Chapter 5
"Son of a..." Shirou said out loud as another pipe broke in his hands. It was late at night and he was currently in a small building behind the abbey. 'Who would have thought I'd be doing this kind of stuff again.' He thought to himself, grabbing a knife this time.
Ever since his body changed, he's been needing to do the usual exercises, opening up one circuit at a time. At the moment, five circuits was his limit, even then his control slipped a bit. He found that using his circuits as makeshift seals helped tremendously.
The fact that five circuits was equal to his previous body was insane. At the moment, he was only using those five. He could simply use his core, but it overwhelmed him quickly. He could use it for maybe a minute, without his circuits. If he activated his circuits, he was overwhelmed completely, even with just one.
So, he was currently working on controlling his magical energy. He supposed the silver lining was that he didn't feel like a hot rod was being shoved into his spine, but he was having to start over. He let out a sigh. There was one other thing that made him happy.
Once he was able to use his magecraft proficiently, he would be able to make full use of Mordred's fighting style. He couldn't use mana burst before, well, he could manage maybe one or two small bursts, but it was nothing compared to the real thing. Now, he'd be able to make full use of the skills in his weapons.
Well, he would when he could trace them. His tracing took far longer now that his control was shot. Though, some weapons were still traceable at decent speeds, such as Kanshou and Bakuya. He let out a sigh as his mind went back to his conversation with Xenovia a few nights before.
"So, you wished to speak with me?" He asked, sitting down in the shed. He hadn't expected her to show up late at night, but he supposed it was best that she came now rather than when everyone was awake. He didn't like keeping secrets, but it was necessary for now.
"Yes. It was about when you arrived and helped chase off that devil." She said to him, before sitting on the ground in front of him. He was listening intently, but his focus was on projecting as well. It was a neat trick he learned from some mages from the Atlas Institute. Why they wanted to know about his forging of his scripture, he didn't know.
"I see. I'm guessing it had to do with my bow and arrow?" He asked, just to be sure. 'Tch, it's been ten minutes and I'm only just now getting to the end of my tracing. This particular weapon used to take, at most, a minute. Usually, I could get it done much faster. That's the price of strength, I suppose.'
Xenovia nodded her head. "I was curious about what that was. I had thought that it may be a new sacred gear activated in the heat of the moment, or maybe just a trump card, but then Florent reacted and attached to you as a sacred gear. So, I went through all kinds of possibilities, but I couldn't find one that seemed plausible."
Even though she spoke in her normal voice, Shirou found himself noticing the small inflections that normally wouldn't be noticed. She was curious but that curiosity was lined with worry. That wasn't the only thing either, as Shirou found that Xenovia had a distinct smell, that being of steel and flowers.
It wasn't something he noticed before, so he figured it had to do with his enhanced senses. 'I need to get this stuff under control.' He noticed that he didn't feel the same strange feeling from her like he did with Asia, or rather, it wasn't anywhere near as strong.
Rather than a calming effect, like with Asia, it made him feel a bit more stable and grounded, more focused. He shook his head, 'Worry about that stuff later.' "Well, the answer is quite simple. From what Asia told me, you saw a bit of it when I took that blood. Though, could you keep it from Irina until I tell her the specifics myself?"
"Of course. But, what you did, it isn't something bad is it?" She asked seriously. Shirou offered a faint smile, as he knew that she was strong in her faith. 'Analysis complete. Projection ready.'
"It's nothing dangerous. It's better to just show you." He said to her, glad that he finished up his projection. He planned on using this while he gave Irina the sword of St. Catherine. He held out his hands, blue arcs of magical energy began to emit from them, before it formed into a spear in front of her.
What appeared was a simple, yet beautiful, red spear with silver accents that held the spear tip. It was an amazing sight to behold, but the feeling of the spear caused Xenovia's eyes to widen. 'That's a holy spear!' She thought with incredulity. "This is the holy spear Longinus, or a copy of it, to be precise." He revealed to her.
Her mouth opened to speak, but no words came out. She was incapable of much of anything at the moment. Naturally, she thought it was impossible to have it, since that was supposed to be a sacred gear, but something deep in her heart told that this was a version of it, even if it was a copy.
Shirou understood her surprise. Despite meeting heroic spirits and gaining many weapons from Archer and Gilgamesh, he was amazed at seeing this spear. Though, the spear he looked upon looked nothing like this. What he traced was the original version of the spear. Once he became a knight, Riesbyfe showed him a special vault, where he found the spear.
Of course, he saw many other weapons there, such as the sword he planned on giving to Xenovia, as he could tell she was more of a dual wielder. Though, that would be later. She still needed a bit more control. "H-how did you do that? That wasn't a sacred gear." She finally managed to get out.
"It's one of the sacraments, my own personal one to be precise. Tracing, to be specific. It allows me to give form to whatever is in my mind. However, most of the time, that's weapons such as swords and spears. I can recreate other things, but it takes a lot more magical energy." He replied to her.
Of course, it's actually just magecraft, but the church hated using the terms of magi. They referred to their magecraft as sacraments, with Shirou being allowed to use his magecraft as a sacrament for the sole reason being, he could trace holy weapons and such. Runes and other things were accepted, but frowned upon by most.
"Sacraments? But you used magical energy, though, with it being a sacrament it can't be that bad." She said with a nod, though her voice didn't contain anger like he had assumed it would. He figured his use of his sacrament, magecraft, or magic, would have upset her, but it didn't.
"I suppose. Asia and Shirone know a bit, but really, you're the only one who knows that I can do this." He replied to her, grabbing ahold of the spear on the ground. 'It seems a bit stronger than it should be. Interesting.' He thought, before looking towards Xenovia, who appeared to be in thought.
"You've been doing this before you arrived here? I mean, I know you have amnesia, but you were using this before Asia found you, right?" She asked him calmly. Shirou quirked a brow, a bit surprised.
"From what I can remember yes." He replied, 'Technically, I've been using it since before I joined the church.' "It was one of the reasons I was able to do my job proficiently, from what I can remember." Of course, he knew that was because he was technically a part of the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament, though he knew they didn't have that here.
"Very well, that's all I need to know then." She replied to him with a nod. "If the church is fine with it, then it isn't a big deal. Besides, I can tell that what you're using isn't exactly magic, not in the usual sense." Shirou tilted his head. 'She was able to notice the difference between this world's magic and my magecraft?'
"I've fought magicians before and the magic they used was nothing like what you used. Even the magic I was taught about, none of it matches what you do. I was really only worried because the sword you used gave off a demonic feel, but now you have a holy spear, which must mean you have a collection of weapons you can call on."
Shirou was amazed by Xenovia. She seemed a bit dense at times, but she was surprisingly sharp. She had only seen it twice and she managed to deduce how his magecraft worked, on a basic level anyway. "Something like that. I must admit, I'm surprised you're taking it so well." He smiled.
He then noticed Xenovia shift slightly, as if she was nervous. "Yes, well, actually, it's because I wanted to ask you something. If you don't mind that is?" She said looking up at him with a nervous expression.
"Um, sure. I'm willing to answer any questions you have, Xenovia. I mean, we've been a team for a good while now." He said, trying to make her less nervous, though it only seemed to worsen.
"I...I want to know, if you could teach me how to do the things you do? I want to get stronger, I don't want to end up a burden when we fight stronger enemies. I want to be able to fight beside you, so that you're not alone." Her words were quite forceful and fast, like ripping off a band aid.
It seemed this night was full of surprises for Shirou. He had been training everyone, but it was more of training them to overcome their weaknesses. He hadn't expected someone to ask him how to get stronger, or if he could teach them personally. He would have agreed, but she didn't have magic circuits, no one did.
However, some of the holy sacraments didn't require magical energy, or at least, not much. Everyone had access to life energy, or the lesser source, so he could theoretically teach them to people. That was when he had a great idea. 'There are magic circuits and crests in my Witch's Raiment mystic code.'
'I could create mystic codes that would allow them to use simple magecraft, or rather, the holy sacraments that executors used. I'd need to train them to be able to use them, but Xenovia is willing to do just that.' He thought to himself. He took a deep breath.
"I can't make any promises, but I'll definitely try and figure out a way that would allow you to use some of the sacraments favored by knights." He said to her, deciding to use the knights in place of executors. "I'll need time to figure out how, but once I do, I'll start training you how to do so." He replied with a smile.
Even though his body and senses were enhanced, he was still caught off guard by the speed in which Xenovia launched herself forward while wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you, Shirou!" He noticed the smile on her face as she held onto him. It was smile of relief. He wondered why, before remembering a few months before in Romania.
'I see, so that's been bothering her this whole time? I wish I noticed sooner.' He had battled a vampire and devil in Romania, forcing him to work with another vampire to take them down. Xenovia was forced to protect everyone else at the church they set up in.
When he returned heavily injured, he noticed that Xenovia seemed to be more stand offish than usual. 'She must have been blaming herself for my injuries.' He realized, before patting the girl on the back. 'I may have this power to protect you all, but I can't be in two places at once. So, I'll entrust everyone to you, Xenovia.'
He let out a sigh, as he stood up and stretched. His practice was done for the night. It was slow, but he didn't mind. It wasn't like he really needed his magical energy for anything other than his tracing. Maybe deploying his reality marble, but he had yet to test out what a constant draining spell would be like with a magic core.
He stopped at the entrance, before looking up at the moon. 'We'll be leaving for Kuoh in the morning. I'm hoping that nothing complicated will happen when we get there, but knowing my luck, something is bound to happen.' He thought with a rueful smile.
Even with a changed body, his luck was still abysmal. Though, that wasn't such a bad thing, it was a constant in his life he had grown used to. His increased strength wasn't too hard to get under control, since he had trained his body beyond its limits multiple times, he was able to understand his body on a level most others could only dream of.
Though, he did feel bad about that tree he tested his strength out on. Other than the usual changes that he figured would happen, he noticed that there was a few different things that definitely surprised him. Martha's shroud for example. He had recently altered it into a hoodie, reminiscent of the one Martha wore.
When wearing it, he felt like he had more control over himself. He didn't know why, but it became necessary for him to wear, as he unconsciously released aura. Which was another thing. He now possessed a dragon's aura, which he really disliked. He wasn't someone who intimidated or dominated others. His aura naturally did that.
Which is why Martha's shroud was a blessing. It helped him control his aura, but it also eased his negative emotions. The increase to strength and endurance it granted was also enhanced, as was the effects against dragons. For some reason, wearing it didn't bother him, but he supposed it was because he wore it almost all the time.
He idly wondered if he would have any kind of special attributes when it came to water. Tarasque and Martha were both known for the waterside, with her Shroud offering enhanced effects when near water and when fighting dragons. Tarasque though, he had yet to experiment with. It was an aspect he looked forward to trying.
Then, there was the more annoying aspect of the blood. Pride. How he hated feeling pride. He stamped out any feelings as soon as they sprouted, but it was still annoying. He wouldn't have minded it, but sometimes it popped up at the most petty things. He wondered if all dragons were prideful, petty beings in this world.
He grabbed Longinus that was leaning against the door and spun it around in his hands. 'How long has it been since I used a proper spear? Maybe since training? Speaking of, I wonder if I should trace the shield Riesbyfe gave me. It wouldn't hurt to actually fight like how I was trained to.' He thought to himself.
He walked out into the courtyard that separated the small building he was in and the abbey. He idly looked at the ring on his hand. 'She still hasn't woken up. I wonder what'll happen when she does. Will I get more power? I certainly hope not, I just got used to what I have.' He groaned.
There were a few other things that he noticed, but they weren't something he could attribute to his blood. Such as nature. He felt more at home near nature, particularly flowers. It felt refreshing and the quality of mana he received when near it was much more pure. He hadn't tested it out much, but he did ask Shirone to help him out.
He found that he felt another source inside of him, besides Flora. He wouldn't have noticed it, but when he was testing out the abilities of his magic core, he felt something assisting him in containing the power it held. He didn't know what it was, though a faint, immensely quiet, hushed whisper rang out once again with a simple word, 'Grail.'
He couldn't fully hear it, but it was there. He had heard it a few times. He thought it would bother him, but he felt like it was guiding him. When he was with Flora and he was talking badly about himself, he could feel something become heartbroken. When he was progressing, he could feel a sense of warmth within it.
He wanted to know what it was. He longed to know what could cause him to feel so, at home. There was something within him that loved him more than he loved himself, but it never left him. He had a feeling it was with him before he arrived, and that it would stay with him when he died, whenever that was.
It was an odd feeling. For him to have so little control or knowledge about his own body and soul. He wondered what he was like in his old world. He had memories and felt emotions of those memories, but until he was complete, they felt foreign to him.
He wasn't going to worry about it too much, as he knew it would eventually return to him, but it was frustrating at times. He let out a sigh. Another thing that bothered him, having normal emotions. 'How do people function like this?' He thought to himself, shaking his head.
Just as he thought that, an unfamiliar scent caught his attention. It was new, something he hadn't experienced yet, but it was familiar. He didn't have his jacket, only his hoodie and sleeveless armor. He had ten black keys and his bible in its holster, as well as his spear.
It wasn't much, but it would have to do, especially if it was an enemy. He spun his spear in his hands before standing in a stance that blended Martha and the original Lucius Longinus's stance. His eyes narrowed, easily seeing in the dark. Surrounding nature told him it was a woman with blue hair.
'Seriously? Why was everyone making a big deal about me leaving the familiar forest? Sometimes I need some me time.' She thought with exasperation, flipping her hair with her right hand. 'Besides, this is important. But, I don't blame them, lesser beings would never understand a dragon.'
She walked through the woods, enjoying the feeling of nature as she did so. She wished she could have seen him in the morning, but she couldn't be choosy when she rarely got to leave her domain. "Now, let's see, I felt the power come from somewhere around here." She said to herself, finally reaching a clearing.
She elegantly walked through the opening, laying her eyes on a young man standing in the clearing with a spear at the ready. Her eyes narrowed, before she felt his dragon aura wash over her. 'He's the one!' She thought to herself, allowing the aura to permeate through her body as she looked closely at him.
She saw his white tipped red hair, his tan skin, and those distinct eyes. One was golden brown with red edges and red sparkles, while the other was steel colored, with the same red color and sparkles. His eyes were entrancing to her, as heterochromia wasn't all that common in dragons.
Then there was his scent. She couldn't help but find his scent to be pleasing. He smelled of nature and flowers, yet, there was also the scent of steel and a bit of blood. It was a chaotic mix, which was perfect for her. Though, the smell of a cat on him broke her out of her trance, enough to notice what he was wearing.
He was dressed in some kind of black armored shirt with a red hoodie with white stripes on the sleeves that resembled dragon scales. The hoodie though caused her skin to crawl a bit. His blue jeans and sneakers gave him a more casual look. She took note of the blue wrap on his right hand, wondering what it was for.
Then there was the gold and purple cross upon his neck, which told her he was most likely allied with the church, because of course he was, they were outside of an abbey after all. He looked proud and valiant standing there with his spear at the ready.
Shirou himself was likewise entranced, despite his combat ready stance. He couldn't help but find the woman in front of him to be beautiful. Her straight, long pale blue hair and her deep, dark blue eyes were amazing to behold. She wore a long blue dress that accentuated her body's well endowed curves.
Tiamat then flared her dragon aura, wanting to see the outcome. However, she was surprised when the young dragon didn't even flinch, rather, his eyes became more determined and set in steel. It sent shivers down her spine. She had a feeling she was more powerful, but his aura was very impressive.
'If his aura is this impressive, then what would he be like when he finally comes into his powers? I wonder...' She decided she would stop testing the young dragon, as she confirmed the one in front of her was a true dragon. She then offered a sultry smile as she curtsied.
"Greetings, I am Tiamat, The Chaos Karma Dragon." She said to him, with Shirou taking note of her beautiful and elegant voice that matched her actions. However, the moment she introduced herself, Shirou felt some trepidation at her name. She was powerful and he wasn't confident in defeating her.
He'd have to use his reality marble and rain all of his noble phantasms onto her, but even then, he was sure her power would allow her to shrug off anything under or at B-rank, considering he was confident in shrugging off C-rank ones, maybe higher, but he wasn't going to test that. As she returned to her standing position, Shirou decided to pull himself together.
She had introduced herself with her title, so he figured it must be an honor thing, much like knights. Well, he was a knight, so he could do that much. That was when he heard a voice speak to him in his head. 'It's a dragon's greeting. You introduce yourself with your name and dragon title.' It was Flora's voice, which he was glad to hear.
However, he didn't have a title. 'Wait, that's not true. I am of Tarasque's blood, meaning I can use his, or rather, one that matches me.' He lowered his spear, spinning it and placing underneath his arm. "Shirou Emiya, Wrought Iron Dragon." He replied, bowing at the waist, before standing once again.
He saw her eyes widen, before her smile returned. "Well, Wrought Iron Dragon, I must say that you are definitely more than I was expecting. Though, I expected you to have steel in your title, however, I can tell that you are honoring the dragon before you, yes?" She said as she sashayed forward.
Shirou merely nodded at her question, as he was still a bit on edge. "If I may, what do you mean by me being more than you expected?" He decided to ask, being sure to keep himself ready in case of an attack.
"Well, your aura is exceptionally strong for a dragon, your scent is quite appealing, and I can feel the steel present in your gaze and in your power. However, there is also the strange power over nature that you possess. I can sense your strength, which is what surprised me. I had thought you to be a newborn dragon, yet, you feel nothing like one."
He felt a bit uncomfortable with the way she was speaking to him. Faint memories of a purple haired woman with a blindfold came to mind, warning him of what kind of person was in front of him. 'Shirou, know that I am prepared to do battle if it comes down to it.'
"Is there a reason that you came here? If it was only to offer your observations, then you should be on your way. I'd rather than cause trouble for the abbey." Shirou replied to the dragoness. Honestly, he just wanted her to leave, or even just step back a bit more, she was disorienting him.
'It's your dragon senses. They recognize the female dragon in front of you. When your auras clashed, it caused your senses to go haywire.' He heard Flora inform him. However, it didn't make it any easier. He noticed Tiamat tilt her head at his question and responded with a sweet smile.
"Why, to see you of course. It's been awhile since I've been able to leave that forest, or rather, had a reason to leave. So, when I found a reason, which was you, I took it. You see, I have been waiting for a long time to find someone to form a contract with. Of course, not just anyone would do, so when I felt you, I wanted to see if you would be the one."
"Wait, form a contract with? What do you mean by that?" He asked her.
"Yes, a contract. I live in the familiar forest. I'm sort of its guardian. I also have some other responsibilities, but there are conditions to them. You see, I can form a familiar contract with someone, which would grant me a lot of freedom. So, when I felt you, I thought that you would be the one. However, I refuse to form a contract with someone who's weak."
She then crossed her arms, which caused Shirou to look away. Tiamat noticed this, before a sly smile appeared on her face. "So, I wish to test you, to see if you are worthy. That is, if you're strong enough." She said to him, causing Shirou to look her into her eyes with a determined expression.
'I believe that it would be beneficial to have her as a familiar, Shirou. Sometimes, the bond between master and familiar can have beneficial consequences. Plus, it would be nice to have someone to help you with your newfound power.' Flora said to him, though he could feel a sense of excitement in her words.
'You just want to fight her, don't you?' He asked, though he already knew the answer. Her silence was enough of an answer. "What sort of test are we talking about?" He asked her, causing her to smile.
"The only test worthy of dragons. A test of strength." Shirou let out a sigh. 'So, she's one of those kinds of people. Thankfully, I've been tracing a weapon since I saw her.' he thought to himself.
"Very well. When will we begin this test?" Shirou asked for clarification, though he was pretty sure she wanted it to be now. "I'll have to grab something before we begin."
"Then you better hurry, because I'm not a patient dragon." She smirked, however, Shirou only shook his head. Shirou quickly ran to his room, grabbing his jacket and Medea's sleeve, quickly placing it onto his arm. It would allow him to use magecraft easier than before.
When Shirou returned, he was greeted by the sight of another girl singing a sweet tune in the garden by his flowers. The moment he laid eyes on her, he felt the same strange connection he had with Asia. Her scent and aura were peaceful and caused him to feel a warmth inside of his soul, as if he knew her from long ago.
She was an extremely beautiful girl around his current age who appeared to be from around the same general area as they were in currently. She had long, lavender hair that perfectly framed her face. She had warm golden orange eyes that seemed to shine in the night.
She was standing in the middle of the holding one of the flowers in her hands, with her singing echoing in the night sky. She was wearing a white dress with openings down the side that appeared well made, with white gloves that up past her elbows, with a black skirt.
Shirou managed to break out of the trance, figuring it was just his dragon blood acting up again from earlier with Tiamat. Which caused him to wonder where she was. He took a deep breath, before deciding to talk to the girl. As he grew closer, he realized that she had a conflicting scent, being that of a devil, human, and the sea.
She must have heard him, as she stopped singing and turned her head to look at him. Her eyes widened, before she smiled at him. He noticed a strange mark on her hand, which caused him to wince, as the memory of the Holy Grail War sparked in his mind. Specifically, the memory of command spells appearing on his hand.
The mark on her hand was strangely reminiscent of command spells, with the design being similar to a letter K, but with a more dragon like design, though he noticed the K appeared to be in the shape of a sword. "Hello, are you the dragon I was looking for?" her soft voice called out, surprising him.
"Uh, I'm afraid I don't know what you mean?" He replied, though a part of him wanted to reply in the positive for some reason. Thankfully, he thought better of it. He noticed a confused expression appear on her face.
"Well, I don't know any other way of putting it. When I was teleported here, I was told that the one I'm looking for was here. I thought I'd wait and ask the first person who appeared. My mark reacted when you appeared, so I thought it was you." She said while bringing her hand up and putting a finger on her cheek.
"Well, I don't know anything about a mark, but there are only two people here that could be called dragons, one is me, while the other is somewhere around here." He said to her, deciding to help the confused girl. Her face immediately brightened upon hearing his words.
"So, it is you?! That's great!" She said, before happily bouncing forward to him with a smile on her face. "My name is Ingvild Leviathan, and I was looking for you to thank you for helping me, also..." She introduced herself, before pulling out a piece of paper from her dress. "To give you this." She then held it out to him with a smile.
Shirou was confused, but decided to play along. He didn't feel any negative intent from her, rather, he felt like he did when he was with Asia. In fact, the girl reminded him of Asia a bit. He reached out and took the paper, before he felt a familiar aura flare up.
He stuffed the paper into his pocket before instinctively placing the girl behind him, causing her to let out a small 'eep'. Tiamat reappeared a few feet away with an annoyed expression on her face. "I decided to take a look around to check the barriers, but I didn't expect to return to find an interloper trying to butt into our affairs."
Shirou raised a brow at her words, before turning his head and seeing Ingvild looking at him with a confused expression as well. "But, I'm not an interloper. See?" She replied, holding up her marked hand for Tiamat to see. However, this only caused her eyes to narrow at Ingvild.
"I see, so this girl thinks she can interrupt simply because of an incomplete mark? Well, you can simply return where you came from girl, because we were in the process of completing a contract. Unless, you're saying you wish to compete with me." She said, her power flaring even more.
'Incomplete mark?' Shirou thought to himself. However, he then realized something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the piece of paper and quickly looked through the contents.
'To the kin of Tarasque, I'm afraid I must apologize for springing this on you so suddenly. However, the princess was quite adamant in finding you. As you must know by now, the one who gave you this is Princess Ingvild Leviathan, descendant of the original Lady Leviathan.'
'She has been asleep for close to a hundred years now because of a disease. She has lost her parents and friends, as they have all passed on. She is truly alone now, with only us loyal servants. When she fell ill, we took her to a safe location, fearful of anyone finding out about her.'
'She is half human and half devil. Such things aren't looked kindly upon to our race. Sadly, we do not possess the strength or resources to protect our lady. So, when the mark of Tarasque, the adopted child of Lady Leviathan appeared and woke her up, we found a solution.'
'Please, we hate to spring this upon one of your kind, but we beg you to protect her. She is important to us and you are our last hope. We simply wish for our lady to be safe and to live a happy life away from the politics and danger of the underworld. She is our pride, so please, protect her like Leviathan protected your predecessor so long ago.'
Shirou looked at the letter with wide eyes. 'She is an outcast with no home and no family, save for her loyal servants. She is similar to all of us, with no one but each other.' He thought to himself. 'Tarasque's mother was Leviathan in my world, it seems something similar happened here. That mark must be proof of that bond.'
Shirou, rather than see her as a devil, saw a girl out of time. A girl who lost her family and friends. He couldn't allow her to be alone, not when something was resonating within himself to protect her. He didn't know how the girls would react, but he would do his best to explain everything.
"Sorry, Tiamat, but I'm afraid that she was entrusted to me. As someone who prides himself in saving and protecting others, I can't allow her to return to where she came." He said to her in a calm voice, not noticing Ingvild's widening eyes. "If you still wish to fight, I will do so, but I can't leave her."
Tiamat's eyes narrowed at both of them, before she began to walk up to them. Shirou's grip on his spear tightened. "Very well then, Wrought Iron Dragon. She shall be allowed to come with us, however, I won't be responsible should anything happen to her." She said to him.
Shirou only looked her dead in the eyes, before nodding his head. "Then, I shall teleport us somewhere more appropriate for our test." She said to him, before activating a magic circle underneath the three of them. Shirou turned around and looked at Ingvild with a small smile.
"Did you really mean that? You won't leave me?" She asked him, as she knew she had nothing left, save for her servants. While she wished she could have stayed there with them, she understood their reasoning. She only endangered their lives. However, they said they would send her to someone who would protect her.
"Of course. When we get back, I'll introduce you to everyone else. My group is full of people like us. People who have no family or friends left. We protect and care for each other, just like our own small family." He said to her, patting her on the head. He was surprised when he saw her smile with watery eyes.
"I see. Um, what's your name, Mr. Dragon?" She asked him with a small and shy voice. Shirou only had a small smile on his face when he replied.
"My name is Shirou Emiya, last of the Vestel Shield Knights, and now, Wrought Iron Dragon, successor of Tarasque. It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Ingvild Leviathan." He said, offering a small bow.
Ingvild became nervous and shy after hearing that he was a knight, as she used to imagine herself as the princess in the stories about knights her mother used to tell her. The one who was to save and protect her, was a knight and a dragon.
As the three began to teleport away, Tiamat peered back towards both of them with a smirk on her face. While she didn't like her tagging along, she did understand how the young girl was probably feeling at the moment, as Shirou unknowingly charmed the poor girl. 'He must be unused to being a dragon.'
She hummed to herself, 'Every dragon has a treasure. You feel like those I lost, Shirou. However, I can tell, you're different from other dragons.' She thought to herself, as she looked around the abbey in search of his treasure, to see what kind of dragon he was, but found nothing, save for the barrier.
She then realized something, remembering his defensive position earlier and his words to the Leviathan girl. 'Your treasure was inside the abbey. More precisely, your treasure are those you call family. I pity the ones who try and take that treasure away.'
Xenovia couldn't sleep. She had grown excited for their coming trip. So, she decided that she would go and see Shirou, since she knew he was likely awake, considering he often trained into the night since he changed. Besides, chances were, Asia and Shirone were there anyways.
It had been a tough time since Shirou's transformation. She had learned about his power and he had promised to teach her once he figured out how to do so properly. She would admit, she was embarrassed after she realized she hugged him.
She had never been good with emotions or the like, though that didn't seem to bother him. She liked to think they had gotten closer since their first meeting. Mother Griselda did encourage her to grow close to Shirou, saying that she would learn how to grow stronger, though she didn't understand at the time.
However, she thought she was beginning to understand. Shirou was everything Xenovia looked for in a proper knight, which he was. He was kind, understanding, strong, dutiful, among many other things she liked. She didn't really understand what she felt, but she enjoyed being around him, as did Asia, Shirone, and Irina.
They were a family. So, this trip was something they all looked forward to. Though, she was hoping that Shirou would begin to stop doing things that scared everyone. After his latest stunt, everyone had been keeping a close eye on him. Xenovia knew, that after what happened, everyone realized just how much they cared about their knight.
She, herself, didn't even realize it until that day. Honestly, it wouldn't have been hard to say that they each loved Shirou. He took care of them and was their shield and sword. If she had to put it someway, then she would say that he was their rock. They rarely ever saw him buckle or break under the pressure.
Though, this did come at a bit of a price. He often did things for them that she knew hurt him. He always tried to make things easier for them, while also trying to spare them from being hurt. Some may see him as inhuman, or be scared of him, but they all knew the truth. He had a heart of glass.
In particular, she remembered a mission where the group were sent to Romania. The church had lost contact with two groups of exorcists, so they decided to send their group to investigate. However, all they found there, was death. Hordes of undead roamed the streets.
They entered and set up in a church, where Shirou tasked everyone to search for any survivors, while the two of them took out the undead. It was during this mission, that she saw a side of Shirou that she had never seen before. His eyes held a cold fury in them, but underneath it all was that deep sadness.
He killed every undead that crossed his sight, not even flinching when faced with women and children. Even Xenovia had trouble finishing them off, but Shirou didn't hesitate. "They are no longer human, Xenovia. What makes them human, is no longer present. They are trapped in a hell of constant hunger, their bodies cursed to walk after death."
"We must free them from their suffering. They wouldn't wish to harm others, but they cannot stop themselves. It is the least we can do, to offer them peace and to allow them rest. That is our duty." He said to her, removing his sword from one of the bodies.
She looked at him, easily telling how sad he was. He had saved her many times, from multiple enemies. However, it was times like this, that told her how much he sacrificed. She hadn't really thought about it, but Shirou had taken down all of the children and women before she could.
She wanted to know why he did things like that. It infuriated her. She was sure it must have infuriated the others. He would always take the burdens and injuries that were meant for them. An explosive spell? Shirou would grab ahold of them and turn his back, taking the blast.
Taking an attack from a devil or fallen angel? He would place himself in harms way, or draw the attention of said enemy. He would stay up all night, even though he promised to wake them to change the nightly watch when on missions. He did all of this and would only rub the back of his head and offer a smile and apology afterwards.
She remembered walking up to him, though she couldn't quite remember what she was going to do, just before someone emerged from one of the nearby buildings. She remembered him reaching into his pocket to pull out his coin. There were three people, one had devil wings, while the other two had more bat-like wings.
Considering the bats nearby, she figured the other two were vampires. She grabbed ahold of Excalibur, and was even prepared to pull out Durandal, but Shirou moved in front of her. It seemed the devil and the male vampire were attacking the female vampire.
She had a doll-like appearance, with long, wavy, light blonde hair, deep red eyes, and a beautiful face like a doll. She was small, barely even reaching five feet, maybe a little above. "Xenovia, get back to the church and protect the others." Shirou told her, his eyes narrowed at the three in front of them.
"Oh? It seems the church has sent some exorcists to investigate the town." The young vampire girl said aloud. Her eyes narrowed on Shirou. "Hmm, it seems they sent someone with power." She turned and looked at the other two. "These two have broken vampire law and nearly revealed our existence to the world. I request thy assistance in exterminating them."
"Shirou, I can help you." Xenovia said firmly, getting ready to pull out Durandal. However, Shirou shook his head. He looked directly in her eyes, causing a slight shiver to run down her spine.
"I know, Xenovia. Which is why I'm entrusting their safety to you. Should anything happen to me, I trust you to watch after them. Do you understand?" He asked, handing her the sword of St. Catherine. She looked down, before looking him back in the eye. She could see the determination in his eyes.
"Fine. But, you better come back, Shirou." She replied, grabbing the sword and turning to head back to the church. When she turned, she swore that she saw a smile on Shirou's face, but she didn't wish to turn and find out. She wanted to stay with him, but hearing how much Shirou trusted her with Asia, Shirone, and Irina caused her to keep going.
As she ran, she heard Shirou begin to speak with authority. "Shirou Von Einzbern, Knight of the Vestel Shield Knights, Executor number eight of the Burial Agency, hereby requests the removal of five seals on the tenth scripture, the Scripture of Saints and Sinners."
A beautiful voice was then heard, "Saints' Deliberation. First seal, user is uncorrupted. Approved. Second Seal, the foe goes against the natural order, approved. Third seal, foe threatens humanity, approved. Fourth seal, foe has spilled the blood of the innocent, approved. Fifth seal, foe is inhuman, approved."
"Release of five seals, request granted." She felt a wave of power pass over her as she ran, but ignored it in favor of continuing on. Once she reached the church, she informed everyone of the situation and everyone readied themselves for a tough battle. They heard noises of battle outside, but it grew more distant as time passed.
It felt like hours went by, but in reality, it had probably only been about ten minutes before the door to the church opened. As soon as it did, Xenovia and Irina both thrust their swords towards the throat of the intruder, only to find Shirou standing there with his hands up as if surrendering.
He had multiple wounds on his body, his jacket and armor were all singed or damaged in some way. He had blood on his face from a wound on his head and he had a limp in his gait. "Shirou!" Asia immediately ran forward and began to use her twilight healing on Shirou as Irina and Xenovia lowered their weapons.
Apparently, a vampire and devil were working together on some kind of experiment and it resulted in what they had encountered in the town. While they managed to rescue some survivors, the town was lost. It was an unforgettable experience that she regretted, so much so that she didn't even ask about his coin.
She was too weak to help Shirou when it mattered most, which is why she was so dedicated to growing stronger. She didn't wish to see him like that ever again. All four of them agreed that they would do everything they could to make sure Shirou wouldn't have to put so much of the burden on himself.
While he had saved them many times, they had decided, they would be the ones to save him. Asia and Shirone had been doing their best to try and heal the wounds that Shirou didn't even know he had. Shirone described it as a kind of curse, embedded deep in his soul and psyche.
She used a special kind of healing that was supposed to heal that kind of stuff, but it went over Xenovia's head on how. Though, she did notice that Shirou's emotions became clearer and that he smiled more and more. Both of them had been doing their best, which is why Irina and her had trained even harder than usual.
It was tough, but if it meant they could help Shirou out, then it was a small price to pay. Xenovia saw the door to Shirou's room, a small smile made its way onto her face. 'Maybe, Shirou and I can have a nice conversation until we fall asleep.' She thought to herself.
She then noticed that the door was open. She quirked a brow, before she felt a strange aura coming from the room. Her eyes narrowed, before she reached into her pajama pocket and pulled out one of Shirou's black keys. She then opened the door, revealing his empty room, but Xenovia then noticed someone sitting on his bed.
Xenovia's eyes widened, seeing the young vampire girl from Romania sitting on his bed while kicking her legs playfully, before she saw her. Her red eyes glowed in the darkness, "Oh, you're the one Einzbern was with in Romania."
"Perhaps, you can tell me. Do you know where he is? I felt a change in the spear he gave me, so I wished to know if something may have happened to him. His blood is much too valuable to allow something to happen to him." She said to her, before hopping off the bed.
"Who are you and what do you want with Shirou?!" Xenovia questioned, activating the black key's blade. She tilted her head to the side with a look of confusion.
"What do you mean? I just told you, girl. Shirou bears the name of the old blood, Einzbern. They are the reason we possess this color hair and these beautiful ruby eyes, girl. As such, I care about his well-being. Also, like I said earlier, his blood is too valuable, not to mention delicious and sweet." A look of realization then appeared on her face.
"Ah, apologies, I forgot to properly introduce myself. Even when dealing with commoners and those of the lesser races, it's important to have manners. You are his friend after all. My name is Elmenhilde Karnstein." She said with a curtsy. "The pleasure is all yours."
And that chapter is finished. I really hope you enjoyed what I did there. I wanted to introduce some of the characters I teased earlier, since they'll be really important later. I also hinted at some pretty big things and changes in this world. I really like Ingvild and I plan on having her be a big part of this story, since Shirou won't really have much to do with devils unless I make him go with Sona again. Which, I could do, because I had fun writing her interactions with Shirou last time. Next chapter, Shirou will be tested. He will be pushed to the brink and you'll see how powerful he has become. I figured Ingvild's circumstances would match up pretty well with Shirou's girls so far, Asia and Shirone being similar. Xenovia only grew up with Griselda. Irina, while she had parents, was forced away from her friends or rather, Issei. Shirou himself, being displaced into another world entirely. So it matched. I also put what Shirou's dragon treasure is, because of course it is. Elmenhilde and the vampires will have a spotlight for awhile, because I want them to have a bigger presence, along with other races. Also, other pantheons too, because Artemis will still show up later on. I'm still following my first story basically, just different. Shirou's sisters will still show up, but that'll be later on. Oh, Lost Hero of Chaldea will be getting updated after this. It got such a good reception that I am updating it. I am currently working on the next chapter. So, look forward to that. Anyways, thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed, feel free to ask questions, I usually answer when I can. And, as always, until next time.