The Lion King looked up at the Greater Grail floating at the top of the cavern. Its womb was destroyed thanks to Heracles' sacrifice, but the wish granter could still flood the World with curses if it wasn't terminated. Below the black sphere was a plateau where the Black Grail stood as a thoughtless puppet. At the entrance of the cave, Artoria was comforting Chloe who was still reeling from the demise of her father figure. Neither of them would be able to fight in their condition, so it was all up to the Lion King to finish off the Holy Grail.
The dark eye began to weep mud that dripped onto the plateau. The goddess had to stop the Grail or it would generate enough mud to make more giants, or even create more Alter Servants. If Heracles Alter appeared while the Lion King was so greatly fatigued, then this battle was lost.
Rhongomyniad began to change as the goddess held it out, tip pointed towards the Greater Grail. It was time to use the holy spear's main ability. The Noble Phantasm known as Rhongomynaid was not actually a weapon, or rather its main purpose was not to act as a weapon. The tower that resembled a spear was an anchor that held Textures of the World in place. More specifically, it existed to pin down the modern world of humanity and the Reverse Side of the World, keeping them in place and as they were. The pillar of the farthest ends could restrain Mystery and such a capability made it a useful tool in the current situation. The spear floated out of the Lion King's hand as it changed into a long golden crystal with an ornamental ring around it. It glimmered so brightly that it lit up the cave.
"Rhongomyniad Mythos!" A beam of light fired from the crystal and pierced into the Greater Grail. The seal of Rhongomyniad reached into the core of the polluted wish granter and 'pinned it down.' Just like how the holy spear itself had thirteen restraints that prevented its true power from being utilized, a great limiter was now being put upon the Grail that prevented it from releasing more curses, or from doing anything else for that matter. Due to the goddess being in a weakened state, she couldn't properly seal the Grail for a century like Rhongomyniad Mythos was supposed to. Instead this seal would only last for a few minutes.
As the Lion King kept firing the beam into the Grail, the mud that had already been excreted gathered around the Black Grail. There wasn't enough mud to make a titan, but it was still a pile three times the homunculus' size. The vessel herself blinked rapidly and held out her arms. She grabbed her head and winced as she looked around the room. The grip Avenger had on Irisviel's mind had loosened enough that she regained sapience.
"Iri!" Artoria's voice echoed across the chamber and grabbed the Lesser Grail's attention.
Before, Irisviel gave Artoria a vacant look when the knight called out to her. This time, the Black Grail sneered.
"I'm really sick of you." Irisviel had been freed from the Grail's direct control, but she still had been tainted by its pollutants. Her Mind and Soul had been scarred, fused with pure hatred. Even if the Greater Grail was destroyed, Irisviel wouldn't stop being the Black Grail.
Artoria clenched her fist so tightly that her nails dug into her palm and caused it to bleed. Chloe put a hand on her back.
"We'll save her." Chloe said.
"I know." Artoria took a breath.
"No you won't." The Black Grail flicked her wrist and some of the mud around her formed into bullets that fired at the Lion King, Artoria, and Chloe. The goddess couldn't move or do anything other than keep the Greater Grail anchored. Neither Artoria or Chloe could block or dodge the curse shots.
"Fuck!" Chloe put up a barrier.
"No!" The goddess braced herself.
"Iri!" Artoria said.
Two blurs entered the chamber. One grabbed Artoria and Chloe, flying them out of the way of the bullets while the other stopped in front of the Lion King. A knight slashed with a blade wreathed in black and gold lightning that destroyed the mud shots heading for the goddess.
Mordred floated with winged sandals, as did Illya who had Chloe and Artoria in her arms. Illya was no longer in her Dress of Heaven given it would turn Artoria to gold upon touching her, instead wearing the sports bra and compression shorts she had underneath.
"Great, the whole family's here." The Black Grail's veins pressed against her skin as they bulged.
"Mama!" Illya jerked her head forward as she yelled. "We're gonna sa-"
"All of you shut up about saving me!" A whip of mud lashed out at Illya and her passengers, but they flew out of the way. The tendril kept swiping at the trio even though it missed every time. "I don't need to be saved! For the first time in my life, I'm doing what I want! I'm free!"
"You're free?" Artoria said. "You weren't even conscious before, because the Grail was controlling you! It's just using you for its own ends!"
"The Grail hasn't freed you, it's controlling you just like the Einzberns did! It'll never make you feel happy or at peace! Even if you and the Grail eliminate humanity, you still won't feel better!" Chloe added.
"N-" Irisviel couldn't rebut them, for she knew they were right. "It doesn't matter! All that matters is making everyone suffer! Humanity needs to die!"
"No, the Grail needs to die." Mordred held out his sword and its blade was encased in a tornado of light and darkness.
"Stop!" The Black Grail formed all her mud into a three meter long spear that hurtled towards Mordred with surprising speed. Mordred raised his weapon as the energy around it grew into a high column. Particles of purple and gold filled the room as the spear was like a flash as it accelerated from having all the Black Grail's magical energy pumped into it. If it hit its mark, it would impale not only Mordred, but also the Lion King which would end Rhongomyniad Mythos' seal on the Greater Grail. It was all over if that happened.
"Excalibur-" Mordred took a step forward and swung his arms down. The spear kept getting closer. The light and darkness of the half-corrupted holy sword began to amass and fire forward. The spear was nearly past the point where the blade's blast would cross. The sword's power flared and exploded into a great beam that overtook the mud weapon and reduced it to nothingness before Mordred could even finish calling his Noble Phantasm's True Name.
"Camlann!" The spiral ray shot right into Holy Grail. The magical energy in the chamber became so dense that it overwhelmed the senses and stopped the Lion King's breathing. The well of hate that hung in the air tried to endure the destructive force it was being drowned in, but the wish granter's fate had been decided the moment that Mordred had entered the chamber. No, it had been decided as soon as Mordred had been resummoned as an Alter Servant by the Black Grail. They had made the mistake of thinking that Mordred would be easy to manipulate, but the strength of will the knight possessed was beyond comprehension. Once he found something to live for, he was a force one should never hope to face in the theater of battle. The Holy Grail began to crack and fall apart like a crumbling ball of glass. The great threat to Human Order, the wretched device that had been the centerpiece of these foolish Holy Grail Wars which had imbibed the lives of countless magi, heroes, and innocents, was finally facing its dismantling. Watching the cause of so much suffering be deconstructed by a great wave was satisfying, but it also left the goddess anxious. Was it really going to be destroyed? The constant tragedies and turns for the worse had left the king cynical. An explosion rocked the entire mountain and forced everyone to look away lest they go blind from the light.
Once everything quieted down, the Lion King opened their eye. There was no Holy Grail in sight, nor was there any mud except for that which robed the Black Grail. The goddess looked around, trying to find something wrong to validate her cynicism, but all she could find was the Black Grail who was standing with her shoulders forward and head down, Mordred standing tall in front of the Lion King, and Illya carrying her mom and twin.
"It's dead!" Illya put her passengers down and she and Chloe high fived.
"Fuck yeah!" Chloe raised her arms before hunching forward. "Mordred finished the job for you Archer. You can rest easy."
Artoria took a deep breath as she looked at the spot where the Holy Grail once was.
"Finally! I thought that dumb ball would never die!" Add returned to his normal form. "Great job, Mordred! You didn't screw up this time! It's a miracle!"
"Shut it." Mordred responded with a bite to his voice that sounded more like the old Mordred than the Altered one.
"You did a wonderful job." The Lion King put a hand on Mordred's shoulder.
"You really did." Artoria walked over and put a hand on Mordred's other shoulder.
The knight looked back and forth at his mom and his…other mom who was also her sister? Mordred blushed and scratched his cheek.
"It was…well it was a big deal but…mmm." Mordred couldn't find the right words it seemed.
"You people just have to keep ruining my life. So close. I was so close, and you people had to ruin everything." Irisviel spoke in a whisper and yet her words managed to echo throughout the chamber. She scratched at her head, nails digging into her skin and splitting it open. Blood dirtied her hair as her black dress shifted into a series of amorphous blades. She leaped off the plateau and made a mad dash towards her family. "I hate you! I hate all of you!"
"We'll save you." Artoria whispered. "Mordred. Goddess Rhongomyniad. I'm sorry, but can I trust you both to restrain Iri. We just need to hold her down and then we can try our plan to restore her to normal."
"We've got this!" Mordred and the Lion King towards Irisviel.
"Just die!" Tears of mud left Irisviel's eyes and her dress of blades swung and stabbed at the two knights. Add formed into his scythe form. Normally the Lion King would want to use his halberd form since it was an approximation of Rhongomyniad, but some part of the goddess wanted to use the scythe instead. The Lion King blocked the various mud blades with Add while he absorbed ambient magical energy. After the Grail's destruction, there was so much mana in the air that the goddess was quickly rejuvenated.
Mordred slashed and used Mana Burst several times to destroy the mud blades of Irisviel's dress. Her mud was a serious threat in large quantities, but it wasn't as big a problem in small amounts, at least for combatants as strong and skilled as the Lion King and Mordred Alter.
"I hate you!" Irisviel was pushed to the ground, Mordred sitting atop of her and unsummoning his armor so as to avoid crushing the homunculus. Mordred was left with a blue suit and tie that he wore under his armor. The Lion King and the rest of Irisviel's family formed a half-circle around the pinned woman. "I hate all of you! Why can't you all just die? Just die! Die! Die already!"
"Add." The Lion King said.
"I got it right here for ya!" Add's body opened up and released a light that faded to reveal a bottle of glowing blue liquid. The Lion King grabbed it and kneeled over Irisviel's head.
"Don't even think of trying to force me to drink that! I don't know what it is, but as soon as you try, I'll kill myself. I have mud wrapped around my heart that'll crush it with one thought from me."
The Lion King froze right as she was going to uncork the potion.
"Can't Add do that thing he just did before to seal Iri's mud powers?" Chloe grabbed the goddess' forearm.
"I don't have enough magical energy." The Lion King quivered. Her voice was softer than normal. Gray's personality was surfacing. "And even if I did, using Rhongomyniad Mythos twice in a row would be too much strain on Add. He could die."
"Iri, please just drink this potion. We're trying to take away your hatred." Mom got on her knees and crawled over to her beloved's face.
"I don't want it taken away! I want it released! I want people to suffer like I have!"
"Iri, please! Would Kiritsugu want this?"
"Wh-Who cares what he'd want? He's responsible for my suffering! He and I could have run away together, but instead he insisted on fighting in that stupid Holy Grail War!"
"You loved him! He was the man who taught you to be human!" Mom's fingers dug into the ground. "He wasn't perfect, but nobody is and that's okay! Please, Iri, just stop and think! Kiritsugu loved you! I love you! We all love you! You aren't alone in your pain!"
"Shut up! I'll k-kill myself! I really will!"
"Mama!" Illya was in tears. "Please don't die! I want to keep living with you! You're my mama! I need you!"
"Well I don't need you!" Irisviel looked away from her daughter.
"Look at me when you say that! Look me in the eye and say that! I'll believe you if you do, but if you can't, then that proves you don't mean what you say!"
"Fine then!" Irisviel swiveled head to look Illya in the eye, but her burst of bravado shriveled away as soon as she actually gazed upon her weeping daughter's face. The Black Grail's white skin somehow paled further and she looked away again. "I won't play your stupid games!"
"Irisviel." Chloe's voice was unexpected. "I know what you're feeling."
"How could you know?" Irisviel spat.
"I lived a life of constant torture when I was being raised by the Einzberns. I never could rest, never have fun. Any failure was met with pain so horrible that I still have nightmares every night. I ended up filled with so much hatred for everything and anything that I was desperate for an outlet to let out all the fury inside me. I wanted to kill you and your family because of these misguided feelings. It was only when I lashed out at Sella, at someone I love, that I realized I was willing to kill anyone as long as I got to utilize my anger. There was no way I'd be satisfied or happy if I kept on that path." Chloe put a hand on her chest. "It was inner peace that I needed. I know that sounds pretentious and it's definitely easier said than done. I'm still full of hate that I have to restrain and channel. I'll probably always have some of this hatred in me. I'll never truly be at peace, but I think I can get close to it. What I'm saying is that I'm trying to improve and not just for my family, but also for myself. I'm being altruistic and selfish. Irisviel, you've suffered like I have and I know that if I'm strong enough to live with my pain, then you certainly can too."
"Wha-y-you-" Irisviel had wide eyes as she was overwhelmed by Chloe's words. Her teeth clattered against each other.
"All you have to do is drink the potion and all the suffering will stop." Add said. "The way I said that sounded a little suspicious, but I'm being genuine. You just have to trust us."
"Trust? Why should I trust any of you? What even is that potion?"
"It's the Potion of Youth. It will revert you to before you were polluted by the Grail. It's supposed to reduce you to childhood, but since you're an artificially created homunculus who aged super quickly, you'll probably stay an adult, or you'll grow back up really fast. The only sticking point is that the potion causes those who drink it to keep their memories, but not their personality, that gets reverted to what it was when the drinker was a child. Normally that would make the potion a no-go and we'd just use Avalon, but that wouldn't work since it only dispels outside influence and the curses have become a fundamental part of your body at this point. The reason we decided to stick with the potion is that, since you had no distinct personality before Kirtsugu met you, you probably won't lose your current identity since you have no previous traits to revert to. There's no old identity that would come into conflict with your current one, and even if you reverted to a doll, your memories should make you develop more or less the same personality that you have now."
"But you don't know that for sure. I might just become an emotionless husk again. The person I am now will die." Irisviel scowled.
"We're certain it will work." Mom said. "Please, Iri, trust us."
"Why should I? Everything keeps going wrong no matter what anybody promises."
"I-eh-Mordred kept his promise. Your Mordred kept his promise to protect you." Mordred Alter spoke softly.
"He did and it cost him his life. Things still went wrong."
"But you brought me back." Mordred Alter's sentence didn't garner a significant response initially, but then everyone realized the implications of how Mordred phrased his statement. 'Brought ME back.'
"Hold on." Mom wrapped her arms around Mordred. "You're…"
"I'm Mordred, the old Mordred, and yet I'm also Mordred Alter. When I was first revived as an Alter, the memories of my Alter self colored my perceptions of reality. I became pissed off at myself. I was so guilty to know I actually succeeded in killing mom in another reality that I felt the need to atone. That became my personality and it made me think I wasn't really the same as the old me, but I am. I'm Mordred. I'm a part of your family." Mordred's eyes got cloudy before tears started to drip down onto Irisviel's face as he sat atop her. "I was so scared when I died. I had finally found the family I'd always wanted, and I had to die to protect it. It wasn't that I didn't feel proud doing so, but I was also terrified to disappear and lose everything I had found. That's why I'm so glad you brought me back, mama. You saved me and that's why I want to save you now. I want to thank you for all you've done for me, for saving me and accepting me as a part of your family. I want us to live together again, all of us. I want us to be a family again, mama."
"Mordred." Mom hugged her son tight as she began to cry as well. She pressed her head into Mordred's shoulder. "Thank God. You're alive. You're alive."
Illya dropped to her knees and covered her mouth as she sobbed with joy while Chloe crouched down and hugged her.
The Lion King felt a stirring within herself upon learning her brother was alive. Gray's personality had already begun resurfacing in her, just as it had when she confronted the Black Grail atop the Vimana days ago, but this time it was stronger. The old Mordred had managed to persist despite having a new identity forced upon him. It inspired the existence that had been buried within the goddess, lighting its will ablaze. The Lion King's very essence was rumbling, her personality and Saint Graph forming a fence that was trying to keep out Gray. Even though the goddess wanted Gray to return, it was ultimately only Gray that could restore herself, and it had to be through sheer force of will just as Mordred had done. The difference was that Mordred was ultimately just accepting himself, but Gray was actively fighting against a power that was trying to suffocate her Mind and Soul.
The tears kept falling on Irisviel's face as she laid there with her mouth hanging open and eyes trained squarely on Mordred.
"You're…here." Irisviel put a hand on Mordred's cheek. This latest revelation, bolstered by the various sentiments of love from the other members of the Pendragon family, chipped away at the corruption within the homunculus. The Grail was no longer giving a direct feed of curses into Irisviel so she could actually have her heart swayed. Irisviel's hand trailed down to Mordred's neck. Her eyebrows curved and her brow creased as she began to squeeze Mordred's throat. The hatred within her was still alive. "I-I…I still hate you."
"Please, mama. Stop." Mordred was never going to choke from the weak grip of his adoptive mother, but the sentiment hurt far more than any physical wound.
When the Lion King gazed upon Irisviel's face, she did not see hatred. What she saw was defiance. She was fighting against the mud, but she wasn't winning. There was a desire to let go of her resentment even though the voices of the mud were screaming at her to rage at everything within her reach. Despite everything weighing on her, Irisviel was still fighting. Mama was still fighting.
The Lion King was shaking. Gray was struggling even more to breach the surface of the goddess' shell. She had been motivated by both her brother's success in regaining himself and her mama's efforts to do so as well. Gray wasn't going to give up until she was in control of herself again and she could help her mama return to normal.
Gray was at the center of the Lion King's Divine Core. It was like being imprisoned in the heart of a star as the goddess' heat tried to reduce Gray to nothing. The young girl felt the outer layers of her existence burning away which she then had to recreate with pure determination. The pain was something all-encompassing and impossible to ignore. It was indescribable because it was a suffering that exceeded the physical and even the mental as it damaged the very concept of the person known as Gray and the information that defined that concept. It was a genuine miracle that she was still persisting despite the pain she was feeling and the difference in power between her and Goddess Rhongomyniad. She was a human who had been thrown into the Sun, and yet she was still alive and hadn't yet lost her mind from the suffering. Instead she was pushing back against the light of the goddess with a recalcitrant spirit. The only way Gray could be free would be if she could consume the goddess and thus switch their positions in the current dynamic. Was Gray capable of that? It really wasn't worth questioning 'if' as Gray refused to give up, so the only thing she had to ask was how much harder she had to fight to take control.
It was funny how much Gray had been terrified of losing her identity, of becoming someone other than herself, but now that it had essentially happened, she wasn't afraid at all. Gray knew that the smallest remnants of who she was could still be snuffed out, that she was still in danger of finally disappearing, but now that the event she dreaded was still only a step away, she became focused. She wasn't wasting her time worrying, she only concerned herself with handling the problem now that it was here. The fear of becoming nothing was no longer something abstract and unquantifiable, it was something measurable and tangible, something Gray could understand and overcome. Gray's foe was not infinite. She reached out and took hold of the light around her and made it hers. The Lion King wasn't fighting against Gray, so as long as she could withstand holding the total power of the goddess within herself, Gray could take back control. The difficulty for Gray was trying not to lose herself to the might she was taking in. If her concentration faltered for the briefest instant, then she would finally die for good.
Gray was drinking in the waters of a sea of light that looked endless, but she knew it wasn't. She would ingest it all eventually as long as she didn't give up. Just keep drinking. Ignore the pain, just keep drinking. You'll be done eventually, so just keep drinking. Your mama's fighting too, so just keep drinking. Just keep drinking. Keep drinking. Drink. Drink. Drink. It hurts so fucking much. The pain just won't stop. Why hadn't she finished drinking yet? Would she even be done? Would she ever be free? She could just give up. She could sleep then. The pain would end. It'd be so easy. No! Fight! Drink it all! Gray couldn't give up! She needed to return to her family! They were going to reunite and then they'd live happily ever after! No more magecraft or Holy Grail Wars, just peaceful days. Gray could do this. More and more divine light was taken into Gray and caused her existence to grow, making her fill up more of the Lion King's Mind and Soul. It was working, Gray was gaining more control, but this caused even greater pain. She just had to keep on drinking, fighting, growing. Every moment was progress made towards freedom. Keep going. So close. Gray just had to endure for a little longer.
A touch. Gray had hit the edge of the sea. She had done it. Thank God.
The pain had gone away. Gray was within a black void filled with glowing gold lines. They were her Magic Circuits and they were filled with the Divinity and Authority of the Lion King who was now floating in front of the young girl.
"I did it." Gray felt a catharsis that was so intense that she didn't know what to do, she was too absorbed in her relief. She was basking in the absence of agony, her thoughts reduced to a dull haze.
"You did." The goddess smiled. "I knew you could. You're strong, Gray."
"Thank you."
"Now you need to send me away."
"What?" Gray's mind regained focus.
"Your personality has been restored, but it won't last long if I'm still within you. You need to return me to the Throne of Heroes. I'm weakened from the earlier fight which, alongside the damage I took to the core due to Diarmuid, has made me a feeble enough existence that you can eject me from yourself now that you're in control."
"Oh." Gray frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"You're going to disappear. I feel bad."
"You wanted to be your own individual, yes? Shouldn't you be happy to have me gone?"
"I know, but I still don't want you to disappear. You helped so much with destroying the Grail and you protected my family. I'm so thankful to you for all you've done in my place."
"I was just doing what any human would have in my situation." The Lion King put her hands on Gray's shoulders. "You've given me the opportunity to save the World as a human. That's a treasure I will appreciate until the end of time."
Gray reached out and hugged the goddess. The Lion King held her arms out, hesitant to reciprocate before she relented with a grin and embraced the young girl. This pair had come to have a uniquely intimate understanding of each other. They saw each other's memories and felt each other's emotions. Despite the turmoil the Lion King's manifestation caused Gray, she was still glad the goddess was there to provide her strength to protect their family. To lose the Lion King would be like losing a part of Gray, but it was only in excising the goddess that Gray could finally be who she truly was.
"Goodbye, Lion King."
"Goodbye, Gray."
They pushed away from each other and shared one last meeting of gazes before Gray closed her eyes. She concentrated on expelling the Divinity within her Circuits. The golden light in the veins around her began to rise and flow out, changing to a cool green that was Gray's own magical energy. The Lion King dissipated and Gray felt herself rise up. She was rushing towards consciousness, mere moments away from breaching the surface.
Gray opened her eyes for the first time in over a week. She looked upon the crimson cave and the faces of her family. She smelled the putrid stench of the Grail's mud and tasted the accompanying sour flavor that filled her mouth. The weight of her own body and the voices of her loved ones made Gray realize she was back, she really was herself again. She was real and alive.
"I'm back." Gray was crying from her one eye. She wasn't bawling her eyes out the way she thought she wound. It was a gentle flow of tears as she remained tranquil.
Everyone looked at Gray.
"What do you mean?" Chloe hadn't picked up on what had happened. Everyone else needed only a single glance at the woman before them, at their family to know that, even if she still looked like the Lion King, she was Gray. Chloe noticed everyone's shocked expressions. "What'd I mi-"
"Gray!" Both mom and Illya latched onto Gray as if she would disappear if they didn't catch her in time. They squeezed Gray so tight that it actually aggravated her wounds, but she didn't say anything. Her happiness at being held by her family far exceeded any pain she was in.
"I missed you so much!" Illya rubbed her cheek against her sister's. "I love you so much, Gray! You're my favorite little sister!"
"I'm your only little sister. Well, I guess Chloe's your little sister too."
"Am I?" Chloe pointed at herself.
"I mean you're essentially identical twins, but you're younger than Illya so-"
"Both of you, shut up! I'm having a moment!" Illya yelled while ugly crying.
"I'm so sorry!" Mom was shaking. "I failed to keep you from losing yourself. It's all my fault."
"No it isn't." Gray had almost forgotten the guilt mom felt for her situation. "Let's stop with the self-flagellating. Everyone keeps blaming themselves over something or other and all it does at this point is hurt us. We all need to just let go of the past and move on."
"You're right. You're right." Mom's voice evened out. "No more looking for who to blame things on."
"Good." Gray smiled and hugged her mom and sister back.
"Hey, Gray." Mordred had an unstable grin as he waved. He probably didn't want to subject Gray to even more iron maiden-esk hugs. Also he was still busy pinning mama down.
"Hey." Gray giggled a bit from the awkwardness and waved back.
"I'm glad you're back."
"I'm glad you're back too." Gray waved at Chloe. "Hi, Chloe."
"Hi." Chloe looked especially uncomfortable. "Sorry that the plan I suggested about finding Aozaki led to you getting ambushed and everything."
"It's okay. Like I said before, no more blame."
"Right."
Gray looked down at Add, her best friend.
"Hi, Add." Gray could barely get the words out due to how much she just wanted to cry out with joy.
"Hey, Gray. Been a bit." Add spoke softly. "Missed ya bud."
"I missed you too." Gray lifted Add to her cheek in an approximation of an embrace.
"Gray." The word fell out of mama's mouth. "Mordred. You're both alive."
"We are." Gray said.
"You're okay."
"That's right."
"You're really okay?"
"We're all okay. Things can turn out okay sometimes. I know that so many bad things have happened to us and it seems like there's no point in continuing to fight, but there is. We can win. Good things do happen. It isn't good all the time, I'm not sure if it's even good most of the time, but sometimes things are okay. I think that's enough to get by with, and we can get through the hard times together as a family." Gray sniffled. "I know that we can make each other upset sometimes, but I don't think we ever truly hurt each other. We're a family. We'll always be there for each other when it really matters. We're here for you right now, right, mama?"
"I…" Mama stared at the ceiling. "Where's the potion?"
"Right here." Gray held it out.
Mama swallowed some spit.
Mama inhaled deeply, air filling her lungs until her chest had visibly distended.
Mama exhaled slowly, a steady stream of carbon dioxide flowing past her lips.
"Pour the potion into my mouth."
"Wait, you trust us now?"
"Just pour it into my mouth before the curses make me change my mind!"
"O-Okay!" There was no time to contemplate mama's change of heart. All they could do was be thankful and put their plan into action.
Gray uncorked the bottle while mama held her mouth open. The potion poured down and mama drank the stream that splashed into the back of her throat. The blue liquid got all over her lips which she licked off to make sure she ingested as much of the potion as possible. Gray stopped pouring and the homunculus shivered.
"God, that tastes disgu-"
There was a flash of light with mama at its epicenter. It was impossible to see, but the magical energy of the Grail's mud that resided with mama could no longer be felt. The potion successfully rid her of the last remnants of Avenger's influence. The only question now was if Irisviel would still be herself, or if she'd revert to an emotionless doll.
The light faded and mama was still lying under Mordred, her dress of mud gone which left her in the nude. She was still an adult, so the potion didn't take her too far back. Mordred got off of her and she sat up.
"Iri." Mom spoke hesitantly.
"Yes?" Mama turned to face her. Her gaze was empty, not a trace of light in her eyes at all.
"Iri?"
"Yes?" Mama's voice was completely flat.
"Who are you?"
"I am Irisviel Pendragon, formerly Irisviel von Einzbern. I am a homunculus built to act as a Lesser Grail."
"W-What do you want to do right now?"
"I don't want anything."
"W-W-W…What are you feeling right now?"
"Nothing."
"No." Mom's face reddened and her teeth grit.
Gray's heart sank. There was a pit in her stomach as she processed the audacity of this moment, the blatant horror of this loss. Her mama was gone and Gray was desperate to try and think of a solution to this, to think of a way to save her, but nothing came to her mind.
Illya moaned in sorrow as she broke down. Chloe held her twin.
"Why?" Mordred clenched his fists and slammed one of them into his forehead. "Why?"
Add didn't even say anything. He just kept quiet.
It was like the entire world was unraveling. This couldn't be happening. They had come so infinitely close to a happy ending only for that ending to slip through their fingers like water at the last minute.
What next? Was the sky going to fall? Would the planet crumble? Did God just want to make everyone suffer? Was it a law of the universe that happiness was only allowed to last just long enough to make it hurt all the more when that happiness was stolen away.
Gray wasn't ready to say goodbye to her mama. She covered her face with her hands. She didn't want to look at anything. She didn't want to hear, or smell, or taste anything. All experience would only bring new sorrow.
Would it have been better if Gray hadn't returned? She should have embraced the bliss of nonexistence.
"Don't cry."
Gray's mind went blank before she looked at her mama.
"Don't cry." Mama said. Her previously phlegmatic face began to make small movements, hints of emotional expression.
"Iri, are you-" Mom got choked up.
"I remember. I don't just remember." The sides of mama's mouth twitched upward.
Illya pressed her arms tightly to the front of her chest.
"I feel things. I feel things about all of you." Mama's breathing became labored with feeling.
"What do you feel?" Mordred hunched forward.
"It's strong. It's a feeling that makes just looking at all of you a blissful experience." Mama's eyes lost their haze.
Really? Was this happening? Was this just a trick? Gray was afraid to believe, but she wanted to.
"The thing I feel for all of you, I think I know what it is. I think it's love. I love all of you." Mama smiled as she began to cry.
"Mama." Gray's breathing quickened. "Mama. Mama. Mama, you're…"
"I'm back." Mama said.
As if they were predators pouncing on their prey, Gray, mom, Mordred, and Illya all latched onto mama. They hugged her so hard that she quickly started turning red and not from embarrassment.
"I think she's dying." Chloe commented from a safe distance. The grips holding mama loosened just enough to stop hurting her, but they weren't letting her go any time soon.
"I missed you so much, Iri." Mom planted kisses all over mama's face.
"I missed you too." Mama held mom's face and they kissed each other on the lips. They separated and mama hiccuped. "I'm sorry for ev-"
"No more saying sorry!" Gray buried her face in her mama's back.
"Right." Mama chuckled. "No more sorries. Instead, I'll just promise this: Things are going to be great from now on, I know it."
"I knew you were too tough to go out that easily!" Add said as he bounced around despite lacking limbs.
"Is there any mud left in you or anything?" Illya said.
"No. The voices are gone thanks to all of you. It's so quiet inside my head now. The way I phrased that makes me sound like I'm dumb."
"That's gotta feel really cathartic." Mordred sat back. "Like taking a shit after holding it in for a day or two."
"Gross." Chloe groaned.
"That wasn't very…Mordred Alter-y of you."
"I'm trying to accept myself and that includes my true personality." Mordred looked over at mom. "I've tried to be like you for so long, or at least the Alter version of me has. The Altered me put on that persona for so long that I'd nearly forgotten who I really was. No more though. I'm Mordred and I'm proud."
"I'm happy to hear it." Mom looked peaceful. It was as if she was at ease for the first time in forever.
"How about we hit the old dusty trail?" Chloe stood up while taking off her fur coat and holding it out for mama. "I don't mean to cut this family reunion short, but I think you'll be able to enjoy it more in a house with food and cushy pillows than in this fuckin' cave from Hell."
"You're right." Mama took hold of the coat and began to stand, Illya and mom helping her to her feet. She slipped into the coat and snuggled into it. "Let's go. I'm tired, and hungry, and thirsty."
"I could eat, I suppose." Mom said which immediately got a laugh out of everyone but Chloe and herself. Mom blushed. "I'm not fond of the fact that the mere concept of me eating has become a joke."
"You have a bit of a glutinous streak, mom." Illya snickered.
"It's one of your charm points." Mama wrapped herself around mom's arm.
"Mom's not the only one with an appetite right now. I could eat a dragon right now." Mordred crossed his arms behind his head. "Who's gonna cook by the way?"
"I can." Gray raised a hand. "As long as there's ingredients, I'm sure I can whip something up to feed everyone. I'll make fudge for dessert."
"It'll be just like old times!" Add said.
It had been a long battle to cap off a war that caused great suffering. Lives were lost and wills were tested. The participants and those that allied themselves with them all faced each other in battle before coming together for the greater good. A lurking evil had hidden itself in the town of Fuyuki, but its existence was brought to the light. The coalition of heroes faced the evil as one and as many. Sacrifices were made, perhaps too many, but victory was claimed by the righteous and the villain of this tale was eradicated with little ceremony. The pointless ritual that had been the foundation for this averted disaster was aborted. Scars were left upon all the heroes that would never fully heal, but none of the heroes were broken. They still had the strength to persevere through the darkness that inevitably came with the act of living, all so they could savor the moments where they could bask in the light. These individuals would act as pillars to prop each other up when they weren't strong enough to endure by themselves, all while being able to exist as unique people with their own lives. The remaining Masters, Servants, and allies were all forged into stronger people as a result of this war. They had been forced into life or death situations that tested their morals, their ideals, their identities, and in the end they found out who they truly were.
The Fifth Fuyuki Holy Grail War was over and the victor was humanity.