Prelude
(VERY IMPORTANT BEFORE READING THE CHAPTER):
I have a super-easy suggestion that will seriously GREATLY Enhance your reading experience of this chapter, especially for the first time through.
And it's super easy and requires almost no effort to do to.
My suggestion is to listen to the Fate/Stay Night Musical tracks during certain parts of the story (easily searchable on youtube).
I'll paste the titles and YouTube links on my profile page. For extremely easy copy-and-pasting into the url bar and YouTube search bars.
...
Seriously, take my word for it, it GREATLY Enhances the experience, just like the original visual novel.
It's super easy and super low effort! Seriously, just try it out. lmao
Then, are you ready...?
Musical soundtrack prepared...?
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Then, without further ado, please enjoy...
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Chapter 14 - "The Foreboding Transition"
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As it so happened, Kotomine Kirei had not been the only one to overhear Sakura's and Senji's foolish and reckless plans.
As they headed into the forest, Archer had also stalked behind them, planning to intercept them and intent on stopping them.
If they just went in now, without a plan, they'd likely be killed by an uncooperative Ilya.
In truth, Archer didn't have to go out of his way to warn Sakura. It might've even been better for them to have died that way, without Rin knowing about it.
And after hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of years of service as a killing machine, he didn't have much affection left for any of his former life's companions, beyond mild nostalgia.
Even from his extremely vague memories, there were only three he particularly remembered, even if only very, very faintly.
His current Master, Rin, whom he fondly recalled constantly scolding him over and over again throughout the course of his life up, even up until his death;
Ilya, whose death had been the catalyst to set him off on his journey in the first place;
And Saber, who saved his life, and had left an unforgettable impression on his soul.
But even those three, he was sure that he'd be willing to let die under the right circumstances, if it meant that he would get a chance to end his own existence.
He was sure he would even betray and sell out his current Master, Rin, if it meant the chance to end Emiya Shirou's existence.
So, even if any of his current classmates were to die in front of him, he wouldn't care in the slightest.
Even if his old kouhai, Sakura, and their old homeroom teacher were to die in front of his eyes, he wouldn't be moved in the slightest.
After all, when he had first been summoned into this era again, he barely even remembered Sakura's name, until Rin had mentioned it. And even then, it took him a few seconds to recall her face and her personality.
That the degree to which his heart had been hardened, and the degree to which he had already thrown the naivety and attachments which defined his younger self.
...Or so,
That was what Archer liked to believe.
But, whether it was his thoughtful consideration for Rin's feelings on the matter, or whether it was because of whatever lingering sentimentality he still had for his old life and his old Kouhai, Archer's actions current actions certainly contradicted what he believed himself capable and willing to do.
The weight of which, carried a heaver weight than mere words and thoughts.
...
And so, Archer materialized in front of them suddenly, startling the two.
"?!"
Sakura looked surprised, as Rider moved in front of her, intent on protecting her.
Internally, Archer scoffed. Unless Rider was hiding some his true power (which he very likely was not), it really wouldn't do much good for either of them.
Rider didn't even look to have any sort of weapon on him. None that Archer could sense, at least.
Archer, however, did not let any of that show on his face as he addressed them.
"You're trying to form an alliance with Ilyasviel?"
Archer had posed that as a question, but it came out as more of a statement on his end.
Sakura and Rider nodded.
Internally, Archer sighed at their naivety.
"It would be better if you stopped now, then. That girl, as long as she has her Servant with her, is not a girl that can be reasoned with, without a show of force." Archer eyed over the two of them, "Which the two of you are clearly lacking in."
Sakura paused, letting a bit of reluctance and hesitation show on her face. But, resolving herself, she shook her head,
"I'm sure if she would just listen, she would understand. Our circumstances are similar, and my grandfather -" Sakura paused, biting her lip, hesitant as she was to oppose him.
Working up her resolve, she continue. "My grandfather, he's someone that needs to be stopped."
Rider nodded in agreement.
"I'm sure we'll work something out!"
This time, Archer sighed externally in exasperation.
Well, it's true that the chances weren't exactly zero.
If Ilya was in a good enough mood, then maybe they would have had a chance at working something out.
But given Ilya's natural dislike of Sakura for being like herself, their chances were low, even if Ilya would be willing to hear them out.
"Look, I'm telling you this for your own good." Archer said, "Ilyasviel isn't the type to listen to reason. If you go in now, you're just walking into your own death. At best, you might manage to escape heavily wounded and mauled, but more likely, it'll just be a futile effort."
Rider objected, "But we won't know unless we try!" He insisted.
Archer glared at him.
Another Emiya Shirou, filled with needless idealism. Another hopelessly naive optimist, one that had no idea the cruelties of the world.
"...And? What exactly do you plan to do, once you encounter her?"
"Well..." He hesitated to answer...
"I don't know." Senji admitted, "But, I'm sure we'd be able to work something out!" He reiterated.
Archer scoffed, "And it's exactly that kind of mentality that makes you a failure as a Servant." Archer paused, "No, a failure as a hero, at even the most basic level."
Senji looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
Archer scowled as he went on, expressing his frustrations.
"That feckless and baseless optimism for one. "It'll all work out", you say." He mocked, "But do you actually have any concrete plans or methods for getting her to listen and cooperate with you?"
"Well, I don't, but..."
"But you just hope something will work out?"
"..."
"That's exactly what I'm talking about. That kind of foolish attitude of wanting to save everyone, without even considering yourself." Archer taunted, bitterly, "The kind that only comes from a naive brat playing at being a Hero, without understanding what it really means."
Senji, disagreeing, shook his head.
"No, that's wrong." He said, "I don't believe in that kind of salvation. That method of saving everyone, without saving yourself."
"Oh?"
"It's true that it's foolish to try and save everyone," Senji agreed, unexpectedly. "Not everyone can be saved, and not everyone wants to be saved, either. And I wouldn't want to sacrifice myself, either, for an impossible goal like that."
And, for once, Archer was the one caught off-guard, though he didn't let it show on his face. He hadn't expected a more pragmatic sort of viewpoint to be expressed by any form of any version of Emiya Shirou. Let alone this one, that seemed, if anything, more naive and innocent than even Saber's Master.
"There are painful times when I'm powerless to do anything," Senji continued, "And there are times when I have to seek out out others, in order to save people."
"But," He went on, his voicing rising in resolve and power, "Even so, there's nothing wrong with wanting to be a hero! And there's nothing with trying your best to at least try to save those who want to be saved, those that are important to you, and those that you can save, right in front of your eyes!"
Senji looked Archer earnestly in the eyes.
"And what we're trying to do right now is just as simple as that!"
"..."
Archer was slightly impressed.
To think that there would at least one version of himself wasn't a complete self-sacrificial and idealistic idiot, and had at least some modicum of sense.
Even if he still an idiot that wanted to be a hero.
"...So you say, but in the end, you're just saving people to alleviate your guilt." Archer shot back, "And if that's all you're here to do, then you should head back before you end up getting your own Master killed."
"Guilt..." Senji asked, "What are you talking about?"
This time, Archer was the one that looked confused. "The fire?"
"Fire? What are you..." Something clicked in Senji's head, "Ah!"
"Sorry, but," Senji rebuked, "I think you've got the wrong person. I'm not Emiya Shirou. I'm Senji, Senji Shirou. And I never went through the fire you're talking about."
Archer paused for a bit.
"...Ha," Then, he let a small, amused chuckle, "Hahahahaha..."
Ah, to think that there existed a version of "Emiya Shirou" that had never felt the rage of that fire or the despair of those people and had never met Kiritsugu, and yet had still wanted to be a hero...
How strange.
Well, this version might not even count as "Emiya Shirou" (even with the personality similarities), since "Emiya" Shirou was practically only born when the boy apparently known as "Senji" Shirou was wiped clean, and found and shaped by Kiritsugu and his unrealistic ideals.
...But, to think that even without the Fuyuki Fire, he would still want to be a hero...
It seemed that every version of himself, even the boy before the Fuyuki Fire, had some strange inclination towards wanting to become a Hero, even without Kiritsugu.
It was almost as if there was some sort of idealism at the very core of his heart, at the very core of who he was.
Well, at least Senji's mentality was somewhat different from Emiya Shirou's, who merely mimicked Kiritsugu in his search for meaning, Archer noted.
More thoughtful, more pragmatic, not as obsessive-compulsive and thoughtlessly altruistic, perhaps owing to a lack of guilt and compulsive need to save people.
And maybe Senji was the form of who Emiya Shirou been, if he had never been saddled with the guilt of the fire or by the inheritance of Kiritsugu's ideals.
...
Suddenly sensing another Servant, he was quickly snapped out of his pondering, and turned to face the new challenger,
"You two should go." He warned, "There's another Servant approaching nearby."
"..But..." Sakura hesitated.
"This is no time to hesitate!" He stated, "Go!"
Taking Archer's advice, Senji nodded, and took Sakura's hands into his own, nodding at her, and motioning for her to follow him.
"And as one last thing." Archer said.
"You two would do well to forfeit from the war." Archer warned, his back to them, "Or I'll kill be the one to kill the two of you, the next time we come across each other. Unlike my soft-hearted Master, I'm not kind enough to spare enemy Masters."
Silently, they acknowledged his words and left, retreating to a safer part of the woods.
Archer sighed.
Despite saying that and believing it to be true, he still felt a bit worried in leaving them alone.
"Don't die yet, "Hero"..." He remarked, scoffing sarcastically, "And if you're going to die, then at least make yourself useful and die protecting your Master."
And having said his part, Archer also made to leave, though in the opposite direction, to scout out the new enemy Servant.
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Deep in the forest, Ilya was running desperately for her life.
Zouken and Assassin had trapped her, cutting her off and isolating her from her Berserker.
She had managed distracted them with her magecraft for a little while, but it had been only enough to distract them for a few moments.
Only long enough to try to make a quick run for it.
She didn't even have time to make an order on her Command Seals! Lest Assassin close in on her and live up to his namesake.
She broke into a clearing, and took a moment to catch her breathe and try to summon Berserker to her...
...Right as Assassin materialized right in front her, casting a dark shadow upon Ilya.
He towered over her ominously, severing her from any escape route.
"Wait, please!" Ilya begged, voice trembling, "I..."
Assassin only looked down on her, eyes cold and merciless, his ice-cold heart completely unswayed.
If there had been anything, anything at all, perhaps only a brief, barely noticeable, flash of pity.
"Onii-"
In the next instant,
He slit through Ilya's throat with Kanshou.
Her head fell from her body in the following instant, her death following quickly afterwards.
And in the the instant following that, he had already cut open her torso, and gouged out her pristine homunculus heart.
He grimaced, but never once strayed from the icy expression on his face.
An offering, to Zouken. A necessary sacrifice to lower his guard, before Assassin could get him to lower his guard and get the chance to kill him.
Assassin looked over Ilya's dead body, her corpse and her now completely unresponsive head.
Once again, he had killed Ilya; one of the people closest to him.
And once again, he had done so in cold blood in order to stop Zouken, ignoring her desperate pleas in the process.
He had been summoned chosen a "Hero" to fight in the war...
...but here he was, only doing same thing he did in life, the same things he always did.
And here was, once again, doing his proper duty as a "Hero".
"Ha, haha..."
He laughed bitterly to himself at the irony of it all, but for some reason, he felt like crying.
Truly, it was as if his suffering, his heretical path, was without end.
Shaking his head, he cleared away all unnecessary thoughts.
And once again, he hardened his heart and cut away everything unnecessary to protecting the human order, even his own self-loathing.
For deep sinners and heretics like him, there was no rest, no peace.
No rest for the weary, no peace for the wicked.
After all, true sinners like him didn't deserve any.
...
Returning to Zouken, Assassin handed over Ilya's heart to Zouken.
Zouken grinned.
"Good work, Assassin. Maybe you aren't so useless after all."
Assassin said nothing.
Internally, though, he seethed at receiving any of Zouken's praise at all, disgusted by the the old worm as he was.
But he let none of that emotion show on his face, besides a very slight and unnoticeable gritting of the teeth.
From a far distance off away, Berserker roared in anger.
And with immense ferocity, Berserker rushed in, charging to where he could sense Assassin's presence,
Roaring impossibly loudly as approached,
"ILYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
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Chapter 14 - "The Foreboding Transition" END
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Author's Notes:
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...Bruh...
...Ilya just died, just like that.
...Bruh...
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A bit of character reflection into Archer, Rider, and even Emiya Shirou's character at the beginning, there.
Archer likes to believe he's cold, and to some degree, he is.
But he's not nearly as cold as Assassin, and we all know Archer is actually a real softy, deep down. Otherwise, he easily could've killed Shirou during the early parts of any Fate route when Rin and Saber weren't paying attention, or if he created a distraction.
But naturally, he doesn't, because of his affection for Rin.
He probably also could've killed Berserker thirteen times in the Fate route, too, if he ever took the option of trying to distract Berserker by aiming for Ilya's life.
He wouldn't even have to actually aim for Ilya, but just pretending to aim for her without the intent to actually hit her would've been enough.
But he never does so even once. He doesn't even consider it, because of the special place Ilya has in his heart.
He's real softy, deep down, you can really tell. Even if his words are harsh and sharp, his actions really speak to his true character.
It's also interesting that, in the Fate route, he actually does gives Shirou some genuine advice for once when he's not being sarcastic, on how to overcome stronger enemies and how to eventually get over Saber's disappearance (which sounds like he himself had to eventually learn to cope with, when his own saber's disappearance).
He does sell-out Rin to Shinji and Gilgamesh on the nihilistic spree he goes on in Unlimited Blade Works, but even then, he still loses to Shirou's sentimentalism, gives him advice on how to beat Gilgamesh, and still sticks around to the end to save him and Rin before fading away.
Not to mention giving Shirou his arm in Heaven's Feel (though this one is at least arguably with the intent to kill or corrupt Shirou in the end, but given that he's already seen Shirou's dedication to Sakura and willingness to go against his ideals for her at that point, I don't think he gave Shirou his arm with that kind of intent in mind).
Well, in any case, he's a real softy. You can tell by his actions, even if not by his words or his stated mindset.
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Anyways, all this character stuff might seem a bit boring, but don't worry, it's all relevant as build-up for the climax.
Plus, exploring the differences in different Shirou's characters and asking who Emiya Shirou really is at core is really a large part of the fun of reading and writing a multi-Shirou story, isn't it?
Especially when working with canonical possibilities of Shirou.
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Anyways, next chapter will be Assassin VS Berserker!
The clash between the two Heaven's Feel possibilities,
The "Ally of Justice" VS "Sakura's Personal Hero"!
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Also, funny enough - I wasn't really considering it, but the point where the two diverged, or rather, the point where Shirou either decides to kill Sakura or be her personal hero even if means his own and Kiritsugu's own ideals is decided by Ilya. So Assassin offing Ilya here as a kind of symbolic act really is fitting. In his own heart, he cut off Ilya's comforting influence, too, which is how he got started on his dark path.
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Caster also makes a brief appearance at the end of next chapter, so look forward to it!