Ritsuka took a deep breath and clenched her fists.
Since she didn't pause the movie, the next scene arrived before they could process Cú Chulainn's disappearance.
[Sakura woke up in a fright. She got up from the bed, showing concern for Shirou.]
Artoria had a bad feeling about this war.
Everything that had happened so far only gave more and more reasons for her to believe that things would not end well; when she saw herself suddenly in Sakura's room, who had woken up sweaty and shaking, worried about Shirou, for some reason that Artoria couldn't explain, she knew that that was yet another red flag — as people liked to say these days.
The King of Knights wasn't the only one who was suspicious in her group.
Lord El Melloi II was starting to form a theory in his head about what was going on as soon as he saw Sakura. Just like Emiya, he entered that fragment less interested in what he would see and more focused on discovering clues on how to solve the Singularity. But that didn't mean he wasn't paying attention to the movie.
There's also the fact that so far he hadn't gotten any concrete leads towards the perpetrator. Although, in the back of his mind, he felt an itch that said otherwise.
[The scene with Sakura ended quickly and the groups found themselves accompanying Shirou and Saber in Fuyuki City.]
"What's the chance of you decimating those tentacles with your Noble Phantasm, Saber?" Iskandar asked as he started walking to follow the duo of protagonists.
"Considering that we recognize how evil it was without even needing to come into contact or live in the same world... I can say that my blows would be quite powerful. However, I also think that the tentacles would be very dangerous for me," Artoria replied, walking beside him. "How are you, Gray? You look a bit weak since the lake scene."
The girl was embarrassed to be noticed by Artoria, even more for causing the king's concern.. "I-I'm fine..." She looked away and pulled her hood even lower to obscure her face.
"You disguised it surprisingly well in the burning ruins, Gray, but I did noticed that you were affected by curses just like Master and Reines." Iskandar put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I respect that you don't want to worry Waver, but don't be so hard on yourself, girl."
"Y-Yes, Sir!" Gray looked at her teacher, but the man seemed to be too busy searching something in his head to pay attention to them.
"Are they related?" Robin asked looking at Artoria and Gray. "I just now noticed how similar they are."
"I imagine so, but it is their private matter," Chiron replied.
"Yeah I know, it's not like I'm going to step between the two and say something insensitive."
[Rin was walking through the park with Archer in his spirit form. Shirou and Saber appeared behind the girl, joining them.]
Chiron's eyes immediately went to the tree they had just passed by. Insects. Looks like we're about to get into another conflict.
["Tohsaka."
"Let's chat as we talk. We're being monitored, so be mindful of that."]
Is it Hassan? Considering that Presence Concealment was one of the main abilities of the class, Mash did not find hard to be the Assassin servant.
[As they reached an open area in the large park, Rin lost her patience and called out the enemy.
"Nothing less from Tohsaka's girl." Zouken formed after hundreds of insects merged. "Very good."]
"Zouken!" Ritsuka echoed Shirou's reaction. "Are we about to enter another battle!?"
"I hope Mordred is happy now..." Gawain sighed.
Jeanne Alter made a disgusted face at the way the old man appeared. She wasn't just sickened by the bugs, but every time she saw him smile or sneer, she was reminded of the damned old men who accused her of heresy.
["I thought the Matous had been defeated?" Shirou questioned.
"I don't recall saying one word about whether I myself had lost." Zouken chuckled.
Next to him, a source of energy began to form.]
Medusa understood that answer in more ways than one. Old bastard! You will use Sakura?
[Caster appeared beside Zouken. And, in response, Rin summoned Archer from his spirit form; Saber prepared for combat as well.]
Mash became astonished when she saw Medea. "How...?"
["Bastard. To toy with a Heroic Spirit's corpse! How could you?" Saber roared and charged towards the enemy.]
"I don't think this a good ideia!" Ishtar spoke as she noticed that Ruler Breaker was still stuck in Caster's chest.
Atalanta was infuriated to see Medea's condition. If she had been in Saber's place she would have done the same thing.
[Saber dashed towards Caster, ignoring the energy beams that had no effect on her. However, when approaching the woman, the witch took her Noble Phantasm out of her chest to hit Saber, who was practically glued to her.
"Saber! You can't! That sword!" Shirou tried to warn his servant.
Before the weapon could make contact with the target, Archer cut Caster's arm off.
"Don't touch that sword!"]
"Did Shirou just notice the abilities of Medea's Noble Phantasm?" Irisviel watched in surprise. "You could read swords since this age?"
"All the devices you saw Shirou Emiya fixing were traced. That's how I identify what the problems are and how to fix it. So, yes, the ability to read an object came early on. But reading a Noble Phantasm so well was an accident. And he probably won't know how to explain after." Emiya had to admit that it caught him off guard. It seems that Shirou Emiya's abilities were developing faster than expected.
[Caster's blood turned into explosions, but it didn't hurt the two servants.
"That sword must break Magecraft. I'm sure it can ever sever pacts with Masters," Archer said to Saber.]
"That dagger is a danger," Muramasa said. "But your ability to identify others' weapons is admirable, Emiya."
"You say like you don't have this ability too."
"Thanks to my vessel."
["I thought I should end this quickly. But you didn't give me any choice."
With a pain-filled scream, Caster created a ball of energy above her; it looked like a small sun.]
Noting how Medea's corpse was falling apart as the power grew, Jeanne was grateful that Medea wasn't there; if Medea was still watching, she would have even more burden on her mind to deal with.
The saint saw Martha shaking with anger, and honestly Jeanne couldn't deny that she shared the same feeling. That was a terrible sin: denying someone's rest, let alone a Heroic Spirit.
["Indeed, this Magecraft will likely not work against Saber. But what if it's with the Master in tow?"
The city lights go out with the power of that sphere of magic.
Surprisingly, Saber and Archer's attention were not in that, but in something else.]
All servants, in all groups, turned to the same direction that Saber and Archer from the fragment looked at. Ritsuka and Mash were the only ones with a delayed reaction, just like the humans in the movie.
[Archer's eyes widened, surprise showing in his face. A rare expression.
"Impossible!" Zouken exclaimed.
While Rin was confused, Shirou found the reason quickly: "Tohsaka, look there! What is that thing?"
Something humanoid entered the place they were. It lacked eyes, limbs, or a body. It looked more like a standing shadow.
Shirou and Rin were paralysed while Saber and Archer seemed entranced. Zouken was the only one who seemed to understand what was going on, and he still didn't believe it.
Caster's corpse sensed that the biggest threat was that "shadow" and launched her energy ball towards it. The thing swallowed the energy like it was nothing.]
Reines almost stumbled, dizzy, closing her eyes with her hands as she felt a slight pain.
"Lady Reines!" Bedivere ran to the girl, holding her by the shoulders so she wouldn't have a chance to fall. "Lady Tamamo, is that—" Bedivere intended to look at the woman he was talking to, but on the way his eyes met that "shadow", and he couldn't take their off the creature.
Tamamo swallowed hard, but otherwise kept her face blank. Every single hair in her tail stood on end. The current feeling was the same as looking at the dark tower from Shirou's past. If they were being affected like that, she could barely imagine how terrifying it must be for those actually present.
"Gray... Master..." Reines murmured, worried about the girls.
["Imaginary Space?" Rin said in surprise.
Archer took advantage of everyone's distraction, including Zouken, to chop the old man's head off. It unfortunately turned into bugs, showing that the monster was still alive.]
"Nice move!" Musashi celebrated, even though it didn't work. "I bet Ushiwaka loved it!"
Raikou growled. Zouken exuded the same presence as many of the oni she'd killed in her life. That disgusting body begged for her blade. However, whatever that new creature was made Raikou wonder if she had witnessed an Oni with a worse presence than that when she was alive. Regardless, she knew immediately that the thing was an enemy.
[The shadow spread across the floor and engulfed Caster. Shirou realizing that the next target was Rin, pushed her out of the way, taking the agression to himself.]
"He threw himself again!" Nero cried out. "Is his brain bereft of oxygen?"
[A rush of images flew before his eyes, before everything went black.]
When the servants regained their sight, they're all together again. No one wasted time greeting each other or being surprised by that, everyone was already used to it. Their attention turned to Rin holding a unconscious Shirou.
[Saber ran towards them and Archer slowly approached.
"Emiya! Emiya!" Rin called him, while slapping his face. "Are you awake!? Can you tell who I am...!?]
"Was it really necessary to hit him in the face like that?" Ereshkigal asked.
"Well, it worked, no?" Ishtar replied, laughing.
Reines moved away from the center of the scene, looking for Gray and finding her already receiving assistance from El Melloi II. This time the girl didn't hide the pain.
["... I can tell. Only Tohsaka would slap someone at a time like this."
Rin sighed in relief. "Good. I guess you're all right if you can talk back like that."
While trying to compose himself, Shirou cracked a small smile. Rin was a fun person to be around.
"You idiot, why are you smiling? I'm not going to thank you, okay? Don't ever do that again. I can't return the favor if you die trying to save me." She said that while rubbing his back with one hand and checking his temperature with the other hand.]
"He will never stop, is he?" Jeanne Alter sighed. "What a bloody idiot."
Jeanne smiled. "Ah, come on, he is a good person."
"He is not good-natured, Fake Sis, just plain stupid." She, certainly, still thought he was an idiot, but Alter was already getting used to his antics.
"Normally I would call him an idiot for making the same mistake, but since he saved my vessel this time I'll respect his choice!" Ishtar proclaimed.
Artoria smiled. All changes in that movie made her forget the main reason she had come to see that fragment.
While she was happy to see that scene, Artoria was also frustrated with Shirou's typical behavior. She hoped that Rin managed to get rid of he's suicidal ways after their war.
["Tohsaka. What happened to that weird thing?"
"It disappeared. It vanished when you stepped onto the shadow and fainted."]
Is that so...?
Gray looked at her teacher's face and saw the expression he only made when he was already organizing clues to answer the "whydunit".
["So you survived, huh? Well, you didn't touch the main body, so the most that it can do is make you ill."
"... Archer. Do you know what that shadow is?"
The only one calm in that situation was Archer with his usual expressionless face.]
"Why does he look so disappointed that Big Brother survived?" Illya wondered.
Kuro decided that it was best not to say anything.
Mash was always amazed at how Emiya managed to stay calm in every situation. She had seen even gods grow more desperate than him. But it made sense when she thought about his role and the fact that Emiya was probably older than all of Chaldea's servants together. Probably after a certain point few things could surprise the guardian.
["Who knows? But one thing is clear. That shadow is what's been draining the life from the townspeople ever since Caster death."
Saber and Rin tried to help Shirou get up.
"It seems that this is not the situation where I can prioritize my personal business."]
"Is it really that serious, Emiya?" Mash asked. "You're not making it clear in the fragment, but you seem to have recognized what it is."
"Not this exact creature, but I fought against several of the same type. My point is that the worst hasn't happened yet. But it can." Emiya stared at the face of his counterpart before looking away. No matter where I go, my destiny is still work for Alaya, directly or not... "I'll probably strive to destroy the shadow before the worst happens. And these three will help. If we happen to fail, my goal will still be the same. But I'll be here to clean and not to prevent it."
Most servants widened their eyes hearing that. They were so used to Emiya as the chef of Chaldea that sometimes they forgot that his real job was to destroy any source of danger to the rest of the planet; including every single member of Chaldea, if they switched sides one day.
And if Emiya was saying that he could get to the point of being summoned not as an Archer but a Counter Guardian then that creature was really dangerous.
"You are right, Cú Chulainn," Artoria said, "this war is truly the worst outcome."
[Saber helped Shirou got home. Sakura was waiting at the entrance; her face made it clear how unhappy she was with the boy's condition.
"Sakura, I'm sorry. I was with him, too."
"Please hand him over! And be quiet, it'll just be uncomfortable for Senpai!"]
"What is wrong with this girl!?" Lancelot complained. "This is no way to talk—"
"Lancelot." Artoria interrupted him. "You are a knight. And a good man. Don't let your feelings for me as your king to cloud your eyes. Think about how Sakura must be feeling now."
Lancelot wanted to argue, but his King was right.
[The next day, Shirou met Kirei at a restaurant.]
"Ugh, I hate mapo tofu!" Ritsuka put her hands over her mouth in disgust. "Mom didn't like too, but father always asked for that. And I think my brother always pretended to like it just to tease me."
"I kinda curious to experiment myself, seems like Raspu—I mean, Kirei Kotomine likes a lot," Mash said. "It must be good."
[Kirei let out moans here and there as he savored every little bit of his food.
"..."
"Want to eat?" Kirei asked.
"Like hell!"]
"Now, I don't want anymore..." Mash joined Ritsuka side.
["What I'm going to tell you is something that even Rin doesn't know, but the night Caster was killed in Ryuudo Temple, one Servant got away from there. I believe it to be Assassin, judging by the appearance and combat style."
"I understand. But why are you telling me all this? I thought the supervisor doesn't help one particular Master."]
El Melloi II was still trying to understand how anyone could believe that supervisors would be impartial. If the years had taught him anything it was that when it came to something with magi involved, it was always good to be prepared to face any side, allies or enemies. Amakusa in the previous fragment had proved that again.
["There is something strange about this Holy Grail War. I am merely sharing information with you. I have told you all I know. In exchange, tell me what you have experienced last night."
Shirou was silent, deciding whether it was worth talking to that man or not.
"If you do not wish to tell me, I will not force you. Just take my words as a warning," Kirei said, noticing the hesitation on the other side of the table.
"... No, I'll pay your price. After all, you came out and gave me information that I needed."
"Hah. You have a strong sense of duty as always, Shirou Emiya."]
Artoria realized one thing at that moment: while Kiritsugu and Kirei seemed extremely uncomfortable with the other's existence during that war, every time she saw the priest interacting with Shirou it seemed as if the man was having the best part of his day. This relationship is intriguing, but at the same time worrying...
It was difficult for Reines not to smile as she followed the development of that conversation; behind each word that came out of his mouth, Kirei's intentions were very clear to her. Shirou wouldn't notice that, but someone like her could only share the man's pleasure of seeing working.
On the other hand, Amakusa was bothered that Kirei had taken Shirou as target for his own entertainment. Amakusa had already suspected his brother's role in that fragment, and the more he appeared, the more damage he would likely do.
["I'll talk. But first, I have a question. How do you know such a thing? You wouldn't know that Assassin was at the Ryuudo Temple unless you had a Servant."]
Reines whistled and clapped her hands. You surprised me there, Shirou Emiya. You're not as naive as you seem. You saw right through him. Congratulations, you won some points with me.
["It is simple. My Lancer was defeated by Assassin at the temple. As his Master, I needed only retrieve his last sight." The priest simply stated something absurd.]
"That's why Cú Chulainn's performance was terrible in this war. And why it was also in our war. And probably in every war he was Kirei Kotomine's servant." Emiya approached Scáthach who had fallen into the same group as him. "If I remember correctly, he was influenced by a Command Spell not to give it his all."
Artoria, hearing that, finally understood the man's hesitation in their first fight. She knew his Master had ordered him to come back, but she didn't know it was because of a command.
"I see. So this priest used him like a homing pigeon, sending my pupil to the places he was interested in observing, regardless of the fact that it might kill him." Scáthach shook her head. "Master, guarantee that I will be in the group that fights Rasputin. If I ever have the chance to put my lance through his eyes, I would like a lot."
"For what it's worth, the one who took Kirei's life in our war was Cú Chulainn, before he died," Artoria told.
"Oho." Scáthach smiled genuinely. "Good sendoff, pupil."
Ritsuka and Mash who heard all that decided to share it with the other servants as soon as they could. Poor Cú Chulainn deserved his reputation maintained!
[Shirou was left dumbfounded after hear that. "... What?"
"I said that I am also a Master. You said it too. That I would not know unless I had a Servant." Kirei cracked a smile that seemed to simulate sympathy. "Well, you are certainly correct."
"Huh... what...!?"]
Reines chuckled.
He was still an idiot in her eyes, but she couldn't deny that Shirou was cute sometimes. Reines was beginning to understand what Luvia found attractive about him.
["But that ended last night. Lancer has been eliminated, which means that I am not a Master. I am no longer your enemy." The priest words continued without a care how hard they were throwing Shirou into the middle of a storm of confusion. The boy only wished he could process all that information with less rush. "Well, is that all you want to ask me? Then it is your turn to talk. Tell me who you met and what you saw last night."]
During the time span that Shirou explained what he saw, Boudica and Raikou "invaded" the restaurant's kitchen to see how it was.
"So that's what a modern-day restaurant looks like," Raikou admired. "It's quite different from Chaldea."
"I guess it's because they seem to be specialized in a specific type of food," Boudica replied. "It is smaller, but it is well organized too. Although…" She looked around. "Nightingale would have some things to say about the hygiene of this place..."
"Sounds good enough, so it's fine for me." Robin glanced into the kitchen, but didn't go inside.
"You should be more concerned about the environment your food is prepared!" Tamamo complained, joining the women inside.
"And why should I? You guys became so accustomed to Chaldea, huh?" Robin sighed. "We're from times that roast a meat straight from the ground before eating it was the most hygienic thing to do! This whole extreme about cleanliness is from Master's generation." Robin complained.
"Master gene—Master generation!? Eating off the floor being normal? Only if it was for you! I always ate on plates. My beautiful plates made of gold!" Nero thumped her chest, proudly. "My festivals were so well-regulated that you could lick the ground and not get a single disease!"
Boudica snorted at that. Of course it was a golden plate...
["We engaged Zouken Matou in battle. He'd brought Caster with him, but well, it was as if he was controlling a corpse."
"Matou Zouken... I thought he had withered away, but he is still active? I guess it is true that he is a blood-sucking monster."
"Huh? That old man is a blood-sucking monster...?"
"Yes. The magic of the Matou family is absorption. I hear that Matou Zouken, a magus from six generations back, was a prominent bug user."]
"Absorption, huh?" Jekyll muttered to himself.
El Melloi II, who was beside the scholar, noticed that small detail as well. The desire to light two cigarettes at the same time grew, but unfortunately he wouldn't do it for fear of finishing his stock before the fragment ended.
["Hold on. By bug user... do you mean like guys who use bugs as a medium for poison? Like, putting in hundreds of poisonous bugs in a pot, and using the last surving one as a curse...?"
"No, that is wrong. From the start, cursing is outside of the Makiri's area of expertise. The results of their magic always return to their bodies. Cursing others would only result in mutual destruction."]
"Is that why Shinji doesn't use any Matou's magecraft?" Gray said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if Shinji's head turn into insects if he is decapitated," Reines replied.
El-Melloi II had another idea which only came to his mind because Iskandar compared Shinji to him when he was younger.
["Zouken Matou is merely a monster who feeds on the blood of others. I hear that he kept his youth by transfiguring his body and sucking blood, and that he has lived for a few hundred years..."
Kirei continued explaining some details of Zouken to Shirou.
"He is more like a parasitic insect. His nature and personality are like those of an insidious slug."]
"The priest really hates the old man," Mordred said. "Well, not that it's difficult."
["You have been a great help. All these abnormalities make sense if the Makiri elder is in action. As the war's supervisor, I shall try to suppress the damage."
"Supervisor, huh? You're not one to talk when you were secretly a Master until yesterday."
"Do not put it like that. I have no wish. I obtained Lancer because I wanted to give the Holy Grail to a more appropriate desirer. But that is over now. It is for the remaining Masters to decide. Well, personally, I would like either you or Rin to obtain the Holy Grail."
Shirou frowned. "... Why? You became a Master because you want the Holy Grail, right? Don't you have a wish you want granted?"
"Let's see. I do not have a wish, but I do have a goal. My goal is not a serious matter, and it is meaningless even if I achieve it myself."]
"I don't get this guy," Jeanne Alter complained. "He's worse than the priests that I had to deal with, but unlike the old men, this one means everything he says. I think so. I don't know. Ugh, that makes me confused and disgusted."
"I think you're just going crazy with time," Artoria Alter said.
Emiya arched an eyebrow. A goal that was meaningless if he achieves it himself? From what he could remember, that priest had as objective nothing more than the suffering of others.
But he couldn't claim or deny anything about Kirei. His memories were vague, but Emiya was sure that his interaction with that man wasn't half as much as what this Shirou had already; the war was still far from over, so the boy would certainly have a lot more to do with Kirei.
Worst of all, Emiya felt something familiar with the priest's words. It didn't take long for him to realize that those words were almost the same ones he said as Archer to Shirou Emiya in his own war. I really disliking this feeling.
["What are you talking about? If you want to tell riddles, find somebody else."
"Consider it a friendly warning. We are the same, you and I. As we do not have clear wishes, we cannot seek salvation. I simply thought it would be easier for you if you quickly realized it."]
That simple sentence impacted some servants in more ways than one would expect.
"I like him," Reine said, suddenly.
"Reines..." El Melloi II sighed.
"I don't," Gray answered.
"Are you okay?" Artoria asked as she placed her hand on Emiya's shoulder.
"Yes." The answer came too quickly. He didn't care, though. The truth was that Archer had, only now, realized how a little more time with Kirei Kotomine made him understand that man better, and how similar they were.
And he didn't need the fragment simulating anything in his head to know that Shirou Emiya shared the same feeling as him — including the uncontrollable frustration of realizing that. But unlike Archer who was already more mature, Shirou would hide that fact from himself, just as he did when he already knew who Emiya was from the very beginning.
[Shirou was quite uncomfortable hearing that, but he didn't have a chance to respond to the priest as more plates of mapo tofu arrived.
"Here's your mapo tofu-aru!"
The priest played with his food for a bit, before turning his eyes to Shirou.]
Leaving Archer alone, Artoria decided to refocus on the interaction between Shirou and Kirei. It was noticeable that Kirei seemed torn between savoring his dish or the fact that Shirou was disturbed by his comment.
["Shirou Emiya." Kirei finally broke the silence. "Zouken Matou and Caster weren't the only ones you saw last night, correct?"
Shirou gulped remembering the feeling he had when coming into contact with that creature. Kirei noticed how that seemed to turn the boy's stomach and smiled.]
Kama smiled too. Sick bastard, I don't dislike him as much as the others...
Contrastingly, Parvati was getting irritated with Kirei. Ever since Shirou had started talking to him, the priest was teasing him as he feigned friendship.
["The Assassin greatly relies on their Presence Concealment Skills, but they don't have that high a combat skill. It would be impossible for Lancer to lose in a normal battle. It is likely that Assassin knew of it, and lured Lancer in."]
"He asks questions he already knows the answer to." Muramasa groaned. "Damn priest."
Atalanta knew a hundred man just like Kirei Kotomine when she was alive. Most of them were nobles who enjoyed seeing the suffering of their servants or those of lesser rank. She also remembered killing quite a few of them.
If she had been in Chaldea on the day this priest appeared, he wouldn't even have the time to think about hurting Master and the others — an arrow would be between his eyes before he could crack one of those dark smiles.
She wasn't the only one with that thought. Most — if not all — servants remembered their absence with terrible regret. On the day Ritsuka needed them the most, none were there to protect her.
"I'm hungry..." Jack complained. "Uncle Emiya said we would have food, didn't he?"
Nursery nodded yes.
Chiron couldn't blame the girls. If his calculations were right, they were close to completing a entire day on that fragment.
The simulated world was impressive in some respects, but a headache in others; for example the many times they walked through the whole city with Shirou. The signs of hunger or fatigue were beginning to appear in all servants. It was not surprising that some servants were so frustrated.
Atalanta remembered something important when listening to the girls.
["What lurks there is reaching out to the citizens of the city, and not just Servants. If you compare how Caster takes magical energy from the citizens to drawing blood, what that thing is doing is the very act of eating."]
And with that the "whydunit" was answered. If Waver had to guess, any of the servants who were writers probably had figured out the answer to that mystery as well. It wasn't so hard when looked from outside, especially in movie format.
Of course, if someone asked what was the basis for his theory, he wouldn't have an answer. This effort, he had only with real cases in his own world; in that movie he would just leave the time answer if he was right or wrong.
["If we leave it alone as is, this city will become uninhabited."
Kirei threw a piece of paper to Shirou.
"The number of comatose as many as thirty?" Shirou read it in surprise.]
"What!?" Mash got up from the chair she was sitting on. "If it's already like this, in a short time the city will..."
Emiya's change of attitude in the fragment really was indicative of how serious the situation would get. Some servants hoped that Archer would never, suddenly, lose his smile in Chaldea's kitchen... or it would be pretty terrifying.
["The location is Miyama South, Block 4. What is there?" Kirei asked hiding a smile.
"Ryuudo Temple." Already decided on his next step, Shirou got up to leave.
"What's wrong? You're not going to eat?"]
"As if it is possible to enjoy any food with all the viciousness that emanates from you!" Tamamo complained. "Mikon, he wasn't that annoying with Hakuno..."
Shirou echoed the fox's opinion by walking away.
[Shirou left the restaurant. Illya was waiting for Shirou outside, on the other side of the street. She waved, but he didn't notice her.]
"Shirou Emiya!" Raikou frowned. "That's rude."
"Don't be like that. He has a lot to handle in that little head of his." Jeanne Alter chuckled.
Tristan with his good ears heard a cry for help going in the opposite direction of them and when he looked back he saw two silhouettes, but decided that they must be just characters from the fragment. The knight had already paid attention to that detail once: the people around the "main characters" talked about their own intimate matters even if was completely isolated from the main story. It really was like the real world.
[Shirou walked around the district reflecting on his conversation with Kirei. Illya followed, on his left side, but he didn't notice her.]
"Man, he's really thinking deep..." Robin said.
"Kirei affected him, obviously." Amakusa sighed. "For someone who wants to save everyone, the urgency to solve that shadow has doubled."
[I'm still surprised by how calm I was when I found out Kotomine was a Master. Come to think of it, I never got along with him. I must have known instinctively that we would be in opposition.
Illya went to the other side, and he still didn't notice her.]
Ritsuka was starting to feel sorry for Illya and a need to pinch Shirou.
[In any case, Kotomine lost his Servant. There are three Masters remaining now.
Illya ran and stopped in front of him, but Shirou dodged to the side and kept walking.]
"Shirou..." Mash sighed.
[Assassin's Master, who seems to be at the Ryuudo Temple, and Archer's Master, Tohsaka. And...
"HEEEEEEEEY! WHY ARE YOU SPACED OUT, SHIROU!?"]
All servants laughed when Shirou squealed in fright upon finally noticing the girl.
["I-Illya...!? W-Why did you suddenly jump on me!? You surprised me...!"
"Hey, it wasn't sudden! You're the one who didn't notice me when I was calling out to you!"
"What…? Oh man. Have you been following me ever since the shopping district?"
"Yup. You were walking with a difficult expression. I called to you from behind so that I wouldn't bother you, but you just ignored me and kept on walking."]
"Like I said before, Gray, any apprentice could kill him without problems..." Reines shook her head. One thing she had to give to the boy: he gained her interest at the same speed as he lost it. "I mean, she could kidnap him now and Artoria wouldn't notice until he was in that castle Illya mentioned earlier."
Gray, sincerely, liked Shirou a lot. He was a good person and she liked these kind of people, they were very rare. Especially in the magi world. But she had to agree with Reines now. Shirou walked in a city in the middle of a war without any care or Artoria on his side. If Zouken truly wanted to, he could easily kill Shirou, good thing that he and Kirei didn't seem interested in that. Or Rin and Illya too.
["And you didn't come to the park either. I was waiting all this time." Illya looked pretty upset and sad.]
"Big Brother is such a dummy!" Magical Girl Illya was upset too. "I know he has a lot in his mind now, but it is his little sister! He said before!" She crossed her arms and pouted, disappointed.
Miyu shared the same opinion.
Kuro didn't care. Shirou was trying to survive in that war, it was a great excuse to forget.
["Sorry, I forgot about it. I apologize, Illya."
"Humph. I won't forgive you that easily. I'm really mad."]
"I wonder what he's going to do now to make up for it," Sitonai said. "If he gets it wrong, maybe things will get nasty in the future..."
Emiya agreed with a nod.
["Why are you silent? I won't be deceived by that face. I'm not going to apologize if you're not either. If you don't like me, then I'll—"
"I've decided. A Servant. I'll be your Servant just this once in compensation for breaking my promise." Shirou interrupted her.
"— turn you into a doll... wait, a Servant!?" Illya asked, shocked.
"Yeah. There's nothing I can do that will keep my promise, right? So I'll obey you just once. Wouldn't that make you feel a bit better?"]
"Someone give me a notebook so I can write this down!" Kuro asked in desperation. "I will make my Big Brother do this in the future! That's too sexy!"
"You are disgusting," Miyu complained.
The cold words and eyes of Miyu destroyed Kuro's little happiness.
"And now what are you going to do?" Ruby asked.
"I don't need paper, I'll remember!" Illya muttered.
["No, you're lying! You didn't come to the park. A verbal promise ends right away, so I won't trust your words."
"I know. That's why I'm going to obey you, like you used a Command Spell. You'll only be able to use it once, but I won't break my promise with you, no matter what. Will you trust me if that's the case?"]
Emiya found it funny that depending on what Shirou answered, Illya might just decide to kill him right then and there.
["T-Trust you…? But I don't have a Command Spell I can use against you..."
"No, but I'll keep my promise. There's no contract or Command Spell, but I'll treat it like an order from a Command Spell. We're both Masters. I swear on my Crest that I won't betray something I recognize as a Command Spell." Shirou swore while looking Illya in the eyes.]
"He certainly is better with words than the Shirou from my memories," Sitonai said.
"And definitely better than I was with my Illya," Emiya added.
"...'my Illya', huh?" Sitonai flashed a mischievous smile.
"Stop..."
[The silver-haired girl gasped. "... Will you really do anything I say?"
"Of course. It's a Command Spell we're talking about. I'll do anything, as long as it's possible for me to do." Shirou replied to her wary gaze with a big smile.
"..."
After a long silence, Illya averted her eyes and clenched her fists.
"Okay. Then, I want..."]
"I can't hear!" Ritsuka complained.
"I think it was on purpose, senpai," Mash replied.
Irisviel was worried that Illya would ask Shirou to rip out his own hand or eye, or something cruel like that.
Only Sitonai noticed the slight twinge that Emiya had when he noticed Illya's hesitation in answering. I hope everything goes well too, Big Brother.
["Illya, hold on, it's a Command Spell. I'm going to do anything you say. Are you sure that's all you want?"
"..."
"Don't you have anything else? That's too easy. You don't have to hold back, so give me a better—"
"I-I'm not holding back! You liar! You said you'd do anything!"
"Uh, but... is that really all you want!? Because such a trifling matter it's something I'd easily be able to do, even without a Command Spell forcing me."
"It's not trivial. I've always wanted to do something like that. So that's what I want from you right now, Shirou."]
Irisviel sighed in relief. Shirou's hand and eye are safe for now...
[Illya face was all red, and she was trembling out of fear of getting rejected.]
Emiya clenched his fists so tightly that they could bleed at any moment.
["Illya."
There's no way I can question her now. No matter how trivial it may be, it's her wish. Then, I have to protect her as her knight.]
"You better." Atalanta smiled. She liked Shirou a lot, especially when he was together with Illya. Those scenes were probably the closest to what made her like Emiya too.
["All right. I'm sorry for saying such a stupid thing. Let's go, Illya. It's a small shopping district, but it should be fun with the two of us." Shirou blushed a little because of the embarrassing words. But he hold his hand out to Illya without trying to hide it.]
Irisviel felt her eyes water, and her throat dry. I hate this movie...
Artoria was happy to see that interaction between siblings, but found it bizarre how something so good was happening only in that version of the war that was easily worse than hers.
Tristan heard the screams for help again but far away, maybe in another street.
[In the end, Illya's Command Spell was pretty simple: "Take me shopping."
She asked for an everyday event. Shirou didn't know how much meaning Illya's wish held for her.
The two walked through the shopping district not like Masters, but like siblings. Illya ran through the familiar scenery with lit up eyes.]
"Is that a smile on your face?" Sitonai questioned in a low voice beside Emiya.
He, who hadn't even noticed the smile, returned to his normal expression (or better, the lack of one) in the same instant.
"Don't lose the smile. I know you're feeling nostalgic about this scene. So am I." The two stared at the scene unfolding between their counterparts. "A world where Shirou and Illya can talk like this. It is like a dream, isn't it?"
Emiya didn't answer. He wouldn't say anything about it to that girl. Not her.
And Sitonai understood perfectly why. Illyasviel von Einzbern was probably one of the few people who could easily break the tough face that Archer tried to keep all the time. The pseudo-servant didn't need to interact much with him since she arrived in Chaldea to discover that Emiya had a deep relationship with his Illya.
The same could be said of her. Every time she interacted with Emiya, the predominant side was always the homunculus girl. She was happy when she was by his side, but she also suffered a lot.
[Then Shirou finally realized. She ran as if dancing, never ceasing her smile. But there was no happiness there. She was smiling desperately because she was sad — and because she didn't want this dream to end.
But the end didn't take long to arrive, no matter how much they wish for this not to end. The shopping district was small. No matter how slowly they take it, they could work their way through the whole place in about an hour.]
Mordred was surprised when she saw Gareth sniffling. "What the heck happened?"
"S-Sorry... it's just..." Gareth sniffed one last time. "It's very sad to know that at the end of the day they are still enemies."
Gawain laid a hand on his sister's shoulder. "We can hope that will change and they will become allies."
"Shirou did thought about being her knight. I know he won't let this war pit them against each other," Bedivere said.
"You seem pretty confident, honor student," Mordred said. "I mean, I like that girl a lot, but I'm not sure Shirou will be able to change the status quo. She seems pretty serious about her role in this war."
Bedivere smiled. "Don't worry. He will." He then looked at Emiya and... Wait a minute, that young lady on his side is not—!?
[Illya took a step, smiling. She twirled to the middle of the park.
"Illya?" Shirou called, confused.
"I'll lift the Command Spell here. It was only a short while, but thanks, Shirou." Her voice was clear.
Smiling resolutely, Illya announced that her dream had come to an end.
"Wha—thanks? Why? It hasn't even been an hour yet. We can go to Shinto if you're bored with the shopping district. That place is far better than..."
"It's fine. This is the last stop, after all. It was fun, but the shopping ends here. The sun's going to set soon, so let's go back to our previous relationship. I'm a Master who came to kill Shirou, and you're fighting me for your own good. Our relationship was set in stone before we met."]
"This girl surely is strong..." Artoria Alter said. There wasn't much emotion in her voice, but the little that had was respect.
She didn't need to be a genius to know that Illya yearned for an ordinary life more than Shirou. But the girl had a duty that needed to be completed.
["I see. Then when we leave this park..." Shirou spoke reluctantly.
"Yes, we'll be enemies. If we meet again during nighttime, we'll have to continue the fight. If you don't want me to kill you, you'll have to kill me first."]
Alter sighed. She was getting soft. Deep down she also hoped that Shirou could change that.
[Shirou stopped breathing for a second and looked up at the sky.
The sky was gray.
The happy time quickly ended, and the town was covered with a heavy canopy. Even though he wished for this time to last forever, Shirou knew it was going to end like this when he realized this was only a painful experience for Illya.]
"I'm not liking how melancholy this movie has become…" Tristan said. "It doesn't bode well about the future of this war."
"Yes," Lancelot nodded, worried. "No war is pretty, but what little our king described about hers seemed to be pretty peaceful. At least compared to this version."
[Illya kept smiling innocently in this place without destination or backtrack.]
And then all the servants followed the girl's eyes to the sky.
["Wow! It's snowing, Shirou!" Her lively voice catched Shirou attention.
watch?v=78EKF80QhGo
A distant scenery is in front of me when I look back at the park. I doubt for a second, thinking it's an illusion. It's not because of the snow, but because of the dancing girl.
The snow must be temporary. It looks like it'll stop soon.
Within the indistinct winter, Illya is completely surrounded in white snow. The silver-haired girl was playing in the temporary snow as if loved by winter.]
Artoria and Jeanne approached Irisviel when they felt that she would start crying again. She didn't, but it was an uphill battle against tears.
Sitonai looked at Emiya's hands. They were shaking a little, not much, but they were. That was the secret of getting past the expressionless face: he looked at the scene without showing an emotion, an admirable effort, but he couldn't control his whole body, so Sitonai only needed to look at his hands or, rarely, his legs to discover sadness, anger, or discomfort.
He certainly didn't want. And she knew it was going to hurt her too. But Sitonai brought her hand to his and squeezed it gently. As expected, it hurt both of them, but neither undid the gesture.
["Aha, the snow in this town is warm. This is the first time I've seen normal snow."
"You're energetic. Do you like snow, Illya?"
"Yeah. I don't like cold things, but I like the snow. It's kind and like my mom. I was praised that my hair is white and feminine."]
Irisviel lost the battle. And Artoria couldn't blame her, even she remembered how Kiritsugu liked to play with the girl in the woods.
Sitonai's eyes widened as she recognized that song playing in their ears. It was a strange feeling, she knew about the song, but at the same time she had no idea what it was.
["It's beautiful. So it snows in the land Kiritsugu used to live in, huh?"
Her smile was not directed towards Shirou.
Illyasviel von Einzbern. The white girl that came to kill my father. Why she was after Kiritsugu, why she wants to kill me... These things I already know. The man that betrayed Einzbern. Kiritsugu abandoned everything and started living in this town. I, an unrelated child, pursued him as his son. I didn't learn about all the sacrifices that made this life possible until I became a Master.]
"Shirou..." Mash clutched her chest.
Many didn't like Shirou and some who liked him had many criticisms towards the boy's decisions; but, at that moment, none of them had anything negative to say.
[The snow kept falling as if to hide Illya.
"Good-bye, Shirou. I'll play with you again if I ever see you walking around alone!" The girl from a distant foreign country said goodbye with a smile.
As though her presence was what sustained it, the snowfall slackened and died. A temporary illusion.]
Ritsuka sniffled. "Well... this last scene got me..."
"Master, could I ask for a moment?" Bedivere asked. "For you to pause the movie, I mean."
"Alright. Pause!" Ritsuka shrugged. "What is it, Bedi?"
"I just wanted to ask a question: am I the one who needs to pay more attention or did Lady Sitonai appear out of nowhere?" The knight pointed to the girl next to Emiya (the two were no longer holding hands.)
Everyone looked at the goddess in silence.
"Sitonai!?" Ritsuka exclaimed.
"What the hell are you doing here!?"
"Lady Sitonai!?"
"How long has she been with us?"
"Where did this freakin' dwarf come from!?"
"Sitonai?"
"Oi! I heard that 'dwarf' one!" Sitonai cried, angrily. She looked at Emiya and noticed that he didn't show any surprise. "I thought you hadn't noticed yet and would have an good reaction..."
"I'm not an idiot," Emiya answered. "Now, explain."
Sitonai snorted. "Very well, then. Should I start with the part about half the servants in my viewing room disappearing or not...?"
That made everyone's faces lose the color.
"What!?" Mash almost screamed. "What do you mean by that!?"
A bunch of servants surrounded the goddess asking several questions at once.
"YOU ALL BETTER STOP HARASSING HER AND ACT LIKE ADULTS FOR ONCE! LET THE GIRL EXPLAIN IN PEACE!"
In that very instant, everyone gave personal space to Sitonai. Parvati's scream almost hit the servants like a physical blow... or even worst.
"Well, then, go on, dear."
Sitonai looked at the goddess with suspecion. The few memories she had about Sakura were all of the girl being uncomfortable with Illya's presence in the Emiya household, and none had such an aggressive side.
"I'll get started then." She coughed, clearing her throat. "Near the first death in the movie — the samurai guy — things were getting weird in the fragment. The 'characters' from the movie stopped in the middle of the street as if they were paralyzed. The cars weren't moving... basically everything wasn't moving. Until it returned to normal. This error happened sometimes.
When Lancer died, half the servants in my viewing room were already gone. Kiyohime was the first, she disappeared screaming that she couldn't let Master alone.
The list continued: Elizabeth, Hektor, the pirate lady, that red crazy girl who's always with Okita—oh! Oda Nodonaga, I think that was the name... anyway, Okita too. That Fergus guy, the Lancer guy with a mole on his face, the blonde cowboy... that creepy Kiara too..."
"We already understood that a bunch of servants disappeared. To hell with the names!" Mordred interrupted her. "What I want to know is why!"
"And how was I to know!?" Sitonai complained. "Everyone was confused. Me included. We even thought they were dead."
"I don't think they're dead, Lady Sitonai, Master checked the connection with some missing from our viewing room," Gawain said. "But, Master, try to check your bond with any of those she mentioned, please. Just to be sure."
Tristan heard the screams getting closer, and this time Atalanta seemed to notice too.
"So you lost people too?" Sitonai noticed. "That explains why there were so many pauses after the movie's first death."
"It's true, when Master pauses the movie in this room, he pauses in the others as well...!" Jekyll remembered.
"But how did you end up here?" Martha asked.
"I don't know." Sitonai shrugged. "I was with my group at the restaurant. When Shirou left and the groups were disbanded, I found myself with you guys. Not that it made me sad, I was having the bad luck of falling into the same group as that terrible golden king every time."
"Gilgamesh is here!?" Emiya and Artoria exclaimed at the same time. "But I thought he said he wouldn't come."
"I mean, he was pretty strange... more than normal. He looked kinda... drunk? That green wife of his said the his young version accidentally gave some strange potion to him or something like this."
Imagining that proud king finally drunk and, worst of all, involuntarily drunk made Iskandar laughed loud enough to be heard on the other side of the planet. Ishtar joined because of the "green wife" part.
Tristan and Atalanta suddenly turned in a specific direction: there, jumping over one of the park fences, was a blonde servant running towards them.
"Jason!?" Atalanta said in surprise.
The captain rolled across the floor, hiding behind Ritsuka.
"Fufu. You're just wasting your breath running away. I can fly, you idiot." Again, another servant appeared from the same direction. "EEEEEEEEEH!? Master!? You're fine!?"
This time the one who "ran" towards Ritsuka was Circe.
"I was so worried!"
As she hugged Ritsuka, Jason crawled away, hiding behind Chiron. Further back, Robin also hid.
"What is happening?" Chiron asked.
"That crazy woman wants to turn me into a pig!" Jason cried.
"You deserve!" Circe answered. "You were happy about what happened to Medea!"
"I said 'I'm happy because she won't need to see herself as a corpse', you idiot!"
"You really think you can fool me!?" Circe was quite offended. "You were talking about Medea Lily who disappeared at the same time as Mata Hari and the others!"
"T-That's a lie!"
Atalanta sighed. "You never learn, do you?"
"Wait the frigging hell!" Jeanne Alter screamed. "We need explanations!"
"Did they come from the same viewing room as you, Lady Sitonai?" Bedivere asked.
"Nope."
When Circe and Jason were finally able to open their mouths to explain what had happened to them, everyone discovered that the situation was the same in their room too.
"I was sure the no one died, though. I could still feel my connection with Medea even after she disappeared. And now that I know the older one is gone too, I know that I can feel the connection with both of them even now," Circe explained sadly.
"If they're alive it just makes that Yu Mei-Ren even more idiotic," Jason said.
"Idiotic?"
"Xiang Yu was one of those who disappeared. Circe said she didn't believe they were dead, but that crazy girl didn't listen. That prince guy who is always with her was trying to stop her from killing herself for the fourth time before our groups were disbanded and we ended up here."
"... fourth... time?" Jeanne asked, confused.
"Oh, absolutely. She's killed herself three times since her big monster disappeared. I have to give that prince credit though, he stopped the other ten times she tried. That guy is impressive."
No one knew how to react to that, except Emiya.
"This sounds exactly like something she would do," he said. "She's fine. No need to worry about her."
"And Kintoki!?" Raikou approached. "Was he in your room?"
"No!" Jason replied backing away from the desperate woman.
"He wasn't," Circe confirmed.
Raikou gasped. "And in your room?"
Sitonai shook her head.
"Raikou, calm down..." Tamamo tried, but failed.
The Berserker was about to have a panic attack. "My baby boy..."
"Master. Everyone. You remember the fragment of Trifas, right?" Atalanta said. "You may remember that in one of the last episodes there was an accident. We can't leave the viewing room after the episode or movie starts, but it was different when one of the Nemo clones opened the door to bring food."
Astolfo's mouth dropped open with surprise. "It's true! The episode stopped and the room returned to normal! Everyone was annoyed with the clone because when we started watching again, we had to watch it from the beginning!"
"Yes! My idea is to do the same now! This fragment proved to be very dangerous! We need to contact the staff and come up with a new plan. If Master uses a Command Spell to warn one of the clones, we will be saved!" Atalanta seemed pretty confident with that idea.
"But will opening the door really work?" Jekyll asked.
"It's worth the try," Amakusa answered. "Let's do it."
"Kintoki might be in another room, we can still save him." Martha spoke to Raikou. And the woman looked a little relieved.
"And if we leaving cause the death of the servants who are captured?" Jekyll asked.
"Serious?" Kama sighed. "Are we going to get into this discussion again?"
"Do you have a better idea?" Mordred asked.
Kama snorted. "Do you want to start our fight again?"
"... start what again?" Mordred seemed genuinely confused.
"Master, let's follow Atalanta's plan!" Raikou begged. "Please!"
"..."
Everyone looked at the girl, waiting for an answer and the use of a Command Spell.
"I think we better keep watching."
"Alright," Raikou answered and smiled. "I think is better to keep watching."
Emiya and Mash stared at the servants getting ready to continue the movie without thinking twice. The Archer, particularly, sighed.
[Rin met Shirou in the park shortly after and sat next to him.
She asked if Sakura is still with Shirou and when she found out that yes, the girl was, she felt relief. Then, Rin declared that she was going after Zouken.
"I'm going to the Matou estate. The Tohsakas and Matous have a long history. Leave the battle between archaic magi to me."
The two were silent after that.
"I'll go after that shadow. I can't leave that thing alone. People of this city are becoming victims!"
"I see." Rin felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off her back by hearing that. "Then, we'll keep the cease-fire between us going. I can't overlook that shadow, either. But don't go out of your way. Not until we know what that thing is."]
"I have my doubts that he will respect Rin's request ..." Gray commented.
Reines chuckled. "Yeah. He's too easy to read."