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Chapter 2 Shirou Kotomine
"I will kill. I will let live. I will harm and heal. None will escape me. None will escape my sight.
Be crushed.
I welcome those who have grown old and those who have lost.
Devote yourself to me, learn from me, and obey me.
Rest. Do not forget song, do not forget prayer, and do not forget me.
I am light and relieve you of all your burdens.
Do not pretend. Retribution for forgiveness, betrayal for trust, despair for hope, darkness for light, dark death for the living.
Relief is in my hands. I will add oil to your sins and leave a mark.
Eternal life is given through death.
— Ask for forgiveness here. I, the incarnation, will swear.
— Kyrie eleison(Lord, have Mercy)".
Baptism Rite - Kirei Kotomine
Mankind have always been seeking meaning to both their life and death.
Eternal life after death is a comfort to some.
What Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, the saint of Japan and Ruler of the 3rd Holy Grail War, seek is Salvation to all. True immortality to all of people. His greatest gift and inheritance to Humanity.
Meaningless death. Meaningless suffering. A hundred thousand times he saw such. A hundred thousand times that perhaps he was the cause. He himself is witness and participant to such tragedy.
The only way for it to end is for all to have eternal life.
It will not be meaningless. Their deaths will not be meaningless. He will make sure of it.
Salvation.
Quite the interesting concept to seek in this Great Holy Grail War. Considering the scope of the prize of an omnipotent wish, such lofty concepts are within the realms of possibility.
Originally, the Lesser Grail, a wish granting cup, which would be in a form of a Humonculus would only be able to fulfil a wish within confines and possibilities of the World. Such is not the case for the Greater Grail.
Shirou Kotomine, the overseer and representative of the Church in the current Holy Grail War rests and prepares for the night. He found it fitting with this house of God as his base of operations.
The time which most of the conflict for the omnipotent wish will occur.
"Did you really have to be so hard on the boy? Using a compulsion on him of all things?"
A woman of raven black hair and sharp elven ears wearing a scandalous black dress suddenly appeared in the room and spoke. She was a spirit given form. A Servant. Neither truly living nor alive. Capable of interacting with the physical world as a lesser copy of a legendary soul given form in the modern age to do battle for the Great Holy Grail.
A conflicted look appeared on the priest, the woman's anchor to the physical world and her Master.
"It is true that he needed to go. Night has come and one cannot know what might happen in war. It is best he leaves Romania entirely."
"Are you sure that is the only reason, Master?" the woman inquired of her Master's reasoning.
He could only answer in a sheepish tone.
"I, may have been enthusiastic at the proper start of our campaign and could no longer ignore possible delays. It has been more than 60 years in preparation after all." Shirou Kotomine can only smile a bit at his own impatience.
The representative and overseer of the Church for this Great Holy Grail War, thought back to their discussion.
A spell of magecraft with absolute efficacy against spiritual entities, undead and nothing else or so they say. The only "publicly" accredited spell or Sacrament from the Holy Church to deal with the supernatural in the hidden world of magi.
At the start of the Great Holy Grail War, after 60 years of preparation there is a question he kept within his heart unspoken. As the night of fateful battles draw close and the Holy Grail War starting in earnest it kept resounding even more within his mind.
'Will You bless this desire of mine, oh Lord?'
And then came a boy entering his church just as the Holy Grail War is to begin in earnest as he sets his plans in motion. At first he thought he was a messenger from the Holy Church for some complication or clarification.
Then he introduced himself. The boy was a magus. Shinji Fujimaru. His instinct tells him it is both a lie and it is not.
He could be a Master in disguise with hostile intentions. At this hour before nightfall is the time for battle in the Holy Grail War to begin.
A random nobody could not have chosen this place in random.
So he prepared for hostilities and then the boy opened his mouth once more.
A lost lamb.
This unexpected visitor babbled like that of an excited child looking for approval and to pass on knowledge he thought unique.
There is no way that a magi who has generations of conditioning and self hypnosis and belief crafted into their own bodies in Magic Crests would be give it all away for a Saviour. They are a proud people.
Shinji Matou is puffed up as if he was the first to consider such a thing. The boy was naïve and soft at best and wilfully ignorant at worst. It was foolish to discuss such craft blatantly and openly.
This was the person he thought as an enemy?
The absurdity made him laugh.
The name by which all will be saved.
'A true name above the True Name of the Noble Phantasms of Heroic Spirits' is what he said.
How laughable.
A Noble Phantasm is a crystallization of their legends, their very feats and history given form to affect and change the World around them according to what is believed and remembered of them by Humanity and the World.
Excalibur as a sword of absolute power and victory.
Durandal as the sword that gives its wielder invincibility.
Gungnir as the divine spear that never misses.
Among others.
But what is the irrevocable History of the name [Jesus]? What is connected to His name?
By such a name the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
Truth be told, he already telepathically asked Assassin to be prepared in case of hostilities but this is an amusing surprise. Odourless poison only needing a command to quickly kill have already surrounded the overexcited teen.
If the Church is supposed to be the Body of Jesus Christ, the people making up its body as inheritors and containers of His Spirit, with Him as the Head, then as His Servants, the crystallization of the Church as its History and feats, the True Name of its Noble Phantasm, its true Sword as the totality of their doctrine and Word…
Were there to be such a thing, the True Name would be-
'Jesus, God With Us Who Saves'
He shakes himself off this foolishness. It such a foolish notion.
"I must be more tired than I thought if even I entertain such meaningless thoughts."
After coming this far. He feels as if he can no longer turn back. Not that something trivial as a name saved the body of his comrades from being burnt.
"Master?" The woman ask in pointed worry. They need to prepare after all.
"Worry not Assassin, it's nothing but a simple nap."
A yawn escapes his lips. The perils of incarnation from being a Servant. It felt natural to rest for just a moment.
Truly what luxury for Servants, to have no need for sleep or fear death by aging.
The news of eternal life seem to offer no comfort for the boy who professed. Running with his tail tucked between his legs when a little bit of Shirou Kotomine's intent leaked from his self control.
He would place his hope upon which he experienced and verified to be worth his conviction.
Musing on such things, a brief yet deep sleep seem to overcame him.
He trusts his Servant Semiramis to keep things from falling apart.
He dreamt of a void. No, it was true emptiness. Nothing but darkness. Nothing but
" "
A Spirit hovered above such a 'thing' then spoke. All into existence from that singular point of Origin.
Such a chaos erupted from that single point of Origin that there was a resounding flash of Light and impact as reality grinds into existence.
Roiling waves of Chaos incarnate that he can neither make heads or tails of, left or right with no end in sight.
Light filled Creation.
Then Someone spoke. Light is separated from darkness.
Before the foundations of the World were set there was a [Lamb] that was slain.
Hovering above what was " "
What was nothing. The singular point of origin.
Then came forth waves of Chaos that would undo all of Creation.
The Spirit above " " spoke.
In the beginning before there was even Language. Before there was the Word that spoke against the Chaos that was.
A glimpse and an offshoot of the Chaos was cast within a golden handle forming three cylinders into a "blade" with red lines. A "blade" before all blades.
The Word before all words and Creation, before all Languages was, is, forever shall be-
He woke up finding himself within the church that was left for him to manage. His sleep was only for a few minutes.
Semiramis looked in worry which he simply waves off.
How troublesome. The boy speaks of things he does not know.
True there may be a life after death, but it is no consolation to all who were left behind. Heroic Spirits are not true incarnations or continued existence of who once were.
Belief of Humanity shaped Heroic Spirits. How they shall be immortalized or remembered.
Trying to stand up, he felt his Personal Revelation Skill activate.
It was dark. There were innumerable people writhing around the ground grasping for anything to ease their unease and pain.
He reached out for light. Any light. The darkness is choking. Death and futility incarnate.
He cannot fall here. For the salvation of mankind. For all to be saved. For those whose death he witnessed and caused.
There were others with him. People crawling and bawling. Some reaching towards him, trying to keep him in place. He kept moving forward.
He reaches for the holy grail before scenery changes.
In the darkness, a flickering ember with a steady wick within their hearts-
Shinji Fujimaru raising his right hand a blazing fire appears on top of it. Where command seals are suppsoed to be.
Charging in front of him is a figure wrapped and hidden in a ragged cloak, wielding a shepherd's staff covered in ashen cloth that obscures the material.
Against a tyrant king turned monster, distorted by the fear, belief and wishes of people.
Against a Titan of Genesis
And finally against him. Before him stands Ruler, a blonde soldier named Jeanne of Arc alongside her Master with striking similarity.
And Shinji Makiri. Eyes as pools of determination and fear in equal measure before taking a step resolutely against him.
Their features are clear in the darkness.
As his feet trampled the ground-
He heard a roar with the sound of a rushing wind.
A lion stood before him. Every fiber of his being telling him to back down. To turn around.
It was a Lamb pierced with a mortal wound. A phantasmal beast. A [Lion].
This Lamb is a Lion.
Divine.
Beckoning him to eat its, His, flesh and drink His blood.
He took a step back. And another. And reached out for the Grail whose image he sought and materialized fircely, to protect and use for the sake of Humanity
The Holy Grail now appeared beside the Lion.
The Lamb looked with eyes filled with Humanity and Love for mankind in kind warning. A grand ruler and king who can and sought to lead Humanity to-
He immediately shut himself off and reached towards the Grail with haste instead.
He woke up and took steps to leave the church intent on heading to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, his Servant's floating fortress of a Noble Phantasm.
Semiramis following behind him, knowing of his intent.
The boy lied about leaving. He will fight in the Holy Grail War.
The memory of their discussion made him laugh once more. A laugh to gather his own thoughts and at the absurdity of it.
Is this the Lord's answer? To his Wish? His dreams and Visions?
No, it's not good to look too deeply into these things.
He looks at his Servant, his two hands and his Command Spells at the top of his right hand and the familiar feeling of the ones on between his shoulder and chest.
For 60 years he has been preparing for this.
He steeled his determination.
He hardened his heart.
The Master of the Queen of Assyria sent an order to a Huntress under their Contract. Telepathically he reached out.
'Search for the man named Shinji Fujimaru. A youthful looking man with wavy or curly dyed black hair. He is the last Master of the Black Faction. A magus. Approach with caution, he seems to believe he has access to Mystery capable of affecting Servants. Eliminate him and his Servant. Go and come back quickly.'
The image of a black haired man with wavy hair is sent to the huntress.
Shirou Kotomine formerly known as the Ruler of the 3rd Holy Grail War with the name Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, sets out to claim the Greater Holy Grail. A memento of his friend to Humanity.
He shall achieve a True Miracle to all of Mankind. This is his chosen path.
But without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, came not to condemn the World but for Salvation of all to come through Him.
For God so love the World that whosoever believes in Him shall have eternal life and not perish. He came for the sinners not the righteous. Only the sick need a doctor.
The great physician willing to heal.
If this Good News is indeed true, then it is of great importance. If it is false, then it is of no importance. The only thing it cannot be is of moderate importance.
He shall take their heart of stone and give them a heart a flesh, writing upon them His laws.
A new nature. One that is like Christ who is God. Restored to what once was, perhaps even into so much more than the first Adam.
In the light of these truths, body of Christ is trying to finish in the Flesh with Solomon's foundation what has been started in the Spirit.
What a perverse and unbelieving generation. It seems they are not enter the Lord's rest.
For their unbelief they are already judged worthy of incineration by one among Solomon's generation.
Where were the watchmen on the walls? The Body of the Grand Saver on the Earth? Against all the World's Evil, it's defeat have already been paid for.
The foolish servants have been lulled to sleep.
But what do I know? Not that I am any different at times. What now?
...
I know that my Redeemer lives. He who restores all things.
-? ? ?