Land of Steel REMASTERED
Disclaimer: Fate Stay/Night and Campione belong to their respective creators. I don't get any money doing this.
Notice: Angst chapter.
Chapter VII
—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\Emiya Shirou's perspective—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\—\
It's been two days, no it's technically three days since the meeting with the HCC. After some questions about the requirements of the house I wanted and the details to be inserted in the forged documents, the meeting was over. I stayed with Koudzuki-san for another day. At around 10:00 am, Koudzuki-san received a phone-call from the HCC. When I went over to the branch in the Bunkyou ward, they handed me the forged papers, a credit card and the keys to my house. A mage drove me to the location. I was surprised to find that it was only around five minutes away from Koudzuki-san's apartment.
Since I was new in Tokyo, I asked Koudzuki-san to help me buy some necessities. We went around a mall and I got everything I needed. After I arranged everything in the house and had nothing else to do, I decided that getting to know something about the time period would be useful. I decided to watch a movie. After all she'd done, it would be rude of me to not offer, so I asked Koudzuki-san if she wanted to watch it with me too. She accepted. After that, we decided to eat in a restaurant, which was in the same mall. I paid everything, because none of the money was my own. After that, I asked her to give me a tour around the city, and she once again accepted. It was a good thing for me that she had a lot of free time that day. After that, I treated her again, and we went home. It would be dangerous to let a girl go home at night, so I went with her.(*1)
After I returned home, I didn't want to cook; I had already eaten at the restaurant. I tried out some spells Athena taught me. Since I hadn't constructed a workshop, I decided to do it in the kendo dojo. Projecting some dummies, I attacked them with fire and water spells. I wanted to practice the healing spells and test [Instruction], but I couldn't do it without a guinea pig. I tried out some divine energy control; my speed and control has been improving.
Of course, I didn't forget about my own spells. I tried to use Archer's arm as a Magic Crest. That basically means increasing spell-casting speed and activation process. Already, my Structural Analysis has improved to the point that I can view everything around me as a blueprint; my only comment is that it looks both extremely weird and extremely awesome. I can use Archer's ultimate Reinforcement, but due to my current body being stronger than his, it is not 'ultimate' anymore. I used Structural Analysis on my body to improve on it, but that increases the cast time by around 26 seconds.
My only problems are in Tracing. Tracing, or Seven-Step Projection, is a spell that I have entirely no experience in. It is a part of Archer's Noble Phantasm. I can use all the blades except for two: Jeweled Sword Zelretch and Excalibur. Coincidentally, they are the strongest of all my Noble Phantasms.
I cannot access Excalibur's blueprint. I have tried my best to, but I just can't do it. This applies to both of them. As for Zelretch's case, the Mystic Code doesn't activate. I can trace the Jeweled Sword but the Mystic Code fails. I cannot access unlimited prana from alternate universes.
…Of course, that is a problem. The fact that I cannot access Excalibur, means that my strongest Noble Phantasm is denied to me. That is something which is extremely crippling for me.
The problem of Zelretch not activating is on another level. This means that the Kaleidoscope won't activate. This also means that I wasn't carried here by the distortion of the Kaleidoscope's mystery.
I was carried over by Angra Mainyu's Authority, a genuine Divine Mystery. Or, as it is called around here, an Authority.(2) This also means that if I want to return home, I will have to convince a Heretic God to use his Authority on me.
Which is most likely an impossibility. A Heretic God is a Campione's natural enemy; encountering one will most likely result in a death-match. That said; all I have to do is wait for the curse to wear off. Pandora said that the curse sealing my Authorities will naturally wear off in around a year.
So all I have to do is wait for a year for the curse to break. How hard could it be?
…I couldn't sleep. After I removed the Shroud and used Projection, sleeping proved to be too risky. The risk of Archer's and my identities mixing, the risk of my death was too much. To prevent myself from sleeping, I used Rin's… no, Archer's pendant. The sharp edge slamming into my flesh would make it unable for me to sleep due to exhaustion.
…I look at my hand. My palm is bleeding. Unconsciously, it looks like I was grabbing onto the pendant.
…I guess that's the reason for my current insomnia, a psychological block. I suppose I could start self-hypnosis and force myself into unconsciousness, but I just don't feel like it.
Archer was once a person named Emiya Shirou. His dream was to be a Hero of Justice, a superhero. … He succeeded at it, unlike me who bailed on it.
The magic he specialized in was Projection. His Noble Phantasm was a Reality Marble, an innate Bounded Field which, when activated, overwrites reality for a short period of time, increased by bolstering it with his prana. Due to these reasons, he probably didn't have much need for a weapon. I guess he carried around the pendant for nostalgia's sake.
Stay lying on a bed without sleeping for a while and stray thoughts start filling your head…
Even if it doesn't make much sense, buying a new house is to be celebrated by a ceremony. I remember that from the short time I was in the Archery Club, when the club location was moved to the Kendo Club that me, Mitsuzuri, Shinji and Sakura held some sort of ceremony with Issei's help. To his chagrin, Rin decided to come and observe. She was Mitsuzuri's friend, so he couldn't object. Issei's older brother, Ryuuji was still in High School and arranged the ceremony. I remember us praying…
I think of Sakura…
Her life was a nightmare from which she couldn't wake up.
Tortured daily by a monster who was hell bent on making her fall into despair, she somehow clung on to her sanity.
Her sister was estranged from her. She deluded herself into thinking she still cared by wearing the ribbon Rin made for her.
At around Year 3 Middle School, after I beat up Shinji, Sakura started coming over at my house. I thought she just wanted to learn cooking from me.
How wrong I was.
If I had known the truth…
I'd probably have walked up to Zouken, challenged him with my half-baked magecraft, been killed and eaten by worms. No, Avalon would have kept me alive. I am not strong as Sakura, so I would have gone insane while he figured out what kept me alive. Zouken would have made progress in increasing Sakura's despair.
It pains me to admit it, but that was the way of life I lived. Firstly, there is no way a 17 year old boy would normally dream of becoming a superhero. There is a time in life when we understand that the world around us isn't exactly how we believed.
I never acknowledged that fact, even while I fully understood it.
A superhero saves everyone; there should be no exceptions. I used that as a mantra to deny logic the same way a magus uses an aria to deny the fact that magic doesn't exist.(3)
After I found out the truth about Sakura, I had to make a decision: to save Sakura and forsake my ideal or to abide my ideal and kill Sakura.
Most of my illusions were broken into pieces and I had to search myself for the answer. The answer was: forsake Sakura.
I decided to betray myself and protect Sakura. That was the first time I had a 'desire' to do anything other than save someone.
After I got Archer's arm attached to me, I found out the truth about Archer. I found out about my future.
Actually, I didn't find out too much, or it might have overwritten my personality, but what I found out was enough to break my remaining illusions.
Noble Phantasm: Reality Marble – Unlimited Blade Works.
A Reality Marble, while being an innate Boundary Field with reality overwriting capabilities, a feat coming close to True Magic, has only one requirement, one requirement almost impossible to procure.
A demon's perception of reality.
A demon is anything other than a human.
Dead Apostles, Imaginary Beings, Angra Mainyu… almost anything intelligent and not a human can be termed as a demon. (3)
A demon's perception of reality is completely different from a human's perception of reality. Hence, a demon's 'purpose of existence' is also completely different from a human's 'purpose of existence'.(*3)
"This is my only pleasure.
—Emiya Shirou.
As you feel supreme bliss in others' happiness.
I feel supreme bliss in others' unhappiness."
Kotomine Kirei's words resound in my mind. A demon just like me, he fought against me to protect the way he lived his life by, his ideal. Even after inheriting Archer's strength, I couldn't even land a single blow on him.
The only thing that stopped him from killing me, was fate.
I, Emiya Shirou was once a person who dreamed of becoming a hero of justice. Archer was the realization of that dream.
That's right, Archer was a superhero.(5)
He, being me, gained satisfaction by saving people. Stopping those who tried to use their strength for their own self-interests. Killing Dead Apostles and Heretic Magi, criminals and hooligans gave him satisfaction.
While acting as a Hero of Justice, in reality he was nothing but a mercenary. His ideal of justice was charismatic enough to attract people who approved of his them and helped him enforce it.(5)
Archer was blessed with close friends and loyal comrades. Across both the worlds of magic and science, he struck fear into the hearts of all criminals alike.
Trouble occurred when one of his friends realized what Archer was: a demon enforcing indiscriminate justice. His thoughts were that, "I thought this man helped me because he cared about me, but… if I had become a detriment to the public, he wouldn't hesitate to strike me down."
His friend decided to betray him by luring him to a trap where he was caught by the police. In the end, he was tried for the various crimes he had committed in the name of 'justice'. Archer decided to plead guilty to all counts, because to not do that would mean disgracing the deaths of those he was forced to sacrifice.
He had thought that being a hero, he would meet his death by the righteous hatred, but it was karma. Every human has to follow the logic of the world. Archer wasn't as amoral as a Dead Apostle, or as un-understandable as an alien.
Every human gains bliss in another's happiness and pain in another's unhappiness. That said, pain and bliss are human emotions and cannot be measured as numbers.
Simply stated, saving 10 people by sacrificing one person will not give a ordinary human 9 units of bliss.
His only fault was that he gained supreme bliss in others' happiness.
—He did not feel supreme pain in others' unhappiness.
Which meant that the ability to sacrifice one person to save another came easily to him.
Archer died happy, having achieved his dream of becoming a superhero. If it had been left as it is, he would probably have ascended to a Heroic Spirit.
—But no, in his lifetime he decided to create a Contract with Araya, the Will of Humanity. The price paid by Araya was a wish, a genuine miracle capable of saving someone. He used the wish to save a few hundred people from a disaster.
He thought that as a Counter Guardian, he could follow with his goal of saving people even in his afterlife.
—He wasn't wrong. He was saving something. Just not people.
The Will of Humanity exists for the survival of humanity.
Humans are a part of Humanity, but the Will of Humanity will not help the survival of a single human.
It is the collective unconscious will of mankind to avoid extinction.
It takes two forms.
Counter Force, a perpetually active safety device formed by Araya. The Counter Force works by aiding someone with the capability of stopping the threat by giving them an amount of power just enough to eliminate the threat.
But sometimes, 'just enough power' is not enough. When there is no other option and the veil of subtlety cannot be maintained anymore, is when the second form is to be used.
Beasts of Araya — Araya's Dogs. Counter Guardians. Human spirits who traded their eternal souls to Araya in exchange for favors during their lifetimes.
Counter Guardians take forms as natural disasters. The deployment of Counter Guardians is by no means subtle. The threat will be eliminated with the surroundings, inflicting collateral damage. This is due to the fact that 'humanity comes to know the existence of Magecraft' is classified as among the factors that may bring about the end of mankind.
—Of course, since the human spirit has sworn eternal fealty to Araya, Araya drives their bodies.
Archer was forced to kill a countless number of people. He was mercilessly forced to confront the fact that his 'logic' focused around saving 'people', not saving the 'World'. He understood that he was not a 'hero' but simply a person who could not survive without 'saving people'.(5)
He could never hate Araya for driving him. His ideal would never allow him to. The only person he could hate was himself.
Luckily, he was summoned into the Fifth Holy Grail War. Taking into account the factors that the 'Emiya Shirou' of this World still wished to be a Hero of Justice and he himself was the realization of the dream, he decided to rely on the Third Magic concept- Resonance of Self. In other words, by increased contact with him, I would gain his skills and memories. In some time, the personality of 'Emiya Shirou' would be overwritten, becoming 'Archer'. By killing me at that point, he would be killing 'himself', causing a paradox and erasing his existence.
That plan completely failed; I didn't ally with Tohsaka. The next time we met, I was questioning my ideals. Resonance of Self was a failure; I had never even practiced Projection before. Since his master-plan would obviously end in failure, he graciously decided to advise me and gave me the strength to overcome myself.(6)
After I gained Archer's arm, I found out about all this. Somehow, I couldn't hate him for planning to kill me. This was the Holy Grail War after all; to obtain your wish you need to deny the others'.
His main reason for allowing me to gain the arm wasn't saving Sakura. If I failed, he didn't want to ascend to a Counter Guardian and kill all the residents of Fuyuki.
After I found out that I was literally a demon under human skin, I understood that I would never be able to make Sakura happy. That gave me the determination to sacrifice myself and do my best to save her.
Now, I am literally in another world.
…Athena told me that Campione are the ultimate evolutions of humans, with the power to usurp the miracles of Gods. Fulfilling something like a wish should be easy enough.
Is it possible…
That I…
The grandfather clock gives a chime. At the same time, two alarm clocks start sounding.
"Damn. I wish I would have fallen asleep by now, but it looks like it's unavoidable." My thoughts interrupted, I wake up.
I drag my body out of the cozy room. I was having such difficulty falling asleep before, so why am I so sleepy now?
…Of course, I know the reason. This is just a meaningless complaint.
Tohsaka style jewel magecraft focuses on accumulating prana inside a jewel. Some jewels get tainted with the power of spirits and whatnot, and hence can be used as a basic Magic Crest.
…I am so sleepy, my thinking is getting clouded.
Looks like this is the reason why Tohsaka was always so sleepy.
I am out of the house. I look at the sky and the waning moon.
"Trace on." Self suggestion makes my drowsiness disappear.
I need to be at full concentration before I do this.
I activate my Circuits. The running prana increases my body temperature.
I fish the touch-screen phone out of my pocket. It glows, showing me the time.
11:57 pm.
I wait for three minutes.
"It's time."
12:00 midnight. The time when the Tohsaka jewel magecraft is at its peak. (*7)
During the last days of the Grail War, Rin transplanted some part of her Magic Crest into me as a Warding Sign to suppress Archer's arm. Somehow, it familiarized itself with me. Another effect of turning into a Campione.
Hence, it looks like I can use Archer's pendant for more than a show-piece.
"Besetzen!"(*8) I shout the German aria. For an unknown reason, all Tohsaka-style spells are German.
My prana is poured into the jewel. Being a simplified Magic Crest, it has all Tohsaka-style spells engraved into it. By using the familiarized Tohsaka circuits and Structure Analyze to synchronize with it, I can 'cheat' it into thinking I am a Tohsaka and letting me gain access to its spells. (*9)
Jewel magic is a type of magecraft which works by the belief that jewels have memories engraved into them. Hence, prana can be stored into them too.
In essence, most gems and jewels can be turned into One Use, Single Action Mystic Codes with spells bound into them. They require having prana accumulated into them. When the spell is used, the jewels are turned to ashes. In a way, it is similar to the process of breaking a Noble Phantasm.
…Of course, since it is usually expensive to blow up gems, it is possible to limit the spell so that it doesn't blow up the gem. It makes the spell weaker, though.
Some jewels, when left buried in the earth for a long time, are tainted with the power of spirits, giving them an Elemental alignment. This jewel is special, though. Due to careful experiments by Rin's ancestors, it was given the 'Average One' elemental affinity. Also, it is cut in a way as to increase the 'memory' of the jewel. Also, being the possession of Archer, a genuine Heroic Spirit, could have influenced it too …
Simply put, it can handle around 1,00,000 prana units. When used as a Single Action Mystic Code, I could use it to blow up someone with the power of around 1,75,000 prana units.(*10)
…Of course, I don't plan on blowing it up. I would be destroying a near-Magic Crest. Even if it's a simple, non-attached Mystic Code, it's still a something similar to a Magic Crest, embedded with a lot of spells I cannot use. It's just nice to have a final trump card.
As I said before, this method of magic use requires the accumulation of prana into the jewel. When Athena was training me in this world's spells, this used to happen a lot faster. Of course, Athena was a Night Goddess, so it was only natural.
Now, the prana transfer rate has fallen to about 50% of that time. The wastage rate is the same, around 35%. Due to not being trained in the Tohsaka fundamentals of flowing and transfer of prana and merely relying on the accumulated memories of the previous users, it's only natural. It will decrease after I gain more experience, but this is the best I can do for now.
How long will I have to stay here, with only the moon for company…? Oh. The touch-screen phone shines the answer.
12:20.
Even if I hate doing it, looks like I'll have to hypnotize myself to sleep. Otherwise, I'll surely miss my first high school day tomorrow.
The mini-reference is here.
(*1) For those who do not understand, a date.
(*2) Actually, a synonym for a Divine Mystery in the Nasuverse is called Authority. Shirou doesn't know that. My only explanation is that some books sometimes miss synonyms, don't they? Of course, if that is true, that must carry over to magic books too.
(*3) A misconception. Actually, Shirou has confused the Mage Association and the Church's stance on demons. He has convinced himself that since he has a 'demon's perception of reality', he is a 'demon' which is the root of his 'distortion'. According to that view, if he gains a 'human perception of reality', he will return to a 'human' and the 'distortion' will be 'destroyed'. That's what his 'wish' is. This isn't alien logic, it's just a misunderstanding.
You can compare it with my wish, 'I want to be able to drain mana like my bro, my vampire powers can only suck blood.' For the first thing, I am not a vampire. Nor is my brother. I cannot suck blood. Mana doesn't exist. Hence, sucking mana should be impossible for me. But because I have deluded myself into thinking that I am a vampire and I can suck blood and my brother can suck mana, the 'impossible wish' of being able to suck mana is turned into a 'possible wish'. Of course, the apocalypse will occur before I suck mana.
I think it was mentioned somewhere in the LNs that a Campione achieves all dreams, ambitions, wishes or something like that. Since the 'impossible wish' is turned into a 'possible wish', it is achievable.
According to the Mage Association, demons are just inhuman existences. Actually, Dead Apostles, True Ancestors and almost all humans can gain the ability to activate Reality Marbles. That's right, almost everything in the Nasuverse can use a Reality Marble, only 7 humans in all history have been recorded to do so.
According to the Church, there are True Demons born from Nature and Imaginary Demons born from the wishes of mankind. With Angra Mainyu's contract in place, Sakura could summon a large number of Imaginary Demons. Look up Tsukihime for info about True Demons.
(*4) Any proper Sakura fan would know that her element is the sixth imaginary element which gives extreme compatibility to demons. Shirou doesn't know, because he doesn't browse the TYPE-MOON Wiki.
(*5) The difference between Archer(FATE) and Archer(EXTRA) is the entities they have contracted to: Alaya and the Moon Cell. Of course, that means that their lives as humans were the same. The wiki mentions that their True Names are different. I believe that means that their UBW arias are different.
(*6) Of course, the real Counter Guardian EMIYA exists in the Throne of Heroes. Archer's plan can never succeed.
(*7) Actually, Rin mentions that in the prologue that it's midnight when her magic peaks. In most magic anime, 12 00 clock is the time between the first day and the next day or something, hence the assumption that the Tohsaka jewel magecraft's strength peaks.
(*8) Fill in German. Got it from Google Translate, so it might be wrong.
(*9) Growth Experience and Accumulated Years techniques of tracing.
(*10) It's the possession of a Heroic Spirit. It's possible.
Chapter End
New A/N- I made a few basic mistakes. That is, if you consider spelling God as Dog a basic mistake.
Actually, the whole 'angsty Shirou' thing was supposed to be due to the transformation.
The reason the chapter was the way it was…
… is something I am too embarrassed to tell.
Thanks for [A fan] and Kronos89 for helping me out.
Anyway, my problem is that Shirou is an amateur magus. He shouldn't know some things and hence, cannot infodump about them. Hence, the large notes column. If you spot anything Shirou is not supposed to know, inform me.
For being stupid enough to upload, I guess I owe you guys a favour. I'll upload the super angsty Archer meets Date a Live fic! Just wait for a few weeks.
…
Got it three months! BTW, I' m ok now.
Old A/N
Real A/n- Oops, an artificial miracle! I somehow figure out how to insert enough space for an A/N! Still, I haven't figured out (yet) how to delete page-breaks, so help me anyway.
(Spoilers) So, the meaning of this chapter was, why Shirou-kun doesn't have UBW.
Essentially, the reason is that instead of rejecting his ideal, he goes ahead and rejects the distortion itself!
Badass, right?
…Right?
SOMEONE AGREE WITH ME!
The Excalibur problem will be revealed in the fight with Voban. Zelretch problem… is one of the highlights of the yet unrevealed plot.
As you can see, when I think of angst, I think of Archer. I was thinking of a Date a live x Fate fic with boatloads of angst (and Archer as protagonist). Of course, if I actually sat down and typed it, I would become an existence similar to Urobochi Gen. So I didn't.
There were supposed to be some thoughts about Kotomine too, but since Shirou doesn't know anything about him (and I already said that inheriting memories will delete Shirou's personality so can't use that shtick) I removed it.
Anyway,
SHIROU IS DEMON!
Who foreshadowed that?
ME!
Where is it foreshadowed?
Go look through the last 6 chapters. If you cannot find out anything, imagine something that can!
…Damn, by those lines, I probably made half my reviewers into my natural enemies.
…Anyway. The next chapter will be end of this fic's extremely long prologue. After which, VOBAN VS. SHIROU!
Oh, I forgot. Thanks to battleking. Only one chapter left and unlimited PM works!
Thanks to Kizuro Shirosaki for something I PMed about. The same to adrian11 and Terror of Death Scythe.