Alright, I admit my mistake. Using the Incineration of Humanity was a bad idea, especially since I haven't even finished the Grand Order so I don't really understand the implications of it. When it comes down to it, I used the Incineration as a means to kill Shirou more than anything else. It also allowed me to do it in a way that minimizes contact with the old word. So yeah, my bad.

Sorry if reuploading gives y'all a bit of whiplash but as soon as I uploaded this chapter I saw a review with a very good question so I decided to answer it now rather than later.

Blucifer: Other melee weapons can be summoned like axes or spears, but their entire body will be made of metal. They're quite rare, though, like one in a few hundred thousand so they're referred to as swords as kind of a blanket term. Sword Arts can also be ranged, so there are still knights that specialize in ranged abilities. Merlin was one such practitioner of ranged attacks, almost never needing to step into the battlefield himself. When a person dies, the sword vanishes. Since the soul it was linked to was extinguished, it is removed from the mortal plane. A sword can be used as a weapon by a wielder that is not its own, but Sword Arts are inaccessible due to not having a link with said sword. The only way to form a link with a sword is to summon it. Dual sword wielders do exist, but only in the form of twin blades. Since Sword Arts are stored in the blades rather than the soul, having two blades makes Sword Arts a bit harder for dual blade users, but due to the fact that the blades reflect the soul to an extent, all dual blade users are talented and strong enough to make it work. There have been no recorded cases of a sword breaking, but it is possible. There are two ways to upgrade a sword. One is through the development of the body and mind. The sword grows with its wielder so the stronger a knight gets, the stronger the sword does. The second is through the absorption of monster blood. Monster blood can unlock new Sword Arts, but it cannot improve them. Yes, this does make a black market for monster blood, but due to it being unable to improve Sword Arts, it doesn't create as much of a divide as one might expect.

Chapter 4: A Promise of Victory

"C'mon! C'mon!" Elizabeth dragged Shiro through the crowded streets of the town, both sets of parents not far behind. Today was an important day for Elizabeth. She had recently turned eight and a knight from the kingdom had arrived to oversee the ritual. Of course Elizabeth had to have her best friend be there when she summons her sword.

When I summon my sword, I'll finally be able to beat him again! Elizabeth thought to herself. Despite being a year older than him, Shiro won their play fights more often than not. Despite both Lisa and Evan tutoring her extensively, Shiro's skill always outclassed her own, even if only a little.

"I'm right behind you, Lizzy," Shiro said. The first time he called her that, he got hit over the head with a wooden sword. It was only three years later did Elizabeth let the boy call her by her nickname.

"Lizzy, we're here," Elizabeth almost passed the tent before screeching to a halt. She turned around to see her mother, Lisa, pointing at a small tent with a line of children standing outside. She then turned to Shiro.

"Why are you looking at me?" Shiro had a small smile on his face. "Go get in line."

"Just you wait," Elizabeth replied. "I'll summon the best sword ever!"

"Of course you will," Shiro patted her head.

"Hey! You can't do that!" The small girl swatted Shiro's hand away.

"Why not?" Shiro tilted her his.

"You're younger than me," Elizabeth huffed.

"Fine," Shiro shook his head. "Go on. We'll be waiting."

"Alright!" Elizabeth immediately smiled and she made her way to the back of the line. After a couple minutes, a child walked out with a sword. Elizabeth didn't know what kind of sword it was, but it looked really cool. Her father could probably tell her. He's always been a bit of a sword nut.

As she slowly started to move up, the more impatient she got. She knew how to wait, but for something so important…

"Hey Lizzy," Elizabeth whirled around to see Shiro a few feet away from her.

"What do you want?" Elizabeth snapped. She then recoiled as she heard her tone. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Shiro smiled. "You look like you're about to scream."

"That's because I am," Elizabeth took a deep breath. She then took a couple steps forward as another kid entered,

"Don't worry about it," Shiro looked at the line and his smile widened. "See, you're almost there."

Elizabeth took a look and saw that there were only two kids ahead of her. That brought a smile to her face.

"You ready to lose?" Elizabeth asked with a smug smile.

"Good luck," was the only thing Shiro said before walking back to where his parents were.

"Next!" Elizabeth heard as a young girl with a redhead walked out of the tent with a rapier. When she realized no one was in front of her, she took another deep breath and walked in.

"Hello, sweetie," Elizabeth honestly expected a buff man to shout at her when she walked in, but the knight in the tent was a woman with long, lime green hair and purple eyes looking at her with a gentle and reassuring look. "What's your name?"

"Elizabeth," The young girl bowed quickly. Her parents taught her to always treat knights with respect. "I-it's nice to meet you, ma'am."

"How polite," The woman smiled softly. "My name is Cassandra. It's very nice to meet you. Now, can you stand in front of that book over there?"

Elizabeth looked up and looked around. There was a book on a pedestal roughly a foot away from her and a circle with a bunch of weird markings inside it. Elizabeth walked up to the book and looked down.

"Can you read?" Cassandra asked. When Elizabeth nodded, she continued, placing a finger next to the first line of the left-hand page. "Then read right here."

"A-alright," Elizabeth looked at where her finger was pointing and started to read.

"O Goddess Vivianne, Queen of Blades,"

"Thine child seeks thy aid."

"With blood and tears I shall pay for thine word,"

"With honor I shall carry out thy name."

"O Goddess Vivianne, turn my soul to steel and my heart to fire,"

"For only thine grace will pave my fate."

"In the name of Vivianne, the Goddess of Blades,"

"My sword will be forever yours."

Elizabeth then yelped as the circle on the floor started to glow golden. She could feel herself tire as the glow intensified.

"W-what's going on?!" The young girl could barely hear Cassandra's panicked voice as she she felt her eyelids grow heavy/

As her vision started to fade, the light started to retract, taking the form of a golden sword.

Beautiful… Was the last thing Elizabeth thought as her vision went black.

/

"Lizzy!" Shirou shouted when the tent started to glow gold. Both his parents grabbed Shirou before he could bolt into the building. "Mom! Dad! Let go!"

"Shiro, it's okay," He heard his mom soothe him as he was pulled back. "It's just part of the ritual."

No it's not! Shirou wanted to shout. The amount of prana that Shirou felt from the tent was unfathomable. If all of that was coming from Elizabeth…

Shirou stopped resisting as a woman with green hair and amethyst eyes walked out with Elizabeth in her arms. Shirou took one look at the sword and a fountain of knowledge forced itself in Shirou's mind. It took every iota of will Shirou had not to scream as he clutched his head and fell to his knees.

This… this hurt much more than looking at Saber's Excalibur. Memories of multiple people flowed into his mind. How they used the sword. How they lived. How they died. He could barely hear the sounds of his parents shouting as the sheer amount of memories threatened to make Shirou's head explode. Eventually, it became too much.

Shirou blacked out.

/

Elizabeth's eyes shot open. She shot up to realize that she was in her room. As she looked to her left, she saw a beautiful golden sword with a blue and gold hilt.

"Ah, I see you're awake," An unfamiliar voice caused Elizabeth to jump. Her head whirled in the direction of the voice, ready to scream, but her mind screeched to a halt when she saw who was there.

The only word Elizabeth could use to describe before the woman is perfect. With her limited experience and childlike mind, that was the only word she could come up with. She had emerald green eyes and pale blond hair that shone in the light. She wore silver armor that turned into a regal blue dress. Her entire body had a faint golden glow that made Elizabeth feel a feeling of comfort she couldn't exactly put into words. She felt like she could win any fight she was in.

"A-ah…" Elizabeth lost her train of thought. "Who are you?"

"My name is Artoria Pendragon," The woman introduced herself with a small bow. Elizabeth gasped.

"Q-Queen Artoria!" Elizabeth stumbled out of bed to kneel. "I… you're real!"

"Yes I am," Artoria smiled at the girl's antics.

"I can't wait to tell mom and dad!" Elizabeth shot up.

"Actually, they can't see me," Artoria frowned again. "Only the wielder of Excalibur can see me."

"Then why can I—" Elizabeth took a look at the sword on her bedside. "I'm the wielder of Excalibur?!"

"Yes you are, young Elizabeth," Artoria nodded. "You are the latest in a long line of knights to wield Excalibur, and my spirit has been implanted into this sword to help you on your journey."

"This is awesome!" Elizabeth jumped up in excitement. "I can't wait to tell Shiro!"

"Shirou?" Elizabeth saw Artoria stiffen.

"Yeah, he's my friend," Elizabeth tilted his head. "Why?"

"It's nothing," Artoria shook her head. "It's just a man I used to know."

"Oh," Elizabeth paused for a second before smiling again. "Wanna meet my parents?"

"I have already met them, even if they cannot see me," Artoria's smile returned, if only a little. "They are good parents."

"They are," Elizabeth admitted. She grabbed Excalibur, using two hands to lift it before making her way to the door. "Now, let's go!"

/

As soon as Elizabeth opened the door, she was pulled into a tight hug from both of her parents.

"Lizzy!" Lisa pulled away and looked at her daughter with concerned eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Mhmm!" Elizabeth said with a nod.

"We were so worried," Evan said as he hugged Elizabeth tighter. "The knight told us that we had to wait until you left the room."

"I'm doing okay!" Elizabeth chirped. She wanted to tell her parents about Artoria, but she remembered what the queen said. Only Elizabeth could see her.

"That's good," Lisa smiled. "We were waiting for you to wake up so we can go visit Shiro."

"Shiro?" Elizabeth tilted her head. Lisa and Evan looked at each other.

"He… fainted," Lisa had an uncertain look on her face. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him, but Akane and Kenji were very worried."

"Fainted?!" Elizabeth almost shouted. "We need to go there right now!"

"You're right," A smile spread across Lisa's face. "Let's go."

/

Elizabeth was shaking as she knocked on the door. As soon as she got the approval from her mother, Elizabeth ran over to Shiro's house. Doing so while carrying Excalibur was a bit difficult, but she wanted to brag to her friend, so the strain was worth it.

"I'm sure your friend is fine," Elizabeth heard a familiar voice in her head.

"Queen Artoria?" She asked, looking around.

"You don't need to speak, Elizabeth. Just think and I will hear you," Artoria replied gently.

Like this? Elizabeth imagined the words appearing in her head. She then heard her voice ring in her head.

"Exactly. You're doing great," Artoria said. At that moment, the door opened to reveal Kenji.

"Elizabeth? Are you alright?" Kenji asked. "I saw your sword and…"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth beamed as she showed the man her new sword. "I summoned Excalibur!"

"That's amazing," Kenji smiled widely. "I'm guessing you're here to see Shiro?"

"Is he okay?" Elizabeth tilted her head, her eyes shining with worry.

"He just woke up, actually. He's a little confused, but I think he's fine," Kenji said as he stepped aside from the doorway. "Come in. He's with Akane right now."

"Thank you," Elizabeth bowed before walking in. This wasn't the first time she's been to Shiro's house. She knew exactly where to go.

"Shiro!" Elizabeth shouted as she kicked the door open. The door didn't open quickly, but it was the thought that counted. Shiro was sitting up in bed, talking to his mother. When the door open, he turned to face Elizabeth, his golden eyes fixated on Elizabeth.

"Shirou…" Artoria's voice rang inside the young girl's head once again. Elizabeth couldn't discern what emotion the queen was conveying, but it made her heart ache for some reason.

"Morning Lizzy," Shiro smiled as he looked at the majestic blade Elizabeth was carrying. "I see you've summoned Excalibur."

"I did!" Lizzy ran up to give Shiro a closer look. "Isn't it cool?!"

"Yeah," Shiro examined the blade. The room was silent for a few seconds before the young boy smiled. "It looks exactly like it does in the picture books."

"Right?" Elizabeth said with a smile.

"You're going to have to find a sheath for it, though," Shiro rubbed his chin.

"I'm sure whatever Elizabeth ends up getting will be beautiful," Akane said, catching the attention of the two children.

"I was just thinking how cool it would be if the sheath's colors matched the sword," Shiro replied idly.

"That would be cool," Elizabeth could imagine it now. "I'll ask Papa if he can get one."

"That sounds nice dear," Akane rubbed Elizabeth's head. "Now, Shiro needs to get some rest. Why don't you come tomorrow with your parents? We'll start teaching you Sword Arts."

"Un!" Elizabeth nodded before turning to Shiro. "Once I learn some Sword Arts, you'll never be able to beat me again! Mark my words!"

Much to Elizabeth's surprise, Shiro's smile only widened as he nodded.

"Yeah," Shiro said, his voice almost nostalgic. "I don't think I will."

Something I want to clarify! The Excalibur from this dimension and the Excalibur from FSN are similar, but different. They both have similar compositions, but very different histories. Since the Excalibur from this dimension was summoned over and over for centuries, it has a much richer and denser history than the FSN Excalibur. To scale, in the hands of a competent wielder, it is slightly stronger than the version of Excalibur Artoria used in the 4th grail war, but it's not all that much. So no, we're not getting any unsealed Excalibur action. If that's what you wanted, I'm sorry to disappoint.

Anyways, please do consider leaving a review! I would love to read and reply to your thoughts. As this is an original world, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. Also please join my Discord! I would love to talk to you all and answer all your questions! I talk a lot about my thought process while writing, so if you're interested in that, do consider joining. The url is discord . gg (forego the spaces) followed by a slash and CpVs7R8KXz. Unfortunately you'll have to type the rest of the url in manually because I'm not allowed to post links. Thank you for reading and I'll catch you on the flipside.