Fate: Isekai Tensei – Forged Sword

[Krak-Quinn]

People die when they are killed.

Emiya Shirou had known that to be the natural order.

He should've been dead a long time ago, even before he began being fatally wounded almost every day since the Holy Grail War started.

He shouldn't have survived the Great Fire, those flames had burned up the entire essence of who he had been before that day.

The only thing that remained was his body and his name.

He was saved by Emiya Kiritsugu, a man who smiled as if he had saved himself that day.

Avalon, a conceptual weapon, the scabbard of King Arthur. The only reason Shirou had escaped death for so long.

It had healed wounds that should've killed him many times over. But he had given it up, given it back to its rightful wielder, it wasn't his to use anymore.

The Holy Grail War had devolved into true madness, and Saber, Artoria, was the only one capable of putting an end to it all.

The only way to save the lives of everyone in Fuyuki was if she could defeat the corrupted Servants and destroy the Greater Grail.

If he was killed, he would die this time for good, he couldn't be brought back anymore. Even so, that fact hadn't shaken him as he fought the King of Heroes.

He had already survived far longer than he should've, and he didn't fear dying if it meant other people would be saved.

His final battle had been fierce, but he braved through the pain caused by Archer's arm and defeated the Stray Servant Gilgamesh. Now the rest depended on Tohsaka Rin, Rider and Saber all performing their roles.

His body finally succumbed to his own injuries, to the thousands of miniature swords that had been created inside his body.

Even though he lost strength in his legs, he didn't fall; his bones and joints were locked in place by steel muscle fibers. He had thought his final moments would stretch on forever, as he watched blades grow from his skin. His mind sought an answer before he stopped thinking.

What did he want?

To be a Hero of Justice?

To save people? To make people smile?

To save himself? To make himself smile?

He wanted to feel what Kiritsugu had felt.

But Shirou himself wasn't even sure what his adopted father had felt, only the results leading up to it and the outcome.

If he saved people, would he be saved? If he made people smile, would he smile too?

Flashes of face swam through his fading thoughts: Kiritsugu, Taiga, Sakura, Rin, Illya, Saber, and Rider. The moments he had spent with those people were confusing, he always felt conflicted, his resolve would weaken or strengthen the more he thought about them.

Even as he was dying and he thought about his accepting his death, having played his part to save everyone, he found his mind wandering.

He had promised Sakura they would see the cherry blossoms together.

He had promised Rider they would watch over Sakura.

He has promised Illya that he would atone for the fact she was abandoned.

He had promised Rin to repay the debt he owed to her.

He had promised Saber another meal, another outing.

Shirou had promised to spend more time with them.

What did he want?

His brain couldn't ponder any further, the last of his consciousness was shutting down.

Then...

Illya appeared before him in an intricate dress, a white light overtook his vision, he felt his heart stop beating and his brain stop thinking.

It felt like his soul had slipped free from everything.

---

Once more he was alive after being killed.

The world was disorienting, lights were too bright and words sounded jumbled. Yet his mind was surprisingly clear, as if foreign information wasn't assaulting his very essence.

'Saber?'

As his vision cleared up, he saw blonde hair.

'Or not.'

Then he saw blue eyes, and more facial features. Although she appeared European, the woman currently smiling down at him seemed less majestic than Saber.

'What happened? Who is this lady?'

He attempted to sit up, however his body wouldn't obey his commands, or at least not in the way he intended. His muscles and bones were too weak to even support his intended action.

Even as the outside world was still a blurred together mess and his body was numbed, he could feel his soul clearly.

'Did Tohsaka take back the arm? Or did the Grail take it away?'

His knowledge was extremely limited when it came to Servants, so he couldn't be sure what had happened.

Regardless, his soul was clear enough so he could feel that his Magic Circuits were still in an operable condition.

It was slightly surprising, he could've sworn they had been burned out from his fight, but now they seemed fresh, as if he had yet to even open them.

He visualized a gun pointed at his head, from the barrel meeting his skin, the chamber loaded with a bullet, and the tip of the hammer.

He pulled an imaginary trigger, the hammer struck against the back of a bullet, and as it exploded into his skull he felt his Magic Circuits switch on.

As if molten steel was injected into his veins, he felt Od be pumped through from his soul and into his body.

He gathered what little he could manage, and analyzed the structure of his body, scanning for his injuries.

'…'

Something was wrong, he couldn't comprehend the results and so he scanned his body once more.

'…'

He was an infant.

That couldn't be true.

"Xxx xxx xxxxx xx xxx xx xxxxxxxxx xxxx x xxxxxxxxx xxxx, xxx xxxxxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxx xxxx xxxx xxx xxxxxxxx xx xxxxx xxxx xxxx, XXXXXXX!"

The blonde woman had spoken in jumbled words, and then a glowing green light washed though his body and soul.

He felt his Magic Circuits be snapped shut, and his vision cleared up. He was in a room made from wooden material, and he was surrounded by three people.

A blonde woman, with a sizable bust, was cradling him with a worried look on her face.

A brown haired man, with a strong build, was nervously looking at him.

A woman with reddish-brown hair, in a maid outfit, was almost impassively staring at him, but there seemed to be a glint of scrutiny in her eyes.

'…'

The three people, all roughly appearing to be either mature teenagers or young adults, continued to talk amongst themselves.

Now that his hearing was clear, he could notice their words weren't random, instead every syllable was deliberate, he just couldn't understand it.

They were speaking in an unfamiliar foreign language.

After struggling to comprehend what had happened, he eventually fell asleep, and when he woke up in a crib as a baby, he finally accepted that he wasn't dreaming.

He had loosely thought he might've just been reliving Saber's birth, but there wasn't any evidence to support such a hare-brained theory.

The only explanation he could imagine that was possibly probable, was that True Magic had been involved.

The Second Magic: Operations of Parallel Worlds, and the Third Magic: Heaven's Feel.

Both of these Magics were involved to a certain extent in the final battle.

He had almost shattered his mind to produce a Jeweled Sword that used Mana from parallel worlds.

And he vaguely remembered Illya explaining something about how the Grail's purpose was to achieve a complete version of the Third.

So, it was possible his soul was plucked up by the Third and then shunted off by the Second.

He had been reincarnated in another world.

…

…

It was a struggle to form proper thoughts, it felt like his brain was malfunctioning as he tried to think.

No, it only became a problem as he began to experience the emotions and needs of his infantile body.

It was hell.

He could feel everything in vivid excruciating detail as his soul scorched and warped his brain.

Scenes from the fires of ten years ago replayed in his mind, although it was normally reserved for his dreams, he kept experiencing it in every waking moment.

The blonde woman would repeat the same jumbled words before her hand emitted a glowing green light, and then he felt the tension and pain leaving his body.

His undeveloped body couldn't handle the stress from the shift and he would pass out, then in his dreams he would walk past charred corpses begging to be saved.

…

…

The pain had stopped a while ago, he still dreamt of it, but when he was awake he was able to focus on different matters.

He had scanned his own spirit and body, everything that made up his person. And he was relieved to find that he was alone, and the sensation of his personal self hadn't changed.

He hadn't absorbed or consumed an infant's soul, it was likely that this body had been stillborn before his soul had found and inhabited it.

Another matter he had discovered was that whenever he opened his Magic Circuits and his body temperature rose as a result, he would be subjected to the green glow and looked at with worry.

It didn't take long until he realized that they were probably concerned that he was constantly showing signs of a fever.

Out of consideration for giving birth and caring for him, and because he didn't want to be the source of concern for others, he limited himself to only one open Magic Circuit at a time.

Another thing, the Magecraft being used on him would slam his Circuits shut.

Aside from being worried about whether his partners had been victorious, there wasn't much he could do as an infant. Especially since his new body required constant sleep, which meant having more nightmares than often.

He would occasionally spot the maid staring at him, and she would speak in the jumbled language even when no one was around.

…

…

He would pull back the string of a longbow, and everytime he released his grip, someone would die. A new nightmare began plaguing him, a remnant of Archer's memories transferred from the arm that lingered beyond death.

Shirou had scanned his form, body and soul, multiple times, and every time he found no trace of it, yet the information was embedded into his soul.

There was little he understood about what had happened, all he knew was that a spiritual limb had been transplanted onto his physical body.

And the only reason he didn't immediately die was because the donor had been a future variant of himself.

Whether the arm was truly attached to his soul or not, was something he couldn't be certain of anymore.

The soul forced the physical vessel to conform, and yet he was an infant. The possibility remained that the arm had been forced into a dormant state, and maybe it was unrecognizably different from his usual self.

Or maybe the information it possessed had been buried deep within his soul.

However, one thing he did learn from his scans was the presence of Mana inside his body. It seemed to just be generated alongside his blood, and then stop after filling up a set of spiritual veins.

The atmosphere was lacking in abundant Mana, so he was relieved that his body could produce the difference.

…

…

As an infant, he was breastfed rather regularly.

Fortunately, he was incapable of producing hormones that would've made the experience awkward, he only felt slightly embarrassed during the act.

He also soiled himself rather regularly.

For a while, he debated with himself on whether or not to reveal himself as a reincarnated person.

He couldn't imagine how humiliating and sickening it would be for the parents to discover that the baby they've been caring for possessed the mind of a teenage stranger.

He should've been dead, and yet no matter how many times he was killed, he remained alive.

Eventually, he decided to not reveal himself, and instead he would simply try to repay the favor later on.

…

…

As time passed, his body soon developed the ability to crawl.

And soon he began exploring his surroundings.

Although he had guessed it by the state of his room, this house had no modern appliances.

And outside of the house were flourishing rural fields that stretched on for a while.

He spotted a village on the other side, and similarly no signs of modern living advancements were present throughout the entire village.

Most people were dressed in simple woven clothes, and other fashion that was reminiscent of the outfits he had seen in Saber's memories.

It was evident that this world was still in its medieval era.

And perhaps he shouldn't, but he almost rejoiced after his situation became apparent.

This world didn't have modern comforts, and the dangers and risks of this world were probably many.

In this age, people could be saved with the swing of a sword.

Shirou could actually save people in this life.

He could finally become a Hero of Justice, and then maybe he'll be able to smile like Kiritsugu had on that day.

That was what he wanted, right?

---

AN: I'm sure it's clear that this Shirou isn't from a specific canon route, and instead from a blend of all three.

If I was a better writer, then I would've made a story about Shirou being Eris' brother, and could've juggled some of the kingdom's politics. However, I couldn't picture a way to make that work.

In this story, Healing recognizes Magic Circuits as unnatural and had attempted to erase them. Fortunately, Zenith is unfamiliar with the human Soul, so her spell couldn't do much..

 

[Krak-Quinn]

Emiya Shirou had died, and he had been reincarnated.

It had probably been around two years since he was reborn, and he had come to understand a few basic things about the new world he found himself in.

His name was now Rudeus Greyrat, but his parents would call him Rudy. He was born to Zenith Greyrat and Paul Greyrat. And he was cared for by Lilia, a maid.

One of the major things he had learned was this world's language.

It took a while to comprehend, but the vocabulary of a single household was extremely limited and eventually he was able to put a word to the objects or concepts spoken about.

Still, he knew he had picked up on it awfully fast, if only he would have managed to learn English at the same speed. Taiga had always held his subpar grades over his head.

He had also learned how to read.

Paul would occasionally read to him a fairytale about a hero who vanquished a demon and saved the world.

Placing together the spoken words with the words written down wasn't an easy feat, but he managed.

Paul Greyrat was a knight of sorts, and he would occasionally leave and come back hours later. His sword would rarely see action on his ventures.

During his freetime, Paul would either be caring for a horse at a stable in the yard, or be practicing his sword forms. He was pretty skilled with a blade.

Zenith Greyrat was a seemingly unemployed Mage, and when she wasn't spending time with her son, him, she was simply roaming about the house doing whatever she felt like, even occasionally helping the maid.

Lilia, the maid, mostly spent her time supervising him and when she wasn't doing that she was fixing up the place.

Still, even with the two women who hardly left the interior of the house, he was more often than not left unsupervised.

He set all the childish knickknacks away in a pile before he stood up. There weren't any issues with his development, his body was functioning rather normally.

After closing the wooden door to the room he had been left alone in, he walked to the center of the room and held out an empty hand.

Within the blink of an eye, a replica of Paul's sword materialized in his grip.

The sword appeared to be too long and unwieldy for his small body, but Reinforcement allowed his body to hold the weapon.

Paul was skilled in three different sword styles, and he also mixed together the moves at his convenience.

Unfortunately, Shirou — Rudeus was incapable of fully utilizing the sword.

Paul's sword techniques were complemented by encasing his body and blade with Mana. However, for some reason, that ability couldn't be performed by his son's body.

As if it was a glitch, whenever he attempted to replicate the skill, the Mana would malfunction and evaporate immediately.

If he focused, he could get the effect to last for a single strike before it vanished, but he decided that would be inefficient.

Instead, he simply copied the sword, and placed it against the wall.

He would then Project a small nameless blade that held no history, and then he would practice what he had read off of Paul's blade.

Shirou didn't push himself too hard, he didn't want to stunt his growth, and all he really needed was the skills, not necessarily the strength.

In his previous life, he hadn't really trained his body to use a sword, aside from a few practice sessions with Taiga, and then the small amount of training he had done with Saber.

When he truly fought, he mostly ended up relying on the combat experiences of the weapons he had Projected.

On the topic of his Projections, he had yet to fully access his Reality Marble: Unlimited Blade Works.

Something unknown had occurred when he was reincarnated, now his unique spell was seemingly compressed and he had trouble extracting data from it.

He couldn't locate any of the Noble Phantasm he was familiar with, or the prominent ones that Archer favored. Even the nameless sword he held had been difficult to discover.

So far his arsenal was extremely limited to a few nameless weapons, Paul's sword, and the kitchen knife.

There was little he could actually learn from Paul's sword. He didn't have the right size for most of the footwork or moves. All he could really gleam from it was a proper stance and a few of the basics.

After about an hour of training, he dismissed both swords and then sat back down by the knickknacks.

He then Analyzed some of them and Projected a few copies.

Early on in his training in this life, he had discovered that his Mana Veins, the source of the innate Mana in his body, were rather similar to muscles in the sense that after being exhausted they grow back stronger.

It was a rather wild thing to behold. His capacity to contain Mana had already surpassed the maximum amount of Magical Energy he had ever held during the Grail War by himself.

It was almost as much as Archer's Arm or Tohsaka's Gem.

'I'll probably reach the end of my growth soon.'

He simply had a head-start on his magical development, but he was sure he would reach a wall or plateau soon enough.

After completely exhausting his Mana Veins, he used a bit of Od to dismiss the large pile of copied children toys.

Then he opened the door to his room and peeked around, the two women seemed to be chatting downstairs. He used a bit of Od to Reinforce his hearing, the topic seemed to be about what to have for dinner.

He could also hear Paul, outside, grunting as his sword slashed through open air.

After leaving his room, he began exploring some more, there really wasn't anything of importance, however he soon found a chest containing five books.

Among them was the bedtime fairytales that were read to him quite frequently, another storybook about swordsmen, and three informational books.

…

…

For the next year, he incorporated reading the three books into his daily schedule. It took a while, but he had reached a level of literacy that allowed him to decipher a few complex words.

The books taught him much about this world. From kingdoms to plants, from monsters to magic, he read about many topics.

Magic in this world seemed to follow a different set of rules, and it had made it seem like casting spells would be easy.

It had been quite misleading. Even after multiple chants, he struggled to properly cast a beginner spell.

Then again, Magic wasn't as simple as math or writing, it could be as incomprehensible as astrophysics at times.

Still, he didn't give up, and for months he traced the image of the spells in his mind as he tried again and again.

Perhaps his toddler vocal system was just incapable of producing the proper tones, cadence, inflections, or even basic articulations required of him.

'Or maybe I'm mistranslating the words, I did basically guess with most of them.'

On the upside to his failures, he would constantly drain his Mana Veins rather quickly.

"Let the great protection of wind be on the place thou seekest. I call on the rush of a gale here and now. Wind Blast."

Perhaps he should sneak away, since maybe the reason for his failure was that he simply wasn't saying it loud enough. He could see that being the reason behind it.

Regardless, he flipped the page of the book held open on an arm and moved on. After re-familiarizing himself with the next chant, he reached out his other hand, closed his eyes and focused on visualizing the intended result.

"Let the great protection of ice be on the place thou seekest. I call upon the chill of a biting frost here and now. Ice Sword."

Reminiscent of the pain his Magic Circuits would cause when they activated, his Mana Veins felt like they were flooded with an unbearable liquid heat. And then they felt like they were being crushed and chopped up.

The heat and pain had entirely engulfed his hand, and his eyes snapped open from the sensation.

In his grip was a short and foggy icicle with a small cross-guard, and a thin layer of ice had frozen his fingers together. Frost was creeping down his arms and barely stopped before it met his elbow.

After a single heartbeat, which pumped blood through his body, he felt an explosion of intense pain.

The skin on his hand and arm were turning unhealthy shades of blue and purple, and the rest of his arm began to swell.

He immediately Reinforced his arm, but that only slowed down the damage.

For a moment, he debated how to proceed, however, the damage was done, he would need to be healed regardless of how he dealt with it. So he made the most logical decision.

He clutched the book against his chest and stepped out of the spare room he had been hidden away in.

"Zenith! Lilia!"

He had begun talking a while ago, but he mostly just repeated what he heard, regardless he had never called out before.

So presumably, even they would know something unnatural had happened.

As he walked down the steps, he was met with a wide-eyed Zenith. Her gaze was firmly locked onto his arm for a few seconds, and then her expression visibly shifted as she realized what she was seeing.

"Rudy!"

She almost leaped up the staircase.

"Uh, um, ah, uh stay still, baby." She stumbled over her own words as she struggled to speak, her hands and fingers twitched with indecision. "Follow me, Rudy."

Then she gently led him to the washroom.

"Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call a refreshing burbling stream here and now. Water Ball!"

She repeated this chant and spell a few times as she filled a wooden tub with water that had manifested from her palms.

"Let the great protection of fire be on the place thou seekest. I call the bold heat of a torch here and now. Fireball!"

She said this once and then she held the flames that appeared in her grasp over the water for a bit.

He didn't say anything, he was just observing spells being properly casted. He did pick up on the gentle scent of freshly baked grain bread being emitted from her spells.

"Can you put your arm in, Rudy?" She asked after dismissing her fire.

The water felt like boiling oil on contact, but to the less injured portion of his arm it just felt comfortably warm.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Her voice was strange, she was clearly concerned but there was something else contained in her words.

He nodded and held out the book. "I said what was on the page, and then my entire body felt really hot and then there was suddenly ice on my arms."

"…" Her expression shifted rapidly. "Are you okay?"

He nodded again. "It's really painful."

A few minutes passed as the ice thawed away.

"Let this divine power be converted into a satisfying nourishment, and bestowed unto those who have lost the strength to stand once more. Healing!"

Her words were accompanied by a familiar green glow, and the pain melted away as his arm returned to its proper color.

"Can you move your fingers for me?"

From his pinky to his thumb, every finger operated at an acceptable level. He could even roll his wrist with only a slight bit of lingering pain. "It's all better, thanks Zenith."

The fact that he didn't call the woman who gave birth to his body any form of mother, wasn't lost on anyone. However, so far it was just accepted as an odd quirk of his.

He had been parroting words, so he just addressed people by names instead of titles.

Shortly after he had said his parents' names, they would point at their own faces and repeat different versions of mom and dad in their language, and he had simply ignored that.

Eventually they gave up, and just accepted that when he called their name, he was talking to them.

"Rudy, I want you to explain everything to me, I need to know exactly what happened."

And so he answered as best he could while omitting most of the details.

He had simply been trying to read the fairytale on his own, and eventually he had tried to read the other books as well.

He had gotten the basic gist of the words by asking about them when they came up during bedtime and then pieced the rest together.

When he tried speaking the words out loud, something weird happened and then it led to this.

Zenith nodded her head a few times as she held the book and listened to his explanation.

"And you're okay, right?"

"Yeah, you fixed it."

She nodded her head again, and then glee exploded from her eyes and she made excited sounds and pulled him in a tight hug.

"My little boy is a genius!"

'Hmm, well I guess people react to things differently. And she is mage, maybe she's also lacking in common sense.'

He wasn't exactly expecting everything to go this smoothly, but he wasn't complaining.

After ensuring he was okay once more, she hefted him into her arms and carried him to Paul.

The man was currently having a hushed conversation with Lilia outside the house. Both of them jumped slightly as Zenith ran up to them, not that she noticed.

"Darling, you'll never believe what happened." And so she excitedly explained what happened. "If we get him a magic tutor now, he'll probably become a remarkable mage before he becomes a proper adult!"

"Ah, but didn't we promise that if it's a boy, then he'll become a swordsman?"

"Oh, now you care about keeping a promise?" She rolled her eyes.

A flash of guilt traveled across Paul's face as his eyes darted to Lilia and then towards the ground. "F-fair point. Okay, I'll head out soon and put up a notice." He looked somewhat ashamed of something as he rushed off.

Zenith made more excited noises and spun around with son in her arms.

"Okay, Rudy, no more reading this book for you, not until your tutor arrives, I don't want you to hurt yourself again."

He nodded, feeling slightly dizzy. "Understood."

"Lilia, could you help get started on properly teaching him to read and write?"

Almost imperceptibly, a glare filled with intense disdain and disgust met his eyes, before it disappeared behind an impassive mask.

"Of course, ma'am." The maid responded with a small bow of her head.

 

[Krak-Quinn]

For about a week or two, Lilia would read and explain the words and letters from the small selection of books in the Greyrat household to him for most of the day.

As he heard her speak and explain, he realized and remembered what she had occasionally said to him when he was still an infant.

"What are you looking at, you stillborn demon?"

"If you try anything with me, I'll smash your skull in."

And similar words.

It seemed like she disliked him. To a bizarre degree even.

There wasn't much he could do about that, so he just let it be since she hadn't done him any harm in his years of growing up. He did try to make their lessons as short as possible, he would prefer not to force someone who disliked him to spend more time with him than necessary.

It didn't take long before his magic tutor arrived.

His parents had painted the image of an old scholarly man with a long beard, so the young sleepy-looking girl at the doorstep was unexpected.

"I'm Roxy Migurdia, I look forward to working for you."

Eventually, Zenith overcame her shock. "Are you here for the magic tutoring job?"

Roxy nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready to start immediately, so if you would introduce me to my pupil."

"Aren't you, uh…" Paul trailed off as he looked over the blue haired girl.

"I graduated from Ranoa Magic Academy and I'm a Water Saint-class Magician."

"Oh." Paul nodded.

"If that's all, I really am ready to start right away."

"Hello."

Roxy looked down at him.

"My name's Rudeus Greyrat, it's nice to meet you." Introducing himself with a different name felt a little awkward on his tongue.

Roxy knelt down. "Nice to meet you too, could you introduce me to my student?"

"I'm pretty sure I just did."

She blinked at his response, and then she sighed and held her head in her arms. "Ah, of course, what did I expect from a job out in the sticks?"

After getting over her disappointment, she stood back up and questioned his parents.

And after explaining what had happened so far, she finally appeared to be taking this job somewhat seriously.

"So, how much of this book have you read?" While pacing around the backyard, Roxy asked as she flipped through the magic book he had been using, scanning the information on the pages.

"All of it."

"And how much did you understand?"

"Um, well, I understand what I think I understand, but I'm probably mistaken."

The memory of Tohsaka Rin explaining how he had been activating his Magic Circuits incorrectly for ten years was still clear in his mind.

Roxy sighed again. "Well, most of the things here are pretty clear, however some could be explained better. Was Ice Sword the only spell that even somewhat worked for you?"

"I think I got close with Fireball and Earth Bullet too, but yes, Ice Sword was the only spell to cause a clear change in reality."

"Hmm, have any Wind spells gotten close to working? And how exactly did you decide on that criteria?"

"Nope, none so far. And mainly by how much Mana seemingly disappears instead of just evaporating."

Roxy paused for a bit. "Can you attempt a Water Ball for me?" She asked as she began flipping through the pages of the book.

"Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call a refreshing burbling stream here and now. Water Ball!" Finally he shouted as loud as possible, however it didn't affect the spell much, he still failed.

"Ah, well good job memorizing the incantation." She closed the book. "Can you try again?" She moved in front of his outstretched hand.

He nodded and closed his eyes, the illustration of the book's Water Ball and the image of Zenith's Water Ball were traced from his memories, and he chanted once more.

And once more he had failed.

Roxy visibly shuttered, her entire form bristled. "Uwah, gross." She waddled away, and took a moment to compose herself.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah yeah, just… you definitely did something pretty interesting."

"Do you know where I'm messing up?"

He half expected her to turn around with a confident pose, one arm crossed and the other pointing up. However, she nervously looked back as she pulled the brim of her hat over her eyes.

"N-no, not yet."

'Ah, of course, Tohsaka was one of a kind.'

Even after learning of her true colors, she still inspired respect for herself in him.

"Let the great protection of ice be on the place thou seekest. I call upon the chill of a biting frost here and now. Ice Sword."

He picked up on the scent of a salt and garlic soup stock.

From the Mana Gems of Roxy's large staff, a well crafted sword made from ice manifested and stabbed itself into the ground. "Can you tell me how your sword appeared?"

The sword was truly excellent, aside from its material, it was indistinguishable from a regular blade.

And since it was newly created, with such a simple method, it was easily stored and accessible from Unlimited Blade Works. Meanwhile, Roxy's Staff was still in the middle of the processing stage.

"Rudeus." She called out for his attention.

"Oh, sorry. It's just your blade was so beautiful I got lost in it."

"Uh… thanks? So could you tell me the differences?"

"For one, my blade was about the size of a small and skinny dagger, it mostly appeared to just be a regular icicle, and it was manifested without a clear handle."

"Oh! My bad, it slipped my mind. Give me a second."

Roxy ran into the house.

As part of her job, and because the village had no inns, she would be given room and board here. She had already left her bag in her room.

In under a minute she reappeared, with a small wand in hand.

"Here you go, it's a training focus, it should help with learning how to use beginner magic."

"Thanks." He took the offered wand.

After Analyzing it, everything except the Mana Gem was ready to be Projected.

Even though his brain understood it, his soul simply couldn't store it yet, he could still make a hollow copy if he wanted. Or he could Reinforce it.

"Go ahead and try Water Ball again." Roxy said and moved out of the way.

"Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call a refreshing burbling stream—"

The red gem at the end of the wand shattered in an explosion of water.

About a gallon of water dispersed into the immediate vicinity, the gentle midday breeze eventually swept it all away.

"Sorry." He apologized for breaking the wand.

"…It's okay." Roxy said as she wiped her face dry, her blue hair was slightly frizzled.

He bent down and began sorting through the grass for the bits of the gem.

He had managed to collect about seventy percent of the gem, he guessed about five percent was still in the yard, and the remaining twenty-five percent had been turned to dust.

Roxy had mostly just watched him in silence for a while, she seemed to be observing him, and then she began going into detail about the origin of magic.

More than 7,000 years ago, in a time where chaos permeated every facet of the world, and endless wars were ravaging the lands, some sought to gain power to protect themselves.

High Elves, an ancient race, entreated and begged the Spirits of the Forest to teach them how to manipulate the winds and grounds.

After they learned how to bend nature to their will, humans saw their miracles and replicated them without being taught. Then Demons mimicked the humans and then they developed the spells by creating a new way to activate magic.

Basically, some Nature Spirits had taught High Elves magic, and then Humans mimicked them, and then Demons modified it further.

'So in the end, is this a branch of Spirit Invocation? That would make sense but…'

"But I don't feel any spiritual beings around, Miss Migurdia. How exactly are we communicating with them?"

"Ahem, uh that's a little bit more complicated, you probably wouldn't get it within a couple lectures. Most humans don't think about this topic, since they don't hold any reverence for the Spirits. Their current studies are primarily theological."

"I understand."

He didn't, not really, but he could make a guess. Seven thousand years was a long time, the Nature Spirits have probably declined into less physical concepts as humanity progressed into the future.

When people had shelter, farms, and their own means of protecting themselves, their faith in and dependence on other beings slowly faded away.

Well, he couldn't be sure he was anywhere within the ballpark with his explanation, he hadn't really paid attention to Kiritsugu's lecture on Mystery and the Age of Man.

"Can you tell me how exactly Demons modified spell-casting?"

"They're called Magic Arrays. Old Demons deciphered the meaning behind some incantations and transcribed them. Then they learned what happened when a segment was altered. You know what? Give me another second, I can just show you what I mean."

Then she went back inside.

And came back out after a bit with a small bundle of parchment, a quill, and an almost empty bottle of ink.

"Fortunately, I still have some magic ink left. I keep forgetting to restock. Anyway, let's try something else."

She sat down on the steps of the house and began drawing a Magic Array with precise strokes and curves.

She made a circle, surrounded it with various symbols, and then finished it off with three curvey loops in triangle formation in the center. After waiting for the ink to dry, she placed a finger against the outer circle and then the grainy black ink shone as a light gust of wind shot up from the parchment.

"Now you try, limit yourself if you can, and slowly raise the amount of Mana."

He nodded, and then he placed an index finger against the dry ink, he opened a link between himself and the array before he began channeling Mana.

Almost immediately it went wrong.

The paper exploded and was torn to shreds.

Wild lashes of razor sharp winds shot out like shrapnel.

Fortunately the cuts were shallow, however they still bled a lot.

"Sorry."

Luckily it seemed that Roxy's clothes took the brunt of the blades, her skin was only slightly scratched.

And Rudeus had various cuts along his arms and face.

Roxy quickly performed a Healing on him and herself after calming down.

And then she sulked in her knees and arms.

It didn't take long for her to speak up.

"I… I don't think I'm qualified to help you."

"Oh. I see."

"I think it's something like a manifestation of an internal factor, or maybe an overload of sorts, but either way, I know nothing of magical complications."

'Oh.'

"I only know how to use magic, I didn't study anything else. A true Magician would have the actual knowledge required to help you. I'm… just a… fake. And this I just another one of my failures."

Her words seemed to be aimed more towards herself as scorn than any excuse.

'I had thought I could do it because it's another world, but I guess I was mistaken.'

"Why can birds fly? Why can fish swim? Why can humans walk? It's only natural, because birds have wings, fish have fins, and humans have legs."

Roxy looked up, her eyes appeared slightly moist and filled with bewilderment, and then she realized she was looking at a literal child.

He didn't really know how to explain this, but he had to try to get his point across without revealing too much.

"Some people are born smarter, or stronger, or more skilled than some. There's something called talent, it is what we call being naturally good at something. So perhaps, I simply have no talent for magic, it's simply not in my nature."

Roxy wiped away her budding tears.

"However, I doubt that means I was born defective in everything, I just have to discover where my talent lies. What is in my nature as R-Rudeus Greyrat?" He almost stumbled over his new name.

"Well, I guess some people do use different amounts of Mana to cast a spell with similar strength, so maybe you're right. But still, this just isn't my area."

"Then you can simply make it so. I need help, any help would do, and I want to repay you for breaking your wand. I wouldn't mind if you studied whatever is wrong or different about me in the meantime."

Roxy sniffed and looked away. "It was supposed to be a gift for new students anyway, you don't owe me anything."

He stood up and walked in front of Roxy.

"Regardless, you could still work and live here until you make up the cost, and then you could leave, or you could continue to teach me while learning about uh, people's personal connections to elements."

He tried to make his conviction clear as he stared into her eyes.

He was sorry that he broke her wand, even if it was a gift, and he doubted anyone would be truly qualified to help him.

This girl was young, and yet she already graduated, clearly she was a prodigy of sorts, so maybe she could reach an understanding about what was wrong and then lead him to an alternative.

If not, then he would just solely focus on getting his Magecraft to work.

Roxy cleared her throat as she stood up and she used the brim of her hat to cover her smiling face.

"Ah well, if you really want my help that badly, I guess it can't be helped. Still, don't expect any miracles."

She muttered that final part.

"Thanks Miss Migurdia, I look forward to learning from you."

 

[Krak-Quinn]

The reality that he had possessed enough mental capabilities to comprehend magic, acted as a catalyst and shifted the dynamics in the Greyrat household.

Previously, Rudeus was just perceived as a well behaved and above average child, but now Zenith considered her son a genius. So she was actively engaging in full conversation with him.

He took advantage of her eagerness to talk and questioned her about some of the topics he had read about in their books.

Shirou also began observing her as she cooked, and somehow he had missed the fact she had a small garden in the yard. It wasn't exactly hidden, but it was a quiet hobby and no one had mentioned it so far.

Whereas Zenith appeared to be delighted with his inquisitive nature and intelligence, Lilia would look at him with a barely hidden hatred whenever he asked questions.

Lilia really didn't like him, that much was clear.

She had never really given out any obvious hints to that fact, but she could never completely conceal it. In fact, her glares grew more frequent as time passed.

Paul didn't change much at first, he mostly seemed occupied with something else. But about a week after his son began learning magic, he had asked Rudeus if he wanted to train with him in swordsmanship.

He accepted since he would probably learn more efficiently if he had a teacher. Unfortunately, his body was still too small for proper training, so he was sidelined to light exercise and observing Paul practicing.

In the month since Roxy arrived, his spell casting capabilities hadn't really changed much.

'Maybe it would go smoother if I revealed my hand?'

While seated in the center of his room, moonlight was shining upon the Ice Sword in his hands. He hadn't been able to successfully cast it, but he had no difficulty Projecting the one Roxy had made.

Honestly, he was almost ready to abandon learning this world's magic and focus on repairing UBW, however he wasn't one to call it quits after a few setbacks.

Still, he was definitely mismatched for the magic of this world.

His Od could only be used to activate the spells from his world, and he was beginning to wonder if he would have an easier time learning magic if he closed his Magic Circuits.

When he combined Od and Mana, the Magical Energy was inefficient and his failed spells took more fuel. So a key factor was rendered pointless.

Even after Tracing Roxy's Ice Sword, and gaining the knowledge about how her Mana had acted as she casted the spell, he was still incapable of casting it himself.

When he Projected the blade, his Mana would re-enact how it had acted, and the Ice Sword would manifest. Yet, he couldn't perform the spell on his own without it going wrong.

Instead of risking his hands again, he would use a Projected Magic Wand.

After the Mana Gem was destroyed, he gathered up the pieces, and analyzed it repeatedly until he could create something that wasn't completely hollow. It definitely wasn't cost efficient, but it was expendable.

"Let the great protection of ice be on the place thou seekest. I call upon the chill of a biting frost here and now. Ice Sword."

His Mana was simply incapable of independently acting the same without guidance.

And so he always got the same result.

The gem in the wand would shatter and a star of ice would form around it.

The only thing that had changed during his solo training was that he could now at least finish the incantation before his spell failed.

After exhausting his Mana Veins, a feat that now took a while, he went to sleep.

…

…

He pulled back his bowstring without an arrow knocked, and then after it became taut, he Projected an arrow to fire. It pierced clean through the skull of a young soldier. He repeated this action again and again.

He woke up from a nightmare without much fuss. He had gone to sleep around midnight and the sun was barely peeking across the horizon.

He wasn't Emiya Shirou anymore, he didn't have to get up early to cook breakfast and go to school.

Sakura wasn't here to rouse him up if he overslept, and Taiga wasn't here to lecture him on his sleeping habits, but he still woke up each day with the same expectations of cooking for the both of them.

He only needed a moment before he remembered that he had been reincarnated as Rudeus Greyrat.

He stared at his hands for a moment.

Shirou, that had been his name before the Great Fire.

Emiya had been the family name he took on after being adopted. And with it he also took on the ideal of being a Hero of Justice.

Archer, that was the only name he called his possible future self, because he struggled to accept that he could become that disillusioned. After Archer's arm was attached, he had been flooded with experiences and he understood the hell he had experienced, but he still couldn't accept it.

Shirou. Emiya. Archer. Rudeus Greyrat.

He had no qualms about being called a new name, and yet he couldn't throw away who he had been or he might've become. However, who he was didn't particularly matter, he only cared about becoming a proper Hero of Justice.

Even without enhancing his hearing, he could still hear a light bustle coming from the kitchen.

He left his room and entered a quiet hallway, and as he walked down the staircase, he was able to pick up on the sound of a kitchen knife colliding with a wood.

It was Lilia, she was cutting through meat of some kind.

"Good morning." He called out from across the room.

Lilia's entire body shifted, her center of gravity was moved onto her good leg and her grip on the knife changed. "Good morning." She responded without turning around and facing him.

A beat passed, then she went back to chopping.

"Do you need any help?"

"No."

Western food wasn't exactly his specialty, but he thought he was good enough, regardless he couldn't just take over the kitchen. Especially not when he was unwelcomed.

The itch to cook didn't just disappear, so he had to channel his focus elsewhere.

"I'm stepping outside for a quick moment, I won't go far."

The thunk of a steel meeting wood played through the house repeatedly.

He walked away without getting a response.

As he exited the house, a chilly breeze washed over his skin. It wouldn't be long until it began to snow.

The horse wasn't in the stable, so Paul had probably already left to patrol.

He hopped the small stone partition and walked behind the stable.

'Lilia might be watching me, so I have to make sure she doesn't see anything.'

After finding a good enough angle, he held out his hand as if he was holding a bow.

He tightened his grip on the Projected wooden bow as it appeared in his hold. Reflexively, his body posture shifted as he went through the motions.

To Shirou, archery hadn't exactly been a passion but it was something that naturally cleared his mind.

As he pulled the string taut, his body froze; if he manifested an arrow, he would kill someone.

He hadn't even recognized that he had subconsciously chosen a target.

A farmer was checking on his field about two hundred meters away, unaware his life was at risk.

He dismissed the bow and hopped back into his yard.

In another effort to clear his mind, he went through his daily physical training, and he continued to do so until Paul arrived back home.

He knew from the scanning the sword that it was quiet out there.

After Paul dismounted his horse and spent a few minutes tending to it, he came over to chat with his son. "You're up early." He was rather casual.

"I think I need more things to do."

Paul blinked. "Why do you say that?"

"I'm learning how to read, write, do magic, and I'm preparing for sword training. But I still have a lot of spare time and unspent energy. More books would be nice, or I can also be taught to cook, or even tend to the garden or the horse."

Paul blinked again, then he scratched at the back of his head. "Alright, I guess, if you really think you could handle it, I'll talk with Zenith and Lilia about teaching you some stuff. And, uh, follow me."

For about an hour, he was told the basics of caring for a horse.

Paul would occasionally glance at his face, and he even asked repeatedly if he was still interested in learning.

The lesson only came to end when Zenith peeked outside and informed them that breakfast was ready.

During the meal, Paul brought up the matter.

Zenith was positively thrilled her son was eager to learn.

Roxy gave some advice about not pushing himself too much.

And Lilia's knuckles turned white as she clenched her fists, but she didn't voice any sentiments that hinted at her displeasure.

…

…

"Miss Migurdia, do I seem like a Demon?"

It was just a bit past midday, and he was in the middle of his magic lessons when he suddenly asked his question.

"Not particularly, no."

Roxy answered without much thought. She was busy with writing down something.

"Do I share any traits with any?"

"No, not really."

"Is there anything about me that even seems Demon-like?"

"Uh, I guess your eyes seem a bit odd, but outside of that, no."

"My eyes? What's wrong with them?"

"Ah, well, silver is a pretty unnatural color."

'Silver? Oh.'

"I hadn't seen my eyes, so I didn't know."

He had probably caught a glimpse of them, but he must've subconsciously ignored it.

"Why do you ask? Do you think your issue is demon related?"

"No, not really."

He didn't really elaborate further, he just continued to fail at casting spells for a while.

Roxy had lectured him on various magic-using races, Demons were mentioned and she had also given personal accounts on the discrimination she had faced. It made him wonder if he really did remind Lilia of a Demon, and if that was where her hatred stemmed from.

After a while, the sun began to set and his Mana Veins were almost empty. He decided to pour nearly everything left into his final shot. His posture automatically shifted into something more familiar, and his mind became clear.

"Let the great protection of ice be on the place thou seekest. I call upon the chill of a biting frost here and now. Ice Sword."

He released an imaginary drawstring, all his Mana was consumed as a large blade of ice shot forth but it melted and evaporated into a mist after traveling a few feet.

Still, he had managed to see it in action.

He visualized a gun pressed against his head and fired it, as the hammer slammed down, all of his Magic Circuits switched on.

Shirou had to memorize the actual feeling while it was still fresh, using up all of his reserved Magical Energy he managed to Project his own Ice Sword about five times.

His focus was entirely on how his Magical Energy moved as he casted the spell.

It was only after he was done, that he realized he had just casted a semi-successful spell, and then the effect was repeated five more times without a chant.

He turned to look at Roxy, her face was riddled with questions.

Most of which she voiced, and he had managed to weasel around.

In the end, it was just charted down as an unexplainable phenomenon for now.

Finally, he was finally getting somewhere with the magic of this world.

 

[Krak-Quinn]

"I'm stepping outside for a quick moment, I won't go far."

The thunk of a steel meeting wood played through the house repeatedly.

She didn't respond.

"Lilia, I'm not a Demon."

Then he walked away.

As he exited the house, a chilly breeze washed over his skin. It wouldn't be long until it began to snow.

The horse wasn't in the stable, so Paul had probably already left to patrol.

He walked to the center of the yard and focused on getting his magic to work.

After a few minutes, he was completely focused and he almost missed the sound of steel singing through the air right behind him.

Instinctively, he ducked down and rolled away before launching himself back up and facing the danger.

Lilia held a sword in her hands, and cold hatred was burning in her eyes. "A normal child would've died." She said, and raised her sword once more. "I'll have to get rid of you while you're still weak."

It was obvious she was determined, that this couldn't be resolved with mere words.

Unfortunately, she was currently wielding one of Paul's spare swords, so it didn't give away her own style or skill.

'Kill or be killed.'

Before he could even realize it, Roxy's Ice Sword formed in his hand, he Reinforced it and he took on a stance he learned form Paul's sword. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Then die." She launched off with one foot and swung her sword aiming for his neck.

He parried her first strike, and he had to dodge her second one, but as he blocked her third strike, his sword was sliced clean through.

The effects of her Mana around her blade had surged with her final strike, he was unfamiliar with her moves and hadn't been truly fighting to kill.

Her sword tore straight through his shoulder and most of his lung and ribcage, but then a rock spear pierced through her skull, causing her blade to cease.

The damage was already done.

The lifeblood of two different people stained the yard.

He was having trouble remaining awake.

Roxy and Zenith were both rushing up to him, he couldn't hear their voices but he recognized the green glow they emitted.

Pain exploded from his wounds as large swords bursted from his body.

The two women kneeling next to him, attempting to heal him, were stabbed and impaled.

They both died instantly.

...

...

Paul staggered into the yard, his eyes wide with disbelief.

A boy with numerous blades sticking out his body, two people impaled on them, and a person with a bloody sword in hand and a hole in her head.

"I'm... sorry." The boy mumbled with his final breaths.

...

...

Bad End!

---

Enter Tiger Dojo?

Yes!

...

...

It was the dojo at his old estate, Shirou was back in his own house, in his own world.

"So it was a dream after all." Even as he muttered these words, he didn't believe them.

"Foolish Shirou!"

A shinai was slammed down and it bounced back up off the top of his head.

He didn't feel physically sore, but he was still crippled with pain.

"Shirou?" The one wielding the practice sword asked from behind him.

He couldn't move.

They walked around and couched down in front of him. "Shirou, you shouldn't blame yourself."

He grasped his chest as he struggled to breathe. "I-I couldn't save you, Fuji-nee." He responded without looking up.

"I'm the adult, so it's my responsibility to be the one protecting you. My safety shouldn't ever have been your concern."

"S-some adult, you watch cartoons all day long." His jab felt hollow.

Taiga Fujimura had died, that was all that mattered.

He hadn't saved her, and she died.

"I wish, I honestly wish that this was real, that what comfort you could gain from this would affect the version of you who's living with your concerns buried deep beneath it all.

"What is this place?"

"Tiger Dojo, it's a place where heaven and hell meet, where nonsensically non-canon things happen. But more importantly, it's where I review your work and point out your mistakes!"

"Alright, so Tiger Sensei, where did I go wrong?"

"Lilia had been struggling with your existence, but by giving words to her concerns, you've tipped her over the edge."

"What happens now?"

"Everything and nothing, this is the end but we'll live on. [Let's go!]" Taiga shouted the final part in English.

 

[Krak-Quinn]

It had been about a full year since Roxy had arrived to tutor him, but the progression of his spells didn't really reflect that.

After semi-successfully casting Ice Sword, and studying his Mana in motion, he arrived at a conclusion from his observations.

His Mana could best be described as too intense. The speed and power of it was well above what was required for a spell.

And he couldn't quite control it in its raw form, as he was simply inept at manipulating it in his Mana Veins. So even though he was operating at a loss, if he formed Magical Energy with it, then he could at least sort of cast spells.

By attempting to cast a spell with the mindset of firing an arrow, he would sometimes succeed in a loose sense of the word.

Unstable was probably the best description of his magic. Ice would shatter. Wind would dissipate. Fire would fade. Water would evaporate. So far, only Earth would remain intact after being fired.

And when night came, and he trained his own magic, the futility of learning spells only became more pronounced.

He could create about two hundred steel arrows for the cost of casting Earth Spear.

The only advantage of the magic of this world was the efficient transfer of Mana to mass.

If he focused enough to cast the initial spell, without carrying if it failed, he could create a massive amount of Water or Stone.

The temperatures of Fire and Ice could both reach extreme limits. And Wind could be pumped with an abundance of force.

If he had managed to actually use the spells proper, he had no doubt they would be invaluable. However, he just couldn't do consistently enough to matter.

His Elemental Affinity was Sword, and so was his Origin. The overlap had opened the door for him to learn UBW, but it also closed the doors on most other elemental magics.

Roxy had been observing him and even herself, it seemed she was following up on what he had said about Affinities under the label of talent.

She had begun taking notes almost every day, but that wasn't the only thing she was observing.

Mana Veins, what he called the pathway through which he generated Mana, he had brought up the topic in passing, and it had also caught Roxy's interest.

On the other side of his development, he had been rapidly learning swordsmanship.

After confirming he was physically fit enough, Paul had begun to teach him the basics. He quickly burned through those, and then came actual practice.

He couldn't manage the same form of physical enhancement that Paul used, but he made up for it with Reinforcement.

In a few months, he had reached about a sixth of Paul's skill, and about a fourth of his strength. Of course, his actual fighting prowess was halved when he was using a nameless blade against another nameless blade.

He probably seemed odd, his skill with magic and swords would shift around wildly depending on the circumstance.

However, his other skills were developing along a steady slope of improvement.

He had a passing sense of literacy, and so he was also now being taught more topics. And with his high-school education, he breezed past most of them.

Zenith and Lilia were also responsible for teaching him other more housekeeping-like skills.

He was taught about different vegetables, herbs, then how to grow, prepare and cook them. He was also taught how to sew and properly maintain clothing.

Zenith, Paul, and Roxy were all very impressed with him, however Lilia only grew colder with each passing day.

Her hatred wasn't vocal, but if she didn't have to spend time teaching him, she would find something to do far away from him.

Perhaps if Zenith and Paul weren't blinded by pride in their son for learning so quickly, they might've noticed. Roxy was just too consumed in her notes to pay attention to the subtle things.

And he had thought he was the most observant member of the house, but one day during lunch, he was just as surprised as everyone else when Lilia had stepped forth and spoke.

"I'm pregnant."

The light chatter between Paul and Zenith died immediately.

The quill in Roxy's hand froze.

Silence filled the house for a moment.

"C'mon Roxy, let's give them some room."

He simply got out of his seat and dragged his shocked magic tutor away.

As he exited the house, he heard a few screams and shouts.

The sun was shining bright in the clear blue sky.

He could feel something itching in his mind.

Rudeus' parents had been doing the deed almost every night until Zenith became exhausted. Shirou had simply ignored the noises, and didn't think about it in the slightest.

At some point, the noises would continue even after Zenith went to sleep, and again he didn't offer a single thought on the topic.

But now it was clear in his mind, what exactly he had been hearing.

'Paul, you've dug your own grave.'

Although he had a desire to save people, he wasn't one to help someone out of messes they made themselves. Mistakes were part of maturing and correcting those were a step to become a respectable person.

A few hours had gone by, but the shouting in the house hadn't really lessened much.

After their magic lesson was over, Roxy had sheepishly retreated to her room.

He wasn't exactly in a hurry, and he hadn't thought the argument would last so long, however from what he was hearing, it was mostly just circling around pointlessly, fueled by Zenith's fury.

Paul and Lilia were sorry, but aside from that, they had little to respond with.

Lilia was fine with leaving, as was Zenith, however Paul didn't want anything to change.

Obviously, the future of their lives was the main topic of the argument.

As Paul was the one teaching him how to fight with a sword, and was paying for his magic lessons, he would probably try to stay with him regardless of everything else.

"It's clear you guys aren't getting anywhere with this."

He didn't want to involve himself in the affair, but he could lend a hand if it was really needed.

The three adults shifted their focus to him.

"I don't really have much to say."

He didn't really have experience giving relationship advice, in fact he only experienced what love might've been a few days before his death. It was now a bitter-sweet feeling.

"Zenith, take some time to think about your future."

Right now she emotions were probably blinding her, but she needed to be logical with her decisions.

"Paul, you don't really have any grounds to object to anything Zenith wants, you've made a mistake, it's up to her how she'll deal with it."

He was already pretty passive, but he was also stubborn with his desire for everything to remain the same. However, that wasn't his choice to make.

"Lilia, the best thing you could do is explain the reasons behind your actions."

She was a reserved person by nature, so she probably hadn't felt the need to say her side of the story.

"I wish I could give some actual advice, but I can't. So just know that I'm thankful for this life, and you've all done a great job taking care of me."

Then Shirou left for his room.

He hadn't really provided anything useful to the conversation, but he hoped it would help calmer minds prevail.

…

…

A few months after they reached an agreement, Lilia finally gave birth.

Aisha Greyrat.

That was the name they gave the newborn girl.

The air inside the house had been awkward for quite a while during the pregnancy, but eventually Zenith warmed back up to Lilia.

He wasn't privy to all the details of the resolution, since he had given them privacy as it was an important topic.

But the nighttime noises had ceased all together, and as a result, Paul had a lot of pent up energy. So their sparring matches grew in intensity with each passing day.

Shirou wasn't complaining, it did help him grow stronger, so a few bruises and cuts were meaningless.

Today was slightly different though.

Paul was using his real sword and he had given his child a real sword as well.

"Sorry, Aisha's birth kinda overshadowed you turning five yesterday, we'll celebrate in a while after things return to normal. And from now on, I'll be training you for real." Paul went on to explain his version of a chivalric code, it was pretty basic for a knight of the people.

"Of course." Shirou nodded along, he would have no trouble striving to protect the weak and attempting to defeat evil.

As he held his own personal sword in his hands, he knew his overall skill had dropped with the unused blade, but since it was real steel, the danger it held had risen exponentially.

Reinforcement, a spell from his world, used magical energy to fill in the gaps of objects and enhance its purpose.

When it was used on a dull wooden training sword, it had focused on making it more durable as the item wasn't made to be sharp.

But on a real sword, a weapon designed to cut, slice, slash and stab, it focused on enhancing the sharp blade.

So, he traded skill for danger.

Roxy was watching them, ready to heal him up if necessary. She appeared nervous as real blades were now being used.

As the unfamiliar steel rested in his palms, he stood a distance away from Paul, and they stared at each other, both waiting for the first move.

Paul had taught him everything he could when it came to basic sword fighting.

A loud boom reached his ears as Paul lunged forth, his legs stopped but his arm kept moving.

At the moment, the sword would smash against Shirou's own and the tip of it would graze along his ribcage. He twisted his sword, pulled his arm in, and shifted his feet on the ground.

Sparks danced through the air and his feet dug small trenches as he struggled to stay standing.

Paul stared down impassively as he put more force behind his sword.

Shirou barely managed to deflect it as he jumped away.

For the rest of the sparring match, Paul would use the same amount of overwhelming strength, and every time he would just barely be able to block or dodge the strikes.

And when the match came to an end, he was physically exhausted but unscathed.

Paul seemed proud, his impassive mask melted away and he cheerfully lifted and spun around his child.

Roxy sighed in relief that her service wasn't needed.

And then before his magic lesson began that day, she handed him two things. "I had a hard time locating someone willing to create it in time."

It was a bow made of a similar material as the wand, and it had a Mana Gem embedded into the grip.

During his training, he had made use of the Mana Gem shards, he had achieved various results, most of which allowed him to cast a stable spell.

He had also displayed an interest in archery and he began dabbling in the basics, mostly as an excuse to cover for his familiarity with it.

Shirou firmly gripped the wood and embedded gem, he aimed at a distant rock, and as he chanted his body followed along. As he drew back the bowstring, he felt a connection form between his two hands.

Since he lacked fine control of his Mana, he had learned that he couldn't actually do everything that a standard spell required, instead he could only focus on a single aspect.

"Let the great protection of ice be on the place thou seekest."

Mana flooded the link, and a cool breeze drifted off. The spell was incomplete, he stopped it before it could manifest and shatter.

And then he opened another link to the Mana Gem.

"I call upon the chill of a biting frost here and now. Ice Sword!"

As he released his hold on the string, the link from his back hand was cut off and it snapped to his forehand.

The loaded up Mana and incomplete spell information was forced into the Mana Gem which held the rest of the information.

A crystal clear blade of ice manifested and shot forth at dazzling speeds, it pierced clear through the boulder about a few dozen meters away.

"Thanks Miss Migurdia, this is a great gift."

"I'm just glad it came out okay, now I finally feel like I've done something right as your tutor."

Now finally he could reliably cast a spell from this world. It probably would've made more sense to cast Ice Arrow, but that costed twice as much Magical Energy.

 

[Krak-Quinn]

It had taken a while but he was now able to reliably use Attack Magic, as long as he was using his custom bow-wand.

This world categorized its magic into three main fields, Attack, Healing and Summoning.

Since he could now use the Attack portion, he considered it time to learn Healing Magic.

He needed to be able to heal an injured person, as this world lacked modern medicines and medical practices, so even minor wounds and illnesses could prove to be fatal.

In his bed during the dead of night, he Projected a small dagger and lightly sliced open his palm.

"Let this divine power be converted into a satisfying nourishment, and bestowed unto those who have lost the strength to stand once more. Healing."

His wound glowed brightly as his skin knitted closed itself.

'…'

He made another cut, and chanted again.

The wound vanished almost immediately.

Shirou stared blankly at his palm for a moment.

"Seriously?"

Since he had problems doing Attack Magic, he hadn't wanted to move on before fixing them, and so he had never even attempted Healing before.

'Uh… I guess it's not elemental magic, so I should've known.'

There weren't any difficulties performing the magic, his Mana was used up at reasonable cost which was insignificant to his massive capacity.

He didn't have any poison on hand, so he couldn't test whether or not Detoxification worked, but it didn't consume an excessive amount of Mana when he attempted it.

…

…

He had gotten a full night of sleep.

There weren't any other spells he could try out, and the more he dreamed of Archer, the more UBW became unraveled.

Again, he woke up with the lingering thought of preparing breakfast for Sakura and Taiga, however, this time he couldn't hear any noises from the kitchen.

After Reinforcing his hearing, he could pick up on the sleeping breathing of everyone else in the house. He then remembered that he had filtered out the incessant crying from the newborn last night.

Aisha was pretty loud, and she seemed to have a lot of energy considering she had just been born two days ago.

"Well, if no one else will, I guess I can make something."

He didn't want to waste or use up the stored food, so he only used what they had excess of. Shirou prepared a lightly seasoned vegetable soup.

Paul had woken up and stumbled down the stairs with a yawn, he blinked a few times as he realized his son was cooking in the kitchen alone.

After getting over his initial shock, he hesitantly accepted a bowl of soup. Paul slowly brought up a spoon to his mouth, and after confirming the flavor, he greedily slurped down two bowls.

"Man, that was pretty darn good."

And so forth was a string of complements of the soup.

After eating his own food, he changed the topic.

"Paul, is it okay if I explore outside? Zenith and Lilia are too busy to teach me anything, so I have a lot of free time now."

"Yeah sure, I'm heading out to patrol for a bit, want me to give you a tour?"

"Would that be okay? I won't be getting in the way?"

"Nah, it's been really quiet lately, but even if a beast shows up, I'll protect you." Paul flashed a grim and flexed his well toned arms.

And so, Paul helped him mount a horse, sat behind him and then gave him the reins.

There weren't any bumps or hiccups along the way, he just had to follow the instructions as to how to steer a horse.

The village wasn't anything particularly special, and he was greeted by a few strangers, he returned their greeting all the way through the tour he received.

Eventually, they arrived at a forest near the opposite outskirts of the village. A few hunters greeted Paul and him as they went about their days.

He was able to witness their swords and bows, so he got a grasp on what they had experienced in the forest.

Paul bragged about him for quite a while, he even tried goading a few of the men to fight his son. No one took up his offer.

After the tour and patrol ended, Paul and him went their separate ways. The path back home hadn't been too complex, so he felt comfortable exploring.

And eventually his ears picked up the light sniffling of someone crying.

He followed the sounds into the edge of the woods.

A green haired kid was curled up near a tree.

'Green hair?'

He remembered Roxy's explanation about the Superd, a Demon tribe of crazed warriors.

As he approached, in his mind he loaded a gun and pressed it against his skull.

"Are you okay?"

The kid's long ears twitched violently and they sprang up and attempted to flee. After tripping over an exposed root, they began crying.

"L-leave m-me a-alone." They begged with a high pitched voice. "I'm n-not a D-ddemon." They curled up in a ball and covered their head.

He had seen their forehead and they were lacking a red gem, but that wasn't exactly proof they weren't a Demon.

But that didn't particularly matter, since they hadn't attacked him and instead tried to flee, so he didn't feel any immediate hostility or wariness towards them.

"I'm Rudeus, Rudeus Greyrat." His new name still felt weird. "Can you tell me your name?"

The crying and sniffing eventually stopped, and they peeked out from beneath their arms. "It's S-Sylphiette." Long leaf-like ears twitched.

"It's nice to meet you, Sylphiette." He gave her a reassuring smile. "Are you lost? Do you know how to get home?"

The Demon-Elf(?) kid looked to be a five year old girl, however their appearance could be misleading, Demons did age differently, Roxy was apparently in her late thirties and not a young teenager like he first assumed.

Sylphiette wiped away her tears from her face. "Y-yes, uh, I mean n-no." She sniffled as she wiped her face clean. "I'm not lost."

"Then did something bad or scary happen?"

If they weren't a Demon, then she was just a child crying in the woods.

Her eyes watered back up. "T-they were throwing mud and rocks at me." She began crying again. "A-and calling me a D-demon."

Shirou risked getting closer, and then knelt down next to her. "Are you injured anywhere?"

While crying, she nodded meekly.

He couldn't exactly see any wounds, and the scent of blood was entirely absent. Gently, he reached out. "Can you lend me your hand?"

A moment passed before she sat up and faced him, then she nervously nodded and reached out her hand to him.

He grasped her hand, she jumped slightly but didn't shake him off.

He closed his eyes, and Analyzed her body. His Magical Energy swam through her form, and it scanned everything about her.

Her body was almost identical to a human, her makeup was just slightly different. She was definitely female and aside from light bruises, she was unharmed.

She also possessed Mana Veins, and her Mana had the scent of gasoline, but she didn't have any Magic Circuits.

He had definitely thought the residents of this world were lacking there, mainly because they already had Mana Veins. Which were definitely better, since they could grow with use.

"Healing."

His shortened spell hardly used up any Magical Energy, he just needed enough to relieve the slight swelling on the surface of her skin, and the irritation in her eyes and throat from her crying.

"Hygup." She hiccuped. "Hoohh." She sighed.

He opened his eyes and stared directly into Sylphiette's wide eyes. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better." She said almost breathlessly.

He stood up and helped her to her feet. "That's good. Now can you tell me exactly what happened?"

As it turns out, she was getting bullied for having green hair, similar to a Demon's hair.

And there weren't a lot of other kids around, so she didn't have any friends to stick up for her. The adults didn't seem too bothered with correcting their children's behavior.

'Well that sucks.'

He could somewhat relate, he had occasionally been mocked for having auburn hair in his past life, and he hadn't really cared about it, however Taiga was a different story, she would passionately defend him.

"Sylphiette, would you mind if we became friends?"

"Huh? Really?"

"Yeah, I want to be your friend—ah."

He was interrupted by a tight hug, and then she began crying again. He did his best to comfort her.

There wasn't much he could do to help this bullied child, but he could be here for her.

After Sylphiette was done crying, she eagerly began peppering him with questions and facts about her life.

He explained most of his life as he learned about hers.

"Are you really learning magic?"

That seemed to be the thing that intrigued her the most. He almost wanted to say no, but that was just the remnants of his mindset from his past life. Here, in this world, magic wasn't a secret.

No one would be stabbed in the heart if they stumbled upon a magic duel.

"Yeah." He nodded and subtly Projected a Mana Gem shard in his palm as he raised his hand. "Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest."

A pint of water jumped up from his palm before falling down and evaporating.

"Wow, I wish I could do that, it looks so cool."

"…Point your hand out and repeat after me."

"Huh? Okay?"

"Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call a refreshing burbling stream here and now. Water Ball." He spoke slowly, allowing her to follow along.

"Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call a refreshing burbling stream here and now. Water Ball."

A small ball of water formed in her outstretched palm.

"Ah!?" She yelped in shock, and the water splashed down. "D-d-d-did I do that?"

"Yeah, and you could do it again." He repeated the incantation for her.

After she said the chant again, she made another ball of water. And then happily pranced around a bit before she dove in for another hug.

"If you don't mind, Sylphiette, could I hold your hand as you cast the spell again?"

"Um, s-sure." Her hand was pretty warm.

He grasped the structure of her body once more and felt her Mana as she casted the spell once more.

"Careful, if you use up all your Mana, you'll fall asleep."

"O-okay."

Even though she didn't cast another spell, she didn't let go of his hand.

Not that he minded, as he was busy picking apart the structure of her spell for a while.

"Sylphiette, do you want to come over to my place? I'm pretty sure I can convince my tutor to teach you the basics of magic."

If he could observe her growth, he might find a way to properly cast spells without assistance.

"S-sure."

He led her through the village and all the way back to his place.

She hadn't let go of his hand the entire way there.

Roxy Migurdia was sitting atop the small stone wall that surrounded the house, she was busy writing something down.

After greeting her and explaining what had happened, he asked her if she could teach Sylphiette.

She was on the fence about it, but he managed to convince her by telling her that the young girl could be another point of reference for her research into Elemental Affinities and Mana Veins.

He let them get acquainted and went inside to check in.

Aisha was crying again, Zenith was trying to pacify her and Lilia was trying to cook, but she appeared to be falling asleep on her feet.

"Lilia, don't push yourself. Get some rest if you're tired."

She couldn't even muster up a glare as he walked up beside her. Her hatred had mostly taken a backseat during her pregnancy, and instead she appeared fearful or anxious.

"I… I don't have the right to rest."

'What a troublesome personality.'

He reached a hand against her hip, and then he Analyzed her body. Aside from general fatigue, and light tears from giving birth, her leg muscles were weakened and contaminated with some kind of poison.

"Healing."

It had taken quite a lot of his Magical Energy to completely heal her ailments.

She gasped and stumbled away. Her eyes were wide and contained some complex emotions.

"Still, Lilia, take care of yourself, you are a mother now."

His own mother was still a sore topic, even after all these years, her form was obscured by scorching flames in his memories. If he tried to reach her, tried to remember her, he felt like he was being burnt all over again.

On his way back outside, he also gave a moment to Analyze both Zenith and Aisha. They were pretty healthy, but he still Healed them to be on the safe side.

Aisha stopped crying after being healed and began giggling.

Zenith hugged him and began talking about how proud she was, it took a while before she released him.

Back outside, Roxy was lecturing an attentive Sylphiette.

Paul soon came outside and began sparring with him.

The young girl watching the spar would gasp at nearly every move.

Every time he was pushed back, and his muscles and bones were screaming for a break, he would cast Healing on himself and charge back in for more.

 

[Krak-Quinn]

He risked getting closer, and knelt down next to her. "Are you injured anywhere?"

While crying, Sylphiette nodded.

He couldn't exactly see any wounds, and the scent of blood was entirely absent. Gently, he reached out. "Can you lend me your hand?"

A moment passed before she sat up and faced him, then she nervously nodded and reached out her hand to him.

He grasped her hand, she jumped slightly but didn't shake him off.

"Let this divine power be converted into a satisfying nourishment, and bestowed unto those who have lost the strength to stand once more. Healing."

Blood splashed on his face.

The small body of the five year old girl exploded as thousands of miniature swords manifested inside her.

...

...

Bad End!

 

[Krak-Quinn]

There hadn't been any complications on the mother's side, but as Lilia pulled out the baby, she hadn't felt any signs of life.

His heart wasn't beating.

His lungs weren't breathing.

The corpse was excitedly snatched away from her hands before she had mustered up the courage to tell Zenith and Paul their child was born dead.

And then it blinked, and its pale skin turned bright pink.

Zenith panicked that the baby suddenly felt hot in her arms, and casted Healing on it.

And then without a cry, the stillborn baby gazed around the room, his eyes seemed to be staring at his parents faces before he moved on.

Lilia felt pure terror as she was forced to stare into the empty silver eyes of the moving stillborn baby.

It was watching her, observing her.

The baby, the stillborn baby, was looking directly at her.

She had heard tales before, of demons replacing babies and other such things, so she immediately knew that a demon's soul had snuck into the corpse of the stillborn baby.

It didn't cry.

It just watched her every move.

Hollow eyes, empty, cold, the silver of steel, eyes that held no human compassion.

Lilia felt as if a blade was being pushed against her skin as the demon looked at her.

When they made eye contact, she could feel the bite of cold steel pressed against her eyes.

When it looked at her, she could feel his gaze as sharp steel being dragged against her skin.

The demon didn't need any assistance learning to crawl, walk, or talk.

And it definitely didn't need any help learning to read, write or cook.

Zenith and Paul foolishly began letting it learn how to cast magic and how to sword fight.

And she was also a fool, being always on edge and having been crippled, she didn't believe she could defeat the demon, but she knew Paul could.

And so she felt safe in his presence, and every night as he was making passionate love to his wife, so she began to feel envious.

Her first time had been stolen by Paul, and then he ran away. And now, she was here, in the same house as him and his wife.

Eventually she seduced him, he was a man of carnal desires in the end, and somewhere along the lines she had gotten pregnant.

She was ready to leave, her affection for Paul wasn't high enough that she wanted to risk the life of her baby by giving birth to it in the same house as that demon. Her baby might also have its body possessed by its friends or such.

However, Zenith convinced her to stay.

Paul had done wrong by both of them, and he needed to make it up to the both of them.

The demon hadn't attempted to kill her child so its brethren could possess it, and she gave birth to a crying, healthy, baby girl.

Zenith had been nice to her even after the incident, and they had grown close, so she had pitied her. Zenith had a stillborn possessed by a demon. So she tried to be kind to her, it was the least she could do.

Lilia had slept with a married man and had given birth to healthy child. She was lucky in comparison.

Raising a normal baby was taxing on her body and mind, it was hindering her work.

The demon's hand pushed against the fabric of her outfit and her flesh, and then an all-encompassing warmth flooded her body.

Her leg muscles spasmed as the effects of the poison were erased, a feat that even the palace hadn't accomplished.

The demon wasn't malevolent, for no being who could create such a warm miracle could ever be.

She had been going about it all wrong, she didn't need to fear him, she needed to endear herself to him for his grace.

It might be too late for her, but it wasn't too late for her daughter.

 

[Krak-Quinn]

It had been two years since Aisha Greyrat was born, and she was a completely ordinary child who required constant attention.

So, Zenith and Lilia hardly had any time to teach him anything, they were simply too busy taking care of her.

He had tried to lessen the burden by occasionally being the one responsible for meals. And he would lend a hand supervising her when the adults had something important to do.

She was born as his half-sister, she shared some of the blood in his veins, and yet Shirou couldn't call her his sister, nor could call himself her brother.

Unlike with Zenith and Paul, they knew he was their son, and he knew they were his parents but he didn't address them as such, regardless, all parties knew their relationship.

But, Aisha was a baby, and she needed to be told he was her brother.

When he was told to introduce himself, he found his tongue freezing as he struggled to speak.

During the War he had met Illya, who had been Kiritsugu's true child, which made her his big sister. He had learned of her past, and he had seen how warped her view of the world was.

His final moments of his past life were a static filled mess, but he had seen her smiling form as she faded away.

He wanted to protect her, to save her, to atone for living a life with Kiritsugu while she suffered, and he had failed.

The duty of a brother was simply something he was incapable of, as he couldn't protect his sister.

And he knew it wouldn't be right to force his atonement on Aisha, she didn't deserve to be a mere replacement, and so he just couldn't categorize her as his sister.

He would protect her, he'd give his life for hers, and yet he couldn't call himself her brother.

Still, he did care for her, and he wished she'd grow up happy.

Her mother, Lilia, had seemed to thaw bit by bit after giving birth. Her cold impassive nature was slowly melting away.

She started to giggle with Zenith as they talked, and she started to smile fondly at Paul, and her entire expression as she held her daughter was filled with familial love.

Lilia had also stopped glaring at him, and her hatred had seemingly vanished. She wasn't exactly any nicer to him, but she did seem more respectful of him in general, and she trusted him enough to watch her child.

And oddly enough, it sounded like she was trying to get Aisha to say his name as her first word, which she had succeeded in.

Behind her reserved nature, she was a meek superstitious girl. Meek might've seemed like an odd descriptor, but he had seen her fluster quite easily with Paul and Zenith teasing her.

And she was also prone to believing some pretty odd things, which led her to being easily frightened of non-physical things.

She also had the occasional nightmare, and when she woke up, she would whisper to her daughter that she would make sure that Aisha had a better life than she had.

He had decided to not Reinforce his hearing late at night anymore, as he didn't want to eavesdrop on her.

…

…

With a new child in the house, which meant another mouth to feed, Zenith began taking extra shifts at a local clinic.

He would accompany her most of the time, he had learned Healing to help people after all.

Outside of the house, Zenith had truly begun talking to him more seriously. She no longer treated him as just a smart child.

She was impressed with his Healing, even telling him he would have no trouble getting a job in a city hospital.

And then she became quiet for a while after that before she suddenly hugged him from behind one day.

"Rudy, I want you to live your life however you want to. It might've been simple aversion, but I haven't preached anything to you, and yet you're still so gentle. I don't want to pick your future, but please be careful."

She went on to explain that Healers weren't exactly fairly compensated or treated the best, that rather than people, they were commonly seen as tools.

A Healer's role was to heal and protect, even if that meant risking their life, and yet they were simply used up and then discarded.

Overall, it seemed she wanted to impart some of her wisdom to her son. She basically wanted him to know his value as a Healer, but more importantly, as a person.

She didn't want to dictate his path in life, but she was apparently worried for him and she didn't want him to go down a blind road.

She also informed him that his sharp eyes would soften whenever someone thanked him for healing them, and then she teased him for being so soft and cute.

Her words sounded like she was mostly talking to herself as she teased him.

…

…

Sylphiette had picked up magic rather quickly, her spell casting had developed extremely fast, especially when it was compared to his own earlier progress.

Shirou hadn't learned much from her personally, but Roxy was all too glad to have an excellent study subject. She had three entire journals worth of unsorted notes, and she seemed to be close to something solid.

There was already the concept of a magician's strong or weak spells, as an example, Sylphiette was pretty good with Wind and Water spells, and particularly bad at Fire spells.

So far it seemed to be the case of the caster's mental state. Sylphiette had been slightly burnt as a child, and didn't like fire. However, there was more to this that could be researched and explained.

Honestly, this world's magic as a whole seemed to be under studied in general, and an inexperienced mage like Sylphiette was perfect for observation.

Familiarity with a spell was the only way to improve a person's way of casting it, or so everyone believed.

Knowledge, experience, affinity, how these affected a magician and their spells were what Roxy was investigating.

Knowledge, this encompasses what the caster understood about the spell and element they were casting. There seemed to be an intuitive grasp on what a mage was doing after they casted a spell.

And testing with Sylphiette, explaining and teaching her about a spell before she used it, produced an above average result.

Experience, this was loosely related to familiarity, but instead it focused on the caster's actual experience with the real elements.

Sylphiette was bad at Fire magic, her major issue was that she lacked control and she was averse to even using it. In her mind, flames were hot, wild, and dangerous.

Her Fireball only performed badly because it wasn't controlled. The base temperature was too high and it couldn't be launched on a proper path.

Affinity, the least understood concept and the one Roxy was mostly looking into. The same spell with similar parameters casted by different mages cost differing amounts of Mana.

This concept was further hidden by the first two, simply because the spell changed from knowledge and experience, so the base effects were forgotten.

But regardless, it was a fact that mages could be talented in a specific element.

Sylphiette, for example, used less Mana and had a better instinctual understanding of Wind and Water Magic, and even though she didn't have any negative experiences with Earth Magic, she also wasn't good at it.

Roxy was certainly learning much from her second student.

Shirou tried to stay out of it, he didn't want to let something slip that he couldn't explain, so he just let her come to her own conclusion. Even if she got something wrong, he knew she'd learned from her mistake.

Mana Veins was something else she was researching. Where Mana was generated and stored before use had previously been described as simply in the body.

He had subtly guided her to recognizing the actual spiritual pathways inside her body. She was definitely equal parts shocked and excited.

And both of her students were proving a fundamental fact had actually been incorrect, as their Mana capacity had been steadily growing along with them.

On the practical side of her research, Roxy had learned how to control her Mana and cast some spells without a chant.

She also taught Sylphiette, who demonstrated that it had been extremely easy for her, which was something else to investigate.

He definitely appreciated her discovery.

By feeling their carefully manipulated Mana from their silent spells, he was able to skip a step in his own casting.

Now he could silently load the spell before firing. He wasn't good enough to entirely do away with the chant, which was probably a limit of his own nature.

He had also learned from them that he wasn't doing Healing right. When he felt their Mana as they casted that spell, it was entirely different from what he did.

Their version of the spell would take hold of the flesh and reform it, but he couldn't cast that spell.

All he could do was inject someone with his Mana and then use that to heal them, sort of like a stimulant that simply sped up the natural recovery.

There was probably more to it than that, but he couldn't explain what was wrong in order to get some help understanding it.

Sylphiette, on a non-magical note, had bonded rather quickly with Roxy. The discrimination they both faced because of their hair color was something Roxy helped her with.

And, since Roxy was an actual Demon, the young girl no longer had a negative reaction to being labeled one as well, in fact she rather liked being closer to her tutor.

She even asked her parents many times over if she was actually a Demon, her excited and eager tone completely baffled them. Her disappointment also confused them.

Laws, her father and a friend of Paul, would occasionally find and chat with Roxy about his daughter. He had also eventually invited Rudeus out for some light hunting, where he would gently interrogate him.

It seemed like Sylphiette was no longer bullied and had become a lot more active, but she still wasn't making any other friends. Which was apparently a concern for her parents.

He had tried to be a bridge for her and the other kids, but they didn't take too kindly to him simply because he was a knight's kid.

Their taunts didn't affect him, but he had to hold back an offended Sylphiette, and when she tried to cast a simple spell at them he had to stop her. They ran away after the stray magic hit the dirt and kicked up a dust cloud.

He tried to teach her about discipline, but then he foisted that responsibility onto her parents and Roxy.

From his view their friendship wasn't particularly strong, and he didn't want his teachings to leave her after they eventually parted. It was best she learned from someone she respected.

He was able to teach her some cooking, the basics of swordplay and archery, but nothing caught her focus like magic did. When she came over, it was mostly for Roxy.

Of course, she had been acting a lot closer after a small incident where she got lost in the forest and he had found her.

She had simply been exploring, and hadn't been home at sunset, so a small search party was formed. Turns out a magic beast had spooked her and so she had run away until she escaped it and had gotten lost.

He had found her, while her father and some other guys hunted down the magical beast. And even though he had Healed her, she had trouble standing, so he carried her home on his back under the moonlight.

…

…

Going back a year after Aisha was born, the nighttime noises between Paul and Zenith returned. Shirou had heard some stuff about how much she also wanted a daughter before he filtered out the sounds.

Anyway, so Paul's pent up energy had disappeared, but that didn't matter as he had truly begun sparring seriously. And after a year of that, his son's sword scratched his neck, he only bled lightly, but that didn't erase the fact.

After being healed by his son, he began talking.

"I was a few years older than you are now when I achieved your skill, so I understand just what your strength means. It's time we talk about your future."

He had copied Paul and lowered his sword. "Okay."

Paul went on to explain how Rudeus should be starting school, but that place would be completely worthless for someone like his son.

And how Rudeus was already familiar enough with the important topics, and that etiquette and history were unimportant.

Paul also complained about bratty nobles, and their behavior.

In the end he recommended Rudeus become an adventurer and explore the world.

"Sure, as long as I can help people, I don't mind being an adventurer."

"That's my boy. Remember this, son, we as humans have a small window of time when we truly have the power to do something. So chase your dreams with everything you have, and don't regret anything when your time comes."

Zenith had said something similar.

Both of his parents apparently valued personal freedom.

Zenith warned him about his path, and how to live his life freely.

Paul advised him not to waste his life, and to live without regrets.

'I have no regrets, this is the only path.'

This thought echoed in Shirou's soul.

"Understood."

"Great, but, ah..." Paul scratched at the back of his head. "Individually, we don't have a lot of time, but families have built up power over time, and uh, I know I complained about nobles, but um, there's nothing wrong with asking them for help."

He appeared nervous, or at least embarrassed.

"Okay."

"Ah anyway, what I'm trying to say is a single person is limited in the scope of what they could do, so it might be better if they had connections. A party, partners, friends, and family, make strong bonds to cover your weak points."

"Paul?"

It seemed like he was struggling to get to the point.

"Yeah, so I may have brag— talked about how smart and strong you are with my cousin, and his child is struggling behind their peers, so uh, I may have owed him a favor or two, and he wants you as a tutor."

"Oh."

"I know I just talked about doing what you truly want, and how insufferable nobles could be, but my cousin's not that bad, so I doubt anyone he raised could be that bad, and you'll get some money too, and you'll be forming a bond."

"Okay, I'll do it."

He still needed to repay Paul for playing a part in his birth, and this wasn't too bad. He had just about reached the limit with his magic training and with his spars now, as they were more like duels currently.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you deserve a break. I can tell you're pretty sore from sparring all day, your nighttime noises haven't been lasting that long lately."

"Hey hey, you take that back right now, I'm still in my prime. Ah, wait." Paul looked up at the sky and began mumbling. "I don't think we've had the talk yet, so should I tell him now? Is he ready? Eh, I'll just let him figure it out on his own."

"So, when do I depart?" He decided to ignore the irresponsible mumble.

"Oh, I think I can get everything ready in a month, so be ready to leave any day after that. Make sure to say goodbye to little Sylphy before that, it's not good to make a girl cry."

"Okay, though I doubt I mean that much to her."

"Hmm, you are my son right?" Paul suddenly asked and began looking at him with scrutiny.

"Seriously?"

'Did he somehow discover something?'

"Just checking." He shrugged. "As a test, answer this: how many lovers should a man have? One or two?"

The faces of Sakura, Rin, Saber and Rider, flashed through his mind in an instant.

"Ah, well…" He scratched at the back of his head, and he could feel his cheek flush. "D-does there need to be a limit?" He stared at the ground. He didn't really understand his own feeling towards the girls he had gotten to know, but he knew he was attracted to them all.

Silence reigned through the yard for a while. And then Paul broke down laughing, when he eventually calmed down he rushed forth and lifted his son high above his head.

"I didn't believe Zenith at first, but you really can be cute. I didn't think your face ever changed, but you got so embarrassed. If I was a girl I might've swooned, but anyway, that answer is perfect, just don't ever tell your women that."

Shirou's face flushed a deeper shade of red.

And even though he was embarrassed, he could feel his body relax as the world appeared just a bit brighter.

"S-stop it! Put me down!"

"Ah, so cute! Zenith! Lilia! Come outside! Rudy's blushing like a maiden!"

Even though he Reinforced his body, he couldn't escape Paul's arms as his cheeks burned bright.

 

[Krak-Quinn]

"Just checking." Paul shrugged. "As a test, answer this: how many 'swords' should a man have? One or two?"

A seemingly endless amount swords that were buried inside Unlimited Blade Works flashed through Shirou's mind in an instant.

"Ah, well…" He scratched at the back of his head, and he could feel his cheek flush. "D-does there need to be a limit?" He stared at the ground.

 

[Krak-Quinn]

It had been about seven years since Shirou was reborn as Rudeus, and four years since he started being tutored in magic by Roxy Migurdia. It could be loosely said that he was an advanced ranked mage.

His spells weren't exactly up to standards, but he definitely had the firepower to back up the claim. His only issue remained the complexity of most spells.

Sylphiette, who had been studying under Roxy for only two years, could rather solidly pass as an advanced ranked mage without any issue in comparison.

Anyway, since he was being sent off to work as a favor to Paul's cousin, it was the end of Roxy's employment. She was deeply regretful that she had been unable to provide him the help he needed to better utilize his Mana.

Still, she had done extensive research and was planning on traveling and testing out her hypotheses, then she was going to be writing and publishing a book with her connections.

It had almost been exactly a month since he talked with Paul about his future, and he already had all his affairs in order. And so with a rather extravagant send off dinner for both Roxy and Shirou — Rudeus, they bid farewell to the small magician the next day.

Shirou received and said his goodbyes to Zenith, Lilia, and to Aisha as he left the Greyrat household.

"I want you to take care of yourself." A gentle smile.

"I wish you the best." A light bow.

"Bye-bye, Wudy." Small hands waving.

And then finally he said goodbye to Sylphiette.

As the small half-elf girl hugged him tightly, whispering her farewells and asking him to return someday, he found himself feeling a bit lost.

He had seen her react the same towards Roxy as she left, but he hadn't expected she had cared for him about the same amount as her Demon mentor.

An unknown reality was settling into his brain, he was leaving behind everything he knew about his new life and going into the unknown.

She felt warm… His arms felt heavy as he returned her hug, holding her close as he promised to come back.

Shirou wasn't good at keeping promises, and so far he had avoided making any, but almost unconsciously the words left his mouth.

Paul tossed him on his horse and then dropped him off near the edge of the village, where a carriage was already waiting.

Shirou felt his soul ache, as a sword near the level of a Noble Phantasm was stabbed into Unlimited Blade Works.

Unlike Paul's plain sword, that held no special history or traits and was easy to Trace and Project, the katana on the waist of Ghislaine Dedoldia, a tall Beast woman, was unique.

Flat Core, a cursed sword made by Yulian Jalisco, a craftsman of the Demon World, and created from the bones of a King Dragon. Collected by Gal Farion, the Sword God, and given to Ghislaine when she became a Sword King.

Unlimited Blade Works wasn't fixed yet, he still couldn't access most weapons, and yet Flat Core broke through the complications, and the red blade was embedded into the soil of his soul.

It felt like electricity was dancing across his brain, and his image of the katana began glitching out.

Rejection, his body was rejecting the sword. That sword was more than a weapon, it was an anchor, a key, a part of this world that binded his soul to this body in this world.

Spells were mental images enforced upon the body and world. Unlimited Blade Works was Emiya Shirou's ultimate spell, a manifestation of his entire being.

But it wasn't, it was Archer's spell, and it had infected and killed him. His soul had been invaded and ripped apart by twisted ideals that went against his borrowed ideals.

His body was moving on his own, Paul had asked Ghislaine if she wouldn't mind testing his son, she had accepted and drew her sword, so he did the same.

She was strong, it wouldn't be bizarre if she could take down a Servant. She knew a sword technique that could slash faster than the speed of sound and light, even Rider's Pegasus wasn't as fast.

Servants, Heroic Spirits, Ghost Liners, were beings that transcended and embodied humanity's efforts. People who left their mark on humanity's foundation.

If this world had a similar concept, then Ghislaine would definitely qualify for her power alone. At the very least, her overwhelming battle presence enforced such an idea onto Shirou.

During the Grail War, Shirou had 'fought' Lancer, Berserker, Rider, Archer, True Assassin and Gilgamesh, each of them had the power to undoubtedly kill him, only by Avalon and luck did he survive his encounters.

He wasn't in control of his body as he attacked.

His mind and soul were occupied struggling with the information he obtained from her blade.

His battle senses were driving his body madly as he recalled the several times he had nearly died in his previous life.

An imaginary hand gripped the copy in his soul, and he shoved it deeper in, until the hilt was beneath the soil.

As he came back to his senses, she had just parried his sword strike with ease and sent his entire body flying back. The sheer force of the landing had torn some muscles, but as his feet steadied his injuries healed quickly.

He froze. He hadn't casted Healing yet.

As his muscles twitched, so did Ghislaine's beast ears, the steel fibers had scratched against each other in his body.

"Healing."

Steel warped and vanished, and the static in his mind had left completely. He fell to his knees and began panting heavily.

"Huh, I can see why you're so smug, he's certainly skilled."

"Hoh?" Paul puffed up his chest with pride.

The battle hadn't lasted more than twenty seconds, and he had been the only one attacking, yet he had worn himself out without even scratching her fur coat.

Even though he had recovered from his exhaustion, his nerves were still on edge as he sat in the same carriage as Ghislaine.

His heart was thumping rapidly in his chest, and although one might assume fear was responsible, they would only be partially correct.

As a result of his soul having reacted to Flat Core, and truly foreign matter that was not of his world was registered into his being and consciousness, he suddenly felt more present.

Shirou felt grounded. As in the sensations of reality were now consciously being identified.

He was aware of his surroundings on a more personal level.

The carriage he was in was made from wood and had cushioned seating, and it was rather uncomfortable as it didn't have a proper suspension system.

The sun was bright, and the warm rays that poured through the glass windows were heating up his skin to what was supposed to be an almost unrecognizable degree of difference.

He could hear the wind that was being displaced by the fast moving carriage lightly rattling the windows and doors.

His senses were sharp, and he knew that as he had refined them himself, but now they were almost overwhelming.

He was keenly aware of his surroundings, and the fact that he existed in this world.

It stung, the sensations were like insects that were crawling around his brain only to be zapped by his own thoughts.

It didn't matter. This was the most common thought that interrupted his budding emotions of discomfort.

When he almost wanted to voice a light and trivial complaint, mostly for small talk, a scenery of a smoldering wasteland riddled with burning swords flashed through his mind.

His hands were sweating, perspiration was accumulating because he was rapidly closing and opening his grip, grasping an imaginary hilt.

But he couldn't visualize the rest of the sword, since it didn't choose him, and instead was actively rejecting him.

A similar sensation traveled through his entire soul, throughout Unlimited Blade Works, the weapons were resisting him. He could feel that he possessed no right to wield them, a feeling along the lines of being unworthy.

Shirou didn't understand, yet unlike his previous failures and since he was properly aware, he was racked with confusion and disappointment.

If he couldn't use his arsenal, then he might not be capable of saving someone. Sure, he had some strength, but he would never match the skill of Servants without it.

When he used their weapons, he also mimicked a portion of their power.

And this was his soul, his Reality Marble that was the crystallization of his essence as a person, and yet he couldn't use it. He was incapable of fully utilizing his own power.

Frustration, along with the other emotions and sensations were the insects invading his brain. As blood pumped through his brain, he could feel them burnt and shocked.

As his hand tried grasping the hilt of the Sword of Selection, he felt rough sand and burning ash slip through his fingers. The remnants of his failure faded away before they could land on the floor of the carriage he was in.

When he tried visualizing a proper landscape inside his soul, all he could see was a gray sandy wasteland where it was raining white molten steel, and where rivers of black bubbling magma were flowing through.

Sparks, embers, dust and ash, rolling clouds were obscuring everything in the distance.

The sounds of an old civilization reached his ears, and it shook him out of his internal observation. He had left shortly after sunrise, and it was past noon already.

The sight was marvelous, he had already seen such a view from Saber's memories, but that didn't lessen the experience from seeing a genuine medieval town in person.

It wasn't too different from his first time seeing a view of the ocean as the sun lowered beyond the horizon, or as it climbed over mountains in the morning.

It was the sense of scale that it represented that was truly stunning.

Just like the natural scenery demonstrated just how grand the planet was, a bustling city illustrated a population of living beings all cooperating together to build a society.

Especially in an era like this, everyone was contributing and providing for everyone else.

Food, clothing, utensils and other services, the common people of this city couldn't rely on large corporations and an extensive government to provide for all their needs, so they had to rely on each other to survive.

And they relied on knights to keep them safe and to ensure their society didn't crumble.

Ah, his understanding was probably grossly incorrect, but he wasn't too troubled by that, he would learn sooner or later how the real world worked over here.

After arriving at what was a proper castle, he had to realign his expectations a bit.

Since he was working for Paul's cousin, he had assumed it to be another knight in service of a lord, not the mayor of a large fortress city.

Philip Boreas Greyrat was the one responsible for calling him here, and he certainly had the air of a noble aristocrat.

Philip's expression was perfectly pleasant and polite, and his mask wasn't even that deep, as his true emotions weren't concealed, just suppressed. "Did Paul explain why you're here?" He asked while sitting on a sofa across from him.

Shirou placed down the teacup he had been served as he provided his answer. "He has explained that your daughter hasn't met certain standards for her age in development."

"My daughter, Eris, will be turning ten years old within a few months. I'm not asking you to make her into a perfect lady, but I would appreciate some improvement before then. I've hired other tutors in the past, but they all failed."

Even though he was doing this as a favor to Paul, Shirou suddenly felt hesitant. He had never tutored anyone before, so he wasn't sure if he could do a good job, but he had been a high school student, so he should be fine.

"Perfect lady? I was under the impression she needed help with her studies."

"She does, however her current attitude towards learning is one of her biggest setbacks. I do hope you'll do better than the previous people, as Paul had claimed that you are some sort of prodigy. Even if he was exaggerating, I hope your similar age would allow you to connect with her."

Drinking tea and discussing the specifics wasn't a hassle or anything, but Shirou felt a bit on edge as his questions about Eris were mostly being redirected.

 

[Krak-Quinn]

After his conversation ended with Philip, he was sent off with a smile and led by a butler through the mansion.

Emiya Shirou, or as he was now known as, Rudeus Greyrat, began to wonder why exactly his older second cousin was behind in her development, and what did her father mean when he claimed her attitude was her biggest setback.

'Maybe she thought an education was beneath her because she was rich.'

Back in Japan, he had heard his fellow students complaining about learning unnecessary material, especially students who would inherit a family run business and just needed a passing grade.

'Or she could be a lazy slob indulging in her expensive lifestyle. Her father didn't seem particularly worried about her education, but rather about her upbringing in general.'

The sound of a wooden door being kicked open reverberated around the halls as the metal handle chipped the stone wall it collided against, and a bundle of red energy exploded out from a doorway nearby

"I don't care about my stupid cousin! Tell me where Ghislaine is! I want to spar!" The bundle of red energy was actually a young girl with bright red hair currently dressed in rich looking, yet muddy, fabrics.

"Young miss, please, please let us change you before your cousin gets here!" A maid with brown hair and bunny ears stepped out the doorway next holding a small outfit.

Another maid with blonde hair and dog ears followed. "You must look proper, at least for your first meeting! If not then you'll scare him off."

"Listen to me, you maids! I don't care! Tell me where Ghislaine is right now or I'll rip up all my dresses again!"

The butter next to him audibly cleared his throat.

The young girl and the two maids shoot their gazes towards them. The maids looked defeated and the young looked visibly angry.

"It's you, right!?" She practically screamed as she stomped towards him.

'Well, she's not lazy.'

"Miss Eris, I'll be your tutor from now—"

He had to stop mid-sentence to take a step away as a fist came swinging through the air, a gust of displaced wind rustled his hair, but otherwise he was untouched.

"—on. I'm Rudeus Greyrat, and I hope we can have a pleasant time together."

He did have to dodge a few more punches, but he was able to finish his sentence uninterrupted.

Eris didn't seem to appreciate that she hadn't landed a blow on him, her face flushed a shade of red similar to her hair and some veins had become visible. Her eyes dilated and her nostril flared, as she gritted her teeth.

He didn't exactly have any experience with children throwing a tantrum, but he recognized that she was probably having one. Since he didn't know the professional way to handle one, he decided to just let her tire herself out.

She lunged at him again, and again he dodged.

It wasn't difficult, not only was she telegraphing her moves from the set up, but she wasn't even using her Mana effectively. It was practically pouring off of her, and the little she did use didn't seem to have a purpose behind it.

He did almost get scratched after he caught a good whiff of her Mana, it smelled like burning blood and scorching steel, the scent had caught him off guard for a moment.

As it turns out, Eris didn't have a small capacity of Mana. She had chased him all throughout the mansion and the yard as she was wasting Mana without getting tired.

Though, she didn't seem as furious anymore, instead she was smiling as she shattered the stone floor with a fierce lunge towards him.

Considering that behind him was a window overlooking the town from the third floor, he couldn't just dodge and let her fall.

After Reinforcing his body, Shirou shifted his feet into a more solid stance and met her open palms with his own, but as he gripped her hands, the Mana encasing her body swam out against his skin.

He felt a burning itch as the magical energy Reinforcing his hands vanished. If he didn't want his wrists to snap and fail to stop Eris, he had to allow his arms to fall back, but if he just did that, he would lose his balance and be pushed out the window with her

So instead, he crouched down and then allowed Eris' momentum to push him into the wall beneath the window.

He landed on his butt as Eris found her footing as she stood over him, her hands were like iron claws as they crushed his fingers. His bones cracked and popped as his flesh turned white and purple. Blood leaked from the tears in his pulled apart skin.

Eris was panting wildly, like a feral beast, as drool dripped from her mouth, her fangs were bared and her eyes seemed crazed as they wildly darted across her prey, him.

"Hah! Hah! Hah. Haah. Haahh… hah…. haaa…"

Her wild nature slowly melted away as the Mana swirling around her body dissipated, her eyes grew foggy as they rolled up in her skull, and her body went limp.

"Healing."

Shirou casted Healing on his shattered and torn hands. Unlike his previous injuries and their recoveries, simple wounds and accelerated natural healing, this time he felt his muscles turn to steel as they pushed the shards of his bones back into places before they were knitted back together.

When he was fully recovered, his hands still felt a bit stiff.

Pushing that matter aside, it was clear to him that Eris' behavior wasn't completely normal. If she had acted like that constantly, then it would probably be a big problem.

With his healed hands, he lifted her limp body off of him and laid her down gently on the floor. Then, pushing the limits of decency and privacy, he decided to Analyze her unconscious body.

There were two odd things he discovered about her, but nothing immediately dangerous.

Firstly, her Mana Veins were an odd pattern.

As part of Roxy's research into the topic, she experimented with her and Sylphiette's sets, and she discovered some shared common structures, and some unique patterns.

According to her theory, the common parts were likely what allowed the use of mana for mages, and the unique parts determined one's usage.

The unique pattern in Eris was that her Mana Veins seemingly converged within her brain.

Secondly, her constitution was just slightly inhuman, or at least un-human-like. Her body structure, bones and flesh, were a bit more robust and denser than usual, and her blood cells seemed to be sending signals to each other.

Her biological make-up did also appear to be degenerating ever so slightly.

There was something else he noticed, but it didn't seem like it was worth mentioning in the same breath as the other topics. It was like mentioning someone had the flu, but they were also good at basketball.

Her Mana had a unique innate property of burning up foreign Mana. It wasn't like a Magus' defense of washing it out, but it completely incinerated his Mana as he tried to peek inside her Mana Veins.

He heard a rumble of approaching footsteps, a dozen or so shoes quickly tapping against stone as people were rushing over to them. He removed his hand from Eris' unconscious body and sat back down against the wall.

Shirou wasn't tired and Eris didn't need emergency help, but when he thought about how the scene would appear to the servants of the household, he decided that he didn't want to be standing over her body or holding her out for them.

…

…

A few days had passed without a repeat of Shirou's first encounter or similar incidents, apparently Eris' grandfather had been busy on the first day, and when he arrived here, the old man wanted to spend some time with his granddaughter.

Also, the man's name was Sauros Boreas Greyrat, and he ruled as the Lord of the Fedoa region. He also apparently didn't appreciate Shirou's end result of exhausting Eris, because he assumed Rudeus had been lying and in fact had knocked her out with force.

Apparently, it was a well known fact that Eris didn't get tired. She had limitless energy and she never even slept if she didn't feel like doing so.

So, Shirou wasn't even allowed to see Eris until he confessed to how he had knocked her out. His story didn't change, especially not since Eris had reluctantly corroborated it, even if she specified that she had pinned him down before passing out.

He had read about Mana Exhaustion in a book before, so he didn't understand why it was hard to comprehend that she simply ran out of Mana.

Since he couldn't see her, and was relatively 'locked in his room' so to speak, he had questioned the maids and butlers around him about her. Some were tight lipped about every detail, but most liked to gossip and they told him every rumor they've ever heard about her.

From what he could gather, after cutting out the wild rumors, her parents had unfortunately had their sons taken from them, so they spoiled their daughter. She was simply the result of a coddling mother and a lenient father.

Eris was supposed to be his student, however, it seemed there might be a few difficulties interfering with that future.

…

…

Endless gunfire and explosions, never-ending screams and shouts, the sounds of war and the cries of death echoed infinitely in the hell that was a battlefield.

For it to be described as a war-torn city, there should probably be a city left to describe.

Piles of stone rumble, of steel debris, of fresh corpses and rotten bones, had replaced buildings.

Bullet shells, missile casings, and even humanity's morals had been discarded and were covering the ground.

Black boots stepped through pools of blood and viscera, they stepped on the shells of humans as he ascended up a pile of cold rusty steel.

He couldn't see the sun, he hardly ever saw it.

Humans seemed to universally agree to fight under the cover of night when they wanted to commit most of their massacres against each other.

Whether it was for a tactical advantage or for their soldiers morale, he didn't know. None of them could probably stand the sight of their own carnage, and tomorrow they'll excuse their crime as a necessary evil of this world.

The innocent lives lost would be regarded as simple collateral. Or maybe it had been intentional, to cull the number of future enemies who would be driven by righteous fury, by ruthless vengeance.

He didn't know.

He didn't know why humans would commit their beings to mindless murder.

That wasn't his role, nor his place to ponder.

He had a simple task, one that he had promised to do.

From atop the collapsed steel tower, his eyes found his targets through the black smoke blending into the dark sky, and he lifted his bow.

His task, one that he performed without question, without hesitation, without end, was to simply mindlessly murder the murderers.

Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Leave.

He was summoned elsewhere.

For it to be described as a war-torn town, there should probably be a town left to describe.

Rubble. Fire. Bullets. Blood. Limbs. Corpses.

He couldn't see the ground beneath it all, but he didn't need to.

He simply spotted his target and lifted his bow.

Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kil—

—

'Kill…'

"Hgkkk!"

'Kill…'

"Kch…….!"

Desperate nails could only scratch at the surface of his arm, so they moved on to clawing at his face.

Frantic claws slashed at his face, his left eye was torn to shreds alongside his left cheek.

The cold air, unfamiliar to the always burning battlefields of his nightmare, shocked his brain back into action.

A dark blue-ish purple face twisted with raging fury that was framed by bright red locks of hair. Crimson eyes, completely bloodshot and bulging out their sockets, were glaring up at him.

Reality crashed down on his mind like a storm of swords.

Eris Greyrat, his supposed student, a young girl not even ten yet, was being strangled to death by a red arm.

His arm was covered in red blood and he was pinning the small girl down on his bed by her neck, with his hand wrapped nearly all the way around and digging into her flesh.

He panicked and tried to release her, but the muscles in his arm wouldn't listen.

A weak hand clawed at his face again, and the nails scraped against steel before going limp.

His hand felt like it was on fire, like it was being scorched on contact with Eris' skin.

There wasn't time to think about the situation.

Eris' eyes, still bulging out, were turning glassy as her body stopped struggling.

The muscles in his hand and arm turned to steel, he couldn't move them.

Shirou used his other hand, he dropped a wooden sword he was holding by the blade, and Projected a nameless dagger.

He Reinforced the his weapon to its breaking point and then he pressed the back of the blade against the skin on her neck. With a swift upward motion, he sliced off his own thumb.

With one end of the vice holding her neck gone, he was able to bend his arm away to completely release her.

She spasmed a bit even after being freed.

"Healing!"

His healing did nothing but cause her body to jolt, and her skin had nearly reached the same shade of white as his sheets.

"Let this divine power be converted into a satisfying nourishment, Healing!"

Again, it did nothing but make her twitch.

He quickly tried Analyzing her body, but she still had a lot of Mana swirling around inside of her and it burned away his spell.

It didn't even take a second before he realized it had done the same to his healing spell, that her body had naturally resisted the foreign Mana trying to alter her body.

She was going to die.

He couldn't heal her.

He had killed her.

Anguish, confusion and desperation, a mixture of intense emotions shot through his skull at blazing speeds. The raw power behind them was completely unfamiliar to him.

Blood pounded against his brain.

Tears poured from his eyes.

Vomit almost spilled from his lips.

His soul was pulsing violently against his mind and body.

'What have you done?!' 'Why did you do this!?' 'Shut up! She's dying! She's dying!'

Visions flashed through his mind.

Of burnt corpses turned into char, of melted classmates turned into goo, of a beheaded teacher turned into a puppet, of rotting orphans mummified, of countless people struck in their vital organs with arrows.

With each flash, the visage of Eris' dying face as she glared at him was being seared into his mind.

Rudeus' muscles that hadn't turned to steel had turned to jelly as he collapsed forward atop the girl he killed, atop the corpse of his victim.

His bloody cheek collided with her face as he curled up, heaving and sobbing.

'Of course, I would always fail to live up to my borrowed ideals. I should kill myself before I make anymore mistakes.'

'Did I honestly think I could be a hero? I let Issei die! I let Taiga be killed! I killed Sakura! I failed to stop Illya from using her Dress! Did I honestly believe my sins would be washed away? That I could be a hero with these bloodstained hands?'

'A new world, a new start, a new chance, as if. I failed. I promised Kiritsugu that I would become a hero. I failed. I promised Sakura I would save her. I failed.'

An endless stream of repressed regrets flooded into his consciousness, and he almost didn't notice the faint sensation against his face, but the exposed nerve endings were extremely sensitive.

Something warm was brushing against his cheek, lapping up his blood.

It was a tongue.

Springing up and looking down, he saw that Eris was gulping down the blood she had collected.

He didn't think about anything else besides one simple fact.

'She's alive!'

Her body had regained some color, but it wasn't enough.

'She needs more.'

Shirou didn't think anything else besides that being the simple reality.

He sliced open his soft wrist and held the bleeding wound to her hungry mouth.

 

[Krak-Quinn]

Eris' throat was pulsing as she swallowed blood straight from a vein on his wrist, and when she regained a bit of strength, her teeth latched on to his flesh and she consumed even more with an unrelenting hunger.

Her face regained its natural pale state, the shades of blue and purple painting her skin had melted away. The blacked-red hand marks around her neck were also fading with each gulp.

Around the spots where his nails had clawed into her neck for leverage, the blood that had leaked out was being drawn back in.

Once she appeared healthy, no longer on the verge of becoming a corpse, and he noticed she kept draining his blood regardless, a new train of thought formed.

The immediate reality that Shirou had almost killed an innocent girl, had been replaced by the fact that she could survive, and now, he was realizing what exactly was happening.

Bloodsucker.

Eris was the kind of being that could replenish her physical health by absorbing someone else's blood.

Kiritsugu hadn't explained a bunch about the concept, only the basics. Shirou didn't know what sort of creature or monster was mixed into Eris, all he knew was that she was a slightly different human.

Either way, her hunger as she drank his blood wasn't graceful or reserved, no, she did so on wild instincts to satiate her desire.

A dark shadow flashed through his mind, the phantom sensation of clumsy yet passionate teeth against his bleeding finger zapped through his body like lightning.

A dark alley flashed through his mind, the gruesome scene of a massacre and the girl at the center chomping down on the remnants of a finger.

Darkness was devouring Fuyuki and its people.

He wanted to be a hero, to save countless lives.

In order to save the people, a single person must die. The death of that person could save multiple lives, and inaction that allows for the loss of lives, is no different from the cause.

He wanted to be a hero, and to save countless lives he had to kill a single person.

Rudeus began to feel woozy, his mind had shattered, his soul had shook, and now his body was low on blood.

The glint of moonlight reflected off the discarded dagger on his bed had caught his one working eye.

The cold lifeless steel had been forged with a single purpose. The sharpness to slice apart flesh, and the length stab inside flesh and end a life.

And a handle.

The dagger was an inanimate object, a simple weapon that was meant to be wielded. It could only rely on a living being to take the life of another.

"Healing."

A wave of warm energy rushed through his body. His steel muscles morphed back into flesh as his skin was knitted closed. His torn up eye reformed with its socket, and marks in his cheek were sealed shut.

The spell had met some resistance when it tried closing the wound on his wrist, as teeth were biting into his flesh. And the instant his spell came into contact with the owner of the teeth, it was burned up and canceled.

With an arm still covered in red, but no longer stiff, he reached out and gripped the handle.

His body was moving mechanically, his brain didn't have any impulse of free thought. He didn't need to Project anything else, all that was needed was a simple dagger.

With the hand that had almost snuff out the flames of life in an innocent girl, he raised a dagger into the air. The blade aimed towards a Bloodsucker's heart.

'Kill.' 'Kill to save.' 'Kill one to save many.' 'Become a hero.' 'Kill the small girl.' 'Kill the Bloodsucker.' 'Kill her before she devours countless lives.'

"Senp—"

The vision of a purple haired girl with tears in her eyes and blood on her hands flashed through his mind.

"Lov—"

The vision of a girl smiling as the light faded from her eyes and her body grew cold. If he hadn't hesitated on the next step, to defile her corpse, to dispose of her body properly, then the worm inside her wouldn't have taken control of her.

It was his hesitation that he blamed the most for the deaths that occurred in the War. If he had made his decisions quicker, without second guessing his actions or allowing his enemies time to prepare, then most casualties could've been avoided.

It was his desire to resolve the matter verbally, that he didn't immediately eliminate the one responsible for turning the school into a stomach. If Shirou didn't attempt to make the enemy see reason, he could've snapped a thin neck and saved more students.

It was his desire to keep living in a blissful house that made doubt the reality before him, allowing more victims to occur night after night as he looked the other way from the culprit.

'Kill without hesitation.'

A Bloodsucker was beneath him.

A child was beneath him.

She was just two years older than his current body.

He had yet to be made aware of any victims she was responsible for.

'Kill her before she kills.'

The dagger in his grip felt heavy.

A young girl. A hungry Bloodsucker. A potential threat.

Her body felt warm. She was a living being. He had to kill her, turn her warm body into a cold corpse.

His hand wavered in hesitation.

He couldn't give form to his own thoughts.

Rudeus felt warm tears drifting down his face, his heart hammering against his lungs, and his body shaking from the stress.

His wavering and shaking had caused the dagger to slip from his grip. The thumb he had removed hadn't grown back fully yet, so his hold on the handle was already weak.

The drive to murder a young girl sank away from his mind as the weapon left his hand and fell on the bed. His thoughts seemed to reach a consensus.

Shirou will kill her and himself if she kills someone, but until then he'll watch over her.

…

…

The rising of the sun had caused a stream of bright morning rays to enter through the open window in his room.

Rudeus hadn't opened that window. Considering there was also a wooden sword lying on the floor that he didn't own either, and an intruder that had visited him late at night.

He was certain that the intruder had entered through the window while wielding a wooden sword to attack him with.

Although the room the Boreas family gave him was spacious and well furnished, it didn't have a clock. Still, Shirou was used to keeping time by himself, his internal clock didn't have any issues and he relied on it for just about everything normal people used alarm clocks for.

So he would confidently say that two hours had gone by after the intruder, the Bloodsucker, Eris started drinking his blood before she sighed contentedly, released her hold on his arm, and fell asleep in his bed.

He did have to use Healing on himself more than once, and he could feel his bones become more sore each time he produced more blood.

When she was done, he climbed out of bed and managed to reattach his thumb, then he used a bit of water magic to wash the blood off his skin.

As the night passed, and until the sun rose, Rudeus tried to decipher what had happened to him after he woke up from his nightmare.

His emotional response and his thought process had been beyond bizarre. He couldn't really put into words what it had felt like.

Shortly after the sun had completely risen, he heard the scramble of worried footsteps rushing to his room and a low chatter of voices.

After Reinforcing his hearing, he managed to pick up that a couple of servants were worried that Eris wasn't in her room, and some apparently feared for his wellbeing.

A wave of relief washed over the maids and butlers of the beast race variety as they opened the door to his room and saw him standing next to his bed that held a sleeping Eris.

And then a wave of concern flooded over them as they realized his clothes and blankets, as well as Eris' mouth, was covered in blood.

The combination of multiple voices and their shocked exclamation had caused the volume in the room to reach high level, which in turn woke up the sleeping Bloodsucker.

Almost immediately after waking up and getting her bearings, her eyes darted around until she found him.

"He tried to kill me! I'm telling my grandfather!"

Oddly, she was smiling as she jumped out of his bed and leapt through the open window. Her servants then ran down the halls to catch up to her, and only one stayed behind.

A beast maid with black hair and cat ears, her face was an impassive mask with no warmth. "Change your outfit, and wait here." Her voice was composed even after witnessing a bizarre scene.

And since he didn't have any objections, he walked over to a closet and changed into a new set of clothes. It was only slightly embarrassing, but he had gotten used to Zenith and Lilia changing and bathing him when he was younger.

Additionally, the calm clinical way the maid's eyes scanned over his body had placed a degree of professionalism between any awkward air. She folded up his bloodied shirt and took it with her as she left.

The clothes he changed into had already been prepared by the Boreas family, and were clearly of an expensive taste.

He only had to wait for a few minutes before she returned.

"Follow me to the Master's study."

Then she briskly led him down the halls of the castle-like mansion, all the way towards an office room near the center of the house.

Philip Boreas Greyrat was sitting behind a large desk with his head in his hands, and an old butler was off on the side preparing some tea.

"Master, I've brought the boy."

The cat-eared maid said as she placed a hand over her heart and bowed deeply after entering the study.

The father of Eris looked up at them with a smile plastered on his face, though the corners of it did twitch a bit. "Thank you, Olivia. I'd appreciate it if you and Thomas could give us a moment alone."

Both the maid and butler voiced their compliance, though the butler did look a bit forlornly at the unfinished tea he had been working on.

As the doors closed behind them on their way out, Philip looked directly at him.

"Please, take a seat."

"Understood."

The seriousness of the atmosphere in this room couldn't be understated.

Right after he sat down in a chair across from the desk of the mayor, he was asked a question.

"Why didn't you run?"

"From what?"

Was his immediate response.

To him, there were two possibilities to consider answering: From Eris or the Boreas servants.

A momentary lapse of silence filled the room. Then Philip chuckled under his breath before some tension left his body.

"I'm sure you have some questions, if you're really not planning on leaving, I can answer them. This is your final chance to run away."

"I'll stay, I'm doing this as a favor to Paul for giving me life. To refuse this task is to refuse my birth."

And Shirou also had to watch over a Bloodsucker with a hanging sword over both their necks.

Philip smiled slightly.

"I'm sure you aren't aware, I'm sure Paul isn't aware either, but many generations ago, the Boreas branch of the Greyrat family was on the brink of ruin. Caught in a war against an enemy using several highly skilled mages, our swordsmen and warriors were no match for the barrage of spells that rained across the battlefield."

Shirou didn't know that, he didn't know a lot about this world's history in general.

Philip sighed again, it seemed he really wasn't sure about speaking any further, but as he looked up and locked eyes with the young boy across from him, he found his voice and told him the entire story.

Generations ago, the Boreas family head was locked into a losing feud, and losing to a sizable amount of competent mages.

In a desperate bid for victory, the head contacted a demon and made a deal.

The details of the deal remained only known to those directly involved, but the effects were obvious to everyone.

The family head was said to have been found the day after the deal in his bed with his paler than white. When a panicked maid checked his pulse, he leapt up and bit into her neck.

After draining her dry, he had used his words and wit to convince the other members of his family that his mind was intact and that now he could lead them to victory.

The battle had caused them many losses up to now, and the prospect of victory had washed away any concern.

During the next battle, he then led a charge into the frey, his bare skin repelled arrows and blades, and even magic had no effect on him.

Any scratch he did receive from exceptional fighters were then healed as he drank blood from the corpses of the fallen.

After a few days of continuous battle, of replenishing strength from the bodies of enemies, but before he could reach the central base of the commanders, a ceasefire was declared, and then eventually a complete surrender.

Away from the battlefield, the family head grew restless as years passed, but he had been a seasoned swordsman and high class noble first and foremost, so he had been able to restrain any impulses.

His first child since the deal was born healthy, but the second child was born a monster. It was born with a full set of teeth and when it came time for feeding, it bit off a chuck of his mother's flesh.

The ensuing chaos concluded with its death.

People begged the family head for details about his deal, but he kept his lips sealed. All he could tell his frightened and worried family was that the demon he contacted had been the last of its kind.

That simple response made it clear to most what the demon would want from a deal.

As generations passed, most children were born normal and healthy, but some were born different. Some were born with oddities and mutations, any attempt to raise them ended with their deaths once it became clear they were demonically possessed.

To cover up the reason behind the deaths of their infant children, the Boreas family took on the claim that they had been cursed. They willingly besmeared their name to ensure the truth didn't get out.

No matter how thin the concentration of Boreas blood was, there was always the risk of a demonic baby being born.

Atavism, some called the phenomenon of old ancestral blood reawakening and reverting in a new distant generation. Regardless of time, of new blood being mixed in, something dark remained dormant in their veins until it suddenly emerged in a baby.

Shirou kept his mouth shut as he took in this story.

"Perhaps we are truly cursed? My ancestor made the choice to throw away his humanity for more power, and we who came after are still feeling the effects. Eris was supposed to be killed the day of birth, when she emerged with fully formed teeth, but my wife had cried as she held our child and I… couldn't bring myself to kill my little girl."

"Has she ever…"

If she had already killed someone, he knew what he had to do.

"The only harm she has caused was when she drew blood while breastfeeding, and yet the fact that she didn't tear off any flesh gave me hope that she might grow up normal. My father made me promise him something, if she can't acclimate to society by the time she turns ten, he'll kill her for me. Rudeus, you're my final hope, help my daughter."