I gave Shirou and Rider an apologetic look.
"My apologies. Please, make yourselves at home." With that, I give a short bow before giving chase to Illya. My Master managed to get to her bedroom rather fast, but I know where that is.
"You really do hate him?"
Perhaps I should have chosen a better thing to say. Illya spins, halfway across the room, her face red in anger.
"Of course I do! He took father away! I'll never forgive him!"
There is was again. Emiya Kiritsugu left behind his daughter to take on a son. I suppose there's very few ways to look at that, that wasn't a betrayal of some sort.
Yet…
"So you hate him for something he had no control over? Your anger is better directed at your father."
"Well he's dead!"
That put a damper on that plan, then.
"Even so, Shirou has something we need. We have to give if we want to take." I declared. Illya glared at me once more, before turning away in a huff.
"It would be better if he died, anyway." She muttered. "Someone that's twisted like him shouldn't exist."
"I don't understand?" I blinked, staring at Illya. Illya just shook her head though.
"It's nothing. He can't even use a single spell. I don't understand how someone like that could become a Master."
"Was his Magic Circuit open?"
"Yes. That's the weirdest thing of all. It's open, and he either doesn't know how to hide his presence or doesn't care. It's like a gun ready to explode."
That… actually sounded rather odd. From what I remembered from Kiritsugu, a magus couldn't keep their circuit o-
Oh.
Oh dear.
"… I wonder if Avalon activated in reaction to my presence." I muttered. Illya glanced at me.
"Why do you say that?"
"A Magic Circuit can't stay open, can it?"
"Not normally, no." Illya turned away again, though it took only a moment for it to dawn on her as well. "Oh..."
"How do we get Avalon out of him without his Circuit killing him?"
"Not our problem."
Illya's answer was actually rather cold. It was logical, however…
"Illya..."
"Saber, you can't ask me to spare him. Rider is Ulster's Hound! This may be the only way we can defeat him. All it takes is one misstep and Gae Bolg will kill you!"
"Do you truly have so little faith in my abilities?"
Illya fell silent at that, her eyes widening in guilt and horror.
"N-no! That's not what I meant at all." She huffed, settling down on her bed. "But..."
"We'll just find a way around this obstacle." I noted. "If that means teaching Shirou to close his Circuit, so be it. There's no reason to antagonise Rider before we're sure of all the Servants present. It may be better to direct him at certain foes."
"Right." Illya didn't sound very enthusiastic about the idea, as she flopped backwards with a moan. I settled down at her dresser.
In some ways, Illya was quite alike to her father.
"Illya, do you know of any other potential local Masters?"
"Just the Tohsaka. She was the last to summon, I think. There aren't any other local mages, so any other Masters came from abroad. Shirou summoning was always a stretch, but it seemed so unlikely that..."
"I see."
That meant that at least four Masters would be coming from abroad.
"Illya."
I glance up. Sella is in the doorway.
"Yes?"
"The Church Overseer has rung the mansion. You've been directed to present yourself to him in the morning."
"… Right."
I blinked.
"Church Overseer?" I glanced at Illya. "This isn't protocol."
"After the last war, they probably want the reins tightened." Illya answered with a shrug. "You guys caused quite the mess, after all."
"Huh?"
What did she mean, quite the mess… oh god, just what wish did the Grail grant?
"Illya… just what did the Grail do..."
Illya froze, as if it only just occurred to her. Her movements were alarmingly quick, and she already had her jacket on.
"Come on."
"Illya?"
"You need to see this."
-
Illya was mostly silent as she directed me through town. We were using another car, though Illya warned this was the last one left in the mansion. It was old, very old, and it didn't work particularly well. There were limits to what my Riding skill let me ride, and this was approaching it. For a normal human, such a car was better consigned to the scrap heap.
"Here."
I stopped at Illya's direction, blinking as she got out. What was…
I don't understand. I really don't.
"This is called Fuyuki Central Park." Illya stated. I feel cold.
"..."
This place is horrible. I can practically feel it, a place where human hopes and dreams had been trampled and torn apart, leaving nothing behind but sadness, hate, an eternal curse upon the land. It was more like a place born of grudges then of anything else.
"This is where the Grail formed, isn't it."
I could feel something else, too. Guilt.
"It is."
I took a few steps forward. The earth is barren. No life can grow here.
"..."
"Saber?"
"This is hell."
It was the only word I had for it. Illya nodded, slipping her hands into her pockets.
"The Grail is born of hopes and dreams." She noted. "Sometimes that hope and dream is to create evil and suffering."
"Then the Grail reacted to the wish of an evil man?" I asked. Illya flinched, thinking on the matter.
"Maybe." She answered. I looked away.
"It shouldn't have. I destroyed it."
"Unless you can crack open the very Earth and strike at the Greater Grail, no, you can't destroy the object created by the Heaven's Feel, Saber." Illya answered softly. She gave me an odd look. "Why would you try to destroy it, anyway? You have a wish."
"..."
I stared into the distance for a long moment. I could practically see that bastard marching in front of me, his Command Spell glowing.
"Emiya Kiritsugu ordered me to with two of his Command Spells."
"Father wouldn't do that." Illya grumbled. "His dream was to destroy all the evils in the world."
"Clearly not."
Illya stamped her foot, running around in front of me.
"Father wouldn't do this!"
"Then how do you explain it, Illya?" I growled. "I used Excalibur on the Grail!"
Illya fell silent. A moment, a very long moment, passed.
I blinked as she hugged me.
"I don't know." She finally answered. "But we'll work it out, okay?"
I didn't answer. I didn't want to answer.
Because if she was right, and Kiritsugu wasn't capable of doing this, then there was only one other explanation.
I did it. This is my handiwork.
"Let's go." I mutter. "I don't wish to remain anymore."
"Right."
Illya led me back to the car. In the distance, I could see a girl in a red jacket. I'm sure Illya saw her too.
Yet illya didn't comment on it.
-
The night passed without incident. Illya went straight to bed when we returned to the mansion. I simply watched over her. The smell of breakfast is what ultimately woke her up, but she had huge bags under her eyes regardless.
"Illya?"
"'m fine..."
She didn't sound fine. Her gaze fell on my left eye, for a very long moment, as if she was a little shocked.
And then she bolted into her en-suite.
"What was that?"
I just blinked, staring at the spot that had previously been occupied by my Master. She was gone for about five minutes, and when she returned, she did not look much better.
"L-let's go."
it was all she said.
"Illya, are y-"
"I'm fine!"
She was far too quick to declare that. I followed her into the dining hall. Breakfast was… far more Japanese. Rider just looked up as us, his feet on the table and his face showing nothing but exasperation.
It took me a moment to realise there was significantly more food present then there were people to eat it.
"I tried to stop them." Rider despaired. "Master and that Leysritt girl started talking breakfast earlier..."
"Leysritt barely talks." Illya grumbled. Rider shrugged.
"Talk might be a strong word for what they did." He admitted, as the door opened and said pair walked in, carrying several more plates.
"Dig in. There's plenty." Shirou declared happily. Illya seemed somewhere between slack-jawed and livid, unable to decide which way to go.
Then hunger won out, she sat down, and began eating. There was a hum of delight soon after.
"Well, I suppose even you have to have something your good at."
I don't know if that was a compliment or an insult, but Shirou took it in stride, settling in himself.
"Ittadakimasu!"
And so breakfast had begun.
"I suppose you don't know who the Overseer is?" Illya asked. Shirou shook his head.
"You didn't mention him."
"Great. You need to present yourself too, then."
Illya just let out a grumble.
"Overseer?" Rider seemed curious. "Then this war does actually have rules."
"It tries to." I mutter darkly. "They get broken a lot." Rider shrugged.
"And?"
"The Overseer has his own Command Spell." Illya stated. "Not sure he can actually use them, though. The spell he has is a bit different to ours."
"You intend to go, Illya?"
I asked it quite sincerely. Illya shrugged.
"May as well." She muttered. "Though there is the issue of Ryuudou Temple."
"Oh? A Servants there?" Rider asked. Illya glanced at him for a long moment, her face slowly morphing into shock, before realising she'd said something she hadn't meant to.
"Crap."
"Yes! I knew you'd found some Servants!" He crowed. "Who is it? It's a temple, so probably Caster, but I'll take what I can get!"
Rider sounded positively excited at the prospect. I just shook my head.
He was closer to a kid then a heroic warrior…
[ ] "Illya, the Overseer first..."
[ ] "We should probably take advantage of the fact for the moment, there's two of us. Ryuudou Temple isn't exactly easily assailed alone."
[ ] "Let's get you two settled into a new residence first. We still need Avalon."
[ ] Write in. You may only go to one location at this time. Anything longer will be ignored.
