The morning sun rose over Fuyuki City as it did every day, completely unhindered by the horrid conflict that had scarred the soul of the city itself. Though who had survived stood upon a cliff overlooking the very edge of Fuyuki City. A servant, her master, and a small girl, they were those who had carried the burden of the Grail War to it's conclusion. As the rays of a winter morning crested over the horizon and illuminated a new day, one among them begin to shine like rising sun at their backs. A servant of the sword, clad in gleaming armor and an elegant gown, she was the very embodiment of an age long past. Her face bore a warm smile laced with the knowledge that she had finally found her way in the world, no longer bound by her past, the Knight of Knights was finally read to accept the future she had put off for so very long. Turning her back on those she had grown to call friend, she bid goodbye to the modern age with a smile and wave of her delicate hand.

And as she did, the young girl dashed towards the transient spirit once called king and tugged with all her might on the hem of her flowing gown.

"Where do you think your going!" The Einzbern homunculus sobbed, unable to control her emotions any longer. Saber quickly turned to meet the tearful gaze of her master's elder sister. Locked gaze to gaze with the small, snowy-haired girl before her, Saber ascension halted for a moment, locked in the present age by a promise she had made twice upon a time.

"Illyasviel... The war is over, it is time I go and accept the fate History has leveled upon me."

"Bu...But you promised you'd always protect me and be by my side..." She yelled." YOU SAID THAT YOU LOVED ME!" Illya fell to her knees under the weight of the pain that lay on her body, mind, and soul, mussing her fancy clothing with the desecrated dirt of the Grail's holy ground in the process.

Saber knelt to Illya's, her gaze still firmly on crimson eyes, and entwined her lithe fingers with those of her young ward. "I will always love you and there is no one else in this time or any other that I care for more." Saber's words invoked the grace of a mother dealing with an obstinate child and the gentle caress one saved for those they loved most. "But I have to go; this is my destiny." Saber meant well, but there was no word nor action in all the world that could mend the Illya's broken heart.

With that, Saber's small frame began to fade into the cool morning air. As she did she stroked her love's pale face one last time. "I will always love you, Illyasivel. Please, never forget that; no matter how long you may live." Illya pushed her face deep into Saber's fading form, her tears staining her blue dress as if she had planned to send a piece of herself along with her beloved as she left for the eternal hereafter.

A moment later, Illya's tears finally found home in grass and dirt rather then fabric. Her beloved was gone, leaving only memories and lingering regret in her wake. The past two weeks had been the happiest of the young Einzbern's life, being along side the brother she never knew, his friends, and the girl she loved, life could not have been better. Now, to have a part of such an existence snatched away from under her, there were no words for the emotions that lay in the depth of her tiny heart.

"Hey... Let's go home, I'll make a nice breakfast and we can rest for awhile." Her older brother called, unsure how he could help.. Illya didn't budge from the spot from which Saber had disappeared.

"Just let me sit here for a few minutes, ok?" Illya spoke in monotone, all positive emotion drained from her voice.

"You got it."

Illya sat for a small while, her heart fixed on the woman she loved, her mind on what the infinite future held, and her back turned to her younger brother. The answer to the simple question of "What now?" would not come to her today, tomorrow, or any time in foreseeable future. All she could do was live and carry in her heart the memories of those precious weeks.

"I'm ready, let's go." Illya spoke emotionlessly as she rose from her seated position and followed Shirou into the misty morning of a cold winter day.