A/N: Sorry for the delay. I have an upcoming thesis proposal defense, and I am still not finished with the chapter on Hyakki Yakou route. I am wracking my head to write a chapter on how Mirajane will find a solution for the conflict in the Clock Tower. I thank Mashima for giving me the answer. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and everything stated in this chapter, or the whole fanfiction for that matter. Credits go to Hiro Mashima for Fairy Tail and Kinoko Nasu and his associates for the TYPE MOON works of Fate/Stay Night, Tsukihime and Kagetsu Tohya.
Chapter 16: Dread
Day 3: Morning
Ahnenerbe Café, Mifune
A prim lady in a white blouse elegantly drinks her tea as she enjoys the view of the country that most European Magi detest the most. It is at these times that she can find utter bliss.
Only the arrival of someone important can deter her bliss. And that someone arrived right as she is at the peak of her bliss. She now is visibly disappointed at that someone for disturbing that peace. It doesn't help that the person that she is meeting with right now is the owner of the humble café that had many people coming to and fro using the principle of parallel worlds.
"What brings you here to my humble café, my Queen?" the old man now asked as the lady now returned to her stone cold expression befitting of a stern queen. He now sat opposite the lady in front of him.
"I am here to fulfill Emiya Kiritsugu's requests." The Queen now stated as she presented her files to the old man. "I know that you cannot interfere with the events, Kaleidoscope, but this is something that must be done. Grassy fields that destroy the backyard are meant to be uprooted, after all."
"It is true that I cannot interfere, Queen of the Clock Tower." The Kaleidoscope now mused. "But it doesn't mean that you can."
"What makes you so sure about that, Wizard Marshal?" She now asked with a doubting expression on her face, to which the Marshal just mused as he stared at his hot chocolate drink. He then faced the Queen with the same stern expression that she has.
"Emiya Kiritsugu is, after all, concerned about the welfare of his child." He mused as he stirred the drink idly with a teaspoon. "But then, that child has become a Master. We can only let him discover the inner Grail's workings, and let him make the decision on whether he will do it or not."
"Let me guess, his circumstances amused you." The Queen of the Clock Tower sighed as she sipped her tea, to which the old man now chuckled.
"That, and of Tohsaka Rin and Matou Sakura too. The current roster of Masters and Servants even." He continued to chuckle at the Queen's expense. "That aside, Emiya Kiritsugu's requests? I don't remember him making requests to the Clock Tower before."
"It's because he really did not make one." She finished bluntly. "I just felt like it just like you are, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg."
"Ah, did you have to state my whole name, Bartholomeloi Lorelei?" He now sighed as he sipped his own drink. "And I thought that you are more composed than the other Magi."
"I made an exception because of your quirks." She coldly replied. "Although I have some respect for you, it doesn't change the fact that you even involve two Masters not meant to be here in consecutive Grail Wars."
"To be fair, it is not me who chose them." Zelretch admitted. "Rather, it is the Grail who found it amusing this time."
"It doesn't change the fact that you travelling to parallel worlds can cause many potential harmful shifts to other worlds." She now stated truthfully. "After all, your Second Magic did not come without a price."
"Like my Dead Apostle trait?" He chuckled, but then Lorelei contradicted that statement too bluntly.
"No, you are a natural disaster to the parallel worlds as a result of your Magic." She stated, basing her deductions on how his Second Magic actually works. "In minor cases, it is this café. In a larger scale, though, is a different manner. By using the Jewel Sword that draws mana from other parallel worlds to destroy Type – Moon, the entity of the moon that posed a danger to the parallel earth did not simply end on the entity's simple defeat. The fact that you defeated it only created greater tensions between worlds. As a result of that, the Greater Grail now gets it Heroes and Anti – Heroes from the rifts that you yourself had caused. That explained the reason for the existence of Japan's goddess, Tamamo – no – Mae, appearing as Kejoro's Servant.
"She is not supposed to be available within the Greater Grail's reach. But then that rift has seen it fit to reach for the parallel earth's records and the corrupted Greater Grail finds it plausible to summon a Servant from the Eastern hemisphere as long as that Servant complies with its rules. You created a way to summon Servants into this world for the ritual of Heaven's Feel. Surely that did not escape your notice."
"Well, my Queen, you're wrong. It did slip my notice." The Marshal admitted humbly. "That is why I had an experiment…"
"…and it had gone horrifically right." She deduced as she finished her drink. "And since we both can't do anything until the war ends, as much as I hate to say it, we can only wait for that day. It's really fickle of me to put my trust to these children to discover anything. And I can say that if only Emiya Kiritsugu is alive, he will lament that this day happened even before the C4 bombs under Mt. Enzou set off."
"After all, to destroy a leyline, bombs are much better than dismantling it with Magecraft." Zelretch mused. "We both came to the mountain after all, just at different times."
Lorelei can only sigh as she placed her payment on the money tray. She then left the café without much fanfare. Zelretch can only muse at his unfinished chocolate drink, then he sighed at touching the cold cup.
Looks like I have to trust you completely, Mirajane Strauss.
She cannot understand it.
She cannot understand that such a thing has happened to her father.
Yet, it lays bare before her eyes.
That single file contained all of his activities, attempted kills, and real kills, including an indirect kill to the Servant, a Knight of all classes that are to be killed in that war.
All of the Servants, all of the Masters, all of the skills needed, abilities and their ranks with each respective statistic of every Servant known by his father, right down to the names.
Contrasting this treasure trove of information is the dryness that the paper has. Even events that are too significant to be ignored are treated as commonplace events meant to be dismissed.
Sure, he recorded the stats of Lancer, but to kill a Servant is a feat deserving to be on the hall of fame of the Clock Tower. Yet, with the dryness of the paper that accompanies the file, are the words that composed that file.
It is as though it is a common nuisance meant to be taken care of immediately.
Is my father always this cold? Illya now asked herself.
It is as though he set his eyes on a single goal and treated the other Masters as nuisances even though they have outstanding Magecraft skills that are renowned in the Magecraft world.
Meanwhile, Mirajane can only think to herself. She cannot voice out her opinion to the Einzbern heiress and a daughter of Emiya. Illyasviel von Einzbern can only decide on her actions upon reading completely the emotionless file that has been stored away in the Einzbern Mansion for some reason.
If she can complete the reading, that is.
"Mirajane – san, what do you think of my father based on what I am reading aloud right now?" Illyasviel asked as she now reads each and every page.
"Straight to the point, no unnecessary descriptions, just facts." She now stated truthfully as she also reads the files. But then one page has completely caught the silver – haired homunculus' attention.
On the left side of the page, it has a picture of a sinister – looking card and a man who is bound to chains. On the right side is a slab of an ominous – looking pictograph narrating something that happened in the past.
Thankfully, they are not left out of the dark thanks to Emiya Kiritsugu's descriptions. But even then, those descriptions proved to them to be rather vague. True, the file only narrate facts, but then investigative files tend to be short on some details. What they have read on Emiya Kiritsugu's file is as follows:
"Looking back on that event, the will of the Grail manifested itself in the form of Irisviel von Einzbern in a black dress. I then thought that it is impossible for the will of the Grail to be born, let alone manifest, but then that will appeared, and it showed me how the Grail will grant my wish.
"The will of the Grail now introduced to me as Angra Mainyu, the manifestation of all evils in the world, and it said that I am the one fitting to carry its will into the known world. Then the will of the Grail showed me my true wish: to be with Illyasviel and Irisviel.
"I then realized that the Grail will endanger the citizens living in the city, so I decided to kill my wish. Angra Mainyu and the Grail then cursed my existence. After that event, I am now at the basement once again. Kotomine Kirei appeared before me and asked me why I rejected the Grail. I replied that what it will cost is greater than what it will be gained. He then asked me to give it to him, and then I shot him."
Will of the Grail?
Irisviel in a black dress?
How the Grail will grant his wish?
Killed his wish?
Also, how is Kotomine Kirei alive with him being shot right there and then?
It is impossible to digest the information fully, leaving Illyasviel with more questions than answers.
Reading the descriptions of the pictures as if looking at an exhibit, Mirajane and Illyasviel tried to put two and two together and the revelation left them and the maids speechless. The description is as follows:
"Left: Avenger Class Servant. Identity: Angra Mainyu. Einzbern patriarch Jubstacheit von Einzbern attempted to summon the strongest Servant in the Holy Grail War, substituting Avenger class for Berserker class through their prestige as one of the Founders of Heaven's Feel. Right: Legend of Angra Mainyu. A deity of Zoroastrian legend, said to be All the Evils of the World."
"How come I have never seen or heard of this?" Illyasviel now pondered as she slumped on her seat ungracefully. "This is even worse than Matou Zouken summoning Assassin from the Assassin's remains on the Ryuudou Temple."
"Wait, another Assassin?" Mirajane tilted her head as she now tried to remember the event. It was then that she now linked the voice to who Illyasviel and Kotomine Kirei called "Matou Zouken". She decided to put away the information for later, as this will prove useful in the days that will come their way.
"Yes, I have understood how Matou Zouken did it…" The lady of the snow now narrowed her crimson eyes on what she can call an uncommon occurrence. "…but how did you do it? Did you have some connection to the one who summoned Caster?"
Mirajane can only narrow her eyes in all seriousness since the princess has her doubts on their connection. She has her assumptions, but she decided not to jump on it too quickly or it may create some misunderstanding. And so, she can only answer honestly.
"To be fair, I don't know who Kejoro or Caster is." Mirajane replied, her voice carrying a clear tone as she spoke. "What I do know, though, is that we came here to uncover the entire truth and to eliminate those who threaten our search for the truth."
"So, in this case, you will let me finish my brother?" Illyasviel asked sultrily, to which Mirajane replied, unfazed.
"It is not my problem on whether he can defeat you or not." Mirajane replied emotionlessly, her eyes still staring ahead. "In fact, it is to my advantage if you are defeated but is not killed. After all, he did not attack you the first time you met, and you called him 'onii – chan' if I remember it correctly."
"It seems that you have placed an awful ton of trust in my foster brother." Illyasviel teased. "What makes you so sure that he can do just that?"
"He's still a high school student. A failure of a Magus if I remember Tohsaka Rin's description of him performing his Magecraft." Mirajane deduced with a cold expression that sent Sella shivering in her stead. "But what he does have from what I saw of his past feat is his self – sacrifice, never minding his own life for the sake of others. I could say that he tries his very best to save everybody."
"So you're saying that he wanted to be a hero?" Illyasviel chuckled in a mocking manner. "That's the most distorted thing that I ever heard ever since I took the mantle of the Einzbern's pride in the Craft."
"That's the one thing that you Magi never had." Mirajane's eyes are ominous enough to send Berserker almost tearing away at Illya's grasp if not for the fact that Illyasviel has complete control over Berserker. "Human compassion is an absolute trait of mankind and it is a proof that those people are still humans. Magi only had their pride to boast about. But then, as you can see from these files, that same pride has led to their demise."
"This is the reason why I can do these things." Mirajane continued as Sella gritted her teeth and Leysritt just looked on, trying to understand every word that she said. "I am one with the earth's energy, and I ask for consent to use that energy in a harmonious manner, as opposed to your Magecraft which depletes that same energy and wasting it on such a pointless pursuit as searching for the Truth."
Berserker now growled internally as Illya narrows her eyes on the heretic teachings of Mirajane. She motioned for Berserker to bear with it for a little longer as she saw that Mirajane's words started to make sense little by little. But then, one lady has now seen fit to interrupt what she is saying right now.
"You have gone too far, Mirajane Strauss!" Sella now shouted as she cannot contain herself any longer. "The Einzbern heiress will never bow down to the ways of the earth! We Einzberns own the ritual of Heaven's Feel, and not even Emiya Kiritsugu or his adopted son can deter our beliefs otherwise!"
"Are you saying that out of your own lips, or has the patriarch implanted that reasoning on your personality?" Mirajane now asked the question that sent Sella to a conflicted state "I'm not trying to deter Illyasviel from her main purpose. Rather, I let her make her own decisions based on this matter. I cannot interfere with her revenge on Emiya Kiritsugu after all. She alone can tell me what happened to Fuyuki Municipal Hall ten years ago based on what the files had described."
Mirajane then smiled at Illyasviel as she said these words that can throw the whole Einzbern mansion in a chaotic state.
"After all, she is a human being."
For Sella, that is the final straw for her. She now stated her command clearly but with a tinge of anger as she walked away.
"Leysritt, kill her."
"Okay." Leysritt now prepared her heavy halberd and spun it like she is holding a light spear. She then charged too fast that even the eyes can barely see what happened at Mirajane, who then prepared herself with a defensive stance. Letting the halberd slide from her right hand to grasp its rear end, she swung it hard and jumped in the air. She now delivered the killing blow, holding the halberd on its end like an axe, but what she saw next is out of her comprehension.
The halberd that Leysritt holds is equivalent to one fourth of the modern car in terms of weight. One hit from this massive blade and the unfortunate victim will receive a gruesome death. But Mirajane caught the mid – section of the halberd like she is only catching a plastic pole.
The moment that she turned her eyes in the direction of Leysritt, the Einzbern guardian knew that it will be her coffin that will be carried out of the mansion and not Mirajane's.
The impact of that attack gave tremendous results as the smooth floor cracked under Mirajane's feet while they stayed put at the ground that they are on. The after – effects of the attack has Illyasviel amazed like a child has witnessed the carnival. Berserker, who is still in spirit form, can only look on to the woman that blocked his axe – sword like it was nothing. He saw that her strength can equate those of the Amazonian descent.
It did not ease him in the slightest. Rather, it made him even more riled up than before.
"Leysritt, that's enough for today. You can finish her off another time." Illyasviel declared. Leysritt now descended and put down her halberd in its place. Mirajane now walked towards the lacrima and picked it up with her left hand. She is about to leave when the child of the snow now called her.
"You still haven't answered my question, Mirajane Strauss." She now spoke as Mirajane stopped in her tracks. "Will you let me kill my brother?"
Mirajane can only let out a soft smile. She now turned her head towards Illyasviel as she declared these words that can make her allies angry to the core.
"If it is you, it's all well for me." She spoke as she leaves the library. She passed through Sella, to which the Einzbern servant now spoke to the lady with ocean – blue eyes.
"Did you mean every word that you have said?" Sella narrowed her eyes. Mirajane's response is so cold that even Sella can feel her chilling statement.
"Literally every word, Sella." She replied monotonously. "But if you or Leysritt so much as interfere with her original plan, I will be sure to finish it right before you can say 'revenge'."
She now left the mansion in a graceful manner, to which the child of the snow and the legendary man can only look on. Illyasviel von Einzbern now has the knowledge of the Holy Grail War that her father had. Knowing that she can be corrupted too one day, she can only muse on her thoughts.
Mama, if you are here, what will you do?
Leysritt now saw a ghost, but the ghost is too different for her to recognize as the same ghost that she saw earlier. The ghost that looks like the one that she saw earlier now dresses in black clothes adorned in red lines. She can only conclude that her master has a corrupted ghost with her and that she is not the same person that she saw at the library. She narrowed her eyes at that notion. She then looked around for the ghost that is more serene and benevolent than that ghost, and it was then that she saw the ghost in a white dress adorned in gold lines, seemingly sad at seeing Illya like this.
She now walked towards Illyasviel's side. Even though Mirajane is their opponent, there are some things that made sense to her even though she did not realize it herself. And so, she can only speak.
"It is. Your decision. Illya – san." She declared as she stood by her side. The ghost in a black dress now seethed in anger at the one who invaded her space, to which she can only stare back at that ghost with a resolute expression on her face. The malevolent ghost now disappeared, to which the lady in white let out a soft smile as she disappeared too.
"You're right. It is my decision." The child of the snow now declared. "Thank you, Leysritt."
She only nodded as the day passes by.
As she is about to leave the forest, several thoughts came to her mind, some of which are distasteful even for her. But she must say those words; otherwise, she can never gain Illyasviel's trust.
One issue that has been bothering her is the fact that Emiya Shirou came to that same spot every day as though it is a natural routine to do. But then, that spot is the Fuyuki Memorial Park, the same park that she went to, composed of a dense and malicious aura. She deduced that this is the very reason for his self – sacrifice shown by the fox spirit earlier to her. But then, did his visits have to do with his existence? Or does it have to do with the disaster that befell the Fuyuki Municipal Hall ten years ago?
The second issue concerns Illyasviel's conflicted state upon reading aloud and hearing those files. It is as though she has seen her father again, only that she saw her father's other side that she did not expect at all as opposed to Emiya Shirou who saw an entirely different side of him.
The third issue that she has to attend to is concerning another Founder of the Heaven's Feel ritual, Matou Zouken. He has made his move that can change the course of the Grail War completely in the form of summoning someone Assassin dreaded the most: her comrade.
The final and most pressing issue that she has to attend to is concerned on the judge of Heaven's Feel himself, Kotomine Kirei. It looks like she was right not to register her Servant for the Holy Grail War. She is just hoping that the priest did not take notice of it and kill her just for the sheer fun of it. She just heard from Illyasviel that Kotomine Kirei is a former participant of Heaven's Feel. He is supposed to be dead from what she deduced of Illya's files, but then, here he is, still alive. Also, these words made her shiver as she heard those words from Illyasviel's mouth.
"Archer is alive after the war…"
The words that had nonchalantly stated these words are an exact opposite to the impact that it had over those who will hear of it. He described Archer as someone who is of a kingly descent and has numerous weapons stored in his arsenal. He described him as someone who always hated being looked upon by what he calls as "mongrels".
If she met that Archer, she will not know what to do.
What she did not realize though, is that they already met.
At the same time that Mirajane and Illyasviel are discussing about Emiya Kiritsugu's files, Emiya Shirou can only feel dread as he is nearing the school. The feeling is too much different from the one that he visits frequently: the Fuyuki Memorial Park.
Molasses again… Emiya Shirou can only walk through the school, braving the smell that invaded his senses as he trudged on towards the school. The smell is getting heavier on his nostrils as he braved the enticingly sweet scent that tried to invade his senses.
Scratch that, the smell already invaded his sense of smell and threatened to override his other senses. But then, thankfully, or not thankfully, someone found a good time to distract him from his purgatorial trial.
"Looks like you're having a tough time, Emiya – kun." She nonchalantly stated as she observed the uneasy gait of the boy as he struggles to get up. "Why don't we go to the source of your struggles?"
"Ahaha, thank you once again, Tohsaka…" He replied weakly as he tried to get up.
"Don't be mistaken." She replied sharply. "After all, it's part of our pact. Now, concerning yesterday, have you seen the source?"
"No, not yet. Every time I get near to it, it nauseates me to no end." He apologetically replied.
"No matter. We have to deal with this today." She now declared with her fist up in the air as Emiya Shirou can only sigh at the optimism of his partner.
"This is really going to be a long day for me." He quipped under his breath as he followed her steps. "Sorry, Saber. Looks like I will be in this school for a little longer…"
"What did you say, Emiya – kun?" Shirou now snapped out of his senses as he saw the school idol's face in front of him. He widened his eyes in utter surprise and he can only cough at the awkward situation that he is in right now.
"Ahahaha. I said that I have to treat you lunch after this…" He laughed nervously, to which Rin replied with suspicion.
"Yeah, you do that." She quipped as she turned her back on him and he can swear that he saw her almost marching towards the place.
I really don't like to depend on Saber for this, but if push comes to shove, I have to use my Command Seal for this…
A/N: Man, I don't know if this is the effect of me watching the series of Unlimited Blade Works. It's supposed to be Saber's route! O.O
I totally fail at raising affection stats. At this rate, I'll be getting a bad end on the game of Fate/Stay Night before I can even finish the whole story.
Please rate and review, no flames please.