Chapter 4
[Present and Future]
Not thinking simply moving towards a enemy he sought to defeat, blow after blow was cut apart and deflected.
Not once allowing himself to doubt the decisions he had made, the dream he once again took up.
The blades in his hands would be his answer to this world and the woman behind him, to believe in him and leave everything in his hands in this moment.
The mantle of crimson red that had once been stained red and stood as a sign of the cruel justice he had enacted in his service to the world was being changed now.
The tinkering of "Many" allowed many realities to gaze upon this moment, the redemption and the new start of the man who had created what could only be described as miracles.
Every step , every breath he took was watched by countless worlds.
Not knowing anything, never once hesitating in the face of adversity or despair.
He fought for the salvation of all those in his sight and even for worlds that were beyond hope.
Pushing himself until he achieved the impossible if it meant saving one more.
The determination of the hero of red and the hopes of those waiting as well as those who needed him reflected in that moment.
A look of desperation seemed to come across All for One upon seeing the hero who now moved closer.
"How?!"
Extending his hand he called upon the numerous quirks he had stored up and caused the very earth beneath Archers Feet to erupt in a cloud of rock, concrete and metal.
The spikes and various other elements shaped in a way that would have left no room for escape.
The fears and despair of so many worlds grew at the sight of the attack dreading the possible defeat of their savior.
The red mantle was amidst the rubble almost confirming the fears of those watching but still there were those who knew better and waited in anticipation.
He would not be defeated, he could not be defeated.
The air seemed to shift all around the area and as All for One's expression shifted to utter glee upon looking at the site of his assault.
Slowly he turned to look upon Nana seeking to finish what he had started.
"Now where were..."
He never finished his sentence before a sword descended and lodged itself into his shoulder.
Wailing in agony All for One clutched unto his shoulder and turned his attention skyward.
Looking far above him he beheld in horror that somehow his enemy had escaped and now descended towards him.
The light of the sun did not allow him to see the face of his enemy but yet as he looked...he saw them...eyes of a cold emotionless machine that had locked on to it's target.
A indescribable pressure descended upon All for One and all at once he knew that he had made a mistake.
"I Am The Bone Of My Sword"
No sign of damage or wounds were visible on the hero that had appeared and all at once glee turned to panic.
"What kind of monster was he fighting against? "
In his hands a black bow was held along with a arrow that radiated with azure light.
In a last ditch attempt All for One called upon everything around him to counter whatever may be thrown at him, sensing his end approaching.
The tendrils of concrete, bio mass and metal erupted and all surged forwards and all at once seemed to be destroyed at a onslaught of swords that descended and shredded through them.
Yet the eyes of his foe never once left him, never flinched, never wavered, the eyes of a hero of humanity looked at those of the Symbol of Evil.
He drew back the bow string and as he did so, he pushed the very weapon in his hands to it's absolute limit filling it with prana.
The eyes of Steel narrowing as he gazed at the monster before him, he would defeat him!
He focused and as he aimed the broken weapon in his hands he chose not to breathe and merely uttered a single word.
"CALADBOLG "
The arrow was unleashed and as it impacted the world turned to white. The sheer impact caused the very foundations of the buildings around to shake violently causing a cloud of debris surrounded the area of impact.
The artificial Island shook to its very core from the detonation of the attack and Nana quickly found herself almost being blown away by the blast.
"Fou!!! "
Still she resisted and managed to hold her ground until the force of the blast died down leaving only a haze of dust and outlines of broken structures to be seen.
The power that she had witnessed...just what had she seen, what kind of quirk was required for such a thing?
" A spark to ignite the flame of hope and to create a path for the righteous"
The speed that far surpassed anything she had witnessed in her lifetime as a hero, the strength that granted the ability to cut through metal and stone, and reaction time that far exceed even that of All for One.
There was no explanation...no possible answers...all except for one.
He was the genuine article...he was a hero of old...a hero of myth and legend.
She had thought that previously and yet she dared not to utter it or hold unto that thought...she dared not believe in it.
Yet now as she realized what she had seen was true...she allowed herself to believe...to believe that perhaps there were such things as miracles.
"Look up." A voice whispered drawing her attention forward into the haze.
For a moment all was silent...none dared to breathe until the outcome of this battle between a symbol of evil and a incarnation of heroism was shown.
The seconds seemed to stretch on eternally until finally the haze began to clear.
Slowly as if the world was revealing something for all to see...there he stood his back straight and his bow in hand.
The red mantle flowing softly in the wind as the evening sun bathed him in it's warmth.
He did not speak nor move rather he chose to focus his vision forward. Those who could see him across this world and all throughout the kaleidoscope now looked at him in silence.
One man had done the impossible without aid, only with his own strength alone. He had created more than just a simple victory but rather a ember that now burned in the hearts of all who had witnessed his battle.
Their hearts that had mere moments ago lost all traces of hope now held unto a small ember that could light their convictions to push the forward.
The fears and uncertainty of what tomorrow could bring began to vanish as they looked at the man who had created a miracle.
Slowly he lifted the bow in his right hand and gazed upon it for a moment before it disappeared in a flurry of azure motes of light as he seemingly dismissed it.
"Tch..looks like he got away...but not without sustaining some damage."
He turned his attention to the woman behind him and in doing so he found that his heart throbbed with something akin to happiness and relief.
Looking at her a small smile formed on his face as his eyes of steel met those of silver. He smiled now not because of the melancholy that had once been on his heart.
Rather he now had hope and an answer to his quest , he stood now at the beginning of a impossible road once again.
He wished to do more now, the desire and impulse to assist now burned brighter, the heart of a boy who dreamed to be a hero now restored once more.
He had denied himself for so long the possibility of a future ...a hope for a ending beyond blood and sorrow.
Standing now in this unknown land with nothing more than his Ideals and strength alone. The future was now his to forge, anything was now possible but still he sought only one thing.
To reach them to seek those who were waiting for him even if he had to endlessly search.
Eternity no longer seemed so long after coming so far, what's a few more centuries in his pursuit of personal peace?
A sudden whistling of air caught his attention and he looked above the woman.
He saw that the boy who had called upon him had returned and now looked at what remained of the battle.
He caught sight of his master and immediately ran towards her and a look of utter relief appeared as he realized that what he had asked for had been granted.
The fussing and constant checking that the boy did almost reminded him of someone from a long time ago.
He watched for a few moments as the boy lifted his master by the arm and supported her before the boy turned to look at him.
A genuine article and a boy who sought to become like him, two kindred souls that should never have met now had been brought together.
Shirou looked into the eyes of the boy and saw that he now held the same determination in him as he once had once discarded.
He knew that look, The flame that now burned in him was the same one that he now held within him, the drive to become a hero and catch up to something that was so far ahead.
A boy chasing after an Ideal...a dream so foolish but all the still incomprehensibly beautiful.
It was almost like looking in a mirror, he had been the same once, naive and utterly oblivious of what it entailed to become a hero.
The cruel justice that had to be enacted in order to save people, the choices that were necessary for the good of all.
The sacrifices that needed to be made to save as many as possible.
He knew the foolishness of it all and yet now...he wavered...the Ideals and dreams he had once had...no longer seemed so impossible.
He looked at the child before him and saw in him potential, the smile he had been shown even as he bled and suffered...perhaps...this boy could truly become something akin to his ideal.
He would test him, he would see if he had the resolve continue on this path.
"Why do you wish to be a hero?"
Toshinori stood stunned for a moment before he looked below him, a look of concentration on his face as he formulated his thoughts.
The words momentarily stood amongst the silence as the young aspiring hero thought of an answer.
He looked at his master and at the man before him before giving his answer, the words seemingly flowing without force or fear.
"I wish to create a world where all may smile and be happy."
He looked at the man in red who inspected him momentarily in silence before a scowl appear on his face.
A heavy pressure seemed to come down on him suddenly that left him struggling to breathe and caused an uncontrollable shiver.
Yet he steeled himself he and looked at mysterious hero before him, azure and steel met even as the pressure increased.
He should have been afraid of what could happen...but he wasn't, how could he be, afraid after witnessing him saving his mother figure.
He witnessed as he moved as he fought and although it was for a brief movement he had seen the true nature of the man before him.
He knew what he was...he saw it first hand, he had accomplished the impossible, he had achieved what several generations of heroes had failed to do.
He had pushed back the Symbol of Evil unscathed...and all the while saved those behind him.
He was the genuine article...a true hero who could reach beyond simple dreams and make Ideals and hope into a reality.
"So long as those that I protect have a future...so long as they can smile without worries or uncertainties...I will regret nothing."
A fist was formed and pointed in the direction of the hero before him.
"I will become the Symbol of Peace and create a world where everyone can be happy"
The pressure that he felt disappeared all at once and the once murderous look that the man before him held was now replaced with one of curiosity.
"...even knowing what kind of monster awaits for you and your master...you would still strive to be a hero for all?"
"I will become a hero ...in order to create a world free of tears!"
The former counter guardian was stunned for a moment before a ghost of a smile appeared formed on his face.
Perhaps there was yet hope...that dream of his could be made a reality.
The former counter guardian smirked.
"Can you keep up with me?"
A loom of surprise and bewilderment came across the young Toshinori but all at once a brilliant smile replaced it.
"Just you wait... I'll catch up soon enough!."
The fire of hope now burning bright along with the will to reach the man before him.
The past and future gazed upon one another and all at once the hope of trillions seemed to come alive.
That smile, those words, they meant much more than could possibly be expressed.
The man before them truly believed in the youth before him and in his wish.
Elated and filled with hope now thousands of world's seemed to coalesce and all at once the former counter guardian and the boy felt the weight of prayers and wishes alike.
The threads of fate and the hopes of all now descended upon the duo.
A glow of azure and gold surrounded them before seemingly disappearing moments later.
A blessing to the future and the miraculous.
Two heroes, one of myth and another of dreams.
"Fou!"
Although Shirou and Toshinori wished to understand what had just happened A swirl of azure motes of light began to surround the former counter guardian and the strange creature Nana held in her hands.
He knew this...he felt as if he was being called for a summoning, no ...rather he was being taken from this place.
Sensing that he was being called somewhere else no doubt by the mysterious entity he turned his attention to the woman he had saved.
The eyes of steel now softening slightly at the sight of her, he outstretched his hand and the sword he had left previously disappeared only to be replaced with a copy of bakuya.
" Leave and raise him, if he is to be a hero he will need a teacher...and a mother to nurture him."
Nana was left flabbergasted for a second before she reached out towards him almost In a pleading manner as she realized that he would soon disappear.
"Wait...at least tell me your name!"
Shirou didn't answer immediately rather he looked at Nana for a moment contemplating his answer.
He thought that he should remain nameless, that he shouldn't be known by nothing but his actions.
A nameless hero who helped others, one who would cast aside his own pride...his own glory.
Yet still he wavered at the sight of the woman before him. The expression on her face reminded him of those who had desperately reached out to him in his last moments.
Countless others had reached out to him in the hopes that perhaps he could be saved, that he could be given a new fate.
The sorrow and despair that was displayed to those that tried was something that still weighed upon him even as he saved others.
The tears and utter desperation in search of him, it was something he had lived with until those memories faded in dust.
The remains of his heart echoed for a brief moment and just before he could change his mind he whispered his name.
The name given to him by the one who had begun his journey.
Then in the next moment he was gone...the only proof of him having existed being the lone sword that he had left behind.
Gingerly Nana reached for the sword before her and as she grasped it's handle...the name she gave had heard firmly ingrained in her mind.
Shirou Emiya.
The sword he had left behind was a promise to her, a promise that he would return.
She clenched her hand around the blade even as she was on the verge of collapse, the words he had spoken to her echoed in her mind.
" Leave and raise him, if he is to be a hero he will need a teacher...and a mother to nurture him."
She knew what they meant even if he never uttered them.
"Leave everything to me."
In that moment her heart seemed to come alive and all at once a warmth spread throughout her body, one that had been known to so many before her.
Slowly she turned to her Toshinori and noticed that he was smiling, his eyes seemed to now glow and flicker against the light of the setting sun giving them a shine that could only be described as hopeful.
She looked forward once more and she smiled knowing that hope burned ever brighter.
The sun set a glint behind Nana could be seen, a camera that had seemingly survived and recorded the arrival and victory of the mysterious Archer.
The people of this world who had witnessed him would know him as ...The Hero of Stardust...Archer.