Ever since becoming a mage, Hector was guided by his promise to Angela. Back then, he truly believed that she pursued a highly noble goal and was worth following into the darkest pits of any war. She saved him, she was one of the most powerful mages, or so she would have him believe…Who else could use Angra Mainyu for good if not her?

All this time, Hector kept his promise to a monster. An utterly mortifying realization that made him see the futility of his path. If he dares reject Angela and criticize her again, she will not hesitate to kill him. She must have still saw some sentimental value in him, or she would have handled him the same way she did Marianne, but her patience was at its limit.

And if Hector was to continue serving her without question, sinking deeper into the most grotesque depths of depravity, becoming a murderer over and over again…She would still likely find something to criticize and humiliate him for. That's how it always was. Even if she finally accepted him, he would be too far gone by that point. The young man could feel another tear falling from his eye…He didn't know what to do. There was no one to turn to; as grateful as he was for Rider's presence, Hector was already familiar with his opinion and advice. If only he had enough strength to carry on…Hector knew Angela was up to something. She spent almost all her time on the balcony, feeding the dark core that formed behind the Eimzbern castle. This must have been the formation of the Grail…It shouldn't happen this early. Hector knew that in previous wars, the Grail did not begin formation until only two servants were left, but this was no longer a typical Holy Grail War…It likely never was. It was an attempt by Angra Mainyu to break free from his prison, and he found a perfect vessel in Angela. Hector walked onto the balcony and saw his 'mother' enhancing the core, reveling in this vile energy.

"Come to look at my progress?" Angela said with pride. "Be my guest, dear…Beautiful, isn't it?" She stood aside and unveiled a dark cocoon that floated in front of the balcony, this was where the bulk of her dark energy.

"What is this for? Are you taking this power into yourself?" Hector asked cautiously

"Somewhat…But there is someone else currently feeding off it. You were saying something about killing our own allies, right? Well, don't you worry, for I have that covered. Marianne is worthless without Lancer, and he is not gone yet."

Hector had a very bad feeling about this, but he couldn't look away. Angela raised her hand.

"Oh, look, he's just about to show himself! Come on, Romulus, another battle calls!"

Wide cracks emerged across the cocoon, eventually unveiling the man on the other side. He let out a gruesome roar before descending to the balcony. It was Romulus, unmistakably so, but so much about him has changed…Hector saw his veins pulsing with violet blood and his guys going completely empty and lifeless. He let out a number of mumbling sounds, but it was clear that he could not speak.

"What…What did you do to him?"

"Not just me, it was Angra Mainyu's blessing…Remember our friend, Iseri? His inventions make it easy to supply large amounts of mana, and Berserker's class is an inspiration…This Romulus has all the power boosts he would have in his Berserker incarnation, but he is completely loyal to Angra Mainyu and me. In a way, he is the perfect servant; for her, he has all of the power and none of the will." She could do the same with Iskandar…Hector couldn't allow that to happen to the servant who had been so loyal and compassionate to him. This couldn't continue for long, but it was up to Hector and no one else to stop it. "And he will be the one to kill our enemies without hesitation. See, we only got stronger without Marianne, isn't it lovely? Angra Mainyu stirs; soon, it will be free…And no one will resist his wrath. At long last, the time to reclaim the Einzbern legacy has finally come! We have won!"

If only Hector could realize how deluded he was earlier.

Ever since the day of the flood, he had no mother.

…

A storm was coming.

Shirou knew that it was inevitable and that he had no way to stop it. The short time he spent aiding his current enemies against Iseri and Berserker was enough to realize the deepest extent of their depravity. Both Angela and her servant were dedicated to their vile goals, they were not insane, but they were also beyond reason. Now, Shirou sent Assassin to spy on Angela and gather as much information before the next battle, all while the master could only wait at the estate.

He despised waiting, despised this feeling of powerlessness. Shirou paced around the Waver's estate's hall, running through the possible scenarios of the next encounter. Hector was not hopeless; Sakura told Shirou about their last encounter. The same could be said about Marianne, but Shirou didn't see any reliable ways to get them on their side. Perhaps, if all of them teamed up against Angela, Archer, and Angra Mainyu, they would succeed…So much remained undecided, and he was powerless to change it.

"Shirou?" He heard Sakura's soft voice ringing from behind, and the woman approached him cautiously and curiously. "Are you alright?"

"Why would I not be?" He responded snappily.

"You seem tense." She said with compassion, making Shirou realize that there was no need to bite back.

"Sorry, I just…Thinking about our course of action. How is Rin?"

"She's getting better, I think she might get back on your feet soon."

"Good… We'll need all the aid we can get against our enemies."

"Shirou, I've been wondering…" Sakura hesitated. "You were the one who saw Angra Mainyu almost form, right? Ten years ago, I mean."

"Yes, I have."

"How did it feel to stand before the Grail? What did you see?" Sakura was curious, and there was no reason for Shirou to deny her, even if those memories became more painful for him as time passed.

"It's a day that I have come back to over the last ten years, the day when I made my choice and set out on a journey…"

"You fought against Kirei Kotomine, right? Grandfather didn't tell me much about him, but I know he manipulated the war to see Angra Mainyu born."

"Yes. For him, it was a form of twisted satisfaction to see a being as vile and hollow as himself be born into this world. Artoria battled the previous incarnation of Gilgamesh while I challenged Kotomine. I didn't expect to survive…But seeing how much joy Kirei got from this battle and the destruction the Grail causes gave me a motive to continue fighting and strike him down. I hated Kirei for a long time after that. I know all the pain he caused and what he did to Kiritsugu, but I understand him to an extent. He was driven by a desire to belong, to find a purpose for his broken self, just like me."

"You're not broken, Shirou, and you're most definitely not like him."

"Not the same, but we aren't that different, either."

"How can you say that? You saved all the people in Fuyuki Kirei who wanted to murder!"

"I didn't save them," Shirou said coldly. "Not yet. I thought that the Grail was no more, but ultimately, I just repeated the same mistake as Kiritsugu. It's only been a decade, and the Grail has returned already, shaping to be more powerful than it ever was before, all while a 'prophet' just as vile as Kotomine aids it." Shirou clenched his teeth, cursing himself at his own pathetic failure. "It was our battle…"

"Shirou…"

"The one both Artoria and I deserved to see to its end…But it was only a temporary victory that made us feel illusory satisfaction. I know she would have given everything to be my side at this moment, but if I have to walk this path alone…"

"Shirou!" Sakura raised her voice, dragging the hero out of his self-loathing trance. "You are not alone. How can you say that when you've got a loyal servant and one of the Clock Tower Lords at your side? Even Gilgamesh, who was once your enemy, now fights on your side! And you have Rin and me…" Sakura's voice grew quieter. "You know how we felt about you, how we still feel about you."

"Sakura…"

"I'm not asking you to reciprocate or to abandon your commitment to me, and I'm sure Rin doesn't want that, either. Just, please, let us help you in this battle." Sakura smiled, looking at Shirou and putting her hand on his shoulder. She could see relief in his eyes, the one that was too difficult for him to hide. "That's what friends are for."

"Thank you, Sakura…Thank you."

He took a deep breath, those were the words of encouragement Shirou needed, even if he didn't want to admit it. Before he could say anything else, however, the hero noticed a shadowy silhouette of Assassin emerging in the doorway. Finally, Hassan returned from his mission.

"I'm back, master."

"Have you discovered anything important about our enemies?"

"I have…" Hassan said with a pained voice. "The Lorekeeper and von Einzbern had a falling out, and the latter killed the former. She has prepared her prize…I witnessed its formation. I saw the Holy Grail."