My heart thundered behind my ribs as I ran inside the park. Saber stopped ahead of me, her invisible sword appearing in her grip. I slowed, arms shaking and cold sweat slick all over my back.
The air curled around me like a wet blanket. Something thick clung to the atmosphere, spreading across the park like an oil stain on water. Mana. Everywhere. My skin prickled, the sensation crawling up my arms and pooling at the base of my skull.
My breath caught and a shiver washed over me from head to toe, rolling down my spine like ice water. My body trembled in place, every muscle locked tight. That quiet voice at the back of my head screamed at me to run.
I clenched my fists and dug my heels into the ground.
A tall slender figure stood further up ahead, illuminated by the streetlights. A woman in black. Her long purple hair spilled down her back like a waterfall, and her mouth clamped tight around an unconscious woman's neck.
Like a vampire.
Rider. Medusa.
The woman in her arms wasn't moving. Her skin was like grave wax, and her chest was barely rising, and—
"I am the bone of my sword."
The words left my mouth before my brain caught up. Heat flooded my magic circuits like flames in a forge.
She was still alive. I could save her.
Saber tensed in front of me as I pointed a hand at Rider.
Half a dozen nameless swords materialized in the air around Medusa. The metal gleamed as it caught the moonlight, edges sharp enough to split hairs. They hovered there like guillotines waiting to drop, points all trained on the woman in black.
"Release the woman."
Rider paused. Her lips left the woman's neck, a small trail of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. A shiver crawled up my spine as her head turned a fraction. Despite the blindfold covering her eyes, I could feel her gaze settling on me like a physical weight pressing against my chest.
She made no other move. Just stood there like a well-trained hound, the unconscious woman in her arms.
The blades hovered in the air. They wouldn't put a single scratch on Medusa. I knew that, so I let them be. They'd served their purpose—
"Oh? If it isn't Emiya." A high-pitched voice carried from behind Rider, grating against my ears like nails on a chalkboard. "And it looks like you have a trick up your sleeve."
Shinji stepped into view, an open book in hand. He took one glance at those weapons floating in the air and smirked in that insufferable way of his.
I wanted to punch him.
"Projection magecraft?" He let out a scoff, tilting his head back like he'd just heard a funny joke. "Don't get cocky, Emiya. Who do you think you are to order my Servant around?"
My hands twitched at my sides. The molten steel in my veins flared hotter.
I wanted to punch him so badly.
"What the fuck, Shinji." I barely kept a grip on my voice. My teeth gnashed as I glared at the smug piece of shit. "Why are you getting innocent people involved! This isn't a game!"
Shinji tilted his head, that insufferable smirk pulling up into a sneer. "Haah? Are you dumb? Eating people is how Servants get stronger. There's nothing I can do about it."
Heat prickled at the base of my skull. Something inside me was about to explode. The words sat on the tip of my tongue, a breath away from unleashing a steel rain.
I could kill him. Rider couldn't protect him while fighting Saber. I could kill him. I could kill him so easily—
My hands clenched, the nails digging into my palms.
"I'm giving you one chance to back off, Shinji. Release that woman and leave."
Sakura still cared about this piece of shit. It'd hurt her if I killed him now.
Shinji's face twisted with an ugly sneer. "Haah? You're giving me a chance?" His grip tightened around his book, and his eyes narrowed. "Don't make me laugh."
Something shimmered in Rider's hand. Her slender fingers closed around a metal handle that coalesced from thin air. My eyes lingered on the sharp, nameless dagger, and deep inside my soul, the forge grasped it like an offering.
"Don't get a big head just because you know a little magecraft." Shinji's voice turned cold. "I only came here to see a fight between Servants, but it looks like I'll have to beat you up a little, Emiya."
A heavy breath escaped through my nose.
He wanted a fight.
My eyes flickered to Rider.
A fight that would end with her getting hurt.
My gut twisted into a knot.
I didn't want to. I didn't want to see her getting hurt. I didn't want her getting hurt.
But there was no other way.
"Don't kill her, Saber."
Artoria turned her head, just enough to look at me from the corner of her eyes. "What nonsense are you speaking? She's an enemy Servant."
No, she wasn't. Medusa wasn't an enemy. She was Sakura's Servant. She didn't deserve this.
"Please, Saber."
Artoria's brow furrowed. She looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "Shirou. She's the enemy."
A muscle jumped in my jaw. I lifted my left hand and held it there, those three marks painted on the back for everyone to see.
"I'll use a command seal if I have to."
Saber paused. Her eyes narrowed, and something unpleasant flashed across her face. "Shirou. That's—"
"You think you're better than me, Emiya?!" Shinji's voice rose to a high-pitched shrill as he jabbed his book towards us, his face twisting with rage. "Go, Rider!"
Saber tensed, her attention snapping forward. "We'll talk about this later."
Rider's left foot scraped against the asphalt as she shifted her weight. Her chains rose around her like coiling snakes, the metal links giving off wicked gleams.
My eyes flickered to the swords hovering above Medusa. A simple thought and flex of will launched them through the air like arrows, and—
A lazy flick of the wrist.
That's all it took for Rider to send her weapon flying.
The nameless nail sailed through the air in a blur of steel, deflecting three blades with sharp clangs that rang out like bells. Then she yanked the chain, and her dagger spun around her in a sharp arc, knocking the other swords off course.
The swords burst apart into a shower of sparks that danced around Medusa like tiny fireflies before fading into nothing.
Another flick of the wrist.
The unconscious woman spun through the air like a ragdoll.
Medusa vanished.
Trace On!
A copy of myself appeared in the woman's path, arms outstretched. The clone caught her before she hit the ground, cradling her gently as it laid her down on the grass. It shattered into azure motes of light before it could rise back to its feet.
The clang of metal echoed through the park.
My eyes flickered to Saber just as Rider leapt away from her amidst a burst of sparks, that chain trailing behind her in an undulating line. A second dagger appeared in her awaiting palm as she twisted midair like an Olympic gymnast.
Her form blurred into nothing as soon as she landed. A half breath later, she appeared in front of Saber.
Two shadows collided. Another shower of sparks lit up the night.
Rider leapt away again, her boots barely touching the ground before she was moving. She ran around Saber, her long purple hair fluttering like a banner. She dashed in like a viper, and more sparks flashed in the moonlight. Then she pulled back, moving around Saber like a shadow.
The sound of metal on metal rang out in a steady rhythm. Two legends clashing with each other in a violent dance of steel.
Deep in my chest, something fluttered.
"Hah, she's just standing there and defending. A third-class magus with a third-class Servant." Shinji's grating laugh carried from across the park. "What a joke!"
What a clown.
He was standing there, watching the fight without a care in the world. I could kill him so easily. A single sword aimed at his face, and he'd—
I gritted my teeth. My fingers twitched as I fought back the urge. Heat built behind my eyes.
I wouldn't hurt Sakura. I—
Another sharp clang of metal drew my gaze back to the fight.
"Go, Rider! Finish her off already!"
Shinji's voice was distant in my ears.
Rider sped up, her form a ghost in the night.
A dagger flashed through the air. The chain coiled around Saber's left arm in a tangle of metal. The chains tensed, pulling tight, and Saber's grip on her sword weakened.
Medusa leapt in like a snake closing on its prey.
A burst of mana exploded out of Saber in a blue shroud.
Sparks lit up the night once more.
Rider twisted to the side from the sheer force behind Saber's swing.
Artoria stomped forward and pivoted on her heel, planting her foot square in Rider's chest.
The woman folded around the steel boot like hit by a freight train. A shockwave rippled out from the impact, and Medusa shot backwards through the air faster than my eyes could follow.
A loud crack echoed through the night as she crashed into a public bathroom. The wall cratered around her form, concrete and tile exploding outward in a cloud of dust and debris.
Rider fell to the ground and slumped over, limp.
The park turned silent like a grave.
Shinji stared at Rider, his body frozen in place. His mouth hung open, eyes wide like he'd just watched his favorite toy break.
"…No way."
Saber lowered her foot with a soft, metallic clink, her face utterly flat.
My legs twitched. Every muscle in my body screamed to just rush over there and check if Rider was okay. I planted my feet on the ground and pushed a harsh breath through my nose.
"Saber." I glared at my Servant. "I told you to take it easy on her."
Artoria didn't look at me. She didn't take her eyes off Rider, despite the poor woman lying there, motionless. "I was doing exactly that. She's much weaker than I thought."
"She's not weak. She—"
A crackle of stone.
My gaze snapped towards Medusa.
A twitch. Rider's fingers curled against the rubble.
Saber's whole body tensed. She slipped back into her stance, invisible sword raised.
Medusa pulled herself upright, one hand braced against the cratered wall. Her arm trembled. She made it halfway up before slumping back against the building, a trickle of blood staining her chin.
"It's over."
A thumb brushed against the hilt, ready to push out sword. My circuits hummed with heat, ready to forge another blade. Golden light glimmered at the back of my mind like an ever-distant dream.
I wouldn't let her die.
Saber lowered her invisible blade but didn't take her eyes off Rider.
Shinji finally moved. He walked up to Medusa, his face blank. He stopped in front of her and looked down at the motionless woman with eyes like chips of ice.
"Oi…" he spoke, voice just as cold. "Who said you could lose? Stand up."
Rider tried to pull herself up on shaky arms. She made it a few inches off the ground before falling back with a dull thud.
"Stand up," Shinji ordered again.
Rider didn't move. Her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.
I couldn't watch this anymore.
"You've lost, Shinji."
He ignored me.
"Stand up, Rider!" His face contorted in anger, lips pulling back from his teeth. "You make me look like a loser!"
His book glowed a faint purple.
The sword rose from its sheath.
"Get the fuck up—"
A nameless blade formed above me and launched through the air like a bullet. It sank into the ground at Shinji's feet with a solid thunk, and the bastard jumped back with a yelp, his head swiveling towards me.
"Enough."
My feet moved.
"Stop blaming your Servant. She did her best even with you dragging her down."
Another nondescript sword took shape in my right hand. Its tip touched the ground, scraping against the asphalt with a harsh noise that made my skin prickle.
Shinji took a step back. His eyes went wide, darting from me to the sword and back again. He scurried backwards like a frightened mouse, feet stumbling over each other.
"Do you know what happens when you lose in the Grail War?"
Shinji's back went flat against a lamppost. His eyes shrank like pinpricks, and he held his hands in front of him with a jerky movement.
"Wait, Emiya! It's not my fault, okay? My grandfather made me do this! I didn't even want to join this stupid war!"
Yeah. Bet.
I came to a stop in front of Shinji, tilting my head a fraction. "Really?"
"Yeah, I'm not lying! You gotta believe me!" His voice cracked, going up an octave.
I let out a hum, lifting my sword and tapping it against my shoulder. "I see."
A flicker of hope bloomed on Shinji's face, his shoulders relaxing a fraction.
"Then I'll only chop off a hand."
And died just as fast.
A shrill, pathetic noise escaped Shinji's throat. His face went white, all color draining from his skin. His head swiveled towards Rider, knuckles turning white around his book.
"Stand up, Rider! Stand up and protect your Master!"
I lunged forward and swatted the book out of his hand.
It was too late.
A high-pitched scream pierced through the night as the book clattered to the ground, pages fluttering. Arcs of pale lightning sparked all over Rider's body, crawling across her skin like living things as she convulsed in place.
For a moment, I saw red.
My fist lashed out, socking Shinji in the cheek, the impact sending a jolt up my arm. He crumpled down on the grass with a pathetic cry, but then quickly scrambled on all fours and dove for his stupid book.
"H-help me, Rider!"
I kicked the book out of his reach as hard as I could. It skidded across the ground and burst into purple, unnatural flames.
Shinji lurched toward the burning book with a shrill, panicked cry, arm outstretched. My foot lashed out without mercy, catching him in the ribs. He went down hard, hitting the grass with a grunt.
"Piece of shit!"
I kicked him again, drawing another cry out of his lungs. I raised my foot, lips twisted in a sneer. My whole body tensed, and I—
I caught myself at the last moment and took a step back instead, my chest heaving.
"I'm sorry!" The worm cried at my feet, curling into a ball. "I'm sorry, okay?!"
My blood boiled in my veins. Heat flooded my face, pounding in my ears.
"You're sorry? You kill people, and that's all you have to say?!"
I kicked him again.
He apologized again.
"You think Servants are toys?!"
"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"
"Not to me!" I jerked a hand to the side, pointing at the unmoving Rider. "Apologize to her! Apologize for being such a shit Master!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He cried out, arm wrapped around his head. "I'm sorry! Stop kicking me!"
I kicked him again.
My teeth clenched until they hurt. My head felt like it was about to explode.
Part of me wanted to kill this piece of shit right where he lay. Stab him for every time he'd made Sakura cry. For treating Rider like a tool. For almost getting her killed.
The rest of me recoiled at the thought.
My knuckles popped around the rough, leather handle of my sword. I loosened my grip and took a slow breath, eyes flickering towards Shinji's book.
It had burned to a blackened crisp, the flames dying down after another moment.
My head swiveled to the side just in time to see Rider vanish in a faint cloud of purple mist.
My stomach dropped.
Astral form?
It had to be the astral form.
She was still breathing just moments ago. She hadn't died when Saber had struck her much harder in that route. No way this killed her.
…right?
Shinji whimpered at my feet, a pathetic, mewling sound. I ignored him.
I looked at Saber. "Did she die?"
She couldn't have. Shouldn't have.
"I doubt so."
My shoulders lowered a fraction.
Artoria's face stayed flat, but something flickered in her eyes. She looked like she had more to say, but I snapped my gaze back towards the pathetic waste of air lying at my feet.
We could talk about this later.
I pointed my sword at Shinji. I wasn't sure what kind of look I had on my face, but his wide, terrified eyes made me smile.
"Now what to do with you…"
"Enough."
A scratchy voice carried from somewhere close, amusement and disdain mixing into a discordant note.
"Don't be too harsh on my failure of a grandson."
A figure stepped out from the shadows on the left. An old, decrepit man clad in dark robes. His skin looked like crumpled parchment stretched over bone. Pitch black eyes dotted by pale pupils that seemed to glow faintly in the dark briefly met mine.
Matō Zōken.
White-hot anger surged through me like molten steel. My whole body went stiff. Every muscle tensed, ready to move. I barely held it back. Something in my chest felt ready to burst. My fingers tightened around the handle until pain stabbed at my knuckles. I wanted nothing more than to skewer the worm on a hundred blades. To cut him down where he stood and paint the ground with his blood.
But that wouldn't solve anything.
It'd be pointless against him. Even Saber couldn't kill him here.
Shinji scrambled back like a cockroach, clutching his purpling cheek as he paled. "G-grandfather!"
Zōken approached with slow steps, wooden cane tapping softly against the asphalt. "It seems this was too much for you, Shinji."
The waste of air let out a pathetic whimper, staring at the shriveled monster with wide eyes.
"I gave you a chance, and now the Matō have lost. What a bitter disappointment."
Those words seemed to snap Shinji out of his terror. He pulled himself upright with a jerky movement, arms shaking.
"G-Grandfather! P-Please wait!"
Shinji crawled towards Zōken, hands scraping against dirt, just like the pathetic worm he was. "I am the mage of the Matō family! I haven't lost yet!" He reached with a trembling hand towards Zōken, fingers grasping at the dark robe like he was holding onto a desperate hope.
Zōken didn't spare him a single glance, those beady eyes staying fixed on Saber. "An incompetent fool is incompetent in every way. The bloodline of the Matō has fallen to the ground."
Zōken craned his head down, a contemptuous rictus of a smile splitting his face as he glared at Shinji.
"I have not a single expectation from you."
Shinji recoiled as if slapped. His hand fell away from Zōken's robe, another whimper escaping his throat.
Zōken turned away in disgust.
My body tensed as his beady eyes settled on me.
He approached, cane tapping against the ground.
Saber stepped in front of me, her invisible sword raised towards the worm. She stood there like a wall, blocking me from his sight.
Zōken paused with a thoughtful hum, head tilted to the side. "I see. No wonder Rider lost. You must be a famed heroic spirit."
Like he didn't already know.
"I suppose this is the end." He folded both hands atop his cane, a tight-lipped smile stretching his wrinkled skin. "Pitiful as he may be, he's still my grandson. I must save him even if it means my death."
A harsh, raspy chuckle carried over the wind.
"Compassion towards family can be a dangerous thing."
A hot flame rose in my chest like a wave. My blood boiled anew, flooding my face and neck.
This bastard…
Talking about family, compassion, when he'd been torturing Sakura for years.
"Leave already, you fool." Zōken turned his head a fraction, pinning Shinji with a glare from the corner of his gaze. "You've brought enough disgrace to our family as it is. You're no longer a Master. Live the rest of your life as meaninglessly as your father did."
The waste of air picked himself up from the ground with a frustrated noise. He glared at the worm, then slowly backed away.
Saber stood in front of me like a silent sentinel. I couldn't see her face, but I doubted she saw Shinji as more than dirt on her boots.
Shinji scurried away like a frightened rat. When he got to the edge of the park, he turned around to glare one last time, then ran off like crazy, vanishing into the night.
My mouth twitched as I fought back a sneer.
This was his last chance. If he hurt Sakura one more time, I'd cut him down.
A gust of wind blew through the park, carrying the smell of rotten meat and decay.
My stomach turned sour.
"Oh, so you've let him go?" Zōken's gaze shifted back to Saber, that amused note returning to his voice. "I suppose killing an insignificant weakling would only dirty your sword."
A muscle jumped in my jaw.
His time would come, too.
Once Sakura was safe, I'd make sure of it.
Saber stood her ground like an immutable statue, gaze boring into Zōken. "I haven't dealt Rider a fatal injury," she spoke after a moment.
I blinked. Why was she bringing this up now?
"My foolish grandson used his last command seal and lost his Servant."
Lying worm. He could make another book whenever he wanted.
"But she's still alive." Saber's gauntlet squeezed around the invisible handle of her sword.
Oh.
She thought Zōken was the real Master.
"Even if Rider escaped, injured as she is, she won't last long on her own."
Another bold-faced lie.
Medusa should've gone back to Sakura.
Saber didn't say anything else.
My gaze shifted back to Zōken. I couldn't kill him now, but I could still make a point.
"Can you step aside, Saber? I want to talk to him."
Saber didn't budge. "This man is not human. You shouldn't have anything to tell, nor hear from him."
"I know, but I still have something to say. Please, Saber. It won't take long."
Artoria went quiet.
A second passed, then another.
A tense silence stretched between us while she kept glaring at Zōken. Her whole body stayed rigid, ready to move at any moment.
She wasn't going to attack him, was she—
Saber took a step to the side, her boots clinking against the asphalt.
The worm smiled as our eyes met. "Well? What do you wish to tell this old man?"
"Just one thing, Zolgen Makiri."
"Oh?" His voice came as a low rasp that made my skin crawl. "You're not as ignorant as I thought."
"I know some history."
"So it seems. You must've had an interesting talk with the Einzbern girl. Send her my regards."
My eyes flew wide.
How did he—those fucking bugs.
"Don't look so surprised, boy. I may be old and withered, but I have my eyes and ears in many places."
"Your familiars."
Zōken smiled, an unpleasant rictus on his decrepit face. "So then? What is it you wish to tell me?"
"I'll have Sakura stay with me for now."
"You would take the poor girl away from her family?"
"If it means protecting her, yes."
Zōken rasped out a laugh, though it sounded more like a death rattle. "Are you saying she wouldn't be safe in her home?"
My grip tightened around the sword. "She's safer with me."
Zōken's pale eyes studied me for a quiet moment. "I do wonder."
My hand twitched. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Another gravelly chuckle echoed through the night. The old worm gave a slow shake of his head. "Just the ramblings of an old man," he said. "That aside, we've lost. Would you let this old man leave or not?"
Saber's grip shifted around her sword.
"Shirou, you should tend to that woman." Her voice was colder than the crisp, night air. Her right foot slid backwards a fraction, tension radiating off her lithe frame.
Bad idea. Incredibly so.
"We're done fighting for tonight."
Her gaze snapped towards me. "Shirou. We shouldn't—"
I shook my head, voice like steel. "No, Saber. Let him go."
His time would come.
Once Sakura was safe, I'd cut him apart.
The glaring contest continued for a while. Saber neither moved, nor blinked. Just kept staring at me with those sharp, green eyes. Then her hand lowered at her side, a frown pulling at her face. "If they attack us again, I will show no mercy."
Of course.
"Understood."
That was all Zōken said, his decrepit form shrinking as he backed away without another word. He melted into the night, dissolving among the shadows just like when he'd appeared. All that remained was his rotten smell lingering in the air.
The park turned eerie quiet once again. The sword in my hand broke apart like glass.
I ignored the way my stomach churned and hurried to the unconscious woman lying on the grass. Her skin was just as pale and waxy, but her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths.
I held out my hands, grasping at the miracle buried deep within my soul. Warm light bloomed above my palms, shaping into the golden scabbard of legend.
I placed the copy against the woman's chest, watching as it sank inside her.
The seconds trickled by torturously slow, but then the miracle took place.
Her breathing got steadier. The color started returning to her skin, slowly spreading from her chest outward.
My shoulders sagged with a relieved breath. I looked at Saber.
"Let's take her to a hospital."
Avalon should be enough. No need to see that fake priest.
Saber's eyes flicked towards mine. A beat of silence stretched between us. Her face stayed a blank mask, but her gaze pressed down on my chest like a physical force.
"Why did you stop me?"
I fought back a grimace. "I'm not sure we could've killed him. He looked too calm for someone at the mercy of a Servant. I think we talked to some kind of puppet."
We couldn't afford any mistake with that monster. We had to kill him on the first try, or we'd never get another chance.
"Very well, Master."
Saber turned away, her boots clinking softly against the ground as she walked toward the unconscious woman.
A cold weight settled in my stomach.
This time, I couldn't hide the wince.
Crap…
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