The Aylesbury Valesti ritual.
Through the corridors of the Clock Tower, a man in his middle adulthood was walking toward an office. He wore a black coat and carried a briefcase in one of his hands.
Many of those who encountered him saw him with fear and terror, many others watched him with disgust and anger, and most of them watched it with all four emotions together. Despite all this, no one got in his way.
Kiritsugu reached the door where his target was located. He didn't even have to knock on the door, the moment he approached it, he heard a voice on the other side.
"Come in."
The magus killer entered the Lord's office.
"Emiya Kiritsugu…"
"Lord Trambellio."
Without much to say, Lord Trambellio pulled a folder from his desk and handed it to the freelancer.
Kiritsugu opened the report that had been passed to him and looked at the most important data. "I see…" Turning back to the Lord, he asked, "what happened to our agreement?"
"One week before the start of the next academic year, the Lords will meet. In that meeting, several things will be discussed, among them, we will propose the revocation of the Emiya Crest."
Kiritsugu nodded
"However, there is a necessary condition for us to have a chance to succeed."
"Which…?"
"The crest, as you have requested, will be implanted in your child. This is mandatory since it's almost impossible for the other Lords to consider returning the crest to someone who won't bring any discoveries to our world. But your son, despite his limitations as a magus, is working and researching like one of us inside the Clock Tower and has already shown results."
"So, the Lords won't be able to so many bugs, that is what you mean."
Trambellio nodded. "But, obviously, the boy will have to reveal himself as your son. I don't need to say what that will mean to him, do I?"
"Of course not." Kiritsugu prepared to leave the office.
"I suggest that you take him along with you for this job," commented the Lord.
"Barthomeloi?" he asked.
"Her hatred against the superior dead apostles is not a secret. If the boy is useful against them, it will be easier for her to agree to return the crest to them."
"I'll keep that in mind," he said before leaving.
Shirou must have already finished his last class for this year, he had kept an eye on him thanks to his contacts. Kiritsugu planned to keep his distance from him for a while longer; in his original plans, he would contact Shirou through his cell phone and present him with various options on what he thought was best to do.
They still did not have enough resources to face the Einzbern, and Kiritsugu was still rebuilding his entire arsenal, as much of it was lost or damaged during the war. Also, they were still exploring how the castle could be invaded. But, above all else, Kiritsugu still did not have the resources to take down his biggest obstacle: Jubstacheit von Einzbern. Jubstacheit was the current head of the Einzbern family and one of the only two family members who are "naturally" part of it; the other was his daughter, while the rest were just mass-produced homunculi.
The magus killer was not innocent Jubstacheit would not let him keep his daughter even if the rescue was successful. Kiritsugu would have to kill him since this was the only way his daughter could have a future free from Jubstacheit's obsession with rediscovering the Third Magic that his family had lost.
Nevertheless, his plans were moving forward, perhaps at a slow pace, but at a safe pace:
Shirou had progressed as a magus and as a blacksmith. He had managed to restore part of his arsenal, and his old contacts were working on what he would use to take down old Einzbern. Finally, the Emiya Crest was getting closer and closer to his reach.
As his plans to keep hiding his relationship with Shirou for as long as possible were cut short, he had to move on to plan b. If he couldn't protect him by keeping him away, then he would have to protect him by keeping him as close as possible and teaching him everything he could to survive in this world.
That said, he decided to start as soon as possible. He was only about two and a half months old before the next year of study began, and then his son would have to go back to the Clock Tower. In the next course, all the magi will know that he was not only Muramasa Shirou, but also Emiya Shirou.
"He should be here," said the freelancer in front of an auditorium door, and without waiting, he knocked on the door.
"Come in."
After hearing this, the magus killer opened the door and entered the room.
Lord El-Melloi II was finishing his last class before the vacation period began. This period is nothing more than a lie because there really are no vacations. The Clock Tower exists only for and for the study of magecraft; therefore, a vacation period is silly. Most of the students don't even go home, instead, they stay in the Clock Tower studying by themselves. The only difference is that the professors take a break from their lectures.
This was a blessing for Waver, as his real goal was not to be the best teacher in the Clock Tower but to become a great magus. And, during this vacation period, he will be able to devote himself entirely to his own interests.
Also, since that day a week ago, his daily life had become somewhat annoying. For a mage of an unknown lineage to have defeated a mage of an ancient and known lineage was somewhat complicated, but it was not something that had not happened before in the history of the Clock Tower.
What was the problem this time?
It was that, what was going to be a simple duel between magi, three Lords attended: himself, Lord Trambellio, and Lord Meluastea. The latter, he suspected, had come to observe because of Yvette's reports. Although what Lord Meluastea wanted, he did not know.
This made the battle a little more special value in the perception of the magi community, and this had brought him several headaches, in fact, to make matters worse, the battle itself was already giving him a dose of a migraine.
The Lord knew the limitations of his student, the same redhead had informed him of these during his first days of classes. So, how had he managed to create a nearly perfect projection of a sword that, while no match for a sword of Excalibur's level, was undoubtedly a work of art made by a master smith?
He also didn't understand why the blade was so absurdly long. Furthermore, he did not know that his student possessed such mastery of the swords, but, in his eyes, everything happened so fast that he could not evaluate it.
Everything was so sudden that no one understood what Shirou had done.
The mana expenditure was not exaggerated, and the projection was almost perfect, however, these were not the only mysteries he observed during the fight. Waver remembered it, that light.
The light was much like the one Rhongomyniad emitted when Gray had used the mystery sealed within Add, but, more than anything else, that light was very similar to that emitted by that sword.
He asked Gray if she had noticed something, and her explanation only confirmed his suspicions. Whatever it was, it was related to the legend of King Arthur. And if that light indicated anything, then it should be a Divine construction or the like, used for defense and healing.
Finally, there was that other thing: Shirou used some kind of acceleration magecraft or something like that. And this magecraft had caused damage to his body, although this damage had already been healed by the other thing.
Waver did not understand where such magecraft had come from, the only thing that occurred to him was two possibilities: a Mystic Code or a Magic Crest.
His theory was confirmed when he took the boy to the infirmary and was able to examine him, there, under his shirt, a Magic Crest was shining. After analyzing the crest for a while, he realized that it not only allowed the boy to increase his speed but also manipulated his time, this confused Waver, time manipulation was extremely complicated magecraft that could border on True Magic. In other words, only a family with several generations dedicated to this type of magecraft could have a crest that, although incomplete, contained a highly complex amount of information on this type of magecraft.
At that moment, Waver got it. The clues were there, and he just had to put the puzzle together: something to do with King Arthur, whom he had faced during the Grail War, the fact that the boy lived in the city of Fuyuki, and, finally, this magecraft.
There were only three masters who survived the Holy Grail War as far as he knew: Him, a member of the Church, known as Kotomine Kirei, and, finally, the true master of saber, the magus killer, Emiya Kiritsugu.
After investigating the Emiya family, the puzzle was completed. The magecraft used by that family was: Time Manipulation.
Secretly, Lord El-Melloi II hoped that all of this was nothing more than chance or something like that. Even if he had the truth in front of his face, even if he was someone who couldn't leave a mystery unsolved, and even if he was extremely rational (for a magus), he could dismiss all of this if doing so avoided meeting that man, with the murderer of his teacher and the master of King Arthur.
But fate was capricious, and that day he would realize it more than ever.
"Come in," said the Lord after hearing a light knock on his classroom door. At that moment, Waver was putting away his utensils before letting his students out and finishing his lecture.
The door opened and the person he least wanted to see again entered the room. At that moment, his mind began to work at triple its speed.
Quickly, he analyzed the things he needed to keep in mind: the rumors were true, or in other words, the magus killer had returned to work.
Then, he asked one of the most important questions when solving any case.
Why…? Why had he come…?
Relaxing as much as he could, Lord El-Melloi II began to consider the options:
Initially, Waver thought that he had come to end his life, however, this option did not make much sense since, if the killer wanted to finish him off, he would have done it a long time ago.
The second option that occurred to him was that he came to eliminate some of his students. This was likely, as the Edelfelt heiress was in his class, however, he did not believe that the magus killer was seeking to kill the girl inside the Clock Tower.
A few minutes ago…
Lord El-Melloi II's lecture had ended, and everyone was preparing to leave the auditorium.
"¡Shero!"
"Yes?" the young man asked when the heiress Edelfelt approached his place.
"What will you do in the vacation period?"
"I'm not sure. It all depends on my old man's plans, it's supposed to call me on my cell phone, and then I'm going to meet him on the outskirts of town."
"Shero's father?" for some reason, she seemed like she was dreaming about what he would be like.
Although the boy hadn't realized it, the Edelfelt heiress had grown quite fond of him, and the reason for this was quite simple, despite being part of the world of the magecraft, the boy was different. In addition to being someone diligent and hardworking who did not mind giving a hand to whoever asked him or whenever he saw that someone needed help, the redhead was also a simple person who, except if you insulted his swords, did not have the pride and arrogance of other magi, for Luvia who constantly lived in a world as dangerous as the world of the magecraft and who was also the heir to a family of mercenaries, the boy was something like a glass of cold water in the middle of a desert.
Maybe that's why what would happen next would affect her so much.
"Well, considering your qualifications, the best thing you can do is stay studying inside the Clock Tower just like me, don't you think Shirou-kun?" Tohsaka said arriving at his site as well.
"Won't you go back to Japan, Rin?"
She fervently denied it. "I am not going back to Japan until I am of legal age. As long as I am a minor, that pair of false fathers will want to manage a large part of my life, and I will not allow them."
"Wait, Rin, did you run away from home!?" asked the amazed redhead.
She smirked. "Not exactly. I have my mother's permission, but both, the fake father who acts as my guardian and his helper, did not see my decision to come to the Clock Tower favorably."
"You are surprising, in many ways..." Shirou turned to Luvia and broke her reverie. "And what are you going to do, Luvia?"
"Oh, me…?" smiling, she replied, "I will return to Finland to take care of certain things, as a good heiress should do. Don't you think it would be the right thing to do, Tohsaka?"
Rin clicked her tongue, but she did not fall under provocation.
"I will take a few days to get out, so, if your father lets you stay, how about you come with me to Finland, Shero?"
"What!?" Rin exclaimed.
"I will hire you as my butler, and when you finish working for me, I assure you that you will forget all your problems regarding your tuition," she said as she winked at him.
"I-I'll consider it," replied the boy nervous because he could feel Rin's gaze glued to his back.
Rin knew that she was becoming very attached to the redhead, and neither was very difficult to know why: they were in all the jobs together, and also she helped him as his tutor so that he could face the final exams. Although she already had several people offering to be part of her study groups, she preferred to form a group with the boy whenever she could. Maybe this was because he was the first person she had teamed up with, or maybe it was because she secretly admired the determination and stubbornness her partner showed when something got into his head, even if she didn't admit it.
Either way, she wasn't going to let the hyena stay with Shirou for almost three months.
Feeling in danger, he decided to ask someone else. "And what will you do, G-Gray?
The girl was somewhat surprised at the question, but after thinking about it, she answered, "well, I will accompany Lady Reines to a social gathering with the Iselma family."
Gray's relationship with the boy had also changed. To begin with, there was this strange bond that caused this feeling of security between the two that neither could explain and then there was the one that, after the battle with Matou, they were both sure that something was linking them, although they couldn't explain what exactly it was.
This brought various feelings to the girl. On the one hand, she was glad that it was not a simple illusion or something like that, but, on the other hand, there was something that bothered her. Gray knew that her teacher was investigating to determine what that something was and, knowing him well, he would be able to discover what it was; however, this raised several questions:
What would happen when he found out? What if, what if it disappeared...? Or worse, what if her relationship with the boy changed for the worse?
It was at that moment that she understood a little what Luvia had said a few months ago to her teacher, who, by deciphering the magecraft, was doing nothing but destroying it.
"As in the case of the Castle of Adra?"
Gray nodded. "Yes, though let's hope nothing happens that turns it into a case like it did that time."
"I understand; make sure you take care of yourself and tell me how they went when we meet again. The Adra Castle case was interesting," he replied with a smile.
She nodded smiling.
"And you, Caules? You told me that you would not go back to Germany but that you would go to Romania..."
The brown-haired boy with glasses nodded. "My family will be reunited with the rest of the families that comprise the Yggdmillennia group."
"The Yggdmillennia is that group of families that came together under the same surname, aren't they?" Rin asked.
Caules nodded. "The leader of the group is a former Clock Tower professor, Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia."
"I had heard of him. Darnic left the Clock Tower just under 70 years ago, having participated in that ritual in Japan," Luvia spoke.
"A ritual in Japan?" Shirou asked.
"Yes, it is called the Holy Grail War. It is a ritual where the magi compete, risking their lives for a prize. Members of my family participated in that event as well, as did Darnic," Luvia said.
Caules nodded. "It seems he's obsessed with that ritual..."
"Is famous…?" Shirou asked.
"No is it, in fact, now that I think about it, for a ritual like that, not much is said about it…" Luvia said thoughtfully.
"So…" Shirou started to speak, but Rin interrupted him.
"Shirou-kun, in our world, there are rituals that it is better not to know about, the Holy Grail War is one of them. It is better that you do not investigate much about that."
Shirou had known Rin for almost a year and had seen various sides of her, but this was the first time he had seen such a level of seriousness in her words. No, it wasn't just that, there was something else, but he didn't know how to identify it. Finally, he nodded and would have tried to continue the conversation to another topic, but...
"Come in"
At that very moment, when the man entered the classroom, it seemed that the entire environment of the auditorium had changed.
What? Why are you here? The surprised redhead wondered when he saw his father enter the room. Has something happened that changed the plans?
Several of the students looked at the magus killer with various emotions. However, two gazes stood out above all others: Rin's gaze and Luvia's.
"¿Lord El-Melloi?"
The teacher nodded alertly. "Emiya Kiritsugu... What brings you to my class?" Waver tried to stay as calm as possible, but the tension in his words betrayed his intentions.
"I understood that his class had already finished, so I took the opportunity to come to pick up a student."
I see. So, my theories weren't wrong. Waver thought as he cursed his luck. "As you can see, my class has already finished, so... Flat? What the hell are you doing!?"
The young magus had jumped out of his seat and was now right in front of the magus killer. After that, Flat held up a notebook and pen as he looked at him with excitement in his eyes.
"And, well...?" asked the freelancer something curious.
"A-An autograph, please," the boy whispered.
"Excuse me?" Kiritsugu asked somewhat surprised, although he didn't show it.
"Could I have an autograph, please!?" Flat said excitedly. To Flat, Kiritsugu was to magi what Jack the ripper was to Londoners: a legendary assassin.
Although stunned by the strange situation, the freelancer, after analyzing the notebook and the pen, took them and decided to sign. After that strange event, the magus killer headed back to the Lord. "So, I can…?"
Waver nodded with a hand covering his face as if that would ease the migraine his student was causing him.
"In that case," after getting confirmation from the teacher, Kiritsugu turned towards the students, specifically, towards the redhead, "Shirou."
"Old man…?" Shirou asked confused.
"Come on. Our plans have changed slightly, so we will leave today."
Shirou nodded as he got up from his seat. He could feel the gaze of the rest of his companions, but he preferred to ignore them; if they wanted explanations, it would be for another time. After arriving in front of his professor, he bowed in respect and said, "I hope you can continue teaching me next year, professor."
Waver didn't answer immediately, but after a few moments, he gave a slight nod. And shortly after the boy left the room, followed by Kiritsugu.
Before leaving the room, the magus killer commented, "Waver Velvet, I'm glad…"
"Why?" he asked, still confused and on the alert.
"For having made the decision not to eliminate you seven years ago when you lived in the home of those old people," replied the freelancer before leaving the room.
Needless to say, the young Lord's face lost much of its color after hearing that statement.
In one of the corridors of the Clock Tower, father and son walked in silence, receiving looks of hatred, disgust, and fear from everyone they encountered. They left the premises, and Kiritsugu directed him towards a car that he had rented.
"Old man, why?" the boy said as he sat in the co-driver seat.
"We have less than three months for the Lords to meet and decide what to do about the crest. But, for them to give it to you, you must reveal your relationship with me."
"Why don't we wait for those months?" he asked, confused.
Kiritsugu pulled out a cigar while driving and opened the window so he could smoke. "I need to take you to a job to raise our chances of getting the crest back. On that mission, whether you like it or not, our relationship will be discovered. Do you understand what this means?"
Shirou nodded.
"All are going to discover our relationship no matter what, so I prefer you to be by my side when it happens. My reputation as a freelancer never mattered much to me, but, right now, my reputation is an important tool to protect you."
"And what will we do now? What is the mission?"
Kiritsugu voted for cigarette smoke as he said, "the first thing we will do is take a little trip before the mission starts in two months."
"What will we do while we travel?"
"I'll train you. I know you don't like using firearms, but I need you to be able to defend yourself with ranged attacks."
Shirou frowned, but he understood his father's reasoning.
"We will try to expand your arsenal of weapons, and finally, now that we know that the part of the crest you have works, I will teach you how to use it."
"Did you hear about my fight with Matou?"
"Yes, that I haven't been able to contact you regularly doesn't mean that I haven't kept an eye on you."
Shirou nodded smiling. "By the way, you haven't told me yet, what is the mission?"
"We will hunt down a dead apostle..."
"What!?"
A dead apostle, his father had gone mad, they were part of the most dangerous and powerful beings in the world! Although the latter depended on the apostles themselves, and not on their species in general.
Well, he knew that his father had hunted at least one of these before, and at least they weren't talking about one of the ancestral dead apostles.
So, it couldn't be that bad… could it?
"Specifically, we are going hunt to Altrouge Brunestud."
Shirou looked at Kiritsugu as if he had grown a second head. "O-Old man, I am listening well, right? Are you saying we're going after the Princess of the Dead Apostles?" Shirou lost all color on his face. "That Altrouge Brunestud?"
Kiritsugu nodded.
"We are dead."
"I would think twice before facing any of the ancestral apostles, even with my entire arsenal of swords," Muramasa said. "We obviously don't have a chance at present, so... what are we really going to do?"
"We will go to earn merits," replied the freelancer.
"To earn merits?" the redhead asked, momentarily coming out of his state of resignation.
"Do you know the Aylesbury Valesti ritual?"
Shirou shook his head.
"The Aylesbury Valesti ritual was first performed in 1970 and is the cause of the mana in our world is drastically running out."
"What? But I believed that it was by the human actions that caused irreversible deterioration."
"That's only half the story, the natural half to be specific, the one that science can explain. The other half is due to the Aylesbury Valesti ritual."
"And what is this ritual?" Shirou asked interested.
"No one knows exactly. It is said that, through this, the dead apostles seek the rebirth of The Dark Six, whatever that thing is." Kiritsugu sighed. "The important thing you should know is this: the ritual was interrupted in 1970 by a combined force between the Church and the Mage's Association. It is one of the few events where both organizations have worked together."
"But…?" the boy asked.
"Even after interrupting it, the world's mana began to fade, and the planet began to deteriorate at a worrying rate. There may be, at most, a half-century before the mana disappears in its entirety, and who knows if life human will still be viable then."
Shirou clenched his hands tightly. "So all we're living through is that? All because of that ritual?"
"That is what is believed."
At that time, Shirou realized. "Wait! If we are going to hunt down a dead apostle and you are telling me about this ritual... Don't tell me..."
Kiritsugu closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. Shirou had never seen that look on his father's face, he was strong and determined, as opposed to his usual melancholy. "Yes, it is what you imagine. It is believed that the dead apostles will try again to perform said ritual a second time."
"Within two months?"
The freelancer nodded.
"But, what are we supposed to do? We can't face the dead apostle ancestors…"
"And we won't, as I said, we're just going to earn merits." After taking one last puff from the cigar, the magus killer continued with his explanation. "We don't have any kind of chance against the twenty-seven dead apostle ancestors, so what we will do is eliminate as many of their children as possible..."
"And Altrouge Brunestud?" the confused boy asked.
"Like 30 years ago, the Church and the Association will work together. Their goal is to deal with Altrouge, not ours."
The boy let out the air that he kept trapped in his lungs. "Uff, you should have started there you know." After calming down himself, Shirou asked, "and, what are these merits that you are talking about?"
"The Barthomeloi family is known to hate dead Apostles, if we manage to kill a good number of them, they might be more in favor of giving us the crest back."
"I understand, but do you think I'll be ready to help you?"
"That will be up to you. If I notice that you are not ready, then I will not take you with me."
The doubt disappeared from the boy's gaze. "I understand, I will be," said the determined redhead.
And so, slowly, the two months of preparations began...
During the first two weeks, Shirou was trained by Kiritsugu in two things: firearms and learning to use the Time Alter.
Although the boy did not like firearms and preferred swords, he had a good aim, at least for someone who had never fired anything other also the arrows used in archery.
¡Bam! ¡Bam!
The bullets he fired flew in the direction of automatons his father had bought for his training.
In the third week, Kiritsugu added tracking and survival exercises to his regular workouts, plus he also bought some second-hand automatons to help him practice. Sometimes Shirou hunted them, sometimes they hunted him.
In the fourth week, Kiritsugu explained to him everything he knew about dead apostles as far as the practice was concerned: How proud the apostles were, how they each had their own abilities, who their potential enemies were, and those other kinds of things that he wouldn't see at a Clock Tower conference.
Another thing that Kiritsugu took care of was for Shirou to acquire the mentality of not hesitating to kill his enemy. He made it clear that they would show no mercy to him and that he could not afford to show mercy to them. The way he did, it was by showing him what they were going to face: a dead.
The deads are the traditional familiars of the dead apostles, they deceive death by eating the flesh of their victims to maintain their bodies, but over half of the absorbed energy is sent to their master. They are created when a vampire's victim, who had his blood sucked and then received some of the vampire's own blood, does not manage to become a Ghoul.
Kiritsugu led him to where a dead was rumored to have turned up recently, and, after tracking and finding it, Shirou was forced to confront it and subsequently assassinate it. The redhead still felt a knot in his stomach when he remembered it.
Of course, during these four weeks, the training with Muramasa continued.
In the first week of the second month, they tried to improve Shirou's repertoire of weapons, but it was mostly useless. Finding certain kinds of relics from the past today wasn't easy unless, of course, you were dealing with the right people (whom Kiritsugu knew) and willing to spend large amounts of money; however, they did not know which sword to look for. Still, they toured various museums in London and certain places where Kiritsugu thought they might find something...
"Eh…?" Shirou looked out of the car window.
Kiritsugu stopped it. "What's going on?"
"I don't know, just… a strange feeling," the confused boy muttered, "as if something was calling me."
Though concerned about the boy's attitude, the magus killer asked, "do you think we should head there?"
Without giving him much thought, the redhead nodded. "Please…"
After driving for a while to where the boy has indicated, Kiritsugu stopped the car. "It's here?"
The apprentice blacksmith nodded. The boy got out of the car and walked towards where there seemed to be some ruins; it almost seemed that he was in a trance.
How strange... Of all the places we were able to come to, we came to this place. Thought the magus killer.
Glastonbury Abbey...
This place was where, supposedly, the tomb of King Arthur was located.
The magus killer followed the redhead. Even though it was the first time they had both been to this place, Shirou seemed to know exactly where he was going, and, sooner rather than later, they were in front of a grave.
"¿Shirou…?"
At that moment, the boy turned to his father. His gaze was empty, he no longer seemed to have a will of his own.
Understanding what was happening, Kiritsugu rushed to catch up with his son. "Shirou, wait!"
The blacksmith's apprentice lost his balance and began to fall on top of the tomb; however, before hitting the ground, he felt as if his body vanished and he was moving away into the depths. His body was left lying on top of the tomb, inert.
"Shirou!?" Kiritsugu's melancholic demeanor was totally abandoned, and despair filled his voice. He had lost the only thing he had been able to salvage from his biggest mistake. "Shirou!? Where are you!?" no matter how much he called him, the redhead didn't answer. Such was his anguish that he was about to leave the place to take him to any other place where he believed they could help him, however, he was stopped by the blacksmith.
"Wait, Kiritsugu!" Muramasa spoke, and though he hadn't lost his cool, there was concern in his voice. "No matter where you go, you won't be able to help him."
"What do you mean!? Where is he!?" asked the magus killer while holding the katana. "He was being charmed by something, wasn't he?"
"Yes, I don't know why or by whom, but the only thing I can confirm is that the boy was dragged to the Reverse Side of the World."
This surprised the freelancer. "The Reverse Side of the World? But it is almost impossible to get to the Reverse Side of the World with the current situation, with the mana running out."
Muramasa nodded. "But perhaps precisely because we are in this place, it is that he was able to reach the other side."
"Will he come back?"
"I don't know, we will have to wait. You can feel as the leylines had activated here like we haven't seen in other places..."
Kiritsugu nodded. "But these are getting progressively weaker."
"They're probably getting back to normal. The boy must come back before they get too weak, otherwise, he won't be able to go back."
That said, they both stood waiting as the power of the thaumaturgical lines decreased little by little.
"Eh…?" Shirou got up, confused. "Where am I?"
The boy was in the same ruins where he had been a few minutes ago, he tried to step forward, however, the moment he took the step, he collapsed.
T-This is… T-The density of mana is too much. Shirou felt like he was being crushed by the absurd amount of mana surrounding him.
Suddenly he saw how the trees and plants lit up, and then various voices began to speak. But he didn't know what they were saying, they spoke in a language he could not understand, it was as if they were singing.
"H-Help… S-Someone, p-please," the boy whispered.
For a moment, the voices stopped, and suddenly, a swirl of mana began to form in front of the boy.
What emerged from this was a humanoid being. A woman, she had whitish skin with a bluish-colored natural bone armor, ocher-colored hair, and, most impressive, there were two pairs of faerie wings on her back. She was wearing a beautiful teal-colored dress.
She looked at him, almost emotionless, perhaps at best, she showed some hatred mixed with sorrow. From deep within the earth, a huge thorn emerged. The woman grasped the thorn and directed it to his being.
"W-Wait, please…" the boy pleaded.
But the woman did not hesitate, with a quick movement, the woman tried to stab him. However, when the thorn was about to pierce him, that sensation he felt when he was together with Gray manifested again. A dim, brilliant light emerged from deep within him and stopped the fairy.
"¿æøþ ĦǼΐ£ΰ ¥æþø?" the song of the fairy filled the surroundings.
The phantasmal being spoke, but he couldn't understand her. What if he could do, was get up. The light emanating from deep within allowed him to breathe and get up.
"I don't understand you," said the boy as he slowly walked away from the fairy. He only knew that she had tried to kill him, and still, he couldn't help but admire her beauty.
She, as if understanding his words, placed her hand around her neck, as if honing her own voice, and spoke again, "Young man, I was asking you: Who are you? What are you doing here so close to our distant utopia and, at the same time, so far away? And, above all, why do you keep in your being one of our greatest creations?"
Somewhat confused, Shirou tried to answer as best he could, "My name is Muramasa Shirou. I am a blacksmith," which surprised her, "I don't know where I am. I was in front of a tomb, and, suddenly, I found myself here. I don't know what this distant utopia is. And... when you mean your creation, do you mean the thing that shines inside of me?"
She glared at him, "More respect... Young man, that which you hold is our beloved Avalon."
"Avalon? Not like the place, but like the Excalibur sheath?"
"In a way, they are the same..." she replied, "maybe it was your destiny to come here. No, more specifically, maybe it was the will of the World."
"The will of the World?"
The ghostly being nodded, "Come, boy. Your apparition is an answer to our requiem."
"Your requiem?" Shirou rushed to follow the woman who was moving gracefully and quickly, "wait, what's your name?"
"I am an extension of the planet, and although I have reached the rank of elemental, I have never needed a name."
Shirou and the woman went into a small forest.
"So, if you are a fairy?"
The woman nodded.
Deeper and deeper, they both entered the forest...
"Didn't you tell me where we are going?" the boy asked as he moved through the trees.
"You come to stop our requiem..."
A requiem, but who died? And why can I… stop it? Heal it? Bring it back? I didn't take the Spiritual Evocation lectures. He kept those doubts to himself.
After a few minutes of walking, they both reached a small clearing. In it, there was nothing more than a rock in the center, illuminated by sunlight, while the voices he had heard seemed to sing in that language he did not understand.
"You said you were a blacksmith, didn't you?"
Shirou nodded.
The fairy approached the rock and seemed to take something that was on it.
The voices decreased, and the fairy approached him. In her hands, she was holding something wrapped in beautiful fabrics. Once she unwrapped it and he could see what the fabrics were covering, he could do nothing but shed his tears. In his mind, he wondered: What had been the mistake King Arthur had made, no, Queen Altria, to lead to the destruction of such a beautiful sword?
What was in front of the boy was neither more nor less than the Golden Sword of the Victorious and the Sword of Selection. In summary, the first sword of the King of Knights, Caliburn, or rather, its fragments
"From time to time, we come in to honor the loss. For many, it may be nothing more than a sword, but, for us, who have created multiple objects of great value, we recognize its destruction as a great loss."
"It was never reformed it? You never tried!?" the hurt boy asked.
"It is not part of our creations and, although out of respect for the role it played, we could have restored it, it was not necessary, since the king received Excalibur after his loss. And now, with the world devastated and the mana running out, we can't waste what little power we still have."
"It's… sad that Caliburn ended up like this."
She nodded. "Young man, getting to the reverse of the world, with the planet in these conditions, is not a simple accident. Something brought you here and wants you to have this. If you are a blacksmith, as you claim, then you will be able to bring it back."
Shirou received the wrapped fragments and, after observing them for a moment, he asked, "But, even if I manage to reform it, what will I do with it? It is the sword of a King…"
After leaving the forest and returning to the place where he found the fairy, a bow made of wood emerged from the ground. She touched it, and a kind of portal formed in it.
"That is not something that I can affirm, but as I said, something guided you here and wanted to give you that sword. What you will do with it and what role it will play in your life, you will only know with time. Now go, the lines that link our worlds are weakening. If you continue here, you will not be able to return."
…
Dusk graced the sky and Kiritsugu found himself puffing nervously as he watched the leylines grow weaker and weaker. As the years passed, reaching the Reverse of the World became more and more difficult. In the end, he could only hope and pray for Shirou to come back, and, just as the sun was about to set, one last large concentration of mana shot out of the leylines and the boy suddenly woke up almost as if he had managed to save himself from drowning.
"Shirou!? Are you okay!?" Kiritsugu asked as he made sure the boy was back in one piece.
"Yes, I think I managed to get out in time…" the blacksmith's apprentice replied.
"Kiddo, what was that? For a moment, I felt something pulling you to the other side," Muramasa asked.
Shirou stood up and watched as he still kept the sword fragments wrapped in the cloth.
"What is that?" asked the blacksmith.
"The reason I ended up on the Reverse Side of the World." After unwrapping the cloth, the apprentice magus showed his ancestor and father its contents.
"That's…?" Muramasa asked in amazement.
"A sword?" Kiritsugu said, confused.
Shirou smiled a bit wryly. "How strange... I told Lady Valualeta that I had no interest in creating something like a sword that promises victory, and however, I have been given the fragments of the Golden Sword of the Victorious to reforge it."
"Caliburn? The first sword of the King of Knights…" taking a good look at the fragments, the magus killer could notice the lost majesty of the sword that was similar to the servant's weapon he had once summoned.
"Grandpa, do you think we can do it?" Shirou asked, showing enormous determination and great desire.
"Hmn… I'm not very fond of western weapons, but, as a blacksmith, I would be terrible at leaving that weapon in that state. Also, if we are not capable of something like this, how are we supposed to create the ultimate katana?"
"So…?" the boy asked, hopefully.
"I wouldn't be a good master blacksmith if I didn't accept such challenges." Shirou smirked at his ancestor's words, "However, kiddo, if we are going to bring this sword back to the world, you better get ready."
"Eh? Why?"
The smith would have crossed his arms if he could have, "It's a legendary sword. Do you think you have the ability to reforge it?"
"Well…"
"If you succeed, it could be considered a miracle." Despite this statement, Muramasa was determined, "I am a blacksmith, my only pride is my swords, If all I could do was reforge that sword and nothing else, could I consider that all the years that I have spent forging, passing on my techniques, and learning together with my descendants, were worth it?"
"So…?"
"We will not only bring it back, but we will go even further." Muramasa would have turned in the direction of the mage killer if he could, "Having Caliburn with us will greatly enhance the boy's usefulness on the mission and allow him to have better chances of survival."
Kiritsugu nodded.
"How good are your connections?"
Kiritsugu was thoughtful, "What do you want to get?"
Muramasa smiled, although no one could see him.
And like that, the days went by…
The blacksmith duo had gone to work as soon as they reached the small apartment the three shared. Kiritsugu believed that letting Shirou continue in his dorm any longer would be dangerous, so they both moved all his equipment to this small apartment.
So the boy's routine was kept, he kept training with his two teachers and preparing as much as he could.
"Shirou, are you ready?"
"I'm coming..." said the boy as he left the apartment to meet his father, who was waiting for him in the car, "you still haven't told me where we're going."
"We're going to the outskirts of London to meet some of my contacts," said the magus killer as he started the car and started to drive.
For a while, neither of them said anything, until the apprentice magus broke the silence, "Old man, do you know about Avalon?"
"Do you wonder why it is inside you?"
The redhead nodded.
"You see, as you must have noticed, I'm not good at any of healing magecraft. So, to save your life from Fuyuki's fire, I was forced to implant the sheath along with the crest in you."
"I see, and how did you get it?" he asked curiously.
Kiritsugu took out a cigar again, "It was a gift from some former associates."
"Do you think they can help us to reforge to Caliburn?"
The magus killer shook his head, "I doubt they're willing. Our partnership didn't end well, and I don't think they have those capabilities either..."
"I understand…" Shirou didn't ask anymore, he knew that his father's work was not exactly one that allowed him to create good associations.
After several minutes of driving, they reached the outskirts of the city. Kiritsugu parked in front of an old building and motioned for Shirou to follow him.
After getting out of the car, they both walked toward the old building. Kiritsugu knocked on the door and after hearing a: come in, the two of them entered. The building seemed to be a house and, at the same time, a medical office.
"Pieceman, where are you?" Kiritsugu asked.
"I'm coming... my bones aren't what they were, you know..."
An old wearing glasses and a white coat came into the living room. He used a cane and appeared to be in his later years, and he had gray hair, but over the years, it has turned white.
"Shirou, this is Twice H. Pieceman. He's my most trusted doctor," the freelancer introduced him.
"Delighted, Emiya Shirou," the redhead introduced himself politely.
"With what Emiya, huh?" said the doctor outlining a minimal and tired smile, "I didn't imagine you had another offspring, Kiritsugu."
"I adopted it after the fire I told you about," said the magus killer.
He smiled a little wider, "Hmn… So, he is a consequence of that. Don't you think that confirms my theory?"
Kiritsugu hardened his gaze, "You know what I think of that theory of yours."
"Sooner or later, you will realize that what I say is true," replied the doctor.
"Whatever. I came for the medicines and the check-up that I told you about when I contacted you."
"I understand... I understand… Kid, there's a red briefcase in the basement, you'll find it down those stairs. I prepared everything you need, but I forgot to bring it, my memory is not what it was before. Could you look it up while I check on your father?"
The redhead nodded, and while Kiritsugu was being checked by the doctor, Shirou went downstairs to get the briefcase.
"Will you tell him?" Pieceman asked as he checked the magus who was lying on a stretcher.
"What?" asked the magus killer.
"That he is a product of the war in which you participated."
The freelancer sighed and replied, "I don't see any reason to tell him."
"Hmm… And you won't have any regrets about leaving without telling him?" asked the doctor.
"How much time do I have?"
The doctor replied, "One and a half years maybe. Two years as a maximum."
Sighing, Kiritsugu said, "If I see it necessary, I'll talk to him..."
The doctor smiled, "That just confirms my theory."
Kiritsugu frowned, "And how is that?"
"Don't get me wrong, I hate war as much or more than you do, but it is undeniable that war causes the evolution of humanity."
Kiritsugu gave him a cynical smile, "Do you think I've evolved?"
"I will not deny that physically speaking, you have deteriorated as a result of the war. But if our phone conversations can be taken as a test, along with how your relationship with the boy, then I think so, you has evolved as a person, as an individual being."
At this, Kiritsugu whispered, "I've only become more selfish..."
The doctor smiled, "And isn't selfishness part of human nature?" seeing that Shirou didn't return, Pieceman said, "apparently, I'll have to go find your son. I don't blame him for getting lost; that place is a mess."
"You can be calm. I'll go..."
Pieceman shook his head, "You'd better wait for the scan to complete," he said before starting down the stairs.
The old doctor went down the stairs and came to a fork, "He took the wrong way..." through the door that was already open, the doctor entered the deepest room of his laboratory.
"Surprising, don't you think?"
Shirou found himself in a room similar to a surgical hall. In the middle of it, there was a kind of capsule.
"Who is she?"
The doctor approached the boy, and they both observed how the capsule contained a young girl with brown hair. She was a little older than him.
"Her name is Hakuno, Hakuno Kishinami. She is my last patient."
"Your last patient?"
The doctor nodded, "That's right, she has amnesia syndrome. A little over thirty years ago, I was involved in a bioterrorist attack, I almost died, but your father's teacher, Natalia, saved me. However, my research was lost, and it took me the last thirty years to get it back. And, in the end, I was able to create a vaccine to cure the syndrome."
The amnesia syndrome. If my memory serves, this is an infectious disease. It is a virus that violates the nerves in the brain, and the people infected with this disease gradually lose awareness of the dividing line between themselves and other people. Ultimately, they lose all awareness of their memories and end their lives. The redhead thought bitterly, "Has she been frozen for a long time?"
"Two years, and it's a shame, even if she recovers, the vaccine won't bring back the memories she lost. She will wake up not knowing anything."
This worried the boy, "What about her family!?"
The doctor shook his head, "They are dead. I didn't know them, she was transferred here a few months ago."
"When will she wake up?" the apprentice blacksmith asked thoughtfully.
"If the treatment works well, then the vaccine will finish its work in a year or so."
The boy asked him, "Could I come to visit her once in a while?"
This surprised the doctor, "You won't be able to talk to her, you know...?"
Shirou nodded. "I know, but I want to be there for her. Also, when she wakes up." So that what could have happened to me does not happen to her.
Although confused, the doctor did not ask his reasons, "Sure, I don't care."
"Do you specialize in treating the brain?"
"Yes. Although, in the last decades, I have diversified quite a bit. Let's go back, your father must be waiting for us."
He nodded.
They both left the basement and met up with Kiritsugu, and, after his father and the doctor spoke for a bit, they both left the office. Although not before Shirou gave him his cell phone number and made him promise to call him if something happened.
"He's a good boy," Pieceman spoke as he dismissed the freelancer.
"I think he identifies with your last patient."
The doctor nodded. "See you, Kiritsugu, make sure you come back alive."
The magus killer nodded as he headed towards the car.
"Where are we going now?" asked the redhead.
"Let's go find that..."
At the mention of the target, Shirou smiled.
After driving for about thirty minutes, they reached a certain part of the city. Shirou wanted to go with Kiritsugu, but he told him to stay in the car, and after about fifteen minutes, the magus returned with a small box.
"These are? We won't leave until we confirm," Kiritsugu said as he handed the box to Shirou.
Shirou opened it and saw the remains of a hilt and a blade. After using the structural grasp, he could learn its history.
Shirou nodded. "This is Merodach, The Original Sin. These are the remnants of the weapon that Gram was based on, and thus, Caliburn."
"Really...? I can't believe you found it," Muramasa spoke.
"I have worked with multiple organizations throughout my life, the Association among these, as time goes by, many people start to owe you favors, and I charged quite a few to be able to get it. Still, I must admit which cost much more than I expected, and if it had been the weapon in perfect condition, then it would have been impossible to get it, but on the other hand, some things were in our favor..."
"Like what?" the boy asked.
"The state of the world..." Kiritsugu puffed on his cigarette, "the older the relic, the more powerful the magecraft that can be practiced with it, since they come from an era where magic reigned in its heyday. The problem is that we are no longer in that era anymore, and magecraft is on the wane, so trying to use magecraft from the Age of Gods today is practically impossible, which means that the relics of previous times have begun to progressively lose their value, more so if they are not even in good condition," Kiritsugu frowned slightly, "exist a type of relics that have increased its value since they are useful for a certain ritual in specific, however, those are relics related to heroes, which is not the case with this sword, which is related to a deity, which makes it more difficult for current magi to use."
"Simply put, they can't use it, so they consider it useless?"
"Something like that. In the old days, even getting even one of its shards would have been impossible, but now it's different..."
Shirou nodded thoughtfully, "Now that you mention it, that's one of the reasons why the Department of Modern Magecraft Theory has become so famous in recent years, this one focuses on making magecraft that has little history useful, instead of delving into older magecrafts unable to function in the current age." Then the boy looked at the fragments with a smile, "With this, we have everything we need..."
Kiritsugu nodded.
"Well, you better be ready kiddo, your skills as a blacksmith will be put to the test this time…" Muramasa warned.
That said, the trio returned to the apartment and prepared for the fateful day.
…
And, when it arrived...
Kiritsugu wore his black suit with his coat of the same color, and Shirou wore a white shirt with blue jeans, along with a black jacket. And while the magus killer carried a large silver briefcase, Shirou carried three swords: the Monohoshi Zao, hanging from his back, and two other swords hanging from his belt, one of them being Muramasa.
The two of them got in the car and headed for their goal: the town of Aylesbury...
Author notes:
Well, this chapter is ready. I had this translation already advanced, so I was able to publish it quickly. Thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions and corrections in the previous chapter.
DPSS: Little by little, he will improve. Remember that Shirou cannot use elemental magic, so for a sword like the one you say, he will have to ask for help.
Without more to say. I appreciate your comments and hope you enjoyed the chapter, see you in the next one.