===DISCLAIMER===
The Highschool DxD series was written by Ichiei Ishibumi and produced by TNK. The Fate series is owned by Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu. I do not own any of the characters mentioned in both series. The only things I own are the ideas that popped into my head for this story and whatever original characters I would create for the story.
This story is meant to be a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, and flames will be ignored. Any references to real-life characters, places, and events are purely coincidental and should not be taken seriously. You have been warned.
I honestly don't know why I wrote this, but here it is. So… enjoy?
"Regular Speech"
"Mental Link/Communication Devices"
'Inner Monologue/Thoughts'
Magecraft Aria
Block Elements:
▔▇▄ ▒▄▂░▄▔ ▋▀▍▆▕▀▆▄ ▎ ▅ ▁▋▎ ▂▊▒ (Basically, unimaginable pain and or words/language/things that are beyond human comprehension.)
===AN===
P.S. I don't know when I'll be posting this, so here:
Time of writing: 11/15/2022 11:16 AM
Time of posting: 11/23/2022 7:32 PM
To get a frame of reference.
Prologue
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
One dreamt of a world of peace but saw only death.
One dreamt of a world of smiles but saw only tears.
One dreamt of a world's salvation but did not grasp it.
The one that could not save the world, in the end, he could only protect the happiness of a single girl.
Shirou Emiya knew what he wanted was deplorable in its own right. Choosing to forsake the salvation of others, when it would cost nothing more than a single life, and yet…
'Well in the end. I chose what I thought was right, but how can I say it was not wrong?'
A war waged on in his mind, burdened by the guilt of betraying his father's dream, the sorrow of losing the woman he loved, and the utter desperation he feels, knowing the only family he has left would be ripped away from him. 'I fought battle after battle. I sustained wounds that would kill a lesser man, I used up more energy in these battles than I ever would have in my life without them. But I kept fighting, I had no other choice but to fight, nothing else to fight for but her, nothing else I could hold close to my heart for they were all stolen away.' Regardless of how he feels, he continues to move forward.
'There was no justice in damning the world. The justice I was taught by that man would sooner kill me for trying this.'
But humans cannot always reach their ideals, to succeed in their dreams, they can only make decisions and concessions. When that small girl made her wish to the stars; that's when Shirou Emiya made his very own selfish wish as well. 'I chose to stop being a shell, to start being real. So I conquered the battles in front of me.'
An Assassin, filled with bloodlust.
A Caster, desiring only to live.
A Lancer, with a nasty grin full of pride.
A Rider, who cared for nothing in the world.
A Berserker, who destroyed all in front of her.
And a Saber, who entrusted something to him.
The events of the Holy Grail War replayed in his mind, he thought of his losses, of his victories, and of those he's killed, carving his bloodied path to victory. 'I prevailed and became the victor of the Holy Grail War. And following that strange priest's words, I left for her.'
Bloodlust suddenly began emanating from the cavern ahead of him, "Emiya," the voice spit out the name as if poison, hidden by the shadows.
Shirou stopped in his tracks recognizing the owner of the voice, "It's been so long… how've you been doing, Julian?" His voice echoed throughout the icy walls of the former dragon's den.
Standing before Shirou Emiya was Julian Ainsworth, still wearing his brown Homurahara Academy uniform, a person that he once called a friend.
Julian's dark eyes, enshrouded by hate, met Shirou's hollow and dead amber ones.
'He's been waiting here for while now, hasn't he?' A million questions ran through his mind, including the things he wanted to hear and the things he wanted to know, but one thing took precedence. "…Give Miyu back." His voice was firm and his hands were clenched tightly in resolve.
The only thing he received was a glare. "That… would be betraying all of mankind, Emiya." Julian spat out his former friend's name. His forehead squeezed in frustration and anger, shoulders trembled with every second had to look at him. He must've been pissed. "I… I don't even know where to start with you, Emiya. Should I be laughing? Crying? I just don't get you. Doing something so unforgivable makes you the worst kind of evil." He continued, eyes burning with hatred.
As Julian continued to speak, Shirou found himself sympathizing with his former friend more and more, despite his cruel words. Julian had no clue just how similar both of them were.
"To think…" Shirou started, understanding how it felt to carry the weight of the world on one's shoulders. To be given such a duty would drive a normal man into madness. 'You'd have to already be crazy to be okay with such a thing. The thing was though, neither of us were particularly sane.' "…we've both been fighting alone this entire time…"
Hearing Shirou's words made Julian snap, "DO NOT ACT LIKE YOU KNOW, EMIYA! DON'T ACT LIKE YOU UNDERSTAND ME!" Spittle flew from his mouth. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA! THE PAIN, THE SUFFERING, THE AGONY! YOU DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT IT'S LIKE!"
"Heh… that's the thing, Julian… I know exactly what that's like." Shirou replied calmly. "Kill one to save ten, ten for a hundred, a hundred for a thousand. I knew someone like that, all too well." His adoptive father, Kiritsugu Emiya. The man who'd saved a random kid he'd never met before. The man who took him in, and trained him with Magecraft.
The smile he wore in his final moments was one Shirou will always remember till the day he dies. Both father and son talked a lot about being 'Allies of Justice'. To the point that Shirou even swore to become one for the both of them.
Those ideals were only reinforced when he installed EMIYA for the first time.
When he installed EMIYA, he learned how he stuck to those ideals until he even became a Counter Guardian.
They are, after all, the same person, so every memory, every bit of knowledge, his thoughts, his dreams… even his suffering became a part of Shirou Emiya.
While they were all different people, they all shared the very same ideals that Julian clung to for life.
Shirou asked curiously, "Did you know Julian? About Miyu's family? About the Sakatsuki family?" Julian waited for him to elaborate as his rage changed to confusion. Shirou paused and looked his former friend in the eyes, "Have you ever wondered what they'd wish for?" When he asked Julian that, he broke eye contact.
"They kept all their records, the records of their ancestors. All the way back from the very first generation to Miyu's. They were the 'Children of God', who could grant wishes unconditionally, even their own."
After some thought, he was left with nothing but blanks. For once, since the start of their conversation, Julian Ainsworth was genuinely curious now.
"The wellbeing of their children... that's all they ever longed for. They could've wished for fame or fortune, but all they ever wished for is what any good parent would wish for; the wellbeing of their child." Shirou paused once more to let those words sink in. "And they consistently did so, for more than 400 years."
Julian was stunned, speechless.
"And if you consider that to be evil…" Shirou marched past him. 'I dug this grave myself…' "…then let me be evil." 'It was time to lie in it.'
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Exiting the long, dark, and frigid tunnel, Shirou found himself overlooking a giant cavern. Looking ahead, he found it, the altar underneath Mount Enzo that directly connected to the Holy Grail system of Fuyuki City, where his sister lays at the center of an incredibly complex Formalcraft Circle.
His younger sister whom he and Kiritsugu adopted into their family years ago. The one that was meant to be sacrificed for the sake of humanity. To save the world from its destruction.
Hearing his approach, Miyu opened her eyes, "O-Onii…chan?" She said through her hazy eyes.
Shirou smiled, a true smile, the same smile he saw on Kiritsugu's face when he rescued him all those years ago, as he kneeled before the altar. "I'm sorry for making you wait so long…" Shirou said as he gently grabbed his sister's hand.
Tears began to threaten to spill from her eyes, "W-Why…" her gaze was full of sorrow and betrayal.
He could feel the sadness in her tone. His heart twisted and wrenched in ways that no weapon ever could. 'No that is a lie and I know it. I do know, I know why seeing her suffering like this hurts so much. I guess in the end, my heart of glass can never truly live up to anything. But even still, I must continue forward.'
"Why did you come? I… I heard it from them… those people…" his smile broke as she spoke.
Miyu choked on a sob, "Those people told me the reason you and Kiritsugu took me in." She has accepted her fate and understood that being used as a tool was part of her duty. A thing that should be utilized until it breaks, then discarded. "To use my power... that's all I was to anyone. A tool to be used. That they would save the world in Kiritsugu's place."
Tears flowed from her eyes without end. The thought of being used up like garbage hurt her more than anyone else. She was terrified of dying. She did not want to pass away like a tool.
Miyu Emiya had her own desires; to see the ocean, to know of freedom, and most importantly, to live.
"So then why... Why did you come here!? To use me like everyone else!?"
The little girl Shirou had come to regard as his sister did not want to vanish into the night.
"That… goes without saying." He said, reaching into his pocket. He felt his fingers wrap around a set of seven cards.
Shirou Emiya's proof of victory over the rest of the participants of the Grail War. A sign that the other six competitors were either defeated or killed, with the exception of the Berserker Card's owner, who escaped due to Berserker's God Hand.
Most of them were puppets belonging to the Ainsworth, brought back from the dead to fight on their behalf. But there were probably one or two that were nothing more than ravenous beasts fueled by their greed. "I'm your brother, you said it yourself. So it's my job to protect you." Shirou's smile returned.
The cards glowed a faint light and levitated off of his hands circling on top of Miyu, he kneeled once more and grasped his sister's hand, "Honestly, it's been one mistake over another with me, this may even be a mistake as well. Nevertheless, for this alone, I know to be true."
Closing his eyes, Shirou began to make his wish.
"I wish upon the Holy Grail;
I pray that you may find a world where you won't have to suffer any longer.
I pray that you meet kind people.
I pray that you make friends you can laugh with.
I pray that you find a warm, small share of happiness."
The Grail responded to his wish immediately, as light filled the cavern and Miyu began to float off the ground.
Despite that, Shirou did not let go. Slowly, he stood up as his sister rose into the air, his hand still holding onto hers. Even as their hands began to part, her small fingers tried desperately to hold on to his own.
"Onii… chan…" Miyu said softly, closing her eyes as tears began to leak out. Shirou watched with bated breath as she was gently lifted into the air far beyond his reach, and hopefully, theirs as well.
Sensing the massive flair of Magical Energy, he turned away from his sister, to face the last obstacle that stands in the way of Miyu's happiness.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Miyu Emiya, despite her appearance, was very much fully conscious and aware of the fight between her brother and her captor, a blonde girl with very revealing armor.
It's not that she didn't think her brother was strong or that she believed he lacked motivation. But not only was his opponent completely impervious to damage, all due to her Displacement Magecraft making any potential strike that could have impacted her immediately phased through. Coupled with the fact that she also had access to an infinite number of Noble Phantasms. She knew that her brother's defeat is certain.
Even though his own Archer Card was directly above her, Shirou had begun using its abilities, he was still at a disadvantage. Even if he were able to negate almost every weapon used against him, he couldn't stop them all. Not to mention that Angelica could simply create a portal between the two to keep him at a distance.
As their battle raged on, Shirou was thrown to the ground after a particularly large explosion. As he stood up, he ripped off his coat and held out his left hand while supporting it with his right after being brutally hurled back again the second time. He chanted, "I am the bone of my sword… !"
And the battle only grew more intense from there.
After an intense game of keep away, where Shirou withstood Angelica's attacks as he chanted, the two disappeared into a large dome, comprised entirely of snow.
An impossible reality that was a fusion of the Heroic Spirit's and Shirou Emiya's own. A pitch-black sky devoid of stars, with a silver moon hanging brightly in the sky. Snow-covered wastelands, a never-ending storm that obscured sight, and stabbed into the dirt were weapons, reminiscent of grave markers. Weapons of every make, from swords to spears, axes, knives, halberds, hammers, daggers, arrows, and more... a seemingly infinite world of blades.
Somehow, someway, Miyu saw it all. She detested it. She only recently discovered that her brother cared for her, that he didn't view her as a tool, and that he was willing to give up his life for her.
And she rejected it.
'I… I don't want Onii-chan to go… Any world without you is meaningless to me… You promised to show me the ocean. I wish Onii-chan… I WISH ONII-CHAN WOULD COME WITH ME!'
Neither her brother nor his opponent heard her. Only a single entity could hear her heartfelt plea. And the Holy Grail got to work.
At the moment, it was only drawing energy at the time to power the wish. Therefore, the request may still be altered, not to mention the Vessel's powerful will that would drive the alteration through. And indeed, that is what took place. However, it had something in mind before Miyu had overridden her brother's wish, so it did more than simply search for a good world for the Vessel to live in and enjoy. A world very similar to this one. Now, it also had to consider the Subject's own happiness as well.
The Grail knew what made its Vessel happy, mainly the Subject, so it searched through the Subject's memories to find what made him happy. Since happiness was a rare emotion for the Subject, the Vessel aside, it took some searching. However, two characteristics that were fundamental to the Subject's identity stood out to it.
The Vessel, his sister Miyu Emiya, was undoubtedly the first. The Subject genuinely cared about her, and his presence was evidence of his commitment to protecting her. He didn't wish for her to be in any danger.
So the Grail would continue its search, and in order to find a secure world where she would be safe.
The Heroes were another aspect of the Subject that stood out to the Grail. He wished to be a hero but learned of its impossibility at a young age. He could only ever gaze upon it from a distance. But for the sake of his sister, he abandoned his ideals. He never despised it, though. He could never detest a dream so pure, so beautiful.
So the Grail would search for a world where Heroism was within his reach.
In the first, people with special powers, known as Saviors, are trained to defend against monsters called Metaphysicals, which brutally and indiscriminately attacked humans. Saviors are the reincarnations of talented individuals who possess awakened memories of their past lives. Should the Vessel's existence come to light, both siblings would face the same hardships that they face in this one as well. Hence the Grail shall reject the world's pleas for a savior.
The second world was a world of Magics and Nobles. A long time ago, a man known as Brimir created a Thaumaturgical Foundation that saw continued use for over 6000 years after its creation. The Grail rejected the world, for the world's largest religion would see to the persecution of both the Vessel and the Subject, for their existence stands as an upfront to their God, Brimir. Hence the Grail shall reject the call of a pink-haired noble for a familiar most suited to her, ironically doing the complete opposite of the Subject's actions thus far, it shall sacrifice the happiness of one to grant the wish of the two. Perhaps if the girl were to call for another Familiar, someone else may answer her pleas.
The third was a world where, out of boredom, the gods came to join their offspring on earth. The world was almost perfect—it had heroes, dungeons, and monsters. However, it was wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon, and the Subject is a little flirtatious due to the Counter Guardian's influence. Sadly, the Grail had to pass on this one as well. Perhaps it was for the best as it would be difficult to explain to these gods the existence of the Vessel. Maybe such a thing is conceivable in another universe, another world, another reality. The Grail would have to look past this fantastic world.
There were countless other worlds like this one that appeared to meet the requirements but were unsuitable due to certain faults. Not only was it looking for a good world, but also the finest. And it was unwilling to accept anything less. And the Grail has discovered the most suitable world after reducing the options and eliminating ones that were too absurd to be acceptable to either the Subject or the Vessel.
In a world where the three Biblical Factions; God and his Angels, Azazel and his Fallen brethren, and the 72 Demon God Pillars with their kin, descendants, and armies all waged war across the world. Dubbed 'The Great War', in the end, Heaven lost the Almighty Father, Hell lost their 72 Pillars as well as the Four Great Satans, meanwhile, the Fallen didn't incur devastating losses, but were the first ones to propose a cease-fire. Now the three Biblical Factions, alongside the various other Pantheons and Magical organizations, are in a state of cold war, threatening to envelop not just the Moonlit part of that world, but the Mundane part as well, drowning the world in the flames of war. Yet despite these over-glaring flaws, the Grail knew that the Vessel will never be safe so long as the Ainsworths exist and it does not have the power to destroy the Magus family. And so the Grail sought out the power that will aid in protecting the Vessel in accordance with the Subject's wish.
After all, who better to sit upon the throne of god, if not the embodiment of miracles themselves, the 'Child of God'.
Not to mention that a select few of the beings in this world could hold their own against Servants with just their natural abilities, including the wielders of these so-called Longinus class Sacred Gears, functioning similar to that of a high-class Noble Phantasm. Just imagine if they were Servants and their fame strengthened them further… They'd be absolute monsters.
So the Grail prepared to send the two to the perfect world it found. The Grail locked onto the coordinates of this new world, as the Subject deflected sword after sword with his duplicates. The Grail chose the Subject and the Vessel as the targets for the wish's fulfillment as the Subject was launched into a free fall and successfully blocked two enormous blades with his own. The Grail plucked the Vessel from this world and sent her to her new home as the Subject and the Counterfeiter's two unstoppable forces collide.
As Ea shattered the Reality Marble, and the Subject spoke to himself of his promise to the Vessel, the Holy Grail carried him from this world as well. The seven Class Cards were among the items the Grail made sure to bring with them during the transfer. They weren't exactly needed in this world anymore, and maybe they could help the Subject and the Vessel in the new world they found themselves in.
The Counterfeiter, however, was only able to grind her teeth in fury. She had just blown her Master's last chance to save the world, and couldn't even take the Subject's head as a consolation prize. She did not look forward to talking to her Master since she knew he would be upset. The Grail, in its limited sentience, almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
In the center of a deserted park, a portal opened up spitting out a young black-haired girl, wearing a long black dress. Seven cards floated a few feet off the ground, surrounding her in a circular motion. The cards then landed gently on the ground.
"Mmm," Miyu Emiya opened her eyes to the night sky, a veritable sea of stars, and a moon hanging high above, bathing her surroundings in an ethereal light. If anyone were to stumble onto her now, they would've thought they were looking at a fairy.
She looked around to find herself alone, "Onii-chan…" tears pooled in her eyes, thinking of her brother that fought for her sake, prepared to give up his own life so that she could live and be happy.
Suddenly another portal opened in front of her eyes. A red-haired with streaks of white, bloodied and bruised body was spit out of the portal, looking more like that a corpse than a living person.
"Onii-chan!" Miyu screamed out as she ran towards her brother. Putting her fingers on his wrist, feeling a pulse, she sighed in relief.
"Ghk!" Suddenly, Shirou began writhing in pain as the dark patches on his skin squirmed and started expanding slowly, reminiscent of a virus.
"Onii-chan!" Miyu, worried for her brother's safety, called out to him, her voice failing to reach him as he continued to suffer in pain. "Help! Help! Please, we need help!"
"Agh!"
"Anyone! Please, I'll do anything! So please help my brother! I-I can't lose him, please," Miyu continued calling out for help. Unfortunately, no one could hear her desperate pleas.
"Ack!"
Running out of options and seemingly running out of time as well, Miyu decided to use her wish-granting abilities, 'There should still be a few minutes before my birthday,' she thought to herself as she brought her hands together to pray to the stars. "I wish for the power to help Onii-chan!" Light suddenly erupted from her body, and large amounts of magical energy began gathering and swirling around her.
"Huh?" Miyu suddenly stiffened, as she felt a connection to something start to form within her. "What's happening?" The connection began to give her the necessary knowledge and power to help her brother. Accompanying the knowledge, were visions; a golden throne, shining with untold amounts of power, a kingdom in the sky, hidden in the clouds, and Angels, lots and lots of golden-winged Angels.
She ignored the visions and instead focused on the knowledge imparted to her. "I see," she stood up and went to the Archer Card laying on the ground and gently put it on top of her brother's chest. She began to pour her magical energy into both the card and her brother, willing the Heroic Spirit inside the Card to fuse itself with Shirou Emiya.
"Please work," she said as she poured more Magical Energy into her brother until the Card fully fused with him.
Seeing her brother relax, made her sigh in relief once more.
After a few seconds, Shirou began to stir, "Mmm," opening his eyes to the night sky. Sitting himself up, he surveyed his surroundings, until…
"Onii-chan!" A black blur tackled him to the ground. Looking closely, Shirou recognized the head of black hair.
"I'm glad you're alright, Miyu." He said as he gently patted her head.
"Yes, Onii-chan," she whispered, as tears of joy trailed down her cheeks.
Suddenly Shirou felt multiple Magical Signatures coming from the north, closing in on them, fast.
"Miyu, where are the Cards?" Shirou asked as he began looking around.
"I have them right here," she showed him the Class Cards stashed inside her dress. "Why? What's happening, Onii-chan?" She asked her brother, worry seeping into her voice.
"I'll explain later, for now, we need to get out of here," Shirou said, lifting his sister in a princess carry. Preparing to use Reinforcement, Shirou took in the ambient Mana present in the atmosphere for his Magic Circuits to begin producing Prana, when he suddenly began to choke, falling to his knees and his eyes going bloodshot.
Miyu stood beside her brother in worry and panic. "Onii-chan! What's happening?!" She said in worry, dread filling her heart as her brother kept choking on air.
'W-what's happening?' Using Structural Grasp, Shirou analyzed the inside of his body, only to stop when he noticed his Magic Circuits were completely bloated with energy. Thinking fast, he used Full Body Reinforcement and Projection Magecraft to create numerous high-level projections; from powerful Mystic Codes to C and D Rank Noble Phantasms to try and burn off as much Prana as possible.
When the feeling of drowning finally subsided, Shirou let out a sigh of relief. Only to stiffen once more as the Magical Signatures from earlier began to speed up, most likely noticing his abrupt release of a large quantity of Prana.
'Shit!' Cursing inwardly, he picked up Miyu again and prepared to run, this time he was being careful not to overfill himself with Prana.
"Wha-! Kya!" Before Miyu could say anything, Shirou was already jumping from treetop to treetop at near Servant-like speeds.
As he jumped on top of a building, he looked at his sister to check in on her, "Miyu are you alright?" He asked as he saw her eyes swirling.
"P-please warn me before you do something like that again, Onii-chan." She said before passing out in dizziness.
Shirou sighed and laid her down gently on the rooftop. Turning around, he used another round of Reinforcement on his eyes to extend his vision and to see into the darkness in hopes of catching a glimpse of their pursuers.
'There!' He could see them now, a group of people wearing what appears to be a predominantly black school uniform with bat-like wing appendages on their backs, one of them he could see only had one wing deployed. At the head of the group was a girl with fiery red hair and an incredibly voluptuous body.
Seeing them reach their previous location, they stopped and gaped at the sight that lay before them. Weapons, weapons of various makes and types scattered before them, stabbed into the ground. After a few seconds one of them, a young man with blonde hair picked up one of the numerous weapons littering the area. Seeing him pick up one of the D Rank Noble Phantasms, Shirou immediately dispersed all of his Projections to blue motes of light before any of them could be traced back to him. Unknowingly creating an incredibly beautiful and mesmerizing sight for those that witnessed it.
After confirming all of his Projections were gone, he turned around and left the area.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
A few minutes earlier
When Miyu Emiya had unknowingly forged a connection with the Throne of Heaven, the throne emitted a large quantity of Holy Power, blasting the Seraphim, Michael back by a few feet as he was tending to God's System.
Alarmed, he sprung to his feet and operated one of the consoles in the throne room.
"T-this! It can't be!" His voice was a mix of both hope and disbelief.
He looked up to the throne, and for the first time since the end of the Great War, hope shone fiercely in Michael's eyes. "Father?"
===AN===
I'm gonna be completely honest with you guys here, I have no fucking idea why I even wrote this. It's been living in my head rent-free for about a month now and I just couldn't resist y'know.
Anyway, tell me what you guys think about it in the comments down below.
COMMENT, LIKE, AND SUBSCRIBE- oh wait no, that's YouTube. Anyway, you get the point.