"Mordred's dead." Illyasviel said to her mom as they stood in a parlor of the Einzbern Castle. It had been a few hours since Chloe had been kidnapped. Sella was in another room oscillating between desperately trying to figure out a rescue plan and going into full blown hysterics while Leysritt was recovering from the fight. Archer was brooding alone. The group had tried to visit Kirei as they had planned, but he wasn't at the church when they went there so they returned to the castle.

Illyasviel no longer felt her connection to Mordred. She hadn't felt it for a while and could only bring herself to mention it now. Mordred was probably dead. Once again, Illyasviel had failed to be useful and failed to protect the people she cared about due to her own powerlessness. She was weak.

First they lost Chloe, now this. Their attempts to connect to mama, Mordred, and Gray had failed and Illyasviel felt that her Servant was gone. Mom mentioned that she still sensed she had a connection to something like a Master, but it didn't feel like mama. Gray and mama could have been dead for all they knew, though mama had probably lost herself to the Greater Grail. Illyasviel had already lost her daddy when she was young, and now she had lost her mama too. The person who gave birth to Illyasviel and raised her was gone and would never come back. Gray had likely died without ever getting to have her own face. She lived a life of body dysmorphia without any kind of relief. Mordred had his dream life dangled before him and he was even allowed to have a taste of it, but that likely only lowered his guard so his tragic end was all the more painful. It was as if it was planned by some cruel deity for their own entertainment. Illyasviel was so beaten down by these realizations that she couldn't even cry anymore. She was just tired.

Mom, on the other hand, had a face of horror and despair at Illyasviel's statement. It was clear that mom had extrapolated the worst case scenario that only she and Illyasviel were still alive at this point. Mordred, the son she had just reconciled with. Gray, the daughter who was finally given a glimpse at a future where she could be herself. Mama, the woman who had stayed by her side through thick and thin. Mom had just lost all three of them. All she had wished to protect was lost, just like Camelot. She had failed once more and now she had nearly nothing left. Mom's arms wrapped around Illyasviel and held her tight. She let her tears flow freely in a way she normally never did.

"I'll protect you. We're going to get through this and then we're going to live in peace for the rest of our lives. I promise." Mom's voice was full of cracks and stutters. Illyasviel didn't have faith in her mom's promise and she was pretty sure her mom didn't either. At this rate, the world really was going to end, or at least their world was going to. Everything just kept spiraling out of control.

Mordred was dead. Mama was probably dead. Gray was probably dead. Everything just kept getting worse so quickly that Illyasviel had no time to properly process everything and grieve. Illyasviel was just waiting for one more disaster to claim her and her mom's lives as the pièce de résistance of the nightmare they found themselves in. She had become detached and almost uninterested in everything around her.

"I'm going to protect you. I will." Mom kept saying that and Illyasviel believed it less and less each time. It was not that she didn't think her mom would try, she just knew she'd fail. That was how it always went. Nobody could really protect anyone from anything. The whims of a malicious fate was the only thing that held any power in the universe and said fate had an unfaltering desire to make everyone suffer for daring to exist.

It wasn't fair. Why couldn't things just be fair? Why couldn't the world be one where people who try to do good are rewarded or are at least left alone rather than punished?

No, Illyasviel wouldn't accept that the world was so unjust. Illyasviel just wasn't strong enough. Mom was strong, but she was just one person so there was only so much she could do. Illyasviel needed more power. She needed to be capable of fighting Servants on equal ground. If Illyasviel had been capable of that, then she would have been able to fight against the Servants that took Chloe away.

Power. How could Illyasviel get more power? What did she have? She had Avalon and her time magecraft which allowed her to move as fast as Servants and survive their attacks. Illyasviel's deficit was in terms of her offensive capabilities. Her absolute strongest spells could damage a Servant, but they were far from enough to deal a lethal blow unless she got lucky. She needed a secret weapon. She used to have one in her daddy's Thompson Contender and Origin Bullets, but the Contender got destroyed by Chloe during their first meeting. The bullets still existed though. Illyasviel needed to figure out another way to use them since they were still capable of destroying magecraft and mangling the Magic Circuits of a target; a perfect way of defeating Servants. She could make another gun that was compatible with the bullets using alchemy, but the new gun could get destroyed like the old one. The bullets themselves needed to be the focus of their own usage, no external mechanisms required.

It was then that the lightbulb finally lit up in Illyasviel's mind.

Illyasviel yanked herself out of her mom's hug and ran towards her bedroom while mom followed out of concern. Entering her room, Illyasviel found the case where she kept all her Origin Bullets and dumped them onto the bed in one pile. Mom watched as Illyasviel began using her alchemy on the bullets to fuse them together and reshape them. Normally the Origin Bullets would be immune to magecraft based transformation, but the fact that the bullets were made from her daddy's body made Illyasviel an exception to the rule. The image in Illyasviel's mind that acted as the blueprint of what she was making was so clear it was as if she was already holding her new weapon. Illyasviel recently learned that, because of Avalon, her Origin had become 'sword.' Illyasviel had an affinity for swords and so she would channel that affinity into a weapon that would be even more fitting for her than firearms. This was the first time Illyasviel was actively utilizing her Origin and yet it felt so natural. Her mind was clear in a way it never had been before. For the first time, Illyasviel would walk towards achieving her full potential as magus.

As the bullets all blended into a single amorphous mass, Illyasvile poured her soul into this creation. She was taking the ultimate gift her daddy left for her after his death, the Origin Bullets, and using them to create something new, something she could use to protect herself and her mom against the darkness of the Grail. A hilt was formed and Illyasviel grabbed it with both hands. It felt right in her hands. It was hot as if it came right out of a forge and yet it did not hurt to hold. A straight double edged blade extended from the handle. The sword was thin and all silver. It was designed to be effective and without unnecessary flourishes. It almost resembled a rapier, but with a guard that was circular like a katana's. The weapon as a whole looked like an overly long sewing needle due to its thinness and argent coloration. Illya moved the weapon around, swinging it carefully. She felt the weight in her hands and got used to it. She now held the power to cut and tie, destroy magecraft, and maul the Magic Circuits of anyone unlucky enough to be given even the smallest cut. The legacy of Kiritsugu Emiya and the potential of Illyasviel von Einzbern had come together to create the Origin Sword. Now all Illyasviel needed was training in swordsmanship.

"Illya." Mom said as she looked on at her daughter's invention.

"Mom, you've spent your whole life trying to protect our family. It's time someone tried to protect you."

Mom's eyes leaked tears again as she pressed her lips together tightly.

"But, I'm your mother. It's my job to protect you."

"We can protect each other. You don't have to do everything yourself. You aren't perfect and neither am I. That's okay."

"I see." Mom sniffled and smiled bittersweetly. "Thank you, Illya. I'm glad you're my daughter."

"I will need you to teach me how to wield a sword. I've got no idea how." Illyasviel smirked a bit. She couldn't bring herself to smile properly given all they had lost recently.

"We can begin right now if you'd like." Mom wiped her tears away with her gloved hand.

"I would."

Illyasviel felt a twinge of hope be birthed in her heart as she tried to be optimistic about the future.

They moved to the destroyed courtyard of the castle. Most of the walls had collapsed while the flowers and shrubbery looked like they had been thrown into a wood chipper three times over. Illyasviel heard the clattering of shaking metal and saw that the hand she held her Origin Sword in was shaking.

"Are you thinking about Chloe?" Mom put her hand on her daughter's.

"Yeah."

"She'll be okay. They won't hurt her because they need her alive."

"I know. I just feel bad."

"We'll save her. The war's far from over. Holy Grail Wars usually last two weeks."

"They better be treating her as a princess."

"From what you told me, the Servant you spoke with was polite and reasonable. She should treat Chloe right."

"I hope so. Anyway, let's get practicing."

"First we should wrap the blade of your new sword up with something. It would be bad if I accidentally got cut while we trained and had my Magic Circuits ruined."

"Good idea." Illyasviel spotted the tattered remains of a white curtain and turned it into a fabric sheath for her sword so there'd be no unfortunate accidents while training. "Chloe probably won't mind. Alright, let's do this."

"Okay. To start, try to copy my stance." Mom summoned her invisible blade and took her usual sword stance next to Illyasviel. The homunculus imitated her mother's pose as best she could, though it was a little difficult considering her mom's weapon was transparent and thus Illyasviel couldn't line up her weapon with her mother's. "Keep that pose." Mom got out of her stance and began inspecting Illyasviel's posture. The knight adjusted her daughter's body in several ways. "Your sword is relatively light so you can't hold it the way I do. Hold it like this. Make sure to always be aware of your wrists, they're the core to keeping control of your blade. Actually, I don't think your sword can be used two-handed. It's a one handed sword in the same family as the rapier. It makes sense since weight isn't that important when your blade can incapacitate the target with a small injury. You can't use this sword like I use Excalibur. Can you hand me your sword for a moment." Illyasviel complied and saw her mother take a stance where she stood almost completely sideways with her sword wielding arm in front. "Copy me." Illyasviel did. "Hold that stance." Ilyasviel did. Mom put the Origin Sword into her daughter's hand and once again began adjusting the girl's positioning while giving more explanations as to the logic behind each adjustment. Every piece of advice her mother gave her was burned into Illyasviel's memory as if by a branding iron. "That's your stance. Do you think you can fight like this?"

"I think so."

"Get out of the stance and stand normally." Illyasviel stood up straight. "Now get back into it. I want to see that you remember it and can enter it quickly." Illyasviel did so and with only some slight adjustments by her mother. Mom had Illyasviel get in and out of her swordsmanship stance over and over until she could enter it as fast as was physically possible and without any part of her body out of place. "Excellent. Now let's go over the different ways you can use your sword."

Illyasviel let her worries wash away as she learned and practiced dozens of different kinds of thrusts, slashes, deflections, feints, counters, and blocks, as well as how to move, evade, and react quickly while in her swordsmanship stance. It was a lot to take in so quickly, but mom provided positive reinforcement and solid directing which allowed Illyasviel to stay motivated and avoid being overwhelmed.

"Do you think you're ready to try sparring?" Mom asked.

"I'm as ready as I can be." Illyasviel was sweating.

"I'll hold back, but that doesn't mean I'll be gentle." Picking up a vaguely sword shaped stick as her weapon, mom got into her usual combat stance. "On three." Illyasviel nodded. "One. Two. Three!"

Illyasviel used time alter and reinforcement magecraft before proceeding to move first. She thrust her sword for her mother's torso, only for the Servant to dodge to the side before taking a step forward and slashing. It was by a hair's breadth that Illyasviel pulled her sword back and blocked the branch. Mom pressed the side of her stick into the sword and engaged Illyasviel in a 'bind.' The stick kept pushing against the wrapped blade and Illyasivel began getting forced back, almost falling onto her buttocks. Illyasviel had no chance at overpowering her mother so she tried to push her mom's stick to the side and open her guard. She succeeded in this and stabbed forward now that her mom's chest was open. Mom began leaning back, the strength of her abdominals allowing her to bend back far enough that her upper body was parallel with the ground without falling. The sword missed because of this and mom jerked her body back up and around Illyasviel's weapon. The branch swung diagonally up as she ascended and the next thing Illyasviel knew, she was in the air. The mana burst powered hit had knocked her skyward and a moment later, she felt pain in her side from the impact she failed to see. Illyasviel saw her mother leap above her and swing down with another Mana Burst attack. The homunculus blocked mom's strike, but the force sent her careening into the ground. Illyasviel's body bounced upon impact. Her bones and organs were struggling to stay intact. Mom needed to hold back a bit more if Illyasviel was to survive.

"I won that round. Are you okay?" Mom landed and crouched down to see if Illyasviel was okay.

"It's a little telling that you had to state that you won before asking if I was okay." Illyasviel sat up.

"It doesn't tell anything." Mom turned her head in embarrassment.

Illyasviel was helped onto her feet by mom and they continued sparring. As it turned out, mom may not have been the best teacher. Even if she did give advice after each match on how to improve that was very thorough, and she provided a plethora of positive reinforcement, her primary method of education was beating the shit out of Illyasviel over and over. Mom wasn't giving her daughter much of a chance to practice her different techniques, because Illyasviel was too preoccupied with doing whatever she could to not get smacked onto her ass. It wasn't that mom's teaching style wasn't allowing Illyasviel to improve. The homunculus was getting better at adapting and understanding how to deal with certain attacks, but that didn't mean Illyasviel was thriving. She would have learned better from a teaching method that spent more time on swordsmanship theory and not just the praxis.

The training continued for hours. They didn't take any kind of breaks and just kept training, Illyasviel relying on Avalon to allow her to just keep practicing while ignoring fatigue. The sky turned from blue to orange as Illyasviel gained more control over the Origin Sword, memorizing its weight and how every possible motion of her body affected her hold on the weapon. The blade felt like an extension of her arm with her wrist as an extra elbow. She learned how to maneuver the blade however she wanted. It felt so comfortable in Illyasviel's hand that she didn't want to ever let it go. She hadn't mastered it yet, but this was the one sword that she ever could master. She was fundamentally not a swordsman like her mom, but the sword she held was born from the power of her Origin, her magecraft, and the bones of her daddy and his Origin. The Origin Sword wasn't just a weapon, it was a part of Illyasviel.

As the fight went on, Illyasviel felt something she never had before. She had heard from both her mom and Gray that there's a unique feeling one gets when they face a strong opponent in close quarters combat. Illyasviel always used firearms, so she always took their word for it. Now she knew what they were talking about. Every time she responded to her mom's attacks and she attacked back in kind, she felt like she could read her mom's thoughts. Mother and daughter were analyzing each other's habits and strategies. They were gaining a new understanding of each other through their mutual analysis of each other in an attempt to claim victory. Illyasviel felt closer to her mom than she ever had before, peering beyond the veil of the physical and into the emotional depths within her mortal mind. Illyasviel saw her mom's pain from losing her family, her regret over her every action, her desire to just give up and die so she could be at peace. Illyasviel also saw the determination in her mom's heart to protect Illyasviel and make sure she lived a life of bliss.

Illyasviel was crying in her mom's place. Mom didn't stop the match or even verbally acknowledge Illyasviel's weeping. She understood what was happening. The emotional release of crying on her mother's behalf also allowed Illyasviel to expel the despair she was already feeling at losing her mama and her siblings. As all her emotions began being worn on her sleeve, Illyasviel felt herself ascend to a higher level of skill with her weapon. Her mind flowed without any inhibition and she simply acted through instinct rather than having to think about every action she took. Illyasviel felt the hope inside her build and she drew out reserves of strength she didn't know she had within her. Just as she had begun reaching towards her true potential as a magus, she was also beginning down the path of a warrior. Alchemy from her mama, Avalon and swordsmanship from her mom, the Origin Sword and a Magic Crest from her daddy. Illyasviel's three parents had all blessed her with things that she would now use in tandem to become strong.

The night came and the area lacked light from the house due to the walls surrounding the courtyard all having crumbled and their lights with them. The only illumination was from the stars above.

"I think that's enough for today." As soon as mom said that, Illyasviel fell back onto the ground. She laid on her back with her limbs stretched out as she stared at the sky. Eyes were still puffy, but her tears had dried and so her view of the heavens was unhindered. There were so many lights in the sky and they were all so pretty. Despite everything that had gone wrong, the jewel adorned sky would always be there. Mom sat down next to her daughter. "You did great. Your progress has been swift."

"Thanks. I'm gonna protect you."

"And I'll protect you."

"The sky is really pretty."

"It is."

"Even if humanity dies because of Avenger, the sky won't change. It'll keep being beautiful."

"It will."

"But we won't be there to appreciate it. If there are any other lifeforms who will be left to stare up at this sky, they might not appreciate the sky. They might not find it captivating like we do."

"That is possible."

"So we need to make sure humanity survives. Not just for humanity, but for the sky."

"Was saving humanity not enough of a reason in and of itself to fight the Grail?"

"I just want to come up with as many reasons as necessary to make sure we don't give up."

"Smart. You're a good girl, Illya."

"I'm an adult, mom. I don't think I'm a 'girl' anymore."

"You'll always be my little girl. I didn't give birth to you and I've only known you for ten years, but I love you from the depths of my soul."

"I love you too, mom. Like you said, you didn't give birth to me, but you're my mom."

Illyasviel and her mom enjoyed the beauty of the starry night together.

They were there for at least an hour when Sella appeared in the courtyard.

"Hey, Sella." Illyasviel said.

"Hello. We just got contacted by the overseer."

"What did he say?" Mom stood up.

"He said that the Holy Grail War is hereby canceled and that all Masters and their Servants are to appear in person at the Fuyuki church."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"What?"