Chapter 6: Revelations

Shirou yawned as he woke up. He rubbed his eyes as he got out of bed. He took one look at his Sword and sighed. There was still a long way to go with it. Despite the massive head start he got with his Unlimited Blade Works, he still had to wrap his head around a single Sword Art. He could use them if he traced one of his parents' swords, but he still doesn't understand how they're obtained and how to make them stronger.

"Shiro?" Akane opened the door. "Are you awake?"

"Yep," Shirou replied. This was odd. His habit of waking up early never faded in the new world and his parents usually wouldn't enter his room until two to three hours after he woke up. "What do you need?"

"Your father and I want to talk to you," Akane said with a frown. "We'll be waiting for you in the kitchen."

"A-alright…" Shirou muttered as Akane closed the door. He had never seen his mother so… solemn. She was a bubbly person by nature and to see her so reserved unsettled him. He took a deep breath and went to the kitchen. His parents were sitting there with Kenji holding a piece of paper.

"It's come to our attention that your summoning was… irregular," Akane said. Shirou stiffened, his face going white.

"I… I don't know what you're talking about," Shirou shook his head. He knew it was pointless, but he still tried. He didn't want to lose this. Despite his previous life, he still loved his parents. He didn't idolize them like he idolized Kiritsugu, but he loved them in a similar way he loved Taiga.

"You're not in trouble," Akane said, her voice gentle. "We just want to understand what happened."

"Cassandra stopped by yesterday and gave us this," Kenji handed Shirou the paper. Shirou took it and read it. He honestly should have expected this. "Can you tell us what it means?"

Shirou took a deep breath. The secret was out. If he was going to explain it, he might as well explain everything.

"Before I do that, would you mind if we had a spar?" Shirou looked up at Kenji. "They say great swordsmen can learn one's intentions through the blade."

"I…" Kenji hesitated. He looked at Akane, who nodded. "Alright. Meet me in the backyard."

Shirou nodded and went to his room. He grabbed his blade with one hand and held his other hand out.

"Trace on," Shirou muttered. Blue motes of light surrounded Shirou's hand until an altered version of Avalon was firmly in his grasp. It wasn't nearly as powerful as the genuine article or even as powerful as his normal traced versions. He wanted an insurance policy in case either of them went too far, but he didn't need it to be that strong. The sheath was altered to fit Shirou's sword.

"Alright," Shirou said. He wasn't ready, but sometimes, life didn't care. "Let's do this."

/

The first thing Kenji noticed when Shiro stepped outside was the sheath. Its blue-gold pattern was a stark contrast to the brown clothing he and his family wore. There was something else about him, too. The childlike wonder in his eyes was gone. Kenji shuddered as he saw Shiro's gaze. They looked like someone who had gone through war. No… they looked like the eyes of someone who had gone through hell. He turned to Akane. It was obvious she saw it too. She had a hand over her mouth and she was visibly shaking.

No child should ever have eyes like those, Kenji thought to himself.

"Where did you get the sheath?" Kenji asked, trying to get his mind off of the dead look in the boy's eyes. He had to admit, the sheath ooked pretty cool.

"It was always there," Shiro replied. "Are you ready?"

"Y-yeah…" Kenji replied. How could the sheath have always been there? He had never seen it before in his life.

"Alright," Shiro nodded and unsheathed his sword. "Let's begin."

"Alright," Kenji said. He unsheathed his sword. After waiting a couple seconds, he realized that Shiro wasn't going to take the initiative and charged. As he did, Shiro's sword began to glow and take shape. As he cleaved downwards, he was blocked by two swords of immaculate craftsmanship. One black and one white.

"How—" Kenji didn't have time to finish his sentence as his son took the offensive. He pushed Kenji back with brutal attacks. Every time Kenji found a weak spot, Shiro's form suddenly shifted and the weak point closed.

Calm down Kenji, he has to be using a style, The man thought to himself. To his growing shock, the more he fought, the more he realized that Shiro didn't have a style, or more accurately… His style was a fusion of countless forms.

"C'mon dad!" He heard Shiro shout as his swords broke through his defense. "Give it your all! Use your Sword Arts!"

"You asked for it," Kenji muttered. With a muttered word, his sword erupted into flames and Kenji pushed Shiro off and launched an arc of flames at the boy. His sword then changed from twin dao to a sword with a guard decorated with orange and red jewels. With one swing, the flames were completely gone. When Shiro swung the sword again, an arc of flames was sent right back at Kenji.

"What?!" Kenji shot out another arc of flames, which canceled out with the oncoming attack. "You can use sword arts?!"

"Nope. This is a mystic code that absorbs fire that can be shot back out at attackers," Shiro explained as the swords morphed back into the twin dao. "Now, shall we continue?"

Kenji grit his teeth and charged. He felt energy seep into him as he used a Strengthening Art. His speed increased fivefold as he made moves to incapacitate his son, but miraculously, he managed to keep up with him.

"Let's end this," Kenji heard Shiro mutter. The man jumped back, bracing himself. Then, Shiro did something he couldn't have expected. He threw his swords at him.

"Spirit and technique, flawless and firm."

Kenji deflected the swords with ease. "You shouldn't have done that, Shiro. Now—"

"Our strength rips the mountains,"

Kenji was cut off when Shirou charged with a new pair of blades miraculously in his hands.

"Our strength splits the river."

Shiro slashed at Kenju several times. As Kenji felt the strikes on his body, he realized the blades were dull.

"Our strength reaches the Imperial Villa."

The swords in Shiro's hands vanish just for Kenji to be hit in the back twice. Shiro then catches the swords he threw.

"The two of us—"

The blades then grow in length as Shiro ascends into the air. With the sun glaring in Kenji's eyes, his son looked like an angel soaring through the air.

"—cannot hold the heavens together!"

Shiro swung down and Kenji knew no more.

/

"Kenji!" Akane shouted as she ran to her fallen husband. Shiro knelt down next to him and examined the damage. There were several bruises, the largest being the large bruise on either shoulder from Shiro's final attack. "Shiro, what did you—!"

"It's okay," Shiro's calm tone made Akane flinch. Shiro's sword reverted to its original form as the boy took his sheath from his belt and placed it on Kenji's chest. Before Akane could reprimand the boy, the bruises started to fade at a rapid rate.

"I brought this sheath for a reason," Shiro smiled softly at his mother.

"That still doesn't explain what just happened," Akane glared at the boy, who flinched. "Who are you? Where's Shiro?"

"Let's… let's just wait for dad to wake up," Shiro replied softly. Akane tried to meet his eyes, but Shiro looked away. Kenji's eyes then snapped open.

"What happened?!" Kenji sat up and looked around. "Oh. I lost."

"It seems so," Akane glared at Shiro, if that even was his real name. "Now, you were going to explain?"

"Yeah," Shiro looked at Akane, then Kenji. "First, I'll show you what the words on the paper meant. You might want to stand up."

The two stood up and stared at Shiro expectantly.

"Alright, here goes," Shiro muttered.

"I am the bone of my sword."

The air started to ripple around Akane and Kenji.

"Steel is my body and fire is my blood."

"Shiro, what are you doing?" Kenji asked.

"It's better to show you than to explain," Shiro replied with a smile.

"I have created over a thousand blades."

"Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain."

A bead of sweat appeared on Shiro's forehead. The intensity of the air caused both adults to tense.

"Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one's arrival."

Despite the tense situation, Shiro… smiled…? Why would he smile?

"I have no regrets. This is the only path."

"Get ready," Shirou's smile turned into a smirk.

"So as I pray… Unlimited Blade Works!"

A circle of fire expanded from underneath Shiro before spreading out, consuming the world around them. Akane closed her eyes as the flames approached her. She expected to feel a burning feeling, but nothing happened.

When the woman opened her eyes, she gasped. She wasn't in the backyard of her home anymore. She was in a barren land littered with swords. Countless swords, as far as the eye can see. She then turned her attention back to Shiro. Behind him was a hill of swords. At the top, there was a giant chain implanted in the hill shooting towards the orange sky. On either side of the chain was the holy blade Excalibur but… why were there two of them?

"What… What is this place?" Akane heard Kenji mutter.

"This is the entirety of my being," Shiro said solemnly. "The culmination of the man known as Emiya Shirou."

"Emiya… Shirou?" Akane turned to look at the boy. "Who is that?"

"Ah, let me introduce myself formally," Shiro said. The world around them started to crack until it shattered, dissipating into the world that Akane was familiar with. "My name is Emiya Shirou, and eight years ago, I died."

/

The three of them were now sitting in the kitchen. Shirou explained almost everything to them. The Fuyuki Fire, Kiritsugu, the Fifth Grail War, his life at the Clock Tower, Rin, and finally, his death. The only thing he didn't share was that Artoria was his servant. He still didn't have the heart to say it. He told his parents that his servant was a powerful knight and didn't elaborate further.

"Then… I remember being born," Shirou said, his tone reserved. He sniffled. This was the first time he was telling anybody about his life. His colleagues either learned about his story from Rin or they already knew it. "The way you looked at me, mom. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget it."

"Shiro…" Akane placed a hand on his, which he had resting on the table. She looked at Kenji, who nodded. "We believe you."

"Y-you do?" Shirou looked up at them. "Then… don't you hate me? I stole your child's life."

"What are you talking about? You are our child," Akane whispered with a gentle smile. "Even if you remember a past life, all those times we spent together. They were real, weren't they?"

"Y-yeah," Tears started to fall down Shirou's face. "I… I don't remember my parents, so being with you two… it made me happy."

"Oh, Shiro," Akane moved around the table and pulled him into a hug. "We still love you. All of you."

"You're our son," Kenji assured as he joined in on the hug. "Some memories won't change that, okay?"

"Yeah…" Shirou cried in his parent's arms. These people… they truly loved him.

I'll protect you, Shirou vowed as he hugged his mother and father. The mother and father he did not get in his past life. I'll do whatever it takes.

Well, that cat's out of the bag. To those that say it's unreasonable for Shirou to summon his reality marble for his parents, he's trying to explain who he is, and Unlimited Blade Works is literally the culmination of his being. Also, Shirou has had plenty of time to master his reality marble and his od capacity was almost doubled, so it's not as taxing on him as it is in the baseline FSN.

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.