Hello everyone Sorry for the long wait! Damn, so many things have prevented me from releasing this chapter in these few months, but here it is! Unfortunately, this problem may occur frequently due to the fact that I have to translate from one language to another. Fortunately, I'm already editing the next chapter, which means I'll be translating it soon. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 4. Alliance
Rin was returning to Emiya's residence carrying a bag of clothings. She entered her house so quickly that she forgot to change her school uniform and jumped into the closet only to pick up what she needed.
Slowly the sun was emerging from the horizon, heralding the beginning of a new day. The day from which the Holy Grail War would turn into utter chaos.
She couldn't have guessed that Shirou Emiya – a guy who never refused to help others–could have turned out to be a magician. A dilettante magus, who hardly uses what he can, who happened to be one of the participants in a War in which there was no way he would survive, even with a Servant of the best class. Why did she decide to help him? It was difficult for her to answering this question herself.
Ragna was a bigger problem than Emiya. A man who came from a universe that was both technologically and magically more advanced than what humans had now. She was still shaking at the thought that the Grimoires, which here were books of magic spells, allowed magic to be used with science.
As a member of the magus family, she didn't have much knowledge of today's technology. She didn't even know how to use the phone that the fake priest had given her, and using something more serious, like a TV was out of the question.
But she wasn't the only one with doubts and worries.
Archer was also plagued by doubts. He had once been known as Shirou Emiya, who has long since abandoned that name, becoming a Nameless Counter Guardian, traveling to different eras and even worlds for purges time after time. When he had summoned to the Fifth Holy Grail War, he saw it as a chancechance - a chance to kill a younger and more foolish version of himself in order to end this torment that seemed to have lasted for centuries. He could assume that he wasn't get into the past, but only into a parallel world with some differences from the past that he remembered, but he didn't want to miss this opportunity. But then Ragna the Bloodedge appears. The man with white hair and heterochromia never appeared during his War. He might not remember much of what happened in his past life, but it could be said that the appearance of this person was a clear anomaly. His story was easily confirmed when Archer mentally went to his Reality Marble, where there was already a copy of the stranger's sword. The huge sword, even though it was a copy of the original, had a remarkable history.
Thanks to his magic, he was able to copy almost any Noble Phantasm he saw. By copying a weapon, he also gained itsits experience of use and the history that each copied sword held. And this sword was no exception.
But there was one oddity. Each weapon had its own age and some of the swords had hundreds or thousands of years of existence. And this sword was the oldest sword he'd ever copied. And by by «the oldest», Archer meant that age was unreal. It was as if the sword was created in the Age of Gods, which couldn't be true since the sword was created in the future. This anomaly was explained only by the history of the sword, which showed that it passed through more than one time loop, which had minimal differences from each other. This only gave another headache to Archer, who was digging into the information he had received.
But he finally managed to find out enough to have an idea of who he was dealing with. And he didn't like it at all. This man could bring a danger not only to his goal, but also to the world he was in.
«Archer, do you think I made the right choice?» suddenly Rin interrupted his train of thought. «I'm talking about an alliance with him. Do you think he can be trusted?»
«At your discretion, Master. He has undoubtedly hidden some information about himself, but there is no point in betraying us yet, since he doesn't know enough about the world he's in. But still, you must be on your guard.»
She came out of her thoughts already standing at the entrance to the house, and opening the door, calmly went inside. When she entered the living room, she found Ragna and Saber finishing their tea.
– Are you back already? We had time a little snack...
– That's very interesting, but I need you to be quiet for a while. Saber, take it.
Rin handed the knight a folded package and she took it and went into one of the neighboring rooms.
– Normally, a Servant is able to change into a spiritual form, but I don't know why she can't do this.
When the door opened, Saber came out of the room dressed in a white shirt with a blue ribbon tied in a knot and a blue skirt.
– Wait, where did you put the armor? – asked a puzzled Grim Reaper.
– The armor consists of prana and I can materialize it at any moment.
– I see...
– Oh, how about a tour of the house? It would be nice to know what's where for strategic purposes. – Rin sat down on the pillow. – When Emiya wakes up, I'd like to discuss something with him in private.
The servant only nodded in agreement, heading towards to the corridor.
«I have no business being here either.» with that thought, Ragna also left the living room, following Saber.
Dojo=
The house was built in the Japanese style and was surprisingly huge. The Grim Reaper had visited such houses many times, but this one was so big that it was probably an estate. Almost all the rooms were empty. There was nothing special in the backyard either: a barn with many garbage and unnecessary things, and a dojo that Ragna and Saber decided to head towards.
The dojo itself wasn't anything to catch the eye, either. It was a huge room for training and sparring, with a shinai stand in the corner and a few cushions lying on the floor. As Saber entered the dojo, she broke the silence that had been reigning between them all this time.
– You keep a lot of secrets, Ragna the Bloodedge, and I can't completely trust you. The way you moved and fought Berserker… I can say that your teacher deserves a lot of praise. – taking the shinai, she examined it and then turned to her companion. – Who are you, Ragna?
– Well, I'm not going to say that yet. But I will say that my master taught me very… very hard. I've been in many battles and have been on the verge of death more than once, so I know how to get out of such situations. Ragna took the shinai in his right hand and stood up in a stance. – Sparring?
Twirling the shinai in her hand, she also stood up in a stance, signaling her readiness.
He will hardly ever forget that day. This happened five years ago. One winter night, he and his father were watching the moon on the veranda together. Even now, Shirou couldn't get rid of the thought that he hadn't noticed his father's life slowly fading away. Lately, he hadn't even gone outside, but wandered around the huge empty house.
– When I was a kid, I wanted to be a hero. – his father said, and his voice was full of regret.
– What do you mean, "wanted"? You don't want to anymore?
He just laughed at Shirou's question.
– Yes, unfortunately. It's hard to be a hero when you grow up... I wish I'd figured it out sooner.
The boy continued to look at his idol, who couldn't achieve what he wanted. It didn't seem right to him, and then he decided that he would be the one to fulfill his sick father's dream.
– Then I'll be a hero. I will fulfill your dream.
In response, his father only laughed and after sitting for a while, he closed his eyes. Shirou decided not to wake him and went back to the house. This time, his father fell asleep forever.
Opening his eyes after sleeping, he observed his room in front of him. His throughts raced trying to remember what had happened to him earlier. By then, the young magus had already managed to waddle to the bathroom and wash up, already heading to the living room. Despite the fact that Shirou remembered being hit by a Berserker and there was nothing left of his stomach, there was no hint of the injuries he had received. But that didn't cancel out the phantom pains that haunted him the whole way. Deciding to put aside painful memories for later, Emiya was able to successfully reach the living room.
But there was already an equally unexpected surprise waiting for him. Rin Tohsaka, the school idol and the object of his secret adoration, was already waiting for him at the table, watching the teenager's half pained look with interest.
– I see you've already awake, Emiya-kun?
– Y-yes... As you can see, I'm here. But what are you doing here Tohsaka?
– Well, there are things I wanted to discuss with you, so I decided to stay here and wait for you to wake up.
Shirou discussed with Rin about yesterday's fight that didn't end so well. Rin scolded him for this act for a long time and kept telling him what he should have done. But he wouldn't run away and leave someone to fight for him. It was out of Shirou Emiya's character. But other than that, the stranger's appearance and the strange regeneration of Shirou's wound needed to be discussed.
If the answer to regeneration was at least explained by the fact that a teenager received the same regeneration as his Servant due to an incorrect summoning, then the explanation for the appearance of a stranger, whose name was Ragna, sounded more insane than the very existence of the Holy Grail War.
«He came from a completely different universe, with a different level of technology and magic, and where people are able to fight on an equal footing with a Servant. I don't even have the words to express it.»
Still, the information about the Grimoires interested Shirou more than his colleague, who spoke of them with apparent disbelief in her voice. After all, the main goal of a teenager is to become a Hero of Justice. Putting aside the additional questions that didn't really interest the teenager right now, he realized only now that he hadn't seen Saber anywhere.
– Where's Saber?
– I sent her to explore the house to better navigate it, and Ragna went with her. I'm surprised he left that big thing here. – Rin said tiredly.
As he looked around the living room, he saw the large sword that had been placed against the wall. Large blade was dotted with scratches and cracks, evidence of the many battles the weapon had been used in. The blade itself was attached to a long black hilt with red steel inserts and a black handkerchief tied. The sword was unlike anything he could have imagined.
As he got closer, Emiya performed a Structural Grasp, one of the few magecrafts he knew well. It allowed him to find out detailed information about the object he was examining. As soon as he touched the hilt of the sword, Shiro felt a weight that was too heavy for his shoulders. The sword held the grudges, anger and rage that its wielder had been through. At the same time, fragments of the memories that this sword held were entering his head.
«Restriction 666 Released!»
«Terumi! I'm going to kill you!»
«I'm here to destroy you.»
«I'll show you the real power of the Azure!»
«Sorry, Jin.»
«Saya…»
Quickly removing his hand, Shirou rubbed it, not expecting to receive so much information.
He decided to turn to Rin again, trying to take his mind off the sword.
– What was he planning to do next?
– Well, I decided to make an alliance with him. And I also wanted to talk to you about it. – with a more serious face, the girl continued. – Berserker of this War will be very difficult to defeat alone. That's why I also want to make an alliance with you. My Archer is injured now and it takes time to recover, so he will only be half useful. Your Saber is fine, but considering what kind of Master you are, it's a similar situation here. Plus this big guy who has enough strength to hold back this monster. If we team up, it'll be easier for us to defeat him. And since we'll have an alliance, I'll train you as a Master, and at the same time I'll look at your knowledge of magic.
Looking at Tohsaka and remembering last night, Shirou didn't want to face that monster alone, and Rin promised to teach him about magic that could help him understand the mistakes in his training.
– I agree. – they shook hands. – I'll be relying on you.
After finishing their conversation, she hurriedly left the house, mentioning that she had some things to pack. After seeing Tosaka off, Shirou went in search of Saber.
Despite the pain in his body, he continued to walk around the house looking for the girl, but not finding her in any of the rooms, Shirou decided to go to the backyard. His choice quickly fell on the dojo, from where the constant blows of wooden swords could be heard. He opened the door cautiously and witnessed two fighters sparring.
The first person he noticed was the white-haired man who was Ragna. He was wearing the same hakama and black shirt, but he wasn't wearing his red jacket from yesterday. His movements and use of the sword were rough, but at the same time well-practiced and precise enough to force his opponent to constantly block attacks aimed at vital points. He would occasionally roll back or duck under attacks, counterattacking and forcing his opponent to reveal his weak points.
On the other side was Saber. The change from her armor to a simple shirt and skirt brought out the beauty of his Servant once again. Her emerald, slightly frowning eyes continued to follow her opponent's every attack, and whenever it looked like she was going to get hit, she gracefully dodged and counterattacked again. Her shinai strikes were filled with precision and nobility that had been developed through years of training and battles.
Crossing swords again, the girl finally noticed the presence of her Master, who was watching the unfolding scene. Nodding to her opponent, she lowered her wooden sword. Looking back, Ragna looked back and met the gaze of the magician who had been watching them. Ragna took a quick look at the teenager, and after making sure he was fully healed from his wounds, his sight turned back to the Servant.
– It's been a long time since I've fought someone who was as strong an opponent as you. – Ragna took a deep breath and lightly scratched the back of his head. – Damn, I didn't think I'd be in another world fighting a real knight and not some kind of idiot who thought he was one. – Ragna glanced at the red-haired mage and Saber and headed for the exit of the dojo, turning to the others. – I'll leave you alone. You have much to discuss. I'll be in the living room.
He closed the door, leaving Master and Servant alone. Looking at Saber, Shirou's embarrassment continued to grow. He didn't think he was ready to talk to her.
– Shirou, are you all right? Your face seems to be too pale. – Saber said, stepping closer to the magician.
– I-I'm fine! – Shirou jumped away from the Servant.
Raising an eyebrow, the girl just shook her head.
– Shirou. I have something to say about last night. – Saber's calm face turned serious in an instant, making him wary. – You are my Master. Your actions last night cause me concern. My duty as a Servant is to fight and protect you, while you, as a Master, must provide support from a safe distance. – for a second, her face became more stern. – If you continue to act recklessly, then I won't be able to protect you when you need it.
– But if I hadn't intervened, you would have been killed!
– That's not what you need to worried about. There is no need or reason to protect me. I'm just a tool that was meant to fight.
– Wh-what kind of nonsense is that!? You are not some kind of thing that can be disposed of as you please! – Shirou shouted indignantly.
Even though he already knew that she was a Heroic Spirit called to fight, Shirou couldn't quite admit it. His entire being told him to protect her.
For a second, there was a look of surprise on the Servant's face that pressed too hard on him. Shirou decided to change the subject in order to forget about this incident as soon as possible.
– O-Okay, let's get back to the main topic… What do you think of Ragna?
– Ragna the Bloodedge. – the Servant thought for a short moment, then gave her verdict. – He is an excellent warrior, capable to surviving in any battle. Even though his attacks are easy to read, he can still pose a threat to his opponent because he is able to utilize his weaknesses and strengths properly. No wonder Rin decided to form an alliance with him.
– Well, then it's good that we have an alliance with Tohsaka.
After discussing some more details of the War, Shirou could breath out, because he didn't really want to deal with such a serious opponent as Ragna. But he still had doubts about the words he had heard when he had analyzed Bloodedge's sword.
«What did he have to go through to gain such power? What could he be capable of?»
His thoughts were interrupted by a rumble outside the dojo door. Soon, Tohsaka appeared in the doorway, wearing simpler clothes and with a large bag at her feet.
– Tohsaka? What are you doing here? – Shirou asked in surprise.
– I went home to get my things. I'll need them since I'm going to be living here.
Emiya was extremely shocked by such a statement.
– Why are you looking at me like that? We are allies and we must stay close to each other. What did you think we were talking about today?
The red-haired magus was at a loss for words. Perhaps he should have spoken up, but all he could do was stand there in a daze.
Now Shirou had to solve the problem of accommodating Rin and Saber. The latter had to be given a room next to her Master, which he had to accept.
Meanwhile=
Ragna hung his red jacket on the rack in his new room. It wasn't particularly different from the rest of the rooms in this manor, but it was convenient for quick access to the living room. When he returned to the living room, he sat down at the table and activated the Grimoire and began going through the various magical formulas, looking for ones he could use against other opponents.
Although Ragna had been using the Grimoire for a long time, he didn't often use all of its potential. He often used a formula that hides his presence or distorted the perception to others, and rarely used soporific formulas. And he tried not to think about the command to activate the Azure Grimoire, because it didn't bode well.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but at some point Ragna heard a door open to his left, and looked up to see the magician he had encountered earlier in the dojo. The bronze-brown eyes of the red-haired magus were fixed on the Grim Reaper he had seen earlier.
– I heard from Tohsaka that you helped by carrying me home. I wanted to thank you for that. – said the young magician, holding out his hand. – My name is Shirou Emiya.
– You've heard my name. You can just call me Ragna. – The Grim Reaper shook the outstretched hand. – I hope you were well scolded. Jumping in front of a blow with no defense is an incredibly stupid idea.
– Well, I've already been scolded more than once. I'll try to be more careful next time. – the boy replied, scratching his head nervously. – I think I should cook something, it's been almost half a day.
Watching the boy disappear behind the kitchen counter, Ragna couldn't shake the feeling that the teenager would get hit again. A memory of the conversation with Rin flashed through his mind.
– Magicians are fighting for the Holy Grail to fulfill their wishes. Of course, wishes may be different, but they are mostly related to the mysteries of magic. – Rin rubbed her forehead tiredly. - But I completely forgot that even among them there may be some uniques that are hard to find!
– For example? – Ragna asked with interest.
– Emiya! Shirou Emiya is a third-rate magician who became Master of Saber in this War. His only wish is to prevent the Grail from falling into the wrong hands! – exhaling deeply, the girl continued. – And his purpose as a magus is also outrageous! Do you know why he practices the magecraft?
Ragna wanted to stop this flow of words, but the last question still interested him.
– He wants to become a Hero of Justice! Magicians study magic for years in order to gain new knowledge, and he spends it all on this idiotic childhood dream! Gah, I'm so annoyed…
He was still thinking about the red-haired magus' dream. A Hero of Justice. To be able to save any person in danger by helping freely. At least that could be understood from what had happened earlier. It really could be considered a childish impossible dream, which the young magus nevertheless strived for. This concept was extremely tensible and varied greatly from person to person. Ragna, being a man of experience, and having met many people who had also taken on similar burdens, had some thoughts about the reasons for such a dream. But for now, he decided to do nothing about it.
«I shouldn't get involved for now. I'll keep an eye on his behavior and only then I'll draw conclusions. Although his goal in the War... I think I can definitely understand why he took part in this.»
After a while, Rin and Saber appeared in the living room, sitting down at the table and discussing their next steps. Ragna had heard enough to draw some conclusions.
Illyasviel von Einzbern was the Berserker's Master, the famous Greek Hero Hercules. As he had learned from his conversation with Rin, the Berserker class was quite a dangerous class for a summoner, as a weak Servant would gain immense power when summoned, losing mind in return. They were dangerous to summon due to the fact that there was a high chance they could kill their own Master. But Illya showed perfect control over this monster, which was incredible in itself. Even using the Azure Grimoire with removed restrictions, he doubted any victory and either he had to kill him somehow, which was clearly not an easy task, or... he decided not to think about this option.
At one point, Ragna found a strange magic formula, and activating it, a silver orb formed in his right hand. The entire table was staring at the orb in confusion.
– What did you create? – Rin was the first to break the silence.
– I don't know. Rabbit taught me this formula once. But I've never used it before.
Ragna shook the orb and listened to it, hearing a sound inside it. Bloodedge realized just in time that the orb was counting down. He quickly jumped up from the table and ran for the exit to the courtyard. Ragna jumped out of the door and took aim, throwing the ball with all his strength away from the manor, when suddenly there was an explosion.
– What the hell was that? – Rin shouted at the top of her voice as she ran out with Saber.
– Damn Rabbit! Even when I'm hundreds of worlds away from you, you keep making trouble for me! – the Grim Reaper himself shouted. – I'm sorry, I didn't know what this thing was doing.
Rin took a deep breath.
— Okay. At least everything was fine. Let's go back inside. But next time, don't do these tests at home!
When they returned to the house, they found Emiya already putting food on the table and noticing their return, asked puzzled.
– Where have you all run out to? I've already prepared everything and started putting the food on the table.
– There's nothing you need to worry about, Emiya-kun. – Rin said, still glaring at Bloodedge.
– Good. Then we can start eating!
The dinner went on rather quietly, except for the way Tohsaka glanced at Shirou from time to time, saying "about not losing to him". Ragna only now realized that he hadn't eaten anything since the previous day, so he was happily eating what he had prepared. It had been a long time since he'd eaten a meal prepared by anyone but himself, if Noel's food could even be called "food".
«He makes a great cook. This food will be better than even a restaurant food.»
Glancing at the Servant sitting next to him, he watched as she ate food with all her elegance. But looking closer, one could see that she was enjoying the food immensely, as if she was eating such a meal for the first time in her life. But the idyll was interrupted by the red-haired magician.
– Um, I was wondering about your conversation while I was cooking.
All three heads took their eyes off the food and turned their attention to the boy.
– What exactly did you want to know? About finding the Masters? – Rin asked.
– Yeah, about that. I wanted to know what exactly are you going to do?
– Anything. We just have to be careful. – Rin turned her gaze to Ragna. – Can you sense the presence of other magicians? This would make our search easier.
– No, I can't do that. I can find faint remnants of mana, but no more. – Ragna answered..
– I've been going to the same school with you for almost two years, but I only just found out that you're a magus.
– That's all right . The other Masters will hide their powers anyway. – Rin turned to Saber and asked her a question. – Can you sense the presence of other Servants?
– I can only sense their presence if they are active nearby.
– I see. Then we should wait for their actions or check for suspicious places.
– While I've been walking around the city, I noticed a couple of "special" places. I'll go check them out tomorrow.
– Are you sure about this? No matter how strong you are, you better avoid direct confrontations with the Servants or they won't leave you alone. I hope your Grimoire has some sort of stealth spell or something. – turning her gaze back to Shirou, Tohsaka continued. – As for you, Emiya, you better live as before, don't show that you're a Master. Avoid deserted places. Return home before dark. And don't go out without a guard. My Archer guards me in spirit form, but the other thing Emiya-kun...
Ragna had already heard about the boy's Servant being unable to transform into spirit form, but the reasons were never determined.
– Saber can't be at school with me because of this. She'll have to stay home. I don't think that other magicians will be doing any activity during the day, being under the threat of revealing magic. All major battles will take place at night.
Ragna definitely wanted to punch the boy for the stupid thing he'd just said. Given what he'd heard about the local magicians, he was sure there would be enough psychos among them who wouldn't care if there were innocents around or not. Saber also wanted to protest, but Rin interrupted her with an assurance that she would take care of him while they were at school. Despite her agreement, a look of displeasure still crossed her face.
Later=
After dinner, everyone went about their business, including Ragna. He still digesting the information Rin had given him. All this, though with difficulty, but gradually began to fit in his head.
«Heroic Spirits... Despite the explanation, I still don't like to think about them.» Ragna breathed out nervously, remembering his phobia again. «Well, at least they can be injured, which means they can be killed. But why does this Saber bother me the most?»
Watching at the girl and sparring with her, he couldn't tell exactly what he found strange about her. Her grace in movements and the power of her hits were at a high level. Even though he was trained to face almost any opponent, no matter how strong they were, he couldn't tell if he was able to defeat her in direct combat. Perhaps it was because of the power of the Azure Grimoire, but he could feel the pain she carried within her. The strange feeling seemed to tear her apart from the inside, and it was only at dinner that it felt weaker. And its very existence was felt... strange. Her presence reminded him of Celica when Kokonoe had created an artificial body for her.
"Maybe I should take a closer look at her to see what's wrong." Bloodedge thought to himself, plotting a new goal.
But right now, he was willing to put all the questions aside for later, as he needed to rest in order to be prepared for what the new day would bring. Closing his eyes, Ragna began to drift back into sleep.
???=
He was once again standing in the middle of nowhere. The sky was once again blood-colored, and darkness continued to flow from the black sun. Out of this darkness a formless image reappeared, but this time a broad smile was visible on its face (?). The more Ragna looked at it, the more his desire to destroy the unknown creature increased, but he couldn't lift a finger to do anything.
It continued to speak indistinctly, and like last time, its speech gradually became even more incomprehensible. But as if the words were echoing through his mind, trying to awaken what he was holding back with all his might.
.
.
.
.
.
Quickly jumping up from the futon politely provided by the landlord, Ragna found himself back in his room.
"Damn it, what the hell was I dreaming about?! I don't remember what I dreamed, but something tells me it was for a reason." Ragna left the room and headed for the courtyard. "I'll get some fresh air. Maybe I'll remember something."
It was already late at night and visibility was not the best, but Ragna had gotten used to it over the years of traveling, and his eyes could almost see well into the night. They especially saw well the figure that materialized out of thin air. They especially saw well the figure that materialized out of thin air. A tanned, gray-haired man with steel eyes that looked directly at him and seemed to drill into his very soul.
– I never thought I'd meet someone as strange as you, Ragna the Bloodedge. – Servant broke the silence. – A man who shouldn't have appeared in this War is standing in front of me. I still wonder how...
– Don't go around too long. – Ragna interrupted the Servant roughly. – What the hell do you want?
Servant looked at Ragna sternly.
– I know your secret. I know what kind of power you have. And the only thing you need to do to keep me from revealing it is not to get in my way or interfere with my goals. – turning to Ragna, he began to disappear. – I may not be stronger than a Berserker, but I will find someone who can defeat you.
Left alone, Ragna craned his neck irritably, realizing that he had another problem to deal with in the near future. After a short pause, he went to his room, hoping that this time he would be able to get some sleep.
