Prologue: Blood, Pain and Worm
Life is a painful reminder of the word 'harsh'.
This little...
Life is a painful reminder of the word 'harsh'.
This little...
Crawl like a Worm (Nasuverse SI)
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Prologue: Blood, Pain and Worm
- Location
- Italia
Prologue: Blood, Pain and Worm
Life is a painful reminder of the word 'harsh'.
This little poetic detachment doesn't come of some boring tome of old English but from my very tired mind.
Tired, tired and tired. PAIN!
I sighed and got up from my bare bed, putting on some old-fashioned clothes as I gave a quick glance to the small luggage that had been prepared for the travel, I felt the quivering sense of nervousness plaguing my mind.
When I opened my eyes to stare at an uncomfortable ceiling, I certainly wasn't expecting to wake up fully thanks to the sharp bastards lingering even now within my body.
I coughed a little as I tried to restrain myself from collapsing at another sudden burst of torture from the crest worms.
The first two weeks could be easily be called the worst period of my newest life, trying to fit in the macabre lifestyle of the Matou Family.
'Mom' was dead, 'dad' was 24/7 drunk and 'uncle' Kariya wasted his remaining time helping little, emotionless Sakura with her insane burden.
It was scary to know that every single day there was a little girl, getting killed in her soul by the bastard's plays.
I pulled the small bag in my back and walked out of my new room to find a familiar, wrinkling old man that I would have preferred to met only once today.
"Shinji-kun."
Zouken Matou, or Zolgen Makiri, was scarier than how it had been potrayed in the FSN Visual Novel and games. If I had to find a fitting visual depiction of the old timer, I would say he looked quite the shorter, creepier version of Voldemort from the Harry Potter movies.
A disgusting corpse sustained by his descendants' life force, forcefully stolen thanks to his disgusting mascots.
"Grandfather, I see that you are up earlier than usual."
The wrinkly smile widened and his pitch black holes he had for eyes glowed in dark amusement. "Of coure, dear grandson, why should I miss the opportunity to bid you a good voyage?"
Hoping for me to die already, aren't you?
I would have died if I had broken facade in that circumstance as I had picked up quite the interesting flaw in Zouken's foul monitoring means. They couldn't truly read anyone's mind.
The worms would just pick up the unusual emotions, sending the relay back to their main hive (Zouken) whom would then deliver a fitting 'punishment' to the unwanted behavior.
"I am flattered by your kindness, grandfather." His smile was next to decay under my lack of reaction.
It had been something quite amusing and annoying of the old worm that I partly knew from initial knowledge but the real experience helped to fully understand.
It could have been senility because of the fool's ancient age, but the man seemed to have a 'villanous' kink when dealing with everyone. Everyone needed to suffer once in a while to please his next-to-useless mind.
"Oh, I almost forgot.." His grin turned in quite the shit-eating one as I knew what he was going to use to push my buttons. "Sakura-chan is currently in an intensive training session. She wanted to come to see you one last time but.. her training is very important."
It was a sliver of rage to broke my little composure, further increasing the glee in the bastard's face. "I.. see."
I proceeded to walk towards the entrance of the mansion and stopped just to the handle of the door.
"Grandfather?"
The quiet Zouken blinked. "Yes, Shinji-kun?"
I took a large breath. "The Matou are going to rise back to power."
.... A cackle ruptured the momentary silence as the elder glowed with amusement as he stared at me. "Foolish boy! We are always going to be in power."
The deplorable denial of a traditional fool, just like I had expected.
My lips turned in a thin line as I nodded. "I am quite dumb, grandfather..."
I didn't wait to hear the full reply, but I kept my blank expression going until I reached the car prepared to take me to the airport, the muffled cackles reaching my sensitive ears.
The Matou are going to rise back to power once more..
The flight was as tiring as I had expected, nothing too much unusual from the classic Tokyo-London trips but I still had some uncertainity about the only gamble I had to take revenge on Zouken.
The man that had been employed to be my bodyguards was inexperienced, probably someone more adept to guard VIPs than babysit children and I was glad he was this incapable.
It did help further in my little 'escape' that the Heathrow Airport was one of the greatest maze ever created by mankind, giving me more than enough of a chance to get myself out of the worm's clutches.
Trusting the shady lore, Kariya had been able to avoid being reached by Zouken until his return because of the long distance between the host and the hivemind, making it impossible to suffer 'punishments' anymore.
I decided to leave the airport the quickest possible, walking for a hour or two in random directions while trying to get myself to a safe distance from the zone I was last spotted.
God bless for abandoned churches just being in the area to be used as hideouts
As I sat in one of the several, intact benches, I started to think about what to do next with my newfound freedom and peace.
I was quite glad of this opportunity. Now in this circumstance I would try to gain some mean to attain magecraft and... I wouldn't be truly wrong in considering to turn some of my nerves in Circuits.
Maybe those will not be enough to make me turn in some blue-haired Shirou Emiya but it was a good way to start to get in some good state... plus I had to remove or sterilise the worms from within- or maybe do both at the same time.
With a grin plastered on my face, I skipped merrily towards where I had planned to go first, the very place I shouldn't be approaching so soon but I had to.
Sited within the British Museum, it wasn't hard to find the correct entrance to Clock Tower.
The Magus Association was something I had thought about multiple times before my journey in England, but I found myself always denying going inside it anytime close to my little 'escapade'.
But there was no choice and... I had to venture inside the lair of the Dragon-
Octavia Leyland was... bland.
A woman with brown, shoulder-short hair, young and fit... quite annoyed if I had to deduce her current reaction to the insufferable blonde girl that was whining at her.
I had hoped to see Bazzett first, curious to see how a younger version of the Enforcer would look like and... I was gifted with the (not yet) arch-nemesis of one Rin Tohsaka.
Luviagelita Edelfelt was as abrasive as I would have expected her younger self to be if not more but my mind was hardly keeping my patience to dwindle away at the incessant rant coming from the pint-sized brat preceding me in the small line to the secretary.
I stopped listening to whatever Luvia was lamenting about the moment she moved the topic back to her family, a subject I was quite knowing about and... Oh God, I just recognised the dark irony there.
The Tohsaka had to give up Sakura because Magecraft families can have just a heir while... the Edelfelt that had the blasted Ore Scales trait just had Luvia as the single heiress.
...Nasu, thou are an arse. A good gamer but still an arse.
Once my mind returned back to the never-ending situation in front of me, I decided that drastic predicaments required drastic actions.
So, giving the greatest uncaring expression I could muster, I walked forward and shoved lightly the blonde aside as I had no time to waste there. "I am sorry but I have quite the urgent thing to get done and-"
I paused, trying and failing to get some dramatic effect to add to my sudden intrusion.
"I need to speak with Zelretch."
The brunette blinked several times before stating quite the loud response. "No."
... "It is important-"
"The Wizard Marshall is hardly someone that would accept being disturbed in busy moments from a simple child-" "Kaleido Ruby and Kaleido Sapphire."
The woman narrowed her eyes in confusion at the curious names. "Tell him this and he will receive me."
She gave me a long look before sighing tiredly, clearly not paid enough for this shit, and picking the phone in her desk, calling for.. someone.
"Lord Zelretch, I have a little nuisance here that wish to- Yes sir, I have already told him but-"
I didn't have time for this! I was already waddling in hot waters and like hell the old man was going to ignore this plight.
The secretary was unprepared as I snatched the phone out of her hands and brought it close to my face and-... "Are you playing at Super Mario Bros.?"
The familiar menu theme was faintly reaching from the other side of the call and the gruft tone paused there, silent. "I... can explain-" "Yeah, but I would like to have a chat, sir, something about Kaleido Ruby and Sapphire-Argh!"
Tragically enough I couldn't speak further as two men rushed towards me and happily decided to turn me in some punching bag.
At least the beating wasn't as bad as the worms were...
The cup of tea sitting in the small stool in front of me was warm to the touch, something that didn't help with my whole bruised self.
The room was dark as the only source of illuminations where few lightbulbs spread in the corners.
There was a small globe made of wood on the side of the mahogany desk as a certain Dead Apostle grimaced towards me as we stared at each other.
"Matou Shinji, a little boy with no magical potential." He whistled softly and grinned widely, showing his elongated canines. "How may I help you?"
I tried to blink through the pain and somehow managed to croak a reply to the bastard.
"I... need your help with the Grail War."
The old man rested his back on the chair and hummed quietly, thinking about the proposal.
"I... will not help you."
I froze on my seat at those words. I had thought that Zelretch had some limits within the Magus Association, that Gaia would have been a bigger obstacle to face that could have stopped him early on...
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T WAN-" Red eyes glowed murderously for a moment and I paled instantly as my childish body was ill-prepared to the Killing Intent the Apostle had just thrown at me.
"An annoying youth you are, little Shinji. One that should remember that this is not a playground for kids and that I am no servant of yours." He turned to stare at the side and I followed his line of sight, blinking the moment I remembered we weren't alone in his office.
For some unmentioned reason, Luvia was there, sitting on the other chair the opposite to the Wizard Marshal, her eyes distractedly looking quickly at the various artifacts and jars lying around the room. "The same applies to you too, young Edelfelt."
Hearing her name being called up so sternly was what it took to return the blonde's attention back to the real thing of the office.
"I-I'm sorry, Lord Schweinorg. I didn't mean to be disrespectfu-" "Yet you were annoying dear Olivia with your whining, showing quite the unbecoming behavior for a noble Magus."
The girl had the decency to appear ashamed at the rightful accusations, preferring to keep quiet right now as the vampire returned his attention back at me.
"Apart from this desperate need of yours to 'fix' the Grail War, the reason why I wish to not meddle with this situation is... it would be troublesome."
..."W-What?"
"It is always the same. Everyone expects me to be something like a God because of my control over the Second Magic."
I flinched at his annoyed tone as it sounded similar to his stern one, letting the man rant more about himself.
"That was the case until I had to fight Type-Moon and before being left an undead being, my hold over the Kaleidoscope crippled and now partial."
"B-But Lord Schweinorg, what do you mean that your form is-" "Because I am a corpse stuck within a single reality in infinite, parallel worlds."
Luvia's eyes widened in shock as he lashed verbally at her half-question, surprising even me in the process.
His words literally shattered the idea that the Dead Apostle was capable of dealing with almost everything in the world but just... ignored it.
But I had a clear sight now on the issue, I knew what was going on now with the vampire and why he refused the request.
"The Second Magic is requires its user to not be tied... to a specific reality?"
Zelretch paused, his mouth open to continue as his eyes widened at the explanation.
"When you were turned in a vampire-" "My existance was splintered from the single entity ever-present in the multiverse into the multiple parallel beings that existed prior to my acquisition of the Second Magic."
His voice was softer, impressed even as he turned his attention once more at me, his red eyes glowing in intrigue. "You.. you are the second Magus to reach this conclusion."
"A-And you created Ruby and Sapphire to try and replicate the phenomenon without the need of being once more a single being."
A little smile reached his face as the Wizard Marshal nodded at me. "Truly marvellous." He commented as he turned to pick some old book. "To think that a Matou would be the one that understood this after Nagato." A sad sigh as he mentioned his first apprentice. "Truly a shame you don't have any possibility to-" "I want to banter."
... "What?"
"I... want to help you with something with the Kaleidoscope as I know you still help around when possible when one of your other versions require it." He frowned at my words, humming once more before asking.
"And you would want to have me deal with the Grail War in exchange of that?" I nodded quickly and the man snorted. "That sounds like gibberish but.. I think I know a good place where to send you."
I was grimacing inside as I started to count the numerous possibilities that would be thrown against me and- "But I cannot throw you aloooo-ne." His eyes zeroed on Luvia, the girl having been quiet until that moment as she tried to understand whatever we were talking about.
"Young Edelfelt, from what I understand your family has tried multiple time to reach out for an apprenticeship from me, correct?"
The blonde seemed to be revived by that question as she smiled eagerly. "Y-Yes! It would be an honor if-" "Only one condition." He held an index up and then pointed it right onto me, blue eyes following it dutifully. "This little guy is quite a pest but.. I wish for him to not die where I am going to send him into. That is why I will entrust you with the life of your fellow apprentice, Luviagelita Edelfelt."
... "What do you mean I'm an apprentice too?"
"I will be honest, I should have you two killed by now." Cue both Luvia's and my faces paling rapidly at the horrible outcome we just avoided. "But I see that you both might have some uses after all."
He pulled out a blue box out of his desk and moved it towards the girl. "This will help you along the way."
I knew exactly what was inside but I was quite amused when Luvia picked the container and opened it, expecting some grand and powerful artifact to boost her chances and... getting it in a very confusing way.
Sapphire stood still and I felt Luvia glancing my direction, clearly trying to get some hint about what she was now holding in her hands.
"That is Sapphire." I said quietly as I stood up and walked towards her. "She is a Mystic-Code, a Kaleidostick and... possibly your best friend from now on."
She frowned at my words as I got my eyes fixed on the unmoving Sapphire. "A.. stick is going to be my 'best friend'?"
Her skeptical expression was quite entertaining but I decided to cut short the comic relief as I spoke directly at the Mystic Code. "Shouldn't you have been the one to introduce yourself, Sapphire?"
At first she didn't react at my input but soon Luvia's confusion turned into shock when the very object the girl had considered until that moment inanimate started to freely float and fly around her head before settling in front of me.
"I am surprised that you know so much about me, Shinji-san. This development is indeed unexpected but still a good one to smooth out the best mutual relationship between me and..?"
The blonde blinked, realising that Sapphire was asking her name. "M-My name is Luviagelita Edelfelt, heiress to the Edelfelt family."
The stick nodded, bending a little as if it was bowing her direction. "Nice to meet you, Lady Luvia."
Yet Luvia's face showed some pain as she turned her attention to the hand the stick had approached, noticing it now bleeding a little. "And now the contract is done."
"Uh?" Her confusion was soon drowned by the blinding light coming from a seal in the floor beneath her, the same happening to me as I turned to the Dead Apostle, seeing him smile widely.
"Your mission is to assist those that stands against the calamity of the Earth I am sending you into. Good luck, brats!"
The light continued to intensify and I felt my body get warm as.. I wasn't touching ground anymore, finding myself falling for few moments before truly crashing on the floor.
The texture was the same as dirt to my touch while I tried to stand up to find- "Kyaaahhh!"*Thud* -pain from above as I brought forcefully back on the floor, a new weight now sitting on my back.
Luvia blinked twice as she realised she was not falling anymore and she looked down on the soft object that had cushioned her fall.
"G-Get off!"
The Edelfelt yelped before getting up from my poor back. I am seven for crying aloud, I shouldn't be suffering this much!
Was this Karma? Was this because I was stuck in Shinji Matou's body?
I groaned as I got once more up as dusted my clothes, trying to recollect my thoughts and see where we were left.
We were in a clearing, a familiar one and... I facepalmed as I realised where we were.
This... This is Fuyuki and-*Crack* Dread surged within my chest as I saw a pink and red blur rush towards us and I was suddenly tackled on the floor.
"My back..." Yet my pain become unimportant as I found myself staring at a pink-haired, tanned version of Illyasviel von Einzbern, her face slowly lowering towards mine and I truly knew where and WHEN we were.
We were in Illya's Route: Dark Soul Edition and I am going to suffer one of the fan services of the whole series so early on.
I HATE MY LIFE!
---------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d---------------d-d-d-d--------
AN
Shinji is hate, Shinji is dead. Thank God, we ain't that poor bistard!
Why Shinji? Cause other than Shirou, Shinji starts the crappiest of start and has to do a lot to get to acceptable levels. Plus everyone need to be redemeed one way or another, in his case it is thanks to OCI-way.
Why Prillya? Because the series is quite unfinished even through it might be completed anytime soon now that the Manga version of 3rei is reaching its grand finale.
But what about the 4th War? Since Shinji is here with Loli-Luvia things are going to be finished much quicker than in Canon. Just to clarify something: Yes, I've read the Manga and I found the suspense a right level of deadly to my poor heart because... cliffhangers everywhere!
How will this develop? A secret for now, I've decided to keep quiet about this but I can assure you now that it will not go to repeat stuff from the other stories I am writing. I prefer to keep thing unique in everystory, where I can at least.
Pairings? Dunno, maybe I have one in mind but... S E C R E T !
Life is a painful reminder of the word 'harsh'.
This little poetic detachment doesn't come of some boring tome of old English but from my very tired mind.
Tired, tired and tired. PAIN!
I sighed and got up from my bare bed, putting on some old-fashioned clothes as I gave a quick glance to the small luggage that had been prepared for the travel, I felt the quivering sense of nervousness plaguing my mind.
When I opened my eyes to stare at an uncomfortable ceiling, I certainly wasn't expecting to wake up fully thanks to the sharp bastards lingering even now within my body.
I coughed a little as I tried to restrain myself from collapsing at another sudden burst of torture from the crest worms.
The first two weeks could be easily be called the worst period of my newest life, trying to fit in the macabre lifestyle of the Matou Family.
'Mom' was dead, 'dad' was 24/7 drunk and 'uncle' Kariya wasted his remaining time helping little, emotionless Sakura with her insane burden.
It was scary to know that every single day there was a little girl, getting killed in her soul by the bastard's plays.
I pulled the small bag in my back and walked out of my new room to find a familiar, wrinkling old man that I would have preferred to met only once today.
"Shinji-kun."
Zouken Matou, or Zolgen Makiri, was scarier than how it had been potrayed in the FSN Visual Novel and games. If I had to find a fitting visual depiction of the old timer, I would say he looked quite the shorter, creepier version of Voldemort from the Harry Potter movies.
A disgusting corpse sustained by his descendants' life force, forcefully stolen thanks to his disgusting mascots.
"Grandfather, I see that you are up earlier than usual."
The wrinkly smile widened and his pitch black holes he had for eyes glowed in dark amusement. "Of coure, dear grandson, why should I miss the opportunity to bid you a good voyage?"
Hoping for me to die already, aren't you?
I would have died if I had broken facade in that circumstance as I had picked up quite the interesting flaw in Zouken's foul monitoring means. They couldn't truly read anyone's mind.
The worms would just pick up the unusual emotions, sending the relay back to their main hive (Zouken) whom would then deliver a fitting 'punishment' to the unwanted behavior.
"I am flattered by your kindness, grandfather." His smile was next to decay under my lack of reaction.
It had been something quite amusing and annoying of the old worm that I partly knew from initial knowledge but the real experience helped to fully understand.
It could have been senility because of the fool's ancient age, but the man seemed to have a 'villanous' kink when dealing with everyone. Everyone needed to suffer once in a while to please his next-to-useless mind.
"Oh, I almost forgot.." His grin turned in quite the shit-eating one as I knew what he was going to use to push my buttons. "Sakura-chan is currently in an intensive training session. She wanted to come to see you one last time but.. her training is very important."
It was a sliver of rage to broke my little composure, further increasing the glee in the bastard's face. "I.. see."
I proceeded to walk towards the entrance of the mansion and stopped just to the handle of the door.
"Grandfather?"
The quiet Zouken blinked. "Yes, Shinji-kun?"
I took a large breath. "The Matou are going to rise back to power."
.... A cackle ruptured the momentary silence as the elder glowed with amusement as he stared at me. "Foolish boy! We are always going to be in power."
The deplorable denial of a traditional fool, just like I had expected.
My lips turned in a thin line as I nodded. "I am quite dumb, grandfather..."
I didn't wait to hear the full reply, but I kept my blank expression going until I reached the car prepared to take me to the airport, the muffled cackles reaching my sensitive ears.
The Matou are going to rise back to power once more..
The flight was as tiring as I had expected, nothing too much unusual from the classic Tokyo-London trips but I still had some uncertainity about the only gamble I had to take revenge on Zouken.
The man that had been employed to be my bodyguards was inexperienced, probably someone more adept to guard VIPs than babysit children and I was glad he was this incapable.
It did help further in my little 'escape' that the Heathrow Airport was one of the greatest maze ever created by mankind, giving me more than enough of a chance to get myself out of the worm's clutches.
Trusting the shady lore, Kariya had been able to avoid being reached by Zouken until his return because of the long distance between the host and the hivemind, making it impossible to suffer 'punishments' anymore.
I decided to leave the airport the quickest possible, walking for a hour or two in random directions while trying to get myself to a safe distance from the zone I was last spotted.
God bless for abandoned churches just being in the area to be used as hideouts
As I sat in one of the several, intact benches, I started to think about what to do next with my newfound freedom and peace.
I was quite glad of this opportunity. Now in this circumstance I would try to gain some mean to attain magecraft and... I wouldn't be truly wrong in considering to turn some of my nerves in Circuits.
Maybe those will not be enough to make me turn in some blue-haired Shirou Emiya but it was a good way to start to get in some good state... plus I had to remove or sterilise the worms from within- or maybe do both at the same time.
With a grin plastered on my face, I skipped merrily towards where I had planned to go first, the very place I shouldn't be approaching so soon but I had to.
Sited within the British Museum, it wasn't hard to find the correct entrance to Clock Tower.
The Magus Association was something I had thought about multiple times before my journey in England, but I found myself always denying going inside it anytime close to my little 'escapade'.
But there was no choice and... I had to venture inside the lair of the Dragon-
Octavia Leyland was... bland.
A woman with brown, shoulder-short hair, young and fit... quite annoyed if I had to deduce her current reaction to the insufferable blonde girl that was whining at her.
I had hoped to see Bazzett first, curious to see how a younger version of the Enforcer would look like and... I was gifted with the (not yet) arch-nemesis of one Rin Tohsaka.
Luviagelita Edelfelt was as abrasive as I would have expected her younger self to be if not more but my mind was hardly keeping my patience to dwindle away at the incessant rant coming from the pint-sized brat preceding me in the small line to the secretary.
I stopped listening to whatever Luvia was lamenting about the moment she moved the topic back to her family, a subject I was quite knowing about and... Oh God, I just recognised the dark irony there.
The Tohsaka had to give up Sakura because Magecraft families can have just a heir while... the Edelfelt that had the blasted Ore Scales trait just had Luvia as the single heiress.
...Nasu, thou are an arse. A good gamer but still an arse.
Once my mind returned back to the never-ending situation in front of me, I decided that drastic predicaments required drastic actions.
So, giving the greatest uncaring expression I could muster, I walked forward and shoved lightly the blonde aside as I had no time to waste there. "I am sorry but I have quite the urgent thing to get done and-"
I paused, trying and failing to get some dramatic effect to add to my sudden intrusion.
"I need to speak with Zelretch."
The brunette blinked several times before stating quite the loud response. "No."
... "It is important-"
"The Wizard Marshall is hardly someone that would accept being disturbed in busy moments from a simple child-" "Kaleido Ruby and Kaleido Sapphire."
The woman narrowed her eyes in confusion at the curious names. "Tell him this and he will receive me."
She gave me a long look before sighing tiredly, clearly not paid enough for this shit, and picking the phone in her desk, calling for.. someone.
"Lord Zelretch, I have a little nuisance here that wish to- Yes sir, I have already told him but-"
I didn't have time for this! I was already waddling in hot waters and like hell the old man was going to ignore this plight.
The secretary was unprepared as I snatched the phone out of her hands and brought it close to my face and-... "Are you playing at Super Mario Bros.?"
The familiar menu theme was faintly reaching from the other side of the call and the gruft tone paused there, silent. "I... can explain-" "Yeah, but I would like to have a chat, sir, something about Kaleido Ruby and Sapphire-Argh!"
Tragically enough I couldn't speak further as two men rushed towards me and happily decided to turn me in some punching bag.
At least the beating wasn't as bad as the worms were...
The cup of tea sitting in the small stool in front of me was warm to the touch, something that didn't help with my whole bruised self.
The room was dark as the only source of illuminations where few lightbulbs spread in the corners.
There was a small globe made of wood on the side of the mahogany desk as a certain Dead Apostle grimaced towards me as we stared at each other.
"Matou Shinji, a little boy with no magical potential." He whistled softly and grinned widely, showing his elongated canines. "How may I help you?"
I tried to blink through the pain and somehow managed to croak a reply to the bastard.
"I... need your help with the Grail War."
The old man rested his back on the chair and hummed quietly, thinking about the proposal.
"I... will not help you."
I froze on my seat at those words. I had thought that Zelretch had some limits within the Magus Association, that Gaia would have been a bigger obstacle to face that could have stopped him early on...
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T WAN-" Red eyes glowed murderously for a moment and I paled instantly as my childish body was ill-prepared to the Killing Intent the Apostle had just thrown at me.
"An annoying youth you are, little Shinji. One that should remember that this is not a playground for kids and that I am no servant of yours." He turned to stare at the side and I followed his line of sight, blinking the moment I remembered we weren't alone in his office.
For some unmentioned reason, Luvia was there, sitting on the other chair the opposite to the Wizard Marshal, her eyes distractedly looking quickly at the various artifacts and jars lying around the room. "The same applies to you too, young Edelfelt."
Hearing her name being called up so sternly was what it took to return the blonde's attention back to the real thing of the office.
"I-I'm sorry, Lord Schweinorg. I didn't mean to be disrespectfu-" "Yet you were annoying dear Olivia with your whining, showing quite the unbecoming behavior for a noble Magus."
The girl had the decency to appear ashamed at the rightful accusations, preferring to keep quiet right now as the vampire returned his attention back at me.
"Apart from this desperate need of yours to 'fix' the Grail War, the reason why I wish to not meddle with this situation is... it would be troublesome."
..."W-What?"
"It is always the same. Everyone expects me to be something like a God because of my control over the Second Magic."
I flinched at his annoyed tone as it sounded similar to his stern one, letting the man rant more about himself.
"That was the case until I had to fight Type-Moon and before being left an undead being, my hold over the Kaleidoscope crippled and now partial."
"B-But Lord Schweinorg, what do you mean that your form is-" "Because I am a corpse stuck within a single reality in infinite, parallel worlds."
Luvia's eyes widened in shock as he lashed verbally at her half-question, surprising even me in the process.
His words literally shattered the idea that the Dead Apostle was capable of dealing with almost everything in the world but just... ignored it.
But I had a clear sight now on the issue, I knew what was going on now with the vampire and why he refused the request.
"The Second Magic is requires its user to not be tied... to a specific reality?"
Zelretch paused, his mouth open to continue as his eyes widened at the explanation.
"When you were turned in a vampire-" "My existance was splintered from the single entity ever-present in the multiverse into the multiple parallel beings that existed prior to my acquisition of the Second Magic."
His voice was softer, impressed even as he turned his attention once more at me, his red eyes glowing in intrigue. "You.. you are the second Magus to reach this conclusion."
"A-And you created Ruby and Sapphire to try and replicate the phenomenon without the need of being once more a single being."
A little smile reached his face as the Wizard Marshal nodded at me. "Truly marvellous." He commented as he turned to pick some old book. "To think that a Matou would be the one that understood this after Nagato." A sad sigh as he mentioned his first apprentice. "Truly a shame you don't have any possibility to-" "I want to banter."
... "What?"
"I... want to help you with something with the Kaleidoscope as I know you still help around when possible when one of your other versions require it." He frowned at my words, humming once more before asking.
"And you would want to have me deal with the Grail War in exchange of that?" I nodded quickly and the man snorted. "That sounds like gibberish but.. I think I know a good place where to send you."
I was grimacing inside as I started to count the numerous possibilities that would be thrown against me and- "But I cannot throw you aloooo-ne." His eyes zeroed on Luvia, the girl having been quiet until that moment as she tried to understand whatever we were talking about.
"Young Edelfelt, from what I understand your family has tried multiple time to reach out for an apprenticeship from me, correct?"
The blonde seemed to be revived by that question as she smiled eagerly. "Y-Yes! It would be an honor if-" "Only one condition." He held an index up and then pointed it right onto me, blue eyes following it dutifully. "This little guy is quite a pest but.. I wish for him to not die where I am going to send him into. That is why I will entrust you with the life of your fellow apprentice, Luviagelita Edelfelt."
... "What do you mean I'm an apprentice too?"
"I will be honest, I should have you two killed by now." Cue both Luvia's and my faces paling rapidly at the horrible outcome we just avoided. "But I see that you both might have some uses after all."
He pulled out a blue box out of his desk and moved it towards the girl. "This will help you along the way."
I knew exactly what was inside but I was quite amused when Luvia picked the container and opened it, expecting some grand and powerful artifact to boost her chances and... getting it in a very confusing way.
Sapphire stood still and I felt Luvia glancing my direction, clearly trying to get some hint about what she was now holding in her hands.
"That is Sapphire." I said quietly as I stood up and walked towards her. "She is a Mystic-Code, a Kaleidostick and... possibly your best friend from now on."
She frowned at my words as I got my eyes fixed on the unmoving Sapphire. "A.. stick is going to be my 'best friend'?"
Her skeptical expression was quite entertaining but I decided to cut short the comic relief as I spoke directly at the Mystic Code. "Shouldn't you have been the one to introduce yourself, Sapphire?"
At first she didn't react at my input but soon Luvia's confusion turned into shock when the very object the girl had considered until that moment inanimate started to freely float and fly around her head before settling in front of me.
"I am surprised that you know so much about me, Shinji-san. This development is indeed unexpected but still a good one to smooth out the best mutual relationship between me and..?"
The blonde blinked, realising that Sapphire was asking her name. "M-My name is Luviagelita Edelfelt, heiress to the Edelfelt family."
The stick nodded, bending a little as if it was bowing her direction. "Nice to meet you, Lady Luvia."
Yet Luvia's face showed some pain as she turned her attention to the hand the stick had approached, noticing it now bleeding a little. "And now the contract is done."
"Uh?" Her confusion was soon drowned by the blinding light coming from a seal in the floor beneath her, the same happening to me as I turned to the Dead Apostle, seeing him smile widely.
"Your mission is to assist those that stands against the calamity of the Earth I am sending you into. Good luck, brats!"
The light continued to intensify and I felt my body get warm as.. I wasn't touching ground anymore, finding myself falling for few moments before truly crashing on the floor.
The texture was the same as dirt to my touch while I tried to stand up to find- "Kyaaahhh!"*Thud* -pain from above as I brought forcefully back on the floor, a new weight now sitting on my back.
Luvia blinked twice as she realised she was not falling anymore and she looked down on the soft object that had cushioned her fall.
"G-Get off!"
The Edelfelt yelped before getting up from my poor back. I am seven for crying aloud, I shouldn't be suffering this much!
Was this Karma? Was this because I was stuck in Shinji Matou's body?
I groaned as I got once more up as dusted my clothes, trying to recollect my thoughts and see where we were left.
We were in a clearing, a familiar one and... I facepalmed as I realised where we were.
This... This is Fuyuki and-*Crack* Dread surged within my chest as I saw a pink and red blur rush towards us and I was suddenly tackled on the floor.
"My back..." Yet my pain become unimportant as I found myself staring at a pink-haired, tanned version of Illyasviel von Einzbern, her face slowly lowering towards mine and I truly knew where and WHEN we were.
We were in Illya's Route: Dark Soul Edition and I am going to suffer one of the fan services of the whole series so early on.
I HATE MY LIFE!
---------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d---------------d-d-d-d--------
AN
Shinji is hate, Shinji is dead. Thank God, we ain't that poor bistard!
Why Shinji? Cause other than Shirou, Shinji starts the crappiest of start and has to do a lot to get to acceptable levels. Plus everyone need to be redemeed one way or another, in his case it is thanks to OCI-way.
Why Prillya? Because the series is quite unfinished even through it might be completed anytime soon now that the Manga version of 3rei is reaching its grand finale.
But what about the 4th War? Since Shinji is here with Loli-Luvia things are going to be finished much quicker than in Canon. Just to clarify something: Yes, I've read the Manga and I found the suspense a right level of deadly to my poor heart because... cliffhangers everywhere!
How will this develop? A secret for now, I've decided to keep quiet about this but I can assure you now that it will not go to repeat stuff from the other stories I am writing. I prefer to keep thing unique in everystory, where I can at least.
Pairings? Dunno, maybe I have one in mind but... S E C R E T !
Last edited:
- Location
- Italia
Good for you!
Chapter 1: Copy, Angsty and Worm
- Location
- Italia
Chapter 1: Copy, Angsty and Worm
I know well enough that the Nasuverse is a place filled with the worst thing an Anime could require. Fan Service.
It could be good if it was moderated and didn't touch the limits between Ecchi and Hentai, but Prillyaverse was a stark example of perverted moments lingering every single episode, may it be 'comic' ones or HF-level of dark shit.
But the pressing issue was the one girl, three years 'older' than me, pressing her face toward mine, her lips positioned and ready to catch mine. A low growl, a muffled 'no' managed to reach her ears as her brows narrowed but she continued.
It wasn't anything perverted, I do reckon as I considered 'why' she was doing so. Condemned to have an imperfect body that couldn't produce enough prana to sustain itself with the world deteriorating it moment by moment.
It wasn't lust that forced her into this, the sinful tease being just a secondary thing to her mind as only one thing roared within her mind, something that was quite visible from the closeup.
Survival. She needed to receive mana from the quickest way possible, saliva and... I was scared.
Seeing this from the point of view of a seven years old, this was scary because unwanted, while from the point of view of a 20ish young man, this was scary because unwanted AND because jail was terrifying.
This was not alright! I shrieked in my head but my mouth was closed, trying to defend itself from the incoming unrequited kiss.
I braced myself for the seemingly unavoidable fate that was now few millimeters from me, my eyes narrowing as I tried to push my head further on the ground, hoping to gain some relief from the distance.
It was a single fleeting moment, but I was quite surprised when Kuro's eyes widened in panic and she jumped away, dodging a thunderous blast of blue coming from... Luvia.
...I had totally forgot about her. The blonde was now donning the Kaleido Sapphire attire, cat ears and tail included.
But I felt the need to voice a 'small' issue with her intervention...
"WHY DID YOU TAKE SO MUCH TIME!?"
She 'eeped' at my outburst and her full-face blush became evident to my glare, making me understand that... I went a bit too far.
I forgot that the girl shared my 'age' and that she was quite the sheltered brat, naive about part of the world.
Maybe she had heard about perverted men but to see a female being the aggressor was... surprising.
"Net! Make a net!" Apologies needed to wait as I noticed that the snarling pseudo-Servant had yet to project EMIYA's favoured blades.
The blonde paused for a moment and seemed to panic until a blue light formed a small bundle of reinforced rope in my waiting hands, my legs already moving towards Kuro.
"A net? Do you think it will work, Matou." I let a faux scowl at my surname being mentioned but I replaced it quickly with a smile as I knew what I needed to say to stop her from acting up against me.
"Fancy words coming from someone in your predicament, Illyasviel von Einzbern."
I think the extra attention I put in the correct pronunciation was what truly made her surprised as her attempted projection, the familiar prana configuration to recreate copies of EMIYA's UBW, collapsed due to her distraction. I jumped onto her, net unbundled as the struggle began.
Few punches passed through the simple barrier as I tried to close it around her, landing right to some sore spots of my skin, still recovering from the quite recent beating I took thanks to Clock Tower's security.
I gritted my teeth in pain at the brutality and the flurry of physical attacks the girl decided to throw while trying to shake away the net but... I did it. With an angry Kuro secured away, I turned on the ground and felt my legs aching.
I was extending myself too much, I reckoned as I failed to get up. I turned to see Luvia approaching us with a concerned look towards me. "J-Just tired and a bit- a bit bruised."
She nodded but her worry was still there. "I-I need to you create a sweet treat filled with some prana. S-Sapphire, can you help her with the task?"
"Yes." The Mystic Code replied as she instructed the newfound magical girl in the creation of the small piece of food.
It was a big cookie, something that made me frown at the texture as it was almost too white but I took it out of the blonde's hand and moved it right above the snarling Einzbern, the girl didn't skip a beat in biting an acceptable chunk out of the treat and.. she munched at it calmly. Her eyes widened a little as the prana invigorated her body while the sweet taste soothed her mind and she stared at the cookie hungrily.
"I can give you the rest of it.." I started, biting down the pain running in my limbs. "If- If you promise us to not do anything drastic. W-We don't want to hurt you, Illya."
She blinked as I muttered her name once more. "H-How do you know who I am?"
"I know lots of things and... my arm here is going sore with the shenanigans I've been through. I will explain later."
She stared hardly at me for few moments before nodding. "B-But you are not friend with.. her?"
Luvia looked confused and I sighed tiredly. "No, we are not allied with your other self."
Another surprised look but she finally nodded once more and I lowered the cookie close to her face, letting her munch at the treat a little longer as I tried to keep an amiable stance in front of the distrusting pseudo-Servant.
This was going to be a long day.
We had settled to sit in circle in a small hiding spot between the deep foliage.
I was lying on the ground while the two girls were chatting together as I tried to catch some rest.
"So you are... from a parallel universe?" Kuro had seemingly accepted our goodwill and was engaged in quite the Q&A with Luvia.
"That is correct." The blonde was quite enjoying being away from the previous action-filled, insane moments, the relaxed expression on her face showing this much.
"And you are here for... the cards?"
Blue eyes narrowed as the Edelfelt thought about it. What was her mission her?
She turned to stare at my resting body. "Why are we here?"
I blinked at the question and sighed, hoping to give enough stuff for them to not ask further. "We are here to make sure the Cards are secured in a safe place AND deal with the one that put them in this universe."
Her tongue clicked in her teeth. "Truly? Is the situation really demanding this much of a following."
"A following?"
I grimaced as my mind was not up to answer everything now. "This universe is set in 2004, 10 years from where we come from, and its main quality is the fact the Holy Grail was dismantled before the Fourth War."
Kuro blinked at the answer. "1994? Isn't that the time the Fourth Heaven Feel was supposed to happen?"
"T-Then why you want the Grail dismantled?"
My hands were on my face as I groaned loudly before the two staring at me. "I have... reasons! Reasons I know that Illya will be eager to tell you about in regard of the Grail's sacrifice."
The blonde frowned. "Sacrifice?"
"Despite the competition being mostly known for the battle between 7 Heroic Spirits led by 7 Masters, the truth is that the Grail existed to facilitate a clear path to the Root. The means for this to happen was the Einzbern's unique talent in Wishcraft."
"They overpower a conduit tuned to Wishcraft with the souls of the Heroic Spirits and the one from the Homunculus used to channel the spirits to stabilise the process."
"But then why everyone says that it is any possible wish if it is just calibrated to reach the Root?"
This time I... didn't have an answer and we both turned to Kuro, the tanned girl fidgeting in her seat before realising that she was being stared at. She flinched a little but ended up answering our little dilemma.
"It... was manpower."
... "W-What?"
"Seven Servants is the least amount of energy required to permit a connection to the Akashic Records and there were only three Masters ready to share a single wish. Other influencial individuals were greedy at the time and so the founders set a lure for their desires."
"The Holy Grail, catfishing Magi since 1814."
Kuro blushed at those words. "I-It wasn't that bad. I- I mean- Sure, Nagato had warned both Justeaze and Zolken that it would have been a bad idea but how should have they known that the mess that were the 2nd and 3rd War were going to happen?!"
..."I think I will take a nap. Please don't try anything on me, Illya."
"W-What about the ones that are searching for me?" Her concern wasn't misplaced and I groaned, giving a glance to the currently floating Kaleidostick.
"Sapphire, from what I remember you should be able to contact Ruby. Could you try and send a message to this universe's countepart of your sister to prepare a meeting in two hours by the Edelfelt mansion?"
"Why?" I blinked tiredly at the panicked question.
"Because we need to settle down the 'feud' you have with the other Illya without you being killed one way or another."
She opened her mouth again to protest but paused, closing it quietly and deciding to think about my words.
Sapphire nodded my direction as she tried to get hold of Prillya Ruby's prana pattern, no more questions being asked as I finally let the stress of this long day take hold over his consciousness. Slowly I was lulled in a state of sleep, my mind fending off against the nightmares of the life I had at the Matou mansion as I tried to achieve a good rest.
It was unnerving that I had just an hour to nap as I still had so much to do before the mind-blowing encounter.
We had moved to a nice café on the edge of the city, knowing that going in the more inner sections could increase the chances of encountering some people that would mistake the tanned Einzbern with the fair-skinned one.
The first thing being making sure I could trust Kuro to not murder Prillya.
I started the debate with a simple topic, weather, and proceeded to make some simple demands over where we were going.
"B-But she took my place!"
I sighed at the loud rebuttal. "She didn't do anything, it was mostly your parents' decision at that point."
She snorted, crossed her arms close to her chest as she tried some pouting.
"From what I understand.. you wish to 'slay' your counterpart and.. then what?"
Luvia's question was a legitimate one as the Einzbern looked surprised at that specific query to something she hardly considered in her initial plans.
"I... getting along with Papa and Mama would be difficult if I.. killed her." I nodded with a smile but she still huffed disgruntled. "B-But I am the real one."
"Technically you are wrong about that." Thank God I had some paper in my backpack as I started to write down things I was going to say. "You are the Einzbern-created personality that is usually active in a Justeaze-model homunculus, which was sealed away from Kerry and Iri and then got out of 'your' body."
Truly a confusing but fascinating topic. "You could be considered a Pseudo-Servant. Your main body is Illyasviel von Einzbern but the 'clay' used to build it up is from Counter-Guardian EMIYA's Heroic Spirit."
She flinched at the name and I paused a moment to try and remember if Kuro knew or not about the Archer Card's identity.
"H-how do you know that?"
I opened my mouth to answer when Luvia slammed her hands on the small metallic table. "No excuses, no lies!"
I blinked in surprise at the outburst. That was the very situation I had wanted to avoid, knowing full well that this was not ideal for my survival plans.
But then again I needed to have the Edelfelt's loyalty to avoid any possible issue with her.
"I will say that... I know many things of the Moonlit World." I looked at Luvia and then back at Kuro. "About the past, the present... and the future."
"Preposterous!" Seriously? A seven years old girl capable of using that word? That reminds me so much about the strictness of the Magus families and the early education they give to their children. "Such a capacity w-wouldn't be keep unknown, especially because it would-" "Warrant a Seal Designation?"
She closed her mouth, paling a little as she now noticed my dry expression at that horrible fate. "I-I didn't mean-" "I know you didn't mean it. I know that you are a good person."
"But?" I glanced at the Einzbern, the tanned girl recognising that I had something that needed to be said.
"The reason I am concerned about this meeting is that... you might not like how you behave around some people."
The blonde frowned. "How I behave? What would my older version be doing to be given such accusation-"
"You are daily engaged in a petty competition with the second apprentice of Zelretch, which is not me in this timeline, about trying to win the heart of a red-head boy that frankly doesn't have much charisma to start with-" "H-Hey! Oniichan isn't that bad!"
I paused, the dreadful words piling up inside my throat as I delivered a really harsh truth about Kuro. "You mean your biological Oniichan?"
She frowned. "He is adopted-" "But you share now a pattern similar to his own. Biologically speaking, thinking of him that way is incestuous."
"B-But my other self-"
"Is her adoptive sister and that would also be immoral before the laws of... the entire world!"
She pouted a little and I decided to add some extra salt to the open injury. "You should also not contemplate engage in 'activities' with Miyu."
..."You mean Edelfelt's younger sister?" At this Luvia looked confused at the news that she had a younger sibling.
"Yes but also no. Her 'adoption' is something related to this whole 'Cards' Debacle and her real name is.... Emiya Miyu."
..."WHAT?!"
I sighed once more as I decided to give a full explanation of this timeline, without going to touch too much about the future section of it and getting some truthful oaths to not speak about anything I was telling them.
An hour passed quickly and soon we were on our merry to reach the Edelfelt Mansion.
I bet it was a shocking sight from the two morons to see two 7yos and a tanned Illya enter the office room they were waiting us for the meeting.
Rin was pale, her mind already imagining the chaos that would be created by two Luvias, while her blonde colleague was confused at best.
"Good morning and thank you for accepting the offer for negotiations regarding some issue my newest minion- Owh!" Even without her Class Card Installed, Kuro's punches stug like mad to my poor skin.
"S-She is the one that tried to hurt me!"
It was an interesting sight to see Prillya's funny reactions from this persepctive, the girl was exaggerating the whole outburst but it wasn't... that horrible to see from a simple elementary-grade school girl being thrown in this magical girl plot without any instructions for the use.
At least this wasn't Madoka I was speaking with!
"Indeed and she is quite ready to-" I blinked her direction, Kuro trying to appear unaware of my stare. "To?" She pouted and I sighed and gave a nod to chibi-Luvia, the girl materialising another mana-filled cookie in my hand.
"I can give some compromise but-" She didn't let me finish as she stole the treat out of my hands and munched at it quickly, gulping and then bowing in front of a confused Miyu and Illya.
"I'm sorry for... trying to hurt you."
..."EH!?"
"There is a lot to say and..." I grimaced as I was prepping myself to remind everyone about two present threats in the near future. "And it is not all that funny."
AN
The meeting will continue next chapter as... there is a LOT TO SAY AND AVOID!
Lastly, Just to let me know if you have suggestions I might use for the plot, maybe even something that Prillya doesn't truly show in the canon series like..
WHERE ARE THE MATOU HERE?!
I know well enough that the Nasuverse is a place filled with the worst thing an Anime could require. Fan Service.
It could be good if it was moderated and didn't touch the limits between Ecchi and Hentai, but Prillyaverse was a stark example of perverted moments lingering every single episode, may it be 'comic' ones or HF-level of dark shit.
But the pressing issue was the one girl, three years 'older' than me, pressing her face toward mine, her lips positioned and ready to catch mine. A low growl, a muffled 'no' managed to reach her ears as her brows narrowed but she continued.
It wasn't anything perverted, I do reckon as I considered 'why' she was doing so. Condemned to have an imperfect body that couldn't produce enough prana to sustain itself with the world deteriorating it moment by moment.
It wasn't lust that forced her into this, the sinful tease being just a secondary thing to her mind as only one thing roared within her mind, something that was quite visible from the closeup.
Survival. She needed to receive mana from the quickest way possible, saliva and... I was scared.
Seeing this from the point of view of a seven years old, this was scary because unwanted, while from the point of view of a 20ish young man, this was scary because unwanted AND because jail was terrifying.
This was not alright! I shrieked in my head but my mouth was closed, trying to defend itself from the incoming unrequited kiss.
I braced myself for the seemingly unavoidable fate that was now few millimeters from me, my eyes narrowing as I tried to push my head further on the ground, hoping to gain some relief from the distance.
It was a single fleeting moment, but I was quite surprised when Kuro's eyes widened in panic and she jumped away, dodging a thunderous blast of blue coming from... Luvia.
...I had totally forgot about her. The blonde was now donning the Kaleido Sapphire attire, cat ears and tail included.
But I felt the need to voice a 'small' issue with her intervention...
"WHY DID YOU TAKE SO MUCH TIME!?"
She 'eeped' at my outburst and her full-face blush became evident to my glare, making me understand that... I went a bit too far.
I forgot that the girl shared my 'age' and that she was quite the sheltered brat, naive about part of the world.
Maybe she had heard about perverted men but to see a female being the aggressor was... surprising.
"Net! Make a net!" Apologies needed to wait as I noticed that the snarling pseudo-Servant had yet to project EMIYA's favoured blades.
The blonde paused for a moment and seemed to panic until a blue light formed a small bundle of reinforced rope in my waiting hands, my legs already moving towards Kuro.
"A net? Do you think it will work, Matou." I let a faux scowl at my surname being mentioned but I replaced it quickly with a smile as I knew what I needed to say to stop her from acting up against me.
"Fancy words coming from someone in your predicament, Illyasviel von Einzbern."
I think the extra attention I put in the correct pronunciation was what truly made her surprised as her attempted projection, the familiar prana configuration to recreate copies of EMIYA's UBW, collapsed due to her distraction. I jumped onto her, net unbundled as the struggle began.
Few punches passed through the simple barrier as I tried to close it around her, landing right to some sore spots of my skin, still recovering from the quite recent beating I took thanks to Clock Tower's security.
I gritted my teeth in pain at the brutality and the flurry of physical attacks the girl decided to throw while trying to shake away the net but... I did it. With an angry Kuro secured away, I turned on the ground and felt my legs aching.
I was extending myself too much, I reckoned as I failed to get up. I turned to see Luvia approaching us with a concerned look towards me. "J-Just tired and a bit- a bit bruised."
She nodded but her worry was still there. "I-I need to you create a sweet treat filled with some prana. S-Sapphire, can you help her with the task?"
"Yes." The Mystic Code replied as she instructed the newfound magical girl in the creation of the small piece of food.
It was a big cookie, something that made me frown at the texture as it was almost too white but I took it out of the blonde's hand and moved it right above the snarling Einzbern, the girl didn't skip a beat in biting an acceptable chunk out of the treat and.. she munched at it calmly. Her eyes widened a little as the prana invigorated her body while the sweet taste soothed her mind and she stared at the cookie hungrily.
"I can give you the rest of it.." I started, biting down the pain running in my limbs. "If- If you promise us to not do anything drastic. W-We don't want to hurt you, Illya."
She blinked as I muttered her name once more. "H-How do you know who I am?"
"I know lots of things and... my arm here is going sore with the shenanigans I've been through. I will explain later."
She stared hardly at me for few moments before nodding. "B-But you are not friend with.. her?"
Luvia looked confused and I sighed tiredly. "No, we are not allied with your other self."
Another surprised look but she finally nodded once more and I lowered the cookie close to her face, letting her munch at the treat a little longer as I tried to keep an amiable stance in front of the distrusting pseudo-Servant.
This was going to be a long day.
We had settled to sit in circle in a small hiding spot between the deep foliage.
I was lying on the ground while the two girls were chatting together as I tried to catch some rest.
"So you are... from a parallel universe?" Kuro had seemingly accepted our goodwill and was engaged in quite the Q&A with Luvia.
"That is correct." The blonde was quite enjoying being away from the previous action-filled, insane moments, the relaxed expression on her face showing this much.
"And you are here for... the cards?"
Blue eyes narrowed as the Edelfelt thought about it. What was her mission her?
She turned to stare at my resting body. "Why are we here?"
I blinked at the question and sighed, hoping to give enough stuff for them to not ask further. "We are here to make sure the Cards are secured in a safe place AND deal with the one that put them in this universe."
Her tongue clicked in her teeth. "Truly? Is the situation really demanding this much of a following."
"A following?"
I grimaced as my mind was not up to answer everything now. "This universe is set in 2004, 10 years from where we come from, and its main quality is the fact the Holy Grail was dismantled before the Fourth War."
Kuro blinked at the answer. "1994? Isn't that the time the Fourth Heaven Feel was supposed to happen?"
"T-Then why you want the Grail dismantled?"
My hands were on my face as I groaned loudly before the two staring at me. "I have... reasons! Reasons I know that Illya will be eager to tell you about in regard of the Grail's sacrifice."
The blonde frowned. "Sacrifice?"
"Despite the competition being mostly known for the battle between 7 Heroic Spirits led by 7 Masters, the truth is that the Grail existed to facilitate a clear path to the Root. The means for this to happen was the Einzbern's unique talent in Wishcraft."
"They overpower a conduit tuned to Wishcraft with the souls of the Heroic Spirits and the one from the Homunculus used to channel the spirits to stabilise the process."
"But then why everyone says that it is any possible wish if it is just calibrated to reach the Root?"
This time I... didn't have an answer and we both turned to Kuro, the tanned girl fidgeting in her seat before realising that she was being stared at. She flinched a little but ended up answering our little dilemma.
"It... was manpower."
... "W-What?"
"Seven Servants is the least amount of energy required to permit a connection to the Akashic Records and there were only three Masters ready to share a single wish. Other influencial individuals were greedy at the time and so the founders set a lure for their desires."
"The Holy Grail, catfishing Magi since 1814."
Kuro blushed at those words. "I-It wasn't that bad. I- I mean- Sure, Nagato had warned both Justeaze and Zolken that it would have been a bad idea but how should have they known that the mess that were the 2nd and 3rd War were going to happen?!"
..."I think I will take a nap. Please don't try anything on me, Illya."
"W-What about the ones that are searching for me?" Her concern wasn't misplaced and I groaned, giving a glance to the currently floating Kaleidostick.
"Sapphire, from what I remember you should be able to contact Ruby. Could you try and send a message to this universe's countepart of your sister to prepare a meeting in two hours by the Edelfelt mansion?"
"Why?" I blinked tiredly at the panicked question.
"Because we need to settle down the 'feud' you have with the other Illya without you being killed one way or another."
She opened her mouth again to protest but paused, closing it quietly and deciding to think about my words.
Sapphire nodded my direction as she tried to get hold of Prillya Ruby's prana pattern, no more questions being asked as I finally let the stress of this long day take hold over his consciousness. Slowly I was lulled in a state of sleep, my mind fending off against the nightmares of the life I had at the Matou mansion as I tried to achieve a good rest.
It was unnerving that I had just an hour to nap as I still had so much to do before the mind-blowing encounter.
We had moved to a nice café on the edge of the city, knowing that going in the more inner sections could increase the chances of encountering some people that would mistake the tanned Einzbern with the fair-skinned one.
The first thing being making sure I could trust Kuro to not murder Prillya.
I started the debate with a simple topic, weather, and proceeded to make some simple demands over where we were going.
"B-But she took my place!"
I sighed at the loud rebuttal. "She didn't do anything, it was mostly your parents' decision at that point."
She snorted, crossed her arms close to her chest as she tried some pouting.
"From what I understand.. you wish to 'slay' your counterpart and.. then what?"
Luvia's question was a legitimate one as the Einzbern looked surprised at that specific query to something she hardly considered in her initial plans.
"I... getting along with Papa and Mama would be difficult if I.. killed her." I nodded with a smile but she still huffed disgruntled. "B-But I am the real one."
"Technically you are wrong about that." Thank God I had some paper in my backpack as I started to write down things I was going to say. "You are the Einzbern-created personality that is usually active in a Justeaze-model homunculus, which was sealed away from Kerry and Iri and then got out of 'your' body."
Truly a confusing but fascinating topic. "You could be considered a Pseudo-Servant. Your main body is Illyasviel von Einzbern but the 'clay' used to build it up is from Counter-Guardian EMIYA's Heroic Spirit."
She flinched at the name and I paused a moment to try and remember if Kuro knew or not about the Archer Card's identity.
"H-how do you know that?"
I opened my mouth to answer when Luvia slammed her hands on the small metallic table. "No excuses, no lies!"
I blinked in surprise at the outburst. That was the very situation I had wanted to avoid, knowing full well that this was not ideal for my survival plans.
But then again I needed to have the Edelfelt's loyalty to avoid any possible issue with her.
"I will say that... I know many things of the Moonlit World." I looked at Luvia and then back at Kuro. "About the past, the present... and the future."
"Preposterous!" Seriously? A seven years old girl capable of using that word? That reminds me so much about the strictness of the Magus families and the early education they give to their children. "Such a capacity w-wouldn't be keep unknown, especially because it would-" "Warrant a Seal Designation?"
She closed her mouth, paling a little as she now noticed my dry expression at that horrible fate. "I-I didn't mean-" "I know you didn't mean it. I know that you are a good person."
"But?" I glanced at the Einzbern, the tanned girl recognising that I had something that needed to be said.
"The reason I am concerned about this meeting is that... you might not like how you behave around some people."
The blonde frowned. "How I behave? What would my older version be doing to be given such accusation-"
"You are daily engaged in a petty competition with the second apprentice of Zelretch, which is not me in this timeline, about trying to win the heart of a red-head boy that frankly doesn't have much charisma to start with-" "H-Hey! Oniichan isn't that bad!"
I paused, the dreadful words piling up inside my throat as I delivered a really harsh truth about Kuro. "You mean your biological Oniichan?"
She frowned. "He is adopted-" "But you share now a pattern similar to his own. Biologically speaking, thinking of him that way is incestuous."
"B-But my other self-"
"Is her adoptive sister and that would also be immoral before the laws of... the entire world!"
She pouted a little and I decided to add some extra salt to the open injury. "You should also not contemplate engage in 'activities' with Miyu."
..."You mean Edelfelt's younger sister?" At this Luvia looked confused at the news that she had a younger sibling.
"Yes but also no. Her 'adoption' is something related to this whole 'Cards' Debacle and her real name is.... Emiya Miyu."
..."WHAT?!"
I sighed once more as I decided to give a full explanation of this timeline, without going to touch too much about the future section of it and getting some truthful oaths to not speak about anything I was telling them.
An hour passed quickly and soon we were on our merry to reach the Edelfelt Mansion.
I bet it was a shocking sight from the two morons to see two 7yos and a tanned Illya enter the office room they were waiting us for the meeting.
Rin was pale, her mind already imagining the chaos that would be created by two Luvias, while her blonde colleague was confused at best.
"Good morning and thank you for accepting the offer for negotiations regarding some issue my newest minion- Owh!" Even without her Class Card Installed, Kuro's punches stug like mad to my poor skin.
"S-She is the one that tried to hurt me!"
It was an interesting sight to see Prillya's funny reactions from this persepctive, the girl was exaggerating the whole outburst but it wasn't... that horrible to see from a simple elementary-grade school girl being thrown in this magical girl plot without any instructions for the use.
At least this wasn't Madoka I was speaking with!
"Indeed and she is quite ready to-" I blinked her direction, Kuro trying to appear unaware of my stare. "To?" She pouted and I sighed and gave a nod to chibi-Luvia, the girl materialising another mana-filled cookie in my hand.
"I can give some compromise but-" She didn't let me finish as she stole the treat out of my hands and munched at it quickly, gulping and then bowing in front of a confused Miyu and Illya.
"I'm sorry for... trying to hurt you."
..."EH!?"
"There is a lot to say and..." I grimaced as I was prepping myself to remind everyone about two present threats in the near future. "And it is not all that funny."
AN
The meeting will continue next chapter as... there is a LOT TO SAY AND AVOID!
Lastly, Just to let me know if you have suggestions I might use for the plot, maybe even something that Prillya doesn't truly show in the canon series like..
WHERE ARE THE MATOU HERE?!
Last edited:
- Location
- Nepal
Its a good start ... but could you please change paragraph during dailoge of different character .
"B-But my other self-"
"Is her adoptive sister and that would also be immoral before the laws of... the entire world!"
P.S sorry for my bad english ... English isnt my First language.
"B-But my other self-"
"Is her adoptive sister and that would also be immoral before the laws of... the entire world!"
P.S sorry for my bad english ... English isnt my First language.
ZFighter18
I'm not a god. I AM WHAT A GOD PRAYS TO.
- Location
- Maryland
The grammar is nowhere near that bad.
It's almost unnoticeable. Slight mistakes here and there but nothing to be close to declare it unreadable. You must not be able to read much fanfiction if this is unreadable.
- Location
- Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
The Matou are probably not kicked out of Russia and instead just staying there trying to create funky shoes for Vladimir Putin or something.
Well, the Holy Grail was Zouken's last hope for immortality, so I imagine he took umbrage with Irisviel and Kiritsugu trying to take it apart. If you consider that Zouken has fallen apart mentally in his very advanced age, Irisviel is way more Justeaze than Illya will ever be, that Zouken can only still function thanks to his crest worms and body-jacking, and just what Kiritsugu's Thompson does to magic circuits, it's pretty safe to say there's really only one way that'll end and it's not exactly to the advantage of the last Matou mage.
I'd give even odds at best on the survival of Sakura and Shinji in this timeline given that Kiritsugu is Kiritsugu.
We already know the fate of the Matou family in Miyu's world. They got unalived, hard. Then Sakura and Shiji got turned into puppets because why not and then Sakura went full on Yandere.
Chapter 2: Girls, Cards and Worm
- Location
- Italia
Chapter 2: Girls, Cards and Worm
This is... a terrible predicament.
I had expected that things would have been far more different than what I knew of the Kaleidverse but... Kiritsugu and Irisviel were in Fuyuki right now and they were already suspecting about Illya's little magical adventure.
I had hoped that the changes would have been minimal at best, like the Tohsakas still living in Fuyuki for some reason or that Shirou had not been adopted... but the mere idea that the Magus Killer was there, quite close to find about the whole 'magical girl' debacle was something chilling.
And that was the first of the infinite issues that were there in Fuyuki that the series has never touched nor hinted.
The second problem, a personal one, was that the Matou existed just... not in the way I had expected.
It would seem that Zouken had perished few months after the dismantling of the Grail, the proud bastard deciding against trying to tickle the ever-attentive Zelretch about a Dark Grail and had decided that there wasn't anything worthwile to do in his life.
The worms had all been removed but at the cost of the family losing their noble title for the horrible practice being brought to attention to the major individuals in Clock Tower. Byakuya had lived happily with his wife and a little child that was conceived two years after Zouken's death.
It stung a little that there was no Shinji in this part of the Kaleidverse, that I was pretty much like Miyu at this point but I was hardly happy that the old worm had died mysteriously, something in the back of my head demanding real evidence of his passing.
Maybe I was paranoid but.. I am not willing to deal with two old bastards and their habit to cheat for some stupid Wish. The Grail was stupid like the ones that believed it to be some blessing from the past.
It is a curse and... I will destroy any single one I will find in my path.
But let us pause for a moment. Let us return to a real problem that was going to be a hassle to deal with. Where was I supposed to live while staying in this dimension?
The 'kindness' from the older version of Luvia was refused on the basis her mansion was right in front of the home of a man capable of killing me if he caught me in some shady situations, plus my mind was not ready to deal with the Rin-Luvia shenanigans in an usual basis.
The Matou Mansion was now in ruins and it would take too much coin and effort to restore it to acceptable conditions and the former home of the Tohsakas was in a worse situations.
I was kind of touched when Prillya, red-faced and quite embarrassed, expressed her hospitality if there was no other places that could house us all. I declined again but this time I explained that the reasons was more about her father's and mother's reactions to two unknown Magus asking for two rooms for free.
I could already imagine two Origin Bullets being rapidly fired, the first one between my eyes and the last one between my legs.
It was actually Kuro that pointed out something I had totally forgotten about this universe. There was the Einzbern Castle still sitting by the end of the town's forest, with fully operational Homunculi working day and night to make sure the fortress was optimal to live in.
But I should explain the logic behind this acceptable option: when the Greater Grail was dismantled and the Einzberns decided to let Irisviel and Kiritsugu go and live their merry life away from the strict family, the group had pushed for two simple demands. A) Illya's memory regarding the Grail's working and the ones related Justeaze were to be sealed away and B) Irisviel would have to forfeit her rights as heiress to the family.
Both clauses were accepted and Illya's mother was Einzbern only nominally at best, leaving the castle's inheritance to... Kuro.
Now things turn tricky as the pseudo-servant's claim was stronger than anything Illya herself could muster legally. Being the direct part from Illyasviel that is related to Justeaze and now a independent individual, Kuro/Chloe was the sole heiress to the old Magus family from Germany.
The idea was instantly approved by the girl herself much to Prillya's dismay. Maybe it was disappointment because she wanted a 'younger' sibling or maybe she just wanted to accomplish her little 'Oneesama' kink she had long harbored in secret.
I almost wanted to pinch those adorable cheeks but then it would become weird. It would become quite awkard and if I have to be honest, the FBI is still a tangible threat to fear for a small Magus like me.
It was utterly hilarious when I had to explain how to beat Bazzett in the quickest and craziest way possible. Let Miyu install the Cu Chulainn Card and let the Irish woman fawn over the Lancer Loli.
And in the middle of that embarrassing moment, the 'adopted' Edelfelt made it clear with her gestures that she had a question she wished to ask me.
'Did I know about her predicament?'
It was subtle but I could clearly see her nervous about it all and I decided to be today. "He is alive."
Surprise ruled in that maelstrom of emotions hidden within the quiet girl's visage but a small brave smile showed gratitude. What a delightful response, I mused as I found amusing Prillya's confusion over my words.
As the meeting was concluded I was surprised the moment I was stopped by Chibi-Luvia. The blonde took hold of my arm, keeping me stuck and confused. Her eyes were directed to the floor but there was once in a while a flicker my direction. "Are you okay?"
She started to tremble a little and my free hand went to pull her in a small hug.
Maybe I should have picked better words to address the fact the young version of the 'Ohohohoh' was quite distressed by the overwhelming situation, something that looked so endless in her logic to solve and.. yet I could see it so clearly.
But the problem lingered far away from mere present circumnstances and hovered over a terrible realisation I had time and time again come to forget.
Luvia was 7, my own age, and she had two doting but loving parents. Sure, becoming Zelretch's apprentice was enough of a treat to coat the growing anxiety but it vanished the moment reality reared its ugly face.
She was stuck in a place with familiar faces that barely give her the same comfort that gave before being thrown here. Like a castaway stuck in a city, one that had long forgotten its past familiarity to assume a better concept that alienates the very exiled man that had sought for so long to make a return to it.
Luvia was stuck in the water that is the unknown to her and... I was the small boat, that she had grown accustomed to, that could help her from drowning in the nothingness.
See? I can be quite the poetic trash once in a while.
"Do you want to come with us?" Maybe I should have said 'with me' but then I would have to face double the trouble that rose out of that question.
"Little Luvia is an Edelfelt and she will live here, foolish Matou." Cold, political and quite extravagant. If I was to compare chibi-Luvia with the older one I would say those were the adjective she would have acquired if she had stayed within the walls of Clock Towers, where only politics and powerplays made Magi capable of gaining some important standing within the Moonlit World.
"She has the right to decide where to stay and..." I turned to look at a frowning Kuro. "I suppose one person will not 'burden' the Castle too much?"
She knew I was joking about it, the servitude being as plentiful as the rooms available in the fortress, but she nodded nonetheless. Her eyes were glowing a curious light, craving to.. ask something.
Hopefully nothing that saw me going to jail one way or another, I stated within the safety of my mind.
In the end, Chibi-Luvia accepted the proposal, continuing to hold my arm even after we stepped over the gates of the mansion and I decided to not mind it over too much as my glance was stolen by another sight. One far scarier than I had thought possible.
Caring for some small flowers growing in some of the pots near his house's entrance, Kiritsugu Emiya glanced up and in my direction, giving me a long look that managed to send a multitude of shivers down my little spine before returning to his gardening.
What an annoying Hero of Justice.
The insides of the Castle were far warmer than I had expected. I contemplated if it was something like some special magecraft applied there or this was the result of a modernisation led by the last generation of Einzberns.
Maybe both, I deduced without much proof, maybe both.
The reason I was staring so hard to try and focus on things so flimsy was because I was unnerved by the Homunculi. The realistic touch to the emotionless being was something I had hoped wouldn't have been as impactful as it was being to my mind.
Those are not real people. That is what I was trying to repeat like a mantra the more I saw the ever-so-similar maids around the castle's halls. Those are not real people.
It sounded cruel but... the sight was inhumane. To consider those models humans would be like saying that Illumi from Hunter x Hunter was one of the most cheerful characters ever existed.
The emotion, or lack thereof, was something that added more to the dreadful lullaby those individuals made while walking. The pattern was always the same, the steps being so perfect that sounded so dull to my ears.
Maybe challenging myself to not get killed by the Magus Killer would have been a funnier exercise for my mind than dealing with this psychological torture.
At least the worms are not hurting.
"I wonder if there is still some gold from the Grail within the Castle..." I paled a little as Kuro mused outloud those very words. "Maybe we could sell it to have something to use." Her glowing eyes turned my direction and I felt addressed by the girl.
Sell Fafnir's cursed gold? It would be a good way to get rid of the bad luck this place has if there was any lying around. I nodded at her and Kuro looked pleased by my approval. I was doubtful that this wasn't out of mere friendship but.. that it was because I proved to be a stable crutch in her current instability and had been the very first individual that didn't considered her a.. mistake.
I wonder what Irisviel actually thought when she first saw that part of her daughter she had hoped she would have never see until the very end of her life. Maybe regret, the knowledge that she had been sentient must have been terrible to deal.. and yet she hadn't showed much reaction about it.
Was I rambling now? Maybe this world was just as cotton-candyish as I had expected or maybe the world is dumb enough to ignore the chaos and terror it was still suffering everyday.
I mean, does the Magus Killer even do missions? I could remember that his job was something that he accomplished oversea, in foreign countries. Like assassinations were supposed to be.
Today was truly a good day to consider gloomy fates but maybe it was in my DNA as a member of the Matou family. We are edgy and tragic. We are tragedgey.
I wonder if puns are truly the first sign of depression in people...
Ignoring this insignificant monologue, I returned back to stare at the door that led to a simple room. The main feature, a large bed (which looked a little smaller than Queen-size) looked quite soft to my tired eyes, but I was far too much experienced with deceptive looks to know that this wasn't the case.
I wonder when was the last time the Einzberns had considered to optimize their living quarters- Actually, I wonder if Kuro will be interested in buying a TV, console and videogames just like Illya did in Carnival Phantasm. Sadly there wouldn't be a faithful Berserker-kun helping in buying batteries for the gamepads if that was the case.
Anyway my 'room' looked quite big, maybe twice as big as it was back in my 'home' and less oppressive too. There was a large part of the wall in front of the bed dedicated to the wardrobe, a massive wood furniture that reminded me of a womanly-house.
Obviously mine wasn't some kind of derogative insult towards the family but the castle was hold and I doubt the Einzberns had ever had trouble with the equal male-female sthick. I mean, wasn't Justeaze the head of the family in a certain period of their history?
Returning back to the room, I noticed that it had been refurbished with clean objects but no clothes. Smart Kuro, knowing that it would have been quite distasteful to have old clothes to wear when going outside. That also reminded me we were going for a shopping spree, one that would have Luvia and Kuro as protagonists and... I was going to die by boredom.
I stared out of the window, my blue eyes still tired out and I noticed it was afternoon. Soon it will be time for some dinner and hopefully the food reserves were well-stocked... somehow.
Hopefully we weren't going to eat wood out of the long tables of the dining rooms of this large fortress because that would be quite the 'crux' of the situation.
...
Goddammit, was that even a pun or just trash now coming out of my mind?
It would seem like my head was starting to lose its touch when dealing with the disappointing situation and- "Uh?"
I was tackled on the bed from behind, couldn't see at first whom was the culprit but her arms were lax in letting me turn around in her hold and.. I blinked as Kuro snuggled her head close to my chest.
"Are you low in Prana?"
She glanced up, quickly shaking her head as she returned to stare in the distance, absent to the world. "No."
Few moments passed in silence and then the girl spoke again. "When did things went wrong?" I blinked again. "When did I start to see myself not as Illyasviel von Einzbern?"
I frowned at her words, contemplating why she was suffering now this kind of identity crisis. I had yet to tell her something about that but...
"I suppose it starts because you are not her."
She didn't reject my words, merely narrowing her eyes in a confused stare before sighing. "Why am I not her?"
"You are part of Illyasviel von Einzbern. Just like the one that live in this world with that name is." I paused for a moment, trying to remember how to phrase this kind of explanation without my death. "You are a mashup of a Hero and Justeaze. You are unique."
"A copy of copies?" I blinked twice at that, a small smile rousing in my face as I thought how amusing it was that she considered her that.
"Why are you smiling?"
"Because you fail to see a very big detail, right on your face." I poked at her nose and her lips, still stuck in a thin line, showed a quick upward twitch. "You are someone, Illya. You may have whatever name you wish to have. Illya, Kuro, Chloe... you are still someone that is alive and.. can feel emotions like a human being."
I looked up at the room's ceiling. "Maybe you have a mix of different abilities some have used in the past but... who doesn't think what you have isn't cool? How many people would crave to have this opportunity in their lives... you have been blessed. Half and half but... it still counts as a blessing."
"How so?"
My smile widened just a little as I enjoyed how wrong I was about the bed being sturdy.
"You can live. So live and be alive."
...
At first it was muffled in my shirt then she move her mouth up, letting a delicious series of giggles that ended with the biggest grin I had ever seen in her face.
"Shinji." She tilted her head cheerfully. "I am glad I met you."
I was glad myself but I decided to nod at her, my hand now patting her head softly as I let sleep take over my mind. Maybe I will regret falling asleep with a known pervert resting on my chest but... I was tired. I needed to unwind those monumental moments with some rest.
What a good day to be alive.
--------------------d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d--------d-d-d-d--------d-d-d-
AN
Shinji is safe and sound, Luvia is a lovely child and Kuro will turn into something peculiar. She will tease people but... she will be more open around those she felt she can trust.
Also the reason Shinji didn't tell Rin and Older!Luvia about the fourth card is... for a childish reason. It will all become clear next chapter.
Lastly I noticed that people are looking at this. HALLELUJAH FROM THE LOWEST HELL'S CIRCLE! xD
Are there pairi- NO DANGIT, Age is not just a number and Jail is not just a room. I will still drop some heavy fluff bomb left and right once in a while.
You mentioned something about gender- I was doing it for the joke's sake! I am not going to sponsor any unnecessary politics in my stories if only for the sake of jokes and satirical content.
Hello, I am a Nigerian Prince- HOW IN THE FUCK DO I GET SPAM EVEN THERE! xD
This is... a terrible predicament.
I had expected that things would have been far more different than what I knew of the Kaleidverse but... Kiritsugu and Irisviel were in Fuyuki right now and they were already suspecting about Illya's little magical adventure.
I had hoped that the changes would have been minimal at best, like the Tohsakas still living in Fuyuki for some reason or that Shirou had not been adopted... but the mere idea that the Magus Killer was there, quite close to find about the whole 'magical girl' debacle was something chilling.
And that was the first of the infinite issues that were there in Fuyuki that the series has never touched nor hinted.
The second problem, a personal one, was that the Matou existed just... not in the way I had expected.
It would seem that Zouken had perished few months after the dismantling of the Grail, the proud bastard deciding against trying to tickle the ever-attentive Zelretch about a Dark Grail and had decided that there wasn't anything worthwile to do in his life.
The worms had all been removed but at the cost of the family losing their noble title for the horrible practice being brought to attention to the major individuals in Clock Tower. Byakuya had lived happily with his wife and a little child that was conceived two years after Zouken's death.
It stung a little that there was no Shinji in this part of the Kaleidverse, that I was pretty much like Miyu at this point but I was hardly happy that the old worm had died mysteriously, something in the back of my head demanding real evidence of his passing.
Maybe I was paranoid but.. I am not willing to deal with two old bastards and their habit to cheat for some stupid Wish. The Grail was stupid like the ones that believed it to be some blessing from the past.
It is a curse and... I will destroy any single one I will find in my path.
But let us pause for a moment. Let us return to a real problem that was going to be a hassle to deal with. Where was I supposed to live while staying in this dimension?
The 'kindness' from the older version of Luvia was refused on the basis her mansion was right in front of the home of a man capable of killing me if he caught me in some shady situations, plus my mind was not ready to deal with the Rin-Luvia shenanigans in an usual basis.
The Matou Mansion was now in ruins and it would take too much coin and effort to restore it to acceptable conditions and the former home of the Tohsakas was in a worse situations.
I was kind of touched when Prillya, red-faced and quite embarrassed, expressed her hospitality if there was no other places that could house us all. I declined again but this time I explained that the reasons was more about her father's and mother's reactions to two unknown Magus asking for two rooms for free.
I could already imagine two Origin Bullets being rapidly fired, the first one between my eyes and the last one between my legs.
It was actually Kuro that pointed out something I had totally forgotten about this universe. There was the Einzbern Castle still sitting by the end of the town's forest, with fully operational Homunculi working day and night to make sure the fortress was optimal to live in.
But I should explain the logic behind this acceptable option: when the Greater Grail was dismantled and the Einzberns decided to let Irisviel and Kiritsugu go and live their merry life away from the strict family, the group had pushed for two simple demands. A) Illya's memory regarding the Grail's working and the ones related Justeaze were to be sealed away and B) Irisviel would have to forfeit her rights as heiress to the family.
Both clauses were accepted and Illya's mother was Einzbern only nominally at best, leaving the castle's inheritance to... Kuro.
Now things turn tricky as the pseudo-servant's claim was stronger than anything Illya herself could muster legally. Being the direct part from Illyasviel that is related to Justeaze and now a independent individual, Kuro/Chloe was the sole heiress to the old Magus family from Germany.
The idea was instantly approved by the girl herself much to Prillya's dismay. Maybe it was disappointment because she wanted a 'younger' sibling or maybe she just wanted to accomplish her little 'Oneesama' kink she had long harbored in secret.
I almost wanted to pinch those adorable cheeks but then it would become weird. It would become quite awkard and if I have to be honest, the FBI is still a tangible threat to fear for a small Magus like me.
It was utterly hilarious when I had to explain how to beat Bazzett in the quickest and craziest way possible. Let Miyu install the Cu Chulainn Card and let the Irish woman fawn over the Lancer Loli.
And in the middle of that embarrassing moment, the 'adopted' Edelfelt made it clear with her gestures that she had a question she wished to ask me.
'Did I know about her predicament?'
It was subtle but I could clearly see her nervous about it all and I decided to be today. "He is alive."
Surprise ruled in that maelstrom of emotions hidden within the quiet girl's visage but a small brave smile showed gratitude. What a delightful response, I mused as I found amusing Prillya's confusion over my words.
As the meeting was concluded I was surprised the moment I was stopped by Chibi-Luvia. The blonde took hold of my arm, keeping me stuck and confused. Her eyes were directed to the floor but there was once in a while a flicker my direction. "Are you okay?"
She started to tremble a little and my free hand went to pull her in a small hug.
Maybe I should have picked better words to address the fact the young version of the 'Ohohohoh' was quite distressed by the overwhelming situation, something that looked so endless in her logic to solve and.. yet I could see it so clearly.
But the problem lingered far away from mere present circumnstances and hovered over a terrible realisation I had time and time again come to forget.
Luvia was 7, my own age, and she had two doting but loving parents. Sure, becoming Zelretch's apprentice was enough of a treat to coat the growing anxiety but it vanished the moment reality reared its ugly face.
She was stuck in a place with familiar faces that barely give her the same comfort that gave before being thrown here. Like a castaway stuck in a city, one that had long forgotten its past familiarity to assume a better concept that alienates the very exiled man that had sought for so long to make a return to it.
Luvia was stuck in the water that is the unknown to her and... I was the small boat, that she had grown accustomed to, that could help her from drowning in the nothingness.
See? I can be quite the poetic trash once in a while.
"Do you want to come with us?" Maybe I should have said 'with me' but then I would have to face double the trouble that rose out of that question.
"Little Luvia is an Edelfelt and she will live here, foolish Matou." Cold, political and quite extravagant. If I was to compare chibi-Luvia with the older one I would say those were the adjective she would have acquired if she had stayed within the walls of Clock Towers, where only politics and powerplays made Magi capable of gaining some important standing within the Moonlit World.
"She has the right to decide where to stay and..." I turned to look at a frowning Kuro. "I suppose one person will not 'burden' the Castle too much?"
She knew I was joking about it, the servitude being as plentiful as the rooms available in the fortress, but she nodded nonetheless. Her eyes were glowing a curious light, craving to.. ask something.
Hopefully nothing that saw me going to jail one way or another, I stated within the safety of my mind.
In the end, Chibi-Luvia accepted the proposal, continuing to hold my arm even after we stepped over the gates of the mansion and I decided to not mind it over too much as my glance was stolen by another sight. One far scarier than I had thought possible.
Caring for some small flowers growing in some of the pots near his house's entrance, Kiritsugu Emiya glanced up and in my direction, giving me a long look that managed to send a multitude of shivers down my little spine before returning to his gardening.
What an annoying Hero of Justice.
The insides of the Castle were far warmer than I had expected. I contemplated if it was something like some special magecraft applied there or this was the result of a modernisation led by the last generation of Einzberns.
Maybe both, I deduced without much proof, maybe both.
The reason I was staring so hard to try and focus on things so flimsy was because I was unnerved by the Homunculi. The realistic touch to the emotionless being was something I had hoped wouldn't have been as impactful as it was being to my mind.
Those are not real people. That is what I was trying to repeat like a mantra the more I saw the ever-so-similar maids around the castle's halls. Those are not real people.
It sounded cruel but... the sight was inhumane. To consider those models humans would be like saying that Illumi from Hunter x Hunter was one of the most cheerful characters ever existed.
The emotion, or lack thereof, was something that added more to the dreadful lullaby those individuals made while walking. The pattern was always the same, the steps being so perfect that sounded so dull to my ears.
Maybe challenging myself to not get killed by the Magus Killer would have been a funnier exercise for my mind than dealing with this psychological torture.
At least the worms are not hurting.
"I wonder if there is still some gold from the Grail within the Castle..." I paled a little as Kuro mused outloud those very words. "Maybe we could sell it to have something to use." Her glowing eyes turned my direction and I felt addressed by the girl.
Sell Fafnir's cursed gold? It would be a good way to get rid of the bad luck this place has if there was any lying around. I nodded at her and Kuro looked pleased by my approval. I was doubtful that this wasn't out of mere friendship but.. that it was because I proved to be a stable crutch in her current instability and had been the very first individual that didn't considered her a.. mistake.
I wonder what Irisviel actually thought when she first saw that part of her daughter she had hoped she would have never see until the very end of her life. Maybe regret, the knowledge that she had been sentient must have been terrible to deal.. and yet she hadn't showed much reaction about it.
Was I rambling now? Maybe this world was just as cotton-candyish as I had expected or maybe the world is dumb enough to ignore the chaos and terror it was still suffering everyday.
I mean, does the Magus Killer even do missions? I could remember that his job was something that he accomplished oversea, in foreign countries. Like assassinations were supposed to be.
Today was truly a good day to consider gloomy fates but maybe it was in my DNA as a member of the Matou family. We are edgy and tragic. We are tragedgey.
I wonder if puns are truly the first sign of depression in people...
Ignoring this insignificant monologue, I returned back to stare at the door that led to a simple room. The main feature, a large bed (which looked a little smaller than Queen-size) looked quite soft to my tired eyes, but I was far too much experienced with deceptive looks to know that this wasn't the case.
I wonder when was the last time the Einzberns had considered to optimize their living quarters- Actually, I wonder if Kuro will be interested in buying a TV, console and videogames just like Illya did in Carnival Phantasm. Sadly there wouldn't be a faithful Berserker-kun helping in buying batteries for the gamepads if that was the case.
Anyway my 'room' looked quite big, maybe twice as big as it was back in my 'home' and less oppressive too. There was a large part of the wall in front of the bed dedicated to the wardrobe, a massive wood furniture that reminded me of a womanly-house.
Obviously mine wasn't some kind of derogative insult towards the family but the castle was hold and I doubt the Einzberns had ever had trouble with the equal male-female sthick. I mean, wasn't Justeaze the head of the family in a certain period of their history?
Returning back to the room, I noticed that it had been refurbished with clean objects but no clothes. Smart Kuro, knowing that it would have been quite distasteful to have old clothes to wear when going outside. That also reminded me we were going for a shopping spree, one that would have Luvia and Kuro as protagonists and... I was going to die by boredom.
I stared out of the window, my blue eyes still tired out and I noticed it was afternoon. Soon it will be time for some dinner and hopefully the food reserves were well-stocked... somehow.
Hopefully we weren't going to eat wood out of the long tables of the dining rooms of this large fortress because that would be quite the 'crux' of the situation.
...
Goddammit, was that even a pun or just trash now coming out of my mind?
It would seem like my head was starting to lose its touch when dealing with the disappointing situation and- "Uh?"
I was tackled on the bed from behind, couldn't see at first whom was the culprit but her arms were lax in letting me turn around in her hold and.. I blinked as Kuro snuggled her head close to my chest.
"Are you low in Prana?"
She glanced up, quickly shaking her head as she returned to stare in the distance, absent to the world. "No."
Few moments passed in silence and then the girl spoke again. "When did things went wrong?" I blinked again. "When did I start to see myself not as Illyasviel von Einzbern?"
I frowned at her words, contemplating why she was suffering now this kind of identity crisis. I had yet to tell her something about that but...
"I suppose it starts because you are not her."
She didn't reject my words, merely narrowing her eyes in a confused stare before sighing. "Why am I not her?"
"You are part of Illyasviel von Einzbern. Just like the one that live in this world with that name is." I paused for a moment, trying to remember how to phrase this kind of explanation without my death. "You are a mashup of a Hero and Justeaze. You are unique."
"A copy of copies?" I blinked twice at that, a small smile rousing in my face as I thought how amusing it was that she considered her that.
"Why are you smiling?"
"Because you fail to see a very big detail, right on your face." I poked at her nose and her lips, still stuck in a thin line, showed a quick upward twitch. "You are someone, Illya. You may have whatever name you wish to have. Illya, Kuro, Chloe... you are still someone that is alive and.. can feel emotions like a human being."
I looked up at the room's ceiling. "Maybe you have a mix of different abilities some have used in the past but... who doesn't think what you have isn't cool? How many people would crave to have this opportunity in their lives... you have been blessed. Half and half but... it still counts as a blessing."
"How so?"
My smile widened just a little as I enjoyed how wrong I was about the bed being sturdy.
"You can live. So live and be alive."
...
At first it was muffled in my shirt then she move her mouth up, letting a delicious series of giggles that ended with the biggest grin I had ever seen in her face.
"Shinji." She tilted her head cheerfully. "I am glad I met you."
I was glad myself but I decided to nod at her, my hand now patting her head softly as I let sleep take over my mind. Maybe I will regret falling asleep with a known pervert resting on my chest but... I was tired. I needed to unwind those monumental moments with some rest.
What a good day to be alive.
--------------------d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d--------d-d-d-d--------d-d-d-
AN
Shinji is safe and sound, Luvia is a lovely child and Kuro will turn into something peculiar. She will tease people but... she will be more open around those she felt she can trust.
Also the reason Shinji didn't tell Rin and Older!Luvia about the fourth card is... for a childish reason. It will all become clear next chapter.
Lastly I noticed that people are looking at this. HALLELUJAH FROM THE LOWEST HELL'S CIRCLE! xD
Are there pairi- NO DANGIT, Age is not just a number and Jail is not just a room. I will still drop some heavy fluff bomb left and right once in a while.
You mentioned something about gender- I was doing it for the joke's sake! I am not going to sponsor any unnecessary politics in my stories if only for the sake of jokes and satirical content.
Hello, I am a Nigerian Prince- HOW IN THE FUCK DO I GET SPAM EVEN THERE! xD
Chapter 3: Parents, Shopping and Worm
- Location
- Italia
Chapter 3: Parents, Shopping and Worm
I knew things were going to be dandy that morning by the annoying way I woke up. Purple eyes stared at the bed ceiling as my body started to follow my mind back in the land of the living. No more tired, actually very refreshed from that sleep, I groggily turned my attention to Kuro's sleeping face, quite close to mine.
I admit my cheeks reddened a little at the closeness but I was quick to see that nothing 'unwanted' had happened in my rest. At least that was my initial deduction before I noticed that the pair of simple clothes I had been wearing before falling asleep had been folded by the end of the bed and.. I was wearing a simple, purple-themed PJ.
Panic was chased down by logical reasoning over what could have happened while I was out for some rest. Kuro was wearing a pink PJ with small, white dots, something I could see the girl appreciate to put on to sleep and... I was actually surprised by the very situation I woke up into.
There was none of the usual teasing, the need to embarrass people left and right just to charge up her mana's reserves. I was being reminded painfully of the Fate Stay Night version of Illyasviel von Einzbern.
Short, mature and... quite kind to those she cared. The ending of the Heaven Feel's Route was still a sad part of the story I hardly stomached the moment I first saw it and it was one of the reason I liked Illya as a character, someone that would sacrifice to preserve her family's life.
I decided to ignore the fact that Kuro may or may have not been directly responsible for my clothes change, seeing no 'weird actions' done on my body, but I knew I couldn't return back to sleep. The crescendo of voices echoing loudly through the castle continuing to persist even after the minutes I spent trying to remember where I was.
Sleepiness faded as I felt newfound energy fuel me up. My hand carefully caressed the sleeping girl's head, moving away some strands of pink-white hair away from her tanned visage and... orange eyes slowly opened to stare back on my own eyes. She smiled softly, her eyelids half-closed. "Good morning."
I smiled back, yet mine was possibly smaller. "Morning."
Kuro stretched a little and rolled closer to my chest as she 'hmm'd a little. "Someone is causing... quite the loud mess."
Her comment, albeit whispered, reached my ears perfectly and I sighed, confirming my agreement. "We should go and check."
She groaned in the purple shirt I was wearing. "Don't wanna..."
"C'mon, Illya, you need some-" "Chloe."
..."Uh?" She stared away from me, a pleasant smile in her face.
"I decided to address myself as Chloe von Einzbern." She looked back at me once more. "I think you are right. I don't need to prove anything."
I blinked as I sponged up this little bit of information. "Then... I remind you that you still need some mana to sustain your form-" "I am fine."
My eyes narrowed at the interruption but she emphasised our closeness by tightening her hold over my arm and chest. "You had some... nightmares yesterday and you started to sweat a little."
Oh... ohhh... "D-Did I say something-" "No. You didn't but-" She sighed tiredly as she closed momentarely her eyes. "I... He knew about the Matous. He knew but... never did much about it."
I grimaced as I realised she was talking about EMIYA. It was no big secret the Archer Servant had never bothered to direct either Rin or Shirou to investigate Sakura's insane family.
Sakura's insane family, not mine. I was beyond sanity to be recovered in any shape or form but... I will make things work.
"But that wouldn't be enough to-" "Just enough to keep the reserves stable. I will ask when I need some mana."
Did I just make Chloe a lot better in planning her needs than her annoying canon self did? Not that I despised her in the original series but... it was insane how much fan service she was subjected with in the Anime. Not even the Manga has ever reached that kind of lewd.
"Still we need to see what is going on." She nodded slowly, her grimace showing quite the lacking willpower to deal with that madness so early in the morning and.. wasting the warmth of the bed. "Should we wake Luvia-chan up or..."
"If she isn't already up, we could give her an hour or two more of rest. She is afterall dealing with a lot of things ever since she joined up in the madness."
We got up from the bed and we were respectully giving each other our backs as we started to change our clothes to ones fitting to leave the room, yet I could see the girl twitching a little, maybe thinking about giving a peek or two at my naked back.
Her resolution seemed to hold true to her early principles and... she twirled once to show her cute clothes as we both moved towards the door and- *Knock Knock* "C-Come in?"
The girl's voice broke at first because of the unexpected knocking but quickly recomposed the moment it opened to show a panicked Homunculus maid.
"I-Illyasviel-sama, intruders have tried to force their way in the castle. They asked parlay and are waiting for you by the gates."
I had a feeling that I knew who was causing this ruckus, especially since Prillya would be quite easy to reveal that 'another' Illya is wandering around Fuyuki. I guess I should have expected something coming my way the moment I learned that the Magus Killer was home.
"Shinji?" Her hand was on my sleeve, tugging softly at it as we slowly followed the maid back to the entrance. "Do you... think they will accept it?" And me? I could feel her add the more steps we took toward our destination.
"They will." I stated as it was a factual matter. "They are way too soft to even think to kill you."
Chloe hummed at my words, a bit relieved that she wasn't going to face some fight anytime soon. While her reserves had stabilised for a while during their rest, the girl was hardly in a position to even defend herself with what energy she still had.
It took us few moments to reach the entrance of the fortress and... I admit I had not expected to find such a dreadful sight so early in the morning as my eyes landed on the two parents.
Kiritsugu was wearing his usual dark clothes and was equipped with his Calico and the Colt Contender, armed with an Origin Bullet. His cold eyes as he patiently waited for us to arrive... this was all the least of my issues in that moment.
Irisviel was wearing some kevlar, donning a red bandana and... was that a mother-f*cking gatling gun in her hands!?
The lounge that was the main living room of the castle had been conceived with a need to represent warmth and safety within the sturdy walls of the fortress. This whole idea crashed and burned the moment the 'enemy' was invited inside and given some tea and cookies.
How was I feeling in that moment? Incredibly scared as Irisviel's sweet smile promised more pain that whatever Kiritsugu could muster in his stone-like face. They had taken seat in one of the large couches while Chloe and I were sitting on the one right in front of theirs.
I took a quick sip from the white cup, trying to find harmony in this insane moment and... I wasn't. Maybe we should have gone to pick up Luvia, just to bring more firepower in case of some fallout.
"The weather is... nice today." I blinked as I wasn't the one that decided to break the ice, Kiritsugu staring calmly at his own tea as he said those words.
"It is sunny..." This was difficult as both females in that room kept quiet, Chloe alternating glares from Kerry to Iri while her 'mother' was keeping her eyes fixed on me- "What is your name, young man?"
A chill went down my spine the moment the woman asked that question, something attaching to her words as they reached my ears.
I gulped nervously, trying to untie the knot in my throat. "M-Matou, Shinji Matou."
She nodded, a somewhat pleased note settling in her features as she continued to stare at me. "Nice to meet you, Shinji-kun." She paused a moment, blinking just once as she continued. "By the way, why did you decide to kidnap our daughter?"
... "What?"
"There is no reason for Illya-chan to go and run away with some strangers if not she had been kidnapped."
What a plain logic but... it was Irisviel talking and I would have been quite surprised if she had made a less dunderheaded plan of action.
"I didn't-" "What if I wanted to stay with Shinji-kun?"
Red eyes moved away from my small body and onto Chloe's vivid orange. "Illya-chan-" "Chloe."
The older Einzbern tilted her head a little in confusion but the girl didn't miss a beat. "Illya is the name of thechild you have taken care of after you sealed me away. I decided to pick the name 'Chloe' to identify myself from my... countepart."
"B-But Chloe-chan- We would have been happy to consider you another child of ours-" "That is not the point, nor the reason I don't wish to live in that house."
The tanned girl huffed, her arms crossing near her flat chest. "The mere idea that you can't even consider the 'seal' the very reason I am doing this is-" "Partly true and false."
Their eyes quickly snapped my direction and I sighed as I prepared myself to deal with this mess of a world. Seriously, when you decide to leave this much emotional baggage unveiled, it is quite difficult for an 'intruder' to deal with it quietly and smoothly.
"While your main issue is the fact your parents decided to seal that part of Illya's personality that is you, Chloe, that doesn't mean your intense dislike is motivated by this only." I paused for a moment, getting a quick breath. "Your being was incomplete when it was created physically and the Archer Card filled in the missing bits. The process left quite the subtle influence of the Heroic Spirit's hatred for Kiritsugu."
..."W-What?" Irisviel's voice sounded closer to a whisper than a clear, distinguishable query but I still answered as honestly and simply as I could.
"The Heroic Spirit's True Name is Shirou Emiya, or Counter-Guardian EMIYA. The adopted son of a Kiritsugu Emiya that won the Holy Grail War, he lived a normal, somewhat disfunctional life until... the Fifth Grail War came to bite down his ass and got him straddled to the gorefest until he won and.. fell in love with a Servant."
I was deadpanning by the end of the quick, summarised story as I seriously disliked Shirou Emiya in many of his shapes and forms. Only Prillya Shirou and Miyuverse one managed to be acceptable in my good list but it was because the former was just a normal teen while the latter started to care for his little sister early on and was ready to die for her survival.
"But why would he hate Kiritsugu if-" "He decided to try to become a Hero of Justice."
The Magus Killer paled a little and I merely stared at him, no hints of emotions as I tried to sound as objective as I could. "He hated it after becoming Alaya's dog and tried to kill every single Shirou Emiya he encounters in the Wars he is summoned."
"How do you know about this?" I blinked as the experienced mercenary spoke, a dry tone in his voice as his throat was sore and aching under that unwarranted assault of mine.
"Zelretch's student, I know stuff about the multiverse."
He continued to look my direction for a few more seconds before finally accepting my excuse and dropping the subject altogether.
"Still Chloe-chan should live with her parents-" "No."
..."Chloe-chan-" "I am serious with this, mama. I don't want to go there and... and I need time to think."
Both deflated instantly at their respective words and I cringed a little as I hoped that none of them was going to cry in that moment. Seriously, why are women's emotions this similar to minefields in the Nasuverse?
I sighed tiredly as I waited by the bench in front of the clothing story Chloe and Luvia had decided to enter. It has already been 30 minutes ever since I had last sighted them inside the shop and I was growing concerned over the limited budget we have managed to obtain by having Sapphire create a milion yen out of nothing.
While this could be considered a case of counterfeit, I knew that spending that paper quickly or getting some real change out of different shops would solve the issue of getting caught by someone.
Yet I hardly felt like a milion would have been enough to satisfy the needs and the craves of both females, Chloe wanting quite the large wardrobe while Luvia requiring one that befitted a noble of her stature.
But I was happy to wait outside, unwilling to fall in that patient hellhole that wanted to make me stick around for hours as I would need some extra clothing if our stay was meant to be a long one because of the Ainsworths and their antics but I decided that the three sets of clothes I had prepared previously would be more than enough for what I had planned to do in this universe.
I had to start to consider how to deal with the real threats that have yet to surface like... what was I supposed to do with Kid Gil? There were many possibilities and the most opportune choice was befriending him and.. asking him to do some favours for me.
Simple things, I can assure you all, things about using Enkidu to steal some Cards I needed to have to... further study. If I managed to get hold over the Caster Card I could be able to do something against the Pandora's Box if my suspicions over the Card's functions were correct.
If those were using a system to pull the heroic spirits within the real world similar to how Zouken had done with the classic Grail War, then I should be able to... switch the Spirit with another one, even one that should be impossible to summon in normal circumstances.
The fact that we were going to fight in a world were Gaia's influence was weaker than usual also give me more hopes of accomplishing my little plan to deal with the Ainsworths.
As I continued to think calmly about the future, I felt a familiar buzzing in my pocket and I pulled out a... cellphone?
I blinked as I picked up the call and- "McRemitz called our offer a bluff and-" "She is destroying your house, Luvia. She doesn't have a warrant to do that."
... "Truly?"
"Seriously, aren't you supposed to be knowing this kind of stuff more than a 7 years old should?"
I could hear her pause a moment as she contemplated the best way to diver the attention out of that peculiar situation.
"I heard that you were shopping around-" "Spare me the excuses, Edelfelt. Just get the 'invader' out of your property and continue for your merry way without bothering me."
"Quite the gentleman, aren't you?" I smirked at her question. "I aim to please... myself."
An unnerved 'huff' was the last thing I catched before the call ended, leaving me to once more stare at-oh.
I was giving a long glance at the massive trail of bags filled to the brim with clothes when the two girls approached me, sharing a nervous smile. For some reason I knew that those were all theirs and.. my wallet was crying silently within the safety of my pocket.
"W-We might need to call some maids to.. pick things up." "And make multiple journeys... too."
I sighed tiredly as I realised that the greatest threat I was going to face in this world was the impressive thirst for clothes both girls had.
AN
My God, did I just made Chloe a proto-Illya?! And what is this about Irish redheads smashing into a noble's mansion? Shouldn't they do that only in pubs?!
Anyway, Shinji has a simple but easy-to-fail plan that will require ingenuity and luck to truly work. If it doesn't? Well, that is why contigencies exist.
Chloe, between Softcore!Illya and Angsty!Shirou: A tired girl, Chloe von Einzbern loves attentions from those she cares about. Differently from Kuro/Dark!Illya, Chloe moderates her attitude before strangers, teasing rarely if the situations allows it. The powerful arsenal of UBW is at her disposal but she lack the capacity to fully use the true power of EMIYA.
Why do you say that EMIYA is Fate!Shirou and not UBW!Shirou? Because EMIYA develops UBW much after the Grail War and he is able to use it without its ill effects and addiction because Alaya supplement him with the energy required for the action. UBW!Shirou is exposed much earlier to the Reality Marble and he is seen obsessing over Tracing aimlessly during the time he spent in Clock Tower with Rin. I also suspect he actually become another Kiritsugu in that Route and not EMIYA himself.
What about school? Chloe and Luvia will be sent to school next chapter while Shinji tries to find someone that would help him with his worm problems.
I knew things were going to be dandy that morning by the annoying way I woke up. Purple eyes stared at the bed ceiling as my body started to follow my mind back in the land of the living. No more tired, actually very refreshed from that sleep, I groggily turned my attention to Kuro's sleeping face, quite close to mine.
I admit my cheeks reddened a little at the closeness but I was quick to see that nothing 'unwanted' had happened in my rest. At least that was my initial deduction before I noticed that the pair of simple clothes I had been wearing before falling asleep had been folded by the end of the bed and.. I was wearing a simple, purple-themed PJ.
Panic was chased down by logical reasoning over what could have happened while I was out for some rest. Kuro was wearing a pink PJ with small, white dots, something I could see the girl appreciate to put on to sleep and... I was actually surprised by the very situation I woke up into.
There was none of the usual teasing, the need to embarrass people left and right just to charge up her mana's reserves. I was being reminded painfully of the Fate Stay Night version of Illyasviel von Einzbern.
Short, mature and... quite kind to those she cared. The ending of the Heaven Feel's Route was still a sad part of the story I hardly stomached the moment I first saw it and it was one of the reason I liked Illya as a character, someone that would sacrifice to preserve her family's life.
I decided to ignore the fact that Kuro may or may have not been directly responsible for my clothes change, seeing no 'weird actions' done on my body, but I knew I couldn't return back to sleep. The crescendo of voices echoing loudly through the castle continuing to persist even after the minutes I spent trying to remember where I was.
Sleepiness faded as I felt newfound energy fuel me up. My hand carefully caressed the sleeping girl's head, moving away some strands of pink-white hair away from her tanned visage and... orange eyes slowly opened to stare back on my own eyes. She smiled softly, her eyelids half-closed. "Good morning."
I smiled back, yet mine was possibly smaller. "Morning."
Kuro stretched a little and rolled closer to my chest as she 'hmm'd a little. "Someone is causing... quite the loud mess."
Her comment, albeit whispered, reached my ears perfectly and I sighed, confirming my agreement. "We should go and check."
She groaned in the purple shirt I was wearing. "Don't wanna..."
"C'mon, Illya, you need some-" "Chloe."
..."Uh?" She stared away from me, a pleasant smile in her face.
"I decided to address myself as Chloe von Einzbern." She looked back at me once more. "I think you are right. I don't need to prove anything."
I blinked as I sponged up this little bit of information. "Then... I remind you that you still need some mana to sustain your form-" "I am fine."
My eyes narrowed at the interruption but she emphasised our closeness by tightening her hold over my arm and chest. "You had some... nightmares yesterday and you started to sweat a little."
Oh... ohhh... "D-Did I say something-" "No. You didn't but-" She sighed tiredly as she closed momentarely her eyes. "I... He knew about the Matous. He knew but... never did much about it."
I grimaced as I realised she was talking about EMIYA. It was no big secret the Archer Servant had never bothered to direct either Rin or Shirou to investigate Sakura's insane family.
Sakura's insane family, not mine. I was beyond sanity to be recovered in any shape or form but... I will make things work.
"But that wouldn't be enough to-" "Just enough to keep the reserves stable. I will ask when I need some mana."
Did I just make Chloe a lot better in planning her needs than her annoying canon self did? Not that I despised her in the original series but... it was insane how much fan service she was subjected with in the Anime. Not even the Manga has ever reached that kind of lewd.
"Still we need to see what is going on." She nodded slowly, her grimace showing quite the lacking willpower to deal with that madness so early in the morning and.. wasting the warmth of the bed. "Should we wake Luvia-chan up or..."
"If she isn't already up, we could give her an hour or two more of rest. She is afterall dealing with a lot of things ever since she joined up in the madness."
We got up from the bed and we were respectully giving each other our backs as we started to change our clothes to ones fitting to leave the room, yet I could see the girl twitching a little, maybe thinking about giving a peek or two at my naked back.
Her resolution seemed to hold true to her early principles and... she twirled once to show her cute clothes as we both moved towards the door and- *Knock Knock* "C-Come in?"
The girl's voice broke at first because of the unexpected knocking but quickly recomposed the moment it opened to show a panicked Homunculus maid.
"I-Illyasviel-sama, intruders have tried to force their way in the castle. They asked parlay and are waiting for you by the gates."
I had a feeling that I knew who was causing this ruckus, especially since Prillya would be quite easy to reveal that 'another' Illya is wandering around Fuyuki. I guess I should have expected something coming my way the moment I learned that the Magus Killer was home.
"Shinji?" Her hand was on my sleeve, tugging softly at it as we slowly followed the maid back to the entrance. "Do you... think they will accept it?" And me? I could feel her add the more steps we took toward our destination.
"They will." I stated as it was a factual matter. "They are way too soft to even think to kill you."
Chloe hummed at my words, a bit relieved that she wasn't going to face some fight anytime soon. While her reserves had stabilised for a while during their rest, the girl was hardly in a position to even defend herself with what energy she still had.
It took us few moments to reach the entrance of the fortress and... I admit I had not expected to find such a dreadful sight so early in the morning as my eyes landed on the two parents.
Kiritsugu was wearing his usual dark clothes and was equipped with his Calico and the Colt Contender, armed with an Origin Bullet. His cold eyes as he patiently waited for us to arrive... this was all the least of my issues in that moment.
Irisviel was wearing some kevlar, donning a red bandana and... was that a mother-f*cking gatling gun in her hands!?
The lounge that was the main living room of the castle had been conceived with a need to represent warmth and safety within the sturdy walls of the fortress. This whole idea crashed and burned the moment the 'enemy' was invited inside and given some tea and cookies.
How was I feeling in that moment? Incredibly scared as Irisviel's sweet smile promised more pain that whatever Kiritsugu could muster in his stone-like face. They had taken seat in one of the large couches while Chloe and I were sitting on the one right in front of theirs.
I took a quick sip from the white cup, trying to find harmony in this insane moment and... I wasn't. Maybe we should have gone to pick up Luvia, just to bring more firepower in case of some fallout.
"The weather is... nice today." I blinked as I wasn't the one that decided to break the ice, Kiritsugu staring calmly at his own tea as he said those words.
"It is sunny..." This was difficult as both females in that room kept quiet, Chloe alternating glares from Kerry to Iri while her 'mother' was keeping her eyes fixed on me- "What is your name, young man?"
A chill went down my spine the moment the woman asked that question, something attaching to her words as they reached my ears.
I gulped nervously, trying to untie the knot in my throat. "M-Matou, Shinji Matou."
She nodded, a somewhat pleased note settling in her features as she continued to stare at me. "Nice to meet you, Shinji-kun." She paused a moment, blinking just once as she continued. "By the way, why did you decide to kidnap our daughter?"
... "What?"
"There is no reason for Illya-chan to go and run away with some strangers if not she had been kidnapped."
What a plain logic but... it was Irisviel talking and I would have been quite surprised if she had made a less dunderheaded plan of action.
"I didn't-" "What if I wanted to stay with Shinji-kun?"
Red eyes moved away from my small body and onto Chloe's vivid orange. "Illya-chan-" "Chloe."
The older Einzbern tilted her head a little in confusion but the girl didn't miss a beat. "Illya is the name of thechild you have taken care of after you sealed me away. I decided to pick the name 'Chloe' to identify myself from my... countepart."
"B-But Chloe-chan- We would have been happy to consider you another child of ours-" "That is not the point, nor the reason I don't wish to live in that house."
The tanned girl huffed, her arms crossing near her flat chest. "The mere idea that you can't even consider the 'seal' the very reason I am doing this is-" "Partly true and false."
Their eyes quickly snapped my direction and I sighed as I prepared myself to deal with this mess of a world. Seriously, when you decide to leave this much emotional baggage unveiled, it is quite difficult for an 'intruder' to deal with it quietly and smoothly.
"While your main issue is the fact your parents decided to seal that part of Illya's personality that is you, Chloe, that doesn't mean your intense dislike is motivated by this only." I paused for a moment, getting a quick breath. "Your being was incomplete when it was created physically and the Archer Card filled in the missing bits. The process left quite the subtle influence of the Heroic Spirit's hatred for Kiritsugu."
..."W-What?" Irisviel's voice sounded closer to a whisper than a clear, distinguishable query but I still answered as honestly and simply as I could.
"The Heroic Spirit's True Name is Shirou Emiya, or Counter-Guardian EMIYA. The adopted son of a Kiritsugu Emiya that won the Holy Grail War, he lived a normal, somewhat disfunctional life until... the Fifth Grail War came to bite down his ass and got him straddled to the gorefest until he won and.. fell in love with a Servant."
I was deadpanning by the end of the quick, summarised story as I seriously disliked Shirou Emiya in many of his shapes and forms. Only Prillya Shirou and Miyuverse one managed to be acceptable in my good list but it was because the former was just a normal teen while the latter started to care for his little sister early on and was ready to die for her survival.
"But why would he hate Kiritsugu if-" "He decided to try to become a Hero of Justice."
The Magus Killer paled a little and I merely stared at him, no hints of emotions as I tried to sound as objective as I could. "He hated it after becoming Alaya's dog and tried to kill every single Shirou Emiya he encounters in the Wars he is summoned."
"How do you know about this?" I blinked as the experienced mercenary spoke, a dry tone in his voice as his throat was sore and aching under that unwarranted assault of mine.
"Zelretch's student, I know stuff about the multiverse."
He continued to look my direction for a few more seconds before finally accepting my excuse and dropping the subject altogether.
"Still Chloe-chan should live with her parents-" "No."
..."Chloe-chan-" "I am serious with this, mama. I don't want to go there and... and I need time to think."
Both deflated instantly at their respective words and I cringed a little as I hoped that none of them was going to cry in that moment. Seriously, why are women's emotions this similar to minefields in the Nasuverse?
I sighed tiredly as I waited by the bench in front of the clothing story Chloe and Luvia had decided to enter. It has already been 30 minutes ever since I had last sighted them inside the shop and I was growing concerned over the limited budget we have managed to obtain by having Sapphire create a milion yen out of nothing.
While this could be considered a case of counterfeit, I knew that spending that paper quickly or getting some real change out of different shops would solve the issue of getting caught by someone.
Yet I hardly felt like a milion would have been enough to satisfy the needs and the craves of both females, Chloe wanting quite the large wardrobe while Luvia requiring one that befitted a noble of her stature.
But I was happy to wait outside, unwilling to fall in that patient hellhole that wanted to make me stick around for hours as I would need some extra clothing if our stay was meant to be a long one because of the Ainsworths and their antics but I decided that the three sets of clothes I had prepared previously would be more than enough for what I had planned to do in this universe.
I had to start to consider how to deal with the real threats that have yet to surface like... what was I supposed to do with Kid Gil? There were many possibilities and the most opportune choice was befriending him and.. asking him to do some favours for me.
Simple things, I can assure you all, things about using Enkidu to steal some Cards I needed to have to... further study. If I managed to get hold over the Caster Card I could be able to do something against the Pandora's Box if my suspicions over the Card's functions were correct.
If those were using a system to pull the heroic spirits within the real world similar to how Zouken had done with the classic Grail War, then I should be able to... switch the Spirit with another one, even one that should be impossible to summon in normal circumstances.
The fact that we were going to fight in a world were Gaia's influence was weaker than usual also give me more hopes of accomplishing my little plan to deal with the Ainsworths.
As I continued to think calmly about the future, I felt a familiar buzzing in my pocket and I pulled out a... cellphone?
I blinked as I picked up the call and- "McRemitz called our offer a bluff and-" "She is destroying your house, Luvia. She doesn't have a warrant to do that."
... "Truly?"
"Seriously, aren't you supposed to be knowing this kind of stuff more than a 7 years old should?"
I could hear her pause a moment as she contemplated the best way to diver the attention out of that peculiar situation.
"I heard that you were shopping around-" "Spare me the excuses, Edelfelt. Just get the 'invader' out of your property and continue for your merry way without bothering me."
"Quite the gentleman, aren't you?" I smirked at her question. "I aim to please... myself."
An unnerved 'huff' was the last thing I catched before the call ended, leaving me to once more stare at-oh.
I was giving a long glance at the massive trail of bags filled to the brim with clothes when the two girls approached me, sharing a nervous smile. For some reason I knew that those were all theirs and.. my wallet was crying silently within the safety of my pocket.
"W-We might need to call some maids to.. pick things up." "And make multiple journeys... too."
I sighed tiredly as I realised that the greatest threat I was going to face in this world was the impressive thirst for clothes both girls had.
AN
My God, did I just made Chloe a proto-Illya?! And what is this about Irish redheads smashing into a noble's mansion? Shouldn't they do that only in pubs?!
Anyway, Shinji has a simple but easy-to-fail plan that will require ingenuity and luck to truly work. If it doesn't? Well, that is why contigencies exist.
Chloe, between Softcore!Illya and Angsty!Shirou: A tired girl, Chloe von Einzbern loves attentions from those she cares about. Differently from Kuro/Dark!Illya, Chloe moderates her attitude before strangers, teasing rarely if the situations allows it. The powerful arsenal of UBW is at her disposal but she lack the capacity to fully use the true power of EMIYA.
Why do you say that EMIYA is Fate!Shirou and not UBW!Shirou? Because EMIYA develops UBW much after the Grail War and he is able to use it without its ill effects and addiction because Alaya supplement him with the energy required for the action. UBW!Shirou is exposed much earlier to the Reality Marble and he is seen obsessing over Tracing aimlessly during the time he spent in Clock Tower with Rin. I also suspect he actually become another Kiritsugu in that Route and not EMIYA himself.
What about school? Chloe and Luvia will be sent to school next chapter while Shinji tries to find someone that would help him with his worm problems.
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I mean, he's explicitly not Fate route Shirou. He did summon Saber and while he understood her they didn't fall for each other like in the Fate route. He and Saber destroyed the Grail together and "parted" but whether that's because Shirou couldn't support her without the Grail and she faded or because they weren't very close to each other wasn't explained. Then Shirou went to Clocktower with Rin.
I'd drop the quote from Nasu about it but my phone doesn't seem to like the idea of copying and pasting today so I had to settle for paraphrasing what a translator said he said. (It's reference 6 on EMIYA's page on the Type/Moon wiki.)
Anyway, I'm really liking the story so far, but it seems odd to me that Kiritsugu and Irisviel didn't try to get more information from you. You're a small child who knows a ton about them, their family, and other stuff, you are visibly intimidated by them, and you are living with their kind of sort of daughter. I'd imagine the two of them are pretty solid at getting information out if people so it kind of surprises me that they didn't even bother to try and just decided to bail after that.
I'd drop the quote from Nasu about it but my phone doesn't seem to like the idea of copying and pasting today so I had to settle for paraphrasing what a translator said he said. (It's reference 6 on EMIYA's page on the Type/Moon wiki.)
Anyway, I'm really liking the story so far, but it seems odd to me that Kiritsugu and Irisviel didn't try to get more information from you. You're a small child who knows a ton about them, their family, and other stuff, you are visibly intimidated by them, and you are living with their kind of sort of daughter. I'd imagine the two of them are pretty solid at getting information out if people so it kind of surprises me that they didn't even bother to try and just decided to bail after that.
Chapter 4: King, Tyrant and Worm
- Location
- Italia
Chapter 4: King, Tyrant and Worm
I was quite regretting having asked for help to the two moronic girls that are Rin and the older Luvia.
Gloating at the fact I was asking, I repeat 'asking' and not 'begging' them to combine strengths to take on the Eight Card, was something that was grating on my incredibly short patience in this kind of situations. Serious kind of situations.
I think the fact Bazett had accepted to join up in this little coalition managed to break through their dumb heads and bring them back to reality. The card had been leeching off prana for two months now and I wouldn't be surprised if the damage it had given to the Earth Pulse was more than a marginal one.
The reason why I truly needed their help? I didn't have the resources nor the knowledge to afford to create the optimal condition to break into the Mirror World in the right place.
It was way below underground and the labor it would take with only the three of us and mere physical hardwork would be insanely time-draining. So we had to concede that there was some utility within the idiots that were supposed to be grand apprentices of the Wizard Marshal.
"Ah- Shinji-san, what are we doing... here?"
Illya looked quite confused about the whole room prepared for the fight and I sighed calmly, understanding that something like this is far from easy to comprehend for someone her age, albeit she was older than the younger Luvia and I.
"The eight card isn't... supposed to exist. It spawned in a place between the original dimension and ours, making it possible for a miracle to happen and... he is here."
"What are you talking about, Matou?" The irish Enforcer asked quickly. "Who is 'he' and what kind of miracle are we dealing with?"
We all stepped in the Mirror World and... there the paradox smiled madly.
A mix of Gilgamesh and two kind of corruptions, Pandora's Box and Angra Mainyu.
I was still unsure how this all came to happen, how the Avenger servant had wriggled his ass through space and time just to attach itself like a parasite on the child version of the King of Heroes.
"Reincarnation." That put Rin, Bazett and older Luvia in an alarmed state as they stared at the greatest foe ever. "Gilgamesh, the first Hero."
Speaking of the mindless Heroic Spirit, his red eyes were quick to adjust onto us, a pompous, kiddy cackle leaving his throat as the fight began. "Finally! I was waiting for some challenge-"
A shield formed in front of Gil-kun as both Miyu and Illya launched their ranged attacks, not even a crack over its trasparent surface.
"What a rude beginning! And I thought I would have made some friends today!"
"Luvia-chan." The youngest magic girl glanced my direction but I could see she was fully taken by the dark humanoid floating mid-air. "Take him out."
She merely blinked, frowing with some hesitation as she gauged the request. The previous attacks had failed and maybe she thought she didn't have enough.
So I approached her slowly and patted her head, surprising her with my action and making her blush a little. "Do you remember what I told you about Sapphire and the Kaleidoscope?"
"'E-Every wish, every need, every desire-'" "Shall become true, yes."
I nodded and she smiled at her minor accomplishment. What can I say, her attention span is far better than any child her age. "Now take a good aim and... knock him out of the sky."
She returned the nod as her vibrant blue eyes turned to Gilgamesh, the boy pausing in pulling everything out of the Gates of Babylon to stare at the Edelfelt, surprise turning in awe as a powerful blast of blue teared through the barrier and... a series of explosions rocked the poor sod from doing anything else.
The spectacle lasted long and.. I recognised the rhythm within the barrage from somewhere I had recently... heard.
I think I was looking quite mad in chuckling at what I understood was a very, very apt song for this kind of situations and, seriously, who let Luvia listen to the 1812 Overture of Tchaikovsky?
The girl fidgeted a little in her position. "D-Did you like it?"
"Did I like it!?" I exclaimed with a large smile. "That was brilliant!"
Her eyes looked away as the red tinge in her cheeks returned full power. Ignoring the metaphysical sirens I was hearing in my ears, I returned to look at the battered shadow Gil, breathing raggedly as he tried to move away from the shitty predicament.
"T-That was unfair!" He whined loudly and I sighed, nodding at Chloe as she rushed rapidly at the downed Heroic Spirit and pulling out the card out of the hole in his chest.
The mud fell instantly, revealing a completely naked blond boy with red eyes. He was pouting very adorably.
"Rude, unfair and uncalled for! I am trying to appear menacing and all and you!" He pointed his finger at me as a gate opened, releasing a set of clothes onto his waiting hand. "You are a party pooper."
"But 'your majesty', I thought it would have been best for you to face someone worthy of your time with your mind and soul cleansed... even a little."
He frowned at my open mockery but he kept a challenging smile. "Truly? And who it is?"
His eyes wandered away to look at the group, his smile widening a little. "Is he or she here?"
I nodded. "She is and... you cannot see her right now but-" Rin and older Luvia paled as I pulled out from my pocket a familiar card.
"T-The Saber Card?" Indeed the small smooth card was in my grasp and the one they had safely assumed was the real one was merely a fake. It had been all part of a long plan, one that dissuaded the two incompetent girls to actually mess it up against the Ainsworths.
The aftermath of the attack caused by Bazett was a good opportunity to take just what I needed to study and... modify. I had been quite surprised to know that Chloe had easily bypassed the remaining runes left to deter thieves in the Edelfelt Mansion to retrieve two cards and I had been quick to praise her impressive feat with kind words and headpats.
The second card that had been taken, Caster, was supposed to help me in dealing with the mind-controlled Gilgamesh. I needed the chibi version of the strongest Hero to aid me in my little crusade against the pesky card makers.
"Shinji-san, w-why did you take it?" Were those tears I was seeing on Illya's face?
I can understand emotional but to mistake betterment with betrayal is quite harsh onto me. I am still dealing with depression- Geez!
"I had long suspected that the cards had a matrix similar to what the Matou had used to create the Greater Grail and... I was mostly correct."
The card started to glow a soft blue. "The foundation of the matrix is made by a Matou... but the new codes used within the card are innovative, so endearing and- But let's not digress."
The card landed on the ground as I let it fall.
"With a further modification I know how to replicate the miracle that created you, King of Heroes."
His eyes widened in childish wonder and recognition.
"You are summoning- no, you are incarnating a hero using the card as a sacrifice?" I nodded and he giggled happily.
"That is good! Who is she?"
I stared at the card and nodded to myself. "Summon!"
The blinding light that showered the room was majestic, awe-inspiring and... preluded the beginning of a change in this world.
As the light vanished and my eyes adjusted on the new figure, I felt a sense of dread knotting at my throat.
I had messed up... just a little.
The summoning array was supposed to bring forth the rightful version of the Hero in question, ignoring what kind of version had manifested previously.
Yet this was proved wrong by the pale woman with yellow eyes in front of me, Excalibur Morgan a mesmerising sight to my vision.
"Servant Sa-" Artoria paused with a shocked expression and turned to stare back at me.
I blinked.
She blinked.
"Y-you- what?"
...Did I just made Saber Alter canon with this? Wasn't she supposed to be a version of King Arthur created by AM during FSN and only existing in that circumstance?
I managed to get a hold over my confusion. "Y-You have been restored to the real world, King of Knights."
Mentioning her title seemed to calm her a little out of that maddening situation she was experiencing in front of us all, while I tried to quickly make sense of why things went awry here.
The commands I put on the card- those should have worked rightfully how I had written them and- I grimaced at the idea of doing something like that with the Caster card.
Summoning Medea could easily create back her Lily version, nullifying the usefulness that is Rule Breaker. And that was unacceptable.
"I suppose... you should be my.. master?" I could understand that this was a messy way to introduce myself to the reborn Dark-Tainted Tyrant but... I needed to return back to the real issue.
Gilgamesh looked to be ready to lose his patience at this situation and I needed to break the ice with the woman. "I will explain our roles on a latter date, Artoria. I require your assistance against a threat to Humanity itself."
Her eyes narrowed a little as I addressed her informally. "A threat?" She turned to stare at the waiting Kid Gil. "Is he a worthy challenge?"
I think both the King of Heroes and I smiled at the questions.
"Yes."
And the King of Knights required no more word as she was quickly rushing at the still Chibi-Archer, her jet black sword roaring dark flames as it approached Gilgamesh.
Red eyes gave a mirthful light as the gates spawned behind the child and tried to intercept the fast Saber.
Swords, axes, spears and lances failed to halt the march of the Tyrant and soon Gilgamesh noticed something I already knew and was exploiting. He wasn't whole.
While he had retained his body and his mind, experience and half of his treasury had gone to the other card, the one Angelica guarded zealously.
The following beating that saw a bored Artoria Alter mincing up the child was... partly gorey. There weren't limbs flying but... there was some blood being spilled here and there.
I was slowly considering to call off the woman but... I realised that I didn't have Command Seals.
...
I think I did mess up a little with this plan, or maybe I just succeeded more than I needed.
We were once more inside the Edelfelt mansion and I was suffering the worst case of headache.
While on my sides were Chloe and chibi Luvia, I was partly mortified by the fact Salter had decided to offer her lap as a seat for 'her Master', the young woman currently focusing on the cheeseburger I had managed to buy before being pulled inside the large house.
I had tried to explain to her that the roles behind the classic Grail War weren't in vigor but she shot down my explanations and merely settled with the familiar roles.
Meanwhile we were all sitting in the two opposite couches, an heavily bruised Kid Gil was softly resting in one of the small couches, a small pillow and a white cover helping him to rest. Rule Breaker had shattered the connection between Pandora and the King of Heroes, but I wasn't that much eager to let the flamboyant boy lurking around the city without a minder.
That is why the current predicament was seriously eroding my sanity the more words were said by the two teens.
"The eight card should be sealed away! He is not trustworthy-"
"He was being manipulated and... he will cooperate with us because he would want to take revenge on the one who was controlling."
Too much pride was within Gilgamesh, even his child form had a portion of that massive ego and that would explain his willingfulness to attack back Darius.
"You said this was supposed to be a joint mission-"
"For logistical purposes. I would hardly assign two little girls with little knowledge of the Kaleidoscope and the reach of their current abilities and two older ones unable to avoid bickering mid-fight."
Miyu frowned a little at my words, maybe I had been a little harsh on their part since they had gone quite far without proper guidance. That, I suppose, should be given consideration too.
"I-Is it about Luvia-chan being able to break through the shield?"
I turned to Illya, the girl having that very look one had when realisation struck like a train on their mind. "That is an example."
"But we are limited because-"
"Nothing."
The surrogate Edelfelt shut down as the youngest version of the blonde spoke curtly.
"Sapphire confirmed that there is literally no limit to the scope of the Second Magic, making this something about... creativity."
... "E-EH?!"
"You both have a slight stunt in your magical prowness caused by two distinct and different issues:"
I pointed my finger at Miyu. "You are trying to 'make sense' of something that is meant to be senseless. Magic doesn't abide to natural laws and thinking otherwise is only going to reduce your capacity to fight and use its full potential."
I moved the finger back to Illya. "You are incredibly influenced by Magical Girl... shows. The protagonists of those stories are mostly limited by what they can do and, while this helped you to develop quickly and smoothly, that doesn't mean you will end up in the same predicament Miyu-san is. You both are weaker than you are supposed to be... because you are not trying."
"B-But I thought it was... Chloe-san's creation that made me weaker-"
"That is because you got drained from part of your own magic and that influenced your capacity to quickly call upon the Kaleidoscope. You are merely... slower than before."
"So what you are trying to say... is that we could ask for anything?"
"You could." I sighed calmly but narrowed my eyes on the fellow dimensional hopper. "But I wouldn't try to do anything overly-complex knowing the repercussions it might have."
...
"What?"
"Requesting thing through the Kaleidoscope is finnicky when said requests are complex. Asking to bring a person you know out of a terrible situation could easily bring the version of said person from a parallel universe. Meaning... it works pretty much like the infamous Genie's wishes."
I would have used the Grail as an example but... I don't think part of the occupants would have known much about it to connect the dots.
"You wish to fix 'that' predicament and I think you will be glad that 'we will be forced' to deal with it." I stated as cryptical as I could to the introvert girl, her eyes widening in surprise as I cited once more something that wasn't mean to be known outside of her, older Luvia and this dimension's Sapphire.
"The Card Makers are trying to do something very dangerous and damaging for the multiverse."
"The Card Makers? You know who they are?" I nodded at Rin, the girl finally asking a good question.
"It is a family that copied most of the three grand families' works. The Ainsworths... are trying to create something far worse than the 'simple' system that is the Holy Grail War."
"How much... worse?"
I turned to glance at Chloe and noticed that she was incredibly interested on the matter. I suppose speaking of something 'worse' than an already deadly competition was something worrying.
I opened my mouth-
"Something that could see the end of Magic everywhere in the other universes."
And stood silent as I turned around to glance at... an awake Gilgamesh.
He smiled brightly as he turned his attention on me. "Hello friend."
...Since when we were friends?
"I suppose I shall accept your kind request of hospitality and good food, properly offered to a king."
...What?
"We didn't even talk about this, you brat." The tanned girl by my side spoke softly, yet her tone was far from calm as part of her growing concern started to influence her words.
"Crude, genuinely true! I suppose I am being too much forward with how I wish to court Shinji-kun."
...Court?
...
...
WHAT!?
"Y-You cannot be courting Shinji- h-he is a boy!" Little Luvia voiced out my thoughts but Kid Gil continued to smile, unfazed by the collective reaction."
"But it can be done! Why, I have been quite interested in my friend Enkidu-"
Nonononononono!
I- This cannot be allowed but- I need his help and- UGH!
"Master." Artoria asked blankly, her golden eyes on my face. "Permission to teach a lesson to this little scoundrel."
...When did she get Excalibur Morgan out?
AN
Gil is here and, before anyone asks if I am pulling some Yaoi here, no. Gil's courting is... not romantic but... weird. Plain weird, especially because the previous individual he 'courted' was Enkidu.
I was quite regretting having asked for help to the two moronic girls that are Rin and the older Luvia.
Gloating at the fact I was asking, I repeat 'asking' and not 'begging' them to combine strengths to take on the Eight Card, was something that was grating on my incredibly short patience in this kind of situations. Serious kind of situations.
I think the fact Bazett had accepted to join up in this little coalition managed to break through their dumb heads and bring them back to reality. The card had been leeching off prana for two months now and I wouldn't be surprised if the damage it had given to the Earth Pulse was more than a marginal one.
The reason why I truly needed their help? I didn't have the resources nor the knowledge to afford to create the optimal condition to break into the Mirror World in the right place.
It was way below underground and the labor it would take with only the three of us and mere physical hardwork would be insanely time-draining. So we had to concede that there was some utility within the idiots that were supposed to be grand apprentices of the Wizard Marshal.
"Ah- Shinji-san, what are we doing... here?"
Illya looked quite confused about the whole room prepared for the fight and I sighed calmly, understanding that something like this is far from easy to comprehend for someone her age, albeit she was older than the younger Luvia and I.
"The eight card isn't... supposed to exist. It spawned in a place between the original dimension and ours, making it possible for a miracle to happen and... he is here."
"What are you talking about, Matou?" The irish Enforcer asked quickly. "Who is 'he' and what kind of miracle are we dealing with?"
We all stepped in the Mirror World and... there the paradox smiled madly.
A mix of Gilgamesh and two kind of corruptions, Pandora's Box and Angra Mainyu.
I was still unsure how this all came to happen, how the Avenger servant had wriggled his ass through space and time just to attach itself like a parasite on the child version of the King of Heroes.
"Reincarnation." That put Rin, Bazett and older Luvia in an alarmed state as they stared at the greatest foe ever. "Gilgamesh, the first Hero."
Speaking of the mindless Heroic Spirit, his red eyes were quick to adjust onto us, a pompous, kiddy cackle leaving his throat as the fight began. "Finally! I was waiting for some challenge-"
A shield formed in front of Gil-kun as both Miyu and Illya launched their ranged attacks, not even a crack over its trasparent surface.
"What a rude beginning! And I thought I would have made some friends today!"
"Luvia-chan." The youngest magic girl glanced my direction but I could see she was fully taken by the dark humanoid floating mid-air. "Take him out."
She merely blinked, frowing with some hesitation as she gauged the request. The previous attacks had failed and maybe she thought she didn't have enough.
So I approached her slowly and patted her head, surprising her with my action and making her blush a little. "Do you remember what I told you about Sapphire and the Kaleidoscope?"
"'E-Every wish, every need, every desire-'" "Shall become true, yes."
I nodded and she smiled at her minor accomplishment. What can I say, her attention span is far better than any child her age. "Now take a good aim and... knock him out of the sky."
She returned the nod as her vibrant blue eyes turned to Gilgamesh, the boy pausing in pulling everything out of the Gates of Babylon to stare at the Edelfelt, surprise turning in awe as a powerful blast of blue teared through the barrier and... a series of explosions rocked the poor sod from doing anything else.
The spectacle lasted long and.. I recognised the rhythm within the barrage from somewhere I had recently... heard.
I think I was looking quite mad in chuckling at what I understood was a very, very apt song for this kind of situations and, seriously, who let Luvia listen to the 1812 Overture of Tchaikovsky?
The girl fidgeted a little in her position. "D-Did you like it?"
"Did I like it!?" I exclaimed with a large smile. "That was brilliant!"
Her eyes looked away as the red tinge in her cheeks returned full power. Ignoring the metaphysical sirens I was hearing in my ears, I returned to look at the battered shadow Gil, breathing raggedly as he tried to move away from the shitty predicament.
"T-That was unfair!" He whined loudly and I sighed, nodding at Chloe as she rushed rapidly at the downed Heroic Spirit and pulling out the card out of the hole in his chest.
The mud fell instantly, revealing a completely naked blond boy with red eyes. He was pouting very adorably.
"Rude, unfair and uncalled for! I am trying to appear menacing and all and you!" He pointed his finger at me as a gate opened, releasing a set of clothes onto his waiting hand. "You are a party pooper."
"But 'your majesty', I thought it would have been best for you to face someone worthy of your time with your mind and soul cleansed... even a little."
He frowned at my open mockery but he kept a challenging smile. "Truly? And who it is?"
His eyes wandered away to look at the group, his smile widening a little. "Is he or she here?"
I nodded. "She is and... you cannot see her right now but-" Rin and older Luvia paled as I pulled out from my pocket a familiar card.
"T-The Saber Card?" Indeed the small smooth card was in my grasp and the one they had safely assumed was the real one was merely a fake. It had been all part of a long plan, one that dissuaded the two incompetent girls to actually mess it up against the Ainsworths.
The aftermath of the attack caused by Bazett was a good opportunity to take just what I needed to study and... modify. I had been quite surprised to know that Chloe had easily bypassed the remaining runes left to deter thieves in the Edelfelt Mansion to retrieve two cards and I had been quick to praise her impressive feat with kind words and headpats.
The second card that had been taken, Caster, was supposed to help me in dealing with the mind-controlled Gilgamesh. I needed the chibi version of the strongest Hero to aid me in my little crusade against the pesky card makers.
"Shinji-san, w-why did you take it?" Were those tears I was seeing on Illya's face?
I can understand emotional but to mistake betterment with betrayal is quite harsh onto me. I am still dealing with depression- Geez!
"I had long suspected that the cards had a matrix similar to what the Matou had used to create the Greater Grail and... I was mostly correct."
The card started to glow a soft blue. "The foundation of the matrix is made by a Matou... but the new codes used within the card are innovative, so endearing and- But let's not digress."
The card landed on the ground as I let it fall.
"With a further modification I know how to replicate the miracle that created you, King of Heroes."
His eyes widened in childish wonder and recognition.
"You are summoning- no, you are incarnating a hero using the card as a sacrifice?" I nodded and he giggled happily.
"That is good! Who is she?"
I stared at the card and nodded to myself. "Summon!"
The blinding light that showered the room was majestic, awe-inspiring and... preluded the beginning of a change in this world.
As the light vanished and my eyes adjusted on the new figure, I felt a sense of dread knotting at my throat.
I had messed up... just a little.
The summoning array was supposed to bring forth the rightful version of the Hero in question, ignoring what kind of version had manifested previously.
Yet this was proved wrong by the pale woman with yellow eyes in front of me, Excalibur Morgan a mesmerising sight to my vision.
"Servant Sa-" Artoria paused with a shocked expression and turned to stare back at me.
I blinked.
She blinked.
"Y-you- what?"
...Did I just made Saber Alter canon with this? Wasn't she supposed to be a version of King Arthur created by AM during FSN and only existing in that circumstance?
I managed to get a hold over my confusion. "Y-You have been restored to the real world, King of Knights."
Mentioning her title seemed to calm her a little out of that maddening situation she was experiencing in front of us all, while I tried to quickly make sense of why things went awry here.
The commands I put on the card- those should have worked rightfully how I had written them and- I grimaced at the idea of doing something like that with the Caster card.
Summoning Medea could easily create back her Lily version, nullifying the usefulness that is Rule Breaker. And that was unacceptable.
"I suppose... you should be my.. master?" I could understand that this was a messy way to introduce myself to the reborn Dark-Tainted Tyrant but... I needed to return back to the real issue.
Gilgamesh looked to be ready to lose his patience at this situation and I needed to break the ice with the woman. "I will explain our roles on a latter date, Artoria. I require your assistance against a threat to Humanity itself."
Her eyes narrowed a little as I addressed her informally. "A threat?" She turned to stare at the waiting Kid Gil. "Is he a worthy challenge?"
I think both the King of Heroes and I smiled at the questions.
"Yes."
And the King of Knights required no more word as she was quickly rushing at the still Chibi-Archer, her jet black sword roaring dark flames as it approached Gilgamesh.
Red eyes gave a mirthful light as the gates spawned behind the child and tried to intercept the fast Saber.
Swords, axes, spears and lances failed to halt the march of the Tyrant and soon Gilgamesh noticed something I already knew and was exploiting. He wasn't whole.
While he had retained his body and his mind, experience and half of his treasury had gone to the other card, the one Angelica guarded zealously.
The following beating that saw a bored Artoria Alter mincing up the child was... partly gorey. There weren't limbs flying but... there was some blood being spilled here and there.
I was slowly considering to call off the woman but... I realised that I didn't have Command Seals.
...
I think I did mess up a little with this plan, or maybe I just succeeded more than I needed.
We were once more inside the Edelfelt mansion and I was suffering the worst case of headache.
While on my sides were Chloe and chibi Luvia, I was partly mortified by the fact Salter had decided to offer her lap as a seat for 'her Master', the young woman currently focusing on the cheeseburger I had managed to buy before being pulled inside the large house.
I had tried to explain to her that the roles behind the classic Grail War weren't in vigor but she shot down my explanations and merely settled with the familiar roles.
Meanwhile we were all sitting in the two opposite couches, an heavily bruised Kid Gil was softly resting in one of the small couches, a small pillow and a white cover helping him to rest. Rule Breaker had shattered the connection between Pandora and the King of Heroes, but I wasn't that much eager to let the flamboyant boy lurking around the city without a minder.
That is why the current predicament was seriously eroding my sanity the more words were said by the two teens.
"The eight card should be sealed away! He is not trustworthy-"
"He was being manipulated and... he will cooperate with us because he would want to take revenge on the one who was controlling."
Too much pride was within Gilgamesh, even his child form had a portion of that massive ego and that would explain his willingfulness to attack back Darius.
"You said this was supposed to be a joint mission-"
"For logistical purposes. I would hardly assign two little girls with little knowledge of the Kaleidoscope and the reach of their current abilities and two older ones unable to avoid bickering mid-fight."
Miyu frowned a little at my words, maybe I had been a little harsh on their part since they had gone quite far without proper guidance. That, I suppose, should be given consideration too.
"I-Is it about Luvia-chan being able to break through the shield?"
I turned to Illya, the girl having that very look one had when realisation struck like a train on their mind. "That is an example."
"But we are limited because-"
"Nothing."
The surrogate Edelfelt shut down as the youngest version of the blonde spoke curtly.
"Sapphire confirmed that there is literally no limit to the scope of the Second Magic, making this something about... creativity."
... "E-EH?!"
"You both have a slight stunt in your magical prowness caused by two distinct and different issues:"
I pointed my finger at Miyu. "You are trying to 'make sense' of something that is meant to be senseless. Magic doesn't abide to natural laws and thinking otherwise is only going to reduce your capacity to fight and use its full potential."
I moved the finger back to Illya. "You are incredibly influenced by Magical Girl... shows. The protagonists of those stories are mostly limited by what they can do and, while this helped you to develop quickly and smoothly, that doesn't mean you will end up in the same predicament Miyu-san is. You both are weaker than you are supposed to be... because you are not trying."
"B-But I thought it was... Chloe-san's creation that made me weaker-"
"That is because you got drained from part of your own magic and that influenced your capacity to quickly call upon the Kaleidoscope. You are merely... slower than before."
"So what you are trying to say... is that we could ask for anything?"
"You could." I sighed calmly but narrowed my eyes on the fellow dimensional hopper. "But I wouldn't try to do anything overly-complex knowing the repercussions it might have."
...
"What?"
"Requesting thing through the Kaleidoscope is finnicky when said requests are complex. Asking to bring a person you know out of a terrible situation could easily bring the version of said person from a parallel universe. Meaning... it works pretty much like the infamous Genie's wishes."
I would have used the Grail as an example but... I don't think part of the occupants would have known much about it to connect the dots.
"You wish to fix 'that' predicament and I think you will be glad that 'we will be forced' to deal with it." I stated as cryptical as I could to the introvert girl, her eyes widening in surprise as I cited once more something that wasn't mean to be known outside of her, older Luvia and this dimension's Sapphire.
"The Card Makers are trying to do something very dangerous and damaging for the multiverse."
"The Card Makers? You know who they are?" I nodded at Rin, the girl finally asking a good question.
"It is a family that copied most of the three grand families' works. The Ainsworths... are trying to create something far worse than the 'simple' system that is the Holy Grail War."
"How much... worse?"
I turned to glance at Chloe and noticed that she was incredibly interested on the matter. I suppose speaking of something 'worse' than an already deadly competition was something worrying.
I opened my mouth-
"Something that could see the end of Magic everywhere in the other universes."
And stood silent as I turned around to glance at... an awake Gilgamesh.
He smiled brightly as he turned his attention on me. "Hello friend."
...Since when we were friends?
"I suppose I shall accept your kind request of hospitality and good food, properly offered to a king."
...What?
"We didn't even talk about this, you brat." The tanned girl by my side spoke softly, yet her tone was far from calm as part of her growing concern started to influence her words.
"Crude, genuinely true! I suppose I am being too much forward with how I wish to court Shinji-kun."
...Court?
...
...
WHAT!?
"Y-You cannot be courting Shinji- h-he is a boy!" Little Luvia voiced out my thoughts but Kid Gil continued to smile, unfazed by the collective reaction."
"But it can be done! Why, I have been quite interested in my friend Enkidu-"
Nonononononono!
I- This cannot be allowed but- I need his help and- UGH!
"Master." Artoria asked blankly, her golden eyes on my face. "Permission to teach a lesson to this little scoundrel."
...When did she get Excalibur Morgan out?
AN
Gil is here and, before anyone asks if I am pulling some Yaoi here, no. Gil's courting is... not romantic but... weird. Plain weird, especially because the previous individual he 'courted' was Enkidu.
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Timerider
That guy who really should get out more.
- Location
- The End of the World.
Is Saber Alter going to spank Kid Gil with her sword?
Because that would be hilarious on so many levels.
- Location
- Versailles
If you summoned rule breaker, did you use the card or did you summon her?
- Location
- Italia
Used the card.
Frozen Flame
Fragment of the Devourer
- Location
- The Darkness Beyond Time
Well, that was a thing. There are going to be some interesting reactions from FSN!Gil if/when he finds out about this. Best of luck Shinji you'll need it.
On a side note, given the Saber plan kind of failed, I wonder how he'll adapt. Because I'm getting the distinct vibe that his plan for the cards was to swap in Solomon or another Grand, and I really don't want to see the fallout of an improperly summoned version.
On a side note, given the Saber plan kind of failed, I wonder how he'll adapt. Because I'm getting the distinct vibe that his plan for the cards was to swap in Solomon or another Grand, and I really don't want to see the fallout of an improperly summoned version.
- Location
- Australia
Speaking of Solomon due to the Matou lineage our protag can summon a demon pillar or Gotei if the right circumstances are met. That is something I like to see explored. It will be hilarious they are corned by the Ainsworth and our protag just goes fuck you and summons Beast 1.
I don't think summoning the whole Gietia would work... Or even just Barbados, given that the Pillars are connected to/dwell in the Crest, and Zouken kinda destroyed it.
Still, have some cute antro pillars, especially Barbatos-tan:
【*Fate/GrandOrder】「魔神柱拟人」漫画/盒子 [pixiv]
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- Location
- Australia
I humbly thank you for this gift, now the urge to see them Summoned as girls has risen within me. Your right the Zouken messed up the crest but does the blood in shinji count at all. He is still the blood relative or connected to Barbados. So I think at least something would happen.