Hello and welcome to Chapter 4!

With regards to the astral form of Gil, I got nothing. Now that I think about it, there's no reason for Gil to disappear, although the disappearance in chapter 3 wasn't due to being in astral form; it was a reference to the Invisibility Shroud thing from Prisma Illya just with more glittery particles. Anyway…

A gentle fragrance wafted by, filling her nose with its soothing scent. It smelled so familiar, but she found herself unable to discern what it was. Whatever it was, it vaguely reminded her of her home, and her loving family-

A dull, throbbing pain registered, breaking off her train of thought. Slowly opening her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling, Illya groggily got up into a sitting position. She was lying in a futon in a room she did not recognize, which should have rang several alarms in her head, but she was oddly unable to bring herself to mind.

"O-oww…" she winced, reaching for her back. "Huh? Blankets… Bandages? Where is this…?"

The moment she brought up the question, several scenes flooded into her head, brutally reminding her of the previous night's events. Of that giant, hulking monster, of the fear from knowing she was going to die, and most of all, of her.

That girl had looked exactly like her. She never did get her name, what with a rampaging monster in between them, but she was the splitting image of Illya. It was almost like seeing Kuro all over again.

Eh? She wondered, finally realizing something important. How… did I escape?

She racked her brain trying to remember, but nothing came to mind. Her memories simply stopped right before Berserker's weapon pulverized her, and the next thing she knew, she was here in this strange room. The dull pain in her back told her that this was not a dream, so she must have survived the encounter somehow. But how?

"Oh, looks like you're awake."

Her head spinning around so fast it hurt, Illya stared at the owner of the voice. Rather than being surprised by the sudden voice, she was more distracted by the fact that it sounded so familiar.

"O-Onii-chan?" she asked, almost unsure of who she was looking at. But there was no mistaking that voice and his face.

"How're you feeling?" Shirou asked with a warm smile. "Are you still hurting from yester-oof!"

Tackled to the floor by the white missile that was Illya, Shirou fell onto his rear as she applied a tight grip around his waist.

"U-um…" he stammered. Being Shirou, he was naturally unsure of what to do when it came to women.

"Thank goodness," Illya sobbed, her already weak voice muffled by his shirt. "I was all alone, and then I woke up here in a strange place… I didn't know what to do… I-I'm scared, Onii-chan…"

Having lost the ability to fight, Illya finally remembered what it meant to be who she was supposed to be – a normal, everyday girl with no magical powers. Without the power to fight, she had no place in the world of magic, and all she had was a tiny life easily extinguishable with the slightest of efforts.

For what reason had she stepped into this nightmare?

If you really didn't want to, Ruby would have backed off.

Miyu's words from back then returned to haunt her. If only she had refused in the beginning, she would not be in this mess. If she had not let her childish fantasies make the decision for her, she would not have had to risk her life. If only she had practiced more common sense, she would not be overwhelmed by fear right now.

"Don't leave me alone," she begged, trembling as she latched onto her last source of sanity. "I don't want to be by myself right now…"

Shirou, on the other hand, was stunned. Sure, this was technically their first meeting, and he had no idea what kind of person this girl was, but her current reaction was baffling. He had assumed, after seeing her twin yesterday, that the girl currently crying into his shirt would be similar in some aspects aside from appearance. Her twin had been merciless and uncaring, able to order her giant partner to kill without batting an eye. She had been confident – arrogant, even – and she was a complete enigma.

This girl, however, was far too… fragile.

It would be normal for anyone to be crying after an experience like that. It would be perfectly understandable for a young child like her to be terrified, but Shirou was not ready for it. Why he expected a tiny girl like her to be anything but fragile and straightforward was a mystery even to him.

"It's okay," he told her, holding her a little closer. He could feel her small frame still trembling against his warmth. It was soul wrenching. "I'm not going anywhere, so don't worry, okay?"

Wordlessly, Illya nodded. His words seemed to put her at ease, which was good enough for Shirou. Explanations could wait for later; right now, he had to protect this delicate existence in front of him. Whatever it was that happened, there could be no justification for making her go through whatever it was that she had to go through.

"It's alright now," he promised, unable to help himself.

Illya did not stop sobbing for a good five minutes, thoroughly soaking Shirou's shirt with her tears. When she finally calmed down enough to back away, she became mute, keeping a fair distance from Shirou while sporting a faint blush on her cheeks.

"S-sorry about that, onii-chan," she mumbled.

"No, it's okay," Shirou chuckled. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Y-yeah, I guess…" Illya replied. The room was getting warmer and warmer, and it she suspected it had nothing to do with the season. But that did not stop her from blaming it on the season anyway.

"Oh, right, I forgot to ask," Shirou said suddenly. "What's your name? We haven't been probably introduced yet."

Illya froze.

"W-what're you talking about, onii-chan?" she asked, her eyes widening. "Don't joke around at times like this!"

"But… I'm not joking," Shirou replied blankly. "You call me 'onii-chan', but I've never seen you before. Are you a foreigner? Your Japanese is surprisingly good."

"W…Wha…" Illya stammered, backing away from Shirou instinctively. "T-then… W-who are you?"

"Me? I'm Emiya Shirou," Shirou replied. He was clearly confused, but that was nothing new at this point.

"T-then…" Illya stuttered, but quickly stopped herself. Remembering the girl from the previous night, and the fact that Berserker was there, she quickly rummaged her pockets and pulled out four cards. "N-no way…"

Sitting innocently in her hand were cards reading Caster, Assassin, Lancer and-

Berserker.

The Class Card they defeated was still there, sealed in its card and completely harmless. Emiya Shirou, her big brother, was there, but he did not know her. She might have believed that someone had messed with Shirou's memory, but with Berserker's card and Ruby's Jump before this…

No, she thought desperately. It can't be… can it?

She had been through more than enough to know that magic went beyond common sense, and Ruby had once told her that parallel worlds were definitely a thing. She had even daydreamed about them before, but to be in one was… impossible. Surely it had to be impossible.

"What's the matter?" Shirou asked.

"Um… Onii- Shirou-san," Illya said, cringing at her new way of addressing her brother. "Y-you don't happen to have a little sister, do you?"

"Just 'Shirou is fine. And no, I don't," Shirou replied. "I don't know if my old man had another kid before me though; he just tended to dodge the topic whenever I brought it up."

"Y-your father?"

"Yep. His name was Emiya Kiritsugu," Shirou told her. "He passed away some time ago, but I still look up to him; he adopted me and…"

But Illya was no longer listening. It was as if the world had changed, and that she was no longer living in the same reality as Shirou despite being in the same room. The world around her grinded into a painfully slow crawl, and the space became a deadly vacuum, devoid of air and sound.

Gasping for air, she clutched her chest, trying to contain the hammering palpitations of her heart. Her whole body was in pain, but it could not move; every muscle seemed to have gone stiff, and every drop of blood froze in her veins. Her brain was no longer even capable of keeping up anymore.

"Hey, are you alright?" Shirou asked worriedly, walking over to her. "Are you hurting somewh-"

"Stay away!" Illya shrieked, backing away from the stranger in front of her. "I-I… you… I-I'm sorry… I didn't… I didn't mean to… shout…"

"Oh… I-it's alright," Shirou replied, smiling at her reassuringly. To be honest, he was seriously taken aback by her reaction, but let it slide believing her to still be in shock. "Um… Would you like something to eat? You've been out for some time, so you must be hungry, right?"

"N-no, I'm fine…" Illya mumbled, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but… could you please leave me alone for a bit…?"

Shirou opened his mouth to protest, but upon seeing the look in Illya's eyes, he relented. He was helpless about her situation, and the least he could do was to give her what she wanted. He wanted to help her – he had to help her – but right now, he could not do a single thing. Just the very thought of being so useless irked him.

"I understand," he replied. "If you need anything, just let me know, okay? No need to be shy."

Silently, Illya nodded. She never did make eye contact with him again as he left the room.

Illya sat in a corner of the room, hugging her knees close to her chest. The overbearing panic had died down, but the sense of unease and fear had not vanished. Despite not wanting anything to do with magic anymore, she really wished Ruby was there with her right now. She wanted to be with her parents, her 'sisters' Sella and Liz, her friends, her brother…

But right now, all she had was this unfamiliar room, and it was slowly losing its hue to the encroaching shroud of night. She was alone, and she had never been this afraid of that thought in her life.

Getting up gingerly, she walked over to the door, her steps soft and silent. She had no real need to sneak around, but she still kept her approach as quiet as possible, as though afraid the room and its furniture would attack her if they noticed her.

Gently sliding open the door, she poked her head out and surveyed the surroundings. The long corridor was brightly lit, but there was not a single person in sight. Unsure of whether to feel relieved or worried, Illya stepped out of the room- and kicked over a small bowl.

With a frightened squeak and jumping back a few steps, Illya looked down at the floor expecting to see a rat or some sort of creature, but instead found a plate of what appeared to be meat and potatoes, neatly wrapped in cling wrap next to a glass of water and another bowl, this one filled with rice. Setting the bowl upright hastily, Illya looked at the food and, despite everything, smiled.

I guess onii-chan will always be onii-chan, she thought. Even though she was still afraid, she could not help but feel a little relief at his actions. These acts of kindness were a large part of why she loved him-

Shaking her head to rid those embarrassing thoughts, Illya got up to check out the house. It was huge, much larger than the house she had been living in all her life, and it was so different in style too. Her mother was always saying something about wanting to live in a Japanese-styled house, but they had been unable to find a suitable one for the longest time. She would be elated to know that this… world's… Emiya residence was a place like this.

Oh, right, she thought. I forgot to ask where this world's Mama was… She can't be… gone as well, can she?

The sight of a familiar face made Illya gasp. At first, she had thought it was him, but when her surprised settled down, she knew that it was just a photo.

To be specific, it was a framed photo of Emiya Kiritsugu.

"Papa…"

The words had escaped her lips before she realized it. Even though she knew it was someone else, Illya could not help but feel a sharp pain in her chest. Even if he was indeed someone else, he was still Emiya Kiritsugu – her beloved father.

"Rest in peace, papa," she said softly. "I'm sure mama-"

She paused. Kiritsugu's picture was alone, with Irisviel's nowhere in sight. Sad as she was at the sight of her father being by himself, Illya still felt a tinge of hope flutter in her chest.

Mama's not here, she thought. That must mean she's still alive! I have to find-

A loud crash broke into her thoughts, instantly shifting her attention to the front porch. Completely disregarding the fact that she was in an unfamiliar parallel world, and that she was a normal girl with no magical powers, Illya ran straight towards the porch and found Shirou leaning against the wall, panting as though he had just run a marathon.

"O-S-Shirou?!" Illya exclaimed, kneeling down next to him. "What's wrong?! What- i-is that blood?!"

"O-oh, this…" Shirou said between heavy intakes of breath, resting a hand on his chest, where a bloody hole had been torn into his uniform. "I'm fine, I'm fine… I'm not sure how, but I'm fine…"

"That doesn't make sense!" Illya yelled. "What did you do?!"

"I went back to take my notes," Shirou replied. "Then… I don't know why, but there were these two guys… fighting in the school… One of them stabbed me, then-"

He froze, his eyes widening as a horrible thought crossed his mind.

"S-Shirou?" Illya asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"It's not safe here," he said, grabbing Illya's shoulder. "You have to hide somewhere; he might have seen me and-"

But it was already too late. A soft ringing sounded from the bell on the ceiling echoing across the empty household and rendering Shirou completely speechless. Just as Illya opened her mouth to speak, another voice beat her to it.

"Y'know, having to kill the same guy twice in one day isn't my idea of a good time."

Fading into being from thin air, was a man dressed in deep blue tights that covered his entire body. Dull silver lines streaked across his clothes, and a pair of matching earrings dangled from his ears. His short blue hair and blood-red eyes gave Illya the impression of a savage beast.

"Great," he complained, evidently displeased with the turn of events. "Now I have to kill a little girl too."

Grabbing Illya by the wrist, Shirou broke into a mad sprint, running down the corridors and away from the mysterious assailant. He was fast, and fortunately so was Illya, so she was able to keep up with him, but their pursuer was even faster; before they even made it past the dining room, the man in blue had already cut them off, kicking Shirou in the gut and sending him flying.

All the air knocked out of his lungs, Shirou crashed into the yard with surprising force. Hastily picking himself up and feeling his legs buckle under the pain, he searched his surroundings for anything he could use as a weapon, to at least defend himself and the girl, but there were none to be found.

"Shirou!" Illya shouted, completely forgetting about the man clearly trying to kill them and running over to his side.

"R-run," Shirou panted. "I'll hold him off, so get as far away as you can."

"I don't dislike that attitude, kid," the mystery man said, stepping out into the yard. "But sorry to say, you won't be able to buy even five seconds of time against me, and I'm already being generous. This is out of your league."

Ignoring his words, Shirou charged blindly at the man, raising his fist for a clumsy punch. His expression completely stoic, the man in blue grabbed his fist in mid swing almost casually and flung him bodily into the old storehouse on the edge of the yard, breaking down the door in the process.

"Stop it!" Illya begged. "Don't hurt Shirou anymore!"

"No can't do, I'm afraid," the red-eyed man said exasperatedly. "It irks me too, but the rules are rules. I'll kill him quickly now, so he won't have to feel too much pain if that makes you feel better. And as for you… I'll give you a head start, little girl, so get running."

"No!" Illya screeched, two hot rivers blazing down her cheeks. "I'm not leaving him! I won't let you kill him either!"

As she said those words, a faint light emanated from inside the storehouse, causing the man in blue to turn sharply towards the door. The look in his eyes changed almost instantly, now resembling a predator affirming a new, unknown prey.

"Don't tell me…" he muttered.

The next instant, a violent gust of wind soared out of the storehouse, slamming into him and knocking him back. With a flick of his wrist, the man manifested a bright red lance from out of nowhere into his hands, pointing its deadly sharp tip towards the ground.

"So, you're the seventh?" he growled.

The gust of wind settled down, billowing around a graceful figure descending to the yard. Meeting the man's gaze with a firm spirit of her own, was an awe-inspiring warrior.

Clad in an elegant battle dress with metallic armor across her chest and arms, the woman who had dashed out of the storehouse was the very image of nobility; radiating charisma and unyielding spirit, she had the vibe of a queen or an undefeated warrior. Or, possibly, both.

"I am the Servant, Saber," she introduced herself, holding her hands in front of her as though she was holding on to a sword. But there was nothing whatsoever in her hands. "From your armament, I presume you are Lancer?"

"Indeed I am," the man called Lancer replied, smirking. "Guess this'll be more interesting than I thought."

Shirou hobbled out of the storehouse and, upon spotting the terrified girl in the yard, dashed over to Illya and pulled her away from the two warriors who looked like they could start fighting at any moment.

"It's alright now, I think," he said uncertainly. "I don't know what's going on, but it seems she's on our side."

"N-no," Illya gasped. She was staring at Saber, and the very sight of the Servant was sending chills down her spine. Even though the woman was not emitting any hostility towards her, the silver-haired girl still edged away from her like some monster. "S-she's not on our side… S-she'll kill us…"

She remembered that appearance. Back then, the color had been different, but it was definitely that dress. She may have had a visor back then, but it was without a doubt this woman. She was the Class Card Saber, the one that had almost killed Rin and Luvia after the battle with Caster. Possessing enough power to easily overwhelm two extremely powerful magical girls, and a shroud of mana dense enough to repel almost any attack, she was without a doubt the strongest enemy Illya ever faced. And she was on their side?

"Master, please stand back," Saber advised. "I will take care of the intruder."

Intruder? Is she referring to me? Illya thought, transfixed with horror at the thought of facing her without Ruby. It was going to be a one-sided execution, and Shirou would be next. I can't fight her like this… Ruby… Where are you, Ruby?!

Right on cue, a swift comet of some sort crashed into the yard, sending up a large cloud of dirt as it buried itself into the ground. Dumbstruck by the sudden flying object, Saber and Lancer just stared at it without making a move.

It was… a stick. A red stick. Protruding out of the ground like a tree branch of sorts, it stayed stationary for a few moments before starting to wiggle.

"What-" Saber began, but the stick bent over and pushed itself out of the hole it created, revealing a circular head with wings at its sides and a star design in the center. At such a bizarre sight, she completely forgot what she was about to say.

"ILLYA-SAN!"

Smashing into Illya's face with surprising speed and force, the talking stick knocked Illya over, smothering her with its… face, supposedly.

"R-Ruby, get off!" Illya said, trying to pry it from her with little success. "N-now's not the time!"

"I missed you, Illya-san!" Ruby cried. "We were separated after the jump, and I was so scared to be all by myself! I thought I would never get to see you again! This is really great!"

"I get it, I get it!" Illya said. "Now get off me! We don't have the time to be messing around!"

"Hmm? Why's that?" Ruby asked, getting off her Master and twirling around. Looking past the dumbfounded boy with red hair, it stopped when it noticed the two Servants in the yard. "Oh? Oh?! What's this?! Who are these weird cosplayers?!"

"You only noticed them now?!" Illya asked incredulously. "And they're not cosplayers! They're enemies! Hurry and transform, Ruby!"

No, she thought. Transforming alone won't beat them; I have to Include the Lancer card and…

And what? Miyu and I couldn't beat it back then, and even Rin-san and Luvia-san lost when they combined their efforts. What can one spear do to this monster, let alone two of them?

"I don't really get the situation, but whatever!" Ruby said, floating into Illya's hand and cloaking her in a bright light, replacing her clothes with a pink dress and long boots. "It feels like forever since we got some screen time, so let's do this!"

"I don't get what you're saying, but stay focused, Ruby," Illya warned.

"That aside, did something happen, Illya-san?" Ruby asked. "I'm detecting injuries on your back. I'm healing it now but it'll take a few seconds."

Illya did not reply. Despite her warning to Ruby, she found herself no longer focusing on the fight but rather on the wand in her hands. Just earlier in the morning, she was having second thoughts about fighting anymore, and now she was about to charge into battle again. What on Earth was wrong with her?

"Master, get away from her!" Saber said firmly. "She's dangerous!"

So that was it. Casting Shirou a gentle look, Illya turned back to the two Servants with a fresh determination in her eyes. Holding out the Lancer card, she slowly rested it against Ruby's star.

"I won't let you lay a hand on Shirou," she declared.

She was still afraid, and she still abhorred the thought of fighting. She did not want to risk her life anymore, but if there was a reason for her to fight, it was him. Even if she was just a regular elementary schoolgirl, she too had something to protect. Even if she had little to no chance of victory, she was willing to stake everything she had for those she loved.

Remember the feeling when you defeated the Assassins, she told herself. Remember the sensation that time you saved Rin-san and Luvia-san in that cavern.

For the sake of protecting her brother, Illyasviel von Einzbern yelled out:

"Class Card, Lancer – Install!"

That one was longer than expected. Up till Chapter 5 are the last of the readily written chapters, so after that the updates might take a little longer. Hope you guys can bear with me!

And yes, I'm aware that in the manga, Illya did not have the Lancer card after the fight with Bazett. But Rin said something about having the remaining cards in chapter 1, remember? So there's that. And if you've read Prisma Illya Drei, you know what the Lancer Install looks like ;)

Hope you enjoyed this one, and see you next chapter!