Fate/Kaleid Ouroboros - Prologue
Time is a river.
It is a river, because you can never step...
Time is a river.
It is a river, because you can never step...
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Fate/Kaleid Ouroboros [Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma/SI]
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Prologue
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Fate/Kaleid Ouroboros - Prologue
Time is a river.
It is a river, because you can never step twice into it. It is impossible to do so. Time proceeds in one direction, and one direction alone. To accelerate the flow of time to its utmost limit, and reach the very edge of the end of the universe only to access the Root afterwards, that was all the Emiya Crest was about.
The Root where everything is recorded stands as a testament beyond time itself. The moment space disappears, so too does time. Thus, inevitably, one is left with the Root. Once the last dimension is annulled. Once the last point of relativity is removed, the last ember of cognition, the last shred of knowledge, the last grain of dust is reduced to nothingness, true and absolute, that is when the Root materializes.
It is the unfathomable truth, that only in absolute nihilism can the Emiya achieve their path to the Root. Some may say it is a bitter truth; others may claim it foolish, and prefer to remain tied and bound by those things which form the core of humanity. Things like emotions, laughter, friendships and bonds-those kind of thing are beautiful, but in the final moments, as the final countdown begins and the final bell tolls the midnight's doomsday, what do they matter?
If, by achieving the path to the Root, you can subsequently achieve everything, then what need do you have for everything that stands in the middle? If you can reach ascension, and through ascension achieve everything, then why are you wasting your time for the single shiny pebble on the path?
Why are you looking at the little that stands in the present path, when the future can hold everything that you could ever desire?
Because you could fail.
For in the final instant, as the final leap materializes, as the final second goes by-if you do not take the leap, if you do not plunge forth...then you will have lost everything, and thus have achieved absolutely nothing.
Everything and Nothing.
The beginning and the end.
But if everything that ends begins anew, then what is there to fear? For to defeat one's fear, one needs but be told that he will succeed at his leap, again and again, forever. The lies that turn into truths, the knowledge that all those that tried before succeeded, and there is no reason to doubt you will succeed in turn, that can be a powerful tool by itself. A fanatic's most powerful defense of his beliefs lies in that his paradigms cannot be disproved. And even if they were, he would still disbelieve that proof.
Thus, inevitably, a confrontation must happen. For countless are the arms of the Root, countless are the paths taken, but even so, one must walk the path ahead. For the river is never twice the same, but yet all rivers have the same characteristics. They are wide or small, fast or slow, they may lead to the sea or to a lake, to an Ocean or to a puddle, but they go forth all the same.
You can slow time. You can speed up time. You cannot rewind time.
Or well, you can.
It's called the Second Magic, after all, and it's pretty easy to understand. Well, not really. If it were, people wouldn't go mad. You need a bit of mental elasticity. Unless you've got the kind of mind that can see beyond the obvious, you won't go anywhere. You need an outsider's point of view to get it right, and so, on that regards, I was advantaged a tiny bit. My only advantage, really.
You can retrace your steps and plunge into a different river that shares all similarities to the one you just left. You do not have to swim against the current to do so; you just pull yourself out of the river, walk on the shore, and then get back in the water. And if it's not the same river you step back inside, it so happens that there are many other rivers out there. Just pick the one you like the most.
All my life has been...
My eyes opened to the ceiling. The mother of all headaches pounded in the back of my head, and in the front. My vision swam with multicolored lights, my eyes threatened to go blind from the pain I felt, and thus I closed them tightly as I bit down on my knuckles, letting the pain slowly drop inch by inch back to the norm.
My heart drummed as if I had run a marathon. My back burned as if the fires of hell had singed it. My thoughts were whispers and screams in my head. My arms were frail and strong, the cover was both warm and oppressive, suffocating and sweet.
I couldn't stay in bed a second longer, and I couldn't leave it. My body was frayed at its nerves, as if someone had meticulously taken care of rupturing every bone, and then putting them back together for added sport. Was I the most incredible puzzle of the entire universe, created cell by cell into minuscule and microscopic detail?
I had the feeling that was the case, and also wasn't.
I groaned as my thoughts led my pain away, tightly bound and locked into a corner where it could do no harm to the likes of me. I stumbled out of bed, placed a hand against my face, and opened my eyes once more.
The room was a somber beige color. There were a few pictures -adorable I might add- that seemed to show a set of smiling, happy faces. And then there was the odd man out. Or well, the two odd men out.
Kiritsugu Emiya looked as if someone had broken his bones in most of the photos. Though he did have kind, welcoming eyes, his face was set in that small, gruff expression that meant that while he enjoyed the idea of the photo, he'd be dead before admitting it. Irisviel von Einzbern stood smiling like the doting mother that she was, and while Illya stood by her side with a bright smile, I stood by Kiritsugu's side with the same gruff expression.
Stuck in the middle, Shiro and her light auburn hair held on to an awkward smile.
There were other photos. In one, Kiritsugu and I had apparently gone fishing in some kind of father-son bonding experience. I vaguely remembered it. We started with bait, went on to use guns, and finished with a stick of dynamite.
Because why should you go at things halfheartedly, when you can use high-yield explosive to terminate your competition faster?
My sensitive hearing picked up the sound of cooking from the floor below, and I knew thus that at least two members of the house would be wide awake.
A sudden noise forced me to hiss as the painfully high-pitched volume made me wish I hadn't put a Wake-Me-Up alarm on the cellphone. My fingers stumbled for the infernal machine, and I realized dimly it wasn't an alarm, but a call.
A call from an unknown number.
"Yes?" I grumbled.
A smooth voice, rich and baritone, spoke from the other side, grating on my nerves near-instantaneously. "Shall we stop, apprentice?"
I glanced at the pictures once more. I stared into the awkwardly smiling face of Shiro.
"No, I need more time."
"You have had centuries," the voice replied. "And centuries more. You have clawed minuscule fragments of knowledge, like an ant bringing a single grain of rice in all of its lifetime back to the anthill. Even so, it is merely enough to form a pebble. A wise man would know when to quit."
"It doesn't matter how big the pebble is," I retorted. "But how well you use it, perverted marshal of magical girls. And I am not a wise man."
There was only rich laughter from the other end, and then the call disconnected.
My headache came back, but I stood up all the same.
My name was Kagayaku Emiya...
...the Ouroboros, the Devouring Cycle.
Time is a river.
It is a river, because you can never step twice into it. It is impossible to do so. Time proceeds in one direction, and one direction alone. To accelerate the flow of time to its utmost limit, and reach the very edge of the end of the universe only to access the Root afterwards, that was all the Emiya Crest was about.
The Root where everything is recorded stands as a testament beyond time itself. The moment space disappears, so too does time. Thus, inevitably, one is left with the Root. Once the last dimension is annulled. Once the last point of relativity is removed, the last ember of cognition, the last shred of knowledge, the last grain of dust is reduced to nothingness, true and absolute, that is when the Root materializes.
It is the unfathomable truth, that only in absolute nihilism can the Emiya achieve their path to the Root. Some may say it is a bitter truth; others may claim it foolish, and prefer to remain tied and bound by those things which form the core of humanity. Things like emotions, laughter, friendships and bonds-those kind of thing are beautiful, but in the final moments, as the final countdown begins and the final bell tolls the midnight's doomsday, what do they matter?
If, by achieving the path to the Root, you can subsequently achieve everything, then what need do you have for everything that stands in the middle? If you can reach ascension, and through ascension achieve everything, then why are you wasting your time for the single shiny pebble on the path?
Why are you looking at the little that stands in the present path, when the future can hold everything that you could ever desire?
Because you could fail.
For in the final instant, as the final leap materializes, as the final second goes by-if you do not take the leap, if you do not plunge forth...then you will have lost everything, and thus have achieved absolutely nothing.
Everything and Nothing.
The beginning and the end.
But if everything that ends begins anew, then what is there to fear? For to defeat one's fear, one needs but be told that he will succeed at his leap, again and again, forever. The lies that turn into truths, the knowledge that all those that tried before succeeded, and there is no reason to doubt you will succeed in turn, that can be a powerful tool by itself. A fanatic's most powerful defense of his beliefs lies in that his paradigms cannot be disproved. And even if they were, he would still disbelieve that proof.
Thus, inevitably, a confrontation must happen. For countless are the arms of the Root, countless are the paths taken, but even so, one must walk the path ahead. For the river is never twice the same, but yet all rivers have the same characteristics. They are wide or small, fast or slow, they may lead to the sea or to a lake, to an Ocean or to a puddle, but they go forth all the same.
You can slow time. You can speed up time. You cannot rewind time.
Or well, you can.
It's called the Second Magic, after all, and it's pretty easy to understand. Well, not really. If it were, people wouldn't go mad. You need a bit of mental elasticity. Unless you've got the kind of mind that can see beyond the obvious, you won't go anywhere. You need an outsider's point of view to get it right, and so, on that regards, I was advantaged a tiny bit. My only advantage, really.
You can retrace your steps and plunge into a different river that shares all similarities to the one you just left. You do not have to swim against the current to do so; you just pull yourself out of the river, walk on the shore, and then get back in the water. And if it's not the same river you step back inside, it so happens that there are many other rivers out there. Just pick the one you like the most.
All my life has been...
My eyes opened to the ceiling. The mother of all headaches pounded in the back of my head, and in the front. My vision swam with multicolored lights, my eyes threatened to go blind from the pain I felt, and thus I closed them tightly as I bit down on my knuckles, letting the pain slowly drop inch by inch back to the norm.
My heart drummed as if I had run a marathon. My back burned as if the fires of hell had singed it. My thoughts were whispers and screams in my head. My arms were frail and strong, the cover was both warm and oppressive, suffocating and sweet.
I couldn't stay in bed a second longer, and I couldn't leave it. My body was frayed at its nerves, as if someone had meticulously taken care of rupturing every bone, and then putting them back together for added sport. Was I the most incredible puzzle of the entire universe, created cell by cell into minuscule and microscopic detail?
I had the feeling that was the case, and also wasn't.
I groaned as my thoughts led my pain away, tightly bound and locked into a corner where it could do no harm to the likes of me. I stumbled out of bed, placed a hand against my face, and opened my eyes once more.
The room was a somber beige color. There were a few pictures -adorable I might add- that seemed to show a set of smiling, happy faces. And then there was the odd man out. Or well, the two odd men out.
Kiritsugu Emiya looked as if someone had broken his bones in most of the photos. Though he did have kind, welcoming eyes, his face was set in that small, gruff expression that meant that while he enjoyed the idea of the photo, he'd be dead before admitting it. Irisviel von Einzbern stood smiling like the doting mother that she was, and while Illya stood by her side with a bright smile, I stood by Kiritsugu's side with the same gruff expression.
Stuck in the middle, Shiro and her light auburn hair held on to an awkward smile.
There were other photos. In one, Kiritsugu and I had apparently gone fishing in some kind of father-son bonding experience. I vaguely remembered it. We started with bait, went on to use guns, and finished with a stick of dynamite.
Because why should you go at things halfheartedly, when you can use high-yield explosive to terminate your competition faster?
My sensitive hearing picked up the sound of cooking from the floor below, and I knew thus that at least two members of the house would be wide awake.
A sudden noise forced me to hiss as the painfully high-pitched volume made me wish I hadn't put a Wake-Me-Up alarm on the cellphone. My fingers stumbled for the infernal machine, and I realized dimly it wasn't an alarm, but a call.
A call from an unknown number.
"Yes?" I grumbled.
A smooth voice, rich and baritone, spoke from the other side, grating on my nerves near-instantaneously. "Shall we stop, apprentice?"
I glanced at the pictures once more. I stared into the awkwardly smiling face of Shiro.
"No, I need more time."
"You have had centuries," the voice replied. "And centuries more. You have clawed minuscule fragments of knowledge, like an ant bringing a single grain of rice in all of its lifetime back to the anthill. Even so, it is merely enough to form a pebble. A wise man would know when to quit."
"It doesn't matter how big the pebble is," I retorted. "But how well you use it, perverted marshal of magical girls. And I am not a wise man."
There was only rich laughter from the other end, and then the call disconnected.
My headache came back, but I stood up all the same.
My name was Kagayaku Emiya...
...the Ouroboros, the Devouring Cycle.
- Location
- Italy
... I fully expect you to jump into the giant floating evil cube at some point. I have no basis for this, I just feel like it's going to happen.
TwistedJester
Tired Lurker King
- Location
- Hell
This nicely coincides with me currently watching the anime in question.
I shall paraphrase your Poll title at the top
"Shade, seriously?"
You don't have anywhere near enough coffees to sustain such stories.
"Shade, seriously?"
You don't have anywhere near enough coffees to sustain such stories.
Last edited:
taovkool
Forever Gone
- Location
- The Library, Department of General Works
Wait, this again?
Shade, by any chance, were you suffering from the chuuni syndrome when you wrote this?
floppy_seal99
D-O-G-A-R-S DOGARS!
- Location
- snooping as usual
I really would like for you to fix this typo lmao.
Shade's doing fine, but BY GOD there better be no influence from the man named Shad in this thread.
- Location
- United States
Says Ricardo Milos...
floppy_seal99
D-O-G-A-R-S DOGARS!
- Location
- snooping as usual
now listen here you Boy♂Next♂Door♂, all I'm guilty of is freely giving heterosexual men extra points on the Kinsey scale. Shadman is infinitely worse than anything from the Gachimuchi wrestling Universe. I'd bet my left asscheek Aniki could destroy The Wizard Marshall with a single tender spank.
Now I want to see Billy Herrington as the Saver Class Card for one of the three Magical Girls to pick up.
Caren: "Hey, degenerate, I think you've got the wrong door. The coffee addict club's two blocks down."
Kagayaku: "♂Fuck♂You♂."
Caren: "Nah, fuck you, ouroboros man. Maybe you and I should settle it right here in the Mirror World if you think you're so tough."
Kagayaku: "Oh yeah?"
Caren: "Yeah? You're gonna wrestle?"
Kagayaku: "I'll kick your ass!"
Caren: "Huh? Ha! Yeah right, man. Let's go! Why don't you get out of that chuuni stuff? I'll strip down out of this (not that there's much of it anyway) and we'll settle it right here in the ring. What do you say?"
Kagayaku: "Yeah, no problem, buddy."
Caren: "You got it. Get out of that, uh, jabroni outfit."
Kagayaku: "Yeah, smart-ass."
Caren: "I'll show you who's the boss of this Self-Insert story."
***
And then they fucked.
Last edited:
Chapter One
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter One
The morning breakfast consisted of what was normal for a Japanese family. There was rice, a soup, fish and some small omelettes. There was also a set of bright white haired girls, coming in different ages. Leysritt was seated at the table, her white hair cut short and her red eyes staring inquisitively in my direction. I drank my coffee slowly, savoring the bitter taste.
By my side, Shiro was wolfing down her food as fast as she could possibly manage. Her auburn hair seemed to blaze from the morning sun; it was clear she had somewhere to be quite quickly, and wouldn't waste time on this fine morning. It was a day like any other; it was a morning like any other to her. It was the same for Illya, the youngest of the family. She was still half-asleep, yawning as she proceeded to pick at her food as if the act of eating slowly would keep her away from school faster.
I finished to drink my mug just as Sella took her seat, having finished to prepare her own breakfast in the meantime.
"I have to go," Shiro said hastily, waving goodbye and rushing for the door. I heard it open, and then close. Illya remained unperturbed.
Once I was done eating, I dimly realized that Sella had a briefcase with my name on it in her hands. I briefly glanced to where she had been seated, and realized she had already finished her dinner without me even noticing.
"Thank you, Sella," I answered.
"As the oldest male heir in the family, I will be expecting a flawless report of conduct from your overseer at work," Sella answered neutrally. I blinked at that.
My mind scratched a bit, and then I grumbled with a quiet chuckle. "The tiger of Fuyuki is seldom capable of giving flawless reports," I pointed out. It did nothing to deter Sella's expression that the report better be flawless, or I would be in deep trouble.
One could be an adult and yet still treated like a child, I reckoned.
Illya finished her breakfast just as I stepped outside the house, and in a matter of minutes reached me by dashing across the road. I knew where to go, for it was a road I had walked a hundred thousand times already, and she apparently knew that I was as talkative as a rock in the mornings, for she didn't even bother trying to speak to me.
The Fuyuki school had both the elementary and higher level classes within, and as we reached our destination at a sedated pace, the sight of Issei standing by the gates checking everyone who stepped in was a welcome sight.
Briefly, static filled my vision. The sky darkened to crimson and purple. The school disappeared, torn in chunks. I hissed as a brief feeling of pain overcame my mind, stretching and pulsing throughout my nerves. I fought it back down, the sensation receding as the static came less.
Everything was all right.
"Teacher," Issei said at my sight, and I returned the acknowledgement with a nod of my head, passing him by.
"Big brother," Illya said as we were midway through the courtyard, her crimson eyes looking up at me, "Have a nice day!" she said cheerfully, and I grinned at her.
"You too," I answered with a wink, before stepping inside and heading for the teachers' lounge.
Souichirou Kuzuki's stern expression grew even sterner as I stepped inside and took my seat. The incredibly severe teacher kept his eyes on me for a few more seconds, and then seemed to return to his own workload. I glanced with a puzzled expression at my clothes, but found no creases nor blotches that would warrant such a level of attention from the perfect teacher that all teachers should aspire to become like.
Unfortunately, I had Fujimura Taiga to guide me on the long arduous path of teaching English to students.
Her expression was one of despair. Her eyes were sunk with grief. Her lips quivered as she stared with sadness at the window, and beyond it to the horizon. Indeed, her heart was filled with so much despair that she could have probably become a black hole of sadness.
"Kagayaku," she said with all the familiarity that she could master, "why can't people find true love?"
I awkwardly witnessed most of the teachers depart for their classes. I would have done so too, if only I didn't actually have to submit my proposed study plan to the currently depressed Tiger of Fuyuki.
"That is a question I will not answer," I replied, doing my best to push my stack of papers in front of her, as if trying to force feed a letter to a postbox. It didn't work. Fujimura Taiga simply sighed louder, dark clouds of desperation hanging over her shoulders.
"Has my time gone by so quickly?" she lamented sorrowfully. "Am I such an unlovable creature? Why will no one marry me?"
"Perhaps if you didn't start all your dates with the idea of marrying-" I hazarded, only to receive a withering glare that would have killed lesser men, or brought to their knees heroic heroes of legend.
"Kagayaku," she said flatly. "Time waits for no one."
I chuckled. "I know-"
"Then, stop saying stupid shit," she grumbled. She didn't bother to look at my proposed study plan. She simply accepted it as an inevitable reality. "Fine, I'll console myself with the bottom of a bottle," she groaned, "Why can't there be thoughtful people out there looking to start a nice family with a good woman like me, Kagayaku?"
"I have no idea, and I do not wish to find out," I answered quite calmly, dutifully accepting back the papers and walking by her side out of the professors' room and into my assigned classroom. Fujimura Taiga was the ordinary professor who had to deal with a lot of classrooms; and I was her aid, taking off some of them from her back.
Shaping the minds of the future generations was hard work. Teaching them the glory of the English tongue was even harder. Showing them the glorious superiority of the English literature when compared to the Japanese one was hell on earth.
"And thus we reach the paragraph number five," I spoke to the classroom of dutiful students.
On the chalkboard behind me, the words of the poem were written in clear letters.
"But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing."
There was a drawing of a bird within a cage, which I had one of the good drawers of the class place nearby. "This poem strikes us not just because of the imagery, but because of the juxtaposition with the previous verse. Throughout it, we have been comparing what a free bird and what a caged bird go through. That difference is what makes this all the more heart-wrenching," as I said that, a student raised his hand.
"Yes, Kurihara?" as I gave permission to one of the children to speak up, I watched the bespectacled girl stand up to make her question.
"What does heart-wrenching mean, teacher?"
"It is a combination of two words, and by the nature of English being a tongue that enjoys dragging two words together to form a new meaning, taken singularly they each mean different things. The first is the heart," I patted my chest, "And the second is the act of using a wrench, the hydraulic's tool. When you wrench someone's heart, it is because you tighten it. So, something heart-wrenching is something that makes your heart tighten; something painful, and sad."
With a nod of understanding, Kurihara sat back down.
"Now, let's take the powerful imagery invoked by the word association; can anyone tell me what strikes you of this poem? What kind of words, bound together, elicit strong feelings in you?"
There was silence in the class, until someone raised her hand. I gave her a nod, and Mimi Katsura stood up to answer.
"Grave of dreams?" she said, "nightmare scream?"
"Good," I said with a nod, underlining the words. "A grave is a place where the dead rest. And dreams, well, dreams are normally happy. But a grave of dreams gives it an extremely depressing feeling, doesn't it? A place where dreams are laid to rest, where they stand dead and buried, and can never be realized again. And a nightmare scream is strangely more evocative than a simple scream, isn't it? Because it's connected to nightmares-the things we fear as we sleep."
I glanced in the general direction of my younger sister, and sighed in disbelief.
Her head was drooped down, and her eyes were half-closing. She was clearly about to fall asleep in class, and I couldn't quite tolerate that.
I threw a chalk stick in her direction with merciless precision, hitting her straight in the forehead and eliciting a startled gasp of surprise as she jumped on her seat, massaging he forehead and groaning.
"Ouch! It hurt!" she whined.
"Illyasviel Von Einzberg," I said quite calmly, smiling with the threatening smile of the snake about to devour the eggs left unguarded in the eagle's nest. "What does the word 'Clipped' mean in this circumstance?"
Her eyes widened, and she briefly emitted an embarrassed groan.
I waited, patiently.
As the clock ticked the seconds by, it became clear that she didn't have an answer. Thus, I sighed, and shook my head. "I will be expecting a short summary of the poem's central means and themes by next week, to be delivered orally to the classroom. In English."
Illya's head thumped against the surface of her desk, "Kill me now," she muttered under her breath, but I heard her all the same.
I returned to the blackboard, humming as I went about finishing the poem and explaining it further.
It was refreshing to have a captivated audience.
Though...was the right word captivated, or captive?
The morning breakfast consisted of what was normal for a Japanese family. There was rice, a soup, fish and some small omelettes. There was also a set of bright white haired girls, coming in different ages. Leysritt was seated at the table, her white hair cut short and her red eyes staring inquisitively in my direction. I drank my coffee slowly, savoring the bitter taste.
By my side, Shiro was wolfing down her food as fast as she could possibly manage. Her auburn hair seemed to blaze from the morning sun; it was clear she had somewhere to be quite quickly, and wouldn't waste time on this fine morning. It was a day like any other; it was a morning like any other to her. It was the same for Illya, the youngest of the family. She was still half-asleep, yawning as she proceeded to pick at her food as if the act of eating slowly would keep her away from school faster.
I finished to drink my mug just as Sella took her seat, having finished to prepare her own breakfast in the meantime.
"I have to go," Shiro said hastily, waving goodbye and rushing for the door. I heard it open, and then close. Illya remained unperturbed.
Once I was done eating, I dimly realized that Sella had a briefcase with my name on it in her hands. I briefly glanced to where she had been seated, and realized she had already finished her dinner without me even noticing.
"Thank you, Sella," I answered.
"As the oldest male heir in the family, I will be expecting a flawless report of conduct from your overseer at work," Sella answered neutrally. I blinked at that.
My mind scratched a bit, and then I grumbled with a quiet chuckle. "The tiger of Fuyuki is seldom capable of giving flawless reports," I pointed out. It did nothing to deter Sella's expression that the report better be flawless, or I would be in deep trouble.
One could be an adult and yet still treated like a child, I reckoned.
Illya finished her breakfast just as I stepped outside the house, and in a matter of minutes reached me by dashing across the road. I knew where to go, for it was a road I had walked a hundred thousand times already, and she apparently knew that I was as talkative as a rock in the mornings, for she didn't even bother trying to speak to me.
The Fuyuki school had both the elementary and higher level classes within, and as we reached our destination at a sedated pace, the sight of Issei standing by the gates checking everyone who stepped in was a welcome sight.
Briefly, static filled my vision. The sky darkened to crimson and purple. The school disappeared, torn in chunks. I hissed as a brief feeling of pain overcame my mind, stretching and pulsing throughout my nerves. I fought it back down, the sensation receding as the static came less.
Everything was all right.
"Teacher," Issei said at my sight, and I returned the acknowledgement with a nod of my head, passing him by.
"Big brother," Illya said as we were midway through the courtyard, her crimson eyes looking up at me, "Have a nice day!" she said cheerfully, and I grinned at her.
"You too," I answered with a wink, before stepping inside and heading for the teachers' lounge.
Souichirou Kuzuki's stern expression grew even sterner as I stepped inside and took my seat. The incredibly severe teacher kept his eyes on me for a few more seconds, and then seemed to return to his own workload. I glanced with a puzzled expression at my clothes, but found no creases nor blotches that would warrant such a level of attention from the perfect teacher that all teachers should aspire to become like.
Unfortunately, I had Fujimura Taiga to guide me on the long arduous path of teaching English to students.
Her expression was one of despair. Her eyes were sunk with grief. Her lips quivered as she stared with sadness at the window, and beyond it to the horizon. Indeed, her heart was filled with so much despair that she could have probably become a black hole of sadness.
"Kagayaku," she said with all the familiarity that she could master, "why can't people find true love?"
I awkwardly witnessed most of the teachers depart for their classes. I would have done so too, if only I didn't actually have to submit my proposed study plan to the currently depressed Tiger of Fuyuki.
"That is a question I will not answer," I replied, doing my best to push my stack of papers in front of her, as if trying to force feed a letter to a postbox. It didn't work. Fujimura Taiga simply sighed louder, dark clouds of desperation hanging over her shoulders.
"Has my time gone by so quickly?" she lamented sorrowfully. "Am I such an unlovable creature? Why will no one marry me?"
"Perhaps if you didn't start all your dates with the idea of marrying-" I hazarded, only to receive a withering glare that would have killed lesser men, or brought to their knees heroic heroes of legend.
"Kagayaku," she said flatly. "Time waits for no one."
I chuckled. "I know-"
"Then, stop saying stupid shit," she grumbled. She didn't bother to look at my proposed study plan. She simply accepted it as an inevitable reality. "Fine, I'll console myself with the bottom of a bottle," she groaned, "Why can't there be thoughtful people out there looking to start a nice family with a good woman like me, Kagayaku?"
"I have no idea, and I do not wish to find out," I answered quite calmly, dutifully accepting back the papers and walking by her side out of the professors' room and into my assigned classroom. Fujimura Taiga was the ordinary professor who had to deal with a lot of classrooms; and I was her aid, taking off some of them from her back.
Shaping the minds of the future generations was hard work. Teaching them the glory of the English tongue was even harder. Showing them the glorious superiority of the English literature when compared to the Japanese one was hell on earth.
"And thus we reach the paragraph number five," I spoke to the classroom of dutiful students.
On the chalkboard behind me, the words of the poem were written in clear letters.
"But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing."
There was a drawing of a bird within a cage, which I had one of the good drawers of the class place nearby. "This poem strikes us not just because of the imagery, but because of the juxtaposition with the previous verse. Throughout it, we have been comparing what a free bird and what a caged bird go through. That difference is what makes this all the more heart-wrenching," as I said that, a student raised his hand.
"Yes, Kurihara?" as I gave permission to one of the children to speak up, I watched the bespectacled girl stand up to make her question.
"What does heart-wrenching mean, teacher?"
"It is a combination of two words, and by the nature of English being a tongue that enjoys dragging two words together to form a new meaning, taken singularly they each mean different things. The first is the heart," I patted my chest, "And the second is the act of using a wrench, the hydraulic's tool. When you wrench someone's heart, it is because you tighten it. So, something heart-wrenching is something that makes your heart tighten; something painful, and sad."
With a nod of understanding, Kurihara sat back down.
"Now, let's take the powerful imagery invoked by the word association; can anyone tell me what strikes you of this poem? What kind of words, bound together, elicit strong feelings in you?"
There was silence in the class, until someone raised her hand. I gave her a nod, and Mimi Katsura stood up to answer.
"Grave of dreams?" she said, "nightmare scream?"
"Good," I said with a nod, underlining the words. "A grave is a place where the dead rest. And dreams, well, dreams are normally happy. But a grave of dreams gives it an extremely depressing feeling, doesn't it? A place where dreams are laid to rest, where they stand dead and buried, and can never be realized again. And a nightmare scream is strangely more evocative than a simple scream, isn't it? Because it's connected to nightmares-the things we fear as we sleep."
I glanced in the general direction of my younger sister, and sighed in disbelief.
Her head was drooped down, and her eyes were half-closing. She was clearly about to fall asleep in class, and I couldn't quite tolerate that.
I threw a chalk stick in her direction with merciless precision, hitting her straight in the forehead and eliciting a startled gasp of surprise as she jumped on her seat, massaging he forehead and groaning.
"Ouch! It hurt!" she whined.
"Illyasviel Von Einzberg," I said quite calmly, smiling with the threatening smile of the snake about to devour the eggs left unguarded in the eagle's nest. "What does the word 'Clipped' mean in this circumstance?"
Her eyes widened, and she briefly emitted an embarrassed groan.
I waited, patiently.
As the clock ticked the seconds by, it became clear that she didn't have an answer. Thus, I sighed, and shook my head. "I will be expecting a short summary of the poem's central means and themes by next week, to be delivered orally to the classroom. In English."
Illya's head thumped against the surface of her desk, "Kill me now," she muttered under her breath, but I heard her all the same.
I returned to the blackboard, humming as I went about finishing the poem and explaining it further.
It was refreshing to have a captivated audience.
Though...was the right word captivated, or captive?
- Location
- Australia
Captive because otherwise the students would be anywhere but school.
TwistedJester
Tired Lurker King
- Location
- Hell
It's more fun when it's both.
floppy_seal99
D-O-G-A-R-S DOGARS!
- Location
- snooping as usual
Illya and friends: *try running away*
Kagayaku: "Get♂your♂ass♂back♂here! Fucking♂slaves♂."
Kagayaku: "Get♂your♂ass♂back♂here! Fucking♂slaves♂."
- Location
- Malaysia
You know that they don't teach English with that kind of level to primary schoolers in Japan aren't you?
Chapter Two
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Two
The most welcome moment during school was the break. For students and teachers both. I enjoyed my lunch break in the silence of the infirmary, eating my Sella-approved lunch as I watched the pristine white of the bed sheets.
"They're so white, they look like bridal gowns," I pointed out.
"They are routinely bleached," the golden-eyed nurse answered back, pushing a lock of her light grey hair behind her ear as she glanced at my presence, disturbing the sanctity of her sanctuary. "The smell sticks inside of them like a disease," she continued, a small smile settling on her lips. "It annoys the refined noses of children. Their disgusted faces are beautiful to see."
"I get it," I answered with a sigh, "I suppose someone would have to accommodate a more reasonable budget to include softeners and perfumed cleaning agents."
"I pray routinely to God that such a thing does not happen," the nurse replied. "It would be folly to waste so much money on so little."
"A private donation, then?" I hazarded. "There is truly no limit to the greed of the church and its faithful."
The golden-eyed figure glanced at me with a glimmer of amusement. "From the greediest of dragons I would not expect greed to be such a turnoff."
I shrugged, and munched thoughtfully on some rice. "I am greedy only for those who are evil. Have you been a bad girl?" I whispered conspiratorially, winking in her direction.
The nurse rolled her eyes and swiftly stole the priceless omelette piece within my chopsticks, made with love and filled with nutrients. She turned thoughtful after munching on it, and shook her head. "It is too filled with condiments. A more bland taste will suit your health more," she acquiesced.
"Oh? Are you offering your handmade lunch for the likes of me?" I remarked. "I'll gladly accept it." I smiled at her. "After all-"
The infirmary door opened as two figures purposefully strode in. They were both sharing some minor purple welts on their faces, as if they had struck one another viciously with their fists. The two figures looked at our direction with a mixture of surprise and panic, and then they both spoke at the same time.
"She started it!" they both blurted out. They turned to glare at one another. "You did!" they repeated in unison.
"Tohsaka/Edelfelt!" they both growled at one another. The blonde-haired Luvia and the dark haired Rin seemed ready to tear at each other's throat right that instant, but beneath that I was relatively sure there was some camaraderie involved. Somewhere deep down. Somewhere very, very deep down.
"Hortensia!" I exclaimed in turn, glancing at the nurse. She looked at me briefly, and then chuckled.
"Emiya," she said. "Now that we are done stating each other's surnames, what are you doing here?" she asked, turning to the duo.
"She punched me," they both said at the same time, growling and whispering threats to one another.
"I can see that," Caren said, "It is nice to see you burst a few capillaries, but nothing too serious. It will pass." She clicked her tongue. "Though I pray God will forgive the demons of rage that inhabited your body, for whatever reason did you feel the need to fight with one another to such lengths, at school no less?"
"I was having lunch with Shiro," Rin Tohsaka said with a victorious smile, "And she decided to butt in with her drills."
"I was merely going to offer a ten-course lunchbox," Luvia replied with a huff, "It is not my fault I am too kind for my own good. I would be Shiro's perfect best-friend. Not like you."
"Say that again and-" Rin's threat didn't finish as I coughed, meaningfully. "I will act in a manner befitting a proper student of this school," she lamely added.
"Oh! The great Tohsaka is silenced by a mere cough? I thought I'd never see the day-" Luvia replied, snickering.
"Stupid drill-head," Rin hissed at her. "Dig yourself a deep tomb while you're at it!" she then winced as Caren applied some form of stinging salve to the wound. I had a feeling that she had mixed some extra pepper to it, just to make it burn a bit more.
"I don't see the problem-" Luvia's mouth stopped speaking as she glanced at me a bit further, a puzzled look soon being replaced with one of shock. "Y-You're Shiro's most honorable big brother-"
I placed a hand against my face and sighed. Seriously, Shiro, your incredible powers of being a harem protagonist will be the death of me. Now, do us all a favor and become a nun for the reminder of your life, because I don't want to keep on killing people that try to take you away from me. Well, not that I've actually had to kill a lot of people because of it. Just a couple. But they were bad people. And most definitely didn't belong here.
"I am your English teacher, also," I drawled with a dreadful voice. "If you weren't excused because of your certificates, you'd know that too, Miss Edelfelt."
This preened her up, "Of course the knowledge of English is paramount in this age of international bonds! Why, nothing would strengthen someone's culture more than a deep dive into the British culture, I could offer Shiro room and board for a summer excursion-" Rin's hand hit with surprising quickness against Luvia's poor throat, and I reckoned the fact that the blonde was half-choking meant she had hit pretty hard too.
"She doesn't know what she's saying, teacher," Rin added hastily. "Absolutely doesn't know what she's speaking about."
"Meh, I'll forgive her," I shrugged. "Anyway! How are things going? Everything is proceeding smoothly?" as I asked that, Caren rolled her eyes and continued fishing for food out of my lunched box. I knew I'd have to buy something eventually before lunch break ended, but to so blatantly steal from me, it was clear what the nun-turned-nurse was aiming at.
"Yes! Of course everything is smooth sailing!" Rin said with big, bright smile that reeked of lies and deceit. "Tonight we'll be taking care of another problem, yes indeed!"
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then you wouldn't mind if I checked on how you deal with things?"
"We'd mind!" Rin said in a hurry, "We'd really mind! Secrets are secrets!" she grabbed hold of Luvia, whose face was turning a remarkable shade of blue, and proceeded to haul her out of there, much to the young woman's attempts at staying where she was.
I shook my head and stared down at my now empty lunchbox. Caren impishly smiled, and pushed forward from her side a nice looking, homemade lunch filled with white rice, tiny circles of bread, and what looked like a single droplet of oil and a pinch of salt.
"And the Lord said take of this and eat it, for it is my body." she grabbed a small amount with her chopsticks, a look of triumph on her face.
"But rather I'd drink from this fruit of the vine," I answered as my right hand gently caressed her cheek, a smile on my face, "for such tender lips are clearly made from the finest of grapes."
Caren rolled her eyes. "First comes marriage, you unfaithful infidel."
"Caren Vult," I answered cheekily, and moved away.
Outside, the sun was shining.
It was a fine day to enjoy life...
...it would be a fine night to destroy it.
The most welcome moment during school was the break. For students and teachers both. I enjoyed my lunch break in the silence of the infirmary, eating my Sella-approved lunch as I watched the pristine white of the bed sheets.
"They're so white, they look like bridal gowns," I pointed out.
"They are routinely bleached," the golden-eyed nurse answered back, pushing a lock of her light grey hair behind her ear as she glanced at my presence, disturbing the sanctity of her sanctuary. "The smell sticks inside of them like a disease," she continued, a small smile settling on her lips. "It annoys the refined noses of children. Their disgusted faces are beautiful to see."
"I get it," I answered with a sigh, "I suppose someone would have to accommodate a more reasonable budget to include softeners and perfumed cleaning agents."
"I pray routinely to God that such a thing does not happen," the nurse replied. "It would be folly to waste so much money on so little."
"A private donation, then?" I hazarded. "There is truly no limit to the greed of the church and its faithful."
The golden-eyed figure glanced at me with a glimmer of amusement. "From the greediest of dragons I would not expect greed to be such a turnoff."
I shrugged, and munched thoughtfully on some rice. "I am greedy only for those who are evil. Have you been a bad girl?" I whispered conspiratorially, winking in her direction.
The nurse rolled her eyes and swiftly stole the priceless omelette piece within my chopsticks, made with love and filled with nutrients. She turned thoughtful after munching on it, and shook her head. "It is too filled with condiments. A more bland taste will suit your health more," she acquiesced.
"Oh? Are you offering your handmade lunch for the likes of me?" I remarked. "I'll gladly accept it." I smiled at her. "After all-"
The infirmary door opened as two figures purposefully strode in. They were both sharing some minor purple welts on their faces, as if they had struck one another viciously with their fists. The two figures looked at our direction with a mixture of surprise and panic, and then they both spoke at the same time.
"She started it!" they both blurted out. They turned to glare at one another. "You did!" they repeated in unison.
"Tohsaka/Edelfelt!" they both growled at one another. The blonde-haired Luvia and the dark haired Rin seemed ready to tear at each other's throat right that instant, but beneath that I was relatively sure there was some camaraderie involved. Somewhere deep down. Somewhere very, very deep down.
"Hortensia!" I exclaimed in turn, glancing at the nurse. She looked at me briefly, and then chuckled.
"Emiya," she said. "Now that we are done stating each other's surnames, what are you doing here?" she asked, turning to the duo.
"She punched me," they both said at the same time, growling and whispering threats to one another.
"I can see that," Caren said, "It is nice to see you burst a few capillaries, but nothing too serious. It will pass." She clicked her tongue. "Though I pray God will forgive the demons of rage that inhabited your body, for whatever reason did you feel the need to fight with one another to such lengths, at school no less?"
"I was having lunch with Shiro," Rin Tohsaka said with a victorious smile, "And she decided to butt in with her drills."
"I was merely going to offer a ten-course lunchbox," Luvia replied with a huff, "It is not my fault I am too kind for my own good. I would be Shiro's perfect best-friend. Not like you."
"Say that again and-" Rin's threat didn't finish as I coughed, meaningfully. "I will act in a manner befitting a proper student of this school," she lamely added.
"Oh! The great Tohsaka is silenced by a mere cough? I thought I'd never see the day-" Luvia replied, snickering.
"Stupid drill-head," Rin hissed at her. "Dig yourself a deep tomb while you're at it!" she then winced as Caren applied some form of stinging salve to the wound. I had a feeling that she had mixed some extra pepper to it, just to make it burn a bit more.
"I don't see the problem-" Luvia's mouth stopped speaking as she glanced at me a bit further, a puzzled look soon being replaced with one of shock. "Y-You're Shiro's most honorable big brother-"
I placed a hand against my face and sighed. Seriously, Shiro, your incredible powers of being a harem protagonist will be the death of me. Now, do us all a favor and become a nun for the reminder of your life, because I don't want to keep on killing people that try to take you away from me. Well, not that I've actually had to kill a lot of people because of it. Just a couple. But they were bad people. And most definitely didn't belong here.
"I am your English teacher, also," I drawled with a dreadful voice. "If you weren't excused because of your certificates, you'd know that too, Miss Edelfelt."
This preened her up, "Of course the knowledge of English is paramount in this age of international bonds! Why, nothing would strengthen someone's culture more than a deep dive into the British culture, I could offer Shiro room and board for a summer excursion-" Rin's hand hit with surprising quickness against Luvia's poor throat, and I reckoned the fact that the blonde was half-choking meant she had hit pretty hard too.
"She doesn't know what she's saying, teacher," Rin added hastily. "Absolutely doesn't know what she's speaking about."
"Meh, I'll forgive her," I shrugged. "Anyway! How are things going? Everything is proceeding smoothly?" as I asked that, Caren rolled her eyes and continued fishing for food out of my lunched box. I knew I'd have to buy something eventually before lunch break ended, but to so blatantly steal from me, it was clear what the nun-turned-nurse was aiming at.
"Yes! Of course everything is smooth sailing!" Rin said with big, bright smile that reeked of lies and deceit. "Tonight we'll be taking care of another problem, yes indeed!"
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then you wouldn't mind if I checked on how you deal with things?"
"We'd mind!" Rin said in a hurry, "We'd really mind! Secrets are secrets!" she grabbed hold of Luvia, whose face was turning a remarkable shade of blue, and proceeded to haul her out of there, much to the young woman's attempts at staying where she was.
I shook my head and stared down at my now empty lunchbox. Caren impishly smiled, and pushed forward from her side a nice looking, homemade lunch filled with white rice, tiny circles of bread, and what looked like a single droplet of oil and a pinch of salt.
"And the Lord said take of this and eat it, for it is my body." she grabbed a small amount with her chopsticks, a look of triumph on her face.
"But rather I'd drink from this fruit of the vine," I answered as my right hand gently caressed her cheek, a smile on my face, "for such tender lips are clearly made from the finest of grapes."
Caren rolled her eyes. "First comes marriage, you unfaithful infidel."
"Caren Vult," I answered cheekily, and moved away.
Outside, the sun was shining.
It was a fine day to enjoy life...
...it would be a fine night to destroy it.
C4d
Has approximate knowledge of many things.
- Location
- Germany
Oh so we get another Fate/Shade story? And Prisma Illya no less?
I have to confess that after i read the title i had for a second the thought "Is Shade going to be a Magical Girl?" But for now it seems like he is going to return to his role of overprotective big brother, this time with two little sisters.
However who knows what the future holds? I would put very little beyond the Wizard Marshal and his sticks.
I have to confess that after i read the title i had for a second the thought "Is Shade going to be a Magical Girl?" But for now it seems like he is going to return to his role of overprotective big brother, this time with two little sisters.
However who knows what the future holds? I would put very little beyond the Wizard Marshal and his sticks.
- Location
- france
I know your style, but…
You're really going very strong there.
I suppose we'll see your stance for the Grail Wars soon.
And I won't ask your capacities yet.
floppy_seal99
D-O-G-A-R-S DOGARS!
- Location
- snooping as usual
Nah, fam. This time, he gets 4. Or 5, if you're talking Miyuverse!Shiro. Quadruple the headpats, my gook.
Shade should, IMO, grab Extra Class Cards. Avenger Salieri, Shielder Horatius Cocles, Berserker Spartacus, Alter-Ego or Foreigner Shade himself from another story, or Ruler Sherlock.
Edit: Whoops, forgot an e at the end of Shade. Dammit.
Mizu
Software Developer
- Location
- Victoria, Australia
While an interesting idea, canon only has class cards for the seven main classes, who would've been summoned in the 5th war in F/SN. Others exist in Miyu's world, but unless Shade goes AU (more than already) he won't be encountering those till they end up going there after sealing all 7 5th war cards.
Chapter Three
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Three
The school's field had been empty for a while. It suddenly wasn't. I could feel the boundaries stretch. I could hear the hissing tale be sung. Time ceased having meaning, and Space wobbled.
My back had been nestling happily in my soft bed, but the sensation was now gone, replaced with a famishing hunger that seemed to know no bounds. My eyes were staring through a visor of sorts, like the ones belonging to a helmet. A motorcycle's helmet to be more precise.
Beneath me, I could hear the familiar rumbling of an engine. This was Kiritsugu's motorbike. He had left it in my care a long time ago, and I was standing upon it. I was standing upon it in the middle of the school field, two figures in front of me staring back with a look of surprise.
"Something came out!" Illya's voice was filled with surprise.
"Just like the reports...it materialized!" Rin Tohsaka's voice was more controlled.
My hands went to the bike's gas handles, and in a split-second I was upon them with a bellowing roar leaving my lips. They were delicious-looking, and my hunger could hardly be sated. I'd devour them. I'd eat them out. All of their magic-all of their power-everything they had within them would be mine.
It was the hunger that couldn't be sated. It was the devouring that couldn't be stopped.
I spun on the bike and speared through a set of explosions ignited by Rin, ignoring them as they harmlessly bounced off. "My magic had no effect-and those were my strongest gems!" she hissed through clenched teeth before immediately departing, leaving it to Illya to solve the situation.
I charged once more, my eyes on the greatest source of magic. The magic stick held access to the mana of infinite realities. It was an unlimited source of food. One I would enjoy devouring. One I would snap in half and drink the marrow of. As sharp spikes grew from the motorcycle's wheels, I pushed forth once more.
"Distance!" Illya exclaimed, running off as I pursued her. "He's following us!" she screamed into her stick.
"I can see that!" Ruby answered. "Wave me while thinking of the image of an attack!"
"I guess there is no choice!" Illya had tears in her eyes as she turned, swinging her magic stick right in front of me.
I jumped off my bike as the blast shattered it in pieces, breaking it apart in a tremendous explosion. "Amazing!" Illya yelled in surprise.
"It's working!" Rin added her two cents in.
I extended my right hand in front of me, and the clouds of dust from the beam attack dissipated. I clenched my gloved hands. I howled. It was a bellowing howl. The ground around me shook and trembled.
"Run away! It's using a Noble Phantasm!" Rin screamed. "Hurry over here! A barrier won't-"
"Bleed for eternity in a spinning circle-Ouroboros-"
"Gae Bolg!" and just like that, my eyes snapped open.
I stared at the ceiling of my room, my eyes wide and my breathing uneven. A powerful headache thrummed into me. The clock by my side rang a terrifying noise that shrilly destroyed my precious brain one sharp scream at the time.
My mouth had copious amounts of saliva in it, the prelude to a vomiting streak, I was sure. I swallowed with difficulty, groaning as pain lanced through my brain. My breathing was uneven. Was I having a heart attack? No. My heart was still in its rightful place. It hadn't been punctured. It hadn't been hurt. This wasn't that kind of world; this was a better world, the inhabitants of this world were kind.
I laughed inwardly at my disarrayed thoughts, and that action caused me even more pain. By the time the second alarm clock rang, the headache had receded into something manageable with a good application of painkillers, and I could stand up, get dressed, and mentally prepare myself for the day ahead.
The half-sleepy face of Illya at breakfast was cute to witness. Her eyes were half-closed and she was making a small yawn as she tried to munch on the rice while sometimes missing her mouth with the chopsticks. I proceeded to fully wake her up by tussling her hair, eliciting a gasp from her.
"Someone went to bed late last night," I quipped. "Did you go to a party or something? It's bad for your health, kiddo."
"Couldn't sleep," Illya said awkwardly. She glanced back at her breakfast as I absentmindedly kept rubbing her head a bit more. She had soft hair, it was like touching a fluffy cloud.
Shiro swatted my arm off as she placed my usual morning mug in front of me, before taking her seat and giving a harsh glare in my direction. I blinked at such heat, until realization dawned on me. "Listen Shiro, I know it looks bad, but I'm sure you can recover with the next exam."
"The word Pernicious shouldn't belong in dictionaries," she said instead, eating quickly and in annoyed silence. It had to be an art. "And-" she munched, "I can't believe," she continued munching, "That you'd give-" she finished breakfast, "no warning before one of your sudden exams to me, your sister!" she huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "It's like you don't even care what happens to my grades anymore!" she pouted.
I blinked at the display. "Do you want a refresher course? I could give you some lessons-"
"Oh, how lucky to get private lessons with your teacher, Shiro," Stella said, the smile on her face absolutely devilish. Shiro simply spluttered, and stood up with an extremely annoyed expression.
"I'll hold you to it, brother," she snapped, "I'm off or I'll be late!"
And with those words said, she departed the kitchen quickly.
"I don't know much English, but I know some French...Gigolò~," Leysritt whispered with a cat-like smile.
I finished my coffee and glanced down to where Illya was apparently vividly engrossed with my face. "Is something wrong?" I asked.
"No," she shook her head. "Just-do you remember dad's motorbike?"
I furrowed my brows. "The one mother had him sell because it was too dangerous for him, and I refused categorically to learn how to ride it?"
Illya blinked, "Really? That's why he sold it?"
"He didn't speak to me for a month after that," I replied, "but seriously, motorbikes are death on wheels. Who'd be so insane as to go on one?" I shook my head, "Not I, that's who!"
This seemed to lift Illya's spirit, and she quickly scampered off to get ready for school.
I stood up in turn, ready to leave, only for Sella to near and settle my tie with a warm smile. "There we go," she said, handing over another homemade lunch box. "Do remember to keep high the honor of the family."
"Yes, yes, I will," I answered with a chuckle, leaving the household just in time to watch Illya walk her way to school. I followed at my sedated pace, not really wishing to catch up. After a few minutes, her gaggle of friends caught up to her and they moved in a group of lighthearted elementary students.
I hummed to myself a catchy tune as it looked to be an incredibly beautiful morning.
As I stepped into the teacher's lounge, a small figure with dark hair and a serious face looked up to me, and her eyes widened in absolute shock.
"Oh, Kagayaku," Taiga said with a smile, "This is Miyu Edelfelt, she'll be joining our elementary class today."
I smiled, "I see, I'm sure you'll be fine," I winked in her direction, "Everyone's pretty friendly in your class."
Her breathing seemed to returned, and she gave a quiet nod.
I watched her leave together with Taiga, and proceeded to work out the kinks of today's latest exam I'd subject my students to.
"Professor Kuzuki," I turned towards him, "Do you think 2A is capable of translating a passage from Nietzsche's Ecce Homo?"
"Yes," he answered quite honestly.
I was glad I double-checked with him before finishing preparing my exams.
Nobody dared to say anything after I remarked how he had approved.
It was good to be a teacher.
It was even better to have a friendly senior teacher's help.
The school's field had been empty for a while. It suddenly wasn't. I could feel the boundaries stretch. I could hear the hissing tale be sung. Time ceased having meaning, and Space wobbled.
My back had been nestling happily in my soft bed, but the sensation was now gone, replaced with a famishing hunger that seemed to know no bounds. My eyes were staring through a visor of sorts, like the ones belonging to a helmet. A motorcycle's helmet to be more precise.
Beneath me, I could hear the familiar rumbling of an engine. This was Kiritsugu's motorbike. He had left it in my care a long time ago, and I was standing upon it. I was standing upon it in the middle of the school field, two figures in front of me staring back with a look of surprise.
"Something came out!" Illya's voice was filled with surprise.
"Just like the reports...it materialized!" Rin Tohsaka's voice was more controlled.
My hands went to the bike's gas handles, and in a split-second I was upon them with a bellowing roar leaving my lips. They were delicious-looking, and my hunger could hardly be sated. I'd devour them. I'd eat them out. All of their magic-all of their power-everything they had within them would be mine.
It was the hunger that couldn't be sated. It was the devouring that couldn't be stopped.
I spun on the bike and speared through a set of explosions ignited by Rin, ignoring them as they harmlessly bounced off. "My magic had no effect-and those were my strongest gems!" she hissed through clenched teeth before immediately departing, leaving it to Illya to solve the situation.
I charged once more, my eyes on the greatest source of magic. The magic stick held access to the mana of infinite realities. It was an unlimited source of food. One I would enjoy devouring. One I would snap in half and drink the marrow of. As sharp spikes grew from the motorcycle's wheels, I pushed forth once more.
"Distance!" Illya exclaimed, running off as I pursued her. "He's following us!" she screamed into her stick.
"I can see that!" Ruby answered. "Wave me while thinking of the image of an attack!"
"I guess there is no choice!" Illya had tears in her eyes as she turned, swinging her magic stick right in front of me.
I jumped off my bike as the blast shattered it in pieces, breaking it apart in a tremendous explosion. "Amazing!" Illya yelled in surprise.
"It's working!" Rin added her two cents in.
I extended my right hand in front of me, and the clouds of dust from the beam attack dissipated. I clenched my gloved hands. I howled. It was a bellowing howl. The ground around me shook and trembled.
"Run away! It's using a Noble Phantasm!" Rin screamed. "Hurry over here! A barrier won't-"
"Bleed for eternity in a spinning circle-Ouroboros-"
"Gae Bolg!" and just like that, my eyes snapped open.
I stared at the ceiling of my room, my eyes wide and my breathing uneven. A powerful headache thrummed into me. The clock by my side rang a terrifying noise that shrilly destroyed my precious brain one sharp scream at the time.
My mouth had copious amounts of saliva in it, the prelude to a vomiting streak, I was sure. I swallowed with difficulty, groaning as pain lanced through my brain. My breathing was uneven. Was I having a heart attack? No. My heart was still in its rightful place. It hadn't been punctured. It hadn't been hurt. This wasn't that kind of world; this was a better world, the inhabitants of this world were kind.
I laughed inwardly at my disarrayed thoughts, and that action caused me even more pain. By the time the second alarm clock rang, the headache had receded into something manageable with a good application of painkillers, and I could stand up, get dressed, and mentally prepare myself for the day ahead.
The half-sleepy face of Illya at breakfast was cute to witness. Her eyes were half-closed and she was making a small yawn as she tried to munch on the rice while sometimes missing her mouth with the chopsticks. I proceeded to fully wake her up by tussling her hair, eliciting a gasp from her.
"Someone went to bed late last night," I quipped. "Did you go to a party or something? It's bad for your health, kiddo."
"Couldn't sleep," Illya said awkwardly. She glanced back at her breakfast as I absentmindedly kept rubbing her head a bit more. She had soft hair, it was like touching a fluffy cloud.
Shiro swatted my arm off as she placed my usual morning mug in front of me, before taking her seat and giving a harsh glare in my direction. I blinked at such heat, until realization dawned on me. "Listen Shiro, I know it looks bad, but I'm sure you can recover with the next exam."
"The word Pernicious shouldn't belong in dictionaries," she said instead, eating quickly and in annoyed silence. It had to be an art. "And-" she munched, "I can't believe," she continued munching, "That you'd give-" she finished breakfast, "no warning before one of your sudden exams to me, your sister!" she huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "It's like you don't even care what happens to my grades anymore!" she pouted.
I blinked at the display. "Do you want a refresher course? I could give you some lessons-"
"Oh, how lucky to get private lessons with your teacher, Shiro," Stella said, the smile on her face absolutely devilish. Shiro simply spluttered, and stood up with an extremely annoyed expression.
"I'll hold you to it, brother," she snapped, "I'm off or I'll be late!"
And with those words said, she departed the kitchen quickly.
"I don't know much English, but I know some French...Gigolò~," Leysritt whispered with a cat-like smile.
I finished my coffee and glanced down to where Illya was apparently vividly engrossed with my face. "Is something wrong?" I asked.
"No," she shook her head. "Just-do you remember dad's motorbike?"
I furrowed my brows. "The one mother had him sell because it was too dangerous for him, and I refused categorically to learn how to ride it?"
Illya blinked, "Really? That's why he sold it?"
"He didn't speak to me for a month after that," I replied, "but seriously, motorbikes are death on wheels. Who'd be so insane as to go on one?" I shook my head, "Not I, that's who!"
This seemed to lift Illya's spirit, and she quickly scampered off to get ready for school.
I stood up in turn, ready to leave, only for Sella to near and settle my tie with a warm smile. "There we go," she said, handing over another homemade lunch box. "Do remember to keep high the honor of the family."
"Yes, yes, I will," I answered with a chuckle, leaving the household just in time to watch Illya walk her way to school. I followed at my sedated pace, not really wishing to catch up. After a few minutes, her gaggle of friends caught up to her and they moved in a group of lighthearted elementary students.
I hummed to myself a catchy tune as it looked to be an incredibly beautiful morning.
As I stepped into the teacher's lounge, a small figure with dark hair and a serious face looked up to me, and her eyes widened in absolute shock.
"Oh, Kagayaku," Taiga said with a smile, "This is Miyu Edelfelt, she'll be joining our elementary class today."
I smiled, "I see, I'm sure you'll be fine," I winked in her direction, "Everyone's pretty friendly in your class."
Her breathing seemed to returned, and she gave a quiet nod.
I watched her leave together with Taiga, and proceeded to work out the kinks of today's latest exam I'd subject my students to.
"Professor Kuzuki," I turned towards him, "Do you think 2A is capable of translating a passage from Nietzsche's Ecce Homo?"
"Yes," he answered quite honestly.
I was glad I double-checked with him before finishing preparing my exams.
Nobody dared to say anything after I remarked how he had approved.
It was good to be a teacher.
It was even better to have a friendly senior teacher's help.
floppy_seal99
D-O-G-A-R-S DOGARS!
- Location
- snooping as usual
Oh no. Miyuverse!Shade is a go...
TwistedJester
Tired Lurker King
- Location
- Hell
So Shade was a kamen rider?
- Location
- Italy
There is precedent at least, with Kintoki.
- Location
- Portugal
Actually, I am unsure if we have a Miyuverse!Shade or they "recognize" him from last night.
- Location
- India
Isn't this like the 100th Fate SI you've written? It amazes me how you like this convoluted and irritatingly complex universe.
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Mizu
Software Developer
- Location
- Victoria, Australia
seemed to return, and
Seemed to me like they recognized him as the masked Rider of last night, much like Shade dreamed being said Rider.