Prodigal Son Returns
By: Bubbajack
Editors/Co-Authors: Icysnowsage, First Hassan/Darklord 331
Special Consultants: Antagonist, Heliosion, and LoamyCoffee
Special thanks go out to my Super Donors: Alexander Murry, Bobby Glass, Jareth Norris, Lucas White, NeroSolas. Extra Special thanks go out to Lucas White for becoming a Supreme Tier Donor. My heartfelt thanks go out to all my other Patrons as well.
Obligatory First Chapter Disclaimer: We do NOT own the Nasuverse or High School DxD. They both belong to the Type-Moon writing circle and Fujimi Shobo respectively.
Ch.1: A Good End, a New Beginning.
It was finally over, after two long weeks, the Fifth Holy Grail War had finally ended. But that did not mean there were no losses. Kozuki-sensei, Caster, Rider, Illyasviel, Lancer, Berserker, they had all died by the War's end. For one Emiya Shirou though, he had not exactly lost his ideals, in fighting Archer, the epitome of them, he felt the need to compromise on them. 'But in what way?' Shirou found himself pondering on this aspect as he returned to the Einzbern Castle to bury the fallen master that they'd been forced to abandon in their haste to flee from the Golden Archer that they'd later found out was Gilgamesh the King of Heroes. Shirou found himself reflecting on this as he stomped through the Einzbern Forest.
'Do I just protect my friends and loved ones?' Shirou shook his head, dismissing the thought 'That feels too selfish, do I just kill villains as I find them? But what constitutes a villain and who gave me the right to judge?' Shirou had yet to find an answer and had been pondering this since the Grail War began. He'd seen a multitude of heroes from different eras. From the regal King of Knights who trailed just behind him, he glanced back at her and she offered him a reassuring smile, to the wild and rowdy Cu Chulainn, and the maddened Berserker that was Herakles and the sophist Gilgamesh. That brought on further introspection however. "What exactly constitutes a Hero?" Shirou muttered to himself.
"You haven't figured that out yet dummy?" Tohsaka, who was trailing just behind Saber, sighed. "A Hero, or Heroic Spirit is someone whose deeds have ingrained themselves into history. I thought I explained that already… you realize that to become a hero, it's near impossible to do without killing right? You'd have to do something revolutionary in a scientific field to make it to the Throne of Heroes otherwise and it's impossible to become a Heroic Spirit in this day and age without making a contract with the World anyway. Archer should've made that very clear."
"I know Tohsaka… Rin," He corrected when he noticed her aquamarine gaze fixed on him with a pointed glare, reminding him they were now on a first name basis, "I just… I want to save people, but… what does it mean to save someone, to be a Hero, and how can I accomplish that when I…" He trailed off thinking 'I am the bone of my sword,'
That's really all the person known as Emiya Shirou was good for after all. Creating swords, well, copies of swords, but the fact remains. Swords were meant to protect others by killing others. Yet he didn't want to kill anyone. It was a contradiction he had yet to come to terms with. Yet he knew if he somehow didn't, what awaited him at the end of that road was nothing but bitter disappointment. Shirou grimaced, he didn't want to end up like Archer of all people, so he'd best keep looking for some kind of answer.
Coming into a clearing, the trio came to the charred remains of Einzbern Castle. Lancer's final Ansuz's Rune really did a number on the place. It was now a charred hollow shell of the majestic glory it had once been, gone was its regal western splendor hidden away in the woods like something out of a fairytale,
now an empty shell like a carcass that had been picked over to the bone by carrion eaters. Ignoring his own analogy, Shirou made his way past the courtyard and into what remained of the structure as he did, the memories of Herakles fighting Gilgamesh, his own fight with Archer with not only his ideals but Rin's life on the line… It all crashed into him at the same time. It was almost overwhelming for the third-rate magus. Yet he soldiered on. For that's what the fallen deserved. That is the least he could do for them.
Making their way through the foyer, the trio eventually found themselves in the soot-covered remnants of the grand hall, or what remained of it. Proceeding to dig through the wreckage at a borderline frantic pace, Shirou couldn't even find the charred remains of Illyasviel von Einzbern. 'She's not here? But she died! I saw it with my own two eyes! People don't get up and walk away after having their heart ripped out, and she wasn't a vampire either, so what could've happened? Did the flames from the rune burn so hot it reduced her body to ash?' He wondered only to shake his head, 'No, the flames from the Fuyuki Fire burned hotter than that, she should be here somewhere.'
"Shirou," Saber called out.
"Where is she?" Shirou asked as he continued to dig through the refuse like a man possessed.
Rin, hating seeing him like this, also called out to him, "Emiya-kun,"
Shirou fell to his knees and said, "What kind of Hero am I, if I can't even protect one little girl? Not even that, I can't even give her a proper burial."
Then he smelled something strange coming from downwind, the scent of unfamiliar mana and another scent.
A scent similar to Saber's …
(...)
A hint of vanilla mixed with that of flowers and what could only be described as power to Shirou's senses. That was the scent Saber had. The smell he was tracking now was oh so similar but it also held underlying hints of decay, old books, and the sea. The other scents on the wind were totally foreign to him however: the smell of desert sands mixed with tobacco smoke, another earth and gunsmoke, with the final one smelled of earl gray tea wafted into his nose on the wind. At least four different magi were heading in the direction of the ruins they were now standing in. With purpose in every stride, and seeming able to pass the Einzbern Bounded Fields around the forest though Shirou supposed they could've come undone along with the destruction of the castle itself.
"We've got company," Shirou told his companions, "Six o'clock, four people, all magi."
Saber was by Shirou's side within moments, her hawk-like gaze piercing into the distance, looking for the potential enemies. She found them quickly enough and reported as such. "I see them. They're in the distance, not even trying to hide themselves."
Rin came bounding up to the duo and peered off into the distance herself. Reinforcing her eyes as she put her hand over her brow, she noticed a stern-faced man with long shoulder length dark brown hair in a black suit. Recognizing him by reputation, she said. "That's one of the Lords of the Clock Tower, Lord El-Melloi II," spying on the blonde person next to him Rin commented, " and the person next to him is… his little sister, Reines. I don't know who the person in the hooded cloak is. I can't even see her face. And that last one is… Someone I'd rather not meet." Rin finished with obvious distaste in her tone when she spied a girl in a blue dress, with curling drills for blonde hair.
"Someone you know?" Shirou asked, as the group approached.
"Not exactly," Rin said as she made a face. "She's something of a distant relative and we don't exactly like each other."
Shirou asked for clarification, "Is this a Magi politics thing I just don't understand?"
Sighing through her teeth, Rin replied, "Yes, Emiya-kun, it is. So just keep your mouth shut and don't say anything, ok? You'll live longer," She locked eyes with him and said seriously. "Whatever you do Shirou, do not mention your Reality Marble. It will get you slapped to a slab and dissected. Understand?" Seeing how serious Rin was being, Shirou gulped and nodded fervently.
Once they were close enough, Saber called out to them, "Halt. Identify yourselves!"
The man, identified as Lord El-Melloi II stopped at the head of the group, And grimaced upon seeing Saber. "Of all the people that had to be summoned for the 5th Holy Grail War, it had to be you. King of Knights." He said with obvious distaste as he chomped down on a cigar that smoked slightly.
Saber, for her part, keenly eyed the man who would speak to her in such a way. It took her a moment, but something about him flashed off in her memory. Finally, she made the connection saying, "Waver Velvet. Iskandar's master. My, how you've grown. I imagine the king of conquerors would be pleased with your growth, but not so much with your shift in attitude."
In response to this quip, Lord El-Melloi II's cigar fell out of his mouth when it opened in shock. "How do you- You shouldn't remember anything from the last Grail War."
"My circumstances are… unique," Saber hedged. Before she locked her eyes on the former Master of Rider, and demanded with the charisma befitting of a king, "Now, what are you doing here? Explain yourselves."
Despite himself, Waver couldn't stop himself from answering, "We were sent by the Wizard Marshal of the Clock Tower, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, to retrieve Emiya Shirou and Tohsaka Rin. He wishes to speak with them both immediately."
"Zelretch does?" Rin asked, coming to stand beside Saber. "Did he say what this was about?"
"He did not, he merely said we were to be sent as both observers and emissaries," The Lord of the Clock Tower replied. "He also told me to tell you he wishes to reward you, Tohsaka Rin, as the winner of this Holy Grail War. And he also has a reward for Emiya Shirou as well. Sort of a different, more pressing kind. He wouldn't explain what that meant."
Now standing between Saber and Rin, Shirou took one of his hands in each of their own as a sign of silent assurance before turning to look Saber in the eye, and then Rin. "Do we go?" he asked, wondering if this was some kind of trap. They'd already been betrayed once in this Grail War, after all.
Rin huffed, but gave her… Boyfriend's… she still wasn't used to that, hand a squeeze as she replied, "We don't really have a choice. The Wizard Marshal is the Second Magician. He's not someone you want to be on the wrong side of. Best go see what he wants."
Saber nodded confidently, "I agree with Rin and if this Wizard Marshal tries anything… Well, we'll see how he stands up to Excalibur."
Shirou, called out to the group assembled below. "We'll be right down."
(...)
Shirou didn't think it was possible, but the walk back from Einzbern Castle's burnt out remains was even more awkward than the walk there, and there were even more people this time. Rin was stomping ahead of the group, pointedly ignoring the girl in the blue dress who introduced herself as Luviagelita Edelfelt. Every now and then, as they walked, Shirou glanced at the hooded figure. When he felt her gaze on him. The figure would be caught staring and then hastily look away. After the third time this happened, he asked, "Is everything alright?"
"I-I, yes! Um, that is to say no… Well, everything's not alright, but it's also not your fault!" The person underneath the cloak, a woman by the sound of her pitchy voice replied in rapid mumbles.
"Why don't you try explaining from the beginning and maybe we can get to the bottom of this?" Shirou offered kindly. He did just want to help people after all, and this person in the hood seemed to be in a bit of a bind.
Speaking up for the meek girl, Lord El-Melloi II said, "Just tell him, Gray. He might actually be able to help. Though I doubt it."
"Yes, Sir," The now-named Gray replied weakly. She glanced at Shirou and then glanced at the Servant who was following just a step behind him, keeping an eye on everyone. Before saying. "Promise not to stare?"
Shirou nodded, with a firm shake of his head, "You have my word, Gray-san."
Hearing this, Gray took a breath and said "Ok." gently removing her hood revealing features that looked startlingly like Altria's own. Her hair was a dark silver. And her face was a little bit rounder. But the eyes. She had the same eyes as the King of Knights.
"What is this? Some type of curse?" Shirou couldn't help but ask. After all, his Servant was right behind him, but he was looking at her near duplicate right in front of him.
Grimacing. Gray nodded, "Something like that, yes. I was… chosen to become the vessel of The Once and Future King…" Grey glanced back at Saber. "Her vessel."
Shirou could hear Saber's knuckles popping when she heard that. "A final ploy by Morgan, no doubt. But why try and bring me back from the dead? My sister despised me."
"I-I don't know," Gray said, her head downcast to the forest floor, "All I know is I was chosen to be your vessel. But Sir managed to get me out of the village where I grew up before they could complete the ritual."
"I do not know much about magecraft, but I know that for something like this to work, we would have to be related to some extent, wouldn't we?" The King of Knights pondered aloud.
Grey's head bobbed up and down and affirmation. "I believe my family traces their lineage back to Sir Gawain."
Saber tsked in annoyance, and said, "Yes, that would explain it. Gawain was… quite a ladies man when he was alive. If anyone had left descendants, it would have been him. So I suppose that makes me your grandaunt?"
"I um, I… Yes, I suppose it does."
"Enough with all this sappy crap. Hold me up and let me see her already. It's only been about 1000 years," A voice from under Gray's cloak demanded.
It was a voice Saber recognized. "Kay?"
Sighing to herself, Gray said, "Yes and no?" She held up a small bird cage in which a square cube with a face sat. She then elaborated, "This is Add. Your sister created him using your brother's personality as a likeness to keep the Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad, from degrading and losing its Mystery."
Saber felt her mouth fall open. She never expected anyone to have the Holy Lance. "You have the Lance? I would have expected that to be in the keeping of the Clocktower, if anywhere. Especially in this day and age."
"Yes, Add is the keeper of the Lance, and I look after Add."
"Yes, yes, important things to be said all around," Add butted in. "More 're still not dead, Altria. What's so important that you've become a Heroic Spirit of all things, eh? You were supposed to go to Avalon after you died, weren't you?"
Despite herself, the King of Knights found herself grinning. She never could win an argument with her older brother. "I was, yes, Kay. But it seems fate had other plans for us both."
"Fate, my ass," Add shot back, "Your sister stuck me in here. No doubt as a final joke of some kind." huffing in annoyance, The sentient cube continued, "She's probably laughing about it in hell or somewhere right now. The wench."
Altria couldn't help but giggle, "Kay, that's not very nice." She tried reprimanding her brother to no avail.
"Neither is being stuck in a cube for centuries. She's dead, so who cares?" Add rebutted. He then told Gray. "Oi missie, weren't you gonna ask the redhead if you could fix your little looking like my sister problem?"
In response, Gray shook Add's bird cage, embarrassedly shouting, "Shut up, shut up, shut up. Add!"
'I wish I could have done that to him when I was alive. I would have won so many more arguments that way.' Saber thought to herself.
"A-Anyway, Mr. Shirou, can you help me?" Gray asked, returning her attention back to the redheaded boy next to her.
Having faced off against the King of Heroes himself, Shirou had amassed a great armory of Noble Phantasms. He was fairly certain one of them would be able to help Gray and fix her condition. He even knew which one should do the trick. After all, it was used by the Caster of this Grail War to break the contract he had with Saber and steal his command seals.
"Trace on." Shirou said moments before a brittle, jagged looking ritual dagger, that was stained with blood, fell into his hands. This was Rule Breaker, Noble Phantasm of Medea of Colchis. It was a powerful Noble Phantasm in the right situations. And could break any binding, contract, seal, or curse. Turning to Gray, he said, "With your permission, I'd like to try and use this on you. It should lift whatever's turning you into Saber."
"I think you can just use my name now. Shirou, everyone here knows who I am," The King of Knights pointed out.
"Artoria then?" Shirou asked.
"Altria," Saber corrected. Having to take a moment to remember her own name, it had been so long since she had been called it. As if half remembering a dream. She had for so long been called Her Majesty, Her Highness, The King of Knights or even just Saber. But it was nice to just be called by her name for once. Even when she was the King of Britain, she went by Artorius. It felt good to go by her name she hadn't heard since childhood. Not since she had been a squire under Kay, and a child under the care of Sir Ector.
"Please do," Gray said, interrupting her thoughts of times gone by. Altria noticed she was looking at the dagger with a mix of hope and trepidation.
Shirou took a breath, "Right. This shouldn't hurt a bit," He poked her with the dagger and said, "Rule Breaker."
There was a flash of dark pink light as its point made contact with her chest, and then nothing. Gray stood there, not moving, and after a moment? Shirou asked, "Do you feel any different? Did it work?"
"I-I think so… I still have the absurd mana reserves. But I don't feel that strange disconnect I had before to everything," After a moment, Gray started smiling. "You did it, Mr. Shirou. I think you actually did it!" She threw her arms around Shirou's neck and hugged him for all he was worth. "Thank you. Thank you so much!"
"I, you're don't need to thank me, I was just trying to help," The redheaded magus replied. After all, helping others was its own reward.
"What did you just do?" Waver asked, turning and fixing his gaze on the redheaded Magus.
"I fixed Gray's problem like she asked me to… Ow." Shirou said when Rin slapped him upside the back of the head.
"And what did I tell you to do, Emiya-kun?" Rin said as she fixed him with an aquamarine gaze with the intensity of a laser pointer.
Acting like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar, Shirou replied, "Not to do what I just did?"
Putting her hands on her hips and nodding like a disappointed mother, Rin continued, "And what did you just do?"
"What you told me not to do… But Tohsaka. Someone was in…"
Rin cut him off by slapping him in the back of the head again, "Shut up. I'm mad at you right now and don't want to hear it."
Sighing to himself as he lit another cigar, Lord El-Melloi II said. "So that's what the old Man of the Jewels meant by getting a reward," Lord El-Melloi Muttered to himself. "Clever old bastard." He then called over his shoulder, "We're here."
The here in question was a kaleidoscopic portal that shimmered with all colors of the rainbow swirling together in a nonsensical pattern. Looking back at the squabbling children, he said, "Who wants to go first?"
Shirou took a breath, and stepped forward towards the portal. It was time to meet Zelretch Kischer Schweinorg. The Old Man of the Jewels. The Second Magician.
(...)
Shirou really didn't know what to expect when he walked through the portal, but the last thing he expected was a completely black room with nothing but a man sitting on a chair. He was elderly, perhaps in his late sixties to early seventies, wearing elegant clothing and sitting on a high backed throne. Sitting on his lap was a book. His eyes twinkled with mirth as he laid his eyes on Shirou, "Ah, Emiya Shirou. At last we meet."
"You must be Zelretch, then?" Shirou replied, reclining his head in a respectful nod, only to silently grumble when Rin elbowed him in the ribs probably for being 'disrespectful' to a Magician.
"I am he," Zelretch confirmed. I have a lot of names: The Old Man of the Jewels, the Second Magician, The bane of TYPE-MOON. Take your pick."
"I think I'll just call you Zelretch, if it's all the same to you," Shirou said after a moment.
That got a chuckle out of the older man. "Fine by me. I'm not one for titles anyway. How about you, Aozaki?"
Then the gloom receded and someone he couldn't see before was suddenly visible. She was an older woman, older than him by a few years. She looked to be about twenty with dark brown hair, pale skin, and blue eyes like a cloudless sky. She was wearing a burgundy dress with long black sleeves attached, black stockings, and brown flats.
The astonished gasp behind him had Shirou looking to see Rin surprised at who else showed up. He heard her whisper, "What could possibly attract the attention of two Magicians?"
'Two?' Shirou thought. "You're also a Magician, Aozaki-san?"
His casualness about the situation caused her to laugh. "Yeah, that's right, Shirou. My name's Aoko Aozaki and I'm the Fifth Magician. I specialize in time manipulation," Aoko paused a moment before asking, "You don't mind if I call you Shirou, do you? I've been traveling around Europe and America a lot and I've gotten used to using first names."
Shirou shook his head in response, "Oh, that's fine, far be it for me to tell a magician what to do."
Putting her hands on her hips, Aoko said, "I don't want you to let me do what I want just because I'm a Magician. Now, do you actually have a problem with me using your first name or not?"
Shirou was quick to reply, "I really don't mind. You could call me by my first name if you want, Aozaki-san."
Nodding, Aoko corrected him, saying, "If that's the case, then call me Aoko," She said with a grimace.
"Are you sure? You don't seem to like being called by your first name?" Shirou noted.
"Thing is, my life from my name to my magic is related to the color blue… It gets old after a while," She explained quickly before shrugging and adding, "But what can you do?"
Shirou offered as a compromise, "Would you prefer I call you something other than your name?"
"Whoa, slow down there, tiger. We hardly know each other," She said playfully. "You've got to at least take me on a date first before you come up with a pet name."
"I um, I'm sorry?" Shirou replied. He didn't mean to make it sound like he was coming on to her. He did his best not to wince in pain or grimace when Rin stepped on his foot.
"Get laid on your own time, Aozaki. Although you probably should. You do need an heir," Zelretch pointed out.
"Go to hell, you rotting corpse," Aoko said chipperly with a smile on her face.
"Please stop assaulting Shirou-sama," Gray asked a bit forcefully, giving Rin a harsh look as she did so.
"Anyway, we'd better get on with things before Shirou turns this into an orgy," Zelretch said with a clap of his hands.
"Excuse me, but I didn't do anything. What are you talking about?!" asked Shirou, completely oblivious to the chaos he was weaving around himself.
Chuckling, the Old Man of the Jewels replied, "The fact that you have no idea what you're doing makes it even more entertaining," He then took a breath and carried on. "But that's not why we're here. We're here to reward a hero and the winner of the Fifth Holy Grail War. Two separate things in this case." Clearing his throat, he continued, "Second thing first. Tohsaka Rin, winner of the 5th Holy Grail War. As a reward for being the winner, and since the Greater Grail is broken, for lack of a better term… I have decided I will make you my apprentice. I trust you will find this arrangement acceptable?"
"Yes, Sir, Zelretch. Thank you, Sir." The Tohsaka heiress stammered out. Her object joy caused the Edelfelt Heiress to seethe next to her. It was clear Luviagelitia wanted to object, but she couldn't—not to Zelretch of all people. One simply did not complain to a Magician about their decisions. "As for you, Emiya, well… Aoko, would you like to take over from here or shall I continue?"
"I think I can carry on from here," Aoko began, looking Shirou dead in the eye before she continued, "You don't remember much, if anything, of your past, do you, Shirou? From before the Fuyuki Fire, I mean?" Aoko asked for clarification.
Scowling as he screwed up his head and thought, Shirou replied, "I vaguely remember a man carrying me out of a house. It was on fire… I assumed that was my parents, or my father at least."
"What if we told you that wasn't the case?" Aoko continued. "What if we told you you had simply been taken in by some good Samaritans off the streets a couple days before the fire happened?"
Shirou blinked upon hearing that, "Then I'd be wondering who I am, and where I came from if they weren't my parents?"
Aoko nodded to Zelretch, who took it from there. "As you may or may not know my magic, the Second Magic is the operation of parallel worlds. I can, through a proxy, travel to other worlds. But there are worlds that even I don't like to go to, because they're dangerous. Worlds that still exist in the Age of Gods. When I was observing one such world, I noticed that we had received an invader. He was young, about seven years old or so, when he was inadvertently transferred over to this world. Not thinking anything of it. At first, I thought for sure Gaia or Alaya would eliminate this minor annoyance… only they didn't. For you see, this would-be invader was saved, inadvertently protected, when everything he was, from his identity to his very sense of self and being, was purged from him in cursed flames that contained all the evil's of man. That was a decade ago now."
"So you're saying Emiya was transferred from his universe to this one completely by accident, and before Alaya or Gaia could erase him from existence, he had his sense of self erased and was made a part of this world? Is that about correct, Zelretch?" The one who asked this question was Reines El-Melloi Archisorte asked for clarification.
"Correct, my dear." The Second Magician confirmed.
Reines was nodding in understanding, before turning to Shirou and saying, "I have a lot of questions for you about what you did to fix Gray and what you could possibly do to help me… But I'll wait for now, because a Magician is talking. But understand this, Emiya. You will give me answers."
"I'll do my best, Reines-chan," Shirou replied honestly.
The little blonde aristocrat looked at the ground and muttered, "Stupid gullible idiot. Too nice for his own good… Big brother, make him stop being so damn.. helpfully nice." Reines shuddered, "He's making my skin crawl."
"Ohh my little Reines is making friends. I'm so… proud." Waver mocked while inside, thankful Shirou was nothing like his old man.
Reines glowered and replied, "Just for that I'm going to increase the family debt by ten percent, just so you have more to pay off."
"What a black hearted little sister I have," Lord El-Melloi II replied as he lit another cigar and basked in the beautiful schadenfreude he was usually subjected too. It felt nice.
"So if I'm not from this world, where am I from? And who am I?" The redheaded third rate magus finally asked, suffering a slight identity crisis, wondering who or even what(?) he was.
"I'm so glad you asked," Zelretch said, before opening a small portal and having an ornate box dropped into his hand. "The answers lie in this."
Taking the box, Shirou opened it and asked upon seeing the contents, "A chess set?"
"That chess set is more than meets the eye," The second magician said cryptically.
Holding up a hand, Shirou said, "Before you elaborate on that, can I just ask you why you're going through all the trouble to do this for me?"
The old man's eyebrows reached his hairline as he replied, "Well, because you're a hero, whether or not you realize it or not, you have already saved the world once over by stopping Angra Mainyu's birth and defeating Gilgamesh in single combat. Heroes deserve to be rewarded. Or I think so at least."
'I'm a hero? I don't feel like a hero. I didn't manage to save anyone when it really counted,' he thought to himself as he replied blithely. "My hero died a sad death, never realizing his dream, and my friend, who is a better hero than me, lost everything," His eyes flickered to Altria when he said the last bit. Yet she just smiled at him warmly and understandingly.
"You should give yourself more credit, boy. You're the only person who stood up to the King of Heroes and won. You're the only person in all of history who can say that. The only other person who stood up against him on his own and Enkidu, ended it in a draw. The humbleness is a nice addition though. Pride cometh before the fall after all." Zelretch noted before continuing, "Anyway, this isn't an ordinary chess set. These are what is known as Evil Pieces, and they have the ability to resurrect the dead through reincarnation."
"So they tap into the Third Magic? I thought that was lost by the Einzbern ages ago? Uh pardon my intrusion, Sir Zelretch," spoke up Luvia while fascinated at a chess set, basically jury rigging the Third Magic, forgetting her manners.
"Quite, Miss Edelfelt," Zelretch confirmed, "These chess pieces actualize the Third to some degree. And as to what they have to do with you, Emiya… Well, I guess you could call them your inheritance. Would you like to see how they work first hand? I just so happen to have something right here, you could test them on."
With a wave of his hand, the corpse of Illyasviel von Einzbern appeared at his feet, Almost perfectly preserved. She still had blood stains and the gouge in her chest from where Gilgamesh had ripped out her own heart, before stuffing it into Shinji. But she hadn't been burned to so much ash like Shirou had feared. And now, he had a way to save her. To actually save her. Looking at the chess set in his hands, Shirou asked "What do I have to do?"
"You just need to pick up one of those pieces there, Hold it over her till a magic circle appears beneath her, and then drop it," Zelretch informed the boy. "You should know that each piece comes with special abilities. Pawns can level up into other pieces, Knights are fast but frail, Bishops have incredible magical energy, Rooks are strong and durable but slow, while the singular queen pieces have all the abilities of Knights, bishops and rooks. Choose wisely."
'Illya already has insane magical output, giving her any more would probably be ridiculous. However, from what I recall from seeing Archer's memories, even if she didn't die, she would only live for another year being a homunculus. So, if I wanted her to have a natural life. She would need strength and endurance,' So thinking, Shirou picked up the Rook piece, and held it over her corpse. Nothing happened for a moment, and then a Crimson magic circle appeared beneath her body. Shirou then dropped the evil piece, and it melded seamlessly into her flesh, which proceeded to stitch itself back together. But more than that, her body lengthened, filled out and matured. Her already tattered clothes shredded at the seams, leaving where once was a ten year old girl, was now naked near twenty year old young woman.
Shirou stared in shock for a moment and was pulled out of it by a comment from Aoko, "Damn, couldn't even wait for us to leave before you got her out of her clothes, could you?"
"Aoko-san, please stop," Shirou begged as he traced a blanket and promptly covered Illya with it as she began to come around.
"How did she go from being ten years old to almost twenty?" Rin asked, just as confused as Shirou was.
"You think I know, Rin?" Shirou called over his shoulder in abject confusion.
Illyasviel's eyes fluttered open, and her crimson eyes fixed on Shirou's face. "Oniichan?" she said in confusion. Then, she looked around and asked, "What's going on?"
"Ilya," Shirou said, smiling upon seeing the young girl—or who wasn't so young anymore—with her eyes now open and seemingly awake and alive again. "It's complicated, but what matters is you're okay."
Seeing Zelretch and unless she was mistaken, the Fifth Magician in the same place, Illyasviel puffed out her cheeks and said, "Oniichan, just what kind of trouble have you gotten into this time?"
Shirou blinked and asked, "What makes you think it's my fault?"
"Because you're you," Ilya deadpanned back in response.
Shirou hung his head, "Yeah, that's fair."
Nodding primly, and crossing her arms over boobs she now noticed she had, Illya said again, "So, I ask again, what did you do, Oniichan?"
"Nothing." Shirou swore.
"Jii~"
"I really didn't."
"Jii~"
"Seriously, Illya, I didn't do anything."
"Jii~!"
"Stop that." Shirou deadpanned.
"I will when you admit. What. You. Did. I didn't just randomly turn up like this, Oniichan!" Illya stubbornly refuted. "Plus, you suddenly have all these girls hanging around you… And not one but two magicians? Oniichan is a Playboy, isn't he?" She accused, as a pair of bat wings and a forked tail popped out from underneath the blanket.
"I am not… also Illya, you've got some… things showing there." Shirou pointed out.
Seeing the two bat-like wings and tail she now possessed, she looked at her. Older, now not so much younger brother and demanded, "Shirou. Explain."
In response, the third rate Magus turned to the second magician and asked, "Help?"
"It's quite simple, Illyasviel Emiya," Zelretch replied, "You have been reincarnated into a devil."
Illya fixed her crimson gaze on Zelretch, "I'm sorry, I've been reincarnated into a what?"
"I don't believe I stuttered. You've been reincarnated into a devil. That is the purpose of the Evil Piece system," The second magician clarified. "You've been granted an extended lifespan of up to ten thousand years and a fixed body. You really should be grateful."
"Ten thousand years?!" This was echoed by every woman in the room. The goal of every Magi was to reach the Swirl of the Root. The source of all phenomena. God's throne. The problem with that was, even being a magi, there was a limit to how much you could extend your lifespan even with magecraft, before your soul started to rot. The longest one can live before their soul starts to decay by modern standards is about four hundred years. And then Zelretch just admits, rather casually, that this artifact can extend one's lifespan more than a hundred times that of Magecraft. In essence, making the need to create and inherit a Magic Crest almost moot. Several female Magi were now looking at Shirou hungrily. Like a pack of hungry wolves would a deer.
'I suddenly don't feel safe. I feel in more danger now than I did when fighting Gilgamesh,' the Sword Mage thought to himself.
"Alright, back off," Aoko said, getting between the poor boy and the hungry magi. "He's a person, not a strip of meat for you all to fight over."
"You can't say you're not interested, can you, Aoko-san?" Luvia asked bewildered as to why she wasn't jumping on the bandwagon herself.
"I've got my own means of immortality that doesn't involve taking advantage of this big lug," Aoko replied, jabbing a thumb behind her, before scowling at Luvia and adding, "Also it's Aozaki-san to you, Shirou's earned the right to call me by my first name, no one else here has."
"Thank you?" Shirou said, unsure what he could've possibly done to earn the approval of the Fifth Magician.
She just smiled, winked, and gave him a thumbs up over her shoulder, "No problem, Shirou."
"So…" Shirou said after a moment, "I was… am?… A Devil?"
Zelretch nodded sagely, "It's complicated, but the long short of it is yes. If you'd like, I could open up a portal right now and send you back to your home dimension?"
"Will I be able to come back to Fuyuki?" Shirou inquired. He had to admit he was curious, but he had friends and family, something one could almost call a life in this dimension. He'd hate to just disappear without giving Fuji-nee or Sakura any kind of explanation.
The Wizard Marshal grinned knowingly, "We can arrange something, I'm sure. But are you ready to step into the unknown, Emiya Shirou?"
Shirou looked at Rin, then to Saber. They both nodded at him, signifying they'd be willing to accept whatever decision he came to.
Finally he came to a decision. Looking Zelretch in the eye, he said, "I want to go, I want to meet these people for myself."
"Excellent!" Zelretch said, clapping his hands together, causing a portal to appear. "Please keep your tray tables in an upright position at all times while portaling, do not drink and portal. We at Zelretch Airlines Inc are not responsible for any splinching, misplaced bodies, accidental body swapping, gender dysphoria, or change in sexual orientation that results from portal use."
"Shut up and let's get this show on the road already!" Aoko shouted at her senior in Magic. She really hated his overly grandiose need for pranks at the worst moment. She figured it was his way of trying to lighten the mood but time and place you know?
Zelretch gave a dramatic sigh, "You're so boring Aoko-chan, still held down by petty things like human morality and commonsense. That's why you're never invited to our parties."
She just scoffed, "Like I care. C'mon Shirou, let's go meet your folks." She said, grabbing him by the hand and all but dragging him into the portal.
"Wait, Aoko-san! I can walk, you know?! Shirou complained even as she hauled him through the kaleidoscope tear through dimensions.
"Am I the only one wondering what that was about?" Illya said after the two were gone. "Aozaki was acting almost like…"
"She was his damn wife or something!" Rin seethed, 'Who does she think she is? I was the one who's gone through hell and back with Emiya-kun then she shows up and tries to take control of everything?'
"Ah, you'll have to forgive Aoko," Zelretch said, "She's always acted pushy towards those who need help even though it may annoy her and she acts like she doesn't like it."
"She seems just fine around Oniichan though?" Illya pointed out "Also could I trouble you for some proper clothes, Zelretch?"
With a snap of his fingers, Illya was suddenly wearing a black blouse, white skirt and matching thigh high leather boots. 'These are mother's clothes! Where did he?' She wondered.
Zelretch just smiled and said nothing. "Shouldn't you all be going? You'll get left behind and who knows what those two could get up to if left to their own devices all by themselves." The elder Magician none too innocently insinuated.
"C'mon Saber, let's go!" Rin all but growled before she stomped through the portal, the Servant hot on her heels.
Not to be outdone by the Tohsaka, Luvia was right behind her future eternal rival. Stomping out the but of his last cigar, Lord El-Melloi said to his sister, "Well, come on, Reines, we need to go after Gray."
"Gray, where… When did she leave?!" Reines asked, only just now noticing the gravekeeper's disappearance.
"She went after the boy and the Fifth Magician. She seems to have become quite attached to Emiya Kiritsugu's adopted son." 'Why is it that everytime something happens in my life, someone named Emiya is also somehow invariably involved?' the Lord formerly known as Waver Velvet asked himself.
(...)
Word Count: 6894 Number of Pages: 20 Date Completed: 5/13/2024
(...)
AN: Hello Internet and welcome to Prodigal Son Returns! A spiritual successor to Resurgent Blade more or less because… well I could've done that better so here we are. I'd like to introduce two new members to the writing team LoamyCoffee and Antagonist_Writer. They're an extra set of eyes getting any spelling errors Hassan, Snowy, and I may miss. Well that's all from me folks, I'll leave the rest for the others to say something. Here they are.
Snowy: WE at Inkblot have worked really really hard on this chapter and story. I hope everyone likes it and has a lot of input for us. Please know bubba worked really hard on this and I think this story will go places. Be aware this story is also our take on the series and filling the gaps other authors have left for us. Enjoy, feel free to join our discord or message us.
Hassan: Hello, hello, hello everyone and welcome to another story which was made by the mad author and CEO of Inkblot Production Bubbajack himself! Prepare cause it's gonna be a wild ride!...Hello everyone First Hassan here and today we are bringing you another story The Prodigal Son Returns. As Bubba said, this is a rewrite version of the previous story we worked on before, Resurgent Blade. The reason why we've decided to make a spiritual successor was because apparently not many people did not like what we put in on the Resurgent Blade like turning Archer into a devil for one, they did not like it. Putting our minds together along with two new minions whom I have control over(Mwahahahaha!) We've created this. Hope you guys like this one cause we've put a lot of work into this story and we promise you that we will not fail to see our readers' expectations. Thank you guys for reading our story, if you want more or want to be a chapter ahead, head to Bubba' account or his SubscriberStar where it hasn't been edited by yours truly. I'll see you guys later! (Turning around while blue flames surrounds Hassan before disappearing)
Antagonist: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. And enjoy our following ones even more!
LoamyCoffee: Glad to be here! Will Shirou ever understand what he does to women?
The answer is very unlikely. But we're all glad to see the results!
I hope you'll all be looking forward to the next chapter! I know I am!
Thanks again for reading! Till next time, this has been an Inkblot Bros Production! Peace!