my arms before sprinting forward, full speed. She gives me a surprised, confused look with her teary eyes.
"We'll get there faster this way." I answer. She nods before looking forward, seeming to have been calmed and regained more composure from my reliability. Shirou Emiya… you better not have gotten yourself killed.
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"Shirou's… dead!" Irisviel shouts into the phone, desperately. "The monster murdered him!"
Irisviel and I stand next to the large, concrete structure that serves as an above-ground tomb for whatever wealthy family commissioned it. Lodged into the side of it, broken and battered, is Shirou's body.
Just a few moments earlier, Irisviel began panicking and insisting we needed to call help, before dialing up Rin and Archer to scream at them. She's not in a good state of mind; what could they even do, if they answered? We're on the other side of town. Besides… I reluctantly set my gaze on Shirou once more. His glassy eyes stare to the ground below, seemingly fixed on the arrow he'd lost his hold on. …She doesn't even realize he's gone.
I can no longer bear to hear it after Irisviel mourns and cries to Rin on the phone several minutes longer, so I gently pull the device from Irisviel's grip. I lift it up to my ear.
"Hello? Rin? Archer?" No response. "Meet us back at Irisviel's home, if you can." With that, I shut the flip phone closed. Irisviel rises back to her feet from the ground and lifts her shaky hands towards Shirou's head. She cups each hand onto one of his cheeks.
"He-He's cold…" She grievously mutters. "What- *sniffle* What was he doing here?! SABER! What was he doing here?! Ahhh!" I find myself at a loss for words, not knowing where to look or what to think. Is this… my fault? Because I let him follow us, he… I recall the words Illyasviel told us before Berserker attacked Shirou.
"He must've followed us, Irisviel…" I respond, shamefully. "But, if he hadn't been here- remember what Illyasviel said, she would've just killed you before we knew what hit us."
"I DON'T CARE!" Irisviel instantly shouts back. "Shirou- he's… he's." She rises onto her tiptoes and pulls his head close, hugging it against her chest. I feel my heart shattering at the display before me. There's nothing I can do… There's nothing I could do.
"H- *sniffle* huh?" Irisviel suddenly questions, her eyes lighting up in surprise. "What's that noise…?" I offer only a confused stare at her, not hearing whatever noise she's talking about. Her eyes widen. "Saber! Come here!"
I hesitantly approach until I arrive next to her, mere inches from Shirou's body. I lean closer to her, upon her beckoning. As I do, I hear the faint noise she was referring to.
"Wheezing?" I ask, in disbelief. I look closely at Shirou's face and, indeed, his mouth is moving ever so slightly as he takes ragged breaths.
"He's breathing!" Irisviel shouts. "Saber! What do we-"
I've already begun working on it, jabbing my hands into the sides of the stone structure to loosen up where Shirou's lodged into it. Once his body leans forward and pries itself from the concrete, I remove my hands and wrap my arms around him, before swiftly picking him up bridal-style.
"Irisviel, quickly." I command. "Wrap your arms around my neck and your legs around my waist. We need to get back to the house as quickly as possible. You and Rin may be able to do something, together." She looks at me in hesitation.
"Saber, are you sure you'll be able to-"
"Just do it!" I shout, not knowing how much time Shirou has left. Irisviel doesn't argue further. Before grabbing on, she swiftly reaches down and snatches up Shirou's signature arrow from the ground.
Once she's wrapped around my back, I waste no time in leaping out of the cemetery, towards the street. Once on the street, I jump onto the nearest residence and start gliding from house to house. I make sure to keep my hand pressed against Shirou's abdomen, ensuring his entrails don't fall out as I forcefully bound across the rooftops.
Upon reaching the large, red bridge, I vault up onto the overhead arch and begin sprinting across it, keeping the utmost focus to not lose my balance. I can tell Irisviel is unnerved by the speed and heights we're reaching, as her grip tightens, and her breathing grows more rapid. Though, it could mostly be due to her worry for Shirou.
Shirou… His eyes are closed, and his breathing is just as shallow as before. Curious, I adjust my hold on him so that my other hand can reach up and press itself against his chest. My mouth opens slightly in surprise. His heart is beating just fine. In fact, it's pounding pretty hard against his chest. …Shirou. How are you still alive? I stop dwelling on it and focus on getting to the house as quickly as possible, as I finally reach the shore on the other side of the bridge.
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…
…
…
Within the darkness, void of my sight and hearing, unable to feel anything, I pick up on a faint scent. The smell of flowers.
I can't necessarily do anything, so I don't act upon noticing on the smell. Instead, I just linger in the darkness, with nothing but my thoughts. Eventually, I see something flicker, far away from me. It flickers again after a moment, closer this time. The next time it appears, it forms as a light, even closer to me. The light grows and stretches across the dark space, towards me. Hues of pink and purple streak across the edges of the light.
Oh no, is this the light at the end of the tunnel? Did I… die? I wonder this as the mass of light inevitably draws closer, almost upon me. Without any way to run from it or oppose it, I let it engulf and envelop me.
The whiteness, containing occasional specks of violet colors, inhabits everything I can see, as I feel myself being pulled forward, somewhere. I merely let myself be taken for the ride; no other choice available to me. As time passes, the white torrent of light surrounding me somehow grows even brighter. And, as it does so, the floral scent grows even stronger.
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Upon arriving at the house, I see Archer and Rin already at the gate, waiting. A sharp, fearful gasp escapes Rin once her eyes fall upon Shirou. Archer doesn't seem too shaken up, but even his eyes are tinted with shock. Rin rushes to meet us halfway as I approach the gate.
"What happened? Is he-"
"Not now, Rin!" I hastily interrupt her as we arrive at the gate. "We have to lie him down and try to save him." Her eyes light up in surprise at what I say as we rush through the gate, towards the door.
"He's alive?" She asks.
I don't answer her, being too preoccupied with getting Shirou to his room. I sling his door open upon arriving and hasten to set him down on his futon. I don't bother trying to save the bunched up covers and sheets, as they become soaked in blood mere moments after I lay him down.
"Alright, alright…" I mumble, my mind racing to decide what to do. I turn to Irisviel. "Can you heal him now, Irisviel? With Rin helping you maybe…" I trail off as Irisviel responds by shaking her head.
"My magecraft is already incredibly limited with healing as is. It can heal cuts, stabs, and flesh wounds of varying severities, but it's not designed to reorganize misplaced organs, torn-off tissue, shattered bones… Even with Rin's help, while he's in this state there's not much… *sniffle* not much I can do." Tears have begun welling up in her eyes and she appears on the verge of breaking down again.
"Irisviel!" I sternly address her. "I know you're upset, but now's not the time. Stay level-headed for Shirou. Come on, is there any way we can get him to a state where you can heal him properly?" She quickly wipes her eyes with her sleeve while answering me.
"I-If we could somehow perform surgery and get everything- all his bones, organs- realigned, I could probably manage. But even then, the amount of mana it would take… and I'm nowhere near knowledgeable enough to attempt a procedure like that." I turn to Rin upon her saying this. She answers by shaking her head.
"I barely even know the fundamentals of human anatomy." Rin states. "Much less anything surgical." Both of their expressions, as well as my own, grow despaired as we arrive at this point of dwindling hope.
I hear someone sigh in a masculine voice from the doorway. I turn to see Archer leaning against the wall, evaluating the situation from a distance. He straightens up and begins walking towards us. He lifts his hand forward, blue energy swirling around his palm. As he approaches Shirou, an object takes shape above his hand. Once the energy subsides and the object is fully formed, it's revealed to be a metallic tray with what appears to be surgeon tools lining it.
"Give me a little bit of space." He commands. "I'll get everything in place so you two can get to healing him." We all quickly move away, and Archer moves to lean over Shirou, setting his tray of tools beside him.
Rin and Irisviel excuse themselves from the room, probably not being able to stomach seeing Archer cut and dig around inside of Shirou. He starts by hastening to realign his stomach organs, seeing as it's probably the most critical wound he has at the moment. Archer handles it fairly quickly, ending by taking his open skin flaps and pressing them together with a clamp.
The next target he moves to is Shirou's upper right side, looking as though it's been caved in. He takes a short knife from the tray and begins cutting the skin open, unveiling the shattered remains of his right ribcage. Surprisingly, one or two remain intact. However, the rest are totally broken.
Archer pulls out the bone fragments and places them on the table, lining them up accordingly. Once he's certain they're all out, the familiar blue energy crackles across his left arm, as he begins summoning something. After the summoning, he holds in his hand, what appears to be, several long wires.
"What are those?" I ask, confused.
"They're brackets made of synthetic mesh." He responds immediately. "I need them to keep the ribs straight until Irisviel mends them." While saying this, he aligns the bones on Shirou's side with the brackets, ending by placing the skin flaps closed with a clamp once more.
"Won't those be in the way once they're finished healing?" I ask. He shakes his head.
"They'll disappear by then." I don't question him further as he moves to Shirou's right arm. Instead of doing anything fancy, he just runs his hands along the appendage, setting and aligning the bones as straight as he can, not seeming to care about being gentle. Once he's finished, Archer does a final evaluation on the rest of Shirou's body.
"He's peppered with more minor cuts and bruises all around." He states while inspecting Shirou's head. "The worst one is the gash spanning from his left eyebrow up across his forehead. Compared to the major injuries though, it's insignificant… Could you go get Irisviel and Rin now? He's bleeding even more after all my handiwork, tell them to hurry."
I nod and jump to my feet before hastening out the door, my eyes staying glued to Shirou's torn-up body until I exit. Rin and Irisviel are just a few strides down the hall from the room, nervously talking to each other. Thankfully, both of their eyes seem to have dried; they both seem more serious than scared now.
"Archer's ready. He wants you two to hurry in." They both nod and waste no time in following me back into the room. As soon as we enter, Archer immediately begins instructing them.
"The most grievous injuries he suffered are here" Archer points to Shirou's stomach "and here." He moves his finger to point at Shirou's right side. "Irisviel, focus on healing these spots. Rin, if you can use healing magecraft, then assist her. If not, use your mana source to supplement Irisviel's." Rin opens her mouth to respond, looking concerned.
"Archer I-"
"No!" He interrupts, loudly. "There's no more time for discussion. I have no idea how much time Shirou Emiya has left with these wounds, but it's not much. Honestly, I'm certain he should be dead already. If you want to save him, act now."
Irisviel had already begun casting her healing magecraft on Shirou's abdomen while Archer spoke. Rin appears as though she has more to say, but she bites her tongue and kneels next to Irisviel, ready to help. Archer nods approvingly.
"Don't concern yourselves with the small scrapes and bruises." He instructs. "Including the nasty-looking one on his forehead. We'll disinfect those and bandage them. Let them heal naturally; conserve your mana for the life-threatening ones. As for the arm," he turns his attention to the badly broken appendage "if you have enough mana to keep going, move to heal it last. Otherwise… we can't let it sit without healing for too long, so amputation might-"
"Enough, Archer." Irisviel sharply interrupts him. "I'll heal it all… I'll fix it, so just let me focus now." Archer simply nods, saying nothing more. He moves towards the door to leave, gesturing for me to follow. I quickly follow him out the room, shutting the door behind us.
"I know you're worried about him, Saber." Archer begins. "However, we should leave them alone for now so they can focus on patching him up. I'll dematerialize so that I don't impede on my master's magic supply. I'm sure it'll be difficult given the situation, but you should really go and try to get some sleep. That way, you can lighten the load on your master's shoulders, too. Even if just a little bit."
I nod at his suggestion. He also responds with a nod before fading away into his spirit form. Once Archer is gone, I feel my head hang slightly. Why…?
I reflect on all my time spent with Shirou; on all of the encounters we've had with one another. When I first laid eyes on him, in the backyard trying to fight a servant empty-handed, with a broken arm to boot. I thought he was a child in way over his head. Refusing to fight with anything other than a simple bow and arrow, treating Irisviel's word as law and putting her life well before his own, clumsily training with me in the dojo, desperately trying to help and fight alongside us… I always thought he was such a buffoon.
My opinion was always so low of him, so why? Why is it I'm so terrified knowing he might die? Why do I feel so responsible, so ashamed? I haven't even known the boy for a week. He was so stupid. Why did he have to be so stupid? Look where it has gotten him. His stupidity- his… No…
"What in the world am I thinking?" I quietly ask myself.
When was it that I, the king of knights, began misinterpreting bravery as foolishness?
I find myself approaching the door to the room he's being healed in, instinctively. I reach to open it but stop myself. No, I'll just be in the way. I need to go rest to ease the strain on Irisviel's mana supply. That being said, before leaving, I crack open the doorway to peek back inside once more. Irisviel's hands float above Shirou's midsection by just a couple of inches. The glow from her healing magecraft is the only thing that illuminates Shirou's figure in the dark room. His eyes are now closed and his face dons a blank expression. However, his brows will occasionally furrow, and the corners of his mouth will sometimes twitch, telling me he yet lives. Shirou… I hope whatever dream occupies your mind now- that it's a pleasant one.
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I'm surprised when yet another one of my senses return to me. I can hear something as the light around me begins to subside. The sound of a gentle breeze blowing, bristling the foliage it passes over. The wind carries the potent floral smell all around me as the light continues to diminish. Eventually, an image materializes before me.
I'm in a round pavilion of some sort, with prismatic floor tiling of varying blue and purple hues. Golden, blue-trimmed supporting pillars dot the perimeter of the open-aired room. From the center of the room, over the guard railing, I can see only a slightly cloudy, golden sky far away. Despite smelling flowers, I see no trace of them- or any below ground at all, for that matter. This tells me this room, wherever I am, is high above the surface level.
While taking in these new, strange surroundings, I hear footsteps to my right. The slow-paced footsteps continue until a figure enters from the corner of my vision. A bizarre man walks across the floor in front of me, an inquisitive gaze occupying his purple irises. He's dressed in white robes adorned with colorful ribbons. A wooden staff, dressed in similarly colorful decorations, is clutched in his right hand, the base of it tapping the floor with every other step he takes.
As if he realized I'd taken notice of his presence, his curious gaze lights up in surprise and he straightens up where he stands, ceasing to walk. The staff vanishes from his hand and he raises his arms up in a welcoming manner.
"Greetings, young man." He states. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
I attempt to respond to him, but no words come out. The question I wanted to ask him- "Where am I?"- crosses my mind. Upon me thinking this, the man gestures to the scenery over the edge of the railing.
"Why, you're in no place other than Avalon." He answers. "Breathtaking, isn't it?" He asks while staring at the brilliant, glowing sky. I continue to stare at him curiously, too confused to share in admiring the view. He seems to notice this before turning back to face me and continuing.
"Wondering why I can read your mind? Why you can't speak? Well, you're not exactly here here- if you were here here, you'd be in the same boat as me which is- uh, anyways, your body isn't here, I just transitioned your consciousness to join me. You can't talk, move, or do anything really- except perceive what's around you, thanks to me." I grow worried knowing that this weirdo seems to have hijacked my soul.
"No, no. It's nothing as extreme as that." He quickly reassures me. "I can't control your soul or body or anything, I'm basically projecting your awareness here so we can have a little chit-chat. You could show a little gratitude, you know. Not many people get to visit this paradise. You have no idea how many strings I had to pull- how many hoops I had to jump through to make this meeting happen."
"Who even are you?"
"Hm? You don't remember?" He asks, appearing confused. "Oh, I suppose you wouldn't, considering I'm in this get-up." He states while gesturing to his distinguishable clothing. "One moment."
He wafts his hand in the air and makes a strange movement with his fingers. He then lifts it to show a pair of glasses have formed in his grip. After taking a moment to carefully unfold the pair of thick-rimmed, black glasses, he puts them on. As soon as they adorn his face, his entire image changes. The outlandish garments morph into a much more familiar pair of slacks and white coat. His face becomes a bit plainer and his hair loses some of its color and luster. I grow shocked, realizing who he is after the minor changes to his appearance.
"The botanist…?"
"Indeed." He answers. "I suppose a more proper greeting would be 'pleasure to meet you again'. Though, I should really come clean about something." He continues while removing the glasses, his appearance returning to its former, gaudy self. "I'm not truly a botanist. That was just a front. Well, unless you consider being the Magus of Flowers is appropriate enough to fill that role."
"The 'Magus of Flowers'? Just who are you, really?" After a moment, he sighs at my question and his expression becomes a touch more serious.
"Fine, enough beating around the bush." He pauses for a moment, apparently lost in thought, before continuing. "There's really no need to tell you, but I suppose I can, as a courtesy." He places his hand on his chest and bows his head slightly. "Hello, Shirou Emiya. I am Merlin."
"…Merlin?" Wait a minute. The Magus of Flowers, Merlin. The utopia Avalon. The true name of Saber's sword, Excalibur. All of this is straight out of the story of King Arthur. Upon remembering the identity of Saber's weapon, I feel anxiety spread throughout me. "Wait… what happened before I ended up here? I can't really remember…"
"Alright, alright." Merlin calls out, interrupting me. "We'll go through all of that, just slow down." He turns towards the edge of the pavilion, the vast, magnificent sky lying in the distance. "Firstly, come over here with me."
At his behest, I- my consciousness- transitions from the center of the room to right at the edge, just as he arrives to stand next to me at the railing. Awe fills me at what I see. The vast landscape below is unlike anything I'd ever seen before.
Immediately around the base of the large tower we're in, there are clusters of vibrant, pink flowers growing all around. They look even better than I'd imagined when first smelling their pleasant scent. Beyond that, however, is something just as gorgeous.
A vast plain of grasslands extends into the foreseeable distance, appearing as if it goes on forever. The land somehow looks perfectly flat, and the grass is the softest, purest green I've ever seen. A soft sheen lingers over the greenery, making it appear to glow. I find myself certain that if I were to lay on it, it'd feel softer than any mattress or pillow I've ever touched. All of this is complimented by the golden sky and sparse, fluffy clouds. Warm, brilliant sunlight pours down on the land, illuminating it all perfectly.
"Tell me, Shirou." Merlin suddenly begins. "What do you think of the paradise known as Avalon?"
"It's magnificent." I think, immediately. "It's like something out of a fairy tale. I've never seen anything so breathtaking."
"So, your heart can still be moved by beauty then? Interesting." I'm confused by his strange comment, but he continues before I can question it. "Yes, this is the mythical land spoken of in the legend of King Arthur. I believe you're well acquainted with him, or rather her, now, aren't you?" I attempt to respond, but he continues again before I can.
"It's just as you say, magnificent. Even though I'm condemned to stare at this land for all of eternity, I somehow never grow tired of looking upon it. It is from here, this tower, that I continue to view the land of Avalon, while watching closely over humanity."
"Watching?" I ask.
"Yes, watching." He answers. "I was gifted long ago with clairvoyance- the ability to watch the happenings of humans, to a certain extent. It's how I find joy in my day-to-day life. How I find entertainment, information, purpose. And, it's how I found you, Shirou."
"Found me?" I ask. "…Oh, you're referring to that day I was lost in the forest?" Merlin does not respond, instead looking out at the scenery, deep in thought. "Actually, how were you able to go and meet me that day? You mentioned that you're trapped here forever, right?" Again, Merlin does not respond. I wait, expecting a response to eventually come my way. Merlin never says anything. He just stares out, still pondering whatever it is that he's thinking about.
"Well…" I finally continue "however it was that you ended up there that day, I really should thank you. Not only did you help me find my way out of that forest, but you gave me the arrow." Merlin's mouth twitches and his brow furrows at my mentioning of the arrow. Warily, I continue.
"It… it's been a great boon. Time and time again, it has proved its usefulness to me. So, for helping me that day, and for giving me that wonderful gift, I thank you. Thank you for helping me." As I relive the memory of him giving me the arrow, I realize now I finally have the chance to discover what it is- where it came from. "Actually Merlin, what is-"
"Help you?" Merlin questions sharply, his tone harsh. He turns away from the view, towards me. I'm taken aback by his gaze- critical and filled with contempt. "What in the world are you talking about? I've been doing everything in my power to hinder you."