Disclaimer: I own nothing in this fanfiction.
Chapter V: Remnants
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Training course. What a wonderful idea. A mental projection of yourself into a Magically sustained subspace in a memory or an item. And he just couldn't help himself and had to open his big mouth when Aoko suggested he should try it out. Shiki fought the urge to punch himself in the face as he dodged and blocked a barrage of blows from a moving mannequin.
Seriously, why is it always like this?
A leg moved to swipe him from under, but he easily dodged by jumping up, and almost broke his hand when he tried punching the creepy moving piece of decoration.
"Nu—Uh! Use what you learned!" Aoko's voice rang across the subspace. It was a weird place, rooms were connected by long hallways and always had a pair of human sized dolls in them which attacked Shiki on sight, each one was resistant to one of his combat methods and he had to figure out the hard way which one was which.
If only he was allowed his knife.
The flick of his blade unsheathing played in his mind as his Magic Circuits flared to life. Leaping away and seizing up his competition, he put everything he learned for the past three days into action. Letting his body sink into that peculiar position once more. He thought he should give it a name at some point, but then shook the idea off as a distraction from the current events.
Shiki was able to close the distance in one step, driving his newly Reinforced fist right through the mannequin's chest, immediately disabling it. The other one charged him with full speed, assaulting him with an endless barrage of punches and kicks, but none of them landed as Shiki skillfully dodged every single blow by enhancing his muscles and nerves, thus the reaction speed.
I SEE IT.
The mannequins which were resistant to physical attacks had weak joints, and were easily dismembered by a strong enough chop or by literally just pulling them apart. Shiki exploited that totally by wrapping his arm around his enemy's neck then using his momentum to slide behind it, cracking it clear off.
The shuffling of feet stopped at last, and the dim, red lights which surrounded the rooms suddenly glowed green. The panting of the breathless teenager stopped as he heard Aoko's voice again, "Congratulations! You have completed the training course. Hold on! I'll get you out of there."
Moments passed and eventually, he found himself back at the house again.
"Wow Shiki, you completed the course faster than eighty percent of the people who tried it." The redhead's voice ringed in his ear as he was handed a cup of water.
He took it gratefully, then drank sip by sip and smiled, "I guess... most of those who tried it... weren't trained... assassins with... weird techniques..."
Yes, Shiki came to know his original family better in the last three days, as Aoko seemed to have an infinite supply of informative books in that Magical suitcase of hers. He came across a book which researched the Demon Hunter Organization families. Shiki wasn't surprised to learn that the Nanayas were people who hunted demonic entities, he had already learned that the hard way. What he was curious to know about though were the other families, Fujou, Ryougi and Asagami. And that is mainly because he realized Kohaku and Hisui were part of the Fujou lineage.
"I guess not!" Aoko chimed in, she was really proud of the progress he had made the last three days. He managed to learn and somewhat master Reinforcement, then he insisted to learn and eventually was able to use Lifehunt, which was a Spell allowing him to scan his surroundings for life force. And lastly, he became an adept in using a short ranged Telekinesis Spell. "Feeling better?" She asked caringly.
Shiki suddenly realized his breathing was normal and his energy was restored, "Uhm, yeah. Something in the water?" he both answered and asked simultaneously.
"Uh—huh. Just a helpful restorative don't worry. Now go take a bath, and if you see anything unusual on your body, say like... suddenly appearing red tattoos or something of the kind, tell me okay?" She pointed at the bathroom with a smile on her face.
"Oh, okay... Sure." he adhered to her request. Shiki walked into the bathroom and stood facing the door which he just closed behind him. He knew this was his last day in training, and that the Holy Grail War will start proper when he leaves this house. So, he might as well start clean and refreshed.
Under the caressing touch of the steamy water he stood, thinking about how different he grew. Only in one year, everything had changed. Shiki Tohno was no longer the sickly student who needed help just to go home after school. He was finally able to see his family again, his sister Akiha, Kohaku and Hisui. He commited a hideous crime and paid for it dearly, but he had also met the prettiest vampire he had ever seen. He discovered all about his past and defeated the fragments which haunted him, and now, he was about to go on a mission to save his loved ones and the entire world after learning to cast Magical Spells.
Seriously, how does that keep happening.
Next to the mirror, he inspected his body thoroughly, but he found nothing except the scar on his chest which marked the wound he sustained years ago. So, he simply put his clothes on and hurriedly left the room.
"So? Any luck?" The Magician inquired with a carefree tone, but the teenager shook his head negatively. "Aw really? Shame, I guess the Grail really doesn't want us meddling in the war."
"Why are the red tattoos important?" Shiki asked with a puzzled expression.
"Every Master starts the War with three Command Seals. The 'chosen' ones are able to summon their Servants themselves, other irregulars have either stolen their Command Seals or found a Masterless Servant and formed a contract with it. Both cases happened in previous Holy Grail Wars." The redhead explained straightforwardly.
"Stealing Command Seals? How do you— Ohh..." Shiki was about to ask when he noticed Aoko doing an impression of a knife with her hand and using it to cut her other hand, "Ohhh... Let's uh... Let's not try that one unless absolutely necessary."
Aozaki Aoko smiled and nodded positively, "C'mon, let's try something as a last resort." she said, gesturing towards her room as she walked. Shiki obediently followed.
Inside, there was a large, red Magical Circle. "I drew this in case you got Command Seals, but it feels like a waste not using it. Let's try summoning a servant without Command Seals. If it works, you can get them from the Overseer."
"Hm... Fine, how do I do this?" Commented Shiki interrogatively, to which Aoko gave him a note. It contained the basic instructions. "I see... Well... Here goes nothing!"
He knew the drill, the knife's unsheathing sound echoed in his ears once again.
Silver and Steel to the Origin
Stone and the Archduke of Contracts to the foundation
The Great Master Zelretch for the Ancestor
The Aligned wishes become a wall, against the wind that shall fall
"Oh! Oh! I think we have something!" Aoko announced with an excited tone when she noticed the glowing of the Magical Circle in response to the chant.
Close the four cardinal Gates
The forked path from the crown to the kingdom rotate
I declare that my will be your blade, and your blade be my fate
Suddenly, the lights disappeared and the Magical energy cut itself off. Shiki felt that something was wrong and stopped, "What happened?" he asked.
"As I expected..." The Magician replied with visible disappointment, "The Grail hates us for sure. I'm sorry, Shiki, you'll have to make do."
"What do you mean? Am I going to be forced to..." Shiki inquired worriedly. The redhead raising a hand to her chin as if pondering something.
"I'm afraid you might not get another choice, but who knows? Maybe you can intimidate a Master into giving you their Command Seals willingly. Or, if you're lucky, you might find a stray Servant." she said with an apologetic tone.
"Intimidate a Master... That doesn't sound feasible..." he sweatdropped with a goofy tone.
Aoko didn't seem to have heard him though, her lips thinned as if she had just received some bad news. "It is time, Shiki." she announced straightforwardly, "The Spell is almost out of Magical energy, we must get out of here, now."
Shiki gulped as his face took on a serious expression, "Alright. Lead on."
The redhead left the room, heading towards the door leading to the garage. Shiki couldn't object to anything, he knew this was the moment he was preparing for. Taking one last look at the house, the teenager followed his Sensei, feeling a bit unsettled by what might happen later on.
"So... This is it, huh." he commented bitterly when he entered the garage. Facing the redhead who stood next to him and unlocked the vehicle which was parked in there.
"Yes." Aoko replied in shared bitterness, "It pains me to leave you without a Servant and smack-dab in the middle of a city you know next to nothing about during a Holy Grail War, but it has to be done this way."
Shiki wasn't worried about the city, but the Servant bit... He had to admit, it made him feel quite uneasy. He shook his head negatively, "Don't worry, I'll be fine, I think." he said, trying to sound reassuring but failing miserably.
"Ah, look. I suggest you start by stalking Kotomine Church, that's where the Overseer resides, and surely, some Masters will go there sooner or later." she mumbled as she opened the sports car's trunk and started rummaging through it.
"I guess I don't have much of a choice." Shrugged the teenager, curious about what she was looking for.
The redhead finally found it, a packet of... Bandages?
"Shiki... Your eyes are getting more powerful by each use, eventually, your glasses will not be enough to suppress them. I would teach you to control them properly, but there's no time. If, under the circumstances you're completely overwhelmed and cannot restrain them anymore, simply wrap these bandages around them, they're enchanted not to obstruct your vision, and will seal any Magical energy in your eyes." Explained the Magician straightforwardly, "But please, don't overwork yourself to reach that point."
The teenager took the packet hesitantly and slipped it into one of his pockets, hopefully, he'll never have to use them. The Magician returned to the trunk and after a bit more rummaging, she took out a small jewelry box.
"This contains a special gem." she announced, unlocking the box and showing its contents to her student. It contained a decently sized Diamond which probably would cost a fortune, normally. "I originally intended to use this as a bargaining chip when I eventually head back to the Clocktower, but when I discovered that the Tohsaka family used Jewlery Magecraft, I figured you can use this to bribe the Second Owner into assisting you. If not, maybe you can sell it to some jewelry shop in exchange for services."
Shiki gaped at the jewel as it sparkled under the dim garage light, then he took the box and closed it, placing it in one of his other pockets carefully, and locking the zipper afterwards.
"Alright, that sounds like a good place to start." he commented firmly.
So much effort and wealth was put into this, backing down or losing were not an option to him. Especially when he saw the look on his Sensei's face after closing the trunk.
"Thank you, Sensei." he hummed softly, earning a proud smile from her, "When this is all over, stop by for dinner in the mansion. I'm sure you'll love Kohaku's cooking."
Aoko was sad about what was about to happen, but she couldn't let it show at the moment. Instead, she wrapped him into an endearing embrace.
"Be careful out there, you hear? Always value your life first before anyone else. Remember that the world depends on you, and remember that your family and friends are waiting for your safe return. Remember, I'll be always watching. Even if I cannot interfere."
Shiki was taken by surprise at first, but then he hugged back just as warmly. "Yeah. I won't disappoint you." he whispered putting on a smile, "I'll end this nonsense and be back before you know it. You just watch."
The woman eventually released him. The teenager made some distance between him and the red car while the redhead opened the door and got in. Turning on the engine, she waved goodbye through the window as the garage door opened, then... She drove away.
Shiki left through the garage door as well. He was standing outside the house when he realized. It was that time. The clocks were ticking again.
First, he needed a place to call a base. He was in Miyama, hotels were in Shinto, so that was out of the question for the night. And even if he did find a way to Shinto, he doubted his pocket change would allow him to rent a room for more than a couple of nights.
Miyama was the residential district, split into multiple locations. On one side, there were the japanese-style buildings and on the other, were the modern, western-style mansions. Going anywhere too far would be risky, as he could be mistaken for a Master and attacked by an enemy. So he decided to scout out Miyama this night. The next morning, he would go to Kotomine Church and interrogate the Overseer to see whether there are any stray servants or Masters who forfeited their Command Seals.
Eventually, he started moving casually through the streets, taking in the layout of the district and checking the names of the family mansions as he passed by.
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Tohsaka was absolutely devastated. Everything was wrong. She didn't summon the servant she wanted. There are apparently familiars scattered all across the city which caused disappearances and the boy who she cared for turned out to be a Mage in disguise, heck, he might even be the representative of the Einzberns for all she knows.
She and Archer spent the evening hunting the black familiars and trying to discover their source but without much success, eventually she called it quits and decided to start heading back home to rest and gather her thoughts.
Emiya Shirou, the phenomenal student, was a fake. Who would've thought? Urgh! That was literally hiding in plane sight and she fell for it! Okay, Rin. focus! What kind of Mage was he? He was able to summon swords into his hands, no, he was able to create swords. Kind of like Archer does.
"He used an advanced version of Gradation Air, more commonly known in my era as Projection." Archer's voice startled the girl, she completely forgot Servants could listen into their Master's thought process if they didn't close their end of the telepathic communication.
"ARCHER—! F—For how long have you been listening in?!"
"Longer than you might think." Archer replied, making no attempts to restrain his teasing.
"You—" Tohsaka stopped mid-sentence, "No, nevermind. If I get frustrated, it'll make you happy." she calmed herself after a sigh.
"Fair enough." he cynically commented.
They stood on the roof of Homurahara Academy, where that Black crow attacked two days ago in broad daylight.
"Still, Gradation Air huh... I never thought that branch of Magecraft could be expanded upon." The brunette's hand lifted to her chin, "It only makes me wonder more about your origins, Archer."
If the red-coated servant wasn't in his spirit form, his reaction alone would've gave him away. Still, it's good that she's starting to get her stuff together. "Oh believe me, if it wasn't for these random fragments of memories, I would not have known a thing."
Rin's head dropped in disappointment, "I know, I know..." she commented, jumping up to her feet. "Alright, let's continue hunting those pesky familiars."
Archer smiled bitterly at her dismissal, he felt bad for deceiving her too.
Seriously, was there no limit to the pains Emiya Shirou causes?
"Understood, Master." he answered mechanically, before the two of them left the rooftop and got into the main street. It was then when Archer's eyes caught sight of someone approaching. "Wait, Rin... There's someone nearby."
The brunette was alerted by this new presence. She hid herself in an alleyway and watched as he passed by.
A teenager, most likely her age or a bit older. She had never seen him before, dark blue outfit and black hair, glasses. He walked around casually, seemingly checking out the school entrance. Yeah, this guy wasn't from around here.
"Master, I took a closer look. I don't see command seals on his arms. Might be just a civilian who got lost or something." Archer whispered in her ears reassuringly. That made Rin reveal herself to the person.
"Excuse me."
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Shiki was just walking around, following the street signs and reading mansion name plates, until he felt like he was being watched.
Lifehunt enhanced his vision as he looked around. He saw the shadow of two living things hiding in a nearby alleyway.
If they were a Master, he was already screwed since they noticed him. If they weren't, it's alright. He decided to act oblivious and just walk by. Then, eventually, that person came out. She was a teenage girl, seemingly a little younger than him, black hair, twin-tails, red top and a black skirt.
"Excuse me." She approached him confidently, until there was barely an arms length between the two, "Are you lost by any chance?"
Shiki was weirded out at first, was this girl just hanging around outside by this time? No, he learned from Aoko that the city had enforced a strict curfew, but, if she was a Master, why would she approach him this way?
"Ah! Finally someone! I was wondering where everyone went." he pretended, but had a feeling she saw right through him, "I was looking for a place to spend the night. Do you know of any hotels around here?"
"Hotels? In Miyama?" she scoffed with a suspicious look on her face, "Not here. You'll be looking around all night."
Of course, he already knew that. He was merely posing to hopefully extract useful info.
"Oh, so I'm in the wrong side of town. Now that's just perfect." he replied, seemingly annoyed at himself.
"You're not from around here are you? What brings you to Fuyuki at a time like this?" The girl asked a perfectly reasonable question, taking a couple of more steps towards him and making eye contact.
Shiki suddenly sensed danger. Turning his head over to that ally the girl was hiding in, he could have sworn he saw something move there. Then he realized that only one of those two living things revealed itself.
"Young lady, you should get out of here." he said, immediately switching tones to a more serious one.
"What are you talking about?" the brunette asked annoyedly, her attempt at Suggestion failing again, then suddenly changing expressions when she noticed his reaction.
Across the walls, a black shadow crawled and disappeared again. "You really DON'T want to be here!" he said, turning around hysterically. The girl did so as well, and started scanning her surroundings thoroughly.
It was at that moment, a giant black serpent lunged towards the two from the same alleyway where the girl was hiding. The snake was as big as a car, and probably as long as a train. Luckily, its speed wasn't as great, and thus its surprise attack missed the two who dodged away, resulting in a loud crash into the wall surrounding the school.
Rolling away on his side, Shiki adjusted his stance as fast as he could, immediately feeling a sense of familiarity from the creature, but not bothering to think about it. He looked around and sighed when he noticed that the girl was find too.
"What the fuck is this?!" he heard a scream from the other side of the black reptile's body, "Is this your doing?!"
As he thought, this girl was a Mage, maybe even a Master. "No!" he shouted back as the snake continued trying to free itself from the rubble. "Are you a Mage?!"
"Yes!" The girl replied after some silence, "Let's talk later! if you run away I'll kill you!"
"Well... Shit! Okay!" The giant reptile managed to free itself and revealed its ginormous body to the two. It let out a terrible scream, then lunged itself, maw open at the male teen.
WHY ME?!
Shiki leaped over the snake's rushing attack. His hand rose to his glasses instinctively, then he stopped when he noticed the girl's body glowing green as she took out some colored stones and tossed them at the snake's long body.
There were three stones, each exploded into a different element. One caused a fiery heat dome which seemingly did nothing to the scales of the reptile at first glance, but then Shiki noticed them fall off, exposing a slimy hide. Another caused a windblade which easily pierced through and cut the hide and into the flesh of the monstrosity, causing a loud pained screech to echo across the street. And the third produced an icy mist which immediately froze the black mud which flowed out of the wound.
Shiki had to admit, it was an impressive display of Spells. Then, it clicked in his head. Those weren't just colored stones, it was Jewel Magecraft.
The brunette thinned her lips when she realized the reptile would focus its attention on her next. She took on a fighting stance and waited for the enemy to strike. But the attack never came, just as the snake looked at her, she heard the flick of a blade, then the sound of flesh being cut.
The next thing she saw was the new arrival fixing his glasses and slipping something into his pocket as the giant creature next to him simply melted into a black liquid which gradually but quickly disappeared.
"W—What just happened?" she asked, an absurdly shocked expression drawing across her face. Shiki simply smiled back and raised his index to his nose as if shushing someone, "Trade secret."
Tohsaka was more than just shocked and suspicious, she would've dismissed the entire thing as just an illusion if it wasn't for the damage sustained by the school wall still being there. The idea that he managed to defeat an Ouroboros, a mythical beast-class familiar in one fell swoop caused her head to hurt.
"I assume you're part of the Tohsaka family, only a few known people in this city use Jewel Magecraft." Shiki announced as he approached slowly.
The brunette didn't lower her guard, and had Archer on standby. "Yeah. I am Rin Tohsaka, and I am the Second Owner of Fuyuki. You are?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing into a suspicious stare.
"Second Owner? Then I'm in luck!" Shiki exclaimed excitedly, "My name's Shiki, Tohno Shiki. I am—"
"Here on behalf of Aozaki Aoko to foil a world-ending plan which is brewing in the Fuyuki Holy Grail War." A new voice interrupted Shiki, as a red coated, silver haired, tan skinned man just faded into existence next to the girl.
There was a moment of silence as the two teens processed what just happened. Shiki was the first to react, "Woah, your Servant literally just read my mind. I don't know how to feel about that." he sweatdropped goofily.
Rin on the other hand was just, out of service. For a good moment, "Aozaki Aoko? Seriously?" she turned to face the red servant who just shrugged. "THE Aozaki Aoko? The inheritor of the Fifth Magic and disciple of the Wizard Mashal himself?"
"Pretty much, yeah." Archer replied without batting an eyelash, "Don't worry, I'm just as confused."
"You there!" Rin pointed at the new arrival, "Explain!"
Shiki raised a hand to his chin, falling into a deep state of pondering, then, to Rin's absolute rage, he shrugged. "He literally told you all I know."
Rin's expression became unreadable, but if Shiki learned a single thing from his time with Akiha, he knew that she was pissed beyond his imagination. And with nothing else to do, he decided to make his plan go into action.
"Well... Tohsaka-san. I have a proposition to make." he announced, approaching her carefully, "I have a gift to you from Sen— I mean Aozaki-san."
Rin was already confused, but this confused her even further beyond, "What—?" she asked, rubbing together the last functioning brain cells in her head, "For me?"
Shiki thought that showing is better than telling, so he took out the jewelry box which was handed to him earlier and presented its content for the brunette's eyes to see. And just as he hoped, her reaction was priceless.
"Wh—What the actual..." Rin's eyes widened in pure, unbridled fascination, "WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET THIS?! No, nevermind I don't want to know. You said this was a gift to me? For what reason?"
Shiki closed the box then carefully placed it back in his pocket. "First, I need a place to stay." he revealed, a serious expression appearing on his face, "Then, I need a servant to join the war."
She pondered for a bit, thinking carefully about what this guy was in front of her was saying. A place to stay was easy to manage, but a Servant? That could prove problematic. But... "Consider it done, anything else?"
"That's all. But, just on the side, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't want some assistance uncovering this world-ending plot..." The glasses wearing teenager added then sweatdropped. It seemed everything was going well.
Rin scanned his face for any signs of deception or hostility, then she sighed when she found none. This shift of event made her already complicated problems that much more complicated, but she just couldn't turn down that treasure which could single-handedly fix herself a place in the Clocktower without touching a bit of her inheritance.
"Fine. Tohno-kun was it? You are hereby under my protection until I can fulfill my end of the bargain." she announced with a refreshed tone, extending her hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you."
Shiki would lie if he said he wasn't relieved when he took her handshake, "Likewise, Tohsaka-san."
"Tohsaka is alright." Rin mentioned as she turned away, "Now, follow me if you would.
Archer was neutrally silent throughout the entire conversation. This was completely new to him as well, and from what he saw when he briefly looked into the knife's memories, the boy meant well. So, he didn't interfere one bit.
The road to their destination was nice and calm, prompting a conversation to be struck to counter an awkward silence.
"So, Tohno-kun..." the twin tailed brunette broke the silence, "I've never heard of your family name before, where do you come from?"
Shiki did not expect her to know of his adoptive family. After all, the reason Makihisa did what he did to the Nanayas was to keep his family under the radar.
"Oh, I'm just an adopted child." he answered calmly, "I don't know much about the Tohno Family's history. My original family is called Nanaya, if that rings any bells."
That revelation caused Tohsaka to freeze in her tracks. Yes, of course she knew of the Demon Hunter Organization, they were one of the strongest forces which were active in Japan.
"That cannot be right." she stated accusingly, "The Nanaya family was wiped out completely one generation ago."
"I know. Shockers right? If you don't believe me I don't blame you, I myself only learned of it because of this knife." replied Shiki straightforwardly, then he place his hand in one of his pockets, taking out his knife and handing it to the Second Owner. The brunette curiously took it and began examining it carefully.
"Incredible." Tohsaka commented after studying the blade and the hilt of the knife thoroughly, and while it wasn't a Magical item by any means, it was clearly the original Nanatsu Yoru she read about in one of her father's books. "Just this knife can fetch you a fortune if you find the right buyer."
Shiki snatched his knife back from the girl with an unimpressed expression on his face, "Sorry, but it's not for sale." he scoffed.
"Just kidding. Who would've thought that I'd meet the remnant of an extinct family of demon hunters who was sent by the Fifth to stop the world from ending." Rin slapped herself on the forehead gently, "I might just be losing it."
Shiki couldn't help but smile. This wasn't what he expected to find when he heard Aoko's explanation of the Holy Grail War. But hey, he couldn't complain.
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Author's note:
This chapter was pretty fun to write ngl. I like Shiki and Tohsaka's reactions towards each other and in general, the two can form a strong duo. But this is a Holy Grail War, and things can go wrong at any moment. Will I keep the story as is from here on out? I'll let your imagination do the work. Author out, until the next time.