Fate Alternative T Chapter 11, E rank luck, a fate/stay night fanfic

Disclaimer: FATE does not belong to me, all its history and characters belong to Type-Moon.

Fate Alternative (ENG), Chapter 11 E Rank Luck.

Once again, Shirou woke up at the same time, and, luckily, he didn't have strange dreams this time, so he repeated the same routine: he got up, washed up, and started preparing breakfast. Soon, he heard his partner wake up...

"Uhhh, is it morning yet?"

"Yes, after you get ready, can you go and see if we have anything in the mailbox? Also take the opportunity to pick up the newspaper, please."

She nodded, "What are we having for breakfast?"

"It will be a classic American breakfast, we have already tried the European and the Asian, so this will help us change things a bit."

She nodded, "When you have vacations, we will go to the Arab countries so you can learn gastronomy there too, more variety is always good."

"We can't travel to a different country just so I can learn how to make you a different kind of breakfast," replied the incredulous boy.

The Princess laughed, "Who said we would only go for that? There are many relics in those countries, you might learn a thing or two."

He knew that this was just a way of tempting him, but that didn't mean it wasn't true, "Well… I guess if we get the chance…"

She smiled, "Well if nothing prevents us, the next vacation will be in the Arab countries!"

He sighed and gave her a resigned smile, he doubted that said vacation would happen, but if it did, he would not refuse. He could learn a lot from those parts of the world.

Shirou stayed behind making breakfast while Altrouge left the apartment to check the mailbox, and after a while, his partner returned, bringing some things with her. She seemed pretty serious and curious about whatever she was reading.

"Is it the newspaper?"

She nodded.

"There is something wrong?"

She passed him the newspaper, "Judge for yourself."

Shirou took the newspaper and read it, the news was varied, but some specific ones caught his attention.

The expansion of the particle called Grain was slow but steady, and the death rate it was causing increased every day, and those who survived it ended up with mutations that, sooner or later, ended their lives.

"Grain... where did it come from?" he murmured.

"Where did everything that dwells in this world come from, Shirou…" Altrouge replied.

He looked at her strangely, "What do you mean?"

"Grain, that is the name that humans have given it nowadays, but its true nature is something that magi will find out sooner or later."

"And that nature is...?" the boy asked.

She smiled as if she were a little girl keeping an important secret, one of those secrets held until the grave, "Ether."

"What? But that doesn't make sense. Ether is amorphous and unable to materialize by its own power, so it can't take physical form and start mutating living things like a toxin."

The Princess nodded, "That's right, but we're not talking about the current ether, we're talking about the Pure Ether."

"Pure Ether?"

"The ether is, in fact, the base component of all celestial bodies. I will give you an example, and do not take it literally: let's take the planet as if it were the body of a human being, then the current ether is as diluted blood, it is weak, and human beings use it to strengthen their magecraft and also it doesn't do any harm to them, then we have the True Ether, it existed in the Age of Gods, if the current ether is blood diluted, the True Ether is blood in its natural state, the humans of that time lived with it, just as the present humans live with the current ether, although of course, the current humans cannot survive surrounded by the True Ether."

"I think I get it, then Pure Ether would be something like concentrated blood, and it must have existed before humanity existed… and that's why it's toxic to current humans, right…?"

"Jackpot. Now you know why it kills every living being. Neither humanity nor almost any current living being is prepared to live together with Pure Ether."

"But…. why did it appear now?"

She lowered her gaze, "Tell me, Shirou, where do you draw blood from a body…?"

"Hmn? From a wou-" Shirou widened his eyes, "don't tell me… the Aylesbury Ritual in 1970?"

She nodded, "The planet had already suffered a great degradation, and the Aylesbury Ritual was the final blow it took to open the wound, and thus the blood began to flow." Altrouge lowered her gaze so much to the point where her hair covered her face, so he couldn't see what expression she had at that moment.

Without thinking twice, Shirou placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, "Don't blame yourself for everything. You didn't know that the ritual would cause all this mess, and besides, it wasn't just you; there were also other apostles in the place, right?"

"Yes, but one thing doesn't take away from the other. I have to clean up my mess…"

"Well, that's what we're preparing for, and considering that, out of those who were present at the time, you're the only one who's trying to do something, I think you're pretty good compared to the others."

His words made the girl feel a bit embarrassed. "What are you talking about, idiot!? You may see me like this now, but I was born to rule or destroy humans to keep the planet safe. I have destroyed countless members of your kind, so to me, humans are nothing more than walking sacks of blood..."

Although a bit shocked at first, he still replied, "That may be so, but despite that, you're working with one of these walking blood sacks to protect the planet, aren't you?"

"I guess…"

"Well, at least in my eyes, that makes you better than most members of your kind."

She clicked her tongue, "You're too naive, you know?"

He smiled, "I'd rather say I'm an optimist."

"Idiot would be a better word to describe you."

They both finished eating, and Shirou got up from the table to wash the dishes.

"Wait, look at the bottom of the front page," the girl said.

"Hmn? This is…! Isn't this the place where Type Mercury is!?"

"That's right, this is worrying."

Shirou nodded. What he was seeing was a crystal area that had assimilated the original area, transforming it into a surreal place, and although it was undoubtedly beautiful, it was also horrible at the same time, for it was as if all life had been stripped away of its logic and transformed into something totally different. The news camouflaged the place as one of the places affected by the Grain particle, and the newspaper warned that it should not be entered under any circumstances.

The newspaper showed some images of what the crystal valley should look like.

"The crystal area increases with the simple movement of ORT, and the fact that it increases, even if it's slowly, is really worrying," said Altrouge.

"Do you think that…"

"No, not yet, but it will wake up sooner or later, and we must be ready to face it."

"I understand."

Then she pulled out another thing, "I also want you to be ready to travel in a few weeks."

"Hmm, what is this?" asked the redhead with a letter in his hands.

"The letter came along with a couple of invitations, they are for the Rail Zeppelin."

"The train that collects mystic eyes? How did you get an invitation to that place?"

She looked at him in surprise, "Don't you know?"

"What?"

"Rail Zeppelin is managed by a dead apostle."

"Seriously?"

Altrouge nodded, "Rita Rozay-en, she is the 15th of the ancestors. Although, as far as I know, she ran away after a battle with Touko Aozaki."

"Red?"

Altrouge nodded.

"Number 15… Is she a friend of yours?"

She shook her head, "Not especially. She's a typical upper-class vampire with a taste for art. She's arrogant and usually does as she pleases, she also has a strange friendship with Sumire, and it seems like they've sworn to die for each other's hands."

"Sumire?"

"Another of the 27."

"What do you think she wants?"

She put her hand to her chin, "Hmm… well, it could be anything. She has a twisted personality and is never content to complete what she sets out to do, but luckily she doesn't seem to know where I am since the letter is not signed by Rita but by old Kaleido, who wants us to go and let him know if something strange happens inside the train."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, but if it's Kaleido, it'll definitely be troublesome." Then Altrouge sighed, "And yet we have to accept since it's important."

"Why...?"

"What do you know about mystic eyes?"

"Hmm... Only what the teacher has told us in class:

Mystic eyes are a type of special eyes, as they grant the power to interfere with the outside world, and as I understand it, the acquisition of mystic eyes occurs when there is some kind of mutation in the magic circuits located in the area around the eyes, and it's can also be created artificially through a process similar to forging a magical crest; however, I believe that only the mystical eyes of Binding, Charming and Whispering can be produced in this way," Shirou then made a contemplative nod, "on the other hand, innate mystic eyes are rare, but they are said to be powerful enough to intervene in fate itself. Also, mystic eyes often work as one-action spells, making them hard to predict and dodge."

"Anything else...?" Altrouge asked.

"Hmm... these also have ranks: Less powerful mystic eyes glow red or green, and powerful eyes are said to glow gold, while those with the realm of gods-reaching powers have a multicolored shine, as is the case of the jeweled ones and also of the most powerful eyes, the rainbows."

"Exactly, and, based on the information Kaleido has given us, a pair of Rainbow rank mystic eyes are going to be auctioned, and if this information is correct, then I need to obtain them."

"Are they that important?"

Altrouge nodded, "Actually, I think your bad luck is absorbing mine because I never thought it possible to run into mystic eyes with these abilities. My luck really must be at its peak."

The boy snorted, "Well, I'm glad to be of help." With that said, Shirou got ready for his classes, and seeing that his classmate wasn't getting ready, he asked her, "aren't you coming today?"

The Princess shook her head, "No, my impulses are a little high today, so I'll sleep to shut them up."

"I understand, see you later then."

So it was just as he intuited: the example of her treating the aether like blood, along with her earlier little outburst, were all caused by her vampiric impulses. Knowing this, Shirou decided that when he returned from class, he would give her some of his blood as payment for her help.

"By the way, take it, it's for you."

"Another letter?"

The Princess nodded before lying down, "It has no signature."

Shirou opened it and read its content:

Dear little brother,

These words confused and made Shirou nervous. The word little brother was crudely written and underlined several times.

Receive a cordial greeting from me, your dear sister, Illyasviel von Einzbern.

It was only enough to read that name to put the boy on alert.

I was really shocked to hear about you from old man Musik. I mean: why would the little brother who stole Kiritsugu from me have the audacity to use me as an alibi? When I first heard about it, I got pretty angry and, in fact, for a moment, I thought about sending some of our homunculi to take your head.

These words chilled his bones.

But then my curiosity got the better of my anger, and I asked myself: Why? Why now? Why does the person who stopped Kiritsugu from coming back for me treat me like we're brotherly? I don't get it... and, that's why I'm writing to you this letter...

That's why I decided to support your lies before old Musik, although, unfortunately, grandpa didn't like the things you said we did, and he punished me for them; however, that doesn't matter now.

So, little brother, I hope you will be kind enough to answer me. Otherwise, I will be forced to take measures to protect the Einzbern surname.

That said, in about two weeks, Grandpa will send a group of homunculi to the Clock Tower. One of them will be one of my maids, she will be waiting for you that day in front of the main building facility, early in the morning, her name is Sella, give your answer only to her, and to no other homunculus, otherwise, grandpa will find out, and none of us want that, right?"

I look forward to your response.

Signed: Your dear sister, Illyasviel von Einzbern.

Shirou took a deep breath. The fact that his older sister considered killing him chilled his bones. He could deal with certain powerful enemies, thanks to the weapons he possessed, but an attack from various homunculi created solely for battle was something he didn't want to face. If he had to fight one or two homunculi, there would be no problem, but facing an entire squad would be insane.

However, it seemed that luck was on his side: Old Einzbern had no idea about this letter, which meant that he could communicate with Illya without him getting in the way, and after reading the letter, he realized that some things he and Kiritsugu had feared had come true: Illya had been lied to, told that his old man hadn't tried to come back for her, however, with these letters, he could make her see the truth.

And, speaking of Kiritsugu, his father had told him that he would write to him when he got to the city, which worried him well even though he had already simulated the conversation several times in his head; his nervousness didn't seem to go away. Besides, the redhead had realized something that was both important and worrying and that, obviously, he hadn't taken into account until now: his father didn't know anything about Altrouge.

Shirou hadn't taken Altrouge into account because, to begin with, he really wasn't entirely sure if he would see the ancestor again. And secondly, he also knew of the path his father had taken earlier, along with the regret he carried because of it. So, how the hell was he going to tell the man whose dream was to become a hero, an ally of justice, who sacrificed his life and part of his family for the sake of many people, how he was going to tell him that now his goal had become saving the world.

His dream was not to become a hero, but to help Altrouge and to be able to create the sword that releases from fate, but maybe have to become one, or at least try, to achieve his goals.

Also, he had another problem, should he tell him about the true nature of Altrouge and Fou? The logical answer was clear: No. But wouldn't he be doing the same thing as his father? He would be keeping secrets from him.

With these doubts, he left his room and walked through the facilities of the Faculty of Creation. After getting out of it, he used a bus stop and headed towards the central building of the Clock Tower. Fortunately, there were no major accidents in his class, although there were some relevant events.

In his General Fundamentals class…

"Is something wrong, Shirou-kun?"

The one who was speaking to him was Ayaka Sajyou, who was also his partner in practically all the assignments in the General Foundations class. Both he and Ayaka were excluded from the group for various reasons, one of which was their ancestry, and in his particular case, also for the acts committed by his father and those recently committed by himself. Finally, neither of them was a hugely skilled magus, so they were marginalized by the rest of the class. If they had been alone, they would probably have to leave the section and move to another, but thanks to being together, they didn't mind so much. Both supported each other, and in addition, Lord Trambellio was permissive to both, allowing them to do the work as a couple that had to be solved by larger groups, which, although many were happy for not having to team up with the duo, angered others because it showed the tutor's favoritism.

Still, it's not like his peers could say much, as the Democratic Faction prized achievement before anything else, and Shirou had recently been involved in Gurdoa's capture and in solving the Marbury Workshop case. And both cases could have endangered the existence of the World of Magecraft. In short, they could deny him, but they couldn't deny his achievements, which was why they couldn't complain much.

As for Ayaka, since they had worked together for so long, they both ended up abandoning most of the formalities. He called her Ayaka, and she referred to him as Shirou-kun. He still hadn't gotten her to drop the honorific, but it was good progress compared to when they'd first met.

"Look, Ayaka, there…" the boy said as he pointed to a leyline on the map that the Faculty of Astromancy had created.

"That leyline?" the girl asked.

He nodded, "It's the same leyline that sits below Marbury Workshop. Before, it was able to power the entire workshop with magical energy with ease, but now…"

"Now that you mention it, it's weakened a lot. Was it from the abusive use of the workshop?"

"Perhaps…" Shirou said that, however, what he thought was very different: If what they told me is true, a portal to the Reverse Side of the World arose in that place, just like in the abbey. Apparently, in places where a portal arises, and after fulfilling its function, the leylines lose an enormous amount of strength. Over time it has become more difficult to get to the other side, and it seems that the cost of doing so is the weakening of the leylines. Furthermore, this phenomenon is not something that has only recently begun to happen; but rather has been going on for nearly three decades. 1970... really was the year that the fate of our world was sealed.

"Are you okay?" his partner asked concerned, "did I mismeasure the strength of the leyline?"

"No, don't worry, you measured everything correctly. In fact, you've improved a lot in the last few months, at least much more than me. Maybe you just needed someone to guide you."

Ayaka was slightly embarrassed by the compliments and quickly denied them, "I-It's nothing out of the ordinary."

"But still, you've improved a lot. And you're really good with Formalcraft."

"W-Well, thanks." The next thing she said surprised the boy a bit, "I'm not like my sister, but I'm glad I'm improving."

Unsure, he asked, "Your sister?"

"Yes." With an awkward smile and a slightly depressed expression, Ayaka said, "My older sister was a prodigy never seen before, I'm really not up to her heels, but I'll try my best to improve as much as I can."

Shirou decided not to ask anymore since it was clear that the subject made Ayaka depressed. But two things stood out to him: Ayaka referred to her sister in the past tense, and, strangest of all, was there some law in the Magecraft World that said if you had a sister senior, she must be an incredible prodigy never seen before? The same thing happened with Caules and, now that he thought about it, weren't Rin and Luvia older sisters too? Wasn't Red also an older sister?

"Shirou…?"

"Huh?"

"You got spaced out again…"

Scratching his head, he apologized. Thus ended his first class, and he continued to the next ones. And on the other hand, the rest of his classes were no different from usual, except for the last of these.

Now that he thought about it, he was happy for Caules. Apparently, during their stay at Marbury Workshop, his friend had formed a contract with a black dog, one of the dogs in the Wild Hunt pack. The black dog was not an especially powerful familiar; however, for Caules, who could only contract with small familiars before receiving the family crest, the contract with his new familiar was a good achievement. Also, the fact that they both used electricity as a medium helped with their compatibility. In a certain way, this reassured him since he wanted to help Caules, but helping him in an obvious way would end up being counterproductive because it was likely that the brunette would see it as his achievement and not as his own. The fact that he had managed it only with Sieg's help helped remove that doubt.

After his other classes, and therefore after putting up with Shinji's attitude and dealing with the clashes between Rin and Luvia, the redhead made it to his penultimate class.

For better or worse, Shirou did not participate in the self-defense class, his penultimate class, and the reason was that no one wanted to face the son of the magus killer who had injured one of the Princesses of the True Ancestors, so during self-defense class hours, Shirou would try to reserve another room to train on his own, at least when they were free because they were usually busy, when he couldn't, he just took care of other things.

Arriving at the reserved room, he prepared a target and projected his bow. In one of his hands, he held an 'arrow' although it was really a sword twisted to the point where it could be streamlined enough to be considered an arrow. The change from the eastern to the western style of archery had been more complicated than he had imagined, as he had to make several changes, from changing his posture to things a bit more spiritual. In Kyūdō, whether the arrow hit its target didn't really matter, it was a path of self-discovery with each shot, and they required mental and spiritual preparation before each one; however, ironically, when he practiced with Taiga, his arrows always hit the target. In Western archery, the only that mattered was that his arrow hit the objective, and considering his situation, that was what he needed.

With that said, Shirou fired the first "arrow" and then clicked his tongue, as it had deviated slightly to the right, so he would have to make its shape even more streamlined. It seemed like this was going to take time...

…

After practice, Shirou headed to his last class. At first, everything was going well, but it was evident that his teacher was not in a good mood because he literally did a wrestling hold on his partner just because he had a failure in the materials necessary to build a bounded field.

"Hey, Gray…" the boy whispered.

"Yes?" she answered quietly.

"Is something wrong with the teacher?"

The grave keeper lowered her gaze slightly, wondering if she should tell him what she knew, but finally, she relented, "Well, you see..."

She told him that the letter that he had given to their teacher after receiving a big scolding from him contained a small piece of cloth, and it was not just any cloth but was a small part of the catalyst that their teacher had used to summon Iskandar in the previous Holy Grail War. When everyone had returned from the Marbury Workshop, they discovered that the Lord's office and apartment were in complete disarray, the bounding fields and barriers could not stop the thief, and the catalyst was no longer in it. In the letter, they invited the Lord to recover the cloth, and in addition to the piece of catalyst, there were also invitations for the Rail Zeppelin.

"And that is what happened. Ever since then, the Sir has been worried and restless."

"The Rail Zeppelin again…"

"Do you know anything besides what we have been taught?" the girl asked curiously.

Shirou nodded, "Yeah, apparently it's run by one of the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors, and she disappeared after facing off against Red."

"Red? Do you mean Miss Touko?"

Shirou nodded.

His words made Gray think…

"Now that I remember, you were up against Red during the Iselma Twin Princesses case, right?"

She nodded, "Svin, Flat, and I faced her while being backed up by Lady Reines and the Sir," Gray whispered as if afraid of something besides the professor's anger.

Interested, he asked, "If you had to define in a few words the impression she gave you, what would they be?"

For a moment, Gray remembered, when she had confronted her in the Iselma Princesses reunion, Touko's expression before unleashing that hideous monster, "Freedom and…" then she remembered the look of her body breaking apart and transforming into that creature, "terror."

Shirou was surprised to see Gray's expression as, since he met her, he had never seen her so terrified. He knew that Red was a prodigy and a monster without a doubt, but to leave that impression on his mate… Who the hell was Red really?

He held her shoulder, trying to reassure her, "You're amazing, Gray…"

"Huh?"

Shirou smiled, "You, Flat, Svin, the professor, and Lady Reines, are. Among the magi, Aozaki Touko is one of the most dangerous in our world. Surviving a match against her is not something that many can affirm."

"Thanks. Though… if I'm honest, I think she let us live. I'm sure she could have finished us off if she wanted to."

"You're probably right, but it's still amazing because it's not for nothing that Red was the one who put the dead apostle who ran the Rail Zeppelin to flight."

"Seriously?"

Shirou nodded, "Rita Rozay-en, she is the 15th of the ancestors, as well as the person who manages the Rail Zeppelin; however, no one has seen her properly since her battle against Aozaki. Really Red is someone amazing to have accomplished something like that."

"Hmn?" Gray cocked her head and smiled slightly, "But didn't you do something like that too? You managed to fight and wound number nine of the Dead Apostles Ancestors."

He quickly replied, "No, no, no!" And due to the speed of his response, he forgot to keep his voice down, "What I did was similar to what happened to you with Red. I just got out of there alive because Altrouge left me."

"But according to you, that's still amazing, isn't it...?"

Shirou sighed in defeat, "Touché."

Suddenly, a piece of chalk flew up and hit Gray on the forehead, Shirou turned around, and the first thing he saw was his teacher's hand coming down towards his face. Suddenly, it was he who had a grip of steel on his head.

"If my class is boring and your conversation is so funny, both can get out of the classroom!" Waver said as he held the boy's head tightly.

"S-Sorry professor, w-we won't do it again," said the boy.

"Excuse me, Sir," Gray said.

"Focus from now on!" he scolded them after letting go of the redhead's head.

"We'd better not talk until class is over…" Gray said.

"Yes," Shirou replied as he turned off his cell phone to make sure that no noise would arouse his teacher's anger again.

In the distance, he could see how Flat made gestures to him, thanking him because the young Lord had released him to go after them. With a wry smile, he gave a thumbs up.

…

Classes ended, and he met up with Rin so they could go test the Jeweled Sword Prototype.

"Ready to try it out?" asked the redhead.

Rin nodded with a bright smile, "Of course."

The two went to one of the smaller rooms and prepared to test the sword.

"Shirou, before we start, there's something I need to ask you," Rin said after they both had reached the room. "It's something I've wanted to ask you for a long time, but until today I couldn't."

He looked at her curiously, "What?"

"Remember when we talked about the Holy Grail War, just before the holidays?"

Shirou nodded, it was just before his father introduced himself in the class.

"At that time, I prevented you from finding out more about the war, but now that I know who your father is, I have to ask you," Rin took a light breath, "my father, the former head of the Tohsaka family, also participated in that ritual…"

Her words didn't surprise Shirou, as he knew that a member of the Tohsaka family must have participated in the ritual. Considering that magi families generally had few members, usually limited to three people, and knowing that Rin's mother was alive but did not meddle in magus affairs, it should be her father who participated in the ritual. In addition, she had said that she had tutors who were in charge of her education, and in the Magecraft World, that was strange since usually the teachings were passed down from parents to children.

"Rin, if your father participated… don't tell me he…"

Rin nodded seriously, "That's right, he died in that ritual. What I want to know is if it was your father who killed him."

Shirou was silent since he didn't know how to answer. If we're talking about Kiritsugu... The boy's hands were shaking because the more he thought about it, the more it seemed possible, and the fact that his father had murdered her friend's father was something he...

"Shirou, don't worry, I won't hold a grudge against you…" said the girl who, to his surprise, was quite calm.

"Huh?" he exclaimed in surprise.

Rin sighed, "My father participated in that war by his own choice, and he knew that he could die at any time, meaning no one forced him, and a magus is bound to walk with death. What I mean is, even if your father was the cause of his death, or if it was caused by another magus, it was just part of the ritual, so complaining or trying to take revenge would be the attitude of an immature child and not a true magus. Also, this is why the Lord Sophia-Ri has not acted against you directly, despite knowing that your father was to blame for his daughter's death."

"Rin, you really are…"

"Don't say it, it's something natural for the heiress of the Tohsaka family," she answered proudly.

She could say that, but, in his eyes, it only made her more impressive. Not because she behaved properly like a magus, but because, even if she was good at faking it, Shirou could tell that Rin was hurt by her father's death, and despite that, she was willing to hold no grudge against him, neither as a magus nor as a friend.

Shirou tried to act serious and calm, if she was trying her best to stay in control, so would he, "I really don't know."

"Huh?" she exclaimed confused.

"It was only a few months ago that I learned that my father participated as a Master in the war, I did know that he had killed the daughter of the Dean of Evocation, and later I also learned of his involvement in the death of the previous Lord El-Melloi, but, he never told me what happened during the war, in fact, he didn't even tell me that he participated in the first place..."

"But why…?"

"Remember when I explained how I ended up an orphan, Rin?"

She nodded, "Yes, you told me it was the Fuyuki Fire, that fire was caused at the end of the holy grail war," at that moment, Rin understood, "Do you think he caused it!? "

"I don't know. None of the people I've asked know what caused the fire at the end of the war, so it's something I want to ask him; however, it's been a few months since Kiritsugu left on a mission in the Middle East, and since then I haven't been able to contact him."

"I understand." Rin then took a deep breath and tried to resume her usual attitude, "Good! In that case, who caused the fire and who caused my father's death is something we will have to find out, can put it as our second secret project," afterward, she smiled, "thank you for being honest with me."

"It's the least I could do," he answered, attempting to act like he usually did.

Having said this, Rin took out a short sword from her bag. It was whitish, along with a grayish edge, and its entire blade was made of a crystalline alloy formed by the mixture of various jewels.

"Are you sure you want to try it yourself?" Shirou asked concerned.

Rin nodded, "It's the task my family was given, after all."

"I understand, but if it shows any glitch or lack of control, make sure you throw it away."

"Don't worry, it's just a prototype."

Rin transmitted her Od towards the sword to activate the magic square. The blade began to shine, soon, the magic square slowly began to work, and suddenly, the effect of the magic circle became present: the phenomenon of multidimensional refraction, this slightly opened an opening in space, connecting two different worlds, and the magical energy from the parallel world began to be drawn to where they were.

"Shirou, it works! It's working!"

Although Shirou was also excited, as he looked at the whole experiment from the outside, he noticed that the magical energy began to fluctuate slightly.

"Rin! The magical energy is rising too fast!"

"Huh?" Rin watched as the magic square absorbed more energy than the sword could handle, as the opening collapsed in on itself.

She tried to deactivate the magic square, but the magical energy was already too much. Having nothing else to do, she threw the sword, and it released the magical energy channeled into the blade, shot out in a stream of blinding light that crashed into a wall and exploded, shaking the entire place and destroying the sword on its whole. The magical energy destroyed half of the room, wiping out the barriers surrounding it.

"Shirou…"

"Yes?"

"I think we sometimes forget that we're building a weapon that was used to create a limitless aether cannon capable of turning back a mirror image of the Moon. I think... maybe we should be more careful."

They both heard how the door of the room opened, and through it, several teachers entered, followed by many curious students.

Seeing the look on his teachers' faces, the redhead said, "I think you're right, and I also think that the first thing we should do is find a private place where we won't disturb anyone."

That day the scoldings were not lacking...

By the time the scoldings were over, they had somehow ended up in Lord El-Melloi's office. Rin had been scolded by the Dean of the Faculty of Mineralogy, and Shirou by the Dean of the Faculty of Creation, since they were both enrolled in both Faculties. In turn, they both ended up being scolded by Lord El-Melloi for the same reason.

The young Lord had finished with him a few minutes ago, and now it was Rin's turn. Meanwhile, he was waiting for her outside the office.

"What were you supposed to be trying to accomplish?" asked, to his surprise, Princess El-Melloi.

Not that the two didn't get along specifically, but it seemed that Lady El-Melloi was always cautious when it came to talking with him, and he didn't blame her, for his father had killed her uncle, although, for some reason unknown to him, she called him brother. In other words, she only related to him when it was necessary; however, lately, she seemed to be a little less on guard.

Shirou sighed, "We were trying to recreate an ancient mystic code. But we didn't foresee how dangerous it could be."

"Well, you and Rin destroyed half the room, shook the entire building, and took down several barriers, so I highly doubt you'll be allowed to test it inside the facility again," Reines then smirked, "I'm surprised neither of you could have foreseen this outcome."

"The excitement got the better of us, I guess…"

Seeing that the Lord's scolding was going to take a long time, Shirou took out a small box from his backpack.

"What's that?" The Lady asked curiously.

"Something tells me this may take a while, so I'll take the opportunity to test this…"

"Sweets?" asked Gray, who had been silent along with the other two in the hallway.

"Yes, I tried to replicate the sweets we tried last time. Do you want to try them?"

And although Reines hesitated to take any, Gray remembered what Altrouge and Rin said, so her curiosity overcame whatever other thought. She took it and, suddenly, her expression changed to one of pure happiness. Seeing this, Reines decided to take one as well.

Lord El-Melloi II finished scolding his other student, opened the door to his office, and was ready to give them one last scolding before letting them go. Although he was concerned that he hadn't managed to get either of them to confess what mystic code they were trying to replicate, the only thing had managed to figure out was that it must be an absurdly powerful one.

However, when he left his office accompanied by Rin, he saw something strange. There they were: his sister, his apprentice, and his student, as well as Trimmau, who had turned into a table, and on top of it was a tray of sweets with some cups of tea. Were they having a tea party in the middle of the hall?

Seeing her brother, Reines smiled and approached him, "Brother, try them. They are really delicious."

Although Reines was a teenager, she usually acted like a young Lady a little older than her actual age, so seeing her act like a girl her age was, while not entirely strange, quite curious.

"A candy?"

Waver took the candy and tasted it, and since that day, he wondered what kind of mystery his student had to allow him to cook such exquisite things. Something similar to the mystic eyes of charm, but in his hands? He didn't know, but he was going to find out.

Shirou finished his business and headed to his apartment, as he needed to rest from everything that had happened and make sure Altrouge was alright.

The young apprentice magus arrived at his apartment to see a bundle wrapped in sheets on top of his bed. He couldn't help but smile a little, it was as if she was trying to get away from the sun, and he would understand if she was nothing more than a ghoul or a simple dead, but she was one of the Princesses of the True Ancestors, something like sunlight wouldn't do her any harm.

"Are you okay, Altrouge?" the boy asked.

She got up, almost like she was the living dead, which, technically, she wasn't, or at least, not quite, "Yeah, only… well, I need to rest a bit more. Maybe I'll fall asleep for a few days."

He sighed, was it that hard for her to ask him to help her by giving her his blood? He didn't particularly mind doing it.

Dead apostles who can measure their lives at more than a millennium require a colossal amount of energy, this surprisingly has nothing to do with their strength but is simply the compensation required to sustain such a long life. However, since Altrouge wasn't just a dead apostle, she was also a true ancestor, beings very close to immortality who generally won't die unless they are isolated from the world or placed in places where they are unable to absorb mana from the environment, that the amount of blood Altrouge needed to survive depended heavily on the environment around her. London had excellent thaumaturgical lines, so she didn't need a lot of blood, instead, it was her vampiric impulses that forced her to suck blood.

And, although she hardly needed to suck blood, all months, someone, probably members of her faction, sent her a decent number of blood packets. As long as the Mage Marshal found his association with the Princess interesting, he would help them, so no one knew about these deliveries.

He unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his neck, and walked over to the bed.

"What are you doing, idiot?"

"I'm going to give you some of my blood, that will calm you down, won't it?"

Altrouge gulped as she looked at her contractor's neck, "F-Fool, it's not about the blood, i-it's my impulses."

"I know, but Avalon should be able to regenerate enough blood that you'll eventually be satiated. Just try not to drink faster than the sheath can regenerate it, and also remember that unless Gray is around, it has a limit according to the amount of mana it currently has. And also be careful with its holy aura because it might do some damage to you."

"A-Are you sure?" she said licking her lips and slowly approaching.

"Yes, it's my way of thanking you for helping me."

Shirou lay down like when Altrouge had tried to teach him to read the environment, and in the same way, she got on top of him. Now that they were face to face, the boy realized how embarrassing the whole situation was since his partner was not only almost famished, but she was hyperventilating, flushed, and sweating slightly, almost as if she had a fever. He didn't know if it was because of excitement, or because it was her body's way of letting her know that she needed food to maintain her functions. And the fact that he had half of his body exposed from her and that she dressed in a fine silk nightgown didn't help make the situation any calmer.

Shirou turned his head to the side allowing her easy access, "Well, take as much as you want."

"B-Bon Appetit," Altrouge lay down on top of her contractor and hugged his neck, and, with a swift bite, her fangs pierced his flesh, beginning to suck up the precious liquid she had longed for.

They stayed like that for a few minutes...

Shirou was really uncomfortable as he could almost completely feel Altrouge's body and, although he wanted to act maturely, couldn't help but react to the stimuli he was receiving.

It was really strange… the feeling of having your blood sucked was totally unpleasant, as it felt like your whole life was being liquified and then sucked out with a straw. However, at the same time, he was also feeling Altrouge's body heat, as well as her attributes and other parts of her body, which caused a clash of stimuli between an unpleasant and harmful one and an exciting and addictive one, so he squirmed slightly as his body reacted to the stimulation.

His mate, on the other hand, didn't seem to care in the least how much he squirmed, she just released a bit of her first form's power and clung to him tighter, bringing their bodies even closer together than they already were, if that was even possible.

At that time, Shirou couldn't think of anything. The redhead felt as if he had lost his reasoning ability in a thick fog. He could not concretize any thought nor react to any other stimulus that was not one of those that his partner was causing him.

Maybe that's why he didn't hear the sound of his apartment door opening...

"Shirou…? Are you here!? I've been calling you, but you don't answer."

The boy heard his name and, for an instant, all his senses activated to their limits, that voice did not belong to Altrouge, and the only person besides him and her who had a copy of the keys to his apartment was...

"Kiritsugu?" Indeed, the person in front of the door was his adoptive father.

"Shirou…?" said the freelancer confused and surprised to see the situation.

"Kiritsugu?" the Princess whispered, she tried to separate from him, but he immediately pulled her closer to his body, preventing her from turning around.

What would he say to his father if he saw Altrouge with blood running down her lips? His blood, to be specific!

"OLD MAN, COME OUT FOR A MOMENT!" the desperate boy yelled.

Though slightly dazed by the situation, Kiritsugu reacted, "Eh? Oh! Yes! Eh… I'll wait for you outside!" he said before he left, closing the door with a loud bang.

Shirou finally let Altrouge go, now he was the one who wanted to get under the covers and never come out.

"Hmn… so that was your father." Altrouge wiped the blood from her lips, "He walked in without making much of a sound really is an experienced killer. Both are an interesting combination, you know?"

"…"

"Shirou? What's wrong with you? It's not like death has knocked on your door or something," she asked seeing his grim appearance.

"What do you mean 'what's wrong with me?'?" he whispered, "How am I supposed to explain all this to him!?"

Shirou looked like he was going to have a fit, but ironically, Altrouge didn't seem to care in the least, "Don't worry, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. From his point of view, you had a beautiful girl on top of you kissing your neck."

"And that's not bad enough!?"

Seeing the boy's desperate expression, she decided to take charge. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Altrouge said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of this."

"Are you serious?" the boy asked hopefully.

She nodded.

And on the other hand…

Kiritsugu had just left the room. He was still a bit stunned by what he had just seen. For him, hunting magi and doing what he had to do to take their lives was an everyday thing, but that was because he was used to it, so even though what he had just seen was much more ordinary than his usual lifestyle, his unpreparedness was the cause of his reaction.

Kiritsugu knew that Shirou was a "normal" teenager and that he should be going through that age right now and didn't feel in the position to lecture him on relationships either, considering his few romantic relationships and that his closest romantic relationship was with Iri, who she wasn't exactly the most mature person he'd ever met.

But there was one thing he had to make sure of: if the girl was a magus, which was most likely, Kiritsugu had to make sure that she didn't mean any harm to his son. Even if he trusted Shirou, he couldn't deny that the redhead was sometimes too naive. Fortunately, the environment of the Clock Tower had helped a bit with that, but he still wasn't suspicious enough of the rest of the mages, who only acted if there was some gain to be made.

The door opened slowly, and his son peeked out the other side. It was clear that he was nervous, and Kiritsugu decided to do his best to make this not so awkward for Shirou and the girl, well, no more than he wanted it to be.

"Come in…" the boy said almost in a whisper.

Kiritsugu entered the room, there was the girl already dressed in a more presentable way, and he sat in front of her...

Shirou, for his part, sat next to Altrouge, "Old man, she's-"

"Wait, Shirou, let me introduce myself," interrupted the Princess.

He looked at her worriedly but finally agreed.

"My name is Crimson Rouge, and I am the girl who has lived, eaten, and slept in the same bed with your son for several months now. Nice to finally meet you!" she said with an innocent smile.

"…"

Altrouge turned to the side and saw the emotionless face of the magus killer, then turned to her partner, he had his head down, and his hands covered his face, so playing dumb and holding back a laugh, she asked, "Did I say something wrong?"

"Was… DID YOU REALLY NEED TO SAY THAT, ROUGE!?" Shirou was not someone who lost control easily, but this situation totally overwhelmed him.

"But I haven't told any lies, have I?"

"W-Well, no, but…"

She nodded, "Exactly, don't you think it would be bad to introduce myself, forgetting everything that has happened between us?"

"I-I guess…"

"So what is the problem?" she asked innocently.

"You should have said it with a little more subtlety!"

Altrouge pouted, "Moouuu, I prefer the direct approach."

As the two of them interacted, Kiritsugu couldn't help but think that this girl was similar to Irisviel in terms of the nonsense she could say out of her innocence. And in the case of this girl supposedly named Rouge, she made it seem like her behavior was unstable, or like she was a little insane, and if this was an act, it was a really good one.

"So what is your relationship?" the magus killer asked, interrupting the duo's conversation.

Both remained silent, and neither answered.

"What's wrong? Why are you keeping quiet?" the freelancer asked.

"I wouldn't know how to define it… more than friends or associates, but we're not a couple or anything like that, so… I'm not sure. I don't think there's a term that can describe us, at least not yet," the redhead said.

This reflection surprised Kiritsugu because it was a sincere answer, as he expected; however, he knew that Shirou was not the person with the most incredible ability to judge the rest of the individuals around him, or rather, to consider them objectively, much less to judge the relationships had with these people, so the freelancer was expecting a simple answer: friends, lovers, or a couple, so the fact that the boy had thought so much about what his relationship with the girl meant was a pleasant surprise, but, had he grown that much in just half a year? Or was it because of the girl's influence?

"Hmn… I guess we're defining it then…" Altrouge commented.

This surprised Shirou, as he believed that only he had these doubts.

"What kind of magus are you?" asked the freelancer.

"None, I am not a magus, but I am acting as Shirou's apprentice."

Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes, "You're not a magus, but you're inside one of the Clock Tower's Faculties, and you say you act like Shirou's apprentice. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?" Kiritsugu sighed, "Where did you meet?"

"You know, these questions are starting to get annoying," she then smiled, and her eyes turned gold, at which point Kiritsugu tried to cover his eyes, but it was too late, an instant action spell, soul-charming golden eyes, "just accept our relationship as it is, and don't ask more questions, will you?" one-shot spells were terrifying, unpredictable, and hard to avoid.

Kiritsugu nodded without a second thought.

"What did you do to him?" Shirou asked confused.

"It's my Mystic Eyes of Enchantment, all of us dead apostles have them. I used them on you with much less force when we first met," saying that, her eyes turned crimson again, and Kiritsugu returned to normal, "well, Shirou, I'll go out for a bit; I know you and your father have things to talk about."

The redhead nodded, still not having processed everything that had happened.

After saying that, she left the room.

"She's right, Shirou, and we'd better talk about everything we've discovered so far, I understand that she's your apprentice, but we'd better keep this between the two of us."

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he said snapping out of his stupefaction, "you're right, how are things in the Middle East?"

"Not very well. The mana is progressively running out, and although life is still viable, thanks to the Grain, it will cease to be so in a few decades. All this, mixed with the political struggles and armed conflicts in the areas, has created many lawless places, and smuggling is one of the most common things."

"Collective stress must also be affecting them..."

The magus killer nodded, "Furthermore, the nearby countries can't handle mass immigration, so immigrating from those countries has become a real challenge," Kiritsugu sighed, "ironically, that has made more magi desperate people head to these places to hide. The constant chaos serves as a cover."

"But everything went well?"

"Yes, and thanks to fulfilling some contracts, I was able to obtain this…"

Kiritsugu took out a piece of metal from his briefcase.

"Is that... the point of a sword?"

"That's right. I managed to ruin a smuggling operation from India to Turkey, and in this way, I saved several important relics, and in addition to the payment for the work, I was able to obtain this. Use the structural grasp so you can see what it is."

Shirou used his structural grasp and was shocked by what he saw, "The Blessed Sword By Which Force is Slain, Ascalon. The sword of Saint George!"

Kiritsugu nodded, "Saint George was born in Turkey, and several of the main temples that worship him are in India. It is said that his sword slew a dragon in Egypt and that the sword changed shape at least once, it is not known if it was due to the magical capabilities of the weapon since legend says that it was given to him by a witch, or because it was reinforced at some point, but what is known is that it became fragmented, losing its point and obtaining a diagonal edge."

"This is really amazing!" At that moment, Shirou looked like a kid at Christmas, which wouldn't be too wrong since the party would happen next month. Though he hoped he would never have to face a dragon.

"I'm glad you like it, it will add to your arsenal."

Shirou nodded. Though his smile was short-lived, now he had to bring it up, and for a moment, he thought about backing out, but if he didn't ask now, then when?

Seeing his expression, Kiritsugu asked, "Is something wrong?"

Shirou nodded, "I… I've also discovered various things…"

"Like what?" asked the magus killer intrigued.

"I found out that, in Japan, there is a ritual called the Holy Grail War…"

These words alerted the freelancer.

"I found out that the end of the last war caused the great fire of Fuyuki, and I also found out that my teacher participated, that the former Lord of the Animusphere family also participated and that the ritual where you murdered the ancient Lord El-Melloi and his betrothed was also the Holy Grail War. Finally, I also found out that you lied to me, that you didn't come to Japan after a failed mission, but came to participate in this war, isn't that right, Kiritsugu?"

A tense, awkward silence fell over the room…

"Shirou, I…"

"Kiritsugu," the redhead cut him short, "I know your reasons, and I can understand them and have even come to admire them, but there is something I need to know: was it you who caused that disaster?"

"I… No! It couldn't have been me!" he replied quickly, "I would never wish for a disaster like that, not something like that!" Kiritsugu seemed desperate to deny those accusations.

"But you would cause it if it saved more lives," Shirou whispered, "Wouldn't you, Kiritsugu!?"

"I…" Kiritsugu wanted to answer immediately, but his son's look stopped him in the act because the emotions on his face were clear: pain, sadness, anger. Worse yet, he couldn't deny it... he couldn't… the grail itself had taught him, had shown him the decisions he would be capable of making to save the most people. But, even with the words stuck in his throat, he replied, "Y-Yes, I would..."

"You said you didn't make the wish, but you didn't deny that you could have caused the fire," Shirou took a deep breath, for asking these questions hurt him as much as it hurt his adoptive father; however, he needed to know the truth, or he could never see Tachi with his head held high again, or at his parents, who had sacrificed their lives for his. For a moment, he could see the scene of his last memory with his parents, and this memory gave him strength, "What does that mean? What do you mean!?"

Kiritsugu wanted to say that he didn't say anything to protect him, but he knew it would be a lie since, for him, it wasn't Shirou who found salvation that day but him. Shirou was his hope, he was the only thing he managed to rescue from his mistakes, and Kiritsugu didn't want to lose him because of them, so knowing this, and even if it cost him, the freelancer had to do it, had to tell him and hope he would forgive him, "You're right, I participated in the Holy Grail War and on the last day of it I discovered that the grail was tainted it had been since the 3rd war and it turned out to work like the monkey's paw, no matter what you wished, it will always cause the as much destruction as possible, too… discovered something important that day: even if you choose to save most people, and even if it seems like you do, maybe, in the end, you're not really doing it."

"What did you do then?"

With his head lowered, he began to explain to him, "I managed to meet up with Saber when he was fighting against Archer, and because they were involved in the battle, Assassin took advantage of it to steal the grail while we were trying to defeat Archer. Archer noticed this and chased after Assassin, which gave me time to meet with Saber and explain the situation to him. After this, we both agreed that the grail should not be used and chased after Assassin and Archer, but the grail began to release the black mud everywhere, and, because of this, I couldn't reach the place where the final battle was taking place, so, in the end, all I could do was use my last command spell to order Saber to destroy the grail. And the last thing I saw at the end was a huge clash of energies, just before the grail overflowed and caused the great Fuyuki fire."

"Couldn't you see the end?"

He shook his head, "I didn't manage to do it, but I always wondered, was it a mistake to order Saber to destroy the grail? Was it what caused the mud to overflow? Could I have done something else? Doubts have plagued me for nearly a decade..."

Shirou allowed the anger to leave him; he couldn't pour it all on his adoptive father because he knew it wouldn't be fair, let alone if Kiritsugu wasn't sure if he had caused the fire, "Sorry, old man, I… said a few things too much."

The magus killer shook his head, "No, it was only natural that you would react like that. It would be weird if you didn't. I shouldn't have kept all this from you, but I always feared what you would do when you found out," Kiritsugu clasped his hands together in front of him, "that day also went through many things, and these made me rethink various aspects of my life... I just wanted to leave everything behind."

"But I... I can't move forward, not without knowing what happened, that's why I need to know, please, tell me everything you know about the last Holy Grail War, and this time, without concealments," more than a request, it seemed like a plea from Shirou.

"Okay, but first... there's another thing you should know..."

"What?" asked the redhead confused.

"The corruption within the grail has a name: Angra Mainyu. When I was about to reach the grail, I met him and, at the end of our meeting, he cursed me..."

This worried the young man, "A curse, what kind?"

"A curse that devours you to death, and has been consuming me ever since..."

This alarmed the redhead, "Then we must-!"

Kiritsugu shook his head, "It is a curse too powerful to be removed by current magecraft, one made specifically to kill human beings…"

"But!"

"It's already too late. At first, I thought I had somehow avoided the curse, but as time passed, it came back stronger. Almost half a year ago, I had about a year and a half to live; however, it seems that this curse accelerates the more I use my magic circuits, atrophies and destroys them at the same time that it consumes me, and the bigger test, was my stay in the middle east during these last months..."

"How much? How much time do you have left!?"

"Half a year…. I'm going to die in half a year, Shirou."

Shirou couldn't stop the tears from spilling from his eyes since even if he felt anger at the actions his father had committed, that didn't change the fact that he was the one who saved him from that hell and who had raised him for the past few years, "I-Is there nothing to…?"

Kiritsugu shook his head with a sad smile, "No, there isn't. This is the punishment for all the lives I sacrificed; this is how I have accepted it," then, he gave a peaceful smile, "but I'm glad. You've grown up well, and if we manage to rescue Illya, even if I leave with repentance, I won't take any remorse with me. So, don't cry for me because thanks to you, I have hope."

Shirou tried to wipe his tears to no avail, then got up and searched a drawer for a piece of paper and handed it to Kiritsugu.

"This is, a letter?"

Shirou nodded, "I want you to read it and be the one to answer it."

Reading the letter, Kiritsugu felt his chest tighten while tears began to flow from his eyes. He had not cried in almost ten years since that fateful day, but now he couldn't help it because the words he read came from his daughter, whom once thought he would never see again, "Illya..."

Omake:

"Come in…" the boy said almost in a whisper.

Kiritsugu entered the room, there was the girl already dressed in a more presentable way, and he sat in front of her...

Shirou, for his part, sat next to Altrouge, "Old man, she's-"

"Wait, Shirou, let me introduce myself," interrupted the Princess.

He looked at her worriedly but finally agreed.

"My name is Crimson Rouge, and I am the girl who has lived, eaten, and slept in the same bed with your son for several months now. Nice to finally meet you!" she said with an innocent smile.

"…"

"Was… DID YOU REALLY NEED TO SAY THAT, ROUGE!?" Shirou was not someone who lost control easily, but this situation totally overwhelmed him.

"But I haven't told any lies, have I?"

"W-Well, no, but…"

She nodded, "Exactly, don't you think it would be bad to introduce myself, forgetting everything that has happened between us?"

"I-I guess…"

"So what is the problem?" she asked innocently.

"You should have said it with a little more subtlety!"

Altrouge pouted, "Moouuu, I prefer the direct approach."

"That doesn't mean that sometimes there are things that are better left unsaid," Shirou said.

"I know, idiot," Altrouge pouted, "if I didn't know, I would have told him that my real name is Altrouge Brunestud, that I am the Eclipse Princess of Black Blood, that you met me in Aylesbury, and we have been together ever since, that that little animal is, in fact, the contained form of Primate Murder, the greatest killer of humans that ever lived, and that together we have decided to face the fate and save the world! Even if it means getting a miracle!" Then she took a deep breath, "EVEN IF FOR THAT WE HAVE TO FACE A GENOCIDAL STAR WHO COMES WITH THE ONLY OBJECTIVE OF DESTROYING ALL LIFE!" Afterward, she smiled, "But I didn't tell him any of this, did I?"

PAAAMMM!

"Altrouge…"

"Yes?"

"My father is on the ground, right?"

She turned to the magus killer and nodded, "Yes, it seems so…"

"How good are you at erasing memory?"

The Princess of the Dead Apostles smiled.

Author Notes:

Hello everyone, it's been a couple of months, but finally, the new chapter is ready. Hmm... I really don't have much to say (This is the bad thing about it being a translated chapter and not a new one). So, let's go with the comments:

SaberFan117: I understand that many of the fandom do not like the name Altria, but, personally, I never gave it much importance; however, I chose it over Artoria for a reason, which I'll explain much later in the fic.

Dominatroy: Yes, I translate the story by myself. And I really like to translate because I can make sure that the meaning is kept as clear as possible; however, I have difficulties with punctuation marks in English and with the use of his, her, its, their, which is easier in Spanish.

AllHailTheGoldenKing: I usually report through the profile, and when they are already available for s, the caps are published a week later.

Without more to say, I thank all the readers, the patrons for whom the chapters are ready a week before, and all those who comment on each chapter of the fic, we will not see in the next chapter.