Against the backdrop of sunset, two people stood by the fountain in the park.
"Tell me, Shirou, will you fulfill one of my wishes?" the girl sweetly whispered.
"Well, if it's not to fetch you a star from the sky, then please, go ahead. So, what will you ask of me?" Shirou replied.
"Die for me," her voice instantly lost all emotion, and her kind smile turned into a predatory snarl.
The attack was akin to a lightning flash. The spear intended to pierce his heart. No human eye would have been able to follow that lightning.
"I've seen this somewhere before," thought calmly the person known as Shirou.
Flashback.
Emiya Shirou's POV. Sixteen years old.
"Trace on," the familiar words enter my mind, putting me into a trance. I completely focus on the image in my head. Consciousness gradually descends into the depths of my inner world. The magic circuits respond as usual with a gentle tingling at the back of my head and warmth spreading throughout my spine. The energy from my small source starts to flow, passing through pseudo-nerves to bring the image from my mind into reality. Deeper and deeper... I peer into my own soul. Into my Unlimited Blade Works.
A soft sound touched my ears. My hand gripped the handle of the newly formed weapon. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the flow of Od that I produced emanating the blue flashes under my eyelids. A pleasant weight settled in my right hand, the black blade Kanshou, the weapon of myth created by masterful blacksmith... my weapon.
"Much easier than in 'that place'," I said into the emptiness of the room, simultaneously admiring the gleaming black steel with engraved red hexagons. I recall with some fondness that once in the past I almost killed myself the first time I used these swords.
"When I first saw this, I couldn't have imagined that the energy expenditure would be so insignificant," a powerful voice echoed in my head. However, when I first heard you at the age of seven, my first instinct was to run to the hospital and get treated for schizophrenia. Even though you talked me out of it, Ddraig, it took me a long time to come to terms with it.
"What can I say? You're the first of the hosts who managed to awaken me so early, and it turned out to be quite fortunate. Until I explained the situation to you, you were, as they say, 'sitting idle' and staring at the ceiling. You didn't even train your magic!" Ddraig complained.
"Well, technically speaking, I shouldn't even be here. I'm sort of dead, you know," I sarcastically smirked, finally tearing my gaze away from the sword. With a swift motion of my hand, the construct dissolved into thin air, leaving no trace behind.
But here you go, congratulations on being a traveler from another world! And boy, what an entrance it was.
"Shi-i-i-iro-o-o-o-ou!" a female voice echoed from outside. It was my new mother's voice. "Get ready! We're leaving in ten minutes!"
Well, that's already solved, I already packed my things in advance.
Coming out of my trance and turned off the magic circuits, I grabbed my backpack and headed towards the exit. I didn't even go twenty meters when I was called from behind: "Little Shirou is finally stepping into adulthood," I heard a familiar voice and turned around to see an elderly woman with gray hair and a slightly worn-out gray kimono. She smiled warmly.
"Grandma," I smiled back.
"I hope you had a good time in our village," she spoke leisurely. "You've been living here for sixteen years, ever since my wayward son brought you here as a newborn bundle wrapped in cloth. Time flies."
"Yeah, it was a fun time. But don't worry about me, grandma. The Kuoh city is not that far from here, about thirty kilometers or so.
"Who will help me around the house now? It is incredibly difficult for me to manage our not-so-small cottage all by myself. And you cooked wonderfully, but, alas, you never surpassed me, he-he-he," she cunningly smiled, showing off all thirty-two of her perfectly intact teeth.
"Don't worry about the house, I've got it all planned out. Itachi and Kengo will visit you a couple of times per week. They owe me a lot. As for cooking, we aren't finished. My skills will only improve in the city, so wait for me to visit and be prepared!" I said.
"It seems like I can't convince you otherwise. Take care of yourself, Shirou. And don't let your Dad overindulge in sake."
"Sure, I will."
"Oh, one more thing," she said, waiting until I turned around, continued, "Don't forget to hook up with a beautiful foreign girl at your new school and make sure you she can't stand after you..."
"I-I need to run! See you soon!" I dashed out of the hallway, trying to hide my blushing face while the laughter of the Welsh Dragon followed me on the way.
"Ah, the youth," my grandma, Emiya Shihou, chuckled quietly behind me.
My father slowly started the car, left the village, while my mother settled in the backseat, and fell asleep after a night of preparations. I sat quietly in the front seat, reflecting on the events that had just unfolded.
When I first realized I was in a child's body, it took me several months to adapt myself and piece together my thoughts. What can I say, I had half-matured brain. This significant event happened when I was five years old, and my memories were in a jumble. But I was alive. I was alive again! The only problem was that my past experiences were all jumbled up! I couldn't build a clear sequence of my life. It felt like it wasn't me but three completely different people united by common principles. However, time was passing, and the tangle of memories gradually unraveled. It turns out I don't even remember my own death. Every single memory cuts off around the age of twenty-five. Whoever put me here was truly a powerful being. If only, there weren't any memory issues.
All the memories had one common feature: an identical starting point. The Fifth Holy Grail War. That is where the "crossroads" in my previous life began. For example: you accidentally activate a Servant summoning circle in your shed, Saber appears and saves your butt from Cu Chulainn (no offense to the guy, even though I got poked by him in the heart once). Then Lancer runs away when his always-hitting super spear, drum roll… misses the mark! After that, my Saber attacks Tohsaka Rin, my classmate and also a magus, like me (and I understand that I'm flattering myself here). And when the voracious swordswoman is about to strike the girl, Tohsaka's Archer stands in her way. From this point on, events diverge. Saber either inflicts a serious wound on Archer with her sword, knocking him out, or I stop her with a Command Spell. There are quite a few of such divergent points! However, after digging deeper, I picked out three main routes that I (or maybe it's not me?) followed. Moreover, as time has shown, everything I gained there remained with me. The prototype of Excalibur is stored in my Reality Marble, but I still lack the Prana to manifest it. And even the part of the Tohsaka family crest transferred to me by Rin in one of the routes didn't have much impact on the outcome of that. However, the assistance provided by this crest was simply colossal. My magical reserves grew exponentially when I first manifested it on my left shoulder. Basic knowledge of magic was also there. I could even use Gandr without any prior knowledge. However, Fin Shot was still a bit too early for me, but maybe later... yes, definitely later. Additional magic circuits helped me greatly in training, and unlike my past self, I learned with confident strides. Even Avalon, the sacred scabbard of Excalibur, was with me. However, it doesn't work.
"Nya," squeaked something around my knees. I lowered my gaze and met golden cat's eyes, watching my face intently.
"What do you want, Kuro? You were just fed a while ago; hold on until we reach the city." I stroked the black cat and returned to contemplating the scenery outside the window.
Speaking of Kuro. Quite a strange cat. I found her in the nearby mountains during a walk three years ago. I discovered her severely wounded and weakened from hunger. Naturally, I rushed to help her. Old habits die hard. At first, she resisted and bit me in every way possible, refusing to let me near her. But after she firmly sank her teeth into my hand, I froze and simply looked into her eyes. And she loosened her grip. Of course, she bit my hand deeply enough to draw blood, but it was nothing. She no longer resisted, and I bandaged her wounds calmly and even healed her a little with my Prana directed into the magical crest. The knowledge stored in it was enough for a basic skill in healing magic. What an invaluable gift Tohsaka gave me, and I can't even repay her now…
So, I brought the cat home. I fed her, took care of her, and looked after her with all responsibility. I had never had a pet at home before, didn't even have much of an interest in them. But when it was time to part ways, she flatly refused to leave me. She clung to my leg and wouldn't budge. After that, we decided to keep her. My parents didn't mind, and to be honest, I was pleased with this decision too.
But there's something I haven't mentioned yet. Archer's hand, the Artificial Phantasm I acquired on my third route, giving me experience with physical skills of the future... it's missing. Since I became aware of myself, I've tested my projection skills multiple times, but I haven't experienced that dreadful pressure on my own body. My body wasn't harmed, and besides, I don't have the shroud with me. Perhaps, this question will remain unanswered for now, but it's all very, very strange. And I'm not even sure I would want to possess it again. The price is too high.
The rest of my life wasn't anything special. The only memorable event was our move to the Hyoudou family's house when I was eight. We only lived there for a year. It was for family's settling down, or rather, my own. My parents were often traveling for work, so I spent my second childhood in the village with my grandmother. There was even a school there, which I almost graduated from with honors.
During that year, I managed to become friends with the daughter of our neighbors, the Shidou family. Their daughter, Irina, was a chaotic presence in my life (in a good way). Bursting with energy, she was running around me, constantly asking questions and inviting me to go for walks, runs, do pull-ups on the bars, explore the surroundings of the city, and stick our little noses everywhere. I was even surprised to learn that her family came from a long line of priests (vows, serenity, and emotional control? Haven't she heard about those?) (oh, not the fondest memories, what if she turns out to be a Kirei clone in the future? Scary thought). Fortunately, I managed to find one way to calm her down. She really enjoyed my cooking, and she would not dare to disturb me while I was at the stove. Unfortunately, there was a downside – she became addicted to it. Damn, that was my first fatal mistake in this world. The thing was, the little girl ate like a bottomless pit, and you couldn't stop her. Boy, did I suffer back then. Another glutton on my hands.
And so, a year flew by in the Kuoh city. I turned nine and returned to the village. Little Irina had tears welling up in her eyes as we said our goodbyes. But I promised her I would come back. It had been a couple of months since the moment of my return to the village. I found myself increasingly pondering my eternal question, "What should I do?" I'm referring to my ideals and the dream of becoming a Hero of Justice. On the one hand, there's the ordinary life that sometimes tempts me. And on the other hand, there's saving people and ending their suffering, something I've always strived for. Magic exists in this world, that much I have confirmed. And when there is magic, problems almost always arise. Perhaps, this world would still need a Hero.
However... I have betrayed my ideals before. All for the sake of saving one person. I traded millions of lives for one soul. Do I have the right to return to my old goals? Wouldn't it be sheer hypocrisy? As he once said to me.
"We'll be reaching the city soon," father said curtly, shortly pulling me out of my contemplation. I simply nodded and returned to my thoughts.
No, Emiya Shirou, just like before, will continue to believe in his dream. Even if in the end, he never achieves his goals. I will keep helping those who need help. But I won't be a pacifist, because I never desired peace. I just wanted no one to suffer.
By the way, another amusing point. I don't know if it's the work of higher powers or just a coincidence, but relatives on my father's side have the last name Emiya. While my mother is from the Hyoudou family. I don't know why, but my father decided to take my mother's last name and live that way. However, I wasn't satisfied with that arrangement. I could never bring myself to part with the Emiya name. Because it's a reminder of who I deeply admire to this day. Someone who inspired me and literally infected me with his ideals. So, after a lot of time and effort, I persuaded my parents not to make me Hyoudou Shirou. Besides, it just sounded terrible.
Around this age, I encountered another phenomenon. I was walking in the forest, and my right hand was burned with a green glow that appeared out of nowhere. Although, to be honest, the pain was trivial. Compared to what I went through in the Fuyuki city, it was just a slight tingling. When the pain subsided, I found a green crystal on the back of my hand. As soon as I touched it, a bright flash occurred, and a colossal red dragon stood before me. Spreading its wings, it let out an triumphant roar (or so it seemed to me at the time), so loud that it deafened my ears. Words cannot express how surprised I was then. Then I remembered the one who once almost slew all the dragons with his holy sword.
Kanshou and Bakuya appeared in my hands, and I took a step back, preparing to sprint away to avoid those enormous claws.
"Stop, human. I am not enemy of yours," he said to me then.
Taking a moment to think, I dismissed my swords... to summon the black bow and the spiral blade. In an instant, the string was drawn taut, and the flow of Prana surged into the summoned sword, ready to turn it into a Broken Phantasm. The arrow aimed straight at the majestic creature's head.
"Why should I trust you?"
"Take a closer look."
I didn't dismiss the bow, but allowed my gaze to drop to the ground. Below me was a wasteland, scattered with blades. My blades. Without a doubt, I was inside my own Reality Marble.
"What..."
"We are inside your own world, human. And I have been its prisoner for the past seven years. Well... hello, partner," he waved his massive claw at me. Which was quite comical.
I didn't sense any danger from him, and if you think about it, it's unlikely he can harm me while we're here. Additionally, as it probably follows, he will suffer too if something happens to me. So, I decided to listen. Answers would not hurt me right now.
After thinking it over, I disarmed myself and sat down on the ground. Introducing ourselves, we began to converse. According to Ddraig, he had been observing me for some time, waiting for me to awaken his power and meet him in person. He told me many things. About this world, its supernatural beings, the war of three factions, Sacred Gears, and, of course, dragons. Specifically, about himself and Albion, whose appearance on the battlefield set off a chain of events that led him to be jailed my body.
What I didn't like is that the hosts of these dragons, the red and white ones, have been enemies since dragons' imprisonment in Sacred Gears and they engage in deadly battles every time they meet. It couldn't be an even more of a senseless battle. And the funniest thing is that none of the dragons even remember why they started fighting! Thinking about this, I immediately told Ddraig that I refuse to participate in this meaningless battle to the death. He just smirked and said that I'm not the first or the last person he heard this from, and added that if I don't become stronger, the host of Albion will find and destroy me. So he generously offered me his power and abilities, which after some hesitation, I accepted. It's not my style to use crutches and someone else's power to achieve my goals. But in response, Ddraig asked if I am refusing help from friends. I just smiled, but understood the hint. Since then, I have started my training in controlling the Sacred Gear and restoring my projection abilities. Anyway, I don't live just to let the host of Albion take away my life. And if I want to fulfill my dream, I must become stronger.
Time flew by and I trained with Ddraig. By the way, he immediately told me that he knew where I was really from. This didn't surprise me at all, after all, we are connected. I trained diligently, but not to the point of exhaustion, and most importantly - no one interfered. Almost.
When I was fourteen, three demons came to our village. And as we later found out, with Ddraig's help, they were Strays Demons who were expelled from their clan for certain sins or for betrayal. But lucky me, I prevented the first attack and defeated one of the trio. It turned out to be a werewolf, turned into a creature of Hell. Again, I was lucky, he turned out to be weaker than me. I didn't feel sorry for them and didn't offer them to surrender or leave. They were planning to kill many people and devour their souls. And their goal wasn't even survival, they just wanted power! They wanted to increase their strength, stepping on others' heads. That night, the strays disappeared from the village forever. I had no regrets. Even if someone has to suffer, it will all be for the greater good of a bright future. That's my ideal.
Something similar could happen again, so Ddraig offered a solution. To create a large, self-sustaining barrier around the village to deter strays. My abilities as a magus, even with the Tohsaka's crest, would not be enough for such a task, but the dragon explained everything. It was only necessary to create a network of ordinary artifact batteries that would draw energy from the surrounding environment and give it to the barrier. Fortunately, I can do such things. This won't scare away stronger strays, but it will make them very uncomfortable. That's all I could do. And that's what we did.
The next two years I spent on training, studying at school, and building the barrier. I managed to finish it in a week, before my departure. I turned sixteen, and my documents were submitted to the nearest senior high school, Kuoh Academy.
That's pretty much the whole story.
Whatever fate awaits me ahead, my journey is just the beginning.
