Cursed Sword

by Kneenaw

Irisviel could not accept her own end, even corrupted she wishes to return to save her beloved. And so, as Shirou sits waiting to die, he is reborn as the host of a dark miracle, creating cascading effects that would alter the world. This fic spans from the end of the 4th HGW to the 5th. Currently it is starting the direct lead up to the 5th war.

33. Act Three: Mirage

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I don't own anything related to Fate/stay night; this is a work of parody.

Act Three: Mirage

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I awake with a sudden draw of life. My heart is jumping due to the nightmares; something that I've had to live with never becomes comfortable.

I feel a warmth nearby. That warm presence caused me to sweat, and the sweat caused me to see the fire.

"Umph... Sakura?" I reach out consciously to hold her. She's never stayed all night like that before. I reach out, and in a way, it is a promise that there would be no going back by making this connection now. I imagine there wouldn't be much more to life than that from here on out. A steady relationship, marriage, and children. Such things are those that fly through the head of a young boy waking up next to a woman he might love. It's a fickle and problematic thing; how much of what I feel for her is real and how much is fake is unknowable.

But those thoughts turn out to be wrong. I feel something that is different, not the same texture I would know as being Sakura's.

Something very soft.

She is smooth. The temptation to give in to such desires — cherish her, abuse her, watch her squeal, make her scream under you!

What...? Why am I feeling that way? I would never...

These are not things I've ever felt before for her. I open my eyes, not to the quiet violet I except, but rather ones that are more akin to a steady crimson flame.

This wasn't Sakura I was holding.

"Uh... What are you doing?" She said calmly; she wasn't freaking out at all...

"...Huh?" The voice is less sweet, more squeaky and dubious. Come to think of it, the smell and feeling were way off. I don't feel the sense of affirmation that Sakura has. "What!?"

She smelled like a radiant green forest, and her presence was overwhelming. I could feel her soul next to mine in a way I had never experienced before.

I was jumping up before anything else. I had no shirt on, I did have pants, thankfully. I'm stuck as a captive. "I've been thinking and going over everything all night. My head feels so foggy... but I have a good place to start: I want to see it." All night? She didn't sleep at all, did she?

Record (Music) /AcbRiaolovs

This was not good. If Sakura came back right now... Or Tohsaka, or Fuji-nee or anyone with common sense than we would both be done for. ...More that I would be done for. "See... what?"

She pointed at me, smiling expectingly with a dopey face. "I don't know, but you hurt me with it. C'mon, let me see it... I promise I just want to look." Her smile was obvious in its intentions.

She was not what you could call a natural liar. Though perhaps that was an indication of a liar without calibre — The same archetype as Fuji-nee.

I'm half asleep still. Doing this while half asleep is a bad idea. I do it anyway because bad ideas are the sort of things you do when you are half asleep. That is the vicious cycle of being woken up by a vampire who is saying abnormal things.

'Trace on.' Avesta: The Universal Revelation of Inscribed Creation~

I draw it out. It is built out of the mud of humans. A book, that's all it is. It is a support-type book Noble Phantasm that records events accurately and correctly out of its own volition. It is an automatic typewriter that is useless in a fight due to it being unable to harm anyone, its only advantage is that it is able to put indescribable emotions and emotions one isn't aware of into words. "It's just a book that records the events it is a part of... but it can be used as a catalyst for the retribution curse I used. Sorry about that..."

"Give it to me, I will be the judge of this."

"Alright, here. If you want to read it..." She takes it from my hands, and courses through its continuous pages. While she is distracted, I put a shirt on.

"A Noble Phantasm: the item that embodies a hero's entire journey. Such a thing... This is strange!" I know. You can even read things that are happening in real-time. "Let's see... 'It's a fickle and complex thing; how much of what he feels for her is real and how much is fake is unknowable. She is confused by the contradiction of the boy below her, who she has been watching all night. Her inability to pierce into his dreams troubled her, and the continuous empty feeling inside her was frustrating. Emiya Shirou feels something very soft. Arcueid Brunestud is smoother than humans, like a perfect doll. He is reminded of his sister, whom he has still failed to save. Suddenly, He feels dark and deep temptations to give in to the desires inside of him — cherish her, abuse her, watch her squeal, make her scream under you! But he breathes deeply and controls himself, using his best practised calming measures to contain the evil that curses him. He opens his eye to see the woman whose beauty is both alien and overwhelming..."

I close the book on her. I can't handle listening anymore to this embarrassment. She would have kept reading forever if I let her.

That book held details that are best left unsaid "..." I am ashamed, there is a reason that book is something I don't like. It doesn't omit anything, even those thoughts and feelings that can not even be put into words.

"...I didn't know you were such a beast. Thinking such thoughts..." She smiles goadingly. "This book is a nasty thing."

I cringe. I'm ashamed of being exposed, but there is no helping it. I am a human, that is the natural emotion to feel towards such a person. The best I can do is to not act on it. "Yes, it is. That's why I never read it." Naturally, one would go crazy reading their own life written in story form with facts that go beyond even yourself. I'm cursed with enough unsolicited knowledge as is.

"Then you will have no issue with what I will do with it." She takes both her hands and crunches the book down into dust. It falls away into the air. "Hah... I feel much better now. Now you won't be using that stupid retribution magic again; this twisted Mystery has been crushed." She grinned expectingly. She sure was proud of herself.

She waited and waited for the pain curse to disappear, as the origin of the Mystery was gone; yet no change occurred.

"Yet you are still in pain." She's putting up a strong front, but I should know because I feel the exact pain she does but likely even worse. I'm sore all over, and even though Tohsaka saved me with her healing magic, that doesn't make it less painful.

"But... I broke it." She frowns. I don't like that sad look of hers, like a child who just had their favourite toy destroyed in their face, except that she was the one doing the destroying. "I should feel better now... Noble Phantasms are like any Mystery, once they have their guts spilt out, then they hold no more power. The curse should have been broken with it."

She seemed unsure of herself. I didn't like that. ...I guess I'll have to show her.

The design manifests once more inside my mind, I pull it out of there.

"Sorry to disappoint you..." I take the book back into my hands. It reappears in my hands once again unbroken.

"Wah? ...You have a second one? Gimme that...!" She stole and destroyed it, but it doesn't matter, crushing it means nothing because the book is 'nothing'.

I invoked it once more into my hands.

"It's not that I have a bunch of these hidden away, it's that..." How do I articulate something I barely understand myself? "I have an unlimited number... because it's not a 'real' book. It's in my head. I make it out a design, then manifest it. Does that make sense?" If I could truly destroy it, then maybe I would. But something that doesn't exist in the first place cannot be destroyed.

"True. I was meaning to get to that, the nature of your power. You had... a lot of weapons for a human. Not even a church member can hold that many, and you weren't wearing long sleeves." She is tapping her chin and looking at me with persistent annoyance. She circles around, judging me. She nods. "I see now. It's not the objects themselves that are unique; it's the one who is bringing them out. This magecraft is unfamiliar to me."

"I do have to look at breakfast and-" She is not yet fully satisfied.

"One more thing and I'll allow you time; If running away is what you want." She was pouting, her hands down. I didn't get it.

"...Okay."

"Show me your magic once again. Do that and I'll be satisfied for now." She won't be satisfied. She will never be satisfied with just that. "You are hiding something from me, aren't you? I'm going to find out sooner or later, so why don't you give it up and I will be lenient." She was totally lying. If she didn't like what she found, I was dead.

"...Alright. I don't want you to think I'm trying to trick you..." I'm just trying to give myself time to think of ways of lessening the potential issues that may come up between us. Lying is not always done for malicious purposes. Some lies are built of true kindness and desire to do good. The act of lying is evil, but the consequences of it can be for good or ill. "You want to see my magic again? It's nothing impressive." This time I will bring out something I am more attuned to.

The process has become more simple after having practised so long, the time in which it takes for a sword to come from my mind to my hands is less than a second.

Without having to even think about it the familiar evil blade appears in my hand. A wicked blade, it tangles enemies in its sharp edges. A knife that is like a claw. I close my eyes and when they open, Zarich is in my hands. It grinds down an enemy's weapon and tangles it, but that is all. They are not Noble Phantasms as I once thought. I become attuned to holding to two blades in my hands, and these are cheap to cast as I am fully attuned to them.

She leans in. "Those blades... like claws, you were throwing them like knives at me." She smiles. "It's better than those lame Black Keys at least, more interesting." She sounds like a normal girl, she looks like a beyond normal one, and she feels like a completely alien thing. "So explain it to me, how are you holding all this stuff in your hands? How can you make a blade appear like that with magecraft?"

"Uhh... It's called Projection Magecraft. It's not really that powerful since they're just flimsy little things." Case in point that my weapons were breaking against her claws. "I guess you can say that it would be better to stick to books and bowls, but..." Swords have always been something I had a fascination for. Before I knew it, all I wanted to do was hold them in my hands. "I can't really explain how it happens, I just do it."

She says something I don't expect. Shaking her head, "I know of projection. No, that is not a Projection." She is staring intently at the weapon.

"Eh, it's not?"

"A Projection is a temporary form of magical energy that creates something unnatural to the world's natural form. The world doesn't like that, because it is forcing an unnatural structure that is against the natural order. Like projection a sword, for example, it would be a very unstable creation that would decay rapidly. A human can only project something that is achievable through normal means, yet those blades in your hands exist despite that law.."

"Well... You know better. I guess that is the limitation of it. I've never had that problem with it, but maybe I'm not doing it right?" Even Mom said once that she couldn't help me with my Projection because it was beyond what even she understood. That is because I think I really messed up at one point and kind of strayed off of what the normal way is. "It seems to work though. I can construct all sorts of things."

She facepalmed. "That's why I'm telling you it's not Projection magic at all! You can't project Noble Phantasms! That is completely against the rules! You shouldn't even be able to project an object with any degree of realness to it! It should clearly be a fake." That set her off, this was like Tohsaka whenever I try to talk magic with her. I'm trying to follow along, and it just makes them mad when I can't be as perfect as they are. "Explain. Now."

"Arcueid... whatever you are saying, I really don't know anything about that. I mean... I just do my magic, that's how it is for everyone right? I'm the type who needs to read a paragraph five times or practice the same spell over and over and still not get it. I'm not a genius like Tohsaka. I'm glad I can do anything at all. The best I can do is create an effect without a cause."

The result of my magecraft is greater than what I put into it.

"An effect... without any cause? Do you have any idea what you are saying? You think that is completely normal, don't you?"

"I don't know what to tell you Arcueid, I'm not the one to ask about the theories and rules of magecraft. Ask Tohsaka if you must, she will tell you anything you want to know. I can't control something that is out of my control." She seems madder at my magic than me.

"...Hmm, I see. It seems normal and easy to you because it is coming from you." She seemed completely done with me, holding a disgusted face towards me. "You are a Mystery, Shirou."

"...I'm a mystery? Like you are investigating me?" I thought we were past this.

"No. You are a Mystery, as in something beyond the realm of general understanding. If even I cannot explain you outright, that means you are, at the minimum, a Mystery that the world is unaffiliated with. Something abnormal. Something that should not exist according to the world's rules." She circles around me. I don't get it, but it makes me sick for some reason. I never wanted to the subject of study. Not by a magus or a vampire. "This is a severe case at that. It is as if you have been cut off entirely from the norms that are supposed to bind you. You and your weapons are the same: empty. Your presence in this world is murky as if you are fading away."

Mystery: you can't be called a magus if you don't know why it is important. Mom explained it too long ago at the bench. 'The principle rule of magi is to protect your Mystery from discovery by the non-magical. An unveiled Magic weakens. That's why we keep it out of sight. To protect our future and keep the magic as unexplained as possible.' Kiritsugu committed the gravest crime in magical law by destroying a mystery and rendering it inert, I am still paying that one back.

Now I am being told that I am a Mystery? I don't understand. I have a headache. "I don't honestly get what you're saying... It's too early in the morning. How can a human be a mystery?" I'm not even changed for school or washed up. this girl is keeping me hostage. Oh, wait... it's Saturday, so no school.

"Anything can become a mystery if it has come to inherit the characteristics of being unique. A human has magical circuits which connect to Mysteries, but that is only one side of it. A human can only connect to mysteries that come from a foundation outside of themselves. I suspect that you are not doing so, but have formed an entirely new magical foundation inside yourself." I know that a foundation is like a magical system. "Oh, and feel free to change or do whatever, you can pretend I'm not here at all." Her eyes became committed to examining me. "But I'm not leaving just yet. I have further questions." She was holding her hips.

"It's clear that you will keep me hostage until I answer, so ask away..."

"First: how old are you really, Shirou? Are you above or below a thousand?" 1000? Am I older than that? Who in the hell is older than that!? A vampire, I guess... These people are out of control. If Zouken was 300, then how much worse are those that are 1000?

"Um, I am 15."

"Tch. Then you were born as you are? You've had this power as a part of you as long as you remember?"

"No. It wasn't always there..." There was once a boy named Shirou born under a different sun. He died. He was the same, yet different.

She sighed. "... Hmm. Then you must have had at least one near-death experience at some point, right?"

"Hah..." She seems to know exactly the right questions.

"Is that it? Just as I presumed. You had the latent ability, but that must have been the trigger... It broke something the right way and turned you into something different from the norm." She was tenser now than before, I feel that we keep moving one step forwards and two steps back in this relationship.

"It seems that you can understand me better than I can understand myself..." It may be that I know where all of this comes from, but I don't know the rules of it.

"That is wrong, Shirou. I have no idea what you are, and that disturbs me. I am supposed to know vaguely know everything that has its origin on this planet. I can't see through your body. So I don't quite understand it. It's like there is a barrier stopping me!" She pouts and pokes me. "Can I open you up for a little while? I'll be gentle. I'll do my best to put you back together the right way."

"No thanks, I'm quite happy not being cut open." That is a level too far. Let's change the subject away from this before she gets the idea stuck in her head. "Y-You seem to know a lot about magic?"

"I know all sorts of things. I read when I have the time. Which is... rare. Otherwise, I just know things! But I do not know you. Do you understand now why I am irritated with you?"

"...Sorry, I'm like you. I don't know really about all this odd magical stuff."

She sulks once more, holding her arms crossed. "You do seem oddly ordinary. I'm sure you are enjoying this, seeing me in this new state. I've talked to you more than I've ever spoken to anyone." She extends a low grin. "Hmph, that seems like a fair amount of progress. You are forgiven for leaving me all alone last night. Yes, I will leave you to your own devices now. See you later!" She wanders away.

Is she gone...? But there was an intense feeling on my neck of something unnatural.

After freshening up, I go out into the hall only to find that she is at the door. I gave her too much credit.

She hadn't made it as far as the kitchen, before becoming bored and waiting for me. It's an empty house, strangely enough. You would think that Sakura and Tohsaka would be here, but... 'Oh.'

I realize that Tohsaka is totally sleeping in her room after staying up all night.

Breakfast was waiting at the table; Sakura had left it ready. 'Had to go back for Nii-san, left breakfast for you, Senpai. Love.' That explains it. She must have woken up very early for that. Sakura must be back at her house.

I try to eat with the blond woman still looking at me quizzically. She is following me and judging my every action... I try to keep my manners, but her unwavering gaze persists. I hadn't thought about it for nearly an hour, but before I know we were completely silent all that time. For me, such a language seemed almost like an afterthought.

Arcueid passed on eating, saying that it was optional.

It is her who finally relents and says something. "...For how wicked you ought to be, you don't show any of the sign of that."

"Same to you. You are not the monster I first thought you were. Perhaps monsters are built not out of their truth, but from the fear of them?"

"I resent that. I'm more like an angel in the human sense; if anything, you are a monster here!" Thrusting her figure out, she pulls off a move that I thought only Tohsaka could pull off. Angel? ...That wasn't completely off the mark.

"Yes. An angel... that's how I would describe you in a way. Haha..." I do not see her how the others do. I do not see 'Arcueid' as the human form she shows off to the world of man, no, I see the true spirit underneath. To me, Arcueid is like a spiral of white so pure you would revere it. So calling her an angel is exactly right. I accept that completely, yet I don't really care if she is not.

"..." Multiple times she will just stop talking when I respond to her and either stare at me uncomfortably or look at the wall. She is a self-contained person, holding little need for others.

A woman who has led a life completely separate from humanity. It gives me a sad feeling I can't ignore.

We reach a lull in the conversation where she has no more ideas for questioning me. So I decided to ask her about herself. "So... what do you do? Before now, I mean... If you don't drink blood, then how do you spend your time?"

"Me? I hunt bad guys... That is about it."

"But what do you do behind that?"

"Huh...? I sleep." She shrugs, it's a normal answer for her.

"...Nothing else?"

"When I have time before going out, I read the world to reacclimate. Everything that is not the mission is irrelevant."

"Hmm? ...That is wrong." She doesn't sound sad to say it. It is as if she doesn't even conceive of what it is that she is saying. She doesn't know what it is that she is missing.

"Is it?"

"I think that it is wrong to give up on yourself. You should be able to enjoy your own life."

Her brows furrow. "That is your view. I don't see the purpose in how humans live their lives. They exist for a short time with no clear goal then disappear. I could not live as such. I have never known existed without a goal. I'm not sure I could live as you do, with no set purpose driving me forwards."

"Not all of us are like that... Some people have goals. Find love and have family, or become rich and powerful." But I know even those are simplistic visions that do not give purpose to a life. To a being whose existence is in itself a purpose, one who has none given at all seems pitiable in a way. "Some people only wish to build up a normal everyday life. No choice is wrong."

"Then what is your wish, Emiya Shirou?"

"My wish...?" She asked the one thing that was my weakness. "Haha. I am to become a hero of sorts." It sounds embarrassing, but I'm serious.

Surprisingly, she does not take it as a joke as others sometimes do. "A hero? I don't believe it is possible. Humans haven't had true heroes in hundreds of years. Not since the human order shifted towards self-obsession. The mass of weakness that you would be forced to protect compared to the overwhelming inhuman enemies of this world prohibits it."

"...Even so, it will happen. This is a foregone conclusion. Whatever enemy there is... I will face and defeat it." That's just how it is.

She sighs. "Tell me, Shirou. What do you know of vampires?"

"Vampires? Well, like you... You are a good True Ancestor, and then there are the evil Dead Apostles."

"That is a very simple view of it, but tell me what you know about being a vampire? I wish to know what you know. I am beginning to think you have some strange misconceptions of it."

I see, she is testing me on this. Fine, I may not know vampires well but no one knows humans better than I do. "They suck the blood of virgins, they can bind people just by looking at them, they can turn into mist and wolves... They are... sad." They are so sad, the most desperate and miserable creatures in existence.

Looking at them with my eyes is hard. She is not like those ones at all, looking at her makes me feel a strange, yet good sensation.

If she notices my depressing feelings about that, she doesn't show it.

"Yeah, that's pretty much all true. They drain the blood of virgins because one's blood cells are purer before one has exchanged bodily fluids with others. That makes virgins most suitable for repairing the vampire's own degenerating genes. The Dead Apostles the ones that become vampires have imperfect immortality. Since they became immortal, they won't die from old age. However, they need to replenish their energy frequently, or they'll disappear. All living creatures need nutrients to be able to move, right? It's the same thing. It's just that vampires don't die from age as long as they take in the nutrients."

"..." This was a much more comprehensive lesson than what I've been taught before.

"The Dead Apostles suck blood because they need it to stay alive. Immortality is a strain on their originally-human bodies. The genes that compose their bodies are different. when they become vampires, they begin to degenerate at an incredible rate. To make up for that, they must drain the blood of others in order to absorb genetic information and stabilize their own bodies. To a vampire, drinking blood is not like eating, but it's the minimum requirement for them to continue to exist."

"I can understand that." I completely understand that because it works under the same basis that a spirit would. Mom was a spirit who used my energy in order to manifest as something with form. If she had gone out of control then she would have become like the vampires by taking in the energies of humans. Since vampires were once human, they must constantly take in new DNA that can keep their forms cohesive.

"So, moving on. The ability to bind someone with just a look is a type of Mystic Eyes. Eyes and words are both common types of magic circuits, so there are many vampires who have Mystic Eyes. We usually possess the Mystic Eyes of Enchantment. We don't enchant people by looking at them, rather, we enchant those who look into our eyes. A powerful vampire using Mystic Eyes can impose his own will into the brain of another and completely dominate their thoughts, but the Mystic Eyes of a Dead Apostle doesn't have that much power."

"You didn't enchant me during our fight, did you?" Did that make me lose my control?

"No. In the first place, you didn't look straight into my eyes a single time. And... I... enjoyed fighting you." I'm cleaning the plates while Arcueid languidly sits starring into the wall. "I can't say why, but I was having fun. I didn't want it to end, I guess."

Now I can't take my eyes off of her. My eyes don't burn when I stare, it's just... peaceful. It's like looking into a deep white cloud. "So you are saying that if I looked into your eyes right now then I would fall under your spell?"

"If I wanted it, then yes. But not unless I willed it." Huh? She can just turn her Mystic Eyes on and off like that? Apparently, that is how it is for most mystic eye users. ...I am not so fortunate to have an off button for mine.

"What is it? You look very surprised by all this. Don't tell me that this is your first real lesson? I mean, didn't you fight Dead Apostle before? You have magic, but you don't seem to know very much at all. You... you really did hunt down Dead Apostles without knowing much about them, didn't you?" Now she was acting surprised like Tohsaka was yesterday. Was it really so bad? She wasn't worried as much as she was confused. "The magus girl was right, you are crazy."

"I didn't think it required much thought. Like I said... it was the only good choice. Someone has to be there on the side of humanity." If there is too much evil in the world, then will fight it with everything I have. That is my purpose. I don't consider that crazy. I noticed this before, but it seems like she has some grudge against mankind.

"You sound like the Church, thinking that you can act as the defender of humans. It will never be enough, as long as the majority do nothing but pretend as though monsters do not exist and will not do anything to stop them, it will always be a losing fight."

I know that. I know better than anyone the nature and evil of mankind.

Even still... it is not wrong. People can be better and if I can help than in doing that, then that is a beautiful thing.

Yet still... I will fight, even if it is a losing one. Even if all the odds are against me. This is the only way I know I can follow Kiritsugu. I have no intention of dying... Mother would find me in hell if I did and kill me all over again. But still...

For the sake of everyone else, I would give my life if I must.

"You seem to hold a grudge against humans. Do you hate me too?"

"I do not hate humans, I am only deeply dissatisfied in their fragile nature. As for you... I don't know what I feel. That has never happened to me before, so don't think I am a fool!" She said without thinking. It wasn't logical, it was emotion. I began to see a new hue in her heart. "I don't know why... all I feel is an urge I can't quite place. Sorry..." She apologised for no reason. "I... need to understand you."

A sudden flash of emotion poured into my eyes like a nuclear blast. It was the first time I felt a true emotion from her, and hopefully the last. It was overwhelming. No human could survive that emotion that was like a hurricane. This is different than it was looking straight at Irisviel, this is stranger than even that.

It seems there is something in that purity that triggers my eyes.

...

Finishing the last of the dishes from last night and breakfast, there is a repose as I can't look at her, and she seems to have gone silent. "Arcueid, feeling emotions you don't understand is not something you should be shameful of. Whatever it is, it cannot be bad." Especially if it's whatever that is keeping me alive. "There is nothing to be ashamed of, it will only eat at you if you let it."

I turn to look at her once more when I am ready, and I realize my words are wrong. Some emotions are best never felt.

There was a pulsing crimson inside the pure white light that she was, and 80% of her being was spent repressing it. The ticking of the clock was all I could hear, along with my beating heart. Arcueid was hiding her face under her hands, and her breathing became suddenly heavy.

I go up to her but stop. My mind tells me not to approach.

"What is it? Are you thirsty or hungry? There is still food in the fridge."

"I am fine... Shirou. I just... need to sleep." She said coldly. Even though it felt impossible to how she was a minute ago, she seemed now to be sick. She shambled off, suddenly the almost happy energy of earlier had left her. As if she had suddenly contracted a cold. Without another word, she made it to the room I gave her and promptly fell into the bedding I put down last night. She dozed off immediately, and even then she still somehow retained the dignity of a princess.

"Is it because she stayed up all night? Even a vampire should get some sleep, I guess." Or maybe they are more used to sleeping in the day? I'll need to make sure she is comfortable. She calls me an idiot but she has sleep deprivation from staying up all night. She was probably watching me... us.

I don't know what to do, so I think to go check if Tohsaka is awake.

When I try to walk out to see if she is okay, I fall. I slip to the ground in the kitchen. "Hah..." I can't feel my legs. Like the feeling that you get by sitting on your nerves too long, but much worse. My nerve connections are slowly mending. I've been putting up a strong front for everyone, but the truth is every step feels like my hips are stabbing me. Alone I can finally moan out how much it truly hurts!

My bones are heavy as if made of steel. Even projecting earlier was pushing my limits. I went insane a few nights ago and this is my payment. My hair is a little whiter, and there are unfamiliar scars on my body. Yet it is that old one across my heart that still hurts the most. It throbs as if it is attempting to communicate some sense of urgency.

Sorry, Arcueid... Is she feeling this? The curse is inscribed into both of us and won't disappear until my pain is gone. I'm trying my best to hold it all in, but I can't say if that prevents it from reaching her. The fact that she doesn't seem to show off her pain makes it impossible to know how she really feels.

There is one mark that hasn't stopped since she came. Something that has been there for years. My skin is on fire. It never heals, like a magical mark.

A.B.

Why do I have that? What is it trying to say? It's many years old. It appeared suddenly in the middle of the night as if it had been carved into me.

I lie down until I regain the strength to move once more.

Everyone is really sleeping in late today or not doing anything... The house is not the manic place it once was with people running in and out looking for new ways to have fun. Mom or Ilya used to always come up with some bad plans that involved me or Kiritsugu being used as a target when there was any trace of boredom.

...That is in the past.

I do errands and catch up on my studies. I read another chapter of a book about magical crests that I took on loan from Waver. It is so fundamental that he didn't even care. I continue Father's notes on saving Ilya. I never miss a day without some sort of progress if I can help it. I never feel that I am close to even being on the right track. There is no guarantee that a life of effort will yield an answer, and I do not have a life to spend.

I need to have this now. Repair a broken magical crest, learn how to manipulate metals, then somehow make that into a working magecraft that could keep Ilya's body from decaying.

A spike enters my back. I am creating something from complete scratch.

I have theories and ideas, but I can only test them this summer in London. The best I can do is stay calm and be completely prepared to save Ilya this Summer no matter what. That is assuming I will live past Arcueid's arrival, but I can't give up on Ilya for my own safety. I haven't done that before and I won't start now.

I can't do any more today. I can barely think of anything when I have all these problems entering into my life recently. Damn it... I can't focus today.

I go to the market and stock up on food. I can't help but buy everything that looks to be in season and I feel the desire to do something special.

I want to make something memorable. Some impulse in me says that I must impress the woman, I must make her smile from my cooking. I know that vampires don't have the same tastes as humans, but I can't help it. I want to see her smile a real smile for no reason but because she is enjoying herself. If I can do that then that means she has a life that can be lived.

I started cooking dinner using all my skills. I wasn't playing around this time, and if wouldn't tolerate anything but her enjoying herself.

---

Rin's Theme (Music) /xEItHToR2sw

When I woke up, I was in the Emiya house. This was my room here. I had fashioned it slowly over the years into a sort of secondary study where I could teach Emiya-kun and talk to him about magic without the stress of letting him into my home. When he and I are alone at the Tohsaka residence... I get antsy and I don't know why. That is bad for my studying so I have moved it here and somehow it all works better.

...It was a relief.

Years of normality, or close to it. His family died. Whether through loss of life or the loss of willingness for it to continue, he was left all alone. Yet still he keeps to his contract, he is still my butler and that means that the Emiya family still exists under my protection, even if it is one boy.

Now he's gone and done something insane, but that was inevitable. If you know who he is, then you will also know that something like this was going to happen eventually.

"He was never normal. My pretending was just fooling-"

I stop myself. It doesn't matter.

I study more. I need to know everything, I pile on every document that I can find that mentions the word vampire once. I'm relying on memory here. If there was a magecraft that could search for keywords, then I would very much like to learn it. That sort of thing is why the Clock Tower is something I strive for, they hold all the tools to learn at a much faster pace. It's the difference between staying as a low-level first-class magus and a high-level first-class magus.

My subject today is abnormal, and I don't believe other magi look into it much. It is taboo, and at the first sign that you begin to take a serious interest in vampires, the Church and Association will agree to cull you.

I don't have an interest, I am only learning out of necessity.

'Vampire' is the general term used to describe all species that survive and thrive off the consumption of blood. As for creatures given appellation True Ancestor, they are considered the embodiment of the consciousness of the planet. Despite this, however, every legend regarding these creatures agrees that they not only drink the blood of humans for nourishment but also out of sadistic pleasure. They all say that in the times in which they existed, they were worse than the Dead Apostles. It was at a time in which humanity had fallen into a dark age where they lost power to the growing inhuman cancer.

A 'True Ansestor' is a legend. Something lost to the confines of history. A mystery even to magi, and thus something closer to True Magic than anything else. That is the extent to which I can gather. I doubt I could truly get more than that even at the Clock Tower. The sorts of books that hold powerful truths like that are kept in the sealed sections.

True Ancestors devour humans. She is either lying and wants to eat us when we let our guard down or she truly has never drank blood ever. I feel I will be able to

Eventually, I feel something come.

A knock on my door, and someone, or something enters. Fear clings to my back, but I do my best to swallow it. I knew that she would come because that was only logical. I am glad my theory was correct, but I know that I am the one who suffers from it. I am as prepared as I can be for such short notice.

"I have come to ask you a few questions." Like a police interview, she saunters into the room that I use in the Emiya household without any regard for privacy. I've been expecting her, however, and I can guess what she will ask. "...You do not look surprised by a vampire coming to see you." She puts her hands on my crystals without any regard for my anger. "You have a nice room with lots of little trinkets." She hasn't gone berserk yet, so all I can do is put off a refined cold front; from one princess to another, rather than from a predator to prey. I have five crystals in my sleeves, if I threw all of them at once, I could destroy this house and hopefully take her with me. Meh, not a good plan. I keep making potential scenarios in my head, but I can't find a single one in which I could beat her if she decided she was hungry. It's unfair to be human.

It's best not to escalate against a creature like this. She will win no matter what, so just give her what she wants. "You have questions? Hmph. Ask away, I am quite willing to make you satisfied enough that you will leave faster."

Her demeanour turns more serious. "I do not mind being straight to the point. Let me say it: do you know the true nature of his magecraft? I can not make sense of it in the context of a human." I was right.

'Him', the subject was obvious. Who else? From the moment she has come here, she has not been far from him gazing in an altogether off-putting way. My occasional student and butler and all sorts of things. Let us be honest, because she knows and simply wants to confirm it. "He's not a magus at all." In a voice filled with hatred, I spit those words out.

"A human can not reach beyond the limits of magecraft. That is a rule of the world."

"Yes. You are correct. For a human, magic is an equivalent exchange. No matter what kind of magic it is, it can only bring what's elsewhere here to use it. Even you likely have to conform to this law. ...But he is different. He's bringing something that comes from nowhere. He's forming something that should not exist in the world. That can only be a concept that violates reality. ...A deteriorated version of that one true Magic." Magi may strive to surpass magecraft, but nearly none actually do and less and less pursue it so single-mindedly. Those that draw too close to True Magic end up as experiments themselves wrapped up and dissected. Legitimate full Sealing Designations like that only happen every few decades.

"..."

"Hah... He's just that kind of idiot."

"I see." She closed her eyes and confirmed what she already suspected.

"Yet he is the best magus I have ever witnessed." The hatred laced in my voice is stinging me.

"Huh? Even though you call him an idiot?"

I waste my time tinkering with gems, I can't bear to look at this woman anymore. "It is precisely that he is an idiot that makes him like this. He pays no attention to the consequences of his actions, he simply keeps going, never stopping." He might study slowly, but he never quits on anything even if he fails at it forever. "The basics of magecraft taught to apprentices and children are completely beyond him, yet things that are utterly impossible to the greatest magi of the Clock Tower come naturally to him. It may have been that... he never truly understood the basic rules of magecraft, because, from the beginning, he was never subject to them."

Magecraft is a language. It doesn't matter if you use English, German or Japanese, the rules of magecraft will always apply the same.

He is using an entirely different ruleset, so of course, he can't comprehend the normal sort of magecraft that I have tried to teach him. He can use it, but at best he will never be anything but mediocre.

He fails all the basics yet aces the most important thing without any effort, and I miss the most important thing yet discern all the lesser ones. How can I say that I am better than him? I hate him so much.

From the moment I saw his collection of bowls in his little workshop in the shed, I suspected something was off. Shirou confessed they were projections, he confessed because he didn't even realize that he was committing a grave crime. A crime against humanity and the world. No projection can exist without consciously recreating it over and over to stem the decay of its form due to the world reasserting itself. His little bowls lasted for years without him doing anything.

If I were to guess then half of the kitchen cutlery were projections. The worst part? Not even the greatest in the Clock Tower would even be able to tell. They feel like metal, look like metal, and hold no magical signature at all. Perfect fakes.

"I see, so he is such a monster..."

I deny it for years and this woman comes and figures it out in moments. They are both monsters. Strange things have the bad habit o attracting other strange things. I should have kicked him to the curb when I had the chance.

But that was obvious, wasn't it Rin? You knew that this was the result as soon you were kidnapped by his mother. He is the son of a true witch, he is not normal in any sense of the word. You didn't want to believe that he was dangerous because you-

I know that! So shut up!

I hate myself here the most. This is what I get for ignoring the most important issue once again.

I was comfortable with him, I admit it. So much so that I had tricked myself into thinking that being near someone like him was fine. I have indulged in his butler persona, that I have made use of him as is my right; but his willingness to follow me if I order him has become somewhat beyond the pale. I pretended alongside him that we were normal. He easily tricked me into a sense of comfort. He is the worst.

Then she asks the question directly, cutting into my personal argument with myself. I swore an oath to protect the Emiya family from outside threats, but that does not apply to something that he did to warrant it.

"If you had these suspicions all along, then why have you not looked into it yourself?"

"He is another magus... It is bad manners to look into another magus's magecraft." liar. He is your apprentice/ servant, you have full authority to know all you want to about him. Now I'm getting mad. "Hmph, he is a liar and a trickster! He hid it from me!" No, he never denied you for a second. Any time you asked him he would show you if reluctantly his magic. He only didn't want you to know because of the pain that he had to go through. "...He is a hopeless idiot, you would never suspect that he..." Yeah. You didn't even try, did you? You were so weak that you let him exist despite knowing the truth. You broke your very oath as a magus, as a Tohsaka all because you wanted to act as if you were Rin. ...My shoulders slump. I am tired once more. I'm not going to argue about it any further. "It doesn't matter..."

"I see..." The vampire watched me go through the stages of anger without much care.

"One thing I do not understand is if you have been summoned to... deal with a threat to the Earth itself, then why is he still alive?"

The Counter Force — It is the actualisation of the will of the Earth (Gaia), or Man (Alaya) to eliminate a threat. The nature of a magus is to seek the ultimate selfishness of having power over mankind, yet those who reach too far are targeted by other magi first before Alaya can even notice them. If a Guardian has already been summoned to deal with you, then that means you are far beyond the limit of a Sealing Designation. Guardians are only called to something at the level of calamity, they don't 'investigate'.

There was some ominous news years back in Tokyo about a possible Sealing Designation, but that is not my business. Those lands are run by the Aozaki clan, and I am glad to not have anything to do with them. She is still pondering my question. Closing her eyes, she answers with a smile. "Why I don't kill him? I don't know the answer, but I have been thinking about it... If I had to say so, it is because I do not mind his company. I like him."

"What...? What do you mean? You are not allowed to say that! That is way off-limits and makes no sense!" Vampires should stay away from humans. They express themselves in one way, and it is eating us alive. I can't trust this monster. I can't fall into the trap that is her pretty face and nice proportions. As Sakura had said to me at some point, 'this is not a body attainable by a person.'

"Haha. It seems you have strong feelings about that idea." She looks me up and down. "A Double ponytail, miniskirt, and black stockings. Could it be you dress up for someone in particular?" She flashes her wretched smile. "It is only us women in the room, I have always wanted to know about what love meant to humans. Liking other people, this is new to me, so I would appreciate your help."

Now she is really irritating me. I put up a cold front. "I do not love him, he causes me constant trouble. It is the duty of a magus to be loved by many yet untouchable to all. It's only natural..." But the fact remains that only one man has ever seen me in casual clothes. My argument fails. "You are just an idiot...!" So I turn to muttering personal attacks.

I notice it then: she and he are alike. They are both idiots. They make me really mad.

"Idiot? I think you are the idiot here! ...If you don't want to help me out any more than I understand, you don't trust a vampire, do you? That is too bad... I wish I could understand it: what it is that I feel, and why I feel it. I do not know why I would be summoned to deal with him, I do not know what I feel for him or why that prevents me from fulfilling my mission as I always have. I can't explain something that I don't understand myself. All I can say is that when I am in his company I do not mind existing."

"Is it common that you are summoned against humans?" I realize that I am approaching the looking glass here. I am asking the questions that only the most potent of magi would even know to ask. Too bad that mentioning this would not go well with any Clock Tower admissions, because 'I have met and talked to a manifestation of the Earth.' would not go over well.

"Nope. I have never been called against a human before. As for me, I'm a vampire who hunts other vampires. Do you see my dilemma here? I thought that I would have come here to find a monster destroying this entire Island, but instead, I've found a weird boy who doesn't seem too bad. As long as he isn't firing swords at me, that is." She laughed about it, and I nearly fell over.

She... has never been called against a human before? "..." That sound... horrible. It looks like our conversation is at an end. I need to read and rest and scream into my pillow anyways.

Before she leaves, she turns back. "You have been helpful, little magus, so I will give a warning: I may choose to kill him. Would I count you as an enemy in that choice?" I shouldn't be a part of this. I can't be part of this.

Kill him...?

Isn't it strange... that the solution I have threatened him with for years is now being thrown in my face. ...But now it is serious. She will kill him because she isn't a weak coward like me.

So what... do I do? Rin is dead.

...All that matters is Tohsaka...

"All I ask, if it comes to that, is to do so away from town. ...And please just... do not let Sakura know, she is the other girl you may have seen from before. Allow me to handle her." I can't save Shirou. That is not my responsibility here; I must do everything possible to protect the leylines. Sakura... I will deal with her. "Whatever you choose to do with him... I will respect it."

"I will take that into consideration. Though I am surprised, I would have thought that you would have been more loyal."

She says that as if in condemnation, yet there is no malice in it. The vampire is stating a fact. No matter what, Tohsaka Rin is betraying something sacred to her. But that was the point. A magus has no room for religion or happiness. Such things only exist as the illusion to conceal the true nature underneath.

To be a magus is to be a turncoat, to embrace the ultimate selfishness.

If Emiya-kun were to be taken away, there wouldn't need to be any more contradiction. No more distortion. A human sacrifice for Tohsaka Rin to break the final bounds of her humanity and reach the limit of her magical ability. Every trace of her humanity would die with him, but such a trade would be the birth of a true magus. One who holds no more human morality, striving only for the ultimate authority of the root.

I fall into the bed.

I read the same unfinished page in my notes. The notebook he gifted me for my thirteenth birthday. I rip it apart and throw it away.

---

Mirage (Music) /lrpIizbKWA0

Senpai is my life. There isn't much more to it than that. There doesn't have to be.

I felt secure until I thought I saw him die in front of me. I may have trained, read and practised the magecraft that Irisviel helped me to learn, but I couldn't heal him... The moment I had feared yet anticipated where he was in danger, and I could prove myself to him arrived, and I failed completely.

I froze and regressed back to the pathetic Sakura of the past.

I was pitiful and weak, and so I did the thing that I promised that I wouldn't have to do ever again: I called Nee-san for help, even though I am not her sister in her eyes. She said that she would come quickly, and in the meantime, it was a mess. I couldn't even find the wounds from which Senpai had bled. I couldn't do a single thing. The blonde woman seemed to be perfectly fine. I wished that she was hurt instead of Senpai. I didn't like that he has been hurt, and I blamed her.

My magic is... evil. It can't do anything but take. The only solace was the passive connection that Senpai and I share was helping to keep his magical energy from plummeting, but that works slowly like a leaky faucet. If not for Nee-san then maybe he really would have died because of how useless I am.

Nee-san saved him, she fixed everything without a word. She wouldn't admonish me because, to her, I am not related to her at all. So my status as being weak and pathetic wasn't something she saw as having anything to do with her. 'Sorry Sakura, I'm not a strong user of healing magecraft... I will need to focus.' She apologised to me as if her being not 100% perfect was the real offence.

She made me leave the room, but I could see what she was doing. I could see her through the eyes of my familiar.

She was touching his bare chest, holding him for so long to maintain a connection to make sure that he wouldn't die. I seethed. I wanted to hit her and push her away and tell her to stop touching him, but those were terrible thoughts. I know that was what needed to happen, but I didn't like it. It was as if they were embracing and I was forced to watch. I hated it, it should be me! I was strong enough if only to give her the time she needed, even if I think she was taking more time than needed to hold him needlessly. Nothing was harder for Matou Sakura.

I thanked her, but she didn't respond. Nee-san is a good person, but she doesn't want anyone to know. I thought we had grown closer. I thought I knew her.

When she was done healing him, the blonde woman woke up. She looked a little older than us, but not by much. Her appearance was European and completely outrageous but to a magus that was not abnormal. This house had once had many strange people in it. I immediately didn't trust her. A woman that was like a seductress. Even if I was a girl and my love was completely pure for a single man, I knew that she was something that was undoubtedly captivating.

An objectively beautiful thing, like a full moon above an unlit town. Much more stunning than me, or even Tohsaka-senpai... or any human I have ever seen. It was unnatural magnificence, and I wanted her to stop. I could feel the magical energy she had, and it was completely unlike anything I had ever felt.

She told us that she was a vampire, and that was the first time that Tohsaka looked back at me as an ally in a long time. We were both humans, so we were allied. Vampires are not good news, but she didn't seem to look at us with hunger. Instead, she kept looking back down at peacefully sleeping and healing Senpai.

I knew at that moment why she had come. She was here for him. Why would she make herself so pretty if she didn't want to seduce him? That's what she wants. She knows that Senpai is uniquely amazing and wants to take him, and probably drink his blood. She is a parasite.

She wanted to eat his radiance.

I didn't care what she was. That just confirmed my original thoughts. She was a vampire who wanted to drink Senpai's blood, that was clear in my mind. Who wouldn't want to taste his clear, sweet loving blood? It is so... Nevermind that.

I wanted I burn the vampire then and there, but Senpai was still in danger. I had to keep my eyes on what is important...

Nee-san was cold but diplomatic, offering all sorts of deals to make her go away but nothing worked. The woman was like a robot, I noticed. Her voice did not carry emotion, and every word made me shiver. The only consolation was that she fell back asleep. It seemed like she was hurt. Whenever Senpai moved in his unconscious state, the woman would wince.

There was never an answer as to why he was hurt, but that is less important than knowing he will be fine.

Nee-san and I worked together, and that was nice. Matou and Tohsaka were allies after all. I was hopeful about our relationship for the first time in a long time.

When Senpai woke up with the blonde, I allowed Tohsaka-senpai to control the conversation as she wanted. But when I saw that she was thinking of letting Senpai go simply because the vampire might destroy the town the longer she stays is Unforgivable. I should have known she would just betray us at the first chance. She puts up a nice and cute front for him, I know she wants him. I see how she looks at him with her disgusting eyes like she would suck out his soul. But now, she betrays him at first chance, and Senpai is simply too nice to do anything but take it.

That's how yesterday went... It was horrible, but being with Senpai and sharing his bed fixed everything. He says that he loves me, and he knows that I love him, and he accepts it!

He loves me. He loves me. He loves me. He loves me. He loves me?

He might love Nee-san. He might become enchanted by Arcuied. He might have a mistress in Europe. I've read letters sent from European women. I found them accidentally when cleaning. I don't know English very well, but parts of it felt like love letters. I just don't know.

This atrociousness never lets me be satisfied. It eats into me, and I can't even be happy with Senpai is telling me he loves me. I am happy, but it is that thirst in me that leaves me unsatisfied. It's never enough. More... it wants more...

Maybe the reason I am afraid of the vampire... is because I desire the same thing. The same impulse to let myself invert into a girl who doesn't hold back anymore.

Senpai gives me what I need without having to say anything, but he won't give me what I want unless I ask. I can't ask anymore. I can't force him into anything or I am everything that I hate. I just need to protect him from others who would try and take advantage of him, that is all that matters to me. He has never asked anything of me that was meant for his own benefit, not once. He's the type that doesn't conceive that others want to feel that they are important to him.

The warmth and comfort last night... I think I can finally accept it for what it is. I don't have to hold these extreme worries anymore. At this rate, Senpai and I will share a bed at an increasing rate. I smile. I don't have to worry about anything. Things work out fine because he is there alongside me, any outcome in which that remains true is fine. It's not complicated.

It's only a shame that Nii-san made me leave Senpai so early. My familiar woke me up when it came back and merged back into me. Nii-san was throwing a fit at the Matou house, and I had to cook him dinner. I was glad to know he liked it, but that was only after leaving my little familiar watching him. He smiled two times. That was good progress.

The problem was he brought the girl into the house. He knows that they like him for his money, he knows that they are just stupid bitches without any personality yet he does it anyway. It is a burden on me, and on perfect Senpai, who is always trying his best to help Nii-san become better. The fact that I had to see what he was doing with them is Unforgivable.

It is my residence, a place I hate, but I am its ruler. He can't expect that I am not watching there as Grandfather would always be watching as well. I know Nii-san is sad, but he must find better ways of dealing with it than going out with all these girls. Nii-san must get better, or Senpai will be sad. I must do better on rehabilitating him. It is not a matter of if he will come to be obedient to what is best, only a matter of when.

I see something waiting as I walk.

There is a cat by the road lazying about. I'm surprised and stop. "Hmm... You a cute one, aren't you?" She is a cute black cat I've never seen before. She must have an owner because she has a cute bow on her neck. She lets me pet her for a time and gives me all sorts of tenderness but just like a cat she runs off skittish at the first sign of trouble. All it was was the wind... or perhaps something that only a cat can see.

That is how it can be, you take the attention and comfort you want then you abandon the source of it when you are done.

My shadow is long in the low sun, that must be it. 'Ah... my familiar...' He must have scared her. He doesn't have a name or anything like that. He was born one day when I really wanted something, and all of a sudden, I had a helpful little thing. Many magi have familiars that help them do humble tasks, so it's not like I'm unique. I just think it's great he appeared without me even having to make him. I think that he is an extension of Senpai, so he's always there looking out for me even when he is not present. It might appear scary to others, but it is my friend.

Almost there.

I am near the gate now. It's a sunny afternoon, and I'm sure that it could be considered pretty. But the landscape has never been anything but grey to me. There is a single thing that shines in my life, and I want to see it shine brightly for all time. If anyone wants to take that away, then I will not hold back in destroying them.

When I make it inside, I am pulled into an interrogation.

---

After a long day at work, I came to the place I called home away from home. I never knew that being a teacher was going to be so hard. Grading 60 kids' English homework sheets is dreadful! Maybe I could make Shirou do it for me... No, that's a big conflict of interest.

I come to the final door keeping me from this great smell. The kitchen that I love is right there, but I find that there is an obstacle.

"Eh? What's this?" Before making myself comfortable at the kitchen table as usual and finding something to eat before Shirou even finishes, I found that the way was blocked by confounding sight. Someone was peeping on Shirou's cooking. A tall blond woman who looks like a model from northern Europe. Anyone else would have panicked, but not me, I've got the sense for this sort of thing. I could be an international spy if I wanted to, but that line of work is too unstable for me. So I whispered behind her. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Shush. I am watching. Don't let him see. I must see him in his natural environment."

"..." The white pale familiar European woman is watching through a sliver in the door like a crazy stalker.

"Fujimura Taiga, correct? You have known him the longest. Is he always like this?" She points into the slightly opened door to where Shirou is cooking in the kitchen. Does she know me? But do I know her? I was sorting through all the faces in my head; she seemed familiar. I couldn't condemn her for being here if I couldn't first remember where I knew her from. I can't freak out before confirmation, Shirou has made it clear that I am not allowed to make a big deal about it unless I am fine with lesser portions at lunchtime.

"What? Shirou?" I look with her and see my boy in the kitchen where he belongs. Nothing wrong with that, so why is there a model spying on him. Hmm...

I see it now. I knew that she was actually right. He was in an uncommon mood. "You are right, he's restless."

"Does he always pace nervously? ...Among all humans and vampires, that look he is giving the food is one of the most serious I've ever seen. Could he be poisoning it?"

"I don't know about vampires, but Shirou is a serious cook. He would never poison his food; that goes against his code. Hmm... this is a mood I haven't seen on him in a long time. Not in many years. He's got something to prove, yes... he is making a true meal."

A chill went down my back, but also an incredible excitement. Shirou was always a good cook, no matter what. He doesn't make a bad meal unless he wants to. But that is only the baseline, something that happens without even a lick of effort. Tonight was different. It was him going all out. Shirou wouldn't register a tiger killing us all in the hallway with his current level of focus. The decadence of it was going to be beyond even his normal standard. My stomach rumbled, and a soothing tear nearly fell from my eyes. I truly love this boy and his cooking! I'll forgive him for being difficult recently!

I was so engrossed in the upcoming meal, that I nearly forgot about the woman. My brain, after sorting through all the faces finally found one. The mailwoman!? Of course, she was looking for Emiya Shirou, wasn't she? And wait... wasn't there something else?

I froze and saw through her true nature in a moment. What I saw was something that was hazardous. What this woman was... is a predator. In the eyes of even a tiger, this was one to avoid at all costs. I can't let her near the meal... or the kids! "Wait a minute here... I don't know you! Who are you? A thief? Some sort of new girlfriend of Shirou's!? Was Sakura-chan right!?" Sakura had long confided in me about her worries that Shirou had a secret busty blonde mistress from Europe. I had of course done my best to calm the nerves of my jealous little ward, but had it all been true all along?

It seems as though I grossly underestimated Shirou's ability to cause trouble in the same fashion as Kiritsugu. "Huh? What are you saying? I am Arcueid Brunestud. We met when I arrived here. That was the first time I've taken such a ride across the sea."

Arcueid, eh? Do all Europeans have names like Arcuied, Irisviel and Waver?

Pulse.

An image of pure fear ran through my head as I saw Shirou bloody and pale on the ground, she was next to him. But it was only for a moment, and then that was gone. ...Shirou was in an accident, how did I forget? It was so strange. The last few days felt a little foggy. Tohsaka-chan had come and explained it all after the fact. Shirou had saved someone from an accident but was hurt in the effort.

All the answers clicked in my brain conveniently. "...Hey... wait... Are you the one who was in that accident!?" A sudden eek as I put it all together. I feel as though my memory is far away and keeps escaping my mind's attempts to capture it.

Arcueid was confused at first but was able to figure out what she was trying to say. "Uh...? Indeed I am." Suddenly, a hug. I embrace her as my emotions take over.

"I'm so glad you are alright! I can't believe that Shirou would go and save you from a burning car as he did! He's such a hero!" In a moment, all the tension left my body and turned into tears staining Arcueid's breasts. There was no shame in it because it was scary! I was so scared, and yet my mind the last few days has felt like cold ice as if I had forgotten it had even happened.

"...Oh... I've never been hugged before..."

"Wahh!" I was crying because I had been so afraid! Why did I forget these emotions until now? I need to give Shirou a big hug then beat him up and teach him a lesson.

The woman just stands there letting me cry, not making any move or saying anything. What a good woman this is. She must still be in shock for her to be here still. Shirou is so nice to go save her then allow her to stay at his home. Despite the idea of him having a girl over alone being bad, it's not as if he doesn't do that all the time. Tohsaka and Sakura don't count really, because they are family.

I can't say why I broke down like that. I'm supposed to be an adult now... Maybe because she is new and unfamiliar, and I have an odd feeling of camaraderie with her. She has a strong spirit that even a tiger has to respect.

"Is the hug over now? You didn't answer me directly. I need to know why he looks so serious. It is very important." She seemed very interested in Shirou, more than just a passing interest.

"You want to know more about him? I guess that is natural to understand your saviour. He won't tell you himself..." He doesn't like to talk about himself.

"That would be helpful. I have investigated his magic, but now that leaves more questions than answers."

"Magic? Hmm, Shirou's one true magic is his cooking." It is a magic of sorts to me, at least.

Her eyes go wide and interested. "Truly? I had not heard of this before. The food? That is the source of it all?"

"Yes! Food is the source of everything, you know? What would life be like without a nice dinner with food and drink to entertain yourself? He's alright at other things like kendo and archery but I am his teacher in all that so I am the master." I say proudly.

"You taught him to fight? I see, then perhaps we should fight as well. I haven't had such fun in a long time, perhaps we could spar?"

"I am retired now. Unless you are here to take my position as the protector of Shirou and this household I do not see any reason to fight."

"I see. I will not be taking that position. That is a shame, I have only now learned you can fight for fun rather than to destroy..."

"So shat of the other girl? Is this 'cooking magic' unique to him?" Other girl... She must mean either Sakura or Tohsaka or maybe both.

"Tohsaka-chan you mean? She is a great cook too... but between you and me, she lacks the magical touch he has. She plans it out tooo well if you ask me. Sakura-chan, too, is great! But she changes her tastes too readily to match the tastes of a certain someone. Shirou is just right... ah, he matches every taste and wish of his guests just right. It's the middle ground between the two, and I know we all agree on this front."

"Does he always treat it with such seriousness?"

"Shirou takes everything seriously... He gives 100% on everything, it doesn't matter if he is good at it or not." Shirou is amazing at some things and not amazing at others. Everyone is like that, but I don't know anyone who tries as hard as he does at things he is simply not good at. He fails all the time, but never stops running forwards. If only he would stop to plan things out for once...

"Tell me about his family? Where are his parents?"

"Ah... His father and mother passed away three years ago."

"I see..."

"I can show you." I show her a picture of Kiritsugu, Irisviel and Shirou at some sort of festival. Shirou and Kiritsugu look stern while Irisviel was manically smiling. Just in character. "Emiya Kiritsugu, that is his progenitor?" An antiquated word comes out of her mouth, for a foreigner, she speaks in an odd form of Japanese. I feel as though I used to know a woman who was the same way, but I can't remember...

"Uh... yes. That is his father, but... adopted. Shirou was in a fire, and Kiritsugu saved and adopted him. He's... alone now, but he's got me to look after him." She was proud of that. A college student was suddenly given guardianship over four children. It hadn't been easy. They won't understand until the day they have children for themselves.

"I see... so he is adopted..." She was looking intently at the old picture of Kiritsugu and Shirou. Sometimes I feel as though there used to be many more photos, but not anymore. I don't have a clue where they would have gone. "You are his adopted sister?"

"Well, no... yes. I am his adopted sister." I change my mind in the middle. Why say otherwise when in reality I am? We may not share a name or blood, but in every other way we are essentially siblings.

"Good. It would be too bad if he had no family at all." He has plenty of family. It's just that none of them has the same name.

"Who is this?" She points out Irisviel.

"That is Irisviel... She was a fun mother, a bit crazy but you never doubted her devotion to her children..." Children? No, Shirou is... an only child. "Child, I mean." A strange slip of my tongue that seems to happen sometimes. There is no sister of Emiya Shirou. Forget. Forget.

Her whisper snaps me out of it. "So that is Emiya... Kiritsugu?" She was looking at the picture for a long time staring at the man. "...I may have known him. But I am not sure..."

"Huh? What do you mean? That can't be possible."

"I don't know. It feels like a vague story I was once heard." She puts the photo back and forgets all about it. "If his parents are gone, then there is nothing to go on there. I should get back to my mission. I need to watch Emiya Shirou."

She seemed really interested in my ward. Past even the gratitude of someone saved. "Huh? Why?"

"I'm here to see him. Didn't I tell you when we met earlier? You gave me directions to his place, yet no matter how much I looked and looked I couldn't find this home. I did end up sensing him, but he was running across the town by then."

"Wahh!? You are the mail person I met! I knew I saw you before! But why are you here to see Shirou specifically? For a package or mail? He must have known he needed to pick it up fast and ran out of the house to catch you, only to discover you in an accident!" All the puzzle pieces came into place and Fujimura Taiga completely cracked the case of everything that was happening these last few days.

She looked like she had no idea what I was talking about, but this was only raining my suspicion meter. "I must judge Emiya Shirou, that is my mission, but I do admit that it is the most confusing mission I've ever had... Oh, and I am not a mailwoman." Not a mailwoman!? Then she shouldn't have made it seem like she was. Ah, well I shouldn't yell at a girl who must still be in shock from the accident.

"To judge him? As in a talent show?"

"Err, talent show? What's that?"

"You know when you get a chance to show off what you are good at! You show the whole world what you can do."

"I see... One of your television shows to determine talents? That is a part of it." She took a deep breath. Arcueid herself did not know what the mission was relating to Emiya Shirou. Half of the mystery was figuring out what the mystery even was, and what question needed to be asked and answered. "But not all of it... I've seen what he can do, and it's not enough..." It was not an explanation at all.

"Not enough? You think he is hiding his full potential from you?"

Her eyes go wide. "You have come to the same conclusion then. I need to see it all. I did not know we were on the same page on this."

"Yes. I think we are." I understand now. I too wish to see Shirou unlock his full power.

It is true. I have long since suspected the truth. All the strange events and odd occurrences. I'm not oblivious, I can see everything that happens in this town even if Shirou thinks I might just be a dopey older sister. The truth is... I know that... Shirou is hiding his full ability as a cook.

"You have helped me greatly to understand him, Fujimura. I hope that you can continue to serve in your role as a mediator for nature and mankind."

She says that and suddenly it felt like there was a great lift onto my back. All the energy that I had "Oh. Thanks." He has been holding out on me with the excuse of trying to ween me off of him. "Listen, Shirou really is a great kid. Whatever you are judging him on, I assure you he will succeed. But do me a favour and don't let him know that I said that, I don't want him to get cocky about it..."

"A secret? I've never been told to hold a secret before..." Is that such a new thing for her? Maybe that's just how Europeans are with their secrets.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Like a dog that has heard something interesting, the woman ran to the door. "Welcome!" It was Sakura. I don't think Tohsaka will be coming over so it wouldn't be anyone else.

Sakura's eyes went wide. Was she nervous about this new girl? "Uh..."

"Sakura-chan, meet Arcuied-san! She's staying here to judge Shirou, can you believe that? Our boy is being checked by a princess! Isn't that crazy?" I felt drunk on this sudden event. It was no longer sanity, and thus my brain melted leaving only basic desire.

"J-Judge? F-Fujimura-Sensei you talked to her?" Why was she so scared? Sakura had come a long way and she wasn't as nervous as she used to be, but it seemed that the entry of Arcueid had been too much.

"Yeah! Like she is scouting him for a school or something! First Waver-san and now a beautiful blonde... Sometimes I think Shirou has some unnatural luck." If only I was so lucky, nothing ever seems to go my way.

"..."

Arcueid turned towards me, and I looked right into her deep and beautiful golden eyes. "Fujimura, I have greatly enjoyed our meeting, but would you mind leaving us to speak alone? Why not rest until dinnertime? Sakura-san and I have something important to discuss."

Clap

A thunderstrike hits my brain, shocking me. Her eyes are so pretty, I think that I should do what she says. The idea is the best I have ever heard and will do that right now. I leave Sakura and Arcuied, I should rest until dinner. I should rest until dinner... Rest until... dinner... dinner...

The final thing I hear before blacking out is the predator cornering its prey.

"Now, Matou Sakura, tell me about yourself. What can you tell me about the Emiya family?" Sorry Sakura, I'll save you when dinnertime comes. Why do I... always fall asleep at the oddest times...

---

"Hah..." I'm finished. The air and mood instantly changed as I complete the final steps, and I noticed it was dark out. It had been light when I began and had completed lost focus in everything but this forging of the meal.

It feels more like New Year's day than just a normal weekend in spring.

If you asked why I went this far, I wouldn't be able to answer. All I can say now is that I have completed one of my magnum opuses, and I'm afraid this sets a horrible precedent into the future.

It is not a large meal in terms of size but in terms of effort. Each piece was laid out with hours of effort. It's not at the level of a restaurant, but it is different in its appeal. Salmon, ginger and soba noodle stir-fry, Takenoko, Ikanago, Shrimp tempura all layered into a box. I don't really remember why I started all of it at once, but I think I was just so excited by the reaction I wanted that I took everything I wanted and made it into a weapon that will attack the taste buds of my guests.

I go out to the hall where I thought I heard Fuji-nee earlier. "Dinner is ready! Sorry for the wait. ...Eh?" No one is there.

"I'm awake...! Is this dinner?" She bites me.

"No! I'm not dinner, don't eat me or I will cancel it."

"Don't cancel dinner, you bully!" She was the one who went straight for the bite. It was only a play bite but still... she needs to control herself or else one day she is really going to become a tiger.

I find two people in the hall as I am getting everyone together for dinner.

"Arcueid... and Sakura?" Saved by my entrance, Sakura

"S-Senpai, I-I didn't talk. I didn't tell her anything!" I see... I hold her arm so she won't scratch it.

"It's fine, Sakura. There is no need to hide it all. There is nothing that needs to be hidden now. But... thanks. I know that I can trust you."

"She told me some things, but she was clearly hiding the rest. She was the most loyal to you of all, but that only makes you more suspicious. The Tohsaka girl was as I would expect a magus, Sakura was how I would think of a schoolgirl but Fujimura is someone who I am glad to have met."

"Gald to have met? That is a heavy compliment. I thought you didn't like humans?"

"I thought I was clear, I don't have any issue with any human. Your older sister is... the opposite of you." I was initially surprised, but then it clicked. Their personality did have a certain familiarity. They are pure creatures. "She is clearly blessed by the Earth. So we are natural allies."

"..." Taiga... maybe I have been too cruel to you at times. As long as Tohsaka and Sakura never hear these opinions placing Taiga's status over her own, then this is fine information.

"I think it's time for dinner now. It is late as is."

"Indeed. I must see this cooking magic once and for all. This could be my final investigation. If your food is a danger to the world by existing then I will destroy you." My... food? I don't know what idea she has, but my food isn't special really.

Tohsaka is the last to come to dinner, and she openly is reading a book at the table. It must seem harmless to Fuji-nee, but the book is on the matter of magical beasts. She is openly reading about vampires while at the same table as one. Tohsaka sometimes is completely fearless, and you can't help but admire her.

"..."

"..."

"..."

It can be called awkward if only because of Fuji-nee's presence. We can not discuss magic openly, and even Arcueid has taken some kind of cue. She is looking around at us all with our food not touching her own. I am restless wanting to see her try it.

I ask Sakura an important question on a normal day, but today it is small talk.

"How is Shinji?"

Sakura had a disappointing slump as I named her older brother. "He is going out with, err, 'friends'. He is just... hard to deal with." Girls from school are attracted to his money and bad persona. He is always going out into town with them, but that is none of my business. As long as he doesn't go too far then I can't hate him for seeking comfort in others, we all do that. But treating people as nothing but tools for immediate satisfaction... It will only hurt him in the end. "Sorry, Senpai... I need to try better..." She blamed herself for everything.

"I see... You don't need to make excuses for him. I know you are doing your best for him. Perhaps I need to speak to him..."

"No! T-that is not necessary!"

"If not me, then someone else? Sakura, I can't just stand by if he is he being like this."

First, he does this, next he will think he can treat Sakura poorly. For his own sake, he needs to be put in his place. Tohsaka, he seems to listen to-"

"I would prefer to keep my interactions with Matou-kun to a minimum." He will seek her out regardless of her opinion. As she is the idol of the class, and he is the playboy, it is not a good situation. Shinji pursues her and receives horrible verbal rejections that stain his small pride. He will get it at some point, but he is simply too young to be anything but impulsive.

This is one more reason why Fuji-nee's homeroom is a disaster in the making.

"Who is this Shinji?" Arcueid asks. "Is this yet another thing you have been hiding from me?"

"No one important," Sakura says about her own brother.

"..." No one disagrees with her cold statement, as it is a fact. Not even Taiga chides her for saying that, she is too busy eating. You would feel bad, but you can't deny it.

"Not everything is a conspiracy, Arcueid. Some people are just... people. They have nothing special about them."

Taiga finished her meal first, haven been quiet until then. She was a monster eater and had drank quite a bit as well. On a normal day i would have stopped her, but to be honest we were all busy peeking at the other with the corners of our eyes to look. "Do you like the food, Arcueid-san? You haven't touched yours." She was eying Arcueid's untouched plate with naked desire.

"I'm fine really. I had a good dinner yesterday." She says something crazy like that. "Do you want some?"

"I-" No. Taiga, you are not allowed to do that!

"Ahem. Arcueid, I made the meal tonight for you. I wanted to see how it would taste for you." Sakura's body tensed, and a wave of jealousy washes into my eyes. "I figured that as you are the guest tonight, I wished to see if I could make something that you would enjoy."

She paused, then smiled radiantly. "For... me? Oh, I guess I must taste it then." Even if Arcueid tasted food much differently from us humans, I had to at least try. "I've never had someone make something for me before..." She looked quizzically at her food as if looking at art and judging it before tasting it. "Hmm. Strange. It holds a very ancient texture. Whah? What is this?" She made an expression of bewilderment as if feeling something for the first time.

Her use of chopsticks is not the Japanese way of holding, but that makes it even more elegant as she pulls it off. Why is looking at anything she does so stunning?

We all wait with bated breaths to see the reaction. Even Tohsaka is looking up from her book.

"Well? How is it?"

Arcueid has a dopey face. "Eh? I mean... what is this? This feeling in my mouth, there is something weird happening, but I don't mind it!" She asked excitedly. She had another bite and then another. Every noodle that reaches her is down one after another.

Then she stops as if ashamed that she ate so fast.

"Arcueid? Something the matter?" She was red. And breathing heavily.

"This food... what is with this food...?"

"Is it bad?"

"No! Shirou, I've never had something like this! It's like... It's like... I don't know. It is not like regular food!" My breath leaves me. This is the ultimate gratification of a cook. The concept of taste was building inside of her.

"See? Shirou is a great cook, far above any that you have judged before." Fuji-nee seems proud of herself for something. Maybe she needs to learn how to make her own food one day (as if).

Arcueid does a little thinking and comes to a conclusion. "Yes, this is something precious. This would be the moment I should show my appreciation, correct?" Huh? Suddenly I am warm and being pressed. She was hugging me. Her breasts were being pressed into me and I couldn't see anything but her face above me. "I just discovered that a hug is a remarkable way to show affection. I knew what they were, but now I know that they are fun! Thank you, Shirou. I didn't believe you, but I really did taste your food. Your magic is amazing!"

"Uh... That's good..." I may not be able to see Sakura or Rin, but somehow I could feel a piercing gaze of hatred.

I didn't indicate it! But I didn't run away either. She let's go, and I am left with an antagonistic room.

Only Fuji-nee seems to be in her own world full of rainbows due to the meal and the drinks. "See, I told you that Shirou's magic is his cooking. Don't you agree, Tohsaka-chan?"

"I do not believe in magic, Fujimura-sensei. You shouldn't use that word so lightly." Tohsaka was not enthused by how close Taiga was becoming to the line of magic. I agree, she should be directed away from this insanity.

"You just need to believe! You must become a believer! Sakura-chan, you believe in the magic of Shirou's cooking, don't you?"

"I-I... I do. Senpai's food is the best there is the entire world!" Under pressure, she agrees. Though she is truthful, she believes I have magical cooking. "I try my best too..." She says much lower.

I feel so embarrassed. Fuji-nee is starting a cult around my food. "Please... no more. You are going to give me undue expectations. I'm not going to make meals like this all the time, Fuji-nee. No matter how much you beg, this is not going to become a common sight."

"I know that. Food is best done in cycles, with a new type replacing the last. I am well versed in the art of food." The problem was that she was taking classes in the eating department rather than the cooking one.

It takes some time to corral Fuji-nee. We all surprisingly ease into a form of small talk that is not an to the everyday life of Emiya Shirou. Arcueid even joins in, asking questions about everyone with a passive sort of interest. In terms of personality, Arcueid seems like a mix of Tohsaka with Fuji-nee. She has both luck and skill.

Then Fuji-nee says something strange.

"Ahh... but you don't appreciate me as much as you should, Shirou, or you, Tohsaka-chan. Only Sakura truly knows how important I am. I could be eaten at any moment! it was just today that I came face to face with a jaguar, but I scared it off."

"There are no jaguars in Japan, Fuji-nee." I laugh. No one took her seriously, but there was something off. My eyes detected no lie. "If you did, when did this happen?"

"It was in mid-day, I was walking to the school to grade my first homework assignments and then Bam! There was a jaguar taller than me in the street. He was there only for a moment, but I swear I made eye contact with him. Don't worry, I scared it off. Tigers and jaguars don't get along, you know? But the tiger wins. I wasn't scared, but I always knew that such things roamed the streets of Fuyuki. I'm not saying it wasn't possibly a hallucination, but I know what I saw."

Arcueid was thinking now. "That could be a vampire's-" Before Arcueid could finish her sentence, Taiga fell over unconscious. Tohsaka had immediately put her back to sleep.

It was a bit of violent and fast action. "What? It had to be done. I would appreciate it if you would not speak of magic in front of Fujimura-san, Arcuied. She is not a part of the world of the abnormal, do not speak of those terms."

"But she told me all about Shirou's magical cooking?"

"...She is a special case, yes, but as a magus it would be my duty to kill her if she learned of the magical world. Do not make me do so."

"..." Now with Taiga out from the conversation, there is no filter. "She is telling the truth."

"How do you know?"

"I know Fuji-nee. She always lies the same way. That was not a lie on her part, she did see something. It could a hallucination or a dog or..."

"Or a vampire's familiar, as I was going to say before you rudely attacked my friend here." Taiga knows everything that there is to know about felines. She wouldn't mistake a jaguar for a dog. However, this is Fuji-nee we are talking about... She likely sees tigers and jaguars and lions in all the things she sees everyday.

"Is it yours?"

"No. I do not have a familiar, I have no need for one. Oh, well I guess there is one that I still take care of but I do not make her do anything. A vampire can make a familiar in the shape of all sorts of animals. It could be a jaguar... or a dog or a bat. As long as it is only the one, then this should be a normal vampire. You can only have a single familiar, or perhaps two or three if you are a truly powerful Dead Apostle."

"If this is a vampire, then why are they here? ...It can't be a coincidence."

"I agree. They likely have come to kill me. I had some resistance coming here in the first place, but it was minimal. A vampire has great difficulty crossing over oceans, so it is very abnormal that one would come here of all places."

Tohsaka is done. She puts down her ultimatum. "I can't believe this. This is why I wanted you gone from the moment you arrived! You and Shirou are the worst! You are going to destroy this whole town! Leave, leave, leave!"

"Hah... Okay, I will leave, Tohsaka. If that is what is best." I nearly stand upright there and pack up to move out.

Arcueid stops me. "Do not leave, Shirou. You are being rash and stupid, both of you. A vampire in this town can not be ignored. Leaving would only mean that they would be allowed to grow to strength very difficult to defeat. The best strategy is to stay and face them now, rather than later. However... Shirou is still hurt, and by connection... my power feels limited. It should be an easy fight, I will deal with it then conclude my judgment on Shirou."

Tohsaka calms down, "...You are correct. Leaving would be no punishment for you. You will take responsibility and help me remove this threat... if it is even one at all. I swear... this better be the last I hear about another issue."

"What?"

"You will have to kill it, and quickly. Otherwise, I will have to inform the Church and the Association. I can not hide such a thing for long. Hopefully, this is all a hoax, but if it is not..." Then the threat to the town was now worse. Arcueid was only a potential enemy with who we had come to negotiate with, but a Dead Apostle was an active and unnegotiable enemy.

"I will investigate tomorrow, Tohsaka. If you look around Miyama then I move towards Shinto."

"Agreed."

"Hey? I'm coming too." Arcueid declares.

"I would prefer that you were left in a box and I could throw away the key, but I will not deny that we need you. Can you track a vampire down?"

"I need a guide, so I'm going with Shirou."

Debating all this, Sakura was quiet. She was afraid of the conflict. But there was a certain resolve in her. If the chance came that she was needed, then she would be there and she wouldn't hold back. Now she hears I will go with Arcueid and does not like that. "I think that Arcueid and Shirou should not be alone with one another... She is dangerous."

"If that is the case, then I promise I won't give my verdict on Shirou until the threat is taken care of. Is that satisfactory?"

"...Okay..." It was a good compromise, and Sakura took it as she was given. She didn't have the heart to fight with the woman who made humans afraid just by looking at them. I was never afraid of her personally.

The rest of dinner ends quickly, and the dishes are done by Sakura at her insistence so she could be of help today.

Unseen by all but me, Arcueid finishes the last of the food she had unhurriedly been consuming. She had taken one bite at a time as of to extend the taste out for nearly an hour. "Now I think I've acquired a taste for this..." Arcueid was pleased. "This is the most I've ever eaten. I've never tasted anything before now. It's quite the sensation!"

She was pleased. I didn't need my soul reading eyes to tell me that.

"Arcueid?"

"I need to rest. Tomorrow we can look into your town." Something is off with her. She had slept for a while earlier, and now after dinner, she was going back to rest. The wound was buried deep, far beyond the body. A cut into her very core and infected by the worst infection in all the world.

I had succeeded, I had filled that small desire to see her enjoy a meal without any need for a mission or a purpose. Enjoying the small moments in life, that is what Mom made sure I would never forsake. If I can carry her lesson on to one who needs it, then that would be a great thing. She can desire something for herself, even if it as small as appreciating food. The red bleeding into her was only becoming worse. Every bite was a cut into a cold empty fortress.

... But be careful what you wish for, Emiya Shirou. Sometimes too much of a good thing can be poison when one has no idea how to manage it. A trigger that should perhaps have been left untouched was pulled. Once the engine begins to run, there reaches a point at which it is harder to stop it than it is to push it forwards. Some new concept had ignited inside her, and the more she learned from the boy, the more she was starting to lose control.

---

It was warming up, and people could finally go out and sit outside in the sun without shivering. We are having lunch.

We were away from everyone at the park under the bridge. ...A much more pleasant place than the other park across town. I don't wish to go there. It's not good for my health. We had looked around near where Miyama become Shinto but there was no trace of any evil jaguar. I began to think it was a dumb hallucination.

Logically, this never made much sense anyway. Even if there was a monster on the loose, this city is too big to cross paths with them by accident.

Even so... it could be that people are dying, and I'm sitting here eating lunch.

I stopped because I think she was tired and trying to hide it. For a while now as Arcueid and I walked through town, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I noticed that she would stop and then reassert herself every few minutes.

"Are you mad at me...? You have a serious face." She asks, seeing my thoughts in my expression.

"No. Just frustrated that those people exist that would go against you to the point that they would kill innocents just for the power to fight you. Who would do that?"

"Not so much people anymore, Shirou. There is no way back for them, they are only living curses dedicated solely to the hunger that has consumed them."

"There is... no cure...? No way to turn away from that path."

"No. It is possible for one to get to the point of never needing to drink blood once more, but those Dead Apostle that would willingly starve themselves for the sake of humans are very few. Eventually, they will break and seek out blood."

It didn't sit well with me, that you can be turned into such a monster without any hope of redemption. Even if a human is evil, they still have the chance to do good.

An odd feeling strikes me. A premonition. From the darkness under the bridge, I hear it. A growl.

This is it. It was a meeting of coincidence. These beasts were searching and we were waiting.

They stalk up to us, sulking down under the sun and clinging to the shadows. They are measuring our resolve as prey to fight back and waiting for the correct moment.

"Friends of yours?" Arcueid finally catches on. She had been eating the lunch I had prepared for us out here in a sort of state of happy laziness. She is showing a desire to eat now more like a human. "Those are familiars."

"Hmm, but those are no jaguars."

I don't know what they are. Disgusting, and malformed like a cancerous monster. Eight dog looking things. Dogs who have rabies do not look as lost as this, these are predators seeking to kill. They are dangerous, and not to underestimate.

"Will you be my guard?"

"Yes. I will protect you-"

They charge. No point in waiting anymore, seeing I have no weapon in my hand.

That is their mistake. A weapon is always in my hands, waiting for the time to show itself.

Arrows shatter the air immediately.

Three thin arrows in the form of thin blades puncture the dog but it is no use. It doesn't even register the pain. I need to force death on it as a whole. Again, I fire, and one simply explodes. That is one. It sinks away like mud.

Arcueid takes on four at a time, and I am only left with three. A vampire must be destroyed by a holistic weapon. But I don't have time to search for such a thing as by that time it is in the air charging towards me.

Again, I annihilate another through sheer force of firepower. The body is cut in half and life is prohibited to exist.

Two left.

I am hit from the left, and it bites into my arm. From my right, my hand comes down and decapitated it so quickly and cleanly that there is no thought. This is a massacre, this is so easy. KIll! Kill! Kill!

A horrid part of me is rejoicing at the death. That part isn't me, however, so it doesn't matter.

I turn back to the last one, but it is too late. In the air in front of me, the jaws of death are extending towards my clear neck. I'll die. I will be killed by a mangy dog. Think...!

My mind discovers an action and pursues it. The lack of time means my first idea is what I do.

I catch it by its throat, and it continues to bite and bite after my neck. I feel the fur in my fingers and its spitting jaws near my face. It is heavy, but nothing to the strength that my reinforced body can take. In the first place... my body in combat is faster than most humans or magi.

I look into its eyes. They are black holding no individual will.

Something breaks, a bullet fires inside my brain destroying it. My eyes light up, and the world turns into a wasteland. Eyes are buckets that catch light and converts it into information. I break that rule. The river starts to course backwards.

Curse detected. Analysis set, penalty on.

"Hold, for I am the king of all demons. Thou shall kneel to me." My voice takes on a heavy air and authoritative air as I chant in an intrinsic language, one lost to time and thus a mystery all on its own. It is the original Avestan language lost to time, its presence in the modern world is akin to the magic of the age of the Gods. The dog comes to heel, it can not disobey.

It is the curse of a millennium class beast, a will that has reached the level of a thousand years or more.

It is cursed with the insanity that is quite ugly. Poor thing. I can't simply cure it, that is not how my magic works. It is a beast.

The beast whimpers, and despite trying its best to kill me, it can do nothing as its body disintegrates in my hands.

The curse was killed, or more accurately taken away. Drawn into a large sea that was meant to hold all the curses of the world within its boundary, however, this was a new one to me. Something alien to me. It is not of humanity at all.

The King of Beasts~

A curse that has originated from animals rather than mankind. It is much more primal than anything I have ever encountered, holding the sick intelligence of a predator. Its only goal is to find prey and eat it.

It is... strange, and not in a good way. It was a mud of its own, trying to form an entirely separate sea of life new to existence. I feel sick. Digesting it into myself, and analyzing its properties, I can not hold the dog further and it runs off presumably to its master. "Hah... Hahh..." I can barely keep my breath as I feel the immense pressure inside me.

It is quiet now. The fight ended fast.

So this is the curse of a vampire...? it is rotten. Equivalent to a thousand humans or more. I did not experience this before with the Dead Apostles that I have encountered, they were comparably still human to whatever this is.

Arcueid? Is she alright?

I look back for my companion in sudden realisation. I find Arcueid gasping and holding herself. I run to her. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Is she that tired? I mean, she really beat my ass when we fought and that was not at the level of little beasts. It was four dogs, and I assumed she would have wiped the floor with them.

"No. Just tired is all... I can't believe that I couldn't kill these things in a second..." She really looks horrible. What is it that is hurting her so much? The curse of retribution must have been bad, but my pain was only becoming less and less bad. Why was hers getting worse?

I hold her up on her feet. "Do you need to sleep?"

"No. You are the one who put me in this state, how would you like to be the frontline next time? It was easy enough, but then... I look back at you and..." There was it again, a redness inside her pulsing deep within. The white and pure soul that she is acting as a wall suppressing it, but it is persistent. "You were being a complete idiot again with your dumb magic!"

She is not well. I can see the infection, perhaps I can...? I put my hand on her chest. "What? What are you doing?" Trace on.

Her body is familiar. It is not one built out of flesh in the human term of the word. I... made a body like this once, a spiritual one. I can comprehend its features even though it is incompatible with the human mind. But my mind has come to understand many things that a human never could.

I can feel that the binding of her existence is being strained by something, and the retribution curse doesn't explain all of it.

"You are sick."

"Shirou, that is impossible. Vampires don't get sick..." That is true, but only because... they already have a single sickness. One that has completely taken them over.

"...You need blood, don't you? I thought maybe that... I could cook a meal so good it could be enough, but I guess even that isn't-"

"It's not like that... You don't understand what you are saying, as usual. Hah... Shirou, usually, I don't 'eat' food. Certainly eating like that allows me to move on my own, but it's more of a mental thing. For me to eat, in other words, taking in nutrition, is a different process than the one you have. I do have an appetite, but maybe it's more akin to lust. If I don't eat, I get irritated, but since I don't put much priority on it, inversion impulses rarely happen. But... Shirou, it wasn't that your food was not enough, it was that it was too good. It shouldn't taste as if it is... a necessary thing."

"But that is a good thing, right? You can enjoy yourself now and-"

She cuts me off. "I will now desire something. Shirou... you do not understand, because you keep try to apply human rules to me. A vampire has only two choices: to embrace their desires, or to completely deny them. You have no idea what you have done... I know I shouldn't eat anymore... but I already have, and it is..." She is clearly struggling with something here.

Now that we know that there is a vampire, I can't just leave. Even if she needs my help. She won't die from this, but others may.

"Then I will go and keep looking for this vampire. You need to rest." I'm already ready. I don't need anything but this state of mind.

She stops me, she takes my hand. "Wait, wait, wait! What are you doing? You aren't fully healed yet, and that is still reflecting on me! Don't think that I want you going off and dying by someone else's hands!"

"More people will die if I wait, correct?"

"...Perhaps, but it is unlikely. He will gather strength at night. If it what I suspect it is then this will not be like the sort of vampire you imagine..."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a bad suspicion, and I fear I am correct. A very troublesome abnormal abomination is known as Chaos. Remember when I told you about a vampire's familiars? Forget about the rules of having only one or two or maybe even three, he is said to have 666 beasts tied to him."

That is overkill. I can't project 100 swords without killing myself in the process. 666? If even half of that was to be unleashed on the town then it is a disaster. I need to do something.

"Then there isn't any time, Arcueid... You should stay home, it is safe there. There is a boundary field you likely did not even notice, but that will keep you safe." Mom's territory over the house is impenetrable to those with ill will.

"You want... me to stand back? You want... to protect me?" She was bewildered.

"Yes. I'll handle this, so you can rest. This town is my responsibility." Mother would never forgive me if I let the town she blessed come under attack. Until the day Ilya can happily live in the town that should be our home, I can't let some scum ruin it. "You said I am unique, right? Then that should be enough."

"...You are really an idiot, aren't you?" It's not a rhetorical question. No. I won't hold back if I have to. ...I'll give my- Her yelling interests me. "Why do you think you're doing this yourself! What is your issue? I asked you to be my guard for two minutes, and now you are offering to go completely alone! You won't last a few seconds! You can't take this head-on, Shirou. You need me!"

"Who says that?"

"I do! A human can't defeat a vampire, I don't care if you are a magus or not, it won't work out. It seems that you are just ignoring that and running in without any plan."

"That's irrelevant..." I hate it, but she is right. I don't know if I can do it alone, but I also can't allow this evil to exist for a moment more.

"I know you care for the people of this town, but do not kill yourself in trying to save them. All that accomplishes is a complete failure in which you both die. At least heal as much as you can until the night. No vampire will walk in the sun, not even an aberration like Chaos. They will be concealed in their castle, it is common sense to wait until we are both ready."

Common sense. I receive that notion from one who doesn't have a trace of it herself. I close my eyes. She wishes to fight alongside me. She's just a girl... vampire princess. Even sick as she is, she could still beat me.

"Shirou, You don't just get another chance; a human has a single life, and then it is gone... for a Dead Apostle, mortality has become a foreign concept. They no longer hold even a shred of mercy because they no longer see those that are living as anything more than food for themselves. Why are you so willing to be faced with that?" A genuine question from one who had no concept of death. Why would a mortal put their life on the line against something designed to kill them? "You can't possibly be that stupid, can you?"

Do not underestimate me in that regard. "Somethings are most important than life itself. If someone wants to take away my homeland, then I will extinguish them without mercy." I am full of tension. Darkness fills my vision. This is far worse than before. Arcueid was a threat to me, but this is a threat to everyone. Some things can not be forgiven. This is Mom's town, Ilya's town, Kiritugu's town.

Until the day that Ilya can call this her home once more, I'm not letting anyone put it in danger.

"...I will fight tonight. I will listen to you that much." I can't run in without any plan at all. I can't go full idiot just yet.

"If that is so... then you have no right to deny me. I'm coming with you."

"Arcuied but-"

"I'm coming..." She stands tall up despite her obvious tiredness. "Whether you like it or not. I... need to fight something regardless." The redness inside her was becoming worse and has started to stain her entire white purity into a light pink. Almost as if... a part of her needed to fight, and soon.

It was never that she was growing weaker, it was that there was some impulse in her that was telling her to let go.

"Nothing I say will stop you, will it?"

"No. I'm not going to let you get yourself killed, only I am allowed to do that!"

"Hmm, then we should wait at the place where we will fight..." But where?

"You know the town best. Where is the best place to go that would be away from humans but also central to the town?"

Why? Why there? Of course, it would be there.

...There is one place. That park is central in town but also desolate enough that people shouldn't come. What is objectively the best decision is also subjectively the worst. There will be no room for error or retreat; once it starts, it won't stop. In that place... I may be at my strongest, but I will lose control.

"The park... at the middle of Shinto. That is the best place." My fists tighten. The truth will be revealed there. She will know what I really am. ...But people will die, If I could save even one person at the cost of my own life, then I would, and so I shall. Whatever, it was only a matter of time. Either she will kill me or I will convince her to spare me, either way, this has to be done.

"That sounds good to me. This should be an easy fight. You better be up to my expectations, Shirou!" Her shining smile drives me forwards towards a fight that will be anything but easy. The day will end soon, and the faded moon in the sky will replace the daylight.

It is strange... by the side of that luminous moon, I don't feel like I could ever lose.

...

Neither of them noticed the golden-haired man watching from the far off dark. Red eyes and an off-putting, disdainful smile. He was invisible to the world and had long shadowed the boy whom he was grooming.

"So the world detected it then? Mongrel. Stay out of what is not your business. He is my tool to use." The woman was but a pale imitation to the exquisite ideal of the king of knights to his eyes, he was far more annoyed that the planet would dare interrupt him.

The boy is but a mirage in need of being unveiled. The treasure that could bring his rule back to all mankind, all that was needed was a small push. The boy had endured despite the challenges, showing ability and courage not unrecognised by the greatest king. But it is still too early. Earlier than it should have been. He wished for the full stage to be have been set first in the war to come, but now the hand was forced.

A lesser being would fear to face the world all alone, but not the king of all heroes. To dare impede on his subject, he would have to put the planet in its place under humanity.

---

Author's Notes:

This was hard to write. Lots of exposition to get through and that is mostly pure dialogue but I am glad to be through with it. Some fun stuffing in the next chapters as everyone will have to face their worst nightmares. Am in school too so I am busy, but the next chapter is easier to write and more interesting than this one. Though this was a necessary build-up for our characters.

Yes, we are going to have Shirou vs Chaos, and Gilgamesh vs Arcuied. Not at the same time, but those fights are the main ones in this arc.

I hope all my readers are safe... I love all of you and hope you are okay. If all you have left are painful choices, then remember what is most important to you. Whatever the outcome of your decision, if you stand on the right path, then it is not wrong. Unfortunately, we have no special powers, but that is only you comparing yourself to fiction. Heroes are made after the fact, some were ordinary or may have never even existed. Even if you are nameless, you are a hero in your own right. Your efforts live on without you. You will never truly be lost. That is all I will say about that.

Reviews are always appreciated.