Relentless Symphony

by SeraphimofScales

Shirou Emiya had gone through a war and emerged as the victor. He made his wish come true, lived his life, and fulfilled his ideals after the Holy Grail was destroyed. A decade later, he was thrust into many different worlds with many accompanying him. An unexpected journey would begin to unfold. What could possibly await him?

2. Volume 1 Chapter 1: Holy Grail War

Summary:

Shirou Emiya had gone through a war and emerged as the victor. He made his wish come true, lived his life, and fulfilled his ideals after the Holy Grail was destroyed. A decade later, he was thrust into many different worlds with many accompanying him. An unexpected journey would begin to unfold. What could possibly await him?

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Hello, welcome Volume 1 takes place in the Fate world, and in Volume 2 multiverse travel will occur. My co-author and I call this the "Relentless Will" route since it encompasses the three main routes, Emiya Gohan, and Hollow Ataraxia.

Beta read by NimtheWriter

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The world that he had once lived in was no longer the same.

He had once thought that the world could no longer produce anything that would surprise him, except for some groundbreaking inventions and technological advancements…

He had once thought of himself to be an enigma in this world. Born from the ashes of an unholy fire that slaughtered everything including his memories and loved ones, he was saved by a man, who bore the brightest of smiles while doing it.

The man was Kiritsugu Emiya, who took him in and became his adoptive father. He taught him Magecraft, something he thought was extraordinary, and learned that he could become a Magus.

Shirou Emiya, that he was, learned everything from his father, especially his father's ideals.

"I once wanted to be a hero, an ally of justice…"

Those words became something more than a curse for Shirou. There they were sitting on the porch, his adoptive father was looking as lifeless as ever, pondering the moon above them.

His reply was what set his story in motion.

"I'll be one for you."

Even his father was shocked at his reply. Shirou sounded just like any kind of a child's musings, but he could tell that his child was more than serious.

For some reason, it made his heart at peace… and the next day, Kiritsugu Emiya was at peace as well. His body was finally put to an eternal rest, leaving Shirou Emiya all alone.

Year after year, he practiced and lived normally. He had a caretaker, Taiga Fujimura, someone who kept acting as his big sister, even before Kiritsugu died.

It made his life not truly alone; he was just a small little child after all.

Years passed, and he was a small child, no longer.

Shirou still had an ideal to be resolved, a skill to be honed, and a drive to live. Living with a purpose, he was to be a hero, an ally of justice. Truly, an enigma in this modern world.

He once thought that Magecraft was the only thing that this world kept secret about. Oh, how wrong he was…

Shirou then knew that this world had more to offer, that he was no longer the enigma.

The world of Magi was far beyond his comprehension, wilder than his wildest dreams, and Shirou learned that he knew nothing compared to the predicament that he was to enter.

Shirou was welcomed by the sight of two men fighting a battle to the death, one clad in blue, the other in red. His eyes couldn't even see their movements, flowing as fast as a speeding bullet. His senses told him to run, but his legs wouldn't move.

When his legs did slightly, move, however, the one clad in blue instantly noticed him. Shirou could feel the bloodlust emanating from his bloodred eyes, engulfing him with a familiar sense of dread he thought he had forgotten.

He ran, as fast as he could, but it was all for naught.

A bloodred spear stabbed him through the heart, making his body grow cold all of a sudden. Shirou knew his death was coming with his regrets flashing before his eyes.

He didn't save anyone back then from the fire. He was the only one that could live this long, without ever saving anyone else after.

A pointless death… or so he thought.

Death kept missing the chance to take his life as Shirou was still breathing and without any injuries whatsoever. He even thought that everything that had happened was just a figment of his imagination.

At the moment of his wake, Shirou found a red pendant beside him, signifying that everything that had happened might not be a dream at all. He took hold of it and then stood up.

Shirou then went home from his murder site, which was ironically a high school, trying to figure out that he hadn't gone insane, that everything was as normal as it had been.

Again, he was wrong.

The Heroic Spirit clad in blue followed him, signifying his intent to finish the job. His bloodred spear and eyes greeted Shirou with bloodlust.

Shirou used his Magecraft, Reinforcement, one of the things he'd learned from Kiritsugu. Even then, it was all for naught.

Death was greeting him again, and he knew he couldn't be saved.

Until someone saved him.

Red markings started to appear on his right hand. A symbol he would then know as Command Seals. Prove that he was chosen as a Master.

And then, she appeared in front of him.

Hair as golden as the sun, eyes as green as the lighted forest, a mesmerizing blue dress with armored plating, and one of the most beautiful faces he had ever seen.

His servant, Saber.

"I ask you, are you… my Master?"

The moment she asked that question while being basked in the moonlight, he knew it was a moment he would never forget, even if he had gone through hell and back again.

For Shirou Emiya, it was truly love at first sight.

After asking him, his servant saved him from the Lancer that was attacking him. Holding an invisible weapon, she moved with such beautiful grace and forced Lancer to make a retreat.

After being saved, he still couldn't comprehend what kind of situation he was in.

Even before he could rest to ponder or just try to make any sense of what was going on, his servant alerted him that another one was incoming.

Shirou ran like the wind, chasing after his servant who went to greet another enemy servant coming to their place.

This time, it was the one clad in red. The servant, Archer, was armed with twin swords.

The moment Shirou caught up with Saber, he was greeted by her and Archer clashing with their respective weapons on one another. And again, he witnessed something that his eyes thought to be a beautiful dance of arsenal.

Shirou finally found some semblance in his mind and made Saber stop, trying to find some sort of explanation or maybe even a breather surrounding this situation.

And then, he was greeted by a rather familiar face.

Hair in a twin tail, clothes being the female version of his high school uniform, a rather sharp yet gentle face, and a presence that made him skip his heartbeat a little.

Rin Tohsaka, the Master of Archer.

"Well, what a situation you have, Emiya-kun."

Shirou never truly had a conversation with her even though they were going to the same high school. For him, the visage of Rin Tohsaka was always a passing fancy. Something that he could always admire, but never really got to know.

In short, for Shirou Emiya, Rin Tohsaka was another love that he could only admire from afar.

With the situation he had at this moment, all he could do was invite his rather surprising guest to come inside his house to get at least a bit of an explanation of what he got himself into.

Rin and Saber entered the Emiya Household in a rather awkward way and Archer was gone, entering what Rin called a 'Spirit Form'.

Shirou made them sit down in the living room, made them drinks to keep things to start a better atmosphere, and asked them about everything he could muster up.

Then, the Fifth Holy Grail War was explained to him. A war that turned his world upside down for the second time.

A war where the Magi summoned Heroes throughout the ages to fight against each other, all for a wish that was promised to be granted.

Heroic Spirits.

They were glorified for their achievements and maybe could be considered as deified. Some were kings of a kingdom of the time long past, some were warriors of long-forgotten wars, some were monsters, born from the blood of the gods, and some came from the future. The latter he would find out eventually.

Seven were summoned by their respective Masters.

Saber, Servant of the Sword.

Archer, Servant of the Bow.

Lancer, Servant of the Spear.

Rider, Servant of the Mount.

Caster, Servant of Witchcraft.

Berserker, Servant of Madness.

Assassin, Servant of Murder.

It was like a fantasy coming true, or maybe in his case, a nightmare. Shirou never wanted anyone to die for something like a wish, and his predicament was telling him that people summoned heroes from the past to fight to the death.

And he was forced to be one of them.

Rin told him to go with her to see a certain priest nearby so that he would be annulled from being a Master for the War. His servant, Saber, rather disapproved of this choice.

They all then went ahead to go to the nearby church, where the priest was presiding.

Kotomine Kirei, a priest with a rather eloquent tongue, greeted Shirou and Rin when they entered. The presence that the priest was exuding made Shirou a little wary but he moved ahead.

At first, the priest further explained what the Holy Grail War was, teaching Shirou the long history and tradition behind it, and then, he also approved of Shirou's removal from it.

After that, Kotomine Kirei learned Shirou's full name… the name of Emiya.

Shirou could see that the rather timid priest became slightly fuller of life, and talked in a different tone than the first time he talked to him.

"Rejoice, young man. Your wish will finally come true."

It was bewildering for Shirou to hear, considering he had no wish whatsoever. All he had was an ideal passed down by his father, to save as many people as possible in front of him… to be a hero.

It dawned on him that his ideal was his wish, that he needed to fight to save. And so, Shirou decided to be a Master and fight in the Holy Grail War. Not to eliminate those in his way, but to save those in need.

Rin voiced her disapproval, stating that someone as green as him shouldn't be in this situation, but the priest rejected her disapproval and so did he.

After all this, they went out of the church and met with Saber, who stood guard outside, and in an instant, Rin stated to him that he would be her enemy.

It was rather shocking to hear, but Shirou could never see her as an enemy after helping him with all this.

But before they could even begin to talk about it more while walking away from the church, someone appeared.

Her hair was white as snow, her legs smaller than his arms, an innocent face yet had a deadly gaze. It was an unknown small child to those who watched her appear. What shocked them, however, was a giant of a man standing behind her, holding a gigantic axe made out of stone.

"So, you did summon your own, Onii-chan."

Those words were meant for Shirou, who was still bewildered by their appearance.

"I am Illyasviel von Einzbern, but it matters not if you remember…"

The air was getting colder by the minute. Shirou could tell that Rin and Saber were more than apprehensive by this predicament, but he couldn't think of what was to come.

The small girl, who had introduced herself as Illyasviel, was still smiling innocently…

"Kill them all, Berserker."

In a flash, the giant man instantly appeared in front of them and Saber instantly was called to a close-quarters combat. An invisible weapon against a massive stone-axe, a petite woman against a monster twice the size of a normal man.

Everything was akin to lightning. Their slashes and movements were a beautiful yet dangerous dance and Shirou could only stand there while Rin was chasing the small girl and her servant firing arrows after arrows.

Even with Archer's support, Saber was still being bombarded heavily by Berserker's attacks and Shirou could see that she was losing, badly.

Archer then disappeared, leaving all of them with the behemoth of a servant.

Saber still tried to stand her ground, parrying attack after attack, and after a while, a golden glow appeared around her weapon and struck down Berserker.

It was all for naught, however, as Berserker instantly regenerated. Illya laughed and proclaimed that her servant was none other than Heracles himself, and added that he was unkillable.

All this happening, and Shirou couldn't do anything but stand still.

Saber was then put against a surprise attack by Berserker and Shirou could see that it would be fatal to her. His body moved on his own, saving Saber from the attack and cleaving him instead.

The whole world was going dark from Shirou's perspective, but before he closed his eyes, he saw the world going white as if an explosion was happening.

It was an attack by Archer, who was at a vantage point firing one of his deadliest attacks, which for some reason, Shirou could tell.

Then, the whole world went dark for him. Shirou closed his eyes without knowing what would happen to all after this.

He thought of how weak he was, not being able to do anything while Saber did the fighting for him. People were in danger, and he couldn't do anything.

He dreamt of the fire that he'd once experienced, about how we walked through hell and he was the only one who survived while the others that cried for help became lifeless.

He then dreamt of a majestic kingdom, a beautiful sun basking in the area, and a young woman looking at a sword being planted on a stone.

'Is this the end?' Shirou thought.

Again, death didn't call for him, as he woke up from his slumber. The sight of a familiar ceiling greeted him, the ceiling of his home.

Saber was beside him, sitting still while looking at him with a worried face. She explained what had happened after he became unconscious, about how Illyasviel and her servant retreated and she carried his injured state back to his place.

Saber also explained that she was shocked that all of his injuries healed by themselves, almost in an instant. She questioned whether or not Shirou had any regenerative abilities, but he wasn't able to answer.

After this, Saber berated him, harshly.

Shirou was a Master and a very green one at that. For him to take the sacrificial leap for her sake was considered to be more than idiotic, and Shirou could only reply that he needed to fight as well.

He asked her to teach him how to fight, to be able to close his distance to her, to be able to stand his ground, and she accepted…

Being followed by both promising to fight for each other, as Master and Servant.

Thus began the Fifth Holy Grail War for Shirou Emiya and his servant, Saber.

It was a journey beginning with them disagreeing on a lot of things, such as him still attending school, Saber not being able to follow him closely, and even the bathroom schedule.

Yet, there were always something Shirou cherished with his moments with her, such as her appetite being far larger than his own, or how cute her reaction was every time Shirou cooked her something out of the ordinary.

He didn't know it would make his heart warmer living like this. But of course, reality began to strike down, hardly.

Shirou knew he was in this situation because of the war, and the war caught up to him.

The news was telling about many people dying and suffocating due to some sort of reason, whether from a gas leak or a serial killer on the loose. Shirou knew that all this was happening because of the war, that some Masters and Servants were on the loose, doing whatever they wanted.

There was also a matter at his high school, where an aggressive Bounded Field was deployed, forcing Rin to make a temporary alliance with Shirou to find the culprit.

When they found the culprit, the Bounded Field was already activated. Everyone at school lost consciousness except for Shirou and Rin, and then the culprit revealed himself.

Shinji Matou, his classmate and former friend. Shirou knew that this person was a bit… eccentric, but he never knew that he could pull this sort of thing off.

It was a revelation for him to realize that Shinji could harm others to this extent. More so about the fact that the Matou Family was a family of Magi, like the Tohsaka. He then thought of a certain female student who was younger than him.

His musing was cut as Shirou met the servant who made this whole thing happen.

Hair with the color of a lavender, a voluptuous body that would sway the hearts of a common man, and a figure rather taller than him.

The servant, Rider.

Unlike Saber and Rin, Rider had a visage of mature beauty, even with her eyes being blindfolded for the world to see. For Shirou to see her whole appearance, he could feel his recently mature urge of the opposite gender awakening.

But he needed to focus. People were being harmed and needed saving.

He summoned Saber to fight with him against Rider, who was leagues beyond him when it came to fighting capabilities and he knew he needed help from his trusted servant to save everyone at his school.

The two female servants fought with everything they had, a standstill was happening between them and what broke it was Rin's servant, Archer, appearing to support Saber.

It made Rider and Shinji retreat, saving those at school from their life force being sucked out.

The news and government officials made it seem like a gas leak incident. Another farce they created that was similar to all those things that were happening.

Shirou went home and was greeted by the wise words coming from his servant.

"You were reckless again, Shirou!"

Saber berated him for not allowing her to follow him to school with the threat of other Masters putting him in dangerous situations, explaining to him that his servant must be with him at all costs.

It was another night of disagreements with his servant, but Shirou still found comfort in it. The berating stopped after Shirou made her a full-course meal that he knew she would enjoy.

Even in the darkest and most horrific times, Shirou could still find some semblance of peace inside his home, no matter how fleeting it was.

Because after this small moment of tranquility, he would face another problem where he and Saber would face a certain witch.

On a different night, he was abducted by a woman that he had never met before.

Her hair was in between the shade of blue and purple, her hood covered parts of her face and her robe left everything to the imagination.

"A very lucky young man you are, too bad your luck is over…"

The servant Caster, with a malicious smile, creepily took out a twisted dagger to forcefully claim his Command Seals.

Again, Shirou was helpless. His body was being held by some sort of Magecraft that made him unable to move while thinking that his luck truly had run out.

Suddenly, a servant came to save him. But instead of his Servant of the Sword, it was Archer who arrived for his rescue.

Archer attacked with his twin swords, engaging Caster in close-quarters combat rather than a long-range one.

His movements were swift, yet they looked very familiar for Shirou to comprehend. It was as if he had been the one making those moves and stances.

It always dawned on him that Archer's movements of combat felt eerily comfortable and personal to Shirou Emiya.

Archer talked while fighting Caster, engaging in a conversation with her about how she was the one responsible for the gas leaks happening throughout the city.

He talked about sacrifice and everything it took to gain victory, something that Shirou disapproved of.

Caster conjured up multiple spells and even was able to make Archer freeze in place. But still, it was all for naught as he was able to gain the upper hand and conjured an arrow of great power, defeating Caster because of it.

Instead of apprehending Caster or finishing the job, Archer lets Caster away, confusing Shirou in the process.

Shirou was always having trouble discerning the Servant clad in red in front of him. He felt personal and relatable, yet they always disagreed on many things.

In this instance, it was the breaking point. Archer told him about sacrificing for the greater good, about how everyone in the city should be sacrificed because if Caster got hold of the Holy Grail, it would've been a far more catastrophic calamity.

It was something Shirou wouldn't even comprehend, killing in order to save.

Their disagreement became much worse, as Archer made a killing blow against Shirou.

"Let your ideals die with you."

It wasn't the mortal wound that Archer inflicted upon him that made him think, but his words about the ideals he was trying to uphold.

What did that mean? Was he wrong about his ideals? Wasn't it right to save those in need? Wasn't it right to be a hero?

"You can't save everyone, that's the reality."

Every word that Archer said made his resolve weaker and weaker. To put it simply, Archer just ground his gears the wrong way.

He crawled for safety away from Archer, and he could see his servant, Saber, fighting a samurai at the gate of Ryuudou Temple.

Saber instantly took hold of him, asking him what had happened. Before Archer was able to make the finishing strike, the Samurai intervened.

After that, the night ended with Saber applying bandages to him at the Emiya Household, asking him about what had happened with him and Archer.

It was a thing to ponder for Saber considering that they had a temporary alliance with Rin and her servant, and yet, Archer attacked her Master, the one he was supposed to save.

Shirou explained everything and had a new resolve; to train harder with Saber, which she happily obliged.

His mind was in a gutter, because of what Archer said to him earlier and because of what Archer displayed against Caster and Assassin. Twin swords that he just kept thinking of as beautiful and words about his ideals being hypocrisy.

'Who is he? Why did he say those things' Shirou thought long and hard about the identity of the Servant of the Bow, implying some sort of connection between them.

Again, it was another night filled with more questions than answers for him… a natural time in the Fifth Holy Grail War.

After the night ended, it always continued with dreams of his servant's former life in Shirou's sleep.

He was always enamored by his dreams, seeing the young girl being tutored by an old knight, a handsome yet lecherous wizard who kept stopping by her and telling her about her destiny as the king of the country.

Shirou even knew her first name, but never got to tell her that.

Arthuria…

He muttered the name when waking up from his slumber.

A different day was beginning and Shirou started it with a beating from his servant. She would call it training, but it was more of a beating. School was halted indefinitely until further notice due to the incident with Rider, so it was perfect timing for him to train some more.

Day by day, he kept pushing himself to his limits against Saber. No matter how rough it would be, Shirou was always getting back up, and Saber tried to not pull her punches… due to Shirou having regenerative abilities, of course.

She could see that Shirou was growing more and more exponentially, even though she wanted to say that Shirou had talent… what scared her was that his fighting style was becoming closer and closer to Archer's.

Day by day, she kept going with the same routine of training her Master, getting a full-course meal three times a day from him, and had the same arguments with him as well.

It was something that she never thought to find solace with, especially with her Master out of all people… considering the last Master she fought the Holy Grail War with.

She couldn't bring to tell him - to say to him that Shirou's beloved father was someone who was a cold-hearted and immoral assassin who'd betrayed her.

To see his adopted son turn out to be a fine and altruistic young man – even though he was reckless and found himself in a lot of bad situations – was something positive to hold on to.

'He would make more than a fine knight,' she thought, while also thinking about her past. A great kingdom that fell into ruin... with her as its ruler.

Saber realized that she needed to focus on winning the war, and pushed her thoughts of finding comfort with Shirou… at this moment in time.

On one of those days, Rin Tohsaka came to the Emiya Household, apologizing for what Archer had done to Shirou, and wished to continue their alliance by going after Caster and her Master together.

Shirou immediately agreed, even though Saber had concerns about the relationship between Archer and her Master.

To make amends, Rin wanted to take them both out for a good time… taking them out on a date, to be exact.

They were slightly dumbfounded by the idea of it, but for some reason, it was like they were transported to the downtown area with Rin leading the way.

Didn't realize they were wearing their going-out clothes either…

Even though his servant had a worried expression, constantly being watchful of the surroundings, Shirou felt like this was a nice time to let out their worries about the war.

Not gonna lie, going out with two beautiful females wasn't exactly a bad thing for Shirou to experience.

They had a picnic at the park, eating the sandwiches that Shirou made before going out which Saber was enthralled to eat and Rin was ecstatic as well.

After that, they went on a stroll to the business district of Fuyuki City, sightseeing the architecture of modern buildings around while talking about mundane things and also visiting the baseball place – which spent a long time, as Saber wasn't very good at it and was very competitive, too competitive in fact.

For Shirou to experience this, was a brand-new thing altogether as it made him feel something he had never felt before. He knew that every time he saw Saber's face, his heart skipped a beat.

But he never thought that he would do the same when he saw Rin's face on this supposed date.

Rin Tohsaka was always someone he had admired from afar. But ever since the war started, he spent more and more time with her. Whether it was her berating him for being what she called a 'numbskull' or showing her worriedness for his state every time they went into combat.

Shirou didn't really know what he felt for those two, who were two of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen.

'Is this what I think it is?' he thought while walking behind them.

His musing was cut short as he looked at his servant who had her face glued to the window – looking at a certain lion plushie being displayed inside a crane game in an arcade.

Shirou immediately went inside and grabbed some coins from his wallet, and after some tries, he was able to get the plushie and gave it to Saber.

She displayed such a cute face after, that Shirou could feel a touch of warmness around his face – and Rin, who saw this whole thing, had a small smile as well.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this though," Saber said to him while holding onto the small lion plushie.

"Just keep it, as something for you to remember me by…" Shirou said those words and after that, he instantly walked away from her, not looking at her reaction after saying what he said.

They then arrived at the Fuyuki Bridge, a great man-made construction that they needed to pass by to return to their respective places.

Overall, it was a good day for them. The stresses of the Holy Grail War were gone and they all had smiles on their faces.

But no matter how good the day was, the war would catch up to them by any means necessary.

The sunset sky was instantly replaced by a dark one, looking as if a storm was coming. They instantly noticed they walked into some sort of Bounded Field.

And lo and behold, Caster was floating above them.

Rin couldn't contact Archer, who was outside the barrier. So, that left the three of them to fend off against Caster and her army of skeletal familiars.

Shirou had a feeling that he could withstand the onslaught of Caster's familiars, that even with only the three of them, they had a fighting chance.

Caster was more than smug, talking about how she was about to win the war and make the Holy Grail hers. Saber was equipped with her battle dress and her invisible weapon readied in her hands.

"I know everything about you, Shirou Emiya. About how your father prepared you for the Holy Grail War, about how he took you in after the fire that burnt everything you held dear."

Everything that Caster told made Saber and Rin shocked to their core, not knowing about Shirou's circumstances and past.

"It seems you've been cursed by the Grail. I can make any wish a reality now, why don't you join me with your servant, Master of Saber?"

Of course, Shirou rejected it wholeheartedly, knowing that the numerous gas leak incidents were her act to gain more power and use people as batteries.

After rejecting Caster, her Master appeared. Souichirou Kuzuki, the strict homeroom teacher from his and Rin's high school. Rin voiced that she had her suspicions about him and that tailing him was supposed to be the next mission for their alliance.

Souichirou stood below the floating Caster, his manner was calm yet he had a deadly aura around him. He moved faster than Shirou's reaction and Caster voiced that she would support her Master easily.

He appeared in front of Shirou instantly, Saber also moved to support her Master and decided to strike her opponent head-on.

Her invisible sword was blocked, out of nowhere, as Souichirou had his reaction timed perfectly, making all three of them shocked to their core.

It was a thing to behold as they thought a Master wouldn't be able to hold their ground against a Servant, and they were witnessing as of this moment proved otherwise.

Shirou heard Caster and her Master voicing about how his physical abilities were enhanced and he had his skills to add.

It took only a few moments for Souichirou to subdue Saber, choking her and lifting her off the ground. Meanwhile, Shirou could again only watch as he was held off by Caster's water golems with Rin holding them off as well.

Caster laughed and pulled out her twisted dagger, telling her Master to keep subduing Saber so she could do her thing.

She floated down and stabbed the subdued Saber with it. Shirou screamed for Saber's safety, Rin could only gasp, and Saber screamed as well.

Something was hurting around Shirou's hand, his Command Seals glowed harshly and after that, they disappeared.

Caster's hand began to glow and appeared a set of Command Seals that was similar to Shirou's own. She laughed and proclaimed the ability of her Noble Phantasm, Rule Breaker, to make all this possible.

It was hard for Shirou to comprehend. He just lost his Servant in a matter of moments, signifying how helpless he was in this predicament.

After laughing wholeheartedly, Caster used her Command Seals and ordered Saber to strike down Rin. Saber struggled to fight against the order, but she wasn't strong enough to go against their power.

Saber's body moved on her own, her invisible weapon was going to strike down Archer's Master.

Shirou had a hard time believing this was a reality, that he wasn't able to defend anyone, and that because of his being weak, he lost Saber, who was in the movement of striking down Rin reluctantly.

'If only he were here…'

For some reason, he thought of the Servant of the Bow, Archer… but more specifically, his twin swords and how he utilized them.

He wished that he could do that, to have that kind of power so that he could defend those around him… to not be weak.

At this moment, he had enough.

His Magic Circuits flared, utilizing the Magecraft that he mastered the most, Projection.

He had enough of himself being unable to help others. He had enough of wishing for someone to save those around him… and also, he had enough of looking up to Archer's ability.

Instead, Shirou decided to make his own.

In a flash, Shirou made the impossible happen. Archer's twin swords appeared on his hands, and for some reason, he knew the names of the weapons he'd summoned.

Kanshou and Bakuya, the twins married swords.

With those weapons, he held off Saber's oncoming attack towards Rin, shocking everyone who was watching in the process.

"Shirou…"

Saber was trying to talk to him, but her body was going against her will. But due to this, her movements were not as strong as when she used them with convictions.

Shirou managed to push Saber off, intending to guard Rin from whatever Caster would conjure up to harm her. Rin only stood dumbfounded at what Shirou had just done for her, shocked to the core while also mesmerized by Shirou's display.

Caster also had her jaw dropped on the floor and then voiced her disapproval of the situation ongoing. She commanded Saber again, this time to strike him down, and also said to her Master to do the same.

Souichirou moved first, intending to strike Shirou down in the most efficient way possible.

Shirou knew that he was slower and weaker than Souichirou considering the magical enhancements that Caster was giving him. So, he decided to do something with it.

His second Magecraft, Reinforcement, was then utilized. Again, his Magical Circuits flared, showing green lines all over his body.

Shirou then remembered all the teaching he was given by Saber when it came to close-quarters combat, to anticipate the opponent's attack, and that, he did.

He parried off most of Souichirou's attacks, fists went up against swords and the former came out with lacerations all over.

Saber also moved, but considering the beating that Shirou had endured against her for days, he knew how to anticipate them as well.

It was a two-against-one close-quarters combat. The odds weren't favoring Shirou one bit, yet he still stood his ground and went on the defensive.

But, of course, his defense wasn't perfect, as some punches and slashes couldn't get parried by him, and it made him have many injuries littering his body.

But for five minutes, he was fighting with everything he had, with his mission being to protect Rin Tohsaka at all costs.

"I won't let you harm her, no matter what…"

"Emiya-kun…"

Shirou said those words with ragged breaths with Rin behind her still being shocked and mesmerized.

After he said those words, the sky split in half and Rin's Servant appeared with his trusted bow in hand.

He fired arrow after arrow at everyone who was standing against Rin and Shirou, signifying a turn of events and the odds immediately going against Caster.

For a slight moment, Caster made a frown, thinking that what she had just witnessed was the sign of her inevitable victory going awry.

But still, she had an ace in the hole to secure her safety for a retreat.

Caster made someone appear. The visage of Taiga Fujimura's unconscious body floating alongside her shocked Rin and Shirou.

It was clear that Caster was holding Shirou's guardian and homeroom teacher hostage, making it clear that to set her free, they must let Caster go away again.

Archer broke the Bounded Field's barrier, cracking the invisible walls that separated them from the real world and Caster let Taiga go, safely being held by Shirou.

Caster and her Master then disappeared, taking Saber with them in a reluctant manner, and Shirou could only stand there watching his Servant being taken from him.

He thought that he was able to defend all, letting them know that he was able to save them, but it still wasn't enough.

And after they disappeared, Shirou felt that his consciousness was fading away with Rin noticing it as well.

Archer took hold of Taiga from Shirou's hold, and Shirou passed out while still thinking that he was still short of saving anyone.

In his unconscious state, he didn't dream of Saber's life any longer, but about the fire… and his father's last words to him.

Even after he conjured up some sort of miracle, some sort of power to fight, he thought that he was still not enough to save everyone in front of him.

Shirou then woke up, laying in an unfamiliar bed and seeing a foreign ceiling.

It was already nightfall. Shirou didn't know how long he'd been unconscious and the only thing accompanying him was regret and a sense of unworthiness.

He had bandages all over him, thanks to the onslaught of Souichirou and Saber's attacks previously.

He noticed a box full of jewelry lying beside him, which he knocked out of the shelf unconsciously.

And then, he saw it…

The same red pendant that he'd found on the first night of the Holy Grail War, where he'd been stabbed by Lancer's red spear.

Shirou's mind then went awry, piecing every clue on where he was and whose red pendant it belonged to.

He was at Rin Tohsaka's manor… and the red pendant was hers.

This would mean Rin saved his life, forcing death's grip away from him that night.

He fell to the floor, showing his desperation and knowledge about how weak he was and how he was the only one who kept getting saved.

A debt that he could never pay, no matter what.

After feeling sorry for himself, Shirou got up and exited the chambers.

After he closed the doors, he was greeted by Rin and Archer sitting in the manor's living room.

They talked about how Taiga was unharmed and resting peacefully in another bedroom, and then, they talked about Shirou's current state…

More specifically, Rin told him that he no longer had to fight the war.

Shirou voiced his disapproval, harshly. He had a promise to keep and of course, wished to save Saber from Caster's clutches.

The moment he tried to voice his disapproval further, he felt that his arms and legs couldn't move, signifying some sort of pain coming from all around his body, and then, he fell to the floor.

Rin reacted surprisingly, and Archer calmly moved to him while telling him that he overused his neglected Magic Circuits and that Shirou was lucky they didn't see any necrosis forming.

Shirou told them about how he trained his Magic Circuits every night, but Rin rebuffed him, saying his methods of training were so wrong and harmful, that he was lucky to be alive at this point.

Archer put his hand on Shirou's back and poured Mana into all of his Magic Circuits, making Shirou's mobility return to a normal state.

Rin then made a statement to Shirou, backing her claim about him being unsuited for fighting the Holy Grail War in the first place, and this was proof that he shouldn't fight any longer.

"Stay out of it from now on… or you'll die."

After a few moments of arguing and yelling, Shirou then found himself going back to his household, leaving the Tohsaka manor and feeling more useless than ever.

He lost Saber, his servant whom he made a promise to fight alongside, and Rin as well, the Master he made the same promise to, all in one evening.

His walk was only accompanied by the silence of the night and his thoughts of loss.

Shirou then arrived at his destination, thinking that the only thing that awaited him at his own home was another form of loneliness.

But he was wrong, as in front of the Emiya household was someone waiting for him.

He was more than shocked for this was someone that he hadn't thought of.

Hair in the light shade of purple, face as beautiful as a delicate flower, and body as voluptuous as Rider's.

Sakura Matou stood there silently as if she was waiting for him to arrive.

Sakura had always come to his house early in the morning before school. They made breakfast together, walked to school together, and even shared dinner sometimes.

But ever since the Holy Grail War happened, she had never visited him early in the morning, even at school, Shirou had rarely seen her.

At first, he noticed it, but after going through many ordeals, and with Saber keeping him company most of the time, he had forgotten.

To see her standing in front of his house brought a small joy to Shirou's heart and soul.

He walked to her to get a closer look, where from afar, she saw his beautiful high school junior, and from up close… he saw her body being heavily injured with many stab wounds and lacerations.

"Senpai…"

Her voice sounded like a whisper, her breaths were heavy and ragged, blood was smeared all over her, and Shirou could only be shocked to the core.

Sakura fell to the ground and Shirou moved hastily to hold her visage.

He didn't know how to react, or what to do, after seeing her like this. He felt it was his fault for not looking after her, as he had thought that Sakura would be safe and sound by keeping away from the dangers of the Holy Grail War.

Shirou could only scream her name; telling her to stay awake and letting her know that he was here with her.

He didn't know how to help her; he thought that Rin could do something if he had brought Sakura to her, but she was going to go against Caster…

Which left only one option…

Shirou ran like the wind, with Sakura being carried by him, to get to his destination.

The Fuyuki Church, where the priest Kirei Kotomine was residing. Shirou remembered that the church was a sanctuary for those seeking refuge from the spoils of the Holy Grail War, and considering that Kirei was also Rin's Magus tutor, he thought it was his best option.

Shirou then arrived at the dimly lit church, screaming for Kirei's name to help him as he was carrying the heavily injured girl with many stab wounds all over her.

Kirei then appeared instantly, his visage was still that of a calm man wearing the robe of a priest, and he asked Shirou what he was seeking at this house of God.

"Please… help her. I don't know what happened, but please… just help her."

Shirou pleaded with the priest, begging him to save the damsel he was carrying. The priest then muttered something with such a low voice that Shirou couldn't barely hear it.

"So, even the King himself lost..."

Shirou didn't hear that at all, and after Kirei said those words, he took hold of Sakura's unconscious body and told Shirou that he would do his best to take care of the poor child.

Kirei entered the backroom of the church, and Shirou waited with the company of his thoughts at the church's primary hall.

Again, his thoughts were filled with how he couldn't save anyone, especially those he cared about.

He waited for the good news that Sakura was going to be fine, as he couldn't do anything but wait.

After waiting for half an hour while contemplating a lot of things, Kirei then stepped out of the backroom of the church with his hands slightly smeared with blood, making Shirou think of the worst scenario.

Thankfully, it wasn't the worst scenario as Kirei told him that Sakura was stable and would be alright… physically.

Shirou didn't know what Kirei meant by that, and asked further… which brought on the topic of the Matou Family in the process.

About the head of the family, and Sakura's 'supposed' grandfather, Zouken Matou, and how their family practiced their Magecraft as well.

It was a difficult thing for Shirou to process as he never thought that Sakura was in a magi family like Rin as well.

And then, they got to the part of the Crest Worms, which horrified and shocked Shirou, extremely.

Kirei explains Sakura's body was infested by Zouken Matou's Crest Worms, which feed on her Mana… by arousing her, giving her an extreme sense of arousal that it could even be considered torture if she rejected it.

Shirou truly didn't know how to react to that news, as it was out of his wildest imagination that this thing could occur.

Kirei then told him that he could take Sakura home, and tended to… her needs. Shirou just rebuffed him and got Sakura's still unconscious body for him to carry. Her injuries were no longer there, signifying some sort of regenerative abilities like what Shirou had displayed.

And then, he asked Shirou something that made him think more…

"Would you look after her, even at all costs?"

Shirou's eyes widened, as he didn't know what Kirei meant by what 'at all costs' was supposed to be.

He left the church with Sakura without answering Kirei's questions, as Kirei told him to return from whence he came.

Little did Shirou know, that Caster was about to arrive at the church to execute another part of her plan, as he was already out of there and heading toward his home with Sakura's unconscious body in tow.

After Shirou arrived, he placed Sakura on his bed and then contemplated the information that the priest had given him.

To think that Sakura was suffering all this time was suffocating for Shirou to comprehend. He was supposed to be able to protect her as well, the beautiful butterfly that kept accompanying him way before the Holy Grail War happened.

Watching her sleeping soundly made him realize that he'd never truly noticed how beautiful Sakura was, all this time.

Like with Saber and Rin, his heart skipped a beat watching Sakura's face closely.

Suddenly, someone materialized before him… someone he had met once before.

The Servant of the Mount, Rider, appeared, surprising Shirou in the process.

He then readied himself for a fight, signifying that he would protect Sakura no matter what became of him. But then, Rider told him it was unnecessary, as she was just here to be around her Master.

Shirou was confused, as he thought that Rider was Shinji's Servant…

Rider admitted that her true Master was Sakura, that she was just being 'borrowed' to Shinji as he was too weak to be a Master.

In short, Sakura had been a Master from the very beginning of the Holy Grail War, which made Shirou go into a state of shock even further.

He then asked about the injuries that Sakura had sustained prior, but Rider rebuffed him, saying that it wasn't her story to tell, but she did say that a rogue Servant did it to her and that Sakura managed to gain the victory.

Again, Shirou could only stand there and listen. All this time Sakura was in danger as well, and he hadn't done a thing about it.

He showed his regret, his sadness, and then a resolve to protect her as well.

Rider noticed this, beginning to trust Shirou to take care of Sakura. Before she was about to dematerialize, she asked Shirou a question…

"Would you save her, even if it means losing everything?"

It was a question that Shirou didn't know what kind of weight it carried, but after seeing Sakura's face again and thinking about how much he had neglected her…

He wanted to answer 'yes' to the question.

Rider then dematerialized, with a small smile on her face… and a sense of worriedness for the upcoming dread.

Shirou just sat there silently, thinking about Rider's question and also how much Sakura meant to him… but then, he also thought of Rin and Saber…

Before he could think of them any further, Sakura woke up from her slumber.

Shirou had a small smile on his face, seeing that Sakura looked just like she had always been.

Sakura asked what happened to her, but Shirou just dismissed it by saying that everything was going to be alright and that she was safe now.

His assurances brought a smile to Sakura's face as well, and Shirou found this to be reassuring as he didn't want the weight of the war on her shoulders, to not let her be worried about anything and have a sense of comfort from then on.

Thus, began the short life of some sort of romantic getaway for Shirou Emiya and Sakura Matou, where they just didn't go anywhere, staying at the Emiya Household with only the company of each other.

They cooked and ate dinner together, talked about school that still hadn't started, about what happened when they hadn't been together…

Shirou said to her that they shouldn't talk about that war any further, that she was safe and sound, and that she could just stay at his home for as much as she wanted. Sakura happily obliged.

They slept in separate rooms that night… just for that night.

Shirou didn't know, that Sakura's arousal for him was killing her. Touching herself wasn't enough for her, as if she craved flesh… more specifically, Shirou Emiya's.

After the night, the day appeared

They made breakfast and ate it together as well. For Shirou to experience this sort of peace warmed his heart.

To be able to look at her face in the morning, talking about nothing worthy of mentioning, watching the television together, or tinkering with junks and her watching him…

They even just sat together looking at the scenery of his household's backyard while joining their hands together and Shirou felt like he wanted this to go on and on, forever.

While all this was happening, he didn't notice that Sakura was behaving slightly erratically, as if she was holding back some sort of urge or craving.

All he could see was that Sakura was being lovelier by the minute as if she enjoyed their time together as much as Shirou did.

And then, the night came.

It started like any other night. They made dinner, ate it together, cleaned the dishes together and then they had baths in turn with Shirou going first.

Still, Shirou didn't notice that Sakura was holding off her urges with every breath she could muster.

What could possibly await him on this night?

It all started after Shirou had his bath, enjoying the night in his room while thinking about the day he had with Sakura.

It was a day where he had no danger whatsoever, where he had a great time in the company of his beautiful, delicate, shy, and joyful companion.

The thought of the Holy Grail War hadn't even crossed his mind; as all of his thoughts were filled with Sakura, who filled the void of losing Saber and Rin.

He'd never thought he would feel joy like this, even once he thought that he had no right to be living like this…

And yet, he did, and he felt happiness warming his heart.

A knock then came from outside his room, disrupting his train of thought. It turned out to be Sakura who was knocking.

Shirou just told her to come in, and that she did.

She was just done with her bath and was then wearing a bathrobe… just a bathrobe.

For some reason, Shirou felt like Sakura was moving in slow motion as if her steps were accompanied with grace and allure.

Her face was flushed red, either from the bath she had taken or something else entirely.

Shirou felt like his heartbeat was rising faster and faster. Sakura, after closing the door behind her, took a seat at his bed.

She talked slowly, about how much she enjoyed living with him and all the mundane things they had done together.

And then, she asked something to him, making a sudden left turn that shocked Shirou to the core.

"After all this time, what do you think of me? Do you see me as a woman? What do you… feel about me?"

She asked Shirou in a delicate whisper; the silence of the room was then filled with the sound of Shirou's heartbeat.

He never had the time to process what he felt for her. She was always there even before the Holy Grail War happened.

And this day filled him with so much joy and warmness that every sense of dread that he had felt after losing Saber and Rin was gone.

Whereas for Sakura, it was more than obvious what he felt for Shirou. When he was gone, it was like every piece of her heart was missing him.

That was why Sakura had kept going to his house early in the day before school; for every word she needed to hear to always get her through her miserable days was from Shirou Emiya.

Sakura's bathrobe then got dismantled by an unseen force, by accident or not, we would never really know.

It startled Shirou, as he could see her most intimate parts being dimly lit by the moonlight coming from outside.

Shirou then touched Sakura's face gently, readying himself to answer her question after thinking it through.

"I do… love you, Sakura."

It was words that he'd never thought he would say to someone; as he had never thought of himself to be worthy of feeling that way to someone.

And after he said those words, they immediately kissed with every passion they could muster.

Little did they know, that the happiness they felt when kissing each other was laced with lust as well. It was natural as they were teenagers in love.

After a few moments of touching each other's lips with their own, Shirou joined Sakura's clothless state.

Shirou couldn't hold back anymore, and Sakura finally let go of her arousal and erotic urges that she had kept all this time.

Every touch, every breath, and every moan that Sakura was displaying was addicting for Shirou's senses.

His first time went on repeatedly with no signs of tiredness from either party as they tried every position they could think of in their state of lust.

It was rather in their good luck, as the walls kept their sounds from being heard by the neighbors.

That night, no one in the Emiya Household was sleeping; for those who were in it were letting go of their lust all night long, round after round.

When they were finally done, they slept soundly together in each other's embrace, and Shirou had the best sleep he'd ever had with no dreams of the fire or anything that would ruin his experience.

They woke up in the middle of the day, still entangled with each other with Sakura's head resting on Shirou's shirtless chest.

He never thought he would find so much joy in looking at her so closely after getting his sleep, and Sakura just became the happiest girl in the world as what she had been dreaming of turning into reality.

Her legs wrapped around Shirou's own, not letting him leave the bed and Shirou had no intention to do so.

Their day was being spent akin to a newlywed couple; by rarely leaving the bed at all as they still not had enough of the pleasure from their respective fleshes.

When they did leave the bed, it was to make meals for them to eat together and their hands and lips rarely left each other.

They even had their baths together with their skin being connected altogether.

Night approached and they had no sense of time-awareness at all, as they went back to the bedroom and basically… fucked like rabbits.

When the round ended and they needed to take a rest, Shirou looked at Sakura's flushed face while wiping away her stray hair to look at her more clearly.

"I love you… I really do."

Shirou said those words in a whisper, and Sakura gave her reply.

"I love you, more than you'll ever know."

After they said those words, they started kissing again and let another round start. And again, no one in the Emiya Household had any sleep that night.

Another day arrived to greet them.

He woke up first with her beautiful sleeping form greeting him from his slumber.

Shirou looked at Sakura with the greatest smile he could ever muster, brushing off stray hair blocking her face.

He had never felt so much joy for spending these two days with her.

This is the first time Shirou felt love. No longer thinking about the dangers and everything that was occurring in the Holy Grail War.

All of his worries his thoughts and his grief upon losing Saber and Rin were gone, being replaced by the presence that was Sakura.

Time seemed to stop for Shirou, as he kept looking at Sakura's beautiful and delicate face.

This was already in the middle of the day. Sakura was still sleeping and Shirou then woke up from the bed, put on his clothes, and stepped out to make breakfast for them to eat together.

Before he could do anything, a knockdown came from the entrance of the Emiya household.

It was a rather surprising thing to occur as Shirou didn't expect any visitors to come to his house. He then opened the door and lo and behold, it was the visage of Rin Tohsaka.

This shocked Shirou to the core, as he didn't expect that Rin would visit his house after everything that had happened.

The Holy Grail War felt like it was a long time ago for Shirou as he had spent most of these two days being accompanied by something else, or rather... someone.

"I need to talk to you," she said with a worried and rather erratic face. She looked as if she had not been sleeping as there were small signs of bags forming around her eyes.

After he heard those words, Shirou didn't know what to do. His eyes were showing signs of being surprised and also rather worried...

As Sakura's naked form was sleeping on his bed at this very moment there was no way Shirou would invite Rin to come inside.

With his erratic voice, Shirou said it would be better to talk outside.

Rin was displeased a bit after hearing his words, but she had bigger things to worry about. Before going out Shirou grabbed his jacket, and then they ventured out to the nearest park.

After arriving at the park, Rin straightforwardly said to him what she had wanted to say.

"Archer betrayed me."

Rin explained everything to Shirou, about how she and Archer ventured out together to defeat Caster, who had her base of operations moved to the Fuyuki Church and had not fully controlled Saber yet...

But then, the unexpected came. Archer wanted to instead join with Caster so that he could win the Holy Grail and left Rin altogether.

Shirou didn't expect that Archer would betray Rin like that. While he was having the time of his life, Rin was fighting for hers... and being left alone.

Every word that Shirou could hear disgusted him... to be more specific he felt disgusted with himself. He had promised Rin that he would fight with her from the very beginning, and at this moment, he could only see someone he had sworn to protect was abandoned by her Servant out of all people.

And then, he thought about Saber.

His Servant, who was still being held against her will by Caster, was fighting by herself so that she wouldn't be controlled as a puppet.

Everything about this made Shirou feel disgusted with himself. The Holy Grail was still happening, and he was needed to save everyone that he cared about.

His thoughts then went to Sakura, who he thought was still probably sleeping soundly... and then, Shirou looked at Rin's face.

Shirou then had a resolve to save Saber and also fight with Rin, fulfilling his promise to fight the Holy Grail War, and also fulfilling his promise to be a hero of justice.

Rin also wanted to fight even though she had no servant any longer and all she had was a former master that would fight alongside her...

More specifically, she wanted to pay Archer back for betraying her.

Rin began to formulate a plan, starting with the fact that they were servantless and they needed to make another alliance.

The only master that they knew was Illyasviel von Einzbern, who had tried to kill them.

Shirou and Rin were going back and forth, having second thoughts about allying with someone who would probably wish to see them dead, and the fact that Caster had Archer as well made it seem more impossible than ever.

But even at these trying times, Shirou could not deny that he was enjoying his time with her.

It was weird for Shirou to feel, he could not deny that he had some sort of crush on Rin Tohsaka ever since he saw her.

It was weirder... because he then thought about the two days he'd spent with Sakura...

All of a sudden, his thoughts and Rin's ramblings about forming a cohesive plan were disrupted by the presence of someone.

He came suddenly, leisurely talking as well while they were more apprehensive with his visage...

This was Lancer, the very first enemy servant they had come across in the Holy Grail War.

The shock of Lancer appearing was basically paralyzing for Shirou and Rin to comprehend. They had no servant to fight for them whatsoever they knew that they didn't have any chance of fighting against the servant clad in blue.

But, instead of antagonizing them, Lancer proposed... for a temporary alliance.

They were at a loss with this kind of situation as they thought they had no chance whatsoever to defeat Caster, more so with the fact that almost a week before this, Lancer had been the enemy.

Lancer gave his reason for his proposal because his master wished for Caster's defeat... And he also added the fact that a rematch with Archer was a cherry on top.

All this happening and Shirou was processing the fact that Lancer was getting a little chummy with Rin. For some reason, it bugged him a bit extremely.

But alas, they agreed to the temporary alliance with Lancer, who then disappeared after telling them that he would join them at night to attack Caster. It was still the afternoon, a few hours left before nightfall.

After Lancer disappeared, Shirou was processing the fact that Lancer was too chummy to Rin.

This train of thought led him to what he felt for the girl with the twin tails. About how much she had helped him since the beginning of the Holy Grail War, about how much he thought that Rin was an extremely beautiful girl ever since she knew who she was, and about how she saved his life.

Shirou's musings were then cut by Rin, who had been silent but was now speaking to him.

"Why didn't you leave me alone? I left you alone... You don't have to fight anymore"

He already knew what he would say to her.

"Because I promised to fight with you... and I promised to protect you."

Rin's face was then flushed red, couldn't comprehend that Shirou would say those things to her. And then asked him again about why would he go to such lengths.

"Because ever since I found out about the person with the name 'Rin Tohsaka', I've always admired her from afar..."

Even Shirou didn't believe that he could say those words to her, but he did.

In an instant, Rin kissed him, passionately.

Shirou was surprised, and then he started to kiss her back with the same amount of passion. While this was happening, Shirou knew that he was in love with the twin-tailed magus.

After their lips parted, Rin hid her flush by burying her face in his chest, and he reacted instantly by holding her as close as possible.

Shirou was in a state of bliss, to hold Rin like this... But then, he thought about Sakura as well, about the two days he had spent with her and then he was kissing a different girl now, and about he felt love for the two girls, extremely.

His thoughts almost led him to a train of thought where the evidence was showing him that he was with a different woman before, but then, Rin let go of him and told him that it was time as the sunset was beginning to end.

Shirou hadn't even realized the time. He thought he had more time to comprehend or at least explain to Rin about their circumstances... more specifically, their kiss.

Shirou realized that he needed to understand that the Holy Grail War was still happening and that he needed to prioritize defeating Caster first.

They then walked to the Fuyuki Church, preparing themselves in the process. Rin told him about what kind of plan they needed to have.

Rin was planning for Lancer to go up against Archer, and Shirou and Rin would fight against Caster and her Master as Saber would still be incapacitated.

Night then arrived. Shirou and Rin also arrived at the church where Archer was waiting in front of it.

And then, Lancer made his presence known, making Archer turn his small smile into a frown.

Lancer took his fighting stance and so did Archer, whereas Shirou and Rin instantly took hold of the chance and entered the abandoned church.

After they entered the church, they headed toward the basement and were greeted with Caster floating, her master Souichirou, and Saber being incapacitated.

Both of them then took their fighting stances, readying themselves for combat with the odds being against them.

Shirou immediately summoned the twin swords with his favorite magecraft, Projection, while Rin was readying herself to fight Caster.

Shirou gestured towards Souichirou for close-quarters combat, signifying it by the glow of his magic circuits and Souichirou having a purple aura radiating around him.

The battle finally began. Sparks were flying whether it was from strikes coming from Shirou to Souichirou or rinse firing Gandr with Castor replying her attack as well.

Shirou needed to focus as he saw Saber being forcefully tortured and looked helpless by being capacitated and immobilized.

Strike after strike he parried against Caster's master. He was barely hanging on by a thread, looking more pressured by the numerous onslaught being delivered by his opponent.

All this happening and he could hear the fight coming from the outside getting louder and louder by the minute. He recognized those hints as Lancer being able to put up a fight against Archer, perhaps winning the fight itself.

He knew he needed to fight against again Souichirou, and Rin was also having a hard time-fighting Caster.

Shirou then looked at his former servant, thinking about how much she meant to him, about how much she needed his help.

Kanshou and Bakuya were Noble Phantasms and Shirou was able to conjure them out of nothing using only a Magecraft that was below the level of the Mysteries.

He knew he had the power to be able to save everyone in front of his vicinity, to be a hero of Justice.

And so, he kept on fighting even though hope was getting slimmer by the minute.

Out of a sudden, an explosion shocked the entire church, signifying the escalation of combat between Archer and Lancer.

For Shirou and Rin, it was an opportunity for them to gain the upper hand against their opponents.

Rin was able to get close to Caster and beat her up physically whereas Shirou used reinforcement to be on par with Souchirou.

After Caster was incapacitated by Rin, Saber was then free from her shackles and Shirou immediately went for her after being able to get loose from Caster's Master.

He screamed for her name, running as fast as he could towards her, who was wearing a white dress for some reason.

She called out his name as well, and after that, they held themselves together.

Shirou never wanted to lose her again as the first time losing her had been painful enough for him to endure, which got him thinking about how much he wanted to embrace his servant.

He didn't care about anything after the moment he saw her, knowing that he needed to save her at all costs.

Shirou and Saber were too busy enjoying their embrace without knowing that someone had entered the basement of the church.

With his red cloak flowing with the wind, Archer appeared.

"Trace, on"

Archer muttered those words and everyone in the vicinity could hear him, and swords instantly appeared, floating behind him.

Swords instantly flew toward the intended targets, whether it was Caster, Souichirou, or more specifically, Shirou Emiya.

Saber pushed Shirou so that he wouldn't get impaled, and Caster, with her Magecraft, was able to defend herself and her master.

Rin voiced her disapproval of everything that Archer was trying to do as if he was playing triple agent against anyone without everyone even knowing what he wanted in the first place.

Saber also voiced her disapproval, saying everything was wrong with Archer's execution, plans, and everything he had been doing to harm Shirou.

All this happening, and Caster took this chance to make a full retreat with her master, disappearing from everyone's sight.

Everyone could only be shocked by this turn of events, except for Archer, who voiced that he did not care about Caster any longer.

Archer explains that the ends justify the means, no matter what. He then compared his executions the same way Saber ruled her kingdom.

Saber had enough, asking Archer who he truly was and why would he know about her rule and her kingdom.

Archer only muttered a sentence that shocked them to their core.

"Saber, I should have never become a hero..."

It was as if a pin had been dropped, the hearts wavered from what they had just heard, and everyone was on the brink of confusion... except for Shirou, who for some reason finally knew Archer's real identity.

For some reason, he knew who he was. He had his suspicions from the moment he talked to the Red-clad servant.

He just didn't want to admit it.

"Why would you say that... Shirou Emiya?"

Shirou asked that question... towards Archer. Saber and Rin had their jaws dropped and their eyes popped up. The insinuation that Shirou had given them more questions than answers.

Archer rebuffed him, stating that he wasn't Shirou Emiya, any longer... But a broken husk of an ideal with the name, Heroic Spirit Emiya.

He then started to chant an Aria.

"I am the bone of my sword..."

Archer's aria told a tragic story of a man who couldn't accomplish his ideals and only had regrets and pain. Shirou felt them all, every word that Archer had given Shirou every sense of relatability.

Rin was more shocked, as she couldn't comprehend the information she had just gotten... His servant came not from the past but from the future, and not only that, but he was the future version of someone that she loved.

Archer then started to finish his chant.

"So, as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works."

The world was then gone, instead, it was replaced by another. A world where the sky was dimly lit, dark clouds forming above them, and all that surrounded them were only swords.

Unlimited Blade Works, Archer's Noble Phantasm, and Shirou Emiya's Reality Marble.

Archer then started a monologue, about his past, about what kind of life he had lived before he became a heroic spirit... more specifically, about his regrets about becoming a hero of Justice.

"A lie of a life... chasing an impossible ideal and instead, being betrayed by it."

Archer's words hurt not only Shirou but also Saber, while Rin just stood there listening about the painful life that her servant had lived and she was more in a state of shock than anyone else there.

Finally, he stopped his monologue and threw his sword in front of Shirou, telling him to kill himself so that he would be free from his hell of an afterlife as a Counter Guardian.

Shirou took the blade, and then held it, solemnly.

After hearing Archer's monologue, he thought long and hard about every detail of the life that was waiting for him if he had chosen to be a hero of Justice.

He knew that Archer was hurting, considering that he felt betrayed by his ideals.

But still, Shirou refused to believe that his ideals were wrong, as it was not wrong to save those in front of him like Saber, Rin, Sakura, and all those he cared about.

"I refuse to believe it to be wrong. I will save others. I will save those in front of me."

Shirou replied many, many times towards his supposed 'future self', angering him in the process.

Both of them then traced their favored weapons, the twin married swords of Kanshou and Bakuya.

And then, they fought while being inside the reality marble whereas Saber and Rin could only watch a fight between ideals.

Every strike that they made was beginning to mirror each other. For Shirou to experience this, it was as if arches experiences and muscle memories were beginning to possess him.

Archer explained that every time they were close to each other, the more bleeding effect Shirou would experience.

In short, Archer's past was starting to affect Shirou.

Archer then fought more angrily as he muttered words about regretting taking Kiritsugu's ideals, about everything he had stood for was a lie, and how he regretted his life.

Saber related more to Archer's words. Every pain that Archer said was beginning to be more personal for her to hear as she was also in a state of regret.

Shirou just kept fighting, parrying the numerous attacks that Archer was mustering against him. Even with the bleeding effect, Shirou didn't come out unharmed as more and more lacerations were beginning to appear around his body.

His injuries were too much, and then Archer made a fatal strike and inflicted a fatal wound on Shirou.

Saber and Rin could only scream, running towards him in an instant while he was falling to the ground, thinking about every word Archer had said to him.

He knew that Archer was right, that his life would be filled with regret. But after experiencing every joy, every kind of interaction, every love... he knew that his ideals were not wrong.

Shirou's wounds then began to heal themselves, with Archer muttering about the scabbard still being inside his body.

He then woke up from the ground with all of his wounds being healed and thus, he was ready to fight against himself.

"I will be a hero of justice, for I still believe it's not wrong to save those in front of me... and those that I love."

Archer was shocked to hear those words coming from Shirou. More specifically, he was shocked to hear about love that he muttered.

Shirou was going towards Archer like a speeding bullet, his hand conjured up another pair of the twin swords, swords around his vicinity, and launched them towards the young man.

He parried all the swords that were after him. Sparks were appearing, coming from the strikes Shirou was putting against the swords.

He just kept running and running towards Archer, signifying his belief of the ideal he would become.

Archer was in a state of daze, becoming more confused as he also could not deny that his ideals were wrong.

He was no longer fighting against his former self, but he was remembering the last moment he had spent with his father, Kiritsugu, and how back then, he had believed that saving others would not be wrong.

Shirou was beginning to get closer and closer to Archer, readying himself to strike the red-clad servant, while Archer was still in a daze.

He put his sword against him as the young version of himself was about to strike him... But Archer couldn't strike him down, as he couldn't deny that saving others in front of him was wrong to begin with.

Shirou struck Archer, while Archer put his hand down, admitting that Shirou was right.

"I've won, Heroic Spirit Emiya."

Shirou said those words to Archer, the one who no longer wanted to bear his true name.

"Yeah... and I've lost, Shirou Emiya."

Archer said those words to Shirou, and himself.

For Rin and Saber to see this happening in front of them, it was like an epic being written down in front of them, a clash of ideals being put to rest by different versions of the same person, and wishes and regrets being placed upon one another.

The world then disappeared in a flash of light. Archer was dismantling his reality marble, turning the world back to its former state.

They were no longer seeing the endless blades surrounding the horizon but instead were back to the sight of the abandoned ruined church.

Archer had a stab wound lingering on his torso, whereas the one who made the attack was on the ground with many lacerations all over him.

Saber and Rin could only stand there, still processing everything that had happened, looking both men back and forth.

For Rin, it was more than shock after hearing about what kind of life her Servant had lived. A lie of a life chasing an impossible ideal, only to be betrayed by it.

It was more shocking to hear that Shirou, someone that she loved and kissed before, was going to continue that path, even after hearing the regrets of his supposed 'future self'.

For Saber, she was still relating to what Archer and Shirou had said about their ideals and their way of either rejecting them or going forth with them no matter what kind of hell he might go through.

She was in a trance, looking back at the life she had given herself as King of Camelot. Where she had regrets about feeling not good enough, about the state of the kingdom that she had left it in, and seeing what her Master had said about his ideals made her second guess her ideals.

Saber then ran toward her former Master, leaving her thoughts behind, and hurriedly checked on his downed state.

She held him with open arms, holding him tightly to not let him go from her arms.

Shirou was still holding on to his consciousness, his injuries were starting to heal themselves, but his sense of tiredness was barely overbearing.

He felt the tender and slender arms holding him with care and looked at the face of said person doing it. Saber, his servant and the woman of his former dreams.

He missed those dreams of seeing her life, growing up from a small girl to a king of a country, fighting against the invaders of the land.

In his barely conscious state, he muttered some words to her.

"I've missed you…"

For some reason unknown to her, those words brought a smile to her face.

They were now in a state of tranquility, and no longer had the animosity surrounding the atmosphere.

Archer, who was just standing there reminiscing about his past life and then finally decided that he was not wrong, to begin with… was suddenly struck on the back of his head by his former master.

Rin had a lot to process, starting with the bombshell about her Servant having the true name of someone she was close to from the beginning.

Her face was more than flushed, and her eyes were holding tears bursting out. All Archer could do then was tell her that he was sorry.

Even though Caster was still on the loose, it felt like the future was beginning to look more brighter for the Holy Grail War, and for them fighting in it.

Rin was still berating Archer for how much of an idiot he had been, Archer just continued to apologize, and Shirou was starting to get back on his feet with Saber helping him.

Surely, there was no such thing to destroy this profound moment of peace and finally, understanding.

It all felt quiet and peaceful…

Too quiet and peaceful.

Out of nowhere, something appeared behind them.

Its figure was too dark to tell, as if it had dark streaks all over followed by a dark shade of red as well.

For them to describe it, they could only see a Shadow.

It appeared in an instant… right next to Rin.

No one could react except for Archer who was standing close to her. Black tendrils started to move erratically, signifying Rin being in danger from an attack.

Archer pushed Rin toward Saber and Shirou, who were still shocked by an unknown element attacking them.

Rin was close to being impaled by the black tendrils, but Archer was then the one who got impaled by them instead, saving her from death's grasp.

The Shadow then threw Archer's impaled body towards them as well and after that, Archer yelled orders for all of them to retreat.

Black tendrils started to multiply, appearing in every corner of their vision. They all then launched simultaneously, intending to impale them in the worst way imaginable.

Archer was the only one who could react to the attacks, shielding the rest with his twin swords even though he was the one with the most injuries.

Saber tried to summon her sword, but she had no power or energy after fighting Caster's influence through the night.

Tendrils met Archer's swords, each attack was becoming faster as if it had been fed up by Archer's constant parrying.

After a while, they finally impaled Archer again, making him face the ground and dealing with his injuries.

The Shadow then reacted again, this time in a different manner.

Its appearance was looking to be more and more bloated with every second passing, making every single one of them feel like it was about to unleash a radiant amount of Mana as a final attack.

Again, Shirou, with his injuries and all, could only stand there and watch as the Shadow was about to unleash its attack.

Out of a sudden, Archer rose from the ground with his hand facing the Shadow in front of them.

With all the strength he could muster, he started chanting his aria… one final time.

"I am the bone of my sword."

Shirou could tell that Archer was running on empty, his mana reserves were almost gone and his injuries didn't help him either.

But all of a sudden, the most beautiful flower they had ever laid their eyes on appeared in front of them.

"Rho Aias."

Archer summoned a giant crystal-like shield with a pink aura all over it, seven petals were protecting them from whatever it was that the Shadow was about to do.

It then finally unleashed its attack, a huge burst of mana was filling every corner of their vision and what shielded them from this attack was Archer's Rho Aias.

The ground shook hard, Archer was tremoring by the sheer scale of the attack as he was the only one wielding the shield, and the rest could only watch in shock and awe.

Petals after petals started to disappear as the attack was starting to corrode Rho Aias. Archer could only scream, trying to defend all of them with his life on the line.

The petals were then gone, and a gigantic explosion occurred inside the basement of the abandoned church.

The building couldn't hold such force attacking its foundation as every column was beginning to become rubble and falling on them.

Rin used her Magecraft to activate some sort of Barrier Field so that neither one of them would be killed by the building falling on them.

All the while she was screaming one thing… Archer.

Dust then filled their vision, not knowing what had happened to the Wrought-Iron Hero and the Shadow that had been suddenly attacking them.

When the dust finally settled, they looked at their vicinity, and found that the Shadow was gone… and only Archer stood… without half of his torso.

He then started falling to the ground, Saber and Shirou could only have their jaws wide open, and Rin was screaming for her former Servant's name.

She was the one who first ran like the wind to get to Archer's side, while Saber and Shirou followed.

When they all got to him, Archer's consciousness was barely there and his figure was starting to become motes of light.

"Sorry, Rin, but this is the end of the line for me…"

Archer affectionately said to Rin, while Rin was no longer on the verge of tears, but was instead pouring them all over.

For Rin, she had thought that finally, she could understand her Servant… that they could fight together with no secrets or personal goals between them any longer.

And the fact that her Servant was the supposed 'future self' of her loved one, made this a far more heartbreaking thing for her to endure.

Archer then looked at Shirou, his supposed 'younger self' and the one who had helped him be at peace with his ideals.

Archer took a full second to look at Shirou's eyes and then started to mouth his message to him.

"From now on, it's your fight. Look after them for me…"

Shirou knew full well what this all meant. Archer could no longer be in the fight, but with them being "Shirou Emiya", Shirou now knew the full extent of his abilities and was able to fight the upcoming battle.

Archer was about to disappear, but before it could happen, he took this chance to take one final look at his former 'Servant' from his past life.

She was wearing a beautiful white dress, her face was all flushed as if she was worrying about his state…

He noticed she was as beautiful as the first night he had laid his eyes upon her. No matter what kind of hell he would go through, it was the only memory he would never forget.

Archer then looked at Rin one final time. She was still crying beside him, muttering about how much of a sacrificial idiot he always had been, about how he had been a big idiot for trying to kill his old self, and the way he regretted becoming a Heroic Spirit.

With his only hand, he patted her head… and then he was gone.

"Don't worry, Tohsaka. I'll be sure to fight as well from now on."

It was his final words to Rin Tohsaka about him finally being at peace with his ideals, that he knew he was not wrong for trying to be a 'hero of justice'.

Saber also heard what Archer's final words were, her mouth was slightly open as she related how much regrets she felt about her ideals with her past rule as king.

To see how much Archer had endured ruined her, she finally felt that they both had the same painful journey filled with regret. For her to hear that he would keep fighting for his ideals made her question her ideals being right as well.

And then, there was Shirou.

He looked up to the sky, seeing the starry skies and the motes of light that had been Archer's visage and pondering about his last words.

He was more than sure to fight for his ideals, to realize Kiritsugu's dream, and become a 'hero of justice'.

He would fight to be one, and the Holy Grail War was about to enter its closing stages… and he would fight in it to protect his loved ones as well.

Little did he know, that he would lose many…

That the Holy Grail War would make him choose to either save his loved ones…

Or be the 'hero of justice' and save many… except his loved ones.

What could possibly await him?

---

This small author note is to welcome everyone to the story and that what was mentioned in the preface the influences will affect the story and how things play out.

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