Left Behind
(Kuro)
Even over their fight against the flagging Berserker, all the Servants present caught what Kirei had mumbled.
... everyone in Fuyuki?
It's far too late, even with teleportation, but that thought came only after the sharp flash of instantaneous motion over to the fallen priest. I should have spared a second or two to decapitate him, even though there's no good reason for a human to survive being run through the heart I mumble while correcting the mistake overlate.
"What are you doing?" Rin asked sharply as Lu Bu broke off and began running in the direction of the Emiya estate, the three Masters quickly dashing out of his way as Rider and Saber moved to protect them just in case.
"Kotomine just burned all his six remaining command spells to force Gilgamesh to kill everyone. We need to get out of Fuyuki before he does."
"WHAT?!"
(Kojirou)
"I see," Shirou sent after a moment, while looking at his hand. "Have you heard the legend of Samson?"
"What? Snap out of it," It's obvious that what's really on his mind are the two now faded-to-grey Command Seals. "She isn't dead, if that's what you're thinking."
"I doubt you can prove that," he retorted as I and the other two Servants grab the Masters and prepare to run for it. "I can. If she was dead those Seals would be their usual red because Caster set up a 'novation' so that the pair of contracts involving her would be replaced by a single one."
"You both know I can't actually supply you with enough magical energy, right?" Kuro was excitedly trying to point out something in the distance while awkwardly holding onto Rin who was physically much larger than she was.
"Not really an issue, since we were heading into battle. If some of us died, the rest would be fine as long as all Masters survived. And I at least can maintain full combat efficiency for the three days of my own reserves." I couldn't see as far as an Archer, but it appeared that a shooting star was flying horizontally above Fuyuki.
Wait a moment.
(Medusa)
Though the wings would allow us to travel faster, I doubt Sakura would appreciate outrunning her friends, especially if they ended up dying while she survived.
"Yes, it's likely the case that Lancer and Assassin were already dead," Sakura commented. "No doubt Gilgamesh had expected, or forseen rather, Kirei's death. But that last bit might've been more spontaneous."
"If so Caster guessed right that likely Assassin was not on Kotomine's side. Perhaps Gilgamesh used that to eliminate both Servants, though it's hard to imagine Lancer being taken out by an Assassin. Even with a sneak attack, he had Rune-Reinforced armor that I saw, and (Battle Continuation)."
"About that, what are we going to do without her? I know we can out-wait Gilgamesh but that don't solve our greater problem."
"We're going to slow down so you can hear what Kuro is saying."
In the distance, a rising meteor that had caught Archer's attention was growing slowly in brightness and speed. "That's one of Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasms!" she explained, pointing out a few details, like the gold plating on it, that we couldn't see due to the distance. "He's headed out of Fuyuki as well."
"But why would be have to run?" Rin asked in confusion. "Unless, ah I see. Moving away while he's still able to resist the Command Spells means the effect will be weaker, and if he uses up enough magical energy it might even prevent using something like (Ea) which Kirei presumably expected him to be forced to do."
"What about Sasaku?" Emiya asked, voicing his predictable concern. "And Berserker too."
"We should go back and secure Ill- the Einzbern Master," Kuro said, taking out a small note which she handed to him. "She should be able to control him. As for Caster, well Rider seems to have a clue she will definitely share with us."
"What's this?" he looked at the note which was apparently addressed to him. "Rider, explain while we return to the church, since apparently it's safe and Saber assures me that we'd never be able to outrun an Anti-World Noble Phantasm anyway." All eyes turned to me.
"He's probably grabbed Caster." I reply simply.
"But Kuro didn't spot her," Rin said right as Shirou shook his head and added, "I can't reach her, and couldn't even before we started running."
"That's... he might have stashed her inside his (Gate of Babylon)," Kuro guessed. "Because then she would go from being right next to him to not 'in Fuyuki'."
"Huh? But he doesn't just put anything in... oh no." Sakura started, having cottoned on to my thoughts on the matter.
"He doesn't have any goddesses in there," I explain concisely. "Let alone a foreign one from outside the World which, weak or not, is definitely rarer." I decided to leave out the obvious need for Gilgamesh to own the things in the Gate, but Kuro seemed to have realized it already.
"We have to go after him."
"There's no way we can catch up to him," Saber pointed out. "Unless you still have the use of a (Pegasus) but even then we'd use an unaffordable amount of energy. Anyway, tell us about that note."
"I'm assuming this is Gilgamesh's handwriting," he addressed that to Kuro, who simply said, "He stuck it to Berserker's back, and I saw it when I first got behind him to attack. Which was probably the point."
"It says 'Illya is being held inside. Show respect since she's the older Emiya.' and that's all." Kuro didn't seem surprised by this, since she had read it earlier, but Rin had a sudden look of 'aha'.
"So the rumors were true then, no wonder they sent a homunculus as Master. And they must have been expecting Kirei to kill her in case she did survive the War."
"You're saying my father, er Emiya Kiritsugu, made a homunculus?" Shirou asked naturally enough.
"Oh no, he married one. And apparently they had a child. Would that make her a half-homunculus? I have no idea. Anyway we should get to her before Berserker does. There's the possibility that he might drain her to death if she can't control him. That happened to the last War's Master of Berserker and, well, would fit Lu Bu's treatment of his real-life masters too."
"... it also happens to keep us busy here while he runs off."
"That it does, but..." she glanced at Kuro. "We'd never catch up to him anyway. Yes, I know you have (Independent Action), but without the Grail's passive support Rider and Saber will never make it, and unless you have some idea to-"
"Yeah, I got it," Archer replied sulkily. It seemed that they were only continuing an earlier unvoiced discussion. "Fine, Illya right? Let's go."
"Do you know her?" Rin asked. "It would seem she's been the Einzbern's well-kept secret for the last ten years."
"Oh, she's the 'me' of this world. Well, perhaps not exactly, since 'no duplicates' but then again I'm partially Heroic Spirit so perhaps that's the loophole I fell through."
"What?!"
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(Fuyuki Church, basement childcare)
(Illyasviel)
Archer...
Since discovering he had been hanging around since the last Grail War, it was natural to wonder if 'George' had it in for me due to father's Lancer blowing up 'his' Grail. One sucker punch later I now for certain he apparently did not. After all, it wouldn't have been surprising, in a manner of speaking, if I had never regained consciousness as I happen to be doing right now.
I knew full well that the Einzberns would most likely have planned my demise, nevermind that at most I only had about a year or two of lifespan left, itself already a lot longer than most would have expected of a homunculus 'like me.' That said, it probably doesn't matter at the moment because, while the magic circle that had probably been keeping me unconscious (so I could continue to supply Berserker with magical energy, most likely) had apparently been broken, I was pretty well tied up and...
Seeing Tohsaka's Archer creeping towards me with a sword out as though approaching some serious threat is almost laughable, if it wasn't for the fact she was most likely about to kill me... huh, did Kotomine think a gag would prevent me from using Command Spells? Maybe if they were standard ones.
(Rin)
"Hey, hey wait!" I call out quickly. After I took down the suspicious magic circle around the unconscious homunculus, Kuro pulled out one of her swords, presumably to cut her free.
"What?" she asked somewhat peeved. We had carefully gone through the church, and suspiciously enough besides various Reinforcing runes all over, the magic circle I had just taken apart was the only other bit of magecraft in evidence.
Very suspicious.
"I said to untie her," I repeated from about a minute ago, when we cleared the door of the daycare room. "If there's something hidden in the rope, just slicing into it is the worst thing to do."
"Hmm..." she grumbled, putting the weapon away. Obviously a human magus' trap on such a scale wouldn't harm her, but blowing up Illyasviel would probably not go well with, well, anyone.
Kuro took only a moment to analyze the knots by touch and undo them, before hauling the other girl to her feet. Nothing happened. That was unexpected.
"... ok carry her out."
(Outside the church)
(Shirou)
"Do you buy Kuro's story?" I asked Sakura. The rest of us were waiting outside, just in case either something 'happened' in the church or Berzerker returned.
"Hmm, though it sounds like something out of that, uh something Phantasm show, who knows? Certainly moonlighting as a 'magical girl' with some connection to Heroic Spirits might allow one to be summoned as a Servant. Add to that she has some idea about the Grail System which none of us did, and it seems more likely than not."
"You'd think, by the name, that a magical girl would be a Caster," I comment. "Though she was summoned after Sasaku, so that slot was taken. And if the Heroic Spirit system is different in her world, the Grail system might be as well. If we can even verify something like that."
We watched as Rin exited the church with Kuro close behind carrying the girl we had been discussing.
I took a careful look at her, which hadn't been possible in the earlier battle. "Gilgamesh said she's older than me?" I asked no one in particular, seeing how she was only a little larger than the Archer carrying her, who was only about twelve, as confirmed by Sasaku.
"Homunculi don't necessarily age or grow like humans," Rin explained. "Let's not wait around. Just because Assassin and Lancer are probably dead doesn't mean we wouldn't be safer back at home."
"Sounds reasonable," Sakura said before adding with a small smile, "Rider, grab her and let's go."
"Eh?!" Though taken by surprise at being scooped up by the massive Servant, she quickly recovered her composure while sitting in the crook of her arm. Sakura hopped on the other.
"Saber, if you don't mind." He didn't, and we were soon on our way back. I couldn't help but turn around slightly to look in the direction that Gilgamesh had left Fuyuki in.
(Sakura)
It was perhaps a good thing that Kuro had the new girl to distract her. Rin's Archer had some sort of breakdown when she put two and two together and fully realized that Gilgamesh had taken off with Caster.
I can understand her worry, for all that as far as I knew the church's 'George' was quite unlike the Gilgamesh of legend. He certainly wouldn't go to such lengths just to 'have a chat' with her, whispers... something in my head. My thoughts freeze. Wait, it isn't the Count... it's ironic that at this moment, experiencing auditory hallucinations would probably be a 'best case' scenario.
I feel a brief chill. I know, though I really wish I didn't from experience...
At least she has some way out. Though it is messed up to have a killswitch in yourself and be aware of the trigger conditions. I frown while looking at my left arm, and that's when I realized.
Caster's transplanted magic circuit is nestled where one of the worms used to be.
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(Emiya estate, living room)
"Are you alright?" Shirou asked with some concern when we arrived back at his home. "I'm fine," I try to reassure him, to little effect.
"It's pretty late, and we were also fighting early in the morning too," he concluded after a while. "Saber, keep an eye on the new girl. No Kuro, it would be better if you hopped onto the roof and kept watch since... well we can't use all the features of the Realm." A brief moment of silence followed. "Rider, er..."
"If you want to continue with the books Caster lent you, do it in her room," I add. "It's close enough to the center that the energy cost of a physical form are greatly reduced."
"Thanks."
"Just keep me posted if you find anything. I wouldn't be surprised if that girl left a note or something in those books."
"She would, wouldn't she? I will."
After a moment, Rin offered to keep watch with Saber. It seemed odd, since the point was as a Servant, he didn't need to sleep while as a human, she did, but there was something between them. I don't mean the sword practice, though why he would agree in the first place is already telling.
"Let's all get some rest," Shirou concluded. "Let me know if Illyasviel wakes up, any information she has might be critical. For all we know, Gilgamesh was planning on it too." His frown showed what he thought about that.
(Shirou's room)
Shirou still looked concerned when he lay down next to me, as if he knew about my thoughts, but simply kept silent as he circled an arm around me. There was really no need to voice anything aloud.
...
Magi don't believe in God. Or rather, there are many gods, but they don't seem to do much since the Age of Gods, and especially the Age of Magic ended. It's odd though, because priests of various faiths can perform certain Mysteries, and in a way, praying even to a deity that isn't listening is a ritual of a sort. Rune magecrafts to some extent even work for non-magi, so I have to wonder if it's possible elsewhere.
Even though, she certainly isn't listening, and clearly couldn't do anything to save herself at the moment, Sasaku is some sort of divine entity. And not only the closest one I've encountered, but one who promised me... She did say that no one worshiped her, but perhaps if one prayed to her-
"That's not quite logical," a familiar voice sounds out softly from the direction of the door. "If it's Mysteries, I've already explained to you the system."
"You're back?" I jump up and run over towards her. "When did you...?"
I stop abruptly, immediately suspicious. The room isn't as large as the distance I just covered, but she's still further away. "Who are you?" I demand, getting ready to call on Medusa.
"I'm you," the speaker said crisply, revealing herself to be a somewhat older looking Caster. Perhaps a bit older than me, say twenty years old or so. "To be specific, you are 'speaking to' the fragment of Sasaku which you absorbed into yourself."
"So you were the one talking in my head earlier?" This must be what her 'original' self was.
"There's no me to actively speak of," she corrected me. "Effectively, you're querying a database." She waved a hand about in the darkness that surrounded us, the action clearly visible even though there was no light to speak of. "This is just your own way of processing it, I suppose. I wasn't exactly sure it would work, but here we are."
I remembered one of Rider's concerns. "So you, well she, did put something in it after all."
"Spike it? A gift. Which, mind you, was intended to be accessible only when I was dead, though I wasn't careless enough to directly set such a condition."
"Querying, right." I have an idea what the access condition might be, but it doesn't matter to me. "So, what was your whole real plan?"
She seems unsurprised, which is understandable enough if she's who she says she is. Or isn't, as it were. "Did you really think I lied to you on that?"
"What, it was all true?"
"Didn't go into all the details. Well there's a decent chance the Grail can't be manipulated like I hoped, but you know that already. I'm not so stupid to die, er, well, lose to an obvious contingency like that. The main problem is going to be our energy economy. Frankly speaking, Medusa can probably be resummoned, but it's very likely that without special measures Kuro and Kojirou will be lost forever if they die. But you and Shirou will certainly be lost unless we find a loophole like they might have used. So don't die."
"... but we've won, right?"
"Until the Grail shuts off the support, which it will at least once its reservoir runs low, I expect. Given that it nominally charges sixty years to run a War, you can't expect it to support four of us for very long. And no, adding you, Shirou, Rin, Illyasviel and the leylines are certainly not going to be enough to make up for that. Also, doing anything to the Grail System via my Magecraft will probably burn through energy at a high rate."
"So we're dead in the water then?"
"Just before the magical circuit transfer, I learned from Saber that Rin's family has been tasked with constructing a Mystic Code known as the Jeweled Sword Zelretch. It is possible that via this line of research, one can use the Second Magic to allow tapping mana from multiple parallel worlds. Tohsaka obviously expected me to recognize how valuable such an option would be."
(Tsubame Gaeshi). "Did you know that Kuro might be from a parallel world?"
"It wasn't confirmed to me, no."
"Suppose that 'you' are dead. What would happen then?"
The older Caster just smiles. "That's up to you. There's no me to actually do anything, remember?"
"Tell me everything you know."
"Ah, that's not possible. Sadly, we're inherently incompatible format-wise. Currently, you are able to run both sides due to having one of my circuits. It's a bottleneck which means you can only translate parts at a time. There's also compression. And regardless, taking in a great flood of information directly from another neutral-network type format might overwhelm your own sense of self."
"I would like to avoid becoming someone else, even you."
"Indeed. I don't mind being copied, or being a copy, but overwriting someone is much like murder."
"About that, do you know about Grandfather's special worms? Not the one you removed, I mean."
"I have no idea. Actually, I only encountered the one you lost after removing this circuit from myself, so... you should have shared with me if you wanted my help with that." She doesn't make any effort to hide the implicit accusation, but then again if it's really just an avatar made by me, I guess that's to be expected.
"Can you help me with it now?"
"That's hard, since if you don't know what you need to know, you can't search for it. If you asked me, I could, but you're basically asking yourself."
"Well, if this isn't the real world, we have plenty of time to explore. Or..." I pause as part of the answer to that reaches me.
"Not quite," Sasaku says, taking over the explanation. "Real time actually flows faster than our conversation, as you are running not only your own consciousness, but also a part of mine, and translating. By the way, Shirou might be trying to wake you up any time now, especially since he tends to rise early and might panic when he realizes you're not in a standard sleep state. And the fact that you are expending magical energy while supposedly asleep."
"Damn," I mutter, abruptly realizing that she's right and he is trying to wake me up. Or perhaps it's one of those things where the dream ends right as you're about to wake up. "We'll talk later."
"Later." It's hard to tell who dismissed who. Or perhaps it's a pointless distinction.
"I'm up, I'm up," I mutter hazily to Shirou, a little thrown off by the sudden sluggishness of my actual body waking up in comparison to my perfectly clear 'sleeping' version. "Is everyone okay?"
"It's still night time, but Illya's up, and I noticed you were... are you fine?"
"Yeah. Let's see what she has to say."
"Quite a lot, apparently. A little after Rin went to sleep, she got up and started dumping information on Saber like her life depended on it. Thankfully, she's perfectly lucid."
l
Notes:
Novation is a process to replace two contracts with one, possibly to remove someone on opposite ends of each. Since Sasaku is Kojirou's Master and Shirou's Servant, she used the term (not necessarily perfectly accurately) to refer to making Kojirou Shirou's Servant directly. This might have been part of her argument that he was Shirou's Servant, despite actual contracts being otherwise. Obviously we can't see if it would actually work (since she isn't dead) or if she was lying (then Shirou would be right about the Command Seals).
The fake Sasaku uses a different personal pronoun than the actual one. The actual Sasaku would be using 'atashi', the other two use 'watakushi' which is deliberate on her part. (Previously I used 'original-me' which just sounds weird). Thus the fake uses I/we etc to refer to the actual Sasaku and bolded I,we etc for herself. In FGO you can see Eurayle/Stheno refer to 'Myself' when talking about the other (but Medusa is always separate). I suppose an English equivalent would be using significantly different intonations of I, or pauses etc.
We will probably see some of the discussion with Illya explicitly. Though I did skip over Kuro's bit in this chapter, it will show up where relevant in that conversation.