"Kyoko! Kyoko! Let's go on the spinning teacups!"

"Alright Momo, slow down," Kyoko said with a smile on her face as she casually ran after her sister. A bit ironic coming from her, but they had all day to have fun. Especially when a bit of magic was all it took to get them to the front of the line. Probably not the most morally responsible thing to use her magic for, but the bright smile on Momo's face was worth it. Just so long as Mami didn't hear about it. She always did have a lecture or two about misusing magic on the civilians

You sure you don't want to come and join us? Kyoko asked her servant. Momo's mood was incredibly infectious, to the point that she considered inviting him despite his recent attitude.

No. I'll keep hunting, have your fun, Archer replied before heading elsewhere.

Well, more grief seeds for her then.

They deftly cut the line thanks to Kyoko's magic and took their seat on the red teacup that Momo picked out. Momo always liked red, though she rarely wore it herself, instead going for mostly green with her clothes. Something about red not suiting her, even though Kyoko constantly assured her that it did.

Once the ride started, Momo wasted no time in grabbing the wheel in the center and pushing on it with all her might. The resulting spin was quite exhilarating, and Kyoko began adding her own Reinforced pushes once Momo had tired out.

She might've ended up overdoing judging by how her sister was wobbling on her legs after the ride had ended, but at least she had fun. Even if she did end up wobbling over to the nearest trash can, leaning her over the top, and- Oh boy that wasn't good.

Kyoko quickly Projected a napkin so Momo could use it to wipe her mouth when she was done. Gradation Air was the proper term for that magic and it wasn't something that she really used, mostly because she wasn't nearly as efficient or capable at it as Archer was with his Tracing. She had recently given up practicing that field of magic altogether and instead focused on her Reinforcement, Flame Magecraft, Mental Interference, and Illusions.

"Why don't we take a break and get you some ginger ale?" Kyoko suggested as she gently rubbed Momo's back.

Her sister nodded and they took a break at the closest bench after getting their drinks. After some time, the color returned to Momo's cheeks and she looked ready to start playing around again.

"Hey, big sis."

"Yes Momo?"

"Could you tell me about that man, the one I saw with you?"

"Ah," Kyoko gripped her bottle of milk tea tightly. "He's a uh… skilled Magus that's been teaching me Magic."

"What's his name?"

"Archer."

"Archer? Nothing else?"

"It's just Archer."

"Can he… also use a bow?"

"He can. Very well. He's also a very dangerous swordsman."

"So, he's a mage, bowman, and swordsman? That's so cool."

Kyoko huffed. "Well I can use spears and fire."

"Cool! Can you show me?"

"Uh…" Kyoko glanced at the crowd of people around them that were more or less ignoring them. Shooting flames out of her hand though would probably be a lot harder to ignore and wipe from people's memories. "Some other time."

"Okay." Momo began kicking her legs. "Could I learn magic?"

"I guess," Kyoko replied without much thought. "I'll see what I can do, you just have to make sure to keep it a secret from everyone else." She took a sip of her milk tea. "Why do you want to learn?"

"Because I want to fight with you." Kyoko spat out her drink. She coughed and began wiping her mouth with the back of the hand before Momo handed her the same napkin that she had Projected for her. "You said you were fighting something dangerous right? Maybe I could help."

Kyoko quickly wiped her mouth clean and erased the object from the world. "No."

"Why not?"

"You're still a kid."

"So are you!"

"I'm a teenager. Big difference."

"No, it isn't!"

"Yes it is. I at least had my time of the month already."

"Mom keeps mentioning it, but I still don't know what that is."

"You'll find out in a couple of years." And it would be a jarring, messy, and overall unpleasant experience that will likely end up scarring her for a lifetime. Kyoko shuddered as she remembered her first time. Blood, so much blood, and it had to happen right in front of Archer while they were sparring. The fact that he realized it before she had and immediately Projected the necessary hygiene supplies didn't help. The man had the nose of a Goddamn bloodhound. "Until then, you're still a brat. And brats should be safe at home."

Momo pouted. "Can't I watch please?"

"You can come for training but not during the hunts. And I'll talk with Archer about what we can teach you. Alright?"

"Fine." Momo agreed before looking at a nearby rollercoaster. "Let's go on that one next!"

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Kyoko looked at her doubtfully. "Made a bit of a mess in that trashcan back there."

Momo pouted. "That's because you were spinning the teacup too hard."

"You wanted me to!"

"You're the older one. Maybe you shouldn't have agreed."

Tch. Her sister really was such a cheeky little brat.

Thankfully it turned out that getting sick did little to dissuade Momo for the rest of the day they were at the park. In fact, throwing up had seemed to give her a second wind and they had absolutely gorged themselves on carnival food once they were done with the rides. The food was a bit pricey on top of the costs of the tickets, but they had some spending money now that people were attending their father's sermons.

"That was so much fun sis!" Momo said cheerfully as she skipped cheerfully despite the long day they had. Likely the sugar rush from all that funnel cake, she'd end up crashing soon enough.

"Of course. You were with me all day," Kyoko replied confidently.

"We should do this again! With Mama and Papa!"

"Sure."

It'd be a bit difficult matching her schedule with theirs, but what sort of Hero would she be if she couldn't make some time for her family?

Kyoko ran forward and grabbed Momo, who let out a cheerful squeal, before setting her on her shoulders. She then began effortlessly running with her back home using some Reinforcement to enhance her limbs.

The beauty of the setting sun, the cheerful laugh of her sister atop her shoulders. It had been a long time since she and her sister had fun like this, to have a moment where they could let it all out and enjoy themselves. This had proved to be a near perfect day.

Which was why it was jarring when Momo suddenly stopped laughing and remained silent as she stared at a certain direction. Kyoko looked up at her sister, wondering what was wrong, when she felt an overbearing presence a few seconds later.

"Kyoko… what is that?" Momo asked nervously.

Kyoko immediately set her sister down and looked at carefully. "You can feel that?"

Momo nodded.

Kyoko's breath hitched. Her sister wasn't a Magus or a Magical Girl, yet she had somehow felt that Witch's presence before she had. That meant she was incredibly sensitive to magic, and Witches were attracted to people like that.

"Momo," Kyoko kneeled down and firmly looked her sister in the eye. "You need to go home. Right now."

"What are you going to do?"

"This is the dangerous thing I was talking about. I'm going to deal with it and meet you back at the house for dinner."

"Let me help!"

"No," Kyoko firmly grabbed her shoulders. "This thing could hurt you really badly if you get involved. If you want to help, then tell Mom and Dad that I was studying with my friends and lost track of the time. I don't want them to worry, alright."

Momo looked at her desperately but didn't refuse her request. "Make sure you come back."

"I will. I'll see you at dinner tonight," Kyoko told her before running off in the direction where she felt the presence.

Archer was too far to contact mentally and Mami was still off in Mitakihara, which meant that she'd have to deal with this herself. She could always use a Command Seal to call on Archer from wherever he currently was, but hopefully that wouldn't be necessary.

Despite her reinforced legs though, she couldn't feel herself getting closer to it no matter how much she ran. She tried picking up speed, but the Witch still wasn't getting any closer, as if it was matching her speed with its own. She was forced to make a slight detour to get to a bridge to cross a river, but the Witch didn't get farther either despite the extra time she took to get around.

It was when Kyoko finally stopped on her feet that she realized that something was up. It just didn't make sense. Even if the Witch could detect her from this far away, why would it put in the effort to maintain the same distance between them? With that speed it could've easily run away or ambushed her by now, but instead it just decided to stop moving at the same time she did.

Was it playing with her? Or was something tricky about it that she wasn't considering?

She took out her Soul Gem and looked at it. It was lighting up, but even that light didn't change in intensity no matter how much she walked. There was no mistake that she was detecting a Witch's magic, but it was as if it wasn't actually th-

Kyoko immediately pivoted on her feet and ran back the way she had come.

A decoy, somehow the Witch had left enough of its magic behind to act as a decoy, misleading any Magical Girls that would've tried to follow it. There was no telling where it would be right now, but if Witches were attracted to strong Magical presences…

She doubled down on her Reinforcement as she ran for the path that Momo would've taken to get home.

Please god, let her sister be safe.

Archer had to admit, Momo was a cute kid. A bit of a cheeky brat sometimes, but otherwise a good kid. She deserved to spend some time with her older sister and not have a Servant ruin their fun.

Besides, he spent most of his time nowadays on his own. He was still a Servant despite everything and would be there when needed, but that didn't mean he wanted to be there to see what his Master and that yellow haired Magical Girl were doing.

That was how he found himself inside the city of Kamihama. The stench of something strange permeated the entire city, so strong that he could detect it even standing on top of the highest building he could find. He was no bloodhound, despite what his Master claimed, but rather his nose was capable of detecting disturbances in the Order of the World. Apparently Witches and Magical Girls could apparently be categorized as such things, allowing him to sniff them out according to his Master. True enough, even if that wasn't technically how that worked.

Either way, it was a clear sign of the large population of Magical Girls and Witches that operated in this city, much larger and more active than Kazamino. Could be dangerous if he got caught up in that without preparation, but thankfully it was simple enough to hide his presence from any girls that happened to glance at where he stood.

He had already located a pair, one girl with long blue hair and another with short silver hair. They stood close to each other, close friends most likely, and were laughing about something inconsequential as they entered a candy store together.

Two more girls that had chosen to fight in an endless war. He'd have called them fools, but considering his own situation and the fact that the Holy Grail War had existed because of the lengths people would go for a single wish… Well at this point he could hardly blame them, especially since most of them were just children. Even his master had some leniency on his part despite the means he took to avoid her.

That was mostly due to her dream to be a hero, even if it wasn't the same dream that he had once followed.

In general, he didn't like heroes that much. His qualms weren't with the ideology of heroism, but rather the many would be heroes who failed to keep to these ideals they supposedly followed and failed to see the hypocrisy in their beliefs. It also didn't help that many of them were just too focused on inconsequential things like honor, wealth, or fame and often failed to do what was needed to be done because of it. There was only one hero that he was particularly fond of, but he had long since failed to save her heart.

It was as he was reminiscing over what memories he could recall of his hero, that he noticed a girl with shoulder length gray hair on another roof. He watched as the girl set down her belongings, a book, a carton of milk, and an unopened packet of bread, before leaning against the railing. It would be easy to assume she had come to the rooftop to have lunch; except she wasn't anywhere near a school despite wearing a uniform. There was a vacant look on the one eye he could see that wasn't covered by her hair, a look that was eerily reminiscent to him.

That was why he had already tensed his legs by the time she started climbing over the railing. He jumped into action and dived toward even before she threw herself off the rooftop. As she fell though, the vacant expression left her face only to be replaced by fear. She had regretted her decision. Many people that chose to commit suicide were said regret their decision, though unfortunately it was often too late by the time they realized their mistake.

This time though he was able to leap from a rooftop, bounce off another wall, and grab her in his arms at the halfway point between the girl and the ground. They flew in the air for a brief moment before gravity finished its work and sent them downwards. He landed harshly, his feet causing cracks into the pavement below him, but otherwise he had been unharmed. As was the girl, who was currently too shocked for words and was staring at him in shock.

"You chose a good time to drop in."

Ah… sarcasm probably wasn't the best thing for a girl that had just attempted suicide. It was just his default response for most situations.

Archer then noticed something peculiar about the girl. It was hard to notice from a distance, but now that he held her up close, he could see that she had potential. Potential for both his Contract and the Incubator's.

A coincidence? Or maybe it was Fate and his E rank luck screwing with him again.

He lowered his arms slowly and let the girl stand at her own pace. Eventually they stood facing one another, him looking down with his grey eyes and her looking up with her vibrant blue.

Normally he would just walk away after saving a stranger. He didn't need the recognition or the praise for doing what he needed to do, and he wasn't in this world to make friends. However, this girl was in a fragile state. Walking away in silence and leaving her alone now would likely make her more depressed and confused.

Her mouth opened slightly but no sound came out. She looked down sullenly and crossed her arms. Shy, quiet, someone whose words didn't come easily. She had thoughts, something that she wanted to express, but couldn't due to her trouble speaking.

"It's fine you don't have to say anything," Archer said.

The girl closed her eyes as tears began to form and gripped her arms tighter.

Ah… that was the wrong thing to say. There was something that this girl wanted to tell him, she simply couldn't.

"Are you mute?" he asked.

She shook her head again. It was still an issue if she had this much trouble with words. Best to use another way to communicate.

He projected a simple leather-bound black notebook and a pen in his hands. He handed both to the girl. "You can write it down instead," he suggested.

The girl slowly reached out for the objects, carefully grabbed them, and then held them against her chest. After a few seconds she would open up the notebook and begin writing.

Thank you

Her penmanship was immaculate.

"Don't mention it," he said plainly. She was… familiar to him for some reason.

The girl looked at him from the bottom up and then quickly looked away before writing again.

How did you save me? I was so high up.

"I jumped."

She raised her eyes and looked at him once more.

Are you some sort of superhero?

"No. A mage."

The girl's eyes widened even more.

Magic?

"Yes"

I didn't think it existed.

"It does, in several forms. If a strange white cat starts talking to you don't listen to it," he decided to warn her.

White cat?

"You'll see."

The girl brought her pen to the notebook once more, only to hesitate. Her pen shook as she slowly began to write, though Archer could already tell what she was asking before she finished with the first word.

Why?

"Because you wanted someone to save you."

If she still had that vacant expression when she fell, if she hadn't regretted her decision, then he would've let her hit the ground… No, even then he would've gone to help. That was the part of himself that would never change, that compulsion to help people in trouble if they were in front of him. Even if his help wouldn't be good for them in the first place. Even as he was forced to kill millions of innocents all under the duty and control of Alaya.

In the end his desire to help people didn't make him right. There were some fates where death was the easier, better option.

Tears began to flood the girl's eyes. In the end though she had wanted to be saved.

I didn't want to die.

She barely finished writing before the tears began streaming down her face. She held the notebook tightly against her body as she wept.

He laid his hand on her head and rubbed it gently as she cried. After what she had been through, she was going to need this. Thankfully a quick spell or two was all it took to get stop any potential prying eyes.

It was only after some time passed, did she finally compose herself and start writing in the notebook again.

I just couldn't handle it anymore… This world-

"Is harsh. And people are horrible, terrible, and cruel creatures." Archer replied. Before and after he had been abandoned by his dream, he had seen humanity at its worst countless times. No matter how many he saved, how many he killed, there would always be more suffering and evil to come.

Because I can't speak… everyday they kept hurting me. Making fun of me, throwing away my things.

Bullying. It might seem rather inconsequential compared to his issues, but he had seen what constant abuse could do to a kind and gentle soul. Some found the strength to carry on despite that. Others… well he couldn't blame them for wanting to take the easy way out.

But what could he do? He might've stopped her from committing suicide, but that didn't solve the issues she had. She still had trouble speaking, she would be a victim on a daily basis, and it was likely that she would eventually head back to that roof once again. He hadn't saved her.

It was never easy to save someone, especially when he already had his own Master to worry about. There was little he could do bar tracking down all of her bullies or carpet bombing her school for letting it get to this point.

Not that he would carpet bomb anything that wasn't a Servant or his past alternate self, though there was that one strange timeline where Rin had been especially keen on him doing that to an entire city. Definitely one of the stranger timelines, especially when everyone kept mistaking him for Satan.

Well, Actually Satan. The Actually part was important for some reason.

"You still have hope… it's why you didn't want to die. You either have a reason to live… or still want to find it," Archer said, focusing on the girl in front of him.

I don't think I have one. I don't know how to find it.

"I find that the solitude of a rooftop helps me think. To consider things. If you do ever find you reason, hold onto it. There is… some beauty in this world, something that you can live for out there. If you can't find it or even that runs dry… at least try to make it painless."

It was the advice he could give as someone who had lived entirely on an ideal, only to lose everything and still continue to exist anyway. If she ever grew certain that she wanted to leave this world… well then, he'd make sure to stay away if he happened to be in the area.

I'll try.

The girl handed him back the notebook and pen.

Rather than have them disappear though, Archer began working his Magecraft onto it. "Trace on."

Normally projections would disappear once Gaia's influence eroded the magic that created it, unless provided with an indefinite supply of energy. His personal Tracing on the other hand, with a bit more effort, could create stable ordinary objects that indefinitely remained. So long as they weren't destroyed or damaged, then they wouldn't disappear.

"Here," he said as he handed it back to her. A gift… that was all he could give her before he had to go back to his Master. "Since it'll help you communicate."

She looked grateful if a bit surprised by his gesture as she took the notebook and pen.

Thank you. Could I get your name?

"Archer"

"R… Ren… Isuzu…," the girl was able to let out after some effort. "I hope… you find… what you're looking for. A reason… to live."

Ren bowed before walking away as Archer watched her in silence. She was more observant than he had expected. Or perhaps she just knew. It didn't matter though, whether he found a reason to live in this world or not. One that wasn't simply because it was better than the alternative of continuing his works as a Counter Guardian.

He was a Heroic Spirit, a copy summoned to this world by the Throne. The actual Archer who had been recorded, the real Archer, would never be saved. So, was there any point for him to stay? Would it even be worth it to live for that hope, only for it to eventually abandon him in the end anyway?

Unfortunately more pressing issues to worry about before he could consider this.

"What are you doing here, Incubator?" He turned to the creature in question that stood on top of a trash can, shaking its tail like it always did. Where a person with potential was, the Incubator was likely to follow.

I was simply ready to grant a wish. She would've likely wished to be saved, had you not interfered.

"Good. Now go off and find another mark," Archer replied as he walked away. He had long since given up on trying to kill its bodies, at least when it wasn't in his own territory at Kazamino. Too much work for the both of them. Best to just avoid each other when they could.

I will, though I predict that another opportunity to contract with the girl will come soon enough.

Once he was out of sight from the Incubator, Archer returned to his Astral form. He fully intended to explore the rest of the city, only to loop back around and keep an eye on Ren from a distance. She eventually arrived home where she would be greeted at the door by her parents. The genuine smile she gave them seemed to suggest that she was loved.

Of course, appearances could be deceiving, but there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her home life on initial observation. Still, he knew how bad bullies could get in school and a shy quiet girl like her… it wasn't hard to see why she would commit suicide. It brought back some unpleasant memories of an old classmate of his. They had that same empty look on their face at times.

Perhaps that was why he was putting in more effort than he normally would for someone he had just met. Regret over a past that he wished to change. Regret for the countless timelines that showed what he could've, what he should've done.

Archer! I command you to be by my side!

It seemed that duty called once again.

He quickly disappeared and left little trace of himself, apart from a leather clad black notebook and a pebble he just happened to shift into the middle of the path he was standing. A pebble that could easily trip a random bystander that happened to step on it.

The first thing that Archer noticed on his arrival was the stench of fresh blood and flame behind him. It was then overpowered by the stench of rotting, burning wood in front of him. His eyesight then cleared, and he noticed the giant spiked arm being reared back and swung his way.

"I am the Bone of my Sword."

He didn't move an inch as the arm collided with the giant stone axe-sword that he held in his hand. It was taller than him by a foot and twice as wide, but it suited its purpose for this moment. The unnamed weapon of the Hero Heracles and what allowed Archer to use his variation of the Greek hero's Nine Lives Technique. Rather than use that though, Archer grabbed the weapon with both his arms like one would a bat. There really wasn't much swordsmanship or technique to be applied to a weapon like this, just raw brute strength. He swung hard, striking the bottom of the Witch and cleaving through its waist as he sent it hurtling a significant distance away.

With the Witch now pushed back, Archer spared a glance to where his Master stood protectively in front of her sister

Several long gashes across her red dress and a few spikes embedded in her stomach and calf. Bad wounds, but nothing fatal and perfectly within the realm for a Magical Girl to heal. The real issue was Momo was obviously very distraught at seeing her sister wounded that badly. Thankfully there wasn't too much blood, his Master had the sense to cauterize her wounds.

"Archer! Protect Momo! I'll finish it off!"

In addition to his Master's injury it was clear that she was already at the limit her body could handle. Her transformation had already begun to fade leaving her in her casual clothes.

The Witch was picking itself up slowly, a result of its missing arm and its leg that had been torn apart when he had struck it.

Ignoring his Master's order, Archer Projected his black bow in one hand.

It was possible his Master could defeat the injured Witch if she continued to push her Magecraft past her limits, but not without causing great damage to her body in the process. They still didn't know how sturdy a Magical Girl's body was, but he was not going to risk it.

In his other hand appeared a modified version of the Spiral Rainbow Sword wielded by Fergus. Caladbolg II, The Fake Spiral Sword. A twisted and distorted version of its original, hardly suitable to be used as a sword.

He nocked his Projection against his bow. The space around began to distort as he pulled back the string of his bow.

Which was why he used it as an arrow.

"Caladbolg."

The arrow activated, he released his shot, and it flew the Witch in a spiraling blue light. It landed against the Witch's chest, creating an explosion that ravaged its body and engulfing it in flame.

"The threat has been dealt with Master," Archer replied plainly as he turned to his Master who looked mad but not truly infuriated by what he had done. Just annoyed that he disobeyed orders and stepped on her pride for dispatching that Witch in her stead.

Even if she was angrier than he had expected, her little sister next to her would be enough to stop her from having an outburst. As it was his Master was already calming down as Momo grabbed her arm.

"Are you okay sis?" Momo asked.

"The Witch got a lucky hit. I'll be fine," Kyoko reassured her.

"Lucky hit or not, a mistake will get you killed," Archer commented.

"The Witch was going for Momo! What else was I supposed to do differently!?" his Master shouted at him.

"Nothing."

She paused and stared at him.

"Your mistake was trying to finish the Witch yourself, instead of getting to safety with Momo and commanding me to deal with it. Otherwise, you were moving to protect someone close to you. Do the same next time, but learn to do it better."

That seemed to take away most of the wind off his Master's sail. "I thought you were against me being reckless."

"For yourself when you're trying to prove something. If it's for someone else though…" Well he'd be even more of a hypocrite then he already was if he called her out on that. "It's still preferable for you to call on me and deal with threats before that ever becomes necessary."

His master began scratching the back of her neck and sighed. Any anger or annoyance she felt seemed to have left her body. "I'll keep that in mind. Momo, say hi to Archer."

"Hi… Mr. Archer," Momo greeted hesitantly as she hid behind her sister.

Archer gave the little girl a polite wave as the labyrinth began collapsing around them. Unfortunately, a labyrinth's existence made it impossible to discern what was happening in the outside world until the Witch was defeated.

Which was why none of them were prepared to find his Master's father at the backdoor of his Church.

The priest stared wide-eyed first at Archer and his bow, then at his Master who still held a spear in one hand and Momo in the other.

*Clank*

The grief seed fell onto the ground. The only noise that was made as everyone continued to stare at each other in silence.

Well, this wasn't going to end well.