When the second Singularity finally closed, Shirou allowed himself to drop to his hands and knees, breathing raggedly. Even with the aid of Reinforcement, and the support of Avalon, his body was only human. The amount of strain he had put it through was more than enough to bring him to the point of collapse. He had been holding out until now only through sheer willpower.
"Shirou, are you alright?" Caster asked, swooping down from the sky to gently kneel at his side.
"I'm... fine. Just... winded," he managed to say, as beads of sweat ran down his face.
"Well, aren't you in a sorry state," said Illiyasviel from atop of her Servant's shoulder. "Although, I suppose, you could have done a worse job of it."
Coming from her, those words were high praise, considering the circumstances. It was probably the best thing that had come out of the entire day and night. Any other time, it would have been more than a meager consolation.
Any other day but this one.
"Illya... we need to talk," he said.
The white-haired girl narrowed her eyes, but eventually, she let out a frustrated sigh.
This scenery was par for the course of a battle between Servant, but that wasn't what had happened. The Grail War had gotten way too out of hand. The option of fixing it and going back to business as usual was unrealistic. Clinging to it would only compound the problem. Whatever reservation Illya might have had up to this moment, she now saw with her own eyes that the situation was untenable. She also knew that this was the result of the Einzbers' unrepentant abuse of the system they themselves created.
If there truly was karma in the world, this was precisely it.
"Yes, we probably should," she agreed. "Come then. I always wanted to see for myself what the Easterners' idea of hospitality is like."
She gracefully hopped down from Berserker's shoulder and he quickly dematerialized.
Even though Caster's face was hidden under the hood, Shirou could tell that she had raised an eyebrow in surprise. To put away her Servant in the presence of two others was incredibly dangerous. The split-second required for him to materialize was more than enough for Caster or Rider to deal with her. Either she was incredibly trusting or confident.
Probably the former. After all, Shirou himself had waltzed into her territory of his own volition without the slightest protection. This could be considered as returning the favor and extending an olive branch at the same time.
Caster never thought it possible that such a foolish gesture could be returned in kind, instead of being taken advantage of. But here it was, right before her eyes.
She had already come to accept that Shirou was precisely the type of person that turned preconceived notions on their heads and forged his own path. However, it wasn't something that a person like her could do, therefore she was amazed every time it happened.
It wasn't a matter of personal ability, but of character. Medea simply wasn't that way. Even before her tragedy, she wasn't the kind of person that would stalwartly believe that doing the right thing would bring about a desirable outcome. If the world worked that way, an existence like her wouldn't be possible.
Well, there was a reason why she fell for him, after all.
"Alright. Let's all go back to our place, then" she agreed. "There is plenty of things that I would like to know as well."
Later, she would have to come back and fix this mess. They couldn't trust the supervisor to do his job properly, anyway.
[br]
The Emiya household was quaint.
That was the most generous term that Illya had to describe the place. She wasn't such a dishonest person that she could tell herself she was unaffected by being here. This was the house where the father who abandoned her spent his last years. The place where the brother who had stolen him from her lived.
She pushed down the tangled mass of feelings that started to gnaw at her chest. It would do no good to her now. Perhaps later she would have Berserker raze this place to the ground.
Maybe it would bring her some comfort. Although she had serious doubts about that.
Ever since her wayward brother had shown up at her castle, baring his throat to her for the kill, the resentment that she had been harboring most of her life melted like so much snow.
And now her heart was a muddy mess of which she couldn't make heads or tail.
She was quite upset and the current state of the Grail wasn't making anything better. "Would you like something to drink, Illya?" he asked as he showed her inside his home. "Hmm. Tea will do," she replied. "Whatever type you have is fine."
The kind of tea she was accustomed to drinking couldn't be bought in stores. There was no point in picking between one cheap swill and the other. She could have refused, but if he
could be a gracious host within his own limits, she could be an equally gracious guest in return.
As expected, there were no chairs inside the house. She couldn't understand this barbaric habit of sitting on the floor, but she didn't let it show on her face. She took a place at the table and only then she saw the framed picture that was hung high against the wall, almost on the ceiling.
Emiya Kiritsugu stared down at her.
Her chest tightened painfully. There were no pictures of him at the castle. The only thing that Illya had to remember him by were her own fading memories. The person in the photo looked the way she remembered. The same dry face and the crow nest of hair.
The eyes were different, though. Very much so. Kiritsugu never looked at her with anything other than joy. She recalled that detail quite distinctively because she spent years being told and telling herself it was a lie.
Instead, what she saw in that picture were the eyes of a man who had lost everything or most of it. Those same eyes stared back at her in the mirror, from time to time.
She forced herself to look away. It wasn't time to confront these feelings. She didn't want to.
Fortunately, no one seemed to have noticed her discomfort, or if they did they had the basic decency not to say anything.
"Caster, do you mind setting up tea for everybody? I need to clean myself up a little." "Yes, of course, Shirou. Leave it up to me."
He headed for the bathroom, presumably, while Rider sat outside on the veranda and Caster went to make tea, as instructed. He returned just a couple of minutes later, wearing clean clothes and toweling himself dry.
He sat down opposite to Illya and took a deep breath before leaning forward with his arms on the table.
"So...," he hesitated. "Circumstances being what they are, I'm glad that you finally came over."
She gave him a deadpan look.
At that moment, Caster walked over with a tray. She put down a cup in front of everyone and poured the tea.
"Pleasantries aside, what's happening with the Grail, exactly?" she asked, changing the subject. "For what I know about the system, it shouldn't be acting the way it does. I tried to figure out myself, but I couldn't find anything out of place."
"That's because the Grail is working as intended, for the most part," she replied. "I beg your pardon?" she blinked.
Illya sighed.
"It's a little known fact but... back when the ritual was first instated, the founders considered a number of possible scenarios. Among them, there was the possibility that all the Servants would agree not to fight and share the Grail instead. Never mind that the Grail needs to consume their souls to properly function. The foundation of the Grail War is that seven Servants must be sacrificed to create a path to Akasha, and determine who would get to use it in the process. Therefore, that situation had to be avoided."
"So what happens if the Servants refuse to fight?" Shirou asked.
"In that event, the Grail would drain the leyline completely and summon seven additional Heroic Spirits, and the former battle royale would become a conflict between two sides instead"
The silence was poignant that one could have heard a pin drop even on the tatami.
"Fourteen Servants?"Shirou hissed. "The strain on the leyline would kill everyone in Fuyuki."
"It was deemed an acceptable sacrifice."
"Of course it was," he snarked.
"But I have sealed the leyline precisely to limit the Grail," said Caster. "Where is it getting the energy from?"
"Only six Servants have been summoned," Illya explained, "and I'm afraid that what we did to summon Berserker has permanently ruined the Grail's ability to pick Masters. That being the case, the energy that was meant to summon the seventh Servant is stuck within the system, and it's using it to activate the backup evocation.
"That makes no sense," said Caster. "It can't summon seven more Servants with the energy left from just one, and without Masters, it couldn't anchor them to the world anyway."
"You are right, it can't summon new Heroic Spirits," Illya agreed. "But what about those that have been summoned in the past?"
"Are you saying that the Grail remembers the Heroic Spirits from the previous wars?" Shirou asked. "I see. So that's why Iskander appeared the other night."
"That's correct. The Grail was originally meant to reset with every cycle, but since it became tainted, I assume that no longer happens. The Grail, or rather the spirit that inhabits it, still recalls each Hero that has been called from the Third War onward and it's using what little
energy it got left to manifest those look-alikes. They are just the containers without the original soul, but the information that makes up their skills is still there."
"I see. If that's the case, then it all makes sense," Caster said. Her eyes turned to Rider, who was still sitting outside. "And because Rider has achieved a form of true incarnation, the Grail doesn't have to support her any longer, thus it has even more Mana available to run amok."
"That is a reasonable assumption to make," Illya agreed. "It would explain why it opened two singularities at the same time."
"So the next question would be, how do we fix this?" Shirou asked. "If what you say is correct, the Grail will just keep doing this thing until it gets what it wants."
The situation was simply untenable.
"There is only one thing that we can do, and that is destroying the Greater Grail," she replied. "The current situation won't change until that is done, or the Servants have died and it's allowed to manifest."
"How can we do that, though?" Caster asked. "The Greater Grail under the temple is protected both by the natural barrier of the mountain, and the Boundary Field set up by the founder. If I could break through it, I would have already done it."
"Unsurprising, since one of them was the Wizard Marshall himself. I imagine even a Witch from the Age of Gods would have a hard time dealing with that."
"Hmm," Caster agreed begrudgingly, crossing her hands over her chest.
Even she could imitate True Magic only barely, and exclusively within the confines of her Territory. A Sorceror was on a completely different level altogether. Her Magecraft had a much broader field of application, though, so she didn't feel inferior.
However, she wouldn't want to go against one of them under any circumstances. The odds wouldn't be in her favor.
"Then how are we going to do it?" Shirou asked.
"Since the Servants can't go, it's up to the Masters. The two of us will go inside the mountain, and shut it off."
"It not going to be that simple," Caster objected. "A ritual of this scale won't simply be stopped. All the accumulated energy will have to go somewhere."
"You are fundamentally correct, but you forget one tiny detail. I am the Lesser Grail. No one knows its intricacies better than I do. When the moment comes, I will force it to flush the remnant energy back into the leyline."
"That will cause a major earthquake, at the very least," Caster said.
"Most likely yes, but this is Japan. There is scarcely a country more prepared for seismic events than this. I suspect that most people will have forgotten about it the next day. Besides, any other alternative will be even only more destructive."
Her brother turned to his Servant
"I think this might be our best shot, after all," he said.
"Do you understand that she expects you to go with her, right? If anything goes wrong, you'll be caught in it and I won't be able to help you."
"Of course I do. Still, it's the best strategy, isn't it?"
"Yes," she agreed. "And it always requires you to be the most at risk. Damn it, Shirou. It's the Servants who are supposed to be on the frontline."
"In a War to win the Grail, you'd be right," he said. "But this is a fight to destroy it so it's only fitting that it's the other way around."
Caster gave him a look that spoke volumes about what she thought of his philosophy, but she didn't bother refuting him. There was a peculiar dynamic between the two of them. The Witch of Betrayal was different from what she had imagined, according to Berserker's tales.
'Hrrrm. I see now why he had the stone to face me. If he has the courage of stealing the heart of a witch, confronting my wrath is nothing worth bragging about."
'You are joking, right? These two are a thing? Besides, you are much more fearsome than she is.'
'Anything I could do to him pales in comparison to what the Witch has in store for those who would abuse her affection. It will serve you well to keep that in mind. Your brother certainly likes to live dangerously.'
'He's a fool.'
'Certainly,' he agreed. 'And so were each of the Argonauts, in one fashion or another.' 'Even you?'
Berserk laughed. Even telepathically it sounded like rocks smashed together.
'Of course. I was the biggest fool of the entire lot.'
Illya frowned. She didn't understand why Berserker seemed to like Shirou. They were nothing alike. At least she didn't think they were similar in any way.
In the months since his summoning, she had seen Berserker's past through the Dream Cycle. True to his legend, his life was defined by struggle, which culminated in the twelve labors. Herakles was the man who took the term impossible and tore it to pieces time and time again, defying even the expectations of the gods.
She found any comparison to be completely absurd.
However, it had to be said that Shirou was nothing like he had imagined him, either. It was a well known fact that he freelanced for the Church, so he had to be somewhat capable. Even those beggars wouldn't let a random dog off the streets join their ranks.
Being a first generation Magus, that was probably noteworthy, to some degree. And having seen him hold his ground in front of Berserker, as well as take on the flood of Shadows at the temple, she had to amend her opinion of him upward a little.
Still no comparison with Herakles though.
"Illya?"
"Eh? What?" she blinked, returning her attention to the conversation.
"I said we agree with your plan. When are we going to do this?"
"Ah, it will take some preparations, but I think no later than the day after tomorrow."
"Two whole days, hmm. Right. I'll look for Tohsaka in the meantime. Also... for the sake of transparency I met another Master and Servant tonight."
"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Caster hissed. "I just did," he deadpanned.
"Fine. So, who was it?" she asked expectantly. "I can't tell you."
"Can't or won't?"
"Can't for the Servant, won't for the Master," he replied.
"I suppose there is a good reason for keeping this from me?"
"They helped me keep the Shadows back. I probably would have died without them and they left the moment you arrived. I don't know why they didn't want to show themselves, but the least I can do is fulfill their wish."
Caster narrowed her eyes.
"It's not like you to keep this kind of critical information to yourself just for that reason. Not with what's at stake here. This new Master... it must be someone you already knew previously. Someone you trust implicitly."
"You know me well," he admitted.
"In any event, I don't think there is anything to worry about," said Illya. "They aren't our enemy."
"How can you know?" Caster asked, turning to her.
"I already told you. For the secondary system to trigger, all available Servants must decide not to fight. Regardless of the identity of this duo, they must have already decided by themselves not to compete for the Grail."
"Someone who already knew about the corruption of the Grail before it manifested? It can't be that treacherous supervisor."
"Caster, please stop trying to guess it," Shirou asked. "I'll tell you eventually. I just need to figure out what's going on first."
"I know better than trying to change your mind after you made a decision. You are an idiot but not you don't do anything without a solid reason. So I trust you know what you are doing."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he replied with a nod.
"Yes, yes. Don't make me regret it our I'll make you regret it even more. You know I will."
"Of course I do," he agreed with a smile.
Illya blinked, in surprise. What kind of man smiled when he was threatened with retribution from a Heroic Spirit? Unless...
'Are they flirting?''
'It does sound like they are, yes,'Berserker agreed. 'She's the same old vixen I knew.'
'Please, don't tell me that you were involved with her.'
'Oh, I knew better than trying anything with this woman. Some waters are too treacherous to navigate even for the most veteran of sailors. Besides, I was never her type. She likes her lovers on the young and lean side. Your brother is closer to her preference than I ever was.'
'I didn't need to know that.'
'Then you should not have asked.'
'A mistake that won't happen twice.'
"Anyway, Illya. It's already late. Would you like to spend the night here?" She was about to refuse, but he continued
"Kiritsugu had a room built hoping that you would get to use it one day." That stopped her, and she looked up at the picture on the wall.
"Fine. It's just a few hours until morning, and it will take some time for a car to get here from the castle anyway."
Nobody brought up that she didn't arrive in a car, or that Caster could get her back in mere seconds.
"Great. Follow me, I'll show you the place."
"Make sure to get some sleep yourself after," said Caster. "I'll put you under a spell if you are back on your feet too early. I'll look for Tohsaka and Saber while you rest, so you don't need to worry about it. Rider will keep watch over the house. Not like anyone would try anything while Herakles is here."
"Alright, I'll go to sleep right after," he grumbled, but he didn't argue. "Are you good, Rider? Sorry, I didn't even ask you how you were doing."
"I'm fine, Shirou," she huffed. She sounded both annoyed and amused. "You have fussed over me enough for one day. Take care of yourself for a change. You look dead on your feet."
"Yes, yes. I'll hit the sack in a moment. But wake me up if anything happens. I don't care how minor."
"As you wish, Master," the Servant conceded.
With that said, Shirou escorted Illya to a detached building, where he showed her to a room that was smaller than her shoes closet. Then again her closet was bigger than the average apartment, so there was that..
She looked upon the space surreptitiously. The room had a spartan look, with only the barest essentials. A bed, a desk and a small closet. However, it looked like no one had lived there, as if it was waiting for it true occupant to finally arrive.
Illya didn't say anything and sat on the bed. The mattress was a lousy, off the shelf thing. Nothing like the custom made one she had in her room.
She then noticed Shirou looking at her from the door.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing," he replied, shaking his head. "I just wish dad could have seen this." She gave him a flat look.
"Good night, Shirou," she just said.
"Good night, Illyasviel," he said, closing the door as he left.
Thus Illya remained in the room that Kiritsugu allegedly prepared for her.
It could have been a bold face lie, but it was true that the room was different from the rest of the house. Not just in style but in feeling. It had nothing but the strict necessities. It was precisely Kiritsugu's idea of how a room ought to be. A man who had lived moving from one side of the world to the other, always chasing his next target wouldn't know the first thing about furnishing a place.
That absolute dummy.
She kicked off her shoes and threw herself back on the bed staring up to the dark ceiling.
The room was ugly and she didn't like it one bit. If it was up to her she would have changed every little detail.
But it was her room. A place that belonged to her. A place that her father had prepared specifically so that they could live together.
'Shall I raze it to the ground?' Berserker offered
'Another time maybe,'she replied. Her heart just wasn't into it. She felt unusually hollow. The past ten years were spent cultivating rage against the father who had abandoned her and the brother who stole him from her. Now she couldn't seem to grasp it.
All she had left was a feeling of loss. A life that could have been but never will. Who was she supposed to blame? Kiritsugu? Shirou? Jubstacheit?
And even if she did blame one of them, and exacted her revenge, what would she get from it? Would she be satisfied to live the rest of her short life with that?
She didn't know and she had no idea what to do with herself.
Where was she supposed to go now?
Dawn was still several hours away, but she wouldn't be sleeping a minute of them.
[br]
Rider watched as Shirou went back to his room. After several minutes, and after Caster left to look for traces of Tohsaka and Saber, she got up from where she had been sitting and approached his door.
She carefully slid it open and slipped inside. He was already asleep, still dressed into his daytime clothes. It looked like he barely managed to get his futon out of the closet and passed out without laying it out fully.
Rider manifested Breaker Gorgon in her hand and gently placed it across Shirou's face. After a moment, he let out a slow breath as he fell into a dream. He deserved to have a quiet night without nightmares, for a change. She, too, like Caster was aware of how plagued were his nights. The Dream Cycle was a two way street.
Normally, she wouldn't do anything of the sort unless she had to immobilize him to extract Mana, but she felt that he had worked himself to the bone and deserved to sleep longer than usual.
As his mind fell deeper into the dream she weaved for him, she rolled his futon properly and laid him down underneath the covers, before quietly sitting at his side in the dark.
As long as she was there, she wouldn't allow anyone to disturb his rest. That was the least she could do to return all the kindness she had received until this point.
And if he had a somewhat erotic dream featuring a lover that was not Caster, that was also fine. Come morning he wouldn't recall any of it. It would be only a fleeting mirage dispelled at dawn.
Just like the feelings that she was secretly harboring in her heart. [XXX]