Ash born from fire.
Steel born of earth.
A sundering blade of reckoning.
An ephemeral light of hope.
Humanities final weapon.
-The Sword of Remnant, by a travelling Wizard.
Summer blinked her eyes.
She hadn't seen what exactly Shirou had just fired clearly, but she instinctively understood that it was nothing the likes of which she or anyone on Remnant had ever seen before.
A core twisted in madness.
Distortions in space, violent zephyrs swirling in a conical vortex.
A veritable shockwave of heat and sound assailed Summer, bathing her in a dim orange hue that continued to spread out across the horizon. Tufts of her hair blew upwards fiercely, exposing the entirety of her forehead lined with several beads of perspiration.
Yet even still, Summer couldn't pry her gaze away from the spiraling blue light that tore across the air with deafening shockwaves that reverberated within her.
The bane of the Child of Light.
The Steel of Ulster.
A Sword of the Rainbow.
It struck down faster than the eye could ever see, and then all grew silent, breaths hitched in wonder; a fiery mushroom cloud of gravel, smoke, and fire, shooting towards the heavens like a hand of judgment.
Retribution.
Anger.
Animosity.
Summer could imagine them all; feel them all even.
To all watching, it was as if the pent-up emotions and frustration held within them materialized into a physical form given power, given proper comeuppance.
T-That had to be Dust. There was no other way Summer could explain it as she remained rooted. But more than that, it was difficult for her to believe it to be anything else.
Many legends and myths existed within Remnant's history, some more authentic than others and Summer had once read them all out of curiosity. The story of the Four Maidens, the origins of Dust and Aura, and an anthology of past Heroes and their numerous exploits for example were the most prominent myths in her mind. However, other than the folktale concerning the Four Maidens, there was no evidence of the other legends existing.
Most certainly not the 'Sword of Remnant,' an old and tattered tome she had found and read when tasked to investigate a mysterious ruin.
It spoke of a selfless Hero.
Clad in red, and on wings of steel that stretched beyond the skies.
A saviour of Humanity none in Remnant's history had ever seen.
Regardless of the authenticity of the tome, Summer was growing anxious due to a simple reason.
She couldn't remember the ending.
Did it end in tragedy? Or was there a light to be found in the darkness? The answer eluded her.
Summer pursed her lips together, and before she could even consider anything, she was already willing herself to float towards Shirou, her expression somber.
Shirou for his part was too busy surveying the damage ahead of him to take note of the peculiarity of Summer's expression. Ruby was clinging tightly onto his pant leg, her small hands clawing at the loose fabric with a tight grip. Her forehead pressed on the back of Shirou's thigh; she was absently peeking out from the side in a daze. Traces of awe and childish worship were present on her face in a way that wasn't much different when compared to her mother's.
The waves of Grimm encroaching forward like a tide of roaches had suddenly disappeared in a matter of seconds, revealing a hellscape of cratered earth, upturned gravel, and fissure-like cracks that toppled nearby trees and flora.
Ruby, Summer, and the other Faunus were dumbfounded.
Even the Grimm hit by Shirou's attack were in a state of confusion and disorientation.
Only Shirou remained unaffected by the damage he had wrought. When all was said and done, the strength of his attack hadn't been at full capacity, as he didn't want to overtax the energy Ruby was supplying him.
He had to choose something that wasn't so hard on Ruby's reserves until he could get a complete grasp of just how much of Ruby's energy he could safely use at his disposal. This was the limitation of a Master and Servant, as regardless of how powerful a Heroic Spirit was, it wouldn't matter if sufficient energy wasn't properly maintained. Caladbolg in comparison to the other Noble Phantasms Shirou possessed was relatively less taxing due to his familiarity with the construct.
In the end though, Shirou was being too cautious. Looking at Ruby, her reserves had hardly dipped despite Caladbolg's deployment, allowing Shirou to ease his worries about overtaxing his Master.
In which case, there was no more time to be considering anything else. Although he had disrupted the Grimm charging towards the settlement with his first attack, rather than retreating, they were already in the midst of regrouping.
In a matter of seconds, the chaos Shirou had created on the Grimm's numbers ceased to be visible.
Positioning his bow ahead of him held in his left arm, Shirou opened his right palm in a grabbing gesture that Summer was watching intently. In fact, she had long since hovered to remain just shy of a foot from Shirou's back.
Summer could feel it. A build up of an energy different from Aura or Dust converging on Shirou's open hand.
A concept of myth and folklore.
Magic.
"Trace, On," Shirou's voice thrummed with an unfathomable magnetism, particles of light gathering around him like blue grains of sand.
A hilt formed, followed by a twisted blade before Summer's very eyes.
It was the same weapon she'd just seen Shirou use earlier.
A Crystalized Legend.
Caladbolg, the Sword and Noble Phantasm of the Hero, Fergus mac Roich.
Summer's mouth had long since hung open.
"Y-You," That shouldn't be possible! Summer couldn't get the words out of her mouth.
From what she'd just seen, Shirou had created Calabolg out of thin air. Moreover, it didn't seem to take Shirou much effort at all, which led Summer to a staggering thought.
Just how many could Shirou make?
Summer's hands balled into fists in her agitation. She already knew that before the era of Dust, the Humans that had fought against the Grimm were on a much higher level of strength than the modern-day Huntsman of Remnant. However, assuming that Shirou was a Heroic Spirit of a deceased Hero of renown then wasn't the difference in capabilities between past Huntsman and present Huntsman just a little too drastic!
Staring at Shirou, Summer, a top-class Huntress felt for the first time what it felt like to be inadequate.
Shirou noticed the way Summer's expression darkened gloomily from the corner of his eyes, but for the life of him he couldn't possibly understand why. No, it was more accurate to say he didn't want to as didn't want to gamble on his luck.
Lip nearly twitching at the heavy clouds forming over Summer's head, Shirou thinned his lips and decided to ignore his fellow spirit while nocking Caldbolg to his bow. His fingers were dexterous, pulling in line with the taut string as his arm pulled to a straight ninety.
Aiming, he was just about to fire when something odd occurred.
His brows furrowed together.
The Grimm had stopped moving and were gradually retreating. Did they somehow notice the threat of his attacks?
Shirou considered the thought, but was quick to shake his head.
He glanced towards Summer in confusion. She had explained to him before that Grimm weren't very intelligent and were known to exhibit signs of fear. In which case, regardless of the danger that they may face, they should've continued advancing.
Something was wrong, and Shirou could tell that Summer already knew the answer.
"An Elder Grimm," Summer said gravely after composing herself. "There isn't really an Elder Grimm classification but it doesn't really matter. All that does is the fact that Elder Grimm are intelligent."
Summer brought a hand to her mouth and bit down on her thumb while she pondered. All Grim in general started out as mindless killing machines, but over time, they learn and become enemies much more difficult to handle.
As Summer contemplated to herself, the attacking Grimm quickly dispersed back into the cover of the foliage.
Seeing that it was safe for the time being, Shirou relaxed before dispersing the bow and sword in his hands. He frowned in the process as he noticed wisp-like trails of energy converging on him from the bodies of the rapidly decomposing Grimm.
He stretched a hand out in caution, but no matter what he did, the energy was like a taint that refused to scatter.
Summer didn't take notice of Shirou's predicament as the wisps of energy were subtle and came in small quantities that reached Shirou one at a time.
There forming at the center of Shirou's palm was a small black spot, the pallor of his skin paling as writhing tendrils of shadow attempted to spread outwards. An acute pain welled up from within him as he realized that the energy was trying to alter him to be something he was not, feint and garbled whispers speaking into his ears.
I'll give you power. Your heart's desire.
Fall. FALL. FALL.
Shirou tightly clenched his palm, flooding it with a massive surge of magical energy. When he opened his palm next, the black spot was gone.
From the direction of the forest, Shirou could feel a gaze shortly train itself on him, piercing and loathsome.
His eyes narrowed before his head turned sharply, but by then, the feeling was already gone.
His lips thinned before he turned his attention back onto his palm and the fading bodies of the Grimm.
The more Grimm he killed, the more taint would attempt to affect him. Grimm were said to be Soulless creatures, but in the end, what were they really?
Hiding his concerns away, Shirou subtly took a piece of the shroud on his shoulders and tied it around his hand as a precaution. It was a protective and Holy cloth known as the Shroud of Martin. The garments of a Saint of the Church. Whatever energy was trying to affect him, the Shroud of Martin should be able to keep it sealed for the time being.
For now, it was best to assess the situation.
"Do the Elder Grimm have the ability to command other Grimm?" Shirou asked Summer sternly. The sudden retreat of the Grimm seemed too intentional to be coincidence.
Summer didn't deny Shirou's words. She was still floating in the air, her knees tucked to her chest as she continued to think.
"I don't know," was Summer's answer before she steadily shook her head. "But regardless, if the Grimm are able to display any kind of coordination, the difficulty of defending this settlement will increase exponentially."
Of course, nothing would ever be easy, Shirou inwardly lamented.
Sighing, Shirou directed his attention back to Ruby now that the danger had passed. She was still clinging onto his pant leg where he had placed her initially, but the way she was looking at him had undergone a change. If before she was calling him a Hero only because he said that he was a Hero, now she was thoroughly convinced of his status.
Shirou could only imagine what thoughts were running across Ruby's mind after what she'd just seen, but he didn't have time to think about them.
Summer was already on his case.
The nag was back.
"You shouldn't have brought her to a battlefield," Summer was quick to reprimand with a hand over her chest in relief. "What would you have done if the Grimm got anywhere near her?"
"Hello? What were you thinking!?" Summer circled around Shirou annoyingly, waving her hand in front of his face.
As much as Shirou wanted to reply to Summer, it was best to just let her vent. Meanwhile, he crouched down and picked Ruby up into his arms; the little girl was practically beaming as she babbled out praises for him.
"Shirou's really a Hero," Ruby said nodding. "How did you do that sword thing? It was like fwoosh, then blue light, then babooom!"
Ruby gestured with her arms, Summer slowly coming to a crawl in the air as she cooed at Ruby.
Good. For once his Master was being useful.
Shirou tolerated the way Ruby was thrashing energetically in his arms, a wry smile over his face as Ruby distracted Summer.
Words couldn't describe the relief Shirou was feeling. After all, despite his patience, there was a limit to what he could tolerate in a day, and Summer could be relentless. Let's just say that Spirits don't need sleep to get a point across.
Shirou pinched the bridge of his nose as he eased off the tension from his body.
He thought he was safe, that he was off the veritable hook.
It was a mistake.
"You're amazing!" Ruby complimented with her face set in contemplation. It was the warning sign Shirou should have paid attention to but ended up neglecting.
Ruby was a child, and the only things that could possibly cause her to scrunch up her face in serious thought were the most important of matters in her small mind.
"Maybe you're even cooler than mommy!" The words burst out of Ruby's mouth before Shirou could even process them, and by then, it was to Shirou's dread that Summer froze instantly.
Summer's lip was twitching, her expression one of heated denial.
"NO, No he's not!" Summer's face twisted as if someone had stabbed her. "C-mon Little Rose, Mommy's always the best!"
Summer tried to appeal to Ruby but Summer was forgetting that no matter what she did presently, Ruby couldn't see, touch, nor hear her.
By the time Summer was forced to accept the situation, Shirou could see a visible purple aura of malice surrounding her. "She doesn't need mommy anymore, of course she doesn't. She already has Mr. Hero," Summer muttered lowly, basically spitting out the words while chuckling darkly.
Shirou coughed into his hands, trying to draw Summer's attention away from herself and back towards Ruby.
Ruby was yawning now that her excitement had died down, her eyes drooping. By the position of the setting sun overhead, it was clearly long since passed Ruby's nap time.
Maternal instinct kicking in, Summer composed herself.
"Ruby needs rest," Summer said softly, trying to reach a hand forward before stopping herself and pulling her hand back. She smiled in self derision. What kind of a mother was she if all she could do was rely on others?
Summer was inwardly feeling downcast, but she did her best not to show it.
"Ruby needs to rest," Summer repeated, this time gesturing towards Shirou to bring Ruby away.
Shirou shook his head. "Unfortunately, Summer, we still have other things to deal with."
Shirou turned towards the increasing number of Faunus gathering to gawk at him at the Eastern Wall and hugged Ruby gently to his chest while she gradually drifted to sleep. As a Servant, he would do his duties for his Master, but at the same time, as a Hero, he already knew what he had to do.
Shirou kept silent as the settlement elder Raymond Hail approached him, already knowing what Raymond would say.
"We need to talk."
Shirou's fingers rapped against the surface of a hardwood table.
He was taking the time to think despite knowing the answer he had already come to from the moment Raymond got on his knees and pleaded for his people's behalf.
Raymond had only asked of him one thing, a single request.
A plea for help.
For the sake of all the Faunus depending on Raymond, the man had invited Shirou to talk alone with him for the sole purpose of laying down his integrity and pride to beg a stranger he hardly knew for aid.
To say that Shirou was unaffected was a lie. He was the man who gave his life for the sake of saving others and in exchange, the actions and services he had provided for those in need elevated him to the state of a Nameless Heroic Spirit, his life's work recognized by the world.
However, his current situation wasn't one where he could decide his actions so easily. He was the Servant of a child Master, a child he had the duty of taking care of. Acting recklessly as he once had in life wasn't something he could do lightly anymore as Ruby's wellbeing outside of Patch was quite literally dependant on him.
Hearing Ruby snore on the bed a small way behind him, Shirou had to envy the ignorance of toddlers.
Shirou continued to tap his fingers softly against a table, producing a rhythmic knocking sound that echoed in the room. His expression was hard to read, but for someone of similar profession to Shirou, it wasn't hard for Summer to understand.
"You want to help them, don't you?" Summer said. She was floating across from Shirou in cross-legged position, her hands held on her ankles. She was staring at Shirou knowingly, a somberness in her tone.
Shirou looked up, ceasing the tapping of his fingers.
"Are my thoughts that easy to understand?" He asked wryly, his mouth curving upwards.
Summer shook her head, the silver of her eyes reflecting the pale light of the moon from an open window.
"Truthfully no," Summer admitted frankly, flashing her teeth in a grin. "But it's what I would have done. Didn't you know? My dream was to be a Hero, an Ally of Justice."
Shirou stirred at Summer's words and he took the time to look at her to see if she was serious. Perhaps because Summer was expecting Shirou to laugh, her face was already turned to the side, tinges of red on the upper portions of her cheeks.
"Go ahead and mock me," Summer pouted. "It's a childish dream I already know."
Shirou let out a small laugh, the tension clouding his mind over what he should do gradually fading. In the meantime, he failed to notice the abrupt change in Summer's disposition, evidently experiencing a mood swing.
"You know I was joking right? You're not supposed to laugh at a pure maiden's resolve!" Summer admonished sullenly. "I'll haunt you, I swear I will! So stop already!"
Shirou raised a brow. A spirit following him around everywhere constantly nagging him and causing him headaches. "Aren't you already haunting me?"
Summer's brow twitched. "I don't know if I can hurt you are not, then again I haven't tried, but if I can, weapon or not, I'm going to fight it out with you right now! Continue with your snark, I. Dare. You."
Shirou raised his hands up in surrender while Summer hmphed in annoyance, her arms crossing beneath her chest.
"Well?" Summer inquired after a moment. "Have you decided on a course of action?"
Shirou nodded. "I'm going to help," he said resolutely.
There were many things Shirou could do now that he'd set a goal for himself. With the energy Ruby was able to supply him, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to create several stored weapons in his inner armory and utilize them for the settlement's long-term protection.
It was one of the methods Shirou had been able to think of as it was impossible for him to remain in the settlement forever. Raymond and the other Faunus needed a means to become self-sufficient in their defences and he would provide them that means.
After the settlement was secure and the issue of future protection solved, Raymond would only have to pass down the traced weapons from generation to generation. Moreover, Shirou was already training a group of Faunus children and therefore everything should be able to work out somehow.
The more Shirou thought on the matter, the more certain he became.
Different from the principles of his original world which possessed the Will of Alaya and Gaia that chipped away at the integrity of Shirou's Traced projection, the will of Alaya and Gaia didn't exist in Remnant. As such, any weapon Shirou created would note fade away unless he willed it to.
Shirou's expression began to brighten as the minutes passed by and his future plans solidified.
"You seem to be in a better mood," Summer said with a grin.
"Thank you," was all Shirou said in response. He wasn't a fool unable to see that Summer had in her own way, helped him alleviate some of the burdens weighing down on his mind.
Summer rubbed her nose with a hand while feeling slightly accomplished. Even if she couldn't touch or interact with the world, at the very least, she wasn't useless.
With the matter regarding Raymond and the settlement complete, there was only one problem left to deal with. The hardest one.
Shirou knew it, and Summer did too.
Almost simultaneously, the two directed their attention towards Ruby's sleeping form.
Ruby was securely tucked in under the covers, the blankets pressed just beneath her chin while her hair lay in a tangled mess pressed against her pillow. She was snoring softly, tired from the day's events.
Summer's expression softened as she stared at her daughter while Shirou's expression became helpless.
Their current reality was as follows.
Shirou under the beck and call of a child, and restrained by Command Seals.
Summer, the only one who could possibly change the situation unable to communicate.
"Any ideas?" Shirou asked Summer hopefully.
Summer stared at Shirou. "You could always try pleading? Guilt her into going back by getting on the ground and crying?"
Shirou stared at Summer blankly. "Where did you possibly come up with that?"
Summer twiddled with her fingers. "My other daughter, Yang? She got fed up one time when she couldn't catch Ruby in a game of tag and resorted to underhanded means to draw Ruby close."
Shirou didn't deign Summer with a response. He wasn't a child, and crying over a problem wasn't exactly a long-term solution. He needed another way.
Shirou brought a hand under his chin and began to pace back and forth. Summer herself simply remained floating where she was, unable to come up with anything useful.
Minutes passed, and then an hour.
It was then that Shirou froze in the midst of his pacing. Slowly, he pulled his hand away from his chin and inspected the portion of the Shroud of Martin which he had wrapped around his palm.
The taint from the Grimm that had been trying to affect his Soul earlier in the day gave him an idea. Besides, only a mother could thoroughly convince their child of anything.
"Summer," Shirou called out. "I'm going to need your help concerning Ruby."
Summer blinked at Shirou in confusion. She didn't think that Shirou could come up with a method for the situation so quickly let alone ask for her assistance. "But with the way I am now, how can I possibly help you with anything aside from talking to you?" She asked.
"About that," Shirou hesitated before inwardly examining one of the anchoring principles that made him different from Summer: His Spirit Origin, the target of attack the taint from the Grimm were attempting to affect. "I may have an idea that could work things out."
Shirou began to elaborate.
Summer tilted her head unable to understand the terms Shirou was using, but Shirou hardly noticed.
"Place your hand on my chest, and I'll do the rest," Shirou said decisively.
Shirou stared hard at Summer as her hand made contact with his chest.
"Remember, you won't have much time, and I'm not certain what long-lasting effects this will have on me. The quicker you finish, the better, understand?" Shirou was apprehensive.
Tampering with one's Spirit Origin was never a good idea for a Heroic Spirit as it effected one's manifestation which was why Shirou had never considered it before. However, at this point, what other choice did he have?
At the very least, all he could hope for was that he wasn't making a mistake, but knowing his track record, he wasn't hopeful.
"Ehhh?" Were the final words Shirou heard Summer say as he finished tinkering with his spirit origin.
Oh, for Fucks sake.
Ruby was awoken by a blinding flash of light that illuminated the simple room of Rose Manor.
Her brows furrowed before she sat up.
"Mommy I don't want to wake up yet," she murmured lowly in complaint. Unfortunately, no matter how much she tried to go back to sleep, the light in the room refused to go out. In fact, it was becoming stronger such that Ruby could no longer ignore it her half-asleep state.
Ruby rubbed the sleep from her eyes lethargically, unaware of the world around her due to her grogginess.
By the time the light settled and Ruby blinked her eyes, the room was once again dark. The only source of light came from the moon's rays pouring in from the open window.
"Shirou?" She called out uncertainly.
By now, the sleepiness that was clouding Ruby's mind had vanished to be replaced by anxiety. She was only five years old and feared being alone in a place she wasn't completely familiar with. Coupled with the fact that Shirou wasn't at the table she remembered Shirou sitting at, she was beginning to grow worried.
Pulling on her bedsheets, she hid beneath them for a sense of security, her face peaking out from a small opening. It was only then that Ruby took the time to scan around the room, and when she did, she stiffened, her expression breaking.
Materialized directly in front of Ruby was Summer.
And Ruby could see Summer.
Summer stared at her body, unaware of what Shirou had just done.
"Shirou, where did you go?" Summer called out, scanning around the room and ignoring Ruby out of habit. As a spirit, she had grown numb to the fact that Ruby couldn't interact with her.
Summer shook her head to rid herself of such depressing facts and continued to call out for answers. "Shirou, what exactly did you do?"
Summer began moving around the room in confusion before searching the entirety of Rose Manor, not knowing that she was being tailed desperately by a duckling wrapped in thick blankets.
By the time Summer noticed that something was off with the situation, it was too late. Something was clinging onto her and refusing to let go.
Summer stood petrified, unable to believe the sensation she could feel on her leg. Sensation? Since when could she even feel anything other than herself?
Slowly, Summer began to look down, a face that looked moments away from breaking into tears appearing in her sight as pudgy arms locked themselves tightly around her left leg.
It was a face Summer recognized all too well, dripping with snot and cheeks puffed red from sniffling.
Seeing Summer directly staring at her, Ruby couldn't take it anymore.
"M-MMOOOMMMY!" She began to cry, her tears streaming down her cheeks as she pressed her face onto Summer's leg.
For her part, Summer was stunned, her body trembling.
S-Shirou did he, did he possibly-?!
Summer reached forward, her hand making contact with Ruby's face and touching. A shudder travelled down Summer's back even as her eyes moistened. She immediately pulled Ruby into a hug and cradled her gently, rocking her back and forth in her arms.
"M-My Little Rose mommy missed you," Summer's face broke into a fond smile, her lips trembling from the lump in her throat.
Ruby didn't seem to hear Summer at all, too busy bawling into the crook of Summer's shoulder.
"W-Where did you go?" Ruby asked in the midst of her crying.
Summer's head lowered.
"I-I got lost Little Rose," Summer half-lied, one of her hands gently rubbing circles over Ruby's back. "I tried going forward, backwards, but it didn't matter. All that was around me was the darkness of a cave. But I was rescued."
Hearing Summer's words, Ruby perked up for a moment as she thought of a certain individual.
"Mr. Hero?" Ruby stared up at Summer.
"Yes, Ruby," Summer answered with a laugh. "Mr. Hero found me like he promised."
Summer nodded her head lightly, enjoying the feel of her daughter in her arms.
She didn't know how long the moment would last or if she could experience it again, but it was enough for Summer. For the first time since Shirou had rescued her from the cave in the forest, she truly felt saved.
I don't know if you're there or if you can hear me, but,
Summer cradled Ruby's head with a hand and planted a soft kiss on Ruby's forehead.
Thank you.
Sorry for later update. I was intending to get it out earlier in the day, but my scheduled 4hr lab I had to do took longer than expected to complete. Therefore, I decided to just finish this off later in the night.
Thanks for reading, and thanks to my newest patrons: Fugu, Adrian, Rick, Kevin, and Shangles!
P a treon. com (slash) Parcasious