A/N: Yello, I'm back! This chapter is actually pretty easy to write. Man, having planned everything makes writing a WHOLE LOT easier. Well… not everything, but I digress.

Now, Review section time:

Lugal Kug-ga: To be fair, I made Meriel quite the idiot, unlike the more sinister first iteration. (Who bedded the arch-mage… what was I thinking?) Still, a funny comparison.

GrandSaberEMIYA: Thank you. Well, about the high skill ceiling in reinforcement. I AM aware of it. But a few chapters ago, Illya remarked that Jackson is "Weirdly proficient" In reinforcement.

Bucio: Thank you for the review as always. Well about her Identity… You bet she was interesting. Wink x2.

HalfmoonSilver80: Yeah, sometime people tend to forget that Shirou CANNOT be fixed. Even in HF, yes he gave up but that didn't fix him.

guillermocejas767: Yay! Another Update for you!

Jokes aside, let's dive in

Shirou

Shirou stood in the middle of a dark room, like the deep abyss of Earth's ocean itself permeated the entire structure except the very tile that he was standing on. The floor in front of him lit up, what he saw was a man kneeling, with two curved swords ready to slice his neck like a plant in front of a gardening shear.

Shirou was holding said shears, his hands trembling in hesitation. The red scarf around his neck tightened. The man in front of him was a weed, a rogue magus that started "overusing" human test subjects to further his goals, as the association has put it. The aim of his research are reality marbles, one of the greatest taboos of magekind.

To seek a select few's perception of the world via torture. Truly, what a twisted person is this man- no, monster in front of him is. But one thing perplexes him, why does he hesitate? Cutting of the magus' head would've been easy, with Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands, the head would've been cut off not long ago.

"Heh." The magus chuckles with his bloodied mouth. "What a joke." He spoke as he looks up to his would be executioner. "Shirou Emiya, to think that I feared you once… truly pathetic."

Shirou glares at the man in silent anger. He's a monster, now he dares to laugh even at the verge of death? "Shut up."

"That remorse could ruin you, young man. Your father, he never had that, did he?" The magus spoke in a mocking tone. "But you. You know that in taking my life you would also take something else from yourself. Something of equal value, maybe more." He laughs once more. "Truly a giant contradiction. I should've met you sooner. In my decades of research, you are by far the one with the highest potential of developing a reality marble- ack!"

Before he could speak further, his head was detached from his body in a swift slicing action. "Finally." The magus hunter said to himself, this was the thirtieth magus that he's killed. And with each death that he delivers, Avalon's gates becomes farther and farther. "Sorry, Saber. I'm a terrible person for making your wait even longer than it already is." He said to no one but himself.

Shirou opened his eyes and turned his gaze to the window of the carriage. In there, is a plethora of farms and houses, there were people tending to their respective plots, working their hardest to supply Shelston with food. There and then, Shirou was reminded of his guilt, to think that he once entertained the notion of leaving them for his selfish whims.

The roads were now made of concrete, which means that he is nearing the County's capital. How long was he asleep? He wonders.

Mere seconds later, he turned his gaze to his front, he saw Illya staring at him with a wide smile. "Illya…" The young king calls. "Why didn't you wake me up?" He asks his sister.

The princess innocently tilts her head. "Oh? You look so cute when you're sleeping. I just can't help myself." She giggles. "Besides, you rarely get long rests. I couldn't bring myself to disturb you." She spoke in a playful but concise manner.

Shirou looked at the princess with his usual stoic face. He doesn't really need THAT much sleep. He did train himself to get used to sleepless days when he was jumping from battlefield to battlefield. But if it makes Illya worry less, then a little nap would probably suffice.

Moments later, they approached the city gates. The knights took care of the additional paperwork in order to hide their arrival, even bribing some of the guards at Illya's suggestion. The horses' hooves clapped as they enter Shelston's capital. The king looked through the window once again, joined by his sister in their observation. They posed themselves as a trading caravan, so the citizens didn't even bat an eye to their presence.

"Sire!" A knight knocked. "We have arrived. Are you finished with the preparations?"

Shirou nods in affirmation. "We nearly are, pass this order to the others: "Find an inn as a temporary base, all regular soldiers will be spread in three groups. With two knights commanding each, we should rendezvous at the said location at night." Is that understood?" He commands the knight.

"Yes Sire." The knight bowed and proceeded to pass on the order.

Shirou nudged his sister to perform the spell. It was a light redirection spell, one that Illya used in order to sneak away from her work much to Shirou's dismay. This time it doesn't make the crowd ignore you by tricking their eyes to looks at other objects.

This illusion makes it so that people would recognize a person's features in order not to arouse suspicion by tricking a human's pattern-seeking brain to recognize but not identify the specifics of a person's face.

In other words: The target would think of the caster's face as "normal" while not being able to recount what they actually look like.

After a few minutes. Illya finished casting the spell. They nod at eachother silently as they got out of the carriage. Shirou wore a long coat, fancy enough to be identified as a rich merchant, but not so tacky that people would question where they actually got their wealth from. Illya wore a plain tight-fitting dress, assuming her role as secretary.

Shirou and Illya looked around. Assessing the surroundings as they pass through stalls of products, pretending to be checking said goods as if appraising their true price. Three of their guards followed them like hired bodyguards. Their armors mixed up without a sign of uniformity.

Overall, the plan was solid. Gain audience with the Count and successfully get information out of him. One might think that they might be overly cautious. But if what Rupert said about the "hooded men" were true, then even the slightest slip-up would become a giant detriment to their investigation.

'We should be able to get audience now. Our men tugged the signal of my familiars, we could get information right here, right now. While the rest secure the area.' Illya told her brother mentally.

'That's good. After this, we should probably go to Rupert's village tomorrow after checking the supplies.' Shirou responds mentally while nodding physically. 'How many live animals do you need for the sigil?' He asks, enquiring about Illya's temporary bounded field.

'Three would suffice, maybe four if you could. I need them alive and unwounded- well let's leave it to the knights tonight.' She relays. As planned previously, at the entrance of Rupert's village, Illya would set-up a bounded field. Shirou doesn't know what she's using it for, but he guessed that Illya would probably tell him in due time.

"Illya, we're here." Shirou spoke to his sister, using their previous names as aliases. The pair stood in front of the gates of the Count's manor, the Delphi Mansion as the locals called it.

"What is…?" Illya spoke in a nervous tone as she looked directly at the manor beyond the gates. "This dark aura, it's just like-!" Everything has been relatively normal during their walk, the citizens were doing their usual business, the guards seems to be on top shape as expected, the infrastructure- as clean as other funded cities are. But this mansion-

"It's just like that park in Fuyuki. Something happened here." Shirou scanned the area around the mansion. "The grass, dead. The plants, nearly wilting. And that tree besides the fountain, it's barely holding up." The false merchant spoke in a horrified tone, clenching his fist, he prayed that he was wrong- no! He needs himself to be wrong. "Alright, let's get to the bottom of this." He marched to the front door, readying himself to anything that might happen.

A single holler was enough to get the attention of the gate guards. One of the guards assessed Shirou and Illya, he looked at the read-head's "mercenaries" and the young man's briefcase. He landed at the pair's planned conclusion. "A merchant. Did you have and appointment?" The guard asks.

Erik, An hour ago.

The young soldier huffed in exhaustion as he followed his squad leader, Sir Lucian, a knight under direct orders from the king. They had been assigned to scour the southern side of the city. Unfortunately, in these few hours they haven't found a clue yet.

"Uhh, Sir Lucian? If I may?" Erik bravely calls his superior.

The knight in question turned his head a little to glance at Erik. "What is it soldier?"

"As per Her Highness' orders. We were supposed to find clues about the whereabouts of these "Hooded Men." But we have been searching for hours and nothing still comes up." The soldier questions.

Lucian nods, as if agreeing. "Yes, two possibilities. Either they are good at concealing themselves, or that they don't exist at all." He answers.

"Then why are we still-?" Erik was interrupted.

"-Because the king is a wise man, he may be young but he is not the type of person to do things without proper reason." Lucian spoke in a menacing tone. "And the princess regent… you may not know this but behind that delicate curtain is a smart, calculating woman. If they did this, then there might be a good reason, so do as you are told. Understood?"

Erik felt the fierce loyalty behind Lucian's words. He gulps in nervousness before nodding. "Yes Sir." He spoke as they continue their search throughout the city. Erik's comrades patted his shoulder in pity.

A few minutes passed, the search has been as uneventful as the few hours. The soldiers were starting to doubt the men's existence. Sir Lucian remained as steadfast as ever.

"Sir Lu-!" A soldier tried to call before his mouth was covered by Lucian's hand.

"Quiet. We got something." The knight said, whispering. He waved his hand in the air, signaling the soldiers to hide behind the nearest alleyway.

The search squad peeked behind a corner, what they saw shocked some, and some excited. There were two people in black robes, the typical "cultist gettup" as one of the soldiers had put it. The group decided it is best to listen in.

One of the hooded men spoke. "Brother, is it really the best decision to flood that village? Rumors within the circle said that word of our exploits had reached far out of Shelston."

His comrade answered. "Dear brother. That is precisely our goal. Word about the great tree should spread. A few… sacrifices should be enough."

"B-but-!" The other one tried to object.

His "brother" laid a finger in his lips. "Shush it brother, salvation comes after the world's rebirth. The great tree would save us after the cleansing flood covers everything. We must save as much people as possible."

The other hesitated at first, but eventually gave in. "If you say so, brother."

"That is good." He patted his shoulder. "Then, we must continue our search for the other vessel. That puppet, the first seed has been successfully planted, now we must find the one with two faces, the renegade second seed."

The other nods as they walked out of the back alley.

Erik breathed a sigh of relief. Finally they found something. He turned his head to Sir Lucian, who was commanding the others to hurry to the rendezvous point, the inn at the north.

"Soldier, hurry up. The other squads are probably there." Lucian told Erik.

"Yes Sir." Erik spoke as he walked away from the alley.

Twenty minutes later

Sunspike Inn, the inn that the royal family practically bought as a temporary base. All of the deployed soldiers and knights were currently inside the establishment.

Sir Lucian interacted with one of his fellow knights. "Did you send the signal to Her Highness?"

His comrade responded. "Yes, her glass birds were patrolling with us, I sent the signal that you found something."

"Good." Lucian nods. "What about Count Delphi?"

"They're already there, we were told to await orders."

"Then let us wait."

Erik gulped. This might have been bigger than he expected.

Shirou and Illya

The pair successfully entered Delphi Mansion without much effort. With Illya's suggestion magecraft, they told the guard that they already had an appointment and that the Count is expecting them. They were guided to the Count's quarters afterwards.

'The servants seem to think that nothing is wrong.' Shirou remarked on how normal the servants are.

'Yeah, they even watered the dead plants outside. This is getting more ominous by the minute.' Illya answered. If the grail-like mana was not enough to make everything suspicious, then this will.

'We're near.' The read-head chimed. His sister nodding in response.

They were in front of the master's bedroom's doorstep. The servants told them that any business should be conducted inside his quarters as he is very ill. The pair opened the door as they were permitted to enter by the butler.

What they saw perplexed them, the room looks… normal. In front of them was the count sitting in his bed. Count Flavio Delphi of Shelston is a middle-aged man with orange hair and blue eyes, is his face was a neatly combed mustache. "Oh? I don't remember calling for anyone? Pray tell, young man. What is it that you need of me?"

Shirou hesitated after looking at the man. He seems… relatively normal compared to the utter dread that the outside enduces. His smile reminded Shirou of an old man that was a prisoner of war that he rescued in his first life. "Pardon our intrusion, Milord. But we are conducting an investigation under direct orders from the Royal Family." Shirou bowed. "We believe that you can help us."

The Count cupped his chin as he thought of the young man's statement. A few moments later, he spoke. "The Royal Family, you say? If that's the case, then I am glad to help. Please take a seat." He pointed at the chairs beside his bed.

Shirou sat down as Illya proceeded to take out a notepad from their briefcase.

"So, the two of you. What are your names?" The counts asks.

The royal duo looked at eachother and nods. "My name is Shirou, this young lady right here is Illyasviel." The king in disguise pointed at his sister, who curtsied as a sign of respect.

"Thank you. Now, ask away." The count said, awaiting to be questioned.

"Are you aware that one of your villages had burned down?" Illya started with a heavy question.

The Count's eyes widened. "No? I was not aware of that. If I am I would've sent my soldiers to investigate." He responds.

This made Shirou and Illya confused. Didn't Rupert report to Count Delphi about his village? "That is impossible, Milord. A villager that had lived in it had said that he came to you to ask for help about his village."

"Hm? Ah yes, his name was Rupert right? I already got the soldiers ready, you do not have to worry."

"Milord Delphi, didn't you just say-!?"

"You do not have to worry, everything is under control." The count repeated, almost robotically.

"Under control? I don't understand." Shirou was confused. Didn't the count just says that he has no idea about the village?

"Everything is- Ev- ev- Everything is-" Shirou smelled something foul, this is concerning him. Before he could-

*Crack!*

The Count's head snapped as if he is dead. This made Shirou order Illya to back away. "This is not good, Illyasviel, ready yourself!"

"Ev-every-thing- is UNDER CONTROL" At those last words, the scene around Shirou and Illya broke, as if a mirror getting cracked. The scene exploded in a bright light, making the pair shield their eyes in protection.

Moments later, they removed their hands from their eyes. The light had subsided, Illya look around to assess the situation. "EEEK!" Illya squealed when she saw what was in the bed of the count.

"What happened!?" Shirou asked no one in particular. What he saw shook him to his core, everything entering the count's manor had been an illusion, the room was now worn down, and the bed was unkempt. Everything looked abandoned, contrasting what it looked like when they first entered.

And the count that they were talking to, is just a dried corpse with a dagger in its chest. The corpse was naked and riddled with pins, there were symbols and circles etched in its dried body. "Shirou, look!" Illya pointed at the dagger.

Shirou approached the corpse with caution, a sword in his hand and three black keys in his other hand. The king looked at the corpse intently. Now he was sure of it. "These are… sigils."

"They must have used the body as an anchoring point for the illusion. It's efficient for sure… but I can't say that I approve of it." Illya spoke in a horrified tone. "But why?"

"Nevermind that, let's make sure that everyone is safe." Shirou told her sister. "Now, let's get ou-!" He had sensed something, something ominous coming their way. "To the door, Illya!" He shouted as he projected Kanshou and Bakuya. He pushed his sister and readied his swords for a collision.

*Clang!*

A loud noise of clashing steel was heard. Shirou parried the coming weapon, pinning him down to the wall. He looked closely to his assailant. The person was- almost made in shadow, wielding a spear. Shirou's heart almost palpitated when he recognized the shadow person's silhouette. That bloodlust that he smelled from the spear, the aggression that he felt when deflecting. It's unfortunately all too familiar.

"Lan…cer?"

He was unfortunately right.

A/N: Dun dun dun! Who could it be!? Well just a word of caution, not a servant… At least in the conventional sense. You're free to speculate.

In this chapter. I actually emphasized Shirou's broken nature. His dream of being a hero and his desire to meet Saber again is not something that he gives up easily.

For context. There was this x-over fic in Wattpad, God bless its soulless cashgrab. Where after one battle, without build up, just came out of nowhere, Shirou just said "I don't want to be a hero anymore, I don't think it's worth it." Which is stupid because of how easy it happened. That dream-that obsession is Shirou Emiya's whole being, if you change that, make it so because of a VERY significant reason. But there, he just gave up out of nowhere after one fight, and it was not even that intense!

Rant over, TM out!