Of Swords and Redemption

by Saber is a Cutie

His performance had been flawless. His painstaking perseverance had produced the perfect product. But no one has ever spoken of what might transpire once the last light had dimmed, for to them, the stage is fleeting. For one such as Emiya Shirou, who has acted for far too long, even the path back offstage had faded into dust, buried by the sands of time.

6. Chapter 6

"Come on, put your back into it!"

Admittedly, it was a bit hard to hear the man's cry due to the deafening pounding of my heartbeat in my ears.

The man in question sat underneath a tree as he watched me futilely whack a sword against a rock. Apparently, Paul wanted to get a baseline for my physical prowess as part of his training regimen, hence why he was having me try my best to cleave the boulder in front of me with a single strike.

Of course, had I opted to use reinforcement magecraft on myself, I probably could have done so. The only reason I was a bit uncertain was that my current body was so weak that even with fully reinforcing it, I wasn't sure how much better my physical attributes would be.

"Laaaaaaaameeeeee!"

Admittedly, I was mildly getting annoyed at the man. Here I was, sweating underneath the afternoon sun and panting in exhaustion while he relaxed underneath the shade of a tree while leisurely sipping on a drink that he had brought from the house. Had I known that this is what he had in mind for training, I would have refused his offer entirely.

Well, not really, but the temptation to put an end to things was growing stronger with each mocking remark he made. Was he angry that I injured him by accident? Perhaps it was his fault for being put on his ass by a child.

"Damn, you suck!"

"If you think it is so easy, perhaps you can show me instead of giving me commentary?" I asked after I spun on my heels, staring at the man with a deadpan look. I held out the practice sword towards him. The weapon he had given me for our training session was a fully metal shortsword, still laughably clumsy in my hands but nothing I couldn't make do with. Paul had said that I was a bit too "advanced" for my age, and he could do away with the toys for my training sessions.

Paul gave me a wry grin as I towered over the sitting swordsman, my reaction fueling his joking attitude. It looked like seeing me snap was his goal all along. "You're going to make your injured old man get up and do work? Sheesh, I thought I raised you better than that."

I felt the urge to point out that he was largely absent for my upbringing—either one, really—but I decided that the remark was unnecessarily crossing a line. I could tell Paul was enjoying himself with the mirthful shimmer in his eyes at every quip, and I didn't particularly feel like ruining the mood. The infamous incident had only been yesterday, after all, and the fact that Paul was gung-ho and ready to enthusiastically dive into these lessons was surprising but not an unwelcome gift. The better I could sweep that particular chapter of my life underneath the rug, the better.

However, from the way I haven't seen Zenith at all since last night, a stark contrast to how she sought me out every single day beforehand, the ripples I had made yesterday were already making waves I could not undo.

Still though, I had to take it one problem at a time. Right now, appeasing the stupid man in front of me was the priority.

"Ah, I apologize. I believed the great Paul Greyrat was capable of shrugging off a blow dealt by a four-year-old. It seems that I was mistaken."

His unimpressed glower at me was reciprocated in kind, my stoic expression not faltering as the man got up with a quiet groan and took the sword in my hand. I followed him behind him, a bit of me eager to see his technique in person. All I had were the memories in his sword, its wielder a practitioner of whatever physical boost people employed in this world. However, I wanted to see for myself how the best warriors here were able to strengthen their bodies to superhuman levels. More specifically, I wanted to see if there were any similarities between what they used here and magecraft like reinforcement. If so, I would be able to excuse some of my abilities as having learned them under Paul.

Paul walked over to the boulder I had been hitting for the better part of the afternoon, its rocky surface sporting not a single hint of any damage having been dealt to it. Meanwhile, the sword that Paul had given me was chipped in several places, the result of carefully refined steel meeting the brutal wall that was nature several times.

"Watch and see, kiddo. This is how your old man impressed the ladies back in the day." Paul tossed the blade back and forth between both hands, getting a feel for the weapon as he mentally sized up the boulder. There was nothing special about it, just a random rock we had found in the outskirts of the forest we had decided to train in. The fact that it was a bit close to my usual training spot was a bit worrying since there were no doubt remnants of my previous activities there, but hopefully we wouldn't be making our way over there. Paul may have seen me train, but seeing the aftermath of my sessions might raise more questions than answers I was willing to give.

I crossed my arms and raise an eyebrow as the man continued to stare down the boulder. Was his power too restrictive? Did he need to do any mental incantations? Did he need to condition his mind first?

After a few more seconds, Paul took a deep breath, planting his right foot firmly into the ground as his left stepped forward, holding the sword in both hands.

"Argh!" Steel flashed forwards, the sword becoming a blur as Paul let out a battle cry. His arm came down like a meteor, and the short sword passed through the boulder like a hot knife through butter. However, Paul wasn't done yet, and with a twist of his wrist, his follow-through became the start of another swing as he slashed perpendicular to his first strike. Once again, metal cleanly cut through stone, and Paul finished the demonstration with an overly flamboyant twirl of his sword.

As if not yet realizing what had just happened, the boulder looked unaffected before all of a sudden, physics took over, and the large rock that had remained unaltered for centuries crumbled apart, the two bisecting slashes cut through it causing it to split apart into four distinct pieces. Paul turned back around with a cocky grin on his face.

"Well? Think you got what it takes to surpass your pops?" The smirk on his face was threatening to split his handsome visage in two, and he walked over to pass the sword back to me.

"The next time my opponent allows me enough time to complete a scholarly education before attacking, I'll be sure to do precisely what you did," I chided back, taking the weapon from him.

Paul strangely felt silent at the remark, but I paid it no mind.

I wasn't sure on the exact steps Paul used to be able to enhance his body to such a degree. Analyzing the past few seconds in my mind, the feat he pulled off was definitely magical in nature. I don't think Paul was conscious of what he did though, recalling his inability to explain his capabilities from Lilia's remarks yesterday. However, it was certainly some form of reinforcement, or whatever magic was the equivalent in this world. I could feel a distinct magical energy coating his body almost like some sort of invisible armor, and the aura Paul manifested also extended down to the sword as well, explaining why it was able to withstand being able to be pushed through solid rock with no issues.

If my understanding of magecraft was correct, then while the results were fairly similar, whatever technique Paul used was fundamentally different than reinforcement. Reinforcement magecraft relied on filling in the gaps and crevices of an object on a structural level, both in a physical sense as well as metaphorical. Due to targeting the nature of one's existence, it was capable of a variety of effects beyond simply making something stronger and faster.

Paul's technique seemed to work on the basis of covering its user and weapons with energy like a second skin, empowering their physical stats to beyond human levels. It wasn't bad at all, and judging from the fact that Paul bisected a boulder twice over with ease, its potency was definitely on the level of reinforcement magecraft typically practiced by Executors or Enforcers. It was not nearly enough to deal with a Servant of course, but I doubted that there was any real need for firepower of that caliber in this world.

"Jeez, cut me some slack, will ya? I had to focus for a bit since my body isn't exactly in good shape," Paul waved off.

I let out a noncommittal hum, my mind thinking not focused on his words as I contemplated what the reveal of Paul's technique meant.

If bolstering my body far past its normal limits was something not uncommon in this world, then using reinforcement was not entirely out of the question for me. Obviously, I couldn't go full all-out with it, but even raising my strength, speed, and durability to a fraction of Paul's would be a huge advantage and substantially increase my effective fighting ability with witnesses around. Of course, there was the question of why such a small child was able to even utilize such tricks in the first place, but I could easily divert the attention to Paul. I had no doubt that he would practically be preening underneath the spotlight.

"Alright, you try now." The man sat back down with a sigh of relief, his eyes half-lidded as he idly watched on.

"You expect me to get it with no explanation or anything?" The man definitely had a hands-off approach, I'll give him that.

"You did pretty well copying my fighting style just watching me. Don't tell me that this is too much for you?"

"Funny."

Well, at least this type of conversation was a better change of pace than the dynamic before.

"You know I'm not good with words. Any instruction I give you might just end up making things for confusing," he said while crossing his arms behind his hand, intermittently taking a sip of the drink at his side.

I scoffed light-heartedly. "Perhaps you can try?"

Paul gave me a look like I was an overbearing manager and he was a disgruntled employee working a minimum wage job. "Sheesh, so needy. Fine, all you gotta do is take a step forward, doing a little 'hngh', maybe add in some 'fwam!', and you should be good to go."

…

"What in the actual fuck does that even mean?"

"Language," he chided.

I internally rolled my eyes. Thankfully, this man was no Archer. Then again, perhaps that said more about me than anything else.

Seeing that I would get no more help from the overly lax man, I walked towards another boulder off to the side. Looking at the big piece of rock up and down, I calmed my breathing, settling into the same pose Paul had been in. It was all for show; I didn't require any preparation to use reinforcement magecraft. However, I had to at least pretend that I was copying what Paul had shown me.

"Hah!" I brought down the sword in an overhead chop, imbuing my body and the sword with magical energy at the same time. As expected, the broken edge of the weapon cut deeply into the boulder, managing to get a bit over halfway through the rock before it stopped. Planting a foot onto the boulder, I grunted as I pulled the sword out from where it had bit into stone. The weapon looked like it had seen better days, its once sharp edge completely damaged throughout the entire length. I gave it a tentative poke, my expression turning dry as it snapped in two from the gentle prod.

"Good job." I lurched forward as a meaty hand slapped the middle of my back before playfully ruffling my head. Looking up and through the auburn tresses obscuring my vision, I could see Paul giving me a proud smile and thumbs-up before appraising the quality of my work. "Not bad for a beginner, but your step forward was more like 'hmph', and your slash was more 'wham!' than anything else. If you had actually followed my directions, you definitely could've cut through it for sure. Still though…" He walked forward, examining the large gouge in the rock I had created before turning back to me with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't think you'd pick up on it so easily…"

Ah, maybe I overdid it still? I purposefully held back, deeming that completely bisecting the boulder was a bit too much. Perhaps I should have held back even more to not seem so suspicious. Then again, Paul already knew a bit of what I could do from our spar, so I couldn't afford to not seem gifted lest he catch on.

"I must have had a good teacher."

"Funny." He picked up the broken piece of metal on the ground, cringing at how it looked closer to a bastardized serrated knife than anything else. "You know I spent a good amount of silvers on that, right?"

I shrugged. Unfortunately, the option of tracing a replica was unavailable. "Would you like me to travel to the kingdom and make the money back?"

Paul grimaced at the idea. "Nice joke. You know how dangerous the roads are nowadays? Every merchant caravan has at least a dozen adventurers guarding it, and that's just through the main roads that have established depots scattered throughout the route. Every other route is either way too dangerous or requires way too much money to hire enough bodyguards."

"Didn't you use to be an adventurer? Couldn't you do escort me for free?" I questioned.

"Yeah, that's back when I had a complete party with me. Plus, I would need to study up on the monsters and vegetation around here and the city before I even think of travelling. You can't afford to go blindly during any commission. Don't take it seriously enough, and you'll be monster food before you know it," Paul lectured. Contrary to his usual attitude, Paul was taking the subject quite seriously. As a seasoned veteran, he must have seen more than his fair share of inexperienced adventurers meeting an untimely demise.

"Sounds very serious."

"Yup, especially nowadays. The bar for adventuring is much higher than back when I was active. You got monsters roaming the roads everywhere. Any horde can just stumble across a village like ours and just wipe it off the map. Then you got the horror stories of monsters with weird ass mutations popping up like what happened a few years ago. Haven't even gotten to mention the bandits too."

Ah, in every era, there are always parasites more than happy to take advantage of the chaos.

"Are there any around here?"

"Near the village? No. In fact, there's not a lot happening around here. The closest monsters you'll see are a good ways away from the village. They tend to stay away from here for some reason. You don't need to be too worried." Paul took another swig of his drink, his gulp audible in the pause of the conversation as I waited in anticipation. "Travel a bit and I'd be careful though. The main roads are heavily used, but where there are people, there's others ready to take advantage of them. Plus, any fighting could attract nearby monsters, and then everyone's dead if that happens." He had a faraway look in his eyes, the thousand-yard stare of a seasoned adventurer speaking more than his words ever could.

This world definitely resembled a typical medieval fantasy, but I had no doubt that there were surprises and twists waiting for me if I looked hard enough. The question was if I could find them before they found me.

Actually, now that I thought about it… "Yesterday, you said that you'd need to go to the city eventually to send your letter, right? Doesn't that mean you'll need to make your preparations regardless?"

I could see the gears turning in Paul's head before his face twisted as if he ate something sour. "Damn it, you're right." He sat back down and grabbed his drink, downing the remainder of it in one go as he let out a loud burp. "Gotta hit the books again, I guess. Plus I need to get in better shape too. I've been out of the loop for so long now. It's too quiet around here." He raised his arms in a stretch, wincing and putting a hand over his ribcage as he aggravated his injury.

I frowned at the sight, looking at it apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Paul sighed. "How many times do I have to say it? Don't be sorry. It was an accident, and you apologized afterwards. Nothing else needs to be said." Suddenly, he smirked. "Besides, this won't keep me out for long. Give me a week or two, and I'll be right back to kicking ass like when I was younger."

I rolled my eyes. The man was still well into the prime of his life. He wouldn't have to worry about growing old and feeble any time soon.

Well, he was right on one front. Paul seemed like he was completely over the accident, so feeling sorry on his behalf wasn't of any use to anybody.

"You said you would need to study before travelling to the city. Do we have any books on hand?"

If an experienced adventurer like Paul felt uneasy about travelling without having undergone the proper preparations, then it would be remiss of me to ignore his advice. Knowing the capabilities of the monsters in this world as well as the natural geography and flora would be a huge help in navigating the region as safely as possible.

"Oh? Interested in joining me on my trip?" Paul smirked at my eagerness, his eyes glimmering with approval.

Hmm, it wasn't what I originally had in mind, but the prospect of leaving the village for a bit to experience some of the outside world wasn't a terrible idea. There was certainly more merit than disadvantages to the opportunity, and having a glimpse of the reality that awaited me outside of this peaceful bubble I had lived in since my rebirth would definitely be useful.

"Just doing my due diligence. If you're gone, someone has to protect the village."

Apparently, that was the right thing to say. Once again, his palm rose to rest on my head, ruffling my hair teasingly before giving me a playful flick on my forehead. "Well, look at you, so eager to replace your dad as the village's knight, huh?" His smirk was in equal parts amusement and pride, and I couldn't help but return the gesture with a small, mirthful grin of my mine. Suddenly, Paul stood back up, letting out a few coughs. "Err, um, yeah there should be a book or two you can read in the house. Then again, I don't know how much use they are now." He quickly turned away but not before I could see the scarlet blush on his cheeks, and I could only raise an eyebrow at the interaction.

Paul started walking back towards the house, and I made to follow him. A few seconds of silence passed before he turned to me.

"Wait, can you even read?"

"…Probably?"

"What does that even mean?"

I don't think I've tried reading or writing this world's language yet, but assuming that my method of reincarnation was through the grail, then there was little reason to believe that it would function different than how I had seamlessly understood and spoke the language here. The grail was capable of miracles, and a trivial ask like communication was well within its capabilities, evident by how it was able to easily transition Servants into the modern world.

"More importantly, does mark the end of today's training session?" I inquired. Paul looked at me like I had just asked him to buy me a mansion for my birthday.

"Damn, you're still raring to go? I just watched you bash that sword onto a rock for the past few hours. Aren't you tired?"

"Call it a second wind at seeing my progress." I wasn't really tired. Trying to cut through the boulder with nothing more than child-levels of strength was a bit tiring, but I had not touched my magical energy reserves except for my very final demonstration. It would be a waste to stop my training here. Energy unused was energy wasted, after all.

Besides, if I could show Paul progress in reinforcing myself, then if there ever came a time when I had to show off more of my abilities, there wouldn't nearly be so many questions that would follow.

Paul hummed to himself contemplatively. "Well, I certainly can't fault you for being eager, that's for sure. I felt like I had a lot to prove when I was a kid too." He tapped his chin repeatedly while thinking of how to train me further. "Admittedly, I didn't put too much thought into this. I've never trained anyone before, so I don't know how to actually be a teacher. I had no plan in mind when I proposed training you. At first, I was going to have you go through the basics of each school but considering you can already do my secret technique, it doesn't seem so useful…"

I shot Paul a blank stare. "Is that really all you had planned for me?"

The man shrugged back at me. "There's a reason why I want Ghislaine here. If you want actually advanced sword techniques, she's your best bet." He flinched in realization. "Oh, Ghislaine used to be part of the adventuring party Zenith and I were a part of. In terms of skill, she's a whole two-levels higher than me. I could never even come close to beating her in a spar. Well, emphasis on spar. I got the better of her in other ways," he said with a wink.

I scrunched up my nose in disgust at what he was implying. "As long as she's skilled, it doesn't matter. However, please refrain from enlightening me of your romantic life before Zenith."

Paul laughed at my properness and wrapped an arm around my shoulder before pulling me closer. "Haha, well, if I told you, we would be here until the evening." If that sentence had come from anyone else, I would have thought that it was a proclamation of arrogance. However, when Paul said it, I couldn't help but believe it was more a factual statement than anything else. "Besides, I see you making the moves on Laws's daughter yesterday. Trust me, we're cut from the same cloth, whether you want to admit it or not."

He continued to sly tease me about Sylphiette, citing that she would be my first but I shouldn't get too "overly attached". I could only wryly look at him in response but ultimately said nothing, content to let the man have his fun.

After another minute, Paul finally stopped trying to give me a premature pep talk. "Well, as long as you don't go breaking her heart, it's fine. It'd be pretty awkward for Laws and I."

Ah, now that I thought about it, Sylphiette's father had a similar idea stewing in his mind. Those two have spent far too much time with each other than what was healthy.

I was about to give a retort to Paul when I spotted a figure walking towards us in the distance. Straining my eyes, it turned out to be Lilia, complete with her classic maid uniform. She was walking towards us, not in a desperate rush but definitely looked like she was moving with purpose. Her mouth was set in a tight line across her face, and I could see her brows were slightly furrowed. While her stride was focused, her eyes were not, and I could see those azure orbs glassed over in thought of something else.

"Did something happen between you and Lilia?"

Paul suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable and broke out in a nervous sweat. "U-Um, definitely not, no way. Things are just peachy. W-Why do you ask?"

I cocked my head at his strange behavior before mentally waving it off. In response to his question, I opted to merely point a finger at the approaching maid.

"Wait, that's Lilia? Damn, you got good eyes."

Uh, whoops. I should not have said anything.

"I eat my vegetables."

"Heh, I guess you're right," Paul snicked, "Speaking of food, thanks for the meal yesterday. Helped me a lot when I went out for my patrol later."

I nodded in acknowledgement. Truthfully, I expected the man to throw out the food I usually made for him. Thankfully, he was not putting precious resources to waste.

After a few minutes, Paul and I finally reached Lilia. The maid had a thin sheen of sweat from the blazing sun bearing down on us, and her cheeks were flushed a slight red as she tried to hide her panting. Unlike her, Paul and I had the shade of the forest to protect us for the majority of the day, but it seemed that Lilia had been wandering outside for quite some time trying to look for us.

"Ah, I finally found you two," Lilia greeted, her demeanor as polite as ever despite her slightly disheveled appearance. "I trust that your training session has been productive?"

"A bit better than I would have preferred, to be honest. We're only one day in, and I've already run out of things to actually teach him," Paul complained. "I mean, really, he looked at me do my secret technique one time, and he's basically halfway there."

Lilia smiled at Paul's lamentations, and I couldn't ignore how her eyes shone with wicked satisfaction at seeing Paul confess his inadequacies. "It's to be expected. He is your son, and as I said yesterday, you surely passed on your talents to him."

Paul rolled his eyes, and like Lilia, he wasn't very adept at hiding some of his emotions, namely the slightly perverted glint in his eyes.

"Seriously?"

Paul was obviously trying his best to restrain himself, but it was hard to miss how his eyes gravitated towards Lilia's large, heaving chest, especially with the small beads of sweat trailing down her face to disappear teasingly into the depths of her neckline. In tandem with her rosy cheeks and large, striking eyes, the woman in front of me made for an alluring sight, the target of women's envy and the subject of men's dreams.

In that sense, I couldn't really fault Paul. Still though, the perverted glint in his eyes was a bit unsettling. How strange, I never felt such sensations from him before. Was his mental state in a better spot now, accidentally releasing some of his more undesirable qualities?

Ah, the psychology of Paul Greyrat. It was a fascinating subject but one I fear I would never be able to fully understand.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Still, one thing to get a good fight out of someone barely to my hip. It's another to watch myself get copied like a cheap parlor trick," Paul complained.

"Perhaps it might be time for you to improve your own skills," Lilia suggested.

Paul let out a whine but didn't disagree. With his emphasis on battle experience over theory, the only way I could see Paul significantly improving his skills was to return back to adventuring and tip-toeing the line between life and death on a daily basis. I could hardly imagine Paul diligently studying underneath a mentor.

Besides, Paul didn't necessarily want to get stronger. His wish was to cultivate this life he's carved out for himself. Jumping back into the fray to risk life and death on a fleeting promise to return home was not to his benefit. In other words, as long as Zenith and I existed, then Paul would remain as is.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with that. At the very least, Paul had the power to protect those he wanted to protect, the only measurement of strength that truly mattered.

"Anyway, what did you want to talk to us about?" Paul said, changing the topic of the conversation.

All signs of amusement disappeared from Lilia's face, and her frown returned once again. "I shall be straight to the point: Lady Zenith has fallen ill."

Paul remained emotionless for a brief moment before her words settled into his mind. His jaw clenched tightly in frustration, and his knuckles became white, the fires of anger igniting within his irises. It wasn't a surprising sight; Paul tended to wear his heart on his sleeve, and the man was definitely the kind of person to feel rage when his loved ones were in danger. Being the veteran adventurer he was, I was sure that he already ruled out that Zenith was at any real risk. Otherwise, Lilia would have sought us out and delivered her message with more urgency. It was also the reason why Paul wasn't racing over to his house the instant Lilia's words left her mouth.

However, I don't believe that Zenith's sickness was completely random. The fact that it occurred the day after the events of yesterday was no coincidence. The woman was under a great deal of fatigue and stress, and the mental toll of the accident during the spar along with all the pressure that had been accumulating to this day must have been too much for Zenith. The human mind was fragile, after all, and her body couldn't handle it at some point.

"Gotcha. Well, I suppose that makes my plans easier." Paul turned to me, and I could see the hints of doubt and suspicion in his eyes before they quickly dissipated with a blink. "Well? How do you feel about taking care of your mother with me today?"

Lilia shot Paul a slightly alarmed look but chose to say nothing.

As for Paul's suggestion, if I was the cause of everything, then my presence would only be a hinderance. Having the subject of her anxiety and paranoia constantly around her would only delay her recovery.

"I don't think I would be of any help though."

"Are you sure? Maybe seeing her son might put her at ease."

"I'm—" I gulped "—sure. Besides, I don't need to see you coddling Zenith. Of course, if you need anything, please let me know."

"Well, if you're sure about this. Feel free to come back if you change your mind." Paul looked a bit disappointed at my answer but accepted it regardless. "Anyway, I'll be occupied for the rest of the day. What are you planning on doing?"

I shrugged at him, not too sure myself. "More training. I'll probably keep practicing that technique."

Paul smirked but the gestured faltered quite quickly. "Well, it's good to see you're dedicated, but I can't help but feel a bit worried." He sighed and looked like he was about to protest a bit more before remembering something. "Oh shit, today is supposed to be my turn to patrol!"

Lilia quietly sighed. "I'm sure they will forgive you for missing this day. After all, the area around the village is quite safe, no? I'm sure you can find a temporary replacement, or your partner can do his duties alone for just one day."

Her logic made sense. Paul looked convinced by her words, nodding along with her reasoning, but his head suddenly snapped in realization. "Actually, hang on, I may have just solved all my problems."

Lilia narrowed her eyes, a gesture that seemed far too practiced on her face. It seemed that she was quite wary of Paul whenever new ideas struck his head. "Should I be concerned?"

Paul turned to me once again, and the smirk on his face was quite striking, enhancing the man's naturally good looks. It was little wonder why he was the fancy of many women back in his younger days. His devilish grin and hypnotic jade eyes spoke of untold mischief, and I couldn't help but also wonder just what he had planned as well.

"Shirou, how do you feel about patrolling around the village?"

---

Thunk!

Thud!

Thawck!

The volley of arrows soared through the air, hammering into the thick column of wood with a series of thumps.

The sound of rustling leaves filled the silence afterwards, but if one was perceptive enough, they could hear the faint scraping of bark before the signature twang of string echoed throughout the forest once again. Like clockwork, a barrage of arrows raced towards their target, the quiet whistling of steel through air only lasting for the briefest of moments before the projectiles punched through the tree.

Again came the sound of something moving along the tree line, of feet sliding against the branches of a tree before another salvo of metal rained down onto another tree several dozens of meters away. The entire motion was smoothly and quietly completed in fractions of a second before the entire process repeated itself far into the distance, new targets and firing positions chosen at random with each cycle.

To conclude the exercise, I pirouetted through the air, flipping head over heels before firing one last shower of arrows at a distant boulder. I poured just a bit more magical energy into the ammunition, letting them be filled just shy of the point of explosion before letting them loose from the drawstring of my bow.

Like missiles, they propelled through the air far faster than any regular man could perceive, arriving at their destination almost instantaneously. The mana-soaked arrows drilled through the rock with ease, embedding themselves into the boulder before they ignited in a small show of blazing fire. The rock stood no chance, disappearing into a shower of smoke as tiny debris rained down from above, the only remnants of what had once been there.

With a final twirl, I fell back onto the ground, landing with a crunch as blades of grass were crushed underneath my feet. A singular bead of sweat ran across my brow, the only sign of exhaustion I had felt during the exercise. When I had first done such exercises, getting my body used to the extent of physical exertion that it required was an arduous ordeal. It was simply due to the fact that the body of a toddler was not meant to handle such strain, and the pace of growth of a child's body was meant to support mainly the growth of the skeletal frame. Developing the muscles necessary to facilitate the abrupt movements of the exercise would mainly come from adolescence. Until then, I simply had to make do with using reinforcement magecraft to supplement my strength and speed.

However, with the sheer volume of practice I had done since I first started, I had brute forced the results, regardless of my slow rate of growth. I had time, if nothing else. Of course, I could concede that the current degree of progression of my training was well beyond most people my age. I was simply comparing it to what it could potentially be, and hopefully will be. It was certainly nothing to scoff at.

I just had to be careful of any potential arrogance. All I had was a head start; I couldn't afford to become complacent in any manner. Besides, I always had quite the number of humbling experiences in my previous life. If I wanted a bar to constantly measure myself again, then any of the Servants in the Holy Grail War were more than sufficient. Those were true monsters, and as I was now, I could only be a slight aggravation against something of a similar caliber.

With a dismissive wave of my head, all the projections I had fired disappeared in motes of blue light, the makeshift wooden bow in my hand dispersing as well. Had I wished them to remain, they could have stayed indefinitely, but I didn't need anyone wondering why there were bundles of arrows pierced through the entire diameter of the tree trunks in this area.

Unfortunately, I couldn't do anything about the aftereffects of the exercise. Repairing the holes in the trees was beyond my abilities; I had no aptitude for any sort of healing magecraft, or the vast majority of magecraft, for that matter. Naturally, that meant the healing magic that Zenith used as well. As for the rock… well, no one would miss it, I was sure.

Honestly, there was almost certainly no need to hide anything. I had purposefully ventured deeper into the woods than I previously had before where I was sure that no one from the village would accidentally end up exploring. With the knowledge of Paul having spied on me during my nightly training sessions, I had been forced to find a new place to conduct my exercises. Of course, Paul almost certainly knew I had simply relocated elsewhere if he noticed the lack of new activity in my previous place, but hiding as much I could from him—and the rest of the Greyrats—was almost certainly more beneficial to me than anything else.

Now that I put more thought into it, were the nightly sessions still a good idea? If Paul were to check up on my bedroom late at night and find me missing, then answering his inevitable questions and forcing more secrets out of me could complicate the situation more than was necessary. Replacing them with sessions during the day could solve my problems since Paul knew and approved me of doing my own training.

Then again, maybe I could do both. As long as I didn't get caught…

I held out my hands, my mind focusing briefly upon the near infinite catalog of weapons within me before finding the sword I was looking for. With a pulse of magical energy, the sword emerged from the blade works with a shimmer of light. The weapon I held was proportionally correct to my smaller body, my application of alternation during the tracing process resulting in the weapon shrinking until it was actually capable of being held in my stubby, small hands. It was the same magecraft that had allowed me to make the wooden bow from before, the weapon having been nothing more than a random twig I had found before I had repurposed it for my needs.

With my new sword in hand, I simply practiced the sword forms that Saber had taught me all those years ago. Archer's fighting style was more suited for the twin falchions, and truthfully, I had no interest in projecting them unless there was an actual enemy to confront. Until then, I was content to go through the motions that the King of Knights had instilled in me, flowing from one stance to another as I blended together the swordsmanship employed by my Servant along with my own personal touches. Of course, I was nowhere near as skilled as Saber, and replicating her abilities through my own personal skill rather than through my magecraft was simply not within my capabilities. The best I would do was a bastardization of her technique, an easier-to-use version that employed elements of the swordsmanship Archer had learned and grew in his eternal time as a Counter Guardian, a style more befitting Emiya Shirou.

However, there was no shame in versatility, and learning the art of combat through the eyes of as many people as possible would only serve to make me stronger. In that respect, increasing my base skills and instinct for battle rather than taking the shortcut of synthesizing the battle experience held within the swords inside of me would have more long-term benefits.

Unfortunately, despite the intensity and amount of training I was doing, I was sure to hit a wall eventually. As Paul had repeatedly stressed to me, nothing could substitute for actual battle experience. I could spend years practicing these forms every day, fighting invisible enemies and carving through stone with steel and puncturing through wood with arrows as much as my body would allow, but in the end, I would be severely outpaced by someone who lived on the border between life and death, risking everything to remain in the realm of the living. As Lilia had eloquently put it, nothing could swing a swordsman's blade faster than death, and the adrenaline that flowed through the human body as the reaper encroached had no alternative. Humans were amazing in that sense, thriving in situations when the pressure was at its absolute highest and the promise of tomorrow was uncertain. In those circumstances, a year's worth of training could be gained in a single battle, and a decade of experience in a single moment when the fingers of death enclosed around someone's neck.

As someone who rapidly grew with each encounter in the Holy Grail War, I knew this phenomenon all too well, which is why the ever-present dilemma of venturing outside on my own always weighed on my mind. I knew that it would have to come eventually, and I knew that I could grow so much more if I did. The only problem was what I was leaving behind.

Fortunately, since Paul and I agreed on that respect, he had pulled some strings to assist me in that area. Due to his injury, he was unsure of his ability to properly resolve a situation should something happen during his patrol around the village and had asked if I wanted to take his place. Truthfully, I thought that this opportunity was Paul's way of helping me discretely. I knew for a fact that while he was indeed hurt, he was still a more than capable fighter. Furthermore, Paul admitted in his own words that the area around the village was quite safe and free from monsters. As strange as his methods were, even Paul would not purposefully send a child into a dangerous situation, someone such as myself included. The man had a certain protective aura around him, and for all his faults, he was still a knight and followed some code of chivalry, I imagined.

Still, that meant that Paul was more than able to fulfill his duties but had chosen to instead give me some responsibility in hopes that I could learn from it. I wasn't surprised that Paul didn't directly voice his intentions; he probably thought it was too embarrassing to say out loud.

Well, there was also the fact that Paul was asking a child to take his place. The man had said that he would get me someone he trusted to patrol with me on the off-chance that something happened, but the fact remained that a full-fledged adult would be protecting the village with a four-year-old as backup. I couldn't fault the person for being wary. It spoke of Paul's confidence—and slight delusion—that he saw no issue with his arrangement.

Which brought me to now. Paul said to come back to the Greyrat house after a few hours. Apparently, he had someone in mind and was inviting him back to his house to talk. Suspecting that I had no interest in the conversation, he had given me free reign to do as I wished until everything was confirmed.

Well, I wasn't one to waste such a gift. I was looking forward to the upcoming opportunity. It would be my first time actually leaving the village proper. Paul explained that I wouldn't be going too far in the surrounding forest, but for the sake of thoroughness, we would need to make sure that the immediate area was safe. Naturally, we would be expected to deal with any monsters we encountered, but from Paul's experience, there were very rarely any monsters that wandered near the village.

However, considering how safe it seemed to be, I was fully expecting something to go tragically wrong. Situations had the tendency to be flipped upside down when I was around. With that in mind, I was also wary of what this evening had in store for me. In the worst-case scenario, I was prepared to do what was necessary, but I was hoping it would not come down to that.

Steel sliced through air with a whoosh, and I flicked the blade to the side with a flourish. It had been at least an hour since I started honing my swordsmanship skills.

—Wait.

The mental command to dismiss the sword was at the forefront of my mind, but before I went through with it…

"You can come out now. I know you're there."

I hated how the unforgiving tone of steel had crept into his voice. An after effect of past battles, but one that was not suitable for the current situation. There was no enemy to fight this time around.

I focused my eyes at the tree to my left, and I don't think it was a coincidence that it was the direction that led back to the village. Thankfully, I didn't feel any hostile intent from the presence, and whoever it was, the most they could have observed was me practicing my swordsmanship. I was moving around far too much during my acrobatic exercises when I was shooting my bow to have had any spectators, and from my point of view high in the trees, I would have seen anyone coming towards me.

Still, to think someone had managed to sneak up on me again, how embarrassing. Admittedly, while my focus during my rumination wasn't the sharpest, I would have normally sensed any regular person. Either this person was skilled in presence concealment like an assassin, or my skills were slipping.

With my enhanced hearing, I could hear the gulp of nervousness and rapid heartbeat from whoever was hiding. Finally, there was the scuttling of footsteps, and the person stepped out from behind the tree, revealing a figure far shorter than I expected.

"Sylphiette?"

The small girl avoided my gaze like a child being lectured by a parent. She nervously shifted around on her feet, her hands fidgeting in front of her as she stammered out an explanation.

"S-S-Shirou, I was l-looking for y-you!"

Well, tried to, at least.

Hmm, well this development definitely complicated things, but the situation wasn't particularly dire in the slightest. Anything Sylphiette could have seen could be easily explained. Paul was technically training me, so I could always fall back onto that explanation.

"Well, you have found me. Was there a reason you were hiding?"

"U-Um…" The girl's cheeks lit up in a brilliant shade of scarlet, and her pupils dilated to the point of almost swallowing her irises. The whole image made it look like she had been caught doing something she shouldn't have been doing. "S-Sorry, I was j-just…"

I raised an eyebrow, walking closer to her until I was only an arm's length away. Sylphiette was always on the quieter side, but even her current volume made it almost impossible to properly converse with her unless I wanted to actively reinforce my ears again.

She let out a shrill "Eep!" but thankfully didn't try to move away from me. Sensing that I may have been scaring the poor girl, I took a quick step back, giving her a bit more room to breathe. The last thing I wanted was for this conversation to seem like an interrogation. I didn't need alienating little girls on my conscience.

Sylphiette still looked abashed but was starting to calm down. Her breathing slowed, and her face lost its red hue. I let her compose herself for a few more seconds, and sensing she was finally ready to give me an answer, I cocked my head questioningly at her.

"S-Sorry," she apologized again, "I-I was about to s-say s-something, but it… it was…"

"It was…?"

"It… was beautiful…" she finished, her words subdued and faint.

Beautiful? Was she referring to the swordsmanship I displayed?

A small smile blossomed on my face, mentally agreeing with her assessment.

"It is," I nodded, and I couldn't help but think better of the girl in front of me.

If her words were truly the case, then there was no fault in her actions. After all, despite how diluted the display she may have seen have been, the style I was practicing still held its foundations by the noblest of all knights, a form of swordsmanship more akin to the art of dancing than any practice of violence. The technique was only elevated by its original user, her skill with the sword unparalleled and unmatched. Despite being her student, I could only hope to mimic a mere fraction of its splendor.

My initial reaction had very much been like Sylphiette's. When I had first laid eyes upon Saber's sheer skill, I was hopelessly starstruck, her flowing movements almost a type of hypnosis on their own. It was like a star in the night sky, breathtaking beyond belief but undoubtedly far out of reach. Some things were meant to only be admired but not acquired, and the skills of a Servant were simply not meant for mortal hands.

For someone like Sylphiette, who had probably never witnessed anything remotely close to the Servants that ascended far beyond humanity, her reaction to the enchanting sword forms I used was more than justified. The fact that I held its original user in high regard may also have played a factor in it.

"W-Where did you l-learn that?"

"Paul's been helping me train," I explained, the technical lie rolling off my tongue with practiced ease but leaving a bitter aftertaste, nonetheless.

A small frown came over her face. From her reaction, I could surmise that she was probably still worried about Paul. After all, the last time she had seen him, he was in a terrible state. From her point of view, seeing the village's knight injured in such a fashion must have been shocking.

Considering she knew I was the one who had put him in such critical condition, I was surprised she still wanted to seek me out.

"W-Wow… S-Shirou is really amazing," Sylphiette said with a reverent tone in her words. My mouth tightened to a thin line at her words but said nothing, my subconscious disapproval rejecting her opinion.

"Thank you," I said, not having it within me to say otherwise. "You said you were looking for me. Was there a reason for that?"

Just like before, her face brightened like a ripe tomato, and her eyes darted back and forth between me and the surrounding scenery. By now, I was quite used to this behavior, so I patiently waited for her to calm herself as she stuttered out her words. "U-Um… I-I j-just wanted to see you… You said you wanted to p-play today, r-right?" she stammered, the furious blush on her cheeks only intensifying with each word.

Huh, did I really say that? It didn't seem like something I would say, but then again, if Sylphiette had looked at me with same flustered expression she had on right now, gazing at me with large, doe-like eyes glimmering with hope, I almost certainly would not have had the courage to refuse her.

"That's right, I did," I confirmed. Well, I didn't like breaking promises if I could avoid it. I didn't really have a real excuse to deny her anyway considering I still had quite a bit of time until I had to get back to Paul. Plus, I didn't need Laws giving me a taste of his fatherly wrath after accusing me of hurting his daughter's feelings.

Actually, now that I thought about it…

"Sylphiette, how did you even find me?"

The clearing we were in was fairly deep into the woods. It was a purposeful choice, one specifically made to avoid these situations. By my estimation, we were at least half an hour's hike into the forest. I would not have been surprised if we were past the safe zone that Paul had mentioned and inside monster territory. There was no possibility that Sylphiette had accidentally stumbled into this area. She was actively seeking me out, yes, but unless she followed me from the beginning, a possibility that simply did not exist due to me making sure I was alone during the beginning of my training session, I was confused on how she had found me.

"U-Um… I'm not r-really s-sure… I wanted to s-see you, so P-Papa said I should go to your h-house, b-but then I got lost…" It wasn't surprising. There was at least an hour or two's trek between the Greyrat's house and Sylphiette's. Remembering the route we took yesterday was a hard task for a child. "I-I was walking a-around, b-but then I thought I f-felt y-you… so I w-walked here. I s-saw you were training, and I d-didn't want to b-bother you… And it looked so p-pretty… and I kept watching…"

She felt me? What a strange way of phrasing it. Then again, Sylphiette was young, and she wasn't entirely sure what she was experiencing.

She felt me… I wasn't asinine enough to believe that she was referring to some mystical pull on our destinies. As ever-present as its chains were, I had a hard time believing that my fate was intertwined with hers, and it was making itself known.

Was her intuition simply so advanced that it bordered on clairvoyance? Was Sylphiette some sort of psychic?

Ah, actually, that answer might be more correct than I thought. It was entirely possible that Sylphiette was similar to Lilia. Lilia had initially shown signs of aversion towards me despite me having done my best to behave like a child. While it was possible that my acting skills were simply not up to par, this was a new world, and I had thought Lilia to be some sort of psychic at first, or at least having increased sensitivity to mana. The fact that I was constantly practicing magecraft late at night meant that I was practically dousing myself in magical energy, something that Lilia could have easily picked up on.

If Sylphiette's perception towards mana was sharper than most, then it would certainly explain how she was able to track me to our current location. She must have encountered sensed remnants of my magical energy from my earlier training exercise, and considering I had a rather unique magical signature, it was possible that she instinctively associated its feeling with me. After all, if she was truly more sensitive towards magical energy, then she must have felt a portion of it during our first encounter when I had reinforced myself.

Wait, no—I was thinking about this too narrowly. Perhaps it wasn't simply that she had greater insight into mana than most people. Sylphiette had said it herself that she had been actively hiding from me to observe my training. That fact that I didn't sense her at all was strange, but I had been only searching for the energy of a regular person. Every human back on Earth had Od, and the people in this world were no different, containing some magical energy inside of them. It was that level of energy that I had been focused on detecting. If someone were to have been actively suppressing their magical presence, then I would not have been able to sense them with the level of focus I was using.

However, Sylphiette was only a child, and she could not have been someone who had been trained in this world's magic. Laws and Alice did not strike me as the kind of people who would make their child undergo such training at an early age. With those factors in mind, it left only one possibility:

Sylphiette was a natural magician.

To be honest, it didn't change anything, but if her senses were this refined and her control over her own magical energy this strong at her age, then there was no doubt that she was a prodigy in the making. It was ironic considering all the praise that the Greyrats and Sylphiette's family had thrown onto me when in reality, the truly talented one was the little girl in front of me.

"Are… Are you angry?"

Shit, I had lost myself in my thoughts again.

"No, don't worry, I'm not mad," I said. There was little harm in Sylphiette having seen me swing a sword for a bit. While it was a bit unnatural for someone my age to have movements so refined, the excuse of Paul's training and genetic, natural talent was still valid. "I was just surprised you still managed to find me. We're pretty deep into the forest after all."

Sylphiette looked a bit embarrassed. "O-Oh yeah, I didn't t-think of that. There could be m-monsters here…" Her head swiveled left and right, her eyes searching our surroundings for any possible disturbances. With the darkness and shadows created by the forest canopy, there was the chance that she was instinctively trying to locate any magical energy around us instead of using direct eyesight. Then again, she was part-elf, and there was a chance that she was able to retain some vision in darkness.

"Don't worry, I made sure this area was safe." While my senses had not been able to detect Sylphiette until I had actively focused on them earlier, I was more than capable of detecting monsters passively. Unless monsters in this world were capable of hiding their presence like Sylphiette had done, then there was no danger. Even if there was anything dangerous around here, I was confident that I would be able to deal with it, or at the very least, notice it enough in advance to start running away. The more powerful the monster, the more mana it radiated, meaning I would have a larger warning for anything truly threatening.

Sylphiette calmed down slightly with my assurance, but I made sure to be heighten my awareness of everything around me. Even though I was more than capable of handling myself, the same could not be said of Sylphiette. If a fight broke out, I would need to somehow keep her safe while being in combat, a task not particularly suited to me considering my fighting style and magecraft.

"That's good…"

"Still, you bring up a good point. We should go back to the village where it's safer," I suggested. There was no need to put ourselves into unnecessary risk. The training session would have to be cut short for today. Unfortunate, but it was only one of many, so this loss wasn't very detrimental.

Sylphiette nodded enthusiastically. "Y-Yes…!"

Seeing she was raring to go, I walked back in the direction of the village. Sylphiette immediately joined me, and just like the time I walked her back to her house, she found herself comfortable enough with me to walk side-by-side. That was good; it seemed like she did not take my earlier silence personally.

The path we were walking on was not marked in any way. It was simply just the route I remembered taking on the way here, though I made sure to stray a bit off to the side to avoid the markings on the trees from earlier. However, I had initially traversed this area jumping from branch to branch, allowing me to ignore the rough terrain of the forest. Walking on the ground now, it was a thoroughly unpleasant experience. The various roots jutting out of the soil and scattered rocks made the ground uneven and hazardous to walk on. A slip of the foot on a slippery rock or a leg being caught on vegetation meant tripping and falling. With some luck, there would be a patch of soft dirt waiting. The far more likely scenario was the hard and unyielding surface of a rock or tree. Humans were fragile, and it didn't take much to crack open a skull or break a limb.

It didn't need to be said that this level of danger was trivial for me. I was smoothly navigating the rocky and rough route, countless experience giving me a level of control over my body far beyond my years.

It wasn't me I was worried about.

"Are you okay, Sylphiette?" I asked, turning around and waiting for the girl to catch up. Her face was coated in a light sheen of sweat, and her cheeks were flushed red with exertion. Her brows were furrowed in concentration as she carefully stepped over a particularly thick tree root. What she did not expect was for her foot that she had planted onto the smooth slate to slip, causing her to slide forwards and lose her balance. Sylphiette let out a wail, her eyes wide open in panic as she started her involuntarily descent towards the ground.

"Ahhh—!"

Of course, I wasn't one to stand by as the unfortunate situation unfolded. The girl let out an "oof!" as her chest hit my arm, her entire body being cradled between my right arm and chest. In a pose that was quickly becoming far too familiar to me, I had caught her amidst her fall, and now the elven girl was blushing brightly as she processed what was happening.

Before the inevitable stammering could come out from her, I quickly placed her back on her feet. "Please be more careful," I said. Now that I looked closer, I could see some scrapes and scratches on her arms and legs. She must have had similar difficulties chasing and tracking my magical energy.

"O-Okay…!"

Keeping Sylphiette in mind, I made a deliberate effort in slowing down my pace, matching hers until we were side-by-side again so I could be ready to catch her at a moment's notice. Considering the abrupt change in my speed, I was sure that Sylphiette knew exactly what I was doing, but from the significantly more relaxed expression on her face, she was definitely appreciative of the change.

Once again, the conversation died. Unlike before, Sylphiette wasn't primarily focused on her footing, instead choosing to remain silent. Naturally, I was the same, preferring to let the sounds of the local wildlife and gusts of the afternoon wind echo uninterrupted.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. I could see Sylphiette's furtive glances towards me, and I knew she was simply looking for an opening to start another bout of discussion. While the silence between the two of us wasn't uncomfortable, per se, there was a definite sort of invisible tension. Sylphiette had sought me out for a reason, after all, and I was heavily contemplating how to go about fulfilling her request. As sad as it was, something as menial and mundane as "hanging out" was beyond the scope of my knowledge or experience. Hell, I would not have known what to do had someone my true age asked me out to a social gathering, never mind someone as young as Sylphiette.

I wasn't even sure if this was appropriate in the first place. Truthfully, I was a bit uncomfortable with the whole idea, but I had already trapped myself in this situation. I didn't want to rebuke her efforts after she went through the trouble of finding me.

"Did you have an idea for what you want to do?" I asked, deciding that the most direct path was the only way I was going to progress.

"U-Uh…. No…" Sylphiette said with a disheartened face. "I… I never had a f-friend before…"

It made sense. Laws had said yesterday that Sylphiette didn't have the most pleasant interactions with the people around her. That reveal was only corroborated by the fact that Sylphiette was being bullied when I first met her. From what Sylphiette and her family told me, this treatment was mainly due to her heritage and the negative history that came along with it.

"Don't worry, I never really talked to anyone either," I replied, trying to soothe her insecurities. "I do believe that you are the first person around my age that I've interacted with."

Sylphiette peered at me with wide eyes and an agape mouth. "R-Really?"

Those scarlet orbs glimmered, and I could see hope sparkling within her eyes as she latched onto the common thread between us.

"Really," I confirmed. I wasn't the social kind, and even though I had no regrets about it, my meeting with Sylphiette had come purely by coincidence. That afternoon, I hadn't set out away from the house to encounter more people.

However, she didn't need to know that, and just like before, I couldn't find it within myself to see pools of crimson tarnish and dull with disappointment.

Unfortunately, that didn't really solve our current problem. Right now, we were two socially deprived children with very little ideas on how to proceed.

"I-I s-see…" Sylphiette stuttered, but from the way her face lit up with a small smile as she meekly looked at the ground, I could tell she was more at ease than she had been earlier.

A more comfortable silence settled between us, and the previous tension slowly dissipated.

Truthfully, this encounter was completely meaningless; there was nothing for me to gain by doing this, and I doubted that Sylphiette had thought far enough ahead to want to request something from me. There was very little rhyme or reason for our meeting. However, just like that fateful night in that cavern, fighting a battle that had lost all its meaning long ago, I couldn't find it within myself to turn the other way. Illyasviel had said that even a meaningless life still had value. I myself had said that my own life had no meaning, yet the memories and bonds I had created were but.

Maybe it was precisely that fact that this meeting was pointless that I didn't find it disagreeable. After all, despite everything, Sylphiette's company was far from distasteful.

"Are you guys proud of me? Maybe I'm not so hopeless after all."

Knowing them, they would have most certainly said that this development was not entirely unexpected, their faith in me far greater than my own.

"S-Shirou…" Sylphiette called out, and my reverie ended as I looked at the girl by my side. "You were… training earlier… right?"

I nodded once, not seeing any reason to lie, especially since I had already revealed I was training with Paul. "I was. Why do you ask?"

"I…" Her brows furrowed in deep thought as she pondered her next words. "Why… Why are you training?"

It wasn't a bad question. Most people who have questioned the extent of my efforts, wondering why I chose to forsake the chance at a new and easy life to instead chase the remnants of an ideal. From Sylphiette's perspective, she must have questioned why someone her age was acting so differently. After all, most children didn't spend hours every day honing their body and skills.

"Just in case," I answered, the vague explanation not truly satisfying Sylphiette from the puzzled expression on her face. However, it was the best answer I could give her. The inevitable path of the hero that I was destined to take was not a peaceful one. At some point, when words failed and the only option left was bloodshed, I would need strength to overcome the challenges that would be thrown my way. Of course, I had no confirmation that such events would even occur in this life. It was a new world, a new opportunity with new people.

However, the same forces that granted me this chance were the very same that conspired me to be a hero. There would come a time when my ideals and resolve would be tested, and the ugly truth of the ideals of heroism laid bare before me once more. Even though there were no signs I could see, there was an instinctual knowing engraved deep within me that these peaceful days would not last.

"You… You're going to f-fight?" Sylphiette asked next. Ruby mirrors peered up at me, and my own troubled expression was reflected back for me to see.

I had tried to avoid such wording. I didn't want her to start getting worried. Unfortunately, she was much sharper than she let on.

"…Eventually," I said. I could have easily given her another half-truth or noncommittal answer, an omission of the truth that was a lie in spirit, and I had nearly done so, but there was something within her anxiety-ridden face that made it difficult for me to try and deceive her.

Sylphiette's frown only deepened at my words, and her jaw tightened as her eyes simmered in frustration. "But… why do you have to fight?"

Sylphiette was a gentle child. She didn't want to hurt anybody. I didn't need any magecraft to see that much. She was the type to forgive and forget, always choosing the option that avoided the most conflict and made everyone happy even at the expense of herself. Even those boys who had bullied her, I'm sure she didn't strongly resent them. It wasn't a surprise that she wanted to avoid fighting as much as necessary, and why she couldn't understand someone like me, someone who could only fight.

In a way, her way was better. What I was doing was motivation without purpose. Because I could not see the end and what I was truly fighting for, it was ultimately false determination, resolve with no weight behind it. It was liable to break away and crumble into ash at any moment. It could scarcely be called any kind of resolution. In other words, utterly worthless.

Meaningless—the word had been dancing in my mind so often that I had begun to forget its meaning.

Maybe that was what I was pursuing—the value of an empty life that Illyasviel said. Perhaps even in my previous life, that was what I had sought all along. Everything had value, she argued, and possibly even now, there was something I could still do.

"… It's just something I have to do." I left my answer at that, unable to explain further even if I wanted to.

Sylphiette's eyes lingered a bit longer on me before turning back forwards, her displeasure obvious but letting the conversation drop for now. I placed my focus back towards getting back to the village as well; we were at the edge of the forest now, and I preemptively shielded my eyes from the glaring sun. The dense forest canopy had shielded us, but the village provided no such cover.

The world turned white, my eyes briefly blinded before the familiar sight of Buena Village greeted me. On one hand, I was glad that we had reached our goal. Getting Sylphiette away from potential danger was definitely the priority. On the other hand…

My eyes darted towards the girl by my side, and I could see she was still deep in thought from our exchange earlier. I still had a bit more time before Paul should have expected me back. The walk back from the forest had taken a bit longer than I anticipated, but the time available wasn't so short that we were unable to do anything.

Sylphiette's current silence was a gift in disguise because while we had fulfilled our objective, it also meant that the common goal we shared had disappeared, and we were now back to the problem from earlier.

"So… what now?"

Fortunately, the elven girl seemed to have made up her mind. She tugged on my sleeve, and I was surprised at the firmness in her grip, looking at the girl questioningly.

"Shirou… can you please… teach me how to fight?"

…

The words entered my ear, my brain processing and analyzing the information given. However, no matter how much I put into my interpreting what Sylphiette had said, my mind came up blank.

"What?"

"… Why do you want to fight?"

Was my initial judgement of Sylphiette incorrect? She didn't seem to be the type to actively seek out a fight. Even if she had no choice, just like when I first met her being surrounded by bullies, she struck me as the kind of person who would rather run away or endure everything rather than harming others. She was far too gentle for anything else. Of course, I doubted that she had ever been in a life-or-death situation, but that was all the more reason for her to not needing to fight.

"You said… You said you fight because you have to… I…" she clenched her fist, and her shoulders trembled as tears began pooling in her eyes, but she did not let them fall. "I don't want to fight… But if I wanna protect Momma and Papa… and me… then…!" Hardened red orbs gazed at me pleadingly, the strength of their magnetic pull taking me by surprise. In comparison to her determined expression, my own could only blankly stare at her in bewilderment, wondering at just what had prompted her to make such a request.

I wonder if this is how Archer had felt, standing atop that hill of swords and gazing down upon a face that had once made its home on his own.

"That still doesn't answer my question." I couldn't afford to be swept up by Sylphiette's resolution, but I could still empathize. After all, all she wanted to do was to simply be able to protect what she cherished. "Are you and your family in trouble?"

She shook her head. "N-No… but people don't like us. P-Papa says it's f-fine… but if they bully him l-like they b-bully me…" I saw a spark of anger flash through her eyes, the first sign I've ever seen of the girl's hostility towards others.

No, that wasn't right. It wasn't rage at other people, but anger at herself instead.

Laws and Alice had hinted before that they faced immense discrimination due to their elven association. From Sylphiette's perspective, she must have felt powerless to be able to help her parents as they struggled to find their place in a society in didn't want to accept them. I was sure on some level, she also felt that it was partly her fault, merely someone contributing to the problem when in reality, she was anything but.

In some respects, our feelings during our childhoods were similar. I could easily have imagined myself in her place, begging for the strength to protect what was mine.

"Why me?" I asked her. "Your father would be a better trainer, would he not?" He patrolled with Paul. Laws may have had his eccentricities, but he didn't seem incompetent.

"P-Papa doesn't want me to fight," Sylphiette said. "He… He says I need to p-protect myself… but he says he'll take care of me… and Momma doesn't think it's g-good for me…" She trailed off with a disappointed tone, clearly understanding what was necessary but upset she was barred from achieving it.

"What about Paul? He's an experienced knight. Surely, he would be a better choice."

Sylphiette shook her head. "I… I can try, but Mister Paul d-doesn't seem like he would help me…"

Paul seemed to value independence and self-sufficiency, but I could just as easily see him wanting Sylphiette to not fight because she was a girl. A bit chauvinistic, but I couldn't fault his intentions.

"And you think that I'm better suited?"

Sylphiette nodded, and I could see hope glimmering within her eyes. An ugly feeling twisted within my chest, and I could sense that my next words would have a lasting effect on the little girl. She had reached out to me, showing me her vulnerability and insecurities. To deny her now was tantamount to stomping upon her wishes.

However, her parents were correct. I could understand Laws and Alice's words. For Alice, the woman was simply too pure. As she had succinctly put it, children should be children, a simple motto but one that proved quite wise. No doubt that she would not have wanted to see her daughter forsaking these innocent days in some quest to become stronger.

As for Laws, he knew he would not be able to protect her forever, a cruel truth that reality forced upon him. However, helping alleviate the issue by training his daughter was tantamount to accepting that fact, deferring to the ways of the world instead of defying the natural way of things. Laws surely took some pride in his fatherhood, and admitting he wasn't always capable of protecting his loved ones might as well have been spitting in his face.

Of course, at some point, such pointless pride would have to be thrown away, but I was sure that Laws would like to keep dreaming a bit longer. After all, everyone needed something to cling onto, and Laws wanted to shun the inevitable truth, hoping that if he plugged his ears and closed his eyes, that he could keep it at bay.

But I was not Laws. More than anyone in this world, I knew the consequences of such pride and arrogance. The dying visages of the ones I had failed were permanently engraved within my mind, the words in their last breaths constantly echoing in my soul. This new life I was given was a constant reminder of my shortcomings, and not a day went by when I did not question what would have happened had I done things differently.

I clenched my fist, the skin of my hands feeling clammy with sweat. The noise of the outside world became nothing more than static, the faint buzzing in my mind replacing everything else.

"…If you truly believe this is the best choice, then I'll do it." Despite being the one to say them, my own words sounded foreign to me, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

Sylphiette looked surprised at my response. "R-Really? You'll train me?"

A pause, and then I nodded, the motion stiff and hesitant. "I'll do it. I'll train you, Sylphiette."

Sylphiette's face split in a beaming grin, the radiant joy causing the fluttering of something within my chest. However, deeper inside of it was another sensation far nastier, and despite the glowing smile that outshone the sun high above us, I could not deny the pit of fear opening within my stomach.

"T-Thank you!"

The girl launched herself at me, and I dumbly caught her in my arms, the scene a repeat of our parting yesterday. However, this particular gesture held far more weight than the simple goodbye we had shared yesterday. Our eyes met, and even though our heights were practically equal, it still felt like she was the one looking up at me. Crimson orbs regarded me with admiration, conveying a lifetime's worth of gratitude despite her young age.

However, in comparison to her jubilant expression, my own was frozen stiff, my features stoic despite what Sylphiette deemed a joyous occasion.

"Children should be children."

Once again, Alice's words rang inside my head. And just like before, I could not help but agree with them.

I knew the burden that came with an impossible promise, and while Sylphiette was far from the path, I also knew that the most genuine and heartfelt wishes were the ones that twisted into bitter little things in the end. All Sylphiette wanted was for the people in her view to not cry, and so she sought the means to my gain.

But where would it stop?

Her vision would expand.

Ten after one.

A hundred after ten.

If she could save people, then Sylphiette would surely do so. That was just the kind of person she was. After all, I was the same.

"Children should be children."

I never knew the joys of childhood. The innocence of youth was unknown to me, a gift stolen from me since birth. If I went through with this proposal, then there was a chance that Sylphiette could end up the same as me.

What a sad life.

And yet…

As the girl in my arms looked at me with such dazzling eyes, contours of her ecstatic smile carving itself within my soul and searing itself into my mind, I could not help but recall another scene, of a dying man and a broken boy.

"Was this how you felt like, Kiritsugu?"

He had only given me a small, relieved sigh after my proclamation of continuing on his dream. Back then, I was hopelessly naïve. I was caught up in the moment, the jubilation of having the opportunity to carry on Kiritsugu's dream and happiness blinding me. If I sifted through my memories, would Kiritsugu's eyes have the same haunted glint that tainted mine? Would his smile wilt away to show the troubled look that I was holding back right now?

When he had passed on his dream, did he know he was condemning me to be a hero?

I could have checked, but I held myself back. There was bliss in ignorance, and truthfully, it didn't matter at this point. However, the same could not be said for Sylphiette, who still had her whole life ahead of her.

Behind her back, my hands clenched into tight fists, and the feeling that I was sentencing an innocent child to her doom pervaded my body.

If so, there was only one thing to do.

I had to take responsibility.

I had to make sure she did not go down that path.

---

In the void between worlds, there was nothing. It left him bereft of much to do. Of course, he was far from twiddling his thumbs; With all the time in the world, he was given the opportunity to do what he did best: scheme.

And scheme he did. The foundations were laid for plans years in the making. People he knew were important were manipulated and brought underneath his thumb. The building blocks of fate itself were his to control. He was a god, the only one left after the First Dragon God died at his hands. The world was his to control. His reign was indisputable. Victory was within his grasp.

And all of it was for naught.

The future he constantly monitored, the one that showed the path to his inevitable triumph, had become something utterly foreign to him. It was a murky and distorted mess, as if he was wading through a muddy swamp and trying to see through its clouded surface.

And yet, despite his unmatched ocular prowess, the fog of mystery that obscured his destiny was nigh-impermeable.

Something was interfering with his vision.

No—that wasn't it. His abilities were functioning correctly. The issue did not lie with him. With that fact in mind, there was only one possibility left.

The future itself had become warped.

Twisted and deformed beyond recognition, destiny of all things had become unreadable to him. It felt strange, the future he had become so accustomed to seeing and manipulating becoming something utterly foreign to him.

However, he was nothing if not persistent. His experience and skill with divination was unmatched. No one could navigate the stream of time as well as he could. Despite the uncertain and turbulent tide of fate, he could sense still sense that it was going towards somewhere. Before, he had seen the strong knots of destiny that marked the significant events of the future. Like rocks in a riverbed, the current of time was especially chaotic around these points, and it was towards this particular convergence of fate that he moved towards.

And at last, though parsing through the vague visions and misty images required more focus and energy than he was comfortable with—deciphering his own future took precedence above all else—he finally reached it.

Death.

No matter how long he concentrated or how much energy he poured into his foresight, the result was aways the same.

Death.

His eyes were absolute. In the present, there was scarcely anything that could avoid his sight. And yet, what he saw was no lie.

Death.

It was the only certainty he was able to perceive in the ever-changing current of fate, the sole answer he was able to find through the hazy flow of time.

A sea of flames as far as the eye could see. A hill of countless swords. A pair of golden orbs gazing defiantly at him. A wave of golden light. And then… nothingness.

He was unable to see anything past it. It was like a wall, even his all-seeing eyes unable to see past it.

Another correction—a wall implied there was something behind it. It was more akin to string, following the thread until it stopped, realizing that it had been cut.

He was no fool. He knew what it meant. He was not so arrogant as to deny what was in front of him.

He was going to die.

Or perhaps he would be sealed instead. His death and the destruction of the gem within him would result in the ruin of the world. Whoever was supposed to defeat him would surely not be so foolish as to do that.

Right?

He couldn't be sure. He did not think the last remaining dragons would go as far as destroy the last remaining world to exact their revenge, but without the advantage of his future sight, the previous certainty he enjoyed had vanished into thin air.

Regardless, in either scenario, his future would come to an end.

Even his vision of the present was clouded. Normally, he could view anything he wished aside from places with far too concentrated mana, but now it was as if the entire world was blanketed in a thick layer of mana, partially obscuring his sight. He was still able to discern most things, but he could sense some areas that were far too difficult to see through.

He needed to know what had happened. Whatever occurred had the power to affect the world itself, that was for certain. Just a brief look into the places he could see showed him so many new phenomena that he couldn't help but be wary.

New monsters. New dungeons. All of them started appearing one day. It was as if the world itself was mutating. Things that he had never glimpsed before in all his time examining the future had suddenly appeared.

It meant that whatever happened was not meant to happen. It was something unnatural, something completely alien to the world. An external factor he could never have possibly accounted for—a new entity entering the game he had played since the very beginning.

From what he could tell, it was not just him who was taken by surprise. No one expected such drastic developments so quickly, and even now, society was still struggling to regain its former footing.

More importantly, it meant whatever plans he had been crafting in the shadows were now at risk of being compromised. He could no longer trust if the events he had previously foreseen would come to pass. Would the people in the future even be born? Would the rise and fall of kingdoms and rulers stay the same? He wasn't sure; all the pieces he needed to secure his victory had vanished into mist.

He hated it. This weakness. This helplessness. All the foundations he had laid down, all his preparations and planning, his previous efforts and victories were all for naught. To think that his assured victory had disappeared just like that…

The rage coursing through his being was enough to destroy a mountain hundreds of times over. If he was able to physically manifest himself into the world, he might have done just that.

Alas, he had to settle for seething and fuming within this void. Every day, he cursed that stupid dragon god, defiant and troublesome even to his last breath. Those damn dragons proved to be a constant thorn in his side, and now that his vision has been obscured, whatever machinations they've created to try and oppose him were now hidden from his sight.

Perhaps it wasn't all bad. At the very least, they should be in the same situation as him, stuck reassessing and recalculating their plans. If he was lucky, they might even get themselves killed by something.

Well, they didn't matter right now, anyway. What he had to do was re-establish his footing in the world. He hadn't talked to his pawns in a while, having been so engrossed in ascertaining his future that he had ignored everything else.

He could start by sending someone to the areas he couldn't see. The pockets of unusually highly concentrated mana were suspicious to him considering he would have remembered them if they had existed before. Not only that, but he could feel that they were… different somehow. There was something about the magical energy signature in those areas that seemed… off. He wasn't sure exactly what he was feeling, but the sense of dread and trepidation within him was hard to ignore, and very few things in the world could evoke such emotions from him.

More questions, but he was sorely lacking in answers.

It was strange. The smoldering anger at all his plans having been thrown into disarray, this perplexing fear of the unknown variables that had been thrust onto him, the strange sense of numbness at foreseeing his own death, the myriad of emotions churning and festering within him created a new sensation altogether, the feeling a far cry from the smug satisfaction he had enjoyed for the past several thousands of years.

He couldn't pinpoint exactly what he was feeling, but he did know one thing.

Hitogami has waited around for long enough.

The board had been reset, his grasp on the future wrested from him, his eyes blinded, and his death foretold.

However, the future was not set in stone. If destiny sought to end him, then he would force it to its knees and underneath his grasp again.

He had been caught by surprise, that much he could admit.

However, if a new player had entered the game, then whatever it was, it had sorely overstepped.

After all, his dominion had been built upon the corpses of gods. He had usurped the previous order, his machinations uprooting the very balance of fate itself.

The path to his answers was already revealed—it was time to make his mark upon fate once more.

---

A/N: Ah, so here we are. I believe it's been about a year and a half since you guys got "fresh" content. Technically, there's a prologue rewrite but I hesitate to call it original content since despite the rewrite, it ends on more or less the same note. Anyway, I encourage people to read it, but on the off chance they don't, the efforts for that chapter as well as the subsequent rewrites of all the other chapters have more or less been leading up to the end of this chapter. I'll save that discussion for later though; for now, I'll talk about what's currently happening for Shirou.

This chapter picks up right where I left off on Chapter 5. We've officially started "training" Shirou, but as you can see, there's not much for him to learn. The guy can literally trace all of Paul's experience, so it didn't make sense for me to go on a whole arc about Shirou practicing the Water/North/Sword styles. He already knows of them, and he does practice them, but that's off-screen. To Shirou, they're not special enough to really warrant any attention, so that's why I chose not to write about them. Instead, a good deal of the training session is just Shirou trying to rationalize Battle Aura/Touki and how to hide his abilities. It's also the reason why I place so much emphasis on the whole "battle experience" thing. Truthfully, I find training painfully boring to write. I'd much rather toss Shirou to some battles and call it a day.

As for Zenith, I think I've placed enough emphasis on her for now. She's currently sidelined, something that I've alluded to this story and especially with the new chapter edits. Her next appearance should be her conversation with Alice, which should be nice to write. Speaking of Alice, of all the chapters to re-read, Chapter 5 is probably it. It has the most new content I think, and the entire Sylphiette family got an overhaul.

For Sylphiette, we finally have development. Much like Rudeus trained Sylphiette in magic, Shirou is doing the same. Granted in my usual style, I've added a lot of philosophical monologues and existential dread just to spice it up but the end result is the same. The part before that is a bit iffy imo but I'm not terribly unsatisfied with it. I admittedly took some liberties with Sylphiette's natural talent at magic and made my own headcanons, but I don't think it's too far-fetched. Of course, that's ultimately up for you guys to decide.

Okay, enough beating around the bush—it's time to talk about the last part with Hitogami and the direction of this story as a whole. With it, I'll be discussing the rewrites as well. Obviously, if you don't care about all that, then feel free to skip the rest of this A/N.

I believe that most people who actually read these A/Ns know I haven't finished the LN/WN. To be honest, I stopped reading around LN 13th(?), around the time Roxy and Rudeus get married. It was mainly because Eris kinda fucked off and she was hard carrying the series for me. Motivation to pick it back up is a bit low, especially since most of my free time lately has been devoted to writing. Maybe eventually but definitely not in the near future.

All that is to say—how do I write a story crossover in which I have barely read half of one of the main works? Especially since this story takes place in MT, it felt like I was blindly stumbling around everywhere. It wasn't the worst thing ever since this story is still mainly a Shirou story, and the dynamics of his character and his relationships is still the main thing I'm focusing on, but having a functional plot is still a necessity. With that in mind, I could only think of one solution: put enough Fate elements into the story that the background setting has some material I can use to progress the plot.

Some people might be pretty happy with that. I do believe that I've been accused of not writing anything different enough. Plus, this story is a crossover, so crossing over more than just the main character adds more interesting elements to the story. I do believe it's a slight betrayal of the original MT story, which was about the story of a man who did small changes that just snowballed over time. In here, it's just massive changes of the bat. Well, "massive" is subjective. At the very least, all the changes occur because of Shirou and the other story element that's really obvious but I don't want to say on the off chance someone hasn't pieced it together. Shirou accidentally causing large rippling effects despite not wanting to checks out already tbh, so I thought it was ultimately fine. Just to clarify, everything before Shirou's birth is the same as the regular MT canon. The only changes I made to the story are strictly due to Shirou and the other thing. Large sweeping changes? Yes but just that. I might change a character's personality a bit but it wouldn't be for a major character.

With some direction for the story, I can actually progress the overall plot a bit. Like I said, still a Shirou story that focuses on him but the world moves around him as well, so having things actually going on in the background should somewhat satisfy the people who are looking for more developments in the overarching plot. Before the rewrite, I intentionally had a very small scope in terms of the narration. I knew at some point, I would be doing some background work on the plot, but I didn't want to end up contradicting myself, hence why I never really talked about what was happening aside from Shirou. That should change somewhat now, and I might intermittently give a peak at what's happening in the greater world, but again, still a Shirou story.

For more background stuff, we can talk about Hitogami here. Truthfully, I have no idea how to write this guy. I didn't get much from the few scenes of him in the LN, and the wiki doesn't have much about him. I knew some of his powers and abilities, but the actual personality isn't something I have much insight on. For now, I kept it fairly neutral(ish) but I'll revisit it in the future. Speaking of the future, I'm not saying I wrote out Hitogami's future sight. What I'm saying is that with how much Shirou talks about fate and destiny and all that, having a foil who constantly opposes fate and destiny is fairly fitting. It checks out in terms of the themes I'm trying to build, so I'm not entirely against it. I'm sure some people are going to be upset I took away the villain's main ability away but let me have my juxtaposition in peace.

Also there's an actual reason why he doesn't have future sight besides for writing purposes, but again, tied to the giant elephant in the room that I can't directly acknowledge but it's really big and hard to miss.

I think that's it? I still encourage people to read the entire story since I put way too much effort into rewriting everything. The prologue can be skipped but I'd like to think everything else is good. If people are confused about things I alluded to before, then I don't even know what to say. Speaking of writing, the plan is to make the prologue rewrite the actual ch1 for the story, delete the current ch6, and upload this. Hopefully it actually works as I intend.

Oh, and this chapter only took like a month to rewrite. Maybe, maybe I can actually get a consistent writing schedule… Maybe…

Anyway, please leave a review. Criticism will only make this story better, and praise gets these chapters out much faster since my motivation is directly correlated with how much people like the story. Of course, as always, have a great day!

P.S. Add me on discord if you want updates on the chapters. Oh, and Roxy either next chapter or the one after that. Depends on my mood.

Word Count before A/N: 15k