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Fate: Isekai Tensei – Forged Sword

10: Blood
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The immediate reality that Shirou had almost killed an innocent girl, had been replaced by the fact that she could survive, and now, he was realizing what exactly was happening.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."
 
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