Fate: Beyond Journey's End

Summary: With the era meteor shower coming soon, Frieren supposed it was time to return as promised. After all, Himmel was holding onto an important item in the summoning spell she was going to attempt. However, none of them had ever expected her to summon someone quite like him. A journey of rediscovery, letting go, learning to love again and reconciliation begins at the end of an era.


Chapter 4: The Taste of Memories

Finally, the long winter was coming to an end as the aging nights eventually gave way to the sun and burgeoning springtime. The snowmelt was still fresh upon the ground, but the returning chirps of the birds signaled it was finally safe to continue their journey. They were lucky that the southern continent's winters were relatively mild compared to the blistering brutality of the north.

Shirou would miss some of the acquaintances he had made in the short four-ish months they had stayed in Morgenrot. The baker family across from the inn they stayed in was particularly put out that he had opted for the adventurer path instead of the path of confectionery mastery. Frieren herself was half-tempted to allow it for a year or two if it meant getting access to such wonderful pastries daily.

"Any longer and they would have likely married that girl off to you," Frieren teased with a mischievous grin, "Poor Adriana. She and her parents were quite taken with you."

"Har har," Shirou groused, doing his best to ignore the truth of Frieren's words. Forgetting the smug look on his master's face, he took out the map they had bought from the local cartographer and quickly reviewed it. It seemed in the decades the elf mage had spent in the north, the surrounding infrastructure had been vastly improved, allowing for easier travel to the port city on the other side of the southern west mountains. "Perhaps, I'll withhold your magical artifact for the day. Just because."

"Noooooo anything but that please!" Frieren cried, her attitude shifting one-eighty as she gave her familiar a deep begging stare. Cakes and pastries she could go without, but if Shirou stopped letting her analyze new weapons and trinkets every day, she'd lose the meaning of her life for sure! Archer rolled his eyes at her theatrics, having gotten more used to the elf's strange quirks over the better half of the year.

Sometimes he wasn't sure if Frieren really was over a thousand years old or five.

"Maybe if you behave," Shirou drawled, ignoring the puppy-dog eyes without mercy, "And when you can wake up before the sun is at midday." He had gotten used to that tactic in his previous life thanks to Taiga.

"That's impossible!"

"Well, aren't you a mage that makes the impossible, possible?" Archer quipped with a feral grin. Frieren slumped over in faux sadness, already lamenting the fact that she couldn't analyze a new magical item right now. The one solace she took was that at least she was getting a head start on Serie, probably. She was so ready to rub it into the Living Grimoire's face next time.

Though, the thought of the even older elf made her suddenly seize up in horror as she affixed Shirou with an intense stare. The things that woman would do to get her hands on him…

"Shirou," Frieren seriously commanded, her eyes furrowed, "If you ever see a blonde-haired elf, run away as fast as you can. You must never let that woman get her hands on your secrets."

"Right. Duly noted dear master," Archer replied with an even more sarcastic drawl. They had already discussed the illustrious great elf mage before. Although, this was the first time Frieren had expressed anything other than quiet disdain or indifference for her. Perhaps there was some truth to her warning…

Dutifully, the pair continued towards the western mountain range, taking their time to stop at a few spots to explore and interact with the locals. With the winter just now ending, monsters were more abundant thanks to the lack of culling by humans, and more than once they had been tasked with extermination missions. About a week out, they finally reached the edges of the town safeguarding the mountain pass, but the notable lack of travelers heading towards Morgenrot was concerning. Frieren expected more traffic considering the time. Normally traders and travelers were abundant after the winter seasons.

"Things have been strange lately," an elderly woman they had met along the road said to them as they helped her carry some vegetables to her home, "I can't quite put my finger one it…but my old bones are practically screaming it at me."

"And what do they say?" Frieren asked patiently, floating the bags of freshly dug up carrots into the house with her staff.

"There's an air of wrongness in town, I swear it. There used to be all sorts of young ones running around, but two days ago I didn't see more than two or three. And those little ones…why they act as if they've never seen me before." Perhaps the woman's memory was failing her, but she couldn't shake the feeling.

"That is strange," the elf replied diplomatically, thinking of any potential spell or monster that could explain the situation, "Have you observed anything else out of the ordinary?" The lady shook her head.

"I only visit the town once every few weeks. My daughter used to live there but moved to the capital years ago," the woman said with a sad smile, "I just don't have much reason to go into town anymore."

"No friends?" Shirou asked with a raised eyebrow.

"All long dead and gone. Either by time or by beast," the granny said with a rueful laugh.

An uncomfortable silence settled between the trio, despite the elderly woman's joking manner. Frieren herself showed no expression, but Shirou had been with his master long enough to know the sentiment had hit harder than expected. Even if it had only been about a year since Himmel had passed, that was essentially yesterday for Frieren. He frowned as he watched the girl instinctively retract into her cold persona to adjust to the new uncomfortable reminder.

"Would you two adventures investigate? I don't have much, but I wouldn't feel right leaving it alone," the old woman continued, unaware of the turmoil she had inflicted on the quiet elf.

"Any magic tomes?" Shirou asked in place of his master, deciding to spare her as she wrestled with the painful reminder of human mortality so soon.

"My husband had a few in the house. Not anything of note truthfully. His best spell according to him was a magic to warm your feet."

"That'll do," Archer replied with a nod, "We'll take on the quest and let you know of the results."

"Thank you, young man," the elder granny said with a smile, "It'll put my heart at ease."

Leaving the elder woman after they had dropped off the vegetables, the pair began to make their way towards the local town about half an hour away on foot. Frieren had been lost in thought for much of the walk over, but suddenly she turned serious as they neared the outer edges of the town.

"It's likely a Verblassen," she declared, her eyes squinting as she failed to pinpoint the location of the monster. However, something was off. The mana in the air was very subtly affected.

"Elaborate," Shirou said as his magic senses too began to pick up the strange scent of what he could only describe as nostalgia. His mind associated it with the smell of Sakura cooking in the kitchen as Taiga opened up a can of fresh beer. Saber was scarfing down a burger with gusto, and Rin was giggling over a pot of hot mapo tofu. How creepy...

"Verblassen are rare creatures that feed off the memories of their victims," Frieren said with a frown, "As they feed, the original person's personality and psyche fade until they are left as an empty shell. The monster then disposes of the body completely as the person no longer serves any purpose to them."

"Can a person be saved?" Archer asked with a grimace.

"As long as the body is not yet killed, eliminating the monster will release all the eaten memories. Normally, it's quite easy to pick out one person affected…but for so many people to be…This one likely has eaten the memories of people discovering its presence, rendering it essentially nonexistent to the townspeople."

"That is quite troublesome," Shirou replied with a frown. How do you defeat a monster that makes you forget there is a monster to begin with? "Do you have a plan?"

"A monster this cunning…it has likely developed some form of widespread curse. We were likely already detected and targeted when we ran into that woman. Be alert…but ultimately…we'll be fine," Frieren replied smoothly as she walked into town. Shirou almost stumbled at the sheer brazenness of it all. "I'll be relying on you this time, Shirou."

"What are you talking about? If what you've told me about curses is real, I'm hopeless."

The white-haired elf turned around with a confident smile, giving him an encouraging thumbs up.

"You'll do great," she replied with an airy smile, "After all, Verblassen only siphon memories from living beings."

Archer stared, blinked, and then let off a momentous sigh. His master truly was a troublesome one.


The town of Westberge was a quaint town. Far enough from the main city of Morgenrot and on the pathway towards Meerwasser to the further west over the mountains, it served as an often-visited traveler's respite. However, as the duo entered the small town, an eerie sense of absence lingered in the air. The people milling about seemed normal enough, but the way they failed to greet each other by name was unsettling. Not a single one had been uttered.

"This really is quite bad," Frieren said with a frown as she felt the mana in the air strengthen, "I can feel it starting to affect me already." She stared at Shirou, her eyes seemingly confused. "I should know your name…I know you are my ally, yet I can't recall how."

Archer's concern grew rapidly at that admission. There was no indication of the attack, and the only thing that had changed was the fact that the smell had intensified for a brief moment. He had written it off as a simple fluctuation, but it seemed their foe really was that capable.

"What is the best way to track the monster, Frieren?" Shirou asked quickly, "How do you find a Verblassen?"

"What's that? And where are we again?" Archer's eyes widened. The brutal efficiency of the beast was even more than he had expected. His mind went into overdrive as he recalled what the elf had told him about the monster, attempting to glean some direction from her stories. "It eats memories until there's nothing left but a shell…"

He considered Frieren who had only forgotten his name, what the monster was, and where they now were.

"It can only eat memories in order…names, and its own nature…" Archer murmured, alarm taking over his body as he came to a grim conclusion, "That's why that woman...The elderly and adults will survive and even produce more memories to harvest…but the youngest…The children…" It was a chilling picture. His fists clenched as he thought of how many young lives had likely already been cut short, but he now knew what to do.

The monster only revealed itself when having to dispose of a useless shell, empty with memories. That would be when he had to strike. Pulling his master along, he quickly made his way into the inn, hoping that someone around still had fleeting memories of use.

"Hello," the receptionist greeted, her normalcy hiding the danger in the air, "How may I help you?"

"We'd like to rent a room for the night," Shirou said, handing over a few copper coins to the lady. Of all the people they had run into, she seemed the most normal, perfectly positioned as bait. She was even able to note their names and write it down. The monster seemed smart enough to know that the innkeeper met new people each day. Archer wondered if it had some context to the memories it consumed.

"Frieren, I'm going on a hunt. Be careful."

"Right," the elf said with a nod, feeling as if trusting the man was important.

"If anything goes wrong. Simply command me to appear. I'll be there."

Without another word, Shirou jumped out the window, astralizing as he did. He needed to get to the bottom of this now before any more died. Over the next hour, he scoured the town, listening in on many conversations and attempting to pinpoint where the monster was hiding or would strike next. Despite his efforts, Archer was no closer to finding where the Verblassen was. There had to be a slip up somewhere.

Jumping onto the nearby church tower, he reinforced his eyes and ears to observe the town. Focusing intensely, he closed his eyes and began to filter out the voices he could hear. He would simply have to wait and fish for a lead.

"Fresh fruits for sale." A woman at the market...

"Great Goddess grant us your blessings and protection." A devout follower during dinner...

"Did you hear about the demon threat?" A concerned wife to a soldier...

"I don't remember dear. What was her name again?" An elderly man talking to his wife...

"Did you hear about the blacksmith's wife? I hear she's been holed up in her house all weekend. Something to do about her poor child…"

Shirou's eyes snapped open, finding the small smithy hanging on the far end of the small town, its smokestacks inactive and dead. No doubt, the smith was worried for his wife and child. Quickly making his way to the shop, he stopped and listened, his heart hardening as he learned more.

"I don't know what's wrong with her…" a female voice said, distraught, "I don't know what's wrong with me! I can't…I can't remember her name, yet each morning I wake up thinking everything is fine. It's wrong!"

"I don't know either love," another voice said, his voice also strained, "I've watched each morning for sorcery at work, but the thought flees my mind the next day. Every time I've attempted to sound the alarm, I suddenly find myself back here."

"It's unnatural…" the woman said with a choked sob, "Watching her each morning. It's like…it's like living with a doll. I can't stand it! She doesn't even respond anymore. I see her each day, and I feel in my heart that she is mine. Yet…my mind cannot recall who she is."

Peering into the window, unseen, Shirou felt his heart clench as a pair was huddled over a young girl, likely no older than three. The familial resemblance was uncanny. She had her mother's hair and her father's facial bones. Yet, she sat in bed, her eyes unseeing and unfeeling despite being wide open, staring up at the ceiling without reaction to their pleas. What was likely a once vibrant and lively child had been reduced to an unseeing husk. It was horrific.

"We must endure…The Goddess will provide," the blacksmith continued with a pained expression, "There is evil afoot…and we can only hope that an adventurer or priest will be able to release the town from it." It was the plea of a desperate man unable to protect his own, but he knew he was powerless in the face of this unknown foe. Archer could feel the conflict in his voice. No doubt, the man was well aware he'd awake in the morning to forgetting all about the incident. He could only imagine the nightmarish pain, imagining himself in a similar situation, powerless and hopeless while being forced to confront it each night.

However, it was another clue that Shirou could use. He swore it now, no one else was dying tonight.

Waiting up on the rooftops, Archer watched, looking up at the sky to note that it was deep in the witching hours of the night. The stars overhead were twinkling innocently as the moon made its way across the sky. Nothing had change yet. His prey was truly a cautious creature. The night continued on, and the misty twilight air seemed to grow heavy as a chilling drip formed on his skin, the area getting foggier and foggier. Shirou frowned. This was not natural. The enemy was close.

Finally, quicker than a man could blink, the fog coalesced, forming into the shape of an average-looking child, something Archer angrily realized was likely drawn from its various victims.

The Verblassen seemed to consider the location, its glassy, unseeing eyes staring straight through the window where its most recent meal rested. Shirou held back a growl in his throat, staring as it pried open the window, its misty form easily able to seep into the cracks and unlock the entry. Silently, it slipped into the bedroom where the blacksmith's child was asleep, none the wiser, and without hesitation, its monstrous form opened up, from head to toe like a zipper, to reveal an endless pit of teeth, bloody and salivating.

Then, he struck. Shirou knew the exact tool to use for this eldritch abomination. Without delay, he summoned a bow, not bothering to waste any more time as he erected a crude bounded field.

The bow of the famous archer Tristan was summoned to his hand, its ornate bowstrings glimmering under the moonlight. The looks of the bow itself was a ceremonial thing, more akin to a musical instrument, but the Noble Phantasm was perfect for such a slippery target. It would not miss.

"Failnaught," he called, his eyes sharp as he directed the legendary bow of Tristan towards his foe.

Almost invisible to the naked eye, a steel wire shot out like a conjured snake towards its target. Without delay, it wrung itself around the creature in a six-point pattern, the magic of the bow targeting the very concept of the monster. Glowing an otherworldly blue, the magical bindings sliced through the false flesh of the monster, rending it into multiple pieces.

An unholy screech rang through the quiet night, and the monster jumped through the window, clearly injured as its form attempted to regroup. Abandoning its guise of humanity quickly, the Verblassen became nothing more than a bloody cloud of mist, dripping with the remains of its victims. The air seemed to hiss in anger as it identified Shirou as the one who had attacked, and rudimentary beams of magic ice and coagulated blood bullets were shot at him, which he promptly dodged.

With a grunt, he strummed Failnaught, watching impassively as the vacuum arrows began to sunder the floating monster apart, his iron expression not fading as the unblockable attacks began to chip away relentlessly. He was not as elegant as the famous Arthurian archer, but this much would be enough. However, the Verblassen was not keen to die today and sped off, smashing into his hastily erected barrier without resistance. Shirou cursed, already firing up another blueprint from his inner world, intent on destroying it completely as it flew over the treetops.

Suddenly, an iridescent explosion lit up the sky and then, the blackest night descended as the stars in the sky suddenly disappeared.

"Well done," the soft recognizable voice of his master suddenly said, her staff pointed at the flying monstrosity. A black hole had opened up in the air, sucking in the misty monster, its shrieks of fury rocketing across the town. The sheer power of the spell was shocking, and Shirou turned in amazement. Frieren was smiling, her eye already appraising the beast as it struggled against the ferocious tidal forces.

It was already doomed. The elf didn't hesitate as she directed her spell to annihilate the monster, watching impassively as the gravitational well completely destroyed it. A blast of magic erupted when the final trace of the Verblassen was vaporized, signaling the release of all the consumed memories.

"I knew it was wise to set a magic alarm to when you began to use magic, Shirou," Frieren said with a smile, "Still, a Mist Verblassen was unexpected. Excellent work."

The blacksmith and his wife had rushed outside in the commotion, having watched the impossible displays of magic, afraid the haunter of their nightmares had come to finish the job. But, as soon as the creature was destroyed, the blacksmith's wife rushed into the house with a cry.

"Lea! Lea!" the mother cried, tears running down her face as memories of her child flooded her mind again, unable to reconcile the most recent memories with the truth. It was a nightmare beyond what one could describe. Yet, as she walked into her child's room, her face broke out into happy tears as her daughter was looking at her with recognition, a sleepy expression of her face.

"Mama? What's going on? Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing honey," the woman said, her voice wavering as she embraced her confused child, holding her tightly, "Everything is okay. Everything is okay."


The horror that had befallen the town had caught many, and the collective trauma would take time to heal. Despite their prompt action, it seemed that the monster had been preying upon the town for at least a week. After a bit of searching, the number of missing children had been totaled to seven. One of them had been a child no older than half a year old.

Shirou felt his heart clench in anger at it all, remembering the cruel lesson he had learned in life. You can't save everyone…

Yet, despite that, the villagers were thankful. Even as the funeral for the missing children was conducted, they profusely thanked them and the Goddess for her mercy. It was moments like this that reminded Archer that this world was not the same as his. Death was an everyday companion, even for the common man.

A feast was held in their honor two weeks later, yet Shirou couldn't find it in him to take part in the festivities, beating himself up against an enemy that did not exist. He politely accepted their thanks but wrestled with himself internally.

"Himmel often had the same expression," Frieren said as she joined her familiar at his dining table, beer and meat in hand, "He told me once that he felt guilty that he couldn't have done more, despite being the one to save them all. Do all humans feel that way?"

"Only idiots like me," Shirou said with a sad smile, "And I guess Himmel. We're bleeding hearts when it comes to things like this. We agonize over the idea that we could have done more…even if we know we can't be everywhere at once." Frieren hummed, digging into her meal with gusto.

"You know. I was scared," she said, fork already in her mouth.

"You? You killed that monster in one spell. And don't talk with your mouth full." Dutifully, the elf swallowed her food.

"I know, but that wasn't I was concerned about," the elf admitted quietly, staring out past the edges of the village into dark forests beyond, "I was scared of losing my memories…Before, I wouldn't have cared, having lived almost the same way for a thousand years. I wonder if the monster found me bland…But the thought of losing my memories of my friends…it terrified me. How strange. Even now, I find the idea absolutely horrifying."

"You lost one of your precious comrades recently. That's natural," Shirou said softly, "It's human to be afraid to forget." She nodded.

"I was afraid of forgetting you too, you know? Even though we've only been together for a very short time, I think that you'd count as one of my closer acquaintances."

"Most humans would consider us friends at this point," Archer said with a snort.

"I can accept that."

He quieted at the admission. Frieren's concept of time was warped. So, it was rather touching to hear she already considered him a friend. They spent a few more moments watching the townsfolk celebrate and mourn, the atmosphere bittersweet.

"You already saved them all, and I couldn't have done it alone," Frieren said with a small smile, "I think that in itself is enough. The world isn't fair. People die every day. But because of you, many were saved." Shirou felt the weight of his thoughts lighten a bit. Smiling, Frieren stretched and patted his head with a smile.

"Good job, Shirou."


A/N

I don't quite know where this monster came from in my mind, but it just sort of came to life on its own. Perhaps I've been spending too many hours watching SCP compilations and thinking about the themes of memory and relationships in Frieren. Either way, it was fun to write. Until next time!