Chapter 4: Training.
The bell sung its melodic tune, signaling the end of today's school activities. Thankfully, I wasn't on cleaning duty, so I was allowed to leave immediately. Many of the students barreled out of the gates and ran into their guardians, while I continued walking without giving any of them a smidgen of attention.
My pace gradually increased with each corner I turned. My steps were slow and steady at first, but it eventually turned into a full-blown sprint the moment my figure was out of everyone's sight. For some odd reason I could not put my finger on, a foreboding feeling washed over my being, telling me to rush back home this instance.
I surged through secluded alleyways, vaulted over obstacles while doing my best to remain undetected, and arrived at my house a minute later. Having the combined agility of 3 people and the stamina of 15 certainly made my journey back way easier, I was practically a superhuman already despite not even allocating a single stat point yet.
Upon reaching the Emiya residence, my movement came to an abrupt halt. A freezing hand gripped my heart as I trained my gaze at the shady figure standing by the entrance; it was a bald man with a hunched back, the creases on his face showing his age. He wore a plain set of robes, a walking stick in his grasp, and was surrounded by a revolting air that elicited unconditional hatred with just a glance.
'Zouken Matou.' My mind flared with recognition, the old maggot who pushed Sakura into a decade of pain was standing right before me. He remained oblivious to my presence and stared at the young girl by the doorway, who trembled as if an earthquake had accosted her entire body.
Without a second thought, I bolted forward and placed myself in front of the terrified girl, my arm hovered protectively over Sakura as I sent the old magus a sharp glare. His eyes widen slightly, taken aback by my sudden appearance, but quickly recovered and switched his gaze towards me, scrutinizing my form in utter silence.
The atmosphere around us slowly became unbearable for me as we continued our impromptu staring contest. A tinge of hostility formed within my gaze after recalling the unforgivable sins the old man had committed against Sakura and the others that came before her.
Zouken Matou cared for no one except himself and was a monster in human skin, literally; his body was nothing more than a swarm of worms that, when destroyed, could reform itself by devouring humans, making him pseudo-immortal. The only way to effectively kill him was to eliminate his main body which resided next to Sakura's heart, something I've been planning to do.
"You," I initiated, unable to take the silence any longer, "what are you doing here?" He let out a hum, seemingly confused by my accusatory tone, before opening his mouth to speak.
"You know me, boy? I don't remember meeting a child like you before this." The magus replied, tapping the ground with his cane. His voice was jarring; grating my ears with each word.
"No, I don't. But you look like you came straight out of my nightmares." I spat out in discontent, letting my thoughts about him known.
"An honest youth, you are." He barked a laugh, not taking the boy's insult to heart. Staring into the boy's eyes, Zouken found something interesting. Burried deep within the mountain of scorn, a blinding wish to protect shone more beautifully than anything else, bemusing the old man.
'What could have possibly drove this child into harbouring such strong feelings?' He questioned himself before looking behind the boy and quickly found the source of this desire—his adopted granddaughter. Sakura averted her eyes from meeting Zouken's and grasped the edges of the redhead's uniform, granting her a sense of safety and comfort she's never had before.
He did not know how, but it seems the boy had an inkling of what he's done to the girl and decided to intervene. Zouken didn't even suspect Sakura of asking for help. He originally wanted to get rid of the child after he made his appearance and take Sakura back by force, but he changed his mind upon seeing her inclination towards the peculiar boy. An opportunity to break her state of mind even further had graciously presented itself in front of him, why wouldn't he take advantage of it?
Out of the blue, a sinister smile crept up to the old magus' lips that sent a cold shiver down my spine. The disgusting aura permeating off him was magnified by two-fold before vanishing just ask quickly, almost making me take a step back in fright.
'What the hell is this old maggot up to now?' My brain stirred; thinking of ways to escape this situation if an altercation were to suddenly erupt. However, his next words stopped this train of thought.
"I see... enjoy your time with him, granddaughter of mine. Be sure to take care of yourself." Zouken chuckled and took a step back. "I can see that my presence is unwanted here, I'll be out of my way."
He turned around then started walking away without giving us a second glance. 'What? That's it?' I stared at Zouken Matou's retreating figure in bewilderment. Soon enough, he left the compound without issues, leaving Sakura and I alone at the foyer.
Sensing his presence disappear into the distance, I faced the girl behind me and inquired worriedly. "Sakura, are you okay? He didn't do anything to you, did he?"
I quickly scanned her form, ensuring that not a single abnormality - apart from what I already knew - could be found on her body. Thankfully, it seems Zouken Matou didn't do anything harmful to her before I arrived.
"No-no… he just told me to go home, he didn't do anything…" Her voice lost its vigour after each word she spoke. I swiftly pulled her into a comforting hug, to which she returned after a bit of hesitation.
"Don't worry. I'm here, I won't leave you." At my reassurance, she eventually stopped shaking and relaxed in my arms. We ended our embrace some time later and went inside the house. I watched the door intently as we walked, as if expecting someone to go throught it, but nobody did.
As I began preparing a simple dish, Sakura surprised me by asking if she could help. Knowing it would distract her from her recent meeting with her grandfather, I welcomed her into the kitchen. Being a complete novice, Sakura clumsily handled the kitchenware and made a few mistakes. Instead of reprimanding her, I patiently guided and encouraged her, hoping to lift her spirits.
By the time we finished our meal, the sun had vanished, casting the world into darkness. Sakura retreated to her room for some rest, while I stayed behind to wash the dishes.
Lost in my thoughts, I remained in the living room, keeping watch over the manor throughout the night by expanding my senses to detect any form of disturbances. Fueled by paranoia, I had ended up staying up all night, but fatigue failed to encroach my mind thanks to my superhuman stamina.
Only when the morning rays streamed through the windows did I snap out of my trance. First thing I did was check on Sakura, and found her still asleep within her room. A sense of relief washed over me, albeit tinged with lingering caution.
Satisfied that the night had passed without incident, I began preparing for today's activities.
A week after encountering Zouken Matou, with nothing amiss happening, the weak pings of a chime entered my ears as I sauntered into the common room. A moment later, Kiritsugu Emiya opened the sliding door and entered the scene, his shoulders were a little slouched and a mask of impassiveness covered his face as usual.
I'm guessing he had failed to rescue his daughter from the Einzberns, and would probably make an attempt again after recovering from his injuries. He might not show it, but I could tell he pertained some nasty wounds from how differently he conducted his movements.
"Oh, hey dad. Welcome back." I greeted him, to which he responded with a nod before taking his coat off and placing them to the side. Only after doing so did he finally take notice of another figure, a young girl with purple hair, sitting next to me.
"Who's this? a friend of yours?" Truthfully, Kiritsugu didn't expect Shirou to bring anyone over to their home with how distant he treated everyone apart from himself and Taiga, so he was a little curious who it could be.
"This is Matou Sakura." Said girl addressed Kiritsugu by lowering her head, but otherwise stayed quiet and allowed me to continue. "She has nowhere to go right now, so she's staying here for the time being."
The surname Shirou had spoken piqued the Magus Killer's interest, he sifted through his memories and recalled the basic information he had on them. The Matous were one of the three founding families - the others being Tohsaka and Einzbern - who gave birth to the Heaven's Feel ritual, also known as the Holy Grail war; a blood sport that he, himself had taken a part of some time ago for a chance to realize his wish, only to attain nothing but destruction.
"Care to explain?" He sent a cursory glance at the young girl and gave me a questioning look. Having dispatched a multitude of magi throughout his life, Kiritsugu possessed an air of oppression that made one falter just by being in his sight.
I steeled my nerves and successfully pushed through the crushing atmosphere. "What do you mean?"
"I have told you not to engage with any of the magus families staying here, yet you still did." His tone then shifted, and his face became more earnest. "You never know what those magi are up to, it's best to steer away from their kind."
True, he has repeatedly instilled the cruelty of those attuned with the supernatural into my head and told me not to interact with them in any way shape or form, and I agree with that notion. Magi weren't the kindest bunch and would eliminate anyone who even accidentally stumbles upon a lick of magecraft—but Sakura was a special case that I couldn't possibly ignore.
"But I couldn't leave her alone in that decrepit place, do you even know what that old maggot was doing to her? That fucking monster is making his familiars eat her Magic Circuits, violating her with those worms almost everyday!" Each word I spat out carried the sharpness of a blade.
"Hm?" Not once had he heard Shirou raise his voice before, always sounding indifferent to those around him, so he was genuinely taken aback by the boy's small outburst. Kiritsugu ignored his casual use of profanity and asked: "And how do you even know that? Did go into their home? Willingly venturing into a magus' workshop, a space they have full control over, is one of the most dangerous things you could do, Shirou."
His eyes turned into slits, the air surrounding us becoming colder by the second. His instincts as the Magus Killer, a name feared by many in the world of Mysteries, flared into life, causing the ends of my hair to stand in alarm. Realizing his misunderstanding, I decided to clear the air.
While keeping the System's existence hidden, I revealed my ability to analyze anything and even catch a glimpse of their history, explaining that this very skill is what allowed me to discover what was happening inside Sakura's body. It was a lie, of course. Revealing the real truth would simply spawn more questions. What was I even supposed to say? that they were nothing more than fictional characters in my eyes until some time ago?
Sakura on the side became more demure, an aura of depression surrounded her form the more she heard the boy speak. She wanted to keep it a secret, she wished that he never found out about how dirty she was, but it seems Shirou already knew from the start. She waited for him to push her away, throw words of disgust in her direction for what she truly was, but it never did. He still accepted her despite the filth she's been tainted with. She's seen him deliver unparalleled kindness to everyone he met, but the moment it happens to involve her, he'll drop everything to be at her side, which sparked a fire within her static heart.
Unbeknownst to her, a hand covered in utter blackness once again extended itself, but refused to interact with anything as if unsure of its decision, before ultimately retreating. It remained vigilant however, its claws ready to pounce at the boundless emptiness when needed.
Kiritsugu was surprised to say the least and was quite skeptical of my claims, having the ability to glean into an item's past was unheard of. Kiritsugu quickly concluded that it was an advanced form of Structural Analysis I had somehow developed, but still didn't believe the full extent of my words much to my annoyance.
"That particular spell cannot possibly go that far—" He tried to refute my application of Structural Analysis, but I quickly opened my mouth and talked over him.
"But mine does. I've seen what that old coot has done to her and I'm not going to let it be." I met his hardened gaze with my determined glare, then declared: "I'll protect her. For long as I breathe, Sakura will receive the happiness she deserves."
Sakura, who was doing her best to minimize her presence by holding her head down, couldn't help but squirm in her seat and fought down the heat in her cheeks. A small smile made it across her lips, which stuck for the next few minutes. She remembered the days they've spent together, which brought her nothing but joy. The walls she's constructed around herself to separate from others creaked, opening a path for a single person to pass through—Shirou. If Sakura really delved into wishful thinking, she hoped for Shirou to continue being that way.
Seeing my firm stance on the matter, Kiritsugu relented with a sigh before asking something unexpected. "I want you to answer my next question truthfully, Shirou. If you were to pick between two sinking ships, one with 100 people while the other has 10, which one would you save?" Truth be told, the retired hitman was worried the boy had a bad case of survivor's guilt, leading Shirou to value himself less.
"Depends who's on it. If someone I care about is on those ships, then I'll do everything in my power to rescue them." I replied without missing a beat. "Even if it results in me getting hurt, I'll do it if it meant their safety."
"What about the other passengers on those ships? Do you think you can help them in time?" He reminded Shirou about the presence of other people, thinking it would make the boy pause even for a little while, but he was dead wrong.
"I missed the part where that's my problem." I answered in the most straightforward tone I could muster. As much as they aren't responsible for my life, I'm not responsible for theirs. Not that I'm completely indifferent to people's lives, but when forced to pick between a stranger and a loved one, I'm choosing the latter without hesitation.
The Magus Killer's eyes widened by a margin in reaction to the boy's words, seemingly caught off guard by them. He stayed quiet as the memories of his mentor, the one who taught him everything, and his wife, the woman who brought him even a sliver of happiness, resurfaced from the darkest pits of his mindscape, both of whom Kiritsugu ended with his own hands in favour of saving the majority, because that's what a hero does, no?
Regret slowly swelled within him; his chest becoming more tighter, vision turning hazy. Had he chosen those who he knew instead of a faceless crowd, he wouldn't be in the abyss he had found himself in today, he would've been happy. He was a person with a beating heart, yet possessed the mind of a machine—an ill-fated combination. The only thing that kept him from breaking down was the boy he's speaking to at this moment and the faint chance of seeing his daughter once again.
Kiritsugu snapped out of his reverie and took a book from his bag then slid it across the table, stopping right in front of me. It appeared worn with scratches here and there, yet well taken care off. There wasn't a label on its cover or anything, just a plain book you'd find anywhere.
"What's this?" I asked, wrapping my hands around the seemingly ordinary object. It was thick, for my current size anyway, and casted an arcane feel.
"An introductory book about Bounded Fields, go read it later. You want to protect Sakura, right?" He answered, motioning towards the sheepish young girl beside me. "Then I'll give you the means to do so starting tomorrow."
My brows to rose a tad, I would've never thought he'd breach the topic without me asking him. And so, my tutelage under the renowned Magus Killer begun.
A few weeks had passed since then, and my lessons went along swimmingly. Currently, Kiritsugu and I stood in front of one another inside the shed situated behind the main building.
"You see, Shirou, using your Magic Circuits raises the temperature of your body. Even if you can't detect them using your senses, you can still pinpoint a magus' location using modern technology, something the majority of magi overlook, don't forget that." He handed me an infrared scope and laid his forearm bare for me to inspect.
My mind quickly stored the information. Magi weren't the best when it came to modern technology, deeming them inferior to the miracles of magecraft, so having a way to detect their kind without tipping them off was a great boon to have. Cameras, due to their non-magical origins, would effortlessly slip past even a trained magus' senses.
I placed the scope over my right eye and peeked through it, staring at Kiritsugu's arm with interest. With my natural senses, I felt something in the air stir; an ethereal force manifested from nothing and gently wrapped itself around his forearm. While in the infrared scope, his arm began to glow an iridescent orange, displaying the sudden change in temperature. Shortly after, the invisible energy turned back into a state of nonexistence, and so did abnormal readings shown by the scope.
I removed the object from my face and heard Kiritsugu speak. "With this, it's easy to track a magus if you ever lose them in a crowd or an unfavorable environment. That's it for now about magical energy. Time to move on to the next."
He then took a unassuming briefcase off a shelf and placed it in between us. With a satisfying click, the box opened to reveal a handgun—more specifically, a standard Baretta M9, along with an extra set of magazines laying beside it.
My brows furrowed upon seeing the case's contents. It hasn't even been a month since we started, the only thing I've learned so far were the intricate mechanics of Bounded Fields, a few practical spells that could potentially give me an edge over my opponent, and how magical energy affected the human body, and now we're tackling another topic entirely.
I activated my skill and watched as a wave of magical energy glossed over the item, before swiftly dissipating after completing its task. From what my Structural Analysis gave me, the firearm was made a few months back, bought using less than legal means, and was carefully smuggled into the land of the rising sun (Japan) from the land of the free (America).
"Now that I've taught you how to identify them, it's time I teach you how to kill them." He said bluntly. Both of us ignored the fact that he was about to teach a child how to commit murder.
'He's teaching me how to use a gun this early?' Excitement swelled from within as I carefully took the pistol from its place. Not a tinge of worry marred Kiritsugu face as he watched me do so, he'd already taught me how to handle a firearm and could be trusted around such objects.
The two of us then emerged from the shack and stood at the open yard. The place was eerily silent, the sounds of ruffling leaves and morning breeze being the only perceivable noise.
"Is this fine? The neighbours would definitely hear if I shoot this thing." I relayed my concern. Even if we live in a pretty isolated part of town, the sound of a gun going off wouldn't go unnoticed, the cops would undoubtedly swarm this place almost instantly.
"I've already set up a Bounded Field to stop loud sounds from leaving the backyard, and there's no need to worry about Sakura, she'll be fine inside the house." Kiritsugu reassured. It seems he's already thought about it, as expected I suppose. He then lifted his arm, pointing at the bright circular target placed at the end of the yard. "Aim, then shoot. You'll be doing this every other day for the next month until I say otherwise."
With a heave, I raised my arms and held the firearm forward, peeking through its iron-sights with my right eye. My breath stilled and the surrounding noise disappeared, my attention fully engrossed at my current objective.
With a pull of my finger, a loud bang erupted from the pistol, causing my ears to ring a sharp tune which lasted for a few seconds before returning to normal. The gun was forced backward due to recoil, but my firm grip prevented it from flying off. To nobody's surprise, the target in the distance remained untouched; the bullet having missed it by an entire meter to the left, burying itself deep into nearby the concrete wall.
Instead of wallowing at my terrible accuracy, anticipation rose from within. Not a moment later, a transparent screen that's invisible to anyone but myself made an appearance.
[Skill 'Firearms mastery' has been learned]
A stream of information suddenly entered my conciousness; basic knowledge about firearms usage and maintenance work filled my brain. It took a moment, but I eventually acclimated with my newfound instincts and entered another trance. I assumed a firing stance and pulled the trigger, this time however, the result was considerably better than the last.
The edge of the target was struck, but I didn't stop there. I lined up my sights once more and fired, again and again, causing a burst of loud bangs to echo throughout the space. At the corner of my vision, the progress bar of my newly acquired skill steadily increased with each bullet that left the gun's barrel. My ears ultimately got used to the piercing noise and my skills with the weapon improved at a visible pace.
[Skill 'Firearms mastery' has leveled up]
I dismissed the notification and deftly removed the empty magazine, letting it fall to the ground, then swiftly replaced it with the grace of a trained soldier. Kiritsugu's surprise grew as he watched me hit the target's center multiple times in a row while only making a margin amount of error.
The Magus Killer's stunned state didn't last long however, as the lesson plans he had created for Shirou began to shift to accommodate his seemingly supernatural ability to handle firearms. It appears he'd underestimated the boy's drive to protect Sakura, who knew he had such hidden potential within him.
'If I train him, he might be able to rescue… no. There's no need to bring him into my problems.' Kiritsugu shook off his current thoughts and went back to observering Shirou. After the boy emptied 5 magazines, Kiritsugu promptly stopped their session and went back to the house in order to modify his plans for the coming months.
I followed him back and arrived in my room to begin my own magecraft training. My concentration level reached a new height as I pulled upon the space know as Unlimited Blade Works located inside my soulscape. The reason for how it remained eludes me, as from what I could remember, it was Shirou Emiya's distorted way of thinking that spawned his Reality Marble—the physical manifestation of one's inner self. I was under no delusions in the first place, so perhaps the System had something to do with it.
"Trace on." Following those words, a blue spark appeared atop my open palm that quickly took the form of a small knife, which appeared similarly to the one we had inside the kitchen, even down the little nicks and chips on it.
[Skill 'Projection' has been learned]
"Haha! I finally did it!" I cheered, jumping onto my feet and pumping my fist in the air. With this, all the skills required to replicate Noble Phantasms has been assembled, all it needs now was to master them. In the heat of my celebration, I did not notice Sakura enter my room.
"Um, Is everything alright?" Her voice was weak, but laced with worry for my well-being.
"Oh…uh, yeah. I'm fine, just a little excited that's all." Thrown out of my joyous moment, I replied with welcoming smile to ease her concerns.
Nodding with a hint of red on her face, she then brought out a plate of omeletes for me to eat. I gently pat Sakura on the head and gave her my heartfelt thanks.
END.
