Chapter 195

By the time Kuzuki left, Shirou was already half-dead, a trail of drool leaking from the corner of his mouth as glassy eyes stared at the ceiling. All he had to do was close his eyes, and he instantly fell asleep.

A distant rumble of thunder shook his body, and he cracked open his eyes. Looking up, the wooden panels with gold leaf borders were gone. In their place, rough wooden planks laid horizontally together, and the damp smell of mildew suffused the room.

Is this…another dream?

Remembering his previous experience, he stood up, feeling the strange sensation of lightness again. It didn't seem like Saber or anyone else was in the room with him, so he pushed open the wooden door and headed outside.

Ironcast skies above obscured the sun as intermittent rumbles groaned in the distance, the threat of rain hanging heavily overhead. Buildings covered in limestone became gray under the lack of light, and he could see a people walking about, preparing for the inevitable deluge. A number of horses could be seen being led to shelters, and some men were securing the bundles of hay, covering them with large tarps.

Seeing nobody familiar, Shirou continued to walk through the town, an unseen presence among the people bustling to and fro. At first, it was slightly unsettling to have people thoroughly disregard him as they walked, with not a single eye turning towards him. It was even more eerie to have them pass through his body and not even bat an eye, but after a while the flow of people started thinning out, until a small entourage of what seemed to be soldiers appeared.

Equipped with spears and what looked like leather armor, they strode through the streets with discipline as the other people gave them a wide berth, though it seemed to be more of a simple caution than fear as their conversation went unbroken around them, though Shirou was unable to understand a single word. Seeing nothing else to guide him, he decided to follow the troupe. As an added bonus, he was no longer phasing through people with the spaced between them and the civilians.

Ahead of him, massive walls loomed in the distance, but he could see parts where it tapered off, the blocky outlines of unfinished construction remaining in the gaps between different sections. Despite that, it still looked quite majestic from afar, and when he got closer he received a greater sense of scale as it towered over him.

The group in front of him headed to a large gate that looked like one of the main entrances, with two towers flanking on either side, and the gate placed in a indentation in the wall structures that looked like a "U" when viewed from above. There were no drawbridges or moats, which he had come to associate with castles, but there was indeed a portcullis poking out of the top of the gate, a thick web of iron bars that had yet to be tainted by rust.

A steadily dwindling stream of people were exiting and entering the castle as the thunder grew closer, with the guards stationed at the gates hastening their inspections.

Instead of joining the queue, the troop directly marched up to the soldiers, and a representative split off to start talking to them. After a moment, they seemed to reach an understanding, the guard nodding and standing aside to let them pass. However, instead of entering the city like Shirou thought they would, they took up positions near the gate and in front of it, with some entering the passages within the wall.

The number of guards almost tripled after being bolstered, and he could hear a number of voices within the walls that seemed to suggest a similar event happening on the other side.

All of a sudden, something fell from the sky and crashed into the ground, almost hitting a guard standing to the side.

The man raised his head and shouted, glaring at someone just barely visible on the top of the wall. Shirou really couldn't be sure, but he thought the person up there waved their hands in apology. When he looked down at the object, he realized it was a crossbow. It was roughly made, and the catch had broken, making it useless. Craning his head to look upwards, he spotted several more people above, and the glint of steel in their hands told him that they were all armed.

Moments later, a chorus of hoofbeats reached him, and then horses poured out of the gateway.

Instead of the lightly armored soldiers on foot, the riders of these mounts were decked out in plate armor, the shine on their equipment bore witness to the care they showed it, though there were scars and dents that also spoke to the experience they possessed. Each one of them looked fit to match five of the foot soldiers, and the other guards reflexively backed away from them.

With a few shouted orders, they headed outwards, entering the more open space just outside the enclosed indent, leaving the smaller and tighter area right in front of the gate to the guards.

The remaining civilians awaiting entry swiftly passed the checkpoint, the guards hurrying them along, and soon all that was left were the soldiers and guards. In the town outside the walls, he could see people ducking into their houses and going out of sight, the presence of humans vanishing as wooden shutters were closed and doors were shut.

Swallowing, he felt the tension rise as it turned into a ghost town, while the cavalry and the foot soldiers near him stood silently, a few more inexperienced men shifting from foot to foot while clutching their spears. The horses pawed the ground, neighing when the skies rumbled.

The clouds grew thicker and darker, and the first drops of rain were starting to fall.

As he watched the minuscule beads of water pass through his hand, a rhythmic beating of horseshoes against dirt grew loud enough for him to hear. Turning around, he saw a trio of horses passing through the gate. Riding in the lead atop an ivory steed with flowing armor, was a face he'd grown accustomed to seeing in the past few days.

Golden bangs shook in the breeze as she jumped from the horse, her cloak flapping behind her. Though she was almost a full head shorter than most of the men there, she commanded their respect and attention, the guards kneeling in front of their king.

A brief exchange occurred, then she walked forward, standing in front of the gate, discarding her cloak on her mount which was led away by one of the dismounted knights who had accompanied her. Unsheathing her sword, she rested the tip against the ground as she stared ahead, her locks glistening under the rain as she spread her feet to a shoulder's length apart, looking like a guardian statue to Shirou.

The drizzle turned into a flurry as pearl-sized droplets fell, turning the dirt into mud.

Through the curtain of rain, someone appeared.

Unlike Saber, they were only on foot. Stepping deeply into the mud, they made their way to the gate, a vague silhouette in the rain.

As the person drew closer, Shirou realized they were armored as well, though a tattered cloak hid most of their features, with only the mud-splattered greaves clearly visible.

The mysterious figure stopped about three horse's length away from Saber, and stared at her.

"Is Camelot not open to weary travelers?"

"If you require a place to rest and stay the night, the inns you passed are more than sufficient."

The gravelly voice was rebuffed by Saber, but Shirou thought he could hear a hint of hesitation in her words.

A moment of silence passed between them, filled in by the steadily increasing volume of rain pouring down from the heavens.

"I take it you already know who I am, to welcome me with such an entourage."

The gazes of the many guards and knights dug into his body, but he showed no reaction to them.

Saber remained silent, her damp hair dripping in front of her eyes yet doing nothing to hide the crystalline emerald.

"Hmph, seems like you're still a bit green for a king."

He raised three fingers into the air, ignoring the hiss of iron scraping against wood.

"You get three chances."

The knights drew their swords, but he was already gone.

Only to reappear right above her head, a streak of silver flashing towards her unprotected skull.

With an ear-splitting shriek, steel clashed against steel as she intercepted the blow, a ripple of wind bursting from the point of impact. Bowing her back briefly, she straightened again as her arms lifted, an outpour of strength forcing the man's blade to reverse in direction as she roared. With a burst of mana, the ground she was standing on shattered, and she shoved hard enough to send the cloaked stranger flying, his tattered cloak whipping about wildly as he spun through the air.

Before he could catch his breath, a second burst of mana from her legs sundered the ground thoroughly, the muddy ground caving in as she took off towards him, Caliburn blazing brightly in her hand. The glowing blade lent her the semblance of a golden comet as she approached the man at immense speeds, the howling of the winds generated in her wake competing with the thundering storm above them.

Shirou winced reflexively at the series of sonic booms that followed, even though he wasn't blown away like the knights next to him were. While they scrambled to find footing amidst the torrents of wind that assaulted them, the two clashed countless times under the incessant rain.

When the two broke apart, he was surprised to see that Saber was actually the one breathing hard, though she had no visible injuries. On the other hand, her opponent still seemed calm, with the only sign of their combat being the newly shortened hem of his cloak, courtesy of Saber. The newly revealing outfit showed off a pair of unremarkable black trousers, which drew attention to the ornate belt buckle of silver depicting a beast.

Seeing his lack of fatigue, Saber swiftly adjusted her stance. A battle of attrition would not be in her favor.

Her emerald eyes sharpened as she stepped forward, that one movement catapulting her forward like a cannon. In the blink of an eye, a massive amount of mana had gathered within her body, a magical warhead primed to explode.

The man merely lifted his sword, planting his feet firmly to accept her assault headon. There was no sign of any magical power or physical strength being prepared, he simply stood there in a defensive posture.

It seemed overwhelmingly clear who had the advantage, but Shirou felt a chill crawl up his skin as he stared at the two fighters about to clash.

The moment they collided, a brilliant explosion of mana visible to the naked eye seared itself into the gaze of all present, blowing away all the knights that had just barely managed to stand up again. Those closest were blasted straight into the nearby castle walls, while those further away were still sent tumbling and rolling across the ground.

Squinting, Shirou tried to peer through the cloud of steam and dust, before it was quickly blown away the gales raging above.

"Saber!"

Even if it was a dream, he couldn't help but shout.

Hanging in the air, armor shattered and arms hanging loosely, was Saber.

Her bun was undone, blond hair whipping fiercely with the wind, and she was held aloft by the man's hand, five fingers circling her throat and slowly choking her to death.

As the first signs of froth started to speckle her lips, a collective cry rang out around them as the knights got to their feet and charged him as one. Behind them, the foot soldiers acted similarly, their lances bristling at the ready to support the knights.

However, with the mud and weather conditions slowing their response, it was too late as they watched their king spasm and shake in the throes of asphyxiation, blood mixing in with the white froth of her mouth.

In what seemed like a final act of desperation, she raised her empty hand towards the sky, her eyes raised towards the unbroken wall of clouds.

The man stared at her arm. Then he too raised his, the sword in his hand pelted by the rain as it pointed towards the sky she was reaching for.

Before he could swing down, the sky parted, a soft halo of light shining down on the two of them. For a brief moment, they were bathed in pure light that drove away all signs of the storm, making even the mud caking their legs look brilliant.

Then it was all gone in one stroke as a pillar of light fell from the heavens and encased the two of them. Deep below the earth, a dull roar rang out as it pierced clear through the crust, the walls of Camelot trembling as its defenders desperately held on to not get thrown off.

A series of branching lightning arced through the skies, surrounding the pillar above, while below a halo-shaped cloud slowly rose through the air, the winds shifting direction as an upwards draft surrounded the light. All sources of noise felt muted, even the rain pelting the ground fading away to silence as a steady hum filled the background. The white walls of Camelot gleamed as they reflected everything, a massive wall of glaring white blinding everyone except Shirou. Within the bleached world, the only thing that moved like normal was a white-haired mage's lips.

By the time Shirou noticed it, it was already covering the entire ground. The inexplicable blooming of flowers, freshly sprouting from the mud with a vitality that rivaled weeds, transforming the place into a Garden of Eden. A gentle breeze caressed his cheek, directly defying the laws of physics as it pushed it's way through the ferocious gales, protecting it's precious cargo of petals as they drifted lazily on the wind. Inhaling deeply, he felt his fear and anxiety at Saber's injury disappear, hints of lavender mixing with rosemary, and a dash of jasmine too as the fragrant incense of the flower beds infused the air.

The formerly collapsed soldiers and knights stood up, each one marveling in their own way at the outlandish scenery they found themselves in. Several even dropped their weapons, the conflict forgotten as they immersed themselves in the dreamland.

In the distance, a man growled in frustration as he felt his steed stumble, a few stray petals floating past him.

"Damn mage slowing me down!"

As the petals spread, they came into contact with the pillar of solid light, and instead of vaporizing immediately as Shirou expected them to, they did the reverse, stripping away flakes of light as they gradually disintegrated it into nothingness.

Like an intricate line of dominoes falling, the light withered from the ground, each petal stripping away more and more, with an entire blizzard of pink consuming the base of the blinding tower. Every surge of the petals brought forth new additions, and then it reached a breaking point.

In a single moment, flowers sprouted all over the surface of the light, turning it into a bizarre sculpture of flora reaching beyond the clouds.

Tenaciously, it clung to it's shape even as the lines of began to waver, before a it disintegrated wholly as the petals fell to the ground, briefly turning the sky a dusky pink. By the time they hit the ground, the rolling peals of thunder and iron wall of gray clouds were no more, replaced by an unbroken azure sky.

Right where the light had once been, a bed of flowers and petals now rested, a lone figure resting upon it.

Her eyes were shut, with no sign of pain or worry left on her face. The threads of silky gold floated splayed behind her head, a single hair lightly hugging her cheek. Almost all her armor was broken, save for a stubborn chunk of her breastplate clinging to her chest, but something else was also missing.

All that was left of her of her sword was the hilt and guard, and even that was chipped. As he watched, a web cracks spiraled down from the pommel running through the remnant of the Sword of Stone, each second widening them as the dark lines turned into chasms.

Quietly, it crumbled away, the pieces falling through the gaps in the flower bed and disappearing from the world.

"No…"

A gasp slipped out of Shirou as the blade was destroyed, two tracks of clear liquid running down his eyes while he unknowingly fell to his knees.

Softly, a white cloak brushed past the flowers, not a single one getting trampled as they seemed to move out of the way for the hooded figure clutching the bizarre staff. Upon reaching the fallen king, they knelt beside them and placed a hand on her forehead.

A pale glow lit up the field, the sunshine brightening as dots of light lazily floated off the incandescent petals. Through the blurry vision of his tear covered eyes, he could vaguely make out the silhouette of a tower in the distance, hanging in the sky with rings of lapis and rose circling it.

Then it was all gone, save for a lone petal that drifted to the muddy ground right in front of Shirou. The white hood shifted, the person turning to look at him. Pale lips that reminded him of peaches moved, a single word passing through them.

Remember

All of a sudden, the skies started melting, all the walls and ground and people merging and stretching until everything was inseparable.

"Wha-"

And with that, he found himself awake.

After a hectic battle in the kitchen which was only slightly easier than the day before, he sat next to Saber as they chowed down on breakfast, one plate significantly more stacked than the other.

"Saber."

"Nomnomnom"

"Saber?"

"Nomnomonomonom"

"SABER!"

Resorting to yelling both orally and telepathically, he finally got her attention. Mortified, she dropped the chopsticks she was using, her cheeks more stuffed than a squirrels as she chewed while looking at him with a red tint on her cheeks.

"I want to ask you about something."

Taking a pause, he tried to recollect what he had seen in the dream last night.

"Have you…ever had a fight with a guy in a cloak?"

After a few more seconds of chewing and swallowing, she replied.

"I have fought several people like that, Shirou."

Of course she has

Scratching the back of his head, he thought back to the person.

"What about a cloaked person with a belt buckle of a beast?"

"Ah, you mean Pellinore."

Pausing in her chewing, she grabbed a few more pieces of meat off the platters lining the dining table.

"He was the person who broke Caliburn."

He remembered the pillar of light, and the following destruction that ensued. To him, it was a miracle she wasn't destroyed along with her sword.

"To defeat him, I had to use another…weapon of mine in a suicidal strike, but it wasn't enough. That, along with the damage inflicted by his blows, shattered the blade."

Her eyes shifted away from him, her mouth moving more normally as she slowed to a regular pace of eating.

He wondered, was that all there was to it? Surely, if the sword was a Noble Phantasm, it couldn't have been destroyed so easily.

"Why do you ask Shirou? Is something the matter?"

"I was dreaming about you last night."

"I-i see."

His sentence made her recall the love-struck maidens from were past, who were always spouting such lines and praising her until she was forced to flee to avoid exposing her beet-red face.

Opposite them, Illya narrowed her eyes.

"Stupid onii-chan, what is he saying…"

Muttering under her breath, she vengefully shoveled a spoonful of whipped cream and pancakes into her mouth, prompting Leysritt to wipe her mouth.

Meanwhile, in a tower at the ends of the world, a white haired mage grinned.

"Ah, it's so much fun to watch them, don't you agree Fou?"

FOU!

The mage's eyes bulged as he was struck on the cheek with a fluffy tail, the offender expertly twisting midair to land on his head and start biting his hair.

"Owwowow get off me!"

He was reduced to a heap of white robes rolling on the ground, abandoning his staff as he clawed at the beast on his head, struggling to dislodge it.

By the time he was done, there were white strands everywhere, and severable sizable rips in his cloak as well.

With one last 'Fou', the white-haired beast ran off, rushing inside the tower out of his sight.

Sighing, the mage sat down again next to his fallen staff.

"Well, I guess I deserve it for messing with the boy. Hopefully, he won't take what I said too seriously, heh."

*Achoo!*

Shirou sneezed at that precise moment, before shrugging and digging in to his salmon and rice breakfast.