A/N: Thank you for all the positive feedback I received in this recent chapter, especially dmoose18 for pointing out my grammatical and spelling errors. I only wanted to write, intending to use it as a practice for my future career because to become a writer I should have good spelling and grammar. Unfortunately for me though, English isn't particularly my 1st language as I hailed from a country in Southeast Asia, but I'll still try my best to improve and hopefully reach my goal.
Honestly, I think that the Prologue is too damn serious…so I am gonna tone it down, for a bit.
Additional info:
And yeah, let me tell you that I am just a newbie in the nasuverse, meaning that I barely know anything about this convoluted franchise. Even so, I'll try to be as accurate as possible and probably invent new rules if they aren't already made.
And warning for OOC moments.
With all of that out of the way, enjoy…
Chapter 1: The Moon-lit World.
Kuoh Town is nothing extraordinary as it is just a regular city with a population above what it should be, except for the prestigious Academy known as Kuoh Academy because it is one of the most prestigious academies in Japan.
Everything was average, average people, average infrastructure, and average salaries, to the ordinary people that is. At night, unexplained phenomena happen, including the supposed disappearance of people, adults, and children, no matter who they were, poor, or privileged.
As such, many people proposed that this was the work of a Serial Killer, but they were mistaken as it was not the work of a man, but rather, it was the work of hideous creatures that lurked about during the night, creatures that humans are unaware of.
It was the other side of what people seem to observe from their plane of sight, or simply…
It was the Moon-lit world, a world filled with mysteries, power, and abilities.
A world where these creatures are commonplace.
A world where people that resided in it, regarded these creatures as nothing but an inconvenience to them as if they were mere insects, and they were, because those things can easily be disposed of by the weakest of members that reside within the hidden society.
However, even if it's an inconvenience to them, it certainly was not for the human masses. And since it is their territory, they assigned the rightful people, to protect the humans from further harm.
These people carried out orders from the higher-ups to eliminate any threats that were looming over the town, as such, the sudden appearance and disappearance of many supernatural creatures for the last few months came as a troublesome threat.
They were irritated, enraged even.
They are the ones who should take care of the problem at hand, and that took them to the belief that there was a second culprit, which brought them another problem to fix yet again.
However, even after countless days of searching for those culprits, it bore no fruit, it bore no leads, and it certainly did not have a clear suspect.
It was only a suspicion, a suspicion that one of the culprits are within Kuoh Academy.
And they were right because one of the culprits is a boy, known as the former leader of the perverted trio, Hyoudou Issei, or simply Emiya Shirou. In the last few months that he has been here, he eliminated these creatures under the radar, while simultaneously trying to find the very answer to his problem.
He seeks an answer for his predicament because desires to go back to his loved ones, then restore his and this body's soul. Fortunately, he does know the only answer to his problem, and that is the so-called Wizard Marshal, the wielder of the famous jeweled sword, Zelretch.
That said man is the only one, whom the former redhead can think of that is still alive and does know how Heaven's feel ritual truly works. However, he has no way of finding where he is, even if that man has access to all parallel universes.
To make matters worse, aside from the fact that monstrous creatures roam the night, he felt that there are unknown beings who observe him. Though, throughout the months of being observed, it gradually became more apparent that some residents at the premises of the academy, as he discovered that they hid behind facades such as the Occult Research Club and Student Council.
Rias Gremory, her presence is that of sickly sweet, yet blood-lusted 'devil' that seeks to take advantage of the chance when the prey is vulnerable. Satori Sona, whose presence is that of vast expanses of water like an ocean, yet it is still like that of deadly water.
Their presence is like that of the devils that Archer once fought, and strangely, their presence even felt distinctly like that of the 72 pillars, yet it was far inferior. But he simply could not take the risk after all, how could he go against legions upon legions of those creatures without anyone's aid?
It would be suicidal.
Those two are the most notable and familiar ones he could think of.
However, the rest of the presences that he could feel that do not reside in the academy, felt far different if compared to them, as the hostility was far more concentrated and far more malevolent than theirs. The said presences' sight is not only limited to the expanses of the Academy like the Occult Research Club and Student Council but rather, they are spread everywhere. He could feel it everywhere he went, be it in a park with his new family, or the Hyoudou residence.
"Yawn…"
The bell rang, subjecting Shirou out of his train of thought.
His expression depicts tiredness to the highest degree, his eyes were tired.
He slowly grabbed the homemade Bento and then made his way through the crowd of people, presumably making their way toward the cafeteria. On the contrary, he made his way toward the Academy's rooftop.
As he arrived, he opened the door carefully, wind blew to his face as a whistle. A smile with heaviness
harboring over it crept up his face, approaching a corner then sat. He clasped his hands together and then uttered a quick prayer.
"Itadikamas"
He opened the Bento and then started savoring the taste of his homemade meal.
/…/
To his dismay, the door creaked, revealing a petite girl with albino hair and hazel eyes.
He furrowed his brows as he saw the girl settle herself not far from him, feeling a faint demonic aura surrounding her. The aura he felt was identical to those he hunts, albeit the only difference is, theirs was darker, more corrupt than the girl was emitting.
However,
The girl screamed of danger, he knew that at that moment, she posed a threat. Even so, he maintained his straight expression as he visualized a pair of noble phantasms within his mind, ready to trace them if need be.
He never would have thought that they would make a move on him, but it seemed like he was mistaken. No matter the effort he spent trying to hide, it would seem like it would be all for naught, as in this very moment, the chances of whom he deemed 'stalkers' attacking were the highest it could ever be.
To his surprise, however, the majority of the lunch break has already passed, and yet, she does not show any signs of attacking. She was just, sitting there, nibbling on her sweets ever so slightly. Though his guard was not dropping, it could be that she was stalling for time.
The girl glanced in his direction from time to time, this time, however, it was longer than the previous ones. This led him to avert his gaze from her as he could feel her eyes observing him. To play along, he grasped the pair of chopsticks and then started to slowly feed himself, until her gaze was averted away from him.
Although, the feeling remained. He was confused as to why she was still observing him, with no regard for decency. Then the brunette realized that this could be a chance to confront one of them without raising that much suspicion, as this could count as a case of 'stalking'.
"He-" the words caught in his throat as he glanced at the girl's expression.
The feeling was simply nostalgic as it brought him to remember her.
A smile crept up his face as she stared at the girl, whose expression was of curiousness and excitement
"Hey…" he called out.
The girl then averted her gaze from the bento he held, to him, her expression of surprise.
"Do you want some…I can share" he asked as he stared at the girl.
To his surprise, she nodded quickly as she continued to glance at the bento, a drool making its way out of her opened mouth.
He could not help but chuckle. Despite her potentially being one of his enemies, she was acting rashly, she was subjecting herself to him, with no effort to protect herself.
"Here" he exclaimed as he slowly made his way toward the girl, handing it and a pair of chopsticks with it.
As the girl received the Bento, she trembled in excitement. She was taken aback, as the one whom she should observe closely gave her his meal without any hesitation.
The meal itself looked more appetizing than it already was from his grasp and now that it was close to her, it was magnified tenfold. She grasped the chopsticks and then swiftly devoured the meal, burping afterward with no regard for decency.
"U-uh-" he uttered. The girl then handed him the Bento back, not a single grain of rice nor a sliver of sauce left.
He was taken back by the appetite of the girl, as he thought it was impossible for someone to devour a full
course meal in just a second, and yet here he is, marveling at the feat done in front of him.
"Thank you, Kind Senpai," the girl thanked as she slowly stood up from her place.
"Welcome" The thought of her attacking him dissipated in his mind, although he was still cautious.
The bell's ring then echoed throughout the campus, signifying that the break was now over.
She then approached the door at a fast pace. It was obvious that she was hurrying for something.
"Wait-" he exclaimed, halting the girl at the door.
"I'll bring extra next time around, er-"
The memory was hazy, but there was a name that immediately came to his mind.
"Koneko!" he exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
The girl turned her attention back to him as a microscopic smile crept up her face.
"Thank you" the girl uttered as she made her way out of the academy's rooftop.
Sighing, he stood up, wrapping his emptied Bento, staring at where the girl once was.
"Sooner or later…"
-X-v-X-
His eyes bathed on the masterfully mixed hue of red and yellow in front of him.
Classes had already ended, and his classmates and his duo of friends made their way out of the classroom, waving goodbye, with him returning his own. He stayed as he wanted to help the teacher carry the files and folders that were used for this day. The teacher ended up being forced to abide as the brunette was insistent on doing so.
Reluctantly, the man handed him the stack of files.
"Hyoudou, just remember not to drop the files on the floor, because they would be used tomorrow for the other classes, understood?"
"Duly noted" he exclaimed as he held the stack of folders with his arms. Slowly, he carried it toward the faculty room, which was already long empty.
"Uhm, where do I put this, sir?"
"Oh? Here" the man pointed at his desk. The brunette nodded, approaching the desk and then softly setting up the stack of folders, careful not to scatter them throughout the room.
"There…" he muttered.
"Thank you once again, Hyoudou Issei" A smile crept up the man's face as the once perverted boy showed his kindness once again.
"No problem, sir," he responded as he bowed.
"You have changed…from a shameless pervert to a helpful and kind man, it made me wonder if someone accidentally possessed your body" the man teased the boy.
The seemingly light joke hit the teen much harder than he had anticipated but made it seem like he shrugged it off with no problem.
He forced a smile to form on his lips as he glanced at the grinning man.
"Farewell then, sir," he bid farewell.
"Farewell, Hyoudou Issei! Be careful where you are going!" the man warned as he waved his hands, with the brunette returning his own.
He swiftly made his way out of the faculty room, passing by halls where students grew increasingly rare to be seen. He passed by the few other students he could see, all of them presumably heading toward their respective homes, as he headed toward the gate where the road was bustling with cars and lights. He ran up the bridge that lay before him to pass to the other side of the street, continuing his trek toward his home.
The city was a light show, different infrastructures of varying heights littered his view.
It was a normal sight for him, but alas he finally arrived at his destination.
It was a residence with two floors, it was average in all aspects. This was the place that he now calls home.
He approached the door and then turned its knob. As the door creaked, he was greeted by a familiar sight, a man in his fifties, comfortably settling himself on a couch in which he was immersing himself with a newspaper.
A smile crept up his face.
Hyoudou's father is average in all aspects, has an average job, and average salary, and does not know about the supernatural whatsoever, Hyoudou's mother was no different. They were an unsuspecting family, unaware of the danger that lurks about.
And yet, this does not stop his so-called "parents" to be suspicious of his alleged change of personality, hobby, and the change occurring to his brown hair over time.
But he was able to convince them otherwise, that he wanted to change his appearance and become another person altogether.
The answers that he gave them were based on Hyoudou Issei's memories because he hated to be ignored and picked on by the girls around him, which led Hyoudou to assume that he could change his popularity by changing his personality and his looks.
They were surprised, to say the least, but they still believed him, correlating to Hyoudou's previous dream of
becoming a Harem King.
Those excuses were poorly thought-out and yet it worked in his favor.
As expected he was greeted by the man, energetically just as he always did.
He greeted him back, setting his sling bag on the opposite side of the couch as he headed towards the Kitchen to immerse himself in cooking.
Everything went as planned. After the meal, Hyoudou's parents went to sleep, leaving their 'son' on his own. Though, he was not complaining, as it is one of his strategies in the first place.
X-x-X
He knew that it was now time.
He swiftly made his way toward his bedroom to don a secretive suit, after all, he can not have civilians or any people that hail from the world of the supernatural know his identity.
…Trace…
He visualized a body suit belonging to that Archer, alongside a shroud of crimson color that emits a faint holy aura.
…On…
His hard-earned circuits flared to life as the body suit fell to the ground with a thud.
He bent down then grabbed the suit then set it up on the bed.
He threw his clothes off to the bed as well, revealing his now impossibly lean and athletic body that he earned
through the countless encounters and battles he has experienced up to this point, as well as the rough training
regimen he imposed on his vessel.
He donned the body armor quickly, slinging the red shroud to his shoulder.
He then took a glance at the mirror, styling his messy brown-red hair upwards, projecting a red cloth that he used to cover half of his face.
As he finished, he carried the soles of his feet swiftly, ghostly quiet like that of an assassin toward the bedroom of whom he deemed his parents.
He opened the door carefully, then took a step as quietly as he could manage.
"I am sorry, Mr. Hyoudou and Mrs. Hyoudou, I have to do this as many people's lives are at stake, including you two's lives…I hope you don't scold me" he muttered. He had already resolved that he would protect them and the people around him until the time comes as it was impossible to aim at going back to his previous world.
It came out as a gentle whisper from his lips as he took off to the night.
The blood within him was flowing faster towards his heart as his movements were as explosive as a bomb but as fast as a bullet, Archer's experience flowing through his veins. He passed by as a blur, his feet carrying him through the streets of Kuoh as he was able to pick up a cluster of scents that he had grown to hate.
His feet halted the built momentum of his body as he arrived where the scent came from. It took him to a place that can only be described as desolate, with no people and seemingly no living things. Most infrastructures were dark and gloomy.
Not a single light source, it was all darkness…
This is where he heard that most people had their freedom and lives taken away from them. From the perspective of a normal person, it either must have been a freak incident or suicide. They were mistaken, as this compound was now filled with the creatures he eliminated every night.
He took a step.
Even with such darkness, it was not that much of a problem as he was able to reinforce his eyes, seeing through the darkness and what it hides.
His face scrunched up as he saw the monstrosity in front of his eyes staring at him, a feeling comparable to that of a predator hunting its prey came over him.
A sickening smile crept up its face, revealing rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth.
At that very moment, he grasped the yet to exist hilt of Kanshou and Bakuya as the creature started convulsing in excitement.
Extending its claws, it rushed towards him, slithering like a snake. He furrowed my brows as he waved Kanshou and Bakuya from where he predicted that it would try to hit him.
The creature's arm flew out of its sockets as blood spurted uncontrollably, ultimately painting the entire alley blood red. It widened its eyes, trying to understand what happened, but he did not give it a chance to breathe as he pierced its throat.
With a thud, it fell to the ground, dissipating into motes of dark light.
A screech then came by him. His blades reflected hordes of those same creatures approaching him.
He tightened the grip that he had on his blades, leaping onto one of the structure's roofs. Reinforcing his legs, he catapulted himself, running at speeds faster than before, his blades on the ready. He could feel the roofs shaking, they were now chasing him like a cat chasing a mouse.
As he was speeding, he was intercepted by one of them. But it proved no use as he was to cleave through the monstrosity like a hot knife to butter. Another tried to cleave him in half but was avoided by the brunette as he responded with Kanshou through its chest, forcing the blade down, the creature's structure served as no obstacle to the blade as it cleaved it in half, blood spewing the alley.
The creature fell limp before him, disappearing into the darkness of the ally below. He paid no mind as he leaped from roof to roof, with the creatures still in his tracks, moving in such a way that they would seem like slithering snakes.
This, however, served no purpose as his Mind's eye predicted their movements. Hurdling Kanshou towards his left then he hurdled Bakuya on his right, a sickening screech of pain interrupted from both sides. He took a moment to glance all around him, it would seem like many perished at the hands of Kanshou and more perished at the hands of Bakuya.
A multitude of screeches then reverberated throughout the gloomy walls of their territory.
Another came speeding to intercept him but was eliminated quickly in a single cleave. It left him open momentarily as a creature tried to take advantage of his weakness, only having its head spewing blood. As the creature fell to the ground, another sped towards him, but he was able to evade and counter with his blades.
Cleaving the creature in half, he realized that he was now intercepting a horde as his golden-brown eyes saw through the fountain of crimson blood.
He furrowed his brows as he dashed towards the impending horde, his blades crossed together. The said horde was trying their best to confuse him by slithering in a pattern they thought would not be predictable, and yet as one of them extended its claws towards him, he was able to evade at the last second and then counter with a blade at its throat.
He was purposely lowering his guard to take advantage of the enemy's weaknesses at the very moment they showed it, and if used with Mind's eye, he would prove to be a tough adversary to fight against.
It was Emiya Shirou's favored style of swordplay.
Another set of claws aimed for his head, but he was able to catch a glimpse of it, using his reinforced feet to hit the creature to the ground, piercing its head. A blur then came speeding towards him, but it was parried with ease and then countered with a gruesome strike to the abdomen.
He had already eliminated many, and yet there were still more.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he was forced to momentarily retreat, the attempt however was pointless as more and more started dashing at him the more he tried to avoid them.
He let his blades dissipate into motes of light, visualizing a bow.
Trace on!
A bow then took form in his grasp as an elongated green light, gradually revealing its structure.
Tracing multitudes of nameless phantasm, he aimed, the phantasms altering its form, now akin to that of a sleek dynamic of an arrow.
He leaped backward, with his feet reinforced.
When he was within a notable altitude, he let go of the strings, bombarding the creatures with blades, painful screeches reverberating throughout the walls of the abandoned infrastructures.
He had projected countless nameless phantasms to bombard them with this bow, and yet his peripheral vision let him see more of them rushing with speed.
He clicked his tongue as he pierced a speeding creature with the sharp ends of his bow, blood spewing all around him. Another then tried to take advantage of momentary weakness, only to find its pair of eyes and brain pierced by the bow's end. An arm then swung at him but was able to evade to the side, countering by piercing its throat.
Sweat trickled down his face as he managed to evade a speeding arm, leaping backward, giving him time to project Kanshou and Bakuya.
Fluent like water, he avoided the strike like a flowing river, then countered fiercely, cleaving its head. As it fell to the ground, he was forced to parry an attack that came from his left and his right. The attackers snarled as they aimed their claws at his head, only to find their heads fall to the ground as the brunette cleaved their bodies in half.
Many of those said beings leaped into the air to evade his onslaught of slashes. They thought they could surprise the brunette by doing so.
Trace on!
They were mistaken as multitudes of nameless phantasms materializing in the air, hovering above him.
"Barrel Shot, Continuous fire!"
He waved his hand, commanding them to pierce and eliminate the now airborne enemies. The blades flew at hypersonic speeds piercing the creatures' heads and then implanting themselves on the roofs afterward, causing dust and soot to rise to cover the surroundings.
Many creatures pierced the dust and soot that is still yet to settle, dashing towards him.
He tightened his grip on his Kanshou and Bakuya. Gritting his teeth, he catapulted himself towards the hordes of those said creatures, simultaneously tracing multitudes of nameless phantasms to hover above him so that he could use them as projectiles.
"…"
His blades waved in all directions, his teeth grit and his eyes narrowed. He planted his feet on the ground fiercely, like an enraged volcano.
Slash after slash, cleave after cleave, a drop of blood to the other.
He had already projected what he could presume to be hundreds of nameless phantasms to use as projectiles…
And yet there were still more.
He was already experienced in hunting these creatures. He had already discerned their features from the other, lonesome variant which he had barely even encountered.
He had already determined their average quantity in attacking and yet, this was the only day they had skyrocketed in frequency. Sure he had experienced some minor problems on multiple occasions because of their unusually high numbers in the past, but now, those previous ones do not compare in the slightest.
Could it be they wanted to eliminate him as quickly as possible because of the threat he posed?
If that's the case, then why now?
Are their amounts so low to the point that they have no choice but to eliminate him quickly by attacking him head-on?
His teeth ground in frustration, and his eyes were nearly bloodshot.
The exhaustion was slowly catching up to him, the discomfort he now experienced by tracing was slowly becoming unbearable.
His moves were degraded into a sloppy form, causing him several multitudes of cuts throughout his body, but was immediately sewn by the artifact within him, Avalon.
Every minute, every second, frustration grew in his being as they seemingly kept on coming. It was not like earlier, the creatures were not letting him catch his breath.
He let out a loud battle cry, his mana reserves slowly running dry.
Every swing of his arms, every twist of his body, every move of his body, causes pain to erupt in his body, his muscles screaming at him to stop, and his lungs deprived of oxygen.
The pain that accumulated in his body, as well as the stress that he let his magic circuits go through, was slowly killing him. And yet, even if his attack was now frantic, even if his speed was mediocre, every cleave he does, was somehow stronger than the others that came before.
…
Letting out a loud battle cry, he was able to eliminate the remaining few that he was aware of. Raspy breaths came out his lips, his body was covered with the blood of those he had slain. His physical body might look scratchless, his stamina is the one depleted, and his reserves were almost dried up.
His eyes darted around for more, and yet he saw nothing.
A sigh that could be described as relieved came out of his lips, the blades in his grasp dissipating into motes of light.
As he tried to take a step, his limbs throbbed in pain. Gritting his teeth, he continued to move, dragging his now vulnerable body along the floor.
He knows that he has to move fast so that no one would be able to notice him, be it supernatural beings or regular humans, but his body would not allow him. Even if his cut muscle fibers were restored, Avalon does not restore one's energy and strength.
Step by step, his frustration grew every second, he knew that his body was failing him.
Unfortunately for him, it was still not over.
HYoUdOu IsSeI!
A creature screamed.
His eyes widened, and he turned his head robotically toward the source.
His mouth was agape, the creature was massive, easily encompassing theirs in size. What was most peculiar about the monstrosity was its crimson red eyes filled with hatred, and its body composition, seemingly composed of different kinds of traits found in several organisms.
He could barely make up what it said, but he knew it was the vessel's name.
Could it be that what he thought earlier was indeed correct?
Was he now being targeted by the creator of these monstrosities?
He took a step, a step filled with frustration as he clenched his teeth.
The winds died down, as the ground shook like an earthquake.
Saliva started dripping from the monstrosity's mouth, as its eyes like that of ginormous dark-crimson stars, wreaked of blood lust.
There is about a hundred meters distance between him and the monstrosity.
Therefore the outcome of the battle would be decided by whoever lasts this assault.
He gritted his teeth, he has no way of beating this adversary.
If he tries to project the blades he held earlier now, there is a risk that he would not be able to use his magecraft again.
He hissed, as he forced his circuits and his remaining reserves to work.
Projecting a nameless phantasm, he held it in his grasp, stopping himself from screaming because of the untold agony that his action caused soon after.
He simply had no choice but to do so.
Suddenly, the creature ran with speed unheard of if compared to something its size. Its wide body, grazing the infrastructure as its feet caused craters to be formed. The brunette widened his eyes for a moment, only to narrow them into a hawk-like glare.
The abomination crashed through a house, utterly decimating it. It was only his mind's eye and countless battle experiences that allowed him to avoid his imminent doom.
His body skidded to the ground, halting as he hit a post. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stand straight.
In his wobbly legs, he forced himself to wield the only phantasm in his grasp, which he knew would not last long against the possibly thick skin of his adversary.
Trace on!
Green-like cybernetic patterns spread throughout the blade's surface, further strengthening it.
The action brought searing pain as blood started to trickle from his nose uncontrollably.
He ground his teeth, and planted his ground, letting out a battle cry as he rushed towards his adversary with his base speed.
He could not afford to strengthen his body parts anymore with magecraft, as it would possibly destroy his circuits completely.
The blade was brought down at the creature's limb, bouncing like a ball hitting the ground at a fast speed.
"Hard!" he flew a few meters away, his blade stopping the momentum.
The creature was further aggravated by the action as it swung its arms toward the rushing visage of the brunette.
His eyes widened at the strike, immediately forcing his body to move to the side. He was not able to completely evade the damage as the impact blasted the brunette to an infrastructure, piercing through it like a pencil to paper.
Coughing blood, he forced his arms to support his body weight, his blade was noticeably starting to get damaged.
He grits his teeth in pain as he takes a step forward, ignoring the pain circulating throughout his legs.
Despite the damage it would cause him, he persevered.
He would not just allow this creature to run amok.
Rubble crunched at the steps he forced himself to do. The moon shone irregularly red as the creature howled, almost like a screech.
He gripped the nameless phantasm to the point that his knuckles turned white.
The creature's pair of irregularly crimson eyes then snapped at him, emanating a presence so evil and so pure, that a mere human would shrivel up at the mere thought of dying to this creature.
A/N: So, for the guys who deem Shirou incompetent and weak in this fic, I have something to tell all of you. Well, he is not incompetent, but rather, he fought thousands of those creatures for hours with no rest, a situation that he wasn't expecting because normally he only fights hundreds at a time, therefore he is pushed beyond his capabilities. Even if a weak creature that a normal, frail human could eliminate, well, when said creatures teamed up and "worked" together, of course, the human would be overwhelmed, same for Shirou here.
Shirou will be OP at the later arcs, so don't be angry if you expected Shirou to just be OP at the start...it's just, not my type of thing.