Illya waited patiently. The sun had set on this day and she felt like she was waiting forever after she had seen Shirou all but disappear from her sight. It's like he just up and vanished in smoke. He was just not there anymore and Illya had been doing nothing but wait dutifully for him to reappear.

She tapped her feet on the ground in frustration as she huffed. He had been gone for a good while now and the sun was already set and night had developed the area. Wherever he disappeared too seemed to have a different perception of time.

Then just as he suddenly disappeared he appeared once more. Illya smiled brightly as she saw Shirou appear out of nowhere from the thicket and holding a sword in his hand.

"Big brother…you got it" Illya said in amazement as she ran over to him.

"Yeah…" Shirou said almost a little bit melancholic as he looked down at the sword in his hand.

"What's wrong big brother?"

Shirou looked down at the sword in his hand and sighed. He had promised Elena to help her bring her father back to his senses. But he didn't know then what he knew now. The sword was useless to him. It couldn't accomplish that wish even if he wanted too. All he had in his hand wasn't a wish granting device but just a very powerful sword.

"I…I made a promise to Elena but…I can't use the sword…."

Those words fell hard. He didn't know what he should tell Elena. That the chance of saving her father was pretty much zero. He couldn't imagine the disappointment on her face.

"Shirou…what do we do with it?" Illya asked him.

Shirou held the sword up and looked at it thoroughly. As he did his eyes glazed over the lake. It wasn't a coincidence that it was hidden in some weird alternate pocket dimension right near the lake. Legends spoke about the sword appearing out of the lake to King Arthur. And then at the end of the king's life, it was given back to it.

"We follow the legend. Throw the sword in the lake and hope that whatever force allowed it to remain here will take it back."

Shirou took a few steps forward standing near the edge of the lakebed and began to raise his hand high, preparing to throw the sword as hard as possible.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" a voice suddenly spoke.

Shirou broke his stance and both he and Illya turned their heads simultaneously as they saw none other than Argus Manadek appear. Dressed as refined and classy as usual, his left hand covered by a leather glove and his other holding his cane as he walked over to them.

"Manadek…" Shirou grumbled angrily.

Manadek simply flashed him a sinister smile "you did it my boy. Elena was right to believe in you. Truly you have exceeded my expectations."

As Manadek took another step Shirou held the sword right over the lake "not one step more Manadek or I'll throw it in the lake. And you probably know what that means?"

Manadek didn't seem intimidated in the slightest "I am well aware of it my boy. After all I'm descended from Sir Bedeviere. The knight who returned the sword back to the lady of the lake. But I am fairly confident you will not do so."

"Oh yeah and what makes you say that?" Shirou asked.

Manadek grinned almost wickedly "Mr. Gil?" he called and as soon as he did Shirou's pride sank in his shoes. Gil came out from behind Manadek with Rin Tohsaka tightly in his grasp. A switchblade held against her throat.

"Rin!" Shirou yelled in panic, his eyes widening in panic. Illya let out a small shriek upon seeing her friend in this position.

Shirou and Rin's eyes met for a brief second. He had never seen her like this. He had never seen her in danger, never seen her so helpless.

"Let me make it simple for you young Shirou. Hand me the sword or Miss Tohsaka will not survive the night. At the very least that will make us even for Richter" Manadek said.

Rin blurted out "you promised Kerrion you wouldn't harm me!" and in response Gil tightened his grip and pressed the blade sideways against the side of her neck.

Manadek turned his head to her "all is fair in love and war Miss Tohsaka. He will get over you once I cast away the spell you placed on him."

He then turned back to Shirou "the choice is yours my boy. The sword or her."

Shirou glanced at the artifact in his hand. All he had to do was throw it in the lake and that would be the end of it. Manadek's plan would be a bust. But at what cost? He looked at Rin in this predicament and his heart felt heavy. In his hand he held Saber's legacy. Handing it to Manadek would mean nothing but disaster for the world.

But then there was Rin. Looking at her, Shirou clenched his fist. He cursed internally at the crossroads he was currently in. But deep down he already knew. The choice had already been made.

He raised his hand and threw the sword in the direction of Manadek, who eagerly grabbed it in his right hand, dropping his cane to the ground in the progress.

Shirou watched as Manadek's eyes lit up as he admired the sword in his hand.

"Thank you my boy. Thanks to you I can finally save the world," Manadek said with a mocking bow before turning to Gil "Mr. Gil let her go."

Gil nodded and dragged Rin forward until he was a few meters away from Shirou and Illya's position, where he threw her on the ground in front of them.

"Rin!" Shirou yelled as he and Illya ran over to her. Rin seemed unharmed aside from her still being unable to move. "Are you alright?" Shirou asked her.

"Of course I am you idiot! What where you thinking giving the sword to him!" Rin yelled out at them.

Internally Shirou sighed with relief. Yeah that was Rin alright still the same old. Shirou returned his gaze to Manadek and Gil who where standing a few meters away from them, the former still admiring the sword in his hand with a bright smile of victory on his face.

"Smile all you want Manadek. You can't even use the sword!" Shirou called out.

Manadek looked at him and simply shrugged, barely bothered by those words. "Oh I beg to differ young Shirou…I beg to differ…" he said as slowly began to peel the glove off of his left hand.

But before he could do so a beam of red light flashed against Manadek's chest and he was thrown onto the ground, dropping the sword in the process. It happened so fast Shirou, Rin and Illya could barely register what was happening as Manadek hit the ground with a groan of pain.

It was until they saw Gil with his fingers extending, his magical circuits weakly beaming with light and him walking up to the stunned Manadek and bending over to grab the sword of the ground.

"Sorry about that Manadek. But did you honestly believe I would let you carry out this ridiculous plan of yours" Gil said with a mocking smirk as he looked at the sword in his hand.

"Mr. Gil you…" Manadek groaned as he sat up straight, only to be met by the sword now inches from his face.

"You made me do your dirty work. Undermined me. Made me work with your imbecile of a son….and I put up with all of it…all that humiliation…but it was all worth it. Now that I have this" Gil said raising Excalibur triumphantly in the air.

"With this sword I will become all powerful and unbeatable. The king I was always meant to be!" he yelled out. His magical circuits faintly glowing as he seemed to want to use Excalibur's power.

But nothing happened. Nothing but an uncomfortable silence followed as Gil's confident smirk devolved into an uncertain and then annoyed expression.

"Why isn't this working!" he yelled angrily as he looked at the sword in his hands.

A mocking laughter followed and Manadek was the one providing it. Snickering as he laughed at his traitorous colleague.

"What are you laughing at Manadek!" Gil angrily bellowed.

"He's laughing at you," Shirou interjected causing Gil to face him "Excalibur can only be wielded and used by someone of Pendragon blood. Your boss knows that."

"The boy is right Mr. Gil. Did you think we robbed the grave of King Arthur for a laugh. No we needed it so Richter could make this" Manadek told him as he completely removed the leather glove on his left hand.

The hand that was revealed was not a normal one. It was a completely white hand glowing with red magical circuits. Manadek smirked as he showed it to Gil.

"This hand was created by Richter using the one we stole from King Arthur's gravesite. It has the DNA and power to wield Excalibur. Did you honestly believe I would clue a filthy magus like you in on that kind of information."

Gil's eyes lit up with anger as he raised the sword high in the air preparing to strike at Manadek in a fit of rage.

A sudden flash of red energy then flew across Gil's face and he howled out in pain. It had been Rin who had stood up and raised her finger, able to move again and casting the curse.

Gil's cheek began to bleed as his angry gaze now focused on Rin.

"You little mongrel! Why do you keep insisting on getting in my way!" Gil screeched.

"Because mages like you disgust me. You don't have any power so you resort to trickery to get your way. I can't believe that my father would even consider putting his trust into a rat like you!" Rin yelled back at him.

Gil growled through gritted teeth, his eyes bloodshot and hateful and aimed at Rin. But as his focus was on her he hadn't seen Manadek getting up and going for his cane. With one quick pull Manadek had unsealed the hidden blade that was concealed with it. And he was now lunging forward towards an unsuspecting Gil.

What followed seem to Shirou's eyes like it was happening in slow motion as he watched Manadek with blade in hand make his way over towards his traitorous colleague. Seeing Shirou stare made Gil finally look backwards as he saw the armed man mere inches from him. He raised the sword in his hand in reflex.

But it was already too late.

With a quick decisive upwards stroke of his blade, Manadek cut clean through Gil's right hand, severing it in an instant. The sword clattered to the grass below and Gil fell on his knees, screaming in pain and clutching the stump of where his hand used to be.

Shirou saw the sword on the ground and immediately rushed over in an attempt to retrieve it. But he was stopped dead in his tracks as Manadek lunged his blade towards him and it landed right in front of Shirou, stuck in the grass as Shirou tumbled over as he came to a sudden stop.

Manadek wasted no time and grabbed Excalibur from the ground with his artificial white hand. As soon as he touched it and lifted it up it began to glow with a bright light, the magic circuits on the hand glowing in tandem with it.

Triumphantly he raised the sword in the air as he basked in the energy.

"It works…IT WORKS!" Manadek yelled ecstatically as the light slowly dimmed and the sword was now engulfed in light.

Manadek turned his gaze upon Shirou, Rin and Illya. He aimed the sword at them and said a simple command.

"Kneel!"

And the effects where immediate as everyone nearby, including Gil where forced up and down by an invisible force and they were subsequently forced on their knees in submission.

Manadek jeered and laughed in victory "after all these years. Finally my dream will become a reality. And it's all thanks to you Shirou Emiya. Oh it's almost like fate has willed it so. Meeting your father, meeting her, the King of Knights. It has all led to this moment!" he philosophically said as his expression turned into a grin.

"But first…" he said as he turned to Gil. Whose eyes where filled with pain, forced on his knees, his right hand severed and laying limply beside him. Manadek raised the sword in his direction and Gil suddenly levitated into the air.

"Allow me to use this opportunity to thank you Mr. Gil. Your expertise on magic though basic has helped out quite well in this endeavor. I could just end you right here and now but as a sign of my gratitude I will just make you perish alongside the rest of your kind. But not to worry I'll make it quick and painless for you."

"You filthy mongrel! YOU GAVE ME YOUR WORD!" Gil shouted at him as he remained still in the air.

Manadek snickered in response "did you honestly believe I would allow any of your filthy kind to remain? There will be no exceptions Mr. Gil, as you have already proven you are all just one nasty power fantasy away from becoming like Archibald. So…any last words?"

"Filthy mongrel….you will pay for this!" Gil responded.

"Goodbye " was all Manadek said as he made a swinging motion with the sword and Gil went flying. Shirou, Rin and Illya watched on in horror as Gil flew through the air over the forest behind him and ultimately crashed through the tree line, disappearing within the dark forest with a loud thud.